Podcasts about Pirg

travel flight airlines faa know your rights consumer protection bumped consumer rights public interest research group pirg

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2024 10:01

Teresa Murry from the Public Interest Research Group provides updates us on the rights consumers have when airlines bump passengers off flights or cancel flights.

The Mourning After

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2024 81:57

Ralph and the team invite cofounder of RootsAction, Norman Solomon, to autopsy the carcass of the Democratic Party after Donald Trump's decisive defeat of Kamala Harris in the presidential election. They dissect what happened on November 5th and report what needs to be done about it. Norman Solomon is co-founder of RootsAction.org and executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is the author of War Made Easy, Made Love, Got War, and his newest book, War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine.The Democrats couldn't even get their base vote out that they got out in 2020. And what are they looking at? Are they looking at themselves in the mirror for introspection? Are they cleaning house? Do they have any plan whatsoever— other than collect more and more money from corporate PACS? This is a spectacular decline.Ralph NaderWe kept being told that party loyalty über alles, we had to stay in line with Biden. And…that lost precious months, even a year or a year and a half, when there could have been a sorting out in vigorous primaries. We were told that, "Oh, it would be terrible to have an inside-the-party primary system." Well, in 2020, there were 17 candidates, so there wasn't space on one stage on one night to hold them all—the debates would have to be in half. Well, it didn't really debilitate the party. Debate is a good thing. But what happened was this party loyalty, this obsequious kissing-the-presidential-feet dynamic allowed Biden to amble along until it became incontrovertible that he wasn't capable.Norman SolomonA lot of people on that committee—and of course, running the DNC—they and their pals had this pass-through of literally millions of dollars of consultant fees. Win, lose, or draw. It's like General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, they never lose a war. And so, these corporate donors, they never lose a presidential race. They didn't lose what happened with Harris and Trump. They cashed in, they made out like the corporate bandits that they are.Norman SolomonOne reality as an activist that I've come to the conclusion on in the last couple of decades is that progressives tend to be way too nice to Democrats in Congress, especially those that they consider to be allies. Because they like what some of the Democrats do…and so they give too many benefits of the doubt. It's like grading them on a curve. We can't afford to grade them on a curve.Norman SolomonIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantisNews 11/6/241. As of now, Donald Trump is projected to win the 2024 presidential election by a greater margin than 2016. In addition to winning back Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona, Trump also appears to have flipped Nevada – which went for both Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. Most shocking of all, Trump has won the national popular vote, something he failed to do in 2016 and 2020 and which no Republican has done in 20 years. Democrats also faced a bloodbath in the Senate elections, with Republicans on track to win a 54 seat majority in the upper chamber.2. Bucking tremendous party pressure, Representative Rashida Tlaib declined to endorse Kamala Harris at a United Autoworkers rally in Michigan just days before the election, POLITICO reports. Tlaib urged attendees to turn out but “kept her speech focused on down-ballot races.” Tlaib is the only member of “the Squad” to withhold her support for Harris and the only Palestinian member of Congress. She has been a staunch critic of the Biden Administration's blind support for Israel's campaign of genocide in Palestine and voted Uncommitted in the Michigan Democratic primary.3. Along similar lines, the Uncommitted Movement issued a fiery statement on the eve of the election. According to the group, “Middle East Eye ran a story…[which] contains unfounded and absurd claims, suggesting that Uncommitted made a secret agreement with the Democratic Party to not endorse a third-party candidate.” The statement goes on to say that “this baseless story…is misguided at best and a dishonest malicious attack at worst.” Uncommitted maintains that “leaders and delegates are voting in different ways, yet remain untied in their mission to stop the endless flow of American weapons fueling Israel's militarism.” In September, Uncommitted publicly stated that they would not endorse Kamala Harris, citing her continued support for the Biden Administration policy toward Israel, but urged supporters to vote against Donald Trump.4. Progressive International reports that over 50 sovereign nations have called for an immediate arms embargo on Israel, calling it “a legal, humanitarian and moral imperative to put an end to grave human suffering.” This letter cites the “staggering toll of civilian casualties, the majority of them children and women, due to ongoing breaches of international law by Israel, the occupying Power,” and warns of “regional destabilization that risks the outbreak of an all-out war in the region.” Signatories on this letter include Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Norway, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, and China among many others.5. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush have sent a letter to President Biden accusing him of illegally involving the American armed forces in Israel's war without proper Congressional authorization. Per the accompanying statement, “The Biden administration has deepened U.S. involvement in the Israeli government's devastating regional war through comprehensive intelligence sharing and operational coordination, and now even the direct deployment of U.S. servicemembers to Israel. Not only do these actions encourage further escalation and violence, but they are unauthorized by Congress, in violation of Article I of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973.” The letter concludes “The Executive Branch cannot continue to ignore the law…In the absence of an immediate ceasefire and end of hostilities, Congress retains the right and ability to exercise its Constitutional authority to direct the removal of any and all unauthorized Armed Forces from the region pursuant to Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution.” This letter was endorsed by an array of groups ranging from the Quincy Institute to Jewish Voice for Peace to the Presbyterian and Methodist Churches, and signed by other pro-Palestine members of Congress including Ilhan Omar, Summer Lee, and André Carson – though notably not AOC.6. In a story that touches on both the election and labor issues, the New York Times Tech Guild voted to go on strike Monday morning. The Times Tech Guild, which represents “workers like software developers and data analysts,” at the Times negotiated until late Sunday night, particularly regarding “whether the workers could get a ‘just cause' provision in their contract…pay increases and pay equity; and return-to-office policies,” per the New York Times. The Guardian reports “The Tech Guild's roughly 600 members are in charge of operating the back-end systems that power the paper's…[coverage of] the presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – but also the hundreds of House and dozens of Senate races across the US that will determine who will secure control of Washington in 2025.” Kathy Zhang, the guild's unit chair, said in a statement “[The Times] have left us no choice but to demonstrate the power of our labor on the picket line…we stand ready to bargain and get this contract across the finish line.”7. In more labor news, AP reports the striking Boeing machinists have “voted to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks, clearing the way for the aerospace giant to resume production.” The deal reportedly includes “a 38% wage increase over four years, [as well as] ratification and productivity bonuses.” That said, Boeing apparently “refused to meet strikers' demand to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.” According to a Bank of America analysis, Boeing was losing approximately $50 million per day during the strike, a startling number by any measure. The union's District 751 President Jon Holden told members “You stood strong and you stood tall and you won,” yet calibration specialist Eep Bolaño said the outcome was “most certainly not a victory…We were threatened by a company that was crippled, dying, bleeding on the ground, and us as one of the biggest unions in the country couldn't even extract two-thirds of our demands from them. This is humiliating.”8. Huffington Post Labor Reporter Dave Jamieson reports “The [National Labor Relations Board] has filed a complaint against Grindr alleging the dating app used a new return-to-office policy to fire dozens of workers who were organizing.” He further reports that NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo is seeking a “Cemex order” which would “force the company to bargain with the [Communications Workers of America].” In a statement, CWA wrote “We hope this NLRB filing sends a clear message to Grindr that…we are committed to negotiating fair working conditions in good faith. As we continue to build and expand worker power at Grindr, this win…is a positive step toward ensuring that Grindr remains a safe, inclusive, and thriving place for users and workers alike.”9. In further positive news from federal regulators, NBC's Today reports “On Oct. 25, the United States Copyright Office granted a copyright exemption that gives restaurants like McDonald's the “right to repair” broken machines by circumventing digital locks that prevent them from being fixed by anyone other than its manufacturer.” As this piece explains, all of McDonald's ice cream machines – which have become a punchline for how frequently they are out of service – are owned and operated by the Taylor Company since 1956. Moreover “The…company holds a copyright on its machines…[meaning] if one broke, only [Taylor Company] repair people were legally allowed to fix it…due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act…a 1998 law that criminalizes making or using technology, devices or services that circumvent the control access of copyrighted works.” This move from the Copyright Office reflects a larger pattern of regulators recognizing the issues with giving companies like Taylor monopolistic free reign over sectors of the economy and blocking consumers – in this case fast food franchisees – from repairing machines themselves. With backing from public interest groups like U.S. PIRG, the Right to Repair movement continues to pick up steam. We hope Congress will realize that this is a political slam dunk.10. Finally, in an astounding story of vindication, Michael and Robert Meeropol – sons of Ethel Rosenberg, who was convicted of and executed for passing secrets to the Soviet Union – claim that long-sought records have definitively cleared their mother's name. Per Bloomberg, “A few months ago, the National Security Agency sent the Meeropols a box of records the spy agency declassified…Inside was a seven-page handwritten memo…The relevant passage…is just eight words: ‘she did not engage in the work herself.'” Put simply, Rosenberg was wrongfully convicted and put to death for a crime she did not commit. The article paints the picture of the men uncovering this key piece of evidence. “After he read it, Robert said his eyes welled up. “Michael and I looked at it and our reaction was, ‘We did it.'”This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

america american donald trump power israel china peace house washington mexico new york times michigan joe biden arizona debate pennsylvania brazil institute south africa wisconsin congress bank turkey nbc harris mcdonald republicans heard democrats guardian cuba nevada senate kamala harris norway israelis constitution palestine squad hillary clinton palestinians boeing soviet union repair alexandria ocasio cortez congressional mourning democratic party bolivia biden administration dnc politico constitutional rosenberg grindr armed forces presbyterian ilhan omar rashida tlaib national security agency pacs bucking executive branch northrop grumman nlrb national labor relations board cwa quincy institute general dynamics uncommitted jewish voice cemex copyright office ethel rosenberg middle east eye human toll communications workers digital millennium copyright act summer lee norman solomon war powers resolution progressive international michigan democratic pirg war made invisible how america hides kathy zhang its military machine robert meeropol united states copyright office

Homicide: Success on the Street/National Food Museum

american amazon tiktok success children google israel uk peace apple science technology british germany phd practice washington dc microsoft minnesota study south defense middle east britain wall street journal heard museum washington post guardian npr bernie sanders kamala harris democratic israelis gaza coca cola samsung pentagon palestinians gov labour verizon safari reuters criminal justice politico ftc homicide daily mail tim walz justice department massachusetts institute stone age jacobson mehta criminology federal trade commission canary bytedance merrick garland last friday defense department coppa quoting unrwa near east internal revenue service public interest josh shapiro stubhub his ted works agency american diet united nations relief consumer product safety commission middle east eye cpsc genocide convention national food senate appropriations committee ftc chair lina khan elbit systems online privacy protection act michael jacobson palestine action thomas abt federal news network pirg bold new plan

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2024 72:31

So far this year, the city of Boston has recorded a grand total of 8 homicides while the similarly populated city of Washington D.C has had 110. Professor Thomas Abt, founding director of the Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction explains what Boston is doing right. Plus, noted nutrition expert, Michael Jacobson reveals his latest project, The National Food Museum, to promote critical thinking about food's impact on health, the environment, farm animal welfare, social equity, global and domestic hunger, and how the food industry and politics affect what we eat.Thomas Abt is the founding director of the Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction (VRC) and an associate research professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Professor Abt is the author of "Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence—and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets" His work is cited in academic journals and featured in major media outlets, both print and video. His TED talk on community violence has been viewed more than 200,000 times.Here's the important thing to remember. It's not just about police, and it can't just be about police… It's also important to have balance… So, while you're engaging these high-risk individuals, these people who are most likely to shoot or be shot, you need to back up those warnings of enforcement with offers of support and services. And that's something that's happening in Boston.Thomas AbtWhen you look at correlations between the restrictiveness of state laws and about how many guns there are, it's about the access to guns. And when access to guns is particularly easy, that's when you have higher rates of violence. Now, in D.C. they have restrictive gun laws, but they're closer to states that have much more permissive laws, particularly in the South. And no city is an island.Thomas AbtWhile you're hearing a lot of fear mongering out there about violent crime. The truth is that we have erased that massive surge that happened during the pandemic. And that's very good news.Thomas AbtMichael Jacobson holds a PhD. in microbiology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he co-founded and then led the Center for Science in the Public Interest for four decades. Dr. Jacobson is the author of “Salt Wars: The Battle Over the Biggest Killer in the American Diet.” And he is the founder of the National Food Museum.Some of the exhibits will focus on how healthier diets could improve our health, how better farming techniques could improve the climate. And there's that intersection between climate and health. I thought of making a cow a symbol for the museum. Or maybe an anti-symbol, because meat-eating is a major contributor to disease; and it's a major contributor to climate change and other environmental issues and animal welfare issues, of course. The museum will get into those.Michael JacobsonThere are so many fascinating issues related to food. You know, I think about the history of the human diet, going back to the Stone Age, say 10 or 12 ,000 years ago, and the future of the human diet. It would be wonderful to have an exhibit, showing how diet has changed and may well change in the next 75 years, when many kids just growing up will still be alive.Michael JacobsonAnd in addition to all the wonderful improvements that you're going to exhibit and inform people about once this museum gets underway, you want people to enjoy it and have fun. That's what you've always been about, Mike.Ralph NaderIn Case You Haven't Heard with Franceso DeSantisNews 8/7/241. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz who presided over the passage of an impressive list of progressive priorities in Minnesota, arrayed a broad coalition of Democratic leaders behind his bid for the VP slot, including organized labor, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. His key rival, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, faced increasing scrutiny over his support for anti-public school vouchers, his history of anti-Palestinian racism, and involvement with the shady cover-up in the death of Ellen Greenberg. AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler praised the selection of Walz, writing in a statement “By selecting Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Kamala Harris chose a principled fighter and labor champion who will stand up for working people and strengthen this historic ticket.”2. In the UK, the new Labour government continues sending mixed signals on their Middle East policy. Last Friday, the Daily Mail reported the government had implemented a “secret arms boycott,” of Israel, supposedly “freez[ing] applications for new weapons export licences.” Yet on Monday, the Middle East Eye reported that the government has denied this report and maintains that “there has been ‘no change' in its approach to export licences.” The Guardian adds “Although [British] military exports to Israel were only estimated at £18.2m last year, an arms embargo is widely perceived as an appropriate and powerful means to register disapproval of Israel's actions towards the Palestinians.”3. The Canary, a left-wing British new outlet, reports “During the early hours of the morning of Tuesday 6 August, six Palestine Action activists were arrested after they broke inside and damaged weaponry inside the highly secured Bristol manufacturing hub of Israel's largest weapons company, Elbit Systems.” According to this report, the group “used a prison van to smash through the outer perimeter and the roller shutters into the building,” and “Once…inside, they began damaging…machinery and Israeli quadcopter drones.” As the Canary notes, “Elbit System…supplies up to 85% of Israel's military drones and land-based equipment.” Palestine Action issued a statement on this protest, writing “As a party to the Genocide Convention, Britain has a responsibility to prevent the occurrence of genocide. When our government fails to abide by their legal and moral obligations, it's the responsibility of ordinary people to take direct action.”4. Semafor reports “In January, The Wall Street Journal made an explosive claim: Quoting ‘intelligence reports,' the paper reported that not only had 12 members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, taken part in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, but 10% of the relief agency's 12,000 workers in Gaza had ties to militant groups.” Yet, “months later, the paper's top editor overseeing standards privately made an admission: The paper didn't know — and still doesn't know —whether the allegation, based on Israeli intelligence reports, was true.” As Semafor notes, the fact that this story was “based on information [the paper] could not verify is a startling acknowledgment, and calls into question the validity of the claims.” This unconfirmed story resulted in more than a dozen nations – among them the US, the UK, and Germany – freezing their funding for UNRWA, totaling $450 million.5. Federal News Network reports “The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved… funding the Defense Department at $852.2 billion, a 3.3% increase over fiscal [year] 2024.” In other words, another year, another $10 billion for the Pentagon. In 2023, the Department of Defense failed its sixth audit in a row, per Reuters.In more positive news, this has been a banner week for consumer protection action at the federal level.6. On August 2nd, the FTC reported “On behalf of the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice sued video-sharing platform TikTok, its parent company ByteDance, as well as its affiliated companies, with flagrantly violating a children's privacy law—the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act—and also alleged they infringed an existing FTC 2019 consent order against TikTok for violating COPPA.” Specifically, “The complaint alleges defendants failed to comply with the COPPA requirement to notify and obtain parental consent before collecting and using personal information from children under the age of 13.” FTC Chair Lina Khan is quoted saying “TikTok knowingly and repeatedly violated kids' privacy, threatening the safety of millions of children across the country…The FTC will continue to use the full scope of its authorities to protect children online—especially as firms deploy increasingly sophisticated digital tools to surveil kids and profit from their data.”7. On August 1st, the Consumer Product Safety Commission ruled that online retail titan Amazon qualifies as a “distributor” and “therefore bears a legal responsibility for recalling dangerous products and informing customers and the public,” per NPR. This report continues to say this decision “stems from a lawsuit filed by the CPSC against Amazon in 2021 over a slew of [unsafe] products offered on the retailer's platform… [including] children's sleepwear that didn't meet federal flammability standards, carbon monoxide detectors that failed to detect carbon monoxide and sound their alarms, and hair dryers that didn't protect against electrocution when immersed in water. Amazon sold more than 418,000 units between 2018 and 2021.” Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director at U.S. PIRG is quoted saying “This order is about making sure Amazon is just as accountable as every other company that sells products to consumers who often think that if something is for sale, it must be safe.”8. AP reports “Coca-Cola…said Friday it will pay $6 billion in back taxes and interest to the Internal Revenue Service while it appeals a final federal tax court decision in a case dating back 17 years.” This lawsuit began in 2015 and centered around how the beverage giant “calculate[s] U.S. income based on profits amounting to more than $9 billion from foreign licensees and affiliates.” The company has been enjoying increased profitability this quarter, reportedly “boosted by product price increases.”9. “The D.C. attorney general is suing online ticket provider StubHub for allegedly adding surprise fees onto a needlessly long checkout process in violation of local consumer protection laws,” the Washington Post reports. Specifically, this suit alleges “StubHub deceives customers by offering them an incomplete price at first, then making them go through a purchase process that can involve more than 12 pages — with a timer to impart a sense of urgency — and adding extra fees.” The office of Brian Schwalb, the D.C. AG, alleges StubHub has “[extracted] an estimated $118 million in hidden fees,” from District consumers, using “drip pricing” – described by the FTC as “a pricing technique in which firms advertise only part of a product's price and reveal other charges later as the customer goes through the buying process.” This model is illegal under the District's Consumer Protection Procedures Act.10. Finally, “The Justice Department and several dozen state attorneys general won a sweeping victory against Google Monday as a federal judge ruled that the search giant illegally monopolized the online search and advertising markets over the past decade,” per POLITICO. In a lengthy ruling U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google “locked up some 90 percent of the internet search market through a partnership with Apple to be the default search provider in its Safari web browser, alongside similar agreements with handset makers and mobile carriers such Samsung and Verizon. Mehta also found that Google disadvantaged Microsoft in the market for ads displayed next to search results, allowing it to illegally dominate that market as well.” Judge Mehta further stated that “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” Attorney General Merrick Garland commented “This victory against Google is a historic win for the American people…No company — no matter how large or influential — is above the law. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce our antitrust laws.”This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Unlocking the Right to Repair with Nathan Proctor of PIRG

Rethinking Trade with Lori Wallach

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2024 18:45

How many times has your phone, car, or whatever broken and you or your local repair shop can't get the part or the software update to fix it? You're told the only options are to pay an obscene amount to a dealer or manufacturer, or prematurely replace the item.People in states across the country are fighting back by enacting “right to repair” laws. But corporate lobbyists hope to rig trade agreements with rules that forbid access to the information that we need to fix our stuff.Join Lori Wallach and special guest Nathan Proctor, Senior Director of the Campaign for Right to Repair at PIRG, as they examine the right to repair and how trade deals could undermine it. Learn how the digitalization of everything gave companies new ways to monopolize who can fix stuff. Nathan explains how we can restore these basic rights Americans have long had. Lori reveals how companies are trying to lock in new corporate powers by slipping vague and non-trade-related rules into “trade” deals.

americans unlocking campaign senior director repair proctor right to repair pirg

Medical Debt And Your Credit Score

credit personal finance credit score medical debt public interest research group pirg

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2024 10:01

Patricia Kelmer from the Public Interest Research Group discusses a proposal to change how your credit score is compiled. Under a plan from the Consumer Financia Protection Bureau, medical debt would generally not affect credit scores in the US. Kelmer explains why PIRG supports the idea and responds to pushback against it. For more information: https://pirg.org/edfund/media-center/statement-cfpb-proposes-to-erase-medical-debt-from-credit-reports/

PIRG's Patricia Kelmer on erasing medical debt from credit reports

NewsTalk STL

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2024 10:00

Mike Ferguson in the Morning 06-21-24 Patricia Kelmer from the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) talks about erasing medical debt from credit reports. (https://pirg.org/) NewsTalkSTL website: https://newstalkstl.com/ Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsTalkSTL Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/NewstalkSTL Livestream 24/7: http://bit.ly/newstalkstlstreamSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

rumble erasing credit reports medical debt mike ferguson pirg

The Power of Youth

The Daily Decrypt - Cyber News and Discussions

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2024 77:48

We explore how young people have made meaningful careers and lasting change working in the public interest with Sam Simon, editor of “Choosing the Public Interest: Essays From the First Public Interest Research Group” and Lisa Frank, Vice President and D.C. Director at The Public Interest Network and also Executive Director in the Washington Legislative Office at Environment America. Plus, the indomitable Chris Hedges stops by to report on his interviews with college students protesting the genocide in Gaza, which he chronicled in a Substack piece titled “The Nation's Conscience.”Sam Simon is an author, playwright, and attorney who co-founded the Public Interest Research Group with Ralph and the other Nader's Raiders in 1970. He compiled and edited the new book Choosing the Public Interest: Essays From the First Public Interest Research Group.This is something that every one of these themes have and that this movement has had—that the consumer, the user, the student, the pensioner have equal voice in our systems to help create the systems that are intended to benefit them, and not leave that power in the hands of corporate entities and profit-making enterprises. And that idea needs to continue to exist. And I'm glad that the Public Interest Network and PIRGS still thrive on many campuses.Sam SimonWhat I want to come out of this book is that average kids from average backgrounds ended up doing amazing things with their entire lives, because of the opportunity and the vision that they could do that.Sam SimonLisa Frank is Vice President and D.C. Director at The Public Interest Network. She is also Executive Director in the Washington Legislative Office at Environment America, where she directs strategy and staff for federal campaigns. Ms. Frank has won millions of dollars in investments in walking, biking and transit, and has helped develop strategic campaigns to protect America's oceans, forests and public lands from drilling, logging and road-building.The particular types of problems we're focused on at [PIRG] are ones that really have been created in a sense by our success as a country in growing. We're the wealthiest country the world has ever seen. We figured out how to grow more than enough food than we can eat, we produce more than enough clothing than we can wear, certainly more than enough plastic…And all of this abundance is leading to new types of problems…The problems that have either come about because of the progress we've made as a society and now we've got the ability to tackle them, or problems where—clean energy is an example—where there are problems that we newly have the ability to solve.Lisa FrankYou have Congress that passed these five laws that are being violated, with the result of huge death and destruction overseas— and not just in Gaza, but places like Iraq and Libya in the past. And they're talking about students trespassing at their own university, and nonviolent protests? The problem starts in Congress. They're the funders, the enablers, the surrenderers of their constitutional rights of oversight and war-making powers.Ralph NaderChris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, who spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He is the host of The Chris Hedges Report, and he is a prolific author— his latest book is The Greatest Evil Is War.[Students] understand the nature of settler colonial regimes. The expansion or inclusion of students from wider backgrounds than were traditionally there at places like Princeton…has really added a depth and expanded the understanding within the university. So they see what's happening in Gaza, and they draw—rightly— connections to what we did to Native Americans, what the British did in India, what the British did in Kenya, what the French did in Algeria, and of course, they are correct.Chris Hedges[Students] have defied, quite courageously, the administrations of their universities, who are—kind of like the political class—bought and paid for by the Israel lobby, and in particular wealthy donors and the Democratic Party. And that is why these universities have responded to these nonviolent protests the way they have, with such overwhelming and draconian use of force.Chris HedgesIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantisNews 5/15/241. The New Republic reports the Federal Trade Commission has filed suit against Scott Sheffield, former CEO of oil and gas giant Pioneer Resources alleging that “voluminous evidence” suggests Sheffield “collaborated with fellow U.S. producers and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in order to keep crude oil prices ‘artificially' high.” As Matt Stoller explains in his newsletter, “after a bitter price war from 2014-2016, [American oil producers] got tired of competing on price with…the OPEC oil cartel, and at some point from 2017-2021, decided to join the cartel and cut supply to the market. This action had the [e]ffect of raising oil prices, costing oil consumers something on the order of $200 billion a year.” Stoller claims that this price-fixing scheme between the OPEC cartel and the American oil oligopoly caused 27% of all inflation-related price increases in 2021. Progressive lawmakers such as Senator Bernie Sanders who tried to raise the alarm about what he dubbed “greedflation” were dismissed at the time, but like so many times before, have been vindicated by the simple fact that American corporate greed always exceeds expectations.2. Tal Mitnick and Sofia Orr, the two Israeli teenagers conscientiously objecting to being drafted into Israel's campaign of terror in Gaza, have sent a letter to President Biden excoriating him for his unconditional support of the Netanyahu regime, per the Intercept. The two heroic peaceniks write “Your unconditional support for [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's policy of destruction, since the war began, has brought our society to the normalization of carnage and to the trivialization of human lives…It is American diplomatic and material support that prolonged this war for so long. You are responsible for this, alongside our leaders. But while they're interested in prolonging the war for political reasons, you have the power to make it stop.” These kids wrote this letter before reporting for their latest round of prison sentences, which have reached unprecedented lengths. As the article notes, “The refuseniks are not alone in their opposition, nor in the treatment they face. Throughout the war, Israelis have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to protest the war and Netanyahu's government. This past week, Israeli police arrested and beat protesters and hostage family members calling for an end to the war, just the latest example of Israelis being punished for voicing dissent or sympathy with the people of Gaza.”3. Al Jazeera reports yet another Biden Administration official has made public his resignation over the genocide in Gaza. Army Major Harrison Mann, who resigned in November, posted a letter Monday wherein he expressed “incredible shame and guilt” over the United States' “unqualified support” for Israel's war. Explaining why he waited so long to come forward with the reasoning behind his resignation, Mann wrote “I was afraid. Afraid of violating our professional norms. Afraid of disappointing officers I respect. Afraid you would feel betrayed. I'm sure some of you will feel that way reading this,” yet he noted “At some point – whatever the justification – you're either advancing a policy that enables the mass starvation of children, or you're not.”4. At long last, Egypt has announced its intention to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, Al Arabiya reports. In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said this decision comes on the heels of the “worsening severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip,” likely referring to the terror bombing campaign in Rafah, which the United States had previously identified as a “Red Line” in terms of material support. Egypt has faced international embarrassment over its soft line towards its militaristic neighbor and alleged mistreatment of Palestinian refugees trying to flee into Egypt. The country has also “called on the UN Security Council and countries of influence to take actions to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and halt military operations in Rafah, according to the statement.”5. On Wednesday, May 8th, the State Department report on whether Israel has violated U.S. international law was due to Congress. Instead, it was delayed. As POLITICO reported “The State Department has been working for months on the report, which will issue a determination on whether Israel has violated international humanitarian law since the war in Gaza began. If so, the U.S. would be expected to stop sending Israel military assistance.” When the report was finally released, it stated “it is ‘reasonable to assess' that US weapons have been used by Israeli forces in Gaza in ways that are ‘inconsistent' with international humanitarian law,” but the report stopped short of officially saying Israel violated the law, per CNN. The report goes on to say that investigations into potential violations are ongoing but the US “‘does not have complete information to verify' whether the US weapons ‘were specifically used' in alleged violations of international humanitarian law.” This equivocation in the face of genocide – using American weapons — will leave an ineradicable black mark on the already spotty human rights record of the U.S. State Department.6. Students for Justice in Palestine at Columbia University reports “Columbia…is under federal investigation for anti-Palestinian discrimination and harassment.” According to the group, Palestine Legal is representing four Palestinian students and the group itself. Senior attorney for Palestine Legal Radikah Sainath said in a statement “The law is clear— if universities do not cease their racist crackdowns against Palestinians and their supporters, they will risk losing federal funding.”7. On May 8th, the D.C. Metro Police Department cleared the protest encampment at the George Washington University, using pepper spray and brute force. According to the Associated Press, the police arrested 33 protesters. The AP quoted Moataz Salim, a Palestinian student at GW with family in Gaza, who said the authorities merely “destroyed a beautiful community space that was all about love.” He went on to say “Less than 10 hours ago, I was pepper sprayed and assaulted by police…And why? Because we decided to pitch some tents, hold community activities and learn from each other. We built something incredible. We built something game-changing.” The police broke up the encampment in the wee hours of the morning, just before D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was slated to appear before hostile Republican lawmakers in Congress, leading many to believe she acted when and how she did out of sheer cowardice and political expediency. After the encampment was cleared, the hearing was canceled. Undeterred, these courageous students have continued to protest their institution's support of Israel's criminal war and per the American University Eagle, have now set up a second encampment. We urge Mayor Bowser not to bow to pressure from bloodthirsty Congressional Republicans a second time.8. The Seattle Times reports “The FAA has opened an investigation into Boeing's 787 Dreamliner after the company disclosed that employees in South Carolina falsified inspection records.” As the paper notes, “This is the latest in a long litany of lapses at Boeing that have come to light under the intense scrutiny of the company's quality oversight since a passenger cabin panel blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight in January.” That is to say nothing of the safety lapses leading to the Lion Air and Ethiopia Airlines crashes in 2019, that resulted in the deaths of all aboard both flights. Incredibly, “This new 787 quality concern is unrelated to the 787 fuselage gaps described as unsafe in an April congressional hearing by Boeing whistleblower Sam Salehpour.” As these critical safety failures and lies continue to come to light, the only question remaining is when is enough enough?9. Bloomberg labor reporter Josh Eidelson reports “The US government [has] raised concerns with Germany about alleged union-busting in Alabama by Mercedes, an unusual move that escalates scrutiny on its handling of the high-stakes union vote.” Mercedes is facing a momentous union election at its Alabama plant, led by the United Autoworkers, fresh off of unionizing the first ever foreign-owned auto plant in the country. Eidelson goes on to say that members of the European Commission have raised the matter with Mercedes as well, raising the heat on the company as the election kicks off. Among other union busting tactics, Labor Notes reports Mercedes has tried enlisting a pastor to tell workers via text “Here in Alabama, community is important, and family is everything. We believe it's important to keep work separate. But there's no denying, a union would have an impact beyond the walls of our plant.”10. Finally, the Chicago Sun-Times is out with a story on the success of Illinois' experiment with ending cash bail for pre-trial detention. As the article puts it, “Despite all the anguish over the Pretrial Fairness Act, [Cook County Judge Charles] Beach says he has been struck by how proceedings have significantly changed for the better in his courtroom. ‘I think we've come a very long way in the right direction…Things are working well.'” This piece describes how “Under the old system of cash bail, Beach — a supervising judge in the pretrial division — was often tasked with setting a dollar figure a person would have to post before being released, a decision that could force a family to skip the rent to post a bond. It was a process that could seem arbitrary, depending on the judge, the time of day and where in the state the hearing was held.” Beach himself goes on to say “There's a sense in the courtroom that taking money out of the equation has leveled the playing field.” The success of this reform should be taken very seriously by other states, particularly New York where Democrats have sought to roll back the state's attempts at ending cash bail following pressure from conservatives. Turns out, it works.This has been Francesco DeSantis. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

united states america ceo american new york director israel british french germany africa ms joe biden executive director vice president alabama youth south africa illinois congress students jerusalem cnn middle east afraid south carolina republicans heard beach democrats iraq columbia senior bernie sanders kenya native americans raiders columbia university egyptian israelis gaza progressive palestine bloomberg explaining substack palestinians boeing pulitzer prize conscience democratic party tel aviv central america biden administration sheffield associated press benjamin netanyahu state department balkans george washington university incredibly libya faa european commission al jazeera gw opec new republic algeria federal trade commission redline gaza strip intercept nader alaska airlines seattle times chicago sun times undeterred un security council international courts stoller congressional republicans dreamliner lisa frank chris hedges muriel bowser mayor bowser lion air sam simon labor notes al arabiya petroleum exporting countries public interest research group pirg palestine legal pretrial fairness act josh eidelson ethiopia airlines

The Right to Repair Movement: Security and Environmental Implications with HGF

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2024

Dive into the heart of the Right to Repair movement with our latest discussion on Oregon's groundbreaking legislation, Apple's unexpected endorsement, and the broader implications for consumers, the environment, and local economies. Discover the balancing act between advancing consumer rights and addressing manufacturers' concerns, from intellectual property to safety and innovation. Unveil the multifaceted arguments shaping the future of our digital world, with insights from macrumors.com, Engadget, TechXlore, Built In, and PIRG. 00:00 Welcome to the Daily Decrypt: Exploring Right to Repair 00:49 The Rise of Right to Repair Legislation 02:19 Apple's Repair Monopoly and Its Impact 03:25 The Environmental Toll of Planned Obsolescence 10:07 Navigating the World of E-Waste Recycling 13:48 The Business of Recycling: A Closer Look 18:50 Security Concerns in the Right to Repair Movement 22:44 Looking Ahead: The Future of Right to Repair 26:34 Wrapping Up: The Importance of Supporting Right to Repair Tags: Right to Repair, Oregon legislation, consumer rights, environmental sustainability, electronic waste, Apple, repairability, local economies, tech industry, consumer empowerment Search Phrases: Oregon Right to Repair law details How does Right to Repair affect consumer rights? Environmental benefits of Right to Repair Apple's stance on Right to Repair Impact of Right to Repair on local businesses Right to Repair and electronic waste reduction Latest Right to Repair legislation updates Right to Repair movement and tech industry Consumer empowerment through Right to Repair Understanding Oregon's Right to Repair bill Transcript: Right to Repair offsetkeyz: Welcome back to the Daily Decrypt. Today we're joined by the Trash Queen, the Solid Waste Savant, Hot Girl Farmer. As we discuss the right to repair movement and planned hgf: obsolescence, offsetkeyz: planned obsolescence, and it's impact not only on tech and small businesses but also on the environment itself. Hot Girl Farmer. Spends a lot of her time working with landfills and trash and solid waste and really knows the impact that it has on the environment. hgf: This is one of our favorite topics as the intersection between environmental sustainability efforts and tech, and Apple's one of the biggest offenders with this problem of e waste. offsetkeyz: So to kick things off, in the last week of March of 2024, Oregon passed a right to repair bill, which is the first of its kind because it prohibits hardware and software pairing, which basically means that the software on a device can't require very specific pieces of hardware. It must now allow for similar components and not be that restrictive in order to allow for devices to be repaired and ultimately their lifespan. hgf: Organ offsetkeyz: has joined states like California, New York, Colorado, and Minnesota hgf: Making a offsetkeyz: notable shift in consumer protection laws, California's Right to Repair Act signed into law by Governor Newsom stands out for its strength and potential impact aiming to expand consumers and independent repair shops access to materials and information needed for repairing electronics and appliances. California's law is set to take effect in July of 2024 where Oregon's that was just passed a couple weeks ago is set to take effect at the beginning of 2025. So new devices created after I think January 1st of 2025 will now be required to allow third party hardware and not be blocked by software locks. The law also requires manufacturers to provide maintenance guides so that user of the devices can maintain them themselves, as well as parts for sale. So this whole bill is kind of aimed around Apple because they're notorious for being the only providers of repairs for their products. You can't go to a third party manufacturer. business and get your iPhone repaired or your MacBook. You're lucky if you can put new sticks of RAM in your MacBook. So this limits the opportunity for small businesses to pop up as iPhone repair stores or anything along those lines, which stifles our economy and sort of creates a monopoly for Apple. It also really shortens the lifespan of these devices. For example, if your screen cracks, you must now take it to Apple. to get a new screen and they can charge whatever they want. And that might cost as much as a new iPhone. So you're going to end up taking your cracked iPhone and selling it on Facebook marketplace for 50 bucks or just throwing it in the trash and going and getting a new iPhone. And that is maybe convenient if you have the means, but it's really bad for our environment. hgf: Yeah, e waste has been a huge problem and we're talking about it more and seeing more of the data in recent years. But yeah, basically, if it's as expensive to repair an iPhone as to get a new one, why would anyone get it fixed? They really create this model of, with the new upgrades every year, and the way that the product kind of degrades, like the battery gets worse pretty quickly. Basically these products are clearly designed to be tossed every couple years. offsetkeyz: It's honestly in Apple's best interest if the consumer throws away the iPhone every two years because then they buy a new one every two years. If, if anyone can repair their iPhone or MacBook, that's less iPhones and MacBooks being sold. So, Apple has been on board with previous right to repair movements, like the one in California they fully supported, but this Oregon one is much more restrictive. Like we had mentioned, it's the first one that. definitely understand wanting control of your product, to control the consumer experience and not wanting that to be modified by a third party And I think that's part of the reason why Apple's brand is so popular hgf: in the U. S. and is like, artistically offsetkeyz: Very true I personally was an android user up until 2016 I think I like the customizability of Android where you can change everything. The icons, you can do whatever. But for about four years, my Androids were dying every nine months. Like I couldn't get him a hold of charge forever. And all my iPhone friends. iPhones would hold a charge for multiple years, so I was like, okay, heck, let's go for it. Then I got into cybersecurity, and whether or not it's real or fake, they felt like they valued privacy and security as a company. And of the reasons is that they control the manufacturing from the top down. They control the making of the chips, they do all of it. They make the screens, they make the body, they make the software to work specifically with their hardware. And only recently has that gotten a little out of control to where they pair your operating system with the hardware in your specific device. So if you had a friend with the exact same iPhone model, you couldn't swap any components between the two phones because your phone literally would stop working. It wouldn't work anymore because it's paired with the software, which is kind of ingenious to maintain that control. But I Feel a little conflicted about the right to repair. I like that Apple maintains control from top to bottom. That way I know nothing's being manipulated with. You know, none of the parts are coming from A random warehouse in China that hasn't been certified by Apple. That way they're able to control the specific updates, hardware and software, and there's a lot of security features that I really like about that process, but hgf: Yeah, me too. offsetkeyz: it is becoming more and more apparent that there are ways to maintain security while also increasing the lifespan of these devices and allowing for third parties to repair. hgf: I don't know much about, like, the Apple Store experience. I've maybe been in twice, honestly. I think I get a lot of my products online, but likely is staff to prepare your device? Like, do they have technicians in there that can repair your phone? offsetkeyz: That's a good point, which I was shocked to find out while doing research for this, that one of Apple's main Profits is from offering insurance on their devices. And since they're the only people that can maintain devices, they can charge whatever they want. So it's called AppleCare and you're often pitched it via push notifications on your iPhone or your Mac book or in the store. And it's what, like 200 or 12 a month. It's like a full on. subscription fee hgf: so that offsetkeyz: you can go to the Apple store and then pay additional fees to get it repaired. It's just to lock in lower fees, like it's not actually protecting your device. hgf: Yeah, that always confused me. I haven't done it And, offsetkeyz: part of their model is confusion. You're paying this 200 in hopes that your repairs will be free like most insurance, but it's not. That's where Apple makes a lot of its money. Tons of money. That being said, to answer Hot Girl Farmer's initial question, the repair experience at an Apple store is terrible. Every other experience in an Apple store is magical. Well, unless you go in there to buy a Bose headset, there's no cash registers. So it's a little hard to flag someone down, but otherwise, you know, I bought my Mac book there and they transferred everything over. They charged it up. They did a little tour for me. I had like my own little personal concierge person walking me through that. hgf: a curated experience. Everything in there looks really nice. I'm just really minimalist, So the repair process. offsetkeyz: Right. Yeah. The, the whole repair process, and I don't think anyone will argue that because they have a monopoly on it, they haven't put much focus there. So booking an appointment, they ask all kinds of questions and then they have to then take your device for days and maybe they repair it and maybe they just give you a new one. hgf: Have you ever subscribed to AppleCare? offsetkeyz: I have and I believe I am a current subscriber to apple care for my airpods. hgf: Um offsetkeyz: I've had Two pairs of AirPods die, like just unable to be charged. And the first pair was one day after the normal warranty. It was literally the day after my warranty expired. So I went in and I couldn't exchange them because it was after the warranty. So I bought a new pair and I bought AppleCare, hgf: Okay. offsetkeyz: which only extends it for about a year. But an interesting thing about AirPods. Is that their battery is welded to the device. You can't, no one can repair and replace the battery to AirPods. So as soon as they go bad, they are literally trash. They just go right in the trash can. hgf: Yeah, those are designed to get tossed. offsetkeyz: But what happens if only one of your AirPods, like one bud went bad and the other one's battery still works fine, yet you throw it into the trash? Like, what? What could happen? hgf: with e waste, we want to dispose of that through a disposal company that manages e waste because a lot of these products have lithium batteries in them, which needs to be handled with care. And other batteries have heavy metals in them. And just different chemical and mechanical components that a lot of these products can be recycled and kind of stripped down for the metal pieces of it. And so like with wiring and cords and different parts of it. Those can be recycled. What I've heard is that older pieces of technology can actually be deconstructed much better and recycled and there's more valuable metals like older pieces of tech have gold and copper in them so it's like valuable and worth the effort to recycling versus a lot of e waste now is plastic, the batteries of airpods can't come out, a lot of it is useless and not quite worth the effort, offsetkeyz: and where, can you find like drop offs for these e waste things? I know they're around, but do you know of any like specific brand name stores that might have any? hgf: any? Ooh, that's a good question. I need to check, but I'm pretty sure Staples has a drop off option. But I would check, I would Google your city that you live in, or county, if you're in a more rural area, and e scrap, e waste, and then they should have a resource for disposal options there. offsetkeyz: should have a resource for disposal options there. trucks that catch on fire from compacting lithium batteries it's kind of an Pretty hgf: Pretty much anything that's rechargeable has a lithium battery in it, so you do not wanna put it in the trashcan. Cities and counties are really having to bear the weight of managing these types of fires every so often. offsetkeyz: So, if the baTteries are lucky enough to make it through the trash truck route without catching all the trash on fire, what other risks are there for disposing of your batteries just in the regular trash? So hgf: e waste, sitting in landfills, electronics, can leach heavy metals into the soil like arsenic, mercury, and lead and so this will contaminate the soil, potentially the groundwater. It rains, we can have toxic runoff. It's best to dispose of your tech properly. We want to tackle this issue at the source. Which, you know, starts with Apple taking accountability for their impact on the environment. That's it. which I found that they do have an e waste recycling program. It says it depends on your area, so you can go to Apple's website, type in electronic recycling, and then they have a search where you can see what your options are. What some people might not know is recycling is a business, so any private haulers like Rumpke, Republic, Waste management. What they take in your area is based on what is there a market demand for in your area? So if your area doesn't take glass, they don't have a buyer of glass. So whether or not companies have a buyer dictates what they take. Our area does not take type 5 plastics, which are like white sour cream jars. They don't take that because they don't have a buyer for type 5. But a couple counties over they do, they have a company that will buy those products. So they sort them, bail them up, and then the company comes and picks it up a small price. offsetkeyz: I just assumed that if a product was recyclable, like aluminum is infinitely recyclable, paper can be recycled pretty easily, cardboard can be recycled pretty easily, milk cartons obviously can be recycled, whatever, if it is recyclable, the government should be paying to have it recycled, right? That's the way that I thought. And then only recently did I get to take a tour of a recycling plant to find out that they don't take Orange juice cartons because no one will buy orange juice cartons. So even though those are completely recyclable They're just going to landfills and they're often going into the recycling because people know that they're recyclable hgf: From a technical stance, yeah. offsetkeyz: Yeah, technically they can be recycled so they get put into recycling bins and that might reduce the amount of recyclable materials in that bin that can then be processed because it's quote, contaminated, which is a thing, but it's not a reason to not recycle. It's not as impactful as you think. So I don't know if I should address that, that rumor of Contamination. Like, if you throw a material that isn't recyclable into the recycling bin, the whole truck is not contaminated. hgf: Yeah, they have a pretty good process at most facilities to sort that stuff out. Definitely look at your local government's website of what they take and don't take to be sure. But it's not the end of the world if your city doesn't take cartons and you put a carton in there. Usually when the whole load is contaminated and tossed, it's pretty rare because they do want to have that product to sell. And then it'll usually be if something's sticky and wet is all over everything. So your products don't have to be a hundred percent clean and dry, like spotless and completely dry. But if you threw a gallon of ice cream in your bin, that's gonna get all over the whole truck. offsetkeyz: truck. hgf: I got an email a couple weeks ago about There being a mysterious sludge in the bottom of someone's recycling cart like the top was recyclables But they filled I mean what looked like toxic waste It was like sticky and the whole bottom of the bin like a couple inches high So that all got dumped into the truckload and they had to throw away the whole truck. They don't want to do that typically because they have to pay a landfill tipping fee to go to the landfill and toss that load. So it's really, you know, people are like, recycling isn't real, all goes to trash. Companies have to pay to dispose of the trash. They have to pay a landfill to use it. versus they can get a little bit paid for your recycled materials. So your products are being recycled. It's not a complete myth. It's not as perfect and seamless as we once thought. And water bottles can't be made into new water bottles. They can only be downcycled into fibers. But I just hate that rumor that recycling isn't real. It's very important and it does happen. offsetkeyz: , I find it interesting that recycling is a business. It's important to keep that in mind because as Hot Girl Farmer mentioned earlier, electronics used to be made With a lot more valuable materials like copper and gold and now they're being made with cheap materials so had they been made with nicer materials still there's a chance that recycling companies would take them and dispose of them properly so that they could sell the materials out of them but as it stands right now an iPhone doesn't have any valuable materials in it so it's literally just filling up landfills no one's getting any value from them after after they're disposed of. Don't throw your electronics in the trash regardless. The batteries are probably glued in and can catch fire because they're probably still active. If they don't catch fire they're going to go to a landfill. The landfill is going to get compressed and this includes energizer batteries too because those get compressed. The toxic materials out of those batteries end up leaking out into the environment creating a toxic sludge Which, over time, will start to work its way towards your water source, wherever that is, or where your food is grown, or whatever. It's polluting the environment, and we don't need any more of that. Right hgf: any more of that. And we kind of got off offsetkeyz: we kind of got off on a little tangent about recycling, which is always great, always needs to be heard. But, just to recap, the right to repair movement will increase the lifespan of your devices, directly decreasing the amount that go into the landfill. hgf: can kind of move into offsetkeyz: So yeah, we can kind of move into sort of the security implications of this. One of the other reasons I moved over to an entirely Apple ecosystem is they lock your device to you, which is what this movement is against, right? If someone steals my MacBook, they can't use any part of it. hgf: They offsetkeyz: can't open it up and take the motherboard because that motherboard is locked to me. They can't open it up and use the chip. They can't open it up, do anything. They can't use the screen. They can't do anything. That is terrible for landfills because one device, one person, that's like if your car was locked to you and the tires came welded on, right? Like it's, hgf: it's great for offsetkeyz: the company making the cars, but. There would just be cars everywhere being thrown away because they couldn't sell them secondhand, right? So I love that from a security perspective. I feel comfortable. Well, not quite comfortable But leaving my MacBook on the passenger seat of my car when I go into the coffee shop because by this point Criminals who are breaking into cars know that they can't sell my MacBook They have no incentive to steal it. So they won't go and break into my car for that MacBook that's sitting there. Right? So one of the biggest security implications with the right to repair movement is that will no longer be possible since we can't lock hardware to software. And again, just to reiterate, my concern is that there will be a lot more theft of these in order to try to get the parts out of them. Right? So that's a big physical security concern. So this does open up the door for new patents, new ideas. I don't know if anything like this exists, but Apple is likely going to try to figure out a way to continue to lock devices to people, because people like me want that in the product. And I'm sure there are ways that you can maybe tell the device that you're about to repair it, tell it what part you're about to replace, maybe input the serial number for that part, hgf: and offsetkeyz: once you put it in you let the device know that the repair is complete and it maybe runs a scan of the new piece and then locks it. I don't know, it's got to be possible. I'm just spitballing ideas here, but maybe if an unrecognized or an uncertified part is placed into an iPhone, there is a permanent banner on the top of the iPhone in red that says this iPhone is now using non certified parts. As soon as this goes into effect, people who sell their used iPhones, like I have, I think most of my iPhones I've sold, the value is going down drastically because you can't verify that that is using certified parts anymore. Up until this bill, all iPhones had certified iPhone parts because no other parts could be put in their iPhone. It was a guarantee. So buying an iPhone, buying an Apple watch, I'm wearing a used Apple watch right now. was a safe bet on Facebook marketplace in a sea of unsafe bets hgf: Yeah, my thing with this is for profit companies, I feel like, always find a way. They have the resources and the staff usually to accommodate these new laws versus it's not fair for local governments and entities have to scramble to pick up the pieces and deal with this mess. I think with any environmental issue, the emphasis needs to be put on the manufacturer, the for profit businesses, to handle their products responsibly. It doesn't make sense to me that And Apple stores in a town selling a bunch of iPhones, creating a lot of e waste, and then it's the municipality's job to scramble and figure it out. It's like, you're doing business here. You figure it out. offsetkeyz: Right. As soon as the product leaves your doors, it's no longer your responsibility. hgf: whack. Yeah, I think we're offsetkeyz: yeah, I think we're in the next 10 to 20 to 30 years. We're going to start to see a shift where companies are going to start to be responsible. They're going to be held responsible for the entire life. Of their product from maintenance and repairs to disposal it all like like I hate to see Plastic Starbucks cups laying in the gutter when I'm on my evening jog or whatever It's like as soon as that cup is handed to the consumer it becomes their problem like we need we need to have Starbucks Trash trucks driving around every city just picking up Starbucks cups or the government can fine Starbucks for every cup it finds. Maybe, maybe that's the new aluminum can business for, for homeless people. They go around and pick up Starbucks cups and the government will give them 10 cents per cup or something like that. And they can go then find Starbucks for, I don't know, but companies now are going to have to start becoming accountable for their products. hgf: Yeah, remember we're in an era of all time corporate offsetkeyz: yeah. Corporate hgf: Oh yeah. All time highs. offsetkeyz: Corporations are getting bigger and bigger and richer and richer and finding new ways to stifle out competition. One of the other concerns that I came up with when preparing this episode was if third party parts or certified parts are allowed into iPhones. Like, what's the limit? Am I gonna start are we gonna start seeing completely Aftermarket iPhones out there that I mean, it's just crazy it's it's possible hgf: we offsetkeyz: make our PCs from the from the ground up with a case and a graphics processor and a CPU RAM and Throw windows on there and it's a fully functioning PC. Is that gonna be what happens to iPhones? hgf: Yeah, I can't see that. I can't picture them letting that happen. So, the last security concern I did want to talk about is if we're giving the ability to third parties to repair with their own parts. Right now, they have to be certified parts, at least in Oregon, but I don't know how these laws will progress. It could be possible that down the line they're allowed to, repair them with any part. offsetkeyz: There's a thing called hardware vulnerabilities. Uh, which Apple actually just discovered one on their own devices, which affects encryption and it's, it's hardware. So there's nothing you can do in the code to prevent it. Every little piece of hardware could have these vulnerabilities. And if you're allowing third party parts into your iPhone, those third party parts might not be quite as secure as the ones that are developed by Apple and tested by Apple. They might be good enough to get the job done, but But they might not be as secure and that's all well and good. You know, you can continue to go to the Apple store for your repairs, even after these laws are placed, but that does directly impact the brand that is Apple once their devices are no longer guaranteed to be as secure as they claim they are and. I think that will go hand in hand with the signing of the hardware and Apple has some things to figure out. Luckily they have lots of smart people at Apple. They'll likely figure something out to make sure, to guarantee security. But they've got their work cut out for them. And yeah, it's a very important reminder that this is the pioneer phase of the right to repair movement. There's gonna be things they're not getting right right off the bat. As far as we're concerned, as far as The Daily Decrypt's concerned, it's important to support this movement. Because there has to be a middle ground between complete monopolization of your devices, leading to tons of waste and a shorter lifespan. And just the wild, wild west, with counterfeit devices and no security updates and all the, there's got to be a middle ground, uh, and we have to find it, and we might make some mistakes along the way, but we're going to continue to support this movement, hgf: We love middle ground. offsetkeyz: a lukewarm family here at the Daily Decrypt. But yeah, keep tuning in, we'll keep coming at you with these updates as the right to repair movement progresses. But that's all we got for you today. Huge thanks to Hot Girl Farmer for coming on and sharing her solid waste soliloquy. hgf: Oh my gosh. offsetkeyz: Thank you for sharing your solid waste soliloquy. And we will talk to you some more next time. hgf: time. guys. for a nap. hgf: I know. I'm so sleepy offsetkeyz: It's all that Michelob Ultra. hgf: Hmmmm. I'm a little offsetkeyz: I'm a little wired, you can probably tell. We just swapped bodies for a second. I was just like, words, words, words, words, words, words, words.

Is Your State Trying To Protect Your Online Privacy?

state cross protect privacy big tech consumer protection online privacy digital privacy public interest research group pirg

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2024 9:01

RJ Cross is the director of the Don't Sell My Data Campaign, part of the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). In this segment, she discusses a new study about digital privacy and consumer protection online. The State of Privacy: How State “Privacy” Laws Fail To Protect Privacy, And What They Can Do Better grades the 14 state-level consumer privacy laws that have passed so far, finding nearly half receive an ‘F' for how well they protect consumers' personal information. None get an ‘A'. In this conversation, Cross describes how personal data can be collected and used (for both legitimate marketing and criminal purposes) without your knowledge or permission. She also discusses what PIRG suggests as ideal policy for consumer protection and critiques some of the laws on the books around the country now. For more information: https://epic.org/documents/the-state-of-privacy-report/ https://pirg.org/

53 - Smart Toys: The Privacy & Security Risks

Consumerpedia

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2023 17:52

Smart toys are cool. With their onboard cameras, microphones, and sensors… plus the ability to pair with other devices or connect to the internet, they can do some amazing things. They can also collect data on your child—including pictures and what they say—and send that information back to the toy company. So, parents need to think carefully about whether to buy these toys. And if so, how to make sure they're used safely by their children. In this episode, we'll look at the privacy and security risks created by this data collection and sharing, and how parents can mitigate that risk. We'll also give you a checklist of things to look for before buying smart toys, and what to do once you get them home. Special Guests: Teresa Murray Consumer Watchdog, U.S. PIRG R.J. Cross, Director of PIRG's Don't Sell My Data Campaign --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/consumerpedia/support

director cross smart toys security risks privacy security pirg

We Can't Recycle our Way Out of This: The Hidden Cost of Cheap Technology

Lab Out Loud

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2023 40:58

To talk to us about the life cycle of our technology, we welcome Lucas Gutterman to the show. As the director of the Design to Last campaign with PIRG, the Public Interest Research Group, Lucas provides us with some insight and strategies on how we can advocate to make our devices last longer, and in turn save money and previous raw materials. Show notes at: https://laboutloud.com/2023/08/episode-277-chromebook-churn/

technology design cheap recycling laptops edtech recycle end of life calculator chromebooks hidden cost raw materials public interest research group pirg

Fixing the Moisture Farm - Nathan Proctor and Right to Repair

Sithty Minutes

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2023 52:30

Welcome back Kyber Squadron! This week, Nathan Proctor from PIRG comes by to talk about fighting Vader and Associates to pass Right-To-Repair legislation throughout the country. We discuss everything from California's powerful warranty law, to the real plot of Empire Strikes Back, so get comfy and pull up your favorite repair guide for this chat! Follow us: Twitter: @SithtyMinutes @AAA_Photog @BimboKatan @Nproctor Instagram: @PaulaBear92 @RBW3000 @General_Leia_The_Pup Show Notes: A New Hope PIRG iFixIt Louis Rossmann Danny Wood's $900 Repair Minnesota's Right-To-Repair Bill California's Bill California Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act UBreakIFix Luke's Landspeeder Breakdown Vote in the California Senate Mechanical Keyboards LEGO UCS A-Wing E-Bikes and Right-To-Repair Adafruit Edison Motors

california politics star wars farm fixing associates last jedi new hope vader empire strikes back proctor right to repair moisture california politics public interest research group pirg

Episode 119 - An Interview with Lucas from PIRG

K12 Tech Talk

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2023 50:56

We quickly talk about the SchoolDude breach and Keepass's newly announced CVE. The majority of the episode is an interview with Lucas from PIRG. Lucas is the author of the study we referenced a few weeks ago in the episode "Chromebooks are Evil?." The study looks at "Chromebook Churn" and e-waste created by device usage. After that episode a few weeks ago, Lucas reached out to us to clarify a few points of the study. So, we invited him on to make those clarifications to our listeners. We had an interesting discussion with Lucas, and came away agreeing on more points than we disagree. Article that Mark refers to - Why do we replace our laptops every few years? Listen here (and on all major podcast platforms). Join the K12TechPro.com Community. Buy our merch!!! Managed Methods - free Google Workspace and/or Microsoft 365 security audit Fortinet - Email fortinetpodcast@fortinet.com Extreme Networks - Email dmayer@extremenetworks.com NTP SomethingCool.com Oh, and... Email us at k12techtalk@gmail.com Tweet us @k12techtalkpod Visit our LinkedIn page HERE

community microsoft evil chromebooks cve google workspace keepass pirg

Goodbye Co-Host Matt, You Will Be Missed

fear friends cdc designing enemies missed associate director host matt laura rogers pirg

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 20:46

This was a sad episode for our co-hosts Dr. Lance B. Price and Matt Wellington as well as our producer, Laura Rogers. In this episode we bade farewell to Matt who is leaving U.S. PIRG after 10 years to serve as the Associate Director for the Maine Public Health Association(his home state). In addition to saying goodbye, we reminisced about some of his favorite episodes including “CDC on the Fungal Kingdom: Full of Friends and Enemies” and “Designing the Perfect Predator: Phage Therapy.” Fear not, Superbugs Unplugged will continue. We're taking a summer hiatus, but will have a fresh episode for you in September. We'll repost some of our most listened to episodes over the summer. We hope you will listen and encourage others to do the same!

Right To Repair

right to repair public interest research group pirg

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2023 10:02

Public Interest Research Group's Kevin O'Reilly provides an update on the debate over "right to repair" laws, that allow consumers to have their electronics (or electronic parts of machinery, including farm equipment and cars) repaired by whomever they want. That's as opposed to the current situation where manufacturers often restrict access to the softwareused in the devices.

Morning Ag News, March 9, 2023: Right to Repair remains a concern for many producers

Growing Harvest Ag Network

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 9, 2023 2:58

The Right to Repair is a big topic in American agriculture. Kevin O'Reilly is the director of the Right to Repair Campaign for U.S. PIRG, or Public Interest Research Group. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

american concerns repair remains producers right to repair ag news public interest research group pirg

Special Episode: How States can Protect Life-saving Antibiotics

safe events hospitals protect states transparent antibiotics lifesaving project coordinator shepherdess illinois general assembly pirg

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2023 58:16

For our February episode, you'll hear the recording of a recent PIRG webinar, "How States can Protect Life-saving Antibiotics". First, each panelist, listed below, shares his/her perspective on the antibiotic resistance crisis. Next, the group explores the connection between antibiotic resistance and animal agriculture through moderator and audience questions. Finally, the panel turns to state action, including the Transparent and Responsible Antibiotic Use Act, which has recently been introduced in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly. You'll hear from:Matt Wellington, Public Health Campaigns Director, PIRGRaya Carr, Shepherdess and Events & Project Coordinator, Mint Creek FarmMadeleine Kleven, Safe and Healthy Food Program Associate, FACTDr. Sameer Patel, Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Director, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of ChicagoTune in here to listen to the discussion!

High Country Politics - February 15, 2023 - Government and Elections News from the American West

Heartland POD

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2023 12:06

Republicans sue to ban abortion pill in entire U.S. | Arizona legislators narrowly avoid school funding crisis | Adam Frisch, who nearly beat Rep. Lauren Boebert in 2022, is running for Congress again in 2024 | Colorado and 10 other states consider Right to Repair legislation, and the Farm Bureau is not going to be on boardSong playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: DENVER (AP) COLORADO NEWSLINE: REPUBLICAN AG'S WANT TO BAN THE ABORTION PILLWASHINGTON — Attorneys general representing nearly two dozen Republican states are backing a lawsuit that would remove the abortion pill from the United States after more than two decades, eliminating the option even in states where abortion access remains legal. The lawsuit argues, on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion physicians, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration exceeded its authority when it approved mifepristone to end pregnancies in the year 2000.The prescription medication is used as part of a two-drug regimen that includes misoprostol as the second pharmaceutical. It's approved to terminate pregnancies up to 10 weeks.The abortion pill is legal at the federal level, though several GOP-led states have laws in place that restrict abortion earlier than 10 weeks, setting up a dispute between state laws banning abortions and the federal government's jurisdiction to approve pharmaceuticals.The U.S. Justice Department argued the anti-abortion groups' “have pointed to no case, and the government has been unable to locate any example, where a court has second-guessed FDA's safety and efficacy determination, and ordered a widely available FDA-approved drug to be removed from the market. It certainly hasn't happened with a drug that's been approved for over 20 years.”Dr. Jamila Perritt, president & CEO for Physicians for Reproductive Health, said abortion medication is safe and effective, and that “when abortion is more difficult to access, we know this means abortion gets pushed later and later into pregnancy as folks try to navigate these barriers.”Dr. Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said “restricting access to mifepristone interferes with the ability of obstetrician–gynecologists and other clinicians to deliver the highest-quality evidence-based care for their patients.”The judge in the lawsuit, Trump appointee Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk, could rule on whether to pull mifepristone from the market as soon as this month. Any ruling is likely to be appealed and could eventually come before the U.S. Supreme Court. AZMIRROR: az legislature averts massive school funding cutsAdvocates, teachers call on lawmakers to fix school spending limitBY: GLORIA REBECCA GOMEZ - FEBRUARY 14, 2023 3:31 PMLast week, the Republican majority reluctantly approved a one-year exemption from a spending cap, called the aggregate expenditure limit - or AEL - placed in the state constitution by voters in 1980. Without that waiver, schools would have been forced to cut $1.4 billion from their budgets immediately, resulting in mass layoffs and closures. Now that the crisis has been temporarily averted, public school advocates are turning their attention to a more lasting fix as the issue is likely to resurface next year. Stand for Children Arizona's executive director, Rebecca Gau, called on lawmakers to move bills that would give voters the option to repeal the cap entirely, or recalculate it to current spending levels. But none of them have been put up for a vote. Gau warned that refusing to act would only worsen the strain on public schools. They face enough difficulties, without adding a recurring annual threat onto the pile. She cited the results of a public opinion survey conducted by Stand for Children Arizona, which found that 62% of voters in the state might say yes to a ballot measure to permanently raise the AEL. High school teacher Jacquelyn Larios said the ongoing uncertainty presented by the spending limit has prompted her to reconsider teaching in Arizona. Her school district warned that faculty would be facing a 26% salary cut if lawmakers weren't able to lift the cap by March. “I explained to my daughters that, even though I love teaching so much, I just don't know if I can continue,” Larios said. “We can't afford this.”For Yazmin Castro, a senior at Apollo High School, that means her classes are overcrowded — despite being a part of advanced courses that are meant to include more one-on-one interactions. She said the continued unwillingness from Republican lawmakers to resolve the AEL sends a message to students like her, that they'd rather hold onto outdated policies than support reforms that could make things better.“It tells us we're not valued,” she said. “That our education is not a priority and that our future does not matter.” Republican lawmakers, who hold a one-vote majority in each legislative chamber, have repeatedly called for accountability and transparency measures in exchange for school funding. This year, that resulted in several GOP members voting against lifting the cap, citing concerns about what's being taught in schools. Gau said while that argument might appeal to an extreme and vocal minority of constituents, the majority of voters support and trust their public schools. “Voters are watching,” she warned. “And organizations like mine will be here to make sure that voters in 2024 know who had the backs of kids, and who didn't.”COLORADO SUN: Not his first rodeo.Democrat Adam Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman who narrowly lost his bid in November to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, will run again to represent the 3rd Congressional District in 2024.“November's election results show us that Boebert is weak and she will be defeated, which is why I have decided to launch my 2024 congressional campaign,” Frisch said.Frisch filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to run against Boebert just days after her win was finalized. His formal campaign announcement kicks off what's likely to be one of the nation's most closely watched congressional contests. Frisch lost to Boebert by 546 votes, or 0.07 percentage points, in 2022. The margin was so narrow that it triggered a mandatory recount under Colorado law. Boebert's near-loss was shocking given the electorate in the 3rd District, which spans the Western Slope into Pueblo and southeast Colorado.The 3rd Congressional District leans 9 percentage points in the GOP's favor, according to an analysis by nonpartisan Colorado redistricting staff. Republicans have a voter registration advantage in the district, which has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. House since 2008. Frisch will hold his first 2024 campaign event in Pueblo on Wednesday. He ran in a crowded primary in 2022, and it's likely he will face Democratic primary opponents in 2022 as well.Boebert has started fundraising for her 2024 reelection bid. “I won my last race by a razor-thin margin,” she wrote in a fundraising email sent out last month. “As you can imagine, left-wingers are going to rally around (Frisch) big time after they came so close this past election.”Riiiight. The left-wingers in your R+9 District. So you perform 9 points worse than a generic Republican. That's not a left-winger problem, Congresswoman, that's a you problem. AMERICAN PROSPECT and ASSOCIATED PRESS: Colorado and 10 other states consider right to repair legislation.On Colorado's northeastern plains, where the pencil-straight horizon divides golden fields and blue sky, a farmer named Danny Wood scrambles to raise millet, corn and winter wheat in short, seasonal windows. That is until his high-tech Steiger 370 tractor conks out.The tractor's manufacturer doesn't allow Wood to make certain fixes himself, and last spring his fertilizing operations were stalled for three days before the servicer arrived to add a few lines of missing computer code - at a cost of $950.“That's where they have us over the barrel, it's more like we are renting it than buying it,” said Wood, who spent $300,000 to buy the used tractor.Wood's plight, echoed by farmers across the country, has pushed lawmakers in Colorado and 10 other states to introduce Right to Repair bills that would force manufacturers to provide the tools, software, parts and manuals needed for farmers to do their own repairs — avoiding the steep labor costs and delays that erode their profits.Rep. Brianna Titone, a Denver metro Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors said “The manufacturers and the dealers have a monopoly on that repair market because it's lucrative for them, but farmers just want to get back to work.”In Colorado, the legislation is largely being pushed by Democrats while their Republican colleagues find themselves in a tough spot: torn between right-leaning farming constituents who want the change, and the multinational corporations who bankroll GOP campaigns.The manufacturers argue Right to Repair legislation would force companies to expose trade secrets. They also say it would make it easier for farmers to tinker with the software and illegally crank up the horsepower and bypass the emissions controller — risking operators' safety and the environment.In 2011, Congress passed a law ensuring that car owners and independent mechanics — not just authorized dealerships — had access to the necessary tools and information to fix problems.Ten years later, the Federal Trade Commission pledged to beef up its right to repair enforcement at the direction of President Joe Biden. And just last year, Rep. Titone sponsored and passed Colorado's first right to repair law, empowering people who use wheelchairs with the tools and information to fix them.For the right to repair farm equipment — from thin tractors used between grape vines to behemoth combines for harvesting grain that can cost over half a million dollars — Colorado is joined by 10 states including Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont.Many of the bills are finding bipartisan support, but in Colorado's House committee on agriculture, Democrats pushed the bill forward in a party line vote with every Republican opposed. “That was really surprising, and upset me,” said the farmer Danny Wood, who votes Republican.Wood's tractor, which flies an American flag reading “Farmers First,” isn't his only machine to break down. His combine was dropping into idle, and the servicer took five days to arrive on Wood's farm — a setback that could mean a hail storm decimates your wheat field, or the soil temperature moves out of the optimal zone for planting.Wood said “Our crop is ready to harvest and we can't wait five days, but there was nothing else to do. When it's broke down you just sit there and wait, and that's not acceptable. You can be losing $85,000 a day.”Rep. Richard Holtorf, the Republican who represents Wood's district and is a farmer himself, said he's being pulled between his constituents and the dealerships in his district. He voted against the measure, siding with the dealers.“I do sympathize with my farmers,” said Holtorf, but he added, “I don't think it's the role of government to be forcing the sale of their intellectual property.”This January, the Farm Bureau and the farm equipment manufacturer John Deere did sign a memorandum of understanding — a right to repair agreement made without government intervention. Though light on details, Deere's new memorandum would make it somewhat easier for farmers to get repair service independent from the company. It would ease restrictions on machine parts from manufacturers and open up other fix-it tools, such as the software or handbooks that Deere technicians rely on.This olive branch, however, is predicated on a major concession from the Farm Bureau - which is one of the nation's most powerful lobbying forces advocating on behalf of farmers. The Farm Bureau has agreed not to support any Right to Repair legislation, or any other provisions at all that would go beyond what's outlined in the agreement.But Nathan Proctor of the Public Interest Research Group, who is tracking 20 right to repair proposals in a number of industries across the country, said the memorandum of understanding has fallen far short.One major problem with agreements like this is that there's no enforcement mechanism. If John Deere doesn't live up to the memorandum, farmers have no path for recourse.“The slippery language gives the company enormous discretion to just set policy as it goes,” said Kevin O'Reilly, the director of the Right to Repair campaign at U.S. PIRG.Deere's track record on this issue isn't great. In 2018, John Deere issued a “statement of principles” that foreshadowed the provisions in the new memorandum. But farmers never received access to the machine parts and software they'd been promised.“Farmers are saying no,” said Nathan Proctor. “We want the real thing.”Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: The RZA with the Colorado Symphony - 36 Chambers of Shaolin and A Ballet Through Mud - From the mind of the RZA comes a symphonic double-feature that bridges the gap between classical and contemporary music. With spoken word, live ballet, and rich orchestration with the Colorado Symphony. Friday and Saturday Feb 17 and 18 at Boettcher Concert Hall. Tickets at ColoradoSymphony.orgWelp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Newsline, Associated Press, Colorado Sun, American Prospect, Arizona Mirror, and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

united states america ceo american texas donald trump education house politics news stand colorado food joe biden arizona elections government new jersey congress original maryland supreme court missouri republicans democrats farmers tickets wood democratic fda vermont physicians membership voters gop repair chambers american colleges associated press pueblo justice department congressional districts american west drug administration john deere frisch congresswoman federal trade commission reproductive health abortion rights rza shaolin obstetricians gynecologists lauren boebert right to repair boebert talking politics 2024 elections abortion pill deere high country farm bureau american prospect steiger republican u gau larios westword western slope misoprostol ael colorado sun colorado symphony danny wood federal elections commission public interest research group colorado politics pirg farmers first jamila perritt democrat adam frisch

High Country Politics - February 15, 2023 - Government and Elections News from the American West

The Heartland POD

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2023 12:06

Republicans sue to ban abortion pill in entire U.S. | Arizona legislators narrowly avoid school funding crisis | Adam Frisch, who nearly beat Rep. Lauren Boebert in 2022, is running for Congress again in 2024 | Colorado and 10 other states consider Right to Repair legislation, and the Farm Bureau is not going to be on boardSong playsIntro by hostWelcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod's Talking Politics, every Monday.Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation.Alright! Let's get into it: DENVER (AP) COLORADO NEWSLINE: REPUBLICAN AG'S WANT TO BAN THE ABORTION PILLWASHINGTON — Attorneys general representing nearly two dozen Republican states are backing a lawsuit that would remove the abortion pill from the United States after more than two decades, eliminating the option even in states where abortion access remains legal. The lawsuit argues, on behalf of four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion physicians, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration exceeded its authority when it approved mifepristone to end pregnancies in the year 2000.The prescription medication is used as part of a two-drug regimen that includes misoprostol as the second pharmaceutical. It's approved to terminate pregnancies up to 10 weeks.The abortion pill is legal at the federal level, though several GOP-led states have laws in place that restrict abortion earlier than 10 weeks, setting up a dispute between state laws banning abortions and the federal government's jurisdiction to approve pharmaceuticals.The U.S. Justice Department argued the anti-abortion groups' “have pointed to no case, and the government has been unable to locate any example, where a court has second-guessed FDA's safety and efficacy determination, and ordered a widely available FDA-approved drug to be removed from the market. It certainly hasn't happened with a drug that's been approved for over 20 years.”Dr. Jamila Perritt, president & CEO for Physicians for Reproductive Health, said abortion medication is safe and effective, and that “when abortion is more difficult to access, we know this means abortion gets pushed later and later into pregnancy as folks try to navigate these barriers.”Dr. Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said “restricting access to mifepristone interferes with the ability of obstetrician–gynecologists and other clinicians to deliver the highest-quality evidence-based care for their patients.”The judge in the lawsuit, Trump appointee Matthew Joseph Kacsmaryk, could rule on whether to pull mifepristone from the market as soon as this month. Any ruling is likely to be appealed and could eventually come before the U.S. Supreme Court. AZMIRROR: az legislature averts massive school funding cutsAdvocates, teachers call on lawmakers to fix school spending limitBY: GLORIA REBECCA GOMEZ - FEBRUARY 14, 2023 3:31 PMLast week, the Republican majority reluctantly approved a one-year exemption from a spending cap, called the aggregate expenditure limit - or AEL - placed in the state constitution by voters in 1980. Without that waiver, schools would have been forced to cut $1.4 billion from their budgets immediately, resulting in mass layoffs and closures. Now that the crisis has been temporarily averted, public school advocates are turning their attention to a more lasting fix as the issue is likely to resurface next year. Stand for Children Arizona's executive director, Rebecca Gau, called on lawmakers to move bills that would give voters the option to repeal the cap entirely, or recalculate it to current spending levels. But none of them have been put up for a vote. Gau warned that refusing to act would only worsen the strain on public schools. They face enough difficulties, without adding a recurring annual threat onto the pile. She cited the results of a public opinion survey conducted by Stand for Children Arizona, which found that 62% of voters in the state might say yes to a ballot measure to permanently raise the AEL. High school teacher Jacquelyn Larios said the ongoing uncertainty presented by the spending limit has prompted her to reconsider teaching in Arizona. Her school district warned that faculty would be facing a 26% salary cut if lawmakers weren't able to lift the cap by March. “I explained to my daughters that, even though I love teaching so much, I just don't know if I can continue,” Larios said. “We can't afford this.”For Yazmin Castro, a senior at Apollo High School, that means her classes are overcrowded — despite being a part of advanced courses that are meant to include more one-on-one interactions. She said the continued unwillingness from Republican lawmakers to resolve the AEL sends a message to students like her, that they'd rather hold onto outdated policies than support reforms that could make things better.“It tells us we're not valued,” she said. “That our education is not a priority and that our future does not matter.” Republican lawmakers, who hold a one-vote majority in each legislative chamber, have repeatedly called for accountability and transparency measures in exchange for school funding. This year, that resulted in several GOP members voting against lifting the cap, citing concerns about what's being taught in schools. Gau said while that argument might appeal to an extreme and vocal minority of constituents, the majority of voters support and trust their public schools. “Voters are watching,” she warned. “And organizations like mine will be here to make sure that voters in 2024 know who had the backs of kids, and who didn't.”COLORADO SUN: Not his first rodeo.Democrat Adam Frisch, a former Aspen city councilman who narrowly lost his bid in November to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, will run again to represent the 3rd Congressional District in 2024.“November's election results show us that Boebert is weak and she will be defeated, which is why I have decided to launch my 2024 congressional campaign,” Frisch said.Frisch filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to run against Boebert just days after her win was finalized. His formal campaign announcement kicks off what's likely to be one of the nation's most closely watched congressional contests. Frisch lost to Boebert by 546 votes, or 0.07 percentage points, in 2022. The margin was so narrow that it triggered a mandatory recount under Colorado law. Boebert's near-loss was shocking given the electorate in the 3rd District, which spans the Western Slope into Pueblo and southeast Colorado.The 3rd Congressional District leans 9 percentage points in the GOP's favor, according to an analysis by nonpartisan Colorado redistricting staff. Republicans have a voter registration advantage in the district, which has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. House since 2008. Frisch will hold his first 2024 campaign event in Pueblo on Wednesday. He ran in a crowded primary in 2022, and it's likely he will face Democratic primary opponents in 2022 as well.Boebert has started fundraising for her 2024 reelection bid. “I won my last race by a razor-thin margin,” she wrote in a fundraising email sent out last month. “As you can imagine, left-wingers are going to rally around (Frisch) big time after they came so close this past election.”Riiiight. The left-wingers in your R+9 District. So you perform 9 points worse than a generic Republican. That's not a left-winger problem, Congresswoman, that's a you problem. AMERICAN PROSPECT and ASSOCIATED PRESS: Colorado and 10 other states consider right to repair legislation.On Colorado's northeastern plains, where the pencil-straight horizon divides golden fields and blue sky, a farmer named Danny Wood scrambles to raise millet, corn and winter wheat in short, seasonal windows. That is until his high-tech Steiger 370 tractor conks out.The tractor's manufacturer doesn't allow Wood to make certain fixes himself, and last spring his fertilizing operations were stalled for three days before the servicer arrived to add a few lines of missing computer code - at a cost of $950.“That's where they have us over the barrel, it's more like we are renting it than buying it,” said Wood, who spent $300,000 to buy the used tractor.Wood's plight, echoed by farmers across the country, has pushed lawmakers in Colorado and 10 other states to introduce Right to Repair bills that would force manufacturers to provide the tools, software, parts and manuals needed for farmers to do their own repairs — avoiding the steep labor costs and delays that erode their profits.Rep. Brianna Titone, a Denver metro Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors said “The manufacturers and the dealers have a monopoly on that repair market because it's lucrative for them, but farmers just want to get back to work.”In Colorado, the legislation is largely being pushed by Democrats while their Republican colleagues find themselves in a tough spot: torn between right-leaning farming constituents who want the change, and the multinational corporations who bankroll GOP campaigns.The manufacturers argue Right to Repair legislation would force companies to expose trade secrets. They also say it would make it easier for farmers to tinker with the software and illegally crank up the horsepower and bypass the emissions controller — risking operators' safety and the environment.In 2011, Congress passed a law ensuring that car owners and independent mechanics — not just authorized dealerships — had access to the necessary tools and information to fix problems.Ten years later, the Federal Trade Commission pledged to beef up its right to repair enforcement at the direction of President Joe Biden. And just last year, Rep. Titone sponsored and passed Colorado's first right to repair law, empowering people who use wheelchairs with the tools and information to fix them.For the right to repair farm equipment — from thin tractors used between grape vines to behemoth combines for harvesting grain that can cost over half a million dollars — Colorado is joined by 10 states including Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont.Many of the bills are finding bipartisan support, but in Colorado's House committee on agriculture, Democrats pushed the bill forward in a party line vote with every Republican opposed. “That was really surprising, and upset me,” said the farmer Danny Wood, who votes Republican.Wood's tractor, which flies an American flag reading “Farmers First,” isn't his only machine to break down. His combine was dropping into idle, and the servicer took five days to arrive on Wood's farm — a setback that could mean a hail storm decimates your wheat field, or the soil temperature moves out of the optimal zone for planting.Wood said “Our crop is ready to harvest and we can't wait five days, but there was nothing else to do. When it's broke down you just sit there and wait, and that's not acceptable. You can be losing $85,000 a day.”Rep. Richard Holtorf, the Republican who represents Wood's district and is a farmer himself, said he's being pulled between his constituents and the dealerships in his district. He voted against the measure, siding with the dealers.“I do sympathize with my farmers,” said Holtorf, but he added, “I don't think it's the role of government to be forcing the sale of their intellectual property.”This January, the Farm Bureau and the farm equipment manufacturer John Deere did sign a memorandum of understanding — a right to repair agreement made without government intervention. Though light on details, Deere's new memorandum would make it somewhat easier for farmers to get repair service independent from the company. It would ease restrictions on machine parts from manufacturers and open up other fix-it tools, such as the software or handbooks that Deere technicians rely on.This olive branch, however, is predicated on a major concession from the Farm Bureau - which is one of the nation's most powerful lobbying forces advocating on behalf of farmers. The Farm Bureau has agreed not to support any Right to Repair legislation, or any other provisions at all that would go beyond what's outlined in the agreement.But Nathan Proctor of the Public Interest Research Group, who is tracking 20 right to repair proposals in a number of industries across the country, said the memorandum of understanding has fallen far short.One major problem with agreements like this is that there's no enforcement mechanism. If John Deere doesn't live up to the memorandum, farmers have no path for recourse.“The slippery language gives the company enormous discretion to just set policy as it goes,” said Kevin O'Reilly, the director of the Right to Repair campaign at U.S. PIRG.Deere's track record on this issue isn't great. In 2018, John Deere issued a “statement of principles” that foreshadowed the provisions in the new memorandum. But farmers never received access to the machine parts and software they'd been promised.“Farmers are saying no,” said Nathan Proctor. “We want the real thing.”Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: The RZA with the Colorado Symphony - 36 Chambers of Shaolin and A Ballet Through Mud - From the mind of the RZA comes a symphonic double-feature that bridges the gap between classical and contemporary music. With spoken word, live ballet, and rich orchestration with the Colorado Symphony. Friday and Saturday Feb 17 and 18 at Boettcher Concert Hall. Tickets at ColoradoSymphony.orgWelp, that's it for me! From Denver I'm Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today's show comes from Colorado Newsline, Associated Press, Colorado Sun, American Prospect, Arizona Mirror, and Denver's Westword.Thank you for listening! See you next time.

united states america ceo american texas donald trump education house politics news stand colorado food joe biden arizona elections government new jersey congress original maryland supreme court missouri republicans democrats farmers tickets wood democratic fda vermont physicians membership voters gop repair chambers american colleges associated press pueblo justice department congressional districts american west drug administration john deere frisch congresswoman federal trade commission reproductive health abortion rights rza shaolin obstetricians gynecologists lauren boebert right to repair boebert talking politics 2024 elections abortion pill deere high country farm bureau american prospect steiger republican u gau larios westword western slope misoprostol ael colorado sun colorado symphony danny wood federal elections commission public interest research group colorado politics pirg farmers first jamila perritt democrat adam frisch

Sports Betting/Trouble in Toyland

united states super bowl new york times kansas trouble pulitzer prize sports betting topeka toyland igaming consumer watchdog eric lipton pirg

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2022 80:31

Ralph welcomes Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times investigative reporter, Eric Lipton, to give us the over/under on how professional sports in the U.S. is now part of a multibillion-dollar corporate gambling enterprise that can now even reach children. And before you buy toys for your loved ones this holiday season you need to hear our interview with Teresa Murray, director of U.S. PIRG's Consumer Watchdog office, discussing their latest report on dangerous toys, entitled “Trouble in Toyland.”Eric Lipton is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and an investigative reporter for the New York Times. He traveled to Topeka, Kansas to report on lobbying and sports-betting legislation for the New York Times' new series that examines how the sports-gambling industry has expanded in the US.The end goal for the sports betting industry is not sports betting. It's actually something they call “iGaming”... They're pushing states that have already adopted sports betting to move on now to iGaming. And we'll see how successful they are, but already we have witnessed—just since 2018— the largest expansion of legalized gambling in United States history.Eric LiptonYeah, it's true that many people bet on the side— college basketball or Super Bowl betting— that's been around for so long. But with the institutionalization and the legalization now it's become such a part of the enterprise of sports. It has fundamentally transformed the relationship we have with such an important part of our culture.Eric LiptonA major-league ballplayer is not going to strike out in a key game in order to collect some hidden gambling bets from their family or friends. But it's terrible for appearances, and it's fertile for suspicions— where you're sitting there, watching, and you know that there are all kinds of endorsements and entanglements, and you say “Ah, he couldn't have bungled that play! That was deliberate.” And so, there's a stench that begins arising by people who suspect that this greed does penetrate the games. Ralph NaderTeresa Murray is a Consumer Watchdog with the US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, and she directs US PIRG's Consumer Watchdog office, which looks out for consumers' health, safety and financial security. She is the primary author of “Trouble In Toyland 2022”, the Consumer Watchdog's annual toy safety report.We have an increasing number of smart toys. Which, on some levels, can be good— maybe it keeps the kid's interest, maybe there's an educational value… The problems are when these toys are invading our children's privacy, collecting information about them, maybe without the parents' knowledge. And then in some cases the information can be used to market to the child, which is wrong. Or spy on the child, which is creepy. Or in some cases perhaps even stalk the child.Teresa MurrayFamilies should realize and remember that just because a toy is for sale, it doesn't mean that it's necessarily safe. It could be a recalled toy. It could be a counterfeit toy. Or it could be a toy that's just not appropriate for your child.Teresa Murray Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Tesla, Subaru, and EV Fleets

Kilowatt: A Podcast about Tesla

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2022 20:15

Friends of the Show:BBQ and TechLinks:Tesla Charging Connector becomes a standardTesla reenables Supercharging on salvaged vehiclesTesla Cybertruck Hiring BeginsTesla prepares to offer new Model Y trim with 4680 cell for 2023Electric Fleets for Arizona - Arizona PIRGHere's how much states and cities could save by converting to electric vehicles right nowHow electric vehicles help keep the lights on with bidirectional charging during extreme weather eventsAlmost all electric vehicles would qualify for the US EV tax credit with new Congress billLordstown Motors gets a $170 million boost from FoxconnPorsche Taycan celebrates mileage and production milestoneSubaru Has No Plans To Build EVs In The US, Can't Match McDonalds WagesSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kilowatt. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/kilowatt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

friends tech congress tesla acast bbq wages subaru foxconn fleets supercharging model y porsche taycan lordstown motors us ev pirg arizona arizona

Are College Students Getting Bad Deals By Predatory Financial Institutions?

deals senior director higher education student loans personal finance college students predatory financial institutions department of education consumer financial protection bureau public interest research group pirg

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2022 10:02

Ed Mierzwinski, the Senior Director of the Public Interest Research Group's Federal Consumer Program, argues that regulators and lawmakers should address financial processes that they say is a bad deal for college students. Beyond just on campus incentives to convince young people to sign up for credit cards, Mierzwinski says the problems includes the colleges/universities and financial institutions are not serving the students' best interests. Read PIRG's statement here: https://pirg.org/media-center/statement-new-cfpb-report-raises-concerns-about-banking-cards-on-u-s-campuses/

Episode 115: Grocery Stores, Beer and Bratwurst Potato Chips

Chewing

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2022 45:34

This week, Monica explains the big news about the Jewel and Mariano's grocery store merger. She also shares the new grocery report card on antibiotic policies. Then, Louisa and Monica share grocery tips and talk about the politics of grocery store decisions. Plus, the ladies try beer and brat flavored potato chips from...you guessed it...Aldi!

covid-19 health chicago politics food public beer cooking midwest chips groceries chicago tribune grocery stores aldi mariano axios potato chips brats bratwurst pirg

Antitrust Matters in Electronic Payments

Antitrust Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2022 43:18

In this episode, we are joined by Doug Kantor, General Counsel of the National Association of Convenience Stores and Ed Mierzwinski, Senior Director of the Federal Consumer Program, at PIRG to discuss competition issues in the payment card space and how they affect consumers.

competition policy lawyers senior director payments national association electronic consumers general counsel law firms antitrust convenience stores pirg

EP 127 - Chemicals, Hazardous & Toxic Wastes: Effects on the Environment

Healthy Living Healthy Planet Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2022 48:10

The old saying, "what you don't know can't hurt you," isn't always good advice. When it comes to toxic substances, what you know can indeed help you. Some examples of what we didn't know that does hurt us are radon in basements, lead in drinking water, exhausts from cars and chemicals released from landfills are just a few examples of toxic substances that can hurt you. By understanding how, we can reduce our exposure to chemicals and reduce our risk of harmful health effects and harm to our environment. Some substances are more toxic than others. The toxicity of a substance is described by the types of effects it causes and its potency. How harmful toxic substances are is also dependent on the dosage, exposure, route of exposure, exposure medium, length of exposure and other factors. So what you know can indeed help you and to help us better understand this are Jennifer Horney, Professor and Founding Director of the Epidemiology Program at the Disaster Research Center and Emily Rogers, U.S. PIRG's Zero Out Toxics advocate. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/healthy-radio/support

professor environment toxic effects chemicals founding director hazardous wastes emily rogers pirg

Meet your new rights under the No Surprises Act

An Arm and a Leg

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2022 18:00

The No Surprises Act — a new law that protects us from some outrageous out-of-network hospital bills — takes effect this month. That's great news, but (and there's always a but) there are some important caveats to know about. Like, for instance: these protections only apply to care you get in a hospital. Then there's the deceptively-named Surprise Billing Protection form they might ask you to sign. And there's more. We break down what you need to know about your rights under this new law, what traps to look out for, and who to call if something smells fishy. Actually, here: The federal hotline for reporting No Surprises Act violations: 1-800-985-3059. Big thanks to our guides: Patricia Kelmar, Health Care Campaigns Director at U.S. PIRG, and Julia Nigrelli from health care consulting firm Chi-Matic. The federal hotline for reporting No Surprises Act violations: 1-800-985-3059. Here's a transcript for the episode. Send your stories and questions: https://armandalegshow.com/contact/ or call 724 ARM-N-LEGAnd of course we'd love for you to support this show. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

rights no surprises no surprises act pirg

What Apple's New Repair Store Means for the Right-to-Repair

Cyber Casts

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2021 57:53

Apple recently announced a plan to sell customers manuals and parts that will let them fix their own iPhone 12s and 13s. It's a huge win for the right to repair, but what are the specifics of the plan and what does it mean for the future of the repair movement in America?This week on Cyber, Matthew Gault and Motherboard editor-in-chief Jason Koebler sat down with heavyweights of the right-to-repair movement to answer that question. This conversation between iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, Repair.org's Gay Gordon-Byrne, and U.S. PIRG's Nathan Proctor covers everything from John Deere tractors to lies Apple tells when it's lobbying against the right-to-repair.A non-comprehensive list of the Motherboard reporting mentioned in this episode:Half the Country Is Now Considering Right to Repair LawsFTC Formally Adopts Right to Repair PlatformApple Is Lobbying Against Your Right to Repair iPhones, New York State Records ConfirmApple Is Telling Lawmakers People Will Hurt Themselves if They Try to Fix iPhonesWhy American Farmers Are Hacking Their Tractors With Ukrainian FirmwareJohn Deere–Backed Lobbying Groups Host Anti-Right to Repair ConferenceDepartment of Commerce Says We Need Fewer Repair RestrictionsApple Said It Will Stop Breaking Face ID on Independently-Repaired iPhone 13s See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

america apple iphone cyber repair john deere right to repair motherboard pirg gay gordon byrne

What Apple's New Repair Store Means for the Right-to-Repair

CYBER

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2021 57:53

Apple recently announced a plan to sell customers manuals and parts that will let them fix their own iPhone 12s and 13s. It's a huge win for the right to repair, but what are the specifics of the plan and what does it mean for the future of the repair movement in America?This week on Cyber, Matthew Gault and Motherboard editor-in-chief Jason Koebler sat down with heavyweights of the right-to-repair movement to answer that question. This conversation between iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, Repair.org's Gay Gordon-Byrne, and U.S. PIRG's Nathan Proctor covers everything from John Deere tractors to lies Apple tells when it's lobbying against the right-to-repair.A non-comprehensive list of the Motherboard reporting mentioned in this episode:Half the Country Is Now Considering Right to Repair LawsFTC Formally Adopts Right to Repair PlatformApple Is Lobbying Against Your Right to Repair iPhones, New York State Records ConfirmApple Is Telling Lawmakers People Will Hurt Themselves if They Try to Fix iPhonesWhy American Farmers Are Hacking Their Tractors With Ukrainian FirmwareJohn Deere–Backed Lobbying Groups Host Anti-Right to Repair ConferenceDepartment of Commerce Says We Need Fewer Repair RestrictionsApple Said It Will Stop Breaking Face ID on Independently-Repaired iPhone 13s See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

america apple iphone cyber repair john deere right to repair motherboard pirg gay gordon byrne

Emily Sullivan: Md PIRG report on 2020 Mayoral campaign donors

Midday

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2021 7:23

Tom's next guest is Emily Sullivan, WYPR's City Hall and politics reporter, who joins us with news that less than 20% of the $9.2 million donated to competitive candidates in Baltimore's 2020 mayoral race came from city residents, according to a new report from Maryland PIRG Foundation. Sullivan says the left-leaning advocacy group found that non-individuals, such as PACs and corporations, had a vast financial role in the Baltimore election: they accounted for just over 9% of the total number of donations, but raised 52% of the money.About a third of the total money raised came from individuals who live outside of Baltimore, while under one fifth came from city residents. Read Emily Sullivan's full report on Md PIRG's findings on the WYPR website. She joins us now on our digital line. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

baltimore campaign city hall donors mayoral pacs wypr emily sullivan pirg

Ep. 2 - Beaten Path Compost with Garrett Alvar

Earth Minded

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2021 17:09

Garrett Alvar explains compost, and a local composting company works to offer composting to the entire city. Listen to learn more!Programs Mentioned:Beaten Path Compost: https://www.beatenpathcompost.com/Food Waste Pilot Program: https://www.cityofgainesville.org/PublicWorks/ProgramsandServices/Recycling/FoodWaste.aspxZero Waste Gainesville: https://www.zerowastegnv.com/Sources:FEMA. (2001). Landfill Fires. U.S. Fire Administration, 1(18). US PIRG. (2019, June 13). Composting in America. Composting in America | U.S. PIRG. https://uspirg.org/reports/usp/composting-america. WSU. (n.d.). Compost Fundamentals: Compost Needs. Washington State University. http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/needs_temperature.htm.Donate to Earth Minded:https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=NTXUQNMZLH2VJ&no_recurring=0&item_name=Thank+you+so+much+for+donating+to+Earth+Minded.+All+donations+support+the+podcast%2C+making+episodes+faster+and+higher+quality.¤cy_code=USD

How Can You Help Right to Repair Efforts? | Kevin O'Reilly, U.S. PIRG

HTM Insider

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2021 20:49

How can a single BMET help Right to Repair efforts happening throughout the country? Kevin O'Reilly, Right to Repair Advocate at U.S. PIRG joined us, and shared information on how BMETs can help, why Right to Repair is important, and some numbers collected during the peak of the pandemic as it relates to Right to Repair. Join us as we discuss this and more with him on HTM Insider. ---------------------------------------------- Watch the full video interview - https://youtu.be/8IvvkVYP4nE Send a message to your state legislator - https://uspirg.webaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=24472&_ga=2.19977976.1113227524.1617745211-447790492.1614725334 Tell your story, email Kevin - koreilly@pirg.org Learn more and Reach out to the movement - [Your State].repair.org

reach effort repair kevin o right to repair your state pirg

182 The ComEd Scandal(s) with Abe Scarr, director of Illinois PIRG

Indivisible Chicago Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2020 54:21

INDIVISIBLE CHICAGO PODCAST SHOW NOTES FOR MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2020 1. With incredible ratings in one demographic, you might be able to stay on TV, but you can't remain president. This is the lesson the current President is having trouble learning. 2. The ComEd scandal that has gotten everyone's attention over the last few months is really a story of two scandals -- one is a bribery scandal that seems to be closing in around Speaker of the House Madigan. But what of the legislation that was at the heart of the bribery scandal in the first place -- one that promises to deliver services to consumers but failed to do so. Joining the podcast this week, Abe Scarr, director of Illinois PIRG. In Springfield he leads the charge for stronger consumer protections, utility accountability, and good government. In 2017, Abe led a coalition to pass legislation to implement automatic voter registration in Illinois. Just this week, PIRG released a report, *Guaranteed Profits, Broken Promises*, which details how ComEd has managed to stay profitable while failing its customers. Find the report at illinoispirg.org

tv director president speaker illinois scandals abe broken promises comed pirg

Panel Discussion on Antibiotics in Agriculture: Preventing the Next Pandemic

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2020 64:03

This month our Pod takes on a new format. We decided to air the panel discussion organized by our podcast co-host, U.S. PIRG, titled: Antibiotics in Agriculture: Preventing the Next Pandemic. It was an hour-long, virtual event co-sponsored by Harvard Law School that featured a host of experts from a variety of fields including infectious disease, business, market investment, advocacy, and journalism. It was held on November 18 -- the first day of World Antibiotic Awareness Week. A great way to start this important week! We really hope you enjoy it.

pandemic agriculture preventing panel discussion harvard law school antibiotics pirg world antibiotic awareness week

A Conversation with a Veterinarian about Antibiotic Use in Food Animal Production

director climate senators plastic recycling insanity zero waste pirg

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2020 51:05

On this episode, co-hosts, Matthew Wellington and Lance B. Price, along with U.S. PIRG’s Sydney Riess, interview Matt Kuhn, DVM, PhD, a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Defense. Dr. Kuhn’s expertise lies in dairy medicine, and his work has focused on the prevention of disease and the reduction of antibiotic use in cattle. In this episode, you will learn about the various challenges that farmers and veterinarians face with regards to antibiotic use on farms as well as the steps that both scientists and policymakers can take in order to effectively tackle antibiotic misuse and overuse.

phd price defense production animal veterinarians kuhn dvm antibiotic use aaas science pirg technology policy fellow

Episode 7: The Insanity of Plastic Recycling

Zero Waste Trash Talk

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2020 55:17

If plastic recycling is broken, why do we do it? It makes no sense financially or by any measure of success when it's a 90% failure rate. Even if it worked better, plastic can't be recycled more than 2-3 times before it falls apart so all we are doing is delaying the inevitable. We invited Alex Truelove, Director of U.S. PIRG’s Zero Waste program, to discuss his recent article "The insanity of plastic recycling" where he points out that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insane. Go to our website for show notes with full transcript and links to everything we talk about including a link to contact your Senator about the Break Free From Plastic Act.

Designing the Perfect Predator: Phage Therapy