Former President Trump said that he supports “modifying” the 25th Amendment that would permit the ouster of a U.S. vice president who “lies or engages in a conspiracy to cover up the incapacity of the president of the United States.” Trump told his supporters at a rally in Mosinee, Wisc., that “if you do that with a coverup of the president of the United States, it’s grounds for impeachment immediately and removal from office, because that’s what they did.” Trump’s support for the expansion of the 25th Amendment comes as he and other Republicans have gone after Vice President Harris, accusing her of covering up the condition of President Biden’s mental state after the commander-in-chief’s disastrous debate performance in late June and his decision to not seek another term. Shortly after the debate, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and other Republicans, said that members of Biden’s cabinet should consider utilizing the 25th Amendment to remove him. To ratify an amendment to the Constitution, three-fourths of state legislatures would need to approve it. Trump was impeached twice by the House of Representatives during his 4-year term in office. He was never convicted in the Senate. The ex-president's idea about the 25th Amendment comes as he probes ways to go after his new political rival and adjust to the current dynamics of the race. Despite Biden’s decision in late July, Trump has continued to go after the president at some of his rallies. Trump has accused Democrats of engaging in a “coup” when they pressured Biden to step aside and leave room for a new ticket to be formed. The Hill has reached out to Harris’s campaign for comment. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
Former President Trump on Saturday threatened to legally target individuals who he has accused of fraud related to his 2020 electoral defeat if he wins the presidential race in November, making one of his clearest pledges to date to go after his opponents. Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 election was fraudulent and rigged despite there being no evidence of widespread fraud, accused Democrats of "rampant Cheating and Skullduggery" in 2020 and said the 2024 race "will be under the closest professional scrutiny." "WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again," Trump posted on Truth Social. He indicated that lawyers, political operatives, donors, voters and election officials could all be targeted with prosecution. "Those involved in unscrupulous behavior will be sought out, caught, and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our Country," he added. Trump has repeatedly claimed that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election, which he lost to President Biden. He challenged the results in court, but those claims were rejected for lack of standing or lack of evidence. The Supreme Court rejected various election challenges. The former president was criminally indicted in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the state's election results in 2020, and he was indicted federally in Washington, D.C., for his attempts to overturn the election results and remain in power. "Donald Trump told us he wants to be a dictator on day one. He said he wants to terminate the Constitution," Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for Vice President Harris's campaign, posted on X. "Now he's publicly promising to lock up his political enemies. And, now, he has the blueprint and Supreme Court to let him do whatever he wants. Take him seriously." Updated at 9:31 p.m. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
Former President Trump posted online saying no props or lifts will be used in the upcoming debate to make one candidate appear taller, calling it cheating. “No boxes or artificial lifts will be allowed to stand on during my upcoming debate with Comrade Kamala Harris. We had this out previously with former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg when he was in a debate, and he was not allowed a ‘lift,’” Trump posted to his Truth Social site. “It would be a form of cheating, and the Democrats cheat enough. ‘You are who you are,’ it was determined!” Trump is set to face Vice President Harris in a high-stakes, highly anticipated presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The campaigns went back and forth about debate rules, with the Harris campaign wanting to keep microphones on when the other candidate speaks, breaking from the rules agreed upon in Trump’s debate with President Biden. Trump then raised questions if he would attend the debate at all, but they finally agreed to a set of rules this week. The former president won the coin flip and chose to deliver the last closing statement of the debate and Harris chose the right podium position. The debate is hosted by ABC News, who released information about the rules. Candidates will have two minutes to answer questions, two minutes for rebuttals and one minute for follow-ups, clarifications or responses. There will be no audience and closing statements will be two minutes long for each candidate. Each candidate will receive a pen, pad of paper and water bottle. No prewritten notes or props will be allowed on stage and campaign staff can’t interact with the candidate during commercial breaks. Harris has claimed she is 5’4” and her height increases if she’s wearing heels. Trump is 6’3”. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the U.S. should “more fully leverage” its relationship with Israel to reduce civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip. Pelosi said the situation in Gaza is “intolerable," but reiterated the U.S. support for Israel and the Jewish state’s right to defend itself, calling the country “our security partner, our values partner, and the rest.” “The distinction here that the debate is about is, where do you draw the line between,” Pelosi said during her Saturday appearance at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin when asked if Congressional Democrats will continue to support giving U.S. weapons to Israel. “We have always said we would help Israel defend itself, where people might be thinking some of these weapons are being used offensively,” she added. “It's a challenge. It's not as easy as it may seem, but I do think that we should be able to use our leverage more fully with Israel to make sure that the collateral damage to civilians is not anything that we can associate ourselves with.” The 11-month war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas kicked off on Oct. 7. Hamas militants killed more than 1,100 Israelis in the southern part of the country and took around 250 hostages. In response, the Israeli military’s campaign has, so far, killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The count does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. The White House has for months pressed Israel to do more to prevent civilian casualties in Gaza. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week that a cease-fire and hostage release deal was “not close,” saying that Hamas is not negotiating in good faith. “We do not need new proposals, what is needed now is to pressure Netanyahu and his government and obligate them to what was agreed upon,” a statement from Hamas said. “We warn against falling into Netanyahu’s trap and his tricks, as he is using negotiations to prolong the aggression against our people.” Pelosi called Hamas a terrorist organization. She said that Oct. 7 was a “horrible day” and the “consequences of it were horrible.” “So it's not to be ignoring how we got to this place, but it is to be saying there has to be a better way to deal with this, than tens of thousands of Palestinians being killed,” she said. In late April, she said that Netanyahu is an “obstacle” to a two-state solution and that he should resign. “So we have to take it to a two-state solution, and I use the word solution very positively, there has to be a solution that is to state that says that Israel and Palestinians, creating their state, will have the security to protect themselves, to reach their fulfillment, to self determine who they want to be as a country,” she said on Saturday. “Until we get to a solution we still will have these challenges, but it is, it really is heartbreaking.” Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
The director of the 2020 movie based on Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s (R) book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” said that he won't be casting a vote for former President Trump despite Vance being his VP in a video posted Saturday. “There's no version of me voting for Donald Trump to be president again, whoever the Vice President was,” Ron Howard said in a video from Variety. Howard had previously said in 2022 that he was “surprised by some of the positions [Vance has] taken and statements he’s made.” “I always knew he was conservative, but [he] struck me as a very center-right, a kind of a moderate thinker,” Howard told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. In the Variety video, Howard stated that he has worried about the "rhetoric coming out of" the current GOP ticket, which features Trump and Vance. He also urged people to “listen to what the candidates are saying, today” versus basing their opinions on their past perceptions of the candidates. “That’s what’s really relevant, it’s who they are today,” Howard continued. The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign and a spokesperson for Vance. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
The 2024 presidential election is heating up ahead of the ABC News debate, set for Sept. 10, between former President Trump and Vice President Harris. Harris arrived in Pittsburgh on Thursday where she continued to prepare for the upcoming debate. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), was out on the campaign trail, engaging with voters in the Keystone State. Trump completed a town hall with Fox News’ Sean Hannity and addressed the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) national board of trustees. There, he accepted the endorsement of the nation’s largest police union. The upcoming debate between the nominees is likely going to be the focus of this week’s Sunday talk shows. Three left-wing senators are scheduled to appear on different talk shows this week where they will likely discuss the upcoming ABC News debate. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is set to appear on NBC's “Meet the Press” where he will likely discuss what Harris can do to have a successful debate performance and reiterate his message for beating Trump in November. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is scheduled to be on CNN’s “State of the Union” where he will likely talk about how the vice president was received in his home state and how she will perform at the Sept. 10 debate. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) is set to appear on CNN's “Inside Politics Sunday” where he will likely talk about his reelection campaign against GOP rival Dave McCormick. Casey will also likely discuss how the vice president will perform at the upcoming debate. Based on recent polling, the White House contest will likely be a close. As Harris continues to campaign, Republicans continue to criticize her for switching some policy positions she held during her 2020 presidential primary run. Some Republicans will likely talk about Harris’s campaign. Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who endorsed Trump after dropping out, will likely discuss both candidates’ campaigns going into the debate during her scheduled appearance on CBS “Face the Nation.” Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who said this week she will be voting for Harris, is scheduled to appear on ABC “This Week.” Cheney will likely discuss her decision to vote for the vice president and how she will be supporting the campaign in the final 60 days. Here is the full list of appearances on this week’s Sunday shows: NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump; former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), candidate for Senate. ABC “This Week”: Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.); Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R). CNN “State of the Union”: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.); Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). CBS “Face the Nation”: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D); Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley; Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas). FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas); Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R). CNN “Inside Politics Sunday”: Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.); GOP Pennsylvania Senate rival Dave McCormick. FOX "Sunday Morning Futures": Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fl.), House Oversight Committee, House Freedom Caucus; Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas), House Financial Committee, House Agriculture Committee; Dr. Ben Carson, former HUD Secretary, founder, American Cornerstone Institute; Alina Habba, Trump Campaign Senior Adviser; Charly Arnolt, host, “Outkick The Morning.” Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
Democrats say Vice President Harris’s decision to offer a more modest capital gains tax hike on the wealthy is a step in the right direction to win over voters concerned she’s too liberal or too antagonistic to business. The Trump campaign has cast Harris as a liberal firebrand, pointing to various positions she took in 2019 when she was running for president and courting liberal voters. In recent weeks, since becoming the Democratic nominee, Harris has shifted toward the center, most notably in moving away from her 2019 call to ban fracking, a critical issue in swing state Pennsylvania. Democratic strategists say Harris needs to counter former President Trump's attacks and that her proposal to raise the capital gains tax on those with taxable income to 28 percent instead of the 39.6 percent rate favored by the Biden administration is welcome news. Democratic strategist Anthony Coley said the new proposal underscored that Harris is not the progressive some Republicans have sought to portray her as. While Coley said he has heard some mixed reviews from some in his party, he said it’s a signal to the business community that “she gets it.” “With this announcement, she is sending a signal to the business community that she is not the bogeyman that the right paints her out to be, and that is more important in some ways than the policy,” Coley said. Some Democrats, however, say Harris should have proposed an even smaller tax rate, or taken other steps to distinguish herself. “I don’t know who it makes happy,” one prominent Democratic donor told The Hill in an interview. “My guess is the business community will say, ‘Why are you f---ing with capital gains?’ The progressives’ view is, ‘Why are you giving them a break from Biden's plan?’” “I'm not sure who she's doing it for,” the donor added. A second donor added that it’s not part of an economic plan that will appeal most to voters, while acknowledging that it does set her apart from President Biden. “I would not have led with this,” the donor said. “It doesn’t lower prices. It doesn’t put a cent in people’s pockets. If the whole idea was to say she’s charting a different path from Biden, well, she’s doing that.” “But not much else,” the donor added. Harris also faces pressure from the left, which so far has stayed relatively quiet as she has made moves to the center. Progressives generally have signaled they are willing to give Harris room on the election, because they see it as critical that Trump is defeated. Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau acknowledged that the practicalities of winning an election were now superseding policy priorities. “We’re in campaign mode. There’s what you want and say, and what’s reality,” he said. Democratic lawmakers are sounding a conciliatory tone on the tax proposal, saying it strikes an acceptable balance between various priorities. “Vice President Harris is trying to find a balance between responsibly and fairly raising revenue, supporting investment and congressional realities. I think 28 percent does that,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said in a statement to The Hill. While higher taxes on capital gains will take money out of investors’ pockets, not everyone in the financial world thinks that’s a bad idea. “We’re dealing with a tax that’s already sort of a tax break for taxpayers,” David Oh, head of tax and estate planning at Arta Finance, told The Hill. “Congress and the government could just tax us at ordinary rates … but the capital gains tax is already a tax break for us.” Oh added that the familiarity of the 28-percent capital gains tax, which has been in effect in the past, may give it some added appeal. The highest tax rate on capital gains now is 20 percent, though another 3.8 percent tax can be triggered for income over a certain level. “They’re going with the 28 percent because we’re creatures of habit, and 28 percent is something we’ve seen before. We’ve seen it in the late 1980s, early 1990s,” Oh said. Harris floated a number of other proposals this week related to the economy, and a source close to the Harris campaign told The Hill that the campaign would release endorsements from a string of business leaders this week. Harris floated plans to increase the tax deduction for startup businesses from $5,000 to $50,000, to provide low-interest and zero-interest loans to small businesses that are looking to expand, as well as offering a form of the standard deduction designed for small business. “We will increase federal contracts with small businesses,” she said. Significant portions of the U.S. tax code are set to expire at the end of next year, and the outcome of the November election will determine how, if at all, those expirations are addressed. Taxes on capital gains are not as significant from a revenue perspective as changes in income tax rates but could still have an effect on U.S. debt and deficit levels. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
The heads of the American and British foreign intelligence agencies praised Ukraine’s incursion into Russia as Ukraine attempts to shift the course of the war. Richard Moore, the head of MI6, said Ukraine’s surprise August offensive into Russia’s Kursk region was “typically audacious and bold on the part of the Ukrainians to try and change the game" while making comments at an event in London, the Associated Press reported. CIA Director William Burns echoed Moore's comments, calling the offensive a “significant tactical achievement” exposing Russia’s vulnerabilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed last month that his troops are fighting inside of Russia, what he called the “aggressor’s territory.” Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that Ukraine’s Kursk mission won’t prevent his forces from continuing in eastern Ukraine, even as thousands of troops were relocated to defend Kursk. Zelensky said he would hold the Russian land his troops seized indefinitely. While the Kursk incursion was deemed a bold move by world leaders, it has yet to fully pay off for Ukraine. It has so far failed to achieve one of its main goals, which was to divert troops from eastern Ukraine. The troops Putin sent to Kursk came from the south, not the east. Moore and Burns also co-authored an article in the Financial Times, where they outlined the U.S. and U.K. alliance, particularly when it comes to countries like Russia. “The CIA and SIS stand together in resisting an assertive Russia and [Russian President Vladimir Putin’s] war of aggression in Ukraine,” they wrote. As the war rages on between Russia and Ukraine, the intelligence leaders said staying the course is “more vital than ever.” The leaders wrote that there is an "unprecedented array of threats," including Russia, China and threats of terrorism, making the strength of their trans-Atlantic relationship more important. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning over recalled eggs sold in three states on Friday. In a “Food Safety Alert,” the agency said 24 hospitalizations had occurred due to a “Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Eggs.” The agency told people to “not eat any recalled eggs” and noted that “Milo’s Poultry Farms LLC recalled eggs” the same day that were bought by “stores and restaurants in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois.” Milo’s Poultry Farms said in a Friday announcement on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website that it “is recalling all ‘Milo’s Poultry Farms’ and ‘Tony’s Fresh Market’ branded eggs because these eggs have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.” “Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain,” the announcement continued. “In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.” The CDC also recommended that people contact “your healthcare provider if you have any of these severe Salmonella symptoms,” listing symptoms like long-lasting diarrhea and intense vomiting. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
In recent weeks, the vice president’s defenders have been eager to point out that Kamala Harris was never the “border czar,” responsible for securing America’s wide-open Southern border. Instead, they claim, she was only in charge of addressing the “root causes” of migration in Central America. Even if that were true, the vice president’s supporters shouldn’t be so keen to brag about it. In 2021, the Biden administration launched the “Root Causes” strategy, a lofty initiative led by Vice President Kamala Harris which purported to address the challenges of mass migration through U.S. development aid to Central America. Three years and $3 billion later, however, the impact of Harris’ root-causes initiative is practically indiscernible. USAID points to dubious and unfalsifiable metrics as evidence of the success of the “Root Causes” strategy, obfuscating its meager impact, saying its support “helped create or sustain more than 70,000 jobs” in Northern Central America since 2021. During a recent congressional hearing, USAID officials even touted an increase in H-1B visas for Central Americans as a top achievement of the Root Causes strategy. The reality is that the Biden administration’s 2021 plan was not new, but a simple repackaging of failed development strategies used for decades with added emphasis on liberal wish list priorities. Aid programs for controversial climate change, social activism, gender ideology, labor unions and regional journalism were added to a series of other priorities that were admirable but ultimately tangential to the challenge of mass migration, such as gender-based violence, workers’ rights and corruption. This controversial liberal activism, especially on gender ideology, not only failed to fix the migration crisis, it actually hurt U.S. relations in the region and generated backlash from with Central America’s socially conservative leaders and people. But even without its progressive foibles, Vice President Harris’s plan to address the “root causes” of the migration crisis was on shaky ground from the outset. Consider the ineffectiveness of economic development as a solution to the migration crisis, for example. Mexico has benefitted from deep trade integration with the U.S. for decades, helping it achieve a GDP per capita more than twice that of Guatemala and nearly three times that of Honduras. Still, Mexican nationals remain the largest group of new illegal migrant arrivals to the U.S. Even if Vice President Harris were somehow able to massively accelerate Central American economies, the lesson from Mexico is that illegal migration will continue to flow. Another folly of Vice President Harris’ “root causes” strategy is its failure to contend with the reality of hundreds of thousands of migrants arriving to Latin America from Asia and Africa before making their way to the U.S. Should we also seek to massively increase aid to these regions to address their root causes? No. To do so would waste further billions more and likely yield even poorer results. There is simply no alternative to a secure border when it comes to combatting illegal migration. The first step for the next administration must be to stop outsourcing the problem to the development industry or the Mexican military and instead exert control over the U.S. border. Additionally, the next administration should fundamentally rethink its development aid strategy in Latin America, aligning it toward vital U.S. economic and national security interests to ensure its effectiveness. The first Trump administration made important strides toward this goal by focusing on increasing hemispheric trade and investment rather than pouring billions of taxpayer funds into failed social programs, but much remains to be done. Congress can also play a fundamental role toward this goal by demanding accountability for aid funds and ensuring that development funds are not hijacked by controversial social activism. What won’t work is four more years of Vice President Harris’s “root causes” strategy, which was poorly conceived and had predictably poor outcomes. Rather than bragging about it, the U.S. should learn from its failures and craft a strategy that addresses the migration crisis head on and helps put Central America on a sustainable path. Andres Martinez-Fernandez is a senior policy analyst in Heritage’s Allison Center for National Security. Heritage is listed for identification purposes only. The views expressed in this article are the authors' own and do not reflect any institutional position for Heritage or its Board of Trustees. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
Comedian and TV personality Bill Maher blasted critics of Cheryl Hines following her husband, former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., endorsing former President Trump, calling them “obnoxious posers.” Hines received pushback online when her husband suspended his independent presidential bid and announced he would back Trump. Days later, Kennedy said his wife was not a Trump supporter and her reaction to the endorsement was the “opposite of encouraging.” Maher, who said he “likes” Kennedy but would not support him for president, scolded Hines’ critics, arguing the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star faced hate “because she didn't throw her husband under the bus when her husband made a decision about something which she's made plain she disagrees with.” “But that didn't satisfy the obnoxious posers on the aforementioned far left,” Maher said during a Friday iteration of his show “Real Time with Bill Maher.” “Thousands tweet-screamed at Cheryl things like ‘how do you live with yourself,’ ‘do better,’ ‘I can't even enjoy the episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm of you in them anymore.’” When Kennedy announced he would back the former president in the 2024 election, actor Bradley Whitford immediately criticized Hines for staying “silent.” Maher pushed back while also going after the modern-day “left.” “Well, you know what I think is not gutsy, mansplaining to a woman, but of course, not to her face how she should sacrifice her marriage,” Maher said. “Also, you could read something on Twitter that met with your approval.” “You want to know why I have a bug up my a** about the left more than I used to, it's s*** like this,” he continued. “There's an ugliness they never used to have. The liberals I grew up respecting, none of them are like this. Going after the wife. Even the mafia doesn't do that.” Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
Former President Trump on Saturday dismissed findings from the Justice Department about Russia's covert efforts to influence the 2024 U.S. elections and joked about whether he should be offended that Vladimir Putin had offered a tongue-in-cheek endorsement of Vice President Harris. Trump held a rally in Wisconsin, where he referenced a Justice Department announcement earlier in the week that it seized 32 web domains Russia has used for its influence campaigns. "Three days ago it started again. The Justice Department said Russia may be involved in our elections again," Trump said. "Russia. It’s Russia. And you know the whole world laughed at them this time. "They said just the other day, the attorney general, 'We are looking at Russia.' And I said oh no. It's Russia, Russia, Russia all over again," Trump said, referring to the investigation into his 2016 campaign by special counsel Robert Mueller. "But they don’t look at China and they don’t look at Iran. I don’t know what it is with poor Russia." The Biden administration earlier this week condemned Russian efforts to influence the 2024 U.S. election. The Justice Department seized web domains and targeted two employees of RT, formerly known as Russia Today, a Russian state media outlet with content available in English, charging the duo with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act. The indictment accuses the two of partnering with a conservative-leaning media company to help sow division in the U.S. Collectively, the two actions are some of the strongest moves taken under the Biden White House to confront accelerating efforts by the Russian government the intelligence community has deemed “the predominant threat to U.S. elections.” Trump has in the past cast doubt on the intelligence community's findings that Russia was attempting to influence U.S. elections, including during a meeting he had alongside Putin in 2018. The intelligence community determined Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election, which Trump won, and the Justice Department investigated the Trump campaign over possible coordination with Moscow. The final special counsel report found no evidence of collusion. Trump on Saturday also quipped about comments from Putin, who earlier in the week joked that he is supporting Harris in the upcoming election, citing her “infectious” laugh and potential to change U.S. sanctions on Russia. "He endorsed Kamala. I was very offended by that. I wonder why he endorsed Kamala. No, he’s a chess player," Trump said. The former president has repeatedly said Putin does not fear or respect the current administration, though Trump's critics have accused him of cozying up to autocrats and dictators. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
Fostering workforces and leadership teams with diverse perspectives and backgrounds has become a priority across the American business landscape. Although government mandates on “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” receive much attention, as well as pushback, private sector approaches have a more constructive impact. Unfortunately, some bad actors threaten this progress. Smart American businesses know that diversity can drive growth. Indeed, data shows that diversity broadly leads to better business performance and improves employee retention and recruitment. Having individuals from various backgrounds and perspectives on company boards of directors also drives profitability, increasing returns for investors. For publicly traded companies, proxy advisory firms have come to play major roles in decisions at the board of director level, like proposals regarding strategy, governance, and indeed who is elected to the board itself. Investors, especially institutional investors, pay proxy firms to receive advice about shareholder votes. But as they’ve grown, proxy firms are now wielding influence that is not always in the best interests of the companies they analyze. Scholar Ben Zycher testified last year before Congress about the outsized role played by proxy advisory firms. Zycher explained that “regulatory actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission have created powerful incentives for firms and funds to retain proxy advisers and to adopt their recommendations, often on an automatic basis. The advisers themselves have weak incentives to consider the fiduciary interests of shareholders and fund participants, thus freeing them to indulge their own political preferences, at little or no cost to themselves.” Recent actions taken by Institutional Shareholder Services, one of the two most powerful proxy advisory firms in the country, against Disney and medical technology company Masimo highlight these problematic dynamics and invited controversy. In both instances, ISS recommended alternative board nominees over highly qualified candidates proposed by the companies. At Disney, Institutional Shareholder Services backed Nelson Peltz, an activist investor, over Maria Elena Lagomasino, an executive with extensive governance experience and a long tenure on Disney’s board. Disney touted Lagomasino’s expertise in global brands and governance as critical to their strategic goals, while ISS favored an investor primarily focused on financial restructuring. Similarly, at Masimo, Institutional Shareholder Services endorsed activist investor Politan Capital Management’s nominee William Jellison over Christopher Chavez, whose experience in the medical device industry, including achieving regulatory approvals, made him the ideal candidate in Masimo’s eyes. The contrast illustrates a significant criticism of activist investors: By favoring their own narrow and short-term interests, activist investors like hedge funds often prevent companies from implementing changes that the companies see as benefiting employees, customers and long-term investors looking for stability. The critical plot twist is that both candidates opposed by ISS are highly qualified Latinos, and that Institutional Shareholder Services has previously inserted itself in board decisions, actively pushing private companies to succumb to the demands of political activists in adopting Environmental, Social and Governance or ESG agendas, which often include diversity initiatives (albeit ones that revolve around rigid mandates). The Disney and Masimo situations reflect a broader, systemic issue in how diversity is being prioritized — or neglected — by influential entities like Institutional Shareholder Services and business in general. Diversity is not just a checkbox to be ticked. It is now a cornerstone of effective leadership and decision-making in today’s interconnected world. Latino representation on corporate boards is not just about numbers, it’s about bringing unique perspectives to the table—ones that reflects the experiences of a substantial and rising portion of our population. U.S. Latino consumers are a significant economic force, commanding a $2.6 trillion GDP and driving consumption growth in virtually every mass consumer category. Despite these eye-opening economic contributions, and making up nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population, Latinos held just under 4 percent of board seats among Fortune 1000 companies in 2021. Clearly, more can be done — in the right ways. Bypassing highly qualified Latino candidates is certainly not a constructive approach, and instead perpetuates the very inequities that diversity initiatives are supposed to address. The rejection by Institutional Shareholder Services of qualified Latino candidates demonstrates a hypocrisy that needs to stop. True diversity in business leadership is essential to serving customers and reflecting the communities that businesses serve. But constructive diversity measures cannot be about fulfilling a mandate, they must be about recognizing and valuing the critical role that diverse leadership plays in driving innovation, understanding markets and promoting prosperity for all Americans. Mario H. Lopez is the president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, a public policy advocacy organization that promotes liberty, opportunity and prosperity for all. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
NASA announced Saturday that Boeing’s Starliner had landed in New Mexico even though its crew remains on the International Space Station. The Starliner touched down at 12 a.m. ET at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, completing Boeing’s crew flight test. The two test pilots have been left in space and deemed to come back to Earth in February, after NASA said their return would be too risky. Boeing launched a long-delayed mission in early June with Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore on board. It was delayed several times due to thruster failures and helium leaks. When trying to dock at the space station, five of the 28 thrusters went down. Their eight-day mission turned into a months-long journey as engineers worked to understand what was wrong with the capsule. The company insisted the Starliner was safe enough to bring Williams and Wilmore back to Earth but NASA determined in late August they would remain in space because it was unsafe to bring them home. Even though the Starliner made a safe return to Earth, NASA commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said he believes it was the right decision to keep Williams and Wilmore on board the International Space Station. Williams and Wilmore have kept busy on board, helping with repairs and experiments, The Associated Press reported. SpaceX will launch a venture in late September. On board will be two people going on a six-month mission, leaving two seats for Williams and Wilmore on the return flight in February. The entire situation is a blow to Boeing, since it had long-awaited an opportunity to join the commercial space scene. Boeing’s vice president and program manager of its commercial crew program, Mark Nappi, said in a statement the company will review the data and “determine the next steps for the program.” Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
Comedian Bill Maher and his GOP guest, the National Review’s editor-in-chief Rich Lowry, got into a tense exchange on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Friday over voting for former President Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. Lowry joined former National Security advisor H.R. McMaster and former CNN anchor John Avalon on the show's panel. Avalon introduced the topic of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and Trump’s involvement. He said 60 days out from an election, the country has normalized the legal battles with Trump and it’s “far too freaking dangerous.” “He really does commit crimes is one thing, and two, if the positions were reversed and a Democrat did this, not only would the Republicans go after them, but they would have done it,” Maher said. Lowry, a Republican, said he has spoken on the record about being “completely appalled” by the riot. “You’re not so appalled you’re not going to vote for Trump,” Maher interjected. “This is different Bill,” Lowry said. “You’re not appalled!” Maher continued. “No, I am appalled,” Lowry said. “But you’re still going to vote for him,” Maher said. Lowry asked Maher if Jan. 6 didn’t happen if he would still oppose Trump. “Because you don’t like him on policy, right?” he questioned. Maher said he “mostly” doesn’t agree with Trump on policy. “You would consider voting for him absent January 6th?” Lowry pressed. “No,” Maher responded. “Right,” Lowry said. Maher said the biggest issue is that Trump did not concede the 2020 presidential election and he has politicized the Justice Department. The show carried on after the briefly tense exchange and they discussed the upcoming presidential debate, among other political issues. Ìåäèà: | ↑ |
