*By Madison Alworth*
Bernie Sanders has set his political sights on Amazon and will introduce new legislation on Sept. 5 that would target the e-commerce giant and other companies of similar size and influence.
But can the Vermont Senator actually shake the seemingly unshakable company? TechCrunch editor Brian Heater thinks not ー he's not even certain the measure will pass.
"That is kind of a big if," he said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar. "The bigger picture here for a company like Amazon is just the negative PR surrounding it."
The legislation will demand higher wages for warehouse employees and other entry-level workers at corporations with millions or billions in net profits.
"What he's targeting is what he calls 'corporate welfare,'" Heater said. "The fact that \[CEO Jeff Bezos is\] making all of this money, they are one of the most profitable companies in the world right now, and a lot of the factory workers, according to Sanders and some reports, are receiving Medicaid, are on food stamps, have government subsidized housing."
The unfortunate conditions for Amazon's workers are not the stuff of breaking news. As early as 2012, outlets like [Mother Jones](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/mac-mcclelland-free-online-shipping-warehouses-labor/), [Gawker](http://gawker.com/true-stories-of-life-as-an-amazon-worker-1002568208), and [the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/nov/28/being-homeless-is-better-than-working-for-amazon) published exposés on the company's exploitative practices.
Amazon has been fairly tight-lipped on the accusations ー until now.
The company posted a statement on Wednesday directly related to the controversy and Sanders's claims.
"Senator Sanders continues to make inaccurate and misleading accusations against Amazon. We have been in regular contact with his office and have offered several opportunities for Senator Sanders and his team to tour one of our fulfillment centers (FCs). To date he has still not seen an FC for himself," the company [wrote](https://blog.aboutamazon.com/company-news/response-to-senator-sanders/).
Sanders called for submissions on Tuesday from current or former Amazon workers, [asking them](https://www.sanders.senate.gov/share-your-experiences-working-at-amazon) to tweet out their experiences of mistreatment or share them on his personal site.
The cause is very on-brand for the Democratic Socialist, Heater said, but the impact may be largely symbolic.
"Income inequality was a really big part of his message in 2016 when \[Sanders]\ ran for president," he said.
"A lot of people rely on Amazon for just about every part of their life. I don't know that it's ultimately going to have a tremendous effect on the company's bottom line."
So far investors don't seem to be worried. Amazon shares are trading at record highs, inching closer to making it the second trillion dollar market cap company in the U.S.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/bernies-beef-with-amazon).
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
