Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., rises to join House Republican members to object to confirming the Electoral College votes from Pennsylvania during a joint session of the House and Senate to confirm the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol, early Thursday, Jan 7, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
In the last 24 hours, business leaders from nearly every corner of the U.S. economy have roundly condemned the violence and vandalism at Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Manufacturers, retailers, and corporate head-honchos alike have criticized President Donald Trump and certain Republicans' efforts to delay the peaceful transfer of power, which they say will only hurt the U.S. economy.
"It is not good for small businesses to have disarray, confusion, uncertainty," Frank Knapp Jr, co-chair of Small Business for America’s Future, told Cheddar. "None of that is good for business or consumer confidence, and small businesses need consumers to be confident."
Some of the most powerful business organizations in the country have echoed this sentiment, and in some cases even exceeded it, calling Wednesday's events a grave assault on democracy.
"Throughout this whole disgusting episode, Trump has been cheered on by members of his own party, adding fuel to the distrust that has inflamed violent anger," National Association of Manufacturers CEO Jay Timmons said in a statement. "This is not law and order. This is chaos."
The group has also called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office prior to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Retail Industry Leaders Association President Brian Dodge said in a statement: "It’s time for men and women of goodwill in government to denounce the conspiracy theories and cancerous rhetoric employed by those cravenly attempting to capitalize on political chaos."
Striking a more moderate tone, the Business Roundtable called on the nation to "unite around President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris."
Even BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who in the past has praised the president, was among those executives demanding that Congress certify the election of Joe Biden as president.
For now, these are just denunciations. But some businesses are weighing whether they should withdraw funding or support from lawmakers who, in their opinion, helped spur the violence at Capitol Hill by calling into question the democratic process.
"We have not had that conversation about individual members of Congress, but we will have to have a serious conversation about that," Knapp said. "Do we want to engage with them or not? I can't answer that question, but it is a legitimate question. It's a legitimate question to ask: should there be any repercussions for the actions of members of Congress, and does the business community have a role in that?"
Knapp added that businesses don't want to operate in a country where an authoritarian leader has arbitrary power over the political system.
"Businesses like democracy, because that is good for business, entrepreneurship."
In the short-term, the more immediate negative consequence for the small business community is that Congress is once again distracted from the coronavirus recovery.
"It takes the eye off the ball for Congress," he said. "They should be about getting the vaccine out there into arms. That is what's going to give more confidence to consumers to go out and engage in commerce with our small businesses."
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.
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