House Democrats handed the president one of his biggest legislative victories, unveiling an updated North American trade deal just an hour after announcing two articles of impeachment against the president.
Democrats and the White House finalized a deal after a year of going back and forth to create a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new legislation strengthens worker protections and includes provisions on the environment, big pharma, and enforcement. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed more than a year ago and now the changes will be voted on in the House and the Senate. The revisions then need the signature of the U.S. president and the expected approval from Mexico and Canada.
"This is a day we've all been working to, and working for, on the path to yes," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
"We were in range for a while but until we could cross a certain threshold of enforcement for our workers' rights, for the environment, and for the prescription drug issue, as you know, they were three of the areas that we had put out there," Pelosi explained.
She said the new trade agreement is "much better" than NAFTA and "infinitely better than what was initially proposed by the administration."
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass. 1st District) said it is rare to participate in a "never happen moment and we are witnessing that today." Neal led talks with the administration and said the new deal was a "triumph" for U.S. workers. Democrats negotiated policy changes particularly on prescription drug pricing, protection for workers, and the environment.
The President weighed in on Twitter and said: "America's great USMCA Trade Bill is looking good."
To applause, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill. 9th District) said the "new and improved" deal "prevents big pharma from raising the price of prescription drugs across the United States, Mexico, and Canada… we eliminated provisions that undermine Congress' ability to change domestic policy that lead to high drug prices."
Starbucks’ decision to restrict its restrooms to paying customers has flushed out a wider problem: a patchwork of restroom use policies that varies by state and city. Starbucks announced last week a new code of conduct that says people need to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. The coffee chain's policy change for bathroom privileges has left Americans confused and divided over who gets to go and when. The American Restroom Association, a public toilet advocacy group, was among the critics. Rules about restroom access in restaurants vary by state, city and county. The National Retail Federation says private businesses have a right to limit restroom use.
President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
Chris Ruder, Spikeball Founder and CEO, explains how he and his friends put roundnet on the global map, plus, how Spikeball helps people "find their circle."
J.W. Roth, CEO of Venu Holding Corporation, discusses the company's IPO and plans to redefine live music entertainment with their fan founded, fan-owned model.
Variety's Clayton Davis discusses why more than just the 1% are struggling after the LA fires. Plus, how awards shows will pivot to help victims. Watch!
Emily Hosie, CEO of Rebelstork, explains the concept of Returns Recommerce, plus how her company raised $18M to address the industry-wide issue of returns.