Back in 2015, the future president of the United States, Donald Trump, was announcing his candidacy earlier than everyone else. One of the first election promises was to change or dismiss the North American Free Trade Agreement altogether. To his view, this act represented one of the few errors of the American people. Fast-forward to present day, Trump administration has invited Mexico and Canada to renegotiate NAFTA later this year.

USTR Has to Investigate the Matter in Order to Renegotiate NAFTA

However, this process is more complex than some simple meeting between representatives. Before commencing negotiations, the United States has the obligation to get informed on the matter. First of all, the United States Trade Representative or USTR is going to commence an investigation. The Administration has to take public input and both chambers of Congress into consideration for this research.

Therefore, USRT has already started to ask for comments on negotiating themes for Canada and Mexico regarding general but also product-specific targets. Moreover, the representative is also compiling a list of measures that should act as guiding points in meetings. Some of these are related to trade and customs facilitation, changes in rules of procedure, limitations on trade, and government procurement.

The 25-Year-Old Act Doesn’t Benefit Employees as Well as It Should

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is going to have a leading role in this historic event of changing the 25-year-old trade act. He suggested that America, Canada, and Mexico are to renegotiate NAFTA later this year. However, first things first, Ross is looking for a public participation process to offer feedback on changes to the act.

The main complaints NAFTA drew on itself are targeting the common workers. While this trade act was supposed to come as a beneficial opportunity for all citizens of the three countries, what it actually did was to propel only large companies forward. As a result of its influence, 2 million farm households in Mexico had to leave their land behind and forced to come to U.S. to provide for their families.

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The news domain received yet another attack from a beef producer this time. ABC News was called for trial after its reportages from 2012 are suspected to have influenced the fall of Beef Products Inc. The main allegations revolve around the pink slime defamation to refer to Lean Finely Textured Beef. While the agency protected itself by claiming that the controversial collocation was by far not an in-house term, a meat expert testified in court Wednesday.

A Meat Expert Testified and Defined What LFTB Is

Mindy Brashears was called in front of a jury to testify on Wednesday. The meat expert talked about what truly LFTB is. The facts are that while the processed result loses its meaty shape, its content is 100% beef.

Slime is not beef. It does not meet any of the definitions of beef. It is false to call LFTB ‘pink slime.’

Mindy Brashears is a public health and food safety professor at Texas Tech University. The controversial pink slime defamation constitutes the main point of interest in the lawsuit that Beef Products Inc. opened against ABC News. The official documents in the trial stipulate that the term was used 350 times between March and April 2012 during ABC stories only. The main employee who referred to LFTB in such a manner was correspondent Jim Avila.

The LFTB content is mostly sold across America and used to complete ground beef mostly. However, once the news agency spoke about this business in such a manner, the company faced a massive backlash. In the end, they had to close three of their four plants.

Pink Slime Defamation Had Also Mixed up the Filler Parts

On top of that, Brashears also explained the ingredients that make LFTB which are different from the ones that ABC News reported. Besides beef, the product also has a filler that keeps the meat together. However, news stories told the world that this filler is actually made of trimmings of low quality. Not only that, but they reported that this element is mostly used in dog food and cooking oils.

However, there is a different reality to it. Brashears claimed in court that a filler is actually a non-meat element such as flour. This ingredient is then added to the processed meat.

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On May 9^th, President Donald Trump fired James Comey. The letter accompanying this decision informed the former FBI director that Trump received three assurances from him that he was not under investigation. Nonetheless, federal agents were already pursuing an inquiry on Trump presidential campaign and his ties with Russian government. Since his departure as a federal employee, Comey kept silence. However, he was summoned to testify on Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee about what really happened.

Former FBI Director Might Reveal Potential Espionage, Treason or Obstruction of Justice

On Thursday, the major event of the day will be Comey testimony. He is the former FBI director and might have undisclosed intel about Trump’s presidential campaign. His appearance in front of this official committee might trigger some compelling allegations. There might be put into the discussion a potential espionage, treason or obstruction of justice.

The Senate Intelligence Committee was created to focus on Russian influence in the 2016 U.S. election fully. A particular chapter in this investigation concerns any possible links between President Trump and Moscow. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California stated that officials are going to ask Comey directly about his dialogues with the president and his pressures on Comey for eliminating General Flynn from his position.

Comey Did Investigate Trump Presidential Campaign

President Donald Trump fired Comey on May 9^th. His main explanation for this event was that the professional wasn’t up to his job anymore due to a poor work performance. However, the letter that announced Comey’s resignation alluded to three occasions when Comey assured Trump that he was present in no FBI investigation.

On the other hand, Comey delivered a testimony in front of the Congress on March 20^th. With this occasion, the former FBI director declared that his agency was searching any evidence that associate Trump campaign with Russian officials. He also stated that there was no evidence to attest Trump’s allegations of former President Barack Obama had his phone tapped during his campaign.

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Payless ShoeSource announced authorities of its bankruptcy state on April 5, 2017. The company decided for 400 store closures as a strategy to ease on the impact of adhering to Chapter 11. These measures were programmed for the period of 2016-2017. However, the company intends to close another large wave of 480 locations.

Payless ShoeSource Is Looking at a Total of 808 Store Closures

According to court documents, Payless ShoeSource pleaded before the St. Louis federal bankruptcy court for approval on 112 store closures. However, there are chances for the company to fail its negotiations with landlords. In case they can’t reach a consensus on rent, the company asks the court for another 296 locations to be closed. If this strategy takes off, then the company would have more than 800 stores behind it.

On the other hand, the company is still fighting for the protection of the 296 batch of stores. A spokeswoman stated that officials are seeking the attention of landlords. They intend to reach some rent concessions which would allow a large portion of the 296 locations to continue their activity.

Payless has already resolved 40% of the total of $838 million in funded debt. This percentage will reach lenders in the form of equities in the company. At the same time, other creditors are in line for significant recoveries.

CEO Paul Jones Believes that Brand Portfolio Has Still a Lot of Potential

Shoe retailer’s CEO, W. Paul Jones, sees these restructurings as a necessary evil. To his view, the company wasn’t ready to face a growing competitive environment that the retail industry became. As these conditions are going to intensify their challenges, the organization needed a fresh start. Therefore, the massive waves of store closures will make way for free cash flow.

Nonetheless, these moves will leave the company with a total of 3600 stores across America. The CEO bets on a strong collection of brands and its partnerships line with reputed businesses to earn customers’ trust once more. Other core points for the company are competitive discounts and a potent niche in the Latin American business.

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On Thursday, General Motors Co. was sued for illegally tweaking hundreds of thousands of Duramax engines for cheating emissions tests. The mechanism behind this deceit might be similar to the ones that Volkswagen AG used to pass routine tests. This event marks the fifth automaker that has been served for breaking the law in the exactly same way as VW.

Duramax Engines Show Signs of Cheating Emissions Tests

The plaintiff is a law company in Seattle that has extensive expertise in the auto industry. They received notifications regarding General Motors products from more than 705,000 owners and lessees. All of these disappointed customers purchased pickup trucks with Duramax engines. The model years vary starting with the 2011 and ending with 2016.

The lawsuit claims that the company upgraded their vehicles with around three gears that are supposedly cheating emissions tests. These probations are screened by federal authority and they can take place without the notification of the car producer. So far, company’s spokespersons denied such allegations.

“These claims are baseless, and we will vigorously defend ourselves.”

General Motors declared openly that all its vehicles are in compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its standardized metrics of exhaust emissions. Moreover, all GM cars are also designed according to the tough standards of California.

The court is going to investigate allegations of consumer protection law and racketeering violations. Moreover, the plaintiff is looking to obtain indemnities for prejudices such as refunds, punitive damages, and restitutions for assets that lost their resale worth.

General Motors Was Just Ending another Major Scandal

This is not the first time General Motors has to answer for serious allegations. It was only recently when the company settled for around $2.5 billion in penalties for legal issues. These concern some ignition switches that didn’t work well. This weakness in vehicles might have been responsible for 124 deaths. This issue regards brands such as Renault SA, Peugeot SA, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, and Daimler AG.

Analysts are already thinking ahead of the lawsuit. They suggest that almost one-eighth of GM full-sized pickups might be involved in this fresh legal battle. As such, this problem can generate enough negative publicity to drive potential customers away to competition such as Ford Motor Company.

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Alaska Airlines declared on Wednesday that the company is getting ready its second terminal in Seattle for an opening date next year. Through this move, this major airline career is gaining exclusivity over a developing part of the Puget Sound area in Pacific Northwest. Moreover, as its Seattle hub is already its largest operational area, this event is going to boost its activity even further.

Alaska Airlines Will Begin 2018 with Nine Daily Flights from Everett

Starting in the fall of 2018, Alaska Airlines projects to fly Embraer 175 and Boeing 737 fleet from Paine Field in Everett, Washington. This plan is going to introduce a new area which is 31 miles north of Seattle to commercial airline services for the first time. The company will operate on average nine flights on a daily basis. However, the company did not disclose destinations yet. Chief Executive of Alaska Airlines, Brad Tilden, wants this hub to become active as soon as possible.

“As … Sea-Tac Airport nears capacity, the time is right to bring air service to … the North Sound.”

Propeller Airports Plaid an Important Part in New Seattle Terminal

This plan belongs to equity firm Propeller Airports. Back in 2015, Snohomish County, which owns the Paine Field airport, approved this project for the inauguration of a passenger terminal. It was Propeller Airports that covered expenses for the mitigation, design, and environmental research that are necessary for this Alaska Airlines expansion. Propeller is also willing to support the investment in the construction and operation of the terminal. These two segments are projected to cost an estimated $30 million.

On the other hand, the equity firm is going to offer the terminal for lease over the following 30 years. Through this new revenue source, the county is going to receive $430,000 each year together with a 2.5% revenue share. After the first five years of operations, the region is going to receive an additional 2.5% revenue share.

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