Janitor heard ‘annoying alarms’ and turned off freezer, ruining 20 years of school research worth $1 million, lawsuit says

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/27/us/janitor-alarm-freezer-rensselaer-polytechnic-lawsuit-new-york/index.html



CNN
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A university janitor who turned off a freezer after hearing multiple “annoying alarms,” ruined more than 20 years of research, according to a lawsuit filed against his employer by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York.

The janitor, who is not being sued in the lawsuit, was a contractor with Daigle Cleaning Systems Inc., who worked for several months in 2020 at the private research university in Troy, New York.

The school is seeking more than $1 million in damages and legal fees from Daigle Cleaning Systems as a result of the incident.

The lab’s freezer contained over 20 years of research, including cell cultures and samples, to which a “small temperature fluctuation of three degrees would cause catastrophic damage,” according to the lawsuit filed with the Rensselaer County Supreme Court.

The college does not believe the janitor is at fault but instead blames Daigle Cleaning Systems for failing to properly train and supervise him, according to the suit.

“Defendant, by and through its negligent, careless, and/or reckless supervision and control of [the janitor], caused damage to certain cell cultures, samples, and/or research in the Lab,” the university claims.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/26/economy/fed-mandate-pence-employment/index.html

Washington, DC
CNN
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The Federal Reserve has two goals: to keep inflation under control and to strive for maximum employment. Mike Pence, who served as Donald Trump’s vice president and is vying to helm the White House, is campaigning on eliminating the Fed’s employment mandate.

It wouldn’t be a terrible idea, according to some economists, but ditching the employment mandate doesn’t sit well with Democrats, who believe it is crucial for the central bank to consider the impact of its monetary policy decisions on jobs. And while Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s appearance before congressional lawmakers last week made it crystal clear that Democrats cherish the Fed’s employment mission, it is unclear how many Republicans back Pence’s stance.

The Federal Reserve Reform Act of 1977, signed into law by former President Jimmy Carter, made employment the shared responsibility of the central bank, lawmakers and government agencies in striving to achieve that goal. But some economists argue that fiscal policy is more effective.

During his remarks last week, Powell said the Fed’s main policy tool — the federal funds rate — is limited. It can’t address labor shortages, demographic disparities, or create jobs, at least not directly. Interest rates do impact the labor market, eventually, but addressing inflation has the same effect.

Other economists argue that the dual mandate is flexible, that it evolves with the circumstances and complements the price stability mandate, meaning that lawmakers should leave the dual mandate as is.

“When inflation is high like today and unemployment is low, it’s all about price stability, that’s overwhelmingly the goal — almost the single goal,” said Laurence Meyer, an economist who served as a Fed governor from 1996 to 2002. “And in normal times, both mandates are equally important.”

https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy334w/proud-boys-donald-trump-charges

All indications suggest the far-right gang remains focused on targeting the LGBTQ community, and have so far brushed off the charges against Trump.

Just three years ago, Donald Trump was the Proud Boys’ North Star. The yellow-and-black clad far-right street-fighters were prepared to mobilize, get into brawls, risk criminal charges—even conspire to overthrow the government—all in his name.

But ever since the latest batch of criminal charges against the former president dropped, this time under the Espionage Act in a federal court in Florida, the public response from the Proud Boys has so far been a resounding “meh.”

Public-facing Telegram channels belonging to various Proud Boy chapters barely engaged with—or ignored—Friday’s news of the 37-count federal indictment accusing Trump of hoarding classified documents containing nuclear secrets in his Mar-a-Lago bathroom (among other locations).

Over the weekend, the “Vice City” Proud Boy chapter in Miami reposted a flier advertising a protest outside the courthouse Tuesday. But by Monday they were back to targeting Pride Month.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/05/economy/recession-chances/index.html

Many CEOs, investors and economists had penciled in 2023 as the year when a recession would hit the American economy.

The thinking was that the US economy would grind to a halt because the Federal Reserve was effectively slamming the brakes to squash inflation. Businesses would lay off workers and inflation-weary Americans would slash spending.

But the case for a 2023 US recession is crumbling for a simple reason: America’s jobs market is way too strong.

Hiring unexpectedly accelerated again last month, with employers adding an impressive 339,000 jobs in May. Not only is that more than any major forecaster expected, but it’s more jobs than the US economy added in any single month in 2019, a very strong year for the jobs market.

“This economy is incredibly resilient, despite all the slings and arrows – despite the banking crisis, rate hikes, the debt ceiling,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told CNN in a phone interview on Friday.

Zandi is growing more confident that 2023 won’t be the year when a downturn will begin.

“For this year, given these jobs numbers, it’s hard to see a recession. Increasingly, the odds of a recession this year are fading,” Zandi said. “A lot of economists who have called for a recession are now in the uncomfortable position of pushing back the start date.”