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Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair 'disappointed' in Biden's border action None - President Biden's recent immigration action has proved divisive among Democrats. MSNBC's the Rev. Al Sharpton is joined by California Rep. Nanette Barragán, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, to discuss the border action, as well as former President Donald Trump's efforts to court Latino voters.June 9, 2024
'It’s sort of remarkable': Weissmann reveals key question Trump will be asked by probation officer None - 'It’s sort of remarkable': Weissmann reveals key question Trump will be asked by probation officer MSNBC Legal analyst Andrew Weissmann emphasizes Trump will be asked about whether he is associating with criminals during his probation meeting. That includes Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and Steve Bannon...June 9, 2024
Netanyahu rival and Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz resigns None - Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz, who joined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wartime coalition shortly after the Oct. 7 attack, announced his resignation. NBC News' Matt Bradley reports on why Gantz planned to resign nearly a month before the announcement. June 9, 2024
The Supreme Court's sprint to the finish: three weeks, 28 decisions None - The Supreme Court's sprint to the finish: three weeks, 28 decisions The Supreme Court is running out of time to release opinions this term. Vox Senior Correspondent Ian Millhiser previews the major rulings ahead, from Donald Trump's claim of presidential immunity to a potential ban on the abortion pill, mifepristone.June 9, 2024
‘An absolute betrayal’: Rep. Raskin slams Republicans for aiding Trump’s plans for retribution None - New reporting about how Trump could weaponize U.S. spy services against domestic political enemies if he wins a second term is fueling new concerns about Trump abusing the government for self-serving purposes. Rep. Jamie Raskin joins Ali Velshi to discuss the implications of Trump’s plan to increase executive authority and how Republicans are aiding him in the process. “They’re quite overtly talking about a post-constitutional America,” Rep. Raskin warns. “They’re trying to do what Donald Trump has repeatedly urged, which is to set the Constitution aside and that’s an absolute betrayal of our entire history.”June 9, 2024
How Speaker Johnson’s Trump loyalist appointments could spell danger for democracy None - Two Trump loyalists now sit on the House Intelligence Committee after Speaker Mike Johnson appointed them last week, despite past scandals and run-ins with the FBI. Frank Figliuzzi joins The Weekend to discuss.June 9, 2024
MSNBC hosts slam Rep. Byron Donalds for 'white-washing' the Jim Crow era None - IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.
Hundreds of Palestinians killed and injured after attack on Gaza refugee camp None - At least 210 Palestinians were killed in Israel's attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. More than 400 people were injured and taken to Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah.June 9, 2024
'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' boosts Will Smith's comeback, box office with $56M opening None - “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” opened with an estimated $56 million in theater sales over the weekend NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) — “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth installment in the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence action comedy series, opened with an estimated $56 million in theaters over the weekend, handing Hollywood a much-needed summer hit and Smith his biggest success since he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards. Expectations were all over the map for “Ride or Die” given the dismal moviegoing market thus far this summer and Smith’s less certain box-office clout. In the end, though, the Sony Pictures release came in very close to, or slightly above, its tracking forecast. “Ride or Die,” produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, is Smith’s first theatrical test since his 2022 slap of Rock earned him a 10-year Oscar ban. The “Bad Boys” film was in development at the time and ultimately went forward with about a $100 million production budget. Smith starred in the Apple release “Emancipation,” but that film — released in late 2022 — was shot before the slap and received only a modest theatrical release before streaming. This time around, Smith largely avoided soul-searching interviews looking back on the Oscars and instead went on a whistle-stop publicity tour of red carpets from Mexico to Saudi Arabia, where he attended what was billed as the country's first Hollywood premiere. The 55-year-old Smith, who for years was one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, appeared on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon," the YouTube series “Hot Ones" and on Friday, made a surprise appearance at a Los Angeles movie theater. Given that “Bad Boys” trailed May disappointments like “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Fall Guy” – both of which struggled to pop with ticket buyers despite very good reviews – the “Ride or Die” opening counts as a critical weekend win for the movie business. “The fact that a movie overperformed is the best possible news,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “It seems like all we’ve been doing over the past few weeks and almost since the beginning of the year, with a couple of exceptions, is try to figure out why seemingly well-marketed, well-reviewed movies have underperformed. This ignites the spark that the industry has been waiting for.” “Ride or Die” still didn’t quite manage to match the opening of the previous “Bad Boys” film: 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life.” That movie, released in January 2020, debuted with $62.5 million. After the pandemic shut down theaters, it was the highest grossing North American release of that year, with $204 million domestically. “Ride or Die” added $48.6 million internationally. Though reviews were mixed (64% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave the film a high grade with an “A-” CinemaScore. Black moviegoers accounted for 44% of ticket buyers, the largest demographic. In the film, which comes 29 years after the original, Smith and Lawrence reprise their roles as Miami detectives. The plot revolves around uncovering a scheme to frame their late police captain (Joe Pantoliano). In one of the movie's most notable scenes, Lawrence slaps Smith and calls him a “bad boy.” Movie theaters will need a lot more than “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” though, to right the ship. Ticket sales are down 26% from last year and more than 40% below pre-pandemic totals, according to Comscore. A big test comes next weekend with the release of Pixar’s “Inside Out 2.” After sending several Pixar releases straight to Disney+, the studio has vowed a lengthy, traditional theatrical rollout this time. Last weekend’s top film “The Garfield Movie,” slid to second place. Also from Sony, the family animated comedy collected $10 million in ticket sales over its third weekend, bringing its domestic gross to $68.6 million. The weekend's other new wide release, “The Watchers," failed to click with moviegoers. The horror film, directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, is about a stranded 28-year-old artist in Ireland. Following poor reviews, the Warner Bros. release grossed $7 million in 3,351 theaters. That allowed “If,” the Ryan Reynolds imaginary friend fantasy, to grab third place in its fourth weekend of release, bringing the Paramount Pictures cumulative domestic total to $93.5 million. Rounding out the top five was “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which added $5.4 million in its fifth weekend of release. It has grossed $150 million domestically and $360 million worldwide. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. 1. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $56 million. 2. ”The Garfield Movie," $10 million. 3. “If,” $8 million. 4. “The Watchers,” $7 million. 5. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $5.4 million. 6. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” $4.2 million. 7. “The Fall Guy,” $2.7 million. 8. “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” $2.4 million. 9. “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” $1.9 million. 10. “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” $1.8 million.
As the need for copper rises, cable manufacturers recycle more None - In an industrial suburb of Montreal, sheets of copper move along a conveyor belt suspended four stories above the floor of a foundry — a metals plant — until they drop into a lava-hot furnace MONTREAL -- In an industrial suburb of Montreal, sheets of copper move along a conveyor belt suspended four stories above the floor of a foundry — a metals plant — until they drop into a lava-hot furnace. Next come pieces of discarded copper wire. Out of the furnace comes liquid copper, alight with green fire. It travels to a second furnace and from there, a river of orange copper flows out, to be shaped into copper rods, the raw material for copper wire. This Nexans mill has made copper rod from ore for nearly a century. But now it also makes an increasing amount of it from used copper, with the rods containing some 14% recycled metal. It hopes to get to 20%. “We say to our customers: Your waste of today, your scrap of today is your energy of tomorrow, so bring back your scrap,” said Nexans CEO Christopher Guérin. Across the industry, manufacturers have been reusing and recycling some degree of copper for many years. Now they’re stepping up these efforts as the need for the metal is projected to nearly double by 2035. It’s partly due to a move away from fossil fuels to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. There’s a growing movement to power buildings, vehicles and manufacturing operations with clean electricity, to “electrify everything” — which uses more copper. Building construction, cell phones and data centers account for the other half of the increase in demand. Every ton of copper that is recycled means some 200 tons of rock that won't need to be mined, though the amount depends on how rich the ore is. That's important because mining can cause erosion, contaminate soil and water, threaten local biodiversity and pollute the air. Copper is an especially good candidate for reuse, because it can be recycled indefinitely without losing its value or performance, Guérin said. Daily, up to 10 trucks drop off bare wire, cable and copper scrap at the Nexans mill. Some comes from customers, some from scrap dealers. The purity must be high if it’s to be used to conduct electricity. One of the world’s largest wire and cable manufacturers, Nexans uses more than 2,600 times the weight of the Statue of Liberty in copper each year. People may have a closer connection to this metal and this mill than they realize — copper connects them to the world, said Daniel Yergin, an expert on energy and vice chairman of the analytics firm S & P Global. “We depend on electricity for everything now,” he said. “None of it works without copper.” Aluminum is used in electrical wiring too, but it takes a lot of energy to produce. Some aluminum smelters, where machines separate metal from ore, have cut production or closed as electricity prices have increased, adding to the demand for copper. Roughly two-thirds of all the copper produced in the last century is still in use, mostly for electrical grids, home appliances and communications, according to the International Copper Association. When those get past their useful life, they are an enormous stock that can be recycled in the future, the ICA said. Colin Williams, program coordinator for the USGS Mineral Resources Program, said companies should recycle more of the copper that is already out there, taking advantage of what is, effectively, the “urban mine.” “It increases the supply available," he said. "... It reduces the energy and environmental impacts associated with new mining by being able to reuse material we’ve already mined. It’s an important step.” ___ The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Internal combustion engines are far from over: 'There was a bit of hype' around EVs, industry watchers say None - "Gearheads are realizing the experience is such an important part of the car." Internal combustion engines are far from over: 'There was a bit of hype' around EVs, industry watchers say It's nearly impossible not to smile when you squeeze the throttle on the new Aston Martin Vantage. Aston executives may wax on about the Vantage's state-of-the-art infotainment system, but what's under the hood is more exciting: a heavily reworked, hand-built 4.0 twin-turbo V8 that delivers 656 horsepower and a thunderous howl. Take it for a spin on winding roads or test its limits on a race track -- the car's rowdy, brash exhaust note reacts to every input the driver decrees. The latest version of the British marque's 60-year-old sports car clearly answers enthusiasts' demands: give us a mighty engine that we can see, smell and experience. The Vantage is not for environmentalists who are searching for performance and zero emissions. In fact, Aston executives have pushed back their timeline for building an all-electric sports car, citing the lack of interest from consumers. Instead, resources are going toward launching a powerful, "fearsome" V12 engine that could produce 824 hp. Aston is far from alone. Bugatti's new hypercar, coming June 20, still features a W16 engine. Lamborghini, the Italian supercar brand, said the successor to the Huracan packs a twin-turbo V8 engine. "Enthusiasts absolutely want a V8 in the supercar segment," Alex Long, director of product and strategy at Aston Martin, told ABC News. "They want the sound quality it brings, the feel through the cabin, everything. Our customers are not asking for an electric Aston." The Aston Martin Vantage. Company executives say customers are not asking for an all-electric version. Max Earey/Aston Martin The anti-electric attitude extends beyond the enthusiast community. Forty-six percent of Americans say they are "not too likely or not at all likely to purchase" an EV, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press -NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago. Earlier this year, luxury German automaker Mercedes delayed its electrification plans by five years, with CEO Ola Kaellenius telling investors the company was still committed to producing combustion engine cars. Last month, Toyota executives announced its engineers were developing smaller, next-gen engines that can run on alternative fuels like liquid hydrogen. Industry insiders are calling the trend "return to ICE," or internal combustion engines. "Maybe there was a little bit of a hype [around EVs]. There are challenges with an all EV world," McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty, an automotive enthusiast brand, told ABC News. "There's a place for EVs for people who really want them, especially the high-performance ones, but they don't seem to be selling and I think that tells us something." Lamborghini says the successor to the Huracan will have an electrified twin-turbo V8 engine. A Huracan STJ is shown here. Lamborghini Tony Quiroga, editor-in-chief of Car and Driver and co-host of the magazine's new "Into Cars" podcast, noted that EVs can work for some Americans though the inconvenience of charging can outweigh the pros. "Everyone who wanted an EV has one now," he told ABC News. For enthusiasts, the attraction of owning an electric sports car is waning, he argued. "Aside from acceleration, it's not the same experience" as an ICE sports car, he said. "So many EVs can perform as quickly in a straight line for under $100K and buyers are realizing that." He went on, "V12 and even V8 engines are becoming increasingly rare -- there is an exclusivity to it. Gearheads are realizing the experience is such an important part of the car and the engine is what makes these cars so special." Rimac CEO Matt Rimac acknowledged that wealthy drivers have shown little interest in his heavily trumpeted Nevera hypercar, which can generate a staggering 1,914 hp from four electric motors. Limited to 150 units, the Croatian company has struggled to find buyers. "We started to develop [the] Nevera in 2016/2017, when electric was cool," Rimac said at the Financial Times Future of the Car conference in May. "At that time, we were thinking electric cars would be cool in a few years -- the best cars, or with the highest performance and so on. We notice [now] that as electrification is becoming mainstream, people at the top end of the sector want to differentiate themselves." Rimac, a Croatian sports car manufacturer, has been struggling to find buyers for its all-electric Nevera hypercar. Rimac Hagerty said he invites skeptical enthusiasts to drive his all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S in Michigan so that they, too, can realize the "undeniable performance" with electric sports cars. "I put them behind the wheel and say try this Taycan -- you don't even have to put in sport mode," he said. "The joke is that some EVs don't feel like a car, that they're an electronic appliance. The Taycan feels like a car, rides like a car and gets that torque and performance." He added, "I bought it because I am open to these things." Jason Cammisa, an award-winning automotive journalist and successful YouTube host, argued that electrification would always be a tough sell to the hardened automotive community that prefers the "old, screaming, antiquated tech" in ICE cars. There are positives to driving electric sports cars -- the low center of gravity, the insane speeds -- though many enthusiasts are clamoring for more than performance numbers, he said. "For me, the most interesting cars in the world right now are naturally aspirated, high revving, manual transmission -- a return to 20 years ago," Cammisa told ABC News. "You can't win a race with an ICE car [versus an electric one] so let's go back to what makes these things great." Cammisa pointed out that even reducing cylinders in an engine can cause an uproar. He gave the example of when Porsche put in a turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the Boxster and Cayman. Owners revolted and sales slipped. To appease critics, Porsche offered a naturally aspirated flat-six engine in the cars and enthusiasts jockeyed for an allocation, paying above sticker price to get one. "Everyone is a little hysterical right now. It's always in response to fear," Cammisa said. "The regulatory environment will determine what the mix of ICE and EV is. Consumers are trying to send a message to the government -- stop pushing so hard on EVs -- and we're seeing a battle between the government and consumer right now." The solution for enthusiasts -- and average motorists -- may be a hybrid, which Cammisa and Quiroga both agree can satisfy drivers and environmentally conscious consumers. For the sports car crowd, Cammisa liked the Corvette E-Ray so much that he called it "an example of a hybrid done correctly." It may not be tuned for efficiency, Quiroga said, but the E-Ray, the first electrified Vette with all-wheel-drive capability, is "spectacular." "The electric motor fills in the power before the gas engine does ... it's heavy but you can't really notice the weight. It's so quick and wonderful," he added. Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars.com, said he expects to see more performance hybrids coming in the next few years. The Huracan successor pairs three electric motors with the V8 and even Aston Martin's Valhalla, a mid-engine hypercar, features a hybrid powertrain. Aston's upcoming hypercar, the Valhalla, will be built with a powerful plug-in hybrid powertrain. Aston Martin Porsche recently announced that the 2025 911 Carrera GTS will have a uniquely T-Hybrid system that includes an electric exhaust gas turbocharger. The electric motor also functions as a generator. The new 911 Carrera GTS will be equipped with a super lightweight performance hybrid system. Porsche "I am a huge fan of hybrids and they are the brilliant option now," Brauer told ABC News. "We're at an important reflection point of where we are and where things are going." Long, of Aston Martin, said the Vantage has even more to offer than a snarling V8 engine. "It's a complete reappraisal of vehicle dynamics from us," he said. "Even people who have been with the brand for a long time, they cannot believe the level of sophistication in the ride, the lateral grip, the responsiveness. This is their trophy car."
Norwegian wealth fund to vote against Elon Musk's Tesla pay package None - Norway’s sovereign wealth fund managed by Norges Bank Investment Management said Saturday it will vote against Elon Musk’s hefty CEO compensation package during Tesla’s annual meeting on Thursday Norway's sovereign wealth fund operated by Norges Bank Investment Management said Saturday it will vote against Elon Musk's hefty CEO compensation package during Tesla's annual meeting on Thursday. It's the latest pushback over the size of the pay package, which was recently valued by the company at $44.9 billion, but in January had a value of about $56 billion. In May, two big shareholder advisory firms, ISS and Glass Lewis, recommended voting against the package. “While we appreciate the significant value generated under Mr. Musk’s leadership since the grant date in 2018, we remain concerned about the total size of the award, the structure given performance triggers, dilution, and lack of mitigation of key person risk,” Norges Bank Investment Management said in a statement on its website. “We will continue to seek constructive dialogue with Tesla on this and other topics.” Tesla asked shareholders to restore Musk’s pay package after it was rejected by a Delaware judge this year. The fund, called the Government Pension Fund Global, which has a .98% stake in Tesla worth $7.72 billion, voted against the package initially in 2018. The fund invests proceeds from the country’s oil and gas industry to secure pensions for future generations in Norway. It is worth 17.80 trillion Norwegian Krone ($1.67 trillion). Because of its sheer size, the fund does not reinvest all its money in Norway, or it would overheat the economy. It invests in 72 countries worldwide. The fund also plans to vote for several shareholder policies that management has recommended shareholders vote against, including a proposal to adopt a noninterference policy respecting freedom of association and collective bargaining; adopting a simple majority vote; declassifying the board of directors; and publishing reports on harassment and discrimination prevention efforts.
A freighter ship in Lake Superior collided with something underwater, Coast Guards says None - The U.S. Coast Guard says a freighter in Lake Superior has hit something underwater and started taking on water A freighter ship in Lake Superior collided with something underwater, Coast Guards says SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- A freighter in Lake Superior hit something underwater on Saturday and started taking on water, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard Great Lakes district received reports about 6:53 a.m. that a 689-foot-long (210-meter-long) ship called the Michipicoten had collided with something about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Isle Royale, which is part of the state of Michigan. The ship was carrying taconite, which is a low-grade iron ore, and had 22 people aboard. Water pumps onboard began displacing water, authorities said, and there were no signs that anything spilled from the ship. By 9:15 a.m., water pumps had reduced the listing of the freighter from 15 degrees to 5 degrees, the Coast Guard said. Helicopter and boat crews were responding, the Coast Guard said. Around 12:30 p. m. the Coast Guard said half of the people on board had been evacuated from the vessel for safety. The ship was on its way to a port for inspection and repairs. Authorities say the cause of the collision will be investigated. The collision occurred in the northwest part of the lake, which straddles the U.S.-Canadian border and is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area.
Large chunk of Wyoming's Teton Pass road collapses; unclear how quickly it can be rebuilt None - A large chunk of a mountain pass highway in Wyoming has collapsed, severing a well-traveled commuter link between small towns in eastern Idaho and the tourist destination of Jackson Large chunk of Wyoming's Teton Pass road collapses; unclear how quickly it can be rebuilt JACKSON, Wyo. -- A large chunk of a twisting mountain pass road collapsed in Wyoming, authorities said Saturday, leaving a gaping chasm in the highway and severing a well-traveled commuter link between small towns in eastern Idaho and the tourist destination of Jackson. Aerial photos and drone video of the collapse show the Teton Pass road riven with deep cracks, and a big section of the pavement disappeared altogether. Part of the guardrail dangled into the void, and orange traffic drums marked off the danger area. The road was closed at the time of the collapse. The section that failed first drew attention Thursday when a crack and drop in the road contributed to the crash of a motorcycle. Geologists and engineers who were sent to the area that day noticed “that crack and that drop started to move a lot,” said Stephanie Harsha, a spokesperson for District 3 of the Wyoming Department of Transportation. A paving crew temporarily patched the road, and traffic began moving again that night. But that was short-lived as maintenance crews were sent to respond to a mudslide a couple of miles away in the pre-dawn hours of Friday, prompting the road to be closed once again. Crews then noticed that the damage to the pavement had become more pronounced. Workers trying to figure out a detour around that section left for the night, “and by 5 a.m., this morning, WYDOT had discovered that the road had completely failed,” Harsha said Saturday. “We were very, very lucky that no crews were harmed. No equipment was damaged,” she said. “So now, engineers and geologists are doing geological assessments on the pass. They’ve been looking at it all day.” The transportation department said via social media that the road “catastrophically failed” at milepost 12.8. It was not immediately clear how long it will take to reopen the road, a vital artery for people who live across the border in Idaho and work in pricey Jackson, which is also close to the popular Grand Teton National Park. Harsha said an alternate route between Jackson and the area of Victor, Idaho, goes more than 60 miles (97 kilometers) out of the way and adds “quite a bit to any commute.” Gov. Mark Gordon signed an executive order declaring an emergency, which his office said would help the state access additional resources from the Federal Highway Administration to begin repair work. In a statement, the governor said the transportation department is working on “a long-term solution to rebuild this critical roadway.” “I recognize the significant impacts this closure has to Teton County residents, regional commuters and the local economy,” Gordon said.
Demand for food delivery has skyrocketed. So have complaints about some drivers None - Demand for food delivery has skyrocketed. So have complaints about some drivers BOSTON -- A soaring demand for food delivered fast has spawned small armies of couriers — and increasing alarm — in big cities where scooters, motorcycles and mopeds zip in and out of traffic and hop onto pedestrian-filled sidewalks as their drivers race to drop off salads and sandwiches. Officials in Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., have started cracking down on delivery companies by issuing warning letters, seizing illegally registered or driven vehicles, and launching special street patrols to enforce speed limits. The pushback is not limited to the U.S.: There have also been a series of crackdowns in London and other British cities. For their part, the delivery companies have pledged to work with city officials to ensure that all of their drivers operate both legally and safely. In a letter this week to food delivery companies DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber, Boston officials cited an “alarming increase in unlawful and dangerous operation of motorcycles, mopeds and motorized scooters” that they said put the drivers, other motorists and pedestrians “in imminent danger.” The letter alleged that some drivers were operating unregistered vehicles and breaking traffic laws, and warned of an imminent crackdown on the vehicles. It also demanded that the companies explain how they can ensure their drivers are operating safely. The Massachusetts State Police said they identified dozens of mopeds and scooters that were improperly registered or being operated by unlicensed drivers. Fourteen illegal mopeds and scooters were seized Wednesday in one Boston neighborhood alone. In New York City, authorities have seized 13,000 scooters and mopeds so far this year; on Wednesday, they crushed more than 200 illegal mopeds and other delivery vehicles. Authorities in Washington, D.C., meanwhile, launched a program Wednesday called Operation Ride Right to ensure drivers of two-wheeled vehicles are complying with the law. Since it began, authorities have made five arrests and impounded 17 mopeds. “They have terrorized many of our pedestrians, particularly our senior and older adults,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday at an event in which motorized two-wheeled delivery vehicles were destroyed. “Riders who think the rules don’t apply to them, they’re going to see an aggressive enforcement policy that’s in place." When food delivery services had their major resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic, most drivers used cars to deliver their fare. That led to increased traffic congestion, prompting a shift to motorcycles and other two-wheeled modes of transportation. The drivers, many of them immigrants from Latin American countries but also from West Africa and South Asia, say they are just trying to earn a living and are providing a service that gets customers their food fast. “We’re not all bad,” said Luis López, a delivery driver from the Dominican Republic who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday from his motorcycle in an area of multiple fast-food restaurants near the Boston Public Library. “We come to work, to earn a living, pay the rent and send something to our families.” López, who came to the U.S. about three years ago, acknowledged that some drivers are unlicensed or driving unregistered vehicles, and he’s seen them running red lights and onto sidewalks, menacing pedestrians. Some people are so reckless that they’re also putting other delivery drivers at risk, he said. He said he was among a group of 10 delivery drivers outside a Chick-fil-A on Thursday night when a police officer approached them with a flyer describing how to register their scooters and mopeds. The whole group agreed to do just that. “We have to respect the law,” he said, speaking in Spanish. “We are going to respect the law so that they let us work here.” Drivers of motorized two-wheeled vehicles are coming under much more scrutiny than was faced years ago by other gig workers in cars, such as Uber and Lyft drivers, because they can more easily violate traffic laws, said Hilary Robinson, an associate professor of law and sociology at Northeastern University. The switch to the vehicles "is really an attempt to make low-wage, high-risk labor available so that all of us can have cheap goods and services,” Robinson said. “It’s perhaps one of the reasons why people are starting to realize that there really is no such thing as a free lunch.” William Medina, a delivery worker in New York who is also an organizing leader with the Los Deliveristas Unidos Campaign, blames the delivery companies. “This is a problem that started because the companies force you to complete the deliveries from far distances,” he said in a telephone interview Friday. Medina started out delivering food on a bicycle, switched to an electric bike, and now is using a moped to make the longer trips. “If you have to complete the delivery 6 miles, 7 miles, you have to complete it,” he said. Among those advocating for tougher enforcement in Boston is City Councilor Edward Flynn, who said on Facebook that it “can no longer be the Wild West on the streets of Boston.” “Everyone using city roads needs to abide by the rules of the road. If you’re able to go 25 mph like a car — you should be licensed, registered, and carry liability insurance in the event of an accident and injury," he wrote. Some Boston residents are supportive of tougher action against the scooters. “I get frustrated when they don't follow the traffic laws,” said Anne Kirby, a 25-year-old student having lunch in a Boston neighborhood within a few hundred feet of several scooters. “I feel like I almost get hit every day when they go through the crosswalk when it's not their turn to go.” But Jaia Samuel, a 25-year-old hospital worker from Boston, was more conflicted. She said she agreed that delivery scooters can be dangerous, but she also acknowledged that she relies heavily on delivery services for her food. “I do think it's unsafe to an extent, the weaving in between cars and the not stopping for red lights,” she said. “But I feel like everybody should be able to make a living, so who am I to say anything? It would be unfortunate for me. I would be taking a hit with the crackdown on them. I order a lot of Uber Eats, DoorDash.” Three major food delivery services have pledged to work with officials and neighborhood advocates to address the problem. “The overwhelming majority of Dashers do the right thing and like all drivers must follow the rules of the road. If they don’t, then they face consequences — just like anyone else,” DoorDash said in a statement Wednesday. Grubhub said its employees already agree to obey all local traffic laws. “While enforcement of the law is best handled by the police, we take safety seriously and will take action to address any reports of unsafe driving,” the company said in a statement Thursday. ___ Associated Press writers Michael Warren in Decatur, Georgia, and Lisa J. Adams Wagner in Evans, Georgia, contributed to this report.
Napa Valley has lush vineyards and wineries – and a pollution problem None - Famous for its lush vineyards and cherished local wineries, Napa valley is where people go to escape their problems. “When you first get there, it’s really pretty,” said Geoff Ellsworth, former mayor of St Helena, a small Napa community nestled 50 miles north-east of San Francisco. “It mesmerizes people.” What the more than 3 million annual tourists don’t see, however, is that California’s wine country has a brewing problem – one that has spurred multiple ongoing government investigations and created deep divisions. Some residents and business owners fear it poses a risk to the region’s reputation and environment. At the heart of the fear is the decades-old Clover Flat Landfill (CFL), perched on the northern edge of the valley atop the edge of a rugged mountain range. Two streams run adjacent to the landfill as tributaries to the Napa River. A growing body of evidence, including regulatory inspection reports and emails between regulators and CFL owners, suggests the landfill and a related garbage-collection business have routinely polluted those local waterways that drain into the Napa River with an assortment of dangerous toxins. The river irrigates the valley’s beloved vineyards and is used recreationally for kayaking by more than 10,000 people annually. The prospect that the water and wine flowing from the region may be at risk of contamination with hazardous chemicals and heavy metals has driven a wedge between those speaking out about the concerns and others who want the issue kept out of the spotlight, according to Ellsworth, a former employee of CFL. “The Napa valley is amongst the most high-value agricultural land in the country,” he said. “If there’s a contamination issue, the economic ripples are significant.” Employee complaints Both the landfill and Upper Valley Disposal Services (UVDS) were owned for decades by the wealthy and politically well-connected Pestoni family, whose vineyards were first planted in the Napa valley area in 1892. The Pestoni Family Estate Winery still sells bottles and an assortment of wines, including an etched cabernet sauvignon magnum for $400 a bottle. The family sold the landfill and disposal-services unit last year amid a barrage of complaints, handing the business off to Waste Connections, a large, national waste-management company headquartered in Texas. Before the sale, Christina Pestoni, who has also used the last name Abreu Pestoni, who served as chief operating officer for UVDS and CFL, said in a statement that the company’s operations met “the highest environmental standards” and were in full legal and regulatory compliance. Pestoni is currently director of government affairs at Waste Connections. In her statement, she accused Ellsworth and “a few individuals” of spreading “false information” about CFL and UVDS. View image in fullscreen Upper Valley Disposal Services, in an undated photo. Photograph: Courtesy Anne Wheaton View image in fullscreen The Clover Flat Landfill after a storm, in an undated photo. Photograph: Courtesy Anne Wheaton But workers at the facilities have said the concerns are valid. In December of last year, a group of 23 former and then-current employees of CFL and UVDS filed a formal complaint to federal and state agencies, including the US Department of Justice, alleging “clearly negligent practices in management of these toxic and hazardous materials at UVDS/CFL over decades”. The employees cited “inadequate and compromised infrastructure and equipment” that they said was “affecting employees as well as the surrounding environment and community”. Among the concerns was the handling of “leachate”, a liquid formed when water filters through waste as it breaks down, leaching out chemicals and heavy metals such as nitrates, chromium, arsenic, iron and zinc. In the complaint, the employees also cited the use of so-called “ghost piping”, describing unmapped and unquantified underground pipes they said were used to divert leachate and “compromised” storm water into public waterways, instead of holding it for “proper treatment”. Several fires have broken out at the landfill over the last decade and concerns have also been raised about the facility’s handling of radioactive materials. Even the “organic compost” the UVDS facility generates and provides to area farmers and gardeners is probably tainted, according to the employee complaint, which cites “large-scale contamination” of the compost. “These industrial sites are affecting the environment and residents of Napa Valley,” former UVDS employee Jose Garibay Jr wrote in a 2023 email to Napa county officials. “Also, the biggest revenue for the wine country could be tremendously affected; the wine industry, tasting rooms, wineries, hotels, resorts, restaurants, and local businesses.” Pestoni did not respond to a request for comment. Other representatives for CFL, UVDS and Waste Management also did not respond to requests for comment. “Both UVDS and [CFL] have no business being in the grape-growing areas or at the top of the watershed of Napa county,” said Frank Leeds, a former president of Napa Valley Grapegrowers who runs an organic vineyard across from the UVDS composting operation. “There are homes and vineyards all around that are affected by them.” Leeds co-owns a vineyard near UVDS with his daughter, Lauren Pesch; Pesch said she had deep concerns about water contamination from CFL and has seen pipes from the UVDS property carrying liquid into the creek next to her vineyard. A pipeline leading from Clover Flat Landfill into a creek, in an undated photo. Photograph: California department of fish and wildlife But the wine industry itself more broadly has not expressed public concern, and when asked for comment about the issues, there were no replies from Napa Valley Grapegrowers, Napa Valley Vintners or California Certified Organic Farmers. Michelle Benvenuto, executive director of Winegrowers of Napa County, said she was “not knowledgable enough on the details of this issue” to comment. Anna Brittain, executive director of the non-profit Napa Green, a sustainable wine-growing program that lists UVDS as a sponsor, also said she was not aware of concerns about contamination held by any members. More than a dozen Napa valley vineyards or wineries did not respond to requests for comment or declined to comment. Toxic PFAS found Clover Flat Landfill opened in 1963, and together with UVDS provides a range of valuable services to the community, according to the facility websites, including collecting and capturing methane gas to convert to electricity. It provides enough energy to power the equivalent of 800 homes and operates with “net zero” emissions, according to the website. As previously revealed by the Guardian, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has listed CFL as one of thousands of sites around the country suspected of handling harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). After a request from regulators for an analysis of leachate and groundwater samples at the landfill, Pestoni reported to the California regional water quality control board in 2020 that a third-party analysis had found PFAS in all the samples collected. PFAS are human-made chemicals that don’t break down and have been linked to cancers and a range of other illnesses and health hazards. Levels of PFOS and PFOA – types of PFAS considered particularly dangerous – were detected in the landfill’s leachate at many times higher than the drinking-water standard recently set by the EPA. In early 2023, the San Francisco Bay regional water quality control board sampled a creek downstream from CFL for eight PFAS, identifying multiple PFAS compounds in each sample, according to an email from water board inspector Alyx Karpowicz to Waste Connections. “There are detections in the creek of the same compounds detected at the Clover Flat landfill,” Karpowicz informed the company. When asked about the results, a spokesperson for the water board said the PFAS concentrations in the creek samples were low enough that “chronically exposed biota are not expected to be adversely affected and ecological impacts are unlikely”. The site has racked up a number of regulatory violations and left at least one state investigator worried about “long-term stream pollution”. In a 2019 report, a California department of fish and wildlife officer determined that the landfill had “severely polluted” both streams that flow through the landfill property with “large amounts of earth waste spoils, leachate, litter, and sediment”. There was “essentially no aquatic life present”, the investigator noted. Heavy metals also are present in “alarmingly high detection” levels at the landfill, said Chris Malan, executive director of the Institute for Conservation Advocacy, Research and Education, a watershed conservation non-profit in Napa county. Last year, CFL settled a case brought against it by the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, which said its discharges were harming aquatic life and endangering people who use the Napa River for recreation. CFL agreed to implement new erosion-control measures, and to take action if testing showed contaminants above certain levels, among other measures. Also in 2023, the state fined it roughly $620,000 for discharging “leachate-laden” and “acidic” water into one of the streams, among other violations. Last fall, a group of water board officials visited the landfill to hunt down the “ghost piping” alleged in the worker complaint. They reported in an October 2023 email that they discovered an array of pipes, and a culvert, that require further scrutiny, the email said. There remains an “ongoing investigation” into environmental concerns tied to CFL and UVDS, according to Eileen White, executive director of the San Francisco Bay regional water quality control board. Separate from the environmental investigation by state and local officials, the US justice department has issued subpoenas for information from UVDS as well as from more than 20 other companies and individuals in the region. That investigation appears to focus on local political connections and contracts, not environmental concerns. Little public pushback Ellsworth, the former mayor, is among a small group of community members who have tried taking their own actions against UVDS and CFL. In February of 2021, dozens of residents voiced complaints about odors, noise and light pollution from UVDS at a virtual meeting. Some initiated litigation, but were unable to fund an ongoing legal battle and dropped the effort. Ellsworth maintains that Napa valley’s wine industry prefers any contamination concerns be kept quiet. “We tried to talk to the Napa valley wine industry trade organizations. They completely stonewalled us,” he said. “Everybody’s afraid to speak up or is too apathetic or doesn’t want to see it.” This story is co-published with the New Lede, a journalism project of the Environmental Working Group
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