Mayor De Blasio: Progressive Champion
Mayor Bill de Blasio honored by Campaign for America's Future in Washington. NYT: "...Mr. de Blasio attended a gala here thrown by a prominent liberal group, the Campaign for America’s Future, which deemed the mayor one of its two 'progressive champions' of the year. Bar none, Mr. de Blasio was the star of the event. 'I have been, like, hero-worshiping you,' said Representative Donna Edwards of Maryland. One speaker gushed, 'Paul Wellstone would have been so enraptured by him.'"
Efforts to keep education public cited. NY Daily News: "The Campaign for America’s Future ... praised his attempt to end former Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 'gift of scarce New York City school resources' to charters ... Robert Borosage, co-director of the group, praised the mayor for working to halt 'the corporate assault on public schools' in remarks at the awards gala."
Also meets with WH to discuss security threats. WSJ: "At a news conference, Mr. de Blasio said one official at Tuesday’s meetings described the partnership between the New York Police Department and federal security agencies as at an 'all-time high.' Whatever 'barriers may have existed in the past,' Mr. de Blasio said, they 'don’t exist anymore.'"
WH Doesn't Forget The Jobless
WH moves to help long-term unemployed. McClatchy: "On Wednesday, the Labor Department will announce 23 grants given to 20 states and Puerto Rico to attack the problem of long-term unemployed ... The grants will be used by local organizations and governments to match jobless workers with sectors that need workers."
More from Bloomberg: "When [CT program] P2E finds a job listing that seems a suitable fit for a program participant, an offer is made for P2E to pay their salary for four weeks and if the person is retained, half for the next four weeks -- which reduces risk for the business. The Department of Labor today will award $170 million in 'Ready to Work' grants that target the long-term unemployed. P2E is one of the applicants."
International private funds may boost U.S. infrastructure. Bloomberg: "The Ohio River Bridges project is an American anomaly ... Democrat-led Kentucky and Republican-run Indiana have forged a partnership to rebuild U.S. infrastructure at a time of partisan gridlock and untapped trillions in private dollars ... President Barack Obama’s administration, which had resisted private financing of public works, is starting a new center to serve as a one-stop shop for bringing capital into government projects ... Institutional investors say they would like to invest more in public infrastructure -- if only there were more suitable projects willing to take their money. If there were, it would mean an additional $2.5 trillion in investment globally through 2030..."
Global Moves To Reduce Inequality
Garment makers pledge to raise global wages. WSJ: "In Cambodia, which has a $5.5 billion garment industry, a number of European retailers, including Hennes & Mauritz AB and Zara parent Inditex SA, wrote the government in September pledging to pay more to local factory owners so they can, in turn, increase workers’ salaries. That is a new tack for major retailers, which typically have steered clear of involvement in salary talks, contending such discussions are a matter for governments, manufacturers and workers’ representatives."
Ireland closes notorious corporate tax loophole. NYT: "Ireland’s government on Tuesday responded to the clamorous criticism of its business-friendly tax arrangements by closing a loophole used by multinational giants like Google ... [But other] deals, which are part of the separate investigation by the European Commission, do not appear to involve the tax loophole the Irish government says it will close ... The government is phasing out what is known as the 'double Irish' provision. It allows corporations with operations in Ireland to make royalty payments for intellectual property to a separate Irish-registered subsidiary. That subsidiary, though incorporated in Ireland, typically has its home in a country that has no corporate income tax."
