WH/Susan Rice is well Aware of Child Labor Violations/Immigrants

Yes, THAT Susan Rice, the hateful video/Benghazi lady that works at the Biden White House. Furthermore, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Beccera does nothing when it comes to sponsors that immigrant children are released to. And then there is the Department of Labor….silence…

But this is nothing new as it began under the Obama administration. After an internet search, several outlets reported much that same that the Obama administration actually did separate children from parents or when just children came across the border they were placed into sponsors’ care and trafficked into the sex slave industry or into agricultural operations under all the same conditions described by the recent New York Times investigation. Yes, imagine the New York Times actually doing on investigation on this scandal…yes….after a long read, there is much the NYT’s left out but it is a start, at least.

As a primer, the Department of Labor is responsible for child labor law enforcement which does include limited exemptions. These immigrant children are actually slave labor working in conditions and overnight shifts that violate the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Related stories: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/25/us/unaccompanied-migrant-child-workers-exploitation.html

https://www.axios.com/2023/03/01/american-child-labor

So, what did the New York Times investigation offer? Titled –>

Read the full NYT’s investigation here.

The White House and federal agencies were repeatedly alerted to signs of children at risk. The warnings were ignored or missed.

In the spring of 2021, Linda Brandmiller was working at an arena in San Antonio that had been converted into an emergency shelter for migrant children. Thousands of boys were sleeping on cots as the Biden administration grappled with a record number of minors crossing into the United States without their parents.

Ms. Brandmiller’s job was to help vet sponsors, and she had been trained to look for possible trafficking. In her first week, two cases jumped out: One man told her he was sponsoring three boys to employ them at his construction company. Another, who lived in Florida, was trying to sponsor two children who would have to work off the cost of bringing them north.

She immediately contacted supervisors working with the Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency responsible for these children. “This is urgent,” she wrote in an email reviewed by The New York Times.

But within days, she noticed that one of the children was set to be released to the man in Florida. She wrote another email, this time asking for a supervisor’s “immediate attention” and adding that the government had already sent a 14-year-old boy to the same sponsor.

Ms. Brandmiller also emailed the shelter’s manager. A few days later, her building access was revoked during her lunch break. She said she was never told why she had been fired.

Over the past two years, more than 250,000 migrant children have come alone to the United States. Thousands of children have ended up in punishing jobs across the country — working overnight in slaughterhouses, replacing roofs, operating machinery in factories — all in violation of child labor laws, a recent Times investigation showed. After the article’s publication in February, the White House announced policy changes and a crackdown on companies that hire children.

Inside the White House, Ms. Rice was at the center of the migrant children crisis. As she pressed to move children out of shelters more quickly, clues began to emerge about what was happening to them once they left.

In the summer of 2021, near the height of the crush at the border, H.H.S. managers wrote a memo detailing their worry about increasing reports that children were working alongside their sponsors, a sign of possible labor trafficking. Ms. Rice’s team received the memo, and Ms. Rice was also told what it said, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

Andrew J. Bates, White House deputy press secretary, disputed that, saying Ms. Rice “did not see the memo and was not made aware of its contents.”

Around the same time, Ms. Rice’s team was told about concerns over a large group of children who had been released to one city in Alabama, according to six current and former staff members. The situation was the subject of frequent updates as H.H.S. sent case managers to the city to check on children, and coordinated with the Labor Department and Homeland Security Investigations to look into whether they were working in poultry plants. The full article is found here.

 

Climate Czar John Kerry to Marshal Wind Farms in Mexico Paid by the U.S.

All coordinated and approved by the State Department? Yup

FNC: Mexico’s president said Wednesday that he expects the U.S. government or U.S. banks to provide interest-free loans to build four wind-power farms in the narrow waist of southern Mexico, an area known as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he expects U.S. climate envoy John Kerry to travel to the area next month to launch the projects.

López Obrador also fueled speculation that U.S. automaker Tesla will build a plant in Mexico, saying that he had been told that Elon Musk’s company was considering an industrial park about 2 miles from the new Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) near Mexico City.

Mexican presidential spokesman Jesus Ramirez said that this plant would serve as an export hub for the company.

“Tesla is looking at investing in that area to take advantage of AIFA,” Ramirez told Reuters 

The wind farms on the isthmus are part of López Obrador’s plans to build a total of 10 industrial parks along a renovated rail corridor linking the Pacific and Gulf coasts, as part of an effort to create jobs in the poorer, less-developed south of Mexico.

However, the construction of wind farms has faced past opposition from local residents in the area.

López Obrador’s administration also has refused to grant permits for private renewable energy projects backed by foreign investors in Mexico, sparking a commercial dispute with the United States.

The president has invested heavily in propping up the long-struggling state-owned electrical power company, and he said the new wind farms would be run by the state-owned firm.

López Obrador has pushed legislation that gives advantages to the state-owned electric company over private energy production, which in many cases was cleaner.

Mexico’s private energy production and clean energy production has been a growing dispute between the United States and Canada in recent months.

Last year, John Kerry was in Mexico launching the deal as reported by Reuters.

Kerry also said Lopez Obrador had shown a “serious commitment” to the discussion on the climate crisis.

“The president has been very clear about his readiness to transition but to do so in a way that meets the needs of the people of Mexico.”

Mexico is set to present 10 climate steps on Friday, Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said.

This is expected to include increasing solar energy projects at the state energy company (COMFEL.UL) alongside the private sector, enhancing electric mobility and capturing methane gas.

Again, just a few weeks ago, John Kerry was back in Mexico. And Kerry must really love it in Mexico as he was also there just last October…the third trip and soon to be a forth?

Secretary Kerry will meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and other government officials as well as U.S. companies to discuss bilateral cooperation and opportunities to enhance Mexico’s nationally determined contribution, promote zero-emission vehicles, reduce methane emissions, and deepen investment in renewable energy.

By the way it seems that pesky word ‘bilateral’ really means our tax dollars are paying for it all. But…the new House Oversight Committee is investigating John Kerry and his negotiations with the Chinese Communist Part. Great…but they need to add Mexico too.

Civil Society Collapses with no Diesel Fuel

The Biden Green agenda will soon destroy the nation, there is no dispute. Having a war on fossil fuel is one thing but being so derelict when it comes to diesel is destructive beyond description. It is also evil and deadly to citizens, business and national security.

In 2021, the Biden White House published a trucking fact sheet endorsing the trucking industry. But it omits the real issues facing the industry and that includes regulations and the ridiculous high cost of diesel.

There was to be some kind of a listening session. In part: DOL and DOT will kick off listening sessions with drivers, industry and labor leaders, and advocates to hear their perspectives, profile promising practices, and source scalable solutions to retention and job quality issues for truckers. The first events in this series are happening today in South Carolina with Secretary Buttigieg, Deputy Administrator Joshi, and representatives from DOL and at the White House co-chaired by Secretary Buttigieg, Secretary Walsh, and National Economic Council Director Deese.

Now, facing November with the midterm elections and the coming holidays….the White House is flat-footed on the diesel crisis.

The Biden administration says it is keeping a close watch on diesel inventories and working to boost supplies following news that reserves have been depleted and could run out in less than a month if not replenished, sparking fears of shortages and rising prices.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported this week that, as of Oct. 14, the U.S. had only 25 days of reserve diesel supply, a low not seen since 2008. National Economic Council Director Brian Deese acknowledged to Bloomberg that the level is “unacceptably low,” and “all options are on the table” to address the situation.
The EIA also said that distillate fuel includes heating oil inventories and is about 20% below the five-year average for this time of year. But areas in the Northeast are already rationing heating oil as temperatures drop, driving concerns that energy costs will surge further. source

Diesel fuel is used for many tasks

Diesel engines in trucks, trains, boats, and barges help transport nearly all products people consume. Diesel fuel is commonly used in public buses and school buses.

Diesel fuel powers most of the farm and construction equipment in the United States. The construction industry also depends on the power diesel fuel provides. Diesel engines can do demanding construction work, such as lifting steel beams, digging foundations and trenches, drilling wells, paving roads, and moving soil safely and efficiently.

The U.S. military uses diesel fuel in tanks and trucks because diesel fuel is less flammable and less explosive than other fuels. Diesel engines are also less likely to stall than gasoline-fueled engines.

Diesel fuel is also used in diesel engine generators to generate electricity. Many industrial facilities, large buildings, institutional facilities, hospitals, and electric utilities have diesel generators for backup and emergency power supply. Most remote villages in Alaska use diesel generators as the primary source of electricity. source

The US economy cannot run and sustain itself without the essential work of truck drivers. Their deliveries affect every industry we depend on like food, construction, medicine, fuel, and retail. Apart from day-to-day needs, truck drivers ensure first responders and healthcare workers have the tools they need to save lives. more here

Video of Damage to the Nord Stream 1 Pipeline

Germany Suspects Sabotage Hit Russia's Nord Stream Pipelines - Bloomberg Bloomberg

According to a German security official, the evidence points to a violent act rather than a technical issue. Swedish seismologists detected two explosions in the area, when leaks appeared almost simultaneously in the Baltic Sea.

 

PM: Trond Larzen, a drone operator with the Norweigian company Blueye Robotics said, “it is only an extreme force that can bend metal that this in the way we are seeing.”

New footage released on Tuesday has revealed the extent of damage to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.

The footage, published by the Swedish newspaper Expressen, shows a tear in the pipeline, with 165 feet of it either being destroyed or buried under the seabed, according to the Daily Mail.

80 meters under the surface, a deep trench can also be seen where the gas pipeline used to lie.

The outlet said that the section filmed was likely one to the northeast of the Danish island of Bornholm, a section being investigated by Swedish authorities.

Two of the leaks lie in the Swedish economic exclusion zone, and two lie in the Danish zone.

Authorities in Sweden and Denmark have been investigating the four holes that appeared after explosions on September 26. Though the lines were not operational at the time, gas inside the lines leaked out, causing waves and disturbances to the sea’s surface.

On Tuesday, Danish officials confirmed that there is “extensive damage” to both Nord Stream 1 and 2, caused by “powerful explosions.” Swedish investigators came to a similar conclusion on October 6.

Speaking with Expressen, Trond Larzen, a drone operator with the Norweigian company Blueye Robotics said, “it is only an extreme force that can bend metal that this in the way we are seeing.”

Larsen, who captured the video in a piloted submersible drone, said you could also see “a very large impact on the seabed around the pipe,” and that the explosions measured 2.3 on the Richter scale.

On October 6, Swedish authorities announced that they conducted an underwater investigation of the site, and that they collected “pieces of evidence” that point to probable sabotage.

“We can conclude that there have been detonations at Nord Stream 1 and 2 in the Swedish exclusive economic zone that has led to extensive damage to the gas pipelines,” public prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement at the time.

Ljungqvist added that the “crime scene investigation had strengthened the suspicions of aggravated sabotage.”

Leaders across the globe have pointed to potential Russian sabotage as the source of the pipeline explosions. The Kremlin though has pointed its finger at the United States.

 

 

 

Are you a Victim of Quiet Quitting?

Customer service, support and quality across the country regardless of the industry is collapsing. Whether it be healthcare, retail, government, manufacturing, professionnal sports or education, employees just do maybe the bare minimum in their job performance to get by. No, they don’t want to quit their job, they want the paycheck, but they are part of a trend and it is hurting the economic stability of the whole country.

Customer service is collapsing, I can personally name at least 7 companies just in the last week I am dealing with beginning with T-Mobile and more from there.

Quiet quitting festers on TikTok.

The Wall Street Journal describes the employment scandal as follows:

Not taking your job too seriously has a new name: quiet quitting.

The phrase is generating millions of views on TikTok as some young professionals reject the idea of going above and beyond in their careers, labeling their lesser enthusiasm a form of “quitting.” It isn’t about getting off the company payroll, these employees say. In fact, the idea is to stay on it—but focus your time on the things you do outside of the office.

The videos range from sincere ruminations on work-life balance to snarky jokes. Some set firm boundaries against overtime in favor of family. Others advocate coasting from 9-to-5, doing just enough to get by. Many want to untether their careers from their identities.

Of course, every generation enters the workforce and quickly realizes that having a job isn’t all fun and games. Navigating contemptible bosses and the petty indignities that have always been inflicted on the ranks of working stiffs has never been easy. And many people who say, when they’re young, that they don’t care about climbing the corporate ladder end up changing their minds.

The difference now is that this group has TikTok and hashtags to emote. And these 20-somethings joined the working world during the Covid-19 pandemic, with all of its dislocating effects, including blurred boundaries between work and life. Many workers say they feel they have power to push back in the current strong labor market. Recent data from Gallup shows employee engagement is declining.

Clayton Farris, 41 years old, said that when he recently heard about the new term circulating on social media he realized he’d already been doing it by refusing to let work worries rule over him the way they used to.

The most interesting part about it is nothing’s changed,” he said in his TikTok video. “I still work just as hard. I still get just as much accomplished. I just don’t stress and internally rip myself to shreds.”

Across generations, U.S. employee engagement is falling, according to survey data from Gallup, but Gen Z and younger millennials, born in 1989 and after, reported the lowest engagement of all during the first quarter at 31%.

Jim Harter, chief scientist for Gallup’s workplace and well-being research, said workers’ descriptions of “quiet quitting” align with a large group of survey respondents that he classifies as “not engaged”—those who will show up to work and do the minimum required but not much else. More than half of workers surveyed by Gallup who were born after 1989—54%—fall into this category.

One factor Gallup uses to measure engagement is whether people feel their work has purpose. Younger employees report that they don’t feel that way, the data show. These are the people who are more likely to work passively and look out for themselves over their employers, Dr. Harter said.

Paige West, 24, said she stopped overextending herself at a former position as a transportation analyst in Washington, D.C., less than a year into the job. Work stress had gotten so intense that, she said, her hair was falling out and she couldn’t sleep. While looking for a new role, she no longer worked beyond 40 hours each week, didn’t sign up for extra training and stopped trying to socialize with colleagues.

“I took a step back and said, ‘I’m just going to work the hours I’m supposed to work, that I’m really getting paid to work,’” she said. “Besides that, I’m not going to go extra.”

Ms. West said that she found herself more engaged during meetings once she stopped trying so hard, and she received more positive feedback. She left the job last year and is now a full-time freelance virtual assistant making about 75% of her previous salary. She adjusted by moving back to her home state of Florida.

Zaid Khan, a 24-year-old engineer in New York, posted a quiet quitting video that has racked up three million views in two weeks. In his viral TikTok, Mr. Khan explained the concept this way: “You’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond.”

“You’re no longer subscribing to the hustle-culture mentality that work has to be your life,” he said.

Mr. Khan says he and many of his peers reject the idea that productivity trumps all; they don’t see the payoff.

Some online commenters pledged to relax on social media when they had downtime at work. Others say they will follow their job descriptions to the letter, instead of asking for additional assignments.

A new crop of quiet-quitting videos is starting to pop up, denouncing the move as a cop-out, not a cure-all for burnout or discontentment at work.

People who coast have been fixtures of the office for decades, but many of today’s less-invested employees have been able to skate by thanks to remote work, said Elise Freedman, a senior client partner at consulting firm Korn Ferry.

If the economy sours, Ms. Freedman said, less-engaged workers may be more at risk of layoffs. “It’s perfectly appropriate that we expect our employees to give their all,” she said.

Josh Bittinger, a 32-year-old market-research director at a management-consulting company, said people who stumble on the phrase “quiet quitting” may assume it encourages people to be lazy, when it actually reminds them to not work to the point of burnout.

After years of saying “yes” to everything, in hopes of standing out, Mr. Bittinger said he’s learned to say no more, reserves evenings for himself and avoids checking email on vacation.

“I get my job done, my projects done. I’m performing well and I get good feedback,” he said. “And I’m able to still take time to just step away from everything.”