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Organic Farming Market: Research Report covers updated data on key players considering impact of COVID 19 | Picks Organic Farm, Organic Farmers Co - The Market Records
Organic Farming Market: Research Report covers updated data on key players considering impact of COVID 19 | Picks Organic Farm, Organic Farmers Co The Market Records
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Google TV is the Android TV skin for the new Google Chromecast
With the announcement of Google’s new Chromecast device today, “Google TV” is debuting with the new hardware. “Google TV” was Google’s first smart TV platform that was co-developed with Sony, Qualcomm, Google, and Logitech that first launched back in 2010. It was an OS for TVs that offered support for streaming apps, and as a core TV operating system. The platform would eventually be succeeded by “Android TV” until this day. The new Google TV is still based on Android TV, but it’s a UI skin that’s unique to the new Google Chromecast for now, though Google did say that it would be adding...
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Viewpoint: There's nothing wrong with organic farming, but it's not the 'pinnacle of sustainability' - Genetic Literacy Project
Viewpoint: There's nothing wrong with organic farming, but it's not the 'pinnacle of sustainability' Genetic Literacy Project
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Trump administration move could slash wages for over 200,000 farm workers
Brent Stirton/Getty Images
- The US Department of Agriculture published a notice on Wednesday announcing plans to stop conducting a wage survey of farm workers.
- Daniel Costa, an expert at the Economic Policy Institute, told Business Insider the move could allow the Trump administration to slash wages for migrants.
- Farm workers, an "essential" labor force during the pandemic, could see their wages drop from an average of just under $13 an hour to, in some states, as low as $5.15 an hour.
- "This administration is using 'essential' as a euphemism for 'disposable,'" Elizabeth Strater, an organizer with the United Farm Workers union, told Business Insider.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Migrant farm workers are already some of the lowest-paid laborers in the United States. Now the Trump administration is enacting a change that organizers and policy experts say will further lower the wages of more than 200,000 people.
In a notice published Wednesday, the US Department of Agriculture announced that it no longer intends to collect data on the money paid to those who keep Americans fed. Ostensibly, that's because there are other sources for the information, which the federal government uses to determine the mandated rate of pay for workers on H-2A work visas, who make up about 10% of the agricultural workforce.
But critics maintain there's an ulterior motive: relying on those other sources of wage data will result in lower wages for the vast majority of agricultural employees. Indeed, the Trump administration did not deny a report earlier this year that it was working to do just that, purportedly to aid an agriculture industry hurting from COVID-19 — drawing the ire of US Sen. Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate, who called the plan "inexcusable."
"Many farm workers are already vastly underpaid and doing backbreaking work to put food on our tables," she wrote in April. "They deserve a raise — not a pay cut."
Today, migrant farm workers make, on average, just under $13 an hour, a rate that varies by region. By failing to conduct its traditional Agricultural Labor Survey, such workers could instead be paid just the minimum wage — in Georgia, one of the top producers of everything from watermelon to tomatoes, that's as low as $5.15 an hour.
In Florida, home to some 47,000 commercial farms, migrant laborers would see their wages slashed to $101 per week, according to Farm worker Justice, a nonprofit advocacy group.
"These are already some of the poorest workers in this country," Elizabeth Strater, an organizer with the United Farm Workers union, told Business Insider. Guestworkers, she said, could see their income reduced by thousands of dollars each growing season (H-2A workers typically remain in the US for around six months at a time). But they won't be the only ones affected.
Farm workers are considered "essential" by the Trump administration, which despite a record of xenophobia has increasingly welcomed H-2A visa holders, even making it easier for the agriculture industry to hire them during the pandemic. But it has not provided any additional protections or money commensurate with the sacrifice of these laborers, instead directing some $36 billion in aid to their employers.
Brent Stirton/Getty Images
"This administration is using 'essential' as a euphemism for 'disposable,'" Strater maintained. "Families have sent their children or spouses into this country to keep our food supply intact," only to see them infected with and dying from COVID-19, she said, their loved ones unable to retrieve their bodies. One study found agricultural workers, compared to other industries, were three times as likely to contract the disease.
"Do you know how brutal that is? Not just a lack of compensation — they don't even get them back in a coffin," Strater continued. "That's the context for this."
Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research at the center-left Economic Policy Institute, told Business Insider that "scrapping the survey before it's completed for the year gives them the excuse to use another data source for 2021 and beyond." And that, in practice, would mean reducing what are already some of the lowest wages in any sector, at a time when these workers are risking their health not only during a pandemic but an extended wildfire season that led the West Coast to experience some of the worst air quality in the world.
"The justification has never been better for higher rates," Costa said. "And when you consider the billions and billions that farmers have gotten in government subsidies and aid, even just this year, it's pretty hard to argue that they can't afford to pay a decent living wage."
The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com
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Twitter took down a network of 130 fake accounts in Iran that tried to spread disinformation during the US presidential debate
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- Twitter removed around 130 fake accounts based in Iran that tried to "disrupt the public conversation" during Tuesday's US presidential debate, the company announced Wednesday.
- Twitter said the FBI alerted it to the accounts, which ultimately "had very low engagement and did not make an impact on the public conversation."
- Twitter is still investigating the network and plans to release more details at a later date.
- Intelligence officials have warned that Iran is seeking to spread online disinformation around the US elections, though most say Russia poses a far larger threat.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Twitter said in a tweet Wednesday that it had taken action against approximately 130 fake accounts, likely based in Iran, that attempted to spread disinformation during the US presidential debate on Tuesday.
"Based on intel provided by the @FBI, last night we removed approximately 130 accounts that appeared to originate in Iran. They were attempting to disrupt the public conversation during the first 2020 US Presidential Debate," Twitter's safety team said.
In a small sample disclosed by Twitter on Wednesday, the accounts posted content both supporting and opposing President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, as well as questioning the political affiliation of debate moderator Chris Wallace.
—Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) October 1, 2020
Twitter said it identified and removed the accounts "quickly" and that they ultimately "had very low engagement and did not make an impact on the public conversation."
The company has already shared details with other companies to alert them to potential cross-platform threats and said it will release additional details about the accounts and content once its own internal investigation is complete.
Iran is one of several countries the US intelligence community is monitoring for potential foreign election meddling through social media and other online disinformation campaigns.
National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina issued a statement in August saying that, by his office's assessment, Iran "seeks to undermine US democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country in advance of the 2020 elections."
"Tehran's motivation to conduct such activities is, in part, driven by a perception that President Trump's reelection would result in a continuation of US pressure on Iran in an effort to foment regime change," he said.
Microsoft also released a report in early September finding that Iran had stepped up its hacking activities and had targeted Trump campaign officials.
But even as Trump, along with political appointees and Republicans loyal to him, have sought to shift the focus around election meddling to China and Iran, most US intelligence officials and experts believe Russia is a substantially larger threat.
Earlier this month, Brian Murphy, a former senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, filed an explosive whistleblower complaint claiming that he was told to suppress intelligence about Russian election interference and instead look into China and Iran.
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Indian startups explore forming an alliance and alternative app store to fight Google’s ‘monopoly’
Google, which reaches more internet users than any other firm in India and commands 99% of the nation’s smartphone market, has stumbled upon an odd challenge in the world’s second largest internet market: Scores of top local entrepreneurs.
Dozens of top startups and firms in India are working to form an alliance and toying with the idea of launching an app store to cut their reliance on Google, five people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
The list of entrepreneurs include high-profile names such as Vijay Shekhar Sharma, co-founder and chief executive of Paytm (India’s most valuable startup), Deep Kalra of travel ticketing firm MakeMyTrip, and executives from PolicyBazaar, Sharechat and many other firms.
The growing list of founders expressed deep concerns about Google’s “monopolistic” hold on India, and discussed what they alleged was unfair and inconsistent enforcement of Play Store’s guidelines in the country.
The conversations, which began in recent weeks, escalated on Tuesday after Google said that starting next year developers with an app on Google Play Store must give the company a cut of as much as 30% of several app-related payments.
Dozens of executives “from nearly every top startup and firm” in India attended a call on Tuesday to discuss the way forward, some of the people said, requesting anonymity. A 30% cut to Google is simply unfeasible, people on the call unanimously agreed.
Vishal Gondal, the founder of fitness startup GOQii, confirmed the talks to TechCrunch and said that an alternative app store would immensely help the Indian app ecosystem.
TechCrunch reached out to Paytm on Monday for comment and the startup declined the request.
In recent months, several major startups in India have also expressed disappointment over several of the existing industry bodies, which some say have failed to work on nurturing the local ecosystem.
The tension between some firms and Google became more public than ever late last month after the Android-maker reiterated Play Store’s gambling policy, sending a shockwave to scores of startups in the country that were hoping to cash in on the ongoing season of Indian Premier League cricket tournament.
Google temporarily pulled Paytm’s marquee app from the Play Store citing repeat violation of its Play Store policies. Disappointed by Google’s move, Paytm’s Sharma said in a TV interview, “This is the problem of India’s app ecosystem. So many founders have reached out to us… if we believe this country can build digital business, we must know that it is at somebody else’s hand to bless that business and not this country’s rules and regulations.”
Google has sent notices to several firms in India including Hotstar, TechCrunch reported last month. Indian newspaper Economic Times reported on Wednesday that the Mountain View giant had also sent warnings to food delivery startups Swiggy and Zomato.
Vivek Wadhwa, a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Labor and Worklife Program, lauded the banding of Indian entrepreneurs and likened Silicon Valley giants’ hold on India to the rising days of East India Company, which pillaged India. “Modern day tech companies pose a similar risk,” he told TechCrunch.
Some of the participating members are also hopeful that the government, which has urged the citizens in India to become self-reliant to revive the declining economy, would help their movement.
Other than its reach on Android, Google today also leads the mobile payments market in India, TechCrunch reported earlier this year.
The giant, which has backed a handful of startups in India and is a member of several Indian industry bodies, invested $4.5 billion in Mukesh Ambani’s telecom giant Jio Platforms earlier this year.
India’s richest man Ambani, who runs oil-to-retails giant Reliance Industries, is an ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Jio Platforms has attracted over $20 billion in investment from Google, Facebook, and 11 other high-profile investors this year.
The voluminous investment in Jio Platforms has puzzled many industry executives. “I see no business case for Facebook investing in Jio beyond saying we need regulatory help,” said Miten Sampat, a high-profile angel-investor on a podcast published Wednesday.
“This is a white-collar way of saying there is corruption involved, and if the government gets upset, I have invested somewhere with some friend of the government. All of us are losing at the benefit of one company,” he said. Sampat’s views are shared by many industry executives, though nobody has said it on record and in such clear terms.
Google said in July that it would work with Jio Platforms on low-cost Android smartphones. Jio Platforms is planning to launch as many as 200 million smartphones in the next three years, according to a pitch the telecom giant has made to several developers. Bloomberg first reported about Jio Platform’s smartphone production plans.
These smartphones, as is the case with nearly 40 million JioPhone feature phones in circulation today, will have an app store with only a few dozen apps, all vetted and approved by Jio, according to one developer who was pitched by Jio Platforms. An industry executive described Jio’s store as a walled-garden.
A possible viable option for startup founders is Indus OS, a Samsung-backed third-party store, which last month said it reaches over 100 million monthly active users. As of earlier this week, Paytm and other firms had not reached out to IndusOS, a person familiar with the matter said.
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American, United Airlines to begin furloughs for tens of thousands of workers as federal payroll program expires on October 1
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
- American and United Airlines will begin furloughing tens of thousands of employees on Thursday as Congress fails to reach a deal on a COVID-19 relief bill.
- American Airlines is set to furlough 19,000 employees, and United is expecting about 13,000, according to company announcements.
- The federal Payroll Support Program (PSP) under the CARES Act passed by Congress in March expires on October 1.
- "I am extremely sorry we have reached this outcome," American Airlines CEO Doug Parker wrote in the letter to employees. "It is not what you all deserve."
- The House was set to vote on a $2.2-trillion stimulus package on Wednesday, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed the vote in a last-minute attempt to negotiate a deal with the White House, suggesting that both parties are coming closer to a bipartisan plan.
- The company will "reverse our furlough processes and recall any impacted team members" in the event that Congress reaches a deal on the coronavirus stimulus package and extends the PSP, Parker wrote to employees.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
American and United Airlines will begin furloughing tens of thousands of employees on Thursday as Congress fails to reach a deal on a COVID-19 relief bill, according to company announcements.
American Airlines is set to furlough 19,000 employees, and United is expecting about 13,000, citing the respective notes to employees obtained by Reuters reporter David Shepardson.
The furloughs come in light of the federal Payroll Support Program (PSP) under the CARES Act passed by Congress in March expiring on October 1.
The House was set to vote on a $2.2-trillion stimulus package on Wednesday, but the vote was delayed in a last-minute attempt to negotiate a deal with the White House.
"I am extremely sorry we have reached this outcome," American Airlines CEO Doug Parker wrote in the letter to employees. "It is not what you all deserve."
—davidshepardson (@davidshepardson) September 30, 2020
"It is a privilege to advocate on behalf of the hardworking aviation professionals at American and throughout the industry, and you have my assurance that we will continue to do so in the days ahead," the CEO continued, adding, "We are not done fighting."
In a note to employees, United announced that, "after months of aggressive cost-cutting and proactive debt-raising actions to manage the company through the COVID-19 crisis and its impact on our business, we regrettably are forced to move forward with the process of involuntarily furloughing 13,000 of our United team members."
Both companies mentioned that they will reverse the furlough process in the event that Congress reaches a deal on the coronavirus stimulus package and extends the PSP.
—davidshepardson (@davidshepardson) October 1, 2020
—davidshepardson (@davidshepardson) October 1, 2020
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said they made progress towards an agreement on the relief bill, and the House Speaker canceled the Wednesday vote, suggesting that both parties are coming closer to a bipartisan plan.
"We made a lot of progress over the last few days," Mnuchin told reporters. "We still don't have an agreement, but we have more work to do and we're going to see where we end up."
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Facebook says, as part of its recent crackdown on QAnon and "militia" movements, it has removed 6,500 groups belonging to 300 organizations (Karissa Bell/Engadget)
Facebook says, as part of its recent crackdown on QAnon and “militia” movements, it has removed 6,500 groups belonging to 300 organizations — Facebook has removed more than 6,500 pages and groups associated with “militarized social movements,” since the company announced …
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Study Finds ‘Single Largest Driver’ of Coronavirus Misinformation: Trump
Cornell University researchers analyzing 38 million English-language articles about the pandemic found that President Trump was the largest driver of the “infodemic.”
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Realme Narzo 20 trio moves 230K units in first sales
Realme unveiled the Narzo 20 family with three members - Narzo 20A, Narzo 20 and Narzo 20 Pro. The aggressively priced trio has resonated well with the customers according to the numbers from the first flash sales - the entire stock of over 230,000 units was taken in minues. The achievement was announced on Twitter by Madhav Sheth, CEO of Realme India and Europe. He revealed that the middle child Narzo 20 sold over 130,000 units, while the Narzo 20A was second with 51,000+ and the Narzo 20 Pro sitting in third with 50,000+ devices. The trio covers a reasonably wide price range...
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Treasury Secretary Mnuchin says any bipartisan stimulus deal will include more $1,200 direct payments for Americans
Reuters
- Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said any bipartisan stimulus agreement would include another round of $1,200 checks for Americans.
- "We have reached an agreement that if there is a deal, there are direct payments similar to last time that are in the package," he said of talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
- Millions of $1,200 federal checks were sent to individuals earlier this spring.
- A stimulus deal would likely carry a price tag that's $1.5 trillion or above, and its unclear that Senate Republicans long resistant to spending would back a plan of that size.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday evening that any stimulus agreement will contain a second round of $1,200 direct payments to American taxpayers.
In an interview on Fox Business, Mnuchin reiterated the Trump administration's opposition to the $2.2 trillion economic aid plan that Democrats are pressing for and said they prioritized getting people back to work instead.
But the Treasury secretary said an agreement was struck with Speaker Nancy Pelosi that an economic relief package will include federal checks for individuals.
"We have reached an agreement that if there is a deal, there are direct payments similar to last time that are in the package," he said.
Mnuchin also said the White House was seeking to provide more federal aid to small businesses, schools, and additional funds to coronavirus testing and tracing as well.
"If there is a fair compromise, we're prepared to do it," he said, adding, "there are a lot of areas where we have an agreement on."
Mnuchin's comments signal that the White House may be making progress with Democrats on another economic aid package. On Wednesday, he met with Pelosi on Capitol Hill for the first time since talks collapsed in August. The pair have been negotiating for four days.
Still, if a last-minute deal is reached between Democrats and the White House, it's unclear whether Republicans in the Senate would back a plan likely carrying a price tag that's $1.5 trillion or above.
Many GOP senators oppose spending proposals that grow the federal debt. Lawmakers have approved over $3 trillion in federal aid since the pandemic began devastating the economy in the spring.
A "skinny" relief plan from Republicans including only $300 billion in new spending sparked significant opposition within their party earlier this month. It omitted stimulus payments to keep its cost down.
Democrats initially prepared a Wednesday evening House vote on their $2.2 trillion spending package. But they pushed it back until Thursday in hope of allowing more time for an agreement with the White House, CNN reported. It's unlikely the Democratic plan will become law given staunch GOP opposition.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tore into the Democratic plan on Wednesday, saying it was "outlandish" and the amount was "too high."
In March, Congress and Trump approved $1,200 stimulus checks for many American adults plus an additional $500 per child under the age of 17 through the CARES Act. Individuals qualified for a full payment when they earned below $75,000 a year. For married couples, the threshold was $150,000.
Trump has long backed sending another wave of direct payments.
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Sensor Tower: Mobile game publishers continue to reach $1M at high rates
Sensor Tower reports that many mobile game publishers are hitting the $1M earnings milestone in 2021 -- though not as many as in 2016. Rea...
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Sensor Tower reports that many mobile game publishers are hitting the $1M earnings milestone in 2021 -- though not as many as in 2016. Rea...
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