Weekly Trek: August 28, 2015

Weekly Trek

August 28, 2015

Top Political News

• 5 perilous issues for Boehner when Congress returns. USA Today
• Obama’s quiet vacation will yield to a noisy September. New York Times
• GDP numbers reveal underlying momentum, possible headwinds for U.S. economy. Wall Street Journal
• House GOP leaders desperate to avoid shutdown. Politico
• Pollsters dumbfounded by Trump. The Hill
• Vice President Biden told a group of Democrats Wednesday he is figuring out whether he has the “emotional fuel” to run for president The Hill

Transportation

• Chertoff: We can tighten air security without choking off travel. USA Today
• S. travel industry booming; major growth forecast in international market. Oregonian
• A new one-stop center for the design, construction and testing of drones is ready for use at a college in Dayton, Ohio. Military Times
• FAA records detail hundreds of close calls between airplanes and drones. Washington Post
• Train attack in Europe puts focus on vulnerability of U.S. rail. New York Times
• The trucks are killing us. New York Times
• S. commuters spend about 42 hours a year stuck in traffic jams. Reuters

 

Energy & Natural Resources

 

• The Obama administration announced a slate of executive actions on Monday to encourage investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, including more than $1 billion in new loan guarantees. The Hill
• President Obama challenged energy utilities, fossil fuel producers and their allies in Congress to get onboard with his push for clean energy or risk backlash from American consumers and companies. The Hill
• Mapping where severe wildfires are likely to occur in the Northwest is the focus of a $2.8 million National Science Foundation grant. Spokesman-Review
• Federal aid arrives for tired firefighters. Spokesman-Review

 

Labor

 

• FedEx Corp. drivers will have to start over in a fight over their employee status in Missouri. Bloomberg
• NLRB rules against business in pivotal joint employer decision. The Hill

 

Taxation, Trade, & Defense

 

• How many employers could be affected by the Cadillac Plan tax? Kaiser Family Foundation Report
• Four tax takeaways from the Congressional Budget Office semiannual Budget and Economic Outlook Tax Foundation
• The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget also released its own analysis of the CBO report.
• House GOP adds healthcare tax bill to fall agenda. The Hill