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Weekly Trek: July 2, 2015

Weekly Trek

July 2, 2015

Top Political News

  • S. employers added a seasonally adjusted 223,000 in June and the unemployment rate fell to 5.3%, the lowest since April 2008, the Labor Department said Thursday. But those gains were offset by flat wages, historically low labor force participation and downward revisions to the past two months job gains. WSJ
  • J. Governor Chris Christie launches White House bid, becoming the 14th major Republican to declare presidential candidacy. WSJ
  • Democrat Jim Webb, a former Virginia senator, also announces that he is running for president. PR
  • Hillary Clinton has raised more than $45 million in the first quarter of her presidential bid, a record haul for presidential candidates in any quarter. The Hill

Transportation

  • President Obama on Tuesday listed boosting the nation’s infrastructure funding as an area where progress is possible before he leaves office in 2017. The Hill
  • Train carrying toxic gas derails in Tennessee. WSJ
  • A good explainer on the taxes and fees tacked onto your plane ticket. USA Today
  • US Probing Possible Airline Collusion That Kept Fares High. ABC News

 

 

Energy & Natural Resources

 

  • The federal government and the Gulf Coast states have reached a tentative deal with the British oil company BP for it to pay about $18.7 billion, the largest environmental settlement in American history, to compensate for damages from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. NYT
  • The Supreme Court on Monday dealt a setback to the Obama administration’s environmental agenda by rejecting the first-ever rules requiring power plants to cut mercury emissions and other toxic air pollutants. WSJ More from National Journal
  • In a major day for climate policy, China, Brazil, and the U.S. all announce new commitments. WashPost
  • States sue to block Obama’s water rule. The Hill

 

Labor

 

  • If the Supreme Court rules that employees do not have to pay ‘fair-share fees’, it could effectively extend so-called ‘right-to-work’ law nationwide. The Guardian
  • Bosses Reclassify Workers to Cut Costs. WSJ
  • Obama and labor reconcile, sort of, on overtime. Politico

 

Foreign Affairs, Trade, & Defense

 

  • The Dayton Development Coalition, state of Ohio win national award for work with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to curb costs and boost training and education. Dayton Daily News
  • A sometimes controversial federal program that offers a fast track to green cards for foreigners who invest in the U.S. is attracting interest from new regions, including countries such as Brazil, Russia and Vietnam. WSJ
  • Conservatives claim big win on Export-Import Bank. But will it last? WashPo and What’s next?
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