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Whitmer, MEDC, secret companies that fund ‘investment missions’: ‘It’s a corporate welfare circle of life’
A news investigation into Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s frequent overseas investment missions is exposing an incestuous relationship between her administration and private companies reaping billions in taxpayer-funded business incentives.
A review of tax filings, emails, calendars and other documents pieced together by The Detroit News reveals what appears to be a “secretive path for influence” for members of the private nonprofit Michigan Economic Development Foundation that often accompany Whitmer on her overseas travels.
Whitmer, a previous chair of the MEDF, appoints executive board members of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation that has doled out billions to companies on the MEDF board, where seats cost $25,000 or more, according to the MEDF website.
The MEDF and MEDC jointly fund the governor’s investment missions, though MEDC senior Vice President insisted to lawmakers during an oversight committee hearing last week that the two are “functionally, financially, and legally separate.” Click here to read more.
LAX, Other Airports Slow Down as Fed Shutdown Hits Air Traffic Control
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and other major airports around the country have suffered delays in recent days due to the Democrats’ shutdown of the federal government, which has lasted nearly four weeks.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the shutdown in Washington, DC, caused a brief ground stop at LAX:
Nearly four weeks into the federal government shutdown, a staffing shortage at Los Angeles International Airport prompted a temporary ground stop Sunday morning affecting flights at the West Coast’s largest and busiest airport.
The stoppage affected most of Southern California, leaving passengers experiencing flight delays of around 49 minutes, with some waiting up to 87 minutes, according to KTLA. Click here to read more.
Lawsuit Challenges Airbnb Over Shareholder Viewpoint Discrimination
You’ve probably heard of or have used Airbnb. They are an online platform that connects people who want to rent out their properties to travelers who don’t want to stay at a traditional hotel.
As a publicly traded company, Airbnb has a variety of shareholders who own its stock, including conservative organizations like The Heritage Foundation and American Conservative Values ETF. And every year, shareholders are able to bring proposals to be voted on by other shareholders. These proposals act as a key mechanism for investors to communicate their priorities and prompt change in a company’s policies.
But during the last round of shareholder proposals and voting, Airbnb claims that not one, but two, separate shareholder proposals got lost in the mail. Click here to read more.
Lawsuit Challenges Airbnb Over Shareholder Viewpoint Discrimination
You’ve probably heard of or have used Airbnb. They are an online platform that connects people who want to rent out their properties to travelers who don’t want to stay at a traditional hotel.
As a publicly traded company, Airbnb has a variety of shareholders who own its stock, including conservative organizations like The Heritage Foundation and American Conservative Values ETF. And every year, shareholders are able to bring proposals to be voted on by other shareholders. These proposals act as a key mechanism for investors to communicate their priorities and prompt change in a company’s policies.
But during the last round of shareholder proposals and voting, Airbnb claims that not one, but two, separate shareholder proposals got lost in the mail.
The company wants everyone to believe that a FedEx driver failed to deliver two documents submitted by shareholders to its San Francisco headquarters, despite the fact that FedEx had receipts of delivery for both. Airbnb even suggested that the company forged the signatures. Click here to read more.
Congress Investigates TeaOnHer App for Letting Men Post About Women Without Their Consent
Is chatting about a woman without her express permission illegal? Some members of the House of Representatives seem to think so. They’ve sent investigative demands to an app called TeaOnHer over it allowing users to post images, information, and sometimes mean or sexually explicit comments about women “without their consent.”
It sounds like the kind of thing that might have riled up some niche feminist bloggers 10 years ago. But because we live in the weirdest timeline, the investigation comes from two Republican lawmakers, Reps. James Comer of Kentucky and Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
In an October 24 letter to Xaiver Lampkin, the app’s creator, Comer and Mace announce that the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating TeaOnHer for a host of alleged wrongs. Click here to read more.
