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After bridge collapse, Maryland governor urges Congress to pass funding for rebuild

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By Gabriella Borter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -With efforts underway to clean up thousands of tons of steel debris from the collapsed bridge in Baltimore’s harbor, Maryland Governor Wes Moore on Sunday urged Republicans to work with Democrats to approve the federal funding needed for rebuilding the bridge and to get the port economy back on its feet.

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed early on Tuesday morning, killing six road workers, when a container ship nearly the size of the Eiffel Tower lost power and crashed into a support pylon. Much of the span crashed into the Patapsco River, blocking the Port of Baltimore’s shipping channel.

The Biden administration released $60 million in initial emergency aid on Thursday to assist in cleaning up the bridge debris and reopening the port, which is the largest in the U.S. for “roll-on, roll-off” vehicle imports and exports of farm and construction equipment. The port has been closed since Tuesday, leaving in limbo the jobs of some 15,000 people who rely on its daily operations.

Federal officials have told Maryland lawmakers the final cost of rebuilding the bridge could soar to at least $2 billion, Roll Call reported, citing a source familiar with the discussions.

Democratic President Joe Biden has pledged that the federal government will cover the cost, but that will depend on passage of legislation authorizing the funds by both the Republican-led House of Representatives and Democratic-led Senate. The divided Congress has been repeatedly riven by partisan battles over funding, with hardline Republicans often at odds even with members of their own party.

Moore, a Democrat, said Republicans should be willing to approve the funding for the sake of not just the city of Baltimore, but for the national economy.

“The reason that we need people to move in a bipartisan basis … is not because we need you to do Maryland a favor,” Moore told CNN on Sunday. “We need to make sure that we’re actually moving quickly to get the American economy going again, because the Port of Baltimore is instrumental in our larger economic growth.”

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg expressed optimism on Sunday that Congress would approve the funds necessary for the cleanup and rebuild, noting that the divided legislative body had passed Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure package in 2021.

“If there’s anything left in this country that is more bipartisan than infrastructure, it should be emergency response. This is both, and I hope that Congress will be willing if and when we turn to them,” Buttigieg told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Biden was expected to visit the bridge collapse site this week.

An enormous crane began cutting up portions of the collapsed bridge to prepare them for removal on Saturday, which officials said was the first step of what will be a long and complicated cleanup. A spokesperson for the governor’s office said on Sunday that a 200-ton (180-metric ton) piece of the bridge had been removed and officials were working to determine the best strategy for pulling the ship off the wreckage.

© Reuters. A view of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., March 27, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar

The wreckage in the water, as well as hazardous weather conditions, have made it impossible for divers to continue searching for the four remaining bodies of the deceased construction workers in recent days, Moore said.

Moore and other officials have declined to give an estimated timeline for the reopening of the port and the rebuilding of the bridge.

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Tesla full self driving software ‘suspect,’ AMCI Testing says

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Investing.com — Tesla’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) latest version of its Full Self-Driving software is “suspect” and still requires improvement to ensure Robotaxi operations can be safely undertaken, independent automotive research firm AMCI Testing said in a Tuesday statement.   

An extensive 1,000-mile evaluation of Tesla FSD software exposed how often human intervention was required for safe operation, AMCI Testing said. While the Tesla’s latest FSD software is “impressive,” the automotive research firm said its drivers had to intervene over 75 times during the evaluation; an average of once every 13 miles. 

These result “demonstrates just how far Tesla must go before Robotaxi operations can be safely undertaken,” it added just ahead of Tesla’s Robotaxi unveiling slated for Oct. 10. 

“Getting close to foolproof, yet falling short, creates an insidious and unsafe operator complacency issue as proven in the test results,” said David Stokols, CEO of AMCI Testing’s parent company, AMCI Global. 

AMCI Testing said it found that the more miles driven with FSD engaged, the more likely a driver were to encounter these failure modes.

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:) was up 1% in recent trading.

 

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Trump offers tax breaks, few regulations to firms relocating to US

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By Tim Reid and Gram Slattery

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump offered a series of incentives to encourage foreign companies to relocate to the United States if he wins the Nov. 5 election, including low taxes and few regulations.

The Republican presidential candidate said during his speech in Georgia the incentives would be offered only to companies that relocated manufacturing to the US and hired American workers.

“I want German car companies to become American car companies. I want them to build their plants here,” Trump said.

Trump then warned foreign companies: “If you don’t make your product here, then you will have to pay a tariff, a very substantial tariff, when you send your product into the United States.”

Trump was speaking in Savannah, which has one of the largest ports in the U.S. and is a car manufacturing hub.

Trump said he would reward U.S.-based manufacturers with tax breaks for research and developments costs, and the ability to write off the costs of heavy machinery in the first year.

On Monday, Trump said he would slap a 200% tariff on John Deere (NYSE:)’s imports into the U.S. if the agricultural equipment company moved production to Mexico as planned.

Preserving and creating American manufacturing jobs by slapping expansive tariffs on friends and foes alike has become a central theme of Trump’s economic message, particularly in the closing months of the race against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.

While Trump and his allies say trade barriers are necessary to protect U.S. industry, mainstream economists roundly say Trump’s proposals would boost consumer inflation.

It is unclear what federal lands would be offered to foreign companies under Trump’s plan, or how such an arrangement would work. If land remains in federal hands while foreign companies operate on it, those companies could in theory be exempt from property tax.

© Reuters. Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 23, 2024.  REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Trump also reiterate a pledge to lower corporate tax rates, but only for companies that manufacture domestically. The former president said earlier this month that he would cut the rate to 15% from 21% for domestic manufacturers.

Harris, who polls show is in a tight race with Trump, is set to unveil a suite of new economic proposals in Pennsylvania on Wednesday. Some of those proposals will be broadly aimed at helping Americans build and maintain wealth, Reuters reported.

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Entravision, AltaMed Health Services, and BSP Research Release Week 2 Results from the 2024 National Latino Tracking Poll

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Findings Highlight Latino Voter Concerns Over Economic Stability, Healthcare, and Limited Engagement of Younger Voters as Election Approaches

SANTA MONICA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Entravision, in collaboration with AltaMed Health Services and BSP Research, has released the second set of results from the 2024 National Latino Tracking Poll, continuing to offer real-time insights into the evolving priorities of Latino voters as the November election approaches.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240924744417/en/

The second week’s results shed more light on voter concerns around economic stability, healthcare affordability, and voting engagement, particularly among younger Latinos.

Key Findings From Week 2:

  • Presidential Race Remains Stable
    Kamala Harris maintains a lead over Donald Trump among Latino voters, with a 56% to 33% margin, virtually unchanged from Week 1’s 55% to 33%. However, 9% of Latino voters remain completely undecided.
  • Both Parties Need to Do More to Win Latino Voters’ Support
    Less than half (47%) of Latino voters feel the Democratic Party is doing a good job of reaching out to them, while only a third (32%) believe the GOP is effectively courting the Latino vote.
  • Younger Latino Voters Remain Unengaged
    Only 55% of younger Latino voters (ages 18-29) are “almost certain” they will vote, compared to 70% of all Latino voters. Nearly half (46%) of younger Latinos feel they do not have enough information to make a presidential voting decision.
  • Early Voting and Mail-in Process Confusion Grows
    Currently, 49% of Latino voters intend to vote early, with 29% opting for in-person voting and 20% choosing to vote by mail. However, among those who plan to vote by mail, the percentage of individuals unfamiliar with the process has risen from 11% in Week 1 to 21% in week 2. This indicates a growing uncertainty about mail-in voting among Latino voters.
  • Latino Voters Overwhelmingly Support Lower Drug Prices
    A strong 87% of Latino voters support allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices, with support consistent across all segments, including 83% of GOP respondents.

The 2024 National Latino Voter Tracking Poll topline report is available here.

The 2024 National Latino Tracking Poll will run for eight weeks, with weekly updates released every Monday. Each week, 500 Latino voters from across the country will be surveyed on their voting intentions, key issues, healthcare concerns, and candidate favorability.

For additional information, please visit: entravision.com/political.

About Entravision (NYSE:) Communications Corporation

Entravision (NYSE: EVC) is a media and advertising technology company. Our broadcast properties include the largest television affiliate group of the Univision and UniMás television networks and one of the largest groups of primarily Spanish-language radio stations in the United States, providing our customers with substantial access and engagement opportunities in the top U.S. Hispanic markets. Smadex, our programmatic ad purchasing platform enables customers, primarily mobile app developers, to purchase advertising electronically and manage data-driven advertising campaigns. Learn more about our offerings at entravision.com.

About AltaMed Health Services

AltaMed understands that when people have health care that looks at their individual health needs and respects their cultural preferences; they grow healthy”and help their families do the same. So we’re delivering complete medical services to communities across Southern California. Since 1969, our team of qualified multicultural and bilingual professionals”from these same communities”has focused on eliminating barriers to primary care services, senior care programs, and even essential community services. With more than 60 accredited health centers and service facilities, we remain committed and ready to help you grow healthy at any age.

About AltaMed Health Services My Vote. My Health.

My Vote. My Health. is a campaign led by AltaMed Health Services, one of the nation’s largest federally qualified community health centers, to mobilize patients, families and residents in our Southern California service areas to address the social and political determinants of health. My Vote. My Health. partners with other community healthcare providers and local civic engagement organizations to help increase Latino civic participation to improve the quality of life of underserved and underrepresented communities locally and across California.

About BSP Research

BSP Research is a Latino-owned polling, research and analytics firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, and directed by four PhD-holding political scientists.

Marcelo Gaete, EVP, Public and Government Relations, Entravision
mgaete@entravision.com

Christina Sanchez, Vice President, Public Affairs, AltaMed
chsanchez@altamed.org

Source: Entravision

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