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Amazon, Apple, Microsoft set records with their spending on Washington lobbying

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Amazon, Apple, Microsoft set records with their spending on Washington lobbying


Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp. set information of their disclosed annual spending on Washington lobbying final 12 months, as every tech big shelled out extra in a 12 months than it ever has earlier than amid stress from Congress and the Biden administration.

Amazon
AMZN,
+2.07%
and three subsidiaries shelled out a complete of $21.38 million in 2022, above a previous document outlay of $19.32 million in 2021, in accordance with an evaluation of disclosures by OpenSecrets.

Apple
AAPL,
+0.59%
spent $9.36 million, topping its prior annual document of $7.41 million set in 2019 and up sharply from its complete of $6.5 million in 2021.

Microsoft
MSFT,
+1.55%
and subsidiary LinkedIn paid out a complete of $10.53 million, exceeding the software program big’s earlier peak lobbying spending of $10.49 million in 2013 and its 2021 degree of $10.30 million, in accordance with OpenSecrets, which is a analysis group monitoring cash in U.S. politics.

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The stress final 12 months on Large Tech took a wide range of kinds — from payments of various severity that focused the web sale of faux merchandise to a measure that aimed to loosen the management that Apple and Google have on their app shops.

Lawmakers additionally proposed payments that addressed knowledge privateness or sought to cease platforms from “self-preferencing” their very own merchandise, and there have been aggressive Federal Commerce Fee actions and Justice Division antitrust fits.

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner requires restart to antitrust push

And see: Tech laws is shifting from antitrust focus to broadband, cybersecurity

Fb mother or father Meta Platforms Inc.
META,
+1.27%
pulled again barely in its lobbying spending, as its 2022 complete was $19.15 million vs. $20.07 million in 2021, in accordance with OpenSecrets.

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Google mother or father Alphabet Inc.
GOOG,
+1.69%

GOOGL,
+1.55%
shelled out $13.18 million to affect Washington, with seven items disclosing spending. That’s up from $11.89 million in 2021 however nonetheless properly beneath the Silicon Valley firm’s document outlay of $21.85 million in 2018, which then was adopted by a main overhaul of its lobbyist groups.

Amazon, Meta and Alphabet ranked among the many 20 largest spenders on Washington lobbying in 2022, although they nonetheless had been far behind the Nationwide Affiliation of Realtors, which ranked No. 1 and disclosed paying out $81.74 million. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce ranked No. 2 and spent $81.01 million.

U.S. Chamber says companies are ‘fed up’ with Washington, requires motion on allowing, immigration, commerce

Amazon’s disclosure for final 12 months’s fourth quarter confirmed it lobbied on a variety of points, together with immigration, meals security, telehealth and electrical autos. Apple reported This fall lobbying on tax reform, copyright points, local weather change and far more, and This fall points for Microsoft, Meta and Alphabet included cybersecurity, infrastructure and commerce agreements.

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The businesses didn’t instantly present feedback following requests from MarketWatch.

Meta’s inventory has misplaced 52% over the previous 12 months, whereas Amazon shares have fallen 32%. Microsoft is off 21% in that very same interval, Alphabet has shed 27%, and Apple is down 18%. The S&P 500 inventory benchmark
SPX,
+0.96%
has pulled again 10%.



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Blair business, Washington County discuss preparing for looming flood threat

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Blair business, Washington County discuss preparing for looming flood threat


BLAIR, Neb. (WOWT) – With officials on alert for rising waters on the Missouri River, 6 News checked in with Blair.

Staff with the Cottonwood Cove Marina and RV Resort, which is right along the river, said they have been keeping an eye on conditions since Friday, and that the National Weather Service has been doing a good job keeping staff up to date.

Owner Mike Lupardus told 6 News they began having people move their more than 130 RVs to the higher campground Friday, and he expects them to finish that by Sunday. He said that was affecting 300 people.

Lupardus said they were there for the 2019 floods, and that did more than $800,000 in damage.

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But he feels that was a different animal from what they’re preparing for now.

“It sounds like our crest here is going to be around Wednesday, so we’ve got some time to continue to make preparations for this high water,” Lupardus said. “It looks like it’s going to be a quick event—an up and down—where ‘19, you know, it lasted months and months.”

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said so far, they’ve only set barricades at the wayside for when they would use them to close off roads in the event of a flood.

6 News also reached out to Washington County Emergency Management. We’ll bring you updates once we hear about their plans.

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Netanyahu again claims the US is withholding arms shipments, days after Washington denies it

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Netanyahu again claims the US is withholding arms shipments, days after Washington denies it


TEL AVIV – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Sunday that there had been a “dramatic drop” in U.S. weapons deliveries for Israel’s war effort in Gaza, doubling down on a claim that the Biden administration has denied and underscoring the growing strains between the two allies.

Netanyahu told his Cabinet that the drop had occurred four months ago, without specifying which weapons, saying only that “certain items arrived sporadically but the munitions at large remained behind.”

The spat highlights how high tensions have surged between Israel and Washington over the war in Gaza, particularly surrounding the Israeli military’s conduct in the beleaguered territory and the harm to civilian life there. President Joe Biden has delayed delivering certain heavy bombs since May over those concerns, but his administration fought back last week against Netanyahu’s charges that other shipments had also been affected.

Netanyahu told the Cabinet that he was driven to release a video in English last week after weeks of unsuccessful pleas with American officials to speed up deliveries. He said a resolution appeared close.

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“In light of what I have heard over the past day, I hope and believe that this matter will be solved soon,” he said, without elaborating.

Netanyahu’s video last week sparked an uproar among critics in Israel and was met with denial and confusion from White House officials. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. was “perplexed” by Netanyahu’s claims. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “We generally do not know what he’s talking about.”

His remarks came hours after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant traveled to Washington for meetings with senior officials. A statement from Gallant’s office said he would discuss “maintaining Israel’s qualitative edge in the region” but made no mention of the weapons issue.

The war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, has tested the U.S.-Israel relationship like never before. While the U.S. has staunchly supported Israel’s aims of freeing hostages taken into Gaza and defeating Hamas, it has grown increasingly concerned over the rising Palestinian death toll and the humanitarian crisis created by the war.

Biden has felt pressure from progressive Democrats to take a tougher line against Israel, and he has sharpened his warnings to Netanyahu over military tactics in the Gaza Strip. But after threatening to impose a more sweeping ban on arms transfers over an assault on Rafah, the administration has avoided any suggestion that Israel’s expanding push into the southern Gaza city has crossed a red line.

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During an election year, Biden is also facing critics on the right who say he has moderated his support for an essential Mideast ally.

For Netanyahu, the growing daylight with the U.S. also poses political risks and opportunities. His critics see the public spats as the result of a leader prepared to wreck important alliances and tarnish Israel’s image in the world for political gain.

But the rift grants the long-serving leader a chance to show his base that he isn’t beholden to the U.S. and that he is putting Israel’s interests first.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.



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Advice | Carolyn Hax: Mom worries about daughter’s family plans with polyamorous couple

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Advice | Carolyn Hax: Mom worries about daughter’s family plans with polyamorous couple


Dear Carolyn: For the last three years, my adult daughter has been in a polyamorous relationship with a married couple. They live in another state, and I’ve met the couple only twice. I like the wife more than the husband. She’s similar to my daughter. Both women hold well-paying jobs with potential for advancement. The husband puts in his 40 hours at a mediocre job, then plays video games while his wife and my daughter take care of the house.

But here’s where things have gotten really difficult for me. The couple recently decided to have a baby. My daughter announced this by telling me out of the blue, “You could be a grandmother soon.” I hate to be shallow, but any baby this couple has will not feel like my grandchild.

After I processed the information for a few days, my daughter and I had a long talk. I expressed my feelings, that the baby would have two sets of doting biological grandparents and I would just be some woman they saw every once in a while. I also asked my daughter if she was ready for the many changes a baby would make to their lives.

My daughter said she understood. Well, suddenly, she tells me she will adopt the baby as a “third parent.” (The wife is not yet pregnant.) I asked her if she fully understood all that adoption entailed. If she and the couple ever broke up, she would still be the child’s legal parent. I asked her why she felt the need to adopt the child and advised her to see an attorney before making any decision.

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I’m worried she’s planning to adopt because of my remark about not feeling a grandmotherly connection. Also, could they be using my daughter as a cash cow to finance their dream? I’m confused and losing sleep. Do I keep my mouth shut or give my honest opinion when asked? I love my daughter dearly and would hate to drive a wedge between us.

Struggling Mom: I have a bunch of opinions right now, and I doubt “wouldn’t feel like a real grandmother” would be foremost among them if I were in your position. Though none of us knows how we will feel until we get to a situation ourselves.

This I do know: Your daughter’s domestic arrangements are not for you (or me) to fix for her, and your feelings are not for your daughter to fix for you.

Some part of your daughter’s life will always confuse you — that’s in a kid’s job description. But you can go a long way toward easing your mind if you keep those basic lines clear. Her home life is hers, and your feelings are yours.

Your responses so far to her news have blurred these lines. (In a food-processor kind of way.) Unless she asked your opinion, your warnings and concerns were incursions into her business. Well-meaning, for sure, but incursions nonetheless. A would-be grandmother is no more entitled to weigh in on an adult’s family planning than anyone else.

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Plus, um, the thing you carefully composed as, “Are you sure you’re ready for the big life changes?” always comes out as, “You shouldn’t have a baby!” Always. Ask anyone who has been on the receiving end.

Your daughter is still communicating with you after this, so that’s good. You two are strong, I’m guessing.

Meanwhile, it is not her job to make life choices that help her parent feel better. Adults get to have or not have children as they are able to and see fit to. If you want to feel like a grandmother, then make the best of the opportunities — the grandchildren — you’re given. What else can I say? What else can you do?

I don’t mean to sound unfeeling. As I said at the outset, I have plenty of thoughts of my own here; they’re simply not relevant to the math of the situation. Which is:

· Your daughter will do what your daughter will do.

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· You do not have a meaningful say in what that is.

· Your choice is to embrace your daughter, as is, misgivings and all, and any baby if there ever is one, or to distance yourself.

· If this choice comes with feelings you feel unable to manage or contain, then don’t expect your daughter to help you with that. Seek help from outside your shared family circle.

· If she asks your advice on X, ask how she feels about X and proceed from there.

· And if you already feel more distant from your daughter than you would like, then now beats later as the time to try to remedy that.

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You were right to make one point, even if she already knew it: lawyer. Laws and families are evolving. Plus, the wise leave neither their hearts nor their children’s custody to chance.

Last thing, for you: If you ever think there’s no place for you amid younger generations because they’ve changed too much, then the mistake is yours. Adapt, or don’t; not one digit of that math has changed.



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