[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A top State Farm executive has been fired after being caught on hidden camera making stunning and callous remarks about LA wildfire victims while revealing explosive claims about secret corporate maneuvers to raise rates on vulnerable policyholders.
Haden Kirkpatrick, State Farm's Vice President for Innovation and Venture Capital, was secretly recorded admitting the company 'kind of' orchestrated a massive rate hike for California homeowners reeling from the devastation of January's deadly fires.
The undercover video - published by O'Keefe Media Group - sees Kirkpatrick making cynical and cold-hearted statements about victims of the recent infernos that killed 29 people, destroyed over 12,000 homes, and scorched 57,000 acres in Los Angeles County alone.
In the bombshell footage, Kirkpatrick dismissed the suffering of victims and criticized Californians for building homes in fire-prone regions.
'People want to build in areas where they want to have, like, natural areas around them for their ego. But it's also a f***ing desert. And so, it dries out as a tinderbox.
'Areas like where the Palisades are, there should never be houses built in the first place,' Kirkpatrick added without an ounce of sympathy for the thousands who lost everything.
But the footage went further still as Kirkpatrick admitted that wildfires such as those which tore through Pacific Palisades and Altadena, are entirely predictable to insiders and that State Farm is actively maneuvering to escape financial exposure to such disasters.
'Climate change is pushing these seasons. If you're an insurance professional, it's predictable,' he said.
#1
"cynical and cold-hearted statements"
I.E. telling the truth
Posted by: ed in texas ||
03/12/2025 11:28 Comments ||
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#2
He isn't wrong. It climate changed from a desert to an exclusive residential neighborhood.
are entirely predictable to insiders and that State Farm is actively maneuvering to escape financial exposure to such disasters.
Yes. California Insurance is big money or big bust, so no matter their personal feelings those risk assessors knew that response systems were compromised and leadership turned into a glee club.
Not defending Big Insurance or poo poo O'Keefe, but the problem starts in Sacramento and filters through LA, and then risk evaluations can happen, which makes me think DM here is running cover for Newsom as they usually bury O'keefe investigations.
#3
As I understand, insurers in Cali are either trying to raise rates or get out of home insurance entirely due to a massive exposure to... wait for it...losses from wild fires.
As ed says in #1, they are cynically and heartlessly telling the truth, because arithmetic wins in the end.
[FoxNews] 'After 22 days of an illegal strike, the governor and I are happy to report it is now ended,' Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said
New York officials fired more than 2,000 prison guards on Monday for not returning to work after a weekslong strike.
Enough correctional officers had returned to work for the state to declare an end to the wildcat strike, a labor action that violated a state law prohibiting strikes by most public employees.
"After 22 days of an illegal strike, the governor and I are happy to report it is now ended," Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said during a virtual press briefing.
The state and the guards’ union, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association, reached a new deal to end the strike over the weekend, but it was contingent on at least 85% of staff returning to work by Monday morning. While the 85% goal was not met, Martuscello said the state would honor some of the agreement's provisions, including on overtime work.
Martuscello said the National Guard would remain in place at prisons to support staff while the department pursues an aggressive recruiting campaign to bring in additional employees. Gov. Kathy Hochul had deployed the National Guard to some prisons to fill in for striking workers.
About 10,000 security staff are available to work in prisons across the state, down from about 13,500 before the wildcat strike, the commissioner said.
"Termination letters have been sent to over 2,000 officers who remained on strike. Officers and sergeants who did not have preapproved medical leave and didn’t return by this morning, 6:45 a.m. deadline, have been terminated effective immediately," Martuscello said.
Guards frustrated over working conditions began walking off the job on Feb. 17 at many state prisons. Inmates have complained about deteriorating conditions behind bars since the walkout.
A special prosecutor is also probing the March 1 death of an inmate, 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, at Mid-State Correctional Facility. Other inmates said Nantwi was brutally beaten by correctional officers, and 15 staffers have been placed on administrative leave after the inmate's death.
According to a court filing by the state attorney general's office, there is "probable cause to believe" that as many as nine correctional officers either caused or could be implicated in Nantwi's death.
Mid-State is across the street from the Marcy Correctional Facility, where six guards have been charged with murder in the December beating death of Robert Brooks.
Another inmate, 61-year-old Jonathon Grant, was pronounced dead last month after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Auburn Correctional Facility amid the ongoing labor strike, although it is unclear if prison staffing played a role in his death.
The strike was not sanctioned by the officers' union.
Two previous deals that sought to end the strike failed to bring back enough guards to declare an end to the labor action.
As was included in the previous agreements, the deal reached over the weekend addresses a key complaint of the guards by issuing a 90-day suspension of a provision of a state law that limits the use of solitary confinement. During the pause, the state will evaluate if reinstating the law would create an unreasonable risk to staff and inmate safety.
Guards will also work 12-hour shifts and the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will not discipline officers who participated in the strike if they returned by the Monday deadline.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Scientists have recorded a solar flare of the penultimate M class in terms of power. This was reported on the website of the Fyodorov Institute of Applied Geophysics.
“On March 11 at 15:04 Moscow time, a flare M1.1 (N05W46) lasting 3 minutes was registered in the X-ray range,” the report says.
Solar flares are divided into five classes depending on the power of X-ray radiation: A, B, C, M and X. When moving to the next letter, the power increases by 10 times. Solar activity can also lead to magnetic storms on Earth, the last time it was recorded was on March 4. The phenomenon was observed for two days.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on March 5, scientists from the Institute of Applied Geophysics (IPG) recorded a powerful M-class solar flare that lasted for nine minutes. It was noted that the solar activity was assessed by scientists as moderate.
Earlier, on February 28, the Sun ejected its largest plasma cloud since the beginning of the year. It occurred on the side opposite to Earth, and therefore did not pose a threat to the planet.
[IsraelTimes] The Trump administration says it will immediately lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and its intelligence sharing with Kyiv, more than a week after imposing the measures to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter talks to end the war with invading Russian forces.
The announcement came at talks between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine also says it is open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, subject to Kremlin agreement.
#2
^ Yes. We also called "no tags back" after the big-ass drone strike on Moscow the other day.
Admittedly, this is not the best of deals, but it is a step up from the previous Ukrainian position that Russia must surrender before there can be talks. This is progress!
Q: Is it still against Ukrainian law to negotiate with Russia while Putin is president or is that statement no longer operative?
[Bureau of Labor Statistics] The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in February, after rising 0.5 percent in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.8 percent before seasonal adjustment.
When the government spends less, inflation falls — a shocking concept.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
03/12/2025 10:39 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11135 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Gee, get a tax less, spend less, roll back pointless regulations and business friendly guy in charge that happens. Who would have thunk?
#1
I could go on and write a long explanation why tariffs are stupid and tariffs on steel are even more stupid. But as long as Trump loves tariffs, there really is no point. He'll learn it the hard way (no pun intended).
Btw in 2018 there was an overproduction of steel which led to unfair practices. But Europe and Canada weren't the culprits, that was China.
The situation has changed. Europe now needs all the steel it can produce, so YOU will swallow the higher prices.
And I will have to drink more Scotch instead of Bourbon.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/12/2025 8:12 Comments ||
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#2
China exports steel to it's Canadian subsidiaries. They rebrand the Chinese steel as Canadian steel and flood the US market.
Keep explaining stupid.
#3
Germany and the EU certainly don't. And these days it doesn't even matter as steel is in high demand.
Anyway I don't have to explain this. Your wallet will do that soon enough.
I have stocked up on excellent bourbon.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/12/2025 9:50 Comments ||
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#4
If everyone played by the same rules tariffs would be unnecessary but some times the donkey needs a 2x4 upside the head to get his attention. That's what Trump knows how to do. He is very good at getting their attention.
#6
In 2023 trade in services between the U.S. and the E.U. was worth 688 billion euros ($710 billion) with a trade deficit of 104 billion euros ($107 billion) for the EU.
Why do you always leave out this part?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/12/2025 11:12 Comments ||
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#8
fwiw, the Canadian and US economies are pretty closely linked,
the US exports steel to Canada and imports steel from Canada - this is because there are different production/demand situations in different regions and also steel comes in different forms and different strength
I'm not sure, but I think that, at least one time, Canada subsidized its exports to the US by govt mandated favorable loan structures, tax management and other means
not sure if they still do this
I agree w Euro Conserve that free & fair trade between both countries would benefit both countries. However, getting to 'free&fair' and keeping it that way is a major problem. Perhaps getting to free&Fair requires Trumpian conflict.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
03/12/2025 12:49 Comments ||
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#9
"Fair is in the eye of the beholder. Compared to China, trade between the US and Europe is quite fair, and TTIP would have eliminated most trade barriers.
I don't agree with Trump's vision (as emphasized in "Art of the Deal") that there are always "winners" and "losers" in a deal. It doesn't have to be that way, and I don't run my business with that vision.
There are many reasons for a trade deficit between two countries, and it doesn't have to mean that one side is "ripping off" the other. The U.S. has a huge trade surplus with the Netherlands, but that doesn't mean the U.S. is "ripping off" the poor Dutch.
Germany (still) has a strong manufacturing industry with products that the U.S. wants. OTOH, the U.S. has many services that Germany wants and needs (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Hollywood).
A trade war will hurt both sides. Blanket tariffs are more likely to hurt the country that imposes them, because the other country will retaliate with very targeted tariffs to minimize the damage. But in the end, no one wins. Tariffs always have unintended consequences, especially when economies are closely linked. Tariffs don't make you rich, the consumer always pays the price.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/12/2025 13:22 Comments ||
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#10
I would like to know where the anti-tariff deepfake ads on youtube money is coming from. Amazingly they just started popping up. Weird.
But Free Trade only happens with products coming into America.
We were sold on the idea of Free Trade would make up for itself in that our exports would increase as our trade partners dropped that tariffs in relation to ours. But what happened is that we dropped our tariffs on them and they never dropped theirs tariffs on us. Tariffs are bad. Especially the tariffs Canada, Brazil, China, and the EU impose on the Unites States.
The first 200 years of America's Existence, we had no income tax and we had tariffs. We became the richest country in the world. 18th-19th Century, America was the jewel of the world.
#13
The EU's unweighted average tariff is 5.2%, that of the USA 3.5%, with 5,018 6-digit products recorded in the IFO customs database forming the basis of the calculation. These averages conceal high tariff peaks in many important sectors. So when Trump complains about "massive tariffs", he is not wrong, at least in some areas. At the same time, this complaint also applies - albeit to a lesser extent - to the US barriers. It would be time to think about a general reduction in the remaining tariffs worldwide. A downward adjustment
would be much better than an upward tariff increase.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/12/2025 16:04 Comments ||
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#14
I love reading the intelligent commentary on this topic, but I've lost touch - has anyone actually paid any of these increased tariffs? Any consumer prices changed? Any adult beverages embargoed at the border?
Or are we still in the blustering and dooming phase?
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/12/2025 16:13 Comments ||
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#15
No to tariffs. Period. Anywhere and everywhere.
#16
A downward adjustment
would be much better than an upward tariff increase.
Agreed but what politician will voluntarily level the field without being forced to, when playing to lobbyists and voters? None. Trade wars or reasonable leveling. Your choice
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/12/2025 17:50 Comments ||
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#17
It takes two to tango.
From the IFO study (2018)
Situation for EU exporters
Let's select products only for which the EU (US) import tariff is at least 5% and the total exports of the US (EU) amount to more than half a million US dollars.
The unweighted average US import tariff on these goods is 12.2%; the median tariff is 6.9% and the import-weighted average import tariff is 8.5%.
This means that (i) a few very high tariffs drive the average up from the median value and that (ii) weighting with import figures drives the average tariff down significantly because little trade takes place in products with high tariffs. For these products, the US share of total EU exports is around 13%; across all products, the US accounts for 21% of EU exports. So it is quite clear that high tariffs are hindering EU exports.
Dairy products are particularly affected by US tariffs; these average 20.3% for the six products recorded. For small trucks, the US import duty is on average 22%. High customs duties are also due on EU exports to the USA of handbags, jewelry and shoes. But tobacco products (48.7%), baby food (22.9%) and chocolate (9%) are subject to high tariffs on the one hand; on the other hand, European companies have relatively high sales on the world markets and are obviously competitive.
Situation for US exporters
This mainly concerns passenger cars, to which a 10% tariff is applied. Various foodstuffs are also heavily taxed. The situation is particularly extreme for beef, where import duties of almost 70% are payable. For pork, the figure is 26.4%, for apples 17.3% and for grapes 20.2%. The US is competitive in all these areas, but can only sell small quantities in Europe.
Relatively high tariffs are also due in the EU on small trucks (15%), motorcycles (6%), buses (13%) and tractor units (16%). In some of these areas, US exports are de facto zero, although the US supplies significant quantities of these products to other countries (which typically have lower tariff barriers).
TTIP wanted to solve these problems.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
03/12/2025 18:30 Comments ||
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#18
we should also keep in mind that there are a lot of trade barriers and costs that are not tariffs. The include various licensing fees, certification requirements and all sorts of other things. I'm not at all sure we know the full extent of these.
As an example, at the Amsterdam Airport, compare the cost of a bottle or Coke and a bottle of Heineken.
I once said the USA has to overcome a sneakinss gap.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
03/12/2025 18:41 Comments ||
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[FoxNews] The U.S. Department of Agriculture is pausing funding to the University of Maine System (UMS), a network of eight public colleges in the state, according to UMS officials. The pause is in response to the state's recent refusal to comply with President Donald Trump's executive order to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports.
The pause in funding comes as the USDA reviews potential Title IX and Title VI violations by the universities, amid the state's recent refusal to comply with Trump's executive order to keep transgender athletes out of women's sports. Trump reaffirmed his intent to punish states that continue to allow trans athletes to compete with girls during his March 4 address to a joint session of Congress.
Trump's administration has now acted on that promise.
A UMS spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday it has been notified its funding will be paused.
Maine lawmaker says women should have a ‘fair and level’ playing field in sports after recent transgender athlete controversies Video
"An email forwarded to the University of Maine that appears to have originated from the USDA’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer directs the department’s 'awarding agencies and staff offices to temporarily no longer issue any payments or authorize any other releases of funding to Columbia University or the University of Maine System,'" the spokesperson said.
"The message goes on to state, 'This pause is temporary in nature while USDA evaluates if it should take any follow-on actions related to prospective Title VI or Title IX violations. Please take any necessary actions to effectuate this direction from leadership. This pause will remain in effect until further notice.'"
The UMS spokesperson says the system told the USDA the universities "were in compliance with relevant state and federal laws and that UMS universities are members of the NCAA," adding the system is "unaware" of any Title VI violations.
However, UMS says it will provide further clarity on the situation after "further analysis is completed."
In fiscal year 2024 alone, the USDA awarded $29.78 million in funding to UMS for research, the system said. The USDA claims it has provided over $100 million to the UMS in recent years in a letter addressed to the system.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Doctors have warned that a common drug used for involuntary movement disorders suffered by millions could cause 'deviant' sexual behavior. Patients taking the drugs, used to treat restless legs syndrome and Parkinson's, have developed strange urges and problematic habits.
Good to know.
Some became addicted to flashing their nudity in public, others with cheating on their spouses or watching pornography.
In even more disturbing cases, patients ended up collecting child pornography and sexually assaulting minors.
The drugs belong to a class of medication known as dopamine agonists, which work by 'tricking' the brain into thinking it is receiving dopamine.
This helps treat conditions that cause involuntary movements that are linked to low dopamine, but the hormone also plays a crucial role in reward and pleasure.
The most common form in the US is ropinirole, sold under the brand name Requip and prescribed to 3million Americans every year.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
New York officials fired more than 2,000 prison guards on Monday for not returning to work after a weekslong strike.
