Author: Karl Evers-Hillstrom

Kroger hires Boehner in lobbying push to secure mega-merger

Kroger is contracting with former Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in a lobbying push to win approval of its proposed merger with Albertsons, the company said in a press release. Boehner, who works for law and lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs, will “provide strategic counsel” to Kroger executives and won’t register to lobby. Squire Patton Boggs’…

‘Shut your mouth’: GOP senator clashes with union leader during hearing

Teamsters President Sean O’Brien got into a heated argument with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) during a Wednesday Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on union busting tactics.    O’Brien told Mullin he was “out of line” after the GOP senator said that the union leader was “sucking the paycheck” out of workers to earn…

Five takeaways from Powell’s House testimony

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified before the House Financial Services Committee Wednesday amid lingering inflation and recession fears. Lawmakers questioned Powell on a wide range of issues, including inflation, the debt ceiling standoff and the U.S. dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. Here are five takeaways from the hearing. Fed won’t rescue US…

What slowing corporate profits mean for inflation

Welcome to The Hill’s Business & Economy newsletter {beacon}   Business & Economy Business & Economy     The Big Story Will weaker profits quell inflation? Historic inflation has been a boon for many big corporations, which were able to hike prices and boost their profit margins. But those profits are now slowing — which could…

Zelensky calls on US companies to leave Russia, invest in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday called on U.S. businesses still operating in Russia to leave it and help Ukraine rebuild its destroyed infrastructure.  In a live speech to the National Association of Manufacturers board, Zelensky said that American companies have an opportunity to “take on leadership positions both in the reconstruction of the Ukrainian…

Apple Watch ban: Here’s what happens next

An extensive legal battle is brewing after the Biden administration declined to veto an International Trade Commission (ITC) import ban on the Apple Watch. The ITC ruled in December that Apple infringed on wearable heart monitoring technology patented by California startup AliveCor. Apple currently uses an electrocardiogram sensor in question in its high-end Apple Watch…

Key inflation report could sway Fed rate hikes

Welcome to The Hill’s Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Key inflation report could sway Fed rate hikes Policymakers and investors are bracing for the Friday release of the Commerce Department’s personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, along with key data about consumer spending and take-home pay….

Democrats go after GOP ‘woke-waste’ attacks

Welcome to The Hill’s Business & Economy newsletter {beacon}   Business & Economy Business & Economy     The Big Story Democrats push back as GOP eyes spending cuts Democrats are seizing on Republicans’ attacks targeting so-called “woke-waste” in the federal budget amid a partisan battle over the nation’s debt. © iStock Among some…

Apple flexes lobbying power as Apple Watch ban comes before Biden next week

Apple is boosting its lobbying might as President Joe Biden nears a decision next week on whether to block a potential Apple Watch ban. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in December that Apple infringed on medical device company AliveCor’s wearable electrocardiogram patents. The commission’s ruling could result in an import ban on popular…