Hard Pass

A new report finds that U.S. employers spend more than $1.5 billion a year to fight labor unions, hiring union-avoidance consultants and lawyers to prevent worker organizing.

The report, published jointly by the Economic Policy Institute and LaborLab on Wednesday, estimates that employers spend roughly $1.7 billion annually on union avoidance consultants and law firms to prevent workers “from organizing and bargaining for better pay and working conditions.”

Though unionization in the U.S. has grown to its highest levels in 15 years, nonunion workers face mounting obstacles to joining a union. Over the past few decades, large law firms have developed business specialization in fighting unionization efforts, the report notes. This includes providing union avoidance consultants to employers to prevent union elections, push workers to vote against unions, and stall collective bargaining agreements.

Aid cuts by the Trump administration have shut down crucial disease surveillance networks and medical supply chains in East Africa.

Uncontained epidemics don't stay put

A legislative committee deciding what to do about a pro-Confederation petition descended into procedural chaos at Alberta's legislature on Wednesday after the governing UCP caucus sent out a news release that presumed the outcome of a vote that hadn’t yet happened.

yOu'Re jUsT a rUsSiAn bOt, kEeP LiCkInG pUtIn'S tOeS!1!1!1

Eight chronological screenshots from Twilight when Bella tells Edward she knows he's a vampire | Bella and Edward are walking through a foggy forest with cowboy hats on:

Bella: Yer' quicker than a hot knife through butter.  
Yer' paler than a ghost.  
And you? 17? I ain't buyin' it.  
I reckin' I know what yer' affliction is.

Edward: Say it wit' ya whole chest!

Bella: Got' dang vampire.

Edward: And what do you 'spose we feast on?

Bella: I'd gather it ain't shrimp n' grits.

The information is spread out across various articles, but from what I gather, a supply chain attack compromised the VS Code extension nx-console, which was then used to compromise Github. This all happened within two days.

Info on the Github attack:

• https://github.blog/security/investigating-unauthorized-access-to-githubs-internal-repositories/
• https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/github-confirms-breach-of-3-800-repos-via-malicious-vscode-extension/

Info about the nx-console attack:

• https://www.stepsecurity.io/blog/nx-console-vs-code-extension-compromised

Multiple Republican senators objected to sending taxpayer dollars to the president’s East Wing revamp

In a blow to the White House, Senate Republicans will remove a $1 billion Secret Service funding request that would help Donald Trump’s ballroom project from their immigration enforcement funding bill amid internal objections. “We were told that the ballroom money is out,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters after a GOP lunch meeting Wednesday, adding he’d “like to read the text.” The decision to omit the security funding came after twin blows: Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled over the weekend that the provision didn’t comply with the strict rules governing what Republicans can put in their filibuster-skirting bill because it funded activities outside of the Judiciary Committee’s jurisdiction.

invest now!

also I stole this one from N33R@fops.cloud on mastodon, she's REALLY funny but doesn't use Lemmy iirc