years and it's marketplace so joining me now just the latest is legal analyst molly barrows contributor to america's lawyer now molly what are the specific goals of this new campaign against big tech and how do they plan to get it done well i think they really plan to put a lot of pressure on lawmakers rachel they feel like now is a good time to go ahead and pursue this for probably a number of reasons but certainly in light of congress coming forth with recent investigations and saying hey we think that these antitrust regulations do need to be beefed up and so they're riding that wave and saying hey put your money where your mouth is let's see some real change with litigation and legislation rather when it comes to stopping amazon from the stranglehold that they say that they've got over small businesses and so this group is made up of booksellers grocers a lot of small businesses that feel like they're being squeezed out of the competitive market by e-commerce giants like amazon and they specifically are targeting amazon and this particular campaign saying hey you've got a diverse some of your business you can't play the game and set the rules you're

crushing asked essentially and i know we've heard a lot about amazon over the last year really a lot about antitrust and a lot of that's coming from congress so you can see how kind of the timing seems to be just right for some of those small businesses now amazon's response to this has been to argue that it's the company's critics and their misguided interventions that are actually the threat to a free market place but clearly some smaller businesses aren't buying that what's their response. right i mean basically they're saying amazon you don't have a fair level playing field right now we need litigation to make sure that you. give us a fair market place to trade our goods and services if you will because basically amazon owns the market and then they have their own products as we know that they compete with some of these businesses that have their products on there and they're also gathering the data they're controlling how things are ordered and so these businesses feel like that they're being left out of a good part of the process that could actually bring more money into their pockets

amazon's taking more and more fees as of 30 percent they say that's cutting into their profits and in the meantime like you said amazon wants to paint themselves as a victim basically saying look how many people we employ and we continue to grow last year when everybody was stuck at home we're here to support small business we've given them this platform they wouldn't be here without us in these small businesses are saying yeah but you're crushing us as well we can't really succeed and go as far as we want because you're also using the data that you collect from our business being on your site to increase the sell of your products so it's going to be interesting to see what kind of reaction they get from congress rachel but 'd in the meantime i think the are taking advantage of the fact that there's also that union vote that we're still awaiting the results of in alabama while all eyes are on big tech and amazon right now really does seem to be the case ok so what about the timing of this move why is this antitrust group going after amazon specifically right now. well i think that's because they're the main one that all eyes are on you know we've talked about congress in the legislation that they recently passed

it's about regulating big tech in a number of ways from privacy to their stranglehold that they've got on competition but i think they specifically called out this particular group and isn't just because of just the widespread reach that they've got so perhaps because of this union vote too which could be monumental if if these $6000.00 workers in alabama and bessemer at the warehouse decide that they do want to unionize and that's going to have a big impact potentially on other amazon warehouses and businesses not just in this country but potentially around the world so i think they see this timing is good because it's been a bipartisan issue and they hope it biden in the white house and some other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle saying yes we need to have more antitrust regulation that they might get some support for this a little momentum behind it and now speaking of that union vote is there any word on when we'll know the results about what's going on in alabama supposedly it's going to happen at any time we were supposed to start seeing the public process of that vote counting process come last week but it got pushed back because there's been legal delays on both sides and i think we can expect to see that regardless

like they could come down right now before the show even ends and say ok the vote is x. y. and z. but you're probably going to have legal filings term which whichever side lost because there's a lot at stake for amazon with this monumental vote unions have actually been declining in popularity in membership over the years and if this were to pick up speed and they were actually to get a union at the bessemer alabama warehouse than amazon's going to see a level of accountability that they haven't seen before and i think it's more about negotiating you know quality of work that's what i think is on does say that pay well and nobody's really complaining too much about pay it's more the working conditions and you know how they're basically treating their workers so this could potentially give them a lot more power here and elsewhere if it passes there definitely is a lot riding on the great insight as always molly varos thank you so much for your time. thanks rachel. while amazon fights antitrust allegations it is also fighting efforts from its employees to create the 1st union in the company's history nearly 6000 employees at

a warehouse in alabama represent just a fraction of the nearly 1000000 that make up amazon's work force but their fight has caught national attention as the employees describe grueling working conditions and say they don't have time for breaks to eat or even to use the restroom they also say they are constantly tracked and fear they could be fired if they fall behind amazon has already made it clear that it will do everything in its power to stop the efforts of its workers so to go further in-depth on this topic let's bring in professor richard wolfe host of economic update and author of the sickness is the system now professor these stories we're hearing are disturbing to say the least with employees saying that even their bathroom breaks are monitored many are hoping that forming an union would bring about more protection but is there any indication that amazon is willing to make any meaningful changes here. you know amazon has been doing its behavior now for years everybody who pays attention knows

it they are not of their own accord going to do anything. the reality is that the only force that now in this society has the ability and the initiative to do something is the labor movement and as you were speaking a moment ago about the decline of the labor movement over the last 50 years and you're absolutely right this is a kind of make or break moment this is a time to change that the client and become relevant again in one of the biggest struggles of the labor movement in many years and i think much is on the line there is an attempt to say finally maybe the labor movement can be that which changes this country you know forbes just made jeffrey b. is always the richest man on this planet and he is the richest man because of the

monopoly operated pie amazon that is crushing the small businesses as you just announced and confronting labor with intolerable conditions that remind us of the way things were 100 years ago and it's been almost scary to watch just how much power amazon has gained especially over the last year alone and it's also interesting to see how they have responded specifically to these union efforts i mean they fought back against them in just about every way possible even sparking accusations that the company is intimidating employees and creating fake twitter accounts to discourage efforts why is amazon so concerned about the possibility of a labor union within its own company. well you know it's the largest employer in the united states have been hamazon wal-mart you put 2 or 3 of them together they are the monster employers in this country if they fall to unionization inside

the united states whichever one of them goes 1st it will become or they fear it will become a kind of snowball i should make clear to everyone that amazon already has unions but not in the united states there's a strike against amazon going on in germany as we talk there's another one being organized in italy as i'm speaking to you they those are common there they have unions and they have to deal with unions there's no question they can do it they just don't want to because it will lower the extraordinary profits that make jeffrey b.'s almost a man with $170000000000.00 of personal worth so that's why the fight is so crucial because so many other conditions are going to be shaped by it if for example amazon has to pay higher wages because they have a union and the union requires it and they have to bargain etc it will affect the

wages of many other low income people across the united states because they will have to match or else lose their workers to the better paid amazon so it's not just amazon that is looking at this it's all the other big employers that are likewise worried yeah that's an excellent point of course those dollars start talking in this case louder than the employees here but we know that there's also been increasing pressure against amazon regarding a host of antitrust allegations and in response amazon has filled its team with former federal government officials who have worked for the d.o.j. in the f.t.c. is there any concern that current government officials going and they will that they may try to go easy on amazon or google now because they know it could mean a job opportunity for them later on. that has always been a risk here in the united states the way we operate we make that situation create that kind of horrible incentive at the because of the revolving door we used to

call it between government service and working for the government what the government is supposed to be regulating there ought to be an independent force here again if a union develops it can become another player in this game it won't just be the government regulators and the company they regulate but it will be something that represents a broader interest namely the labor movement that will come in and say we have something to say about all of this also because the regulation of the company includes how it treats its workers whether or not it lets them have a reasonable restroom break and all the other things that we know are typical of monopolies like amazon and all we're seeing is amazon repeat that history. excellent points to consider herr professor richard roth thank you so much for your time thank you. the vaccine crisis in europe continues

as the region's medical regulators announced wednesday that there is a possible link between astra zeneca is coated vaccine and the rare blood clots that were reported in less than 100 cases out of more than 20000000 doses of the shot that were administered. safety committee from the food that you know it's in risk assessment committee of the european medicines agency has confirmed that the benefits of the astra zeneca back c. in preventing qubit 19 outweigh the risks of trying to fix the problem after and a very in-depth analysis has concluded that there are cases of unusual. following vaccination with the astra zeneca vaccine should be listed as possible side effects of the vaccine meanwhile the same agency continues to hold its approval from russia sputnik instead claiming it plans to launch an investigation

next week and whether clinical trials of the vaccine followed ethical and scientific standards but as the region's these are rising coated cases some are waiting for europe's approval leaders in madrid are calling on the spanish government to take action and have even tried to go directly to the makers of sputnik see themselves waiters in italy have taken similar steps and were running into roadblocks have pledged to invest heavily in russia's vaccine as soon as europe gives the green light. from one country battling the coronavirus to the next here in the u.s. a double variant believed to have originated in india has been found in california this comes as the state's governor announces things could get back to normal by june that is if cases continue to decline our teams natasha sweet has more on vaccine efforts nationwide. as millions race to get vaccinated

a new type of variant has emerged from overseas and it's now being reported in the united states for the 1st time the 1st known case of a double mutant variant from india has been found in california the strain was identified in san francisco the variant reportedly carries 2 move chasen's which assist the virus in attaching to cells some scientists believe it could be more contagious than the original strain of the coronavirus however it's unknown if the double variant is more resistant to the current a vaccine is now we can say that. we just have not sufficient. in the car. and in california rates of covert have stabilized over the last 7 days governor given you some announced the state has the lowest case rates in the country with a 1.6 positivity rate he says this could lead the way to reopening the economy we can confidently say by june 15th that we can start to open up as business as usual

subject to ongoing mask wearing an ongoing vigilance newsome says by the end of the month more than 30000000 people in california will have been vaccinated with at least one dose and he expects kids and college students alike to all resume in person learning by june 15th if things go as planned california will follow a number of other states in allowing businesses to reopen without capacity limits by no later than april 90 in every part of this country every adore of the age of 8018 or older will be eligible to be vaccinated president joe biden cutting 2 weeks of his may 1st deadline for states to make all adults eligible for coping vaccines that date is now april 19th according to the white house nearly one in 4 adults are fully vaccinated and one occupation rates are up by to urges americans. to not let their guard down while still in the pandemic now being by the

administration is launching a funeral assistance program that will provide up to $1000.00 to those who died of coated reporting for boom bust and precious weeks are tea. time now for a quick break but when we come back corporate america is not too happy with the by an administration plan to increase their tax rate as the markets react to the hopes that any 2.3 trillion dollars spending bill could be right around the corner well that's just it all net and as we go to break here are the numbers of the club. is your media a reflection of reality. in

the world transformed. what will make you feel safe from. isolation or community. are you going the right way or are you being so. direct. what is true what is faith. in the world corrupted you need to descend. to join us in the depths. aura maybe the shallowness. russian officials have borne care of a renewed military assault on the country's east could lead to the end of ukraine itself this is how serious the situation is washington and its nato allies blame moscow for the escalation of tensions will the west. back ukraine if camp starts.

today the industry prefers to spend millions of euros in you know the. d.-day reconditioned i will be sniffing all about making money making profits in some of the big corporations international markets import export do you imagine the number of printing diseases that are out in every community today it is new due to new viruses own new microbes that is not true so it is due to environment. and say either they momento disability or they sort of must really be a security it could only come in to be seen in the police. departments in the sky if the so food industry is successful it will create more jobs it will create more value added it will create more growth so i don't see why we shouldn't also fight for the interest something to street not accept that we are british and we want

regulation i was the industry and if we don't behave zaniest penalty just fine. kind of financial survival job today was about money laundering 1st to visit this cash industry different. good this is a good start well we have our 3 banks all set up for something and you're something in america something overseas or the cayman islands do all these banks are complicit in their tough talk or soon just after didn't fall and say ok i'm ready to do some serious. ok let's see how we did while we've got a national dream watch for max and for stacy oh beautiful jewelry how about. luxury automobile again from that you know what money laundering is highly illegal thank you so much kaiser of course. we are segregated in there by social class most of the class people don't you also

want to be the 1st. if you're born into a poor family if you're born into a minority family if you're born into a family that only has a single parent that really constrains your life chances people die and they stick teen years younger you're born into generational poverty. it's a. fight every day to meet your needs and the needs of your family. but by an administration is moving full speed ahead with its plans for a $2.00 trillion dollar spending bill while it claims the funding would meet infrastructure concerns across the country its critics say that only a portion of the plan would actually go towards that category and the increase

corporate tax in order to pay for it is not surprisingly drawing backlash from $1.00 group in particular as one reporter noted corporate america has a loudly complain for years about the crumbling state of u.s. infrastructure and demanded that washington invest heavily to catch up with the rest of the developed world but now that the country's top corporations could be the ones to pay for it they don't seem to be on board anymore so joining me now to discuss those christy i and joseph gives the founder and c.e.o. of strategy marketplace joseph of all start with you here is biden going back on his word now i mean after promising to work together and create a bipartisan agenda right now all signs signal that biden is willing to sign a bill even if it doesn't have republican support is the new president going too far to eliminate all of corporate america here. alienate

a 100 percent of it pretty darn close right i mean what's really interesting as we've had higher tax rates in the past we preach 2017 we're in the 3536 percent range and of course that well that's what the by an administration is leading on saying look if we go to 28 it's a heck of a lot lower than what we've had in the past but you know corporations they had bigger tax deductions back then and we haven't really brought back a lot of those tax adoptions that's going to help with the small businesses or the business is of corporate america and really right now the way it stands most business owners and most corporations they like bipartisan views and policies whenever you go to sort of one side or the other it really doesn't work out in the favor of the business so right now going all the way just just you know completely crush you know what they have the other side of the aisle has asked them to do i think is kind of a mistake here if he's promising to you know bring everybody together he really

needs to do that and this standpoint and that's what's going to get this is behind i mean we had jeff bezos not endorse that he's in favor of a tax hike but said he would be ok with the tax hike there's a carry out so that obviously he's playing a little bit of both sides right now because he's a little under fire with obviously some of the unionization problems that might be going on in georgia and so you know he's not endorsing a tax hike he's just saying we need the infrastructure yes but let's be smart about how we do it's going to do it let's also put some deductions or add some other stuff to the policy in there for us right at all about balancing politics there and especially there is that concern when it comes to democrats using their majority all around that that could come back to bite them in the next election year now kristie we've also been watching the federal reserve we know that the fed minutes for march were released earlier today how did the markets react to this. well bonds have stabilized in recent days after climbing sharply from the start of the

year so the yield on the benchmark 10 year ticked up slightly to 1.659 percent and the recent slip in the us has been quite good for tech stocks and then we get to regain their footing after a brief selloff that we saw a couple weeks ago so many of them had come under pressure from the higher borrowing costs but right now the bet is still on the economically sensitive sectors such as banking and energy that would stand to benefit the most from reopening cyclicals are also meeting a lot with who signed up about 3 percent so the rotation is clearly a value play and that's in full swing so for the last 10 years everything was all about the growth stocks so now we kind of have a changing of the guard here the s. and p. gained slightly to hover near its record highs on wednesday as the fed reiterated their commitment towards a common a policy in order to support a full economic recovery however some investors are still nervous with the easing of restrictions coupled with the pent up consumer demand that could drive up inflation and help the to raise interest rates sooner than expected but at the same time see a need groups fed watch tool has continued to indicate little chance of an interest

rate hike later this year even as i am asked says if they expect us to come into expense 6.4 percent for 2021 so that's something to keep an eye out for yeah definitely and we know that the fed has that it's impressed with all of the progress that they've seen being made in the economy but there's still a lot to look at as we move forward now and just when it comes to the markets are they putting any weight behind his massive spending plan that's being called an infrastructure package or is it just kind of brushing it off how will it react if we have to live with that 28 percent corporate tax. well markets will adjust right i mean today markets were down before we had the notes from the senate and then all of the sudden we are in the day where they're slightly flat it's not a little possible but right now the markets are really part of a they understand all the information coming out that we're supposed to have a strong g.d.p. you know we're having employment rates go back up or people are getting jobs again

restrictions from the virus are being lifted people are optimistic right now when there's that optimism that's going to drive the markets and that's what's really driving the markets right now once this package is fully digested and once that comes down the road i think then we're going to see what the markets will react again we we've had a higher corporate tax rate before this is a little bit lower i think we still like to see a little bit of balance there is some worry of business is going overseas and if that happens that could be a little bad for the market because that's bad for jobs here and you know if they're trying to put a restriction on having a flat corporate tax all across the globe you know we can really see what the markets can do i don't know how the markets will react if that were to come in place because i'm sure businesses are going to find a way around or find some countries that will be friendly for them you know if that were to happen. now that's an excellent point as well and before we go here kristie i want to ask you about coin base if the latest tech company to hit the market with

a massive valuation so how is this i.p.o. shaping up. they said last week that 60 approved this direct listing was just so far april 14th so the company plans to register nearly 150000000 shares of class a common stock trade under ticker symbol c.e.o. i saw this direct listing allows existing shareholders to sell their shares to new investors which will provide a very nice early exit for a lot of these investors so climate's today is settling reliance on a user storage and big point however the company has announced plans to grow and for a larger ecosystem all points and crypto related assets so next week will be a very exciting time for the space as this will be a huge record he will christiane. thank you both for your time and insight. that's all for now you can catch brewmaster on demand by downloading the portable t.v. applet the very next time and as always don't forget to question more. because

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the european medicines agency confirms astra zeneca vaccine is possibly linked to unusual blood clot cases saying it should be listed as a very rare side effect of the job. the arrest of 2 suspected terrorists on the us mexico border leads to further criticism of the biden administration's handling of the migrant crisis. and australians stranded abroad for months are left with little option but to file a human rights complaint over their own country's refusal to let them come home he spoke to an australian in russia. it is a gross violation of human rights to return to it says in my that i should not be arbitrarily deprive the right to return to my home country.