i am the president of the american association of cpa firms, council of american business association. i'm here to talk about a couple of items that have been raised. first one is the need for an antiretaliation legislation. there have been many instances of city department heads and project managers retaliating against minority owned lbe firms for simply making inquiries into how decisions are made with respect to contract awards or making inquiries as to whether or not the lbe ordinance has been properly apply. in many retaliations, it has resulted in loss of income to firms and owners. also, such retaliations have resulted in cutbacks in employees. because of the prevailance of such retaliation, individuals are afraid to speak up about the lack of opportunity. people are afraid to report the failures and refusal to apply the lbe ordinance on the part of department heads and project managers for fear of retaliation. people have even been afraid to come and testify at this hearing because of the fear of retaliation. such retaliation should not happen anywhere, and in particular, it s

. >> the head of the british american business association says american ties are a maimer part of the comeback. >> the u.s. business is an important part of the recovery story. if you look at the basic numbers on u.s. investment, historically, actually, on any basis, on any year u.s. asbestos are the most significant investors in the country. 25% of all invest. comes from the u.s. every year. it's the leading source of investment. >> that's a free trade deal in negotiation between the u.s. and the e.u., which could be worth billions more. it could be in jeopardy if the u.k. votes to leave the union. >> if you are making a long-term investment and rely on access to the european market for your products. you would think twice about coming to a country which may - not probably, but possibility be in the european union and in the single market. >> for online businesses, that is not an issue, and she urges her colleagues to come over. >> for me, i have trends that have start-ups in the u.s. they asked how the london launch goes, i say, "you need to come here immediately." with the economic

business a little before meeting mac. together, the two and six others came together to form the association of african-american vintners inopes of stimulating other minorities to investigate careers within the business. >> it's good being in it and being associated with others who have precisely the same thoughts that you have--although you have your independent thoughts, but there are certain things that we all wake up and think about. and that's good that--that's our bond. >> one of those inspired by the group's tight bond was daniel bryant. he joined the group early on and had a successful customized wine country tour operation called a color of grape. but it was at the urging of mac that he decided to step into the business of making wine as well. in 2004, he released his first vintage, and today, his wine is being served in 4-star restaurants all across sacramento, including the popular waterboy restaurant in midtown. >> i started in this business from the education side. i did education seminars and workshops all over the country. and as a member of the association of african-american vintners, a couple of the guys

the arizona super bowl host committee businesses like marriott, american airlines, and apple, other business groups, tourism associationseven three republican state senators who voted for it. arizona republican senator jeff flake tweeted yesterday, quote, saw governor brewer in washington tonight. encouraged her personally to veto the bill. and here is senator john mccain. >> this is not the message we want to send. i hope the governor will veto it and we will move on and advertise the great beauty of our state. >> so what was that governor brewer said? >> i have been following it, and i will make my decision in the near future. >> this bill would use religion to justify discrimination. governor brewer's decision shouldn't take this long. joining me now is actor and gay rights activist george takei. thank you for being here, george. >> it's a pleasure being here. thank you very much for the invitation. >> george, you're calling for a boycott of arizona if the governor doesn't veto the bill. and today you posted this to your facebook page. it reads, quote, dear arizona, in case you missed it, we've already had this conve

american bankerssassociation says the cost of replacement cards exceeds $172 million. credit union national association is spending 30, replacing its members cards. -- 30 million. >>> and that is the latest from the fox business network, giving you the power to prosper.

american asian contractors association. i'm part of the talks the various business organizations had about 14b and i just want to reiterate a point that president chiu made earlier as well as a few other speakers. we know anecdotally there are many stories of lbes being put in awkward situations, possibly being, you know, not in favorable positions under larger gcs and anecdotally we know that there are many situations like that, but we couldn't get them here necessarily to speak or put their name to paper. so, you know, just as the previous speaker spoke about possible retaliation with a project that he's currently negotiating with, we need full protection. it is very important to all of us. as agencies are hope gli going to be held more accountable, hopefully as we begin to mold policy and further developed, they're going to be outliers and they may not want to follow the rules and so these policy breaker need to be called out. please remember we do need the board protection moving forward. >> before the next speaker, i want to just take a moment and mention i just had a conversation with our deputy controller and given t

business. >> 90% of the american bankers association have a billion or less in assets. >> frank keating -- wewill talk about to be to fail banks. right now, company news. >> speaking of too big to fail, mount gox, a quaint exchange, filed for bankruptcy in japan. three quarters of a million bitcoins belonging to users and 100,000 of his own. the world'sonce in largest exchange for the digital currency. as began dismissing workers part of its restructuring plan. it started firing employees in new york, north carolina and five other states yesterday. they could ripple in the elimination of as many as 13,000 jobs this year. cis is according to a sanford bernstein analyst. the winter storms of forcing united to cut revenue projections. the airline says revenue will drop after it canceled 22,000 flights due to the weather. no overall figure on how much lower the revenue will be but it prompted one analyst to forecast a much deeper loss this quarter at united. adam? >> we are going to take a very quick rate. when we come back, cut the ukraine be on the verge of tearing itself apart? we will be on t

. >> jeffreys brieing in shaw the head of a business association says american ties are a major part of the comeback. european business is an important part of the recovery story, if you look at the numbers on u.s. investment in the country, historically, actually on any basis, in any year, u.s. investors are the most significant in the country. 25% of all investment comes from the u.s. every year it's the leading source of investment. >> there's a major free trade deal in negotiations between the u.s. and the e.u. which could be worth billions more revenue, it could be in jeopardy if the uk votes to leave the european union. >> if you make a long-term investment and rely on access to the european market for the products, you will think twice about coming to a country which may not probably but possibly may about not be in the european union in five for 10 years. for online businesses, that is not so much an issue, and she urges her colleagues to come over. >> for me i sort of started with friends that i have been working with starters. when they ask how did the launch go, i basically

business organizations committed to advancing policies that support a vibrant and sustainable economy. the american sustainable business council, through its partner organizations, represents over 200,000 businesses and more than 325,000 business professionals, including industry associations, local and state chambers of commerce, microenterprises, social enterprises, green and steable sustainable businesses, local sustainable living economy groups, women and minority women business leaders and investors. and vester networks. while some -- investor networks. while some inside the beltway claim that regulations are holding back our economic recovery, the american sustainable business council has a different view. they, along with other small businesson organizations, re-- business organizations, released a february, 2012, poll of small business owners which found that small businesses don't see regulations as a major concern. our polling or their polling confirmed that small business owners value regulations if they are well constructed and fairly enforced. they found that small business owners believe certain governmental regulations play an important role,le 6% of them believe -- 86% of them believe some regulation is necessary for a modern economy and 93% of rerespondent

he's been promising he's going respect, quote, freedom of association, which understands as the freedom of business owners to exclude african-american. in the south, he wins white majority in ten former confederate states and five states outright. it's a warning bell. what it is warning is conservativism might triumph if it can gift wrapped in racial animosity. that's one. two, goldwater is also teaching that racial animosity needs to be coded. state right, freedom of association, these are terms we can understand as racial but which goldwater deny had any racial meaning. they seem like presence. about libertarianism. fast forward to 1972. in the meantime nixon has been elected in 1968. he wasn't that convinced that racial appeal could get him elected. he avoids it. by 1970 the logic shifted. the number crunchers have spoken it's clear that race can be used to divide the new deal coalition. nixon starts campaigning on a promise to end or slow down integration in the south and start campaigning for law and order. he starts campaigning against, quote, forced buzzing were the issue rather than integration. and he wins in an overwhelmin

american airlines and petsmart. >> and the associates and the communities and the customers deserve equal respect. this bill undermines it, and goes against it. >> reporter: in arizona business owners agree. >> do we have separate drinking fountains, too? >> they say it protects the business owners against bay marriages. >> and we have seen countless florists and bakers and photographers who have been sued and lost the cases because the government says that they have to help celebrate the same sex ceremonies. >> reporter: but republicans jeff flake and john mccain want the bill killed. and attorney general eric holder says it is going to violate equal rights. >> everybody is equal to equal opportunity. >> reporter: and so all eyes are on jan brewer. she has the weekend to decide, but she tells us that she is leaning toward a veto. steve handelsman, news4. >>> and states attorneys generals do not have to ban laws that ban bills based solely on sexual orientation, and virginia is one that has chosen not to defend the gay marriage ban in court. >>> and president obama wants the government to pull out all of the troops in afghanistan by the end of this year. afghan president ham

insist companies have minimum data standard in place the american hotel and lodging association and the national federation of independent businesses. part of this brief to the association and whether your company agrees with the petition taken by wyndham and that the ftc lacks authority to enforce reasonable data security measures. to your question, i am not familiar with that. what i can tell you is that we are committed to making this right. >> i am not intimately familiar with this legislation -- >> this is the court case. >> i can thought you neiman marcus supports having standards in place for data security and why we are actively participants in the standards and assessment process. >> i hope that both of you will track with your company's and if you are part of something that would undermine the ability of the ftc to protect consumers in cases of data security breaches. >> it does conclude all of our questions. you can start wrapping up. we have the right to send you questions and we will try to get any ofo you if there are them individually and ask the same amount of time to return an answer. here, i askusiness unanimous c

business organizations, including u.s. chamber of commerce, american bankers association, american insurance association, consumer bankers, and dependent community bankers, bankers large and small, financial service institutions, urging swift action to preserve our economic recovery and our nation's financial standing in the world, by limiting be uncertainty as to whether or not we will incur an historic deficit. -eir letter is and our default would be in his store the fault or raise -- and historic default or raise the debt ceiling. i do not know what is going on in their caucus. they keep trying to find a way to lift the debt ceiling by putting proposals on there that should not be on there. it should be clean. it should not be a negotiation. the full faith and credit of the united states is not in doubt. the constitution affirms that. congress passed these bills that incurs this debt. need to meet our obligations. so i am hopeful the speaker will come to us and say let's just work together to get this off the table and remove all doubt, because the mere mention of it 2 contributed to a downgrading of our rating. this n

business, they are likely to close your account. >> if you have a large amount of cash on you, you are definitely a target. >> the new federal guidelines include avoiding dealing to minors. >> the american banking association isn't so sure about the move. they say -- >> it is said federal guidelines make perfect sense. >> i think their responsibility to make sure the whole system works and they are just providing guidelines. >> there is a petition starting to circulate to legalize marijuana in california. >> a rare sight in fresno this evening. he rolled up sleeves when he got to this farm and toured it with other key politicians. the owners grow aspare gus, but say they won't plant any more because of the drought. >> california is our biggest economy and biggest agricultural producer. what happens here matters to every american, right down to the cost of the food you put on your table. tonight president obama is meeting with king abdullah of jordan. >>> why the rise in a number of go-around in a local airport may jeopardize your safety. >> also, target, a warning the retail giant reportedly received. >> live from the sochi games. my home away from home. i'm not talking about my hotel. an inside look where

businesses. here's the interesting thing. bankers remain reluctant. the american banking associatione an underlying challenge for banks, quote, possession or distribution of marijuana violates federal law and banks that provide support for those activities face the risk of prosecution and asorted sanctions. we talked to wells fargo this morning. their policy they say is not to bank marijuana businesses, they are reviewing these new guidelines but for the time being their policies remain the same. you're seeing the big banks caution on this even though there are new guidelines from the government. analysts telling us they think small and mid-size community banks might be the best bet for legal pot businesses to do business in the banking industry. >> what are people who own pot businesses doing with the money they make? where do they put it? >> big safes. hiring armed guards at the doors. they are essentially operating a cash business. one of the interesting things the justice department has told u.s. attorneys not to pursue banks that do business with legal marijuana disspendsaries.

the combined support of business, labor, construction, shippers, regulators, and in addition truck is. yesterday i had a meeting with the leaders of the american trucking association and the leaders of aaa. they would significantly support a modest and thoughtful increase in the gasoline tax. to the people here, this is getting to be a rather supportive group. it is interesting to note that last year six states, three with a governors and three with democratic governors enacted bills to increase their overall fuel taxes. their sky did not fall and their economies did not collapse. both presidents have improved -- have approved modest gas tax increases, including ronald reagan, so can be done. in -- increasing the gas tax and the fuel tax is tough, but doable. mind that public money is only a part of the equation. you must increase private investment as well. private investment is prepared 250 billionuch as dollars into these iflic-private partnerships, only certain barriers would be removed. we must also continue to aggressively root out waste in caused by, much of it permitting delays and obstacles sure that funds are spent on genuine priorities. long-term the ch

busy building political support. yesterday, i had a meeting with the leaders of the american trucking association and the leaders of the aaa. they would significantly support a modest and thoughtful increase in the gasoline tax. add that to people who are here. this is getting to be a rather supportive group. last year, six states, three with republican governors and three with democratic governors, enacted bills to increase their overall state fuel taxes. the sky didn't fall and their economies have not collapsed. both republican and democratic presidents approved modest gas taxes including ronald reagan. so it can be done. increasing the gas tax, and fuel tax, it's the right answer. it's tough and it's doable. keep in mind the public money is only part of this equation. we must increase private investments as well. the private sector is prepared to pump as much as $250 billion into public/private partnerships or p3s if only certain barriers would be removed. we also must continue to aggressively root out waste in the system which members indicated is underway. much of it caused by permitting delays and obstacles as w

from these groups, the national business coalition on e-commerce and privacy, the payment card industry, the national association of federal credit unions come in the american bankers association, national retail federation, and the retail industry leaders association. >> without objection that it be included in the record. matt asked the four witnesses to please stand and raise your right hand. let the record show that the all took thes oath. we will hear from each of the witnesses first and then we will ask questions. john mulligan is chief financial officer and executive vice , thedent for target second-largest largest general merchandise retailer in the u.s. 1996.ned target in his responsibility includes financial planning and analysis, financial operations, tax .ssurance, investor relations he graduated from the university of wisconsin in 1988. 1996 he earned a masters of business administration degree from the university of minnesota. >> good morning, members of the committee. my name is john mulligan. i'm executive vice president and chief financial officer of target. i appreciate the opportunity to be here today to discuss important issues surroundi

business of slaughtering so-called retired dairy cows. >> those animals do tend to be older. >> reporter: jeremy russell with the north american meat association says older dairy cows are used to make cheaper ground beef products. >> that is exactly why the u.s. sets a minimum standard for any animal that's going to enter the food supply and that's why they have inspectors present. >> reporter: the usda has an on-site office at rancho, but in a statement says the processing of the diseased cattle was done without the benefit of federal inspection. big players like walmart have pulled the tainted products from their shelves. but we found that many of the mom and pop stores on the recall list still have no idea. there's close to 1,000 of them. after we told the owner of bonfair market in alameda, he quickly removed some recalled hot pockets. back in sonoma county, adams insists his beef has nothing to do with frozen processed food. >> we can prove our animals are safe. they're done on a separate day. they don't comingle with the old dairy cows. >> reporter: you think there could have been cross- contamination? >> no. not possible. >> why go to t

american airlines and pet smart. >> our associates and our communities and our customers all deserve equal respect, and this bill undermines that and goes against it. >> many arizona business owners say that. >> do we have separate drinking bills, too. >> reporter: and proponents are those who are against it. >> we have seen bakers and photographers who have lost their cases where the government says they have to help celebrate the same sex ceremonies. >> but john mccain and senator john flake want it vetoed. >> and the attorney general -- >> all are equal and equal to equal opportunities. >> reporter: and so all eyes on governor jan brewer. she has the weekend to decide, and again, nbc news hears from the aides that the governor is leaning to the veto. i'm steve handelsman, news4. >>> a show in maryland where the top cops came to fight marijuana legislation. the police chiefs and police officers came to the statehouse to show they do not want the marijuana bill, because they believe it will hurt public safety. >> we form a united front with the police chiefs across the united states. it is not the answer. this marijuana bill slaps in the faces of law enforcement officers

combined support of business, labor, construction, shippers, regulators and in addition to rockers and yesterday i had a meeting with the leaders of the american trucking associations and the leaders of the aaa. they would significantly support a modest than thoughtful increase in the gasoline tax and to the people that are here this is getting to be a rather supportive group. it's interesting to note that last year six states three with republicrepublic an governors and three with democratic governors in acted bill to increase their overall state fuel taxes. the sky didn't fall and their economies have not collapsed. both republican and democratic presidents have approved modest gas tax increases including ronald reagan so it can be done. increasingly the gas tax and the fuel tax is the right answer. it's tough but it's doable and let's keep in mind that public money is only part of this equation. we must increase private investment as well. the private sector is prepared to pump as much as $250 billion into public-private partnerships or p3's if only certain barriers would be removed. we also must continue to aggressively root out waste in the system which member

three, the national association for business economics host its .aylong forum coming up next on "washington journal kong the latest on the ukraine. we will talk about the number of americans who failed to pay the hired care premiums on time after enrolling in the online exchanges. then we will discuss ongoing funding for military tanks and vehicles that the army says are no longer necessary. "washington journal" is next. ♪ host: good morning, it is monday, february 24. of lawmakers are heading back to washington today. and defense secretary chuck hagel is set to propose touctions -- shrinking it its smallest size since before world war ii. the pentagon budget request will request cuts to benefits. that is part of the defense department's efforts to cut spending as the united states exits more than a decade of war in iraq and afghanistan.

concerns of organizations like the american consumers union supporting this legislation, the small business and entrepreneurship council, the competitive carriers association, the ctia, and also importantly -- i yield myself an additional 30 seconds. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. goodlatte: to ask unanimous consent that a letter from the national fraternal order of police be made a part of the record. and i'll read very briefly from it. it says, as congress contemplates legislation to facilitate lawful unlocking by individuals, either for themselves or for devices on a family plan, we urge you to retain the prohibition on bulk unlocking, consistent with both the 2010 and 2012 decision from the copyright office. we believe that maintaining this prohibition will reduce smartphone thefts because the criminal sale of these devices will no longer be as profitable. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. without objection, the gentleman's request is granted. the gentleman from colorado. mr. polis: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from virginia for purposes of a colloquy. the spe

business, they're likely to close your account. >> the new federal guidelines include avoiding dealers who sell marijuana to minors. hodges is happy the feds are stretching in, but the american bankers association is not so sure about this move. the group is quoted as saying, quote, guidance and regulations does not alter the underlying challenge for the banks. >>> an olympic surprise on the eve of the big rush sha/usa hockey game, russian president vladimir putin visited the usa house in sochi yesterday. no tension. just some pleasantries and some wine. word of putin's unexpected visit quickly spread on twitter, this selfie was tweeted with the russian leader. we've got another days of heart-stopping victories and losses to come. if you are a reporter in sochi, you are going for gold in endurance arriving way before the athletes to show case the games. we usually show you the beauty of the games. this morning the inner workings not so beautiful. our own janelle wang live right now in sochi. she is the hardest-working woman in show business these days and i understand you even got your own workout in today. >> reporter: i did. i just ran here to the live shot to talk to you, sam. it's just afte

from these groups, the national business coalition on e-commerce and privacy, the payment card industry, the national association of federal credit unions, the american bankers association, national retail federation, and the retail industry leaders association. >> without objection that it be included in the record. could i ask the four witnesses to please stand and raise your right hand. do you swear the testimony you give in this matter will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god? let the record show that the four witnesses all took the oath. we will hear from each of the witnesses first and then we will ask questions. john mulligan is chief financial officer and executive vice president for target, the second-largest largest general merchandise retailer in the u.s. he joined target in 1996. his responsibility includes financial planning and analysis, financial operations, tax assurance, investor relations. he graduated from the university of wisconsin in 1988. 1996 he earned a masters of business administration degree from the university of minnesota. >> good morning, members of the committee. my name is john mu

americans. second, sb 1062 would take the individual protections against being forced to act against your religious beliefs and hand it to any individual association, partnership, corporation, church, religious assembly or institution or other businessant in the jim crow south because arizona's current public accommodations law already leaves out lgbt americans just like federal law. this is an easy call, governor. and that wraps up things for "the rode repo" "the reid report." "the cycle" is up next. >> i'm doing well. >> appreciate your commentary there. what's going on today, we have the president in st. paul, minnesota. we'll go to that live. i'm doing a little commentary on "house of cards." you guessed it. >> you are doing it. i haven't been to watch it all so please no spoilers. "cycle" up next. if i can impart one lesson to a new business owner, it would be one thing i've learned is my philosophy is real simple american express open forum is an on-line community, that helps our members connect and share ideas to make smart business decisions. if you mess up, fess up. be your partners best partner. we built it for our members, but it's open for everyone. there's not one way to do something. no details too small. american expr

american bankers association's vice president and senior advisor of risk management policy where he is involved in a variety of public policy and compliance issues. currently leads the association's enterprise risk physical and cyber security business continuity and resiliency policy and deterrence efforts. >> angela mackay. angela is the director of cyber security policy and strategy at microsoft for she is responsible for addressing complex global challenges related to critical infrastructure protection and information assurance across a wide range of topics including strategic and operational risk management information sharing, incident response, emergency communications and software security and integrity. and to her immediate right we have catherine carmelo who is the director of national security for century link. catherine is also the current chair of the communications sector coordinating council which represents five segments, wireless, wireline, broadcasting, cable, satellite. the former media pasture the sharing analysis center were a lot of the operational edge activities for communications corporation nation's in this government taking place. with that would like to introduce charlie mitchell who many of you read abou

american bankers association's vice president and senior advisor of risk management policy where he is involved in a variety of public andcy and compliance issues he leads the association's enterprise risk, physical and cyber security business continuity and resiliency policy and fraud deterrence efforts. have angela, we merkay. she is responsible for addressing complex global criticals related to infrastructure protection and information assurance across a wide range of topics, including strategic and operational risk management, information sharing, incident response, emergency communications, and software security and integrity. to her right we have catherine condello. she ios the current chair of the sector coordinating council. she is also the former immediate past chair of the communications icc information and share in alice's center where a lot of areoperational efforts taking place. i would like to introduce charlie mitchell who many of you read about on a daily basis. charlie is the senior editor at insight cyber security -- inside cybersecurity.com. has extensive experience covering congress, energy, and the environment, health care, and other policy areas. he served as editor in chief at rollcall.com. >> thank y

american bankerssassociation says the cost of replacement cards exceeds $172 million. credit union national association is spending 30, replacing its members cards. -- 30 million. >>> and that is the latest from the fox business foreign banks has internet swarming with conspiracy theories. charlie gasparino with more details. >> i usually go by the notion, one is, you know coincidence. three might be a trend. ashley: yep. >> who knows if they're related but here's what we do know. as many as six, i'll tell you, this is starting to get to a level where you do start reporting, we'll not engage, i'll tell what you the conspiracy theories are. i have no proof these six are related. we don't think they are but this is clearly more banker deaths than anytime since i've seen since the financial crisis when there was a string of deaths related to madoff and bear stearns closing and things of that nature but what we have is as many as six wall street executives, bankers have, died since january. strange that three have occurred at jpmorgan. at least two of those were suicide. the other one they don't think is natural. they don't think it is suicide by natural causes. that is kind of bizarre. this is in recent weeks. t

association of manufacturers and i'm so happy they are with us today, found that 70% of u.s. manufacturers believe america's roads are getting worse and 67% believe that infrastructure is important enough to american businesses that all options to fund investments should be on the table. i think nam for that great roads and bridges are not democratic. they are not republican and i'm so proud of the bipartisan support on our committee from my ranking member senator vitter to every member on this committee and i have met with almost everyone of them. it is our intention to report on the bill and i'm hoping for a five or six year bill. i've begun discussions with chairman wyden and ranking member hatch on funding the highway trust fund. they know they have that responsibility and i know we will all work with them. to all of our witnesses thank you for being here and for your advocacy for a strong transportation system. we need you now more than ever. you have been with us through these battles before and we won those battles because of our unity. whatever our differences may be in other areas and we know we have them, we don't have them here and being partners is critical to our success. with that i would turn