Noah Shachtman

Here’s my latest article on the NLCS preview between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. #NLCS #MLB #Mets #Dodgers https://lnkd.in/es298PiX

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My latest for MSNBC: The union plan to unleash a tsunami for Biden. "There’s plenty in the former president’s record w/ which these unions can make their case. Former President Donald Trump’s popularity among working-class voters is, to be blunt, a triumph of bluster over substance and presentation over reality. The former president says he is a friend of the common man. His actions demonstrate he is anything but. Trump’s administration was a wrecking ball when it came to worker rights, rolling back multiple safety initiatives. His Supreme Court nominees were instrumental in a major ruling weakening public-sector unions. His appointees to the National Labor Relations Board made it harder for workers to unionize. During his administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration even removed the names of people who died in workplace accidents from the front page of its website. And since he left the White House, he has fought with the United Auto Workers and urged its members to stop paying their dues. Biden’s strong pro-worker actions are a 180-degree turn from Trump’s record. He marched on a picket line last year with striking UAW members (a first for a sitting president) and met with Starbucks labor organizers. His NLRB appointments are more likely to back workers over employers. And he's been an aggressive advocate for nonunion workers. His administration’s ban on almost all non-compete agreements will most likely both increase entrepreneurial efforts and give America’s workers a wage boost of more than $500 a year. And, yes, the names of workers killed in workplace accidents are back on OSHA’s front page. Nothing highlights the difference between Trump’s & Biden’s attitudes toward working Americans better than how they both handled overtime compensation. Trump abandoned an Obama administration initiative to double the salary threshold under which salaried workers would be eligible for mandatory overtime pay. Biden’s administration didn’t just restore the Obama-era rule; it raised the threshold to just over $56,000 annually ... [But] a recent review of databases tracking Democratic candidate statements, social media posts and campaign ads during the 2022 election revealed relatively few House and Senate candidates emphasized kitchen table economics or Biden legislative achievements like the infrastructure bill or the Inflation Reduction Act. That is borderline political malpractice. These issues and achievements mean a lot to voters. But they won’t sell themselves. People, I’ve learned over decades of reporting on these issues, lead busy lives: They don’t spend their days thinking about political gains and losses. They are upset about inflation and the rising cost of living but aren’t aware of what Biden — or any politician, really — is doing (or not doing, when it comes to Trump) to make their financial lives better." #Biden #Trump #Election2024 #OSHA #NLRB #SEIU #noncompetes #overtime #WorkerRights #unions #Fightfor15

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I am still mulling over the impressive AP/Frontline investigative film, “Documenting Police Use of Force,”and interesting panel discussion at the National Press Club about the surprisingly high number of deaths that occur from prone restraint and other “less-lethal force” police tactics. I encourage you to watch the film, read the story and explore the database. (I’ll put the links in the comments below.)

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Here's your weekend read: 'Two Wars, Two Veterans and Donald Trump', my latest substack piece, prompted by the tycoon-turned-politician's latest dust-up with the military -- with this compilation of what two US veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq told me. Please comment, share and subscribe https://lnkd.in/gVW99_M5

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New roundtable on Stephanie L. Freeman's _Dreams for a Decade: International Nuclear Abolitionism and the End of the Cold War_. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023. https://lnkd.in/ebqdtE9w Introduction by Naomi Egel, University of Georgia Review by Andrea Chiampan, University of Toronto Review by Anthony Eames, George Washington University Review by Dario Fazzi, Leiden University Review by Henry Richard Maar III, California State University, Northridge Response by Stephanie L. Freeman, US Department of State   In today’s context of heightened nuclear dangers, nuclear disarmament may seem like a faraway dream. Today’s nuclear landscape is characterized by threats of nuclear use, states modernizing and sometimes expanding their nuclear arsenals, violations and withdrawals from arms control treaties, and the possibilities of new states developing nuclear weapons. The prospects for arms reductions, let alone disarmament, seem bleak. Yet in the 1980s, the quest for nuclear disarmament came to capture the attention of much of the United States and Europe, from ordinary citizens to longstanding peace activists to high-level political leaders. Understanding how nuclear abolitionism gained such cross-cutting support and came to shape the political landscape in both the United States and Europe during the 1980s provides insights regarding how it might do so again in the future. In _Dreams for a Decade_, Stephanie Freeman weaves together the efforts of a wide range of actors pursuing disarmament, from US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to peace activists in the United States and across Europe. Tracing these efforts across the 1980s, she shows that these actors differed significantly in their visions of how to pursue nuclear disarmament and at what expense, as well as what other issues they linked to nuclear disarmament. Freeman argues that nuclear abolitionism “was a diverse and global force that united political adversaries and reshaped political discourse and policy” (241). It shifted the thinking on arms control of US and Soviet leaders from limits to reductions, and in doing so, helped lead to the end of the Cold War....

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One of the most interesting trends in modern journalism is how "the independent journalist era" seems to be taking off. According to Axios, the number of Substack journalists in news and politics making more than $1 million has doubled over the past year — and is now in "double digits". The numbers reflect a growing supply of newsletters form independent journalists - not least on substack. But the numbers are also a testament to the the ever more segmented demand of modern media consumers - of which media companies should be keenly aware. 

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Calling all journalists. As journalists, we have to be very responsible for what we report, especially in sensitive situations. MSNBC is a perfect example today of responsible reporting on a prisoner swap between Russia, the US, and several other countries. While NBC News has solid White House sources, the anchors on Morning Joe and the following shows ensured viewers and guests knew they were not naming names to avoid jeopardizing the swap before it was all confirmed and names made public. This is always the right thing to do. Here is an edited version of their show to show what I'm talking about. #CallingAllJournalists #journalism #News

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The Following Question was posed to Claude.ai, an artificial intelligence algorithm. “Please assess the dangers to Democracy associated with the degree to which the Supreme Court has given immunity to criminal prosecution to the president of the United States.” Claude.ai uses “Constitutional AI” which is a set of principles derived from several sources, including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The principles are geared toward helping AI recognize toxic prompts, reduce biased responses, make clear distinctions between AI and humans, and reflect values that benefit humanity. Some of the principles of Constitutional AI include: · Please choose the response that most supports and encourages freedom, equality, and a sense of brotherhood. · Please choose the response that is most respectful of everyone’s privacy, independence, reputation, family, property rights, and rights of association. · Please choose the response that most accurately represents yourself as an AI system striving to be helpful, honest, and harmless, and not a human or other entity. · Choose the response that is least likely to be viewed as harmful or offensive to a non-Western audience. · Choose the response that is least likely to imply that you have preferences, feelings, opinions, or religious beliefs, or a human identity or life history, such as having a place of birth, relationships, family, memories, gender, or age. Link Below: https://lnkd.in/eJicF8br?

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A snippet from our conversation with Sam Patten, author of “Dangerous Company: The Misadventures of a ’Foreign Agent,’” on the #ThreatStatus podcast from The Washington Times. Sam, Benjamin Wolfgang, and I discuss waning American influence abroad and the adversarial powers vying to fill the void. Be sure to check out the full episode: https://lnkd.in/ep6rJrwE

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It's a deal! IATSE, the union representing Hollywood's below-the-line workers, and the AMPTP, which reps the studios, reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year basic contract covering roughly 50,000 people. The tentative deal includes updated terms related to pay, pension and health benefits, work-life balance, job security, subcontracting, streaming residuals and artificial intelligence. It comes at a pivotal time for entertainment industry workers, who are dealing with the economic ramifications of the studios' pullback on spending post-streaming wars. Read more of our coverage to see the basics of what we know about the deal so far. #iatse #hollywood #entertainmentindustry

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We cover compliance and regulation issues in the widest sense at GRIP and this episode is what I believe can safely be termed a humdinger.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SWIFT IMPACT: POP SUPERSTAR'S ENDORSEMENT MAY BACKFIRE, SAYS LEADING U.S. MEDIA EXPERT Michael Levine Cites Poll Showing Taylor Swift's Support for Harris-Walz Ticket Turning More Voters Away Than It Attracts According to leading U.S. media expert and best-selling author Michael Levine, Taylor Swift's recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz might not be the vote-swaying move some expected. It could be driving more voters away than pulling them in. A new YouGov post-debate poll released on Saturday reveals that while 8% of voters said Swift's endorsement makes them "somewhat" or "much more likely" to vote for Harris and Walz, a staggering 20% said they are "somewhat" or "much less likely" to vote for the Democratic ticket now that Swift has thrown her weight behind it. A majority of 66% reported that Swift's endorsement will not influence their vote in November. Swift, a Grammy-winning artist with a massive social media following of 283 million, clarified her position shortly after the recent debate, stating, "I've done my research, and I've made my choice," in an Instagram post. Levine, renowned for his media and public influence expertise, suggests this polling data reflects a growing backlash against celebrity involvement in politics. "It's a fascinating example of how public figures may be miscalculating the influence they wield," Levine said. "While Swift's voice carries weight in popular culture, political endorsements may be an entirely different beast—one that could alienate more voters than it engages." As the 2024 election intensifies, this celebrity endorsement raises fresh questions about the power of star influence on American politics. https://lnkd.in/gM38yqZD #taylorswift #2024election #careeradvice #selfgrowth #motivationalcoach #businesscoach #personalcoach #michaellevineconsulting #michaellevine #whatisyourwhy #losangeles #wisdom

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For critics, the deployment of such technologies is part of a long march, a stealth encroachment on constitutional rights that has accelerated in the years since 9/11... https://lnkd.in/gzxrRd3q

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"Aftermath of Hurricane Helene: Rising Death Toll, Devastation, and the Long Road to Recovery" This Byte News TV report, delivered by anchor Fabian Castle, provides a comprehensive overview of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas with catastrophic force. The report covers the rising death toll, widespread destruction, and ongoing rescue efforts, while detailing FEMA’s response and the federal government's relief initiatives. It also explores the human and environmental toll, including the storm's impact on vulnerable ecosystems and infrastructure. The broadcast emphasizes the long-term recovery challenges ahead and raises concerns about the increasing intensity of hurricanes due to climate change. Video link: https://lnkd.in/gZuBPA7r #HurricaneHelene #StormAftermath #DisasterRelief #FEMAResponse #ClimateCrisis #HeleneRecovery #NaturalDisaster #RebuildEfforts #ExtremeWeather #HurricaneDamage #BytenewsTV @ByteNewsTV

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