Sharing the burden

March 24, 2016 - Daily News Briefing

Whoever the next US president is, he or she will have to coordinate more, not less, with allies.

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A clash of world views is intensifying as the presidential contenders in both parties fight to convince voters they can best protect the nation from a renewed threat of Islamic extremism. As the world grappled with a new wave of attacks in Europe, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton traded wins with their chief rivals on Tuesday in primary contests across three Western states. Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton scored victories in the night's biggest prize of Arizona, while Democratic challenger Bernie Sanders won caucuses in Utah and Idaho. Republican Ted Cruz claimed the GOP caucuses in Utah.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) plans to suspend the top official of the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Chief Danny Pummill, for 15 days without pay after two of his employees successfully manipulated money from the agency’s relocation process. Controversy has surrounded Mr. Pummill and two lower-ranking officials since in September when an inspector general report charged Kimberly Graves and Diana Rubens of abusing their authority.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday released a long-awaited rule requiring companies to disclose when they seek advice about countering union campaigns, which several business groups vowed to challenge in court. The so-called persuader rule, first proposed in 2011, amends the federal Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act to require detailed reports from employers and their advisers, including the types of consulting or legal services rendered and any fees paid.

Following the passage of a law in Charlotte, N.C., that allows transgender people access to the public bathrooms corresponding with their gender identities, Raleigh lawmakers are considering implementing a statewide ban on similar ordinances. The issue has been a contentious one in several places around the country, with advocates of more open bathroom access policies saying such laws are necessary to support the rights and safety of transgender people, while opponents say it could allow sexual predators to gain access to bathrooms they would otherwise be barred from.

Worsening droughts in the United States create a double threat for forest fires, according to climate researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. With 14 percent of the contiguous US currently experiencing drought and climate change increasing the risk of severe forest fires, understanding the role drought plays in wildfire risk and forest recovery is becoming increasingly important.

A new study released Wednesday confirms the existence of a gender-based pay gap. For the study, Glassdoor’s chief economist, Andrew Chamberlain, analyzed thousands of salaries posted by full-time workers to the job website. Mr. Chamberlain suggests addressing the traditional occupational sorting based on gender could make a big difference in narrowing the pay gap. It is common for women to be sorted into traditionally lower-paying jobs through institutional pressures and the acceptance of social norms, which if eliminated could even the proportion of men in industries like caregiving or education and women in science and technology fields.

After years of pushing environmental benefits and gas savings, automakers are now marketing hybrid and electric vehicles based on performance and speed, marking a shift in the alternative cars’ place in the market. When mass-produced hybrid electric cars first hit the streets in the late 1990s, they didn’t make much of a splash. But now, electric and hybrid cars are seeing a redefined space in the auto world. It’s no longer about how far drivers can travel on a single tank of gas, it’s about how they do it.

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