Minimum wage hikes will dent Pentagon budget
WASHINGTON — New federal rules issued by President Joe Biden requiring that federal employees and government contractors must earn at least $15 an hour could cost the Defense Department $880 million a year, according to estimates from the Pentagon and congressional budget experts.
To be sure, the cost to the federal government, or just the Pentagon, of the higher minimum wage was not central to the arguments for or against it. Some business leaders and conservatives argued against it, mainly on the grounds that it would cause employment losses. Supporters of the raises clearly believe the boost to working families makes the additional cost worth it.
And even $880 million in extra annual expenses at the Pentagon represents but a tiny fraction of the department’s yearly budget of nearly three-quarters of a trillion dollars.
However, $880 million is not an insignificant figure and, even in the Defense Department, it is an amount that budget writers will have to reckon with.
“The problem with unfunded mandates like a minimum wage is that they eat away at purchasing power,” said Mark Cancian, a former Office of Management and Budget official who is now an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “That’s not a major problem if the budget is rising. Because the Biden administration’s defense budget is likely to be level at best, this widens an already existing gap between the administration’s defense strategy and the resources available.”
A mandate that contractor employees working under new deals or extensions must make at least $15 an hour went into force late last year, and the same minimum wage for federal employees took effect in January.
—CQ-Roll Call
Floods, landslides leave 130 dead, 218 missing in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO — The death toll after landslides and flooding in Petrópolis in Brazil has risen to at least 130, according to the fire brigade on Friday.
At least 21 minors were among the dead, local news outlet G1 reported. Meanwhile 218 people are missing, according to the police. After four days of searching, firefighters still believe it may be possible to rescue some of the victims alive.
On Friday morning, several warning alarms were again activated at the Morro da Oficina, one of the regions most affected by strong rainfall.
On Tuesday, the city, located in the mountainous region of the Rio de Janeiro state, saw more rain in six hours than had been broadcast for all of February, according to weather forecaster Climatempo.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro flew over the region following his return from a visit to Russia and Hungary. "I saw a huge destruction. It is an image of war," he said.
State Gov. Claudio Castro said it was the worst rain in Petrópolis since 1932.
Pope Francis expressed his condolences to the families. "I pray to God for eternal rest for the deceased and consolation, recovery and Christian hope for those affected," he said, according to a telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to the Bishop of Petrópolis.
—dpa
FBI analysis details final hours of family who died on hike
LOS ANGELES — It was high summer, and temperatures were climbing swiftly on a remote trail in the Sierra Nevada near the small community of Mariposa.
Jonathan Gerrish and his wife, Ellen Chung, knew they were in trouble.
Out of water, exposed and overheating, they had to ascend the rugged and steep Savage Lundy Trail to return to their vehicle at the Hite Cove trailhead. Their 1-year-old daughter, Aurelia "Miju" Chung-Gerrish, and dog, Oski, were with them.
Gerrish took out his cellphone and typed a message: 11:56 a.m. Aug. 15: "(Name redacted) can you help us. On savage lundy trail heading back to Hites cove trail. No water (over) heating with baby."
The plea never went through, stymied by the lack of cellular reception in the area.
Gerrish's attempted message was among several key pieces of new information released Thursday by the Mariposa County Sheriff's Office that shed further light on the family's final hours.
In October, Sheriff Jeremy Briese revealed that an investigation found the family and their dog had died of heat-related illness and probable dehydration.
Gerrish and Chung were experienced hikers who had recently moved to Mariposa from San Francisco after falling in love with the area.
—Los Angeles Times
Chief of medical examiner's office in Baltimore resigns
BALTIMORE — Dr. Victor W. Weedn resigned Friday as chief of the medical examiners’ office for Maryland after a tumultuous year of staff departures and a backlog of autopsies at least 200 deep.
In an email to the Baltimore office’s staff Friday afternoon, he wrote: “I am resigning my position as Chief Medical Examiner as of today. Thank you for your support throughout my tenure. Good luck.”
A state commission that oversees the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner met early Friday morning and immediately went into closed session. It was unclear if they discussed Weedn in the meeting.
Officials with the Maryland Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment about Weedn’s resignation or who might succeed him.
Weedn took over the post about a year ago, replacing the long-serving chief Dr. David Fowler, who retired in a the end of 2019 in part because of the lack of resources to handle the overloaded autopsy schedule for examiners.
Matters only became worse for the office that investigates suspicious and unattended deaths. It was deluged with cases largely from opioid overdoses but also homicides. The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated those problems.
—Baltimore Sun
