Facing new Superfund taxes, chemical lobby boosted spending
WASHINGTON — A major lobbying arm for the chemical industry boosted its spending by nearly 92 percent at the end of last year, compared with the same period in 2020, as Congress considered and passed legislation raising taxes on 42 chemicals.
In the last quarter of 2021, the American Chemistry Council, or ACC, spent $7.32 million lobbying Congress and federal agencies, up from $3.81 million in the fourth quarter of 2020, records show. For the full year, the council increased its spending by 19 percent to $16.57 million, compared with $13.92 million in 2020.
“The increase in spending was driven by a number of challenges and opportunities that came to the fore late in the year, specifically, the reimposition of Superfund Taxes on chemical manufacturers and a proposed tax on plastics,” Jennifer Scott, a spokesperson for the group, said in an email.
“Both proposals represent bad policy that penalize the very industry and creation of products that will make many of the Administration’s climate goals possible, while taking money out of the hands of consumers,” Scott wrote.
That fourth-quarter total is the largest sum the ACC has reported in the Senate’s official lobbying database since 1999, the earliest quarterly record available for the trade group, and it excludes any money the organization spent to hire outside lobbying firms.
—CQ-Roll Call
Husband of cinematographer killed on ‘Rust’ movie blames Alec Baldwin, safety violations for wife’s death
Matthew Hutchins, husband of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins — who was killed during filming of the movie “Rust — expressed outrage over actor Alec Baldwin’s response to the shooting.
In a preview of an interview that will air Thursday morning on NBC’s "Today" show, Hutchins blamed the actor as well as a lack of adherence to industry safety standards on set for his wife’s death.
Hutchins, 42, was killed Oct. 21 when she was struck by a live bullet from a gun that Baldwin was drawing for a scene filming on a movie ranch outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. The bullet passed through her and injured the director, Joel Souza.
Earlier this month Matthew Hutchins filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin and others linked to the production.
“The idea that the person holding the gun and causing it to discharge is not responsible is absurd to me,” Hutchins told "Today" co-anchor Hoda Kotb.
Baldwin previously deflected any blame for the shooting in an interview on ABC, adding that it was unlikely he would be charged criminally.
—Los Angeles Times
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer defends repeating N-word when quoting hate speech
LOS ANGELES — Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer is facing increasing scrutiny after a video of him saying the N-word while describing two racist incidents surfaced this week.
Spitzer repeated the slur during a speech he delivered to the Iranian American Bar Association in November 2019, outlining the rise in hate crimes in Orange County and describing several cases his office had recently prosecuted. The presentation was recorded and posted to YouTube.
As Spitzer described a hate crime that occurred in Fullerton in 2018, he quoted the epithets that a man he described as a white supremacist hurled at a Black woman.
“There’s no kids here so I’m good, I guess,” Spitzer said to the roomful of lawyers.
Then, he quoted the white supremacist: “‘Hey you f— n—, I’m going to drop your baby, because n— shouldn’t have babies,’” Spitzer said.
Spitzer uttered both the N-word and the F-word in their entireties.
The video comes on the heels of racist comments Spitzer allegedly made while discussing the case of a Black murder defendant.
Spitzer, who is running for a second term as Orange County district attorney against two challengers, has faced a loss of political support and calls to resign since the alleged comments came to light last week.
—Los Angeles Times
Cuba blames US for the crisis in Ukraine, but stops short of endorsing Putin’s invasion
In a carefully worded statement, the Cuban government is blaming the United States for the crisis in Ukraine and backed Russia’s right to “self-defense,” but said the conflict should be resolved diplomatically.
“We call on the United States and NATO to seriously and realistically address the well-founded claims for security guarantees of the Russian Federation, which has the right to defend itself,” Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released late Tuesday and carried on Cuba media Wednesday.
“Cuba advocates a diplomatic solution through constructive and respectful dialogue. We call to preserve international peace and security,” the ministry said.
Notably, the Cuban government was silent about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s armed incursion into Ukraine’s separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, which he recognized as independent, self-proclaimed republics. The rebel-controlled areas are not mentioned in Cuba’s statement.
—Miami Herald
