Prince Philip, husband to Queen Elizabeth II, dies aged 99 – National & International News – FRI 9Apr2021

AL Amazon workers vote against union. Biden budget highlights science. Britain’s Prince Philip dies, aged 99. 3000-year-old Egyptian city found.

NATIONAL NEWS

AL Amazon workers vote against union

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, AL, have voted against forming a union. Of the 5,800 workers at the facility, 3,215 cast votes. The final tally was 1,798 votes against forming a union to 738 votes in favor of the union. This was the first significant attempt to unionize an Amazon facility since 2014. 

The outcome is no doubt a relief to Amazon, who faced the prospect of similar votes at other facilities across the country. However, the story in Alabama may not be over just yet. The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which pushed for the union vote, is filing a legal challenge with the National Labor Relations Board, “to determine if the results of the election should be set aside because conduct by the employer created an atmosphere of confusion, coercion and/or fear of reprisals and thus interfered with the employees’ freedom of choice”.

Shortly after the warehouse opened last summer, some Bessemer workers quietly reached out to the RWDSU with concerns about working conditions. The NLRB set the vote after half the facilities’ workers signed cards saying they wanted a union shop. Amazon immediately waged a counter offensive with lengthy, mandatory “information sessions” for its works, numerous text messages to current and former employees, and other tactics described by some as intimidation or attempts to interfere with the vote.

One labor expert speculates that the vote may prompt the White House and other federal officials to review laws allowing employers “to bombard their employees with anti-union messages”.

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Biden’s 1st budget highlights transport, science, climate

The Biden administration has just released its first budget proposal, with priorities that mark a near total departure from the Trump years. The total is about $1.5 trillion, about an 8% increase over the previous year. This does not include Biden’s infrastructure proposal, which would be included in the full budget.

Investments in science, education, and combatting climate change are high on the agenda. The proposal also includes a huge increase in investment in schools in poorer areas as well as research into numerous diseases, aside from COVID-19. It also calls for a $14 billion increase in spending to combat greenhouse gas emissions and further investments in public transportation and environmental clean-up.

The budget also sets aside $millions to deal with the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the border. This includes investing  $861 million to foster development in Central America, where many of the migrants of all ages are coming from. Biden’s budget does not the construction of Trump’s border wall. It does, however, fund investigation of immigration agents accused of “white supremacy”.

The Department of Defense would receive about $715 billion, which is about the same as the previous year. Among the priorities outlined for the Pentagon are countering China, modernizing the nuclear arsenal, and enhancing “climate resiliency” at military facilities.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Britain’s Prince Philip dies, aged 99

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband to Queen Elizabeth II died at home today. He had suffered a number of health problems recently. He was recently discharged after a weeks-long hospital stay where he was treated for an infection and a pre-existing heart condition. Philip was married to the Queen for over seven decades and was Britain’s longest-serving royal consort in history.

Outpourings of grief and support from Britons show the immense affection Philip had earned among members of the public. Described by some during his lifetime as being out of touch and blunt to the point of being offensive, many nevertheless appreciated his willingness to speak his mind. In his youth, he was seen as a dashing naval officer who brought a touch of glamor to the royal family, despite his relatively humble background.

After news of his passing, many British politicians expressed sadness at the loss of one of Britain’s longest-serving and most prolific public servants. During his tenure as Prince Consort, Philip championed many charitable causes throughout the world and took a keen interest in Britain’s development in the post-war period. Many also expressed their condolences to the Queen, who once described Philip as “my rock”. In the 1970s, an old navy friend of Philip’s and his former private secretary said of him: “He told me the first day he offered me my job, that his job — first, second and last — was never to let her down”.

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Intact 3000-year-old Egyptian city emerges from the sands

Egyptologists have announced the discovery of what many are calling “Egypt’s Pompeii”. The city, whose ancient name is Aten, is located near the immense ancient temple complex of Luxor. The city is remarkably preserved with mudbrick walls still standing to a great height rooms still full of tools and and other remnants of daily life. The city may be the most significant discovery in Egypt since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb nearly a century ago.

The city was actually founded by Tutankhamun’s grandfather, Amenhotep III, who ruled from about 1391–1354 BC. The city reflects life at the height of the Egyptian empire’s wealth and prestige.

The first walls of the city were first unearthed in September of last year and excavations have been in progress ever since. The digs have uncovered several neighborhoods, including a residential area, workshops and an administrative district. 

Nearby, sets of stairs carved into the rock, similar to those found in the Valley of the Kings, have raised the team’s hopes that rich and intact tombs of the period may be in the vicinity of the city.

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