Republicans Are Coming for Your Minimum Wage Hike
– The New Republic
The fight for a higher minimum wage has become a hallmark of the progressive left as it seeks to take back power from Republicans, at both the state and federal levels. Support for Fight for $15 has practically become a litmus test for aspiring Democratic politicians. But nearly a year after Republicans extended their domination of statehouses across the country, a new challenge has emerged: preventing Republicans from lowering the minimum wage in cities that have voted for a wage hike.
Hotels Train Workers in the Personal Touch
– The New York Times
Technology, some hotels are finding, has its limits. “Technology cannot hug a repeat guest,” said George Aquino, the vice president and managing director of AHC+Hospitality, formerly the Amway Hotel Corporation, based in Grand Rapids, Mich. That is the reason his company, which manages several hotels, has been running a training program for some of its managers and other staff members to improve their hospitality skills, connect with local business leaders and learn more about local tourist offerings.
The Deep Industry Ties of Trump’s Deregulation Teams
– The New York Times
President Trump entered office pledging to cut red tape, and within weeks, he ordered his administration to assemble teams to aggressively scale back government regulations. But the effort — a signature theme in Mr. Trump’s populist campaign for the White House — is being conducted in large part out of public view and often by political appointees with deep industry ties and potential conflicts. The New York Times and ProPublica identified 71 appointees, including 28 with potential conflicts, through interviews, public records and documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, presented here.
– The New Yorker
Texans are hardly monolithic. The state is as politically divided as the rest of the nation. One can drive across it and be in two different states at the same time: FM Texas and AM Texas. Yet Texas is overwhelmingly Republican in its representation. Why? The New Yorker explains the timeline of Texas redistricting and how that process has since been replicated in statehouses around the country, creating congressional districts that are practically immune to challenge and giving Republicans an impregnable edge in Washington.