The Leslie Marshall Show

Democrats Need to Prevent Unforced Errors on Infrastructure, Climate and China

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union.

For over 16 years, Mr. Paul and AAM have worked to make American manufacturing a top-of-mind issue for voters and our national leaders through effective advocacy, innovative research, and a savvy public relations strategy.

Leslie and Scott discuss how Democrats are currently at risk of committing three unforced errors, on Infrastructure, Climate, and China Competition, with major political and policy implications.

On the infrastructure front, they're not properly selling the bipartisan bill that is massively popular with voters, because somehow only 24 percent are aware it's actually a law.

When it comes to the topic of renewable energy production in the U.S., Senator Manchin’s refusal to go along with ANY climate related legislation is having real-time consequences. Solar manufacturing will disappear from our country without action!

Finally, in regards to competition with China, the United States needs to 'go big' beyond semiconductors to position ourselves for the future, and the Biden administration shouldn’t lift tariffs that are in place. 

WEBSITE: 1. AmericanManufacturing.org

TWITTER: 1. AAM - @KeepItMadeInUSA  2. Scott Paul - @ScottPaulAAM

What Greedy Corporations Don’t Want Working Families to Know About Inflation

Leslie is joined by USW (United Steelworkers) International Vice President (Administration), David McCall.

The two reveal what corporations don't want working families to know about inflation. (more background info. here: https://www.epi.org/blog/ignoring-the-role-of-profits-makes-inflation-analyses-a-lot-weaker/)

Vice President McCall's career of fighting for fairness and justice for workers began as a member of Local 6787 in Burns Harbor, Indiana, where he worked as a millwright at the sprawling integrated steel facility. He joined the union's staff in 1985 and served as the director of USW District 1 from 1998 until 2019. Over the course of his career, McCall successfully fought to preserve thousands of jobs in the steel industry and beyond. McCall currently chairs USW master contract negotiations with Cleveland Cliffs, Republic Steel, Timken, Graphics Packaging and others.

The website for the United Steelworkers is USW.org and their handle for Twitter and Instagram is @steelworkers.

Are Chinese Manufacturers Rerouting Solar Panels to Avoid U.S. Tariffs?

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union.

For roughly 15 years, Mr. Paul and AAM have worked to make American manufacturing a top-of-mind issue for voters and our national leaders through effective advocacy, innovative research, and a savvy public relations strategy.

Leslie and Scott discuss the Department of Commerce's investigation into whether Chinese manufacturers are re-routing solar panels through four Asian countries in an attempt to avoid U.S. tariffs.

Here is more background on the subject from Scott's colleagues at AAM, Elizabeth Brotherton-Bunch and Matthew McMullan:

The investigation came about after California solar panel maker Auxin Solar filed a petition with the Commerce Department asking for the investigation, arguing imports from Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand were actually made in China.

Auxin also had support from Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle and in the Senate and House, with Ohio Sens. Rob Portman (R) and Sherrod Brown (D) writing to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo:

    “As we understand it, these operations use raw materials, labor, capital investment, and research and development from China. Moving to a third country to assemble a product with inputs from the country subject to the original AD/CVD order is textbook circumvention. (AD/CVD stands for Antidumping and countervailing duties, which are intended to offset the value of dumping and/or subsidization, thereby leveling the playing field for domestic industries injured by such unfairly traded imports). As you know, if legitimate circumvention allegations go unaddressed, entire domestic industries and thousands of American manufacturing jobs are at risk.”

It all seemed pretty straightforward; Commerce would investigate the claims and issue a decision. If you follow this blog, you know that these sorts of trade cases happen all the time.

But ever since Commerce moved forward with the probe, solar importers have done a full court press to convince everyone that the investigation would spell doom for the industry. There have been many, many many stories in recent weeks arguing that the solar industry is now “frozen” because of the investigation and that it will hinder the Biden administration’s climate goals. They’ve also argued that shipments have already slowed because of the investigation.

It all strikes us as somewhat odd, given that no decision has been made (and thus no new tariffs have been issued). What do these folks have to fear?

That’s the argument that Auxin CEO Mamun Rashid made in a recent interview with E&E News.

“If there’s been no cheating going on, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about,” he said. “If I’m a manufacturer overseas, or I’m an importer, and I know I wasn’t participating in any kind of circumvention, I wasn’t cheating, I don’t have anything to worry about. I don’t understand why the concern is there.”

Rashid also rejected the argument that tariffs, if they are eventually placed on these products, will harm the industry and limit progress on reducing climate emissions. He said:

    “I can only speak to my experience. In the last 14 years, we have seen tariffs being instituted and we’ve seen the predictions that were made on what would happen if the tariffs were put in place. And it has never materialized. Deployments have continued to grow double digits and outperform predictions, even prior to tariffs being imposed, and pricing has continued to fall. I have no reason to believe it’ll be any different this time.”

So why is SEIA mounting such an aggressive campaign against this investigation? Well, solar is an obviously important source of green energy and therefore plays a huge role in our national climate goals, but it’s also an industry, and a business. And as a trade association representing lots of importers it’s performing its primary function: Protecting their profits.

It could also be because some of its member companies are the same ones that were originally targeted by the tariffs that these imports are accused circumventing, as the Prospect points out, and that some indeed source from suppliers that use slave labor in China’s Xinjiang province — where the government has forced an estimated 1 million Uyghur and other typically Muslim ethnic groups into detention camps, according to researchers and news organizations. And this big push could also be because it could be gearing up to take a run at overturning a ban on imports made by that labor that’s set to take effect in about six weeks.

WEBSITEs: 1. AmericanManufacturing.org 2. A website with an AAM petition asking Congress to support America's solar manufacturers and workers: TinyURL.com/SupportAmericanSolar

TWITTER: 1. AAM - @KeepItMadeInUSA  2. Scott Paul - @ScottPaulAAM

 

You can watch this episode in the following places:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1mrGmaYBMMqGy

YouTube - https://youtu.be/Ek13HtSpGaI

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/leslie.marshall.547/videos/7476380872432052

Earth Day 2022: Saving Planet Earth by 2030

Leslie begins today's show with her 'Ripped from the Headlines' news segment.

Here are the stories that she gave her opinion on:

1A. AXIOS: "How the U.S. climate has warmed since the first Earth Day"

1B. AUDIO: President Biden's Earth Day remarks

2. Audio obtained by the New York Times of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy days after the Jan. 6th Insurrection

2A. AUDIO: McCarthy talking with Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney about suggesting that President Trump resign, the 25th Amendment, and a possible pardon from Vice President Pence 

2B. AUDIO: McCarthy says Trump admitted he bore some responsibility for Jan 6th during Jan 11th phone call 

2C. AUDIO: McCarthy tells House Republican leaders what Trump did on Jan 6th is unacceptable and nobody should defend it 

3. AXIOS: UN: Human rights "horror story" is unfolding in Ukraine

4. AXIOS/IPSOS POLL - Most Americans support mask mandates on airplanes

Leslie is then joined by Mike Italiano, CEO of Capital Markets Partnership (CMP), a nonprofit public charity coalition of leading investors, investment banks, governments, ENGOs, and professional firms.  CMP is working to accelerate sustainable investment by facilitating secondary markets and fixed income and equity investments, thus stimulating the economy and stopping irreversible and unmanageable systemic climate risk.
Their website is CapitalMarketsPartnership.com.

On this Earth Day, the two discuss how to achieve the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 2030 deadline for preserving a habitable planet.

The IPCC Report can be found here: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/

Getting Manufacturing Competitiveness Right

Leslie is joined by Roy Houseman, Legislative Director for the United Steelworkers.

The two discuss how to get manufacturing competitiveness right.

The United States used to be on the cutting edge of manufacturing innovation, but declining investment and decades of bad trade deals left the country at a competitive disadvantage, resulting in:

- Plummeting numbers of good, manufacturing jobs. (The BLS calculates that manufacturing employment fell from 19.6 million in 1979 to 12.8 million in 2019 – down 35 percent)
- Fractured communities. This has particularly hurt Black, Brown and other workers of color.
- And increasing reliance on foreign nations for critical goods.

It’s long been clear that we need comprehensive legislation to better compete with China and other nations, regrow our critical supply chains and invest in manufacturing now and into the future.

There are currently two bills – one in the House and one in the Senate – that are aimed at helping the United States stay competitive against China and protect workers against greedy multi-national corporations who seek out low wage and illegal subsidies in foreign countries.

- The Senate bill is the United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA).
- The House bill is America COMPETES Act (COMPETES).

The bills will soon go to conference so Congress can reconcile the differences between the two versions. While both bills make important investments in U.S. technology, only the House version has meaningful changes for workers and manufacturing employers.

Roy details these meaningful changes during the interview.

The website for the United Steelworkers is www.USW.org and their Twitter handle is @steelworkers.
Roy's handle is @RoyHouseman.

Colonel Cedric Leighton Explains the Latest Ukraine News and Previews What’s Ahead

Leslie begins today's show with her 'Ripped from the Headlines' news segment.

Here are the stories that she covered:

1. AXIOS: "Biden announces pick for ATF and plans to trace "ghost guns""
2. AXIOS: "Inflation surges to 8.5%, highest in over 40 years"
3. AXIOS: "GOP candidates double down on anti-immigrant rhetoric"
4. AXIOS: "National Urban League issues dire democracy warning"
5. AXIOS: "Trump alums cash in on Saudi ties"
6. AXIOS: "Ex-police officer becomes second Jan. 6 defendant to be found guilty"
7. AXIOS: "Axios-Ipsos poll: Most Americans say COVID is no longer a crisis"

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Colonel Cedric Leighton, Founder and President of Cedric Leighton Associates, a strategic risk and leadership consultancy serving global companies and organizations.  
He founded the company in 2010, after serving in the US Air Force for 26 years as an Intelligence Officer and attaining the rank of Colonel.  
Colonel Leighton can also be seen regularly on CNN, where he is a Military Analyst.

The Colonel helps to break down the latest news from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  This includes Russia tapping a new general to lead their military operations in Ukraine, allegations that Russian forces used chemical weapons on civilians in Mariupol, as well as the pros and cons of the U.S. establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

The Colonel's Twitter handle is @CedricLeighton, and his website is CedricLeighton.com.

You can watch this episode in the following places:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1YqKDqLmMOwGV

YouTube - https://youtu.be/Vk76dvnqa8c

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/leslie.marshall.547/videos/3138990029674593

New York Residential Decarbonization; Let the Majority Rule

Leslie is first joined by Jessica Azulay, Executive Director of Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), a New York based organization working toward a 100% renewable energy system.

The two analyze New York Governor Kathy Hochul's push to decarbonize New York's residential buildings through a proposal in her fiscal year 2023 budget.
The provision includes unprecedented investments and regulations in decarbonizing all new residential buildings in the empire state by 2027. These residential buildings are responsible for up to a third of greenhouse gas emissions in New York State.
The website for AGREE is AllianceForAGreenEconomy.org and their Twitter handle is @AgreeNewYork.

Leslie is then joined by Jon Sinton, Executive Director and CEO of 'Let Majority Rule,' a non-partisan organization dedicated to ensuring that America hears the voice of the majority of voters.

Jon details the problems that are preventing the majority from ruling in the United States, which include the electoral college, the Senate filibuster, and congressional gerrymandering.  He also outlines steps that Americans can take to help overcome these anti-democratic roadblocks.

In early 2011, Jon co-founded the smartphone app Progressive Voices which aggregates all progressive content that is seen, heard or read. In 2012, PV launched a streaming radio service, The Progressive Voices Channel on TuneIn.
The websites for 'Let Majority Rule' and Progressive Voices are LetMajorityRule.org and ProgressiveVoices.com.
Their Twitter handles are @LetMajorityRule and @ProgVoice.  Jon's handle is @JonSinton.

 

You can watch this episode in the following places:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1RDGlgZYPplKL

YouTube - https://youtu.be/V4l9dQGJzFQ

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thelesliemarshallshow/videos/1900644940121019

 

AAM President Scott Paul Explains How President Biden’s Policies are Creating a Legitimate Manufacturing Return

Leslie is joined by Scott Paul, President of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a partnership established by some of America’s leading manufacturers and the United Steelworkers union. 

Scott explains how President Biden’s policies are creating a legitimate manufacturing return, as well as why the President's plan to fight inflation involves bringing factory jobs back to the U.S.

Scott also breaks down the President's tougher new rule for federal 'Buy America' procurement.  

Finally, they analyze a new report which shows that workers of color suffered the most due to factory job loss over the past 25 years.

For roughly 15 years, Mr. Paul and AAM have worked to make American manufacturing a top-of-mind issue for voters and our national leaders through effective advocacy, innovative research, and a savvy public relations strategy.

Their website is www.AmericanManufacturing.org and their Twitter handle is @KeepItMadeInUSA.  Scott's handle is @ScottPaulAAM.

The Latest On Russia-Ukraine War and COVID Boosters

Leslie begins today's show by giving her thoughts on the latest news surrounding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  This includes President Biden's executive order banning all imports of Russian oil, natural gas and coal in response to Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
She also details the Ukrainian refugee crisis, and the latest ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine.

During the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Dr. Bob Bollinger.  He is the Raj and Kamla Gupta Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and he holds joint appointments in International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and in Community Public Health at the JH School of Nursing.

The two analyze new information on COVID-19 booster shots, and the latest news on the pandemic.

Dr. Bollinger is also Founding Director of the Center for Clinical Global Health Education (CCGHE). 
Their website is main.ccghe.net and their Facebook page is Facebook.com/CCGHE.

Black History Month 2022: A Time for Action

Leslie begins the show with her 'Ripped from the Headlines' news segment.
Here are the stories that she give her take on:

1. USA TODAY: "Russia says some troops being pulled back; Ukraine defense site, banks hit by cyberattack"
2. ASSOCIATED PRESS: "US accuses financial website of spreading Russian propaganda"
3. AXIOS: "U.S. faces “significant consequences” from more severe coastal flooding"
4. AXIOS: "Gunmaker Remington to pay $73M to settle lawsuit with Sandy Hook families"
5. AXIOS: "The pandemic-era small business boom" 

Then, for the remainder of the show, Leslie is joined by Atiba Madyun, President/CEO of The Madyun Group, a government relations firm based in Washington, DC, as well as Party Politics US, a data collection firm that not only gathers data from American voters but also engages with young people to educate them on public policy. 

The two discuss why this year's Black History Month is a time for action, not empty celebration.
Additionally, they talk about new rules that are limiting how some educators can teach their students about Black History.
Finally, they recap some of the 'pearl clutching' reactions to the Super Bowl Halftime performers being African-American hip-hop artists.

Atiba's website is AtibaMadyun.com and his Twitter handle is @AtibaMadyun.

You can watch this episode in the following places:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1YpKkZeYDdyxj

YouTube - https://youtu.be/seYUIgyAi7E

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/video/live/urn:li:ugcPost:6899443759952601088/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thelesliemarshallshow/videos/504252664398947