Red Wing Daily: January 14, 2025
"the more you know...."
State
Arkansas FOI under attack (and the Legislature’s General Session just started!) The debacle in Franklin County over the Governor’s plans for that 3,000-bed prison once again brings the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the forefront. Without our gold-standard FOIA, citizens would not have learned the shady, backroom details of Sanders’ secret plans and the January 7 meeting between the Department of Corrections and the firm hired to design and construct the facility. Yes, that’s the meeting last week where the citizens’ attorney, Joey McCutchen of Ft. Smith, and a reporter were kicked out. And, yes, we 100% agree with Arkansas Advocate editor Sonny Albarado when he says “Lack of openness from the start breeds distrust of even routine matters”!
Arkansas’s Next Secretary of State? State Senator Kim Hammer of Benton has announced his 2026 run for Secretary of State, after serving in both the Arkansas House and Senate since 2010. (Wonder where Governor Sanders’ backup guy, appointee Cole Jester, lands when his 2-year fill-in as Secretary of State expires?) Hammer said
It has been one of my great joys in life to serve the people of Arkansas as a legislator. I would like to continue to serve Arkansans as their secretary of state. If elected, I will use my experience and work with both the legislative and administrative branches of government for the overall good and benefit of Arkansans.
Wifi for all: Arkansas began taking applications last week for projects under the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program that aims to provide broadband internet for every home and business in the state. Arkansas has $1.02 billion to spend as part of the President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. Most of the 20 states that have reached the applications point in the implementation process are going for fiber-based installations. “Republicans have strongly criticized” the program’s heavy use of fiber broadband, though, and watch for some BEAD rules to possibly change because Starlink owner Elon Musk is now one of President Trump’s White House advisors.
Fate of U.S. Steel in Osceola might involved Nucor? After President Biden blocked Nippon Steel’s proposed purchase of U.S. Steel for roughly $15 billion, the two companies have sued the federal government over the decision. Pennsylvania lawmakers and steelworkers oppose the sale due to worries about outsourcing jobs, union operations and U.S. supply chains. Advisors warned that rejecting Nippon could damage U.S. relations with Japan; however, the decision could be beneficial here because U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt said if the deal failed his company would likely close older steel mills and possibly shift more production to mills in northeast Arkansas. Now, after Biden extended the due date for the sale, Cleveland Cliffs, a former bidder for U.S. Steel, is proposing a new “all-American solution” that brings Nucor (already operating in Blytheville) and Cleveland Cliffs together for a new purchase bid.
Nothing at all to see here! The Arkansas Supreme Court continues to degenerate in what feels like a schoolyard fight over who’s going to be the cool kid. Serious questions of constitutional authority surround the perception of the Chief Justice’s job to “administer” the Court’s activities, as five “conservative” justices continue to block newly installed Chief Justice Karen Baker’s dictatorial attempt to fire 10 judiciary employees that are involved in handling complaint(s) made against her. After defeating Justice Rhonda Wood in November, Baker — who is not affiliated with or connected to the Republican party — began her reign as Chief Justice by replacing the head of the Arkansas Court of Appeals. It’s within her authority, but she cut off the Chief Judge appointed by her predecessor, Brandon Harrison, before she was even sworn in on January 1. Amid a flurry of competing Court orders over what are surely Baker’s immediate retaliatory firings, just last week Baker declared invalid two per curiam orders the Court’s majority issued against her as part of this shameful dispute among Arkansas’s highest court judges. This problem could result in some kind of unprecedented constitutional court case. Did the voters elect a leftist despot because her opponent wrote the Court’s anti-abortion-law opinion?
But will Boozman vote for him? “Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman of Arkansas also said he had a “good meeting” with [Trump nominee for HHS Secretary Robert F.) Kennedy during which they spoke about Kennedy’s views on pesticides. ‘That’s the kind of talk I like to hear,’ Boozman said. Boozman added that Kennedy would merely try to discourage consumption of ultra-processed foods, not seek to ban ingredients or manufacturing processes. Boozman said he’d wait until Kennedy’s confirmation hearing to say if he’ll vote for him.”
“Private Option” continues to bite Arkansas where it hurts: Health insurance premiums in Arkansas have more than doubled after state lawmakers implemented Obamacare’s “private option” Medicaid expansion in 2014, and now Arkansas’s largest insurance provider Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) — at the top of Arkansas’s list of private companies — reports a $100.5 million loss from the first three quarters of 2024 and is cutting its workforce again, after laying off 85 employees last January. BCBS spokeswoman Max Greenwood says “the company has a strong balance sheet and has no concerns about its liquidity.” She adds
We’ve reduced our budget by more than 7% including cuts to consulting and outside vendor costs, contract labor, software and equipment and facility costs. We’ve also had to implement substantial premium increases on our small and large groups.
National
But it was on Facebook! While the nation is surely horrified at all the pictures of the unprecedented Los Angeles fire disaster, this photo has gone viral … but it’s just fake news.
The AI-generated image first appeared on a self-identified satire account on Instagram. Check out the AI logo on the bottom right-hand side:
Is it real change or just chasing dollars? Welcome news! Companies are lining up to drop their Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs since we re-elected President Donald Trump, and Trump hasn’t even taken office yet! A social media blitz started by right-wing influencer Robby Starbuck has flipped numerous organizations away from the failed racist policies largely enacted between 2019 and 2022, when DEI chief officer roles grew by 169% across the country. A survey in 2023 found that
52% of employed U.S. adults say they have DEI trainings or meetings at work, and 33% say they have a designated staff member who promotes DEI.
Just last week, Mark Zuckerberg slashed DEI at Meta (Facebook, Instagram, What’s App) and eliminated fact-checking programs as well after he had also announced his social media platforms would also stop censoring conservative speech. Meta joins other well known companies, financial entities, universities, and government groups that have all backed away from DEI since 2023: Walmart, Nissan, Molson Coors, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Ford, Jack Daniels, Lowe’s, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply, Tesla, Amazon, McDonald’s, Toyota, University of Michigan, Southwest Airlines, Target, American Airlines, Caterpillar, United Airlines, Boeing, Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, University of Kentucky, Microsoft, CNN, Chipotle, Lyft, UPS, Eli Lilly, Bank of America, Home Depot, DoorDash, Wayfair, Zoom, IBM, Comcast, Goldman Sachs, X (Twitter), Mars, and Apple (full list here). Even Starbucks won’t let homeless run wild in their businesses now.
Kansas Legislature throttles reporters: As the Kansas Legislature gets underway for 2025, House Speaker Dan Hawkins has “banned reporting from the House chamber floor … breaking from historical precedent.” Hawkins’ move echoes a previous rule by the Kansas Senate President that “restricts reporters’ access to the legislative process and action that can be observed and heard only from the floor.” Reporters now are “relegated to the public gallery” with “limited access for photography.” We’ve never seen reporters on the floor of the Arkansas House or Senate.
Tech
Protect yourself in 2025: Because data breaches continue to be in the news, we continue to remind you to do what you can to protect your online data. Yes, it’s a pain but, at a minimum, you should have unique passwords (use a password manager) and enable 2FA (multi-factor authentication) for every online account. You can go a step further and search online for “data removal service” to find and remove much or all of that extra personal identification information (name, address, and ?) that seems to pop up everywhere.
We told ya: Allstate “secretly harvested driving data from 45 million Americans” and Texas has sued, accusing Allstate of “embedding tracking software into popular mobile apps, such as Life360, to secretly gather detailed data about users’ movements” such as “geolocation, speed, and other driving behaviors” they then allegedly used to “justify raising insurance rates.”
Can you trust your devices? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has created a labeling program called the Cyber Trust Mark that Consumer Reports says will let “consumers know their connected devices meet fundamental cybersecurity standards.” If implemented, the voluntary Cyber Trust Mark will identify which IoT (“Internet of Things”) products like “smart refrigerators, smart microwaves, smart televisions, smart climate control systems, smart fitness trackers, and more” are deemed the most secure online.
“When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing,
they then become capable of believing in anything.”
— attributed to G.K. Chesterton
“Reporters having access to the debate and proceedings in real-time makes reporting more accurate and transparent. The press serves a vital function in our system of government. We’re more than mere spectators. We’re a surrogate for citizens who don’t have the time to witness the inner workings of the Legislature. To limit our access, you’re limiting the access of those who rely on us to cover the news.”
— Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association
The former press secretary who became a governor is bad news when she tries to eliminate FOIA.