Before the pandemic hit, few people had ever used the video conferencing platform Zoom. Fast forward to 2021 and it’s a household name for anyone who has tried to work, learn, or host a virtual event. The company saw its net income jump from roughly $25 million to $672 million in the last year, but one thing remains unchanged on the company’s latest financial report : current federal tax expense held steady at $0. Cue the angry tweets from politicians like Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders GOP believes Democrats handing them winning 2022 campaign Senators in the dark on parliamentarian's decision World passes 3 million coronavirus deaths MORE (I-Vt.), complaining that this is yet another indication of a “rigged tax code” that “benefits the wealthy & powerful.” While Sanders is correct that many aspects of the U.S. tax system do favor the wealthy, this is not one of them. Companies like Zoom and Amazon are the wrong targets for a very simple reason that politicians choose to ignore: Paying employees with stock options is a good thing. Many start-up companies (like Zoom and Amazon once were) are cash-strapped and can’t afford to pay their employees what they are worth, so they make up the difference with stock options. These options don’t just go to the “wealthy and powerful” corporate executives, they go to the engineers, sales team, HR — even Amazon’s warehouse workers once received this benefit. This is nothing new. When I picked up a barista job at Starbucks in the early 2000s, the company was happy to share stories of baristas who now drove fancy cars thanks to the company’s employee stock plan. ADVERTISEMENT So how do companies use stock compensation to “game the system” and “avoid” federal income tax? They follow the rules. The dirty truth is that companies like Zoom and Amazon have almost no control over how stock compensation will impact their tax bill. The reason for the dramatic tax-saving effects has to do with ...
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California health officials under fire after state lab’s COVID testing delays may be result of contamination
close Video California mom on leaked Zoom video of teacher berating students over in-person learning Jennifer Martin, a California mother of two, says she was 'astonished, disgusted and scared' for her children when she saw the video. California parents are looking for answers from state health officials after COVID-19 testing delays from a state lab prompted the cancellation of football games for multiple schools. INSIDER RIPPED FOR PIECE VICTIMIZING TEACHERS DURING COVID The Laboratory Field Services Division of the California Department of Public Health said in a press release back in February that a routine inspection by the agency in December found "significant deficiencies" at the Valencia Branch Laboratory operated by PerkinElmer. According to the state, the laboratory was opened to expand testing capacity and ensure access to testing for neighborhoods that were "disproportionately affected by the pandemic at a time when testing was relatively scarce and supply chains were strained." Out of a total of more than 1.5 million tests performed, the VBL issued corrected reports for approximately 60 (.0039%) samples and had been unable to test approximately 250 samples (.017%) due to lab errors. PerkinElmer told the state at the time that nearly all of the deficiencies cited had already been resolved and that those in still in the process would be "sufficiently resolved soon." The state said a full report on the VBL, including responses from PerkinElmer, would be made available in mid-March. However, according to an investigation by CBS13 , that report still has not been released, even as schools in the area have been encouraged to partner with the lab for COVID-19 testing for high contact youth sports. HALF OF US ADULTS HAVE RECEIVED AT LEAST ONE COVID-19 SHOT Nevada Union High School, one of many local schools partnering with the lab, was forced to cancel their football game last ...
LA Board of Education members eat, check phones while mom pleads for school reopening
close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for April 17 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. In an emotional phone call to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), a mother pleaded with county officials to reopen schools and playgrounds – but her appeal was seemingly ignored. In a video posted to social media by UTLA Uncensored this week, LA board members ate and checked their phones as an upset parent begged for the classrooms to be reopened. TEACHERS UNION BOSS SLAMMED OVER TONE-DEAF TWEET ON MOMS LEAVING WORKFORCE The crux of her plea was for the school board to abandon the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) union, and focus on the needs of southern California children. "I’m here to tell you that I have been silenced by UTLA," she told the members. "Because my narrative goes against what they are trying to push." "My children, and thousands of others, are being held hostage by this organization," she continued. While elementary schools reopened last week, middle and high school students will not return to the classroom until later in the month. Parents remain frustrated by hybrid schedules students face, forcing them to continue to juggle being home with the children and managing their careers. "We see the minutes of instruction and we see the quality of the zoom instruction, and it does not equal a good education," the mother told LAUSD board members. "I’m doing the majority of work at home." "I am sickened by the fact that you have allowed your doors to stay closed for so long and you have no sense of urgency," she continued as one board member bent over to eat. "The disservice you have done to these children is beyond me." In recent months, reports have surfaced of teachers unions across the nation utilizing the coronavirus pandemic to vie for increased wages and benefits – frustrating angry parents. ...
Daunte Wright shooting: Is progressive push putting due process in jeopardy?
close Video Former detective on Daunte Wright case: Death very possibly 'caused by negligence' of police officer Former D.C. homicide detective Ted Williams explains why the charges against former police officer Kim Potter are 'right and appropriate.' The right to due process – protected under the U.S. Constitution – has transformed into a point of contention in the Minnesota city of Brooklyn Center after former police officer Kim Potter fatally shot 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop, evoking several consecutive nights of civil unrest that has spilled into Minneapolis . Brooklyn Center City Manager Curt Boganey was fired for arguing at a press conference that the officer should receive due process, and the police chief, Tim Gannon, offered his resignation after publicly suggesting the same. "All employees working for the city of Brooklyn Center are entitled to due process with respect to discipline," Boganey said at the press conference which included journalists and activists, "This employee will receive due process and that’s really all that I can say today." Boganey had worked for the city of Brooklyn Center since 2003 -- including 15 years as city manager. DAUNTE WRIGHT SHOOTING: ARMED SECURITY REMAINS OUTSIDE EX-MINNESOTA POLICE OFFICER KIM POTTER'S HOME "We are standing in solidarity and calling for the firing of this officer," one activist told the city manager. "You have talked about her having due process – although Daunte Wright did not get due process. She needs to be fired immediately to send a message that this type of behavior will not be condoned within the city of Brooklyn Center." "Thank you, I appreciate those comments," Boganey, who is Black, responded. In a matter of hours, Brooklyn Center City Council held an emergency meeting and voted 4-1 to relieve the city manager of his duties, which had included responsibility and command over the police department. ...
Strategist Chats: The Making of Natural-Hair Week
Photo: Courtesy of the subjects This conversation initially appeared in our email newsletter , but we wanted to share it with all of our readers. Senior editor Crystal Martin sat down (or rather, Zoomed in) with writers Jenna Milliner-Waddell and Tembe Denton-Hurst to discuss how the Strategist’s Natural-Hair Week came together, their favorite stories, and what it means to be Black editors and writers sharing a piece of Black culture. Read on for their full discussion, and be sure to check out their stories on our Natural-Hair Week hub. And if you want more behind-the-scenes insight from our writers and editors, sign up for our newsletter . Crystal Martin: Jenna and Tembe, this project is your brainchild. How did this come together? Tembe Denton-Hurst: Nikita [Richardson, former staff writer] and I were talking about themed weeks, and one of us said, “Why don’t we have a natural-hair week?” Nikita then called Jenna in the middle of a workday and was like, “Jenna, what are you doing right now? Do you want to do a natural-hair week?” Jenna Milliner-Waddell: I think that was my first Slack call. And we all thought it was a great idea, especially for the Strategist, because everything here is so expert-driven. Natural-hair content is in a million different places online with no central hub, so having a themed week and making our own hub page definitely felt like the best way for us to tackle this. TDH: When I started at the Strategist, there wasn’t a ton of natural-hair content. I remember getting lunch with Jenna in the Before Times and talking about how we need to write about more Black stuff on the site — Black people like to shop, too. So last summer we pitched it and created a huge doc of all the different stories that we wanted to see during a natural-hair week. And at some point everyone arrived at the conclusion that we need to have a specific editor for this. CM: So you’re working on stories, all ...
