WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday handed President Barack Obama the biggest legislative victory of his second term, with a dramatic vote clearing the way for major trade agreements with Pacific Rim nations and the European Union. Read more
The thousands of products that pass through Consumer Reports test labs each year come from all corners of the globe. There are washing machines and water heaters from Mexico, TVs and refrigerators from South Korea, dishwashers and vacuums from Germany. We see lots of appliances that are made right here in the U.S. too, of course. Every country has winners and losers when it comes to quality and performance. Read more
An Arizona family won a $435,000 judgment in federal court after a child swallowed a decorative bead coated with a chemical that metabolized into a date-rape drug when ingested, marking the first verdict of its kind in the nation over the toy. The toy was made in China. Read more
Aug. 14, 2008
From lunchboxes and backpacks to baby cribs and toy figurines, a lengthy effort to make children’s products safer has finally cleared the final hurdles. New toy safety standards become law. Read more
KENTWOOD, Mich. (WZZM) – A toothbrush company that outsourced some of its manufacturing to China years ago is bringing work back to West Michigan. Read more
Some of the most popular American corporations are importing shrimp at super-cheap prices from Thailand, where migrant workers are in slavery, like in Nazi Germany, being tortured while they work for no pay 20 hours a day. How much shrimp is being imported that’s processed by slaves, including child slaves? Walmart and Costco are contributing to the chaos, buying and selling shrimp exported from Thailand every year, and it’s slave-labor shrimp at “rock bottom” cost. No wonder Walmart and Costco are such “successful” businesses. What else are they buying that’s made by slaves who are tortured mentally and physically while working 20-hour days for zero pay? Wine, maybe?
The House of Representatives has voted to repeal country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for beef, pork, and chicken. Read more
Guest post by Monica Gomez
America has always been known as the “land of opportunity.” But opportunity doesn’t knock unless you work hard for it. While tycoons and businessmen may have shaped the oil, steel, and auto industries, the reality is many of them came from humble beginnings, and worked alongside the skilled tradesmen they later employed before amassing their own wealth—a true testament to the power of the American dream. Read more
