Business & Economy
Business & Economy
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Amazon Will Stop Testing Job Seekers For Marijuana And Now Backs Legalizing Weed
Amazon will no longer test most job applicants for marijuana use in the latest sign of America’s changing relationship with pot. Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the U.S., also says it now backs legalizing marijuana nationwide.
![West Virginia's Shelley Moore Capito and fellow Senate Republicans unveiled a new counteroffer to President Biden's infrastructure package during a news conference Thursday. CREDIT: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gettyimages-1233138094_custom-4af368f574d572305fc6dd3488aca7461a140489-500x500.jpg)
Senate Republicans Release $928 Billion Infrastructure Counteroffer
A group of Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a $928 billion infrastructure proposal to counter President Biden’s plan for a nearly $2 trillion bill.
![Farmworkers in Yakima’s fruit-packing industry walked off production lines in May and went on strike, demanding more protections against the coronavirus pandemic. Above, Emmanuel Anguiano-Mendoza (left) and Agustin López hold posters featuring David Cruz, a worker who died on May 30. CREDIT: Enrique Pérez de la Rosa/NWPB](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/DSC00820-500x500.jpg)
Some Washington Agriculture Groups Upset With Governor Over Farmworker Rules
Some top agriculture groups are upset with Washington Gov. Inslee because farm workers were not covered in last week’s announcement that fully vaccinated employees do not have to wear a mask or socially distance at work.
![Paycheck Protection Plan - stock image with calculator and money](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/PPP-loan-paycheck-protection-program-loan-STOCK-500x500.jpg)
Hundreds Of PPP Loans For Pandemic Business Relief Went To Fake Farms In Absurd Places
An online lending platform called Kabbage sent 378 pandemic loans worth $7 million to fake companies (mostly farms) with names like “Deely Nuts” and “Beefy King.”
![Theater patrons cheering at the climax of an Avengers Endgame screening — a moment of shared excitement experienced by many millions of movie patrons worldwide — is part of the sell Marvel is offering as it welcomes audiences back to cinemas, as seen in this screenshot. YouTube](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/screenshot-7-_wide-8be9e49ee21dc79032fc1737111d18aa0f87362d-500x500.png)
‘Nobody Does A Comeback Like The Movies’: Beating Drums For The Blockbuster’s Return
With just two weeks to go before A Quiet Place Part II makes your local multiplex a less quiet place, Hollywood has started the back-to-cinemas drumroll.
![Motorists line up at a gas station on New York's Long Island, hoping to fill their tanks during the gasoline shortage of 1973-74. Long lines and fuel restrictions were common across the country.](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ap01052501362_wide-b92bec36376717847792574d34b57eed0e1a6e8b-500x500.jpg)
Modern Pipeline Panic Recalls Perils Of Gas Lines For Past Presidents
Federal safety officials found it necessary this past week to remind Americans not to put gasoline in plastic bags. Hey folks, that’s dangerous. Remember?
![Drivers wait to refuel vehicles Wednesday at a Costco Wholesale Corp. gas station in Dunwoody, Ga. Officials are urging people not to panic-buy as motorists in Southeastern states put a run on gas stations. Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gettyimages-1232850514-66af07bd2fae024c3993944f3d197d00b2cef4d2-500x500.jpg)
Colonial Pipeline Restarts: There’s No Need To Panic-Buy Gas (And Never Was)
The Colonial Pipeline shutdown sent motorists across the Southeast scrambling for gas, even as state and federal officials warn against panic-buying and price gouging.
![President Biden delivers remarks on the economy Monday in the East Room of the White House, pushing back on critics who say the American Rescue Plan is making the economy worse. CREDIT: Drew Angerer/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/gettyimages-1232809921_wide-3709ee68865f565ba74461cb8a96491ab2f681bd-500x500.jpg)
Americans Will Lose Unemployment Benefits If They Turn Down Jobs, Biden Says
Those collecting unemployment benefits under the American Rescue Plan must accept “suitable” employment when offered, President Biden said Monday, responding to last week’s underwhelming April jobs report.
![Washington Governor Jay Inslee wearing a mask and speaking from his desk during a press conference](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Inslee-Presser-050421-500x456.jpg)
Governor Says All Washington Counties Will Stay In Their Current Reopening Phase…For Now
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday said all of the state’s counties will remain in their current phase of the state’s economic reopening plan and won’t face more restrictions because new COVID cases are levelling off after a recent spike.
![Legislators in the Washington House approved a bill on Wednesday that calls for a capital gains tax. The measure now returns to the Senate, which passed a similar bill earlier this year. CREDIT: TVW/screenshot](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cap_gains_house-500x496.png)
Washington House Passes Capital Gains Tax Following Lengthy Debate
The Washington House has approved a bill to institute a seven percent tax on capital gains over $250,000 from the sale of such things as stocks and bonds. The 52 to 46 vote followed an hours-long debate that spanned two days.
![Diners eat lunch at Max's Oyster Bar in West Hartford, Conn., on March 19. Retail sales surged last month as $1,400 relief payments and easing coronavirus restrictions led shoppers to open their wallets. Jessica Hill/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ap_21078689644816-d9dfd00282b2eb0f022f6884c2361678cf7a3356-500x500.jpg)
Signs Of Economic Boom Emerge As Retail Sales Surge, Jobless Claims Hit Pandemic Low
Signs of an economic boom are emerging as Americans open up their wallets to spend freely. Retail sales soared 9.8% in March, according to a report Thursday from the Commerce Department. The increase follows a 2.7% slump in February, which analysts blamed partly on severe winter weather.
![Workers at Amazon's facility in Bessemer, Ala., held a historic vote on whether to form the company's first warehouse union. CREDIT: Bill Barrow/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ap_21071720317948-ec0326a4a40d890cd265cbbb38c8213e6a6a138d-500x500.jpg)
It’s A No: Hopes For Amazon’s First Unionized Warehouse Go Unfulfilled In Historic Election
The vast majority of votes cast by Amazon’s workers in Bessemer, Ala., were against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in a stinging defeat of the union drive. The final tally showed 1,798 votes against unionizing and 738 votes in favor of the union.