Here are five things worth knowing today:
1. NAFTA in the cross hairs under Trump
JOC reports legal and political battles involving U.S.-Mexico cross-border trade are just getting started as the Trump administration prepares to redo NAFTA. According to the report, killing the provision would have little economic impact as “only a handful of Mexican companies have obtained U.S. operating authority beyond the border commercial zone.” However, JOC states, it could intensify Twitter arguments between the U.S. and Mexico and lead to “tit-for-tat” tariffs.
2. Whistleblower claims Pilot Flying J defrauded U.S. Postal Service
According to an NBC Sports report, a whistleblower in the Pilot Flying J case alleges the government was among the entities defrauded in the rebate fraud scheme that led to the indictment of eight employees last year. According to the report, a former Morgan Stanley Smith Barney broker who was an informant for the FBI said that same scheme defrauded the U.S. Postal Service, which was one of Pilot Flying J’s largest customers. Pilot Flying J’s attorney dismissed the accusations and said restitution has been paid to everyone who was owed money. NBC has more.
3. Truckers weigh in on proposed labor bill
Minnesota lawmakers will hear from the public today on a bill that would prevent cities from implementing their own sick pay and minimum wage rules, according to a KSTP Eyewitness News 5 report. Supporters of the bill – like the Minnesota Trucking Association – say that if cities were free to create their own labor laws “it would be complicated and expensive.” They also say different regulations in many different cities would be unworkable, for instance, in the trucking industry where drivers often work in several cities in the same day.
4. Prediction: Driverless cars will be the norm in 10 years
Tesla’s Elon Musk predicts that 10 years from now, automakers will build cars with full autonomy in mind, according to a Tech Times report. Presently, Tesla’s cars are already build with sensors and technology that enable full driverless navigation, and Musk noted that Tesla intends to drive one of its autonomous vehicles across the country with no one behind the wheel before the end of 2017. Tech Times has more.
5. PSA seeks to acquire GM’s Opel business
General Motors and PSA Group, the French maker of Peugeot and Citroen cars, announced that PSA is looking to acquire GM’s European Opel business. According to a report in The Detroit News, the two companies have worked together since 2012. An agreement on the acquisition could be released in the coming weeks, but negotiations could still fall apart, according to the report. The Detroit News has more.
