Business

Walmart Employees to Wear Body cams

Can’t wait to see how this goes over, I personally can not wait for the footage to hit the internet.

It’s a dangerous world out there - for police officers and… Walmart employees? Walmart announced that some of its employees will begin wearing body cameras, much like the ones used by law enforcement, as part of a pilot program in some locations. Loss prevention employees will be using these body cams, in an effort to deter conflict and to prevent theft.

The locations will also have signs at the entrances warning shoppers that it has “body-worn cameras in-use.” One employee in Denton, Texas (40 miles north of Dallas) was seen wearing a yellow-and-black body camera while checking receipts earlier this month, according to a photo shared by CNBC. 

“We are always looking at new and innovative technology used across the retail industry,” a Walmart spokesperson told CNBC. “This is a pilot we are testing in one market, and we will evaluate the results before making any longer-term decisions.”

Smaller retailers have already started to use body cameras in attempts to curb theft, allowing Walmart, the largest nongovernmental employer in the country, to now give them a try. Walmart also intends to use these cameras for worker safety. Staff have been instructed on how to use the devices in a document that was handed out. It instructs employees to “record an event if an interaction with a customer is escalating” and to not wear the devices in employee break areas or bathrooms. 

Following an incident, employees are expected to log the event in the “ethics and compliance app.”

This comes at a good time too, as Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, said “there’s too much harassment that goes on throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season… it’s even worse.” Appelbaum is concerned that these cameras are more about surveillance and deterring theft than actually making the employees safer. 

Bianca Agustin, the co-executive director of United for Respect, a workers organization for Walmart and Amazon staffers said that cameras are “no substitute” for proper training and that these cameras “could provoke people.”

NRF’s annual security survey found last year that 35% of retailers who responded said they were researching body cameras for employees and loss prevention staff. 11% said they were testing the solution. Now Walmart is joining the club, too. 

No More Junk Fees

The FTC has banned hidden junk fees on hotels and ticket prices.

The Federal Trade Commission has approved a much needed new rule that prevents hotels and ticket sellers from hiding extra fees associated with purchases. Under the rule, business will have to provide “up-front disclosure” of the total price of a hotel stay, vacation rental, or even live event tickets before checkout.

This comes after the government has already taken aim at ticket selling companies for tacking on inorbident fees to their ticket sales. 

This FTC rule was first proposed last year and targets the “resort,” “convenience,” and “service” fees that are often covertly added to the sale of tickets or a hotel stay, driving up the final price. Now, this does not ban these companies from adding said fees (that’s on The Department of Justice and their battle), it just requires them to disclose the total cost when advertising or displaying a price.

We all know the frustration of thinking you’re getting a great price, until getting to checkout and realizing that price has doubled, due to all the tack-ons… after you already went through the process of entering all of your information, etc.

Businesses can still exclude shipping fees and taxes from advertised prices, but they must show their other fees BEFORE customers begin to enter their payment information. Businesses must also display the total price “more prominently than most other pricing information.” These new rules will go into effect in April 2025. 

“People deserve to know up-front what they’re being asked to pay,” explained FTC Chair Lina Khan. She also believes that getting rid of these “junk fees” will “save Americans billions of dollars and millions of hours in wasted time.”

Khan is set to be replaced under President-elect Donald Trump. But this is a nice send-off from Khan for the American people.

Around the Water Cooler:

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Economy

Bitcoin Hits Record High

$108,000, if only I had a time machine.

Bitcoin continues to hit new highs, seemingly every week - as the largest cryptocurrency topped $108,000 on Tuesday. The continued rally can be credited to newly crypto-friendly President-elect Donald Trump, whose imminent return to the White House continues to drive up Bitcoin’s value. 

Bitcoin increased 2.3% in a 24 hour period to hit its all-time high of $108,315 earlier this week.

Overall, Bitcoin is up 60% since the election. Eric Schiffer, of the Patriarch Organization, a venture-capital firm, said “Bitcoin’s $100k crossing at this time is 100% tied to the strength of policies, and the pro-crypto cabinet and leadership appointees arising from the victory of President Trump.”

Trump has promised to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve and has also nominated crypto advocate Paul Atkins to lead the Securities and Exchange Commision, replacing Gary Gensler, who had been attempting to tighten regulation of digital assets - the opposite of the forthcoming administration.

“We have a new crypto and Bitcoin friendly administration, with discussions underway for a U.S. Bitcoin treasury, and also Financial Accounting Standards Board rules now allowing companies to hold bitcoin on their balance sheet without penalty. This is further legitimizing Bitcoin as a corporate asset,” explained James Lavish, Managing Partner at Bitcoin Opportunity Fund.

Pfizer See Bump With 2025 Outlook

Despite anticipating a 1 Billion Dollar hit.

Pfizer has said it expects its 2025 revenue and earnings to match market consensus, even as it predicts such a redesign of federal drug benefits will hit it with a $1 billion hit. 

This comes following a positive third-quarter, as well as an upward revision of its 2024 outlook two months ago. With this news, shares of the company rallied 4% at the start of the trading day.

Pfizer had been under attack for what were deemed bad decisions that seemingly sapped billions in shareholder value. However, Pfizer’s resilient performance in the last quarter bodes well. 

Pfizer’s revenue forecast signals stability, despite new federal policies for drug pricing and benefits coming into play. Despite a lot of noise, Pfizer’s outlook still remains cautiously optimistic. 

More Money:

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Politics

Dems Eye Harris For 2028 Presidential Run

Saying perhaps a stint as Governor may help her chances.

As President-elect Donald Trump gets set to reenter the oval office in a few weeks, the Democrats are already planning their next move and attack for 2028. And, reportedly, that involves the idea of Kamala Harris making a political comeback.

Despite the decisive defeat last month for Harris, she is reportedly eyeing another run at the Presidency. She’s also, reportedly, considering a run for the California governorship, currently held by Gavin Newsom until 2027. Newsom was also a candidate to replace President Biden at the time of his stepping-down, before he endorsed Harris as his replacement. 

If Harris were to replace Newsom, she would become the first black female governor in this country's history… which could be a nice consolation. 

According to the Washington Post, some Democratic aides believe Trump has changed the game - successfully eliminating the idea that you can’t take a second bite at the apple after previously losing a presidential race. Additionally, if Harris were to run in 2028, she’d have a full runway to work with, instead of being thrusted into the race at the 11th hour - which could be spun as some sort of mulligan and a fairer shake to prove herself.

Many believe Harris would be more successful without the shadow of President Biden. “It’s almost Shakespearean that Joe Biden didn’t just kill his own campaign - he killed hers, too,” a Harris adviser told the Washington Post.

Democrats can also take solace in the fact that her approval rating was higher at the end of her campaign than the beginning, winning some people over. Though that initial bar might not have been high enough to begin with. It’s all relative. 

Donna Brazile, Al Gore’s presidential campaign manager (and a Harris ally), said “Donald Trump has rewritten the rules - the norms - I don’t believe Kamala Harris, or anyone, should try to go with precedent ever. There are no rule books.”

Trouble for Trudeau

Trumps comments causing waves in Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under fire, as members of his own Liberal Party have begun calling for him to quit this week. This comes following the abrupt departure of his finance minister Chrystia Freeland.

Freeland published a scathing resignation letter on the day she was due to deliver an economic statement, citing disagreements with her long-time ally on how to respond to the threat of tariffs from President-elect Donald Trump. 

Trump has previously vowed to impose a 25% tariff on imported Canadian goods, unless the shared border is made more secure. Economists have said that these tariffs could have a devastating effect on Canada’s economy.

Freeland accused Trudeau of choosing “costly political gimmicks” over addressing the threat posed by Trump’s “aggressive economic nationalism.” Trump later responded to Freeland, calling her behavior “totally toxic.”

Freeland’s departure blindsided the government, but she said she was told last week that Trudeau no longer wanted her to be his top economic adviser.

“Trudeau finds himself a little bit alone, not super close to any of his ministers, with the big, talented ones mostly now having left,” explained Chris Sands, director of the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute. He also said that Freeland’s exit “makes Canada look quite confused and uncertain.”

From The Hill:

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