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By JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday voiced his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, saying that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers. Related Articles National Politics | Will Kamala Harris run for California governor in 2026? The question is already swirling National Politics | Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people National Politics | Trump taps immigration hard-liner Kari Lake as head of Voice of America National Politics | Trump extends unprecedented invites to China’s Xi and other world leaders for his inauguration National Politics | Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump The incoming president posted on social media that he met Harold Daggett, the president of the International Longshoreman’s Association, and Dennis Daggett, the union’s executive vice president. “I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it,” Trump posted. “The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen. Foreign companies have made a fortune in the U.S. by giving them access to our markets. They shouldn’t be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt.” The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. At the heart of the dispute is whether ports can install automated gates, cranes and container-moving trucks that could make it faster to unload and load ships. The union argues that automation would lead to fewer jobs, even though higher levels of productivity could do more to boost the salaries of remaining workers. The Maritime Alliance said in a statement that the contract goes beyond ports to “supporting American consumers and giving American businesses access to the global marketplace – from farmers, to manufacturers, to small businesses, and innovative start-ups looking for new markets to sell their products.” “To achieve this, we need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains,” said the alliance, adding that it looks forward to working with Trump. In October, the union representing 45,000 dockworkers went on strike for three days, raising the risk that a prolonged shutdown could push up inflation by making it difficult to unload container ships and export American products overseas. The issue pits an incoming president who won November’s election on the promise of bringing down prices against commitments to support blue-collar workers along with the kinds of advanced technology that drew him support from Silicon Valley elite such as billionaire Elon Musk. Trump sought to portray the dispute as being between U.S. workers and foreign companies, but advanced ports are also key for staying globally competitive. China is opening a $1.3 billion port in Peru that could accommodate ships too large for the Panama Canal. There is a risk that shippers could move to other ports, which could also lead to job losses. Mexico is constructing a port that is highly automated, while Dubai, Singapore and Rotterdam already have more advanced ports. Instead, Trump said that ports and shipping companies should eschew “machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced.” “For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American Workers, instead of laying them off, and sending those profits back to foreign countries,” Trump posted. “It is time to put AMERICA FIRST!”
Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman will always be family. Recently, Hoda posted a series of festive photos, including one of her cozy living room decor. Hanging along the mantle are stockings for Hoda’s daughters Hope and Haley — and the girls’ dad, Schiffman. Hoda and Schiffman got engaged in 2019 after six years together. In 2022, Hoda announced on TODAY that . “Joel and I have had a lot of prayerful and meaningful conversations over the holidays and we decided that we’re better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple,” Hoda said at the time. In a conversation with People, Hoda described Schiffman as a . “Sometimes relationships evolve. Sometimes perfectly nice people can go their separate ways,” . "I don’t regret one day, not one minute, not one second of our time together because it brought me here. I have two incredible children I share with him. “It’s because of Joel that I have Haley and Hope, without question,” Hoda continued. “I think I might have been too afraid to do it alone. That’s not something I love to admit, but it’s true.” Hoda and her daughters moved from New York City to the suburbs in August. This is the first Christmas they’ll be celebrating in their new home. “I want my kids to feel grass on their feet and play in the yard, and ride bikes down the street, and run up and down the stairs,” Hoda told . “I just see that life for them in this perfect house in this beautiful little town where I know they’ll be able to blossom into beautiful, independent, strong women.” Rachel Paula Abrahamson is a lifestyle reporter who writes for the parenting, health and shop verticals. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and elsewhere. Rachel lives in the Boston area with her husband and their two daughters. Follow her on .
Trump offers support for dockworkers union by saying ports shouldn’t install more automated systems
Trump offers support for dockworkers union by saying ports shouldn’t install more automated systems
’s lawyer has spoken out again after accusing the director and star of against the actress. Speaking to , lawyer said in a statement: “TAG PR operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources.” “The standard scenario planning TAG PR drafted proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful, and responded organically to that which the media themselves picked up on,” the lawyer continued. He went on to claim that the leaked text messages between Baldoni and his PR team in the lawsuit have been misrepresented and taken out of context. “It’s ironic that the , through their effort to ‘uncover’ an insidious PR effort, played directly into the hands of Lively’s own dubious PR tactics by publishing leaked personal text exchanges that lack critical context — the very same tactics she’s accusing the firm of implementing,” Freedman concluded. The lengthy court documents, which were filed on Friday, December 20 (US time), were first published by . In the docs, they reference “thousands of pages of text messages and emails” that Blake Lively reportedly obtained through a subpoena. “The subpoena disclosed and referenced in the Complaint was served on Jonesworks LLC. The internal documents referred to in the Complaint were produced subject to that subpoena. We expect that further details regarding the subpoena process will be disclosed during discovery,” Lively’s legal team told the publication. In the alleged text messages, the film studio’s publicist wrote to a crisis management expert, “He wants to feel like she can be buried.” The paperwork also alleges “this plan went well beyond standard crisis PR,” claiming Baldoni’s team devised a plan called ‘astroturfing’, which basically means: ‘the practice of publishing opinions or comments on the internet, in the media, etc. that appear to come from ordinary members of the public but actually come from a particular company or political group.’ The docs read: Baldoni “set the narrative for the social media campaign,” for example, by using a social media post about “that had accused another female celebrity of bullying women.” Baldoni wrote in the text, “This is what we would need.” Baldoni also name-dropped in messages to his crisis management team: “Our team can also explore planting stories about the weaponisation of feminism and how people like Taylor Swift, have been accused of utilising these tactics to ‘bully’ into getting what they want.” It also mentioned the infamous red carpet pics that featured the whole cast including Blake Lively, except Baldoni. “[When] nearly all cast members chose to appear in public separately from Mr. Baldoni given his on-set behaviour,” Baldoni allegedly “became concerned that the public would discover that “something is much bigger under the surface,” per the docs. This prompted him to change his PR strategy: “After the Film’s premiere, Mr. Baldoni changed his Instagram profile, cancelled lighthearted social media posts, and instructed his team to look for survivors reactions and support — all in an effort to quickly shift his own public narrative to focus solely on survivors and domestic violence organisations.” When was first announced, Freedman slammed Lively’s accusations as “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious” in a statement to . He claimed Blake Lively filed the lawsuit to and “rehash a narrative” about the behind-the-scenes happenings of the controversial movie.