Latest news with #Cathey
IOL News
4 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Small businesses warn of Trump tariff impact on toy industry at Comic-Con
Toy companies have been fretting about the impact of Trump's global tariff blitz on the industry, particularly when it comes to China. Image: Andrew Harnik / Getty Images North America / AFP Small business owners used the festive backdrop of Comic-Con on Thursday to discuss a sobering topic: the negative impact that US President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs are having on the toy industry. "Not the most sexy topic," Jonathan Cathey, chief executive of collectibles company The Loyal Subjects, admitted at a panel titled "Toys, Tariffs, and Trade Wars" at the four-day convention in San Diego, California. "But this ultimately affects you guys, it affects the end user," he said. "Prices will go up, and our rate of sales will go down." Toy companies have been fretting about the impact of Trump's global tariff blitz on the industry, particularly when it comes to China. Of over $17 billion worth of toys imported to the United States last year, more than $13 billion came from China. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading But a rollercoaster tariff row between Washington and Beijing has caused havoc for US businesses and their Chinese suppliers. Panel moderator Daniel Pickett argued that the Trump administration is "imposing truly exaggerated, somewhat crazy, and frightening measures." He said Trump's proposal to impose additional tariffs on imports "has only wreaked havoc on the entire industry." Trump recently dismissed warnings by toy giant Hasbro's CEO Chris Cocks about rising prices if higher tariffs were imposed, defending his trade policy by emphasizing it favors domestic production. But Cathey argued the rhetoric doesn't reflect American reality. He said: "There's like 480,000 manufacturing jobs... that aren't even filled. So we're going to do what, we're going to bring a bunch of factory jobs back that nobody can fill." The business owner suggested that US value-addition lies in innovation rather than manufacturing. "There are industries where tariffs make sense," Cathey continued, highlighting the automotive and mining sectors. "There's a mechanism where tariffs make sense that actually protect jobs, American workers, and our national security. Barbie ain't it." Brian Flynn of Super7, a collectibles and action figures brand, said the Trump administration's shifting tariff policies have caused chaos and uncertainty. "Nobody knows what's going to happen," he said, adding that the triple-digit tariffs Trump has sometimes mentioned would "drive everyone out of the market." Flynn said the impact was already visible at Comic-Con, where he had to limit himself to a small concession stand rather than a larger exhibit space. Consumers will feel the impact in their wallets next quarter, he warned. "And when it hits, that's going to make a big difference for us." AFP
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Int'l Business Times
Small Businesses Warn Of Trump Tariff Impact On Toy Industry At Comic-Con
Small business owners used the festive backdrop of Comic-Con on Thursday to discuss a sobering topic: the negative impact that US President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs are having on the toy industry. "Not the most sexy topic," Jonathan Cathey, chief executive of collectibles company The Loyal Subjects, admitted at a panel titled "Toys, Tariffs, and Trade Wars" at the four-day convention in San Diego, California. "But this ultimately affects you guys, it affects the end user," he said. "Prices will go up, and our rate of sales will go down." Toy companies have been fretting about the impact of Trump's global tariff blitz on the industry, particularly when it comes to China. Of over $17 billion worth of toys imported to the United States last year, more than $13 billion came from China. But a rollercoaster tariff row between Washington and Beijing has caused havoc for US businesses and their Chinese suppliers. Panel moderator Daniel Pickett argued that the Trump administration is "imposing truly exaggerated, somewhat crazy, and frightening measures." He said Trump's proposal to impose additional tariffs on imports "has only wreaked havoc on the entire industry." Trump recently dismissed warnings by toy giant Hasbro's CEO Chris Cocks about rising prices if higher tariffs were imposed, defending his trade policy by emphasizing it favors domestic production. But Cathey argued the rhetoric doesn't reflect American reality. He said: "There's like 480,000 manufacturing jobs... that aren't even filled. So we're going to do what, we're going to bring a bunch of factory jobs back that nobody can fill." The business owner suggested that US value-addition lies in innovation rather than manufacturing. "There are industries where tariffs make sense," Cathey continued, highlighting the automotive and mining sectors. "There's a mechanism where tariffs make sense that actually protect jobs, American workers, and our national security. Barbie ain't it." Brian Flynn of Super7, a collectibles and action figures brand, said the Trump administration's shifting tariff policies have caused chaos and uncertainty. "Nobody knows what's going to happen," he said, adding that the triple-digit tariffs Trump has sometimes mentioned would "drive everyone out of the market." Flynn said the impact was already visible at Comic-Con, where he had to limit himself to a small concession stand rather than a larger exhibit space. Consumers will feel the impact in their wallets next quarter, he warned. "And when it hits, that's going to make a big difference for us."
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State house bill restricting speed camera use passes with a vote of 7-5
On Monday, the Louisiana House Transportation, Highways, and Public Works Committee approved a bill designed to limit the use of speed cameras throughout the state. Republican Senator Stewart Cathey's SB 99 was passed by the House Transportation, Highways, and Public Works Committee on a 7-5 vote. The bill would the limit of use automated traffic enforcement devices across the state. Specifically, SB 99 would ban red light cameras statewide and limit speed enforcement cameras to designated school zones during specified hours. KNOE 8 News reported that Cathey has been working to ban automated speed cameras in Louisiana, believing that the devices are unfair to Louisiana, seeing them as a "money grab." He stated that speeding tickets issued by speed enforcement devices are also not enforceable. 'There are zero consequences to not paying a speed camera ticket," Cathey stated in the interview. "It cannot go on your credit. They cannot arrest you. They can't put a lien on anything. Cannot suspend your driver's license. There are no repercussions if you choose not to pay." Shreveport Democratic Representatives Steven Jackson, Tammy Phelps, and Joy Walters are members of the House Transportation Committee. Jackson voted to advance the bill, while Democratic Shreveport Representatives Joy Walters and Tammy Phelps voted against it. The bill has been referred to the Legislative Bureau. Follow Ian Robinson on Twitter @_irobinsonand on Facebook at More: Should Louisiana ban automated speed enforcement cameras? Lawmakers to vote soon on bill This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: House bill to limit speed cameras statewide passes with 7-5 vote
CNBC
05-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Walmart plans to expand drone deliveries to three more states
Walmart is bringing drone deliveries to three more states. On Thursday, the big-box retailer said it plans to launch the speedier delivery option at 100 stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa within the coming year. With the expansion, Walmart's drone deliveries will be available in a total of five states: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. Customers will request a delivery through the app of Wing, the operator who flies the drones through a deal with Walmart. The drone operator will have an up to a six-mile range from stores. Drone deliveries are one of the buzziest examples of Walmart's efforts to compete with rivals like Amazon on convenience along with low price. With more than 4,600 Walmart stores across the U.S., the retailer has used its large footprint to get online orders to customers faster. It has an Express Delivery service that drops purchases at customers' doors in as fast as 30 minutes, along with InHome, a subscription-based service, that puts items directly into people's fridges. The company began same-day prescription deliveries last fall and has expanded the service across the country. "The number one piece of feedback that we get from our customers are, 'When are you expanding?'" said Greg Cathey, senior vice president of Walmart U.S. transformation and innovation, referring to drone delivery. Cathey said shoppers using the drone service typically order urgent items, such as hamburger buns for a cookout, eggs to make brownies or Tylenol or cold medicine needed when sick. Drone deliveries take 30 minutes or less, the company said. So far, some of the most frequently delivered items include eggs, ice cream, pet food and fresh fruit, including bananas, lemons and eggs, Walmart added. Walmart stores have an assortment of over 150,000 items in a location. Over 50% of those can be delivered by drone, Cathey said. Yet the rollout of speedy deliveries across the U.S. has come with stops and starts. Three years ago, Walmart announced a plan to expand drone deliveries so it would be able to reach 4 million households across six states fulfilled from 37 stores in parts of Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia. At the time, the company's leaders said the retailer would be able to deliver over 1 million packages by drone in a year by using those sites. The rollout never stuck. Walmart's drone delivery count so far is modest. The company did not share the specific count, but said it has racked up a total of more than 150,000 drone deliveries since 2021. Chief competitor Amazon's expansion of drone deliveries has been slow-going, too. The e-commerce giant set a goal to deliver 500 million packages by drone per year by the end of the decade through its service, Prime Air. So far, it has tested the deliveries in College Station, Texas, and Tolleson, Arizona, but it temporarily suspended service earlier this year after an abnormality with the drone's altitude sensor that required a software fix. Walmart has tested drone deliveries in Northwest Arkansas, near its hometown of Bentonville, and scaled them to reach most of the population in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. Several drone operators, including Zipline, Flytrex, DroneUp and Wing, have powered Walmart's deliveries, but the retailer has not provided the financial terms of the deals or the amount of money it has made from sales delivered by drones. Walmart said it currently has 21 live sites in Arkansas and Texas, which are operated by Wing and Zipline. Its contract with DroneUp ended last year. Kieran Shanahan, chief operating officer of Walmart U.S., said the company wants to offer "flexibility and convenience" with drones, along with speedier deliveries by van. "We see it as part of a broader ecosystem of things," he said. "And who knows what five years, 10 years time will bring as new technologies and capabilities unlock?" If customers order in the Wing app, deliveries are free. Cathey said Walmart is testing the addition of a drone delivery option within its app in the Dallas area. As part of the test, deliveries cost $19.99 or are free for members of Walmart+, the company's subscription service.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Efforts to unplug Louisiana's speed trap cameras create small-town discontent
Getty Images It looked for a moment that automated speed enforcement cameras in Louisiana might go the way of the Oldsmobile. But what was once an all-out ban on the devices now has an exception that threatens to force the proposal down a dead end. For the past two years, state lawmakers have tried to drastically scale back the use of technology that captures lead-footed drivers and red-light runners in the act and sends them tickets in the mail. While their boosters consider traffic enforcement cameras a force multiplier for manpower-strapped police departments, detractors see them as a money grab for local governments. Critics also pan the heavy burden placed on motorists who want to challenge their citations. The companies that provide speeding cameras to local police often handle fine collections and contested tickets, leaving no local avenue for appeals. 'It's taxation by citation,' Rep. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine, said May 28 during a Louisiana House floor debate over a bill that would do away with speeding cameras everywhere but school zones. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The debate has created bipartisan fractures at the State Capitol. One side believes local jurisdictions should be able to govern themselves – and that includes the use of traffic enforcement cameras as they see fit. The other viewpoint says speeding 'scameras' make it next to impossible for drivers to challenge their tickets. 'I've got preachers' mommas calling me, telling me they're getting tickets. They didn't even know they were speeding,' Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Pineville said last week before the House approved Senate Bill 99, by Sen. Stewart Cathey, R-Monroe. Cathey brought his new proposal after authoring a law last year that established requirements for using speeding enforcement cameras in Louisiana. They include signage to let motorists know they are being monitored. Plus, cities and towns must provide a local administrative process for motorists to appeal their tickets. But because a handful of municipalities still won't follow the rules, Cathey came back this year with what he's called 'a bill with teeth.' If approved, police chiefs and municipal leaders who continue to ignore the requirements can be charged with malfeasance in office. The penalty for that crime can be up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. When Cathey's bill went before the Senate in April, Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, amended it to ban the use of the cameras everywhere but school zones. Louisiana set to spend at least $7 million to bring Saudi-owned LIV Golf to New Orleans In its current form, the legislation would not apply to red light cameras. But every other speeding enforcement camera in Louisiana would be shut down – with one notable exception. An amendment placed on the bill in the House would exclude the city of Opelousas, where sponsor Rep. Dustin Miller, a Democrat, said speed enforcement cameras allow his hometown police department to commit more officers to combatting violent crime. That exception doesn't sit well with Cathey, who's been highly critical of small-town leaders who he says refuse to follow the existing law. He's declined to name them publicly, but he hasn't held back his opinion on Opelousas' leadership. 'You know, I may just buy a billboard outside of Opelousas to let everybody know that it's the speed trap capital of Louisiana,' Cathey said in an interview Friday. Miller's amendment passed by the slimmest margin in a 47-46 vote, with the updated bill gaining approval in a 72-23 vote. In an interview after the House adjourned, Miller said his city shouldn't be penalized for the wrongful actions of other municipalities. 'They're claiming that there's, like, seven towns that's doing illegal stuff,' he said. 'Well, as far as my knowledge, Opelousas is doing it correctly. So I'm just like, allow them to still do it where they're doing it.' In an interview last week, Cathey said he lacks confidence in Opelousas Police Chief Graig LeBlanc to manage the city's speeding enforcement cameras. The senator noted LeBlanc is currently under criminal indictment for a shooting that allegedly stemmed from a love triangle. The state attorney general is prosecuting the case, in which the chief has been charged with obstruction of justice and malfeasance in office. LeBlanc and his wife, St. Landry Parish Sheriff's Deputy Crystal LeBlanc, were injured in the shooting. Calls to the police chief seeking comment were directed to the department's public information officer, who has not responded to questions about the city's camera program. Opelousas Mayor Julius Alsandor also has not responded to calls and emails. Louisiana senators trim private education vouchers, expand Medicaid budget LeBlanc and other local police leaders have appeared at the Capitol to oppose Cathey's bill, as have small town mayors who argued the legislature should respect their autonomy. Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux also testified against the Cathey bill. Reggie Skains has been the volunteer, unpaid mayor of Downsville for 39 years. The town at the border of Lincoln and Union parishes has a population of less than 150 residents, yet it sees far more traffic because it's at the nexus of two state highways in north Louisiana. In the first six days Downsville deployed speeding enforcement cameras, it issued 419 tickets, the mayor said. 'This is not driving safely,' Skains told a legislative committee, stressing the cameras meet a need in his community. Roosevelt Porter is the police chief of Epps, a village of less than 400 just minutes away from the Poverty Point World Heritage Site. He said although Epps is within Cathey's Senate district, he had not heard from the senator about his bill. Speeding enforcement cameras in his village issued 3,500 tickets in their first month, but the number fell to 1,500 in the second month, Porter said. 'I could care less if this thing makes money,' the police chief told a House committee in April. 'If it slows people down, that is what's important to me.' Porter grew more emotional as he continued his testimony, shouting and coming close to tears at his conclusion. 'My town is at your mercy, but I know how this stuff works,' he said. 'Let that be your family member that comes through there and gets killed. What are you going to do then?' When Cathey's bill went before a Senate committee, Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, said the measure would have prevented the scandal that unfolded within his district last year when a West Baton Rouge Parish constable issued more than 4,000 school zone speeding tickets over a two-week period. The infractions each came with a $150 fine, but Attorney General Liz Murrill determined the constable had no authority to enforce traffic laws and had to refund what was collected. Cathey said last week he was unsure about the outlook for his bill now that an exception has been added to it. He predicted other towns and cities would seek similar exemptions. 'Currently, Opelousas is the speed camera capital of Louisiana,' the senator said. 'And if the people of Opelousas don't like it, they need to reach out to their local legislators and let them know.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
