Today’s News & Commentary—April 4, 2016

The largest US border patrol union has endorsed Republican Donald Trump for president, raising eyebrows among AFL-CIO constituents.  Up until this election cycle, the National Border Patrol Council had followed a longstanding policy of not throwing its support behind a presidential candidate, reports Quartz.  Now, not only has the Council chosen a contender, but it has chosen the candidate who has attracted public criticism from AFL-CIO leadership and its constituents.  Although the AFL-CIO has yet to endorse a candidate, safe to say it was not going to be the man who Richard Trumka, the AFL-CIO president, described as “hot air” and “full of baloney and bluster” just last week.  In response to the Council breaking rank, a prominent immigrants rights group is now demanding that the AFL-CIO sever their relationship with the border patrol union, reports the Inquisitr. According to a petition being circulated by Not1More, the Council’s endorsement of Trump is evidence of the disconnect between the “Border Patrol, immigrant communities, and the rest of the labor movement across the United States.”  AFL-CIO has yet to act or comment on the petition.

Uber drivers in Texas now have insurance coverage tailored to the ride-sharing business, reports Reuters.  Last Friday Progressive Insurance and Uber Technologies launched a pilot program that covers Uber drivers with Progressive’s new TNC (transportation network companies) insurance product.  Stoked by recent changes in Texas insurance rules, the TNC product is specifically designed to protect individuals who use their vehicles for profit and not for personal use.  The partnership is a positive step towards bridging the gap between personal insurance policies, which often do not cover ride-hailing services, and the reality that we live in sharing economy.

The Obama administration is slated to announce a long-awaited proposal on retirement advice later this week, according to Reuters.  The rule, which is required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, seeks to regulate brokers by “end[ing] potential conflicts of interest by brokers who advise on individual retirement accounts and to protect consumers from buying unnecessary investment products.”  The Labor Department withdrew its first retirement proposal five years ago, in 2011, after generating a firestorm of criticism.  And although the content of the current rule is still unknown, many expect a similar fight over this version.