Trump

The Republican cult that marches to the tune of former president Trump may soon be plunging over the cliff, according to a Quinnipiac Poll released Aug. 4.

It found the beaten president has lost much of his mojo. Less than one in five (19 percent) of Americans say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate endorsed by Trump.

Forty one percent are less likely to support a candidate blessed by Trump and 37 percent don’t give a fig who the former reality show host backs.

Though Republican politicians cower before Trump, a robust 34 percent of GOPers say a Trump endorsement would not make a difference in their vote.

More than half (54 percent) of Republicans say they would be more likely to vote for a Trump-supported candidate and six percent say less likely.

A solid majority (60 percent) of Democrats, Republicans and Independents told Quinnipiac a Trump for president campaign in 2024 would be bad news for the US.

Thirty two percent say a Trump run would be good for the country.

Russia is perhaps the country they were referring to.

Back to Earth for Jeff "Space Cadet" Bezos. It’s been all downhill on the PR front for the King of Amazon in the aftermath of his 11-minute July 20 joy ride to the edge of space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard spaceship.

Though the billionaire staged a photo-op in which he received “astronaut wings” made by his Blue Origin space company, the Federal Aviation Administration determined Bezos didn’t exactly have the right stuff.

It redefined the definition of astronaut as one who “demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human spaceflight safety.”

Sorry, Jeff. Hitching a ride doesn’t cut it.

Bezos got more bad news on Aug. 2 when an official at the National Labor Relations Board recommended that workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, AL get a second chance to vote for a union.

The NLRB official determined that Amazon used hard-ball tactics to defeat an April vote to unionize and recommended holding another tally.

Amazon claims the workers turned down the big bad union because they prefer the cozy relationship they enjoy with the company and their managers.

“Our employees had a chance to be heard during a noisy time when all types of voices were weighing into the national debate, and at the end of the day, they voted overwhelmingly in favor of a direct connection with their managers and company,” Amazon said in a statement.

A New York Times blockbuster report found that Amazon loses three percent of its hourly workforce each week, which translates into a 150 percent annual turnover rate.

Nevertheless, Amazon plans to appeal the NLRB decision.

Once safely back on Earth, spaceman Bezos said: "I want to thank every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all of this.”

He could show his gratitude to workers by letting them hold a union vote, free from corporate intimidation.

A handful of influencers drive the online conversation about environmental, social and governance issues, according to an analysis conducted by Brunswick Group.

It found the top 10 influencers—ranked by digital engagement with an average of 86K followers—out of more than 1,000 analyzed accounted for 30 percent of Twitter-related ESG conversations during the past six months.

The conversations focused more on broad issues rather than on individual companies or actions.

Brunswick identified top themes, including 1) Can ESG affect climate change while offering a return-on-investment; 2) Has the COVID-19 pandemic set the stage for greater “green” outcomes; 3) How to combat "greenwashing"?

The firm has a word of caution to companies interested in joining in the conversation about ESG. It is an online community that may not be the friendliest environment for companies to wade into.

“Listening enables businesses to better understand the ESG conversation as well as the voices shaping it before deciding to offer their own,” noted Antonio Ortolani in the Aug. 2 “Brunswick Review.”