Mayor Peduto recently announced his support for Natalia Rudiak's call for a Will of Council in regards to an international trade deal that might go straight to Congress without input from state and city representatives. Rudiak, along with other local and national legislators, worries that "fast-tracking" the trade agreement with Asian nations will give multinational corporations new, sweeping offshore profits and limit sovereign governments from regulating environmental quality, land use, food safety and telecommunications. Rudiak joins us to explain her reservations about the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Asked to discuss critics' concerns regarding the trade deal, Rudiak explains that one of the biggest fears is loss of employment:
"We're talking about hundreds of thousands of jobs being potentially lost. That's what we saw from NAFTA, that's what we saw from CAFTA, that's what we saw from the U.S./Korea trade deal. ... What's scary about this is that we're talking about 21 countries that represent 40% of the country's GDP, so it's sort of like NAFTA on steroids." -- Natalia Rudiak
Also in the program, 1960s pop star and native Pittsburgher Lou Christie looks back on his musical career as he his honored by the Pittsburgh Rock 'n Roll Legends Award, and travel contributor Elaine Labalme warns us to not wait and to start planning for the beach.
Lou Christie
Born and raised in Moon Township, master of falsetto Lou Christie gave us such classic hits as "The Gypsy Cried," "Lightnin' Strikes" and "Rhapsody in the Rain." In 2015, Christie is not only still touring and writing music, but he's also being inducted into Pittsburgh's version of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame -- he'll be receiving a Rock 'n Roll Legends Award. Christie shares stories from his early career and describes his success outside of the Steel City.
Then, continuing our "Pittsburgh music scene" theme, local music scene representatives describe Pittsburgh's relationship to the national music industry in a segment produced by Essential Pittsburgh intern Nikki Abban.
Traveling with Elaine: Beach Prep
Are you planning on spending some time at the beach this summer? If so, contributor Elaine Labalme says now is the time to book that beach destination. She joins us tips for booking the best beach deals as well as her recommendations for places to enjoy sand and surf.
More Essential Pittsburgh segments can be found here.
