Welcome to Actus ProRata, where we take just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech, business, and politics.

Brought to you by Facebook. I'm Dan Permac. On today's show, the cost of President Trump's July 4th extravaganza and a major boom in fireworks sales.

But first, big business fights for gay rights.

So the Supreme Court returns to session in October and one of the most closely watched

cases is actually three cases in which workers claim they were fired because they were

gay or transgender.

One was a skydiving instructor in New York.

One was a funeral home employee in Michigan

and the other a county government employee in Georgia. Lower courts found for the employees

in each case, finding they were covered by existing federal anti-discrimination law. But their

employers have appealed, arguing that sexual orientation and gender identity are not specifically

codified in the statutes, thus the Supreme

Court case. And when the justices do get to it, they will find an amicus or friend of the court

brief from over 200 large U.S. companies, from all sorts of industry sectors and geographies,

arguing in favor of the fired employees. It is said to be the most ever corporate signers for an LGBTQ non-discrimination case,

and they argue basically that equality for employees is essential to maintaining a healthy and productive workplace.

They also believe it's what their customers and clients want.

The bottom line here, big business once tried to keep politics at the water's edge, or at least

just the providence of lobbying and campaign contributions.

Now it's just a part of, well, doing business.

In 15 seconds, we'll go deeper with John Winkle-Reed, the former co-president of Goldman Sachs

and the current co-CEO of Private Equity Giant TPG, both of which signed

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