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  1. #3201
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    In a speech on Nov. 2, 2020, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden promised, “I’ll not only restore Obamacare; I’ll build on it.”

    Two years and counting since then, how is he doing in meeting that promise?

    KHN has teamed up with our partners at PolitiFact to monitor 100 key promises — including this one — made by Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign. The pledges touch on issues related to improving the economy, responding to calls for racial justice, and combating climate change. On health care, they range from getting covid-19 under control and improving veterans’ health care to codifying Roe v. Wade. KHN has recently done progress checks on the administration’s pledges to lower the costs of prescription drugs and to reduce the nation’s maternal mortality rate.

    Eight days into his tenure as president, Biden signed an executive order aimed at strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. A couple of months later, he signed his first major piece of legislation, the American Rescue Plan, which included provisions expanding eligibility for subsidies and increasing premium tax credits available to help low- and moderate-income Americans purchase ACA coverage.

    That legislation also offered financial incentives to encourage the 12 states that had declined to expand Medicaid eligibility to do so.

    The consumer subsidies were originally set to expire this year but were extended by the Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden signed into law Aug. 16, after much debate and without any Republican votes. The expanded eligibility for subsidies was also continued by this measure.

    In October, the Biden administration addressed another issue in the ACA, the so-called family glitch, which prevented some people with job-based insurance from qualifying for subsidies.

    Those items alone prompt “an unequivocal yes,” to the question of whether Biden has met his campaign promise, said Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University.

    Joe Antos, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, offered a different perspective — that the actions taken on the glitch can’t count toward Biden’s promise to “restore” the ACA. Antos said that’s because it wasn’t a glitch at all, but rather an intentional element of the original ACA put there to save the government money, and help win its passage in Congress.

    “Biden was vice president when the bill was signed into law, and he supposedly supported it,” Antos said.

    Corlette touted other Biden administration changes, including increased funding for consumer assistance programs that help people sign up for ACA coverage and streamlined some of the paperwork required for enrollment.

    The White House issued an official recap of other actions taken as a result of the executive order, including extending the annual open enrollment period to bring in more policyholders, and allowing low-income Americans to sign up anytime.

    Last year, a record 14.5 million Americans selected an ACA plan. This year’s sign-up period ended Jan. 15 in most states and, based on preliminary numbers, enrollment in 2023 will continue the upward trend.

    The boost in enrollment is due, in part, to the enhanced subsidies, which lowered premiums to $10 or less a month for some low-income consumers, and eliminated a cutoff threshold, allowing some higher-income families to qualify for at least some subsidy, said Corlette.

    Antos agreed that the administration has made changes that “clearly built on Obamacare and expanded spending and probably did cover more people.”

    What happened with the financial incentives meant to get states to expand their Medicaid programs to include more low-income adults, particularly those at or below the poverty level who have no children? Those incentives are still there for the taking, but, so far, no states have done so.

    South Dakota expanded after the rescue plan’s passage, but that was because voters approved a ballot measure, not because of the financial incentives.

    “That was part of Biden’s goal, to close the coverage gap,” said Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown. “We still have 11 states resisting Medicaid expansion, and that leaves a big, gaping hole in coverage in those states. But that’s not for lack of trying by the Biden administration.”

    Because enrollment is up, subsidies are more available, more people are helping consumers enroll, and there are additional enticements to get states to expand Medicaid, we rate this as a Promise Kept.
    Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

  2. #3202
    Thailand Expat Backspin's Avatar
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    The whole classified documents thing is an internal struggle between factions that we don't even know about. Someone doesn't want Biden anymore.

    They used the exact same tactics on Trump. Remember Trump document-gate?

  3. #3203
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Drip Drip Drip

    SIX NEW ITEMS — including classified documents — were found at President Joe Biden’s Delaware home on Friday, the president’s personal attorney said on Saturday, The New York Times reports. Investigators for the Department of Justice conducted the 13-hour search after Biden’s lawyers offered full access to his home.
    “DOJ took possession of materials it deemed within the scope of its inquiry, including six items consisting of documents with classification markings and surrounding materials, some of which were from the President’s service in the Senate and some of which were from his tenure as Vice President,” Biden’s personal attorney Bob Bauer said in a statement. Biden’s lawyers were present during the search, Bauer said, and added that the department had “full access” to Biden’s home.

    More Classified Documents Seized from Biden’s Delaware Home – Rolling Stone

  4. #3204
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    President Joe Biden-sbr012023dapr-jpg

  5. #3205
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    cartoons from the school girl, the PB of speakers corner above

    __________




    On what would have been the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, President Biden will issue a Presidential Memorandum on Further Efforts to Protect Access to Reproductive Healthcare Services. Vice President Harris will announce the Presidential Memorandum in Florida later today, where she will speak about the next steps in the fight for reproductive rights and reinforce the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protecting access to abortion, including medication abortion.

    Since the day of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, President Biden has emphasized the need to protect access to mifepristone, a drug used in medication abortion that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for over 20 years and accounts for the majority of all abortions in the United States.

    Earlier this month, the FDA took evidence-based action to support safe access to mifepristone by allowing the continued use of telehealth to prescribe the medication and creating a new option for certified pharmacies to dispense it to patients.

    Some state officials have taken steps to try to prevent women from legally accessing medication abortion and to discourage pharmacies from becoming certified by the FDA.

    Today, President Biden will sign a Presidential Memorandum to further protect access to medication abortion.

    In the face of barriers to medication abortion and concerns about the safety of patients, healthcare providers, and pharmacists, today’s Presidential Memorandum announces actions to:


    • Protect Legal Access to Medication Abortion. The Presidential Memorandum directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), to consider new guidance to support patients, providers, and pharmacies who wish to legally access, prescribe, or provide mifepristone—no matter where they live.
    • Safeguard Patient Safety and Security. To ensure that patients understand their right to access reproductive healthcare despite roadblocks, the Presidential Memorandum directs the Secretary of HHS, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of DHS, to consider new actions to ensure that patients can access legal reproductive care, including medication abortion from a pharmacy, free from threats or violence. The President has long made clear that people should have access to reproductive care free from harassment, threats, or violence. Pharmacies should be treated no differently.


    The Attorney General and the Secretaries of HHS and DHS will also provide recommendations to the White House Interagency Task Force on Reproductive Healthcare Access, which was established by President Biden in Executive Order 14076, on additional ways to address barriers faced by patients, providers, and pharmacies in safely and legally accessing or providing medication abortion, consistent with evidence-based requirements set by the FDA.

  6. #3206
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    President Biden on Monday praised a contingent of Senate Democrats who earlier in the day introduced a pair of bills to ban military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines as well as raise the age of purchasing them to 21 years old.

    Biden cited recent shootings across the U.S., including those at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colo., and in Monterey Park, Calif., in which both gunmen used similar style weapons.

    Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Chris Murphy (Conn.) introduced bills one day after a gunman shot and killed 11 people at a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park.

    The Senate bills intend to prohibit the “sale, transfer, manufacture and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines” and raise the age to buy assault weapons from 18 to 21, according to a statement by Feinstein.

    Biden noted that Feinstein joined him in 1994 when the Senate passed an assault weapons ban that prohibited such sales for 10 years. Congress has been unable to pass anything similar since that bill expired in 2004.

    Biden has long been vocal in urging Congress to take up an assault weapons ban, even though neither chamber has enough votes for such a measure to pass.

    Nonetheless, Biden continues to advocate for a bill to get to his desk.

    “The majority of the American people agree with this common sense action,” he added. “There can be no greater responsibility than to do all we can to ensure the safety of our children, our communities, and our nation.”

    Biden signed a bipartisan gun safety bill into law over the summer in the wake of a shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., and at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

    The law strengthened background checks for gun buyers between the ages of 18 and 21, makes obtaining firearms through straw purchases or trafficking a federal offense, and clarifies the definition of a federally licensed firearm dealer.

    It also closed the “boyfriend loophole” by preventing those convicted of a misdemeanor crime of violence involving a current or former romantic partner from possessing a firearm for at least five years.

    In her statement, Feinstein noted the shooting at a Lunar New Year celebration in her home state.

    “The constant stream of mass shootings have one common thread: they almost all involve assault weapons. It’s because these weapons were designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible,” Feinstein said. “They have no business in our communities or schools. It’s time we stand up to the gun lobby and remove these weapons of war from our streets, or at the very least keep them out of the hands of young people.”

  7. #3207
    กงเกวียนกำเกวียน HuangLao's Avatar
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    To those who might be wearing the pre-made and culturally conditioned blinders:
    Old Dementia Joe is screwing you over as we speak - and has a long/unsavoury history [Senate, VP, etc] of nasty and corrupted dealings.

  8. #3208
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Fvck off jeff

    ________




    resident Biden will deliver a major economic speech this week spotlighting fringe economic proposals championed by House Republicans — including a controversial bill to abolish the IRS and replace it with a 30% national sales tax.

    Why it matters: With a divided Congress, the political battle over the economy for the next two years will be more about perception than actual policies. Biden wants to build a narrative for his case by bludgeoning Republicans with their own words.


    • One way he'll do that is by trying to tie the GOP to Rep. Buddy Carter's (R-Ga.) national sales tax bill, which House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reportedly agreed to bring to the floor in exchange for the support of far-right rebels.
    • Even some Republicans see a vote on the Fair Tax Act as a potential vulnerability. "This is a political gift to Biden and the Democrats," leading tax reform advocate Grover Norquist told Semafor last week.


    The big picture: Painting Republicans as extreme has been core to Democrats' strategy in the era of Donald Trump, and the party is eager to run the same playbook with the House GOP's newly empowered far-right flank.


    • Biden trotted out a new line last week, calling Republicans "fiscally demented" and vowing to veto any of their tax bills.
    • "National sales tax, that’s a great idea," Biden quipped in remarks following the latest inflation reading. "Go home and tell your moms. They’re going to be really excited about that."


    Driving the news: In a speech to union workers in Springfield, Virginia, on Thursday, Biden will focus on GOP proposals like the national sales tax as proof that Republicans are irresponsible, according to an administration official.


    • He'll also accuse Republicans of wanting to gut entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare, reprising a line of attack he used against then-NRSC chair Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) during the midterms.
    • Some Republicans already recognize the third rail will be a potent Democratic attack in negotiations over the debt ceiling: "Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security," former President Trump warned on Friday.


    Zoom out: For several weeks, officials have been mulling a set-aside speech on the economy before the State of the Union address next month.


    • With Republicans in control of the House and the Federal Reserve continuing to raise interest rates, Biden’s top advisers know they have very few economic levers they can pull to address a potential recession.


    • In past recessions, Republicans and Democrats have come together to provide some sort of fiscal stimulus, like extending unemployment insurance or temporarily suspending the payroll tax. That’s unlikely to happen in the next two years.
    • The challenge for the White House will be how to respond to a potential recession with anything other than rhetoric.


    What we're watching: The White House has been buoyed by some recent releases of economic data, with core inflation dropping to an annualized 3.1% over the last three months of last year.


    • Those numbers, along with declining gas prices, have allowed top officials like Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to claim progress on inflation, which was a major drag on Biden's poll numbers last year.


    The bottom line: While White House officials remain hopeful that the economy can avoid a recession, they're also keenly aware that two years is an eternity in politics and quarterly GDP reports.

    • One of Biden’s favorite lines, which he attributes to his father, is "don’t compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative.’’
    • That theme — contrast — will be a near constant over the next two years.

  9. #3209
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HuangLao View Post
    To those who might be wearing the pre-made and culturally conditioned blinders:
    Old Dementia Joe is screwing you over as we speak - and has a long/unsavoury history [Senate, VP, etc] of nasty and corrupted dealings.
    He's a bit like Reagan was in his second term.

    A doddery old fool whose strings are being pulled for him.

  10. #3210
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    FFS are ANY of these fucking documents where they are supposed to be?



    Classified documents have been found at former US Vice-President Mike Pence's home in the latest secret paper discovery.

    The documents, discovered by a lawyer last week for Mr Pence at his Indiana home, have been handed over to the FBI.

  11. #3211
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    They didn’t vote for it, they don’t like it and they’re working to undermine it — but Republicans are reaping the benefits of Democrats’ climate law.

    In the five months since the Inflation Reduction Act became law, companies have announced tens of billions of dollars in renewable energy, battery and electric vehicle projects that will benefit from incentives in President Joe Biden’s signature law, aimed at expanding domestic manufacturing in clean energy and reducing dependence on Chinese imports.

    In fact, roughly two-thirds of the major projects are in districts whose Republican lawmakers opposed the Inflation Reduction Act, according to a POLITICO analysis of major green energy manufacturing announcements made since the bill’s enactment.

    The dynamic has prompted a tricky balancing act for the GOP: Tout the jobs and economic benefits coming to their states and districts, but not the bill that helped create them. The results are also potentially awkward for Democrats who expended political capital and more than a year of wrangling to enact the bill, only to see Republican lawmakers and governors sharing in the jobs and positive headlines it’s creating — although Democrats say they also see longer-term benefits for the nation in building GOP support for alternatives to fossil fuels.

    Republicans insist their positions on the bill and the jobs are not in conflict.

    “Just because you vote against a bill doesn’t mean the entire bill is a bad bill,” said Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), who was the top GOP member of Democrats’ Select Climate Crisis Committee in the last Congress. “I go out there and advocate for our district to try and get transportation funds, to try and get energy funds. That’s my job. I am not embarrassed about it. I don’t think it’s inconsistent with my vote.”

    To Democrats, the slate of new investments stand as proof that they were correct that the Inflation Reduction Act, H.R. 5376 (117), would expand the reach of clean power to rural and conservative areas — a promise that failed to sway a single Republican vote to support the bill.

    Much more in the article

  12. #3212
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    President Joe Biden-326405425_910278973303957_226527627714980698_n-jpg

  13. #3213
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    Another piss poor cartoon post from TD’s school girl above. The PB of speakers corner

    ________

    President Biden - Just two Delawareans, live from New York.



  14. #3214
    Thailand Expat

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    They never had these problems when Martin Sheen was president.

  15. #3215
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    ^I never watched one full episode. Busy sleeping

    __________








    THE PRESIDENT: Good almost morning. It’s exactly noon. Thank you for being here.

    Yesterday marked 11 months since Russia’s brutal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine; 11 months in which the Ukrainian people have showed Putin and the world the full force of their courage and the indomitable determination to live free.

    And through every single step of this horrific war, the American people have been strong and unwavering in their support.

    And Democrats and Republicans in Congress have stood together. The United States has worked in lockstep with our Allies and partners around the world to make sure the Ukrainian people are in the strongest possible position to defend their nation, their families, and against the brutal — the truly brutal aggression of Russia. We haven’t seen the likes of this in a long time.

    The United States and Europe are fully united.

    This morning, I had a long conversation with our NATO Allies — German Chancellor Scholz, French President Macron, Prime Minister Sunak, and the Italian Prime Minister, Meloni — to continue our close coordination in our full support of Ukraine. Because you all know — I’ve been saying this a long time — the expectation on the part of Russia is we’re going to break up, we’re not going to stay united. But we are fully, thoroughly, totally united.

    With spring approaching, the Ukrainian forces are working to defend the territory they hold and preparing for additional counter-offensives. To liberate their land, they need to be able to counter Russia’s evolving tactics and strategy on the battlefield in the very near term.

    They need to improve their ability to maneuver in open terrain.

    And they need an enduring capability to deter and defend against Russian aggression over the long term.

    The Secretary of State and the Secretary of the — of the military are behind me. Are — they — they’ve been deeply, deeply involved in this — this whole effort.

    Armored capability, as General Austin will tell you, spe- — is — has been — has been critical. And that’s why the United States has committed hundreds of armored fighting vehicles to date, including more than 500 as part of the assistance package we announced last Friday.

    And today — today, I’m announcing that the United States will be sending 31 Abram tanks to Ukraine, the equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion.

    Secretary Austin has recommended this step because it will enhance the Ukraine’s capacity to defend its territory and achieve its strategic objectives.

    The Abrams tanks are the most capable tanks in the world. They’re also extremely complex to operate and maintain, so we’re also giving Ukraine the parts and equipment necessary to effectively sustain these tanks on the battlefield.

    And we begi- — we’ll begin to train the Ukrainian troops on these issues of sustainment, logistics, and maintenance as soon as possible.

    Delivering these tanks to the field is going to take time, time that we’ll see — we’ll use to make sure the Ukrainians are fully prepared to integrate the Abram tanks into their defenses.

    We also closely coordinated this announcement with our Allies.

    The American contribution will be joined by an additional announcement, including that will be — will be readily available and more easily integrated for use on the battlefield in the coming weeks and months from other countries.

    I’m grateful to Chancellor Scholz for providing German Leopard 2 tanks and will lead an effort to organize the European contribution of two tank battalions for Ukraine.

    I want to thank the Chancellor for his leadership and his steadfast commitment to our collective efforts to support Ukraine.

    Germany has really stepped up, and the Chancellor has been a strong, strong voice for unity — a close friend — and for the level of effort we’re going to continue.

    Supporting Ukraine’s ability to fight off Russian aggression to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity is a worldwide commitment. Not just lo- — it’s worldwide commitment.

    Last week, Germany — in Germany, Secretary Austin convened the Ukraine Defense Contact Group for the eighth time. This group is made up of some 50 nations — 50 nations — each making significant contributions of their own to Ukraine’s integrity, each fully committed to making Ukraine remain strong and independent and able to defend itself against Russian threats and violence.

    I want to thank every member of that coalition for continuing to step up.

    The UK — the United Kingdom — recently announced that it is donating Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. France is contributing AMX-10s, armored fighting vehicles.

    In addition to the Leopard tanks that Germany, like the United States, is also — Germany is also sending a pat- — a Patriot missile battery. The Netherlands is donating a Patriot missile and launchers.

    France, Canada, the UK, Slovakia, Norway, and others have all donated critical air defense systems to help secure Ukrainian skies and save the lives of innocent civilians who are literally the target — the target of Russia’s aggression.

    Poland is sending armored vehicles. Sweden is donating infantry fighting vehicles. Italy is giving artillery. Denmark and Estonia are sending howitzers. Latvia is providing more Stinger missiles. Lithuania is providing anti-aircraft guns. And Finland recently announced its largest package of security assistance to date.

    You may remember, when I was asked a while ago, what I think was going to happen. And I said — I let Putin know. He thought that he was going to have — end up with the Findalization [Finlandization] of Europe. Well, he’s got the NATOization of Finland. He’s gotten something that he never intended.

    Together with our Allies and partners, we’ve sent more than 3,000 armored vehicles, more than 8,000 [800] artillery systems, more than 2 million rounds of artillery ammunition, and more than 50 advanced multi-launch rocket systems, anti-ship and air defense systems, all to help counter Ukraine’s [Ukraine counter] brutal aggression that is happening because of Russia.

    And, look, today’s announcement builds on the hard work and commitment from countries around the world, led by the United States of America, to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty and its territorial integrity.

    That’s what this is about: helping Ukraine defend and protect Ukrainian land. It is not an offensive threat to Russia. We are — there is no offensive threat to Russia.

    If Russian troops returned to Russia, they’ll be there for — where they belong, and this war would be over today.

    That’s what we all want: an end to this war in just and lasting terms.

    You know, our teams do not permit one nation — we’re not going to allow one nation to steal a neighbor’s territory by force.

    Our terms that preserve Russia’s sovereign — Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and honor the U.N. Charter, that’s our — they’re the terms we’re working on.

    And, you know, these are — these the terms we all signed up for and 143 nations voted for in the United Nations General Assembly last October.

    So, the United States, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with
    our Allies and partners, is going to continue to do all we can to support Ukraine.

    Putin expected Europe and the United States to weaken our resolve. He expected our support for Ukraine to crumble with time. He was wrong. He was wrong. And he was wrong from the beginning, and he continues to be wrong.

    We are united. America is united and so is the world.

    And we approach the one-year mark — as we do — of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we remain as united and determined as ever in our conviction and our cause.

    These tanks are further evidence of our enduring and unflagging commitment to Ukraine and our confidence in the skill of the Ukrainian forces.

    As I told President Zelenskyy when he was here — and today is his birthday, by the way — in December: We’re with you for as long as it takes, Mr. President.

    Ukrainians are fighting an age-old battle against aggression and domination. It’s a battle Americans have fought proudly time and again, and it’s a battle we’re going to make sure the Ukrainians are well equipped to fight as well.

    This is about freedom. Freedom for Ukraine, freedom everywhere. It’s about the kind of world we want to live in and the world we want to leave our children.

    So, may God protect the brave Ukrainian defenders of their country who keep the flame of liberty burning brightly as we can.

    Thank you.

    Q Mr. President, why are you taking this decision now? Did Germany force you to change your mind on sending tanks?

    THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) Germany didn’t force me to change my mind. We wanted to make sure we were all together. And that’s what we were going to do all along, and that’s what we’re doing right now.
    Last edited by S Landreth; 26-01-2023 at 03:11 AM.

  16. #3216
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    Germany didn’t force me to change my mind.
    Oh but of course not- that's distinctly unAmerican! Let's just call it a quid pro quo. Now lets wait and see how long they dither before actually stumping up, and what is left of Ukraine to 'save'.

  17. #3217
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    ^team effort

    We wanted to make sure we were all together. And that’s what we were going to do all along, and that’s what we’re doing right now.

  18. #3218
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    The war on inflation may be far from over, but the economy has reached a key, little-noticed milestone: Workers’ wage gains are finally outpacing the rise in consumer prices.

    Americans’ average income has beaten inflation for the past six months, driven by the plummeting cost of gas, along with drops in furniture, cars and other goods. If the trend continues, it could be a boost for President Joe Biden as he gears up for a tough reelection campaign, undercutting one of the main Republican arguments against his handling of the economy.

    “People really know how far their paycheck goes,” Jared Bernstein, a member of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, said in an interview. “When gas prices are down $1.70 relative to where they were last summer, that’s the kind of breathing room that people recognize.”

    Prices have been cooling for the past six months. The consumer price index rose 6.5 percent across all of last year, down from 9.1 percent for the 12 months ending in June. Average hourly earnings grew more slowly — 4.6 percent — over that time period. But a steady drop in inflation in the second half of the year helped income surpass price increases, bringing real worker pay roughly to the same level it was prior to the pandemic.

    Prices have come down in many areas, but it’s the cost of gas that has drawn the most attention. That’s partly because White House officials have driven home the price declines for months by touting them on Twitter and in speeches — though the price is driven by global factors that are mostly outside of Biden’s control.

    Income gains have been fed by a labor market with a shortage of workers, giving people more leverage to seek higher pay, particularly when switching jobs. Powell is closely watching inflation in core services industries where paychecks are often businesses’ largest expense.

    “Inflation is coming down faster than we may have expected based on wage growth alone, but that’s unsurprising, given that inflation was driven up by factors that weren’t driven by wage growth,” said Daniel Zhao, lead economist on Glassdoor’s economic research team.

    New research that has garnered attention within the administration as well as among top commentators in the field suggests there’s still a way this could end well.

    For the time being, Biden is touting the income gains. Non-supervisory workers have slightly higher incomes than they had before the pandemic, and people with low-paying jobs have fared better than their higher-earning counterparts, as restaurants, hotels, and warehouses compete for a finite pool of employees.

    “It all adds up to a real break for consumers,” Biden said earlier this month.

  19. #3219
    Guest Member S Landreth's Avatar
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    President Biden Delivers Remarks on Our Economic Progress Since Taking Office


    Transcript

    The first two years of my administration, we've had the strongest years of job growth ever in american history. On record. We created nearly 11 million jobs including 750,000 manufacturing jobs. Where in the hell is it written that says America can't lead the world to manufacturing again.

    ___________

    U.S. economy expands at 2.9% annual rate in fourth quarter

    The U.S. economy grew at an annualized 2.9% rate in the final months of 2022, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.




    Why it matters
    : Economists are bracing for a significant slowdown in economic activity as the Federal Reserve's interest rates hikes take hold, but that certainly wasn't the case in the final months of last year.


    • Economists expected the Gross Domestic Product figures to show the economy grew at a 2.6% annualized rate last quarter, after expanding at a 3.2% pace in the prior quarter.


    Details: Consumer spending and businesses built up private inventories gave GDP the biggest boost. Among the biggest drags: fixed investment, a category that includes housing.

    By the numbers: Over the calendar year, GDP grew by 2.1% in 2022 — a decent pace, especially considering the historically aggressive rate hikes by the Federal Reserve that sought to restrain economic activity to contain inflation.


    • Those rate hikes hit the housing sector particularly hard, which dragged down overall growth earlier last year.


    Catch up quick: The first half of 2022 was dogged by fears that the economy had entered a recession, after back-to-back quarters of contractions. But by the second half of the year, the economy had returned to growth mode.


    • The growth over 2022 was an expected slowdown from the 5.9% achieved in 2021, when the economy bounced back from the pandemic shock.

  20. #3220
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    In case you aren't following the story, Memphis police issued a Rodney King-style beating to a black man who has subsequently died.

    They have been making every excuse not to release the bodycam video, no surprise there. Bit embarrassing really, as many, if not all, of the cops who administered it were black.

    President Biden on Thursday called for police reform after five Memphis police officers were charged with second-degree murder and other crimes in the death of Tyre Nichols, who died three days after a confrontation with officers in a traffic stop.

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/26/joe-biden-calls-police-reform-after-memphis-office/
    The next post may be brought to you by my little bitch Spamdreth

  21. #3221
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    Biden says he won’t let GOP ‘wreck’ the economy in meeting with Dem leaders

    President Biden on Tuesday said he won’t let Republicans wreck the U.S. economy in his first meeting with Democratic congressional leaders in the new Congress.

    “I love their 30 percent sales tax,” Biden said. “We want to talk a lot about that, but, look, I have no intention of letting the Republicans wreck our economy, nor does anybody around this table in my view.”

    The president was referring to a proposal from House conservatives to do away with income taxes, payroll taxes and estate taxes and impose a 30 percent national sales tax. The Fair Tax Act was introduced by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and supported by 30 other Republicans.

    The president also said at the top of the meeting that Republicans “apparently are genuinely serious about cutting Social Security, cutting Medicare.”

    The White House is standing firm that it will not negotiate with Republicans in Congress who are demanding spending cuts in exchange for raising the nation’s debt ceiling.

    The meeting on Tuesday included Vice President Harris as well as Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), marking the first time Jeffries has met with Biden at the White House since taking on his new role.

    Also in the meeting was White House chief of staff Ron Klain, who is expected to leave his role next month, as well as Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.).

    Biden said to kick off the meeting that they will discuss funding for Ukraine and his nominations moving forward as an upcoming priority.

    He also talked about accomplishments of the past two years, including on the economy, foreign policy during the war in Ukraine and the implementation of limits on the cost of insulin.

    “Americans are starting to feeling the effects of some of the laws that we passed,” he said. “We’re in a situation where we promised folks on Medicare their insulin was going to go from about 400 bucks a month to 35 bucks a month, but it was a promise. Well, guess what, as of Jan. 1, it’s a reality.”

    And Biden in the meeting asked the Democrats to pass an assault weapons ban.

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    safe pair of hands

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    Biden speaks with parents of Tyre Nichols

    Biden speaks with family of Tyre Nichols ahead of bodycam video release

    President Joe Biden spoke by phone with the mother and stepfather of Tyre Nichols on Friday afternoon to express his condolences for the 29-year-old's death after he was stopped by Memphis police earlier this month.

    During his conversation with RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, Biden commended the family’s courage and strength, the White House said.

    The call comes just hours before Memphis officials are set to release video of the fatal beating of Nichols, who police initially said they stopped for reckless driving before engaging in a violent “confrontation” to detain him.

    Nichols died three days after he was hospitalized in critical condition as a result of the brutal Jan. 7 incident.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Backspin View Post
    factions that we don't even know about
    So, how do you know about them?

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    The U.S. Forest Service has finalized a rule restoring protections rolled back under the Trump administration for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, the largest such forest in the U.S.

    “As our nation’s largest national forest and the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, the Tongass National Forest is key to conserving biodiversity and addressing the climate crisis,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

    “Restoring roadless protections listens to the voices of Tribal Nations and the people of Southeast Alaska while recognizing the importance of fishing and tourism to the region’s economy,” he added.

    In early 2001 the outgoing Clinton administration added most of the forest to its Roadless Initiative, barring road development or timber harvesting in the protected areas. The forest has been of particular concern to environmentalists due to its status as the country’s biggest carbon sink, or absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

    “The Tongass stores about 20 percent of the total amount of carbon that’s stored in the National Forest System,” Kate Glover, an attorney for the organization Earthjustice, told The Hill. “So that’s a large amount of carbon. It’s equal to about one and a half times U.S. total greenhouse gas emissions for the year 2018.”

    In July 2021, the Biden administration announced it would restore and expand protections wound back by the Trump administration, including an end to large-scale sales of timber from old-growth trees in the forest.

    Ultimately, however, Glover said it’s difficult to avoid a scenario where the protections continue to seesaw based on the party in power without passing legislation through Congress. She specifically pointed to the Roadless Area Conservation Act, which passed the House last August but never received a Senate vote.

    “It’s been something that’s been considered in Congress for a while and if they were to pass that bill, it would include the Tongass and make the roadless rule protections law. So they would be harder to change,” she said.

    “Absent that, one of the things that I think the Trump administration failed to recognize when they repealed the roadless rule at the time, is that … the economy in Southeast Alaska has moved on towards more sustainable industries” such as fishing, recreation and tourism rather than timber, she said. “So I hope that future administrations will recognize that that’s the direction the forest is headed.”

    ___________

    Extra




    “There’s a lot to be said about these latest GDP data, but I think the thing it underscores is that it’s now official: There was no recession in 2022. All that talk, all that energy, all that bluster, was nonsense all along,” Wolfers added.


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