#Kayla Tausche

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 5, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

APR 06, 2024

Today offered yet more evidence that Biden’s rejection of the Republicans’ supply-side economics in favor of investing in ordinary Americans is paying off with high growth, low unemployment, and strong wages. 

Today’s jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor for the month of March showed higher job growth than analysts anticipated. Instead of the 214,000 jobs expected, the U.S. added 303,000. The government also revised its estimate of job growth in January and February upward by a combined number of 22,000. President Joe Biden noted that this report meant that the administration had created more than 15 million jobs since he took office.

The unemployment rate was also good, dropping slightly to 3.8% in March. According to economist Steven Rattner of Morning Joe, the United States has now had 26 consecutive months—more than two years—of unemployment under 4%, the longest stretch of unemployment that low since the late 1960s. 

Rattner pointed out that immigrants have helped to push U.S. growth since the pandemic by adding millions of new workers to the labor market. As native-born workers have aged into retirement, immigrants have taken their places and “been essential to America’s post-COVID labor market recovery.” 

Heather Long of the Washington Post added that wage growth has been 4.1% in the past year, which is well above the 3.2% inflation rate.

“My plan is growing the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, investing in all Americans, and giving the middle class a fair shot,” Biden said in response to the new jobs report. That system, which resurrects the economy the United States enjoyed between 1933 and 1981, has been a roaring success. 

Biden was in Baltimore, Maryland, today, where he flew over the remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, spoke with the response teams there, and met with the families of those who died when the bridge fell. Apparently trying to demonstrate that government can be both efficient and effective, the administration has emphasized speed and competence in its response to the bridge collapse of March 26, 2024.

Kayla Tausche of CNN reported today that the U.S. Coast Guard was onsite within minutes of the collapse, and that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was working the phone as soon as he heard. He had spoken with Maryland governor Wes Moore, Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott, and White House chief of staff Jeff Zients by 5:00 a.m. Biden was briefed early that morning, before he began to reach out to state and local leaders. 

Baltimore County executive Johnny Olszewski told Tausche: “[Biden] demonstrated a clear understanding of the importance of the port, had a real empathy for myself and all the individuals impacted…. And he was unequivocal that he was going to do whatever he can, legally and within his power to expedite a response.”

The collapse of the bridge not only affected traffic around Baltimore, but also shut the Port of Baltimore. For 13 years, that port has led the nation in carrying cars and light trucks, as well as tractors and cranes, handling more than 847,000 vehicles in 2023. In that same year, the port handled more than 444,000 passengers and $80 billion worth of foreign cargo. The damage to the port is of national significance. 

Less than four hours after it received an official request for funding for repairs on March 29, the Department of Transportation authorized funds to begin to address immediate needs, which officials say is a record. The Army Corps of Engineers says it expects to restore a narrow navigation channel for use by the end of April and to have the port reopened fully by the end of May. Until then, the federal government is improving the infrastructure at nearby Sparrows Point to enable it to handle more ships. 

But the Republican Party remains committed to the idea that the government must be kept small and that private enterprise must be privileged over public investments. Today, the far-right House Freedom Caucus announced that it would not consider funding the bridge repairs until foreign shipping companies had paid in all they owe (Biden has called for funding the bridge immediately rather than waiting for insurance funds, which will come much later).  

They also say that they want the repairs to come out of money Congress has appropriated for other initiatives they dislike, that any new funds must be fully offset by other cuts, and that “burdensome regulations” such as labor agreements must be waived “to avoid all unnecessary delays and costs.” 

They are also demanding that Biden reverse the administration’s “pause on approvals of liquified natural gas export terminals” before Congress will consider any funding for the bridge reconstruction. In January, under pressure from climate activists, Biden paused the construction of such terminals. Liquid natural gas is a valuable export, but it is also made up primarily of methane, a greenhouse gas significantly worse for the planet than carbon dioxide. Oil and gas interests are strongly in favor of developing the liquid natural gas industry while ignoring its effects on climate change.

One of the proposed plants affected by the pause would have been the largest in the U.S. It is planned for Louisiana, the home state of House speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson has already tried to tie funding for Ukraine to lifting the pause on liquid natural gas export terminals, and the White House refused. Now, apparently, extremist Republicans are trying the same gambit with repairs to the Francis Scott Key Bridge and access to one of the nation’s most important ports, although slowing repairs at that key juncture will directly affect many of their constituents.  

Indeed, despite the solid demonstration that government support for ordinary Americans is the best way to build the economy, Republicans continue to maintain that the way to promote economic growth is to concentrate money among a few men at the top of the economic ladder. The idea is that those few people will invest their money more efficiently than the government can, and that the businesses they create will employ more and more workers. To that end, Republicans since 1981 have focused on tax cuts and deregulation in order to give those they see as job creators a free hand. 

That system, so-called “supply-side economics,” has never actually worked, but it has become an article of faith for Republicans. It is a system that is popular with the very wealthy, and Biden called that out today in a video he recorded with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

In the video, the two men comment on a video clip in which former president Trump, speaking at a private event, promises wealthy donors another tax cut. Biden says: “That’s everything you need to know about Donald Trump. When he thinks the cameras aren’t on, he tells his rich friends, ‘We’re gonna give you tax cuts.’” 

Sanders chimes in: “Can anybody in America imagine that at a time of massive income and wealth inequality—billionaires are doing phenomenally well—that he’s going to give them huge tax breaks? And then at the same time, he’s going to cut Social Security, Medicare, and programs that our kids need….”

“That makes me mad as hell, quite frankly,” Biden says. “There are 1,000 billionaires in…this country. They pay an average of 8.2% [in] federal taxes. So…we have a plan: Asking his good buddies to begin to pay their fair share.”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[estrellalorence]

On October 7, militants from Gaza fired thousands of rockets at Israeli towns before scaling the strongly defended border fence with Israel and entering an important amount of Israeli land. According to Israeli police, there, Hamas gunmen killed around 1,400 people, including troops and civilians, and kidnapped 199 people.

Israel launched "Operation Swords of Iron" in response to the attack, declaring war and dropping 6,000 bombs on the heavily populated area between October 7 and 12. This is equal to the number of airstrikes carried out on Gaza during the 50-day 2014 conflict. Israel's military instructed the 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza on Friday to leave their homes right away, possibly in the event of a ground attack.

President Joe Biden came in Israel on Wednesday for one of the most challenging diplomatic missions of his term as president. Biden publicly offered Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his support in his first public comments on the hospital bombing, using language that referred to Palestinians as "others." The situation and Biden's impromptu words made clear the difficult diplomatic balancing act he must perform.

Before Biden left for Israel, according to one US official, the government had not yet drawn a conclusion about the source of the hospital bombing, and Biden had instructed his national security team to continue evaluating incoming information.

REFERENCE :

"The Arab-Israeli War of 1948." https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/arab-israeli-war#:~:text=The%20Arab%2DIsraeli%20War%20of%201948%20broke%20out%20when%20five,Israel%20on%20May%2014%2C%201948. Accessed 16 October, 2023

By Abbas Al Lawati, Eoin McSweeney and Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN. "Israel is at war with Hamas. Here’s what to know." October 16, 2023 https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/16/middleeast/israel-hamas-gaza-war-explained-week-2-mime-intl/index.html. Accessed 18 October, 2023

From CNN's Donald Judd. "Biden says he used data "shown by my defense department" to back up claims Israel did not strike Gaza hospital" CNN 18 October, 2023 https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-news-hamas-war-10-18-23/index.html. Accessed 18 October, 2023

By Betsy Klein, Kayla Tausche and MJ Lee, CNN. "Hospital blast looms over Biden’s complicated diplomatic mission to Israel." October 18, 2023. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/18/politics/joe-biden-israel-trip/index.html. Accessed October 18, 2023

[allstarbio]

Kayla Tausche Worked as a Substitute Anchour for squawk on the street and power lunch. in Addition,tausche has also appered on wishington week Review.

[nordicrail]

LEPFT 2.0

Link at whale.com UBS, TDAmeritrade  http://whale.com ((.edu(gift cards)) Mastercard Dunkin Donuts)...

[xtruss]

U.S. Needs to Work with Europe to Slow China’s Innovation Rate, Raimondo Says! 😂😂😂 Imagine Beijing Saying Its Project Was to Slow Down America's Innovation Rate 😡😡😡

— Our Benevolent Empire | Amanda Macias | October 3, 2021

Editor’s Note: Some of it is framed in the context of China “ripping off our IP”. But that is not the whole story. Plus there is no legitimacy to IP monopolies and IP shakedowns anyway. It’s a way for multinationals to use the power of the state to stifle competition via the enforcement of the ludicrous idea that because somebody has already done what you’re doing you’re not allowed to also do it yourself.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Tuesday that the U.S. will rally allies in order to mount pressure on China, the world’s second-largest economy, an approach that differs from the “America First” policies pursued by President Joe Biden’s Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.

“America is most effective when we work with our allies,” Raimondo told CNBC’s Kayla Tausche in an exclusive interview. “If we really want to slow down China’s rate of innovation, we need to work with Europe.”

“They’re ripping off our IP, they are not playing by the rules. It’s not a level playing field. And so we need to hold their feet to the fire to make sure that they do that,” she said, adding that Beijing is “not living up to the agreements that they made.”

When asked if Commerce would take some actions unilaterally to address the great power competition between the U.S. and China in shaping security practices and setting global trade norms, Raimondo again pointed to allies.

“We don’t want autocratic governments like China, writing the rules of the road. We together with our allies, who care about privacy, freedom, individual rights, individual protection, we need to write the rules of the road,” Raimondo said.

The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Wednesday, Raimondo alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken and United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai will represent the Biden administration at the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, or TTC, in Pittsburgh.

Biden’s team will meet with European Commission Executive Vice Presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovski in hopes of addressing trade disputes, streamlining regulatory procedures and developing “rules of the road” for emerging technologies on both sides of the Atlantic.

“We have to work with our European allies to deny China the most advanced technology so that they can’t catch up in critical areas like semiconductors,” Raimondo said, adding that the Biden administration plans to deepen cooperation with Europe on export controls.

“We want to work with Europe, to write the rules of the road for technology, whether it’s TikTok or artificial intelligence or cyber,” she said.

— Source: CNBC

South China Monday Post:

China has hit back at US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s comment that Washington should work with Europe to slow China’s innovation, calling it a “typical hegemonic act”.

“The comment revealed the US’ real intention to make every attempt to contain and suppress China’s development,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing on Thursday.

“It’s a typical act of autocracy and hegemony,” she said, responding to Raimondo’s comment on CNBC on Tuesday.

Raimondo’s comment was made a day before Washington announced the formation of the US-EU Trade and Technology Council , which aims to reduce their shared reliance on China’s manufacturing juggernaut while strengthening their respective domestic supply chains involving strategic technologies.

[asiainsider]

U.S. needs to work with Europe to slow China's innovation rate, Raimondo says

U.S. needs to work with Europe to slow China’s innovation rate, Raimondo says

WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Tuesday that the U.S. will rally allies in order to mount pressure on China, the world’s second-largest economy, an approach that differs from the “America First” policies pursued by President Joe Biden‘s Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. “America is most effective when we work with our allies,” Raimondo told CNBC’s Kayla Tausche in an…

[vietnamstar]

U.S. needs to work with Europe to slow China's innovation rate, Raimondo says

U.S. needs to work with Europe to slow China’s innovation rate, Raimondo says

WASHINGTON – Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Tuesday that the U.S. will rally allies in order to mount pressure on China, the world’s second-largest economy, an approach that differs from the “America First” policies pursued by President Joe Biden‘s Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. “America is most effective when we work with our allies,” Raimondo told CNBC’s Kayla Tausche in an…

[saandrale]

The federal government’s bank loan program to fortify Main Street goes public on Friday. CNBC’s Kayla Tausche reports. The coronavirus takes a psychological toll on entrepreneur who have actually invested their lives constructing a business and brand name, “Shark Tank” financier and cybersecurity business owner Robert Herjavec stated Thursday. He stated he has actually needed…

[semclass]

The federal government’s bank loan program to fortify Main Street goes public on Friday. CNBC’s Kayla Tausche reports. The coronavirus takes a psychological toll on entrepreneur who have actually invested their lives developing a business and brand name, “Shark Tank” financier and cybersecurity business owner Robert Herjavec stated Thursday. He stated he has actually needed…

[nordicrail]

BMW 328i

Dark Gray, Black, Bar Refaeli, beclassynottrashy@gmail.com, golfing65@gmail, Elena Hight (Search Kayla Tausche, Slack...) Let’s Go Boston!

[la-updates]

Tweeted

Biden says of the task at hand: "My whole soul is in this." And to the 74 million Americans who did not vote for him: "Take measure of me and my heart – if you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy."

— Kayla Tausche (@kaylatausche) January 20, 2021

[trendingph]

How President Trump and the White House reacted to Biden's projected presidential election victory CNBC's Kayla Tausche joins "The News with Shepard Smith" to discuss how President Donald Trump reacted to the news that Democratic nominee Joe Biden was projected to win the 2020 presidential elec... https://trendingph.net/how-president-trump-and-the-white-house-reacted-to-bidens-projected-presidential-election-victory/?feed_id=197453&_unique_id=5fa7d43fbf9cb #bidens #election #house #philippinenews #philippinesnews #president #presidential #projected #reacted #trendingph #trump #victory #white

[sinrau]

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not bring up a coronavirus aid bill in the Senate which does not include liability protections.

“We’re not negotiating over liability protection,” he said as Republicans and Democrats try to strike an agreement on pandemic relief.

Democrats have generally opposed legal immunity for businesses.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he will not pass a coronavirus relief bill in the Senate which does not include liability shields.

“We’re not negotiating over liability protection,” he told CNBC’s Kayla Tausche as Congress looks to craft a pandemic rescue agreement. He noted, however, that the GOP is open to compromise on other issues.

Senate Republicans released their coronavirus aid proposal on Monday. It includes a cut to the enhanced $600 per week federal unemployment benefit, another round of direct payments to Americans, liability protections for businesses and doctors, and more funding for Paycheck Protection Program small business loans.

Democrats have generally opposed the legal shield because it could take away a recourse for workers who return to an unsafe workplace as the pandemic spreads around the country. McConnell contended “there’s no chance of the country getting back to normal without it.”

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters.

Tom Brenner | Reuters

Asked about a CNBC/Change Research poll that found a majority of voters in six swing states oppose shielding corporations from lawsuits, McConnell said, “this is not just liability protection for businesses, although they are included like everyone else.” He noted that it would also cover doctors, universities and K-12 schools, who could not get sued unless they were “grossly negligent or caused intentional harm.”

McConnell spoke shortly before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., planned to meet with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows for the second straight day. The group will try to hash out differences between Republicans and Democrats on how best to boost an economy and health-care system ravaged by the coronavirus.

Congress faces pressure to quickly approve new relief, as states stopped paying out the extra federal unemployment benefit last week. Roughly 30 million people are still receiving some form of unemployment insurance as U.S. coronavirus cases surge above 4.3 million.

A federal moratorium on evictions also expired last week.

In a joint statement Tuesday, Pelosi and Schumer said that “catastrophe is looming, and until Senate Republicans get serious, they must answer to every hungry child, every family that cannot make rent, every worker being denied their UI for their delays.”

“Democrats remain ready to work with Republicans on real solutions to bring immediate relief and save lives and livelihoods,” they said.

The Democratic leaders also criticized the legal immunity provision, saying it shields “employers who do not protect workers’ health and safety, while offering no [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] protections to ensure workers can trust in safe workplaces.”

The GOP legislation would slash the jobless benefit to $200 per week from $600, on top of what recipients normally get from states, through September. The plan would then replace 70% of a person’s previous wages.

Democrats have warned that reducing the extra benefit will leave millions struggling to cover costs and harm the economy by reducing household spending. The possibility of Americans seeing their income plunge just as the eviction moratorium expires also raises more concerns about people losing a place to live.

McConnell called unemployment benefits “extremely important” during an economic crisis, but said individuals should not have a higher income at home than they did at their jobs.

“And remember, all of these folks are going to get another $1,200 direct payment,” he said.

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McConnell says he will not negotiate with Democrats on liability protections in coronavirus bill