Category: National Issues

White House hopes to see infrastructure bill passed by summer

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President Biden hopes to see Congress pass his infrastructure and climate proposal by this summer, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday, setting a slightly longer timeline than his recently enacted coronavirus relief package.

Psaki told reporters at an afternoon briefing that the extra time will allow for more White House negotiations with congressional Republicans and Democrats, particularly since the legislation does not carry the same level of urgency as the American Rescue Plan that was signed into law last month.

Still, she said Biden would like to see “progress” by the end of May. Continue reading.

Trump’s new team consumed with backstabbing and ‘brazen’ cash grabs: ‘Like daycare if you took the adults away’

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Donald Trump’s post-presidency political operation is consumed with backstabbing, finger pointing and blatant appeals for cash, which has worried allies and irritated Republican donors.

Some of the former president’s closest allies have personally urged him to get rid of that crew, and his 2020 campaign’s law firm sent out a warning that former staffers and consultants were risking prosecution if they misused campaign resources after an unnamed Republican candidate made an unsolicited call to a top Trump donor’s personal cell phone, reported Politico.

“Right now, it’s like a daycare if you took all the adults away,” said one person familiar with the operation. “There’s virtually nobody with organizational skills left.” Continue reading.

Supreme Court upholds FCC move to loosen media ownership rules

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The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a move by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to relax media ownership rules, handing down a unanimous ruling that favors large broadcasters.

The decision dealt a blow to challengers who argued that laxer regulations could usher in more media consolidation at the expense of minority and female media ownership.

The justices found the FCC had acted reasonably in its 2017 regulatory rollback, which included scrapping a rule that had barred a single company from owning a radio or TV station along with a newspaper in a single local market. Continue reading.

Billions in New Obamacare Subsidies Are Now Available on Healthcare.gov

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Nearly everyone with a marketplace health plan can seek more financial help. Many uninsured Americans and people who buy their insurance elsewhere can also benefit.

Federal officials have reprogrammed Healthcare.gov, making new benefits available to tens of millions of Americans, weeks after Congress authorized spending billions on additional health law subsidies.

The Biden administration has doubled Obamacare’s advertising budget to get the word out, and will now spend $100 million telling Americans about newly affordable options.

Nearly everyone with an Affordable Care Act health plan can now qualify for increased financial help with premiums by going back to the website. Many Americans who buy their own insurance outside the A.C.A. marketplaces may also qualify for substantial help, and may benefit from reviewing options and switching to an eligible plan. Uninsured Americans also qualify. Continue reading.

Christian nationalism is a barrier to mass vaccination against COVID-19

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While the majority of Americans either intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine or have already received their shots, getting white evangelicals to vaccination sites may prove more of a challenge – especially those who identify as Christian nationalists.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted in February found white evangelicals to be the religious group least likely to saythey’d be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Nearly half (45%) said they would not get the COVID-19 shot, compared with 30% of the general population.

Some evangelicals have even linked coronavirus vaccinations to the “mark of the beast” – a symbol of submission to the Antichrist found in biblical prophecies, Revelation 13:18. Continue reading.

Nobel Prize-winning economist: Biden’s spending plan could help US break out of a ‘bad equilibrium trap’

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A Nobel Prize-winning economist is lauding President Joe Biden’s proposed $4 trillion infrastructure spending plan as he believes the plan could revitalize the United States economy. 

During an exclusive interview with Axios, Columbia University Professor Joseph Stiglitz offered his take on Biden’s plan. Not only is he endorsing the president’s plan but also looking forward to the positive effects and how it could help the country break out of its “bad equilibrium trap.”

“We’ve been for the last two decades in an abnormal environment, we’ve been in a bad equilibrium trap,” he said. “The inequality means people don’t have demand, a lack of demand means we don’t invest, so we’ve been in a very bad, vicious circle and I’m optimistic that this may break us out into a new period of strong growth, which is more egalitarian.” Continue reading.

How can all schools safely reopen?

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The question of when and how to open schools for full in-person learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most consequential the U.S. currently faces. A wealth of evidencesuggests that schools can provide in-person instruction with a very low level of risk when safety protocols are successfully implemented. 

So, what do school districts, teachers, families and students need to know? As an infectious disease epidemiologist with more than 15 years of research experience – and as co-editor of the COVID-19 Literature Situation Report, which produces a daily summary of the most relevant newly published and pre-print literature related to COVID-19 – I offer answers to some of the most urgent questions about how schools can safely resume in-person instruction. Some of this evidence is gleaned from preprint studies that may change after they are peer-reviewed.

Will school make children more likely to transmit COVID-19?

Infection with the COVID-19 virus has been less common in school-age children, especially those in elementary school, than among other age groups. Evidence from Florida, Utah, Missouriand elsewhere indicates that less than 1% of school-age children have had COVID-19, despite most being in school in person. Most cases have not been linked to school exposures.

Texas GOP-led Senate advances highly restrictive voting legislation as part of a bigger agenda

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Senate Republicans on Thursday cleared the way for new, sweeping restrictions to voting in Texas that take particular aim at forbidding local efforts meant to widen access.

In an overnight vote after more than seven hours of debate, the Texas Senate signed off on Senate Bill 7, which would limit extended early voting hours, prohibit drive-thru voting and make it illegal for local election officials to proactively send applications to vote by mail to voters, even if they qualify.

The legislation is at the forefront of Texas Republicans’ crusade to further restrict voting in the state following last year’s election. Though Republicans remain in full control of state government, Texas saw the highest turnout in decades in 2020, with Democrats continuing to drive up their vote counts in the state’s urban centers and diversifying suburban communities. Continue reading.

As Delta And Coke Officials Protest, Kemp Lies About New Election Law

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Following days of backlash, Republican officials are lying about what Georgia’s recently passed voter suppression law will actually do, in an apparent effort to make it seem less harsh and discriminatory.

The attempt to sugarcoat the law comes as major companies, responsible for billions of dollars of Georgia’s economy, are coming out against it.

Delta Air Lines, the No. 1 private employer of Georgians, came out with a statement on Wednesday calling the Georgia law “unacceptable” and built on a “lie” that there was voter fraud in the 2020 election. Continue reading.

White House moves to reshape role of US capitalism

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The White House is pushing an infrastructure bill that could reshape the discussion around capitalism as it seems to reestablish the federal government as a primary driver of how the economy should grow and function.

In addition to traditional infrastructure projects, Biden’s $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan would make government investments in broadband, electric vehicles, climate change, elderly care, child benefits, housing and developing future technologies. 

It would redefine classic infrastructure projects to include investments in workers and families paid for by tax hikes on corporations. Continue reading.