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60 percent of student loan borrowers made no payments during the pandemic freeze

Almost 60 percent of borrowers with loans from the Department of Education did not make any payments on their loans during a freeze officials instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Federal Reserve Board of Governors published an article Friday from three staff members warning some of the roughly 11.5 million borrowers who have not made payments might not be able to resume after the freeze expires.

“These borrowers hold almost $400 billion in outstanding student loan debt and, prior to the pandemic, were required to pay about $2.8 billion a month toward their student loan debt,” they noted.

Former President Trump initiated a freeze at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, and President Biden has extended it at least through August 31.

Biden is reportedly close to a final decision on canceling at least $10,000 in debt for borrowers earning less than $150,000 or $300,000 for married couples. 

“No decisions have been made yet — but as a reminder no one has been required to pay a single dime of student loans since the president took office,” deputy White House press secretary Vedant Patel said last week.

The Fed article says that the borrowers who have not made payments initially saw their financial status improve during the pandemic, but that signs of distress have since started to emerge. Delinquency on credit card, auto and home loan payments began rising toward the end of last year, along with credit card balances, driving their total debt to a slightly higher level than in 2019, before the pandemic began. 

The 8.8 million borrowers who made at least one student loan payment during the pandemic freeze are in a better position to resume regular payments, the report added. The authors wrote that about 40 percent of this group made payments during at least 12 months while more than 30 percent made payments for 3 months or less. 

The federal government’s actions also changed the status of 3.2 million borrowers from behind on payments to “current,” a group that was disproportionately more likely to not make any payments during the freeze, according to the report, which said they were therefore more likely to fall behind once it lifts.

“Nevertheless,” the authors added, “existing federal student loan repayment plans that tie monthly payments to incomes could help alleviate repayment burdens for vulnerable borrowers who enroll in them.”

Source: TEST FEED1

9 killed in 14 mass shootings over holiday weekend: watchdog

More than a dozen mass shootings took place as the U.S. marked Memorial Day. The incidents over the three-day holiday weekend saw nine people killed and 63 injured in the wake of the Uvalde elementary school shooting in Texas.

According to estimates from the Gun Violence Archive, 14 mass shootings took place over the three-day weekend from Saturday to Monday in 10 different states across the country including California, Michigan, Texas and Illinois.

The watchdog added that there have been 230 American mass shootings in 34 different states, including Washington, D.C., in the first 150 days of 2022.

The online archive of gun violence in the U.S., defines a mass shooting based only on the numeric value of 4 or more shot or killed, not including the shooter. 

Here are the 14 shootings that took place over the weekend, according to the Gun Violence Archive:

Saturday:

Memphis, Tenn.

Four people were shot and another person was injured at a car show in North Memphis on Saturday. Memphis Police Department took to Twitter to share that the investigation is still ongoing and one person arrested and charged with convicted felon in possession of a handgun.

Colorado Springs, Colo.

One person was killed and three people were injured at a shooting at a parking lot of a bar in Colorado on Saturday. According to local news outlet KKTV no arrests have been made.

Fresno, Calif.

Three people were injured and one killed in a shooting in Fresno, Calif. An investigation is still ongoing, according to local news outlet ABC30.

Malabar, Fla.

Four teenagers were injured in a shooting after an argument at a house party.

Chatanooga, Tenn.

Six teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 were injured in a shooting on Saturday in Chattanooga, Tenn., which according to Mayor Tim Kelly (I), was believed to be “an altercation between teenagers.”

In an angry Twitter thread, Kelly said it was “ridiculous” that he needs “to publicly state that guns have no place in the hands of our kids.”

He added that the incident was why he joined mayors from across the U.S. last week “to call on the United States Senate to pass common sense reforms to our gun safety laws,” including background checks, red flag laws, and “raising the age limit so that children can’t purchase assault rifles.”

Sunday:

Chicago, Ill.

Five people were shot in West Garfield Park in Chicago on Sunday, according to Fox32 Chicago.

Taft, Okla.

One person was killed and seven people were injured after a shooting took place in Taft, Okla., at a Memorial Day event that saw over 1,500 people in attendance, according to KTUL.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) in a statement Sunday said he is “confident in Oklahoma law enforcement’s ability to bring justice to whoever is responsible for this deadly incident.”

Chicago, Ill.

Four people were wounded and one was killed in a shooting in Chicago on Sunday, according to Fox32 Chicago.

Houston, Texas

The Harris County Sheriff’s office said that one man was killed as a result of a “chain reaction” of events by a man who driving to the hospital after being shot. He was driving with a woman and a child in the car, according to the sheriff’s office.

The police added that at the original scene of the incident, they found an adult male and female with gunshot wounds, and an adult female who was pistol whipped. 

Phoenix, Ariz.

Five people were injured and one person was killed in a shooting in Phoenix on Sunday, local news outlet 12 News reported. They are all reported to be teenagers and police added it was an active investigation, according to the report.

Merced, Calif.

Merced County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday that it is currently investigating a “deadly shooting” at a house party.

The statement said that deputies found two juveniles and two adults had been shot after responding to an incident early on Sunday. Police added that one victim was pronounced dead at an area hospital while one victim is in critical condition, and two other victims were treated and released for non-life-threatening injuries.

Henderson, Nev.

Henderson Police Department said Sunday that it is investigating a highway shooting that involved involved members or affiliates of rival Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs), the Hells Angels OMG and the Vagos OMG.

It added in a statement that they discovered multiple subjects who had sustained gunshot wounds.

Six victims were transported to a local area hospital and two people were said to be in critical condition. One person arrived at a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was confirmed to be involved in the shooting, according to the police.

Philadelphia, Penn.

Two people were killed and two others injured in a Memorial Day weekend shooting in Philadelphia. According to Fox 29, police found 47 spent shell casings at the crime scene and are considering the possibility that the incident involved multiple shooters and multiple weapons. 

Benton Harbor, Mich.

One person was killed an six people were injured after an argument escalated over tickets to a concert, according to ABC57.

Source: TEST FEED1

We should support Ukraine, not pressure it to make concessions

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made news recently by insisting that Ukraine should be forced to make territorial concessions to Russia in the interests of European “stability.” Kissinger has a history of both scoffing at, and trying to profit from, Ukrainian independence. Among his previous efforts to promote “stability” were the bloody overthrow of Chile’s elected government, which led to horrific human rights abuses, decades of instability, and the junta killing two people with a car bomb in Washington, D.C.

Others, too, have periodically suggested that the West should give Russian President Vladimir Putin an “off-ramp,” a face-saving way to claim victory in the war he launched. This is madness. 

Rewarding aggressors — and punishing those who resist them — creates not stability but more aggression.

Ukraine tried precisely what Kissinger is proposing in 2014, agreeing to a ceasefire, with Russia controlling large portions of its territory in Crimea and the Donbas. The result was extensive human rights violations against Ukrainians in the occupied territories, on-going shelling and ground assaults against unoccupied Ukrainian territory, and ultimately the current invasion.

We have no justification asking the Ukrainians once again to pursue a strategy that has so horrendously failed them already. 

Nor is the problem with appeasing Russian bullying unique to Ukraine. Russia seized two parts of the Republic of Georgia after the split-up of the Soviet Union, nominally as separatist republics. The West mumbled complaints and sought negotiations, which Russia ignored. In 2008, Russia seized additional land in both areas and continues to disrupt Georgia. 

A favorite example of those demanding that Ukraine appease its Russian invaders yet again is the Soviet invasion of Finland. On close examination, however, this comparison is deeply flawed. Stalin, like Putin, was seeking to reclaim control of lands formerly conquered by the Russian Empire. Because Finland, like Ukraine, had once succumbed to the tsars’ armies, he felt entitled to destroy Finnish statehood. 

Stalin’s initial attack in the Winter War of 1939-40, was a disaster, with Finnish snipers cutting to pieces Stalin’s ill-prepared invaders. Stalin reorganized his army and relaunched the invasion a few months later, taking much more Finnish land. The international community condemned the Soviet Union, but provided insufficient practical help. Ultimately, Finland ceded about 9 percent of its land to Russia. 

It is true that Stalin did not come back for more — but only because in the meantime the Soviet Union was invaded by Nazi Germany. If Stalin’s pact with Hitler had held up, there is no reason to think that he would not have come back to take the rest of Finland after putting his army in better order. 

The Ukrainians’ courageous and gritty defense has turned Putin’s current invasion into the equivalent of Stalin’s initial attack during the Winter War. Unlike Stalin, however, Putin has yet to accept his folly and withdraw. If outside pressure forces a premature ceasefire, Putin has given every indication he will reorganize his army, replenish his supplies, and attack again. Even if Putin promised not to do so, there is no reason to believe him: He has already disregarded repeated pledges to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

The U.S. recognizes the dangers of premature ceasefires in its treatment of Israel. We never press Israel to stop fighting until it has dealt heavy blows to its opponents. In the Yom Kippur War, we waited until Israeli armored columns were moving virtually unopposed toward Damascus and Cairo to intervene. 

Just as Israel’s population and economy are vastly smaller than those of its neighbors, with proper support the courageous Ukrainians can show Russia that they are a smaller country that is still too dangerous to attack. Concern about Ukrainian casualties are well-taken, but the proper response is not to make their sacrifices be in vain but rather to send Ukraine enough rocket launchers, modern jets, and other weapons that allow them to defend themselves without exposing themselves directly to Russian fire.

Stability in international affairs is, of course, a positive thing — but it can only be achieved if all parties adhere to implicit rules of conduct, and first among those is the rule against invading one’s neighbors. Nineteenth Century Europe, which Kissinger continually holds up as a model, achieved its stability only by punishing the transgressions of Napoleon — who was given an “off-ramp” to exile on St. Helena Island.  

Russia is likely to remain a destabilizing force until it abandons its imperial ambitions and tackles the corruption that burdens its economy. Germany’s economic growth over the last three decades would have been impossible had it maintained designs on its neighbors’ territory. 

As Kissinger knows better than most, when great powers find they have overreached in a war with a smaller country, territorial concessions are not routine. When President Nixon realized that the U.S. could not win the Vietnam War, he directed Kissinger to negotiate a face-saving exit. Kissinger covered it over as best he could, but essentially the Paris Peace Accords provided that we would leave Vietnam and that the North Vietnamese would let us leave. Everyone knew that the South Vietnamese regime was too corrupt and brutal to maintain much popular loyalty and would quickly fall — as it did. The U.S. saved face. 

The agreement with the Taliban, which President Trump negotiated and President Biden implemented, was very much the same sort of graceful capitulation. 

Once the brave Ukrainians and western sanctions have weakened Russia enough that even Putin — or his successor — has to admit the war is unwinnable, it should be easy enough to negotiate an agreement under which Russia agrees to leave, and Ukraine agrees to let them leave. With absolute control over the Russian media and a pliant parliament, Putin should have little difficulty spinning any peace as a total victory even without territorial concessions. 

Most simply, Putin can just announce that the “Nazi” presence in Ukraine is minimal — in fact, it always was — and therefore Russia has no further work to do there. And if he claims to have won “special guarantees” of an unspecified type, the Russian people will be all too happy to have their soldiers out of harm’s way without worrying about how “special” those guarantees might be. After all, his “special military operation” has not turned out to be so special, either.

David A. Super is a professor of law at Georgetown Law. He also served for several years as the general counsel for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Follow him on Twitter @DavidASuper1

Source: TEST FEED1

Pediatric suicide attempts by poisoning on the rise, study says

The number of suspected suicide attempts by poisoning among children rose sharply between 2015 and 2020, recent research suggests.  

University of Virginia researchers conducted a study based on cases reported to the National Poison Data System as “suspected suicides” that involved both attempted suicides and deaths by suicide. They found a 26 percent increase in suspected suicides among children ages 6 and 19 during the study period. 

The over-the-counter pain killers ibuprofen and acetaminophen were the two most common substances used in the suspected pediatric attempted suicide cases, researchers found, adding that the self-poisoning attempts resulted in 276 deaths and 14,916 cases of “major effects,” which may include long lasting symptoms such as disfigurement.  

Suspected cases of suicide by self-poisoning reportedly rose from 75,248 in 2015 to 93,532 in 2020. Girls accounted for 77.9 percent of all cases during the timeframe.  

All pediatric groups saw increases in suspected suicides, according to the study, but the largest jump occurred in children between the ages of 10 and 12 who saw an increase of more than 109 percent.  

“We need to be vigilant for the warning signs associated with suicide risk in our children,” Christopher Holstege, chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, said in a statement.    

“Our study is one of a number that demonstrates that we are experiencing an unprecedented mental health crisis in younger age groups,” he continued. “As a society, we must commit more resources to the mental health needs of our children.” 

A government-backed task force in April recommended early screening for depression and anxiety. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said children should be screened for anxiety beginning at age 8, while children 12 and up should be evaluated for depression.    

“To address the critical need for supporting the mental health of children and adolescents in primary care, the Task Force looked at the evidence on screening for anxiety, depression, and suicide risk,” task force member Martha Kubik, said in a statement at the time.  

“Fortunately, we found that screening older children for anxiety and depression is effective in identifying these conditions so children and teens can be connected to the support they need.” 

Source: TEST FEED1

Watchdog: Iran uranium stockpile 18 times more than 2015 deal limit

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog said in a report that Iran has built up a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that exceeds limitations set in the now-scrapped 2015 nuclear deal between the U.S. and Tehran, according to a quarterly report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The report also found that Tehran was enriching uranium at three undeclared production sites.

The IAEA, an arm of the United Nations, estimates Iran now has more than 8,300 pounds of enriched uranium, far above the limit of 660 pounds set in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or about 18 times the amount it previously had under the JCPOA, the report says, according to France 24.

Negotiations to revive the deal, which was scrapped under former President Trump, have stalled over recent months.

Iran has enriched more than 500 pounds of uranium up to 20 percent and more than 95 pounds of uranium above 60 percent, the French outlet reported. Uranium enriched to 90 percent or higher is usually considered nuclear weapons grade.

The IAEA in another report said they found nuclear material at three sites that were not declared to the nuclear watchdog agency. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told Al Jazeera the report was “not a fair and balanced report” and “does not reflect the reality of the negotiations between Iran and the IAEA.”

Last week, President Biden’s lead negotiator on the nuclear talks gave a dim outlook on any prospects of a return to another Iran nuclear deal telling a Senate panel that it was “tenuous at best” despite nearly one year of talks to revive the agreement.

Source: TEST FEED1

Most pregnant women believe or are unsure about COVID-19 vaccine misinformation: poll

Seven in ten women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant believe or are unsure about false claims related to COVID-19 vaccines, a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) poll found.

Pollsters presented three false statements to respondents: Pregnant women should not get the COVID-19 vaccine, it is unsafe for breastfeeding women to get a COVID-19 vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to cause infertility.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents in the demographic believed at least one of three false statements.

Beyond those who heard the misinformation and believed it to be true, larger shares of pregnant women or those planning to become pregnant were unsure about the statements.

Nearly four-in-ten respondents in that group were unsure if pregnant women should not get the COVID-19 vaccines. Forty-four percent were unsure if the vaccines cause infertility.

For women younger than 50, the poll found a higher tendency to believe or be unsure of the misinformation among those who were unvaccinated and those who did not have a college degree.  

About half of women under the age of 50 said that they were confident vaccines were safe for pregnant people.

Roughly three-in-10 pregnant women remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, a figure that lags adults overall, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC recommends pregnant people get vaccinated for COVID-19 and stay up-to-date on booster shots. The agency also suggests vaccination during pregnancy might help protect babies against COVID-19, but the CDC cautions that more data is needed to assess the potential protection.

Seventy-two percent of adults overall were at least somewhat confident in the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for adults, but that figure fell to 53 percent when asked about their confidence in safety for pregnant people.

The poll also found a split in vaccine confidence along party lines. Seventy percent of Democrats said they were very confident that the COVID-19 vaccines were safe for adults, compared to 23 percent of Republicans.

When asked about their confidence in safety for pregnant people, those figures fell to 40 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

The survey was conducted May 10-19, by an online representative sample of 1,537 U.S. adults including 615 women aged 18 to 49, conducted in English (1,442) and in Spanish (95). 

Source: TEST FEED1

House Democrats to move slate of gun bills this week

House Democrats are wasting no time taking up gun violence legislation following last week’s school massacre in Texas, scheduling a special session of the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday to send a slate of tougher firearms rules to the chamber floor.

The Judiciary panel will consider eight proposals during the emergency markup, a committee aide confirmed on Tuesday, including bills to curb gun trafficking; promote the safe storage of firearms; and raise the eligible purchase age for certain semi-automatic rifles. 

The special mid-recess markup, first reported by Punchbowl News, points to the new urgency among Democrats on Capitol Hill to enact tougher laws combating gun violence following the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, last Tuesday, when an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 fourth grade students and two teachers. 

The aim is to get the bills to the floor for a vote “ASAP,” the aide said. 

The tougher lift will be in the Senate, where Democratic leaders are also hoping to move a series of anti-gun violence proposals, but have a tough climb in the face of Republicans who are overwhelmingly opposed to any new limits on the sale or possession of firearms. While a small bipartisan group of senators has formed to attempt to negotiate some compromise, even the staunchest gun reform advocates are skeptical the effort will bear fruit in the 50-50 Senate, where the support of 10 Republicans will be needed to send anything to President Biden’s desk. 

House Democratic leaders, meanwhile, have no plans to wait around for a Senate breakthrough. 

The House has already approved legislation this Congress to expand background checks prior to gun sales — a proposal getting renewed interest in the wake of Uvalde, which marked the deadliest school shooting since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.

Additionally, House Democratic leaders have already announced their plans to vote next week on so-called “red flag” legislation designed to keep firearms from the hands of potentially violent people. Sponsored by Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), the bill would expand the power of the courts to issue protective orders barring people from buying or possessing firearms if a judge deems them to be a threat to themselves or others. 

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia currently have red-flag laws on the books. McBath’s proposal would nationalize the system to ensure it covers all 50 states.

The Judiciary Committee will add to that list on Thursday, when they’ll vote to send eight additional proposals to the full House. They include legislation to raise the age to buy certain semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21; codify the ban on bump stocks, which essentially convert semi-automatic firearms into automatic weapons; ban the new sale of high-capacity magazines; create new federal penalties for gun trafficking; apply new restrictions on so-called “ghost guns;” and establish new penalties for the improper storage of guns at home. 

The list does not include some of the more aggressive reform proposals favored by liberal gun reformers, including a ban on AR-style semi-automatic rifles, like those allegedly used both in Uvalde and an earlier mass shooting this month in Buffalo, N.Y., where 10 people were killed in a grocery store.

— Updated at 10:58 a.m.

Source: TEST FEED1

Is Biden following Kissinger’s cut-and-run advice on Ukraine?

Vladimir Putin declared in 2005 that “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century” was not World War I, or World War II, or Mao Zedong’s takeover of China, or the Cold War — all cataclysmic global events that, collectively, killed hundreds of millions of people and enslaved more than a billion. No, in Putin’s worldview, the historic tragedy was the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which liberated a score of European countries and almost 300 million of their captive populations from Soviet tyranny.

Less than three years later, Putin reprised Adolf Hitler’s revanchism after World War I and the Versailles Treaty to reverse what he saw as an intolerable chapter in world history. Months after NATO expressed support in 2008 for Georgia and Ukraine to become members, Russia invaded and occupied parts of Georgia.

When the Bush administration and NATO effectively acquiesced, he prepared for his next move in reconstituting the Soviet Union. President Obama in 2009 announced a “reset” of U.S.-Russia relations and, in 2012, promised Putin greater U.S. “flexibility.” In 2014, Russia responded by invading Eastern Ukraine and seizing Crimea. Again, the West did nothing that would reverse or meaningfully punish Russia’s aggression. Putin commenced preparations for Phase 3 of his imperial revival project.

As Russia massed forces for the next invasion of Ukraine in 2021, Washington — with intelligence that foresaw all Putin’s moves — just watched it happen. Transfixed, the Biden administration congratulated itself on its accurate predictions but was unwilling to take direct or timely action with NATO to stop the aggression.

Instead, Washington threatened unprecedented economic sanctions, which national security adviser Jake Sullivan contended would succeed after the Russian attack — not to prevent its expansion, but simply to impose an economic cost on Russia. Biden later said he knew all along the sanctions would “never work” to deter or constrain Putin. 

Meanwhile, Biden continued to deny Ukraine a NATO no-fly zone and to withhold the most urgently needed weapons it sought — a policy that originated in the Obama administration and was only modestly changed under President Trump.

Ukraine has brilliantly and bravely exploited the limited range of defensive weapons the West has sent, as well as its own domestically-produced arms, such as the indigenous Neptune anti-ship missiles which, with the help of U.S. intelligence, sank Russia’s Black Sea flagship.  

Nevertheless, despite Ukraine’s dramatic success in protecting the capital city of Kyiv and thwarting Russian offensives elsewhere, the disparity in weapons and Russia’s overwhelming advantage in force numbers is taking its toll and maintaining Russia’s strategic advantage.  

Though a costly victory, Russia eventually captured the port city of Mariupol and retained its Black Sea blockade. It continues to make incremental but steady gains in the Donbas region, threatening a wide encirclement of Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly requests heavier and longer-range systems that would enable Ukraine to push Russian forces away from cities and military assets. But the Biden administration adheres to its policy of withholding weapons that Putin might find “provocative” — when, of course, all forms of Western aid, including rhetorical and moral support, are anathema to Putin and incur his Hitlerian rage and resentment.

As Putin’s forces move inexorably forward in eastern Ukraine, Washington and some other NATO capitals — e.g., Berlin, Paris, Rome — waste precious time and energy obsessing over the precise level of military support they can provide to prevent both Ukraine’s collapse and Russia’s defeat and humiliation. The armaments calibration is intended to engineer a stalemate that will incentivize both parties to compromise and offer Putin a face-saving off-ramp.

Henry Kissinger, the ultimate national security “realist,” made the case for accommodating — some say, appeasing — Putin in virtual remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week.

“Negotiations need to begin in the next two months before it creates upheavals and tensions that will not be easily overcome. Ideally, the dividing line should be a return to the status quo ante,” he said, meaning the respective territorial control that existed just before Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24, but not before Russia’s invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine in 2014. What cannot be “returned” to the situation before Russia’s invasions, of course, are the thousands of Ukrainian lives lost and ruined, or the cities and historic places destroyed.

Kissinger added this warning: “Pursuing the war beyond that point would not be about the freedom of Ukraine, but a new war against Russia itself.” Apparently, he believes Ukraine’s freedom is divisible and applies only to areas not controlled by Russia on Feb. 24.

Moreover, Ukraine does not intend, or need, to attack Russia itself — just uninvited Russians in Ukraine. And, as with Hitler, any territorial concession would merely constitute a pause in the aggressor’s pursuit of his master plan. Presumably, part of Kissinger’s negotiating inducements would be the permanent exclusion of Ukraine, Georgia and any other aspiring country to membership in NATO. But Putin has indicated he wants to see NATO’s eventual rollback to the 1997 security situation.

Kissinger has demonstrated his negotiating prowess before, when he and Communist China’s first premier, Zhou Enlai, hammered out the Shanghai Communique, whose clever wordsmithing on Taiwan’s status has emboldened China and bedeviled the West ever since — and brought China-Taiwan and China-U.S. conflict ever closer. Kissinger has spent the ensuing five decades prevailing upon subsequent U.S. administrations to hew to an interpretation of the arrangement most favorable to Beijing — as in his warning to Taiwan in 2007 that “China will not wait forever” for its surrender to communist rule.

Kissinger also earned a Nobel Peace Prize for managing the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, which encouraged congressional termination of U.S. funding and left America’s South Vietnamese ally defenseless against North Vietnam’s massive final onslaught, not the graceful exit for which he was willing to trade away Taiwan’s sovereignty. Soviet-U.S. detente also turned out to be a mirage as Moscow pressed its advantage in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

Biden would be well-advised to heed instead the urgings of Ukraine’s heroic President Zelensky, who is at the forefront of the titanic struggle between freedom and autocracy that Biden has described. It would serve Washington in good stead for the next campaign in that competition — the freedom and security of Taiwan against the hostile intentions of China under Xi Jinping, Putin’s “no-limits strategic partner” in opposing the liberal international order.

Joseph Bosco served as China country director for the secretary of Defense from 2005 to 2006 and as Asia-Pacific director of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief from 2009 to 2010. He served in the Pentagon when Vladimir Putin invaded Georgia and was involved in Department of Defense discussions about the U.S. response. Follow him on Twitter @BoscoJosephA.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden adviser says US in position of strength to deal with inflation

National Economic Council Director Brian Deese on Tuesday argued that the U.S. is in a position of strength to combat high inflation, following President Biden’s release of a three-part plan to lower rising prices.

“The economy we have right now is in a transition from this period of historic economic growth to a period that can be more stable, resilient growth. That requires focusing on inflation and doing so from a position of relative strength,” Deese told CNBC.

He said the U.S. is in a better position to combat inflation than other countries because of the strong labor market, marked by a decline in unemployment, and household balance sheets, marked by American families increasing their savings and decreasing their debt.

Earlier on Tuesday, Biden laid out his plan, which included an acknowledgment that the Federal Reserve “has a primary responsibility to control inflation” and noted that his predecessor, without naming former President Trump, “demeaned the Fed.”

“That is not something that we can take for granted, particularly giving past presidents’ actions and the president will make very clear that that is what he intends to do,” Deese said on Tuesday.

The two other parts of the plan involved making things more affordable for families during this transition period and reducing the federal deficit to reduce price pressures, respectively.

Biden’s plan was released ahead of a meeting with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later Tuesday, which is the first time the two will meet since November.

Source: TEST FEED1