Archive by Author

Biden to meet with Federal Reserve chair to discuss economy amid high inflation

President Biden will meet Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Tuesday to discuss the national economy amid high inflation, which has hurt Biden’s job approval rating.  

It’s the first meeting between Biden and Powell since November, Bloomberg noted.  

A schedule released by the White House said they will “discuss the state of the American and global economy.”  

The meeting comes while the country continues to struggle with rising prices in many sectors of the economy.  

The price of oil has risen to its highest level in two months since Biden announced in late March that he would tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to release 1 million barrels a day for six months.  

The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, a Fed-monitored inflation gauge, rose by 6.3 percent over the previous year ending in April, down slightly from the 6.6 percent annual inflation rate reported in March.  

The Fed has promised to raise interest rates aggressively to keep inflation in check, a prospect that that roiled the stock markets in recent weeks.  

Fed board members discussed the possibility of raising the federal funds rate by 50 basis points several more times and moving beyond a “neutral” monetary stance to a restrictive one.  

The aggressive stance taken by the central bank in recent months has put downward pressure on stocks, sending the S&P 500 down more than 20 percent from its record high.  

Republicans have repeatedly bashed Biden for rising prices, blaming his fiscal policy and the passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan for contributing to inflation.  

Democratic lawmakers have responded by arguing inflation is driven by supply-chain breakdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic and a drop in oil and wheat supplies caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  

Germany on Monday reported that its economy experienced 8.7 percent inflation in May compared to a year ago, its highest rate of inflation in decades.  

Powell told lawmakers in March that the Fed should have acted sooner to contain inflation.  

“Hindsight says we should have moved earlier,” he conceded and pledged to use the Fed’s tools to bring inflation closer in line with its 2 percent target. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden rules out sending Ukraine rockets that can strike into Russia

President Biden on Monday said his administration will not send to Ukraine long-range missile systems that can strike into Russian territory, sending a conflicting message after media outlets reported that officials were preparing to send weapons with long-distance capabilities.  

“We are not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that strike into Russia,” Biden told reporters on the South Lawn.  

The statement conflicts with reporting by CNN and The Washington Post that the administration was preparing to provide Ukraine with the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), a U.S.-made system that can fire rockets up to 300 kilometers, allowing Ukrainian forces to strike into Russian territory.  

It’s possible the U.S. package will only include shorter-range rockets that can’t strike beyond 50 miles.  

Ukrainian officials have requested MLRS artillery for months and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), an influential member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, backed up the request in a statement after meeting with senior U.S. military officials in Germany.  

“The admin must immediately provide Ukraine with the multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) Ukraine has requested. This defensive weaponry will help Ukraine defend the eastern portion of its country against Russia’s advances,” Portman tweeted on Sunday.  

“The admin must not deter itself from providing this assistance for fear of provoking Russia. The MLRS can help balance the field in Ukraine’s favor and should be approved and shipped immediately,” he added.

Olga Skabeeva, a Russian television host, warned Friday that shipping long-range rockets to Ukraine would cross what she called a red line.  

“The U.S. MLRS can launch shells over 500 kilometers. And if the Americans do this, they will clearly cross a red line, and we will record an attempt to provoke a very harsh response from Russia,” she warned.  

Source: TEST FEED1

Greater connectivity can help turn the tide on military suicides

The Department of Defense recently created a committee to analyze alarming suicide rates among military service members and veterans, underscoring the severity of an issue that has persisted for far too long.

“One death by suicide is one too many,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in announcing the committee. “And suicide rates among our service members are still too high. So, clearly we have more work to do.”

Recent episodes that have captured national attention — suicides onboard a Navy aircraft carrier and a wave of deaths in Alaska in the Army — put a finer, more human point on the issue. The recent deaths follow a tragic year. A Defense Suicide Prevention Office report last month concluded that the Army suffered more suicides in 2021 than any other year since the Sept. 11 attacks.

A committee might be helpful, but it won’t solve the issue. This is abundantly clear given the time, money and attention the government already has given to the problem — particularly in the post-9/11 era.

For many of us at the grassroots level working with troops and veterans every day, our observation is that we must focus on heading off their isolation. Indeed, isolation appears to be a precursor to suicidal patterns, so much so that many are struggling in silence outside the Veterans Administration network of services.

“What we found is that two-thirds of these veterans who take their own lives have had no contact with the VA,” said Sen. Mark Warner, (D-Va.) Peer-reviewed research notes that loneliness ranked higher than post-traumatic stress disorder, disability or psychiatric problems in contributing significantly to the risk of developing suicidal thinking.

Put simply, service members and veterans are all too often disconnected from peers, friends, family and support systems. The Warrior Call initiative, a project of the Troops First Foundation, is designed to create greater connectivity through simple yet meaningful action.

The campaign’s motto calls on Americans but especially those who have worn or are wearing the uniform, to make a call, take a call and be honest. Pick up the phone or schedule a face-to-face and ask how a service member or veteran is doing. And, if needed, point this individual to resources, such as those hosted by Vets 4 Warriors. It may not be an easy conversation, but my experience is that it could save a life, particularly if done habitually.

The idea is born out of years of touring military bases and speaking to those in service, who repeatedly tell us that conversation and a sense of togetherness is what keeps them connected and focused on a hopeful future. Warrior calls empower families and communities to know what to look for — and more importantly what to do — before their family member or friend is in crisis.

Last year, federal lawmakers introduced resolutions to commemorate a Sunday close to Thanksgiving as “National Warrior Call Day.” We understand Warrior Call is no panacea, but we also know from firsthand experience it helps people from descending into isolation. Congress must do its part to get the day across the finish line in 2022. Governors and state legislatures can also help in spreading the word.

The past few years have been uniquely challenging for all Americans, but especially in the military. Invisible wounds linked to an underlying and undiagnosed traumatic brain injury can mirror many mental-health conditions. At the same time, vets can be burdened with moral injury from their experiences. The traumas and undiagnosed traumatic brain injury can impact and erode a person’s sense of hope, leading them to disconnect from friends and family and causing some to see suicide as the only way to relieve their pain and loneliness.

Commissions might help with the long game, but reducing suicides means helping right now through initiatives like Warrior Call, and getting warriors connected and steering them to services — and to hope.

Frank Larkin is COO of the Troops First Foundation and chair of the Warrior Call initiative.

Source: TEST FEED1

Russian foreign minister denies speculation that Putin is ill

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sought to quell speculation over rumors around Russian President Vladimir Putin’s health, saying on Sunday that “sane” people can see he is in good health.

In an interview with French television news TF1 and LCI, Lavrov shot down speculation that the 69-year-old Russia leader is in ill-health and said he is not suffering from any ailments.

Lavrov noted that “President Putin appears in public every day. “

“You can see him on the screens, read his speeches, listen to his speeches. I don’t think sane people can distinguish any symptoms of illness in this man,” he said.

His comments come after former British MI5 agent Christopher Steele – who wrote the highly publicized dossier on former President Trump – told Sky News that, according to sources in Russia and elsewhere, “Putin is, in fact, quite seriously ill.”

“It’s not clear exactly what this illness is – whether it’s incurable or terminal, or whatever,” Steele added last week. “But certainly, I think it’s part of the equation.”

New Lines magazine also reported earlier this month that an oligarch who is a Putin ally said in an audio recording obtained by the magazine that the Russian president is “very ill with blood cancer.”

The report added, however, that a secret memo addressed to Russia’s domestic security agency FSB dated March 13 said that regional agency heads should not “trust rumors about the president’s terminal condition,” citing Christo Grozev, the head of investigations at research website Bellingcat.

The reports have not been verified by U.S. intelligence.

The White House and other observers have also sounded an alarm about Putin’s mindset following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February this year.

In March, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin ally, said in an interview that the Russian president “is in better shape than ever” and called him “completely sane.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Ranking the five Democrats most likely to win party nod if Biden doesn’t run

Whether President Biden will seek reelection next year is one of the most discussed topics inside and outside the Beltway.

Biden has said he plans to run for a second term, privately telling former President Obama and other Democrats of his intentions. 

The president’s allies say he is still the only one who can defeat a challenger like President Trump or Gov. Ron DeSantis, of Florida. 

But there are doubts he will follow through on his plans because of his age — Biden would be 81 in November 2024 — and because of the brutal political headwinds he and his party are now facing. Biden’s approval ratings have sunk to the mid-30s in some polls.

If Biden chooses not to run for reelection, who else would be in contention?

Here’s a look at the five Democrats best positioned to win the nomination.

Vice President Kamala Harris

Harris tops our rankings, as she would instantly be the leading contender to win the Democratic nomination for president if Biden decided to end his political career with one term.

She has the visibility at the White House and the name recognition and could give Democrats another chance at breaking the vaunted glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to be elected president.

But Harris is not a sure thing to win the nomination. She has been tripped up by a rash of negative headlines since she assumed the role of vice president and her poll numbers have taken a hit.

A Los Angeles Times analysis of national polls this month showed Harris underwater with a 40 percent approval rating. 

“She has fallen short of expectations,” said one Democratic strategist.  

Should Biden decide not to run, “I don’t think she has a lock on the nomination and she’ll have some viable competitors” in 2024, the strategist added.

Some Democrats point out that while her 2020 presidential campaign started strong, it petered out when she ran into fundraising trouble and was unsuccessful in communicating a message for why she was the best candidate in a crowded field. 

Pete Buttigieg

Biden’s transportation secretary surprised the Democratic establishment and political observers in 2020 with his come-out-of-nowhere campaign.

The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., a virtual stranger to Democrats, managed to win the Iowa caucuses, defeating a field of better-known candidates. He then came close to winning the New Hampshire primary.

Buttigieg has continued to make a name for himself, touring the country to tout Biden’s infrastructure projects and visiting key swing states including Iowa, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Ohio.

Democratic strategists say he would be well positioned for a 2024 run. Still, even as a cabinet secretary, some still wonder if he has enough political chops to make the leap to the Oval Office. 

Elizabeth Warren

Warren maintains strong support from progressives and recently revved up the base when in the days following the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, she went to the Supreme Court and joined protestors.

Videos of her railing against the potential decision went viral.  

She also wrote an op-ed for the New York Times in which she instructed how Democrats could “avoid disaster” in the upcoming midterm elections.

Warren has said she has no plans to run for president.

“I’m not running for president in 2024, I’m running for Senate,” she said last month on NBC’s Meet the Press. “President Biden is running for reelection in 2024 and I’m supporting him.”

But if Biden doesn’t run, Warren would instantly vault into contention and her plans would likely change.

Bernie Sanders

Few Democrats think Sanders will run for president again.

But last month, the senator put himself back into the conversation when his aides circulated a memo revealing that he wasn’t saying no to a third presidential bid.  

“…Sen. Sanders has not ruled out another run for president, so we advise that you answer any questions about 2024, with that in mind,” read the memo from Faiz Shakir, the Sanders adviser who served as his 2020 campaign manager.

Sanders, who is seen as the patriarch of the progressive movement, has also penned an opinion piece for Fox News, calling for Medicare for All. But like Biden, Sanders’s age— he’s 80-years-old— could cause potential problems for him should he choose to run again.  

Amy Klobuchar

The Minnesota senator didn’t perform too well in the 2020 presidential election but if Biden doesn’t run, Klobuchar could benefit, receiving support from moderate Democrats.

When she traveled to New Hampshire earlier this year to give a keynote address to state Democrats, political observers couldn’t help but think she was quietly building the groundwork for a potential 2024 run.

“It was one of the very first signs that some folks had started to eye the next election,” one strategist said. “Because few people think Biden is going to run again.” 

Source: TEST FEED1

Two dead, 19 injured in Lincoln, Nebraska crash

Two people died and at least 19 others were injured as a result of a two-car crash in Lincoln, Neb., during a Memorial Day weekend event.

The crash occurred late Sunday evening when a black Ford Taurus traveling westbound on O Street struck a white Toyota Corolla that was facing eastbound, leading to a T-Bone crash, according to the Lincoln Police Department (LPD). The impact forced the vehicles onto a sidewalk, where crowds were standing and seated for the event.

LPD said that two female occupants of one vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene while at least 19 other people were transported to nearby hospitals, including a number of people who were on the sidewalk during the incident.

One person is in critical condition, while the 18 others are believed to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to authorities.

“The Lincoln Police Department offers their condolences to the family and friends of those who were killed as a result of this incident,” the department wrote on Facebook. “We will work tirelessly to determine what occurred and hold those responsible for this tragedy accountable.”

Police say they do not believe the crash was intentional.

Source: TEST FEED1

Kinzinger, journalist get into online spat over 'Top Gun' praise

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and a veteran journalist got into a Twitter spat on Sunday evening after the GOP representative praised the new film “Top Gun: Maverick.”

“The new @TopGunMovie was awesome,” Kinzinger wrote.

In response, Yashar Ali, who contributes to New York Magazine and the Huffington Post, quote tweeted Kinzinger and criticized him for complimenting the movie.

“Not kidding when I say this tweet will be shown to Scientologists as an example of Tom Cruise’s excellence and how he is the most dedicated Scientologist,” he wrote, referring to Cruise’s membership in the Church of Scientology.

“Stuff like this, particularly from elected officials, is what leads Scientologists who are having doubts to reconsider,” Ali added.

“WHAT??” Kinzinger simply responded in a quote tweet.

Ali then replied to the post, offering to educate Kinzinger on “how Scientology weaponizes tweets like yours against its members.” He also linked a reply from actress Leah Remini, who has been outspoken against the organization for years.

“Instead of investigating Scientology for its abuses, its intimidation of IRS officials, among other things, you’re promoting the project of its second in command. Got it,” she wrote in reply to Kinzinger’s initial tweet.

“I liked the top gun movie bro. Chill,” Kinzinger replied to Ali.

The Hill has reached out to the Church of Scientology for comment.

“Top Gun: Maverick” just won Cruise his first $100 million opening weekend, earning an estimated $124 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and $248 million internationally.

–Updated at 11:13 a.m.

Source: TEST FEED1

Watch live: Biden delivers Memorial Day address at Arlington National Cemetery

President Biden will deliver a Memorial Day address on Monday at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

The event is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m. ET.

Watch the video above.

Source: TEST FEED1

Recognizing Gold Star Families this Memorial Day  

On Memorial Day, we honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our country. From the Revolutionary War all the way to the War on Terror, we remember those who died to preserve our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Congress must always do everything we can to support the families of these fallen heroes.

Our Gold Star families are connected by shared experiences of loss, grief, and sadness, and their sacrifices are incredibly understated; not only do they shoulder the painful price of losing their loved ones, but their new and heartbreaking circumstances often plunge them into uncertainty. This Memorial Day, we must recommit to honoring the fallen by taking care of those they left behind.

The loss of a loved one is already extremely difficult for a service member’s family, yet this loss can also cause financial distress especially if the soldier, sailor, marine, or airman was the sole breadwinner. Thankfully, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers several monetary VA benefits for widows and surviving spouses of wartime veterans. These include dependency and indemnity compensation, survivors’ pensions, and burial benefits. 

Tragically, after service members die in the line of duty, many of their spouses are forced to leave their homes where they share precious memories as a family, forced to relocate so they can be closer to family for support or simply because they can no longer afford the cost of living in their area. Unfortunately, due to a loophole in the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, widows and widowers were forced to pay out-of-pocket for canceling their lease, an unnecessary and costly burden placed on Gold Star families who already suffered a tremendous loss. 

That’s why in 2018, Democrats and Republicans came together to pass the Gold Star Spouses Leasing Relief Act, which extended residential leasing protections to surviving spouses of service members killed in the line of duty.  Additionally, the U.S. House of Representatives created the Gold Star Family Fellowship Program in 2019 to uplift military family members and give them a full-time, year-long paid fellowship in their congressional office. This fellowship gives members of Congress a unique perspective that will help us ensure we’re meeting the needs of current and former service members as well as offer employment to a family member of deceased patriots. 

It is imperative that Congress always takes steps to address hardships facing the husbands, wives, parents, and children of fallen soldiers. America’s honored dead have given everything to our country. As the nation’s democratic representatives, it is critical that we guarantee the same absolute commitment to their families in return. 

This Memorial Day, as we gather with friends and family, may we be ever grateful to those who have paid the price for the freedoms we hold so dear. Out of a deep love for their country and dedication to its founding principles, these heroes gave their lives that this nation might endure. May we never forget their sacrifices or the burdens their families face. 

Steve Scalise is the House Republican Whip and Jim Baird represents the 4th District of Indiana. A Vietnam veteran, Baird earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts for his valor.

Source: TEST FEED1