Biden holds narrow lead over Trump in hypothetical 2024 rematch: poll

President Biden leads former President Trump by just one point in a hypothetical 2024 presidential election rematch, according to an Emerson College poll released Friday. 

The results showed Biden with 43 percent of the vote to Trump’s 42, with 8 percent planning to vote for someone else and 6 percent undecided. Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in the announcement of the results that this is the first Emerson poll this year in which Biden leads Trump in such a matchup. 

Compared to Emerson’s poll on the head-to-head last month, Biden improved by three points and Trump fell two. 

The poll found voters are closely divided over whether the FBI’s search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property earlier this month for presidential records, including some classified and sensitive documents, made them more or less likely to support him. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they were less likely to support him, 30 percent said they were more likely and 34 percent said the search has no effect on their opinion. 

Biden’s approval rating in the poll rose two points to 42 percent, while his disapproval rating dropped two points to 51 percent. Republicans kept the one-point lead in the generic congressional ballot that they had in last month’s poll, leading 45 percent to 44 percent. 

The poll also showed a split on Biden’s decision to forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 per year, with 36 percent saying it goes too far, 35 percent saying it is the right amount of action and 28 percent saying it does not go far enough. 

Progressives had urged Biden to cancel as much as $50,000 per borrower, while Republicans have slammed him for canceling any. 

Half of all respondents listed the economy as their most important issue, while abortion and health care each tied for second with 9 percent listing them as most important. 

The poll was conducted from August 23 to 24 among 1,000 registered voters. The margin of error was 3 points.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden student debt plan could cost as much as $1 trillion over a decade

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business estimated the price tag of President Biden’s student debt plan could grow to more than $1 trillion over the next decade if certain conditions take hold.

The study found the plan would cost $605 billion over the next decade under strict assumptions, but the price tag in other conditions could grow to more than $1 trillion, a scenario the researchers said “requires further study.”

Biden on Wednesday announced the long-awaited plan, which cancels thousands of dollars in debt for many borrowers, extends a payment pause until the end of the year and caps monthly payments at a percentage of borrowers’ incomes.

The Biden administration had faced pressure from many Democrats to take executive action on student debt, but the announcement has also been met with criticism from Republicans and some moderate Democrats who expressed worry over the plan’s cost and its impact on already high inflation rates.

When asked at a press briefing on Thursday, White House officials declined to give a price tag for the decision, saying “it depends” on how many borrowers take up the offer.

The most prominent part of the plan cancels up to $10,000 in student debt for individuals making less than $125,000, while Pell Grant recipients under the same income cap are eligible for up to $20,000 in debt forgiveness. The income caps are doubled for families.

The Wharton researchers found that proposal will cost between $469 billion and $519 billion over the 10-year budget window, with the higher amount representing if the plan ultimately includes future students and students currently enrolled in college with loan deferral status.

Biden also announced plans to extend a pause on student loan payments put in place during the pandemic one final time. Payments were set to resume in September, but Biden extended the pause until the end of the year.

That plan will cost an additional $16 billion, according to the study.

Some economists argue any inflation increases driven by the debt cancellation will be offset by the payment resumption next year.

The third prong of Biden’s plan will cap monthly loan payments at 5 percent of undergraduate loan borrowers’ discretionary income and cover their unpaid monthly interest. For borrowers who originally took out loans of $12,000 or less, the plan reduces the number of years before the government forgives the balance from 20 years to 10 years.

Wharton researchers found that under strict assumptions about borrowing behavior, the proposal would cost $70 billion.

But the researchers noted that future details of the program and behavior changes among borrowers could increase the cost of the proposal to $450 billion or more, which would make the total plan cost over $1 trillion.

Source: TEST FEED1

What to know about Women's Equality Day

Story at a glance


  • Today is the 102nd anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States.

  • In the century since ratification of the 19th amendment, significant gains have been made with regard to women’s rights.

  • However, the economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, along with the recent decision to revoke a woman’s right to an abortion have some questioning whether American women are truly equal to men in 2022. 

Today marks Women’s Equality Day, a motion first introduced in 1971 to commemorate August 26, 1920 — when women in the United States won the right to vote — and formally adopted in 1973. 

One hundred years after women’s suffrage prevailed in its fight to amend the U.S. constitution, questions of equality remain at the forefront of the national conversation, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v Wade. 

“On Women’s Equality Day, we honor the movement for universal suffrage that led to the 19th Amendment, celebrate the progress of women over the years, and renew our commitment to advancing gender equity and protecting women’s rights,” President Biden said in a proclamation.

“This commitment is more important than ever in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate a woman’s constitutional right to choose. My Administration is doing everything in its power to protect access to the reproductive health care that generations of women and activists have fought for, including abortion.”

To understand progress made and strides yet to be accomplished, it’s important to take a look back at the origins of the equal rights movement and track progress made throughout the years. 

Decades of protest preceded the inclusion of the 19th amendment into the U.S. constitution. 

Advocates, lead by early feminists Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, began to organize as early as the 1800s to win the right to vote, but the world’s first women’s rights convention — held in 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York — is credited with formally kicking off the movement in America. 

Women’s suffrage was first proposed in 1878 and several states in the western region of the country adopted state provisions granting women the right to vote as early as 1912. 


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Although the 19th amendment was technically ratified on August 18, 1920, the move became official on the 26th, after then U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed a proclamation finalizing the motion. 

However, for many women of color, the right to vote was not guaranteed until the Voting Rights Act went into effect 45 years later.

In 1923, Paul went on to draft the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) with Crys­tal East­man, which would guarantee equal legal rights for all Americans regardless of sex and end legal distinctions between men and women with regard to divorce, employment, and other areas. 

Nearly 100 years later, the amendment has yet to be included in the United States constitution, despite gaining support from the necessary 38 states. One hurdle of many precluding the amendment’s finalization is the fact five states have since rescinded their support. Ratification deadlines set by Congress following the measure’s approval have also expired.

The 1970s’ second wave feminism saw a resurgence of interest in passing the ERA. Its original text was tweaked in 1972 to read: “Equal­ity of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appro­pri­ate legis­la­tion, the provi­sions of this article.”

One year prior, Bella Abzug (D-NY) introduced the concept of Women’s Equality Day, to commemorate August 26 as the day women achieved suffrage, though two years passed before it became nationally recognized. 

Abzug was a feminist and civil rights advocate who supported passage of the ERA throughout her tenure in office. 

Despite the work of hundreds of women throughout American history, gender gaps in pay, employment, and leadership positions persist. 

In 2020, American women earned 84 percent of that earned by men, meaning women would have to work an extra 42 days to make up for the difference, data from Pew Research show.

In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has derailed career trajectories for many working women given the fact women are more often caregivers for children, who demanded increased attention as school went online and day cares posed exposure concerns.

An analysis from the Brookings Institution found women are disproportionately represented in low-wage jobs and continue to face discrimination in the labor market. According to the report, “one out of four women who became unemployed during the pandemic reported the job loss was due to a lack of childcare, twice the rate of men surveyed.” 

For women of color, the crisis took an even larger toll. A December 2020 jobs report found while men gained 16,000 jobs, women lost 156,000. However, further analyses of these data “show that white women actually gained jobs while Black and Latina women made up the majority of the losses,” wrote Arghavan Salles, a surgeon at Stanford University in 2021.

Some advocates still push for the passage of the ERA to address these widespread issues. 

“Women’s equality cannot wait another century. That’s why I have been proud to join over 200 of my congressional colleagues on a bill to remove the arbitrary deadline from the ERA. In March 2021, I also re-introduced the ERA in the House, as I have in every session of Congress since 1997,” wrote Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) in a recent editorial for The Hill.

“This Women’s Equality Day, let’s not leave it up to the next Congress to pass the ERA. This is the year we knock down any unnecessary obstacle to ensure that equal rights for women are enshrined in the Constitution once and for all.” 

Source: TEST FEED1

DeSantis fares better than Trump in one-on-one Biden matchup: YouGov poll

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fares better in a hypothetical head-to-head 2024 matchup against President Biden than former President Donald Trump does, according to a new YouGov poll out Friday.

If the next presidential election comes down to a choice between Biden or Trump, the incumbent comes out on top at 39 percent to 36 percent. But pitted against DeSantis, Biden would end up in a closer race.

In that scenario, 36 percent said they would support Biden, while 35 percent would back the Florida governor.

In either case, a relatively significant percentage of respondents said that they simply wouldn’t vote: 15 percent for a Trump-Biden matchup and 16 percent in a contest between DeSantis and Biden.

The poll of 1,000 U.S. adults is the latest evidence of DeSantis’s growing national profile amid speculation that he could mount a bid for the White House in 2024. The Florida governor has seen his political clout swell among Republicans in recent years, and early polling shows him gaining ground on Trump in a hypothetical GOP presidential primary.

The YouGov poll is also a sign that voters may not be particularly keen on another Trump presidency, even with Biden’s sagging approval ratings.

To be sure, most voters aren’t thrilled about the possibility of Trump or Biden running again in 2024. 

Only 28 percent of respondents said that Trump should mount another bid for the White House, compared to 54 percent who said that he shouldn’t. When it comes to another Biden campaign, only 21 percent said that he should run for a second term, while 55 percent said that he shouldn’t.

Biden did see a tick up in his approval rating in a separate poll released Thursday by Gallup, rising to 44 percent. That’s his highest rating in that poll in a year.

The YouGov poll surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults from Aug. 18-22. It has a margin of sampling error of +/-3.4 percentage points.

Source: TEST FEED1

In Georgia, Walker’s the best bet against Warnock’s failed agenda

It wasn’t that long ago that Georgians felt comfortable walking the streets of Atlanta or going to the shopping mall alone. Parents didn’t worry about their kids playing outside or whether they’d make it home from school safely. That’s not the case anymore. 

Recently, Georgia has seen a crime surge throughout its major metropolitan areas. Lethal drugs have infected neighborhoods all over the state. Public safety is top-of-mind for many Georgians — but apparently not for Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. This November, voters in the Peach State have the chance to reject Warnock and elect someone who will put Georgians first: Republican Herschel Walker.

As a senator, Warnock has consistently pushed a radical, woke agenda that puts law and order last. He lobbied for the end of Atlanta’s bail system, which led to an approximate 100 percent spike in released offenders failing to appear for their court dates. He’s voted to confirm Biden’s soft-on-crime Supreme Court pick. He’s demonized our men and women in blue, calling them “thugs” and “bullies.” He’s even voted to give stimulus checks to prisoners, including the Boston Marathon Bomber. 

Meanwhile, Atlanta’s homicide rate has increased three years in a row. Smash-and-grab robberies terrorize businesses; one Atlanta boutique lost over $100,000 in merchandise after burglars broke into their store. Warnock’s response? Spending $4 million to dismantle part of the city’s jail and turn it into a “diversion center.” At every turn, Warnock has done more for criminals than law-abiding citizens.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Warnock’s support for the Biden administration’s open border policies has laid out a welcome mat for illegal activity. Two hundred thousand migrants were apprehended trying to cross the United States-Mexico border just in July — and that’s not counting the got aways who slipped through the cracks. Since October, Border Patrol agents have encountered 66 migrants on the terror watchlist attempting to enter America illegally. Illicit drugs continue to pour into the country: 2,071 pounds of deadly fentanyl — the equivalent of more than 469 million lethal doses — were seized at the southern border in July alone, with much more getting through. 

Fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death for Americans 18-45 years old. These drugs have made their way deep into the country, including the Peach State. Georgia has seen increased overdoses from street drugs laced with fentanyl. It’s killing Georgians — including a toddler. No one is safe, yet Warnock votes against even the most minimal border security efforts.

With crime and lethal drugs on the rise, it’s no wonder Georgians are fleeing in search of safer neighborhoods. But when residents leave, local economies suffer. All over the country, businesses are being forced to slash their workforces just to stay afloat. Gasoline averages nearly $4 per gallon, making transportation and supplies more expensive. The price of groceries is up 13 percent since last year —  the largest increase in 43 years. 

But rather than alleviate these burdens, Warnock has doubled down. Last year, he helped fuel a boycott of the MLB All-Star game, costing Atlanta small businesses $100 million. He voted to waste $1.9 trillion with Biden’s “stimulus,” which sent inflation soaring and real wages falling — resulting in a pay cut for hardworking families. And earlier this month, he voted to send 87,000 IRS agents after them thanks to Joe Biden’s so-called “Inflation Reduction Act,” which actually does nothing to reduce inflation. In fact, Warnock has voted with Biden 96 percent of the time.

Georgians deserve U.S. senators who represent their values. That’s why Herschel Walker’s vision for Georgia is so refreshing. As a senator, Walker will support economic policies that work because he is a successful entrepreneur. He will vote to secure our southern border and stop the flow of human trafficking, criminals and drugs. He’ll fully fund law enforcement and give them the equipment and resources to hire, train and protect officers. He’ll reject woke social experiments and require prosecutors to do their jobs: prosecute crimes and keep violent criminals in jail. And as a legendary athlete, he’ll have no problem protecting women’s sports from the far left.

As a parent myself, I know how vital public safety is to families. Keeping citizens safe and creating an environment where individuals can thrive is the government’s most basic job. It’s the reason we send our senators to Washington. Raphael Warnock had nearly two years to prove himself. Instead, he’s only proved that he cares more about serving Joe Biden’s failed agenda than his constituents in Georgia. Voters are ready for a change. In November, they’ll put Warnock out of a job.

Ronna McDaniel is chair of the Republican National Committee. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Watch live: Biden joins meeting of state, local officials to discuss access to abortion on Women's Equality Day

President Biden on Friday morning is meeting with state and local officials to observe Women’s Equality Day as the administration continues to address access to reproductive health services.

The event is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET.

Watch the live video above.

Source: TEST FEED1

More Americans are freelancing and taking on side hustles

Story at a glance


  • McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey (AOS) found that about 58 million Americans, or 38 percent of employed respondents, identify as independent workers.

  • More than a third of respondents who identified as independent workers said they anticipate more economic opportunities in the next 12 months – showing more optimism than the average worker.

  • But a majority still expressed concern about job stability, when compared to workers in permanent positions.

Independent workers – including freelancers, gig workers, or even those who rent out living spaces to others – make up an increasingly sizeable portion of the American labor force.  

McKinsey’s American Opportunity Survey (AOS) found that about 58 million Americans, or 38 percent of employed respondents, identify as independent workers.  

The projection of independent workforce numbers includes both full-time work and those engaged in a side job. Yet 72 percent said they only hold one job. 

More than a third of respondents who identified as independent workers said they anticipate more economic opportunities in the next 12 months – showing more optimism than the average worker. Independent workers are also more hopeful than the typical worker, expecting more economic growth over the coming five years.  

The survey showed that 50 percent of independent workers who hold bachelor’s degrees expect to experience continuous economic growth over the next five years. 

But a majority still expressed concern about job stability, when compared to workers in permanent positions.   

Reasons for independent work varied widely, according to the survey. About a quarter of Americans said their motivation is “out of necessity to support basic family needs.” Around half say they work independently for flexibility or because they enjoy the work – more than a quarter apiece for either response.  

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But independent workers still face challenges compared to traditional employees despite outsized positive economic moods and the added flexibility independent work offers. Only around 32 percent said they receive insurance from their employers. The survey found that independent workers also experience challenges relating to food security, transportation and childcare. 

McKinsey noted that these issues could likely be the reason independent workers are more than twice as likely to seek assistance through government programs. 

The American Opportunity Survey measured the responses of 25,062 U.S. adults who participated in a 25-minute online only Ipsos poll conducted between March 15 and April 18.

Source: TEST FEED1

76 percent of employees want companies to step up on abortion access

Shockwaves reverberated around the country following the Supreme Court’s vote to strike down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision on 24th June this year.  

Two months on, abortion is now illegal or heavily restricted in at least 14 states. Around eight more states have laws in place that will pave the way to ban or severely restrict access to abortion, for example in Wyoming, where a near-total ban on abortion is currently delayed by court order. At the moment, 17 states have laws that protect the right to abortion, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation

The picture is fluid and ever-changing. As it stands now, almost 21 million, or one in three people, in the United States between the ages of 15 and 44, have lost access to abortion, according to U.S. census data. But with some states in flux as their bans are temporarily blocked by the courts, if injunctions are lifted, abortion could soon be  inaccessible for 36 percent of those between the ages of 15 and 44, who would then likely to be unable to obtain an elective abortion in their home state. 

Economic cost 

There is also an economic cost to reducing access to abortion care. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) says that access to comprehensive reproductive health care is central to women’s full participation in the workplace. It also points out that “these measures fall hardest on women that already face systemic obstacles accessing health care and economic opportunities – including Black women, Hispanic women, low-income women, rural women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and more.” 

Those who participated in a recent LeanIn.org survey agree. Seventy six per cent are concerned that the overturn of Roe will negatively impact their ability to progress at work, and the feeling is even stronger among women of color, 82 percent of whom express concern.  

The same number (82 percent) say that having control over whether and when they have a child is critical to pursuing their career goals. Workers are looking to their employers for assistance, with 81 percent saying that supporting access to reproductive healthcare (including abortion) demonstrates an organization’s commitment. A further 76 percent are more likely to want to work for a company that supports abortion access. 

Companies are stepping up as a result, offering to cover or reimburse those employees who need to travel to receive medical care, including abortion. Amazon, H&M, Doordash, Airbnb, Intel, Apple, Gucci and Tesla are just some of the household names stepping up. Employees want more, however, with 78 percent of LeanIn.org’s respondents replying that their employer should take action to protect abortion access too. Watch this space. 

In the meantime, if you are looking for a new role, we’re taking a look at three employers which are currently hiring and you can check out plenty more opportunities on The Hill Jobs Board

Grant Thornton 

With revenues of $1.92 billion, Grant Thornton International is one of the world’s leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms and has more than 50 offices worldwide. As a professional services firm, it prides itself on doing business a bit differently – in fact in December 2019, Grant Thornton was placed in the top 50 global employers for diversity and inclusion (D&I). Teams take a bold approach, use agile methods and its D&I culture offers its people the opportunities and support to help them succeed. With more than 62,000 global professionals working for the business across 135-plus countries, 8,400 of its people are located in the U.S. Right now, there are a wide variety of career opportunities on offer at Grant Thornton; check them out here

Bloomberg 

A global leader in business and financial data, news and insight, Bloomberg is a powerhouse in the financial, software, data, and media sphere. The company is headquartered in Manhattan and has around 20,000 employees across 176 countries. A leader in applying artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing, Bloomberg is known for its Terminal and it also provides tools and automated workflows that help the world’s business and financial decision-makers surface relevant information in an ever-expanding ocean of data. A 2022 expansion into the UK has stimulated hiring and there are a number of interesting roles available in the U.S. too – you can check those out here

Venmo 

“I’ll Venmo you that” – it is the app that provides the handiest, easiest way to split a bill, pay a check or drop a friend some cash for tickets. Venmo was founded in 2009 and is designed to make it easy to transfer funds to others using a mobile phone app. Venmo was bought by PayPal in 2012, and in 2021 the company handled $230 billion in transactions and generated $850 million in revenue. Tens of millions of Americans use it for fast, safe payments and the company is hiring – discover open roles across the U.S. here. 

To discover millions of career opportunities, browse The Hill Jobs Board 

Source: TEST FEED1

How an Iran nuclear deal can destabilize an already troubled Eastern Med

Israel and Turkey recently announced that, once again, they would upgrade their relations to full diplomatic status. The relationship between the two countries has never been particularly stable, but it reached a nadir after the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident in which an Israeli naval commando assault on the Turkish-operated ship seeking to enter Gaza led to the death of 10 Turkish citizens, with many more injured. Turkey broke off diplomatic relations but restored them in 2016; it broke them off again two years later.

How long the current restoration will last is anyone’s guess.

In any event, the current thaw in Turkish-Israeli relations in no way indicates that tranquility is coming to the Eastern Mediterranean. To begin with, Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, made clear than even with the restoration of full relations, Turkey will continue to maintain its strong support for the Palestinians, including Hamas, Israel’s bitter enemy.

For its part, Israel announced the sale of its Iron Dome air defense system to Cyprus, with which, together with Greece, it plans to complete an underwater power cable called the Euro-Asia Interconnector by 2024. In addition, those three countries concluded an agreement to construct an eastern Mediterranean gas pipeline to Europe beginning in 2025.

On the other hand, Turkey has always been hostile to these tripartite arrangements, and its claims to eastern Mediterranean gas fields conflict with those of Nicosia. Moreover, Turkey continues to station troops in northern Cyprus, to whose government it alone grants diplomatic recognition. One can only conclude that the one likely target for Cyprus’s Iron Dome missiles would be Turkish military aircraft.

Rising tensions with Greece

Tensions once again are rising between Greece, Israel’s other close partner, and Turkey. Greece has accused Turkey of some 70 violations of its air space. Earlier this week, Turkey accused Greece of interfering with its aircraft during a NATO exercise; Athens, of course, denied Ankara’s claim, asserting that the Turks had entered Greek airspace without prior notification.

There also are reports that Ankara and Jerusalem are discussing the opening of a second gas pipeline from Israel’s Leviathan field through Turkey and into southern Europe as an offset to Russian gas supplies. That pipeline would, of course, compete with Israel’s partnership with Greece and Cyprus. Not surprisingly, especially given the uncertainty of future Turkish-Israeli relations, some in Israel oppose any such arrangement.

Washington has supported Israel’s warming ties with Turkey, but the Biden administration appears to be withdrawing initial American support for the Israeli-Greek-Cypriot pipeline, preferring “greener” alternatives. That opposition has remained sotto voce and has not deterred Jerusalem or its partners from moving ahead — but Washington’s relationship with Jerusalem may well hit a serious downturn if, as seems increasingly likely, it reaches an understanding with Iran to renew the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear accord.

Nuclear bombs and money for mischief

The JCPOA talks are accelerating, thanks to Tehran’s decision to back away from two of its three major demands — namely, that its Revolutionary Guard Corps be removed from America’s terrorist list and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) terminate its investigation of traces of nuclear material found at two sites in 2019.

The Iranian mullahs may have concluded that by “conceding” on two demands they knew could never be met, they would obtain American agreement to ensure a future president will not abrogate the deal, as then-President Donald Trump previously had done. Even if it cannot obtain that concession, Iran may push for speedy relief from American and European sanctions that have throttled its economy.

For its part, the Biden team remains eager to close the deal; many of its leaders, including the president, played a part in achieving the original agreement, which was a source of pride for the Obama administration.

It is the sanctions relief, as much as an Iranian nuclear bomb, that worries Israel and its Arab Gulf partners. The sunset provisions that were in the 2015 deal will begin to go into force next year: The European Union will terminate all remaining nuclear sanctions, and Washington not only will remove some Iranian entities from the sanctions list but will seek legislative termination of other sanctions; Iran may want even quicker action on sanctions relief.

Risks for Israel and U.S.

In any event, in 2025, on what has been called “Termination Day,” the United nations will close its Iran file. Tehran then will be able to pursue its weapons program without restriction while, in the meantime, it will have been the recipient of billions of dollars in both frozen assets and petroleum sales. And those funds will enable Iran to increase its financial support for Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and other militias seeking to destroy Israel, to undermine Gulf governments and, more generally, to disrupt a region that Washington hopes would demand less of its attention, resources and military personnel.

Israel may well decide to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, which could in turn result in a new major Middle Eastern war. Even if Israel elects to refrain from attacking Iran, preferring to continue its clandestine war against the mullahs, it might find itself in yet another war with Hezbollah. Bolstered by a fresh increment of Iranian encouragement and financial support, the Lebanese militant group may choose to unleash a major attack on Israeli cities.

Washington would then find itself dragged back into the Middle East, even as it must continue to attach higher priority to both the threat from China and Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act requires the Biden administration to enable Congress to review any nuclear agreement with Iran, and administration officials have underscored their commitment to do so. Thus far, however, there has been little communication to Capitol Hill regarding the state of the negotiations.

The White House should act quickly to brief Congress and should proceed with extreme caution before it enters into any undertakings with Iran that could result in even more instability in the Eastern Mediterranean than already is the case.

Dov S. Zakheim is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and vice chairman of the board for the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He was undersecretary of Defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer for the Department of Defense from 2001 to 2004 and a deputy undersecretary of Defense from 1985 to 1987.

Source: TEST FEED1

Watch live: Powell delivers keynote address on economy from Jackson Hole

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Friday will deliver a keynote address from the economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The event is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET.

Watch the live video above.

Source: TEST FEED1