Just 1 of 25 apps that track reproductive health protect users' data: report

Story at a glance


  • The Mozilla Foundation analyzed 25 popular reproductive health apps for their privacy and security policies. 

  • Eighteen of the 25 apps received a *Privacy Not Included warning label, which meant the app’s privacy policy is alarmingly vague. 

  • Mozilla found there was no clear standing on how data is shared with law enforcement. 

Millions of Americans use mobile apps to track their menstrual cycle, sexual activity and ovulation windows and all of that data isn’t always protected, with a new analysis finding most reproductive health apps have weak privacy protections. 

The Mozilla Foundation, founder of web browser Firefox, investigated 25 reproductive health apps and wearable devices, including Flo, Glow, Ovia, Period Tracker Period Calendar and My Calendar Period Tracker, for their privacy and security practices. 

Mozilla found that many of these reproductive health apps collect large amounts of personal data from users, ranging from phone numbers, emails, home addresses, dates of menstrual cycles, sexual activity, doctors’ appointments, pregnancy symptoms and more.  

Eighteen of the 25 apps analyzed by Mozilla received a *Privacy Not Included warning label, which means the app’s privacy policy is dangerously vague and may also carry security concerns. 

Mozilla found most apps generally share user data for marketing purposes, so users will get served targeted advertisements. However, when it came to sharing data with law enforcement, most apps’ guidelines were vague. 


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My Calendar Period Tracker, which has over 10 million downloads on the Google Play store, did not have its own privacy policy that Mozilla could find. Instead, the app linked to two outside policies, from the Google Play store and the Apple App store. Mozilla found both of those privacy policies to be vague, leaving what data may be collected on users up to the app’s interpretation. 

Notably, Mozilla found that when it came to sharing data with law enforcement, My Calendar Period Tracker only said, “we use the information collected through the app to…comply with any court order, law or legal process.” 

Another app that alarmed Mozilla was Sprout Pregnancy, in which users can build personal pregnancy timeline calendars and which collects data on users’ weight, doctor’s appointments, birth plan and pregnancy journals, did not have a privacy policy available to Mozilla to read. 

Ashley Boyd, vice president of advocacy at Mozilla, explained that due to the current state of abortion access in the U.S., “overnight apps and devices that millions of people trust have the potential to be used to prosecute people seeking abortions.” 

Boyd advised that users should think twice before using most reproductive health apps, as many are, “riddled with loopholes and they fail to properly secure intimate data.” 

There was one app that rose to the top, which is Euki. The app does not collect any personal information about users and any information users chose to enter into the app about their sexual or reproductive health is stored locally on the user’s device. That means users are in complete control of their data at all times. 

Other period tracking apps, like Flo and Clue, have made statements reaffirming that they do not share users’ personal data. However, Flo was under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just last year for sharing users’ fertility data with third parties — including Facebook and Google, despite promising users it would not. 

The FTC eventually required Flo to require users’ consent before sharing personal health data with others and to have an independent review of its privacy practices. 

In conclusion, Mozilla found there was no clear standing on how data is shared with law enforcement, with most apps leaning on vague boilerplate statements that do not include clear guidelines on when and how much user data could be shared with U.S. law enforcement. 

That’s especially worrisome in the current political climate here in the U.S., as a growing number of states have passed laws banning or severely restricting abortion. Many privacy advocates have been warning how law enforcement or anti-abortion groups could seek out user data from reproductive health apps in order to enforce those bans. 

Adding to the risk, the U.S. currently has no federal privacy law that governs the collection and sale of user data among private-sector companies. There is an effort underway to change that, with legislation introduced last year that would close the legal loophole that allows data brokers to sell Americans’ personal data to law enforcement and intelligence agencies without any court oversight.  

The bill has yet to be picked up by Congress. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Deterrence alone won’t secure the border: Here are four immediate actions

In recent weeks, the Supreme Court ruled that President Biden can end President Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers, although the administration must continue enforcing Trump’s Title 42 policy empowering the government to block asylum seekers from entering the U.S. on public health grounds.

Meanwhile, 53 migrants died in the sweltering heat of a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas, and a Customs and Border Protection investigation found that patrol agents used unnecessary force with Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas. 

These are the fruits of a deterrence-only strategy that is doing little to stem the record numbers of migrants who continue to gather at our Southern border. We need a new approach that recognizes the need to address two challenges separately — the growing number of asylum seekers, and the threats to our border from smuggling, contraband and migrants trying to evade capture. 

For asylum seekers, as outlined further below, we need to expand processing outside the United States, create more legal work visas for immigrants who can fill unmet labor needs, process asylum claims more quickly and beef up resources for refugee processing, case management, immigration courts and other parts of the system. 

I’ve worked on immigration and border policy for some three decades, and I don’t remember a time when events at the border were so widely criticized by both parties. Democrats decry the increasingly harsh measures designed to deter migrants, while Republicans insist that more deterrence is necessary. 

For most of the last half-century, we have sought to prevent or deter migrants from crossing illegally. We’ve tried to make border crossings harder and more dangerous by building barriers and fences to funnel migrants to more remote and less hospitable parts of the border, punishing those caught by prosecuting them for criminal violations and/or throwing them into immigration detention. 

At times, that policy has worked. In recent years, however, rising numbers of migrants from places other than Mexico, increasing desperation among migrants and the growing sophistication of smugglers have overwhelmed our asylum system. The challenge has bedeviled every administration since President Obama. 

Despite claims to the contrary, there is no evidence that any of the policies under Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden have had long-term impacts on the number of migrants who travel to the border, especially to claim asylum. In fact, data since 2014 shows migrants have adapted as our tactics have changed. 

When, for instance, Obama started closing ports of entry to asylum seekers in 2016 (an ongoing practice), smugglers brought in migrants to cross between ports. When Trump sent families back to Mexico under his “remain in Mexico” policies, parents sent their unaccompanied children across and then tried to enter as single adults or evade apprehension. When Title 42 returned migrants to Mexico within hours of their apprehension, repeat attempts to cross the border skyrocketed to levels unprecedented since the 1990s. The arrival of migrants whom we can’t send back to their countries because Washington lacks diplomatic relations with them is a boon to smugglers who have funneled more desperate Nicaraguans, Cubans and Venezuelans to the border. 

No matter how much deterrence we try, the desperation of migrants and the profit motive of smuggling organizations means that harsher methods and penalties will likely result in more tragedies like that of the tractor-trailer in San Antonio. 

It’s past time to rethink our deterrence-only strategy. Addressing the root causes of the rising numbers of immigrants is a long-term venture, but we can take some immediate steps to address current migration patterns. 

First, increase Mexico’s capacity to process and integrate more asylum seekers. The U.S. should help Mexico’s asylum and migration agency increase staff and offices, and both nations should agree to permit the processing of U.S. asylum or refugee claims in Mexico. 

Second, expand work visas. To enable immigrants to continue strengthening America’s economy, policymakers should expand work visas and streamline visa processing, making them more available to people throughout Central America. This will divert many people out of smugglers’ hands and out of the asylum system as the only avenue for entering the U.S. 

Third, beef up resources across the immigration system. Backlogs in immigration courts and visa processing delays at consular posts and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are one reason that migrants see asylum as the only viable avenue to legally enter the U.S. To specifically address the unprecedented arrivals at the border, policymakers should build Regional Migration Processing Centers that include temporary housing for migrants, medical care and all necessary staff for migrant processing, case management and adjudication. 

Concurrently, process asylum claims more rapidly. Congress should provide resources to create and operate border systems that decide cases of arriving asylum-seekers more quickly while ensuring due process. Ideally, the process should take no longer than six months. Processing migrants into backlogs in immigration courts and releasing them to the interior benefits smugglers who correctly promise that many of them will get to stay, facilitating large group arrivals that overwhelm border capacity. 

The current border situation didn’t start overnight, and these changes won’t fix things overnight, but pushing the same deterrence policies isn’t working. We need to try something new, and soon.  

Theresa Cardinal Brown is the managing director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Road deaths rise further, hitting highest first-quarter level since 2002

Nearly 10,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the first quarter of the year, marking the largest first-quarter level since 2002, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Wednesday.

NHTSA projected 9,560 traffic fatalities in the first three months of 2022, the seventh consecutive quarterly increase, as Americans increased driving that was sharply reduced during the coronavirus pandemic. But the 7 percent increase in fatalities outpaced the 5.6 percent increase in total miles traveled on U.S. roads over the same period.

“The overall numbers are still moving in the wrong direction,” NHTSA Administrator Steven Cliff said in a statement. 

“Now is the time for all states to double down on traffic safety,” he said. “Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, there are more resources than ever for research, interventions and effective messaging and programs that can reverse the deadly trend and save lives.” 

Cliff will step down from his role in the coming weeks, and advocacy organizations are urging President Biden to “swiftly” nominate a new administrator who has vehicle safety expertise to combat the issues, which the groups called a “crisis” in a letter to Biden last week.

NHTSA projected 29 states and Washington, D.C., to experience increases in fatalities in the first quarter, while 19 states and Puerto Rico saw traffic deaths decline.

Delaware recorded the highest increase out of any state, roughly a 163 percent jump from the same period the previous year. Connecticut, Virginia, Vermont, D.C., Hawaii, Nebraska and North Carolina all saw increases exceeding 50 percent.

The recent increases have led some of those jurisdictions to increasingly focus on traffic safety.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2015 set a goal of reaching zero fatalities and serious injuries to travelers in the nation’s capital’s transportation system, an initiative she dubbed “Vision Zero” that has led to grants aimed at improving safety measures. 

But traffic deaths in D.C. and many other jurisdictions have only increased. NHTSA reports a 62.5 percent increase in D.C. traffic fatalities in the first quarter of 2022, compared to a year prior.

NHTSA previously released data showing that nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest annual level in 16 years.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in January released a five-pronged federal strategy to combat the rising traffic fatalities in January, and both his department and NHTSA have touted safety investments funded through the bipartisan infrastructure law signed into law in November.

“Another new report of an increase in lives lost may feel a bit like Groundhog Day, but we must not become desensitized to the tragedy of roadway deaths,” Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, said in a statement, also endorsing the federal strategy.

Source: TEST FEED1

New York Democrats urge White House to invoke Defense Production Act for vaccines to treat monkeypox

A group of Democratic members of Congress from New York on Wednesday called on President Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to enhance the production of vaccines for monkeypox.

In a letter to Biden, the lawmakers, led by New York Democratic Reps. Jerry Nadler and Ritchie Torres, said ,”It is clear that vaccine demand is quickly outpacing supply throughout the country.”

According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 12,000 monkeypox cases have been confirmed in the U.S. so far.

“In New York, every vaccine appointment has been taken. According to [the Department of Health and Human Services], the government is now distributing about 1.1 million doses, less than a third of the 3.5 million that health officials now estimate are needed to fight the outbreak. It is reported that HHS does not expect the next delivery, of half a million doses, until September,” the lawmakers wrote, noting that most of the other doses that have been ordered are not expected to be available until next year.

There are currently two smallpox vaccines being used in the U.S. to mitigate the spread of the monkeypox virus, the more widely favored Jynneos vaccine and the older generation ACAM2000 vaccine.

The New York delegation noted that the Defense Production Act is often used to address national issues and supply shortages. In May, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra invoked the act to address the national baby formula shortage.

The limited supply of Jynneos has resulted in many people being unable to receive doses of the vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration last week authorized dividing doses of Jynneos into fifths and injecting them intradermally, between layers of skin, to stretch the available supply. Bavarian Nordic, the Danish company that makes Jynneos, has expressed concerns about this approach.

“The United States has the resources available to effectively combat the spread of monkeypox, and we owe it to the communities most vulnerable to public health threats to ensure that they are well-protected,” the lawmakers wrote. “Though it is encouraging that the official declaration of a [public health emergency] will accelerate the production and availability of vaccines, tests, and treatments, we must take all available actions to combat this outbreak.”

Other Democratic members of Congress from New York who signed the letter were Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Carolyn Maloney, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Hakeem Jeffries.

Source: TEST FEED1

Northern lights could be seen in some states Wednesday night

Story at a glance


  • People living in the northern part of the United States and Canada might be able to see the aurora borealis on Wednesday night. 

  • Typically, the northern lights are not seen so far south, but they will be visible in the night sky after a number of recent explosions on the sun’s surface sent clouds of particles into space. 

  • Those clouds are expected to hit the Earth’s magnetic field late Wednesday, resulting in the dazzling light display. 

Some northern states could get a chance to see the aurora borealis Wednesday night.  

Typically, the northern lights are not visible in any of the lower 48 states, but recent explosions on the surface of the sun have sent clouds of large particles into space, some of which are expected to hit the Earth’s magnetic field later Wednesday evening and Thursday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center.  

That collision could result in dazzling displays of the aurora borealis in skies as far south as northern Illinois and Nebraska.  


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But people in states where the northern lights might be visible might have a hard time seeing the spectacle, due to cloudy skies or light pollution.  

Residents of Chicago, Boston, Seattle and Minneapolis and those in the surrounding suburbs will need to travel to darker areas of their home states to see the phenomenon, according to AccuWeather.  

The moon can also be a source of light pollution and is expected to shine brightly during the latter half of Wednesday night. For those interested in getting a glimpse of the aurora experts suggest not looking at the moon to increase the odds of seeing the rare celestial display.  

All of the states that have areas where the northern lights could potentially be visible tonight include Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.  

People in very northern parts of Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, California, Nevada, Utah and New Jersey might be able to see the aurora as well, according to AccuWeather. 

 


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Source: TEST FEED1

At a crossroads with Kazakhstan

In 1991, Secretary of State James A. Baker III journeyed to the newly independent Republic of Kazakhstan to meet with its president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The policy objectives in the 31 years since of U.S.-Kazakh relations have centered on three areas: diversifying global sources of energy by capitalizing on Kazakhstan’s world-class energy reserves; supporting a government more responsive to the people through the promotion of democracy and protection of human rights; and advancement of free market enterprise. Following 9/11, U.S. policymakers took greater interest in the region to support the war in Afghanistan and prevent the spread of violent extremism.

Kazakhstan took transformative steps in its infancy on nuclear nonproliferation, scorning the vast arsenal of nuclear weapons it inherited from the USSR and becoming the world’s leading energy uranium producer. These steps set the tone for Kazakhstan to become a key player in Central Asia through its multi-vector foreign policy, designed to balance the pull from three global powers: Russia, China and the United States. 

In the 1980s, California-based energy company Chevron initiated negotiations with the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic to purchase ownership of resource-rich western oil fields, such as Tengiz. By 1993, Chevron became the first and biggest foreign investor into independent Kazakhstan. Other U.S. companies, including ExxonMobil, followed suit.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 demonstrated the security importance of Central Asia to the United States. Kazakhstan proved to be capable of cooperation in strategic counter-terrorism, including the dispatching of military engineers to Iraq in 2003 and the facilitation of U.S. and NATO troops’ air and land transit through Kazakhstani bases. The U.S.’s shambolic exit from Afghanistan in 2021 revealed a reduction of U.S. interest in the region.

Kazakhstan made global headlines in January 2022, when civic protests over the increase in the price of liquified petroleum gas were met by a violent response from the government. Kazakhstan’s second president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a one-time United Nations bureaucrat and former foreign minister, issued an order to “shoot to kill without warning” — resulting in 232 deaths, 9,000 detentions, and six deaths by torture in detention — that has shattered the reputation of stability Kazakhstan had enjoyed in a turbulent region.

In dealing with the challenges of a revanchist Moscow and a rising Beijing, Washington cannot look to Nur-Sultan as an offshore balancer. Tokayev has publicly called Putin his “comrade,” consults with him frequently, and was the only head of state to attend the St. Petersburg Economic Forum in Russia, before traveling to Iran — both countries subject to U.S. and international sanctions. During his presidency, Tokayev has worked to strengthen Kazakhstan’s ties with its treaty ally, Russia, via the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). 

While Kazakhstan pushes for economic integration between the EEU and China’s recent projects, including the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s investment may have reached its high point. Structurally, Kazakhstan is not moving toward greater independence but kicking the three-legged stool of multi-vector foreign policy and sinking in between two smothering elephants: Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping.

Sanctions on Russian oil resulting from Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have resulted in an increase in the price of energy not seen since the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s. The Kremlin, long experienced in using energy as a political weapon, is shutting off supply to Europe, requiring the West to find a greater volume of oil and gas independent of Moscow’s control. 

President Biden has appealed to Saudi Arabia, to try to gain more hydrocarbon alternatives to Russia. Kazakhstan regrettably falls outside of this category, since its maximum export capacity is insignificant compared to its Saudi counterpart and 80 percent of Kazakhstan’s resources pass through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) via Russia on its way to Europe. Also, U.S. companies are minor players in the CPC; sanctioned Russian companies — Transneft, Rosneft and LukArco — account for 36.5 percent of the shareholders, compared to Chevron’s 15 percent. 

While diplomats from Nur-Sultan are saying the right things about upholding Western sanctions, business activities and government actions put the Kazakh economy on a high wire. Kazakhstan faces the real possibility of secondary sanctions against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. While the focus of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control rightly has been on Russia, discussions may be restarted about an international effort to implement Global Magnitsky Act sanctions on those responsible for violence against civilians during the January protests.

The Biden administration has highlighted human rights as a foreign policy priority and cannot allow the Russian war in Ukraine to prevent a response to the events in January in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan’s recent history has been a gradual improvement in liberty and quality of life that is primarily characterized by distancing itself from Moscow, but Tokayev has failed to pick up the mantle. 

The United States needs to see more from Kazakhstan. A sign of Kazakhstan’s continued interest in growing relations with the U.S. should be the release of all those arbitrarily detained following “Bloody January,” including Dr. Karim Massimov, two-time former prime minister and reliable U.S. friend. This is a key first step for Kazakhstan to rebuild a productive relationship with Washington and regain its reputation as a prime recipient of frontier capital.

David A. Merkel is an associate fellow for geoeconomics and strategy with the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He was deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs at the State Department, director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council, and deputy assistant secretary of Treasury.

Source: TEST FEED1

West Nile virus detected in 2 people, record number of mosquitos in New York City

New York City health officials on Wednesday announced that the West Nile Virus (WNV) has been detected in two people in the city as well as in a “record” number of mosquitos in the city. 

In a news release, the New York City health department said that the two human virus cases were detected in the Queens and Brooklyn boroughs of the city, adding that a total of 1,068 WNV-positive mosquito pools have been detected across all five city boroughs. 

The 1,068 viruses positive mosquito pools are the highest number ever recorded by city health officials, compared to last year’s total of 779 detected positive mosquito pools. 

WNV symptoms include headache, fever, muscle aches, and extreme fatigue, as residents who are 60 years and older or have a weakened immune system can develop a serious or fatal illness of the brain and spinal cord called West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND), which could require hospitalization, the news release said. 

A total of 54 virus cases and four-virus related deaths have been reported in the U.S. this year alone. 

Health officials first detected the WNV in the city 21 years ago, as a yearly average of 16 people have been diagnosed with the WNND disease in the city. 

In a statement, the city’s Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan advised residents to take precautions during this virus season. 

“Use an EPA registered insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, especially when outside at dusk and dawn when the types of mosquitoes that transmit WNV are most active,” Vasan said in a statement. “In addition, you can stop mosquitoes from laying eggs in the water by emptying outdoor containers that hold water or calling 311 if you see standing water that you cannot empty. Help keep you and your loved ones safe with these actions during WNV season.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Kinzinger: Some people ‘equate Donald Trump with the person of Jesus Christ’

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said on Tuesday that some people “equate Donald Trump with the person of Jesus Christ” in their hearts. 

“To them, if you even come against this amazing man, Donald Trump, which obviously quite flawed, you are coming out against Jesus, against their Christian values,” he told MSNBC’s Alex Wagner. “And when you go after their religion, that violates the depth of who they are.” 

Kinzinger made the remark in response to a question Wagner asked him about criticism he has received from his own family members in relation to opposing former President Trump. 

The congressman, who is one of Trump’s fiercest critics in the GOP, received a letter signed by 11 members of his family after he called for Trump to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment to the Constitution in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. 

The letter says that Kinzinger is a “disappointment to us and to God.” The family members said they were once proud of his accomplishments, but he has gone against his “Christian principles” and joined the “devil’s army,” which they identify as Democrats and the “fake news media.” 

Kinzinger told Wagner that people fear being kicked out of their own tribe, and Republicanism or Trumpism has become people’s identity. He said many pastors in the country are “failing” their congregations through refusing to talk about how “corrosive” Trumpism is. 

“I’ve been kicked out of my tribe, and that’s OK,” Kinzinger said. 

Kinzinger has become largely isolated from most of the rest of his party as he has served on the House select committee investigating the Capitol attack. Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), the other Republican serving on the committee, has also been denounced by many in her party, and she lost her primary race for Wyoming’s at-large House seat to a Trump-backed candidate on Tuesday.

Kinzinger told WGN-TV, which is owned by Nexstar Media Group like The Hill is, in an interview last week that Trump has won the battle for the soul of the party, at least in the short term.

Kinzinger chose not to run for reelection.

Source: TEST FEED1

The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Cheney’s political future as chief Trump critic

To view past editions of The Hill’s 12:30 Report, click here: https://bit.ly/30ARS1U 

To receive The Hill’s 12:30 Report in your inbox, please sign up here: https://bit.ly/3qmIoS9

–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* 

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically. 

TALK OF THE MORNING 

Donald Trump says you can’t sit with us, so you’re out:

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) unsurprisingly lost her primary on Tuesday to Trump-backed candidate, attorney Harriet Hageman, after becoming a leading Republican Trump critic and serving on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Watch Cheney’s remarks after the polls closed 

Watch Hageman’s victory speech 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR CHENEY?
In an interview with NBC’s “Today” on Wednesday, Cheney said she is “thinking about” running for president.

The full quote: “That’s a decision that I’m going to make in the coming months, and I’m not going to make any announcements here this morning. But it is something that I am thinking about, and I’ll make a decision in the coming months.”  

CHENEY’S LOSS IS MUCH MORE SYMBOLIC THAN JUST A HOUSE REPUBLICAN LOSING HER SEAT
The Hill’s Max Greenwood has a helpful list of takeaways

1. “Trump’s grip on GOP as strong as ever.” 

2. “Pro-impeachment Republicans are dwindling.” Only two (!) of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump survived their primaries. 

3. “There are limits to the anti-Trump GOP strategy.” 

4. “Cheney may be bruised, but she’s undaunted.” 

5. “Focus shifts to Trump’s general election appeal.” 

Short explanations for each 

TIDBIT RIGHT AFTER CHENEY LOST:
Business Insider’s Sinéad Baker and Dave Levinthal report that “Liz Cheney converted her House campaign-finance committee to a leadership PAC hours after losing her primary, filing shows.” Details

IT’S WEDNESDAY. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

🗳 On the campaign trail 

It wasn’t a bloodbath for all incumbents:

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is projected to advance to the general election for her Senate seat. 

Why I said ‘advance’ instead of ‘won’: In Alaska, the top four finishers in the primary — regardless of party — advance to the general election. 

Keep in mind: Former President Trump endorsed a challenger to Murkowski. That challenger, Kelly Tshibaka, also advanced to the general election. But Murkowski is expected to perform better in a general election. 

🍊 In Mar-a-Lago 

Trump claims he declassified everything he took from the White House. Legally, can that be true?

U.S. presidents have the power to declassify a wide range of documents, but The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch spoke with legal experts who explained that there are limits to what a president can take — and there would be a trail of documents to do so.  

Plus: “The broad power also likely wouldn’t permit Trump to store tranches of presidential records in his post-presidential home.” 

Ah, that is interesting — from Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors, a nonprofit law firm specializing in national security law,: “When you declassify a document, it’s declassified everywhere. The CIA’s copy is declassified, the NSA’s copy is declassified, the National Security Council’s copy is declassified … And so when you declassify a document, even with a wave of your hand, you have to say that to someone, so that they mark it or propagate a memo out to people that this document is now declassified.”  

More on the legal implications of Trump’s defense that he declassified the docs

🐘 In the GOP 

No one should doubt Trump’s hold on the Republican Party

Via The Hill’s Brett Samuels, “The conservative outcry over the FBI’s search of formerPresident Trump’s estate in Florida has seemingly cemented Trump’s grip on the GOP electorate.” 

How so?: “Both allies and Republicans less inclined to back a new run for the White House by the former president believe the outcry over the search effectively blunts any path for a challenger to run to the right of Trump. Would-be rivals in a 2024 primary, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), have fallen in line to back Trump and attack the FBI.” 

Couldn’t Trump face legal ramifications for taking documents from the White House?: Yes, it’s still possible. “But in the short term, those close to Trump believe the search and subsequent outcry make it even likelier he will be the Republican nominee in 2024.”  

What this FBI search has meant for Republicans — and for Trump 

Mike Pence said he’d consider testifying in the Jan. 6 investigation:

Former Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday morning that he would consider speaking with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

In what context did Pence say this?: Speaking at an event at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. 

In Pence’s words: “If there was an invitation to participate, I would consider it. But you’ve heard me mention the Constitution a few times this morning. Under the Constitution, we have three co-equal branches of government. Any invitation to be directed to me, I would have to reflect on the unique role I was serving in as vice president.” 

More from Pence on whether he’d testify 

ANOTHER TIDBIT
Former Vice President Pence condemned attacks on the FBI following the search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. 

Pence said during the same event in New Hampshire: “I also want to remind my fellow Republicans we can hold the attorney general accountable for the decision that he made without attacking the rank and file law enforcement personnel at the FBI.” 

🎃 Getting traction 

There are no rules anymore

The return of pumpkin spice season is upon us. 

Today: Dunkin’ rolled out its fall menu on Wednesday. 

What about Starbucks?: Starbucks hasn’t announced when its pumpkin drinks will return.

🦠 Latest with COVID 

 THE COVID-19 NUMBERS 

Cases to date: 92.8 million 

Death toll: 1,032,560 

Current hospitalizations: 32,805 

Shots administered: 606 million 

Fully vaccinated: 67.3 percent of Americans 

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets 

Tbh, this is also me on a hammock:

CBS News tweeted a video of a family of bears attempting to sit on a hammock. Watch

On tap 

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Delaware. Vice President Harris is in Hawaii.

📺What to watch 

  • 1:30 p.m.: State Department spokesperson Ned Price holds a press briefing. Livestream 

All times Eastern.

🍨 In lighter news 

Today is National Vanilla Custard Day

News you can use

There’s a new Girl Scout Cookie on the block. It looks just like the Thin Mint but is filled with a raspberry cookie instead of mint. 

When it will be available: Jan. – April 2023. Details from ABC7 

Here’s a review of the new cookiefrom USA Today  

And because you read this far, here’s a dog who is definitely not dramatic

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden’s green triumph: What a difference a month makes

The last few weeks have shown us that what at one moment appears impossible can suddenly become reality. When Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) withdrew his support from the climate bill on July 15, I despaired. Yet only a month later we are celebrating a truly historic victory. 

President Biden and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have succeeded in negotiating the agreement of Sens. Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), and the passage of the $300 billion deficit reduction, healthcare and climate change package — the Inflation Reduction Act — through the Senate and House. Yesterday, Biden signed the act into law.   

Scientists estimate when implemented the act could reduce U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by as much as 40 percent — a huge step in the right direction. This is a remarkable achievement. It turns almost certain planetary disaster into a renewed possibility of green sustainable pathways ahead of us. The IRA shifts the planetary paradigm and alters our possibilities and those of our children and grandchildren. 

We can rejoice — but briefly — for decades of transformative work lie ahead for policymakers, businesses, investors and all of us as citizens if we are to seize this opportunity. It is time to get going and begin to implement the green contours of our carbon-neutral circular economy of 2030 and beyond.  

We have no time to waste. Few today can deny the urgency of action, and those that do should be discounted as fools with their heads buried in the baking sands. California is burning. The homeless of Phoenix, Ariz.,  are dying of heat stress. Our great Western reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell shrink and shrink. France and the United Kingdom bake under record scorching temperatures. Every week, research highlights we are already seeing dangerous accelerations and tipping points. The Arctic is warming four times faster than the temperate zone, resulting in fires and a Siberian permafrost melt that is releasing 28 times the amount of GHG previously recorded. Apologies to depress you at this moment of green breakthrough. 

So, what is most urgent, important and impactful in Biden’s IRA? 

A shift in power generation to renewables: The IRA provides tax credits for wind and solar for producers and consumers. This makes a huge contribution — changing the industrial incentives. The CEO of Vestas, one of the world’s leading wind turbine builders, called the Biden green provisions “a major breakthrough,” while others heralded the IRA as a “gamechanger” for companies like Vestas. 

Moving carbon sequestration and capture from demonstration projects to commercial viability: Biden’s IRA provides significant tax credit incentives for the building and operation of these new facilities, which will be essential because all scenarios of a livable tomorrow require huge qualities of GHG to be removed from the atmosphere. 

The acceleration of the electric vehicle (EV) transition: The IRA provides $7,500 credits for U.S. newly built EVs ($4,000 for secondhand EVs) for middle-class taxpayers (anyone earning up to $150,000). The EV transition will speed up, supported by an earlier $1.2tr infrastructure bill, which included a raft of climate-related measures that will build out the charging network. Supporting this transition also requires the Biden Administration to lift restrictions on Chinese components that are essential to EV production.

Helping families invest in greener options: The IRA provides tax credits for homeowners to improve their home’s insulation and efficiency and for the installation and retrofit of newer, energy-efficient technologies. 

If we take the IRA and the infrastructure bill together, President Biden’s remarkable, unprecedented green achievement will remake large parts of the U.S. economy and create green jobs in wind, solar, EVs, batteries, carbon capture, remediation, retrofitting and redesign across the country. These jobs cannot be outsourced or replaced by an app and they will likely be higher skilled and better paid than many service jobs. This is a green win and will be the economic driver of our future prosperity.

Now we must get on with it and take responsibility for the part we each must pay in taking advantage of the new possibilities Biden’s triumph accords us. Let’s start sourcing our electricity from renewable providers. Plan to buy an EV — put your reservation in soon — you will have some time to wait. Retrofit homes to do planetary good and save money at the same time. As investors, entrepreneurs and employees we should, going forward, make decisions based on what the firms we source from, invest in and work for are doing to help achieve the collective net zero goal. We should support those that are walking the walk and walking away from those who fail to see the epochal shift that has gotten underway.

If we all do our part, we can turn the unfolding climate tragedy into a host of dynamic possibilities for an enduring green future. We may be able to look back years from now and identify the passage of Biden’s IRA as the start of our American green renewal. 

Today — for a moment at least — put aside worry and despair and choose hope and opportunity. My goodness, what a difference a month can make.

Stuart P.M. Mackintosh is the executive director of the G30 and author of Climate Crisis Economics.”  

Source: TEST FEED1