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The space race is not over — it is only beginning, and we are behind

By landing on the moon, the United States asserted itself as a leader of the space race that was launched with the Soviet Union’s Sputnik in 1957. However, the space race is not over. It is only beginning, and the U.S. is at risk of falling behind.

While our nation remains the unequivocal leader in space, the risk of losing this distinction to China and Russia is on the horizon. China is quickly pushing forward with its Tiangong Space Station, and Russia recently announced its intentions to step away from the International Space Station (ISS) following its obligatory 12-month notification period. Since 2011, the U.S. has relied on Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft to help transport astronauts to and from the ISS. This breakdown in relations forces the U.S. to strongly rely on private-sector, commercial partners such as SpaceX, which has completed four astronaut missions to the ISS for NASA.

The U.S. has led in innovative research and development since the beginning of the 20th century, but now we are stagnant as our adversaries make tremendous strides in emerging technologies. Through investment in U.S. educational opportunities and in research and development (R&D) in space exploration, we can bridge this gap, expand opportunities for future generations, maintain U.S. global leadership and strengthen our economy and national security.

American students in secondary schools rank 18th in science and 37th in math while China ranks first in both, and COVID-19 has only widened these educational disparities. Meanwhile, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) most recent set of indicators show that U.S. global leadership in R&D is rapidly waning, performing roughly 27 percent of total R&D in 2019, compared to China’s 22 percent. R&D funded by the U.S. government decreased 10 percent from 2010 to 2019.

A valuable and often overlooked tool to boost our competitiveness is the ISS. Established in 1998, the ISS’s original objective was to support scientific research and other activities requiring the unique attributes of humans in space. However, in the 20 years the ISS has been in orbit, it has become the hallmark of U.S. presence in space and an example of what can be achieved through commercial and international partnerships.

In California, including the 39th District, we see the competitive advantages that the ISS affords us in advanced research. California’s aerospace and defense industries provide 800,000 jobs generating over $180 billion to the U.S. economy each year. As more aerospace companies come to the state, a surge of innovation and enthusiasm push the boundaries of what is possible.

As the U.S. looks to decommission the ISS by 2031 and commercialize our Low Earth Orbit (LEO) enterprise, we need to look at the next generation of LEO research while ensuring we do not lose the progress already made. Commercial partnerships play a vital role to ensure an in-space research enterprise continues while also creating a competitive space market that will make LEO a more accessible platform for a wide range of partners to conduct research.

The engineering industry is present in every step of the in-space R&D process, from designing experiments that can withstand the journey to and from LEO and ensuring they can operate in a modified zero-gravity environment, to identifying suitable ways to transmit that data from LEO to Earth. But without sustained funding from both the public and private sectors, and without the STEM talent at home to conduct research, we risk losing the strong competitive advantage we have established.

What was once considered the “final frontier” is now the next step in our journey towards a more advanced and secure society. The race to the future is just beginning.

Young Kim represents California’s 39th district and serves on the House Science Committee’s Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. Tom Costabile is executive director/CEO of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), which helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges.

Source: TEST FEED1

GOP governor: Jan. 6 panel has shown Trump derelict in duties, but not criminal in conduct

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) said on Monday the House Jan. 6 committee has presented strong evidence that former President Trump was “derelict in his duties” during the attack on the Capitol but stopped short of saying the panel has made a case of criminal conduct.

Hutchinson told Washington Post Live anchor Leigh Ann Caldwell he has watched a “majority” of the Jan. 6 hearings and said the probe has been “just emphasizing those facts” regarding Trump’s inaction during the Capitol riot, which he said “should be a concern of every American.”

But he said he wasn’t convinced that a strong criminal case has been put forward as the Department of Justice conducts a parallel investigation into the riot and will ultimately decide who to indict on criminal charges. 

“I think the attorney general’s got a tough call there, but I haven’t seen the actual case being presented effectively in terms of criminal conduct on the president,” Hutchinson said. “I think they’ve made the case that he was irresponsible, he was derelict in his duties.”

Hutchinson previously said Trump is “politically, morally responsible” for Jan. 6 and that the committee had “a long way to go to establish” Trump’s criminal liability. But the governor has also said Trump’s role on Jan. 6 “disqualified” him as a 2024 presidential contender. 

While Hutchinson confirmed he stands by that assessment and is still considering his own run for the White House, he said talk about 2024 — as Trump has indicated a third run for president — is distracting from the midterms.

“He’s out there talking about 2024 constantly, and whenever he does that, that becomes, and he becomes, the issue in this year’s election,” Hutchinson said.

“If we get sidetracked on a personality that is as divisive as Donald Trump, then that does not bode well for the outcome in November. We’re going to do well, I have no doubt about that, but we lose ground whenever Donald Trump becomes the issue,” Hutchinson added.

The governor added the focus needs to be on solutions and optimism, not about “dwelling about hurt feelings in the past.”

Hutchinson last year said that “re-litigating 2020 is a recipe for disaster in 2022” and on Tuesday pointed to mixed election results for those who have refused to go along with false 2020 election claims.

Both Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) and Gov. Brian Kemp (R) won their primaries in May, despite facing Trump-backed candidates, but others such as Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) are facing tougher reelection bids. Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.), who like Cheney voted to impeach Trump for his role on Jan. 6, lost his reelection bid to Trump-backed Russell Fry in June.

Hutchinson said Cheney has done an “amazing job” and is taking a “courageous stand” in her role as vice chairwoman of the Jan. 6 committee.

“But it’s a tremendous political cost because her electorate wants her back there talking about the rising costs of fuel and the challenges they have,” Hutchinson said. “Every candidate cannot be so focused on the past that you’re not addressing those issues, and I think she’s paying a price for that.”

The Arkansas governor is term-limited and will leave office in January and has teased a 2024 presidential run himself. In June, Hutchinson said he is working to “lay a foundation for 2024,” though he said his first priority was finishing out his term as governor.

“Obviously I’m thinking about it, but not going to have a decision until next January. We’re going to focus on this year,” Hutchinson said. “But 2024 is so critical in terms of shaping the Republican Party, and so whether it’s a candidate or whether it’s in some other role, I certainly want to be a voice.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Chris Cuomo's new podcast among Apple's top shows

(NewsNation) — Chris Cuomo’s new podcast is among Apple iTune’s “Top Shows,” climbing the rankings in both “news” and “all categories” over the weekend.

Cuomo, a former CNN anchor who is getting a new show on NewsNation, launched the podcast, called “The Chris Cuomo Project,” last week. It aims to present Cuomo’s take on current events, and explore how these stories are covered by “all sides of the media.”

As of late Saturday morning, “The Chris Cuomo Project” was No. 2 in Apple’s Top Show’s “news” category, just behind The New York Times podcast “The Daily.” Cuomo’s podcast was eighth overall in “all categories.”

“Thank you Thank you Thank you,” Cuomo said on Twitter.

“We will keep expanding the discussion to struggles beyond politics…that we all deal with…we can help each other…we have to,” he said in a later tweet.

Cuomo’s latest episode of the podcast featured an interview with Sen. Joe Manchin, where the Virginia Democrat declined to officially endorse President Joe Biden in the 2024 election, despite both of them being in the same party.

Cuomo pressed Manchin on the podcast, saying “I don’t think I have ever heard a sitting senator that is a member of a party not automatically say: ‘Oh yeah, the sitting president is in my party, I’m for them.’”

In response, Manchin said he’s always “for the right person when they’re running,” but he doesn’t believe people in West Virginia will support a national democratic figure right now.

Cuomo’s NewsNation show is set to start this fall.

He announced it during an exclusive interview with NewsNation’s Dan Abrams Live. In the interview, Cuomo talked about being fired from his role at CNN.

Cuomo is the brother of former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was accused last year by multiple women of sexual assault.

He was let go from CNN after text messages released by the New York attorney general last year showed he communicated with his brother’s advisers and relayed what he heard from sources regarding their coverage of the former governor.

During the interview with Abrams, Cuomo also addressed sexual misconduct allegations made against himself as well, where an ABC employee said he badgered her for sex then assaulted her.

“I denied the allegation at the time,” Cuomo said. “Nothing has changed.”

Despite being from a family of Democratic leaders (his father, Mario, was also governor of New York from 1983 to 1994), Cuomo said he can be unbiased in his new show.

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Moody’s: Schumer-Manchin deal will 'nudge' economy, inflation 'in the right direction'

The deal announced last week by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) will “nudge the economy and inflation in the right direction” and “meaningfully” address climate change, a new analysis by Moody’s Analytics found. 

The analysis comes at a critical moment when Schumer and Manchin are hoping to persuade the last hold-out Democratic senator to support the deal: centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.). 

The deal, which would raise $739 billion in new revenue, spend $369 on an energy security and climate investments, and pay down more than $300 billion in debt, is scheduled to come to the Senate floor this week, pending approval by the Senate parliamentarian.  

Senate Republicans have attacked the bill, arguing it will worsen inflation and raise taxes on Americans across income brackets.  

But Moody’s predicts the Inflation Reduction Act “will modestly reduce inflation over the 10-year budget horizon.” 

The financial services company predicts the consumer price inflation index will be 0.33 percent lower by the fourth quarter of 2031 because of the bill.  

“This translates into a reduction in CPI inflation of 3.3 basis points per annum on average over that period,” it said, projecting the legislation will have a “marginal” impact on inflation in the middle of the next decade but then become “more meaningful later in the decade.”  

Moody’s says the legislation will curb inflation in several ways. 

It predicts that increasing taxes on corporations will result in “slower growth” though the impact on growth is likely to be small.  

It predicts a three-year extension of expiring Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies will be “important to quickly reducing inflation” by keeping health care costs in check.  

And it projects that empowering Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices will begin to have more impact on general inflation in the middle of the next decade. 

Moody’s believes the energy provisions in the package “could reduce the typical American household’s spending on energy by an estimated more than $300 per year in today’s dollars.”  

It says slowing climate change would lower property and casualty insurance rates for businesses and homeowners by reducing the number of floods and other natural disasters, such as the torrential rains that contributed to the death of 30 people in Kentucky recently. 

“The Inflation Reduction Act is much smaller in scale and scope than the original Build Back Better agenda from which it comes. Regardless, it will have a material beneficial economic impact,” Moody’s concluded.  

The firm said reducing future budget deficits would alleviate a problem that “seems sure to soon become a more pressing economic problem” because of the impact that unsustainable debt levels could have on interest rates in the future.  

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden to send another $550M in security assistance to Ukraine

The United States is greenlighting another military assistance package to Ukraine, sending $550 million in ammunition for advanced rocket systems and other equipment to the country to fight the Russian invasion.   

White House national security spokesman John Kirby previewed the new assistance package on Monday, saying that it would include ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, as well as ammunition for 155 mm artillery.  

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley informed their Ukrainian counterparts of the latest assistance package in a call earlier Monday, Kirby said.  

The Pentagon said in a statement that the package would include 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition.  

President Biden has authorized over $8 billion in security assistance for Ukraine over the course of 17 packages since he took office including the latest package, Kirby said. 

The administration has periodically released assistance to the Ukrainians as they fight the Russian invasion, which recently entered its sixth month. The last military assistance package – totaling $270 million – was announced on July 22 and included four more HIMARS.

The rocket systems allow Ukrainian forces to strike targets from longer distances, though U.S. officials have insisted that the Ukrainians have committed to not using the systems to strike targets in Russia.  

Ellen Mitchell contributed. 

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The folly of investing in Cuba

The Cuban government’s recent announcement that it intends to permit foreign private investment is fueling the hopes and dreams of those in the business community whose naivete, avarice or moral agnosticism allows them to believe that their financial investment in the island economy will turn out to be manageable, profitable and sustainable.

While the embargo on Cuba has prevented Americans from doing business with Cuban nationals and entities for more than 60 years, the Biden administration has recently rolled back Trump-era restrictions and authorized a U.S. license to finance and invest directly in private small businesses on the island.

Admittedly, there are sectors of the Cuban economy that present attractive possibilities, such as tourism, energy, agribusiness and biotechnology. But American firms must bear in mind that foreign companies from Canada, Europe and Asia enjoy “first mover advantage” — they know the turf, the power brokers, the fixers, the suppliers and networks, the culture and the invisible rules of the game. They can also count on their governments to step in to protect their interests due to the loans provided to Cuba — especially loans from Spain, Britain, Canada, France and Japan.

Before a company decides to invest in a foreign locale, be it a “greenfield investment” (building a factory from scratch), a joint venture or an acquisition, the firm must meticulously consider a variety of major factors. With trade, a buyer-seller relationship is relatively easy to terminate, and each party subsequently seeks a new partner. With investment, the cost of putting up a brick-and-mortar facility and dissolving the partnership can be lengthy, complicated and costly. (Trading is like dating. Investing is like marriage.)

In the case of Cuba, the economic environment, infrastructure, operations, markets (internal and external) and opportunity cost will determine whether a company should proceed.

The first thing companies look for is the overall macroeconomic situation and the environment for doing business. In terms of GDP per capita, more than 100 countries fare better than Cuba. But in terms of economic freedom (a more important ranking for investors), the country ranks, according to one estimate, an abominable 172 out of 184 nations. The categories that comprise the ranking include property rights, financial freedom, rule of law, labor freedom and fiscal health.

Prospective investors in Cuba should be aware of the extremely poor state of Cuba’s infrastructure. This includes transport links, housing, internet and facilities for expatriate staff. Only 17 percent of Cuban households have a computer, and Cuba has the lowest mobile phone penetration of any country in Latin America. Water resources and sanitation are also illustrative, with 80 percent of the infrastructure more than 40 years old. Additionally, power outages are not confidence-builders for manufacturing companies eyeing investment in Cuba.

In terms of business operations, there are problems galore. Foreign firms present in Cuba can attest that their operations are challenged by many factors. These include government bureaucracy, the slow pace of decisionmaking and the inability to hire workers and pay them directly. Cuban law generally requires that foreign investors hire workers via public agencies known as “hiring entities” (entidades empleadoras). Low levels of worker productivity and high levels of absenteeism also characterize the Cuban workforce.

As for markets, last year Cuba exported $1.15 billion (versus imports of $3.4 billion), the bulk consisting of commodities: tobacco, sugar and nickel. China, Spain, India, Singapore and Germany were the leading export destinations. In terms of consumer markets, private income (mainly remittances from relatives abroad) is essential to supplement government salaries, as the minimum weekly wage in Cuba is equivalent to a large thin crust pizza from Domino’s. Half of Cuban spending goes for food, clothing, shoes and hygiene products. With a lack of brand awareness, restrictions on pricing, promotions and advertising, consumer goods companies are severely challenged.

Finally, any consideration of foreign direct investment in Cuba must consider opportunity cost — investing in an authoritarian nation where capitalism is absent versus investing in a democratic nation where a free-market system exists, albeit imperfectly. There are far better choices in the Caribbean Basin region, both Spanish- and English-speaking, for tourism; business process outsourcing and IT; light manufacturing; agribusiness; and logistics and transportation services. The Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico are the most notable.

The 16th century French writer and humanist François Rabelais observed that: “We always long for the forbidden things and desire what is denied us.” The Cuban government’s recent gesture authorizing direct equity investment to entice foreigners is an act of desperation given the island nation’s dire economic situation. Financially astute and socially responsible American corporations will take a pass on this “opportunity” and invest their money elsewhere.

Jerry Haar is a professor of international business at Florida International University and a fellow of the Woodrow Wilson International Center and the Council on Competitiveness. He serves on the boards of The Commonwealth Institute and The World Trade Center Miami.

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More Americans are living paycheck to paycheck

More Americans are living paycheck to paycheck as average savings decline and consumer prices are rising, according to a recent report.  

The report from the LendingClub Corporation found that the number of Americans living paycheck to paycheck increased to 61 percent in June – up from 55 percent a year prior.  

“What a difference a year makes. Last summer we were all worried about how quickly the economy would recover. Now, as inflation continues its upwards swing, consumers are finding it more difficult to manage spending and are eating into their savings as financial pressures mount,” said Anuj Nayar, LendingClub’s Financial Health Officer, in a news release. 

“That said, consumers are not yet slowing down their spending habits, despite the rise in the cost of living. Not only is it going to be difficult for them to handle future emergency expenses, but even foreseen payments like education, student loans, or housing expenses may be harder to balance for the everyday American consumer.” 

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There are also short-term changes in Americans’ financial outlooks, as average savings are falling quickly, according to the report. The report shows a $517 decline from $11,724 in May 2022 to $10,757 in June 2022. 

Meanwhile, the largest increase in consumers living paycheck to paycheck was among those earning between $100,000 and $150,000 annually, rising by 11 percentage points from May to June 2022. Around 41 percent of workers earning between $150,000 and $200,000 said they were living paycheck to paycheck. 

An estimated 13 percent of American consumers reported spending more than they earned in the past six months. 

The Paycheck-To-Paycheck Report: The Consumer Savings Edition is based on a survey of 3,583 U.S. consumers, which was conducted from June 8 to June 27.  

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Starbucks union requests wage increases apply at unionized stores

A labor union representing workers at nearly 200 Starbucks locations has asked the company to extend new wage and benefit increases to unionized employees.

Lynne Fox, the international president of Workers United, sent a letter to Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz dated July 15 waiving the union’s bargaining rights to wage increases and Starbucks’ other recently announced benefit improvements.

“Unfortunately, Starbucks has claimed that it cannot legally provide these new or improved benefits to employees represented by Workers United without first bargaining,” Fox wrote in the letter, which was first obtained by CNBC. 

“Workers United knows that these statements are misleading at best and false at worst; Starbucks is permitted by law to offer these benefits to employees at unionized stores with the Union’s agreement,” she added.

The union said the pay increases, which become effective on Monday, increase employees’ hourly rates to either $15 per hour or by 3 percent, whichever is higher, with additional increases for tenured employees.

Fox in the letter also noted benefit changes like access to new training programs, dress code updates, faster sick time accrual and in-app and credit-card tipping.

“The truth is, unionized workers were the ones who pressured Starbucks into giving these benefits in the first place,” Maggie Carter, a barista from Knoxville, Tenn., said in a union press release. “Without our union campaign, none of these benefits would have been announced.”

When reached for comment, a Starbucks spokesperson pointed to the company’s fact sheet on unionization.

“The law is clear: no changes to terms and conditions of employment are allowed without good faith collective bargaining,” the fact sheet reads.

Fox’s letter indicates that the union, which represents 162 stores, is not waiving other bargaining obligations but was instead making clear the union did not object to the company providing unionized employees with the recent benefits and wage changes.

Workers at dozens of Starbucks stores in the U.S. have formed unions in the past few months, with employees citing struggles with work conditions and making a living wage.

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Oklahoma public schools now require student athletes to submit 'biological sex affidavit'

Student athletes at Oklahoma public schools are now required to complete “biological sex affidavits” to determine whether they are eligible to participate in athletics as school districts begin enforcing a state law passed earlier this year intended to bar transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

In March, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) signed into law the state’s “Save Women’s Sports Act,” which requires sports teams through college to be designated based on athletes’ “biological sex,” or sex assigned at birth.

“When it comes to sports and athletics, girls should compete against girls. Boys should compete against boys,” Stitt said during a signing ceremony. “And let’s be very clear: That’s all this bill says.”

The passage of the Oklahoma bill was immediately condemned by civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which said the law promotes “baseless fears” about transgender athletes and sends a “clear message” to transgender youth in the state that they are not welcome or accepted.

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In early July, the CBS-affiliate KOAM-TV in Kansas, which neighbors Oklahoma, reported that some school districts were beginning to distribute “biological sex affidavits” to student athletes to enforce the law.

News of the affidavits made national headlines after a photo of one of the documents was added to the athletic policy of Woodall Public Schools in eastern Oklahoma and shared on Twitter by Erin Matson, executive director Reproaction, an abortion rights group.

“This has nothing to do with encouraging girls to be athletes,” Matson wrote. “This is totalitarianism. It is the white nationalist agenda. The anti-LGBTQ agenda. The anti-abortion agenda. It is all the same agenda.”

According to the measure, first introduced in 2020 as a bill to regulate school finances, a student’s parent or legal guardian is required to sign an affidavit acknowledging their child’s sex assigned at birth prior to the beginning of each school year.

Student athletes age 18 or older are required to sign the affidavit themselves, according to the law, which also states that “any change in the status of the biological sex of the student” should be reported to the school within 30 days.

Two other states — Kentucky and Idaho — have passed transgender athlete bans that may require a student’s health care provider to complete a similar affidavit verifying the student’s sex assigned at birth.

This year alone, 10 states have enacted legislation that would prevent transgender athletes from competing on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Nineteen states since 2020 have passed similar measures.

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Taiwan broadcaster: Pelosi to arrive on island Tuesday night

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will reportedly visit Taiwan on Tuesday during her tour of Asia, despite warnings from the Biden administration and threats from China.

Pelosi’s congressional delegation tour kicked off Monday in Singapore, and her office has confirmed Malaysia, South Korea and Japan are also on the schedule.  

Though Pelosi did not include Taiwan in her public plans, Taiwanese media are now reporting that she will touch down in Taipei on Tuesday night.

The Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS reported Pelosi may meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. Reports are also surfacing that the U.S. is moving ships and planes closer to the island, perhaps in preparation for the Speaker’s trip.

CNN also confirmed Pelosi’s plans, with a Taiwanese official telling the outlet the speaker would stay in the country overnight.

Beijing, which claims the island as its own, has said such a high-level U.S. delegation visit would “have severe negative impact on the political foundation of China-US relations, and send a gravely wrong signal to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces.” 

President Biden said earlier this month that “the military thinks it’s not a good idea right now” for the Speaker to make the trip. Former President Trump also said Pelosi’s potential trip might make tensions worse.

However, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been largely supportive of the visit.

“I hope she stands up to the pressure that she’s going to get, and is already getting, from President Biden and the administration. I think it’s important that we show solidarity with our ally Taiwan,” Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), co-chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, told The Hill.

“So I commend her for making the decision to go. I hope she sticks to her guns,” he added.

The Hill has reached out to Pelosi’s office for comment.

Source: TEST FEED1