US Politics

Is the US better prepared for a nuclear blast today than it was 60 years ago?Despite advances in technology and decades of research, experts worry we are still underprepared to handle a blast – and the aftermath If you look hard enough, you’ll spot faded yellow signs proclaiming “Fallout shelter” around New York City. They are remnants of a cold war program that signaled spaces within ordinary buildings – from schools to banks to the Brooklyn Bridge – with adequate supplies and walls thick enough for riding out a nuclear blast safely.Many of these windowless shelters housed little more than rats and sewage before the practice was terminated in 1979. In 2017, the city’s department of education ordered the “misleading” signs removed from its buildings, but many others remain –– vestiges of nuclear fears that never materialized.All you wanted to know about nuclear war but were too afraid to askRead moreThose fears feel a little more real again amid Vladimir Putin’s repeated nuclear threats. In July, New York mayor Eric Adams’s office published a public service announcement about what to do in case of a blast. A couple of weeks ago, nuclear preparedness re-entered headlines when the Department of Health and Human Services announced it was buying a supply of the anti-radiation drug Nplate, though the agency denied it was in response to any specific threat.All of this raises the question: are we better prepared today to survive a nuclear blast than we were 60 years ago, when it seemed all we could do was head to the basement and pray?Jeff Schlegelmilch has been trying to answer this question for years as the head of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, a Columbia University research program that works with government agencies. But while the United States has made many advances in nuclear preparedness since the cold war, “some of those have eroded because of funding cuts and attention going elsewhere,” he said.One of the biggest challenges is educating the public, which requires sustained communication –– something that’s become nearly impossible given today’s political polarization and short attention spans, Schlegelmilch said. Because of this, disaster preparedness officials look for “teachable moments” like big news events to get their messaging through. And while we’re not currently at the level of “everybody to the bunker, grab your helmet”, this is an important opportunity to get people informed, he said.In the event of a nuclear incident, preparedness experts agree you should shelter inside a building with thick walls and remain for at least 24 hours to avoid the worst of radioactive fallout while awaiting further instructions, or “Get inside, stay inside, stay tuned,” the phrase recited in a recent New York City public service announcement. If there is a nuclear explosion, text messages called Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) will probably be sent out.What may be of larger concern in the nuclear preparedness realm are issues likely to emerge after any initial blast. Aside from a scenario of total Armageddon, it’s likely millions of people would survive but need urgent care. And while Schlegelmilch said government agencies have been doing “very serious” behind-the-scenes work for many decades, he worries it’s not nearly enough. “When it comes to special needs, when it comes to more of the social aspects, we’re still not as ready,” he said.Two of the most important offices overseeing the US’s nuclear preparedness efforts – the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), and the less well-known Administration of Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the disaster response division of the Department of Health and Human Services – have summed up their approach for allocating scarce resources after a nuclear disaster in two giant guidebooks. Fema’s Planning Guide for Response to a Nuclear Detonation, last updated in May, and ASPR’s 212-page A Decision Makers Guide: Medical Planning and Response for a Nuclear Detonation, last refreshed in 2017, are meant to offer expertise to officials in the event of a crisis on everything from nuclear fallout patterns to recommended messaging to triaging burn victims.Both agencies have also invested heavily in tech tools including dashboards that aim to give decision-makers live visualizations of unfolding disasters, and Fema’s “Improvised Nuclear Device City Planner Resource Tool” –– kind of an apocalyptic SimCity that lets officials visually game out what a nuclear blast might look like and how to respond. These hi-tech investments can feel reassuring, but they aren’t nearly enough on their own. Although ASPR maintains the US’s strategic national stockpile, a cache of lifesaving drugs including anti-radiation medicine, Schlegelmilch said health resources in the aftermath of a nuclear blast, or the ability to distribute the resources it has, greatly concern him. He is particularly worried that there won’t be sufficient mental health and social services: “Those are areas which people will always say are very important, but we don’t see the additional resources.” And in the aftermath of any potential nuclear catastrophe, there will be far more people who need those services than will be available, he said.One of the main problems is that there have been huge cuts to disaster preparedness programs that were enacted after 9/11. A key program, ASPR’s Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), described as the “primary source of federal funding for healthcare system preparedness and response” for large-scale emergencies and disasters, lost 62% of its funding by 2021. There also doesn’t seem to be political will to invest more in disaster preparedness, despite the Covid pandemic. “It’s really shocking to me that we aren’t seeing a more cohesive push for preparedness in the face of what we’ve all just gone through,” Schlegelmilch said. “A lot of it comes down to the polarization in our politics –– and that’s a very, very dangerous path to go down. It’s preventing us from taking the kinds of actions that are staring us in the face.”Schlegelmilch said that same polarization could also cause mayhem in the aftermath of a nuclear event: if you thought Covid misinformation was bad –– imagine nuclear blast deniers.“We’re raised to think the world is very deterministic, and if we can just figure out all the variables, we can crack the code and know what we need to do. My experience is that the world is much more chaotic, with spheres of probability: we know what will make us more likely to do well in an adverse event. So I’m okay with incremental progress, as long as it’s in the right direction,” he said, adding that even without a nuclear blast, preparing for one will help us survive other disasters, like pandemics and climate change.“When we look at the root causes of disasters as an intersection of all these different aspects of civil society, we do see common threads,” Schlegelmilch said. “There’s value in investing in resilience, there’s value in investing in the future.”TopicsNew YorkNuclear weaponsUS politicsfeaturesReuse this content More

‘No loyalties here’: Latino voters to play crucial role in Texas races Democrats are hoping to win a statewide election for the first time since 1994, but courting Latino votes will be more important than everJobs, healthcare and the cost of living drive voter turnout in Texas.And, for these upcoming midterm elections, that has left political candidates to tread a fine line between the values of their national parties and those held by voters whose interests lie more and more outside rigid Democratic and Republican lines.Are Latino voters really moving right? The end of Roe may muddy the pictureRead moreThat was clear on a hot afternoon this September that saw a crowd of more than a dozen volunteers walk the streets of a neighborhood in Pharr, Texas, passing out flyers and talking up the Democratic candidate for the district 15 US House of Representatives seat, one of the most competitive races in the country. Many are waiting to see if the party can preserve or will surrender its thin advantages in both congressional chambers.Michelle Vallejo is a young 31-year-old progressive running in the Rio Grande valley, a region which was thought to be a Democratic stronghold for many years, until the redrawing of districts and ever-diverging parties tested alliances.Janie Garza, 67, avoided political engagement until she volunteered for Vallejo’s campaign that sweltering September afternoon. “I’ve never done this before and it’s really hot,” Garza said. “I’ve never been involved in any politics but Michelle really inspired me.”Incidentally, Garza was canvassing in the neighborhood she grew up in as a child. After getting married and starting a family, she moved further away, but with her children now grown and having lives of their own, Garza felt compelled to try to usher change.“It’s hard to hear of a woman who is looking out for our wellbeing, especially here in the valley,” Garza said about Vallejo. Referring to the culture of machismo – strong masculinity – that still persists in some Latino communities, Garza added: “It’s more of a man-type of group.”The Rio Grande valley is a sprawl of four counties – Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy – with a mostly Latino population of more than 1 million people and about 700,000 registered voters.Poverty rates there are more than double the national average. The uninsured rate is about three times over the national average. And people earn between $14,000 (£12,360) to $18,000 (£15,890) annually, far below the $35,000 (£30,899) made each year by Americans in other parts of the country.Keeping the loyalty of voters there is essential if Democrats want to finally win a statewide Texas election for the first time since 1994 – or for Republicans to push that specter further away than ever.Politics are not top of mind for many people whose doors are knocked on. In Hidalgo county, where Vallejo canvassed, more than 43% of registered voters did not cast a ballot in the 2020 election that brought Joe Biden into power.On that September day, a few residents opened their doors to the volunteers. But most didn’t answer, and the volunteers left their flyers at the door or at the gate.One time, two young men who greeted the volunteers said that they don’t vote.“I have two boys,” Garza said. “I’m kind of in the middle, because one of them is a Republican and the other one is a Democrat. So, which one am I going to call today and tell them that I block-walked?” she said, laughing.That is because Garza – like many voters in south Texas – struggles with labels.“Actually, I’ve always been one to look at the individual,” Garza said when asked about her political affiliation, “but I think now with Michelle, I think I’m going to say that I’m with her party. So, Democrat.”Reevaluating how they voteMany of the candidates in the valley run as Democrats, especially in local races. But the Republican party – whose anti-immigrant rhetoric around the US-Mexico border can turn off some Latino voters – has made some gains there in recent years, hammering home a message of jobs and prices.“We did see some voters swing, you know, from the left to the right,” Vallejo said. “But I also feel like voters in general have started to reevaluate how they vote.”Vallejo describes herself as a Christian but supports giving women nationwide a right to choose whether an abortion is right for them – a concept that the US supreme court eliminated with its June ruling to reverse the 1973 landmark case Roe v Wade.Ad campaign targets Latino voters as key bloc for Democrats in midtermsRead moreBefore she began her campaign, Vallejo had an earnest conversation with her religious grandmother who opposes abortion. She knew she would have to repeat much of that talk with the largely Catholic demographic in her district whose views on the issue align more with the GOP.“Democrats, and even some of the Democrats and other parts of Texas like Houston, Dallas, Austin, they think because the majority of south Texas and valley residents are Hispanic, that that means they’re liberals or progressives, and they’re not,” Democratic strategist Colin Strother said.Strother’s experience spans local, state and federal election that includes the most recent race for the famously moderate Democrat, US House representative Henry Cuellar, who ran in a primary each of the last two cycles and has won only narrowly over a progressive challenger.Cuellar’s trademark is his straddling of defining party issues. Notably, he champions messaging that opposes abortion rights, breaking with more progressive Democrats who embrace the pro-choice label.Meanwhile, he and another valley congressman, Vicente Gonzalez, voted against a bill aiming to ban semi-automatic weapons. They were among only five Democrats in the chamber to oppose the bill, which was proposed after a series of deadly mass shootings and ultimately failed in the Senate.And they were the only US House representatives from Texas to break with their respective party on the vote.Those positions are reflected at the state legislative level too. A recently retired state senator, Eddie Lucio Jr, voted last year in favor of Texas’ controversial “heartbeat” bill, which made abortions illegal if a fetal heartbeat could be detected and made no exceptions for victims of rape or incest.Ultrasounds can detect a fetal heartbeat at six weeks, though many don’t even know they’re pregnant at that point.“They are not a rubber stamp for any one political party,” Strother added. “There are aspects of the Republican platform that they support and agree with. There are aspects of the Democratic platform that they support and agree with.”Strother said much of the misconception about south Texas voters and their reality as an increasingly purple – rather than blue or red – electorate comes from the repeated wins for Democrats in the area.People tend to vote blue in the valley because “they [want] to be able to have a say in their local elections”, where candidates have the tendency to run as Democrats, Strother said. “They are not liberals. They’re not progressives. And that’s the big disconnect in our party. And, you know, the state party – and Texas – has ignored that region for decades.”During the summer, the Democrats lost a key race in south Texas when Republican newcomer Mayra Flores, a respiratory care practitioner by trade, won a special election made necessary by US House representative Filemon Vela stepping down during an unexpired term representing the state’s 34th district.‘No loyalties here’Redistricting has set up a rare race in which Flores is facing fellow incumbent Gonzalez, who’s been essentially moved out of his 15th district seat. Meanwhile, in the redrawn 15th district, Vallejo is squaring off with Republican candidate Monica De La Cruz, whom the GOP hopes can capitalize on social values which frequently clash with the Democratic party’s key positions.“There are no loyalties here,” Flores said of her district. “Our loyalties in south Texas are with God, it’s with our families, it’s with our communities, not with the political party.”Flores brought novelty to the race as a Latina Republican and an immigrant born south of the border in Burgos, Mexico.Regardless of the outcome of that race, elections like Flores’ in south Texas were likely going to be competitive anyway, Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak said.“I think they were going to be competitive either way because of the shift that you’re seeing in that region,” Mackowiak said. “But I do think that Mayra’s victory created belief, you know, to a greater extent than probably people felt before.”Mackowiak, who has worked in his field for the last 13 years, said he saw the political tea leaves turning red during a 2018 campaign he helped run. Pete Flores, a Republican, ran in a special election for the district 19 seat of the state senate, an area that covers western south Texas.“You know, that was the canary in the coalmine, that race,” Mackowiak said. “And I think it showed that an authentic, credible Hispanic Republican, if they do the work, can win in that part of our state.”Pete Flores took 56% of votes for a seat previously held by a Democrat who had admitted to taking bribes.Mayra Flores’ victorious Pentecostal Christian, anti-abortion, pro-gun, pro-law enforcement and pro-oil and gas platform was another lesson for Republicans. Many of those political stances are tough for Democrats to take while staying in line with the party’s broader federal agenda.“I know they learned a lot from … the tactics that were used, the data that was collected, and that will apply to what they’re doing now and through the rest of the fall election,” Mackowiak said.Strother, the Democratic strategist, acknowledged that Dan Sanchez’s defeat to Mayra Flores stung his party and predicted Republicans would use both her past success and her current re-election campaign to reinforce their goals for south Texas.“They were going to make sure they won that special to keep that narrative going to try to make that narrative real, even if it’s not real yet,” Strother said. “And the Democrats took a nap. And you know, we lost a race that we should have won.”Some believe the redistricting last year that changed the boundaries around south Texas – including the Rio Grande valley, something made possible because the GOP controls the state legislature and the governor’s mansion – created opportunities for Republicans to gain a foothold. “They started lowering the Republican number in their super safe districts, so they could reallocate those Republicans into districts that might not be safe,” Strother said.As a result, some districts considered safe Democrat wins are now toss-ups. While strategists continue to watch the money poured into races, TV ads bought, and polls gauging a party’s winning chances, local candidates feel confident they know their prospective constituents.Mayra Flores walked through Cameron county neighborhoods and heard from elderly men forced out of retirement and back into the labor force by the rising cost of living. She said she spoke with a mother who took out a loan to pay for her children’s back-to-school clothing – and with residents in Brownsville whose utility bills grew from $300 to $900 (£265 to £795).“The district is 90% Hispanic – I am looking after my people,” Flores said.Her campaign emphasizes her identifying with border culture.A recent TV ad in support of Flores takes place at a family carne asada – or cookout – which is a staple of Latino households, particularly Mexican ones.“I’m raza,” Flores said, using the Spanish word for “race” to signal that she’s one with the border’s unique culture.Flores hopes Rio Grande valley voters could be swayed by someone who looks and sounds like them – but represents a political perspective that is different from past successful ones.“We need Hispanics on both sides,” Flores said, referring to political parties. “We need equal representation. Nothing will pass [congress] if you don’t have a voice on both sides.”TopicsUS midterm elections 2022The Latino voteUS politicsTexasfeaturesReuse this content More

Jury acquits Russian analyst of lying to FBI in Trump dossier caseThis was the third case brought by special counsel John Durham in FBI’s own investigation into Russian collusion claims A jury on Tuesday acquitted a thinktank analyst accused of lying to the FBI about his role in the creation of a discredited dossier about Donald Trump.The case against Igor Danchenko was the third and possibly final case brought by the special counsel John Durham as part of his investigation into how the FBI conducted its own inquiry into allegations of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Kremlin.Sources in Russian analyst’s Trump dossier fabricated, prosecutors argueRead moreThe first two cases ended in an acquittal and a guilty plea with a sentence of probation.Danchenko betrayed no emotion as the verdict was read. His wife wiped away tears after the clerk read the final “not guilty” to the four counts he faced.The jury reached its verdict after roughly nine hours of deliberations over two days.The acquittal marked a significant setback for Durham. Despite hopes among Trump supporters that the prosecutor would uncover a sweeping conspiracy within the FBI and other agencies to derail his candidacy, the three-year investigation failed to produce evidence that met those expectations.The Danchenko case was the first of the three to delve deeply into the origins of the “Steele dossier”, a compendium of allegations that Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign was colluding with the Kremlin.Most famously, it alleged that the Russians could have blackmail material on Trump for his supposed interactions with prostitutes in a Moscow hotel. Trump derided the dossier as fake news and a political witch-hunt when it became public in 2017.Danchenko, by his own admission, was responsible for 80% of the raw intelligence in the dossier and half of the accompanying analysis, though trial testimony indicated that Danchenko was shocked and dismayed about how Steele presented the material and portrayed it as factual when Danchenko considered it more to be rumor and speculation.Prosecutors said that if Danchenko had been more honest about his sources, the FBI might not have treated the dossier so credulously. As it turned out, the FBI used material from the dossier to support applications for warrantless surveillance of a Trump campaign official, Carter Page, even though the FBI never was able to corroborate a single allegation in the dossier.Prosecutors said Danchenko lied about the identity of his own sources for the material he gave to Steele.The jury began deliberations Monday afternoon after hearing closing arguments on four counts. On Friday, the US district judge Anthony Trenga threw out a fifth count, saying prosecutors had failed to prove it as a matter of law.Trenga nearly threw out all of the charges before the trial began, citing the legal strength of Danchenko’s defense, but allowed the case to proceed in what he described as “an extremely close call”.TopicsFBIDonald TrumpUS elections 2016US politicsnewsReuse this content More

Biden vows to codify Roe if Democrats win midterms: ‘You gotta vote’President cast election as a choice between Republicans who seek to impose a nationwide abortion ban and Democrats who aim to protect it00:48With Democrats’ congressional majorities at risk this November, Joe Biden vowed on Tuesday that the first bill he sent to Capitol Hill next year would codify Roe v Wade – if Americans return his party to power with wide enough margins to pass abortion protections.It’s a major lift for Democrats, who face a challenging political environment marked by a rocky economy and decades-high inflation. But the loss of abortions rights has sparked a political backlash, motivating Democratic voters and women more broadly who have registered to vote in significant numbers since the supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe in Dobbs v Jackson.“I’m asking the American people to remember how you felt that day the extreme Dobbs decision came down and Roe was overturned after 50 years,” Biden said during remarks at an event hosted by the Democratic National Committee at the Howard Theater in Washington. “The anger, the worry, the disbelief.”“If you care about the right to choose,” he added, “then you gotta vote”.Standing in front of a banner that read “Restore Roe”, the president cast the election as a choice between Republicans who would seek to impose a nationwide ban on abortion and Democrats who have vowed to protect reproductive rights.“If Republicans get their way with a national ban it won’t matter where you live in America,” Biden said, vowing to veto such a bill if it reached his desk.All or most abortions are banned in at least 14 US states, with several more engaged in legal battles to restrict access. The White House estimates that 26.5 million women of reproductive age live in states with bans or severe restrictions.With weeks left before the midterm elections, the White House and Democrats have increasingly focused their campaign message on protecting abortion, an issue they hope will galvanize women and independent voters.Clear majorities of Americans believe abortion should remian legal and dissapprove of the supreme court’s decision. Yet polling consistently shows that voters’ top priority this election is the economy and inflation, issues that play to Republicans’ strengths. Biden’s approval rating remains low, which is a drag on vulnerable Democratic candidates.But Biden predicted that women would punish Republicans for enacting abortions bans and restrictions.“The Dobbs decision … practically dares women to go ahead, lead and be heard,” he said, pointing to Kansas, where voters in the conservative state decisively defeated a Republican-led effort to strip away abortion rights. “Come this November we’re going to see what happens all over America.”Biden said the only way to “stop these extremist laws that are putting in jeopardy women’s health” is for Congress to codify abortion rights at the federal level. But he conceded that presently “we’re short a handful of votes” to do so and urged Americans to elect more Democrats next month.“If we do that, here’s the promise I make to you and the American people: the first bill that I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v Wade,” he said. “And when Congress passes it, I’ll sign it in January, 50 years after Roe was first decided the law of the land.”Even if Democrats were able to overcome historical and political headwinds to keep both majorities in Congress, it may not be enough to enshrine the 1973 supreme court ruling into law. The Senate would need to abolish the filibuster, or create an exception to the rule requiring 60 votes to advance most legislation in the chamber. Two moderate Democrats have already voiced their opposition to amending the filibuster.Earlier this summer, Biden, an institutionalist long resistant to changing parliamentary procedures, announced his support for ending the filibuster to guarantee a women’s right to an abortion under pressure from Democrats demanding a stronger response from their party’s leader. The administration has also taken additional steps to protect access to the procedure.Biden stressed that the new legal landscape was already causing chaos and harm for patients and providers. Victims of rape and incest were being forced to travel out-of-state to receive an abortion, he said, while doctors fear the repercussions of intervening in instances with life-threatening pregnancies.Patients having miscarriages have reported delayed or denied care as a result of the new laws and other patients say they have been denied medication for certain conditions because the drugs could also be used to terminate a pregnancy.He also said that the Dobbs decision “risks the border right to privacy for everyone,” threatening same-sex marriage other fundamental rights.He also appealed directly to young people who tend to vote at lower rates than their older counterparts. Praising their turnout in 2020, he reminded them of his decisions to forgive billions of dollars in student-loan debt and to issue pardons for thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession –actions that were popular among young people.“Your generation will not be ignored, will not be shunned and will not be silent,” Biden said, adding: “In 2020 you voted to deliver the change you wanted to see in the world. In 2022 you need to exercise your power to vote again for the future of our nation and the future of your generation.”TopicsJoe BidenAbortionRoe v WadeUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

There it is. Biden has officially announced that if Democrats gain control of Congress, his first move will be to send a bill codifying Roe v Wade and sign such legislation ahead of the 50th anniversary of the 1973 decision.“I believe Congress should codify Roe, once and for all,” said Biden as the crowd cheered.Biden added: “The first bill that I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v Wade … and if Congress passes it, I’ll sign it in January.“Together, we’ll restore the right to choose to every woman, in every state in America,” said Biden, emphasizing that the crowd needed to vote to ensure such protections.That’s it for the US live politics blog today! Here’s a summary of what we covered today:
Biden promised to codify Roe v wade in his first post-midterms legislation if Democrats keep control of Congress, saying “I’ll sign it in January” during a speech at a DNC event in Washington DC.
Biden also promised to veto any federal abortion ban that comes across his desk, as Republicans push for a federal ban following the overturn of Roe v wade in June.
Biden pledged to ban assault weapons during the DNC speech. Biden said, “I did it once, I’ll do it again”, in reference to a ban he helped negotiate as a senator.
Candidates across key races in Utah, Georgia, and Ohio had heated debates yesterday, with November midterms less than a month away.
Thank you for reading; see you tomorrow!Could Kathy Hochul be in trouble in New YorkNew York is not a state that too many Democrats have been worried about in recent years. But a couple of recent polls have shown governor Kathy Hochul with only a relatively narrow lead over her Republican opponent. Politico has the details: Two polls Tuesday showed the race for New York governor getting closer than perhaps many had initially expected in the deep-blue state.A Siena College Research Institute poll early Tuesday found Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul held an 11-percentage-point edge over Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin in a state where Democrats have won every statewide race over the past two decades. That was down from a 17-point lead a month ago.Then an even closer poll came out in the afternoon: A Quinnipiac University survey found Hochul with a razor-thin 50 percent to 46 percent lead over Zeldin — putting Zeldin within striking distance of a potentially major upset.“In the blue state of New York, the race for governor is competitive,” Quinnipiac polling analyst Mary Snow said in a statement.Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward announced today that he will be releasing a new audiobook entitled “The Trump Tapes,” which features eight hours of raw interviews with former president Donald Trump. Here’s more background on the book from CNN: .css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The interviews offer unvarnished insights into the former president’s worldview and are the most extensive recordings of Trump speaking about his presidency — including explaining his rationale for meeting Kim, his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump’s detailed views of the US nuclear arsenal. The audio also shows how Trump decided to share with Woodward the letters Kim wrote to him – the letters that helped spark the DOJ investigation into classified documents Trump took to Mar-a-Lago…
Woodward said in the book’s introduction that he is releasing the recordings in part because “hearing Trump speak is a completely different experience to reading the transcripts or listening to snatches of interviews on television or the internet.”
He describes Trump as “raw, profane, divisive and deceptive. His language is often retaliatory.”
“Yet, you will also hear him engaging and entertaining, laughing, ever the host. He is trying to win me over, sell his presidency to me. The full-time salesman,” Woodward said. “I wanted to put as much of Trump’s voice, his own words, out there for the historical record and so people could hear and judge and make their own assessments.”Jean-Pierre also mentioned student loan forgiveness applications that opened on Monday, as lawsuits are still being waged against Biden’s proposal. Jean-Pierre on student debt relief: The president wanted to keep a campaign promise. We’re talking about 40 million borrowers who are going to benefit from this policy.— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
Jean-Pierre has been asked several questions about the economy, specifically about gas prices and inflation. One question centered on the strength of the economy, as Bloomberg economists predict a “100% chance” of a recession, but Jean-Pierre contended that the economy is resilient given economic policies put forth by Biden. Jean-Pierre: “Let’s not forget what the president has done the past 19 months. He has made the economy his top priority.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
On oil, Jean-Pierre said that the oil production under Biden has increased, a seeming conflict given Biden’s past comments about transitioning towards cleaner energy options. Jean-Pierre: “There is no shortage of opportunity or incentive for oil companies to ramp up production… The United States has produced more oil in President Biden’s first year than under President Trump’s first year.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
A reporter asked a question about Brittney Griner, who turned 32 years old today. Jean-Pierre has said that it is a priority of Biden to get Griner home, as well as Paul Whelan, a former US marine who has been incarcerated in Russia since 2018. Jean-Pierre on Brittney Griner: “Getting Brittney home, getting Paul Whelan home is a priority for this administration… We’re going to continue working through our channels that we have with Russia.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
Jean-Pierre would not provide information on Griner’s condition, what access to the WNBA star looks like, or other questions. Jean-Pierre was just asked what Biden’s plan is if Democrats do not keep control in the midterm elections come November. Jean-Pierre responded with: “The way that we make Roe into law is to make sure we have legislation and we codify it. That is the best way to protect women’s rights.”Jean-Pierre: “The way that we make Roe into law is to make sure we have legislation and we codify it. That is the best way to protect women’s rights.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
Jean-Pierre added that the president believes that it’s important for people to “make their voices heard”. Jean-Pierre: “He’s always said that what people need to do is make their voices heard.”— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
Jean-Pierre also refused to give a specific number of how many more votes would be enough for Biden to codify Roe. Press briefing is now underway.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre opened up the conference about the overturning of Roe v wade.Jean-Pierre confirmed again that Biden plans on making Roe v wade the “law of the land” around the 50th anniversary of the Roe v wade’s decision next year.At White House briefing. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre: “President Biden is continuing to fight to restore reproductive rights for millions of American women… President Biden believes that Roe was rightly decided nearly 50 years ago.” pic.twitter.com/fRXJeH6XnU— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) October 18, 2022
The White house press briefing should be happening shortly, scheduled for 1:45 pm eastern time. Stay tuned!Biden will be speaking on gas prices tomorrow, said White house chief of staff on Twitter. In a response to comments from Hill reporter Hanna Trudo about Biden’s speech on abortion, Ronald Klain responded that Biden will be speaking about gas prices tomorrow. Abortion as a closing pitch was always going to be a really risky proposition. But up against the economy? It makes it look almost fringe. Of course many people will disagree with this, but the cost of gas is *extremely* important to nearly everyone, abortion is simply not— Hanna Trudo (@HCTrudo) October 18, 2022
Not an either / or. @POTUS spoke about abortion today, will speak about gas prices tomorrow. https://t.co/pPg6TLGdUX— Ronald Klain (@WHCOS) October 18, 2022
Biden also pledged to veto any federal abortion ban, warning that Republicans have made efforts to push such legislation. Biden claims Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy would push a national abortion ban if the GOP wins the House:“If Republicans get their way with a national ban, it won’t matter where you live … If such a bill were to pass in the next several years, *whispers* I’ll veto it.” pic.twitter.com/n3dd1FXsNz— The Recount (@therecount) October 18, 2022
Biden also touched on gun control, promising that if Democrats kept control of Congress in January, he would sign a ban on assault weapons. “And by the way if you give me a Democratic congress we’re going to ban assault weapons again”, said Biden. Biden added: “I did it once, I’ll do it again”, referring to a 10-year ban he negotiated as a senator in 1994. There it is. Biden has officially announced that if Democrats gain control of Congress, his first move will be to send a bill codifying Roe v Wade and sign such legislation ahead of the 50th anniversary of the 1973 decision.“I believe Congress should codify Roe, once and for all,” said Biden as the crowd cheered.Biden added: “The first bill that I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v Wade … and if Congress passes it, I’ll sign it in January.“Together, we’ll restore the right to choose to every woman, in every state in America,” said Biden, emphasizing that the crowd needed to vote to ensure such protections.Biden is currently speaking at a DNC event at Howard Theatre. So far, Biden has mentioned that 16 states have passed bans on abortions since the overturning of Roe v Wade in June. .@POTUS says 16 states have enacted abortion bans since Dobbs. “There is so much confusion and uncertainty” for doctors and nurses who just want to do their jobs pic.twitter.com/QuCL1Gkmwo— Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) October 18, 2022
Biden also warned about the decision having consequences on other issues, calling out justice Clarence Thomas’ opinion that same-sex marriage, contraception, and other issues should be re-examined.The DNC event has started, with abortion rights remaining in the spotlight. From journalist Kellie Meyer:Biden’s backdrop at the DC event today. Keeping abortion in the spotlight ahead of the midterms. The issue energized the base, esp. women voters, after SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade in June. New polling showing that energy faded in the fall. We discuss tonight on @NewsNation pic.twitter.com/VsdAtF7fKr— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) October 18, 2022 More

House Republicans divided over aid to Ukraine ahead of midtermsMcCarthy says Congress won’t ‘write a blank cheque’ while another senior Republicans says Ukrainians should ‘get what they need’ The Republican leader in the House of Representatives has said that Congress would not “write a blank cheque to Ukraine” if his party wins next month’s midterm elections, stoking fears in Kyiv that the flow of military equipment could be cut off.However, another senior Republican said that he thought that the Ukrainians should “get what they need”, including longer-range missiles than those the Biden administration has so far been prepared to supply. Analysts say the mixed messages reflect an internal debate between traditional national security conservatives and the Trumpist wing of the party, where pro-Russian sentiment is much stronger.Ukraine says 30% of its power plants destroyed in last eight daysRead moreKevin McCarthy, the House minority leader, told the Punchbowl News website on Tuesday: “I think people are going to be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank cheque to Ukraine.”“They just won’t do it,” McCarthy added. “It’s not a free blank cheque. And then there’s the things [the Biden administration] is not doing domestically: not doing the border and people begin to weigh that. Ukraine is important, but at the same time it can’t be the only thing they do, and it can’t be a blank cheque.”A few hours later, however, the ranking Republican on the House foreign affairs committee, Michael McCaul, who is likely to run the committee in the event of a Republican win in November, argued that arms supplies to Ukraine should be stepped up.“We’ve got to give them what they need. When we give them what they need, they win,” McCaul said on the Bloomberg television channel. In particular he referred to the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has a longer range than the missiles the administration is currently providing.The Biden administration has withheld ATACMS so far for fear that if they were fired into Russian territory it might lead to a sharp escalation that could end up entangling Nato. McCaul argued that the missiles would be useful for striking Russian missile and drone launching sites in Crimea, adding: “Last time I checked, Crimea is occupied illegally by Russians.”McCaul did add a caveat on US spending on Ukrainian aid, however.“I think you’ll see if we get the majority, more oversight and accountability in terms of funding and where the money’s going, and I think the American taxpayer deserves that,” he said.Elisabeth Braw, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the difference in tone reflected internal foreign policy tensions.“This is a good illustration of the two factions within the Republican party,” Braw said. “You’ve got the Trumpian side and then the more traditional Republican side, and on the Ukrainian issue, this has been played out in a very clear fashion.”In another example of the internal friction, the Twitter account of the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC), which is close to the pro-Russian Hungarian leader, Viktor Orbán, put up a post at the end of September asking when Biden and the Democrats would end the “gift-giving to Ukraine”. The tweet was accompanied by a graphic that mentioned the “official annexation” by Russia of four Ukrainian regions, which it described as “Ukrainian occupied”.The tweet was taken down a few hours later and replaced with another describing the original as an “unapproved” statement and one that “belittled the plight of the innocent Ukrainian people”.Who is Tucker Carlson really ‘rooting for’ in Ukraine? Read moreDonald Trump has a long record of admiration for Vladimir Putin and has suggested that the Ukrainians make a deal with him, highlighting the Kremlin’s nuclear threats.“We must demand the immediate negotiation of a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine or we will end up in world war three,” the former president said at a rally this month. “There will be nothing left of our planet – all because stupid people didn’t have a clue … They don’t understand the power of nuclear.”Far-right Trumpist Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene have echoed Moscow talking points, suggesting that the Ukrainian government “only exists because the Obama state department helped to overthrow the previous regime”.Victoria Coates, Trump’s former deputy national security adviser, said that such views were held by only a minority in the party.“There is broad bipartisan support for assistance to Ukraine among the American people, so there will be broad bipartisan support in Congress,” Coates said. But she added: “It has just seemed to many of us on the Republican side that the administration is throwing money at the situation … I think we desperately need congressional oversight of additional funds that are appropriated for this purpose.”Coates, now senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, argued that the negotiations that Trump was calling for would not mean putting pressure on Ukraine to make territorial concessions.She said: “I think we have the advantage right now and he would, I assume, agree with that, and that we should, if we do enter into a negotiation, press hard for terms that are favourable to Kyiv and Washington.”TopicsUS foreign policyRepublicansUkraineHouse of RepresentativesUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

New January 6 video contradicts Republican’s claims about Nancy PelosiSteve Scalise questioned whether Democrats sought help on January 6, but video shows him standing near Pelosi as she called for national guard troops The second-highest ranking Republican in the US House, Steve Scalise, is facing criticism for questioning what Democrats did to halt the deadly January 6 Capitol attack on the day of the riots despite being shown on video standing beside chamber speaker Nancy Pelosi as she called for back-up from national guard troops.Scalise, whose Louisiana district includes a large suburban area outside New Orleans, at one point questioned the lengths to which top Democrats went to end the assault on the Capitol staged by a mob of Donald Trump supporters as the former president questioned the results of the 2020 election that he lost to Joe Biden.But a video released last week by the bipartisan House committee investigating the Capitol attack showed Scalise, the Republican whip in the chamber, got an up-close look at the Democratic majority’s leadership trying to summon troops who could help quell the insurrection.The video was timestamped at 3.46pm on the day of the attack. Part of it showed the House majority leader, Democratic Maryland representative Steny Hoyer, saying: “We need active duty national guard.”After some back and forth over whether or not such reinforcements were possible as well as calls by Senator Chuck Schumer to have the grounds evacuated, Pelosi – the House speaker and yet another Democrat – told the person on the phone: “Just pretend for a moment it were the Pentagon or the White House, or some other entity that was under siege. And let me say you can logistically get people there as you make the plan.”The video shows Scalise mere footsteps away from Pelosi, Schumer and Hoyer, listening to them engaging in the conversation about securing the building on speakerphone.Nonetheless, in a news conference held in June to discuss the Capitol attack, Republican Indiana congressman Jim Banks said: “Was Speaker Pelosi involved in the decision to delay National Guard assistance following January 6? Those are serious and real questions that this committee refuses to even ask.”Scalise at that session thanked Banks for those remarks and added: “Banks just raised some very serious questions that should be answered by the January 6 commission, but they’re not. And they’re not for a very specific reason. And that’s because Nancy Pelosi doesn’t want those questions to be answered.”MSNBC’s Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough has since fiercely denounced Scalise for “lying through [his] teeth.”“He was in the room,” Scarborough said. “He was in the room where it happened. … I mean, come on.”The former chair of the Republican National Committee and now frequent critic of the GOP, Michael Steele, said: “Why are we surprised to see Scalise in the room, at the table, next to the phone that’s open for everybody to hear and then go out there and lie about it?”Scalise has not responded to the video released by the January 6 committee or the criticism. But in a statement provided to the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper’s website, a spokesperson for Scalise said the Republican whip’s comments at the June press conference referred to broader security failures at the Capitol days rather than singling out any Democrats.The video in question came just weeks ahead of the 8 November midterm. Scalise is expected to easily win another term as the House representative for Louisiana’s first congressional district, with his only real challenger being Democratic candidate Katie Darling.Darling did capture some national attention after a recent campaign ad featuring her pregnant and calling out the extremely restrictive Louisiana abortion laws that went into effect after the US supreme court in June voted to overturn the nationwide right to terminate a pregnancy that had been established by the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade case.The ad shows Darling going to the hospital in a wheelchair as she is about to give birth – then holding her infant baby.“We should be putting pregnant women at ease, not putting their lives at risk,” she says in the political spot.In the ad, Darling is seen going to a hospital by wheelchair as she is about to give birth. Then, while holding her newborn son in the hospital, she looks at the camera and declares, “I’m running for Congress … for him.”Scalise and his Republican colleagues hope to seize back control of both the House and the Senate, where the Democrats have razor-thin advantages going into the midterms.TopicsUS Capitol attackLouisianaUS midterm elections 2022RepublicansUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

No prescription needed: over-the-counter hearing aids on sale in USHearing aids now available from stores including Walgreens and Walmart without prescription after new FDA rule takes effect Americans can start buying hearing aids over the counter this week, a significant development for whose need hearing assistance and are now expected to be able to get it more cheaply and more easily.Biden plans to codify federal abortion rights if Democrats retain control of Congress – liveRead moreRetail stores, including Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart, began selling hearing aids Monday after a new rule from the Food and Drug Administration went into effect allowing for the devices’ sales over the counter at such establishments.Americans no longer have to see a doctor, get a prescription, or be fitted for a hearing aid, which makes it less time intensive and costly to get them, Axios reported. The executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America (Hlaa), Barbara Kelley, told NPR it previously could take five to seven years for someone to get a hearing aid after they find out they have hearing loss.“If this would inspire people or motivate people because they see these hearing aids in the mainstream, that should be more affordable or at a different price point, they might take that first step sooner rather than later,” she told NPR.The White House has said the move will save families nearly $3,000. Nearly 30 million Americans could benefit from hearing aids, according to the National Institutes of Health.Donald Trump signed the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act, which passed with bipartisan support, into law during his first year as president in 2017. The law gave the FDA three years to develop a rule for the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids, a deadline which the agency missed. Facing renewed pressure from the Joe Biden White House, the FDA finalized the rule in August.Prices for over-the-counter hearing aids range from $200 to more than $1,000, Axios reported. Walgreens is currently selling them for $799 a pair while CVS and Walmart have a range of price options.Sony also unveiled a pair of sleek hearing aids that resemble wireless earbuds, Axios reported.Even though it will be easier to get a hearing aid, the president of the Hearing Industries Association, which represents hearing aid manufacturers, told NPR buyers should be careful about what they are buying.“I hate to use the words ‘buyer beware,’ so instead it’s ‘buyer be educated’ about what you’re doing, what your needs are,” the group president Kate Carr told NPR.TopicsUS newsUS healthcareUS politicsnewsReuse this content More