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      Biden takes aim at food insecurity with first hunger conference in 50 years – as it happened

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      Why is the White House convening a summit on food insecurity for the first time in half a century? As The Guardian’s Nina Lakhani reports, a combination of high inflation and the end of pandemic support programs has squeezed vulnerable households, prompting the Biden administration to step in with a pledge to end hunger by 2030. Here’s more from her report:When was the last food conference?The last food conference, hosted by Richard Nixon in 1969, was a pivotal moment in American food policy that led to the expansion of food stamps and gave rise to the Women, Infants and Children program that today provides parenting advice, breastfeeding support and food assistance to the mothers of half the babies born each year.How bad is hunger in the US now?One in 10 households struggled to feed their families in 2021 due to poverty – an extraordinary level of food insecurity in the richest country in the world. The rate has barely budged in the past two decades amid deepening economic inequalities and welfare cuts.Food insecurity remains stubbornly high in the US, with only a slight downward trend from 2021 – but significantly lower than 2020 when the Covid shutdown and widespread layoffs led to record numbers of Americans relying on food banks and food stamps to get by.The conference comes as the cost of food is soaring due to double-digit inflation, and amid fears of recession. The cost of groceries in July was up 13.1% compared with last year, with the price of cereal, bread and dairy products rising even higher, according to the Consumer Price Index.Households are under more pressure as states roll back pandemic-linked financial support such as free school meals for every child and child tax credits. Many states are stopping expanded food stamp benefits.Real-time data from the US Census survey “suggest that food hardship has been steadily rising in families with children this year”, Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, director of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University, recently told the Guardian.Why is the White House having its first hunger conference in 50 years?Read moreJoe Biden rolled out his plan to fight hunger in the United States, with an eye towards ending it by 2030. Meanwhile, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida amid fears it could do grievous damage to its west coast.Here’s what else happened today:
      The supreme court is getting ready for its next term, and is expected to receive an update regarding the investigation into the leak of its draft decision overturning abortion rights.
      Donald Trump called for negotiating with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and mulled himself, of course, as leading the delegation. Meanwhile, a new book revealed further disquieting details of his presidency.
      Jury selection continued in the trial of five Oath Keepers accused of seditious conspiracy for their actions related to the January 6 insurrection.
      The White House denied a report that Treasury secretary Janet Yellen could depart the administration next year as it looks to reframe its fight against inflation.
      As she sometimes does, singer-songwriter and trained flautist Lizzo played a flute during her performance in Washington on Tuesday. But it wasn’t just any instrument. Lizzo played notes through a more than 200-year-old crystal flute made for President James Madison and on loan from the Library of Congress.The largest library in the world also has the largest collection of flutes in the world, and when its librarian Carla Hayden heard that Lizzo was coming to town, she asked if she was interested in playing Madison’s instrument at her show. The library has written an amusing blog about what happened next:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}When Library curator Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford walked the instrument onstage and handed it to Lizzo to a roar of applause, it was just the last, most visible step of our security package. This work by a team of backstage professionals enabled an enraptured audience to learn about the Library’s treasures in an exciting way.
      “As some of y’all may know I got invited to the Library of Congress,” Lizzo said, after placing her own flute (named Sasha Flute) down on its sparkling pedestal, which had emerged minutes earlier from the center of the stage. Following the aforementioned, highly popular Twitter exchange between Lizzo the Librarian of Congress, the crowd knew what was coming.
      “I want everybody to make some noise for James Madison’s crystal flute, y’all!” They made more noise than the instrument, having been at the Library for 81 years, has been exposed to in quite some time. Maybe ever.
      She took it gingerly from Ward-Bamford’s hands, walked over to the mic and admitted: “I’m scared.” She also urged the crowd to be patient. “It’s crystal, it’s like playing out of a wine glass!”NBC4 Washington has footage of the moment she played it at the show:Last April, at least nine people were bitten by a rabid red fox that stalked Capitol Hill, sparing neither lawmaker nor reporter alike.The animal was caught and euthanized by the DC health department, while those bitten were given many shots to stop rabies or any other infections. But the story, surprisingly, does not end there.The Wall Street Journal reports that one of those bit, Democratic representative Ami Bera of California, introduced legislation to cover the cost of rabies vaccines for the uninsured:The rabid fox that terrorized the Capitol grounds has led to legislation. Rep. Ami Bera (D., Calif.), one of the victims, introduced legislation to reduce the cost of the rabies vaccine for uninsured Americans— Natalie Andrews (@nataliewsj) September 28, 2022
      From Bera’s office: The Affordable Rabies Treatment for Uninsured Act would establish a program to reimburse health care providers for furnishing post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to uninsured individuals.— Natalie Andrews (@nataliewsj) September 28, 2022
      The CDC estimates that 60,000 Americans receive PEP each year after possible exposure to rabies. Although rabies is a vaccine-preventable disease, costs for patients can be high, with treatment ranging from $1,200 to $6,500.— Natalie Andrews (@nataliewsj) September 28, 2022
      Rabid red fox that bit nine on Capitol Hill caught and euthanizedRead moreA man whose actions likely changed the course of American history is petitioning for his freedom after decades behind bars, the Associated Press reports:Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy in 1968, is asking a judge to free him from prison by reversing a decision by the California governor to deny him parole.Sirhan shot Kennedy in 1968 at the Ambassador hotel in Los Angeles, moments after the US senator from New York claimed victory in California’s pivotal Democratic presidential primary. He wounded five others during the shooting.Gavin Newsom, the California governor, in January overruled two parole commissioners who had found that Sirhan no longer was a risk. The governor argued Sirhan remains a threat to the public and has not taken responsibility for a crime that changed American history.Sirhan Sirhan, man who assassinated Robert Kennedy, asks judge to free himRead moreOne of the biggest problems the Biden administration is facing is the state of the economy.It was supposed to be one of the bright spots. Unemployment has ticked down steadily since Joe Biden took office in January 2021 with Americans still reeling from the mass layoffs that occurred as Covid-19 broke out less than a year prior. But the rise in inflation that sent prices for gasoline, food and housing spiking throughout 2021 and into the next year did a number on his approval ratings, and there are signs in the administration that heads may roll, at least figuratively.Axios reported yesterday that the White House is preparing for the exit of Treasury secretary Janet Yellen, as well as Brian Deese, the director of the National Economic Council. Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Cecilia Rouse is also expected to return to teaching next year. There’s myriad reasons why inflation has climbed during the Biden era at rates not seen since the 1980s, including the actions of the Federal Reserve, the independent central bank where the Democratic president has appointed many of the top officials. However, a shake-up of the White House economic staff could give Biden the opportunity to reframe his approach to controlling price growth in the world’s largest economy. As the report notes, much of what happens will depend on the outcome of the midterms, particularly if Republicans take the Senate, which would confirm any new Treasury secretary or other cabinet-level position. It’s also worth noting that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre today denied that Yellen or Deese were going anywhere, the Associated Press reports:.@PressSec says neither Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen or NEC director Brian Deese are part of plans for turnover post midterm elections.— Fatima Hussein (@fatimathefatima) September 28, 2022
      Oregon is the site of a close race to replace Democratic governor Kate Brown, who has reached her term limits. As she prepares to exit the governor’s mansion, Amanda Waldroupe spoke to Brown about her surprising tactic for reforming the criminal justice system:Last October, Kate Brown, the governor of Oregon, signed an executive order granting clemency to 73 people who had committed crimes as juveniles, clearing a path for them to apply for parole.The move marked the high point in a remarkable arc: as Brown approaches the end of her second term in January, she has granted commutations or pardons to 1,147 people – more than all of Oregon’s governors from the last 50 years combined.The story of clemency in Oregon is one of major societal developments colliding: the pressure the Covid-19 pandemic put on the prison system and growing momentum for criminal justice reform.It’s also a story of a governor’s personal convictions and how she came to embrace clemency as a tool for criminal justice reform and as an act of grace, exercising the belief that compassionate mercy and ensuring public safety are not mutually exclusive.“If you are confident that you can keep people safe, you’ve given victims the opportunity to have their voices heard and made sure their concerns are addressed, and individuals have gone through an extensive amount of rehabilitation and shown accountability, what is the point of continuing to incarcerate someone, other than retribution?” Brown said in a June interview.The story of one US governor’s historic use of clemency: ‘We are a nation of second chances’Read moreWhite House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to questions on why Joe Biden referred to Indiana representative Jackie Walorski during his speech on hunger today, when the congresswoman died last month in a car accident.During today’s press briefing, Jean-Pierre said that Biden’s remarks were “not all that unusual” and that he was acknowledging Walorski’s previous work as co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus.Jean-Pierre added that the congresswoman was “top of mind”, as Biden meets with her family this week.Biden was “acknowledging her incredible work,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about the incident later, adding that Biden had already planned to welcome her family to the White House for a bill signing on Friday. “She was on top of mind,” she said.— Jarrett Renshaw (@JarrettRenshaw) September 28, 2022
      In other news, a California man who pleaded guilty to plotting to bomb the state’s Democratic party headquarters following the defeat of Donald Trump will be sentenced today, reported the Associated Press.Ian Benjamin Rogers, a Napa, California resident, pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to destroy the headquarters building and other properties in Sacramento by fire or explosives.Rogers also pleaded guilty to possessing an explosive device and possessing a machine gun as part of a plea agreement that could get him seven to nine years in federal prison.Rogers and Jarrod Copeland had been charged by prosecutors in San Francisco for planning to attack buildings they associated with Democrats following Trump’s defeat in the 2020 US presidential election.Rogers’ attorney, Colin Cooper, spoke about his client before today’s sentencing, emphasizing how remorseful Rogers is: “Mr Rogers feels awful for letting anybody down. He’s been in custody for a year and a half. He’s never been in trouble before. Every single day he expresses regret and remorse for any involvement he’s had in anything and all he’s asking for now is for people to give him a chance to prove that he has redemptive qualities.”Biden also warned oil and gas companies not to raise prices on the hundreds of thousands of Florida residents preparing for Hurricane Ian, reports the Associated Press.“Do not, let me repeat, do not use this as an excuse to raise gasoline prices or gouge the American people,” said Biden today while speaking about his plan to fight hunger in the US.Biden added that the natural disaster “provides no excuse for price increases at the pump” and that he will ask federal officials to determine if price gouging is going on.Hurricane Ian nears landfall in south-western Florida as officials warn of ‘catastrophic impact’ – live Read moreJoe Biden rolled out his plan to fight hunger in the United States, with an eye towards ending it by 2030. Meanwhile, Hurricane Ian is churning towards Florida and threatening to do the state grievous damage.Here’s what else has happened today so far:
      The supreme court is getting ready for its next term, and is expected to receive an update regarding the investigation into the leak of its draft decision overturning abortion rights.
      Donald Trump called for negotiating with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and mulled himself, of course, as leading the delegation. Meanwhile, a new book revealed further disquieting details of his presidency.
      Jury selection continued in the trial of five Oath Keepers accused of seditious conspiracy for their actions related to the January 6 insurrection.
      The White House has decried recent Iranian drone and missile strikes in Iraqi Kurdistan, as Tehran faces protests over the death of a Kurdish woman in the custody of its morality police.Here’s the statement from national security adviser Jake Sullivan:.css-knbk2a{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}The United States strongly condemns the drone and missile attack launched against Iraq’s Kurdistan region earlier today. We stand with Iraq’s leaders in the Kurdistan region and Baghdad in condemning these attacks as an assault on the sovereignty of Iraq and its people. Iranian leaders continue to demonstrate flagrant disregard not only for the lives of their own people, but also for their neighbors and the core principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity enshrined in the UN Charter. Iran cannot deflect blame from its internal problems and the legitimate grievances of its population with attacks across its borders. Its flagrant use of missiles and drones against its neighbors, as well as its providing of drones to Russia for its war of aggression in Ukraine and to proxies throughout the Middle East region, should be universally condemned. The United States will continue to pursue sanctions and other means to disrupt Iran’s destabilizing activities across the Middle East region. How the death of a Kurdish woman galvanised women all over IranRead moreEarlier today, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, written by politics gurus at the University of Virginia, moved their prediction for the Pennsylvania governor’s race from “leans Democratic” to “likely Democratic”. The news below was cited as one of the reasons why, because it shows that the Republican nominee in the race holds beliefs about abortion that appear to be beyond what the state’s voters will support. Here’s the latest from The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly:Asked in 2019 if he was saying women should be charged with murder for violating an abortion ban he proposed, Doug Mastriano, now the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, said: “Yes, I am.”Mastriano was talking to WITF, a radio station, about a bill he sponsored as a state senator.The bill would have barred most abortions when a fetal heartbeat could be detected, which is usually about six weeks into pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant.Mastriano was asked: “You can give me a yes or no on this. Would that woman who decided to have an abortion which would be considered an illegal abortion be charged with murder?”Mastriano said: “OK, let’s go back to the basic question there. Is [a fetus] a human being? Is that a little boy or girl? If it is, it deserves equal protection under the law.”He was asked: “So you’re saying yes?”Mastriano said: “Yes, I am. If it’s a human being, if it’s an American citizen there, a little baby, I don’t care what nationality it is, it deserves equal rights before the law.”NBC News reported the remark on Tuesday. Mastriano did not immediately comment.Top Republican urged murder charges for women who defied abortion banRead moreElsewhere in Washington, jury selection is ongoing in the trial of five Oath Keepers members on seditious conspiracy charges related to their role in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, including founder Stewart Rhodes.It’s far from determinative of how the trial will go, but Politico has some details of the jurors that have been selected to serve thus far:UPDATE from the Oath Keepers trial:-Four of five prospective jurors questioned today have made the initial cut, bringing two day total to 14 potential jurors.-The four: A defense lobbyist, Northrop Grumman defense contractor, DOD civilian employee and patent office employee.— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 28, 2022
      The one juror stricken was a lawyer at a big firm who handles international dispute resolution. He had RTed or liked tweets calling Rs nihilists and comparing Trump supporters to fascists. He said he could be a fair juror and would set aside views but admitted it’d be a struggle.— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 28, 2022
      The defense objected to two of the jurors that Mehta ultimately qualified. One of them, the DOD employee, said he viewed Oath Keepers as anti-democracy and willing to overturn election by force but would be willing to have his views contradicted by evidence. Among the reasons…— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 28, 2022
      He said he’d served on a jury before and found a murder suspect not guilty, and he repeatedly said he would fairly assess evidence in the case, even if it contradicted views informed by media he consumes.— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) September 28, 2022
      Biden closes up with some remarks on the Covid pandemic, describing the grassroots efforts to get food to struggling families as “people doing God’s work”.Then he makes a claim that’s worth fact checking. Biden said that the high level of food insecurity caused by the pandemic has come down thanks to the American Rescue Plan and the economy rebounding. One in 10 families struggled to feed their families in 2021 – which is back around pre-pandemic levels, but the numbers are rising quickly this year since key economic policies like the child tax credit, expanded food stamps eligibility and universal free school meals were not renewed by Congress.Biden knows, and the new strategy suggests, that tackling economic and racial inequalities through things like a living wage, closing the Medicaid coverage gap, and affordable childcare and housing are the only ways to really eradicate food poverty.That’s why the $8bn pledged by private corporations, universities, foundations and nonprofits may help a bit, but will not tackle the structural and systemic issues that cause poverty and racial inequalities, which is what’s needed in order to end hunger and cut the burden of diet-related diseases in the richest country in the world.Still, Biden ended with a rallying call: “In America, no child should go to bed hungry. No parent should die of a preventable disease… this is the United States of America, nothing is beyond our capacity.”More than $8bn pledged to Joe Biden’s goal of ending hungerRead moreWith universal free lunches a long long way off, one of the new food strategy’s more interesting commitments is about supporting schools in making meals from scratch and buying produce from local farmers.“This will lead to healthier meals and strengthen rural economies,” said Biden. This is a welcome nod to the urgent need to redesign our globalised food system, which is dominated by a handful of transnational monopolies like Tyson Foods. Today, Tyson pledged to give more free chicken to schools – rather ironic, some might argue, given the company’s track record on worker conditions, unhealthy processed foods and animal welfare.Biden also rightly emphasises the “we are what we eat” mantra, given that diets high in processed fatty, sugary, salty foods have led to at least 35% of adults being obese in 19 states, and one in 10 Americans having diabetes.“Science changes things. People are realising that certain diseases are affected by what they eat. The more we can spread the word and educate people, the more we’ll see changes,” Biden said.Not quite so sure about him suggesting that the link between our diets and disease is new information – the evidence has been overwhelming for decades now, but powerful business interests like the sugar, fast food and meat packing industries have often stymied government regulations to improve food labelling and reduce the toxicity of processed foods. Still, a commitment to piloting food prescriptions for people on Medicaid and Medicare is a definite thumbs up.Biden made an unfortunate gaffe in his remarks, referencing someone named Jackie and asking if she was in attendance. He may have been referring to Jackie Walorski, a Republican representative from Indiana who died in an August car accident.Walorski was co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus dedicated to fighting food insecurity in the United States. The chair of the caucus, Democrat Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, was in attendance at the event. Here’s video of Biden’s comment: President Biden seems to forget that Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) died in a car crash in August, seeking her out in the audience:”Jackie, are you here? Where’s Jackie? She must not be here.” pic.twitter.com/inzKDHrPK7— The Recount (@therecount) September 28, 2022
      Indiana congresswoman Jackie Walorski dies in car crashRead more More

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      Senate to vote on funding bill to avert shutdown after Manchin measure scrapped

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      Senate to vote on funding bill to avert shutdown after Manchin measure scrappedBoth parties opposed the measure on energy permits, which critics said would gut environmental protections The US Senate was expected on Tuesday to hold a key procedural vote on a funding bill to avert a federal government shutdown, after a tense standoff over a controversial energy-permitting provision proposed by the West Virginia senator Joe Manchin ended with its withdrawal.After the permitting provision drew opposition from both parties, Manchin said he had asked that it be withdrawn.McConnell endorses bipartisan bill to prevent efforts to overturn US elections Read moreIn a statement late on Tuesday afternoon, the Democrat said: “It is unfortunate that members of the United States Senate are allowing politics to put the energy security of our nation at risk.“The last several months, we have seen first-hand the destruction that is possible as Vladimir Putin continues to weaponize energy. A failed vote on something as critical as comprehensive permitting reform only serves to embolden leaders like Putin who wish to see America fail.“For that reason and my firmly held belief that we should never come to the brink of a government shutdown over politics, I have asked Majority Leader [Chuck] Schumer to remove the permitting language from the continuing resolution we will vote on this evening.”The measure was sharply criticized by progressives led by Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, and was struggling to gain support among Republicans, even those who have long championed permitting reform.Without action, government funding will run out at midnight on Friday. If Congress fails to pass a bill by then, it would cause a messy shutdown. With Democrats in control of both chambers, that could generate what many believe would be an avoidable headache just weeks before the crucial midterm elections.Before he withdrew his proposal, Manchin argued in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that it would enact “common-sense permitting reforms” and “help secure America’s energy future”.But Sanders had already said he would vote against any measure that included Manchin’s proposal, which critics say would gut clean water and environmental protections.In a tweet, Sanders lashed out at the senators and editorial boards supporting the plan. He said: “I do believe the future of the planet is more important than the short-term profits of the fossil fuel industry. Defeat the Big Oil side deal.”The proposal was part of a deal between Manchin and Schumer to secure Manchin’s vote for Joe Biden’s landmark healthcare and climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).After more than a year of negotiations, Manchin agreed to give his necessary 50th vote to the plan, which made good on long-sought Democratic policy ambitions and is credited with boosting morale among the party’s base ahead of the midterm vote.With that bill signed into law, however, Schumer struggled to find 60 votes for Manchin’s permitting reform. Several Senate Democrats argued that the move would undermine the climate proposals in the IRA, which were already greatly scaled back to appease Manchin.The permitting provision would have fast-tracked the process for energy infrastructure, including large fossil fuel projects critics say will undermine climate goals. It would also make it easier for the Mountain Valley pipeline to proceed, a top priority for Manchin long delayed by environmental violations and judicial rulings.When progressives learned of Manchin’s proposal, they revolted. In a letter to colleagues last week, Sanders implored Democrats not to support the “disastrous side deal” that he warned would “make it easier for the fossil fuel industry to destroy the planet and pollute the environment”.The choice before Congress was clear, Sanders wrote. “We can listen to the fossil fuel industry and climate deniers who are spending huge amounts of money on lobbying and campaign contributions to pass this side deal. Or we can listen to the scientists and the environmental community who are telling us loudly and clearly to reject it.”Tim Kaine, a Democrat of Virginia, also said he would vote against the permitting reform. Kaine said he was not consulted on the potential impact of greenlighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which would run through his state.Other top Democrats said keeping the government running was the bigger priority.“I am disappointed that unrelated permitting reform was attached to this bill. This is a controversial matter that should be debated on its own merits,” said Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the appropriations committee. “However, with four days left in the fiscal year, we cannot risk a government shutdown; we must work to advance this bill.”The proposal also divided Republicans. Though the GOP has long pushed for permitting reform, the minority leader, Mitch McConnell, urged his caucus to oppose Manchin’s proposal. Most of the chamber’s 50 Republicans, still smarting from Manchin’s change of heart on the IRA, appeared poised to vote against the measure.In an interview with Fox News on Monday, Manchin said he anticipated opposition from Sanders and “extreme far-left” Democrats, but not from Republicans.“What I didn’t expect is that Mitch McConnell and my Republican friends would be stacking up with Bernie or trying to get the same outcome by not passing permitting reform,” he said.Manchin’s proposal was attached to a stopgap measure that would fund the federal government through 16 December, thereby allowing negotiations to resume after the November vote. Included in the funding bill are billions of dollars in support for Ukraine; an extension of a Federal Drug Administration user fee program that was set to expire; relief funds for the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi; money for resettling Afghan migrants; and assistance to help families afford rising energy costs.Schumer was expected to strip Manchin’s proposal from the bill if necessary. Manchin insisted he was “optimistic” about the bill’s chances, and expected to win support from most Democrats and enough Republican votes to secure its passage.But then came his statement on Tuesday.“We should never depend on other countries to supply the energy we need when we can produce it here at home,” he said, adding: “Inaction is not a strategy for energy independence and security.”TopicsUS SenateJoe ManchinUS politicsDemocratsRepublicansUS domestic policyFossil fuelsnewsReuse this content More

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      Schumer and Manchin’s ‘dirty side deal’ to fast-track pipelines faces backlash

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      Schumer and Manchin’s ‘dirty side deal’ to fast-track pipelines faces backlashScientists and environmental groups call proposed legislation a ‘giveaway’ to fossil fuel industry that will gut protections Scientists, health experts and environmental groups have condemned new legislation negotiated in secret by the fossil-fuel-friendly Democratic senator Joe Manchin and the Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, which will fast-track major energy projects by gutting clean water and environmental protections.Senator Joe Manchin unveils bill that would expedite federal energy projectsRead moreThe permitting bill published on Wednesday was the result of a deal between Manchin and Democratic leaders, which secured the West Virginia senator’s vote for Joe Biden’s historic climate legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, which Manchin held up for months.The bill mandates all permits for the Mountain Valley pipeline (MVP), a project long delayed by environmental violations and judicial rulings, be issued within 30 days of passage and strips away virtually any scope for judicial review.Democratic leaders want to push through Manchin’s bill without debate or analysis, and are expected to attach the legislation to a funding measure Congress must pass before 1 October.Energy industry associations have widely welcomed the reforms but opposition from Democrats and Republicans could scupper the deal.Critics say the bill is a giveaway to the fossil fuel lobby, paving the way for oil and gas production that will stop the US meeting its obligations to cut greenhouse gases and lead to further environmental injustices for people of color, Indigenous communities and low-income areas. It slashes judicial and state powers and oversight, handing Washington greater control over major projects.“This is not permitting reform,” said the Greenpeace USA co-executive director Ebony Twilley Martin. “This is permitting a giveaway that benefits those who continue to line their pockets at the expense of those affected by climate disasters. Our country cannot afford any new oil, gas or coal projects if we’re going to avoid climate catastrophe.”On Thursday, more than 400 scientists, doctors and nurses delivered a letter imploring Schumer and the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to reject the deal. “The scientific consensus is now crystal clear … fossil fuel projects carry enormous risks to public health … we need to leave oil, gas and coal in the ground and turn off the spigot of carbon pouring into the air.”Jennifer K Falcon, an Indigenous environmentalist from the Ikiya Collective, said: “Our communities have already lost so much from environmental racism but there is so much to save. [They] are not sacrifice zones for corrupt politicians like Manchin and Schumer who benefit from big oil’s windfall profits.“The science is clear about the worsening climate crisis. We have no time to waste on dirty side deals.”Manchin has received more campaign contributions from fossil fuel industries than any other lawmaker this election cycle, according to Open Secrets.The legislative side deal requires Biden to designate at least 25 energy projects of strategic national importance for federal review within 90 days of passage. The projects must include at least five that produce, process, transport or store fossil fuels or biofuels, as well as six that are not fossil fuels and four mining projects.The bill mandates a two-year limit on environmental reviews for major projects – regardless of their complexity and potential for harming the environment, water supplies and human health.According to Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity, the bill contains the most significant loss of protections under the bedrock National Environmental Policy Act (Nepa) and the Clean Water Act since at least the last Bush administration, when Republicans had full control of Congress.“Any member of Congress who claims this disastrous legislation is vital for ramping up renewables either doesn’t understand or is ignoring the enormous fossil fuel giveaways at stake,” Hartl said.The bill was negotiated under a cloak of secrecy. Passage through the Senate is far from assured. A small group of progressive Democrats are looking to separate Manchin’s legislation from the stopgap funding bill, so they can vote against the permitting bill without voting to shut down the government.Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon has organised a letter to Schumer, with the support of Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont – a move that mirrors a similar plea by 77 House progressives earlier this month.The letter, which was leaked to Politico, states: “We have heard extensive concerns from the environmental justice community regarding the proposed permitting reforms and are writing to convey the importance of those concerns, and to let you know that we share them.”On Tuesday, Schumer said he planned to add permitting reform to the spending bill and “get it done”.But Republicans who want more radical regulatory and permitting reforms may also vote against the bill, which requires 60 votes to move to the House. Earlier this month, 46 Republicans signed on to an alternative permitting bill introduced by the other West Virginian senator, Shelley Moore Capito.Schumer’s decision to capitulate to Manchin has angered progressives.Manchin agreed to back his party’s historic climate legislation before the midterm elections but only after negotiating a side deal to fast-track the MVP, a shale gas pipeline which would stretch 303 miles across the Appalachian mountains from north-western West Virginia to southern Virginia.Before construction was suspended, the MVP had produced more than 350 water quality violations. Manchin’s bill exempts the MVP from the Endangered Species Act, which experts say will push two species – the Roanoke logperch and the candy darter – much closer toward extinction.On Wednesday, the Democratic senator Tim Kaine, of Virginia, said he could not support the “highly unusual provisions” regarding the MVP which “eliminate any judicial review”. Kaine said he had been excluded from talks, even though 100 miles of the pipeline would run through his state.Raúl Grijalva, chair of the House natural resources committee, said: “These dangerous permitting shortcuts have been on industry wishlists for years. And now they’ve added the Mountain Valley pipeline approval as the rotten cherry on top of the pile.“The very fact that this fossil fuel brainchild is being force-fed into must-pass government funding speaks to its unpopularity. My colleagues and I don’t want this. The communities that are already hit hardest by the fossil fuel industry’s messes certainly don’t want or deserve this. Even Republicans don’t want this. Right now, our focus should be on keeping the government open, not destructive, unrelated riders.”In favor of the bill Gregory Wetstone, chief executive of the American Council on Renewable Energy, said it “includes provisions that will help streamline the transmission approval process, improving our ability to meet our nation’s decarbonisation goals”.Heather Zichal, chief executive of the American Clean Power Association, said: “Our current permitting system is overly cumbersome and mired in delays, hamstringing our ability to grow the clean energy economy.”TopicsUS SenateFossil fuelsOil (Environment)Gas (Environment)Oil (Business)Gas (Business)Joe ManchinnewsReuse this content More

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      Senator Joe Manchin unveils bill that would expedite federal energy projects

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      Senator Joe Manchin unveils bill that would expedite federal energy projectsThe centrist Democrat believes he has votes to pass the measure, which has met with resistance from the left The US senator Joe Manchin released an energy permitting bill on Wednesday to speed up fossil fuel and clean energy projects.The bill is expected to be attached to a measure to temporarily fund the government that Congress must pass before 1 October. The legislation would require the federal government to issue permits for Equitrans Midstream Corp’s long-delayed $6.6bn Mountain Valley Pipeline to take natural gas between West Virginia, Manchin’s home state, and Virginia.The wider funding bill needs approval of the House and Senate and to be signed by Joe Biden to become law. Manchin’s staff told reporters that he believed the funding bill will would get the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate with the permitting measure attached.The permitting measure from Manchin, a centrist Democrat and an important swing vote in the 50-50 Senate, would require Biden to designate 25 energy projects of strategic national importance for speedy federal review.The USelectricity grid needs expansion and fixes as some of its major transmission lines are 50 years old. Improving transmission lines would help renewable projects like wind and solar farms in rural areas get clean power to cities.Biden’s landmark climate and spending bill – what’s in it, and what got cut?Read moreThe bill also sets a two-year target for environmental reviews on energy projects that need to be completed by more than one federal agency.Progressive lawmakers and environmental groups have been concerned that the bill would speed fossil fuel projects while undermining US environmental laws. In the House of Representatives, 77 Democrats this month asked the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to keep the side deal out of the funding bill.Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, said after the bill was released he could not support its “highly unusual provisions” regarding Mountain Valley pipeline.Kaine said they “eliminate any judicial review” for key parts of the pipeline approval process and strip jurisdiction away from a US court of appeals for cases involving it. He said he had not been included in talks about the measure, even though 100 miles (160 km) of the pipeline would run through his state.While the bill would speed up the processes required by a bedrock US green law called the National Environmental Policy Act, which mandates reviews of major projects, “it doesn’t amend the underlying statutes”, a member of Manchin’s staff told reporters in a call. Getting at least 10 Republican senators to support the measure could be complicated after Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from Manchin’s state, issued her own bill this month more favorable to fossil fuels.Some Republicans were also concerned because Manchin voted for Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which contained $369 bn for climate and energy security.Speaking about the unwillingness of some Republicans to support permitting, Manchin said on Tuesday: “If they’re willing to say they’re going to shut down the government because of a personal attack on me, or by not looking at the good of the country, that is what makes people sick about politics.”TopicsJoe ManchinUS SenateEnergyJoe BidenFossil fuelsUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

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      Democrats celebrate ‘historic’ climate bill: Politics Weekly America

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      As the Inflation Reduction Act heads to the House floor, many Democrats are hoping the landmark legislation to tackle the climate crisis, which passed in the Senate last week, will result in more votes in the November midterm elections. Some experts aren’t convinced the bill goes far enough.
      Joan E Greve speaks to Leah Stokes, of the University of California, Santa Barbara, about what the bill – if passed into law – will mean for Americans, and for the planet

      How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know

      Archive: MSNBC, NBC, C-Span Listen to Thursday’s episode of Today in Focus, as Hugo Lowell and Michael Safi discuss the FBI raid of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort earlier this week. Send your questions and feedback to podcasts@theguardian.com Help support the Guardian by going to theguardian.com/supportpodcasts More

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      Hungary’s far-right PM Viktor Orbán speaks at CPAC summit – as it happened

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      Orban has opened his speech in Texas by saying that “Hungary is the Lone Star state of Europe”.He described Hungary as “under the siege of progressives, liberals day by day”, and noted that he was “the only anti-migration political leader on our continent”, which was greeted with applause.The Senate will meet this weekend to begin considering Democrats’ marquee spending plan to fight climate change and lower healthcare costs, which is the culmination of more than a year of fitful negotiations. Meanwhile in Texas, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban pitched his far-right vision of America and Europe’s future to an audience of conservatives.Here’s a rundown of what else happened today:
      The justice department has filed charges against four current and former Louisville police officers over the death of Breonna Taylor.
      A court in Russia sentenced American women’s basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison after finding her guilty of drug smuggling. President Joe Biden said Griner is “wrongfully detained”.
      Alex Jones’s defamation trial continued after yesterday’s shock revelation that his attorneys shared Jones’ phone data with lawyers for the people suing him.
      The White House declared monkeypox a public health emergency as the virus spread across the United States.
      House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited South Korea, as China expressed its rage at her stop in Taiwan by launching military exercises.
      New York Democratic House representative Carolyn Maloney continues to do damage control after suggesting Biden won’t stand for a second term, although she apparently hasn’t completely backed down from the comment.
      It looks like the Senate will convene this weekend to vote on Democrats’ plan to fight climate change, lower healthcare costs and tweak the tax code, CNN reports:Schumer says the Senate will vote on the motion to proceed to the reconciliation bill on Saturday afternoon— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 4, 2022
      After that, 20 hours of debate. After debate time or if time is yielded back, it’s vote-a-rama time. Then final passage. All at simple majority— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 4, 2022
      The bill, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, has no support from Republicans, and will require the votes of every Democrat to pass the evenly divided Senate. The House of Representatives, where the party has a slim majority, will then need to approve it before it goes to Joe Biden for his signature.Orban wrapped up his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference by declaring, “We must take back the institutions in Washington and in Brussels”, and saying the two capitals “will define the two fronts in the battle being fought for Western civilization”.After defeating Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, “Now the West is at war with itself,” Orban said. “We have seen what kind of future the globalist ruling class has to offer. But we have a different future in mind. The globalists can all go to hell, I have come to Texas.”A who’s who of American conservatives will appear at CPAC over the next two days, before Donald Trump makes the event’s closing remarks on Saturday evening.Orban didn’t mention Joe Biden directly, but appealed to the audience of conservatives for “strong leaders” – by which he presumably was not referring to the Democrats in control of the White House and Congress.He cited the impacts of the war in Ukraine on Hungary, which he notes has received one million refugees.“In my view, the globalist leaders’ strategy escalates and prolongs war and decreases the chance of peace. Without American-Russian talks there will never be peace in Ukraine. More and more people will die and suffer and our economies will come to the brink of collapse,” Orban said.“We in the neighborhood of Ukraine are desperately in need of strong leaders who are capable of negotiating a peace deal. Mayday, mayday, please help us. We need a strong America, with a strong leader.”Texas is a major crossing point for undocumented immigrants entering the United States, which Republicans have said is a “crisis” that president Joe Biden deserves blame for.Orban must realize this. He’s giving examples of “how to fight back by our own rules” and detailing to the conservative audience his own hardline policies against migrants, particularly from Syria.“We were the first ones in Europe who said no illegal migration and stop the invasion of illegal migrants,” he said. “We believe that stopping illegal migration is necessary to protect our nation.”Orban went on to attack American liberals, saying they tried to stop his speech and calling for unity between conservatives in the United States and in Hungary.“They hate me and slandered me and my country as they hate you and slander you and America’s transformation. We all know how this works. Progressive liberals didn’t want me to be here because they knew what I will tell you,” Orban said. “I’m here to tell you that we should unite our forces… because we Hungarians know how to defeat the enemies of freedom on the political battlefield.”Orban appears to be responding to the recent news of a top adviser resigning and accusing him of using “pure Nazi” rhetoric by arguing that his administration is misunderstood.Hungary “introduced a zero-tolerance policy on racism and antisemitism. So accusing us is fake news, and those who make these claims are certainly idiots. They are the industrial fake news corporation,” Orban said. Orban has opened his speech in Texas by saying that “Hungary is the Lone Star state of Europe”.He described Hungary as “under the siege of progressives, liberals day by day”, and noted that he was “the only anti-migration political leader on our continent”, which was greeted with applause.Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán is minutes away from starting his speech to the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, held this year in Texas.According to its agenda, Orbán will give a talk titled “How We Fight”. The leader has faced intensifying criticism for his far-right rhetoric, and last month, one of his longtime advisers resigned in protest over what she called his “pure Nazi” speech. Alarm grows as Orban prepares to take ‘pure Nazi’ rhetoric to USRead moreArizona Republican Rusty Bowers has lost his primary and won’t return to his post as speaker of Arizona’s House of Representatives after defying Donald Trump’s efforts to meddle in the state’s election results. As Martin Pengelly reports, Bowers has no regrets about how it ended:Rusty Bowers, the Arizona Republican who defied Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn his defeat in the state then testified to the House January 6 committee, has no regrets despite losing his bid for a state senate seat.“I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he told the Associated Press. “I’d do it 50 times in a row.”Term limits meant Bowers could not mount another house run. On Tuesday he was trounced in a primary by David Farnsworth, a Trump-endorsed former state senator.Trump was the first Republican to lose a presidential race in Arizona since Bill Clinton won there in 1996. Clinton was re-elected anyway. Trump wasn’t.Arizona Republican who defied Trump and lost primary: ‘I’d do it again in a heartbeat’Read moreAfter departing Taiwan following a visit that enraged China, House speaker Nancy Pelosi went to South Korea, where she visited the demilitarized zone separating it from North Korea.It was a special honor to engage with General LaCamera and other @USForcesKorea servicemembers on the ground at the DMZ/JSA and Osan Air Base. pic.twitter.com/Yi2u8YMXyS— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 4, 2022
      We conveyed the gratitude of the Congress and the Country for the patriotic service of our servicemembers, who stand as sentinels of Democracy on the Korean Peninsula. pic.twitter.com/SIz284fSWh— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 4, 2022
      Beijing has meanwhile started a series of live-fire drills in the waters around Taiwan, underscoring its fury over Pelosi’s trip to an island it considers a breakaway province. The Guardian has is keeping a live blog covering the ongoing spike in tensions:US watching Chinese military drills ‘very closely’ as ballistic missiles fired into Taiwan strait – liveRead more More

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      Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema act out of ego, not principle | Robert Reich

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      Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema act out of ego, not principleRobert ReichIf there’s one thing the two supposedly Democratic senators love, it’s media attention This week, the spotlight once again will be on Democratic senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema (dubbed “Manchinema” by the Washington press corps when the two blocked much of Biden’s agenda).Which is exactly where both of these politicians want it.It’s the Democrats’ last chance for a large package – Manchin agreed last week to $790bn – on the climate and healthcare, financed by a tax increase on the rich and big corporations. But will Sinema go along?It’s been joked that the word “politics” is derived from the Latin “poli”, meaning “many”, and “ticks”, meaning small blood-sucking insects. I don’t hold such a cynical view. But I do know from 50 years’ experience in and around Washington that most of the people who serve in our nation’s capital have very, very large – shall we say? – egos.On Sunday, Manchin made the rounds of all five Sunday morning talkshows. He thereby achieved what’s known as a “full Ginsburg”, after William Ginsburg, the lawyer for Monica Lewinsky, who was the first to appear on all Sunday talkshows, on 1 February 1998.Manchin treated it as a victory lap. He took credit for his newly named “Inflation Reduction Act”. (He refused to allow it to be named “Build Back Better” because he’s still smarting over what he viewed as the Biden administration’s criticism of him for blocking the original BBB.)When Manchin was asked by the Meet the Press host, Chuck Todd, whether he wanted Democrats to keep control of the House and Senate after the midterms, Manchin declined to answer. (Does he want to hold out the possibility of becoming a Republican kingmaker if the Dems lose?)Tellingly, Manchin wouldn’t even use the pronoun “we” when talking about the Democrats.I’ve always made it a point to listen to the pronouns politicians use. The use of pronouns tells you a lot about a politician’s loyalties. Manchin almost never uses “we” when he refers to Democrats. Sometimes, it’s “they”. When Trump was president, he used “we” to refer to the people who voted for him, and “they” for everyone else.Which brings me to Kyrsten Sinema – who uses the pronoun “I” perhaps more frequently than any other contemporary politician. (“I’m always surprised when people say, ‘Oh, she’s an enigma,’” said Sinema in an interview with the Washington Post. “I’m, like, not at all, actually. I’m very straightforward about what I believe in and why I’m doing what I do.”)Yet Sinema appears to be absent when it comes to moral principle. Although not up for re-election until 2024, she is one of the Senate’s major recipients of Wall Street cash. The finance industry has donated $2.2m to her since she took office in 2017.Sinema has obliged by, among other things, refusing to close the so-called “carried interest” tax loophole that mostly benefits private-equity investors and hedge fund managers by treating their pay as capital gains (at a tax rate of 24%) rather than as ordinary income (37%) – even though their pay is ordinary income, since they risk none of their own capital.By contrast, Manchin wants to close the loophole – or nearly so. (Manchin’s bill would lengthen the amount of time private-equity and hedge-fund managers must hold their investments to qualify them for capital gains.)“The only thing I was adamant about was the carried interest,” Manchin told reporters last Thursday. Manchin’s aversion to the loophole isn’t new. Last year he joined two other Senate Democrats in sponsoring a bill to close it.Closing the carried-interest loophole is the only tax increase on rich individuals in Manchin’s compromise bill. The rest of the tax hikes are on corporations.The carried-interest loophole is a blatant giveaway to the super-rich. It has no redeeming social value. Even Trump promised to eliminate it, as did Barack Obama and Joe Biden.Yet carried interest is still in the tax code. That’s because lobbyists for the private-equity and hedge fund industries care about little else and pour lots of money into the campaigns of both Democratic and Republican members of Congress to maintain it. (The Democratic House ways and means committee chair, Richard Neal, is a powerful supporter of the loophole. The private equity industry is one of Neal’s biggest donors.)Sinema’s office says she’s still reviewing Manchin’s bill. How long will Democrats have to wait until she breaks her silence on it?If there’s one thing Sinema loves more than Wall Street dollars, it’s national media attention. So it could be a while.
      Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com
      TopicsUS politicsOpinionUS CongressDemocratsJoe ManchincommentReuse this content More

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      Democrats prepare for showdown over key spending and climate bill – as it happened

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      Senate Democrats are working to face off on the reconciliation bill – officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Moderate Democratic senator Joe Manchin made the rounds on all the talk shows touting the $740bn legislative package that the senate parliamentarian will go over later this week.
      Meanwhile, John Cornyn, the Republican senator from Texas, tested positive for Covid-19. He vowed to continue fighting the reconciliation bill while in quarantine.
      Joe Biden also remains in quarantine after testing positive again for Covid-19. Though his physician reports that he has minimal symptoms, he still continues to test positive, as expected.
      House speaker Nancy Pelosi is in Asia and multiple news outlets are reporting that she will be including Taiwan in her itinerary. It would mark the first visit to Taiwan by a house speaker in a quarter of a century, but the White House spent the press briefing talking it down as not a big deal. “The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and the speaker of the House as visited Taiwan before, without any incident, as have many members of Congress, including this year,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby. Kirby said if Pelosi does choose to visit Taiwan, her decision would have no standing on the US stance on the One China Policy that does not support Taiwan’s independence.
      Kirby had strong words for China’s threats that its military would “not sit idly by” if the visit happened. “There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing US policy into some kind of crisis or conflict or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan strait,” he said.
      The Biden administration will authorize today a $550m security assistance package for Ukraine, bringing the total aid to $8bn.
      Guy Reffitt, the first of the horde of Donald Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 to be convicted, has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison. 🚨 SENTENCE: U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich orders Guy Reffitt to serve 87 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Warns if he violates terms she will send him back to prison for up to maximum term. $2,000 in restitution. pic.twitter.com/IGZjxFqoXb— Jordan Fischer (@JordanOnRecord) August 1, 2022
      While it is the harshest sentence for any of the individuals involved in the attack on the US Capitol, it is considerably less than the 15 years the justice department had sought with the terrorism enhancement. JUST NOW: Judge Friedrich DENIES prosecutors’ request to impose a terrorism enhancement and other upward departures at the sentencing of Guy Reffitt. His recommended sentencing range will be 87-108 months in prison.— Jordan Fischer (@JordanOnRecord) August 1, 2022
      Senators Tim Kaine and Kyrsten Sinema – Democrats – joined with Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski to introduce the Reproductive Freedom for All Act today, legislation to codify Roe v Wade, which was recently overturned by the supreme court. Senate Democrats Kaine & Sinema and Republicans Collins & Murkowski introduced the Reproductive Freedom For All Act today,bipartisan legislation to codify the Roe v. Wade decision recently overturned by the Supreme Court. House passed their version of the bill earlier this month. https://t.co/EIRl7ChQMP— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) August 1, 2022
      All close contacts Joe Biden had when he tested positive for Covid-19 have tested negative, said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. He is not experiencing any reoccurring symptoms. “He’s feeling fine,” Jean-Pierre said. “There’s no reason for this to escalate,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said of House speaker Nancy Pelosi and her purported Taiwan trip. While House speaker Nancy Pelosi “has not confirmed any travel plans” regarding a decision to visit Taiwan on her trip to Asia, “we have been clear from the very beginning that she will make her own decisions and that Congress is an independent branch of government,” said White House national security spokesman John Kirby “Our Constitution embeds a separation of powers,” Kirby said. “This is well known to the (People’s Republic of China), given our more than four decades of diplomatic relations. The speaker has the right to visit Taiwan, and the speaker of the House as visited Taiwan before, without any incident, as have many members of Congress, including this year.”Pelosi visiting Taiwan on this trip won’t change anything, Kirby said. “Nothing has changed about our One China Policy,” Kirby said. “We have repeatedly said that we oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We do not support Taiwan independence and that we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.”Kirby had strong words for China’s threats that its military would “not sit idly by” if the visit happened. Even before Pelosi arrived in the region, China conducted a live-fire exercise, and Kirby said that China appears to be positioning itself to potentiallhy take further steps in the coming days, be they military provocations, air or naval activities or military exercises. “There is no reason for Beijing to turn a potential visit consistent with long-standing US policy into some kind of crisis or conflict or use it as a pretext to increase aggressive military activity in or around the Taiwan strait,” he said. “We will not take the bait or engage in sabre rattling. At the same time, we will not be intimidated. We will keep operating in the seas and the skies in the western Pacific, as we have for decades. We will continue to support cross-strait peace, stability, support Taiwan, defend a free and open Indo-Pacific, and we’re still going to seek to maintain lines of communication with Beijing. All of that is important and all of that is preserving the status quo.”White House national security spokesman John Kirby kicked off today’s press briefing by celebrating the first ship to successfully leave the port of Odessa in Ukraine carrying agricultural exports and announcing a $550m security assistance package for Ukraine. The ship was allowed out under a recent deal brokered between the United Nations, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia to allow for Ukraine, Europe’s breadbasket, to export some of its agricultural products as a way to ease the world’s food insecurity crisis. Previously, Russia had a blockade on Ukraine’s ports since the start of its invasion. . “We urge Russia to meet its commitments under this new arrangement, including by facilitating unimpeded exports of agriculture products from Black Sea ports in order to ease the food insecurity around the world,” Kirby said. “We will be watching that closely.”The $550m security assistance package stems from the president’s drawdown authority, bringing the total to $8bn that Joe Biden has drawn down for Ukraine since the Russia invasion began, Kirby said. The Associated Press is reporting that the North Carolina state board of elections voted unanimously today to recognize the Green Party as a new political party, reversing a previous decision to reject the party’s petition while the board investigated the signature sheets for fraud.The North Carolina Green Party has submitted more than enough signatures validated by both the state and county elections boards to earn immediate recognition, Katelyn Love, the board’s legal counsel, said. But Green Party candidates still face an ongoing legal battle to appear on the November ballot after the state board’s initial rejection of the petition led the party to miss the 1 July deadline.The elections board’s Democratic majority previously rejected the Green Party petition in a 3-2 vote on 30 June, citing petition sheets with nearly identical handwriting as well as incomplete personal information, duplicate names and deceased signatories.The Green Party sued the board on 14 July, alleging Democratic interference in the petitioning process and asking the court to reverse the board’s decision. The board filed a response to the lawsuit on Friday, opposing the Green Party’s demand that a judge order the board to include its candidates on the ballot. The board agreed the court should extend the candidate filing deadline should the party earn official recognition at Monday’s board meeting, the brief states.Democrats have warned that Green Party certification could divide progressive voters and clear a path for Republican victories in key races — particularly the tight US senate race between Democrat Cheri Beasley and Trump-endorsed Republican congressman Ted Budd. Prior to the board’s initial vote, the Democratic senatorial campaign committee acknowledged contacting signers of the Green Party’s petition to request they remove their names.K Ryan Parker, a plaintiff in the Green Party lawsuit, called the board’s decision “a welcome surprise and a huge win for democracy,” which he believes was prompted by the recent onslaught of media attention and a desire to settle the matter outside federal court.“It doesn’t change the fact that the Democratic party attempted to disenfranchise North Carolina voters like me by hiring operatives to call, text and visit voters in their home, attempting to compel them to remove their signatures from the petition,” Parker said in an interview Monday. “And it doesn’t change the fact that this two-party system, this duopoly, has failed us at every turn and continues to force voters into a dilemma every four years of voting for a lesser evil.”Tomorrow’s a big primary day in a lot of states, and one big race to watch is the Missouri senate Republican primary. With Republican senator Roy Blunt retiring, basically everybody and their neighbor has come out to vie for his seat. Eric Greitens, the former governor of Missouri, initially held the lead, but he has been dogged by scandal after scandal, with his ex-wife alleging that he abused her and their child and a woman accusing him of sexually and physically abusing her and then threatening to release nude photos of her if she told anyone.Trump posts that he plans to endorse today in #mosen ahead of primary tomorrow. Many Rs had long been concerned he could endorse Greitens— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 1, 2022
      John Cornyn, the Republican senator from Texas, has tested positive for Covid-19. After dodging it for 2+ years I’ve tested positive for COVID-19. I’m fully vaccinated and boosted, and doing fine. While quarantining I’ll continue to fight Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin’s massive tax increase on working families remotely, consistent with CDC guidelines.— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) August 1, 2022
      Cornyn will be quarantining during a very crucial week for Senate Democrats. They want to pass the reconciliation bill – officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 – and once it gets past the senate parliamentarian, they need just a narrow majority to do so. With Cornyn being out due to COVID, this means Dems could potentially pass Manchin bill without VP Harris breaking the tie if all 50 Dems are healthy & are yeas— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) August 1, 2022 More