Herx
Herx's JournalSinema's vote on climate may hinge on her opposition to tax hikes on her donors (WSJ)
Sinema promised certain donors that she would fight against tax hikes on their money.
It looks like she's using this as leverage.
Ms. Sinema, unlike Mr. Manchin, doesn’t regularly speak to reporters in Washington, and other Senate Democrats have at times learned of her policy views from lobbyists that she speaks to, according to a person familiar with the matter. But in public statements, she has repeatedly said that she has opposed tax increases that she thinks would harm U.S. economic growth. Business groups in Arizona, a swing state where Ms. Sinema has tried to present herself as a moderate, have also encouraged her to oppose the tax hikes.
Ms. Sinema has received roughly $2.2 million in donations since 2017 from individuals and committees in the securities and investment industries, more than from any other sector, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission data by OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan campaign finance tracker.
On other matters in the Senate, she has also stood apart from her party, opposing efforts to alter the filibuster rule requiring 60 Senate votes for most legislation, for example.
Still, after so much struggle for Democrats to try to unify behind elements of President Biden’s agenda, she will face intense pressure to line up in favor of the bill. A political-action committee called “Primary Sinema Project” quickly blasted out a statement calling on her to support the package, saying “All eyes on Kyrsten Sinema.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/kyrsten-sinema-is-critical-vote-on-manchin-schumer-climate-and-tax-deal-11659110971?mod=mhp
Russian economy doing better than expected despite sanctions, says IMF
Source: The Times of Israel
Despite damaging Western sanctions imposed on Moscow in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s economy appears to be weathering the storm better than expected as it benefits from high energy prices, the IMF said Tuesday.
The sanctions were meant to sever Russia from the global financial system and choke off funds available to Moscow to finance the war.
But the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook upgraded Russia’s GDP estimate for this year by a remarkable 2.5 percentage points, although its economy is still expected to contract by six percent.
“That’s still a fairly sizable recession in Russia in 2022,” IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told AFP in an interview.
Read more: https://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-doing-better-than-expected-despite-sanctions-says-imf/
UK's Boris Johnson defends meeting ex-KGB agent at party
Source: AP
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended meeting a Russian oligarch with a KGB past, saying “as far as I am aware” no government business was discussed at the 2018 get-together.
Johnson, who quit as Conservative Party leader July 7 after months of ethics scandals, is facing questions about his relationship with Russia-born newspaper owner Evgeny Lebedev and his father, Alexander. The older man is a businessman and Cold War-era was a KGB officer who has been sanctioned by Canada for his alleged role in enabling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In April 2018, Johnson went to a party at Evgeny Lebedev’s Italian mansion that was also attended by Alexander Lebedev. Johnson, who was British foreign secretary at the time, was not accompanied by any officials.
The event was held as Johnson returned from a NATO meeting, and weeks after former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in the English city of Salisbury. A police officer and two local people were also sickened, one of whom, Dawn Sturgess, died.
Read more: https://t.co/AToz45eWEA
And then Brexit happened. Very interesting.
Yale economists: cutting natural gas to Europe will hurt Russia more than Europe
Here is why:
Russia has very few alternative export markets for its gas, and 83% of its natural gas exports go to Europe.
Europe, on the other hand, imports just 46% of its natural gas from Russia.
Read the rest:
https://www.axios.com/2022/07/26/russia-sanctions-economic-impact
Tulsi Gabbard, Rand Paul Placed on List of Russian Propagandists by Ukraine
Source: Newsweek
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard have been listed by Ukraine among a number of American politicians, academics and activists Kyiv claims have promoted "Russian propaganda.
The list was compiled by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, founded in 2021 by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to study the impact of Russian disinformation. The center is part of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
The list—which also includes retired U.S. Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, military strategist Edward Luttwak, political scientist John Mearsheimer and journalist Glenn Greenwald—does not explain what the consequences are for those who Ukraine clearly considers responsible for promoting the Kremlin's line. But it offers explanations for inclusion on the list.
In April, Paul said President Joe Biden provoked Russia to invade its neighbor by advocating Ukraine's entrance into NATO.
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/tulsi-gabbard-rand-paul-placed-list-russian-propagandists-ukraine-1727831
Herschel Walker downplays abortion ruling's impact
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Republican Herschel Walker downplayed the impact Georgia’s abortion ban will have on the November election, saying voters were more concerned about the economy.
“You’re going to bring up things that people are not concerned about,” the U.S. Senate candidate said when asked by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the abortion ruling, which came down Wednesday.
“And that’s what I said. People are concerned about gas, they’re concerned about food,” he said during a stop at Jaemor Farms in North Georgia to talk to farmers. “They’re not even talking about that.”
Walker opposes abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. His opponent, Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock, supports abortion rights.
Read more: https://www.ajc.com/politics/herschel-walker-downplays-abortion-rulings-impact/4OMX2UVTWVCUBKJFF3SQBYGXEY/
Can something that is codified still be struck down by the Supreme Court?
I'm confused at to whether codification saves something like same sex marriage (currently debated on Congress) from being struck down by the Supreme Court. Can anyone explain? Thanks.
Abortion doctor signals she'll sue Indiana AG over comments
Source: AP
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio took the first step Tuesday toward suing Indiana’s attorney general for defamation.
Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist who gave the girl a medication-induced abortion on June 30, filed a tort claim notice over what she says are false statements that Attorney General Todd Rokita has made about her and her work.
Bernard received widespread attention after she gave an interview to the Indianapolis Star about the child, who traveled to Indiana from Ohio for the abortion. A so-called fetal heartbeat law took effect in Ohio last month after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Such laws ban abortions from the time a fetus’ heartbeat can be detected, which is typically around the sixth week of pregnancy.
A 27-year-old man was charged last week in Columbus, Ohio, with raping the girl, confirming the existence of a case that was initially met with skepticism by some news outlets and Republican politicians.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-indiana-indianapolis-83bbe24c9328d4c6417eed6c48158ce6?taid=62d717cf7b696400019a74da&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter
She should sue the Wall Street Journal too.
Washington Post's reporting on the economy criticized
The Washington Post wrote had an article on falling gas prices, focused on the fact that the price could go up again.
A second one focused on Americans who hold two full-time jobs: 0.3% of the workforce.
https://twitter.com/DeanBaker13/status/1548674701672599552
Joe Biden 1, Wall Street Journal 0 (Ohio rape story)
Wall Street Journal (July 13, 2022): Link
Imagine, indeed. The tale is a potent post-Roe tale of woe for those who want to make abortion a voting issue this fall. One problem: There’s no evidence the girl exists. PJ Media’s Megan Fox was first to point this out, and so far no one has been able to identify the girl or where she lives.
Wall Street Journal (July 14, 2022): Link
It appears President Biden was accurate when he related a story about a 10-year-old Ohio girl who was raped and traveled to Indiana for an abortion. We wondered Tuesday about the case, after no one had confirmed its accuracy or any public report of the crime, though the story had made the media rounds for nearly two weeks.
Profile Information
Member since: Mon Jul 11, 2022, 07:44 AMNumber of posts: 46