Senator Lindsey Graham believes that the most productive reaction to the alleged collision of a Russian plane with a US drone is to go on the offensive, the West has been seeking for more than a year to avoid a direct confrontation with Moscow.
“We hold [Russia] accountable and say that if you ever try to get another American asset to fly in foreign waters, your plane will be shot down,” Graham told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night.
Lindsey Graham on the encounter between an American drone and Russian planes: “What would Ronald Reagan do right now?It would start shooting down Russian planes if they threatened our assets. ” pic. twitter. com/rmO4Vl6dd8
Tensions escalated on Tuesday after a Russian airliner was accused of hijacking a U. S. drone over the Black Sea. Washington accused Moscow of being reckless and unprofessional. Russia denied its aircraft in question and demanded that the United States avoid flights near its borders.
Graham has remained steadfast in his desire to oppose Russia and help Ukraine end Moscow’s invasion, and called for further escalation. Last year, Graham advised that Russian President Vladimir Putin be assassinated to end the conflict.
Earlier Tuesday, Graham insisted on Twitter that helping Kiev is an American “priority” and, by comparison, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to take over Ukraine with Hitler’s rise to power.
The South Carolina lawmaker was also one of 3 senators (and the only Republican in the group) to stop in Ukraine in January, where the South Carolina lawmaker suggested that the U. S. The U. S. will send tanks to Kiev.
But Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has now lasted more than a year, Western countries have made it clear that they must avoid a direct confrontation with Moscow. Part of the explanation for why the United States has been so hesitant to send tanks to Kiev in the first position is that Russia has continuously warned that supplying tanks to Ukraine would be considered a major provocation.
Putin warned in September that he would use nuclear weapons in retaliation if “the territorial integrity of our country is threatened. “
Tennessee Republicans continue to attack trans rights, this time arguing that they shouldn’t do so their driver’s licenses reflect who they are.
On Monday, Tennessee State Senate Republicans passed a bill that would describe “sex” in the state code as sex assigned at birth.
Senate Bill 1440 defines evidence of a user’s biological sex as, among others, “a government-issued identity document that, as it should be, reflects the sex of a user indicated on the user’s original birth certificate. “not be able to deviate from this original documentation; Other trans people would not be able to replace their driver’s license or other government-issued identity to fit their identity.
In addition to being an odious iteration of the conservative attack on trans rights, the bill could charge the state of Tennessee buckets of cash because the law contradicts federal guidelines. $750,000 in federal grants committed to support women and children. Other state and local government entities may also be affected.
Even with this potentially astronomical loss of funding, the bill passed the Senate 27-6, demonstrating the relentless desire Republicans have to target other trans people at all costs.
“This is their latest ruthless attempt to stigmatize, marginalize, and erase the LGBTQ network, that is, other transgender people in Tennessee,” said Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign. “Let’s be clear: The goal of this bill is to exclude the LGBTQ network from anti-discrimination protections in the state of Tennessee and perpetuate a false narrative about who transgender people are.
Having a driver’s license or birth certificate that matches one’s identity would naturally be personally vital for transgender people, but it would also verify their identity in the legal sense and prevent further discrimination and harassment.
Since 2015, Tennessee has enacted 14 anti-LGBTQ laws, according to the Human Rights Coalition, and added a bill signed this month through Gov. Bill Lee that prevents transgender youth from receiving affirmative health care.
The proposed law in Tennessee is part of a broader attack that has led to the emergence of more than a hundred anti-trans physical care expenses across the country.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday chided Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for saying helping Ukraine fight the Russian invasion is not in the “vital national interest” of the United States.
The Republican Party has become more divided in recent months over how long the U. S. deserves to keep sending aid to Kiev and how much it deserves to send. DeSantis, who is rumored to be contemplating a preliminary offer in 2024, has made clear what aspect of the debate he is in.
“While the United States has many important national interests, getting more entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis said in reaction to a questionnaire from Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Monday night.
Several prominent members of the Senate Republican Party were quick to condemn DeSantis’ comments. His Florida colleague Marco Rubio, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, argued that the United States “has an interest” in helping Ukraine because it provides an opportunity to be more difficult. in China
“Well, it’s not a territorial dispute in the sense that it wouldn’t be a territorial dispute if the United States made the decision it sought to invade Canada or take the Bahamas,” Rubio told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Tuesday. Just because someone claims something doesn’t mean it belongs to them. “
“I don’t know what he’s looking to do,” Rubio added. Obviously, he doesn’t deal with foreign policy every day as governor. “
Rubio has spoken openly about continuing aid to Ukraine, but gave the impression of relenting in December, saying the electorate was probably wondering why the U. S. is “spending all this money on someone else’s war. “All mandatory votes for bulk portions of aid funds, implying that there may be a time limit on the duration of U. S. aid.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn said he was “disturbed” by DeSantis’ stance. “I hope he feels like he doesn’t want to take that line from Tucker Carlson to be competitive in the primary,” Cornyn told reporters. “It is vital for us to continue with the Ukrainians for our own safety. “
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham did not mention DeSantis by name, but stated categorically on Twitter that “those who believe that the barbaric and unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine is not a precedent for the United States. . . They miss a lot. “
Cornyn and Graham have been steadfast in helping to continue aid to Ukraine. Graham was one of 3 senators (and the only Republican in the group) who visited Ukraine in January, where the South Carolina lawmaker suggested that the U. S. The U. S. will send tanks to Kiev.
Both Graham and Cornyn have also prevented, by comparison, Ukrainian aid to countries that did not interfere in Hitler’s rise to power.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell supports continued aid to Ukraine, one of the few things he and his Democratic counterpart Chuck Schumer agree on.
Presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized DeSantis, saying he was “copying” Donald Trump. Haley, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, said she told Carlson that aid to Ukraine is in the U. S. interest.
But some Republicans, basically in the House of Representatives, are starting to lose patience with the help the U. S. is giving Kiev. Matt Gaetz introduced the “Ukraine Fatigue Resolution” in February, which called for an end to the entire U. S. military. U. S. and cash aid to Ucrania. La bill has 10 co-sponsors but is unlikely to pass, even though President Kevin McCarthy aid cuts
With an estimated one million Israelis protesting the country’s authoritarian escalation, and Israel killing Palestinians at a rate of nearly one consistent with one day so far in 2023, disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he will launch an organization called “Progressives for Israel. “”
“You cannot denounce anti-Semitism and yet doubt Israel’s right to exist and protect itself,” Cuomo said in his announcement Monday, linking Israel’s grievances to anti-Semitism. monolithic in their positions on Israel as a state.
“I’m starting an organization called Progressives for Israel, and I’m going to call the Democrats,” Cuomo continued. “Are you on Israel’s side or do you oppose Israel?Because silence is not an option.
Cuomo’s challenge coincides with waves of protesters inside and outside Israel denouncing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to weaken the judiciary’s ability to power other branches of government, giving Netanyahu’s far-right coalition greater ability to oppress Palestinians and help the prime minister. Minister escape his own corruption trials.
Cuomo’s puzzling resolution comes as he reportedly faces Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the 2024 New York Senate primary, which is all the more confusing given her recent track record.
Cuomo resigned from the governor’s workplace in 2021 while embroiled in a scandal. At least 11 women accused the governor of sexually harassing them during his term. Cuomo and his aides also intentionally underestimated and concealed the number of deaths in Covid-19 nursing homes. tried to protect political donors who were hospital and nursing home executives from Covid-related lawsuits. And it would have granted special access to Covid testing in the early stages of the pandemic to the circle of family members and other well-connected personalities.
Cuomo wrote a memoir in the midst of it all called American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic. Cuomo was subsequently accused of his taxpayer-funded time and his painters painting in the e-book that earned him a $5. 1 million contract. .
In the end, even President Biden called on Cuomo to resign after the reports of the 11 accusers were released. Cuomo’s brother and CNN anchor Chris fired him months later, amid an investigation into his own sexual harassment allegations, and whether he used his TV platform to help. His brother governor avoids his own accusations.
Even after all the pain Governor Cuomo left in his wake, he announced his new organization. It is unclear exactly how progressive it is to link fear for the well-being and safety of other Jews to the unequivocal fear of a state acting as an occupying force, and which even many of its own citizens consider out of control. What is transparent is how cynical this resolution is, if it is a warm-up before a political comeback attempt.
“God is rarely done with me yet,” Cuomo proclaimed last year in his first public appearance after resigning in 2021. “I have many characteristics in life and I am open to all of them,” he said in a speech in which he said. He criticized his opposition to the “cancellation of culture” and the media as the explanation for why he and his brother faced the consequences of their own actions. “We’re going to make trouble. “
It turns out that the annoyance has begun.
The state of Ohio is suing Rail Norfolk Southern after the disastrous derailment of the exercise in eastern Palestine, Ohio, last month.
“The derailment was entirely preventable and the direct result of Norfolk Southern’s practice of putting its own profits above the health, safety and well-being of the communities in which Norfolk Southern operates,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit, which was announced Tuesday, cites Norfolk Southern’s emerging accident rate, which has risen 80 percent over the past 10 years. At least 20 Norfolk Southern derailments since 2015 have been linked to chemical emissions. The industry as a whole is guilty of more than 1,000 derailments. yearly
The lawsuit affects Norfolk Southern for 58 violations of federal and state laws. Ohio claims the costs of damage to natural resources and property, economic harm to the state and residents, and existing and long-term state spending in response to environmental and public health concerns. The state is also seeking a “declaratory judgment that holds Norfolk Southern accountable. “
The bill mentions a variety of expressly violated laws, and adds the Comprehensive Environmental Liability, Compensation, and Response Act (CERCLA, also known as Superfund), which allows the government to cover up harmful errors like derailment while seeking opposing liability charges. to the real guilty actors. The legislation is acting as a shipment for Ohio to unload guarantees that Norfolk Southern will be found guilty of costs incurred by the state to mitigate the disaster.
Last week, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw promised before a Senate panel that the company was committed to doing “what’s best” for the community.
Meanwhile, others inside and outside eastern Palestine reported a variety of symptoms, from persistent sore throats and migraines to bloody stools and rashes. Animals and pets died. And Norfolk Southern staff were forced to work to clear the site without good enough PPE and reported persistent symptoms.
“Ohio does not have to bear the enormous monetary burden of Norfolk Southern’s gross negligence,” State Attorney General Dave Yost said Tuesday. long-term effects on our air, water and soil. “
This has been updated.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will revoke the Hyatt Regency’s liquor license Tuesday for allegedly allowing minors to attend a costume show at Christmas.
DeSantis, who has cracked down on LGBTQ rights, filed an administrative complaint with the State Department of Business and Professional Regulation accusing the Miami hotel of allowing others under 18 to attend a “sexually explicit” drag show.
Ron DeSantis proposes suspending the Hyatt Regency’s liquor license for a drag queen Christmas in December and allegedly having minors present. They may not even corroborate the allegations. That’s the only evidence they have. It’s patético. pic. twitter. com/d8T7noZyEy
The complaint provided no evidence that the children were more than a blurry photograph of a person’s face.
In the past, DeSantis had warned all the venues hosting the traveling exhibit A Drag Queen Christmas that his management would take legal action against them. He also raised the option of having children’s coverage investigate parents who take their children to drag shows. A Drag Queen Christmas is required for others under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult to attend.
In February, DeSantis threatened to revoke the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation’s liquor license for allegedly allowing young people to attend his production of A Drag Queen Christmas.
DeSantis has gone to all-out war with everything he considers “awake,” and with LGBTQ rights in particular. He signed into law the state’s notorious “Don’t Say Gay” law, banned transgender women from participating in women’s sports, and promised no to fund diversity, equity and inclusion systems on school campuses.
It’s also part of a broader trend among Republicans to demonize drag queens and trans people. Tennessee recently became the first state to ban public drag displays, while more than 20 expenses go through state legislatures across the country.
Republicans accuse drag artists and other trans people of being pedophiles as a way to sow concern about the LGBTQ network. Many on the right say attacking the LGBTQ network is a way to protect children, but their moves spread other people, including children, to violence. .
About 772,000 Florida workers, academics and network members are undocumented. And Gov. Ron DeSantis should make it a crime to have them in his home or even drive them.
Senate Bill 1718, which is part of Desantis’ broad repressive legislative calendar this year, targets not only undocumented immigrants, but anyone connected to them. The bill, which will likely pass the Republican-controlled state legislature, criminalizes anyone who transports an undocumented user “into or within this state. “In other words, anyone (colleague, friend, neighbor, classmate) who simply drives that they know or care about and who is undocumented would be guilty of a third-degree felony. .
The bill also criminalizes anyone who “hides, harbors, or protects” (or “attempts” to do) an undocumented user in “any position in this state. “Nearly 4% of Floridians are undocumented. The text of the bill, which reads like an edict published in Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Shadow Children series, is causing concern among thousands of people. a covert migrant shelter operation.
Under this framework, with a past conviction, whoever commits the “crime” of harboring an undocumented user would face an even higher second-degree felony.
The bill imposes thousands of dollars in fines on personal employers who deliver paintings to undocumented immigrants; Employers are not allowed to continue employing if they notice they are undocumented. And anyone without papers who works without the correct identity would face a third-degree felony. The bill also prohibits other undocumented people from being admitted to the Florida bar, overturning existing law that currently allows it.
If approved, Florida would also refuse to recognize any out-of-state licenses issued to undocumented individuals. Authorities would be guilty of taking DNA samples from other undocumented people who are detained in prisons or detention centers on the orders of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Finally, the bill instructs hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask patients to hint at their citizenship status. Ostensibly designed as a cost-tracking tool for caring about undocumented patients, the bill states that the consultation will need to be accompanied by a guarantee that the patient’s reaction will not care or result in a report to immigration authorities. However, given the end end of the rest of the bill, even when it comes to criminalizing other people who harbor undocumented immigrants “anywhere,” insurance doesn’t fit all trust.
“Governor Ron DeSantis and his Republican colleagues continue to demonstrate that they are more focused on attacking and vilifying immigrants and Latinos to advance their policy schedule than on solving the real problems that harm Floridians,” said Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragan and Vice President for Policy. Darren. Soto, who represents Florida’s 9th District, in a statement.
Republicans have qualified majorities in the Senate and House and, of course, in the governorship; The repressive law that further criminalizes undocumented immigrants, and colleagues and classmates, neighbors and friends with whom they have developed relationships, is about to pass.
“This will be the style for all 50 states in the future,” boasted state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, sponsor of the draconian bill.
As federal and state regulators rush to implicate the fallout from Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, Rep. Nancy Mace must make sure we don’t politicize the situation.
The South Carolina Republican called Elizabeth Warren Monday night to discuss the inherently political factor of banking regulation. Warren, also known as the user who would know best, criticized Congress and the Federal Reserve in a New York Times op-ed for not interfering and saving your bank failures.
“I don’t know, I shouldn’t politicize such a serious issue. Also, your statements are irresponsible, false and untimely,” Mace tweeted.
Republicans have already been quick to blame literally everything except money sector deregulation for SVB and Signature’s disruptions, especially the (mind-boggling) diversity. The problem.
Naturally, the Internet has had some thoughts.
yes wow, I hate when other people politicize. . . Banking regulation https://t. co/FWyNoSjOLq
As everyone knows, it is left-wing in an educated society to take such a sacrosanct factor as. . . Banking regulation and politicizing it https://t. co/OhLOHqhCQX
I find it hard to think of anything more political than pressuring banks to reduce regulations, temporarily destroying money and then assuming the government will bail them out of its own decisions. Like, come on.
Mace developed a reputation for leaning to the left while voting firmly with the right. He condemned Donald Trump’s role on Jan. 6, but voted to impeach him. He says his party fits too much against the right to decide, but he still votes for anti-abortion measures. .
But what he hopes to achieve with his tweet is crystal clear. It’s not like there’s a “little man” to protect here. If anything, Mace is the one who makes “irresponsible, false and badly synchronized” jokes.
Inflation is falling steadily slowly, according to the Consumer Price Index, according to a report released Tuesday through the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The CPI measures the monthly replenishment of the costs that U. S. consumers pay for certain goods. It is a key indicator of inflation for the government.
Here are 3 things you should know about the inflation report and what it may mean in the future.
1. Il has some of the smallest in more than a year.
Prices increased by 6% in February compared to a year earlier. This is a decent slowdown since January, when costs rose 6. 4% from a year earlier. This is the eighth consecutive month of falling inflation rate and the smallest one-year building since September 2021.
Obviously, 6% is still high, especially given the Federal Reserve’s 2% inflation target. But the speed of inflation is slowing, slowing to a 0. 4% increase in February from 0. 5% in January.
By cutting food and energy worth accumulating, which are still volatile even before the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine blocked supply chains, the value of construction increased by 5. 5% compared to last February. This is the smallest year after year. accumulating since December 2021.
Mark Zandi, lead economist at the economic research organization Moody’s Analytics, said inflation is “going in the right direction. “
“Inflation is painfully high, but it’s falling steadily. It is on track to 3% through the end of the year and the Fed’s inflation target through next summer,” he said on Twitter.
2. But inflation in key areas remains high.
Energy costs have fallen in recent months, contributing to slowing inflation. Fuel, fuel and electric power costs fell 0. 6 percent since January.
But food and housing prices have risen. Housing, in particular, was the main contributor to value accumulation in February, as house prices rose 0. 8%. Mortgages increase even when home values fall. People who own assets have to pay more, while other people who can’t buy have to refocus on the rental market. Although rental costs have started to fall, they are rising again due to increased demand.
Grocery costs rose 0. 4% in February and places to eat rose 0. 3%.
3. What does this mean for the future?
The Fed begins its policy-making assembly on Tuesday and is widely expected to raise interest rates as much as 0. 25% for the time being.
The new CPI report is unlikely to make that decision, however, it is possible that the Federal Reserve will be swayed by the recent closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. your mass budget.
Goldman Sachs chief economist Jan Hatzius predicted on Sunday that SVB and Signature’s decision would prompt the Fed to suspend interest rate hikes for now.
But Ian Shepherdson, lead economist at consultancy Pantheon Macroeconomics, believes the Fed will take the course.
“Assuming markets remain calm and no bank fails, we, the Fed, will rise” as much as 0. 25 percent, he wrote in a research on Tuesday.
“To be clear, we know that new increases are now unnecessary; the lagged effect of increases over the past year is enough to get inflation back on target, but so far Fed officials have declined to settle for that argument.
The central bank of EE. UU. se strives to achieve the so-called comfortable landing, or decrease inflation without leading the economy into recession. The labor market has remained strong overall, raising concerns that the economy may not have slowed enough for a slowdown.
Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic Policy and Research, estimated a 0. 25% increase in “50-50. “
“I think we have a great chance [on a comfortable landing] as long as the Fed doesn’t get carried away,” he told The New Republic.
This has been updated.
On Tuesday, President Biden travels to Monterey Park, California, where another 11 people were shot and nine others injured at a Lunar New Year festival. At the site of the deadliest mass shooting in Los Angeles County history, Biden will issue an executive order to build the point of background checks conducted before gun sales.
The order will also ask his cabinet to expand a plan on how the government can help larger communities suffering from gun violence. It is harmful and merits temporary confiscation of their weapons.
Another detail of the plan calls on Attorney General Merrick Garland to place more emphasis on regulations applicable to federally licensed firearms dealers, making sure traffickers meet background check requirements. Biden also ordered Garland to expand and put in place a program to save traffickers. whose licences had been revoked or renounced to proceed with the sale of arms.
Biden’s order also calls for greater disclosure of ballistic knowledge at the federal, state and local law enforcement levels; Currently, local and state law enforcement agencies are not required to report this knowledge. The goal of the mandate is a federal clearing house to help law enforcement compare shell casings to firearms.
Biden is also asking the Federal Trade Commission for a public report looking at how brands market guns to minors.
The ordinance is not so much an extension of the new regulations as a measure to enforce the permanent regulations more correctly. It follows the bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed last year after two shootings in May: one at a school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 youth and two adults dead; the other a racist shooting in Buffalo, New York, that left 10 dead.
The bill, though called “bipartisan,” had the approval of only 15 Republican senators and 14 members of the Republican House, and focused more on intellectual fitness and school protection programs. The gun regulation side of the bill focused primarily on expanding background checks for gun buyers under 21 and trying to close the so-called “groom’s loophole,” disqualifying anyone convicted of a domestic violence rate on a romantic date of buying guns, regardless of marital status.
Biden’s leadership is welcome. But until there is a more significant crackdown on guns, and until Republicans are allowed to continue masquerading as “common sense” gun reforms without voting for the most fundamental policies, others will continue to die.