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[SEGMENT 1-1] A Very MAGA Christmas 1 As we gather around the Christmas tree this year, sipping eggnog and humming carols, let us reflect on what has been a truly remarkable year for the MAGA movement. It feels almost like a Christmas miracle—or perhaps a whole series of them—that Donald Trump has once again triumphed over the never-ending shenanigans of the Left. From Alvin Bragg's legal circus to Letitia James' wild goose chases, and from the media's collective meltdown to the implosion of Biden's administration, 2024 has been the gift that keeps on giving. So, let's unwrap this year's highlights and sprinkle in some holiday cheer.The Year Kicked Off With Indictment Mania Remember when Alvin Bragg thought he'd deliver the fatal blow to Trump's political career with his "stormy" case involving hush money? Bragg's legal theories were so bizarre they made Rube Goldberg machines look straightforward. While the Manhattan DA was busy turning legal gymnastics into performance art, Trump was busy rallying the nation. Even CNN's legal analysts had to sheepishly admit Bragg's case lacked the teeth they'd hoped for (source). And then there was Fani Willis down in Georgia, valiantly trying to turn a phone call into a criminal enterprise. Her case fizzled faster than a cheap sparkler on New Year's Eve, but not before exposing how desperate the Left had become to smear Trump. [SEGMENT 1-2] A Very MAGA ChristmasThe DOJ's 91 Indictments: All Smoke, No Fire Special Counsel Jack Smith may have managed to stack 91 indictments against Trump, but let's be honest: it was like Geraldo Rivera opening Al Capone's vault. Nothing to see here, folks. Instead of taking Trump down, Smith inadvertently made him the political version of John Wick: the more they attacked, the stronger he became. Even MSNBC had to admit the indictments weren't landing as intended (source). Meanwhile, the DOJ itself unraveled under the weight of its hypocrisy. Hunter Biden's laptop? Ignored. Classified documents at Biden's Delaware home? Brushed under the rug. But try as they might, the American public saw through the double standards. Poll after poll revealed waning trust in the DOJ and FBI, culminating in Christopher Wray's resignation. A Christmas miracle indeed!Santa's New Elves: Trump's Appointments This year, Trump began assembling his administration-in-waiting, and oh, what a lineup it is! Each appointee is a present under the MAGA tree, guaranteed to send shivers down Leftist spines.Mike Davis (Attorney General): Known for his fierce takedowns of judicial overreach, Davis is set to bring the DOJ back in line. Leftists are already clutching their pearls at the thought of real accountability.Kash Patel (Director of National Intelligence): Patel's no-nonsense approach to exposing the Russia hoax makes him the perfect choice to clean house in the intelligence community.Ric Grenell (UN Ambassador): The Left loathes Grenell for his unapologetic America-first diplomacy. Expect him to give the UN a much-needed reality check.Each of these appointments signals a return to common sense and patriotism, and the Left's fear is palpable.The Media's Slow and Painful Demise Let's take a moment to appreciate the glorious collapse of mainstream media. CNN's ratings hit all-time lows, and even their golden girl Kaitlan Collins couldn't save the sinking ship. Joy Reid's MSNBC show? Barely hanging on. Meanwhile, The View's hosts spent more time screaming at each other than discussing coherent topics. The media's meltdown reached peak hilarity when they tried to spin Trump's victories as failures. When polls showed his approval climbing, they insisted the numbers were rigged. It was like watching someone try to argue that Santa doesn't exist while standing in a room full of presents.Holiday Ironies: Biden, Harris, and the “Ho Ho Ho” of Politics Biden's presidency has become the political equivalent of fruitcake—nobody wants it, but it just won't go away. His cognitive decline became impossible to ignore, even for the most loyal Democrats. And then there's Kamala Harris, the vice president who's been snubbed more times than a re-gifted sweater. The Bidens didn't even include her in their Christmas photo—a move so petty it deserves its own Hallmark movie.Kwanzaa and Kamala: A Tale of Two Fictions Speaking of Harris, her attempts to connect with African-American voters by celebrating Kwanzaa have been nothing short of cringe-inducing. Kwanzaa, much like her authenticity, feels manufactured. The internet had a field day mocking her forced enthusiasm, with memes comparing her to Michael Scott's infamous “Diversity Day” antics.Trump's Victory Lap And now, the pièce de résistance: Trump's victory. Despite the Left's relentless efforts to stop him, he's emerged stronger than ever. His rallies are packed, his base is energized, and his policies are resonating with everyday Americans. It's as if the Grinch tried to steal Christmas but ended up handing out gifts instead.Looking Ahead to 2025 As we head into the new year, the MAGA movement is more united than ever. Trump's second term promises to be a renaissance of American greatness, and the Left's tears will be the icing on the Christmas cookies. So here's to a Merry MAGA Christmas and a Happy New Year! May your holidays be filled with laughter, joy, and the sweet satisfaction of knowing that the best is yet to come. Cheers! [SEGMENT 1-3] A Very MAGA Christmas 3 – CR The Kevin Jackson Radio Show: Introduction "Welcome to The Kevin Jackson Radio Show, where we tackle the news the way Democrats handle the truth—recklessly, with a hint of holiday flair. Today, we're diving into the season's hottest topics: doom, debt, and Democrats throwing every trick in their playbook. Because nothing says 'Merry Christmas' like Leftist overreach and apocalyptic predictions. So Merry Xmas from the Democrats who gave us the gift of bigger government spending.Democrats Using the Entire Playbook First, the world will end if we can't fund the government. Forget that we play this little game every year, then we put it on steroids during a presidential transition. In this case, Democrats are jockeying to preserve what they want to call a great presidency, despite them nuking Old Joe into oblivion. Threatening shutdowns, twirling budget debates like a flaming baton. It's like Christmas caroling, but with fewer harmonies and more taxpayer extortion. Democrats claim the world will end if we don't raise the debt ceiling. Isn't it funny how we never run out of ways to spend money we don't have? And interestingly, we never seem to run out of money. Consider this: the national debt balloons yearly, no matter what legislation is passed—Balanced Budget Amendments, Pay-Go rules, you name it. The Democrats' new rallying cry? Save Christmas by saving government jobs. But let's be real. What happens when non-essential government employees are furloughed? Nothing. So, why do we have non-essential employees at all? Isn't “non-essential” just code for “we hired them because we can”? Trump sniffed out their treachery, because the stench of a Democrats can be smelled for miles by even the least sensitive nose. Trump had them rewrite the bill, shrinking it from 1500+ pages to 90ish. And Democrats declined to pass it. Who can blame them, as Trump's bill only contained the necessities and not all the pork Democrats are used to getting. But they do have a good reason to want the old bill: to save Christmas! The Budget Battle: Grinch Edition Now back to Hakeem Jeffries, who warns that without funding, Christmas will collapse. Flights will stop, chaos will ensue, and—wait for it—people will die in the streets. Someone hand this guy a script for It's a Wonderful Life. Funny thing is, every time we hit a budget crisis, the government shuts down briefly, everyone panics, and then… employees get paid anyway. So here's my question: why don't we trim the fat permanently? If a position is “non-essential,” it's probably also “non-taxpayer-worthy.” Let's give these people the greatest Christmas gift of all: a reason to update their résumés[SEGMENT 1-4] A Very MAGA Christmas 4 - Existential threats I looked up all the things that are existential threats. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/threats-civilization-survival-humanity-apocalypse Nuclear war Bioengineered pandemic Superintelligence (quantum computing) Nanotechnology Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-kevin-jackson-show--2896352/support.
Entenda como efetuar a atualização da DLL de forma, rápida, trazendo melhorias ao dia a dia do seu cliente. Convidados: Rodrigo Alves, SR TECH ENGINEER da PayGo
Welcome to Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, sponsored by Ownit AI. Ownit AI helps brands and retailers win Google search by answering their shopper's questions online. Learn more at ownit.co.Here are today's top headlines:Walmart GoLocal, Walmart's white-label, local delivery platform, is broadening its services beyond lightweight shipments from stores, now handling store-to-store transfers, deliveries from fulfillment centers, and big and bulky orders. Giant Eagle confirms the discontinuation of its "Scan Pay Go" feature at five stores due to low utilization. Peloton announces CEO Barry McCarthy's departure and plans to lay off 15% of its global workforce, affecting about 400 employees.Stay informed with Omni Talk's Retail Daily Minute, your source for the latest and most important retail insights. Be careful out there!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
If you pay taxes, you need to catch up you need this episode!Steve Redden of NOwTax USA breaks down all the great ideas to reform the tax system! You can check it his vision here:https://www.nowtaxusa.com/
David Elve, Executive Consultant, Vass Solutions, energy, utility, and IT executive with 30 years of experience at global positions based in Atlanta, Houston, Denver, Paris, Brussels, and London. Prior Board Member, EVP & Chief Marketing Officer, PayGo.
This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily Newsbrief for Tuesday, January 10th, 2023. Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope your week is going well for you and yours in this new year… and speaking of this new year! Club Membership Plug: (1/9) Ladies and gentleman, now is the time to sign up for a club membership at fightlaughfeast.com! You’ve heard it all before, new year, new you! Well that’s true for our club portal… This year, CrossPolitic will be dropping EXCLUSIVE content into our club portal, that you won’t be able to find ANYWHERE else. Some of this content will include a Bible study series with Pastor Toby, a new special with New Saint Andrew’s President, Ben Merkle, our backstage content, and probably stuff that Gabe hasn’t told Toby or Knox about! So again, head on over to fightlaughfeast.com to get signed up today! That’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/irs-chopping-block-first-day-legislative-work-speaker-mccarthy IRS on the chopping block on first day of legislative work under Speaker McCarthy The House of Representatives is slated to vote on a bill Monday night that would cut more than $70 billion in Internal Revenue Service funding in an effort to prevent the agency from conducting new audits on Americans — fulfilling newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s promise ahead of taking the gavel. The Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act from Reps. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., and Michelle Steel, R-Calif., would roll back the billions of dollars of funding for the IRS that was approved in the Inflation Reduction Act last year. Smith’s bill leaves in place funding for customer service and improvements to IT services at the IRS but rescinds several categories of unobligated funding, including money that could be used to conduct any new audits on Americans. In total, it would claw back $72 billion of the funding Congress approved for the IRS last year. The Inflation Reduction Act granted an $80 billion boost to the IRS over a 10-year period, and more than half of those funds were aimed at helping the agency crack down on tax evasion. In 2021, the Treasury Department estimated that $80 billion would be used to hire 87,000 auditors and other new staff. Republicans have said they would fight this aggressive expansion that would more than double the agency’s current size. "The last thing the American people need right now are more audits from an out-of-control, bloated IRS," Smith told Fox News Digital on Monday. "The Inflation Act funding for IRS would lead to the hiring of 87,000 new IRS employees tasked with raising enough revenue to pay for Democrats’ Green New Deal priorities." In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital just days before the midterm elections, McCarthy vowed that if he became speaker of the House, protecting Americans from the IRS would be his first order of business. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/whats-house-rules-package-tough-limits-federal-spending What's in it: House GOP rules package aims to curb trillions in yearly heaps of new debt A 55-page set of rules for the House that Speaker Kevin McCarthy hopes to pass on Monday will set ambitious new curbs on federal spending, part of the GOP's effort to stop piling on trillions of dollars in new debt each year. One of the biggest changes is a return to a "Cut-As-You-Go" policy that says legislation cannot be considered if it increases mandatory spending over a 5- or 10-year period. This "CUTGO" policy requires bills that call for new spending to find offsetting spending cuts elsewhere in the federal budget. That is a more aggressive stance compared to the "Pay-As-You-Go" policy under Democratic control. "PAYGO" also requires offsets to new spending, but those offsets can either be spending cuts or tax increases – and in either case, PAYGO rules were often waived entirely by Democrats. The decision to go with CUTGO shows the new GOP’s aversion to possible tax hikes, which can be seen elsewhere in the new rules package. For example, the rules require a supermajority in the House to approve new tax increases. "A bill or joint resolution, amendment, or conference report carrying a federal income tax rate increase may not be considered as passed or agreed to unless so determined by a vote of not less than three-fifths of the Members voting, a quorum being present," the rules state. In another push to stop piling on new debt, the rules will end the practice of allowing the House to automatically increase the debt ceiling through passage of a budget resolution that would require borrowing above the current ceiling. Instead, the GOP will require separate votes to raise the debt ceiling in a bid to restore accountability to Congress. The current debt ceiling is $31.38 trillion, and the government is on the verge of hitting that cap. The rules package also instructs House committees to prepare plans for strict oversight of the Biden administration, including an assessment of which programs continue to receive funding from Congress even though their authorization lapsed. It calls on committees to make recommendations on how to either consolidate or terminate those programs. The package brings back the so-called Holman Rule, which allows members to chop specific agencies or even the salaries of specific federal employees when appropriations bills are being considered. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-twitter-was-pressured-by-pfizer-to-suppress-posts-questioning-covid-vax-efficacy-twitter-files?utm_campaign=64487 Twitter was pressured by Pfizer to suppress posts questioning Covid vax efficacy: Twitter Files Alex Berenson dropped records from the Twitter Files on Monday, stating that a board member for Pfizer pressured Twitter to suppress and censor any posts questioning the efficacy of the company's mRNA vaccine. On August 27, 2021, Pfizer Board Member Dr. Scott Gottlieb emailed Todd O’Boyle, a Senior Manager of Public Policy at Twitter’s Washington, DC location, according to LinkedIn, and also Twitter’s point of contact with the White House, Berenson reported. The email subject line contained a tweet from Dr. Brett Giroir, who had briefly served under Gottlieb in the Food and Drug Administration. That tweet read: "It’s now clear that [Covid-19] natural immunity is superior to [vaccine] immunity, by ALOT. There’s no scientific justification for [vax proof] if a person had prior infection." https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-declares-state-of-emergency-in-california-after-deadly-storms_4971604.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport Biden Declares State of Emergency in California After Deadly Storms President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in California on Jan. 9 after a series of storms hit the Golden State, leaving about a dozen people dead. Several storms, as part of an “atmospheric river,” have hit California over the past two weeks and caused hundreds of thousands of customers to lose power, according to Poweroutage.us. As of the morning of Jan. 9, the website shows that more than 100,000 people are without power. Since Dec. 26, 2022, San Francisco has received more than 10 inches of rain, while Mammoth Mountain, a popular ski area in the Eastern Sierra, got nearly 10 feet of snow, the National Weather Service said. The emergency declaration allows the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and use emergency resources, the White House said in a Jan. 9 statement. Biden, who’s currently in Mexico, declared that an “emergency exists” in California following “successive and severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides.” FEMA is authorized to provide “equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency,” according to the statement. Over the weekend, in anticipation of more storms, the National Weather Service warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” that will likely hit California. The second storm system will hit on Jan. 10 with lower rainfall totals but will affect locations in Southern California, according to the federal agency. Heavy snow of as much as six feet will fall across higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountains, located in the eastern portion of California, before tapering off on Jan. 11. There will likely be “additional instances of flooding” across California this week, according to the agency. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-brazilian-anti-lula-protestors-storm-presidential-palace-and-national-congress?utm_campaign=64487 Brazilian anti-Lula protestors storm presidential palace and National Congress The headquarters of Brazil's executive and legislative branches were stormed by demonstrators protesting against the election of socialist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday, breaking into the presidential palace as well as the National Congress building. Palácio do Planalto, or Planalto Palace in English, is the workplace of Brazilian presidents, and is located in the same plaza as the National Congress of Brazil, as well as the Supreme Federal Court. The Praça dos Três Poderes, or Three Towers Plaza, is in the capital city of Brasília. Brazilian outlet Metropoles reports that a hundreds of "Bolsonarists," or supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, "broke through blocks that prevent the entry of non-accredited people and entered the Planalto parking lot," before eventually making their way into the Planalto Palace and National Congress buildings. Footage shared by American conservative activist ALX shows the moment protestors broke through the barrier as police attempted to subdue them. Eventually the police had to retreat while the crowd stormed through. Video from inside the Planalto Palace shows the protestors, decked out in patriotic outfits, walking through the gas around the offices. Around 2:40 pm, the protestors also entered the National Congress building under a "shower of tear gas bombs." More footage shows masses of protestors climbing up the ramps on the outside of the congressional building to get inside. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro is suspected to have been in Orlando, Florida, since December, reported The Hill. Diario 98 columnist George Marques reported that while the buildings were being invaded, a portion of the Bolsonaro supporters stayed behind to pray. Lula, who was inaugurated just one week ago, won 50.83 percent of the vote compared to conservative incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who won 49.17, in the country's October 2 vote. There was a runoff election afterwards on October 30 which Lula won, and that win was immediately ratified by the Superior Electoral Court. Gravity Jack: Gravity Jack is a full service digital agency specializing in the development of Virtual & Augmented Reality experiences, mobile apps, blockchain and Web3 projects. Founded in 2009 as the first American agency to offer augmented reality, they even patented it; Gravity Jack's digital experiences have been a source of innovation for small business, Fortune 500 Companies, and the US Military. Get your vision in motion at gravityjack.com ‘God’s Real’: Bills Quarterback Josh Allen Fights Back Tears While Recounting ‘Spiritual’ Moment on Field as Damar Hamlin Recovers It has been a harrowing, terrifying, and yet oddly optimistic time for the Buffalo Bills. On Sunday, just shy of a week after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during a football showdown between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills returned to the field and won against the New England Patriots. But that was only a bonus to the amazing news Hamlin is recovering and was able to watch the game from his hospital bed, sharing in the joy the 35-23 victory brought. Hamlin’s healing has been an answer to prayer for a nation on the edge of its seat, wondering if the 24-year-old player — whose initial medical state was dire — would pull through. That emotional toll was palpable, particularly after the Bills’ win Sunday. Quarterback Josh Allen delivered an emotional statement and gave God all the glory. “It was just spiritual … I was going around my team and saying, ‘God’s real,'” Allen said. “You can’t draw that one, write that one up any better.” He continued, as he got emotional, “It’s been three years and three months since the last kickoff return.” Allen was addressing the first play of the game, a 96-yard kickoff return — a resulting touchdown that left the Bills in celebration. The significance here, of course, is Hamlin’s number, which is 3. Here’s the great Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call: https://twitter.com/i/status/1612148627904032768 - Play Video With the players coming out donning Hamlin’s number, Allen clearly saw significance in the fact it had also been three years and three months since that last kickoff return. Allen also said during the post-game news conference he can’t remember another play that impacted him in such a profound way. “You want the truth? It was spiritual. It really was,” he said. “Bone-chilling. It was special. I can’t remember a play that touched me like that in my life.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1612215028085817345 - Play Video And that today… is why I love sports.
This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily Newsbrief for Tuesday, January 10th, 2023. Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope your week is going well for you and yours in this new year… and speaking of this new year! Club Membership Plug: (1/9) Ladies and gentleman, now is the time to sign up for a club membership at fightlaughfeast.com! You’ve heard it all before, new year, new you! Well that’s true for our club portal… This year, CrossPolitic will be dropping EXCLUSIVE content into our club portal, that you won’t be able to find ANYWHERE else. Some of this content will include a Bible study series with Pastor Toby, a new special with New Saint Andrew’s President, Ben Merkle, our backstage content, and probably stuff that Gabe hasn’t told Toby or Knox about! So again, head on over to fightlaughfeast.com to get signed up today! That’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/irs-chopping-block-first-day-legislative-work-speaker-mccarthy IRS on the chopping block on first day of legislative work under Speaker McCarthy The House of Representatives is slated to vote on a bill Monday night that would cut more than $70 billion in Internal Revenue Service funding in an effort to prevent the agency from conducting new audits on Americans — fulfilling newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s promise ahead of taking the gavel. The Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act from Reps. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., and Michelle Steel, R-Calif., would roll back the billions of dollars of funding for the IRS that was approved in the Inflation Reduction Act last year. Smith’s bill leaves in place funding for customer service and improvements to IT services at the IRS but rescinds several categories of unobligated funding, including money that could be used to conduct any new audits on Americans. In total, it would claw back $72 billion of the funding Congress approved for the IRS last year. The Inflation Reduction Act granted an $80 billion boost to the IRS over a 10-year period, and more than half of those funds were aimed at helping the agency crack down on tax evasion. In 2021, the Treasury Department estimated that $80 billion would be used to hire 87,000 auditors and other new staff. Republicans have said they would fight this aggressive expansion that would more than double the agency’s current size. "The last thing the American people need right now are more audits from an out-of-control, bloated IRS," Smith told Fox News Digital on Monday. "The Inflation Act funding for IRS would lead to the hiring of 87,000 new IRS employees tasked with raising enough revenue to pay for Democrats’ Green New Deal priorities." In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital just days before the midterm elections, McCarthy vowed that if he became speaker of the House, protecting Americans from the IRS would be his first order of business. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/whats-house-rules-package-tough-limits-federal-spending What's in it: House GOP rules package aims to curb trillions in yearly heaps of new debt A 55-page set of rules for the House that Speaker Kevin McCarthy hopes to pass on Monday will set ambitious new curbs on federal spending, part of the GOP's effort to stop piling on trillions of dollars in new debt each year. One of the biggest changes is a return to a "Cut-As-You-Go" policy that says legislation cannot be considered if it increases mandatory spending over a 5- or 10-year period. This "CUTGO" policy requires bills that call for new spending to find offsetting spending cuts elsewhere in the federal budget. That is a more aggressive stance compared to the "Pay-As-You-Go" policy under Democratic control. "PAYGO" also requires offsets to new spending, but those offsets can either be spending cuts or tax increases – and in either case, PAYGO rules were often waived entirely by Democrats. The decision to go with CUTGO shows the new GOP’s aversion to possible tax hikes, which can be seen elsewhere in the new rules package. For example, the rules require a supermajority in the House to approve new tax increases. "A bill or joint resolution, amendment, or conference report carrying a federal income tax rate increase may not be considered as passed or agreed to unless so determined by a vote of not less than three-fifths of the Members voting, a quorum being present," the rules state. In another push to stop piling on new debt, the rules will end the practice of allowing the House to automatically increase the debt ceiling through passage of a budget resolution that would require borrowing above the current ceiling. Instead, the GOP will require separate votes to raise the debt ceiling in a bid to restore accountability to Congress. The current debt ceiling is $31.38 trillion, and the government is on the verge of hitting that cap. The rules package also instructs House committees to prepare plans for strict oversight of the Biden administration, including an assessment of which programs continue to receive funding from Congress even though their authorization lapsed. It calls on committees to make recommendations on how to either consolidate or terminate those programs. The package brings back the so-called Holman Rule, which allows members to chop specific agencies or even the salaries of specific federal employees when appropriations bills are being considered. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-twitter-was-pressured-by-pfizer-to-suppress-posts-questioning-covid-vax-efficacy-twitter-files?utm_campaign=64487 Twitter was pressured by Pfizer to suppress posts questioning Covid vax efficacy: Twitter Files Alex Berenson dropped records from the Twitter Files on Monday, stating that a board member for Pfizer pressured Twitter to suppress and censor any posts questioning the efficacy of the company's mRNA vaccine. On August 27, 2021, Pfizer Board Member Dr. Scott Gottlieb emailed Todd O’Boyle, a Senior Manager of Public Policy at Twitter’s Washington, DC location, according to LinkedIn, and also Twitter’s point of contact with the White House, Berenson reported. The email subject line contained a tweet from Dr. Brett Giroir, who had briefly served under Gottlieb in the Food and Drug Administration. That tweet read: "It’s now clear that [Covid-19] natural immunity is superior to [vaccine] immunity, by ALOT. There’s no scientific justification for [vax proof] if a person had prior infection." https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-declares-state-of-emergency-in-california-after-deadly-storms_4971604.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport Biden Declares State of Emergency in California After Deadly Storms President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in California on Jan. 9 after a series of storms hit the Golden State, leaving about a dozen people dead. Several storms, as part of an “atmospheric river,” have hit California over the past two weeks and caused hundreds of thousands of customers to lose power, according to Poweroutage.us. As of the morning of Jan. 9, the website shows that more than 100,000 people are without power. Since Dec. 26, 2022, San Francisco has received more than 10 inches of rain, while Mammoth Mountain, a popular ski area in the Eastern Sierra, got nearly 10 feet of snow, the National Weather Service said. The emergency declaration allows the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and use emergency resources, the White House said in a Jan. 9 statement. Biden, who’s currently in Mexico, declared that an “emergency exists” in California following “successive and severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides.” FEMA is authorized to provide “equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency,” according to the statement. Over the weekend, in anticipation of more storms, the National Weather Service warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” that will likely hit California. The second storm system will hit on Jan. 10 with lower rainfall totals but will affect locations in Southern California, according to the federal agency. Heavy snow of as much as six feet will fall across higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountains, located in the eastern portion of California, before tapering off on Jan. 11. There will likely be “additional instances of flooding” across California this week, according to the agency. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-brazilian-anti-lula-protestors-storm-presidential-palace-and-national-congress?utm_campaign=64487 Brazilian anti-Lula protestors storm presidential palace and National Congress The headquarters of Brazil's executive and legislative branches were stormed by demonstrators protesting against the election of socialist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday, breaking into the presidential palace as well as the National Congress building. Palácio do Planalto, or Planalto Palace in English, is the workplace of Brazilian presidents, and is located in the same plaza as the National Congress of Brazil, as well as the Supreme Federal Court. The Praça dos Três Poderes, or Three Towers Plaza, is in the capital city of Brasília. Brazilian outlet Metropoles reports that a hundreds of "Bolsonarists," or supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, "broke through blocks that prevent the entry of non-accredited people and entered the Planalto parking lot," before eventually making their way into the Planalto Palace and National Congress buildings. Footage shared by American conservative activist ALX shows the moment protestors broke through the barrier as police attempted to subdue them. Eventually the police had to retreat while the crowd stormed through. Video from inside the Planalto Palace shows the protestors, decked out in patriotic outfits, walking through the gas around the offices. Around 2:40 pm, the protestors also entered the National Congress building under a "shower of tear gas bombs." More footage shows masses of protestors climbing up the ramps on the outside of the congressional building to get inside. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro is suspected to have been in Orlando, Florida, since December, reported The Hill. Diario 98 columnist George Marques reported that while the buildings were being invaded, a portion of the Bolsonaro supporters stayed behind to pray. Lula, who was inaugurated just one week ago, won 50.83 percent of the vote compared to conservative incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who won 49.17, in the country's October 2 vote. There was a runoff election afterwards on October 30 which Lula won, and that win was immediately ratified by the Superior Electoral Court. Gravity Jack: Gravity Jack is a full service digital agency specializing in the development of Virtual & Augmented Reality experiences, mobile apps, blockchain and Web3 projects. Founded in 2009 as the first American agency to offer augmented reality, they even patented it; Gravity Jack's digital experiences have been a source of innovation for small business, Fortune 500 Companies, and the US Military. Get your vision in motion at gravityjack.com ‘God’s Real’: Bills Quarterback Josh Allen Fights Back Tears While Recounting ‘Spiritual’ Moment on Field as Damar Hamlin Recovers It has been a harrowing, terrifying, and yet oddly optimistic time for the Buffalo Bills. On Sunday, just shy of a week after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during a football showdown between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills returned to the field and won against the New England Patriots. But that was only a bonus to the amazing news Hamlin is recovering and was able to watch the game from his hospital bed, sharing in the joy the 35-23 victory brought. Hamlin’s healing has been an answer to prayer for a nation on the edge of its seat, wondering if the 24-year-old player — whose initial medical state was dire — would pull through. That emotional toll was palpable, particularly after the Bills’ win Sunday. Quarterback Josh Allen delivered an emotional statement and gave God all the glory. “It was just spiritual … I was going around my team and saying, ‘God’s real,'” Allen said. “You can’t draw that one, write that one up any better.” He continued, as he got emotional, “It’s been three years and three months since the last kickoff return.” Allen was addressing the first play of the game, a 96-yard kickoff return — a resulting touchdown that left the Bills in celebration. The significance here, of course, is Hamlin’s number, which is 3. Here’s the great Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call: https://twitter.com/i/status/1612148627904032768 - Play Video With the players coming out donning Hamlin’s number, Allen clearly saw significance in the fact it had also been three years and three months since that last kickoff return. Allen also said during the post-game news conference he can’t remember another play that impacted him in such a profound way. “You want the truth? It was spiritual. It really was,” he said. “Bone-chilling. It was special. I can’t remember a play that touched me like that in my life.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1612215028085817345 - Play Video And that today… is why I love sports.
This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily Newsbrief for Tuesday, January 10th, 2023. Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope your week is going well for you and yours in this new year… and speaking of this new year! Club Membership Plug: (1/9) Ladies and gentleman, now is the time to sign up for a club membership at fightlaughfeast.com! You’ve heard it all before, new year, new you! Well that’s true for our club portal… This year, CrossPolitic will be dropping EXCLUSIVE content into our club portal, that you won’t be able to find ANYWHERE else. Some of this content will include a Bible study series with Pastor Toby, a new special with New Saint Andrew’s President, Ben Merkle, our backstage content, and probably stuff that Gabe hasn’t told Toby or Knox about! So again, head on over to fightlaughfeast.com to get signed up today! That’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/irs-chopping-block-first-day-legislative-work-speaker-mccarthy IRS on the chopping block on first day of legislative work under Speaker McCarthy The House of Representatives is slated to vote on a bill Monday night that would cut more than $70 billion in Internal Revenue Service funding in an effort to prevent the agency from conducting new audits on Americans — fulfilling newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s promise ahead of taking the gavel. The Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act from Reps. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., and Michelle Steel, R-Calif., would roll back the billions of dollars of funding for the IRS that was approved in the Inflation Reduction Act last year. Smith’s bill leaves in place funding for customer service and improvements to IT services at the IRS but rescinds several categories of unobligated funding, including money that could be used to conduct any new audits on Americans. In total, it would claw back $72 billion of the funding Congress approved for the IRS last year. The Inflation Reduction Act granted an $80 billion boost to the IRS over a 10-year period, and more than half of those funds were aimed at helping the agency crack down on tax evasion. In 2021, the Treasury Department estimated that $80 billion would be used to hire 87,000 auditors and other new staff. Republicans have said they would fight this aggressive expansion that would more than double the agency’s current size. "The last thing the American people need right now are more audits from an out-of-control, bloated IRS," Smith told Fox News Digital on Monday. "The Inflation Act funding for IRS would lead to the hiring of 87,000 new IRS employees tasked with raising enough revenue to pay for Democrats’ Green New Deal priorities." In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital just days before the midterm elections, McCarthy vowed that if he became speaker of the House, protecting Americans from the IRS would be his first order of business. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/whats-house-rules-package-tough-limits-federal-spending What's in it: House GOP rules package aims to curb trillions in yearly heaps of new debt A 55-page set of rules for the House that Speaker Kevin McCarthy hopes to pass on Monday will set ambitious new curbs on federal spending, part of the GOP's effort to stop piling on trillions of dollars in new debt each year. One of the biggest changes is a return to a "Cut-As-You-Go" policy that says legislation cannot be considered if it increases mandatory spending over a 5- or 10-year period. This "CUTGO" policy requires bills that call for new spending to find offsetting spending cuts elsewhere in the federal budget. That is a more aggressive stance compared to the "Pay-As-You-Go" policy under Democratic control. "PAYGO" also requires offsets to new spending, but those offsets can either be spending cuts or tax increases – and in either case, PAYGO rules were often waived entirely by Democrats. The decision to go with CUTGO shows the new GOP’s aversion to possible tax hikes, which can be seen elsewhere in the new rules package. For example, the rules require a supermajority in the House to approve new tax increases. "A bill or joint resolution, amendment, or conference report carrying a federal income tax rate increase may not be considered as passed or agreed to unless so determined by a vote of not less than three-fifths of the Members voting, a quorum being present," the rules state. In another push to stop piling on new debt, the rules will end the practice of allowing the House to automatically increase the debt ceiling through passage of a budget resolution that would require borrowing above the current ceiling. Instead, the GOP will require separate votes to raise the debt ceiling in a bid to restore accountability to Congress. The current debt ceiling is $31.38 trillion, and the government is on the verge of hitting that cap. The rules package also instructs House committees to prepare plans for strict oversight of the Biden administration, including an assessment of which programs continue to receive funding from Congress even though their authorization lapsed. It calls on committees to make recommendations on how to either consolidate or terminate those programs. The package brings back the so-called Holman Rule, which allows members to chop specific agencies or even the salaries of specific federal employees when appropriations bills are being considered. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-twitter-was-pressured-by-pfizer-to-suppress-posts-questioning-covid-vax-efficacy-twitter-files?utm_campaign=64487 Twitter was pressured by Pfizer to suppress posts questioning Covid vax efficacy: Twitter Files Alex Berenson dropped records from the Twitter Files on Monday, stating that a board member for Pfizer pressured Twitter to suppress and censor any posts questioning the efficacy of the company's mRNA vaccine. On August 27, 2021, Pfizer Board Member Dr. Scott Gottlieb emailed Todd O’Boyle, a Senior Manager of Public Policy at Twitter’s Washington, DC location, according to LinkedIn, and also Twitter’s point of contact with the White House, Berenson reported. The email subject line contained a tweet from Dr. Brett Giroir, who had briefly served under Gottlieb in the Food and Drug Administration. That tweet read: "It’s now clear that [Covid-19] natural immunity is superior to [vaccine] immunity, by ALOT. There’s no scientific justification for [vax proof] if a person had prior infection." https://www.theepochtimes.com/biden-declares-state-of-emergency-in-california-after-deadly-storms_4971604.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport Biden Declares State of Emergency in California After Deadly Storms President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in California on Jan. 9 after a series of storms hit the Golden State, leaving about a dozen people dead. Several storms, as part of an “atmospheric river,” have hit California over the past two weeks and caused hundreds of thousands of customers to lose power, according to Poweroutage.us. As of the morning of Jan. 9, the website shows that more than 100,000 people are without power. Since Dec. 26, 2022, San Francisco has received more than 10 inches of rain, while Mammoth Mountain, a popular ski area in the Eastern Sierra, got nearly 10 feet of snow, the National Weather Service said. The emergency declaration allows the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster relief efforts and use emergency resources, the White House said in a Jan. 9 statement. Biden, who’s currently in Mexico, declared that an “emergency exists” in California following “successive and severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides.” FEMA is authorized to provide “equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency,” according to the statement. Over the weekend, in anticipation of more storms, the National Weather Service warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” that will likely hit California. The second storm system will hit on Jan. 10 with lower rainfall totals but will affect locations in Southern California, according to the federal agency. Heavy snow of as much as six feet will fall across higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountains, located in the eastern portion of California, before tapering off on Jan. 11. There will likely be “additional instances of flooding” across California this week, according to the agency. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-brazilian-anti-lula-protestors-storm-presidential-palace-and-national-congress?utm_campaign=64487 Brazilian anti-Lula protestors storm presidential palace and National Congress The headquarters of Brazil's executive and legislative branches were stormed by demonstrators protesting against the election of socialist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday, breaking into the presidential palace as well as the National Congress building. Palácio do Planalto, or Planalto Palace in English, is the workplace of Brazilian presidents, and is located in the same plaza as the National Congress of Brazil, as well as the Supreme Federal Court. The Praça dos Três Poderes, or Three Towers Plaza, is in the capital city of Brasília. Brazilian outlet Metropoles reports that a hundreds of "Bolsonarists," or supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, "broke through blocks that prevent the entry of non-accredited people and entered the Planalto parking lot," before eventually making their way into the Planalto Palace and National Congress buildings. Footage shared by American conservative activist ALX shows the moment protestors broke through the barrier as police attempted to subdue them. Eventually the police had to retreat while the crowd stormed through. Video from inside the Planalto Palace shows the protestors, decked out in patriotic outfits, walking through the gas around the offices. Around 2:40 pm, the protestors also entered the National Congress building under a "shower of tear gas bombs." More footage shows masses of protestors climbing up the ramps on the outside of the congressional building to get inside. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro is suspected to have been in Orlando, Florida, since December, reported The Hill. Diario 98 columnist George Marques reported that while the buildings were being invaded, a portion of the Bolsonaro supporters stayed behind to pray. Lula, who was inaugurated just one week ago, won 50.83 percent of the vote compared to conservative incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, who won 49.17, in the country's October 2 vote. There was a runoff election afterwards on October 30 which Lula won, and that win was immediately ratified by the Superior Electoral Court. Gravity Jack: Gravity Jack is a full service digital agency specializing in the development of Virtual & Augmented Reality experiences, mobile apps, blockchain and Web3 projects. Founded in 2009 as the first American agency to offer augmented reality, they even patented it; Gravity Jack's digital experiences have been a source of innovation for small business, Fortune 500 Companies, and the US Military. Get your vision in motion at gravityjack.com ‘God’s Real’: Bills Quarterback Josh Allen Fights Back Tears While Recounting ‘Spiritual’ Moment on Field as Damar Hamlin Recovers It has been a harrowing, terrifying, and yet oddly optimistic time for the Buffalo Bills. On Sunday, just shy of a week after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during a football showdown between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills returned to the field and won against the New England Patriots. But that was only a bonus to the amazing news Hamlin is recovering and was able to watch the game from his hospital bed, sharing in the joy the 35-23 victory brought. Hamlin’s healing has been an answer to prayer for a nation on the edge of its seat, wondering if the 24-year-old player — whose initial medical state was dire — would pull through. That emotional toll was palpable, particularly after the Bills’ win Sunday. Quarterback Josh Allen delivered an emotional statement and gave God all the glory. “It was just spiritual … I was going around my team and saying, ‘God’s real,'” Allen said. “You can’t draw that one, write that one up any better.” He continued, as he got emotional, “It’s been three years and three months since the last kickoff return.” Allen was addressing the first play of the game, a 96-yard kickoff return — a resulting touchdown that left the Bills in celebration. The significance here, of course, is Hamlin’s number, which is 3. Here’s the great Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call: https://twitter.com/i/status/1612148627904032768 - Play Video With the players coming out donning Hamlin’s number, Allen clearly saw significance in the fact it had also been three years and three months since that last kickoff return. Allen also said during the post-game news conference he can’t remember another play that impacted him in such a profound way. “You want the truth? It was spiritual. It really was,” he said. “Bone-chilling. It was special. I can’t remember a play that touched me like that in my life.” https://twitter.com/i/status/1612215028085817345 - Play Video And that today… is why I love sports.
The cohosts work through their recurring sense of dêja vù as they watch Republicans go after Kevin McCarthy with everything they have; why wouldn't progressives settle for more using the same hardball tactics, and why is ryan grim *still out there in 2023* pushing a narrow PAYGO exemption as the ultimate concession? We then dive deep into the Marianne 2024 discourse that's been agitating the Left and give you our definitive takes on the matter, looking at it from all possible perspectives. Finally, we come together and dunk on Indiana's most reviled pizza rat and speculate whether the airline boondoggle would damage his presidential ambitions. Between Pete, the Squad and Marianne, if there's one thing we can all agree on it's that you, bestie, deserve so much better. #Jonathan2024 Download the Callin app for iOS and Android to listen to this podcast live, call in, and more! Also available at callin.com
Congress delivered the ambulance industry an early 2022 Christmas present when they passed an Omnibus package to extend the Extenders and put the brakes on PAYGO. Download this important breaking news event right now! Presenters: Chuck Humphrey
Sen. Paul: Republicans Are Spineless/ December. 15. 2022 (Larry Conners is Paul Harvey with an Edge) Hour One of Larry Conners USA. Senator Rand Paul says Republicans are emasculated! Senator Paul claims we have added debt faster then we ever have in the history of this country. Paygo: or "Pay as you go": it requires [...] The post Sen. Paul: Republicans Are Spineless/ 1 PM LC-USA 12-15-22 appeared first on Larry Conners USA.
The hosts are back to debrief on all the Fresh Hell that's transpired: while Biden and the democrats celebrate potentially losing the house and all legislative responsibility by touting policies they've actively sabotaged, the regularly scheduled gaslighting from AOC continues to haunt us as we wonder why Ryan Grim didn't listen to Brie the first time. We travel back in time to 2021 and revisit ryan's confrontation with his mentee-turned-mentor to muse about what he got wrong about Force The Vote and why he's still trying to mislead us into thinking that a narrow PAYGO exemption was a revolutionary contribution to people's lives. https://www.patreon.com/posts/52475921?utm_campaign=postshare_fan https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/1590107349251149826?t=fFV5BNHzBdfip1iGLj385Q&s=19 https://twitter.com/ryangrim/status/1587857547297447937?t=QlkcRKlLdcuEkz_5nMI-8A&s=19 https://twitter.com/Neolibtears/status/1588257161834295296?t=rTNLcE4Ved8nJCjMVaMIpw&s=19 Download the Callin app for iOS and Android to listen to this podcast live, call in, and more! Also available at callin.com
In this episode: We'll discuss the major stresses and challenges facing rural hospitals, including geography, patient mix, a growing workforce crisis, and funding shortfalls. Since 2010, 140 rural hospitals have closed, including 25 since the start of the pandemic. Congressional support helped keep that number from being even higher, but what happens now as COVID-19 relief runs out? What's the impact on a small, rural community when a hospital closes? Congress needs to take actions to preserve funding for rural hospitals during Lame Duck session. What will be the impact on access to care if Medicare Dependent Hospital and Low-Volume Hospital programs aren't extended and lawmakers don't waive PAYGO? How will divided government affect rural hospital policy moving forward in 2023? Is there room for bipartisan compromise? Guest: Brock Slabach, Chief Operating Officer, National Rural Health Association.
Vinícius Pessin - Conectando varejistas à maior rede de entregadores autônomos do Brasil com a Eu Entrego.Vinicius Pessin (Co-Fundador da Eu Entrego) – empresa que já soma mais de 2 milhões de entregas realizadas. O Vinícius possui mais de 20 anos de experiência em empresas de tecnologia como Terra, Diveo, UOL, B2W, PayGo e C6. Foi co-fundador da e-smart vendida para a B2W em 2015 e também da Plugin vendida para o UOL em 2007. Desenvolveu no UOL a unidade de negócios UOL Host e na B2W liderou as estratégias comerciais e de alianças do marketplace da empresa. Em 2016 co-fundou a Eu Entrego - plataforma que transforma lojas físicas em hubs logístico e conecta varejistas à uma rede de entregadores autônomos em carros de passeio e bikes elétricas.Se você estiver ouvindo esse episódio pelo Spotify não esqueça de clicar no botão “seguir”, se você estiver ouvindo pelo Apple Podcasts deixe 5 estrelas e comentário que eu leio todos. Me adiciona também no
McLaughlin polling: 62% say the country's on the wrong track, 61% say USA is in recession, 43% affected by inflation and 87% won't benefit from Biden's s Student Loan Forgiveness while everyone's taxes will go up. In less than 2 years, McLaughlin says Biden has added $4T to Federal Spending and $10T to the National Debt. Biden corruption is a very real threat: Chinese gave Hunter tens of millions and Sec. of State Blinken was head of the Biden Center at the Univ. of Penn where the Chinese had given them tens of millions. So Biden won't stand up to the Chinese or Russian oligarchs, the ones who had the Biden family on the payroll. Putin is unafraid of Biden because the Russians know more about Biden than we do. GUEST: JOHN MC LAUGHLIN, GOP POLLSTER
Ben Jeffreys is the CEO of ATEC International, which supports households across Asia & Africa to transition to modern, decarbonized cooking through its patented IoT stove products - delivering cost efficiency to households, data-validated carbon credits to net-zero partners and addressing the 4 billion people who lack access to clean, modern cooking. After moving his family to Cambodia in 2015 to commercialize ATEC's biodigester prototype, the winning product of the Google Impact Challenge, into a social enterprise, he has helped ATEC become a global leader in clean cooking it's two flagship on-grid and off-grid products delivering data-driven scalable impact not only for cooking, but data validation of carbon reduction as well. ATEC is aiming to help 800 million households to offset more emissions than the global airline industry whilst saving the lives of millions of women each year who traditionally cook with wood. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE How clean cooking products increases life quality, health, and household incomes How ATEC is using data collection and technology to offset carbon emissions The economics of carbon credits and why they are attractive to companies How to choose a high impact problem you can have a significant role in solving How to develop an Impact Flywheel to scale a solution and much more... Full show notes, transcripts, and resources can be found here: evolvethe.world/episodes/79The Evolve podcast is produced by Plato University.TIMESTAMPS(00:00) - Introduction(01:40) - How big is the clean cooking problem globally?(02:46) - How to choose a high impact problem you can have a significant role in solving(06:29) - What macro trends in energy made ATEC's solutions possible(07:23) - ATEC's clean cooking biodigester and induction stove solutions(11:41) - How to develop an Impact Flywheel to scale a solution(16:50) - Why Ben moved his family to Cambodia(21:04) - How ATEC gained early adopters with its PAYGO model(23:01) - How ATEC developed it's prototypes(27:01) - How clean cooking products increases life quality, health, and household incomes(30:12) - Why ATEC decided to pivot to induction stoves(33:04) - How ATEC is using data collection and technology to offset carbon emissions(36:34) - The economics of carbon credits and why they are attractive to companies(40:55) - How to face overwhelming problems(42:37) - Why its important to choose purposeful work(46:18) - How to identify a problem you are equipped to solve(48:34) - What our energy solutions look like for the next decade(53:17) - How we can push the world to Evolve
In this episode, Commissioner Echols and KC Boyce talk with Dave Elve of PayGo about the pre-pay program.
Gas prices are heading straight to the stratosphere. Inflation is the elephant in the room. And there's a growing concern in Medicare when it comes to physician payments. Here's why: Medicare cuts are pending, including the PAYGO 4 percent, starting in 2023.What's more, deductions from reinstated sequestrations are on the rise. There's also an expected lowering of the 2023 conversion factor, the possible ending of the public health emergency (PHE) windfall of telehealth payment parity, as well as MedPac saying that a physician raise generally is not necessary. So, the burning question: where is all the money going from Medicare? For an exclusive backgrounder on this timely and worrisome topic, register now to listen to the next live edition of Talk Ten Tuesdays. That's when nationally recognized physician coder, auditor, and consultant Terry Fletcher will have insight and perspective on the potential impact on your practice, moving forward. The live broadcast will also feature these other segments:Coding Report: Laurie Johnson, senior healthcare consultant with Revenue Cycle Solutions, LLC will report on the latest coding news.Mental Health Report: Internationally recognized and award-winning psychiatrist H. Steven Moffic, MD, will begin a new series on mental health. His focus this Tuesday will be on PTSD, a particularly relevant segment given that June is PTSD Awareness Month.News Desk: Timothy Powell, CPA, a consultant with Besler, will anchor the Talk-Ten-Tuesdays News Desk.Journaling John: John Zelem, MD, FACS, founder and CEO for Streamline Solutions Consulting, will continue with his second journal entry in this new segment.TalkBack: Erica Remer,MD, founder and president of Erica Remer, MD, Inc. and Talk-Ten-Tuesdays co-host, will report on a subject that has caught her attention during her popular segment.Sitting in for executive producer and program host Chuck Buck will be Dennis Jones.
In this episode of the Power for All podcast, Kristina Skierka, Founder and CEO of Power for All, speaks with Prof Dan Kammen, a Professor of Energy at the University of California, Berkeley, with parallel appointments in the Energy and Resources Group. The conversation focuses on how the renewable energy sector has changed over the years and the role of innovations in driving energy access in peri-urban and rural communities, particularly the Pay-As-You-Go (PayGO) model. Dan notes solar energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels. He attributes that partly to scaling up and manufacturing but mostly to figuring out how to work a system that, for a long time and maybe even today, is not bending over backward to accommodate clean energy. “Human connections, thinking about energy access, energy justice, and asking the gender and racial questions of inequality were never on the table as they are now,” he adds. He notes there are still problems in a world that still subsidizes fossil fuels more than investing in renewables but we also have a world of disruptive clean, socially just energy options. Dan notes PayGo is a democratic system that allows the consumers to see what energy costs and to pay for it, as they wish, in small units. He, however, cautions against opportunists who may take advantage of the system.
It's a crew show! Zack is back from the Range Rover launch where he drove 3 models of the new Range. Matt is back from Cabo, and we have an EQS in the garage! We talk about the new Range Rover; the best sports car for a 23 year-old; commuter cars for normal people; manufacturer issues; and Elon's Twitter bid.Recorded April 15, 2022 Check out Road & Track's Rally U here! https://experiences.roadandtrack.com/payGo to blackvue.com/TST to learn more about the BlackVue DR750X-2CH LTE Plus dash cam and BlackVue SIM card. Use the promo code TIRE to get 10% off of any BlackVue dash cam. Free shipping for orders over $200. Evercoat Body Shop takes the guesswork out of body work. Available at Advance Auto Part stores. LMNT is so sure you will love their product and come back for more they are offering you a free LMNT Sample Pack. That's 8 single serving packets FREE - Just cover the cost of shipping ($5 for US customers). Get yours at DrinkLMNT.com/TIREWant your question answered? To listen to the episode the day it's recorded? Want to watch the live stream, get ad-free podcasts, or exclusive podcasts? Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thesmokingtirepodcast Tweet at us! https://www.Twitter.com/thesmokingtire https://www.Twitter.com/zackklapman Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/thesmokingtire https://www.Instagram.com/therealzackklapman Click here for the most honest car reviews out there: https://www.youtube.com/thesmokingtire Want shorter podcasts? Subscribe to our new CLIPS channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD4WGV-W5zD1MK4yHbNGwmw
All practices, hospitals, and health systems this is a critical and timely episode. Claire Ernst, Director of Government Affairs breaks down the legislation passed last night by Congress which waived and delayed several looming cuts to Medicare reimbursement for 2022. She covers the PAYGO 4% cuts, conversion factor changes, sequester delays and phased reinstitution, telehealth coverage for 2022 and more! Tune in for essential updates to your 2022 reimbursement outlook!What you'll get out of this episode: What portion of the previously delayed 2021 budget neutrality adjustments were mitigated for the Medicare physician fee schedule conversion factor through CY 2022 The status of the imposition of the 4% statutory pay-as-you-go sequester resulting from the American Rescue Plan Act through CY 2022; The new plan for the reinstatement of the existing 2% Medicare sequester through March 2022 and more! Quotables“Statutory PAYGO has actually never been triggered before for Medicare…we were getting down to the wire and it wasn't getting done” @ClaireErnstJD“Anyone who has a physician office lab would want to pay attention to this, the protecting access to medicare act (PAMA) passed in 2014 basically redid the formula for data reporting and coming up with the calculation for reimbursing labs which led certain labs to face up to 15% in cuts…many of those cuts were delayed for a year by the CURES Act through the end of this year”@ClaireErnstJD“We went from expecting 9.75% cuts in Medicare reimbursement to removing 9% of those cuts” @ClaireErnstJD“There is momentum [regarding audio only telehealth] if it's something that's important to you and your practice, especially if you are in a rural area, get in contact with your members of congress and provide them that data or those anecdotes you may have” @ClaireErnstJDRecommended Resources MGMA Washington Connection CMS Newsroom Join the ConversationWe want to hear from our RevDivers! Tell us what topics and people you'd like us to cover in future episodes:- Website - Facebook - LinkedIn - Twitter - YouTubeFollow our hosts on LinkedIn:Taya https://www.linkedin.com/in/tayamoheiser/ Kem https://www.linkedin.com/in/kem-tolliver-bs-cmpe-cpc-cmom-1225b115/ Sponsored by: ABILITY Network
On today's episode, we are joined by Ryan Walker, Director of Government Relations for Heritage Action, to discuss the government funding fight going on right now on Capitol Hill.Every year in December, Congress scrambles to come up with a way to fund the federal government for the next fiscal year. The Democrats are far away from coming to a deal within their own party, so Congress must pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) that will fund the government temporarily until Democrats get their act together.Congress could easily pass a "clean" CR which would fund the government with the same Trump-era spending measures. This is the best option. However, Democrats want pass a CR with string attached. Namely, they want to bail out medicare through PAYGO waivers, fund housing for unaccompanied minors at the border, and fund resettlement for tens of thousands of Afghanis.Listen to this week's episode and make sure to like and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This episode showcases the "pre-pay" program that many utilities offer their customers. Dave Elve of PayGo and Jamie Wimberly of Distributed Energy Financial Group LLC share their experience and why these programs are generating 80% customer satisfaction. In the 2nd half of the show, Pete Marte joins Tim and John to discuss the evolution of solar in Georgia and why solar makes sense for certain homeowners and businesses
W dzisiejszym odcinku podcastu odrobina wiedzy zmierzymy się z kolejną dawką poglądów na trendy w e-commerce w roku 2020 oraz wizje na rok 2021. Dużo pomysłów i dużo komentarzu dotyczącego rozwiązań dzisiaj i jak to było kiedyś w e-commerce, także zapraszam do odsłuchania długiej i ostatniej części trendów 2020/21 komentowanych przez ekspertów dla bloga https://achmielewska.com/. ***Odcinek robiony na szybkości, za co przepraszam każdego wytrawnego słuchacza podcastów na Spotify! - A poza tym stanowczo za długi... Gośćmi tej części artykuły byli: Artur Halik – Head of Sales at Shoper Joanna Borucka – KatalogMarzen.pl Paweł Fornalski – Founder & CEO at IAI Łukasz Chwiszczuk – Google Ads Expert, Head of Performance w Social Tigers Marek Kich – CEO w X-Coding IT Studio Marcin Jabłoński – Digital Director w Castorama Polska Sp. z o.o. Piotr Szymczak – Head of Digital w Furgonetka.pl Agata Chmielewska – blog achmielewska.com Link do artykułu/bloga – https://achmielewska.com/trendy-w-e-commerce/ Link do mojego konta na TIK TOKU, który już niebawem startuje – https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRe8hxYT/ W sprawie kontaktu: hartman@gmail.com – napisz śmiało i otwarcie Social media: Facebook – Odrobina wiedzy tutaj Instagram – projekt podcast tutaj #ecommerce #ehandel #ebiznes #sklepyinternetowe #inpost #platnoscionline #przedsiebiorca #biznes #amazon #skleponline #odrobinawiedzy #podcast #podcasting #polskipodcast #trendyecommerce #biznesonline #bizneswsieci #omnichanel #payGO #rossman #empik
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Abbott Will Dock Pay Of Texas Dems Who Walked Out To Block GOP Voting Rights Bill https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-pay-for-those-who-abandon-their-responsibilities-abbott-will-dock-pay-of-texas-dems-who-walked-out-to-block-gop-voting-rights-bill West Virginia To Give Away Guns As Covid-19 Vaccine Incentive https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/06/01/west-virginia-to-give-away-guns-as-covid-19-vaccine-incentive/?sh=135c72162cc8 CEO pay rises to $12.7M even as pandemic ravages economy https://www.marketwatch.com/story/ceo-pay-rises-to-12-7m-even-as-pandemic-ravages-economy-01622315522 Amazon backs federal bill to legalize marijuana and adjusts its drug testing policy for some workers https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/01/amazon-backs-federal-bill-to-legalize-marijuana-.html White Supremacists Killed More Americans Than Muslim Extremists in Recent Years, Terrorism Report Shows https://www.newsweek.com/white-supremacists-killed-more-americans-muslim-extremists-recent-years-terrorism-report-shows-1517096 Listen to "Breaking Boundaries w/ Brad Polumbo" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-boundaries-with-brad-polumbo/id1531229449?at=1l3vwYf Follow on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@goodmorningliberty Follow on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz3YDYP6bFMR4BAPCZdvk1g Need someone to talk to? Betterhelp.com/gml Interested in learning how to Day Trade? Mastermytrades.com Support the show and join the live group! Patreon.com/goodmorningliberty Like our intro song? Listen to "3 Pill Morning" on Apple and Spotify https://www.3pillmorning.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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LA.AF welcomes our new sponsor: Pay GO! PayGo is an app that makes getting paid easy... after some simple steps.... and some verification... and some other stuff... PAYGO!
Papo Pro ACBr - 29/04/2021 Convidado especial: Moacir Borri, PayGo A História do TEF TEF IP x TEF Dedicado Conciliação no TEF Descrição da Infraestrutura do TEF Investimentos e melhorias da Infraestrutura na PayGo
EnAccess funds Open Source projects in the energy space in developing countries between $50,000 and $250,000. They've funded companies like Solaris, Devergy and ANKA Madagascar. They are like a grantor but a little different; they collaborate with organizations to build a project that will make a difference in the sector. Today I talk with Tamara Mahoney, Head of Marketing. We talk about examples of what they have funded in the past, what makes a good application and what EnAccess is looking for next. In this discussion we talk about AgriGrid (find their business plan here: https://enaccess.org/agrigrid/), Cicada Open Source hardware and firmware for PAYGo (find the code and schematics here: https://enaccess.org/okra-cicada/) and Solaris' Open PAYGo token (details here: https://enaccess.org/openpaygotoken/). If you have any questions you'd like us to ask the EnAccess, please email podcast@thegrant.co or record a voice message question at https://anchor.fm/wishesgranted/message. ________________________________ JOB OPPORTUNITY: Are you looking for a job that has flexible hours, pays well and allows you to work wherever in the world you want? Consider Grant & Co. Grant & Co helps social enterprises raise capital and is looking to hire talented Business Analysts, Writers and Financial Modelers. If you are looking for part-time, remote work consider applying at thegrant.co/jobs/.
In Episode 227, Ben listens as Scott vents about his Q-NAP NAS was attacked with ransomware and some things you can think about doing to have a better posture for configuring and securing your NAS. Then they get into the Azure Retail Prices API, a publicly accessible API for accessing retail rates for PayGo and reservation pricing for Azure services and Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams. Sponsors Sperry Software – Powerful Outlook Add-ins developed to make your email life easy even if you're too busy to manage your inbox ShareGate - ShareGate's industry-leading products help IT professionals worldwide migrate their business to the Office 365 or SharePoint, automate their Office 365 governance, and understand their Azure usage & costs Office365AdminPortal.com - Providing admins the knowledge and tools to run Office 365 successfully Intelligink - We focus on the Microsoft Cloud so you can focus on your business Show Notes Improper Authorization Vulnerability in HBS 3 Hybrid Backup Sync Removed the detected malware: MR2102 For secure data backup, here's how to do the 3-2-1 rule right Azure Retail Prices overview Introducing Operator Connect and more Teams Calling updates About the sponsors Every business will eventually have to move to the cloud and adapt to it. That's a fact. ShareGate helps with that. Our industry-leading products help IT professionals worldwide migrate their business to the Office 365 or SharePoint, automate their Office 365 governance, and understand their Azure usage & costs. Visit https://sharegate.com/ to learn more. Sperry Software, Inc focuses primarily on Microsoft Outlook and more recently Microsoft Office 365, where a plethora of tools and plugins that work with email have been developed. These tools can be extended for almost any situation where email is involved, including automating workflows (e.g., automatically save emails as PDF or automatically archive emails that are over 30 days old), modifying potentially bad user behaviors (e.g., alert the user to suspected phishing emails or prompt the user if they are going to inadvertently reply to all), and increased email security (e.g., prompt the user with a customizable warning if they are about to send an email outside the organization). Get started today by visiting www.SperrySoftware.com/CloudIT Intelligink utilizes their skill and passion for the Microsoft cloud to empower their customers with the freedom to focus on their core business. They partner with them to implement and administer their cloud technology deployments and solutions. Visit Intelligink.com for more info.
Papo Pro ACBr - 15/04/2021 - Meios de Pagamentos Pagamentos via WhatsApp Migração de Grupos para WhatsApp Venda em Plataformas Sociais Boletos vs PIX PIX no TEF ControlPay PayGo Fraudes usando cartão por aproximação TEF em dispositivos Android
Chase is joined on the show by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Robert L. Bixby, Concord’s Policy Director, Tori Gorman, Concord's National Field Director, Phil Smith, and Director of Health Policy for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Josh Gordon. They discuss COVID relief, PAYGO, sequestration, infrastructure investment, CRFB’s Health Savers Initiative, and more.
Chase is joined on the show by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Robert L. Bixby, Concord’s Policy Director, Tori Gorman, Concord's National Field Director, Phil Smith, and Director of Health Policy for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Josh Gordon. They discuss COVID relief, PAYGO, sequestration, infrastructure investment, CRFB’s Health Savers Initiative, and more.
In today's Federal Newscast, a new survey by ClearanceJobs.com and the DHI Group found the average salary among people with security clearances increase.
At the beginning of the pandemic, essential workers like those in grocery and retail stores were receiving hazard pay for toiling under hazardous conditions, aka the pandemic. Since then, for many workers, it has quietly disappeared. Today, we’ll look at how efforts to grant or replace hazard pay have been going. Plus: inflation in energy, shelter and food, Chinese students are reconsidering coming to the U.S. for college and Joe Biden makes his first international appearance as U.S. president at the G-7 summit.
At the beginning of the pandemic, essential workers like those in grocery and retail stores were receiving hazard pay for toiling under hazardous conditions, aka the pandemic. Since then, for many workers, it has quietly disappeared. Today, we’ll look at how efforts to grant or replace hazard pay have been going. Plus: inflation in energy, shelter and food, Chinese students are reconsidering coming to the U.S. for college and Joe Biden makes his first international appearance as U.S. president at the G-7 summit.
Welcome to Majority.FM's AM QUICKIE! Brought to you by justcoffee.coop TODAY'S HEADLINES: The Democrats have done it: managed to introduce a stimulus package that doesn’t capitulate to Republican demands. But will it fall apart due to an unforeseen procedural snag? We’ll see! Meanwhile, a whistleblower alleges that a top Trump administration official entered into a sketchy, secret agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s union leaders that could cripple Biden’s attempts to change Trump’s barbaric immigration policies. And lastly, the New York Times reports that a string of high-ranking public health officials have resigned in hard-hit New York State since the summer, all citing Governor Andrew Cuomo’s chaotic rollout of vaccines and handling of the pandemic. THESE ARE THE STORIES YOU NEED TO KNOW: Yesterday, we talked about the big worry of the next few weeks: that Democrats would capitulate to the Republican minority and weaken their own stimulus bill. Well, today we’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is the Democrats don’t appear to be doing that. On Monday evening, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer introduced a budget bill that included a $1.9 trillion stimulus package, indicating that they appear to want to use a process known as “reconciliation” to get an aid package through without Republican support. This is good, and represents the best shot we’ve got right now of getting an even halfway decent stimulus bill out to the American people quickly. But here’s the bad news. NBC news reports that the reconciliation process could have an unintended side-effect: automatically triggering a cut to medicare. The how and why of this is also a massive own-goal. The cuts would be triggered by the PAYGO act of 2010, which Democrats introduced and pushed for. PAYGO, in short, means that any time you pass a bill raising the national debt, you have to automatically cut federal funds elsewhere -- so bye bye to Medicare, farm subsidies, that sort of thing. The kicker is that avoiding the automatic cuts requires 60 votes in the Senate, which basically puts the Democrats right where they started. And the other fear, of course, is that Biden will still succumb to his Republican-loving side. The Republicans who we mentioned yesterday met with Biden today to plead for a smaller bill, and said the discussion was excellent, according to the New York Times. But the official word from the Biden administration is still that they plan to push the $1.9 trillion bill, so we just have to keep hoping they stick to their guns. REPORT: Trump Using ICE to Sabotage Biden The Trump administration is done, but we’re only now discovering the amount of damage they did on the way out. BuzzFeed News reported on a government whistleblower who alleges that former DHS second-in-command Ken Cuccinelli signed a set of agreements with the union that represents ICE. These guys endorsed Trump in 2016, so don’t be fooled into thinking they’re a nonpartisan force. The Government Accountability Office is representing the whistleblower, and said in a letter: “The agreements grant [the union] extraordinary power and benefits — far more than what DHS agreed upon with its other employee unions which did not endorse President Trump. The agreements confer on the union the ability to indefinitely delay changes to immigration enforcement policies and practices as well.” What this means in practice is that ICE’s union, which is apparently still loyal to Trump, can stonewall the Biden administration’s attempts to roll back the former president’s barbaric policies against immigrants, and stop him from enacting things like a deportation moratorium. According to the GAO, the whistleblower, “possesses information concerning significant acts of misconduct committed” by Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli denies abusing his power, of course -- we’d expect no less from a former Trump stooge. Cuomo's Public Health Execs Keep Quitting There’s a lot to say about New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s handling of the pandemic, which hit his state harder than most others. Cuomo has racked up accolades and book deals for his appearance of leadership during the crisis, but continued reporting suggests that he may have done more harm than good. According to the New York Times, nine of Cuomo’s top public health officials have resigned during the pandemic, citing Cuomo’s unrestrained war with his own scientific experts. Look at what they’ve had to deal with: Cuomo has micro-managed and over-controlled nearly every step of the process. Take the vaccine rollout for instance: The Times reports that Cuomo threw out his own Department of Health’s carefully constructed plan that worked with local health authorities in favor of one that relied far more on big hospitals. New York’s rollout has, of course, been a huge mess, and officials said that Cuomo often changes health policy abruptly at his emmy-winning press conferences, without asking or notifying them first. And Cuomo’s not even hiding the fact that he thinks he knows better than every doctor in the State. At a news conference last Friday, he said, “When I say ‘experts’ in air quotes, it sounds like I’m saying I don’t really trust the experts. Because I don’t. Because I don’t.” AND NOW FOR SOME QUICKER QUICKIES: In a livestream about the Capitol attacks, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez revealed that she was a survivor of sexual assault. She compared the GOP’s relentless insistence that she just get over the attempted insurrection during which her life was threatened to the similar language that abusers often use toward their victims. The leadership of Myanmar was deposed by a military coup on Monday, as the country’s armed forces detained its elected president Aung San Suu Kyi and set up blockades throughout the nation’s capitol city. The New York Daily News reports that the warden at NYC’s Rikers Island jail who presided over a dramatic drop in assaults, fights, and officer use of force incidents has been removed from his post after clashing with a powerful cop union over a mentorship program he set up for young inmates. One step forward, two steps back, always. And finally, the Biden Administration plans to quickly release $1.3 billion in federal funding meant for Hurricane Maria relief to Puerto Rico, and remove restrictions on another $4.9 billion. It’s far too late, but at least does something to rectify some of the Trump administration’s cruelty FEB 2, 2021 - AM QUICKIE HOSTS - Sam Seder & Lucie Steiner WRITER - Jack Crosbie PRODUCER - Dorsey Shaw EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Brendan Finn
Chase is joined on the show by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, Concord's Policy Director, Tori Gorman, and Director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s Center for Funding America’s Future, Ben Ritz. They discuss how concerned the public and policymakers should be with federal budget deficits, a process known as reconciliation and how Congress might use it in the coming years, as well as PAYGO standards and COVID relief.
Chase is joined on the show by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, Concord's Policy Director, Tori Gorman, and Director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s Center for Funding America’s Future, Ben Ritz. They discuss how concerned the public and policymakers should be with federal budget deficits, a process known as reconciliation and how Congress might use it in the coming years, as well as PAYGO standards and COVID relief.
RadioPublic|LibSyn|YouTube|Patreon|Square Cash (Share code: Send $5, get $5! David Waldman brings us the latest William Belknap news and opinions, and much, much more today! Donald Trump made his long-awaited pivot yesterday, but you got to hope this won’t break Democrats’ stride toward action. Republican senators now (anonymously) regret not doing more to contain Trump. Donald, Jared, Ivanka, etc. could not be contacted for comment. Remember when you see Capitol Police retreating from mobs, there’s an unarmed videographer running backwards beside them. Three New York Times journalists were at the Capitol when it was breached and can tell you how that felt. Outside, the DC Guard and others stood down, leaving U.S.Capitol Police alone on the front lines, dying. Metaphorically, they’re still taking bullets today, with the Capitol Chief resigning, and the Senate sergeant-at-arms now fired. Donald Trump is less metaphorically killing off his own fan base, as well. Donald Trump promised he’d be right there with the rioters, but you know how he prefers to watch stuff on the TV. After all, the only thing Donald is able to control is a switcher. Fresh out of lines, Don Jr. tried to capture his father’s love before the Capitol assault, but instead returned to shooting Kim Guilfoyle working it to “Gloria”. Giant Foods kept the vaccine line moving by giving away shots before they went stale. Republican Mary Miller, Illinois' 15th Congressional District, 5th column, wanted to point out how unappreciated Adolf Hitler is these days, an opinion that is rightfully unappreciated. Dominion Voting Systems plan to deliver $1.3 Billion of stfu to Sidney Powell. Lauren Boebert wants to Q-aucus a right wing Squad, but for her it’s every posse for itself. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has bigger concerns, and bigger clout. Democrats limit their effectiveness by holding themselves to standards that Republicans long ago abandoned. Finally, they are stepping away from PAYGO rules, at least for bills relating to COVID and climate change.
Chase is joined on the show by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, and former Congressman from Minnesota, Tim Penny. They discuss challenges facing the incoming Biden administration and the new Congress as we begin 2021, the importance of long-term fiscal responsibility, and U.S. House rules changes that affect PAYGO.
Chase is joined on the show by Concord Coalition Executive Director, Bob Bixby, and former Congressman from Minnesota, Tim Penny. They discuss challenges facing the incoming Biden administration and the new Congress as we begin 2021, the importance of long-term fiscal responsibility, and U.S. House rules changes that affect PAYGO.
This season we've talked about the relationship between African tech and other emerging markets across the Global South, as well as with China. In this episode, we talk about the ecosystem's relationship Japan - and in particular, the interest Japanese investors and corporates have in innovations from the continent. 1:33 - Satoshi Shinada and Rio Yamawaki on the macro situation in Japan, and why Japanese investors are interested in African tech. Satoshi and Rio are GPs at Kepple Africa Ventures, one of the most active VCs on the continent. 5:58 - The primary reason why Japanese corporates are interested in investing on the continent is to form strategic partnerships and bring African innovation back with them. 9:43 - We explore a case study - the investment in Kenyan startup PayGo Energy by Saisan, a Japanese multinational gas company. We hear from PayGo's Co-founder and CEO Nick Quintong.14:48 - A reflective conversation between Sayo Folawiyo and Justin Norman, on the value of Kepple, not only in connecting the dots, but in seeing and knowing which dots to connect between Japan and the continent, and on the opportunity for technology export.
Review for One Piece chapter 982! Orochi's madness, Kaido's goal, Big Mom's anger, Luffy's fight. And much more, only in PwP!
Rant Alert! In today's post, I share with you my personal feelings about what is happening in Tucson vs. Pima County and the PAYGO Plan. If you haven't heard about PAYGO, it is the County's recent attempts to take tax money from Tucson city residents to pay for the unincorporated areas of Pima County to have roads... If you live in Tucson, just know this.. you recently voted down a Bond measure from the County to fix their failing roads. Meanwhile, Chuck Huckleberry has figured out a way to get around the voters will! See this article by clicking here! #tucson #pimacounty #PAYGO --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/karlbuysho/message
Anyone that is selling a pay as you go device or service should know about the OpenPAYGO Token. When PAYGO technology arrived in the energy access sector, it was a game-changer. By paying small amounts of money over a longer time period, families could afford better quality and safer lighting, phone charging, and much more. But there was a frustrating problem that emerged - the integration of PAYGO into energy access products was being controlled by a handful of companies, and each company had their own closed system. Think about it like this - a distributor of solar home systems would have a box containing solar panels, a battery pack, wires, etc. This product would work exactly the same no matter who purchased it, but the distributor would have to have one supply of boxes with PAYGO technology A, one supply with PAYGO technology B, and another supply with PAYGO technology C. The frustration was felt by both the sellers and makers of energy access products all over the world, and was (and is) an industry-wide issue. What we're talking about today with Benjamin David (CTO, Solaris Offgrid) is the big-picture solution that Solaris Offgrid designed. They took on the task of creating one free, open source, industry-standard solution called the OpenPAYGO Token. It can easily integrate with already-existing PAYGO platforms and is available for any manufacturer to implement in new devices as well.
Zach talks with Pima County Supervisor Ramon Valadez about the new PAYGO infrastructure payment policy repairing roads in unincorporated Pima County. Why now, and why not Proposition 463 last year?
Zach self-congratulates his pick from months to win the Democratic nomination, as Mayor Pete Buttigieg is now top in some Iowa polls for winning the primary there. And why? He talks about the NYT article about how "insufferable wokeness" is helping Donald Trump. Finally, Zach talks about the new PAYGO system to fund road maintenance in Pima County, and how it's different from Proposition 463 that failed with voters in 2018.
This week on the Finding Impact Podcast, we are continuing our second series on hardware entrepreneurs, this one with Mike Hahn of PayGo Energy about his hardware development journey. This is the first episode in our second 3-part series on invention-based entrepreneurs, supported by The Lemelson Foundation. The series aims to provide unique insights into some of the challenges and workarounds faced by entrepreneurs creating hardware products in emerging markets. As many will know, from episode 44 with Mike's Co-Founder Fausto, PayGo Energy has created a smart meter that sits on an LPG gas cylinder, that lets customers pay on a PAYG basis. On this podcast, you will learn: How the idea of PayGo came about: started in 2015 with an observation that, on a daily basis, lots of people were lining up at petrol stations to buy kerosene or diesel fuel for cooking and they were bringing small vessels to carry this fuel home, despite there being a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) option 10 meters away. This spurred our question about why aren't people cooking with LPG? It's clean, fast, and convenient. This idea came about while all of the co-founders were working for different organizations within the informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. What their first basic prototype looked like: technical discovery "can we turn gas on and off with a text message?" How their diverse group of co-founders with diverse skill sets helped: technology development, understanding the market/operations, etc. and this blend of personalities and experiences gave them an advantage early on. For their first prototype they used BRCK components (see episode 111 with Erik Hersman, Co-founder of BRCK https://findingimpact.com/fip-111-hardware-entrepreneurs-3-3-creating-a-modem-cum-router-device-aimed-at-solving-last-mile-connectivity-issues-in-africa-with-erik-hersman/) in order to test how to get some level of accuracy of measuring gas vapor (actual flow) to the stove, and then send that data remotely to a server while including the ability to shut that gas flow off. Why he uses SolidWorks for designs and recommends GrabCad for downloading files that other people have made based off of the real object. It makes it easy to plug into My Assembly so you can build something around it, and spatially you are in the right ballpark. Why he decided to buy a 3D printer instead of using 3D printing services: it's incredibly fast and convenient to do it by yourself, especially if you aren't sure how many iterations will be needed, and you're learning about the design as you're making it. How they raised their seed round: having a physical prototype and a real functioning unit in someone's home along with comprehensive market research and a business modeling effort prepared them for that seed round. Also having a couple backers from very early before the seed round helped instill confidence. When working with manufacturers it's a good indicator when you get to meet directly with the CEO. Advice for those in the hardware development process: get yourself into it, fake it until you make it. (But his design background at Rhode Island School of Design also helped.) Don't be afraid to ask for help. Talk to people, work with in the past who are willing to pick up the phone. i.e. how to do contract with a contract manufacturer. Links to resources: PayGo Energy https://www.paygoenergy.co/ SolidWorks http://www.solidworks.com/ GrabCAD https://grabcad.com/ Connect with Mike: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhahndesign/ Twitter https://twitter.com/paygo_energy?lang=en
Yesterday Rand Paul and Mike Lee forced a bill delay on the 9/11 First Responders bill. This bill allowed an unlimited amount of funding for 9/11 first responders and their families for the next 72 years. The media, left wing, and right wing, have portrayed this as a blocking of the bill. They have portrayed this as stopping money from going out to the responders themselves. The Problem? That isn't true at all. What Rand Paul did, as he did with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was force a vote on and amendment adding something called a "Pay For" into the bill. What most people don't know is that originally, there was something called a "Pay-Go" provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That meant that the next step following the tax cuts was to cut spending in the budget to meet a potential reduction in income. Speaking of a reduction in income, the tax revenue as a percentage of the Federal tax receipts has increased since the passage of the tax cut. That's right, they cut taxes and are taking in more money. Rand Paul himself said in an interview with Neil Cavuto, that the 9/11 bill will still come to a vote next week, and it will pass. All he asked was to add an amendment to the bill saying that the money needed to come from another part of the Governments +$4,200,000,000,000 budget. He named ceasing funding for a study that is studying the sex habits of Japanese Quail while high on cocaine. He suggested we cease funding for a study that looks at whether or not you are likely to eat something off of a buffet when you've seen the person in front of you sneeze on the food. I would suggest we look at taking the billions in foreign aid we give to countries like Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, etc., and reallocate that to the 9/11 First Responders Fund. Is the media uproar over Paul and Lee's principled stand just a convenient continuation of rhetoric stating that Republican's are evil? --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/goodmorningliberty/support
This is part three of a 3-part mini-series on last mile distribution. This series is a collaboration between the Finding Impact Podcast and the Global Distributors Collective (GDC). The GDC is a collective of last mile distributors around the world, with over 140 members in over 40 countries, who cumulatively have sold more than 8 million life-changing products to last mile households. The GDC is dedicated to supporting and representing last mile distribution companies to help them reach underserved customers with life-changing products like solar lights, clean cookstoves, water filters and nutrition products. The purpose of the GDC is to make last mile distribution the first priority so that life-changing products can be made affordable and available to all. This episode is with Washikala, Founder and CEO of Altech, who operate in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Altech is a distributor of solar lamps, working to enable off-grid households and institutions to have access to modern energy. On this episode you'll learn: Washikala got started by focusing on cash sales in his own village, but found the upfront cost of the product too high for the target market; They focused first on selling to schools and their teachers, and to health centres and their health workers, giving credit for two months, and the school administrator would be responsible for collecting cash. Insight here is to start with the most trustworthy groups in the community to build traction. Next they opened it up to all households through a solar ambassador model, recruiting young people from the communities, to recruit households on credit, and collect money on a daily basis. This was essentially an early PAYG model without the technology. They encountered significant 'leakage' (cash disappearing), and it was a cumbersome process. They heard about PAYG in early 2017, and an enabler called Angaza. Altech were selling d.light lanterns but back then, they had no PAYG solar lamp option. So they selected suppliers for a pilot and ordered a small batch of PAYG lanterns. They started the pilot in Jan 2017 in two areas in the DRC, with 50 products, 10 sales agents/solar ambassadors, 5 products each. The Angaza app was managed in the office, and solar ambassadors had the app on smartphones.The payment collection process was end-to-end. i.e. No "leakage". Some initial problems included having to buy smart phones for solar ambassadors, but it later became part of the recruitment criteria; data is expensive; needed to connect the lamp to the smartphone using bluetooth, but initial equipment was faulty and didn't connect so had to replace; there were regular internet shut downs, so when customers called they couldn't go and activate lamps; sending money using mobile money was a challenge, as some agents had no liquidity so they couldn't deposit money. Previously, their office would send daily sales reports to sales manager, who checked collected money agrees with report and collects money from solar ambassador; then sales manager sent money to the Altech office via a local bank branch. It was a very cumbersome process but now they're using mobile money. There was a close collaboration between the tech guys and people in the field, so they could change inputting errors to eliminate differences in the app and cash collected. They setup Whatsapp groups so they could connect on issues immediately. Angaza were very much involved in the training of their team, which included technical info and how to market the product to households. Altech competes with international companies in the same space by having more local people on their team who know the market very well. Also they focus on distribution, not the design of new products. Solar technology is changing so fast, and it's not easy for vertically integrated companies to change product tomorrow but Altech can switch suppliers very easily. Links to resources: Altech Angaza d.light Omnivoltaics Global Distributors Collective Connect with guest: Email address: info@altech.rdc Washikala on LinkedIn
This is Part 1 of a 2 part series where Vidya Vasu-Devan of the Gates Strategic investment fund dives in on the SIF strategy & its relationship with the Gates philanthropic mission. She also takes us on a deep dive in the SIF's investment in M-KOPA, a PAYgo solar company based in Nairobi.Host: Hunter SimsProducer: Allison SimsMusic: "Nowhere Land" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
In this episode of Macro n Cheese, Professor Robert Hockett of Cornell Law and a Fellow of the Century Foundation, talks about how Pelosi's PayGo is dangerously misleading. Steve and Hockett discuss the implications of a Green New Deal. Hockett writes about law, justice, money, finance, and economics for Forbes and many other publications.
In this episode of Macro n Cheese, Professor Robert Hockett of Cornell Law and a Fellow of the Century Foundation, talks about how Pelosi's PayGo is dangerously misleading. Steve and Hockett discuss the implications of a Green New Deal. Hockett writes about law, justice, money, finance, and economics for Forbes and many other publications.
Today we launch a brand-new series on the Rochester Rising podcast: From the Edge. For this series we brought on a co-host, Jamie Sundsbak, Community Manager of Collider Coworking. We also welcomed Chris Peterson, CEO of PayGo, a Rochester company creating retail software, to the podcast as our first guest for this series. On the show today, we asked all the guests to bring one trend taking place in the Rochester community to the podcasting table to enable a low key, sometimes humorous, chat about the culture of our entrepreneurial ecosystem. We covered a lot in our first From the Edge podcast including the value of giving honest and open feedback to businesses, the exit of old businesses and entry of new businesses into our ecosystem, and the many developments that have already taken place this calendar year. There was also some talk about a new Sasquatch-based VR/AR ad system. You pretty much just have to listen in. Links from the show today: PayGo: website (https://paygopos.com/); Facebook (@paygopos) Twitter (@paygopos) Instagram (@paygopos) Thanks to our sponsors for making this podcast happen! This podcast is brought to you by: The Musicant Group: website: http://www.musicantgroup.com/employment.html Twitter: @musicantgroup Instagram: @musicantgroup
We've transitioned! The 115th Congress is finally over and the 116th has begun. In this episode, get the details on the last acts of the 115th Congress, including the play by play of the shutdown drama, and learn about the new rules written by Democrats that will govern the 116th House of Representatives. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD186: National Endowment for Democracy House Rules 116th Congress House Rules Resolution Sec. 102(b): Gives delegates and resident commissioners (the representatives of D.C. and the territories) the ability to vote in Congress, but only if they are not casting the deciding vote. If they are the deciding votes, the vote will be re-taken. Sec. 102(f): Renames the following committees “Committee on Oversight and Government Reform” will be the “Committee on Oversight and Reform” “Committee on Education and the Workforce” will be the “Committee on Education and Labor” Sec. 102(i): The chairmen of the oversight committees need to create and submit their oversight plans to the Committee on Oversight and Reform by March 1, 2019, and then coordinate those plans with other committees for submission to the full House by April 15, 2019. Sec. 102(m): Removes the term limit of four out of six consecutive Congresses for members of the Committee on the Budget and removes the term limit for Chairmen of any committee barring them from serving as Chairman for more than three consecutive Congresses. Sec. 102(n): Changes the 3 day rule for mark-up notices to clarify that it means 3 calendar days excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Sec. 102(q): Criminal trial evidence and transcripts will be used as evidence in House ethics investigations Sec. 102(r): Between March 1 of the first year and September 30 of the second year of the Congress, the sponsor of a bill with 290 co-sponsors can put their bill on the calendar where it will remain until it is either reported by committee or voted on in the full House. Sec. 102(z): Text of bills must be available for "72 hours” Sec. 102(dd): Removes the requirement for a supermajority vote to increase taxes Sec. 102(ee): PAYGO procedures for the 116th Sec. 101(ii): Starting on January 1, 2020, members of the House of Representatives will not be allowed to “serve as an officer or director of any public company” Sec. 102(jj): A suspension of the debt ceiling will be automatically included and passed along with the budget resolution. Sec. 103(d): Registered lobbyists will not be granted access to the Congressional gym Sec. 103(h): Limited the Committee on Agriculture to six subcommittees and the Committee on Financial Services to seven subcommittees Sec. 103(i): No bill can get a vote on the House floor unless it has been passed by a committee. Excepts include continuing resolutions and emergency bills. Sec. 103(r): Requires members of the House to pay for discrimination settlements for offenses they personally committed Sec. 104(a): Creates a commission called the House Democracy Partnership, which will be funded with $52,000 available between January 3, 2019 and March 31, 2019. The commission will be managed but the Committee on Foreign Affairs. Sec. 104(d): Creates an Office of Diversity and Inclusion Sec. 104(e): Creates an Office of the Whistleblower Ombudsman Sec. 104(f): Creates a Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, which will have 15 members, 6 appointed by the Minority Leader, and which will have no power to create or change legislation and will not have subpoena power. “The sole authority of the Select Committee shall be to investigate, study, make findings, and develop recommendations on policies, strategies, and innovations to achieve substantial and permanent reductions in pollution and other activities that contribute to the climate crisis.” Sec. 201: Creates a Committee on the Modernization of Congress Sec. 301: Authorizes the Speaker of the House to use the General Counsel of the House of Representatives to defend the Affordable Are Act in Federal court. Bills/Laws S.2736 (115th): Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 Law Text Became law on New Year's Eve 2018 H.R.695 - Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2018 Law Text S.2322 - CURD Act Law Text Final Vote Results: 230-162 H.R.6061 - Secure Fence Act of 2006 Vote Summary Public Law 109-13 - Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005 Additional Reading Tweet: Eric Blake on the Government Shutdown, Jan 9, 2019. Article: FDA says most food inspections halted amid shutdown by Eminy Birnbaum, The Hill, January 9, 2019. Article: White House to put Medicare cuts on hold during shutdown by Paul M. Krawszak, Roll Call, January 8, 2019. Article: Over 100 affordable housing contracts expire due to shutdown by John Bowden, The Hill, January 8, 2019. Article: Indian Health Service urban programs threatened by government shutdown by Susannah Luthi, Modern Healthcare, January 7, 2019. Article: House Democrats pass government funding bills, Pelosi jokes she'd give Trump $1 for a wall by Lindsey McPherson, Roll Call, January 2, 2019. Report: New house rules for Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner, Puerto Rico Report, January 2, 2019. Tweet: House Rules tweet to Rachel Maddow segment on CURD Act, December 21, 2018. Article: Republicans are preventing their tax bill from triggering a $25 billion cut to Medicare by Tara Golshan, Vox, December 21, 2017. Report: Southwest border security: Additional actions needed to better assess fencing's ontributions to operations and provide guidance for identifying capability gaps, U.S. Government Accountability Office, February 16, 2017. Article: Border wall breached 9,000 times. Does it even work? by Scott Bronstein, Curt Devin and Drew Griffin, CNN Politics, February 16, 2017. Report: Barriers along the U.S. borders: Key authorities and requirements by Michael John Garcia, Congressional Research Service, January 27, 2017. Article: Trump says they were going to build a wall in '06, but environmental rules got in the way by Miriam Valverde, Politifact, August 29, 2016. Article: Border-fence project hits a snag by Stephanie Simon, The Wall Street Journal, February 4, 2009. Article: Government issues waiver for fencing along border by Randal C. Archibold, The New York Times, April 2, 2008. Report: With Senate vote, Congress passes border fence bill by Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post, September 30, 2006. Sound Clip Sources Video: Call Your Representative and Tell Them to Vote Against PAYGO NOW! The Majority Report with Sam Seder, YouTube, January 8, 2019. Rep. Ro Khanna: “People hear the word PAYGO, they tune out. They think it’s some inside baseball technical jargon related to Congress. Let me tell you: It is a very important issue. It would be unilateral disarmament for House Democrats to adopt PAYGO. The Republicans never did. They passed massive tax cuts for the 1% and they didn’t have any spending cuts to pay for those tax cuts. They never do.” Rep. Ro Khanna: "Now that House Democrats are in charge, some folks want us to limit our policies by adopting PAYGO. Here’s what it would mean: If we have PAYGO, then to do something like Medicare for All, to do something like expanding social security, to do something like a bold infrastructure plan or a Green New Deal would require us to negotiate against ourselves. We would require cuts in programs that many of us value and like. We shouldn’t do that. The Republicans didn’t govern that way.” Rep. Ro Khanna: “Paygo would be a terrible policy" House Session: Consideration of Rules for New Congress, Part 3, House of Representatives, January 3, 2019. Hearing: Rules Committee Hearing S. 2322, House of Representatives,YouTube, December 21, 2018. News Story: Rep. Jordan: We have to fund Trump's border wall now, Fox Business Network, December 18, 2018. Resources Congress.gov: Appropriations for FY 2019 Congressional Record: December 21, 2018 Obama White House Archives: The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010: A Description Roll Call: [A Congressional Glossary Continuing Resolution Emergency Spending Sequester Vote Results: Child Protection Improvements Act of 2017, December 20, 2018. Community Suggestions See Community Suggestions HERE. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)
Indivisible’s Chad Bolt joins to co-host our first episode this year, filling Jeremy’s shoes on this week’s ICYMI; plus we break down everything you need to know about the shutdown with Sam Berger; and Talk Poverty’s Pat Garofalo joins to explain all things PAYGO.
Dr. Sean Hays PhD. and Mark LaRue figure out what's going on in Paris, #TrumpShutdown, Term Limits, Earmarks, and Pay/Go. @PlasticCupPod Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Thank you to Crass for the title.
Dr. Sean Hays PhD. and Mark LaRue figure out what’s going on in Paris, #TrumpShutdown, Term Limits, Earmarks, and Pay/Go. @PlasticCupPod Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Thank you to Crass for the title.
Today we talk to friend of the show and independent political analyst Dan Welch about the Democrats retaking the House, Nancy Pelosi being elected as Speaker and attempting to enact PAYGO, and the general situation the Democrats find themselves in, not connecting with working class people.
A new year means the same ole you but a new Congress! For the first time Democrats in the House will hold hearings on Medicare for All to build support for what's shaping up to be the defining issue come 2020. Helping to doctor-splain it all is Paul Song, an oncologist and president of Physicians for a National Health Program California which advocates for a single-payer Medicare for All healthcare system. We talk centrist democrats as the biggest roadblock to progress and the new PayGo rules. Also joining Francesca is comedian and host of the Unpopular Opinion podcast network Adam Tod Brown. He weights in on the Louis CK noise and breaks down what's wrong with cries of "PC culture" policing comedy. Plus "Sext, Elect, Overthrow" with Republicans who're trying to save face by pointing out the obvious about our commander in chief. Special thanks to Marc Atkinson for these sweet sweet edits. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
A new year means the same ole you but a new Congress! For the first time Democrats in the House will hold hearings on Medicare for All to build support for what's shaping up to be the defining issue come 2020. Helping to doctor-splain it all is Paul Song, an oncologist and president of Physicians for a National Health Program California which advocates for a single-payer Medicare for All healthcare system. We talk centrist democrats as the biggest roadblock to progress and the new PayGo rules. Also joining Francesca is comedian and host of the Unpopular Opinion podcast network Adam Tod Brown. He weights in on the Louis CK noise and breaks down what's wrong with cries of "PC culture" policing comedy. Plus "Sext, Elect, Overthrow" with Republicans who're trying to save face by pointing out the obvious about our commander in chief. Special thanks to Marc Atkinson for these sweet sweet edits.
In this episode I address the latest outrageous comments by prominent Democrats about tax policy and immigration. These Democrats are lonely lying to you and this episode throughly discredits their nonsense. News Picks:This piece debunks silly liberal myths about tax policy. What is “Pay Go” and why do we need it? The government-class gets to do whatever they wish, seemingly without consequences. Even left-leaning Politifact debunked the “terrorists are not crossing the southern border” myth. The media is terrified of President Trump’s Immigration message.
We get into a long list of national news issues including the wall along the southern border, President Trump, immigration policy and the federal government shutdown. We spent time discussing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pay-Go, the Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All and much more. The border wall is political theater. Trump is playing his base. The $5 billion spending plan is 1/1000th of the federal budget but only covers approximately 200 miles of the nearly 2000 miles of the southern border. The purpose of this issue is to divide the nation, fire up his base and serve as a distraction to far larger problems facing the Trump Administration. Illegal immigration is a low priority problem relative to wars, $22 trillion federal debt, $1 trillion deficit, structural deficits in Medicare and Social Security, foreign nations, corporate welfare, incarceration state, surveillance state and more. How do we solve this problem? America was founded on the basis of Inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The wall represents the opposite of these rights. The wall is the opposite of freedom, by definition. The wall is a symbol of the failure of America's immigration policy. The solution is to expand legal immigration. I explain this in more detail in this podcast as well as get into issues with the government shutdown, how the government shutdown is not a shutdown, national parks, hypocrisy by both Republicans and Democrats, the Washington Monument Syndrome, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, her objection to Pay-Go, immorality of adding more debt, her proposal for a 70% top marginal tax rate, Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All, Republicans falling into trap of mocking AOC, GOP failure to engage in a battle of ideas on moral grounds, the importance of wedge issues and the similarities of the two parties. John Riley Project Info: Bookings? Inquiries? Contact me at https://n0p.486.myftpupload.com/Donations: https://www.patreon.com/johnrileyprojectSponsorship Inquiries: https://n0p.486.myftpupload.com/sponsorship/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJJSzeIW2A-AeT7gwonglMAFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrileyproject/Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnRileyPowayInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnrileypoway/iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/john-riley-project-podcast/id1435944995?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3llrMItpbx9JRa08UTrswAStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/john-riley-projectGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9qb2hucmlsZXlwcm9qZWN0LmNvbS9mZWVkLwTune In: https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/John-Riley-Project-Podcast-p1154415/Listen Notes: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/john-riley-project-john-riley-2l4rEIo1RJM/
This week, Liano, Kelly, Zack & Ben talk about the federal government shutdown, the House Dems’ Paygo rule, Elizabeth Warren’s announcement for 2020, and the accusations of sexual harassment within the Bernie 2016 campaign. We also talk to Samantha Wilbur about her recent election to the Lansing Community College board of trustees and the future […]
The Most Censored Stories of 2018, from the missing $21 Trillion to the opioid epidemic, Lee and the team go over what the corporate media didn't cover! PLUS John F. O'Donnell addresses whether the Democrats will let the people down in 2019.
We get into a long list of national news issues including the wall along the southern border, President Trump, immigration policy and the federal government shutdown. We spent time discussing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Pay-Go, the Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All and much more. The border wall is political theater. Trump is playing his base. The $5 billion spending plan is 1/1000th of the federal budget but only covers approximately 200 miles of the nearly 2000 miles of the southern border. The purpose of this issue is to divide the nation, fire up his base and serve as a distraction to far larger problems facing the Trump Administration. Illegal immigration is a low priority problem relative to wars, $22 trillion federal debt, $1 trillion deficit, structural deficits in Medicare and Social Security, foreign nations, corporate welfare, incarceration state, surveillance state and more. How do we solve this problem? America was founded on the basis of Inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The wall represents the opposite of these rights. The wall is the opposite of freedom, by definition. The wall is a symbol of the failure of America's immigration policy. The solution is to expand legal immigration. I explain this in more detail in this podcast as well as get into issues with the government shutdown, how the government shutdown is not a shutdown, national parks, hypocrisy by both Republicans and Democrats, the Washington Monument Syndrome, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, her objection to Pay-Go, immorality of adding more debt, her proposal for a 70% top marginal tax rate, Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All, Republicans falling into trap of mocking AOC, GOP failure to engage in a battle of ideas on moral grounds, the importance of wedge issues and the similarities of the two parties. John Riley Project Info: Bookings? Inquiries? Contact me at https://johnrileyproject.com/Donations: https://www.patreon.com/johnrileyprojectSponsorship Inquiries: https://johnrileyproject.com/sponsorship/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJJSzeIW2A-AeT7gwonglMAFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnrileyproject/Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnRileyPowayInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnrileypoway/iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/john-riley-project-podcast/id1435944995?mt=2Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3llrMItpbx9JRa08UTrswAStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/john-riley-projectGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9qb2hucmlsZXlwcm9qZWN0LmNvbS9mZWVkLwTune In: https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/John-Riley-Project-Podcast-p1154415/Listen Notes: https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/john-riley-project-john-riley-2l4rEIo1RJM/
Moment of Clarity - Backstage of Redacted Tonight with Lee Camp
The Most Censored Stories of 2018, from the missing $21 Trillion to the opioid epidemic, Lee and the team go over what the corporate media didn't cover! PLUS John F. O'Donnell addresses whether the Democrats will let the people down in 2019.
On today's episode of Loud & Clear, Brian Becker and John Kiriakou are joined by Jacqueline Luqman, the co-editor-in-chief of Luqman Nation, which livestreams every Thursday night at 9:00 p.m. on Facebook, Ted Rall, an award-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist whose work is at rall.com, and Sputnik News analyst and producer Walter Smolarek.It’s time for our weekly segment The Week in Review. The 116th Congress took office yesterday with Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. This Congress is unlike any other, with a record number of women, including two Muslim women, the first two Latina congresswomen from Texas, the first two African-American Congresswomen from New England, a former refugee from Somalia, and New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who’s still in her 20s. The issues this Congress will face are daunting, beginning with the Democrats’ ideas on PayGo, or pay-as-you-go spending, investigations, leadership challenges, and legislative plans. The road ahead, as one part of a divided government, will not be easy. Job growth ended 2018 on a powerful note, with the economy adding 312,000 new non-farm jobs in December. Unemployment rose to 3.9 percent as more people entered the job market and the labor force participation rate increased to 63.1 percent. A broader measure of unemployment that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons held steady at 7.6 percent. Is the economy truly booming? What’s going on beneath the surface? Richard Wolff, a professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, founder of the organization Democracy at Work, and author of “Capitalism's Crisis Deepens: Essays on the Global Economic Meltdown,” joins the show. French police have arrested a leader of the Yellow Vest movement for a second time in a clear sign that the government is following through on its threats to crack down on protests that have shaken France for the past six weeks. Eric Drouet, a 33-year-old truck driver was charged with “organizing an undeclared demonstration” for planning to meet six colleagues outside a McDonald’s restaurant. He was earlier charged with “carrying a wooden club,” leading many in the media to speculate that he is being targeted for his political actions. Brian and John speak with Gilbert Mercier, Editor in Chief of News Junkie Post and the author of “The Orwellian Empire.” It’s Friday! So it’s time for the week’s worst and most misleading headlines. Brian and John speak with Steve Patt, an independent journalist whose critiques of the mainstream media have been a feature of his blog Left I on the News and on twitter @leftiblog, and Sputnik producer Nicole Roussell.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responds to criticism of her college dance video. Guest Ro Khanna outlines why he opposes PayGo. Guest David Dennis Jr breaks down Surviving R. Kelly docuseries premiere and Rashida Tlaib calls for Trump's impeachment but the media focuses on her language.Cohost: Ben MankiewiczGuest: Ro Khanna and David Dennis Jr. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This week, we're joined by @missjules5x from Twitmo. We talk #ElizabethWarren running for president, The new progressives in congress capitulating on #PAYGO, #AOCdancing and incels freaking out about it, & Biden talking cutting SS and Medicare.
Happy 2019! Establishment Dems clutch their pearls over Rashida Tlaib’s calls for impeachment. It’s not what she said, it’s how she said it. Elizabeth Warren makes it official. She’s running for president in 2020. Already the talking heads and Twitterati are deeply engaged in the EmoProg Primary. Let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If you must engage in the Bernie v. Warren sniping, at least checkout David Dayen’s article in the New Republic from last October. Nancy Pelosi sworn in as the Democratic Speaker of the House. The first-ever woman speaker takes up the gavel again. Another smear campaign against Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez falls flat on its face. AOC wears white to her swearing-in ceremony to pay tribute to the suffragists. Are Old Deal Democrats trying to squash progressive initiatives with Pay-Go? Can we at least get through the first week before Dems decide to use Republican rhetoric to define their policies? Try buying a house with Pay-Go rules. Ro Khanna, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Tim Ryan come out early against Pay-Go. Indivisible groups, Medicare for All supporters, climate activists and other progressives are not wasting any time letting Democrats know they will not be going away any time soon. And, Terry McAuliffe gets launched into the talking heads circuit to tamp down progressive, universal policies like Medicare for All and tuition free college. House Republicans released their committee assignments on Wednesday and Daryl Metcalfe is pissed that he didn’t get on the House Judiciary Committee. Instead, he’s going to sitting on the Energy and Environmental Resources Committee. PA Senate Republicans sat Lindsey Williams after voters went to their local Senate offices and demand that they seat her. Governor Tom Wolf has booked The Roots for the inaugural ball. And, it’s the Farm Show in Harrisbu Farm Show. John Micek is on the beat. Here piggie, piggie, piggee. China lands on the dark side of the moon. China's robotic Chang'e 4 lander became the first to touch down on the dark side of the moon on Wednesday night. The Chinese lander now sits on the floor of the 115-mile-wide Von Kármán Crater. NASA’s New Horizon’s spacecraft visited Ultima Thule, a Kuiper Belt object 4 billion miles from the sun. It’s the most distant object get a pass by from a man-made spacecraft. Sean watches Vice. AOC dances. Free Will bottle release: Clifford the Big Red Quad - a collaboration with Blue Dog Tavern will be released tomorrow (Saturday, 1/5) in 500ml bottles.
Today, the 13th day of the government shutdown, is also the day that the 116th Congress begins and Nancy Pelosi once again rises to Speaker of the House. It's a fairly united caucus, except for that damned PayGo provision in the rules. Critics of Donald Trump's announcement that he's pulling US troops out of Syria have, among other things, cited the probable devastating consequences for our allies, the Kurds. In 2015, I interviewed Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the US. Since so many of us know little to nothing about the Kurds, today we'll replay that interview.
Trump keeps the government shut down over his metaphorical wall, House Democrats bring back PAYGO, Elizabeth Warren kicks off her presidential campaign, and Mitt Romney writes a sternly-worded op-ed. Then Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal talks to Jon and Dan about the shutdown, immigration, and the priorities of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Peter Herman (@TweeterHerman) joins Dan Ackerman (@DarnArckerman) and Peter Ronson (@Parenthestein) for a 2018 roundup! Our top 5's, our reviews of Louis CK's new leaked standup set and Vice (the Cheney biopic, not the fascist-founded sexual harassment dungeon covered by the 1st amendment), and our spiciest takes of the year. PAYGO us here!: www.patreon.com/thenewsneverends Timestamps: 0:00: Intro 6:13: Hopepunk 16:40: Top 5 movies 30:17: Louis's leaked special 46:25: 2018 roundup 1:00:06: Vice (film) Hopepunk, explained: https://www.vox.com/2018/12/27/18137571/what-is-hopepunk-noblebright-grimdark Louis loves Woody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Sx6q6fP9k Full Louis leaked set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8Nc3x_TkF4 Blanche Gardin: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/24/opinion/sunday/louis-ck-blanche-gardin-metoo.html Heimbach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ_MHp8iqtQ Cheney and Sacha Baron Cohen: https://deadline.com/2018/12/sacha-baron-cohen-who-is-america-shocking-scenes-donald-trump-dick-cheney-sarah-palin-oj-simpson-golden-globe-nomination-interview-1202522910/ Theme song credit: "Robobozo" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
2019 is here, and it's off and running. We hit the ground running for the new year as well with a very busy first show. First up, journalist David Dayen whose latest for The Intercept details one of the first big policy votes for the Democrats in the 116th Congress as Nancy Pelosi tries to bring back a PayGo rule. Then we move on to journalist David Sirota who, a couple of weeks ago, published an article exploring Beto O'Rourke's voting record in his three terms in Congress. As no good reporting goes unpunished these days, he's been accused of waging war against Beto on behalf of Bernie Sanders.
This episode of The Energy Exchange is all about the pre-payment movement within utilities. What are the drivers, motivators, benefits and societal impacts of these pre-pay programs? EnerNex VP Ron Chebra explores the topic with special guests David Elve, CMO and EVP of PayGo, and Scott Whitmire, a member of Georgia Power's Enterprise Planning and Strategic Support group within the Customer Service Organization.
Another shutdown, another dingleberry-filled temporary funding law! In this episode, learn about the new law that reopened the government after the 6 hour shutdown by providing funding until March 23 and be one of the few people in the country who will know about the random goodies that hitchhiked their way into law. Miranda Hannah joins Jen for the thank yous. Please Support Congressional Dish Click here to contribute using credit card, debit card, PayPal, or Bitcoin Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD147: Controlling Puerto Rico CD128: Crisis in Puerto Rico Additional Reading Article: Get ready: Here comes another bs* budget commission by Stan Collender, Forbes, March 4, 2018. Report: Let Pentagon carry over FY18 budget boost so money isn't wasted, key lawmaker says by Joe Goud, Defense News, February 22, 2018. Report: Key health care provisions of bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 by Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Lexology, February 22, 2018. Article: Can updated tax credits bring carbon capture into the mainstream? by Emma Foehringer Merchant, Green Tech Media, February 22, 2018. Article: The shutdown clock is still ticking and that causes chaos throughout the government by Deirdre Shesgreen, USA Today, February 19, 2018. Report: Congress passes legislation to help foster children weather opioid epidemic by Lizzy Francis, Fatherly, February 13, 2018. Report: USA extends nuclear tax credit deadline, World Nuclear News, February 12, 2018. Report: House passes stopgap spending bill to end government shutdown by Lindsey McPherson, Roll Call, February 9, 2018. Report: The health 202: Republicans kill Obamacare's controversial "death panel" by Paige Winfield Cunningham, The Washington Post, February 9, 2018. Article: Why this tax bill may accidentally give huge leverage to the Freedom Caucus next year by Catherine Rampell, The Washington Post, December 20, 2017. Report: CMS announces big expansion to Medicare Advantage value-based insurance design model by Leslie Small, Fierce Healthcare, November 22, 2017. Report: House votes to repeal ObamaCare's Medicare cost-cutting board by Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, November 2, 2017. Article: The pros and cons of switching to a Medicare Advantage Plan by John Bulliner, Medicare.com, January 24, 2017. Article: A single senator is blocking reform of the foster care system by Ryan Grim, Huffpost, December 6, 2016. Article: A sweeping reform of the foster care system is within reach but hanging by a thread by Ryan Grim, Jason Cherkis, and Laura Barron-Lopez, Huffington Post, December 2, 2016. Article: Congress to consider scaling down group homes for troubled children by Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, May 20, 2015. Additional Viewing Hearing: A way back home: Preserving families and reducing the need for foster care, US Senate Committee on Finance, August 4, 2015. Hearing: No place to grow up: How to safely reduce reliance on foster care group homes, US Senate Committee on Finance, May 19, 2015. Bill Outline H.R. 1892: Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 Division A: Honoring Hometown Heroes Act Sec. 10102: Allows the flag to be flown at half staff when a first responder dies at work. Division B: Supplemental Appropriations, Tax Relief, and Medicaid Changes Relating to Certain Disasters and further extension of continuing appropriations Title I: Gives $2.36 billion to the Department of Agriculture, available until the end of 2019, to pay for "expenses related to crops, trees, bushes, and vine losses" caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and other hurricanes and wildfires that took place in 2017. Companies who have crop insurance can have 85% of their losses covered by our tax money Companies who didn't buy crop insurance can have up to 65% of their losses covered by our money Title I: Gives $14 million to Puerto Rico's food program but says the money is for infrastructure grants for infrastructure damaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria Sec. 20101: Changes the law to allow livestock producers to collect payments for cows they sold at reduced prices, instead of just dead ones, and eliminates the $20 million cap on total payouts for livestock producers. Sec. 20201: Orders the Secretary of Commerce to issue a waiver within 120 days of the provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act which prohibit the capture of marine mammals for three infrastructure projects designed to reduce land loss in Louisiana. It says the waiver for the projects "will remain in effect for the duration of the construction, operations and maintenance of the projects. No rule-making, permit, determination, or other condition or limitation shall be required when issuing a waiver pursuant to this section." Title IV: Gives $15 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers to repair damages caused by natural disasters $10 billion has to be spend in areas impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria Repairs made in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands "shall be conducted at full Federal expense" Title V: Provides $1.652 billion for the "Disaster Loans Program Account" but $618 million of that can be spend on "administrative expenses to carry out the disaster loan program" Title VI: Adds $23.5 billion to FEMA's "Disaster Relief Fund" Sec. 20604: Adds religious institutions to the definition of a "Private Nonprofit Facility", which makes them eligible to receive tax money for disaster aid services. Sec. 20605: Says the Federal government will pay 90% of the costs for 2017 wildfire disasters. Title XI: Provides $1.374 billion for the Federal highway "Emergency Relief Program", with the Federal government paying 100% of the costs for Puerto Rico Title XI: Provides $28 billion in disaster relief for housing and infrastructure. $11 billion must be spent on areas hit by Hurricane Maria $2 billion of that will be spent on upgrades to electrical power systems Sec. 20102: Allows victims of wildfires in CA to borrow up to $100,000 from their own retirement accounts and pay it back within 3 years. Sec. 20103: Allows companies that had to close due to wildfires to get a credit for up to 40% of their employees' wages, up to $6,000 each. Sec. 20104: Suspends limitations on charitable contributions made before December 31, 2018 for relief efforts in the California wildfire disaster area Sec. 20301: Provides an extra $3.6 billion for Puerto Rico and $106 million for the US Virgin Islands for Medicaid Puerto Rico can get $1.2 billion more if Puerto Rico implements a new process for transmitting data to the Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) and if it creates a Medicaid fraud control unit Subdivision 3: Extends 2017 government funding levels until March 23, 2018. Funds the census Forces the sale of $350 million worth of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Division C: Budgetary and other matters Sec. 30101: Sets the budget limits for 2018 and 2019 2018 $629 billion for defense $579 billion for non-defense 2019 $647 billion for defense $597 billion for non-defense Sec. 30102: Zeroes out the balances on the PAYGO budget scorecard. Sec. 30204: Requires the Secretary of Energy to sell 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve every year from 2022-2025 and 35 million per year in 2026 and 2027. Lowers the amount of oil we must have in reserves from 450 million barrels to 350 million barrels Sec. 30301: Suspends the debt ceiling entirely until March 1, 2019. Division D: Revenue Measures Subtitle A, Subtitle B, and Subtitle C: Extend 31 tax credits Sec. 40402: Extends until 2021 but then phases out tax credits for residential solar electricity, solar water heaters, small wind energy turbines, and geothermal heat pumps. Sec. 40411: Extends until 2022 and then phases out a 30% credit for fiber-optic solar, fuel cell, and small wind energy property, eliminating the credits entirely by 2024. Sec. 40501: Extends and expands tax credits for nuclear power facilities Sec. 41119: Extends an existing tax credit for carbon sequestration technology for 6 years and changes it so that more money is rewarded for each ton of carbon captured and eliminates a cap on how many tons were eligible for credits (it was 75 million tons). Division E: Health and Human Services Extenders Title I: Extends the authorization for the Children's Health Insurance Program through 2027 and adds $48 million per year for 2023-2027 for enrollment assistance. Title II: Extends Medicare programs Sec. 50302: Authorizes voluntary telehealth appointments for people receiving at-home dialysis treatments for end state renal disease, as long as they see a doctor in-person every 3 months. Sec. 50321: Expands a test program, which began in 2015 with 7 States, to all States. The program allows privately administered Medicare Advantage plans flexibility to design custom insurance plans for people with certain chronic diseases. Sec. 50322: Starting in 2020, privately administered Medicare Advantage plans will be able to offer extra benefits for people with chronic health conditions and uniformity requirements will be waived for those plans. Sec. 50323: Starting in 2020, privately administered Medicare Advantage plans can include "telehealth benefits" Sec. 50341: Starting sometime in 2019, some Medicare administrators will be allowed to offer incentives up to $20 to encourage seniors to encourage them to come to appointments with their primary care doctors. The money collected will not be considered taxable income. The Secretary of Health and Human Services can cancel this program at any time for any reason. Sec. 50412: Increased criminal and civil fines for Federal health care program fraud Sec. 50502: Updates the abstinence education program and increases funding from $50 million to $75 million in 2018 and 2019 Sec. 50711: Creates a program funding State efforts to provide mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and parenting counseling to parents in order to prevent their children from being placed in foster care. Sec. 50712: Allows foster care payments to be given to licensed residential treatment facilities if the facility welcomes the child to live with its parent as long as the facility provides parenting classes and family counseling. Sec. 50745: Requires States to require every child-care institution to run fingerprint-based checks of national crime information databases on any adult working in their facility. Sec. 50901: Funds Community Health Centers with $3.8 billion for 2018 and $4 billion for 2019 Sec. 52001: Repeals the Independent Payment Advisory Board Title XII: Offsets Sec. 53103: Requires Medicaid to count lottery winnings as income when determining Medicaid eligibility Sec. 53105: Rescinds $985 million from the Medicaid Improvement Fund, which is meant to improve oversight of Medicaid contracts and contractors. Sec. 53107: Reduces pay for outpatient physical and occupational therapists for care their assistant's provide to 85 percent of the rate that would have otherwise been paid. Sec. 53114: Increases the percentage that people who make over $500,000 per year pay for Medicare premiums from 80% to 85%. Sec. 53115: Empty's the Medicare Improvement Fund by eliminating all $220 million. Sec. 53116: Accelerates the closing of the prescription drug "donut hole" for seniors by moving up a decrease in out of pocket prescription costs to 25% by one year - it's now 2019 - and by increasing the percentage that drug manufacturers must discount their drugs from 50% to 70%. Sec. 53119: Cuts $1.35 billion from the Prevention and Public Health Fund over the next 10 years. Division G: Budgetary Effects Exempts the entire law from the PAYGO scorecard and the Senate PAYGO scorecards. Resources Bill Overview: H.J.Res. 45 Pay As You Go Act of 2010 Bill Summary: Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 Bill Scorecard: Pay-As-You-Go Act Scorecard August 4, 2017 Budget Notice: 2017 Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act Annual Report Committee on Finance Report: An Examination of Foster Care in the United States and the Use of Privatization Government Debt Info: The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It Government Debt Info: Interest Expense on the Debt Outstanding Louisiana State Government: Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Infrastructure Projects Visual Resources 20 Years of Congress Budget Prograstination in One Chart Sound Clip Sources Senate Remarks: Senator Paul on Budget Cap Increases in Two-Year Budget, C-SPAN, February 8, 2018. Senator Rand Paul: The bill is nearly 700 pages. It was given to us at midnight last night, and I would venture to say no one has read the bill. No one can thoroughly digest a 700-page bill overnight, and I do think that it does things that we really, really ought to talk about and how we should pay for them. Senator Rand Paul: So the reason I’m here tonight is to put people on the spot. I want people to feel uncomfortable. I want them to have to answer people at home who said, how come you were against President Obama’s deficits, and then how come you’re for Republican deficits? Isn’t that the very definition of intellectual dishonesty? If you were against President Obama’s deficits and now you’re for the Republican deficits, isn’t that the very definition of hypocrisy? People need to be made aware. Your senators need to answer people from home, and they need to answer this debate. We should have a full-throated debate. Senator Rand Paul: You realize that this is the secret of Washington. The dirty little secret is the Republicans are loudly clamoring for more military spending, but they can’t get it unless they give the Democrats welfare spending, so they raise all the spending. It’s a compromise in the wrong direction. We should be compromising in the direction of going toward spending only what comes in. And yet this goes on and on and on. Senator Rand Paul: For the umpteenth time, Congress is going to exceed their budget caps. We had something passed back in 2010. It was called PAYGO. It was supposed to say, if you’re going to pay new money, you had to go find an offset somewhere else. You could only pay as you go. It was sort of like a family would think about it. If you’re going to spend some more money, you either got to raise your income or you’ve got to save some money. You know how many times we’ve evaded it since 2010? Thirty-some-odd times. Senator Rand Paul: So the bill’s going to exceed the budget caps by $296 billion. And that’s not counting the money they don’t count, all right? So these people are really, really clever. Imagine them running their fingers together and saying, how can we hide stuff from the American people? How can we evade the spending caps so we can be even more irresponsible than we appear? So, 296 is the official number; about $300 billion over two years that will be in excess of the budget caps. But there’s another $160 billion that’s stuck into something called an overseas contingency fund. The budget caps don’t apply there. So we’re $300 billion for two years over the budget caps; then we’re another 160 billion over the caps—they just don’t count it. They act as if it doesn’t matter; we’re just not going to count it. Senator Rand Paul: The spending bill’s 700 pages, and there will be no amendments. The debate, although it’s somewhat inside baseball that we’re having here, is over me having a 15-minute debate, and they say, woe is me; if you get one, everybody’ll want an amendment. Well, guess what? That would be called debate. That would be called an open process. That would be called concern for your country—enough to take a few minutes. And they’re like, but it’s Thursday, and we like to be on vacation on Fridays. And so they clamor. But we’ve been sitting around all day. It’s not like we’ve had 100 amendments today, we’re all worn out, we can’t do one more. We’re going to have zero amendments—zero, goose egg, no amendments. Senator Rand Paul: So over the past 40 years, four times have we actually done the right thing—passed 12 individual appropriation bills, bundled them together, have a budget, and try to do the right thing. You know, there’s no guarantee that everybody’ll be wise in their spending, but it’s got to be better; it can’t be worse. What do we do instead? It’s called a continuing resolution. We glom all the bills together in one bill, like we’ve done tonight—Republicans and Democrats clasping hands—and nobody’s going to look at it. Nobody’s going to reform the spending. As a consequence, wasteful spending is riddled throughout your government. Only four times in 40 years have we done the appropriation process the way we’re supposed to. Senator Rand Paul: The last thing I’ll get to is something called the debt ceiling. The debt ceiling is something that has been a limitation on how much we spend, and we have to vote on it, and it’s an unpleasant vote. And so they try to either do it for a long period of time or try to stretch it beyond elections. So this bill, the 700-page bill that no one read, that will continue all the spending and will not reform your government and is irresponsible—the one we will pass later tonight—that 700-page bill also allows the debt ceiling to go up. Historically, we would let the debt ceiling—our borrowing limit—we would let it go up a dollar amount. We’d say, well, we’ve got to borrow money, and it looks like we’re going to need a trillion dollars. But you know the way they do it now? It’s like everything else around here: We bend, break the rules, and then somehow there’s a little bit of deviousness to it. The debt ceiling will go up in an unspecified amount. So as much as you can borrow between now and November, go for it. So there is no limitation. The debt ceiling becomes not a limitation at all. Senator Rand Paul: And the media doesn’t even get it. The media does you such a disservice. They can’t even understand what’s going on sometimes. They’re like, bipartisanship has broken out. Hallelujah! Republicans and Democrats are getting along. And in reality, they should be telling you, look for your wallet; check your pants to make sure they haven’t taken your wallet, because when both parties are happy and both parties are getting together and doing stuff, guess what? They were usually looting the Treasury. And that’s what this bill does. It’s going to loot the Treasury. It spends money we don’t have. We will have a trillion-dollar deficit this year. Press Briefing: Presidential Remarks on Federal Spending, C-Span, June 9, 2009. Community Suggestions Video: The Political Vigilante: Graham Learns About MMT Part 1 Video: The Political Vigilante: Graham Learns About MMT Part 2 See more community suggestions HERE. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)
Register for Podfest: Pay It Forward January 19th was a big day for the 115th Congress: Part of the government ran out of funding and some spying authorities also expired. In this episode, learn about FISA reauthorization law that contained a giant loophole that will allow previously inadmissible information to be used against you in court, get all the details about the 69 hour shutdown that resulted from an attempt by the Democratic Party to … do something for the Dreamers, get enraged by the dingleberries attached to the fourth temporary funding law of this fiscal year, and discover why Jen is angry with just about everyone right now. Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD165: Christmas Dingleberries CD098: The USA Freedom Act Please Support Congressional Dish Click here to contribute using credit card, debit card, PayPal, or Bitcoin Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Bills S. 139: FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 Sec. 101: Requires the Attorney General to create procedures for searching through the database that are consistent with the fourth amendment to the Constitution. The procedures must require that records of the query term used be kept Allows the FBI to search through the database and access the content of communications acquired via foreign surveillance for criminal investigations unrelated to national security if they get a court order. The FBI doesn't need to get the court order if the FBI determines "there is a reasonable belief that such contents could assist in mitigating or eliminating a threat to life or serious bodily harm." The new rules are effective January 1, 2018 Sec. 102: Information acquired via the foreign surveillance program can be used against us in court if the FBI gets a FISA court order, if the Attorney General says it is related to national security, OR the criminal proceeding involves crimes including: Death Kidnapping Serious bodily injury An offense against a minor Destruction of critical infrastructure ("assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that in incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.") Cybersecurity Transnational crimes, including drug and/or human trafficking A determination made by the Attorney General can not be reviewed by the courts. Sec. 110: Prohibits punishment for FBI and intelligence community contractors who report violations of law to certain authorities inside the government and Congressional committees. Sec. 201: Delays the repeal of authorities granted in Title VII of the FISA Amendments Act until December 31, 2023. The authorities allow the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence to target people non-Americans outside the United States Sec. 202: Increases the penalty for unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents from a fine and/or 1 year in prison to a fine and/or 5 years in prison. H.R. 195: Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018; HEALTHY KIDS Act; Federal Register Printing Savings Act of 2017 Division A: Federal Register Printing Savings Act of 2017 Prohibits copies of the Federal Register from being printed for members of Congress unless they request it. CBO says this will end the distribution of about 1,000 copies of the 300-page Federal Register that are distributed daily for free, saving ~$1 million per year. Division B: Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 Extends 2017 government funding levels until February 8, 2018. Allows the ~$4 billion appropriated for missile defense in the last CR to be spent by the intelligence agencies on things that were NOT specifically authorized by Congress Division C: HEALTHY KIDS Act Full Title: "Helping Ensure Access for Little Ones, Toddlers, and Hopeful Youth by Keeping Insurance Delivery Stable Act" Funds the Children's Health Insurance Program through 2023 at the following rates: 2018: $21.5 billion 2019: $22.6 billion 2020: $23.7 billion 2021: $24.8 billion 2022: $25.9 billion 2023: $5.7 billion + $20.2 billion = $25.9 billion The 2018 funds that were already appropriated are eliminated. Division D: Suspension of certain health-related taxes Sec. 4001: Delays implementation of the medical device tax until 2020 Sec. 4002: Delays implementation of the tax on high premium insurance plans until 2022 Sec. 4003: Suspends the annual fee on health insurance companies for 2019 & 2020. Division E: Budgetary Effects The budgetary effects of the extension of the CHIP program and the suspension of health industry taxes will not be counted in the PAYGO budget. Additional Reading Article: Top Republican warns that under new spending bill "the intelligence community could expend funds as it sees fit" by Alex Emmons and Ryan Grim, The Intercept, January 22, 2018. Article: Timeline: DACA, the Trump administration and a government shutdown by Miriam Valverde, Polifact, January 22, 2018. Report: Senate votes to end shutdown by Alexander Bolton, The Hill, January 22, 2018. Article: There's a surprise in the Government Funding Bill: More tax cuts by Margot Sanger-Katz and Jim Tankersley, The New York Times, January 22, 2018. Article: The government shutdown: We've been here before, and it lasted weeks by Steve Hendrix, The Washington Post, January 20, 2018. Article: House spending bill changes law to let Trump administration secretly shift intelligence money by Ryan Grim, The Intercept, January 17, 2018. Article: Yes, marches can make a difference. It depends on these three factors by Shom Mazumder, The Washington Post, January 27, 2017. Resources Center for National Security Studies: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Congressional Record: Senate Proceedings Monday, January 22, 2018 *Page 7: Sen. Cochran’s reason for the “blank check” provision Govtrack House Vote: S.139: Rapid DNA Act of 2017 Govtrack Senate Vote: S.139: FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017 Twitter Poll Who do you blame for the #GovernmentShutdown? — CSPAN (@cspan) January 20, 2018 C-SPAN poll - Over 208,000 votes 45% blame Trump 41% blame Congressional D’s 14% blame Congressional R’s Sound Clip Sources Hearing: Senate Session, Part 2, January 22, 2018. 1:08:40 Sen. Richard Burr: The vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee and I were notified when the House CR appeared that there was language in it that was different than in the past. The language in section 148 of the CR is of concern to the Intelligence Committee. Let me just read the language: Sec. 148. Funds appropriated by the Department of Defense Missile Defeat and Defense Enhancements Appropriation Act, 2018 (division B of Public Law 115–96) may be obligated and expended notwithstanding section 504(a)(1) of the National Security Act of 1947. This language is troublesome for the committee because it would authorize the intelligence community to spend funds ‘‘notwithstanding’’ the law that requires prior authorization by the Senate Intelligence Committee or by the House Intelligence Committee. 1:11:00 Sen. Richard Burr: As a result, this language can erode the powers of the authorizing committee. Effectively,the intelligence community could ex-pend funds as it sees fit without an authorization bill in place and with no statutory direction indicating that an authorization bill for 2018 is forth-coming. 1:16:30 Sen. Mark Warner: If this exemption is granted, you could potentially have an administration—any administration—go off and take on covert activities, for example,with no ability for our committee,which spends the time and has the oversight, to say timeout or to say we actually disagree with that policy. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)
Right before Christmas, the government was temporarily funded for the fourth time this fiscal year, but this latest funding law came with a few surprises. In this episode, a feisty Jen outlines the law to expose a favor to the war industry, damage to the Affordable Care Act, a bad sign for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a giant loophole that paved the way for a new mountain of government debt, and more. You’ll also learn about an “uncontroversial” bill that reduces accountability for foreign fighters who abuse women and that showers literal gifts upon a secretive Drug War commission. But it’s not all bad news! There’s also a reason for hope. Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD161: Veterans Choice Program Please Support Congressional Dish Click here to contribute using credit card, debit card, PayPal, or Bitcoin Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Register for Podfest: Pay It Forward Bills H.R. 1370: Continuing Appropriations Act, Department of Defense Missile Defeat and Defense Enhancements Appropriations Act, CHIP and Public Health Funding Extension Act, 2018 Division A Section 1001: Extends 2017 funding levels until January 19, 2018 Section 1002: Delays the repeal of FISA warrantless spying authorities until January 19, 2018. Division B Title I: Missile Defeat and Defense Enhancements Appropriates over $3.8 billion for emergency ballistic missile equipment and research. Title II: Missile Construction Enhancements Appropriates $200 million, available until September 30, 2022 to construct an emergency missile field in Alaska Title III: General Provisions Section 2001: Clarifies that the money in this law for the Department of Defense will be in addition to the money it will be appropriated for 2018. Section 2002: For the extra money given to the military in this law, this section creates an exception to the rule that says that no new projects can be started with it. Section 2003: Clarifies that this money is being appropriated as an emergency requirement. Division C: Health Provisions Title I:: Public Health Extenders Section 3101: Appropriates $550 million for community health centers and $65 million for the National Health Service Corps for the first half of 2018 Section 3102: Appropriates $37.5 million for a program for type I diabetes for the first half of 2018 Section 3103:: Cuts [the authorization for the Prevention and Public Health Fund](http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:300u-11%20edition:prelim) - 2019: Authorization decreases from $900 million to $800 million (was originally supposed to be $2 billion annually) - 2020 & 2021: Authorization decreases from $1 billion to $800 million - 2022: Authorization decreases from $1.5 billion to $1.25 billion. Title II: Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Section 3201: Appropriates $2.85 billion for the Children's Health Insurance Program through March 31, 2018, which is a cut from previous appropriations. Division D: VA Choice Section 4001: Appropriates an additional $2.1 billion for the Veteran's Choice Program. Division E: Budgetary Effects Section 5001: The budgetary effects of the money for CHIP and VA Choice on the PAYGO scorecard will not be counted. Section 5002: The effects of the tax bill (the "Reconciliation Act" authorized by H. Con. Res. 71) will not be considered in the PAYGO budget. S.371: Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017, Improvements Act Section 2: Orders a bunch of foreign policy related reports to be given to the Appropriations Committees in the House and the Senate. Section 3: Changes the original law signed in December 2016 to remove the requirement for "swift and effective disciplinary action against" police or troops of UN countries who sexually exploit or abuse people during their peacekeeping missions. In it's place, the requirement will be that the countries will have to "appropriately hold accountable" their personnel, which is left undefined. Section 10: Allows members of the Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission to "solicit, accept, use, and dispose of gifts, bequests, or devises of money, services, or property, both real and personal, for the purpose of carrying out any duty, power, or authority of the Commission." Additional Reading Article: Retirements of veteran Republicans fuel GOP fears of losing House majority by Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post, January 10, 2018. Article: Drug policy: Our unfinished business in the Americas by Reps. Eliot L. Engel and Matt Salmon, Huffington Post Report: Congress rushes Pentagon $4b for missile defense improvements by Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One, December 22, 2017. Report: House, Senate pass CR with emergency funding for missile defense, Navy ship repair by Justin Doubleday, Inside Defense, December 21, 2017. Article: Collision-damaged USS McCain arrives at Yokosuka for repairs by Leon Cook, Stars and Stripes, December 13, 2017. Article: USS Fitzgerald departs Yokosuka for Mississippi from U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs, America's Navy, December 8, 2017. Article: Could the U.S. actually shoot down a North Korean missile? by Larlsa Epatko, PBS, November 28, 2017. Article: Trump administration proposes $2.1 billion expansion of Fort Greely missile-defense base by Tim Ellis, AlaskaPublic.org, November 14, 2017. Press Release: AK delegation applauds major missile defense increase in Trump administration's budget request by Matt Shuckerow, DonYoung.house.gov, November 6, 2017. Report: Counternarcotics: Overview of U.S. efforts in the western hemisphere, U.S. Governtment Accountability Office, October 13, 2017. Article: Fort Greely stands firm in face of North Korean threat by Sean Kimmons, Department of Defense, October 11, 2017. Article: Doomsday Deflector: What is the THAAD missile system, where is the US program deployed and how does it work? by Patrick Knox, The Sun, September 4, 2017. News Report: Hudson Institute congratulates John Walters on congressional appointment to Western Hemisphere Drug Policy Commission by Hudson Institute, PR Newswire, June 29, 2017. Article: There's a flaw in the homeland missile defense system. The Pentagon sees no need to fix it by David Willman, The LA Times, February 26, 2017. Press Release: Engel measure to reassess drug policy headed to president's desk, Committee on Foreign Affairs, December 10, 2016. Article: The US government is literally arming the world, and nobody's even talking about it by William D. Hartung, Mother Jones, July 30, 2016. Article: U.S. missile defense system is 'simply unable to protect public,' report says by David Willman, The LA Times, July 14, 2016. Article: A test of America's homeland missile defense system found a problem. Why did the Pentagon call it a success? by David William, The LA Times, July 6, 2017. Report: Standard Missile-3 by Zach Berger, Missile Defense Advocacy, June 2017. Article: 'Double down' in fight against opioid abuse by Mary Bono, USA Today, March 6, 2017. Report: Assessment of DOD's reports on status of efforts and options for improving homeland missile defense, U.S. Government Accountability Office, February 17, 2016. Article: Bring back the war on drugs by William Bennett and John P. Walters, Boston Globe, September 9, 2015 Report: Fort Greely to get $50 million toward missile defense system by The Associated Press, Army Times, December 16, 2014. Article: Does missile defense actually work? by Roger A. Mola, Airspacemag.com, April 9, 2013. Resources Budget of the U.S. Government: Fiscal Year 2018 Department of Defense: Budget Amendment Fiscal Year 2018 Department of Defense: FY 2018 Budget Amendment Department of Defense: Military Installations Overview Fort Greely, Alaska Department of the Navy: FY 2018 Emergency Contingency Operations Amendments OpenSecrets.org: Boeing Co. Client Profile 2017 OpenSecrets.org: Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting Profile 2017 OpenSecrets.org: Raytheon Co. Client Profile 2017 Twitter Post @JordanUhl: Members of Congress Not Seeking Reelection Visual References Boeing Co Stock Summary Sound Clip Sources Hearing: U.S. Defense Strategy in South Asia; House Committee on Armed Services; October 3, 2017 C-Span Video Witnesses: - Joseph F. Dunford Jr. - James N. Mattis 57:25 James Mattis: I think the most important thing is that we get budget predictability and certainty, because without that, we cannot take the—adjust our forces and get predictability into our budgets that permits us to gain the best bang for the buck, to put it bluntly. We’re going into the ninth year with a continuing resolution. As you know, I cannot make new starts under that, even if the cyber domain or the space domain require that we do new things we’ve not had to do before to maintain our competitive edge. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)
Holly Harvey’s passion for her work is infectious as she describes how she and her colleagues at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimate the expense of legislative proposals so that lawmakers will understand just how much their ideas will cost American taxpayers. Harvey’s conversation with Henry E. Brady, Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, is the third of three in “The Budget Series,” featuring UC GSPP alumni who are fiscal policy experts in Washington. Series: "Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 31725]
Holly Harvey’s passion for her work is infectious as she describes how she and her colleagues at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimate the expense of legislative proposals so that lawmakers will understand just how much their ideas will cost American taxpayers. Harvey’s conversation with Henry E. Brady, Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, is the third of three in “The Budget Series,” featuring UC GSPP alumni who are fiscal policy experts in Washington. Series: "Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 31725]
Holly Harvey’s passion for her work is infectious as she describes how she and her colleagues at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimate the expense of legislative proposals so that lawmakers will understand just how much their ideas will cost American taxpayers. Harvey’s conversation with Henry E. Brady, Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, is the third of three in “The Budget Series,” featuring UC GSPP alumni who are fiscal policy experts in Washington. Series: "Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 31725]
Holly Harvey’s passion for her work is infectious as she describes how she and her colleagues at the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimate the expense of legislative proposals so that lawmakers will understand just how much their ideas will cost American taxpayers. Harvey’s conversation with Henry E. Brady, Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, is the third of three in “The Budget Series,” featuring UC GSPP alumni who are fiscal policy experts in Washington. Series: "Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 31725]
In a week which saw Yahoo announce that it had suffered the worst cyber-breach in history, and all three of Egypt’s incumbent mobile telcos opting not to bid for the 4G licenses being floated by the Egyptian government, Kenyan solar company, D.Light, shone brightly by announcing that they had raised $22.5 million in funding from leading VC’s, debt financiers and non-profit organisations. The money will be used to grow D.Light’s PayGo business globally— a pay-as-you-go offering which enables low-income customers to buy solar products on credit. D.Light has already made its mark by delivering affordable solar-powered solutions in Africa, China, South Asia and the United States. The company has so far sold more than twelve million solar light and power products in 62 countries, and aims to light up the lives of 100 million people by 2020. In this week’s episode of the African Tech Round-up, Nicholus, one of our US-based listeners, shares insights he gleaned at Intercommunity— the Internet Society’s annual global membership meeting which took place across various live locations around the world last week. Nicholus attended one of the sessions held in Washington DC, and emailed us a report via audio note which touched on why some US lawmakers are continuing to challenge the merits of allowing internet governance to shift from the United States to the international body, ICANN. Also in this week’s show is a conversation Andile Masuku had with the four co-founders of a promising South African start-up called Airbuy— a business which plans to help people convert airtime into “airbucks” that they can use to purchase goods and services online. The chaps are still celebrating their recent win at an MIT Global Startup Labs competition hosted at Wits University, and they let me take a peek under the hood of their passionate entrepreneurial hustle. Music Credits: Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Music licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Available for less than 3 days before the votes, the 2,009 page "omnibus" government funding bill was signed into law. History will not look kindly upon provisions that give private companies immunity for forwarding data to the government, make policing political contributions illegal, repeal a food labeling law, restrict international travel, and allow environmental damage. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Omnibus Outline Division A: Agriculture Section 754: Prohibits the FDA from clarifying foods with partially hydrogenated oils as unsafe before June 18, 2018. Section 759: Repeals Country of Origin Labels for beef and pork products Section 761: Prohibits the sale of genetically engineered salmon until the FDA publishes final labeling guidelines and sets aside at least $150,000 for the labeling program. Section 763: Prohibits the government from prohibiting the transportation, processing, sale, or use of industrial hemp Division B: Commerce, Justice, Science Section 202: Department of Justice money can’t be used to pay for an abortion unless the life of the mother is in danger - this is valid unless declared unconstitutional Section 204: The Director of the Bureau of Prisons will have to provide escort services to female names to get an abortion outside the Federal facility. Section 516: “None of the funds made available in this Act shall be used in any way whatsoever to support or justify the use of toruture by any official or contract employee of the United States Government” Section 520: A national security letter can’t be used by the Executive branch to stop the FBI from issuing national security letters Section 527: Prohibits the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prison inmates to the United States Section 539: Prohibits the transfer of Internet domain name system functions during fiscal year 2016 Section 542: Prohibits Dept. of Justice money from being used to prevent States from implementing their medical marijuana laws. Division C: Defense Section 8002: Puts no limit on the compensation for foreign people working at the Department of Defense in the Republic of Turkey Section 8018: Prevents demilitarization and disposal of certain guns Section 8067: A “buy local” requirement for military purchases of beer and wine Section 8079: Says information pertaining to US citizens will only be handled according to the 4th amendment “as implemented through Executive Order No. 12333” Section 8087: Prohibits the retirement, divestment, realignment, or transfer of RQ-4B Global Hawk aircraft Section 8103: Prohibits the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prison inmates to the United States Section 8114: Prohibits realignment of forces at Lajes Air Force Base in Azores, Portugal unless determined that it is not “an optimal location for the Joint Intelligence Analysis Complex” Section 8116: Prohibits the NSA from conducting “an acquisition” using FISA 702 “for the purpose of targeting a United States person” or from acquiring, monitoring or storing the contents of “any electronic communication” of a US person from a provider of electronic communication services to the public, as determined by FISA 501 Section 8123: Prohibits retirement of A-10 aircraft Section 8129: Prohibits retirement of KC-10 aircraft Section 8130: Prohibits retirement of EC-130 H aircraft Section 8132: Prohibits any base closures War on Terror Section 9002: Allows the Defense Department to transfer an additional $4.5 billion to the War on Terror fund Section 9006: Department of Defense “operation and maintenance” money can be used in Afghanistan and to counter ISIL Section 9007: Prohibits permanent bases in Iraq, control of Iraqi oil, permanent bases in Afghanistan Section 9012: $600 million for Jordan Section 9014: $250 million for Ukraine for “assistance, including training, equipment, lethal weapons of a defensive nature… and intelligence support to the military and national security forces of Ukraine and for the replacement of any weapons or defensive articles provided to the Government of Ukraine from the inventory of the United States" Section 9019: Money can’t be used in Syria in contravention of the War Powers Resolution including the introduction of United States armed or military forces into hostilities in Syria without consulting and reporting to Congress Division D: Energy and Water Section 105: Prohibits any changes to the “fill material” in waterways definition Section 110: Prohibits permits from being required for discharges of “fill material” Section 312: Prohibits implementation of energy efficient lightbulb regulations Division E: Financial Services Section 117: Can’t redesign the $1 bill Section 127: Prohibits any change to regulations and standards used by the IRS "to determine whether an organization is operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare for the purposes of section 501(c)(4)” Section 613: Prohibits money paying for any health plans for Federal employees that cover abortions Section 614: Unless the life of the mother is at risk or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest Section 622: Defunds White House positions Director, White House Office of Health Reform Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury assigned to the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry and Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy White House Direction of Urban Affairs Section 627: Prohibits the government from requiring a telecom from turning over data it is storing Section 629: Prohibits implementation of safety standards for recreational off-highway vehicles Division F: Homeland Security Section 526: Customs and Border Protection can’t stop an individual from importing prescription drugs from Canada if they are carrying 90 day supply or less Section 532: Prohibits the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prison inmates to the United States Division G: Environment & Dept. of Interior Section 117: Prohibits listing of the sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act Doesn’t say “for fiscal year 2016” Section 404: Prohibits acceptance of patents for mining sites Some patents are grandfathered Section 408: Prevents mining within National Monuments Section 417: No money can be used to require permits for emitting carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapor, or methane emissions from livestock production. Section 418: Prohibits regulations requiring mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from manure management systems. Section 420: Prohibits regulation of lead in ammunition and fishing tackle Division H: Labor, Health, and Education Section 110: Prohibits implementation of a regulation for minimum wages for seasonal workers Section 114: Prohibits enforcement of regulations designed to audit companies that use foreign workers Section 210: Prohibits the promotion of gun control Section 301: Prohibits bussing of kids to overcome racial imbalances Section 303: Forces public schools to allow voluntary prayer and meditation programs Section 508: Prohibits funding for research that creates, destroys, or injures human embryos Section 522: Prohibits funds for ACORN Division J: Military Construction and Veterans Section 412: Prohibits the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prison inmates to the United States Division K: Dept. of State $4.7 billion for the “Foreign Military Financing Program”, $3.1 billion to Isreal, $1.3 billion to Egypt, $1.27 billion for Jordan, $658 million for Ukraine Section 7007: No money can be given directly to Cuba, North Korea, Iran, or Syria Section 7008: Rules for financing governments after military coups Syria: Money can be used to “establish governance in Syria that is representative, inclusive, and accountable” War on Terror: State Dept. Section 9002: Increased US quota of the IMF fund to 40.8 billion Special Drawing Rights (SDR), about $55 billion as of 12/17 exchange rates Division L: Transportation and Housing Section 133: Continues the suspension of a regulation limiting commercial truck drivers to 60 or 70 hours per week. Division M: Intelligence Section 305: Limits the information the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board will have access to Section 601: Prohibits the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prison inmates to the United States Division N: Cybersecurity Act of 2015 Outline Coming Soon (CD113) Division O: Other Matters Section 101: Repeals the oil export ban Title II: “Terrorist Travel Prevention and Visa Waiver Program Reform” Section 202: Requires people from countries participating in our visa waiver program to have machine readable, electronic passports to enter the US by April 1, 2016. Should have been available since 2005, but people with older passports didn’t need new ones. Now they will Section 203: Visas will be required from anyone who traveled to Iraq or Syria and possibly other countries since March 2011 Doesn’t apply to military members or government employees Title III: Reauthorizes health program for 9/11 WTC responders through October 1, 2090 Section 402: Reauthorizes and expands 9/11 victim fund to include damages to business and employment opportunities Does not include mental health care Section 411: Increases visa fees until September 30, 2025 for businesses who bring in foreign employees by about $4,000 $1 billion will be used to “implement the biometric entry and exit data system”, which will keep track of everyone’s exit and entry data electronically Section 404: Creates a new program to give money to some victims of terrorism Money will be handed out by a “Special Master” appointed by the Attorney General Decisions of the Special Master will be “final” and “not subject to administrative or judicial review” Eligible people are US “persons” who won a court case against a “state sponsor of terrorism” Victims of the Iran Hostage Crisis will get $10,000 per day they were held, and their spouses and kids will get a lump sum of $600,000, with a maximum payment of $20 million per person and $35 million per family. The President will demand the payment from the offending country before sanctions can be lifted Over $1 billion will be given out during 2017, and the fund will close on January 2, 2026. Attorneys can get 25% of the payments Act of international terrorism = torture, extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage, or hostage taking Section 702: Has something to do with exemptions and Wall Street Section 707: “None of the funds made available by any division of this Act shall bemused by the Securities and Exchange Commission to finalize, issue, or implement any rule, regulation, or order regarding the disclosure of political contributions, contributions to tax exempt organization, or dues paid to trade associations” Section 708: Repeals an exemption for the SEC from the Right to Financial Privacy Act, which allowed them to get financial records from banks without the customer’s knowledge Section 1001: The budgetary effects of the “Other Matters” division and the Division P tax provisions will not be counted in the PayGo budget Division P: Tax Related Provisions Section 101: Delays the excise tax on high cost employer health plans until 2019. Section 201: Puts a moratorium on a fee on health insurance providers Section 301: Extends until 2020 and fades out tax credits for wind facilities Section 303: Extends until 2022 and fades out tax credits for solar energy Votes Passed the House of Representatives 316- 113 Passed the Senate 65-33 Audio Sources House Rules Committee Hearing: H.R. 2029 - Omnibus, December 16, 2015. Additional Information Article: The big new budget deal, explained by Ezra Klein, Vox, December 18, 2015. Article: Obama Signs $1.8 Trillion Tax and Spending Bill Into Law by Bill Chappell, NPR, December 18, 2015. Article: Congress Just Put Iranian-Americans and Others at Risk for Becoming Second Class Citizens by Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept, December 18, 2015. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations
In this episode, we look at the riders added to the must-sign 2015 budget, including favors for Wall Street, unions, agribusiness, the oil and gas industry, electric utilities, the vending machine industry, telecoms, the trucking industry, the insurance industry, and the politicians themselves. Please Support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! CRomnibus Article: CRomnibus Disaster Signals a Sad New Normal in D.C. by David Dayen. The Fiscal Times. December 2014. Article: Wall Street's Omnibus Triumph, and Others by Russ Choma, OpenSecrets Blog, December 2014. Division A Agriculture & FDA Section 741: Defunds an advisory board made up of scientists that evaluates the effectiveness of food safety inspection processes. Section 750: Prohibits funding from being used to inspect livestock slaughterhouses to make sure diseased animals are separated from animals who will be eaten and to make sure the animals are being slaughtered humanely. Section 751: States can exempt schools from the requirement to provide whole grains to students in school lunches. Section 752: No money can be used to implement a law that would require a sodium reduction in school lunches. Division B Commerce, Justice, & Science Section 202: The Department of Justice can't pay for an abortion unless the mother's life is in danger or unless she was raped. The bill acknowledges that this might be unconstitutional and if so, this provision will be "null and void". Section 501: Money can't be used for propaganda that is not authorized by Congress. Section 509: No money can be used to seek the removal of another country's tobacco marketing restrictions, "except for restrictions which are not applied equally to all tobacco or tobacco products of the same type". Article: US floats cutting tobacco from part of Pacific trade pact, Krista Hughes, Reuters, October 21, 2014. Section 516: "None of the funds made available in this Act shall be used in any whatsoever to support or justify the use of torture by any official or contract employee of the United States Government." Section 517: Fully automatic weapons may be exported to Canada without an export license if they are to be used by the US Federal Government or the government of Canada. Section 519: Prohibits new trade agreements from including language that forces countries to police the unauthorized distribution of patented pharmaceuticals, language that prevents generic versions of drugs before the patent has expired, and language that allows patent owners to prevent importation of products even if their product is available in other countries. Section 528: No money can be used to transfer Khalid Sheikh Mohammaed or any other detainee from Guantanamo Bay prison to another location in the United States. Section 530: The government should purchase Energy Star light bulbs to the extent practicable. Section 533: Prohibits government employees from denying or ignoring a permit to import shotguns. Section 538: Prevents the Department of Justice from using it's money to prevent States from implementing their medical marijuana laws. TITLE VI- Travel Promotion Enhancement and Modernization Act Passed the House in July 2014 and was discussed on CD081: The July Bills. Changes the board of directors of Brand USA – a non-profit organization that advertises U.S. tourism – from being made up of travel industry specialists to one made up of entirely of executives, with five seats reserved for people with ties to multinational corporations. It eliminates the seat for the specialist in intercity passenger rail. Extends the authorization for the government to spend $100 million per year on Brand USA through 2020. Extends the Travel Promotion Fee – a $10 fee charged to people who get a visa to travel into the United States – until 2020. Division C Defense Coming Soon Division D Energy & Water Section 107: Federal funding can't be used to enforce the mitigation regulations known as the "Modified Charleston Method." The Modified Charleston Method was implemented in May 2011 and is a formula for calculating how much wetlands need to be protected for each acre of private development. This method protects more wetlands than are protected when it is not used, generally requiring 3 acres of wetland conservation for every acre destroyed. InfoPacket: The University of New Orleans 2013 Economic Outlook & Real Estate Forecast Seminar for the Northshore One of the projects impacted is a Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline. Kinder Morgan has given almost $80,000 to the Boehner for Speaker Committee. Article: Wetlands Mitigation Rules Get Tougher, and St. Tammany Officials Get Worried by Christine Harvey. The Times-Picayune. March 2012. Amendment added by Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana Press Release: Scalise Applauds Delay of the Modified Charleston Method in 2015 Appropriations Bill, December 2014. The vast majority of Rep. Steve Scalise's campaign funds come from PACs - 71% - but his #1 listed contributing industry is Oil and Gas; he's taken over $600,000. Section 109: Prohibits changes to the regulatory definition of "fill material" or "discharge of fill material". In 2002, the Bush administration changed the definition of "fill material" which can be dumped into waterways with a permit, to include "waste" from coal mining. This was attached by Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho to the 2014 budget. He has taken over $445,000 from electric utilities and $137,000 from mining. Section 111: Prohibits the government from requiring a permit for dumping farming and ranching "fill material" into waterways. Section 112: Deletes an EPA/ Army rule that limits the farming and ranching "fill material" that can be dumped without a permit. Section 312: The Department of Energy is not allowed to construct centrifuges for enriched uranium in 2015 and needs to do a cost-benefit analysis of options for suppling enriched uranium for war purposes and an "estimate to build a national security train". Section 313: Prohibits enforcement of energy efficient light bulb standards. According to the Department of Energy, these standards will save $17.7 billion in energy costs over the next 30 years, as well as avoid 106 million metric tons of co2 emissions. This amendment was added by Rep. Michael Burgess of Texas, whose #5 contributing industry is Electric Utilities - he's taken almost $200,000 -, although he get 69% of his money from PACs. He has added it to must-sign legislation every year since 2010. Division E Financial Services Section 114: The Treasury Department may not redesign the $1 bill. Article: One is the Loneliest Dollar Bill by Sarah Mimms. National Journal. January 2015. Article: Bush Administration Fights Currency Redesign. Associated Press. December 2006. Article: The Blind Welcome a Ruling That May Help Them Count Their Cash by Tina Kelley. New York Times. May 2008. Section 502: Prevents the Federal Communications Commission from implementing a recommendation from 2004 that would change a government subsidy for telecoms to allow payment for broadband lines per household instead of per line, which would effectively reduce the subsidy for the companies. FAQ: Universal Service Administrative Company. Section 630: The text of HR 992, which was the bill written by Citigroup that will allow banks to gamble with credit default swaps on the stock market with customers deposits in FDIC insured banks. Article: Derivatives Markets Growing Again, With Few New Protections by Mayra Rodriguez Valldares. New York Times. May 2014. Article: Three Bankers Bolster Blankfein as Goldman Trading Sinks by Michael Moore. Bloomberg. May 2014. This provision was added by Rep. Kevin Yoder of Kansas, who took over $114,000 from Securities and Investment bankers for the last election alone. Over the course of his four year career, he's taken almost $700,000 from bankers... that we know of. Section 725: "Prohibits Federal agencies from monitoring individuals' internet use." Section 735 Prohibits funding for requirements that would make companies submitting offers for Federal contracts to disclose their political contributions. Section 809: Prohibits Washington DC from using its money to from legalize or reduce the penalties for a schedule I substance, which includes marijuana, for recreational use. Division F Land Management & Environment The Department of the Interior USGS: For the United States Geological Survey to surveys and research topography, geology, hydrology, biology, and the mineral and water resources of the United States... approx $1 billion, available until 9/30/2016. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, offshore safety: $125 million minus fees collected, estimated real appropriation of $66 million for enforcing regulations for leases for oil and gas, other minerals, and energy on the Outer Continental Shelf + $65 million - minus fees collected- over half of which needs to go towards expediting drilling permits on the Outer Continental Shelf. Collection and disbursement of royalties, fees, and other mineral revenue will get $265 million. Wildland fire management: $805 million. Hazardous fuels management and resilient landscapes activities can be privatized. This money can be used by the Secretary of State outside the United States. This money can be used to pay off debts incurred for fires in previous years. This money can be used as emergency funds to deal with earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, storms, oil spills, and to control cricket outbreaks. Section 122: Prohibits the Secretary of the Interior from protecting the Sage-Grouse under the Endangered Species Act. Oil backers, conservationists battle over fate of greater sage grouse by Sandra Fish, AlJazeera America, December 2013. Environmental Protection Agency Over $2.3 billion for fire suppression. Federal Firefighting Costs for suppression alone averaged $1.46 billion a year since 2000, a time period that has included 9 out of the 10 hottest years since records began in 1880. Section 411: Allows Alaska red and yellow cedar to be exported to foreign countries. Press Release: Petition Seeks to Protect Tongass' Ancient Yellow Cedars as Endangered Species by the Center for Biological Diversity, June 2014. Article: Forest Service criticized over Tongass management by Maria La Ganga, Los Angeles Times, November 2014. Article: Viking Lumber wins Big Thorne contract, again by Katie Mortiz, Juneau Empire, October 2014. Article: In Alaska, a Battle to Keep Trees, or an Industry, Standing by Michael Wines, New York Times, September 2014. Article: The Forest Service bets on second-growth logging in Alaska by Krista Langlois, High Country News, January 2015. Article: Budget bill boosts logging by Section 419: No money can be used to regulate carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, water vapor or methane emitted from livestock production. Section 420: No money can be used to require mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions from manure management systems. Amendments identical to Sections 419 and 420 were attached to the 2014 budget by Rep. Ken Calvert of Southern California. He has taken over $650,000 from Agribusiness. Section 425: No money can be used to regulate the lead content of ammunition or fishing tackle. Division G Labor, Health, & Education Health and Human Services Section 217: Prohibits funding of gun control promotions. Section 220: The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) can privatize research into "security countermeasure" drugs for 10 years. Op-Ed: Ebola and the most important agency America has never heard of by former Rep. Mike Rogers, The Hill, October 2014. Department of Education Section 301: No money can be used for transporting children to other school districts to "carry out a plan of racial desegregation of any school or school system." Section 303: No money can be used to prevent voluntary prayer in public schools. Department of Labor Section 406: The National Labor Relations Board can't use their money to provide employees with electronic voting for electing representatives for their collective bargaining. All Departments Section 506: The Departments of Health & Humans Services, Labor, and Education can't use their money to pay for health benefits coverage that includes abortion coverage. Section 507: Abortions can be paid for with Federal funds if the pregnancy was a result of rape or incest or if the mother's life is in danger. States will be allowed to cover abortion and abortion coverage can be offered separately. Section 508: No money can be used for research that harms a human embryo. Section 521: No money can be used for programs that distribute sterile needles to drug addicts. Section 529: No money can go towards ACORN, "or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, allied organizations, or successors." Article: Congress's Undying (and Less Than Effective) ACORN Funding Ban, by David Weigel, Bloomberg, December 2014. Ebola Response & Preparedness Ebola money is available for use until September 30, 2019. Over $1.7 billion for the Centers for Disease Control to "respond to Ebola domestically and internationally." $10 million for hospital worker and emergency first responder training. $597 million for global health security The money can be used to purchase and insure vehicles in foreign countries. Section 601: The CDC can use this money to "acquire, lease, construct, alter, renovate, equip, furnish, or manage facilities outside the United States." $238 billion in "emergency" funding will go towards the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases" to "respond to Ebola domestically and internationally." $733 million for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to "respond to Ebola domestically and internationally" to develop and purchase vaccines, "necessary medical supplies, and administrative activities." Money can be used for the "renovation and alteration of privately owned facilities at the State and local level" Division H Congress Section 102: No money can be used to deliver a printed copy of a bill to a Representative unless that Representative asked for it. Section 105: No more than 50 copies total of the US Code can be printed for the entire House of Representatives. Section 1301: The Government Printing Office is renamed to the Government Publishing Office. Division I Military Construction Section 101: Construction contracts with guaranteed profits will be allowed in Alaska and/or if the Defense Secretary says there's a reason for one in writing. Section 109: Military construction money can't be used to pay property taxes in foreign countries. Section 110: The military can't use this money for any new installations without notifying the House and Senate Appropriations Committees first. Section 111: Architect or engineer contracts over $500,000 in Japan, NATO countries, or countries bordering the Arabian Gulf must be awarded to US firms or be partnerships with US firms. Section 117: Money for military construction can be held & used up to four years after it is appropriated. Section 127: $125 million extra is appropriated until September 2018 for projects anywhere excepts in Europe. Section 512: No money can be used to prepare any United States facilities to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay prison. Veterans Veterans benefits will cost $94 billion and medical expenses will cost $59 billion, which is $153 billion total. Section 236 The Veterans Integrated Service Networks are not allowed to change their system for contracting for diabetes monitoring supplies and equipment. Press Release: Sysmex America Sign Two Contracts with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, PR Newswire, November 2013. "Sysmex America now holds Veterans Administration hematology contracts and standardization agreements with 16 of the 21 VISNs." "The VA Schedules are indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity type contracts awarded to pre-approved vendors." OpenSecrets: Hal Rogers, chairman of the Appropriations Committee is a shareholder of Roche Holdings, which signed a 10 year distribution agreement with Sysmex America in 2012 which allows Roche to distribute Sysmex hemotology products to countries around the world. Division J State Department & Foreign Operations $2.1 billion for Worldwide Security protection for the State Department, which has doubled since 2008. Article: Exclusive: Blackwater Wins Piece of $10 Billion Mercenary Deal by Spencer Ackerman, Wired, October 2010. Approximately $3.5 billion will go towards the United Nations, including U.N. "peacekeeping missions". Over $1 billion plus $2.7 billion in "global health programs" funds will go to USAID. $5.6 billion will go towards combatting AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. $2.5 billion will go towards "development assistance", which includes spending on: Agribusiness Setting up financial institutions "Policy and regulatory programs" that "improve the environment" for financial institutions. Marketing Energy and storage facilities Infrastructure Schools spreading "ideas and practices of the United States, including new education material and curricula "To expedite the location, exploration, and development of potential sources of energy in developing countries" Over $2.6 billion for the "Economic Support Fund", which includes funding for: Promoting "economic or political stability" Legal education training Academic training for law enforcement (the military is prohibited from participating) Prison programs "Legal reform" and "revision and modernization of legal codes and procedures" Can be used for loan guarantees for Jordan, Ukraine, and Tunisia and this money won't count towards laws limiting assistance to countries. This money can be used to create "enterprise funds" for Egypt or Tunisia, which are "public-private partnerships for the purpose of investing US Government funds to support the private sector". This money "shall be available for economic programs and may not be used for military or paramilitary purposes." $853 million for the War on Drugs Includes authorization for the "use of herbicides for aerial eradication". Tells the State Department to report on the cost of "establishing an aviation platform in Africa" which would be used for, among other things, counternarcotics. $145 million for "Peacekeeping Operations" to "enhance the capacity of foreign civilian security forces" including military forces in charge of policing civilians (gendarmes). $106 million for "International Military Education and Training." $5 billion for the "Foreign Military Financing Program The money can be used "to procure defense articles and services to enhance the capacity of foreign security forces" Over $3 billion must be grants to Israel $1.3 billion can be put in an interest bearing account at the NY Federal Reserve for Egypt, and the money can be used for weapons as long as Egypt meets a list of demands (including giving detainees access to due process of law). Article: Congress allows Obama to reopen military aid to Egypt by Julian Pecquet. Al Monitor. December 10, 2014. $1 billion will be for Jordan. This money can be used in the Western Sahara. This money can be used for "counterterrorism and counterinsurgency" in Pakistan. Section 7004: The State Department can construction "diplomatic facilities" that include office space or "other accommodations" for the US Marine Corps. The Congressional report on where these facilities are and their costs can be classified. Congress doesn't need to be notified of new diplomatic facilities if there is a "security risk to personnel". Section 7008: Money can't be used to directly assist any government whose elected government is removed by the military. However, we can give that country money again as long as the next government is elected. Section 7034: Prohibits money being used for "tear gas, small arms, light weapons, ammunition, or other items for crowd control purposes for foreign security forces that use excessive force to repress peaceful expression." Section 7041: We will give $150 million to Egypt as long as Egypt is taking steps to "implement market-based economic reforms". Section 7041: The State Department can use its money to create a new government and "promote economic development" in Syria. Section 7042: State Department funds are going towards training and equipping Ethiopian military and police. Section 7042: State Department funds will also towards training militaries in Angola, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d"Ivoire, Guinea, and Zimbabwe. Section 7042: State Department money will go towards managing natural resources and supporting security forces in South Sudan. Section 7043: State Department money will be used for naval forces, coast guards and nongovernmental organizations "directly engaged in maritime security issues" in Asia. Section 7043: State Department money will go towards the Philippine army. Section 7043: State Department money will be given to the military of Vietnam and for health/disability activities in areas sprayed with Agent Orange and/or contaminated with dioxin. Section 7044: The State Department can construct and renovated US government facilities to accommodate Federal employees or contractors or expand aviation facilities in Afghanistan if it would "protect such facilities or the security, health, and welfare of United States personnel." Money for Afghanistan can go towards "programs in Central and South Asia relating to a transition in Afghanistan, including expanding Afghanistan linkages within the region." Section 7044: Money can go towards military training in Sri Lanka. Section 7045: State Department funds can be used to "support a unified campaign against narcotics trafficking" in Columbia. 10% of the funds will go towards "aerial drug eradication programs". Section 7045: State Department funds can be given to the Guatemalan army. Section 7045: State Department funds can be given to the Honduran army and police. Section 7045: State Department funds can be given to the Mexican army and police. Section 7074: $100 million for the Special Defense Acquisition Fund, which is under the control of the Defense Department, to buy weapons and defense services for foreign countries. Section 7083: The United States will contribute over $3.8 billion to the International Development Association, a branch of the World Bank that provides loans and grants to "boost economic growth" in poor countries. It's our 17th contribution. Over $1.3 billion will be for State Department security. Over $7.6 billion for the War on Terror. $1.5 billion for Ebola "assistance for countries affected by, or at risk of being affected by, the Ebola virus disease outbreak." Division K Transportation $500 million for national transportation infrastructure, including highway, bridge, rail, port, and public transportations projects. $9.7 billion: For the Federal Aviation Administration. $8.6 billion is from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund so the taxpayer subsidy for air travel is $1.1 billion. $40 billion for the highway trust fund. Section 133: Prohibits enforcement of regulations until September 30, 2015. The regulations delayed say: Commercial drivers must not work for 34 consecutive hours between weeks and that 34 hours must include two periods from 1am to 5am. Commercial drivers must not drive more than 60 hours in 7 consecutive days or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days. Truckers will be able to drive for 82 hours per week. Article: The Department of Transportation wants truckers to sleep more. Congress said no. by Lydia DePillis. Washington Post. December 2014. Article: Survey Shows Hours of Service Top Trucking Concern. Trucking Info. October 2014. OpenSecrets: Senator Susan Collins of Maine inserted the rider on behalf of the trucking industry. She received $21,000 from the trucking industry for the 2014 election. The trucking industry also gave $87,150 to Senator Mitch McConnell, the new Majority Leader in the Senate. $250 million for Amtrak operations. $1.1 billion for Amtrak investments and improvements. Housing Section 235 Forbids funding for a program that reduces mortgage rates for first time home buyers who go through home counseling and financial education. Section 420 "It is the sense of Congress that the Congress should not pass any legislation that authorizes spending cuts that would increase poverty in the United States." Division L Homeland Security Funding for the Department of Homeland Security remains at the same levels as 2014. Funding runs out on February 27, 2015. Article: With Shutdown Avoided, Who Are Winners (And Losers) In 2015 Budget? by Kelly Phillips, Forbes, December 2014. Division M Expatriate Health Coverage This section includes the altered text of HR 4414, the Expatriate Health Coverage Clarification Act of 2014, which was discussed on Congressional Dish episode CD075: The April Bills. Exempts expatriate health plans issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2015 from the minimum standards set by the Affordable Care Act. "Expatriate" includes people from foreign countries working in the United States as part of a job transfer. The effects of this on the PAYGO budget will not be counted. The original version of this bill was written by Rep. John Carney of Delaware, who has taken over $312,000 from the insurance industry. Division N Campaign Contributions In May, as discussed on Congressional Dish episode CD071: Our New Laws, the President signed into law the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act, which eliminated public financing of political party conventions. Section 101: Creates three separate funds for political parties, at least triples the amount of money an individual can contribute to each of these new funds, and eliminates limits on how the parties can spend the money. We don't know exactly how much individuals will be able to contribute to political parties now that this provision is law. NPR has a different number than the Washington Post, which has a different number than The New York Times. Congressional Dish calculations indicate that the changes will allow an individual to contribute at least $257,400 per year and that amount increases every two years based on the Consumer Price Index. Division O Pensions Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), pensions for retiree's who have already started to collect benefits can't be cut unless a company goes into bankruptcy. This section changes the law to allow benefit cuts to multi-employer pension plans under other scenarios. Section 102: Allows a multi-employer pension plan to be labeled in "critical status" five years before it's projected to actually meet critical status criteria, if the plan sponsor chooses to label it that way. Department of Labor list of Multi-Employer Plans listed as "critical status" Section 106: After certifying that a plan is in critical status, a "funding improvement plan" must be crafted, and benefits cannot be cut nor new people excluded during this time. Section 121: Allows the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to merge two or more multi-employer pension plans and allows the PBGC to give cash to the plans. Section 122: Multi-employer plans can be broken up if they've cut all the benefits allowed and need to do so to remain solvent. Section 131: Increases the premium rate for multi-employer plans from $12 to $26 in 2015 and then some complicated amount tied to the national average wage index after that. Section 201: Allows benefits to be cut when a plan is in "critical and declining status", which means the plan is in critical status and projected to become insolvent within the next 15 years. For plans with over 10,000 participants, one participant - selected by the plan sponsor - will advocate on behalf of all the retired participants. The following conditions need to be met in order to suspend benefits: The plan needs to certify that it will avoid insolvency. The plan needs to certify that it will become insolvent if it doesn't cut benefits. Limits on benefit suspensions Monthly benefits can't be reduced below 110% of what would be guaranteed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which is approximately $1,180 for participants in multi-employer plans. People over 75 are exempted from the benefit cuts. Disability benefits can't be cut. Eleven different factors will determine how much each participant's benefits would be cut. Benefits will be cut first for employees that worked for companies that withdrew from the plan and failed to pay. Benefits can't be cut until the plan sponsor submits can application to the Secretary of the Treasury and notifies plan participants, employers, and employee organizations. The notice can be in electronic form. Process for cutting benefits: The plan sponsor must submit an application to the Secretary of the Treasury for approval to suspend benefits. Within 30 days of receiving the application, the Secretary of the Treasury will solicit comments from employers, employee organizations, and participants on the website of the Secretary of the Treasury. If the Secretary of the Treasury does not approve or deny the application within 225 days, the application will be deemed approved. Within 30 days of the application's approval, participants and beneficiaries must vote on whether or not to cut benefits. Majority rules. If the participants vote not to cut benefits, the Secretary of Treasury can label the plan a "systemically important plan" and allow benefits to be cut even though the participants voted no. Access to the courts is limited: A court reviewing a lawsuit challenging a benefit cut can only grant a temporary injunction if the plaintiffs will probably win. A participant in a pension plan can not challenge a benefit cut in court. OpenSecrets: Rep. John Kline has taken over $14 million in campaign contributions from all kinds of industries. OpenSecrets: Former Rep. George Miller took over $2.4 million from unions, that we know of. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Blame the Bankers by The Sharp Things (found on Music Alley by mevio) Growing Marijuana Song by Ben Scales Be Heard Have something to say? Leave a message on the Congressional Dish voicemail line and it might be featured on the show! 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In this episode, we discuss the bills that passed in August and September, the last bills to pass before the election. Included are bills that give money to Israel, screw over immigrant kids, audit the Fed, poison the environment, create huge corporate tax cuts, and more. Also, the story of CryptoWall, the computer virus holding our memories hostage. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! H.J. Res 76: A bill that gives $225 million to Israel's Iron Dome [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Iron Dome By Israel Defense Forces and Nehemiya Gershoni[/caption] Gave $225 million to Israel for their Iron Dome missile defense system. Article: Gaza Crisis: Toll of Operations in Gaza, BBC World, September 2014. Article: Raytheon a key in Israeli defense plan, Boston Globe, July 2014. Written by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey's 11th district. It passed the House of Representatives with by a vote of 248-176. All Republicans voted yes. There was no recorded vote in the Senate. H.R. 5272Ship Off Children of Immigrants Act of 2014 Prevents leniency as ordered in a 2012 Department of Homeland Security directive that discourages deportation proceedings for illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as young children. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="299"] Rep. Marsha Blackburn[/caption] Prevents all undocumented people from working in the United States. Written by Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee's 7th district. Passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 216-192. Every Representative from the following states voted yes: Alaska Arkansas Idaho Kansas Montana Nebraska North Dakota Oklahoma South Dakota West Virginia Wyoming H.R. 5078: Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act of 2014 Prevents implementation and enforcement of a proposed EPA rule that would clearly protect seasonal and rain-dependent streams and wetlands near streams and prevents any rule like it in the future. Written by Rep. Steve Southerland of Florida's 2nd district. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 262-152. H.R. 3522 A bill that allows health insurance companies to provide less coverage. Allows health insurance companies to continue to offer health plans to employer that don't comply with the minimum standards set by the Affordable Care Act until 2019. Written by Rep. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana's 6th district The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 247-167. All Republicans voted yes. H.R. 24 Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2013 Requires an audit of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Federal Reserve banks within a year of this bill becoming law. Eliminates a list of things in the Federal Reserve that are not allowed to be audited, including: Transactions for or with foreign central banks, foreign governments, or international financing organizations. Debates and decisions on monetary policy The amount of money in member banks Written by Rep. Paul Broun of Georgia's 10th district. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 333-92. H.R. 5462 A bill that increases air travel fees Increases the TSA fee from a maximum $5 each way to $5.60 each way or $11.20 roundtrip. Written by Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina's 8th district. Passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 423-0. H.R. 4 Jobs for America Act This bill is a package of bills that have already passed the House of Representatives in the 113th Congress. The entire bill will not be counted in the PAYGO budget. Ways and Means Includes the Save American Workers Act, which requires an employee to work 40 hours per week, instead of 30 hours per week, in order to be considered “full-time” and get employer-provided health insurance. CBO said this bill would increase the deficit by $45.7 billion over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD075: The April Bills. Includes the American Reseach and Competitiveness Act of 2014, which expands and permanently extends the tax credits businesses receive for research and development expenses. The CBO said this bill alone would increase the deficit by $156 billion over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD077: The May Bills. Includes the America’s Small Business Tax Relief Act, which expands and makes permanent an expiring corporate tax cut. CBO said this bill would increase the deficit by $73 billion over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD078: The June Bills. Includes the S Corporation Permanent Tax Relief Act, which reduces the number of years that some corporate income is taxable. CBO said this bill would increase the deficit by $1.5 billion over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD078: The June Bills. Includes the corporate tax cuts for upgrading the inside of retail stores which CBO said would increase the deficit by $287 billion dollars over the next ten years. This bill was discussed in CD081: The July Bills. Repeals the medical device excise tax, which is a 2.3% tax on corporations who sell expensive medical equipment. Repealing the medical device tax was discussed in episode CD046: Shutdown Assured. Financial Services Includes the Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act, which exempts private equity fund advisers from registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This bill was discussed in episode CD058: Space Travel, TSA, Wall Street, & Patents. Includes the Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act, which exempts mergers and acquisition brokers from registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This bill was discussed in episode CD064: Chemicals Shall Spill. Oversight Includes Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act which forces the government to let private companies write the rules that will govern them and says political factors must be considered. Includes the All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act, which makes it slower and harder for the government to enact any regulations. This bill was discussed in episode CD072: The February Bills. Judiciary Includes the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (RIENS Act), which shuts down all regulations (except those enacted by the Federal Reserve) by requiring Congressional approval for all major rules that cost over $100 million or affect the finances of businesses; rules that don't pass in under 70 days are automatically killed. This bill was discussed in episode CD038: Wasting July. Includes the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, which prohibits State and local taxes on Internet access. Natural Resources Includes the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, which forces the government to cut down trees and lets the Secretary of Agriculture waive the Endangered Species Act. Packaged by Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan's 4th district Passed the House of Representatives on September 15, 2014 by a vote of 253-163. H.R. 2 American Energy Solutions for Lower Costs and More American Jobs Act [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="550"] 113th House of Representatives is devoted to fossil fuels[/caption] This bill is a package of bills that have already passed the House of Representatives in the 113th Congress. Includes the Northern Route Approval Act, which grants or eliminates all the permits needed to build the KeystoneXL pipeline. This bill was discussed in CD029: The Keystone XL Pipeline. Includes the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act, which rushes permits for natural gas pipelines and automatically approves applications that take too long. This bill was discussed in CD055: Three Bills for Fossil Fuels. Includes the North American Energy Infrastructure Act, which eliminates the permit needed to modify existing oil and gas pipelines. This bill was discussed in CD079: The June Bills. Includes the Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2014, which prohibits the EPA from enacting expensive rules. This bill was discussed in CD038: Wasting July. Includes the Electricity Security and Affordability Act, which shuts down EPA regulations of emissions from fossil fuel powered utilities. This bill was discussed in CD074: The March Bills. Includes the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, which speeds up the permitting for natural gas export facilities. This bill was discussed in CD079: The June Bills. Includes the Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act, which forces the government to lease at least 50% of the area in the ocean with oil to the oil companies, automatically approves drilling permits that take too long, charges citizens a $5,000 protect fee to fight drilling in court, and abolishes the Minerals Management Service - which no longer exists. This bill was discussed in CD079: The June Bills. Includes the Bureau of Reclamation Conduit Hydropower Development Equity and Jobs Act, which exempts hydropower projects from environmental reviews. This bill was discussed in CD022: Crippling the Regulators. Includes the Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act, which prohibits the Federal government from regulating fracking. This bill was discussed in CD055: Three Bills for Fossil Fuels. Includes Preventing Government Waste and Protecting Coal Mining Jobs in America, which brings back a Bush Administration rule - which was recently thrown out by the courts for failing to comply with the Endangered Species Act - which would allow waste from mountaintop removal for coal mining to be dumped into rivers and streams. This bill was discussed in CD074: The March Bills. Includes the Responsibly And Professionally Invigorating Development Act of 2014 (RAPID Act), which lets companies conduct their own environmental reviews, automatically approves permits that aren't finished on time, and prohibits judicial review of Federal permits. This bill was discussed in CD074: The March Bills. This bill was packaged by Rep. Lee Terry of Nebraska's 2nd district. The bill passed on September 18 by a vote of 226-191. CryptoWall Article: CryptoWall: What is it and how to protect your systems, TechRepublic, October 2014. Music Presented in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) I Want Rosa to Stay by Alun Parry (found on Music Alley by mevio) Summer's Over by Jonathon Coulton (found on Music Alley by mevio) Step Up by Dona Oxford (found on Music Alley by mevio)
In this episode, we look at the bills that passed the House of Representatives in July but haven't yet become law. Topics include tax cuts, student loans, education, Hezbollah, and pesticides in our water. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! H.R. 4718 Permanent Bonus Depreciation Tax Cut Brings back a tax cut that expired on December 31, 2013 and makes it permanent. The cut they want to make permanent is for upgrading the inside of retail stores. Expands the tax cuts to include deductions for "trees and vines bearing fruits and nuts". Gives corporations more choices about how they'd like to get taxed. The effects of this bill won't be counted in the PAYGO budget. CBO Score: "Enacting H.R. 4718 would reduce revenues, thus increasing federal budget deficits, by about $287 billion over the 2014-2024 period." Article: New Estimate Puts Rising Big Dig Costs at $24.3 billion. July 2012. The bills passed the House of Representatives on July 11 by a vote of 258-160. Only two Republicans voted against it: Retiring Rep. John Campbell of Orange County, CA Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina The bill was written by Rep. Patrick Tiberi of Ohio's 12th district. H.R. 4195 Federal Register Modernization Act Says that copies of the Federal Registrar don't need to be printed on paper. CBO Score: It would have no effect on the Federal budget. Passed the House of Representatives on July 14 by a vote of 386-0. Written by Rep. Darrell Issa of southern California's 49th district H.R. 4719 America Gives More Act of 2014 Eliminates the tax deduction for donating stuffed actual animals to charity. Increases the charitable deduction limit for food donations from 10% of a person's net income to 15%. Charitable donations that exceed the cap can be carried over for five years. This would be effective for 2014 taxes. Makes permanent a tax cut that expired in 2013 for charitable contributions direct from retirement funds. Makes permanent tax credits for charitable donations towards conservation and tax credits for corporate farmers and ranchers. Allows people to claim charity deductions for a year that is over if the donation happens before tax day. Cuts the excise tax rate for private foundations investment income in half. The effects of this bill the budget will not be counted in the PAYGO budget. CBO Score: "enacting H.R. 4719 would reduce revenues, thus increasing federal budget deficits, by about $1.9 billion over the 2014-2024 period" The bill passed the House of Representatives on July 17 by a vote of 277-130. The bill was written by Rep. Tom Reed of New York's 23rd district H.R. 4450 Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 Changes the board of directors of Brand USA - a non-profit organization that advertises U.S. tourism - from being made up of travel industry specialists to one made up of entirely of executives, with five seats reserved for people with ties to multinational corporations. It eliminates the seat for the specialist in intercity passenger rail. Extends the authorization for the government to spend $100 million per year on Brand USA through 2020. Extends the Travel Promotion Fee - a $10 fee charged to people who get a visa to travel into the United States - until 2020. CBO Score: The bill would decrease the deficit by $231 million over the next ten years. Passed the House of Representatives on July 22 by a vote of 347-57 Written by Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida's 12th district H.R. 4411 Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act of 2014 Prohibits United States banks from completing large financial transactions for Hezbollah. The worst penalty for completing a Hezbollah transaction can be for twice the amount of the transaction. This won't apply to "authorized intelligence activities of the United States" The bill is paid for by reducing our yearly financial gift to Pakistan by $3 million. The bill passed the House of Representatives on July 22 by a vote of 404-0. Written by Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina's 11th district H.R. 3136 Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act of 2014 Authorizes a maximum of 30 "entities" to launch demonstration projects of "competency-based" education programs, which would replace credit hours as the system of measurement to get a degree. Schools that participate would be exempted all kinds of existing educational regulations. Projects that reduce the amount of time and/or money required to get a degree would be prioritized. The only restriction to make a school eligible is that it has to be in the United States. Each demonstration project would have between 50 and 3,000 students. After the program has been around awhile, that number can be increased to 5,000. The bill passed the House of Representatives on July 23 by a vote of 414-0. Written by Rep. Matt Salmon of Arizona's 5th district Representatives Quoted in This Segment Rep. John Kline of MN Rep. Matt Salmon of AZ Video Shared in This Segment H.R. 4984 Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act Mandates that schools make sure that students know and understand the terms and conditions of their Federal student loans every year by using either in-person counseling sessions or online. Students must be told that Federal loans usually have better terms and conditions than private loans. Students will get another counseling session to explain their loan status and the consequences of failing to re-pay it as they leave college. The bill passed on July 24 by a vote of 405-11. All Democrats voted yes. Written by Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky's 2nd district H.R. 3393 Student and Family Tax Simplification Act Permanently extends a tax credit for college expenses that is scheduled to expire in 2017. The tax credit and eligibility numbers would increase with inflation starting in 2018. Includes the text of H.R. 4935: The Child Tax Credit Improvement Act and prohibits the effects of that bill on the budget from being counted. The effects this would have on the budget would not be counted. CBO Score: The bill would increase the deficit by $96.5 billion over the next ten years. Passed the House of Representatives on July 24 by a vote of 227-187 Written by Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee's 6th district H.R. 4935 Child Tax Credit Improvement Act of 2014 Increases the amount of money a family is allowed to make and still claim the child tax credit. Currently, married people can make $110,000; this bill would increase that to $150,000. Single people can make $55,000, which would increase to $75,000. Increases the tax credit with inflation starting in 2015. CBO Score: The bill would increase the deficit by about $115 billion over the next 10 years. The bill passed on July 25 by a vote of 237-173 Written by Rep. Lynn Jenkins of Kansas' 2nd district H.R. 935 Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2014 Prohibits States from requiring permits to dump pesticides into oceans and rivers as long as the pesticide is legal to sell. The bill passed on July 31 by a vote of 267-161. The bill failed to pass three days prior as an uncontroversial "suspension" bill. All Republicans voted yes. Written by Rep. Bob Gibbs of Ohio's 7th district.
In this episode, we look at a bill that furthers the "new normal" in Africa, a bill that sanctions Venezuela, a banking bill, a charter school bill, some silly bills that won't become law, and a few Presidential declarations. Presidential Declarations H. Doc. 113-107: Withdrew Russia as a beneficiary country under the Generalized System of Preferences program Russia loses duty-free treatment. On what? State Dept website says: Products that are eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP include: most manufactured items; many types of chemicals, minerals and building stone; jewelry; many types of carpets; and certain agricultural and fishery products. USTR numbers sheet: Top 6 Products: Car parts, metals, tires, oil, precious metal jewelry, corn H. Doc. 113-108: Continued National Emergency in Syria H. Doc 113-109: Proposed agreement for nuclear energy with Vietnam Bills That Passed the House HR 4386: State Supervision of Banks Allows state examinations of banks if the state examines the banks for compliance with federal rules. Became Law on August 8th without any recorded votes. H.R. 3080: Water Project Funding This was the bill that privatized water projects that was the subject of episode CD050: Privatize Water Projects. The version that became law didn't rush environmental reviews. There's no deemed approval of projects and lawsuits against a permit will be barred after 3 years, not five months. The bill keeps the provision that allows natural gas companies and utilities to pay the Army to speed up their permitting process, but added that the authority will expire in seven years and the permits have to be available to the public on the Internet. The House version would have allowed privatization of facility management and emergency water projects but the law allows privatization of the construction of publicly paid-for water projects in the United States. The pilot program to privatize fifteen flood mitigation projects also survived. [caption id="attachment_1556" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Escape from privatized flood control projects in style![/caption] HR 2548: Economic Hitmen to Africa Act of 2014 Passed 297-117 on May 8, 2014 "The Millennium Challenge Corporation's work in the energy sector shows high projected economic rates of return that translate to sustainable economic growth and that the highest returns are projected when infrastructure improvements are coupled with significant legislative, regulatory, institutional, and policy reforms." Orders a report on "Administration policy to support partner country efforts to attract private sector investment and public sector resources." Would be US policy to promote installation of 20,000 megawatts of electricity in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020 and support "the necessary in-country legislative, regulatory and policy reforms to make such expansion of electricity access possible." Electricity would come from new hydroelectric dams "supported" by the private sector. The President needs to establish the policy and funding strategy which includes efforts "to attract private sector investment and public sector resources". It's the sense of Congress that USAID should give loan guarantees to banks in Africa and grants to undefined groups to support this plan. USAID is requesting $1.5 billion from Congress in 2015. Part of the strategy includes providing technical assistance to African governments "to remove unnecessary barriers to investment" in commercial projects. "Trade and development policy: In general, the director of the Trade and Development Agency should promote United States private sector participation in energy sector development projects..." Introduced by Rep. Ed Royce, who represents the hot and dusty parts of Orange County, California. S. 2508, an almost identical bill, was introduced in the Senate in June by a Democrat. The White House has not issued a veto threat. H.R. 4578: Sanction Venezuela Act No Recorded Vote - Passed Unanimously After the former President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, died in 2013, his hand-picked Vice President, Nicholas Maduro, became President. President Maduro continued the policies of Hugo Chavez which are not liked by the multi-national corporations. For example, he recently cracked down on electronics and car dealers for price gauging, making good on an announcement from late last year during which he said he wants limits on business' profit margins. President Nicholas Maduro is not a free-market kind of leader. Since February, there have been protests in the wealthier areas of Venezuela. This is where things get murky. The protests were started by students who were apparently protesting the high crime rate, inflation, and inability to get certain products. People against President Maduro quickly joined. President Maduro has accused the United States of stirring up the protests to attempt what he called a "slow-motion" coup, like the recent successful coup in Ukraine. It's worth remembering that the U.S. was proven to have attempted a coup in Venezuela as recently as 2002. Either way, President Maduro's government has responded with arrests of protestors and expelled three U.S. diplomats from Venezuela whom President Maduro said were responsible recruiting students to lead the protests. H.R. 4578 says that in response to the government's response to the protests - including the intimidation of journalists by the government - the U.S. government will take the following actions: Sanctions against current or former Venezuelan government officials, or anyone acting on behalf of the government, who ordered violence, the arrest of protestors, media censorship, or provided money or support to someone who did. The sanctions include asset blocking of money or property if it comes into the possession of the United States or a United States "person" (corporation). Exception: The importation of goods. The same people eligible for sanctions will be ineligible for visas into the United States. Exception: To let them in for a United Nations event. Sanctions will be applied to people or companies who give Venezuela firearms, ammunition, technology, including telecommunications equipment. The bill also orders a classified report from the Secretary of State on how to improve communications for activists in Venezuela, including activities to "train human rights, civil society, and democracy activists in Venezuela to operate effectively and securely." Gives $5,000,000 to USAID to "provide assistance to civil society in Venezuela" There is currently a hold on the Venezuelan sanctions in the Senate because Senator Mary Landrieu - who has taken at least $1.4 million from the oil & gas industry - put a hold on the bill after Citgo - the wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela's national oil company - raised concerns that the sanctions would make it harder for the company to import their Venezuelan oil. H.R. 10: Another Charter School Bill Charter School Defined A public school that is exempt from State and local rules about the management of public schools. The schools can not be religious or charge tuition. The purpose of the bill is to use $300 million to expand the number of charter schools in the United States and to divide our education money more equally between public and charter schools. The most significant change to the rules on charter schools is that public money would go towards charter school facilities, which is not currently allowed. The bill would force States to spend 12.5% of their Federal education money on charter school facilities. Creates the "per-pupil facilities aid program" which gives five year grants to States to give to charter schools for facilities. Charter school grants will be valid for five years; currently, the grants are valid for three. States may privatize the application process. Priority for grants will be given to States that don't limit the number of charter schools or the percentage of students that attend charter schools. The application process will include the applicant's ability to get money from the private sector. The vast majority of both Democrats and Republicans voted for it. This bill was authored by Rep. John Kline of Minnesota. He's Chairman of the Education Committee and his #1 campaign contributor for this upcoming election is Apollo Education Group, a multi-billion dollar corporation that makes its money in for-profit education. H.R. 3584: Privately Insured Credit Unions Can Become Members of Federal Home Loan Banks Federal Home Loan Banks Are privately owned cooperatives; they're owned by the member banks They provide money to local banks There are twelve of them around the country Most locals banks are members of at least one Federal Home Loan Bank They get their money from the global credit market. What Would H.R. 3584 Do? Allows privately insured credit unions to become members of Federal Home Loan Banks if they are FDIC eligible or are certified by the State. If the State doesn't get to it in under 6 months, the application is deemed approved. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio. His top two contributing industries are Insurance and Commercial Banks. H.R. 4225: Jail for Advertisers Bill Makes advertising the services of prostitutes who are under 18 or are forced into prostitution punishable by ten years in prison. Only nineteen representatives voted against this bill and it now moves into the Senate. Authored by Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Will I get ten years in prison for posting this image?[/caption] H.R. 2527: Therapy for Veteran Sexual Assaults Allows veterans who were sexually assaulted during training to get therapy to deal with the assault included as part of their veterans' health benefit package. Passed without a recorded vote. H.R. 4438: Permanent Business Tax Credits Expands and permanently extends the tax credits businesses receive for research and development expenses. Exempts these tax cuts from being counted by the PAYGO budget scorecard. The bill was written by Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas. The President said he would veto the bill because the tax credits are not paid for. Music Presented in This Episode Intro and Exit Music: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Let Their Heads Roll by Jack Erdie (found on Music Alley by mevio)
Gareth, Tracy and Matt are in for the last podcast of the year. This week there are reviews of the HTC Sensation XL and the Huawei S7 Slim. Your hosts also name their favourite phones, tablets, apps and events of the year and give a couple of predictions of what to expect next year. As per usual, listen to Gareth, he’s always right. The others are wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong!Direct Download iTunes Download the iPhone AppDownload the Android AppRSS FeedRegulars - Gareth, Matt, Tracy and JamesEmail us: Podcast@tracyandmatt.co.uk Tel: 0208 123 3757 Show Notes HTC Sensation XL with Beats Audio Review Xperia arc S Comp Samsungs to get Ice Cream Sandwich Festive BlackBerry bargains Phone of the year Tablet Table ViewSonic previews new product range Huawei Ideos S7 Slim review Tablet of the year Bargain Basement Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY White 8GB £149.99 on Pay & Go + 11 Free games Samsung Galaxy S Wifi £129.99 Tablo 7" Tablet 1GHZ Dual core, 512MB ram, 4GB rom, gingerbread and capacitive screen! £99.97 Listeners Garden Prizema-tron Voice messages... App Attic Spool Resistor Color Code for iOS NORAD Track Santa for iOS App of the year http://www.itrainspotter.com/ Disappointment of the year Biggest story of the year Predictions for 2012 ------Email us: Podcast@tracyandmatt.co.uk Tel: 0208 123 3757Gareth Myles – @garethmyles James Richardson – @jpr7373 Matt and Tracy Davis - @tracyandmattMany thanks to The Stetz for the music Subscribe in iTunes to our weekly podcastRSS Feed for our weekly podcastDownload the iPhone AppDownload the Android App
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Executive Director Robert Greenstein testifies before the House Budget Committee on PAYGO legislation.
A PAYGO system may serve as insurance against not having children and as an enforcement device for ungrateful children who are unwilling to pay their parents a pension. In fact, the latter was Bismarck’s historic motive for introducing this system. It is true that the PAYGO system reduces the investment in human capital, but if it is run on a sufficiently small scale, it may nevertheless bring about a welfare improvement. If, on the other hand, the scale of the system is so large that parents bequeath some of their pensions to their children, it is overdrawn and creates unnecessarily strong disincentives for human capital investment.
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