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President Trump's trade war unleashes global economic uncertainty and there's a brewing constitutional crisis over deportations. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times, Jonathan Karl of ABC News, Ashley Parker of The Atlantic and Tarini Parti of The Wall Street Journal to discuss this and more.
This week, President Trump proposed two deals that would require allies to put his needs ahead of their own.Times' Journalists Michael Barbaro, Catie Edmonson, Maggie Haberman, and Zolan Kanno-Youngs discuss how, in both cases, Trump got what he wanted.Guest: Catie Edmondson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times, covering President Trump and his administration.Background reading: Here's what's in the House Republican budget, and what comes next.What we know about the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: The New York Times. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
This week, President Trump falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war against Russia, ordered federal agencies created by Congress to answer directly to him and installed himself as the leader of Washington's premiere cultural institution.The Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Charlie Savage and Elisabeth Bumiller sit down to make sense of it all.Guest: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times,Charlie Savage, who writes about national security and legal policy for The New York Times.Elisabeth Bumiller, a writer-at-large for The New York Times.Background reading: Trump flipped the script on the war in Ukraine, blaming Volodymyr Zelensky, not Vladimir V. Putin.The president's moves to upend federal bureaucracy touch off fear and confusion.Trump said he would install himself as the new Kennedy Center chairman.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: The New York Times Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Over the past week, President Donald J. Trump dramatically ceded the stage to Elon Musk in the Oval Office, turned the Democratic mayor of New York City into a political pawn and ensured that Vladimir Putin begins peace talks with Ukraine on Russia's terms.The Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Maggie Haberman, David E. Sanger and Zolan Kanno-Youngs sit down and discuss the latest week in the Trump administration.Guests: Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.David E. Sanger, the White House and National Security Correspondent for The New York Times.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk are hunting hunt for corruption, but very selectively.Mr. Trump says his call with Mr. Putin is the beginningis beginning of the Ukraine peace negotiations.How the Jjustice Ddepartmentt. helped sink its own case against Eric Adams.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: The New York Times. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
This week, President Trump has banned diversity, equity and inclusion programming in the federal government, punished former aides by taking away their security detail and celebrated the release of hundreds of Jan. 6, 2021, rioters and planners.The New York Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Maggie Haberman, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and David E. Sanger try to make sense of it all.Guests: Maggie Haberman, a senior political correspondent for The New York Times.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.David E. Sanger, a White House and National Security Correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Mr. Trump's D.E.I. order creates “fear and confusion” among corporate leaders.The president revoked the security detail for Mike Pompeo and others despite threats from Iran.Mr. Trump granted sweeping clemency to all Jan. 6 rioters.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Joe Biden says goodbye to the nation with a warning, and Donald Trump is set to seal his status as the most dominant American political figure of the 21st century. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, McKay Coppins of The Atlantic, Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News, Asma Khalid of NPR and Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times to discuss this and more.
This week, President-elect Donald J. Trump asked the Supreme Court to prevent him from being sentenced in a New York criminal case and implied that he could use military force to seize control of Greenland and the Panama Canal, while President Biden did his best to try to Trump-proof his legacy.The Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Maggie Haberman, David E. Sanger and Zolan Kanno-Youngs discuss the latest in the presidential transition.Guests: Maggie Haberman, a senior political correspondent for The New York Times.David E. Sanger, the White House and National Security Correspondent for The New York Times.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: The Supreme Court denied Trump's last-ditch effort to avoid sentencing.Trump floated using force to take Greenland and the Panama Canal.News analysis: Trump is back and chaos ensues.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Controversy over former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz's nomination and withdrawal from President-elect Trump's cabinet soaked up headlines, but other nominees are equally improbable. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Laura Barrón-López of the PBS News Hour, Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News, Zolan Kanno-Youngs from The New York Times and The Washington Post's Ashley Parker as they discuss this and more.
Congress is scrambling to avoid a government shutdown just weeks until the election. Plus, a look at the candidate quality problem the Republican Party is facing. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Washington Post Live, McKay Coppins and Caitlin Dickerson of The Atlantic and Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times to discuss this and more.
As Vice President Kamala Harris moves into the final stretch of her campaign, one of the biggest issues both for voters and for Republicans attacking her is the surge of migrants crossing the southern border over the past four years.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, who covers the White House for The Times, discusses Ms. Harris's record on border policy.Guest: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: As Republicans attack Ms. Harris on immigration, here's what her record shows.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
The Democratic National Convention is in full swing, but what influence does it have on the election? Once a hotbed of debate, drama, and actual decision-making, the DNC has transformed into a carefully choreographed media event where political insiders pretend to decide things they've already decided. So what are we doing here? This week, we dive into these questions with Zolan Kanno-Youngs, White House Correspondent with the New York Times and CNN political analyst, and Jill Lepore, Professor of History and Law at Harvard, staff writer at The New Yorker, and author of "The Deadline." Together, we discuss the happenings on the floor, explore how these political gatherings have evolved from smoke-filled rooms of party bosses to the spectacles of today, and examine how political messaging has adapted (or failed to adapt) to the ever-changing media landscape. Follow The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart on social media for more: > YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@weeklyshowpodcast > Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weeklyshowpodcast > TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@weeklyshowpodcast > X: https://x.com/weeklyshowpod Host/Executive Producer – Jon Stewart Executive Producer – James Dixon Executive Producer – Chris McShane Executive Producer – Caity Gray Lead Producer – Lauren Walker Producer – Brittany Mehmedovic Video Editor & Engineer – Rob Vitolo Audio Editor & Engineer – Nicole Boyce Researcher/Associate Producer – Gillian Spear Music by Hansdle Hsu — This podcast is brought to you by: ZipRecruiter Try it for free at this exclusive web address: ziprecruiter.com/ZipWeekly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Democrats will gather in Chicago to nominate Kamala Harris to replace President Biden on the ticket. Donald Trump may miss Biden the most, as he will now face a much younger Black woman in November. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times, Tarini Parti of The Wall Street Journal and Chuck Todd of NBC News to discuss this and more.
First: Donald Trump heads to North Carolina today for a speech his advisors say focus on the economic failures of the Biden-Harris administration. Well, that's what his campaign hopes he'll focus on. Plus: Why are African American men drifting away from the Democratic party? Zolan Kanno-Youngs reports on a growing gender divide and what he calls the elephant in the room: Black men who hesitate voting for a Black woman. And: Are Republicans already laying the groundwork to claim the election is stolen? We look at some of the language Trump is using about how Harris became the nominee. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We don't know exactly what will happen when President Biden and former president Donald J. Trump take the debate stage in Atlanta tonight.We do know, however, that the first debate between the major party candidates is happening earlier in the election season than usual. And we also know that we've seen a version of this show before.Their past matchups have featured bitter insults, constant interruptions and were political spectacles judged more on optics than on substance.This year, considering that the candidates are offering radically different visions for the country, it's hard to imagine an election in which the substance would matter more.So, today, at least on “The Run-Up,” there's no buzzer, no microphone muting and no debate-stage theatrics.Instead, we call four Times colleagues to talk about what the candidates are actually promising for a second term on four key issues: the economy, immigration, abortion and foreign policy.On today's episodeJim Tankersley, a reporter covering economic and tax policy.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent.Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent.David E. Sanger, a White House and national security correspondent.
We're just days away from watching Joe Biden and Donald Trump, two men whose combined age is 159, debate in front of a television audience of millions. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times, Jonathan Karl of ABC News and Vivian Salama of The Wall Street Journal for a look at what to expect when the rivals take the stage.
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Biden's new asylum policy; the recent European Parliament elections with The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum; and the jammed congestion pricing in New York City. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Corvid Research: Help, I've found a baby crow! Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz for The New York Times: In Shift, Biden Issues Order Allowing Temporary Border Closure to Migrants and Miriam Jordan: Biden Opens a New Back Door on Immigration Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: Biden is doing the right thing on asylum Matt Collette for Vox: Our identity crisis on immigration Alex Nowrasteh for the Cato Institute: The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They're Wrong Statista: U.S. immigration/migration – statistics & facts Andres Triay, Robert Legare, Nicole Sganga, Pat Milton, and Camilo Montoya-Galvez for CBS News: ICE arrests 8 with suspected ISIS ties BBC: What is the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda? and Nick Beake and Kostas Kallergis: Greece boat disaster: BBC investigation casts doubt on coastguard's claims Anthony Faiola, Imogen Piper, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Klaas van Dijken, Maud Jullien, and May Bulman for The Washington Post: With Europe's support, North African nations push migrants to the desert Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: Trump Is Not America's Le Pen Sam Jones for The Guardian: EU elections 2024: how did key countries vote and what does it mean? CBS News: NYC Comptroller Brad Lander announces legal challenge to congestion pricing pause Michelle Kaske, Laura Nahmias, and Zach Williams for Bloomberg: New York Governor Shocks Manhattan With Halt to Congestion Pricing Lauren Sforza for The Hill: Murphy says ‘the biggest policy mistake of the past 50 years in New Jersey' was Christie's decision to cancel Gateway tunnel project The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith Here are this week's chatters: Emily: Curt Anderson for WJHG: Florida jury finds Chiquita Brands liable for Colombia deaths, must pay $38.3M to family members John: Well, This Is Me: A Cartoon Collection from the New Yorker's Asher Perlman by Asher Perlman and Taylor Orth for YouGov: In-flight drama: Where Americans sit on airline etiquette David: City Cast Nashville and Hey Nashville; City Cast Austin and Hey Austin; Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi; Dartmouth: 2024 Commencement Address by Roger Federer at Dartmouth; Maxi 4 NBA: Michael Jordan I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career.; and Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis—Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison Listener chatter from Jason Anderson in Chicago, Illinois: Neil Steinberg for the Chicago Sun-Times: Sorry, Ken Griffin – Chicagoans will call the Museum of Science and Industry what they please For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about Hunter Biden's conviction. See Jonathan Lemire for Politico: Biden's team was waiting for a Hunter verdict. That didn't make it easier when it arrived. and Abby Phillip for CNN: Hear how conservatives reacted to Hunter Biden's conviction. See also Perry Stein for The Washington Post: Gun counts Hunter Biden faces are rarely stand-alone charges and John Miller for CNN: Meanwhile, Trump said during pre-sentencing interview he had a gun in Florida, weeks after his conviction. In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Biden's new asylum policy; the recent European Parliament elections with The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum; and the jammed congestion pricing in New York City. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Corvid Research: Help, I've found a baby crow! Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz for The New York Times: In Shift, Biden Issues Order Allowing Temporary Border Closure to Migrants and Miriam Jordan: Biden Opens a New Back Door on Immigration Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: Biden is doing the right thing on asylum Matt Collette for Vox: Our identity crisis on immigration Alex Nowrasteh for the Cato Institute: The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They're Wrong Statista: U.S. immigration/migration – statistics & facts Andres Triay, Robert Legare, Nicole Sganga, Pat Milton, and Camilo Montoya-Galvez for CBS News: ICE arrests 8 with suspected ISIS ties BBC: What is the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda? and Nick Beake and Kostas Kallergis: Greece boat disaster: BBC investigation casts doubt on coastguard's claims Anthony Faiola, Imogen Piper, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Klaas van Dijken, Maud Jullien, and May Bulman for The Washington Post: With Europe's support, North African nations push migrants to the desert Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: Trump Is Not America's Le Pen Sam Jones for The Guardian: EU elections 2024: how did key countries vote and what does it mean? CBS News: NYC Comptroller Brad Lander announces legal challenge to congestion pricing pause Michelle Kaske, Laura Nahmias, and Zach Williams for Bloomberg: New York Governor Shocks Manhattan With Halt to Congestion Pricing Lauren Sforza for The Hill: Murphy says ‘the biggest policy mistake of the past 50 years in New Jersey' was Christie's decision to cancel Gateway tunnel project The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith Here are this week's chatters: Emily: Curt Anderson for WJHG: Florida jury finds Chiquita Brands liable for Colombia deaths, must pay $38.3M to family members John: Well, This Is Me: A Cartoon Collection from the New Yorker's Asher Perlman by Asher Perlman and Taylor Orth for YouGov: In-flight drama: Where Americans sit on airline etiquette David: City Cast Nashville and Hey Nashville; City Cast Austin and Hey Austin; Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi; Dartmouth: 2024 Commencement Address by Roger Federer at Dartmouth; Maxi 4 NBA: Michael Jordan I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career.; and Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis—Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison Listener chatter from Jason Anderson in Chicago, Illinois: Neil Steinberg for the Chicago Sun-Times: Sorry, Ken Griffin – Chicagoans will call the Museum of Science and Industry what they please For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about Hunter Biden's conviction. See Jonathan Lemire for Politico: Biden's team was waiting for a Hunter verdict. That didn't make it easier when it arrived. and Abby Phillip for CNN: Hear how conservatives reacted to Hunter Biden's conviction. See also Perry Stein for The Washington Post: Gun counts Hunter Biden faces are rarely stand-alone charges and John Miller for CNN: Meanwhile, Trump said during pre-sentencing interview he had a gun in Florida, weeks after his conviction. In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Biden's new asylum policy; the recent European Parliament elections with The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum; and the jammed congestion pricing in New York City. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Corvid Research: Help, I've found a baby crow! Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz for The New York Times: In Shift, Biden Issues Order Allowing Temporary Border Closure to Migrants and Miriam Jordan: Biden Opens a New Back Door on Immigration Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: Biden is doing the right thing on asylum Matt Collette for Vox: Our identity crisis on immigration Alex Nowrasteh for the Cato Institute: The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They're Wrong Statista: U.S. immigration/migration – statistics & facts Andres Triay, Robert Legare, Nicole Sganga, Pat Milton, and Camilo Montoya-Galvez for CBS News: ICE arrests 8 with suspected ISIS ties BBC: What is the UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda? and Nick Beake and Kostas Kallergis: Greece boat disaster: BBC investigation casts doubt on coastguard's claims Anthony Faiola, Imogen Piper, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Klaas van Dijken, Maud Jullien, and May Bulman for The Washington Post: With Europe's support, North African nations push migrants to the desert Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: Trump Is Not America's Le Pen Sam Jones for The Guardian: EU elections 2024: how did key countries vote and what does it mean? CBS News: NYC Comptroller Brad Lander announces legal challenge to congestion pricing pause Michelle Kaske, Laura Nahmias, and Zach Williams for Bloomberg: New York Governor Shocks Manhattan With Halt to Congestion Pricing Lauren Sforza for The Hill: Murphy says ‘the biggest policy mistake of the past 50 years in New Jersey' was Christie's decision to cancel Gateway tunnel project The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith Here are this week's chatters: Emily: Curt Anderson for WJHG: Florida jury finds Chiquita Brands liable for Colombia deaths, must pay $38.3M to family members John: Well, This Is Me: A Cartoon Collection from the New Yorker's Asher Perlman by Asher Perlman and Taylor Orth for YouGov: In-flight drama: Where Americans sit on airline etiquette David: City Cast Nashville and Hey Nashville; City Cast Austin and Hey Austin; Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi; Dartmouth: 2024 Commencement Address by Roger Federer at Dartmouth; Maxi 4 NBA: Michael Jordan I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career.; and Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis—Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison Listener chatter from Jason Anderson in Chicago, Illinois: Neil Steinberg for the Chicago Sun-Times: Sorry, Ken Griffin – Chicagoans will call the Museum of Science and Industry what they please For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about Hunter Biden's conviction. See Jonathan Lemire for Politico: Biden's team was waiting for a Hunter verdict. That didn't make it easier when it arrived. and Abby Phillip for CNN: Hear how conservatives reacted to Hunter Biden's conviction. See also Perry Stein for The Washington Post: Gun counts Hunter Biden faces are rarely stand-alone charges and John Miller for CNN: Meanwhile, Trump said during pre-sentencing interview he had a gun in Florida, weeks after his conviction. In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Last week, President Biden announced one of the most restrictive immigration policies by a Democratic incumbent in decades, effectively barring migrants crossing the southern border from seeking asylum in the United States.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The Times, explains the thinking behind the move.Guest: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Biden's executive order is an eye-catching election-year move intended to ease pressure on the immigration system and address a major concern among voters.Watch a short video detailing the key facts behind the immigration order.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
For half a century, the federal government has treated marijuana as one of the more dangerous drugs in the United States. On Tuesday, the Biden administration signaled a significant shift in approach.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The Times, explains how big an impact the proposed changes could have.Guest: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: The Biden administration's effort to liberalize marijuana policy comes as increasingly more Americans favor legalizing the drug.After the recommendation to ease restrictions, Democrats in the Senate reintroduced legislation to legalize marijuana.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker Johnson's changing positions on hot button wars abroad are causing rifts within their parties, as President Biden fights to salvage his foreign policy agenda. Join moderator Laura Barrón-López, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times, Scott MacFarlane of CBS News, Todd Zillich of NPR's 1A and Jim Sciutto of CNN to discuss this and more.
President Biden and Donald J. Trump both made appearances at the southern border on Thursday as they addressed an issue that is shaping up to be one of the most important in the 2024 election: immigration.Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The Times, discusses Mr. Biden's risky bid to take perhaps Trump's biggest rallying point and use it against him.Guest: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a White House correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: In appearances some 300 miles apart, Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump tried to leverage a volatile policy dispute of the 2024 campaign.How visiting the border has become a potent form of political theater.For more information on today's episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
It's shaping up to be an unpredictable and destabilizing election year with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a revolution in A.I., a wildly dysfunctional Congress and an ex-president under indictment. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Lisa Desjardins of PBS NewsHour, Adam Harris of The Atlantic, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times and Susan Page of USA Today to discuss this and more.
The Rich Zeoli Show- Full Episode (12/12/2023): 3:05pm- In her most recent article, India McKinney of the Electronic Frontier Foundation condemns the House Intelligence Committee's proposed surveillance reform bill. She writes: “the House Committee on the Judiciary (HJC) and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) marked up two very different bills (H.R. 6570—Protect Liberty and End Warrantless Surveillance Act in HJC, and HR 6611, the FISA Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2023 in HPSCI), both of which would reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)—but in very different ways.” Alarmingly, HR611 “would renew the mass surveillance authority Section 702 for another eight years. It would create new authorities that the intelligence community has sought for years, but that have been denied by the courts. It would continue the indiscriminate collection of U.S. persons' communications when they talk with people abroad for use by domestic law enforcement. This was not the intention of this national security program, and people on U.S. soil should not have their communications collected without a warrant because of a loophole.” You can read McKinney's full article here: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/12/section-702-needs-reform-and-oversight-not-expansion-congress-should-oppose-hpsci 3:20pm- The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board condemned the House Judiciary Committee's proposed alterations to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) claiming it would “end Section 702's usefulness as a national-security tool” and could result in a general threat to national security. But many Republican officials—including Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-FL)—are concerned that any reauthorization of Section 702 without newly imposed restrictions will result in the continued unconstitutional, warrantless collection of American communications. You can read the full editorial here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/fisa-section-702-surveillance-congress-house-judiciary-jim-jordan-jerrold-nadler-40b28f96?mod=opinion_lead_pos1 3:40pm- On the social media platform X, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote: “FISA spying on Americans is just like King George III using general warrants to persecute dissidents. Congress should not reauthorize FISA in the NDAA.” 4:05pm- On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Joe Biden—he also spent time speaking with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and several Senate Republicans. President Biden stated that if the U.S. did not immediately provide tens of billions of dollars in additional aid to Ukraine, America would be providing Russian President Vladimir Putin with “the greatest Christmas gift” possible. 4:15pm- After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Republicans will not support additional money to Ukraine without first resolving the ongoing domestic crisis at the U.S. Southern border—as thousands of migrants enter the country illegally each day. 4:20pm- Speaking from the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) explained, “borrowing money from China to send it to Ukraine makes no sense. It makes us weaker, not stronger.” 4:35pm- While fielding questions from reporters on Capitol Hill, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) discussed the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden's alleged connections to his family's foreign business deals, explaining: “We're not making a political decision…it's a legal decision.” 4:40pm- While appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe, NBC Correspondent Steve Kornacki explained that according to the latest polling available on the upcoming Iowa Republican caucus, Donald Trump now leads the field with a massive 51% support. 4:50pm- George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley accused DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith of being “obsessed” with prosecuting former President Donald Trump before the 2024 presidential election. 4:55pm- Interested in seeing The Rich Zeoli Show LIVE? We are broadcasting from the Grand Hotel of Cape May on Friday, December 15th! 5:05pm- On Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a joint press conference at the White House. During his address, President Biden said, “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine. We must prove him wrong.” Catie Edmondson of The New York Time writes: “As Biden speaks, a bipartisan group of senators, congressional aides, and administration officials are meeting in the Capitol to try to broker an impasse on immigration talks, in an effort to unlock new funding for Ukraine. But time is rapidly running out: Congress is set to leave Washington at the end of this week.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/9569688b-07da-59f1-b5a5-e4cbf1cf302e?smid=url-share 5:20pm- President Joe Biden briefly took questions from the press following his Tuesday address on Ukraine. Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times notes, “As Biden answers a question about Ukraine's struggling counteroffensive, he looks down frequently at what appears to be a prepared answer. The White House was anticipating this question.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/5af66903-f6ce-5e12-9fb7-23b6815670e9?smid=url-share 5:40pm- Is an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to fund Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S. Southern Border right around the corner? Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times reports, “As Zelensky and Biden addressed the public, Senate negotiators claimed to have made progress toward a deal on funding Ukraine's war while stepping up domestic border security. ‘We made substantive progress,' Senator Kyrsten Sinema, independent of Arizona, told reporters, after exiting a closed-door meeting with Senate negotiators and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as staffers for Senate leaders and the White House. Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, also told reporters that ‘we made progress' toward a deal.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/601d38d0-782a-5ecf-86a3-62692c831c44?smid=url-share 6:05pm- After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Republicans will not support additional money to Ukraine without first resolving the ongoing domestic crisis at the U.S. Southern border—as thousands of migrants enter the country illegally each day. Meanwhile, speaking from the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) explained, “borrowing money from China to send it to Ukraine makes no sense. It makes us weaker, not stronger.” 6:10pm- Is an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to fund Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S. Southern Border right around the corner? Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times reports, “As Zelensky and Biden addressed the public, Senate negotiators claimed to have made progress toward a deal on funding Ukraine's war while stepping up domestic border security. ‘We made substantive progress,' Senator Kyrsten Sinema, independent of Arizona, told reporters, after exiting a closed-door meeting with Senate negotiators and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as staffers for Senate leaders and the White House. Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, also told reporters that ‘we made progress' toward a deal.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/601d38d0-782a-5ecf-86a3-62692c831c44?smid=url-share 6:15pm- While appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe, NBC Correspondent Steve Kornacki explained that according to the latest polling available on the Iowa Republican caucus, Donald Trump now leads the field with a massive 51% support. 6:20pm- George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley accused DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith of being “obsessed” with prosecuting former President Donald Trump before the 2024 presidential election. 6:40pm- Despite the Biden team and members of the far-left continually declaring Donald Trump a threat to America, Thomas B. Edsall of The New York Times—breaking down polling from a Democrat advisory group—notes that this line of attack hasn't been effective. He writes: “Particularly worrisome for Democrats, who plan to demonize Trump as a threat to democracy, are the advantages Trump and Republicans have on opposing extremism (three points), getting beyond the chaos (six points) and protecting the Constitution (eight points).” You can read the editorial here: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/06/opinion/biden-campaign-polls.html
The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 3: On Tuesday afternoon, President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a joint press conference at the White House. During his address, President Biden said, “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine. We must prove him wrong.” Catie Edmondson of The New York Time writes: “As Biden speaks, a bipartisan group of senators, congressional aides, and administration officials are meeting in the Capitol to try to broker an impasse on immigration talks, in an effort to unlock new funding for Ukraine. But time is rapidly running out: Congress is set to leave Washington at the end of this week.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/9569688b-07da-59f1-b5a5-e4cbf1cf302e?smid=url-share President Joe Biden briefly took questions from the press following his Tuesday address on Ukraine. Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times notes, “As Biden answers a question about Ukraine's struggling counteroffensive, he looks down frequently at what appears to be a prepared answer. The White House was anticipating this question.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/5af66903-f6ce-5e12-9fb7-23b6815670e9?smid=url-share Is an agreement between Republicans and Democrats to fund Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S. Southern Border right around the corner? Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times reports, “As Zelensky and Biden addressed the public, Senate negotiators claimed to have made progress toward a deal on funding Ukraine's war while stepping up domestic border security. ‘We made substantive progress,' Senator Kyrsten Sinema, independent of Arizona, told reporters, after exiting a closed-door meeting with Senate negotiators and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as staffers for Senate leaders and the White House. Senator Chris Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, also told reporters that ‘we made progress' toward a deal.” You can read more here: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/12/12/us/zelensky-biden-visit/601d38d0-782a-5ecf-86a3-62692c831c44?smid=url-share
As things stand now, reporters will spend much of 2024 running between campaign rallies and court appearances by GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Join The Atlantic editor-in-chief and moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Dan Balz of The Washington Post, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times, Tia Mitchell of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Elaina Plott Calabro of The Atlantic to discuss this and more.
With the clock ticking on the debt ceiling, the U.S. Edges closer to a potential first-ever default. Plus, former President Trump unleashes a cascade of lies and insults in front of a friendly audience at a CNN town hall. Join guest moderator Laura Barrón-López, Dan Balz of The Washington Post, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times and Ali Vitali of NBC News.
Financial shockwaves rippled across the country this week following two bank failures. Plus, tension between the U.S. and Russia is on the rise after a Russian fighter jet intentionally engaged with a U.S. drone. Join guest moderator William Brangham, Neil Irwin of Axios, Fin Gomez of CBS News, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times and Kayla Tausche of CNBC to discuss this and more.
This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the raucous State of the Union; the spy balloon and U.S.-China relations; and Susan Dominus's reporting on missed opportunities in treating menopause. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Katie Rogers and Peter Baker for The New York Times: “Kamala Harris Is Trying to Define Her Vice Presidency. Even Her Allies Are Tired of Waiting.” Susan Dominus for The New York Times Magazine: “Women Have Been Misled About Menopause” Stephen I. Vladeck for The New York Times: “Don't Let Republican ‘Judge Shoppers' Thwart the Will of Voters” Here are this week's chatters: John: Andor; Kialo.com Emily: Sabawoon Samim for Afghanistan Analysts Network: “New Lives In The City: How Taleban Have Experienced Life In Kabul” David: City Cast DC live; The Brothers Ashkenazi, by I. J Singer. Join David Plotz for a live taping of the City Cast DC podcast at the Politics & Prose Union Market location, Wednesday March 1 at 6:30 pm. You can register here for a free ticket. Listener chatter from Ryan Clements: The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier, by Ian Urbina; The Outlaw Ocean podcast For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss the use of “judge shopping”—picking a preferred judge by suing in a single-judge district—to invalidate legislation nationwide. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy's on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the raucous State of the Union; the spy balloon and U.S.-China relations; and Susan Dominus's reporting on missed opportunities in treating menopause. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Katie Rogers and Peter Baker for The New York Times: “Kamala Harris Is Trying to Define Her Vice Presidency. Even Her Allies Are Tired of Waiting.” Susan Dominus for The New York Times Magazine: “Women Have Been Misled About Menopause” Stephen I. Vladeck for The New York Times: “Don't Let Republican ‘Judge Shoppers' Thwart the Will of Voters” Here are this week's chatters: John: Andor; Kialo.com Emily: Sabawoon Samim for Afghanistan Analysts Network: “New Lives In The City: How Taleban Have Experienced Life In Kabul” David: City Cast DC live; The Brothers Ashkenazi, by I. J Singer. Join David Plotz for a live taping of the City Cast DC podcast at the Politics & Prose Union Market location, Wednesday March 1 at 6:30 pm. You can register here for a free ticket. Listener chatter from Ryan Clements: The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier, by Ian Urbina; The Outlaw Ocean podcast For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss the use of “judge shopping”—picking a preferred judge by suing in a single-judge district—to invalidate legislation nationwide. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy's on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the raucous State of the Union; the spy balloon and U.S.-China relations; and Susan Dominus's reporting on missed opportunities in treating menopause. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Katie Rogers and Peter Baker for The New York Times: “Kamala Harris Is Trying to Define Her Vice Presidency. Even Her Allies Are Tired of Waiting.” Susan Dominus for The New York Times Magazine: “Women Have Been Misled About Menopause” Stephen I. Vladeck for The New York Times: “Don't Let Republican ‘Judge Shoppers' Thwart the Will of Voters” Here are this week's chatters: John: Andor; Kialo.com Emily: Sabawoon Samim for Afghanistan Analysts Network: “New Lives In The City: How Taleban Have Experienced Life In Kabul” David: City Cast DC live; The Brothers Ashkenazi, by I. J Singer. Join David Plotz for a live taping of the City Cast DC podcast at the Politics & Prose Union Market location, Wednesday March 1 at 6:30 pm. You can register here for a free ticket. Listener chatter from Ryan Clements: The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier, by Ian Urbina; The Outlaw Ocean podcast For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss the use of “judge shopping”—picking a preferred judge by suing in a single-judge district—to invalidate legislation nationwide. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy's on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema is leaving the Democratic party to become an independent. How much impact will her bombshell move have on the Dems' newly secured Senate majority? Plus, Donald Trump suffers another week of brutal setbacks. The mounting losses and growing legal troubles have some in his party asking whether it's finally time to move on. And, Kevin McCarthy vows he'll never leave as his road to Speaker grows steeper. On today's panel: Leigh Ann Caldwell of the Washington Post, Zolan Kanno Youngs of the New York Times, Sarah Longwell of The Bulwark, and CNN's Phil Mattingly.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
After a 3-year saga of stalled contract negotiations between the country's freight rail carriers and the 12 unions representing over 100,000 railroad workers, "pro-union" President Biden and Congress last week "averted" a national rail shutdown by overriding the democratic will of rail workers and forcing a contract down their throats. So, what happens now? We convene a special all-railroader panel to break down the events of the last week and to discuss where railroad workers and the labor movement go from here. Panelists include: Jay, a qualified conductor who was licensed to operate locomotives at 19 years old, and who became a qualified train dispatcher before he was 23; Marilee Taylor, who worked on the railroads for over 30 years and retired earlier this year from her post as an engineer for BNSF Railway, but is still an active member of Railroad Workers United; John Tormey, a writer and BWMED-IBT member who works as a track laborer for the commuter rail in Massachusetts; and Matt Parker, a full-time locomotive engineer who's worked on the railroads for 19 years and also serves part-time as Chairman on the Nevada State Legislative Board of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Additional links/info below... Railroad Workers United website, Facebook page, and Twitter page John's Twitter page Matt's Twitter page Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Emily Cochrane, The New York Times, "Biden Signs Legislation to Avert Nationwide Rail Strike" Maximillian Alvarez, Breaking Points, "EXCLUSIVE: Rail Worker SLAMS Biden's "Tyrannical" Move Blocking Strike" Citations Needed, "News Brief: Biden, Congressional Dems Partner with GOP, Media to Discipline Rail Labor" Bad Faith, "Joe Biden ABANDONS Rail Workers" Useful Idiots, "‘Union Joe' Biden Sells Out Rail Workers" John Tormey, The Baffler, "Known Assailants" Working People, "Jay" Working People, "Countdown to Midnight (w/ Jay & Joe)" Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, "Wall Street is Holding the Supply Chain Hostage to Stop a Railroad Workers' Strike" Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, "Solidarity with Railroad Workers" Mel Buer, The Real News Network, "Corporate Billionaires Are Wrecking the Supply Chain. Just Look at the Railroads" Permanent links below... Working People Patreon page Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show! Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org) Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song
Nancy Pelosi's husband is attacked by a man who broke into her home looking for her. Plus, Democrats warn a GOP majority could bring economic instability while Republicans lean in on recession fears. Join moderator Yamiche Alcindor, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times, Scott MacFarlane of CBS News, Amara Omeokwe of The Wall Street Journal, and Ashley Parker of The Washington Post to discuss.
“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God” (Jer. 31). Jeremiah 31:27-34 Psalm 119:97-104 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Luke 18:1-8 “When the Son of humanity comes will he find faith on earth” (Lk. 18)? These words from two thousand years ago are the defining question of our time. This week the House Committee on the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol concluded its hearings. We have seen indisputable evidence that politicians continue to use false claims of electoral fraud to secure their own power.[1] Last month the governors of Florida and Texas falsely promised jobs and resettlement help to asylum seekers who they sent to Washington, D.C. and Martha's Vineyard. They used immigrants, including children, as part of a political stunt.[2] This action echoes the way that black southerners were bused out of the south by segregationist White Citizens' Councils to cities with prominent integrationist leaders in 1962.[3] This week in Ukraine and Iran ordinary people were slaughtered because of a distant political agenda, because of an ideology. Here at home we see terrible poverty and neglect on our own streets. “When the Son of humanity comes, will he find faith on earth?” In the face of the heartbreaking cruelty and dishonesty of his own time Jesus tells his friends, “a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart” (Lk. 18). Jesus tells this story near the end of his own journey to Jerusalem, as he talks about the end of time when God's realm of justice, peace and love will come. The Hebrew Bible frequently demands that the powerful have a special responsibility to widows, strangers and orphans. These groups are vulnerable because they have no male relatives to defend them. Although widows in the Bible (like in the stories of Ruth or Elijah and the widow of Zarephath) often model tenacity, resourcefulness and initiative, they represent vulnerability just as the judge symbolizes power. In several sections of Luke's Gospel he uses a “how much more” argument. “If you then, who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him” (Lk. 11:13).[4] This parable uses this same logic. A widow comes to a judge seeking justice. He does not believe in God. Nor does he respect people. He refuses to help her until he reasons that, “because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out” (Lk. 18). Let me point out two ways in which the Greek version differs from the English translation. When the judge says that he does not want the widow to “wear him out” the Greek word for this is hupopiazē. It is an expression from boxing. It means to literally give someone a black eye. The judge doesn't want the widow to embarrass him or injure his reputation. Second, the Greek more strongly conveys urgency, impatience and conviction. Greek uses double negatives to add emphasis. It's almost as if Jesus raises his voice to underline what he means. A more literal version might be, “And will not God give vengeance to his chosen ones who are crying day and night? And be impatient to help them!”[5] The point is not that God resembles the unjust judge. In almost every respect Jesus describes God as the opposite. The judge is self-centered. He only uses people. But God is full of love, impatient for his children to thrive. Jesus is unafraid to be humiliated for our sake. The purpose of this “how much more” story is for us to trust God and to persist in prayer.[6] Today I want to give you one picture of a faithless world and then to consider how faith humanizes us. In college I knew a woman whose favorite story was Ernest Hemmingway's "The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber." This always worried me about her partly because of the story's misogyny but mostly because of its position with regard to faith. We meet Francis Macomber as a thirty-five year old American business tycoon on safari in East Africa. As the story unfolds we gradually come to realize that he has committed the cardinal sin in the universe of Hemingway fiction. The day before he betrayed his manliness and ran in fear from a wounded lion who had been concealed in the tall grass. Margot, his wife, does not try to comfort him in his humiliation. Instead, she despises this act of cowardice and as a consequence she sleeps with the safari leader that night. Hemmingway also seems to hate his own fictitious character, because he wouldn't leave his wife, because "he would take anything" from her.[7] The next day the group goes in pursuit of a dangerous buffalo. Then, suddenly, in an almost religious conversion, Macomber changes. Hemmingway writes, that “[f]or the first time in his life he felt wholly without fear. Instead of fear he had a feeling of definite elation.” The safari leader admires this new courage. His wife fears it because she no longer has the power to make him ashamed of being afraid. Why is it called a "Short Happy Life"? Only moments later as Macomber tries to flush the buffalo out of the long grass, “he [feels] a sudden white-hot, blinding flash explode inside his head and that was all he ever felt.” Although his wife claimed she was aiming at the buffalo, she shot him in the back of the head. When the son of man comes will he find faith on earth? In Hemmingway's universe there is no faith. Men can never depend on women, or on other men. Every person is either a conquest or an adversary. The individual can only rely on an elusive courage that comes miraculously from within, an irrational bravery which completely isolates each soul from all else. The theologian H. Richard Niebuhr emphasizes that faith means more than merely faith in God. Faith concerns all the ways that we are connected to and support and depend on each other. “We see this possibility – that human history will come to its end… in the gangrenous corruption of a social life in which every promise, contract, treaty and “word of honor” is given and received in deception and distrust. If [human beings] can no longer have faith in each other, can they exist as [human beings]?”[8] What shall we do in this time before the second coming of Christ? We need to pray and not lose hope. We also need to strive to be people of honesty and integrity, to listen and care for others. To use the language of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) we need to treat people as ends rather than as means to our own goals. The heartbreaking sin of this judge was his inability to see the widow as a person. I have a friend named Sue Everson who is a world authority on hopelessness. As a medical researcher she studies the effect that hopelessness has on our health. One of her more startling statistics is that people who feel hopeless are twenty percent more likely to die in the next four years from a stroke. Hopelessness increases your chance of a stroke to the same degree that smoking a pack of cigarettes a day does. Sue scientifically studies how religion seems to make people less hopeless.[9] Today with churches around the world we celebrate the Children's Sabbath. A central part of what we do together involves our care for children and families. We teach children how to listen spiritually, how to pray and not lose heart. Professor Lisa Miller has been our guest on the forum twice. She argues that denying our spirituality is not just untrue but unhealthy for us and especially for children. Using new techniques ranging from twin studies to neuroimaging, scientists are coming to a new appreciation for just how important spirituality is for human flourishing. Miller claims that all children possess a kind of “natural spirituality.” This interest in the Holy, this, “direct sense of… the heartbeat of the living universe… precedes and transcends language, culture and religion.”[10] This spirituality protects us, but not completely, from depression, anxiety and the tendency to misuse alcohol and drugs. So what is the most important thing that we can do as adults for children? We can support their Sunday School teachers and the families who gather here. We can take their questions seriously. We can listen to them.[11] And so the conversation continues every week here. In life we are forever asking and being asked a simple question, “do you believe me?”[12] Do you? Seeing what is happening in the world, it is easy to struggle with a crisis of trust right now. I trust God but I don't know if the Son will find faith on earth. And yet at the same time I feel remarkably supported by the life I find at Grace Cathedral. C.S. Lewis writes that, “Faith… is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of changing moods….” Because of this he says we need to pray and hold some of the Christian ideals in our mind for a period of time every day. We need to worship because, “We have to be continually reminded of what we believe… Belief has to be fed…” People do not cease to be Christian because of a good argument but because they simply drift away. Kathleen Norris writes, “prayer is not asking for what you think you want but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine. To be made more grateful, more able to see the good in what you have been given instead of always grieving for what might have been.”[13] My friends pray always and do not lose heart. Be trustworthy and care for the children. When the Son of humanity comes may he find faith on earth. [1] Alan Feuer, Luke Broadwater, Maggie Haberman, Katie Benner and Michael S. Schmidt, “Jan. 6: The Story So Far,” The New York Times, 14 October 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/politics/jan-6-timeline.html?name=styln-capitol-mob®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&variant=show&is_new=false [2] Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Eileen Sullivan, “Is That Legal: How Scores of Migrants Came to be Shipped North,” The New York Times, 16 September 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/us/politics/migrants-marthas-vineyard-desantis.html?name=styln-marthas-vineyard-immigrants®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&variant=show&is_new=false and https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/02/us/migrants-marthas-vineyard-desantis-texas.html [3] Jacey Fortin, “When Segregationists Offered One-Way Tickets to Black Southerners,” The New York Times, 14 October 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/02/us/migrants-marthas-vineyard-desantis-texas.html [4] See also, “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you – you of little faith!” (Lk. 12:28). [5] 22 Pent (10-16-16) 24C. [6] Ibid. [7] Hemingway cynically writes, "They had a sound basis of union. Margot was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce her and Macomber had too much money for Margot ever to leave him now." Ernest Hemingway, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber,” The Short Stories of Ernest Hemmingway (NY: Scribners/Macmillan, 1987) 18. See also, 20 Pent (10-21-01) 24C. [8] “We see this possibility – that human history will come to its end neither in a brotherhood of [humanity] nor in universal death under the blows of natural or man-made catastrophe, but in the gangrenous corruption of a social life in which every promise, contract, treaty and “word of honor” is given and received in deception and distrust. If [human beings] can no longer have faith in each other, can they exist as [human beings]?” H. Richard Niebuhr, Faith on Earth: An Inquiry into the Structure of Human Faith ed. Richard R. Niebuhr (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989) 1. [9] 20 Pent (10-17-04) 24C. [10] Lisa Miller, The Spiritual Child: The New Science on Parenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving (NY: Picador, 2015) 25. [11] Miller quotes a parent who says, “I didn't realize for a long time that when my child asks a question and I say, “I don't know,” and just leave it at that, I'm actually stopping the conversation.” Ibid., 47. [12] H. Richard Niebuhr, Faith on Earth: An Inquiry into the Structure of Human Faith ed. Richard R. Niebuhr (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989) 22. [13] Kathleen Norris, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith (NY: Riverhead Books, 1998) 60-1.
Former President Trump is facing major legal developments on two fronts. New York's Attorney General announced a lawsuit alleging Trump's business empire was built on years of grift and fraud. Also this week: A federal appeals court allowed the Justice Department to continue its probe of classified documents seized at Mar a Lago. Plus, brand new CNN reporting takes us inside President Biden's 2024 decision. And if the GOP takes the House, will the focus be on legislation or investigations? On today's panel: CNN's Melanie Zanona, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times, Molly Ball of Time Magazine, Jonathan Martin of the New York Times, CNN's Isaac Dovere.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
The Justice Department issues dozens of subpoenas connected to election lies and the Capitol attack. Plus, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduces a bill to federally ban abortions. Join moderator Yamiche Alcindor, Marianna Sotomayor of The Washington Post, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of The New York Times, Susan Page of USA Today and Josh Gerstein of POLITICO to discuss these stories and more.
In 65 days, Americans will decide who controls Congress and top leadership in the states. President Biden says this year, democracy is on the ballot. Republicans argue the midterms will be a judgment on the last two years of Democratic control of Washington. Plus, new details about the highly sensitive documents recovered at Mar-a-Lago. Is the widening probe dimming Trump's 2024 ambitions? And why labor leaders say Biden is the most pro-union president since FDR. On today's panel: Margaret Talev of Axios, Zolan Kanno Youngs of the New York Times, Chris Cadelago of Politico and CNN's Gabby Orr.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
50 years of federal abortion rights ended on Friday. As many states move to restrict abortion procedures in the aftermath of one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions in history, we turn to our panel of Nia-Malika Henderson of CNN, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times, Leigh Ann Caldwell of the Washington Post and Josh Gerstein of Politico.
In their prime-time hearing Thursday night the January 6 committee outlined their allegation: former President Trump was at the heart of a coordinated conspiracy to steal the presidency. Now the committee is gearing up for two more weeks of hearings, with all eyes are on the Justice Department as it considers criminal charges against Trump. Plus, a bipartisan group of Senators say they're close to an agreement on a bill that aims to stop gun violence. Can they seal the deal? And the White House fights inflationary headwinds as they contend with record-breaking gas prices and the rising cost of food. On today's panel: Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times, Margaret Talev of Axios, CNN's Gabby Orr and Paul Kane of the Washington Post. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
Less than two weeks after the massacre in Buffalo, another community is reeling following a rampage by a gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Join moderator Yamiche Alcindor, NPR's John Burnett, Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman, The New York Times' Zolan Kanno-Youngs and The Washington Post's Ashley Parker as they discuss the tragedy and more.
As Russian troops refocus their efforts on eastern Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has named Alexander Dvornikov as the overall commander of the invasion. Dvornikov had previously led Russia's brutal attacks in Syria, which means the already bloody war could become even more vicious Plus, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is poised to join a Supreme Court that could overturn decades of precedent from abortion to affirmative action. And how Dr. Mehmet Oz nabbed former President Trump's endorsement in a key Senate race. On today's panel: CNN's Phil Black, CNN Contributor Jill Dougherty, CNN'S Jeff Zeleny, Jackie Kucinich of the Daily Beast and Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
President Biden warned Russia's Vladimir Putin in a phone call Saturday the cost of an attack on Ukraine would be "swift and severe." That, as more than 100,000 Russian troops stand ready on three sides of Ukraine. The US evacuated most of its embassy on Saturday and several countries urged its citizens to leave Ukraine as soon as possible. Still, Ukrainian President Zelensky is calling for calm and insists the threat remains unchanged. Plus, a brand new CNN poll spells trouble for Biden and Democrats this November as inflation tops voters' concerns. And why some Democratic governors are flipping the script on Covid precautions and ending mask mandates. On today's panel: Margaret Talev of Axios, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times, Jonathan Martin of the New York Times, CNN's Lauren Fox, Susan Glasser of the New Yorker. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss the future of the Democratic party's agenda, Omicron's spread across the United States and they're joined by investigative journalist Azmat Khan to talk about the deaths of civilians overseas and the lack of accuracy from the U.S. military. Give the gift of Plus to a fellow Slate fan and they'll receive all the benefits of membership: unlimited reading, ad-free listening, bonus content, and so much more. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “$1.75 Trillion Is Plenty of Money to Write a Good Build Back Better Bill Here Are Some Solid Options” Simon Bazelon and David Shor for Slow Boring: “A Permanent CTC Expansion With a Sharper Means-Test Would Protect Poor Kids Better And Be More Popular” Jonathan Chait for New York Magazine: “Biden Should Take Manchin's Deal Right Now” David Wallace-Wells for New York Magazine: “Gauteng's Omicron Wave Is Already Peaking. Why?” Derek Thompson for the Atlantic:”Is Omicron Milder?” Azmat Khan for The New York Times: “Hidden Pentagon Records Reveal Patterns of Failure in Deadly Airstrikes” Azmat Khan for The New York Times Magazine: “The Human Toll of America's Air Wars” Azmat Khan for The New York Times Magazine: “The Uncounted” Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad Here's this week's chatter: Emily: Katie Benner, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Charlie Savage for the New York Times: “Some Inmates Can Stay Confined at Home After Covid Emergency, Justice Dept. Says” John: The Power of Meaning, by Emily Esfahani Smith, Mozhan Marno, and On the Meaning of Life, by Will Durant David: Hard Knocks In Season: The Indianapolis Colts Listener chatter from Mo Trent: stuffin.space For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, John, and David discuss their most and least useful years of formal education. Special thanks to listener Sean McPherson for the suggestion. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss the future of the Democratic party's agenda, Omicron's spread across the United States and they're joined by investigative journalist Azmat Khan to talk about the deaths of civilians overseas and the lack of accuracy from the U.S. military. Give the gift of Plus to a fellow Slate fan and they'll receive all the benefits of membership: unlimited reading, ad-free listening, bonus content, and so much more. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “$1.75 Trillion Is Plenty of Money to Write a Good Build Back Better Bill Here Are Some Solid Options” Simon Bazelon and David Shor for Slow Boring: “A Permanent CTC Expansion With a Sharper Means-Test Would Protect Poor Kids Better And Be More Popular” Jonathan Chait for New York Magazine: “Biden Should Take Manchin's Deal Right Now” David Wallace-Wells for New York Magazine: “Gauteng's Omicron Wave Is Already Peaking. Why?” Derek Thompson for the Atlantic:”Is Omicron Milder?” Azmat Khan for The New York Times: “Hidden Pentagon Records Reveal Patterns of Failure in Deadly Airstrikes” Azmat Khan for The New York Times Magazine: “The Human Toll of America's Air Wars” Azmat Khan for The New York Times Magazine: “The Uncounted” Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad Here's this week's chatter: Emily: Katie Benner, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Charlie Savage for the New York Times: “Some Inmates Can Stay Confined at Home After Covid Emergency, Justice Dept. Says” John: The Power of Meaning, by Emily Esfahani Smith, Mozhan Marno, and On the Meaning of Life, by Will Durant David: Hard Knocks In Season: The Indianapolis Colts Listener chatter from Mo Trent: stuffin.space For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, John, and David discuss their most and least useful years of formal education. Special thanks to listener Sean McPherson for the suggestion. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss the future of the Democratic party's agenda, Omicron's spread across the United States and they're joined by investigative journalist Azmat Khan to talk about the deaths of civilians overseas and the lack of accuracy from the U.S. military. Give the gift of Plus to a fellow Slate fan and they'll receive all the benefits of membership: unlimited reading, ad-free listening, bonus content, and so much more. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “$1.75 Trillion Is Plenty of Money to Write a Good Build Back Better Bill Here Are Some Solid Options” Simon Bazelon and David Shor for Slow Boring: “A Permanent CTC Expansion With a Sharper Means-Test Would Protect Poor Kids Better And Be More Popular” Jonathan Chait for New York Magazine: “Biden Should Take Manchin's Deal Right Now” David Wallace-Wells for New York Magazine: “Gauteng's Omicron Wave Is Already Peaking. Why?” Derek Thompson for the Atlantic:”Is Omicron Milder?” Azmat Khan for The New York Times: “Hidden Pentagon Records Reveal Patterns of Failure in Deadly Airstrikes” Azmat Khan for The New York Times Magazine: “The Human Toll of America's Air Wars” Azmat Khan for The New York Times Magazine: “The Uncounted” Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad Here's this week's chatter: Emily: Katie Benner, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Charlie Savage for the New York Times: “Some Inmates Can Stay Confined at Home After Covid Emergency, Justice Dept. Says” John: The Power of Meaning, by Emily Esfahani Smith, Mozhan Marno, and On the Meaning of Life, by Will Durant David: Hard Knocks In Season: The Indianapolis Colts Listener chatter from Mo Trent: stuffin.space For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, John, and David discuss their most and least useful years of formal education. Special thanks to listener Sean McPherson for the suggestion. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss the future of the Democratic party's agenda, Omicron's spread across the United States and they're joined by investigative journalist Azmat Khan to talk about the deaths of civilians overseas and the lack of accuracy from the U.S. military. Give the gift of Plus to a fellow Slate fan and they'll receive all the benefits of membership: unlimited reading, ad-free listening, bonus content, and so much more. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “$1.75 Trillion Is Plenty of Money to Write a Good Build Back Better Bill Here Are Some Solid Options” Simon Bazelon and David Shor for Slow Boring: “A Permanent CTC Expansion With a Sharper Means-Test Would Protect Poor Kids Better And Be More Popular” Jonathan Chait for New York Magazine: “Biden Should Take Manchin's Deal Right Now” David Wallace-Wells for New York Magazine: “Gauteng's Omicron Wave Is Already Peaking. Why?” Derek Thompson for the Atlantic:”Is Omicron Milder?” Azmat Khan for The New York Times: “Hidden Pentagon Records Reveal Patterns of Failure in Deadly Airstrikes” Azmat Khan for The New York Times Magazine: “The Human Toll of America's Air Wars” Azmat Khan for The New York Times Magazine: “The Uncounted” Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad Here's this week's chatter: Emily: Katie Benner, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Charlie Savage for the New York Times: “Some Inmates Can Stay Confined at Home After Covid Emergency, Justice Dept. Says” John: The Power of Meaning, by Emily Esfahani Smith, Mozhan Marno, and On the Meaning of Life, by Will Durant David: Hard Knocks In Season: The Indianapolis Colts Listener chatter from Mo Trent: stuffin.space For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, John, and David discuss their most and least useful years of formal education. Special thanks to listener Sean McPherson for the suggestion. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The moment everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived: The $1 trillion infrastructure bill is being signed into law. The bill will deliver $550 billion in new federal investments over the next five years, and includes $110 billion in new spending for highways, bridges, and roads. It also includes $105 billion for transit and rail investments, $65 billion for broadband upgrades, and a whole lot more—everything from investments in airports and ports to environmental remediation. As one might imagine, the original aspirations of the bill from the perspective of a lot of people were not necessarily met, as the legislation required a consensus from all ends of the political compass. According to a recent article from The New York Times, critics of the bill are not only concerned with the particulars of what is funded, but also how the funding will be administered. The decision for how half the money is spent falls on the states, meaning that states that are not aligned with what the federal government envisions for infrastructure spending (particularly with regard to racial equity) could neglect projects that would remediate the negative impacts of past infrastructure decisions, and potentially invest in projects that make matters worse. This week on Upzoned, regular host Abby Kinney and special guest Strong Towns Board Member John Reuter take this article from The New York Times and “upzone” it. That is, they examine it through the Strong Towns lens—which was already plenty skeptical of the infrastructure bill to begin with, as our readers and listeners know! Additional Show Notes “Racial Equity in Infrastructure, a U.S. Goal, Is Left to States,” by Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Madeleine Ngo, The New York Times (November 2021) Abby Kinney (Twitter) John Reuter (Twitter) Theme Music by Kemet the Phantom
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin are set to meet in Delaware with President Biden today to hammer out the final details of the Democrats' sprawling social spending bill. The White House aims to hold a vote in the coming days before Biden travels abroad for a climate conference. Plus, Virginia voters say jobs and education are among their top priorities. Republicans believe that means momentum is on their side, but Democrats are bringing in their heavy hitter- former President Obama, Vice President Harris and Stacey Abrams.in the final stretch of the Virginia governor race. And younger kids may be eligible for the Covid vaccine within weeks. How many will get the shot? On today's panel: The Cook Political Report's Amy Walter, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times, the Washington Post's Seung Min Kim, Molly Ball of Time Magazine, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
The war in Afghanistan is over. In this episode, we document how and why the Biden administration finally admitted defeat in our 20 year attempt to create a new government in Afghanistan and we take a hard look at the lessons we need to learn. Afghanistan is a country in a far away land, but there are disturbing similarities between the Afghanistan government that just collapsed and our own. We'd be wise not to ignore them. Executive Producer: Rachel Passer Executive Producer: Anonymous Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) 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! Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD236: January 6: The Capitol Riot CD218: Minerals are the New Oil CD210: The Afghanistan War CD124: The Costs of For-Profit War How We Got Here Craig Whitlock. The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War. Simon and Schuster, 2021. Patrick Tucker. August 18, 2021. “Trump's Pledge to Exit Afghanistan Was a Ruse, His Final SecDef Says.” Defense One. Eugene Kiely and Robert Farley. August 17, 2021. “Timeline of U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan.” FactCheck.org. Eric Schmitt and Jennifer Steinhauer. July 30, 2021. “Afghan Visa Applicants Arrive in U.S. After Years of Waiting.” The New York Times. Craig Whitlock, Leslie Shapiro and Armand Emamdjomeh. December 9, 2019. “The Afghanistan Papers: A secret history of the war.” The Washington Post. Mark Landler and James Risen. July 25, 2017. “Trump Finds Reason for the U.S. to Remain in Afghanistan: Minerals.” The New York Times. John F. Harris. October 15, 2001. “Bush Rejects Taliban Offer On Bin Laden ” Washington Post. The Evacuation: Those Left Behind William Mauldin. September 2, 2021. “Afghanistan Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Staff Left Behind.” Wall Street Journal. Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Annie Karni. August 29, 2021. “Series of U.S. Actions Left Afghan Allies Frantic, Stranded and Eager to Get Out.” The York Times. Sami Sadat. August 25, 2021. “I Commanded Afghan Troops This Year. We Were Betrayed.” The New York Times. Marjorie Censer. August 18, 2021. “US contractors rush to get former employees out of Afghanistan.” Defense News. Siobhan Hughes. August 18, 2021. “Afghanistan Veterans in Congress Trying to Prevent ‘a Death Warrant' for Helping America.” Wall Street Journal. Alex Sanz and Tammy Webber. August 18, 2021. “US friends try to rescue brother in arms in Afghanistan.” AP News. Seth Moulton. June 04, 2021. "Moulton, Bipartisan Honoring Our Promises Working Group to White House: Evacuate our Afghan Partners.” Contractors in Afghanistan Matt Taibbi. August 18, 2021. “We Failed Afghanistan, Not the Other Way Around.” TK News by Matt Taibbi on Substack. Jack Detsch. August 16, 2021. “Departure of Private Contractors Was a Turning Point in Afghan Military's Collapse.” Foreign Policy. Matt Stoller. July 15, 2021. “‘A Real S*** Show': Soldiers Angrily Speak Out about Being Blocked from Repairing Equipment by Contractors.” BIG by Matt Stoller. Lynzy Billing. May 12, 2021. “The U.S. Is Leaving Afghanistan? Tell That to the Contractors.” New York Magazine. Oren Liebermann. March 29, 2021. “Pentagon could open itself to costly litigation from contractors if US pulls out of Afghanistan this year.” CNN. Lucas Kunce and Elle Ekman. September 15, 2019. “Comment Submitted by Major Lucas Kunce and Captain Elle Ekman.” [Regulations.gov(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulations.gov). Aaron Mehta. Oct 25, 2016. “30 Years: William Perry — Reshaping the Industry.” Defense News. Jared Serbu. August 22, 2016. “DoD now awarding more than half its contract spending without competitive bids.” Federal News Network. 41 U.S. Code § 3307 - Preference for commercial products and commercial services. Money: Lost and Gained David Moore. August 23, 2021. “Lawmakers Benefit From Booming Defense Stocks.” Sludge. Lee Fang. August 20, 2021. “Congressman Seeking to Relaunch Afghan War Made Millions in Defense Contracting.” The Intercept. Anna Massoglia and Julia Forrest. August 20, 2021. “Defense contractors spent big in Afghanistan before the U.S. left and the Taliban took control.” OpenSecrets.org. Stephen Losey. April 16, 2021. “The Bill for the Afghanistan War Is $2.26 Trillion, and Still Rising.” Military.com. Eli Clifton. February 16, 2021. “Weapons Biz Bankrolls Experts Pushing to Keep U.S. Troops in Afghanistan.” Daily Beast. Open Secrets. 2021. Defense: Lobbying, 2021. Open Secrets. 2021. Defense: Money to Congress. Laws S.1790 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 Sponsor: Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) Status: Became Public Law No: 116-92 on December 20, 2019 H.R. 3237: Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 Sponsor: Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) Status: Signed into law, 2021 May 20 House Vote Breakdown Congressional Budget Office Score Law Outline TITLE IV: BILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE GENERAL PROVISIONS EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF THE AFGHAN SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM Sec. 401: Amends the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2009 to expand eligibility to include Afghans who worked not only for the US Government for more than 1 year but also our allies as an off-base interpreter or if they performed "activities for United States military stationed at International Security Assistance Force (or any successor name for such Force). Increases the number of Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) to Afghan partners by 8,000, for a total of 34,500 allocated since December 19, 2014. Sec. 402: Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security and Secretary of state to jointly waive for 1 year (maximum 2 years with an extension) the requirement that Afghan partners eligible for SIVs get a medical exam before they can receive their visa. The Secretary of Homeland Security has to create a process to make sure Afghan SIV holders get a medical exam within 30 days of entry into the United States. Sec. 403: Allows the surviving spouse or child or employee of the United States Government abroad to be eligible for immigration into the United States if the employee worked for our government for at least 15 years or was killed in the line of duty. It also expands entry permissions for Afghan SIV applicants in addition to those who have already been approved. This is retroactive to June 30, 2021. Policies for Visa Processing: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Policy Manual, Chapter 9: Certain Afghan Nationals U.S Department of State -- Bureau of Consular Affairs. “Special Immigrant Visas for Afghans - Who Were Employed by/on Behalf of the U.S. Government.” Audio Sources Gen. Mark Milley: "There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days." August 18, 2021 General Mark Milley: The time frame of rapid collapse that was widely estimated and ranged from weeks to months, and even years following our departure, there was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days. Central Command submitted a variety of plans that were briefed and approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Secretary of Defense and the President. These plans were coordinated, synchronized and rehearsed to deal with these various scenarios. One of those contingencies is what we are executing right now. As I said before, there's plenty of time to do AARs(After Action Reviews) and key lessons learned and to delve into these questions with great detail. But right now is not that time. Right now, we have to focus on this mission, because we have soldiers at risk. And we also have American citizens and Afghans who supported us for 20 years also at risk. This is personal and we're going to get them out. President Biden on Afghanistan Withdrawal Transcript July 8, 2021 Sound Clips 01:30 President Biden: When I announced our drawdown in April, I said we would be out by September, and we're on track to meet that target. Our military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on August 31. The drawdown is proceeding in a secure and orderly way, prioritizing the safety of our troops as they depart 3:40 President Biden: Together with our NATO allies and partners, we have trained and equipped nearly 300,000 current serving members of the military, the Afghan national security force, and many beyond that are no longer serving. Add to that hundreds of thousands more Afghan national defense and security forces trained over the last two decades. 04:04 President Biden: We provided our Afghan partners with all the tools, let me emphasize, all the tools -- training, equipment -- of any modern military. We provided advanced weaponry, and we're going to continue to provide funding and equipment and we'll ensure they have the capacity to maintain their Air Force. 5:54 President Biden: We're also going to continue to make sure that we take on Afghan nationals who worked side by side with US forces, including interpreters and translators. Since we're no longer going to have military there after this, we're not going to need them and they'll have no jobs. We're [sic] also going to be vital to our efforts. they've been very vital, and so their families are not exposed to danger as well. We've already dramatically accelerated the procedure time for Special Immigrant Visas to bring them to the United States. Since I was inaugurated on January 20, we've already approved 2,500 Special Immigrant Visas to come to the United States. Up to now, fewer than half have exercised the right to do that. Half have gotten on aircraft and come commercial flights and come and other half believe they want to stay, at least thus far. We're working closely with Congress to change the authorization legislation so that we can streamline the process of approving those visas. And those who have stood up for the operation to physically relocate 1000s of Afghans and their families before the US military mission concludes so that, if they choose, they can wait safely outside of Afghanistan, while their US visas are being processed. 8:13 President Biden: For those who have argued that we should stay just six more months, or just one more year, I asked them to consider the lessons of recent history. In 2011, the NATO allies and partners agreed that we would end our combat mission in 2014. In 2014, some argued one more year. So we kept fighting. We kept taking casualties. In 2015, the same, and on and on. Nearly 20 years of experience has shown us that the current security situation only confirms that just one more year of fighting in Afghanistan is not a solution, but a recipe for being there indefinitely. It's up to the Afghans to make the decision about the future of their country. Others are more direct. Their argument is that we should stay with the Afghans and Afghanistan indefinitely. In doing so they point to the fact that we we have not taken losses in this last year. So they claim that the cost of just maintaining the status quo is minimal. 9:19 President Biden: But that ignores the reality, and the facts that already presented on the ground in Afghanistan when I took office. The Taliban is at its strongest militarily since 2001. The number of US forces in Afghanistan had been reduced to a bare minimum. And the United States and the last administration made an agreement that they have to with the Taliban remove all our forces by May 1 of this year. That's what I inherited. That agreement was the reason the Taliban had ceased major attacks against US forces. 9:55 President Biden: If in April, I had instead announced that the United States was going to go back on that agreement, made by the last administration, the United States and allied forces will remain in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future, the Taliban would have again begun to target our forces. The status quo was not an option. Staying would have meant US troops taking casualties, American men and women back in the middle of a civil war, and we would run the risk of having to send more troops back in Afghanistan to defend our remaining troops. Once that agreement with the Taliban had been made, staying with a bare minimum force was no longer possible. 10:34 President Biden: So let me ask those who want us to stay: how many more? How many 1000s more Americans' daughters and sons are you willing to risk? How long would you have them stay? Already we have members of our military whose parents fought in Afghanistan 20 years ago. Would you send their children and their grandchildren as well? Would you send your own son or daughter? After 20 years, a trillion dollars spent training and equipping hundreds of 1000s of Afghan National Security and Defence Forces. 2,448 Americans killed, 20,722 more wounded, and untold 1000s coming home with unseen trauma to their mental health. I will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a different outcome. 11:51 President Biden: Today the terrorist threat has metastasized beyond Afghanistan. So, we are repositioning our resources and adapting our counterterrorism posture to meet the threats where they are now: significantly higher in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. 12:07 President Biden: But make no mistake, our military and intelligence leaders are confident they have the capabilities to protect the homeland and our interests from any resurgent terrorist challenge emerging or emanating from Afghanistan. We're developing a counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability that will allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed at any direct threat to the United States in the region and act quickly and decisively if needed. 12:38 President Biden: We also need to focus on shoring up America's core strengths to meet the strategic competition competition with China and other nations that is really going to determine our future. 14:58 Reporter: Is the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan now inevitable? President Biden: No. It is not. Because you have the Afghan troops, 300,000. Well equipped, as well equipped as any army in the world, and an air force against something like 75,000 Taliban. It is not inevitable. 15:45 President Biden: Do I trust the Taliban? No, but I trust the capacity of the Afghan military who is better trained, better equipped, and more competent in terms of conducting war. 18:07 Reporter: Your own intelligence community has assessed that the Afghan government will likely collapse President Biden: That is not true 18:53 President Biden: And I want to make clear what I made clear to Ghani, that we are not going to walk away and not sustain their ability to maintain that force. We are. We're going to also work to make sure we help them in terms of everything from food necessities and other things in the region. But there is not a conclusion that in fact, they cannot defeat the Taliban. I believe the only way there's going to be -- this is now Joe Biden, not the intelligence community -- the only way there's only going to be peace and secure in Afghanistan, is that they work out a modus vivendi with the Taliban, and they make a judgement as to how they can make peace. And the likelihood there's going to be one unified government in Afghanistan, controlling the whole country is highly unlikely. 21:30 Reporter: Mr. President, how serious was the corruption among the Afghanistan government to this mission failing there? President Biden: First of all, the mission hasn't failed yet. 22:00 President Biden: There were going to be negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan national security forces, and the Afghan government that didn't come to fruition. So the question now is where do they go from here? The jury is still out, but the likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely. 23:20 Reporter: Mr. President, "speed is safety," as you just said in your remarks. Are you satisfied with the timeline of relocating Afghan nationals? Is it happening quickly enough to your satisfaction if it may not happen until next month at the end? President Biden: It has already happened, there have already been people, about 1000 people have gotten on aircraft and come to the United States already on commercial aircraft. So as I said, there's over 2500 people, that as from January to now, have have gotten those visas and only half decided that they wanted to leave. The point is that I think the whole process has to be speeded up -- period -- in terms of being able to get these visas. Reporter: Why can't the US evacuate these Afghan translators to the United States to await their visa processing as some immigrants of the southern border have been allowed to? President Biden: Because the law doesn't allow that to happen. And that's why we're asking the Congress to consider changing the law. President Biden Remarks on Afghanistan Strategy Transcript April 14, 2021 Sound Clips 00:38 President Biden: I'm speaking to you today from the Roosevelt -- the Treaty room in the White House -- the same spot where in October of 2001, President George W. Bush informed our nation that the United States military had begun strikes on terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. It was just weeks, just weeks after the terrorist attack on our nation that killed 2,977 innocent souls, that turned Lower Manhattan into a disaster area, destroyed parts of the Pentagon and made hallowed ground in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and sparked an American promise that we would never forget. We went to Afghanistan in 2001, to root out al Qaeda to prevent future terrorist attacks against the United States planned from Afghanistan. Our objective was clear, the cause was just, our NATO allies and partners rallied beside us. And I supported that military action along with the overwhelming majority of the members of Congress. More than seven years later, in 2008 weeks before we swore the oath of office -- President Obama and I were about to swear -- President Obama asked me to travel to Afghanistan and report back on the state of the war in Afghanistan. I flew to Afghanistan to the Kunar Valley, a rugged, mountainous region on the border of Pakistan. What I saw on that trip reinforced my conviction that only the Afghans have the right and responsibility to lead their country. And that more and endless American military force could not create or sustain a durable Afghan Government. I believed that our presence in Afghanistan should be focused on the reason we went in the first place: to ensure Afghanistan would not be used as a base from which to attack our homeland again. We did that, we accomplished that objective. I said, along with others, we would follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell if need be. That's exactly what we did. And we got him. It took us close to 10 years to put President Obama's commitment into form. And that's exactly what happened Osama bin Laden was gone. That was 10 years ago. Think about that. We delivered justice to Bin Laden a decade ago. And we've stayed in Afghanistan for a decade since. Since then, our reasons for remaining in Afghanistan have become increasingly unclear, even as the terrorist threat that we went to fight evolved. Over the past 20 years, the threat has become more dispersed, metastasizing around the globe. Al Shabaab in Somalia, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, on Al Nusra in Syria, ISIS attempting to create a caliphate in Syria and Iraq and establishing affiliates in multiple countries in Africa and Asia. With the terror threat now in many places, keeping 1000s of troops grounded and concentrated in just one country at a cost of billions each year makes little sense to me and our leaders. We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdraw and expecting a different result. I'm now the fourth United States President to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan: two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth. After consulting closely with our allies and partners, with our military leaders and intelligence personnel, with our diplomats and our development experts, with the Congress and the Vice President, as well as with Mr. Ghani and many others around the world. I concluded that it's time to end America's longest war. It's time for American troops to come home. 5:01 President Biden: When I came to office, I inherited a diplomatic agreement, duly negotiated between the government of the United States and the Taliban, that all US forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1 2021, just three months after my inauguration. That's what we inherited. That commitment is perhaps not what I would have negotiated myself, but it was an agreement made by the United States government. And that means something. So in keeping with that agreement, and with our national interest, the United States will begin our final withdrawal beginning on May 1 of this year. 8:11 President Biden: You all know that less than 1% of Americans serve in our Armed Forces. The remaining 99%, we owe them. We owe them. They've never backed down from a single mission that we've asked of them. I've witnessed their bravery firsthand during my visits to Afghanistan. They've never wavered in their resolve. They paid a tremendous price on our behalf and they have the thanks of a grateful nation. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) High-Risk List Center for Strategic and International Studies Transcript March 10, 2021 Speaker: John Sopko - Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction Sound Clips 7:40 John Sopko: But right now, that state is under threat. In the wake of the February 2020 withdrawal agreement, all is not well. Compromise appears in short supply on either side. Taliban attacks have actually increased since the agreement was signed. Assassination of prominent officials, activists, journalists, aid workers and others have also increased, including an unsuccessful attack on one of the female members of the peace negotiating team. And the Taliban offensive on Kandahar city last October, as peace negotiations were ongoing, may well have succeeded, were it not for U.S. air support. Peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have achieved little for Afghanistan so far, and only time will tell as to whether the new Biden administration initiative will bear fruit. And the Afghan people's fears for its own government survival are exacerbated by the knowledge of how dependent their country is on foreign military and financial support. 12:56 John Sopko: Another equally serious threat to Afghanistan's stability has also largely been ignored as we focus on the boots on the ground in Afghanistan. And that is the provision of last year's U.S.-Taliban agreement that stipulates that in addition to the departure of U.S. and coalition troops, or non-diplomatic civilian personnel: private security contractors, trainers, advisors, and supporting service personnel also must leave the country by May 1. Should this come to passSIGAR and many others believe this may be more devastating to the effectiveness of the Afghan security forces than the withdrawal of our remaining troops. Why is that? Because the Afghan government relies heavily on these foreign contractors and trainers to function. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 there are over 18,000 Defense Department contractors in Afghanistan, including 6000 Americans, and 7,000 3rd country nationals, 40% of whom are responsible for logistics, maintenance, or training tasks. Now, it is well known that the Afghan security forces need these contractors to maintain their equipment, manage supply chains, and train their military and police to operate the advanced equipment that we have purchased for them. For example, as of December, the Afghan National Army was completing just under 20% of its own maintenance work orders, well below the goal of 80% that was set and the 51% that they did in 2018. So that's actually going down. The Afghan National Police were just as bad if not worse, undertaking only 12% of their own maintenance work against a target of 35% and less than the 16% that we reported in our 2019 high risk list. Additionally, and more troubling. The Department of Defense does train, advise and assist command air, or commonly called TAC air recently reported that since late 2019, they have reduced their personnel in Afghanistan by 94%, and that the military drawdown now requires near total use of contract support to maintain the Afghan Air fleet. They assess that quote “further drawdown in the associated closure basis will effectively end all in country aviation training contracts in Afghanistan.” Again, why is this significant? Why do we view this as a high risk? Namely because contractors currently provide 100% of the maintenance for the Afghan Air Force, UAE 60 helicopters and CE 130 cargo aircraft and a significant portion of Afghans Light Combat Support aircraft. TAC air this January gave a bleak assessment, namely, that no Afghan airframe can be sustained as combat effective for more than a few months in the absence of contractor support. 17:51 John Sopko: Continued funding for U.S. reconstruction programs aimed at promoting economic development, rule of law, respect for human rights, good governance and security for the Afghan people may be more significant, because it may be the primary lever left for the US and other donors to influence that country. It appears that even the Taliban understand Afghanistan's dire need for foreign assistance. Because, as one of the few commitments that the US had to make last year was, “to seek economic cooperation for reconstruction, with the new post settlement, Afghan Islamic government.” Now how much the donor community wishes to stay involved will of course depend on what that government looks like and how it behaves. Numerous officials, including then Secretary of State Pompeo and Ambassador Halley, have stated that the US will be able to advance its human rights goals, including the rights of women and girls with the Taliban by leveraging or conditioning this much needed financial assistance. But unfortunately, as SIGAR has long reported, even when conditionality involved only dealing with the Afghan government, donors do not have a stellar record of successfully utilizing that conditionality to influence Afghan behavior. 27:19 John Sopko: Today our report suggests the donor community should realize the Afghan government is focused on a single goal, its survival. Afghanistan is more dependent on international support than ever before. It may not be an overstatement that if foreign assistance is withdrawn and peace negotiations fail, Taliban forces could be at the gates of Kabul in short order. Hearing: A PATHWAY FOR PEACE IN AFGHANISTAN: EXAMINING THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AFGHANISTAN STUDY GROUP House Committee on Oversight and Reform: Subcommittee on National Security February 19, 2021 Testimony was heard from the following Afghanistan Study Group officials: Kelly A. Ayotte, Co-Chair; News Corp Board of Directors since April 2017 BAE Systems Board of Directors since June 2017 Blackstone Board of Directors Boston Properties Board of Directors Caterpillar Board of Directors Board of Advisors at Cirtronics General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr. (Retired), Co-Chair Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Obama and Trump presidencies. Lockheed Martin Board of Directors since February 2020 Nancy Lindborg, Co-Chair President and CEO of the David Lucile Packard Foundation Former President and CEO of the US Institute for Peace Former Assistant Administrator for the bureau for democracy conflict and humanitarian assistance at USAID During the mid-Obama years. Sound Clips 3:13 Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA): I'd also like to take a moment to thank the nonpartisan US Institute of Peace for the support and expertise they provided to the study group during the course of its work. 3:23 Rep. Stephen Lynch (MA): In the fiscal year 2020 omnibus bill Congress led by Senator Graham Senator Patrick Leahy and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee of state foreign ops and related programs. They tasked the independent and bipartisan Afghanistan study group to quote, consider the implications of a peace settlement or the failure to reach a settlement on US policy, resources and commitments in Afghanistan. After nearly nine months of review and consultation with current and former US and Afghan government officials, allies and partners and other key stakeholders, the Afghanistan study group issued its final report earlier this month. 15:12 Kelly Ayotte: We recommend that US troops remain beyond may 1. We believe a precipitous withdrawal of US and international troops in May, would be catastrophic for Afghanistan, leading to civil war, and allow the reconstitution of terror groups which threaten the United States within an 18 to 36 month period. 15:41 Kelly Ayotte: Let me be clear, although we recommend that our troops remain beyond may 1, we propose a new approach toward Afghanistan, which aligns our policies, practices and messaging across the United States government to support the Afghan peace process, rather than prosecute a war. Our troops would remain not to fight a forever war, but to guarantee the conditions for a successful peace process and to protect our national security interests to ensure that Afghanistan does not become a haven again, for terrorists who threaten the United States of America. 37:15 General Joseph F. Dunford: Do we need to increase forces if the Taliban don't accept an extension past the first of May, and if they then would re initiate attacks against US forces? and Chairman, we heard exactly what you heard. In the fall. What we were told by commanders on the ground in the department of fence was that 4500 US forces, in addition to the NATO forces that are there was the minimum level to address both the mission as well as protection of our forces in the context of the conditions that existed in the fall in as you've highlighted, those conditions have only gotten worse since the fall so in in our judgment 2500 would not be adequate. Should the Taliban re initiate attacks against the United States Hearing: Examining the Trump Administration's Afghanistan Strategy House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Subcommittee on National Security January 28, 2020 Witness: John Sopko - Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) Sound Clips 48:54 John Sopko: We've almost created a system that forces people in the government to give happy talk success stories because they're over there on very short rotations. They want to show success. The whole system is almost geared to give you, and it goes up the chain of command, all the way to the President sometimes. He gets bad information from people out in the field because somebody on a nine month rotation, he has to show success, and that goes up. 54:24 John Sopko: Maybe incentivize honesty. And one of the proposals I gave at that time,be cause I was asked by the staff to come up with proposals, is put the same requirement on the government that we impose on publicly traded corporations. Publicly traded corporations have to tell the truth. Otherwise the SEC will indict the people involved. They have to report when there's a significant event. So put that onus, call it The Truth in Government Act if you want, that you in the administration are duty bound by statute to alert Congress to significant events that could directly negatively impact a program or process. So incentivize honesty. 1:10:25 John Sopko: Over 70% of the Afghan budget comes from the United States and the donors. If that money ended, I have said before and I will stand by it, then the Afghan government will probably collapse. Wartime Contracting Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs September 21, 2011 Witnesses: Charles Tiefer: Commissioner on the Commission on Wartime Contracting Clark Kent Ervin: Commissioner on the Commission on Wartime Contracting Sound Clips 1:11:30 Charles Tiefer: Our private security in Afghanistan appears to be a major source of payoffs to the Taliban. Our report has the first official statement that it's the second-largest source of money for the Taliban. Sen. Carl Levin: After drugs. Charles Tiefer: After drugs, that's right. 1:25:18 Clark Kent Ervin: It's critical that the government have a choice, and that means that there needs to be at least a small and expandable, organic capacity on the part of these three agencies to perform missions themselves, so the next time there's a contingency, the government has a choice between going with contractors and going in-house and the determination can be made whether it's more effective to do it either way, whether it's cheaper to do it either way. As we said at the inception, right now the government doesn't have an option. Contractors are the default option because they're the only option. President George W. Bush announces U.S. Military Strikes on Afghanistan October 7, 2001 President George W. Bush: Good afternoon. On my orders, the United States military has begun strikes against Al-Qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. These carefully targeted actions are designed to disrupt the use of Afghanistan as a terrorist base of operations and to attack the military capability of the Taliban regime. More than two weeks ago, I gave Taliban leaders a series of clear and specific demands: close terrorist training camps, hand over leaders of the Al-Qaeda network, and return all foreign nationals including American citizens unjustly detained in your country. None of these demands were met and now the Taliban will pay a price by destroying camps and disrupting communications. We will make it more difficult for the terror network to train new recruits and coordinate their evil plans. ** International Campaign Against Terrorism Senate Foreign Relations Committee October 25, 2001 Witness: Colin Powell: Secretary of State Sound Clip 27:00 Colin Powell: Our work in Afghanistan though, is not just of a military nature. We recognize that when the Al Qaeda organization has been destroyed in Afghanistan, and as we continue to try to destroy it in all the nations in which it exists around the world, and when the Taliban regime has gone to its final reward, we need to put in place a new government in Afghanistan, one that represents all the people of Afghanistan and one that is not dominated by any single powerful neighbor, but instead is dominated by the will of the people of Afghanistan. Executive Producer Recommendations Elect Stephanie Gallardo 2022 Krystal Kyle and Friends. August 21, 2021. “Episode 35 Audio with Matthew Hoh.” 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)
On the 20th anniversary 9/11 President Biden and former presidents paused to reflect. Both Biden and former President Bush praised the unity in the weeks after the attack and denounced the division in the country today. Plus the Biden Administration's new vaccine requirements that will impact 100M workers --and the GOP backlash. And exclusive new CNN polling showing a potential trouble sign for a 2024 Trump run. On today's panel: CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Asma Khalid of NPR, CNN's Melanie Zanona, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
President Biden will deliver a speech this evening with several new pandemic initiatives, including the requirement for all Federal workers to be vaccinated, with no option for frequent testing in order to avoid the mandate. The Los Angeles Unified School District is expected to mandate Covid-19 vaccines for eligible students, with a full vaccination required by December 19. The big fight for Biden's Agenda begins. Democrats are divided on the price tag and scope of the Biden Agenda with 5 committees working on the massive spending plan. Senator Ed Markey thinks the Democrats will come together on the budget. Donald Trump is keeping a high profile ahead of a possible 2024 Presidential candidate run, raising eyebrows by praising Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who lost the civil war, saying he would have won in Afghanistan. The former President is also backing challengers to GOP Reps who voted to impeach him. The Biden Administration has purged Trump officials from Military Service Academy Advisory Boards, including Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer. With just 5 days to go until the California recall election, Vice President Kamala Harris spent Wednesday rallying for Governor Gavin Newsom in San Leandro. Former President Obama has urged Californians to vote ‘No' on the recall, while conservative talk radio host Larry Elder has baselessly raised the possibility of ‘shenanigans' in the election. On today's panel: The New York Times' Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Politico's Laura Barron-Lopez and The Daily Beast's Jackie Kucinich. Plus: Jen Psaki, Rep. Jim Clyburn, Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Senator Ed Markey, Dr. Carlos Del Rio, CNN's Jeff Zeleny, CNN's Stephanie Elam, CNN's Manu Raju and CNN's Dan Merica. Hosted by John King. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
The White House lays out the case for Covid-19 vaccination booster shots being available from September 20, with The Surgeon General saying the available data proves third shots are necessary because the vaccine wanes over time and also because the delta variant is so virulent. There is rage and desperation in Afghanistan with thousands of Americans still stranded in the country, plus thousands more Afghans who trusted American promises to get them out. The Biden Administration admits it is relying on the Taliban to guarantee safe passage to Hamid Karzai airport for Americans and Afghans alike. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has tested positive for Covid-19, according to a statement from his office, following footage of the Governor at an indoor political event on Monday, mingling in a maskless crowd, contrary to CDC guidelines. Broward and Alachua Public Schools continue to defy Governor Desantis' ban on mask mandates. Miami Dade and Hillsborough County School Boards are due to meet this week to decide the action they will take as more than 4,700 Florida students and teachers have tested positive for Covid-19 in the first week of school. U.S. intelligence reports earlier this summer warned of the rapid collapse of the Afghanistan Military despite President Biden's assurances. As Democrats blast the President over the chaotic Afghan withdrawal they also vow to investigate White House ‘failures' in Afghanistan. On today's panel: CNN Political Analyst Margaret Talev, The New York Times' Zolan Kanno-Youngs, The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian, Professor Vali Nasr, Professor William Schaffner, CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, CNN National Security Correspondent Kylie Atwood and CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins. Hosted by John King. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
The Taliban is closing in on Kabul as U.S. personnel evacuate the embassy in Afghanistan's capital, hastily ending the two decade-long war. Meanwhile in Kabul, there are growing concerns over the safety of women and girls and those who aided U.S. officials and troops. Plus, President Biden escalates his war of words with Republican governors who are ditching mask mandates as the Delta variant sweeps through their states. And a big win for the White House -- Senate passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill -- is overshadowed by surging Covid cases and a collapsing Afghanistan. On today's panel: CNN's Lauren Fox, Margaret Talev of Axios, CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times, Kimberly Dozier of Time Magazine, and former Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
The FDA is expected to outline a plan for booster shots this fall, including for the immunocompromised. And the bipartisan infrastructure bill is on the verge of passing despite efforts from former President Trump to stop it. Plus, lawmakers heading back to their districts make noise on a "broken" security system as they fear for their safety. CNN's John King hosts On today's show: CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Manu Raju, Dana Bash, Lauren Fox, Ryan Nobles, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Edward-Isaac Dovere, Mark Zandi, Dr. Colleen Kraft, Dr. Rhea Boyd To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
The push to get shots in arms continues, with GOP Governors urging Americans to get vaccinated. Plus, Former President Donald Trump bashes his former VP Mike Pence in Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker's new book, “I Alone Can Fix It”. CNN's John King hosts. On today's show: Dr. Carlos del Rio, Rep. Pete Aguilar, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Laura Barron-Lopez, Maeve Reston, Jackie Kucinich, and Carol Leonnig. To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
The White House is in celebration mode this holiday weekend. First, celebrating the latest jobs report they say is proof their economic agenda is working. And, hosting the first large event of the Biden Administration as the President and First Lady plan to host first responders and military personnel for a July 4th bash. Plus, now that the Supreme Court has finished its term, all eyes on whether Justice Breyer will announce his retirement plans. And, as his legal woes mount, Trump eyes a 2024 presidential run. On today's panel: CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Nancy Cook of Bloomberg News, CNN's Melanie Zanona, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times, CNN's Oren Lieberman and CNN's Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
Russian hackers are accused of attacking another key American supply line. The target this time around? meat plants. Plus, the RNC is vowing to advise candidates against future presidential debates if the panel in charge doesn’t make significant changes. And, Democrats’ big win in a special House election has both parties searching for early 2022 midterm messaging clues. On today’s show: CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Manu Raju; Seung Min Kim of the Washington Post; Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times; POLITICO’s Laura Barrón-López; former CDC Detective Dr. Seema Yasmin; and NY1's Errol Louis.To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy
In March 2021, a year after the official beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fully Democratic Party controlled Congress sent President Joe Biden their version of a COVID relief bill to sign, a bill that was rejected by the entire Republican Party. In this episode, examine the new law in detail to learn how it could help you and to judge whether this new law was something you would have liked your representatives in Congress to support. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) 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 Episodes CD213: CARES Act - The Trillions for COVID-19 Law CD161: Veterans Choice Program American Rescue Plan Outline House vote 1 House vote 2 Senate vote Text The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 TITLE I - COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, NUTRITION, AND FORESTRY Subtitle A - Agriculture Sec. 1001: Food Supply Chain and Agriculture Pandemic Response Appropriates $4 billion for food purchases and grants for food suppliers to protect their workers from COVID Sec. 1002: Emergency Rural Development Grants For Rural Health Care Appropriates $500 million for "emergency pilot program" grants to impoverished rural communities to help them distribute vaccines with infrastructure and staffing, give them medical supplies, reimburse them for lost revenue. The program has to be in operation by mid-August 2021. Sec. 1005: Farm Loan Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Provides "such sums as may be necessary" for the Secretary of Agriculture (Tom Vilsack) to give "socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers" payments covering "up to 120% of the outstanding indebtedness" as of January 1, 2021, which will pay off loans they received from the Farm Service Agency or Commodity Credit Corporation and loans guaranteed by the Department of Agriculture. "Socially disadvantaged farmers" are farmers or ranchers who "have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice because of their identity as members of a group without regard to their individual qualities." Subtitle B - Nutrition Sec. 1101: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Extends food assistance benefits provided by the Coronabus from June 30, 2021 to September 30, 2021 and appropriates an additional $1.15 billion. Sec. 1103: Additional Funding For Nutrition Assistance Programs Provides $1 billion in food assistance benefits to be split among the territories, which they will have until September 30, 2027 to use. Sec. 1105: Improvements to WIC Benefits Allows, but does not require, the Secretary of Agriculture to increase the amount of WIC benefits by $35 until July 11, 2021, if requested by the states. Appropriates $490 million. Sec. 1108: Pandemic EBT Program The Family's First Coronavirus Response Act said that during 2020 and 2021, if a school is closed for more than 5 consecutive days under a public health emergency designation, families of children who are eligible for free or discounted school lunches will be able to get benefits valued at least as much as the school meals, to be distributed via the food stamp program, with money on EBT cards. This changes the dates so that it's valid "in any school year in which there is a public health emergency declaration" or "in a covered summer period following a school session" which will allow the state to continue the benefits for 90 days so that kids can continue to receive the meal credits during the emergency summers. TITLE II - COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, LABOR, AND PENSIONS Subtitle A - Education Matters Part 1 - Department of Education Sec. 2001: Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund Appropriates over $122.7 billion, which can be used through September 30, 2023, for grants to the states. 90% of the money has to be given to local education agencies, including charter schools. 20% of the money needs to be used to address learning loss, via summer programs and extended school days and school years. The rest of the money can be spent at the local agencies discretion for activities they're already authorized to use Federal tax money for and to fund measures needed to protect students and staff from COVID. Any money not used must be returned to the Secretary of Education after one year. Sec. 2002: Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools Appropriates $2.75 billion, which can be used through September 30, 2023, for private schools that "enroll a significant percentage of low-income students and are most impacted by the qualifying emergency." Sec. 2003: Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Appropriates $39.5 billion, which can be used through September 30, 2023, for colleges and universities. Part 2 - Miscellaneous Sec. 2021: National Endowment for the Arts Appropriates $135 million for the National Endowment for the Arts Sec. 2022: National Endowment for the Humanities Appropriates $135 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities Sec. 2023: Institute of Museum and Library Services Appropriates $200 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services Subtitle B - Labor Matters Sec. 2101: Funding for Department of Labor Worker Protection Activities Appropriates $200 million, with half of that going to OSHA. Only $5 million is required to be spent on "enforcement activities related to COVID-19 at high risk workplaces" Subtitle C - Human Services and Community Supports Sec. 2201: Child Care and Development Block Grant Program Appropriates almost $15 billion, which has to be used before September 30, 2021, for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program, which gives money to states for child care for low income families with children under the age of 13. States are authorized to provide child care funding to health care employees, emergency responders, and "other workers deemed essential" regardless of their income levels during the emergency period. Sec. 2202: Child Care Stabilization Appropriates almost $24 billion for states to give to child care providers, regardless of any other federal money they have received. The grant will be determined by the child care provider's operating expenses and can be used to pay for employee salaries, benefits, and recruitment; rent or mortages; PPE and training; and mental health support for children or employees. Subtitle D - Public Health Sec. 2301: Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine Activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Appropriates $7.5 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to plan, prepare for, promote, distribute, administer, monitor, and track COVID-19 vaccines. Sec. 2302: Funding for Vaccine Confidence Activities Appropriates $1 billion, that does not expire, for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for activities "to strengthen vaccine confidence in the United States" in order to "improve rates of vaccination throughout the United States" Sec. 2303: Funding for Supply Chain for COVID-19 Vaccines, Therapeutics, and Medical Supplies Appropriates a little over $6 billion, which does not expire, "for necessary expenses with respect to research, development, manufacturing, production, and the purchase of vaccines, therapeutics, and ancillary medical products" to prevent and respond to COVID and "any disease with potential for creating a pandemic." Sec. 2305: Reduced Cost-Sharing Expands subsidies for health insurance provided by the Affordable Care Act to anyone who has been approved for unemployment insurance in 2021, and their subsidy level will be determined as if they didn't make more than 133% above the poverty level, regardless of actual income. This makes them eligible for the most general subsidy levels, which reduces their out-of-pocket limit by two-thirds and the insurance provider must pay 90% of health care costs. Subtitle E - Testing Sec. 2401: Funding for COVID-19 Testing, Contact Tracing, and Mitigation Activities Appropriates $47.8 billion, which does not expire, to "detect, diagnose, trace, and monitor SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 infections". This money must be used to implement a national testing and contract tracing strategy, provide technical assistance to states, "support the development, manufacturing, procurement, distribution, and administration of tests", which includes the supplies needed for those tests, PPE, and "the acquisition, construction, alteration, or renovation of non-federally owned facilities." Sec. 2402: Funding for Sara-COV-2 Genomic Sequencing and Surveillance Appropriates $1.75 billion for genomic sequencing, analytics, and disease surveillance, which will identify mutations and survey their transmission in our communities. This money can be used to "award grants for the construction, alteration, or renovation of facilities to improve genomic sequencing and surveillance capabilities at the State and local level." Sec. 2403: Funding for Global Health Appropriates $750 million to combat COVID "and other emerging infectious disease threats globally" Subtitle F - Public Health Workforce Sec. 2501: Funding for Public Health Workplace Appropriates $7.66 billion, which does not expire, to fund the creation and expansion of local public health workforces. The money will be granted to states who will then fund the wages and benefits for individuals hired to be contract tracers, community health workers, epidemiologists, laboratory personnel, communications and policy experts who are employed by the government or a non-profit, which can be public or private. Subtitle G - Public Health Investments Sec. 2601: Funding for Community Health Centers and Community Care Appropriates $7.6 billion, which does not expire, for grants for community health centers, which can be used for vaccine distribution, testing and contact tracing, to hire health care workers, and for community outreach. This money can be used to reimburse community health centers that they provided for COVID response sine January 31, 2020. Subtitle H - Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Sec. 2701: Funding for Block Grants For Community Mental Health Services Appropriates $1.5 billion, that must be spent by September 30, 2025, for states to give to mental health service providers. Sec. 2702: Funding For Block Grants For Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse Appropriates $1.5 billion, that must be spent by September 30, 2025, for states to give to substance abuse treatment providers. Subtitle K - Ratepayer Protection Sec. 2911: Funding for LIHEAP Appropriates $4.5 billion, that expires on September 30, 2022, for payment for energy expenses of low income families. Subtitle L - Assistance for Older Americans, Grandfamilies, and Kinship Families Sec. 2921: Supporting Older Americans and Their Families Appropriates over $1.4 billion for COVID related expenses of senior citizens. TITLE III - COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS Subtitle A - Defense Production Act of 1950 Sec. 3101: COVID-19 Emergency Medical Supplies Enhancement Appropriates $10 billion, available until September 30, 2025, to use the Defense Production Act for "the purchase, production (including the construction, repair, and retrofitting of government-owned or private facilities as necessary)" for distributing medical supplies and equipment to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting on September 30, 2022, the money left over can be used for any activity "necessary to meet critical public health needs of the United States, as determined by the President. Subtitle B - Housing Provisions Sec. 3201: Emergency Rental Assistance Appropriates over $21.5 billion (on top of the $25 billion provided by the Coronabus), available until September 30, 2027, for grants to states that will be used to pay rent, utilities and "other expenses related to housing incurred due, directly or indirectly," to COVID for up to 18 months. People who qualify for unemployment benefits, had their income reduced, are low income, or can demonstrate that they are at risk of homelessness. The payments will be made directly to the landlord until the landlord does not agree to accept the payment, in which case the household can receive the money. All eligible grantees (states and territories) must be given at least 40% of their payments by May 11 States and territories can use up to 15% of the money for administration Unused money will begin to be returned and redistributed starting on March 31, 2022 Sec. 3202: Emergency Housing Vouchers Appropriates $5 billion, available until September 30, 2030, for emergency housing vouchers (Section 8) to people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or escaping a domestic violence or human trafficking situation. Prohibits families from getting another voucher after their voucher expires starting on September 30, 2023. Sec. 3205: Homelessness Assistance and Supportive Services Program Appropriates $5 billion, available until September 30, 2025, for "tenant-based rental assistance", development of affordable housing, housing counseling, and individual shelters than may be converted to permanent housing. Eligible people include people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, escaping a domestic violence or human trafficking situation, or veterans and their families if the veteran meets one of the other criteria. These services can be contracted out and the government "shall" enter into contracts "that cover the actual total program costs and administrative overhead" Sec. 3206: Homeowner Assistance Fund Appropriates over $9.9 billion, available until September 30, 2025, for a new Homeowner Assistance Fund. The fund will make payments "for the purpose of preventing homeowner mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities... of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020." Assistance will include payments of mortgages, payments to take a loan out of forbearance, principal reduction, facilitating interest rate reductions, payments for utilities and internet service, insurance, and homeowner association fees. 60% of the money given to states has to be used to help homeowners at or below the median income level for their household size or the median income level for the United States, whichever is greater. The rest of the money has to go to "socially disadvantaged individuals". The states must receive their payments by April 25. If a state does not request payments by that date, that state will become ineligible for payments and the money will be divided among the other states. Subtitle C - Small Business (SSBCI) Sec. 3301: State Small Business Credit Initiative Appropriates $10 billion to bring back a program last used after the 2008 global recession to support small businesses recovering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. $1.5 billion must be spent on businesses owned and controlled by "socially and economically disadvantaged individuals" This includes privately owned businesses owned 50% or more by "socially and economically disadvantaged individuals" Publicly owned businesses with 51% or more of the stock owned by "socially and economically disadvantaged individuals" Institutions where a majority of the board, account holders and the community are "socially and economically disadvantaged individuals". "Socially and economically disadvantaged individuals" are two different legal categories, but the "economically" disadvantaged group comes from the "socially" disadvantaged group. "Socially disadvantaged individuals" are those who have been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias because of their identity as a member of a group without regard to their individual qualities. $500 million must be spent on businesses with fewer than 10 employees, which "may" include independent contractors and sole proprietors. Subtitle D - Public Transportation Sec. 3401: Federal Transit Administration Grants Appropriates almost $30.4 billion, available until September 30, 2024, for... Over $26 billion: Urbanized area formula grants For capital projects, planning, job access and reverse commute projects and operating costs for public transportation facilities and equipment in cities with fewer than 200,000 people. Over $1.6 billion: Fixed guideway capital investment grants, For rail, ferry, and bus public transportation systems that increase the capacity of the route by at least 10%. Over $417 million: Formula grants for rural areas. For planning for rural areas, public transportation capital costs, public transportation facilities and equipment, joe access and reverse commute projects, and private providers of public transportation services. The grants cover 80% of the net project cost. $50 million: Grants for enhancing the mobility of seniors, "For public transportation projects designed, and carried out to meet the special needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities when public transportation is insufficient, inappropriate, or unavailable." The money is allowed to be used for operating expenses beginning on January 20, 2020, including payroll, operating costs due to lost revenue, purchase of PPE, and the administrative leave of personnel due to service restrictions. Increases the government's share of the costs from 80% to 100%. Prohibits money paying for route planning to be used to privatize a public transportation service. TITLE IV - COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS Sec. 4001: Emergency Federal Employee Leave Fund Appropriates $570 million, available through September 30, 2022, for up to 600 hours of paid leave for full time employees, capped at $2,800 for each bi-weekly paycheck, for employees that have to quarantine, who have COVID, is caring for a family member with COVID, or is getting vaccinated or is sick from getting the vaccination. Eligible employees include executive branch employees, USPS employees, and working people in the DC court system. Eligibility ends on September 30, 2021. Sec. 4005: Federal Emergency Management Agency Appropriation Appropriates $50 billion, available until September 30, 2025 for FEMA for "major disaster declarations" Sec. 4006: Funeral Assistance For the COVID emergency declared on March 13, 2020 "and for any subsequent major disaster declarations that supercedes such emergency declaration", FEMA funds "shall" be paid for 100% of disaster-related funeral expenses. Sec. 4007: Emergency Food and Shelter Program Funding Appropriates $400 million, available until September 30, 2025 for FEMA's emergency food and sh TITLE V - COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Sec. 5001: Modifications to Paycheck Protection Program Adds non-profit organizations with fewer then 500 employees per location to the eligibility list for forgivable PPP loans. They can be eligible if they receive up to 15% of their money from lobbying activities and that amount was less than $1 million during the tax year that ended prior to February 15, 2020. Adds "internet only periodical publishers" who are "assigned a North American Industry Classification System code of 519130" to be eligible for forgivable PPP loans if they have fewer than 500 employees per physical location. Appropriates an additional $7.25 billion to the PPP program Sec. 5002: Targeted EIDL Advance Appropriates $15 billion, which does not expire, for the Small Business Administration to make loans to businesses with fewer than 300 employees in low income communities. Sec. 5003: Support for Restaurants Appropriates $28.6 billion for restaurants, food stands, food trucks, caterers, bars, tasting rooms, including locations inside of airports. Does not include chains that had more than 20 locations on March 13, 2020, or publicly traded companies. $5 billion of that is reserved for businesses that made less than $500,000 in 2019. The maximum amount of each grant is $10 million, and no more than $5 million per physical location. The amount up to those caps of the grants is the amount of the business's pandemic related revenue loss. Valid for expenses from February 15, 2020 through at least December 31, 2021. The Administrator of the Small Business Administration can extend that until no later than March 11, 2023. Sec. 5005: Shuttered Venue Operators Appropriates an additional $1.25 billion, that doesn't expire, to the Coronabus grant program for live performance venues. Reduces the grant amounts by any amount of PPP money that was received on or after December 27, 2020. TITLE VII - COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION Subtitle A - Transportation and Infrastructure Sec. 7101: Grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation Appropriates almost $1 billion to Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and $730 million to Amtrak's national network, available until September 30, 2024 for coronavirus related expenses. Sec. 7102: Relief for Airports Appropriates $8 billion, available until September 30, 2024 for airports. No more than $800 million can be used to pay the rent and required minimum payments of airport concessions operators. To qualify for the funding, airports have to retain 90% of the number of employees they had on March 27, 2020 until September 30, 2021, unless granted a waiver due to environmental hardship. Subtitle B - Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection Sec. 7202: Payroll Support Program Appropriates $3 billion, available until September 30, 2023 for a new program that pays airplane manufacturers for some payroll expenses if they have "significant operations in, and a majority of its employees" in the United States, if they have laid off at least 10% of their workforce or experienced a 15% or more loss of revenue. Businesses that got money from the CARES Act or PPP program are ineligible. Subtitle C - Airlines Sec. 7301: Air Transportation Payroll Support Program Extension Appropriates $14 billion for airlines and $1 billion for contractors conditioned on their agreement not to furlough anyone or reduce pay for workers before September 30, 2021, not buy back their own stock or pay out dividends before September 30, 2022, and limit executive pay. Subtitle D - Consumer Protection and Commerce Oversight Sec. 7402: Funding for E-Rate Support for Emergency Educational Connections and Devices Appropriates over $7.1 billion, available through September 30, 2030 to reimburse elementary and high schools and libraries for new telecommunications equipment and services including wi-fi hotspots, modems, routers, and connection devices. TITLE VIII - COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS Sec. 8002: Funding Availability for Medical Care and Health Needs Appropriates $14 billion in additional funding, available until September 30, 2023 for the "Veterans Community Care program" Sec. 8007: Prohibition on Copayments and Cost Sharing for Veterans During Emergency Relation to COVID-19 Prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from charging any co-pay or cost sharing for health care received by a veteran, and any co-pays and cost sharing already charged must be reimbursed, for the period between April 6, 2020 and September 30, 2021. Appropriates an additional $1 billion, available until spent. TITLE IX - COMMITTEE ON FINANCE Subtitle A - Crisis Support for Unemployed Workers Part 1 - Extension of CARES Act Unemployment Provisions Sec. 9011: Extension of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Extends unemployment benefits through September 6, 2021 and extends the total number of eligible weeks from 50 to 79. Part 3 - Department of Labor Funding for Timely, Accurate, and Equitable Payment Sec. 9032: Funding for Fraud Prevention, Equitable Access, and Timely Payment to Eligible Workers Appropriates an additional $2 billion, available until fully spent, to the Secretary of Labor to detect and prevent fraud and ensure the timely payment of unemployment benefits. Part 4 - Other Provisions Sec. 9042: Suspension of Tax on Portion of Unemployment Compensation For taxpayers whose gross income for "any taxable year beginning in 2020" is less than $150,000 and whose unemployment payments were less than $10,200, that income will not be taxable. Subtitle F - Preserving Health Benefits for Workers Sec. 9501: Preserving Health Benefits for Workers People who lose their employer paid health insurance due to being laid off or having their hours reduced can elect to have COBRA (a continuation of their health insurance) paid for by the government, which will provide tax credits to the employer who will pay the premiums. This applies between April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021. Subtitle G - Promoting Economic Security Part 1 - 2021 Recovery Rebates to Individuals Sec. 9601: 2021 Recovery Rebates to Individuals Provides $1,400 per person stimulus checks to people making less than $75,000 per year, with a phase out up to $100,000 per year. No checks are allowed to be issued after December 31, 2021. They check amounts will be determined based on either 2019 or 2020 tax filings, whatever the government has on file. Appropriates over $1.4 billion. Part 2 - Child Tax Credit Sec. 9611: Child Tax Credit Improvements for 2021 For 2021, for taxpayers living in the United States will get a $3,000 payment for each child ages 6-18 and $3,600 for each child under the age of 6. The payments will be reduced for individuals who make more than $75,000 and couples who make more than $150,000. Payments will be made between July 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. Part 3 - Earned Income Tax Credit Sec. 9621: Strengthening the Earned Income Tax Credit for Individuals with No Qualifying Children Doubles the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit for qualified taxpayers for 2021 who don't have children, increasing the maximum credit from $538 to $1,500. To qualify, you have to live in the United States at least half the year and have investment income below $10,000. People who make more than $21,430 as a single person or $27,830 jointly are not eligible. Part 4 - Dependent Care Assistance Sec. 9631: Refundability and Enhancement of Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit For 2021, eligible taxpayers can get up to 50% of up to $8,000 in childcare costs (capped at $16,000 for multiple children under the age of 12) reimbursed via a refundable tax credit. The credit phases out for families with income higher than $400,000 per year. Part 5 - Credits for Paid Sick and Family Leave Sec. 9641: Payroll Credits Provides a 100% refundable tax credit for employers that provide paid sick leave, capped at $511 and 10 days per quarter. Provides a 100% refundable tax credit for employers who provide family leave, capped at $200 per day and $12,000 total. Sec. 9642: Credit for Sick Leave For Certain Self-Employed Individuals Allows self employed individuals to receive a tax credit for sick day related to COVID-19 from April 1, 2021 through September 30, 2021, including getting tested, quarantining, illness, and getting the vaccine. The number of days is capped at 10 and its capped at $200 per day. Sec. 9643: Credit For Family Leave For Certain Self-Employed Individuals Allows self employed individuals to receive a refundable tax credit for family leave for COVID-19 testing, illness, or vaccines. It's capped at 60 days and $200 per day. Part 6 - Employee Retention Credit Sec. 9651: Extension of Employee Retention Credit Provides employers who had to partially or fully close during 2021 with a refundable tax credit up to 70% of the wages they pay to their employees capped at $10,000 per employee per quarter. Part 7 - Premium Tax Credit Sec. 9661: Improving Affordability by Expanding Premium Assistance for Consumers Increases the amount of money the government will pay towards the health insurance premium of low income individuals. People with incomes at or below 150% of the poverty level ($19,320 for individuals) can get coverage with no monthly premiums. Lifts the cap on the income level of individuals eligible for subsides, so now everyone is eligible and no one will pay more than 8.5% of their income towards health insurance premiums. This is only applicable for 2021 and 2022. Part 8 - Miscellaneous Provisions Sec. 9671: Repeal of Election to Allocate Interest, Etc. on Worldwide Basis Repeals a tax benefit for corporations that would have become effective in 2021. Sec. 9672: Tax Treatment of Targeted EIDL Advances COVID relief money provided via the Small Business Administration's program for restaurants will not count as gross income for tax purposes. Sec. 9673: Tax Treatment of Restaurant Revitalization Grants COVID relief money provided via the Small Business Administration's program for small businesses, nonprofits, and venues will not count as gross income for tax purposes. Sec. 9675: Modification of Treatment of Student Loan Forgiveness Student loan forgiveness amounts will not be included in gross income from 2021 through 2025. Subtitle H - Pensions Subtitle I - Child Care for Workers Sec. 9801: Child Care Assistance Appropriates over $3.5 billion for grants to states and territories for child care assistance. Subtitle J - Medicaid Sec. 9811: Mandatory Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccines and Administration and Treatment Under Medicaid From March 11, 2021 until one year after the COVID emergency is declared over, Medicaid must pay for COVID testing, treatment, and vaccines free of out of pocket charges. Subtitle K - Children's Health Insurance Program Sec. 9821: Mandatory Coverage of COVID-19 Vaccines and Administration and Treatment Under CHIP From March 11, 2021 until the first day of the quarter after the one year anniversary of the COVID emergency being declared over, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) must cover COVID testing, treatment, and vaccines with no cost sharing requirements. The Federal government will pay 100% of the costs to the states. Subtitle M - Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Sec. 9901: Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Appropriates $219.8 billion, available through the end of 2024, for states, territories, and tribal governments to "mitigate the fiscal effects stemming from the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)". The money can be spent on "assistance to households, small businesses, and nonprofits, or aid to impacted industries such as tourism, travel, and hospitality" and "premium pay (up to $13/hour, capped at $25,000) to eligible workers... performing such essential work" and "for the provision of government services to the extent of the reduction of revenue... due to the COVID-19 public health emergency" and "to make necessary investments in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure." The money can NOT be used to offset a reduction in revenue caused by a tax cut or to deposit into pension funds. Appropriates over $130 billion, available through the end of 2024 for metropolitan cities ($45.5 billion), nonentitlement units of local government ($19.5 billin), and counties ($65 billion) to "mitigate the fiscal effects stemming from the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)" for the same purposes with the same conditions placed upon the states (see above). Appropriates $10 billion, available until fully spent, for states, territories, and tribal governments to "carry out critical capital projects directly enabling work, education, and health monitoring, including remote options." Each state will get at least $100 million. Appropriates $2 billion, available until September 30, 2023, for counties and tribal governments for "any governmental purpose other than a lobbying activity." Subtitle N - Other Provisions Sec. 9911: Funding For Providers Relating to COVID-19 Appropriates $8.5 billion, available until fully spent, for health care providers for "health care related expenses and lost revenues that are attributable to COVID-19. Health care providers must apply and can't double dip for the same expenses that have already been reimbursed or are supposed to be reimbursed some other way (for example, via insurance.) The money can be used for expenses derived from new construction of temporary structures, leasing property, purchasing medical supplies, hiring new workers and their training, and others. TITLE X - COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS Sec. 10003: Global Response Appropriates over $8.6 billion, available until September 30, 2022, for international health programs "to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus". $3.75 billion will go to the State Department for "the prevention, treatment, and control of HIV/AIDS" in order to mitigate the impact on these programs from impacts of the coronavirus and support recovery from them. The vast majority of this money will be for "a United States contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria" $3.09 billion will go to USAID for COVID-19 relief that "shall include support for international disaster relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction, for health activities, and to meet emergency food security needs." $930 million will be for "activities to address economic and stabilization requirements resulting from" coronavirus. $905 million will go to USAID and "shall include a contribution to a multilateral vaccine development partnership to support epidemic preparedness." Sec. 10004: Humanitarian Response Appropriates $500 million, available until September 30, 2022, to carry out the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act, but the money can't be used to resettle refugees in the United States. Sec. 10005: Multilateral Assistance Appropriates $580 billion, available until September 30, 2022, which "shall include support for the priorities and objectives of the United Nations Global Humanitarian Response Plan to COVID-19 through voluntary contributions to international organization and programs administered by such organizations." TITLE XI - COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS Sec. 11001: Indian Health Service Appropriates over $6 billion for the Indian Health Service for COVID-19 related expenses. Sec. 11002: Bureau of Indian Affairs Appropriates $900 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for tribal housing improvements, welfare services and water deliveries. Sec. 11003: Housing Assistance and Supportive Services Programs for Native Americans Appropriates $750 million for housing assistance for native American communities. Sec. 11005: Bureau of Indian Education Appropriates $850 million for the Bureau of Indian Education, available until fully spent. Articles/Documents Article: Monthly Child Tax Credit Payments Start July 15th. Here's What You Need to Know, By Christine Hernandez, winnie, May 21, 2021 Article: Applying for rental assistance isn't easy. Here's what you need to know, By Annie Nova, CNBC, May 20, 2021 Article: Facing Hurricane and Wildfire Seasons, FEMA Is Already Worn Out, By Christopher Flavelle and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, May 20, 2021 Article: As GOP-run states slash jobless aid, the Biden administration finds it has few options, By Tony Romm and Eli Rosenberg, The Washington Post, May 20, 2021 Article: FEMA Launches Program to Compensate Funeral Expenses During Pandemic, By Stephanie Steele, NewsRadio 610 Kona, May 18, 2021 Article: Judge Allows National Eviction Moratorium To Remain In Force While Feds Appeal Ruling Tossing It, By Nicholas Reimann, Forbes, May 18, 2021 Article: How to get $9,000 in federal assistance for COVID-related funeral expenses, By James T. Mulder, AL, May 12, 2021 Article: Struggling Renters Need More Federal Aid, By Alieza Durana and Carl Gershenson, The American Prospect, May 12, 2021 Article: Lockheed-Backed Reps Lobby Against F-35 Spending Cuts, By David Moore, Sludge, Brick House, May 12, 2021 Article: Loans Online – Black farmer loan forgiveness challenged, By Andrew Solender, Forbes, May 11, 2021 Article: Senate Republicans Move To End $300 Unemployment Checks After Bad Jobs Report, By Andrew Solender, Forbes, May 11, 2021 Article: Republicans Are Still Waging War on Workers, By Paul Krugman, The New York Times, May 10, 2021 Article: U.S. Chamber of Commerce blames weak jobs report on enhanced unemployment benefit, kicks off lobbying effort, By Thomas Franck and Brian Schwartz, CNBC, May 7, 2021 Article: National Eviction Moratorium Thrown Out by Federal Judge, By Andrew Ackerman and Brent Kendall, The Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2021 Article: Who is eligible for Earned Income Tax Credit for childless workers?, By Greg Heilman, as, May 3, 2021 Article: Sid Miller sues over farm aid program, saying it discriminates against whites, By Chuck Lindell, Austin American-Statesman, April 27, 2021 Article: Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller sues, claims American Rescue Plan discriminates against white farmers, By Drew Knight, KVUE, April 27, 2021 Article: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM BEFORE YOUR CHANCE TO GET IT RUNS OUT, By Jamie Smith Hopkins, The Center for Public Integrity, April 25, 2021 Article: USDA Details Plan for Debt Payments to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers, By Chris Clayton, Progressive Farmer, DTN, Ag Policy Blog, April 15, 2021 Article: HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCE FUND, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY, April 14, 2021 Article: New $3,000 child tax credit to start payments in July, IRS says, By Carmen Reinicke, CNBC, April 13, 2021 Document: FAQS ABOUT COBRA PREMIUM ASSISTANCE UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021, Department of Labor, April 7, 2021 Article: Exclusive: Nearly 7 million uninsured Americans qualify for free health insurance, By Dylan Scott, Vox, April 1, 2021 Article: This Fast Food Giant Bragged About Killing $15 Minimum Wage, By David Sirota, Andrew Perez and Walker Bragman, Newsweek, March 27, 2021 Document: Pension Provisions in the American Rescue Plan of 2021, U.S. Congressional Research Service, March 18, 2021 Article: Congress Repeals Worldwide Interest Expense Allocation, By Amanda Pedvin Varma, Lauren Azebu, Steptoe, March 17, 2021 Article: House Democrat Jared Golden Defends Voting Against 'Wasteful' $1.9T Relief Bill, By Benjamin Fearnow, Newsweek, February 27, 2021 Article: FEMA Supporting Vaccination Centers Nationwide, FEMA, February 26, 2021 Article: Veterans Community Care Program: Improvements Needed to Help Ensure Timely Access to Care, U.S. Government Accountability Office, September 28, 2020 Article: How a 1960s communist exposed the funeral industry’s greed, By Matt Reimann, Timeline, July 11, 2016 Article: The F-35 Is About to Get A Lot Cheaper. Sort Of., By Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, July 11, 2016 Additional Resources Poll @JenBriney Twitter Allocation for States Allocation for Metropolitan Cities Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers, U.S. Department of Agriculture Child Care & Development Block Grant (CCDBG), First Five Years Fund The American Rescue Plan, The White House Federal Poverty Level (FPL), Healthcare.gov New, lower costs on health insurance! Enroll now, Healthcare.gov US Chamber of Commerce, OpenSecrets.org Lobbyist Profile: Robert L Livingston, OpenSecrets.org Lobbyist Profile: Michael Mukasey, OpenSecrets.org Client Profile: US Chamber of Commerce, OpenSecrets.org Industry Profile: Food & Beverage, OpenSecrets.org Sound Clip Sources McConnell: I hope EVERY REPUBLICAN votes against American Rescue Plan, Forbes, YouTube, March 3, 2021 Rep. Kurt Schrader explains his vote against $1.9T coronavirus relief bill, KGW, March 1, 2021 "A Payoff For Pelosi": Kevin McCarthy Slams Spending Items In $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan, Forbes, YouTube, May 1, 2021 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)
Alicia Menendez and Jason Johnson, in for Nicolle Wallace, discuss Capitol Hill on high alert amid warnings of potential threats to the Capitol and lawmakers. Plus, the average daily number of vaccines tops 2 million, Florida’s governor under fire for his handling of vaccinations, the growing backlog of migrant children in border custody, the House passes laws on federal voting rights and policing reform, and communities of color are still grappling with vaccine inequities.Joined by: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Eugene Daniels, Carlos Curbelo, Dr. Lipi Roy, Ashley Parker, Mary Ellen Klas, Charlie Sykes, Jacob Soboroff, Maria Teresa Kumar, Elizabeth Neumann, Sam Stein, Errin Haines, Fernand Amandi, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Heidi Przybyla
Nicolle Wallace discusses FBI Director Chris Wray testifying before Congress for the first time since the January 6th insurrection. Plus, Biden moves up the vaccine timeline and says there will be enough supply for every adult by the end of May, Texas drops its mask mandate, Gov. Cuomo now faces calls from his own party to resign, and what prosecutors are hoping to learn from Trump's accountant. Joined by: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Garrett Haake, Frank Figliuzzi, Peter Baker, Dr. Kavita Patel, Morgan Chesky, Michael Steele, A.B. Stoddard, Robert Gibbs, Sen. Dick Durbin, Tim O’Brien, and Nick Confessore
Nicolle Wallace discusses new reporting that examines the 77 days between Trump's loss and Biden's inauguration. Plus, lawyers leave Trump's impeachment defense team, a look at covid vaccine efficacy, a major storm pummels the Northeast, Biden's effort to get bipartisan support for covid relief, how Trump's focus on antifa distracted attention from the threat of far-right extremism, and a Republican party ripped apart. Joined by: Michael Schmidt, Claire McCaskill, Michael Steele, Matt Miller, Dr. Vin Gupta, Bill Karins, Ashley Parker, Carol Lee, David Plouffe, Olivia Troye, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, and Dr. Ashish Jha
Nicolle Wallace discusses the DHS warning that violent extremists remain a heightened threat. Plus, a newly-elected Republican congresswoman faces backlash over her incendiary comments, Biden's orderly presidency, Dominion Voting Systems sues Rudy Giuliani for defamation, Trump keeps his hold over the GOP, worries of new coronavirus variants, Doug Emhoff's historic role as Second Gentleman, and a power shift in the stock market raises questions of market manipulation. Joined by: Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Clint Watts, Miles Taylor, Anna Palmer, Elise Jordan, Alayna Treene, Juanita Tolliver, Michael Steel, Heidi Przybyla, David Jolly, Eddie Glaude, Dr. Kavita Patel, Mara Gay, Phil Rucker, and Tim O’Brien
Nicolle Wallace discusses the House introducing an article of impeachment against Trump. Plus, the FBI warns of continued threats across all 50 states, Biden's vaccine rollout plan, congressmen and women hiding during the lockdown could have possibly been exposed to Covid-19, businesses suspend donating to politicians after the Capitol riot, whether Trump can be legally pursued for inciting the Capitol siege, and coronavirus continues to surge across the country.Joined by: Claire McCaskill, Jonathan Lemire, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Clint Watts, Matt Viser, Mike Memoli, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rick Wilson, Sam Stein, A.B. Stoddard, Rep. Jim Himes, Nick Confessore, Paul Butler, and Dr. Michael Anderson
This episode contains strong language. The pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Wednesday made their plans in plain sight. They organized on social media platforms and spoke openly of their intentions to occupy the Capitol.But leaders in Washington opted for a modest law enforcement presence. In the aftermath, those security preparations are attracting intense scrutiny.Today, we explore how the events of Jan. 6 could have happened.Guest: Sheera Frenkel, who covers cybersecurity for The New York Times; Zolan Kanno-Youngs, a homeland security correspondent for The Times. For an exclusive look at how the biggest stories on our show come together, subscribe to our newsletter. You can read the latest edition here.Background reading: Inside Trump supporters’ online echo chambers, the chaos of Jan. 6 could be seen coming.Failures by the police have spurred resignations and complaints of double standards.During the storming of the Capitol, social media sites were used by the mob to share information, including directions on which streets to take to avoid the police and which tools to bring to help pry open doors.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily
Nicolle Wallace discusses the Secretary of State of Georgia claiming Senator Lindsey Graham pressured him to toss out legal votes. Plus, the GOP sounding the alarm over Trump’s impact on the Senate runoff races in Georgia, the role of social media in the spread of disinformation, new coronavirus restrictions sweep across the U.S. as cases rise, Trump orders a draw down of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, Biden is weary of investigations into Trump when he leaves office, and Biden builds up his senior staff.Joined by: Jonathan Lemire, Mark Salter, A.B. Stoddard, Donna Edwards, Robert Costa, Donny Deutsch, Kara Swisher, Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, Jeremy Bash, Brett McGurk, Ambassador Michael McFaul, Carol Lee, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Dr. William Schaffner, Shaquille Brewster, Sam Stein, and Kim Atkins
Emily, John and David discuss states reopening as numbers of cases continue to climb; this year’s election security challenges; and they're joined by guest Gene Sperling to talk about “economic dignity.” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John discuss how to save the summer. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Notes and references from this week’s show: Nicholas Confessore, Andrew Jacobs, Jodi Kantor, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Luis Ferré-Sadurní for the New York Times: “How Kushner’s Volunteer Force Led a Fumbling Hunt for Medical Supplies” Jason Dearen and Mike Stobbe for the Associated Press: “US Shelves Detailed Guide to Reopening Country” Emily Bazelon for the New York Times Magazine: “Will Americans Lose Their Right to Vote in the Pandemic?” Mark Joseph Stern for Slate: “Trump Can’t Cancel the Election. But States Could Do It for Him.” Economic Dignity by Gene B. Sterling Gene B. Sperling for the New York Times: “Martin Luther King Jr. Predicted This Moment” Jason DeParle for the New York Times: “As Hunger Swells, Food Stamps Become a Partisan Flash Point” Harry Potter and the Sacred Text’s online classes Spy Hop’s on demand art classes National Karate’s online classes This week’s cocktail chatters: Emily: Richard L. Hansen for Slate: “We Cannot Hold an Election Without a Functional Post Office”; Strict Scrutiny: “Stay Frustrated” John: The New York Times’ The Daily: “One Meat Plant. One Thousand Infections”; Mike Baker for the New York Times: “‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet” David: Benjamin Wofford for The Washingtonian: “Sally Quinn Modeled the Erotic Hero of Her 1991 Bestseller on…Anthony Fauci. Yes, that Anthony Fauci.”; Perry Stein and Donna St. George for the Washington Post: “Despite Pushback, Sidwell and Other D.C.-area Prep Schools are Keeping Their Small-Business Loans” Listener chatter from Dave Campbell @DaveCampbell116: Twitter thread from Rhodri Davies @Rhodri_H_Davies about Irish people donating to a crowdfunding campaign to help Choctaw & Navajo people hit by Covid-19, in recognition of support given by Choctaw during Irish famine of 1845. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Emily, John and David discuss states reopening as numbers of cases continue to climb; this year’s election security challenges; and they're joined by guest Gene Sperling to talk about “economic dignity.” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John discuss how to save the summer. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Notes and references from this week’s show: Nicholas Confessore, Andrew Jacobs, Jodi Kantor, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Luis Ferré-Sadurní for the New York Times: “How Kushner’s Volunteer Force Led a Fumbling Hunt for Medical Supplies” Jason Dearen and Mike Stobbe for the Associated Press: “US Shelves Detailed Guide to Reopening Country” Emily Bazelon for the New York Times Magazine: “Will Americans Lose Their Right to Vote in the Pandemic?” Mark Joseph Stern for Slate: “Trump Can’t Cancel the Election. But States Could Do It for Him.” Economic Dignity by Gene B. Sterling Gene B. Sperling for the New York Times: “Martin Luther King Jr. Predicted This Moment” Jason DeParle for the New York Times: “As Hunger Swells, Food Stamps Become a Partisan Flash Point” Harry Potter and the Sacred Text’s online classes Spy Hop’s on demand art classes National Karate’s online classes This week’s cocktail chatters: Emily: Richard L. Hansen for Slate: “We Cannot Hold an Election Without a Functional Post Office”; Strict Scrutiny: “Stay Frustrated” John: The New York Times’ The Daily: “One Meat Plant. One Thousand Infections”; Mike Baker for the New York Times: “‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet” David: Benjamin Wofford for The Washingtonian: “Sally Quinn Modeled the Erotic Hero of Her 1991 Bestseller on…Anthony Fauci. Yes, that Anthony Fauci.”; Perry Stein and Donna St. George for the Washington Post: “Despite Pushback, Sidwell and Other D.C.-area Prep Schools are Keeping Their Small-Business Loans” Listener chatter from Dave Campbell @DaveCampbell116: Twitter thread from Rhodri Davies @Rhodri_H_Davies about Irish people donating to a crowdfunding campaign to help Choctaw & Navajo people hit by Covid-19, in recognition of support given by Choctaw during Irish famine of 1845. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this week’s episode of Stay Tuned, "Trump v. The Invisible Enemy," Preet answers listener questions about: The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision on Wisconsin’s plan to extend absentee voting amid the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic Whether recently fired Inspector General for the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson could sue the government for wrongful termination, and the parallels to the firing of former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe Transitioning from the military into the field of law Then, Preet is joined by Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times and a political analyst for MSNBC. Baker has covered four White Houses: Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and, now, Trump. To listen to Stay Tuned bonus content, become a member of CAFE Insider. And if you haven’t already, listen to this week’s full episode of the CAFE Insider podcast for free. Sign up to receive a link to the episode at cafe.com/preet. As always, tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #askpreet, email us at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 669-247-7338 to leave a voicemail. REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS THE Q&A WISCONSIN PRIMARY: The Republican National Committee v. The Democratic National Committee (2020), the Supreme Court’s 4/6/20 decision on absentee voting in Wisconsin amid coronavirus pandemic Natasha Korecki, Zach Montellaro, Caitlin Oprysko, “Rain, hail, lawsuits and the coronavirus crisis fail to halt Wisconsin election,” Politico, 4/7/20 “Wisconsin Set to Vote on Tuesday after Court Overrules Governor’s Postponement,” New York Times, 4/6/20 MICHAEL ATKINSON FIRING: Statement of Michael K. Atkinson, Inspector General of the Intelligence Community on his Removal from Office, 4/5/20 Charlie Savage, “Inspector General Fired by Trump Urges Whistle-Blowers ‘to Bravely Speak Up,’” New York Times, 4/6/20 Grace Segers, Kathryn Watson, Emily Tillett, “Spy chief defends handling of ‘unprecedented’ whistleblower complaint,” CBS News, 9/26/19 “Schiff plans to investigate Trump firing intel watchdog,” The Hill (4/7/20) Burgess Everett and Andrew Desiderio, “Grassley seeks explanation of Trump’s firing of Atkinson,” Politico, 4/7/20 Complaint: McCabe v. Barr, DOJ, Wray, FBI (August 2019) Kyle Cheney, “Andrew McCabe sues DOJ, claims his firing was ‘retaliation’ directed by Trump,” Politico, 8/8/19 THE INTERVIEW BAKER BYLINES: Baker, Katie Rogers, David Enrich & Maggie Haberman, “Trump’s Aggressive Advocacy of Malaria Drug for Treating Coronavirus Divides Medical Community,” NYT, 4/6/20 Baker, Maggie Haberman & James Glanz, “Tensions Persis Between Trump and Medical Advisers Over the Coronavirus,” NYT, 4/3/20 Baker, Maggie Haberman, Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Noah Weiland, “Kushner Puts Himself in Middle of White House’s Chaotic Coronavirus Response,” NYT, 4/2/20 Baker & Maggie Haberman, “Used to Meeting Challenges with Bluster and Force, Trump Confronts a Crisis Unlike Any Before,” NYT, 3/21/20 Baker, “Fourth Time’s the Charm? Mark Meadows Takes Over Trump’s White House,” NYT, 3/7/20 Baker, “Donald Trump Is Sworn In as President, Capping His Swift Ascent,” New York Times, 1/20/17 Baker, “Obama Takes Oath, and Nation in Crisis Embraces the Moment,” New York Times, 1/20/09 CAPT. CROZIER: Matthias Gafni and Joe Garofoli, “Exclusive: Captain of aircraft carrier with growing coronavirus outbreak pleads for help from Navy,” SF Chronicle, 3/31/20 Eric Schmitt and John Ismay, “He Led a Top Navy Ship. Now He Sits in Quarantine, Fired and Infected,” NYT, 4/5/20 COVERING PRESIDENTS: “For journalists covering Trump, the new reality at the White House,” NBCNews, 4/4/20 “Clinton Standard Time,” Washington Post, 1/12/93 Transcript: Charlie Gibson Interviews President Bush, ABC News, 11/28/08 Alex Lockie, “Obama: Here’s what surprised me most about being president,” Business Insider, 1/16/17 PREPARATION FOR PANDEMIC: Tony Romm: “Underfunded, understaffed and under siege: Unemployment offices nationwide are struggling to do their jobs,” Washington Post, 4/6/20 Paul Farhi, “NBC’s Peter Alexander asked Trump to reassure Americans about coronavirus. Trump berated him instead,” Washington Post, 3/20/20 Cleve R. Wootson, Jr., Lori Rozsa & Brady Dennis, “As Coronavirus cases surge in Florida, fears mount that action came too late,” Washington Post, 4/2/20 John Barry: The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History, Penguin Random House (2005) Matthew Mosk: “George W. Bush in 2005: ‘If we wait for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare,’” ABCNews, 4/5/20 STAY TUNED: Susan Glasser’s interview, 12/19/19 Maggie Haberman interview, 1/4/18 THE BUTTON Matthew Haag, “This Brooklyn Landlord Just Canceled Rent for Hundreds of Tenants,” New York Times, 4/3/20 SE Lock and Key’s tweet announcing they would not service evictions, 4/3/20 Airbnb: Hosts to Help Provide Housing to 100,000 COVID-19 Responders, 3/26/20
Disasterologist Dr. Samantha Montano joins to answer all our questions about the coronavirus pandemic, what it does and doesn't tell us about climate change, and why we can't take a break from worrying about climate. Reading List: Kushner Puts Himself in Middle of White House’s Chaotic Coronavirus Response, by Peter Baker, Maggie Haberman, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Noah Weiland, New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/us/politics/jared-kushner-coronavirus-trump.html Trump team failed to follow NSC’s pandemic playbook, by Dan Diamond and Nahal Toosi, Politico https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/25/trump-coronavirus-national-security-council-149285 DHS wound down pandemic models before coronavirus struck, by Daniel Lippman, Politico https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/24/dhs-pandemic-coronavirus-146884 Before Trump’s inauguration, a warning: ‘The worst influenza pandemic since 1918’, by Nahal Toosi, Daniel Lippman, and Dan Diamond https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/16/trump-inauguration-warning-scenario-pandemic-132797 Dr. Montano's Twitter thread on the climate-corona intersection https://twitter.com/samlmontano/status/1243622585801355271?s=21 Dr. Montano's reading list: http://www.disaster-ology.com/home/2020/3/27/march-28th-covid-19-emergency-management-curated-articles-list Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Disasterologist Dr. Samantha Montano joins to answer all our questions about the coronavirus pandemic, what it does and doesn't tell us about climate change, and why we can't take a break from worrying about climate. Reading List: Kushner Puts Himself in Middle of White House’s Chaotic Coronavirus Response, by Peter Baker, Maggie Haberman, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Noah Weiland, New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/us/politics/jared-kushner-coronavirus-trump.html Trump team failed to follow NSC’s pandemic playbook, by Dan Diamond and Nahal Toosi, Politico https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/25/trump-coronavirus-national-security-council-149285 DHS wound down pandemic models before coronavirus struck, by Daniel Lippman, Politico https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/24/dhs-pandemic-coronavirus-146884 Before Trump’s inauguration, a warning: ‘The worst influenza pandemic since 1918’, by Nahal Toosi, Daniel Lippman, and Dan Diamond https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/16/trump-inauguration-warning-scenario-pandemic-132797 Dr. Montano's Twitter thread on the climate-corona intersection https://twitter.com/samlmontano/status/1243622585801355271?s=21 Dr. Montano's reading list: http://www.disaster-ology.com/home/2020/3/27/march-28th-covid-19-emergency-management-curated-articles-list Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Trump administration has been hesitant to invoke the Defense Production Act to address supplies shortages in the coronavirus crisis — but a New York Times report found that the Act has been regularly invoked by the Department of Defense during Trump’s presidency. Dan is joined by New York Times homeland security correspondent Zolan Kanno-Youngs. PLUS: America now has fewer wireless carriers and Ohio University gives us a reason to stand up and cheer
With asylum requests at a record high, the Trump administration is telling migrants to wait in Mexico. We look at how that policy could fundamentally change immigration in the United States. Guests: Natalie Kitroeff, a business reporter for The New York Times, spoke with Zolan Kanno-Youngs, who covers homeland security. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Background reading: A recent State Department report acknowledged the possibility that migrants from Central America were no safer in Mexico than at home from the gangs that had threatened them.The cornerstone of President Trump’s deal to avert tariffs with Mexico — the terms of which were largely already agreed-upon in December — was an expansion of the “Remain in Mexico” program.