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☆ Mental Health Spending Surged During the Pandemic
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Ellen Barry | More About Ellen Barry | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Use of mental health care increased substantially during the coronavirus pandemic, as teletherapy lowered barriers to regular visits, according to a large study of insurance claims published Friday in JAMA Health Forum. From March 2020 to August 2022, mental health visits increased by 39 percent, and spending increased by 54 percent, the study found. Its examination of 1,554,895 claims for clinician visits also identified a tenfold increase in the use of telehealth. The study covers visits for around seven million adults throughout the country who receive health insurance through their employers, so it excludes many patients with very severe mental illnesses, and it does not cover acute or residential care. The increases are likely to be sustained, even as insurers weigh the benefit of continuing to pay more, said Christopher M. Whaley, a health care economist at the RAND Corporation and an author of the study.

Persons: Christopher M, Whaley Organizations: RAND Corporation

☆ In Trump's absence, DeSantis seen as 'punching bag' in first Republican debate
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Nathan Layne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis listens to a question from the audience at a campaign town hall meeting in Newport, New Hampshire, U.S., August 19, 2023. In Trump's absence, candidates are expected to launch a fusillade of attacks on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, as competitors try to displace him as Trump's top challenger, according to strategists and aides to rival campaigns. DeSantis is seen as vulnerable after a summer slide in the polls, which have left him languishing more than 30 points behind Trump in the race. "He's going to be a punching bag," said Brian Darling, a Republican strategist and former senior aide to U.S. Still, Trump's no-show doesn't mean he won't be a major presence in the debate, which kicks off at the Fiserv Forum at 9 p.m.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Brian Snyder, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Tucker Carlson, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Brian Darling, Rand Paul, Martha MacCallum, Bret Baier, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Jeanette Hoffman, He's, Hoffman, Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Doug Burgum, Hutchinson, Pence, Ramaswamy, Christie, Christopher Wlezien, Wlezien, Nathan Layne, Gram Slattery, Susan Heavey, Ross Colvin, Deepa Babington, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Republican, Florida, REUTERS, Democratic, Fox News, Florida Governor, Trump, Former New Jersey, Former Arkansas, U.S . Capitol, North Dakota, Reuters, University of Texas, Austin, Thomson Locations: Newport , New Hampshire, U.S, Milwaukee, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, Former, Christie

Leslie Maasdorp, Vice President and chief financial officer (CFO) of New Development Bank (NDB), speaks during an interview with Reuters at the bank's headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 23 (Reuters) - The New Development Bank of the BRICS group of nations will not be announcing new members at the BRICS Summit in South Africa this week, its Chief Financial Officer Leslie Maasdorp told Reuters on Wednesday. The bank, which was set up in 2015 to give BRICS members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa a greater say in financing infrastructure than in Western-led institutions like the World Bank, is keen to attract new members to boost its capital base after U.S. sanctions on Russia hobbled its lending. "The process of ratifying new countries is happening at the discussion of the (BRICS) leaders, which they are having without us as the bank," Maasdorp told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the summit. ($1 = 94.4650 roubles)Reporting by Rachel Savage; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Alexander Winning and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Leslie Maasdorp, Aly, Maasdorp, Rachel Savage, Bhargav Acharya, Alexander Winning, Emelia Organizations: New Development Bank, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, World Bank, United, United Arab Emirates, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, Western, Egypt, Bangladesh, United Arab, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Argentina

☆ South African rand lifted by falling U.S. yields as BRICS summit kicks off
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

South African Rand coins are seen in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 22 (Reuters) - The South African rand gained on Tuesday as risk appetite returned to global markets due to falling U.S. Treasury yields, as the first day of the BRICS summit of emerging economies kicked off in Johannesburg. At 1605 GMT, the rand traded at 18.7900 against the dollar , about 0.9% stronger than its previous close. South Africa is hosting the leaders of Brazil, India and China for the Tuesday-to-Thursday summit, while Russian President Vladimir Putin will join virtually. The BRICS summit "is unlikely to provide the market with significant or sustainable momentum until the bloc adopts implementable policies," Greeff said.

Persons: Mike Hutchings, Danny Greeff, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Greeff, Tannur Anders, Bhargav Acharya, Mark Potter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Treasury, Analytics, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Thomson Locations: Rights JOHANNESBURG, Johannesburg, U.S, Africa, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Ukraine

A view of logo of New Development Bank (NDB) at its headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 21 (Reuters) - The development bank founded by the so-called BRICS countries is planning to issue its first Indian rupee bond by October, its chief operating officer said on Monday, as the lender comes under pressure to raise and lend more in local currencies. "We're going to tap (the) Indian market - rupees - maybe by October in India," Kazbekov said. "Now we start thinking seriously... to use one member country's currency to finance projects with that currency in another member. Kazbekov declined to give a target size for the Indian rupee bond program, which Reuters had previously reported was in the process of being set up.

Persons: Aly, Vladimir Kazbekov, Kazbekov, Leslie Maasdorp, Rachel Savage, Hugh Lawson Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Rights, United, Russia, ., Reuters, South, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Johannesburg, India, CNY

☆ Ukraine's use of imprecise cluster bombs is making Russian 'very scared to go on assault', says frontline soldier
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ukraine's use of US cluster bombs is deterring Russian attacks, The Washington Post reported. Cluster munitions break apart above their target, dispersing large numbers of small bombs over a wide area. "They even recognize the cluster bombs by the whistle they make when headed their way," Stanislav said. Officials said the offensive use of the cluster munitions has been in pinning down Russian troops, meaning they stay sheltering as Ukraine advances. More than 100 countries are signatories to the the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which bans the use and stockpiling of the weapon.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Stanislav, Biden, Rand Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Ukraine, Post, Officials, Cluster Munitions Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, France, Germany, Canada, Ukrainian, Russia

☆ Nobel economist Paul Krugman mocks Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as ignorant on economics
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's pledge to reform the Fed have provoked mixed responses online. Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman hit out at the "tech bro" in a series of posts on X this weekend. Ramaswamy may be "under the delusion" of having deep insights into monetary economics, wrote Krugman. In response, Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman took aim at the Republican candidate, mocking Ramaswamy's understanding of economics. In an earlier tweet, Krugman called Ramaswamy a "tech bro" and a "monetary crank".

Persons: Vivek Ramaswamy's, Paul Krugman, Ramaswamy, Krugman, Donald Trump, Rich, Ayn Rand, Timothy B, Lee Organizations: Service, Federal Reserve, U.S . Federal, Republican, bros, GOP Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ S.African municipalities' unpaid dues to Eskom rise to $3.3 bln-minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The amount of unpaid dues that South African municipalities owe debt-laden power company Eskom has risen to more than 63.2 billion rand ($3.33 billion) and is increasing exponentially, risking even longer power cuts around the country, the electricity minister said on Sunday. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said the figure had risen by 4.7 billion rand since the start of this year. Eskom supplies power to 238 municipalities with the top 20 of them accounting for 77% or 48.9 billion rand of the total overdue debt, Ramokgopa said. The government is exploring ways to resolve the municipal debt crisis and is looking at funding from various means to upgrade the distribution infrastructure, Ramokgopa said, without giving any timeline. ($1 = 18.9890 rand)Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Ramokgopa, Eskom, Promit Mukherjee, Susan Fenton Organizations: Thomson Locations: JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

☆ South Africa's Women's World Cup success highlights unequal pay issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Thando Hlophe | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

South Africa's women's team, known as "Banyana Banyana", reached the last 16 at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand earlier this month -- the first time either the men's or women's team had achieved the feat. In a 2022 investigation into the bonus structure for Banyana Banyana, South Africa's Commision for Gender Equity found that "players are not remunerated on the same scale (as) ... their male counterparts". For instance, South Africa's women's players received only a 55,000 rand ($2,885) bonus for reaching the final of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations, which they went on to win. "We're coming from very disadvantaged homes, we become breadwinners," Portia Modise, former Banyana Banyana captain, told Reuters after playing a friendly in the township of Soweto. That figure compared with $440 million for the men's tournament in Qatar.

Persons: Dhlamini, Carl Recine, SAFA, Portia Modise, Linda Zwane, Thando, Tannur Anders, Tim Cocks, Toby Davis Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Sydney Football Stadium, REUTERS, Rights, Africa's, South African Football Association, Gender Equity, Africa, of Nations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New Zealand, Netherlands, South Africa, Sydney, Australia, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Qatar, Soweto

☆ The 6 Kinds of Republican Voters
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Nate Cohn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

But if the Republican Party is no longer in Reagan’s image, it’s not necessarily a populist-conservative MAGA monolith, either. But if the Republican Party isn’t quite a MAGA monolith, what is it? The groups were defined by how Republican-leaning voters felt on the issues — not how they felt about Mr. Trump. In fact, Mr. Trump leads Mr. DeSantis among every group of Republican voters identified in the analysis. They’re the smallest group of Republicans today, but this group of relatively moderate but anti-woke voters might play an important role in the Republican Party in the years ahead.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Ronald Reagan’s, it’s, MAGA, Trump’s, Mr, They’re, ” They’re, it’s Mr, ”, —, Trump’s MAGA, don’t, Ron DeSantis, Susan Collins, Charlie Baker, Chris Sununu, Reagan, Bush, Biden, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, DeSantis, Rick Perry, Tim Scott, Rubio, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Romney, Liz Cheney, Roe, Wade, Ted Cruz, Newt Gingrich Trump, It’s, likeliest, Cruz, Rudy Giuliani, Paul LePage, Lou Barletta, Michael Grimm Trump, ” Reagan, Rand Paul, Jason Chaffetz, Dave Brat Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, President Biden, they’re, “ Organizations: Right, Libertarian Conservatives, Moderate, Republican Party, New York Times, Siena College, Republican, Times, Mr, Conservatives, Fox, Trump, Blue, Trump Republican Party, Freedom Caucus, Fox News, Trump —, Republicans, Radicals, ” Reagan Democrats, Obama, Trump voters, President Locations: Ukraine, Siena, America, New York City, It’s

☆ Missiles aren't the only threat from North Korea. Its conventional arms are just as deadly
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A fire assault drill by North Korean rocket artillery units at an undisclosed location in North Korea in March 2023 in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In late 2022, CFR estimated North Korea had 1.3 million active military personnel, in addition to a 600,000 strong reserve force. Pinkston pointed out that North Korea is not the only one that can launch an attack at short notice. Holistic perspectiveWhy would North Korea need to develop missiles if it holds such a potent threat over South Korea — even if short-lived? However, Cha pointed out that there have also been studies that have shown the damage inflicted by North Korean artillery is "not that effective."

Persons: that's, Naoko Aoki, Victor Cha, Rand, Daniel Pinkston, Pinkston, Cha Organizations: North Korean, North, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, Korea's, Rand Corporation ., of Foreign Relations, CFR, Korean, Artillery, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Rand Corp, Samsung Electronics, Rand, . Rand Corporation, LG, South Korean, Troy University, CNBC, Korea People's Army, CSIS Locations: North Korea, Korean, Korea, South Korea, Seoul, Pyongyang, U.S, Paju, counterfire, Washington, United States, Victor, Victor Cha Korea

And with China's post-COVID recovery running into the ground and suffering a deepening real estate bust, western investment curbs throw more sand in the wheels. A question now is whether a retreat of western money from emerging markets at least partly explains both their recent underperformance and that of western government bonds, in which emerging central banks and sovereign funds are heavily invested. The picture has not been much better in aggregate emerging bond indices, even if they have done marginally better than developed world counterparts, and worries over emerging high-yield and property linked bonds are rising. Have global investors high-tailed it from emerging markets already? If western money grows more wary and is increasingly warned off China and other selective emerging investments, will there be a mutual pullback of official emerging money from western bond markets?

Persons: Aly, Joe Biden, Morgan, Biden, crumb, Mike Dolan, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, U.S ., Bank of, Institute for International Finance, Treasury, Reuters, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, Shenzhen, China, Ukraine, Washington, Russia, United States, Beijing, Moscow, Taiwan, Brazil, India, South Africa, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, South Korea

A view of logo of New Development Bank (NDB) at its headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJOHANNESBURG, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The development bank founded by the so-called BRICS countries closed the auction for its first South African rand bonds on Tuesday, as it comes under pressure to boost its local currency fundraising and lending. The South African bond market has struggled in recent years to attract new issuers to match growing demand from domestic investors looking for quality credit assets. The most recent comparable South African government bonds were a 4.5-year bond priced at Jibar +90 bps and a seven year priced at Jibar +120 bps, said Raphi Rootshtain, a portfolio manager at Sasfin Wealth. The bond sale was arranged by Standard Bank, which declined to comment, and Absa Bank.

Persons: Aly, Leslie Maasdorp, Raphi Rootshtain, Rootshtain, Kumeshen Naidoo, Rachel Savage, Josie Kao Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Sasfin, State Owned Companies, Standard Bank, Absa Bank, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Rights JOHANNESBURG, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Johannesburg, Absa

☆ Russia is quickly depleting its fleet of warplanes through overuse, and Ukraine deploying F-16s could worsen the situation: expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An enginerring expert says the Russian air force is being depleted through overuse in Ukraine. The arrival of Ukraine's F-16s could worsen the problem, wrote Rand's Michael Bohnert. Ukraine says it urgently needs F-16s to reduce Russia's air dominance. He added that the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by its Western allies, which had been delayed by bureaucracy, could damage Russia's air force even more. In the early weeks of the conflict, some analysts believed that Russia would be able to establish rapid control of Ukrainian air space, with its air force more sophisticated and bigger than Ukraine's.

Persons: Ukraine's, Michael Bohnert, Bohnert Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Defense News, Rand Corporation, International Institute for Strategic Studies Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Russian, British

☆ India is a rising force in Southeast Asia as region seeks to counter China's dominance
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

(Photo credit RAVEENDRAN/AFP via Getty Images) Raveendran | Afp | Getty ImagesIndia is taking major strides to expand its influence in Southeast Asia, a move that will allow countries to counter China's dominance in the region. "India certainly is becoming more ambitious in Southeast Asia. "This is particularly salient to the maritime sphere, namely the South China Sea, where overlapping sovereignty disputes threaten regional stability and openness," he added. "It continues to maintain a very independent streak in its foreign policy, which suits a large number of Southeast Asian countries." While China remained the most influential and strategic power in Southeast Asia, its standing has diminished, the Southeast Asia survey from February showed.

Persons: Pant, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Narendra Modi's, Satoru Nagao, Nagao, Derek Grossman, Modi, Xi Jinping, Ted Aljibe, Enrique Manalo, Rand's Grossman, Joanne Lin, Lin, ISEAS's Lin Organizations: Indian, Getty, Afp, Observer Research Foundation, CNBC, Southeast, Hudson Institute, Vietnam Air Force, Rand Corporation, TED ALJIBE, Initiative, ASEAN Studies, Yusof Ishak Institute, Observers, Pant Observer Research, China -, Wilson Center, ASEAN Wonk, U.S, ASEAN Studies Centre, Yusof, Ukraine, U.S ., New Delhi's Observer Research Foundation Locations: New Delhi, AFP, Southeast Asia, India, China, Beijing, Vietnam, Tokyo, China —, Manila, Philippine, Delhi, The Hague, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, ISEAS, Singapore, Asia, Europe, China - U.S, U.S, New

☆ Commercial ships told to stay far away from Iran due to a heightened possibility of attack or seizure
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US Navy is warning commercial ships to avoid traveling near Iranian territory. Iranian forces have already seized two oil tankers this year. Attacks on ships in the region have increased ever since Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal. Timothy Hawkins said ships "are being advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible," noting a warning issued by the US-based International Maritime Security Construct. Since 2021, Iran has "harassed, attacked, or interfered with" the navigation rights of 15 internationally flagged merchant ships, according to the US Navy.

Persons: Timothy Hawkins, Biden, Trump, —, Michelle Grisé, Grisé Organizations: US Navy, Trump, Service, Associated Press, US, AP, International Atomic Energy Agency, RAND Corporation Locations: Iran, Wall, Silicon, Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Chevron, Islamic Republic, Europe, Iranian, United States, Washington, Tehran

Russia said that it would launch further lunar missions and then explore the possibility of a joint Russian-China crewed mission and even a lunar base. NASA has spoken about a "lunar gold rush" and explored the potential of moon mining. The conditions of the moon mean robots would have to do most of the hard work, though water on the moon would allow for long-term human presence. It has not been ratified by any major space power. The United States in 2020 announced the Artemis Accords, named after NASA’s Artemis moon program, to seek to build on existing international space law by establishing “safety zones" on the moon.

Persons: Guy Faulconbridge, Peter Graff Organizations: NASA, European Space Agency, 2.1b, Vostochny, REUTERS, Boeing, United Nations, RAND Corporation, Artemis Accords, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russia, United States, China, India, Russian, Sun, Amur

A view of logo of New Development Bank (NDB) at its headquarters in Shanghai, China July 10, 2023. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said boosting local currency usage among the NDB's members will also be on the agenda, with the aim of de-risking the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations rather than de-dollarisation. "Most countries that are members of the NDB have been encouraging (it) to provide loans in local currencies," Godongwana said. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsSo far, China is by far the NDB's most successful local currency market. GROWING MEMBERSHIPNevertheless, the NDB, established with $10 billion in paid-in share capital from each BRICS country, wants to expand.

Persons: Aly, Enoch Godongwana, Godongwana, Leslie Maasdorp, Maasdorp, Alexander Ekbom, Chris Humphrey, Humphrey, Rachel Savage, Brenda Goh, Tannur Anders, Vincent Flasseur, Karin Strohecker, Joe Bavier, Alexander Smith Organizations: New Development Bank, REUTERS, Reuters, Finance, Federal Reserve, Reuters Graphics Reuters, U.S ., United Arab, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Reuters Graphics, Overseas Development Institute, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Africa, JOHANNESBURG, SHANGHAI, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, India, Johannesburg, Ukraine, United States, Mumbai, Brasilia, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Uruguay, Algeria, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Saudi Arabia, Asia, London

☆ S.African lender Nedbank posts 11% rise in half year profit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Customers perform transactions on Nedbank automated teller machine (ATM) at the Trade Route Mall, in Lenasia outside Johannesburg, South Africa, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Siphiwe SibekoJOHANNESBURG, Aug 8 (Reuters) - South Africa's Nedbank Group (NEDJ.J), amongst the top five lenders in the country, recorded an 11% rise in interim profit as it gained from high interest rates, even as its bad loans grew. For the half year ended June 30, the bank's headline earnings per share, a profit measure, was at 15.25 rand ($0.8121), up from 13.70 rand posted a year earlier. But a combination of inflation, high interest rates and regular power cuts are taking a toll. ($1 = 18.7778 rand)Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Promit Mukherjee, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Nedbank, Thomson Locations: Lenasia, Johannesburg, South Africa, Siphiwe, JOHANNESBURG

☆ Sen. Rand Paul says GOP's top recruit against Manchin has 'a lot of health issues,' questions his ability to serve
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sen. Rand Paul is raising concerns over the health of his party's top Senate recruit in West Virginia. Jim Justice has "a lot of health issues" and questioned "how he'll be able to serve." Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who currently holds the seat, has not yet announced whether he will seek re-election. "The governor has got a lot of health issues and is not very mobile," Paul, who's backing Mooney in the primary, told POLITICO. The concern raised by Paul about Justice's health comes as the Senate is grappling with a series of health-related issues among senators.

Persons: Sen, Rand Paul, Jim Justice, Republican Sen, Rand Paul of, leadership's, Democratic Sen, Joe Manchin, Alex Mooney, Paul, Mooney, POLITICO, he'll, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Dianne Feinstein, John Fetterman of Organizations: Service, Republican, Democratic, GOP, Senate, Kentucky Republican, California, Capitol Locations: West Virginia, Wall, Silicon, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Maryland, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania

☆ Morning Bid: Triple-A headache
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Four thousand U.S. dollars are counted out by a banker counting currency at a bank in Westminster, Colorado November 3, 2009. On Tuesday, Fitch became the second major agency, after Standard & Poor's in 2011, to strip the United States of its prized triple-A credit rating. Jefferies notes that, with two of the three major agencies listing U.S. debt at AA, U.S. bonds no longer count as AAA in some key indices. However, according to Jefferies, most investors have moved away from some of the stricter criteria around holding triple-A rated debt, given Germany is the only large issuer left with that rating. Chart shows that the U.S.'s long-term foreign currency rating was downgraded by Fitch to AA+ in 2023, following a similar move from S&P in 2011.

Persons: Rick Wilking, Amanda Cooper, Fitch, Jefferies, it's, Dupont Nemours, Kraft, Phillips, Ingersoll Rand, John Stonestreet Organizations: REUTERS, Standard, Capitol, Investors, Treasury, Moody's, Moody's Investors Service, U.S ., U.S, AA, AAA, CVS Health, Entergy, Kraft Heinz, Garmin, Brands, Bunge Ltd, Lincoln National, Occidental Petroleum, ETSY, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Atmos Energy, Equinix, Qualcomm, MGM Resorts, MetLife, Fitch, Reuters Graphics U.S, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Westminster , Colorado, U.S, United States, Aaa, Germany, Exelon, Albemarle, Occidental, Clorox

☆ How Four Female Philosophers Responded to a Dire Decade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jennifer Szalai | More About Jennifer Szalai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

THE VISIONARIES: Arendt, Beauvoir, Rand, Weil, and the Power of Philosophy in Dark Times, by Wolfram Eilenberger. If hell is other people, then so, too, is this world. “Around us other people circled, pleasant, odious or ridiculous: They had no eyes with which to observe me. I alone could see.”It’s a quote that Wolfram Eilenberger uses to potent effect in “The Visionaries,” which traces the lives of four philosophers in the tumultuous decade before 1943. Beauvoir, Simone Weil, Hannah Arendt and Ayn Rand: Each addressed the foundational question of the relationship between the self and others, between “I” and “we,” only to arrive at wildly different conclusions.

Persons: Arendt, Beauvoir, Rand, Weil, Wolfram Eilenberger, Shaun Whiteside, Simone de Beauvoir, Otherness, ”, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Walter Benjamin, Ernst Cassirer, Simone Weil, Hannah Arendt, Ayn Rand, Eilenberger, ” Arendt, Red Simone Organizations: Dark Times, Magicians, Gestapo Locations: France, Rouen, Berlin, Nazi Germany, Paris, Russian, Hollywood and New York

☆ Feds vote to reduce bottlenecks in connecting new power sources to the energy grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Also, power generators will have to meet certain requirements to keep their place in the queue, including a financial deposit. Deadlines and penalties for transmission providers: Transmission providers will have strict deadlines to to respond to power generators waiting in the queue, and will face penalties if they miss those deadlines. Also, power generators will be able to add a source of power to a single interconnection request. It can be so expensive to build new transmission, sometimes power generators can't afford the cost and have to cancel their power generation plans completely. Also, power generators wait for an average of five years in these queues because grid operators are flooded with interconnection queue applications.

Persons: Jeffrey Lamb, LADWP, Al Seib, George Rose, Rob Gramlich, Gramlich, Joseph Rand, Rand, Gregory Wetstone Organizations: Sylmar, Pacific DC, Los Angeles Department of Water, Los Angeles Times, Getty, Aera Energy, CNBC, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, FERC, Vw, American, Renewable Energy Locations: Columbia, Oregon, California, Southern California, Angeles, Los Angeles , CA, CA, San Joaquin Valley, McKittrick , California, North, Lost, Kern County, Bakersfield, United States, Milford , Utah, Milford, Smithfield, ACORE

☆ The 5 deadliest Western-provided weapons Ukraine is using to fight Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The West has been sending Ukraine weapons and armed vehicles since the start of the war. Now, as Ukraine is in the midst of its counteroffensive to regain crucial territory from Russia, many of these weapons are proving useful. Insider spoke to three military experts about which of the Western-provided weapons have been the most effective for Ukraine in the war. Only time will tell how useful the weapons really areIt is still unclear how Ukraine's counteroffensive will unfold, and how long the Western weapons will hold until Ukraine will need more. A top Ukrainian general told the BBC on Thursday that because Russia has littered the frontlines in south Ukraine with multi-layered minefields, Western tanks are proving ineffective.

Persons: Serhii, Ben, that's, Zelenskyy, Fabrizio Bensch, Oleksii Reznikov, Huseyn Aliyev, Javelin, of, Cave, Lewis Joly, Marina Miron, Bradley, Hanna Maliar, Aliyev, Alivey, Alivey said.It, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Tarnavskyi Organizations: Shadow, Service, Leopard, US, Patriot, Challenger, Ukraine, High, Artillery, Getty, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, RAND Corporation, Patriot Missile Systems, Army MIM, Defense, Research Center, East European Studies, Patriots, Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service, Javelin, AP, Military Times, Kyiv, Paris Air, Department of, King's College London, Soviet, Bradley Infantry Fighting, Bradley, BBC Locations: Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Germany, Russia, Donetsk Oblast, Ben Caves, Russian, Kherson, Rzeszow, Jasionka, Poland, Moscow, of Ukraine, Le Bourget, Paris, France, Ukrainian, Europe

☆ Dollar’s decline throws spotlight on battered commodity currencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Saqib Iqbal Ahmed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

While that's driven rallies in risk assets such as stocks, raw materials prices and some commodity currencies have been slower to respond. Reuters GraphicsThe bullish view on commodity currencies gained traction in recent days after leaders in China - the world’s leading commodity consumer - on Monday pledged to step up policy support for the economy. Prices for oil, copper and other raw materials rose on the news, while commodity currencies such as the Australian and New Zealand dollars edged up. Some other commodity currencies have seen similar declines, with the New Zealand dollar down 2% and the South African rand down 3%. Commodity currencies are far from the only way to play further dollar weakness.

Persons: there's, Francesco Pesole, Brent, Thanos Bardas, Neuberger Berman, Bardas, Bipan Rai, Jane Foley, Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Ira Iosebashvili, Leslie Adler Organizations: YORK, Reserve, ING Bank, Australian, Reuters, New, U.S, New Zealand, Deutsche Bank, International Monetary Fund, Bank of Japan, U.S ., CIBC, Rabobank, Thomson Locations: Norway, Australia, U.S, Norwegian, China, North America, Sweden

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