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Biden personally adds mentions of an assault weapons ban to his planned public remarks, a White House official said. "We're going to ban assault weapons again," he said on Thursday at a Lunar New Year reception at the White House, to applause. As vice president, he spearheaded a set of gun control proposals for Barack Obama after Sandy Hook that included a recommendation for a new assault weapons ban. However the Quinnipiac and other polls show that just about half of Americans support an assault weapons ban. Even though an all-out assault weapons ban seems unlikely, a very thin Republican majority in the House means that something more modest, such as raising the age to 21 to buy assault weapons, could be possible, the University of New Hampshire's Scala said.

☆ Brazilian ex-senator takes over as Petrobras CEO; shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Marta Nogueira | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Prates was unanimously approved by the board, on which he will also hold a seat, Petrobras said in a securities filing. He has said the Lula government would not take an aggressively interventionist approach to Petrobras. Petrobras made bumper payouts in recent quarters, but Prates has said the company cannot "just keep tapping sub-salt oil and paying dividends". Prates, who was a senator for the past four years, is the first politician in several years to hold a high-ranking office at Petrobras. Earlier in the day, the Brazilian Senate's official gazette published the resignation of Prates as a lawmaker.

☆ U.S. Senator Josh Hawley wants to ban TikTok nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican and China hawk, said on Tuesday that he would introduce a bill to ban the short video app TikTok in the United States. TikTok, whose parent is the Chinese company ByteDance, already faces a ban that would stop federal employees from using or downloading TikTok on government-owned devices. "Now I will introduce legislation to ban it nationwide." Neither Hawley's office nor TikTok immediately responded to requests for comment. Read more:Kentucky bans TikTok from government-owned devicesWisconsin, North Carolina ban TikTok from state devices on security concernsReporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. lawmakers preparing plan to avert debt-ceiling crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Jason Lange | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Congress's rules on the debt ceiling are intended to limit growth of the nation's debt. The White House has said raising the debt ceiling should not be a negotiation. Senator Joe Manchin, have said the administration needs to engage in a debt ceiling negotiation. A 2011 standoff over the debt ceiling lead Standard & Poor's to cut the U.S.'s credit rating, a historic first. Biden is hosting Democratic congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday.

☆ Montana senator Jon Tester says he will defeat the GOP's 'awful plan' for a national sales tax
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republicans have proposed replacing the income tax with a national consumption tax. Their legislation would get rid of the income tax, estate tax, and payroll tax — and abolish the IRS. Democratic Senator Jon Tester, whose home state of Montana has no sales tax, is vehemently against it. Buddy Carter's Fair Tax Act, the income tax, alongside the payroll tax and estate tax, would be replaced by a 23% consumption tax on gross payments — and the IRS would be abolished. A national sales tax would likely be more regressive than the current income tax, hitting lower- and middle-income Americans harder.

☆ Analysis: U.S. House Republicans favor message over substance in early legislation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) speaks during a news conference following Senate Republican leadership elections that included the re-election of U.S. The bills are meant to provide a political benefit, as Republicans seek to fulfill 2022 campaign promises and formulate plans to capture the Senate and White House in 2024. "You'll watch it week after week after week." "The real purpose for the House Republican conference is to hold down spending and try to limit the debt," said Republican strategist Charles Black. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise said would target people earning less than $400,000 and break Biden's promise not to raise taxes on that income group.

☆ Janet Yellen is staying put to oversee billions in climate spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is digging in to oversee billions of dollars in federal climate and infrastructure spending that she believes will transform the economy, close associates say, defying demands from Republicans to step down. Yellen told CNBC late last year that she was "in good company" in misjudging inflation, and that Biden's COVID spending plans were needed to boost the recovery. White House and Treasury officials say inflation was spurred by supply chain problems and exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but note that inflation is now easing and investments in manufacturing will reduce future supply chain log-jams. Treasury had no comment on the Republican concerns, but officials have previously said the department's policies are overdue and urgently needed. In addition to advancing Biden's domestic climate agenda, Treasury officials say another key priority for Yellen in 2023 will be advancing reforms of the World Bank and other multilateral lenders to free up more resources for countries to address climate change and other priorities.

[1/4] Migrants queue near the border fence, after crossing the Rio Bravo river, to request asylum in El Paso, Texas, U.S., as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico January 5, 2023. Initial backlash to Biden's policy shift also signals it could be challenged in court, from both those who favor restricting immigration and advocates for asylum seekers. The restrictions, known as Title 42, allow U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrants caught at the border back to Mexico without the chance to claim asylum in the United States. The Biden administration tried last year to end the Title 42 border restrictions, but U.S. courts have left them in place and legal challenges are ongoing. The court rulings that left the Title 42 order in place give the Biden administration time to experiment with different strategies.

☆ Biden names Phillips acting head of energy regulator
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Federal Energy Regulatory Commission FollowWASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden has named Willie Phillips, a Democrat, acting chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC said on Tuesday. Phillips joined the commission in December, 2021 after being appointed by Biden and approved by Congress. After Phillips joined FERC, that began to change as Democrats had a 3-2 majority and the Biden administration pursued policies to transition to low-carbon energy. But now Phillips is acting chairman, FERC will be locked at a 2-2 because the former head, Richard Glick, left FERC after Senator Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat, did not hold a confirmation hearing to consider Biden's re-nomination of Glick. Phillips will serve as temporary chief of the commission as the Biden administration considers nominating a permanent chair.

☆ Brazil's Petrobras CEO resigns as ministry chooses his successor -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Petrobras did not immediately comment on the resignation. Andrade had been handpicked by former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro after three of his predecessors left following clashes with Bolsonaro over Petrobras' fuel pricing policy. Prates will need final approval as a board member and subsequently as CEO from the firm's current board of directors. Andrade's term had been set to expire in April, but Reuters reported late last year that he had decided to resign earlier. Reporting by Carolina Pulice, Peter Frontini and Marta Nogueira; Editing by Mark Porter, Bradley Perrett and Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil markets fall after Lula takes office vowing to end poverty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his wife Rosangela "Janja" da Silva and Chief Raoni walk through the ramp of the Planalto Palace after Lula's swearing-in ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, January 1, 2023. Lula narrowly defeated far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro in October, swinging South America's largest nation back on a left-wing track. Lula spent his first day in office meeting with more than a dozen heads of state who attended his inauguration. In his swearing-in speech to Congress, Lula said he was not seeking revenge, but any crimes committed under Bolsonaro would be held accountable with due legal process. ($1 = 5.3458 reais)Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Gabriel Araujo in Brasilia Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Lula decrees extension for tax exemption on fuels in Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Brazil's newly sworn-in President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a decree on Sunday extending for 60 days an exemption for fuels from federal taxes, a measure passed by his predecessor aimed at lowering their cost. The decree was among the first batch of decisions taken by Lula hours after his inauguration as president, succeeding far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, and officially establishing his cabinet of 37 ministers. Prates said the exemption could be resumed by the new government in a "much more comfortable" way. He has said that one option under study was an extension for six months or until the end of the year for tax exemptions on diesel and liquefied petroleum gas. The extension for gasoline was opposed by sectors of the economy, such as the ethanol industry, which loses ground in its tax advantage over gasoline.

☆ Next Petrobras CEO says he will change company's fuel price policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The incoming chief executive of Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) said on Friday he planned to tweak the country's fuel price policy, but said investors need not worry. Prates told journalists he will change the firm's pricing policy, which pegs fuel to global oil prices, but stressed that this does not mean prices will be completely unlinked to the international market. "Petrobras' pricing policy will be changed, but not necessarily to traumatize investors," he said. The company's pricing policy was at the center of turmoil during President Jair Bolsonaro's administration. Three of Petrobras' CEOs were ousted during his term, as fuel price hikes stoked inflation and hurt his popularity.

☆ The U.S. passed a historic climate deal this year — here's a recap of what's in the bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

The IRA's provisions have major implications for clean energy and manufacturing businesses, climate startups and consumers in the coming years. As 2022 comes to a close, here's a look back at the key elements in the legislation that climate and clean energy advocates will be monitoring in 2023. Taking aim at methane gas emissionsSome pumpjacks operate while others stand idle in the Belridge oil field near McKittrick, California. Mario Tama | Getty ImagesThe package imposes a tax on energy producers that exceed a certain level of methane gas emissions. And the bill has a hydrogen production tax credit, which provides hydrogen producers with a credit based on the climate attributes of their production methods.

☆ U.S. Treasury says consumer leases can qualify for EV tax credits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The announcement is a win for South Korea and some automakers that earlier this month sought approval to use the commercial electric vehicle tax credit to boost consumer EV access. The $430 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in August ended $7,500 consumer tax credits for purchases of electric vehicles assembled outside North America, angering South Korea, the European Union, Japan and others. Treasury said it was using "longstanding tax principles" to determine consumer leasing could qualify for the EV tax credit. The commercial credit does not, however, have the sourcing restrictions of the consumer credit. That law lifts the 200,000-vehicle per manufacturer cap that had made Tesla (TSLA.O) and General Motors (GM.N) ineligible for EV tax credits starting Jan. 1.

Companies Petroleo Brasileiro SA Petrobras FollowRIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Caio Paes de Andrade, the chief executive of Brazil's state-run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA), has decided to resign before his term ends in April, but has not yet set a date for his departure, six sources told Reuters. Andrade's early exit would provide a pathway for leftist President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to quickly install his own choice to lead the company. Lula, a leftist former president, takes office on Jan. 1. Prates has previously said the incoming government will not have an interventionist stance on Petrobras. Petrobras had previously said Andrade had accepted an invitation from future Sao Paulo state Governor Tarcisio Freitas to join his team.

☆ Form Energy to build long-duration battery plant in West Virginia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Form Energy Inc, a startup hoping to make long-duration storage batteries from materials including iron to store power from renewable energy, will partner with West Virginia to build a manufacturing plant in the state, the company and politicians said on Thursday. West Virginia Governor Jim Justice and Form Energy, backed by supporters including Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures, said the plant will be built with a total investment of up to $760 million. Form Energy aims to build batteries using iron, air and water. Form says the batteries can store power for days, much longer than ones based on lithium-ion, and using less expensive materials. "The path forward is innovation, not elimination, and with this announcement West Virginia and Form Energy are doing just that," Manchin said in a statement.

☆ Virginia on track to send first Black woman to Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

State Sen. Jennifer McClellan is on track to become the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress after she won the Democratic primary Thursday to fill the seat of Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin, who died last month from cancer. Lamont Bagby, the chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, in the primary. Morrissey resigned from his state House seat in 2014, but he then ran for that same seat as an independent and won in 2015 — while serving time in jail. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia also threw his support behind her. McClellan had also won the support of other Black leaders in the district, including Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will appoint Senator Jean Paul Prates of his Workers Party to be the next chief executive of state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA), a member of his transition team said on Thursday. Deyvid Bacelar, head of oil workers' union FUP, said on social media that Lula had picked Prates based on the labor group's recommendations. He added that Senator Alexandre Silveira would be chosen to be mines and energy minister. The transition team, Prates and Petrobras did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Preferred shares of the oil company rose more than 2% after Bacelar's post, outperforming Brazil's benchmark stock index Bovespa <.BVSP>, before ceding half the gain.

☆ Divided America will unite under economic duress
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That will happen when a new term begins in 2023, making it difficult for American legislators to accomplish goals. But one thing needs to happen: Congress must raise the debt ceiling so the U.S. government can continue to chug along. The debt ceiling, currently at $31.4 trillion, needs to go higher for government employees to get paid and welfare checks to be delivered, among other things. If only because they are all vying for a win in the presidential election in 2024, Congress could unite under high inflation and economic duress. Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives in 2023, making a bipartisan solution necessary to lifting the limit.

"No more blank checks to Ukraine," Republican Representative Andy Biggs wrote on Twitter hours before Zelenskiy's visit to Washington. Biggs, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, has emerged as the main challenger to House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy in the House speakership election, slated for Jan. 3. Many House Republicans insist that they do support Ukraine. "I hope all House Republicans will attend the Zelenskiy address this evening. And when they do, they should listen to President Zelenskiy describe the horror his people have endured at the hands of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin," Schumer said.

☆ Factbox: What's in the U.S. Congress's Electoral Count Reform Act?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are details on the Electoral Count Reform Act, which lawmakers included in a year-end government funding bill:AIMS TO PREVENT ANOTHER JAN. 6The bipartisan effort would rewrite the 1887 Electoral Count Act, which lays out the process by which Congress tallies the state-by-state results from a presidential election and formally certifies the winner. Trump and his advisers had cited provisions of the 1887 law as they pressed Republican allies to overturn his loss. BIPARTISAN SUPPORTWhile other election-law reforms have foundered in Congress this year due to Republican opposition, the Electoral Count Reform Act has solid bipartisan support, at least in the Senate. Trump had urged his vice president, Mike Pence, to prevent lawmakers from certifying Biden's victory. Current law requires Congress to consider a challenge if only one lawmaker from each chamber raises an objection.

☆ U.S. lawmakers include ban on TikTok on government devices in spending proposal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers early Tuesday included a proposal to bar federal government employees from using Chinese app TikTok on government-owned devices in a key spending bill. It was the latest action by U.S. lawmakers to crack down on Chinese companies amid national security fears. The proposal last week won the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. The legislation would not impact the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok on private or company-owned devices. Many federal agencies, including the White House and the Defense, Homeland Security and State departments, already ban TikTok from government-owned devices.

☆ U.S. lawmakers to include ban on TikTok on government devices - sources
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers will include a proposal to bar federal government employees from using Chinese app TikTok on government-owned devices in a key spending bill, sources told Reuters on Monday. It was the latest action by U.S. lawmakers to crack down on Chinese companies amid national security fears. The proposal last week won the backing of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. The legislation would not impact the more than 100 million Americans who use TikTok on private or company-owned devices. Many federal agencies, including the White House and the Defense, Homeland Security and State departments, already ban TikTok from government-owned devices.

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