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☆ Biden administration defends immigrant labor while sending 1,500 troops to the border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

President Biden is sending 1,500 troops to the southern border. Yet, his secretary of Homeland Security says employers "are desperate for workers." The COVID-era rule expired May 11, so the Biden administration is now sending troops to tamp down on border crossings. Despite taking such measures to police the border, Biden's Department of Homeland Security argued on the day that Title 42 ended that immigrant labor is needed to address America's labor shortage. As a result, native workers who dropped out of high school and typically earn $25,000 annually saw their earnings drop by between $800 and $1,500 each year, he estimated.

☆ Debt limit 'brinksmanship' has a cost and is completely unnecessary: former CEA Chair Jason Furman
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailDebt limit 'brinksmanship' has a cost and is completely unnecessary: former CEA Chair Jason FurmanGlenn Hubbard, former Council of Economic Advisers chairman and Columbia Business School professor, and Jason Furman, former CEA chairman and Harvard Kennedy School professor, join 'Squawk Box' to discuss the Fed's rate hike campaign, the latest on debt ceiling standoff, and more.

The discord between Russia and the other Arctic Council members means that an effective response to these changes is far less likely. Recently, it has taken steps to expand cooperation in the Arctic with non-Arctic states. On April 24, Russia and China signed a memorandum establishing cooperation between the countries' coast guards in the Arctic. "We need to safeguard the Arctic Council as the most important international forum for Arctic cooperation and make sure it survives," Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Eivind Vad Petersson told Reuters. "I don't see an Arctic Council without Russia in the future," said Larsen, a Greenland lawmaker at the Danish Parliament and the Chair of Arctic Parliamentarians, a body including MPs from across the Arctic countries.

☆ Opinion: How to fight back against the ‘anti-woke’ movement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Opinion Khalil Gibran Muhammad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Several states across the country have imposed bans on books, K-12 educational curricula and diversity programs in recent months. And even where statewide bans are not in place, restrictive measures are being enacted by local school boards. The mere mention of structural racism or gender discrimination or sexuality can potentially cost educators and librarians their jobs. The beginnings of this national movement to defend the freedom to learn is rekindling relationships between college students and civil rights activists and inspiring new ones between college faculty and K-12 teachers and librarians. With such formidable alliances among students, teachers, organizers and academics being forged in communities across the country, we finally have an answer to reverse the swelling tide of injustice and authoritarianism.

☆ Opinion | Biden’s Highest Hurdle Isn’t Age, It’s Passion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Charles M. Blow | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The age question is major concern for Biden, according to political advisers I’ve spoken to recently — and according to the chatter on cable news and online. And the sense that he has underwhelmed is particularly problematic for Biden when it comes to young voters. Younger voters can also be barometers of how much a candidate’s passion factors into his appeal. I reached out to several voting rights advocates and political organizers to discuss Biden’s bid, and the overall impression settles somewhere between cautious optimism and dampened enthusiasm, not so much about Biden’s age, but how voters, including younger voters, look at his policy priorities. As Clifford Albright, the co-founder and executive director of the Black Voters Matter Fund, told me, although younger voters would generally like to see younger candidates, “the age thing can be overcome if you’re talking about the right issues.”

☆ Jacinda Ardern: Former New Zealand leader is heading to Harvard
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —After stepping down as leader of New Zealand earlier this year, Jacinda Ardern has revealed that she is swapping the rough and tumble of politics for a stint of quiet reflection within academia overseas, heading to Harvard University this fall under two fellowships. She was appointed to dual fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School, the university’s school of public policy and government, according to a news release by Harvard. Jacinda Ardern leaving New Zealand's Parliament for the last time as Prime Minister on January 25, 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand. “Jacinda Ardern showed the world strong and empathetic political leadership,” said Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf in the news release. Within a year, she had become only the second world leader to give birth in office.

☆ Former NZ PM Jacinda Ardern accepts Harvard fellowships
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WELLINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday that she was taking up three fellowships at Harvard University later in 2023. Ardern stepped down as prime minister in January saying she had "no more in the tank" to lead the country and would also not seek re-election to parliament. Harvard University said in a statement she had been appointed to dual fellowships at Harvard Kennedy School and to a concurrent fellowship at the Berkman Klein Center. “I am incredibly humbled to be joining Harvard University as a fellow - not only will it give me the opportunity to share my experience with others, it will give me a chance to learn," Ardern said in the statement. Ardern has previously said she will continue to help tackle violent extremism online as an unpaid special envoy for the Christchurch Call.

☆ GM to end production of Chevrolet Bolt EV later this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] A close-up view of the Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle is seen at Stewart Chevrolet in Colma, California, U.S., October 3, 2017. "We have progressed so far that it's now time to plan to end the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EU production, which will happen at the very end of the year," GM CEO Mary Barra told investors on Tuesday. The Bolt, GM's first mass market EV, still accounts for more than 90% of all U.S. GM EV sales. The Bolt was preceded by the Chevrolet Volt -- a plug-in hybrid that GM ended production in 2019. The recall prompted GM to halt Bolt production and sales for more than six months.

☆ S.Korea's Yoon to meet Biden as doubts grow over nuclear umbrella
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

More than 64% supported South Korea developing its own nuclear weapons, with about 33% opposed. Yoon has been pushing to boost South Korea's say in operating the U.S. extended deterrence but exactly what that might entail has not been spelt out. A senior U.S. official said on Friday that Biden, during the summit with Yoon, would pledge "substantial" steps to underscore U.S. commitments to deter a North Korean nuclear attack. South Korea, a major producer of artillery shells, says it has not provided lethal weapons to Ukraine, citing its relations with Russia. South Korea tries to avoid antagonising Russia, due chiefly to business interests and Russian influence over North Korea.

NEW YORK, April 14 (Reuters) - Firms find that investors penalize their stock less for high greenhouse gas emissions if they voluntarily disclose that data, researchers at Lazard's climate center said on Friday. For energy companies the effect was more pronounced: Disclosure actually increased their P/E measure by 0.8%. "People might assume the worst if you don't disclose," said Peter Orszag, chief executive of financial advisory at Lazard. Many firms have pledged in recent years to reduce their carbon emissions, but the report found this had little observable impact on their valuations. "Investors may not interpret pledges as bearing material weight, but rather as ... bolstering public relations," the report said.

☆ China's 'Belt and Road' grew out of a lending spree. Now those loans may be its problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAt its peak, China's Belt and Road Initiative was seen as the centerpiece of Beijing's engagement with the world. According to the report, China issued 128 emergency rescue loans worth $240 billion to 22 countries — including Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey, among others. 'Trying to salvage Belt and Road'Chinese efforts to revamp Belt and Road have been underway since 2020, according to one observer. "A nod to the concern that many Belt and Road projects were not economically viable to begin with. "The increased indebtedness in many Belt and Road countries is a direct consequence of Beijing's overshooting in the pre-2020 phase," said Zhong.

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - The United States is working hard to counter China's influence in international institutions and in lending to developing countries, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday. Yellen said she was concerned by some of China's activities globally, particularly in lending to developing countries. China has lent hundreds of billions of dollars to build infrastructure in developing countries, but lending has tailed off since 2016 as many projects have failed to pay the expected financial dividends. China is negotiating debt restructurings with countries including Zambia, Ghana and Sri Lanka and has been criticised for holding up the processes. In response, it has called on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to also offer debt relief.

☆ Belt and Road Initiative: China spending billions to bail out megaproject's debtors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

For one, China’s loans are far more secretive, with most of its operations and transactions concealed from public view. The PBOC requires an interest rate of 5%, compared to 2% for IMF rescue loans, the study said. There is also public concern in some countries over issues like excess debt and China’s influence. Accusations that Belt and Road is a broad “debt trap” designed to take control of local infrastructure, while largely dismissed by economists, have sullied the initiative’s reputation. In January, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang rejected the accusations of China creating a “debt trap” in Africa, a major recipient of Belt and Road investments.

REUTERS/Thomas Suen/File PhotoJOHANNESBURG, March 28 (Reuters) - China spent $240 billion bailing out 22 developing countries between 2008 and 2021, with the amount soaring in recent years as more have struggled to repay loans spent building "Belt & Road" infrastructure, according to a study published Tuesday. People's Bank of China (PBOC) swap lines accounted for $170 billion of the rescue financing, including in Suriname, Sri Lanka and Egypt. China's rescue lending is "opaque and uncoordinated," said Brad Parks, one of the report's authors, and director of AidData, a research lab at William & Mary College in the United States. China is negotiating debt restructurings with countries including Zambia, Ghana and Sri Lanka and has been criticised for holding up the processes. In response, it has called on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to also offer debt relief.

☆ The Fed should hike interest rates by 50 basis points next meeting, says Harvard’s Jason Furman
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe Fed should hike interest rates by 50 basis points next meeting, says Harvard’s Jason FurmanJason Furman, professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and former CEA chair, joins CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to discuss the latest job reports, what we should expect from Fed regarding rake hikes, and more.

☆ A recession is far from inevitable, says Harvard's Jason Furman
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailA recession is far from inevitable, says Harvard's Jason FurmanJason Furman, professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and former CEA chair, joins CNBC's 'Closing Bell' to discuss the factors increasing the chances of a soft landing, monetary policy expectations for next week's meeting, and getting inflation under control giving continued wage growth.

☆ Top business leaders and policymakers discuss monetary policy at the World Economic Forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

[The stream is slated to start at 3 a.m. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Moderated by CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche, top business leaders and policymakers discuss surging inflation at Davos, Switzerland, and whether a radical rethink is needed by central banks. Joining CNBC is Larry Summers, Charles W. Eliot University professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Thomas Jordan, chairman of the Swiss National Bank, Kjerstin Braathen, CEO of DNB ASA, and Julio Velarde, governor of the Central Bank of Peru. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

☆ IMF's Georgieva and ECB's Lagarde discuss the future of global growth at Davos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

[The stream is slated to start at 5 a.m. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] Moderated by CNBC's Geoff Cutmore, top business leaders and policymakers discuss the future of growth at Davos, Switzerland, and the policies needed to stabilize the global economy. Joining CNBC is Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, Bruno Le Maire, France's finance minister, Larry Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and Kuroda Haruhiko, governor of the Bank of Japan. Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

☆ Harvard school reverses course, will extend fellowship to human rights advocate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The fellowship was subject to approval by Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf. Kathryn Sikkink, a human rights academic at the Kennedy School, told The Nation magazine earlier this month that Elmendorf told her he rejected the appointment because of what he called HRW's "anti-Israel bias." In an email to the community on Thursday, shared by a Harvard Kennedy School spokesperson, Elmendorf said he believed he had made an error. I hope that our community will be able to benefit from his deep experience in a wide range of human rights issues," Elmendorf said. Elmendorf in the email said his earlier decision not to award the fellowship had not been influenced by donors or "made to limit debate at the Kennedy School about human rights in any country."

☆ Harvard school in row over fellowship for human rights advocate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Simon Lewis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The prestigious Kennedy School at Harvard University is under fire over a decision not to award a fellowship to the former head of Human Rights Watch, which one academic said was due to the campaigner's criticism of Israel's treatment of Palestinians. The school's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy last year approached Kenneth Roth, who served as HRW's executive director from 1993 to 2022, and agreed on the terms of a fellowship, according to both Roth and the Carr Center. The fellowship was subject to approval by Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf. Kathryn Sikkink, a human rights academic at the Kennedy School, told The Nation magazine that Elmendorf told her he rejected the appointment because of what he called HRW's "anti-Israel bias." Harvard Kennedy School spokesperson James Smith said by email that Elmendorf decided not to appoint Roth "based on an evaluation of the candidate’s potential contributions to the Kennedy School," adding that the school does not discuss such deliberations.

☆ Four experts break down December's better-than-expected jobs report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFour experts break down December's better-than-expected jobs reportTyler Goodspeed, Cato Institute adjunct scholar and former acting CEA chairman, Jason Furman, professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and former CEA chair, Liz Young, head of investment strategy at SoFi, Nela Richardson, ADP chief economist, and CNBC's Steve Liesman and Rick Santelli join 'Squawk Box' to react to the December jobs report.

☆ Cryptocurrency risks come partly from the trading venues themselves, ex-CFTC chairman says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCryptocurrency risks come partly from the trading venues themselves, ex-CFTC chairman saysTimothy Massad, research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and former chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, says cryptocurrency exchanges aren't following traditional standards.

☆ Markets need to prepare for an 'incomplete hard landing,' says Harvard's Jason Furman
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMarkets need to prepare for an 'incomplete hard landing,' says Harvard's Jason FurmanJason Furman, professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and former CEA chair, joins CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to discuss why he expects the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by 50 basis points in December.

☆ How Big Law fumbled its own Rooney rule on diversity
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Elizabeth Olson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Several law firms adopted the Mansfield rule in 2017, which aims to increase diversity in leadership. It's effectively the NFL's two-decade-old Rooney rule: a requirement that nonwhite candidates be considered when teams hire for coaching and front-office jobs. Law firms followed professional football in 2017 with its version of the Rooney rule, called the Mansfield rule. At first, the Rooney rule seemed to catch on when teams started to hire more coaches of color and a dozen general managers of color when that position was added to the Rooney rule. "For the Rooney rule to work," he said, "there has to be a true commitment from the owners.

☆ Gen Zers are spending big this holiday season — and it could come back to bite them
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gen Z shoppers came out in full force during Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year. BNPL seems like an easy way to pay for purchases, but it's causing some young consumers to rack up debt. Despite predictions of a lackluster holiday shopping season this year, shoppers came out in full force during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. "One standout this Black Friday was the high turnout of Gen Z in stores," Kristen Classi-Zummo, apparel industry analyst with market research firm NPD, told CNN. Frequent BNPL use has led some young shoppers to rack up thousands of dollars in debt and tank their credit scores.

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