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☆ 3M, DuPont, Other Makers Expected to Face New Drinking Water Rules on ‘Forever Chemicals’
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kris Maher | Bob Tita | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

PFAS testing at a laboratory in Holland, Mich. New drinking water standards could require thousands of public water systems to install additional filtration systems. New federal drinking water standards could ratchet up legal pressure on 3M Co., DuPont de Nemours Inc. and other companies that manufactured or used so-called forever chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency has been stepping up scrutiny of chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. The agency has said it is planning to propose the first federal drinking water limits on them in the coming months, a move some legal experts say could prompt additional lawsuits against PFAS manufacturers.

If it is signed into law, the omnibus bill would address the summer food gap low-income families face in two ways. It would permit “grab-and-go” free summer meals to be distributed in rural communities as part of the nationwide Summer Food Service Program, expanding access for more children in need. The Summer EBT program would start in 2024. And so having options like Summer EBT, having options like grab-and-go, other noncongregate options, is the way to be able to do that.”The summer nutrition program expansions in the bill were championed by Sens. "We know too often children who are able to get healthy meals in school go hungry during the summer.

☆ The Year in Pictures 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +57 min

Every year, starting in early fall, photo editors at The New York Times begin sifting through the year’s work in an effort to pick out the most startling, most moving, most memorable pictures. But 2022 undoubtedly belongs to the war in Ukraine, a conflict now settling into a worryingly predictable rhythm. Erin Schaff/The New York Times “When you’re standing on the ground, you can’t visualize the scope of the destruction. Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 25. We see the same images over and over, and it’s really hard to make anything different.” Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb 26.

☆ Three of the men involved in the plot to kidnap Michigan governor sentenced to prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Musico was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years in prison, followed by his son-in-law Morrison at 10 years and Bellar at seven. Judge Thomas Wilson presided over the first batch of convictions in state court, following the high-profile conspiracy convictions of four others in federal court. Bellar is clueless about any plot to kidnap the governor,” attorney Andrew Kirkpatrick said again in a court filing last week. Separately, in federal court in Grand Rapids, Fox and Croft face possible life sentences in two weeks. Two men who pleaded guilty received substantial breaks: Ty Garbin is free after a 2 1/2-year prison term while Kaleb Franks was given a four-year sentence.

WASHINGTON — Democrats are grappling with how to handle a potential re-election bid by newly minted independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in 2024, fearing that a three-way battle could split their voters and throw the race to Republicans in Arizona. Asked how the DSCC should handle a possible Sinema 2024 run, Sinema's Arizona colleague, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, “I haven’t given that any thought." Schumer said he has granted Sinema’s request to preserve her committee assignments through the Democratic Party, meaning the 51-49 partisan organization of the chamber won’t change. She wouldn’t say if Democrats should back her but said her working relationship with Sinema won’t change. Prior to her party switch, Sinema had stronger relationships with Republican senators than just about any Democrat.

☆ Congress considers crypto consumer protection bill that Sam Bankman-Fried backed before FTX collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The shocking collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX has increased the urgency in Congress to understand what went wrong and pass legislation to try to prevent another debacle that would affect hundreds of thousands of investors. One bill, the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act, introduced in August, gives the Commodity Futures Trading Commission more authority to regulate digital commodities like FTX. The bill arrived before FTX's collapse ignited fresh debate over how to protect consumers in the relatively young and untamed crypto industry. Bankman-Fried was charged in a U.S. indictment with eight criminal counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud, individual charges of securities fraud and wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to avoid campaign finance regulations. Nor does it make the CFTC the 'primary' crypto regulator," Stabenow said during an agriculture committee hearing Dec. 1.

Corey Williams, plant manager at Ford's Dearborn Truck Plant and Rouge electric vehicle center, outlines the automaker's production plans for the F-150 Lightning electric pickup during a facility tour on Dec. 13, 2022. DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor has added a third production shift to its Michigan plant that produces the electric F-150 Lightning as it looks to boost output. The addition of the third shift comes as the automaker is expanding the newly built facility to hit a top capacity of 150,000 units by next fall. Ford is on track to hit that previously announced production milestone, Corey Williams, plant manager of the Dearborn Truck Plant and Rouge electric vehicle center, said during a tour of the facility Tuesday. The third shift was added in November, bumping up the electric truck plant's employment from 500 to roughly 750 people.

☆ Now Driving You Mad at the Car Dealership: A Shortage of Title Paper
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Nora Eckert | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Congratulations on your new car. But where is the title? The specialized paper used to make them has become hard to track down in some states. Supply-chain snarls have hit one of the most boring documents in anyone’s filing cabinet—the car title. “When I first heard of this, I said, ‘What?’ ” recalls Bob Wheat , general manager at Village Ford car dealership in Dearborn, Mich. “It was just a total surprise to me.”

☆ Flint water crisis charges dismissed against ex-Michigan Gov. Snyder
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Rick Snyder in the Flint water crisis, months after the state Supreme Court said indictments returned by a one-person grand jury were invalid. Snyder also is the eighth person to have a Flint water case thrown out after the Supreme Court’s unanimous June opinion. “The charges against (Snyder) were not properly brought and must be dismissed at this time,” Behm wrote. Snyder acknowledged that state government had botched the water switch, especially regulators who didn’t require certain treatments. State prosecutors, however, chose that path in the Flint water saga to hear evidence in secret and get indictments against Snyder and others.

☆ Democrats detail effects of early pandemic failures in new Senate report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The 242-page report, written by Democrats on the panel, cited long-term weaknesses in the country’s public health infrastructure, from staffing shortages and inadequate disease surveillance to poor testing systems. But the report indicated that the pandemic shortcomings extended beyond the Trump administration. Similarly, a DHS report said 96% of pharmacy owners and managers were already reporting a shortage of surgical masks, according to the report. It issued a variety of recommendations, including increasing funding to improve public health surveillance, data systems, health care surge capacity, domestic manufacturing capabilities and stockpiles of critical supplies. "This is not the first public health crisis that our nation has faced, and sadly, it won't be the last," Peters said.

☆ Patrick Lyoya’s Family Sues Grand Rapids, Policeman Who Fatally Shot Him
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Joseph De Avila | Jennifer Calfas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The family of Patrick Lyoya , a Black man who was killed during a traffic stop this spring, is suing the city of Grand Rapids, Mich., and the former police officer who shot him in the back of the head. The civil lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, alleges former Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr violated federal law and Mr. Lyoya’s constitutional rights through use of excessive force.

☆ ‘A Dangerous Business’ Review: Widow Out West
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Joanne Kaufman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Eliza McCracken doesn’t want to marry Peter Cargill, the extravagantly well-mannered and apparently well-connected man her parents have foisted on her. But the year is 1849, and Eliza’s preferences matter not a whit. The McCrackens get their daughter nicely settled, or so they think; and Peter gets a servant and connubial rights in one tidy packet. This transaction propels the plot of Jane Smiley’s quirky historical novel “A Dangerous Business” and sets the table for the many transactions that follow. Fortunately for Eliza (and for the novel), Peter isn’t around long.

☆ Democrats poised to ditch Iowa and promote Michigan in 2024 presidential primaries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — Democrats are poised to ditch Iowa and move up Michigan in their presidential primary calendar starting in 2024, according to several Democratic officials involved in the process. New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina are likely to retain their early spots, while Iowa would lose its first-in-the-nation status. The Michigan state Senate voted Tuesday to move their presidential primary to the second Tuesday in February, a month earlier than its current date. “Nevada is a microcosm of the rest of the country.”South Carolina, which boosted then-candidate Joe Biden to a lead Democratic presidential primary contender in 2020, also retained its place as first in the South. That means the two parties will have different presidential primary maps for the first time in years.

☆ FTX Collapse Draws Senate Hearing Scrutiny as Crypto Oversight in Focus
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Dave Michaels | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Senators with a plan to regulate cryptocurrencies are due to question the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s chairman about the failure of the digital-asset exchange FTX and on legislation that would give that agency more power over the volatile market. CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam is scheduled to testify at Thursday’s hearing of the Senate Agriculture Committee. The panel’s chairwoman, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.), and its ranking member, Sen. John Boozman (R., Ark. ), introduced a bill that would regulate trading in bitcoin, ether and some other cryptocurrencies through the commission. Giving the CFTC, a relatively small agency, authority to police trading in the most valuable crypto assets would mark a substantial expansion of its authority.

☆ Biden to host French President Macron at his first state dinner
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Peter Nicholas Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

White House executive chef Cris Comerford gave a media preview Wednesday of the state dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron. “You need France.”Then-President Trump hosted French President Macron at a state dinner in 2018. The state dinner may be the Biden administration’s way of apologizing for an unforced error of such magnitude, Fried said. “We owed the French one after that.”A dish is previewed for the Macron state dinner. The last state dinner at the White House was in 2019.

☆ Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried met with top officials at the CFTC more than 10 times over the past 14 months, says chairman Rostin Behnam
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — The founder and former CEO of failed cryptocurrency exchange Sam Bankman-Fried met with high-level officials at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission more than 10 times over the past 14 months, including with CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam. The proposed change was still pending approval by the time FTX filed for bankruptcy earlier this month. Over the past 14 months, we met 10 times in the CFTC office at their request all in relation to this (derivatives clearing organization); this clearinghouse application," Behnam told committee chair Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. Later in the hearing, Behnam told Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., that emails were also exchanged between the parties. And I felt I needed to be engaged as the chairman of the agency that met directly with FTX and Mr.

☆ Biden leans into manufacturing in campaign-style Michigan speech
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Peter Nicholas | Peter Nicholas Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

“We’re building a better America,” Biden said at a plant that makes components for electric vehicles. Two years ago, anyone betting against Biden’s political prospects would have lost. Biden has said more than 700,000 manufacturing jobs have been added since he took office. Democrats would like to flip the county in 2024, when Michigan will, as ever, loom as a crucial battleground state. “We’re hoping that President Biden’s visit might entice people to come back to the fold and recognize what his administration is doing for us economically.”

☆ White House weighs future release of emergency heating, crude oil reserves as winter nears
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Kayla Tausche | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An aerial of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve storage at the Bryan Mound site seen on October 19, 2022 in Freeport, Texas. The Biden administration is considering tapping additional reserves of heating and crude oil as winter nears and uncertainty over market prices worsens, according to four people familiar with the matter. But with a 54% jump in heating oil prices in the last year, any hiccup in supply could mean a headache for consumers. The White House could face additional pressure from a Republican-led House of Representatives to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve when the new Congress begins its session in January. In June, the leading Republicans on the House Energy & Commerce Committee suggested the Strategic Petroleum Reserve's falling level was becoming a national security risk.

☆ Biden says inflation is slowing in 'good news for the holiday season'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BAY CITY, Mich., Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday hailed easing prices for gasoline, clothes and appliances as "good news for the holiday season," but said it would take time for inflation to return to normal levels. That's good news for the holiday season," Biden said, noting that costs for producers were also coming down. "While these prices are lower, they're not low enough," he said, adding, "It's going to take time to get inflation back to normal levels ... we're laser focused on this." Prices could spike again if unions reject a potential contract deal with U.S. railways, the White House has warned, but Biden did not raise the issue during his remarks. read moreReporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Writing by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

In the early 2010s, Mr. Mellow set out for still more distant shores, traveling to many famous surf breaks in the South Pacific. Mr. Abdul-Rashed and Mr. Danian traveled to Hawaii to connect with Mr. Mellow, their spiritual guide and Pacific expedition leader. Mr. Mellow posted an ad on Facebook and Craigslist offering $10,000 for passage to the South Pacific. Mr. Schmidt was in sync with the young seekers when it came to fear of Big Brother and vaccines, but dreading port officials brandishing nasal swabs struck even Mr. Schmidt as a little unhinged. When asked if he was at all responsible for what had happened to Mr. Danian and Mr. Abdul-Rashed, Mr. Mellow looked genuinely confused.

☆ ‘F---ing nightmare’: Trump team does damage control after he dines with Ye and white supremacist Nick Fuentes
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

But despite Trump’s suggestion the event was “uneventful,” the fallout over his dinner with Fuentes appears to have thrown Trump’s campaign into damage control mode. In addition to Giorno and Fuentes, Ye also brought along another man who was an associate, according to the sources. Fuentes attended that event and, after Trump said he denounced white supremacy at the rally, Fuentes denounced him for that. In his video debrief, Ye said that “Trump is really impressed with Nick Fuentes. “I’m like hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, Trump.

Critical shortages of the ADHD drug Adderall and the antibiotic amoxicillin have left families reeling as the medicines their loved ones need become harder to find. In the case of amoxicillin, demand has become particularly acute amid a so-called tripledemic of Covid, respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, and the flu that are converging this season. The Food and Drug Administration's website currently lists amoxicillin and Adderall, also known as mixed amphetamine salts, as being in short supply. NBC News reached out to two of the drugmakers responsible for producing both Adderall and amoxicillin. In 2020, Congress passed the Mitigating Emergency Drug Shortages Act, which aimed to address some of these issues.

☆ Top 25 roundup: Rasir Bolton helps No. 2 Gonzaga defeat No. 4 Kentucky
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

4 Kentucky on Sunday night at Spokane, Wash.Drew Timme added 22 points and Julian Strawther had 20 points and 14 rebounds for Gonzaga (3-1). Reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe had 20 points and 15 rebounds for Kentucky (3-2). Jacob Toppin scored 16 points, Cason Wallace had 14 points and four steals and Antonio Reeves scored 10 points off the bench for the Wildcats. Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 15 points in the loss, while Campbell finished with 12 points. Mekhi Lairy and Julian Lewis each scored 12 points in defeat for Miami (1-5), which dropped its third straight.

"For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic Caucus that I so deeply respect," Pelosi, 82, said in her floor speech. “Pelosi and Hoyer showed a lot of grace in stepping aside,” one younger Democratic lawmaker told NBC News. Meg Kinnard / AP fileAguilar said Friday he is now running for Democratic Caucus chairman. Under that scenario, Aguilar's caucus chair role would move up to No. But with Clyburn going for the assistant job and Aguilar entering the race for caucus chair, Neguse could find himself the odd man out.

☆ How did Democrats make it so close in the House midterm elections?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +18 min

While the GOP did still take the House, the close margin of victory was a performance well below what was possible. Here are eight perspectives from across the ideological spectrum on why the Democrats were able to make it so close. And this reality was essential given the defection of Black and Latino voters to the Republican Party and its candidates. America can credit Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s obstruction of a democracy bill and an economic bill for the narrow Republican House majority. But now, America needs to deal with a Republican House, thanks in good part to Manchin’s obstruction.

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