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☆ The scarcity economy has made life harder on Americans. Some are calling for an 'abundance agenda' to make college, housing, and healthcare more affordable.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The costs of healthcare, housing, childcare, and college have soared in recent decades. Some say an "abundance agenda" is necessary to boost supply and bring down costs. In short, the abundance agenda works by increasing the supply of the things people need, and ultimately making essential goods and services less expensive for American families. But childcare, healthcare, college tuition, and housing costs, for instance, have risen 115%, 130%, 178%, and 80%, respectively, well above inflation. He thinks the abundance agenda — or something like it — will be something many politicians campaign on someday, which he says would be a win for all Americans.

☆ Belarus, Russia to start 'defensive in nature' air force drills, Minsk says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Jan 15 (Reuters) - Belarus said its air force drills with Russia that start on Monday are defensive in nature to prepare for possible combat missions, but the move comes as concerns grow that Moscow is pushing Minsk to join the war in Ukraine. The exercises which will last until Feb. 1 are to involve training for "aerial reconnaissance, deflecting air strikes, air cover of important objects and communications", Muraveyko added. Together with Moscow, Minsk has also been adding weaponry and military equipment to the drills. The Belarusian defence ministry said only that "units" of Russia's air forces have been arriving in Belarus. "During the tactical flight exercise, all airfields and training grounds of the Air Force and Air Defence Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus will be involved," the ministry said in a statement.

☆ Iran executes British-Iranian national Akbari - Iranian report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Iran has executed British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on Saturday, after sentencing him to death on charges of spying for Britain. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Friday that Iran must not follow through with the execution of Akbari, a former Iranian deputy defence minister. In the video, Akbari did not confess to involvement in the assassination but said a British agent had asked for information about Fakhrizadeh. Iran’s state media often airs purported confessions by suspects in politically charged cases. Reuters could not establish the authenticity of the state media video and audio, or when or where they were recorded.

☆ Factbox: Alireza Akbari: the British-Iranian executed by Tehran
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 14 (Reuters) - Iran has executed British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, the judiciary's Mizan news agency reported on Saturday, after sentencing the former Iranian deputy defence minister to death on charges of spying for Britain. - According to a caption in a video aired by Iran's state news agency IRNA on Thursday, Akbari moved to Britain after being briefly detained and released on bail in 2008. Reuters could not verify if Akbari had moved to Britain in 2008, or when he returned to Iran. - In the audio recording, Akbari said he had made false confessions as a result of torture. In the video, Akbari did not confess to involvement in the assassination, but said a British agent had asked for information about Fakhrizadeh.

☆ NHL roundup: Kraken hand Bruins first home regulation loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/5] Jan 12, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Seattle Kraken goalie Martin Jones (30) reacts during the third period against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Jones logged 10 of his stops in the second period in his third shutout this season and 28th overall. Tyler Seguin scored his 10th goal of the season for the Stars and Oettinger made 29 saves. Kyle Connor scored the game-winning goal in the third period, while Dylan Samberg, Josh Morrissey and Karson Kuhlman also scored for the Jets. Victor Olofsson had a goal and an assist and Tyson Jost scored for Buffalo, which has lost three in a row.

The party-line vote on Tuesday aims to do just that, setting up a "Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government." The body is set to launch a wide-ranging probe of Democrat Biden's administration, which Republicans accuse of "weaponizing" the FBI against Trump. Among the federal agencies targeted are those looking into Trump's attempt to overturn his 2020 defeat and alleged mishandling of classified documents. On Monday the White House said that lawyers for Biden found classified documents at a Washington think tank affiliated with the president. That would create a situation where he could seek to oversee a federal investigation into himself.

☆ House GOP establishes committee targeting 'weaponization' of federal government with 'at least as much' funding as the January 6 committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The House GOP voted to create a new subcommittee that they say is modeled after the Church Committee. The new subcommittee is officially known as the "Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government" and will be housed under the House Judiciary Committee. Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar had previously publicly expressed some interest in the committee, but ultimately voted against its creation on Tuesday. He added that the committee would have "at least as much as the January 6 committee" in terms of its budget and staffing. Under the language of the resolution establishing the committee, the 13-member panel will be composed of eight Republicans and five Democrats.

☆ Dutch regulator grants Russian independent TV Rain five-year broadcasting license
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The Dutch Media Authority issued a five-year broadcasting permit for the Russian independent television station TV Rain after its license had been cancelled in Latvia, according to a statement on the regulator's website. The permit, dated Dec. 22, will "provide a commercial television broadcasting service as a commercial media institution," the regulator said. Latvia cancelled the licence of TV Rain in early December after the company was branded a threat to national security. The liberal-leaning TV Rain, or Dozhd, shifted to broadcasting from Latvia and other countries in July, after being forced to shut its Moscow studio following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Elaine Monagham; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

With subpoena power, it will be tasked with investigating law enforcement agencies as part of a mandate to probe the “weaponization of the federal government." Language to establish the panel is tucked inside a House rules package expected to pass on Monday. Once a backbencher who had frosty relations with GOP leaders, Jordan has risen through the ranks in a reflection of the conference’s rightward shift. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said he will serve on the new weaponization committee. Members of the committee will be formally named after the House passes the resolution.

☆ Brazil investigates who led anti-democratic riots in capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes also ordered social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to block coup-mongering propaganda. Tens of thousands of anti-democratic demonstrators on Sunday invaded the Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential palace and smashed windows, overturned furniture, destroyed art works and stole the country's original 1988 Constitution. The assault raised questions among Lula's allies about how public security forces in the capital were so unprepared and easily overwhelmed by rioters who had announced their plans days ahead on social media. Bolsonaro faces legal risks from several investigations before the Supreme Court in Brazil and his future in the United States, where he traveled on a visa issued only to sitting presidents, is in question. "The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who has inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil.

☆ Successfully applying for Social Security disability is difficult. Applying as a long Covid patient is even trickier
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Social Security disability benefits are generally available to workers who have earned enough credits through payroll taxes — typically 40 credits, though younger workers may qualify with less. Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, is a federal benefit available to disabled individuals who may not qualify for Social Security disability based on their work records. Allsup, which works with NASA, helped Perry get his Social Security disability benefits application approved. "That can really make or break a Social Security disability case," he said. Social Security disability benefits are aimed at long-term conditions.

☆ GOP Rep. Scott Perry, subject of Jan. 6 probes, declines to recuse himself from looking into those investigations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., pushed back Sunday when asked whether he would recuse himself from any House GOP investigation of federal probes into the events surrounding the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, despite being a subject of those investigations. Everybody in America is innocent until proven guilty,” Perry said in an interview on ABC's "This Week" with host George Stephanopoulos. Perry was pressed on whether any potential involvement in a new committee would pose a conflict of interest given that he was among those being investigated. “So, should everybody in Congress that disagrees with somebody be barred from doing the oversight and investigative powers that Congress has? Perry also came under scrutiny by the Jan. 6 committee, which referred him and three other House Republicans, including McCarthy, to the House Ethics Committee for defying the panel's subpoenas.

Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania is an ally of former President Donald Trump who helped spread Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread voting fraud. The FBI seized his phone in August, apparently as part of a probe into efforts to overturn the election. Trump has accused the FBI, without evidence, of launching the probes as political retribution again him. The Democratic-led House Select Committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol has said Perry and some other fellow Republicans later sought a pardon from the White House for their efforts to overturn the 2020 election, though Perry has denied doing so. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Raphael Satter; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Republican representatives say they are not worried McCarthy conceded too much
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Following a chaotic week in the U.S. House of Representatives over Kevin McCarthy's bid for speaker, Republican representatives said Sunday they are not worried that he gave up too much in order to secure the gavel. Republican Rep. Scott Perry, who was among the most outspoken opponents of McCarthy's speaker bid, flipped his vote for McCarthy on the 12th ballot. "This is never about Kevin McCarthy. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said Sunday he's not worried that Kevin McCarthy conceded too much to get the speakership. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said if McCarthy is willing to try and find common ground, he will find willing partners among House Democrats.

☆ The House speaker battle showed a 'schism within a schism' in the GOP as MTG and Matt Gaetz were on opposite sides and even a plea from Trump couldn't sway some of his biggest supporters
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker on Friday night after a week of disarray and 15 rounds of voting. Thanks to the events of the past week, McCarthy may struggle to manage the slim GOP majority. "It's a schism within a schism," Kevin Kosar, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who studies Congress and US politics, told Insider. But during the House speaker battle this week, some of them found themselves on opposites sides, even after their would-be leader, Trump, took a stance. With new divisions and animosities on display after the House speaker battle, it's unclear how effectively McCarthy will be able to do just that.

Share this -Link copiedMcCarthy elected speaker in 15th round McCarthy was elected House speaker Saturday shortly after midnight on the 15th ballot. Share this -Link copiedHouse reconvenes to hold 14th round of speaker votes The House has reconvened to begin the 14th round of speaker votes. Read the rest of the story, The House speaker election, in three charts. Share this -Link copiedHouse begins 13th round The House is beginning the 13th round of speaker votes. At least 14 House GOP flip to support McCarthy in twelfth speaker vote Jan. 6, 2023 01:52 Share this -Link copied

“It’s critically important that the Rules Committee reflect the body and reflect the will of the people. “What we’re seeing is the incredibly shrinking speakership,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview Friday. “The reason these people want to be on the Rules Committee is they want to screw things up for McCarthy. The message the leader received from his deal-making centrists: We can live with giving Freedom Caucus members committee slots but committee gavels are a “nonstarter.”“Nobody should get a chairmanship without earning it,” Bacon said. That pisses us off.”Díaz-Balart said he had received assurances that “there are no deals cut about chairmanships” to committees as part of swaying votes to make McCarthy speaker.

JOSH BRECHEEN - FLIPPEDThe Oklahoman freshman went for McCarthy on Friday afternoon, saying a deal "will allow conservatives to rein in out-of-control spending." ANDREW CLYDE - FLIPPEDClyde of Georgia is a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, which is driving opposition to McCarthy. He moved to support McCarthy on Friday. ANDY BIGGS - OPPOSEDThe Arizona lawyer ran against McCarthy in the first round of voting for speaker. MATT ROSENDALE - OPPOSEDThe lone congressman from Montana has remained opposed to McCarthy, voting repeatedly for fellow Republican Kevin Hern instead.

☆ Conservative leader Matt Schlapp is accused of fondling a male campaign staffer in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

"He reached in between my legs and fondled me," the former Walker staffer told NBC News in a telephone interview Thursday night. Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, is married to former Trump White House aide Mercedes Schlapp. A senior official on the Walker campaign confirmed that the aide shared the allegation with his supervisors at the time. "The whole thing makes me physically ill," said the senior Walker campaign official. Both the staffer and the senior campaign official said the Walker campaign made legal counsel available to the staffer to discuss his legal options and indicated the campaign would support whatever decision he made.

WASHINGTON — House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and his conservative detractors on Wednesday night inched closer to a deal designed to flip some no votes to the yes column. And because of the GOP’s new razor-thin majority, McCarthy can only afford four GOP defections on any speaker vote. “We have zero trust in Kevin McCarthy. “We’ll see,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, one of the 20 defectors, when asked if McCarthy will be speaker. “If it takes till tomorrow, it takes till tomorrow; if it takes till the 4th of July, it takes till the 4th of July,” said Rep.

☆ It's been two years since rioters stormed the Capitol. Here's 5 things we've learned about the insurrection in the past year
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In a speech given near the White House on January 6, Trump said he'd join protestors and march with them to the Capitol, though his march never occurred. "White House staff knew it, and so did every other Republican and Democratic leader in Washington." "After our last hearing, President Trump tried to call a witness in our investigation — a witness you have not yet seen in these hearings. That person declined to answer or respond to President Trump's call and, instead, alerted their lawyer to the call," Cheney said. Hutchinson also said that former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows asked for a pardon, along with Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani.

☆ 2 years after the Jan. 6 insurrection, election deniers are still in the building — and holding the speakership hostage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A group of 20 ultra-conservative Republicans continues to stonewall his leadership ambitions. More than half denied the 2020 election result and a handful are mentioned in the now-dissolved January 6 committee's report. But several of the political personalities at the heart of that attack are the same ones now holding the speakership hostage. All three lawmakers denied allegations that they were involved in planning the event. Meanwhile, the FBI seized the phone of Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania in August of last year.

☆ Taiwan offers China help again to deal with COVID surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/StaffTAIPEI, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Taiwan has again offered to provide China with assistance to help it deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases but Chinese authorities have not yet responded, official Taiwan media reported late on Thursday. Victor Wang, Head of Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre, told the official Central News Agency it sent an email to Chinese authorities this week and asked how Taiwan could help with the surge of cases in China. Rising cases in China has sparked concerns from the World Health Organisation that Beijing was under-reporting virus deaths. Wang said Taiwan has also sent an email to China in early December to "remind" authorities there about an community outbreak and severe cases among children. Taiwan and China have repeatedly sparred over their respective measures to control the spread of COVID.

☆ McDonald's Japan hikes prices for 3rd time in 10 months on surging costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Rocky Swift | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

McDonald's Holding Company Japan Ltd (2702.T) said it would raise prices on about 80% of its menu from Jan. 16, citing currency fluctuations as well as surging costs for materials, labour, transportation, and energy. The hikes follow previous increases in March and September last year, as Japan grapples with inflation and a slide in the yen that has made imported ingredients more expensive. The price for a single cheeseburger will go up to 200 yen ($1.49) this month from 140 yen a year ago. The cost of the signature Big Mac hamburger will go up to 450 yen from 410 yen previously. Japanese consumers will see price increases on more than 4,000 food items from next month, researcher Teikoku Databank said on Thursday, following an even bigger wave of hikes last October.

☆ After flipping 13 votes in his favor, McCarthy loses yet another floor vote in seemingly endless speaker bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kevin McCarthy lost his 12th speaker ballot Friday. The converts are still reviewing rules changes McCarthy has promised in exchange for the gavel. "Watch here and you'll see some people who have been voting against me voting for me," McCarthy told reporters at the US Capitol. Republican Reps.-elect Ken Buck of Colorado and Wesley Hunt of Texas, both McCarthy supporters, were both absent Friday morning because of personal reasons. "You only earn the position if you get the votes," Gaetz said on the House floor, a taunt that caused McCarthy supporter Rep-elect Mike Bost of Illinois to shout his disapproval.

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