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A series of upcoming challenges, from the ongoing war in Ukraine to a still-uncertain economy, could provide hurdles to Biden’s reelection. The Washington beltway event may be indicative of what’s to come for the Biden reelection campaign strategy. “Just like four years ago—I’m off to teach and Joe’s launched his (re-election) campaign! Obama held his first reelection campaign rally in May 2012, 13 months after announcing his bid for a second term. The wait for a Biden reelection rally could be just as long.

☆ Smartmatic wants more than Dominion’s $787 million payout, plus a retraction from Fox for its 2020 election lies, lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

(But in a press release, Fox publicly “acknowledged” that the judge in that case had concluded that all 20 on-air statements that Dominion sued over were false.) “That set down a marker and it’s a marker that we think we should be exceeding,” Connolly said. “The scope of the damage done to Smartmatic is a global scale, because we operate globally… $787 million is a good start. Smartmatic wants $2.7 billion from Fox and other Trump allies that it named in the lawsuit. “We will be ready to defend this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events when it goes to trial, likely in 2025,” a Fox spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

Brian Kemp has a message for his fellow Republicans looking to win back the White House: “We cannot get distracted.”“We have to tell people, No. “It does not give us a path for Republicans to win.”Asked by Tapper if Trump was unelectable nationwide, Kemp demurred. Tension between Trump and Kemp has been simmering for years. When Kemp refused to overturn Biden’s 2020 win in Georgia, Trump made the governor his No. 1 enemy, publicly railing against him throughout 2021 and recruiting former US Sen. David Perdue to challenge Kemp in a GOP primary.

☆ Fed official: People ‘hate’ inflation. That trumps bank stress and job loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The Federal Reserve faced a particularly vexing decision this week: Should it raise interest rates during a bank crisis? But the economic reports heading into this week’s Fed meeting suggest the economy remains too hot. The Fed ultimately reached a unanimous decision to raise interest rates for the ninth meeting in a row. “The one thing that I hear loud and clear from everybody is that they hate inflation. They find inflation to be unfair,” Barkin said, referring to talking to residents in his Fed district.

☆ C-SPAN is calling on McCarthy to allow its cameras in the House after its unprecedented coverage of the leadership fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The public affairs network on Tuesday sent a letter to new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy asking for permission to operate its own independent cameras in the House chamber. But during special events, such as last week during the election of the House speaker, independent cameras from outlets like C-SPAN are permitted. Instead, we request to install a few additional cameras in the House chamber,” Swain added. But other members of Congress have expressed openness or outright support for letting C-SPAN cameras into the chamber. “Last week’s [C-SPAN] coverage was worthy of an Oscar,” Pocan tweeted.

☆ Washington moved fast to crack down on TikTok but has made little progress with Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But in fast-tracking the bill, Congress can’t help but draw attention to its notable lack of progress on regulating American tech giants more broadly — despite years of reports, hearings and proposed legislation. Washington finds a different tech villainThe tech industry’s largest players have faced a kitchen sink of allegations in recent years. The central allegation against TikTok is that the company poses a potential national security risk. But earlier this year, it acknowledged that China-based employees can access TikTok user data and declined to commit to cutting off those data flows in general. “We’re disappointed that Congress has moved to ban TikTok on government devices—a political gesture that will do nothing to advance national security interests—rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review,” said Brooke Oberwetter, a TikTok spokesperson.

☆ TikTok executive refuses Jake Tapper’s multiple requests to acknowledge China’s Uyghur genocide
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Critics argue China’s national security laws could force TikTok — or its parent, ByteDance — to hand over the personal data of customers in the United States. “I’m just not an expert on what’s happening in China,” Beckerman said. He again refused to acknowledge it, saying only that China is among many bad actors around the world. “Look, I think there are many human rights violations that are happening in China and around the world,” Beckerman said. I’m not here to be the expert on human rights violations around the world.”A TikTok spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Washington CNN —Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Sunday that “political aspirations” drove Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s exit from the Democratic Party, as he vowed to take a “hard look” at supporting a potential Democratic challenge to her in Arizona. I happen to suspect that it’s probably a lot to do with politics back in Arizona. Sinema announced last week she was leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a political independent, a move that is unlikely to change the power balance in the next Senate. Democrats will have a narrow 51-49 majority that includes two independents who caucus with them: Sanders and Angus King of Maine. She also brushed aside criticism she may face for the decision to leave the Democratic Party.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema's Democratic defection without a difference
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Specter’s switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party briefly gave Democrats a filibuster-proof majority and allowed them to pass the Affordable Care Act. Joe Lieberman, the moderate Democrat and former longtime senator, lost a Democratic primary in Connecticut in 2006, largely over his support for the Iraq war. A defection without a differenceArizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema appears to be different as she becomes the 22nd senator to change party affiliation while in office. A Senate independence trioSinema will be the first independent senator who isn’t from New England in more than a generation. The most complete political evolution may be that of Lincoln Chafee, the Rhode Island politician who was a Republican senator, independent governor and failed Democratic and Libertarian presidential candidate.

☆ Biden chose humanity over geopolitics with Griner release
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But President Joe Biden’s decision to exchange WNBA star Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout goes beyond the exchange’s bottom line. And it prompted top Republicans to charge that he had prioritized a basketball superstar over an ex-marine who benefited from a vocal political pressure campaign on Biden. This adds another layer of complication for Biden as he seeks to get Whelan free, since it involves another government and would require German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to potentially agree to supersede his country’s own legal system. While Biden is being castigated by some political opponents in Washington for doing a bad deal, administration officials insisted that he got the best one on offer. It was a choice between bringing home one particular American, Brittney Griner, or bringing home none,” a senior administration official told reporters on Thursday.

☆ Kyrsten Sinema leaving the Democratic Party and registering as an independent
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Jeremy Herb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is leaving the Democratic Party and registering as a political independent, she told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an exclusive TV interview. While Sanders and King formally caucus with Democrats, Sinema declined to explicitly say that she would do the same. She also brushed aside criticism she may face for the decision to leave the Democratic Party. “Nothing about the last two years indicates a major effort would’ve made helped – the exact opposite actually,” a White House official said. After a vote against filibuster changes in January, the Arizona Democratic Party’s executive board censured Sinema.

☆ Fauci shares lessons from pandemic, criticism of China’s zero-Covid policy ahead of his departure from government
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Katherine Dillinger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Covid-19 pandemic has carried a key lesson for public health officials, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday: When talking to Americans, be clear that science is often a moving target. “Hopefully, we could have been more on top of appreciating the dynamic nature of how things change, thinking that it wasn’t aerosol spread in the beginning, and then you find out it is aerosol spread. Experts agree that the virus almost certainly jumped into humans from an animal market in China but that they may never know for sure. “It’s possible that there was a lab leak,” Fauci said. Fauci criticized China’s controversial zero-Covid policy, saying shutdowns “should always be a temporary phenomenon, not a long-range strategy,” and should be done with an end point in mind, such as buying time to secure PPE or provide vaccinations.

☆ How Liz Truss’ term as British prime minister went from bad to worse
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Here are the lowlights – and lowerlights – of Truss’ term as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister. Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/ReutersThe prime minister later defends her government’s controversial tax cuts in an exclusive interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. October 20: Truss quitsAfter a chaotic six-week spell in Downing Street, Truss announces her resignation. She will remain UK prime minister until her successor is chosen. Her swift exit as prime minister prompts calls for an early general election in Britain.

☆ First on CNN: Next spring the economy will sink into a 1990-style mild recession, Fitch says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN Business —Stubborn inflation and the Federal Reserve’s jumbo-sized interest rate hikes will drive the American economy into a 1990-style mild recession starting in the spring, Fitch Ratings warned on Tuesday. “The US recession we expect is quite mild,” economists at Fitch Ratings said. “US household finances are much stronger now than in 2008, the banking system is healthier and there is little evidence of overbuilding in the housing market,” Fitch Ratings economists wrote. By contrast, Fitch Ratings sees the unemployment rate rising from just 3.5% today to 5.2% in 2024. “Fitch Ratings expects a very strong consumer balance sheet and the strongest labor market in decades to cushion the impact of a likely recession,” the report said.

☆ OPEC could tip the world economy into recession, warns IEA
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN Business —Western governments are furious after OPEC+ decided last week to slash oil production by the largest amount since the start of the pandemic. The IEA slashed its forecast for world oil demand growth next year by more than 20%, citing further downgrades to global growth expectations from major institutions. “The massive cut in OPEC+ oil supply increases energy security risks worldwide,” the IEA said. Typically, higher oil prices send non-OPEC producers into action, particularly US shale companies. Supply growth is set to “slow markedly” in 2023, although still reach a record of 100.6 million barrels a day.

☆ Recession: Biden acknowledges a 'slight recession' is possible, even if he doesn't think it'll happen
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Maegan Vazquez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

That is we’ll move down slightly,” Biden told Tapper in his first exclusive interview with CNN since taking office, adding later, “It is possible. Look, it’s possible. I don’t anticipate it.”Investors, economists and banks, however, are all warning that the US is likely to enter a recession in the coming months. “Every six months they look down the next six months and say what’s going to happen. “I mean … so much has been accomplished that the idea that … there’s an automaticity to recession is just not … there,” Biden remarked.

☆ Premarket stocks: Ronald Reagan's tax lesson for Britain
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Citibank analysts called the decision a “huge, unfunded gamble for the UK economy.” Markets dropped precipitously on the news. But much like Truss, Reagan argued that massive tax cuts and deregulation would stimulate productivity and he championed a sweeping tax cut that was passed by Congress that year. According to US Treasury estimates, Reagan’s tax cuts reduced federal revenues by about 9% in the first couple of years. A lesson from history: “When tax cuts are really too big to be sustainable, they’re often followed by tax increases,” wrote David Wessel, director of The Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy. The US dollar appreciated during the Reagan tax cuts because it benefits from global reserve currency status.

☆ Forget a soft landing. The market’s best hope is a ‘growth’ recession
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It wants to achieve a soft landing — that Goldilocks ideal of cooling the economy enough to bring down prices but not enough to cause a recession. The new aim appears to be for a so-called growth recession: A prolonged period of meager growth and rising unemployment. The pain is sharper and lasts longer than that of a soft landing, but a “growth” recession doesn’t pull the entire economy into contraction the way a proper recession would. It looks like a recession, and feels like a recession, but it isn’t a recession — at least not officially. A growth recession is still painful.

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