Fiscal Freedom – The Heritage Foundation

Tax Burden is a measure of the tax burden imposed by government. It includes direct taxes, in terms of the top marginal tax rates on individual and corporate incomes, and overall taxes, including all forms of direct and indirect taxation at all levels of government, as a percentage of GDP. Thus, the fiscal freedom component is composed of three quantitative factors:

Fiscal freedom scores are calculated with a quadratic cost function to reflect the diminishing revenue returns from very high rates of taxation. The data for each factor are converted to a 100-point scale using the following equation:

Fiscal Freedomij= 100 (Factorij)2

where Fiscal Freedomij represents the fiscal freedom in country i for factor j; Factorij represents the value (based on a scale of 0 to 100) in country i for factor j; and is a coefficient set equal to 0.03. The minimum score for each factor is zero, which is not represented in the printed equation but was utilized because it means that no single high tax burden will make the other two factors irrelevant.

As an example, in the 2013 Index, Mauritius has a flat rate of 15 percent for both individual and corporate tax rates, which yields a score of 93.3 for each of the two factors. Mauritiuss overall tax burden as a portion of GDP is 18.5 percent, yielding a tax burden factor score of 89.7. When the three factors are averaged together, Mauritiuss overall fiscal freedom score becomes 92.1.

Sources. Unless otherwise noted, the Index relies on the following sources for information on taxation, in order of priority: Deloitte, International Tax and Business Guide Highlights; International Monetary Fund, Staff Country Report, Selected Issues and Statistical Appendix, and Staff Country Report, Article IV Consultation, 20092012; PricewaterhouseCoopers, Worldwide Tax Summaries, 20092012; countries investment agencies; other government authorities (embassy confirmations and/or the countrys treasury or tax authority); and Economist Intelligence Unit, Country Commerce and Country Finance, 20092012.

For information on tax burden as a percentage of GDP, the primary sources (in order of priority) were Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development data; Eurostat, Government Finance Statistics data; African Development Bank and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, African Economic Outlook 2012; International Monetary Fund, Staff Country Report, Selected Issues, and Staff Country Report, Article IV Consultation, 20092012; Asian Development Bank, Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific, 20092012; and individual contacts from government agencies and multinational organizations such as the IMF and World Bank.

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Fiscal Freedom - The Heritage Foundation

Diversity, equity and inclusion update: June 2022 issue | CU Boulder Today – CU Boulder Today

Editors note: This is part of a monthly series of campus updates on diversity, equity and inclusion that will continue throughout the year.

The Juneteenth Flag flies below the Stars and Stripes during a flag-raising ceremony at the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building in Boulder. (Photo by Casey A. Cass/University of Colorado)

From left:Philip DiStefano, chancellor of CU Boulder; Junie Joseph, Boulder city councilwoman; and Sonia DeLuca Fernndez, senior vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at CU Boulder, chat before a June 17 raising of the Juneteenth flag at the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building in Boulder. (Photo by Casey A. Cass/University of Colorado)

CU Boulder and city of Boulder leaders and residents gathered on June 17 for a flag-raising ceremony to mark Juneteenth, Colorados newest official state holiday.

Chancellor Philip DiStefano and Senior Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sonia DeLuca Fernndez were among the university and community leaders in attendance.

Earlier this month, CU Boulder critical ethnic studies doctoral student Shawn Trenell ONeal spoke about Juneteenth and its impact on the United States during a June 8 meeting of the Boulder Chambers Business Womens Leadership Group.

Juneteenth, traditionally celebrated on June 19, recognizes and celebrates the freedom and self-determination of African Americans and the end of slavery following the Civil War. It became a federal holiday in 2021, providing all Americans with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the nations collective and diverse history.

ColoradoGov. Jared Polis signed a legislative bill into law in May designating Juneteenth an official state holiday, recognizing the importance of the date, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and the second Independence Day.

For the 2022 fiscal year, qualifying university employees are eligible to take a personal observance day to mark Juneteenth before Dec. 31 in consultation with supervisors. Learn more about Juneteenth asa floating holiday and how it willimpact the campus community.

Read more:Four things to know about Juneteenth

CUPD Chief of Police Doreen Jokerst, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs JB Banks, and Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold celebrate Pride Month at a recent Boulder County Pride Week event.

Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold, left, and CUPD Police Chief Doreen Jokerst gather with members of the Boulder community during a parade to mark Pride Week, June 612.

Pride Month occurs each June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City and to celebrate the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals across the United States.

However, recognizing and supporting students, staff and faculty who identify as LGBTQ+ is a yearlong commitment at CU Boulder, and the campus offers services and resources for anyone who needs support, wants to connect with others or would like to learn more about LGBTQ+ history, communities, resources and activities on campus and beyond.

Campus resources and support services are available to students, staff and faculty through the universitys Pride Office in the Center for Inclusion and Social Change.

University Libraries offers a Pride Month research guide for campus community members who want to connect with local LGBTQ+ organizations, attend local programming, become an ally or learn more about LBGTQ+ history and communities.

Beyond the campus, Boulder County marked Pride Month June 612, a celebration that drew the participation of CU Boulder community members and campus leaders.

In addition, CU was among the dozens of sponsors of the annual Denver PrideFest June 2326, which included a parade, a 5K race, a rally and other activities.

According to Wikipedia, Denver PrideFest, which drew 525,000 people in 2019, hosts the sixth-largest Pride celebration in the United States after New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and Houston. New York City held the largest WorldPride festival in 2019, drawing an estimated 5 million people.

Read more:From Dont say gay to bathrooms and sports: How debates over LGBTQ+ rights impact kids

The Center for Inclusion and Social Change has scheduled summer UndocuAlly Zoom sessions for staff, faculty and students with administrative or teaching roles.

Participants will learn more about the makeup of the campuss undocumented community and the history of U.S. immigration and gain a greater understanding of the challenges, opportunities and resources available to undocumented students.

Participants will also learn more about the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Colorados Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) and how these programs affect CU Boulder students.

The remaining summer session will take place from noon to 2 p.m. on July 22.

More information about how to register is available on the ODECE website.

Campus efforts and investments to address pressing and painful inequities at CU Boulder are only a beginning. Creating a culture of belonging will take each member of our community practicing sustained personal work to truly embrace and support diverse perspectives and identities in our community.

This year, Chancellor Philip DiStefano and other campus leaders urge every member of our community to join in learning more about diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism and to work continuously together to address these challenges more actively and in ways that can help authentically transform our campus culture in the coming year.

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Diversity, equity and inclusion update: June 2022 issue | CU Boulder Today - CU Boulder Today

Menendez, Schiff alarmed that Biden again approves US military aid to Azerbaijan – Armenian Weekly

WASHINGTON, DC Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) reacted sharply to President Bidens decision to once again waive Section 907 restrictions on US aid to Azerbaijan, greenlighting new US military aid to the Aliyev regime despite its ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a statement released on Friday, Chairman Menendez noted, I am deeply disappointed to see the Department of State once again make an exception to bypass Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act to provide what has become annual assistance to the regime in Baku. Adding insult to injury, the administration chose to move forward with this most recent waiver despite the recent publication of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which confirmed the Department of State and Department of Defense have failed to meet statutory reporting requirements to Congress on the impact of U.S. assistance on the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Chairman Menendez continued, As Azerbaijan continues to further occupy territory from its violent assault on Nagorno-Karabakh, during which more than 6,500 people died and more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were displaced in 2020, it simply makes no sense to say that U.S. assistance and training has not impacted its military balance with Armenia. I will continue to conduct rigorous oversight of any and all assistance to Azerbaijan and expect the Department of State to operate with complete transparency and provide all necessary details for Congress to assess any assistance provided to Baku.

In commentary released to the ANCA, Chairman Schiff pledged to work with Congressional allies and the Armenian American community to remove a presidents power to waive Section 907 and to urge the Biden administration to reinvigorate the peace process. Chairman Schiff explained, Azerbaijan is responsible for provoking a horrific war and humanitarian disaster in Armenia and Artsakh, killing thousands of Armenians over 44 days in September 2020 and forcing thousands more to flee their ancestral homelands. To this day, Azerbaijan continues to illegally detain Armenian soldiers who have been subject to torture, and to threaten thousands of innocent civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh who live in fear of another attack and invasion.

Chairman Schiff continued, Under no circumstances should the United States be providing military support to such a regime it not only runs counter to our nations core democratic values, but could empower the Aliyev regime to continue or escalate its provocative actions against Armenians. President Biden should not have waived Section 907.

ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian thanked Chairman Menendez and Chairman Schiff for calling out the Biden administrations reckless decision demanding stronger Congressional oversight and a stop to US military aid to Azerbaijan. Not a single penny in US tax-payer money should go to the overtly racist and openly aggressive Aliyev regime. We look forward to working with Chairman Menendez and Chairman Schiff and their colleagues on key committees in both the Senate and the House to oppose US subsidies for Azerbaijans genocidal violence against Artsakh and Armenia.

The ANCA has been running an online campaign condemning President Bidens decision and urging Congress to use every legislative vehicle possible to zero-out military aid to Azerbaijan.

On June 23, the Biden administration reportedly notified Congress of their decision to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. The measure, adopted in 1992, establishes statutory restrictions on US assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan until the President determines, and so reports to the Congress, that the Government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Congress included a Section 907 waiver in the FY2002 Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. US presidents Republican and Democrat have waived Section 907 annually ever since.

During his run for office, on October 14, 2020, then-candidate Biden stated that the United States must fully implement and not waive requirements under Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act to stop the flow of military equipment to Azerbaijan. As President, he first reversed his position on the issue on April 23, 2021 on the eve of his historic announcement properly recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, issued earlier this year, revealed that the State Department consistently failed to inform Congress of the impact of over $164 million in assistance to Baku on the military balance between Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to the GAO, the US has provided about $808 million in overall US aid to Azerbaijan in fiscal years 2002 through 2020.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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Menendez, Schiff alarmed that Biden again approves US military aid to Azerbaijan - Armenian Weekly

Egypt is cozying up to Russia. It’s time for the US to step in. – Atlantic Council

ByShahira Amin

In June, Russias state-owned atomic energy firm, Rosatom, made a surprise announcement that it would begin producing equipment for Egypts first nuclear power plant in the northwest town of El-Dabaa. The new development has raised concerns in the United States and Europe -which harbor resentment toward Russia for its aggression against Ukraine and see the continuation of the project as a sign of Egypt cozying up to Moscow.

The announcement, which came during a visit to Moscow by the head of Egypts Nuclear Power Plants Authority, marks a revival of an agreement signed by Egypt and Russia in 2015 and has seen little progress since. The decision to resume work on the controversial Dabaa civilian nuclear facility has also raised some skeptical eyebrows among observers in the US and Europe.

For one, Russiawhich has committed to financing 85 percent of the cost of the Dabaa project through a $25 billion loan over a twenty-two-year periodis engaged in the war in Ukraine that has led to the imposition of punitive, multilateral economic sanctions.

Egypt, meanwhile, has no pressing need for a nuclear facility, analysts argue. The North African country has an energy surplus thanks to growing investments in renewable energy and large oil and gas discoveries made in recent years. Production from Zohrone of the largest gas fields in the Mediterranean (discovered by Italian energy firm Eni in 2015)reached a record 2.74 billion cubic feet of gas per day in 2021. The addition of two new wells to the gas field is expected to further boost production in the coming months. Moreover, a $10 billion solar power facility is under construction in the southern city of Aswan, with the potential to produce the same amount of energy as Dabaa (at just one-third of the latters cost). This renders the Aswan facility far more cost-effective and without the potential environmental risks posed by the Dabaa facility.

Egyptian officials insist, however, that the countrys future energy securityand population growthnecessitate diversification of energy sources, including nuclear and coal.

They see the construction of the Dabaa facility as a means of catalyzing the countrys shift to a low-carbon economy: nuclear energy is low-carbon and can supply the Arab Worlds most populous country with clean, reliable, and affordable electricity, one security official told me. Egypts Integrated Energy Strategy aims to raise power production from renewable sources to more than 40 percent by 2035. Not surprisingly, the project is being touted in Egyptian media as one that would improve the living standards of Egyptians. The project also aligns with Egypts ambition to become a regional energy hub for Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Middle East. Toward that end, Egypt has been implementing fiscal reform and constructing energy interconnections (besides its marked shift toward renewable energy resource development.)

Meanwhile, the Russian war in Ukraine and subsequent push by the US and its European allies to abandon the use of Russian fossil fuels, offers an opportunity for Egypt to step in and plug the gap in gas supplies to Europe through increased production and exports. Agreements have already been signed by Eni and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company, EGAS, for Egypt to provide EuropeItaly in particularwith 3 billion cubic meters of liquified natural gas in 2022.

Seeing a solid partner in Russia and grateful to the latter for its support, Egypt has refused to cave in to pressure from US and European allies to blatantly condemn the Russian war in Ukraine. Egypt has instead chosen to remain neutral in the conflict and has rejected the idea of imposing sanctions on Russia despite the fact that the country, too, is suffering from the implications of the ongoing war. Egyptthe bulk of whose wheat imports had come from Russia and Ukraine before the waris now having to turn to alternative wheat import sources like Romania, France, and India, and is also paying a lot more for its imports. As Egypt grapples with a growing budget deficit and a shortage in foreign currency reserves, the country is paying up to US$ 480 per ton for imported wheat an approximately 78 percent increase iover the original price (US$270) paid before the war.

Addressing the International Economic Forum held in St. Petersburg on June 15-18, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised Egypts distinguished relations with Russia. He noted that the two countries were implementing large and ambitious projects, citing the Dabaa facility as one such project. Russia is also enhancing its cooperation with Egypt by establishing a Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal, which is expected to attract $7 billion in investmentsand is also helping develop Egypts dilapidated rail network.

The two countries have enjoyed close relations for decades, but ties have grown stronger since President Sisi came to power in 2014. Irked by criticism from the US and European leaders in regard to grave human rights abuses committed by his regime, Sisi has sought to diversify Egypts global partnerships by cementing ties with his Russian counterpartan autocrat unconcerned with democracy and human rights.

Sisi, meanwhile, continues to be wary of the US, since the latter threw its weight behind the pro-democracy activists that led the 2011 uprising against dictator Hosni Mubarak, and was later willing to give democracy a chance by acquiesing to Muslim Brotherhood rule. The US went further, suspending n 2013 a portion of the $1.3 billion it annually gives to Egypt over the bloody crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, according to a CNN report. Although the US released the suspended aid in 2015, the suspension had already caused a strain in US-Egypt relations.

In September 2021, the US State Department announced plans by the Joe Biden administration to withhold $130 million worth of military aid to Egypt until the latter takes specific steps related to human rights. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly characterized allegations of human rights violations as interference in the countrys internal affairs and misinformation spread by the opposition.

If the US wishes to bolster its cooperation with Egypt, it may need to do what the European Union (EU) has done: water down its criticism of Egypts human rights situation and look out for its interests. So long as Sisi halts the flow of illegal migration from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to Europeand continues his counter-terrorism efforts, the EU is willing to turn a blind eye to any excesses and bolster the Egyptian militarys arsenal through increased European arms sales to Egypt (notably from Germany and France.) This unspoken agreement has prompted Egypt to sign a long-delayed partnership deal with the EU to be implemented over the next five years. Priorities of the new partnership include helping Egypt build a sustainable and resilient economy through green and digital transition, energy, rural development, and supporting the country in tackling its food security challenge.

That isnt to say that the US and EU should disregard their core values of respect for human rights, equality, freedom, and democracy. Rather, the West should continue to press for political reforms through enhanced support and greater cooperation to build mutual trust.

In his address to the St. Petersburg Forum, Sisi acknowledged that Egypt is feeling the pinch of the global economic crisis and called fora collaborative effort from all parties to address the crisis.

The US would do well to heed the call by continuing to extend support to its North African ally in this time of economic upheaval and uncertainty. The Biden administration has made no secret of its plan to withdraw fromor at least downsize the US footprint in the Middle East. The decision has left countries in the region feeling vulnerableabandoned even as their leaders had looked to the US for support during the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, food shortages, and the impact of climate change, to name a few.

It isnt surprising that Russia would step in to regain its position in MENA and fill a potential vacuum created by the US disengaging from the region and shifting its focus to the Russian war and China. As Egypt continues its war against terrorism in the Sinai and struggles to lift its economy from imminent recession, the US needs to reconsider its policy vis-a-vis MENAin particular, Egypt, whose stability is key for the stability of the region.

Supporting Egypt is a win-win, as it would guarantee that the US has a reliable partner to work with, especially when conflicts arise in the region. Egypt has, on several occasions, proved its mettle as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians. Such support would also ensure Cairos commitment to continuing the economic and political reformsit has started which are in the interests of both the US and Egypt. Now is the time for the US to cooperate more with Egypt, not less.

Shahira Amin is an independent journalist based in Cairo. A former contributor to CNNs Inside Africa, Amin has been covering the development in post-revolution Egypt for several outlets including Index on Censorship and Al-Monitor. Follow her on Twitter @sherryamin13.

Image: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi speaks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during the first plenary session as part of the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit at the Sirius Park of Science and Art in Sochi, Russia, October 24, 2019. Sergei Chirikov/Pool via REUTERS

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Egypt is cozying up to Russia. It's time for the US to step in. - Atlantic Council

PM to say to G7 leaders: We must keep up our resolve on Ukraine – GOV.UK

Any sign of fatigue or wavering in Western support for Ukraine will play directly into President Putins hands, the Prime Minister will tell world leaders this week at the first in-person gathering of G7 leaders since Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The first few weeks and months of the Ukrainian resistance have been characterised by overwhelming global unity and a huge surge of support for the Ukrainian people. It is essential that this is sustained for the long term. Russias behaviour and the atrocities Putin is committing must not become normalised in the eyes of the world.

During his second visit to Kyiv since the outbreak of war last week, the Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenskyy about the urgent needs of the Ukrainian Government. This includes military support, opening up the routes out of the country blockaded by the Russian military and urgent financial support to allow the Ukrainian state to function.

The Ukrainian Government fears it could run out of funding by the autumn unless it is given urgent financial help. To help with this pressing need the UK stands ready to provide another $525 million (or 429 million) in guarantees for World Bank lending later this year.

The new support announced today brings the total amount of fiscal support including UK loan guarantees to 1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) and the combined UK economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine to 1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) this year.

President Zelenskyy will virtually address the G7 Summit today. Following his address, the Prime Minister will use an intervention at the Summit to rally support for Ukraine. He will encourage all G7 countries to back Ukraine in the long-term, building on the significant pledges already made since February.

The Prime Minister said:

Future generations will be awed and inspired by the truly heroic Ukrainian resistance in the face of Putins barbarism.

Ukraine can win and it will win. But they need our backing to do so. Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine.

The UK will continue to back Ukraine every step of the way, because we know that their security is our security, and their freedom is our freedom.

UK loan guarantees are playing an important role in closing Ukraines financing gap, enabling Multilateral Development Banks like the World Bank to lend far more than they otherwise could to the Ukrainian Government. This lending is covering costs like Ukrainian public sector wages, and the running of schools and hospitals.

These investments will help preserve the Ukrainian state. The UK only covers the cost of the loan if the Ukrainian Government is unable to pay. They are therefore both an investment in Ukraines strategic resilience and an expression of confidence in the countrys future.

Without international support, the Ukrainian Government would be forced to pursue paths which compromise their macro-economic stability and long-term economic security, including running down reserves and printing money. Policies like these would directly lead to mass inflation and humanitarian catastrophe in the country.

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PM to say to G7 leaders: We must keep up our resolve on Ukraine - GOV.UK

Where have all the Christians gone? | News, Sports, Jobs – Williamsport Sun-Gazette – Williamsport Sun-Gazette

Is it just me, or have you also been noticing a growing trend among many Christian pastors and Church members in our country to replace traditional Christian values with a completely different set of beliefs? Here are some of the shifts I have noticed cropping up from behind the pulpit and in the pews:

FROM: My kingdom is not of this world

TO: My kingdom is the American Dream in the chosen land of the United States of America.

FROM: Worship no God but me. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

TO: A new Trinity: God, Guns and Country.

FROM: The inspired word of God is the Bible

TO: The inspired word of God is the Bible AND the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance (see the new God Bless America Bible).

FROM: There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ

TO: The ideal kingdom is the United States, a nation made up of Christian, native born, religious, social, and fiscal conservative whites (now including right-minded descendants of previously excluded groups like Catholics, Italians, Jews and Greeks).

FROM: What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world if he loses his soul?

TO: Peoples worth is measured by the dollar value of all the stuff they own. Life is a continuous shopping spree for all things, big and small.

FROM: The last shall be first and the first shall be last

TO: Winning isnt everything, its the only thing. The whole purpose of life is winning.

FROM: Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing

TO Always get even. Better yet, two eyes for one.

FROM: Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times seven.

TO: Dont get mad. Get even. Forgiveness is for sissies.

FROM: Love your neighbor as yourself

TO: Whats in it for me?

FROM: The truth will set you free. Freedom consists not in doing what what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.

TO: Freedom is the absence of constraints of any kind. Nobody is going to tell me what to do.

FROM: Blessed are your eyes, because they see and your ears because they hear.

TO: What youre seeing and what your reading is not what is happening.

FROM: Whatever you do to these the least of my brethren, you do to me.

TO: Nobody ever gave me anything. I got everything I have on my own. Everyone,even the bootless should lift himself up by his own bootstraps.

FROM: I am my brothers keeper. Were all in the same boat.

TO: Its every man for himself

FROM: Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white; they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

TO: Its okay to exclude, reject, mistreat, discriminate against and remain silent or even supportive when leaders whip up others to physically harm people because they are different from us in culture, ethnicity, skin pigmentation, origin, religious belief, or sexual orientation.

AND FROM: Blessed are the poor, the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, peacemakers, those who mourn, those who hunger for justice, those persecuted for doing good, those insulted and lied about because of me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven

TO: Get serious

Is this shift among many Christian shepherds and their flocks away from God as the Alpha and the Omega to Me as the Be All and End All of everything, from a religion of universal love to a religion of exclusionary nationalism really happening? I think so. But maybe it is just me. I sure hope so, because even if the Founding Fathers had wanted us to be a Christian nation, as many contend, I like to hope they were not thinking of such a perversion of Christs living example as I perceive we are witnessing.

Tim Mannello is a retired hospital executive and management consultant residing in Williamsport.

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Meet your next Congressional representative series: Brandon Williams – The Ithaca Voice

This is Part 6 of a daily series from The Ithaca Voice introducing voters to their potential next U.S. House of Representatives member. Brandon Williams is the sixth in the series of eight total. Others will be published each day throughout the week.

TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y.Brandon Williams wields the term outsider like its one of his strongest positive attributes and it could be. Considering the general antipathy toward the political establishment, among both parties but particularly in the conservative electorate, Williams, a Republican, has embraced and emphasized that he is the outsider candidate in the race to represent New Yorks 22nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Williams, a businessman and tech entrepreneur from Cayuga County with a military background, touts himself as a lifelong conservative who felt like he had to jump into politics because of his objections to higher political leadership.

This is our Republic, and were responsible for making things better, Williams said in an interview with The Ithaca Voice. This country doesnt belong to the elites or to the politicians. America is the most successful nation. Were the most successful people in all of history, and were a good people. [] And I just couldnt sit on the sideline and watch the direction that our political leadership was taking us and felt like it is my duty to stand up and try to make things better.

Williams said he enjoys the problem solving aspects of leadership, a sensibility that he hopes to bring to Congress if he does indeed win the election, and said that he believes his knowledge of the military and business worlds would be important foundation if he gets to office.

Overall, Williams lists his primary priorities as freedom (citing COVID-19 mandates as a violation of those freedoms), reindustrializing New York, reducing government spending and fighting what he called the woke agenda in schools. Further, he said he thinks the first proper step to building back up in a potentially post-COVID world would be to find some way to stem ongoing economic inflation.

I think we have to rein in inflation, Williams said. I think weve had very poor fiscal management in our government, very reckless spending thats resulted in this out of control inflation, and were now left with not very good choices of how to deal with that. And its going to have a very negative impact on workers and on the middle class.

Williams said that President Joe Biden has done a poor job on that topic and others, also intimating his belief that Biden isnt mentally fit to serve, and that Bidens withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan had influenced Russias decision to invade Ukraine.

At this point, the lines of the district that Williams is running for are unclear, as a decision potentially invalidating the lines had come down Wednesday afternoon. Before that, the lines had been presumed to lean much more heavily Democratic, but now it is unclear where they will end up. Regardless, Williams said before that ruling that he thought voters of both parties would resonate with his message of outsiders versus elites.

As a political outsider, I think that I bring a perspective of knowing how the economy actually works or how some of these industries actually work and shining light on these political sleight of hands that is really crippling, thats really harming the middle class, he said in response to Bidens decision to release domestic oil reserves but maintain other environmental regulations.

Overall, its clear that Williams sees himself as the true conservative in the race compared to opponent Mike Sigler, who is a Republican Tompkins County Legislator. Williams insists that his own lack of political experience will end up being a positive asset both to convince voters and if he gets into Congress.

This election is a lot more about the political establishment versus everyone else and the elite establishment versus everyone else, Williams said. And Ive operated outside of that. Im a political outsider and been living out in the real world, and I think thats what people really care about this cycle.

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Meet your next Congressional representative series: Brandon Williams - The Ithaca Voice

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, April 27, 2022 – The White House

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

3:07 P.M. EDTMS. PSAKI: Hi, everyone. Okay, I have no toppers today. Dont be so disappointed. And I know we have a hard out for some people to gather, so we will all keep you updated on when that needs to happen.But, Zeke, why dont you kick us off?Q Thanks, Jen. Just two quick. The President put out a statement this morning on the prisoner swap for the release of Trevor Reed. And he called it said there were some difficult decisions that he had to make, involved. Can you just elaborate on what he meant? Is there a concern that this sort of arrangement incentivizes other countries to wrongfully detain Americans?MS. PSAKI: Well, first, let me say that its a huge moment today that speaks to President Bidens commitment to bring home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained around the world. And he has been clear since the beginning of this administration that he is committed to doing exactly that: to bringing Americans home.Hes brought home Americans from Venezuela, from Afghanistan, from Haiti, from Burma, and now, today, from Russia.And Trevors freedom is the result of months and months of hard, careful work across the U.S. government.Now Ill get to your question. When he referenced the tough decision in his statement this morning, he was referencing the decision to commute the sentence of Konstantin Yaroshenko. I would emphasize that this individual had already served the majority of his prison sentence for a nonviolent drug crime. And our overriding priority here was the safe return of Trevor Reed, knowing not only had he been held against his will for too long, but that his health condition required urgent treatment. Hes going to be able to not only be reunited united reunited with his family, but to receive the treatment he needed from the United States.So, again, our objective is to bring all Americans who are detained, who are held, who are away from their families home from overseas. But Im not going to be able to preview for you what processes or approaches were going to take for those moving forward.Q And is there a concern that now its not just detaining Americans but wrongfully mistreating them allows a lot of them get seriously ill it gives other countries leverage over the United States in terms of creating another opportunity, such as this, for this sort of prisoner swap?MS. PSAKI: Well, again, unfortunately, Zeke, you know, there are Americans who are held in other places around the world who we are still working to bring home. And that has been the case long before the President and, importantly, our hostage negotiator took the steps to bring Trevor Reed home.So I this has been going on for a long time, I guess is my is my larger point. And our effort and our objective was to take steps that we needed to take to bring him home, knowing his health conditions and knowing hes been held for too long.Q And a slightly different topic: Russia yesterday effectively cutting out that cutting off natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria.MS. PSAKI: Yeah.Q Whats the White House response to that? And are there additional steps the U.S. government is taking to reassure its European allies that maybe not so much now, but certainly when the weather turns later this year that they will have the energy supplies they need?MS. PSAKI: Sure. Well, unfortunately, this is not this is the type of step, the type of almost weaponizing energy supplies that we had predicted that Russia could take in this conflict. That is why we, of course, have been in touch with Europe, including over the with these countries including over the last 24 hours, with leaders in Poland and Bulgaria.And we have been working for some time now, for months, with partners around the world to diversify natural gas supply to Europe to in anticipation of and to also address near-term needs and replace volumes that would otherwise come from Russia.I would note that last month, in advance of this, the President launched a task force with the EU to target additional LNG volumes for Europe, including Poland and Bulgaria. This will help replace, over time, Russian gas to Europe, decreasing Europes dependence on Russia and Putins ability to use energy to coerce Europe.I would also note that Poland and Polish leaders have said they have the capacity through the reserves and other imports right now, for the moment. And Bulgaria has said it is also looking at other import actions.So we are working and we have been working to address over the long term. We have been in touch with these leaders over the last 24 hours. And I would also note what theyve said about what their capacities are for the current short term.Go ahead.Q Thanks, Jen. Has the President been in touch with or does he plan to reach out to Paul Whelans family, Brittney Griners family, any of the other families who have loved ones detained in Russia?MS. PSAKI: We have, of course, been in touch with their families over the course of time. Im not going to detail those conversations further.Q But Paul Whelans brother, David Whelan, put out a statement today. He said, If this case required difficult decisions that the President doesnt take lightly, how difficult are the decisions he faces to release Paul? Whats your response to the Whelan family?MS. PSAKI: Our response is that we are going to continue to do, the President is going to continue to do, our State Department officials and negotiators are going to continue to do everything they can to bring Paul Whelan home.Q If I could just ask one more follow-up: The President, of course, met with Reeds family here at the White House. Can you talk about the personal impact that that meeting might have had? Did it did he leave that meeting with a sense of urgency a renewed sense of urgency to get this done?MS. PSAKI: I would say the President has had a sense of urgency about bringing Americans home long before that meeting. Of course, he enjoyed that meeting he had with them. He also spoke with them on the phone when he went and traveled to Texas. And again, I know he was intending to reach out to them this morning as well.Go ahead.Q On the economy, we have a GDP print thats coming out tomorrow thats expected to show fairly marginal growth. Theres increasing expectations from banks, predictions of that were entering a recession.Your budget plan had a focus on budget deficit reduction, as opposed to fiscal stimulus. Is there any plan to change that as we see the threat of a recession looming?MS. PSAKI: Well, again, as Ive said before on the recession question: Obviously, we look closely at economic data. We continue to believe that there are there are strong data in the economy, whether its record job growth, whether it is the current unemployment rate. And that is a result of the actions of the President.I would note on the GDP expectations for tomorrow: As you noted, the market expectations and other analysts out there do expect the growth to be slower in quarter one, which is what the data is being reported out tomorrow, than in quarter the fourth quarter of last year.This largely reflects the str- very strong pace of growth in the fourth quarter. When taken together, growth over the two quarters is expected to be at a solid pace if we look at it over time, which is how we look at data.And looking under the hood, the slowdown relative to quarter four is mainly for technical reasons like the change in inventory. So, last quarter, companies built up their inventories very quickly. And growth in inventories are expected to be slower, though still positive, this quarter.This is something that has been pointed out or this trend or these reasoning this reasoning, I should say, has been pointed out by a range of outside economists and forecasters, including former NEC Director Jason Furman.Q A quick follow-up just on inflation: Theres been some numbers that have shown that, you know, the monthly interest payment that somebody pays when they take out a mortgage has basically doubled over the past year.Youve talked about what youre doing on meat prices. But if you look at the grocery bill, pretty widely there are many categories where were seeing double-digit inflation: flour, coffee, fruit.Is there any strategy to deal with some of these other areas where were seeing, kind of, broad-based inflation?MS. PSAKI: Well, I would say the Presidents plan to address inflation or address causes or costs as theyve gone up for the American people has many different components.Obviously, theres an important purview that the Federal Reserve has, and theyve indicated their plans to recalibrate. We support that that effort or steps they intend to take. And obviously, they have purview over and theyve predicted that inflation will come down and moderate before the end of the year.But how the American people experience inflation is costs, as you noted, whether its at the grocery store or other costs on their pocketbook. And the President has taken a number of steps to address costs, even extending the pause on student loans, which is something he did just a few weeks ago; the steps to fix the family glitch in the Affordable Care Act so more people would be eligible for lower-cost healthcare; and continuing conversations that are happening on Capitol Hill right now on his proposals to lower costs on childcare, healthcare, the cost of prescription drugs. These are all areas that impact and will help families as were working to bring costs down.Go ahead.Q The President told Trevor Reeds family that he wanted to call them in the middle of the night last night but didnt want to jinx the release of their son. Can you tell us more about whats been happening behind closed doors for the last, you know, 12 or 24 hours regarding this release?MS. PSAKI: Sure. And, you know, I think what the President was referring to you know, and Ive fortunately because its a part of history and a great day, obviously, when you bring an American home, and the President has, of course, been a part of many of these in a much higher and more important role is just theres a lot of sensitivity, as you all know, around the period of time when individuals are in transit right? when they are being brought to a third country.As weve noted, you know, we are very grateful to Turkey for allowing the exchange to take place in their country. So, basically, over the last 24 hours one, as I noted, this this had been happening over several months.So, Roger Carstens, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and his team and many others have been had been negotiating and engaging in this.And the exchange took place in Turkey during the early hours of the morning, East Coast time.So I think what the President was referring to was his understanding and knowledge that that would be happening but not wanting to put anyone in a position of putting that at risk, even people who are excited and joyful and looking forward to the news.And, you know, then once they got to Turkey and they were safely on a plane on their way back, we were able to obviously make notifications and phone calls and also put out this statement from the President to make all of you aware.Q Were any other conditions agreed to for Trevor Reeds release, besides the release of this Russian?MS. PSAKI: This was the discussion about one issue and one topic, and that was the release of Trevor Reed.Q But were there any other conditions agreed to besides releasing the Russian in exchange for Trevor Reed?MS. PSAKI: There is no other condition. There were no other conditions that Im aware of.Q And what does the White House read into Russias willingness to release Trevor Reed now, in the middle of this invasion of Ukraine?MS. PSAKI: Look, I think the release of Trevor Reed, him returning home to his family, receiving the healthcare that he has long needed, does not change our approach or view, opposition, or the Presidents intention to put forward a package in the coming days to help continue to support the Ukrainians.In terms of what they mean or how they assess it, I would leave it to them to speak to that.Q But does it make anyone here at the White House more optimistic about what could be ahead, or does it have nothing to do with anything MS. PSAKI: This is was about one issue and topic, and I dont think we should read into it further.Q Can we go toward the back?MS. PSAKI: Yeah, we can come to the back in a moment. Go ahead, Weijia.Q Thanks, Jen. To follow up on MaryAlices question, during an interview this morning, Trevor Reeds parents said they believed that personal meeting with the President was the, quote, tipping point, that it made all the difference. Is that true?MS. PSAKI: Well, look, I would say anytime that you meet with a President meets with or any official from the government meets with the parents or family members of someone whos being detained, that impacts them personally.But this had been negotiated in negotiations for months.Q I spoke with David Whelan today, and he is concerned that Reeds release now narrows the chances for his brothers release, because Russia obviously was you know, wanted Yaroshenkos release for years now, and now that its happened, he worries that that was a major concession that the U.S. no longer has. So what do you say to the Whelan family?MS. PSAKI: Well, we would say we will continue to advocate for the immediate, unconditional of Paul Whelan at every opportunity. And using wrongful detention as a bargaining chip represents a threat to the safety of everyone traveling, working, and living abroad. We obviously oppose this practice anywhere, and we are going to continue to do everything we can to bring him home.Q They are thrilled, obviously, about Trevor Reeds release, but they cant help but have some questions about why Paul Whelan, whos been detained in Russia longer than Trevor Reed, is not home. Can you explain that? And did Reeds health, as you mentioned, have anything to do with it?MS. PSAKI: Obviously, our objective continues to be to bring Paul Whelan home and any American who is not with their family and is being detained overseas. But Im just not going to get into more details because I want to maintain the protection of our process.Q And then, on a separate topic: Yesterday, Dr. Jha said that people who are at high risk for developing a severe case of COVID are eligible for Paxlovid. And the Vice President just got her second booster shot. She has no symptoms. Can you help us understand why shes taking it?MS. PSAKI: Well, he also said, which you didnt include in your summary there, but that you should consult with your doctor, and she consulted with her doctor. She has been given Paxlovid. Thats something many Americans may be eligible for; they should also consult with their doctor.And I think, overall, were just grateful that this is an approved drug on the market that many people can benefit from, including the Vice President.Okay, thank you.Q Go ahead in the back. In the way back. Way back.Q Eleven years ago, Japan had a terrible disaster and the U.S. launched a program most people have probably forgotten called Operation Tomodachi. Twenty-five thousand American military and ten thousand volunteers came from Japan to help. And one of those that came was President Biden. Im wondering if on this upcoming trip hell be coming back to that area for a short visit.And while were waiting for advisement, is it possible to do an interview with you?MS. PSAKI: Oh okay. (Laughter.) You often come with an interview request. I should know ahead of time.I will just note I expect we will have more details on the Presidents travel to Asia something he is clearly looking forward to since hes spoken about it publicly soon, in the coming days. But in advance of that, Im just not going to have much more to preview for all of you.Okay, go ahead. Go ahead go ahead.Q Thanks, Jen. Yesterday, after the Vice President announced that she tested positive, the usual people on the Internet and elsewhere who dont like vaccines, who dont think COVID (inaudible), immediately started with the, Well, she would have been fine even if she hadnt gotten the vaccine.It seems like every time theres a high-profile announcement that someone has gotten COVID be it a member of Congress, AG Garland, people at the Gridiron dinner people take it as proof that vaccines dont work.So, what about the White Houses messaging could be better on that, given that 234,000 Americans died?MS. PSAKI: Yeah. Well, first, I would say the truth, is which is, I think, why youre asking me this question is quite the contrary.I mean, the Vice President is continuing to carry out her duties, as the Vice President of the United States, from home, engaging in meetings, policy discussions Im sure youll see her in some capacity publicly from home as well because she is double boosted and she has taken the steps to protect herself, like we have continued to recommend other Americans do.So, I would note that while the vaccine the reason to take the vaccine is, of course, because it can protect you from severe death from death, from severe illness severe death, that was a little intense how I said that (laughter) from death or severe illness, and it by multitudes of numbers.And, you know, were going to continue and if you are eligible for a booster as she was, as the President was, we recommend you get that for a second booster, because it can put you in a position where even if you get COVID, youre able to still not experience minimal symptoms or no symptoms, like the Vice President has been, and to continue to go about daily life the best you can while youre quarantining.Go ahead, Tam.Q Yep, thank you. Dr. Fauci said on the PBS NewsHour last night, quote, This country is out of the pandemic phase of COVID. What phase are we in right now? And also, if we are out of the pandemic phase, why are emergency measures still in place?MS. PSAKI: Well, what Dr. Fauci was saying is that we are in a different phase of this pandemic, and thats absolutely true. Last month, the President announced a plan for how we can move forward safely while staying on our front foot against COVID. As he pointed out, nationwide, cases are relatively low far below the 900,000 cases a day we saw during the Omicron surge.Even as weve seen upticks, hospitalizations are about at about the lowest level since the pandemic, and deaths are declining. So, theres no question that we are in a moment a different moment in our fight against COVID.But we also know COVID isnt over and the pandemic isnt over. And what Dr. Jha said yesterday also is that different doctor, I realize, but I just want to reference him since he was just here is that cases are low, driven by the extremely while cases are low, cases while cases while low, cases are still you know, weve seen an uptick in some places driven by the extremely transmissible BA.2 variant.We know the risk of potential sur- surges, even as a potential new variant or subvariant remains. So, different phase, because were at a much lower level of hospitalizations, of deaths, and even, nationwide, of cases. But we are still seeing people get very sick from COVID and cases of COVID, and we have measures that we should all continue to take to protect ourselves.Q Just a couple of very quick, short other questions. Daleep Singh is reportedly taking a leave of absence. Can you confirm that when hell be gone and what that means for the sanctions work that hes doing that is very important right now?MS. PSAKI: It is very important. Hes a very important member of the national security team. I dont have any details or any confirmation of his plans.What I would note, and if Daleep were here and well invite him he would note is that he has an incredible team he works with who helps put together these sanctions package, help packages helps implementation, helps coordinate diplomatically. And we will there are a number of people who will continue to do that work.Q And when are you sending the funding request for Ukraine funding up to the Hill?MS. PSAKI: Well, the President said last week it will be this week. So, theres only two days left of this week. As soon as tomorrow, but in the next two days.Go ahead.Q Indonesia decided to invite President Zelenskyy to the G20. Im wondering if you have a reaction to that, but also what it says about progress that the U.S. might be making behind the scenes, hoping to expel Russia from that forum, and if the decision to invite President Zelenskyy has informed and the President can confirm that hes going to now attend the summit.MS. PSAKI: Well, weve seen the reports that President Zelenskyy has been invited to the G20. And we certainly welcome that. As you know, President Biden said just last month that Ukraine should be able to participate.But we dont have further confirmation beyond the news reports, which we certainly think are positive.And as he also said last month which is, of course, why youre asking me he doesnt think Russia should be invited, but, ultimately, its a decision for the G20.So, we dont have any new announcements at this point. We will continue to engage. And weve reached out, of course, to Indonesia, as you noted, whos hosting the summit. But we dont have any other additional details.Its six months away. Typically, the President does attend, but I dont have anything to confirm about a trip six months away at this point.Q Just a quick one on Ukraine. Theres been questions about why the U.S. hasnt suspended steel tariffs on Ukrainian steel coming in. Do you have any information about why weve maintained those tariffs, considering everything with (inaudible)?MS. PSAKI:Sure.I obviously, there are a range of considerations to provide not only direct assistance but economic relief to the Ukrainians under consideration.I dont have anything to preview at this point in time.

Ill go to Kristen and then Jacqui, and then Ill go to the back.

Go ahead.

QJen, thank you so much. Following up on Tam, we actually just reported that the White House is tomorrow as soon as tomorrow going to request the supplemental, and that will it will be through the end of the fiscal year, and that its going to be massive.

Can you help characterize how much money will the administration be asking for?Will we hear from the President on this?MS. PSAKI:So, let me try to answer all those questions, and then tell me if I dont. I can confirm as soon as tomorrow only two days left in this week, but it will definitely be this week that we will send up the supplemental.

In terms of the Presidents schedule, his role, I have nothing to preview at this point in time. As soon as anything is finalized, if hes going to speak publicly, we will announce that to all of you or let you all know.

In terms of the length or the size, I dont have a number for you at this point in time. But there is plans for this to be a proposal to go through the fiscal year. And it will include, as our past packages have included, security or military assistance, humanitarian, economic assistance, given those, in our view, will help address a range of the needs the Ukrainians have.

Q Thank you. You did answer all of my question.Obviously, there is a renewed push on Capitol Hill and behind the scenes here at the White House for some revised version of the Build Back Better plan a scaled-back version.

When was the last time President Biden spoke with Senator Manchin in earnest about what he could sign off on?

MS. PSAKI: So, were just not going to detail that, per the Presidents request, from here any conversations he has with Senator Manchin or other senators just to protect those conversations.Q Fair enough. Can you characterize, though are the negotiations happening in earnest? Are there real talks going on about specific things that Senator Manchin, that the White House could agree to?MS. PSAKI: I would I would tell you and Im sure your colleagues on the Hill, now that all these senators are back, can confirm this with a number of them right now, or today that there are still a great deal of interest, passion in moving forward with the Presidents plan to lower costs for Americans and a lot of senators who would like to see this move forward.

Q Secretary Mayorkas is getting a real grilling on Capitol Hill today, particularly about Title 42 and the plans that are in place to deal with it. DHS has acknowledged that a surge would put a substantial strain on resources.

Now, obviously, DHS announced this six-point, 20-page plan. But given that strain that DHS is anticipating, why should the American people have confidence that youll be able to deal with that surge of migrants if Title 42 is lifted?

MS. PSAKI: Well, first, I would say, just as a reminder: It is a health authority, not an immigration plan or an immigration authority, and its not meant to be a replacement of. So the determination about where we stand and to lift it was made by the CDC.

Just to note the six-point plan that Secretary Mayorkas put out and talked about today, or over the last 24 hours, includes six pillars: surging resources, including personnel, transportation, medical support; enhancing CBP processing efficiency and moving with deliberate speed to mitigate potential overcrowding; administering consequences for unlawful entry; bolstering the capacity of nongovernmental organizations to receive noncitizens; targeting and disrupting the transnational criminal organization and smugglers; and deterring irregular migration.

So, what he talked about today is exactly what his preparedness plan thats been in the works and in the planning for months would do. And they have talked about the need, potentially, for more resources to make that happen.Q And just to be very clear, and some Democrats have said this: Does the plan will the plan be in place before Title 42 is lifted?MS. PSAKI: That is exactly what the preparedness and implementation plan is intended to do.Q Okay.

MS. PSAKI: Go ahead, Jacqui.

Q Thanks, Jen. Dr. Fauci said that hes not going to the White House Correspondents Dinner, citing COVID concerns. Obviously, hes the Presidents chief medical advisor. As far as we know, the President is still planning to attend. How should people understand Dr. Faucis decision versus the Presidents decision? And is there any concern that the President would be seen as not following the science in some way?MS. PSAKI: Well, first, I would note and respect everyones privacy, including Dr. Faucis, as much as hes very much a public figure. But as you all know, he can speak for himself and his decisions. And every individual will make their own decisions about whether they attend this event, other events, whether they wear a mask at it or not.

Obviously, the White House Correspondents Association is requiring same-day testing. Thats a thats a decision they have made. The President outlined, as you all know, a 100-page plan in March intended to position us to go back to our more normal routines. But in that, that requires making risk assessments and decisions about what youre going to do and what youre going to attend and be a part of, as we all do every day.

Today, the President felt it was very important to be at and speak at the memorial service for a diplomatic icon Secretary Madeleine Albright. He made the decision to do that, despite the fact that there were hundreds if not thousands of people there.

He has made the decision he wants to attend, in a safe way, the White House Correspondents Dinner to show his support showcase his support for the free press, for the work of all of you, for the work of your colleagues around the world to not only share accurate information about COVID but also report on the war in Ukraine and all of the work that happens every single day.

That does stand in stark contrast to his predecessor, who not only questioned the legitimacy of the press on a nearly dai daily basis, but also never attended the dinner, I dont believe.

So, he felt that was important and made a risk assessment to do that in consultation with his doctors and healthcare team.

I would note that we also take additional precautions and steps. I would expect that he may wear a mask when hes not speaking. Ill wear a mask when Im at the dinner, in all likelihood. And we also took steps, including the fact that hes not attending for the eating portion of the dinner and hell be there for the program, which includes a number of speakers, the presentation of scholarships, as you know, and, of course, his speaking and his roasting, where he will be on the menu, as he likes to say, when Trevor Noah is speaking.

So, you know, just like anything, its a risk assessment and a decision he made on a personal basis.Q Thank you. And I want to ask a few questions on Title 42, but real quick, I want to take another stab at a question I tried yesterday. You answered the first part of it. Weve heard the President say over and over again that he has never spoken to his son about his business dealings. Has he ever spoken to his sons business partners about his sons business dealings?MS. PSAKI: Again, nothing has changed about what I said yesterday. The President does not get involved in the business dealings of his son.

Q Even through his sons business partners?

MS. PSAKI: Nothing has changed since what I said yesterday.Q Okay. I dont believe you answered that part of my question yesterday though.

MS. PSAKI: Hes not involved in his sons business dealings.Q Okay. On Title 42, Mayorkas detailed this six-point plan; part of it involves sending healthcare providers from the VA. He was asked about this on the Hill today. He said that its necessary, that this interagency effort is necessary. But is it appropriate to be taking resources away from the VA to help with the surge at the border?

MS. PSAKI: Again, these dec- these decisions and discussions about what resources are possible are made through the interagency process, and clearly, having support and resources for our nations veterans is a top priority to the President. But we also want to take steps we can at the border, even as we anticipate an increase in migrants coming to the border, to keep the American people safe. And this is part of that effort.Q Another piece of this plan talked about the law enforcement help. CBP has 23,000 agents working on the southern border right now. Were already seeing 7,000 illegal crossings a day; that is expected to surge to 18,000 when Title 42 is lifted. So, how does adding 600 law enforcement officers make a dent in that?

MS. PSAKI: Well, I would say, Jacqui, that one of the reasons that Secretary Mayorkas is participating in the important, you know, democratic process of testifying on the Hill is to answer the questions of exactly how the resources hes requesting, and they have identified as needing, to address this potential increase will help address that. So I would point you to his many hours of testimony today and tomorrow.

Q And then theres been reporting that Speaker Pelosi is unhappy with the way that the White House has handled Title 42 and worried that if it comes up for a vote as part of the Ukraine package, that Democrats wouldnt have the votes to defeat that. Does the White House share that concern? And what do you make of Pelosi seeming to be kind of shaky on just how close she is with the White House on this decision?MS. PSAKI: Well, I would say were incredibly close with Speaker Pelosi, and the President has known her for many, many decades. I dont I dont have more to spell out or explain what her meaning was or what defeat it means or doesnt mean.

There are many strong feelings and points of view on Capitol Hill in the House and in the Senate about Title 42. It wasnt a decision made by the White House. Its a decision made to lift it by the CDC. The authority given to was given to them by Congress.

And our effort and our focus is on implementation. And the Department the Secretary of Homeland Security is obviously testifying on that.

So, I dont have any more to explain about the particular comments. But we obviously work very closely with Speaker Pelosi on a range of issues, including immigration.

Q But a number of Democrats are, you know, speaking up about their problems with Title 42. I mean, Mark Kelly was briefed by Mayorkas yesterday. He said that he still has remaining questions about how and when resources are going to hit the ground. These are Democrats saying these things. Theyre not wanting, you know, Title 42 to replace an immigration effort, but theyre saying that there just is not a plan in place to support whats going to happen when Title 42 goes away.MS. PSAKI: Well, what I was trying to note earlier, perhaps not articulately, is that there are a range of members who have strong concerns about it being lifted. Again, not a decision we make a decision made by health and science experts. And there are many members who feel very strongly about it actually being it lifted and that moving forward.This is why Secretary Mayorkas is on the Hill doing, I believe, four hearings, answering extensive questions from a range of members, Democratic and Republican. He put out a six-pillar plan on exactly how hes going to implement it. And that has been a plan thats been in the works for six months. So, this is part of the democratic process happening, and hes happy to be on the Hill answering their questions.Go ahead, Peter.Q Hey, Jen. The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senators Durbin and Grassley, have expressed concern about the DHS inspector general delaying or diminishing reports on sexual misconduct. This is Trump-era holdover. Is the President going to fire or in some way intervene with Mr. Cuffari, who is the inspector general, and is there any broader sense about what to do about Trump-era inspectors general?MS. PSAKI: I know that there can be changes made. I have not dug into this particular inspector general with the President or the team here. Im happy to do that. And I can follow up with you after the briefing.Go ahead.Q Thanks, Jen. On the issue of student debt, I know youve been asked about this before, but Senator Schumer just told reporters on the Hill that the President is getting closer to canceling up to $50,000 in student loan debt for borrowers. He said, The President is moving in our direction Were getting closer. Is that true? When can we expect a decision?MS. PSAKI: Look, the President has been considering and looking at options for how to provide more le- relief to students across the country.I would note, again, that not a single borrower of federal student loans has paid a penny on these loans since he took office. And this has been the longest time of that for any President, probably, in history. You can factcheck me on that. And hes continuing to consider a range of options in terms of any additional steps.Q A follow-up on that MS. PSAKI: Let me go to the back. Go ahead.Q Thank you, Jen. Two questions. A follow-up on the student loan forgiveness.MS. PSAKI: Yeah.Q You said that the President is looking at a range of options with regards to canceling some student debt. But is the President looking at any options for those students and parents who saved and sacrificed so that they wouldnt have to take out such massive loans? Is he looking at including them in relief retroactively? How would they be made whole if there wassome sort of canceling of debt?MS. PSAKI: You mean for people who have paid off all of their student loans?Q Yeah who made sacrifices so that they wouldnt have to take out some of those loans.MS. PSAKI: Its a good question. What I can tell you at this point is that theres legislation hed be happy to sign for individuals who have $10,000 in existing student debt. If Congress wanted to send that to him, hed be happy to sign it, and hes looking at executive actions and authorities. But I dont have anything to preview on that front.Q Okay. Then, you know, if the President does move on canceling some of the student debt, isnt that just one half of the equation though? I mean, what is he looking at in order to keep some of these public universities from jacking up tuition prices, despite some of the federal subsidies that theyve been getting? I mean, what is it to stop some of these schools from just increasing tuition for the next generation of students? Isnt that half of the equation?MS. PSAKI: I dont know if people would consider it half of the equation. I dont know. Well let Americans define it. I would point you the Department of Education to talk about their efforts on that front.Q And one last quick follow-up. Is the Presidents weekly lunch with the Vice President still a priority for him?MS. PSAKI: Absolutely. Obviously, theyre not going to be dining in person while she is quarantining at home, but they did speak yesterday and I expect they will speak regularly while she is quarantining. And she is participating in a number of policy meetings here, too.Q Thank you, Jen.Q I have a follow-up.MS. PSAKI: Go ahead. Oh, well and then I can come to you next.Oh, go ahead. So polite. Go ahead.Q Do you have any reaction to Boeing claiming that its lost $1.1 billion on the Air Force One contract? And, more important, has the President ordered Boeing to stick with the traditional blue-and-white design instead of the garish red? (Laughter.)MS. PSAKI: This is bringing me back to, like, my first week in this job.Q I know, we gave you a year.MS. PSAKI: Yes, I appreciate it. I actually dont have any information on the plans for the new Air Force One. I can certainly check and see what we know, and I can get back to you on that.Go ahead.Q Thanks, Jen. Do you know why the Vice Presidents doctor recommended she take Paxlovid?MS. PSAKI: Oh, well, I think as Dr. Jha said yesterday, there are a range of Americans who may not know theyre eligible and they should consult with their doctor. Thats exactly what she did. And one of the chal not challenges, but one of our efforts right now is to provide more information publicly and have more people consult with their doctors about whether theyre eligible.Q Do you know if shes, like, showing symptoms? Or would her getting, like, severe COVID present, like, a national security risk?MS. PSAKI: They obviously said yesterday that she did not have any symptoms. I dont have any update beyond that.Shes continuing to work from home, conducting her duties as Vice President, so I dont believe were talking about a national security issue in this moment. She can also do secure calls and video conferences from her home because we have that capacity.Q But if she got severe COVID disease, would that not be a national security risk?MS. PSAKI: Im not going to Q So, Paxlovid would potentially prevent that.MS. PSAKI: Im not going to speak to a hypothetical of the Vice President getting sicker at this point in time, which I think is probably understandable.Go ahead.Q Can the White House give us any update on Trevor Reeds condition after his release or any treatments that he might have received following his release?MS. PSAKI: Well, you know, obviously were going to respect his privacy, and we spoke to his health conditions because we wanted to emphasize how important it was and the urgency of bringing him home. But we will, of course, leave that to him and his family to speak to and respect his health privacy beyond now.Q And then on the Vice President, did her role as Vice President have any impact on her receiving this treatment? Did that you know, her serving as somebody who is in the line of succession, did that have any impact on her getting Paxlovid?MS. PSAKI: Well, I think its important to note Paxlovid is widely available across the country through people consulting with their doctors. So it is not just a treatment that is available to only a small population of the public.In fact, what our effort is and what our focus is, at this point, is more broadly educating people on how they may be eligible for it. Certainly, we are grateful that this treatment is out there and available so that the Vice President, somebody whos incredibly important in the line of succession, can take it. But she did it through consultations with her doctor.Go ahead, in the middle.Q Thanks, Jen. So, Democrats on the Hill today said they will act soon on efforts to lower the prices of gas and that a federal gas tax holiday is still on the table for them. If they give the or if they include a federal gas tax holiday in a bill, would the President support that?MS. PSAKI: The President has long said that hes open to a range of options, including a federal gas tax holiday, and were continuing to consult with members of Congress about a range of options on lowering the price of gas.Go ahead.Q Yeah. So, on Poland and Bulgaria: Energy experts see that as sort of a warning from Russia to Germany, other countries in Europe, to pay in rubles. Is there a me- and were also hearing that some companies in Europe are paying rubles for energy. Is there a message from the White House to those companies or countries that might cave and pay in rubles for energy?MS. PSAKI: I dont think we have a new message to offer today. What I would note is that we have long predicted I mean, this is the Russian playbook; part of the Russian playbook is weaponizing energy. So could they do it other places? That certainly is possible. Thats one of the reasons why this taskforce was launched, at the President that were working with the Europeans on, to ensure that we are diversifying access for LNG and also for oil as well for the Europeans.Q And then, about a month ago, you announced that the U.S. was going to release 1 million barrels a day for six months. Oil prices crude oil prices are still over a hundred dollars a barrel today. Gas prices are up. Is it having the intended effect?MS. PSAKI: Well, weve weve said this is one tool that we can we can utilize. And I know that gas prices also did come down from the beginning as a result of these actions, but were continuing to explore additional options.As we know, the oil markets are a global market, and increasing supply and continuing to work with other countries to increase supply is part of our overall objective here.Q It went down only 3 cents, and were about 20 cents away from the record. So MS. PSAKI: Well, again, were going to continue to take steps to reduce the price of gas for the American people. Every option a range of options remains on the table, as is evidenced by the earlier question. And we know that increasing supply and ensuring supply meets the demand on the marketplace as part of that effort.We also watch closely for any attempt at price gouging. When oil prices come down, obviously gas prices should come down. And as you know, because weve had a range of charts in here, we watch that closely as well. And thats something we will continue to call out.I can do like one Q Thanks, Jen. I think we have to gather in a second.MS. PSAKI: Oh, I think okay. Okay, one last one. Last one.Go ahead.Q Jen, can I just ask quickly: When the supplemental request comes out, either I guess tomorrow or Friday, will there be anything changing any of the COVID-related requests that are previous? Is the only are the only new materials going to be related to the Ukraine request, or will there be a new a new spate of requests on COVID assistance as well?MS. PSAKI: So, we will request assis- COVID funding, and we will reiterate our requests for $22.5 billion for COVID funding, something we feel will help meet the immediate emergency needs we have. And that was a discussion, obviously, that we didnt get through but we will continue with Congress in the coming days and weeks.Thanks so much, everyone.3:47 P.M. EDT

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Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, April 27, 2022 - The White House

Ron DeSantis says ending Disney’s self-governing status will be a ‘process.’ Here’s what might happen next – kuna noticias y kuna radio

CNN

By Eric Levenson and Steve Contorno, CNN

Nearly 55 years ago, Florida passed a law that created the Reedy Creek Improvement District, effectively giving The Walt Disney Company governmental control over the land in and around its central Florida theme parks.

Yet over the course of just a few days last week, Republican legislators in response to Disneys criticism of a law restricting discussion of LGBTQ issues in schools drafted and passed a bill dissolving that special purpose district on June 1, 2023. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation into law on Friday.

The new law is just two pages long and avoids any discussion of details about how to unwind a half-century of infrastructure deals, nor does it lay out the next steps in the complicated process.

The lack of a concrete plan surprised and frustrated state lawmakers in Orange and Osceola counties, who suddenly realized their taxpayers could be on the hook for funding basic services and paying off Disneys nearly $1 billion of debt.

Theyre trying to unwind a whole municipal government in five days, said Eleanor Wilking, an assistant professor at Cornell Law School studying tax policy. The details are not trivial.

CNN spoke to a handful of experts and lawmakers to try to understand whats next for Florida, Disney and Reedy Creek. Their answers were wary and speculative because, they said, the law itself offered few clues. Disney, too, has been conspicuously silent over the past week.

Broadly, though, they suggested there were three potential paths ahead: One, inertia rules the day and local counties are stuck with a big tax bill; two, Disney files suit to stop the dissolution; or three, Disney and Florida renegotiate a new special district.

It really just depends on what Disney does and what the legislature does, said Aubrey Jewett, associate professor at University of Central Florida and co-author of the book Politics in Florida. If neither of them does much, then it falls to the local governments to sort out this mess.

If nothing else changes, and Reedy Creek is dissolved in June 2023, then Orange and Osceola counties could be on the hook for significant cost increases.

Reedy Creek is important to Disney because it gives them greater control over their parks, said Richard Foglesong, the author of the book Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando. Reedy Creek, whose budget comes almost entirely from Disney, pays for its own fire department, water systems, roadways and building inspectors, and it can issue bonds and take on debt to pay for long-term infrastructure programs.

But if Reedy Creek is dissolved, those expenses and debt payments would be absorbed by neighboring Orange and Osceola counties. The Senate bill analysis noted that the new law will have an indeterminate fiscal impact on the counties.

Officials in Orange County said theyll likely have to raise property taxes on their residents. Orange County tax collector Scott Randolph told CNN on Saturday that residents could be hit with a $163 million a year tax bill when the district is dissolved.

All of that debt and obligation goes over to Orange County the minute that Reedy Creek is dissolved, he said. He said paying that off could mean a property tax increase of 20% to 25% on homeowners. (Florida does not have a personal income tax.)

State Sen. Linda Stewart, a Democrat who represents part of Orange County, told CNN on Monday there was conflicting information about what this would mean for county taxpayers. Orange County is working on releasing a more realistic breakdown of the potential impact in the next few days, she said.

Still, shes already hearing from frustrated constituents concerned that their property taxes will be going up.

Weve got inflation, weve got (high) gas prices, and now were gonna add in a huge tax bill too? No, that is not acceptable, she said.

A second potential path ahead is that Disney sues to block the law from taking effect.

One line of argument may be that the dissolution does not follow state law. According to Florida Statute 189.072, dissolving a special district requires approval by a majority of landowners. The land of Reedy Creek is mostly owned by Disney.

The bill passed last week takes that into account, saying that, Notwithstanding 189.072, any special district established before 1968 will be dissolved next year. Does including the word notwithstanding mean that the prior law doesnt apply?

In debating the bill last week, Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican, said the notwithstanding line passes legal muster.

These are not constitutional requirements. These are statutory requirements. And this bill actually changes the law, which were allowed to do at any time, and says that we dont have to do those things, he said.

To which state Rep. Dotie Joseph, a Democrat, responded: I think to change the law that exists you would repeal it, not just put another one that contravenes it, but what do I know? Im just a lawyer.

Another potential lawsuit could be on free speech grounds. Though the new law does not specifically mention Disney or Reedy Creek, Florida Republicans publicly said the law was in response to the companys criticism of the Parental Rights in Education bill, which critics have termed the Dont Say Gay bill.

That state legislation, signed into law last month, prohibits schools from teaching children about sexual orientation or gender identity in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate. After an employee uproar, Disney stated that the companys goal was for the law to be repealed or struck down in the courts, earning the enmity of right-wing lawmakers.

They are a California company that is a guest in the state of Florida, Fine said on CNN last week. And they are a guest that has had special privileges that no other company has had. If you want special privileges, youd better be on your best behavior.

Disney could sue and argue that the law was an unconstitutional punishment for corporate political speech.

All of this boils down to a spiteful Disney approach that (Republicans) didnt like what Disney had the freedom of speech to say, Stewart said. People have freedom of speech, so do corporations. Theyre not excluded from having freedom of speech.

Finally, Disney might not even be the only one to sue the state. Tax attorney Jacob Schumer argued that Florida had promised Reedy Creek bondholders that the state wouldnt interfere with the districts bonds. Dissolving Reedy Creek would violate this contractual agreement, he argued.

Florida simply cannot promise to prospective bondholders that it wont interfere with Reedy Creek, and then dissolve Reedy Creek, he wrote on BloombergTax.com.

Reedy Creek itself highlighted this issue in a statement to bondholders last week, prior to the laws signing. Citing that aspect of the law, the district said it expects to continue business as usual.

In light of the State of Floridas pledge to the Districts bondholders, Reedy Creek expects to explore its options while continuing its present operations, including levying and collecting its ad valorem taxes and collecting its utility revenues, paying debt service on its ad valorem tax bonds and utility revenue bonds, complying with its bond covenants and operating and maintaining its properties, Reedy Creek said.

Fitch Ratings, the credit rating agency, put Reedy Creek on Negative Watch, meaning that there is a potential for the rating on their debt to be downgraded. Analyst Michael Rinaldi told CNN the uncertainty of the law was to blame, as the two-page bill did not lay out the process of what happens to nearly $1 billion in debt when the district is dissolved.

Were in no mans land with respect to where things go, he said.

The final path ahead and the one that most lawmakers and experts mentioned is that Disney and Florida renegotiate terms on a new special district with more limited powers the day that Reedy Creek dissolves.

The law passed last week explicitly allows for just such an agreement. An independent special district affected by this subsection may be reestablished on or after June 1, 2023, the law states.

DeSantis said as much on Monday, saying that the dissolution bill passed last week is the first step in whats going to be a process to make sure that Disney should not run its own government.

He insisted that Disney would still pay taxes and its debts.

Trust me, under no circumstances will Disney not pay its fair share of taxes, he said.

Under no circumstances will Disney be able to not pay its debts. We will make sure of that, he added.

Stewart said they could renegotiate on small things, such as ensuring Disney does not start fracking or build a nuclear power plant in the special district. That would allow Disney to keep most of its powers while also allowing DeSantis to maintain his right-wing credibility.

I dont think that anybody is going to go the full route of dissolving Reedy Creek, she said. There may be a couple of things we can do (to negotiate). Whether that will be enough for the governor to save face with, I dont know. I cant read his mind. Nobody can.

Wilking, the tax policy expert, said that any negotiation on the special district misses the broader issues at play: The culture wars have come for big business.

The bigger issue really is this idea that DeSantis and the Florida legislature are willing to really go head-to-head with these really large and locally significant businesses in order to prosecute their preferred cultural agenda, she said. Thats the real story in my opinion. The taxes are less important than the loss of control for Disney.

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Ron DeSantis says ending Disney's self-governing status will be a 'process.' Here's what might happen next - kuna noticias y kuna radio

Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Delivers Address on Future of New York City | City of New York – nyc.gov

April 26, 2022

Moderator: Welcome to the address on Mayor Eric Adams' first 100 days, and the future of New York City.

Moderator: Performing the national anthem, please welcome Detective Makia Brown.

Detective Makia Brown, Police Department: [Singing].

Moderator: To perform Lift Every Voice and Sing, please welcome firefighter Regina Wilson.

Firefighter Regina Wilson, Fire Department: [Singing].

Moderator: Please welcome Imam Hassan Akbar, Bishop Victor Brown, Rabbi Moishe Indig, Venerable Youwang Shih, and Rabbi Rachel Timoner.

Imam Hassan Akbar: [Foreign language]. We begin in the name of the magnificent creator of all things, the one who is most compassionate and most wise. Ladies and gentlemen, let us take a brief moment of silence to mark the first 100 days in office for our Mayor Eric Adams, and to acknowledge his staff and all who are present who seek and desire to build a better and brighter New York City.

Imam Akbar: Allah says in The Holy Quran, "[Foreign language]. All my servants, call upon me, and I will certainly answer your call." In that spirit, we pray. We ask the almighty, the creator of the heavens and the earth, to bless this gathering, and we beseech you for your blessings as we offer various forms of prayer, seeking that reward that only you could give.

Imam Akbar: In your perfect words found in the Quran and the Torah, in the gospel and in the Psalms, and in every divine book that you have sent; you have put forth a vision of that perfect world. We beseech you that you lead us from hate to love, from violence to peace, and from despair to hope. We ask you, O Almighty, to help us to eliminate poverty, oppression, and prejudice in all of its forms. And we that you help us to make New York City a meeting ground for different cultures and faiths and ideas where women and men can gather together and find the fulfillment of their humanity. We ask you, O God, to accept our prayers. Amen.

Bishop Victor Brown: Let us pray. Oh God, creator and sustainer of this universe; we who are gathered today reverently paused in time and space to give thee thanks for the precious gift of life. In the midst of these tumultuous times, times tainted by COVID, crime and chaos; by your divine prerogative, you have prepared, sanctioned, anointed, elevated, and bestowed the governing mantle of this great city to my friend and brother, the Honorable Eric Adams. He comes to the task having embraced the urgency of this defining hour. In the poignant words of Dr. Martin Luther King, who remarked, "Now is not the time to engage in the luxury of cooling off, or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism."

Bishop Brown: Continue to grant unto our mayor the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Sampson, the moral conviction of Amos, the patience and vigilance of Job, the audacious faith of Noah, the liberating power of Moses, the tenacity of Nehemiah, the visionary prowess of John, and the ubiquitous and unwavering love of Christ for all who comprise his city.

Bishop Brown: And then God, infuse us all with a cooperating spirit to partner with our mayor in making this the best and safest city in the nation. Bless our mayor and his administration, bless the empire state, bless the people of Ukraine, and God bless America. We pray. Amen.

Crowd: Amen.

Rabbi Moishe Indig: A father asked his son, "Five strands of hair is a lot or a little?" The son replied, "It depends where it is. If it's in a cup of coffee, it's a lot. It's on the head? It's a little." We celebrate now 100 days. 100 days of fishing is a lot, but 100 days of working, bringing back the city, doing so much hard work, it's a little.

Rabbi Indig: Thomas Edison once said, "Our greatest weakness is giving up." The most certain way to succeed is always to try, try again, and one more time. Our esteemed mayor is an example of someone who succeeds every time he tries, and the City of New York is the beneficiary of this great effort. With every move forward, we ask you, Mr. Mayor, please do it one more time.

Rabbi Indig: So, let us pray. We ask you God to please bestow your blessings on the Honorable Major Eric Adams. Give him the conviction and fortitude to continue his great work, and may his leadership lead to a more secured and unified society. Please bless the City of New York with success, safety, and peace of mind. Maybe we be it, Almighty God, all see a great hand of guidance with glory and love. Amen.

Venerable Youwang Shih: Let us pray to the Buddha and our spiritual leaders. Dearest Buddha. We come today to you in this thankfulness for guiding the leadership of Mayor Adams and his administration. We are aware of the many challenges that come from them, and all New York's public servants. May they rely upon your wise counsel as they address the needs of our citizens. We have learned from your teachings that all events are interdependent, and that past actions bear the fruits of present situations. We also know that how our government addresses current events will sow the seeds for the illness or health of our city for years to come.

Venerable Shih: Please also Buddha, may your teachings remind our citizens of their moral responsibility to one another. Remind them that our racials and cultural identities are but the exterior of our oneness. Remind them that all citizens desire to live in safety and prosperity. All citizens are deserving of loving kindness, compassion, and joy. Dear Buddha, we therefore pledge to be part of the solution, working with Mayor Adams and public officials. We understand that only by working together can we achieve a healthy, vibrant community. Dear Buddha, compassionate Buddha, please listen to our sincere prayer. Please accept our sincerest prayer. [Foreign language].

Rabbi Rachel Timoner: Dear God, holy one of blessings. You have created every New Yorker in your image without exception. That is why the inequality that we live with as if it was normal is an affront to you. Trying to fix it seems to us to be complicated, because we must work in the realm of budgets and policies and competing interests. But we know that from your perspective, it is not complicated at all. We know that from your perspective, in a city with magnificent prosperity, of course every child and every adult should have all they need to eat, plenty, and safe and secure and affordable housing, an education that uplifts them and inspires and is integrated, and quality and abundant healthcare and mental healthcare, and dignified work that gives them enough to live, and freedom from behind bars, and freedom from oppression and all forms of violence.

Rabbi Timoner: Bless those of us who have enough with knowing that we have enough, and knowing that we will only be well when everyone has enough. Bless our mayor and every person elected and appointed to govern and represent our people, with the courage and the clarity to see through the tangle of complexity, and bring your clarity and the clarity of the Hebrew prophets who taught us in loud voices to bring your justice and your love to every block, and every district, and every zip code, and every borough, and all of our city. And we say together, amen.

[Audio plays]

Moderator: Please welcome former New York City police officer, State Senator and Brooklyn borough president, and currently the 110th mayor of the great City of New York, Mayor Eric Adams.

[Applause]

Mayor Eric Adams: I feel sorry for people that live in a small town and don't live in New York. Just a good feeling, where we are, my fellow New Yorkers. We are here together at last. For two years, we have lived in an alternate version of our city, separated from friends, families, and colleagues, worried about going to school, to work, about staying healthy and our fear was justified.

Mayor Adams: We saw over 40,000 of our fellow New Yorkers die of COVID-19. This pandemic was a mass tragedy unlike anything we have experienced in modern era. But New Yorkers never faulted. We adapted. We improvised. We looked out for each other. We endured, despite the fear, the trauma, the uncertainty, and the heartbreak. We kept going because every New Yorker knew in their hearts that our city will come back. It's already happening. I can feel it everywhere I go. The state of the city is strong because New Yorkers have never been stronger. We've been through a lot. We have struggled and survived. After two years, we are ready to be together again. Reunited and it feels so good.

Mayor Adams: We are still in a time of profound concern, and this city is prepared to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy, no matter what the future brings. And part of that is because of the partnership we have with our City Council and my amazing friend, Adrienne Adams. We were high school students together. You and I both lost our mommies this last year. They're looking down on us and they're telling us, "You got this, baby. You got this." I thank you so much. Adams and Adams Law Firm is going to bring us through this.

Mayor Adams: But we have always known that our city would never be defined by the tragedy, the spirit of New York City will always prevail. We saw that spirit in the millions of essential workers, the city employees who kept us going throughout the pandemic. We saw it just two weeks ago, when a gunman attacked our subway. Transit workers, first responders, police officers, and every day New Yorkers took action to save lives and apprehend the suspect. I want to thank all of you, especially those who are here today with us. Please stand up.

[Applause]

Mayor Adams: Your courage and compassion are what this city is all about. That's sustained us through the first 100 days of this administration, and courage and compassion are what we need to rebuild this city going forward. This is the way President Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose to lead and his example inspires me. And the years after the Great Depression, America faced a cascade of crisis, not unlike what we are experiencing today. Then just as now, there was no easy solution or quick fix. FDR, like ELA understood that people needed an honest and reckoning of the problems and bold plans to solve them. That is what I intend to deliver for my fellow New Yorkers. The truth is, these first 100 days were not easy for our city. We have been tried and tested by some of the most historic difficulties and urgent crises this city has ever gone through.

Mayor Adams: The pandemic has hollowed out our economy and threatened people's livelihoods, stability, and mental health. Housing prices remain out of the reach of working people of this city. Too many of our brothers and sisters are living on the streets, in need of support and shelter. People are still dying from gun violence. It breaks my heart over and over. It keeps me up night after night. New Yorkers have a right to be angry, a right to expect more, to feel safe, to be safe, to know that your city is looking out for you, your family, and those in need. That is why we went all in, and will continue to say, we're getting stuff done during this first 100 days.

Mayor Adams: Let's look at the numbers in the first 100 days. Listen to this, New Yorkers. People are asking what your Police Department is doing. We removed 2,300 illegal guns off our street, 23 illegal guns. And so when you hear people say, "We don't need our police." Let me tell you right here and right now, I will support my police and we will make our city a safe city. And there's a covenant and commitment I'm giving to you. We will give the police the tools they deserve and they require, but my men and women that black wear blue uniform, we will not be abusive to the public that we swore to serve and protect. That is our obligation. That's the partnership.

Mayor Adams: But we've done more than just dealt with the issues of crime. We've added more than 50,000 jobs in the first three months of this year. Significantly, outpacing the national average. Unemployment rate dropped to 6.65% in March, down from 7.4% in December 2021. Hotel rooms demand is now at 86% of pre pandemic levels, up from 63% in January of this year. We have ensured that more than 97% of adults in New York City have at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 97%. That's the number we should be proud of, and you should applaud yourselves for. We have seen a nearly 70% increase in school attendance and continuing low levels of COVID in our schools. People question my ability to keep the schools open, and I made it clear, my children will be in school, where they need to be.

Mayor Adams: We have added nearly 100,000 new beds for homeless New Yorkers, moved 2,500 families into shelters, and placed another 2,700 New Yorkers into subsidized housing. Let's be clear, New Yorkers, there is no dignity in sleeping on the streets. There is no dignity in sleeping on the streets. Our fellow brothers and sisters deserve better, and we're going to give them better. But this is only the start of our efforts to revitalize and rebuild the city. Now is the time to look to the future. To get there, we need a vision. One that we can all share in.

Mayor Adams: My vision of our shared future is this, a city of safety and abundance with jobs, housing, and care for all, a city where our children can play, breathe and thrive, where education embraces the whole child and supports our families. A city will be capitalized progress being made in new forms of energy, transit and commerce. A city that empowers people to live their best possible lives with access to green space, healthy food and preventive healthcare. A city that's inclusive, fair, and responsive to those who call it home. A city that inspires and welcomes all the world. This is the city New Yorkers want and deserve, and it is all possible, if we work together.

Mayor Adams: There are four main areas that we will focus on as we go forward, protecting our people, growing our economy, uplifting our youth, and building our infrastructure. Our new budget reflects those values and provides for them. This budget puts people, especially those who have often been left behind, front and center. Success won't be measured by how much we spend, but how much we accomplish. First, some good news. Despite the massive shocks to our system in the past two years, our city enters fiscal year 2023 on strong financial footing. This is the result of effective planning and fiscal responsibility.

Mayor Adams: Earlier this year, we achieved a savings of almost $2 billion across two fiscal years through our successful program to eliminate the gap, your tax dollars. Since we released this preliminary budget in February, we have also seen an increase in revenues and found opportunities to roll federal funds into the next fiscal year. This will allow us to direct additional funding to programs that address our most urgent challenges. As a result, the executive budget we released today is 99.7 billion dollars. Fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2023 remain balanced, and we have a manageable out year gap. In our executive budget, we have achieved more than $400 million in savings over fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

Mayor Adams: How do I tell you to manage your household when we are not managing your tax dollars in our city? We will do that, what we are asking you to do. We are adding 200 million dollars to the rainy day fund, bringing a total level of reserves to a new record of 6.3 billion dollars in fiscal year 2023, the highest it has ever been. This successful management of our resources will allow us to increase investments and critical priorities, fund transformative new policies. Most importantly, it will allow us to devote resources to upstream solutions, not only downstream demands.

Mayor Adams: We must engage and build a strong civic infrastructure that supports New Yorkers throughout their lives, not only in times of crisis. There is no doubt in my mind that New York City will make a full recovery and come back stronger and more resilient than before. But this is only possible if we continue to make public safety our top priority. Safety and justice are the prerequisite of prosperity. We cannot have a city where people are afraid to walk the streets, ride the subway, or send their children to school. And our first 100 days, crime and tragedy looked far too many times and took lives of innocent people. A deadly fire in the Bronx, killed dozens of neighbors and broke the hearts of the Gambian community. And I want to thank Borough President Vanessa Gibson for being on the ground and all of those Bronx electeds who were on the ground doing what needed to be done, responded in a real way.

Mayor Adams: We knew what happened those days and we knew how we responded accordingly. And on Sunday, we lost two more New Yorkers. Carlos Richards, a young man trapped in the burning building in Canarsie, one of our bravest firefighters, Timothy Klein, six year veteran of the Fire Department. They are mourned by this city and their families, and the Fire Department will never forget the sacrifice of firefighter Klein. We will never forget. The city will always stand with our first responders, the men and women who protect us, because keeping New Yorkers safe is essential to keeping our city going strong. There's still far too much violence in our communities. Black and brown lives remain at risk and hate crimes continue to be directed at Asians, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, and LGBTQ plus communities and other New Yorkers.

Mayor Adams: Our sister Michelle Go was pushed to her death in front of a train, an act of horrifying hatred. Remember embracing her mother and her dad, and just feeling the pain of losing such a promising life at such an innocent moment in her life. Dozens more of our neighbors have been killed by gun violence. Unhoused New Yorkers were shot while they were sleeping on the street. An inspiring rapper was executed in cold blood. A 19 year old girl was killed as she worked the night shift in East Harlem.

Mayor Adams: We saw a grandmother wounded, six bullets in a young girl. An 11 month old baby shot in the head. And two of our police officers were shot dead responding to a call. Their names will echo in our hearts forever. Crystal, Jayquan, Kay, Sally, Angelia, Detectives Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera. The families and loved ones of many of these New Yorkers are here with us today. Please stand up and show them the appreciation we have for them.

[Applause]

Mayor Adams: I want to speak directly to you. I can only imagine the loss you feel and the pain you live with, but I will not rest until we have addressed the conditions that led to that loss. We would do what is necessary to make all of our communities safe. You have my word, as a former police officer, a fellow New Yorker, and as your mayor. This is why this budget includes funding for our blueprint to end gun violence, our plan to confront increased crime with strategic focus and realistic solutions.

Mayor Adams: The plan ensures that the NYPD is laser focused on apprehending the small number of individuals responsible for the majority of gun trafficking and shootings in our city. And we are not going it alone. Together in partnership with President Biden, Governor Hochul, and law enforcement agencies at the local, state, and federal level, we're working to cut off the flow of illegal guns into our city and crack down on repeat offenders.

Mayor Adams: We're also funding a subway safety plan designed to provide our city with a transit system that's safe, reliable, and clean. And yes, it is essential that we empower our police officers and focus on the downstream impacts of crime and disorder. But what often gets less attention are the upstream solutions. These investments we are making in our most vulnerable brothers and sisters will help keep them and our entire city safe, because public safety is not just about police. It's about people.

Mayor Adams: That is why this budget includes $55 million to expand the B-HEARD program, which stands for Behavior Health Emergency Assistance Response Division. There are teams of EMTs and mental health professionals that respond to 911 calls involving mental health issues. This is not my idea. This is your idea. You told me you needed this and I heard you, and we put it in the budget and expanded it. Not every emergency call needs the police. B-HEARD teams deescalate tense situations and connect people in crises to the care they need. You know I did something right because Jumaane stood up and applauded me.

Mayor Adams: Our future will expand this program to more high-need neighborhoods, Central Brooklyn, Eastern Queens, and the South Bronx. We will also continue to support our crisis management team and violence interrupters all over this city. Some of them are here today. I love them so much AT Mitchell, [inaudible]. These organizations are out there on the front line during the work. Your work is a proven part of reducing violent crimes across our city and we thank you for your commitment and courage.

Mayor Adams: Public safety also means supporting those who need a second chance. That is why we're ensuring that every youth parolee will now have a mentor, someone to help guide them back to the right path after they have been incarcerated. Public safety isn't just about bringing down crime rate. It's about helping those who need it most, including those experiencing homelessness, many of whom are at risk from violence to themselves. That is why we are investing more than $170 million in 1,400 new beds as safe havens and other facilities designed to serve those who have the hardest time moving in traditional shelters.

Mayor Adams: Let me tell you something. It's going to be hard for people to hate me, because we are listening to those who have been on the ground. Working with Speaker Adams in the City Council, we will continue to make this a top priority. In addition to this increased capacity, our social service teams are expanding their road to connect New Yorkers in need to the services and housing options available to them, because it isn't just about building more shelters. It's about building trust.

Mayor Adams: This is the work so many in our city have done. And today I want to thank some of the individuals working every day to deliver housing and hope to those who need it most. My brother, Shams DaBaron. Where's Sham? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Formerly homeless, taking your pain and turning into purpose and making sure that other people are not experiencing that same pain. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor Adams: Rob Robinson also here, please stand, Rob. Thank you. Making sure that our brothers and sisters who have lived through homelessness have a voice in our city. Keeping New Yorkers safe is the key to economic recovery. But we must also use this moment to reimagine our economic system to promote equity and address longstanding problems and historic injustices. Make no mistake, we must restore the major drivers of our city's economy, including the central business districts that have been critical engines of success for centuries, who are making big investments in the cleanliness and safety of our streets and supporting our businesses in Midtown and Lower Manhattan.

Mayor Adams: We're looking at all of our commercial corridors and every borough. But we would not stop there. Our executive budget includes significant investments in jobs and opportunities across the city, including more than $140 million for major new capital investments and Hunts Point in the Bronx. Thank you, Councilman Salamanca for bringing this to our attention and doing what's right. [Inaudible] is to help our small businesses thrive and expand access to city funds for women and minority owned businesses who have been denied for far too long.

Mayor Adams: These are just a few of the more than 70 concrete initiatives we had laid out for our city's economic recovery. By simply creating jobs is one way, but that is not enough. We must do more. Too often in the past, our city has not done enough to help young New Yorkers get the kind of jobs that would transform their futures. If we want to tackle high unemployment in communities of color, we must actively create opportunity. That means educating our youth for the jobs for the future and providing direct on-ramps to those jobs.

Mayor Adams: That's why our executive budget includes $5 million in fiscal year 2023, to help the City University of New York train students for the most in-demand skills and connect them to good jobs at companies that are hiring. To my corporations, support my 100% paid internship programs so our children can have the opportunities that they desire. We're going to see the partnership with some of the largest employers in our fastest growing sectors, including life sciences, green jobs, techs, and advanced manufacturing.

Mayor Adams: That is what we mean when we talk about upstream solutions. It also means investing in an economic ecosystem where New Yorkers can access all the ingredients for jobs, innovation, and economic opportunity in one place. The process is already underway all over the five boroughs in Manhattan. We're expanding the fast growing life scientists and healthcare hub in Kips Bay. Thanks so much, Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer for your vision in this area, getting it right.

Mayor Adams: Today we are announcing that the city will be working with Taconic Partners, DivcoWest, and NYU to build new space on First Avenue for cutting edge research, workforce training, and new startups. A child from Brownsville will learn the skills so he can go to Manhattan and be employed in the new science that's facing our city and our country.

Mayor Adams: We are also helping to bring more lab space online at the Alexandria Center, which has anchored our local biotech industry for over a decade. Together, these two projects will nearly double lab space in Kips Bay and further establish it as the hub for life sciences in our city. Meanwhile, at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, we continue to grow emerging tech and manufacturing companies and connect young people to those opportunities through the Brooklyn Steam Center, an amazing initiative.

Mayor Adams: Our working waterfronts in Sunset Park and Staten Island, we are establishing New York city as a global offshore wind hub to power our future and create thousands of jobs. And across the water on Governors Island, we are building a new academic campus. It will become fantasy island. We're going to do the research and test climate solutions for New Yorkers and the entire globe.

Mayor Adams: To support this hub of opportunity, the executive budget also includes new funding to expand ferry capacity at Yankee Pier, so that more New Yorkers can access the 7,000 jobs and educational opportunities we are creating on Governors Island, because our economy is not some abstract concept. Behind every job is a worker who's driving our city into the future. That's why we must also re-commit to protecting our city workers and support labor unions across our city.

Mayor Adams: Union power is people power. It keeps New York city going strong. I know what it's like to put on a uniform and work a shift in the services of others. My administration is going to make sure union members get the wages, the rights, and care they deserve. That is why in my first 100 days, we delivered raises for essential gig workers. It is why we are going to continue to stand in solidarity with people and unions working in this city. New York City is the largest union town in America.

Mayor Adams: Just a few weeks ago, this union town got even bigger, thanks to our brothers, Chris Smalls and Derrick Palmer, who successfully led the effort to unionize Amazon. Up, stand up. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor Adams: Let me tell you something. I'm the first mayor probably that has ever been a union member. I know what it is to worry about your healthcare, to worry about your pension, to worry about putting food on the table, of what you did, and send a symbol.

Mayor Adams: You don't have to wear a suit and tie to mobilize and organize. All you've got to do is just have the ability to do so. Thank you for what you have done. Thank you. I noticed when you stood up, you had a tattoo. You made me want to get a tattoo. Now there are some critics who promote the view that City Hall cannot serve both broken people in the business community. But in fact, that is precisely the role of a fair and democratically elected leader.

Mayor Adams: You have heard me say many times that we do not need to choose between safety and justice. But we also do not need to choose between protecting workers' rights and supporting economic growth. This administration will seek to find a balance that works for the majority of New Yorkers and keep our economy strong. Rebuilding our economy is only one aspect of rebuilding our city for the future, who must also take care of young people in our families.

Mayor Adams: That is why I campaigned on and what I promised, when I was elected. My people's plan advocated for greater expansion of the earned income tax credit and more support for affordable childcare in our city. In the first 100 days, we have delivered on both those promises, working in partnership with the governor, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie, and my colleagues in the state, law makers in Albany. We are putting $350 million back in the pockets of working people through our expansion of the earned income tax credit.

[Applause]

Mayor Adams: Thanks to those same colleagues in Albany, the state has committed $4 billion in funding for New York city childcare over the next four years. We have also secured authorization to implement tax incentives that will spur the private sector to create 17,000 new childcare seats in our city. In the upcoming weeks, we'll be releasing our full plan for extending childcare, but I want to share some of those details today.

Mayor Adams: First, I want to announce the new rates will go into effect in June, that will dramatically reduce the fees that eligible families currently pay for subsidized childcare. Look at this, folks, listen to this. A family earning $55,000 a year currently pays $55 a week for full-time subsidized care. Starting June 1st, that same family will pay just $10 per week.

Mayor Adams: Can you imagine that additional dollar? We're also ensuring that families who have been waiting for childcare get access to this critical support, and that families and communities with the greatest need will get priority. We have already begun reaching out to families on this city's childcare voucher wait list and plan to connect with every family on that list by September.

Mayor Adams: We know that working parents don't have time to navigate the complex bureaucracy to get childcare, and we are going to make sure the city government works for them, not that they should be working for city government to get it done. That is why I'm to announce that the first major feature of our new My City web portal will be a unified application process for all subsidized childcare options offered by the city. Making quality care more accessible will change lives, help our economy, and support our children and families.

Mayor Adams: It is a responsibility that too often falls on the women of the city. The story I know all too well, watching mommy having to work two jobs while raising my five siblings and me. The work of care is the work of life. It is essential work, and we're going to treat it that way.

Mayor Adams: In addition to our commitment to affordable childcare, the budget we release today includes bold new initiatives that will support our students and improve our schools. So proud to have Chancellor Banks as part of the team of what we are doing. Good friend, good colleague, and a good leader. While we are all, while all New Yorkers were impacted by the pandemic, our children and students are still feeling the effects of two years of grief, trauma and learning loss. We are proud that we successfully kept the schools open and students safe, but we must do more for our young people, especially when it comes to helping them get prepared and trained for a career in the future. Because I say this over and over again, folks. If you don't educate, you will incarcerate.

Crowd: Yeah.

Mayor Adams: 80% of the men and women on Rikers Island don't have a high school diploma, equivalency diploma. The indictment is not on them. The indictment is on our city, on what we have done for them, to them and betrayed them. Our young people were not getting what they needed from our city when we came into office. Student absenteeism was high. Educators have low morale and our children have fallen behind academically and socially.

Mayor Adams: That is why during the first 100 days, we committed to expanding the Summer Rising Program, which provides academic support, arts recreation and food to our students during the summer months. Thanks so much Sheena Wright for seeing the vision of getting this done and executing and making the plan happen. In the executive budget, we are adding funding to increase the total Summer Rising Program capacity to 110,000 K-8 students this year. We also now announced funding for a record 100,000 summer youth employment opportunities.

Mayor Adams: Those previous city Council Members Brad Lander, Jumaane, Adrienne Adams, and some of you, you've been fighting for this for years and people ignored you, but you came to me and told me what you needed, and what happened? You got it. But we're doing something else. We're allocating more resources to the Fair Futures program. Foster care children that age out at 21 with no support, we already know that there's six to 700 that age out every year, we know they are going to be victims of crime, participate in crime, homeless, mental health issues, no support.

Mayor Adams: We are putting money into Fair Futures to protect these foster care children like we promise we would do. We are expanding our Gifted and Talented Program to reach every district. Phil Banks heard it and he ... I said Phil Banks. David Banks. David Banks heard it, our chancellor, and he responded. Every school district, it's easier for families to access this program by providing two entry points. Both kindergarten and third grade.

Mayor Adams: This is how we raise the bar and deliver opportunities for students in all five boroughs. The budget we released today also includes more resources for our young people who are most in need. I know from my own life the challenges that a learning disability creates for a child and how they can be overcome with early diagnosis and the right support. That's why we will be directing $7.4 million in funding dyslexia screening sites and literacy programs across the city over the next three years.

Mayor Adams: We will also invest $11.2 million in our bilingual education program so that every student has a pathway to multilingualism, and work to ensure the food we serve our students supports their developments and builds lifelong healthy habits. Listen, Chicken McNuggets is not a nutritional meal. Now we want to prepare students for college, but we also know that there are many paths to a good job and bright future for our youth.

Mayor Adams: Many of our young people are ready to join the workforce sooner rather than later, and our education system should serve them too. Four years of college may be the right choice for some, but we must invest in a full and fair range of career training for our youth and actively connect them with jobs and other opportunities upon graduation. Starting this next school year, we will invest $33 million in career pathway programs that focus on high growth sectors like healthcare and technology.

Mayor Adams: We will expand these models citywide in subsequent years. Google, Facebook, startup. You want good talent to go into the communities that have been often denied and recruit them and give them the internship programs and let them be part of your expansion in our cities. We'll expand apprenticeships and support university career readiness and increase the number of high school students getting early college credit. New York City students should be able to succeed no matter what path they choose to take.

Mayor Adams: This administration is committed to changing the way we think about education and preparing all young people for success. By the way, none of this is possible without the continuing support, a mayoral accountability. You have a public school mayor that happens to be African-American. You have a public school chancellor that happens to be African-American, grew up in the city. If mayoral accountability was given to folks that were Red Sox fans, you darn sure can give it to people who are Yankees and Mets fans.

Mayor Adams: Give us mayoral accountability. We're working with our partners in Albany, as they look over to determine, to make sure this is done right. Our state lawmakers, we will continue to reach out and find out how do we continue to give parents input on what the chancellor is doing correctly now. Finally, must lay the foundation for the future of this city itself. Too often in the past, we saw physical changes to our city that did not benefit all of our communities, and we must continue to create safer streets and reduce deaths from traffic violence.

Mayor Adams: That is why my administration will take a new approach and invest in infrastructure for the people. We have used these first 100 days to build a safer, more accessible sustainable city, including starting work to improve 1,000 intersections to increase safety with better traffic signals and raise crosswalks. Working to complete physical barriers along 20 miles of established bike lanes. Committing $75 million to expand the fair, fast, discounted MTA rise for programs and make it permanent. Permanent.

Mayor Adams: Not each year trying to figure it out. Thanks to our speaker, this is something we are going to make permanent. Breaking ground in over 100 poised park projects across the fire boroughs and completing a $50 million sewage and water main overhaul in Southeast Queens to protect homes and streets from chronic flooding. Far too long, we've allowed our critical infrastructure to fall in disrepair, creating crisis after crisis. We must be planning ahead and investing in a city that works for all New Yorkers.

Mayor Adams: That is why this budget includes more than $900 million in creating safer, greener, cleaner streets across the city, and to make sure they're more accessible to our seniors and those living with disabilities. We will build more bus lanes to facilitate faster commuting, complete with countdown clocks so you don't have to guess when the bus is coming. The next one, we'd also be piloting new approaches to last mile deliveries to help reduce the number of trucks and vans holding up traffic and blocking our sidewalks.

Mayor Adams: We will also continue to make historic investments in our city's parks in open spaces, by adding nearly a half a billion dollars in capital funding for our parks system, a significant down payment towards our ultimate commitment of 1% for parks. Our parks are our crown jewels of our city, and New Yorkers all across the five boroughs rely on them for rest, recreation and exercise. This funding will go to new infrastructure, longer weighted repairs and increase trash pickup.

Mayor Adams: We'll be able to refurbish our green ways, improve public pools and extend hours at our recreation centers, and we're also going to plan for the future with 20,000 more trees on city streets providing shade, beauty, and improving air quality. We're making other investments to create a more sustainable city, including ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse emissions and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050, improving access to renewed energy, procuring more plant-based local food options across city agencies and moving towards zero waste with expanded access to composting.

Mayor Adams: As a coastal city in the era of climate change, we must also protect our vast and complex infrastructure from extreme weather and other climate shocks. We're also investing in public health on every level, from preparing for future pandemics to expanding lifestyle medicine programs in all five boroughs. We must help address the factors that led to the epidemic of chronic disease as type two diabetes, high blood pressure, and take them as seriously as we take our other health emergencies.

Mayor Adams: Let me end with this. We must commit to creating the affordable housing that New Yorkers have needed for far so long. Housing cannot be a privilege for those with supportive families or generational wealth. It's a key to living a good life in the greatest city in the world. This must include housing for families, older New Yorkers, people living with disabilities, and those who have experienced homelessness. It must be for young people just starting out, as well as people who are starting over.

Mayor Adams: That is why we are committing $5 billion in additional funding for housing over the next decade. $5 billion. This is the biggest housing investment in generations, and it will impact many generations to come. This money will help make critical repairs at NYCHA, subsidize those who need help staying in their existing homes and build more deeply affordable housing for the entire city. Thank you, Jessica Katz, my chief housing officer, for having the real vision.

Mayor Adams: In the upcoming weeks, we'll be releasing a detailed blueprint for housing and homelessness based on the input of our city's top experts and everyday New Yorkers, and my administration is going to do everything we can to take this dream of equality and turn it into reality. That is getting stuff done on a historic level. These efforts are just the beginning. We will continue to transform our city through good government and responsive leadership. It all comes down to this, safety, jobs, schools and housing.

Mayor Adams: Sounds simple, radically practical, but it is the work of many hands, many minds and many years, and there's no better place to begin than right here. Truth be told, the American dream has always started in New York City, and this is no exception. We're the only country on the globe where dream is attached to our name. There's no German dream, there's no French dream, there's no Romanian dream. There's only an American dream, and we must make sure that dream is a reality for everyone.

Mayor Adams: We have the most talented, adventurous souls anywhere on the earth. They're right here. Over 400 years, we have turned this small port town into the global commerce center, the universe of art and diversity, from skyscrapers to subways. Our wildest dreams have become the world's everyday reality. Now, we're 100 days in to starting out of the new chapter in New York City's histories. This is the part where we find the compassion to help and house and educate everyone, the wisdom to put aside those old arguments and embrace our newfound unity and the courage to work together in solidarity.

Mayor Adams: We don't have to agree with each other all the time. I don't agree with myself all the time. But we have to agree that we have to live together to build a city of hope, equity and justice, a city that will light the way and lead the nation. I know. That's what mommy told me. When I was a little boy walking on the stage to do his speech, I felt the nervousness in the pit of my stomach. She leaned over to me, she said, "Baby, you got this." As I walked on this stage today, I heard mommy's voice, "Baby, you got this," and I want to say to you, New Yorkers, you got this. We got this. We will make it happen. There are only two types of Americans, those who live in New York and those who wish they could. You got this.

[Applause]

###

Link:

Transcript: Mayor Eric Adams Delivers Address on Future of New York City | City of New York - nyc.gov

Foreign Secretary’s Mansion House speech at the Lord Mayor’s Easter Banquet: The return of geopolitics – GOV.UK

My Lord Mayor, Your Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen.

According to some, this was destined to be the era of authoritarianism.

Three years ago Vladimir Putin said Western liberalism was dead.

Last year President Xi argued that the west is declining.

In April 2022 things look very different.

Recent months have shown the deep resilience of the human spirit and of free societies

Faced with appalling barbarism and war crimes, which wed hoped had been consigned to history, the free world has united behind Ukraine in its brave fight for freedom and self-determination.

Those who think they can win through oppression, coercion or invasion are being proved wrong by this new stand on global security one that not only seeks to deter, but also ensures that aggressors fail.

We cannot be complacent the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance.

But lets be clear if Putin succeeds there will be untold further misery across Europe and terrible consequences across the globe.

We would never feel safe again.

So we must be prepared for the long haul. Weve got to double down on our support for Ukraine. And we must also follow through on the unity shown in the crisis. We must reboot, recast and remodel our approach.

My vision is a world where free nations are assertive and in the ascendant.

Where freedom and democracy are strengthened through a network of economic and security partnerships.

Where aggressors are contained and forced to take a better path.

This is the long term prize: a new era of peace, security of prosperity.

Lets be honest. The architecture that was designed to guarantee peace and prosperity has failed Ukraine.

The economic and security structures that were developed after the Second World War and the Cold War have been bent out of shape so far, they have enabled rather than contained aggression.

Russia is able to block any effective action at the UN Security Council. Putin sees his veto as a green light to barbarism.

Hes walked away from the NATO-Russia Founding Act and the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. Hes violated multiple measures on arms control.

The G20 cant function as an effective economic body while Russia remains at the table.

The Soviet Union used to regularly use their UN veto, but, for all the many evils they inflicted, even they behaved with some kind of rationality on the world stage.

They were able to stick to deals when they saw risks to strategic stability, as they did with the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

They would de-escalate when they were confronted and called out, as with the Cuban Missile Crisis 60 years ago.

And they had their eye on their global reputation.

None of these factors apply to Putin.

We are dealing with a desperate rogue operator with no interest in international norms.

This is at a time when the world economy had never been more open to Russia.

During the Cold War western allies fuelled each others prosperity, and we restricted flows of trade, investment and technology to the USSR.

In the 1990s these constraints were removed but it didnt lead to the expected gains in economic openness and democracy.

We took progress for granted instead of applying the necessary carrots and sticks.

And leaders like Putin spurned the opportunity to change because they feared losing control. Instead they took the money from oil and gas and used it to consolidate power and gain leverage abroad.

Wandel durch handel the assumption that economic integration drives political change didnt work.

We now need a new approach, one that melds hard security and economic security, one that builds stronger global alliances and where free nations are more assertive and self-confident, one that recognises geopolitics is back.

Britain has always stood up to bullies.

We have always been risk takers.

So we are prepared be bold, using our strength in security and diplomacy, our economic heft, and our will and agility to lead the way.

We are already stepping up in Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine is our war it is everyones war because Ukraines victory is a strategic imperative for all of us.

Heavy weapons, tanks, aeroplanes digging deep into our inventories, ramping up production. We need to do all of this.

Our sanctions have already seen Russia facing its first external debt default for a century. We need to go further.

There must be nowhere for Putin to fund this appalling war. That means cutting off oil and gas imports once and for all.

At the same time, we need to deliver support to the Ukrainian people. It means helping refugees, it means delivery of food, medicine, and other essentials, and it means keeping the economy afloat.

It also means holding the Putin regime to account for the appalling crimes that have been committed.

And, when the guns finally fall silent in Ukraine, it means making sure Kyiv has the resources it needs to maintain security, deter further attacks, and rebuild.

Thats why we are working on our joint commission with Poland to ensure Ukraine is equipped with NATO-standard weapons.

And its why we are determined to work with the US, with the EU and other allies on a new Marshall Plan for the country.

Ukraine deserves nothing less than a landmark international effort to rebuild their towns and cities, regenerate their industries, and secure their freedom for the long term.

We are doubling down.

We will keep going further and faster to push Russia out of the whole of Ukraine.

And this has to be a catalyst for wider change.

We must also apply this tough stance to the threats that are emerging beyond Ukraine.

Our new approach is based on three areas: military strength, economic security and deeper global alliances.

Firstly, we need to strengthen our collective defence.

In the words of President Zelenskyy: Freedom must be better armed than tyranny.

Ahead of the NATO summit in Madrid, we need to lift our sights.

We have long argued that NATO needs to be flexible, agile and integrated.

The Eastern Flank must be strengthened, and we must support crucial states like Poland. Thats why we are increasing our troop presence and were deepening our defence cooperation.

We also have to learn the lessons of Ukraine.

The UK sent weapons and trained Ukrainian troops long before the war started.

But the world should have done more to deter the invasion. We will never make that same mistake again.

Some argue we shouldnt provide heavy weapons for fear of provoking something worse.

But my view, is that Inaction would be the greatest provocation. This is a time for courage not for caution.

And we must ensure that, alongside Ukraine, the Western Balkans and countries like Moldova and Georgia have the resilience and the capabilities to maintain their sovereignty and freedom.

NATOs open door policy is sacrosanct.

If Finland and Sweden choose to join in response to Russias aggression, we must integrate them as soon as possible.

And we reject the false choice between stronger traditional defence and modern capabilities. We need to defend ourselves against attacks in space and cyberspace as well as by land, air and sea.

We also reject the false choice between Euro-Atlantic security and Indo-Pacific security. In the modern world we need both.

We need a global NATO.

By that I dont mean extending the membership to those from other regions.

I mean that NATO must have a global outlook, ready to tackle global threats.

We need to pre-empt threats in the Indo-Pacific, working with our allies like Japan and Australia to ensure the Pacific is protected.

And we must ensure that democracies like Taiwan are able to defend themselves.

All of this will require resources.

We are correcting a generation of underinvestment.

Thats why the Prime Minister has announced the biggest investment in our Armed Forces since the Cold War. We recognised Russia as the most acute threat in our Integrated Review, adopting the same vigilance as NATOs Eastern Allies.

Others are now also stepping up as well. But we all need to go further.

Spending 2% on defence must be a floor, not a ceiling.

There is no substitute for hard military power, backed by intelligence and diplomacy.

Secondly, we need to recognise the growing role that the economy plays in security.

In the UK we are now using all of our economic levers trade, sanctions, investment and development policy in a much more assertive way.

We recognise that growth from cheap gas and money syphoned from kleptocracies is growth built on sand. Its not the same as real, sustained growth from higher productivity and greater innovation.

Free trade and free markets are the most powerful engine of human progress. We will always champion economic freedom.

But free trade must be fair and that means playing by the rules.

For too long many have been nave about the geopolitical power of economics. Aggressors treat it as a tool of foreign policy using patronage, investment and debt as a means to exert control and coerce.

They are ruthless in their approach. Our response wont mirror their malign tactics, but we will match them in our resolve.

Its time to wise up.

Access to the global economy must depend on playing by the rules.

There can be no more free passes.

We are showing this with the Russia-Ukraine conflict Russias pass has been rescinded.

We are hitting them with every element of economic policy.

We have raised tariffs on Russian goods. Weve cut them off from WTO terms. Weve banned their ships from our ports, weve banned their planes from our airports.

We have sanctioned more individuals and organisations than any other nation, hitting Russias banks, oligarchs, defence companies, Central Bank reserves, and oil and gas supplies.

Were cutting off the funding for Putins war effort.

We are also cutting investment ties with Russia banning all new outward investment and ending the investor visa.

At the same time, we are removing all import tariffs for Ukraine, and were supporting the Ukrainian economy with loan guarantees, fiscal support and investment.

We are showing that economic access is no longer a given. It has to be earned.

Countries must play by the rules.

And that includes China.

Beijing has not condemned Russian aggression or its war crimes. Russian exports to China rose by almost a third in the first quarter of this year.

Originally posted here:

Foreign Secretary's Mansion House speech at the Lord Mayor's Easter Banquet: The return of geopolitics - GOV.UK

ANCA calls on Congress to halt military aid to Azerbaijan, expand aid to Artsakh and Armenia – Armenian Weekly

In ANCA testimony submitted on April 26th, Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan urged US House appropriators to allocate $50 million in US aid to Artsakh to help its families rebuild their lives and resettle in safety upon their indigenous Armenian homeland.

WASHINGTON, DC Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan outlined the Armenian National Committee of Americas (ANCA) policy priorities in testimony submitted today to the US House panel drafting the FY23 foreign aid bill with a sharp focus on ending all US military aid to Azerbaijan and delivering an urgently needed $50 million aid package to Artsakh.

In testimony submitted to Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ranking Member Hal Rogers (R-KY) of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations, Yerimyan made the case that, in the wake of Azerbaijans ethnic cleansing of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and amid Bakus ongoing occupation of sovereign Armenian territory, the Congress should hold the Aliyev regime accountable by cutting off all US military aid to its armed forces. She also pressed for a long-term developmental investment in Artsakh, to help its families rebuild their lives and resettle in safety upon their indigenous Armenian homeland.

Speaking to the need for increased aid to Armenia, Yerimyan prioritized US aid programs aimed at materially strengthening Armenias security and sovereignty in the face of escalating Turkish and Azerbaijani threats.

Similar testimony will also be submitted for Senate consideration.

#####

The Armenian American Community & U.S. Foreign Assistance PolicyFor Fiscal Year 2023

presented byTereza Yerimyan, Government Affairs DirectorArmenian National Committee of America (ANCA)

for the

Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related ProgramsCommittee on AppropriationsUnited States House of Representatives

Thank you, Chairwoman Lee, for your strong leadership of this Subcommittee and your long history of support for the national and democratic aspirations of the Armenian nation.

In the wake of Azerbaijans ethnic-cleansing of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), and amid Bakus ongoing occupation of sovereign Armenian territory, we ask this Subcommittee to hold the Aliyev regime accountable by cutting off all U.S. military aid to its armed forces and to help meet pressing humanitarian and developmental needs in Artsakh with a robust assistance package.

As you know, both Artsakh and Armenia continue to endure the brutal consequences of the unprovoked attack launched on September 27th of 2020 by dictatorial Azerbaijan backed by its ally Turkey against democratic Artsakh. USAID has estimated that 90,000 Armenians have been displaced from their ancestral homes, describing their situation as an acute humanitarian crisis. Azerbaijan has destroyed countless homes, churches, and hospitals. It has targeted civilians, used prohibited cluster munitions and white phosphorus, illegally detained and abused Armenian prisoners of war, and continues to desecrate Armenian Christian holy sites and cemeteries. Shockingly, Azerbaijan has yet to be held to account.

Neither the Trump nor Biden administrations have investigated Turkeys role in Azerbaijans aggression, including Ankaras recruitment of jihadist mercenaries from Syria and Libya to fight against Armenians. Nor has either administration investigated reports of Turkish F-16s having been used in Azerbaijans attacks. Closer to home, we have yet to see either the Pentagon or Department of State look into potential violations of U.S. arms export laws related to the discovery of U.S. parts and technology in Turkish Bayraktar drones deployed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh.

Our specific requests related to the FY23 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs bill fall into three categories:

1) Aid to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh):Through the leadership of this Subcommittee, since Fiscal Year 1998, direct U.S. aid to Artsakh has provided its peaceful inhabitants with maternal health care, clean drinking water, and life-saving demining by the HALO Trust. In the wake of Azerbaijans 2020 attack, this aid program must be meaningfully expanded to meet the humanitarian and development needs confronting the families of Artsakh estimated at well over $250,000,000 helping them rebuild their lives and resettle in safety upon their indigenous Armenian homeland. In this spirit we ask the Subcommittee to support a long-term investment in Artsakh, and, in order to meet the most urgent needs facing Artsakh, request the following language to be included in the body of this Act:

Of the funds appropriated under this act making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs not less than $50,000,000 shall be made available for global health, humanitarian, and stabilization assistance for the Armenian population in Artsakh:

Refugee Relief: $20,000,000Housing: $10,000,000Food Security: $5,000,000Water/Sanitation: $5,000,000Healthcare: $5,000,000Rehabilitation: $3,000,000Demining/UXO: $2,000,000

2) Azerbaijan

We remain troubled that the Administration even in the wake of Azerbaijans attack on Artsakh has chosen, recklessly and irresponsibly, to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. Compounding this error, the General Accountability Office has confirmed that the Administration has demonstrably failed to meet its statutory reporting obligations under this law.

U.S. military aid to Baku including Section 333 (Capacity Building), Foreign Military Financing, and International Military Education and Training should not materially add to Bakus equipment stores, tactical abilities, and offensive capabilities, or free up its state resources for renewed cross-border action against both Artsakh and Armenia. Moving forward, the Administration should strictly enforce Section 907. Congress, for its part, should rescind the Presidents authority to waive this provision of U.S. law, and enact statutory prohibitions on any new U.S. military or security aid to Azerbaijan.

We request the following language to be included in the body of this Act:

No funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act may be provided to the Government of Azerbaijan for U.S. military or security programs.

3) Armenia

Armenia an ancient Christian nation deeply rooted in Western democratic values has, despite the crushing economic impact of Turkish and Azerbaijani aggression and blockades, stepped forward as an ally and partner for the United States on a broad array of complex regional challenges. Armenia is a member of NATOs Partnership for Peace and the Armenian military has been among the highest per capita providers of peacekeepers to U.S.-led deployments, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kosovo, and Mali.

Moving forward, the U.S. aid program to Armenia should focus on Armenias security and sovereignty. As such, we request the following language to be included in the body of this Act:

Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $100,000,000 shall be made available for assistance for Armenia to support Armenias security and sovereignty in the face of regional threats from Turkey and Azerbaijan.

We commend the Subcommittees commitment to American Schools and Hospitals Abroad, and encourage continued support through this program for the American University of Armenia and the Armenian American Wellness Center. We also ask the panel to prioritize supporting Armenias role as a regional safe haven for at-risk refugees.

In closing, we would like to underscore, once again, our urgent calls for robust aid to Artsakh and a statutory prohibition on U.S. security or military aid to Azerbaijan.

The ANCA, as always, thanks you for your leadership and looks forward to working with the Subcommittee to help save Artsakh, defend Armenias sovereignty, strengthen the U.S.-Armenia alliance, and advance American interests and our shared democratic values.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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ANCA calls on Congress to halt military aid to Azerbaijan, expand aid to Artsakh and Armenia - Armenian Weekly

Freedom Township Trustee News – The Weekly Villager

Freedom Twp. 2021 exited quietly for most of Freedom Township including the Trustees. The meeting scheduled for December 30th was canceled for health reasons. Fortunately the first meeting of 2022 went on as planned. Newly elected Trustees Tom Mesaros and Charlene Walker (pictured) attended their inaugural meeting on January 6th.

The first meeting of 2022 was called to order by Trustee Jeff Derthick at 7:00 p.m. Present were Trustees Charlene Walker, Tom Mesaros and Jeff Derthick. Also attending were Fiscal Officer Jennifer Derthick, Road Supervisor Tony Vansteenberg and Zoning Inspector Linda Chartier. The first order of business was to hold the organization meeting for the new year. During this process the trustees select their chair and vice-chair for the coming year as well as set rates for town hall/community center fees, nominate representatives for various boards and confirm holidays/vacations and sick days for employees. In addition the compensation for Zoning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals members is set. The trustee board chairman for 2022 will be Mr. Derthick and Mrs. Walker will serve as vice-chairman. The special meeting adjourned at 7:16 immediately followed by the regular meeting called to order by Mr. Derthick.

The minutes for the December 2, 2021 meeting were approved. The Zoning Inspector Linda Chartier recapped the permits, notice of violations and cleared violations issued during 2021. The Board of Zoning Appeals did not meet in December.

In the course of the zoning report Ms. Chartier stated the address belonging to Dukes K9 Dash and Splash is still in violation of township zoning. Mr. Derthick stated that at this time Mrs. Filler is in compliance per the direction of the County Prosecutors office. If at a future date Mrs. Filler changes the use of her property she will need to seek approval of the Zoning Board. At the conclusion of the zoning report and period for public questions, Trustee Walker made a motion for the immediate dismissal of the current zoning inspector. The motion passed. An ad will be placed in the Villager and the Record Courier. Also an advertisement will be placed for alternates for the Zoning Commissions and the Board of Zoning Appeals.

The trustees then broke for an executive session with the township solicitor. Upon the return of the trustees a motion was made to return to regular session. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Walker.

The meeting continued with the road report and inventory report given by Road Supervisor Tony Vansteenberg. Mr. Vansteenberg requested $900 to replace the disc on the boom mower and $120 to replace the garage lighting with newer LED lighting. He also stated he would like to continue the cleanup of the township service area with the rental of a dumpster for $340. This fee covered a 14 day rental. Mr. Derthick requested a motion to have the County Engineer prepare and submit a grant application to the Ohio Works Commission for the replacement of the Asbury Road culvert. The motion was made and passed. He also mentioned the trustees should have new information regarding the Hankee Road ODOT grant in February.

Under unfinished business; the County Regional Planning Commission will be preparing bids to bring the ADA ramp and parking spaces at the Township hall and ADA parking at the schoolhouse into compliance. The monies to pay for these projects will come from the existing CBDG grant money of approximately $24,000 and remainder will come from AARP funds. Unfinished business continued with a discussion regarding the construction of an auxiliary pole barn building with a shed roof addition for the schoolhouse. The building will be used for storage and cover for picnic tables used for school groups. Mr. Derthick requested a motion for a budget not to exceed $17,200 be made a available for the project with provision the board of directors of obtain quotes for the project. Mrs. Walker motioned. Mr. Mesaros seconded. Motion passed.

In other business; the State Route 700 park will be closed for the winter season and the portable toilet will be removed. The park will remain closed until spring weather permits reopening. The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for January 20th at 7:00 p.m.

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Freedom Township Trustee News - The Weekly Villager

Breakdown of the Jan 18, 2022 RTM Moderator Vote – Greenwich Free Press

On Tuesday night the Representative Town Meeting held an election for a new moderator to replace Tom Byrne who retired after holding the position for 26 years.

Neither of the two candidates, Alexis Voulgaris and Brian Raney, are affiliated with a political party.

Voulgaris, who has served as moderator pro tem for four years, won in a vote of 150 to 67. She will be the first woman moderator in the history of the RTM and its first independent candidate.

Per the RTM member handbook, The RTM is a non-partisan, collegial body, and ballots do not indicate a candidates party affiliation, but there has been speculation that the 230-member non-partisan body is becoming politicized.

In the 2019 election for the RTM, Fiscal Freedom for Connecticut, created a scorecard ranking RTM members based on their voting records on issues including the plastic bag ban, mill rate reduction, and For/Against Tolls SOMR. After the subsequent vote some popular longtime members lost their seats.

In 2017, after the election of Donald Trump, a third of the seats on the RTM turned over after a group of women from March On Greenwich organized to field candidates. In all, 79 new candidates with successful petitions earned spots on the ballot.

Last week when the RTC held caucuses to elect members, there was an unusually high turnout of new voters and new candidates. After the caucuses, about half the 62 RTC members were new, and 21 incumbents lost their seats. GFP published the list of RTC caucus winners on Wednesday.

Last month, GFP published a breakdown of votes on Item 8, which concerned whether to refer the legality of a proposed ordinance to the Legislative & Rules committee that originated from Carl Higbies petition proposing to override state regulations requiring masking school children.

After GFP published the results from the town clerks office, it revealed there was an error in tabulation. In district 9 were votes not reported accurately to the town clerk.

Below is the breakdown of Tuesdays vote for RTM moderator.

District 1

Voulgaris: Katherine Ashworth, Jillian Aufderheide, Ed Dadakis, Fred Feldman, Lyn Garelick, Alison Ghiorse, Judy Goss, Alanna Hynes, Julia Lane, Brigitte Lee, Fred Lee, Jaysen Medhurst, Dan Quigley, Lihong Zhang

Raney: Carl Carlson, Dean C Goss, William Lewis, James OBrien, Marla Weston

Abstained or absent: Elizabeth Mills Sanders

DISTRICT 2

Voulgaris: Katherine Lobalbo, Mary Ellen Markowitz, Pragati Soni, Joyce Teevan, Eileen Toretta, Henry Scott Walter

Raney: Duncan Burke, Nancy Burke, Don Conway, Laura Gladstone, Wilma Naninovich, Aldo Pascarella, Erika Walsh

DISTRICT 3

Voulgaris: Louise Bavis, Martin Blanco, Tom Conelias, Ed Lopez, Andrew Melillo, Sylvester Pecora Sr, Adam Rothman, Steven Rubin, Alison Walsh

Raney: Rosalind Nicastro

Absent or abstained: Joan Lowe

DISTRICT 4

Voulgaris: Javier Aleman, Joshua Brown, Ronald Carosella, Andrea Casson, Elizabeth Eckert, Leonard Mackey, Robert McKnight, Romulo Samaniego, Diego Sanchez, Samarpana Tamm, Donald Vitti, Lucy Von Brachel, Bonnie Zeh

Raney: Seth Bacon, Alex Popp, Maria Madeleine Popp

Absent or abstained: Robert Tuthill

DISTRICT 5

Voulgaris: Eric Beiley, Joseph Benoit, Edward Broadhurst, Alison Icy Frantz, Paul Kramer, Lucy Krasnor, Lindy Lilien, Paul Olmsted, Charles Parkhurst, Martha Ozizmir Shoemaker, Ashley Smith, Joan Thakor, Peter Van Duyne

Raney: Alison Rogers, Felix Rovelli, Andrew Taylor, Catherine Whitaker

Absent or abstained: Christopher Parker

DISTRICT 6

Voulgaris: Sally Bednar, Tom Byrne, Marilyn Ross Cahn, Robert Carter, Nancy Dearing, Matt DesChamps, Carol Ducret, Daniel Izzo, Coline Jenkins, Brian Maher, John McShea, John Merrill, Stephen Meskers, Tracy Parsons Grossman, Kathleen Kathy Smith, David Snyder, Mary Tobin, Alexis Voulgaris, Victoria Martin Young

Raney: None

Absent or abstained: Barbara ONeill

DISTRICT 7

Voulgaris: Debbie Appelbaum, Kimberly Morgan Blank, Ellen Brennan-Galvin, Bill Galvin, Scott Kalb, Anthony Moor, Tara Restieri, Marina Rosin

Raney: Mary G Nanette Burrows, Thomas Cahill, Alice Duff, Elizabeth Betsy Galindo, Hilary Gunn, Lucia Jensen, Beth MacGillivray, Henry Orphys, Valerie Stauffer, Luke Szymczak

Absent or abstained: Wynn McDaniel, Doreen Pearson

DISTRICT 8

Voulgaris: Hector Arzeno, Lisa Becker Edmundson, Peter Berg, Francis Burgweger, Neil Caton, Irene Dietrich, Hannah Doherty, Christine Edwards, Dana Gordon, Myra Klockenbrink, Richard Margenot, Janet Lee Mchon, Cheryl Moss, Kathlen Myer, Jonathan Perloe, Caryn Rosenbaum, Alison Soler, Cory Williams

Raney: Jill Capalbo, Randy Caravella, Adele Caroll, Philip Dodson, Andrew Oliver, Vincent Pastore

Abstained or absent: Molly Saleeby

DISTRICT 9

Voulgaris: Claudia Carthaus, Donna Gaudioso-Zeale, Sarah Haag-Fisk, Elizabeth Porcher Hester, Mark Kordick, Lauren OKeefe, Joanne Steinhart

Raney: Michael Brescia, Barbara Darula, Patricia Patti DeFelice, Betsy Frumin, Carl Griffasi, Anne Jones Dawson, Abbe Large, Brian Malin, Brian Raney, Ferdinando Schiro, Jonathan Shankman, Jane Weisbecker, Carol Zarrilli

DISTRICT 10

Voulgaris: Jude Collins, Mareta Hamre, Sandra Harris, Brooks Harris, Katherine Hynes, Steven Katz, Debra Ciampi Kolman, Radhika Patel, Diana Singer, Alan Small, Louisa Stone

Raney: Gerald Anderson, Allyson Cowin, Anne Driscoll, Hilary Haroche, Ramya Hopley, Kara Philbin, Daniel Schreck, Sheryl Sorbaro, Jane Sprung

DISTRICT 11

Voulgaris: Nancy Better, Victoria Bostock, Adam Brodsky, Thomas Devaney, Susan Fahey, Tracy Freedman, Karen Giannuzzi, Dana Neuman, Richard Neuman, David Oliver, Ralph Penny, Nerlyn Pierson, Brad Radulovacki, Cathryn Fineman Steel, Thomas West, Gregory Zorthian

Raney: Laura Darrin, Margaret Heppelmann, Jan Kniffem, Kimberly Salib, Ronald Strackbein

Absent or abstained: Adam Leader, Michael Spilo

DISTRICT 12

Voulgaris: Thomas Agresta, Francia Alvarez, Craig Amundson, Glen Canner, David DeMilhau, Mary Flynn, Barbara Hindman, Mary Keller, David Lancaster, Chalon LeFebvre, Robert May, Ellen Murdock, Jocelyn Riddle, Jane Sulich, James Waters, Andrew Winston

Raney: Jeffrey Crumbine, Paula Legere Mickley, Aaron Leonard, Frederick Lorthioir

Absent or abstained: Abigail McCarthy, Miriam Mennen

NOTE: In district 8 Molly Saleebys abstention was omitted and has been added.

See also:

Voulgaris is First Woman RTM Moderator; Lobalbo Becomes Moderator Pro Tem

Tabulation Error Acknowledged in RTM Item 8 Appeal of Town Attorney Opinion on Unmasking Our Children Ordinance

Wondering How RTM Item #8, Unmask Our Children Vote Broke Down?

197 Viewers Zoom in for RTM Vote on Legality of Unmask Our Kids Ordinance

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Breakdown of the Jan 18, 2022 RTM Moderator Vote - Greenwich Free Press

Florida crash of high-tech F-22 blamed on human error, glitches and tape – Tampa Bay Times

Several mistakes including maintenance, pilot and technology errors, plus a wayward piece of tape combined to cause a May 2020 plane crash in the Florida Panhandle that totaled an F-22 Raptor fighter, according to the results of an Air Force investigation.

Redacted results of a commander-directed inquiry into the $202 million incident, obtained by Air Force Times via the Freedom of Information Act, sheds the most light so far on what was behind the crash of one of the nations most advanced airframes at the Eglin Air Force Base training range.

Air Force Times first reported in October 2021 that the F-22 grew increasingly wobbly upon takeoff, then refused to turn left and barrel-rolled into the ground after the pilot safely ejected.

The service said last year that mismanaged cleaning of the jet caused its demise, but didnt offer further details. It was one of nine major F-22 mishaps in fiscal 2020.

The unnamed pilot involved in the May 15, 2020, crash was a captain serving as the 43rd Fighter Squadrons assistant operations director. The 43rd Fighter Squadron is the only Air Force unit that provides initial and requalification training for active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve F-22 pilots.

Problems began two days earlier when maintainers towed in the advanced fighter jet for its monthly wash to help prevent corrosion.

A crew chief was tasked with managing the wash team of four maintainers to ensure they correctly cleaned the jet. The crew chief periodically checked in on their work but didnt stay throughout the process, and inspected the plane once the wash was done, the report said.

According to the technical order, or maintenance manual, that tells airmen how to wash the Raptor, a supervisor needs to watch over and participate in the cleaning. But the only team member with training in that role didnt know who the designated supervisor was supposed to be. Neither did the other three airmen.

Hurricane Michael, the Category 5 hurricane that forced F-22s to relocate from Tyndall Air Force Base to nearby Eglin Air Force Base in 2018, was partly to blame.

The discipline and standardization of conducting washes in this unit suffered when operations moved from Tyndall AFB to Eglin AFB after Hurricane Michael, the report said.

Airmen saw no problems during routine preflight checks run before and on the day of the crash, though its unclear how thoroughly the jet was inspected. They missed something crucial.

Maintainers need to cover up electronics on the outside of an aircraft that would be damaged by water before they start a wash. But airmen left tape on a part of the F-22s air data system, known as a Beta port, that no one caught before the jet took flight.

The port, manufactured by Collins Aerospace, is one of multiple pieces that collect and process information about a planes activity. Then they send those figures to a flight control system that uses the data to tell the plane how to adjust.

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A series of human and technical issues quickly piled up.

While the jet was still on the runway, an alert popped up to tell the pilot that something was amiss with the flight control system. The pilot ignored it and started to climb.

A new emergency procedure, instituted for the F-22 just 15 days before the crash, told pilots to abort takeoff if a flight control system advisory comes up during departure.

The pilot who would soon face that exact situation did not review the updates before signing off on the new file and wasnt aware of changes to the emergency protocol, the investigation found.

An official in charge of F-22 standards had pinged airmen on the Slack chat app to let them know the flight manual had changed, but pilots arent required to read Slack messages. Nor do they have to read the new material on their tablets in order to accept an updated flight manual.

If the pilot had aborted the takeoff, the aircraft would have avoided the flying environment that depended on the left Beta port providing reliable air pressure data, the report said.

A week after the accident, multiple other pilots tablets hadnt been updated with the new flight manual either.

In my opinion, poor (technical order) distribution practices failed to proactively notify the F-22 community of the existence (of) a new publication and any critical flight safety changes contained in the new version, Col. Jonathan King, the accident investigation board president, said in the report. This factor substantially contributed to the mishap.

When asked whether the incident has spurred any changes to how airmen learn of manual revisions, Capt. Sarah Johnson, a spokesperson for the 325th Fighter Wing, said the organization follows Air Force guidance and procedures for technical order updates.

While airborne, the tape interfered with the ports ability to sense where the F-22 was in the air and gathered wrong information about the planes position. The jet showed the pilot an altitude and airspeed that were off by about 1,000 feet and 40 knots, or 46 mph, the report said.

Typically, redundancies built into an F-22 allow it to still fly even when one component isnt working. The flight control system can determine which part is providing false data and turn it off, according to the report.

However, that backstop didnt kick in because the pilot was moving faster, and at a steeper angle, than what constitutes the F-22s happy place. The term refers to flying at no more than 1 G, 400 knots, or 20 degrees up; the jet was climbing at 480 knots, 5.5 Gs and 55 degrees.

The (pilot) was aware of the (flight control systems) happy place, but did not think about it during the departure, the report said.

Flight controls had permanently shut off one component of the air data system while the plane left the runway. Because the tape was interfering with another component, causing the jet to roll, the flight controls turned off a second piece of the sensor system to adjust for the pressure changes.

At this point, it was no longer possible for the (pilot) to recover the aircraft safely, the report said.

If he had stayed within the planes happy place and reset the flight controls, the F-22s computer would have instead shut down the taped-over Beta port to cut off the faulty data.

The (aircraft) would have been sufficiently controllable to perform a safe landing, the report said.

F-22 manufacturer Lockheed Martin ran the scenario through a simulator about 100 times. Each time, the report said, the planes wobbly departure caused the flight controls to turn off part of the air data sensors.

Al Killeffer, a spokesman for Collins Aerospace, the maker of the port, referred to the Air Force a query on whether the company has revamped its air data and flight control components following the crash, and whether related issues have affected any other jets.

Johnson declined to answer whether anyone was disciplined for their mistakes that day, citing privacy concerns.

The wing remains focused on a maintenance culture that ensures assigned aircraft and equipment are safe, serviceable and properly configured to meet mission needs, she said.

Witness testimony revealed that clear violations have occurred during other F-22 washes, too, the report said. Johnson told Air Force Times that shoddy cleaning protocols havent caused any other Raptor malfunctions.

The Air Force lost a B-2 Spirit bomber in 2008 due to a similar issue. In that case, rain interfered with the air data sensor upon takeoff and sent the stealth aircraft plummeting to the ground.

In the F-22 accidents aftermath, the 43rd Fighter Squadron made some internal adjustments to provide more oversight on aircraft washes, Johnson said. She did not provide further details.

The coronavirus pandemic contributed to the decay of robust maintenance practices as well. Leaders at the 43rd Fighter Squadron and 325th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron each broke into two teams and began switching between in-person and telework every other week.

Most meetings, to include pilot meetings, were canceled or held virtually in accordance with COVID-19 mitigation directives, the report said. This disrupted the normal flow of communication and learning.

In total, the F-22 mishap cost more than $202 million in damages, including the $201.6 million aircraft, two CATM-9 air-intercept training missiles valued at $32,000 apiece, and $850,000 in environmental cleanup costs.

- Rachel S. Cohen

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Florida crash of high-tech F-22 blamed on human error, glitches and tape - Tampa Bay Times

Bill Would Hold The New Education Choice Program To Its Budget – Berlindailysun

CONCORD The Education Freedom Account program would be forced to live within its budget this fiscal year and next under a bill heard Wednesday.

For the current fiscal year, the program was budgeted for less than 30 students, but many more parents participated than planned and the program will cost more than $8 million.

House Bill 1684 would limit the amount taken from the Education Trust Fund for the grants to the money the Department of Education budgeted, $129,000 for this fiscal year and $3.3 million for fiscal year 2023.

This bill would give lawmakers an opportunity to question the executive branch on how they are spending taxpayer money and to ensure it is spent wisely and not on a runaway train, said the bills prime sponsor, Rep. David Luneau, D-Hopkinton. The (education freedom account program) has the potential to be a train wreck and this first year it has the potential to be a runaway train.

Luneau said Education Commissioner Frank Edelbluts estimates of the students leaving public schools for the program were not accurate, which has caused the states costs to rise significantly and could ultimately be a $75 million annual exposure for the state in figures from the Legislative Budget Assistant.

However, a number of parents and students participating in the program begged the House Education Committee not to pass the bill, saying the program has allowed them to have the most appropriate educational situation for those students.

Several said they could not afford to repay the money if the bill passed, and one Nashua parent said the real train wreck is the public school system and its one size fits all philosophy.

The law establishing the program was included in the states biennial budget package passed last year and allows the department to draw whatever is needed to pay for the grants from the Education Trust Fund.

Under the law, if the grants exceed the amount of money in the trust fund, then the state general fund would have to pay the grants.

The deficit would be reported to the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee, the governor, and Executive Council, but could not delay paying the grants to parents.

The Education Trust Fund pays adequacy grants to school districts and per-pupil grants to charter schools as well as other education costs.

Luneau noted the trust fund is based on estimates for what is needed to cover costs and if not enough money is in the fund after parental grants are paid, other areas would be squeezed and used the special education or catastrophic aid program as an example of one prorated in the past when the fund ran low of money.

He said the problem with the program stems from the commissioner estimating that 75 percent of students participating in the program would come from public schools, 15 percent form private schools and 10 from homeschooling.

Instead, Luneau said, 83 percent were from private and homeschooling programs and only 13 percent from public schools.

He said that greatly increases the states obligation because it was not paying for the private school and home school students, but is now.

He said if most of the students had come from public schools, the state obligation would not change, but it does when with private and homeschool students.

Luneau said the departments estimates and assumptions never had a thorough analysis as it was included in the budget that was approved by the Senate.

But Matt Southerton, director of policy and compliance for the Childrens Scholarship Fund New Hampshire, which administers the program, said his latest figures indicate slightly less than half of the 1,856 students participating in the program are from public schools, but he was not sure of the context compared to Luneaus figures.

Southerton noted the bill is retroactive and would defund about 1,800 students currently in the program, many from low-income families with no way to repay the grants.

If the budget were $3.3 million in fiscal 2023, he said someone would have to tell about 1,000 students they could no longer participate.

He also said the state has an obligation to provide a public education to every eligible student, so its exposure already exists without the freedom accounts.

Its very, very early in the program, and what this really is revenue sharing, Southerton said. We didnt know the participation would be so great, but we are thankful it was.

Committee member Rep. Glenn Cordelli, R-Tuftonboro, who supported the original bill establishing the accounts, asked Luneau what would happen if the program went to the original budget.

Luneau said if the money had already been paid, it is not likely anyone would want to claw back the funds, but a provision could be included to begin the cap next fiscal year.

But committee member Rep. Michael Moffett, R-Loudon, asked what happens to the current students and the prospective students looking at the program next year?

Have you given any thought for severing students from the EFA program who are in it, Moffett asked. If this moves forward, you will have to have a process for severing students.

Luneau said he is trying to stop a train wreck, but noted the parents of children who were in private schools and homeschooling, were paying for their childrens education before.

These are not kids who were pulled out of public schools., Luneau said, these kids were in a non-public school situation prior to this offering.

Shalimar Encarnacion, program and outreach coordinator for the Childrens Scholarship Fund, said the program is filling a great need.

In every school, especially in the public school system, kids are falling through the cracks, she said, and we are catching them and helping them.

She said the problems have grown since the pandemic began.

Brian Hawkins, representing the NEA-NH, was the only person testifying in favor of the bill.

Taking a look at budgeting the program going forward, is something his organization supports, he said.

Other states with programs like the EFA, expanded eligibility as they moved forward, Hawkins said, but the New Hampshire program had expanded eligibility when it began and knowing the cost going forward is important.

There is a process for the executive branch to seek more money for a program by going to the fiscal committee, Hawkins said. That process holds the executive branch accountable, and forces them to justify their request, he said.

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Bill Would Hold The New Education Choice Program To Its Budget - Berlindailysun

Immigration Fell as Conservatives Said Biden Fueled Crisis – The Intercept

Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference with members of the House Freedom Caucus about immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 17, 2021.

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Throughout 2021, Republican politicians and conservative pundits hammered the Biden administration over what they claimed was a crisis of uncontrolled immigration.

Images of migrants seeking to cross the border from Mexico in the early months of the new administration, which played in a seemingly endless loop on cable news, led to growing acceptance on the right of the great replacement conspiracy theory, claiming that President Joe Biden was throwing open the nations borders to nonwhite immigrants who would steal white Americans jobs and vote for Democrats. The Anti-Defamation League called for Fox News to fire pundit Tucker Carlson last year because he espoused the great replacement theory so aggressively and so often, but the racist trope has now become normalized within the Republican Party.

Even the mainstream press bought into the idea that there was a massive surge in illegal immigration and that Biden was mishandling the issue.

But rarely has such a long-running and widely accepted political and media narrative been so at odds with reality. In fact, immigration into the United States in 2021 plunged as a result of both a decline in international travel brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictive U.S. immigration policies, according to new report from the Census Bureau. The nations political and media classes were seemingly so obsessedover the images of migrants at the border that they failed to grasp the truth, which was that immigration levels collapsed in 2021.

The startling Census Bureau report found that net international migration into the United States increased by just 247,000 people in 2021, the lowest annual level for any year since at least 2010. Thats about half the number of people who came into the country between 2019 and 2020, during the Trump administration, when net international migration totaled 477,000. The 2021 figure was also far below the 1,049,000 who came into the U.S. between 2015 and 2016, the highest level for any year in that decade.

In 2021, the global movement of people was drastically cut by travel restrictions put in place by governments around the world as a result of the pandemic. Land borders between the United States, Mexico, and Canada were closed to nonessential travel for part of the year,along with many U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, where foreigners get visas to come here.

The Covid-19 pandemic significantly impacted international migration patterns both to and from the United States, according to the report, which is one of the governments first studies of 2021 immigration levels.

The Census Bureaus findings are based on a comprehensive annual survey of more than3 million households in the United States. To determine immigration levels, the bureaus American Community Survey asks where each person surveyed was living one year ago. Those who are foreign-born were also asked what year they came to live in the United States.

A Census Bureau analyst said in an interview that the annual survey is designed to detect changes in the levels of both documented and undocumented immigration. In order to get more responses to the survey among undocumented immigrants, the bureau does not ask whether each person is in the country legally. We make the assumption that the American Community Survey is picking up the undocumented, said the Census Bureau analyst, who asked not to be identified so he could speak freely.

To improve the surveys accuracy, the bureau supplemented its results with data from other agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, the Justice Department, and the Department of Transportation. (The pandemic also impacted the Census Bureaus ability to collect data, especially in 2020, so it relied heavily on adjusted 2019 data to compareagainst 2021.)

Migrants hold a demonstration demanding clearer United States migration policies atthe San Ysidro Port of Entry in Tijuana, Mexico, on March 2, 2021.

Photo: Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images

The Census Bureaus report on immigration levels in 2021 was issued in late December, but it has received little media attention. That may be because the dramatic reduction in immigration in 2021 that it found is in sharp contrast to the narrative created early last year by conservative politicians and the press that immigration was out of control.

The media fixation on an immigration crisis began right after Biden took office, just at the moment when journalists were eager to prove that they could be tough on the new Democratic president after four years of Donald Trump. Questions about theimmigration dominated Bidens first formal press conference in March.

The situation at our southern border provides a perfect platform for [journalists] to show their even-handedness, Heather Digby Parton wrote in Salon last March. Unfortunately, as with most such media moments, its not even-handed in the least.

In fact, a Pew Research Center study found that a supposed immigration crisis was one of the most heavily covered issues by the press in the early days of the Biden administration. The Pew study, released last May, found that immigration was one of the five topics most covered by 25 major news outlets in the first 60 days of the Biden administration, accounting for 11 percent of all stories. It was also the issue that generated the most negative coverage of the administration of any of the top five issues covered, Pew found. About half the stories about the Biden administrations handling of immigration were negative, compared with just 15 percent that were positive. Pew also conducted a related survey to see how Americans media intake influenced how much they heard about the Biden administrations immigration policy. The survey found that 30 percent of all U.S. adults said they had heard a lot about the administrations immigration policies, while 45 percent of those who only got their political news from right-wing media said they had heard a lot about it.

About half the stories about the Biden administrations handling of immigration were negative, compared with just 15 percent that were positive.

In addition to the images of migrants on cable news, the skewed and ill-informed public debate on immigration in 2021 was stoked by a focus on misleading data. The key figure consistently cited by politicians and the media last year was the number of apprehensions along the southwestern border. That figure hit 1.7 million in fiscal year 2021, the highest level in 60 years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. That surge in border apprehensions became the key talking point for critics who argued that the Biden administration had lost control over immigration.

But the data on border apprehensions only showed how many times migrants were stopped when they tried to get into the United States. A Homeland Security official said in an interview that the numbers are misleading because one migrant may try to cross the border several times and thuswould show up repeatedly in the total figures, inflating the numbers.

Ironically, one factor making it possible for migrants to keep trying to cross so many times is the governments use of a pandemic-related border restriction that was first put in place by the Trump administrationandhas continued under Biden. Citing Covid-19, the government has used a public health statute, known as Title 42, to carry out expulsions of migrants at the border without offering them the chance to request asylum. Title 42 expulsions happen so fast that migrants can try to cross again almost immediately.

The data on apprehensions also doesnt show how many migrants actually got into the United States and were allowed to stay.

There is no current data on how many migrants who were apprehended trying to cross the border in 2021 have been allowed to permanently stay in the United States, the Homeland Security official said. But the official pointed to the departments enforcement lifecycle reports from earlier years, which show that most migrants crossing the border are eventually sent home. A 2020 Homeland Security report found that of 3.5 million encounters on the southwestern border between 2014 and 2019, 51 percent of the migrants had already been repatriated, while only 8.1 percent, or 284,000, from that five-year period had been granted relief or other protection from removal.

The obsessionover the border apprehension data led politicians and journalists to completely miss the fact that overall immigration crateredduring Bidens first year in office.

A Now Hiring sign outside a gas station amid record job openings in the U.S. is seen in Seymour, Ind., on Dec. 6, 2021.

Photo: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Last years plunging immigration levels came at the same time as declining birth rates and rising mortality rates in the U.S.

The combination of low levels of immigration, a low birth rate, and a higher mortality rate trends worsened by the pandemic resulted in the slowest population growth for the United States in any year since the founding of the nation, the Census Bureau found in another new study. The U.S. population grew by only 0.1 percent in 2021, the lowest rate the Census Bureau has ever recorded. It was the first time since 1937, in the midst of the Great Depression, that Americas population grew by less than1 million, the Census Bureau found.

Sharply reduced immigration and low overall population growth come at the same time as a major labor shortage in the United States. The onset of the pandemic initially led to enormous job losses in 2020 as many businesses went into lockdown. A devastating recession was avoided, however, thanks to the governments stimulus packages and the Federal Reserves easy monetary policy. The governments aggressive fiscal and monetary pump-priming helped bring about a quick economic recovery and soaring demand for labor in 2021.

The combination of more job openings and fewer workers has forced companies to offer higher wages. Yet the labor shortage has persisted.

But in what has been nicknamed the Great Resignation, many people have not returned to the workforce. In an analysis of economic data, the Washington Post reported last month that 3.5 million fewer people are now employed than two years ago, but only about half of them arecurrently looking for a job. Many are older workers who decided during the pandemic to take early retirement.

The combination of more job openings and fewer workers has forced companies to offer higher wages. Yet the labor shortage has persisted, leading to worsening supply chain problems and higher prices.

Low immigration is making the labor shortage worse. There are now about2 million fewer immigrants of working age than would have been expected before 2020, according to Giovanni Peri and Reem Zaiour, economists at the University of California, Davis. In an articlepublished this month, they estimated that nearly1 million of those lost immigrants would have been college-educated.

The steep drop in immigrant and nonimmigrant visa arrivals resulted in zero growth in working-age foreign-born people in the United States,they wrote.

2022may finally bring stability. In late 2021, there were some signs, particularly in government data about visa applications and international flights, that immigration levels were bouncing back from the stark lows earlier in the year. In the publicly available visa data that we have been monitoring in recent months, weve seen immigration levels higher, the Census Bureau analyst said. Weve seen visa data start to return to pre-pandemic levels, and airline international passenger counts are returning to pre-pandemic levels. Whether the ongoing omicron variant wave of the Covid-19 pandemic will once again lead to a plunge in immigration is yet to be determined.

But the toxic, anti-immigrant political climate in the United States underscored by right-wing conspiracy theories like the great replacement will make it exceedingly difficult to significantly increase immigration levels in order to ease labor shortages. Today conservatives loudly complain about inflation and supply chain woes, but their xenophobic fears seem to blind them to the economic and social dangers that can arise from chronically low levels of immigration.

In fact, the nationalist, anti-immigrant policies of theRepublican Partyare now dividingit from many of its traditional corporate supporters. To address the labor shortage, supply chain problems, and rising prices, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce long aGOP stalwart called earlier this month for a doubling of legal immigration.The fight over immigration could soon become a proxy for a broader war between the new, nationalist base of the Republican Party and itsmore traditional supporters in the business community.

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Immigration Fell as Conservatives Said Biden Fueled Crisis - The Intercept

The president we need, By Uddin Ifeanyi – Premium Times

Evidentlynext year we will need more that a president with economic nous to navigate the minefield that the economy has become. There are trade-offs to be made. And as with the selection of the next batch of regulators for important parts of the economy, we must look increasingly to broad-spectrum competence in our choice of president.

In the more tribal space that politicking in Nigeria has become, it is no surprise that the flood of candidates announcing their bid for the office of president in next years general elections has been met by a cynical indifference to the truth. Still, despite the frenetic exertions of the incumbent government at the centre, one fact is beyond dispute: the Nigerian economy ails badly. On the back of this admission, my ideal candidate for president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria next year would be one who is comfortable with economics. He (the odds against a female candidate are, unfortunately, still very high) may yet consult marabouts, as leading politicians in these parts are wont to. He may well struggle with Macros in Excel. But, at the very least, given the depths that the economy has plumbed in the last decade, our next president should understand that the economys demand for reform, while inclusive of a root-and-branch review of the public sectors spending requirement, easily falls short of this deliverable. Stripped of all the fancy stuff, the national reform shopping list pullulates with low-hanging fruits.

Over the first hundred days of the administration, it should be easy to reverse the fiscal dominance (the central banks use of monetary policy to support the prices of government securities) that has seen the Central Bank of Nigerias initiatives favour fiscal repression (holding interest rates at low levels to depress the cost of servicing our growing public debt) over price stability. Would this by itself force inflation down? Not as far as the man on the street would want prices increases to fall.

For, in truth, we are not a low inflation environment. Infrastructure is too substandard across too many platforms and key governance processes riddled with inefficiency for this to be otherwise. But by bringing a stable price environment about (one in which the movements of domestic prices are less volatile and far more predictable), it should make planning easier, economy-wide. Would this policy plank reverse the nairas loss over the last four years? Alas, no. But again, stable prices (irrespective of the market) are always a net positive, especially if the overriding goal is to grow entrepreneurial activity. Such is the harmful effect of an unstable price regime in the making of domestic choices that we are having to deal with rising prices, despite the large levels of unemployment and underemployment across the economy. Do we need reminding that low growth and high inflation feed directly into the economys worsening security challenges?

Globally, the conversation around regulation of markets is transiting from the consumer welfare pillar to a more dynamic understanding of the alteration by the tech and comms revolution of the skein that girdles industries. Amazon, Facebook, etc. do not hurt consumer welfare.

This is why reforms to the markets are the next order of work. Forget about a workforce size review of the public sector. Desirable as part of the process of improving the public expenditure management framework, its gains come with a considerable lag, while its costs are borne upfront. So, this will require persuading large swathes of the electorate and the expenditure of dollops of political capital. It is far easier, therefore, to reform existing markets where private sector suppliers predominate. From cement through sugar, to the importation of new cars, we ought to demolish all oligopolistic and monopoly arrangements.

Globally, the conversation around regulation of markets is transiting from the consumer welfare pillar to a more dynamic understanding of the alteration by the tech and comms revolution of the skein that girdles industries. Amazon, Facebook, etc. do not hurt consumer welfare. Indeed, in most cases, the tech firms offer their services to their subscribers for free well, if you discount the monies to be made from the trove of personal data that they sit on. But such is their dominance of their respective spaces that regulators are being invited to relook the traditional focus on the welfare of consumers as the touchstone of the goal of realising efficient markets.

Because our markets have been largely stitched up, until now, the consumer welfare goal is still a valid one. Third activity level will, therefore, be to reform our regulatory environment. Our regulators, telecommunications, equity market, financial services, etc. must understand that a competitive environment is the best guarantee against producers stiffing consumers. And, thus, their central challenge is to allow the freedom of entry and exit of suppliers into any domestic market where private operators predominate, along with the free, unrestrained flow of information through those markets. The requirement that material information about a company is available to all shareholders at the same time, is obviously breached when managing directors of quoted companies spend their weekends at the country homes of the chairmen and members of their boards.

To change these laws in order to fast-track reforms, however well-intentioned or desirable, would fly in the teeth of the higher need of ring-fencing parts of the economy from short-term political considerations. That is if we can ignore the harm to the economy from a constantly changing policy environment.

At this point, wags will point out that even this minimal reform platform eventually comes up hard against legislative constraints: Enabling statutes designed to ensure the administrative and operational freedom of regulatory agencies to act in the best interest of the economy. To change these laws in order to fast-track reforms, however well-intentioned or desirable, would fly in the teeth of the higher need of ring-fencing parts of the economy from short-term political considerations. That is if we can ignore the harm to the economy from a constantly changing policy environment.

Evidently, then, next year we will need more that a president with economic nous to navigate the minefield that the economy has become. There are trade-offs to be made. And as with the selection of the next batch of regulators for important parts of the economy, we must look increasingly to broad-spectrum competence in our choice of president.

Uddin Ifeanyi, journalist manqu and retired civil servant, can be reached @IfeanyiUddin.

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The president we need, By Uddin Ifeanyi - Premium Times

What’s the point of Boris Johnson? – UnHerd

When the Red Wall elected Boris Johnson, they thought they were getting an outsider who would take on the dreary consensus which has dominated Britain for 40 years. Instead, they got an establishment politician who spent much of the last year speaking to the values of metro cosmopolitans who represent neither a majority of the Conservative electorate nor the country.

The sheer scale of the disillusionment with Johnsons premiership struck me last week as I gave various talks in Westminster and listened to MPs voicing their frustration with the direction of travel. On the surface, their demands are clear and specific. Those among the new intake the 2019ers and Red Wallers want Johnsons advisors gone and No. 10 shaken up. They want the volume on Net Zero turned down and the volume on illegal migration turned up. They want Levelling-Up transformed from a narrow, hollow slogan into a serious, unifying and coherent project. And they want it done yesterday.

They also want Boris Johnson to govern as he campaigned; to spend more time outside of London, speaking on behalf of working people, taking on The Blob and offering policies that will resonate among the new Conservative voters, who not only gave him the Red Wall but lie at the heart of the realignment sweeping through the country. They complain about a Prime Minister whose talents as a campaigner and communicator are being squandered by advisors who neither understand this new conservatism nor the realignment on which it stands. This is compounded, they continue, by a Prime Minister who is simply too worried about being liked by the chattering classes and too reluctant to embrace the messaging and policies which would reinforce and retain his new electorate.

This disillusionment is reinforced by what many see as a deep generational and ideological rift inside the Conservative parliamentary party, a rift symbolised this week by one minister deriding Red Wallers as a load of fucking nobodies. One obvious question after the 2019 general election was how traditional True Blue free-traders would sit alongside a more blue-collar, one-nation conservatism. Fast forward to today and this rift is now on full display, reflected in the more than a few 2019ers who simply do not believe their southern, affluent and typically Oxbridge-educated colleagues are seriously invested in levelling-up the Red Wall, who they say resent the new focus on the north, who look at their partys new blue-collar voters with a combination of bemusement and snobbery and who, they say, remain much too wedded to the old conservatism of the Eighties, failing to grasp that the rules of engagement amid the new, post-2016 politics are very different.

There are certainly Thatcherites among the Red Wallers, who look back rather than forward. But there are just as many who complain that the new, post-2016 conservatism cannot answer the questions thrown up by the realignment by turning the clock back 40 years. Thatcherism, one MP points out, represented a genuine, radical and counter-cultural pushback to the dominant zeitgeist at the time. Anchored in a specific philosophy, it offered one answer to a set of questions thrown up by the chaos, gridlock and failure of the Seventies. Today, both the questions and the answers are very different and require a different approach. We have transitioned into a politics where providing people with cultural freedom has become just as important as providing them with economic freedom only the Conservative Party has failed to keep up.

This also finds its expression in an instinctive suspicion of whether Johnsons leadership rivals really could maintain and continue the realignment. You do not have to travel far in Conservative circles to find people who will tell you that anybody can lead a realignment. Just put a Sunak or a Truss on top and throw the working-class northerners a bit of Red Meat. But this is a fundamental misread.

Realignments are both bottom-up and top-down. They depend on underlying demographic trends which are pushing non-graduates and workers Right-wards and graduates and professionals Left-wards; but they also depend on the leaders who pull them into politics and turn them into votes. The realignment in Scotland would simply not have been possible without Nicola Sturgeon, in the same way that the realignment in America would not have been possible without Trump.

Boris Johnson is a greatly weakened figure but he has at least demonstrated proof of concept, driving the realignment by campaigning for Brexit (liking Johnson was a significant driver of public support for leaving the EU) and then tearing through the Red Wall (liking Johnson was a significant driver of Labour to Conservative defectors). While many of the new intake loathe what has become of Johnsons premiership, they can still sense his lingering appeal in parts of the country where, they say, other Conservatives would simply struggle if not fail to reach.

Some fear that a Prime Minister Sunak or Prime Minister Truss neither of whom are really known outside of the Westminster village would be unable to hold the coalition together, a coalition which Johnson himself did not simply mobilise in 2019 but over much of the last decade. While this relationship is damaged, it is also one which, like a long and difficult marriage, still has deep roots. It was shaped by Johnsons decision to campaign for Brexit, then against Theresa Mays Soft Brexit, and then to Get Brexit Done in 2019. In many respects, in the eyes of many voters, Boris Johnson is the realignment: he is the one politician who had the courage to go against the grain and offer the country a break from the dreary, narrow orthodoxy which had dominated their lives for decades.

People have swiftly forgotten that only eight months ago, Johnson won the Labour heartland of Hartlepool for the first time in decades. He has also enjoyed major gains at local elections across Labour strongholds; its all strong evidence that the realignment continues and is by no means in reverse. Twelve weeks ago, the party was averaging 40% in the polls.

Could Sunak, Truss or anyone else manage to hold and extend this coalition in the two years before the next general election? Some MPs describe Sunak as George Osborne 2.0: metropolitan, slick, London, competent but also disconnected from the blue-collar conservatives, the previously apathetic, cultural conservatives who now represent a major flank of the partys electorate. Sunak, they worry, seems more a relic from the Osborne days, than a counter-cultural general who can rally the masses. There is a counter argument to this, of course, which is that in recent polls Sunak performs strongly across northern England, even eclipsing Johnsons own ratings. But Sunaks critics reply that it is easy to be popular when you have given people 70 billion of furlough and much of the country still does not know who you are or what you really believe.

The questions are obvious and difficult to answer. How would Sunak, the partner of a billionaire, a graduate of Oxford and Stanford who wears 1,300 suits and starts his days spinning on a 2,000 bicycle while eating blueberries hold the Red Wall? We hear much about his support for traditional fiscal conservatism and the picture of Nigel Lawson which hangs over his desk, but is this really what the new conservative voters want? Is politics not in a state of realignment precisely because the managerial, technocratic and polished fiscal conservatism of the Cameroon and Osborne era, along with an acceptance of progressive politics, alienated so many? And given that friends of Sunak say he routinely prioritises avoiding disagreement over pinning his own political stripes to the mast, would such an approach really work in a politics that is far more polarised, cross-cutting and rooted more strongly in values than appeals to economic competence?

These doubts, these questions, are what have so far prevented more MPs from rebelling against Johnson. But how long will that hold? So weak is the Prime Minister, that he is now only one error, one leak, one policy blunder away from losing his grip on power altogether. Furthermore, MPs worry that even a Johnson reboot a Boris Johnson 2.0 is pointless unless it is anchored in a guiding philosophy which can reconnect him with his new voters.

One week its Net Zero and animal sentience, complained one MP, the next its tax rises. A political project which began life by promising the British people that it would be genuinely revolutionary that it would springboard from Brexit into far-reaching reforms which would overturn the orthodoxy and push the country in a completely new course has instead become glaringly conventional.

Boris Johnson was never going to be an ism. But in the early days of his counter-cultural premiership there was at least a small hope that he might at least surround himself with thinkers who genuinely grasp the realignment and can feed it with a radical new offer which cuts across Left and Right in the same way Brexit disrupted the old loyalties five years earlier. Today, though, they see a Prime Minister who is bobbing on the surface, trying to be all things to all voters with no clear sense of direction or underlying purpose.

And now his core voters, the ones who really matter, have noticed too. It is the Leavers, the workers, the Greggs Guys who are abandoning him in droves, running not to Labour, but into apathy, giving up on the one person who, in 2019, like Mrs Thatcher 40 years earlier, promised them that he would shatter the consensus and radically reshape the country. The difference between Thatcher and Johnson is that only one of them followed through. Where is that Boris?, asked one MP.

They have a point.

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What's the point of Boris Johnson? - UnHerd

Germanys new government: what the world can expect in a post-Merkel era – The Conversation UK

Leaders of Germanys Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Liberals (FDP) have reached a deal on their coalition agreement for government, paving the way for a new administration to replace that of Angela Merkel.

The agreement is the product of negotiation by some 22 working groups, with around 300 participants from the three parties from national and state levels. It includes a detailed programme for the government to follow. The parties still need to sign off the deal, but an upset looks most unlikely, and the SPDs Olaf Scholz will be voted in as chancellor in the week beginning December 6.

The document is entitled Dare more progress: Alliance for freedom, justice and sustainability, (the unusual formulation a nod to chancellor Willy Brandts earlier slogan, Dare more democracy, and to the core concern of each of the three parties). There is a strong emphasis on modernisation in implicit contrast to what Christian Democrat governments such as Angela Merkels have stood for.

It should be borne in mind that, while the SPD and Greens are quite closely aligned on policy, the FDP is a much more difficult fit. While it is comfortable with some liberal social goals, this does not apply across the board. Its brand of low-tax, low-spend liberalism, with a distinct scepticism of regulation as a means of combating climate change, is an awkward stance for a party in this governing partnership.

Still, the parties have tried to allow each other some victories, rather than always landing at the lowest common denominator between the three. The SPD gets its minimum wage of 12 (10) an hour (up from 9.60), and the Greens have secured a commitment to an earlier exit from coal now timetabled for 2030 rather than 2038. The FDP gets a return to balanced budgets.

There are some striking social proposals in the plan, too. These include allowing cannabis to be sold for recreational use in some settings and removing a paragraph of German law which bans doctors from advertising the availability of abortions.

When these proposals come before parliament, MPs are likely to vote them through (the coalition agreement is considered by most to be binding). On issues affecting Germanys 16 states, the second chamber, where the new government lacks a majority, might throw the odd spanner in the works.

The goal is also to increase legal routes for migration to Germany and allow more asylum seekers to work - rather at odds with the more restrictive stance taken, for instance, by Denmarks social democrats.

If enough votes in parliament can be found to change the constitution, the voting age for parliamentary elections will be reduced to 16.

Passages on foreign and European policy are more equivocal, with some classic German fudging. We learn German-Russian relations are deep and diverse and that there will be a constructive dialogue between the two countries based on international law, human rights and a peaceful order in Europe, which Russia has already committed to.

At the same time, the interests of those who feel threatened in central and eastern Europe will be taken on board and the destabilisation of Ukraine is condemned. The relaxation of EU sanctions against Russia is linked to the full implementation of commitments in the Minsk agreement. The hot topic of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between the countries is not mentioned.

There is a commitment to deepening the European Union and it becoming a federal European state as a long-term aim. All three parties are strongly pro-European (even if on issues close to German interests, deeds may not always follow words), and there is no question Scholz and his government will seek to provide clear leadership.

A push for qualified majority voting on issues of common foreign and security policy at the European Council (as opposed to unanimous voting now) is also on the agenda. At the moment, what the EU can do is limited, as major global players can often find an individual member state to veto EU proposals.

However, changing EU treaties to make this proposal reality will be very difficult. Several member states, notably Poland and Hungary, are likely to be sceptical.

The language on Germanys transatlantic relationships is genuinely warm. However, the message to the UK is tougher. One paragraph states that the UK is one of Germanys closest partners outside the EU but there is also a call for complete adherence to the Brexit agreement, including in relation to Northern Ireland with penalties if that doesnt happen.

It also appears that the new German government will take a firmer line than its predecessor when it comes to the rule of law violations in Poland and Hungary.

Yet on European fiscal matters, the more sceptical stance of the FDP is clearly visible. There are references to growth and investment to reduce climate change but they sit alongside a need for debt sustainability.

Its not yet clear how Germany will position itself in debates about the speed of fiscal consolidation in the EU. FDP leader Christian Lindner, however, has sought to reassure poorer member states and says he will play a mediating role.

The biggest challenge for negotiators was marrying SPD and Green appetite for more investment with the FDPs opposition to new taxes, or relaxing the constitutional rules on new debt (the so-called debt brake). In the end, a compromise was found.

Debt related to the pandemic will be paid back slowly. The fiscal rules will apply from 2023 onwards, but it would appear that environmental investments will happen at an unprecedented level seemingly through Germanys state investment bank (so not counting towards the debt brake). All new laws will have a climate check (a Green achievement) as well as a digital check (an FDP demand to expand digitisation whenever possible).

Ministries have been allocated between the parties, and the division allows the partners to emphasise their strong suits in government. The SPD are leading on social justice topics (such as pensions, welfare and a major housebuilding programme), the Greens on environmental questions and foreign affairs, and the FDP on fiscal caution (getting the prized finance ministry) and digital issues.

With rising COVID rates, the new government will take office at an exceptionally challenging time. The pandemic, the need to co-ordinate between three coalition partners, the large number of new MPs, and the big gap between the FDP and its partners on fiscal and environmental policy, all have plenty of potential to throw the new government off course.

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Germanys new government: what the world can expect in a post-Merkel era - The Conversation UK