BALTIMORE — The White House was thrown on the defensive Wednesday by an inflation report that showed the largest annual increase in prices in three decades, triggering fresh criticisms of President Biden’s legislative plans on Capitol Hill and raising questions about what the administration can do to stem the politically perilous tide of rising prices.
High inflation risks undercutting one of Biden’s central messages — that he has made life better for average Americans by creating millions of jobs, overseeing a jump in wages, creating new social programs and delivering millions of vaccines. That may be a harder case to make if many Americans see the prices of their groceries and other goods continue to climb.
In an appearance at the Port of Baltimore to promote his freshly passed bipartisan infrastructure bill, Biden took a distinctly sympathetic tone, noting the pain that consumers feel when they see rising costs for a gallon of gas or a loaf of bread. He suggested his agenda is the best way to lower costs for American families.
‘We still face challenges, and we have to tackle them. We have to tackle them head on,’ Biden said. ‘Many people remain unsettled about the economy, and we know why. They see higher prices. They go to the store or go online and can’t find what they want.’
But in the meantime, inflation presents a growing political problem. Polling suggests voters are anxious over growing costs. Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) — whose vote, like that of 49 other Senate Democrats, is key to enacting Biden’s social spending bill — cited rising inflation as a reason to pause on some parts of the White House’s agenda.
‘By all accounts, the threat posed by record inflation to the American people is not ‘transitory’ and is instead getting worse,’ Manchin said in a statement Wednesday.’From the grocery store to the gas pump, Americans know the inflation tax is real and D.C. can no longer ignore the economic pain Americans feel every day.’ Manchin was making a cutting reference to earlier claims by the White House that rising prices were a transitory side effect of the economy’s emergence from the pandemic.” Read more at Washington Post
Kyle Rittenhouse on the witness stand.Pool photo by Mark Hertzberg
Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager who fatally shot two people last year during unrest in Kenosha, Wis., offered his first extended public defense in the bitterly divisive case on Wednesday, at one point breaking down on the witness stand.
Rittenhouse’s sometimes emotional testimony punctuated the most dramatic day of the homicide trial so far, which also included heated moments from Judge Bruce Schroeder, who repeatedly castigated the prosecutor for running afoul of his rulings. The trial is in its home stretch, and the days of testimony so far have appeared to tilt in Rittenhouse’s favor.
Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with homicide and attempted homicide for shooting three people, killing two of them, during the mayhem consuming Kenosha after a police shooting in August 2020. He has pleaded not guilty.
Kyle Rittenhouse’s homicide trial pits claims of self-defense against accusations of vigilantism
Testifying in a courtroom just blocks from where he opened fire, Rittenhouse choked with emotion and struggled to speak when he started describing the first fatal confrontation, prompting Schroeder to stop the testimony and give Rittenhouse a break.
When he resumed, Rittenhouse said the shootings left him in shock and that he only opened fire to protect himself.
‘I didn’t do anything wrong,’ said Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time of the shootings. ‘I defended myself.’
The shootings became a nationwide flash point, with the teenager praised as a hero by many on the far right and pilloried as a villain by social justice activists. The opposing narratives have played out in court, with prosecutors painting Rittenhouse as a violent aggressor, while his attorneys say the teen was defending himself while under attack.
Rittenhouse testified to his mind-set, saying he felt under attack the night of Aug. 25, 2020, when he shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26. He also shot and injured Gaige Grosskreutz, then 26.
Rittenhouse recalled feeling ‘cornered,’ saying Rosenbaum and Huber pursued him and grabbed his gun, prompting him to open fire. Rittenhouse then shot Grosskreutz, he said, when that man lunged forward while pointing a gun at him.
‘I didn’t want to have to kill anybody that night,’ Rittenhouse said.
Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha from his home in Antioch, Ill., about 20 miles away, heading into a city rocked by demonstrations and rioting after a White police officer shot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man. He was among many armed people who went to Kenosha in response to footage of property destruction that was circulating widely on television and online.
His trial has been dominated by footage and still images, some of them graphic, from the night Rittenhouse encountered and shot the three men.
On Wednesday, the proceedings were repeatedly overtaken by acrimony in the courtroom. Schroeder admonished prosecutor Thomas C. Binger several times, loudly and sharply rebuking the attorney. Schroeder has come under public scrutiny for decisions he has made in the case, including for his move to prohibit calling the men who were shot ‘victims.’
Gaige Grosskreutz says he feared for his life, pointed gun at Kyle Rittenhouse before getting shot
At one point on Wednesday, he grew angry with Binger for questioning Rittenhouse about not speaking publicly on the shootings until his testimony, saying he was impugning Rittenhouse’s right to remain silent. In another heated moment, Schroeder reprimanded Binger for what he viewed as the prosecutor’s attempt to discuss a matter that the judge had prohibited twice, including earlier the same day.
Rittenhouse’s defense attorneys said they would move to have a mistrial declared because of the prosecution’s perceived overreaches, though Schroeder didn’t make a decision on that suggestion.” Read more at Washington Post
“The Biden administration announced a deal with Johnson & Johnson and COVAX, a global Covid-19 vaccination program, to distribute J&J's Covid-19 vaccine to people in conflict zones and other difficult-to-reach settings. The company’s vaccine is preferred for this kind of work because it is more easily stored and transported, and it requires only one dose. Meanwhile, states are still struggling with how to approach mask mandates. In Texas, a federal judge ruled the state’s ban on mask mandates in school violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. A court in Pennsylvania, however, struck down a mask requirement in schools. Gov. Tom Wolf has appealed, effectively keeping the mandate in place. Places in Europe are going further with new restrictions, with Berlin set to ban unvaccinated people from restaurants, bars, gyms and hairdressers next week.” Read more at CNN
“A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a ban imposed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on school mask mandates violates the Americans With Disabilities Act, a decision that could have national implications as several other states are embroiled in legal battles over face-covering requirements for children.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel is the latest development in the closely watched feud, and it allows local leaders to once again decide whether they want to implement mask mandates in their school districts.
School mask mandates have been a contentious issue for months, with the disputes moving from school board meetings to courtrooms. A handful of GOP-led states, including Arizona and Florida, passed similar bans on mandates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, has recommended that schools require their students, teachers and staff to wear masks.” Read more at Washington Post
“Nearly a million young children in the U.S. have gotten vaccinated in the past week, the White House said.” Read more at New York Times
“The US and China surprised delegates yesterday at the COP26 summit by announcing an agreement to work together to increase their climate ambitions. However, that doesn’t mean their goals are the same. China did not commit to the Global Methane Pledge, which has been spearheaded by the US and EU, nor any other major international agreements. China's climate envoy said the country wants "differentiated" responsibilities, including its own plan for methane reduction. A draft of the Glasgow Agreement was also released, and delegates will spend time hammering out details, especially when it comes to that all-important global warming cap of 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, Saudi Arabia is proving to be a holdout on fossil fuels and other provisions, and the UK is trying hard to get the Gulf nation on board.” Read more at CNN
“After a wave of subpoenas for allies and officials of former President Trump, the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot is now interested in gathering information from at least five members of former Vice President Mike Pence's inner circle. Among them is Pence's former national security adviser. Multiple sources told CNN some Pence aides may be willing to engage with the committee. Trump is still trying to keep secret documents from his presidency away from the committee. A federal judge yesterday declined another Trump effort to pause the document handover and said Trump, as a former President, can’t claim executive privilege -- as he tries to slow the process down -- when the current President supports their release.” Read more at CNN
“Leaders confronted with a migration crisis have a stark choice: They can either cover the political and financial costs to stop the flow of people at the source or pay the bill when they arrive.
As the European Union faces what its members have branded a “hybrid attack” in the form of thousands of Middle Eastern and other travelers escorted to the eastern border by Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s government, it’s at risk doing neither.
Last decade, the EU joined the U.S. in staying largely on the sidelines of Syria’s civil war even as millions of people fled to the security of the bloc. The consequences included a spike in support for far-right parties and the anti-immigration sentiment that played a role in Brexit.
This time, EU members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are calling for help as they push back thousands of migrants in a potential humanitarian crisis that’s escalating as northern Europe’s winter hits.
After meeting U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU was preparing to ramp up existing sanctions against Lukashenko and his allies. It’s also discussing targeting airlines and other entities deemed to be helping traffic people.
Key Reading
Why Turmoil in Belarus Is Spilling Over Its Borders: QuickTake
Crisis on EU Border Heats Up as Poland Uses Tear Gas on Migrants
Lithuania Calls on UN to Open Humanitarian Corridor in Belarus
Lukashenko upped the ante today, saying he might consider shutting down the pipeline crossing Belarus that delivers gas from Russia to the EU in response to further sanctions. Yesterday his main backer, Russian President Vladimir Putin, told German Chancellor Angela Merkel to deal with Lukashenko directly.
While Lithuania has called for a humanitarian corridor to send the migrants back to their home countries, there’s no talk at present of the EU taking in the Iraqis, Afghans and other people huddled on the border.
The questions of how much this crisis will cost and how it could be resolved remain open.” — Michael Winfrey Read more at Bloomberg
Migrants at the Belarus-Poland border on Tuesday.
Photographer: Leonid Shcheglov/BelTA/AP
“China’s Communist Party delivered Xi Jinping a breakthrough on Thursday that will help secure his political future — by rewriting history.
Senior party officials in a closed-door meeting in Beijing approved a decision reassessing the party’s 100-year history and enshrining Mr. Xi in the party’s official firmament of era-defining leaders. The move, signaled in an official summary of the meeting, elevated Mr. Xi to a stature alongside Mao Zedong, the founder of the country’s Communist rule, and Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of its economic takeoff.
Under Mr. Xi’s leadership, China has “made historic achievements and undergone a historic transformation,” said an official summary, or communiqué, from the meeting, hailing what the party described as successes in the economy, foreign policy, fighting pollution and containing Covid. Under Mao, Deng and now Mr. Xi, the communiqué said, China had ‘achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong.’
This week’s meeting was the start of a momentous year in Chinese politics. Its announcements will play a big part in the leadership shake-up at a Communist Party congress that is likely to be held in 2022, when Mr. Xi, China’s most powerful leader in decades, appears on track to secure a third five-year term as the party’s general secretary. There is no rival leader or heir apparent in view.
The decision to place Mr. Xi among the country’s historical giants will bolster his argument that he is the only leader capable of steering China toward superpower status through uncertain times. China navigated the Covid-19 pandemic relatively well, but it faces economic risks from debt-laden companies and local governments social pressures as its population gets older, and growing distrust from the United States and other Western countries.
On Thursday, in a recorded video to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, Mr. Xi urged Asian nations to resist forming ‘small circles on geopolitical grounds,’ a clear reference to efforts by President Biden to shore up alliances of democratically minded countries to counter China.
‘The Asia-Pacific region cannot and should not relapse into the antagonism and division of the Cold War era,’ he said.
Mr. Xi has faced a succession of crises, but he has often been able to turn them into vindication for his hard-line ways. He responded to months of pro-democracy unrest in Hong Kong by imposing a harsh security law. He applied sweeping restrictions to limit the spread of Covid-19 in China. And Beijing claimed victory after Canadian authorities released Meng Wanzhou, a Chinese telecommunications executive, at the same time that China quietly released two Canadians it had arrested.
By claiming a third term as party leader, as he is expected to do next year, Mr. Xi would break the pattern of staying in power for only two terms. In 2018, Mr. Xi made a bold power play by eliminating a term limit on the presidency, opening the way for him to lead China indefinitely. That move overturned widespread expectations that the party had been settling into a 10-year cap on leaders’ time in power.
Glorifying Mr. Xi’s achievements could help fireproof Mr. Xi against any challenges to his record. The decision is sure to become the focus of an intense propaganda campaign, as well as indoctrination sessions for party officials.” Read more at New York Times
“Sixteen women have accused fighters from Ethiopia's northern Tigray region of gang rape and physical assault, according to a report released by Amnesty International. The women, from the neighboring Amhara region, say fighters associated with the Tigray People's Liberation Front, committed widespread sexual violence in August, raping and assaulting women and hurling ethnic slurs. Amnesty also reported the women couldn't seek medical assistance after the assaults because the nongovernmental organization that provides care left the region due to security concerns. The TPLF has been fighting Ethiopia's central government in a yearlong war in the country's north, and lack of humanitarian access to the region has become a central feature of the conflict. All sides have been accused of human rights violations by international observers.” Read more at CNN
“Scott Fairlamb, a New Jersey MMA fighter who punched a police officer during the capital riot, was given a 41-month prison sentence Wednesday, the longest yet for anyone involved in the riot.” [Vox] Read more at CNN / Holmes Lybrand and Hannah Rabinowitz
“F.W. de Klerk, the former South African president who dismantled apartheid and released Nelson Mandela from prison, died at 85.” Read more at New York Times
“Lives Lived: Ruth Ann Minner rose from being a receptionist in the Delaware governor’s office to becoming a two-term governor herself — and a political ally of a future president, Joe Biden. She died at 86.” Read more at New York Times
“Electric-truck maker Rivian went public in the largest U.S. IPO since 2014. The stock opened at $106.75, above its initial public offering price of $78. The upstart auto manufacturer is backed by some big names, including Amazon and Ford.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Home prices rose across the U.S. in the third quarter. Median single-family, existing-home sales price jumped 16%, according to the National Association of Realtors. However, price growth is slowing from earlier in the year as record prices and stiff competition pushed some buyers out of the market.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“For Veterans Day, a group of Democratic lawmakers is reviving an effort to pay the families of Black service members who fought on behalf of the nation during World War II for benefits they were denied or prevented from taking full advantage of when they returned home from war.
The new legislative effort would benefit surviving spouses and all living descendants of Black WWII veterans whose families were denied the opportunity to build wealth with housing and educational benefits through the GI Bill.
Since 1944, those benefits have been offered to millions of veterans transitioning to civilian life. But due to racism and discrimination in how they were granted through local Veterans Affairs offices, many Black WWII veterans received substantially less money toward purchasing a home or continuing their education.
The Senate bill was to be introduced Thursday by Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, the son of a WWII veteran.” Read more at AP News
“LOS ANGELES (AP) — The head of lighting on the film ‘Rust’ filed a lawsuit Wednesday over Alec Baldwin’s fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico set of the Western, alleging negligence that caused him ‘severe emotional distress’ that will haunt him forever.
Serge Svetnoy said in the suit that the bullet that killed his close friend Hutchins, narrowly missed him, and he held her head as she died.
‘They should never, ever, have had live rounds on this set,’ Svetnoy’s attorney Gary A. Dordick said at a news conference Wednesday.
The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court names nearly two dozen defendants associated with the film including Baldwin, who was both star and a producer; David Halls, the assistant director who handed Baldwin the gun; and Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who was in charge of weapons on the set.” Read more at AP News
“Rep. Paul Gosar denied that a video he shared online threatened violence against a House colleague. The Arizona Republican said the anime video—which appeared to show him attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) with a sword, earning a disclaimer label from Twitter—was a ‘symbolic cartoon’ referencing the debate over immigration policy.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Hong Kong jailed a former food delivery worker for five years and nine months for chanting a banned protest slogan, as authorities use a Beijing-drafted national security law to set limits on free speech.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Irish education officials have removed teaching material that asked teenage students to discuss inflammatory, false statements such as ‘all gays molest children,’ ‘Girls who don’t wear make-up are lesbian’ and ‘all gays are HIV positive.’
The online teaching resources, developed after Relationships and Sexuality Education became a compulsory part of the school curriculum in the 1990s, were used as recently as April, according to Pamela O’Leary, a guidance counselor from Cork who lobbied for their removal.” Read more at Washington Post
“A Japanese train driver is seeking nearly $20,000 in damages from his employer after receiving a 49 cent company fine for causing a one-minute delay to the train’s departure. The driver caused the delay by meeting his train at the wrong platform. He quickly rectified his mistake, but not before precious time on Japan’s hyper-punctual train system had elapsed. The employee has maintained that the fine is unjust and that no disruption arose as the train he was piloting was empty of passengers and was being returned to a depot.” Read more at Foreign Policy
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