The Full Belmonte, 2/11/2022
“The Biden administration urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government Thursday to use its federal powers to end the truck blockade by Canadians protesting the country's COVID-19 restrictions. For the fourth consecutive day, scores of truckers taking part in what they dubbed the ‘Freedom Convoy’ blocked the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor in Ontario to Detroit, disrupting the flow of auto parts and other products between the two nations. Honda will temporarily stop production on one assembly line during the day shift Friday at its plant in Alliston, Ontario. On the U.S. side, GM sent the first shift home two hours early Thursday at its Flint, Michigan, pickup truck plant due to parts shortages. Stellantis cut short the first shift Friday at its Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, due to parts shortages. The Anderson Economic Group in Lansing, Michigan, calculated an initial estimate for lost direct wages in the Michigan auto industry due to the protest at more than $51 million.” Read more at USA Today
Ukrainian servicemen walk on an armored fighting vehicle yesterday during military exercises in eastern Ukraine.
“President Joe Biden is urging Americans in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, warning that ‘things could go crazy quickly’ in the region. Biden's comments come as new satellite images show Russia’s continuing military buildup around Ukraine from three directions, underscoring fears that Moscow is preparing to invade. With more than 100,000 Russian troops amassed along the border, US officials say they’re closely monitoring for possible cyberattacks on Ukraine’s electric grid, which could serve as a signal of an invasion. They’re also keeping a close watch on the movement of Russian battalions and tanks, especially if they enter within firing range.” Read more at CNN
“The Senate passed one of the largest workplace reforms in decades, freeing victims of sexual harassment and assault to seek justice in court when they had previously been bound to closed, often-secretive legal proceedings. The bipartisan legislation ends the use of forced arbitration clauses for sexual harassment and assault claims, which employers use to limit the legal options employees can take when suing companies. Arbitration clauses have been standard practice for a long time, and more than 60 million Americans are subjected to these provisions in employment contracts. The bill was approved by an overwhelming majority in the House earlier this week and now heads to the White House for Biden's signature.” Read more at CNN
“The House 1/6 committee has discovered gaps in White House phone logs from the day of the riot, with few records of calls by Trump ‘from critical hours when investigators know that he was making them,’ The New York Times reports. Investigators haven't found evidence of deletions — Trump routinely used a personal cellphone, ‘or he could have had a phone passed to him by an aide,’ AP notes.” Read more at Axios
“Some of the White House documents that Donald Trump improperly took to his Mar-a-Lago residence were clearly marked as classified, including documents at the ‘top secret’ level, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The existence of clearly marked classified documents in the trove — which has not previously been reported — is likely to intensify the legal pressure that Trump or his staffers could face, and raises new questions about why the materials were taken out of the White House.
While it was unclear how many classified documents were among those received by the National Archives and Records Administration, some bore markings that the information was extremely sensitive and would be limited to a small group of officials with authority to view such highly classified information, the two people familiar with the matter said.” Read more at Washington Post
“The House Oversight Committee has opened an investigation into how Donald Trump handled official records. Prompting the probe was the news that 15 boxes of material were recently found at the former president’s Florida residence. The panel wants answers from the National Archives by Feb. 18. In statements, Trump has characterized his interactions with the agency as professional.” Read more at New York Times
“Biden is moving to split $7 billion in frozen Afghan funds between 9/11 victims’ families and humanitarian aid in Afghanistan.” Read more at New York Times
“California is suing Tesla, citing ‘hundreds’ of racism complaints at one of the automaker's manufacturing plants. The director of the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing said they’ve ‘found evidence that Tesla's Fremont factory is a racially segregated workplace where Black workers are subjected to racial slurs and discriminated against in job assignments, discipline, pay, and promotion creating a hostile work environment.’ Tesla called the suit ‘misguided’ and said it condemns all forms of discrimination and harassment. It's the latest in a series of allegations of racism at Tesla that have surfaced in recent years. Separately, Tesla’s federal tax filings are also under scrutiny after the company reported huge losses, presenting an avenue for the company to pay $0 in federal taxes.” Read more at CNN
“Americans do not need a government report to tell them they’re paying a lot more for groceries, gasoline, rent and utilities, thanks to inflationary pressures that on Thursday set a record — a 7.5 percent rise in consumer prices not seen for 40 years (The Hill).
An overall strong economy, but one with a scarcity of workers during a pandemic, may have pushed wages higher, but not enough for the middle class, Latinos and millennials to stay ahead of what analysts say shakes out to about $276 more a month in costs for the average U.S. household (CNBC). Most Americans did not receive 8 percent raises as 2022 began, which means they are falling behind, and they know it.
The New York Times: High inflation was anticipated in January’s consumer price index, but it was worse than expected.
The Wall Street Journal: From breakfast cereal to light bills, prices are up.
Whom do Americans blame for the price squeeze? The White House and Democrats who are preparing to face voters in November think President Biden and the party in power will be held to account (The Hill). Perhaps they already are: 58 percent of Americans say they disapprove of the job Biden is doing, according to a CNN poll released on Thursday. A large majority of those surveyed could not come up with a single idea when asked to name something they favored during Biden’s tenure (The Hill).
As the finger-pointing continues, Republicans and some Democrats insist part of the fault lies with what they believe was excessive federal stimulus approved by Congress in 2020 and 2021 to address the economic impact of COVID-19.
“I've been ringing the alarm bell forever... nobody's been listening,” complained West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D), who holds great sway in the 50-50 chamber. “It's a 7.5 percent tax on everything you buy. It's unbelievable!”
Manchin (pictured below) almost single-handedly put the brakes on Biden’s nearly $2 trillion proposed Build Back Better social spending and climate agenda last year. The centrist senator is convinced he was correct. “We’re not in a financial position to do it,” he told reporters. “We’ve got to get our financial house in order. … Now’s not the time to be throwing caution to the wind and putting more trillions of dollars out” (The Hill).
© AP/Jose Luis Magana
Nonetheless, the president on Thursday continued to champion his proposals, bypassing the misgivings of Manchin and others. During a stop in Culpeper, Va., Biden said the spending proposals already approved by the House would lower drug prices. “In my Build Back Better legislation…we can do that. … Now we just have to get it through the United States Senate, and we're close,” he said (The Hill).
Reacting to the inflation report on Thursday with a written statement, the president basically changed the subject. He touted what he sees as favorable wage growth as well as some economists’ projections that inflation will be tamer by the end of the year. “While today’s report is elevated, forecasters continue to project inflation easing substantially by the end of 2022,” Biden said (CNBC).
© AP/Alex Brandon
Also facing considerable blame is the nation’s central bank, which has been accused of being too slow to recognize the inflation warnings and is expected to begin raising interest rates in March. The January inflation data and expectations for higher interest rates sent stocks tumbling.
Analysts and Wall Street soothsayers warned Americans on Thursday that they may be tired of inflation, but they need to buckle up. The actions of the Federal Reserve will not and cannot provide relief for months (CNBC).
More economic data: Recent studies point to Black women as the fastest growing demographic of entrepreneurs in the country, with nearly 2.7 million nationwide (The Hill’s Changing America).” Read more at The Hill
“Tensions between India’s Hindu and Muslim communities have flared this week following the state of Karnataka’s decision to ban the wearing of the Muslim headscarf in educational institutions. The rule, already a point of protest in recent weeks, was brought to the fore this week when a viral video of a Muslim woman being harassed by a mob of Hindu men on her way to college forced the closure of schools and colleges for three days in a bid to bring calm.
The hijab ban, which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) argues is simply a way of keeping religious symbols out of the classroom, has been attacked by activists who see it as another way the Hindu nationalist BJP seeks to degrade Muslims in the country. A legal challenge to the ban is currently under consideration by Karnataka’s high court.
The episode is the latest flashpoint over Muslim identity in a country with rising Hindu nationalist sentiment. Although India is home to 200 million Muslims, they make up just 14 percent of the overall population.
They have been targeted by several moves in recent years, including a 2019 citizenship law that discriminates against Muslims as well as laws that discourage interfaith marriages. Anti-Muslim sentiment has also boiled over into mob violence: 56 people were killed, 40 of whom were Muslims, during riots in New Delhi in March 2020.
Neighboring Pakistan has lodged a diplomatic protest over the hijab ban, summoning the Indian chargé d’affaires in Islamabad to convey its ‘grave concern.’ Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi took it further, saying the ban was part of an ‘Indian state plan of ghettoization of Muslims.’
The unrest in Karnataka is likely to fuel the BJP in its efforts much further north in Uttar Pradesh. India’s most populous state holds state assembly elections over the next few weeks, considered a major test of the BJP’s grip on power. The campaign has already carried barely veiled anti-Muslim undertones, with Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BJP member Yogi Adityanath saying the election would come down to the ‘80 percent versus 20 percent,’ a statement considered a swipe at the state’s roughly 20 percent Muslim population.
Without addressing the hijab controversy directly, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday told a rally in Saharanpur that the BJP stood with Muslim women who were victims and chastised opposition leaders for ‘trying to trick Muslim sisters to push them back in their lives.’
For FP columnist Sumit Ganguly, the hijab controversy could become another way for the BJP to drum up votes with an electorate attracted to anti-Muslim rhetoric, and help the party avoid tough questions on its economic record. ‘This is the old ‘bread and circuses’…Except there’s no bread and only circuses,’ said Ganguly.
And while life for Indian Muslims becomes tougher in a country increasingly hostile to them, it’s unlikely the United States or other countries with a professed commitment to safeguarding human rights will go beyond rhetoric in their attempts to steer India’s leaders to a more conciliatory path. Ganguly said India’s unique geopolitical value, as well as the prospects of a revived economy post-pandemic, means the Indian government is set to get a pass.
‘A huge number of countries are just going to look the other way, simply because they will be salivating at the prospect of the Indian market,’ Ganguly said.
For now, the only thing that appears capable of making the BJP soften its approach is an election loss. Current polls indicate the party has little to worry about.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“COVID-19 in Africa. Africa’s COVID-19 outbreak is moving away from the pandemic phase and into a period of long term management, Matshidiso Moeti, the Africa director for the World Health Organization, said on Thursday. ‘We think that we’re moving now, especially with the vaccination expected to increase, into what might become a kind of endemic living with the virus,’ Moeti told a briefing. Although just 11 percent of Africa’s adult population is vaccinated, supplies are finally catching up; 672 million vaccine doses have been delivered to the continent, with 96 million arriving in January alone.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“Indonesia’s new air force. Indonesia is set to revamp its air force after moving forward two separate deals with France and the United States to supply advanced fighter aircraft. On Thursday, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of up to 36 F-15ID planes, a step towards a final deal. France’s agreement was more concrete, as Indonesia agreed to purchase six Rafale fighter jets with another 36 to follow. The new $8.1 billion deal will be joined by agreements on submarines and ammunition that would make Indonesia France’s number one arms customer in the Asia-Pacific.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“A million-dollar painting in the care of an art gallery in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg has been sent away for restoration after it was defaced by a security guard who decided to draw pairs of eyes on two of Anna Leporskaya’s faceless ‘Three Figures.’
‘His motives are still unknown but the administration believes it was some kind of a lapse in sanity,’ said Anna Reshetkina, the exhibition’s curator, of the guard, who has since been fired. Despite the painting’s high value, the costs of restoration are expected to amount to 250,000 rubles, or around $3,300.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“‘There's not a one-size-fits-all approach’: Amid backlash from chronic pain sufferers, the CDC drops hard thresholds from opioid guidance.” Read more at USA Today
“A long-term study of a statewide preschool program tracked students through the sixth grade and found those who attended prekindergarten falling behind. An author on the study says it's time to rethink our entire approach to pre-K.” Read more at NPR
“Anderson Cooper is a father of two! The CNN anchor announced on air that he has welcomed another son, Sebastian Luke Maisani-Cooper.” Read more at USA Today
“‘We want to celebrate bodies in all their glory’: Adidas shocked the internet by posting a picture of 25 people's faceless bare breasts on Twitter to promote the company's new sports bra line.” Read more at USA Today
“The Brooklyn Nets traded James Harden, a former M.V.P., to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons.” Read more at New York Times
“A rivalry is renewed on Olympic ice Friday, when the U.S. men's hockey team faces Canada in Beijing . Team USA is coming off a dominant 8-0 victory over China in its first preliminary round game. On the other side, Canada cruised to a 5-1 victory over Germany in its opening game at the Beijing Olympics. In the past, Canada and the USA faced each other twice in the gold medal game (2002, 2010) when teams were able to use NHL players. Earlier Friday, American Shaun White completed his legendary snowboarding career on his own terms , flying down the halfpipe. But his final event did not result in his fourth gold medal as he finished fourth in the event. Another of Team USA's biggest stars, Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, returned to action after failing to finish her first two races. Shiffrin had a clean run in the women's super-G, but she finished out of medal contention. Also, in women's hockey, Team USA advanced to the semifinals, defeating the Czech Republic after pulling away in the third period.” Read more at USA Today
The emotion showed for Shaun White upon the completion of the last snowboarding competition of his legendary career.USA TODAY
“Russian figure skating phenom Kamila Valieva is at the center of a doping scandal. The 15-year-old tested positive for a banned heart medication in December. Her eligibility will be decided at an ‘urgent meeting’ of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and it's unclear whether she will compete in the individual figure skating event.” Read more at NPR
Kamila Valieva used a prohibited heart medication, the International Testing Agency said.Gabriela Bhaskar/The New York Times
From left: Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.From left: Amy Harris/Invision, via AP; Paras Griffin/Getty Images; Scott Roth/Invision, via AP
“Rap on the Super Bowl stage
On Sunday, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Mary J. Blige will star in the first Super Bowl halftime show focused on hip-hop.
Although Missy Elliott and other rappers have made guest appearances alongside pop and rock headliners in the past, this is the first halftime show to put rap at its center. It’s a big step in the N.F.L.’s ‘long, jagged journey to embrace Black music and culture,’ Rob Tannenbaum writes in The Times.
The N.F.L. may also have other motives: Its problematic history with race in a league where about 70 percent of players are Black. A former coach sued the league last week for discrimination, and many players and fans are angry that N.F.L. owners essentially ended the career of Colin Kaepernick after he protested police killings.
After the blowback over Kaepernick, the league hired Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation, in 2019 to help produce halftime shows. It is involved in this year’s show as well.
Some observers view the league’s decision to center rap as window dressing. ‘The N.F.L. is trying to look better by celebrating hip-hop, but they need to do better,’ Ketra Armstrong, a professor of sport management at the University Michigan, said. ‘I’m hoping the artists are going to use their own power and influence to get them to do so.’ — Sanam Yar, a Morning writer Read more at New York Times
“Sting has sold his song catalog to Universal Music Publishing Group for roughly $300 million. The deal—his solo works, plus his hits with the band the Police—is one of the largest publishing transactions for an individual artist’s work. The 17-time Grammy Award winner’s hits include ‘Roxanne,’ ‘Every Breath You Take,’ ‘Fields of Gold’ and ‘Message in a Bottle.’” Read more at Wall Street Journal
