The challenges ahead (Biden's America)

[N.E. Brigand]

Biden has tested positive for Covid. Reportedly only mild symptoms.

He is working remotely from the White House residence. The doctor's letter says Biden has a runny nose, fatigue, and the occasional dry cough, which started yesterday. Because he qualifies (presumably due to his age), he'll be administered a Pavloxid treatment.

[N.E. Brigand]

Apparently some progressive Congressional staff members staged a sit-in today to protest Congress's failure to enact climate legislation.

They did this in the office of Senator Chuck Schumer. Not Joe Manchin, much less Mitch McConnell or Kevin McCarthy.

I found it depressing to read the replies to that post. So much magical thinking: the equivalent of blaming Zelenskyy for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

[N.E. Brigand]

Biden has tested positive for Covid. Reportedly only mild symptoms.

He is working remotely from the White House residence. The doctor's letter says Biden has a runny nose, fatigue, and the occasional dry cough, which started yesterday. Because he qualifies (presumably due to his age), he'll be administered a Pavloxid treatment.

You can clearly hear it still in his voice in this video recorded today:

[River]

I am a lot younger than Biden and you could hear it in my voice for several days when I had COVID. Even after my symptoms had dried up, I didn't quite sound like myself. You'd have to know what I am supposed to sound like to notice, though. Unlike earlier in the infection, when I just sounded like congested crap and probably should not have been in the meetings.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Didn't see this coming!!

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/27/politics ... index.html

[N.E. Brigand]

Joe Manchin has announced that he and Chuck Schumer have worked out a deal on "The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022," which Schumer outlines as follows:



It's not perfect, but it's much better than nothing, and Democrats should obviously support it.

Edit: Cross-posted with V!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I beat you by basically not saying anything. Lol.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The questions now are:

1) will the parliamentarian reject the bill for budget reconciliation?
2) will Sinema reject the deal, even though they didn't include the billionaire tax that she had previously objected to?
3) will Bernie block the deal because it isn't 'enough'?
4) will the House progressives do the same?
5) will the House moderates block the deal because it is "too much"?
6) will Manchin back out at the last second?

[N.E. Brigand]

Meanwhile, 41 Republicans today blocked the Senate from voting on a bill that would increase healthcare and disability for veterans who were exposed to poisons while serving (e.g. from "burn pits" in Iraq), even though some of those same Republicans had expressed support for the bill.

Apparently they did this -- they hurt U.S. veterans -- in a snit because they were mad at the announcement of the Manchin-Schumer deal.

[RoseMorninStar]

They also voted against the Schneider Amendment which is intended to root out extremists (specifically white supremacists and neo-Nazi activity in the police and military). (I guess) such an amendment isn't a law that the military is required to follow, it's akin to a suggestion (?)

edited to add:

The above amendment I referred to is different/separate (but related) to the topic I initially intended to bring to attention. The Senate Armed Services Committee has called for the Pentagon to cease rooting out “extremism” in the military

“While not legally binding on the Pentagon, it appears to send a signal of congressional opposition to efforts to counter extremist narratives in the military.”

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Meanwhile, 41 Republicans today blocked the Senate from voting on a bill that would increase healthcare and disability for veterans who were exposed to poisons while serving (e.g. from "burn pits" in Iraq), even though some of those same Republicans had expressed support for the bill.

Apparently they did this -- they hurt U.S. veterans -- in a snit because they were mad at the announcement of the Manchin-Schumer deal.

And they are seriously pissed off at Manchin because it appears that he played them into agreeing to support the CHIPS bill to encourage manufacturing of computer chips in the US, which passed the Senate with bipartisan support after Manchin suggested that any climate/health care/tax reform bill was dead, only for there to suddenly be a deal on the latter after the CHIPS bill passed the Senate. Now House Republicans who had previously supported the CHIPS bill are vowing to vote against it, but it probably can pass the House anyway.

Mitch McConnell got 'played' by Joe Manchin — and surrendered his leverage: reporter

Joe Manchin Accused of Double Crossing Republicans as GOP Fumes Over Bill

Meanwhile, the head of the House Progressive Caucus, Primilla Jayapal, strongly supports the deal.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics ... ory=foryou

I would say at this point the biggest wild cards are the parliamentarian and Sinema. Not necessarily in that order.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The House passed the CHIPS bill today, "243-187 with one Democrat, Rep. Sara Jacobs of California, whose family owns the QualComm telecom company, voting present. Twenty-four Republicans crossed over to join Democrats in backing the bill, despite House GOP leadership whipping against the package."

Congress passes bill boosting US semiconductor production

[RoseMorninStar]

Manchin is quite the diva.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I don't understand your comment in this context, Rose.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

One of the interesting facets of the Manchin and Schumer reaching a deal is that apparently former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, a controversial figure at best who has been a thorn in the side of the Biden administration, was instrumental in convincing Manchin to go ahead with the deal, convincing him that rather than increasing inflation, the deal would actually be deflationary.

Another interest fact is that it was Manchin who reached back out to Schumer to see if they could revisit their talks, not the other way around.

I still think that Sinema is the biggest wild card, particularly since she was not involved in the negotiation at all and it does include at least one item that she has been critical of before, closing the carried-interest loophole.

Sinema Is Potential Obstacle for Senate’s Landmark Tax, Climate and Drug Bill

[RoseMorninStar]

Of Manchin.. maybe not the best response (in context) but when I hear news about him I think of the definition/Diva: • a self-important person who is temperamental and difficult to please
In other words, he seems to enjoy being the single person whom the spotlight is on who throws a wrench into the works.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

More on Sinema.

Silent Sinema stresses Dems as they race to pass Manchin-blessed deal

Manchin says he is firm on closing tax loophole; Sinema absent from caucus meeting

It's not Manchin who looks like they might be the single person whom the spotlight is on who throws a wrench into the works.

[RoseMorninStar]

More on Sinema.
(...)

It's not Manchin who looks like they might be the single person whom the spotlight is on who throws a wrench into the works.

True. It's contagious?

Snark aside, I am too straight-forward a person for political games. Negotiation is one thing, playing games is another.
.
.
I must not be the only one with such thoughts. I saw this headline (my bolding): Kyrsten Sinema’s Joe Manchin Moment
The Democrats finally have wind in their sails. The Arizona senator can halt the party's progress with a statement.

[River]

The more you think about it, the more confusing it gets. The GOP in the Senate is having a snit because a rather conservative Democrat came to agreement with his own party on passing a piece of legislation the Democrats were planning to move without GOP support. They're complaining they were played because the announcement came right after they passed a bipartisan piece of legislation McConnell threatened to tank if the Democrats' project came to fruition and they are claiming Manchin betrayed them. For the latter to be true, they would have had to have an agreement with Manchin and if such an agreement existed Manchin is denying it. As for the former...they played themselves when they made that threat.

[Eldy]

Not totally sure what thread to put this in, but the US just killed Ayman al-Zawahri.

Live Updates: U.S. Drone Strike in Kabul Kills Top Qaeda Leader - NY Times

An American drone strike killed Ayman al-Zawahri, a key plotter of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks who took over as the leader of Al Qaeda after Osama bin Laden’s death, at an urban safe house in Afghanistan, President Biden announced on Monday night.

The early-morning strike in the heart of downtown Kabul over the weekend capped a 21-year manhunt for an Egyptian radical who more than anyone besides Bin Laden was deemed responsible for the deadliest foreign attack on the United States in modern times and never gave up targeting Americans.

American intelligence agencies tracked down al-Zawahri in Kabul earlier this year and then spent months determining that it really was him hiding out in a house in a crowded section of the Afghan capital. After receiving authorization from Mr. Biden a week ago, the C.I.A. fired two Hellfire missiles and killed al-Zawahri on a balcony of the house without killing anyone else, including members of his family or any nearby civilians, American officials said.

The death of one of America’s most vocal enemies after a long and maddening search that stretched out over a generation was a major victory for Mr. Biden at a time of domestic political trouble. But it raised immediate questions about the terrorist leader’s presence in Afghanistan a year after Mr. Biden withdrew all American forces, clearing the way for the Taliban to recapture control of the country. Al-Zawahri moved back to Afghanistan earlier this year, evidently believing he would be safe there, officials said.