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2021-12-30 16:01:23 Open / Comment

2021-12-29 00:34:23 Sen. Joe Manchin killed the trillion-dollar-plus spending bill that Biden and the Democrats desperately want to pass.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal called on President Biden on Sunday to "use executive action" to deliver his signature climate and social policy legislation that's stalling in the Senate, after Sen. Joe Manchin rejected the plan.

What they're saying: "Taking executive action will also make clear to those who hinder Build Back Better that the White House and Democrats will deliver for Americans," wrote Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Jayapal said the caucus would "continue to work toward legislation for Build Back Better, focused on keeping it as close to the agreed-upon framework as possible" in an effort to pass Biden's $1.75 trillion spending plan. She added the group would soon release its own plan for actions "including lowering costs, protecting the health of every family, and showing the world" that the U.S. "is serious about our leadership on climate action." Open / Comment

2021-12-28 23:59:22 President Biden signs National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.

On December 27, 2021, President Joe Biden signed S. 1605, the “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022”, which authorizes $770 billion in defense spending for the Department of Defense, Department of Energy national security programs, and the Department of State.
With eyes on China, the new act includes $7.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and a statement of congressional support for the defense of Taiwan. Also, the act explicitly calls on the United States to develop Taiwan's asymmetric defense capabilities and to invite the island to take part in 2022 in the Rim of the Pacific exercise, major US-led drills that are held every two years around Hawaii. Also, there is a provision for imposing a ban by the Department of Defense on procuring products produced with forced labor from China's Xinjiang region.

The act includes $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which provides support to Ukraine's armed forces, $4 billion for the European Defense Initiative, and $150 million for Baltic security cooperation. Open / Comment

2021-12-28 19:58:23 DENVER — A gunman killed four people and injured an officer in the Denver area.

The suspect also died Monday, Lakewood police said. Officers had exchanged gunfire with the suspect. The shootings started shortly after 5 p.m. in central Denver, where two women were killed and a man was injured, Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen said at a news conference.
A short time later, a man was fatally shot several blocks away. During that pursuit, police officers exchanged gunfire with a suspect. The suspect then fled to the nearby city of Lakewood.
Just before 6 p.m. the Lakewood Police Department received a report of shots fired at a business said John Romero, a spokesman for that department. Open / Comment

2021-12-28 19:25:25 Queen Elizabeth Left Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Out of Her 2021 Christmas Address.

On December 25, Queen Elizabeth II gave an emotional Christmas address—but there were a couple of royal family members who were left out.

Most of the Queen's annual broadcastwas dedicated to the memory of her late husband, Prince Philip, who passed in April 2021. However, the royal matriarch did name-check her son Prince Charles, her grandson Prince William, and his wife Kate Middleton while speaking of Philip's legacy.

“Prince Philip was always mindful of this sense of passing the baton. That’s why he created The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which offers young people throughout the Commonwealth and beyond the chance of exploration and adventure. It remains an astonishing success, grounded in his faith in the future,” the Queen said. “He was also an early champion of taking seriously our stewardship of the environment; and I am proud beyond words that his pioneering work has been taken on and magnified by our eldest son Charles and his eldest son William - admirably supported by Camilla and Catherine - most recently at the COP climate change summit in Glasgow.” Open / Comment

2021-12-28 18:59:23 Sean Duffy said, 'No matter how silly or serious you think the phrase is, it has now hit embarrassing new heights for Joe Biden'.

No matter how silly or serious you think the phrase is, it has now hit embarrassing new heights for Joe Biden thanks to a man named Jared Schmeck. Even on Christmas Eve while he was taking calls from the public and tracking Santa Claus, Joe Biden couldn't escape "Let's Go Brandon."
That clip is now a viral sensation. So naturally, Biden's allies in the media have swooped into his defense. It doesn't matter that Jared Schmeck claims he said "Let's Go Brandon" in jest. Blue checked journalists were outraged. NBC News was traumatized by the call and ran a headline calling the phrase a quote "right-wing slur." ABC News called it a quote "verbal insult." Congressman Eric Swalwell of all people--who has repeatedly slept with a Chinese spy--had the audacity to accuse Schmeck of humiliating his family and of being quote, "indecent." Open / Comment

2021-12-28 03:14:10 Over the weekend, global box office takings for the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film reached $1.05bn.

The latest instalment of the Spider-Man franchise has become the first pandemic-era movie to make more than $1bn at the global box office. In 2015, Disney, Marvel Studios, and Sony agreed to share the film rights for Spider-Man, which led to a new iteration of the character being introduced and integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Spider-Man: No Way Home also took the title of highest-grossing film of 2021.
It beat out Chinese-made Korean War epic The Battle of Lake Changjin, which has grossed more than $905m worldwide. The last movie to gross more than $1bn was 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, according to media data analytics firm Comscore. No other Hollywood production has come near to reaching that box office milestone since the pandemic began two years ago. Open / Comment

2021-12-28 00:07:07 Open / Comment

2021-12-27 23:16:48 The US, India and Brazil have seen the highest number of confirmed cases, followed by the UK, Russia and Turkey.
Very few places have been left untouched.

Source: Johns Hopkins University, national public health agencies

Figures last updated 23 December 2021, 08:45 GMT Open / Comment

2021-12-27 23:08:45 Open / Comment