Tag: President Trump

U.S. “Waited and Watched” as Cuba Fought Deadly Blaze

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Aug 15, 2022 – When a catastrophic fire in Matanzas threatened Cuba’s fuel supply, other countries rushed to help. What did the world’s most powerful country offer Cuba? A phone call. The lack of U.S. support has sparked outrage. And its crushing sanctions have limited Cuba’s ability to respond.

Video via Belly of The Beast Cuba

Related:

While Cuba Deals with Blazing Fire, the U.S. Heartlessly Watches and Waits

House Dems Urge Biden to Provide Assistance to Cuba Amid Fire Disaster

At Least 1 Dead and 121 Injured in Fuel Storage Depot Fire in Matanzas, Cuba

The Cuban president stated in a tweet, “We express deep gratitude to the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile, which have promptly offered solidarity and material aid in the face of this complex situation. Cuba also appreciates the offer of technical advice from the United States.”

A quarter of America’s 400 wars have been in the Middle East and Africa, study finds

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment
US military interventions by year, 1776 – 2019.

A quarter of America’s 400 wars have been in the Middle East and Africa, study finds

“Given the current landscape of interventions, and inertia, we expect to see a continuing upward trend on US interventions in both MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa,” warned Toft.

Related:

The Rational Destruction of Yugoslavia

Will you get insulin-cost relief from the inflation bill? Not if you have private insurance

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Will you get insulin-cost relief from the inflation bill? Not if you have private insurance

But an out-of-pocket cap identical to that for Medicare was stripped from the bill for those with private insurance because Democrats are trying to pass the bill by a simple majority through the reconciliation process. That requires Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to vet the provisions. She said most of the health-related features were fine, but the insulin proposal for those who have private insurance, not Medicare, violated the Byrd provision, which says that issues “extraneous to the federal budget” cannot be passed by simple majority through reconciliation.

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Out-of-pocket spending for those with Part D Medicare drug coverage will be capped at $2,000 a year.

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In 2024, a 5% coinsurance payment that now kicks in after someone reaches the catastrophic drug spending level of $7,050 in Medicare will end. Because drug companies set their own prices, 5% on expensive drugs can be a lot of money.

Related:

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Africa taken for ‘neo-colonial’ ride

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

By Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram – Jul 26, 2022

SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 26 2022 (IPS) – Like so many others, Africans have long been misled. Alleged progress under imperialism has long been used to legitimize exploitation. Meanwhile, Western colonial powers have been replaced by neo-colonial governments and international institutions serving their interests.

Africa taken for ‘neo-colonial’ ride

White House Rethinks China Tariffs Amid Taiwan Turmoil

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

White House Rethinks China Tariffs Amid Taiwan Turmoil

By Zerohedge.com

The Trump tariffs are the subject of a lawsuit filed by scores of U.S. companies who’ve asserted the levies are overly broad and were improperly implemented. If the Biden administration can’t defend the Trump tariff regime, it could be compelled to evaluate tens of thousands of public comments about it, or reimburse the plaintiffs for tariffs they’ve paid so far.

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Biden’s interest in pandering to labor unions also figures in his slow-walking his tariff-relief decision. Milton Friedman had something to say about that

“The benefits of a tariff are visible. Union workers can see they are ‘protected.’ The harm which a tariff does is invisible. It’s spread widely.”

What labor unions?!

Union Representation Petitions Continue to Increase in FY 2022 Under Biden Administration

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021 the percentage of U.S workers, including public- and private-sector workers, who were members of unions was 10.3 percent—a half point decline from the 10.8 percent unionization rate in 2020. Within the private sector, the unionization rate declined by 0.2 percent in 2021 to 6.1 percent. The degree to which union activity in 2022 with an aggressively labor-friendly NLRB general counsel and a majority Biden appointed Labor Board moves the needle for union membership is yet to be determined.

As president, Trump approved a law increasing penalties for mishandling classified info. It could come back to bite him.

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

As president, Trump approved a law increasing penalties for mishandling classified info. It could come back to bite him.

Bradley P. Moss, a national-security attorney, told Insider that Trump could face five years in prison if he’s found guilty under a national security bill which he signed as president.

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Moss noted that it was passed in the wake of Trump’s relentless attacks during the 2016 presidential campaign on Hillary Clinton for allegedly mishandling classified information.

Can We Please Have an Adult Conversation about China?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

A new kind of madness is seeping into global political discourse, a poisonous fog that suffocates reason. This fog, which has long marinated in old, ugly ideas of white supremacy and Western superiority, is clouding our ideas of humanity. The general malady that ensues is a deep suspicion and hatred of China, not just of its current leadership or even the Chinese political system, but hatred of the entire country and of Chinese civilisation – hatred of just about anything to do with China.

Can We Please Have an Adult Conversation about China?

H/T: Vijay Prashad—US threatens China because China threatens US hegemony