Tag: Senate

Bill Gates and the Secret Push to Save Biden’s Climate Bill

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Bill Gates and the Secret Push to Save Biden’s Climate Bill

Gates started wooing Manchin and other senators who might prove pivotal for clean-energy policy in 2019 over a meal in Washington DC. “My dialogue with Joe has been going on for quite a while,” Gates said. “Almost everyone on the energy committee” — of which Manchin was then the senior-most Democrat — “came over and spent a few hours with me over dinner.”

…

Also at Manchin’s insistence, automakers also will see new strings attached to electric vehicle tax incentives so they will have to be made in North America and, by 2024, can’t use batteries sourced from China. Labor leaders bemoaned that the final package doesn’t contain much support for workers who lose their jobs in the green transition.

…

There’s been such whiplash from 2016 when, as Gates puts it, green spending from the US government “had dropped to near zero.” Six years later, American climate finance has been “reinvigorated,” and Gates now sees innovation “going way faster than I expected. That’s why I’m optimistic that we will solve this thing.”

The working class is going to be thrown under the bus, but at least Bill Gates is happy. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Here’s the Whole Transcript of That Leaked Steve Bannon Tape, Annotated

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

The Halloween 2020 meeting in which Steve Bannon explained that Donald Trump planned to declare victory on election night, regardless of the actual results, was not supposed to be a big deal. The gathering was intended for Bannon to help associates of his patron, exiled Chinese mogul Guo Wengui, plan election night coverage on GTV News, one of Guo’s media companies.

Here’s the Whole Transcript of That Leaked Steve Bannon Tape, Annotated

South African Minister Tells West To Stop “Patronising Bullying” On Ukraine

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Minister Pandor made these statements while sitting next to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken

South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor has warned global powers against dictating how African countries should respond to global issues saying South Africa will never accept what she termed “patronising bullying”.

South African Minister Tells West To Stop “Patronising Bullying” On Ukraine

Related:

Blinken: US Won’t ‘Dictate Africa’s Choices’ on Russia, But…

In South Africa, Blinken has been pressed about legislation passed by the House this year that aims – in the words of its author, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) – to “counter the malign influence and activities of the Russian Federation and its proxies in Africa.”

The text describes Russia’s “malign influence and activities” as those “that undermine United States objectives and interests.” – i.e, US corporate interests!

Last week, Pandor offered pointed criticism of the legislation, describing it as an “unprecedented” measure that is “intended to punish countries in Africa that have not toed the line on the Russia-Ukraine war.”

The Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act passed the House in April in a 415-9 vote, and now faces Senate consideration.

‘Offensive’

At a joint press briefing with Blinken on Monday, Pandor expressed the hope the Senate would reject the “offensive” bill.

“When we believe in freedom, as I’m saying, it’s freedom for everybody, you can’t say because Africa is doing this, you will then be punished by the United States,” she said.

Pandor argued that South Africa’s position on Ukraine was one of abhorring war and supporting a search for peace.

She also suggested that the U.S. employs double standards, by supporting freedom for Ukraine but not for the Palestinians.

“We should be equally concerned at what is happening to the people of Palestine as we are with what is happening to the people of Ukraine,” she said. “We’ve not seen an even-handed approach in the utilization of the prescripts of international law.”

In a television interview in Johannesburg earlier in the day, Blinken was asked about the House legislation, and said, “I can only speak for our administration and for the president. Our focus is not on saying to friends, partners: you have to choose.” – liar!

In contrast to those diplomatic words, when the Meeks bill was first marked up by the committee he chairs, ranking member and co-sponsor of the legislation Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) spoke of the need to “make every state choose between doing business with the free world or with a war criminal” – the latter a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin. – then they shouldn’t be doing business with any NATO country!

Who are the 11 senators who voted against the burn pits bill for veterans?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Who are the 11 senators who voted against the burn pits bill for veterans?

Senators Mitt Romney, Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, Tommy Tuberville, Richard Shelby, Pat Toomey, Mike Crapo, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Cynthia Lummis, and James Risch ultimately voted against the bill.

…

Political commentators were less surprised to see Mr Paul oppose the bill, as the libertarian frequently opposes federal spending — unless it directly benefits him.

Mr Paul said the bill would put the economy “at risk” and attempted to include an amendment to the legislation that would cut spending on foreign aid in order to offset the cost. That amendment was ultimately voted down.

…

Mr Paul had no problem asking for federal aid when his home state of Kentucky saw severe damage caused by tornadoes in 2021. He has regularly opposed federal aid bills for other disasters, and has previously attempted to attach amendments that reduce foreign aid spending to offset the costs of disaster relief.

…

Mr Tillis, Mr Lee, and Mr Lankford said they opposed the bill over fears that it would allow more people to get treatment at the VA and increase wait times for veterans seeking healthcare. While wait times are never ideal, waiting weeks or even months for treatment is still a shorter wait than simply never being eligible for healthcare.

Cut all foreign aid!