32 thoughts on “Freedom by any other name”

  3. https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/business/vivo-raids-india-china-hnk-intl/index.html

    “…the country’s main financial investigation agency — raided major Chinese smartphone company Vivo over allegations of money-laundering earlier this week.”

    “In a press release on Thursday, the Indian agency said it had carried out searches at 48 Vivo locations in the country, and seized 4.65 billion rupees ($60 million) from 119 bank accounts, including fixed deposits, cash and gold bars.”

    “In the statement, the Enforcement Directorate has accused Vivo of tax fraud and said the firm remitted 624.8 billion rupees ($7.9 billion), mostly to China.”

    “These remittances were made in order to disclose huge losses in Indian incorporated companies to avoid payment of taxes in India,” it said.

    “China says India risks scaring away investors with raids on its companies.”

    With friends like China, who needs enemies?

  5. Biden to act to increase abortion access. WaPo. 

    Biden to outline new steps aimed at bolstering abortion rights

    Amid growing calls from Democrats for more action, the president plans to sign an executive order that attempts to safeguard access to abortion medication and emergency contraception

    By Matt Viser

    President Biden is planning to outline additional steps aimed at bolstering abortion rights on Friday morning, two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, as many Democrats have called on him to respond with bolder and more urgent action.

    Biden, joined by Vice President Harris, plans to deliver a speech from the Roosevelt Room at the White House on his efforts to protect access to reproductive health-care services.

    He is also planning to sign an executive order that, according to a statement released late Thursday by the White House, will attempt to safeguard access to abortion medication and emergency contraception, protect patient privacy and bolster legal options for those seeking access to such services.
    …

    Let the battle begin

  6. pogo, which battle is that? the circular firing squad of democrats, the “but what’s he done for me lately” gang, the “too little too late” malcontents or the party of eternal No? 

  7. President Biden’s actions have led to 22 straight days of declining gas prices.
    Let’s see…… any good shunning stories out there today?  

    [one{
     
     

  8. dana: Opinion | Complaining Democrats should give Biden a break – The Washington Post

    The fratricide is likely stoked by the press, which likes a “Dems-in-disarray” story and would love a presidential primary. Democrats are habitually more self-critical than their Republican counterparts (who remain silent as evidence of Donald Trump’s election crimes piles up). And there’s genuine frustration that more can’t get done.
    But that’s the fault of Joe Manchin, not Joe Biden — and of a broken political system that protects minority rule. What’s depressing Biden’s (and therefore Democrats’) poll numbers isn’t alleged timidity (he won’t open pop-up abortion clinics in Yellowstone National Park!) but inflation and gas prices. That’s largely why the leaders of Britain, Germany, France and Canada are in rough shape, too — as any incumbent U.S. president would be, no matter how young or charismatic.

  9. Knudsen:
    NEW POLLING: Motivation to vote among Democrats has OVERTAKEN Republican enthusiasm. 92% of D’s say they are extremely motivated to vote in November, compared to 89% of R’s. The shift is attributed largely to Roe, SCOTUS and January 6th.

  11. The progressive Twitterati (or GOP bot look a likes) are constantly hammering on Biden for not enough fast enough.  There is nothing he has done or not done that makes the alternative look like a good idea.

     

  12. Hmmmm….jobs report…….unemployment…..all good.    

    “Dems in Disarray!”

  14. Great jobs report – eeek sky is falling, higher rates, people working.
     
    And, another of the early television era goes away.  Larry Storch, Cpl Agarn.  Silent generation and early Boomers are returning to star dust.

  15. Nuggets from today’s job report coverage at Wapo:

    This morning, the Labor Department reported that 372,000 jobs were created in June, a healthy showing that beat forecasts, which generally expected between 200,000 and 300,000 new jobs. For economists and policymakers, the hope is that jobs growth — which has been hovering around 400,000 new positions per month — will slow to a sustainable pace that could help moderate inflation, without a significant rise in unemployment.

    The labor market is a crucial indicator of whether the country is in a recession, and so far there is little indication of a dramatic cool-down. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.6 percent, near historic lows. The Federal Reserve expects the jobless rate to rise gradually to 4.1 percent by 2024.

    ***

    Workers continued to see higher wages in June, though there are signs that growth is cooling — and pay isn’t keeping up with inflation, so people may not feel like they’re making more.

    Average hourly earnings rose 10 cents to $32.08 last month. That’s a 5.1 percent year-over-year increase, down from 5.2 percent in May, which helps assuage fears that fast wage growth will keep inflation soaring.
    ***

    The economy has finally recovered all of the nearly 1.4 million manufacturing jobs that were lost during the first months of the pandemic in 2020.

    Employers added 29,000 new factory jobs in June, bringing the total to 12,797,000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday. On the eve of the pandemic, manufacturing employment stood at 12,785,000.

    Notable gains last month included jobs producing durable goods, such as computers and motor vehicles, and in food manufacturing.

    The Biden administration has cited recent examples of U.S. companies “reshoring” some factory work as evidence that its efforts to encourage domestic manufacturing are paying off.
    ***

    Stocks dropped in premarket trading Friday as investors processed stronger-than-expected jobs data.

    Dow Jones industrial average futures were trading down 35 points, or 0.2 percent shortly after the Labor Department reported that 372,000 jobs were created in June, leaving the nation’s unemployment rate unchanged at 3.6 percent. S&P 500 futures were off 0.5 percent while the tech-heavy Nasdaq shed 1 percent.

    The declines come on the heels of a four-day winning streak, which has pushed the Dow up a modest 1.9 percent. 
    ***

    The job market posted another month of stellar growth, with 372,000 new positions, keeping the unemployment rate at 3.6 percent for the fourth straight month, new Labor Department data show.

    The strong reading, including further wage growth, keeps the pressure on the Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates.

    “The U.S. labor market is defying gravity,” Becky Frankiewicz, chief commercial officer of Manpower Group, said in an email. “Fears of a possible recession stoked by inflation and an aggressive Fed are eclipsed by the simple reality that employers can’t hire fast enough to meet demand.”

    Gloom, despair and agony on me, deep dark depression, excessive misery, 
    If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all.  Gloom, despair and agony on me..

    Joe better do something fast or the economy might stabilize even more.

  21. So tired of experts saying we need to raise unemployment to slow inflation. Blaming workers for buying too much. If that’s really the case there’s something seriously wrong with our economic system.

  27. Corporate profits are driving inflation, including those of oil companies who have used Pootin’s war as an excuse to stick it to consumers and cause economic distress in hopes that it will drive voters toward the Republicans.  

    Paying folks a living wage does  NOT cause inflation.

  28. All I see about Banananazi is that tRUMPSky said he might waive exec privilege and allow him to testify.  

    Lying under oath doesn’t seem like something he’d have a problem with, so maybe it’s meant to undermine the hearings.

  29. Zoe Lofgren just told Wolf that Cipollone “did not contradict” other witnesses in his 8hrs testimony today, and provided “new information” 

  30. https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/08/politics/white-house-period-tracker-apps/index.html

    “The White House is warning individuals to be “really careful” when using phone apps that track users’ menstrual cycles over fears that the data could be used against them if they seek abortions following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.”

    “President Joe Biden touched on the issue earlier Friday while signing an executive order aimed at abortion protections, asking the chair of the Federal Trade Commission to consider taking steps to protect consumer privacy when seeking information about reproductive health care services. Klein added that the Department of Health and Human Services has publicized instructions on how to delete apps from their phones.”

    Republicans are the party of big government and big brother. FU Republican warship.

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