Tag: Biden, Joseph R Jr

Why the Debt Limit Spending Cuts Likely Won’t Shake the Economy

The last time the United States came perilously close to defaulting on its debt, a Democratic president and a Republican speaker of the House cut a deal to raise the nation’s borrowing limit and tightly restrain some federal spending growth for years to come. The deal averted default, but it hindered what was already a […]

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With Debt Ceiling Deal in Hand, McCarthy and Biden Turn to Task of Selling It

“Terrible policy, absolutely terrible policy,” Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” referring to the work requirements for food stamps and other public benefit programs. “I told the president that directly when he called me last week on Wednesday that this is saying to poor people and people who […]

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Did Biden Find Reasonable Middle in Debt Limit Deal or Give Away Too Much?

After weeks of tense wrangling between the White House and House Republicans, the fiscal deal reached on Saturday to raise the debt ceiling while constraining federal spending bolsters President Biden’s argument that he is the one figure who can still do bipartisanship in a profoundly partisan era. But it comes at the cost of rankling many in […]

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Who Should We Honor on Memorial Day?

And how might we consider the long-term psychological or spiritual trauma that those who experience war so often suffer? I’m talking about those who died from substance use, excessive risk taking or the cumulative stresses of homelessness. Even if they were not killed in action, many no doubt were killed by action. Should we inscribe their […]

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Richard Revesz and His Agency Are Remaking the Pollution Fight

This spring the Biden administration proposed or implemented eight major environmental regulations, including the nation’s toughest climate rule, rolling out what experts say are the most ambitious limits on polluting industries by the government in a single season. Piloting all of that is a man most Americans have never heard of, running an agency that […]

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Dianne Feinstein Relies Heavily on Staff to Function in Senate

When Senator Dianne Feinstein entered a hearing room this month to reclaim her seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee after a monthslong absence, she was accompanied by a phalanx of aides. Two staff members settled the 89-year-old California Democrat into a chair at the dais as the assembled senators greeted their ailing colleague with a […]

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Takeaways From the Spending and Debt Ceiling Deal

President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement on Saturday to raise the debt ceiling while imposing new restraints on federal spending. If approved by Congress, it will end a partisan deadlock and avert a potentially devastating national default. The deal will not only resolve the high-octane dispute over debt and spending issues that […]

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Takeaways From the Spending and Debt Ceiling Deal

President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement on Saturday to raise the debt ceiling while imposing new restraints on federal spending. If approved by Congress, it will end a partisan deadlock and avert a potentially devastating national default. The deal will not only resolve the high-octane dispute over debt and spending issues that […]

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Takeaways From the Spending and Debt Ceiling Deal

President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement on Saturday to raise the debt ceiling while imposing new restraints on federal spending. If approved by Congress, it will end a partisan deadlock and avert a potentially devastating national default. The deal will not only resolve the high-octane dispute over debt and spending issues that […]

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Biden and McCarthy Reach Debt Ceiling Deal to Avert U.S. Default

President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday reached an agreement in principle to lift the debt limit for two years while cutting and capping some government spending over the same period, a breakthrough after a marathon set of crisis talks that has brought the nation within days of its first default in history. Congressional […]

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White House and G.O.P. Strike Debt Limit Deal to Avert Default

Top White House and Republican negotiators on Saturday reached a deal in principle to raise the debt limit for two years while cutting and capping some government spending over the same period, a breakthrough after a marathon set of crisis talks that has brought the nation within days of its first default in history, three […]

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Inside the Debt Ceiling Negotiations on Capitol Hill

On Capitol Hill, the delicate talks to avert default on the government’s debts this week took place over middle-of-the-night video calls, marathon meetings in an opulent conference room, and at least one early morning bike ride. At the White House, evening tour groups were diverted from the West Wing because President Biden was in the […]

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Time Is Running Out for Congress to Raise the Debt Ceiling

Senator Mitch McConnell had a message for Americans growing increasingly worried that the economy is going to crash if the federal debt ceiling is not raised: Just chill. “Look, I think everybody needs to relax,” Mr. McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and minority leader with deep experience in debt limit showdowns, told reporters back home earlier […]

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Investors See Hope for a Debt Limit Deal

A debt deal is in sight Investors are holding their breath on Friday morning, amid signs that the White House and top House Republicans are closing in on a deal to raise the debt limit and avert a government default. Stock futures are showing modest gains, while yields on Treasury bills maturing on June 8 […]

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The Bad, the Weak and the Ugly of U.S. Debt

The prospect that the U.S. government will default on its payments because Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling is now real and imminent. In fact, bonds issued by some corporations are yielding less than Treasuries, indicating that investors now consider, say, Microsoft a more reliable debtor than the federal government. As disaster looms, it’s […]

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Debt Ceiling Is First Big Test for Hakeem Jeffries, the Top House Democrat

Just six months into his tenure as the House minority leader, Representative Hakeem Jeffries faces a formidable challenge: Selling his fellow Democrats on a budget deal negotiated behind closed doors between President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, without much input from his end. Complicating matters further is the fact that, less than a week from […]

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Biden Presents Gen. Charles Q. Brown as His Joint Chiefs Nominee

President Biden called for a new era of innovation in the American military on Thursday as he formally unveiled his choice to steer the country’s armed forces into an uncertain future hunting down terrorists, managing the growing competition with China and countering Russian aggression in Europe. Introducing Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as his nominee […]

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Biden Presents Gen. Charles Q. Brown as His Joint Chiefs Nominee

President Biden called for a new era of innovation in the American military on Thursday as he formally unveiled his choice to steer the country’s armed forces into an uncertain future hunting down terrorists, managing the growing competition with China and countering Russian aggression in Europe. Introducing Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as his nominee […]

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Military Spending Emerges as Big Dispute in Debt-Limit Talks

Funding for the military has emerged as a key sticking point in reaching an agreement to raise the nation’s borrowing limit and prevent a catastrophic default, with Republicans pushing to spare the Defense Department from spending caps and make deeper cuts to domestic programs like education. President Biden has balked at that demand, pointing to a […]

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Republicans Report Progress in Debt Limit Talks as Negotiations Continue

Republican congressional leaders said Thursday they were making progress toward a deal with President Biden to raise the debt ceiling while cutting spending, cautioning that an agreement that was still being hammered out would inevitably disappoint lawmakers in both parties. Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol that bargainers had worked “well past midnight” […]

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Highways Have Sliced Through City After City. Can the U.S. Undo the Damage?

Anthony Roberts set out to walk to a convenience store on the opposite side of a busy highway in Kansas City, Mo., one afternoon. It wasn’t an easy trip. First, he had to detour out of his way to reach an intersection. Then he had to wait for the light to change. When the walk […]

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Fact-Checking DeSantis’s Presidential Campaign Launch on Twitter

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida announced his presidential bid on Wednesday night in a livestream on Twitter that was delayed by technical difficulties and peppered with occasionally misleading claims. Here’s a fact check of some of his claims. What WAS Said “Biden’s also politicized the military and caused recruiting to plummet.” This lacks evidence. Military […]

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Biden to Nominate Gen. Charles Q. Brown to Be Joint Chiefs Chairman

WASHINGTON — President Biden intends to nominate Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the Air Force chief of staff, on Thursday to become the country’s most senior military officer, formalizing what had been one of the worst kept secrets in Washington. If confirmed by the Senate, General Brown would be only the second Black man, after Colin […]

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Biden Marks Uvalde Anniversary With New Call for Gun Control

President Biden, in a somber speech evoking the pain of the death of two of his own children, implored Congress on Wednesday to “please do something” to stop the flow of guns involved in mass shootings like the school massacre that killed 19 children and two teachers a year ago in Uvalde, Texas. Marking the […]

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Ukrainians Were Likely Behind Kremlin Drone Attack, U.S. Officials Say

U.S. officials said the drone attack on the Kremlin earlier this month was likely orchestrated by one of Ukraine’s special military or intelligence units, the latest in a series of covert actions against Russian targets that have unnerved the Biden administration. U.S. intelligence agencies do not know which unit carried out the attack and it […]

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McCarthy Renews Call for Spending Cuts as Debt Talks Resume at White House

With a potential federal default just over a week away, Speaker Kevin McCarthy renewed his call on Wednesday for President Biden and congressional Democrats to accept spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit and allowing the Treasury Department to avoid missing payments. “You have to spend less than you spent last year,” Mr. […]

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Potential Debt Ceiling Deal Would Barely Change Federal Spending Path

As their debt limit negotiations with President Biden push the nation perilously close to a devastating default, House Republicans have stuck to a clear message: They must force a change in what they call the nation’s “unsustainable” spending path. Yet in talks with Mr. Biden, Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his lieutenants have focused almost entirely […]

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How NYC Teens Reacted to Surgeon General’s Social Media Warning

In Manhattan, one high school freshman said he was trying to cut down on scrolling through TikTok, but questioned whether age restrictions on social media use could ever effectively stop tech-savvy teenagers. Another senior from Queens said social media was essential for socializing but lamented its transformation from an enjoyable activity into an obligation. And […]

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The Civil War’s Lessons for Avoiding Default

William Pitt Fessenden, a Maine Republican and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, was shocked by the idea of paper money (he claimed it “tormented” him night and day) and grievously worried about its effect on the country’s ability to borrow, especially overseas. Fessenden proposed a radical amendment. In the original bill, legal tender would […]

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The DeSantis Delusion

Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Hutchinson and Larry Elder, a conservative talk radio host, have been in the race for a while. Tim Scott filed his paperwork last Friday and made a public announcement on Monday. Pence and Chris Christie are expected to join the fray in the coming days or weeks, and three current governors — […]

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