Last week, there was good news and bad news on the climate front. The good news was that President Biden Joe Biden Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Overnight Defense: New Senate Armed Services chairman talks Pentagon policy nominee, Afghanistan, more | Biden reads report on Khashoggi killing | Austin stresses vaccine safety in new video MORE reinstated the United States as a member in good standing with the rest of the world in the Paris Accords. The bad news was terrible. Climate change reared its ugly head when winter’s wrath brought death and distress to Texas. The crisis exposed the tragic reality of climate change. Extreme winter weather created an overpowering demand on an outmoded energy grid. Friday Biden will be in the Lone Star state to witness the carnage from climate change. ADVERTISEMENT Texans died while their governor lied. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said the breakdown of clean energy sources caused the outages. The main culprit, however, was failure of the natural gas system which is a major source of power in the state. The weather in Texas was frightful but in Cancun, it was warm and delightful. In the middle of the devastating climate crisis, Sen. Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward Cruz Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Shelby endorses Shalanda Young for OMB director should Biden pull Tanden's nomination MORE (R-Texas) fled while Texans froze. He traveled South of the border to Mexico while many Texans battled the elements without heat in their homes and with spoiled food in their refrigerators. His trip dramatized his indifference to his constituents and to the climate threat that challenges the health, wealth and wellbeing of all ...
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Work on Egypt-Gaza steel wall moving forward
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A jackhammer pounded large steel beams side by side into the sandy soil on the Egyptian side of Gaza’s border, putting in place an underground wall that could shift the balance of power in this volatile area. Once completed, the steel barrier would cut off blockaded Gaza’s last lifeline and — by slicing through hundreds of smuggling tunnels under the nine-mile (14-kilometer) Gaza-Egypt border — could increase pressure on the territory’s Hamas rulers to moderate. The Islamic militants have so far shown little willingness to compromise in power-sharing talks with their Western-backed rivals or in negotiations on a prisoner swap with Israel. Their hold on Gaza is at least partly dependent on supplies and cash coming through the tunnels. On Monday, workers operated huge machines just behind the Egyptian border line, offering a rare glimpse at what the wall is made of. A drill pierced holes in the soil, a crane lifted steel beams into position and a jackhammer drove them into the ground as several workers could be seen welding. Egyptian troops in four armored personnel carriers with mounted machine guns guarded the crew. In the past, shots were fired several times from Gaza at the workers, though no one has been hurt. Hamas guards watched from a nearby position, some shouting insults at an Egyptian soldier who poked his head out of his armored vehicle. Hamas leaders are furious about the border wall and are seeking to rally Arab and Muslim public opinion against Egypt. On Sunday, demonstrators marched outside Egyptian embassies in Jordan and Lebanon, holding posters showing Egypt’s president with Israel’s Star of David on his forehead. Hamas has also marshaled Muslim scholars who decreed that the barrier is “haram,” or religiously forbidden. The scholars were responding to a statement by Al-Azhar University, Egypt’s prestigious Islamic seat of theology, which reached the opposite conclusion last week. Gaza’s borders ...
Capacity Restrictions To Be Eased For Restaurants, Venues And Weddings In Massachusetts
BOSTON (CBS) — As coronavirus cases continue to decline in Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday announced he will be easing restrictions on restaurants, weddings and other businesses and venues. The state will move into Phase 3, Step 2 on March 1, and plans to enter Phase 4, Step 1 on March 22. Starting Monday, restaurants will no longer face a percentage capacity limit, but will still have to keep six feet of space between tables, limit party size to six and maintain the 90-minute time limit on dining. Other businesses including gyms, offices spaces and close contact personal services will be able to expand capacity to 50%. READ MORE: No Longer Mister: Hasbro's Mr. Potato Head Is Getting A Gender Neutral Name Indoor performance venues like concert halls and theaters will also be allowed to open at 50% capacity, up to 500 people. When Phase 4, Step 1 begins on March 22, wedding capacity will be increased to 100 people inside and 150 outside. Dance floors will also be allowed at wedding receptions. Additionally, stadiums and arenas like Gillette Stadium, Fenway Park, and TD Garden will be able to reopen with a 12% capacity limit in Phase 4. #COVID19MA public health metrics are moving in the right direction with continued drops in average daily cases and hospitalizations. As a result, we are taking steps to reopen our economy: ⏩ Phase III, Step 2 begins Monday March 1 pic.twitter.com/SojuJNVMsO READ MORE: TD Garden, Fenway Park Can Open At 12% Capacity For Fans Starting March 22 — Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) February 25, 2021 “These large venues employ a lot of people and many of them have been out of work for a very long time,” Baker said during his news conference at Ledger Restaurant And Bar in Salem. “We’ve been watching how these venues perform in other states, and believe with the right safety measures in place they can operate responsibly and safely here in the Commonwealth as well.” Despite the relaxed rules ...
Senate GOP works to avoid having ’22 war with Trump
Senate Republicans are hoping to avoid an intraparty bloodbath that would threaten their chances of taking back the majority in 2022. Tensions within the party have been on full display since the ugly mob attack on the Capitol and the impeachment vote and Senate trial that divided Republicans and left former President Trump Donald Trump Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Democratic fury with GOP explodes in House Georgia secretary of state withholds support for 'reactionary' GOP voting bills MORE and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnell Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' Democratic fury with GOP explodes in House Murkowski undecided on Tanden as nomination in limbo MORE (R-Ky.) trading charges in public. Even on Wednesday, the tensions were evident when House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy Kevin McCarthy Democratic fury with GOP explodes in House Trump to attack Biden in CPAC speech McConnell knocks Pelosi Jan. 6 commission proposal: 'Partisan by design' MORE (R-Calif.) and Rep. Liz Cheney Elizabeth (Liz) Lynn Cheney The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - J&J A-OK, Tanden in Trouble GOP leaders clash over Trump presence at CPAC Six ways to visualize a divided America MORE (Wyo.), the third-ranking House Republican, disagreed over Trump’s attendance at a conservative conference this weekend. ADVERTISEMENT Sen. John Thune John Randolph Thune Passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is the first step to heal our democracy Senate GOP campaign chief talks strategy with Trump Graham, Trump huddle to talk GOP's 2022 strategy MORE (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, acknowledged the current signs of disunity but predicted competing factions of the party would unify. “I think there will be a ...
Biden signs supply chain order after ‘positive’ meeting with lawmakers
President Biden Joe Biden Klain on Manchin's objection to Neera Tanden: He 'doesn't answer to us at the White House' Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence Overnight Defense: New Senate Armed Services chairman talks Pentagon policy nominee, Afghanistan, more | Biden reads report on Khashoggi killing | Austin stresses vaccine safety in new video MORE on Wednesday signed an executive order directing a review of supply chains for critical products across numerous sectors, including health, defense and communications. The order directs a 100-day review across federal agencies to address vulnerabilities in supply chains of pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, semiconductors and large-capacity batteries like those used to power electric vehicles. It also requires sector-specific reviews in six areas over the next year to address supply chain concerns, specifically the defense, information communications technology, energy, transportation, public health and food sectors. ADVERTISEMENT The order is meant to support jobs, particularly in traditionally marginalized groups such as communities of color, through helping to rebuild manufacturing jobs. Invoking the shortages of personal protective equipment experienced by healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic, Biden said in remarks Wednesday afternoon that it would help the United States confront crises and revitalize the U.S. manufacturing sector. “This is about making sure the United States can meet every challenge we face in this new era — pandemics but also defense, cybersecurity, climate change, and so much more,” Biden said in the State Dining Room before signing the order. “The best way to do that is by protecting and sharpening America’s edge by investing here at home.” It is also intended to address the ongoing shortage of semiconductors, or chips, for the auto industry, where they are used in many aspects of modern vehicles. Biden met ...
