4 By triggering $1,400 stimulus checks for millions of people and expanding the child tax credit for many families, the pandemic offered a clear takeaway for some officials: That putting tax dollars in people’s pockets is achievable and can be a lifeline to those struggling to get by. Now a growing number of mayors and other leaders say they want to determine for sure whether programs like these are the best way to reduce poverty, lessen inequality and get people working. In experiments across the country, dozens of cities and counties — some using money from the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package approved in March — and the state of California are giving some low-income residents a guaranteed income of $500 to $1,000 each month to do with as they please, and tracking what happens. A coalition known as Mayors for a Guaranteed Income plans to use the data — collected alongside a University of Pennsylvania-based research center — to lobby the … [Read more...]

Presented by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices via GIPHY To view past editions of The Hill's 12:30 Report, click here: http://bit.ly/1M1mIfw To receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox, please sign up here: http://bit.ly/1Tt4hqN --> A midday take on what's happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* *Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha--breaks down crying hysterically. I N CONGRESS It’s getting preeeetty ugly... Via The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Scott Wong , “Smoldering tensions over the Jan. 6 Capitol attack exploded Wednesday in a partisan battle over who should sit on the special committee investigating the deadly siege — a clash of wills that spurred Republicans to end their participation in the investigation before it began.” https://bit.ly/3zqjHGg What happened yesterday : “The fight started just after noon when Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she … [Read more...]

Republicans and business groups are sniping at President Biden Joe Biden Overnight Defense: Senate panel adds B to Biden's defense budget | House passes bill to streamline visa process for Afghans who helped US | Pentagon confirms 7 Colombians arrested in Haiti leader's killing had US training On The Money: Senate braces for nasty debt ceiling fight | Democrats pushing for changes to bipartisan deal | Housing prices hit new high in June Hillicon Valley: Democrats introduce bill to hold platforms accountable for misinformation during health crises | Website outages hit Olympics, Amazon and major banks MORE over remarks at a town hall event Wednesday night in which he told a restaurant owner struggling to hire workers that his business “is really going to be in a bind for a little while.” Restaurant groups said Biden’s offered solution to restauranteur John Lanni — pay higher wages — won’t actually his dilemma. “Restaurants aren’t like other small businesses; … [Read more...]

President Biden Joe Biden Overnight Defense: Senate panel adds B to Biden's defense budget | House passes bill to streamline visa process for Afghans who helped US | Pentagon confirms 7 Colombians arrested in Haiti leader's killing had US training On The Money: Senate braces for nasty debt ceiling fight | Democrats pushing for changes to bipartisan deal | Housing prices hit new high in June Hillicon Valley: Democrats introduce bill to hold platforms accountable for misinformation during health crises | Website outages hit Olympics, Amazon and major banks MORE is set to hit the campaign trail for the first time since becoming commander-in-chief on Friday with former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), posing a test for Biden’s political brand ahead of the 2021 and 2022 elections. Biden and McAuliffe, who have been friends for over 40 years, will appear together in the Democratic stronghold of Arlington, Va. The campaign stop will not only be an opportunity for … [Read more...]

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Lloyd Austin Pentagon chief to restore advisory panels after purge of Trump loyalists Senators hail 'historic changes' as competing proposals to tackle military sexual assault advance Overnight Defense: Pentagon chief defends Milley after Trump book criticism | Addresses critical race theory | Top general says Taliban has 'strategic momentum' in war MORE on Sunday made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan and met with President Ashraf Ghani, as the deadline to withdraw troops from the country nears. “I’m very grateful for my time with President @ashrafghani today. I came to Afghanistan to listen and learn. This visit has been very helpful for me, and it will inform my participation in the review we are undergoing here with @POTUS,” Austin tweeted on Sunday. Austin and Ghani discussed peace in the country and concerns over the escalation of violence, the Afghan president's office tweeted on Sunday. ADVERTISEMENT … [Read more...]

President Joe Biden’s immigration policies are attracting an exploding number of migrants seeking to cross the U.S. southern border from beyond Mexico and the three Central American Northern Triangle (NT) countries, a Breitbart News analysis of federal government data revealed. The migrants from non-Mexican/NT nations, classified as “others” by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), include individuals from Western Hemisphere countries like Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua and others from outside the Americas, including countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Data maintained by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency shows that the number of “others” apprehended trying to illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico Border at and in between official ports of entry grew nearly ten-fold from 4,046 in January to 38,272 in June. Meanwhile, the number of migrants from outside Mexico and the NT region (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) removed under the Trump-era expulsion … [Read more...]