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The Age of Stasis

pema relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpswwwniskanencenterorgthepermanentproblem target_blankthe permanent problema is an ongoing series of essay about the challenges of capitalist mass affluence as well as the solutions to them you can a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpswwwniskanencenterorgthepermanentproblem target_blankaccess the full collection herea or subscribe to a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpbrinklindseysubstackcom target_blankbrinklindseysubstackcoma to get them straight to your inbox emp pits my contention that 21st century capitalism is undergoing a a hrefhttpsbrinklindseysubstackcompthenatureofthecrisistriple crisisa one of inclusion one of dynamism and one of politics as to the first of these ive already written a couple of essays looking at the a hrefhttpsbrinklindseysubstackcompthedecliningleverageandstatussocioeconomica and a hrefhttpsbrinklindseysubstackcompthepoliticalmarginalizationofpoliticala marginalization of ordinary people since the advent of mass affluence now ill turn to the crisis of dynamism piecing together whats happened and why will occupy me for the next few essaysp pwe can conceive of this crisis in both narrower and more sweeping terms as to the former the concern is with declining rates of innovation and economic growth and growing barriers to scientific and technological progress zooming out and taking a larger view there is the sense of a deeper civilizational sclerosis ross douthat calls it a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomdecadentsocietybecamevictimssuccessdp1476785244reftmm_hrd_swatch_0_encodingutf8qid1667207129sr81decadencea and i strongly recommend his insightful book on the subject but i dont think anybody can match the compactness and verve with which ryan avent of the economist in a a hrefhttpsryanaventsubstackcomptheendoftheconservativeagesubstack essaya that deserves to be much more widely known and discussed summed up the nature of what has happened in the rich democracies since the 1970s he calls this past halfcentury the conservative age and ill quote from him at lengthp blockquote classwpblockquote pthe notion that ours has been a period of intense almost universally held conservatism may seem odd to some readers particularly those of a nominally conservative bent hasnt the state grown as a share of the economy for decades hasnt the observance of traditional religion declined havent sexual mores and gender norms been turned on their heads and yet if the animating spirit of conservatism is the desire to command history to stop and to preserve traditional practices across the breadth of society the past half century can only be seen as the handiwork of a conservatism in neartotal mastery of the flow of eventsp pfrom 1870 to 1970 the world was racked by violent change across all spheres of human activity national borders were drawn and redrawn the residents of these shifting states experimented with the most radical forms of social organization ever attempted technologically the world lurched from stagecoach journeys to landings on the moon from mechanical calculators to digital computers from a near ignorance of germs to the study of our dna in the richest economies incomes tripled creating a large middle class and moving its members from a position uneasily close to subsistence to one of historically unprecedented wealth social relations between sexes races and classes were upended culturally the world experienced perhaps the greatest efflorescence of art ever in literature music architecture and just about wherever else one looked it was an almost unbearably frenetic period of creative destruction and destructive creationp pand then around 1970 societies positioned at the frontier of human advance declared enough we went to the moon that was far enough we grew tired of efforts to create utopia through our governments and chose instead to enable the better heeled to consume the fruits of their labor by cutting their taxes we began to freeze our cities in amber by abandoning idealistic efforts to improve slums prohibiting the replacement of the fine buildings of yesterday with the bold and the new and shifting ever more of the population into the comfort and familiarity of suburbia with rare exceptions the energy and innovation bled out of our artistic endeavors we lost interest in bold new political projects or grand reforming crusades indeed we ultimately judged that we had found the best of all possible systems of social organization and declared that history had not only stopped but come to its very end we made ourselves caretakers of a world built by our forebears or less even than that parasites upon it draining what consumer comforts we can from it while they lastp pthe result has been a profound stasis powered by a conservatism so deep and penetrating that we scarcely perceive it to what do the ambitious among us aspire today to a structured life repeating familiar steps university lucrative profession comfortable retirement modest thrills delivering anticipated rewards we think our politics has become gridlocked because different factions have such different visions of the future but thats mistaken our politics delivers very little because even a little change is more than most of us are interested in seemingly radical shifts in tolerance for samesex relationships for instance are achieved within an overarching social rigidity in which power and class relations are preserved and the general order of daily life is undisturbed resistance to change has evolved into fear of the unknown we have all been engaged in a paralyzing process of autoinfantilization pursuing trivial comforts and eschewing riskp blockquote pi dont necessarily endorse every element of this bill of indictment in particular im still not sure what to make of the claims of cultural stagnation in certain popular art forms sure but overall is much less clear to me and the turning away from utopian dreams was a sound move at the time at least as long as the cold war was still raging but overall i think ryan does a fantastic job here capturing the essence of a profound civilizational shift and identifying its character correctly as fundamentally conservativep pthere are many different factors pushing this broadbased conservatism but all share in my view common origins in capitalisms transition to mass affluence and a postindustrial economy in this essay ill focus on the core concern over scientific technological and economic progress and one very basic reason for the slowdowns we observe progress gets harder over time because of the exhaustion of the easiest opportunities for advance and generally declining returns to innovative activityp pit turns out that major components of economic growth during industrialization consisted of oneoff changes that took decades to unfold but then were more or less completed in the united states growth during the 20th century was accelerated by two demographic trends the increasing mobilization of women into the paid workforce due to the automation of housework and widening job opportunities not tied to physical strength and the upskilling of the population through increased years in school the simplest way to raise gdp per capita over time is to increase the percentage of the population making gdp for a living which is precisely what the transition of women out of the unpaid household sector and into the labor force accomplished between 1900 and 2000 the a hrefhttpswwwcatoorgsitescatoorgfilespubspdfpa737_web_1pdffemale laborforce participation ratea climbed from 19 percent to 60 percent causing the total lfpr to rise from 50 percent to 67 percentp figure classwpblockimageimg sizesmaxwidth 852px 100vw 852px srchttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211lfpr1png width852 alt srcsethttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211lfpr1png 852w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211lfpr1300x237png 300w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211lfpr1768x606png 768w classwpimage11678 height672figure pbeyond increasing the sheer quantity of labor inputs you can also boost economic growth by improving the quality of labor with more highly developed skills a given hour of work can produce substantially higher value and over the course of the 20th century the united states saw dramatic surges in secondary and then tertiary education in 1900 only about 6 percent of young people graduated high school by 1970 it was up to 76 percent in 1940 only 6 percent of young adults had a college degree by 1980 24 percent did all in all the a hrefhttpswwwcatoorgsitescatoorgfilespubspdfpa737_web_1pdfaverage years of schoolinga for americans aged 25 and older rose from 80 years in 1900 to 125 years in 1980 harvard economists a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomracebetweeneducationtechnologydp0674035305reftmm_pap_swatch_0_encodingutf8qidsrclaudia goldin and lawrence katza estimate that some 15 percent of the total increase in gdp per capita from 19152005 can be attributed to the rise in educational attainmentp pmobilizing women and increasing years in school were processes that couldnt go on forever and a hrefhttpsenwikipediaorgwikiherbert_steintextstein20propounded20stein27s20law2c20whichif20such20a20process20isso they didnta the female labor force participation rate stalled at the turn of the 21st century still somewhat lower than that of men but with only limited catchup space left and by 1980 the rapid runup in educational attainment ended from 1980 to 2005 the average years of schooling completed grew only 03 percent a year compared to 08 percent a year between 1940 and 1980p figure classwpblockimageimg sizesmaxwidth 868px 100vw 868px srchttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211yearsofschoolingscreenshotpng width868 alt srcsethttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211yearsofschoolingscreenshotpng 868w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211yearsofschoolingscreenshot300x209png 300w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211yearsofschoolingscreenshot768x536png 768w classwpimage11679 height606figure ponce these changes were substantially complete the tailwinds they provided to capitalist growth and dynamism subsided without a compensating speedup in innovation and productivity growth gdp growth would naturally subside as well since you could no longer rely on growth provided by increasing the relative quantity and quality of labor you needed to substitute with growth from increasing the output per unit of laborp punfortunately the same problems of exhausting the lowhanging fruit beset efforts to accelerate or even sustain productivity growth in those sectors where productivity growth is easiest to achieve that growth will eventually run ahead of demand for the products of those sectors as a result those sectors will shrink as a share of total economic output and their contribution to overall output will be correspondingly diminished economic growth thus has this selfundermining dynamic over time employment and output will tend to concentrate in the least productive sectors this isnt a death sentence if you can figure out how to rev up productivity in those reservoir sectors you can keep overall growth from slipping but without doubt productivity growth gets harder over timep pwe see this dynamic playing out over time in postindustrialization that is the shift from manufacturing to services in general productivity growth in manufacturing is higher than in services laborsaving machinery can be added to the manufacturing process all the way to full automation whereas human labor is often a vital component of service provision it will always take four musicians to play a string quartet but because of that fact over time manufacturing has shrunk as a component of overall economic activity and thus the economy has come to be dominated by services that are more resistant to automation and improved efficiencyp pthis is the phenomenon known as a hrefhttpswwwvoxcomnewmoney20175415547364baumolcostdiseaseexplainedbaumols cost diseasea named after the economist william baumol who first identified it because of the productivity differential between manufacturing and services the relative costs and prices of manufactured goods fall over time and the relative costs and prices of services rise unless rising demand for manufactured goods can somehow keep ahead of this process the result is that manufacturing as a share of total spending and thus total output will decline over time and thats precisely what has happenedp pthe cost disease phenomenon has an important implication namely that productivity growth can fall even if the pace of innovative activity in the economy stays constant or even slightly accelerates lets say innovation in both manufacturing and services stay constant with the former at a higher rate than the latter over time the shift from manufacturing to services will reduce overall productivity growth simply because the relative contribution from highproductivity manufacturing is now decreasedp pthe economist dieter vollrath contends that most of the decline in productivity growth in the 21st century is due to the shift from manufacturing to services not in other words because of a slowdown in the pace of technological progress in his book a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomfullygrownstagnanteconomysuccessdp0226820041reftmm_pap_swatch_0_encodingutf8qidsremfully grownema he estimates that total factor productivity grew at an average annual rate of 151 percent between 1950 and 2000 and that the average rate then fell to 126 percent during the 21st century 20002016 in other words the productivity growth rate has fallen by 025 percentage points of that he estimates that the shift from manufacturing to services during the 20th century reduced 21st century productivity growth by about 02 percentage points or about 80 percent of the total decline in tfpp pnevertheless there is genuine cause for concern about the current vitality of technological and scientific progress first just looking at aggregate productivity figures gives an unduly rosy picture as it hides the total collapse of productivity growth in the world of atoms harvard economist a hrefhttpswwwcatoorgsitescatoorgfilespubspdfunderstandinggrowthslowdownpdfdale jorgensonas research on industryspecific tfp divides industry groups into itproducing computers semiconductors software itusing including among others finance and retail and nonit as the figure below shows during the postwar golden years productivity growth was robust in nonit industries afterwards the contribution of nonit sectors to overall productivity growth completely disappeared now i recognize that calculations of industryspecific tfp growth involve all kinds of methodological assumptions and ought to be taken with more than a few grains of salt still these figures suggest an alarming imbalance in the current state of innovationp figure classwpblockimageimg sizesmaxwidth 661px 100vw 661px srchttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211jorgensonscreenshotpng width661 alt srcsethttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211jorgensonscreenshotpng 661w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211jorgensonscreenshot300x289png 300w classwpimage11680 height636figure pand then theres the eyeball test the economist robert gordon well known for his technopessimism has proposed the following a hrefhttpswwwnberorgsystemfilesworking_papersw18315w18315pdfthought experimenta would you rather live with only pre21st century technology or have access to everything new from this century but give up indoor plumbing in return his point is that this single innovation from the late 1800s dwarfs the combined impact of all technological change in the current centuryp pthere is also suggestive if not definitive evidence that the rate of scientific progress is declining admittedly its very difficult to draw conclusions about the whole of science some fields are more mature and the biggest breakthroughs were long ago particle physics while other newer fields are booming genomics planetary astronomy artificial intelligence how is it possible to generalize across such disparate fields and what is the measure of impact granting these difficulties of measurement there are still some a hrefhttpspapersssrncomsol3paperscfmabstract_id3822691troubling signsa that scientific research is a hrefhttpswwwtheatlanticcomsciencearchive201811diminishingreturnsscience575665bogging downa the average ages at which scientists are first published in a major journal receive their first grant as a principal investigator and perform nobel prizewinning work have crept up steadily over time in the early years of the nobel prize scientists were around 37 years old at the time of their prizewinning work today the average age is around 47 publications and prizes now tend to go to teams of researchers rather than individuals and team sizes are increasingp pthe number of working scientists today and the number of new scientific papers published every year are both at alltime highs and ironically that may be part of the problem researchers a hrefhttpswwwpnasorgdoi101073pnas2021636118james evans and johan chua explainp blockquote classwpblockquote pthe deluge of new papers may deprive reviewers and readers [of] the cognitive slack required to fully recognize and understand novel ideas competition among many new ideas may prevent the gradual accumulation of focused attention on a promising new idea when the number of papers published per year in a scientific field grows large citations flow disproportionately to already wellcited papers the list of mostcited papers ossifies new papers are unlikely to ever become highly cited and when they do it is not through a gradual cumulative process of attention gathering and newly published papers become unlikely to disrupt existing work these findings suggest that the progress of large scientific fields may be slowed trapped in existing canon p blockquote pim not sure about a slowdown in the rate of overall scientific or technological progress but what is indisputable is that progress per scientist or engineer is falling over time in a hrefhttpswebstanfordeduchadjideapfpdfare ideas getting harder to finda economists nicholas bloom charles jones john van reenen and michael webb make the point that the number of researchers has skyrocketed over time increasing over twentyfold since 1930 while productivity growth has been flat or declining innovative activity has thus been experiencing sharply diminishing returns over time to cite just one prominent example the number of researchers required today to keep a hrefhttpsenwikipediaorgwikimoore27s_lawmoores lawa going is over 18 times larger than back in the 1970sp ptheir highly intuitive explanation is that these diminishing returns reflect the exhaustion of lowhanging fruit of course this isnt the only possible explanation it may be that our institutions for organizing and funding scientific research and for translating that research into commercial products are less efficient than in the past but surely an important part of the story is that ideas are indeed getting harder to findp pa related idea is that progress gets harder over time because of the growing a hrefhttpswwwkelloggnorthwesternedufacultyjonesbenhtmburdenofknowledgepdfburden of knowledgea as the scientific and technological frontiers advance with every year the years of study and training needed to reach the frontier and thus be in a position to make a contribution of ones own necessarily increase over time one reason ideas are getting harder to find then is that the preparation needed before the search commences is growing evermore elaborate and taxingp pi dont believe that the dynamics ive been describing here offer anything like a full explanation of the age of stasis other important factors are in play as well and ill be exploring them in the essays to follow but i wanted to start my investigation here because the exhaustion of lowhanging fruit and declining returns to innovative activity are inherent features of advanced capitalist development we dont need to identify bad guys or find that a wrong turn was made years ago rather it is simply part of the nature of our social system that progress gets harder over time that fact alone is sobering as it means that the path of least resistance is toward torpor and stasisp pthe post a relnofollow hrefhttpswwwniskanencenterorgtheageofstasisthe age of stasisa appeared first on a relnofollow hrefhttpswwwniskanencenterorgniskanen centerap

The article discusses the challenges of capitalist mass affluence and the solutions to them. The author argues that 21st century capitalism is undergoing a crisis of inclusion, dynamism, and politics. The crisis of dynamism refers to the declining rates of innovation and economic growth and growing barriers to scientific and technological progress. The author traces the roots of this crisis to the exhaustion of the easiest opportunities for advance and generally declining returns to innovative progress. The shift from manufacturing to services has reduced overall productivity growth due to the relative productivity differential between manufacturing and services, leading to the decline of manufacturing as a share of total spending and total output. The article concludes by stating that progress gets harder over time due to the exhaustion of low-hanging fruits and declining returns to innovative activity as inherent features of advanced capitalist development.

relnoreferrer noopener e permanent is an ongoing series of essay about the challenges of capitalist mass affluence as well as the solutions to them you can a relnoreferrer noopener the full collection or subscribe to a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpbrinklindseysubstackcom to get them straight to your nbox emp pits my contention that 21st century capitalism is undergoing a a efhttpsbrinklindseysubstackcompthenatureofthecrisistriple one of inclusion one of dynamism and one of politics as to the first of these ive already written a couple of essays looking at the a and a marginalization of ordinary people since the advent of mass affluence now ill turn to the crisis of dynamism piecing together whats happened and why will occupy me for the next few we can conceive of this crisis in both narrower and more sweeping terms as to the former the concern is with declining rates of innovation and economic growth and growing barriers to scientific and technological progress zooming out and taking a larger view there is the sense of a deeper civilizational sclerosis ross douthat calls it a and i strongly recommend his insightful book on the subject but i dont think anybody can match the compactness and verve with which ryan vent of the economist in a a efhttpsryanaventsubstackcomptheendoftheconservativeagesubstack that deserves to be much more widely known and discussed summed up the nature of what has happened in the rich democracies since the he calls this past halfcentury the conservative age and ill quote from him at ckquote e notion that ours has been a period of intense almost universally held conservatism may seem odd to some readers particularly those of a nominally conservative bent hasnt the state grown as a share of the economy for decades hasnt the observance of traditional religion declined havent sexual mores and gender norms been turned on their heads and yet if the animating spirit of conservatism is the desire to command history to stop and to preserve traditional practices across the breadth of society the past half century can only be seen as the handiwork of a conservatism in neartotal mastery of the flow of from 1870 to 1970 the world was racked by violent change across all spheres of human activity national borders were drawn and redrawn the residents of these shifting states experimented with the most radical forms of social organization ever attempted technologically the world lurched from stagecoach journeys to landings on the moon from mechanical calculators to digital computers from a near ignorance of germs to the study of our in the richest economies incomes tripled creating a large middle class and moving its members from a position uneasily close to subsistence to one of historically unprecedented wealth social relations between sexes races and classes were upended culturally the world experienced perhaps the greatest efflorescence of art ever in literature music architecture and just about wherever else one looked it was an almost unbearably frenetic period of creative destruction and destructive pand then around 1970 societies positioned at the frontier of human advance declared enough we went to the moon that was far enough we grew tired of efforts to create utopia through our governments and chose instead to enable the better heeled to consume the fruits of their labor by cutting their taxes we began to freeze our cities in amber by abandoning idealistic efforts to improve slums prohibiting the replacement of the fine buildings of yesterday with the bold and the new and shifting ever more of the population into the comfort and familiarity of suburbia with rare exceptions the energy and innovation bled out of our artistic endeavors we lost interest in bold new political projects or grand reforming crusades indeed we ultimately judged that we had found the best of all possible systems of social organization and declared that history had not only stopped but come to its very end we made ourselves caretakers of a world built by our forebears or less even than that parasites upon it draining what consumer comforts we can from it while they e result has been a profound stasis powered by a conservatism so deep and penetrating that we scarcely perceive it to what do the ambitious among us aspire today to a structured life repeating familiar steps university lucrative profession comfortable retirement modest thrills delivering anticipated rewards we think our politics has become gridlocked because different factions have such different visions of the future but thats mistaken our politics delivers very little because even a little change is more than most of us are interested in seemingly radical shifts in tolerance for mesex relationships for instance are achieved within an overarching social rigidity in which power and class relations are preserved and the general order of daily life is undisturbed resistance to change has evolved into fear of the unknown we have all been engaged in a paralyzing process of toinfantilization pursuing trivial comforts and eschewing pi dont necessarily endorse every element of this bill of indictment in particular im still not sure what to make of the claims of cultural stagnation in certain popular art forms sure but overall is much less clear to me and the turning away from utopian dreams was a sound move at the time at least as long as the cold war was still raging but overall i think ryan does a fantastic job here capturing the essence of a profound civilizational shift and identifying its character correctly as fundamentally ere are many different factors pushing this oadbased conservatism but all share in my view common origins in transition to mass affluence and a ostindustrial economy in this essay ill focus on the core concern over scientific technological and economic progress and one very basic reason for the slowdowns we observe progress gets harder over time because of the exhaustion of the easiest opportunities for advance and generally declining returns to innovative pit turns out that major components of economic growth during industrialization consisted of oneoff changes that took decades to unfold but then were more or less completed in the united states growth during the century was accelerated by two demographic trends the increasing mobilization of women into the paid workforce due to the automation of housework and widening job opportunities not tied to physical strength and the killing of the population through increased years in school the simplest way to raise per capita over time is to increase the percentage of the population making for a living which is precisely what the transition of women out of the unpaid household sector and into the labor force accomplished between 1900 and 2000 the a efhttpswwwcatoorgsitescatoorgfilespubspdfpa737_web_1pdffemale laborforce participation climbed from 19 percent to 60 percent causing the total lfpr to rise from 50 percent to 67 figure mg h 852px 100vw 852px rchttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211lfpr1png width852 alt rcsethttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211lfpr1png 852w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211lfpr1300x237png 300w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211lfpr1768x606png 768w classwpimage11678 ure eyond increasing the sheer quantity of labor inputs you can also boost economic growth by improving the quality of labor with more highly developed skills a given hour of work can produce substantially higher value and over the course of the century the united states saw dramatic surges in secondary and then tertiary education in 1900 only about 6 percent of young people graduated high school by 1970 it was up to 76 percent in 1940 only 6 percent of young adults had a college degree by 1980 24 percent did all in all the a efhttpswwwcatoorgsitescatoorgfilespubspdfpa737_web_1pdfaverage years of for americans aged 25 and older rose from 80 years in 1900 to 125 years in 1980 harvard economists a goldin and lawrence estimate that some 15 percent of the total increase in per capita from 19152005 can be attributed to the rise in educational mobilizing women and increasing years in school were processes that couldnt go on forever and a efhttpsenwikipediaorgwikiherbert_steintextstein20propounded20stein27s20law2c20whichif20such20a20process20isso they the female labor force participation rate stalled at the turn of the 21st century still somewhat lower than that of men but with only limited catchup space left and by 1980 the rapid in educational attainment ended from 1980 to 2005 the average years of schooling completed grew only 03 percent a year compared to 08 percent a year between 1940 and figure mg h 868px 100vw 868px rchttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211yearsofschoolingscreenshotpng width868 alt rcsethttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211yearsofschoolingscreenshotpng 868w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211yearsofschoolingscreenshot300x209png 300w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211yearsofschoolingscreenshot768x536png 768w classwpimage11679 ure ponce these changes were substantially complete the tailwinds they provided to capitalist growth and dynamism subsided without a compensating speedup in innovation and productivity growth growth would naturally subside as well since you could no longer rely on growth provided by increasing the relative quantity and quality of labor you needed to substitute with growth from increasing the output per unit of nfortunately the same problems of exhausting the lowhanging fruit beset efforts to accelerate or even sustain productivity growth in those sectors where productivity growth is easiest to achieve that growth will eventually run ahead of demand for the products of those sectors as a result those sectors will shrink as a share of total economic output and their contribution to overall output will be correspondingly diminished economic growth thus has this elfundermining dynamic over time employment and output will tend to concentrate in the least productive sectors this isnt a death sentence if you can figure out how to rev up productivity in those reservoir sectors you can keep overall growth from slipping but without doubt productivity growth gets harder over we see this dynamic playing out over time in ostindustrialization that is the shift from manufacturing to services in general productivity growth in manufacturing is higher than in services laborsaving machinery can be added to the manufacturing process all the way to full automation whereas human labor is often a vital component of service provision it will always take four musicians to play a string quartet but because of that fact over time manufacturing has shrunk as a component of overall economic activity and thus the economy has come to be dominated by services that are more resistant to automation and improved is the phenomenon known as a cost named after the economist william l who first identified it because of the productivity differential between manufacturing and services the relative costs and prices of manufactured goods fall over time and the relative costs and prices of services rise unless rising demand for manufactured goods can somehow keep ahead of this process the result is that manufacturing as a share of total spending and thus total output will decline over time and thats precisely what has e cost disease phenomenon has an important implication namely that productivity growth can fall even if the pace of innovative activity in the economy stays constant or even slightly accelerates lets say innovation in both manufacturing and services stay constant with the former at a higher rate than the latter over time the shift from manufacturing to services will reduce overall productivity growth simply because the relative contribution from highproductivity manufacturing is now e economist dieter contends that most of the decline in productivity growth in the 21st century is due to the shift from manufacturing to services not in other words because of a slowdown in the pace of technological progress in his book a efhttpswwwamazoncomfullygrownstagnanteconomysuccessdp0226820041reftmm_pap_swatch_0_encodingutf8qidsremfully he estimates that total factor productivity grew at an average annual rate of 151 percent between 1950 and 2000 and that the average rate then fell to 126 percent during the 21st century 20002016 in other words the productivity growth rate has fallen by 025 percentage points of that he estimates that the shift from manufacturing to services during the century reduced 21st century productivity growth by about 02 percentage points or about 80 percent of the total decline in there is genuine cause for concern about the current vitality of technological and scientific progress first just looking at aggregate productivity figures gives an unduly rosy picture as it hides the total collapse of productivity growth in the world of atoms harvard economist a efhttpswwwcatoorgsitescatoorgfilespubspdfunderstandinggrowthslowdownpdfdale research on ndustryspecific divides industry groups into tproducing computers semiconductors software tusing including among others finance and retail and nonit as the figure below shows during the postwar golden years productivity growth was robust in nonit industries afterwards the contribution of nonit sectors to overall productivity growth completely disappeared now i recognize that calculations of ndustryspecific growth involve all kinds of methodological assumptions and ought to be taken with more than a few grains of salt still these figures suggest an alarming imbalance in the current state of figure mg h 661px 100vw 661px rchttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211jorgensonscreenshotpng width661 alt rcsethttpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211jorgensonscreenshotpng 661w httpswwwniskanencenterorgwpcontentuploads202211jorgensonscreenshot300x289png 300w classwpimage11680 ure pand then theres the eyeball test the economist robert gordon well known for his technopessimism has proposed the following a efhttpswwwnberorgsystemfilesworking_papersw18315w18315pdfthought would you rather live with only 21st century technology or have access to everything new from this century but give up indoor plumbing in return his point is that this single innovation from the late dwarfs the combined impact of all technological change in the current ere is also suggestive if not definitive evidence that the rate of scientific progress is declining admittedly its very difficult to draw conclusions about the whole of science some fields are more mature and the biggest breakthroughs were long ago particle physics while other newer fields are booming planetary astronomy artificial intelligence how is it possible to generalize across such disparate fields and what is the measure of impact granting these difficulties of measurement there are still some a efhttpspapersssrncomsol3paperscfmabstract_id3822691troubling that scientific research is a efhttpswwwtheatlanticcomsciencearchive201811diminishingreturnsscience575665bogging the average ages at which scientists are first published in a major journal receive their first grant as a principal investigator and perform nobel prizewinning work have crept up steadily over time in the early years of the nobel prize scientists were around 37 years old at the time of their prizewinning work today the average age is around 47 publications and prizes now tend to go to teams of researchers rather than individuals and team sizes are e number of working scientists today and the number of new scientific papers published every year are both at me highs and ironically that may be part of the problem researchers a evans and johan ckquote e deluge of new papers may deprive reviewers and readers [of] the cognitive slack required to fully recognize and understand novel ideas competition among many new ideas may prevent the gradual accumulation of focused attention on a promising new idea when the number of papers published per year in a scientific field grows large citations flow disproportionately to already wellcited papers the list of mostcited papers ossifies new papers are unlikely to ever become highly cited and when they do it is not through a gradual cumulative process of attention gathering and newly published papers become unlikely to disrupt existing work these findings suggest that the progress of large scientific fields may be slowed trapped in existing canon p pim not sure about a slowdown in the rate of overall scientific or technological progress but what is indisputable is that progress per scientist or engineer is falling over time in a efhttpswebstanfordeduchadjideapfpdfare ideas getting harder to economists nicholas bloom charles jones john van reenen and michael make the point that the number of researchers has skyrocketed over time increasing over twentyfold since 1930 while productivity growth has been flat or declining innovative activity has thus been experiencing sharply diminishing returns over time to cite just one prominent example the number of researchers required today to keep a going is over 18 times larger than back in the eir highly intuitive explanation is that these diminishing returns reflect the exhaustion of lowhanging fruit of course this isnt the only possible explanation it may be that our institutions for organizing and funding scientific research and for translating that research into commercial products are less efficient than in the past but surely an important part of the story is that ideas are indeed getting harder to pa related idea is that progress gets harder over time because of the growing a efhttpswwwkelloggnorthwesternedufacultyjonesbenhtmburdenofknowledgepdfburden of as the scientific and technological frontiers advance with every year the years of study and training needed to reach the frontier and thus be in a position to make a contribution of ones own necessarily increase over time one reason ideas are getting harder to find then is that the preparation needed before the search commences is growing evermore elaborate and pi dont believe that the dynamics ive been describing here offer anything like a full explanation of the age of stasis other important factors are in play as well and ill be exploring them in the essays to follow but i wanted to start my investigation here because the exhaustion of lowhanging fruit and declining returns to innovative activity are inherent features of advanced capitalist development we dont need to identify bad guys or find that a wrong turn was made years ago rather it is simply part of the nature of our social system that progress gets harder over time that fact alone is sobering as it means that the path of least resistance is toward torpor and e post a efhttpswwwniskanencenterorgtheageofstasisthe age of appeared first on a efhttpswwwniskanencenterorgniskanen

637bfd78a3126cb51fdc03b7

Biden sending federal aid to western New York after massive storm

ppresident biden on monday approved an emergency declaration for new york and ordered federal assistance to help respond to the severe winter storm in the western part of the statep phis action authorizes the department of homeland security and federal emergency management agency fema to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to supplement state and local response efforts in place since the snowstorm hit over the weekend p pthe federal government can now coordinate disaster relief in 11 new york counties including cattaraugus chautauqua erie and niagarap pnew york gov kathy hochul d thanked biden for approving the emergency declaration and for working with the statep pour emergency declaration for counties impacted by this weekends historic winter storm has been approved thank you potus for immediately granting our request amp for our ongoing strong partnership well keep working around the clock to help communities rebuild amp recover she a hrefhttpstwittercomgovkathyhochulstatus1594696610088370180saida in a statementp pthe massive storm dumped more than six feet of snow in some areas and set a record for the most snowfall in a 24hour period in new york the buffalo bills moved their sunday night football game against the cleveland browns to detroit after the heavy snowfall which began in the buffalo area late on thursday eveningp

President Biden has authorized federal aid to be sent to western New York after being hit by a massive snowstorm over the weekend. This allows the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate all disaster relief efforts and supplement the state and local response efforts in place, as well as coordinate disaster relief in 11 New York counties. The snowstorm set a record for the most snowfall in a 24-hour period in New York, with more than six feet in some areas. The Buffalo Bills moved their Sunday night football game against the Cleveland Browns to Detroit after the heavy snowfall began last Thursday.

dent den on monday approved an emergency declaration for new york and ordered federal assistance to help respond to the severe winter storm in the western part of the phis action authorizes the department of homeland security and federal emergency management agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to supplement state and local response efforts in place since the snowstorm hit over the weekend p e federal government can now coordinate disaster relief in 11 new york counties including chautauqua erie and new york gov kathy d thanked den for approving the emergency declaration and for working with the pour emergency declaration for counties impacted by this weekends historic winter storm has been approved thank you potus for immediately granting our request amp for our ongoing strong partnership well keep working around the clock to help communities rebuild amp recover she a in a e massive storm dumped more than six feet of snow in some areas and set a record for the most snowfall in a 24hour period in new york the buffalo bills moved their sunday night football game against the cleveland browns to detroit after the heavy snowfall which began in the buffalo area late on thursday

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Biden mourns victims in Virginia Walmart shooting

ppresident biden on wednesday mourned the victims of a shooting inside a walmart in chesapeake va noting it took place during the week of thanksgivingp psix people were killed when a gunman who was an employee of the walmart opened fire on tuesday night the gunman also died from a selfinflicted gunshotp ptomorrow is thanksgiving one of our most cherished holidays that brings us together as americans and as families when we hug our loved ones and count our blessings biden said in a statement but because of yet another horrific and senseless act of violence there are now even more tables across the country that will have empty seats this thanksgiving there are now more families who know the worst kind of loss and pain imaginablep pbiden also mourned the victims of a shooting at the university of virginia earlier this month when a gunman killed three people on campusp phe reiterated his call for stronger gun control laws after he signed a bipartisan gun violence prevention bill earlier this year the president has long called for an assault weapons ban to be reinstated which is an uphill battle with a republican leadership in the house expected next year and a slim democratic majority in the senate in the next congressp pwhite house press secretary karine jeanpierre while discussing the shooting at an lgbtq nightclub in colorado spring colo over the weekend said on tuesday that the president is optimistic an assault weapons ban can passp pthe presidents not going to stop until we ban assault weapons she saidp

President Biden expressed condolences for the victims of a shooting in a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia, where a gunman, who was an employee, killed two people on Tuesday night. The gunman died from self-inflicted wounds. Speaking about the shooting, Biden reminded Americans of the Thanksgiving holiday, stating that the loss of loved ones due to senseless violence had led to empty seats at tables across the country. The president also mourned the victims of a shooting at the University of Virginia earlier this month, where a gunman killed three people. Biden reiterated his call for stronger gun control laws, including the reinstatement of an assault weapons ban, which will prove difficult with a Republican-led House of Representatives and slim Democratic majority in the Senate.

dent den on wednesday mourned the victims of a shooting inside a t in chesapeake va noting it took place during the week of x people were killed when a gunman who was an employee of the t opened fire on tuesday night the gunman also died from a elfinflicted tomorrow is thanksgiving one of our most cherished holidays that brings us together as americans and as families when we hug our loved ones and count our blessings den said in a statement but because of yet another horrific and senseless act of violence there are now even more tables across the country that will have empty seats this thanksgiving there are now more families who know the worst kind of loss and pain den also mourned the victims of a shooting at the university of virginia earlier this month when a gunman killed three people on he reiterated his call for stronger gun control laws after he signed a bipartisan gun violence prevention bill earlier this year the president has long called for an assault weapons ban to be reinstated which is an uphill battle with a republican leadership in the house expected next year and a slim democratic majority in the senate in the next white house press secretary karine jeanpierre while discussing the shooting at an nightclub in colorado spring o over the weekend said on tuesday that the president is optimistic an assault weapons ban can e presidents not going to stop until we ban assault weapons she

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The evils of elitist altruism

pelizabeth holmes dressed in the same style every day black turtleneck sweater black slacks and black lowslung shoes this uniform underlined her deified status as a busy billionaire dedicated to changing the world setting her apart from mere mortals with time to choose their clothes my mom had me in black turtlenecks when i was like eight she told one womens magazine i probably have 150 of these it makes it easy because every day you put on the same thing and dont have to think about it one less thing in your life all my focus is on the work i take it so seriously im sure that translates into how i dressp pyet this story of her image like the bloodtest technology that won her fame and fortune was fake one former colleague later revealed how a frumpy holmes had adopted the look to mimic the signature style of steve jobs even tracking down the exact issey miyake turtleneck favoured by the apple founder her pose as a cool blackclad genius worked for a while fooling some of the bestknown financiers and public figures in the united states then it had to be ditched in favour of dull suits to appear in court for fraud and soon will switch to dowdy prison scrubs after her conviction and 11year sentencep psilicon valley superstars love to embrace a simple style rich enough to buy anything in the world and puffed up with selfimportance they use clothing to send out the message that they are too important to waste their precious intellect and time on deciding what to wear every day i really want to clear my life to make it so that i have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community said facebooks mark zuckerberg when quizzed about his uniform of grey tshirts and blue jeans this is lest we forget the man who set up a website to rank attractive women at university that exploded into one of the planets most pernicious companiesp divdiv psam bankmanfried also tapped into this approach he presented himself as a financial prodigy who disdained societal mores while set on saving the world he went for the scruffy skateboarder look a manchild with an unkempt bubble of hair who even wore his tshirt shorts and sneakers when sitting on stage next to a former us president and a former british prime ministerp pit is no surprise that bill clinton and tony blair fell for such a phoney yet they werent the only ones suckered by this high priest of cryptocurrency who preached of earning billions through his unique financial acumen promised to pour the money into philanthropy and then crashed to earth with his fortune evaporating sbf championed a modish millennial approach to philanthropy that claims to harness data in tandem with supreme brainpower moral leadership and relentless logic to improve the costefficiency of charity and tackle state failures but his downfall has exposed the hollowness at the heart of this cult that has become as much part of silicon valleys uniformity as their tshirts and turtlenecksp pthe astonishing rise and fall of the disgraced crypto king began over a meal with william macaskill a prominent young oxford university philosopher this scottish professor guru of the effective altruism movement persuaded the vegan sbf then a student to forget about devoting his life to animal welfare and instead focus on making as much money as possible for donation to good causes so sbf duly set out to become megarich ostensibly on the basis that this would let him do as much good as possible in the world and he seduced admirers and investors alike with his sense of mission while pouring money into macaskills own projectsp diva hrefhttpsunherdcom202208insidebritainspsychiatricnightmarerefinnara hrefhttpsunherdcom202208insidebritainspsychiatricnightmarerefinnarimg srchttpsunherdcomwpcontentuploads2022082gettyimages741609scalede1659375891205300x182jpgadiva hrefhttpsunherdcom202208insidebritainspsychiatricnightmarerefinnarspanmore from this authorspanaa hrefhttpsunherdcom202208insidebritainspsychiatricnightmarerefinnarh5inside britains psychiatric nightmareh5apa hrefhttpsunherdcom202208insidebritainspsychiatricnightmarerefinnarspanbyspan ian birrellapdivadiv peffective altruism draws its inspiration from peter singer the australian philosopher he contends that the moral obligation to save children from hunger in a famine is no different from that of saving a child you saw drowning before you unfortunately so radical and inhumane is his stance that he ends up as an eugenicist the lives of those with disabilities are of less value he argues and so killing babies born with disabilities is ethically permissible singer is relentlessly utilitarianp pyet his arguments lie at the root of this movement so beloved by silicon valley billionaires since it justifies their accumulation of great wealth on grounds that it can end up doing great good now though leading devotee dustin moskovitz another of the facebook founders has acknowledged that effective altruism either encouraged or excused sbfs unethical and almost certainly criminal behaviour even macaskill whose organisations received big donations from his shamed proteges operations admits he was wrong to dismiss fears that his philosophy might be misused to cause harm their church of benevolence became cover for a giant cryptoscamp pthis cult of ultrarationalism implies that it is morally better to get rich than to slave away in a badlypaid job that might be socially useful essentially it tells people to work in the city rather than a care home demeaning those who believe in public service or actually helping other human beings rather than piling up mountains of cash in taxefficient havens to give away to their pet causes critics such as timothy noah have noted how it ignores issues such as economic inequality since its most distinctive characteristic was the deftness with which it tiptoes past targets likely to offend billionairesp div psome key adherents including macaskill have since moved on to longtermism an ideology aiming to save us from future threats such as artificial intelligence rather than more prosaic ideas such as funding mosquito nets to save lives of existing human beings from malaria their argument is that if all lives have equal value wherever they are that should extend tospan spaniwheneverspan spanithey are around the things that matter most are the things that have longterm impact on what the world will look like said bankmanfried last year there are trillions of people who have not yet been bornspan spanp div pit is of course impossible to apply data and accountability to the future in reality it seems that sbf used this pretence of doing good to provide cover for a giant pyramid scheme pretending ends justified means while he hung out with his clique overseeing a crypto con at a 40m mansion in the tax haven of the bahamas you were really good at talking about ethics for someone who kind of saw it all as a game with winners and losers said aspan spanivox ireporter last week after his empire had fallen ya hehe i feel bad for those who get fucked by it he responded admitting the ethics stuff was mostly a front and talking of a dumb game we woke westerners play where we say all the right shiboleths [sic] so everyone likes usp psbf was also the secondbiggest donor to joe biden and the democrats last year handing over 37 million yet his veneer as a dogooder slipped when the presidents party flirted with a wealth tax for the superrich who often end up paying proportionately far less to the state than fellow citizens due to armies of highlypaid accountants shifting their assets around the globe he told the emnew york timesem that this could cause hugely negative collateral damage significantly reducing the amount of innovation and taxable base in the first place elon musk who might have been hit for 50 billion chimed in with a warning that this might hamper his longtermist plan to use the money to get humanity to mars and preserve the light of consciousnessp diva hrefhttpsunherdcom202211howeffectiveiswilliammacaskillsaltruismrefinnara hrefhttpsunherdcom202211howeffectiveiswilliammacaskillsaltruismrefinnarimg srchttpsunherdcomwpcontentuploads202211will300x169jpgadiva hrefhttpsunherdcom202211howeffectiveiswilliammacaskillsaltruismrefinnarspansuggested readingspanaa hrefhttpsunherdcom202211howeffectiveiswilliammacaskillsaltruismrefinnarh5william macaskills ineffective altruismh5apa hrefhttpsunherdcom202211howeffectiveiswilliammacaskillsaltruismrefinnarspanbyspan arif ahmedapdivadiv pthe downfall of sbf should send a stark warning to be wary of selfappointed prophets who think their wealth has given them special gifts to solve the problems of humanity these tycoons are often little better than the robberbarons of old who used charity to atone for their rapaciousness in business but only after becoming immensely wealthy note how jeff bezos has joined the ranks of those billionaires such as zuckerberg and sbf pledging to give away much of their fortunes it is a welcome trend but it reeks of hypocrisy given that it would be so much better if the ultrarich simply played by the same rules as the rest of us ensuring at least that their firms pay a fair share of tax even that secular saint bill gates is not immune to such criticism when microsoft became a case study in tax avoidance for the senate during his reignp pultimately these prophets of elitist altruism proclaim a specious and selfserving creed they create giant fortunes by running firms exploiting their digital revolution to dodge tax and evade national borders then bask in the glow of adulation for their philanthropy having subverted democracies slashed government revenues and thus weakened state services finally they claim to be the best people to solve some of the most pressing societal issues although only the ones they decide to tackle on their own terms rather than more unfashionable ones such as filling roads funding soldiers or fashioning support for the vulnerablep pcanadas finance minister chrystia freeland provided a glimpse into such attitudes a decade ago before she abandoned journalism for politics writing a superb book called emplutocratsem that exposed how a smug elite dictate public discourse and demand a system tilted even more in their favour one billionaire republican donor she interviewed even argued for the abolition of most taxes praising how the superrich selftaxed themselves by supporting charities of their choice rather than funding government he demanded the state should pay tech tycoons for their contributions to society its that top 1 that probably contributes more to making the world a better place than the 99 he concluded outrageouslyp pmany people yearn for superheroes visionaries and wunderkinds to offer hope of salvation on a complex messy planet but altruism built on avarice is simply a comfort blanket for billionaires behind the stylised images the scifi sheen of technology the bold claims to have remodelled philanthropy the arrogant insistence some people are so important they should be spared taxes lies the same hubristic mentality that tarnished the aid industry it is based on the cynical idea that a small superior and wealthy elite knows best and that they should not be thwarted in their drive to earn billions since they are indisputably the good guys as two new age messiahs stumble and fall we ought to be more sceptical over billionaire geeks posing as godlike saviours and show a bit more faith in our communal ability to resolve serious problemsp a hrefhttpsunherdcom202211theevilsofelitistaltruismappcommentsview 14 commentsa

The article discusses the concept of "effective altruism," an ideology embraced by many Silicon Valley billionaires that justifies accumulating wealth on the grounds that it can enable them to do more good in the world. However, the downfall of one prominent adherent, cryptocurrency entrepreneurJustinKanmanfried, has revealed the hollowness of this ideology. The movement draws inspiration from philosopher Peter Singer but his radical and inhumane stance on disability and eugenics has attractedcriticism. Furthermore, the author argues that philanthropy built on avarice simply offers a comfort blanket for billionaires and reinforces the hubristic mentality that tarnished the aid industry.

h holmes dressed in the same style every day black turtleneck sweater black slacks and black lowslung shoes this uniform underlined her deified status as a busy billionaire dedicated to changing the world setting her apart from mere mortals with time to choose their clothes my mom had me in black turtlenecks when i was like eight she told one magazine i probably have 150 of these it makes it easy because every day you put on the same thing and dont have to think about it one less thing in your life all my focus is on the work i take it so seriously im sure that translates into how i yet this story of her image like the bloodtest technology that won her fame and fortune was fake one former colleague later revealed how a frumpy holmes had adopted the look to mimic the signature style of steve jobs even tracking down the exact ey miyake turtleneck favoured by the apple founder her pose as a cool lackclad genius worked for a while fooling some of the estknown financiers and public figures in the united states then it had to be ditched in favour of dull suits to appear in court for fraud and soon will switch to dowdy prison scrubs after her conviction and 11year con valley love to embrace a simple style rich enough to buy anything in the world and puffed up with elfimportance they use clothing to send out the message that they are too important to waste their precious intellect and time on deciding what to wear every day i really want to clear my life to make it so that i have to make as few decisions as possible about anything except how to best serve this community said mark zuckerberg when quizzed about his uniform of grey and blue jeans this is lest we forget the man who set up a website to rank attractive women at university that exploded into one of the planets most pernicious m nkmanfried also tapped into this approach he presented himself as a financial prodigy who disdained societal mores while set on saving the world he went for the scruffy skateboarder look a manchild with an unkempt bubble of hair who even wore his shorts and sneakers when sitting on stage next to a former us president and a former british prime pit is no surprise that bill clinton and tony blair fell for such a phoney yet they werent the only ones suckered by this high priest of cryptocurrency who preached of earning billions through his unique financial acumen promised to pour the money into philanthropy and then crashed to earth with his fortune evaporating f championed a modish millennial approach to philanthropy that claims to harness data in tandem with supreme brainpower moral leadership and relentless logic to improve the costefficiency of charity and tackle state failures but his downfall has exposed the hollowness at the heart of this cult that has become as much part of silicon valleys uniformity as their and e astonishing rise and fall of the disgraced crypto king began over a meal with william macaskill a prominent young oxford university philosopher this scottish professor guru of the effective altruism movement persuaded the vegan f then a student to forget about devoting his life to animal welfare and instead focus on making as much money as possible for donation to good causes so f duly set out to become megarich ostensibly on the basis that this would let him do as much good as possible in the world and he seduced admirers and investors alike with his sense of mission while pouring money into own diva g efhttpsunherdcom202208insidebritainspsychiatricnightmarerefinnarspanmore from this efhttpsunherdcom202208insidebritainspsychiatricnightmarerefinnarh5inside psychiatric an ian iv effective altruism draws its inspiration from peter singer the australian philosopher he contends that the moral obligation to save children from hunger in a famine is no different from that of saving a child you saw drowning before you unfortunately so radical and inhumane is his stance that he ends up as an eugenicist the lives of those with disabilities are of less value he argues and so killing babies born with disabilities is ethically permissible singer is relentlessly yet his arguments lie at the root of this movement so beloved by silicon valley billionaires since it justifies their accumulation of great wealth on grounds that it can end up doing great good now though leading devotee dustin moskovitz another of the facebook founders has acknowledged that effective altruism either encouraged or excused unethical and almost certainly criminal behaviour even macaskill whose received big donations from his shamed proteges operations admits he was wrong to dismiss fears that his philosophy might be misused to cause harm their church of benevolence became cover for a giant cult of rationalism implies that it is morally better to get rich than to slave away in a ypaid job that might be socially useful essentially it tells people to work in the city rather than a care home demeaning those who believe in public service or actually helping other human beings rather than piling up mountains of cash in taxefficient havens to give away to their pet causes critics such as timothy noah have noted how it ignores issues such as economic inequality since its most distinctive characteristic was the deftness with which it tiptoes past targets likely to offend div ome key adherents including macaskill have since moved on to longtermism an ideology aiming to save us from future threats such as artificial intelligence rather than more prosaic ideas such as funding mosquito nets to save lives of existing human beings from malaria their argument is that if all lives have equal value wherever they are that should extend an ey are around the things that matter most are the things that have longterm impact on what the world will look like said nkmanfried last year there are trillions of people who have not yet been pan div pit is of course impossible to apply data and accountability to the future in reality it seems that f used this pretence of doing good to provide cover for a giant pyramid scheme pretending ends justified means while he hung out with his clique overseeing a crypto con at a 40m mansion in the tax haven of the bahamas you were really good at talking about ethics for someone who kind of saw it all as a game with winners and losers said vox reporter last week after his empire had fallen ya hehe i feel bad for those who get fucked by it he responded admitting the ethics stuff was mostly a front and talking of a dumb game we woke westerners play where we say all the right [sic] so everyone likes f was also the econdbiggest donor to joe den and the democrats last year handing over 37 million yet his veneer as a dogooder slipped when the presidents party flirted with a wealth tax for the errich who often end up paying proportionately far less to the state than fellow citizens due to armies of highlypaid accountants shifting their assets around the globe he told the new york that this could cause hugely negative collateral damage significantly reducing the amount of innovation and taxable base in the first place elon musk who might have been hit for 50 billion chimed in with a warning that this might hamper his longtermist plan to use the money to get humanity to mars and preserve the light of diva efhttpsunherdcom202211howeffectiveiswilliammacaskillsaltruismrefinnarspansuggested efhttpsunherdcom202211howeffectiveiswilliammacaskillsaltruismrefinnarh5william ineffective pan rif v e downfall of f should send a stark warning to be wary of elfappointed prophets who think their wealth has given them special gifts to solve the problems of humanity these tycoons are often little better than the of old who used charity to atone for their rapaciousness in business but only after becoming immensely wealthy note how jeff has joined the ranks of those billionaires such as zuckerberg and f pledging to give away much of their fortunes it is a welcome trend but it reeks of hypocrisy given that it would be so much better if the rich simply played by the same rules as the rest of us ensuring at least that their firms pay a fair share of tax even that secular saint bill gates is not immune to such criticism when microsoft became a case study in tax avoidance for the senate during his timately these prophets of elitist altruism proclaim a specious and elfserving creed they create giant fortunes by running firms exploiting their digital revolution to dodge tax and evade national borders then bask in the glow of adulation for their philanthropy having subverted democracies slashed government revenues and thus weakened state services finally they claim to be the best people to solve some of the most pressing societal issues although only the ones they decide to tackle on their own terms rather than more unfashionable ones such as filling roads funding soldiers or fashioning support for the finance minister freeland provided a glimpse into such attitudes a decade ago before she abandoned journalism for politics writing a superb book called m that exposed how a smug elite dictate public discourse and demand a system tilted even more in their favour one billionaire republican donor she interviewed even argued for the abolition of most taxes praising how the errich elftaxed themselves by supporting charities of their choice rather than funding government he demanded the state should pay tech tycoons for their contributions to society its that top 1 that probably contributes more to making the world a better place than the 99 he concluded many people yearn for superheroes visionaries and to offer hope of salvation on a complex messy planet but altruism built on avarice is simply a comfort blanket for billionaires behind the stylised images the sheen of technology the bold claims to have remodelled philanthropy the arrogant insistence some people are so important they should be spared taxes lies the same hubristic mentality that tarnished the aid industry it is based on the cynical idea that a small superior and wealthy elite knows best and that they should not be thwarted in their drive to earn billions since they are indisputably the good guys as two new age messiahs stumble and fall we ought to be more sceptical over billionaire geeks posing as godlike saviours and show a bit more faith in our communal ability to resolve serious a efhttpsunherdcom202211theevilsofelitistaltruismappcommentsview 14

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How demagogues wield social media

pone of the many factors contributing to increased polarization and the global weakening of democracies over the past decade is how effective populist demagogues are at using social media according to a cognitive scientist who studies online misinformationp pboth social media and demagogues are in conflict or at least are exerting pressure on basic human cognition while at the same time there appears to be a symbiotic relationship between social media and demagogues said stephan lewandowsky chair of the department of cognitive psychology at the university of bristol in englandp plewandowsky discussed populist demagogues techniques as well as his latest research on the divergent ways us congressional democrats and republicans used twitter during the trump administration at a a hrefhttpsshorensteincenterorgshorenstein centera talk nov 16 at a hrefhttphksharvardeduharvard kennedy schoolap pthe brouhaha over former president donald trumps 2017 inauguration crowd size is a good example of how demagoguery works on human cognition he saidp pdespite clear visual evidence to the contrary the new president and his press secretary sean spicer insisted that the crowd had been larger than the one at president obamas inauguration in 2008 in a series of experiments done not long after voters were shown photos sidebyside of the two inaugurations and asked to identify which crowd was larger hillary clinton voters and nonvoters overwhelmingly chose the obama photo between 11 percent and 26 percent of trump voters chose the trump photop pits not that these voters couldnt discern the obvious crowd size difference its that their choice was an act of participatory propaganda lewandowsky said a way of expressing their support for their champion in the momentp poften skilled demagogues will lie and then increasingly demand loyalists embrace the assertion as a show of political support populist demagogues often reframe the world in binary terms labeling lies and corruption traits of the elites and truth and fairness traits of the people so their lies become a signal of authenticity to the public and accepting the lies becomes a signifier of tribal identity he saidp plewandowsky has studied how peoples brains update their memories to integrate new information about things they believe to be true but turn out to be false as well as which variables determine whether people accept scientific evidence related to vaccinations or climate science that work led to an interest in the persistence of misinformation in society and how it is spreadp phe said the most effective demagogues successfully harness social media to not only communicate with their supporters but to shape the coverage decisions of news media highlighting and burying stories to their benefitp pthe former president was especially skilled in this area he saidp ptrump critics accused the mainstream media of showering the former president with unwarranted coverage in the hope that whatever he did or said on twitter and elsewhere would prove controversial and draw attention or out of fear of being left behind if they failed to cover himp pwhen negative news stories about him surfaced like a 25 million fraud settlement with the state of new york over trump university trump would typically tweet dozens of times in a single day to divert attention from unflattering coverage a strategy lewandowsky called systematic shiny objectsp plewandowsky detailed how democrats and republicans in congress communicate on twitter and the information they share differs significantlyp plewandowsky and his team recently studied 16 million tweets from more than 1000 unique twitter handles sent by every member of congress between 2016 and 2020 they analyzed the language choices used and the links shared to more than 160000 articles the sources for those articles were checked against a rating system by news guard which evaluates the journalistic credibility and trustworthiness of internet domains not individual articlesp pthe researchers found that republicans were much likelier to share untrustworthy information than democrats according to a a hrefhttpsacademicoupcompnasnexusarticle14pgac1866695314new papera while democrats consistently shared information that scored 95 on a 100point trustworthiness scale during the trump presidency republicans shared information that scored just below 90 in 2016 and then slowly declined below 84 in 2020 when many in congress repeated trumps denials that he had lost the election lewandowsky saidp pwhen congressional democrats and republicans used words like evidence and facts in their tweets a style lewandowsky calls truthspeaking they shared more accurate information but when they used words like common sense or opinion a style he refers to as beliefspeaking their paths diverged when democrats used these types of words it was not accompanied by an increase in the sharing of false or misleading information on twitter but for republicans the more they engaged in beliefspeaking the less accurate the information they sharedp pfor republicans the use of beliefspeaking is a marker of whether or not theyre likely to share something thats accurate he saidp ptheir research has found fairly strong evidence that regardless of party affiliation the speaking style used in a tweet dictates the type of public reaction it will generatep pso leadership matters he said leadership can determine the tone of the conversation and the public will follow suitp

Stephan Lewandowsky, a cognitive scientist studying online propaganda and disinformation, has discussed how populist demagogues wield social media to gain power and control. He explained that the relationship between social media and demagogues has contributed to the polarization and weakening of global democracies over the past decade. Lewandowsky described how cognitive conflict occurs whenever social media and demagogues come together, and how demagogues often lie and then require loyalists to accept the untruth as if it were true. Successful demagogues have learned to manipulate social media to communicate with their supporters and also to shape news coverage decisions, Lewandowsky said. His research shows that Republicans in the US Congress were much more likely to share untrustworthy information than Democrats between 2016 and 2020. When using words such as "evidence" and "facts" in tweets, Democrats shared accurate information, resulting in large public support. However, when Republicans used such words, the accuracy of their information declined.

pone of the many factors contributing to increased polarization and the global weakening of democracies over the past decade is how effective populist demagogues are at using social media according to a cognitive scientist who studies online h social media and demagogues are in conflict or at least are exerting pressure on basic human cognition while at the same time there appears to be a symbiotic relationship between social media and demagogues said stephan lewandowsky chair of the department of cognitive psychology at the university of bristol in lewandowsky discussed populist demagogues techniques as well as his latest research on the divergent ways us congressional democrats and republicans used twitter during the trump administration at a a efhttpsshorensteincenterorgshorenstein talk nov 16 at a efhttphksharvardeduharvard kennedy e brouhaha over former president donald trumps 2017 inauguration crowd size is a good example of how demagoguery works on human cognition he despite clear visual evidence to the contrary the new president and his press secretary sean spicer insisted that the crowd had been larger than the one at president inauguration in 2008 in a series of experiments done not long after voters were shown photos debyside of the two inaugurations and asked to identify which crowd was larger hillary clinton voters and nonvoters overwhelmingly chose the photo between 11 percent and 26 percent of trump voters chose the trump pits not that these voters couldnt discern the obvious crowd size difference its that their choice was an act of participatory propaganda lewandowsky said a way of expressing their support for their champion in the often skilled demagogues will lie and then increasingly demand loyalists embrace the assertion as a show of political support populist demagogues often reframe the world in binary terms labeling lies and corruption traits of the elites and truth and fairness traits of the people so their lies become a signal of authenticity to the public and accepting the lies becomes a signifier of tribal identity he lewandowsky has studied how peoples brains update their memories to integrate new information about things they believe to be true but turn out to be false as well as which variables determine whether people accept scientific evidence related to vaccinations or climate science that work led to an interest in the persistence of misinformation in society and how it is he said the most effective demagogues successfully harness social media to not only communicate with their supporters but to shape the coverage decisions of news media highlighting and burying stories to their e former president was especially skilled in this area he critics accused the mainstream media of showering the former president with unwarranted coverage in the hope that whatever he did or said on twitter and elsewhere would prove controversial and draw attention or out of fear of being left behind if they failed to cover himp when negative news stories about him surfaced like a 25 million fraud settlement with the state of new york over trump university trump would typically tweet dozens of times in a single day to divert attention from unflattering coverage a strategy lewandowsky called systematic shiny lewandowsky detailed how democrats and republicans in congress communicate on twitter and the information they share differs lewandowsky and his team recently studied 16 million tweets from more than 1000 unique twitter handles sent by every member of congress between 2016 and 2020 they analyzed the language choices used and the links shared to more than 160000 articles the sources for those articles were checked against a rating system by news guard which evaluates the journalistic credibility and trustworthiness of internet domains not individual e researchers found that republicans were much likelier to share untrustworthy information than democrats according to a a efhttpsacademicoupcompnasnexusarticle14pgac1866695314new while democrats consistently shared information that scored 95 on a 100point trustworthiness scale during the trump presidency republicans shared information that scored just below 90 in 2016 and then slowly declined below 84 in 2020 when many in congress repeated trumps denials that he had lost the election lewandowsky when congressional democrats and republicans used words like evidence and facts in their tweets a style lewandowsky calls eaking they shared more accurate information but when they used words like common sense or opinion a style he refers to as eliefspeaking their paths diverged when democrats used these types of words it was not accompanied by an increase in the sharing of false or misleading information on twitter but for republicans the more they engaged in eliefspeaking the less accurate the information they for republicans the use of eliefspeaking is a marker of whether or not theyre likely to share something thats accurate he eir research has found fairly strong evidence that regardless of party affiliation the speaking style used in a tweet dictates the type of public reaction it will o leadership matters he said leadership can determine the tone of the conversation and the public will follow

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Biden administration extends student loan payment pause to no later than June 2023

figure dataanvatoplayeridp1 div divdiv div div datareactcomponentanvatovideoplayerdiv figure pthe biden administration on tuesday extended the pandemicera federal student loan payment pause and interest accrual until no later than june 2023 while the administration faces legal challenges to its debt forgiveness planp pim confident that our student debt relief plan is legal but its on hold because republican officials want to block it president biden a hrefhttpstwittercompotusstatus1595150070285885440s20tr43dwfmvbg6xagdp5s2yhgsaid in a statementa thats why seccardona is extending the payment pause to no later than june 30 2023 giving the supreme court time to hear the case in its current termp pthe pause was set to expire on dec 31 after biden extended it in august around the same time he announced the student loan forgiveness program at the time the white house called that extension quotone final timequotp pthe latest extension into next year will give the supreme court time to decide whether it will rule on whether the program can continuep pthe payment pause will end no later than june 30 2023 biden said because payments will resume 60 days after the education department is permitted to implement the program or the litigation is resolved which should come before the end of june when the supreme court term typically concludes p ploan payments were first put on hold in march 2020 under former president trump at the start of the covid19 pandemic to give individuals relief from paying their student loan bills the freeze has since been extended six timesp pbidens longawaited forgiveness program has stopped accepting applications after it was blocked by several court challengesp pthe biden administration on friday urged the supreme court to clear one of the legal obstacles blocking its student debt relief program as part of the administrations broader legal effort to have the policy reinstatedp pthe administration is currently fending off two separate rulings issued over the past two weeks that have effectively halted bidens student loan forgiveness plan which would give federal borrowers making less than 125000 a year up to 10000 in debt relief p pthat move came after a unanimous threejudge panel on the 8th circuit halted bidens massive debt relief plan which had already been blocked nationwide by a separate court rulingp pin an earlier legal development a trumpappointed federal judge in texas invalidated the program saying the presidential action unlawfully encroached on congresss power p pthe administration has vowed to fight the challenges p pwere not going to back down though on our fight to give families breathing room biden said in his announcement thats why the department of justice is asking the supreme court of the united states to rule on the case but it isnt fair to ask tens of millions of borrowers who are eligible to relief to resume their student debt payments while the courts consider the lawsuitsp pmore than 23 million people applied for student loan relief before the applications closedp pstudent loan advocates called the extension announced on tuesday a necessary step but pushed the administration to fight back against the legal challengesp pthe least the biden administration could do is not collect on a debt they promised they would cancel braxton brewington spokesperson for the debt collective said in a statement on tuesday this pause extension is necessary but also the bare minimum what 45 million borrowers truly need is a biden administration that wont allow fringe lawsuits and rightwing courts to undermine economic relief thats already been approvedp pnatalia abrams president of the student debt crisis center applauded biden for the move p ptoo many borrowers parents and students have yet to recover from the financial harm caused by the pandemic and the possibility of a winter surge in covid19 cases is proof that this crisis is not over student debt cancellation is essential to helping borrowers recover from the pandemic but it remains stuck in the courts she said in a statementp pemupdated at 405 pmemp

The Biden administration has extended the freeze on federal student loan repayment and interest accrual until no later than June 2023, according to an announcement made on 10 December. Thisgives the US Supreme Court time to hear the case on its current legal challenges to itsdebt forgiveness plan. The loan payment pause was first put in place under former President Donald Trump in March 2020 at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. This latest extension gives borrowers until mid-2023 before they have to resume payments. Student loan payments totalled an estimated $1.5tn in 2020. The move comes after the administration's broader legal efforts to have the policy enacted were halted by separate court rulings.

figure nvatoplayeridp1 div div div v figure e den administration on tuesday extended the federal student loan payment pause and interest accrual until no later than june 2023 while the administration faces legal challenges to its debt forgiveness pim confident that our student debt relief plan is legal but its on hold because republican officials want to block it president den a efhttpstwittercompotusstatus1595150070285885440s20tr43dwfmvbg6xagdp5s2yhgsaid in a thats why is extending the payment pause to no later than june 30 2023 giving the supreme court time to hear the case in its current e pause was set to expire on dec 31 after den extended it in august around the same time he announced the student loan forgiveness program at the time the white house called that extension otone final e latest extension into next year will give the supreme court time to decide whether it will rule on whether the program can e payment pause will end no later than june 30 2023 den said because payments will resume 60 days after the education department is permitted to implement the program or the litigation is resolved which should come before the end of june when the supreme court term typically concludes p loan payments were first put on hold in march 2020 under former president trump at the start of the covid19 pandemic to give individuals relief from paying their student loan bills the freeze has since been extended six longawaited forgiveness program has stopped accepting applications after it was blocked by several court e den administration on friday urged the supreme court to clear one of the legal obstacles blocking its student debt relief program as part of the administrations broader legal effort to have the policy e administration is currently fending off two separate rulings issued over the past two weeks that have effectively halted bidens student loan forgiveness plan which would give federal borrowers making less than 125000 a year up to 10000 in debt relief p t move came after a unanimous reejudge panel on the h circuit halted bidens massive debt relief plan which had already been blocked nationwide by a separate court pin an earlier legal development a mpappointed federal judge in texas invalidated the program saying the presidential action unlawfully encroached on power p e administration has vowed to fight the challenges p were not going to back down though on our fight to give families breathing room den said in his announcement thats why the department of justice is asking the supreme court of the united states to rule on the case but it isnt fair to ask tens of millions of borrowers who are eligible to relief to resume their student debt payments while the courts consider the more than 23 million people applied for student loan relief before the applications tudent loan advocates called the extension announced on tuesday a necessary step but pushed the administration to fight back against the legal e least the den administration could do is not collect on a debt they promised they would cancel xton ewington spokesperson for the debt collective said in a statement on tuesday this pause extension is necessary but also the bare minimum what 45 million borrowers truly need is a den administration that wont allow fringe lawsuits and rightwing courts to undermine economic relief thats already been president of the student debt crisis center applauded den for the move p too many borrowers parents and students have yet to recover from the financial harm caused by the pandemic and the possibility of a winter surge in covid19 cases is proof that this crisis is not over student debt cancellation is essential to helping borrowers recover from the pandemic but it remains stuck in the courts she said in a dated at 405

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Biden calls veteran credited with taking down Club Q gunman

figure dataanvatoplayeridp1 div divdiv div div datareactcomponentanvatovideoplayerdiv figure ppresident biden on tuesday called richard fierro an army veteran who has been credited with taking down the gunman inside an lgbtq nightclub in colorado springs colop pwhite house press secretary karine jeanpierre told reporters that biden personally thanked fierro for his bravery and for his just instinct to actp pthe president just moments ago spoke to richard and his wife jess he offered his condolences to them and also his support and he talked through what its like to grieve she saidp padditionally jeanpierre noted that thomas james has also been credited with confronting and stopping the gunman during the shooting on saturdayp prichard and thomas are heroes and we are so grateful for their quick action jeanpierre saidp pfierro a hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewsstatewatch3745685veterancreditedwithtakingdowncoloradospringsgunmansayshejustwentintocombatmodesaid in an interviewa on monday that he went into combat mode when the shooting began he was watching a drag show at club q with his wife daughter and friends when shots were firedp pjeanpierre opened the briefing on tuesday by honoring the lives of the five victims of the shooting she showed photographs of daniel aston raymond green vance kelly loving ashley paugh and derrick rump and spoke about each of themp pwhile we dont know yet for certain the motive of this attack hate has no place in this country and neither do military style assault rifles which is why we will continue to push for an assault weapons ban jeanpierre saidp pwhen asked how biden plans to reinstate an assault weapon ban with republican leadership in the house and a slim democratic majority in the senate she said the president is optimistic that we can get this donep pthe presidents not going to stop until we ban assault weapons she addedp pbiden on monday called colorado gov jared polis d to discuss the deadly shooting at club qp

President Biden spoke to Army veteran Richard Fierro, who has been credited with taking down the gunman inside a nightclub in Colorado Springs. Fierro went into combat mode when the shooting began and is one of two people hailed as heroes for confronting and stopping the gunman. White House press secretary Karine Jeanpierre said the President personally thanked Fierro for his bravery and offered condolences and support to him and his wife. Biden called Colorado Governor Jared Polis to discuss the shooting at Club Q and reiterated his commitment to push for an assault weapons ban despite Republican opposition.

figure nvatoplayeridp1 div div div v figure dent den on tuesday called richard fierro an army veteran who has been credited with taking down the gunman inside an nightclub in colorado springs white house press secretary karine jeanpierre told reporters that den personally thanked fierro for his bravery and for his just instinct to e president just moments ago spoke to richard and his wife jess he offered his condolences to them and also his support and he talked through what its like to grieve she tionally jeanpierre noted that thomas james has also been credited with confronting and stopping the gunman during the shooting on richard and thomas are heroes and we are so grateful for their quick action jeanpierre fierro a efhttpsthehillcomhomenewsstatewatch3745685veterancreditedwithtakingdowncoloradospringsgunmansayshejustwentintocombatmodesaid in an on monday that he went into combat mode when the shooting began he was watching a drag show at club q with his wife daughter and friends when shots were jeanpierre opened the briefing on tuesday by honoring the lives of the five victims of the shooting she showed photographs of daniel ton raymond green vance kelly loving hley gh and derrick rump and spoke about each of while we dont know yet for certain the motive of this attack hate has no place in this country and neither do military style assault rifles which is why we will continue to push for an assault weapons ban jeanpierre when asked how den plans to reinstate an assault weapon ban with republican leadership in the house and a slim democratic majority in the senate she said the president is optimistic that we can get this e presidents not going to stop until we ban assault weapons she den on monday called colorado gov jared polis d to discuss the deadly shooting at club qp

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Biden mulls 2024 plans as Democrats weigh generational shift

figure dataanvatoplayeridp1 div divdiv div div datareactcomponentanvatovideoplayerdiv figure ppresident biden plans to use some time over the thanksgiving and christmas holidays to decide whether he wants to run for reelection surrounding himself with family as he assesses his political future while giving himself a deadline of early next year to officially announcep pbiden who just turned 80 remains in many democrats minds the partys best shot at retaining the white house in 2024 still hes weighing his next steps at a time when several contemporaries in the party have stepped down from top roles to make room for a new generation of leadersp pfor biden coming off a strongerthanexpected midterm result for democrats is sure to factor heavily in the decision along with the potential for a rematch against former president trump and while the white house has insisted for months biden plans to run again the president has left the door open to making a final decision after discussing with family during the holidaysp phe plans to run he said himself that hes going to have a private conversation with his family press secretary karine jeanpierre said on tuesdayp pim certainly not going to lay out what that conversation could look like or potentially be she added that is the presidents clearly prerogative to have that conversation with his family to make that decisionp pan early 2023 announcement from biden would align with new and younger faces taking on positions in democratic leadership speaker nancy pelosi dcalif 82 and house majority leader steny hoyer dmd 83 said this month they would not run again for leadership posts clearing the way for younger democrats to helm the partys efforts in a new house minorityp pallan lichtman distinguished professor of history at american university said pelosi and hoyer stepping aside when the house flipped this month wont stop biden from running for another termp pthey are no longer in charge of the house this was the perfect moment for them to step aside i dont think theres any correlation between hoyer and pelosi stepping down on any decisionmaking for biden he said presidents have almost invariably sought reelection regardless of their agep pfor democrats lichtman said quotthe last thing you would want is biden to step down and have an open seat p psince 1920 there have been eight open seats during presidential elections and only once did the party controlling the white house win in 1988 when thenvice president george hw bush was elected to replace president reagan after reagans second termp pdemocrats do not want an open seat and dont want a party fight for the nomination lichtman saidp pthe favorite in the running to become the next house democratic leader is rep hakeem jeffries at 52 the new york lawmaker is substantially younger than current leadership though political watchers dont think it would be an issue for the president to work with himp pjeffries was a prominent campaign surrogate for biden in the 2020 election and biden typically takes on a mentorship role with younger democrats and works well with them like with transportation secretary pete buttigieg some pointed outp pstill julian zelizer a professor of history and public affairs at princeton said younger democratic leaders will heighten the conversations about bidens age p pit means that his age will be amplified the contrast with younger democrats more pronounced all of which will fuel the conversations about what should he do in 2024 zelizer said that said he can use the moment to position himself as a voice of experience wisdom and reason someone with the best chops to handle reelection and the challenges of a second termp pwhile critics say bidens age is increasingly important the presidents supporters consider attacks against him based on his age to be unfairp pdemocrats are largely in favor of biden running again not seeing a good alternative for him even considering his age and that sentiment was boosted by the democrats performance in the midtermsp pbiden also still has plenty of prominent contemporaries in politicsp psenate minority leader mitch mcconnell rky who will stay in his role is the same age as biden at 80 and trump who launched another bid for the white house this month is 76p pwhile many say trumps campaign wont play a huge factor in bidens decision to run again timothy naftali presidential historian at new york university argued that part of the reason biden may want to run for a second term is to take on trump againp pdoes the country still need him to prevent another trump presidency i think thats why joe biden ran was to stop trump and i suspect that if you ask president biden besides [russian president vladimir] putin what are the great concerns he has for our republic its going to be donald trumps return he saidp pwithout trump running biden could be compelled to step aside he added and he noted that biden has had significant accomplishments during just one term especially through his work uniting global allies during the war in ukrainep pif trump is no longer a major political player in 2024 and europe is still united in defense of ukrainian oversight and perhaps even if the war is over by 2024 then joe biden will have achieved some great things naftali saidp pamerican universitys lichtman argued though that bidens accomplishments on top of the democrats holding on to control of the senate makes biden even more appealing to run for another termp pcertainly the appeal of the announcement by joe biden is enhanced by the democrats betterthanexpected performance he said joe biden has not gotten nearly the credit than he should for his administrationp pemamie parnes contributed to this reportemp

President Joe Biden is reportedly using the holiday season to determine if he will run for re-election in 2024. This comes as the Democratic Party is also considering a generational shift, with several older party leaders stepping down from their roles. While the White House has insisted for months that Biden plans to run again, the president has left the door open to a final decision after discussions with his family. The president is said to be considering the potential for a rematch against former President Trump, as well as his party's midterm results and the desire to prevent another Trump presidency. If Biden decides to run, an early 2023 announcement would align with the shift towards younger Democrats taking on leadership roles in the party.

figure nvatoplayeridp1 div div div v figure dent den plans to use some time over the thanksgiving and christmas holidays to decide whether he wants to run for reelection surrounding himself with family as he assesses his political future while giving himself a deadline of early next year to officially den who just turned 80 remains in many democrats minds the best shot at retaining the white house in 2024 still hes weighing his next steps at a time when several contemporaries in the party have stepped down from top roles to make room for a new generation of for den coming off a erthanexpected midterm result for democrats is sure to factor heavily in the decision along with the potential for a rematch against former president trump and while the white house has insisted for months den plans to run again the president has left the door open to making a final decision after discussing with family during the he plans to run he said himself that hes going to have a private conversation with his family press secretary karine jeanpierre said on pim certainly not going to lay out what that conversation could look like or potentially be she added that is the presidents clearly prerogative to have that conversation with his family to make that pan early 2023 announcement from den would align with new and younger faces taking on positions in democratic leadership speaker nancy dcalif 82 and house majority leader teny hoyer dmd 83 said this month they would not run again for leadership posts clearing the way for younger democrats to helm the efforts in a new house llan chtman distinguished professor of history at american university said and hoyer stepping aside when the house flipped this month wont stop den from running for another ey are no longer in charge of the house this was the perfect moment for them to step aside i dont think theres any correlation between hoyer and stepping down on any decisionmaking for den he said presidents have almost invariably sought reelection regardless of their for democrats chtman said otthe last thing you would want is den to step down and have an open seat p nce 1920 there have been eight open seats during presidential elections and only once did the party controlling the white house win in 1988 when envice president george hw bush was elected to replace president reagan after second do not want an open seat and dont want a party fight for the nomination chtman e favorite in the running to become the next house democratic leader is rep hakeem at 52 the new york lawmaker is substantially younger than current leadership though political watchers dont think it would be an issue for the president to work with himp was a prominent campaign surrogate for den in the 2020 election and den typically takes on a mentorship role with younger democrats and works well with them like with transportation secretary pete ttigieg some pointed till julian zelizer a professor of history and public affairs at princeton said younger democratic leaders will heighten the conversations about bidens age p pit means that his age will be amplified the contrast with younger democrats more pronounced all of which will fuel the conversations about what should he do in 2024 zelizer said that said he can use the moment to position himself as a voice of experience wisdom and reason someone with the best chops to handle reelection and the challenges of a second while critics say bidens age is increasingly important the presidents supporters consider attacks against him based on his age to be are largely in favor of den running again not seeing a good alternative for him even considering his age and that sentiment was boosted by the democrats performance in the den also still has plenty of prominent contemporaries in enate minority leader mitch mcconnell rky who will stay in his role is the same age as den at 80 and trump who launched another bid for the white house this month is while many say trumps campaign wont play a huge factor in bidens decision to run again timothy presidential historian at new york university argued that part of the reason den may want to run for a second term is to take on trump the country still need him to prevent another trump presidency i think thats why joe den ran was to stop trump and i suspect that if you ask president den besides [russian president vladimir] tin what are the great concerns he has for our republic its going to be donald trumps return he without trump running den could be compelled to step aside he added and he noted that den has had significant accomplishments during just one term especially through his work uniting global allies during the war in f trump is no longer a major political player in 2024 and europe is still united in defense of ukrainian oversight and perhaps even if the war is over by 2024 then joe den will have achieved some great things merican chtman argued though that bidens accomplishments on top of the democrats holding on to control of the senate makes den even more appealing to run for another certainly the appeal of the announcement by joe den is enhanced by the democrats etterthanexpected performance he said joe den has not gotten nearly the credit than he should for his mie contributed to this

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Speeding up Inhaled Vaccines

pafter operation warp speed was disbanded by the biden administration vaccine development slowed from warp speed to impulse power the rest of the world now has some innovative vaccines not yet available in the united states china for example has an a hrefhttpswwwwsjcomvideoittastedalittlesweetchinarollsoutworldsfirstinhaledcovid19vaccineaf8646a7b32e4a2c923420d08e1f0ecbhtmlinhaled vaccinea we dont yet know how good the vaccine is and china of course has its own problems in my view however the chinese vaccines have been incorrectly discounted due in part to chauvinism and propaganda as well as the initial impression that mrna vaccines had higher efficacy that advantage however his diminished over time there is something to be said for a tried and true inactivated vaccine that delivers the whole virus and not just the spike protein which is one reason a hrefhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginalrevolution202006operationwarpspeedneedstogotowarp10htmli advocated in 2020a for including an inactivated vaccine in the operation warp speed portfolio its not just china either as the nytimes reports russia india and iran all have a nasal vaccine but in the united states its back to business as usualp blockquote pa hrefhttpswwwnytimescom20221118healthcovidnasalvaccineswarpspeedhtmlnytimesa in the united states nasal sprays have been held back by the same funding constraints and logistical hassles that before the pandemic often made developing vaccines a decadelong ordeal the delay could not only weaken the countrys defenses against a more lethal coronavirus variant but also hurt preparations for a future pandemic depriving the world of an ovenready nasal vaccine platform that could be adapted to a new pathogenp pspanit went back to the prepandemic speed of vaccine development said florian krammer a virologist at the icahn school of medicine at mount sinai his teams nasal vaccine has undergone its most advanced testing in mexico collaborating with a pharmaceutical company there offered the fastest path to clinical trial funding in the united states he said the funding situation is pretty direspanp pimg sizesmaxwidth 724px 100vw 724px srchttpsmarginalrevolutioncomwpcontentuploads202211inhaledvaccinepng alt width724 srcsethttpsmarginalrevolutioncomwpcontentuploads202211inhaledvaccinepng 724w httpsmarginalrevolutioncomwpcontentuploads202211inhaledvaccine300x230png 300w classwpimage84754 height554pblockquote div div psee also my post on an a hrefhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginalrevolution202204anoperationwarpspeedfornasalvaccineshtmloperation warp speed for nasal vaccinesap div div pthe post a relnofollow hrefhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginalrevolution202211speedingupinhaledvaccineshtmlspeeding up inhaled vaccinesa appeared first on a relnofollow hrefhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginal revolutionap

China has created the world's first inhaled COVID-19 vaccine that is not yet available in the US. The vaccine delivers the whole virus, not just the spike protein, and has undergone advanced testing in Mexico. Other countries including Russia, India, and Iran have also created nasal vaccines, but similar to the US, have faced funding constraints and logistical challenges. While delaying the development of nasal vaccines weakens defenses against the virus, it also deprives the world of an efficient, adaptable solution for future pandemics.

fter operation warp speed was disbanded by the den administration vaccine development slowed from warp speed to impulse power the rest of the world now has some innovative vaccines not yet available in the united states china for example has an a efhttpswwwwsjcomvideoittastedalittlesweetchinarollsoutworldsfirstinhaledcovid19vaccineaf8646a7b32e4a2c923420d08e1f0ecbhtmlinhaled we dont yet know how good the vaccine is and china of course has its own problems in my view however the chinese vaccines have been incorrectly discounted due in part to chauvinism and propaganda as well as the initial impression that vaccines had higher efficacy that advantage however his diminished over time there is something to be said for a tried and true inactivated vaccine that delivers the whole virus and not just the spike protein which is one reason a advocated in for including an inactivated vaccine in the operation warp speed portfolio its not just china either as the reports russia india and iran all have a nasal vaccine but in the united states its back to business as pa in the united states nasal sprays have been held back by the same funding constraints and logistical hassles that before the pandemic often made developing vaccines a decadelong ordeal the delay could not only weaken the defenses against a more lethal coronavirus variant but also hurt preparations for a future pandemic depriving the world of an ovenready nasal vaccine platform that could be adapted to a new t went back to the ndemic speed of vaccine development said florian krammer a virologist at the cahn school of medicine at mount his teams nasal vaccine has undergone its most advanced testing in mexico collaborating with a pharmaceutical company there offered the fastest path to clinical trial funding in the united states he said the funding situation is pretty h 724px 100vw 724px rchttpsmarginalrevolutioncomwpcontentuploads202211inhaledvaccinepng alt width724 rcsethttpsmarginalrevolutioncomwpcontentuploads202211inhaledvaccinepng 724w httpsmarginalrevolutioncomwpcontentuploads202211inhaledvaccine300x230png 300w classwpimage84754 div div ee also my post on an a efhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginalrevolution202204anoperationwarpspeedfornasalvaccineshtmloperation warp speed for nasal div div e post a efhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginalrevolution202211speedingupinhaledvaccineshtmlspeeding up inhaled appeared first on a efhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginal

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Harris, French president to meet at NASA headquarters

pvice president harris and french president emmanuel macron will visit nasa headquarters together on wednesday a white house official said mondayp pmacron will be in washington for an official visit with president biden and harris and the trip to nasa is intended to showcase the united states and frances deepening collaboration on space in support of earth climate and space science and space exploration according to the officialp pthe visit will involve celebrating existing cooperation in space science space exploration and using data collected from space to fight climate change and it comes on the heels of the usfrance comprehensive space dialogue which was held in paris in october p pwhen harris was in paris last year she and macron committed to a wholeofgovernment space dialoguep pthe trip to nasa will be macrons first stop in washington after arriving on tuesday evening according to the french embassy later on wednesday macron is set to attend a working lunch at nasa on climate and biodiversity issues with members of congress and key stakeholders on climatep pa french official told reporters on monday that space is one of the priority strategic domains of the bilateral relationship between france and the us citing harriss 2021 visit to paris as a significant symbol of the importance of laying the groundwork for cooperation between france and the us on space policy p pthe us has chosen france after japan as a second partner to have horizontal global space dialogue covering all aspects of space policies in particular the observation of earth and the observation of the atmosphere directly linked to the fight against climate change the official said p pmacron on thursday will participate in a bilateral meeting with biden which will be followed by a joint press conference he will then join the president for a state dinner alongside first lady jill biden french first lady brigitte macron harris and second gentleman doug emhoffp pemlaura kelly contributed to this reportemp

Vice President Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron will visit NASA headquarters on Wednesday to showcase the deepening collaboration between the US and France on space in support of Earth's climate and space science and exploration. Last year, Harris and Macron committed to whole-of-government space alliances, laying the groundwork for cooperation between the two countries on space policy. The visit to NASA will be Macron's first stop in Washington after arriving on Tuesday evening. Macron will also attend a working lunch at NASA on climate and biodiversity issues with members of Congress.

vice president harris and french president emmanuel macron will visit nasa headquarters together on wednesday a white house official said macron will be in washington for an official visit with president den and harris and the trip to nasa is intended to showcase the united states and frances deepening collaboration on space in support of earth climate and space science and space exploration according to the e visit will involve celebrating existing cooperation in space science space exploration and using data collected from space to fight climate change and it comes on the heels of the france comprehensive space dialogue which was held in paris in october p when harris was in paris last year she and macron committed to a wholeofgovernment space e trip to nasa will be macrons first stop in washington after arriving on tuesday evening according to the french embassy later on wednesday macron is set to attend a working lunch at nasa on climate and odiversity issues with members of congress and key on pa french official told reporters on monday that space is one of the priority strategic domains of the bilateral relationship between france and the us citing 2021 visit to paris as a significant symbol of the importance of laying the groundwork for cooperation between france and the us on space policy p e us has chosen france after japan as a second partner to have horizontal global space dialogue covering all aspects of space policies in particular the observation of earth and the observation of the atmosphere directly linked to the fight against climate change the official said p macron on thursday will participate in a bilateral meeting with den which will be followed by a joint press conference he will then join the president for a state dinner alongside first lady jill den french first lady gitte macron harris and second gentleman doug kelly contributed to this

638537abf11996f01c540d6e

What does Rishi Sunaks robust pragmatism mean for China?

pwhat will foreign policy look like under a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwnewstatesmancomtagrishisunak target_blankrishi sunaka from a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwnewstatesmancomtagborisjohnson target_blankboris johnsona onwards the uks policy on ukraine has been broadly consistent both rhetorical support and the supply of defence equipment have been maintained on europe sunak is pursuing a more conciliatory approach than his predecessors particularly towards frances a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwnewstatesmancomtagemmanuelmacron target_blankemmanuel macrona the biggest uncertainty rests over his attitude towards chinap pin his first major speech on foreign policy tonight 28 november at the annual lord mayors banquet in london sunak will describe his approach to britains adversaries as robust pragmatism that suggests sunak will be less combative on a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwnewstatesmancomtagchina target_blankchinaa than a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwnewstatesmancomtagliztruss target_blankliz trussa as chancellor sunak championed economic ties with the rising superpower but during the summers conservative leadership contest he sought to outflank truss by declaring china the biggestlong term threat to the uks security for too long politicians in britain and across the west have rolled out the red carpet and turned a blind eye to chinas nefarious activity and ambitions he said i will change this on day one as pmp phowever his tone has slackened its unlikely that he will press ahead with trusss plans to officially designate china as a threat to national security in a review of the uks foreign security and defence policy a fullblown china strategy remains elusive in the meantime chinawatchers around westminster are scrutinising how this relatively new government acts in practice p pthe foreign secretary james cleverly for instance raised eyebrows with his supposedly soft response when staff at the chinese consulate in manchester a relnoopener nofollow hrefhttpswwwreuterscomworldukpoliceidentifyoffencescommittedchineseconsulateincident20221121 target_blankincluding the consulgenerala seemed to drag a protester into the compound and beat him the police are investigating the matter but some have suggested that cleverly should have already expelled the consulate staff alicia kearns the new conservative chair of the foreign affairs select committee has written to cleverly asking why the government wasnt more forceful in response to the manchester incident the government says it will decide how to respond once the police investigation is done the question is whether the foreign secretary simply wanted to avoid a diplomatic row so soon after his reappointment by sunak or whether this is the first sign of what robust pragmatism looks like p pas sunaks foreign policy emerges keep in mind the government is vulnerable to the views of conservative backbenchers in a growing number of policy areas despite his rhetoric over the summer tonights speech suggests that sunak wants to revert to the softer approach he advocated as chancellor but there is still a large contingent of chinasceptics in the tory party expect any backsliding to be swiftly challengedp pstrongem[see also a hrefhttpswwwnewstatesmancomworld202211joebidenxijinpingmeetingbalig20summitwhat we learned when joe biden and xi jinping met at the g20 bali summita]emstrongp

Rishi Sunak, the UKs new foreign secretary, is expected to adopt a more conciliatory approach towards France and China compared to his predecessors. Sunak will describe his approach to adversaries as robust pragmatism. While he championed economic ties with China as chancellor, he has also referred to the country as "the biggest long-term threat to security." However, he is unlikely to move ahead with plans to officially designate China as a threat to national security. Foreign policy under Sunak is being scrutinised closely, particularly after the new conservative chair of the foreign affairs select committee asked why the UK government was not more forceful in response to an incident involving the Chinese consulate in Manchester.

what will foreign policy look like under a er efhttpswwwnewstatesmancomtagrishisunak from a er efhttpswwwnewstatesmancomtagborisjohnson onwards the policy on ukraine has been broadly consistent both rhetorical support and the supply of defence equipment have been maintained on europe nak is pursuing a more conciliatory approach than his predecessors particularly towards frances a er efhttpswwwnewstatesmancomtagemmanuelmacron manuel the biggest uncertainty rests over his attitude towards pin his first major speech on foreign policy tonight 28 november at the annual lord mayors banquet in london nak will describe his approach to adversaries as robust pragmatism that suggests nak will be less combative on a er than a er z as chancellor nak championed economic ties with the rising superpower but during the summers conservative leadership contest he sought to outflank truss by declaring china the ggestlong term threat to the security for too long politicians in britain and across the west have rolled out the red carpet and turned a blind eye to chinas nefarious activity and ambitions he said i will change this on day one as however his tone has slackened its unlikely that he will press ahead with plans to officially designate china as a threat to national security in a review of the foreign security and defence policy a fullblown china strategy remains elusive in the meantime around westminster are scrutinising how this relatively new government acts in practice p e foreign secretary james cleverly for instance raised eyebrows with his supposedly soft response when staff at the chinese consulate in manchester a er nofollow efhttpswwwreuterscomworldukpoliceidentifyoffencescommittedchineseconsulateincident20221121 ncluding the seemed to drag a protester into the compound and beat him the police are investigating the matter but some have suggested that cleverly should have already expelled the consulate staff alicia the new conservative chair of the foreign affairs select committee has written to cleverly asking why the government wasnt more forceful in response to the manchester incident the government says it will decide how to respond once the police investigation is done the question is whether the foreign secretary simply wanted to avoid a diplomatic row so soon after his reappointment by nak or whether this is the first sign of what robust pragmatism looks like p pas foreign policy emerges keep in mind the government is vulnerable to the views of conservative backbenchers in a growing number of policy areas despite his rhetoric over the summer tonights speech suggests that nak wants to revert to the softer approach he advocated as chancellor but there is still a large contingent of in the tory party expect any backsliding to be swiftly [see also a efhttpswwwnewstatesmancomworld202211joebidenxijinpingmeetingbalig20summitwhat we learned when joe den and xi jinping met at the g20 bali

638537e4f11996f01c540d72

Amor Habendi

img altamor habendi srchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211dsc00835jpgpamong my various vices one of the most prominent is my love of acquiring new equipment the objects of this passion have shifted over the years from hifi equipment especially turntables to hand tools especially planes to drones and all things arduino however the most longlasting category of acquisitions has centered around photographyppi accumulate cameras and lenses the way some women collect shoes or handbags my latest is a sony fx30 video camera which is the fourth sony body ive bought including an a7ii a7riii and a6400 along with a couple of apsc zoom lenses to go along with it this addiction has been with me since childhood i remember seeing a glossy layout of cameras in emplayboyem back in the 1960s dont know why i was looking at this that included shots of a nikon leica hasselblad bronica and others and i was thereafter completely hooked i inherited a minolta autocord twinlens reflex which i still have and an old canon 35mm rangefinder from my father however my real ambitions were centered around nikons and the moment i could afford one in graduate school that was 1979 i bought a new nikon f2a photomic this led to the acquisition of a series of historical nikons over the next two decades which you can see in this video___steady_paywall___pfigureiframe allowfullscreen srchttpswwwyoutubecomembedymwyamxtmakfeatureoembed width200 titlehistorical nikons height113iframefigurepthis collection started with a nikon s2 rangefinder that was the predecessor of the classic nikon f i also acquired a leica m3 that my uncle hiro had acquired in germany back in the early 1950s this camera is as old as i am and unlike me still works perfectlyppmy collection stopped with the professional film nikons the last being the f6 where a new body would introduced roughly every six or seven years when digital cameras appeared they were updated so frequently that it seemed pointless to try to collect all the models nikon and canon came to have a duopoly on the professional digital camera market but then in the mid2010s the mirrorless camera movement started with the introduction of the first sony aseries cameras mirrorless cameras do away with the mirror and pentaprism which allowed photographers using singlelens reflex cameras to see the subject through the actual camera lens instead they have an electronic viewfinder that takes the image directly from the digital sensor and allows the lens to be placed much closer to the sensor plane similar to a film rangefinder like a leica among other things this allowed virtually any legacy lens to be mounted on a mirrorless body my first sony mirrorless camera could accept any of the old nikon or leica lenses i owned of which there were now about 20ppalong the way i took a detour through medium format by acquiring a mamiya rz67 these cameras were once favorites of fashion photographers and were used by people like a hrefhttpswwwbiographycomartistannieleibovitzannie liebovitza the rz67 is big and heavy and must be used on a tripod but it took absolutely gorgeous photos on 120 or 220 film pfigureimg sizesminwidth 720px 720px srchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211rz67proiijpg altamor habendi width1296 srcsethttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew600202211rz67proiijpg 600w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew1000202211rz67proiijpg 1000w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211rz67proiijpg 1296w height864figurepthat was the pinnacle of film technology when you could shoot on kodak ektachrome e100 or fuji velvia and produce vivid and deeply saturated transparencies i dragged this camera all the way to australia and new zealand on one trip and remember the excitement i would feel when i got the roll back from the developer and looked at my pictures through a loupe on a light tableppthere was a moment when i was tempted to move from medium format into large format view cameras this would have followed in the tradition of ansel adams and jay meyerowitz the latter of whom used an ancient 8x10 wooden deardorff for his photos of cape cod and st louis pfigureimg sizesminwidth 720px 720px srchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211deardorffjpg altamor habendi width900 srcsethttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew600202211deardorffjpg 600w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211deardorffjpg 900w height900figurephowever i decided that this was a step too far the main advantage of a view camera was its ability to do tilt and shift movements to retain parallel verticals when shooting upwards at a building or for an extended focus plane but i bought a tiltshift 75mm lens for my rz67 on ebay which allowed me to do a series of architectural photos of buildings in washington without going the view camera routepfigureimg sizesminwidth 720px 720px srchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211willardintercontinentalpng altamor habendi width2000 srcsethttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew600202211willardintercontinentalpng 600w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew1000202211willardintercontinentalpng 1000w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew1600202211willardintercontinentalpng 1600w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew2400202211willardintercontinentalpng 2400w height2467figcaptionthe willard intercontinental hotel washingtonfigcaptionfigurepthe mirrorless revolution undermined the old nikoncanon duopoly and has put nikon on the verge of bankruptcy ever since i could watch this happening in real time since i get photographed very often and could see the way that professional photographers were switching to mirrorless cameras in recent years sonys main advantage is in sensor technology they are a dominant player in the pro video market and their video sensors have moved downstream from camcorders that costed tens of thousands of dollars at the time to ones costing less than two thousand they also acquired minoltas lens business and seem to market a new prograde lens very month or so nikon and canon have tried to compete by offering their own mirrorless versions but sony has stayed way ahead of themppanother area where ive accumulated a lot of equipment is woodworking tools whats remarkable about that hobby is how little woodworking has changed technologically over the decades people are still building furniture with power tools that are little different than in their greatgrandparents generation and indeed ive jointed boards with a plane that is at least 150 years oldppby contrast digital photography has been evolving rapidly and relentlessly in ways that are hard to keep up with you can now shoot video in 5k 6k and 8k formats with enough headroom that you can compensate for six fstops of underexposure without significant noise in the days of film you would have to choose your medium very carefully and could change color grades only by manipulating exposure times and bath temperatures today you can endlessly color grade a digital file simply by moving a slider in photoshop or premiere i guess this is why i keep accumulating more photographic gearp

The author of the article talks about his love for acquiring new equipment and cameras and how this addiction has stayed with him since childhood. He reminisces about his first Nikon camera, which led to the acquisition of a series of historical cameras over the next two decades. With the rapid evolution of digital photography, he traces its trajectory from the introduction of the first Sony cameras in the 2000s to their dominance in the pro video market, leaving Nikon and Canon behind. He draws a comparison between his other hobby of woodworking, which has changed very little technologically over the years, to the rapid changes and advancements in digital photography that make it difficult to keep up with.

ltamor rchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211dsc00835jpgpamong my various vices one of the most prominent is my love of acquiring new equipment the objects of this passion have shifted over the years from equipment especially turntables to hand tools especially planes to drones and all things rduino however the most longlasting category of acquisitions has centered around accumulate cameras and lenses the way some women collect shoes or handbags my latest is a ony fx30 video camera which is the fourth ony body ive bought including an and 6400 along with a couple of c zoom lenses to go along with it this addiction has been with me since childhood i remember seeing a glossy layout of cameras in back in the dont know why i was looking at this that included shots of a nikon hasselblad and others and i was thereafter completely hooked i inherited a tocord reflex which i still have and an old canon 35mm rangefinder from my father however my real ambitions were centered around and the moment i could afford one in graduate school that was 1979 i bought a new nikon hotomic this led to the acquisition of a series of historical over the next two decades which you can see in this ame llowfullscreen mbed width200 historical collection started with a nikon 2 rangefinder that was the predecessor of the classic nikon f i also acquired a m3 that my uncle hiro had acquired in germany back in the early this camera is as old as i am and unlike me still works erfectlyppmy collection stopped with the professional film the last being the f6 where a new body would introduced roughly every six or seven years when digital cameras appeared they were updated so frequently that it seemed pointless to try to collect all the models nikon and canon came to have a duopoly on the professional digital camera market but then in the the camera movement started with the introduction of the first ony cameras cameras do away with the mirror and pentaprism which allowed photographers using reflex cameras to see the subject through the actual camera lens instead they have an electronic viewfinder that takes the image directly from the digital sensor and allows the lens to be placed much closer to the sensor plane similar to a film rangefinder like a among other things this allowed virtually any legacy lens to be mounted on a body my first ony camera could accept any of the old nikon or lenses i owned of which there were now about 20ppalong the way i took a detour through medium format by acquiring a rz67 these cameras were once favorites of fashion photographers and were used by people like a efhttpswwwbiographycomartistannieleibovitzannie the rz67 is big and heavy and must be used on a tripod but it took absolutely gorgeous photos on 120 or 220 film h 720px 720px rchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211rz67proiijpg ltamor width1296 rcsethttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew600202211rz67proiijpg 600w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew1000202211rz67proiijpg 1000w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211rz67proiijpg 1296w height864figurepthat was the pinnacle of film technology when you could shoot on kodak ektachrome e100 or fuji and produce vivid and deeply saturated transparencies i dragged this camera all the way to australia and new zealand on one trip and remember the excitement i would feel when i got the roll back from the developer and looked at my pictures through a loupe on a light ere was a moment when i was tempted to move from medium format into large format view cameras this would have followed in the tradition of ansel adams and jay meyerowitz the latter of whom used an ancient 8x10 wooden deardorff for his photos of cape cod and st louis h 720px 720px rchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211deardorffjpg ltamor width900 rcsethttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew600202211deardorffjpg 600w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211deardorffjpg 900w height900figurephowever i decided that this was a step too far the main advantage of a view camera was its ability to do tilt and shift movements to retain parallel verticals when shooting upwards at a building or for an extended focus plane but i bought a tiltshift 75mm lens for my rz67 on ebay which allowed me to do a series of architectural photos of buildings in washington without going the view camera h 720px 720px rchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202211willardintercontinentalpng ltamor width2000 rcsethttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew600202211willardintercontinentalpng 600w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew1000202211willardintercontinentalpng 1000w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew1600202211willardintercontinentalpng 1600w httpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimagessizew2400202211willardintercontinentalpng 2400w height2467figcaptionthe willard intercontinental hotel washingtonfigcaptionfigurepthe revolution undermined the old nikoncanon duopoly and has put nikon on the verge of bankruptcy ever since i could watch this happening in real time since i get photographed very often and could see the way that professional photographers were switching to cameras in recent years main advantage is in sensor technology they are a dominant player in the pro video market and their video sensors have moved downstream from that costed tens of thousands of dollars at the time to ones costing less than two thousand they also acquired lens business and seem to market a new prograde lens very month or so nikon and canon have tried to compete by offering their own versions but ony has stayed way ahead of nother area where ive accumulated a lot of equipment is woodworking tools whats remarkable about that hobby is how little woodworking has changed technologically over the decades people are still building furniture with power tools that are little different than in their generation and indeed ive jointed boards with a plane that is at least 150 years dppby contrast digital photography has been evolving rapidly and relentlessly in ways that are hard to keep up with you can now shoot video in 5k 6k and 8k formats with enough headroom that you can compensate for six of underexposure without significant noise in the days of film you would have to choose your medium very carefully and could change color grades only by manipulating exposure times and bath temperatures today you can endlessly color grade a digital file simply by moving a slider in or premiere i guess this is why i keep accumulating more photographic

63853865f11996f01c540d87

Biden boosts US effort to stem sexual violence in war zones

ppresident biden will sign a memorandum on monday to boost efforts to combat sexual violence in conflict zones including in ukraine and ethiopiap pthe memorandum on promoting accountability for conflictrelated sexual violence aims to leverage sanctions and other tools for accountability for perpetrators of sexual violence and to ensure that sexual violence is given equal consideration as other serious human rights abusesp pit aligns with the united kingdoms international ministerial conference on preventing sexual violence in conflict which starts on mondayp pthe white house said in a statement that conflictrelated sexual violence crsv is a toooften overlooked and underreported crime and said the memorandum comes at a time when crsv persists with impunity around the world including in russianoccupied ukraine and ethiopiap div hr classwpblockseparator div classwpblockcolumns div classwpblockcolumn h2strongcyber monday deals from bestreviews strongh2 ullia relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpswwwnxsttvcomnmwnewsthese100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist target_blankthese 100 cyber monday deals have something for everyone on your shopping listalilia relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpswwwnxsttvcomnmwnews50bestcybermondaydealsonamazontodayandcounting target_blank50 best cyber monday deals on amazon today and countingalilia hrefhttpskdvrcomreviewsbrkitchenbrgrabtheseearlydealsonkitchenappliancesbeforetheprimeearlyaccesssaleaa relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpswwwnxsttvcomnmwnewsthebestdealsonaffordabletechfromappletosamsungforeveryoneonyourlist target_blankthe best deals on affordable tech from apple to samsung for everyone on your listaliul div div classwpblockcolumn div classwpblockimagefigureimg sizesmaxwidth 899px 100vw 876px srchttpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpeg width876 alt srcsethttpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize876493 876w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize16090 160w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize300169 300w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize768432 768w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize645363 645w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize320180 320w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize256144 256w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize512288 512w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize640360 640w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize5028 50w classwpimage3752531 height493figurediv div div hr classwpblockseparator div pthe united nations estimates that for every rape in connection to a conflict 10 to 20 cases go undocumented p pthe united states does not accept crsv as an inevitable cost of armed conflict and is committed to supporting survivors through all available measuresincluding legal policy diplomatic and financial toolsto deter future violence the white house saidp pthe memorandum will also aim to build a coalition of allies and international organizations to prevent and promote accountability for sexual violence in conflict zonesp pthe us typically contributes 175 million to the office of the un special representative to the secretary general on sexual violence in conflict but this year will give an additional 400000 the state department will also aim to give a total investment of 10 million over the next two years to projects that investigate and document acts of crsv in places like burma ukraine and sri lankap

US President Joe Biden will sign a memorandum on Monday aimed at strengthening US efforts to combat sexual violence in conflict zones, including in Russian-occupied Ukraine. The memorandum seeks to give sexual violence against women equal consideration as other forms of human rights abuses and increase accountability for perpetrators of such violence. The US will also aim to build a coalition of allies and international organisations to prevent and promote accountability for sexual violence in conflict. The United Nations estimates that for every rape in connection to a conflict, between 10 and 20 cases go undocumented.

dent den will sign a memorandum on monday to boost efforts to combat sexual violence in conflict zones including in ukraine and e memorandum on promoting accountability for conflictrelated sexual violence aims to leverage sanctions and other tools for accountability for perpetrators of sexual violence and to ensure that sexual violence is given equal consideration as other serious human rights pit aligns with the united kingdoms international ministerial conference on preventing sexual violence in conflict which starts on e white house said in a statement that conflictrelated sexual violence crsv is a toooften overlooked and nderreported crime and said the memorandum comes at a time when crsv persists with impunity around the world including in russianoccupied ukraine and div hr classwpblockseparator div div classwpblockcolumn cyber monday deals from relnoreferrer noopener efhttpswwwnxsttvcomnmwnewsthese100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist ese 100 cyber monday deals have something for everyone on your shopping relnoreferrer noopener efhttpswwwnxsttvcomnmwnews50bestcybermondaydealsonamazontodayandcounting 50 best cyber monday deals on amazon today and relnoreferrer noopener efhttpswwwnxsttvcomnmwnewsthebestdealsonaffordabletechfromappletosamsungforeveryoneonyourlist e best deals on affordable tech from apple to msung for everyone on your div div classwpblockcolumn div mg h 899px 100vw 876px rchttpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpeg width876 alt rcsethttpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize876493 876w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize16090 160w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize300169 300w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize768432 768w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize645363 645w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize320180 320w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize256144 256w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize512288 512w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize640360 640w httpsthehillcomwpcontentuploadssites2202211these100cybermondaydealshavesomethingforeveryoneonyourshoppinglist5e9c93jpegresize5028 50w classwpimage3752531 div div hr classwpblockseparator div e united nations estimates that for every rape in connection to a conflict 10 to 20 cases go undocumented p e united states does not accept crsv as an inevitable cost of armed conflict and is committed to supporting survivors through all available measuresincluding legal policy diplomatic and financial toolsto deter future violence the white house e memorandum will also aim to build a coalition of allies and international organizations to prevent and promote accountability for sexual violence in conflict e us typically contributes 175 million to the office of the un special representative to the secretary general on sexual violence in conflict but this year will give an additional 400000 the state department will also aim to give a total investment of 10 million over the next two years to projects that investigate and document acts of crsv in places like burma ukraine and sri

63917817dd16928937bc77ba

Emhoff on combating antisemitism: 'I refuse to be afraid'

psecond gentleman doug emhoff condemned a recent uptick in hateful rhetoric against jewish people and warned of an quotepidemic of hate facing our countryquot during a roundtable focused on combating antisemitismp pi will not remain silent i am proud to be jewish im proud to live openly as a jew i am not afraid i refuse to be afraid emhoff declared during the event with jewish leaders at the white house on wednesdayp pemhoff the husband of vice president harris vowed to continue speaking out against hate bigotry and lies in his position representing the biden administrationp phe led the roundtable at the white house with leaders from the united synagogue of conservative judaism american jewish committee and the national council of jewish women among other groupsp pthere is an epidemic of hate facing our country the second gentleman said let me be clear words matter people are no longer saying the quiet parts out loud they are screaming themp pwe cannot normalize this we all have an obligation to condemn these vile acts we must not stay silent there is no either or there are no two sides everyone must be against this he addedp pemhoff said he became a lawyer in part so he can stand up for others he also touted the increased funding that president biden and harris have put toward fighting antisemitism during their administrationp pconcerns over rising antisemitism were raised recently after former president trump hosted the rapper ye and nick fuentes an avowed white nationalist and holocaust denier for dinner at his florida home last monthp pye formerly known as kanye west also went on the rightwing radio show of alex jones and a dataidhttpsthehillcomhomenewsmedia3758250maskedyegoesonantisemitictiradeoninfowarsiseegoodthingsabouthitler hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewsmedia3758250maskedyegoesonantisemitictiradeoninfowarsiseegoodthingsabouthitler datatypeurlespoused antisemitic rhetorica attacking jewish people and expressing appreciation for adolf hitler and the nazisp pothers at the roundtable wednesday included the antidefamation league integrity first for america agudath and the conference of presidents of major jewish organizationsp pambassador deborah lipstadt the administrations special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism and susan rice the white house domestic policy adviser joined from the white house keisha lance bottoms a senior adviser to the president for public engagement also attendedp

During a roundtable at the White House focused on combating antisemitism, second gentleman Doug Emhoff condemned the recent uptick in hateful rhetoric against the Jewish community and warned of an "epidemic of hate" facing the United States. Emhoff, who is Jewish, vowed to continue speaking out against hate and bigotry and urged others to do the same. He also touted the increased funding that President Biden and Vice President Harris have put towards fighting antisemitism. The roundtable included leaders from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the American Jewish Committee, the National Council of Jewish Women, and other organizations dedicated to combating antisemitism.

econd gentleman doug hoff condemned a recent tick in hateful rhetoric against jewish people and warned of an otepidemic of hate facing our countryquot during a roundtable focused on combating pi will not remain silent i am proud to be jewish im proud to live openly as a jew i am not afraid i refuse to be afraid hoff declared during the event with jewish leaders at the white house on hoff the husband of vice president harris vowed to continue speaking out against hate bigotry and lies in his position representing the den he led the roundtable at the white house with leaders from the united synagogue of conservative judaism american jewish committee and the national council of jewish women among other ere is an epidemic of hate facing our country the second gentleman said let me be clear words matter people are no longer saying the quiet parts out loud they are screaming we cannot normalize this we all have an obligation to condemn these vile acts we must not stay silent there is no either or there are no two sides everyone must be against this he hoff said he became a lawyer in part so he can stand up for others he also touted the increased funding that president den and harris have put toward fighting antisemitism during their over rising antisemitism were raised recently after former president trump hosted the rapper ye and nick an avowed white nationalist and holocaust denier for dinner at his florida home last pye formerly known as kanye west also went on the rightwing radio show of alex jones and a dhttpsthehillcomhomenewsmedia3758250maskedyegoesonantisemitictiradeoninfowarsiseegoodthingsabouthitler efhttpsthehillcomhomenewsmedia3758250maskedyegoesonantisemitictiradeoninfowarsiseegoodthingsabouthitler typeurlespoused antisemitic attacking jewish people and expressing appreciation for adolf hitler and the pothers at the roundtable wednesday included the ntidefamation league integrity first for america and the conference of presidents of major jewish mbassador deborah the administrations special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism and susan rice the white house domestic policy adviser joined from the white house lance bottoms a senior adviser to the president for public engagement also

639178c4dd16928937bc77ce

Loss aversion (by any other name) and the decline of dynamism

pema relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpswwwniskanencenterorgthepermanentproblem target_blankthe permanent problema is an ongoing series of essay about the challenges of capitalist mass affluence as well as the solutions to them you can a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpswwwniskanencenterorgthepermanentproblem target_blankaccess the full collection herea or subscribe to a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpbrinklindseysubstackcom target_blankbrinklindseysubstackcoma to get them straight to your inbox emp pwith the benefit of hindsight its now pretty clear that capitalism in the advanced economies hit some kind of inflection point in the early 1970s the point is made well enough on the website a hrefhttpswtfhappenedin1971comwtf happened in 1971a which features dozens of charts of various economic trends that all start going sideways sometime in the early 1970s the graphics are of variable quality i can pick bones with a number of them but the signal is undeniable despite the noise something big happened and it wasnt goodp pthe fact that the early 70s marked an unfortunate turning point didnt really become clear to me anyway until the aftermath of the 200809 great recession in the united states although productivity growth collapsed amidst the gas lines and stagflation of the 70s surging growth in the workforce thanks to the baby boom and feminism along with rising education levels that made the workforce more productive served to keep overall growth rates steady and then the advent of the internet triggered what appeared to be a productivity renaissance from 19952004 productivity growth rivaled that of the postwar glory days from the perspective of the american internet boom the poor record of the prior two decades came to look like a temporary aberration caused by the macroeconomic disturbances of the 70s now the american innovation system was revving up again and all was well or so i thoughtp pbut as the great recession gave way to a long sluggish recovery productivity growth dropped like a stone and never rebounded now the low productivity growth of the 70s and 80s no longer looked like a passing episode meanwhile declining population growth the plateauing of female labor force participation and a marked slowdown in the rise of educational attainment all kicked in around the turn of the 21st century ending the human capital boom that had helped to sustain strong growth throw in the great recession and its aftermath and us growth in real ie inflationadjusted gdp per capita in the 21st century to date has sunk to around 1 percent a year half the average annual growth rate of 2 percent that persisted over the whole course of the 20th century tyler cowen called it in 2011 we are living in a a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomgreatstagnationlowhangingeventuallyespecialebookdpb004h0m8qsrefsr_1_1crid27j8fz4ikulhkkeywordstylercowenthegreatstagnationqid1667813087sprefixgreatstagnation2caps2c412sr81great stagnationa that began in the 1970sp pwe can pin down the fact that some big shift occurred in the 70s because we have the quantitative economic data that document it if we move beyond the purely economic realm to look at technological and scientific progress the problems of measurement get much harder but we can make a plausible quantitative case for a slowdown there as well and a slamdunk case that innovative activity is experiencing sharply diminishing returnsp pif youre willing to venture out beyond the quantifiable you can catch a glimpse of a much bigger picture of a great stagnation that is not just economic not just technical but sweeping and civilizational i was born in 1962 so i was just a little kid before the fall but i do have a sense of what things were like because i remember apollo the space program was the great enthusiasm of my boyhood when it sputtered and shrank my little broken heart could feel the future shrinking with itp pthe older i get the more i look back on the 1960s with astonishment at the swaggering boldness and ambition of the time america was rich we were in possession of immense powers and the constraints that had bound so tightly in the past now looked rotten and frayed and ready to snap the possibilities seemed endless and intrepid explorers were pursuing them in every direction outer space under the sea in fashion and music and cinema and in an uproarious counterculture dreaming of new utopias how perfect that the first moon landing and woodstock occurred less than a month apart in the summer of 1969 and that by the end of that year the soaring dreams of both apollo and dionysus had soured the dramatic drop in the launch day crowds and tv ratings for apollo 12 foreshadowed the upcoming downsizing of the space program while the counterculture met its nemesis at altamont and in the manson familyp pin emfear and loathing in las vegasem hunter s thompson wrote this elegy for the era of peace and love but it could apply just as well to the promethean and technocratic dreams of the 60sp blockquote classwpblockquote pit seems like a lifetime or at least a main era the kind of peak that never comes again there was madness in any direction at any hour you could strike sparks anywhere there was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right that we were winningp pand that i think was the handle that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of old and evil we had all the momentum we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wavep pso now less than five years later you can go up on a steep hill in las vegas and look west and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high water mark that place where the wave finally broke and rolled backp blockquote pin the 60s america was buzzing with plans for transformation and revolution in the 70s those plans were shelved and peoples ambitions dwindled down to fit within their own skins in just a few years the watchword of american civilization had gone from change the world to find yourselfp phow did this happen what drove this massive retreat in my a hrefhttpsbrinklindseysubstackcomptheageofstasislast essaya i looked at one piece of the puzzle the natural tendency of progress to get harder as the lowhanging fruit of possible gains is exhausted this factor i believe has played a sizeable role in explaining the economic slowdown experienced by the united states and other rich democracies but to explain the broader civilizational slowdown more much more is neededp phere i offer another piece of the puzzle again not the whole answer but an important factor all the same its another natural tendency not of economic development this time but rather individual psychology to employ the language of social science we can call it loss aversion or statusquo bias or psychological inertia or the endowment effect or just good oldfashioned risk aversion to put it in the language of common sense people get attached to their stuff and dont like losing it when a society grows rich that means large numbers of people now have a lot to lose and because losing what you have is painful people will naturally take pains to hang on to what theyve got even if that sometimes means passing up on the chance to get more as a result we can expect the advent of mass affluence to be accompanied by a heightened sensitivity to losses and a shift toward greater conservatism in the face of change and uncertaintyp ploss aversion refers to the proposition that the pain of loss is greater than the pleasure of an equivalent gain we all know from introspection that we too often dwell on our losses and failures instead of feeling pride in what weve accomplished and gratitude for what weve got if youre a sports fan you know that star athletes routinely say the agony of defeat stays with them far more than the thrill of victoryp pin behavioral economics loss aversion has been presented as a kind of universal principle and foundational to the broader behavioraleconomics vision of human decisionmaking as beset by various biases and forms of irrationality it is a key idea in prospect theory the theory that financial decisionmaking is driven by asymmetrical attitudes toward gain and loss and for which among other work daniel kahneman was awarded the 2002 nobel prize in economics to give you an idea of how influential the ideas of loss aversion and prospect theory are the a hrefhttpswwwjstororgstable1914185original 1979 papera on prospect theory by kahneman and amos tversky is the most cited paper in all of economics and the third most cited paper in psychologyp pas has happened with many major findings in psychology the existence of loss aversion is now under some question but as ill explain the scholarly debate has no real relevance to my use of the concept here there is no doubt that people often forgo big gains to avoid a smaller loss and thats what matters to me what is at issue in the debate is why is it because of a general psychological asymmetry in which the negative experience of a loss is more intense than the positive experience of an equivalent gain or is it because of some narrower more contextual psychological phenomenonp pthat is perhaps people sometimes pass up big gains to avoid smaller losses because of statusquo bias or a preference generally for inaction over action when a loss is possible or maybe its because of the broader phenomenon of psychological inertia in which people tend to want to maintain the status quo regardless of the possible upside or downside or maybe its because of the endowment effect in which people tend to value something that they own more highly than they would if they didnt own it already or maybe its the more familiar phenomenon of risk aversion in which people tend to favor certainty over uncertainty and therefore prefer less risk even if it means lower returns p pthe subtleties of these distinctions are doubtless interesting and worth teasing out but they make no difference at all for present purposes what matters here is that there are a variety of psychological tendencies that lead people to want to hang on to what they have even if it means missing out on something better my contention is that we can see these tendencies playing out in contemporary society at mass scale and that they help to explain why we have adopted more conservative attitudes towards change as our society has grown richp ploss aversion by any other name helps to explain the rise of nimbyism and the increasingly restrictive local landuse regulation that is now doing so much harm a hrefhttpswwwnberorgpapersw21154slowing growtha exacerbating wealth and income inequality locking in a hrefhttpswwwcambridgeorgcorejournalsamericanpoliticalsciencereviewarticleabsgeographyofinequalityhowlanduseregulationproducessegregationbab4abdf014670550615ce670ff66016residential segregationa by class and race and accelerating climate change by a hrefhttpsarchivecurbedcom2018121118136188citydensityclimatechangezoningpromoting sprawla sam bowman and ben southwood founding editors of the fine new publication a hrefhttpswwwworksinprogresscoworks in progressa have cowritten along with john myers a cofounder of london yimby and yimby alliance a superb essay titled a hrefhttpswwwworksinprogresscoissuethehousingtheoryofeverythingthe housing theory of everythinga that makes a convincing case that artificial restrictions on housing supply are at the root of a great number of the most serious problems afflicting rich democracies today and at the root of those artificial restrictions is the desire of homeowners to protect what is typically their biggest economic asset from the risks of change even if the result is that those homeowners end up living in a poorer more dangerous more inequitable worldp pits no coincidence that in the united states the pernicious effects of landuse regulation on housing supply started making themselves felt in the 1970s residential zoning had been endemic in the country for decades by then but it took some time for metro areas starting with big coastal cities with hardandfast geographic limits on sprawl to fill in with enough residential construction that the collective veto power of incumbent homeowners sufficed to put the squeeze on new supply since then the maladies caused by this vetocracy have greatly intensified in the cities where they began and then spread to metro areas across the countryp ploss aversion by any other name has also played a role in the longterm decline in geographic mobility the percentage of people in a given year who move either to another county or another state ie to another labor market is a hrefhttpswwwsemanticscholarorgpaperinternalmigration3arecentpatternsandpuzzlesmolloysmithbba96fe6b0220129df48ea2532b82aaa99f7bc33down around 50 percenta since 1980 to some extent this may reflect less reason to move than in the past due to a declining rate of overall job turnover declining geographic variation in job opportunities and better access to information about job opportunities around the country and thus less need to move on spec in search of a job but affirmative obstacles to moving have arisen as well and having more to lose is a consistent reason for the creation of those barriers the rise of the nimby vetocracy for one thing blocks people from moving to the highestincome most productive cities because the restrictions on residential construction make housing too expensive there meanwhile differences between states in access to public benefits as well as statebased occupational licensing that does not transfer to other jurisdictions can deter interstate mobility as well by giving potential movers more to lose from leaving their home statep pbeyond policy barriers the deepening of personal roots in the fastestgrowing parts of the country has reduced the willingness to pull up stakes specifically economists a hrefhttpswwwphiladelphiafedorgmediafrbpassetsworkingpapers2019wp1949pdfpatrick coate and kyle manguma find that the maturation of communities in the sunbelt has produced more rooted populations that are less likely to movep blockquote classwpblockquote pmigration propensity depends strongly on preference for ones place of origin and the average attachment has increased because regional population growth has converged over the 20th century the us population expanded across the continent and sunbelt locations of the west and south grew explosively new cities populated by transplants had high rates of gross outmigration because of weak attachments hence we deem these fast locations in more recent decades the population growth rates across regions have converged and fast locations are increasingly populated by natives with higher degrees of home attachment instead of weakly attached transplants consequently migration out of these places has declined because fast locations were the source of the majority of migrants their decline has driven down the national averagep blockquote pthe falloff in geographic mobility means a less productive slowergrowing economy growth has always been geographically concentrated in particular places at particular times population growth in highproductivity cities is thus an important component of maximizing the wealthcreating powers of new firms and new industries in the past local economic booms were associated with explosive population growth between 1870 and 1950 new york citys population grew more than 700 percent chicagos shot up over 1100 percent and detroits mushroomed by more than 2200 percent by comparison look at the recent experience of san jose in the heart of silicon valley between 1995 and 2000 at the height of the internet boom 100000 more americans moved out of the metro area than moved in throughout all of history the dominant pattern of migration is away from poverty and toward opportunity today though americas fastestgrowing cities lag far behind the leading cities in wage levels and income growth in a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomgatedcitykindlesingleebookdpb005kgatloryan aventas turn of phrase americans are moving to stagnationp ploss aversion by any other name is also making itself felt in the greatly escalated priority assigned to health and physical safety prior to the life expectancy revolution of the 20th century the perceived opportunity cost of unhealthy habits and dangerous conduct was relatively low when you could drop dead in an instant because of infectious disease or a workplace accident paying too much attention to the risks you could control seemed pointless resigned fatalism about the looming possibilities of disease and harm was understandable and maybe even advantageous but as death prior to old age became not just a stroke of bad luck but something extraordinary and tragic attention to avoiding such a terrible outcome naturally intensifiedp pive seen attitudes transform over my lifetime when my kids were little i would regale them with stories of how dad grew up before we invented safety i remember when celebrities smoked on television talk shows and football players fired up during halftime me i pretended with candy cigarettes coated in powdered sugar so you could blow smoke when a lot of people were driving together somewhere it was common to put all the kids together in the back of somebodys pickup truck my moms right arm would fire out locked at the elbow to keep me from whacking my head on the glove compartment during a sudden stop that was our version of seatbelts and ive logged plenty of hours on oldschool monkey bars and jungle gyms and delivered and received my share of face smashes in dodgeball it felt like there was always at least one person in my class collecting autographs on their castp pim certainly not pining for the old days our air and water are much cleaner our workplaces are much safer the percentage of americans who smoke has fallen from over 40 percent in 1970 to under 13 percent today and traffic fatalities per million vehicle miles today are less than 30 percent of what they were in 1970 requiring enterprises to internalize costs they once imposed on workers and the public is an important step toward living wisely and agreeably and wellp pbut its obvious that our greater caution has costs in terms of reduced freedom of action internalizing costs is well costly and when something becomes more costly you get less of it in many cases the price is worth paying but its still a pricep pthe problem with our new health and safety consciousness is that once you start worrying about such things theres no obvious stopping point and since risk cannot be eliminated from life altogether the quest to eliminate salient risks invariably ends up increasing other risks that are less apparent nowhere is this conundrum more dramatic today than in the obstacles that current environmental regulations pose to the transition to clean energy we have regulated one major clean power source nuclear out of existence and environmental review and permitting requirements are vastly complicating the buildout of solar and wind farms and new transmission capacityp pin a fascinating paper titled a hrefhttpswebstanfordeduchadjlifeandgrowthjpe2016pdflife and growtha the economist charles jones models how the rising value assigned to a human life can dramatically alter the prospects for economic growth the value of life may rise faster than consumption leading society to value safety over consumption growth as a result the optimal rate of consumption growth may be substantially lower than what is feasible in some cases falling all the way to zero this seems like a reasonably accurate description of the slope were currently slipping downp plooking beyond the economy to our personal lives a runaway safetyism is now threatening the healthy psychological development of our children helicopter parenting snowplow parenting these are drearily familiar concepts if youve had kids in school over the past 20 years middle and upperclass kids lives are now heavily structured and intensely scheduled the spontaneous play that comes naturally to children and teaches resourcefulness and resilience and fairness and how to resolve differences is all but gone i dont think we have a good empirical handle on the effects of this overprotective parenting on childrens later wellbeing but i cant imagine that theyre positive we do know that mental health problems among young people are way up at any rate its also hard to imagine that this is a parenting style well suited to producing a dynamic society of bold risktakers and gritty perseverant striversp pfinally and to describe more generally a phenomenon some of whose specific manifestations ive already alluded to loss aversion by any other name is a factor in the massive buildup of a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomrisedeclinenationsstagflationrigiditiesebookdpb00267ss7wrefsr_1_1crid2s0gs83xmh4jtkeywordsmancurolsonstheriseanddeclineofnationsqid1667722604sprefixmancurolson2caps2c408sr81olsoniana distributional coalitions narrow economic interest groups of every sort in the political economy of recent decades ive already provided examples nimbyism that blocks new construction occupational licensing that hinders geographic mobility and the vetocracy that stands in the way of clean energy as a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomrisedeclinenationsstagflationrigiditiesebookdpb00267ss7wrefsr_1_1crid2s0gs83xmh4jtkeywordsmancurolsonstheriseanddeclineofnationsqid1667722604sprefixmancurolson2caps2c408sr81mancur olsona argued the longer peace and prosperity persist the more groups with a stake in the status quo will arise and figure out how to organize themselves in other words getting richer means more people with more to lose and thus with a motive to band together and defend what theyve got i would add that a massive plunge in communications costs has greatly facilitated this process although these special interests frequently have positive offensive agendas and theyre often very bad far and away their top priority is maintaining their current advantages and fending off any change that could threaten them all this microlevel defensiveness scales up at the macro level to daunting political obstacles to any major departure from the status quo most especially when such departures involve changes to the physical worldp pill close with some observations about tyler cowens 2017 book a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomcomplacentclassselfdefeatingquestamericandp1250108691reftmm_hrd_swatch_0_encodingutf8qid1667722964sr81emthe complacent classema whose argument fits in with and considerably broadens what ive said here i read the book when it came out and ill confess it didnt really register with me i enjoyed it and found it interesting but it didnt do anything to reorient my thinking im guessing that at the time i was so focused on emthe captured economyem which came out later the same year that i was reading and thinking about everything through that prism but i went back and looked at the book again when writing this and wow this time it really hit homep pi see now how tyler after writing a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomgreatstagnationlowhangingeventuallyespecialebookdpb004h0m8qsrefsr_1_1crid27j8fz4ikulhkkeywordstylercowenthegreatstagnationqid1667813087sprefixgreatstagnation2caps2c412sr81emthe great stagnationema a few years before about the faltering economy was led to see a broader social stagnationp blockquote classwpblockquote pamericans are in fact working much harder than before to postpone change or to avoid it altogether in an age where it is easier than ever before to dig in the psychological resistance to change has become progressively stronger on top of that information technology for all the disruption that it has wrought allows us to organize more effectively to confront things that are new or different in a manageable and comfortable way and sometimes to keep them at bay altogetherp pgiven the growing success of the forces for stasis i see complacency a general sense of satisfaction with the status quo as an increasingly prominent phenomenon in american lifep blockquote ptyler casts the net more widely than i have done here mentioning most of the trends ive talked about but also throwing in declining market competition assortative mating trigger warnings residential segregation political polarization the decline of driving and how amazon home food delivery and online streaming services have led millions of us to selfimposed house arrestp paccordingly the complacency he describes is a broader concept that includes loss aversion but also folds in the desires for comfort control and continuity hes describing the overall effect of declining civilizational dynamism in his own earlier version of ross douthats a hrefhttpswwwamazoncomdecadentsocietybecamevictimssuccessdp1476785244reftmm_hrd_swatch_0_encodingutf8qid1667723228sr81emthe decadent societyema whereas here im trying to isolate one cause of that general condition as to causes tyler has little to say beyond a quick point of the finger toward mass affluence the forces behind the rise of the complacent class are quite general for better or worse the truth is that peace and high incomes tend to drain the restlessness out of peoplep pso for a fuller picture of whats going wrong i heartily recommend emthe complacent classem as an expansive sequel to emthe great stagnationem but if you want to get to the bottom of why things are going wrong keep reading here in upcoming essays ill continue to explore and identify the underlying causes that have brought us to this a hrefhttpsbrinklindseysubstackcomptheageofstasisage of stasisa in the next essay ill address a development that can be seen as yet another manifestation of loss aversion but one that has developed its own distinctive ideology the backlash against modernitys promethean project of increased mastery over naturep pphoto credit istockp pthe post a relnofollow hrefhttpswwwniskanencenterorglossaversionbyanyothernameandthedeclineofdynamismloss aversion by any other name and the decline of dynamisma appeared first on a relnofollow hrefhttpswwwniskanencenterorgniskanen centerap

In an essay for

relnoreferrer noopener e permanent is an ongoing series of essay about the challenges of capitalist mass affluence as well as the solutions to them you can a relnoreferrer noopener the full collection or subscribe to a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpbrinklindseysubstackcom to get them straight to your nbox emp the benefit of hindsight its now pretty clear that capitalism in the advanced economies hit some kind of inflection point in the early the point is made well enough on the website a efhttpswtfhappenedin1971comwtf happened in which features dozens of charts of various economic trends that all start going sideways sometime in the early the graphics are of variable quality i can pick bones with a number of them but the signal is undeniable despite the noise something big happened and it wasnt e fact that the early marked an unfortunate turning point didnt really become clear to me anyway until the aftermath of the 200809 great recession in the united states although productivity growth collapsed amidst the gas lines and stagflation of the surging growth in the workforce thanks to the baby boom and feminism along with rising education levels that made the workforce more productive served to keep overall growth rates steady and then the advent of the internet triggered what appeared to be a productivity renaissance from 19952004 productivity growth rivaled that of the postwar glory days from the perspective of the american internet boom the poor record of the prior two decades came to look like a temporary aberration caused by the macroeconomic disturbances of the now the american innovation system was revving up again and all was well or so i t as the great recession gave way to a long sluggish recovery productivity growth dropped like a stone and never rebounded now the low productivity growth of the and no longer looked like a passing episode meanwhile declining population growth the plateauing of female labor force participation and a marked slowdown in the rise of educational attainment all kicked in around the turn of the 21st century ending the human capital boom that had helped to sustain strong growth throw in the great recession and its aftermath and us growth in real ie nflationadjusted per capita in the 21st century to date has sunk to around 1 percent a year half the average annual growth rate of 2 percent that persisted over the whole course of the century tyler cowen called it in 2011 we are living in a a efhttpswwwamazoncomgreatstagnationlowhangingeventuallyespecialebookdpb004h0m8qsrefsr_1_1crid27j8fz4ikulhkkeywordstylercowenthegreatstagnationqid1667813087sprefixgreatstagnation2caps2c412sr81great that began in the we can pin down the fact that some big shift occurred in the because we have the quantitative economic data that document it if we move beyond the purely economic realm to look at technological and scientific progress the problems of measurement get much harder but we can make a plausible quantitative case for a slowdown there as well and a lamdunk case that innovative activity is experiencing sharply diminishing f youre willing to venture out beyond the quantifiable you can catch a glimpse of a much bigger picture of a great stagnation that is not just economic not just technical but sweeping and civilizational i was born in 1962 so i was just a little kid before the fall but i do have a sense of what things were like because i remember apollo the space program was the great enthusiasm of my boyhood when it sputtered and shrank my little broken heart could feel the future shrinking with e older i get the more i look back on the with astonishment at the swaggering boldness and ambition of the time america was rich we were in possession of immense powers and the constraints that had bound so tightly in the past now looked rotten and frayed and ready to snap the possibilities seemed endless and intrepid explorers were pursuing them in every direction outer space under the sea in fashion and music and cinema and in an uproarious counterculture dreaming of new utopias how perfect that the first moon landing and woodstock occurred less than a month apart in the summer of 1969 and that by the end of that year the soaring dreams of both apollo and dionysus had soured the dramatic drop in the launch day crowds and tv ratings for apollo 12 foreshadowed the upcoming downsizing of the space program while the counterculture met its nemesis at ltamont and in the manson pin fear and loathing in las m hunter s thompson wrote this elegy for the era of peace and love but it could apply just as well to the promethean and technocratic dreams of the ckquote pit seems like a lifetime or at least a main era the kind of peak that never comes again there was madness in any direction at any hour you could strike sparks anywhere there was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right that we were pand that i think was the handle that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of old and evil we had all the momentum we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful o now less than five years later you can go up on a steep hill in las vegas and look west and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high water mark that place where the wave finally broke and rolled pin the america was buzzing with plans for transformation and revolution in the those plans were shelved and peoples ambitions dwindled down to fit within their own skins in just a few years the watchword of american civilization had gone from change the world to find how did this happen what drove this massive retreat in my a efhttpsbrinklindseysubstackcomptheageofstasislast i looked at one piece of the puzzle the natural tendency of progress to get harder as the lowhanging fruit of possible gains is exhausted this factor i believe has played a sizeable role in explaining the economic slowdown experienced by the united states and other rich democracies but to explain the broader civilizational slowdown more much more is here i offer another piece of the puzzle again not the whole answer but an important factor all the same its another natural tendency not of economic development this time but rather individual psychology to employ the language of social science we can call it loss aversion or tatusquo bias or psychological inertia or the endowment effect or just good dfashioned risk aversion to put it in the language of common sense people get attached to their stuff and dont like losing it when a society grows rich that means large numbers of people now have a lot to lose and because losing what you have is painful people will naturally take pains to hang on to what theyve got even if that sometimes means passing up on the chance to get more as a result we can expect the advent of mass affluence to be accompanied by a heightened sensitivity to losses and a shift toward greater conservatism in the face of change and aversion refers to the proposition that the pain of loss is greater than the pleasure of an equivalent gain we all know from introspection that we too often dwell on our losses and failures instead of feeling pride in what weve accomplished and gratitude for what weve got if youre a sports fan you know that star athletes routinely say the agony of defeat stays with them far more than the thrill of pin behavioral economics loss aversion has been presented as a kind of universal principle and foundational to the broader vision of human decisionmaking as beset by various biases and forms of irrationality it is a key idea in prospect theory the theory that financial decisionmaking is driven by asymmetrical attitudes toward gain and loss and for which among other work daniel kahneman was awarded the 2002 nobel prize in economics to give you an idea of how influential the ideas of loss aversion and prospect theory are the a efhttpswwwjstororgstable1914185original 1979 on prospect theory by kahneman and amos tversky is the most cited paper in all of economics and the third most cited paper in pas has happened with many major findings in psychology the existence of loss aversion is now under some question but as ill explain the scholarly debate has no real relevance to my use of the concept here there is no doubt that people often forgo big gains to avoid a smaller loss and thats what matters to me what is at issue in the debate is why is it because of a general psychological asymmetry in which the negative experience of a loss is more intense than the positive experience of an equivalent gain or is it because of some narrower more contextual psychological t is perhaps people sometimes pass up big gains to avoid smaller losses because of tatusquo bias or a preference generally for inaction over action when a loss is possible or maybe its because of the broader phenomenon of psychological inertia in which people tend to want to maintain the status quo regardless of the possible upside or downside or maybe its because of the endowment effect in which people tend to value something that they own more highly than they would if they didnt own it already or maybe its the more familiar phenomenon of risk aversion in which people tend to favor certainty over uncertainty and therefore prefer less risk even if it means lower returns p e subtleties of these distinctions are doubtless interesting and worth teasing out but they make no difference at all for present purposes what matters here is that there are a variety of psychological tendencies that lead people to want to hang on to what they have even if it means missing out on something better my contention is that we can see these tendencies playing out in contemporary society at mass scale and that they help to explain why we have adopted more conservative attitudes towards change as our society has grown aversion by any other name helps to explain the rise of nimbyism and the increasingly restrictive local landuse regulation that is now doing so much harm a efhttpswwwnberorgpapersw21154slowing exacerbating wealth and income inequality locking in a efhttpswwwcambridgeorgcorejournalsamericanpoliticalsciencereviewarticleabsgeographyofinequalityhowlanduseregulationproducessegregationbab4abdf014670550615ce670ff66016residential by class and race and accelerating climate change by a efhttpsarchivecurbedcom2018121118136188citydensityclimatechangezoningpromoting sam bowman and ben southwood founding editors of the fine new publication a in have cowritten along with john a cofounder of london yimby and yimby alliance a superb essay titled a efhttpswwwworksinprogresscoissuethehousingtheoryofeverythingthe housing theory of that makes a convincing case that artificial restrictions on housing supply are at the root of a great number of the most serious problems afflicting rich democracies today and at the root of those artificial restrictions is the desire of homeowners to protect what is typically their biggest economic asset from the risks of change even if the result is that those homeowners end up living in a poorer more dangerous more inequitable pits no coincidence that in the united states the pernicious effects of landuse regulation on housing supply started making themselves felt in the residential zoning had been endemic in the country for decades by then but it took some time for metro areas starting with big coastal cities with hardandfast geographic limits on sprawl to fill in with enough residential construction that the collective veto power of incumbent homeowners sufficed to put the squeeze on new supply since then the maladies caused by this vetocracy have greatly intensified in the cities where they began and then spread to metro areas across the aversion by any other name has also played a role in the longterm decline in geographic mobility the percentage of people in a given year who move either to another county or another state ie to another labor market is a efhttpswwwsemanticscholarorgpaperinternalmigration3arecentpatternsandpuzzlesmolloysmithbba96fe6b0220129df48ea2532b82aaa99f7bc33down around 50 since 1980 to some extent this may reflect less reason to move than in the past due to a declining rate of overall job turnover declining geographic variation in job opportunities and better access to information about job opportunities around the country and thus less need to move on spec in search of a job but affirmative obstacles to moving have arisen as well and having more to lose is a consistent reason for the creation of those barriers the rise of the nimby vetocracy for one thing blocks people from moving to the highestincome most productive cities because the restrictions on residential construction make housing too expensive there meanwhile differences between states in access to public benefits as well as tatebased occupational licensing that does not transfer to other jurisdictions can deter interstate mobility as well by giving potential movers more to lose from leaving their home eyond policy barriers the deepening of personal roots in the fastestgrowing parts of the country has reduced the willingness to pull up stakes specifically economists a efhttpswwwphiladelphiafedorgmediafrbpassetsworkingpapers2019wp1949pdfpatrick coate and kyle find that the maturation of communities in the sunbelt has produced more rooted populations that are less likely to ckquote migration propensity depends strongly on preference for ones place of origin and the average attachment has increased because regional population growth has converged over the century the us population expanded across the continent and sunbelt locations of the west and south grew explosively new cities populated by transplants had high rates of gross outmigration because of weak attachments hence we deem these fast locations in more recent decades the population growth rates across regions have converged and fast locations are increasingly populated by natives with higher degrees of home attachment instead of weakly attached transplants consequently migration out of these places has declined because fast locations were the source of the majority of migrants their decline has driven down the national e falloff in geographic mobility means a less productive lowergrowing economy growth has always been geographically concentrated in particular places at particular times population growth in highproductivity cities is thus an important component of maximizing the wealthcreating powers of new firms and new industries in the past local economic booms were associated with explosive population growth between 1870 and 1950 new york population grew more than 700 percent shot up over 1100 percent and mushroomed by more than 2200 percent by comparison look at the recent experience of san jose in the heart of silicon valley between 1995 and 2000 at the height of the internet boom 100000 more americans moved out of the metro area than moved in throughout all of history the dominant pattern of migration is away from poverty and toward opportunity today though americas fastestgrowing cities lag far behind the leading cities in wage levels and income growth in a efhttpswwwamazoncomgatedcitykindlesingleebookdpb005kgatloryan turn of phrase americans are moving to aversion by any other name is also making itself felt in the greatly escalated priority assigned to health and physical safety prior to the life expectancy revolution of the century the perceived opportunity cost of unhealthy habits and dangerous conduct was relatively low when you could drop dead in an instant because of infectious disease or a workplace accident paying too much attention to the risks you could control seemed pointless resigned fatalism about the looming possibilities of disease and harm was understandable and maybe even advantageous but as death prior to old age became not just a stroke of bad luck but something extraordinary and tragic attention to avoiding such a terrible outcome naturally ve seen attitudes transform over my lifetime when my kids were little i would regale them with stories of how dad grew up before we invented safety i remember when celebrities smoked on television talk shows and football players fired up during halftime me i pretended with candy cigarettes coated in powdered sugar so you could blow smoke when a lot of people were driving together somewhere it was common to put all the kids together in the back of pickup truck my moms right arm would fire out locked at the elbow to keep me from whacking my head on the glove compartment during a sudden stop that was our version of and ive logged plenty of hours on l monkey bars and jungle gyms and delivered and received my share of face smashes in dodgeball it felt like there was always at least one person in my class collecting autographs on their pim certainly not pining for the old days our air and water are much cleaner our are much safer the percentage of americans who smoke has fallen from over 40 percent in 1970 to under 13 percent today and traffic fatalities per million vehicle miles today are less than 30 percent of what they were in 1970 requiring enterprises to internalize costs they once imposed on workers and the public is an important step toward living wisely and agreeably and t its obvious that our greater caution has costs in terms of reduced freedom of action internalizing costs is well costly and when something becomes more costly you get less of it in many cases the price is worth paying but its still a e problem with our new health and safety consciousness is that once you start worrying about such things theres no obvious stopping point and since risk cannot be eliminated from life altogether the quest to eliminate salient risks invariably ends up increasing other risks that are less apparent nowhere is this conundrum more dramatic today than in the obstacles that current environmental regulations pose to the transition to clean energy we have regulated one major clean power source nuclear out of existence and environmental review and permitting requirements are vastly complicating the ldout of solar and wind farms and new transmission pin a fascinating paper titled a efhttpswebstanfordeduchadjlifeandgrowthjpe2016pdflife and the economist charles jones models how the rising value assigned to a human life can dramatically alter the prospects for economic growth the value of life may rise faster than consumption leading society to value safety over consumption growth as a result the optimal rate of consumption growth may be substantially lower than what is feasible in some cases falling all the way to zero this seems like a reasonably accurate description of the slope were currently slipping looking beyond the economy to our personal lives a runaway fetyism is now threatening the healthy psychological development of our children helicopter parenting snowplow parenting these are drearily familiar concepts if youve had kids in school over the past 20 years middle and kids lives are now heavily structured and intensely scheduled the spontaneous play that comes naturally to children and teaches resourcefulness and resilience and fairness and how to resolve differences is all but gone i dont think we have a good empirical handle on the effects of this overprotective parenting on later wellbeing but i cant imagine that theyre positive we do know that mental health problems among young people are way up at any rate its also hard to imagine that this is a parenting style well suited to producing a dynamic society of bold and gritty perseverant finally and to describe more generally a phenomenon some of whose specific manifestations ive already alluded to loss aversion by any other name is a factor in the massive buildup of a distributional coalitions narrow economic interest groups of every sort in the political economy of recent decades ive already provided examples nimbyism that blocks new construction occupational licensing that hinders geographic mobility and the vetocracy that stands in the way of clean energy as a efhttpswwwamazoncomrisedeclinenationsstagflationrigiditiesebookdpb00267ss7wrefsr_1_1crid2s0gs83xmh4jtkeywordsmancurolsonstheriseanddeclineofnationsqid1667722604sprefixmancurolson2caps2c408sr81mancur argued the longer peace and prosperity persist the more groups with a stake in the status quo will arise and figure out how to organize themselves in other words getting richer means more people with more to lose and thus with a motive to band together and defend what theyve got i would add that a massive plunge in communications costs has greatly facilitated this process although these special interests frequently have positive offensive agendas and theyre often very bad far and away their top priority is maintaining their current advantages and fending off any change that could threaten them all this microlevel defensiveness scales up at the macro level to daunting political obstacles to any major departure from the status quo most especially when such departures involve changes to the physical pill close with some observations about tyler 2017 book a efhttpswwwamazoncomcomplacentclassselfdefeatingquestamericandp1250108691reftmm_hrd_swatch_0_encodingutf8qid1667722964sr81emthe complacent whose argument fits in with and considerably broadens what ive said here i read the book when it came out and ill confess it didnt really register with me i enjoyed it and found it interesting but it didnt do anything to reorient my thinking im guessing that at the time i was so focused on e captured m which came out later the same year that i was reading and thinking about everything through that prism but i went back and looked at the book again when writing this and wow this time it really hit pi see now how tyler after writing a efhttpswwwamazoncomgreatstagnationlowhangingeventuallyespecialebookdpb004h0m8qsrefsr_1_1crid27j8fz4ikulhkkeywordstylercowenthegreatstagnationqid1667813087sprefixgreatstagnation2caps2c412sr81emthe great a few years before about the faltering economy was led to see a broader social ckquote are in fact working much harder than before to postpone change or to avoid it altogether in an age where it is easier than ever before to dig in the psychological resistance to change has become progressively stronger on top of that information technology for all the disruption that it has wrought allows us to organize more effectively to confront things that are new or different in a manageable and comfortable way and sometimes to keep them at bay given the growing success of the forces for stasis i see complacency a general sense of satisfaction with the status quo as an increasingly prominent phenomenon in american tyler casts the net more widely than i have done here mentioning most of the trends ive talked about but also throwing in declining market competition assortative mating trigger warnings residential segregation political polarization the decline of driving and how amazon home food delivery and online streaming services have led millions of us to elfimposed house ccordingly the complacency he describes is a broader concept that includes loss aversion but also folds in the desires for comfort control and continuity hes describing the overall effect of declining civilizational dynamism in his own earlier version of ross a efhttpswwwamazoncomdecadentsocietybecamevictimssuccessdp1476785244reftmm_hrd_swatch_0_encodingutf8qid1667723228sr81emthe decadent whereas here im trying to isolate one cause of that general condition as to causes tyler has little to say beyond a quick point of the finger toward mass affluence the forces behind the rise of the complacent class are quite general for better or worse the truth is that peace and high incomes tend to drain the restlessness out of o for a fuller picture of whats going wrong i heartily recommend e complacent m as an expansive sequel to e great m but if you want to get to the bottom of why things are going wrong keep reading here in upcoming essays ill continue to explore and identify the underlying causes that have brought us to this a efhttpsbrinklindseysubstackcomptheageofstasisage of in the next essay ill address a development that can be seen as yet another manifestation of loss aversion but one that has developed its own distinctive ideology the backlash against promethean project of increased mastery over hoto credit e post a aversion by any other name and the decline of appeared first on a efhttpswwwniskanencenterorgniskanen

63917a7cdd16928937bc7807

Adam Curtis on the death of autocracy

pas a portrait of how russia came to be the cynical and aggressive autocracy of today adam curtiss sevenpart bbc documentary series a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwbbccoukiplayerepisodesp0d3hwl1russia19851999traumazone target_blankemtraumazone what it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracyema is impeccable it is a claustrophobic sprawling russian novel of a film depicting what happens to a society when it loses any faith in its guiding ideology and yet can find nothing workable with which to replace itp pa constant rebuke to the increasingly dumbeddown stylistic tropes of 2020s tv programming the curtis series begins with long tarkovskian establishing scenes of a continentspanning nation in disarray then as the collapse accelerates the scenes are cut shorter harder and become increasingly hard to watch images of communities ravaged by war corruption and economic catastrophe in which mere survival is paramount and cynicism is universal after the decade of anarchy and degradation we have witnessed putins arrival on the scene in 1999 seems to come almost as a relief the horrors of the present still lie offstage waiting to be bornp pwhile it is a brilliant work of recent history can we draw parallels with our own society which faces a comparable loss of faith in its guiding structures and confusion and cynicism about any possible political futuresp pi ask him when we meet at a relnoopener hrefhttpsunherdcomthepostthelaunchofoldqueenstreetcafeandunherdclub target_blankemunherdems new westminster cluba whether like the marginal aestheticising rebels on which his films so often centre such as a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwnewyorkercommagazine19970707thetakedownoftupac target_blanktupac shakura and a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwcalvertjournalcomarticlesshow13288assessinglimonovrussiacontroversialwriter target_blankedward limonova he considers himself a dissidentp divdiv pno no im just a hack he says but what im interested in is finding individuals who embody the dilemmas of our time i think tupacs absolutely fascinating because he was trying to do that thing of talking about power talking about politics but as an individual and expressing it individualistically through his music most talked the radical talk but they gave up on radical action tupac didnt he really tried to fuse those two together he knew individualism and self expression was sort of the thing of our age you couldnt go back to collective organisation no one wanted that any longer but he tried to fuse that with radical action and ultimately it didnt work its a sort of tragedyp pand limonovp plimonov founded the national bolshevik party in the midnineties and many people just saw him as a fascist and he was interested in fascist ideas but actually what he became was a focus for all those people who had been completely pulled away from what was happening in the rest of russian society all kinds of punks all kinds of radicals all kinds of ecologistsp pyet curtiss interest in marginal political figures holding up a distorted mirror to their crumbling political orders is hard to separate from his own position within the state broadcaster deconstructing the ideological pieties of our time from a standpoint as em forster said of the poet cavafy at a slight angle to the universe similarly in his sympathetic portrayal of the efforts of reformist communists to preserve their crumbling system its possible to discern a certain conservatism of the left in his work in which the rampant consumerism and individualism of capitalist society when it hits the soviet union like a nuclear strike is revealed to us afresh as something absurd and horrifying what then are curtiss own politicsp diva hrefhttpsunherdcom202211themagicofbritainsrainforestsrefinnara hrefhttpsunherdcom202211themagicofbritainsrainforestsrefinnarimg srchttpsunherdcomwpcontentuploads2022112gettyimages1277748229scaled1300x218jpgadiva hrefhttpsunherdcom202211themagicofbritainsrainforestsrefinnarspanmore from this authorspanaa hrefhttpsunherdcom202211themagicofbritainsrainforestsrefinnarh5the magic of britains rainforestsh5apa hrefhttpsunherdcom202211themagicofbritainsrainforestsrefinnarspanbyspan aris roussinosapdivadiv pim very much of my time i dont have a fixed politics he says adding that his 2002 series a relnoopener hrefhttpsenwikipediaorgwikithe_century_of_the_self target_blankemthe century of the selfema which traced the roots of the nineties thirdway consensus back through the midcentury advertising industry to the birth of psychoanalysis could be interpreted as a crystal perfect piece of neoconservative ideology domestic neoconservatism because what its actually arguing is the rise of individualism acted like an acid eating away at the fabric of social organisations leaving a society of people bereft individuals alone supported by a wave of debt on their own and just waiting for the crash which is a sort of moralistic neocon attitude thats not actually what i think but you could argue that about most films i think i dont know really what my politics arep pi mean he adds i dont share a thing that a lot of the liberals have which is im always quite interested in rightwing ideas because i think for a long time they were quite confident that they made the running and even now i hear people like a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwbusinessinsidercompeterthielonrenegirardsinfluence201411rusirt target_blankpeter thiel talking about ren girarda on mimetic desire i think its quite interesting because actually if you ever wander around a bookshop everyone else is looking at what everyone else is buying you understand what mimetic desire really is its that if youre on your own how do you know what identity you want thats why everyone is curtaintwitching at the moment on the internet because they dont know what they want to bep pcurtiss films are in essence works of intellectual history which outline how the ideological fixations of elites particularly their quest for constructing political utopias break apart on contact with the messiness and ambiguity of the real world often creating dystopias for the people who have to live with the consequences but in constructing his own allencompassing theories of everything which draw links and parallels between widely different events with an often a relnoopener hrefhttpsunherdcomtheposttheborgesianbrillianceofadamcurtis target_blankhallucinatory claritya is he constructing his own countermythology is curtis in fact a conspiracy theorist himselfp pi do think theres something very interesting that has happened in the last 20 or 30 years in this country and america the political parties have become increasingly homogenised he told me despite all the rhetoric and the squealing there is actually very little difference and you can see this with the election thats coming up here what then has happened is that the word conspiracy ive noticed has changed its meaning its also increasingly used by people deep within that narrow bandwidth as a criticism of people who are outside the bandwidth who may actually have a reasonable alternative attitude to the worldp pso sometimes i get accused of being a conspiracy theorist what i would say to that is that it often comes from the sort of people who used to go on about how there were weapons of mass destruction out in the deserts of iraq and the very fact that you couldnt find them proved they existed and those people who for years went on about how cambridge analytica or vladimir putin and various other evil people gave you brexit and trump well thats a bit rich excuse me because the one thing i have never done in any film is allege anything like that what im intrigued by is going outside that bandwidth because i think its so narrowp diva hrefhttpsunherdcom202212canstarmerbreaklabourscurserefinnara hrefhttpsunherdcom202212canstarmerbreaklabourscurserefinnarimg srchttpsunherdcomwpcontentuploads202212gettyimages1272996949300x200jpgadiva hrefhttpsunherdcom202212canstarmerbreaklabourscurserefinnarspansuggested readingspanaa hrefhttpsunherdcom202212canstarmerbreaklabourscurserefinnarh5can starmer break labours curseh5apa hrefhttpsunherdcom202212canstarmerbreaklabourscurserefinnarspanbyspan dominic sandbrookapdivadiv pive been shouted at by sort of nice sweet liberal people at dinner parties saying well ive read the mueller report within the bandwidth it leads to that madness it is madness its sort of dying away now but they went mad and this goes back to my thing about what have we just been through a really odd time and then we come out of it and we press buttons to try and make things better and none of them work it makes me think whats the solution to thatp pwhat is the solution in a world where we have lost faith in the organising myths of our society but there is no obvious successor ideology perhaps the clearest insight into curtiss own sense of political futures can be drawn from the concluding sequence of 2021s a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwbbccoukiplayerepisodesp093wp6hcantgetyououtofmyhead target_blankemcant get you out of my headema whose psychedelic bricolage of themes from 20thcentury history provided an alternative cultural hinterland to the angry populisms of the 2010s in it curtis ends on the suggestion that not just the west but also its autocratic rivals china and russia are exhausted empty of any new ideas and that all of them have corruption that is burrowing deeper into their institutions corruption that the politicians seem powerless to stop yet the series ends on a surprisingly optimistic note concluding with the famous quote from the anarchist anthropologist and political theorist that the ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make and could just as easily make differentlyp pgraeber was a really really interesting person curtis told me because he wasnt just an anarchist he was a bit like a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwlrbcoukthepaperv39n09wesenzinnabizarreandwonderful target_blankmurray bookchina theyre the anarchists that [pkk leader abdullah] a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwnybookscomonline20180615howmyfathersideashelpedthekurdscreateanewdemocracy target_blankocalan knewa he was sort of almost a libertarian socialist which is a thing that im really fascinated by because i do think that individualism isnt going to go back into the box but if you want to change the world youve got to come together in some kind of way because thats the only way youre ever going to be powerful because if youre on your own its lonely frightening and youre not powerful and no ones managed to square that circle and ive always thought libertarian socialism is sort of trying to get to that point and i really really liked the quote i used which is that actually we made this society its not like it came out of nothing it was just imposed on us and that does mean we can remake it if we want top pand yet curtiss films make clear we are locked in an iron cage of ideology enforced by increasingly shrill and hysterical political taboos where any attempt at exploring alternative futures is cast as a oneway journey to the horrors of the 20th century we are trapped in a failing system whose morbid symptoms become ever more grotesque yet in which popular attempts to correct its failing course are pathologised as merely the devious machinations of shadowy elites who have hypnotised the dullwitted masses to do their bidding for them yes things are bad say the defenders of the current order as it collapses around them but the only alternatives are far worsep pwhat im so fascinated by in our time curtis tells me is the ideology and i think its okay to call it an ideology that prevents us doing that its a really interesting ideology because it isnt like other older ideologies which would say no this is fantastic this is the dream world which is what they did in the soviet union right up to the end in this society the press the think tanks all the wonks have this sort of view that we know its crap we know its not ideal we know its not wonderful we know theres corruption but we cant do anything about it we know theres injustice we know there are inequalities but we cant do anything about that but youve got to accept it because the rest is so horrible the rest is much worsep diva hrefhttpsunherdcom202210cormacmccarthysirrationalapocalypserefinnara hrefhttpsunherdcom202210cormacmccarthysirrationalapocalypserefinnarimg srchttpsunherdcomwpcontentuploads202210eb20071108reviews711080304ar300x169jpegadiva hrefhttpsunherdcom202210cormacmccarthysirrationalapocalypserefinnarspansuggested readingspanaa hrefhttpsunherdcom202210cormacmccarthysirrationalapocalypserefinnarh5cormac mccarthys irrational apocalypseh5apa hrefhttpsunherdcom202210cormacmccarthysirrationalapocalypserefinnarspanbyspan park macdougaldapdivadiv pand what they mean by that is the alternatives are terrifying theyre like the terrifying autocracy that vladimir putin has created in russia theyre like the technocratic brutal surveillance system that xi jinping is running in china or even worse and darker than that there is radical modern islamism which you see in iran and also if you take the emnew york timesem as your bible the terrible fascism that donald trump and his followers are going to bring to americap pwhat i find so fascinating about now is that all those things have proven to be much more fragile much weaker than the established view said putin would seem to be a transitional figure in a yet fully collapsing empire who probably will lose power in some way or another i have a friend in china whose parents are quite high up in the communist party they are quite frightened about whats happening in the protests they know theres a real problem and also that there is an enormous amount of debt in china far more than we had in 2008 iran i think what might happen in iran in the future might be extraordinarily importantp pand quite frankly despite all the efforts of the emnew york timesem donald trump is beginning to be seen as what he probably was as some weird grifter who managed to occupy a space that wed left open because we were attending to something else and just occupied that space and touched on something in americap pfor curtis it seems the looming failures of the wests rival autocracies for all that they are held up by liberals as justification for preserving our own failing system and by some radical conservatives as models to be emulated open up a strange and unlikely moment of possibility at the other end of the present global crisis perhaps lies the opportunity to finally transcend the long 20th century things may seem bad but a better future may already be straining to be bornp ptheyre all fading away he says which makes me i mean this is a really weird thing to say at this present moment in time quite optimistic because its like the way is open now to actually start thinking in quite a radical way and that actually maybe thats the kind of journalism we should be doingp pp pemorder your copy of a relnoopener hrefhttpsunherdcomeditionzero target_blankunherds first print edition herea emp a hrefhttpsunherdcom202212adamcurtisonthedeathofautocracyappcommentsview 10 commentsa

Adam Curtis, a BBC documentarian, has released a new documentary series called "Can't Get You Out of My Head: An Emotional History of the Modern World." The docuseries showcases how Russia transformed into an autocratic state through various events and the loss of faith in its guiding ideologies. Curtis's work is crucial as it depicts a society losing faith in its existing structures, and there is confusion and cynicism about any possible political alternative, which parallels the current societal climate globally. Curtis believes that individualism cannot go back into the box, and if people want to change the world, they need to come together, which is how libertarian socialism tries to resolve that issue. The article further argues that Curtis's work is difficult to categorize in terms of political ideology, and he is more interested in finding individuals who embody the dilemmas of our time. His documentaries aim to deconstruct the ideological pieties of our time and draw links and parallels between different events, creating his counter-mythology. Curtis believes that our society is locked in an iron cage of ideology, leading to increasingly hysterical political taboos, where any attempt at exploring alternative futures is cast as a one-way journey to the horrors of the century we are trapped in. However, despite the collapse of current structures, Curtis is optimistic because it opens up opportunities to begin thinking in quite a radical way.

pas a portrait of how russia came to be the cynical and aggressive autocracy of today adam c documentary series a er efhttpswwwbbccoukiplayerepisodesp0d3hwl1russia19851999traumazone mazone what it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and is impeccable it is a claustrophobic sprawling russian novel of a film depicting what happens to a society when it loses any faith in its guiding ideology and yet can find nothing workable with which to replace pa constant rebuke to the increasingly dumbeddown stylistic tropes of tv programming the curtis series begins with long tarkovskian establishing scenes of a continentspanning nation in disarray then as the collapse accelerates the scenes are cut shorter harder and become increasingly hard to watch images of communities ravaged by war corruption and economic catastrophe in which mere survival is paramount and cynicism is universal after the decade of anarchy and degradation we have witnessed arrival on the scene in 1999 seems to come almost as a relief the horrors of the present still lie offstage waiting to be while it is a brilliant work of recent history can we draw parallels with our own society which faces a comparable loss of faith in its guiding structures and confusion and cynicism about any possible political pi ask him when we meet at a er new westminster whether like the marginal estheticising rebels on which his films so often centre such as a er efhttpswwwnewyorkercommagazine19970707thetakedownoftupac tupac and a er efhttpswwwcalvertjournalcomarticlesshow13288assessinglimonovrussiacontroversialwriter edward he considers himself a no no im just a hack he says but what im interested in is finding individuals who embody the dilemmas of our time i think absolutely fascinating because he was trying to do that thing of talking about power talking about politics but as an individual and expressing it individualistically through his music most talked the radical talk but they gave up on radical action tupac didnt he really tried to fuse those two together he knew individualism and self expression was sort of the thing of our age you couldnt go back to collective organisation no one wanted that any longer but he tried to fuse that with radical action and ultimately it didnt work its a sort of pand monov founded the national bolshevik party in the and many people just saw him as a fascist and he was interested in fascist ideas but actually what he became was a focus for all those people who had been completely pulled away from what was happening in the rest of russian society all kinds of punks all kinds of radicals all kinds of yet interest in marginal political figures holding up a distorted mirror to their crumbling political orders is hard to separate from his own position within the state broadcaster deconstructing the ideological pieties of our time from a standpoint as em forster said of the poet cavafy at a slight angle to the universe similarly in his sympathetic portrayal of the efforts of reformist communists to preserve their crumbling system its possible to discern a certain conservatism of the left in his work in which the rampant consumerism and individualism of capitalist society when it hits the soviet union like a nuclear strike is revealed to us afresh as something absurd and horrifying what then are own diva mg efhttpsunherdcom202211themagicofbritainsrainforestsrefinnarspanmore from this efhttpsunherdcom202211themagicofbritainsrainforestsrefinnarh5the magic of n pim very much of my time i dont have a fixed politics he says adding that his 2002 series a er efhttpsenwikipediaorgwikithe_century_of_the_self e century of the which traced the roots of the nineties rdway consensus back through the midcentury advertising industry to the birth of psychoanalysis could be interpreted as a crystal perfect piece of neoconservative ideology domestic neoconservatism because what its actually arguing is the rise of individualism acted like an acid eating away at the fabric of social leaving a society of people bereft individuals alone supported by a wave of debt on their own and just waiting for the crash which is a sort of moralistic neocon attitude thats not actually what i think but you could argue that about most films i think i dont know really what my politics pi mean he adds i dont share a thing that a lot of the liberals have which is im always quite interested in rightwing ideas because i think for a long time they were quite confident that they made the running and even now i hear people like a er eter el talking about ren on mimetic desire i think its quite interesting because actually if you ever wander around a bookshop everyone else is looking at what everyone else is buying you understand what mimetic desire really is its that if youre on your own how do you know what identity you want thats why everyone is curtaintwitching at the moment on the internet because they dont know what they want to films are in essence works of intellectual history which outline how the ideological fixations of elites particularly their quest for constructing political utopias break apart on contact with the messiness and ambiguity of the real world often creating dystopias for the people who have to live with the consequences but in constructing his own llencompassing theories of everything which draw links and parallels between widely different events with an often a er hallucinatory is he constructing his own countermythology is curtis in fact a conspiracy theorist pi do think theres something very interesting that has happened in the last 20 or 30 years in this country and america the political parties have become increasingly homogenised he told me despite all the rhetoric and the squealing there is actually very little difference and you can see this with the election thats coming up here what then has happened is that the word conspiracy ive noticed has changed its meaning its also increasingly used by people deep within that narrow bandwidth as a criticism of people who are outside the bandwidth who may actually have a reasonable alternative attitude to the o sometimes i get accused of being a conspiracy theorist what i would say to that is that it often comes from the sort of people who used to go on about how there were weapons of mass destruction out in the deserts of iraq and the very fact that you couldnt find them proved they existed and those people who for years went on about how cambridge or vladimir tin and various other evil people gave you exit and trump well thats a bit rich excuse me because the one thing i have never done in any film is allege anything like that what im intrigued by is going outside that bandwidth because i think its so diva efhttpsunherdcom202212canstarmerbreaklabourscurserefinnarspansuggested efhttpsunherdcom202212canstarmerbreaklabourscurserefinnarh5can tarmer break labours pan dominic v ve been shouted at by sort of nice sweet liberal people at dinner parties saying well ive read the mueller report within the bandwidth it leads to that madness it is madness its sort of dying away now but they went mad and this goes back to my thing about what have we just been through a really odd time and then we come out of it and we press buttons to try and make things better and none of them work it makes me think whats the solution to what is the solution in a world where we have lost faith in the organising myths of our society but there is no obvious successor ideology perhaps the clearest insight into own sense of political futures can be drawn from the concluding sequence of a er d cant get you out of my whose psychedelic ge of themes from 20thcentury history provided an alternative cultural hinterland to the angry populisms of the in it curtis ends on the suggestion that not just the west but also its autocratic rivals china and russia are exhausted empty of any new ideas and that all of them have corruption that is burrowing deeper into their institutions corruption that the politicians seem powerless to stop yet the series ends on a surprisingly optimistic note concluding with the famous quote from the anarchist anthropologist and political theorist that the ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something that we make and could just as easily make graeber was a really really interesting person curtis told me because he wasnt just an anarchist he was a bit like a er murray theyre the anarchists that [pkk leader dullah] a er efhttpswwwnybookscomonline20180615howmyfathersideashelpedthekurdscreateanewdemocracy ocalan he was sort of almost a libertarian socialist which is a thing that im really fascinated by because i do think that individualism isnt going to go back into the box but if you want to change the world youve got to come together in some kind of way because thats the only way youre ever going to be powerful because if youre on your own its lonely frightening and youre not powerful and no ones managed to square that circle and ive always thought libertarian socialism is sort of trying to get to that point and i really really liked the quote i used which is that actually we made this society its not like it came out of nothing it was just imposed on us and that does mean we can remake it if we want top pand yet films make clear we are locked in an iron cage of ideology enforced by increasingly shrill and hysterical political taboos where any attempt at exploring alternative futures is cast as a oneway journey to the horrors of the century we are trapped in a failing system whose morbid symptoms become ever more grotesque yet in which popular attempts to correct its failing course are ogised as merely the devious machinations of shadowy elites who have hypnotised the dullwitted masses to do their bidding for them yes things are bad say the defenders of the current order as it collapses around them but the only alternatives are far what im so fascinated by in our time curtis tells me is the ideology and i think its okay to call it an ideology that prevents us doing that its a really interesting ideology because it isnt like other older ideologies which would say no this is fantastic this is the dream world which is what they did in the soviet union right up to the end in this society the press the think tanks all the have this sort of view that we know its crap we know its not ideal we know its not wonderful we know theres corruption but we cant do anything about it we know theres injustice we know there are inequalities but we cant do anything about that but youve got to accept it because the rest is so horrible the rest is much diva mg efhttpsunherdcom202210cormacmccarthysirrationalapocalypserefinnarspansuggested efhttpsunherdcom202210cormacmccarthysirrationalapocalypserefinnarh5cormac irrational pan park v pand what they mean by that is the alternatives are terrifying theyre like the terrifying autocracy that vladimir tin has created in russia theyre like the technocratic brutal surveillance system that xi jinping is running in china or even worse and darker than that there is radical modern islamism which you see in iran and also if you take the new york as your bible the terrible fascism that donald trump and his followers are going to bring to what i find so fascinating about now is that all those things have proven to be much more fragile much weaker than the established view said tin would seem to be a transitional figure in a yet fully collapsing empire who probably will lose power in some way or another i have a friend in china whose parents are quite high up in the communist party they are quite frightened about whats happening in the protests they know theres a real problem and also that there is an enormous amount of debt in china far more than we had in 2008 iran i think what might happen in iran in the future might be extraordinarily pand quite frankly despite all the efforts of the new york donald trump is beginning to be seen as what he probably was as some weird grifter who managed to occupy a space that wed left open because we were attending to something else and just occupied that space and touched on something in for curtis it seems the looming failures of the wests rival autocracies for all that they are held up by liberals as justification for preserving our own failing system and by some radical conservatives as models to be emulated open up a strange and unlikely moment of possibility at the other end of the present global crisis perhaps lies the opportunity to finally transcend the long century things may seem bad but a better future may already be straining to be eyre all fading away he says which makes me i mean this is a really weird thing to say at this present moment in time quite optimistic because its like the way is open now to actually start thinking in quite a radical way and that actually maybe thats the kind of journalism we should be pp order your copy of a er efhttpsunherdcomeditionzero first print edition emp a efhttpsunherdcom202212adamcurtisonthedeathofautocracyappcommentsview 10

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Same-sex marriage bill pits Biden against Catholic bishops again

figure dataanvatoplayeridp1 div divdiv div div datareactcomponentanvatovideoplayerdiv figure ppresident biden is butting heads with catholic bishops again this time over samesex marriage protections expected to reach his desk this weekp pthe us conference of catholic bishops usccb opposes the respect for marriage act arguing it doesnt include enough leeway for religious organizationsp pi disagree biden only the second catholic president in us history told reporters on tuesday about the bishops objectionsp pthe fight between biden and the bishops is all too familiar after the they spent much of his first year in the white house trying to deny him communion over his stance on abortion rightsp pconservative catholic bishops had called for the church not to offer communion to biden or other proabortion rights politicians but in november of last year the usccb signaled an end to the debate by issuing a document on communion without mentioning the president or other politiciansp pbefore the document was finalized biden received support from pope francis who the president said told him he should keep receiving communionp pthroughout his time as president biden has consistently called for protections for abortion access and he has often been found attending catholic mass either in wilmington del or in washingtonp pbiden also regularly calls for defending the rights of lgbtq americansp phe has urged congress to send him the senatepassed bill that would repeal of the 1996 defense of marriage act which recognized marriage as only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wifep pthe white house describes the respect for marriage act as personal to the president presenting another balancing act for biden between his faith and his support for a social issue that is in opposition to the churchs teachingp pthe house is posed to pass the bill this week after the senate a relnoreferrer noopener dataidhttpsthehillcomhomenewssenate3755168senatepasseslandmarkprotectionsforsamesexmarriage hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewssenate3755168senatepasseslandmarkprotectionsforsamesexmarriage datatypeurl target_blankcleared the measure last weeka in a 6138 vote twelve republicans joined on to the bill once it included an amendment outlining some protections for religious beliefsp pthat amendment was also crucial for gaining support from religious institutions because it shields them from having to provide services supporting samesex marriage faiths and groups including the church of jesus christ of latterday saints the seventhday adventist church the union of orthodox jewish congregations of america and the council for christian colleges and universities all support the religious freedom protections in the billp pbut the changes havent been enough for the catholic bishopsp pthis bill fails to include clear comprehensive and affirmative conscience protections for religious organizations and individuals who uphold the sanctity of traditional marriage that are needed said bishop robert e barron chairman of the usccbs committee on laity marriage family life and youthp pbarron added that decades of social and legal developments have led to society losing sight of the purpose of marriagep psamesex marriage has been legal nationwide since the supreme courts 2015 ruling in obergefell v hodges while the catholic church is one of several that only recognizes marriage as a union between a man and a womanp pthe debate over samesex marriage was resurrected this summer when the supreme court ended the decadeslong right to abortion access by overturning roe v wade in justice clarence thomass concurring opinion for that ruling he called on the court to also reconsider the precedent for obergefell v hodgesp psince then biden and other democrats have sought to move quickly to protect marriage equality and the white house celebrated the senate passing the bill as a historic stepp pthis is a huge step forward karine jeanpierre the first openly lgbtq person to serve as white house press secretary said last week and it is historic that we saw this movement from congress in a bipartisan way to protect samesex marriagep pemupdated at 629 pmemp

US President Joe Biden is facing opposition from the country'sCatholic bishops over the Respect for Marriage Act, whichincludes same-sex marriage protections. The US Conference of Catholic Bishopsopposes the bill,as they feelit doesn't grantenough leeway for religious opposition. This argument marks the second time that Biden has come into conflict with the nation's bishops, the first being when he took up a pro-abortion stance. Conservative Catholic bishops called for their church to not provide communion to Biden, buta document was eventually issued regarding communion without mentioning the president. This latest bill includesan amendment for religious freedom, which has allowed groups such as theJewish Congregations of America and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to support the bill. However, the same amendment has not been enough for the Catholic bishops, who feel the bill does not provide enoughcomprehensive and affirmative conscience protections for religious organisations.

figure nvatoplayeridp1 div div div v figure dent den is butting heads with catholic bishops again this time over mesex marriage protections expected to reach his desk this e us conference of catholic bishops opposes the respect for marriage act arguing it doesnt include enough leeway for religious pi disagree den only the second catholic president in us history told reporters on tuesday about the bishops e fight between den and the bishops is all too familiar after the they spent much of his first year in the white house trying to deny him communion over his stance on abortion conservative catholic bishops had called for the church not to offer communion to den or other proabortion rights politicians but in november of last year the signaled an end to the debate by issuing a document on communion without mentioning the president or other efore the document was finalized den received support from pope francis who the president said told him he should keep receiving roughout his time as president den has consistently called for protections for abortion access and he has often been found attending catholic mass either in wilmington del or in den also regularly calls for defending the rights of he has urged congress to send him the enatepassed bill that would repeal of the 1996 defense of marriage act which recognized marriage as only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and e white house describes the respect for marriage act as personal to the president presenting another balancing act for den between his faith and his support for a social issue that is in opposition to the e house is posed to pass the bill this week after the senate a relnoreferrer noopener dhttpsthehillcomhomenewssenate3755168senatepasseslandmarkprotectionsforsamesexmarriage efhttpsthehillcomhomenewssenate3755168senatepasseslandmarkprotectionsforsamesexmarriage typeurl cleared the measure last in a 6138 vote twelve republicans joined on to the bill once it included an amendment outlining some protections for religious t amendment was also crucial for gaining support from religious institutions because it shields them from having to provide services supporting mesex marriage faiths and groups including the church of jesus christ of latterday saints the eventhday adventist church the union of orthodox jewish congregations of america and the council for christian colleges and universities all support the religious freedom protections in the t the changes havent been enough for the catholic bill fails to include clear comprehensive and affirmative conscience protections for religious organizations and individuals who uphold the sanctity of traditional marriage that are needed said bishop robert e rron chairman of the committee on laity marriage family life and rron added that decades of social and legal developments have led to society losing sight of the purpose of mesex marriage has been legal nationwide since the supreme courts 2015 ruling in obergefell v while the catholic church is one of several that only recognizes marriage as a union between a man and a e debate over mesex marriage was resurrected this summer when the supreme court ended the decadeslong right to abortion access by overturning roe v wade in justice clarence concurring opinion for that ruling he called on the court to also reconsider the precedent for obergefell v nce then den and other democrats have sought to move quickly to protect marriage equality and the white house celebrated the senate passing the bill as a historic is a huge step forward karine jeanpierre the first openly person to serve as white house press secretary said last week and it is historic that we saw this movement from congress in a bipartisan way to protect mesex dated at 629

63917d4fdd16928937bc7861

TSMC to increase investment in Arizona to $40B as Biden visits chip manufacturer

pthe taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company tsmc is set to announce it will increase its investment in arizona from 12 billion to 40 billion when president biden visits the chip manufacturer on tuesdayp pit will be the largest foreign investment in arizona history and one of the largest in us historyp ptsmc will also announce it will build a second facility in arizona that will produce 3nanometer chips by 2026 those chips are the most advanced semiconductors on the market today according to white house officialsp ptsmc based in taiwan is the worlds largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to apple the company is currently constructing a plant in phoenix to start production of 5nanometer chips in 2024p pbiden will highlight his efforts to boost us semiconductor manufacturing while in arizona the president in august signed into law the chips and science act which provides billions of dollars in incentives to the domestic semiconductor industry the law aims to help the us compete with china which has its own chip marketp pofficials on monday said the tsmc arizona facility isnt receiving subsidies from the chips bill at this point but that the guidance for subsidies that outlines criteria for eligibility will be released in early 2023p pofficials said that the bill made a clear signal that the united states was going to prioritize establishing leadership in semiconductor manufacturingp pfor the announcements on tuesday biden will be joined by apple ceo tim cook tsmc founder morris chang commerce secretary gina raimondo sen mark kelly dariz arizona gov doug ducey r and govelect katie hobbs d among othersp

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is expected to announce an increase in investment in Arizona from $12bn to $40bn during President Biden's visit to the chip manufacturer. TSMC's investment will be the largest foreign investment in Arizona's history and is expected to be one of the largest in the United States. The company will also build a second facility in the state, producing the most advanced semiconductors on the market by 2026. TSMC is currently the world's largest contract chipmaker and a substantial supplier to Apple. The news comes after the US passed the CHIPS and Science Act, providing billions of dollars in incentives to boost the domestic semiconductor industry's competitiveness with China.

e taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company tsmc is set to announce it will increase its investment in arizona from 12 billion to 40 billion when president den visits the chip manufacturer on pit will be the largest foreign investment in arizona history and one of the largest in us tsmc will also announce it will build a second facility in arizona that will produce chips by 2026 those chips are the most advanced semiconductors on the market today according to white house tsmc based in taiwan is the worlds largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to apple the company is currently constructing a plant in phoenix to start production of chips in den will highlight his efforts to boost us semiconductor manufacturing while in arizona the president in august signed into law the chips and science act which provides billions of dollars in incentives to the domestic semiconductor industry the law aims to help the us compete with china which has its own chip on monday said the tsmc arizona facility isnt receiving subsidies from the chips bill at this point but that the guidance for subsidies that outlines criteria for eligibility will be released in early said that the bill made a clear signal that the united states was going to prioritize establishing leadership in semiconductor for the announcements on tuesday den will be joined by apple ceo tim cook tsmc founder morris chang commerce secretary raimondo sen mark kelly dariz arizona gov doug ducey r and govelect katie d among

63917d52dd16928937bc7862

TSMC to increase investment in Arizona to $40B as Biden visits chip manufacturer

pthe taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company tsmc is set to announce it will increase its investment in arizona from 12 billion to 40 billion when president biden visits the chip manufacturer on tuesdayp pit will be the largest foreign investment in arizona history and one of the largest in us historyp ptsmc will also announce it will build a second facility in arizona that will produce 3nanometer chips by 2026 those chips are the most advanced semiconductors on the market today according to white house officialsp ptsmc based in taiwan is the worlds largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to apple the company is currently constructing a plant in phoenix to start production of 5nanometer chips in 2024p pbiden will highlight his efforts to boost us semiconductor manufacturing while in arizona the president in august signed into law the chips and science act which provides billions of dollars in incentives to the domestic semiconductor industry the law aims to help the us compete with china which has its own chip marketp pofficials on monday said the tsmc arizona facility isnt receiving subsidies from the chips bill at this point but that the guidance for subsidies that outlines criteria for eligibility will be released in early 2023p pofficials said that the bill made a clear signal that the united states was going to prioritize establishing leadership in semiconductor manufacturingp pfor the announcements on tuesday biden will be joined by apple ceo tim cook tsmc founder morris chang commerce secretary gina raimondo sen mark kelly dariz arizona gov doug ducey r and govelect katie hobbs d among othersp

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is expected to announce that it will increase its investment in Arizona from $12bn to $40bn when President Biden visits the chipmaker on Tuesday. This investment by TSMC will become the largest foreign investment in Arizona's history and one of the largest in the United States. The company will also announce that it will build a second facility in Arizona that will produce chips by 2026. These chips are purportedly the most advanced semiconductors on the market. TSMC is the world's largest contract-chipmaker and a major supplier to Apple.

e taiwan semiconductor manufacturing company tsmc is set to announce it will increase its investment in arizona from 12 billion to 40 billion when president den visits the chip manufacturer on pit will be the largest foreign investment in arizona history and one of the largest in us tsmc will also announce it will build a second facility in arizona that will produce chips by 2026 those chips are the most advanced semiconductors on the market today according to white house tsmc based in taiwan is the worlds largest contract chipmaker and a major supplier to apple the company is currently constructing a plant in phoenix to start production of chips in den will highlight his efforts to boost us semiconductor manufacturing while in arizona the president in august signed into law the chips and science act which provides billions of dollars in incentives to the domestic semiconductor industry the law aims to help the us compete with china which has its own chip on monday said the tsmc arizona facility isnt receiving subsidies from the chips bill at this point but that the guidance for subsidies that outlines criteria for eligibility will be released in early said that the bill made a clear signal that the united states was going to prioritize establishing leadership in semiconductor for the announcements on tuesday den will be joined by apple ceo tim cook tsmc founder morris chang commerce secretary raimondo sen mark kelly dariz arizona gov doug ducey r and govelect katie d among

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It's the Liberalism, Stupid

img altits the liberalism stupid srchttpswisdomofcrowdslivecontentimages202212104783absdljpgplike democracy a hrefhttpswisdomofcrowdslivetrumpandfascismaconversationwithjasonstanleyfascisma and perhaps terrorism liberalism is one of those things that seems to be in the eye of the beholder to speak about liberalismin its original emsmalll emformis to invite confusion over the intent and even the identity of the speaker here as elsewhere the points of contention arent really about facts they arent about definitions they are about narratives and narratives are about values and first principles what do we hold dear and why ppthe why part is difficult and can only really be addressed by way of the stories that we tell ourselves but more importantly the stories that are our own and no one elsesthe ones in other words that weve actually lived to those who say that lived experience is a prerequisite for understanding the truth of a matter racism in america for example this is just another way of saying that the truth whatever it might be is somehow inaccessible and maybe it is ppthe problem of definitions and the narratives within which they are embedded offers some insight into the overarching and allconsuming epistemological crisis that seems to define our current moment before we get to liberalism though lets ask a simpler question what is racism ppa philosopher on twitter offered up a a hrefhttpstwittercomshadihamidstatus1598065377594191873nondefinition of racisma which i found instructive pblockquote[im] reading a paper where the author asserts that quotin academic and progressive circles racism has acquired a very wide scopequot ppl esp conservatives say this a lot but like i dont think its true just seems like there was a lot of racism not getting called quotracismquot beforeblockquotepthe suggestion here is that racism increases not according to any kind of measurable baseline but that there can be more racism simply through the act of calling more things racist similarly there can be quite a lot of fascism if it is decided note the passive tense that more things that wouldnt previously be considered fascist now are ppit seems selfevident to say that what constituted racism 100 years ago is not the sameand shouldnt be the sameas what constitutes racism today fine but it gets a lot more complicated when things that emeven progressives themselvesem wouldnt have considered racism just 5 years ago are now considered as such if definitionsand therefore our understandings of what is true or not truecan change so rapidly then to what extent can they really be true in any meaningful sense of the word ppperhaps one way of limiting the epistemological chaos is through education and access to information but it is precisely higher levels of educational attainment that challenge and even emundermineem shared understandings of reality ideological pluralism and fragmentation have increased along with educational access this isnt an accident if more people are educated or if more people read then more people will have opinions about things they didnt previously have opinions about and because they perceive themselves as being educated they will more jealously guard their opinions however irrational a hrefhttpswisdomofcrowdsliveweareallirrationalthey may bea all ideological movements particularly the radical ones rely on ideologues and ideologues become ideological through education and whats sometimes called awarenessraisingpdiv dataplaceholdersubscribedivpwhen we talk about liberalism were talking about an ideological orientation as well as a tradition the classical liberal tradition like all traditions it has a history and a lineage as a result there is something approaching a consensus about its basic contours for example the us bill of rights is a rather impressive encapsulation of liberal values and ideals im unlikely to encounter much pushback when i say that liberalism a hrefhttpswwwtheatlanticcomideasarchive202210usdemocracyliberalismislammiddleeast671777unlike democracya puts its emphasis on personal autonomy civil liberties freedom of conscience the primacy of reason over revelation and the prioritization of the individual over the collective as part of this basket though i often also include to make things a bit more tangible gender equality and minority rights but of course the great liberal theorists were not liberals by this standard locke did not believe in full equality for catholics or atheists locke might have been a feminist by the standards of his own time but he was not a feminist by the standards of our own does this mean he wasnt a feminist ppa feminist rereading of locke a hrefhttpsndprndedureviewsfeministinterpretationsofjohnlockesuggests a mixed legacya pblockquote[locke endorses] new social processes which actually throw women back into the home keep them outside public life and thrust onto them a new form of dependency on their husbandswhatever his liberal rhetoric of individual freedom lockes theory is but a liberal accommodation to a new form of now capitalist patriarchy blockquotepthis problem of projecting contemporary morality onto the past arises whenever we speak of universal rights what is it that makes a universal right universal particularly if such a right is not universally held do such rights need to be universal across time or place or both can something be right and moral in one time period but not in anotherppin an occasionally charged a hrefhttpswwwyoutubecomwatchv5xydnu3g7nolistpludujpqlqcu0_0se9vnv9aa7dmmzzdt9index1backandfortha with my friend and former a hrefhttpswisdomofcrowdslivecanislambeliberalpodcast guesta mustafa akyol he repeatedly turned back to the universal declaration of human rights udhr as a liberal baseline if liberalism is about choice however then one can presumably choose emnot emto believe the universal declaration of human rights in fact the udhr protects precisely this choice when a hrefhttpswwwunorgenaboutusuniversaldeclarationofhumanrightsit guaranteesa in article 18 the right to manifest [ones] religion or belief in teaching practice worship and observance of course that right cant contradict other rights explicitly enumerated in the udhr ppbut there are a number of religiously illiberal practices that do emnot emcontradict athe other articles in the document the right to drink alcohol or the right to access to alcohol since the a hrefhttpsconstitutioncenterorgtheconstitutionamendmentsamendmentxviiiinterpretations16918th amendmenta only prohibited the latter is not protected under either the udhr or the us constitution another relevant consideration is whether a democraticallyelected legislature would justify the prohibition of alcohol on health read secular grounds or on religious groundsppif the udhror for that matter the us bill of rightsis a liberal baseline then it still leaves open the question of what is beyond the baseline what might emfurther emgradations of liberalism entail in practice if this is the floor what is the ceiling are liberals compelled to move toward this ceiling whatever it may be how far is far enough ultimately these are empoliticalem questions they arent about the content of liberalism as much as they are about who decides what liberalism should be and the question of who decides is ultimately a question of powerp

The article discusses the challenges of defining liberalism and the implications of changing definitions and narratives. The author argues that liberalism is an ideological orientation and tradition emphasizing personal autonomy, civil liberties, and the individual's primacy over the collective. However, the definition of liberalism has evolved over time, and there is no clear consensus on what it means. The article also explores the challenges of projecting contemporary morality onto the past, the role of education and access to information in shaping ideological movements, and the complexities of balancing individual rights with the greater good. Ultimately, the author concludes that liberalism is an evolving and complex concept that raises questions about who decides what liberalism should be.

the liberalism stupid rchttpswisdomofcrowdslivecontentimages202212104783absdljpgplike democracy a and perhaps terrorism liberalism is one of those things that seems to be in the eye of the beholder to speak about eralismin its original l to invite confusion over the intent and even the identity of the speaker here as elsewhere the points of contention arent really about facts they arent about definitions they are about narratives and narratives are about values and first principles what do we hold dear and why e why part is difficult and can only really be addressed by way of the stories that we tell ourselves but more importantly the stories that are our own and no one elsesthe ones in other words that weve actually lived to those who say that lived experience is a prerequisite for understanding the truth of a matter racism in america for example this is just another way of saying that the truth whatever it might be is somehow inaccessible and maybe it is e problem of definitions and the narratives within which they are embedded offers some insight into the overarching and llconsuming epistemological crisis that seems to define our current moment before we get to liberalism though lets ask a simpler question what is racism ppa philosopher on twitter offered up a a efhttpstwittercomshadihamidstatus1598065377594191873nondefinition of which i found instructive [im] reading a paper where the author asserts that otin academic and progressive circles racism has acquired a very wide copequot ppl esp conservatives say this a lot but like i dont think its true just seems like there was a lot of racism not getting called otracismquot eforeblockquotepthe suggestion here is that racism increases not according to any kind of measurable baseline but that there can be more racism simply through the act of calling more things racist similarly there can be quite a lot of fascism if it is decided note the passive tense that more things that wouldnt previously be considered fascist now are t seems elfevident to say that what constituted racism 100 years ago is not the meand shouldnt be the what constitutes racism today fine but it gets a lot more complicated when things that even progressives m wouldnt have considered racism just 5 years ago are now considered as such if definitionsand therefore our understandings of what is true or not ecan change so rapidly then to what extent can they really be true in any meaningful sense of the word one way of limiting the epistemological chaos is through education and access to information but it is precisely higher levels of educational attainment that challenge and even shared understandings of reality ideological pluralism and fragmentation have increased along with educational access this isnt an accident if more people are educated or if more people read then more people will have opinions about things they didnt previously have opinions about and because they perceive themselves as being educated they will more jealously guard their opinions however irrational a efhttpswisdomofcrowdsliveweareallirrationalthey may bea all ideological movements particularly the radical ones rely on and become ideological through education and whats sometimes called v laceholdersubscribedivpwhen we talk about liberalism were talking about an ideological orientation as well as a tradition the classical liberal tradition like all traditions it has a history and a lineage as a result there is something approaching a consensus about its basic contours for example the us bill of rights is a rather impressive encapsulation of liberal values and ideals im unlikely to encounter much hback when i say that liberalism a efhttpswwwtheatlanticcomideasarchive202210usdemocracyliberalismislammiddleeast671777unlike puts its emphasis on personal autonomy civil liberties freedom of conscience the primacy of reason over revelation and the rioritization of the individual over the collective as part of this basket though i often also include to make things a bit more tangible gender equality and minority rights but of course the great liberal theorists were not liberals by this standard locke did not believe in full equality for catholics or atheists locke might have been a feminist by the standards of his own time but he was not a feminist by the standards of our own does this mean he wasnt a feminist ppa feminist rereading of locke a a mixed [locke endorses] new social processes which actually throw women back into the home keep them outside public life and thrust onto them a new form of dependency on their husbandswhatever his liberal rhetoric of individual freedom theory is but a liberal accommodation to a new form of now capitalist patriarchy problem of projecting contemporary morality onto the past arises whenever we speak of universal rights what is it that makes a universal right universal particularly if such a right is not universally held do such rights need to be universal across time or place or both can something be right and moral in one time period but not in notherppin an occasionally charged a with my friend and former a efhttpswisdomofcrowdslivecanislambeliberalpodcast he repeatedly turned back to the universal declaration of human rights r as a liberal baseline if liberalism is about choice however then one can presumably choose not to believe the universal declaration of human rights in fact the r protects precisely this choice when a efhttpswwwunorgenaboutusuniversaldeclarationofhumanrightsit in article 18 the right to manifest [ones] religion or belief in teaching practice worship and observance of course that right cant contradict other rights explicitly enumerated in the r t there are a number of religiously illiberal practices that do not contradict e other articles in the document the right to drink alcohol or the right to access to alcohol since the a h only prohibited the latter is not protected under either the r or the us constitution another relevant consideration is whether a democraticallyelected legislature would justify the prohibition of alcohol on health read secular grounds or on religious groundsppif the dhror for that matter the us bill of a liberal baseline then it still leaves open the question of what is beyond the baseline what might further of liberalism entail in practice if this is the floor what is the ceiling are liberals compelled to move toward this ceiling whatever it may be how far is far enough ultimately these are m questions they arent about the content of liberalism as much as they are about who decides what liberalism should be and the question of who decides is ultimately a question of

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White House defends primary plan after Shaheen declines to attend congressional ball

pthe white house on monday defended president bidens push to elevate south carolina in the early primary calendar after new hampshire sen jeanne shaheen d said she will skip the white house congressional ballp pthe president and first lady jill biden will host the congressional ball on monday evening both shaheen and sen maggie hassan dnh a hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewscampaign3762579nhsenatorsskippingwhitehouseeventoverbidenbackedprimaryplanconfirmed to the hilla monday that they will skip the event to protest the primary plan p pthe plan would have new hampshire and nevada share the same day for voters to head to the primary polls following south carolina which has caused a hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewscampaign3760174bidentriggersdemocraticbattlewithprimaryvotea fight between democratsap pwhite house press secretary karine jeanpierre responded to shaheen skipping the ball by arguing biden is making good on his commitment to promote diversity p pto him respecting our diversity as a nation and breaking down barriers for our people is a fundamental principal she saidp pshe added that biden is making sure we see the diversity within his administration that is represented clearly across the country and he wants to honor those valuesp piowa and new hampshire have voted first and second in presidential primaries for decades and they both have largely white populations biden last week wrote in a letter to the democratic national committee dnc that the party needed to give diverse voters a louder and earlier voicep pthe dnc has yet to formally adopt the new schedule but is expected to decide in 2023 at a larger meetingp

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended President Bidens decision to elevate South Carolina in the early primary calendar, after New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen said she would skip the White House congressional ball. The primary plan involves having New Hampshire and Nevada share the same day for voters to head to the primary polls following South Carolina, which caused a fight. Shaheen and Senator Maggie Hassan decided to skip the event to protest the primary plan. Jean-Pierre argued that Biden is making good on his commitment to promote diversity, respecting the diversity of the nation and breaking down barriers for the people, as it is a fundamental principle.

e white house on monday defended president bidens push to elevate south carolina in the early primary calendar after new hampshire sen jeanne shaheen d said she will skip the white house congressional e president and first lady jill den will host the congressional ball on monday evening both shaheen and sen maggie hassan dnh a efhttpsthehillcomhomenewscampaign3762579nhsenatorsskippingwhitehouseeventoverbidenbackedprimaryplanconfirmed to the monday that they will skip the event to protest the primary plan p e plan would have new hampshire and nevada share the same day for voters to head to the primary polls following south carolina which has caused a fight between white house press secretary karine jeanpierre responded to shaheen skipping the ball by arguing den is making good on his commitment to promote diversity p to him respecting our diversity as a nation and breaking down barriers for our people is a fundamental principal she he added that den is making sure we see the diversity within his administration that is represented clearly across the country and he wants to honor those and new hampshire have voted first and second in presidential primaries for decades and they both have largely white populations den last week wrote in a letter to the democratic national committee dnc that the party needed to give diverse voters a louder and earlier e dnc has yet to formally adopt the new schedule but is expected to decide in 2023 at a larger

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Freedom of Speech

img altfreedom of speech srchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202212screenshot20221205at105906ampngpfreedom of speech is one of the core freedoms of a liberal society the ability to criticize powerful people and organizations serves as a check on their power and the act of speech itself is an integral part of ones personal autonomyppnonetheless all liberal societies have placed limits on speech limits that are inevitable given the dangerous potential of certain forms of speech the rise of the internet has created a special problem for freedom of expression and has led to substantial confusion on the part of many people an example of that is elon musk who took over twitter claiming that he was a free speech absolutist that remark showed that he had not even begun to think through the complexities of managing speech in the internetbig platform era and we are all paying the price for that now___steady_paywall___ppspeech has never been totally free in any modern liberal society many european liberal democracies have had restrictions on certain forms of political speech such as holocaust denial which long predated the rise of the internet americas first amendment was always less restrictive but even here there are limits contrary to popular belief you can yell fire in a crowded theater but the supreme court has ruled the open incitement of violence to be offlimitsppmoreover the scale of a media channel makes a big difference in the legality of limits to speech the federal communications commission has long regulated what can be broadcast on overtheair television banning hardcore pornography graphic violence and other types of content indeed it used to enforce something called the fairness doctrine in which broadcasters were enjoined to promote balanced coverage of divergent political views the consistency of these constraints with the first amendment was upheld by the supreme court in its 1968 emred lion broadcasting v fccem decision conservatives never liked the fairness doctrine because they believed it was tilted against them and the doctrine was rescinded by administrative decree in the 1980s restrictions on broadcasters speech was allowed by the court due to considerations of spectrum scarcity the uniqueness of broadcasting and public interestppwe are in a comparable situation today with the rise of the internet and social media over the past decade spectrum is obviously no longer limited but network economies have served to drive internet communications into a small number of very large platforms of which there are three twitter meta facebook and google in many ways these large platforms are comparable to the three broadcast tv channels of the 1960s influencing not just political opinion but what citizens believe to be factual information the internet enables the amplification of particular views and information on a scale and with a speed that is historically unprecedented and also allows the large platforms to in effect block disfavored speech through takedownsppin strict constitutional terms the first amendment applies only to emgovernmentem restrictions on speech platform decisions to promote or take down material that they carry is actually emprotectedem under the first amendment so there is a narrow sense in which conservative charges that twitter and facebook are engaging in censorship is wrong in addition section 230 of the 1996 communications decency act has from the beginning protected the platforms from private litigationppthe big platforms have used their power to control the content they carry on a regular basis which is comparable to the policies of tv networks they do not permit users to post graphic pornography or violence promote terrorism or incite violence this was the grounds on which donald trump was barred from most platforms after january 6 with the exception of the latter this kind of content moderation has largely been regarded as uncontroversialppnonetheless modern democracy has a free speech problem we need to be specific here the problem is emnot emthat various forms of toxic content such as conspiracy theories fake news and hate speech are available over the internet the first amendment as it has been interpreted over the years protects these forms of speech the problem is different and relates to platform emscaleem the platforms have an unprecedented power to either amplify certain messages or suppress disfavored speech they have moreover substantial ability to microtarget their audiences in ways that earlier advertisers couldnt achieve it is platform scale and power that should worry proponents of democracy and properly be the objective of public policy and not the mere fact that they are carrying politically toxic material in the a hrefhttpscyberfsistanfordedupublicationreportworkinggroupplatformscale2020 white papera authored by the stanford working group on platform scale which i chaired this power is likened to a loaded gun left on the table presently we have to trust that the person sitting across from us wouldnt pick up the gun and shoot us with it but there was no legal way of preventing that from happeningppelon musks claim to be a free speech absolutist constitutes an incoherent posture presumably this absolutism will not extend to permitting child pornography or snuff movies to be shared how about tweets purporting to show that covid vaccines are harmful or doxing election officials in the midst of a contested election in a swing state there is a fascinating case of yoga moms being drawn into qanon because a prominent yoga guru became an adherent the suggestion algorithm simply picked up this connection on the assumption that anyone interested in yoga was likely to be interested in qanon as well should social platforms make efforts to stop making similar suggestionsppgiven the platforms power to amplify or suppress free speech absolutism is simply not a tenable position the internet has become such a sewer that content moderation is absolutely necessary the question is who has the legitimacy to make these complex decisions with regard to political speech most of us would agree that the government should not be in charge there are some european countries like germany that are trying to regulate the internet in this fashion but we americans would never reach consensus on what is acceptable political speech given our polarization brbrin lieu of such consensus many people have settled on pressuring the platforms to take on this responsibility but a forprofit corporation has neither the capacity nor the legitimacy to make such intensely political decisions our working group on platform scale suggested the concept of a hrefhttpscyberfsistanfordedupublicationhowsavedemocracytechnologymiddleware aas a way out of the problemoutsourcing content moderation to a layer of competitive third parties that could tailor choices to the preference of individual users but there is no business model currently supporting this and middleware would be fiercely resisted by the platforms themselvesppover the past few weeks elon musk has revealed himself to be a magaadjacent conservative who indulges in a lot of trumplike trolling for example he decided to go after alexander vindman the whistleblower who exposed trumps effort to block aid to ukraine leading to his first impeachmentpfigureblockquote classtwittertweetp langen dirltrvindman is both puppet amp puppeteer question is who pulls his strings p elon musk elonmusk a hrefhttpstwittercomelonmuskstatus1596925202184564736ref_srctwsrc5etfwnovember 27 2022ablockquote figurephaving promised to set up an independent body to set content moderation standards he backed away from that and started making arbitrary decisions as to who to allow on the site we will never know what other similar choices he has made particularly with regard to takedowns that are very hard to monitor hes now saddled himself with the responsibility for personally making content moderation decisions like his recent choice to ban kanye west once more for antisemitismppthe one thing musk has said that makes sense is a distinction between freedom of speech and freedom of reachpfigureblockquote classtwittertweetp langen dirltrnew twitter policy is freedom of speech but not freedom of reachbrbrnegativehate tweets will be max deboosted amp demonetized so no ads or other revenue to twitter brbryou wont find the tweet unless you specifically seek it out which is no different from rest of internetp elon musk elonmusk a hrefhttpstwittercomelonmuskstatus1593673339826212864ref_srctwsrc5etfwnovember 18 2022ablockquote figurepthis comment correctly points to the central problem of the platforms not so much their content per se but their ability to amplify or silence if he were serious about this he would take away the ability to like and retweet harmful content but not take it down but this means that twitter remains in the business of policing content just using different tools and criteria implementing such a policy would still require quite a large bureaucratic apparatus and i doubt that he is prepared to really go down this routeppemimage a microphone with brass knuckles unsplash a hrefhttpsunsplashcomphotospt02waucswgfrancesco tommasiniaemp

The internet has created a complex problem for freedom of speech, with the rise of social media platforms and the power to amplify certain messages or suppress disfavored speech, leading to the need for content moderation. Elon Musk has claimed to be a free speech absolutist, but this stance is incoherent, as it fails to acknowledge the complexities of managing speech in the internet and big platform era. The big platforms have an unprecedented power that should worry proponents of democracy and rightly be the objective of public policy. However, a for-profit corporation has neither the capacity nor the legitimacy to make such intensely political decisions. The Stanford Working Group on Platform Scale suggested the concept of "middleware" as a way out of the problem, but there is no business model currently supporting this and middleware would be fiercely resisted by the platforms themselves.

ltfreedom of speech rchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202212screenshot20221205at105906ampngpfreedom of speech is one of the core freedoms of a liberal society the ability to criticize powerful people and organizations serves as a check on their power and the act of speech itself is an integral part of ones personal all liberal societies have placed limits on speech limits that are inevitable given the dangerous potential of certain forms of speech the rise of the internet has created a special problem for freedom of expression and has led to substantial confusion on the part of many people an example of that is elon musk who took over twitter claiming that he was a free speech absolutist that remark showed that he had not even begun to think through the complexities of managing speech in the nternetbig platform era and we are all paying the price for that now___steady_paywall___ppspeech has never been totally free in any modern liberal society many european liberal democracies have had restrictions on certain forms of political speech such as holocaust denial which long predated the rise of the internet americas first amendment was always less restrictive but even here there are limits contrary to popular belief you can yell fire in a crowded theater but the supreme court has ruled the open incitement of violence to be offlimitsppmoreover the scale of a media channel makes a big difference in the legality of limits to speech the federal communications commission has long regulated what can be broadcast on overtheair television banning hardcore pornography graphic violence and other types of content indeed it used to enforce something called the fairness doctrine in which broadcasters were enjoined to promote balanced coverage of divergent political views the consistency of these constraints with the first amendment was upheld by the supreme court in its 1968 red lion broadcasting v m decision conservatives never liked the fairness doctrine because they believed it was tilted against them and the doctrine was rescinded by administrative decree in the restrictions on broadcasters speech was allowed by the court due to considerations of spectrum scarcity the uniqueness of broadcasting and public nterestppwe are in a comparable situation today with the rise of the internet and social media over the past decade spectrum is obviously no longer limited but network economies have served to drive internet communications into a small number of very large platforms of which there are three twitter meta facebook and google in many ways these large platforms are comparable to the three broadcast tv channels of the influencing not just political opinion but what citizens believe to be factual information the internet enables the amplification of particular views and information on a scale and with a speed that is historically unprecedented and also allows the large platforms to in effect block disfavored speech through takedownsppin strict constitutional terms the first amendment applies only to restrictions on speech platform decisions to promote or take down material that they carry is actually under the first amendment so there is a narrow sense in which conservative charges that twitter and facebook are engaging in censorship is wrong in addition section 230 of the 1996 communications decency act has from the beginning protected the platforms from private tigationppthe big platforms have used their power to control the content they carry on a regular basis which is comparable to the policies of tv networks they do not permit users to post graphic pornography or violence promote terrorism or incite violence this was the grounds on which donald trump was barred from most platforms after january 6 with the exception of the latter this kind of content moderation has largely been regarded as modern democracy has a free speech problem we need to be specific here the problem is not t various forms of toxic content such as conspiracy theories fake news and hate speech are available over the internet the first amendment as it has been interpreted over the years protects these forms of speech the problem is different and relates to platform the platforms have an unprecedented power to either amplify certain messages or suppress disfavored speech they have moreover substantial ability to microtarget their audiences in ways that earlier advertisers couldnt achieve it is platform scale and power that should worry proponents of democracy and properly be the objective of public policy and not the mere fact that they are carrying politically toxic material in the a efhttpscyberfsistanfordedupublicationreportworkinggroupplatformscale2020 white authored by the stanford working group on platform scale which i chaired this power is likened to a loaded gun left on the table presently we have to trust that the person sitting across from us wouldnt pick up the gun and shoot us with it but there was no legal way of preventing that from happeningppelon musks claim to be a free speech absolutist constitutes an incoherent posture presumably this absolutism will not extend to permitting child pornography or snuff movies to be shared how about tweets purporting to show that covid vaccines are harmful or doxing election officials in the midst of a contested election in a swing state there is a fascinating case of yoga moms being drawn into non because a prominent yoga guru became an adherent the suggestion algorithm simply picked up this connection on the assumption that anyone interested in yoga was likely to be interested in non as well should social platforms make efforts to stop making similar ggestionsppgiven the platforms power to amplify or suppress free speech absolutism is simply not a tenable position the internet has become such a sewer that content moderation is absolutely necessary the question is who has the legitimacy to make these complex decisions with regard to political speech most of us would agree that the government should not be in charge there are some european countries like germany that are trying to regulate the internet in this fashion but we americans would never reach consensus on what is acceptable political speech given our polarization n lieu of such consensus many people have settled on pressuring the platforms to take on this responsibility but a forprofit corporation has neither the capacity nor the legitimacy to make such intensely political decisions our working group on platform scale suggested the concept of a efhttpscyberfsistanfordedupublicationhowsavedemocracytechnologymiddleware aas a way out of the roblemoutsourcing content moderation to a layer of competitive third parties that could tailor choices to the preference of individual users but there is no business model currently supporting this and middleware would be fiercely resisted by the platforms elvesppover the past few weeks elon musk has revealed himself to be a magaadjacent conservative who indulges in a lot of trumplike trolling for example he decided to go after alexander vindman the whistleblower who exposed trumps effort to block aid to ukraine leading to his first ckquote langen dirltrvindman is both puppet amp puppeteer question is who pulls his strings p elon musk elonmusk a efhttpstwittercomelonmuskstatus1596925202184564736ref_srctwsrc5etfwnovember 27 quote having promised to set up an independent body to set content moderation standards he backed away from that and started making arbitrary decisions as to who to allow on the site we will never know what other similar choices he has made particularly with regard to takedowns that are very hard to monitor hes now saddled himself with the responsibility for personally making content moderation decisions like his recent choice to ban kanye west once more for ntisemitismppthe one thing musk has said that makes sense is a distinction between freedom of speech and freedom of te langen dirltrnew twitter policy is freedom of speech but not freedom of reachbrbrnegativehate tweets will be max deboosted amp demonetized so no ads or other revenue to twitter wont find the tweet unless you specifically seek it out which is no different from rest of elon musk elonmusk a efhttpstwittercomelonmuskstatus1593673339826212864ref_srctwsrc5etfwnovember 18 quote comment correctly points to the central problem of the platforms not so much their content per se but their ability to amplify or silence if he were serious about this he would take away the ability to like and retweet harmful content but not take it down but this means that twitter remains in the business of policing content just using different tools and criteria implementing such a policy would still require quite a large bureaucratic apparatus and i doubt that he is prepared to really go down this routeppemimage a microphone with brass knuckles nsplash a efhttpsunsplashcomphotospt02waucswgfrancesco

63918020dd16928937bc78bd

Harris to swear in Karen Bass as first female Los Angeles mayor

pvice president harris will swear in los angeles mayorelect karen bass d who is set to become the first female mayor of the cityp pthe mayoral inauguration ceremony will take place on sunday and harris will travel there this weekend to swear her in the vice presidents office announced on monday second gentleman doug emhoff will also attendp pbass a member of congress is a progressive ally of harris and sen elizabeth warren dmass her race was a hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewscampaign3725633basselectedlasfirstfemalemayorofficially called more than a weeka after election day last month and she defeated democrat rick caruso a wealthy developer p pshe is set to replace outgoing mayor eric garcetti dp pharris and emhoff rallied for bass the day before election day at ucla harris and president biden both endorsed bass for mayor in august saying she earned their respect through her leadership in congressp pbass was discussed as a potential running mate for biden in the 2020 election and also received endorsements from other democrats like former president candidate hillary clinton p pmeanwhile caruso who is a former republican was endorsed by several celebrities including kim kardashian katy perry chris pratt and twitter owner elon muskp

Vice President Kamala Harris will be swearing in Karen Bass as the first female Mayor of Los Angeles on Sunday. Bass, a member of Congress, is a progressive ally of Harris and has been endorsed by her and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Bass won the mayoral elections defeating democrat Rick Caruso, a wealthy developer. Caruso was endorsed by several celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry, and Chris Pratt, but Bass was endorsed by the President and First Lady as well as many other Democrats. Bass was considered a potential running mate of the President in the 2020 elections.

vice president harris will swear in angeles mayorelect karen bass d who is set to become the first female mayor of the e mayoral inauguration ceremony will take place on sunday and harris will travel there this weekend to swear her in the vice presidents office announced on monday second gentleman doug hoff will also a member of congress is a progressive ally of harris and sen elizabeth warren her race was a efhttpsthehillcomhomenewscampaign3725633basselectedlasfirstfemalemayorofficially called more than a after election day last month and she defeated democrat rick caruso a wealthy developer p he is set to replace outgoing mayor eric dp and hoff rallied for bass the day before election day at harris and president den both endorsed bass for mayor in august saying she earned their respect through her leadership in was discussed as a potential running mate for den in the 2020 election and also received endorsements from other democrats like former president candidate hillary clinton p meanwhile caruso who is a former republican was endorsed by several celebrities including kim kardashian katy perry chris pratt and twitter owner elon

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Biden says Walker doesnt deserve to be in the Senate

ppresident biden on friday said that republican candidate herschel walker does not deserve to be in the senate just days ahead of the runoff in georgia on tuesdayp pduring a stop at a international brotherhood of electrical workers ibew fundraiser in boston biden emphasized the differences between democratic sen raphael warnock d and walker p pand you know this is not this is not a referendum biden said this is a choice a choice between two menp pone doesnt deserve to be in the united states senate based on his veracity and what he said and what he hadnt said he added the other man is really truly decent honorable guyp pbiden also said hes been told turnout for early voting looks good for democrats more than 1 million votes have already been cast ahead of tuesdays runoff electionp pthis race in george is really really critical biden said p pthe president has no plans to visit georgia ahead of tuesdayp pbiden commented that a 5050 senate which he has faced in his first term in office means you got 50 presidents anyone could decide to change the direction of the countryp pdemocrats had a betterthanexpected midterm election and held onto the senate but warnock winning reelection would give democrats a 5149 edge in the senatep pwere a diverse party but we still have all stuck together on a major major issues and one of the things that we need we need that 51st vote biden saidp pafter meeting with ibew the president will phone bank for warnock from boston and participate in a reception for the democratic senatorial campaign committee p

President Biden criticized Republican candidate Herschel Walker, stating that he does not deserve to be in the Senate. The comments were made during a stop in Boston for an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers fundraiser just days before the Georgia runoff. Biden highlighted the differences between Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and Walker, whom he criticized for his veracity. Biden has been told early voter turnout looks good for Democrats and has no plans to visit Georgia ahead of the election. Winning the election would give Democrats a 51-49 edge in the Senate.

dent den on friday said that republican candidate herschel walker does not deserve to be in the senate just days ahead of the runoff in georgia on during a stop at a international brotherhood of electrical workers ew fundraiser in boston den emphasized the differences between democratic sen raphael warnock d and walker p pand you know this is not this is not a referendum den said this is a choice a choice between two pone doesnt deserve to be in the united states senate based on his veracity and what he said and what he hadnt said he added the other man is really truly decent honorable den also said hes been told turnout for early voting looks good for democrats more than 1 million votes have already been cast ahead of tuesdays runoff race in george is really really critical den said p e president has no plans to visit georgia ahead of den commented that a 5050 senate which he has faced in his first term in office means you got 50 presidents anyone could decide to change the direction of the had a etterthanexpected midterm election and held onto the senate but warnock winning reelection would give democrats a 5149 edge in the were a diverse party but we still have all stuck together on a major major issues and one of the things that we need we need that 51st vote den fter meeting with ew the president will phone bank for warnock from boston and participate in a reception for the democratic senatorial campaign committee p

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Harris communications director set to leave post

pjamal simmons vice president harriss communications director will soon leave his position a source familiar with the matter told the hill on fridayp psimmonss wife accepted a position in new york and their family will move there in the near future according to an email from harriss chief of staff lorraine voles that was obtained by the hillp psimmons a longtime democratic communications aide joined harriss staff early this year after a rocky first year for the vice president which included a rash of negative headlines and departures of senior communications staffp pi knew jamal has young children and was concerned about time away from them but i also knew he could help me steady the ship because of his deep respect for the vice president he agreed to come on board for a year voles saidp ppolitico first a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpswwwpoliticocomnews20221202harriscommsdirectorjamalsimmonsissettodepartfromoffice00071939 target_blankreporteda on simmonss departure including a statement from him that said it has been an honor and a privilege to work for harrisp psimmons a michigan native previously worked at hilltv he was an aide to former sen bob graham dfla 2004 democratic presidential candidate wesley clark and former rep carolyn cheeks kilpatrick dmichp pvoles said in her email she is working with the communications team to determine next organizational stepsp

Vice President Kamala Harris's communications director, Jamal Simmons, is expected to leave his position soon, according to a source familiar with the matter. Simmons joined Harris's staff earlier this year, which was a rocky year for the vice president, marked by a wave of negative headlines and senior communications departures. Chief of Staff Lorraine Voles had convinced Simmons to come on board for a year, which was about to expire, and he accepted a job in New York, according to an email from Voles. The staff is working to determine next organizational steps.

jamal simmons vice president communications director will soon leave his position a source familiar with the matter told the hill on wife accepted a position in new york and their family will move there in the near future according to an email from chief of staff lorraine voles that was obtained by the a longtime democratic communications aide joined staff early this year after a rocky first year for the vice president which included a rash of negative headlines and departures of senior communications pi knew jamal has young children and was concerned about time away from them but i also knew he could help me steady the ship because of his deep respect for the vice president he agreed to come on board for a year voles tico first a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpswwwpoliticocomnews20221202harriscommsdirectorjamalsimmonsissettodepartfromoffice00071939 on departure including a statement from him that said it has been an honor and a privilege to work for a michigan native previously worked at hilltv he was an aide to former sen bob graham 2004 democratic presidential candidate wesley clark and former rep carolyn cheeks kilpatrick said in her email she is working with the communications team to determine next organizational

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Biden signs bill to avert rail shutdown

figure dataanvatoplayeridp1 div divdiv div div datareactcomponentanvatovideoplayerdiv figure ppresident biden on friday signed a bill that will avert a rail strike just days before the deadline for an agreement to have been reached and amid fears that such a halt in railroad operations would cripple the us economyp pthe bill implements the labor agreement between freight rail carriers and unionized workers that biden backed in september his administration at the time was largely praised for helping broker a dealp psenators voted 8015 on thursday on the housepassed bill with several democrats voting against the measure because it didnt include a sick leave provision biden who touts himself as the most prolabor president in us history has said that he supports increasing paid leave accommodations for rail workers but that it should be addressed separately from the billp pi know this was a tough vote for members of both parties it was tough for me but it was the right thing to do at the moment to save jobs to protect millions of working families from harm and disruption and to keep supply chains stable around the holidays biden said on friday p phe called the pay increase in the bill historic but vowed to keep working for increased sick leave p pthat fight isnt over i didnt commit we would stop just because we couldnt get it in this bill he said p pbiden also said after the bill passed on thursday that he shares in the reluctance by unions and some democrats to override the union ratification process but reiterated that the impacts of a rail strike on the us economy would be too severep pcongresss decisive action ensures that we will avoid the impending devastating economic consequences for workers families and communities across the country he said in a statement adding that lawmakers spared this country a christmas catastrophe in our grocery stores in our workplaces and in our communitiesp pbiden on monday called on congress to immediately adopt the tentative agreement without any modifications with the dec 9 deadline to reach an agreement loomingp pthe deal provides rail workers with 24 percent raises over five years and makes it easier for workers to miss time for medical appointments but a sticking point was that the deal did not include more than one day of paid leavep pthe senate rejected a proposal to provide rail workers sick leave on thursday after the house narrowly passed the proposal on wednesdayp psince the deal was struck in september labor secretary marty walsh agriculture secretary tom vilsack and transportation secretary pete buttigieg had been in regular touch with labor leaders and management but saw no path to resolve the dispute at the bargaining table the secretaries recommended that the administration seek congressional action to solve the issuep pwalsh and buttigieg went to capitol hill on thursday to brief democrats before the bill was passedp

US President Joe Biden has signed a bill to avert a rail strike, just a few days before the deadline for an agreement to have been reached. The bill implements a labor agreement between freight rail carriers and unionized workers that Biden backed in September. The deal provides rail workers with 24% raises over five years and makes it easier for workers to miss time for medical appointments. However, the deal did not include more than one day of paid sick leave. Several democrats voted against the measure because it did not include a sick leave provision. After the bill passed, Biden said, "the fight isn't over", and he vowed to keep working for increased sick leave.

figure nvatoplayeridp1 div div div v figure dent den on friday signed a bill that will avert a rail strike just days before the deadline for an agreement to have been reached and amid fears that such a halt in railroad operations would cripple the us e bill implements the labor agreement between freight rail carriers and unionized workers that den backed in september his administration at the time was largely praised for helping broker a voted 8015 on thursday on the housepassed bill with several democrats voting against the measure because it didnt include a sick leave provision den who touts himself as the most prolabor president in us history has said that he supports increasing paid leave accommodations for rail workers but that it should be addressed separately from the pi know this was a tough vote for members of both parties it was tough for me but it was the right thing to do at the moment to save jobs to protect millions of working families from harm and disruption and to keep supply chains stable around the holidays den said on friday p he called the pay increase in the bill historic but vowed to keep working for increased sick leave p t fight isnt over i didnt commit we would stop just because we couldnt get it in this bill he said p den also said after the bill passed on thursday that he shares in the reluctance by unions and some democrats to override the union ratification process but reiterated that the impacts of a rail strike on the us economy would be too decisive action ensures that we will avoid the impending devastating economic consequences for workers families and communities across the country he said in a statement adding that lawmakers spared this country a christmas catastrophe in our grocery stores in our and in our den on monday called on congress to immediately adopt the tentative agreement without any modifications with the dec 9 deadline to reach an agreement e deal provides rail workers with 24 percent raises over five years and makes it easier for workers to miss time for medical appointments but a sticking point was that the deal did not include more than one day of paid e senate rejected a proposal to provide rail workers sick leave on thursday after the house narrowly passed the proposal on nce the deal was struck in september labor secretary marty walsh agriculture secretary tom vilsack and transportation secretary pete ttigieg had been in regular touch with labor leaders and management but saw no path to resolve the dispute at the bargaining table the secretaries recommended that the administration seek congressional action to solve the walsh and ttigieg went to capitol hill on thursday to brief democrats before the bill was

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White House responds to criticism of Griner prisoner deal

figure dataanvatoplayeridp1 div divdiv div div datareactcomponentanvatovideoplayerdiv figure pthe white house stressed on thursday that it is committed to bringing home former marine paul whelan and will remain vigilant over viktor bouts release amid a backlash of criticism over a prisoner swap deal that released wnba star brittney griner from months of detention in russiap pin exchange for the release of griner the us is releasing bout an infamous russian arms dealer known as the merchant of death white house press secretary karine jeanpierre acknowledged to reporters during the white house briefing that the immediate results can feel unfair or arbitrary when it comes to a prisoner swapp pthe question has been placed to us is do we have security concerns right she added and what we have said is that the president did not make this decision lightly just want to make that very clear but he believed it was the right thing to secure brittneys release and we are going to stay vigilantp phouse minority leader kevin mccarthy rcalif a hrefhttpstwittercomgopleaderstatus1600905856299986944called that the swapa a gift to russian president vladimir putin and endangers american lives p psen john barrasso rwyo a hrefhttpstwittercomsenjohnbarrassostatus1600912340609662978s20tq6vp7mzxesrmhpam3yn46wtold fox news on thursdaya that the swap is not a fair exchange and that this is a russian play right out of their playbookp pjeanpierre pushed back on those notionsp pnegotiations for release of wrongful detainees are often very difficult thats just a reality she saidp pshe also stressed that biden is committed to bringing home whelan in remarks made just after griners release were made public biden earlier on thursday said that russia is treating whelans case differently than griners for totally illegitimate reasonsp pwhen asked if russia got a better deal in the swap jeanpierre said our choice was brittney or no one at allp pfox newss peter doocy cast the boutgriner swap as russia getting a better deal noting that griner is a professional athlete and bout is a prolific arms dealerp pthe professional athlete is also an american citizen lets not forget that jeanpierre pushed back the president felt that this was an opportunity to bring brittney homep pjeanpierre said that the white house understands how difficult it must be for the whelan family and that biden looks forward to speaking with them today or when they are ready to have that conversationp pthe president is going to do everything that he can as we have seen him do many times across his tenure in the administration to bring paul home this is a commitment the president is giving to the family and americans she saidp pin an interview with cnn from a russian prison whelan said he was surprised he was not included in the swap but seemed to agree that it was because russia is holding him to a different standard because of the espionage charges against himp probert obrien who served as special envoy for hostage affairs and national security advisor under former president trump said that griners release was not an either or situation and said hes confident whelan will come home in the near future p pboth whelan and griner were taken for political purposes by the russians in order to achieve leverage [against] the us to release viktor bout and others i know the administration has been involved very heavily in negotiating the release of both detaineesp pi dont think theres an either or situation on the tableyou hate to see situations where a murderer or a terrorist or an arms dealer like bout is traded for innocent americans but at the same time weve got an obligation to bring our fellow citizens home if theyre taken for political purposesquot he saidp pquothere the russians have made it very clear with both of them that theyre detained in order to obtain leverage over the united states it is not the detainees fault that theyre in this situation they carry a blue passport so theyve been put in a very bad situation because of their nationality weve got to do everything we can to get them home obrien addedp pemupdated at 326 pmemp

The US White House defended its prisoner swap deal, in which it exchanged infamous Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for American basketball player Ttney Griner. The swap has faced backlash, with critics arguing that it endangers American lives and is a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin. White House Press Secretary Karine Jeanpierre pushed back against these criticisms, stating that the exchange was the right thing to do to secure Griners release. The US remains committed to bringing former Marine Paul Whelan home, who remains detained in Russia.

figure nvatoplayeridp1 div div div v figure e white house stressed on thursday that it is committed to bringing home former marine paul whelan and will remain vigilant over viktor bouts release amid a backlash of criticism over a prisoner swap deal that released star ttney griner from months of detention in pin exchange for the release of griner the us is releasing bout an infamous russian arms dealer known as the merchant of death white house press secretary karine jeanpierre acknowledged to reporters during the white house briefing that the immediate results can feel unfair or arbitrary when it comes to a prisoner e question has been placed to us is do we have security concerns right she added and what we have said is that the president did not make this decision lightly just want to make that very clear but he believed it was the right thing to secure release and we are going to stay house minority leader kevin mccarthy rcalif a efhttpstwittercomgopleaderstatus1600905856299986944called that the a gift to russian president vladimir tin and endangers american lives p en john rrasso rwyo a efhttpstwittercomsenjohnbarrassostatus1600912340609662978s20tq6vp7mzxesrmhpam3yn46wtold fox news on that the swap is not a fair exchange and that this is a russian play right out of their jeanpierre pushed back on those for release of wrongful detainees are often very difficult thats just a reality she he also stressed that den is committed to bringing home whelan in remarks made just after release were made public den earlier on thursday said that russia is treating case differently than for totally illegitimate when asked if russia got a better deal in the swap jeanpierre said our choice was ttney or no one at fox peter doocy cast the outgriner swap as russia getting a better deal noting that griner is a professional athlete and bout is a prolific arms e professional athlete is also an american citizen lets not forget that jeanpierre pushed back the president felt that this was an opportunity to bring ttney jeanpierre said that the white house understands how difficult it must be for the whelan family and that den looks forward to speaking with them today or when they are ready to have that e president is going to do everything that he can as we have seen him do many times across his tenure in the administration to bring paul home this is a commitment the president is giving to the family and americans she pin an interview with cnn from a russian prison whelan said he was surprised he was not included in the swap but seemed to agree that it was because russia is holding him to a different standard because of the espionage charges against himp obrien who served as special envoy for hostage affairs and national security advisor under former president trump said that release was not an either or situation and said hes confident whelan will come home in the near future p h whelan and griner were taken for political purposes by the russians in order to achieve leverage [against] the us to release viktor bout and others i know the administration has been involved very heavily in negotiating the release of both pi dont think theres an either or situation on the hate to see situations where a murderer or a terrorist or an arms dealer like bout is traded for innocent americans but at the same time weve got an obligation to bring our fellow citizens home if theyre taken for political osesquot he othere the russians have made it very clear with both of them that theyre detained in order to obtain leverage over the united states it is not the detainees fault that theyre in this situation they carry a blue passport so theyve been put in a very bad situation because of their nationality weve got to do everything we can to get them home obrien dated at 326

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Biden administration drafting order to clarify space rules: report

pthe biden administration is reportedly working on an executive order to clarify the rules for private companies to launch rockets into spacep preuters first a hrefhttpswwwreuterscomworldusbidenadministrationdraftingexecutiveordersimplifyspacerulessources20221209taid63937eae6d01160001837ce7utm_campaigntrueanthemtrendingcontentutm_mediumtrueanthemutm_sourcetwitterreporteda citing us officials familiar with the effort that an order being drafted would streamline approval for private rocket launches and is part of an administration effort to provide legal and regulatory clarity for us companiesp pthe white houses national security council did not immediately respond for a request from the hill for confirmationp pthe administration has not been able to keep up with the uptick in privatesector investment in space exploration according to reutersp pthe order expected to be ready by early 2023 intends to simplify licensing procedures reuters said and would have the department of commerce launch an online tool to help guide the private sector through the licensing process simplifying the licensing process would allow for more space activities that are considered routine such as launching rockets and deploying satellitesp pspacex owned by elon musk and blue origin owned by jeff bezos among other companies have made major investments in projects like space stations and satellitesp pvice president harris chairs the national space council and earlier this month visited nasa headquarters with french president macron to discuss the usfrench cooperation in space science and exploration p pthe vice presidents office did not immediately respond to request from the hill for commentp

The Biden administration is reportedly working on an executive order to simplify the licensing of private rocket launches and provide legal and regulatory clarity for US space activity. This move comes in response to the significant increase in private sector investment in space exploration, which the administration has struggled to keep up with. The order, expected to be ready by early 2023, aims to streamline approval for private rocket launches and would simplify the licensing process. The Department of Commerce would also launch an online tool to guide the private sector through the licensing process, allowing for more routine space activities, such as launching rockets and deploying satellites for companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin.

e den administration is reportedly working on an executive order to clarify the rules for private companies to launch rockets into first a citing us officials familiar with the effort that an order being drafted would streamline approval for private rocket launches and is part of an administration effort to provide legal and regulatory clarity for us e white houses national security council did not immediately respond for a request from the hill for e administration has not been able to keep up with the tick in rivatesector investment in space exploration according to e order expected to be ready by early 2023 intends to simplify licensing procedures said and would have the department of commerce launch an online tool to help guide the private sector through the licensing process simplifying the licensing process would allow for more space activities that are considered routine such as launching rockets and deploying cex owned by elon musk and blue origin owned by jeff among other companies have made major investments in projects like space stations and vice president harris chairs the national space council and earlier this month visited nasa headquarters with french president macron to discuss the french cooperation in space science and exploration p e vice presidents office did not immediately respond to request from the hill for

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American hubris

pgreat powers both past and present are haunted by three interconnected preoccupations they are tempted by a sense of national superiority and claims to manifest historic destiny those pretensions tend to provoke fears of decline which then give rise to projects of rebirthp pthe european empires that once fancied themselves great most notably the british and french are extreme examples as france decolonised after 1945 charles de gaulle made grandeur a watchword of national policy for the british elite despite the increase in standards of living decline was an obsession throughout the postwar period under the sign of cool britannia and tony blairs embrace of europe in the 1990s that shadow lifted but since the banking crisis of 2008 and the brexit referendum of 2016 the question has returned with evergreater force while the brexiteers promise a global britain the average standard of living in britain is declining for the first time in modern history nationalist bluster about britannia unchained obfuscates a cooleyed and practical appraisal of britains actual position in the worldp pafter 1945 the united states superseded the european empires as the hegemon of the noncommunist world the question the english literature professor jed esty asks in his new book emthe future of decline angloamerican culture at its limitsem is whether the us has now succumbed to the same british malady is the us so haunted by preoccupation with relative decline that it cant adjust to the realities of an increasingly multipolar worldp pin making his argument esty distinguishes the fact of the uss diminishing superiority in economic and military terms which he considers undeniable and inevitable and the ideological preoccupation of declinism as esty puts it it isnt just data that matters but the story you tell with it it is in deciphering this complex weave of reality and narrative that estys expertise as a literature professor takes effect ranging widely across genres he reads cinema tv shows and literature from emthe west wingem to the yale historian paul kennedy and marvels emblack pantherem as examples of a culture of declinep pas far as americas relative standing is concerned there are some uncontroversial facts in 1945 the us share of global gdp was almost 50 per cent by 2020 its share had fallen to 16 per cent military spending is one of the few categories in which the us remains supreme but china is catching up around these facts as esty show us american analysts weave a variety of diagnoses ranging from technocratic reformism to conservative appeals for moral renewal and a reassertion of faith in the uss missionp pwhat is characteristic of these modes of thought is that they are remedial within the diagnosis of decline there lingers the desire to restore greatness to make america great again that was donald trumps slogan but under the democrats the aspiration to restore us to world leadership is if anything even more clear cut unlike trump whose grim warning of american carnage suggested real doubts about us preeminence joe biden takes a sunnier view for him americas status as the number one power is an article of faith his instinct has always been to breezily dismiss claims that china might be closing the gapp pas esty points out the assumption of national preeminence is shared by much of the american left the green new deal was motivated by a vision of americas unique productive power that harked back to franklin delano roosevelt and the second world war talk of turning the uss worldbestriding arsenal of democracy into the motor of a sustainable energy transition is not merely window dressing when in august this year congress passed the inflation reduction act a much diminished nationalist green industrial policy in austerian garb it was declared to be the bill that would save the planet this despite americas responsibility for at most 135 per cent of global co2 emissions less than half chinas share by all accounts the us delegation to cop27 in egypt was surprised that they were not greeted with rounds of applause for having delivered what they hail as the biggest climate package in historyp pfor esty the swirling dialectic of national exceptionalism fear of decline and the promise of national revival delivers a cockeyed view of the world which will be painfully familiar to british readers the preoccupation with great power status results in too much military spending and not enough money for education and infrastructure global posturing distracts from sensiblyscaled civic initiatives to make the us a more liveable place for the vast majority of its populationp plike many american reformers before him esty proposes that to break out of this cycle of powerobsessed thinking us political culture needs a new sense of proportion and as esty sees it that would be best instilled by a suitably redesigned programme of humanities education a proper appreciation of the wests entangled and violent history will deflate the exceptionalist balloon and invite more sobriety and realism reversing the priorities that once motivated british critics of decline esty argues that americas contemporary focus on tech solutionism and stem education science technology engineering and mathematics is both a symptom and a cause of the malaisep pthis is hardly new since the early 20th century us reformers have identified education as a means to instill a more pragmatic and realistic understanding of the world esty however proposes to break with americas national traditions his suggestion is that in crafting a new curriculum for an age beyond great power hubris us educators and intellectuals should take inspiration of all places from britain what he has in mind is not the kiplingesque punditry of the likes of the historian niall ferguson but its opposite estys inspiration is the british new left which he sees as exemplary in its efforts to come to terms with the end of imperial greatnessp pit is a charming if implausible suggestion no one could disagree with the need to revisit classics such as empolicing the crisisem 1978 a landmark work headed by stuart hall that used the moral panic over mugging in 1970s britain to decipher a power structure under threat but the suggestion that a curriculum drawn from 1970s cultural studies and back issues of the emnew left reviewem can offer an antidote to maga ideology is farfetched apart from anything else estys basic conceit that the uss imperial decline is analogous to that of the uks does not stand up to close scrutiny the british empire never wielded the firepower commanded by washington today the uk never confronted a nuclear armed soviet union or the rise of modern china on the other hand americas domestic problems are far more severe violent and entrenched than anything confronting postwar britain in the 1950s 1960s or 1970s or today though they may share a common history in atlantic slavery britain is a postcolonial not a postemancipation society there is no british equivalent to mass incarceration jim crow or the ku klux klan in the 1960s and 1970s the heyday of declinism the uk was building a welfare state half a century later as the richest and most powerful nation on earth the us still lacks a decent public healthcare system life expectancy in america lags significantly behind that in britainp peven if estys analogy between britain in the 1950s and 1960s and modern day america made sense can one really say that the british new left offered a coherent reading of the uks predicament or one that helped british society or politics to accept its own decline indeed one might wonder whether the british new left was ever truly reconciled to its countrys diminished standing with the significant exception of hall they wrote as the selfconscious heirs of a fallen empire still today perry anderson the power behind the emnew left reviewem and repeatedly invoked by esty writes as if from the olympian heights recently he has concentrated most of his attention on the logics of american power if the aim is to propose a more democratic and modest approach to history would it not make more sense to draw inspiration from grassroots efforts such as the emhistory workshop journalem or raphael samuels remarkably capacious understanding of popular historyp pif the us today is to craft a new political culture less obsessed with grandeur and more in touch with 21stcentury realities should our efforts not start with the young americans who will grow into that world rather than needing a new academic curriculum to immunise them against delusions of national grandeur the consistent result of opinion polls taken in recent decades suggest that younger americans have defected of their own accord from us exceptionalism solid majorities of millennials and gen z refuse the idea that their country is the greatest on earth which is hardly surprising given their experience of it after the invasions of afghanistan and iraq their interest in military adventures is mainly confined to the computer screen and more young americans today evince sympathy for the idea of socialism than for capitalismp pif anyone is failing to grasp modern realities it is not younger americans who are presumably the targets of estys programme but their parents and grandparents faced with a rapidly changing world americans over 60 the socalled silent generation born between 1928 and 1945 and the boomers 194564 remain addicted to the claim of american greatness in the elections of 2016 and 2020 they voted solidly for trump and the democratic partys own gerontocrats with biden and nancy pelosi in the lead are unabashed exceptionalists their animating idea is to wage a global power struggle with russia and china in which the ideological stakes resemble those of the cold war in so doing they strike a pose that not only discards the idea of us national decline but puts in question the very terms of declinist discoursep pdeclinist discourse is full of anxiety imagining a world in competitive terms with countries racing each other to have the largest economy or the best scores in educational rankings this vision of competition however is tempered by reference to thirdparty standard which in the modern era has been the primary yardstick of economic performance this economic logic both defines national decline and relativises it it is after all not surprising that china should catch up with the us at least to some degree any more than it was surprising that west germany caught up with britain after 1945 decline defined in economic terms is relative underperformance it is not defeat this is the common sense that esty wants america to adjust top pbut it is precisely that logic that has over the past decade been upended by the uss policy elite starting with the pivot to asia in 2011 under barack obama and moving into a more aggressive gear during trumps presidency the biden administration is clear that in the critical fields of industrial policy the us is no longer competing with china as if on a playing field or as though they were measured against a common yardstick nor is it a matter of protecting property rights or opening markets for american exports as far as the cutting edge of microelectronics and ai are concerned the declared aim of us policy is to cap chinas development both in absolute and relative terms and by means of aggressive sanctions to sustain americas military superiority to achieve this extraordinarily aggressive technomilitary objective the us is not only seeking to deny china access to americas own technology it is also endeavouring to block exports to china of key technologies by businesses from taiwan south korea the netherlands and japan this is not competition nor the rhetoric of declinism this is the logic of economic warp pin historical terms it is quite hard to think of any analogy to this moment the soviet union was never as entangled with the western economies as china is today for all its commitment to the economic weapon and blockade the british empire never pursued a policy as deliberately destructive of any particular commercial competitor as the one that the us has pursued against chinas huawei read against the current mood in washington estys critique of declinism and his wellmeaning appeal for common sense and realism feel almost escapist it would be comforting to imagine that america today is in a situation analogous to that of britain in the 1950s or the 1960s where the worst that could be unleashed is a bloody but localised postcolonial expedition in its unipolar moment the united states created havoc enough in iraq and libya but today the stakes are higher even than that rather than the suez debacle of 1956 the relevant historical example today is the cuban missile crisis as tension with russia mounts over ukraine and with china over taiwan the question that overshadows our time is not american national decline but the risk that a second cold war might unleash a third world warp pstrongthe future of decline angloamerican culture at its limitsstrongbrjed estybremstandford university press 164pp 1199emp

The US may be suffering from a preoccupation with decline, characterised by a sense of national superiority and a narrative of restoring greatness, which is complicating a realistic response to multipolar global politics, according to English professor Jed Esty, writing in the London Review of Books. Esty argues America needs a new sense of proportion to escape the cycle, with inspiration taken from Britain's New Left. Esty suggests a new curriculum for humanities, which would appraise the West's entangled history, and be less focussed on technological education. Only by breaking with tradition, he adds, can the US escape obsessive thinking.

great powers both past and present are haunted by three interconnected preoccupations they are tempted by a sense of national superiority and claims to manifest historic destiny those pretensions tend to provoke fears of decline which then give rise to projects of e european empires that once fancied themselves great most notably the british and french are extreme examples as france decolonised after 1945 charles de gaulle made grandeur a watchword of national policy for the british elite despite the increase in standards of living decline was an obsession throughout the postwar period under the sign of cool britannia and tony embrace of europe in the that shadow lifted but since the banking crisis of 2008 and the exit referendum of 2016 the question has returned with evergreater force while the promise a global britain the average standard of living in britain is declining for the first time in modern history nationalist bluster about britannia unchained obfuscates a cooleyed and practical appraisal of actual position in the fter 1945 the united states superseded the european empires as the hegemon of the noncommunist world the question the english literature professor jed esty asks in his new book e future of decline ngloamerican culture at its is whether the us has now succumbed to the same british malady is the us so haunted by preoccupation with relative decline that it cant adjust to the realities of an increasingly multipolar pin making his argument esty distinguishes the fact of the diminishing superiority in economic and military terms which he considers undeniable and inevitable and the ideological preoccupation of declinism as esty puts it it isnt just data that matters but the story you tell with it it is in deciphering this complex weave of reality and narrative that expertise as a literature professor takes effect ranging widely across genres he reads cinema tv shows and literature from e west to the yale historian paul kennedy and marvels lack m as examples of a culture of pas far as americas relative standing is concerned there are some uncontroversial facts in 1945 the us share of global was almost 50 per cent by 2020 its share had fallen to 16 per cent military spending is one of the few categories in which the us remains supreme but china is catching up around these facts as esty show us american analysts weave a variety of diagnoses ranging from technocratic reformism to conservative appeals for moral renewal and a reassertion of faith in the what is characteristic of these modes of thought is that they are remedial within the diagnosis of decline there lingers the desire to restore greatness to make america great again that was donald trumps slogan but under the democrats the aspiration to restore us to world leadership is if anything even more clear cut unlike trump whose grim warning of american carnage suggested real doubts about us preeminence joe den takes a sunnier view for him americas status as the number one power is an article of faith his instinct has always been to breezily dismiss claims that china might be closing the pas esty points out the assumption of national preeminence is shared by much of the american left the green new deal was motivated by a vision of americas unique productive power that harked back to franklin no roosevelt and the second world war talk of turning the worldbestriding arsenal of democracy into the motor of a sustainable energy transition is not merely window dressing when in august this year congress passed the inflation reduction act a much diminished nationalist green industrial policy in terian garb it was declared to be the bill that would save the planet this despite americas responsibility for at most 135 per cent of global co2 emissions less than half chinas share by all accounts the us delegation to cop27 in egypt was surprised that they were not greeted with rounds of applause for having delivered what they hail as the biggest climate package in for esty the swirling dialectic of national exceptionalism fear of decline and the promise of national revival delivers a cockeyed view of the world which will be painfully familiar to british readers the preoccupation with great power status results in too much military spending and not enough money for education and infrastructure global posturing distracts from ensiblyscaled civic initiatives to make the us a more liveable place for the vast majority of its ke many american reformers before him esty proposes that to break out of this cycle of owerobsessed thinking us political culture needs a new sense of proportion and as esty sees it that would be best instilled by a suitably redesigned programme of humanities education a proper appreciation of the wests entangled and violent history will deflate the exceptionalist balloon and invite more sobriety and realism reversing the priorities that once motivated british critics of decline esty argues that americas contemporary focus on tech tionism and stem education science technology engineering and mathematics is both a symptom and a cause of the is hardly new since the early century us reformers have identified education as a means to instill a more pragmatic and realistic understanding of the world esty however proposes to break with americas national traditions his suggestion is that in crafting a new curriculum for an age beyond great power hubris us educators and intellectuals should take inspiration of all places from britain what he has in mind is not the kiplingesque punditry of the likes of the historian niall ferguson but its opposite inspiration is the british new left which he sees as exemplary in its efforts to come to terms with the end of imperial pit is a charming if implausible suggestion no one could disagree with the need to revisit classics such as cing the 1978 a landmark work headed by stuart hall that used the moral panic over mugging in britain to decipher a power structure under threat but the suggestion that a curriculum drawn from cultural studies and back issues of the new left can offer an antidote to maga ideology is farfetched apart from anything else basic conceit that the imperial decline is analogous to that of the does not stand up to close scrutiny the british empire never wielded the firepower commanded by washington today the k never confronted a nuclear armed soviet union or the rise of modern china on the other hand americas domestic problems are far more severe violent and entrenched than anything confronting postwar britain in the or or today though they may share a common history in atlantic slavery britain is a postcolonial not a ostemancipation society there is no british equivalent to mass incarceration jim crow or the klux klan in the and the heyday of declinism the k was building a welfare state half a century later as the richest and most powerful nation on earth the us still lacks a decent public healthcare system life expectancy in america lags significantly behind that in even if analogy between britain in the and and modern day america made sense can one really say that the british new left offered a coherent reading of the predicament or one that helped british society or politics to accept its own decline indeed one might wonder whether the british new left was ever truly reconciled to its diminished standing with the significant exception of hall they wrote as the heirs of a fallen empire still today perry anderson the power behind the new left and repeatedly invoked by esty writes as if from the olympian heights recently he has concentrated most of his attention on the logics of american power if the aim is to propose a more democratic and modest approach to history would it not make more sense to draw inspiration from grassroots efforts such as the history workshop m or raphael remarkably capacious understanding of popular f the us today is to craft a new political culture less obsessed with grandeur and more in touch with 21stcentury realities should our efforts not start with the young americans who will grow into that world rather than needing a new academic curriculum to immunise them against delusions of national grandeur the consistent result of opinion polls taken in recent decades suggest that younger americans have defected of their own accord from us exceptionalism solid majorities of and gen z refuse the idea that their country is the greatest on earth which is hardly surprising given their experience of it after the invasions of afghanistan and iraq their interest in military adventures is mainly confined to the computer screen and more young americans today evince sympathy for the idea of socialism than for f anyone is failing to grasp modern realities it is not younger americans who are presumably the targets of programme but their parents and grandparents faced with a rapidly changing world americans over 60 the ocalled silent generation born between 1928 and 1945 and the boomers 194564 remain addicted to the claim of american greatness in the elections of 2016 and 2020 they voted solidly for trump and the democratic own with den and nancy in the lead are unabashed their animating idea is to wage a global power struggle with russia and china in which the ideological stakes resemble those of the cold war in so doing they strike a pose that not only discards the idea of us national decline but puts in question the very terms of declinist declinist discourse is full of anxiety imagining a world in competitive terms with countries racing each other to have the largest economy or the best scores in educational rankings this vision of competition however is tempered by reference to rdparty standard which in the modern era has been the primary yardstick of economic performance this economic logic both defines national decline and it it is after all not surprising that china should catch up with the us at least to some degree any more than it was surprising that west germany caught up with britain after 1945 decline defined in economic terms is relative nderperformance it is not defeat this is the common sense that esty wants america to adjust top t it is precisely that logic that has over the past decade been upended by the policy elite starting with the pivot to asia in 2011 under rack and moving into a more aggressive gear during trumps presidency the den administration is clear that in the critical fields of industrial policy the us is no longer competing with china as if on a playing field or as though they were measured against a common yardstick nor is it a matter of protecting property rights or opening markets for american exports as far as the cutting edge of microelectronics and ai are concerned the declared aim of us policy is to cap chinas development both in absolute and relative terms and by means of aggressive sanctions to sustain americas military superiority to achieve this extraordinarily aggressive technomilitary objective the us is not only seeking to deny china access to americas own technology it is also endeavouring to block exports to china of key technologies by businesses from taiwan south korea the netherlands and japan this is not competition nor the rhetoric of declinism this is the logic of economic warp pin historical terms it is quite hard to think of any analogy to this moment the soviet union was never as entangled with the western economies as china is today for all its commitment to the economic weapon and blockade the british empire never pursued a policy as deliberately destructive of any particular commercial competitor as the one that the us has pursued against chinas read against the current mood in washington critique of declinism and his wellmeaning appeal for common sense and realism feel almost escapist it would be comforting to imagine that america today is in a situation analogous to that of britain in the or the where the worst that could be unleashed is a bloody but localised postcolonial expedition in its unipolar moment the united states created havoc enough in iraq and libya but today the stakes are higher even than that rather than the suez debacle of 1956 the relevant historical example today is the cuban missile crisis as tension with russia mounts over ukraine and with china over taiwan the question that overshadows our time is not american national decline but the risk that a second cold war might unleash a third world warp e future of decline ngloamerican culture at its mitsstrongbrjed estybremstandford university press

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White House disputes Biden DNC move rewards South Carolina

pthe white house is pushing back on the notion that a change championed by president biden to elevate south carolina in the 2024 election calendar is rewarding a state that propelled his campaign in 2020 arguing the move is a way to promote diverse voices in early democratic primariesp pbut its also being seen as a way for biden to chart a path to victory should he opt to run for reelection as the palmetto state is largely credited for turning things around for biden when his last presidential run appeared all but overp pthe white house has disputed that notion defending the lobbying effort by biden to have the democratic national committee dnc make south carolina the first state to hold a primary putting it ahead of new hampshire iowa north carolina and nevada p pwhite house press secretary karine jeanpierre this week pushed back on the idea that the move is a way to reward south carolina for bidens victory therep pthat is not what that is she told reporters on tuesday it had nothing to do with the primary results and i can definitively say thatp pa critical endorsement in 2020 from south carolina rep james clyburn the no 3 house democrat helped biden gain the momentum needed from black voters a bloc that played a critical role in his ultimate victory p pclyburn is notably remaining in a leadership role during the next congress despite speaker pelosi calif and house majority leader steny hoyer md opting to step aside after decades at the top in order to allow a new generation of democrats to lead the party in the house p pdemocratic strategist antjuan seawright a former aide and close ally of clyburn said that bidens push to elevate south carolina goes beyond clyburns endorsement p pi think this was bigger than jim clyburn i think this is about all the issues that jim clyburn has spent his career fighting and advocating for and the communities unrepresented and left behind for far too long seawright saidp pthis is a way to move them from being on the menu and them having a seat at the table he said and jim clyburn is still at the leadership table that means theres someone there who can actually read the menup pbut bidens efforts still raise questions about whether the change to make south carolina the first state to vote in a democratic primary is a way to repay clyburnp pthe south carolina democrat himself a hrefhttpswwwcnncom20221206politicsclyburnsouthcarolinabiden2024cnntvindexhtmltold cnn this week he was stunneda and a bit surprised by the presidents move to reshape the primary calendarp pthe news also came as a shock to lawmakers from new hampshire which has firstinthenation primary statusp pdemocratic sens jeanne shaheen and maggie hassan both skipped the white house congressional ball earlier this week in protest of bidens proposal hassan called the suggestion by biden misguidedp pthe move a hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewsstatewatch3764076bidenssouthcarolinamovereignitestensionswithsanderscampalso reignited old tensions between bidena and allies of sen bernie sanders ivt who ran against biden in 2020 and was defeated in south carolina after several wins in states earlier on the primary calendarp pthe biden nomination calendar contains a fundamental dooming flaw the replacement of iowa with south carolina as the first state former sander campaign manager faiz shakir wrote in a new york times oped the change would be comical if it werent tragicp piowa which hosts the first democratic and republican caucuses in the nation also gets the boot from being the first to vote in 2024 under bidens proposalp pthe white house has echoed bidens argument that the change aims to make good on his commitment to promote diversity south carolina has among the highest share of eligible black voters in the countryp pthis is an opportunity to have a greater place in the process jeanpierre said the president has been very clear on making sure that we meet what the country looks like right making sure that even in his administration it looks like the country the diversity of the countryp pivan zapien a former dnc official called biden wanting to promote diversity in the primary process and to thank south carolina and clyburn for his 2020 primary victory both good reasons for the movep pthe country and the party has changed and we need to change with it zapien said giving diverse voices and earlier voices in the process will make the eventual candidate stronger with the modern democratic base p psome democrats also argue theres a bigger picture its not just that south carolina helped biden in 2020 the state has helped decades of democrats win the presidential nominationp psince 1992 nearly every democrat who won the south carolina primary has gone on to win the democratic presidential nomination the only exception being john edwards in 2004 seawright notedp pi think its perhaps the biggest way you can say thank you to the most loyal and consistent and perhaps consequential voting bloc in a generation of black voters he saidp pseawright said that for decades south carolina voters have served as a test case for democrats and their vote is a way to also test messaging to voters to see what resonatesp pclyburn himself reiterated that sentiment telling cnn that every candidate thats won south carolina has gone on to be our nominee and get together [the] majority of the vote in the general electionp pdnc chairman jaime harrison who previously served as the chair of the south carolina democratic party fiercely defended bidens push for diversity in the primary calendar and said he had zero tolerance for critics who dont see the importance of black votersp pzero tolerance zero for any disrespect or dismissal of black voters he saidp

The White House is pushing back against the idea that the elevation of South Carolina in the 2024 election calendar is an effort to reward the state, which propelled President Biden's campaign to victory in 2020. The move is positioned as a way to promote diverse voices in early Democratic contests. The White House has defended Biden's efforts to make South Carolina the first state to hold a primary and argued that the change is about representing communities that have been left behind. The change has raised questions about whether it is a way to repay the South Carolina Democrat, James Clyburn, who played a critical role in Biden's victory in the state during the primaries.

e white house is pushing back on the notion that a change championed by president den to elevate south carolina in the 2024 election calendar is rewarding a state that propelled his campaign in 2020 arguing the move is a way to promote diverse voices in early democratic t its also being seen as a way for den to chart a path to victory should he opt to run for reelection as the palmetto state is largely credited for turning things around for den when his last presidential run appeared all but e white house has disputed that notion defending the lobbying effort by den to have the democratic national committee dnc make south carolina the first state to hold a primary putting it ahead of new hampshire iowa north carolina and nevada p white house press secretary karine jeanpierre this week pushed back on the idea that the move is a way to reward south carolina for bidens victory t is not what that is she told reporters on tuesday it had nothing to do with the primary results and i can definitively say pa critical endorsement in 2020 from south carolina rep james clyburn the no 3 house democrat helped den gain the momentum needed from black voters a bloc that played a critical role in his ultimate victory p clyburn is notably remaining in a leadership role during the next congress despite speaker calif and house majority leader teny hoyer md opting to step aside after decades at the top in order to allow a new generation of democrats to lead the party in the house p democratic strategist ntjuan eawright a former aide and close ally of clyburn said that bidens push to elevate south carolina goes beyond endorsement p pi think this was bigger than jim clyburn i think this is about all the issues that jim clyburn has spent his career fighting and advocating for and the communities unrepresented and left behind for far too long eawright is a way to move them from being on the menu and them having a seat at the table he said and jim clyburn is still at the leadership table that means theres someone there who can actually read the t bidens efforts still raise questions about whether the change to make south carolina the first state to vote in a democratic primary is a way to repay e south carolina democrat himself a efhttpswwwcnncom20221206politicsclyburnsouthcarolinabiden2024cnntvindexhtmltold cnn this week he was and a bit surprised by the presidents move to reshape the primary e news also came as a shock to lawmakers from new hampshire which has firstinthenation primary democratic jeanne shaheen and maggie hassan both skipped the white house congressional ball earlier this week in protest of bidens proposal hassan called the suggestion by den e move a efhttpsthehillcomhomenewsstatewatch3764076bidenssouthcarolinamovereignitestensionswithsanderscampalso reignited old tensions between and allies of sen bernie sanders vt who ran against den in 2020 and was defeated in south carolina after several wins in states earlier on the primary e den nomination calendar contains a fundamental dooming flaw the replacement of iowa with south carolina as the first state former sander campaign manager faiz hakir wrote in a new york times oped the change would be comical if it werent which hosts the first democratic and republican caucuses in the nation also gets the boot from being the first to vote in 2024 under bidens e white house has echoed bidens argument that the change aims to make good on his commitment to promote diversity south carolina has among the highest share of eligible black voters in the is an opportunity to have a greater place in the process jeanpierre said the president has been very clear on making sure that we meet what the country looks like right making sure that even in his administration it looks like the country the diversity of the van zapien a former dnc official called den wanting to promote diversity in the primary process and to thank south carolina and clyburn for his 2020 primary victory both good reasons for the e country and the party has changed and we need to change with it zapien said giving diverse voices and earlier voices in the process will make the eventual candidate stronger with the modern democratic base p ome democrats also argue theres a bigger picture its not just that south carolina helped den in 2020 the state has helped decades of democrats win the presidential nce 1992 nearly every democrat who won the south carolina primary has gone on to win the democratic presidential nomination the only exception being john edwards in 2004 eawright pi think its perhaps the biggest way you can say thank you to the most loyal and consistent and perhaps consequential voting bloc in a generation of black voters he eawright said that for decades south carolina voters have served as a test case for democrats and their vote is a way to also test messaging to voters to see what clyburn himself reiterated that sentiment telling cnn that every candidate thats won south carolina has gone on to be our nominee and get together [the] majority of the vote in the general dnc chairman jaime harrison who previously served as the chair of the south carolina democratic party fiercely defended bidens push for diversity in the primary calendar and said he had zero tolerance for critics who dont see the importance of black zero tolerance zero for any disrespect or dismissal of black voters he

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The Coming Winter War

img altthe coming winter war srchttpswwwamericanpurposecomcontentimages202212screenshot20221212at113602ampngpi havent posted anything on ukraine in a while but that doesnt mean i havent been continuously thinking and worrying about itppsince the liberation of kherson last month there has been a lull in fighting in the south and a continuing bloody engagement around bakhmut where russian forces led by yevgeny prigozhins wagner group have been trying to capture the city for many weeks now russia has continued to attack civilian infrastructure in ukraine trying to shut down electricity and water as the winter sets inppfollowing a pattern that has persisted since the beginning of the war every pause in the fighting has led to renewed calls for negotiations the latest have come from my old friend robert wright who a hrefhttpswwwwashingtonpostcomopinions20221202howbidenhelpukrainezelenskyargued in the emwashington postema for us pressure on ukraine to negotiate french president emmanuel macron rather unbelievably suggested that russia might need security guarantees in a peace deal while another old friend john mearsheimer doubled down on this point in a a hrefhttpswwwnewyorkercomnewsqandawhyjohnmearsheimerblamestheusforthecrisisinukrainebizarre interview with isaac chotinera jeffrey sachs has continued to double down on a hrefhttpswwwdemocracynoworg2022126jeffrey_sachs_ukraine_warhis view that the war is entirely driven by american policya___steady_paywall___ppsuch arguments are all based on two mistaken premises first that russias motives in the war were something other than a desire to grab as much ukrainian territory as possible and undermine its viability as a state and second that further ukrainian advances were unlikely and that a longterm stalemate would ensue both of these are wrongppwhile russia is clearly on the back foot right now there is zero evidence that its longterm objective of subduing ukraine has changed in the slightest indeed russian spokesmen have as much as admitted that they needed time to rest and rebuild their forces a peace negotiation now that left them in control of significant ukrainian territory would not lead to peace the war would resume the moment russia felt it had recovered sufficiently in the meantime ukrainian civilians trapped behind russian lines will continue to suffer torture and repression as they have in every territory thus far liberated from russian controlppwith regard to military outcomes there is every reason to think that ukraines forward momentum will continue now that winter has set in the ground is freezing and permitting greater vehicle mobility the russians retreated from kherson and are fortifying positions on the left bank of the dnipro river but according to the institute for the study of war they have a hrefhttpstwittercomthestudyofwarstatus1599204388983083008s20t8_j4cggtb2r_myreqxzalgnot had time to build comprehensive defense linesa and the ukrainians have a hrefhttpstwittercomthestudyofwarstatus1599193148097445889s20t8_j4cggtb2r_myreqxzalgalready crossed the rivera at several points it is extremely important that they liberate this stretch of territory so as to be able to cut russian lines of communication running from russianoccupied donbas and russia itself through marilupol and melitopolpponce these lines are cut or in artillery range ukraine can think about liberating crimea a direct assault across the narrow isthmus that connects the peninsula to kherson oblast is not likely to work rather the peninsula can be cut off from resupply and slowly strangled the way that ukraine strangled kherson in the late summer reclaiming nova kakhovka on the left bank of the dnipro will allow ukraine to once again block the canal that supplies crimea with fresh water meanwhile its ability to strike targets deep within the peninsula has already been demonstrated and will greatly increase as eastern kherson is liberated the russians may get serious about negotiating if they feel their grasp on sevastopol slippingppneedless to say all of this will require continued high levels of military support from the west as well as help in protecting and rebuilding civilian infrastructure withholding longrange missile systems like atacms seems silly when ukraine is desperate to neutralize the airbases from which rocket attacks are launched russia used fear of nuclear escalation in september to try to intimidate kyivs allies but it didnt work and they have given up on that if washington is as serious as it claims to be about helping ukraine win the war it should lift its blocks on these kinds of systemsppas ive said in a hrefhttpswwwamericanpurposecomblogfukuyamacrimeaplatformprevious postsa western pressure on ukraine to negotiate always increases the moment ukraines forward military momentum slows politics is driven by military outcomes and not the reverse in this case the russian army is poorly equipped to fight in winter conditions with many of its recently mobilized forces lacking winter uniforms and shelter ukraine by contrast is fully prepared to take advantage of the season to move ahead quite frankly the biggest threat to ukraines success was the republican party had a red wave materialized on nov 8 the maga wing of the party would have felt its oats and pushed to cut funding to kyiv now with the further loss of herschel walker to raphael warnock trumpism has been deflated and is on a downward slope the united states and its nato allies have to capitalize on the moment and help ukraine winppone final issue emine dzheppar ukraines deputy minister of foreign affairs launched an initiative called a hrefhttpswwwamericanpurposecomblogfukuyamacrimeaplatformcrimean platforma before the start of the war to call attention to human rights abuses in crimea especially among her own crimean tatar community i have been happy to help in this and would like to reiterate my support for a hrefhttpsmfagovuaennewscommentministryforeignaffairsukrainesocalledsentencesissuedukrainiancitizenjournalistsarifmemetovsuleimanovandsheykhaliyevandactivistsmuedinovandametovthose citizen journalistsa who have been unjustly sentenced to prison for reporting on the truth by the russians occupiersppemimage servicemen at the land forces training center of the ukrainian armed forces flickr a hrefhttpswwwflickrcomphotosministryofdefenceua26587899838inalbum72157692068904101ukrainian ministry of defenseaemp

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has continued despite a lull in fighting around Kherson, and negotiations have resumed. Russian forces have been trying to capture Khmut, and Russian spokesmen have admitted that they are currently resting and rebuilding their forces. The Russian objective of subduing Ukraine has not changed, and a peace negotiation that left Russia in control of significant Ukrainian territory would not lead to peace. Forward momentum is expected to continue as winter sets in, and Ukraine is fully prepared to take advantage of the season to move ahead. It is crucial that Ukraine liberate Nova on the left bank of the Dnipro to begin thinking about liberating Crimea; once communication lines are cut or artillery range is reached, the peninsula can be strangled. The United States and its NATO allies should help Ukraine win the war risked being deflated had the Republican Party achieved a red wave.

ltthe coming winter war havent posted anything on ukraine in a while but that doesnt mean i havent been continuously thinking and worrying about tppsince the liberation of kherson last month there has been a lull in fighting in the south and a continuing bloody engagement around khmut where russian forces led by yevgeny wagner group have been trying to capture the city for many weeks now russia has continued to attack civilian infrastructure in ukraine trying to shut down electricity and water as the winter sets nppfollowing a pattern that has persisted since the beginning of the war every pause in the fighting has led to renewed calls for negotiations the latest have come from my old friend robert wright who a efhttpswwwwashingtonpostcomopinions20221202howbidenhelpukrainezelenskyargued in the washington for us pressure on ukraine to negotiate french president emmanuel macron rather unbelievably suggested that russia might need security guarantees in a peace deal while another old friend john mearsheimer doubled down on this point in a a efhttpswwwnewyorkercomnewsqandawhyjohnmearsheimerblamestheusforthecrisisinukrainebizarre interview with isaac jeffrey has continued to double down on a view that the war is entirely driven by american cya___steady_paywall___ppsuch arguments are all based on two mistaken premises first that motives in the war were something other than a desire to grab as much ukrainian territory as possible and undermine its viability as a state and second that further ukrainian advances were unlikely and that a longterm stalemate would ensue both of these are wrongppwhile russia is clearly on the back foot right now there is zero evidence that its longterm objective of subduing ukraine has changed in the slightest indeed russian spokesmen have as much as admitted that they needed time to rest and rebuild their forces a peace negotiation now that left them in control of significant ukrainian territory would not lead to peace the war would resume the moment russia felt it had recovered sufficiently in the meantime ukrainian civilians trapped behind russian lines will continue to suffer torture and repression as they have in every territory thus far liberated from russian h regard to military outcomes there is every reason to think that forward momentum will continue now that winter has set in the ground is freezing and permitting greater vehicle mobility the russians retreated from kherson and are fortifying positions on the left bank of the dnipro river but according to the institute for the study of war they have a efhttpstwittercomthestudyofwarstatus1599204388983083008s20t8_j4cggtb2r_myreqxzalgnot had time to build comprehensive defense and the ukrainians have a efhttpstwittercomthestudyofwarstatus1599193148097445889s20t8_j4cggtb2r_myreqxzalgalready crossed the at several points it is extremely important that they liberate this stretch of territory so as to be able to cut russian lines of communication running from russianoccupied and russia itself through l and melitopolpponce these lines are cut or in artillery range ukraine can think about liberating crimea a direct assault across the narrow isthmus that connects the peninsula to kherson oblast is not likely to work rather the peninsula can be cut off from resupply and slowly strangled the way that ukraine strangled kherson in the late summer reclaiming nova on the left bank of the dnipro will allow ukraine to once again block the canal that supplies crimea with fresh water meanwhile its ability to strike targets deep within the peninsula has already been demonstrated and will greatly increase as eastern kherson is liberated the russians may get serious about negotiating if they feel their grasp on sevastopol to say all of this will require continued high levels of military support from the west as well as help in protecting and rebuilding civilian infrastructure withholding longrange missile systems like seems silly when ukraine is desperate to neutralize the from which rocket attacks are launched russia used fear of nuclear escalation in september to try to intimidate allies but it didnt work and they have given up on that if washington is as serious as it claims to be about helping ukraine win the war it should lift its blocks on these kinds of ive said in a western pressure on ukraine to negotiate always increases the moment forward military momentum slows politics is driven by military outcomes and not the reverse in this case the russian army is poorly equipped to fight in winter conditions with many of its recently mobilized forces lacking winter uniforms and shelter ukraine by contrast is fully prepared to take advantage of the season to move ahead quite frankly the biggest threat to success was the republican party had a red wave materialized on nov 8 the maga wing of the party would have felt its oats and pushed to cut funding to kyiv now with the further loss of herschel walker to raphael warnock mpism has been deflated and is on a downward slope the united states and its nato allies have to capitalize on the moment and help ukraine winppone final issue ne dzheppar deputy minister of foreign affairs launched an initiative called a efhttpswwwamericanpurposecomblogfukuyamacrimeaplatformcrimean before the start of the war to call attention to human rights abuses in crimea especially among her own crimean tatar community i have been happy to help in this and would like to reiterate my support for a efhttpsmfagovuaennewscommentministryforeignaffairsukrainesocalledsentencesissuedukrainiancitizenjournalistsarifmemetovsuleimanovandsheykhaliyevandactivistsmuedinovandametovthose citizen who have been unjustly sentenced to prison for reporting on the truth by the russians occupiersppemimage servicemen at the land forces training center of the ukrainian armed forces flickr a efhttpswwwflickrcomphotosministryofdefenceua26587899838inalbum72157692068904101ukrainian ministry of

6397b76bef0426e8fb13a4c6

A Rush to Judgement in Psychological Science

img alta rush to judgement in psychological science srchttpss3amazonawscomprodstaticcontentquillettecom202212mobbingpngpan important principle of science is that testable claims about the universe should be understood as existing independently of the person who advocates them in this way science distinguishes itself from religion which devalues the claims of heretics and recusants on the basis of their supposedly defective souls and from the pseudoscience embedded in radical political movements as with the nazis who spuriously rejected what they called a hrefhttpswwwscientificamericancomarticlehow2pronazinobelistsattackedeinsteinsjewishscienceexcerpt1jewish sciencea and stalinists who similarly railed against science deemed a hrefhttpswwwjournalsuchicagoedudoi101086353649bourgeoisa ppunfortunately in recent years this traditional epistemological approach has come under attack academics increasingly are being encouraged to announce their race sex gender identity social class and disability status under the conceit that this personal information is germane to a scientific appraisal of their scholarship as a a hrefhttpsfreebeaconcomcampusprestigiouspsychologyjournaldemandseditorresignforsolicitingcriticismofblackpsychologistrecent controversya engulfing the prestigious journal emperspectives on psychological science emshows the career risks are high for those willing to speak out against this tendency ppthe furore erupted when university of heidelberg psychology professor klaus fiedler the thennewly installed editor of ema hrefhttpswwwpsychologicalscienceorgobserverfiedlerperspectivesjournalperspectives on psychological scienceaem set out to publish an article by cognitive neurophysiologist a hrefhttpspsyarxivcomhvgrmbernhard hommela critiquing a 2020 a hrefhttpsjournalssagepubcomdoifull1011771745691620927709articlea by stanford university psychology professor steven othello roberts following on his oftstated belief that the discipline of psychology is systemically racist roberts had argued that journal editors should track the race of their contributing authors with a view toward enforcing diversity targets while authors should similarly track and be made to justify the racial composition of their research samples hommel by contrast shares our own belief that focusing closely on skin color in this way represents an intrusion of political activism that compromises a hrefhttpspsyarxivcomhvgrmscientific freedom and independencea ppif fiedler had left it at that he might still be the editor of emperspectivesem but he was so impressed by the critical commentary supplied by the three peerreviewers to whom hed sent hommels articlerutgers university psychologist lee jussim utrecht university emeritus psychology professor wolfgang stroebe and university of toronto emeritus psychology professor keith stanovichthat he decided to commission these responses in adapted form as standalone articles themselves this was an unusual editorial decision but fiedler also invited roberts to respond to all four critics as part of a larger discussion forum ppfiedler and roberts then engaged in a lengthy and complicated exchange of emails that lasted for months we know this because roberts having lost trust in the process decided to a hrefhttpspsyarxivcomhvgrmupload a manuscripta describing the affair earlier this month complete with a lengthy appendix that contains abundant excerpts from his correspondence with fiedler in the accompanying text roberts accuses not only fiedler but also hommel jussim stanovich and stroebe of militating against his work in a manner that is unsound unscientific ad hominem and racist ppyet nowhere does roberts demonstrate that any of these men exhibited racial animus and some of robertss efforts to make this case are flatout absurd at one point for instance he spuriously describes jussims use of an equine metaphorscientists who wish to plow their fields with mules should be permitted to do so they should not however pretend that those mules are horsesas an argument that explicitly parallels people of color with mules ie the sterile offspring of a horse and a donkey which is a welldocumented racist trope used to dehumanize people of color ppbut putting aside robertss unproven claims of racism not to mention his arguably unethical decision to publish personal email correspondence without his interlocutors permission the stanford scholar does make a convincing case that fiedlers editorial style was unusual and exasperating not only did the editor ask the three peer reviewers of hommels critique to formalize their own criticisms of roberts in the form of published articles fiedler also planned to allow hommel to publish a emsecondem article this one refuting robertss response pproberts also became evidently sensitive to the suggestion that his work somehow lies outside the domain of real science and his reaction isnt unreasonable while his language betrays an excessive fixation on markers of personal identity when this manuscript was drafted i identified as a multiracial germanamerican he notes on the first page of his manuscript racism is a real scientifically measurable phenomenon and while its effects are often a hrefhttpswwwwsjcomarticlesthefalsescienceofimplicitbias1507590908exaggerateda for political and ideological purposes its obviously a completely legitimate area of study in any event roberts is hardly the only psychology scholar who presents his area of study as offering uniquely urgent insights into the human condition ppas the months passed and roberts continued to bicker testily with fiedler over the confusing process they were all supposed to follow the stanford psychologist began to believe not without basis that the discussion forum was an unbalanced fiveagainstone battlewith fiedler and the four critical writers a quintet of senior white men as roberts calls them comprising a united opposition no matter ones underlying views about the intermingling of science and activism its easy to come away from a reading of the email archive wondering whether fiedler was the correct man for this job ppas is often the case in controversies of this type the public reaction vastly overshot the actual misdeeds at issue an inflammatory a hrefhttpsdocsgooglecomdocumentu1d1o212esqjdyvuiuvn3oqlg7yod58pbhlmfjfyv3nreu4mobilebasicurpgmail_linkopen lettera sent to the association for psychological science aps the publisher of emperspectives on psychological scienceem accused fiedler not only of general editorial incompetence and abuse of power but also amplified robertss charge of racism predictably the signatories also sought to leverage the outrage they were creating as a means to demand the usual laundry list of immediate meaningful systemic change[s]which is to say a slew of new antiracism training mandates they also insisted that roberts be granted any additional reparative action [he] might deem necessarywhich is to say a complete blank check ppwithin three days the signatories had their primary demand fulfilled fiedler was forced to resign the exeditor reports that he never had a chance to present his side of things to the aps and that the whole controversy played out while he was attending a conference in israel and so unable to fully engage with his critics the johnstone family professor of psychology at harvard steven pinker told emquilletteempblockquotedespite ceo robert gropps claiming we have spent the days since listening to feedback from aps members and others within the psychological science community and convening aps leaders no one asked me though im a reviewer for the journal a distinguished williams james fellow of the associationblockquotepless than a year after the aps a hrefhttpswwwpsychologicalscienceorgobserverfiedlerperspectivesjournalboasteda of fiedlers status as the first journal editor in chief based at an institution outside north america the reputation of this eminent a hrefhttpswwwpsychologieuniheidelbergdeaecrispstafffiedlerhtmlexperta in such technical a hrefhttpspubmedncbinlmnihgov23740145subjectsa as pseudocontingencies derived from categorically organized memory representations was trashed this is the reality facing academics today one can be accused of a careerending transgression at any time convicted without trial and summarily dispatched by an employer seeking to appease the performatively aggrieved ppmeanwhile the subject that fiedler wished to explorewhether an obsession with skin color and other markers of personal identity represent a threat to the scientific methodhas been cast aside indeed the lesson that other scholarly editors will draw from this dustup is likely to be that this is an area of inquiry best avoided entirely to question the claims of scholars such as roberts an act that was already somewhat taboo in academic circles is for the foreseeable future at least effectively emverbotenem ppfiedlers status as the first nonamerican editor of emperspectives on psychological science emisnt a coincidence the american obsession with race particularly among academics is singular among advanced nations in fact academics in many european nationsincluding fiedlers native germanyare pushing back on progressive dogmas about identity precisely because they a hrefhttpsquillettecom20210222podcast137sociologistnathalieheinichonfrenchacademicsoppositiontoamericasracebasedideologiesconstitutea a manifestation of what was once dubbed american cultural imperialism moreover english clearly isnt fiedlers native tongue and he betrays little of the eggshell sensitivity that an american journal editor placed in the same position would tend to exhibit toward a scholar such as roberts at various points the email record reads like a dialogue of the deaf with roberts seeking clarifications in regard to the editors convoluted language ppone of robertss specific complaints is that fiedler had accused roberts of being nonprofessional but when you read the actual email exchange it doesnt seem as if thats what fiedler meant to say at all rather he was referring to the casual nature of their dialogue which fiedler was engaging in while on vacation far from exposing himself as a racist editor dressing down a black scholar as roberts claims fiedler comes off as a fusty and naive european academic trying to navigate a complicated and inadvisably structured editorial project pblockquotejust as an explanation of the somewhat nonprofessional exchange we are having please note that i am on a minibiking tour with my wife through the bavarian prealps i am doing my email only when the rainy weather allows me nevertheless here are a few remarks that may help to clarify if you remain underinformed i offer you a skype or zoom early next week blockquotepthe problem of racism in academic publishingthe subject of robertss 2020 paperis one of both false negatives and false positives a white researcher editor or peer reviewer whose judgment is clouded by racism can be expected to pursue publish and approve too much research by white scholars and too little by their nonwhite counterparts but as this episode makes clear analogous risks are at stake when it comes to academics whose judgment is clouded by the emexpectation emof racism robertss own evidence shows that he badly misinterpreted innocent word choices by fiedler and jussim so as to support his claim that hed endured racist mistreatment and far from parsing these accusations carefully the academic mob demanding fiedlers public shaming signalboosted it uncritically few independent observers are going to take the time to read through 10 pages of email correspondence before rendering judgment and so it simply became received wisdom within the field of academic psychology that fiedler was a bigot whod done something genuinely shameful with the aps then being driven to throw the man under the bus ppon december 9th the german psychological society a hrefhttpswwwdgpsdeaktuellesdetailsstatementdesdgpsvorstandszudenvorwuerfengegenmitgliedklausfiedlerpublisheda a statement about the treatment of fiedler urging a thorough and openended investigation of events while also noting archly that it is not our understanding of procedural justice to condemn a person without giving him or her an adequate hearing this rings true to us the scientific method and due process are alike in that these two foundational ideas both require that claims survive objective scrutiny before gaining official acceptance and one might expect psychologists of all people to understand that objective scrutiny is one thing that becomes impossible once a mob picks its targetppp

An article published in Quillette describes how the traditional epistemological approach to science, which holds that testable claims should be understood independently of the person advocating them, is being challenged by some academics who are being encouraged to declare personal information about their identity. The article focuses on an incident at the Journal of Psychological Science in which a professor was compelled to resign after publishing critical articles about an article by Steven Othello Roberts, who had argued that journals should track the race of their contributors to enforce diversity targets. Roberts accused his critics of racism, but nowhere did he demonstrate that they were racially motivated in their opposition to his ideas, leading some observers to conclude that the public reaction to the incident was inflamed and that due process was ignored. The treatment of the editor prompted the German Psychological Society to call for an investigation into the events.

rush to judgement in psychological science rchttpss3amazonawscomprodstaticcontentquillettecom202212mobbingpngpan important principle of science is that testable claims about the universe should be understood as existing independently of the person who advocates them in this way science distinguishes itself from religion which devalues the claims of heretics and recusants on the basis of their supposedly defective souls and from the pseudoscience embedded in radical political movements as with the nazis who spuriously rejected what they called a efhttpswwwscientificamericancomarticlehow2pronazinobelistsattackedeinsteinsjewishscienceexcerpt1jewish and stalinists who similarly railed against science deemed a nfortunately in recent years this traditional epistemological approach has come under attack academics increasingly are being encouraged to announce their race sex gender identity social class and disability status under the conceit that this personal information is germane to a scientific appraisal of their scholarship as a a efhttpsfreebeaconcomcampusprestigiouspsychologyjournaldemandseditorresignforsolicitingcriticismofblackpsychologistrecent engulfing the prestigious journal on psychological science the career risks are high for those willing to speak out against this tendency e furore erupted when university of heidelberg psychology professor klaus fiedler the ennewly installed editor of on psychological m set out to publish an article by cognitive neurophysiologist a efhttpspsyarxivcomhvgrmbernhard critiquing a 2020 a by stanford university psychology professor steven othello roberts following on his oftstated belief that the discipline of psychology is systemically racist roberts had argued that journal editors should track the race of their contributing authors with a view toward enforcing diversity targets while authors should similarly track and be made to justify the racial composition of their research samples hommel by contrast shares our own belief that focusing closely on skin color in this way represents an intrusion of political activism that compromises a efhttpspsyarxivcomhvgrmscientific freedom and f fiedler had left it at that he might still be the editor of m but he was so impressed by the critical commentary supplied by the three to whom hed sent university psychologist lee jussim utrecht university emeritus psychology professor wolfgang oebe and university of toronto emeritus psychology professor keith tanovichthat he decided to commission these responses in adapted form as tandalone articles themselves this was an unusual editorial decision but fiedler also invited roberts to respond to all four critics as part of a larger discussion forum fiedler and roberts then engaged in a lengthy and complicated exchange of that lasted for months we know this because roberts having lost trust in the process decided to a efhttpspsyarxivcomhvgrmupload a describing the affair earlier this month complete with a lengthy appendix that contains abundant excerpts from his correspondence with fiedler in the accompanying text roberts accuses not only fiedler but also hommel jussim tanovich and oebe of militating against his work in a manner that is unsound unscientific ad hominem and racist yet nowhere does roberts demonstrate that any of these men exhibited racial animus and some of efforts to make this case are flatout absurd at one point for instance he spuriously describes use of an equine who wish to plow their fields with mules should be permitted to do so they should not however pretend that those mules are an argument that explicitly parallels people of color with mules ie the sterile offspring of a horse and a donkey which is a welldocumented racist trope used to dehumanize people of color t putting aside unproven claims of racism not to mention his arguably unethical decision to publish personal email correspondence without his interlocutors permission the stanford scholar does make a convincing case that editorial style was unusual and exasperating not only did the editor ask the three peer reviewers of critique to formalize their own criticisms of roberts in the form of published articles fiedler also planned to allow hommel to publish a m article this one refuting response also became evidently sensitive to the suggestion that his work somehow lies outside the domain of real science and his reaction isnt unreasonable while his language betrays an excessive fixation on markers of personal identity when this manuscript was drafted i identified as a multiracial germanamerican he notes on the first page of his manuscript racism is a real scientifically measurable phenomenon and while its effects are often a for political and ideological purposes its obviously a completely legitimate area of study in any event roberts is hardly the only psychology scholar who presents his area of study as offering uniquely urgent insights into the human condition the months passed and roberts continued to bicker testily with fiedler over the confusing process they were all supposed to follow the stanford psychologist began to believe not without basis that the discussion forum was an unbalanced fiveagainstone fiedler and the four critical writers a quintet of senior white men as roberts calls them comprising a united opposition no matter ones underlying views about the intermingling of science and activism its easy to come away from a reading of the email archive wondering whether fiedler was the correct man for this job is often the case in controversies of this type the public reaction vastly overshot the actual misdeeds at issue an inflammatory a efhttpsdocsgooglecomdocumentu1d1o212esqjdyvuiuvn3oqlg7yod58pbhlmfjfyv3nreu4mobilebasicurpgmail_linkopen sent to the association for psychological science the publisher of on psychological accused fiedler not only of general editorial incompetence and abuse of power but also amplified charge of racism predictably the signatories also sought to leverage the outrage they were creating as a means to demand the usual laundry list of immediate meaningful systemic change[s]which is to say a slew of new antiracism training mandates they also insisted that roberts be granted any additional reparative action [he] might deem necessarywhich is to say a complete blank check within three days the signatories had their primary demand fulfilled fiedler was forced to resign the exeditor reports that he never had a chance to present his side of things to the and that the whole controversy played out while he was attending a conference in israel and so unable to fully engage with his critics the johnstone family professor of psychology at harvard steven pinker told lletteempblockquotedespite ceo robert claiming we have spent the days since listening to feedback from members and others within the psychological science community and convening leaders no one asked me though im a reviewer for the journal a distinguished williams james fellow of the than a year after the a of status as the first journal editor in chief based at an institution outside north america the reputation of this eminent a in such technical a as derived from categorically organized memory representations was trashed this is the reality facing academics today one can be accused of a careerending transgression at any time convicted without trial and summarily dispatched by an employer seeking to appease the erformatively aggrieved meanwhile the subject that fiedler wished to explorewhether an obsession with skin color and other markers of personal identity represent a threat to the scientific been cast aside indeed the lesson that other scholarly editors will draw from this dustup is likely to be that this is an area of inquiry best avoided entirely to question the claims of scholars such as roberts an act that was already somewhat taboo in academic circles is for the foreseeable future at least effectively status as the first nonamerican editor of on psychological science nt a coincidence the american obsession with race particularly among academics is singular among advanced nations in fact academics in many european nationsincluding native germanyare pushing back on progressive dogmas about identity precisely because they a a manifestation of what was once dubbed american cultural imperialism moreover english clearly isnt native tongue and he betrays little of the eggshell sensitivity that an american journal editor placed in the same position would tend to exhibit toward a scholar such as roberts at various points the email record reads like a dialogue of the deaf with roberts seeking clarifications in regard to the editors convoluted language one of specific complaints is that fiedler had accused roberts of being nonprofessional but when you read the actual email exchange it doesnt seem as if thats what fiedler meant to say at all rather he was referring to the casual nature of their dialogue which fiedler was engaging in while on vacation far from exposing himself as a racist editor dressing down a black scholar as roberts claims fiedler comes off as a fusty and naive european academic trying to navigate a complicated and inadvisably structured editorial project just as an explanation of the somewhat nonprofessional exchange we are having please note that i am on a minibiking tour with my wife through the bavarian i am doing my email only when the rainy weather allows me nevertheless here are a few remarks that may help to clarify if you remain nderinformed i offer you a kype or zoom early next week e problem of racism in academic hingthe subject of 2020 one of both false negatives and false positives a white researcher editor or peer reviewer whose judgment is clouded by racism can be expected to pursue publish and approve too much research by white scholars and too little by their nonwhite counterparts but as this episode makes clear analogous risks are at stake when it comes to academics whose judgment is clouded by the expectation of racism own evidence shows that he badly misinterpreted innocent word choices by fiedler and jussim so as to support his claim that hed endured racist mistreatment and far from parsing these accusations carefully the academic mob demanding public shaming gnalboosted it uncritically few independent observers are going to take the time to read through 10 pages of email correspondence before rendering judgment and so it simply became received wisdom within the field of academic psychology that fiedler was a bigot whod done something genuinely shameful with the then being driven to throw the man under the bus on december h the german psychological society a a statement about the treatment of fiedler urging a thorough and openended investigation of events while also noting archly that it is not our understanding of procedural justice to condemn a person without giving him or her an adequate hearing this rings true to us the scientific method and due process are alike in that these two foundational ideas both require that claims survive objective scrutiny before gaining official acceptance and one might expect psychologists of all people to understand that objective scrutiny is one thing that becomes impossible once a mob picks its

6397b7dcef0426e8fb13a4d4

White House lashes out at Marjorie Taylor Greenes Jan. 6 remarks

figure dataanvatoplayeridp1 div divdiv div div datareactcomponentanvatovideoplayerdiv figure pthe white house lashed out at rep marjorie taylor greene rga on monday for saying the jan 6 attack at the us capitol would have been armed and successful if she planned it arguing her rhetoric is violentp pgreene on saturday a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewshouse3771222taylorgreenesaysjan6capitolattackwouldvebeenarmedifsheplannedit target_blankappeared to hit back at claimsa that she and former trump adviser stephen bannon were involved in planning the jan 6 riotsp pquotand i will tell you something if steve bannon and i had organized that we would have won not to mention it wouldve been armed she said at a gala for the new york young republicans club on saturday p pwhite house spokesman andrew bates released a statement saying that all leaders have a responsibility to condemn her remarks calling them dangerous and abhorrentp pit goes against our fundamental values as a country for a member of congress to wish that the carnage of january 6th had been even worse and to boast that she would have succeeded in an armed insurrection against the united states government bates said p div aside a hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewshouse3771222taylorgreenesaysjan6capitolattackwouldvebeenarmedifsheplanneditipidpromolinkblock1 targetquot_blankquot greene says jan 6 capitol attack wouldve been armed if she planned it a aside div pthis violent rhetoric is a slap in the face to the capitol police the dc metropolitan police the national guard and the families who lost loved ones as a result of the attack on the capitol he addedp pgreene is an outspoken ally of former president trump and has long espoused his false claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election she was questioned earlier this year by the house select committee investigating jan 6 over her role in efforts to stop the certification of president bidens winp pmany of the rioters on jan 6 brought weapons and leaders of the oath keepers militia group were found guilty last month for seditious conspiracyp paccording to former white house aide cassidy hutchinsons testimony in june trump complained that some of his armed supporters were unable to join the crowd at his ellipse speech on jan 6p pthe new york young republicans club last month pushed back at the white house for saying that bigotry hate and antisemitism have no place in the us following trumps dinner in florida with white nationalist nick fuentes and the rapper yep pbidens handlers aim to ban wrongthink it has no place in america they say the american government is obliged to defend individuals right to freedom of expression even when their views are contrarian amp widely condemned the group a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpstwittercomnyyrcstatus1596755834758758402 target_blanksaid on twitterap

The White House criticized Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's remarks over the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, claiming her comments were dangerous and against the nation's fundamental values. During a recent gala in New York, Greene stated that the rioters would have succeeded in their assault on the Capitol if she and Steve Bannon had organized it. She also hinted that it would have been armed. Greene is a vocal supporter of former President Trump and has been known for her espousement of his false claims of election fraud. She has been under scrutiny by the House Select Committee for her role in the events of January 6.

figure nvatoplayeridp1 div div div v figure e white house lashed out at rep marjorie taylor greene on monday for saying the jan 6 attack at the us capitol would have been armed and successful if she planned it arguing her rhetoric is greene on saturday a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpsthehillcomhomenewshouse3771222taylorgreenesaysjan6capitolattackwouldvebeenarmedifsheplannedit eared to hit back at that she and former trump adviser stephen nnon were involved in planning the jan 6 otand i will tell you something if steve nnon and i had organized that we would have won not to mention it wouldve been armed she said at a gala for the new york young republicans club on saturday p white house spokesman andrew bates released a statement saying that all leaders have a responsibility to condemn her remarks calling them dangerous and pit goes against our fundamental values as a country for a member of congress to wish that the carnage of january h had been even worse and to boast that she would have succeeded in an armed insurrection against the united states government bates said p div aside a efhttpsthehillcomhomenewshouse3771222taylorgreenesaysjan6capitolattackwouldvebeenarmedifsheplanneditipidpromolinkblock1 targetquot_blankquot greene says jan 6 capitol attack wouldve been armed if she planned it a aside div violent rhetoric is a slap in the face to the capitol police the dc metropolitan police the national guard and the families who lost loved ones as a result of the attack on the capitol he greene is an outspoken ally of former president trump and has long espoused his false claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election she was questioned earlier this year by the house select committee investigating jan 6 over her role in efforts to stop the certification of president bidens many of the rioters on jan 6 brought weapons and leaders of the oath keepers militia group were found guilty last month for seditious ccording to former white house aide cassidy testimony in june trump complained that some of his armed supporters were unable to join the crowd at his ellipse speech on jan e new york young republicans club last month pushed back at the white house for saying that bigotry hate and antisemitism have no place in the us following trumps dinner in florida with white nationalist nick and the rapper yep handlers aim to ban wrongthink it has no place in america they say the american government is obliged to defend individuals right to freedom of expression even when their views are contrarian amp widely condemned the group a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpstwittercomnyyrcstatus1596755834758758402 d on

6399078d28bc63fae6270caf

Biden comes under increasing pressure to win Whelans release

ppresident biden is under increasing pressure to secure the release of paul whelan a former marine being held in russia following the release of wnba star brittney griner in a trade for the russian arms dealer viktor bout p pthe whelan family has voiced support for the presidents efforts to sure paul whelans release but biden has come under criticism from republicans and former president trump for both not winning whelans freedom and for trading bout for grinerp pbidens now aiding both sides of the war tweeted rep kevin hern rokla suggesting the newly freed bout could help russian president vladimir putin source arms for use in his countrys war with ukraine p ptrump a potential presidential opponent for biden if he runs for reelection in 2024 has sought to put on the pressure p ptrump on sunday said he turned down a deal to release whelan in exchange for bout saying he wouldnt have made the deal to bring back a hundred people for him p pin response david whelan paul whelans brother accused the trump administration of not appearing interested in the case adding that the biden administration is much more engaged in wrongful detentionsp pthe white house took pains in the hours after griners release to show how it had continued to seek whelans freedom griners family and advocates have also signaled solidarity with the whelan familyp pofficials from the national security council nsc communicate with the whelan family roughly every other week this is in addition to weekly calls the whelan family has with the special envoy for hostage affairs team a senior administration official told the hillp pthe nsc team and the state department met virtually with whelans sister elizabeth whelan on monday that followed a conversation between her and biden last week according to national security adviser jake sullivanp pwe are bound and determined to ensure that we work through a successful method of securing paul whelans release at the earliest possible opportunity sullivan said adding that the commitment to whelans release is absolutely rock solid intensep pthe biden administration has insisted that the russians treated griners release differently than whelans and had different demandsp pthe big challenge we had over the course of the past several months is that what russia was asking for to secure paul whelans release was not something that we had to be able to give that is a problem we are trying to solve sullivan said on mondayp pmuch of the criticism surrounding griners release and whelans continued captivity is the price the us paid to win the wnba superstars freedom p pbout is an infamous arms dealer whose arrest and 2011 conviction put a capstone on decades of international arms sales that earned him the nickname merchant of death p pthe administration at one point wanted both griner and whelan released for the price of bout russia refused arguing the espionage charged that whelan was convicted on meant he could not be included the us and whelans family say those charges were trumped up p prepublicans critical of the trade have said that giving up bout was simply too much to not bring whelan back as well p pthe whelan family has put pressure on the administration to secure paul whelans release but they have also defended biden from trumps criticismp pthe business with the former president basically saying he turned down an offer to bring back paul was a surprise and not a welcome one elizabeth whelan said in a phone call with the hill she also said the family was unable to have meaningful contact with trumps national security council after thennational security adviser john bolton left his position p pstill elizabeth whelan said the family is not trying to make her brothers release a partisan issue p pwe have to really deal with the here and now for whatever its worth many different administrations have had americans kept overseas and you just have to deal with whoevers in office at the moment were fortunate that right now we have a lot of commitment from this administration to bring paul home and thats where were focusing our energyp pthe biden administration in defending the presidents move to grant bout clemency said they assessed that he no longer posed a security threat to the usp pa senior administration official told the hill that the us carefully considers all ramifications when commuting the sentence of someone convicted of crimes p pthis was done in this case and we of course will stay vigilant while we are under no illusions about viktor bout he has spent the last 12 years in detention the official said should viktor bout return to crime this does not stop us from detaining him again in the futurep psamuel ramani an associate fellow at the royal united services institute said the biden administration is likely correct that bout does not pose an immediate threat to the us though that doesnt mean he cant be a threat down the linep pso its possible that given the fact hes just an amoral character who basically will sell arms or work with basically anyone he could work with terrorist groups and that is a risk ramani said p panother criticism of bouts release to secure griners freedom is that it will incentivize other regimes to take americans hostagep pjohn hardie deputy director of the russia program at the foundation for defense of democracies said the us has a number of russians in custody including computer hackers whom putin wants returned p pthe russians really dont like that there will be no shortage [of people] that moscow wants to get back in years to come i do worry that playing this hostage negotiation game will incentivize them to keep doing it on their end he saidp pthe biden administration has made efforts to deter state and nonstate actors from taking americans hostage or arresting them for political purposesp pthe president issued an executive order in july to increase sanctions authorities to target hostage takers bolster information sharing between federal agencies to understand heightened risks for americans traveling abroad and increase travel warnings for americans to identify where they face an increased risk of being taken hostagep pelizabeth whelan said that deterrence against american hostagetaking and consequences for countries that engage in this behavior must be strengthened p pi havent seen any evidence that were actually doing that that were actually using that executive order and that is what is going to bring wrongful detention to a halt she said p pive been very keen to see this executive order put in place i see it as a really great tool and also its a tool that other countries can usebrstrongbrstrongp

President Biden is facing pressure to secure the release of former US marine Paul Whelan, who is being held in Russia. Whelan's family has expressed support for the president's efforts to secure his release, however, Republicans and former President Trump have criticised Biden for failing to win his freedom. Concerns have also been raised about the trade of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for the release of start basketball player Shoni Schimmel, with Republicans suggesting Bout's release risks aiding Russia's war with Ukraine. The Biden administration has defended its actions, with national security adviser Jake Sullivan stating they are "bound and determined" to secure Whelan's release.

dent den is under increasing pressure to secure the release of paul whelan a former marine being held in russia following the release of star ttney griner in a trade for the russian arms dealer viktor bout p e whelan family has voiced support for the presidents efforts to sure paul release but den has come under criticism from republicans and former president trump for both not winning freedom and for trading bout for now aiding both sides of the war tweeted rep kevin hern suggesting the newly freed bout could help russian president vladimir tin source arms for use in his war with ukraine p a potential presidential opponent for den if he runs for reelection in 2024 has sought to put on the pressure p on sunday said he turned down a deal to release whelan in exchange for bout saying he wouldnt have made the deal to bring back a hundred people for him p pin response david whelan paul brother accused the trump administration of not appearing interested in the case adding that the den administration is much more engaged in wrongful e white house took pains in the hours after release to show how it had continued to seek freedom family and advocates have also signaled solidarity with the whelan from the national security council nsc communicate with the whelan family roughly every other week this is in addition to weekly calls the whelan family has with the special envoy for hostage affairs team a senior administration official told the e nsc team and the state department met virtually with sister elizabeth whelan on monday that followed a conversation between her and den last week according to national security adviser jake we are bound and determined to ensure that we work through a successful method of securing paul release at the earliest possible opportunity van said adding that the commitment to release is absolutely rock solid e den administration has insisted that the russians treated release differently than and had different e big challenge we had over the course of the past several months is that what russia was asking for to secure paul release was not something that we had to be able to give that is a problem we are trying to solve van said on much of the criticism surrounding release and continued captivity is the price the us paid to win the freedom p out is an infamous arms dealer whose arrest and 2011 conviction put a capstone on decades of international arms sales that earned him the nickname merchant of death p e administration at one point wanted both griner and whelan released for the price of bout russia refused arguing the espionage charged that whelan was convicted on meant he could not be included the us and family say those charges were trumped up p critical of the trade have said that giving up bout was simply too much to not bring whelan back as well p e whelan family has put pressure on the administration to secure paul release but they have also defended den from trumps e business with the former president basically saying he turned down an offer to bring back paul was a surprise and not a welcome one elizabeth whelan said in a phone call with the hill she also said the family was unable to have meaningful contact with trumps national security council after ennational security adviser john ton left his position p till elizabeth whelan said the family is not trying to make her brothers release a partisan issue p we have to really deal with the here and now for whatever its worth many different administrations have had americans kept overseas and you just have to deal with in office at the moment were fortunate that right now we have a lot of commitment from this administration to bring paul home and thats where were focusing our e den administration in defending the presidents move to grant bout clemency said they assessed that he no longer posed a security threat to the pa senior administration official told the hill that the us carefully considers all ramifications when commuting the sentence of someone convicted of crimes p was done in this case and we of course will stay vigilant while we are under no illusions about viktor bout he has spent the last 12 years in detention the official said should viktor bout return to crime this does not stop us from detaining him again in the muel an associate fellow at the royal united services institute said the den administration is likely correct that bout does not pose an immediate threat to the us though that doesnt mean he cant be a threat down the o its possible that given the fact hes just an amoral character who basically will sell arms or work with basically anyone he could work with terrorist groups and that is a risk said p nother criticism of bouts release to secure freedom is that it will ncentivize other regimes to take americans john hardie deputy director of the russia program at the foundation for defense of democracies said the us has a number of russians in custody including computer hackers whom tin wants returned p e russians really dont like that there will be no shortage [of eople] that moscow wants to get back in years to come i do worry that playing this hostage negotiation game will ncentivize them to keep doing it on their end he e den administration has made efforts to deter state and nonstate actors from taking americans hostage or arresting them for political e president issued an executive order in july to increase sanctions authorities to target hostage takers bolster information sharing between federal agencies to understand heightened risks for americans traveling abroad and increase travel warnings for americans to identify where they face an increased risk of being taken h whelan said that deterrence against american hostagetaking and consequences for countries that engage in this behavior must be strengthened p pi havent seen any evidence that were actually doing that that were actually using that executive order and that is what is going to bring wrongful detention to a halt she said p ve been very keen to see this executive order put in place i see it as a really great tool and also its a tool that other countries can

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Biden signs historic legislation to enshrine marriage equality

figure dataanvatoplayeridp1 div divdiv div div datareactcomponentanvatovideoplayerdiv figure ppresident biden on tuesday signed legislation to safeguard marriage equality after congress for the first time in history approved federal protections for samesex marriagep pthe respect for marriage act a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewshouse3766988housesendsmarriageequalitybilltobidensdesk target_blankpassed the housea on thursday in a 2581691 vote with 39 republicans joining all democrats in supporting the measure the senate a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewssenate3755168senatepasseslandmarkprotectionsforsamesexmarriage target_blankcleared the measure last weeka in a 6138 vote 12 gop senators joined on to the bill once it included an amendment outlining some protections for religious beliefsp pbiden has championed the legislation with the white house describing the respect for marriage act as personal to him he signed the legislation at a celebratory event at the white house with more than 2000 attendeesp pthe road for the moment has been long but those who believe in equality and justice you never gave up biden said many of you standing on the south lawn here so many of you put your relationships on the line your jobs on the line your lives on the line to fight for the law im about to signp pbefore the bill signing there were musical performances from artists sam smith and cyndi lauper and bidens now infamous remarks from a quotmeet the pressquot appearance in 2012 played from a loudspeakerp phe later quoted himself from those remarks as ive said before and some of you might remember on a certain tv show 10 years ago i got in trouble marriage i mean this from the bottom of my heart marriage is a simple proposition who do you love and will you be loyal to that person you love its not more complicated than that p pdeciding whether to marry who to marry is one of the most profound decisions a person can make he addedp psamesex marriage has been legal nationwide since the supreme courts 2015 ruling in obergefell v hodgesp pbut the debate over gay marriage was resurrected this summer when the supreme court overturned roe v wade in justice clarence thomass concurring opinion for that ruling he called on the court to also reconsider the precedent of obergefell v hodgesp pthe new law enshrines federal protections for samesex couples requiring that the federal government and all states recognize any marriage that occurred in a state where the union was legal it also cements protections for interracial couplesp pand it repeals of the 1996 defense of marriage act which recognized marriage as only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wifep pbut biden and speaker nancy pelosi dcalif pushed on tuesday for congress to next pass the equality act which aims to ensure federal protections against antilgbt discriminationp pwhen a person can be married in the morning and thrown out of a restaurant for being gay in the afternoon this is still wrong wrong biden said p pand thats why the people you heard speak today continue to fight to pass the equality act when hospitals libraries and community centers are threatened and intimidated because they support lgbtq children and families we have to speak out we must stop the hate and violence he saidp phe also mentioned the shooting last month in colorado springs colo when a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclubp padditionally the president noted that congress passed the respect for marriage act on the same day that biden secured the release of wnba star brittney griner biden announced her release alongside her wife cherelle grinerp pbrittneys wife said today my family is whole my fellow americans that allconsuming lifealtering love and commitment thats marriage biden saidp pthe respect for marriage act also includes an amendment outlining protections for religious liberties which was a late addition central to securing enough republican support for passage in the senatep pbiden a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewsadministration3764086samesexmarriagebillpitsbidenagainstcatholicbishopsagain target_blankwas at oddsa on the issue with the us conference of catholic bishops which opposed the measure arguing it doesnt include enough leeway for religious organizations the fight between biden and the bishops was reminiscent of some bishops attempts last year to try to deny him communion over his stance on abortion rightsp pother religious institutions including the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and the union of orthodox jewish congregations of america supported the religious freedom protections in the billp pemupdated 502 pmemp

President Biden signed a bill, Respect for Marriage Act, after it was approved by Congress, enshrining federal safeguards for marriage equality. This is the first time Congress has signed a bill granting federal protection to the civil rights of people in same-sex marriages. The bill prescribes that the federal government and all states have to legally recognize a marriage which took place in a state where it was legal. The law also repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as a legal union exclusively between one man and one woman. Biden and other lawmakers are now pushing for the Equality Act, which seeks to ensure federal protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

figure nvatoplayeridp1 div div div v figure dent den on tuesday signed legislation to safeguard marriage equality after congress for the first time in history approved federal protections for mesex e respect for marriage act a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpsthehillcomhomenewshouse3766988housesendsmarriageequalitybilltobidensdesk ed the on thursday in a 2581691 vote with 39 republicans joining all democrats in supporting the measure the senate a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpsthehillcomhomenewssenate3755168senatepasseslandmarkprotectionsforsamesexmarriage cleared the measure last in a 6138 vote 12 senators joined on to the bill once it included an amendment outlining some protections for religious den has championed the legislation with the white house describing the respect for marriage act as personal to him he signed the legislation at a celebratory event at the white house with more than 2000 e road for the moment has been long but those who believe in equality and justice you never gave up den said many of you standing on the south lawn here so many of you put your relationships on the line your jobs on the line your lives on the line to fight for the law im about to efore the bill signing there were musical performances from artists sam smith and lauper and bidens now infamous remarks from a otmeet the ot appearance in 2012 played from a he later quoted himself from those remarks as ive said before and some of you might remember on a certain tv show 10 years ago i got in trouble marriage i mean this from the bottom of my heart marriage is a simple proposition who do you love and will you be loyal to that person you love its not more complicated than that p deciding whether to marry who to marry is one of the most profound decisions a person can make he mesex marriage has been legal nationwide since the supreme courts 2015 ruling in obergefell v t the debate over gay marriage was resurrected this summer when the supreme court overturned roe v wade in justice clarence concurring opinion for that ruling he called on the court to also reconsider the precedent of obergefell v e new law enshrines federal protections for mesex couples requiring that the federal government and all states recognize any marriage that occurred in a state where the union was legal it also cements protections for interracial pand it repeals of the 1996 defense of marriage act which recognized marriage as only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and t den and speaker nancy dcalif pushed on tuesday for congress to next pass the equality act which aims to ensure federal protections against ntilgbt when a person can be married in the morning and thrown out of a restaurant for being gay in the afternoon this is still wrong wrong den said p pand thats why the people you heard speak today continue to fight to pass the equality act when hospitals libraries and community centers are threatened and intimidated because they support children and families we have to speak out we must stop the hate and violence he he also mentioned the shooting last month in colorado springs o when a gunman opened fire at a gay tionally the president noted that congress passed the respect for marriage act on the same day that den secured the release of star ttney griner den announced her release alongside her wife cherelle wife said today my family is whole my fellow americans that llconsuming fealtering love and commitment thats marriage den e respect for marriage act also includes an amendment outlining protections for religious liberties which was a late addition central to securing enough republican support for passage in the den a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpsthehillcomhomenewsadministration3764086samesexmarriagebillpitsbidenagainstcatholicbishopsagain at on the issue with the us conference of catholic bishops which opposed the measure arguing it doesnt include enough leeway for religious organizations the fight between den and the bishops was reminiscent of some bishops attempts last year to try to deny him communion over his stance on abortion pother religious institutions including the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and the union of orthodox jewish congregations of america supported the religious freedom protections in the dated 502

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Biden hopeful prices will return to normal by end of 2023

ppresident biden on tuesday said he thinks prices will return to normal at the end of 2023 while touting the november slowdown in inflation as welcome news ahead of the holidaysp pi hope by the end of next year were much closer he said on when to expect prices to go back to normal but i cant make that prediction i just im convinced theyre not going to go up convinced theyre going to continue to go downp pthe president in remarks at the white house noted the inflation came down more than experts expected last month and that november marked the fifth month in a row inflation is falling p pthe annual inflation rate fell to 71 percent in november down from 77 percent in october and in line with economist estimates of a 73 percent annual inflation rate prices rose just 01 percent in november alone down from a 04 percent monthly inflation rate in octoberp pthe president said the november dip is welcome news and news that provides reason for some optimism for the holiday season and i would argue for the year aheadp pmake no mistake prices are still too high we have a lot more work to do he addedp phe warned of setbacks as the economy bounces back and ahead of his prediction that prices will be back to normal in a yearp pwe shouldnt take anything for granted but what is clear is that my economic plan is working and were just getting started my goal is simple get price increases under control without choking off economic growth biden saidp pthings are looking up he addedp phe highlighted that the common price of gas in the us is 299 a gallon and that food inflation is slowing food prices rose 05 percent on the month and are up 106 percent on the yearp pfood inflation slowed last month providing much needed relief for millions of families at the grocery store this is welcome news for families across the country as they get ready for the holiday celebrations and for family dinners the president saidp

President Biden expressed hope that prices would return to normal by the end of 2023, while acknowledging that he cannot make predictions about when this would occur. In remarks at the White House, Biden noted that inflation had come down more than expected in November, marking the fifth consecutive month of falling inflation. While the annual inflation rate dropped to 7.1% in November, down from 7.7% in October, Biden warned of possible setbacks as the economy bounces back. He stated that his economic plan is working and that he aims to control price increases without stifling economic growth. Biden also underscored that food inflation slowed last month, providing much-needed relief for families across the country amid preparations for holiday festivities.

dent den on tuesday said he thinks prices will return to normal at the end of 2023 while touting the november slowdown in inflation as welcome news ahead of the pi hope by the end of next year were much closer he said on when to expect prices to go back to normal but i cant make that prediction i just im convinced theyre not going to go up convinced theyre going to continue to go e president in remarks at the white house noted the inflation came down more than experts expected last month and that november marked the fifth month in a row inflation is falling p e annual inflation rate fell to 71 percent in november down from 77 percent in october and in line with economist estimates of a 73 percent annual inflation rate prices rose just 01 percent in november alone down from a 04 percent monthly inflation rate in e president said the november dip is welcome news and news that provides reason for some optimism for the holiday season and i would argue for the year make no mistake prices are still too high we have a lot more work to do he he warned of setbacks as the economy bounces back and ahead of his prediction that prices will be back to normal in a we shouldnt take anything for granted but what is clear is that my economic plan is working and were just getting started my goal is simple get price increases under control without choking off economic growth den are looking up he he highlighted that the common price of gas in the us is 299 a gallon and that food inflation is slowing food prices rose 05 percent on the month and are up 106 percent on the food inflation slowed last month providing much needed relief for millions of families at the grocery store this is welcome news for families across the country as they get ready for the holiday celebrations and for family dinners the president

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Biden on US-Africa trade and investments: US 'all-in on Africas future

ppresident biden on wednesday announced new trade opportunities and investments in africa to establish the united statess commitment to africas future during the usafrica leaders summitp pthe united states is allin on africas future biden said at a meeting on economic ties between the us and africa that included ceos from more than 300 us and african companiesp phe announced a memorandum of understanding with africa on free trade security in order to unlock new opportunities for trade as well as investments in infrastructure to facilitate trade within africap padditionally biden announced that the us will invest 350 million to facilitate africas participation in the digital economy and the us international development finance corporation will invest nearly 370 million for new projectsp pimproving africas infrastructure is essential to our vision of building a stronger global economy that can better withstand the kinds of shocks that weve seen the past few years he saidp pthe us this week is hosting the usafrica leaders summit for the first time since 2014 the summit in washington includes 50 leaders from africa and a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewsadministration3773572bidenlookstoreassertusinfluenceinafricawithsummit target_blankseeks to bolster future relationsa with the continent and counter chinese and russian influencep pwhen africa succeeds the united states succeeds quite frankly the whole world succeeds as well biden said the only question when i took office was not if we wed host another usafrica leaders summit but when my administrations engagement with africa and the priority we place on these relationships began on day onep pthe president quipped that he would keep his remarks short because the world cup game between morocco and france was set to begin at 2 pm morocco is the first african nation to play in the semifinals of the world cupp pmorocco prime minister aziz akhannouch is in washington for the summitp plater on wednesday biden will hold a meeting on free and fair elections in africa and close the day with a dinner for leaders and spousesp

US President Joe Biden has announced new trade and investment opportunities in Africa, emphasising the US' commitment to the continent's future at a meeting to discuss economic ties between the US and Africa. Biden announced a new memorandum of understanding with Africa on free trade security to unlock opportunities for mutual trade as well as investments in infrastructure. Additionally, the US will invest $350m to facilitate digital participation in the economy, and nearly $370m will be invested by the US International Development Finance Corporation to improve infrastructure. The announcements came as the US hosts its first leaders' summit for Africa since 2014, with the meeting being used by the US to counter Chinese and Russian influence in the region.

dent den on wednesday announced new trade opportunities and investments in africa to establish the united commitment to future during the leaders e united states is llin on future den said at a meeting on economic ties between the us and africa that included from more than 300 us and african he announced a memorandum of understanding with africa on free trade security in order to unlock new opportunities for trade as well as investments in infrastructure to facilitate trade within tionally den announced that the us will invest 350 million to facilitate participation in the digital economy and the us international development finance corporation will invest nearly 370 million for new mproving infrastructure is essential to our vision of building a stronger global economy that can better withstand the kinds of shocks that weve seen the past few years he e us this week is hosting the leaders summit for the first time since 2014 the summit in washington includes 50 leaders from africa and a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpsthehillcomhomenewsadministration3773572bidenlookstoreassertusinfluenceinafricawithsummit to bolster future with the continent and counter chinese and russian when africa succeeds the united states succeeds quite frankly the whole world succeeds as well den said the only question when i took office was not if we wed host another leaders summit but when my administrations engagement with africa and the priority we place on these relationships began on day e president quipped that he would keep his remarks short because the world cup game between morocco and france was set to begin at 2 pm morocco is the first african nation to play in the semifinals of the world morocco prime minister ziz khannouch is in washington for the plater on wednesday den will hold a meeting on free and fair elections in africa and close the day with a dinner for leaders and

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The Hill Interview: On Sandy Hooks anniversary, ATF director calls number of shootings in US wholly un-American

figure dataanvatoplayeridp1 div divdiv div div datareactcomponentanvatovideoplayerdiv figure psteve dettelbach the director of the bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives atf in marking the 10th anniversary of the sandy hook elementary school tragedy on wednesday called the amount of gun violence in the united states unamerican and vowed to keep up the work of the biden administration in preventing gun violencep pit is wholly unlawful and it is wholly unamerican for this level of firearm violence to be going on so what i say to people out there who are railing against this keep using your voices were with you on this we have to do better he said in an interview with the hill at atf headquartersp phe went to newtown conn three weeks ago to visit families impacted by the 2012 mass shooting that left 20 children and six teachers dead he said he is inspired by the people he met to do the work on gun violence prevention he says he takes into atf each dayp pin 2022 there have been more than 620 mass shootings nationwide causing americans to question if the country learned anything since sandy hook or if shootings are a part of american lifep pbut dettelbach who was sworn in as director in july pushed back on that notionp pat atf we dont accept that the level of firearms violence that were seeing is something that is part of our national story something we just have to live with i dont accept that and neither should you he saidp pcongress passed a bipartisan gun control bill the most farreaching to curb gun violence in decades that president biden signed into law in june biden has also issued various executive orders with the goal of preventing gun violence p pyet in the days before thanksgiving last month a spate of shootings hit the us p pdettelbach wants americans to know that there are thousands of people in his agency working to prevent those p pthere are five to 6000 people at atf who go to work every single day these are people some of whom are risking their lives to try and protect people from violent crime and gun crime he saidp phe said gun violence prevention advocates including survivors and victims of gun violence like he met on his trip to connecticut inspire him every day to do morep pwhen you see the people who are victims and survivors of gun crime as ive seen around the country who are willing to stand up and use these tragedies as springboards for positive change that should inspire each and every one of us to never accept whats going on he saidp pbiden has consistently called for an assault weapons ban which is a cry echoed by gun violence prevention advocates biden was in the senate in 1994 when congress and former president clinton last enacted an assault weapons ban which expired 10 years laterp panother ban doesnt have the votes in congress yet biden has relentlessly called for one passing a ban would take 60 votes in the senate to bypass the legislative filibuster and democrats will increase their majority next congress to only 51 seats while republicans will hold a narrow majority in the housep pat atf dettelbach said they are focused on enforcing and implementing what congress has been able to pass p phe pointed to provisions that he thinks will make a real impact inside the bipartisan gun control legislation like a new straw purchasing provision that makes it a crime if someone buys a gun for another person who legally cant have one he also noted that theres a provision that expands protections for victims of domestic violence by firearms which closes the socalled boyfriend loopholep pand a priority of biden and his administration has been to crack down on quotghostquot guns which are made from kits at home and dont have serial numbers dettelbach pointed to the july 4 shooting in highland park ill when a gunman killed seven at a parade to highlight the issue with ghost guns law enforcement was able to catch the shooter due to the serial number on his gunp pghost guns the bullets are real they kill people like regular guns and now theyre being treated like firearms which is what they are and people should be running background checks before they transfer those products he saidp pon what he has learned in the 10 years since sandy hook dettelbach says its that there are people who wont give up pushing for more measures like banning assault weapons that build on measures like closing the boyfriend loophole and targeting ghost gunsp pwhen i was up in newtown these are people who despite these horrible personal tragedies have decided in their community that theyre going to raise their voices and try to continue to press that should be inspirational to all of us he saidp pwhat ive learned is that theres a tremendous amount of tragedy and a tremendous amount of strength out there and that is what i think should inspire all the rest of us to keep pushing on this he addedp

In an interview with The Hill, David Chipman, Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, has called out the level of gun violence in the United States as wholly un-American. He said it is unlawful and unacceptable that this level of firearm violence still exists. While visiting Newtown to connect with families impacted by the mass shooting in 2012 that left 20 children and six teachers dead, he met with gun violence prevention advocates, including survivors and victims of gun violence. Dettelbach argued that thousands of people are working to prevent gun violence every day, and said he is inspired by their dedication.

figure nvatoplayeridp1 div div div v figure teve dettelbach the director of the bureau of alcohol tobacco firearms and explosives tf in marking the anniversary of the sandy hook elementary school tragedy on wednesday called the amount of gun violence in the united states namerican and vowed to keep up the work of the den administration in preventing gun pit is wholly unlawful and it is wholly namerican for this level of firearm violence to be going on so what i say to people out there who are railing against this keep using your voices were with you on this we have to do better he said in an interview with the hill at tf he went to newtown conn three weeks ago to visit families impacted by the 2012 mass shooting that left 20 children and six teachers dead he said he is inspired by the people he met to do the work on gun violence prevention he says he takes into tf each pin 2022 there have been more than 620 mass shootings nationwide causing americans to question if the country learned anything since sandy hook or if shootings are a part of american t dettelbach who was sworn in as director in july pushed back on that pat tf we dont accept that the level of firearms violence that were seeing is something that is part of our national story something we just have to live with i dont accept that and neither should you he passed a bipartisan gun control bill the most farreaching to curb gun violence in decades that president den signed into law in june den has also issued various executive orders with the goal of preventing gun violence p yet in the days before thanksgiving last month a spate of shootings hit the us p dettelbach wants americans to know that there are thousands of people in his agency working to prevent those p ere are five to 6000 people at tf who go to work every single day these are people some of whom are risking their lives to try and protect people from violent crime and gun crime he he said gun violence prevention advocates including survivors and victims of gun violence like he met on his trip to connecticut inspire him every day to do when you see the people who are victims and survivors of gun crime as ive seen around the country who are willing to stand up and use these tragedies as springboards for positive change that should inspire each and every one of us to never accept whats going on he den has consistently called for an assault weapons ban which is a cry echoed by gun violence prevention advocates den was in the senate in 1994 when congress and former president clinton last enacted an assault weapons ban which expired 10 years nother ban doesnt have the votes in congress yet den has relentlessly called for one passing a ban would take 60 votes in the senate to bypass the legislative filibuster and democrats will increase their majority next congress to only 51 seats while republicans will hold a narrow majority in the pat tf dettelbach said they are focused on enforcing and implementing what congress has been able to pass p he pointed to provisions that he thinks will make a real impact inside the bipartisan gun control legislation like a new straw purchasing provision that makes it a crime if someone buys a gun for another person who legally cant have one he also noted that theres a provision that expands protections for victims of domestic violence by firearms which closes the ocalled boyfriend pand a priority of den and his administration has been to crack down on otghostquot guns which are made from kits at home and dont have serial numbers dettelbach pointed to the july 4 shooting in highland park ill when a gunman killed seven at a parade to highlight the issue with ghost guns law enforcement was able to catch the shooter due to the serial number on his ghost guns the bullets are real they kill people like regular guns and now theyre being treated like firearms which is what they are and people should be running background checks before they transfer those products he pon what he has learned in the 10 years since sandy hook dettelbach says its that there are people who wont give up pushing for more measures like banning assault weapons that build on measures like closing the boyfriend loophole and targeting ghost when i was up in newtown these are people who despite these horrible personal tragedies have decided in their community that theyre going to raise their voices and try to continue to press that should be inspirational to all of us he what ive learned is that theres a tremendous amount of tragedy and a tremendous amount of strength out there and that is what i think should inspire all the rest of us to keep pushing on this he

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Biden looks to reassert US influence in Africa with summit

ppresident biden is hosting 50 leaders from africa in washington this week for a highprofile summit seeking to bolster future relations with the continent and counter chinese and russian influencep pit is the first time since 2014 the white house will host a summit with african leaders as the biden administration seeks greater collaboration on trade investments elections and climate change p pthe usafrica summit comes while some african nations refuse to take a stance against russia amid concerns over global food security during the war in ukraine and as part of bidens ongoing efforts to strengthen democracies abroadp pexperts believe bidens greatest challenge will be proving to african leaders that the us can be a reliable longterm partner for a fastgrowing continent that has significant sway in the global economy and diplomatic communityp pthey dont see us as a longterm partner they dont see us as trusted they see us as kind of unreliable and this summit is the start of the effort to try to rewrite that narrative said cameron hudson a senior associate in the africa program at the center for strategic and international studiesp phudson noted biden has not held many white house visits or meetings on the sidelines of the united nations with african leaders compared to his predecessors but the continent is home to key minerals for global supply chains and its growing population means it will also provide an increasing percentage of the global workforcep pafrican nations make up roughly a quarter of the united nations general assembly and many of those nations either abstained or broke from the us earlier this year on a resolution condemning russias invasion of ukrainep pthe african leaders reaction to the war in ukraine played a large role in the decision for the biden administration to hold the summit experts saidp ptheres a part of me that sort of feels that the american policy establishment is shaken by the african reaction to the ukraine conflict and this seems to be an overture this seems to be born out of a realization that things arent what they used to be said ebenezer obadare the douglas dillon senior fellow for africa studies at the council on foreign relations p pand if the united states is going to have to hold on to its allies in the region it is going to have to do some smoochingp pthe us is working through a longterm strategy on diplomacy with africa that has a lot to do with russias focus on the continent as well as chinas obadare addedp pi wont believe it for a minute if anybody says its got nothing to do with russia he said i think the united states is thinking much more in the longer term how did we drop the ball to such an extent that we allowed china and russia to gain so much hold in the continent that were actually scrambling p pyoure looking beyond the immediate need to wrest african countries away from russia to regaining the affections of those countries and consolidating american interest in africa he addedp pthe white house this week sought to allay concerns that the summit will be a oneoff event or that bidens focus on africa will fall by the wayside once it is overp pbiden during the summit will announce the us is committing 55 billion to africa over the next three yearsp phe will also announce his support for the african union to join the group of 20 permanently and his support for the un security council to include a permanent member from the african continent additionally a commitment on travel to africa in 2023 is expectedp pthe us will name ambassador johnnie carson who was assistant secretary of state for the bureau of african affairs and has held ambassadorships to kenya zimbabwe and uganda to be the new special representative for us africa leaders summit implementationp pbut the white house has insisted the summit is not about trying to sway an african nation into taking a side against russiap pwere not putting a gun to anyones head we believe that the war in ukraine is a matter of principle national security adviser jake sullivan said on monday but were not imposing conditionalityp pwere not approaching this from the point of view of coercing other countries he addedp pobadare though noted that the us may want commitments from african countries while they are providing deliverables to africa during this threeday summitp pi think that the longterm question will be if america stays the course african countries want certain commitments from the united states obadare said the united states is not just going to say here is our moral support heres our financial support and not asking anything from african countriesp palso on the agenda at the summit are meetings on business relations with africa and future elections in the regionp pon wednesday biden will host a meeting about trade and investment between the us and africa which will include ceos from more than 300 us and african companies and will conclude with public remarks from biden then the president will hold a meeting on free and fair african elections and close the day with a dinner for leaders and spouses p phighlevel discussions on the african unions vision for the continent will take place on thursday followed by a working lunch hosted by vice president harris and a meeting on food security hosted by bidenp pthe threeday summit kicks off on tuesday with conversations about the role of civil society trade investment health climate peace and spacep

President Joe Biden has invited 50 African leaders to participate in a high-profile summit in Washington this week, the first since 2014. The summit aims to improve US-Africa relations, build lasting partnerships, and counter the growing influence of Russia and China on the continent. The summit will include discussions on trade, investment, elections, climate change and global food security. Africa is a fast-growing continent with significant sway in the global economy and many key minerals for global supply chains. Biden will be challenged to convince African leaders that the US can be a reliable long-term partner.

dent den is hosting 50 leaders from africa in washington this week for a highprofile summit seeking to bolster future relations with the continent and counter chinese and russian pit is the first time since 2014 the white house will host a summit with african leaders as the den administration seeks greater collaboration on trade investments elections and climate change p e summit comes while some african nations refuse to take a stance against russia amid concerns over global food security during the war in ukraine and as part of bidens ongoing efforts to strengthen democracies believe bidens greatest challenge will be proving to african leaders that the us can be a reliable longterm partner for a fastgrowing continent that has significant sway in the global economy and diplomatic ey dont see us as a longterm partner they dont see us as trusted they see us as kind of unreliable and this summit is the start of the effort to try to rewrite that narrative said cameron hudson a senior associate in the africa program at the center for strategic and international hudson noted den has not held many white house visits or meetings on the sidelines of the united nations with african leaders compared to his predecessors but the continent is home to key minerals for global supply chains and its growing population means it will also provide an increasing percentage of the global frican nations make up roughly a quarter of the united nations general assembly and many of those nations either abstained or broke from the us earlier this year on a resolution condemning invasion of e african leaders reaction to the war in ukraine played a large role in the decision for the den administration to hold the summit experts a part of me that sort of feels that the american policy establishment is shaken by the african reaction to the ukraine conflict and this seems to be an overture this seems to be born out of a realization that things arent what they used to be said ebenezer obadare the douglas dillon senior fellow for africa studies at the council on foreign relations p pand if the united states is going to have to hold on to its allies in the region it is going to have to do some e us is working through a longterm strategy on diplomacy with africa that has a lot to do with focus on the continent as well as chinas obadare pi wont believe it for a minute if anybody says its got nothing to do with russia he said i think the united states is thinking much more in the longer term how did we drop the ball to such an extent that we allowed china and russia to gain so much hold in the continent that were actually scrambling p youre looking beyond the immediate need to wrest african countries away from russia to regaining the affections of those countries and consolidating american interest in africa he e white house this week sought to allay concerns that the summit will be a oneoff event or that bidens focus on africa will fall by the wayside once it is den during the summit will announce the us is committing 55 billion to africa over the next three he will also announce his support for the african union to join the group of 20 permanently and his support for the un security council to include a permanent member from the african continent additionally a commitment on travel to africa in 2023 is e us will name ambassador johnnie carson who was assistant secretary of state for the bureau of african affairs and has held ambassadorships to kenya zimbabwe and uganda to be the new special representative for us africa leaders summit t the white house has insisted the summit is not about trying to sway an african nation into taking a side against were not putting a gun to head we believe that the war in ukraine is a matter of principle national security adviser jake van said on monday but were not imposing were not approaching this from the point of view of coercing other countries he obadare though noted that the us may want commitments from african countries while they are providing deliverables to africa during this reeday pi think that the longterm question will be if america stays the course african countries want certain commitments from the united states obadare said the united states is not just going to say here is our moral support heres our financial support and not asking anything from african lso on the agenda at the summit are meetings on business relations with africa and future elections in the pon wednesday den will host a meeting about trade and investment between the us and africa which will include from more than 300 us and african companies and will conclude with public remarks from den then the president will hold a meeting on free and fair african elections and close the day with a dinner for leaders and spouses p highlevel discussions on the african unions vision for the continent will take place on thursday followed by a working lunch hosted by vice president harris and a meeting on food security hosted by e reeday summit kicks off on tuesday with conversations about the role of civil society trade investment health climate peace and

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Jason Furman on slowing inflation, outlook for 2023

pfor a second month inflation slowed more than expected according to new report from the us department of labor the 01 percent increase in the consumer price index for november brought huzzahs from wall street on hopes the nation may be seeing the beginning of the end of months of punishing price increases but the question remains how close are we to being out of the woodsp pa hrefhttpswwwhksharvardedufacultyjasonfurmanjason furmana aetna professor of the practice of economic policy at a hrefhttpswwwhksharvardeduharvard kennedy schoola and the faculty of arts and sciences spoke with the gazette about where the us economy stands now and what the trends suggest for 2023 the interview has been edited for clarity and lengthp h2qampah2 h3jason furmanh3 pspangazettespan is inflation officially on a downward trendp pspanfurmanspan this is two good months in a row we had that last summer and that proved to be a false dawn but i think the signs are better now than they were a year ago in particular a lot of commodity prices are falling supply chains are healing and some favorable things for inflation like a slowdown in the growth of rents have only just started the problem is inflation has been incredibly high so even if it comes down it may still be too high the most likely scenario is that inflation comes down a much bigger question is whether it comes down far enough for the fedp pspangazettespan do you think these numbers are good enough to nudge the fed off its current path of interest rate hikes when the committee meets this weekp pspanfurmanspan this guarantees theyll raise by 50 basis points they should raise by 50 basis points they basically already said they did that different data tells different stories this is very positive but its still only two months of data and there were some things this month that were like transitory good news just like last year some of the news was transitory bad news for example used car prices fell a lot in november theyre probably not going to keep falling a lot every month so they are going to raise rates they should raise rates the question is what do they do next their next meeting is feb 1 theyll have a lot more data between now and then right now what they do is going to depend enormously on the data this might be their last interest rate increase or maybe therell be many more to come and that just depends on whether this continuesp pspangazettespan weve had two consecutive months with belowexpected inflation numbers but we still have 7 percent inflation why are the markets so happyp pspanfurmanspan seven percent is over the last 12 months so theres nothing you can do about what happened in july and august and september thats history if you want to extrapolate forward and think what inflation is going to be looking at the last month or two or three is a better way to think about whats going to happen going forward and thats been much lower than 7 percent the market is correctly focusing on whats happened in the last two months not the last 12 months and the market is still pricing in further rate hikes even after wednesday so i dont think the market thinks the job is done i think they think itll be a little bit easier than they thought yesterdayp pspangazettespan one of the intended byproducts of the feds multiple interest rate hikes this year was to tamp down the job market some industries like tech and media are laying off significant numbers but overall the labor department says the us is still adding jobs at a robust clip whats happening with the labor marketp pspanfurmanspan the labor market has loosened a little bit but its mostly loosened because the number of job openings has fallen we went into this with just an enormous number of unfilled jobs and whats happened is as demand has been cut back its reduced the number of unfilled jobs but theres still enough of them for anyone that wants one im not positive whether thats going to be enough for the next year at some point it may be that to get inflation all the way back to target its impossible without the unemployment rate going up but so far its happened with job openings coming downp pspangazettespan according to the labor department rents rose 08 percent in november and were 79 percent higher than this time last year the fastest yearoveryear growth in 40 years the feds interest rate policy has cooled home sales as planned how does the housing sector lookp pspanfurmanspan the reduction in homebuilding subtracted more from gdp in the third quarter than any quarter since the financial crisis so you particularly see monetary policy in the housing sector i think its also affected the overall state of demand which has reduced job openings and its kept inflation expectations down so that its reduced the chances of a selffulfilling wageprice spiralp ptheir numbers are interesting their numbers are imputing rents for everyone if you look just at the new leases those are growing much more slowly if you sign a new lease this month your lease probably isnt any higher than it would have been a month ago but if you look at all leases they were sort of on an upward path the other thing is the way the bureau of labor statistics reports the numbers they smooth them over six months so if an increase happened six months ago thatll show in the numbers today its widely believed that rents are not increasing over the last few monthsp pspangazettespan gas and oil prices were squeezing consumers for much of 2021 and the first half of 2022 that has leveled off what accounts for this reversal and what is the outlook for 2023p pspanfurmanspan its amazing we began the year thinking the russian invasion of ukraine was going to have this huge effect on commodity prices it did on the price of natural gas in europe and theyre really deeply suffering in the united states gas prices are basically what they were before the invasion energy inflation this year has been like any other part of inflation part of that is a global slowdown in energy demand as economies around the world have weakened theyre buying less oil china was a big part of that story with their covid lockdowns they reduced a lot the amount of oil they were buying and at the same time unfortunately russia has continued to sell into the global market now it sells at a steeply discounted price so its not getting as much as it would have without the sanctions but its still reaching the market futures prices right now predict even larger falls in the price of oil next year but obviously this is a volatile commodity so anything could happenp pspangazettespan so what does all of this tell us about what might be on deck for the economy in 2023p pspanfurmanspan todays inflation data was good news but its still going to be a daunting challenge to get inflation down as far as it needs to go thats especially true when two weeks ago we learned that wages continue to grow very quickly when that happens prices also tend to grow quickly so we are very very far from being able to declare victory on the soft landing but after the latest inflation data we can have a little bit more hope the main area to be worried about with inflation is in services outside of housing so everything from restaurants to health care to financial services etc the prices are basically to cover the wages of the people in those sectors and those wages are growing very highp

The US Department of Labor has reported another slowdown in inflation for November 2022 with a 0.1% increase in the Consumer Price Index. Despite the positive signs, Jason Furman, Professor of the Practice of Economic Policy at Harvard Kennedy argues that even a fall in inflation may leave levels still too high. Back in the summer of 2022, it was hoped the slowing of inflation was permanent but it turned out to be false. The biggest question is whether enough to significantly impact the economy. The Fed has raised interest rates by 50 basis points in response to the higher than average inflation experienced in the first half of 2022. Furman suggested the next move will depend on the next meeting and the ensuing data they receive. Furthermore, future interest rate increases or decreases will highly depend on inflation rates and overall economic trends.

for a second month inflation slowed more than expected according to new report from the us department of labor the 01 percent increase in the consumer price index for november brought huzzahs from wall street on hopes the nation may be seeing the beginning of the end of months of punishing price increases but the question remains how close are we to being out of the pa efhttpswwwhksharvardedufacultyjasonfurmanjason professor of the practice of economic policy at a efhttpswwwhksharvardeduharvard kennedy and the faculty of arts and sciences spoke with the gazette about where the us economy stands now and what the trends suggest for 2023 the interview has been edited for clarity and 2 jason pan is inflation officially on a downward an this is two good months in a row we had that last summer and that proved to be a false dawn but i think the signs are better now than they were a year ago in particular a lot of commodity prices are falling supply chains are healing and some favorable things for inflation like a slowdown in the growth of rents have only just started the problem is inflation has been incredibly high so even if it comes down it may still be too high the most likely scenario is that inflation comes down a much bigger question is whether it comes down far enough for the pan do you think these numbers are good enough to nudge the fed off its current path of interest rate hikes when the committee meets this an this guarantees theyll raise by 50 basis points they should raise by 50 basis points they basically already said they did that different data tells different stories this is very positive but its still only two months of data and there were some things this month that were like transitory good news just like last year some of the news was transitory bad news for example used car prices fell a lot in november theyre probably not going to keep falling a lot every month so they are going to raise rates they should raise rates the question is what do they do next their next meeting is 1 theyll have a lot more data between now and then right now what they do is going to depend enormously on the data this might be their last interest rate increase or maybe therell be many more to come and that just depends on whether this pan weve had two consecutive months with elowexpected inflation numbers but we still have 7 percent inflation why are the markets so an seven percent is over the last 12 months so theres nothing you can do about what happened in july and august and september thats history if you want to extrapolate forward and think what inflation is going to be looking at the last month or two or three is a better way to think about whats going to happen going forward and thats been much lower than 7 percent the market is correctly focusing on whats happened in the last two months not the last 12 months and the market is still pricing in further rate hikes even after wednesday so i dont think the market thinks the job is done i think they think itll be a little bit easier than they thought pan one of the intended byproducts of the feds multiple interest rate hikes this year was to tamp down the job market some industries like tech and media are laying off significant numbers but overall the labor department says the us is still adding jobs at a robust clip whats happening with the labor an the labor market has loosened a little bit but its mostly loosened because the number of job openings has fallen we went into this with just an enormous number of unfilled jobs and whats happened is as demand has been cut back its reduced the number of unfilled jobs but theres still enough of them for anyone that wants one im not positive whether thats going to be enough for the next year at some point it may be that to get inflation all the way back to target its impossible without the unemployment rate going up but so far its happened with job openings coming pan according to the labor department rents rose 08 percent in november and were 79 percent higher than this time last year the fastest yearoveryear growth in 40 years the feds interest rate policy has cooled home sales as planned how does the housing sector an the reduction in homebuilding subtracted more from in the third quarter than any quarter since the financial crisis so you particularly see monetary policy in the housing sector i think its also affected the overall state of demand which has reduced job openings and its kept inflation expectations down so that its reduced the chances of a elffulfilling wageprice eir numbers are interesting their numbers are imputing rents for everyone if you look just at the new leases those are growing much more slowly if you sign a new lease this month your lease probably isnt any higher than it would have been a month ago but if you look at all leases they were sort of on an upward path the other thing is the way the bureau of labor statistics reports the numbers they smooth them over six months so if an increase happened six months ago thatll show in the numbers today its widely believed that rents are not increasing over the last few pan gas and oil prices were squeezing consumers for much of 2021 and the first half of 2022 that has leveled off what accounts for this reversal and what is the outlook for an its amazing we began the year thinking the russian invasion of ukraine was going to have this huge effect on commodity prices it did on the price of natural gas in europe and theyre really deeply suffering in the united states gas prices are basically what they were before the invasion energy inflation this year has been like any other part of inflation part of that is a global slowdown in energy demand as economies around the world have weakened theyre buying less oil china was a big part of that story with their covid they reduced a lot the amount of oil they were buying and at the same time unfortunately russia has continued to sell into the global market now it sells at a steeply discounted price so its not getting as much as it would have without the sanctions but its still reaching the market futures prices right now predict even larger falls in the price of oil next year but obviously this is a volatile commodity so anything could pan so what does all of this tell us about what might be on deck for the economy in an todays inflation data was good news but its still going to be a daunting challenge to get inflation down as far as it needs to go thats especially true when two weeks ago we learned that wages continue to grow very quickly when that happens prices also tend to grow quickly so we are very very far from being able to declare victory on the soft landing but after the latest inflation data we can have a little bit more hope the main area to be worried about with inflation is in services outside of housing so everything from restaurants to health care to financial services etc the prices are basically to cover the wages of the people in those sectors and those wages are growing very

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Biden says he will visit Africa

ppresident biden on thursday said he will be visiting subsaharan africa during his presidency while addressing leaders during the usafrica leaders summitp pim grateful that all of you have made the journey to washington for this summit and im eager to visit your continent the president said im looking forward to seeing many of you in your home countriesp phe said the african leaders in washington this week invited him to their countries and he joked about his travel there quipping be careful what you wish for because i may show up p pthe president added that there will also be visits from other officials including vice president harris secretary of state antony blinken defense secretary lloyd austin treasury secretary janet yellen commerce secretary gina raimondo and first lady jill biden among othersp ppromise youll send them back i need them they all want to go but im worried they wont come home biden said all kidding aside were all going to be seeing you and youre going to see a lot of us because were deadly earnest and serious about this endeavor p pbiden has visited europe and asia which included a quick stop in egypt since becoming president but an extended trip to africa would be his first to the continentp ppresidents george hw bush clinton george w bush and obama all visited africa during their tenures former president trump did not but he stopped international travel for the last 11 months of his presidency due to the covid19 pandemic p pthe us this week is hosting the usafrica leaders summit for the first time since 2014 the summit in washington includes 50 leaders from africa and a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpsthehillcomhomenewsadministration3773572bidenlookstoreassertusinfluenceinafricawithsummit target_blankseeks to bolster future relationsa with the continent and counter chinese and russian influencep pbiden discussed with leaders on thursday some deliverables out of the summit including that he will name ambassador johnnie carson who has held ambassadorships to kenya zimbabwe and uganda to be the new special representative for us africa leaders summit implementationp pthe us is also committing 55 billion to africa over the next three years which includes 350 million to facilitate africas participation in the digital economy and 75 million to strengthen transparent governance facilitate voter registration and support constitutional reformp

President Biden has announced his intention to visit Africa during his presidency, as he addressed African leaders during the Leaders Summit in Washington. This is part of an effort to strengthen US relations with Africa and counter Chinese and Russian influence on the continent. The summit, attended by 50 African leaders, addresses issues such as transparency, democratic governance, and economic development programs. President Biden's visit to African countries would significantly cement ties with the continent, especially after the diplomatic neglect under the Trump presidency. Former US Presidents George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush, all visited Africa during their tenures.

dent den on thursday said he will be visiting haran africa during his presidency while addressing leaders during the leaders pim grateful that all of you have made the journey to washington for this summit and im eager to visit your continent the president said im looking forward to seeing many of you in your home he said the african leaders in washington this week invited him to their countries and he joked about his travel there quipping be careful what you wish for because i may show up p e president added that there will also be visits from other officials including vice president harris secretary of state antony en defense secretary lloyd austin treasury secretary janet yellen commerce secretary raimondo and first lady jill den among romise youll send them back i need them they all want to go but im worried they wont come home den said all kidding aside were all going to be seeing you and youre going to see a lot of us because were deadly earnest and serious about this endeavor p den has visited europe and asia which included a quick stop in egypt since becoming president but an extended trip to africa would be his first to the george hw bush clinton george w bush and all visited africa during their tenures former president trump did not but he stopped international travel for the last 11 months of his presidency due to the covid19 pandemic p e us this week is hosting the leaders summit for the first time since 2014 the summit in washington includes 50 leaders from africa and a relnoreferrer noopener efhttpsthehillcomhomenewsadministration3773572bidenlookstoreassertusinfluenceinafricawithsummit to bolster future with the continent and counter chinese and russian den discussed with leaders on thursday some deliverables out of the summit including that he will name ambassador johnnie carson who has held ambassadorships to kenya zimbabwe and uganda to be the new special representative for us africa leaders summit e us is also committing 55 billion to africa over the next three years which includes 350 million to facilitate participation in the digital economy and 75 million to strengthen transparent governance facilitate voter registration and support constitutional

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My Conversation with John Adams

phere is a relnoopener hrefhttpsconversationswithtylercomepisodesjohnadams target_blankthe audio and transcripta here is part of the episode summaryp blockquotephe joined tyler to discuss why architects have it easier than opera composers what drew him to the story of antony and cleopatra why he prefers great popular music to the classical tradition the memory spaces he uses to compose the role of christianity in his work the anxiety of influence the unusual life of charles ives the relationship between the availability and appreciation of music how contemporary music got a bad rap his favorite bob dylan album why he doesnt think san francisco was crucial to his success why he doesnt believe classical music is dead or even dying his fascination with oppenheimer the problem with film composing his letter to leonard bernstein what hes doing next and morepblockquote pand here is an excerptp blockquote pstrongcowen stronghow do you avoid what a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwamazoncomanxietyinfluencetheorypoetrydp0195112210 target_blank datahrefhttpswwwamazoncomanxietyinfluencetheorypoetrydp0195112210harold bloom called the anxiety of influenceap pstrongadams strongharold bloom was a very great literary critic sometimes a little bit of a windbag but his writings on a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwgoodreadscombookshow8448170samueltaylorcoleridge target_blank datahrefhttpswwwgoodreadscombookshow8448170samueltaylorcoleridgecoleridgea and a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwgoodreadscomenbookshow419275percy_bysshe_shelley target_blank datahrefhttpswwwgoodreadscomenbookshow419275percy_bysshe_shelleyshelleya and especially on shakespeare were very important to me he had a phrase that he coined the anxiety of influence which is interesting because he himself was not a creator he was a critic but he intuited that we creators whether were painters or novelists or filmmakers or composers??that we live so to speak under the shadow of the greats that preceded usp pif youre a poet youve got all this great literature behind you whether its shakespeare or walt whitman or emily dickinson and likewise for me ive got emreallyem heavyweight predecessors in beethoven in bach in mahler in stravinsky maybe thats what he meant just the anxiety of is what i do even comparable with this great art another thing is if i have an idea has somebody already thought of it before those are the neurotic aspects of my life but im no different than anybody else we just have to deal with those concernsp pstrongcowen strongare you more afraid of mozart or of a relnoopener hrefhttpscharlesivesorg target_blank datahrefhttpscharlesivesorgcharles ivesap pstrongadams strong[laughs] im not afraid of either of them i love them i obviously love mozart more than charles ives charles ives is a very very unusual figure he was almost completely unknown in most of the 20th century until leonard bernstein who was very glamorous and very well known??a relnoopener hrefhttpswwwyoutubecomwatchvaypt6mm4u0 target_blank datahrefhttpswwwyoutubecomwatchvaypt6mm4u0bernstein brought him to the public noticea and he coined this idea that charles ives was the abraham lincoln of music of course americans love something they can grasp onto like oh yes i can relate to that hes the abraham lincoln of musicp pcharles ives was a hermit he worked during the day in an insurance firm at which he was very successful but spent his weekends and his summer vacations composing his work is very sentimental also very avantgarde for its time ive conducted quite a few of his pieces they are not i have to admit 100 percent satisfying and i think a lot of that has to do with the fact that ives never heard these pieces or hardly ever heard themp pwhen youre composing you have to hear something and then realize oh that works and that doesnt i think the fact that ives??maybe he was just born before his time he was born in connecticut in the 1870s and america at that time just was still a very raw country and not ready for a classical experimental composerp pstrongcowen strongyou seem to understand emeverythingem in music from indian ragas to popular songs classical music jazz do you ever worry that you have too many influencesp blockquote precommendedp pthe post a relnofollow hrefhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginalrevolution202212myconversationwithjohnadamshtmlmy conversation with john adamsa appeared first on a relnofollow hrefhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginal revolutionap

John Adams, an American composer, recently discussed various topics in a podcast with Tyler Cowen. Adams spoke about how architects have it easier than opera composers, the role of Christianity in his work, and his fascination with Oppenheimer. He also talked about the anxiety of influence, a phrase coined by literary critic Harold Bloom, explaining how creators of art live under the shadow of greats who preceded them, raising questions about the comparability of their art with these great works. Adams added that he is not afraid of Mozart or Charles Ives, whose work he describes as sentimental and avant-garde for its time. Finally, Adams expressed his interest in a wide range of music genres, including Indian ragas and popular songs, indicating his openness to diverse influences.

here is a er e audio and here is part of the episode he joined tyler to discuss why architects have it easier than opera composers what drew him to the story of antony and cleopatra why he prefers great popular music to the classical tradition the memory spaces he uses to compose the role of christianity in his work the anxiety of influence the unusual life of charles the relationship between the availability and appreciation of music how contemporary music got a bad rap his favorite bob dylan album why he doesnt think san francisco was crucial to his success why he doesnt believe classical music is dead or even dying his fascination with oppenheimer the problem with film composing his letter to leonard ernstein what hes doing next and quote pand here is an cowen how do you avoid what a er efhttpswwwamazoncomanxietyinfluencetheorypoetrydp0195112210 efhttpswwwamazoncomanxietyinfluencetheorypoetrydp0195112210harold bloom called the anxiety of harold bloom was a very great literary critic sometimes a little bit of a windbag but his writings on a er efhttpswwwgoodreadscombookshow8448170samueltaylorcoleridge and a er efhttpswwwgoodreadscomenbookshow419275percy_bysshe_shelley and especially on shakespeare were very important to me he had a phrase that he coined the anxiety of influence which is interesting because he himself was not a creator he was a critic but he intuited that we creators whether were painters or novelists or or composers??that we live so to speak under the shadow of the greats that preceded f youre a poet youve got all this great literature behind you whether its shakespeare or walt whitman or emily dickinson and likewise for me ive got heavyweight predecessors in beethoven in bach in mahler in stravinsky maybe thats what he meant just the anxiety of is what i do even comparable with this great art another thing is if i have an idea has somebody already thought of it before those are the neurotic aspects of my life but im no different than anybody else we just have to deal with those cowen re you more afraid of mozart or of a er efhttpscharlesivesorg [laughs] im not afraid of either of them i love them i obviously love mozart more than charles charles is a very very unusual figure he was almost completely unknown in most of the century until leonard ernstein who was very glamorous and very well er efhttpswwwyoutubecomwatchvaypt6mm4u0 efhttpswwwyoutubecomwatchvaypt6mm4u0bernstein brought him to the public and he coined this idea that charles was the abraham lincoln of music of course americans love something they can grasp onto like oh yes i can relate to that hes the abraham lincoln of was a hermit he worked during the day in an insurance firm at which he was very successful but spent his weekends and his summer vacations composing his work is very sentimental also very avantgarde for its time ive conducted quite a few of his pieces they are not i have to admit 100 percent satisfying and i think a lot of that has to do with the fact that never heard these pieces or hardly ever heard when youre composing you have to hear something and then realize oh that works and that doesnt i think the fact that ves??maybe he was just born before his time he was born in connecticut in the and america at that time just was still a very raw country and not ready for a classical experimental cowen seem to understand in music from indian ragas to popular songs classical music jazz do you ever worry that you have too many e post a efhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginalrevolution202212myconversationwithjohnadamshtmlmy conversation with john appeared first on a efhttpsmarginalrevolutioncommarginal

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Biden gets personal during victory lap on burn pits law

ppresident biden on friday took a victory lap for legislation approved by congress that expands benefits for millions of veterans who were exposed to toxins during servicep pi made it real clear to the united states congress if they didnt pass this damn burn pit bill i was going to go on holy war not a joke biden said its one of the most significant laws in our history to help millions of veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military servicep pbiden made the remarks during a town hall at a national guardreserve center in new castle del that is named after his late son beau bidenp pthe younger biden served in the delaware national guard and the president has suggested that his exposure to burn pits in iraq could have been the cause of the brain cancer he died from in 2015p pim no doctor but its pretty clear a lot of guys and women getting sick biden said many when they came home had gone the best trained fittest warriors in the world and came home with headaches numbness dizziness cancerp phe recalled when beau biden came home from iraq and called him saying he collapsed during a runp pits not unique to me and my family so many are here today and around the country the president saidp pthe delaware event is one of more than 90 events occurring across the us on friday to encourage veterans to sign up for health care get screened for toxic exposure and submit a claim if they are experiencing a toxic exposurerelated condition according to the white housep ptheres no place id rather be today to get the message out about the pact act than home here and here in this particular facility he said of the law the promise to address comprehensive toxics actp pbiden signed the legislation a relnoreferrer noopener hrefhttpsthehillcompolicydefense3595753bidensignsveteranstoxicexposurebillintolaw target_blankinto law in augustap pbiden thanked comedian jon stewart for his work on the toxic burn pits bill after the former quotdaily showquot host had advocated for helping veterans with illnesses related to their servicep pbiden called passing the pact act the first step of being make sure that we leave no one behindp

President Joe Biden celebrated the approval of a legislation by Congress that expands benefits for millions of veterans who were exposed to toxins during pit burns. Biden's son died at 46 from brain cancer potentially associated with his exposure to burn pits in Iraq. Biden praised the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2021, as a significant message to the younger generation of veterans who have to bear the consequences of their service years after their return to civilian life. The bill will help many veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during their military service. Biden also thanked comedian Jon Stewart for advocating for helping veterans with illnesses related to their exposure to burn pits.

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