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Here’s how much money it takes to be considered middle class in 20 major U.S. cities
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The 117th Congress adjourned after passing a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package. The logic of doing this is pretty simple: Members get to bring home millions of dollars in grants and projects as a reward for their constituents’ votes.
Such politics is downright Machiavellian. It took the rising Republican majority in the House of Representatives out of the equation. The 18 Senate Republicans who voted for the package believe they have reinforced their “independent” and “reasonable” bona fides with the public. In October 2023, when this resolution expires and House Republicans likely will oppose more spending, they will be branded by some in the news media as anti-government radicals.
Predictably, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), in his “Festivus Report,” showcased $482 billion in wasted expenditures. Others are critical of sending money to protect borders abroad while we ignore the crisis at our southern U.S. border. Fiscal conservatives lament that the package will increase inflation. So, the very simple question that no one is asking: What problems will $1.7 trillion in new spending solve?
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten recently compared President Biden favorably to Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In fact, she said that Biden has done “more than any other president since FDR — and maybe more than FDR.” Hmm. And she was a history teacher, go figure.
Let’s review some of what Roosevelt did. First, he asked for permission from the American people, during his campaign in 1932, to fundamentally change the relationship between them and their federal government. To offset the Great Depression and put people to work, Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration built “more than 4,000 new school buildings, erected 130 new hospitals, laid roughly 9,000 miles of storm drains and sewer lines, built 29,000 new bridges, constructed 150 new airfields, paved or repaired 280,000 miles of roads and planted 24 million trees to alleviate loss of topsoil during the Dust Bowl.”
That means FDR is responsible for building the Hoover Dam, Triborough Bridge, San Antonio RiverWalk, LaGuardia Airport, Lincoln Tunnel, San Francisco Bay Bridge, and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. These projects just scratch the surface, though. He also shepherded our country while the Allies fought and won World War II. After the New Deal and a world war, in 1946 the national debt stood at $269 billion. By comparison, in 2022 under Biden, the national debt reached a staggering $30.8 trillion — and it will only grow with this latest omnibus spending package.
In 2023, the federal government will tax and borrow to spend at least $1.7 trillion. Will this money help secure our southern border, where millions of migrants are crossing illegally and border agents are seizing deadly fentanyl being smuggled into the U.S.? Will spending this money help lower inflation? Will it assure people who live in America’s big cities that hundreds more will not lose their lives to gun violence? Will it make America’s public schools the envy of the world, in terms of measurable student performance? Can it increase the will to work among Gen Z? Solve the homeless crisis? Break the cycle of poverty among the disadvantaged? Will it end racism?
Please, add your own questions to the list, if you like. The answer will be the same, no matter the question. None of these problems will be solved even after spending $1.7 trillion in taxpayer dollars.
The American people need to demand that the relationship they have with their elected leaders changes — from one where politicians bring home the pork to one where they actually solve problems. Looking forward to the 2024 presidential election cycle, let’s resolve to make that year another like 1932, one in which a candidate speaks plainly to the people, agreeing that we cannot sustain massive spending without producing tangible results. We need candidates and leaders who propose marshaling the power of the federal government to expedite solutions.
On March 4, 1933, FDR comforted Americans and challenged their spirit, saying, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” In 2024, we will need a leader with compassion, vision and the grit to swim against the tide in Washington that lifts all politicians but does little to solve major problems the American people face. We could draw upon another FDR quote: “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American People.”
The system is broken. Where are the political leaders who understand that taxpayers are overpaying for a dearth of solutions?
Dennis M. Powell is an issues and crisis management consultant at Massey Powell, which he founded in 1985, and the author of the upcoming book, “Leading from the Top: Presidential Lessons in Issues Management.”
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NEW YORK (AP) — “Avatar: The Way of Water” is the box office king for a third straight week, and shows no sign of slowing down.
James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel to the first “Avatar” film brought in an estimated $63 million over the holiday weekend, roughly the same as the previous week, and now has made more than $400 million domestically and more than $1.3 billion globally. “The Way of Water” is already the 15th highest global release ever, just behind the first “Black Panther.”
Numbers released Sunday by Comscore showed “Avatar” far ahead of the runner-up, Universal’s “Shrek” spinoff “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” which made an estimated $16 million, and Disney’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which brought in around $4.8 million.
The Sony biopic “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody” made $4.2 million in its second week of release. “Babylon,” the epic of early Hollywood starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, continued to fare badly despite its five Golden Globe nominations. The Paramount release earned just $2.7 million in its second week, a 24% drop, and averaged just $815 per location. By comparison, the new “Avatar,” a 20th Century Studios film, averaged more than $15,000.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” $63 million.
2. “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” $16 million.
3. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” $4.8 million.
4. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” $4.2 million.
5. “Babylon,” $2.7 million.
6. “Violent Night,” $2.1 million.
7. “The Whale,” $1.3 million.
8. “The Fabelmans,” $1.1 million.
9. “The Menu,” $1.1 million.
10. “Strange World,” $538,000.
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Tennis legend Martina Navratilova revealed Monday she was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer after discovering a lump on her neck two months ago.
Navratilova, 66, told The Times she discovered an enlarged lymph node in her neck back in November and during tests it was also discovered that cancer had returned to her breast. She expressed optimism about her health status going forward.
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“This double whammy is serious but still fixable,” the tennis great told the outlet. “I’m hoping for a favorable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while but I’ll fight with all I have got.”
A spokesman for Navratilova told The Times that “both these cancers are in early stage with great outcomes.” She’s not expected to travel for the Australian Open as her treatment is reportedly set to begin treatment for the cancers later this month.
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Both cancers are in the early stages.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer more than a decade ago. She underwent an operation to remove the cancer cells along with radiation treatment and kept up with her exhibition tennis schedule.
Navratilova is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time – up there on the Mount Rushmore list with Serena Williams, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King and Margaret Court. She was ranked No. 1 in the world for 332 and won 59 major titles across singles, doubles and mixed doubles competitions.
Notably, she won nine Wimbledon titles.
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New details have emerged in the Idaho college murder investigation about the arrest of the suspected killer, 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger.
Renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden joined “Fox & Friends” Monday to discuss how police reportedly utilized DNA to track him down weeks after the four University of Idaho students were killed.
“To do DNA, he has to have left some DNA at the scene,” Dr. Baden told co-host Steve Doocy. “And with all the blood there… 99% of it would probably be from the victims, whereas, his DNA would only be there if he probably wore gloves, or they would have had fingerprints and cutting himself because blood is… slippery, and when you cut a stable out of people, you might cut yourself, or if one of the victims had scratched him and had it under her fingernails.”
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“So the DNA is a possibility,” he continued, emphasizing that another key component of the case is that police followed Kohberger’s white Hyundai Elantra for days.
“That would indicate there were other things besides DNA involved,” he said.
A source told Fox News that officials were able to link Kohberger to the crime after genetic genealogy work was performed on evidence from the crime scene.
They also reportedly utilized cell phone data to link the 28-year-old graduate student to the scene. The process, called geofencing, allows officials to search cell phone data within certain parameters.
“That would be… very important in a trial, but to see if that’s enough evidence to make him the murderer,” Baden said. “But what’s going to be interesting, first of all, they got to make sure he doesn’t commit suicide, so he’d be on suicide watch and going through his cell phone and other data to understand why he was tracking these three people.”
Kohberger was arrested last week in Pennsylvania in connection with the murders of Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Kaylee Goncalves, 21, and Madison Mogen, 21 on November 13.
It remains unclear why he allegedly targeted the students in the brutal attacks.
Kohberger is wearing a suicide-prevention vest at a Pennsylvania jail and is expected to be extradited to Idaho this week.
New Delhi
CNN
—
The Indian maker of a cough syrup linked to at least 18 deaths in Uzbekistan has halted production after an investigation by drug regulators, India’s health minister said Friday.
Uzbekistan’s health ministry said the cough syrup, Doc-1, manufactured by the Indian pharmaceutical company Marion Biotech, had contained ethylene glycol, a toxic solution.
The Uzbek ministry said seven employees have been dismissed due to negligence and that all relevant documents have been given to law enforcement for an investigation. The ministry also said the cough syrup was incorrectly used by parents.
On Friday, Indian heath minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted that all Marion Biotech’s manufacturing activities at their headquarters in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh had been stopped as of Thursday evening “while further investigation is ongoing,” following an inspection by India’s drug regulatory agency.
Marion Biotech could not be immediately reached for comment.
Hasan Harris, Marion Biotech’s legal head, told Indian news agency ANI: “We await the reports, the factory was inspected. We’ve halted production of all medicines.” As of Friday, the company’s website was not operational.
In a statement Tuesday, Uzbekistan said the Doc-1 Max syrup was incorrectly used by parents as an anti-cold remedy on their own or on the recommendation of pharmacy sellers and this resulted in respiratory distress in children who consumed the medication.
The Uzbek health ministry said in its statement that the deceased children had taken 2.5-5ml of the drug at home for 2-7 days, which exceeds the standard dose of the drug for children, prior to being admitted to the hospital. All children had been given the drug without a doctor’s prescription, the ministry added.
It remains unclear how many of the children consumed the cough syrup tainted with ethylene glycol, or had been given more than the standard dosage, or both.
The ministry said it had withdrawn all tablets and syrups of the drug from pharmacies across the country and said that 7 responsible employees have been dismissed from their positions “due to negligent and careless attitude to their duties.” It also said disciplinary measures are being applied against a number of specialists, but it did not specify who or what those measures would be.
Ethylene glycol is commonly found in anti-freeze used in motor vehicles. If ingested, it can damage the brain, lungs, liver and kidneys, and can lead to death.
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Jeremy Renner is in critical but stable condition after suffering an accident while plowing snow on Sunday, a representative for the actor said.
“We can confirm Jeremy is hospitalized in critical but stable condition with injuries suffered after experiencing a weather related accident while plowing snow earlier today,” the representative said. “His family is with him and he is receiving excellent care.”
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to a report of a traumatic injury in the area of Mt. Rose Highway in Reno, Nevada, at around 9 a.m. local time (12 p.m. ET) on Sunday.
It said Renner, 51, was the only person injured in the incident.
“Deputies coordinated with Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and REMSA Health to arrange for medical transport of Mr. Jeremy Renner via care flight to a local area hospital,” the sheriff’s office said.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Major Accident Investigation Team is looking into the circumstances of the incident, it said.
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Renner has a home in Nevada, according to The Associated Press, but it was not clear exactly where he was hurt.
In 2015, the actor posted a photo to Instagram of a snowcat vehicle, which is used in snowy conditions. It was not immediately clear if the vehicle was involved in Sunday’s incident.
Renner is well-known for his role playing Hawkeye as part of Marvel’s Avengers squad. He is also a two-time Oscar nominee for his performances in “The Hurt Locker” and “The Town.”
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Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre may have had the celebration of the 2022 NFL season on Sunday after he intercepted Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback C.J. Beathard during their 31-3 loss.
Pitre intercepted Beathard in the third quarter after the backup replaced Trevor Lawrence. Pitre had the football when he got down to the end zone and it looked like he was going to toss it into the stands but instead the ball stayed in his hand.
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Pitre acted like the ball was stuck to his glove and managed to leave the glove on the football as he walked back to his bench and let the offense get set up for their next drive.
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The rookie second-round pick out of Baylor has put together a terrific season in his first year with Houston. He’s recorded 139 total tackles with five tackles for a loss and a QB hit. He also has five interceptions, a fumble recovery and a sack to his name this season.
According to the Texans, Pitre became the sixth rookie defensive player since 1991 to record at least 135 tackles and five interceptions. The Miami Dolphins’ Rashad Jones was the last one to do it.
Pitre represents an emerging defense with the Texans even as Houston sported one of the worst defenses in the league this season.
Houston will look to end the 2022 season on a high note with a Week 18 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans are 2-13-1 this season.
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Anyone without health insurance has about two weeks left to get 2023 coverage through the public marketplace — and subsidies could make it affordable.
Open enrollment for the federal health care exchange runs through Jan. 15, with coverage taking effect Feb. 1. (If your state has its own exchange, the last day to enroll may be different.) After the sign-up window closes, you’d generally need to experience a qualifying life event — i.e., birth of a child or marriage — to be given a special enrollment period.
Most marketplace enrollees — 13 million of 14.5 million in 2022 — qualify for federal subsidies (technically tax credits) to help pay premiums. Four out of 5 customers will be able to find 2023 plans for $10 or less per month after accounting for those tax credits, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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Some people may also be eligible for help with cost sharing, such as deductibles and copays on certain plans, depending on their income.
For the most part, people who get insurance through the federal (or their state’s) exchange are self-employed or don’t have access to workplace insurance, or they don’t qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.
As of Dec. 15, nearly 11.5 million people had selected a plan through the marketplace, according to CMS.
The subsidies are still more generous than before the pandemic. Temporarily expanded subsidies that were put in place for 2021 and 2022 were extended through 2025 in the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law in August.
This means there is no income cap to qualify for subsidies, and the amount anyone pays for premiums is limited to 8.5% of their income as calculated by the exchange. Before the changes, the aid was generally only available to households with income from 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level.
The marketplace subsidies that you’re eligible for are based on factors that include income, age and the second-lowest-cost “silver” plan in your geographic area (which may or may not be the plan you enroll in).
For the income part of the determination, you’ll need to estimate it for 2023 during the sign-up process.
Be aware that it’s important to give a good estimate.
If you end up having annual income that’s higher than what you reported when you enrolled, it could mean you’re not entitled to as much aid as you’re receiving. And any overage would need to be accounted for at tax time in 2024 — which would reduce your refund or increase the amount of tax you owe.
“You don’t want a nasty surprise when you do your taxes the next year,” said Cynthia Cox, director for the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Affordable Care Act program.
Likewise, if you are entitled to more than you received, the difference would either increase your refund or lower the amount of tax you owe.
Either way at any point during the year you can adjust your income estimate or note any pertinent life changes (for example, a birth of a child, marriage, etc.) that could affect the amount of subsidies you’re entitled to.
Be aware that if you don’t pay your premiums (or your share of them), you face coverage being canceled and claims going unpaid.
For enrollees who get subsidies, coverage is generally dropped after three months if premiums are not caught up. For those who pay the full premiums because they don’t qualify for subsidies, there’s only a grace period of about a month before cancellation, depending on the state.
If you end up without insurance, you can’t re-enroll through the marketplace unless you qualify for a special enrollment period.
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This 26-year-old quit her job to ask strangers how much money they make—now she’s scoring 6-figure brand deals
