7/31/2021

delta variant | July 31, 2021

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CDC releases study showing 3/4 Delta cases are among the vaccinated, says masks are the answer

Jul 31 - ...​The CDC released that evidence on Friday. In a study of 469 cases of Covid-19 that broke out in the resort town of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, earlier this month, 74% occurred in “fully vaccinated persons.” Four out of five patients hospitalized were fully vaccinated, and on average the inoculated had completed their two rounds of doses only 86 days before infection.

The cases studied occurred in people vaccinated primarily with Pfizer and Moderna shots, with a smaller number having received Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose jab. No one vaccine was singled out as providing better or worse protection, and none appeared to prevent symptoms from developing. Some 79% of vaccinated patients were symptomatic, the study noted...     quoted from

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The oddest thing I ever heard

JULY 30, 2021
​White House Daily Briefing
White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-PIerre discussed the president’s agenda with reporters. She answered a variety of questions regarding the White House’s guidance on COVID-19 vaccination mandates and incentives and conflicting information from the White House and the CDC regarding the Delta variant. The deputy press secretary also responded to questions related to Cuba policy, the eviction moratorium and voting rights. 
People sit at tables at an outdoor bar in Stockholm, Sweden, July 1 2021

Mask-free Sweden nears zero daily Covid deaths as chief epidemiologist warns against ‘far-reaching conclusions’ about Delta strain

​Jul 31 - ...And while US health authorities are pressing Americans in “high transmission” areas to mask up, Sweden dropped its last remaining mask recommendation – related to public transport – on July 1. While Sweden’s public health agency has supported measures such as social distancing and remote working, it has no recommendations for the use of face coverings in public spaces...

...Daily hospitalizations have also hovered near zero in July: On most days this month, the country saw between 0-2 Covid-cases requiring hospital treatment. At the same time, daily cases have fallen sharply since April...     quoted from

President Joe Biden delivers remarks before a meeting with Cuban American leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday. 

Biden administration sanctions Cuban national police, leaders

Jul 30 - The Biden administration on Friday imposed new sanctions on elements of the Cuban government for its "violent suppression" of recent protests.

​The sanctions came amid a series of new policy measures President Joe Biden said his administration was undertaking.


"Earlier this month, Cubans took to the street in a show of the will of the people of Cuba," Biden said during a State Dining Room meeting with Cuban American leaders.

"The regime responded with violence and repression, mass detentions, sham trials and people disappearing who have spoken out. Cuban Americans are hurting because their loved ones are suffering. And it's, quite frankly, intolerable"...

Related Articles
U.S. sanctions Cuban officials over protests, human rights abuses
North Korea shows support for Cuban government amid protests

JULY 30, 2021
President Biden Meets with Cuban American Leaders
​President Biden announced new sanctions on the Cuban government during a meeting with Cuban American leaders at the White House.

Remarks by President Biden at Meeting with Cuban American Leaders

JULY 30, 2021SPEECHES AND REMARKS  

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I’m honored to welcome members of the Cuban American community, and Senator Menendez, Senator [Congressman] Meeks to discuss how the United States is going to continue to stand with the Cuban people, who have suffered for decades and decades under a failed communist regime.

Earlier this month, Cubans took to the street in a historic demonstration of the will of the people of Cuba.  The regime responded with violence and repression, mass detentions, sham trials, and people disappearing who — who have spoken out.  Just disappearing.  Family members, I’m told, are not able — have no idea where their family members are back in Cuba.  And — in a brazen violation of the rights of the Cuban people. 

The Cuban Americans are hurting.  They’re hurting because their loved ones are suffering.  And it’s, quite frankly, intolerable.

So, I want the Cuban Americans to know that we — all around this table and myself included — see your pain, we hear your voices, and we hear the cries of freedom coming from the island.


The United States is taking concerted action to bolster the cause of the Cuban people.  We’ve brought to bear the strength of our diplomacy, rallying nations to speak out and increase pressure on the regime.  And we’re holding the regime accountable.

Last week, we sanctioned the head of Cuban armed forces and the government — a government entity called the “Black Berets” for their involvement in suppressing protesters.

And, today, we are adding sanctions against the Revolutionary National Police, as well as individual sanctions against the chief and deputy chief — the chief and deputy chief. 

And we’re going to continue to add sanctions on individuals that carry out — that carry out the regime’s abuses.

At the same time, we’re increasing direct support for the Cuban people by pursuing every option available to provide Internet access to help the Cuban bypass — the Cuban people bypass the censorship that’s being mandatorily imposed...     more
Cuba Condemns US Sanctions on National Police as 'Justification' for Continued Blockade

Washington's new bout of sanctions against the Cuban police and its leaders is a means to justify the island's continued economic blockade, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said.


Jul 30 - On Friday, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on the Cuban National Revolutionary Police, the head of the force, and his deputy in the latest round of sanctions against the island nation.

"I categorically reject the inclusion of the National Revolutionary Police and its two leaders in illegitimate lists in the US. These arbitrary measures, coupled with disinformation and aggression, are used to justify the inhumane blockade of Cuba," the minister tweeted.


The same day, US President Joe Biden, following a meeting with Cuban activists, announced that Washington will continue to impose sanctions on individuals in Cuba over alleged abuses.

"President Biden's meeting with Cuban annexionists is a farce to justify the change of regime operation against #Cuba," Parrilla said, adding that the US government is only interested in "Florida's electoral machinery" and "ignores the claim by Cuban people" and other voters.

President Biden's meeting with Cuban annexionists is a farce to justify change of regime operation against #Cuba.

US government is only interested in Florida's electoral machinery and ignores the claim by Cuban people, it's Cuban and US voters and the world.
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) July 30, 2021

Last week, the US imposed sanctions targeting the Cuban military and the interior ministry over the crackdown of recent protests earlier in July.

Cubans demonstrated in the streets amid the country’s economic decline exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and demanded free elections and improved economic conditions. The government deployed security forces across the country and halted communications, including the internet, while its supporters engaged in counter-demonstrations.     source from
​CDC Releases New Evidence On Delta Variant
Jul 31, 2021
The CDC released evidence showing how contagious and dangerous the delta variant is, leading to the re-implemented mask guidelines. Officials warn it’s as easily transmittable as the common cold and the vaccinated are less protected than believed

People walk near posters of theatre shows while they wear masks to prevent against the spread of Covid-19 in New York.

Delta variant spreads as easily as chickenpox, can cause more severe disease: Top US health body

Vaccinated individuals infected with the Delta variant may be able to transmit the virus as easily as those who are unvaccinated, the document said.

Jul 30 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States described the Delta variant of the coronavirus as being as transmissible as chickenpox and warned that it could cause more severe disease, The Washington Post reported.


​The US’ top health agency made these observations in an internal document that argues that officials must “acknowledge the war has changed.” It cites currently unpublished data as well as outside studies showing that vaccinated individuals infected with the Delta variant may be able to transmit the virus as easily as those who are unvaccinated.

Vaccinated people infected with Delta have measurable viral loads similar to those who are unvaccinated and infected with the variant, the document said...     more

NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - July 29th, 2021
Jul 30, 2021
CDC releases new evidence on delta variant, tornado damage across multiple states, and President Trump asked DOJ to declare 2020 election “corrupt.”
. 00:00 Intro 02:00 CDC: The 'War' Has Changed With Delta Variant 04:41 Breakthrough Infections 07:25 Tornado Outbreak 08:48 Trump Election Bombshell 10:14 Migrant Children Covid Outbreak 13:00 Christmas In July

7/30/2021

Russia | July 30, 2021

 White House News in Chinese - About (weebly.com)

Putin is broke? Biden the latest American leader to publicly expose the dangerous lack of genuine Russia expertise in Washington

Jul 29 - US presidents are a mass of contradictions. Donald Trump spoke of improving relations with Russia, but dragged them to new lows with sanctions. Joe Biden, by contrast, has overseen a thaw, while saying nasty things about Moscow.

Most recently, the Democratic Party politician has renewed the New START treaty and ended American efforts to sabotage the Russian- and German-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, efforts which were kicked off by his predecessor. But, as if to make up for it, he seems to feel a need to bring out fiery and fear-mongering rhetoric at every opportunity.

So it was that during a visit to the office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday, Biden talked up the threat posed by Russia, explaining its alleged aggressiveness as a product of its supposedly failing economy. Biden claimed that his counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, “has a real problem. He is sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and oil wealth and nothing else. Nothing else. Their economy is like the eighth ... largest in the world. He knows he’s in real trouble – which makes him even more dangerous, in my opinion”...     more

JULY 29, 2021
White House Daily Briefing
​White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters and responds to questions on a range of issues, including the administration’s response to combating the Delta variant which continues to spread across the country.

Press Briefing by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, July 29, 2021

JULY 29, 2021PRESS BRIEFINGS

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
 
MS. JEAN-PIERRE:   Hi, everyone.  Good afternoon.   All right, let’s get going.  I have some updates on now what — what was once “BIF,” now it’s “BID.”  And hopefully we’ll get it to “BIB”.  That’s my joke for the day.  (Laughter.)   All right.  Okay.  (Laughter.)  Thank you so much.  Get it?
 
All right, as you all saw yesterday, the President and a bipartisan group of senators announced a deal on historic infrastructure investment that will drive economic growth and create good-paying, middle-class jobs.  The President is deeply thankful to these senators who he’s worked closely with these past few months. 
 
This will mean breaking — break- — this will mean breakthrough investments in our roads and bridges, in public transit, in rail, connecting every American, including undeserved [sic] rural areas — underserved rural areas, to high-speed Internet, the most significant investment in clean energy transmission and electric vehicle infrastructure in our history, as well as historic investment in clean drinking water. 

 
Combined with the President’s Build Back Better agenda, the bipartisan deal will help us create 2 million jobs a year for the next decade...     more
Biden orders tough new vaccination rules for federal workers

Jul 30 - President Joe Biden on Thursday announced sweeping new pandemic requirements aimed at boosting vaccination rates for millions of federal workers and contractors as he lamented the “American tragedy” of rising-yet-preventable deaths among the unvaccinated.

Federal workers will be required to sign forms attesting they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus or else comply with new rules on mandatory masking, weekly testing, distancing and more. The strict new guidelines are aimed at increasing sluggish vaccination rates among the huge number of Americans who draw federal paychecks — and to set an example for private employers around the country.

“Right now, too many people are dying or watching someone they love die and say, ‘If I’d just got the vaccine,’” Biden said in a somber address from the East Room of the White House. “This is an American tragedy. People are dying who don’t have to die”....     more

Republican US senators demand sanctions on Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

Jul 30 - A dozen US Senate Republicans have announced that they plan to block two of President Joe Biden’s Treasury Department nominations over the administration’s decision not to sanction Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project, sharply criticised by Poland.

On July 21, the United States agreed to lift its sanctions on companies involved in the project in exchange for Germany pledging to invest in Ukrainian projects and impose sanctions on Russia should it adopt a hostile policy.

Nord Stream 2 is a controversial Russia-Germany gas pipeline, which bypasses Ukraine and endangers, according to its critics, energy security in Eastern Europe.

Poland has opposed its construction, arguing that it increases energy dependency on Russia. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki criticised the US-German agreement describing it as the "selfish" act of Poland's allies.


The threatened action by the 12 Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee, which has oversight of the Treasury, could indefinitely hold up Senate approval of the two candidates nominated to lead the administration's sanctions policy.

The senators, in a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, said they would continue to block the nominations so long as the administration chose not to impose sanctions against the project, or until it 'adequately addresses the absence of penalties.'

​The senators argued that "if completed, this (Nord Stream 2 – PAP) project will increase (Russian President – PAP) Vladimir Putin’s evil influence on Europe and destabilizes Ukraine’s fragile security."

​TAGS: NORD STREAM 2, SANCTIONS, GAS, PIPELINE, US SENATE, JOE BIDEN, REPUBLICAN PARTY, SENATORS

U.S. House passes bill providing for assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against Nord Stream 2

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved an appropriations bill that includes an amendment mandating sanctions against Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Jul 30 - ​That’s according to the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington,

Ukrinform reports citing the embassy’s Facebook post.

"The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to fund the U.S. State Department in 2022 with an increase in aid to Ukraine and an amendment on sanctions targeting Nord Stream 2," the statement said.

The bill provides for the allocation of at least $481.5 million in assistance programs to Ukraine through the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and related programs. This is $28.5 million more than in the current year's budget. Of this budget, $125 million is allocated to assist Ukraine in the field of security through the "Foreign Military Financing" tool, which is receiving $10 million more than this year.

It should be recalled that, in order to for the bill to be enacted, it is yet to pass the Senate and be signed by the U.S. president.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on July 21, the U.S. and German governments issued a joint declaration outlining their position on the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The document has sparked massive criticism, including from Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had sent formal requests for consultations with Germany and the EU, in line with the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement...     more


Related Articles:
Nord Stream 2, U.S. Congress, and political risks for Biden
European Parliament releases tough statement on US-Germany agreement on Nord Stream 2

Former Danish FM Calls to Turn Nord Stream 2 Into 'Pyrrhic Victory' For Moscow

Uffe Ellemann-Jensen has called the Biden administration's handling of the pipeline a "genuflection" to President Putin and ventured that had his predecessor Donald Trump done so, he himself would have described it as "yet more proof that Trump was in Putin's pocket"


Jul 30 - Former Danish Foreign Minister Uffe Ellemann-Jensen of the liberal-conservative party Venstre has urged Western countries to use all the means at their disposal and find a way to turn the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline into a "Pyrrhic victory for Russia".

​The former foreign minister admitted that Nord Stream 2 is "almost finished" despite long delays, including the Danish environmental approval which took a long time, and the US sanctions that "almost completely stopped the project".

Ellemann-Jensen also decried the Biden administration's handling of the pipeline, calling it a "genuflection" to President Putin. "Had his predecessor Donald Trump done so, this columnist, alongside many others, would have described it as yet more proof that Trump was in Putin's pocket", he admitted...     more
NBC Nightly News Broadcast (Full) - July 29th, 2021
Jul 30, 2021
Growing debate over booster shot, workplaces change plans for return to office, and FAA recruiting gamers for next generation of air traffic controllers.
00:00 Intro
01:11 Covid Booster Shots
06:03 Back To Work Debate
08:12 Unvaccinated Health Care Workers
10:41 FAA Recruiting Gamers

7/29/2021

Infrastructure deal | July 29, 2021

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Infrastructure deal: Senate suddenly acts to take up bill

Jul 29 - The Senate voted Wednesday night to begin work on a nearly $1 trillion national infrastructure plan, acting with sudden speed after weeks of fits and starts once the White House and a bipartisan group of senators agreed on major provisions of the package that’s key to President Joe Biden’s agenda.

Biden welcomed the accord as one that would show America can “do big things.” It includes the most significant long-term investments in nearly a century, he said, on par with building the transcontinental railroad or the Interstate highway system.


“This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function,” Biden said ahead of the vote. “We will once again transform America and propel us into the future.”

​After weeks of stop-and-go negotiations, the rare bipartisan showing on a 67-32 vote to start formal Senate consideration showed the high interest among senators in the infrastructure package...     more

Statement by President Joe Biden on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal

JULY 28, 2021•STATEMENTS AND RELEASES

I am pleased to join a bipartisan group of United States Senators and announce our deal to make the most significant long-term investment in our infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century.

I want to thank the bipartisan group for working together and the committee chairs for raising their ideas and concerns with me, Vice President Harris, and members of the Cabinet.

This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, deliver, and do big things. As we did with the transcontinental railroad and the interstate highway, we will once again transform America and propel us into the future.

This deal makes key investments to put people to work all across the country—in cities, small towns, rural communities, and across our coastlines and plains.

It will put Americans to work in good-paying, union jobs repairing our roads and bridges. It will put plumbers and pipefitters to work replacing all of the nation’s lead water pipes so every child and every American can turn on the faucet at home or school and drink clean water—including in low-income communities and communities of color that have been disproportionally affected by dangerous lead pipes.

​Americans will build transmission lines and upgrade our power grid to be more resilient and cleaner. Americans will strengthen our infrastructure, like our levees, in the face of extreme weather like superstorms, wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, and heat waves.

American workers will make a historic investment to install the first-ever national network electric vehicle charging stations and undertake critical environmental clean-ups.

This bipartisan deal is the most important investment in public transit in American history and the most important investment in rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago. It will deliver high speed internet to every American.

And, we’re going to do it without raising taxes by one cent on people making less than $400,000 a year—no gas tax increase and no fee on electric vehicles.

This agreement will help ensure that America can compete in the global economy just when we are in a race with China and the rest of the world for the 21st Century.


And, it comes at a critical time. We are emerging from this pandemic with an economy that is back from the brink. We are seeing the fastest job growth on record. We are experiencing the fastest economic growth in nearly four decades.

Everyone from unions to business leaders and economists left, right, and center believe the public investments in this deal will mean more jobs, higher productivity, and higher growth for our economy over the long term. Experts believe that the majority of the deal’s benefits will flow to working families.

Of course, neither side got everything they wanted in this deal. But that’s what it means to compromise and forge consensus—the heart of democracy. As the deal goes to the entire Senate, there is still plenty of work ahead to bring this home. There will be disagreements to resolve and more compromise to forge along the way.

But the bottom line is—the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America that will help make our historic economic recovery a historic long-term boom.     source from
JULY 28, 2021
President Biden Delivers Remarks on Manufacturing
​President Biden made remarks in Pennsylvania on his American manufacturing and jobs agenda on the road. Speaking at the Mack Trucks plant, he pushed for more investments and growth of U.S. based companies. He also pledged to have the federal government buy more American made products. The president also confirmed that that Democrats and Republicans have reached an agreement on a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.

Remarks by President Biden on the Importance of American Manufacturing

JULY 28, 2021SPEECHES AND REMARKS

Mack Lehigh Valley Operations 
Macungie, Pennsylvania

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I’m not going to say anything; I just came to drive a truck.  (Laughter.)  And I’m not sure which one I want to drive.  That one?  There’s one back in the corner you can’t see.  It’s the biggest damn pick-up truck you ever saw in your life.  (Laughter.)  I tell you what. 

Please, everybody have a seat.  Everybody have a seat.

Carlo, thank you.  And, Carlo, I’m sorry about your mom.  I really am.  So many — so many people.  Well over 630,000 Americans have lost their lives because of COVID.  And the only thing I’m going to — and the press keeps wanting me to talk about COVID, but I’m going to mention this one thing.

We still have a lot of people not vaccinated.  The pandemic we have now is a pandemic of the unvaccinated.  So, please — please, please, please, if you’re not vaccinated, protect yourself and the children out there.  It’s important...     more


Biden infrastructure deal could create 500,000 manufacturing jobs, business group finds

Jul 28 - A bipartisan infrastructure deal being negotiated in the U.S. Senate could create roughly half a million new manufacturing jobs by 2024, the end of President Biden's first term, an analysis conducted on behalf of the trade group Association of Equipment Manufacturers found.

The analysis by IHS Markit assumes the manufacturing jobs would come from $1.1 trillion spent over eight years starting in 2022, with 75% of funding to be spent in the first five years. It also assumes Congress will authorize an additional $303 billion in transportation spending over five years. 

The jobs estimate comes as businesses place growing pressure on Congress to pass an infrastructure package after negotiations hit snags this week in the Senate. Yesterday, more than 140 major companies including the investment firm BlackRock and the tech giant Microsoft, urged Congressional leaders to pass legislation crafted by the White House...     more