Month: March 2021

The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday is expected to pass its flagship election reform bill, which would update voting procedures and require states to turn over the task of redrawing congressional districts to […]

Oil up as OPEC+ Considers Rollover Rather Than Raising Output

Oil prices rose on Wednesday, boosted by expectations that OPEC+ producers might decide against increasing output when they meet this week, while signs of progress in the coronavirus vaccine rollout in the United States gave […]

U.S. Private Payrolls Rise Less Than Expected in February

U.S. private employers hired fewer workers than expected in February, suggesting the labor market was struggling to regain speed despite the nation’s improving public health picture, Reuters informed. Private payrolls increased by 117,000 jobs last […]

Islamic State Says It Killed Female Media Workers in East Afghanistan

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed three female media workers in eastern Afghanistan, Reuters reported. The militant group, which has a presence in Afghanistan, said its fighters had targeted the […]

Kremlin Shrugs off Impact of U.S./EU Sanctions, but Pledges Retaliation

The Kremlin on Wednesday played down the impact of sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union over Moscow’s treatment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, but said it would retaliate with reciprocal measures, […]

Jobless Aid, Direct Checks Could Get Trimmed as U.S. Senate Takes up COVID-19 Aid Bill

The U.S. Senate is expected to take up President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package on Wednesday, with fellow Democrats seeking to advance key priorities and jettison aspects that have drawn unflattering scrutiny, Reuters […]

South Korea Investigates Deaths of Two Who Received AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine

South Korean authorities are investigating the deaths of two people, both with pre-existing conditions, who died within days of receiving AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, Reuters informed. AstraZeneca said it was aware of the investigation by the […]

Renewable Diesel Boom Highlights Challenges in Clean-Energy Transition

For 17 years, trucker Colin Birch has been hitting the highways to collect used cooking oil from restaurants, Reuters writes. He works for Vancouver-based renderer West Coast Reduction Ltd, which processes the grease into a […]

U.S. Supreme Court Leans toward Upholding Republican-Backed Voting Curbs

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared inclined to uphold two Republican-backed voting restrictions in Arizona in a case that could further weaken the Voting Rights Act, a landmark 1965 federal law that bars racial […]

Former U.S. Ambassador Doesn’t See Iran Nuclear Deal Happening This Year as Escalations Mount

A series of back-and-forth retaliatory moves and antagonizing statements between Washington and Tehran are putting the Biden administration’s plans for a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal into greater peril by the day, CNBC […]

Biden’s Team Says It Will Use ‘All Available Tools’ to Fight China’s Unfair Trade Practices

President Joe Biden’s team will use “all available tools” to fight China’s unfair trade practices, according to a report outlining the new U.S. administration’s trade agenda, CNBC informed. The document released on Monday did not […]

U.S. Sanctions for Navalny Poisoning May Come on Tuesday

The United States is expected to impose sanctions to punish Russia for the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as early as Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter said, Reuters reported. President Joe Biden’s […]

US and China will meet for the first time at a high level since Russia's attack on Ukraine as Biden tries to get Beijing's help with the war.

China Extends Lead over U.S. in Global Patents Filings, U.N. Says

China was the biggest source of applications for international patents in the world in 2020 for the second consecutive year and extended its lead over No. 2 filer the United States, the U.N. patent agency […]

UK Rollout Data on AstraZeneca Shot Should Guide Other Countries

Data from Britain’s vaccine rollout on the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University COVID-19 shot in older people should help other countries reassess their use of it, the head of the university’s vaccine research group said […]

Shares Pause, Awaiting Next Move in Bonds

European shares paused on Tuesday as investors sought to guess the bond market’s next move, while weak German retail sales were a stark reminder of continued COVID-19 fallout on the region’s biggest economy, Reuters reported. […]

Jack Ma Loses Title as China’s Richest Man after Coming under Beijing’s Scrutiny

Alibaba and Ant Group founder Jack Ma has lost the title of China’s richest man, a list published on Tuesday showed, as his peers prospered while his empire was put under heavy scrutiny by Chinese […]

Oil Slips on Fears over Higher OPEC Supply, Slower China Demand

Oil prices slipped on Tuesday as expectations that top producers would agree to raise oil supply in a meeting this week weighed on sentiment, already hit by concerns over slowing Chinese demand, Reuters informed. Brent […]

LUNCHTIME POLITICS: Polling Cuomo, Cruz, AOC, Cheney – New Hampshire Senate

March 1, 2021 John Ganjei

Your Daily Polling Update for Monday, March 1, 2021 BIDEN JOB APPROVAL: AVERAGE 55%Down 1 from last Tuesday RON’S COMMENT: Today’s average is based on five polls, ranging from 50% (Rasmussen) to 62% (Politico). Without […]

The ports and waterways funding comes from President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan, which was signed into law by Congress last year

Biden Administration to Pay Transportation, Healthcare for Families Separated under Trump

The United States could pay for transportation, healthcare, legal services, and career and educational services for migrants separated under former President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” border strategy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said […]

New York AG to Oversee Investigation into Cuomo Sexual Harassment Allegations

New York Attorney General Letitia James will oversee an investigation with subpoena power into sexual harassment allegations against Gov. Andrew Cuomo after the state’s top Democrat gave into pressure from his own party to agree […]

Dow Futures Jump 300 Points to Start the Week as Rate Fears Ease

U.S. stock futures rose sharply in early morning trading on Monday, as Treasury yields retreated from their highs from last week, easing concerns about inflation and that higher rates would undermine equity valuations, CNBC reported. […]

Biden Urges Workers to ‘Make Your Voice Heard’ as Amazon Employees Vote on Union

President Joe Biden defended workers’ rights to form unions and warned against intimidation of workers in a video posted on Twitter on Sunday night, as Amazon.com Inc employees in Alabama vote on whether to unionize, […]

Russia Accuses Twitter of Breaking Law by Failing to Delete Content

Russia’s communications regulator accused Twitter on Monday of violating Russian law, saying the social media platform had not complied with some of its requests to delete banned content, Reuters reported. Roskomnadzor said Twitter had failed […]

Netanyahu Blames Iran for Blast on Israeli-Owned Ship Which Tehran Denies

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran on Monday for an explosion aboard an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week, an accusation rejected by Tehran, Reuters reported. The vehicle-carrier MV Helios Ray […]

U.S. Envoy Visits Kabul Looking for Ways to Speed up Afghan Peace Process

The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad held discussions on Monday with a senior Afghan official in Kabul over ways to accelerate the peace process, before heading to Qatar, where negotiations with Taliban representatives […]

Trump Targets Disloyal Republicans, Repeats Election Lies and Hints at 2024 Run

Former President Donald Trump hinted on Sunday at a possible presidential run in 2024, attacked President Joe Biden and repeated his fraudulent claims he won the 2020 election in his first major appearance since leaving […]

Fauci Urges Americans to Get Any of the Three COVID-19 Vaccines Available

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, said on Sunday he was encouraging Americans to accept any of the three available COVID-19 vaccines, including the newly approved Johnson & Johnson shot, Reuters reported. […]