Our Human Affairs Bulletin — December 2021 Issue
A Public Service of the Multnomah County Democratic Party
Nations & People
11/10/21 Team McChord
“Exercise Global Thunder is an annual command and control exercise designed to train and assess U.S. Strategic Command forces’ readiness as a strategic deterrent force. ‘This is a global strategic exercise to showcase our strength,’ said Master Sgt. Brandon Curcio, 92nd Air Refueling Wing Inspector General team exercise planner. ‘It’s an incredibly important exercise that helps us send a signal to our allies, and our adversaries, that we’re always ready and out there extending our global reach.’ Training exercises like Global Thunder involve extensive planning and coordination to provide Fairchild’s Airmen unique training opportunities, which ensure they remain always ready to deter, detect and respond to strategic attacks against the U.S. and its allies 24/7. ‘It is a lot of moving parts,’ Curcio said. ‘There’s an extreme timeline that we have to work with, and the closer we get to the event, things begin to change a lot, which forces us to quickly adapt and overcome with our planning process.’”
From remarks by President Xi of the People’s Republic of China Before Virtual Meeting: “Right now, both China and the United States are at critical stages of development, and humanity lives in a global village, and we face multiple challenges together. As the world’s two largest economies and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, China and the United States need to increase communication and cooperation. We should each run our domestic affairs well and, at the same time, shoulder our share of international responsibilities and work together to advance the noble cause of world peace and development. This is the shared desire of the people of our two countries and around the world, and the joint mission of Chinese and American leaders.”
“Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron over the telephone to address and discuss the ongoing migrant crisis at the Belarus-EU border. They even talked about the conflicting situations in east Ukraine. As per a statement issued by the Kremlin, Putin stressed on migrant crisis, highlighting exceptionally harsh treatment meted out to refugees by Polish border guards. Over their telephonic conversation, Putin told the French President about his recent meetings with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko over issue of migrants. He further stated that he has asked Belarus and EU nations’ authorities to undertake direct discussions on the matter to overcome the humanitarian catastrophe. Furthermore, stressing on Russia-France relations, Putin and Macron welcomed the formal meeting between the two nations’ foreign and defense ministers on 12 November in Paris. The leaders even agreed that bilateral interaction on military-political matters should continue.”
“Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Germany’s acting Chancellor Angela Merkel have agreed to start negotiations at the European level to resolve the ongoing crisis at their shared border . . . Lukashenko’s office said the two leaders agreed that the ‘problem should be raised to the level of Belarus-EU (relations) and that officials appointed by each side should immediately start negotiations.’ A spokesman for Merkel said that during their latest phone call the chancellor ‘underlined the need to work with the support of UNHCR [the United Nations Refugee Agency] and UN Migration and in cooperation with the EU Commission to provide humanitarian care and return opportunities to the people concerned.’ The announcement comes a day after the bloc said it would slap Belarus with a new — and fifth — raft of sanctions over the crisis. The EU accuses Belarusian authorities of orchestrating the crisis at the border by luring people from Middle Eastern and African countries to Minsk, promising that they’d be able to cross the borders with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.”
“Two special counsel investigations, multiple congressional inquiries, civil lawsuits in the US and the United Kingdom, and an internal Justice Department review have now fully unspooled the behind-the-scenes role that some Democrats played in this saga. They paid for the research, funneled information to [British intel operative Christopher] Steele’s sources, and then urged the FBI to investigate Trump’s connections to Russia. Mother Jones first revealed the existence of the [Steele] dossier a few days before the 2016 election, and said the memos were part of an ‘opposition research project’ underwritten by Democrats. Nearly a year passed before the full truth came out about the financing: The money flowed from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign to law firm Perkins Coie, to the research company Fusion GPS, and then ultimately to Steele, who got $168,000. (Anti-Trump Republicans initially funded Fusion GPS’ research during the 2016 GOP primaries, but the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee picked up the tab before Steele got involved.)”
“Pakistan’s Cabinet on Tuesday granted permission to arch-rival India to use its land route to ship wheat aid to neighboring Afghanistan where millions of people face hunger as a harsh winter sets in. Islamabad will also send aid, the prime minister’s office said in a statement, including 50,000 metric tons of wheat, matching the level sent by India.”
11/24/21 One America News Network
“Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Moscow had noted a significant increase in the activity by U.S. strategic bombers, which he said had carried out 30 flights close to Russia this month. . . . Shoigu complained in particular of what he said was a simulated U.S. nuclear strike against Russia earlier this month. The defense minister underlined that during the U.S. military exercises ‘Global Thunder,’ ten American strategic bombers rehearsed launching nuclear weapons against Russia from the western and eastern directions. . . . Russian air defense units had spotted and tracked the U.S. strategic bombers and taken unspecified measures to avoid any incidents. The Pentagon pushed back. ‘These missions were announced publicly at the time, and closely planned with (Strategic Command), (European Command), allies and partners to ensure maximum training and integration opportunities as well as compliance with all national and international requirements and protocols,’ said Lieutenant Colonel Anton Semelroth, a Pentagon spokesperson. The top Russian and U.S. military officers, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, spoke by telephone on Tuesday, but neither side disclosed the contents of the conversation.”
“Moscow has been urging Ankara to refrain from steps that would embolden Kyiv on a military solution in Donbass . . . Yet, [Turkish President] Erdogan is unlikely to step back from defense deals with Ukraine, as his unblinking quest for drone sales to conflict zones suggests. Similarly, there is no sign that Erdogan might change his view of Crimea as a Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation. More importantly, the crisis has to do with NATO’s eastward expansion, meaning that for Russia, the essential bargaining has to be with the Biden administration, which is reportedly weighing sending weaponry to Ukraine, and secondarily, with the heavyweights of the European Union. To NATO’s strategy of expansion in Russia’s vicinity, including the deployment of air defense systems in Romania and Poland, Moscow has responded with military buildups in border regions, repeated military exercises in some 30 areas, including Crimea and the Ukrainian border, and the development of hypersonic missiles. . . . Putin’s red line is clearly drawn. A Ukrainian military thrust to reclaim full control of Donbass or a NATO move to admit Ukraine might raise the specter of escalatory scenarios such as Russia sending troops to hold Donbass, making the region into a full-fledged buffer zone between NATO and Russia, recognizing the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic down the road or even replicating the Crimea scenario by annexing the region.”
“Russia has legitimate fears over the risk of American military hardware being stationed close to its borders, the country’s president, Vladimir Putin, has said, insisting he still hopes talks with Washington can ease tensions. Speaking alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at a press conference in Sochi on Wednesday, Putin said that ‘it would be criminal inaction on our side to spinelessly watch all that’s taking place’ when it comes to the prospect of neighboring Ukraine joining NATO. . . . However, Putin added, negotiations held the day before with American President Joe Biden . . . ‘were very open, substantive, and constructive. I hope that the American side sees the results the same way. We have the possibility of continuing the dialogue, that’s the most important thing.’”
Economy
11/04/21 Center for Law & Social Policy
“The most recent version of the Build Back Better Act, released by the House Committee on Rules on November 3, 2021, includes significant investment in many valuable programs and resources to help children and families thrive. By investing $400 billion in child care and pre-kindergarten, the bill will provide the robust investments needed to help create transformative change. This fact sheet explains the funding structure and distribution of resources under the child care provisions of the act and outlines the estimated state allocations for the first three years of the program. Of the resources allocated to the Birth Through Five Child Care and Early Learning Entitlement, $100 billion will be distributed in the first three years to states, tribes, and territories. This includes $24 billion in FY 2022, $34 billion in FY 2023, and $42 billion in FY 2024.1 These funds will be distributed using the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant formula for allocation of resources. Beginning in FY 2025, the funding adjusts to fit an entitlement structure, meaning funding is available to serve as many eligible children and families as participate in the program.”
11/16/21 Federal Reserve Board Bulletin
Industrial production rose 1.6 percent in October after falling 1.3 percent in September; about half of the gain in October reflected a recovery from the effects of Hurricane Ida. Manufacturing output increased 1.2 percent in October; excluding a large gain in the production of motor vehicles and parts, factory output moved up 0.6 percent. The output of utilities rose 1.2 percent, and mining output stepped up 4.1 percent. At 101.6 percent of its 2017 average, total industrial production in October was 5.1 percent above its year-earlier level and at its highest reading since December 2019. In October, capacity utilization for the industrial sector increased 1.2 percentage points to 76.4 percent; even so, it was still 3.2 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2020) average.
Highlights of the Infrastructure Act
- ROADS AND BRIDGES: On top of reauthorizing surface transportation programs for five years, an additional $110 billion to repair roads and bridges, $11 billion for transportation safety programs, including projects to reduce traffic fatalities, and $1 billion to reconnect communities (disproportionately Black neighborhoods) that were divided by highways.
- PASSENGER RAIL: $66 billion in additional rail funding to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring rail service to areas outside the northeast and mid-Atlantic.
- ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION LINES: $65 billion to construct thousands of miles of new transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewables and clean energy.
- BROADBAND INTERNET: $65 billion toward broadband infrastructure.
- DRINKING WATER: $55 billion to improve water infrastructure and eliminate lead service pipes.
- EXTREME WEATHER: RESILIENCY $50 billion to develop infrastructure to protect against droughts, heat, floods and wildfires.
- PUBLIC TRANSIT: $39 billion of new investment to modernize transit, on top of $50 billion from existing transit programs for the next five years, will be the largest investment in public transit in U.S. history, paying for 24,000 buses, 5,000 rail cars, 200 stations, and thousands of miles of track, signals, and power systems in need of replacement.
- CLEANUP OF TOXIC SITES: $21 billion to clean up Superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land and cap orphaned oil and gas wells.
- PORTS AND AIRPORTS: $17 billion for port infrastructure and waterways, and $25 billion for airports to address repair and maintenance backlogs.
- ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS: $7.5 billion to develop a national network of 500,000 EV charging stations — both within communities and along highway corridors.
Mexico’s imports of corn, mostly from the U.S., are on track to break their annual record potentially reaching 17.9 million metric tons by the end of the year according to experts’ estimates. This occurs amid growing demand for animal feed and despite the Mexican government’s early calls for self-sufficiency.
12/03/21 Transportation & Infrastructure Democrats
“Washington, DC — Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) announced the subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “Leveraging IIJA: Plans for Expanding Intercity Passenger Rail.” During the hearing, witnesses will discuss plans for expanding intercity passenger rail in their states, regions, and networks, and how the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was recently signed into law, will support these efforts.”
Finance
11/19/21 Federal Reserve Board Bulletin
“National monetary policies are often correlated, and such examples are not confined to recent experience. Indeed, the international monetary economics literature abounds with historical and empirical studies of correlated global monetary policy cycles, not to mention the evident secular downtrend in global monetary policy rates observed in recent decades. Moreover, global monetary policies often also do appear at least sometimes to be coordinated. There are certainly enough meetings of Group of Seven (G-7), Group of Twenty, and Bank for International Settlements (BIS) central bank governors — virtual and in person — that provide such opportunities. By contrast with evidence of central bank correlation and coordination, the historical record suggests that, since the collapse of the Bretton Woods system 50 years ago, rarely, if ever, do major sovereign central banks actually enter into, at least publicly — let alone respect — binding commitments to pursue formal cooperative policies.”
“Turkey has thrown caution to the wind as the rest of the world frets about surging inflation. The country’s central bank cut its main interest rate for the third consecutive month to 15 per cent in November, despite the nation’s consumer price index rising 19.9 per cent year on year in October. On Friday, annual inflation is expected to cross the 20 per cent threshold to hit 20.7 per cent. . . . That would represent its highest rate since November 2018, when the country was reeling from a currency crisis. Turks have been watching with horror while enduring a repeat of that episode in recent weeks, with the lira tumbling 28 per cent against the dollar since the start of November. Analysts warn that, if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to abandon his fixation with low interest rates, Turkey could be headed towards hyperinflation. The country is heavily reliant on imports and other raw materials that are becoming increasingly expensive as the lira slides.”
12/01/21 Wall Street on Parade
In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, “[Fed Chair Jerome] Powell responded to [Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana] as follows: ‘I think what we missed about inflation — we didn’t predict the supply-side problems. And those are highly unusual and very difficult, very non-linear. It’s really hard to predict those things. But that’s really what we missed and that’s why all of the professional forecasters had much lower inflation projections. You asked about the taper and so, yes, as I mentioned earlier, since the last meeting we’ve seen basically elevated inflation pressures; we’ve seen very strong labor market data without any improvement in labor supply; and we’ve seen strong spending data too. And remembering that every dollar of [bond asset purchases by the Fed] does increase accommodation, we now look at an economy that’s very strong and inflationary pressures that are high, and that means it’s appropriate I think for us to discuss at our next meeting — which is in a couple weeks — whether it will be appropriate to wrap up our purchases a few months earlier …’”
12/03/21 Wall Street on Parade
“The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that [President] Biden is considering [Sen. Elizabeth Warren ally] Richard Cordray [as the Federal Reserve’s top banking regulator]. [Cordray was]the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). . . . Mega banks on Wall Street are particularly hostile to the fact that the CFPB allows consumers who have been victimized by financial firms, even where small sums of money are involved, to file a complaint and receive a timely response. Wall Street also dislikes the fact that these complaints go into a permanent database, which can be mined by the press and prosecutors looking for patterns of fraud.”
12/07/21 Wall Street on Parade
“Unfortunately, Americans never see headlines in their newspapers about the deterioration in the stock market’s underpinnings. What they do see on a regular basis are headlines about the market setting a new high. This has the intended effect for Wall Street manipulators of sucking the little guy in at market tops as the smart guys “distribute” their inflated shares to the less informed. The one thing that will be different when this giant bubble finally pops, is that Fed Chair Jerome Powell, unlike former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan, will not be able to tell Congress that nobody could have seen this market crash coming. There is now a loud chorus of veteran Wall Street investors who are calling this the biggest bubble of all time, or words to that effect.”
Disease Control
11/26/21 World Health Organization
“It is not yet clear whether Omicron is more transmissible (e.g., more easily spread from person to person) compared to other variants, including Delta. The number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant, but epidemiologic studies are underway to understand if it is because of Omicron or other factors. It is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease compared to infections with other variants, including Delta. Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron. There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms associated with Omicron are different from those from other variants. Preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of reinfection with Omicron (i.e., people who have previously had COVID-19 could become reinfected more easily with Omicron), as compared to other variants of concern, but information is limited. More information on this will become available in the coming days and weeks. . . . Vaccines remain critical to reducing severe disease and death, including against the dominant circulation variant, Delta. Current vaccines remain effective against severe disease and death. . . . The widely used PCR tests continue to detect infection, including infection with Omicron, as we have seen with other variants as well. Studies are ongoing to determine whether there is any impact on other types of tests, including rapid antigen detection test. . . . At the present time, WHO is coordinating with a large number of researchers around the world to better understand Omicron. Studies currently underway or underway shortly include assessments of transmissibility, severity of infection (including symptoms), performance of vaccines and diagnostic tests, and effectiveness of treatments.”
“China, Russia and India released a joint communiqué on Saturday following the 18th meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries on November 26 that took place in the format of digital video conference. . . . The ministers underlined the importance of a timely, transparent, effective and non-discriminatory international response to global health challenges including pandemics, with equitable and affordable access to medicines, vaccines and critical supplies. They called for strengthening the policy response capability of the World Health Organization in the fight against Covid-19 and other global health challenges, while urging for making COVID-19 vaccination a global public good.”
