House Oks

From Yahoo/AP:

“House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate”

Veering away from a default crisis, the House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent. The hard-fought deal pleased few, but lawmakers assessed it was better than the alternative — a devastating economic upheaval if Congress failed to act. Tensions ran high throughout the day as hard-right Republicans refused the deal, while Democrats said “extremist” GOP views were risking a debt default as soon as next week.

With the House vote of 314-117, the bill now heads to the Senate with passage expected by week's end. McCarthy insisted his party was working to “give America hope” as he launched into a late evening speech extolling the bill's budget cuts, which he said were needed to curb Washington's “runaway spending.” But amid discontent from Republicans who said the spending restrictions did not go far enough, McCarthy said it is only a “first step." Earlier, Biden expressed optimism that the agreement he negotiated with McCarthy to lift the nation's borrowing limit would pass the chamber and avoid an economically disastrous default on America's debts. The president departed Washington for Colorado, where he is scheduled to deliver the commencement address Thursday at the U.S. Air Force Academy. “God willing by the time I land, Congress will have acted, the House will have acted, and we’ll be one step closer,” he said. That wasn't quite the case — the vote began about an hour and a half after Biden arrived in Colorado. Biden sent top White House officials to the Capitol to shore up backing. McCarthy worked to sell skeptical fellow Republicans, even fending off challenges to his leadership, in the rush to avert a potentially disastrous U.S. default. Swift later in the week by the Senate would ensure government checks will continue to go out to Social Security recipients, veterans and others and would prevent financial upheaval at home and abroad. Next Monday is when the Treasury has said the U.S. would run short of money to pay its debts. Biden and McCarthy were counting on support from the political center, a rarity in divided Washington, testing the leadership of the Democratic president and the Republican speaker.

Overall, the 99-page bill restricts spending for the next two years, suspends the debt ceiling into January 2025 and changes some policies, including imposing new work requirements for older Americans receiving food aid and greenlighting an Appalachian natural gas line that many Democrats oppose. It bolsters funds for defense and veterans. Raising the nation's debt limit, now $31 trillion, ensures Treasury can borrow to pay already incurred U.S. debts. Top GOP deal negotiator Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana said Republicans were fighting for budget cuts after Democrats piled onto deficits with extra spending, first during the COVID-19 crisis and later with Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, with its historic investment to fight climate change. But Republican Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the Freedom Caucus helping to lead the opposition, said, “My beef is that you cut a deal that shouldn’t have been cut.” For weeks negotiators labored late into the night to strike the deal with the White House, and for days McCarthy has worked to build support among skeptics. At one point, aides wheeled in pizza at the Capitol the night before the vote as he walked Republicans through the details, fielded questions and encouraged them not to lose sight of the bill’s budget savings. The speaker has faced a tough crowd. Cheered on by conservative senators and outside groups, the hard-right House Freedom Caucus lambasted the compromise as falling well short of the needed spending cuts, and they vowed to try to halt passage. A much larger conservative faction, the Republican Study Committee, declined to take a position. Even rank-and-file centrist conservatives were unsure, leaving McCarthy searching for votes from his slim Republican majority. Ominously, the conservatives warned of possibly trying to oust McCarthy over the compromise.

Biden spoke directly to lawmakers, making calls from the White House. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was up to McCarthy to turn out at least 150 Republican votes, two-thirds of the majority, even as he assured reporters that Democrats would supply the rest to prevent a default. In the 435-member House, 218 votes are needed for approval. As the tally faltered in the afternoon procedural vote, Jeffries stood silently and raised his green voting card, signaling that the Democrats would fill in the gap to ensure passage. They did, advancing the bill that 29 hard-right Republicans, many from the Freedom Caucus, refused to back. “Once again, House Democrats to the rescue to avoid a dangerous default,” said Jeffries, D-N.Y. “What does that say about this extreme MAGA Republican majority?” he said about the party aligned with Donald Trump’s ”Make America Great Again” political movement. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the spending restrictions in the package would reduce deficits by $1.5 trillion over the decade, a top goal for the Republicans trying to curb the debt load. In a surprise that complicated Republicans' support, however, the CBO said their drive to impose work requirements on older Americans receiving food stamps would end up boosting spending by $2.1 billion over the time period. That's because the final deal exempts veterans and homeless people, expanding the food stamp rolls by 78,000 people monthly, the CBO said. Liberal discontent, though, ran strong as Democrats also broke away, decrying the new work requirements for older Americans, those 50-54, in the food aid program. Some Democrats were also incensed that the White House negotiated into the deal changes to the landmark National Environmental Policy Act and approval of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline natural gas project. The energy development is important to Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., but many others oppose it as unhelpful in fighting climate change. On Wall Street, stock prices were down. In the Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell are working for passage by week's end. Schumer warned there is ”no room for error." Senators, who have remained largely on the sidelines during much of the negotiations, are insisting on amendments to reshape the package. But making any changes at this stage seemed unlikely with so little time to spare before Monday's deadline.

^ Now to the Senate. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ahead-house-debt-ceiling-vote-043200103.html

Smoky

 

Hunger Crisis

From Yahoo:

“Many Americans face "hunger crisis" as food insecurity rises”

Anti-hunger advocates say the U.S. is facing an "unprecedented" rise in food insecurity amid persistently high inflation in the grocery aisle and cuts to the food-stamp program earlier this year. The rise in food insecurity — lacking enough food to live a healthy, active life — comes as the nation has ended the pandemic emergency and the economy, by many measures, continues to be strong. The unemployment rate is near a 50-year low, while wages have been rising for many workers.

But those figures hide a stark reality that's affecting a growing share of U.S. households, ranging from young families to older Americans. Although jobs are plentiful, many employees don't earn enough to cover the surging cost of living, pushing some to make tradeoffs like skipping meals.

And cuts to the food-stamp program earlier this year reduced benefits at a time when groceries are 20% costlier than two years ago. That caused food insecurity to jump to "unprecedented levels" in May among food-stamp recipients, according to a new survey from Propel, which makes an app for beneficiaries to check balances for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, (formerly known as food stamps).

About 44% of respondents reported skipping meals in the last month, a 7% increase and a record high, Propel noted. Those findings were echoed in a new study from the Greater Boston Food Bank, which found that some local families are making desperate choices, such as watering down baby formula or other food. "When I see one in three households with children reporting that their children were hungry, or they skipped a meal, that shouldn't happen," said Catherine D'Amato, CEO of the Greater Boston Food Bank, told CBS MoneyWatch. "This shows this is a hunger crisis that is persisting in Massachusetts." D'Amato said that current rates of food insecurity are the highest she has ever seen in her career. Her group's study, released Tuesday, found that 33% of Massachusetts households were food insecure in 2022, while 36% of those with children didn't have enough food last year. The research jibes with findings from the U.S. Census, which for three years has asked households about their food consumption. The number of Americans who say they sometimes don't have enough to eat has jumped 23% — from 15.8 million prior to the pandemic to 19.2 million in the most recent survey, taken in late April and early May.

New food-stamp work requirements The rise in food insecurity comes as the debt ceiling deal, struck between the White House and Republican lawmakers, would add more work requirements to SNAP. That could create more hardship for a greater number of struggling Americans, D'Amato predicted. "The SNAP cuts and the work requirements are really going to be harmful," she added. "We don't know to what extent until we see the final debt ceiling agreements and how it gets rolled out." SNAP already includes work requirements for low-income people ages 18 to 49 who are able-bodied and without dependents. Under the deal, that age limit would be raised to 54 years old, which could hurt older workers without a stable income and potentially put them at risk of losing food aid, experts said. However, the deal would temporarily eliminate SNAP work requirements for veterans and those experiencing homelessness, regardless of age. Those exceptions, as well as the higher age limit for work requirements, would expire in 2030. About 700,000 people between the ages of 50 to 54 would be impacted by the new work requirements, according to the Wall Street Journal. But by eliminating work requirements for veterans and homeless people, about 78,000 people would gain benefits each month, the Congressional Budget Office said in a Tuesday report. Together, the changes to SNAP would boost government spending by $2.1 billion over the next decade, the CBO estimated.

Tradeoffs: Groceries or rent? In the meantime, low-income Americans are increasingly making tradeoffs and experiencing broader hardships as they cope with the rising cost of groceries and cuts to their food aid, research shows. Eviction rates for food-stamp recipients soared by 40% from April to May, while 11% of respondents had their utilities cut off in the last month, a 24% jump from the prior month, Propel found. A majority of households in Massachusetts who experienced food insecurity last year reporting having to decide between paying for food or covering rent, utilities and other costs, the Greater Boston Food Bank found. And almost one-third said they had watered down food or infant formula to make ends meet, while 85% said they bought the cheapest food available. "You hear this in health care, that 'I skipped my medication for a day'," but now people are making these same choices with food, D'Amato said. "It's shocking, though not surprising, that families are in a situation where they have to make tradeoffs."

^ We should be fixing the Homeless and Hunger Crisis in the US – not adding to them. ^

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/many-americans-face-hunger-crisis-121447489.html

4 Of 5 Closures

From the DW:

“Germany orders closure of 4 out of 5 Russian consulates”

The German Foreign Ministry on Wednesday announced that Berlin was revoking the licenses of four of the five Russian consulates in a retaliatory measure against Moscow. The move comes after the Russian government set an upper limit of 350 for the number of German government officials, including those working in cultural institutions and schools, who can stay in Russia.

What's behind the decision? A German Foreign Ministry spokesman told reporters that the measure was intended to create a "parity of personnel and structures" between the two countries. The spokesman said Russia had "taken a step of escalation" in limiting the German presence. "This unjustified decision is forcing the German government to make a very significant cut in all areas of its presence in Russia," he said. After the end of the year, Russia will only be allowed to continue operating the embassy in Berlin and one further consulate.  "This was communicated to the Russian Foreign Ministry today," the official added. He said, that while the move was regrettable, the Ukraine war meant there was "simply no basis" for many bilateral activities between the two countries. 

On Saturday, Germany's Foreign Ministry said hundreds of civil servants and local employees working for German institutions in Russia would need to leave the country or lose their jobs.  Several hundred people were affected. While the order applied to consulate and embassy officials, most of those impacted are employees of the Goethe cultural institute, plus German schools and nurseries.

Moscow's decree means that the German consulates in Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk will be closed, leaving only the German embassy in Moscow and the consulate in St Petersburg in operation. The move reflects the further souring of relations between Moscow and Berlin since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

^ Russia continues to make one mistake after the other – further isolating itself from the world. ^

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-orders-closure-of-4-out-of-5-russian-consulates/a-65782164

Moscow Bombed

From the BBC:

“Moscow Drone Attacks”

Russia's capital Moscow was hit by multiple drones in the early hours of this morning, injuring at least two people and damaging several buildings.

Here's the latest developments:

Ukrainian authorities denied responsibility after being accused of attacking the capital by the Kremlin

Russia claims the eight drones used in the attack were taken out by air defence or signal jamming systems

The Kremlin claims the attack was a response to it own effective attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks

The Moscow attack came after Kyiv was hit overnight by Russia, with air defence systems taking down more than 20 drones

One person has been confirmed killed, in what was the 17th attack on the Ukrainian capital since the start of the month

Earlier this week, Ukraine's top intelligence officer, Kyrolo Budanov, said there would be a swift response to the recent surge in Russian strikes

^ I have visited both Kyiv and Moscow and like both Capitals, but Moscow and Putin are carrying out the Ukrainian Genocide and are the ones who started the bombing of innocent Civilians in this War so I don’t feel sorry for the Muscovites who finally get a taste of War over a year after it started.

These attacks in Moscow are more symbolic than anything else. They are exactly the same thing as the British Bombing Berlin (the Capital of Nazi Germany) during World War 2 after the German Nazis started the War and decided how it would be fought (ie. focusing on targeting Innocent Civilians.)

Moscow is the Capital of Putin and his Nazi Zs and until the Ordinary Russian calls for an end to their War and their Genocide it will only continue. Hopefully, these attacks in Moscow will show the Russians that their not safe hundreds of miles away from the War. ^

Uganda Adds Death

From Reuters:

“Uganda enacts harsh anti-LGBTQ law including death penalty”

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni signed one of the world's toughest anti-LGBTQ laws, including the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality", drawing Western condemnation and risking sanctions from aid donors. Same-sex relations were already illegal in Uganda, as in more than 30 African countries, but the new law goes further. It stipulates capital punishment for "serial offenders" against the law and transmission of a terminal illness like HIV/AIDS through gay sex. It also decrees a 20-year sentence for "promoting" homosexuality.

"The Ugandan president has today legalised state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia," said Clare Byarugaba, a Ugandan rights activist. United States President Joe Biden called the move "a tragic violation" of human rights and said Washington would evaluate the implications of the law "on all aspects of U.S. engagement with Uganda." "We are considering additional steps, including the application of sanctions and restriction of entry into the United States against anyone involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption," he said. A presidency photo of Museveni showed him signing the law with a golden pen at his desk. The 78-year-old has called homosexuality a "deviation from normal" and urged lawmakers to resist "imperialist" pressure. A local organisation, Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum, and 10 other individuals later filed a complaint against the law at the constitutional court, one of the petitioners, Busingye Kabumba, told Reuters. Museveni had sent the original bill passed in March back, asking parliament to tone down some provisions. But his ultimate approval was not seen as in doubt in a conservative country where anti-LGBTQ attitudes have hardened in recent years, in part due to campaigning by Western evangelical church groups. Uganda receives billions of dollars in foreign aid each year and could now face adverse measures from donors and investors, as happened with a similar bill nine years ago.

REPRISALS? The bill's sponsor, Asuman Basalirwa, told reporters that parliament speaker Anita Among's U.S. visa was cancelled after the law was signed. Among and the U.S. embassy in Uganda did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a joint statement, the U.S.'s flagship HIV/AIDS programme PEPFAR, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said the law put Uganda’s anti-HIV fight "in grave jeopardy". Dominic Arnall, chief executive of Open For Business, a coalition of companies that includes Google (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O), said the group was deeply disappointed and the law ran counter to Ugandans' economic interests.

The U.N. human rights body declared itself "appalled". Uganda's move could encourage lawmakers in neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania seeking similar measures. "What a leader we've in Africa!" tweeted George Kaluma, a Kenyan member of parliament who submitted an anti-LGBTQ bill in April. "Kenya is following you in this endeavour to save humanity." The inclusion of the death penalty for offences like transmitting HIV has drawn particular outrage internationally. Existing Ugandan law calls for a maximum 10-year sentence for intentionally transmitting HIV and does not apply when the person who contracted the infection was aware of their sexual partner's HIV status. By contrast, the new law makes no distinction between intentional and unintentional transmission and contains no exception based on awareness of HIV status. The amended version of the bill, adopted earlier this month after Museveni returned it to parliament, stipulated that merely identifying as LGBTQ is not a crime and revised a measure that obliged people to report homosexual activity to only require reporting when a child is involved.

'LIKE APARTHEID' LGBTQ Ugandans called those changes useless, saying law enforcement regularly exceeds its legal authorities to harass them. They said passage of the bill in March unleashed a wave of arrests, evictions and mob attacks. The issue has been a long-running one in Uganda. A less restrictive 2014 anti-LGBTQ law was struck down by a Ugandan court on procedural grounds, after Western governments had initially suspended some aid, imposed visa restrictions and curtailed security cooperation. In 2009, a bill dubbed "kill the gays" for initially proposing executing homosexuals was introduced after a conference in Kampala drew representatives from the United States including prominent anti-gay evangelical Scott Lively. As well as religious campaigning, Africa's anti-LGBTQ attitudes also have their roots in the colonial era, including an anti-sodomy section of Britain's penal code. By the time the UK legalised same-sex acts in 1967, many former colonies were independent and did not inherit the legal change. "To reduce any kind of human being, irrespective of their sexuality, to a death sentence based on who they identify as and how they choose to live their lives is something that we should all feel very ashamed about as a continent," said South African filmmaker Lerato. "We can liken this to apartheid if not worse."

^ Uganda has gone back in time and now forward towards the future. As a Straight Man I believe that these recent Homophobic Laws across the World (Uganda, Russia, across the United States. Etc.) is only a way for the Politicians who support these Bills to shift focus on what is actually going on in their area. They are using Gays as a Scapegoat to try and deflect the bigger issues (high employment, high cost of living, rise in murders, lack of prospects, etc.) ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ugandas-museveni-approves-anti-gay-law-parliament-speaker-says-2023-05-29/

Monday

 

665 Years Older

 

Kyiv was founded in 482 and Moscow was founded in 1147 so Putin trying to say that Moscow founded Kyiv is strange since Kyiv was already 665 years old when the first building was built in Moscow.

Memorial

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day and commemorates all men and women who have died in military service for the United States. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day and it is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season.

Is Memorial Day a Public Holiday?:   Memorial Day is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.

What Do People Do?:   It is traditional to fly the flag of the United States at half staff from dawn until noon. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries. Memorial Day is combined with Jefferson Davis' Birthday in Mississippi. Memorial Day has become less of an occasion of remembrance. Many people choose to hold picnics, sports events and family gatherings on this weekend. This day is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season for cultural events. For the fashion conscious, it is seen as acceptable to wear white clothing, particularly shoes from Memorial Day until Labor Day. However, fewer and fewer people follow this rule and many wear white clothing throughout the year.

Public Life:   Memorial Day is a federal holiday. All non-essential Government offices are closed, as are schools, businesses and other organizations. Most public transit systems do not run on their regular schedule. Many people see Memorial Day weekend as an opportunity to go on a short vacation or visit family or friends. This can cause some congestion on highways and at airports.

Background:   Memorial Day started as an event to honor Union soldiers who had died during the American Civil War. It was inspired by the way people in the Southern states honored their dead. After World War I, it was extended to include all men and women who died in any war or military action. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. The current name for this day did not come into use until after World War II. Decoration Day and then Memorial Day used to be held on May 30, regardless of the day of the week, on which it fell. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed as part of a move to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends. This meant that that, from 1971, Memorial Day holiday has been officially observed on the last Monday in May. However, it took a longer period for all American states to recognize the new date.

https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/memorial-day

Thank You 2

 

Thank You 1

 

Memorial Day

 

Memorial Day Concert

As I have every Memorial Day since I was little I am watching the National Memorial Day Concert.

Kyiv Day

 

Happy Kyiv Day today (the 1,541st Birthday of the founding of the City.)

It has survived many Battles and Wars throughout its history.

It was completely destroyed by Grand Prince of Vladimir Andrey Bogolyubsky in 1169, by Prince of Novgorod Rurik Rostislavich in 1203, by the Mongols in 1240, by the Khan of the Crimea of Meñli I Giray in 1483 and by the German Nazis in 1943.

It was under Foreign Occupation (the Lithuanians, the Poles, the Czarist Russians, the German Kaiser, the Soviet Communists and the German Nazis.)

It was the Capital of Kyivan Rus (Київська Русь) from 879 -1240.

It was the Capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Українська Радянська Соціалістична Республіка Союзу Радянських Соціалістичних Республік) from 1934-1991.

It has been the Capital of Ukraine (Україна) since 1991.

On February 25, 2022 Russia tried to occupy Kyiv in the Battle of Kyiv (Битва за Київ) that lasted until April 2, 2023 which saw 162 Ukrainian Soldiers killed, 748 Ukrainian Soldiers wounded, 89 Ukrainian Civilians killed and forced 2 Million Civilians to flee the Capital.

Since February 2022 Kyiv has survived countless Russian Air Raids (with Missiles, Drones and Bombs) following on the Capital the latest attack being today (May 28, 2023) when Russian attacked Kyiv with 54 Drone Bombs. The Ukrainians shot down 52 of those Drones. 1 Ukrainian Civilian was killed.

Van Dams

 

On May 28, 1935 Dutch Jewish Boy Benjamin van Dam was born in Groningen.

On October 19, 1942 he was deported to Auschwitz from Westerbork with his Parents Luis & Fanny and his Sister Jenny.  

Fanny, Jenny and Benjamin were murdered in a Gas Chamber immediately after the Selection.

Luis was registered. He perished in the camp on December 31, 1942.

414 Graves

 

215 Women, 194 Men and 5 Children.

This is the result of the examination of bodies from Izyum, Ukraine after the Russian Occupation ended there.

414 Innocent People murdered by the Russians.

This is just one of the many Russian Mass Graves of Ukrainian Men, Women and Children throughout Ukraine.

In case you still supported Russia or wondered why we need to help Ukraine.

Kyiv's Birthday!

 

Today is Kyiv, Ukraine’s Birthday.

Kyiv was founded in 482.

Today Russia attacked Kyiv with 54 Missiles (52 were shot down by Kyiv’s Defense System.)

Despite everything Russia does in Ukraine Kyiv continues to survive.  

З Днем народження Київ!

Pentecost

 

Happier Posts

 

Harry Meyen

Harry Meyen

Harry Meyen was born Harald Haubenstock on August 31, 1924 in Hamburg, Germany.

He was a German Film Actor that appeared in more than 40 films and television shows between 1948 and 1975.

Meyen was the Son of a a Non-Jewish Mother and a  Jewish Merchant who was deported to a Concentration Camp by the Nazis.

In 1942, 18-year-old Meyen himself was incarcerated as a Mischling (meaning Half-Breed or Half-Jewish) and survived the Neuengamme Concentration Camp. He was liberated by the Americans on May 3, 1945.

After the War, he began his career with Willy Maertens at the Hamburg Thalia Theater. From 1952 he performed at the Theater Aachen and from 1955 moved to Berlin. Also starring in films directed by Helmut Käutner, Falk Harnack and Wolfgang Staudte, he played the role of a young Luftwaffe officer in the 1955 movie Des Teufels General side by side with Curd Jürgens.

He also worked as a dubbing actor giving his voice to Dirk Bogarde, Robert Mitchum, Michel Piccoli, Peter Sellers, and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

He is best known for his role in the 1966 Film “Is Paris Burning?” where he played Lieutenant von Arnim (the Assistant to General der Infanterie Dietrich von Choltitz, the German Military Governor of Paris.)

From 1953 to 1966 he was married to Actress Anneliese Römer. In July 1966 he married Romy Schneider in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Their son David Christopher was born December 3, 1966; the Family lived in Berlin and later in Hamburg. The couple finally divorced in 1975, and Schneider took their Son with her to France.

Meyen suffered from Depression, his condition caused by the torture he had received from the Nazis for being half-Jewish during the War.

On April 15, 1979, Meyen hanged himself at home in Hamburg. He is buried in the Ohlsdorf Cemetery. His Son David died in an accident in 1981 and his Ex-Wife Romy Schneider died of a heart attack in 1982.

Pardon My French

 

Tentative Deal

From Reuters:

“Biden, McCarthy have tentative US debt ceiling deal”

U.S. President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy have reached a tentative deal to raise the federal government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, ending a months-long stalemate. However, the deal was described in terms that indicated it may not be absolute, and without any celebration -- an indication of the bitter tenor of the negotiations, and the difficult path it has to pass through Congress before the United States runs out of money to pay its debts in early June. "I just got off the phone with the president a bit ago. After he wasted time and refused to negotiate for months, we've come to an agreement in principle that is worthy of the American people," McCarthy tweeted. The deal would raise the debt limit for two years while capping spending over that time, and includes some extra work requirements for programs for the poor. Biden and McCarthy held a 90-minute phone call earlier on Saturday evening to discuss the deal. "We still have more work to do tonight to finish the writing of it," McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill. McCarthy said he expects to finish writing the bill Sunday, then speak to Biden and have a vote on the deal on Wednesday.

The deal will avert an economically destabilizing default, so long as they succeed in passing it through the narrowly divided Congress before the Treasury Department runs short of money to cover all its obligations, which it warned Friday will occur if the debt ceiling is not raised by June 5. Republicans who control the House of Representatives have pushed for steep cuts to spending and other conditions, including new work requirements on some benefit programs for low-income Americans and for funds to be stripped from the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. tax agency. They said they want to slow the growth of the U.S. debt, which is now roughly equal to the annual output of the country's economy.

Negotiators have agreed to cap non-defense discretionary spending at 2023 levels for one year and increase it by 1% in 2025, sources said. The two sides have to carefully thread the needle in finding a compromise that can clear the House, with a 222-213 Republican majority, and Senate, with a 51-49 Democratic majority. One high-ranking member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus said they were in the process of gauging member sentiment, and unsure what the vote numbers might be. The long standoff spooked financial markets, weighing on stocks and forcing the United States to pay record-high interest rates in some bond sales. A default would take a far heavier toll, economists say, likely pushing the nation into recession, shaking the world economy and leading to a spike in unemployment. Biden for months refused to negotiate with McCarthy over future spending cuts, demanding that lawmakers first pass a "clean" debt-ceiling increase free of other conditions, and present a 2024 budget proposal to counter his issued in March. Two-way negotiations between Biden and McCarthy began in earnest on May 16. Democrats accused Republicans of playing a dangerous game of brinkmanship with the economy. Republicans say recent increased government spending is fueling the growth of the U.S. debt, which is now roughly equal to the annual output of the economy.

The last time the nation got this close to default was in 2011, when Washington also had a Democratic president and Senate and a Republican-led House. Congress eventually averted default, but the economy endured heavy shocks, including the first-ever downgrade of the United States' top-tier credit rating and a major stock sell-off. The work to raise the debt ceiling is far from done. McCarthy has vowed to give House members 72 hours to read the legislation before bringing it to the floor for a vote. That will test whether enough moderate members support the compromises in the bill to overcome opposition from both hard-right Republicans and progressive Democrats. Then it will need to pass the Senate, where it will need at least nine Republican votes to succeed. There are multiple opportunities in each chamber along the way to slow down the process. The two sides had struggled to find common ground on spending levels. Republicans had pushed for an 8% cut to discretionary spending in the next fiscal year, followed by annual increases of 1% for several years. Biden had proposed keeping spending flat in the 2024 fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, and raising it 1% the year after that. He also had called for closing some tax loopholes, which Republicans rejected.

^ Fingers crossed this goes from a deal in principle to law before June 5th. ^

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-debt-ceiling-negotiations-push-towards-critical-default-deadline-2023-05-27/

True Love

An Elderly Woman was forced to flee her home in Ukraine when the Russians invaded and started murdering everyone.

She made it to Germany where she received Refugee Status.

Her Dog, who was with her, got Cancer and needed surgery.

It was too expensive for the War Refugee in Germany so she traveled from Germany to Poland and back to War-Torn Ukraine by bus where her dog had the surgery and survived.

She then brought her dog back the same way, by bus, to Germany.

That is true love.

 

100: Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger turns 100 today.

Born Heinz Alfred Kissinger on May 27, 1923 in Furth, Germany.

(In 1973)

In 1938, when he was 15 years old, he fled Nazi Germany because of the Anti-Jewish Pogroms there.

He became and American Citizen in 1943.

In 1943 he was Drafted into the US Army where he was assigned to Military Intelligence (because of his Fluency in German.)

He received the Bronze Star for helping to track down Gestapo Officers.

He then went to Harvard and studied Political Science.

From 1956 to 1958, He worked for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund as Director of its Special Studies Project.  He served as the Director of the Harvard Defense Studies Program between 1958 and 1971. In 1958, he also Co-Founded the Center for International Affairs with Robert R. Bowie where he served as its Associate Director.

Outside of Academia, he served as a Consultant to several Government Agencies and Think Tanks, including the Operations Research Office, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Department of State, and the RAND Corporation.

He left Academia and joined the Policial World where many of his actions or inactions have become Controversial.

He was the President’s National Security Advisor from 1969-to 1975 for both Nixon and Ford.

He was also Secretary of State from 1973-1977 (again for both Nixon and Ford.)

He was directly involved in the US War in Vietnam:

He leaked Information on Johnson’s Peace Negotiations with North Vietnam (which Kissinger was part of) to the Nixon Presidential Campaign in 1968.

He was involved in the Vietnamization of the Vietnam War – which meant to train and equip the South Vietnamese so they could fight the North Vietnamese themselves and the American Soldiers could leave.

He advised expanding the Vietnam War by the American Bombing of Cambodia from 1969-1973.

He circumvented the 1970 Cooper–Church Amendment (which ended American Troops fighting by land or air in Cambodia or Laos.)

In 1971 he failed in getting the publication of the Pentagon Papers stopped. The Pentagon Papers were Classified Government Documents that detailed America’s Involvement in South Vietnam, North Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1947-1967 and were released by Daniel Ellsberg.

In February 1972 Kissinger helped Nixon to semi-recognize the People’s Republic of China (Communist China) for the first time since 1948. Official Recognition came in 1979. Nixon visited Mao in Beijing in 1972.

Kissinger wanted China’s help to end America’s Fight in Vietnam since China helped North Vietnam.

He called for the Christmas Bombing of North Vietnam in 1972 to force the North Vietnamese to the Negotiation Table.

He negotiated the end of America’s Direct Military Involvement in the Vietnam War with the Paris Peace Agreement in January 1973. The last US Soldier left South Vietnam in April 1973.

He won the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize along with North Vietnamese Le Duc Tho.

After Nixon resigned in August 1974 he stayed on as Ford’s Advisor.

On April 12, 1975 he instructed the US Ambassador to Cambodia, Ambassador John Gunther Dean to evacuate all Americans and Cambodians that helped America before the Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh.

Known as Operation Eagle Pull it evacuated 84 US Citizens and 205 Cambodian and Third Country Nationals from Phnom Penh to American Warships.

As Secretary of State Kissinger ordered the US Embassy in Cambodia closed on April 12, 1975.

The Communist Khmer Rouge took over Phnom Penh and all of Cambodia on April 17, 1975 and started the Cambodian Genocide (where they murdered 2 Million Civilians until 1979.)

On April 15, 1975, with the North Vietnamese on the outskirts of Saigon, he testified to the Senate Appropriations Committee, urging Congress to increase Military Aid to South Vietnam – which was denied.

On April 20, 1975 he instructed US Ambassador to South Vietnam, Graham Martin, to start preparing to evacuate all American Citizens and the South Vietnamese that helped America before the North Vietnamese took Saigon.

Known as Operation Frequent Wind it evacuated 50,493 people (including 2,678 South Vietnamese Orphans) by Plane and 1,373 Americans and 5,595 Vietnamese and Third Country Nationals by Helicopter from Saigon to American Warships from April 29-30, 1975.

As Secretary of State Kissinger ordered the closure of the US Embassy in Saigon, South Vietnam on April 30, 1975 (400 Civilians including 49 Americans and 100 South Koreans were abandoned at the US Embassy and captured by the North Vietnamese who didn’t let them leave Vietnam until August 1976.)

The North Vietnamese Communists captured Saigon and all of South Vietnam on April 30, 1975. The Country was reunited into a Communist Country on July 3, 1976. The Vietnamese Communists sent 1 Million Former South Vietnamese to Re-Education Camps from 1975-1989 where they were starved, tortured and murdered.

 

Non-Vietnam War Related:

In 1971 he supported Pakistan against the Bangladeshis during the Bangladesh War For Independence even when it became publicly known that the Pakistanis were carrying out an Official Genocide against the Bangladeshis. From March – December 1971 Pakistan murdered 3 Million Bangladeshi Men, Women and Children.

Kissinger helped Nixon send Sanctioned Military Supplies to Pakistan through Jordan and Iran.

The US was on the losing side as Pakistan eventually recognized their loss and Bangladesh’s Independence in 1971.

Kissinger used the policy of Détente (relaxation) with the Soviet Union from 1969 until the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Kissinger refused to officially stand-up to the Soviets in support of their Official Discrimination against Soviet Jews (Refuseniks) in the 1960s-1970s.

Agreements and Meetings between the US and the USSR at this time included the:

1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) 1 in 1972.

The Biological Weapons Convention of 1972.

The Washington Summit of 1973 (where The Agreement on the Prevention of Nuclear War was signed.)

The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) – where the Helsinki Accords were signed in 1975.)

(In 2023)

Non-Détente Related:

In 1971 Kissinger renewed the American Base Lease on the Azores in exchange for recognizing the Dictatorship of the Estado Novo – that ruled Portugal until 1974.

In 1971 Kissinger supported Zaire’s Dictator Mobutu Sese Seko who ruled until 1997.

In May 1972 Iran (under the Shah) ended diplomatic relations with Iraq. Kissinger offered Iran America’s Military Supplies and Financial Support – helping to make the Shah more of a Dictator inside Iran.

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, Tunisia, Cuba, Morocco and Sudan Kissinger created Operation Nickel Grass that shipped 22,325 tons of American tanks, artillery, ammunition and supplies to Israel in 32 days.

This Aid led to OPEC’s 1973 Oil Crisis in the US where gas across the country was rationed.

Kissinger helped end JFK’s Alliance for Progress in Latin America (started in 1961) in 1973.

Kissinger supported 1973 Chilean Coup d'état which got rid of the Democratically Elected Government of President Salvador Allende and installed the Dictator Augusto Pinochet which lasted until 1990 and saw 30,000 Victims including 2,279 “Disappeared.”

During Turkey’s Invasion of Cyprus in 1974 Kissinger refused to intervene (even after the US Ambassador to Cyprus, Rodger Davies, was murdered in Nicosia, Cyprus on August 19, 1974.

 

After Nixon’s Resignation:

In December 1974 Kissinger sided with Indonesia when it invaded and occupied the Former Portuguese Territory of East Timor. East Timor was occupied until 1999 with 300,000 East Timorese dead.

In 1975, Kissinger encouraged Morocco in taking over the Former Spanish Territory of Western Sahara (which it still does.)

In 1976 Kissinger supported the Dirty War in Argentina’s Military Junta. 30,000 People were murdered or “Disappeared” until it ended in 1983.

In 1976 Kissinger got involved in the Rhodesian Bush War and tried to hasten the Country’s Transition to Black-Majority Rule (which happened in 1980.)

In 1977, Kissinger helped create the Torrijos–Carter Treaties with Panama (which returned the Panama Canal Zone to Panama in 1999.)

He left Political Office in 1977 and has worked to convince Americans and the World of his achievements ever since (many consider what he did and didn’t do very controversial.)

 

Personal:

Kissinger married Anneliese "Ann" Fleischer (Born in 1925 in Furth, Germany)  on February 6, 1949. They had two Children, Elizabeth and David, and divorced in 1964.

 On March 30, 1974, he married Nancy Maginnes. They now live in Kent, Connecticut, and in New York City.

 

Pet Family

 

Memorial Flags

 

1,000 US Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment placed an American Flag on 260,000 Graves at Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day this year.

This tradition has been done by the 3^rd US Infantry Regiment every Memorial Day since 1948.

Similar shows of honor were carried out at the other 164 National Cemeteries across the United States and its 6 Territories on the 5.3 Million American Soldiers’ graves there

Similar shows of honor were carried out at the 26 (ABMC) American Cemeteries across the World (in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Panama, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico and Tunisia) on the 140,000 American Soldiers’ graves there.

Scarred By War

From Military.com:

“Scarred By War, Ukrainian Children Carry on After Losing Parents, Homes and Innocence”

(Children dance at the recovery camp for children and their mothers affected by the war near Lviv, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. A generation of Ukrainian children have seen their lives upended by Russia's invasion of their country. Hundreds of kids have been killed.)

The two children squinted to see through the thick smoke that hung in the air after a deafening blast shook their small home in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The pair, ages 9 and 10, called out for their father. Only eerie silence followed. Then Olha Hinkina and her brother, Andrii, rushed to the bomb shelter, as they had been taught. When the booms stopped and the smoke cleared, they found their father on the porch — motionless and covered in blood after being struck by a Russian projectile. “Father was killed at seven in the morning,” said Andrii, who now lives in the safer western city of Lviv, near the border with Poland. The two siblings join a generation of Ukrainian children whose lives have been upended by the war. Russia’s full-scale invasion has subjected them to constant bombardment, uprooted millions from their homes and turned many into orphans.

Hundreds of kids have been killed. For the survivors, the wide-ranging trauma is certain to leave psychological scars that will follow them into adolescence and adulthood. “Even if children fled to a safer area, it doesn’t mean they forgot everything that happened to them,” said psychologist Oleksandra Volokhova, who works with children who escaped the violence. At least 483 children have lost their lives and nearly 1,000 have been wounded, according to figures from Ukraine’s general prosecutor’s office.

Meanwhile, UNICEF says an estimated 1.5 million Ukrainian children are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues, with potentially lasting effects. Nearly 1,500 Ukrainian children have been orphaned, the National Social Service of Ukraine said. The largest number of child casualties comes from Donetsk, the epicenter of many battles, where 462 children have been killed or wounded, according to Ukrainian officials. That figure does not include casualties from the Russian occupied city of Mariupol, which is also part of Donetsk province, where Ukrainian officials have found it difficult to track the dead and wounded.

Before the war tore them apart, the Hinkin family was like any other living in the village of Torske, which today is just 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the front. With the death of their father in October, the children were orphaned. Their mother died years before the war. Six months later, the siblings appear to be moving past the worst of their ordeal. Police and volunteers evacuated them to a safer area in western Zakarpattia region, where they were cared for by government social services and a Ukrainian charity organization called SOS Children’s Villages, which provided housing and counseling. Their story became known in and around Torske after police released a widely seen video that showed their father’s body being removed from the family home. “We knew the village. We knew where they lived. We knew these people,” said Nina Poliakova, 52, from the nearby town of Lyman. Although she fled last year with her family to Lviv, Poliakova continued to follow news from her native area. Then tragedy struck her life as well when her 16-year-old foster son died suddenly from a heart condition. She also has a 16-year-old foster daughter she took in with her husband in 2016 from the occupied town of Horlivka, where hostilities with Russian-backed separatists began, years before the 2022 invasion. Mired in grief, Poliakova received a call one day from a local center supporting children. The caller asked if she would be willing to meet the Hinkin siblings. At their first meeting, they talked mostly about the Hinkin family home and the domestic animals they had. One of Andrii’s favorite activities was to feed the pigs. Poliakova decided to welcome the two children into her extended family. “We had that tragedy in our family, and then fate just brought us together,” Poliakova said. “Now many children have been left alone, without parents. Children need care, love. They seek to be embraced and comforted.”

Many foundations have emerged to help children overcome the trauma of war, including a group called Voices of Children, which has processed around 700 requests from parents looking for help with children suffering from chronic stress, panic attacks and symptoms of PTSD. The pleas have changed as the war has progressed, according to a report issued by the charity. During this past winter, parents sought help after noticing behavioral changes in their children including apathy, aggression and anxiety, sensitivity to loud noises and anti-social habits. “A child’s psyche remains more malleable than that of adults, and with timely and quality support, we understand that a child can more easily overcome any traumatic events,” said Olena Rozvadovska, the head of Voices of Children. Recovering from months living so close to combat lines was difficult for the siblings, Poliakova said. “They were very scared,” she said. Olha would cry and hug her every time she heard the air-raid sirens. Andrii was relatively calm during the day but would start screaming in the middle of the night.

A charity known as Sincere Heart has operated short-term recovery camps for children and their mothers since the start of the invasion last year. More than 8,000 people have used the camp services. Poliakova took her three foster children there. She wanted to help revive the childhood they lost to the war. At the camp they played with other children who had similar experiences and took part in art sessions, dance classes and other activities designed to help children express emotions. Sounds of laughter and play resonate at the camp full of kids from the war-ravaged regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and other areas. Many witnessed bombings and experienced the loss of a parent. Some recovered from war-related wounds.  During an art session, the children were given white T-shirts and instructed to express their feelings through drawing. Most painted in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag and scribbled the phrase “glory to Ukraine.” Olha Hinkina painted a heart in blue and yellow. “Children reflect what lies on the surface,” Rozvadovska said. “They are growing up in an atmosphere of the colors of our flag, the daily updates from the front line, the pride for the army that is standing.” Recovery is within reach for the children, she added. They can grow stronger because they have survived. “They carry the experience that helped them to survive," she said. "Maybe it even made them more resilient and adaptive.” When Andrii Hinkin remembers his hometown, he doesn’t recall the bombs, the smoke or the thunderous explosions. He remembers it as a beautiful village. Asked what are his biggest dreams, he responds timidly. “I want to grow up.”

^ The innocent Victims of Russia’s horrible War. ^

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/05/26/scarred-war-ukrainian-children-carry-after-losing-parents-homes-and-innocence.html