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whimsicaldragonette · 11 months ago

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Blog Tour and Arc Review: The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews

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Publication Date: January 16, 2024

Welcome to The Lily of Ludgate Hill book tour with Berkley Publishing Group. (This blog tour post is also posted on my Wordpress book blog Whimsical Dragonette.)

Synopsis:

Lady Anne Deveril doesn’t spook easily. A woman of lofty social standing known for her glacial beauty and starchy opinions, she’s the unofficial leader of her small group of equestriennes. Since her mother’s devastating plunge into mourning six years ago, Anne voluntarily renounced any fanciful notions of love and marriage. And yet, when fate puts Anne back into the entirely too enticing path of Mr. Felix Hartford, she’s tempted to run…right into his arms. No one understands why Lady Anne withdrew into the shadows of society, Hart least of all. The youthful torch he once held for her has long since cooled. Or so he keeps telling himself. But now Anne needs a favor to help a friend. Hart will play along with her little ruse—on the condition that Anne attend a holiday house party at his grandfather’s country estate. No more mourning clothes. No more barriers. Only the two of them, unrequited feelings at last laid bare. Finally free to gallop out on her own, Anne makes the tantalizing discovery that beneath the roguish exterior of her not-so-white knight is a man with hidden depths, scorching passions—and a tender heart.

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Kirkus, and Shelf Awareness, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats. Learn more online at www.mimimatthews.com.

Author Photo Credit: Vicki Hahn

Rating: ★★★★

*My Review, Favorite Quotes, and Non-Exclusive Extract below the cut.

My Review:

I loved this. It was exactly the sort of banter-filled stubborn hero and heroine who are gone for each other but refuse to admit it story that I love. It's easily the best of the Belles of London series. Anne and Hartford are perfect for each other but it takes them a while to admit it. The only problem I had with it was that it was *extremely* predictable. I knew exactly how it was going to go from the beginning and there was no deviating from that. I actually stopped about 75% of the way through and checked goodreads to make sure I hadn't already read it before. I hadn't. And yet I had predicted every. single. thing that happened. It was like deja vu but more so. The last quarter unfolded exactly as I expected it to. I don't know if the foreshadowing was just really intense or what but that did lessen my enjoyment of the story. Aside from that, however, everything else was exactly as I like in a historical romance. I am curious about the next one, as well, after meeting who will obviously be the new wheelchair-bound, artist hero. I have high hopes because neither of those is something we typically get in a romance hero. *Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

"I wish I were more eccentric," Anne declared, rousing her spirits to the cause. "I might have traveled to Yorkshire weeks ago and saved Julia from her fate."

Non-Exclusive Excerpt:

The twin fragrances of pipe smoke and parchment met her nose. Lemon polish, too, though there was no sign that the maids had done any recent tidying up. The library was a place of spectacular clutter. Bookcases lined three of the walls; leather-bound volumes on botany, agriculture, and natural history were pulled out at all angles as if an absent-minded researcher had wandered from shelf to shelf withdrawing tomes at random only to change his mind midway through extracting them. The fourth wall was entirely covered in framed sketches of flowers and greenery. Some images were produced in pencil and others in delicately rendered watercolor. They were-along with the teetering stacks of botanical journals and drooping maps that spilled over the sides of the earl's carved mahogany desk-evidence of his prevailing passion. Lord March's love of exotic plants was legendary. He'd spent much of his life traveling the globe, from the wilds of America to the highest peaks of the Himalayas, bringing back rare seeds to nurture into bloom. A distracted fellow at the best of times, but a kind one, too, as far as Anne recalled. It had been a long time since she'd darkened his doorstep. A lifetime, it felt like. She tugged restlessly at her black kid-leather gloves as she paced the worn carpet in front of the library's cavernous marble fireplace. She'd never excelled at waiting for unpleasantness to arrive. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. "Hello, old thing." A familiar deep voice sounded from the library door. Anne spun around, her traitorous heart giving an involuntary leap in her breast. Mr. Felix Hartford stood in the entryway, one shoulder propped against the doorframe. Lord only knew how long he'd been observing her. She stiffened. After all these years, he still had the power to discompose her. Drat him. But she wouldn't permit her emotions to be thrown into chaos by his attractive face and figure. What cared she for his commanding height? His square-chiseled jaw? For the devilish glint in his sky-blue eyes? And devil he was. The very one she'd come here to see. "Hartford," she said. Her chin ticked up a notch in challenge. It was a reflex. There was no occasion on which they'd met during the course of the past several years that they hadn't engaged in verbal battle. This time, however, he made no attempt to engage her. He was dressed in plaid trousers and a loose-fitting black sack coat worn open to reveal the dark waistcoat beneath. A casual ensemble, made more so by the state of him. His clothes were vaguely rumpled, and so was his seal-brown hair. It fell over his brow, desperately in need of an application of pomade. There was an air of arrested preoccupation about him, as if he'd just returned from somewhere or was on his way to somewhere. As if he hadn't realized she was in the library and had come upon her quite by chance. An unnatural silence stretched between them, void of their typical barb-filled banter. Greetings dispensed with, Anne found herself at an unaccountable loss. More surprising still, so did Hartford. He remained frozen on the threshold, his usually humorous expression turned to stone on his handsome face. At length, he managed a smile. "I knew one day you'd walk through my door again. It only took you"-withdrawing his pocket watch from his waistcoat, he cast it a brief glance, brows lifting as if in astonishment at the time-"seven years to do it." She huffed. "It hasn't been seven years." "Six and half, then." Six years and five months, more like. It had been early December of 1855, during the Earl of March's holiday party. She'd been just shy of seventeen; young and naive and not formally out yet. Hartford had kissed her under a sprig of mistletoe in the gaslit servants' hallway outside the kitchens. And he'd proposed to her.

But Anne refused to think of the past. Never mind that, living in London, reminders of it were daily shoved under her nose. "You're not going to be difficult, are you?" she asked. "That depends." He strolled into the room. "To what do I owe your visit?" "Presumptuous, as always," she said. "For all you know, I'm here to see your grandfather." Hartford was the only child of the Earl of March's second son-the late (and much lamented) moralist Everett Hartford. Anne well remembered the man. He'd been as straitlaced and starchy as a vicar. Rather ironic, really, given his son's reputation for recklessness and irreverence. "My grandfather is in his greenhouse," Hartford said, "elbow deep in chicken manure. If it's him you've come to speak with, you're in for a long wait." She suppressed a grimace. There was no need for him to be crass. "Really, Hartford." "Really, my lady." He advanced into the room slowly, his genial expression doing little to mask the fact that he was a great towering male bearing down on her. "Why have you come?" Anne held her ground. She wasn't afraid of him. "I've come to ask a favor of you." His mouth curled up at one corner. "Better and better." He gestured to a stuffed settee upholstered in Gobelins tapestry. "Pray sit down."

Excerpted from The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews Copyright © 2024 by Mimi Matthews. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

#shilo reads #blog tour #berkley romance #historical romance #regency romance #netgalley #arc review #book review #romance #mimi matthews #the lily of ludgate hill #belles of london

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ianmhill · 22 days ago

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6.30

ELECTION

I don't really know what to say, even a few days after the American people made their choice for the next four years. But I will try, with as few swear words as possible.

For starters, where were the 15 million people who voted for Biden last time that didn't vote for Harris? And why would any woman, person of colour, Latinx, LGBTQ+, or genuine Christian vote for him? It should have been a landslide for Harris.

Clearly, this country is populated with more racists, mysoginists and idiots than I had thought. Ok, I had a fear about this result, but seriously America - giving this guy another chance to bugger things up? Were you not paying attention the first time around?

And this time it will be worse, I'm sure. I lay awake in the early hours of Wednesday when we first heard the outcome thinking about aspects of life here - and the rest of the world - that are likely to be impacted by this outcome. And none of them were positive.

Medical care here, which is already a challenge for some people, is going to deteriorate as the administration starts to dismantle Obamacare. I would imagine the prescription pricing work done by the current President will be undone also, to push profits back to Big Pharma.

Climate change initiatives will likely be reversed, moving the country back to more oil and gas consumption - though a side "benefit" might be higher sales and profits for Tesla (their stock price has already leaped as a result). No wonder Musk was so keen to support him. This will be one of many results of the threatened import tariffs, which will make electric vehicles from China, in particular, much more expensive. Plus, the tariffs will make everything imported more expensive, so the President-elect has no chance of reducing inflation, like his supporters believe he will. Not forgetting that there will be retaliatory tariffs on American exports, which will make things tougher to sell abroad. I understand the idea of tariffs to encourage industry to create more jobs in this country, but I would think that's unlikely to happen as American workers will want to be paid way more than folks in Developing Nations which will deter companies from investing in the USA.

The Supreme Court is likely to lose a couple of the older Republican appointees - they will be persuaded to retire to make way for much younger justices, thus cementing the conservative majority for a period much longer than my likely lifetime.

All the court cases currently in flow against him will, of course, be dropped within minutes of his inauguration, even though some are State cases and technically outside the jurisdiction of the Justice Department. Followed swiftly by pardons for all the January 6th 2021 rioters.

He will probably withdraw the USA from NATO, which will have repercussions elsewhere in the world, not least in Ukraine of course. Military assistance to Zelensky will almost certainly cease and Russia will control the country again, unless Europe is able to fill the void.

Does he have any hope of influencing the situation in the Middle East? I wouldn't think so and all those people who wouldn't vote for Harris due to the current administration's support of Israel are going to watch Palestine and Gaza disappear from the map.

Immigrant deportation - this will be an interesting situation. If there are genuinely 13-14 million undocumented people in this country, how will it be practical to find them all and deport them? And if that were even possible, what would happen in the construction, farming and other industries that rely on migrants to do jobs that Americans won't?

The National Debt is likely to balloon, especially with all the likely tax reductions for wealthy individuals and corporations. But of course, that wealth will "trickle down" to the general population, won't it? Erm, no. It never does, anywhere in the world.

How long before we see the sleaze creeping in? Well, given the 2 billion that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump received from Saudi Arabia for their "investment company" a couple of years ago, I would imagine not very long at all.

What's the impact on DC Statehood? Well, it was always a bit of a longshot in my opinion because even the current Supreme Court would probably kill it, but with a Republican majority in the Senate it's dead in the water, probably for decades to come.

But on the plus side - it's uncommonly warm and sunny, for the first week in…November!

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ethereal-ineffability · 4 years ago

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Hey, I just wanted to put this out into the web since I had to pay $77 for this information... If you withdrew from your retirement fund early in the USA (mine was an IRA and I withdrew everything in it, which was just a few thousand, but this applies for up to $100,000... which, let’s be real, none of us had) and your reason was because you or your spouse or dependent were diagnosed with Covid-19 OR you experienced financial difficulties due to quarantine, then aside from the usual 1099-R you should get from your retirement company, you’re going to want to also find Tax Form 5329 in order to indicate your reason for withdrawal on your taxes so that the 10% early withdrawal penalty doesn’t apply to you.

Share to boost for the sake of people who had to squeeze out everything they had to survive a global pandemic in this capitalist hellscape of a country and still need anything they can get out of their tax refund to keep going just a bit longer. (For legal reasons this is not tax advice, be sure to pay a leech tax service for accurate help, etc etc...)

#america #taxes #united states of america #tax season #personal

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 4 years ago

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29th April >> Fr. Martin’s Reflections / Homilies 0n Matthew 11:25-30 for the Feast of Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor: ‘Come to me, all you who labour’.

Feast of Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor

Gospel (Except USA)

Matthew 11:25-30

You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children

Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

‘Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 11:25-30

You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to the childlike.

At that time Jesus responded: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Reflections (5)

(i) Feast of Saint Catherine of Sienna

Catherine was a truly extraordinary woman. She was born into tumultuous times (1347-1380). The Black Death prowled the land; armies fought each other on behalf of their client-cities; the Pope had left Rome for Avignon. She came from a prosperous family and her parents wanted her to marry well. However, she felt strongly called to live as the bride of Christ. She lived a life of solitary prayer for three years before re-joining her family and working with the sick, the poor, prisoners and plague victims. After a powerful, ecstatic experience of Christ in 1374, she commenced her public role, mediating in an armed conflict between the city of Florence and the Avignon-based papacy. She travelled to Avignon to Pope Gregory XI insisting that he return to Rome. Her mission was a surprising success. However, shortly after his return to Rome, Gregory died. The College of Cardinals elected Urban VI who turned out disastrously. The cardinals, regretting their choice, elected another Pope, but failed to persuade Urban to retire. The church now had two rival Popes. Catherine remained loyal to Urban, judging that for all his faults he had been validly elected. Shortly before her death she had a vision in which it seemed as if the church like a mighty ship was being placed on her back. She died at the age of thirty three. Catherine was both a mystic and a woman of the world, who served those in greatest need and involved herself in the great issues of church and state of the day. The gospel reading is very suited to her feast. Jesus speaks both as a mystic and as one who serves those who are overburdened. He blesses God his Father, as one who knows the Father in a way no one else does, just as his Father knows him as no one else does. Jesus also speaks as one who invites all who are overburdened to come to him for rest. His intimate relationship with God flows over into a loving and caring relationship with all who struggle under heavy burdens. Catherine, like Jesus, was a mystic in action. We are all called to be mystics in action, people who are called into an intimate relationship with God and his Son and then sent to live out of that relationship by bringing God’s rest and loving presence to all who are in need of it.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena

Catherine was a mystic, and like other great mystics, she enjoyed an intimate relationship with Christ. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares that ‘no one knows the Son except the Father’. Yet, Jesus also declares in that gospel reading that the Father reveals these things to mere children. The Father reveals the Son to those who become like little children, those who, like Catherine, are deeply aware of their dependence on God and are completely open to all that God can give us. We are all called to know the Son as the Father does; in that sense, we are all called to be mystics to some degree. The Lord’s invitation, ‘Come to me, all who labour and are overburdened’, is addressed to all of us. He calls out to all of us to come to him, to come to know and love him as he knows and loves us. Catherine’s mysticism did not withdraw her from the world; she was deeply involved in what was happening in Europe and in the church in her time. After a profound mystical experience she had a sense of Christ calling her to serve the wider world and universal church. She commenced her role as a public figure, dictating hundreds of letters to popes, monarchs and other letters of note. When the Lord calls us to himself it is not to take us out of the world but to send us into the world afire with the flame of his love.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena

Catherine was one of the great mystics of the church. She was born in 1347 and died in 1380, at the age of thirty three. At a young age, she decided to give herself to the Lord, and she resisted the attempts of her family to find her a good husband. Rather than joining a religious order, she became a Dominican tertiary. After a three year period of prayer and seclusion she set about serving her neighbours, distributing alms to the poor, ministering to the sick and to prisoners. After a profound mystical experience she had a sense of Christ calling her to serve the wider world and universal church. She commenced her role as a public figure, dictating hundreds of letters to popes, monarchs and other letters of note. She also wrote her great work, the Dialogues, describing the contents of her mystical conversations with Christ. Catherine’s mysticism did not withdraw her from the world; she was deeply involved in what was happening in Europe and in the church in her time. She persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon. She insisted that the Pope’s place was beside the bones of the martyrs. Shortly after his return, Pope Gregory died. He was succeeded by Pope Urban VI who turned out to be a disastrous Pope. The cardinals regretted their decision and elected a second Pope but could not persuade Pope Urban to retire. The church now had two Popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon, a situation that was to last for several decades. Catherine remained faithful to Urban, in spite of his faults, because he had been duly elected. She was convinced that the wound in the body of Christ could only be healed by great sacrifice. She prayed that she might atone for the sins of the church, and shortly afterwards collapsed and died. Catherine stood out as a beacon of light in a dark time. That is the calling of each one of us. We are all called to be mystics to some degree. The Lord’s invitation, ‘Come to me, all who labour and are overburdened’, is addressed to us all. He calls out to all of us to come to him, to know and love him as he knows and loves us. In calling us to himself he also sends us into the world afire with the flame of his love.

And/Or

(iv) Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena

Catherine was one of the great mystics of the church. She was born in 1347, the daughter of a prosperous wool dyer, and died in 1380, at the age of thirty three. At a young age, she decided to give herself to the Lord, and she resisted the attempts of her family to find her a good husband. She insisted that she was betrothed to Christ. Eventually, her father relented. Rather than joining a religious order, she became a Dominican tertiary. For a three year period she devoted herself to prayer and seclusion. Early on in this period, she was tormented by doubt, but this gave way to mystical encounters with Christ. After three years, she began the second great phase of her career. She set about serving her neighbours, distributing alms to the poor, ministering to the sick and to prisoners. She began gathering a group of followers about herself, men and women, priests and religious. After a profoundly mystical experience she had a sense of Christ calling her to take a further step, to serve the wider world and universal church. She commenced her role as a public figure, dictating hundreds of letters to popes, monarchs and other leaders of note. She also wrote her great work, the Dialogues, describing the contents of her mystical conversations with Christ. Theses writings were dictated by her as she only learnt to write towards the very end of her life. It is evident that Catherine’s mysticism did not withdraw her from the world. She was deeply involved in what was happening in Europe and in the church in her time. Because of the chaos and dangers of Rome, the Popes had left Rome for Avignon. She worked to persuade Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome from Avignon. She insisted that the Pope’s place was beside the bones of the martyrs. Her mission in person to the Pope was a surprising success. Shortly after his return, Pope Gregory died. He was succeeded by Pope Urban VI who turned out to be a disastrous Pope. The cardinals regretted their decision and elected a second Pope but could not persuade Pope Urban to retire. The church now had two rival Popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon, a situation that was to last for several decades. Catherine remained faithful to Urban, in spite of his faults, because he had been duly elected. She was convinced that the wound in the body of Christ could only be healed by great sacrifice. She prayed that she might atone for the sins of the church, and shortly afterwards collapsed and died. Catherine stood out as a beacon of light in a dark time in Europe and in the church. She was such a light because of her deeply personal and mystical relationship with Jesus. The Lord’s invitation, ‘Come to me, all who labour and are overburdened’, was one she responded to every day of her life. Her life shows us very clearly that the life of faith has both an inward and outward dimension. The Lord calls out to all of us to come to him, to know and love him as he knows and loves us. In calling us to himself he also sends us into the world afire with the flame of his love. Pope Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Church in 1970. In doing so he was stating that her life and writings have something important to say to the church of every generation.

And/Or

(v) Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena

When Jesus declares in today’s gospel reading, ‘my yoke is easy and my burden light’, he is saying that his teaching, his understanding of God’s will, is not something burdensome. Rather, his teaching is liberating and life-enhancing. If his teaching is received and lived, it lightens the burden of oppression; it brings joy. That is not to say that Jesus’ teaching is not demanding. His teaching is demanding but not burdensome. That is because Jesus does not ask us to live his teaching out our own strength alone. He empowers us to live out his teaching. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus does not say, ‘Come to my teaching’, but ‘Come to me’. He doesn’t say, ‘learn my teaching’, but ‘learn from me’. He calls us into a personal relationship with himself. Earlier in that gospel reading, Jesus spoke about the intimate relationship he has with God his Father, ‘No one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son’. Yet, this is not a closed relationship. Jesus wants to share with each one of us his own very intimate relationship with God; he wants to draw us into his own personal relationship with God, his Father. He wants to reveal his Father to us, to share the love of the Father with us. ‘Come to me’, Jesus says, and through me come to the Father. It is in coming to him and his Father that we receive his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and so are empowered to live his teaching and, thereby, to become fully alive as human beings and his joyful servants in the world. This two-fold movement of coming to Jesus and going forth in his strength expresses well the contemplative and active dimension of the Christian life. We are called to be contemplatives in action, like Catherine of Siena. Catherine was a great mystic or contemplative, but her mysticism did not withdraw her from the world. She was deeply involved in what was happening in Europe and in the church in her time. Catherine stood out as a beacon of light in a dark time in Europe and in the church. She was such a light because of her deeply personal and mystical relationship with Jesus.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

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reading-writing-revolution · 4 years ago

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Heather Cox Richardson:

July 30, 2020 (Thursday)

Today juxtaposed the worst of America and its best.

The day began with the news that, as bad as we expected the second-quarter’s economic news to be, it was worse. Gross domestic product (GDP) which measures good and services produced, fell 9.5%, equal to a 32.9% annual rate of decline. The last three months have been the worst since economists began keeping track. NPR noted that “The economic shock in April, May and June was more than three times as sharp as the previous record — 10% in 1958.” The last three months wiped out the economic growth of the past five years. And that crisis is despite the fact the government has pumped trillions into an attempt to shore up the economy.

Also in the news was the story that Herman Cain, a prominent Trump supporter and former candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, has died of Covid-19. Cain was co-chair of “Black Voices for Trump,” the Trump campaign’s outreach to Black voters, and attended Trump’s June 20 indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma without a mask. The 74-year-old was hospitalized with Covid-19 in early July.

Then Trump tweeted: “With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???"

Trump’s tweet was incorrect, of course: mail-in voting and absentee voting are exactly the same thing, and there is no evidence that they create voter fraud. The first secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, a Republican who served under President George W. Bush, recently told ABC News: “There is absolutely no antecedent, no factual basis for [Trump’s] claim of massive fraud in mail voting.”

The president has no authority to delay the timing of an election, which is set by federal law. An act of Congress could change that date, but it is unlikely the Democratic House of Representatives would do so.

The tweet was pretty transparently an attempt to distract from the dire economic news, the death of Herman Cain, the outrage over yesterday’s announcement that he is withdrawing 12,500 U.S. troops from Germany, and Representative John Lewis’s funeral, where three former presidents were giving eulogies and he was not even going to attend. It also advanced his attempt to sow doubt about the safety of the 2020 election.

But at a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to defend his politicization of the State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threw gas on the fire. When asked by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), “Can a president delay the November presidential election, Mr. Secretary?,” Pompeo answered, “Senator, I’m not going to enter a legal judgment on that on the fly this morning.” Surprised, Kaine listed Pompeo’s impressive legal training, then asked again. Pompeo replied: “In the end, the Department of Justice, and others, will make that legal determination. We all should want–I know you do, too, Senator Kaine–want to make sure to have an election that everyone is confident in.”

“NO. THEY. WON’T,” University of Texas Law Professor Steve Vladeck tweeted before listing the relevant laws. Still, one legal expert noted that it was possible Attorney General William Barr was giving the administration different advice. “Because this is not a thing he can do unilaterally or lawfully, the Justice Department should disclose any formal advice or guidance to the contrary,” Christian Farias tweeted.

Trump perhaps misjudged the reaction to his suggestion that the election be postponed. After all, in May, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner floated the idea of delaying the election, and reaction was muted (When asked about whether or not it could be held on schedule because of the pandemic, he said: “I’m not sure I can commit one way or the other, but right now that’s the plan.”) Today, though, the outcry was universal. In the New York Times, a co-founder of the rightwing Federalist Society and formerly staunch Trump supporter Steven G. Calabresi called the tweet “fascist,” and said it is “grounds for the president’s immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate.

By afternoon, Trump was trying to pass off the tweet—which he had briefly pinned to the top of his timeline—as an attempt to protect the vote. “Glad I was able to get the very dishonest LameStream Media to finally start talking about the RISKS to our Democracy from dangerous Universal Mail-In-Voting (not Absentee Voting, which I totally support!).” His campaign said he was just asking a question.

Other stories continued to drop.

Vanity Fair ran an article by Katherine Eban about how the administration fumbled the ball so badly on its response to the coronavirus pandemic, noting that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was the key decision maker in the process, and that his team first set up, and then dropped, a plan for national coordination to fight the virus. They abandoned the plan after Trump began to downplay the virus out of concern that it would hurt his chances for reelection, and because it appeared the virus was largely confined to cities. According to one public health expert who worked with Kushner’s team “The political folks believed that because it was going to be relegated to Democratic states, that they could blame those governors, and that would be an effective political strategy.”

This afternoon, we learned that in December 2019, Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, received a package of “information” about Joe Biden from Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker linked to Putin. Derkach claims to have sent packages to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC), as well as former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, but it appears there is actually a shipping receipt for the package to Nunes.

The Senate adjourned today until Monday at 3:00, although federal unemployment benefits that have added $600 weekly to state unemployment benefits expire tomorrow. Republicans have been unable to agree on a bill. They tried to pass a week’s extension of the $600 benefit, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blocked it, while Republicans blocked Schumer’s effort to pass a full bill.

Tonight, a judge ordered nearly 2000 documents from the 2015 defamation civil lawsuit of Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell, the companion of Jeffrey Epstein, accused of sex trafficking of young girls, to be made public. The documents claim that retired Harvard law professor, Alan Dershowitz, raped Giuffre repeatedly.

The news today was awful… except when it wasn’t.

Today, Representative John Lewis’s family and friends held his funeral in Atlanta, Georgia, where they remembered the civil rights icon with speeches honoring his conviction, courage, and compassion. Lewis’s life, former President Barack Obama said, “vindicated the faith in our founding, redeemed that faith, that most American of ideas: The idea that any of us, ordinary people without rank or wealth or title or fame, can somehow point out the imperfections of this nation and come together and challenge the status quo.” Lewis, he said, would someday be considered a founding father of a “fuller, fairer, better America.”

Still, it was to Representative Lewis that the last word fell. In a New York Times op-ed he wrote to be published the day of his funeral, he gave us a benediction:

“Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.”

“Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key.”

“Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.”

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tessansgp · 2 years ago

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Pays You For Care…Pays Life Insurance To Heirs [Video]

#WithdrawalRetirement #Withdrawals #UnitedStatesWithdrawalRetirement #USAEarlyWithdrawalsRetirement #Withdrawal Retirement #United States Withdrawal Retirement #USA Early Withdrawals Retirement

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shieldedsouls · 5 years ago

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FILE: TONY STARK

General Information

Name: Anthony Edward Stark Name Meaning: Anthony – English; ‘ priceless ’ || Edward – Anglo-Saxon; ‘guardian ’ || Stark – Scottish & English; ‘ firm, unyielding ’ / German & Ashkenazic Jewish; ‘ strong, bold ’ Nicknames: Tony, Tones, Merchant of Death, Gender: Male Titles: Iron Man, CEO (former) of Stark Industries

Birth Date: 29 May 1970 Birth Place: Manhattan, NYC, NY, USA First Word(s): ‘ Mamma ’ Dominant Hand: Right Astrological Sign: Gemini | The Twins Planet: Mercury

Appearance & Health

Height: 5’8 ( 1.73 m ) Weight: 228 lbs. Species: Human

Hair: Brunet Eye Color: Brown Facial Hair: Beard and mustache Faceclaim: RDJr

Family & Friends

Mother: Maria Camille Flora Stark nee Carbonell ( deceased ) Father: Howard Anthony Walter Stark ( deceased ) Guardians: Verse dependent Siblings: none Children: none Best Friend(s): Edwin Jarvis, James Rhodes Close Friends: Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts | verse dependent

Marital Status: Single | Verse dependent Orientation: Pan Significant Other: none | Verse dependent. Religion/Faith: lapsed roman-catholic

Timeline

Master timeline can be found here

This blog is influenced by the MCU timeline until around AOU, with occasional added elements from 616-Earth. Details will be addressed in headcanon and verse posts, but here is a basic timeline breakdown:

29 May 1970, anthony edward stark is born to howard anthony walter stark and maria camille flora stark nee carbonell in manhattan, nyc, ny, usa

1974, makes first circuit board

1977, goes from minor repairs to building a complete v8 motorbike engine

1983, hacks into the pentagon on a dare ( and to prove he could )

spring 1985, graduates high school early and is accepted into mit

fall 1985, meets james rupert rhodes, becoming best friends by the end of the year

1986, wins 4th annual mit robot design award

creates Dum-E

1987, graduates summa cum laude from mit

december 16 1991, both parents die in a car crash. tony inherits everything, including ownership of stark industries

february 1993, edwin jarvis passes; tony finishes developing his home a.i. and names it after the man

summer 1995, develops and finishes a partner a.i. for j.a.r.v.i.s. to be named after ana

1999, finds evidence of s.h.i.e.l.d. within his father’s papers, but shrugs it off as a defunct project

new year’s eve 1999

rejects aldrich killian and his company a.i.m.

meets ho yinsen for the 1st time

completes maya hansen’s extremis formula

april 2001, invents U

april 2008-january 2010, events of IM1

rejects nick fury’s offer to join efforts with s.h.i.e.l.d.

eventually recalls finding papers about it and starts digging through his father’s things once more. this time for answers

june 2010, events of IM2

may 2012, avengers initiative and battle of new york occur

december 2012, events of IM3

temporary retirement of suit work for healing post-surgery, rebuilding stark tower into the avengers tower, and finding a new place to build another mansion

does not throw away the arc reactor

becomes full-time consultant for s.h.i.e.l.d.

late april 2014, hires maria hill upon the collapse of s.h.i.e.l.d./hydra

summer 2014, begins rebuilding a new s.h.i.e.l.d. with maria and steve rogers

may 2015, ultron goes haywire; events of aou

not a fan of the twins for a long while

manages to reboot a partial-save of j.a.r.v.i.s. from backups, but still creates f.r.i.d.a.y. as a more aggressive means of defense to protect j.a.r.v.i.s. and a.n.a. in the future

summer of 2015, covers lawyers for bucky barnes and the subsequent trial when the man turns himself in

does not withdraw this support upon finding out about the mission that included his parents

later on finds proof it was entirely a setup and the ‘ accident ’ had been orchestrated by obadiah stane

adds on to the avengers tower as well as the newly created avengers compound to make space for bucky in either place

#( about: tony )#( muse masterlist )#DO NOT REBLOG

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bitcofun · 2 years ago

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Source: AdobeStock/ Photographee.eu The Celsius Network( CEL)'s fall from grace has actually been absolutely nothing except incredible-- and the crypto lending institution has actually been among the highest-profile casualties of among the most harsh crypto winter seasons to date. The company at first suspended withdrawals from its platform in early summer season prior to applying for insolvency. The case is being heard in a court in the Southern District of New York, USA. Behind the headings are the individuals who invested cash-- in some circumstances their "life cost savings"-- in Celsius. Many of these individuals have sent their composed statement to the court and the administering judge, Martin Glenn, ahead of an upcoming hearing. Here's what a few of them needed to state.' Angry with myself' Frustration is the single most striking feeling that underpins the letters sent out to Judge Glenn. Lots of described that their choices to utilize Celsius' services have actually jeopardized life not just on their own, however likewise their households. A variety of them implicated the CEO of Celsius, Alex Mashinsky, of spreading out "lies"-- and numerous castigated themselves for having actually thought his "untruths." The Florida-based Mark Hide composed that he had "over USD 25,000 worth of cryptocurrency transferred in a Custody account" with Celsius, and discussed: " I highly feel that Celsius, in specific Alex Mashinsky, has actually lied to the neighborhood about the security of our properties. I seem like I have actually been lied to and misguided. I am ashamed that I have a lot cash bound in what now appears to be a rip-off." He declared that the occurrence "has actually impacted me personally," including," [I] now have a lot anger with myself for getting my household in this position. All I expect is that I can obtain my cryptocurrency and can keep it in storage myself and prevent any future frauds." A Finnish resident called Petri Tuomela, who declares to have actually had more than USD 50,000 secured in Celsius, described: " I am ashamed, unfortunate, and upset that my life cost savings were invested [in] a 'bank' which was a lie. This will have considerable implications to my retirement and it is beyond terrible." The scenario is 'precarious' With the fate of their coins up in the air, some financiers revealed their annoyance at the method Celsius has actually been dealing with the matter, and appear uncertain how to continue. One person called TK Kimmel composed that while Celsius had "paused its account transfers and withdrawals," it "has actually not paused its loan activity," which puts Celsius clients "in an extremely precarious circumstance." Kimmel composed that as Celsius "needs clients to include more funds to their loan accounts in order to avoid liquidation," clients were now in a predicament. Kimmel discussed: " How can we perhaps be anticipated to include more funds to Celsius up until we are guaranteed the platform is safe which we can recuperate all the funds we presently have kept on the platform?" One incorrect relocation, Kimmel recommended, might cause a "disastrous loss of [...] life cost savings" for clients.' Blood-boiling' rage A client called Danielle composed that it was "not just frustrating however blood-boiling" to find out that Celsius was "continuing to pay their workers and top-level executives while holding the members' properties captive." She called the scenario infuriating and pleaded with the judge "not to permit this business and their executives to dupe their escape of paying their financial obligations back to the Celsius members completely." Danielle prompted that Celsius executives might not "be enabled to go on with life as regular while we lose our life cost savings," and discussed: " I have senior moms and dads whom I take care of and the properties presently kept in Celsius [are meant] to assist them live out their ins 2015 in convenience. I hope I will see my funds returned completely.

" Another consumer who did not appear to offer their name declared that their bro had actually "tried suicide" over the matter and included: " I have a mental illness and I can not sleep now. I have not slept given that the account was frozen." The very same client pled the judge: " Please prison these individuals, they are still getting insane wages from our cash. [...] They have no embarassment for what they did. They are wicked and if you do not stop them, they [are] going to do it once again and once again to other individuals." Jens Deweirt, a Belgian who declares to have actually transferred the "hard-earned life cost savings" on the Celsius platform, knocked the "outright lies" of "Mashinsky and the business," and concluded: " This has a tremendous effect on my life. I hope this can have a favorable result, because a great deal of individuals were victims to the deceptiveness of Mr. Mashinsky and his business." And another, called Sean Russell, grumbled that he had "put time, sweat, and cash into mining digital currencies" and "truly hoped" that it was "not simply all gone now." Russell composed: " I feel betrayed by Celsius, and embarassment that I even presumed regarding advise Celsius to family and friends. [...] If there are powers that you have to make restitution, please utilize them." ____ Read More

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female-buckets · 2 years ago

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Seems like the Team USA camp roster is skewed more towards newbies than vets. Could the lack of experience could be an issue? Or is it too early to tell? Also dying to know why Tina isn’t there. Did she withdraw from consideration or is she being snubbed?

I don't feel there's that much of a skew towards newbies. It's about the same as how most selection camps look. Most of these women are over 27 and most have done at least one senior international tournament with USA Basketball. And Angel's there. So it's not like they're totally clearing out the old guard.

But there are 3 veterans notably missing. Nneka, Skylar, and Tina.

Nneka got stuck in an awkward position last year between USA Basketball and the Nigerian team. Everyone expected her to somehow play for Nigeria at the Olympics. But she's won 2 FIBA world cup gold medals for USA. If she had switched national teams before 2014, it probably would've been fine. But FIBA can't just let her switch now. Even though she didn't have much of a case for switching, she made the inquiry with FIBA anyway. And now, she's on bad terms with both the USA and Nigerian national teams. Oops.

As for Skylar and Tina... I don't know.

Skylar left the Mercury, deleted her twitter, and deleted all the basketball highlights off her instagram. She even deleted all her Olympic gold medal posts from last year. She might be going through a "I'm quitting basketball" moment. Maybe she just didn't pick up the phone when USA Basketball called.

Tina has 3 Olympic golds and 3 world cup championships. I can't think of any reason USA Basketball wouldn't call her. They must've called her. And she must've turned them down.

I just wonder if any of it is connected to the divorce drama. Tina said she has DT's support. But DT being nice and trying to keep the peace doesn't change the fact that Tina burned her. And now, after 11 consistent years on the senior national team, Tina suddenly doesn't want to go back. She didn't officially retire from the team the way DT, Sue, and Sylvia did. She's just suddenly not interested.

The whole thing is wild.

#wnba #usa basketball #nneka ogwumike #tina charles #skylar diggins smith #phoenix mercury #seattle storm #la sparks #fiba

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patriotsnet · 3 years ago

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Which Senate Republicans Voted Against The Wall

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/which-senate-republicans-voted-against-the-wall/

Which Senate Republicans Voted Against The Wall

Senate Again Votes To End Trump Emergency Declaration On Border Wall

Senate Republicans vote against Trumps border emergency | Nine News Australia

The Senate again voted on Wednesday to end President TrumpDonald TrumpFormer Sen. Heller to run for Nevada governorOvernight Defense & National Security Milley becomes lightning rodJoint Chiefs Chairman Milley becomes lightning rod on rightMOREs emergency declaration on the U.S.-Mexico border wall, paving the way for a veto showdown with the White House.

Senators voted 54–41;on a resolution to end the declaration, which Trump used to shift billions of dollars from the military toward wall construction.

Under the National Emergencies Act, a resolution ending the declaration needed only a simple majority to clear the Senate, making it likely to be approved.;But underscoring the broad swath of concern about Trumps actions among the Senate GOP caucus, 11 Republican senators voted to nix the declaration.

Roger Frederick WickerTop Republican: General told senators he opposed Afghanistan withdrawalNY Democrat tests positive for COVID-19 in latest House breakthrough caseFlorida Democrat becomes latest breakthrough COVID-19 case in HouseMORE voted to end the president’s declaration.;

Democrats have seized on the administrations decision to shift money away from military construction projects as a way to politically box in Republicans by forcing them to decide between breaking with Trump or voting to allow money to be shifted away from projects in their own states.

Same way I voted last time. How would I square voting differently? Cornyn asked.

Eleven Gop Senators Vote Against National Emergency Border Wall

Eleven GOP senators voted to cancel President Donald Trumps declaration of a national border emergency and his subsequent transfer of agency funding to build the border wall.

This 54 to 41 vote was not about the border wall, but whether the Congress of the United States of America should yield its constitutionally prescribed power of the purse to the President, said Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins.

The answer to that question, regardless of who is in the White House should be no, Collins continued. Congress alone is empowered by the constitution to adopt laws directing money from the U.S. Treasury.

The president stole the money, and I will not stand for that, said Vermont Democrat Sen. Patrick Leahy. The president took the funding from other projects, such as the replacement of older schools at military bases, said Leahy, who is the top Democrat on the appropriations panel.

Senators should vote against the resolution because there is no Earthly reason why Democrats would force us to have one or the other, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell .

The joint resolution is passed, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney announced from the Senates chair.

The 11 GOP senators who voted against the emergency and the wall included Collins, Romney, retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander , along with Sens. Roy Blunt , Mike Lee , Jerry Moran , Lisa Murkowski , Rand Paul , Rob Portman , Pat Toomey , and Roger Wicker .

Several GOP senators declined to vote.

Y Leaders Including Mcconnell And Trump Had Urged Colleagues To Reject Proposal

WASHINGTONSenate Republicans blocked the creation of a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, after GOP leaders urged colleagues to reject it.

The bill needed 60 votes to advance in the evenly divided Senate, thanks to the chambers longstanding filibuster rule. That means 10 Republicans would have had to vote with all 50 members of the Democratic caucus to allow the bill to proceed. Only six did, and the legislation fell short, with 54 votes in favor, 35 against and 11 senators not voting.

Don’t Miss: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

Senate Again Rejects Trumps Border Emergency But Falls Short Of A Veto

By Emily Cochrane

WASHINGTON The Senate voted on Wednesday for a second time to terminate the national emergency that President Trump declared at the southwestern border, in a bipartisan rejection of Mr. Trumps bid to build a wall without congressional approval.

But the 54-to-41 vote, in which 11 Republicans joined Democrats to break with the president over his signature domestic priority, fell short of the margin that would be needed to overcome a presidential veto, ensuring that Mr. Trump would be able to continue to redirect military funding to build a barrier on the southwestern border.

The tally was nearly identical to the result of a vote in March, when Congress first sought to block the national emergency declaration and a dozen Republicans joined all Democrats present for the vote. Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, who voted in March to overturn the emergency declaration, did not vote on Wednesday. Mr. Rubio had a previously scheduled family matter to attend to, but would have voted again to reject the emergency declaration, his office said.

Heightening the political tension around the vote, the Pentagon this month unveiled a list of military construction projects that would be delayed as a result of the national emergency declaration. The vote in March, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, noted on Tuesday, was before the Republicans knew which projects in their own states were at issue.

Here Are The Republicans Who Objected To Certifying The Election Results

By Jenny Gross and Luke Broadwater

Even after a mob of Trump supporters swarmed and entered the Capitol on Wednesday, a handful of Republican senators and more than 100 Republican representatives stood by their decisions to vote against certifying the results of the presidential election.

Congress certified the election of Joseph R. Biden Jr. early Thursday, ending attempts to overturn the results in two states. Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Roger Marshall of Kansas and John Kennedy of Louisiana voted to overturn the results in Arizona, while 93 senators voted against. Mr. Hawley, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Tuberville, Ms. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Marshall and Senators Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rick Scott of Florida voted to overturn the results in Pennsylvania, while 92 voted against it.

The House rejected the Arizona challenge by a vote of 303 to 121 and rejected the Pennsylvania challenge by a vote of 282 to 138.

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington also condemned the actions of the mob of Trump loyalists and said she would no longer vote against the vote certifications.

You May Like: Snopes Trump Republican Dumb

Sen Jerry Moran Of Kansas

Moran, a member of Senate Appropriations,; shortly before Thursdays vote that he would support the resolution. I share President Trumps goal of securing our borders, but expanding the powers of the presidency beyond its constitutional limits is something I cannot support, he tweeted.; also attached photos of his handwritten notes outlining his position. Hes up for;a third term;in 2022.

Senate Unanimously Votes Against Defunding The Police

The Senate early Wednesday unanimously approved an amendment to its proposed budget that opposed defunding the police.

The amendment, offered by Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, came during the Senates overnight vote-a-rama, a marathon session during consideration of Democrats $3.5 trillion budget where members can offer unlimited amendments. While the votes are non-binding, they can sometimes be politically tricky for senators as their colleagues force on-the-record positions on contentious issues.

My amendment is pretty simple, Tuberville said on the Senate floor. If your city council wants to defund their police, dont expect the federal government to make up the difference.

It was adopted 99-0. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker praised Tubervilles amendment, joking that senators should also declare their support for God, country and apple pie.

Sen. Cory Booker, walks to the Senate Chamber during Tuesdays infrastructure vote

After midnight, 95 senators again signed on to an amendment from Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley that provided federal funds to hire 100,000 new police officers nationwide, urging his colleagues to go beyond just stating their opposition to defunding the police.

I recognize that my friends across the aisle said they dont want to defund the police, Hawley said. Thats outstanding. Lets go a step further. Lets fund them.;

Also Check: What Caused Republicans To Gain Power In Congress In 1938

Trumps First Presidential Veto

The bill will go to the White House, where Trump has said earlier that he will veto it, making this the first time that hes refused to sign a bill passed by both sides of Congress.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee said Thursday afternoon she wasnt sure when that would be, but within twenty minutes of the Senate vote, Trump had indicated he had not changed his mind:

Thom Tillis North Carolina

Senator Tillis to vote against emergency declaration

Sen. Tom Tillis is the other senator up for re-election in 2020 who has said he will vote to block Trumps emergency declaration. ;

“As a U.S. senator, I cannot justify providing the executive with more ways to bypass Congress,” Tillis wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post. “As a conservative, I cannot endorse a precedent that I know future left-wing presidents;will exploit to advance radical policies that will erode economic and individual freedoms.”

Contributing: Deborah Barfield Berry, Michael Collins and John Fritze, USA TODAY; The Associated Press;

You May Like: Do Republicans Control The Senate 2019

Veto Overrides Are Rare

Trumps veto will send the bill back to Congress. For Trumps emergency declaration to be permanently blocked, two-thirds of the members of both chambers of Congress need to vote to override the veto, or 290 members of the House and 67 members of the Senate.

In this case, the House will need to pick up 45 more Republican votes and the Senate another 8 to veto the bill, which is politically unlikely, because it would mean a huge number of elected politicians in states that Trump won in 2016 turning their back on the president.

Overriding a presidential veto has only happened 111 times in American history, as congressional reporter Chad Pergram points out:

Republicans Help Democrats Vote Against Trump’s Wall Funding Grab

The House voted Tuesday to revoke the national emergency President Trump declared in order to spend federal money to build a physical barrier on the southern border without congressional approval.

The joint resolution passed 245-182 with the help of 13 Republican votes. It now heads to the Senate, where many lawmakers predict it will pass with the help of at least four Republicans who oppose Trumps emergency declaration.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the Senate would vote on the measure by mid-March.

Trump has vowed to issue the first veto of his presidency if the resolution reaches his desk, and the House vote indicates there are not enough votes to override his veto. Democrats would need to find 290 votes to override Trump, 45 short of the total seen Tuesday.

The 13 Republicans voting with Democrats were Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Mike Gallager of Wisconsin, Jaime Hererra Beutler of Washington, Will Hurd of Texas, Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Francis Rooney of Florida, Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, Elise Stefanik of New York, Fred Upton of Michigan and Greg Walden of Oregon.

Trump’s emergency declaration announcement came days after Congress appropriated $1.375 billion to erect physical barriers in the Rio Grande Valley. The money fell far short of the $5.7 billion Trump had been requesting.

Also Check: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

Congress Votes To Reverse Trumps Declaration On Border Wall

US Congress rejects Trumps emergency declaration to spend $8bn to build a wall along its border with Mexico.

Washington, DC The US Senate has voted 59-41 to reverse President Donald Trumps emergency declaration to spend $8bn to build a wall on its border with Mexico.

The vote on Thursday set up the first veto showdown of Trumps presidency and a major political issue for the 2020 election.

Despite last minute personal appeals from Trump and a White House lobbying campaign, 12 Republicans broke with the president to join the Democrats in voting against the wall.

The margin, however, fell short of what would be needed to override a Trump veto which the US president is likely to do, according to his tweet sent a few minutes after the Senate decision.

VETO!

Donald J. Trump

Building a wall to stop migration from Mexico was Trumps signature campaign issue during his presidential election campaign in 2016. It was also at the core of the constitutional standoff between Trump and Congress that led to a 35-day government shutdown earlier this year.

The presidents emergency declaration is an end run around Congress, plain and simple, said Senator Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico, one of four US states that border Mexico.

I am here to tell you there is no national security emergency along the border in New Mexico.;

Democrats challenge Trumps state of emergency move over wall

Trumps US-Mexico border policies under fire in Congress

Another Republican Opposes Trump Funding Border Wall With Emergency Declaration

WASHINGTON Sen. Mike Lee on Wednesday became the fifth Republican to announce support for the House-passed resolution to terminate President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration to pay for a border well, ensuring the measure will almost certainly pass Thursday.

“For decades, Congress has been giving far too much legislative power to the executive branch,” Lee said in a statement.

Lee spoke with Trump Wednesday about the upcoming vote, a senior White House official told NBC News.

Lee had introduced a bill that would end all national emergencies act declarations after 30 days unless Congress affirmatively votes to extend the emergency as a way to get past the impasse, but he acknowledged his legislation wasn’t going anywhere at this time.

The measure to terminate Trump’s national emergency declaration is expected to be approved by the GOP-controlled Senate because enough Republicans have signaled that they would join Democrats to vote in favor of the measure.

Read Also: When Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Platforms

Trump Expected To Again Veto Measure To Cancel National Emergency

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senates bipartisan rejection of President Trumps wall funding was a show vote engineered by the Democrats.

WASHINGTONThe Senate moved to prevent President Trump from redirecting military funds toward a border wall, voting to once again cancel Mr. Trumps emergency declaration at the border by approving a resolution that likely faces another White House veto.

The resolution passed the GOP-controlled chamber Wednesday with 11 Republicans voting yes and was likely to sail through the Democratic-controlled House, but it fell short of a veto-proof majority.

After Congress passed a similar resolution in March to cancel the national emergency, Mr. Trump vetoed it.

The vote was an unusual display of Republican rebellion against the presidents quest for his signature policy initiative, which led to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history that ended earlier this year.

The 54-41 vote was largely identical to the original vote in March, though Sen. Marco Rubio , who previously supported the resolution, didnt vote Wednesday. Several Senate Democrats running for president were also absent.

Republicans who voted for the resolution said they wanted to defend the congressional prerogative to decide how the government spends taxpayer dollarseven if they support building a wall.

Write to Andrew Duehren at

Appeared in the September 26, 2019, print edition as ‘.’

The 8 House Republicans Who Voted Against Trumps Border Wall

The House on Thursday;passed a stopgap government funding bill by a 217-185 vote that would stave off a partial government shutdown.

Its inclusion of $5.7 billion in border wall funding, however, likely makes it dead on arrival in the Senate, leaving both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue without a backup plan as President Trump

Amash, an outspoken fiscal conservative and member of the House Freedom Caucus, was one of the two among the group, including several firebrands, to vote against the measure and oppose border wall funding.

This massive, wasteful spending billstuffed with unrelated itemspassed 217-185. Its amazing how some wall funding causes my fellow Republicans to embrace big government. Watch out if Democrats attach wall funding to Medicare for All. The bill could be called Medicare for Wall, he said about the stopgap bill.

Kenneth Robert BuckLawmakers flooded with calls for help on Afghanistan exitHouse members release companion bill targeting app storesMORE

I think sending federal workers home before Christmas without knowing when and if theyll have a job is wrong, he said.

Read Also: Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Names

Senate Republicans Again Join Dems In Blocking Border Wall Funding

Posted by JT Crowe | Sep 25, 2019 | News

2 minute, 18 second read

For the second time, the Senate approved a resolution blocking President Donald Trumps national emergency plan to divert funds from other military projects to begin building his long-promised southern border wall, a move that will likely face another veto.

Eleven Republicans joined the 47 Democrats in voting to block the measure, which is likely to sail through the Democrat-controlled house but not with a veto-proof two-thirds super majority.

Congress also passed a similar resolution back in March but Trump used his presidential veto power for the first time to override the resolution.

Trump declared a national emergency in February after Congress approved $1.38 billion well below the nearly $6 billion Trump sought amid a record-long government shutdown in funding to fix older segments of fencing and not to build any new sections.

The resolution passed 54-41 with nearly an identical breakdown of who voted for what, other than Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who previously supported the measure but did not vote Wednesday because he was absent.

Republicans who voted against emergency declaration include: Mitt Romney and Mike Lee of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rob Portman of Ohio, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Pat Toomey of Rhode Island, Roy Blunt of Missouri and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 5 years ago

Photo

29th April >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on

Matthew 11:25-30 for the Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor

and on

John 6:35-40 for Wednesday Third Week of Easter (USA).

Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin, Doctor

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Matthew 11:25-30

You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 11:25-30

You have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to the childlike.

Reflections (4)

(i) Saint Catherine of Siena

When Jesus declares in today’s gospel reading, ‘my yoke is easy and my burden light’, he is saying that his teaching, his understanding of God’s will, is not something burdensome. Rather, his teaching is liberating and life-enhancing. If his teaching is received and lived, it lightens the burden of oppression; it brings joy. That is not to say that Jesus’ teaching is not demanding. His teaching is demanding but not burdensome. That is because Jesus does not ask us to live his teaching out our own strength alone. He empowers us to live out his teaching. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus does not say, ‘Come to my teaching’, but ‘Come to me’. He doesn’t say, ‘learn my teaching’, but ‘learn from me’. He calls us into a personal relationship with himself. Earlier in that gospel reading, Jesus spoke about the intimate relationship he has with God his Father, ‘No one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son’. Yet, this is not a closed relationship. Jesus wants to share with each one of us his own very intimate relationship with God; he wants to draw us into his own personal relationship with God, his Father. He wants to reveal his Father to us, to share the love of the Father with us. ‘Come to me’, Jesus says, and through me come to the Father. It is in coming to him and his Father that we receive his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and so are empowered to live his teaching and, thereby, to become fully alive as human beings and as his joyful servants in the world. This two-fold movement of coming to Jesus and going forth in his strength expresses well the contemplative and active dimension of the Christian life. We are called to be contemplatives in action, like Catherine of Siena. Catherine was a great mystic or contemplative, but her mysticism did not withdraw her from the world. She was deeply involved in what was happening in Europe and in the church in her time. Catherine stood out as a beacon of light in a dark time in Europe and in the church. She was such a light because of her deeply personal and mystical relationship with Jesus. She exemplifies our own calling to be contemplatives in action, to bring the light of the Lord into the darkness of our world.

And/Or

(ii) Saint Catherine of Siena

And/Or

(iii) Saint Catherine of Siena

And/Or

(iv) Saint Catherine of Siena

-------------------------------------------

Wednesday, Third Week of Eastertide

Gospel (USA)

John 6:35-40

This is the will of my Father, that all who see the Son may have eternal life.

Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

Reflections (2)

(i) Wednesday, Third Week of Easter

In today’s first reading, Philip preaches the gospel in Samaria and the people there unite in welcoming the message Philip preached. In Luke’s first volume, Jesus had attempted to preach the gospel to a Samaritan village but they rejected Jesus because he was heading for Jerusalem. Now the risen Lord, through Philip, preaches the gospel to the Samaritans and this time they welcome the gospel. The Lord continues to offer the gospel even to those who have rejected it. Even though we may turn from the Lord at times, he never turns from us. This is in keeping with what Jesus says in today’s gospel reading, ‘Whoever comes to me I shall never turn away’. Easter celebrates the faithfulness of God to his Son Jesus, and the faithfulness of Jesus to all of us. The Lord’s faithfulness encourages us to keep turning back to him, to keep coming to him, even after we have turned away from him. Even when we fail to respond to his coming, he remains for us the bread of life and he continues to promise that if we come to him we will never hunger and if we believe in him we will never thirst.

And/Or

(ii) Wednesday, Third Week of Easter

There is a striking statement in today’s first reading, ‘Saul then worked for the total destruction of the church’. In the immediate aftermath of the martyrdom of Stephen, Saul, the zealous Pharisee, set himself the task of destroying this heretical Jewish movement. It was this same Saulwho went on to become the greatest missionary in the early church, bringing the gospel to major cities in modern day Turkey and Greece. In the gospel reading, Jesus declares that he came to do his Father’s will, which is that all who see the Son and believe in him shall have eternal life. Saul or Paul, while in the very act of persecuting the church, came to see the Son and believe in him and received the gift of eternal life. Paul saw the Son because the risen Lord appeared to him just outside Damascus. We have not seen the Son in the way Paul did. Yet, we see him with the eyes of faith. We recognize him in the Eucharist as ‘the bread of life’, in the language of today’s gospel reading. It is Paul who in his letters teaches us that through baptism we have become members of the Lord’s body, temples of the Holy Spirit, sons and daughters of God, sharing in Jesus’ own relationship with God. Although Paul had seen the risen Lord in a unique sense, he didn’t consider the members of the church to whom he wrote, including ourselves, to be any less privileged than himself. It is Paul, the former persecutor of the church, who reminds us in his letters that the bread that we break and the cup that we bless in the Eucharist is a communion with the body and blood of Christ. Our union with Christ through baptism is thereby strengthened in the Eucharist. It is Paul who teaches us in his letters that this communion with the Lord that we enjoy in this life will not be broken by death, because our ultimate destiny is ‘to be with the Lord forever’. We can be grateful to this former persecutor of the church for opening us for us the riches of our Christian identity and destiny.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

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tessansgp · 1 year ago

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4th of July Call in Show | Tell us What you Love about USA! | Duck UK LOL! [Video]

#WithdrawalRetirement #Withdrawals #USAWithdrawalRetirement #USEarlyWithdrawalsRetirement #Withdrawal Retirement #USA Withdrawal Retirement #US Early Withdrawals Retirement

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floridaprelaw-blog · 3 years ago

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Simone Biles Withdraws From Olympic Individual All-Around Competition

By John Famiglietti, Florida State University Class of 2021

July 28, 2021

Early Wednesday morning Simone Biles was seen doing something she had never done before. Arguably the greatest gymnast of all time was seen exiting the floor during the first rotation of the team final for team USA. The world wondered what could be the problem as some speculated that she had been injured on her previous vault in which she was set to attempt to do 2.5 twists, but only managed to pull off 1.5 with an awkward landing [1]. However, Simone did not limp or show any other signs she had been injured in the run, leaving viewers to question what was actually going on as she packed up her bag and left the floor. Simone was facing a battle that was unseen from the spectators, her mental health was not up to the immense challenge of being the workhorse of the nation with expectations nothing short of perfection, also saying on Monday that she felt the “weight of the world” on her shoulders [2]. Added pressure as being one of the last solidified household names with the retirement of olympic athletes Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt. At the end of the competition the United States of America received a silver medal coming behind the Russian Olympic Committee. “Once I came out here [to compete], I was like, 'No, mental is not there, so I just need to let the girls do it and focus on myself”’ Simone said in a statement after the competition [1]. Simone told the Associated Press “We also have to focus on ourselves, because at the end of the day, we're human, too. We have to protect our mind and our body, rather than just go out there and do what the world wants us to do” [2]. A statement from Simone’s social media read “I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn't affect me but damn sometimes it's hard hahaha! The olympics is no joke!" she wrote. "BUT I'm happy my family was able to be with me virtually🤍 they mean the world to me!” [3]. “After further medical evaluation, Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympic Games, in order to focus on her mental health. We wholeheartedly support Simone's decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being. Her courage shows, yet again, why she is a role model for so many”, The United States of America gymnastics team said in a statement on Wednesday [1]. The 24 year old was physically in the best shape of her life qualifying for the finals on all four apparatuses, something she didn't even do during her five-medal haul at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 [1]. Gold medal hopes seem at an all time low as Jade Carey will now take Biles’ place in the individual all-around competition Thursday, Jade qualified 9th for the individual all-around earlier.

Simone’s decision to walk away for mental health follows a trend of athletes who feel the pressure to perform is not worth the spoils of victory. Number 2 women’s tennis player in the world Naomi Osaka stepped away from the French open and withdrew herself from the Wimbledon this year to focus on her mental health as well. Michael Phelps commented on his thoughts of the situation saying “I hope this is an eye-opening experience, I really do. I hope this is an opportunity for us to jump on board and to even blow this mental health thing even more wide open. It is so much bigger than we could even ever imagine,” Phelps said. “This is something that’s gonna take a lot of time, a lot of hard work and people who are willing to help” [3].

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[1] Maine, D. A. (2021, July 28). Simone Biles withdraws from INDIVIDUAL all-around gymnastics competition at Tokyo Olympics to focus on mental well-being. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/olympics/gymnastics/story/_/id/31902290/simone-biles-withdraws-individual-all-competition-tokyo-olympics-focus-mental-health.

[2]Silva, D. (2021, July 27). 'We're human, too': Simone biles highlights importance of mental health in OLYMPICS WITHDRAWAL. NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/olympics/we-re-human-too-simone-biles-highlights-importance-mental-health-n1275224.

[3]Dragon, T. (2021, July 28). 'The Olympics IS OVERWHELMING': Michael Phelps says he can relate to Simone biles' situation in Tokyo. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2021/07/27/michael-phelps-reacts-simone-biles-gymnastics-team-event-withdrawal/5397177001/.

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newstfionline · 3 years ago

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Sunday, July 25, 2021

Canada to relocate Afghans who assisted in war amid ‘rapidly deteriorating’ security situation (Washington Post) Canada announced plans Friday to resettle Afghans who aided the Canadian military and the country’s embassy and could face danger because of their work, as the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan nears completion and the Taliban mounts offensives to regain territory. Canada’s “path to protection” will be open to Afghans with a “significant and enduring relationship” with the Canadian government, although officials did not elaborate on how that would be defined. Those eligible, they said, could include interpreters, locally engaged embassy staff members, as well as a host of other locals who assisted the war effort such as cooks, drivers, cleaners, security guards and their families. The announcement followed weeks of pressure on Ottawa from lawmakers and advocates to resettle Afghan interpreters and other locals. Some veterans said they were so frustrated by the lack of a government plan that they were using their own money to relocate former Afghan colleagues to safer parts of Afghanistan. The governments of other NATO allies who fought alongside U.S. forces have also faced calls to do more to aid Afghan interpreters or to expedite their resettlement. In Australia, a retired army general burned his service medals in protest of what he said was a lack of government action.

The days of vaccine lotteries are waning. Here come the mandates. (USA Today) Getting a COVID-19 vaccine in summer 2021 could have given you a shot at a million dollars. Soon, not getting one could cost you your job. Health officials and politicians have tried to stay positive in recent months as vaccination rates plummet, turning to ad campaigns touting giveaways and lottery drawings. And then the ultra-contagious delta variant arrived. Now health officials say the nation’s lagging vaccine rates are creating a spiraling public health crisis as the unvaccinated rapidly get sick and the protective power of vaccines is given a “stress test.” A growing chorus of voices say people who resist vaccinations should face pressure—and consequences. Some hospital administrators agree, and healthcare workers who refused to get vaccinated have been fired or quit in New Jersey and Texas. In New York City, public health workers who refuse to get vaccinated will face weekly COVID tests. “Getting the vaccine (should be) the easy choice,” Dr. Leana Wen, a proponent of vaccine mandates, told USA TODAY. “Opting out has to be the hard choice.” Wen, an emergency physician and public professor at George Washington University, is among experts who say vaccine requirements should be seen as akin to laws against drunk driving and other reckless behavior.

Covid Explodes in Cancun, Los Cabos as New Wave Hits Mexico (Bloomberg) A third coronavirus wave fueled by the highly contagious delta variant is battering two of Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations on opposite coasts, Los Cabos in the Pacific and Cancun on the Caribbean. In Cancun, cases have soared to a point where the Hard Rock hotel has set aside two floors for guests with symptoms. Some hotels say they offer discounts for those in quarantine until they’re no longer contagious. In Baja California Sur, where Los Cabos is located, authorities are again rushing to add beds to strained hospitals, which reached 75% capacity last week before improving to 62% on Thursday. Beaches in the town of La Paz were ordered closed, though local media show many ignoring the order. Since Mexico hasn’t limited who can fly during the pandemic, both domestic and international tourists have flocked to the resort areas. Like much of Latin America, Mexico has been slammed by Covid, among the worst hit in the world.

Venezuelans Enduring Day-Long Waits to Fill Gasoline Tanks (Bloomberg) Venezuela’s capital city is once again rationing gasoline after output at state-owned refineries slumped, forcing motorists to endure day-long queues to top off tanks. Shortages have returned to Caracas, prompting drivers to prowl the streets for open filling stations as lines stretch for blocks in some areas. Because of breakdowns at Petroleos de Venezuela SA fuel-making plants, gasoline output has crashed by more than 40% since the end of June, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. Struggling with the impact of U.S. sanctions and scant foreign investment, PDVSA has been hit by failures at several of its largest plants. Just two of six refineries are currently operational, according to three people with direct knowledge who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.

Germany: Devastating floods raise fears for future (The Week) Entire towns in western Germany were devastated last week by “the flood of the century,” said Susanne Scholz at Express, and the whole country is in shock. The images on TV news looked like they were coming from a tropical monsoon zone, not our first-world nation. Never did we think we would see our own citizens “trapped in houses on the verge of collapse, in danger of being swept away by masses of water.” Days of torrential rain caused rivers to burst their banks in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, and in neighboring Belgium and the Netherlands. While authorities say it’s too early to put a price tag on the damage, the images of submerged homes and electrical stations, obliterated bridges, and cars crumpled by fallen trees tell a tale of vast material loss. “The German language hardly knows any words for the devastation that has been wrought,” said Chancellor Angela Merkel. She praised the thousands of volunteers who came to bail water, load sandbags, and search for survivors. “Disaster control clearly failed,” said Peter Tiede at Bild. State and local authorities responsible for evacuation warnings relied on smartphone apps that many Germans don’t have—and service was out anyway because the storms had downed the cell towers. Only old-fashioned sirens work in such emergencies, yet our few loudspeaker vans never left the depots. Public radio, meanwhile, “was playing pop music while hundreds of people were being washed away, houses collapsing, villages razed to the ground.” It’s simply inexcusable. “How bad will it get when such a flood hits a major city like Cologne or Hamburg instead of villages and small towns?”

To reach a peace deal, Taliban say Afghan president must go (AP) The Taliban say they don’t want to monopolize power, but they insist there won’t be peace in Afghanistan until there is a new negotiated government in Kabul and President Ashraf Ghani is removed. The Taliban have swiftly captured territory in recent weeks, seized strategic border crossings and are threatening a number of provincial capitals—advances that come as the last U.S. and NATO soldiers leave Afghanistan. Memories of the Taliban’s last time in power some 20 years ago, when they enforced a harsh brand of Islam that denied girls an education and barred women from work, have stoked fears of their return among many. Afghans who can afford it are applying by the thousands for visas to leave Afghanistan, fearing a violent descent into chaos. The U.S.-NATO withdrawal is more than 95% complete and due to be finished by Aug. 31.

Heavy rain in India triggers floods, landslides; at least 125 dead (Reuters) Rescue teams in India struggled through thick sludge and debris on Saturday to reach dozens of submerged homes as the death toll from landslides and accidents caused by torrential monsoon rain rose to 125. Maharashtra state is being hit by the heaviest rain in July in four decades, experts say. Downpours lasting several days have severely affected the lives of hundreds of thousands, while major rivers are in danger of bursting their banks. In Taliye, about 180 km (110 miles) southeast of the financial capital of Mumbai, the death toll rose to 42 with the recovery of four more bodies after landslides flattened most homes in the village, a senior Maharashtra government official said. Parts of India’s west coast have received up to 594 mm (23 inches) of rain, forcing authorities to move people out of vulnerable areas as they released water from dams about to overflow.

Vietnam locks down capital Hanoi for 15 days as cases rise (AP) Vietnam announced a 15-day lockdown in the capital Hanoi starting Saturday as a coronavirus surge spread from the southern Mekong Delta region. The lockdown order, issued late Friday night, bans the gathering of more than two people in public. Only government offices, hospitals and essential businesses are allowed to stay open. Earlier in the week, the city had suspended all outdoor activities and ordered non-essential businesses to close following an increase in cases.

Thousands protest lockdown in Sydney, several arrested (AP) Thousands of people took to the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities on Saturday to protest lockdown restrictions amid another surge in cases, and police made several arrests after crowds broke through barriers and threw plastic bottles and plants. There was a heavy police presence in Sydney, including mounted police and riot officers in response to what authorities said was unauthorized protest activity. Police confirmed a number of arrests had been made after objects were thrown at officers. Greater Sydney has been locked down for the past four weeks, with residents only able to leave home with a reasonable excuse. In Melbourne, thousands of protesters without masks turned out downtown chanting “freedom.” Some of them lit flares as they gathered outside Victoria state’s Parliament House. They held banners, including one that read: “This is not about a virus it’s about total government control of the people.”

Power outages cripple parts of the Middle East amid record heat waves and rising unrest (Washington Post) Record heat waves and crippling energy shortages across much of the Middle East are plunging homes and businesses from Lebanon to Iran into darkness and stirring unrest as poor families swelter while many of the rich stay cool with backup generators. Power outages have pushed hospitals to a crisis point. Family businesses are struggling to survive. In some cities, the streetlights barely work. Temperatures in several Middle Eastern countries this summer have topped 122 degrees Fahrenheit—50 degrees Celsius—including in Iran, which hit 123.8, and Iraq, which nearly matched last year’s record of 125.2. Decades of neglect and underinvestment have left power grids unable to cope. Drought has crippled hydroelectric generation. Economic crises roiling several countries mean governments are now even struggling to purchase the fuel needed to generate power.

Over 71% of Lebanon’s population risks losing access to safe water—UNICEF (Reuters) The United Nations warned on Friday that more than four million people in Lebanon, including one million refugees risked losing access to safe water as shortages of funding, fuel and supplies affect water pumping. “UNICEF estimates that most water pumping will gradually cease across the country in the next four to six weeks,” a statement by the U.N. body said. Lebanon is battling an economic meltdown that has propelled more than half of its population into poverty and seen its currency lose over 90% of its value in less than two years. The financial crisis has translated into severe shortages of basic goods such as fuel and medicine as dollars run dry. UNICEF said that should the public water supply system collapse, water costs could jump by 200% a month as water would be secured from private water suppliers.

#headlines #news

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