Orangutan how big are they

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Friday that Congress should “go big or go home” on the federal pandemic stimulus package, breaking with opposition to the plan from within his own party. “We have tried to underspend and undersize what was really needed to get over the top of the mountain,” he told reporters at his coronavirus briefing. “You got a lot of people across this nation who are really hurting.” House Democrats are poised to get through their $1.9 trillion package aimed at helping individuals, businesses, states and cities. The fate of a provision to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 is uncertain in the Senate, where its nonpartisan parliamentarian said Thursday that the chamber’s rules require that a federal minimum wage increase would have to be dropped from the COVID-19 bill. Justice, who won office in 2016 as a Democrat before switching parties, has surprised some by backing President Joe Biden’s proposal. He said “an awful … [Read more...] about Republican West Virginia Governor Jim Justice Says ‘Go Big Or Go Home’ On Stimulus

WASHINGTON: Thirty-two groups including ones focused on antitrust, consumer advocacy and progressive issues sent a letter to President-elect Joe Biden on Monday urging him to reject the influence of Big Tech companies on his administration. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that more executives from technology companies than outspoken tech critics were named to Biden's transition team, offering clues on who will ultimately influence his administration's thinking. The letter calls for excluding from his administration executives, lobbyists and consultants working for or with companies such as Facebook, Amazon, Alphabet-owned Google, Apple and Microsoft. The groups argue the companies' business practices hurt consumers and the American economy. The letter was signed by groups focusing on consumer rights, antitrust reform, labor and progressive causes. Signatories include Public Citizen, American Economic Liberties Project, Open Markets Institute, Progressive Democrats of … [Read more...] about Biden urged to reject Big Tech’s influence by 32 advocacy groups

SINGAPORE: At the South Carolina funeral of the racial segregationist and Republican senator Strom Thurmond in 2003, there was one name in the guest list that no one expected: Joseph R Biden Jr. Mr Biden, then the Democratic senator from the blue state of Delaware, had been handpicked by a dying Mr Thurmond to deliver an eulogy as the only Democrat in the grieving room. “I think this is his last laugh,” said Mr Biden at the church wake. “For what else would explain a Northeast liberal’s presence here as the only outsider speaking today?” Despite seemingly irreconcilable political views, the now president-elect of the United States and Thurmond were long-time friends whose Senate offices in Washington were once side by side. Thurmond was an icon of Southern white supremacy who advocated for discriminatory laws against African-Americans, while Mr Biden entered politics at age 29 because of the civil rights movement and ultimately served alongside America’s first black president … [Read more...] about The Big Read: A fractious America and a few urgent matters of global proportions await Joe Biden

SINGAPORE: Role playing as Republican candidate Donald Trump in a mock presidential debate in Singapore on Wednesday (Oct 27), Tina Datta argued valiantly against her Democratic counterparts, but ultimately lost. Despite trying hard to sway an audience of university students at Tembusu College to the conservative cause, the final vote tally at the National University of Singapore programme was 87 to 13, in the Democrats’ favour. The debate, which was moderated by college rector Professor Tommy Koh, was held just days before a deeply divided America goes to the polls on Nov 3. Partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 80 million Americans as of Thursday across all states have voted early. Mr Trump and his running mate Mike Pence face Democratic candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, with the latter team currently leading in most opinion polls. Still, Ms Datta, who chairs the Republicans Overseas Singapore, is undeterred by how Singapore students perceived Mr Trump. Her … [Read more...] about The Big Read: Will it be Trump or Biden? A weary world is watching

Persis Yu is an attorney and director of the National Consumer Law Center's Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project, which provides information about student rights and responsibilities for borrowers, and advocates and provides direct legal representation to low-income student loan borrowers. The views expressed here are her own. View more opinion articles on CNN. (CNN) On the campaign trail, President Joe Biden promised to cancel at least $10,000 of federal student loans for all borrowers in response to the Covid-19 crisis. Over 60 lawmakers and 17 state attorneys general have called on him to go further and cancel up to $50,000 administratively. When Biden was asked if he would cancel $50,000 of student debt for struggling borrowers at a CNN Town Hall last Tuesday, his answer unfortunately reflected some commonly held misconceptions about student loan borrowers. Persis Yu Public disinvestment from higher education, skyrocketing costs, combined … [Read more...] about Big student loan debt is not a ‘Harvard, Yale and Penn’ problem