Month: August 2022

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Kyrsten Sinema says she will ‘move forward’ on economic bill, putting Biden’s agenda on the cusp of Senate approval

Kyrsten Sinema says she will 'move forward' on economic bill, putting Biden's agenda on the cusp of Senate approval

Sinema’s support means Democrats likely will have 50 votes in their caucus to push the bill through their chamber by week’s end, before it moves to the House next week for final approval.

And while the plan is scaled back from Biden’s initial Build Back Better package, the latest bill — named the Inflation Reduction Act — would represent the largest investment in energy and climate programs in US history, extend expiring health care subsidies for three years and give Medicare the power for the first time to negotiate prescription drug prices. The legislation would impose new taxes to pay for it.

A remaining hurdle for Democrats: A review by Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who must decide whether the provisions in the bill meet strict rules to allow Democrats to use the filibuster-proof budget process to pass the legislation along straight party lines.

But after days of talks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sinema indicated she was ready to vote to proceed.

“Subject to the Parliamentarian’s review, I’ll move forward,” she said in a statement after maintaining silence over the bill for more than a week.

In the statement, Sinema indicated that she won several changes to the tax provisions in the package, including removing the tax on carried interest, which would have impacted hedge fund managers and private equity. That proposal would have raised $14 billion. She also suggested that she won changes to Democrats’ plans to stop back how companies can deduct depreciated assets from their taxes — a key demand by manufacturers that had lobbied Sinema over their concerns this week.

“We have agreed to remove the carried interest tax provision, protect advanced manufacturing, and boost our clean energy economy in the Senate’s budget reconciliation legislation,” Sinema said.

To make up for the lost revenue, Democrats agreed to add a 1% excise tax on companies’ stock buybacks as part of the agreement, raising another $73 billion, according to a Democratic aid.

“The agreement will include a new excise tax on stock buybacks that brings in far more revenue than the carried interest provision did, meaning the deficit reduction figure will remain at $300 billion,” a Democrat familiar with the agreement told CNN.

The $300 billion target in deficit reduction had been a key priority of Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who signed onto the deal after negotiations with Schumer last week.

“The agreement preserves the major components of the Inflation Reduction Act, including reducing prescription drug costs, fighting climate change, closing tax loopholes exploited by big corporations and the wealthy, and reducing the deficit by $300 billion,” Schumer said in a statement. “The final version of the Reconciliation bill, to be introduced on Saturday, will reflect this work and put us one step closer to enacting this historic legislation into law.”

High-stakes negotiations

What's in the Manchin-Schumer deal on climate, health care and taxes

Earlier Thursday, top Senate Democrats engaged in high-stakes negotiations with Sinema, actively discussing potential changes to major tax components in order to secure the Arizona moderate’s support.

In private discussions, Sinema had expressed concern over key parts of the Democrats’ plan to pay for their climate and health care package — imposing a 15% tax minimum tax on big corporations and taxing so-called carried interest, which would mean imposing a new levy on hedge fund managers and private equity.

As a result, Democrats had been scrambling to find new revenue sources to meet the goal of saving $300 billion over a decade.

“Failure is not an option,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, expressing the view of much of his caucus earlier Thursday that Sinema would eventually get on board.

Schumer announced earlier on Thursday that the Senate will reconvene on Saturday and plans to take the first procedural vote to proceed to the bill. If the vote gets the backing of all 50 members of the Democratic caucus, there would then be up to 20 hours of debate. Following debate time, there would be a process colloquially referred to on Capitol Hill as “vote-a-rama,” which is the marathon series of amendment votes with no time limit before the final vote. If the bill ultimately passes, the House would need to act.

Democrats are trying to wrap up negotiations and pass their economic passage before leaving town for a month-long August recess. The measure would invest $369 billion into energy and climate change programs with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. For the first time, Medicare would be empowered to negotiate the prices of certain medications, and it would cap out-of- pocket costs at $2,000 for those enrolled in Medicare drug plans. It would also extend expiring enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage for three years.

It’s not clear if all these provisions will survive the parliamentarian’s review.

Heavy pressure on Sinema

Will the Senate climate and health care deal reduce inflation? Depends whom you ask

Sinema was not part of the deal, learning of it when the news broke last week. She had refused to comment publicly on the deal, with her aides de ella only saying she would wait until the Senate parliamentarian’s review is done before ella taking a position. Yet she had been making her demands clear with Democratic leaders, including seeking to add $5 billion to help the Southwest cope with its multi-year drought, according to multiple sources.

As Democrats courted her, Republicans and business groups made their concerns known. In a private call this week, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, urged Sinema to press to change the corporate minimum tax. The president of the Arizona business group, Danny Seiden, told CNN that he expressed the business community’s opposition to the 15% tax provision, noting it would particularly hit manufacturers that take advantage of an accelerated depreciation tax deduction that lowers their tax burden.

“Is this written in a way that’s bad?” Sinema asked, according to Seiden, president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, who relayed the call to CNN.

“It gave me hope that she’s willing to open this up and maybe make it better,” Seiden said.

Two sources told CNN that Sinema had privately relayed those concerns to top Democrats, arguing it would hurt manufacturers including in her state.

In an effort to break the log jam, Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper, a freshman Democrat, proposed the excise tax on stock buybacks to Schumer as a way to make up for the revenue lost by Sinema’s requests, according to a Democratic aid.

At issue are changes proposed by Democrats on bonus depreciation that the GOP enacted in the 2017 tax law, which allows companies to deduct 100% of the cost of an asset the year it is placed in service. The new legislation proposed to phase that down starting next year.

It’s unclear exactly how the new language is structured on this issue.

Defending the new tax, the Democratic-led Senate Finance Committee released date on Thursday from the non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation showing that up to 125 billion-dollar companies averaged only a 1.1 percent effective tax rate in 2019. The committee argues in its release that this shows the “rock-bottom tax rates” that some companies are able to pay.

“While we know that billion-dollar companies are avoiding paying their fair share, these tax rates are lower than we could have imagined,” said Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat. “We’re going to put a stop to it with our 15 percent minimum tax.”

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments Thursday.

CNN’s Jessica Dean, Ella Nilsen, Clare Foran and Alex Rogers contributed to this report.

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Entertainment

Good cause! Julie Goodwin reveals her ella exciting new ambassador gig

Good cause! Julie Goodwin has revealed her exciting new ambassador gig after her shock elimination off MasterChef. She's now an ambassador for Beyond Blue's first signature fundraising event, Big Blue Table

Julie Goodwin reveals her exciting gig after her shock elimination from MasterChef Australia

By Chloe-lee Longhetti For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

MasterChef fan favorite Julie Goodwin has announced her new ambassador role after her stint on the cooking show.

On Friday, the 51-year-old revealed she’s now an ambassador for Beyond Blue’s first signature fundraising event, Big Blue Table.

The cause is no doubt important for Julie, who has been open about her battle with mental health in the past.

Good cause! Julie Goodwin has revealed her exciting new ambassador gig after her shock elimination off MasterChef. She's now an ambassador for Beyond Blue's first signature fundraising event, Big Blue Table

Good cause! Julie Goodwin has revealed her exciting new ambassador gig after her shock elimination off MasterChef. She’s now an ambassador for Beyond Blue’s first signature fundraising event, Big Blue Table

‘I’m thrilled to announce I am an ambassador for Beyond Blue’s first signature fundraising event, Big Blue Table,’ Julie wrote on Instagram.

‘Big Blue Table brings together two of my favorite things – cooking for friends and family and sharing meals and conversation at the table!’

‘Along with the mental health benefits of getting a group together over a meal, all funds raised during Big Blue Table go to Beyond Blue’s 24/7 Support Service.’

Big Blue Table encourages supporters to enjoy a meal with one another to help raise funds and awareness for mental health. In July, Julie was eliminated from Fans VS Faves in a shock elimination

Big Blue Table encourages supporters to enjoy a meal with one another to help raise funds and awareness for mental health. In July, Julie was eliminated from Fans VS Faves in a shock elimination

Big Blue Table encourages supporters to enjoy a meal with one another to help raise funds and awareness for mental health.

‘Couldn’t get a better person than you Julie Goodwin,’ one follower wrote.

Another added: ‘Sounds fabulous and you will be an amazing ambassador Julie.’

In July, Julie was eliminated from Fans VS Faves in a shock elimination.

The returning winner was sent home after her sticky date pudding, ice-cream and whiskey caramel sauce fell short during an elimination challenge in Tasmania.

She was soon dubbed a ‘national treasure’ by fans, after first winning the show back in 2009.

In June, Julie told Woman’s Day that she consulted her psychologist before agreeing to join MasterChef: Fans V Faves this year.

She was soon dubbed a 'national treasure' by fans, after first winning the show back in 2009

She was soon dubbed a ‘national treasure’ by fans, after first winning the show back in 2009

In June, Julie told Woman's Day that she consulted her psychologist before agreeing to join MasterChef: Fans V Faves this year

In June, Julie told Woman’s Day that she consulted her psychologist before agreeing to join MasterChef: Fans V Faves this year

Julie has been open about her battle with anxiety and depression following her drink-driving arrest four years ago.

‘[My mental health] was a massive discussion when I was asked to do [MasterChef],’ the cookbook author explained.

‘I didn’t just say yes. I talked to my family, I talked to my psychologist, and it was a decision that was made in a very considered way because at the end of the day, I didn’t want to be back at the bottom of a dark place,’ she continued.

The mother of three, who spent five weeks at a mental health facility in 2020, worked out a coping strategy in case things became too mentally taxing.

‘They’ve worked around the filming schedule to allow me to still have my psychology appointments and to get out early in the morning to do my exercise. They touch base with me constantly to make sure I’m okay,’ she said.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with their mental health, please contact life line or Beyond Blue.

The mother of three, who spent five weeks at a mental health facility in 2020, worked out a coping strategy in case things became too mentally taxing

The mother of three, who spent five weeks at a mental health facility in 2020, worked out a coping strategy in case things became too mentally taxing

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Does the Inflation Reduction Act violate Biden’s $400,000 tax pledge?

Does the Inflation Reduction Act violate Biden's $400,000 tax pledge?

JimWatson | Afp | Getty Images

Senate Democrats’ package of climate change, health-care, drug pricing and tax measures unveiled last week has proponents and opponents debating whether the legislation violates a pledge President Joe Biden has made since his presidential campaign, to do not raise taxes on households with incomes below $400,000 a year.

The answer isn’t quite as simple as it seems.

“The fun part about this is, you can get a different answer depending on who you ask,” said John Buhl, an analyst at the Tax Policy Center.

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The White House has used $400,000 as a rough dividing line for the wealthy relative to middle and lower earners. That income threshold equates to about the top 1% to 2% of American taxpayers.

The new bill, the Inflation Reduction Act, doesn’t directly raise taxes on households below that line, according to tax experts. In other words, the legislation wouldn’t trigger an increase on taxpayers’ annual tax returns if their income is below $400,000, experts said.

But some aspects of the legislation may have adverse downstream effects — a sort of indirect taxation, experts said. This “indirect” element is where opponents seem to have directed their ire.

What’s in the Inflation Reduction Act

The legislation — brokered by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., and Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., who’d been a key centrist holdout — would invest about $485 billion toward climate and health-care measures through 2031, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis issued Wednesday.

Broadly, that spending would be in the form of tax breaks and rebates for households that buy electric vehicles and make their homes more energy-efficient, and a three-year extension of the current Affordable Care Act subsidies for health insurance.

The bill would also raise an estimated $790 billion via tax measures, reforms for prescription drug prices and a fee on methane emissions, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Taxes account for the bulk — $450 billion — of the revenue.

Critics say corporate changes could affect workers

Specifically, the legislation would provide more resources for IRS enforcement of tax cheats and would tweak the “carried interest” rules for taxpayers who earn more than $400,000. Carried-interest rules allow certain private equity and other investors to pay a preferential tax rate on profits.

Those elements aren’t controversial relative to the tax pledge — they don’t raise the annual tax bills middle and low earners owe, experts said.

The Inflation Reduction Act would also implement a 15% corporate minimum tax, paid on the income large companies report to shareholders. This is where “indirect” taxes might come into play, experts said. For example, a corporation with a higher tax bill might pass on those additional costs to employees, perhaps in the form of a lower raise, or reduced corporate profits may hurt 401(k) and other investors who own a piece of the company in a mutual fund.

The Democrats’ approach to tax reform means increasing taxes on low- and middle-income Americans.

Sen. mike krapo

Republican of Idaho

The current corporate tax rate is 21% but some companies are able to reduce their effective tax rate and therefore pay back their bill.

As a result of the policy, those with incomes below $200,000 would pay almost $17 billion in combined additional tax in 2023, according to a Joint Committee on Taxation analysis published July 29. That combined tax burden falls to about $2 billion by 2031, according to the JCT, an independent scorekeeper for Congress.

“The Democrats’ approach to tax reform means increasing taxes on low- and middle-income Americans,” Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Finance Committee, said of the analysis.

Others say financial benefits outweigh indirect costs

However, the JCT analysis does not provide a complete picture, according to experts. That’s because it doesn’t account for the benefits of consumer tax rebates, health premium subsidies and lower prescription drug costs, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Observers who consider indirect costs should weigh these financial benefits, too, experts argue.

“The selective presentation by some of the distributional effects of this bill neglects benefits to middle-class families from reducing deficits, from bringing down prescription drug prices and from more affordable energy,” a group of five former Treasury secretaries from both Democratic and Republican administrations wrote Wednesday.

The $64 billion of total Affordable Care Act subsidies alone would “be more than enough to counter net tax increases below $400,000 in the JCT study,” according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which also estimates Americans would save $300 billion on costs and premiums for prescription drugs.

The combined policies would offer a net tax cut for Americans by 2027, the group said.

Further, setting a minimum corporate tax rate shouldn’t be viewed as an “extra” tax, but a “reclaiming of revenue lost to tax avoidance and provisions benefitting the most affluent,” argued the former Treasury secretaries. They are Timothy Geithner, Jacob Lew, Henry Paulson Jr., Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers.

There are additional wrinkles to consider, though, according to Buhl of the Tax Policy Center.

For example, to what extent do companies pass on their tax bills to workers versus shareholders? Economists differ on this point, Buhl said. And what about companies with a lot of excess cash on hand? Might that cash buffer lead a company not to levy an indirect tax on its workers?

“You could end up going down these rabbit holes forever,” Buhl said. “It’s just one of the fun parts of tax pledges,” he added.

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Entertainment

Roberta Williams pleads guilty to blackmailing reality TV show producer Ryan Naumenko

Roberta Williams pleads guilty to blackmailing reality TV show producer Ryan Naumenko

Alleged victim Ryan Naumenko.

Alleged victim Ryan Naumenko.Credit:Seven News

Williams has pleaded guilty to charges of blackmail and recklessly causing injury to Naumenko in the incident that followed, on July 9.

When Naumenko showed up he was told “you’re f—ed, it’s all over now” by the associates.

He was told “Roberta wants money now” before another man suggested they “kill the c— – he has no money”.

Naumenko’s father and sister each paid $1000 to the studio’s bank account and ownership of his mother’s car was signed over during the incident, in which he was beaten and threatened with a gun.

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Williams later sent a text to one of the men, thanking him for his assistance.

During a plea hearing in Victoria’s County Court, prosecutors said Williams had agreed to participate in the frightening confrontation, and although she didn’t take part in the assault itself, she was complicit.

Williams, who replied: “53, I think” when asked her age, was supported in court by her daughter Dakota during a plea hearing last month. Details were suppressed until Friday.

Her lawyer said Williams’ criminal history ran almost parallel with events in her life.

“Types of offenses are consistent with points in her life – either unstable relationships, unstable accommodation, domestic situations, drug use situations,” she said.

“Since 2008 she has had a largely offense-free lifestyle.”

The court heard Williams is the carer for her son, who has significant disabilities.

Care of the boy is intensive and difficult and won’t end when he turns 18, the court heard.

“A degree of mercy applies here, if not in its full form,” Williams’ lawyer said.

The judge agreed and said prison was not an option.

Williams is due to be sentenced on August 26.

AAP

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Republicans Begin Adjusting to a Fierce Abortion Backlash

Republicans Begin Adjusting to a Fierce Abortion Backlash

Republican candidates, facing a stark reality check from Kansas voters, are softening their once-uncompromising stands against abortion as they move toward the general election, recognizing that strict bans are unpopular and that the issue may be a major driver in the fall campaigns.

In swing states and even conservative corners of the country, several Republicans have shifted their talk on abortion bans, newly emphasizing support for exceptions. Some have noticeably stopped discussing details at all. Pitched battles in Republican-dominated state legislatures have broken out now that the Supreme Court has made what has long been a theoretical argument a reality.

In Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano, the Republicans’ ardently anti-abortion candidate for governor, has lately taken to saying “the people of Pennsylvania” will “decide what abortion looks like” in the state, not the governor. In Minnesota, Scott Jensen, a family physician who said in March that he would “try to ban abortion” as governor, said in a video released before the Kansas vote that he does support some exceptions: “If I’ve been unclear previously, I want to be clear now.”

Republican consultants for Senate and House campaigns said Thursday that while they still believe inflation and the economy will drive voters to the GOP, candidates are going to have to talk about abortion to blunt Democratic attacks that the party’s position is extreme. They have started advising Republicans to endorse bans that allow exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest or those that threaten the life of the mother. They have told candidates to emphasize care for women during and after their pregnancies.

“If we are going to ban abortion, there are things we’ve got to do to make sure the need for abortion is reduced, and that women are not endangered,” said Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, who won an exemption for rape and incest in her state’s abortion law as a state representative. Now, she says Republicans need to press to expand access to gynecological and obstetrics care, contraception, including emergency contraception, and even protect the right of women to leave their states to get an abortion without fear of prosecution.

Messaging alone cannot free the GOP from the drumbeat of news after the Supreme Court’s decision, including the story of a 10-year-old rape victim who crossed state lines to receive an abortion, and headlines about women who confronted serious health problems under new, far-reaching restrictions or bans.

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who has recently avoided talking about abortion, suspended a state attorney from Hillsborough County who refused to prosecute people who try to provide abortions prohibited by the state’s new 15-week ban, prompting angry recriminations from Democrats.

The recalibration for some began before voters of deeply Republican Kansas voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday against removing abortion rights from the state’s constitution. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, retracting the constitutional right to the procedure, many Republicans were slow to detail what would come next. As they rush to enact long-promised laws, Republican-led legislatures have learned how difficult banning abortion can be.

“Not just the pro-choice movement but the pro-life movement was caught by surprise” by the Supreme Court, said Brandon Steele, a West Virginia delegate who pressed for an abortion ban without exceptions in a special session of the legislature that ended this week with the Republican supermajority stymied. “Without having the talking points, without being told what to do, legislators had to start saying what they were actually going to do. You could see the confusion in the room.”

“We’re finding out who is really pro-life and who is pro-life only to get elected, not just in West Virginia but across the country,” Mr. Steele said.

In Indiana, a special session of the state legislature to consider a near-total abortion ban has had brutal debates over whether to include exemptions and how far those exemptions should go.

“For some it’s very black and white: if you’re pro-life with no exceptions or if you’re pro-choice with no restrictions,” said State Senator Kyle Walker, an Indiana Republican who said abortion should be legal during at least the first trimester of pregnancy. “When you are in the gray area, you are forced to reconcile in your own mind where your own limits are.”

For months, Republicans have maintained that abortion rights would be a footnote in a midterm campaign driven by the worst inflation in 40 years, crime, immigration and a Democratic president whose approval ratings are mired around 40 percent.

That is still the public line, even after the Kansas referendum, where voters faced a single issue, not the multiplicity of factors they will be considering in November.

But the reality on the campaign trail is different. Sarah Longwell, a Republican pollster, said in her focus groups that swing voters do bring up inflation and the economy when asked what issues are on their minds. But when prompted to discuss abortion, real passion flares. That indicates that if Democrats can pursue a campaign to keep the issue front and center, they will find an audience, she said.

Ms. Mace agreed, saying that abortion is rising fast and that Republicans have to respond.

In Minnesota, Dr. Jensen, the Republican candidate expected to take on Gov. Tim Walz, suggested it was interactions with voters after the fall of Roe that, he said, prompted him to clarify his position on abortion.

“Once the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned, we told Minnesota, and basically told everybody that we would engage in a conversation,” he said. “During that conversation, I learned of the need for me to elaborate on my position.”

That elaboration included embracing a family and maternity leave program, promoting a $2,500-per-child adoption tax credit, and improving access to birth control, including providing oral contraceptives over the counter with a price ceiling. And, like adam laxaltthe GOP Senate nominee in Nevada, Dr. Jensen pointed to abortion protections already in place in Minnesota to cast the matter as settled rather than on the ballot this year.

Mr. Walz said he would stay on offense, and did not accept any softening of the Republican line.

“I take them at their first word,” he said of Dr. Jensen and his running mate, Matt Birk, a former NFL player and anti-abortion rights advocate. “If they get the opportunity they will criminalize this while we’re trying to protect it. So it’s become a central theme, obviously, I think that flip on their part was in response to that.”

The Kansas vote implies that around 65 percent of voters nationwide would reject rolling back abortion rights, including a majority in more than 40 of the 50 states, according to a New York Times analysis.

Republicans believe their party can grab the mantle of moderation from Democrats, in part by conveying empathy toward pregnant women and offering exemptions to abortion bans, and casting Democrats as the extremists when it comes to regulating abortion. If Democrats insist on making abortion the centerpiece of their campaigns, they argue, they risk looking out of touch with voters in an uncertain economy.

But Republicans who moderate their views must still contend with a core base of support that remains staunchly anti-abortion. Abortion opponents said Thursday that Republican candidates should not read too much into the Kansas vote, a single-issue referendum with language that was criticized by voters on both sides as confusing.

“Regardless of what the consultant class is telling the candidates, they would be wise to recognize that the right-to-life community is an important constituency and an important demographic of voters,” warned Penny Nance, chief executive and president of Concerned Women for America, a conservative organization that opposes abortion rights.

After the Kansas vote, Democrats stepped up efforts to squeeze their opponents between a conservative base eager for quick action to ban all abortions and a broader electorate that wants no such thing. Representative Elaine Luria, a moderate Democrat running in a Republican-leaning district in southeastern Virginia, released a new advertisement against her Republican opponent, Jen Kiggans, painting her as “too extreme” on abortion. Ms. Luria had initially said she would campaign on her work for the district and her support for the Navy, a big force in the region, but the landscape has shifted. Ms. Kiggans’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

A group aligned with the Democratic Governors Association is already advertising off abortion-related remarks made by Tudor Dixon of Michigan, who won the Republican nomination for governor this week.

“If you take Tudor Dixon at her word when it comes to outlawing abortion, she’s told us exactly who she is,” the spot, titled “No Exceptions,” intones, featuring clips of Ms. Dixon highlighting her opposition to a range of abortion -related exceptions. Ms. Dixon was unambiguous about her position earlier this summer, writing on Twitter“My only exception is to protect the LIFE of the mother.”

In a lengthy statement that highlighted her opposition to an expected ballot measure in Michigan intended to protect abortion rights, Ms. Dixon also insisted that her race would be defined by jobs, schools, crime and being “able to afford your gas and groceries.”

For Republicans, one problem might be the extensive trail on the issue they left during the primary season.

In May, Mr. Mastriano was unequivocal in Pennsylvania as he courted Republican primary voters: “That baby deserves a right to life whether it is conceived in incest or rape or there are concerns otherwise for the mom.”

Last month, he said it was not up to him. “You decide on exceptions. You decide on how early. And that’s in the hands of the people,” he said on Philadelphia talk radio. “That’s a fact. That’s not a dodge.”

mitch smith, trip gabriel and Reid J. Epstein contributed reporting.

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Entertainment

Edwina Bartholomew says her daughter has turned into a ‘monster’ after welcoming her second child

Edwina Bartholomew says her daughter Molly turned into a 'monster' after she welcomed her second child Tom (pictured here)

Edwina Bartholomew says her daughter Molly turned into a ‘monster’ after she welcomed her second child Tom: ‘I frankly struggled to cope’

By Savanna Young For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

Edwina Bartholomew has spoken about the trials and tribulations of her growing family.

The newsreader, 39, has ‘happily’ returned to the Sunrise desk after welcoming her second child – son Tom – in March, but is still trying to navigate raising two kids under the age of three.

‘I’m repeatedly told that moving from one to two kids is the most challenging step,’ she said in her latest column for the Daily Telegraph.

Edwina Bartholomew says her daughter Molly turned into a 'monster' after she welcomed her second child Tom (pictured here)

Edwina Bartholomew says her daughter Molly turned into a ‘monster’ after she welcomed her second child Tom (pictured here)

Edwina said she thought she had ‘child one down pat’ as her daughter Molly, two, was ‘finally sleeping through the night’.

But following the arrival of Tom, the Sunrise newsreader said her daughter is battling the terrible twos.

‘Our gentle, girl morphed into a monster within a few weeks and I frankly struggled to cope,’ she said.

‘There was food on the walls, full-blown tantrums on the floor, screaming and that was just me.’

Despite it being the ‘most challenging period’ of her life, Edwina said it has also been ‘the most beautiful’.

Following the arrival of Tom, who was born March 1, the Sunrise newsreader said her daughter Molly (pictured here) is battling the terrible twos

Following the arrival of Tom, who was born March 1, the Sunrise newsreader said her daughter Molly (pictured here) is battling the terrible twos

The newsreader, 39, has 'happily' returned to the Sunrise desk after welcoming her second child - son Tom - in March, but is still trying to navigate raising two kids under the age of three

The newsreader, 39, has ‘happily’ returned to the Sunrise desk after welcoming her second child – son Tom – in March, but is still trying to navigate raising two kids under the age of three

‘Watching my daughter blow raspberries on my son’s little tummy makes my heart explode every time,’ she added.

‘Although her cuddles border on suffocation, his little face lights up when he’s on the receiving end of one of her aggressive squeezes.’

Edwina returned to Channel Seven’s breakfast show Sunrise this week after taking five months’ maternity leave.

On Monday, Edwina, who was previously a roving weather presenter before being promoted to the news desk, said it was ‘lovely’ to be back in the studio.

Edwina and Neil announced the birth of their son Thomas in early March

Edwina and Neil announced the birth of their son Thomas in early March

She was joined by co-anchors Natalie Barr and David Koch, while sports reporter Mark Beretta provided updates on the Aussie swimmers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games live from Birmingham, England.

‘It’s been such a lovely five months,’ Edwina said.

‘We’ve had such a lovely time as a family unit, so it was a bit sad to leave them at home, but also lovely to come back to work.’

Edwina returned to Channel Seven's breakfast show Sunrise this week after taking five months' maternity leave

Edwina returned to Channel Seven’s breakfast show Sunrise this week after taking five months’ maternity leave

Natalie added: ‘Eddie has come back to work for a rest, like most new mums! He it can be much more restful at work than at home.’

Edwina and Neil announced the birth of their son in early March.

‘Some little news from our family. Thomas Donald Elliott Varcoe born on the 1st of March, 2022,’ she wrote on Instagram alongside a gallery of photos of the newborn.

‘At such a difficult time for so many, many people, we hope Tom’s little face puts a smile on yours.’

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What’s Next in the Alex Jones Trial? Jury to Weight Additional Damages

What's Next in the Alex Jones Trial? Jury to Weight Additional Damages

After ordering the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay more than $4 million in compensatory damages to the parents of a child killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, jurors will return on Friday to consider awarding punitive damages.

The jury, which announced the partial award on Thursday after several dramatic days in court, is scheduled to hear additional testimony about Mr. Jones and his misinformation-peddling media outlet Infowars that is likely to include discussion of his net worth and his company’s.

Compensatory damages are based on proven harm, loss or injury, and are often calculated based on the fair market value of damaged property, lost wages and expenses, according to Cornell Law School. Punitive damages are designed to punish especially harmful behavior and tend to be granted at the court’s discretion, and are sometimes many multiples of a compensatory award.

Mr. Jones is accused of defaming the families of children killed in the mass shooting at the Sandy Hook school in 2012, falsely describing them as actors participating in a hoax (he acknowledged this week that the shooting was “100 percent real”). The award on Thursday announced for Scarlett Lewis and Neil Heslin, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, died in the attack, was the first to arise from several lawsuits filed by victims’ parents in 2018.

A trial for damages in another of the suits was scheduled to begin next month in Connecticut, but it could be delayed because of a bankruptcy filing last week by Free Speech Systems, Infowars’ parent company. Lawyers for the families criticized the move as another attempt by Mr. Jones to shield his wealth from him and evade judgment.

Starting on Friday, lawyers for Ms. Lewis and Mr. Heslin are expected to delve more deeply into Mr. Jones’ financial situation, calling an economist as an expert witness. This week, they presented records showing that, at one point in 2018, Infowars made more than $800,000 a day.

The parents had sought $150 million in compensatory damages.

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Business

Tesla’s Elon Musk slams electric start-up rival

Tesla's Elon Musk slams electric start-up rival

The controversial Tesla founder has taken a swipe at one of his emerging rivals in a dismissive Twitter post.

Paul Gover
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Tesla CEO and soon-to-be Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Tesla CEO and soon-to-be Twitter owner Elon Musk.

Outspoken Tesla founder Elon Musk has trolled one of his potential electric car rivals after Lucid Motors failed to hit its production and revenue targets at the end of June.

The Californian start-up massively under-delivered on its second-quarter predictions for both sales and revenue — delivering just 679 cars despite claiming to hold more than 37,000 reservations — and was called-out by a US financial analyst, Gary Black.

As Mr Black highlighted a $US50 million shortfall in Lucid’s revenue for the quarter he was quickly joined on Twitter by Musk.

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“I had more kids in Q2 than they made cars!,” Musk replied to Mr Black’s original tweet, an apparent reference (at Musk’s own expense) to having multiple children with multiple partners over the years.

Musk knows better than most about the difficulties in producing electric cars.

Many of Tesla’s promised production plans have been delivered late, including the headlining Cyber ​​Cybertruck.

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In the case of Lucid Motors, which is led by a former Tesla employee Peter Rawlinson, the problems are centered on its luxury Air sedan which is priced from $US87,400.

“Our revised production guidance reflects the extraordinary supply chain and logistics challenges we encountered,” said Rawlinson, Lucid’s CEO, in a statement on the company’s website.

“We’ve identified the primary bottlenecks, and we are taking appropriate measures – bringing our logistics operations in-house, adding key hires to the executive team, and restructuring our logistics and manufacturing organisation.

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“We continue to see strong demand for our vehicles, with over 37,000 customer reservations, and I remain confident that we shall overcome these near-term challenges.”

Even so, Lucid Motors has now downgraded its full-year production forecast at its Arizona factory to 6000-7000 cars from a previous prediction of 12,000-14,000.

Paul Gover

Paul Gover has been a motoring journalist for more than 40 years, working on newspapers, magazines, websites, radio and television. A qualified general news journalist and sports reporter, his passion for motoring led him to Wheels, Motor, Car Australia, Which Car and Auto Action magazines. He is a champion racing driver as well as a World Car of the Year judge.

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Categories
Entertainment

Prince William, Princess Charlotte fly chopper at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

Prince William, Princess Charlotte fly chopper at Commonwealth Games in Birmingham

Prince William has taken the term “helicopter parent” to a whole new level.

The Duke of Cambridge flew a chopper, with daughter Princess Charlotte riding co-pilot on a very special trip to the Commonwealth Games.

The royals were spotted arriving in Birmingham on Tuesday in the Bell 429 Global Ranger.

The royals were spotted arriving in Birmingham on Tuesday in the Bell 429 Global Ranger.
Camera IconThe royals were spotted arriving in Birmingham on Tuesday in the Bell 429 Global Ranger. Credit: Cobra Emergency /Youtube

Prince William, who previously served as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot, executed a perfect landing.

Footage of the royal arrival was uploaded to YouTube by Cobra Emergency — a channel featuring security, military, emergency vehicles, and other transport for enthusiasts.

Eagle-eyed fans spotted Charlotte waving to cameras as the chopper landed before a black Range Rover arrived and ferried the group away.

It seems there was no room in the aircraft for the Duchess of Cambridge who traveled to Birmingham by train with the other peasants.

It comes only weeks after the Queen reportedly scolded the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for using the royal chopper too much.

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Categories
US

White House summons Chinese ambassador for rebuke on Taiwan response

White House summons Chinese ambassador for rebuke on Taiwan response

Comment

The White House summoned China’s ambassador on Thursday to condemn Beijing’s escalating actions against Taiwan and reiterate that the United States does not want a crisis in the region, after a visit to the island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sharply escalated tensions in the Taiwan Strait this week.

“After China’s actions overnight, we summoned [People’s Republic of China] Ambassador Qin Gang to the White House to démarche him about the PRC’s provocative actions,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in a statement provided to The Washington Post. “We condemned the PRC’s military actions, which are irresponsible and at odds with our long-standing goal of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” A démarche is a protest lodged through diplomatic channels.

China’s show of force against Taiwan on Thursday included firing missiles into the sea and threatening the island’s territorial waters. Taiwan said China fired 11 ballistic missiles into the waters off its northeastern and southwestern coasts, and Japanese officials said five Chinese missiles landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

The White House also reiterated to Qin that it wants to keep all lines of communication open and that nothing has changed about the United States’ one-China policy, which stipulates that there is a single Chinese entity and no independent enclaves. But the White House also stressed that it found Beijing’s actions unacceptable and would stand up for its values ​​in the Indo-Pacific.

The meeting, which has not been previously reported, was between Qin and Kurt Campbell, deputy assistant to President Biden and coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the National Security Council, according to a White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of a private conversation.

China’s military actions Thursday increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait to the highest level in decades, raising fears of a dangerous miscalculation in one of the world’s most charged geopolitical flash points. Beijing has openly voiced its anger over Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which it considers part of its territory awaiting unification, and US-China relations were already strained because of disputes over trade, human rights and other issues.

Pelosi: Why I’m visiting Taiwan

The White House highlighted to Qin a statement from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies, Kirby said, which stressed that China should not use Pelosi’s visit as a pretext for aggressive military action in the Taiwan Strait. The White House also expressed support for a statement from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which called on all sides to de-escalate tensions and engage in dialogue.

“We made clear once again as we have done privately at the highest levels and publicly: Nothing has changed about our one-China policy. We also made it clear that the United States is prepared for what Beijing chooses to do,” Kirby said. “We will not seek and do not want a crisis. At the same time, we will not be deterred from operating in the seas and skies of the Western Pacific, consistent with international law, as we have for decades — supporting Taiwan and defending a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) carried out long-range, live-fire exercises and “precision strikes” on eastern parts of the strait. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said the PLA fired 11 Dongfeng ballistic missiles.

The White House sought to de-escalate tensions with China ahead of and during Pelosi’s visit, which the speaker undertook against the administration’s wishes. White House officials warned earlier this week that China was preparing for possible aggressive actions that could continue well beyond Pelosi’s visit.

Virtually all the senior members of Biden’s national security team had privately expressed deep reservations about the trip and its timing, the White House official said. They were especially concerned because US-China tensions are already high, and Washington is seeking China’s cooperation on the war in Ukraine and other matters.

Top White House officials defended Pelosi’s right to travel to Taiwan both publicly and to their counterparts in China, but even so, some of them still did not think the trip was a good idea, the official said.

China has sought for years to diplomatically isolate Taiwan. The Chinese Communist Party claims the island, a self-governing democracy that is home to over 23 million people, as its territory, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pledged to “reunify” Taiwan with China, by force if necessary.

Chinese ambassador: Why we opposed Pelosi’s visit

But Pelosi doubled down on Thursday, saying China would not succeed in bullying the island.

“They may try to keep Taiwan from visiting or participating in other places, but they will not isolate Taiwan,” Pelosi said in Tokyo, the last stop of her tour. “They are not doing our traveling schedule. The Chinese government is not doing that.”

At a news briefing Thursday, Kirby said the United States is responding to China’s actions.

The United States will conduct standard air and maritime transits through the Taiwan Strait over the next few weeks, he said, and will take “further steps” to stand with its allies in the region, including Japan, although he did not specify what those actions would be. The aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and its battle group will remain near Taiwan to monitor the situation, Kirby added.

Lily Kuo contributed to this report.