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Australia

SA Labor to return $125k donation from CFMEU after alleged vandalism of cars

A man in a suit speaking with a round light shining above his head.

The South Australian Labor Party will return a $125,000 donation from the construction union, a decision that was prompted by the alleged vandalism of vehicles belonging to staff from the Master Builders Association.

The Victorian branch of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) made the donation in the lead-up to the March election in South Australia.

For several weeks, Premier Peter Malinauskas has been resisting calls for the donation to be returned or given to charity, despite going into the election with a promise to ban donations to political parties for future elections.

SA Labor state secretary Aemon Bourke confirmed on Monday the donation would be returned to the Victorian CFMEU.

Opposition spokeswoman for women Michelle Lensink last week called on Mr Malinauskas to donate the money to a domestic violence charity after Victorian CFMEU boss John Setka formally took control of the union’s South Australian branch.

John Setka speaks into the microphone
Victorian CFMEU boss John Setka has now formally taken charge of the SA branch. (AAP: Penny Stephens)

Mr Setka’s ex-wife Emma Walters also called for the money to be passed on to a domestic violence charity and has previously voiced concerns over the donation to the Labor Party.

In 2019, Mr Setka was convicted of harassing Ms Walters via text messages while they were still together.

“What I’d actually rather see is that he [Mr Malinauskas] actually go to domestic violence shelters and actually put together care packages for women who have had the courage and courage to escape domestic violence situations,” Ms Walters told ABC Radio Adelaide.

Mr Malinauskas this morning said he was prompted to return the money after speaking with Master Builders Association chief executive Will Frogley at an event on Sunday.

“Will explained to me the events that had occurred, reportedly, on Friday afternoon in terms of CFMEU stickers being put on Master Builders Association cars and also the damage to a car as well,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“Just as I foreshadowed whenever I’ve been asked about this over the past couple of weeks, I said that if there was any evidence that would suggest that inappropriate behavior on behalf of the CFMEU was coming across the border from Victoria, if there’s examples of that or evidence of that occurring here in South Australia then I will act and that’s exactly what I did yesterday afternoon upon hearing that news.”

Mr Malinauskas said he had resisted calls by Ms Lensink to donate the money to a domestic violence charity based on Mr Setka’s previous conviction because the money came from the CFMEU and not Mr Setka personally.

A man in a dark polo shirt with a man in a business attire in the background
Master Builders chief executive Will Frogley spoke with Mr Malinauskas about the alleged vandalism.

Mr Frogley confirmed to ABC Radio Adelaide that cars had been damaged on Friday evening but would not go into details regarding CFMEU stickers allegedly being placed on the vehicles.

He said as a result of Friday’s incident, he had increased security at the Master Builders Association and would be installing additional surveillance cameras.

“Everyone in my team should be able to come into work feeling completely unintimidated and safe,” he said.

Mr Frogley said the incident had been reported to police.

He also said he backed Mr Malinauskas’s position on banning political donations.

“Rightly or wrongly, there is always going to be this perception that you’re buying political muscle by doing that,” he said.

“Does Master Builders try to influence government policy? You bet we do, but we don’t donate to any political party. Instead, we focus on putting forward a compelling case on facts based on evidence, based on data on why government policy should be a certain way.”

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US

Insulin: Democrats fail to place $35 cap for most Americans in reconciliation bill

Insulin: Democrats fail to place $35 cap for most Americans in reconciliation bill

The party had pushed to include a measure in their climate and health care package that passed the chamber Sunday that would place a $35 cap on insulin for those on Medicare and with private coverage.
Senate passes Democrats' sweeping health care and climate bill
However, the Senate parliamentarian decided that extending the cap to the private market was not compliant with the rules of the reconciliation process, which Democrats used to pass the legislation with a simple majority vote.

Democrats kept the provision in the bill anyway, but Republicans on Sunday raised a point of order that led to a vote that limited the $35 cap to Medicare beneficiaries only. The final vote was 57-43, with seven GOP senators joining all members of the Senate Democratic Caucus on the vote — but a 60-vote threshold was needed to keep the private market provision in place.

The seven GOP senators who supported the provision were Susan Collins of Maine, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, both of Louisiana, and Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both of Alaska.

Long-standing mission

Democrats have long sought to reduce the price of insulin, which has skyrocketed over the years though it only costs a few dollars to make. That has forced some Americans to ration the medication, sometimes with fatal consequences.
President Joe Biden called for the $35 cap in his State of the Union address in March, and Democrats included it in their sweeping Build Back Better package, which passed the House last fall before stalling in the Senate.

This year, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia pushed a bill that would limit the cost of insulin to $35, as did Collins and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire in a bipartisan effort. Neither has advanced.

More than 37 million people in the US have diabetes — more than 1 in 10 Americans — though not all are aware of it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 7 million people rely on insulin.

About a fifth of those who take insulin and have health coverage through large employers pay more than $35 a month for the medication, according to an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. More than a quarter of people with Affordable Care Act policies and nearly one-third of those insured through a small employer pay more than that threshold.

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US

Florida prosecutor vows to fight Gov. DeSantis suspension

Florida prosecutor vows to fight Gov. DeSantis suspension

ST. PETERSURG, Fla. (AP) — A Florida prosecutor vowed Sunday to fight his suspension from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis over his promise of him not to enforce the state’s 15-week abortion ban and support for gender transition treatments for minors.

Andrew Warren, a Democrat suspended last week from his twice-elected post as state attorney in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, said in a Facebook video message and news release Sunday he plans a “vigorous defense” by his legal team but did not give specifics.

“I’m not going down without a fight,” Warren said on the video. “I refuse to let this man trample on your freedoms to speak your mind, to make your own health care decisions, and to have your vote count.”

Warren was suspended Thursday by DeSantis, a Republican seeking re-election in November and potential 2024 presidential candidate, who cited neglect of duty and other alleged violations. The governor contended that’s because Warren signed statements with dozens of other prosecutors nationwide vowing not to pursue criminal cases against people who seek or provide abortions or gender transition treatments.

Warren contended Sunday the governor was essentially seeking to nullify the will of voters in the Tampa area who elected him in 2016 and 2020.

“I was elected because the people of this county share my vision for criminal justice, trust my judgment, and have seen your success,” Warren said in the video. “I swore to uphold the Constitution, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. DeSantis is trying to take away my job for doing my job.”

Under Florida law, the Republican-controlled state Senate has authority to reinstate Warren or uphold his removal from office. Warren could also take his case to court.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Sunday. DeSantis said Thursday, however, that Warren was acting “above the law” and “displaying a lack of competence to be able to perform” the duties of his office.

“I don’t think the people of Hillsborough County want to have an agenda that is basically woke up, where you’re deciding that your view of social justice means certain laws shouldn’t be enforced,” said the governor.

Florida’s new abortion restriction became effective July 1 and remains under court challenge by abortion providers and allies. It prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions if the procedure is necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life, prevent serious injury or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. It does not allow exemptions in cases where pregnancies were caused by rape, incest or human trafficking.

Violators could face up to five years in prison. Physicians and other medical professionals could lose their licenses and face administrative fines of $10,000 for each violation.

Florida has not enacted laws criminalizing gender transition treatments for minors.

DeSantis appointed Hillsborough County Judge Susan Lopez to serve in Warren’s place during his suspension.

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Categories
US

Republicans block cap on insulin costs for many Americans from Democratic deal

Republicans block cap on insulin costs for many Americans from Democratic deal

US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters following the Senate Republicans weekly policy lunch at the US Capitol in Washington, July 19, 2022.

Elizabeth Franz | Reuters

Republican senators on Sunday voted down a cap on the price of insulin in the private market, removing it from Democrats’ sweeping climate and economic package.

Democrats had tried to preserve the provision to cap insulin costs at $35 for private insurers, but that vote failed 57-43, with seven Republicans voting with them to keep the insulin cost cap in the bill, three short of what was needed.

The move was expected following a decision by the Senate parliamentarian, who determined earlier that the insulin provision was not compliant with the chamber’s strict budget rules. Democrats need to comply with those rules to advance the legislation, called the Inflation Reduction Act, without any Republican votes.

The legislation, however, still includes a $35 copay cap on the price of insulin for seniors on Medicare.

Following the vote, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., accused Republicans of caving to pressures from the pharmaceutical industry at the expense of citizens.

“Republicans have just gone on the record in favor of expensive insulin,” Wyden said in a statement. “After years of tough talk about taking on insulin makers, Republicans have once wilted against in the face of heat from Big Pharma.”

“Fortunately, the $35 insulin copay cap for insulin in Medicare remains in the bill, so seniors will get relief from high insulin costs. I will continue working to deliver lower insulin costs to all Americans,” he added.

Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy of Louisiana; Susan Collins of Maine; Josh Hawley of Missouri; Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi; and Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska joined Democrats in voting to keep the insulin cap for private insurers on Sunday.

Senators have been working through the weekend on amendment votes after the chamber advanced the bill Saturday in a 51-50 procedural vote, with all Republicans opposing the motion to proceed with the bill and Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote.

Senate Democrats are aiming to pass the legislation on Sunday, bringing long-stalled elements of President Joe Biden’s agenda, including major spending to combat climate change and extend health care coverage, one step closer to reality. The package will then head to the House, which is currently planning to pass it on Friday.

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US

Here’s how the Inflation Reduction Act’s rebates and tax credits for heat pumps and solar can lower your energy bill

Here's how the Inflation Reduction Act's rebates and tax credits for heat pumps and solar can lower your energy bill

It’s not the prettiest, or even most fulfilling, part of upgrading a home. But more energy-efficient heating, cooling, power and water usage can net savings that really adds up for household budgets and for doing right by the planet.

Congressional action this weekend and into next week looks to return more incentives, mostly via tax credits and rebates, to the pockets of homeowners who opt for energy-efficient choices, replacing fossil-fuel furnaces, boilers, water heaters and stoves with high-efficiency electric options that can be powered by renewable energy.

Read: Senate passes Democrats’ big healthcare, climate and tax package after marathon session

Of course, more of the nation’s electricity grid, currently run on natural gas NG00,
-2.15%,
along with lingering coal, and expanding wind and solar ICLN,
+0.76%,
will have to be powered by renewable energy for home upgrades to be truly green. But, alternatives are rising in use, and home efficiency has long been considered a good place to start.

The bill, a long-fought and greatly-downsized Democrat-crafted spending bill now known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes rebates or a tax break for qualifying consumers who add efficient heat pumps (which, despite their name, move cold air around too ), rooftop solar, electric HVAC and electric water heaters.

The IRA was passed Sunday in the Senate and now makes its way to the House next week, where it is expected to be approved by a narrow majority for Democrats in that chamber. The Republicans who have opposed the bill have done so based on disagreements, they say, with the level of spending, but also because some support US oil and gas production on the grounds of cost savings and global security. And Democrats did agree to a future look at expediting environmental approvals for fossil fuels and clean energy.

“American families need relief from Democrat policies that attack American energy, send utility bills soaring and drive up prices RB00,

at the pump,” said Sen. Barrasso, a Republican of Wyoming who is a ranking member on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Climate Nexus, an advocacy group, says a survey has shown 67% of voters support providing tax credits and other incentives to homeowners, landlords and businesses to purchase appliances that don’t use fossil fuels (such as electric water heaters, heat pumps, and electric induction cooktops).

What’s in the Inflation Reduction Act for home energy?

The legislation provides for $9 billion in total energy rebates, including the $4.28 billion High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Program, which returns a rebate of up to $8,000 to install heat pumps that can both heat and cool homes, and a rebate up to $1,750 for a heat-pump water heater. Homeowners might also qualify for up to $840 to offset the cost of a heat-pump clothes dryer or an electric stove, such as a high-efficiency induction range.

Read: Gas stoves targeted as US congressman alleges consumer watchdog has sat on decades of worrisome health data

and: More and more right-leaning Americans worry about climate change, but aren’t ready to give up gas stoves

Many homes will need their electrical panels upgraded before getting new appliances, and the program offers up to a $4,000 rebate toward that initial step.

“A household with an efficient electric heat pump for space heating and cooling, a heat pump water heater, one electric vehicle and solar panels would save $1,800 a year,” says Jamal Lewis and team, writing a brief on the legislation for the organization Rewiring America.

“These savings will be reflected in lower monthly energy bills, reduced bill
volatility and a lessening of disproportionately high energy burdens within disadvantaged communities,” Lewis said. “Importantly, these savings add up — so much so that if a household invests their energy bill savings from electrifying their home appliances, these savings will grow to over $30,000 after 10 years and $140,000 after 25 years (assuming an 8% annual return). ”

There are also funds in the IRA to be claimed for smaller actions: a rebate of up to $1,600 to insulate and seal a house, and a rebate of up to $2,500 for improvements to electrical wiring.

The program, to be administered at the state level, will run through Sept. 30, 2031, and homeowners would be able to collect a maximum of $14,000 in total rebates. To qualify, household income cannot exceed 150% of the area median income.

For homeowners who do not qualify for the rebates, the IRA provides for a tax credit of up to $2,000 to install heat pumps. And, installing an induction stove or new windows and doors, for example, qualifies for tax credits up to $1,200 a year.

What are heat pumps exactly?

Electric heat pumps, which replace a furnace, for instance, are energy efficient because they don’t create heat by burning fuels but rather move it (during the heating season) from cold outdoors to warm indoors. The downsides can include upfront costs and their suitability for all regions.

Still, over its lifetime, electric heat pumps generally offer the cheapest way to cleanly heat and cool single-family homes in all but the coldest parts of the US in coming decades, according to recent research from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). In very cold places, the analysis finds, electric heat pumps with an alternative fuel backup for frigid periods minimize costs.

“Our findings are good news for consumers and for the climate. Electric heat pumps, which heat and cool, are the cheapest clean heating option for many houses, especially now that we have cold-climate models,” says Steven Nadel, report coauthor and ACEEE’s executive director.

Cold-climate models, an advance in the technology, operate efficiently at temperatures as low as 5°F. Their energy costs, however, are minimized if an alternative fuel backup kicks in when it gets colder than 5°F for long periods.

EPA Energy Star program

EPA Energy Star program

The analysis finds that higher-income households are more likely to minimize costs with electric heat pumps, because they have newer—and more likely, single-family—homes with air-conditioning and improved energy efficiency.

The group backs congressional help for low- and moderate-income households, whose homes are often the most difficult to decarbonize. Notably, ACEEE calls for help to reduce the costs of ductless electric mini-split heat pumps in multifamily buildings.

And what about solar?

The legislation revives a 30% tax credit for installing residential solar panels and extends the program until Dec. 31, 2034.

The tax credit would decline to 26% for solar panels put into service after Dec. 31, 2032 and before Jan. 1, 2034.

What’s more, homeowners who install solar battery systems with at least three kilowatt-hours of capacity would also qualify for the tax credit.

The heating-and-cooling provisions are in addition to tax credits of up to $7,500 for the purchase of a new electric vehicle TSLA,
-6.63%

F,
-0.46%
and $4,000 for lower- and middle-income families who purchase a used EV. Early versions of this spending bill included help for e-bikes, but they are excluded in the final. Read more about those EV incentives.

Other programs

Homeowners can look beyond federal programs.

Safak Yucel, assistant professor of operations management at Georgetown University, who studies government policies relating to renewable energy and carbon emissions, said legislative uncertainty given the long slog to get this bill passed, and the risk that executive action is challenged in the courts, means that state and city incentives, and those offered by utilities, may make homeowners more assured.

“A lot of state governments, a lot of cities, they offer quite lucrative deals,” he said. “When it comes to rooftop solar, for example, Massachusetts comes to mind, which is not necessarily the sunniest of states, right, but they have quite a significant adoption of rooftop solar panels thanks to these state-level policies. I think as consumers look forward, they are more likely to see even broader involvement from state governments.”

Website EcoWatch, for instance, allows users to search by zip zode and ranks solar-friendly states.

Will incentives nudge consumer buy-in?

Broadly speaking, the new bill is meant to return more green technology manufacturing back to the US by tagging $60 billion to accelerate domestic production of solar panels, wind turbines and batteries, as well as support the critical minerals processing that are a must-have for the batteries that power EVs and help households leverage their solar power.

More domestic production could help alleviate the supply-chain issues that have hobbled markets during the COVID-19 recovery, and it could create more jobs, all of which is seen helping Americans “green up” their homes and businesses at a lower cost historically, bill proposers argue.

Biden has said the US will work to align with most major economies in the world, hitting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and at least halving current emissions as soon as 2030.

“Electrification will play a crucial role in decarbonizing homes, but the transition will happen slowly as long as inexpensive fossil fuels are widely available,” says Lyla Fadali, an ACEEE senior researcher.

Targeting manufacturing changes can also trickle down to consumers.

“Rather than focusing on whether or not a consumer will buy into the product at this point, what we’re seeing is that the consumers’ hand is sort of going to be pushed over a certain amount of time because so many manufacturers and producers are incentivized to build more solar, more EVs and so on,” said Shannon Christensen, an attorney and a tax and accounting specialist editor with Thomson Reuters Checkpoint, an online research platform.

“When gasoline-powered vehicles came into popularity in the beginning, nobody wanted to switch from their horse and buggy. It took quite some time to get consumers at that time to go over into that new technology. And I think we’re seeing the exact same thing,” Christensen said. “But the technology is getting good enough. And Congress has made it available to lower-income folks and through tax credits. I think that you’re going to see a [demand] shift, and I think it will rise quickly.”

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Australia

Two former NSW MPs interviewed at last minute for senior trade roles, leaked emails reveal

A composite of two women's faces: Pru Goward left, Jodi McKay right

Two former NSW MPs were given “last-minute” interviews for overseas trade commissioner roles despite there already being preferred candidates, according to an email from inside Investment NSW.

On August 14, 2021, Investment NSW CEO Amy Brown said she had been “asked” to include the two candidates in interviews for the India and Singapore-based roles.

The email, sent to Ms Brown’s assistant and the recruiter, shows the candidates were included despite the recruitment process already being well underway.

“We’ve been asked to interview two last-minute candidates for the Senior Trade and Investment commissioner roles … Jodi McKay — India/Middle East (and) Pru Goward — India/Middle East or Singapore,” she wrote.

The release of the email is likely to place more pressure on NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet over whether there was political interference in the recruitment of trade commissioner roles, after sustained scrutiny over a similar job based in New York which was given to former deputy premier and Nationals leader John Barilaro.

The Premier has launched an independent inquiry into the New-York-based role, which is expected to be finished within days.

Mr Barilaro will appear on Monday before a parliamentary inquiry, where he is expected to be questioned about his involvement in the recruitment of trade commissioners, and his appointment to the New York position.

Former NSW deputy premier John Barilaro
John Barilaro successfully applied for the New York job after leaving politics last year.(AAP: Joel Carrett)

He has since withdrawn from the role, and much of the focus has turned to how involved he and another minister, Stuart Ayres, were in the hiring process.

Last week, Mr Ayres stood down as trade minister and deputy leader of the NSW Liberal party, after a draft review raised concerns about his involvement in the recruitment process for the Americas role and whether he might have breached the ministerial code of conduct.

Mr Ayres denies any wrongdoing.

“However, I agree it is important that this matter is investigated appropriately and support the Premier’s decision to do so,” he said in a statement.

Mr Barilaro has maintained he always followed the proper process.

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US

Senate ‘vote-a-rama’ continues as Democrats eye finish line for sweeping climate and health care bill

Senate 'vote-a-rama' continues as Democrats eye finish line for sweeping climate and health care bill

The amendment process, known on Capitol Hill as a “vote-a-rama,” started Saturday night shortly after 11:30 pm ET. A final vote on the bill will take place when amendment votes end, the timing of which it is not yet clear.

The package is the product of painstaking negotiations and will give Democrats a chance to achieve major policy objectives ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

Once the legislation has passed in the Senate, it would next need to be approved by the House of Representatives before President Joe Biden could sign it into law. The House is poised to come back to take up the legislation this Friday, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s office.

Senate Democrats only need a simple majority for the final passage of the bill since they are using a process known as reconciliation, which allows them to avoid a Republican filibuster and corresponding 60-vote threshold.

In order to pass a bill through the reconciliation process, however, the package must comply with a strict set of budget rules. And Republicans are using the vote-a-rama to put Democrats on the spot and force politically tough votes.

As expected, key insulin provisions were struck out of the bill after Republicans raised a point of order, resulting in a vote to strip them out.

The final vote was 57-43. A 60-vote threshold was needed to keep the provision in place.

The provisions initially included in the bill would have limited insulin prices to $35 per month in both the private insurance market as well as through Medicare. But the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the cap on insulin in the private insurance market was not compliant with the reconciliation rules Democrats are utilizing to push their legislation through the chamber.

Democrats kept both provisions in the bill anyway, but Republicans raised a point of order to force a vote to strike the provisions only from the private marketplace. The Medicare $35 insulin cap remains in place.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats were looking at making some late changes to the tax provisions in the bill before the chamber’s expected vote on the package Sunday afternoon, according to West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. It’s unclear exactly what is being discussed or how significant the changes would be. Manchin suggested Democrats may offer an amendment on the floor to reflect these changes.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

CNN’s Manu Raju and Kristin Wilson contributed to this report.

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US

Biden steps out of the room and finds legacy-defining wins

Biden steps out of the room and finds legacy-defining wins

WASHINGTON (AP) — Over five decades in Washington, Joe Biden knew that the way to influence was to be in the room where it happens. But in the second year of his presidency, some of Biden’s most striking, legacy-defining legislative victories came about by staying out of it.

A summer lawmaking blitz has sent bipartisan bills addressing gun violence and boosting the nation’s high-tech manufacturing sector to Biden’s desk, and the president is now on the cusp of securing what he called the “final piece” of his economic agenda with the sudden resurrection of a Democrats-only climate and prescription drug deal. And in a counterintuitive turn for the president who has long promoted his decades of Capitol Hill experience, Biden’s aides chalk up his victories to the fact that he’s been publicly playing the role of cheerleader rather than legislative quarterback.

“In a 50-50 Senate, it’s just true that when the White House takes ownership over a topic, it scares off a lot of Republicans,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. “I think all of this is purposeful. When you step back and let Congress lead, and then apply pressure and help at the right times, it can be a much more effective strategy to get things done.”

Democrats and the White House hope the run of legislative victories, both bipartisan and not, just four months before the November elections will help resuscitate their political fortunes by showing voters what they can accomplish with even the slimmest of majorities.

Biden opened 2022 with his legislative agenda at a standstill, poll numbers on the decline and a candid admission that he had made a “mistake” in how he carried himself in the role.

“The public doesn’t want me to be the ‘President-Senator,’” he said. “They want me to be the president and let senators be senators.”

Letting the senators be senators was no easy task for Biden, whose political and personal identities are rooted in his formative years spent in that chamber. He spent 36 years as a senator from Delaware, and eight more as the Senate’s president when he was valued for his Capitol Hill relationships and insights from him as Barack Obama’s vice president.

As Biden took a step back, he left it to aides to do much of the direct negotiating. His legislative strategy, instead, focused more on using his role as president to provide strategic jolts of urgency for his agenda both with lawmakers and voters.

In the estimation of many of his aides and advisers, leaving the Senate behind was key to his subsequent success. The heightened expectations for Democrats, who hold precarious majorities in Congress but nonetheless have unified control of Washington, were dragging Biden down among his supporters of him who wanted more ambitious action.

The sometimes unsavory horse-trading required to win consensus often put the president deep in the weeds and short on inspiration. And the dramatic negotiating breakdowns on the way to an ultimate deal proved to be all the more tantalizing because Biden himself was a party to the talks.

In the spring of 2021, Biden made a big show of negotiating directly with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, RW.Va., on an infrastructure bill, only to have the talks collapse over the scope of the package and how to finance it. At the same time, a separate bipartisan group had been quietly meeting on its own, discussing how to overhaul the nation’s transportation, water and broadband systems. After the White House gave initial approval and then settled the final details with senators, that became the version that was shepherded into law.

The president next tried to strike a deal on a sweeping social spending and climate package with Sen. Joe Manchin, going as far as inviting the West Virginia lawmaker to his home in Wilmington, Delawareuntil the conservative Democrat abruptly pulled the plug on the talks in a Fox News interview. Manchin would later pick up the negotiations again, this time with just Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., and the two would eventually reach an agreement that is now on the verge of Senate approval after more than a year of legislative wrangling.

In late 2021, White House aides persuaded the president to clamor up about his conversations with the Hill, as part of a deliberate shift to move negotiations on his legislative agenda out of the public eye. The West Wing, once swift with the news that Biden had called this lawmaker or invited that caucus to the White House for a meeting, kept silent.

The new approach drew criticism from the press, but the White House wagered that the public was not invested in the details and would reward the outcomes.

Biden and his team “have been using the bully pulpit and closely working with Congress to fight for policies that lower costs for families and fight inflation, strengthen our competitiveness versus China, act against gun violence” and help veterans, said White House spokesman Andrew Bates . “He also directed his Cabinet, senior staff and legislative team to constantly engage with key lawmakers as we work together to achieve what could soon be the most productive legislative record of any president” since Lyndon Johnson.

Some of the shift, White House aides said, also reflected the changing dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic, which kept Biden in Washington for most of 2021; his meetings of him with lawmakers amounted to one of the few ways to show he was working. As the pandemic eased and Biden was able to return to holding more in-person events with voters and interest groups, he was able to use those settings to drive his message directly to people.

The subtle transformation did not immediately pay dividends: Biden’s approval rating only continued to slide amid legislative inertia and soaring inflation.

Yet in time, Biden’s decision to embrace a facilitating role rather than being a negotiator in chief — which had achieved mixed success — began to pay off: the first substantive gun restrictions in nearly three decades, a measure to boost domestic production of semiconductor computer chips, and care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

White House officials credit Biden’s emotional speech after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, with helping to galvanize lawmakers to act on gun violence — and even his push for more extensive measures than made it into the bill with giving the GOP space to reach a compromise. And they point to a steady cadence of speeches over months emphasizing the need to lower prescription drug costs or to act on climate with keeping those issues in the national conversation amid the legislative fits and starts.

In turn, both Democratic and GOP lawmakers say that Biden removing himself directly from the negotiations empowered senators to reach consensus among themselves, without the distraction of a White House that may have repeatedly pushed for something that would be unattainable with Republicans or could be viewed as compromising by some Democrats.

“The president kind of had said that we’re staying out,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said, referring to the gun talks earlier this year. “I think that was helpful.”

Being hands off, however, by no means meant the administration was absent.

Rather than be in the room as a gun deal was coming together, White House aides stayed by the phone, explaining how the administration would likely interpret and regulate the law that senators were drafting. Murphy spoke with White House officials every day, and when the Connecticut senator met personally with Biden in early June to offer an update, the president never gave him an ultimatum on what he was or was not willing to sign — continuing to defer to lawmakers.

At another point during the gun negotiations, rumors flew that the administration was considering barring the Pentagon from selling certain types of surplus ammunition to gun dealers, who then sold the ammunition commercially, according to two people familiar with the deliberations. But Republicans, chiefly Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, urged the White House to scrap those plans because it would run counter to the parameters of what the gun negotiators had discussed, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of private negotiations.

The White House eventually did so, issuing a statement to a conservative publication that no such executive order on ammunition was under consideration.

On the semiconductor package that Biden plans to sign into law Tuesday, the administration organized classified briefings for lawmakers that emphasized how China is gaining influence in the computer chip sector and the national security implications. Republicans were regularly in touch with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, a Biden Cabinet official who has developed warm relationships across the aisle.

And on the Democrats’ party-line climate and health care package, Manchin has emphasized that it is impossible to craft legislation of this magnitude without White House input, although he did not deal with Biden directly until near the end, when the president called to let Manchin know the White House would support his agreement with Schumer, according to an official with knowledge of the call.

Biden also stayed out of the last-minute deliberations involving Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and she and the president did not speak even as Democrats finalized an agreement that accommodated her demands.

“In his heart, Joe is a US senator,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., the chief Democratic author of the burn pits legislation who also helped hash out the infrastructure law last year. “So he understands allowing this to work is how you get it done.”

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US

Lt. Gen. Michael Langley becomes Marines’ first Black four-star general

Lt. Gen. Michael Langley becomes Marines' first Black four-star general

Langley will take command of the US Africa Command, which oversees the nation’s military presence in Africa, in a change of command ceremony at its Germany headquarters on Monday.

Speaking after the ceremony at Marine Barracks in Washington, DC, Langley said he was “humbled and honored for the opportunity to take on the stewardship of command of AFRICOM” as a four-star general.

“But the milestone and what it means to the Corps is quite essential. Not just because the mark in history, but what it will affect going forward, especially for those younger across society who want to aspire and look at the Marine Corps as an opportunity ,” I added.

Langley was nominated by President Joe Biden for promotion in June. The US Senate confirmed his promotion of him to four-star general by a voice vote earlier this week.
In remarks during Saturday’s ceremony, Langley paid homage to “those who have gone before,” recognizing Frederick C. Branch, the first commissioned Black Marine, and the Montford Point Marines, the first African Americans to enlist in the Marines who trained at a segregated facility in Montford Point, North Carolina.

He also spoke of the importance of diversity in the military to “maintain a decisive advantage over our strategic competitors.”

The Marine Corps had refused to recruit African Americans and other minorities until a 1941 executive order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that “forced the Corps, despite objections from its leadership,” to start recruiting Black Marines the following year.

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Langley graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington and has served with the Marine Corps since 1985.

He has commanded at every level and served in multiple continents, being deployed to countries such as Japan and Afghanistan over the course of his career.

He most recently served as commander of the US Marine Corps Forces Command and Marine Forces Northern Command and as commanding general of Fleet Marine Force Atlantic.

CNN’s Jacquelyne Germain and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.

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Australia

WA roads: Fatal Safety Bay motorkbike crash extends horror weekend for State’s drivers

WA roads: Fatal Safety Bay motorkbike crash extends horror weekend for State's drivers

A horror weekend on WA roads has continued after a motorbike rider was killed in a tragic crash in Perth’s south.

The Harley Davidson rider was traveling along Safety Bay Road when he left the tarmac and struck a powerpole near the intersection of Malibu Road about 2am on Sunday.

The 44-year-old rider suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene.

Fatal motorbike accident on Safety Bay Rd at Malibu Rd early this morning, Sunday 7th August 2022.
Camera IconA horror weekend on WA roads has continued after a motorbike rider was killed in a tragic crash in Safety Bay. Credit: NIGHT NEWS/NIGHT NEWS

It brought to four the number of fatalities on WA roads this weekend.

On Friday night a woman behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta died after crashing her car into a tree in Kondinin, 280 kilometers east of Perth in the Wheatbelt.

The 23-year-old driver was traveling west along the Corrigin-Kondinin Road near Skyes Road about 11.45 when tragedy occurred.

She suffered critical injuries and died at the scene.

Meanwhile a 50-year-old man was killed when his car clipped a sign and smashed through a southern suburbs recreation store in Perth’s south on Friday night.

Authorities said a Holden Commodore and Toyota Hilux were traveling along South Street, approaching Stock Road, in O’Connor about 7.15pm when they collided, setting off the tragic set of events.

A witness described the horrifying moment the Commodore hurtled through the air, flipping multiple times as it narrowly missed a petrol station and smashed into a neighboring shop.

A 50-year-old man was killed when his car clipped a sign and smashed through a southern suburbs recreation store in Perth's south on Friday night.
Camera IconA 50-year-old man was killed when his car clipped a sign and smashed through a southern suburbs recreation store in Perth’s south on Friday night. Credit: nightnews
Authorities said a Holden Commodore and Toyota Hilux were traveling along South Street, approaching Stock Road, in O'Connor about 7.15pm when they collided, setting off the tragic set of events.
Camera IconAuthorities said a Holden Commodore and Toyota Hilux were traveling along South Street, approaching Stock Road, in O’Connor about 7.15pm when they collided, setting off the tragic set of events. Credit: Jackson Flindell/The West Australian

“I just was standing there in shock, thinking like ‘what just happened’,” Dev Mankar said.

“I heard the crash… and looked out my window and saw the car flip,” Mr Mankar added.

“It was a very fast crash … with a lot of air time.”

The 47-year-old man driving the Toyota managed to escape with only minor injuries.

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