It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, May 05, 2022
Wildlife Photographer Captures Tender Moment Between Tiger Mom and Her Cubs in India
People Staff Wed, May 4, 2022,
A British wildlife photographer recently captured a tiger mother tending to her cubs on camera.
Guide and conservationist Paul Goldstein spotted the striped feline family resting in the trees at Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India, during a visit in April.
Goldstein, from Wimbledon, England, believes the tiger mom was in the shade to escape the hot morning after a night of suckling her ten-week-old cubs.
"'I have worked with local guides in Bandhavgarh for well over 20 years. My dear friend Pappu often jokes that mums keep their cubs from me," Goldstein told SWNS, adding that this changed "when we found the mother who initially looked tired. It was unsurprising as she had probably suckled several times in the night, and although early, it was fearfully hot."
Goldstein and the group with him spotted four cubs with the adult female tiger.
"My group was ecstatic, as was I. To watch them cuddle their mother's muzzle would move even the most cold-hearted," Goldstein said.
"It is hard enough for mum to raise four of them, but when you consider what is happening to tigers elsewhere, these kittens have a decent chance of reaching adulthood," he added.
According to SWNS, the photographer is dedicated to conserving wildlife, especially tigers. In late May, he will run the Everest Marathon in Nepal in a tiger costume. This will be Goldstein's 20th time running a marathon in the outfit. He has raised hundreds of thousands for tiger conservation through these events.
"My charity campaign is called Worth More Alive, and they really are, which is why I will be running my final marathon in the rarefied air of Nepal on the 29th of this month, having trekked to basecamp," Goldstein said.
"A man in his late fifties running a marathon 5,500 meters up, in a tiger suit, what could possibly go wrong? However, during the tougher moments, I will certainly be thinking of this gorgeous one-parent family," he added.
Rescue Group Working to Save Dozens of Golden Retrievers and Corgis from Slaughter in China
Kelli Bender Tue, May 3, 2022
China Rescue Dogs is rushing to save a large group of canines from the slaughterhouse.
According to a release from the nonprofit, 46 adult golden retrievers, 22 corgis, and numerous golden retriever puppies are waiting in Shanghai, China, for a fresh start. The Shanghai Animal Rescue reached out to China Rescue Dogs for help after finding the canines at a breeding farm, which planned to sell the dogs to slaughterhouses and the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, per China Rescue Dogs.
"The living conditions at this dog breed farm are just awful," Jill Stewart, the president and founder of China Rescue Dogs, said. "It is heartbreaking that this breeder was going to just discard their entire inventory of dogs to be slaughtered. We had to do something. Doing nothing was not an option."
China Rescue Dogs started rescue efforts immediately after learning about the needy animals and has saved 29 golden retrievers and their puppies from the breeding farm. The dogs are resting and receiving vet care at a sanctuary where there is no risk of getting sent to the slaughterhouse.
The nonprofit is now focused on moving the farm's remaining dogs to safety. Once all of the golden retrievers and corgis are out of harm's way, China Rescue Dogs will start finding homes for the pets in the U.S.
China Rescue Dogs told PEOPLE that WeatherTech and the company's founder and CEO, David MacNeil, have played a pivotal part in helping these dogs find safety.
Those interested in learning more about China Rescue Dogs' Shanghai rescue effort can stay updated on the nonprofit's Facebook page and website.
BACK TO THE SEVENTIES
FOX NEWS
Brian Kilmeade Questions Why A Pregnant Woman Got An 'Important' Job
Josephine Harvey
Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade said he doesn’t understand why the government would give an important job to a pregnant woman.
On “Fox & Friends” Thursday morning, Kilmeade criticized the rollout of a new advisory board in the Homeland Security Department ― the Disinformation Governance Board ― which intends to counter the spread of Russian and other disinformation.
Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation expert who has managed programs for Russia and Belarus for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and advised the Ukrainian government, was appointed to lead the unit.
But for some reason, Kilmeade couldn’t understand why she was appointed.
“Then, we find out who is in charge of it ... Nina Jankowicz, who’s about eight-and-a-half-months pregnant, so I’m not sure how you get a job and then you just – you can’t do a job for three months,” he said.
“I’m not faulting her, but I don’t know why you would give someone a job that you think is so important.”
His co-host Ainsley Earhardt pushed back, asking, “How long has she had this job?”
“About two months, it looks like,” Kilmeade replied.
“Well, I’ll defend her on that one, Brian,” Earhardt said. “She has the right to have a baby and have maternity leave.”
It is illegal to discriminate based on pregnancy for any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, promotions and pay.
This is not the first time Kilmeade has attacked Jankowicz for getting a job while pregnant. “If you’re going to take over a brand new bureau, shouldn’t you not need maternity leave the first few weeks in?” he said last month.
Kilmeade has a history of making sexist remarks on air. In 2012, he said Fox News hires female hosts by checking the “Victoria’s Secret catalogue” and asking, “Can any of these people talk?” In 2020, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he said: “I’m not getting into gender, but she is emotionally losing it in every public event.”
Karine Jean-Pierre to replace Jen Psaki, becoming first Black woman and openly gay White House press secretary
WASHINGTON — Karine Jean-Pierre will make history by becoming the first Black woman, and first openly LGBTQ person, to hold the job of White House press secretary, President Biden announced on Thursday afternoon.
“Jill and I have known and respected Karine a long time and she will be a strong voice speaking for me and this Administration,” the president said in a statement.
Jean-Pierre will replace Jen Psaki, who was originally expected to serve for only the first year of Biden’s term. New coronavirus variants and the war in Ukraine kept her in the job for several months beyond that self-imposed limit.
“She is passionate. She is smart and she has a moral core that makes her not just a great colleague, but an amazing Mom and human. Plus, she has a great sense of humor,” Psaki said in a tweet of Pierre, now her top deputy in the White House press shop.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki (R) speaks flanked by current Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during a press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, May 5, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
"Representation matters. She will give a voice to so many, and show so many what is truly possible when you work hard and dream big. And that matters. And we should celebrate that," Psaki said at the White House briefing on Thursday, while also touting Jean-Pierre's resume. "But I also want to make clear what all of her qualifications are. ... She comes to this job with decades of experience."
Jean-Pierre will take over the podium at a crucial phase in the Biden presidency, with the congressional midterms nearing and a presidential reelection campaign looming.
During the 2020 presidential primary, Jean-Pierre worked for the campaign of then-Sen. Kamala Harris. She has been at the White House since the start of the Biden administration.
The 44-year-old daughter of Haitian immigrants will inherit a position that attracted intense scrutiny during the Trump administration. Psaki has tried to keep the White House briefings free of the kinds of dramatics that, during the Trump years, turned some journalists into celebrities.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki, right, with deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, in March. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Biden praised Psaki for “returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House Briefing Room.”
Some thought the job might go to White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, who filled in capably while Psaki was home with COVID-19 last month. The war in Ukraine also raised the profile of Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, and he was also rumored to be under consideration.
Biden also announced that Anita Dunn, a trusted adviser who last year returned to the private sector, was rejoining the White House.
Biden taps 1st Black woman, LGBT White House press secretary
ZEKE MILLER
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday named Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role. Incumbent Jen Psaki is set to leave the post next week.
Biden is also bringing back longtime Democratic strategist Anita Dunn as his senior adviser. She had served in the Biden White House last year for several months after Biden was sworn into office.
“Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris administration on behalf of the American people," Biden said in a statement praising Jean-Pierre, who has served as his principal deputy press secretary since Inauguration Day.
Psaki, who leaves the White House on May 13, praised her successor as a “partner in truth,” noting the significance of the history-making appointment.
“Representation matters and she is going to give a voice to so many and show so many what is truly possible when you work hard and dream big," Psaki said.
Taking the lectern briefly while Psaki briefed the press Thursday, Jean-Pierre said she was “still processing” the significance of her hire, calling it “an honor and privilege to be behind this podium."
“This is a historic moment, and it’s not lost on me," she said. “It's a very emotional day.”
Psaki said Biden offered the job to Jean-Pierre Thursday in the Oval Office. White House staffers were gathered after the offer and greeted Jean-Pierre with applause, an official said. Two “warm bottles” of champagne were procured for a toast in White House paper cups, the official added, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal gathering.
Jean-Pierre had occasionally taken the lectern in the press briefing room instead of Psaki and more frequently held off-camera “gaggles” with reporters when Biden was traveling on Air Force One. She traveled with Biden to Europe last fall and in March instead of Psaki, who had tested positive for COVID-19 before both trips.
Before joining the Biden presidential campaign, Jean-Pierre was the chief public affairs officer of the progressive group MoveOn.org and a former political analyst for NBC and MSNBC. She also worked in political affairs in the Obama White House and on his reelection campaign.
The press secretary is responsible for holding daily briefings with the news media and leading a department of more than a dozen staffers who help address queries from the press.
When she took the job, Psaki, who has two young children, said publicly she aimed to remain in the job for about a year. She is expected to join MSNBC later this year. She was expected to remain as the public face of the administration until her departure next Friday.
Biden said Psaki “has set the standard for returning decency, respect and decorum to the White House briefing room."
“I want to say thank you to Jen for raising the bar, communicating directly and truthfully to the American people, and keeping her sense of humor while doing so,” Biden said. "I thank Jen for her service to the country, and wish her the very best as she moves forward.”
Dunn is a partner at the Democratic consulting firm SKDK, and was a senior adviser on Biden's 2020 campaign and previously chief strategist and communications director for President Barack Obama. The White House said she is returning to “assist in advancing the President’s policy and communications objectives.”
Biden’s Team Eyes $125,000 Income
Cut-off for Student Loan Relief
Jennifer Jacobs and Justin Sink Tue, May 3, 2022,
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden is considering limiting his program to relieve student debt to Americans earning less than $125,000, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.
Biden said last week he would soon take executive action to forgive some student debt. White House officials have previously said the plan would relieve at least $10,000 of debt per borrower, and that they expected the program would include income restrictions.
Psaki offered $125,000 as a possible threshold in a briefing for reporters traveling with the president to a weapons plant in Alabama.
The president has been prodded by progressives including Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren to forgive at least $50,000 per borrower, but Biden has said he won’t relieve that much debt by executive action. He proposed eliminating $10,000 per borrower during his presidential campaign.
The Biden administration has repeatedly extended a temporary freeze on student debt payments enacted shortly after the pandemic began in 2020.
White House aides have said the president hoped Congress would take legislative action on student debt relief, and that his team has been divided on the merits of broad forgiveness. Some deficit hawks have expressed concern that broad relief would worsen inflation already weighing heavily on Democrats’ political fortunes in November’s midterm elections.
As President Joe Biden mulls enacting some student loan forgiveness, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) blasted him for even considering such a move.
“Student loan socialism would be a giant slap in the face to every family who sacrificed to save for college, to every graduate who paid their debt, to every worker who made a different career choice so they could stay debt-free,” McConnell said on the Senate floor on Thursday.
The prominent Republican added that instead of “trying to help middle-class families, Democrats are cooking up massive bailouts for Ivy League graduates. You can hardly dream up something more unfair.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) participates in a Pop-Up Conversation with Punchbowl News at the AT&T Forum on March 31, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The president is reportedly considering forgiving at least $10,000 in federally-backed student debt for each borrower with income less than $125,000 or $150,000 as individual tax filers in the previous year (and double the amounts for couples filing taxes jointly).
McConnell argued that cancellation was a misguided policy with inflation pushing up household costs, noting that some American taxpayers who would be paying for the policy did not pursue higher education.
The longtime Republican leader also revisited a period of time in recent history when the president was reluctant to cancel debt via executive action.
“A little more than a year ago, President Biden was saying ‘I don’t think I have the authority to do it by signing with a pen,' McConnell stated, later adding: "But apparently, lackluster poll numbers have the president considering breaking the law and plowing ahead anyway.”
Then-Vice President Joe Biden and Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell make their way to the House floor for President Obama's State of the Union address on January 12, 2016. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
“Democrats want construction workers, police officers, and small business owners in Kentucky to effectively eat the student loans of surgeons, corporate lawyers, and people in New York City who chose to borrow $180,000 for a master’s from the Columbia Film School with no plan whatsoever for paying it back,” McConnell said, seemingly referring to a 2021 Wall Street Journal report that spotlighted the high cost of graduate degrees such as a master's in film from the Ivy League institution.
Biden changed his tune, telling reporters on April 28: "I am considering dealing with some debt reduction. I am not considering $50,000 debt reduction. But I’m in the process of taking a hard look at whether or not there are going to — there will be additional debt forgiveness, and I’ll have an answer on that in the next couple of weeks."
Democratic lawmakers argue that canceling debt has much a more transformative effect than what Republicans believe.
"Democrats win when we deliver, and we have to deliver in ways that are impactful, tangible, and transformative, like canceling student debt," Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) said in a Yahoo Finance Presents interview (video above). "This is good policy, and it is also good politics."
‘I believe this is going to happen’: Warren says a minimum tax on corporations is still on table
The Democratic Party's effort to pass a social spending package, formerly known as Build Back Better, is now stretching into its second year with advocates still holding out hope it could happen via a slimmed down version in the months ahead.
On Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) suggested that there may be a consensus forming on how to at least pay for it.
During an event at the progressive Center for American Progress, Warren said that her push to impose a minimum tax on the income that corporations report to their shareholders — rather than their taxable income — remains a real possibility.
“We haven't gotten it all the way through, but anytime you've got something that you can raise revenue on and you've got a majority, I believe this is going to happen,” she said of her push of what she describes as an alternative minimum tax on so-called “book income”.
“We've got 50 Democrats ready to do this,” Warren claimed, before quickly adding a cautionary note. “So they said, I'll feel better when they vote.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) during a Senate Banking Committee hearing in March. (Tom Williams/Pool via REUTERS)
This latest version of Warren’s idea, which she has been pushing since at least her 2020 presidential run, would raise more money from corporate America without changing the 21% corporate tax rate. Of course, the fate of the effort is likely to come down to moderate Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).
And while talks last winter included a corporate minimum tax and ended up failing, Todd Simmens, BDO National Managing Partner of Tax Risk Management, recently appeared on Yahoo Finance (video above) and predicted that some flavor of tax reform — either changes to the nominal rate or a corporate minimum tax — could still be in the offing. "I do think that the game isn't over yet,” he said, adding that each week as the midterms edge get closer and closer "the likelihood of substantial legislation, I think, fades."
Representatives for Sinema didn’t respond to Yahoo Finance request for comment.
'What really matters is asking why these divergences between book income and taxable income exist'
Warren’s push for this corporate minimum tax has long had its critics. As an early version of idea was being debated last year, the Tax Foundation wrote the idea would “misconstrue why there are differences between a corporation’s taxable income and book income,” arguing that lawmakers enacted the rules to create a gap for specific reasons — such as encouraging research & development (R&D) and spending money on renewable energy production — which lawmakers of both parties support and have identified as priorities.
"What really matters is asking why these divergences between book income and taxable income exist in the first place," Alex Muresianu, a Federal Policy Analyst at the Tax Foundation, said in an interview Thursday. If this were to be enacted, he said, "It would be pretty clear that the directional impact would be negative" when it comes to how much a company is willing to invest in things like R&D.
The renewed focus on the issue comes after a 2021 tax season that saw, once again, a range of America’s biggest companies avoiding the nominal rate of 21% on corporate income. Nineteen companies among the Fortune 100 paid a rate of less than 10% and 4 paid a negative tax rate on last year’s income through tax adjustments from prior years and being able to write off investments.
President Biden has been on board with the idea of a 15% minimum tax rate saying in his State of the Union address it’s “simply not fair” for corporations to avoid taxes. During the speech, Biden also said, “We got more than 130 countries to agree on a global minimum tax rate so companies can’t get out of paying their taxes at home by shipping jobs and factories overseas.”
During her remarks Wednesday, Warren also addressed the ongoing global effort, revealing that she had recently had lunch with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen where the issue came up. "We are very much pinkie-promised together," Warren said on coordinating a 15% minimum book tax domestically with an eventual global rate.
But negotiations on Capitol Hill remain very fluid with many previous efforts on a consensus bill falling short. Manchin recently threw another monkey wrench into the process by announcing support and holding meetings to try and pass the climate and energy provisions of the package via a separate bipartisan bill. Where that leaves changes to the corporate tax rate, which are a non-starter with Republicans, is unclear.
Ben Werschkul is a writer and producer for Yahoo Finance in Washington, DC.
Greg Abbott Reveals the GOP’s Plan After Killing Roe v. Wade: Killing Public Education
Jack Crosbie Thu, May 5, 2022
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is often the tip of the spear for the great conservative project in America, which makes him a good bellwether for which parts of the American system the GOP will attack next. Abbott now has his sights set on public education.
The Austin American-Statesman reports that Abbott on Wednesday said Texas “will resurrect” a 1982 Supreme Court case requiring states to provide free public education to all children, including the children of undocumented immigrants.
“Texas already long ago sued the federal government about having to incur the costs of the education program, in a case called Plyler vs. Doe,” Abbott said on a conservative talk radio show. “And the Supreme Court ruled against us on the issue. … I think we will resurrect that case and challenge this issue again, because the expenses are extraordinary and the times are different than when Plyler versus Doe was issued many decades ago.” Public education has been increasingly demonized by the right, particularly surrounding sex, gender, and racial issues. Conservative candidates running in contested primaries have been hammering the issues of critical race theory and gender education in state-run schools to rounds of applause, while singing the values of private education. State legislatures are passing bills that hamstring school discretion over how to educate children, arguing that parents should be the ones controlling curriculums. The backlash has grown to the point that some on the right are questioning whether public schools should exist at all.
It seems ludicrous, but it’s clear that after the Supreme Court’s draft decision on Roe v. Wade leaked earlier this week, conservatives are plotting out which other cases they can turn out to advance their broader goals. Justice Alito’s draft decision on Roe specifically referenced both Lawrence v. Texas, which legalized sodomy, and Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage, saying that “none of these rights has any claim to being deeply rooted in history.” Abbott, meanwhile, is licking his chops over Plyler vs. Doe. Conservatives control the Supreme Court by a 6-3 margin. The GOP sees the draft decision on Roe as a green light to abuse their advantage as much as possible.
Abbott framed the potential of overturning Plyler v. Doe as a way to lessen the costs of educating undocumented immigrants, giving the plan a convenient spin that dovetails with a common conservative talking point. But overturning Plyer v. Doe may result not just in relief for overburdened school systems; it could create a gateway for their abolition, further crippling education in America and shuffling more children into a privatized system with few common standards. It would be a disastrous turn not just for children of undocumented immigrants, but for children all across America.
Abbott is one of the nation’s most extreme right-wing governors, and though he may be the first to suggest axing Plyler vs. Doe, other Republican governors, statehouses, and national administrations are liable to follow his lead. They already did so with the state’s abortion ban.
Disney vs. DeSantis: Chapek's 'Don't Say Gay' fumble a warning to CEOs, says Harvard professor
As the media conglomerate continues to grapple with the aftermath of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis revoking the company's special tax district, business leaders around the globe are contemplating their own company values as political issues take center stage.
"I don't think [Disney CEO Bob Chapek] did his homework," Bill George, a Harvard Business School professor and former chairman and CEO of medical device company, Medtronic, told Yahoo Finance.
"We're in a different world today — he was acting like he was back in the 1990s. In this world of 2022, you have all kinds of stakeholders who expect you to take a position, especially your employees," the professor continued, adding that workers today have found their voice "particularly in this post-COVID world."
"They want to be respected and heard, and they want their CEOs to speak on their behalf," he said, saying that Bob Chapek's silence on the Parental Rights in Education Act, or what critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill, created the "uproar" that eventually led to the political crossfire with DeSantis.
"Disney is right in the thick of it, and it's struggling to get out of this mess."
CEOs today need to know how to lead through a crisis...Bill George, Harvard Business School professor and former chairman and CEO of Medtronic
The controversial bill, which will go into effect on July 1, states, "Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards." Parents will be able to sue districts over violations.
Chapek initially decided not to speak publicly on the matter, opting instead to work behind the scenes in an attempt to soften the legislation. It didn't work.
The executive eventually reversed course following intense backlash. He publicly denounced the act during the company's annual shareholder meeting on March 9, in addition to directly apologizing to employees in a company memo.
But many believe it was just too little, too late.
"When this legislation started in Florida, [Disney] should have had a position ready to go...a position that was true to the mission and values of what Disney is — a place that accepts everyone for who they are," George noted.
FILE PHOTO: Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, speaks during the 10th anniversary ceremony of Hong Kong Disneyland in Hong Kong, China September 11, 2015. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
Chapek's fumble now serves as a cautionary tale to other business leaders who are "very concerned" about future political battles, according to the professor.
Executives "don't want to get caught in the crossfire, either, but they are all going back and really thinking, 'What do I stand for?' 'What issues should I get involved in?' 'When should I get involved?' and 'How do I avoid getting caught in the crosshairs of some politician?' George explained.
"CEOs today need to know how to lead through a crisis because we go from one crisis to the next — from COVID to George Floyd to Russia and Ukraine, and probably another one just around the corner," he continued.
"They need to be prepared to deal with these crises and have a position that's true to their company."
'Vatican with mouse ears'
ORLANDO, FL - MARCH 22: Disney employee Nicholas Maldonado holds a sign while protesting outside of Walt Disney World on March 22, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Employees are staging a company-wide walkout today to protest Walt Disney Co.'s response to controversial legislation passed in Florida known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
Currently, Walt Disney World Resort sits on a 40-square mile area known as Reedy Creek, the special tax district that has allowed Disney to operate as a self-governing entity since its inception.
That means Disney controls all of its utilities and infrastructure, sets building codes, operates its own police and fire departments, and can expand and grow whenever it wishes — all without local or state government interference.
"I call it a Vatican with mouse ears, because it's essentially the same kind of authority that the Vatican has in Rome in the state of Italy," said Richard Foglesong, Disney historian and author of the book "Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando."
Consequently, the district (in addition to providing immense control and flexibility) saves the company tens of millions of dollars every year in certain taxes and fees.
The new ruling will therefore force Disney to pay taxes on those government-funded programs; however, it also means that Reedy Creek's $997 million worth of bond debt, and some $163 million in annual tax payments, could fall on the citizens of Orlando.
U.S. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S. February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Octavio Jones
DeSantis revealed in a town hall last week that there will be "additional legislative action" to address potential tax fallout and any issues regarding the legality of dissolving the district.
"We've contemplated that. We know what we're going to do, so stay tuned. That'll all be apparent," the governor stated.
Still, who or what will pay off Disney's bond debt is "the billion dollar question."
"There are many unintended consequences, frankly, that have not been thought through that will give Disney more ammunition," George said.
"I don't think it's very likely — frankly, the consequences are too dire," Foglesong surmised.
Still, the bill was signed into law by Governor DeSantis last month and, barring any major backpedaling on the part of lawmakers, will go into effect in June 2023. Disney could also sue Florida for retaliation in an attempt to thwart the legislation, although experts say it is more likely that the media giant will enter into negotiations to alter the terms of the district.
"Florida needs Disney — it's a huge revenue producer and has changed everything around [Orlando,]" George stated bluntly, saying the battle has turned into a question of "who needs who more."
"Florida can't do without Disney World, I can tell you that."
The Must-Read Mitch McConnell Quote on Social Security
KEY POINTS Mitch McConnell is currently the Senate minority leader.
McConnell has rejected the ideas of some of his Senate colleagues.
McConnell has made his position on Social Security clear in recent comments.
You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services.
Mitch McConnell could become the Senate majority leader after the next election, and he's made it clear Social Security won't be at risk.
If you're concerned about the future of Social Security, it's helpful to understand what lawmakers in power have said about it. That's because those in a leadership position on the federal level could potentially make changes that affect benefits for the elderly.
Currently, the White House, the House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate are all controlled by Democrats. Most lawmakers on the left have voiced strong support for expanding Social Security and uniform opposition to any benefit cuts. After the midterm elections next November, however, it is very possible that control of the House or the Senate could change hands.
If the Republicans reclaim a Senate majority again, current Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will likely become the majority leader. That's why this quote from McConnell about Social Security is so important.
The potential future majority leader has made his position on Social Security clear
Mitch McConnell recently addressed the issue of Social Security's future, stating, "If we're fortunate enough to have the majority next year, I'll be the majority leader. I'll decide in consultation with my members what to put on the floor. We will not have as a part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years."
McConnell's quote came in response to a plan put forth by Senator Rick Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Scott created "An 11-Point Plan to Rescue America," which he described as a blueprint for what the GOP might do if it took control of Congress. Among the other things in the plan, Scott called for all federal legislation to sunset after five years so Congress would need to approve it again if it was important.
This would have the effect of requiring Congress to vote regularly to reauthorize Social Security and Medicare. It would create substantial uncertainty for seniors and could pose problems for future retirees, who wouldn't necessarily be able to count on Social Security being available for them.
McConnell rejected this plan, though, and his words suggest that a Republican majority in the Senate likely would not pose a serious immediate threat to Social Security.
Is entitlement reform no longer on the table? McConnell's words are important because they seem to reflect a shift in the Republican Party that has taken place in recent years. Reforming Social Security has long been a priority on the right, with many Republican lawmakers expressing concern that the program's finances are in trouble. Traditionally, while the left was in favor of Social Security expansion, lawmakers on the right routinely proposed changes that would serve as a de facto cut to benefits. These included raising full retirement age or changing the way raises are calculated to make cost-of-living adjustments less generous.
However, former President Donald Trump embraced a more populist approach and said that he wasn't in favor of Social Security cuts that would leave less money for seniors. McConnell's assurances that Social Security wouldn't be subject to sunsetting may suggest other Republicans have embraced this shift and that cuts to Social Security may no longer be a priority -- or even a Republican goal at all.
If that is indeed the case and this trend continues, then current and future retirees may be able to enjoy greater confidence that they'll get all the promised retirement benefits they deserve.
