Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Opinion: The Senate Is on Vacation While Americans Starve
It became clear this summer that public health measures across much of the country were relaxed too soon and without proper medical safeguards against the coronavirus. So now, once again, the commerce that Americans rely upon is retrenching. About 80 percent of Americans live in places that are pausing or dialing back reopening.
Yet the Senate left for its August recess without a compromise plan on a coronavirus relief bill for states, cities, the unemployed, businesses and the public health system. If senators still fail to resolve stalled negotiations when they return after Labor Day, millions of needy Americans will suffer — and the overall economy could degrade from its current slow rebound in growth to no growth at all.
Both monetary policy, which is the Federal Reserve’s job, and fiscal policy, the job of the federal government, have complementary roles to play in supporting the economy. (State governments can’t help because their revenues are plummeting and they are mandated to balance their budgets, which require spending cuts and layoffs and only add to the economy’s woes.)
The economics of this moment are not complicated: A self-sustaining recovery cannot occur unless the virus is controlled. It is true that after the first shutdowns of March and April, the economy did begin, in May and June, to pull itself out of a deep, pandemic-induced hole, thanks in part to generous $600 per week federal unemployment assistance that the Senate let expire in July after negotiations between Democrats and Republicans broke down.
Now, so-called real-time data show consumer spending slowing overall and deteriorating conditions for low-income households, who have become more anxious about how they will pay for their rent and their food. In a recent survey, 12 percent of American adults, or 30 million, reported that their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough food in the past week. (For Black and Latino households, the share was about 21 percent.)
These numbers reflect the confluence of at least three forces: acceleration of the spread of the virus; expiration of the supplemental federal unemployment benefits; and the ending of various eviction moratoriums. All three developments disproportionately affect low-income people and persons of color. And aside from the grave ethical questions raised by ending crucial safeguards for the vulnerable, such actions endanger the economy as a whole. The Federal Reserve has largely done its job. By mid-March, it cut short-term interest rates to zero, and all but promised to keep them there for quite a long time. The Fed also bought large quantities of government bonds and government-backed mortgage securities to keep markets functioning and to keep borrowing costs low. These actions have pushed the 10-year Treasury yield down to almost its lowest level ever, which will spur more spending in crucial sectors like housing and automobiles.
In March, when the credit market, the economy’s bloodstream, began to clog, the Fed established so-called emergency “facilities” to keep credit flowing — to businesses small and large and to state and local governments. This forceful response cleared the blockages.
Congress, however, cannot expect the Fed to keep everything together on its own.
When unemployment is exceptionally high and inflation is historically low, as they both are now, the economy needs more fiscal spending to support hiring. Monetary power sets the table and Congress’s fiscal dollars bring in the diners.
In this way, they form a potent one-two punch against stagnation. The Fed makes sure the credit backdrop supports growth; Congress and the president make sure families and businesses have enough money in their pockets.
As its chair, Jerome Powell, has recently stressed, the Fed has “lending powers, not spending powers.” The Fed can’t send out checks to households, increase unemployment payments, stay evictions or provide grants to small businesses on the verge of shuttering. These are jobs for Congress and for the Trump administration.
Until August, Congress had actually been quite a strong partner to the Fed’s work. The situation now — congressional inaction in extending fiscal support — is reminiscent of a similar period after the last recession.
At the start of 2011, unemployment was still elevated at just over 9 percent. The Fed had lowered interest rates to around zero. But Congress allowed fiscal support to lapse, worried more about deficits than all those still unemployed. The Fed chair at the time, Ben Bernanke, summarized the problem well when he said, “With fiscal and monetary policy working in opposite directions, the recovery is weaker than it otherwise would be.”
With inflation as low as it is, servicing the debt required by the one-two punch of aggressive monetary and fiscal policies is relatively inexpensive.
So why, then, are we back here again? Why is Mr. Powell having to make the same pleas to Congress that Mr. Bernanke did and why is a Fed chair being ignored again?
We weren’t in the room, so we don’t know exactly why congressional negotiations broke down or what it will take for them to restart. But we could not be more confident that our economic prescription is the right one. The Fed stepped up. Once again, it’s Congress’s turn.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/opinion/coronavirus-federal-reserve.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Pakistani Christian man resists forced conversion, threats from young Muslims
by Shafique Khokhar
The video of the incident, which went viral, sparked a lot of criticism. Despite threats, the man says it is his right to keep his faith and that he is ready to suffer all the consequences, that he will not abandon his religion. The Pakistani Telecommunications Authority admits that immoral content on TikTok and Bigo negatively impacts young people, but no one in authority has so far criticised abusers. For Fr Ifran James, “Should a Christian do something similar, he would be immediately accused of blasphemy”.
A video posted on TikTok in July shows a Christian man being pressured to reject his faith and convert to Islam. Despite threats, he can be heard saying that "for nothing in the world" will he abandon the Christian faith.
The video, posted by bilalmaher479, went viral, but also sparked a strong reaction from Christians and members of other religious minorities.
Hitherto, non-Muslims have to had to witness the forced conversions of girls and young women, compelled to marry Muslim men. The forced conversion of boys and young men is something relatively new.
In the video in question, the Christian man is seen being pressured to recite the shahada, the Islamic creed, surrounded by people who are not seen. Despite everything, he refuses, saying that for nothing in the world would he recite the Muslim creed and reject the Christian faith.
His tormentors then begin to threaten him, saying that he will face serious consequences. Even then, the victim says no, stating that it is his right to keep his faith and that he is ready to suffer all the consequences, that he would not give up his religion.
In a statement, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that it has received many complaints about the immoral, obscene and vulgar contents in social media, especially TikTok and Bigo, for their negative impact, especially on young people.
After contacting the two companies, the PTA said that their response was unsatisfactory and that it blocked Bigo under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
Taskeen Khan, a Glory TV presenter and human rights activist, came to the victim’s defence, posting the video on his official page and slamming the forced conversion attempt.
"Will the Pakistani authorities find the offenders through their TikTok account and punish them according to the law?” he asked.
For his part, Rev Irfan James of Peshawar said that "Pakistani Christians suffer many challenges and [endure] persecution. They face difficult situations every day.”
“It is sad that young Muslims, the majority community, constantly threaten Christians and our faith. Time and time again, they make fun of our faith, but neither the government nor law enforcement do anything about it.”
“If we report these cases, the offenders get away with it by apologising and saying that they did it in an unconscious way. Should a Christian do something similar, he is immediately accused of blasphemy and the local Christian community is guilty by association.”
“They rape our women, kill our people, destroy or burn our properties,” and all “We want is for our constitution and the law to treat us as equals, with justice, and for the guilty to be put on trial.”
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Christian-man-resists-forced-conversion,-threats-from-young-Muslims-(Video)-50862.html
The video, posted by bilalmaher479, went viral, but also sparked a strong reaction from Christians and members of other religious minorities.
Hitherto, non-Muslims have to had to witness the forced conversions of girls and young women, compelled to marry Muslim men. The forced conversion of boys and young men is something relatively new.
In the video in question, the Christian man is seen being pressured to recite the shahada, the Islamic creed, surrounded by people who are not seen. Despite everything, he refuses, saying that for nothing in the world would he recite the Muslim creed and reject the Christian faith.
His tormentors then begin to threaten him, saying that he will face serious consequences. Even then, the victim says no, stating that it is his right to keep his faith and that he is ready to suffer all the consequences, that he would not give up his religion.
In a statement, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said that it has received many complaints about the immoral, obscene and vulgar contents in social media, especially TikTok and Bigo, for their negative impact, especially on young people.
After contacting the two companies, the PTA said that their response was unsatisfactory and that it blocked Bigo under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
Taskeen Khan, a Glory TV presenter and human rights activist, came to the victim’s defence, posting the video on his official page and slamming the forced conversion attempt.
"Will the Pakistani authorities find the offenders through their TikTok account and punish them according to the law?” he asked.
For his part, Rev Irfan James of Peshawar said that "Pakistani Christians suffer many challenges and [endure] persecution. They face difficult situations every day.”
“It is sad that young Muslims, the majority community, constantly threaten Christians and our faith. Time and time again, they make fun of our faith, but neither the government nor law enforcement do anything about it.”
“If we report these cases, the offenders get away with it by apologising and saying that they did it in an unconscious way. Should a Christian do something similar, he is immediately accused of blasphemy and the local Christian community is guilty by association.”
“They rape our women, kill our people, destroy or burn our properties,” and all “We want is for our constitution and the law to treat us as equals, with justice, and for the guilty to be put on trial.”
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Christian-man-resists-forced-conversion,-threats-from-young-Muslims-(Video)-50862.html
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari asks Sindh govt, PPP members to focus on rescue and relief by ignoring allegations from immature political opponents
In a statement issued here, the PPP Chairman stressed that all resources should be utilized for the rescue and relief operations in the rain-affected areas. He directed all the Party elected representatives of the party to ensure the solvation of the problems of the rain-affected people in their respective constituencies and ameliorate their sufferings.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also asked the Party’s office-bearers and workers to cooperate with the administration in the relief work and take all possible care of the rain victims.
PPP Chairman said that in this difficult time, the Pakistani nation is as brave and united as ever. “We, the Pakistanis, also know how to move forward as a united nation in difficult situations”, he added.
Bilawal Bhutto said that this was not the time to get involved in the blame game initiated by the immature political opponents, but we all should contribute efforts in protecting the people from the ravages of the rains. He urged that after declaring monsoon flood emergency, the government of Sindh and Jiyalas (the party workers) should completely ignore the elements involved in the baseless allegations against them and focus only on serving the masses in these testing times.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/23599/
Isolated at UN, Pakistan fakes speech to Security Council
Pakistan was not on the list of speakers for virtual meeting held online.Isolated at the UN, Pakistan faked a speech to the Security Council posting it on the website of its permanent mission pretending it was delivered even though its Ambassador did not speak at the session on terrorism. Pakistan was not on the list of speakers circulated for the virtual meeting held online on Monday, nor does its Permanent Representative Munir Akram figure on the video of the meeting. Unable to rally support for its campaign against India at the UN, Islamabad appears to have resorted to creating a false record for the Security Council. Introducing fake elements at the UN is an old tactic for Pakistan. At the 2017 General Assembly session, Pakistan's Permanent Representative at that time, Maleeha Lodhi, displayed a picture of an injured Palestinian girl from Gaza claiming she was a Kashmiri.India's UN mission said: "We fail to comprehend where exactly did the permanent representative of Pakistan make his statement since the Security Council Session today was not open to non-members." Referring to the allegations against India in the fake speech that wasn't, the statement said that "big lies of Pakistan lies exposed" and responded point by point. Akram's fake speech that was also circulate through Twitter said that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar were backed by an "Indian terror syndicate" and New Delhi was using "mercenary terrorists". Coming from a country which is a known sponsor of cross-border terrorism that has made the world suffer due to its actions, the allegation that India has hired mercenary terrorists is "laughable" and "preposterous." Akram's fake speech listed four people it said were Indians and their names had been submitted for being included in the list of international terrorists under UN sanctions. The Indian mission said the list of the Security Council's 1267 Committee, named for the resolution on sanctioning international terrorists, is public and does not include any Indians. The committee "works on the basis of evidence and not random accusations thrown in to divert their time and attention", it added. Responding to the Pakistani fake speech's claim that the Islamic nation has been "target of cross-border terrorism for decades", the Indian statement said" "The biggest sponsor of cross-border terrorism now tries to masquerade itself as the victim of terrorism by India." It noted that Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan had himself admitted at the General Assembly last year that there were 40,000 to 50,000 terrorists inside his country. "Many of the sanctioned terrorists and entities continue to operate with impunity inside Pakistan," the statement said. It also dismissed Akram's fake speech assertion that it had "decimated Al Qaeda" pointing out that its slain leader Osama bin Laden had been living in plain sight in Pakistan and Khan had praised him as a "martyr".Akram, whose officially Islamic nation that legally deprives non-Muslims as well Ahmedya Muslims of full citizenship rights, critcised India's Citizenship Amendment Act which gives expedited citizenship to minorities fleeing religious persecution in his country. The Indian mission's statement pointed out that the minority population of Pakistan had dropped to 3 per cent since 1947, a sign of ethnic cleansing. During Independence in 1947, the minority population of Pakistan was 23 per cent. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/isolated-at-un-pakistan-fakes-speech-to-security-council-131148
‘Five big lies of Pakistan exposed’
The statement further says that the detailed statement exposed the ‘five big lies’ being peddled and pushed by Pakistan.India on Monday (local time) hit out at Pakistan over lies peddled by its mission at UN. In a strong statement, the Indian Mission said that Pakistan has put out a false statement claiming that their envoy Munir Akram spoke at the United Nations Security Council while the session was not open to non-members. “We have seen a statement put out by the Pakistan Mission to the UN, claiming that these remarks were made by the Permanent Representative of Pakistan at the UN Security Council. We fail to comprehend where exactly did the Permanent Representative of Pakistan make his statement since the Security Council Session today was not open to non-members of the Security Council”, Indian mission at UN said in a statement. The statement further says that the detailed statement exposed the ‘five big lies’ being peddled and pushed by Pakistan. Dismissing assertions that Pakistan has been a target of cross-border terrorism for decades, the Indian Mission in its statement said: “A lie repeated a hundred times will not become truth. The biggest sponsor of cross-border terrorism against India now tries to masquerade itself as a victim of terrorism by India!” “Pakistan is home to the largest number of terrorists proscribed by the United Nations. Many of the sanctioned terrorists and entities continue to operate with impunity inside Pakistan. Prime Minister of Pakistan admitted at the UN General Assembly in 2019, the presence of 40,000-50,000 terrorists inside Pakistan,” it added. It further rejected the claim that Pakistan has decimated Al Qaeda from the region. “The claim that Pakistan has decimated Al Qaeda from the region. Perhaps, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan is not aware that Osama Bin Laden was hiding in their own country in plain sight, and it is the US forces which got him inside Pakistan. Nor have they heard their Prime Minister refer to Osama Bin Laden as a “martyr”,” the statement read. Indian Mission at UN said Pakistan makes the “laughable claim that India has hired terrorist as mercenaries to hit them.” “Coming from a country which is a known sponsor of cross-border terrorism, which has made the world suffer due to its actions, this claim is nothing short of being preposterous!” it said. The statement also rejected claims of Indians being in 1267 sanctions list. “The 1267 Sanctions list is public, and the world can see none of these individuals are in it. The 1267 Committee works on the basis of evidence, and not random accusations thrown in to divert their time and attention,” read the statement. Further, it slammed Pakistan for making “ridiculous assertions” about internal affairs of India. “Pakistan makes ridiculous assertions about internal affairs of India. This is a country whose minority population has dropped drastically from 1947 to what it is today which is just about 3 per cent, which is nothing short of systemic cleansing,” it said. “This is in addition to false allegations about India’s sovereign actions in the Union Territory of J&K, which are for the welfare of the people. The world has seen through their lies yet again,” the statement added. This comes after Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Munir Akram put out a random statement today masquerading it as if the statement was made by him to the United Nations Security Council. But for their purpose, the statement was picked up by Pakistani media and was portraying it as Munir Akram’s statement at the Security Council. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/five-big-lies-of-pakistan-exposed-says-indian-mission-at-un/story-cMnt2cWIjekcAhGierbz2L.html
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