WASHINGTON: After 18 months of arduous negotiations and a marathon night of debate, the US Senate on Sunday passed Joe Biden’s ambitious climate, tax and health care plan — a significant victory for the president ahead of crucial midterm elections.
Voting as a unified bloc and with the tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats approved the $430 billion spending plan, which will go to the House of Representatives next week, where it is expected to pass before being signed into law by Biden.
The plan, crafted in sensitive talks with members on the right wing of his Democratic Party, would include the biggest US investment ever on climate — $370 billion aimed at effecting a 40 percent drop in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
That would give Biden a clear victory on one of his top agenda items and go some way toward restoring US leadership in meeting the global climate challenge.
Biden hailed the passage of the bill, highlighting the work that went into it — and acknowledging that not everyone is happy with the final result.
“It required many compromises. Doing important things almost always does. The House should pass this as soon as possible and I look forward to signing it into law,” the president said in a statement.
The bill — officially known as the “Inflation Reduction Act” — passed the Senate with no Republicans voting in favor.
Conservative lawmakers have criticized the bill as wasteful spending, with top Republican Senator Mitch McConnell accusing Democrats of voting to “double down on their economic disaster.”
The bill would provide Americans with a tax credit of up to $7,500 when purchasing an electric car, plus a 30 percent discount when they install solar panels on their roofs.
It would also provide millions to help protect and conserve forests — which have been increasingly ravaged in recent years by wildfires during record heat waves that scientists say are linked to global warming.
Billions of dollars in tax credits would also go to some of the country’s worst-polluting industries to help their transition to greener methods — a measure bitterly opposed by some liberal Democrats who have, however, accepted this as a least-bad alternative after months of frustration.
Biden, who came to office with promises of sweeping reforms, has seen his hopes dashed, then revived, then dashed again.
Democrats’ narrow edge in the Senate has given a virtual veto to moderates like Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who earlier had used that power to block Biden’s much more expansive Build Back Better plan.
But in late July, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer managed to engineer a compromise with the West Virginian, whose state’s economy depends heavily on coal mining.
“This bill is gonna change America for decades,” Schumer said after its passage, while Manchin tweeted that it “will lower the inflation taxes that have been so hurtful for West Virginian and American families.”
Senators finally opened debate on the text on Saturday, with final passage not until Sunday afternoon.
Late Saturday, they began working through a marathon procedure known as a “vote-a-rama,” in which members can propose dozens of amendments and demand a vote on each one.
That allowed both Republicans, who view Biden’s plan as too costly, and liberal Democrats, who say it does not reach far enough, to make their opposition clear.
Influential progressive Senator Bernie Sanders used that platform through the evening to propose several amendments aimed at strengthening social planks in the legislation, which were considerably weakened during the months of negotiation.
The bill would provide $64 billion for health care initiatives and ensure a lowering of some drug costs — which can be 10 times more expensive in the United States than in some other rich countries.
But progressive Democrats long ago had to give up their ambitions for free preschool and community colleges and expanded health care for the elderly.
“Millions of seniors will continue to have rotten teeth and lack the dentures, hearing aids or eyeglasses that they deserve,” Sanders said from the Senate floor. “This bill, as currently written, does nothing to address it.”
But fellow Democrats, eager to pass the legislation ahead of November midterms when control of Congress is at stake, have rejected any change in the text.
To help offset the plan’s massive spending, it would reduce the US deficit through a new 15-percent minimum tax on companies with profits of $1 billion or more — a move targeting some that now pay far less.
That measure could generate more than $258 billion in tax receipts for the government over the next 10 years, by some estimates.
US Senate adopts sweeping climate and health plan, in major victory for Biden
https://arab.news/ypg72
US Senate adopts sweeping climate and health plan, in major victory for Biden
- The bill — officially known as the “Inflation Reduction Act” — passed the Senate with no Republicans voting in favor
Singapore arrests teen for planning Daesh-inspired stabbing spree
After watching Islamic State propaganda glorifying knife attacks, the 17-year-old visited the suburb to rehearse his attack before he was arrested in August, Home Minister K. Shanmugam said.
“He was quite serious because he actually practiced stabbing motions with the scissors. He checked out which place would cause death — basically the neck area — so he practiced hitting at the neck,” Shanmugam told reporters.
“I would say this was a very close shave. It is very fortunate that ISD (Internal Security Department) arrested him in time.”
The teenager, detained under the Internal Security Act, had allegedly planned a stabbing spree to coincide with school holidays in September when the area would be teeming with people.
In a statement released on Friday, ISD said the teenager was exposed to the deluge of online extremist materials posted by the Daesh group after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
“He joined various online groups which provided updates on Daesh’s activities and bought into Daesh’s rhetoric of promoting the use of violence to establish an Islamic caliphate,” ISD said.
By January, “the youth had become a staunch Daesh supporter and aspired to die as a martyr while fighting for the group,” it added.
He took a pledge of allegiance to IS and intended to travel to Syria to fight there, according to ISD.
The teenager acted alone as he was unable to radicalize other people, ISD added.
His family noticed him watching videos of radical preachers and advised him to stop, but he continued, using “codewords” when discussing his beliefs online, the department said.
Angry Macron blasts media over reporting of Israel comments
- A visibly furious Macron late Thursday began his press conference after an EU summit in Brussels
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday faced accusations of seeking to reduce the media to merely reproducing press releases after blaming journalists, ministers and commentators for the furor over comments attributed to him on Israel.
A visibly furious Macron late Thursday began his press conference after an EU summit in Brussels with a tirade against those who he accused of distorting remarks made in a closed-door cabinet meeting and showing a “lack of professionalism” in their work.
The remarks attributed to Macron that Israel needed to adhere to UN resolutions in its campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza as the state was created by the world body angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but also sparked strong reactions in France.
His comments were quoted by two participants who spoke to AFP after the meeting and asked not to be named.
“Mr Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a decision of the UN,” Macron told ministers, referring to the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly on the plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.
Netanyahu accused Macron of a “distressing distortion of history” and “disrespect.” In France, the speaker of the upper house Senate, Gerard Larcher, said he was “astounded” by the remarks and accused the president of showing his “ignorance” of history.
“I would like you to allow me to recall a few rules,” Macron solemnly told reporters at the start of his news conference on Thursday.
“I must tell you how astonished I was to read so many comments, comments on comments, reactions, including from political leaders, foreign or French, to remarks that I made without seeking to know what exactly I said.”
Macron attacked “ministers,” “journalists” and “commentators” for the ensuing controversy, denying his remarks “as they were reported,” arguing his words were taken out of context.
“I believe I say enough about the situation in the Middle East not to need a ventriloquist,” he added.
He called on ministers to “show respect for the rules and functions so as not to circulate false information” and on journalists “to treat the remarks reported with the necessary precautions.”
After come critics in France questioned whether Macron had been casting doubt on Israel’s right to exist, the president said that “there is no ambiguity” in the position of France.
But the Association of the Presidential Press (APP), which groups together reporters covering the head of state, said Macron had “seriously questioned the ethics of the press, which investigates and cross-checks its sources rigorously.”
“Our work cannot be limited to repeating official statements. The definition of journalism cannot be a presidential prerogative,” it said.
With heavy sarcasm, Greens MP Benjamin Lucas said on X: “That’s right, journalists, why don’t you simply and blindly reproduce the official press releases? Why bother searching, by cross-checking sources, to seek the truth?“
But after a controversy that has dogged Macron all week some supporters applauded his reactions.
Foreign policy is one of the few areas where the president retains leeway after the inconclusive outcome to summer legislative elections and appointment of a right-wing government left the centrist looking increasingly isolated.
“The voice of France in the world deserves better than the distortion of the truth. Those who engage in this are playing a very dangerous game for the country,” said pro-Macron MP Mathieu Lefevre.
Female entrepreneurs carve out a niche for women’s empowerment in Afghanistan
- 800 women in Herat province alone received business licenses in the past three years
- Most female-run businesses are in the apparel, handicraft, food and packaging sectors
KABUL: Barred from schools, restricted in public places and not allowed to work in most jobs, women in Afghanistan’s western Herat province are turning to private entrepreneurship to empower themselves and others.
The employment rate has dropped significantly across Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in 2021 and their administration was hit with a host of international sanctions.
The situation is further aggravated by restrictions the Taliban have steadily imposed on women’s participation in the public sector, their secondary and higher education, and movement.
“The unemployed class is increasing, the education system is currently blocked, most women and girls are unemployed and stay at home, underage marriages have increased, and the economy is down,” said Shafiqa Barak, director of Afghan Barak, a clothing company based in Herat.
She is among an increasing number of businesswomen for whom entrepreneurship is a way to obtain some empowerment and independence.
As women have been absent from so many aspects of public life, Barak told Arab News that being professionally active was essential.
“Afghan Bark company has created work opportunities for 18 women ... creating jobs and creating work opportunities is today one of the basic needs of women in Afghanistan,” she said.
“Working as a businesswoman in the current situation, where there is no other way to improve my morale and earn income, gives me the best feeling because I make several families happy and help several women and girls get out of despair.”
She is not alone. Behnaz Saljoqi, head of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Herat told Arab News that the number of women obtaining business licenses was increasing, with 800 permits received over the past three years.
These female-led businesses are in sectors such as apparel, carpet weaving, miniature painting, food production, processing and packaging.
“Most of them have licenses from the municipality, and some have licenses from the Department of Commerce,” she said.
“Overall, the Islamic Emirate is ready to support women in the private sector, including women’s participation in international exhibitions outside Afghanistan.”
With women only allowed to work as long as they work for women and among women, navigating the restrictions is not easy. It is further complicated by the sanctions that are in place and the fragile Afghan economy.
“Working as a businesswoman in the current situation not only gives me a sense of power and empowerment, but also an opportunity to prove that women are capable to overcome challenges and excel in different professional fields,” said Parisa Elhami, who runs Watan Collection, a fashion brand in Herat which currently employs 15 women.
“One of the main obstacles facing women entrepreneurs is legal and financial complications. Among these obstacles, we can point out the difficulties of obtaining a business license, high business tax costs, restrictions on access to suitable places to operate, and economic fluctuations that affect the sales market,” she told Arab News.
“For me, creating job opportunities for other women means fulfilling social responsibility and realizing the latent potential in society. This also leads to reduction of gender inequality, increasing women's social participation, and strengthening family foundations.”
Harris, Trump to rally voters in key state on same day
- Kamala Harris finds herself on eggshells as she upholds President Joe Biden’s support for key ally Israel
- While Muslim and Arab American voters have voiced outrage over the death toll in Gaza
DEARBORN, United States: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will lead dueling rallies Friday in Michigan, a crucial battleground state where Arab American voters angered by US support for Israel may hold the key to a deadlocked race.
The killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar drew optimism from Vice President Harris for a Gaza ceasefire, but Israel quickly said his death is not the end of over a year of war.
Harris has found herself on eggshells as she upholds President Joe Biden’s support for key ally Israel, while Muslim and Arab American voters have voiced outrage over the death toll in Gaza.
One of those voters in the extremely close race, 51-year-old Marwan Faraj, said he supported Biden but won’t cast a ballot for Harris because of her backing for Israel.
“They have been supporting this ethnic cleansing and genocide since day one, with our tax dollars, and that’s wrong,” said Faraj, who emigrated from Lebanon, referring to Biden and Harris.
The vice president, who replaced Biden on short notice in the race just three months ago, is holding a series of campaign events in Michigan on Friday to try to convince voters to back her.
“This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza,” Harris said in reaction to Sinwar’s death, “and it must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends.”
The Uncommitted movement, a pro-Palestinian group, stopped short of explicitly endorsing Harris earlier this month, but warned “it can get worse” under Trump.
One of the group’s co-founders, Lexi Zeidan, said voters should consider “the better antiwar approach” rather than “who is the better candidate.”
However, Abandon Harris, another group of anti-war voters, has endorsed fringe Green Party candidate Jill Stein, potentially turning her into a spoiler that would help elect Trump in swing states decided by just a few thousand votes.
Harris’s rival in the November 5 election, former president Trump, has yet to react to Sinwar’s killing but has expressed support for the Israeli campaign in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
The Republican candidate will also be in Michigan on Friday, for a major campaign rally in auto industry capital Detroit.
According to his campaign team, this will be an opportunity to detail how Michigan families have been hit by inflation under Biden and Harris’s leadership.
The economy, immigration and abortion are among the most hotly debated issues in a particularly tense and close election.
The candidates are racing toward election day with the Democratic vice president narrowly leading her Republican rival nationally and in several crucial swing states, although most polls are within the margin of error.
Harris’s momentum in the polls has plateaued in recent weeks, however, and both candidates have been on a blitz of new and traditional media as they try to win over the small number of undecided voters.
China’s President Xi to attend BRICS summit in Russia
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, from Oct. 22 to 24, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.
During his visit, Xi will attend the leaders’ meeting, the expert leaders’ dialogues and other activities, and have in-depth exchanges with leaders on the current international situation, Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, said at a regular news conference.
China is ready to work with all parties to promote BRICS cooperation, to usher in a new era of unity and self-reliance in the Global South, and jointly promote peace and development in the world, Mao said.
