Censured Rashida Tlaib transforms into fundraising force after Israel-Hamas war
By
Samantha-Jo Roth
April 23, 2024 7:00 am
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Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) raked in $1.9 million in her first fundraising quarter of 2024, raising a total of $6.45 million this cycle following her criticism of Israel’s handling of the war against Hamas and her censure by the House last year.

Tlaib, the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, is the 12th highest fundraiser in the House, coming in right behind notoriously strong fundraiser and fellow Squad member, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and ahead of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Until the Israel-Hamas war, Tlaib was not known for her fundraising prowess, unlike those in House leadership positions.

The congresswoman ended the first quarter with $5.2 million on hand and successfully managed to stave off any serious primary challenge for her Democratic 12th Congressional District. According to campaign finance records, the majority of her individual contributions this cycle are coming from donations in California, followed by Michigan and Texas. The highest contributions are coming in from a political action committee formed by AOC to promote progressive candidates, Demand Justice PAC, an influential group focused on court reform, a variety of unions, and Arab American groups.

Her campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission show she had her strongest fundraising quarter at the end of 2023 when she raised $3.7 million in the months after Hamas’s deadly attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Tlaib’s campaign cash flow has also skyrocketed since the House censured her last November over her pro-Palestinian comments concerning the conflict in Israel and for her defense of the phrase “From the river to the sea” that many see as an antisemitic call for Israel’s destruction.

more
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/2975116/rashida-tlaib-fundraising-force-israel-hamas-war/

Speaker Johnson’s first big win
By
Washington Examiner
April 23, 2024 12:01 am
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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) scored his first big legislative victory this past weekend, making good on the first promises he made in leadership that he would find a way to send much-needed aid to our allies Israel and Ukraine.

Contrary to what some are saying, Johnson supported more aid for Ukraine from the start of his speakership. Just two days after securing the job, Johnson told Fox News’s Sean Hannity, “We can’t allow Vladimir Putin to prevail in Ukraine because I don’t believe it would stop there, and it would probably encourage and empower China to perhaps make a move on Taiwan.”

Johnson was right then, and he is right now. His only misstep was agreeing with President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that the best path forward was to link Ukraine aid with border security. Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion had nothing to do with Biden’s catch-and-release border policies in October of last year, and it still has nothing to do with them today.

Securing our southern border is absolutely a vital national security concern, but there is only so much Republicans can do to solve the problem when they control just one chamber of Congress. It is going to take a strong occupant of the White House with the will and determination needed to force Mexican cooperation to get the border under control again. Biden is not that man, and he never will be. The most Republicans can accomplish on border security is to avoid making the problem worse by bailing out sanctuary cities and codifying Biden’s catch-and-release policies. That is what the Mayorkas-Lankford border bill did, and Johnson was wise to reject it.

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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2974374/speaker-johnsons-first-big-win/

 Could interest rate hikes be keeping inflation high?
by Tobias Burns - 04/23/24 6:00 AM ET

The stickiness of the post-pandemic inflation is raising questions about how effective high interest rates are at bringing down price increases – and if they could be fueling the problem.

Standard economic thinking says that higher interest rates should bring down prices by squeezing the labor market and lessening the demand for goods and services. Lower demand then forces companies to cut their prices.

Inflation began a rapid descent in the middle of 2022 but has remained above 3 percent for nearly a year, ticking up to 3.5 percent in March. Some experts are now questioning the logic behind rate hikes and asking if they may even be stimulating the economy toward further growth rather than slowing it down.

For that to work, the extra money made in the form of interest income from higher rates would need to be making its way back into the economy through consumer spending, thereby adding more fuel to price increases.

Investors and wealth managers say they’re seeing the signs.

“It’s people who have piles of cash that are generating more cash faster than they can spend it,” Ritholtz Wealth Management CEO Josh Brown said on the CNBC television network last week.

“I work in wealth management … I’m telling you, this segment of the population is not only not pulling back because rates are higher, but in many cases they feel like they’re doing better than ever.”

The Fed is poised to keep rates at the current baseline range of 5.25 to 5.5 percent at its next policy meeting in May after several hot employment and inflation reports. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said last week that the central bank has yet to see desired “progress” in its inflation fight and is prepared to keep rates higher for longer.

more
https://thehill.com/business/4612114-could-interest-rate-hikes-be-keeping-inflation-high/

FTA:

The sum total of his intellectual and political acumen.   

Still better than Biden.