Beltway Insider: Biden/Eviction Moratorium, Delta Variant COVID/Vaccine Totals, Taliban Rises, Olympics

President Biden's Rescue Plan is showing signs of faltering before the finish line as confirmed coronavirus cases continue to spike in many cities and eviction moratorium provisions made to carry citizens expired with no extensions expected.

 

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending August 1, 2021, decreased by 0.9% to 51.5% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 0.7% percentage points to 43.4%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.


 

Beltway Insider: Biden/Cuba, Pegasus Spyware, Paul/Fauci Clash, COVID/Vaccine Totals, Weinstein, Bezos, Olympics


Rescue Plan Eviction Moratorium Expires

The America's Rescue Plan, one of the first key pieces of legislation passed by the newly elected Biden Administration included eviction moratorium, aimed at stopping landlords from seeking eviction against tenants who were facing economic hardship.

For over a month, rumblings have been heard in Washington of a potential crisis if Legislative leaders or the president failed to intervene and provide an extension date for the federally mandated eviction moratorium which formally ended August 1, 2021.

"During the pandemic, public health experts have warned — and research showed — that evictions result in more coronavirus cases because people end up living in more crowded situations, where they are more likely to catch or spread the virus," reported NPR.org.

In a recent 5-4 decision, The Supreme Court ruled the eviction moratorium would remain in place until the expected expiration date of July 31 and could only be extended through Congressional authorization.

"And so the administration is working — is going to work together with leaders in Congress on potential avenues to extend the eviction moratorium to protect these vulnerable renters and their families.  We understand how critical that is, how important that is.  It has been a lifeline to so many, so many Americans here," said Karine Jean-Pierre Deputy White House Press Secretary.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made its position very clear that it would not extend the recommendation and President Biden was informed he did not have the authority to extend the moratorium with Congressional authorization.

"We only learned of this yesterday," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Friday evening after the House tried and failed to pass legislation that would extend the federal eviction moratorium. "There was not enough time to socialize it within our caucus as well as to build a consensus necessary," she said, with a promise from her top lieutenant to revisit the issue ASAP," reported CNN.com.

As Congress is set to leave Washington for its annual summer break, the issue, is expected to be either addressed in an Emergency session of Congress, caucused over the break and immediately addressed after, or possibly President Biden could sign an Executive Order or thirty days stay and this action could be dependent on the spike in coronavirus cases.  

As it remains today, millions of Americans are faced with a pay on demand notice for the rental arrears.


World News: Macron Draws The Line on Vaccination


Coronavirus Spikes Among Unvaccinated

The Delta Variant, which has been identified as a more dangerous and highly communicable version of the original coronavirus, is resulting in increased cases, especially among the unvaccinated, and has caused the Center's for Disease Control and Prevention to reissue mask guidelines.

"Researchers think Delta is about 50% more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which means the average patient would infect 50% more contacts. Alpha itself is an estimated 50% more contagious than earlier versions of the virus," reported The Wall Street Journal.

Confirmed Coronavirus cases in the United States increased by 264,000 over the past week nearly doubling from the previous week.

"A study of nearly 20,000 people published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that after two doses, the Pfizer vaccine was 88% effective at preventing symptomatic disease caused by Delta. It was 94% effective against the Alpha variant. An analysis of more than 14,000 Delta cases by England's public-health agency found that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine reduced the risk of hospitalization by 96%," reported The Wall Street Journal.

Biden's Quiet White House Delta Variant Warning Fails

Over the past three months the Biden Administration, as medical experts have watched the Delta variant explode in India and with even limited understanding of the highly communicable rate associated with it, began a quiet approach to the urgency of vaccination and public warnings on the impending viral storm that was expected to reach the United States.

Instead of sounding the alarm, with the potential of sounding like an alarmist, the President and his team pushed for vaccination, with an understanding that the Pfizer vaccine did provide a high rate of protection against the Delta variant.

The incremental announcements to a polarized population, sold on the science and evidence or still simmering on the stop the steal campaign and simply don't believe the risks of vaccination are worth the potential health hazards, have be gauged at alerting the public to the variants arrival without alarming the people.

"Vaccinated and unvaccinated people infected with Delta have higher viral loads, meaning more virus in their body than with previous variants.  The last two did not have that. And so this is what we're seeing in the Delta: High viral loads mean you are more likely to spread it.  So, in the rare occasions that vaccinated people get Delta in a breakthrough infection, they may be contagious.  And this is what we heard from CDC this week," White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.


Medical Science: Sending Kids to College? Read This First


Dangers of the Delta Variant

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new presentation this week, which included and expanded tiered classification chart of the COVID-19 variants and their strength and communicability potential.

"A US government SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group (SIG) developed a Variant Classification scheme that defines three classes of SARS-CoV-2 variants: Variant of Interest, Variant of Concern, and Variant of High Consequence," reported the CDC.org.

To date all coronavirus variants are listed as Variants of Concern, no variant has been classified a a Variant of High Consequence.

To understand the emergence of the Delta variant, one must simply envision an evolution of properties, mutation of the original virus compound, results in variants, and then the mutation evolves into a new mutation. Research is not available to determine the extent of the cycle of mutations producing new variants which would cause a variant of high consequence and render all known protection ineffective.

The Washington Post reported the CDC presentation had an "urgency" to it and said, "The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal federal health document that argues officials must "acknowledge the war has changed."

 

Vaccine Mandates

To counter the unvaccinated movement that seems to be a partisan effort to undermine both the science and current administrations view on the potency of the virus, vaccine mandates across corporations are becoming the new normal to address the unvaccinated who not only are at at 50% higher risk of contracting the Delta variant but once infected also have the potential to spread the Delta variant at levels of up to 50% higher than the original CARS-CoV-2 virus.

"With the delta variant of the coronavirus fueling a new surge in COVID-19 cases, the federal health agency issued revised guidance July 27, recommending that vaccinated people wear masks indoors in areas with substantial or high rates of COVID-19 transmission. The CDC also recommends face-covering for all people, regardless of vaccination status, in health care and long-term care facilities, prisons, homeless shelters, on public transit, and in transportation hubs like airports and stations. Most states are following that guidance," reported AARP.org.

From New York to California corporation and employers, including Walmart, which employs 2.3million people, Netflix and The Walt Disney Company have issued updated guidelines based on the newest CDC information. Walt Disney and Netflix will require vaccination of onsite employees, Walmart is doubling the company's original financial incentive offered to its employees to encourage vaccination and corporations are responding to the surge in coronavirus cases and working through scenarios which bring employees back to the office.

However other companies have decided to extend remote work opportunities. "In the last few weeks, a handful of the most influential tech companies in the U.S., including Google and Apple, delayed their return dates from September to October. On Wednesday, Lyft CEO Logan Green announced it will push its September return date by six months until February 2, 2022," reported CNBC.com.

Vaccine Totals

Bloomberg.com has built a vaccine tracker which can be seen here. "In the U.S., 346 million doses have been given so far. In the last week, an average of 657,213 doses per day were administered," Bloomberg.com reported.

Coronavirus Totals

While the infection rates of the coronavirus have continued to decline around the world. A new strain, a mutation, has created global concern for leaders around the world are determining the best direction for the protection of the population. The importance of maintaining personal protective practices is imperative to controlling the spread.

For the week ending August 1, 2021, coronavirus cases globally increased by 4,211,621 new confirmed cases, bringing the total of confirmed cases worldwide to 197,925,529 people with a total worldwide death toll of 4,217,179 deaths, a weekly death rate increase of 64,958. (Data from The New York Times).

COVID US Totals

Infections rates in the United States are also on the rise. For the week ending August 1, 2021, the total confirmed cases rose to 35,016,505 people with new confirmed cases increasing by 625,188, with a seven-day average of 89,312 cases per day and an increase of 266,274 confirmed cases over the previous week. The coronavirus has claimed 612,919 total deaths, adding 2,505 more deaths to the total of lives lost due to the coronavirus. (Data from The New York Times).

Taliban Rises

With the United States poised to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan in five weeks, the Taliban has continued to move forward retaking lost ground in an effort to bring the Afghani people into submission and reinstitute the restrictive culture and law.

"The United States has increased airstrikes in the support of Afghan forces over the last several days, and we're prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their attacks," wrote U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie in a statement," reported CNBC.com.


Medical Science: COVID-19 - Is College Worth the Risk of the Shot


Media sources are reporting the Afghani people are fleeing the regions as the Taliban move in taking Kandahar and is expected to use the region as its capital until the United States and other peace keeping forces leave in which the Taliban army is expected to roll over the country, in a blitzkrieg style, murdering men, women and children.

The insurgence of the Taliban can only mean hardship, death and injury for the Afghani people, and the potential for a rise in terrorism in nations across Europe and the United States, whom they deem the great Satan.

The Taliban are responsible for the May 9, 2021 bombing of the Sayed Ul-Shuhada school in Kabul targeting girls and killing more than 80 school girls. The Taliban opposes education of girls.

Tokyo Olympics

Superstar Athlete Simone Biles made headlines this week, as expected going into these 2021 Tokyo games but for a surprisingly different reason. Withdrawing from the team competition, and possibly the entire games, with what would have surely catapulted her to even higher heights, showed the world the me that no one sees, and brought mental health into the national conversation.

Her courage in putting her mental health first, become more than a soundbite, as athletes from Michael Phelps to former Olympic gymnast Dominic Moceanu, who released a video of a horrific fall on the balance beam in 1996, spoke about the mind game, the mental conditioning that athlete endure. Choosing oneself over clearly what was expected to be domination is rare, and to many, her action embodied a real hero.

The games continued with the U.S. Women's Gymnastic team earning a Silver Medal. What began slowing, a trepidatious step into post COVID normalcy has become a celebration of feat, endurance, strength, determination, as nations who have never earned a medal are clinching the reward.

The United States has moved ahead in the medal count with 59 overall, 20 Gold, 23 Silver and 16 Bronze with more one week remaining until the closing ceremonies.

For more information on President Joe Biden www.whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection

Haute Tease

  • Spectacular 17-Carat Diamond Solitaire Ring Achieves $1,447,500 At Bonhams New York

    An important diamond solitaire ring, weighing 17.97 carats realized $1,447,500 at the Fine Jewelry auction at Bonhams on Dec. 6 in New York, NY. The sale, which featured a strong group of sapphires and emeralds made a total of $6,381,000.00.

     
  • Faim de Pouvoir et fin de Règne

    Triomphalement réélu à la tête de la Fédération de Russie, Vladimir Poutine semble autant intouchable qu'inoxydable. Pourtant, une analyse plus avancée de la réalité tendrait à évoquer une atmosphère de fin de règne, du moins les prémices d'années difficiles à venir.  

  • Books: The Blumkin Project, Heritage Two New Titles from Other Press

    The Blumkin Project and Heritage, recently released from Other Press Publishing, each tell the stories of passion journeys as the authors conquer insurmountable circumstances fueled by desire for a better life for themselves and their families.

     
  • Rolls-Royce VISION NEXT 100 Makes North American Debut

    The Rolls-Royce VISION NEXT 100, codenamed 103EX, today made its North American debut at the historic Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. 103EX is the marque's first ever pure 'Vision Vehicle' and defines the future of luxury mobility.

     
  • Second US Journalist Beheaded by Iraqi Terror Group

    Global media is reporting a second U.S. journalist, Steven Joel Sotloff, was beheaded by ISIS/ISIL, the Iraqi Terrorist organization in retaliation for the United States' assistance to the Iraqi people placed under siege by the militant group.

     
  • AUDREY from Manchego Pictures: A Sure Winner for the Hopeful Romantic

    AUDREY, a touching romantic comedy, from Manchego Pictures, is slated to open early 2013 and already has buzz for its charming take on the emotional roller coaster of contemporary dating as boy meets girl suffering from relationship neurosis.