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Senator Thune's election as the majority leader acts as continuity for the work of Mitch McConnell, the longest serving Majority Leader, who was Leader for 18 years. Cornyn of Texas raised $400 million for Republicans. Rick Scott is likely to throw his support to Thune of South Dakota, and DJT  asks for concessions from Thune and Mitchell on getting his nominees approved.

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War in Ukraine after failed Alaska effort by US to end the war. In September 2025 Russia holds out, spurning peace efforts from the US president, to see if the economy holds out over the next 24 months and Russia can get Ukraine to abandon it's efforts to join the EU and Western European alliances. The baffling aspect of this war is that the neutral aspect adopted by Finland before the war, by Sweden, by the Swiss, was never considered as a realistic option by Ukraine, looking beyond the problems of the 1930's and having awareness that there were weaknesses in both the capitalist and the Soviet systems, to take the broad larger view. And with that being realistic that a better effort would be to reflect on the corruption and lack of clean government, the need to build the healthy institutions that would serve the people best. The approach taken by Gandhi in India in its relations with Britain, to preserve the best and improve on what failed the Indian people, and reflect on the integrity, the right attitude needed for India in the Modern World. From the Russian side the failure to use the period before the shift to renewable energy to invest the capital used in the war of $200 billion a year for a stronger economy and industrial base in 2022- 2027- an investment of a trillion dollars that would make it the industrial power and support its position as the preeminent power in Northern Europe. ...

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New figures on campaign financing show the that from Oct 15 onwards the Obama campaign spent $161.5 million, the McCain campaign spent $75 million. Obama outspending McCain 2 to 1. By the end of the campaign Obama had raised $750 million. To get a sense of these numbers. This was three times what President Bush had raised, the previous record. Obama would have received $84 million in public financing after the Democratic party's national convention, and had to stop raising money at that point. This is what McCain did. Starting in September Obama spent $380 million and McCain $195 million. By mid October 2008, the Obama campaign raised $300 million in contributions of $200 or less -at which point donor identity's need not be revealed- from 4 million donors, according to Campaign Finance Institute. It also raised $300 million in contributions of $1000 or more for the period before mid-October. What this means is the figures have far outstripped what was set aside by campaign finance laws and the party with the bigger fundraising machine has little incentive to work for updating the laws. It also means good candidates who do not want to do this much fund raising or who are not good fund raisers will not participate in elections that determint the direction of the country, depriving the country of such service. It also means government policy is likely to be distorted sometimes with serious consequences by donors, bundlers and lobbyists. ...

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Meticulous preparations in France for the Olympics. This report shows Macron at the Olympics Aquatics Centre built at cost of 188 million euros. The budget in 2012 Olympics in London overspent by 200%, France will do it for about 20% overspend, says the Sports Minister. Macron says "Everything is a cause for vigilance and attention, nothing is a cause for worry or paralysis, that is my and our state of mind." When the Olympics open on July 26 this year it will be on the river Seine, with hundreds of flotilla boats. It is a unique effort as even the housing complex was built so that after the Olympics are over the housing could be reused to serve residents of a poorer neglected suburb of Paris. The river Seine is being cleaned up for swimming

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"My economic plan is working and we are just getting started," says president Biden about the US economy as it registers growth of 2.4% in the second quarter. Inflation is cut to 3% from about 9% last year. Even US central bank Fed increases in rates by 5 percentage points since March 22 at consecutive bank meetings has not slowed down the US economy enough. Biden says there is nothing accidental about this. Biden pushed investment in the US. Business investment increased by 56% in the last quarter accounting for a third of the economic growth, much of it in infrastructure, in bridges and roads, in manufacturing plants. Biden administration has allocated $299 billion in infrastructure funding for projects, another $503 billion is done by private investment. And more is coming down the pipeline.

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President Biden is moving forward a plan to setup a maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza and a pier where commercial ships can drop off humnitarian aid and food. The trip would take 28 hours from Cyprus and would be able to get in 200 trucks of aid supplies each day. The Qataris and UAE will also help with this plan and Israelis will cooperate. On the diplomatic front both the European nations, Britain and the US are working together to get Israeli cooperation. British Foreign Secretary Cameron met Benny Gantz. Earlier Gantz met with Kamala Harris in Washington D.C. Gantz is part of the wartime cabinet in Israel. The US and EU, Britain all now have serious differences with Mr. Netanyahu on putting the humanitarian situation first and foremost considering the situation in Gaza.

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It is a dismal situation when 4 out of 5 persons in France do not know what work the European parliament does and what bills it has passed in recent years. Even though the $700 billion aid package for pandemic support was done in the EU parliament and the Green energy deal was also done there in Strasbourg, France most Europeans cannot name this or are unaware of it. About 46% or half of French think that European parliament elections on June 6-9 are for the European Commission. Social media and Google, Apple have done a dismal job of educating people- this is the reality today as Lyrarc engages in this role of educating and informing people so that they can affect and shape the decisions that determine the quality of their lives.

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After the Biden executive order closing the Mexico Border following 2500 illegal border crossings a day there remains the challenge of increased funding for DHS Border Control for Asylum processing officers and immigration judges, so that the intent of the executive order can be implemented effectively. Making the claim of asylum requires being in the country, a process that provides an incentive to cross the border from Mexico. Bipartisan legislation is required as the duty of Congress to address these immigration problems so that the Border issue does not become one on which all other problems facing the US can be put on hold and not tackled making the US fall behind in development, infrastructure, climate change action, education, supply chain, and health care, resulting in reducing the standard of living in the US.

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The significance of Notre dame Cathedral for France and Europe over 1000 years is shown in this timeline in Le Monde.  The year 1163-  An ancient cathderal St Etienne Cathedral is in decline. In its place will be built Notre Dame. Maurice de Sully becomes Bishop of Paris in the reign of Louis VII in the 12th century. Sully decides to build a great cathedral in honor of the Virgin Mary. The first stone is laid inthe presence of Pope Alexander III. The year 1239- Louis the IX is the first canonized King of France, Saint Louis participated in the seventh and eighth crusade and purchased the relics of the Passion from the Latin Emperor of Constantinople. These relics are seen to be the most honored in Christendom and are installed in the Notre Dame Cathedral.The most significant is the crown of thorns which he carries into the cathedral barefoot in 1239. He build Sainte Chappelle 500 metres away in the Isle de Cite. The year 1594- The Wars of Religion tear France apart. Henry IV is caught in the midst of the Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants from 1562 to the Edict of Nantes in 1598 . It is at Notre Dame that the King Henry iV asserts his power against the Catholic League by attending a Te Deum. Notre Dame is again used as a symbol of recapture in 1918 and on Aug 26, 1944 with the Magnificat for Liberation. 1708- With Louis XIII comes the dedication in 1638, the Vow of King Louis XIII putting his kingdom under the protection of the Virgin Mary, and August 15 as celebration day. 1844- Viollet le Duc emerges as the builder of the renovation of the now aging structure of Notre Dame. Two million frances for restoration run out in 1851. The project resumes in 1859. 1991- It is the project of tourism and heritage as the national site of France. 2019- the second renovation of Notre Dame in Paris begins after the fire.   ...

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New auto sales in Japan experienced a sharp decline of 51% in April 2011, higher than the 37% fall in March. Sales of Toyota fell 69% to 35,557 vehicles in April, Nissan's dropped 37%, and Honda's dropped 49%. About 500 suppliers in northeasern Japan are affected by the earthquake. Toyota president Akio Toyoda says the production will return to normal by November or December.

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This exceptional account by WSJ's Shira Ovide on Microsoft Windows 10 looks at ways CEO Satya Nadella is changing Microsoft's culture and old way of doing business. Microsoft is changing its culture and strategy of charging for all its products. It will let businesses and individual buyers upgrade for free to the new Windows 10 product. This means $500 million less in sales revenues in 2015, but opens up new oppoortunities in sale of add-on apps and services on more devices, such as health sensors and smartphones. The failure to penetrate the smartphone business- with a meager 3% penetration for Windows in smartphones - is a problem facing Microsoft as it competes with Apple, Google and other companies. Terry Myerson describing the thinking behind this change at Microsoft puts it in a cultural perspective, saying that it should result in a more engaged user base. There is a sense that the space Microsoft is in stretches way beyond PC's to all the new computing devices now in place, including smartphones and other devices, with Windows taking up only 15% of these devices. Founder Bill Gates calls this "exciting" and is excited to see the reaction in the market....

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Deep in the jungles of Indonesian Borneo one finds Bayan Resources coal complex. In 2025 Indonesia is the world's largest coal producer. Bayan Resources was founded by Low Tuck Kwong a Indonesian businessman who started out with his father's construction business in Singapore and switched to start his own business in mining in Indonesia in 1972. Bayan is now one of the largest coal producers in Indonesia and ships the coal to India, Vietnam and Philippines which depend on coal for electricity and modernization.  Coal demand will actually increase instead of decrease from 8 billion metric tons in 2013 to 9 billion metric tons in 2027. India and Vietnam are taking on the role of manufacturing that once belonged to China in the supply chain. The combined population of India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines is about 2 billion people with a huge need for 100% electrification of rail and transport, and for homes and industry. India is accelerating it's renewable energy production, yet coal will be needed in the interim transition to renewable energy. Coal production is about 1 billion metric tons in 2024. About 20% of coal is imported from Indonesia and Australia. India depends on coal for 75% of electricity needs says Anil Kumar Jha former head of Coal India Limited. He predicts coal to increase to 1.3 million metric tons produced in India by 2031.   ...

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US president Biden's historic speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was debated and written- "We believe that all men are created equal..." Since 1776 these lines have inspired people for 200 years and Biden says they will continue to do this for the next 200 years, as America stands as a beacon for the people of the world aspiring for a better life. Click on Original Article to see the You Tube video of this speech, and see below Lincoln's speech at Independence Hall in 1861.These are also the aspirations for millions of people in Asia, Africa and Latin America and in the US and Europe as the door opens this much wider for people all over the world because of America. Through the War of Independence and the events of the Civil war, and other events in America's life as a nation and a beacon for the world, Independence Hall has been a special place. President Lincoln also stopped by here in 1861 on his way to the White House as the Civil War began. Here is what president Lincoln said at Independence Hall on Feb . 22, 1861. "Mr Cuyler- I am filled with deep emotion at finding myself standing here in the place where were collected together the wisdom, the patriotism, the devotion to principle, from which sprang the institutions under which we live. You have kindly suggested to me that in my hands is the task of restoring peace to our distracted country. I can say in return sir, that all the political sentiments I entertain have been drawn, from the sentiments which originated and were given to the world from this hall in which we stand. I have never had a feeling politically, that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence. (Great cheering). I have often pondered over the dangers which were incurred by the men who assembled here and adopted the Declaration of Independence- I have pondered over the toils of the officers and soldiers of the army, who achieved independence. (Applause). I have often inquired of myself, what great principle or idea that kept this confederacy so long together. It was not the mere separation of the colonies from the mother land; but something in that Declaration giving liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but hope to the world for all future time. (Great applause). It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights should be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance. (Cheers.) This is the sentiment embodied in that Declaration of Independence." "Now, my friends can this country be saved on that basis? If it can, I will consider myself one of the happiest persons in the world if I can help to save it. If it can't be saved on that principle, it will be truly awful. But, if this country cannot be saved without giving up that principle- I was about to say I would rather be assassinated on this spot than to surrender it. (Applause). ...

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Aaron Back says Sony is paying serious attention to the profitability of its Playstation business. He cites IHS estimates of Playstation 4 costing $381 to make and the retail price set for $399, in contrast to the Playstation 3 which cost Sony $100 more to make than the retail price. Sony's Playstation business is expected to post operating loss of 27 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2014, with profits of 37 billion yen the following year, and 65 billion in the year following that.

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The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare gave families of 4 with incomes of less than 125,000 or single income less than $60,000 a chance to buy insurance with federal subsidies. When these subsidies were increased under the IRA Act of president Biden the enrolment has doubled in the last 5 years to $24 million. These subsidies expire in 2025. Under the One Big Beautiful Act the policy of subsidies for ACA is not being renewed when it expires in 2025. This shows the band aid approach of Obama to healthcare and the lack of a comprehensive approach. The policy on migrants during the Obama and Biden administration also stretched public funding resources. Insurance companies now plant to make up for the los of subsidies from the government by raising prices for this subpopulation in a broken healthcare system in the US by 15-20%. This report in WSJ shows a young woman on ACA insurance in Illinois with a payment of $590 a month to Blue Cross of Illinois facing a new payment of $678, almost the size of a mortgage. ...

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Colombia's GDP is $350 billion, in 2025 Venezuela's is $50 billion. Socialism under Chavez imitating Simon Bolivar as shown here starts out well with more housing, health care reaching poorer neighborhoods and parts of the population that were ignored. But only till 2011 in the early years. As mismanagement, corrupt cronies take over the nationalized enterprises, petroleum company fails to invest, and mismanagement of the economy sets in, educated classes leave the country in the class warfare, the results are disastrous. As much as 20-30% of the population leaves, hyperinflation, bad relations with the US, leading to the worst humanitarian disaster in the American continent since 1900.  It shows that the educated classes of every nation bear a major responsibility to  create a healthier society at the beginning so that the glimmers of hope of free services lead to the wrong people ending up in power and mismanagement on a massive scale destroying everything. New York City's educated classes should shoulder the responsibilities that people like Felix Rohatyn as head of MAC describes in his book- Bold Endeavors, that is the true spirit of the Nation (2009). ...

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Increasing demand and profitabilty of the newer fuel efficient twin engine planes seating 250-300 passengers for Airbus and Boeing- the Airbus 321, the Airbus 350, the 777X, 787-9, 787-10.

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Bernd Riegert in the DW.com expresses the view that the sooner that the "obstinate" Britons invoke Article 50 and start negotiations the better, so that a lot of uncertainty for the European Union can be removed. After the High Court ruling that parliament has to approve Brexit, it says that it is strange that a hairdresser and an investment manager should be the ones taking it to the High Court, but that nothing is strange in the Brexit saga anymore. The political turbulence as Ms.May mulls over calling another election is not in the European Union's interest, Riegert says, as this causes more uncertainty for the European Union that it does not need at this time.

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Forever chemicals such as PFAS that breakdown over long periods cause serious harm with contamination of drinking water. The Biden administration has $10 billion allocated under the $1 trillion Families and Workers Plan that was approved by the US Congress to prevention of PFAS contamination. Of this the EPA is using $1 billion for water testing, water treatment plants and to train contractors for corrective action.

Har Ghar Jal, or every home clean drinking water, is a slogan used in India to ensure clean drinking water from taps for everyone of 1.3 billion people. The US faces a similar challenge to get clean drinking water to its nearly 400 million people. The two largest democracies in the world are tackling the basic necessities of life together, with the Biden administration sharing the understanding of the Modi administration of what this means for the people of India and America.

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While attention is placed on Brazil for coronavirus, neighboring Argentina has an economic crisis with debt of $324 billion, reaching 90% of GDP. The new Peronist party government in Argentina is supported by the IMF in negotiations with creditors, as it faces the coronavirus and needs to free up resources from debt payments to tackle the crisis. Its proposal to Ad Hoc group of creditors including investment funds Black Rock and Fidelity is for a three year grace period on debt payments, 62% reduction of interest  amounting to $37 billion, and 5% reduction of capital or $3.6 billion. Earlier governments mishandled the economy leading to overborrowing on an unsustainable basis. Argentina has defaulted on debt 20 times in its history. The last being in 2001 with debt of $100 billion. The pattern of overborrowing and mismanagement by administrations modeled on free market economies has continued. Lenders, borrowers, and the government have not acted prudently knowing this history. ...

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The UK government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, says coronavirus testing has not been scaled quickly enough. Public health experts warn that Downing Street is in the position to face "an unforgiving reckoning." The UK has done 5400 tests per million population, the U.S. 8894 tests per million, and Germany 15,700 per million, according to data from Worldometer website. UK got off to a slow start.  Experts at Imperial College, London, say a major problem is the lack of contact trace, test, isolate. Contact tracing having fallen behind. The government is relying too much they say on an app from Google and Apple to do the tracing because for this kind of work humans are needed, "boots on the ground" are needed. South Korea and Taiwan have successfully used people to do the contact tracing by using access to cellphone carrier data that was made possible from protocols established in earlier MERS crisis. ...

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Requests, consensus, and social pressure played a bigger role than just strict rules and penalties in controlling the virus in Japan. By contrast in Germany states imposed strict rules and fines, some consensus, a better equipped hospital system, added contact tracing, to limit the spread. More than 100 industries in Japan have drawn up new guidelines for reopening to minimize risks. Prime minister Abe said recently " Now we are going to venture into a new arena. Therefore we need to create a new lifestyle from now on. We need to change our way of thinking." The new social consensus on the best way to behave outdoors and at work is the way Japan is tackling reopening.  The effort is focused on avoiding high risk situations the 3 C's crowded, closed spaces, and close contact, close conversations. Japan started with a fumbled response but gradually the right spirit and social distancing caught on. The universal health care system helped Japan detect cases early, even in the remote rural areas. ...

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The Voice of America has more impact than it's 2000 employees and $267 million budget suggests. Using the power of radio it reaches 326 million people weekly in 50 languages around the world. It provides comprehensive news coverage about the US and the World. It played amajor role during the World War II and in the Cold War. It was founded in 1942 and its congressional charter protects the editorial independence and integirty of its programming.

The agency that runs VOA is the Agency for Global Media. Under DJT first term Michael Pack ran the Global Media Agency. He was followed by Michael Abramovitz, a Washington Post correspondent and member of the Council of Foreign Relations.

Since the end of the Cold War VOA programming has declined in quality and effectiveness to communicate America's story to the world. 

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The figures are staggering. $380 billion of $400 billion in Nigerian oil revenues estimated lost to corruption and waste from 1960 to 1999. This is the estimate given by Nigeria's top anticorruption official and quoted in the NYT. Meanwhile life expectancy in Nigeria is about 47 years and little of the oil revenues goes to infrastructure, health, education and investment to improve the lives of Nigeria's people. The oil companies after years of bad publicity, Shell and Exxon, appear to be shrugging their shoulders that there is little they can do beyond their own small investments, $100 million by Shell and $22 million by Exxon each year on roads and other related infrastructure. The western oil companies typically get 7% of the profits from oil sales, with the government keeping 93%, according to the NYT. Mouwad describes life inside a 50 acre area in Port Harcourt which houses Italians working for oil company Eni. A militant movement MEND is fighting in the Delta region to have more resources devoted to this neglected region of Nigeria. The result is that life is becoming difficult for foreign oil workers in the area. About 13% of oil revenues go to the states but corruption and waste eat up the money at the state level too. The River States budget is an example, of about $1.3 billion budget only $22 million goes to health services, helicopter services and catering for the governor's office alone cost $38 million and $10 million. MEND the delta region organization wants more money for the delta states and is organizing disruption of oil production as a method to make itself heard. This has increased the need for security consultants to protect oil company property and personnel. Already a quarter of Nigerian oil production has been shut down....