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Canucks have to decide what the future looks like now
Money is coming off the books over the next few seasons in Vancouver, and the Canucks need to decide sooner than later if Jim Benning will determine how its spent.
Money is coming off the books over the next few seasons in Vancouver, and the Canucks need to decide sooner than later if Jim Benning will determine how its spent.
Country diary: thrutching and skeltering through a wild woodWenlock Edge, Shropshire: A detour through the trees appeared to offer refuge, but appearances proved deceptive ‘As light faded, jackdaws called time to leave.’ Photograph: Alan McCarthy/PA
Highlights in the fourth quarter: Operational EBIT of NOK 413.8 million, EBIT per kg of NOK 9.50. Fish Farming Central Norway and Fish Farming Northern Norway post satisfactory results based on a good biological and operational performance. Low salmon prices and a challenging market affected the results for Sales & Processing. Positive cost development for Icelandic Salmon, with a significantly lower production costs for the fish harvested. However, a challenging market with low salmon prices resulted in an operating loss. Guiding for 2021 maintained at 163,000 tonnes in Norway and 14,000 tonnes in Iceland. The board of directors recommends a dividend of NOK 20 per share for the 2020 financial year. Strengthens strategic focus on offshore fish farming for sustainable growth on the salmon’s terms. Satisfactory result despite a challenging market SalMar is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and can look back on three decades of fantastic results. The company has grown to be one of the world’s largest aquaculture companies and has unwavering faith in its capacity for further growth. Despite a challenging market, with global uncertainty and low salmon prices, the company has completed yet another strong year. In the fourth quarter 2020, SalMar ASA made an Operational EBIT of NOK 413.8 million. Operational EBIT for the year as a whole totalled NOK 3 billion. The company’s Norwegian operations posted an Operational EBIT of NOK 433.5 million in the fourth quarter and NOK 3,058 million in 2020 as a whole. This corresponds to an increase of 3 per cent on 2019. - 2020 has been a challenging year, characterised by significant uncertainty for the aquaculture industry. This uncertainty was also evident in the fourth quarter. At the start of the year, few people would have dared to hope that we would post a 2020 operational result that was as good as the year before. Nevertheless, through a strategic and operational focus, as well as employees who have demonstrated a formidable ability to adapt to new working practices, we have done just that,” says SalMar’s CEO Gustav Witzøe. SalMar harvested a total of 43,600 tonnes in the fourth quarter 2020, compared with 40,300 tonnes in the same period the year before. Operational EBIT per kg came to NOK 9.50 in the fourth quarter, down from NOK 16.31 per kg in the fourth quarter 2019. The decrease in Operational EBIT per kg is attributable largely to a 25 per cent lower average salmon price in the fourth quarter 2020 compared with the same period the year before. EBIT per kg for 2020 as a whole came to NOK 18.62, down just NOK 1.42 per kg from 2019. Biological and operational performance remains good Fish Farming Central Norway once again posted a solid result, and reaped the rewards of sound operations and a good biological performance. The autumn-2019 generation accounted for the entire volume harvested during the period. In the first quarter 2021, the segment will finish harvesting the autumn-2019 generation and start harvesting the spring-2020 generation. The biological performance of both generations has recently proved to be good. In the year’s first quarter, costs are expected to remain at similar levels, while the volume harvested will be slightly lower than in the quarter before. SalMar expects Fish Farming Central Norway to harvest 107,000 tonnes of salmon in 2021. Fish Farming Northern Norway continues its positive trend and posted satisfactory results in the fourth quarter 2020. 80 per cent of the volume harvested derived from fish transferred to sea farms in the spring of 2019, a generation that has had strong biological performance and contributed to lower costs at harvest. SalMar started harvesting the autumn-2019 generation in the fourth quarter 2020, and will continue doing so in the first quarter 2021. This generation has also demonstrated a good biological performance. In the first quarter 2021, the segment expects slightly higher costs and a substantially lower harvested volume compared with the quarter before. For the Sales and Processing segment, the fourth quarter was characterised by a high degree of uncertainty in the market as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the segment posted a satisfactory Operational EBIT of NOK 73 million in the period. For 2020 as a whole, the segment posted a strong performance with an Operational EBIT of NOK 282 million, up from NOK 124 million the year before. 2020 proved to be a difficult year for Icelandic Salmon, which experienced substantial challenges at the start of the year. The company started harvesting the 2019-generation in the fourth quarter 2020. These fish have a substantially lower cost at harvest. Nevertheless, low price achievement led to an operating loss in the period. The company is drawing on the lessons learned in the year now past, and is optimistic with respect to 2021, a year in which the biological status of the fish held at its sea farms is significantly better. Positive outlook The coronavirus and the associated public health measures that have been implemented worldwide to limit its transmission have prompted greater uncertainty in the market. However, SalMar is well equipped to handle such crises, since it has a high degree of financial flexibility and the capacity to process products locally before shipping them worldwide. A small number of employees tested positive for the virus towards the end of 2020, but good contingency plans and a robust response helped ensure that the infection did not spread. SalMar’s board of directors considers that the company has a solid foundation for continued positive development, both within its offshore and coastal operations. The company is continuing to pursue its ongoing investment programmes to secure development of an already robust platform for further growth. SalMar still expects to harvest a total of 163,000 tonnes in Norway and 14,000 tonnes in Iceland in 2021. Strengthened focus on offshore fish farming SalMar’s focus on offshore fish farming is well known and continues the company’s tradition of developing and utilising new technologies and new solutions. In January 2021, an application for permission to operate the world’s first fish farm in the open ocean, Smart Fish Farm, was submitted to the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries. The establishment of salmon farming in the open ocean is an important element in SalMar’s strategy for sustainable growth. This endeavour is described in more detail in a separate stock market notice/press release published today. Secured new sustainability linked financing To strengthen financial flexibility and further strengthen the company’s focus on sustainability, SalMar has in the beginning of 2021 refinanced its existing credit facilities. The company has increased its overdraft facility and at the same time entered into an agreement on a new sustainability linked credit facility, an agreement that has four ESG KPI’s linked to it. - Through the new facilities, we strengthen our financial flexibility and at the same time strengthen our focus on sustainability. The agreement focuses on four of our most important KPIs where all of them pulls us in an even more sustainable direction, says CFO & COO Trine Sæther Romuld. Dividend In the past few quarters, SalMar has demonstrated its ability to adapt to changing market conditions by posting strong results and maintaining a solid financial position. On this basis, the board of directors is recommending that a dividend of NOK 20 per share be paid for the 2020 financial year. The complete report and presentation for the fourth quarter 2020 is attached. SalMar’s CEO Gustav Witzøe and CFO & COO Trine S. Romuld will begin presenting the company’s results at 8am CET via a webcast on www.salmar.no. For further information, please contact: CEO Gustav Witzøe Tel: +47 911 47 834 Email: gustav.witzoe@salmar.no CFO & COO Trine Sæther Romuld Tel: + 47 991 63 632 Email: trine.romuld@salmar.no About SalMar SalMar is one of the world’s largest and most efficient producers of salmon. The Group has farming operations in Central Norway, Northern Norway and Iceland, as well as substantial harvesting and secondary processing operations in Norway, at InnovaMar in Frøya and Vikenco in Aukra. SalMar also owns 50 per cent of the shares in Scottish Sea Farms Ltd. See www.salmar.no for more information about the company. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements stipulated in section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. Attachments SalMar Q4 2020 report SalMar Q4 2020 presentation
VALENCIA, Calif. and MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AVITA Medical, Inc. (Nasdaq: RCEL; ASX: AVH) (“AVITA Medical”), a regenerative medicine company that is developing and commercializing a technology platform that enables point-of-care autologous skin restoration for multiple unmet needs, today announced the pricing of its previously announced underwritten registered public offering of 2,795,000 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of US$21.50 per share. As part of the offering, AVITA Medical granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase at the public offering price up to an additional 419,250 shares of its common stock on the same terms and conditions. All of the shares of common stock to be sold in the offering are being offered by AVITA Medical. AVITA Medical expects to close the offering on or about March 1, 2021, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Gross proceeds from the offering are expected to be approximately US$60.1 million assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares. AVITA Medical intends to use the net proceeds from this offering (after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and other estimated offering expenses payable by AVITA Medical) to fund its current product development pipeline, to pursue approvals of its products for additional indications and for general corporate purposes, which may include licensing arrangements. Piper Sandler & Co. and Cowen and Company, LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. BTIG, LLC is acting as lead manager and Lake Street Capital Markets, LLC is acting as co-manager for the offering. The offering is being made pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-249419) that was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 9, 2020 and declared effective on October 16, 2020 and that was also publicly released on the Australian Securities Exchange (“ASX”). A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus related to and describing the terms of the proposed offering have been filed with the SEC and released on the ASX on February 24, 2021 (in the United States) / February 25, 2021 (in Australia). A copy of these documents may be obtained by visiting EDGAR on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or by contacting Piper Sandler & Co., Attention: Prospectus Department, 800 Nicollet Mall, J12S03, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402, by e-mail at prospectus@psc.com, or by phone at (800) 747-3924, or Cowen and Company, LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, Attention: Prospectus Department, by telephone at (833) 297-2926 or by email at PostSaleManualRequests@broadridge.com. The final terms of the offering will be disclosed in a final prospectus supplement to be filed with the SEC and released on the ASX. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor may there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About AVITA Medical, Inc.: AVITA Medical is a regenerative medicine company with a technology platform positioned to address unmet medical needs in burns, chronic wounds, and aesthetics indications. AVITA Medical’s proprietary collection and application technology provides innovative treatment solutions derived from the regenerative properties of a patient’s own skin. The medical devices work by preparing a RES® REGENERATIVE EPIDERMAL SUSPENSION, an autologous suspension comprised of the patient’s skin cells necessary to regenerate natural healthy epidermis. This autologous suspension is then sprayed onto the areas of the patient requiring treatment. AVITA Medical’s first U.S. product, the RECELL® System, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2018. The RECELL System is indicated for use in the treatment of acute thermal burns in patients 18 years and older. The RECELL System is used to prepare Spray-On Skin™ Cells using a small amount of a patient’s own skin, providing a new way to treat severe burns, while significantly reducing the amount of donor skin required. The RECELL System is designed to be used at the point of care alone or in combination with autografts depending on the depth of the burn injury. Compelling data from randomized, controlled clinical trials conducted at major U.S. burn centers and real-world use in more than 10,000 patients globally, reinforce that the RECELL System is a significant advancement over the current standard of care for burn patients and offers benefits in clinical outcomes and cost savings. Healthcare professionals should read the INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE - RECELL® Autologous Cell Harvesting Device for a full description of indications for use and important safety information including contraindications, warnings and precautions. In international markets, our products are marketed under the RECELL System brand to promote skin healing in a wide range of applications including burns, chronic wounds and aesthetics. The RECELL System is TGA-registered in Australia and received CE-mark approval in Europe. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although the forward-looking statements in this release reflect the good faith judgment of management, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by AVITA Medical in the reports it has filed with the SEC, including the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2020 for a description of the risks that may affect its business, financial condition, results of operation and cash flows. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, AVITA Medical’s actual results may vary materially from those expected or projected. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. AVITA Medical assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this release, except as required by law. For Further Information: U.S. MediaSam Brown, Inc. Christy CurranPhone +1-615-414-8668christycurran@sambrown.comO.U.S. MediaRudi Michelson Phone +61 (0)3 9620 3333Mobile +61 (0)411 402 737rudim@monsoon.com.auInvestorsWestwicke PartnersCaroline Corner Phone +1-415-202-5678caroline.corner@westwicke.com
Qantas Airways does not expect to resume international travel apart from New Zealand until late October after the Australian population was vaccinated for COVID-19, the airline’s chief executive said on Thursday. The Sydney-based airline had been selling seats on international flights from July 1. “We are now planning for international travel to restart at the end of October this year in line with the day for Australia’s vaccine rollout to be effectively complete,” Joyce said.
Spider-Man: No Way Home will reportedly delve into Dr Strage's multiverse and will unite separate generations of Spider-Man films
Rescue teams in Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province searched for survivors on Thursday after a landslide in an illegal gold mining area killed at least three people, with more feared dead, disaster officials said. Teams comprised of police, military and the local disaster agency deployed heavy machinery to help the search, with at least 15 survivors found as of Thursday, according to the provincial disaster agency.
CALGARY — Women's curling powerhouses Kerri Einarson and Rachel Homan clash Thursday for the first time since last year's Canadian championship final. The lack of a competitive curling season because of the COVID-19 pandemic makes the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts championship game in Moose Jaw, Sask., feel not long ago for Einarson, who edged Homan 8-7 in an extra end to take the crown. "It was a year ago yesterday," Einarson observed Wednesday. "It's so hard to believe that it's been a year. "We're expecting a really great game and I'm excited to play Rachel again." The defending champions and Ontario's Homan square off in the round-robin finale at WinSport's Markin MacPhail Centre. Regardless of the result, Einarson (7-0) and Homan (6-1) will continue into the championship round of the Hearts, while eight other teams tussle for the remaining six berths Thursday. Einarson was heavy on a draw for the win in the 10th end of last year's championship game and gave up a steal of two. She didn't make the same mistake facing two Homan counters in the 11th. Homan feels more distance on Moose Jaw because of how different she feels physically. "Last time, I wasn't pregnant," said Homan, who is in her third trimester. "If someone told me we'd be six and one going into our last round-robin (game) I'd be ecstatic." "I'd be pretty happy I was still playing and able to compete." Alberta's Laura Walker, Kerry Galusha of Northwest Territories and Beth Peterson's Wild Card Three all 4-3 remained in contention in Pool A. Quebec's Laurie St-Georges topped Pool B with a 5-2 record, but her rookie foursome was among five still battling for four championship round spots Thursday. "Honestly I can't wait to be on the ice again and playing against great teams," said the 23-year-old Quebec skip. "I'm excited to play with my girls, my family and live this experience." Saskatchewan's Sherry Anderson and Manitoba's Jennifer Jones (4-2), Chelsea Cary's Wild Card One (4-3) and Prince Edward Island's Suzanne Birt (3-3) were also Pool B contenders. The eight advancing teams take their records with them into the championship round Friday and Saturday. The top three from the championship round will be Sunday's playoff teams, with the No. 1 seed earning the bye to that day's final. N.W.T.'s Galusha handed Homan her first loss in Calgary with a 7-5 win in the morning draw Wednesday. Galusha followed up with a 10-2 win over Yukon at night to stay in contention. Galusha has yet to make the playoffs in 14 Hearts appearances,. "I feel really thankful we're in this position," the skip said. "It's a lot of fun being in the mix this year." St. Georges' foursome didn't arrive in Calgary burdened with the weight of expectations in their first Tournament of Hearts. Members of the team have suggested this week a spectator-free debut made it less intimidating for them. The skip and her front end of Emily Riley and sister Cynthia St-Georges are just two years removed from the junior ranks. They won a silver medal together at the national junior championship in 2018. Third Hailey Armstrong skipped Ontario to a silver medal at the 2017 junior championship. "Going into the last game of the round-robin tomorrow, we didn't know what to expect coming here, so we're really happy with our five-and-two record," said 19-year-old Cynthia St-Georges. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2021. Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
Writer Sam Jawed shared a Twitter thread after she stumbled on a collection of 1950s-60s Bollywood star photos and autographs from an old family album.
The Justice Department's internal watchdog is reviewing a former Boeing engineer's allegations that he was unfairly investigated by the FBI on suspicion that he was spying for China, according to correspondence and court filings reviewed by The Associated Press. The inspector general review is unfolding amid broader scrutiny of the FBI's process for applying for court-authorized surveillance in national security investigations. Errors in applications submitted during the Russia investigation of Donald Trump's first presidential campaign, as well as in a larger sample of applications subsequently scrutinized by the watchdog office, have spurred bipartisan concerns about government surveillance powers and yielded rare alignment from pro-security and pro-privacy voices in Congress.
(DFO - image credit) A new Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) project is setting its sights on the people who sail the high seas, illegally cast their nets and pull fish from the ocean near places like Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. The plan is to use satellites to detect and track so-called 'dark vessels' — ships that have switched off their location transmitters to evade authorities. According to Sean Wheeler, senior compliance program officer with the DFO's international program, the $7 million project is meant as a proof-of-concept — a scheme to work with developing nations and demonstrate how a combination of satellites can help focus the search for illegal fishers. "We're taking a massive area of ocean and really narrowing it for the enforcement officers, in terms of what they need to respond to," said Wheeler. He said some of the satellites are owned by the Canadian government, others are commercial assets that officials can use for different types of detection from space. Wheeler said radar and light emission detection are two ways to find boats on the massive sea surface, while using environmental conditions — like sea surface temperature and chlorophyll — help determine where the fish are going to be, and thus, where to look for fishers. The Dark Vessel Detection system can be used to find ships that have switched off their AIS (automated information system) transmitters to evade authorities. This image shows a significant fleet off the Ecuador boundary, near the Galapagos Islands. Environmental and economic impact "We're talking about factory fishing vessels in some scenarios that can do a lot of destruction in a very short amount of time," he said, adding that illegal fishing harms subsistence fisheries, leads to lost tax revenue and poses a risk to food security — not to mention the impact on the environment. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing accounts for 30 per cent of fishing worldwide, according to the DFO, and costs the global economy an estimated $23 billion each year. It's considered a major contributor to declining fish stocks and habitat destruction. Wheeler said the strength of the project is the software that pulls multiple types of satellite information into one interface. That software is being put into the hands of officials in Ecuador and the Forum Fisheries Agency, which represents 15 small island nations in the Pacific region. The $1.2-billion RADARSAT Constellation system, which is owned by the Canadian government, was launched in 2019. The three-satellite system is among the equipment used to detect illegal fishers. When the person analyzing the satellite data on a computer identifies a suspected 'dark vessel,' they can alert local enforcement officials — the Ecuadorian Maritime Authority in the case of the sensitive Galapagos Islands area — which can dispatch airplanes or ships to investigate and intercept illegal fishers. Wheeler said in the case of international waters, it could fall on the U.S. or Royal Canadian Navy to carry out enforcement. The project is set to run for about 18 months, at which point Wheeler said it would be assessed and more international partners could be brought on board. Earlier this year a similar project was kicked off to detect illegal fishing in the Bahamas and Costa Rica. The DFO said that work has resulted in major fines for five foreign vessels. Do you have more to add to this story? Email rafferty.baker@cbc.ca Follow Rafferty Baker on Twitter: @raffertybaker
While official figures estimate total 774 deaths between 1993 and March 2019, SKA estimates that nearly 2,000 manual scavengers die every year in the sewers, due to exposure to poisonous gases
The mini electric vehicle being made by China's biggest carmaker is now outselling Tesla two to one.
Catch the LIVE score and updates from the second T20I between New Zealand and Australia
The season reopens following the All-Star break on 10 March when Washington visits Memphis and San Antonio goes to Dallas.
With every episode of CiNEmatters, Firstpost hopes to inch closer to the reason behind why entertainment from this part of the country continues to remain largely elusive, besides examining some of its most interesting, yet lesser-known offerings.
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led House is poised to pass a bill that would enshrine LGBTQ protections in the nation's labour and civil rights laws, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate. The Equality Act amends existing civil rights law to explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identification as protected characteristics. The protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas. Supporters say the law before the House on Thursday is long overdue and would ensure that every person is treated equally under the law. “In the absence of federal civil rights protection, there are members of the LGBTQ community who are fair game in the eyes of the law to be targeted, based on sexual orientation,” said House Democratic Conference Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. "That is not America.” Republicans broadly oppose the legislation, echoing concerns from religious groups and social conservatives who worry the bill would force people to take actions that contradict their religious beliefs. They warn that faith-based adoption agencies seeking to place children with a married mother and father could be forced to close, or that private schools would have to hire staff whose conduct violates tenets of the school's faith. “The bill may have equality in the title, but it certainly does not serve all Americans," said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C. “It is a vehicle for serious, harmful consequences." The House passed the Equality Act in the last Congress with unanimous Democratic support and the backing of eight Republicans, but Donald Trump's White House opposed the measure and it was not considered in the Senate, where 60 votes will be needed to overcome procedural hurdles. Democrats are trying to revive it now that they have control of Congress and the White House, but passage appears unlikely in the evenly divided Senate. The Supreme Court provided the LGBTQ community with a resounding victory last year in a 6-3 ruling that said the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applied to LGBTQ workers when it comes to barring discrimination on the basis of sex. Civil rights groups have encouraged Congress to follow up that decision and ensure that anti-bias protections addressing such areas as housing, public accommodations and public services are applied in all 50 states. Biden made clear his support for the Equality Act in the lead-up to last year's election, saying it would be one of his first priorities. Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon said her home state of Pennsylvania was one of 30 that doesn’t have legal protections for LGBTQ people. She said the Equality Act is needed to end “the patchwork of state laws” around gay rights and create “uniform nationwide protection.” “It's been personal since my baby sister came out to me almost 40 years ago," Scanlon said. “For many people all across this country and across this House, that is when the fight hits home." Leaders at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote lawmakers this week to say they had grave concerns about the bill. Among the concerns the five bishops raised is that the bill would expand the government's definition of public places, forcing church halls and equivalent facilities to host functions that violate their beliefs, which could lead to closing their doors to the broader community. Some of the nation's largest corporations are part of a coalition in support of the legislation, including Apple Inc., AT&T, Chevron and 3M Co., just to name a few of the hundreds of companies that have endorsed it. Kevin Freking, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Republicans rallied solidly against Democrats' proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill as lawmakers awaited a decision by the Senate's parliamentarian that could bolster or potentially kill a pivotal provision hiking the federal minimum wage. Despite their paper-thin congressional majorities, Democratic leaders were poised to push the sweeping package through the House on Friday. They were hoping the Senate, where changes seem likely, would follow quickly enough to have legislation on President Joe Biden's desk by mid-March. By late Wednesday, not one Republican in either chamber had publicly said he or she would back the legislation. GOP leaders were honing attacks on the package as a job killer that does too little to reopen schools or businesses shuttered for the pandemic and that was not only wasteful but also even unscrupulous. “I haven’t seen a Republican yet that’s found something in there that they agree with," said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. "I think all Republicans believe in three simple things: They want a bill that puts us back to work, back to school and back to health. This bill is too costly, too corrupt and too liberal.” The hardening opposition suggested that Biden’s first major legislative initiative could encounter unanimous GOP opposition. That was a counterpoint to the new president’s refrain during his campaign about bringing the country together and a replay of the Republican wall that new President Barack Obama encountered in 2009 and most of his administration. Democrats showed no signs of backing down, citing the assistance the measure would spread to people, businesses and state and local governments. “If congressional Republicans want to oppose all that, my response is: Good luck,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor. By Wednesday evening, the most suspense was over a decision anticipated from Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate's nonpartisan arbiter of its rules, that promised enormous political and legislative consequences. The relief bill includes a provision that over five years would hike the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. The parliamentarian is involved because Democrats are pushing the overall $1.9 trillion measure through Congress under special rules that will let them avoid a Senate filibuster by Republicans. Those same rules prohibit provisions with only an “incidental” impact on the federal budget because they are chiefly driven by other policy purposes. The parliamentarian decides if a provision passes that test. With Republicans strongly against a minimum wage increase, the only way for it to survive is by including it in a filibuster-proof bill like the COVID-19 relief measure. To end a filibuster, Democrats would need 60 votes, an impossibility for them in the evenly divided 50-50 Senate. If the parliamentarian decides the minimum wage provision can remain in the bill, it would be a major boost for its proponents. But there would be no guarantee the measure would survive because some moderates oppose it or want it dialed back. That suggests grueling bargaining on its final form would lie ahead. A decision by the parliamentarian that the minimum wage hike must fall from the bill could be fatal, but not necessarily. Democrats could employ a rarely used procedural move to muscle the minimum wage provision into the bill with just 51 votes anyway, but it was unclear if they could muster enough support to do that. The minimum wage has stood at $7.25 since 2009. Winning the increase is a top priority for progressives at a time when Democrats control Congress and the White House. The overall bill would provide millions of Americans with $1,400 direct payments to help them weather the pandemic that’s stalled much of the economy for a year and killed half a million people. It contains billions of dollars for vaccines and COVID-19 testing, schools, state and local governments and emergency jobless benefits while providing tax cuts or payments for many families with children. In a sign of hardball politics ahead, top Republicans suggested that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Schumer squeezed money into the bill for their own states. McCarthy said the bill had $100 million to help extend the San Francisco area’s BART commuter rail system south to San Jose. That project was approved previously by the Trump administration and is not in Pelosi’s San Francisco district, a top Democratic aide said. McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., suggested Schumer had won money for a bridge connecting upstate New York to Canada. A senior Democratic aide said the bill contains $1.5 million for the bridge, which is in the district of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. The aide said it was requested in 2020 by the Trump administration’s Transportation Department, which was headed by Elaine Chao, McConnell’s wife. Alan Fram, The Associated Press
Johnny Wilkes reportedly made his demands two weeks after Kawhi Leonard joined the Clippers.
Oil prices rose for a fourth straight session on Thursday to the highest levels in more than 13 months, underpinned by monetary easing policies and lower crude production in the United States. An assurance from the U.S. Federal Reserve that interest rates would stay low for a while boosted investors' risk appetite and global financial markets. "Comments from Fed Chairman, Jerome Powell, earlier in the week relating to the need for monetary policy to remain accommodative have probably helped, but sentiment in the oil market has also become more bullish, with expectations for a tightening oil balance," ING analysts said in a note.
The line is from President Theodore Roosevelt and is also a mantra at JPL that adorns many of the centre’s walls.