This Debt Crisis Is Not Like 2011’s. It’s Worse.

On its surface, the unfolding debt-ceiling crisis looks a lot like the confrontation in 2011 between congressional Republicans and then-President Barack Obama. Once again, a new GOP majority in the House is using the threat of a national default as leverage to force a first-term Democratic president to agree to spending cuts in exchange for lifting the federal borrowing limit. A first-ever default could crash the markets and trigger a recession. But, as in 2011, the two parties remain far apart, with a deadline to act approaching rapidly. Eric Cantor…

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‘Wokeness’ at the Fed Could Easily Create Another Banking Crisis

You expect your money to be safe in a bank, but if the Federal Reserve gets its way, that may not be the case soon. That’s because the Fed, which has a tremendous amount of regulatory power over the nation’s financial institutions, has begun using its authority to put politics before fiscal stability. If the Fed’s New Year’s resolution was to destabilize America’s financial system, it’s off to a great start. The Fed conducts stress tests of financial institutions to determine those firms’ solvency and the systemic risk they may…

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6 Takeaways as House Republicans Accuse Homeland Security Chief of ‘Intentional’ Border Crisis

House Republicans pressed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for answers Thursday as every sign appeared to point to a rising surge of illegal immigrants trying to cross the southern border.  According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, agents last month logged over 221,000 “encounters” with illegal aliens along the border, a 33% jump from February.     In testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Mayorkas argued that the situation at the border is under “operational control,” as the law requires. Republicans on the committee repeatedly rejected this claim, pointing to the huge…

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Most Americans lack confidence in Biden’s ability to handle Ukraine crisis: poll

An NBC News poll released Sunday found more than two-thirds of Americans doubt President Biden has the chops to manage the Ukraine crisis as his approval rating hit a new low. The poll of 1,000 adults showed that 71% have “just some” or “very little” confidence in Mr. Biden … The Washington Times stories: White House

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Biden’s Burnt Bridges Exacerbate Ukraine-Related Oil Crisis

Although Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has helped to unify Europe against Russia, it has had a divisive effect in the Middle East, where many countries recently have hedged their bets by boosting ties to Moscow to offset declining confidence in U.S. leadership. Even before the Biden administration’s Afghanistan withdrawal debacle last August, U.S. allies and partners in the Middle East were dismayed by a downsizing of the U.S. military presence in the region, incessant talk of an American “pivot” to Asia, and the administration’s commitment to restoring the flawed 2015…

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Ukraine crisis shows Biden behind the curve again, critics say

President Biden finds himself in a familiar spot after Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine: playing catch-up. The commander in chief waited until after the invasion to start ordering sanctions against Russia for the unfolding military clash. It’s the latest instance when Mr. Biden’s lagging responses make it harder for … The Washington Times stories: White House

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