(The White House) Since Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement, President Biden has conducted a rigorous process to identify his replacement. President Biden sought a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character, and unwavering dedication to the rule of law. And the President sought an individual who is committed to equal justice under the law and who understands the profound impact that the Supreme Court’s decisions have on the lives of the American people.
That is why the President nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the next Justice on the Supreme Court. Judge Jackson is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and has an unusual breadth of experience in our legal system, giving her the perspective to be an exceptional Justice.
About Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
Judge Jackson was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Miami, Florida. Her parents attended segregated primary schools, then attended historically black colleges and universities. Both started their careers as public school teachers and became leaders and administrators in the Miami-Dade Public School System. When Judge Jackson was in preschool, her father attended law school. In a 2017 lecture, Judge Jackson traced her love of the law back to sitting next to her father in their apartment as he tackled his law school homework—reading cases and preparing for Socratic questioning—while she undertook her preschool homework—coloring books.
Judge Jackson stood out as a high achiever throughout her childhood. She was a speech and debate star who was elected “mayor” of Palmetto Junior High and student body president of Miami Palmetto Senior High School. But like many Black women, Judge Jackson still faced naysayers. When Judge Jackson told her high school guidance counselor she wanted to attend Harvard, the guidance counselor warned that Judge Jackson should not set her “sights so high.”
That did not stop Judge Jackson. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, then attended Harvard Law School, where she graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review
(Axios) “There is no room in this party for apologists" for Russian President Vladimir Putin former Vice President Mike Pence plans to tell top Republican donors during a speech in New Orleans on Friday.
Why it matters: The excerpted remarks appear to be the most forceful separation yet between the former vice president and his ex-boss, Donald Trump.
He does not mention Trump by name in the portions of the speech shared in advance.
On Russia: “To those who argue that NATO expansion is somehow responsible for the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Ask yourself, where would our friends in Eastern Europe be today if they were not in NATO?" the vice president will tell the GOP donors during his speech.
Trump was a vocal critical of the trans-Atlantic alliance during his presidency, at one point calling it "obsolete" and lobbing frequent attacks at other member states.
National average price of gas tops $4 a gallon for first time in over a decade
Source: USA Today
The national average price for gas has topped $4 a gallon for the first time in over a decade as gas costs continue to soar in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
As of Sunday afternoon, the national average of a regular gallon of gas is $4.009, according to the American Automobile Association. That's up 8 cents from Saturday and up 40 cents from last week. The national average also comes a day earlier than what analysts expected.
The national record average for is $4.11 on July 17, 2008, according to AAA. However, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at fuel-savings app GasBuddy, said in a tweet on Sunday the national average could reach up to $4.10 by Tuesday, adding to the possibility the all-time record is broken by the end of the week.
GasBuddy's 2022 gasoline forecast predicts the average price of gas will reach $4.25 by May, and it will remain over $4 likely until November.
Average gas price hits new record high on Tuesday
Source: The Hill
The average price of gas in the U.S. rose by 10 cents per gallon from Monday to Tuesday,
hitting a record $4.17 per gallon as President Biden announced a ban on Russian oil, natural gas and coal imports in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine.
According to AAA national average gas price monitor,
the national average is up 55 cents per gallon since last week.
The record was previously set in July 2008 at $4.103 per gallon, though that record was also slightly surpassed Monday, reaching $4.104 a gallon.
While the price of gas was already on the rise before Russia attacked Ukraine, primarily due to an increase in demand amid states lifting COVID-19 restrictions, prices have only continued to surge since the invasion.
As daily life gets more expensive, workers are having a harder time making ends meet.
While wage growth is high by historical standards, it isn’t keeping up with the increased cost of living, which is growing at the fastest annual pace in about four decades.
“Wages are up 5.1% over the past year, which is trailing the pace of inflation,” said Bankrate.com senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick. “Indeed, surging prices are stealing the show on the minds of consumers.”
When wages rise at a slower pace than inflation, those paychecks won’t go as far at the grocery store and at the gas pump — two areas of the budget that are getting particularly squeezed.
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
Senate passes $107 billion overhaul of USPS, lauding mail agency's role in pandemic response
Source: Washington Post
The Senate on Tuesday approved a $107 billion financial overhaul of the long-beleaguered U.S. Postal Service, providing monetary relief for the agency that leaders say will allow it to modernize and invest in efficient service.
President Biden has signaled that he plans to sign the bill, which has already cleared the House.
The Postal Service Reform Act, which passed 79-19, provides financial flexibility for the mail agency to take on improvements that have been debated for years. Republicans have traditionally criticized the Postal Service as a poster child for government waste and incompetence, even as the agency won high marks for approval and trust from the public. During the pandemic, Democrats hailed mail workers as everyday heroes, and pushed the agency as an example of the benefits of robust government services.
But the Postal Service’s role throughout the coronavirus pandemic forced lawmakers to reach a consensus on restructuring its balance sheet, with worries that the agency could not withstand another financial shock. Nearly half of all voters cast their ballots by mail during the 2020 election .................
(Mother Jones) The first criminal trial of a January 6 insurrectionist has reached its dramatic conclusion: Guilty on all counts.
Guy Reffitt, a Three Percenter militia member who wore a helmet and body armor as he confronted police defending the Capitol, was found guilty of obstructing the certification of President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. The 41-year-old Texan was also found guilty of illegally carrying a gun in the mob that day and threatening his children in a (thwarted) attempt to keep authorities in the dark.
The New York Times explains the significance of the conviction for the ongoing efforts to prosecute the Capitol assailants:
The trial, in Federal District Court in Washington, was a victory for the Justice Department, which has only just begun the marathon process of bringing to trial scores of rioters accused of storming the Capitol or assaulting the police outside it on Jan. 6, 2021.
The jury’s decision validated the prosecutors’ move to use an unusual obstruction count to charge hundreds of defendants in riot-related cases and could provide an incentive to some who are awaiting trial to consider pleading guilty.
Inflation sets fresh 40-year high: February CPI rises 7.9% over last year
Emily McCormick · Reporter
U.S. consumers paid more for a variety of goods and services in February compared to the prior month and year, with prices climbing across the economy amid lingering supply and demand imbalances.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 7.9% in February compared to last year, marking the fastest annual jump since 1982. This took out January's previous 40-year high rate of 7.5%, and matched consensus economist expectations, according to Bloomberg data. ... On a month-over-month basis, consumer price increases also accelerated. The CPI rose 0.8% in February compared to January after increasing by 0.6% during the prior month.
A surge in energy prices was one of the key contributors to the latest red-hot CPI print. Even before Russia invaded Ukraine and raised concerns over global energy disruptions, oil and gas prices were on the rise, as demand for fuel oil and other energy products outstripped tight global supplies. In February, the energy index jumped 3.5% for the largest monthly rise since October. And over last year, the energy index was up 25.6%.
A further impact from the Russia-Ukraine crisis and extended jump in energy prices that has ensued will likely show up in the CPI data in March, given the invasion first began in late February. Since then, gas prices at the pump have jumped to record levels, and crude oil prices have climbed to 14-year highs and at least briefly topped $130 per barrel.
Rents Rise Most in 30 Years, Signaling More Pain for Americans
Source: Bloomberg
A measure of rents in the U.S. posted the largest monthly increase in three decades, underscoring an increasingly high cost of living that’s poised to contribute even more to inflation this year.
The index for rent of primary residence increased 0.6% in February from the prior month, the most since 1987, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Thursday. It was part of an acceleration across the broader shelter category, which accounted for more than 40% of the monthly increase in an index of consumer prices excluding food and energy.
Rents, which have been in rising in the U.S. for the past year, are reported with a lag in the CPI report. That means they’ll contribute even more to inflation going forward, which already stood at a 40-year high in February. Prices are set to climb further as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupts supply chains and availability of key commodities including oil.
“There’s still further strength to be seen,” Sarah House, senior economist at Wells Fargo & Co., said of rent prices. “We don’t expect that to peak until maybe the third quarter of this year.”
