January 26, 2024

Friday, January 26, 2024. Annette’s News Roundup.

I think the Roundup makes people feel not so alone.

To read an article excerpted in this Roundup, click on its blue title. Each “blue” article is hyperlinked so you can read the whole article.

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Joe and Kamala are always busy.

Gun violence goes on.

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The Economy booms, good for America and good for Biden-Harris.

The U.S. economy boomed in 2023, thanks to consumers opening up wallets.

New GDP figures show strong growth at the end of last year.

The U.S. economy grew by a bustling 3.1 percent in 2023, shaking off recession fears and offering an upbeat picture of consumers and businesses ahead of a pivotal election year.

GDP grew even faster than many had anticipated in the last three months of the year — by an annual rate of 3.3 percent, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, offering fresh evidence that federal policymakers have managed to bring down inflation and secure a “soft landing” without major repercussions for workers or the economy.

“The doom and gloom that prevailed last year has been swept aside,” said Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak, global chief economist at Boston Consulting Group. “The pessimism has been punted out, quarter after quarter.”

The economy’s resilience has been driven by vigorous consumer spending. A strong job market and rising wages have made it possible for many households to keep shelling out — particularly on services such as entertainment, travel and dining out — even at a time of elevated inflation.

That spending by everyday Americans accounted for most of the economy’s growth in the fourth quarter. Increased government spending, at the state, local and federal levels, as well as higher exports and more private and residential investments also lifted the latest GDP reading, which sums up the goods and services produced in the U.S. economy. Meanwhile, a rise in imports dragged down the latest reading.

The economic growth figures are a political boost for President Biden, as every year of his term has seen GDP growth, despite some struggling quarters. Last year’s 3.3 percent expansion tops GDP growth in every year of President Donald Trump’s term, including 2019, when the economy grew by 2.95 percent. (Washington Post).

Women opened more businesses than anyone in 2023 and the most prolific sector will surprise you

The News is good. Depending on your biases, the surprise may not be so surprising.

If you dream of starting your own business in 2024, then there is hope for you.

More than 600,000 businesses were listed as new on Yelp’s platform and more than 50,000 were started by women.

For the first time since 2019, every single state in the U.S. set a new all-time high for new business openings, according to a newsurvey from Yelp that measures new businesses listings on the platform in a given time frame. Of the 762,227 started (up 20% over 2022), 58,000 of these new businesses were created by women, the most prolific demographic of founders.

This comes despite the Federal Reserve keeping its baseline inflation rate at about 5.4%—the highest it’s been in 22 years while mortgage and business loan payments were also high—and while the unemployment rate stayed at 3.7% (consistent with the past 23 months) as hourly wages rose 4.1% from 2022. 

“Last year, there was so much anticipation about an economic recession, but entrepreneurs helped defy those predictions and set a new all-time high for business openings on Yelp,” says Samantha Auerbach, data science manager at Yelp, calling it a “new era of post-COVID recovery in the U.S.”

Growth is seen across a wide array of industries, driven by hotels and travel (up 44%), home services (up 38%), local services (up 30%), event services (up 23%), and automotive services (up 14%).

Overall, home-service businesses saw the highest growth, more than 278,000 of them opened, as people are prioritizing expanding their homes more than ever, something also referred to as “golden handcuffs.”

The states with the highest percentage of growth in new businesses within the past year were:

• West Virginia (up 37%)

• Wyoming (up 35%)

• Rhode Island (up 35%)

• Delaware (up 32%)

• Idaho (up 29%)

Notably, home services appeared in the five highest-growth categories for each of these states, mirroring the national trend. 

For the first time, women have opened up more home-service businesses than beauty businesses. These businesses include carpenters (up 54%), masonry and concrete services (up 40%), contractors (up 33%), drywall installation and repair (up 30%), and demolition services (up 27%).

It’s the “year of the girl,” says Auerbach. “It’s no doubt, a big part of the country’s economic growth was due to women’s contributions.”

Other underrepresented founders starting new businesses include:

• LGBTQ+-owned: Orlando, Florida (up 72%); Philadelphia (up 67%); Washington, D.C. (up 55%); San Diego (up 48%); and Boston (up 38%)

• Latino-owned: Austin (up 62%); Denver (up 60%); Washington D.C. (up 56%); Orlando, Florida (up 50%); and Atlanta (up 45%)

• Black-owned: Milwaukee (up 75 %); Richmond, Virginia (up 66%); Indianapolis (up 59%); Memphis (up 56%); and Nashville (up 50%)

• Asian-owned: Charlotte, North Carolina (up 113%); Denver (up 63%); Philadelphia (up 63%); Tampa, Florida (up 52%); and Miami (up 51%)

Although underlying expenses are rising, overall consumer inflation did slow down in 2023; and this path, bumpy as it may be, should fall much closer to the Fed’s 2% target by the end of 2024. 

“In 2024, we predict we will continue to see this positive momentum across the U.S., as entrepreneurs remain optimistic about the economy,” says Auerbach.

You can read Yelp’s full report here. (Fast Company).

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Every win for a House Seat is big in 2024.

We must take back the House, and make Hakeem Jeffries Speaker.

Regaining this seat 👇 will feel especially satisfying.

GOP falls behind in ad battle to keep George Santos’ seat - POLITICO.

It will be lovely when Tom Suozzi (left) brings the Congressional seat, recently held by wacky George Santos (right), back to the Democratic caucus.

House Republicans have a crucial special election just weeks away that could buoy their hopes of keeping their narrow majority. But they aren’t acting like it when it comes to television ads.

Democrats are funneling over $8 million into the airwaves to recapture the Long Island seat they lost to George Santos, according to AdImpact, a media tracking service. Republicans have so far reserved a mere $3 million ahead of the Feb. 13 special election.

And the GOP is quickly running out of time to block Democrats from a victory that could power their attempt to reverse the punishing losses they suffered in New York in 2022.

The special election in New York’s battleground 3rd Congressional District is key for both parties after the expulsion last year of Santos, the infamous Republican fabulist. The contest pits former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, a three-term incumbent with high name ID in the district, against Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip, an Ethiopian-born veteran of the Israel Defense Forces.

Republicans are waging a serious campaign — including a robust field program — and Pilip is fundraising furiously. The TV spending disparity, though it has closed somewhat over the past week, is still daunting.

Suozzi is far better known in the district, and Pilip desperately needs to boost her profile — fast. A TV ad can reach far more people than door knocking, especially when Democrats are flooding the airwaves with ads that portray her as part of the “MAGA” wing of the party.

Republicans are in a bind, though.

The cost of investing is high in the nation’s priciest media market, and Republicans will need globs of cash to defend the seat and several others in the region this fall. But leaving their candidate underfunded in a nationally watched special election is an uncomfortable prospect.

“In a majority where we have a single-digit number of seats? Yes, I think the investment is a wise one and could pay dividends at that,” said Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), who won a neighboring competitive seat on Long Island in 2022.

“Every dollar spent is a dollar that is going to be spent well on this,” he said. “We don’t need to spend dollar for dollar in order to win this. We can just come close.”

But the two parties’ spending totals so far are not close at all — and there are only three weeks left until the election. (Politico).

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Trump update.

1. Trump’s threat won’t be carried out. He will take anyone’s money anytime.

Mob boss delivers a message. Trump: Nikki Haley donors will be barred from "MAGA camp" - Axios via Bulwark

“Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!”

An unhinged man’s rant.

The other side: "Well in that case…donate here. Let's Go! ❤️," wrote Haley in a post to X responding to his comments and linking to her campaign donations page.

2.Trump stops immigration reform.

3. Peter Navarro Is Sentenced to Four Months in Prison.

Navarro Is Sentenced to 4 Months in Prison for Stonewalling Congress in Jan. 6 Inquiry.

Another Trump Aide goes to jail, for ignoring a subpoena.

Mr. Navarro was found guilty in September of criminal Contempt of Congress, making him the second Trump aide to face penalties related to one of the chief investigations into Jan. 6.

Mr. Navarro is the second high-ranking Trump aide who has faced penalties for contempt of Congress related to the Jan. 6 committee investigation.

Mr. Bannon, who left the White House in 2017, was convicted on nearly identical contempt charges in 2022 and sentenced to four months in prison. He remains free as his appeal moves forward.

Mr. Navarro, along with Stephen K. Bannon, a longtime adviser to Mr. Trump, devised a plan known as the Green Bay Sweep. Under the strategy, they would try to delay certification of the election by persuading Republican lawmakers to repeatedly challenge the results in various swing states and apply pressure on former Vice President Mike Pence to discredit the outcome. He also cast doubt on the results of the race, compiling instances of purported irregularities and issuing a three-part report claiming election fraud as part of what he described as an “immaculate deception.”

Those efforts ultimately elicited the attention of the House committee, which sought documents and testimony from Mr. Navarro. He repeatedly spurned those requests.

After voting to hold Mr. Navarro in contempt, the House referred the matter to the Justice Department, which obtained a grand jury indictment.

Read more

(New York Times).

One more thing.

Mike Johnson is supporting Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s criminal act - refusing to obey an order from the Supreme Court.

Greg Abbott’s statement.

Are there any Republicans who respect the law?

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Nikki Haley update.

In general, these GOP women - Haley and Cheney - and I don’t share most values but you gotta love how they get under Trump’s skin. Keeping the GOP race going forces the Trump Campaign to spend funds on Haley he could have used on Biden.

Haley Super PAC Says It Raised $50.1 Million, Eclipsing Trump.

The figure for the second half of last year outstripped the $46 million that Donald Trump’s super PAC announced. But the Haley PAC has spent heavily, and it’s unclear how much is left.

The main super PAC backing Nikki Haley said Thursday that it had raised $50.1 million in the second half of 2023, a hefty sum that eclipses the amount brought in by the leading super PAC backing former President Donald J. Trump.

The group, SFA Fund Inc., provided the figure to The New York Times but did not offer additional details about its finances. Detailed filings are due with the Federal Election Commission on Jan. 31, and will lay out all of the fund-raising and spending the group did between July 1 and Dec. 31.

The Trump-aligned super PAC, MAGA Inc., said Thursday that it had raised more than $46 million in the second half of 2023, and that it had ended the year with just over $23 million cash on hand.

In all of 2023, SFA Fund Inc. — short for Stand for America Fund — raised $68.9 million. It is not clear how much the group has on hand, but records show the group has spent heavily: $61.7 million on independent expenditures — primarily advertising costs — in the second half of the year.

While the haul by Ms. Haley’s super PAC shows how donors flocked to her as the Republican field consolidated late last year, it is unclear if she can sustain that financial strength in a two-person race against Mr. Trump. He beat her handily in the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire this month, but she has vowed to continue her campaign for the nomination.

In a statement, Taylor Budowich, the chief executive of MAGA Inc., did not mention Ms. Haley’s continued efforts.

“The general election has already started,” he said. “President Trump has a clear path to win, but Democrats are spending more money and they are doing it earlier than ever before.”

One of the biggest donors to MAGA Inc. was Timothy Mellon, a transportation executive and an heir to the Mellon family banking fortune, who gave $10 million, a representative for MAGA Inc. said.

Mr. Mellon has supported Mr. Trump’s re-election efforts in the past, but last spring he gave $5 million to a super PAC backing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was then running for president as a Democrat and is now pursuing an independent bid. (New York Times).

Liz Cheney says Nikki Haley should stay in G.O.P. primary through Super Tuesday.

Former Representative Liz Cheney urged Nikki Haley to stay in the Republican primary race through Super Tuesday in an episode of “Pod Save America” that will be released on Friday. Ms. Cheney, an outspoken critic of former President Donald J. Trump, called his candidacy an “existential threat” to the nation and commended Ms. Haley for running against him, despite her long odds.

“We need to make sure that we’re challenging him and working to defeat him at every step of the way. And right now, Nikki Haley is in this fight, and I think she ought to stay in it,” Ms. Cheney said, according to a transcript of the interview shared with The New York Times.

Ms. Cheney has not endorsed a presidential candidate, and has teased the possibility of a third-party runherself. She didn’t rule that out on the podcast, and she told Jon Favreau, the podcast’s host and a former speechwriter in the Obama administration, that she “certainly” thinks a third-party candidate, whether her or someone else, will enter the race before November.

“I think we’ll see what happens,” she said. “You know, my No. 1 priority is defeating him and I think that’s going to guide whatever ultimately I decide I’m going to do.”

She dismissed the notion that Mr. Trump has all but clinched his party’s nomination and criticized Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee, for urging Republicans to consolidate support behind Mr. Trump after his victory in the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

“That’s inappropriate, to say the least, for the chairperson of the R.N.C. to be asserting that the primary’s over when it’s not over,” Ms. Cheney said.

Ms. Cheney has long been critical of fellow Republicans who kowtow to Mr. Trump and in the interview, she singled out Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who endorsed Mr. Trump at a rally in New Hampshire last week, months after suspending his own primary bid. The endorsement stirred more speculation that Mr. Trump might be considering Mr. Scott as his running mate. On Tuesday, Ms. Cheney called another potential vice-presidential contender, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, a “crackpot.”

“You’ve got members who used to be responsible and thoughtful and honorable. And now for some reason, they feel that they can sort of jettison all of that in the name of loyalty to Trump,” she said.

Another subject of Ms. Cheney’s ire on the podcast was Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate’s minority leader. She called him “disgusting” for signaling that he would back away from a deal with Democrats on immigration legislation after Mr. Trump called on lawmakers to oppose it.

“History will judge them, in my view, as harshly as it will judge Trump because he can’t do what he’s doing without them,” Ms. Cheney said. (New York Times).

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Women’s Tennis Championships in Saudi Arabia?

No. Did the Women’s Tennis Association forget that Billie Jean King is its founder?

We did not help build women’s tennis for it to be exploited by Saudi Arabia.

By Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Between 1974 and 1991, each won 18 Grand Slam singles titles.


Lately, we seem to be so inseparable that you might as well call us Evertilova. We have not always been so in step with each other; one of us is quiet, the other unquiet. But there is a matter on which we have always been perfectly united.

Over many years we were opponents, sometimes in matches with an intensity that felt personal. Then we became friends, and then we met cancer together. Over the years, 50 of them now, no matter what occurred on the court or in our lives, we shared an understanding that we were engaged in a common cause, one that connected our hearts and amounted to our life’s work: the building of a Women’s Tennis Association tour founded on equality, to empower women in a male-dominated world.


That work is now imperiled. WTA Tour officials, without adequate consultation with the players who are the very foundation of the sport, are on the verge of agreeing to stage the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia. This is entirely incompatible with the spirit and purpose of women’s tennis and the WTA itself.

We fully appreciate the importance of respecting diverse cultures and religions. It is because of this, and not despite it, that we oppose the awarding of the tour’s crown jewel tournament to Riyadh. The WTA’s values sit in stark contrast to those of the proposed host. Not only is this a country where women are not seen as equal, it is a country where the current landscape includes a male guardianship law that essentially makes women the property of men. A country which criminalizes the LGBTQ community to the point of possible death sentences. A country whose long-term record on human rights and basic freedoms has been a matter of international concern for decades.


Staging the WTA final there would represent not progress, but significant regression.
Under Saudi law, a woman must have a male guardian to marry, and when she does, the guardianship passes to her husband. Wives are required to “obey” their husbands in such matters as whether to travel together, where to live, and the frequency of sexual relations. The unequal status of women remains deeply embedded in Saudi law, and women who actively protest this injustice risk indefinite imprisonment — for they need a male guardian’s permission to leave prison even after they have served their sentences.


We can’t sit back and allow something as significant as awarding a tournament to Saudi Arabia to happen without an open, honest discussion. To clarify and ensure transparency on these issues, we make the following common-sense recommendations.


First, the WTA Board, the WTA Ventures board, tournament and players’ council should conduct an open session that includes presentations to players from human rights experts. There should be a healthy debate over whether “progress” and “engagement” is really possible, or whether staging a Saudi crown-jewel tournament would involve players in an act of sportswashing merely for the sake of a cash influx.


Progress on women’s and human rights has been promised by the kingdom before, and token measures have been adopted — yet the principle of male guardianship was made even stronger when it was codified into law in 2022.
Second, the WTA should write a human rights framework and put it in place to protect players, fans, sponsors, workers, etc. Without this clearly stated framework that all tournament hosts must abide by, the WTA puts its people at risk. In Saudi Arabia, women’s rights activists have faced arrest, detention, travel bans and even torture. As recently as 2020, an activist who campaigned simply for a woman’s right to drive was sentenced to nearly six years in prison.


The WTA should revisit the values upon which it was established. We believe that those values cannot even be expressed, much less achieved, in Saudi Arabia. Taking a tournament there would represent a significant step backward, to the detriment not just of women’s sport, but women. We hope this changes someday, hopefully within the next five years. If so, we would endorse engagement there.


A final point: Tennis as we have played it is not just a sport but an ethic. It embodies a code of decency and respect among athletes and among people generally. We competed in an era of critical social causes, from women’s rights to civil rights to apartheid to LGBTQ+ rights, that demanded the ethical consideration of others. We did not and do not get every issue right — but we valued the education it gave us.


Along the way, we learned the importance of our personal acts on these issues, because like it or not, the fame and influence granted to top athletes inevitably makes us political. And we took pride in that leadership responsibility.
The WTA must stand for human rights so long as inequality for women exists in the world. We offer this from our experiences: A champion is carved not just from trophies, or earnings, but from the decision to surrender comfort and luxury to make hard choices and take principled stands.(op-ed, The Washington Post).

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