The River Mersey and the Bay of Liverpool are the largest assets this famous English city possesses‚ and attempting to beat the British government to a net-zero economy‚ Liverpool City Region have entered phase 3 planning stage to build the largest tidal power plant on Earth. Schemes to harness the predictable power of the tides […] The post Liverpool is Building the World’s Largest Tidal Power Project to Power a Million Homes appeared first on Good News Network.

News The Crow The Crow Remake Is a Real Thing That You Can Really Watch in June‚ Should You Wish to Do So Eric Draven rises again By Molly Templeton | Published on March 14‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed For years‚ they—in the general Hollywood sense—have been trying to remake The Crow‚ the iconic 1994 movie that starred Brandon Lee in what would‚ tragically‚ be his final role. A moody‚ stylish adaptation of the graphic novel by James O’Barr‚ the original film was directed by Alex Proyas‚ who had made his name in music videos and went on to direct the also-dark-and-stylish Dark City. Proyas’s The Crow is a story of supernatural revenge: Eric Draven and his fiancee‚ Shelley‚ are brutally murdered; he comes back‚ undead and unkillable‚ to avenge her death. One of the most powerful elements in the film—along with Lee’s slinky‚ heartbroken performance—is that it’s Shelley’s pain that eventually dooms the villain (an outstanding Michael Wincott). Her death and suffering don’t just motivate her lover; they are‚ ultimately‚ her killer’s downfall. What any of that means for this remake remains to be seen. (I still maintain that we deserve a version in which Shelley gets her own revenge.) The first trailer is here‚ and it’s mostly just … violence. Lots and lots of super-bloody violence‚ which the dialogue says is not rage‚ but love. There is also a perplexing voiceover bit which suggests that if Eric (Bill SkarsgÃ¥rd) can get revenge fast enough‚ he can “save” Shelley (FKA twigs). Here’s the synopsis: Soulmates Eric Draven (SkarsgÃ¥rd) and Shelly Webster (FKA twigs) are brutally murdered when the demons of her dark past catch up with them. Given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself‚ Eric sets out to seek merciless revenge on their killers‚ traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right. This trailer has two things going for it: One‚ based on what we see of the murder scene‚ it seems to have removed the rape. And two‚ it has Danny Huston as the villain‚ with Foundation’s excellent Laura Birn as his right-hand woman. Huston is an incredible‚ often underused actor‚ and if anyone can fill Michael Wincott’s shoes‚ he probably can. But it’s missing the vibes. Director Rupert Sanders was behind Snow White and the Huntman and the live-action Ghost in the Shell‚ neither of which inspires a lot of confidence. He is also directly responsible for Eric Draven’s weirdly Jared-Leto-as-the-Joker look here; the director told Vanity Fair: “That look was me in the ’90s when we were squat-raving in London‚ [mixed with some modern influences] like Post Malone and Lil Peep. I hope people who are 19 today look at him and go‚ ‘That guy is us.’” Goodbye‚ goths; hello‚ squat-ravers. Goodbye‚ one of the best soundtracks ever; hello‚ whatever is happening with the music in this trailer. The worst thing about this remake is that it doesn’t need to be this remake: the Crow comics go on to tell the stories of other characters‚ other people who take on the personal of the Crow. It didn’t have to be Eric Draven again. But here we are. The Crow flies into theaters on June 7th. [end-mark] The post <;i>;The Crow<;/i>; Remake Is a Real Thing That You Can Really Watch in June‚ Should You Wish to Do So appeared first on Reactor.

Book Recommendations Short Fiction Spotlight Must Read Short Speculative Fiction: February 2024 Dystopian drones‚ skeleton boyfriends‚ rundown tourist attractions and more in this month’s short fiction spotlight. By Alex Brown | Published on March 14‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed February has come and gone‚ but it left behind some excellent short stories. This month is a random assortment with no unifying themes. I’ve got dystopian drones‚ skeleton boyfriends‚ gift-giving birds‚ rundown tourist attractions‚ living dead girls‚ ghosts‚ gods‚ and philosophical debates on morality and ethics. “BUDDY RAYMOND’S NO-BULLSHIT GUIDE TO DRONE HUNTING” by Gillian Secord Set in the years after USians conquered the Canucks‚ this story is written in the style of a brochure. It contains tips for how to find and disable a variety of drones‚ from ones used by rich assholes for hunting for sport‚ surveillance drones‚ and military hunting drones not-so-affectionately called OH SHIT drones. On behalf of all Americans‚ I want to apologize in advance for our impending invasion and takeover of Canada. (Diabolical Plots‚ February 2‚ 2024; #108A) “The Color of Wings” by Riley Tao “Momma says there’s no girl in the barn‚ that feathers ain’t fingers and caws aren’t words‚ but the girl gives me gifts and I know that she’s real.” Although short‚ Riley Tao’s story got its hooks in me. A young boy talks to what he believes is a girl who lives in a barn but who everyone else says is a bird. A sad little story about loneliness and loss. (Cast of Wonders‚ February 29‚ 2024; #576) “Evan: A Remainder” by Jordan Kurella Evan is a trans man who starts hormones during covid lockdown in 2020. He also starts coughing up bones. His husband leaves him‚ his new boyfriend dumps him‚ his neighbor friend stops coming over. Evan’s collection of bones grows. I’m trans and genderqueer and sometimes I also feel like I’m coughing up the bones of the person I wanted to become. I loved that this story felt both true and like a metaphor all at once. (Reactor‚ January 31‚ 2024) “First Girls” by Jessica Luke García “We’re only the beginning. The motion picture reel‚ unreeling. Our heads will roll before the credits do. We won’t make it to the end.” A lot of to-do is made over the Final Girl—Stephen Graham Jones has a whole book series about her—but the First Girl is often ignored or derided. She deserves what she gets or she’s cannon fodder. She’s not clever or tough enough to survive. The rest of the cast learns from her mistakes. Jessica Luke García gives her a voice here in a twist on a classic horror trope. (Nightmare Magazine‚ February 2024; issue 137) “The Ghost on the Server” by Gregory Neil Harris A couple‚ Ori and Illy‚ are trying to scrape enough resources and creds together to get off their space station. Instead‚ Ori makes a trade for an implant that turns out to be connected to ancient alien tech. I’m always a fan of dystopian space stations and the ragamuffin underdogs making bad choices who live on them. This was a well thought out world. (IZ Digital‚ February 2024) “Lost in the Central Stacks” by Laurence Raphael Brothers I’m a librarian by day‚ so of course I was going to pick this library-centered story. Our narrator works with the booktrains in the main branch of the New York Public Library. The tracks run through the abandoned central stacks‚ which is where books keep going missing. Our narrator investigates and finds something a little frightening and a whole lot curious. In each issue‚ Translunar Travelers Lounge groups several stories together under food categories. This one fits perfectly under Basque cake. It’s got a crunchy outside that belies the sweet softness inside. (Translunar Travelers Lounge‚ February 2024; issue 10) “Of Flowing Stone‚ of Liquid Gold‚ of Justice‚ Ash‚ and Battle” by Malda Marlys “You are a young god.” Malda Marlys recounts the very long life of a god with eir thoughtful story. The god grows more powerful and beloved during times of war but never forgets the consequences of that violence on their people. Corruption‚ devotion‚ rage‚ forgiveness‚ all are experienced by the god and its people. What made this piece work so well for me was the use of second person POV. Something about it made the whole thing click into place. (Strange Horizons‚ February 5‚ 2024) “Patience Is the Virtue” by Aimee Ogden Caroline is alive but she does not live. After an illness‚ her husband‚ Howard‚ did some creepy Frankenstein surgery on her and transferred her brain into a human-sized‚ lifelike doll. Her life is now narrowed down to whatever her unblinking eyes can see. He calls what he did—without her knowledge or consent—the gift of immortality; if she was allowed to speak‚ she’d call it a living nightmare. A chilling slice of patriarchal horror. (Weird Horror‚ Spring 2024; issue 8) “Welcome aboard the Silva family historic spaceside attraction tour” by Carol Scheina Inspired by Earth-bound roadside attractions‚ Carol Scheina’s story is set among the stars. Our tour guide takes a group around to several attractions set on a disused travel route between stations. Teleportation killed the spaceside attraction industry and with it the Silva family business. It’s a light story that gives you the kind of nostalgia-tinged sadness you get when you remember all the little inconsequential things we lost to the churn of modernization and efficiency‚ like the time lady and moviefone‚ that satisfying click you hear when you turn a dial on an old television‚ those brightly colored clear plastic covers on computers‚ and of course mid-century roadside attractions. (Nature: Futures‚ February 14‚ 2024) “Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” by Isabel J. Kim Putting my reputation on the line by admitting that I’ve never read “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” or anything by Ursula K. Le Guin (not for any particular reason‚ I just don’t especially care). I am also not up on the trend of people reimagining or “fixing” Le Guin’s take on the trolley problem. Given all that‚ it may be a surprise to find Isabel J. Kim’s Omelas twist on my spotlight‚ but here we are. The premise is exactly what it says on the tin: while most citizens of Omelas are satisfied with the ethical conundrum of leaving a child to suffer alone so the rest of society can live consequence-free‚ and while some feel so aggrieved they leave town‚ a few decide to take matters into their own hands by killing the child. No one knows where the children come from—and no one ever suggests just rescuing the kid and taking them out of Omelas—but with each murder a new one is produced and dropped into the pit of despair. The internet got into a huff about this story‚ but I enjoyed it. What it asks of its audience and what it doesn’t makes for a compelling read. (Clarkesworld‚ February 2024; issue 209) [end-mark] The post Must Read Short Speculative Fiction: February 2024 appeared first on Reactor.

Start Quiz Andy Katz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Andy Katz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Throughout the world‚ the military is regarded as an institution of hard work and discipline but also as one where heroes are born and the greatest of sacrifices are made. But for many men and women‚ the military is what their everyday lives are dedicated to. And whether they’re at... Source

This time around‚ Adam is opening up 2 packs of X-Men trading cards. The first is a set of Fleer cards from 1996‚ while the second is a pack from 1997. Plus he’s sharing a CONTINUE READING... The post Wax Pack Flashback: X-Men (1996-1997) appeared first on The Retro Network.

The Biden administration appears poised to put the government’s thumb on the scale in the 2024 election‚ House Republicans say.  The administration’s lack of transparency about implementing President Joe Biden’s executive order for federal agencies to help get out the vote—combined with a warning from Attorney General Merrick Garland—has sparked some concern among lawmakers.  “You just saw Merrick Garland saying voter ID is disenfranchising people‚” Rep. Claudia Tenney‚ R-N.Y.‚ co-chairman of the House Election Integrity Caucus‚ told The Daily Signal. “The statistics don’t bear that out. It’s like 85% of people across all demographics support voter ID.” Earlier this month‚ Garland criticized voter ID laws and other election security measures as “discriminatory‚ burdensome‚ and unnecessary.” “One of the first things I did as attorney general was to double the number of lawyers in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division‚” Garland said in a March 3 speech in Selma‚ Alabama. “That is why we are challenging efforts by states and jurisdictions to implement discriminatory‚ burdensome‚ and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot‚ including those related to mail-in voting‚ the use of drop boxes‚ and voter ID requirements.” As explained in my book “The Myth of Voter Suppression‚” several studies have shown that voter ID laws don’t suppress voting.  A 2019 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research‚ based on turnout data from 2008 to 2018‚ said voter ID laws “have no negative effect on registration or turnout‚ overall or for any group defined by race‚ gender‚ age‚ or party affiliation.”  A 2023 study‚ published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences‚ found that voter ID laws actually “produced a Democratic advantage‚ which weakened to near zero after 2012.” It added that voter ID laws have “negligible average effects.” Garland’s recent comments seemed aimed at intimidation during the 2024 election cycle‚ where it looks like Biden again will face Donald Trump‚ Tenney said.   “We’ve had just an unprecedented amount of changes in laws in terms of election integrity‚” Tenney said‚ referring to New York and other Democrat-controlled states. She added: “I’m trying to make voting great again. I’m trying to make it sacred.” Americans should be able to trust elections‚ said Rep. Mary Miller‚ R-Ill.  “It’s interesting we think we are so sophisticated around the world and we are faltering in this area‚” Miller told The Daily Signal. “People need to feel that their vote matters. We need to have voter ID. You cannot even pay cash for a hotel room without coming up with … ID. This is ridiculous.”  Voter ID laws are commonplace in almost every European country‚ while mail-in voting is far more restricted than in the United States.  “You want legitimate voters to make sure that everybody has a vote that legally should have a vote‚” Rep. Beth Van Duyne‚ R-Texas‚ told The Daily Signal. “Otherwise‚ you are diluting the voice of your constituency.”  Van Duyne said she does worry about Biden’s Executive Order 14019‚ which requires federal agencies to establish plans and partner with nonprofit organizations to boost voting.  “The Constitution clearly defines states as maintaining control of their election laws‚” Van Duyne said. “Trying to stick the camel’s nose under the tent is a mistake. I do not want D.C. coming in and telling Texas how to conduct its elections.”  Although Biden administration agencies have been slow to release information voluntarily‚ responses to requests for public records have shown agencies are partnering with transparently liberal organizations such as Demos‚ the Brennan Center for Justice‚ the American Civil Liberties Union‚ and similar groups.  “I don’t have a problem with voters having access to vote. That’s the American way. I do have a problem with agencies being involved in the political process‚” Rep. Carlos Giménez‚ R-Fla.‚ said. “That should be left up to the parties and volunteer groups for voter registration. Certainly‚ the agencies shouldn’t put impediments to voter registration [in place]‚”  Giménez told The Daily Signal. “But that’s a very slippery slope for federal agencies to be in charge of voter registration‚ because there are always going to be charges of ‘Are you registering one particular group over another?’ I’d rather not see the federal government involved in that.”  The most frequent source of election fraud comes from mail-in or absentee voting‚ based on a compilation of cases from The Heritage Foundation’s Election Fraud Database.  If Biden cared about election security‚ he would address the problem of absentee ballots‚ said Rep. Glenn Grothman‚ R-Wis. “If you have an absentee ballot‚ you never know for sure who filled it out. You never know for sure if somebody is being coached‚” Grothman told The Daily Signal.  “If [Russian President] Vladimir Putin got elected with 80% of the ballots being absentee‚ we’d just roll our eyes and say that’s not a fair election‚” he said. “But there are many states in which 80% of the ballots are going to be absentee‚ which will always cause American elections to be viewed jadedly.” Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post ‘Make Voting Great Again’: GOP Warns Against Government Election Meddling appeared first on The Daily Signal.

In 1991‚ the Soviet Union collapsed. It marked the end of an experiment that lasted almost a century‚ testing the premise that godless secularization—turning control of people’s lives over to other people to rule them‚ who decide what others need and how they should live and conduct their lives—is the answer for mankind. In the free world‚ the collapse of the Soviet Union was cause for celebration. In the USA‚ it was widely viewed as a victory of the American way of life—a free nation under God. But let’s not get confused between things and the names we give them. Our own country—despite the words in our founding documents about freedom and God—has been on a path adopting the same premises about human reality that led to the collapse of the communist world. This was evident in President Joe Biden’s message to the nation in his State of the Union address on March 7. Biden‚ in so many words‚ delivered a message that the path for a better‚ wealthier‚ fairer America is more government. Despite the reality that the country is being crushed with staggering debt‚ the result of runaway government‚ Biden and his party celebrate this and want even more. The words find their way into numbers in the budget for the next 10 years that the president has just submitted to Congress. Federal spending in this budget will stand in fiscal year 2025 at $7.3 trillion. One-quarter of our national economy consumed by the federal government. This amounts to a 14% increase from where federal spending stood in the last quarter of 2023—$6.4 trillion. Per the president’s spokesperson in the White House‚ this budget “invests in all of America to make sure everyone has a fair shot.” “We leave no one behind.” Translation: Government will accumulate more power and decide what is fair and achieve its aims with more government‚ paid for with other people’s money. The beautiful language of leaving “no one behind” means government expansion into every area of our lives‚ including subsidized child care for families earning $200‚000 and below. The bill for the massive new spending‚ per the president’s budget‚ will be paid for with a total of $4.9 trillion in tax increases on the wealthy and on corporations. I say “supposedly paid for” because expansion of government under the premises of raising taxes on the most successful sectors of our economy never works. Renowned economist Arthur Laffer and Heritage Foundation economist Stephen Moore just published data showing that when President Donald Trump cut the highest individual tax rate and cut the corporate tax rate in 2017‚ the percentage of overall taxes paid by the wealthiest 1% of the population increased. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Before the Trump tax cuts‚ the top 1% paid “a little more than 40% of the income taxes collected‚” per Laffer and Moore. After the tax cuts‚ that percentage increased to almost 46%. This was not something new. Laffer and Moore show data going back to 1980 showing general correlation of lower top tax rates with a larger percentage of overall taxes paid by the top 1%. Freedom means unleashing productivity and creativity. Absence of freedom means punishing both and therefore getting less of both. It’s why the Soviet Union collapsed. Godless secularism doesn’t work. The latest edition of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education’s “The State of Black Progress” shows the uniform failure of expansion of government into health care‚ education‚ housing and retirement‚ all in the name of “fairness” and no one being “left behind.” The truth really is‚ it’s more than this. It’s about politicians who love power buying it with gifts given with other people’s money. Harsh to say‚ but this is reality. Only 19% of Americans are satisfied with the direction of the country‚ per Gallup. Most Americans feel something is wrong. We need leadership to take us back to freedom and God. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Back in the USSR?: Biden’s Budget for Gargantuan Government appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Biden administration renewed a sanctions waiver against the Iranian regime Wednesday that unlocks billions of dollars in previously frozen funds‚ The Washington Free Beacon reported. The administration’s sanctions waiver‚ extended for another four months‚ allows Tehran access to $10 billion in previously frozen Iranian revenues collected from electricity exports‚ according to The Washington Free Beacon‚ which viewed the renewal notice. President Joe Biden has been criticized for taking a soft-line stance against Iran‚ such as easing up on sanctions and paying out “ransom” for hostages‚ in a bid to appease the Islamist regime and deter it from hostility toward the West‚ which has not manifested promising results. “Leave it to the Biden administration to be giving access to $10 billion to an Islamist regime that recently killed three American soldiers‚ maimed dozens more‚ has shut down shipping in the Red Sea‚ is barreling ahead with its nuclear weapons program‚ and is attacking Israel‚ America’s closest ally in the Middle East‚” Mark Dubowitz‚ CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies‚ told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The Biden administration keeps giving billions of dollars to the Islamic Republic [of Iran] in the hope that it will buy better behavior. It only encourages much greater aggression‚” Dubowitz said. “When will they learn?” Four members of the US Congress‚ @RepHuizenga‚ @RepBrianMast‚ @RepBlaine and @RepJoeWilson‚ have in a letter to @SecBlinken and @SecYellen raised "serious questions" about the Biden admin's enforcement of Iran sanctions‚ calling for explanations about its decision to waive… pic.twitter.com/GvCVnjShZn— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 12‚ 2024 The sanctions waiver policy was instituted by the Trump administration in 2018 to allow Iraq—in desperate need of energy—to pay Iran for electricity imports‚ but on the strict condition that Baghdad would not pay Tehran in cash and that the funds could be used only for humanitarian purposes‚ the Beacon reported. The Biden administration continued this policy‚ but in 2023 allowed the funds to be transferred to a bank in Oman to be doled out to Iran. “This is not the same waiver for Iraqi electricity imports that has been issued since 2018‚” Richard Goldberg‚ senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies‚ said in a statement Wednesday. “This is an Iran sanctions relief waiver that allows Tehran to access money and use it for budget support‚ including debt payments and import subsidies. That was not allowed prior to last summer.” Several Republican lawmakers sent a letter Monday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding to know the reasoning behind continuing the policy‚ especially in light of Iran’s recent aggression in the Middle East. The lawmakers also want to know how much money Iran has directly accessed since sanctions were lifted. Iran masterminds and funds over a dozen terror groups throughout the Middle East region‚ including Hamas‚ which killed over 1‚200 civilians in Israel on Oct. 7. The regime’s terror network is also responsible for killing three U.S. troops at a coalition base in Jordan in late January‚ which prompted retaliatory strikes from the U.S. against targets in Iraq and Syria. The Biden administration has made several concessions to Iran since Biden took office in January 2021‚ including easing up on oil sanctions‚ allowing Tehran to rake in billions of dollars and paying a $6 billion “ransom” fee in exchange for five American prisoners unjustly held in Iran. The State and Treasury departments did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post ‘WHEN WILL THEY LEARN?’: Biden Admin Again Greenlights Iran’s Access to $10 Billion appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A group of financial officials from 16 states sent a letter to asset management giant State Street Global Advisors on Thursday urging the firm to offer investors options that do not incorporate environmental‚ social‚ and governance concerns‚ which push green initiatives. State Street offers both an ESG and non-ESG fund‚ but the letter points out that current wider firm policies governed by shareholder proposals are all restricted to options that in some way incorporate ESG factors. The request from state officials follows a move from State Street‚ along with JPMorgan Asset Management‚ in February to not renew its membership with environmental coalition Climate Action 100+‚ as the U.S. House continues to investigate the coalition to see if it violates antitrust law. “Today’s letter from state financial officers across the country is both a continuation of the important fight against ESG and its pernicious influence‚ as well as an important new message to asset managers and banks alike‚” Derek Kreifels‚ CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation‚ told the Daily Caller News Foundation‚ adding: Fiduciaries of public funds will not blithely accept token gestures and hollow assurances that financial institutions are retreating from their ESG activism. Those who persist in using the power of all assets under management and their proxy voting power to push a radical political agenda under the guise of ESG will be held to account by state financial officers. In recent years‚ major companies‚ including financial institutions like State Street‚ have aimed to use ESG initiatives to push company policies that do not focus on maximizing profits and shareholder value‚ but rather advocate for action on climate change and the promotion of race-based equity policies. To provide options in how shareholders’ assets are used to best align with personal views‚ State Street implemented the option to vote through proxy voting service Institutional Shareholder Services on different value-based proposal options‚ which would materially change how the company operates‚ according to the company. State Street offers eight voting choices‚ including voting in tandem with the company’s board‚ sustainable policy‚ socially responsible investment policy‚ and Catholic faith-based policy‚ all of which the letter argues in some way incorporate ESG considerations. “This use of non-ESG-denominated funds to push ESG issues makes those non-ESG fund denominations at very least inapt‚ if not a demonstration of the provision of material misinformation‚” the letter reads. “The problem is compounded by the fact that with these same non-ESG-denominated funds State Street declines to support in its benchmark policy proposals or pressure companies to evaluate and respond to other‚ non-ESG risks.” DAVID BLACKMON: The Cynicism And Absurdity Of Climate Alarmism https://t.co/3G2rcYUu0S— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 13‚ 2024 In its benchmark policy proposal‚ State Street advocates against requiring companies it is invested in consider the dangers and risks of green technology not being “technologically feasible” or affordable‚ according to the report. The policy also opposes companies taking into consideration the possibility that the models used for certain climate determinations are accurate. Despite the voting options being marketed as a way to provide non-ESG alternatives‚ the letter argues that these options all in some way pressure businesses to adopt certain practices‚ such as accounting for climate risk as well as adopting diversity‚ equity‚ and inclusion policies‚ and are “wholly partisan‚” according to the letter. The state financial officers call for a new voting option that would be pro-fiduciary while also against ESG-aligned proposals‚ and for State Street to not punish board directors for going against ESG-related proposals. “We further ask that State Street offer‚ in time for the upcoming 2024 season of annual general meetings‚ at least one voting choice option that endorses ‘pro-fiduciary’ proposals while opposing ESG-supporting proposals‚ and that does not punish boards or directors for being insufficiently ESG-motivated‚ but rather for failing to address the issues and concerns of pro-fiduciary proponents‚” the letter reads. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan‚ R-Ohio‚ issued a subpoena to State Street as well as other asset managers in December as part of an investigation into possible collusion between top financial firms and ESG initiatives. In 2022‚ Florida banned the state government from placing its funds with asset managers that utilize ESG considerations when managing funds. State Street did not immediately respond to a request to comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post GOP State Officials Urge Asset Management Giant to Stop Its ‘Wholly Partisan’ Push for Green Initiatives appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Biden administration has outlined a detailed prescription for even greater government control over Americans’ medications. Biden unveiled the broad outlines in his March 7 State of the Union address‚ and the Department of Health and Human Services filled in the details in the president’s proposed $7.3 trillion fiscal 2025 budget submission. If Biden’s policy agenda were enacted by Congress‚ federal officials would extend Medicare’s current price-control regime into the private sector‚ affecting American citizens’ access to new drugs and breakthrough medications.    In his address to Congress‚ Biden declared that “Americans pay more for prescription drugs than anywhere in the world. It’s wrong‚ and I am ending it.” Under the misleadingly named Inflation Reduction Act‚ in 2026 Medicare will fix the prices of 10 selected drugs‚ and the number of medications and therapies will get progressively larger after that date. But Biden made it clear—if there was any doubt—that the government’s price-control regime will be expansive. Biden wants Medicare to be able to negotiate prices for more than 500 different drugs over the next decade‚ while expanding the government’s regulatory power over the private sector. Concerning the Medicare drug policy‚ the president claimed‚ “It will not only save lives‚ but it will also save taxpayers another $200 billion.” Though Team Biden routinely describes the process of Medicare drug pricing as a process of “negotiation”—conjuring up the image of “give and take” of private sector contracting—nothing could be further from the truth. Rather‚ Biden is reviving the oldest policy flop in economic history; namely‚ government price controls. Any pharmaceutical research and manufacturing company that does not agree to the terms the Medicare bureaucracy sets for the “maximum price” of a drug is subject to an extraordinarily punitive excise tax. That’s coercion‚ not negotiation. Given the long history of government price controls in various sectors of the economy‚ stretching back literally thousands of years‚ the dynamics generate inescapable consequences. So‚ do not expect Biden’s policy to produce results materially different.   First‚ following a mandatory decline in company revenues‚ expect a reduction in private sector investment spending in drugs and therapeutics‚ particularly new medications and therapies. Heavy research and development investment (between $4 billion and $10 billion) is routinely required for new medications. Such investment is also required for breakthrough vaccines. Second‚ as with any government price-control regime‚ expect a massive cost shift from the controlled to the uncontrolled sector of the economy. If pharmaceutical research and development companies are forced to offer drugs below a market price in a huge program like Medicare‚ the companies will have no choice but to stop their losses by increasing their prices in the private market serving younger working families. Price controls do not control costs‚ they shift costs. It has always been so. Third‚ expect higher health insurance costs. While lower Medicare drug prices are expected to lower Medicare insurance premiums‚ expect those “savings” to result in higher premium costs outside of Medicare. Obviously‚ the big insurance companies marketing to Medicare patients will come out ahead by securing lower claims costs for Medicare drugs‚ thus increasing their profit margins within the Medicare program. But‚ once again‚ lower health insurance premiums in Medicare‚ driven by government price-fixing‚ will incentivize private health insurers to make up the difference by raising premiums for private and employer-based health insurance. Those big promised “savings” in Medicare will be offset by higher consumer costs outside of Medicare. Government regulation to solve an economic problem almost always begets more government regulation to solve an unintended mess the government created. In this case‚ government-generated cost-shifting of hundreds of billions of dollars (“Medicare savings”) from the public to the private sector is to be “fixed” with‚ yep‚ more regulation on the private sector. Thus‚ Biden proposes to extend Medicare’s $2‚000 annual cap on prescription-drug costs to the entire private sector‚ covering an estimated 169 million Americans. With such a comprehensive price-control regime‚ those big costs do not somehow magically disappear. Rather‚ the costs change shape and are shifted once again to consumers in the form of shortages of price-controlled goods and services‚ the items no longer produced or accessible under the government’s price regulations.      On one crucial point in this Medicare drug debate‚ there’s no dispute: If there is a reduction in pharmaceutical R&;D‚ there will obviously be a drop in the production and distribution of new medications or breakthrough therapies. Both the Congressional Budget Office and independent economists agree on that point. Their differences are differences over the severity of the decline in pharmaceutical innovation. No sane official has ever suggested that a price-control strategy would increase a firm’s revenues or ensure the production and distribution of an even greater quantity of goods or services. The CBO estimates that reduction in the availability of new therapies for patients will be 13 fewer new drugs over the next 30 years. But CBO did not or could not provide any perspective on the costs of such a policy on public health. We know‚ however‚ that a lack of access to drug therapy‚ for example‚ can increase utilization of non-drug medical interventions and expensive hospitalization. Serious illness and death can result. Independent economists are not nearly as optimistic as the CBO analysts. Professor Tomas Philipson of the University of Chicago estimated that the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act could result in a 21.7% decrease in investment spending on cancer R&;D‚ compared with 2022 levels. Over the next 20 years‚ Philipson says‚ patients would be deprived of many advanced cancer treatments. Thus‚ a price-control strategy is a supply-control strategy. In reducing the supply of the costly good or commodity‚ thus reducing its availability‚ it generates “savings” in that controlled sector of the economy. That’s why European countries‚ where drug price controls prevail‚ routinely lag behind America in pharmaceutical R&;D and breakthrough medications. Cheap drugs can be costly. For patients‚ that is. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.   The post Government Control: Biden’s Rx for Prescription Drugs Is Bad Medicine appeared first on The Daily Signal.