Excerpts Read an Excerpt From Mike Chen’s A Quantum Love Story The only thing harder than finding someone in a time loop is losing them. By Mike Chen | Published on January 25‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed More From A Quantum Love Story See All Posts News HALO Halo Season 2 Will be More Like A “Gritty Political War Drama‚” According to Showrunner By Vanessa Armstrong January 25‚ 2024 Book Recommendations Art and Illustration Becky Chambers Shares Art From a New Illustrated Edition of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet By Reactor January 25‚ 2024 Comment 3 Excerpts Read an Excerpt From Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland By Marie-Helene Bertino January 24‚ 2024 Comment 3 Rereads and Rewatches Military Science Fiction Hope Amid Horrors: Redliners by David Drake By Alan Brown January 23‚ 2024 Comment 1 icon-left-caret Caret See All Posts We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from A Quantum Love Story‚ a near-future time travel adventure by Mike Chen‚ out from MIRA on January 30. Grieving her best friend’s recent death‚ neuroscientist Mariana Pineda’s ready to give up everything to start anew. Even her career—after one last week consulting at a top secret particle accelerator.Except the strangest thing happens: a man stops her… and claims they’ve met before. Carter Cho knows who she is‚ why she’s mourning‚ why she’s there. And he needs Mariana to remember everything he’s saying.Because time is about to loop.In a flash of energy‚ it’s Monday morning. Again. Together‚ Mariana and Carter enter an inevitable life‚ four days at a time‚ over and over‚ without permanence except for what they share.But just as they figure out this new life‚ everything changes. Because Carter’s memories of the time loop are slowly disappearing. And their only chance at happiness is breaking out of the loop—forever. Mariana wasn’t sure which part stunned her more‚ the fact that he knew her name or that he claimed the Hawke Accelerator would blow up soon. She eyed him‚ enough desperation lining his face for her to consider that he might be a terrorist. And she was trapped with him. “Do you remember our last conversation?” the man asked. That wasn’t the follow-up question Mariana expected. Log­ical questions would have been something involving reasons for taking her hostage‚ like environmental issues with the ac­celerator itself or moral quandaries about ReLive—the usual protests that became the unwritten part of a scientist’s job. He didn’t ask that or even the more obvious question Why are you holding a photo? But… what conversation did he mean? “I…” Mariana weighed the different options in her mind‚ though the man’s frantic air probably meant that this wasn’t going to be a rational discussion. One look at the side exit showed that it had locked into place‚ a complete seal between this room and the hallway to the control room. Beckett and the others may not have even noticed that she lagged behind in the first place‚ let alone failed to follow. “I don’t. I’m sorry‚” she said‚ choosing her words carefully. “I don’t remember talking. When was it?” “The last time we were here.” Buy the Book A Quantum Love Story Mike Chen Buy Book icon-close A Quantum Love Story Mike Chen Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget This conversation failed any logic test. “You must have me confused with someone else. I’ve never been to Hawke before this week.” What could cause Hawke to blow up? A bomb. Or sabotage. “Look‚” she said‚ taking a chance‚ “I’m sure you have your reasons‚ but there’s no need to harm anyone.” “You don’t remember. I’m not trying to harm anyone. I’m trying to save all of us.” Above her‚ yellow warning lights started rotating‚ and the various displays flashed their system status‚ bright red letters stating Structural stability issue detected on strut QL89. The mo­bile AI unit hanging on her neck chimed‚ David’s playful voice coming through. “An emergency has been detected in your sec­tor. Would you kindly walk to your nearest evacuation area? I’ll lead the way. First‚ turn to the door on your right…” David continued‚ urging her to leave. She would‚ of course‚ if that was at all possible. But between David’s calls‚ the flash­ing on the monitors‚ and this guy here‚ nothing felt like a rou­tine test run. Under her feet‚ the floor rattled‚ a rhythmic bumping that jabbed her heels hard enough that she reached over to the panel to steady herself. “No‚ no‚ no.” The technician shook his head‚ biting down on his lip as frustrated lines creased his forehead. “This con­versation. Do you remember any of it?” “This conversation. We’ve never talked before.” “No‚ not before. This conversation. Right now. Do you re­member it?” How was she supposed to answer that? This man failed to operate in reality‚ and Mariana’s concerns suddenly went far beyond the rumbles and shakes rippling through the Hawke Accelerator. “Like‚” Mariana said and took in a breath‚ “what we’re dis­cussing right now? Are you talking about a bomb?” “No. Jeez. You’ve never asked about a bomb before.” That statement caused all sorts of other questions‚ but he kept going. “Carter. My name is Carter.” He held up the paper notebook in his hand‚ fingers pressing against the red cover. “When we talked‚ this was blue. Do you remember it?” Part of her neuroscience degree involved a few electives in psychology‚ and Mariana tapped into what little she could of that here. Had they done any de-escalation exercises in under­grad? She couldn’t remember and instead went with a calm‚ neutral tone. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I understand the question.” “Oh‚ freaking crap‚” the man said. Sweat now dotted his forehead‚ and though he turned skyward‚ his shoulders slumped. “Okay. It didn’t work.” “What didn’t work?” The flashing yellow lights now came with a steady beeping‚ and above them the display indicated that system temperatures were rising. David continued talking‚ though any personality he’d exhibited before was gone‚ sim­ply repeating evacuation instructions. “I’m afraid you’ll have to explain—” “It’s okay‚” Carter said‚ blowing out a breath. “You don’t have to talk me down. I’m not unstable.” “I don’t think you’re unstable‚ I just don’t under—” “I thought it was going to work last time‚ but it clearly didn’t.” He tossed the notebook aside; it landed open‚ pages coming to a rest. Mariana squinted at the neatly written tables on there‚ numbers and details captured in some sort of flow chart. “Why not?” Any agitation left his tone‚ and instead a resignation took over‚ one that matched his slumped shoulders. “It doesn’t mat­ter. We’ll try again next time. I should have brought donuts for us‚” he said‚ a sudden grin on his lips. “Next time?” “Yeah. We got about two minutes left.” The man sighed‚ then started looking around. “You drink protein shakes for breakfast‚” he said‚ without turning to her. Mariana turned to the photo still gripped in her hands. “What?” “See‚ that’s my proof. I know these things because you told me. But we didn’t have enough time to discuss what it all means. Guess it doesn’t really help now‚ does it? The notebook‚” he said‚ pointing to the floor‚ “it’s red this time. Last time I grabbed a blue one. That was our experiment. That was‚” he said laughing‚ “your suggestion. You wanted to see if you’d recognize it. You’re the scientist.” “I’m a scientist. Yes.” “We’ve had this talk a few times. Last time‚ it didn’t take this much convincing‚ though. I stopped for one extra bear claw today and it threw our whole rhythm off. Guess you can’t ac­count for all the variables. Before that‚ you once spilled coffee on me.” Carter looked at the rolling clock above the screens. “Three‚ two‚ one‚” he said‚ and he snapped his fingers. Somewhere by them‚ a massive boom rattled the room. “That’s still on time.” Beyond the walls‚ the sound of bending metal tore through the space. Sparks sprayed from one of the screens‚ a brilliant sprinkling of yellow-white as the panel disappeared. Somewhere‚ voices cried out‚ and Mariana tried to steady herself. “Fifty-two seconds‚” he said. “What can we do different this time? Hey‚ maybe the key is you having something bet­ter than a shake for breakfast. Have you ever had a pastry from Bellisario’s?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about‚ but we need to get out of here.” Carter’s face tilted‚ a grin beneath his hanging locks. “You didn’t suggest that last time.” “What does that even mean?” Mariana yelled before shaking her head and moving to the door. But Carter stepped in front of it‚ arms and legs extended to form an X. Seconds ago‚ he’d been the bigger issue‚ but now the situation had changed‚ an emerging rumbling and sudden bangs from all around. “Listen‚” Carter yelled back‚ and the facility’s shaking re­minded her of the occasional California earthquake‚ though this came with rattling booms like fireworks and a cacoph­ony of shouting voices outside of the room. “It won’t matter. We’ve got like‚ thirty seconds. Try…” His eyes darted around the room. “Dang it‚ why didn’t I think this through? What’s new‚ what’s new?” Mariana may have had her tennis ambitions cut short by a knee injury‚ but she remained in good-enough shape that she could easily knock this lanky guy off balance and take the door. She primed her body‚ hands still holding the photo frame‚ and told herself to sprint and go for the exit. Her back leg coiled up‚ ready to release when Carter spoke with urgency in his voice. “Just wait. Um‚ listen to what’s going on.” Carter glanced up at the clock‚ panic returning to his face. He mumbled something to himself as he looked her over‚ his eyes tracking the path between him and her‚ though the chaos around them blocked out anything he might have said. Shay used to give Mariana so much grief about how she overanalyzed stuff‚ the way she abided. And here‚ her stepsis­ter was right. Mariana needed to stop thinking and move now‚ and this guy stood in her way. Her back foot pushed off‚ and while running through someone wasn’t exactly part of tennis training‚ she didn’t have much of a choice here. Carter met her eyes‚ but he didn’t turn or even brace to try to stop her. One step passed‚ then a second‚ and a third‚ though just when she’d made it halfway across the room‚ his mouth opened. “You’re doing this for Shay‚” he yelled‚ his voice louder than any other moment in the room. Just hearing that stopped her momentum‚ an invisible wall in five short words. Suddenly the cacophony of the Hawke fa­cility didn’t matter more than what he said. “You’re doing this for her. In the photo‚” he said‚ this time quieter. He looked at her‚ then at the floor before glancing up to the corner. “Tell me about her‚” he said‚ a sudden slow drawl to his words. “You said you’re here for her. That’s what you told me before‚ but what does that mean?” Words suddenly failed Mariana. The floor rattled beneath her‚ the door remained locked‚ and displays flashed all sorts of warn­ings‚ but here she stood petrified by a question. Carter glanced back at the top corner‚ worry lines returning to his brow‚ and he shook his head. “Time. Never mind. Look‚ just one question. Tell me something that happened to you Monday morning.” “What?” “Anything. Anything that happened. You mentioned a dog in your building lobby before‚” he said‚ his arms moving with emphasis. “Something unexpected.” “B.E.? His biscuit dropped.” “Okay‚ okay. B.E.’s biscuit dropped. That’s it. That’s all you have to remember.” “This is ridiculous.” “You need something to hook onto.” Carter’s fingers went up one by one with each sentence. “B.E.’s biscuit dropped. If you don’t remember anything else‚ put that into your brain. For Monday. If you remember‚ that’s your proof.” He glanced again at that corner‚ and Mariana considered returning to her original plan of rushing him. “And if that sticks‚ then remember that this is a loop. It’s all looping. I’ll be waiting in the lobby first thing when you arrive on Monday. Right past the secu­rity check-in.” She would have‚ in fact‚ if she’d had the chance. But in that moment‚ metal sprayed out in all directions from the ceiling. She turned‚ lost in the chaos‚ and as she did‚ he lunged forward‚ grabbed her leg and planted a foot down one tile over. In the corner above‚ an exposed cable dangled‚ green sparks firing off every which way. They showered her‚ singeing her shoulders and burning through her coat. Carter covered himself‚ though she heard him yell‚ “I’m sorry.” Carter looked at her again—specifically‚ where she stood. His eyes tracked‚ from the place she stood to a spot on the wall ad­jacent to them‚ right in a corner where a burst of sparks erupted and a severed cord swung down‚ electricity dancing off its end. “Stay right there‚” Carter yelled‚ his voice now barely audible over the pops and crackles. “Four. Three. Two.” The final second played out in slow motion for Mariana. First‚ the exposed cable on the ceiling danced‚ driven by a whipping pulse of violent green. The surge of energy sent a zap outward‚ landing several inches from her left foot. All around her‚ differ­ent things snapped and shattered: display glass‚ metal grates‚ con­sole switches‚ like a domino run of bursts‚ the final one bright enough to cause a blind spot in her iris. The lashing beam of greenish energy flailed again‚ recoiling upon contact with the floor‚ leaving a charred scar on the metal grating at her feet. “One‚” she heard Carter say. But what happened next‚ she wasn’t sure. Because the beam of energy came alive again‚ striking her foot and spidering up her leg‚ her torso‚ her neck‚ a feeling of simultaneous burning and freezing across her senses before ev­erything disappeared. Excerpted from A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen‚ Copyright © 2024 by Mike Chen. Published by MIRA Books. The post Read an Excerpt From Mike Chen’s A Quantum Love Story appeared first on Reactor.

News HALO Halo Season 2 Will be More Like A “Gritty Political War Drama‚” According to Showrunner Pablo Schreiber‚ who plays Master Chief‚ has also called the upcoming episodes “vastly more authentic.” By Vanessa Armstrong | Published on January 25‚ 2024 icon-comment 0 Share New Share Twitter Facebook Pinterest RSS Feed More From Paramount Plus See All Posts Excerpts Read an Excerpt From Mike Chen’s A Quantum Love Story By Mike Chen January 25‚ 2024 Comment 0 News Avatar: The Last Airbender Hold On to Your Cabbages! Netflix Released an Avatar: The Last Airbender Trailer By Vanessa Armstrong January 24‚ 2024 Book Recommendations Art and Illustration Becky Chambers Shares Art From a New Illustrated Edition of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet By Reactor January 25‚ 2024 Comment 3 Excerpts Read an Excerpt From Marie-Helene Bertino’s Beautyland By Marie-Helene Bertino January 24‚ 2024 Comment 3 icon-left-caret Caret See All Posts The second season of Halo is set to premiere on Paramount+ in mere days‚ folks‚ and the cast wants to you to know that the series based on the popular video game is going to darker places. Showrunner Otto Bathurst talked with Collider and other publications when the outlets visited the set during production‚ and he said that the upcoming episodes were “much more raw and much more grounded‚ and much more subjective‚ and you’re much more with the characters.” He added‚ “It feels more like a kind of gritty political war drama rather than that slightly more kind of spec– I mean‚ it’s still a massive spectacle‚ but I would say that the main thing is it’s much more character-based. You’re much more with the characters. It’s much more subjective. It’s much more like you’re in it‚ you really feel like you’re in it.” Pablo Schreiber‚ who plays Master Chief on the show‚ also said that the second season would be “vastly more authentic‚” or at least as authentic as a sci-fi show full of space aliens can be. The answers here obviously address some criticism the series received when it first came out for being a “derivative” and “generic” take on the source material‚ though season one still has a 70% Rotten Tomato score‚ which is decent if not stellar. You can judge for yourself how well season two accomplishes this when it premieres on Paramount+ on February 8‚ 2024 The post <;i>;Halo<;/i>; Season 2 Will be More Like A “Gritty Political War Drama‚” According to Showrunner appeared first on Reactor.

One recurring event in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth finds you completing various photo assignments for big prizes you won’t want to miss. Here is our guide listing all Downtown/Chinatown/District Five Photo Rally locations in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth – All Downtown/Chinatown/District Five Photo Rally locations As is tradition for the Like a Dragon/Yakuza series‚ the latest entry is loaded with side questions and diversions. In Infinite Wealth‚ one such quest-giver is Alo-Happy Tours. You meet the proprietors of Alo-Happy Tours early in the campaign. The main branch‚ at the Waikiki location‚ is part of the Worldwide Market Village. You are promised rewards if you snap photos of memorable places within the various districts. There are 15 locations to document in the Downtown/Chinatown/District Five portions of the Hawaii map. Below‚ we’re listing all 15 locations‚ which constitute a single tour. For each loca...

Critical Strike Chance or Vulnerable‚ Crowd Control in Diablo 4 is an umbrella term used for many different status effects. So‚ if you’ve come across abilities or gear that give you a boost to damage against Crowd Controlled enemies‚ here is what Crowd Control is in Diablo 4 and how to use it. Diablo 4: What is Crowd Control? Crowd Control in Diablo 4 is any enemy that has Slow‚ Immobilize‚ Stun‚ Knockback‚ Knockdown‚ Taunt‚ Fear‚ Tether‚ Daze‚ Chill‚ or Freeze. These are all the status effects that fall under the Crowd Control category — so whenever you see Crowd Control‚ it’s talking about yourself‚ allies‚ or enemies‚ that are affected by one of these 11 debuffs. Diablo 4: How to use Crowd Control Screenshot: PC Invasion While you can effectively use the best Frost Sorcerer build to Crowd Control enemies since you have Freeze and Chill at your disposal‚ all classes have Crowd Control elements in their arsenal. For example‚ t...

If you’re looking to explore the vast open world in Palworld‚ you’ll need a proper steed. We’ll outline the fastest and best mounts you can find in Palworld‚ both flying and ground‚ in a ranked list. There are quite a few mounts available in this creature-collecting game‚ but some are just faster than others. Here’s a ranking of the best flying and ground mounts. Palworld: Fastest ground mounts‚ ranked Your first mount will probably run on the ground. You can find some pretty early-game mounts that are great picks‚ but once you discover more Pal types‚ you’ll find quite the array of rapid rideable Pals. Image: Pocketpair S-tier ground mounts Pyrin/Pyrin Noct Paladius Direhowl Rayhound Overall‚ Pyrin and its Fusion-type Pyrin Noct are probably the fastest ground mounts in Palworld. Once you unlock its saddle at Technology level 30‚ and gain a Pyrin‚ this should be the mount you go for mo...

Did you know that your Pals can learn new Active Skills to use in combat? We’ll teach you how to give Pals new skills in Palworld. While you cannot change their Partner Skills or Passive Skills‚ there’s actually a way for them to learn new Active Skills. Here’s how it’s done. Palworld: How to teach Pals Active Skills There are two main ways for your Pals to learn new abilities. You can teach Pals new Active Skills in Palworld by leveling them up or giving them Skill Fruit. The first method is the easiest‚ as your Pals will slowly level up as you do. Screenshot: PC Invasion Keep the Pals you want to progressively level up in your party at nearly all times. This will ensure that whenever you earn EXP‚ they get some EXP as well. At certain points‚ your Pals can learn new Active Skills. If you check your Paldeck‚ these Active Skills are some of the moves they can use during combat encounters. Your Pals have a...

If you think about it‚ a Seneschal Companion is the perfect buddy for a Necromancer. They are machines‚ after all: no life there! Here are the best Necromancer Seneschal Construct builds in Diablo 4 Season of the Construct. Diablo 4: Best Necromancer Seneschal Construct build With the new Seneschal Companion‚ Diablo 4 Season 3 builds have one more variant to consider. And since both Governing Stones and Tuning Stones will alter the behavior of your Seneschal‚ you can customize it to fit your favorite build. Necromancers position themselves steadily on the top of both leveling and endgame tier lists‚ so crafting a matching Seneschal for each of the Necromancer builds should not be an issue‚ and more often than not will share Stones between builds. Here are the best Necromancer Seneschal Construct builds. Leveling Necromancer Seneschal Companion builds Screenshot via Blizzard BuildGoverning StonesTuning StonesBlood Surge NecromancerBushwhack:Quick...

Adam‚ Kevin and Chris are back to share their recent thrift store and flea market finds which include vintage Jurassic Park posters‚ boxed Fisher-Price Adventure People toys‚ vintage Transformers‚ comics and more! Check out the CONTINUE READING... The post Thrift Store Horde: Season 3‚ Episode 2 appeared first on The Retro Network.

“Today‚ I make this sacred pledge to you. The defense‚ protection‚ and preservation of American democracy will remain‚ as it has been‚ the central cause of my presidency.” So said President Joe Biden during a Jan. 5 speech near Valley Forge‚ Pennsylvania. That “sacred pledge” lasted about two-and-a-half weeks. At an abortion rally in Manassas‚ Virginia‚ on Tuesday‚ Biden began‚ “Hello‚ Virginia! And the real governor‚ Terry McAuliffe.” Thus‚ the self-styled defender of democracy indulged in pointless election-denialism—over an election whose results were never significantly challenged. According to the official results of Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial election‚ Glenn Youngkin‚ the Republican‚ received 1‚663‚596 votes (50.57%)‚ and McAuliffe‚ the Democrat‚ received 1‚600‚116 votes (48.64%). According to the final tally‚ 63‚480 more Virginia voters chose Youngkin over McAuliffe to be their next governor. Youngkin won an absolute majority of votes and led McAuliffe by nearly 2 percentage points—a comfortable margin of victory. The Virginia State Board of Elections‚ then controlled by the party of the sitting governor‚ Ralph Northam‚ a Democrat‚ certified the results on Nov. 15‚ 2021. There is no question of who won the race to become governor of Virginia in 2021: Youngkin placed first‚ and McAuliffe placed second. No question‚ that is‚ until Tuesday‚ when Biden baselessly claimed that McAuliffe was “the real governor.” Election-denialism is nothing new to Biden. In 2013‚ he argued that Al Gore “was elected president of the United States of America” in the 2000 election against President George W. Bush‚ three presidential terms earlier. Again in 2016‚ he insisted‚ “I think [Gore] won that election.” In 2019‚ in response to the claim that Donald Trump was an illegitimate president‚ and that Democrats should use every form of lawfare to remove him from office‚ Biden said‚ “I absolutely agree.” Nor is election denialism new to McAuliffe. Over two decades‚ stretching at least from 2001 to 2021‚ he has claimed the 2000 election was stolen from Gore‚ including the years when he served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee (2001-2005) and as governor of Virginia (2014-2018). In fact‚ election denialism has been a pattern of the Democratic Party throughout the 21st century. Numerous Democrats have insinuated nefarious foul play regarding the 2000 presidential election‚ the 2004 presidential election‚ and the 2016 presidential election—in other words‚ every one their party’s candidates lost. More recently‚ they intensified the campaign to include nonnational races‚ too. Democratic candidates Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum (backed by many others) questioned the legitimacy of the 2018 elections of Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis‚ respectively. In 2020‚ at least two Democratic candidates in races for the U.S. House of Representatives attributed their losses to voter suppression. Here are 24 STRAIGHT MINUTES of Democrats denying election resultspic.twitter.com/gDnNqfruWD— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 2‚ 2023 Now‚ the president of the United States has chosen to call into question Youngkin’s 2021 election‚ without any discernible proof. I nearly ended the previous sentence with “ … for no discernible reason.” But there is a reason‚ of a sort. The sense in which Youngkin “stole” the election from McAuliffe is that McAuliffe wanted the governorship‚ and thought it should be his‚ but Youngkin actually obtained it. (Indeed‚ McAuliffe likely tanked his own campaign when‚ after leading in many of the polls‚ he insulted all parents—a sizable voting bloc—less than a month from Election Day‚ when he insisted‚ “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”) No‚ Mr. President. Terry McAuliffe blew up his campaign when he told parents to sit down and shut up: "I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach." https://t.co/zZD3NJTEkN pic.twitter.com/ecjiry8GKF— Nicki Neily (@nickineily) January 23‚ 2024 To put it another way‚ Youngkin “stole” the election from McAuliffe by convincing more people to vote for him. How dare he? “Democracy cannot survive when one side believes there are only two outcomes to an election: either they win or they were cheated. And that’s where MAGA Republicans are today‚” insisted Biden during his “sith lord” speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in September 2022‚ during which he claimed democracy would end if “MAGA Republicans” won the 2022 midterm elections. Surely readers can detect which party espouses this democracy-killing doctrine. There’s an alternate interpretation to Biden’s remark. “The president was making a joke” about McAuliffe’s former term as governor‚ White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explained tiredly on Wednesday. “What’s the joke?” Fox News’ Peter Doocy shot back. Beats me‚ too. The biggest problem with the “joke” interpretation is that Biden only weeks ago insisted at his speech outside Valley Forge that “democracy is still a sacred cause‚” and discussions about it are “deadly serious.” The leading Republican candidate‚ Biden alleged‚ is “willing to sacrifice our democracy to put himself in power‚” and so by contrast he has chosen to make his campaign “about preserving and strengthening our American democracy.” If democracy means anything‚ it means that whatever voters say on Election Day should be final. From their verdict‚ there is no appeal‚ no naysaying‚ no attempts to undermine‚ no snide or underhanded comments that seek to undermine the legitimacy of their choice. The losing side has to live with it‚ consoled by the knowledge that they will get another chance to persuade voters of their cause or candidate at regular intervals. A minority of Virginia voters wanted McAuliffe to be their next governor in 2021. A hardened minority of those voters may be so embittered against the governor’s commonsense education policies that they have decided to express their frustration with a whisper campaign against his legitimacy—against the legitimacy of the election process overseen by Youngkin’s political opponents. This whisper campaign‚ which recently reached the lips of the president of the United States‚ is undermining trust in American elections for the sake of their agenda. “We’re living in an era where a determined minority is doing everything in its power to try to destroy our democracy for their own agenda‚” Biden warned. Which minority? Whose agenda? Originally published at WashingtonStand.com 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 Biden’s Election Denialism: Loser Is ‘Real Governor’ of Virginia appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you think congressional deadlocks are concerning‚ just wait until you see what Congress does when it’s in a blinding rush. The House Ways and Means Committee is ready to go from introducing its latest tax bill to House passage in under a week and a half. Though branded as full of middle-class tax cuts and pro-growth reforms‚ checking inside this Trojan horse known as The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act instead reveals a mixed bag that includes welfare expansions‚ corporate windfalls‚ and inflationary deficits. The only individual tax cut in the bill is a slight cost-of-living adjustment to the child tax credit—likely from $2‚000 to $2‚100—that would apply to taxpayers’ 2025 and 2026 tax filings before expiring. The bulk—91.5% to be exact—of what is being described as “middle-class tax relief” is‚ in fact‚ an expansion of welfare benefits. The legislation does not fix existing work requirements for individuals to receive the “additional child tax credit‚” which‚ unlike the ordinary child tax credit‚ exclusively goes to individuals and couples who pay no income tax. Sadly‚ this feature was begun in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act in 2017. This provision would amount to a whopping 32% expansion of this welfare credit by 2026—at which point‚ in typical Washington fashion‚ these handouts would expire and create a political crisis where tens of millions of people would lose their brand-new welfare benefits—creating a perfect storm for yet more expansion and permanence. Currently‚ households with more than $2‚500 of annual earned income can qualify for the additional child tax credit. The credit phases in at a rate of $15 for every $100 of earned income after $2‚500. The new tax and welfare bill would accelerate the phase-in so that‚ for example‚ a taxpayer with $10‚000 of annual income claiming three children could receive a $3‚375 benefit instead of $1‚125‚ despite paying $0 in income tax. This additional benefit would be on top of $4‚500 in earned income tax credit benefits and any other welfare benefits he may receive. This would also likely exacerbate existing fraud issues with both programs. The improper payment rate for the earned income tax credit was at 31.6% for fiscal year 2022 while the improper payment rate stood at 15.8% for the additional child tax credit. To make matters worse‚ a tax filer would be able to claim this new enlarged additional child tax credit with an individual taxpayer identification number instead of a Social Security number‚ meaning that many of these new payments would go to illegal immigrants. This was another shortcoming of the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act that is not fixed in this bill. The bill would also add a lookback provision for the work requirement‚ so that if a household doesn’t work enough in 2024 to qualify for the credit‚ but they did in 2023‚ they would be allowed to receive the benefits based on the prior year of work. In other words‚ to qualify for the benefits‚ it would be enough to work part-time‚ part of the year‚ even if you only work every other year.   Conservatives have long fought for stronger work requirements for welfare recipients. This legislation fails to enact any and actually takes a step backward in that respect. The business tax provisions in the bill are better than the welfare provisions‚ but they’re also deeply flawed. For example‚ the bill would temporarily extend for 2024 and 2025 some expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that allow companies to deduct research and development expenses and short-lived capital investments in the same year that they bear those costs instead of having to depreciate or amortize those costs over multiple years. That’s good tax policy and also leads to more growth by encouraging investment. However‚ the pro-growth benefits of those changes are done alongside retroactive relief for the 2022 and 2023 tax years. Such a windfall does nothing to improve companies’ incentives to invest‚ since they can’t go back in time to change past investment decisions. The bill does include a modest win by slightly increasing the expenditure threshold where small businesses may qualify for full expensing‚ and this change is permanent. The combination of these handouts and the temporary nature of most of the expensing provisions culminates in a staggering long-run growth estimate of precisely zero new jobs created. Yes‚ you read that right: A Tax Foundation modeling analysis showed that the contrived and odd construction of these provisions would have no impact on long-run economic growth. Maybe it creates momentum for pro-growth policy in 2025‚ but the bill itself doesn’t move the dial much. The Joint Committee on Taxation—the official congressional scorekeepers—agree that the business provisions would have no significant impact on economic growth. Tens of billions of dollars of corporate windfall handouts buy a grand total of no long-run economic growth. To compound these issues‚ even ignoring the gimmicky way the bill intends to “pay for” these handouts‚ the formal cost estimate shows $155 billion in new deficits through this year and next from this bill. This would only add to inflationary pressures and spike interest rates—including on mortgages and on loans to small businesses looking to expand. As with much “bipartisan” legislation‚ this one falls short on conservative principles. The bill has some small wins but unfortunately will redistribute wealth from hardworking middle-class families to large established corporations and to individuals who are barely engaged in work at all. 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 So-Called Middle-Class Tax Relief Bill Hides Welfare Expansion and More Inflation appeared first on The Daily Signal.