Latest news with #COVID
AU Financial Review
41 minutes ago
- AU Financial Review
The unlikely rise of the Japanese toilet
Thanks to COVID and then a jump in tourism, Japanese-made bidets called Toto Washlets are enjoying a spurt of popularity in the West.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The baffling B.S. of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson
Sen. Ron Johnson at the Newsroom Pub on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 | Photo by Ruth Conniff/Wisconsin Examiner You have to hand it to Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson. As Republicans across the country run in fear from their constituents, refusing to hold town halls lest they be asked to answer for brutal federal budget cuts and threats to health care, nutrition assistance and Social Security, Johnson showed up at a Milwaukee Press Club event Wednesday and appeared cheerfully unperturbed as he took questions from journalists and a skeptical crowd. Not that his answers made sense. People sitting in front of the podium at the Newsroom Pub luncheon crossed their arms and furrowed their brows as Johnson explained his alternative views on everything from global warming to COVID-19 to the benefits of bringing the federal budget more in line with the spending levels of 1930 — i.e. the beginning of the Great Depression, before FDR instituted New Deal programs Johnson described as 'outside [the president's] constitutionally enumerated powers.' A handful of protesters chanted in the rain outside the Newsroom Pub, but overall, the event was cordial and reactions muted. In part, this was attributable to Johnson's Teflon cockiness and the barrage of misinformation he happily unleashed, which had a numbing effect on his audience. Johnson fancies himself a 'numbers guy.' In that way he's a little like former House Speaker Paul Ryan, his fellow Wisconsin Republican who was once considered the boy genius of the GOP. Ryan made it safe to talk about privatizing Medicare by touring the country with a PowerPoint presentation full of charts and graphs, selling optimistic projections of the benefits of trickle-down economics, corporate tax cuts and the magic of the private market. But Ryan couldn't stomach Trump and he's been exiled from the party. Johnson is the MAGA version. While he doesn't dazzle anyone with his brilliance, he does a good job of baffling his opponents with a barrage of B.S. that leaves even seasoned journalists scrambling to figure out what question to ask. Where do you begin? Back in 2021, YouTube removed a video of Johnson's Milwaukee Press Club appearance because he violated the platform's community standards by spreading dangerous lies about COVID, the alleged harm caused by vaccines and the supposed benefits of dubious remedies. But this week he was back, proudly endorsing DHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.'s decision to eliminate federal COVID vaccine recommendations for pregnant women and healthy children. While he hopes Kennedy goes further in rolling back vaccinations, he said, 'at least we're not going to subject our children to them anymore.' A woman in the audience who identified herself as a local business owner seeking 'common ground' thanked Johnson for saying 'we don't want to mortgage our children's future,' but expressed her concern that besides the deficit spending Johnson rails against, there's also the risk that we're mortgaging the future by destroying the planet. Johnson heartily agreed that everyone wants a 'pristine environment.' 'I mean, I love the outdoors,' he declared. But then he added, 'We shouldn't spend a dime on climate change. We'll adapt. We're very adaptable.' He claimed that 'something like 1,800 different scientists and business leaders' have signed a statement saying there is no climate crisis. (The overwhelming consensus among scientists is that climate change is real and caused by people and the statement he referred to has been debunked.) 'So if it's climate change you're talking about, we're just at cross-purposes,' he added. 'I completely disagree.' Most of Johnson's talk consisted of a fusillade of hard-to-follow budget numbers and nostrums like 'the more the government spends the less free we are.' Charles Benson of TMJ4 News tried to get the senator to focus on what it would take to get him to go along with Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget bill. 'So, a lot of numbers out there,' Benson said. 'Can you give me a bottom line? Do you want 2 trillion? 3 trillion?' 'Your reaction is the exact same reaction I get from the White House and from my colleagues,' Johnson chided, 'too many numbers. It's a budget process. We're talking about numbers. We're talking about mortgaging our kids' future.' Like his alternative beliefs about vaccination and climate science, Johnson's budget math is extremely fuzzy. He asserted, repeatedly, that Medicaid is rife with 'waste, fraud and abuse.' But the Georgetown University School of Public Policy has published a policy analysis dismantling claims that there is rampant waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid that concluded, 'This premise is false, and the thinking is dangerously wrong.' More broadly, Johnson claims that balancing the budget and reducing the federal deficit is his No. 1 concern. But he's committed to maintaining historic tax cuts for the super rich. The only way to reduce deficits, in his view, is to enact even deeper cuts than House Republicans passed, increasing hunger, undermining education and rolling back health care — because he's totally unwilling to increase revenue with even modest tax increases on corporations and the very wealthy. Those cuts, not a deficit that could be resolved by making the rich pay their share of taxes, are the real threat to our children's future. 'I'm just a guy from Oshkosh who's trying to save America,' Johnson said at the Press Club event. He recapped, in heroic terms, his lone stand against the 2017 tax cut for America's top earners, which he blocked until he was able to work in a special loophole that benefitted him personally. He told the panel of Wisconsin journalists he will also block Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget bill unless he sees deeper cuts, which he insisted would be easy to make. The 40 states that have taken the federal Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (which Johnson still calls 'Obamacare') are 'stealing money from federal taxpayers,' he declared. Slashing Medicaid will be easy, he suggested, since 'nobody would be harmed other than the grifters who are sucking down the waste, fraud and abuse.' Grifters? Wisconsin has 1.3 million Medicaid recipients. One in three children are on BadgerCare, as Medicaid is called here, along with 45% of adults with disabilities and 55% of seniors living in nursing homes. Our state program faces a $16.8 billion cut over 10 years under the House plan. During the Q&A session, I asked Johnson about this — not just the numbers, but the human cost. I brought up Shaniya Cooper, a college student from Milwaukee and a BadgerCare recipient living with lupus, who spoke at a press conference in the Capitol this week about how scary it was to realize she could lose her Medicaid coverage under congressional Republicans' budget plan. 'To me, this is life or death,' she said. She simply cannot afford to pay for her medicine out of pocket. When she first learned about proposed Medicaid cuts, 'I cried,' she said. 'I felt fear and dread.' What does Johnson have to say to Cooper and other BadgerCare recipients who are terrified of losing their coverage? 'I'll go back to my basic point,' Johnson replied. He quoted Elon Musk, whom he said he greatly admires for his DOGE work slashing federal agencies. 'If we don't fix this, we won't have money for any of this [government in general],' he said Musk told him. 'Nobody wants the truly vulnerable to lose those benefits of Medicaid,' Johnson added. 'But again, Obamacare expanded the waste, fraud and abuse of Medicaid, you know, expanding the people on it when, you know, when a lot of these people ought to be really getting a job.' Some of Johnson's Republican colleagues are worried about withdrawing health care coverage from millions of their constituents. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri called it immoral and 'political suicide.' He said he won't vote for the Medicaid cuts that passed the House because they will put rural hospitals out of business, and because too many hard-working, low-income people rely on the program for health coverage and simply cannot afford to buy insurance on the private market. But Johnson remains untroubled. He's pushing for bigger and more damaging cuts. And when asked what he can tell his constituents who are afraid they're about to lose life-saving health care, his answer is simple and unapologetic: Get a job. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Electric Vehicles Update - Racing Ahead Ultra-Fast Batteries Drive Future Growth
The ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) batteries market is projected to experience significant growth, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.27% from 2025 to 2030. This expansion is driven by technological advancements, supportive government policies, and the rising demand for electric vehicles. Solid-state batteries are gaining popularity for their higher energy capacity, quicker charging, and improved safety compared to traditional lithium-ion options. The development of high-voltage power systems and the expansion of ultra-fast charging stations are further enhancing charging speeds, while innovative production methods are reducing battery costs by utilizing advanced materials. These developments are supported by a surge in EV sales and government incentives aimed at promoting electric mobility, demonstrating a promising future for the ultra-fast EV batteries market across various global regions. In other market news, was trading firmly up 4% and finishing the session at $20.10. Two days ago, XPENG launched the MONA M03 Max, an affordable electric sedan featuring advanced AI driving capabilities. At the same time, lagged, down 8.4% to close at $2.41. Lucid Group's upcoming Gravity SUV launch could rapidly drive significant revenue growth. Click here to explore the full narrative on Lucid Group's growth potential and challenges. Don't miss our "Market Insights" article, "Automakers Caught in the Tariff Crossfire," where we explored electric vehicle challenges amid tariff tensions; read it before these insights get outdated! finished trading at $10.22 up 0.5%. finished trading at $358.43 up 0.4%. settled at HK$392.80 down 3.3%. Click here to unveil our expertly curated list of 53 EV Stocks including Sumitomo Electric Industries, LG Energy Solution and Ningbo Tuopu GroupLtd. Curious About Other Options? Uncover 19 companies that survived and thrived after COVID and have the right ingredients to survive Trump's tariffs. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sources: Simply Wall St "Ultra-Fast EV Batteries Market Forecast Report (2025-2030), with Profiles of CATL, BYD, Nyobolt, Hitachi Industrial Products, SK Innovation, Samsung SDI, Farasis Energy, Tesla, CALB and Svolt Energy" from Research and Markets on GlobeNewswire (published 30 May 2025) Companies discussed in this article include NYSE:XPEV NYSE:F NasdaqGS:TSLA SEHK:1211 and NasdaqGS:LCID. This article was originally published by Simply Wall St. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time of India
an hour ago
- Business
- Time of India
Indian Hotels MD flags high taxes for hospitality sector
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel India holds immense potential to attract foreign tourists , but it is lagging severely, Indian Hotels Company Limited MD and CEO Puneet Chhatwal said on Friday, asserting that high tax rates were a key impediment in creating global brands for the country's hospitality sector He also sought an "additional push" while referring to the "infrastructure" status accorded to 50 tourist destinations in this year's Budget and reiterated the long-standing demand for an "industry" to the lack of competitive advantage in terms of margins, the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) MD and CEO said, "If you are the highest taxed sector in every possible way, GST, excise, paying all charges during COVID when your business is shut with the least amount of budget for promotion, for marketing the destination and just relying on what we have, then how are you going to create those kind of global brands on your own".Speaking at CII's Annual Business Summit, Chhatwal said India is not just a market of scale but a market of aspiration. It is where the next 500 million middle-income travellers will emerge and their disposable income, coupled with global travel ambitions, will position India very differently within the country and across the an apparent reference to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman 's budget speech, he said, "We at least got infra status for those 50 destinations which we have been fighting for, including industry status, which is a state subject. Collectively, all the associations have worked well to get to where we are, but now where we are, we need that additional push".In her Budget speech on February 1, Sitharaman stated that the top 50 tourist destination sites in the country will be developed in partnership with states through a challenge mode. Land for building key infrastructure will have to be provided by states.
Mint
an hour ago
- Business
- Mint
Indian Hotels MD flags high taxes for hospitality sector
PTI Published 30 May 2025, 03:40 PM IST New Delhi, May 30 (PTI) India holds immense potential to attract foreign tourists, but it is lagging severely, Indian Hotels Company Limited MD and CEO Puneet Chhatwal said on Friday, asserting that high tax rates were a key impediment in creating global brands for the country's hospitality sector. He also sought an "additional push" while referring to the "infrastructure" status accorded to 50 tourist destinations in this year's Budget and reiterated the long-standing demand for an "industry" status. Alluding to the lack of competitive advantage in terms of margins, the Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) MD and CEO said, "If you are the highest taxed sector in every possible way, GST, excise, paying all charges during COVID when your business is shut with the least amount of budget for promotion, for marketing the destination and just relying on what we have, then how are you going to create those kind of global brands on your own". Speaking at CII's Annual Business Summit, Chhatwal said India is not just a market of scale but a market of aspiration. It is where the next 500 million middle-income travellers will emerge and their disposable income, coupled with global travel ambitions, will position India very differently within the country and across the globe. In an apparent reference to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech, he said, "We at least got infra status for those 50 destinations which we have been fighting for, including industry status, which is a state subject. Collectively, all the associations have worked well to get to where we are, but now where we are, we need that additional push". In her Budget speech on February 1, Sitharaman stated that the top 50 tourist destination sites in the country will be developed in partnership with states through a challenge mode. Land for building key infrastructure will have to be provided by states.
