Latest news with #ClintonEra
Reuters
23-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Trump administration to rescind policy protecting undeveloped forests
June 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture will rescind a Clinton-era policy that banned logging, roads and mining in undeveloped forests, the agency said on Monday. The change will allow nearly 59 million acres of federal forest lands to be better managed for fire risk, the USDA said.
Fox News
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Ex-Clinton official applauds Trump's 'courageous' Iran call, doubts Harris would've had the nerve
A former Clinton-era National Security Council staffer broke with his party and heaped praise on President Donald Trump's successful strikes on Iran over the weekend, while remarking former Vice President Kamala Harris would have likely lacked the "courage" to execute such a mission if she were commander-in-chief. "I am not a fan of many of Donald Trump's actions, but I will speak openly and honestly when he takes bold steps defending America's interests, as he did tonight," Jamie Metzl, founder of the international social group One Shared World, posted to X on Saturday evening. Metzl served on former President Bill Clinton's National Security Counci and was former President Joe Biden's deputy staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he heaped praise on Trump repeatedly on X over the weekend, while also taking a shot at Harris' lack of "courage and fortitude." "But I'm not a blind tribalist and am perfectly comfortable praising President Trump for bold and courageous actions in support of America's core national interests, as he took last night," Metzl posted to X on Sunday morning. "Although I believe electing Kamala Harris would have been better for our democracy, society, and economy, as well as for helping the most vulnerable people in the United States and around the world, I also believe VP Harris would not have had the courage or fortitude to take such an essential step as the president took last night," he added. Metzl continued in his X messages that "Iran has been at war with the United States for 46 years," and was aiming to build a nuclear weapon with the intention of wielding it over the U.S and its allies. "Iran has been at war with the United States for 46 years. Its regime has murdered thousands of American citizens. Its slogan 'death to America' was not window dressing but core ideology. It was racing toward a nuclear weapon with every intention of using it to threaten America, our allies, and the Middle East region as a whole. No actions like this come without risks, and I imagine the story will get more complicated over time, but that's why these types of decisions are complicated," he wrote. Fox News Digital reached out to Harris' office regarding Metzl's post, but did not immediately receive a reply. Metzl's comments are among a cacophony of Democratic elected officials and traditional anti-MAGA voices who have come out to praise Trump since the successful attack on Iran, dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer." "The destruction of Iran's nuclear program is essential to ultimate peace in the Middle East. This is not a Democratic or Republican issue — dealing with the Iranian threat is central to America's national security. The world is safer because of the actions of our brave service members. I'm praying for the safety of our service members in the region," New Jersey Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer said in a statement over the weekend, for example. "As I've long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS," Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman wrote on X on Saturday. "Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities. I'm grateful for and salute the finest military in the world." While New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, a frequent Trump critic, wrote in an opinion piece that Trump made a "courageous and correct decision that deserves respect, no matter how one feels about this president," while fellow Times columnist David French also said it was the "right decision" on social media. Other Democrats and frequent Trump critics, such as New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, have slammed Trump over the strikes, arguing they bypassed Congress. Trump announced the Saturday evening strikes on Iran in a Truth Social post that was not preceded by media leaks or speculation that strikes were imminent. The unexpected social media post was followed just hours later by a brief Trump address to the nation while flanked by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. "A short time ago, the U.S. military carried out massive precision strikes on the three key nuclear facilities in the Iranian regime: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan," Trump said from the White House late on Saturday in an address to the nation regarding the strikes. "Everybody heard those names for years as they built this horribly destructive enterprise. Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity, and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's No. 1 state sponsor of terror. Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success." The strikes "obliterated" Iranian nuclear facilities and backed the nation into a corner to make a peace deal, Trump said. This mission was also celebrated by Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine as one that was cloaked in secrecy and intentionally deceptive to confuse the enemy. "It involved misdirection and the highest of operational security. Our B-2s went in and out of… these nuclear sites, in and out and back, without the world knowing at all," Hegseth said. "In that way, it was historic." The operation included the longest B-2 spirit bomber mission since 2001, the second-longest B-2 mission ever flown and the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history, Hegseth and Caine said during the Sunday press conference. Operation Midnight Hammer followed Israel launching preemptive strikes on Iran on June 12 after months of attempted and stalled nuclear negotiations and subsequent heightened concern that Iran was advancing its nuclear program. Netanyahu declared soon afterward that the strikes were necessary to "roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival."
Reuters
16-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
US Federal Reserve aims to trim staff by 10% in coming years
WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve plans to shrink its workforce by about 10% over the coming years, bringing the U.S. central bank in line with President Donald Trump's broader efforts to streamline the federal government, according to a memo that Fed Chairman Jerome Powell sent to staff on Friday. In the internal memo, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Powell said that he has directed Fed leadership to find "incremental" ways to trim operations, with a goal of shrinking the Fed's roughly 24,000 person headcount nationwide by about 10% over "the next couple of years." The memo was first reported by Bloomberg. As part of that effort, the Fed plans to offer a voluntary deferred resignation program to board staff in Washington who would be eligible to retire at the end of 2027. The memo made no mention of any involuntary cuts or layoffs. "Experience here and elsewhere shows that it is healthy for any organization to periodically take a fresh look at its staffing and resources," Powell wrote in the memo, noting the Fed previously made similar changes in the 1990s when President Bill Clinton sought to reduce the size of the federal government. "I believe it is time to do it again, in that same conscientious and deliberate spirit," Powell added. In the memo, Powell did not provide many details on how the Fed may revamp efforts, but emphasized any changes would prioritize the Fed's mandates and statutory obligations, and ensure that its work remains "high quality, nonpolitical and mission-focused." The new Fed initiative comes as Trump has launched an aggressive effort to downsize and reshape the U.S. government via billionaire adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. While the Fed does not have its budget set by Congress and does not report directly to the White House, Powell said the central bank must be a "careful and responsible steward of public resources." Powell gave a nod to the broader Trump-led effort by noting that the Fed often pursues cuts of its own "when there have been government-wide efforts to improve efficiency, like in the 1990s and now."
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Poll finds when was the greatest time to be American - Gen X and Elder Millennials rejoice!
A new poll tasked Americans with picking the best time to be alive in U.S. history, and the results are good news for Gen Xers and elder Millennials. According to the YouGov survey, the highest-ranked decades for overall quality of life in the U.S. were during the 1980s and the 1990s. The poll broke up U.S. history into 16 periods — beginning way back during the British colonial era in the 1600s — and asked its 1,139 respondents to rank the periods from best time to be alive to the worst. The survey found that 57 percent of respondents said the Reagan Era (1980-1991) was excellent or good in terms of quality of life, and thus it was viewed as the best time to be alive. The second best was the Clinton Era (1993-2001), with 55 percent of respondents saying that time was excellent or good. The third spot went to the Postwar Baby Boom era of 1946-1964, with a 51 percent rating. Just in case you aren't seeing the pattern: the largest population groups in the U.S. pick the eras that represent their childhoods — times when they had less to worry about and the world seemed more hopeful and less miserable — as their personal best times to be alive. Millennials are currently the largest age demographic in the U.S. — especially if Gen X is lumped in with their younger counterparts — and span both the Reagan and Clinton years. Baby Boomers are the second largest. Outside of the childhood eras of both of the largest generational groups in the U.S., the other 13 eras on the list received less than a 50 percent favorability rating. Only 46 percent thought the Counterculture Era of the 1960s was the best time to be alive, and only 40 percent of respondents thought the Post-9/11 Era of 2001-2008 was the best time to be alive. The Great Depression was near the very bottom of the list, with only 17 percent of respondents saying it was an excellent or good time to be alive, and the Civil War period of 1861-1865 came dead last, with only five percent of respondents giving it a good or excellent rating. Some of the other eras included the Gilded Age from the 1870s to 1900, the Reconstruction Era from 1865 to 1877, World War II, and the Great Recession. The present day also rated well when compared to the worst-rated ages in U.S. history. Thirty-two percent of respondents said living today was excellent or good, and another 29 percent said it was "fair" to be alive today. Once the poll's respondents are broken down by party affiliation, it's fairly unsurprising how things shake out. Democrats ranked the Clinton Era the highest, with 75 percent saying it was good or excellent with only 41 percent of Republican respondents sharing that view. Likewise, 82 percent of Republicans said the Reagan Era was excellent or good, and only 35 percent of Democrats agreed. Democrats and Republicans had shared feelings about the Great Depression, with only three percent on each side saying it was a good or excellent time to be alive, and they were close on the Counterculture Era, with 44 percent of Democrats saying it was a good or excellent time, and 49 percent of Republicans sharing that sentiment. Respondents were also asked to rank the eras based on their political stability. In that ranking, the Reagan Era again won out — despite much of it playing out during the Cold War and U.S. clandestine action throughout the global south — with 18 percent saying it was the most politically stable time. The Clinton Era came in second, with 14 percent saying it was the most politically stable time in the nation's history. Thirty-one percent said the least politically stable time in U.S. history is the present, even somehow beating out the Civil War period when Americans were killing each other in pitched battles with cannons. The survey has a four-point margin of error and was conducted between April 9 - 11, 2025. Respondents were selected from YouGov's 'opt-in panel.'
The Independent
09-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Poll finds when was the greatest time to be American - Gen X and Elder Millennials rejoice!
A new poll tasked Americans with picking the best time to be alive in U.S. history, and the results are good news for Gen Xers and elder Millennials. According to the YouGov survey, the highest-ranked decades for overall quality of life in the U.S. were during the 1980s and the 1990s. The poll broke up U.S. history into 16 periods — beginning way back during the British colonial era in the 1600s — and asked its 1,139 respondents to rank the periods from best time to be alive to the worst. The survey found that 57 percent of respondents said the Reagan Era (1980-1991) was excellent or good in terms of quality of life, and thus it was viewed as the best time to be alive. The second best was the Clinton Era (1993-2001), with 55 percent of respondents saying that time was excellent or good. The third spot went to the Postwar Baby Boom era of 1946-1964, with a 51 percent rating. Just in case you aren't seeing the pattern: the largest population groups in the U.S. pick the eras that represent their childhoods — times when they had less to worry about and the world seemed more hopeful and less miserable — as their personal best times to be alive. Millennials are currently the largest age demographic in the U.S. — especially if Gen X is lumped in with their younger counterparts — and span both the Reagan and Clinton years. Baby Boomers are the second largest. Outside of the childhood eras of both of the largest generational groups in the U.S., the other 13 eras on the list received less than a 50 percent favorability rating. Only 46 percent thought the Counterculture Era of the 1960s was the best time to be alive, and only 40 percent of respondents thought the Post-9/11 Era of 2001-2008 was the best time to be alive. The Great Depression was near the very bottom of the list, with only 17 percent of respondents saying it was an excellent or good time to be alive, and the Civil War period of 1861-1865 came dead last, with only five percent of respondents giving it a good or excellent rating. Some of the other eras included the Gilded Age from the 1870s to 1900, the Reconstruction Era from 1865 to 1877, World War II, and the Great Recession. The present day also rated well when compared to the worst-rated ages in U.S. history. Thirty-two percent of respondents said living today was excellent or good, and another 29 percent said it was "fair" to be alive today. Once the poll's respondents are broken down by party affiliation, it's fairly unsurprising how things shake out. Democrats ranked the Clinton Era the highest, with 75 percent saying it was good or excellent with only 41 percent of Republican respondents sharing that view. Likewise, 82 percent of Republicans said the Reagan Era was excellent or good, and only 35 percent of Democrats agreed. Democrats and Republicans had shared feelings about the Great Depression, with only three percent on each side saying it was a good or excellent time to be alive, and they were close on the Counterculture Era, with 44 percent of Democrats saying it was a good or excellent time, and 49 percent of Republicans sharing that sentiment. Respondents were also asked to rank the eras based on their political stability. In that ranking, the Reagan Era again won out — despite much of it playing out during the Cold War and U.S. clandestine action throughout the global south — with 18 percent saying it was the most politically stable time. The Clinton Era came in second, with 14 percent saying it was the most politically stable time in the nation's history. Thirty-one percent said the least politically stable time in U.S. history is the present, even somehow beating out the Civil War period when Americans were killing each other in pitched battles with cannons. The survey has a four-point margin of error and was conducted between April 9 - 11, 2025. Respondents were selected from YouGov's 'opt-in panel.'
