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Harris Weighs in on the Bipartisan Budget Deal

Harris was integral to the negotiations in helping to reach a bipartisan deal so America could avoid defaulting on its debt obligations.

“One of the most important aspects of where we are – and our goal was to avoid the kinds of losses [Republicans] had initially proposed – and that’s very significant,” Harris said of the bipartisan budget deal reached [last] week. The deal places caps on spending for the next two years, claws back about $28 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief money, and strips $20 billion of funds earmarked for the Internal Revenue Service.

President Joe Biden had slotted $80 billion for the IRS to help curtail tax cheaters, but the GOP sought to protect wealthy taxpayers who primarily seek loopholes to avoid paying federal taxes. The debt ceiling agreement restarts federal student loan payments even as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legality of the Biden-Harris forgiveness plan.

Congress hopes to vote this week on the deal, which also added new work requirements for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Association Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits. Veterans and the unhoused are exempt from such requirements.

“We’ve been able to maintain what we needed to do to preserve social security, Medicare, and veterans’ benefits. As a result, we actually see increases there,” Harris said. With a steady eye on the present and future, the vice president noted the administration sought to protect the economic gains made during its first two years. “In two years, we’ve created 12.7 million jobs and 800,000 manufacturing jobs,” Harris declared.“A lot of these issues were what we were fighting to preserve. For example, if they required [new] work requirements, we would preserve many exceptions to the requirements.”

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Should a vacancy occur, a range of names, from obscure to famous— including Oprah Winfrey — have been floated in California circles as possible replacements. Newsom, who is mentioned as a possible future presidential contender, would also have to deal with political complexities, some of his own making: In 2021 he promised to appoint a Black woman should Feinstein's seat become open. Meanwhile, a 2024 Senate campaign is underway to fill the seat when the senator's term ends in January 2025.

The situation has created a sad, public coda for the groundbreaking career of a Democratic leader who shattered gender barriers in California and Washington. Here's a look at what could happen:

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF FEINSTEIN'S HEALTH?

In short, much is unknown.

Feinstein returned to the Senate on May 10 — about 10 weeks after being diagnosed, then briefly hospitalized, with shingles in San Francisco. On her return to the Capitol, she was markedly thinner and one side of her face was drooping, apparently from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can occur when the shingles virus reaches a facial nerve near the ears. It also can cause hearing loss.

On the advice of doctors, Feinstein's staff say she is working a lighter schedule as she deals with side effects from the virus, including vision and balance problems. She has been using a wheelchair to get to her office and committee meetings.

Questions have been raised in recent years about Feinstein's memory and mental acuity, though she has defended her effectiveness. Since her return to Washington, she has at times appeared confused during brief discussions with reporters. Her office also disclosed she suffered a bout of encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, which can also be caused by shingles.

Harris noted that any requirements for veterans and those who are housing insecure were non-starters. “Veterans and housing-insecure people, not just the homeless, would be exempt. We were not willing to compromise,” she insisted.

The vice president emphasized that the debt ceiling crisis and subsequent deal reminded voters of the significance of choosing candidates who have their constituents’ best interests. “So many of the issues have to do with who is in elected office. It comes down to the power of the people to elect representatives who reflect their values,” the vice president proclaimed. “When the majority of people on legislative bodies understand that you shouldn’t create policies on the backs of poor people, that’s policy that most respect our values,” she continued.

She pledged that the administration would keep pushing forward, stand up, and speak up about the needs of working people and families whom she said have been on the outside of politicians’ priority lists for too long. “We’ve had to keep them on the inside of the priority list,” she said of the Biden-Harris administration.

Small Businesses: A Passion and Priority

In the fast-paced 20-minute interview, the vice president declared small business a passion. She said her mother and “second mother,” Ms. Shelton, who lived two doors down and ran a nursery school above her childhood home, helped show her the importance of small businesses. “Ms. Shelton was a small business owner, matriarch to the community. She was a community leader, a civic leader, who mentored people in the community,” Harris recalled.

“I was raised with an understanding of the importance of small businesses. They aren’t just business owners. They are civic leaders and community leaders and are so much a part of the community’s cultural fabric.

NEWSOM'S PROMISE: ELEVATING A BLACK WOMAN TO SENATE

When California Sen. Kamala Harris resigned to become vice president, Newsom faced pressure from both Black, Latino and other groups over a replacement pick. Some felt that he should replace Harris, the only Black woman in the U.S. Senate, with another Black woman. But others thought it was past time for California to have its first Latino senator, and Newsom chose then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla for the job.

But he later promised that if Feinstein's seat became vacant, he would choose a Black woman to replace her. Should Feinstein step aside, he'll be expected to make good on the promise.

"He made the commitment and I do not believe there is any wiggle room for the governor not to honor his commitment," said Kerman Maddox, a Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist and fundraiser who is Black.

"Newsom must honor his promise to appoint a Black woman'' if Feinstein resigns, said Democratic Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who heads the Legislative Black Caucus in Sacramento. ''I trust him at his word. We currently have zero Black women in the Senate, so if the opportunity becomes available the governor must act to help remedy this lack of representation."

Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney pointed out that any presidential ambitions that Newsom might harbor would be damaged if he backed away from his promise to name a Black woman, noting that the candidate favored by Black voters has won the Democratic Party's presidential nomination for every cycle since 1992.

"The last thing you want to do if you are thinking about running for president is alienating the nominating wing of the Democratic Party," Pitney said.

“When I was in the U.S. Senate, I was able to work with my colleagues to get an extra $12 billion put into community banks, which are banks that are in the community who understand the community and its needs and who will create access to capital often where the big banks don’t give access to capital for our startups, young entrepreneurs, and small businesses.”

She maintained that the work has continued in her role as vice president.

Harris Talks Women’s Bodily Autonomy, Black Maternal Health

Finally, the vice president demanded that women have autonomy over their bodies despite the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. She said her mom had always displayed passion and anger about existing disparities for women of color, particularly Black women.

“When I was in the U.S. Senate, we began proposing legislation to address this crisis, which is a crisis,” Harris exclaimed. “The United States of America is one of the world’s wealthiest, if not the richest, nations. [But], we have one of the highest maternal mortality rates, particularly Black women who are dying at three times the rate of others.

The vice president declared that the connection between Black women and childbirth “has nothing to do with economic status or educational status…It literally has to do with so often she walks into that hospital or clinic, and she is a Black woman who is not always taken seriously,” she said, before explaining her plan to rectify such challenges.

“I’ve been working to address a number of issues, including racial bias. We need to train medical professionals about racial bias so they can take these women seriously,” the vice president told the Informer. “One of my particular joys is that I’m proposing that we rely on doulas to help teach all the other

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Public Health Experts Want Students to Consider Telehealth as Viable Option

May was Mental Health Awareness Month, and as high school seniors across the country graduate and prepare for college, awareness of their mental health is becoming a priority for public health leaders and advocates.

To support students – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, including large numbers of Blacks and other minorities — experts are promoting virtual care as a viable option with numerous benefits to address the problem they are now referring to as a crisis on college campuses. Telehealth services can help break down stigma related to treatment and serve as a lifeline. It is also especially important because it increases access to more diverse care providers, they say.

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He said that as AI develops, it’s likely to threaten humans.

The World Economic Forum, which concluded that AI is “rife with contradictions,” published an alarming report in April, which included surveys of more than 800 companies. The companies determined that AI would create 69 million new jobs by 2027 but eliminate 83 million.

Before that report, economists at Goldman Sachs said up to 300 million full-time jobs globally would eventually become automated because of AI platforms like ChatGPT. The economists noted that white-collar workers face the most risk, with construction workers and many other blue-collar jobs remaining unaffected. The economists stated that two-thirds of U.S. and European jobs now use some form of AI automation.

Still, the forum conceded that AI “is a powerful tool that is also surprisingly limited in terms of its current capabilities.”

Recent advances in AI technologies have generated excitement and concern, as the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence medical professionals. Doulas are women from the community who understand the importance of community health approaches to healthcare.”

Harris added that U.S. Democratic Reps. Alma Adams of North Carolina and Lauren Underwood of Illinois, among others, helped to pass the Momnibus Act of 2021, which helps protect women from bias in the medical field. “We need to give all women access to quality care,” Harris said.

“Since I’ve been doing this work, we’ve challenged states to extend Medicaid coverage for postpartum care from two months to 12 after birth. So far, 33 states and the District of Columbia have answered the call to extend postpartum care. “These mothers need help and assurance that they are doing ok and that we care for all their needs.”

As the overturning of Roe v. Wade conversations continue, Harris concluded:

“One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held belief to agree that the government should not tell that woman what to do with her body. That’s between her and her pastor, priest, rabbi, or whoever she decides. But, again, it’s about people’s freedom to make those decisions,” she said.

Harris shared some of the hurdles certain state legislators are putting in place to further hinder reproductive rights. “We are seeing states across the country where they are criminalizing health care providers, giving them jail time. We see women being punished in awful ways. In Southern states, they have to pull together money to travel,” she said.

The vice president further noted the roadblocks many women face in attempting to exercise their reproductive rights, adding that most women who receive an abortion are already mothers, many who need money, childcare and transportation. The barrier breaking leader is calling on others to recognize the importance of this time.

In 2019, 25% of California students reported that they had received mental health care services within that school year for mental and psychological issues, according to the California Budget and Policy Center.

“While the numbers are overwhelming, it is critical to applaud America’s youth — and their trusted support systems — for taking the important first step of recognizing their need for professional therapeutic support,” said Bob Booth, MD, Chief Care Officer for TimelyCare, California’s leading provider for telehealth for college students.

“We can expect a tidal wave of students entering college with unprecedented needs for support,” he added.

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(AAAI) acknowledged.

“As researchers who have served in leadership positions in the AAAI, we are writing to provide a balanced perspective on managing the progress in the field,” the group said in a letter.

“We also seek to broaden and strengthen the community of engaged researchers, government agencies, private companies, and the public at large to ensure that society is able to reap the great promise of AI while managing its risks.”

Signed by 19 academic leaders, the letter noted that AAAI is “aware of the limitations and concerns about AI advances, including the potential for AI systems to make errors, to provide biased recommendations, to threaten our privacy, to empower bad actors with new tools, and to have an impact on jobs.”

They asserted that researchers in AI and across multiple disciplines are hard at work identifying and developing ways to address these shortcomings and risks while strengthening the benefits and identifying positive applications. In some cases, AI technology itself can be applied to cre-