Mediaboss Marketing

Were looking for solutions, said Mr. Young, who until recently was the chairman of the Senate Republican campaign arm and is eager to turn back to policy.

Mr. Schatz, who is friendly with some of these senators, put a finer point on their motivation: If Im going to suffer through the Trump era, then I may as well enact some laws.

In Louisiana, though, the thoroughly Trumpified Republican Party expects only continued fealty to the former president.

Mr. Cassidy confronted immediate criticism for his vote and comments on Tuesday.

I received many calls this afternoon from Republicans in Louisiana who think that @SenBillCassidy did a terrible job today, Blake Miguez, the State House Republican leader, wrote on Twitter, repurposing Mr. Cassidys critique of Mr. Trumps lawyers. I understand their frustrations and join them in their disappointment.

Even a fellow member of the Louisiana congressional delegation, Representative Mike Johnson, weighed in. A lot of people from back home are calling me about it right now, noted Mr. Johnson, a Republican, who said he was surprised by Mr. Cassidys move.

Perhaps he should not have been.

As Stephanie Grace, the longtime political columnist for The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, wrote in a December piece anticipating Mr. Cassidys shift, he has long been part of bipartisan efforts to solve problems, even if his solutions probably go too far for some Republicans and stop way short of what many Democrats want.

Mr. Cassidy, a former Democrat like Mr. Kennedy and many Southern Republicans their age, has long been less than dogmatic on health care, a viewpoint he formed working in his states charity hospitals. This has always been more than a little ironic to Louisiana political insiders, given that in 2014 he unseated Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, thanks to conservative attacks on former President Barack Obama and the Affordable Care Act. (On Wednesday, Ms. Landrieu said of Mr. Cassidy, Many people in Louisiana are proud of him, including me.)

Read the original here:
Why Bill Cassidy Broke With Senate Republicans and Backed Trumps Trial - The New York Times

Fox Business Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com.

Republicans on the House Oversight Committee demanded Thursday, that Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. call a hearing to investigate Californias colossal fraud that occurred with state's unemployment benefit program.

Californiaofficials reported last month that at least $11.4 billion in unemployment benefits have been mistakenly paid out under fraudulent cases since March 2020 though some estimates say scammers could have received as much as $31 billion in fraudulent payments.

"The evidence of unprecedented fraud, waste, mismanagement and incompetence is too voluminous to briefly reference," Ranking Member James Comer, R-Ky., said in a letter Thursday.

SCANDAL-PLAGUED BLUE STATE BUREAUCRATS GET PLUM POSTS IN BIDEN ADMIN

"By any objective measure, we believe this Committee is obligated to schedule a public hearing to comprehensively examine what went wrong in California, the steps being taken to recover the improper payments, and the steps being taken to prevent it from happening again," the letter continued.

A state audit late last month revealed that roughly 10 percent of all unemployment claims paid out by the Employment Development Department (EDD) over the last year, involved fraud. While an additional 17%of unemployment benefit claims are under investigation.

In total, California has paid $114 billion in19 million unemployment claims, since the onslaught of the pandemic.

GOP Congressmen Darrell Issa of California, and Gary Palmer of Alabama, joined Comer in outlining their concerns that Congress has approved nearly $130 billion in Coronavirus relief aid to the Golden State a sum that does not include the most recent economic funding provided through stimulus checks approved by congress in December.

The state audit found that the EDD was unprepared for the massive amounts of fraudulent cases filed, in particular when it came to incarcerated individuals who have mistakenly received $810 million.

But apart from the fraudulentpayments, the review of the department -- which falls under Californias Labor and Workforce Development Agency found that as late as December 2020, claimants were able to continue to collect benefits even with "suspicious addresses," because the state had not established any payment block system.

"Therefore, there is every reason to be concerned that this unprecedented fraud may be ongoing even today," the congressmen wrote in their letter Thursday.

The audit also found that prisoners on death row received $421,000 in unemployment benefits and larger schemes conducted by organized crime groups in Russia and China were found to have cashed in.

"There is no sugarcoating the reality," Bidens nominee for deputy Labor secretary and the current secretary of California'sLabor and Workforce Development Agency,Julie Su said during a press conference last month.

Su also noted that "California has not had sufficient security measures in place to prevent this level of fraud, and criminals took advantage of the situation."

NEWSOM SCRAMBLES WITH RECALL EFFORT HOVERING NEAR SIGNATURE THRESHOLD

Californias unemployment claims system, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program, allows individuals to apply for assistance who would not normally qualify for unemployment benefits, like independent contractors though as the system sought to expand its benefits for Californians, taxpayers paid the price.

"It should be no surprise that EDD was overwhelmed, just like the rest of the nations unemployment agencies," Su said when explaining the extent of fraud that occurred. "As millions of Californians applied for help, international and national criminal rings were at work behind the scenes working relentlessly to steal unemployment benefits using sophisticated methods of identity theft."

But in response to the evidence of massive fraud, the state froze roughly 1.5 million claims in late December 1.2 million of which were still frozen by the end of January.

"The oversight California conducted was by all accounts too late and wholly insufficient," House Republicans said Thursday. "As a result, unsuspecting law abiding Californians, locked at home by Governor Newsom, were no doubt put through additional stress."

Su is expected to face tough questioningregarding Californias unemployment benefit scandal during her Senate confirmation hearings.

"If Ms. Su cannot effectively root out rampant waste, fraud and abuse at the state level, how can she be entrusted to be second in command at the Department of Labor?" Comer said to Fox News Thursday. "The House Committee on Oversight and Reform needs to get to the bottom of this massive unemployment fraud scheme and the Senate must also take this into account during Ms. Sus confirmation hearing.

But Suisnt the only Democrat facing a rockyroad as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Newsom has faced surmounting pressure as a recall election appears imminent, with more than 1.4 million signatures already collected, insupportof the recall just shy of the nearly 1.5 million signatures needed to force a mid-year election.

Congresswoman Maloney could not be immediately reached by Fox News for comment.

Go here to read the rest:
Republicans demand investigation into Californias unemployment scandal - Fox Business

Six Republican senators on Tuesday joined 50 Democrats in voting to proceed with the impeachment trial of former President Donald J. Trump, forming a contingent far smaller than what would be needed to convict Mr. Trump of incitement of insurrection related to the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

The six Republicans were Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania.

The vote addressed the constitutional question of whether the Senate has the power to try Mr. Trump even though he has left office.

The result largely mirrored the tally last month, when the Senate voted to kill an attempt to dismiss the trial as unconstitutional. Five Republicans had joined all 50 Democrats in support of going ahead with the trial, though others later said they were still open to hearing the case and described their votes as a call for more debate on the constitutionality of the trial.

But in the end, the lone senator to switch sides was Mr. Cassidy. Speaking to reporters after the vote on Tuesday, he praised the House impeachment managers for their presentation and panned the performance of Mr. Trumps legal team.

They did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand, he said. And when they talked about it, they kind of glided over it, almost as if they were embarrassed of their arguments.

He continued, Now if Im an impartial juror, and one side is doing a great job and the other side is doing a terrible job on the issue at hand, as an impartial juror, Im going to vote for the side that did the good job.

Like the vote in January, the one on Tuesday signaled that Mr. Trump was all but certain to be acquitted. Seventeen Republicans would need to join all 50 Democrats to reach the two-thirds threshold for convicting the former president.

Continued here:
Here Are the Republicans Who Voted to Proceed With Trump's Trial - The New York Times

'); if(!WVM.IS_STREAMING){ $videoEl.append('' + '' + ''); } setTimeout(function(){ $('.mute-overlay').on('touchstart click', function(e){ if(e.handled === false) return; e.stopPropagation(); e.preventDefault(); e.handled = true; player.muted(false); //console.log("volumee " + WVM.activePlayer.volume()); $(this).hide(); $(this).css('display', 'none'); var currentTime = player.currentTime(); if(currentTime 0){ if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.VIDEO_TOP = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top; }else{ WVM.VIDEO_TOP = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top - $('.next-dropdown-accordion').height(); } if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT = $('#html5-video-' + videoId).outerHeight(); }else{ WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT = $('#html5-video-' + videoId).outerHeight(); } WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT = $('#media-container-' + videoId).height(); //console.log("container height: " + WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT); $(window).on( "resize", function() { if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.VIDEO_TOP = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top; }else{ WVM.VIDEO_TOP = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top - $('.next-dropdown-accordion').height(); } if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT = $('#html5-video-' + videoId).outerHeight(); }else{ WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT = $('#html5-video-' + videoId).outerHeight(); } WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT = $('#media-container-' + videoId).height(); console.log("container height: " + WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT); }); //console.log("VIDEOTOP: " + WVM.VIDEO_TOP); //console.log("VIDEOHEIGHT: " + WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT); $(window).on( "scroll", function() { if(!WVM.IS_FLOATING){ if(deviceName == 'desktop'){ WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT = $('#media-container-' + videoId).height(); }else{ WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT = $('#media-container-' + videoId + " .hlsvideo-wrapper").height() + $('#media-container-' + videoId + " .now-playing-container").height(); } } //var top = $('#media-container-' + videoId).offset().top; var offset = WVM.VIDEO_TOP + (WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT / 2); var offsetBack = WVM.VIDEO_TOP; var changed = false; //console.log("VIDEOTOP: " + WVM.VIDEO_TOP); //console.log("VIDEOHEIGHT: " + WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT); //console.log("scrolltop " + $(window).scrollTop()); //only float if playing var isPlaying = WVM['player_state' + videoId]['IS_PLAYING'] || WVM['player_state' + videoId]['AD_IS_PLAYING']; if(isPlaying){ $('.vjs-loading-spinner').hide(); } var offsetFloatAd = 99999999; if(deviceName == 'desktop' && $('#float_anchor').length > 0){ offsetFloatAd = $('#float_anchor').offset().top - WVM.VIDEO_HEIGHT; //console.log("float anchor offset top " + offsetFloatAd); } if($(window).scrollTop() > offset && isPlaying && !WVM['player_state' + videoId]['CANCEL_FLOATING']){ $('#media-placeholder-' + videoId).height(WVM.CONTAINER_HEIGHT); $('#media-placeholder-' + videoId).css('display', 'block'); if(!WVM.IS_FLOATING){ changed = true; } WVM.IS_FLOATING = true; $('#media-container-' + videoId).addClass('floating-video'); var sWidth = window.innerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth; var sHeight = window.innerHeight || document.documentElement.clientHeight; if(sWidth > 900 && WADS.IS_STICKING){ $('#media-container-' + videoId).addClass('desktop-ad-is-sticky'); } else if(WADS.IS_STICKING){ if(!TOP_AD_VIEWED){ $('#media-container-' + videoId).addClass('mobile-ad-is-sticky'); }else{ $('#media-container-' + videoId).addClass('mobile-ad-is-sticky-noad'); } } else if(!WADS.IS_STICKING){ if(!TOP_AD_VIEWED){ $('#media-container-' + videoId).removeClass('desktop-ad-is-sticky'); }else{ $('#media-container-' + videoId).addClass('desktop-ad-is-sticky-noad'); } } //set right var sWidth = window.innerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth; var sHeight = window.innerHeight || document.documentElement.clientHeight; if(deviceName == 'desktop' || sWidth > 900){ var leftPos2 = $('aside').get(0).getBoundingClientRect().left; var leftPos = $('aside').offset().left ; $('#media-container-' + videoId).css('left', leftPos + "px"); var newWidth = Math.floor(sWidth / 3.5); $('#media-container-' + videoId).css('width', newWidth + "px"); } else{ $('#media-container-' + videoId).css('width', "100% !important"); $('#media-container-' + videoId + ' .now-playing-container').css('display', 'block'); $('#media-container-' + videoId + ' .next-dropdown-accordion').css('display', 'block'); } //floating-video $('#media-container-' + videoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').hide(); setTimeout(function(){ var hWrapper = $('.floating-video .hlsvideo-wrapper').height(); var npWidth = $('.floating-video .now-playing-container').height(); var ndWidth = $('.floating-video .next-dropdown-header').height() + 20; var scrollerHeight = sHeight - (hWrapper + npWidth + ndWidth); scrollerHeight = 180; //scrollerHeight = parseInt(scrollerHeight * 0.5); if(WVM.device_name == 'desktop'){ $('#media-container-' + videoId + " " + " .mobile-list-videos").height(scrollerHeight); } }, 100); }else if($(window).scrollTop() 0){ var container = document.querySelector('#page-carousel-' + fullVideoId); imagesLoaded( container, function() { var screenWidth = window.innerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth; if(screenWidth > 850){ WVM.IS_DESKTOP = true; $('#page-carousel-' + fullVideoId + ' .page-carousel-lg-slides').css('display', 'block'); WVM['player_settings' + fullVideoId].slider = $('#page-carousel-' + fullVideoId).bxSlider({ maxSlides: 4, minSlides: 4, slideWidth: 305, infiniteLoop: false, hideControlOnEnd: true, useCSS: true, pager: false, slideMargin: 15, moveSlides: 1, nextText: '', prevText: '' }); }else{ WVM.IS_DESKTOP = false; $('.page-carousel-wrapper').css('display', 'block'); } }); } }; WVM.setupToggleButton = function(fullVideoId, player){ if($('.nextplay-switch-' + fullVideoId).length > 0){ new DG.OnOffSwitchAuto({ cls:'.nextplay-switch-' + fullVideoId, height: 24, trackColorOn:'#F9F9F9', trackColorOff:'#222', textColorOn: '#222', textColorOff: '#222', textOn:'On', textOff:'Off', listener:function(name, checked){ var theVal = 1; if(!checked){ theVal = 0; } $.ajax({ url: '/ajax/update_autoplay_video/', data: { autoplay_on: theVal }, type: 'POST', dataType: 'json', success: function(data) { WVM['player_settings' + fullVideoId]['autoplay'] = checked; }, error : function(){ console.log("Error loading video"); } }); } }); } }; WVM.setupAccordionButton = function(fullVideoId){ var deviceName = 'desktop'; $('#next-dropdown-accordion-button-' + fullVideoId).on('click', function(){ if($(this).find('i').hasClass('fa-chevron-up')){ //hide $(this).find('i').removeClass('fa-chevron-up'); $(this).find('i').addClass('fa-chevron-down'); if(deviceName == "desktop" && !$('#media-container-' + fullVideoId).hasClass('floating-video')){ $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').slideUp(); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').hide(); }else{ $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').slideUp(); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').hide(); } var currVideoId = WVM['player_state' + fullVideoId]['VIDEO_ID']; var nextVideoId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currVideoId); //playerId, mediaId, fieldName var myTitle = WVM.getPlaylistData(fullVideoId, nextVideoId, 'noprefixtitle'); //alert("Getting title " + myTitle); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).css('display', 'inline'); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).html(myTitle); }else{ //expand $(this).find('i').addClass('fa-chevron-up'); $(this).find('i').removeClass('fa-chevron-down'); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').css('display', 'block'); if(deviceName == "desktop" && !$('#media-container-' + fullVideoId).hasClass('floating-video')){ $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').css('display', 'block'); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').slideDown(); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').hide(); if(!WVM.player_state148827['CAROUSEL_INIT']){ WVM.setupCarousel(fullVideoId); } }else{ $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.mobile-list-wrapper').slideDown(); $('#media-container-' + fullVideoId + " " + '.page-carousel-wrapper').hide(); if(!$('#media-container-' + fullVideoId).hasClass('floating-video')){ if(!WVM.player_state148827['CAROUSEL_INIT']){ WVM.setupCarousel(fullVideoId); } } } $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).css('display', 'none'); } }); var currVideoId = WVM['player_state' + fullVideoId]['VIDEO_ID']; //console.log("current Video " + currVideoId); var nextVideoId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currVideoId); var myTitle = WVM.getPlaylistData(fullVideoId, nextVideoId, 'noprefixtitle'); //console.log("setting title " + myTitle); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).css('display', 'inline'); $('#video-slider-nexttitle' + fullVideoId).html(myTitle); }; WVM.sendbeacon = function(action, nonInteraction, value, eventLabel) { var eventCategory = 'Video'; if (window.ga) { //console.log("sending action: " + action + " val: " + value + " label " + eventLabel); ga('send', 'event', { 'eventCategory': eventCategory, 'eventAction': action, 'eventLabel': eventLabel, 'eventValue': value, 'nonInteraction': nonInteraction }); } }; WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex = function(mediaId, returnArrayIndex){ var currId = null; if(mediaId == null){ return null; } for(var x =0; x 20){ if(fullDuration > 1 && ((fullDuration - fullCurrent) > 1) && !$('.vjs-loading-spinner').hasClass('badspinner')){ console.log("hiding spinner"); $('.vjs-loading-spinner').addClass('badspinner'); } } var duration_time = Math.floor(this.duration()); //this is a hack because the end video event is not firing... var current_time = Math.floor(this.currentTime()); if ( current_time > 0 && ( fullCurrent >= (fullDuration - 10) )){ var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); //if(playerSettings.autoplay_next && newMediaId){ if(newMediaId){ if('desktop' == "iphone" && playerState.AD_ERROR){ console.log("skipped timeupdate end"); }else{ WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); } } } if(!playerState.START_SENT){ WVM.sendbeacon('start', true, playerState.VIDEO_ID, playerState.VIDEO_TITLE); playerState.START_SENT = true; } var currentTime, duration, percent, percentPlayed, _i; currentTime = Math.round(this.currentTime()); duration = Math.round(this.duration()); percentPlayed = Math.round(currentTime / duration * 100); for (percent = _i = 0; _i = percent && __indexOf.call(playerState['PERCENTS_TRACKED'], percent) 0) { playerState['PERCENTS_TRACKED'].push(percent); } } } }); //player.off('ended'); player.on('ended', function(){ console.log("ended"); playerState.IS_PLAYING = false; WVM.sendbeacon("complete", true, playerState.VIDEO_ID, playerState.VIDEO_TITLE); var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); //if(playerSettings.autoplay_next && newMediaId){ if(newMediaId){ WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); }else{ console.log("Playlist complete (no more videos)"); } }); //player.off('adserror'); player.on('adserror', function(e){ //$('#ima-ad-container').remove(); WVM.lastAdRequest = new Date().getTime() / 1000; console.log(e); console.log("ads error"); var errMessage = e['data']['AdError']['l']; playerState.AD_IS_PLAYING = false; playerState.IS_PLAYING = false; // && errMessage == 'The VAST response document is empty.' if(!playerState.AD_ERROR){ var dTime = new Date().getTime(); WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl = WVM.getFirstPrerollUrl(); console.log("calling backup ad tag url: " + WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl); WVM.activePlayer.ima.changeAdTag(WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl + "?" + dTime); WVM.activePlayer.ima.requestAds(); //WVM.activePlayer.src({ // src: masterSrc, // type: 'video/mp4' //}); //WVM.firstPrerollTagUrl = ""; } playerState.AD_ERROR = true; }); //player.off('error'); player.on('error', function(event) { if (player.error().code === 4) { player.error(null); // clear out the old error player.options().sources.shift(); // drop the highest precedence source console.log("now doing src"); console.log(player.options().sources[0]); player.src(player.options().sources[0]); // retry return; } }); //player.off('volumechange'); player.on('volumechange', function(event) { console.log(event); var theHeight = $('#media-container-' + playerState.ORIGINAL_ID + ' .vjs-volume-level').css('height'); var cssVolume = 0; if(theHeight){ cssVolume = parseInt(theHeight.replace('%', '')); } var theVolume = player.volume(); if(theVolume > 0.0 || cssVolume > 0){ $('#media-container-' + playerState.ORIGINAL_ID + ' .mute-overlay').css('display', 'none'); }else{ $('#media-container-' + playerState.ORIGINAL_ID + ' .mute-overlay').css('display', 'block'); } }); WVM.reinitRawEvents(playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); setInterval(function(){ WVM.reinitRawEvents(playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); }, 2000); } if(!WVM.rawCompleteEvent){ WVM.rawCompleteEvent = function(e){ var playerState = WVM['player_state148827']; console.log("firing raw event due to all other events failing"); var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); //if(playerSettings.autoplay_next && newMediaId){ if(newMediaId){ WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); } }; } if(!WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent){ WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent = function(e){ var playerState = WVM['player_state148827']; var rawVideoElem = document.getElementById('html5-video-' + playerState['ORIGINAL_ID'] + '_html5_api'); var fullCurrent = rawVideoElem.currentTime * 1000; var fullDuration = rawVideoElem.duration * 1000; var current_time = Math.floor(rawVideoElem.currentTime); console.log("raw timeupdate: " + fullCurrent + " out of " + fullDuration); if ( current_time > 0 && ( fullCurrent >= (fullDuration - 50) )){ var currId = playerState.VIDEO_ID; var newMediaId = WVM.getNextPlaylistIndex(currId); if(newMediaId){ console.log("loading new video from rawtimeupdate"); WVM.load_video(newMediaId, true, playerState.ORIGINAL_ID); } } if(!$('.vjs-loading-spinner').hasClass('badspinner')){ $('.vjs-loading-spinner').addClass('badspinner') } }; } WVM.reinitRawEvents = function(playerId){ var playerState = WVM['player_state' + playerId]; var rawVideoElem = document.getElementById('html5-video-' + WVM['player_state' + playerId]['ORIGINAL_ID'] + '_html5_api'); //COMPLETE EENT if( WVM['player_state' + playerId].COMPLETE_EVENT){ rawVideoElem.removeEventListener('ended', WVM.rawCompleteEvent, false); } rawVideoElem.addEventListener('ended', WVM.rawCompleteEvent, false); //TIME UPDATE EVENT if( WVM['player_state' + playerId].TIMEUPDATE_EVENT){ rawVideoElem.removeEventListener('ended', WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent, false); } rawVideoElem.addEventListener('ended', WVM.rawTimeupdateEvent, false); WVM['player_state' + playerId].COMPLETE_EVENT = true; WVM['player_state' + playerId].TIMEUPDATE_EVENT = true; };

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Help could be on the way for businesses who are facing unexpected costs after receiving PPP loans geared towards keeping businesses afloat during the pandemic.

The Legislatures budget committee approved a plan to give $540 million in tax cuts over the next three years to PPP recipients. It now heads to the Assembly for a vote on Tuesday.

Businesses incurred costs after realizing they are required to pay thousands in state taxes for their PPP loans issued by the federal government. Many business owners believed the loan would be treated as a grant, but under Wisconsin law, its not tax-deductible, but is at the federal level.

It was definitely a surprise, said Mike Doble, owner of Explorium Brewpub.

PPP loans were a lifeline to Doble and several others across the state which helped the restaurants and bar industry pay rent and keep staff on the payroll. Doble was not aware after spending his PPP loan that it would eventually cost him about $20,000 in state income taxes.

I didnt save any of that (PPP) money, he said. I used it for what it was intended to be, which was to get people back to work.

If lawmakers dont approve the proposal by April 15, businesses will be left to foot the cost.

Dont tax us on money that was intended to bail us out of a very bad situation, said Doble.

The IRS originally told businesses their loans would be forgiven, but later realized that wasn't how the law was written under the federal COVID-19 relief act. Members of Congress passed a proposal in the second relief package to fix the error, but some states -- like Wisconsin -- have to come up with a solution on their own.

Roughly speaking, for every $100,000 in PPP loans that have been taken out, our members could see anywhere from $6,000-8,000 of increases on their taxes, said Cory Fish, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce general counsel and director of tax, transportation & legal affairs.

The proposal to give tax cuts to PPE recipients does have bipartisan support. Some Democrats oppose the measure because they believe tax relief should be broader and offered to other businesses hardest hit by the pandemic.

View original post here:
Republicans propose tax cuts to businesses that received PPP loans - WDJT

Is the Republican Party on the verge of a split? Pacific Northwest Republican politicians weigh in on their party and its future.

PORTLAND, Ore The future of the Republican party, both here in the Pacific Northwest and across the country, is wrestling with an identity crisis.

Last month, the official arm of the Oregon GOP passed a resolution condemning the Republicans in Congress who voted to impeach Pres. Donald Trump.

In the resolution, they claimed the attack on the US Capitol was a "false-flag operation designed to discredit President Trump and his supporters." This is a blatant lie.

That led Knute Buehler, a prominent Republican in Oregon and former candidate for governor, to announce he is leaving the party.

Buehler said he "doesn't know what the Republican party stands for anymore."

Given that response, KGW asked Buehler about his thoughts on the future of the party.

"I absolutely think you could see a split not only Republican party but also the Democratic party," he said. "You know, there's this same fault line in the Democratic party between more extreme elements and more moderate [elements]. This is a very dynamic time in our political system, and it should be, you know, there's serious changes going through our society. And that's a time when political parties rise and fall. And I think we're in the midst of one of those right now."

KGW also spoke with Republican congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler from Southwest Washington.

She was one of the members of Congress condemned by the Oregon GOP for voting to impeach Pres. Trump, and just last week, she called the conspiracy theories spread by Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene "insane" but did not vote to strip her of her committee assignments.

"We're not the party of white supremacy. We're not the party of QAnon. We're not the party of Proud Boys. I don't want their votes," she said.

When asked if she believes we could see a split in the GOP she said this:

"Time will tell. I think it would be destructive for us to split off, but I can't control what other people are going to do. I can tell you I'm not going anywhere. My goal is to like re-establish who we are, based on the principles we've always espoused," she said. "I do think we're in an inflection point. I do think we're in a place we haven't been at least certainly in a generation. I just have this, it's almost an unwavering faith in the American people though. And in the vast majority of Republican voters, I because in there, whether or not there are some that are frustrated, they're going to do the right thing for the right reasons."

Portland State University Political Science Instructor Jack Miller says there hasn't been a major party breakup since the 1850s.

"But also historically, we have a pretty high level of political polarization and divisiveness in the 2020s. So, the parallel is decent," he said. "It has been 170 years since we've seen this happen. And so, it's not even that it's not living memory. It's really three-quarters of American history with a pretty stable two-party system. Part of the reason why that's the case is that party leaders of both parties have always faced these crises with the same kind of fear that they face a fracturing party at any moment, which is the knowledge that it will be electoral doom for there to be a Republican party that splits into two parties. Those two parties will lose almost every seat that they currently have because in our winner take all election system, you have to have the most votes.

See original here:
Where is the Republican Party headed? - KGW.com