Politics. On Point.

  According to the Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board,  “Q3 is off to a strong start. Consumers' optimism about the short-term outlook didn't waver, and they continued to expect that business conditions, jobs, and personal financial prospects will improve.” The Consumer Confidence Index – a measure of consumers’ assessments of the economy – is at its  highest level since February 2020 . The Index increased to 129.1 in July,  exceeding consensus expectations . The latest increase in July marks the sixth straight month of gains, as Americans continue to feel the results of President Biden’s historic economic and health plans.

  President Biden Announces  Nine Key Nominations   WASHINGTON – Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following nine individuals to serve in key roles: William Valdez , Nominee for Under Secretary for Management, Department of Homeland Security Erik Hooks , Nominee for Deputy Administrator for Federal Emergency Management Agency Lisa Gomez , Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Employee Benefits Security, Department of Labor Adrienne Wojciechowski , Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations, Department of Agriculture Mark Gitenstein , Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the European Union, with rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Laura S. H. Holgate , Nominee for Representative of the United States of America to the Vienna Office of the United Nations, with the rank of Ambassador, and Representative of the United States of America to the International Atomic Energy Agency, with the Rank of

COVID-19 guidelines continue to change amid the so-called corona virus variants, prevalent in most U.S. cities, to date. ICYMI: Face mask memes are a real thing. The CDC is recommending that all fully vaccinated people wear a mask indoors and in public.  From the CDC website: To maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others, wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area  of substantial or high transmission .   Said President Biden on the announcement, "Today’s announcement by the CDC—that new research and concerns about the Delta variant leads CDC to recommend a return to masking in parts of the country—is another step on our journey to defeating this virus. I hope all Americans who live in the areas covered by the CDC guidance will follow it; I certainly will when I travel to these areas." See also: CDC COVID tracker. Children are also being asked to wear masks ahead of the school re-openings in less than a month in most state

Wednesday, July 27, 2021 marked the first day of the January 6, 2020 Capitol Hill insurrection. Testimonies from four U.S. Capitol police officers offered (beyond) revealing testimony about what they went through the day of January 6, 2021 that left two officers dead, multiple officers wounded and another recovering from a heart attack. When asked about the attacks reduced to just “hugs and kisses”, capitol police offer Aquilino Gonell suggested that the same be offered up to Donald Trump. (He later retracted this comment.) Officers testified that they were punched, sprayed with contaminants, called racial epithets, beaten with multiple objects (to include flag poles) as they were outnumbered as they tried to gain control, (despite not using their government-issued firearms to defend themselves in the face of a clear and present danger). WATCH: A historic democracy defending moment Note republicans were also present during the insurrection, but have somehow, once their live

Remaining U.S. troops set to leave Afghanistan The Biden White House has made it clear that it will be pulling remaining U.S. military troops out of Afghanistan, before its scheduled date of September 11, 2021. The administration doesn’t find it necessary to keep troops there any further. US troops in Afghanistan. Source: History Collection Read: US Afghan commander to step down . In a statement, the president cites that the military came “to do what it intended to do”, which was to go after Osama bin Laden after it was believed al Qaeda attacked the United States in 2001. The attack took down New York’s World Trade Center (killing thousands), and the U.S. Pentagon just outside of Washington, D.C. during the George Bush administration. The U.S. military, under the direction of the Obama administration, waged a war to infiltrate the bin Laden regime "to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda." In 2011, America was inf