President Biden is expected to devote much of his State of the Union address to highlighting how far the economy has come since the pandemic downturn, with jobs plentiful and wages rising. But he will also focus on his plans to slow rapid inflation, highlighting the challenge Democrats face ahead of the midterm elections: inflation is painfully high, voters are unhappy, and the tried and true way to bring down prices is to slow growth and hurt the labor market.

Mr. Biden will lay out a four-part plan to curb soaring prices, including encouraging corporate competition and strengthening a supply chain that is struggling to keep up with consumer demand. In particular, he will detail efforts to reduce shipping costs, which have skyrocketed during the pandemic.

But White House policy has historically served as a back-up line of defense when it comes to curbing inflation, which is the job of the Federal Reserve in the first place. The central bank is poised to quickly raise interest rates in the coming months, making it more expensive to borrow and spend money. Higher rates are meant to slow hiring, wage growth and enough demand to keep prices down.

It’s entirely possible that inflation could drop enough on its own this year that the Fed could gently slow the economy back on track. But if price increases remain fast, the Fed’s strategy to combat overheating is to cause economic damage.

That’s why inflation, which is at its fastest pace in 40 years, is a major concern for the Biden administration. It erodes consumer confidence by slashing wages and shocking consumers trying to buy groceries, sofas or used cars. And the cure could slow down a sustained economic recovery, just as Democrats are trying to claim reelection to voters.

“The biggest problem for President Biden is that there is no good way to report inflation,” said Jason Fuhrman, a Harvard economist and former White House economic official during the Obama administration. “He can’t do much about it, but he can’t stand up and say the only solution here is patience and the Federal Reserve.”

My. Furman said that while the decisions the president was supposed to lay out were “the right things” for the administration, the country should have “no illusions that it would do much good” in terms of rapid cooling. price gain.

Biden is expected to use his Tuesday speech to try to refocus voters on his presidency’s economic victories.

The economy has added 6.6 million jobs since Mr. Biden took office, unemployment should fall below 4 percent, and growth has been faster than in many other advanced economies. The strength and scope of the recovery has surprised economists and policymakers, who often credit aid packages rolled out under the Trump and Biden administrations to have contributed to such a quick recovery.

But some economists have warned that the $1.9 trillion bill the administration pushed through Congress in March 2021 was too big and too poorly targeted, and that it would spur demand and drive prices up quickly. While fiscal policy wasn’t the only reason for the surge in inflation last year, it appears to have helped drive up prices by boosting consumption.

As consumers spent more in 2020 and last year, and shoppers bought more goods like armchairs and computers rather than services like manicures and eating out from home, supply chains struggled to keep up. .

Virus outbreaks continued to close factories, ports clogged, and ships ran short. A perfect storm of strong buying and limited supply pushed car prices skyrocketing in particular, kept consumers waiting for months for new dining sets, and meant fancy bikes were harder to find and afford.

And now inflation has bypassed only those goods that were affected by the pandemic.

The cost of food, fuel, housing, vacations and furniture is rising rapidly, and with the conflict in Russia threatening to further increase gas prices in the coming months, things are likely to get worse before they get better.

Updated

March 1, 2022 3:45 pm ET

While the White House spent the past year downplaying rising prices, arguing that they will disappear with the pandemic as agitated global supply chains mend, nearly a full year of high inflation has proven too much to ignore. Climbing costs eat into salaries and help push Mr. Biden’s polling numbers to the lowest levels of his presidency.

“I don’t think it’s going to disappear in a way that saves the ruling party by November,” said Neil Dutta, an economist at Renaissance Macro Research. “While the labor market is strong enough, it is not enough to keep up with the shock that people are experiencing due to inflation.”

The Fed is expected to raise interest rates from near zero at its meeting this month, and officials have signaled they will then make a series of hikes throughout the year in an attempt to contain inflation.

The central bank sets policy independently of the White House, and the Biden administration avoids talking about monetary policy out of respect for that tradition. But times can be politically challenging. The Fed could trigger an economic downturn that will coincide with this fall’s election season, dealing a double whammy to Democrats as central bank policies slow down the labor market, even though inflation hasn’t completely stopped yet.

Some economists believe that this could be especially true if the conflict in Ukraine pushes up fuel prices, fuels inflation even further, and leaves consumers expecting prices to continue to skyrocket.

“The Fed needs to be more aggressive on inflation,” said Diane Swank, chief economist at Grant Thornton. “By the end of the year, this could lead to an increase in the unemployment rate.”

Mr Furman said he thinks it’s more likely that the Fed’s actions won’t cause too much pain this year, though they could start to squeeze the labor market in 2023. And Mr. Dutta suggested that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could slow the central bank down somewhat, at least in the short term.

“Essentially, the Fed has a choice – they can plunge the economy into recession or let inflation pick up a bit,” Mr. Datta said. “They’re not going to risk a recession in the geopolitical situation we’re in.”

A conflict abroad could also give Mr. Biden and the Democrats a moment of patriotism to take advantage of. So far, Mr. Biden’s sanctions have been well received by voters, according to an ABC/Washington Post poll.

At the same time, higher gasoline prices as a result of the conflict could further undermine consumer confidence. Sentiment has worsened as prices have risen and tends to be very sensitive to fuel costs. The price of a barrel of gas topped $100 on Tuesday, the highest since 2014, according to a popular benchmark.

The question is whether the administration, in the face of rising costs, can turn the highlights – international cooperation and the pace of recent job growth – into something meaningful for consumers and voters.

The answer may depend on what happens next.

Annual price increases are expected to slow in the coming months as they are measured against last year’s relatively strong performance and supply chain delays ease somewhat. Later this year, they could ease the situation even more if the current high commodity prices ease again, which is the most hopeful scenario.

If inflation slows on its own and the Fed’s relatively small reaction is enough to push it down further, the economy could be left with strong growth, a booming labor market and a positive outlook for 2023.

But increasingly, inflation is expected to decline more slowly.

Economists at Goldman Sachs believe that consumer price inflation could end in 2022 at 4.6%, more than double the level it fluctuated before the pandemic. That would mean a slowdown – the figure is currently 7.5 percent – but it would be much higher than the Fed usually aims for.

This would allow the administration to talk about a modest increase in prices, but this may not seem like a significant improvement to consumers when they head to the polls.

“Inflation is always political because it burns even in a good economy,” Ms Swank said. “It creates the feeling of chasing a moving target, which nobody likes.”

When asked about his plans for tonight, Rubio’s office showed a Dailymax clip of last week’s Newsmax in which the Florida senator denounced the COVID Theater.

Four Democrats are missing a statement on the state of the Union after announcing that they tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday morning, while Republicans as a senator Marco Rubio they said they were boycotting the speech because of the requirement to test for viruses.

Representative Jamie Ruskin of Maryland, Representative Susan Del Bene of Washington and Senator Alex Padilla of California all reported cases of breakthrough, although fully vaccinated and intensified.

Representative Pete Aguilar of California added that he tested positive on Tuesday afternoon.

The House of Representatives revoked its mask mandate just days before the president Joe BidenAddress on Tuesday evening to a joint session of Congress.

Attendees are still required to show evidence of a negative virus test – something Rubio said he didn’t have time for.

“I don’t have time to go take a COVID test today. “I only do a test if I’m sick,” Rubio told reporters on Monday HuffPost.

When asked for confirmation, Rubio’s office directed DailyMail.com to a tweet shared by the Florida senator last week that read “I’m Done with the #Covid Theater,” where he also shared a short clip from a Newsmax interview.

“It’s just a game, so you know what, I’m going to watch the reruns on TV, I don’t have to sit there and go through all this, just to make them feel good, you know how safe a creature is and all that “Rubio said in the video.

“Honestly, I’m just fed up with all this COVID theatrical nonsense.”

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton also missed Tuesday night’s event.

Florida Sen. Ricky of Rio, Rick Scott, said he would decide today whether to attend Biden’s big speech.

“I have not made a final decision on this,” Scott told News Talk 101, according to Florida Politics.

The security fence surrounds the US Capitol on the morning of President Joe Biden’s first address on the state of the Union in Washington, DC on March 1.

The fences were erected “out of great care,” according to Capitol police

Scott, who heads the Senate’s election department, said “nothing good will happen” during the president’s remarks.

“I don’t want to feel so obligated to stand up and say, ‘This is a lie.’ Because that’s how you feel, “he explained.

On behalf of the House, five Republicans said they were boycotting: Representative Chip Roy of Texas; Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia; representative Mary Miller of Illinois; representative Bob Good of Virginia; and representative Matt Rosendale of Montana.

Miller told the DailyMail.com that he was not present “on behalf of the American people who were fired” because of the mandates for a vaccine against COVID.

“Americans are outraged that Democrats voted to remove COVID restrictions or not and decided to remove the mask mandate just before Joe Biden’s state of political optics. “I am boycotting the state of the Union on behalf of the American people who were fired because Joe Biden’s White House has armed heavily armed private employers to introduce illegal vaccine mandates,” Miller said.

The news of their boycott was first reported in the Daily Caller.

“Members of Congress should not be tested for COVID-19 and social distancing when it is not necessary, and the whole nation has lifted most, if not all, restrictions on coronavirus,” Rosendale told the paper. statement.

Roy’s office confirmed to DailyMail.com that he will not be present.

Clyde wrote on Twitter: “I refuse to participate in the Democrat political pandemic theater, so I will not attend Biden’s address on the state of the Union tonight.”

Meanwhile, at least three Democrats are missing, but not by choice.

“Today I tested positive for COVID-19. I am fully vaccinated and reinforced. I will isolate myself and work remotely. My office remains fully operational for the WA-01 components, “DelBene wrote on Twitter on Tuesday morning.

Three Democrats tested positive for COVID-19 in the morning of Biden’s speech before a joint session of Congress. The House of Representatives, in whose hall the President will speak tonight, revoked his mandate for a mask only a few days ago

Aguilar, who said he tested positive around 1:30 PM East East, attributed the vaccine to his mild illness and said he was “disappointed” to miss Biden’s speech, but looked forward to hearing from POTUS tonight about the vision to build better. ” America “in a statement posted on Twitter.

Ruskin and Padilla said they tested positive Monday night.

The Maryland Democrat spokesman said he was experiencing “mild” symptoms and was disappointed to miss Biden’s speech.

“Yesterday I did a COVID-19 test for members who plan to attend the State of the Union address, and I tested positive. “Once I was fully vaccinated and received a booster, my flu-like symptoms have been quite mild so far,” Ruskin said in a statement.

He said he would continue his work in Congress from home next week.

“I am disappointed that I cannot personally attend President Biden’s address on the state of the Union,” Ruskin added. But I will follow his speech closely. ”

“I will welcome President Biden’s strong call on the world to continue to reject in every way possible Vladimir Putin’s illegal aggression against the people of Ukraine.”

Padilla, a freshman senator appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to take the place of Vice President Kamala Harris, said he had shown no symptoms of COVID, although he was positive.

“As I do regularly, I did a COVID test yesterday. Late last night I got a positive result from the test with a breakthrough case. “I am asymptomatic and I am grateful to be fully vaccinated and strengthened,” Padilla wrote on Twitter.

“According to the instructions of the CDC, I isolate myself and work remotely. I will continue to consult with the Capitol doctor and look forward to returning soon.

A fence has been erected around the United States Capitol as a security measure ahead of the state’s Biden address, which will be delivered at 9 p.m.

Capitol police said it was done “with great caution” as law enforcement officers prepare for a possible convoy of trucks to disrupt high-profile events in Washington tonight.

Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger also requested the assistance of the National Guard and ordered several roads closed before tonight.

Africans who have lived in Ukraine say they have been blocked for days moving to neighboring European Union countries, huddled in the cold without food or shelter, detained by Ukrainian authorities who pushed them to the end of the long queues and even defeated them while passing the Ukrainians.

At least 660,000 people have fled Ukraine in the five days since the Russian invasion began, the UNHCR said. Most are Ukrainians, but some are student or migrant workers from Africa, Asia and other regions who are also desperate to flee.

Nuclear engineer Sam Brinton was seen enjoying a relaxing weekend Maryland a neighborhood amid the noise surrounding their new role in the Biden administration’s Nuclear Service.

The 34-year-old scientist, the first non-binary man to take a position in federal government, spent most of the weekend on assignment with her husband, Kevin Rick, near their home in Rockville.

Brinton, who lives just outside of Washington, DCwas spotted returning from work on Saturday morning, renting a car before stopping for groceries with his partner.

The two dressed warmly but casually in down jackets and jeans as they grabbed snacks and soft drinks at the local CVS before returning home.

The two were spotted going out again to walk their dog Musa around the neighborhood on Sunday afternoon.

Brinton made headlines in January after proudly announcing on LinkedIn that they had been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste at the Department of Energy.

Nuclear engineer Sam Brinton was seen set off again on Monday after a quiet weekend at their home in Rockville, Maryland.

The 34-year-old embraced his side of science, coming out with a T-shirt with “nerdy by nature” graphics on their way to the airport

Brinton, who has a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), wore a colorful hooded zipper, red jeans and sneakers as they loaded a suitcase and handbag into their company car on Monday.

In addition to being a science maniac, Brinton is an avid LGBTQ activist and is the sister of Ray Dee O’Activ, a member of the Order of Eternal Indulgence, a non-profit group of drag queens who dress as nuns to raise awareness of sexual intolerance. and transphobia

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which specializes in nuclear energy and energy, Brinton is also an LGBTQ activist who is open to their advocacy and unconventional sexual inclinations, such as animal role-playing games on social media.

Photos shared online show them wearing American flag heels and a shiny dress as they stand over three people playing dog-like roles.

They are also known for posing as “Sister Ray Dee O’Active” while participating in a group called the Order of Eternal Allowance, a non-profit group of drag queens who dress as nuns to raise awareness. for sexual intolerance and transphobia.

But Brinton dressed up over the weekend, abandoning styles and makeup while spending relaxing, quality time with Rick and Muse.

When Monday morning came, they were spotted on their way back to the airport in their bags.

Embracing his side of science this time, Brinton came up with a blue T-shirt with graphics decorated with an image of an atom and the words “nerdy by nature.”

They combined the shirt with a pair of bright red pants, a colorful patterned hood with a zipper and sneakers.

They were alone while loading their luggage in a company car.

Brinton held various roles in the energy field before their last position, and also served as an adviser on nuclear waste in the Trump administration. The Washington Examiner reported.

But Brinton seems to have chosen more casual attire over the weekend, abandoning style and makeup while spending relaxing, quality time with her husband, Kevin Rick (left).

The two went for an afternoon walk around the neighborhood to walk their dog Musa

Brinton, who was the first non-binary person to serve in the federal government, previously talked about going out as a high school student and was then forced to spend two years in conversion therapy.

Originally from Iowa, the nuclear engineer now lives in the Maryland-DC area with Rick. The couple married in 2019

Brinton’s past is colorful. Born in 1987, their parents, Peggy Joe and Stephen Brinton, are Southern Baptists who now belong to Perry’s First Baptist Church. Iowa. The couple has three children – Sam, Rachel and Daniel.

The non-binary Brinton, who passes with the pronouns they / they, previously revealed his problematic relationship with his parents, both 57 years old – describing how they were forced to participate in conversion therapy as teenagers.

Brinton also told how they were told to leave the family home in Perry, Iowaafter going out with their parents as bisexuals for the second time while in college – forcing them to move in with their uncle in New York.

But speaking in front of her home last week, Brinton’s mother Peggy Joe told DailyMail.com family difficulties are a thing of the past and tell of her pride in her son’s powerful new job.

She said: “I taught him at home for many years because I knew he would excel and he does. It’s just amazing. He started working on [nuclear] A few years ago.’

Peggy Joe added, “He told me before, ‘I know you don’t understand,’ but I’m like, you do it – you do it.”

Earlier on Saturday, the two were spotted at their home after returning a rental car

The two dressed warmly but casually in down jackets and jeans as they went out to do some errands.

Brinton stopped at a gas station to refuel during Saturday’s outing

The 34-year-old entered the headlines in January after proudly announcing online that he had been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste Disposal at the Ministry of Energy.

The couple took some soft drinks and snacks at a local CVS before returning home

Brinton, the first man of gender fluid to serve as deputy assistant secretary, grew up in Sanford, Florida and Perry, Iowa.

In a 2018 publication, Brinton described how they first graduated as a high school student and then were forced to spend two years in conversion therapy, a discredited form of counseling that aims to turn gay people gay. He described it as “torture”.

As a result, they continued to keep their sexuality hidden through home schooling and then again while attending Perry High School after the family moved to Iowa in 2002.

Brinton’s parents still work at First Baptist Church in Perry, a small town of just over 8,000 people 30 miles northwest of Des Moines, and continue to live in the modest $ 166,000 four-bedroom home where Brinton was raised.

There, the 34-year-old stiletto-loving girl lived a radically different existence from their powerful lifestyle in Washington, D.C. today.

Samuel Brinton was elected Deputy Assistant Secretary for Spent Fuel and Waste at the Biden Administration’s Nuclear Power Service in January

The 34-year-old non-binary Brinton has already talked about his troubled relationship with his Southern Baptist parents Stephen and Peggy Joe Brinton (pictured), both 57, describing how they were forced to engage in conversion therapy as teenagers.

Photos from the yearbook, obtained from DailyMail.com, show how young Brinton excelled in technology – winning the Outstanding Automotive Student Award in his final year.

Photo from Brinton’s yearbook at Perry High School in Iowa

Brinton also spent four years on the school wrestling team and was a cross-country runner as well as an enthusiastic member of the school choir.

They also appear in several school plays, including The Stuck Pot, which tells the story of how a group of students set up a consolation prize for a boy “stuck with a terrible lemon” to meet at a school ball.

Brinton also appeared in Grease’s high school production and Quiet Summer, a comedy play about a man who decides to spend his summer trying to become president of a local country club.

They participated in numerous academic decathlon fights, were members of the public speaking team, and joined the Iowa Municipal Choir in their last two years at school.

They also proved popular – photos show Brinton with friends at their school ball in 2006 and participating in a quiz on a team called Sam’s Super Sweets.

This image drew attention and criticism against LGBTQ

In an exciting 2018 New York Times article, Brinton describes how they were “tortured” during conversion therapy, writing: “My parents were missionaries from the Southern Baptists who believed that the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy can “cure”. “my sexuality”

But according to Brinton, the transformation therapy they endured as a high school student left its mark, and it wasn’t until college, Kansas, Manhattan, Kansas, that they felt able to go out for the second and final time.

In an exciting 2018 New York Times article, Brinton describes how they were “tortured” during conversion therapy, writing: “My parents were missionaries from the Southern Baptists who believed that the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy can “cure”. ‘my sexuality.

“For more than two years, I sat on the couch and endured emotionally painful sessions with a counselor. I have been told that my religious community rejects my sexuality; that I was the abomination we had heard of in Sunday school; that I was the only gay man in the world; that it is inevitable that I will get HIV and AIDS.

An American couple who welcomed twin babies before birth through surrogacy in Ukraine are now desperately struggling to get their children out of the war-torn capital.

Alex Spector, 46, and Irma Nunes, 48, of Georgia, are doing their best to keep their newborn babies Lenny and Moishe Spector safe in Russia. invasion of Ukraine.

The twin boys were born at 32 and a half weeks – two months earlier – through a surrogate child on Friday at the Adonis maternity hospital in Kyiv, after a “complicated” pregnancy.

Due to their small size, babies (weighing about four kilograms each) now face horrific health complications – including breathing problems – as the war rages right outside the hospital.

As “staff and supplies dwindle” in the “unstable and dangerous” hospital, parents are desperate to move four-day-old babies to a safer area.

Back home: An American couple who welcomed twin babies in Ukraine through surrogacy are now struggling desperately to get their children out of the war-torn capital

Alex Spector, 46, and Irma Nunes, 48, of Georgia, are doing everything they can to keep their newborn babies Lenny and Moishe Spector safe amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The twins were born at 32 and a half weeks – two months earlier – through a surrogate on Friday at the Adonis maternity hospital in Kyiv, after a “complicated” pregnancy

Russia launched a comprehensive attack on Ukraine on Thursday with rockets falling from the sky, tanks rolling across the border and masses of attack helicopters storming the capital Kyiv

“It’s unimaginable, what can I say?” It’s impossible to wrap your mind around it, “Alex said in a recent interview with today show.

Russia launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine on Thursday with rocket-propelled grenades, tanks rolling across the Belarusian border and masses of attack helicopters storming the capital, Kyiv, after Russian leader Vladimir Putin personally ordered the invasion.

Ukrainian troops are fighting Russian forces to control the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, 60 miles north of the capital Kyiv, amid fears the battle could damage nuclear waste storage facilities, causing precipitation that could cover Europe.

The couple desperately wants to move the babies to a safer area and eventually bring them home to the United States, but their special medical needs are a serious problem.

“The fact that they are premature is playing against us – there is a conflict,” Alex continued. “They have to stay put. We have to get them out.

The parents want to move the little boys to another hospital – which has a basement bomb shelter – but can’t find an ambulance to transport them.

“They were born two months earlier, at the end of a complicated pregnancy and the beginning of a war,” their mother Irma wrote in Facebook page created to help the twins.

“We need your help to bring them home safely and to help other newborn babies, parents and caregivers who are trapped in the hospital with them.

“The twins cannot be relocated without medical help. They still need breathing assistance and monitors and any medications / equipment in case of distress while on the move.

Due to their small size, babies (weighing about four kilograms each) now face horrific health complications – including breathing problems – as the war rages outside.

Devoted parents: As “staff and supplies dwindle”, the couple desperately wants to move the babies to a safer area and eventually bring them home to the United States

The parents want to move the four-day-old boys to another hospital – which has a basement for a bomb shelter – but can’t find an ambulance to transport them.

Alex told Today that the hospital lacks the equipment needed to care for babies – including clothes and baby milk

Speaking: Parents told them the hospital was “unstable and dangerous” as they asked for help through a Facebook group set up for the twins

“Ordinary people have taken extraordinary steps to take care of each other in this terrible situation.

‘Do you speak Russian? Can you call RIGHT NOW to find someone who can send supplies to the Adonis maternity hospital in Kyiv?

“Can you help us find an ambulance in Kyiv to transport Moishe and Lenny from Adonis to the nearby hospital with more supplies / staff who agreed to receive them?” WE NEED YOU. ‘

The couple explained that the hospital lacked the equipment needed to care for the babies – including clothes and baby milk.

“I talked to this pharmacy in the morning. By the afternoon, when one of our contacts arrived there, he had already been fired upon and closed, “Alex told Today.

They revealed in another Facebook post that the hospital fortunately managed to find some breast milk for the babies after a “family member” took the supplies “on foot” amid the “chaos”.

However, they said the hospital remained “unstable and dangerous”. They also expressed concern that surrogate Katya, who is currently watching over the babies, may want to leave soon.

“The twins cannot be relocated without medical help. They still need breathing aids and monitors in case of distress while on the move, “their mother wrote on Facebook.

“We need your help to get them home safely,” she added. “Ordinary people have taken extraordinary steps to take care of each other in this horrific situation.”

Gathering: The couple also created a GoFundMe page where they raised more than $ 50,000

Stay positive: Despite the battle the little babies had to face, Alex said he hoped his sons would return home

Fighters: “Being born in a war zone – amid all this devastation – is incredibly encouraging,” he said.

“In our minds, the surrogate, she gave birth to our children, but she does not owe them. What if he decides he needs to be with his family and save himself? Alex told Washington Post. “We need to find someone who can take care of the babies.”

The couple created a GoFundMe page where they raised more than $ 50,000. But they are calling for help from the United States government.

“Just take our babies out,” Alex said as he spoke to Today. “Or, if that’s not possible, at least to Lviv, somewhere in the west, where they would be safe.”

During pregnancy, Katya begins to develop a condition in which her body “attacks” babies due to Rh incompatibility.

Then, when she started giving birth early, she had to spend three hours in an ambulance due to traffic from military vehicles.

“It was an agony for those three hours. We think, “Are these three hours going to be the end of our babies?” Alex told the Washington Post.

Despite the battle the young babies had to face, Alex hopes his sons will return home.

“We have these two lives born and their own journey to this world was so difficult and suddenly giving birth to them in a war zone – in the midst of all this devastation – feels incredibly encouraging,” he concluded.