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Macron barely survives decisive no-confidence votes in parliament – POLITICO

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PARIS — Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in the French parliament on Monday after it passed a highly unpopular pension reform without a vote last week, sparking outrage and spontaneous protests across the country.

In a high-stakes vote in France’s lower house of parliament, 278 deputies, mostly from the left and the far right, voted for a cross-party vote of no confidence, just short of the 287 votes needed to overthrow the government. . The second proposal, supported only by the far-right National Rally, did not receive enough votes.

The result of the first vote was much tougher than expected and increased pressure on Macron to withdraw his reform and could also jump-start a union-led protest movement against the measures. The French president will also be forced to respond either by addressing the country or by reshuffling his government.

Speaking before the vote, centrist MP Charles de Courson, one of the sponsors of the cross-party proposal, accused the Macron government of lacking “courage” during parliamentary debates.

“You could imagine [your reform] to a vote and you would probably lose it, but this is a game when you are in a democracy,” he told MPs.

The leader of Macron’s Revival parliamentary group, Aurora Berger, criticized the government’s accusations that it did not seek compromises with deputies and accused opposition parties of working against the common good.

“When people talk about a grand coalition, it should be that people work together for the good of the country. On the contrary, you offer us… you want to stop our country, in our institutions and… on the street,” she said.

The no-confidence vote came last week after Macron authorized Thursday’s use of a controversial constitutional maneuver to bypass a parliamentary vote on his pension reform bill. The French president wants to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 to balance the accounts of France’s arrears public pension system and bring France’s retirement age in line with other European countries such as Spain and Germany, where it ranges from 65 to 67. years.

The no-confidence vote was put to a vote in the National Assembly as strikes disrupted flights, public transportation, garbage collection and oil refineries ahead of a nationwide day of protests on Thursday. Union leaders are hoping for a show of force against the government and have also warned that social unrest is at risk of escalating after several protests in Paris turned violent in recent days.

“I am sending this warning to the President, he must withdraw the bill before disaster occurs. [Our protests] very controlled from the beginning, but the temptation to violence, radicalization… is present,” said CFDT trade union leader Laurent Bergé. on Sunday.

While the government has survived attempts to take over, there are now rumors that Macron will want to replace his beleaguered prime minister, Elisabeth Bourne, in a government reshuffle aimed at refreshing his image. Macron’s popularity rating fell 4 points in a month to 28 percent, according to an IFOP-JDD poll released on Sunday.

Tough victory for Macron

Many thought Monday’s no-confidence votes were unlikely to pass before the vote because the French National Assembly was deeply divided after last year’s parliamentary elections. While Macron’s Renaissance Party lost an absolute majority, the opposition parties that supported the no-confidence vote failed to win enough votes because the majority of the conservative Republican MPs refused to support it.

However, the more conservative MPs than expected decided to ignore the party line and support a cross-party vote of no confidence, exposing deep divisions within Les Républicains.

Elisabeth Born wants to live to see the next day as French Prime Minister | Pool photo taken by Gonzalo Fuentes/AFP via Getty Images

On Monday, one of the leading rebels, Conservative MP Aurélien Pradier, said a no-confidence vote was needed to “get out of the chaos.”

“The Macron club did not understand what was happening. And if we need to shake them up with a vote of no confidence, I will support it and give my voice to people who feel despised,” he told Europe 1 radio.

This article has been updated with more information about voting.

FIX: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported the number of MPs who voted for a cross-party vote of no confidence.

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Bernie Sanders auditioned for Moderna

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Senator Bernie Sanders


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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Good treatment of drug companies does not go unpunished these days, and Bernie Sanders will set another example on Wednesday when he holds a political show trial of Moderna CEO Stéphane Bansel. His resentment? Collaborating with the government to produce life-saving Covid vaccines.

The subject of the Vermont senator’s hearing is Moderna’s plan to quadruple the price of a Covid vaccine to $110-$130 a dose when US government purchases cease. Pfizer said it would charge a similar price once the vaccines hit the commercial market, which is expected later this year.

But Mr. Sanders is specifically targeting Mr. Bancel because his company has been working with the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed ​​(OWS) to speed up vaccine development. Mr Bancel obviously should have known better than to work with the government.

Early in the Covid pandemic, Moderna received $900 million from OWS to test its mRNA vaccine in partnership with the National Institutes of Health. Pfizer decided to go it alone because “when you get money from someone, it’s always about conditions,” as CEO Albert Burla explained in September 2020. No kidding.

Mr Sanders argues that taxpayers have paid for the development of the Moderna Covid vaccine, and so the government should be able to dictate its price. This is nonsense. Prior to the pandemic, Moderna developed its new mRNA platform with a $3.8 billion private investment. In the spring of 2020, the company raised another $1.3 billion in private capital to expand production.

Were it not for the Moderna-OWS collaboration, the introduction of the vaccine would have been much slower. The Moderna vaccine proved to be more resistant and protective against severe disease than the Pfizer vaccine in real-world studies. However, the administration consistently paid Pfizer $3-4 more per dose. As a result, Pfizer received more than a billion dollars more from the government than Moderna.

However, progressives have targeted Moderna as a “poster of corporate greed,” quoting Mr. Sanders, because they believe it reinforces their view that drug companies profit from innovation and government support. The truth is closer to the opposite. The government and the public benefit from the billions of dollars spent by Moderna on research and development.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the Moderna price increase is “difficult to justify,” even as Biden officials welcome the benefits of Covid vaccines and boosters. If they are as effective as public health officials say, the benefits of reducing hospital admissions for the elderly will more than outweigh the new higher price.

Taxpayers received a rebate under an OWS contract that paid Moderna about $15 per dose. Even after the vaccine is commercially available, Moderna will be priced lower than vaccines such as GSKX

the shingles shot ($183) or the Merck pneumonia vaccine ($216), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Under the Affordable Care Act, privately insured Americans won’t have to pay a dime out of pocket for vaccines. Moderna will also offer free vaccines to the uninsured. So what’s the problem? Moderna wants to profit from its innovations. Oh no! Worse, Moderna’s profits will go to fund trials for other vaccines in development, including cancer.

Life-saving vaccines and treatments undermine the political narrative that pharmaceutical companies are capitalist exploiters, a view that is also circulating among the political right. That’s why Mr. Bansel is in the dock.

Overview and Outlook: The former president should be indicted for serious crimes with hard evidence, not for the reopening of a seven-year-old case by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Images: Reuters/AP Composite: Mark Kelly

Copyright © 2022 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

Appeared in print edition dated March 21, 2023 titled “Moderna Bernie Sanders Show Trial”.

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NYPD braces for possible protests as Trump claims arrest looms

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NYPD braces for possible protests as Trump claims arrest is coming – CBS News

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Police in New York are setting up metal barricades near the Manhattan courthouse as the investigation into former President Trump appears to be nearing a conclusion. Trump claimed on social media he would be arrested Tuesday, although officials have not said so. CBS News chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa has the latest.

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Tovala Smart Oven deep fryer review

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V Smart oven Tovala Air Fryer is a Wi-Fi connected desktop oven with an app that, when combined with an expensive meal plan subscription, can cook fresh, personalized meals for one in about 20 minutes or less.

The perfect companion for small kitchens and busy work schedules, the Smart Oven Airfryer allows you to select meals online, scan the barcode on the package and dig through them. However, if you’re interested in creating your own recipes or cooking more than that (you can order double portions, although that will raise the price of already expensive meals) you may not need such a targeted smart device. And, if you don’t feel like spending the extra money on a six-week meal delivery, an affordable $70 oven will skyrocket to the less economical $250, which no longer makes it a budget choice, especially when compared to other countertop ovens and air fryers. like our favorite, $300 Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven.

To help you decide if this smart oven is right for you, I’ve cooked up a week’s worth of Tovala gourmet meals with the Smart Oven Air Fryer. Here’s what you need to know before you start cooking.

Airfryer Tovala Smart Oven offers a simple service of fresh food delivery for one and one-touch cooking with Wi-Fi connection. Great budget toaster, if you order food it goes to a more expensive and less useful purchase if you’re more interested in cooking from scratch. However, if you’re looking to save time and energy, this countertop oven outperforms supermarket frozen food and takeaways.

The Tovala app (available for iOS and Android) is non-negotiable for the Smart Oven Air Fryer because this is where you register, pay and order your food. It will also help you set up your oven and even give you access to a database of recipes if you really decide to cook from scratch. And if you need a recipe for roasting hot dogs in the air (see below), then this oven will definitely fit.

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Once you download and log into the app, it will also take full control of the Smart Oven Air Fryer, although you can still use the device’s simple buttons (more below) or use its even more convenient barcode scanner. And to keep you organized, the app will also send food delivery notifications to your phone and let you know when your food is ready.

Because I live with my husband and two kids, I knew I wouldn’t necessarily be using this oven the way it’s meant to offer a tastier 21st century version of the lonely TV dinner. And since I love to cook for my family, I was skeptical about a simple indoor smart oven. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how incredibly easy and fast it is to use in combination with a food delivery service.

The point is to take most of the work out of preparing food from fresh produce while making it tastier and healthier than the prepared foods you can buy at the supermarket. Not only do you not have to follow a complicated recipe, but you also don’t have to fiddle with temperature, come up with a cooking regime, or think about how long to cook. This is, simply put, dinner for dummies.

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The new Smart Oven fryer, released this year, has a neutral putty color that contrasts with the soft gray finish of the Smart Oven Pro. It has a glass window through which you can watch the food being cooked, a touch control panel on one side and a barcode scanner in the upper right corner.

Super easy food and cooking subscription

Since the food subscription service is an integral part of the company’s philosophy, it makes little sense to buy this oven without ordering at least some of the dishes. And, as mentioned above, to get a $70 oven, you have to order six courses. I ordered eight to start.

While you can get a meal for as little as $10, the average price is $13 per serving (prices vary depending on the ingredients). This is about what you would pay if you ordered. You can start with four meals a day for $52 and shipping costs $10. After subscribing, you can easily go back and change the frequency or even skip or pause meals depending on your schedule.

I selected several dishes to try, including four chicken dishes, one filet mignon (which added a few dollars to my shipping cost), several meatballs, a bowl of beef and rice, and one vegetarian option. Each meal is packed in a neat cardboard box with instructions and a barcode, and the corresponding protein is individually vacuum-packed.

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Cooking was easy. Everything is already cut and portioned, and the necessary sauces or seasonings will come in handy, separate bags. I asked my teen to make them himself and my 16 year old was fascinated by how easy it was to pick up the food and toss it in the oven and then just scan the barcode and wait for his dinner. As mentioned, you can use an oven launcher app, but there’s something strangely satisfying about holding that barcode under a scanner and watching it work.

The food is good. It’s not restaurant quality, but it’s more appealing than a frozen dinner. Though if you’re on the calorie or salt side, you might want to check the food list online before ordering specific meals – my Italian meatballs with roasted red peppers and potato wedges had a whopping 720 calories and contained 45 grams of fat with almost 2,000 grams of salt ( compare that to a Big Mac, which has 540 calories, 25 grams of fat, and just over 1,000 grams of salt).

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If you are looking for a more versatile toaster oven for all kinds of foods and cooking methods, Tovala is not the best choice. And no, you can’t go to the supermarket and choose Towal’s food. The app’s Grocery tab has a list of groceries if you want to grab something from brands like Amy’s, DiGiorno, or Trader Joe’s, but you can also use your microwave at this point.

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The oven itself is smaller than the $449 GE Cafe Couture oven with air fryer that I usually put on the countertop, and it has a lot less bells and whistles. While this austerity may be better for ready-meal subscribers, it’s not as helpful if you’re cooking from scratch or cooking for a large group.

Although this new oven is marketed as a deep fryer, after receiving the dishes, I realized that none of them used this feature. At least I don’t think so, because he doesn’t tell you what he does when he cooks. It’s just like that.

Towala addressed this by answering. “The air fryer is not really compatible with Tovala dishes at the time, it’s only for other foods you might want to air fry.” Like hot dogs, apparently.

Here’s what I didn’t consider until I signed up for my meal plan: where exactly do I store eight individual boxes of food in the fridge? I ended up having to rearrange things completely to stack them on top of each other and then put the egg whites in the freezer. If you have a small kitchen and an even smaller fridge, you might want to consider this before ordering more than four meals at a time.

Of course, if your fridge is empty due to not cooking for yourself, the Smart Oven air fryer is perfect.

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V Smart oven Tovala Air Fryer and an accompanying meal plan is a time-saving way to enjoy fresh food at home. Assembling the dishes is easy, and you can use the app or the oddly cuddly bar scanner to cook without any further instructions.

Of course, if you don’t feel like paying at least $52 a week for at least four meals a day, this inexpensive $69 oven will go up to $250 and you’re better off having a simple toaster oven/fryer like Hamilton Beach Course Crisp for just $100 with no strings attached. And if you’re the more adventurous home cook, you might want something bigger and more versatile, like our pick. KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry (200 dollars).

But if you just want to cook your own food with little to no effort, prep work or cleaning up, the Smart Oven Air Fryer is a smart choice. Even my 16 year old son, who spends more time queuing at Chipotle than cooking his own meals, appreciates Tovala’s ease of use and minimum mess.

Did you like the food? “That’s good, mom, but I’d rather eat your cooking.” Music to my ears, but for him it’s definitely a step up from takeaway.

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