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    #backtobusiness: Flood-affected Shropshire businesses set to receive grant funding – shropshirestar.com - March 11, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Applications opened on March 4 with over 130 applications to date and 80 in the first tranche.

    Shropshire Council said the successful applicants are due to receive the money this week.

    Mark and Paula Edwards, owners of Chase Car Care Centre on Smithfield Road in Shrewsbury, applied to the fund after the floods forced them to shut for the past three weeks though they hope to open again soon.

    The flood water entered their property on all sides, not just when the river burst its banks onto Smithfield Road, leaving them marooned alongside a number of other businesses in the area.

    The couple said: It helps take some of the financial burden off us at this difficult time. The key thing for us is to get re-opened and get some of the trade back that has been lost. Frustratingly our loyal customers have had to go elsewhere but we hope they will return to us when we are back to normal.

    Businesses affected by the flooding can still apply to the council by visiting the council website shropshire.gov.uk and following the link on the homepage.

    Shropshire Council is able to give business recovery grants of up to 2,500 that can be awarded to small and medium-sized businesses that have been directly or indirectly impacted by the February 2020 flooding.

    The council can also award 100 per cent business rate relief for a minimum of three months, or until the business is able to resume trading from the property if this is longer.

    Steve Charmley, Shropshire Councils cabinet member for assets, economic growth and regeneration, said: We recognise how devastating the flooding impacts have been in parts of the county and how this is affecting our residents and businesses. We hope that the grants available will go some way to relieving some of the immediate pressures that theyre facing."

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    #backtobusiness: Flood-affected Shropshire businesses set to receive grant funding - shropshirestar.com

    Justices spar over fate of consumer agency | TheHill – The Hill - March 5, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    The Supreme Court appeared sharply divided along ideological lines Tuesday over the question of whether the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an agency seen as a progressive achievement in the wake of the financial crisis, is unconstitutional.

    The court heard oral arguments in a case centering on whether Congress improperly insulated the agency from executive branch control by designing it to be led by a single director whom the president cannot fire at will.

    The Trump administration is refusing to defend the agency, instead siding with a California law firm that sued the CFPB in arguing that the structure unconstitutionally infringes on the presidents control over the executive branch.

    Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued to the court that the arrangement is undemocratic, because a director who operates under such protections is not answerable to the president. Officials who are appointed by the president and can be fired at will, Francisco argued, are held accountable by the president and in turn the president is held accountable by the voters for those officials actions.

    Most of the five justices on the court's conservative majority seemed to agree and sharply questioned the attorney that the court appointed to argue in favor of the agency, former Republican Solicitor General Paul Clement.

    They appeared most concerned about the prospect of Congress instituting similar restraints on the presidents ability to fire officials at other agencies.

    What do we do with the fact and I'm sure you've given this great thought that if we were to approve single-member agencies without any presidential removal power lets just suppose that we would run into questions about the Cabinet, for example, which are just agencies right? Justice Neil GorsuchNeil GorsuchJustices spar over fate of consumer agency Supreme Court leaves in place Trump ban on bump stocks Justices to hear first major abortion case of Trump era MORE asked Clement.

    Clement responded that there are constitutional and structural protections in place to prevent Congress from dictating the presidents powers over certain executive branch personnel.

    Chief Justice John Roberts seemed to be the only conservative justice to have any ambivalence. He said the 2010 law that created the CFPB, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, seemed to give the president some leeway by allowing him to fire the agencys director for inefficiency.

    Theoretically, I dont know that the courts would be terribly suited to second-guess that, Roberts said.

    The CFPB has been in conservative lawmakers crosshairs since it was first created. They argue it's an unaccountable regulator and an overzealous check on the free market.

    But progressives see the agency as a massive success. It returned nearly $12 billion to consumers from predatory lenders and other financial firms in its first six years in existence.

    Unlike most independent executive branch agencies that are led by multimember commissions, the CFPB is headed by just one executive, who is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate but can only be fired for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance. That restricts incoming administrations from installing ideological or political allies at the agency.

    Congress designed the agency, which was first proposed by Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) when she was a law professor, in order to protect it from political interference or industry influence out of a belief that a lack of oversight on Wall Street helped lead to the 2008 financial crisis.

    Richard CordrayRichard Adams CordrayJustices spar over fate of consumer agency To understand true impact of proposed interest rate caps, listen to history and borrowers Democrats blast consumer bureau over student loan oversight agreement with DeVos MORE, the first-ever CFPB director under former President Obama, told The Hill that his takeaway from Tuesdays argument was that the justices understood the gravity of the decision theyre facing.

    "There were indications that the court understood that a very broad sweep would cause tremendous disruption to settled expectations and the economy, and they would not want to be the authors of that," Cordray said.

    He added that legal challenges against the CFPB like the one heard Tuesday had been slowing the agencys work.

    "But ultimately, I do think that it will be good for the court to decide this issue and put it behind us because it has been an obstacle in a number of enforcement actions, Cordray said. Once the issue is raised, it becomes a procedural problem, it slows down the case, it ties it up with side issues aside from the wrongdoing that the company may have perpetrated and it makes it harder to get results."

    The liberal justices on the court expressed skepticism about the arguments against the agency's structure, noting that other agencies multimember commissions are similarly protected from being fired at will and the difference between those and the CFPB seemed inconsequential.

    JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg suggested that independence allowed the agency to more successfully police the financial sector.

    The case before the justices involves the law firm Seila Law, which sued the CFPB, arguing the subpoenas it had received from the agency are invalid because the regulator is unconstitutional. Kannon Shanmugam, an attorney representing the firm, argued that the CFPB posed a threat to liberty because neither the president nor Congress could adequately check its powers.

    You talked about liberty. Now whose liberty are we speaking of? Ginsburg asked. What about the consumers? I mean, Congress passed this law so that the consumers would be better protected against financial fraud. And you're talking about, I suppose, the liberty of your client. But what about the people that Congress was concerned about, that is, the consumers who were not well protected by the array of agencies that were handling these problems?

    There are a number of different routes that the court could take in deciding the case.

    Clement and Douglas Letter, the House's general counsel, are arguing that the case does not properly pose the constitutional questions raised about the agency because those issues do not affect the subpoenas toSelia Law. They're urging the justices to reject the case without deciding the merits of the constitutional argument.

    While Seila and the Trump administration are in agreement on their critique of the CFPB's structure, they differ on how the court should go about addressing it. Seila proposes that the court invalidates the entire section of Dodd-Frank that created the agency, which would kill the CFPB and return consumer protection powers to other agencies.

    The Justice Department, meanwhile, suggests that the court should simply strike down the removal protections and keep the agency in place by "severing" that language from Dodd-Frank and keeping the rest of the law intact.

    Letter similarly warned that killing the agency would completely upend consumer protection in the financial sector.

    "If there is no severability here, I want to make sure that you all understand this is not a simple situation of, well, we'll just have these functions go back to the other agencies where they came from," Letter said.

    "The other agencies don't have either slots or appropriations to enforce what the CFPB does," he said. "So if you say this is non-severable, we strike down the whole statute, in this instance, that would be a very, very major action."

    The case is expected to be decided by the end of June.

    Sylvan Lane contributed.

    Updated at 2:43 p.m.

    Read the original:
    Justices spar over fate of consumer agency | TheHill - The Hill

    Sudbury health unit planning for possible pandemic of COVID-19 – CBC.ca - March 5, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Health agencies across the country are in planning mode with the COVID-19 virus.

    At this point the World Health Organization has not declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic. It is still an epidemic, which means cases can be contained.

    But numbers and the countries affected continue to grow, and the WHO says there is potential for this health issue to become a pandemic.

    Any public health directive for our country would come from the Public Health Agency of Canada and filter down through each community's local health unit.

    "All of us are working to look at how best to prepare should COVID-19 turn into more of a pandemic situation versus what we're facing right now, which is where we're in containment mode," says Dr Ariella Zbar, associate medical officer of health for Public Health Sudbury & Districts.

    Public Health Sudbury & Districts is updating its pandemic plan, which involves working with other local health system partners, including Health Sciences North.

    "If that were the case, what do we need to do as public health and what do we need to do with our health system partners to make sure that we are best prepared to limit the disruption to people's lives and to protect the health of the population," she said.

    One of the key details in the pandemic plan is how the hospital in Sudbury would deal with the extra patients who may contract the virus and need medical care.

    "Looking at reducing the burden on the health care system, so trying to divert more mild cases away from the emergency department so those with more severe acute health care needs get the care they need in a hospital setting," Zbar said.

    Sudbury's pandemic plan contains guiding common principles.

    "Those haven't really changed much," she said, adding that the document was last used during the H1NI epidemic in 2009.

    "[COVID-19] is not an influenza virus, it's a different type of virus than that. We have different considerations that we do have to update given what our organization is able to do, the partnerships that we have and the guidance that is coming from the ministry and the federal agency."

    Theupdates to the plan will also include details about COVID-19.

    At this time there are 15confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Ontario, 24overall in Canada. There are no cases in the Sudbury area.

    Zbar reiterates that it's important for people to get accurate information about COVID-19 from credible sources like the World Health Organization, the Public Health Agency of Canada and local health units.

    Zbar says for the general public, basic emergency preparedness is always a good idea, like having an emergency kit that can support families for a minimum of three days.

    "We know some people may not have looked into their cabinet lately to see if they have any non-perishables or either they're expiredso it's a good time to look," Zbar said, adding that other suggestions include making a list of important contacts, and having copies of crucial personal documents.

    But when it comes to preparing for COVID-19 and the possibility of a pandemic, Zbar says there are a lot of healthy habits we all can incorporate in our lives. Those include washing hands, not touching your face, staying home when you feel sick, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, cleaning high touch surfaces areas.

    "Hand sanitizer is a good thing to have on hand, it's where soap and water are not available."

    However, Zbar says face masks are only necessary for those who are sick.

    "If you are well it's not really recommended. If you are unwell on the other hand you have respiratory symptoms and you want to prevent other people from getting sick it is something that you can consider," she said.

    Public Health Sudbury & Districts doesn't yet have any specific advice for organizations, clubs, churches or other groups that hold mass gatherings.

    "Those are items that we expect to have more guidance on from provincial and federal resources and it's something that we at public health are actively considering as we start to ramp up our planning around pandemic preparedness," Zbar said.

    "We will be planning and monitoring as the situation evolves, and please stay tuned."

    More:
    Sudbury health unit planning for possible pandemic of COVID-19 - CBC.ca

    How to Find Attractive Yet Affordable Kitchen Cabinets this Holiday Season? – The Hear UP - February 29, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Kitchen cabinets are a significant focal point when looking to renovate your kitchen. In essence, they are also the most expensive components of a kitchen that takes about the lions share of your expenses. According to Remodelings_2018 Cost vs. Value report, any midrange kitchen remodeling incurs a cost of more than $50,000. The cost of kitchen cabinets itself takes about 15-20 percent of the cost.

    That hurts, right? Fret not. There are still alternate ways to find attractive, modern kitchen cabinets that dont burn your pocket and in this post, we are about to explore the same.

    For people who are looking to keep the cost of kitchen cabinets under check, ready to assemble is a great option. If you are remodeling your kitchen for the very first time, its worthwhile to note that ready to assemble cabinets presents before an impressive storage option since they are mass-produced and highly flexible compared to pre-made designs.

    Plus, not to forget the customization feature which works great if you are little space crunched in your kitchen. If you are a DIY kind of person, thats one more reason to love ready to assemble cabinets that are shipped with an easy to follow manual that saves you from spending money to hire a professional.

    Does the term second hand irk you away? Wait! Theres more to the story than one knows. Sure, the second-hand market is a tad dicey, but if you are careful enough, you may land yourself some amazing deals with the cost of kitchen cabinets going as low as $5000-8000.Facebook marketplace, Craigslist and thrift stores are good places to check for cheap kitchen cabinets, where you can find such deals from folks shifting town or leaving the county for work, which makes it impossible for one to carry their cabinets along. Just ensure to call up the seller in person and discuss the distance and transportation costs involved.

    That being said, no one can stop you from getting yourself a good deal on kitchen cabinets. Apart from used kitchen cabinets, one can also consider buying display kitchen cabinets which generally rest between a new and a used one. Although one may find them in a little beat-up state, they are far better than a used kitchen cabinet. Also, the dirt and dust that it receives have nothing to do with food or cooking residue as display cabinets are mostly kept in a home improvement store.

    Owing to advanced production, Chinese kitchen cabinets have been successful in making a strong foray into the market. The cost of kitchen cabinets from China is surprisingly low compared to American made. Furthermore, modern-day Chinese cabinets use a wide variety of materials that range from wood, plywood, particleboard, and medium-density fibreboards.

    The cost of production itself is quite low compared to other countries and comes with easy to assemble features like cam locks. Apart from intelligent installation features, Chinese cabinets also bespeak beautiful Asian artistry that renders simplicity and elegance in equal measures. If you plan to sell or rent out your property, China made modern kitchen cabinets are great options to consider.

    The most inexpensive way to go about remodeling your kitchen cabinet is painting and staining. One can either do it by himself or call a professional. Now, if you plan on working alone, know that the process would take at least two to three weeks to be completed. It would require one to remove all hardware including the cabinet doors and clean them thoroughly before you start painting. Put primer like painting walls if you like working with a paintbrush.

    Lastly, refacing is another process to make your kitchen cabinets look attractive all the way and is a worthy alternative to buying a new one. Refacing involves applying laminate veneer or wood in thin layers right over the cabinet boxes. You will be amazed to witness the difference in looks that refacing can bring. One can also choose from several designs to style it the way you want.

    However, before you take to reface your cabinets, ensure that they are in good condition and can withstand the application of laminate veneer. Modern kitchen cabinets that have slab doors or flat panels can be refaced easily compared to other types, where it calls for a complete replacement of the doors. Also, while choosing to reface or repaint, it is advised that you install new hardware and locks as well, to complete the overall look.

    So, you see, buying an attractive kitchen cabinet doesnt have to incur heavy on your pockets. With a little bit of research and luck, you should be able to keep the cost of kitchen cabinets under check and find a piece that fits your budget, style, and space in tandem.

    Go here to read the rest:
    How to Find Attractive Yet Affordable Kitchen Cabinets this Holiday Season? - The Hear UP

    Meet the Press – February 16, 2020 – NBCNews.com - February 17, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    CHUCK TODD:This Sunday, state of play.SEN. BERNIE SANDERS:Thank you, New Hampshire.CHUCK TODD:Who's the Democratic front-runner? Is it New Hampshire winner Bernie Sanders?SEN. BERNIE SANDERS:We will not only defeat Trump. We will transform this country.CHUCK TODD:Or delegate leader Pete Buttigieg?PETE BUTTIGIEG:I now stand before you at the head of an unlikely campaign, leading in the race for delegates to the Democratic nomination.CHUCK TODD:Can Amy Klobuchar keep surging?SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:I'm Amy Klobuchar, and I will beat Donald Trump.CHUCK TODD:Or should Democrats pin their hopes on Michael Bloomberg, who's now facing heightened scrutiny?MICHAEL BLOOMBERG:I know I can't change history. What I can do is learn from my mistakes.CHUCK TODD:This morning, my exclusive sitdown with the one-time front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, who took on Sanders supporters.JOE BIDEN:If any of my supporters did that, I'd disown them.CHUCK TODD:And my interview with Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Plus, the president strikes back.REPORTER:What lesson did you learn from impeachment?PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP:That the Democrats are crooked, they've got a lot of crooked things going, that they're vicious.CHUCK TODD:President Trump attacks his foes and protects his friends in a post-impeachment show of force. And Attorney General William Barr sounds off about his boss.ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR:Public statements and tweets make it impossible for me to do my job.CHUCK TODD:Was this a genuine rebuke of the president? Or political theater? Joining me for insight and analysis are Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson; NBC News White House correspondent Peter Alexander; Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute; and Mara Teresa Kumar, president of Voto Latino. Welcome to Sunday. It's Meet the Press.ANNOUNCER:From NBC News in Washington, the longest-running show in television history. This is Meet the Press with Chuck Todd.CHUCK TODD:Good Sunday morning. When you're thinking about the Democratic presidential race, it's helpful to remember a line from the movie No Country for Old Men. No, I'm not going where you think I'm going. Paraphrasing here. "If this ain't a mess, it'll do till the mess gets here." Bernie Sanders has a plausible path to the nomination, leaving the Democratic establishment grasping for an alternative. Two alternatives, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar, are splitting the center-left vote for now, while another, Mike Bloomberg, stands ready to divide the non-Sanders wing even more come March. And then there's Joe Biden, the one-time presumed front-runner. Fourth and fifth place finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire have raised serious doubts about whether his campaign can survive. In just a moment, you'll see my exclusive sitdown with the former vice president. And against that backdrop has come what one Democratic senator called President Trump's retribution tour. Mr. Trump sacking or attacking perceived enemies, including those who testified at the House impeachment hearings and then of course trying to protect his friends. It all suggests that the lesson Mr. Trump learned from impeachment is to just be himself, only more so. It's left Democrats feeling an even greater urgency to find the right candidate to take on Mr. Trump, while being no closer to figuring out who that candidate is.SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Nevada.JOE BIDEN: South Carolina.PETE BUTTIGIEG:California.SEN. BERNIE SANDERS:North Carolina.SEN. ELIZABETH WARRENVirginia.MICHAEL BLOOMBERG Right here in Texas.CHUCK TODD:As Democratic candidates look to Nevada, South Carolina and the 15 states and territories that vote on Super Tuesday, Democrats are already anxious about the potential of a drawn-out primary fight that could drag on for months.SEN. BERNIE SANDERS:I did win the popular vote in Iowa. I did win the popular vote and win the primary in New Hampshire. I think we're going to win in Nevada.CHUCK TODD:The strong start by Bernie Sanders is triggering alarm among some Democrats who worry he could win a plurality of delegates with strength just on the left without broadening his political support.SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:I was the only one on that stage that raised my hand and said that I didn't think we should have a socialist leading the Democratic ticket.PETE BUTTIGIEG:What he's offering is a vision that says you've got to either be for the revolution or you're for the status quo and there's nothing in between.CHUCK TODD:And Democrats worry if Sanders is not the nominee, many of his supporters may refuse to get in line behind another candidate. This week, Sanders supporters attacked Nevada's hotel workers union after it criticized his position on Medicare for All.SEN. BERNIE SANDERS:We're living in a strange world on the internet. And sometimes people attack people in somebody else's name. But let me be very clear. Anybody making personal attacks against anybody else in my name is not part of our movement. We don't want them.CHUCK TODD:With Joe Biden's decline, Democrats are jockeying to prove they are the best equipped to take on Sanders and win the center. Among them, Michael Bloomberg, whose rise in the polls is fueled by more than $300 million in ad spending.MICHAEL BLOOMBERG:You've all heard the slogan, "Mike will get it done." And if you haven't, I've been spending an awful lot of money to get it out there.CHUCK TODD:With Bloomberg's growing strength comes new scrutiny of his past, including a 2015 speech defending New York City's controversial stop-and-frisk policing policy.MICHAEL BLOOMBERG:The way you get the guns out of the kids' hands is to throw them against the wall and frisk them. Sometimes, you just make a mistake and I think the sign of leadership is standing up and saying so.CHUCK TODD:2008 comments that seem to blame the economic crisis on banks ending redlining, the denial of housing loans to minority neighborhoods.SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:That crisis would not have been averted if the banks had been able to be bigger racists. And anyone who thinks that should not be the leader of our party.CHUCK TODD:And allegations from women of sexist comments and workplace discrimination at his company. On Saturday, Bloomberg tweeted, "I would not be where I am today without the talented women around me. ... I will always be a champion for women in the workplace." Bloomberg's rise and the muddle among centrist Democrats is a product of one thing: Biden's struggles.JOE BIDEN:Nobody told me it'd be easy. I don't believe you brought me this far to leave me now. Don't leave us now.CHUCK TODD:Yesterday, I sat down with the former vice president, Joe Biden, in Las Vegas, where he is campaigning ahead of Saturday's Nevada caucuses. I began by asking how months of public attacks by President Trump on he and his son have affected him personally.

    JOE BIDEN:First of all, it initially made me angry. But I realized that whomever was likely to be, whoever he most feared was going to be the victim of his affection. No matter who it is, they're going to go after them. And secondly, what I determined was, and I know this sounds -- I don't what it sounds, I'll just say it. You know, a president can't just fight. The president has to be able to forgive, has to be able to reach out. We've got to pull the country together, and so the dilemma's been, you know, how much do I let my frustration show and how much do I focus on -- because ultimately it's not about me, Chuck, it's about the folks listening. I mean for real. It sounds prosaic. CHUCK TODD:I got to ask. You've been asked about Lindsey Graham before. What kind of violation of your friendship has this been?JOE BIDEN:Well, you know, Lindsey -- I went out of my way for Lindsey, and Lindsey recorded things that were so -- you know, about what a wonderful guy I am. But when I watched how Lindsey responded under pressure to John McCain, our mutual friend -- John and I went at each other hammer and tong, but on his deathbed he asked me to do his eulogy. We were friends. He was honorable. He was decent. And it just stunned me that he did not respond to, to the attacks on John that were made by this president so viciously. He -- and the way he, well I shouldnt -- hurt the family. And so I'm not surprised. But I have to tell you, I'm disappointed. He was friends with Jill. He was friends with Beau. He was friends with Hunter. I mean, he was, you know --CHUCK TODD:Let me ask it this way. If you become president of the United States and Lindsey Graham calls you up and says, "Hey, that was just politics. Can we begin our friendship again?" How's that conversation going to go?JOE BIDEN:I would say I'll be willing to talk to Lindsey. I want to know.CHUCK TODD:You want to know why he did it? So you'll take that phone call, if he'll ever, if hell ever give you that phone call?JOE BIDEN:Yes, I would.CHUCK TODD:Have you thought about the fact that the president's campaign against you and your son might have been effective? I mean, that it might have cost you Iowa? Might have cost you New Hampshire? Has that crossed your mind?JOE BIDEN:It has, but you know, I can't, I can't focus on that, Chuck. I've got to focus on the future. I've got to focus on how do we, how do we end this era of -- I mean how do we literally, I wrote about it, restore the soul of this country? I mean it's just being eaten out. It's being eaten away. The cruelty. The viciousness. The way he pits people against one another. The way he goes after people of color. The way he makes fun of. I mean theres a cruelty about it. And that's not who we are, Chuck. I refuse to believe that's who the American people are.CHUCK TODD:Let me talk about the campaign.JOE BIDEN:Yes.CHUCK TODD:There was something you wrote in your book before you launched your campaign. You were talking about the 2016 campaign you might have run. Heres what you said what you were not -- this is the type of campaign you said you were going to run in '16. You weren't going to do a cautious, trim around the edges campaign. You thought that was pointless. So Biden for President was going to be big. Anything less just wasn't worth it. You look at this campaign now. Can you say this is not a cookie cutter campaign? Do you feel like you are running something different? Running something bigger? Some of your supporters feel like there's not the urgency that they want out of you.JOE BIDEN:No, I understand. And one of the reasons they say that is because I am unwilling to, up to now, attack the Democratic opponents who are attacking me. I mean, I got involved. I was viewed as the front-runner. I had the target on my back. I've been put through the test. And they've thrown a lot, a lot at me. Some misrepresentations. And so I have to ask myself whether or not it has, it has been wise to be as, sort, of polite and not negative as I have been. The ideas I have, Chuck, are big and bold. I mean this idea that I'm not the progressive in the race. I mean my lord, if, if I get elected president of the United States with my position on health care, my position on global warming, my position on foreign policy, my position on the middle class, this will go down as one of the most progressive administrations in American history. But what were -- what you're up against is things that are almost fanciful. Like, you know, Medicare for All. Thirty five, thirty, forty trillion dollars. Even Bernie's now saying, "Well, how much is it going to cost?" "Well, who knows. We'll find out." I think that's the phrase he used -- or "we don't know." I mean, part of being president is not just the idea you have. Can you get it done? Have you ever done anything big? Have you ever been able to put together coalitions that bring along Republicans and all the Democrats to get things done? And the idea, I mean it's almost fanciful sometimes.CHUCK TODD:I know, but isn't that Bernie's strength, though? Everybody knows -- one thing about Bernie. You know where he stands. You know who he is. He doesn't change. I mean, isn't that --JOE BIDEN:And he's never gotten anything done. I'm not being --CHUCK TODD:No, I get it.JOE BIDEN:I mean, he's a decent guy.CHUCK TODD:I get what you're saying.JOE BIDEN:I mean, he's been talking about health care, Medicare for All, universal health care, for 35 years. Nothing's happened. I helped get passed Obamacare. I helped move it forward. I got the votes. I'm in a position where I take something that I promise you, I'll get done. We take Obamacare. We allow people -- like out here in Nevada, what's going on? Bernie requires, and Elizabeth's plan requires you to give up all private insurance. These folks have broken their necks, the culinary union and others, to get the most comprehensive health care that's out there. And they've given up wages for it. Now they're being told you've got to give it up, you can't, you cant keep it, and it's going to cost 30 trillion dollars or more, and I can't tell you who's going to pay for it. I mean come on. This is -- I mean, I think people are so tired of the lack of straightforwardness out there. Now, if I'm wrong, I'm going to be dead wrong, but I really believe that you have to lay out why you're doing what you're doing and how you're going to get it done.CHUCK TODD:Are you concerned that $300 million has gotten Michael Bloomberg half your support among African Americans?JOE BIDEN:Well, no --CHUCK TODD:We're starting to see it in these Southern Super Tuesday states.JOE BIDEN:Well, I think -- you know, you just saw the Super Tuesday states, saw Georgia, I'm still getting 80%. Anyway, the point is that $60 billion can buy you a lot of advertising, but it can't erase your record. There's a lot to talk about with Michael Bloomberg. You all are going to start focusing on him like you have on me, which I'm not complaining, like you have on me the last six months. You're going to focus on him. His position on issues relating to the African American community, from stop-and-frisk to the way he talked about Obama, to, I mean --CHUCK TODD:Has it dawned on you that two of your, two of your biggest rivals, one's not a member of the Democratic party yet, and the other was a Republican about five or six years ago.JOE BIDEN:Yes. No, it doesn't surprise me.CHUCK TODD:What does that say about the state of today's Democratic party?JOE BIDEN:Well, I think what it says is money, billions of dollars, can take you a long, long way. And it says that it's going to be awful hard to go out and win those -- the base support of the Democratic party, the African Americans, Latinos and working class white folks, and put that coalition together. That's how you win an election. You put that coalition together.CHUCK TODD:I was stunned that you didn't do as well in Manchester and Dubuque. You're Middle Class Joe. You're the guy of these working class -- you didn't do well in Dubuque and Manchester.

    JOE BIDEN:Well I, --

    CHUCK TODD:Why is that?JOE BIDEN:I did better in Dubuque, but I got outspent overwhelmingly in both places. I think Bernie spent $25 billion --CHUCK TODD:And this is what has your supporters anxious. You're the former vice president. How are you getting outspent? How are you getting outspent by Bernie and by Buttigieg? You shouldn't be.JOE BIDEN:No. I shouldn't be, because -- but I haven't, I havent spent the time -- it's starting to happen now. I haven't spent the time going out doing the fundraisers, and moving the way I have. Well, now online we're raising about 400,000 bucks a day, and we have a lot of fundraisers that are online, and we've got a lot of union support now. So -- but I think you're right, that my being outspent has had an impact. We're not going -- were going to be able to compete from here on in, including these two.CHUCK TODD:South Carolina is it, isn't it? I mean you have to win that.JOE BIDEN:Well, I think I have to do really well in it, but right --CHUCK TODD:What's really -- is there such a thing as doing well without winning for you?JOE BIDEN:Well, I think so. But look its, Ill be, look, right after that, within -- on March the 4th we end up with -- going into all the states, which the polling data is now showing me doing incredibly well. Whether it's North Carolina or Georgia or Texas or any of these other places. So look, it's not an apt comparison, but Bill Clinton lost his first eight, ten, 12 primaries and caucuses before he won one. I don't plan on taking that long. But we're just getting to the meat of getting to the number of delegates you need to be able to win this election. And I'm confident we're going to be in good shape.CHUCK TODD:Bernie Sanders is a guy who says he's going to support whoever's the nominee, and he's all in. Are you confident his supporters will do that or are you worried that some of his supporters -- and do you think -- who -- if his supporters are attacking culinary union members, who's responsible for that?JOE BIDEN:Well look, he may not be responsible for it but he has some accountability. Im going to not put you put you in a spot you dont have to you know me well enough to know if any of my supporters did that, Id disown them. Flat disown them. The stuff that was said online, the way they threatened these two women who are leaders in that culinary union. It is outrageous. Just -- just go online. I invite anybody to go and take a look, the things they said, the vicious, malicious, misogynistic things they said. The threats they put out. And to say I disassociate is one thing. Find out who the hell they are, if any of them work for me. Fire them. Find out. See whats going on.

    CHUCK TODD:You don't think he's been curious enough?JOE BIDEN:I'm hoping he's looking, but I tell you what, so far I don't think it's sufficient just to say, "I disassociate myself."CHUCK TODD:Mr. Vice President, thank you, sir.JOE BIDEN:Thanks. Thank you.CHUCK TODD:Good to talk to you.JOE BIDEN:Thank you.CHUCK TODD: You can see my entire interview with Joe Biden on our website, MeetthePress.com. When we come back:

    [BEGIN TAPE]

    SEN. AMY KLOBUCHARHello, America. Im Amy Klobuchar and I will beat Donald Trump.

    [END TAPE]

    CHUCK TODD:The candidate who introduced herself in a big way Tuesday night with a strong, surprising third-place finish in New Hampshire. But can Amy Klobuchar keep the momentum going? She joins me next.

    CHUCK TODD:Welcome back. If there was one constant about Senator Amy Klobuchar's campaign, it's that she's had very strong debate performances that didn't translate into strong poll numbers. All that changed in New Hampshire when her powerful Friday night debate generated big crowds that weekend and a surging third-place finish, well ahead of Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden. The question now, does she have an encore? And Amy Klobuchar joins me now from Las Vegas. Senator Klobuchar, welcome back to Meet the Press.SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Well, thanks, Chuck. I can't think of a better place to have an encore than Las Vegas.CHUCK TODD:There you go.SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:So there we go.CHUCK TODD:Yeah, there you go. Fun way to tease that. But let me talk about that. You know, one of the hallmarks of your New Hampshire campaign is you essentially out-evented everybody. I think, by our count, you ended up doing more events in New Hampshire than any of the other major candidates. That translated into something there, the end of that campaign. You now are suddenly going from a one-state campaign to this thing's about to scale up in a hurry. Are you able to put together a campaign in order to become one of the leading front-runners?SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:I am, Chuck. And we're really buoyed by what we've seen here in Nevada. I got the endorsement of the Las Vegas Sun and a recent poll in the Review Journal had me in double digits, so that's a major change for us. What has happened since that debate in just a little over a week is that we raised over $12 million online, mostly from just regular people, new people who gave. That's the first time in a campaign like this that you've seen a surge from people just seeing a debate and deciding, "You know what? I like this person and I think she's going to have my back. And I think she can lead this ticket to victory," which is the number one concern of Democrats. So we are doing multiple events here. We had over a thousand people in Reno just a day or two ago, in Las Vegas now, and we're just taking this message all over the state.CHUCK TODD:$12 million in a week is impressive. $300 million from Michael Bloomberg is what you're facing. And I say this because you guys are fighting for the same part of the party here. I mean, it is - that has got to be daunting. On one hand, you've got some money, you can start building a national campaign, but you're facing this onslaught.SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Yeah. I mean, honestly, is it daunting? Yes, because I do things like go on your show, take tough questions, and then at the same time, he is running more ads on whatever he wants during that same time. That's what life is, and I think what needs to happen here is that he needs to go on shows like this, which he hasn't done. He just can't hide behind the airwaves. He has to answer questions. And of course, I think he should be on that debate stage, which eventually he will be, because I can't beat him on the airwaves, but I can beat him on the debate stage. And I think people of America deserve that to make a decision.CHUCK TODD:You know, when you looked at the New Hampshire exit poll, you saw that the sort of the non-Sanders wing of the party, whatever we want to call this, the pragmatists, the centrists, whatever, whatever title you want to give to it, it is larger than what Sanders had. But at the end of the day, you guys arent pragmatic enough. Let me show you something Politico wrote: The pragmatic, compromising Democratic moderates apparently cant pragmatically agree to compromise on a preferred presidential candidate. Instead, they have handed their ideological intra-party nemesis, Sanders, the bragging rights in the first two contests even as he hasnt touched 30 percent of the vote in either. If you guys dont coalesce around somebody, he could be the leading delegate guy after Super Tuesday, and theres suddenly not enough delegates left to stop him.SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:I don't see it that way at all, Chuck. This is a primary and we're not going to go back in some back room, three or four people, and just say, "Okay, you got it. I don't." We're competing, and the voters of this country get to make that decision. And eventually people will drop out of this race, but right now, this is a competition and that's how it should be. I also think people understand that what unites us is bigger than what divides us. I was the one on that debate stage, when asked, "Should we have a socialist leading the ticket?" I was the only one that raised my hand, even though I get along with Bernie. We came into the Senate together. We've worked on pharmaceutical prices together. My argument is that while I may not have the money of Michael Bloomberg, I will get the money from people as this goes on, as I emerge as a stronger candidate. We now are going to have teams in every single Super Tuesday state. I'm starting to travel to these states and we're going to be doing events --

    CHUCK TODD:Let me ask --

    SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:-- in nearly all of them.

    CHUCK TODD: -- let me ask you this. At some point--SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Okay.CHUCK TODD:--you have to win. You have to win someplace.SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Yes.CHUCK TODD:And it can't just be in Minnesota. We know that's going to be an opportunity for you. Where are you going to win by Super Tuesday?SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:There's so many states out there, I'm not going to list them all for you, but it's everything. You can just go around the country. I don't know which state I'll win, but I'm going to do better than anyone imagined. There's states like Colorado and Utah. There's states like North Carolina on Super Tuesday. There's states like Virginia. I can go around the map with you, but right now who knows who's going to win because a lot of us are clustered together in the polls? I don't have the biggest name ID or the biggest bank account, but I have this ability to bring people with me, and that's what you're seeing, slowly but surely, in every single state. And by the way, when the mayor, Mayor Bloomberg and the president were going at each other on Twitter, when the president claimed that the mayor was 5'4" and the mayor said, no, he's taller, I am the only one that has the claim to be 5'4" in this race, the only one.CHUCK TODD:You take that, President Trump, I guess, on that front.SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Yes.CHUCK TODD:Let me ask you about Michael Bloomberg. Can you envision supporting him as the Democratic nominee, somebody who's been a Democrat, I think, only for a couple of years?SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:I have been very clear that I am going to support whoever comes out of that convention who is our Democratic nominee. If he is the one that emerges from that convention, I would support him. I still do not think he is the best candidate for our country. I don't think that people look at the guy in the White House and say, "Oh, let's get someone richer." I think my background, where Donald Trump got $413 million from his dad in the course of his career, and my grandpa saved money in a coffee can in the basement to send my dad to a community college as he worked in the mines his whole life, you can't fit $413 million in a coffee can in the basement. I would also add the Midwest is not flyover country to me. I live there, and the people that live there are not poker chips in a bankrupt casino, since I'm in Vegas, of President Trump to me. They are my friends and neighbors. That's the area of the country that we need to win and that's also a strong case I'm going to have against Michael Bloomberg.CHUCK TODD:If you're the Democratic nominee, are you going to be comfortable accepting funding help in different ways and, and from Michael Bloomberg? You know, there's a lot of progressive and Democratic groups that have, that have received a lot of money from him over the years. What, what is the price of that money in your mind?SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Right now, I'm just focused on our own campaign, and that is based and fueled so much by those small contributions at AmyKlobuchar.com, that's allowed me to compete, a modicum of money to be able to compete on the airwaves with Mayor Bloomberg and others. That, to me, is where I am focused. And I believe in the future that, of course, when we get a nominee, there is going to be enough money because of the incredible interest of people in this country. Not just fired up Democrats, but also independents and moderate Republicans like I brought in in New Hampshire, like I'm going to bring in in Nevada. They also want to see a change in the White House and they don't agree with everything that's said on that debate stage, but they agree with me when it comes to a decency check and a patriotism check, even though they may not agree with everything on that debate state.

    CHUCK TODD:Given some --

    SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:I'm really excited about the coalition I can put together to beat the president.CHUCK TODD:Given some of the things that Michael Bloomberg has said, whether it's about women in the workplace that he's been accused of saying or about policing African Americans, redlining, things like that, if he's the Democratic nominee, does it make the job of going after President Trump's character harder?SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Again, I don't think he's the best person to lead the ticket. I think I am. But I think, just like every other candidate, like I have come on your show multiple times and a number of other candidates have come on and answered tough questions, he's got to do the same thing. He hasn't gone on the Sunday shows since he announced. Instead, he's just running ads. And I don't think you should be able to hide behind the ads. I think you should not only go on these shows, I also think that he should take the debate stage. That's why I have actually been supportive of him on that debate stage because I know I can't beat him on the airwaves, but I can beat him on the debate stage.CHUCK TODD:Let me ask you this. He's getting scrutinized for his record on criminal justice issues, and now so are you. And I'm curious about this. When it comes to your record, there's been a lot of people who have done more analysis of your record over the years as a prosecutor. Have you read these, these, these look-backs? And if you have, have you, have you sort of winced? Do you look back at your career and think, "Boy, there are some things that if I knew then what I know now, maybe I'd be a different prosecutor. Maybe I wouldn't have put so much trust always in law enforcement and what they say on the witness stand versus what somebody else says"? Do you at all acknowledge that maybe your record deserves a different look?SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Well, of course, what we know now was not the same as what we knew then. And I have always been an advocate for criminal justice reform. That was a tough job. I supervised 10,000 to 15,000 cases every single year and we did a lot of good work and I was proud of our office, but we know that there is systematic racism in the criminal justice system. And the answer is, of course, something that I worked on when I had that job before being in the Senate is diversifying the office. It is doing things like videotaping interrogations, something I advocated for and we had in Minnesota. It is doing eyewitness ID in a different way that limits racial misidentifications. It is what we're doing now in the Senate, where I've been a co-sponsor of the First Step Act to reduce non-violent sentences. And as president, for good or bad, I think having someone that's actually led on these issues will be a good thing because I will be able to get that clemency board in place and move on to the Second Step Act because I have a deep understanding of the goods and the bads of the criminal justice system.CHUCK TODD:Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat from Minnesota, thank you for coming on, getting up extraordinarily early today and sharing your views. Thanks very much.SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR:Its all good. Thanks, Chuck.CHUCK TODD:All right. When we come back, Michael Bloomberg is spending money like a front-runner, which means he's now getting front-runner-like treatment from reporters. Can he handle it? Panel is next.

    CHUCK TODD:Welcome back, panel is here. Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson; Danielle Pletka, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; Mara Teresa Kuma, president of Voto Latino; and NBC News White House correspondent, Weekend Today co-anchor, Peter Alexander. Welcome to all of you. So, Michael Bloomberg. Mara Teresa, this is alleged comments that Bloomberg-- this is from a Washington Post look-back on Bloomberg on women. And I'm putting all this up here because it feels like pre-Trump this could have been disqualifying in a Democratic primary. Quotes that have been attributed to him, "If women wanted to be appreciated for their brains, they'd go to the library instead of to Bloomingdale's." Referring to some lawsuits about discrimination, the lawsuit said when Bloomberg saw certain women he said, "I'd (expletive) that in a second." Another anecdote, "When Bloomberg learned on April 11, 1995, that Garrison," somebody who worked for him, "was pregnant, according to her suit he allegedly said to her, 'Kill it.'" He has denied that he said those words in a deposition. Is this going to be damaging to him as he tries to become a mainstream Democrat?MARA TERESA KUMAR:This is where it's going to get tough. Who's going to show up for the American public? Is it going to be Mayor Bloomberg or is it going to be philanthropist Bloomberg? And I say this because philanthropist Bloomberg is the one that has invested heavily on electing women through his Emily's List, has invested heavily through Planned Parenthood for women's choice, has invested heavily on gun reform, has invested heavily when it comes to basically every single issue that technically will expand the base and bring in a bigger tent. Mayor Bloomberg, when he talks about what happened with redlining, when he talks about, you know, stop-and-frisk, has been incredibly damaging with some of those policies. And so as he rolls out his person and his persona, he's going to have to be able to answer directly of what is happening and who is going to show up.CHUCK TODD:Eugene, does it take character off the table?EUGENE ROBINSON:It-- it may. I mean, we did have an election in 2016 and Donald Trump did win it, right. After the Access Hollywood tape, after everything, he won the election. And so I think a lot of Democrats, as they look toward this election, they're saying, "It's Trump. It's going to be a knife fight. Maybe we should look at the guy with the biggest knife, right, and with a $60 billion knife." And that's Michael Bloomberg. I think that's why he's getting a look from the Democratic party and I think that's why, you know, things that definitely would have been disqualifying just a few years ago may not, in and of themselves, be disqualifying. We have yet to see him on a debate stage. We have yet to see him mix it up with them. We've yet to see how he actually performs, but we've seen a lot of ads and it's gotten him some numbers in the polls.CHUCK TODD:You know, interesting, Danielle Pletka, Amy Klobuchar decided not to go to any of those places. And you know, that is her prerogative. Maybe she's going to do it at the debate, maybe not. She clearly wants him on the debate stage, that's for sure.DANIELLE PLETKA:Yes, I think she does because she recognizes that she's going to come across as somehow genuine and together and he's going to come across as a thin-skinned rich guy who bought his way into the Democratic primary.CHUCK TODD:Are you confident he's going to be a bad debater? I mean, we don't know that.DANIELLE PLETKA:I worry. Let me put it this way, you know, I dont, he's not a personal friend of mine so I don't know how he is going to debate, but one of the things that great wealth does to you is it insulates you from the people. You know, one of the things that Donald Trump has going for him is you can say a lot of bad things about Donald Trump, and we all have, but he is actually a man of a certain group of people. A lot of people don't like those people, but he is a man of the people. I don't think that Bloomberg is going to prove himself to be a man of the people.CHUCK TODD:Peter, the president though, hes, I think he respects only one thing in life, I think, wealth.PETER ALEXANDER:I was going to say, there is one thing that the president notices and that's how much money you have, right. The president likes to boast about all the money that he has. This guy has, what, 60 times more money than he has, $60 billion by some estimates here, so I think that is the one thing that resonates with the president. We witnessed it this week where the president again attacked him, referring to him as Mini Mike. But Democrats watched the way that Bloomberg responded, I think, and were impressed by that. A lot of Democrats appreciated someone that fought back and used the same insults, where he said stuff that's ugly and not pretty, but at least they liked the fact that this guy's not going to back down from it. We'll see if that matters. I was in the Oval Office earlier this week and I said to the president, "Who's the frontrunner?" He said, "Yeah, I think it's got to be Bernie right now." I said, "Why is Bernie surging?" And his eyes kind of sparkled for a second. He wants to praise Bernie in a way--CHUCK TODD:Yes, he does. Uh-huh (AFFIRM).PETER ALEXANDER:--because he sees something about Bernie in himself, which is he's an outsider. He's anti-establishment. He's got a movement. Obviously I think he'd like to run against Bernie Sanders. Bloomberg, I think he has concerns about.CHUCK TODD:Mara Teresa, where is this all headed? I mean, it's a mess.MARA TERESA KUMAR:Grab the popcorn. I think the biggest challenge right now is with Bernie Sanders I think the question is that he will grow that electorate base that the Democrats desperately need--CHUCK TODD:Will he?MARA TERESA KUMAR:--in order to win. I think he'll bring in the young people.CHUCK TODD:But did he--MARA TERESA KUMAR:The challenge--CHUCK TODD:He hasn't yet.MARA TERESA KUMAR:No, he has.CHUCK TODD:In this, and so far, I mean, youth turnout was down, not up.MARA TERESA KUMAR:No, but in Iowa you actually saw a constituency of the Latino vote and you actually saw a constituency of young African American votes actually outperform. That is where the new base is coming from. The challenge though is that is he going to turn off a lot of the moderate Republicans and independents that Bloomberg will actually be able to siphon off?CHUCK TODD:Or Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg won those voters in New Hampshire as well.MARA TERESA KUMAR:Yes, but I think the challenge is that-- this is the challenge with both Buttigieg and Klobuchar is that, coming into Nevada, they do not have a base. Biden has a base, Warren has a base, and Bernie has a base. Those are the three. And so when you start talking about, and they've been working it for a long, long time. And I have to say Elizabeth Warren's camp, she brought in all the folks from Julian Castro's camp, but also the same people who made sure that Hillary won last time.CHUCK TODD:Julian was the best organizer in Nevada early on.MARA TERESA KUMAR:All the folks, right, yes.EUGENE ROBINSON:Well, after Nevada, we get to South Carolina. You know, it's dangerous this year to look past any primary.CHUCK TODD:Don't look past anything, yes.EUGENE ROBINSON:So let's not look past Nevada. What happens in Nevada will affect what happens in South Carolina. But that's, I certainly believe, a do-or-die state for Joe Biden. He has to do well there.CHUCK TODD:What's well?EUGENE ROBINSON:He's got to win.CHUCK TODD:Okay.EUGENE ROBINSON:He's got to win.CHUCK TODD:I was surprised he didn't say win.EUGENE ROBINSON:I'm sorry. He's got to win. And you know, there was a poll that showed nationally Biden's African American support going down. That's the ballgame in South Carolina. Basically you have to do well. So that South Carolina firewall, if Bloomberg actually makes inroads there, I mean, Bloomberg is not even running there and he's polling like 6% in South Carolina.CHUCK TODD:The Charlotte media market helps--EUGENE ROBINSON:Yes.CHUCK TODD:--because he's advertising heavily in North Carolina.EUGENE ROBINSON:And so if you see Biden go down, maybe Bernie comes up or whatever, you know, I think that would be a disaster for Biden and I think it would be good for Bloomberg going into super Tuesday.DANIELLE PLETKA:But the problem is we're still talking about this as if it's some sort of speed dating show. And you know, for me, the big question that we don't talk about enough is what is the Democratic party going to stand for? Is the Democratic party going to be the party of we have to beat Donald Trump at all costs, or is the Democratic party, which is what it has been for the last two years?CHUCK TODD:And what Bloomberg is essentially saying, "Hey, that's what I am."DANIELLE PLETKA:Yes, that's what I am, right.(OVERTALK)CHUCK TODD:I am. You know, I have a lot of warts, but you know what, let's go.DANIELLE PLETKA:Or is it going to be the party of ideas?And thats, because that's what inspires people.MARA TERESA KUMAR:And this is where the challenge is, that you have historically Democrats that will vote for whoever's on the ballot right now because they are feeling nervous, but we also know that that's not going to get them over the top unless they grow that base. And that has to be a party of ideas. And this is where I think a lot of the Democrats are missing the opportunity. They keep talking about these big ideas, but they're not landing it. They have to give the vision of the day after Donald Trump is, you know the day after, right after my inauguration and Donald Trump is gone, this is what we're going to do together. That's how they have to synthesize it.CHUCK TODD:Well, that was a nice robust discussion. Thank you. And remember, NBC News and MSNBC, the networks at NBC News, will be hosting the next Democratic debate Wednesday from Las Vegas. I'll be joined by my colleagues Lester Holt and Hallie Jackson, Telemundo's Vanessa Hauc, and Jon Ralston of the Nevada Independent. That's Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Don't miss it. When we come back, Bernie Sanders is promising to expand the electorate by getting young progressives to vote. How's he doing so far? That's next.(COMMERCIAL BREAK)CHUCK TODD:Welcome back. Data Download time. Bernie Sanders may have eked out the most votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, but if you look at the numbers more closely, it shows a candidate hitting a ceiling, for now, rather than a glide path to the nomination. In both states, Sanders garnered almost the same percentage of the vote. Check this out, 26.5% and 25.6% respectively, compared with Buttigieg earning similar amounts as well. Now, Sanders can blame the large field of candidates, but Donald Trump got 35% in New Hampshire in 2016 in a similarly crowded field. Sanders often makes the case for enthusiasm, that is people are more fired up and he's better able to bring new voters into the fold as a result. Well, if you look at the combined percentages among the centrist candidates, they do much better than the progressives, earning 51% of the vote in Iowa and 52% in New Hampshire. Then there's turnout. Tuesday's New Hampshire primary broke the record set in 2008 with an 18% increase in overall turnout compared with four years ago, but a decline in the groups that tend to support Sanders. The amount of 18 to 29-year-old voters was down 5% on Tuesday night compared to when Sanders swept the Granite State in 2016. And the amount of very liberal voters was down the same amount compared to 2016 as well. Those kinds of numbers do not favor the Sanders campaign and actually, it could just get tougher. Iowa and New Hampshire were near-perfect places for Sanders to flex his progressive muscle. Both were states he'd organized in before, one being next door to his home of Vermont. But there are very few other contests with as friendly of electorates to Sanders as those two first two states of Iowa and New Hampshire. When we come back, when Bill Barr suggested that President Trump knock off the tweets, was he really saying, "Don't worry, Boss, I got this"? End Game is next.

    (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

    CHUCK TODD:Back now with End Game. And it's been quite an active week here in Washington away from the campaign, hasn't it? We've seen Attorney General Bill Barr's Justice Department intervene in both the Roger Stone and Mike Flynn cases. We've also seen four Stone prosecutors quit the case as a result. And then we heard Barr rebuking-- and we're going to put that in quotes for now -- President Trump and his tweets. Rebuked him again in an ABC News interview. I want to play a couple of things before we get started with this conversation. First, I want to play Barr about what the tweets have done to him. Take a listen.

    ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR:Once the tweet occurred, the question is, "Well, now what do I do?" And do you go forward with what you think is the right decision? Or do you pull back because of the tweet? And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be.

    CHUCK TODD:Of course, everybody's been trying to figure out -- who is Barr talking to? Is he rebuking the president? Here's what Laura Ingraham on, on Fox News, here's what she said after the interview.

    LAURA INGRAHAM:The media sees this sexy story of Trump versus Barr, but they missed the fact that Barr was basically telling Trump, "Don't worry. I got this."

    CHUCK TODD:Peter Alexander, did Laura Ingraham just say the quiet part out loud?

    PETER ALEXANDER:I mean, I think a lot of people believe that's the case, right? That effectively what Barr was saying is, "Hey, boss. This is unnecessary and unhelpful. Look at the actions we've taken to this point so far." The president -- this is not a president who's in it for justice. He's a president who's in it for an eye for an eye. Think about what's happened in the last, what, eight to ten days since he was impeached. I asked him for lessons learned. There was no self-reflection. He said that the Democrats are crooked. In the days since then, he's fired Gordon Sondland and Vindman. He also moved on attacking the Stone decision, you know, and, and got what he wanted out of it. And McCabe, I'm told, is what made him angrier than anything right now. But this is a president that is emboldened. And the best example of that is the fact that today he goes to the Daytona 500, and I'm told that there are discussions, he is planning to literally take a victory lap where he will -- you know, the cars all lean left, the folks in the crowd lean right. This is going to be a massive Trump rally. And this is a guy who feels big, not just like a survivor, but feels stronger right now.

    CHUCK TODD:Dani, he even quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson saying --

    Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings.

    DANIELLE PLETKA:He misquoted Ralph Waldo, he misquoted Ralph Waldo Emerson.

    CHUCK TODD:-- attempted to.

    DANIELLE PLETKA:I guess I'm a little bit less inclined, which is why I'm here, I guess, to, to, to attribute some malign intent to, to Attorney General Barr. I mean, I --

    CHUCK TODD:You were shocked Laura Ingraham said that.

    DANIELLE PLETKA:I was totally shocked Laura Ingraham said that, but I, I -- no comment. But I do think it's possible that he's actually just telling the president to shut up. I think that those who see a conspiracy here have to make a decision. Either Trump is an idiot who's out there just, you know, slamming through everything, slamming through all the norms, or he's a conspiracy guy who's behind the scenes working with his attorney general to send out a message. I don't see him as that guy. I see him as that guy where it's all out there. And I also see Barr as a very serious prosecutor. So, you know, I think he'd love the president to be quiet.

    EUGENE ROBINSON:I, you know, I -- a serious prosecutor? I think Bill Barr once was a serious prosecutor. I'm not sure he is now. But I do think, I cannot imagine that President Trump liked being publicly rebuked by somebody who worked for him. Whatever, even if --

    CHUCK TODD:No other Cabinet secretary has --

    EUGENE ROBINSON:Even if --

    CHUCK TODD:-- gotten away with it.

    EUGENE ROBINSON:Even if it had been a pre-planned kind of song and dance, he would not have enjoyed that. That would have eaten at him. I think it will eat at him that the Justice Department is not going to prosecute Andrew McCabe --

    CHUCK TODD:Or Jim Comey.

    EUGENE ROBINSON:-- and it's not going to go down -- or Jim Comey, right. It's not going to go down that road that President Trump wants it to go down. On the other hand, Laura Ingraham is basically right that Barr has done a lot of the things that Trump would like and if Trump would just leave him alone, you know, he'd get a good result. But I don't think the president can leave that scab alone. So we'll see the next couple weeks.

    CHUCK TODD:What should Democrats in Congress do? I mean, they're in this sort of --

    MARA TERESA KUMAR:Call him in for an Oversight hearing to --

    CHUCK TODD:Well, they are --

    MARA TERESA KUMAR:-- actually talk about it and they should --

    CHUCK TODD:I mean, we're going to hear it at the end of the month, I guess. Or the end of March.

    MARA TERESA KUMAR:This is the challenge, is that the president has taken the Department of Justice as his own personal vendetta. It is a dotted line to whatever he wants to actually do. And what I mean by that is that they, when Giuliani said, "I am in Ukraine right now trying to pick up dirt on the president, and I'm giving it over to the Department of Justice," Barr didn't exactly say that he wasn't accepting that, that dirt. It is --

    CHUCK TODD:No, he said they've created a channel actually --

    MARA TERESA KUMAR:A channel. Right, a channel, right? Like, they're actually actively building that. That's the wall, thats the bridge that they're actually building together. And that is the challenge, is that the turmoil that was inside the Department of Justice prior to that, there, folks were -- you know, these conversations that there was going to be actually an insurrection. People were going to walk out. But I also know folks that have used to work for the Department of Justice. And they take their job so seriously. These are public servants. These are the ones that say, "My job is to uphold the Constitution, make sure that people, everybody gets a fair shot." And what Trump has been able to do in that institution is going to be long-lasting unless we change it.

    CHUCK TODD:Peter, Barr himself, and that's the thing where everybody's trying to debate, is Barr, is this -- Barr himself noted the dilemma. It, he's admitting it creates the appearance of political interference.

    PETER ALEXANDER:Yeah. No, you're exactly right. This, this was a release valve for William Barr no matter what. It had to happen in some form because we know what was happening behind the scenes in the Justice Department. Not just those four prosecutors walking away, but the potential that a lot more were going to leave. We saw the reporting of that around the country, federal prosecutors having real concerns that the president was going to intervene with what's going on there. But at the end of the day, this is a president who wants his Justice Department to protect him and to punish his perceived enemies, right? And I'm told that he was fuming, he was so much more angry about Andrew McCabe not being prosecuted than he was about anything that William Barr said. Just the idea was, "Hey, let's go after these guys."

    CHUCK TODD:Why does he always want to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

    DANIELLE PLETKA:Because that's Donald Trump --

    CHUCK TODD: -- Its amazing.

    DANIELLE PLETKA:No, he can't help himself --

    CHUCK TODD:His approval rating likely will probably go down from this. We know this, the Trump skeptic voter, right, sits there and says, "I like the economy. I like these things. Stop tweeting. Stop doing these things." And those are the ones that go back to disapproving him.

    DANIELLE PLETKA:But I just want to, I want to draw us back to something that I think should concern everybody. And that is that these are norms that were beginning to be eroded before Donald Trump. Donald Trump just takes that ball and runs with it. The IRS going after people who the president doesn't like. President Obama being rebuked by James Comey for being perceived to have prejudged the Clinton email investigation. These don't rise to the level of what Donald Trump has done, but they, they create this appearance of -- what did Donald Trump call himself? "The king," right? You don't want a president who is the king. I don't want --

    MARA TERESA KUMAR:We're not a monarchy.

    DANIELLE PLETKA:Right. I don't want Barack Obama to be my king. I don't want Donald Trump to be my king.I don't want any of them to be my king.

    EUGENE ROBINSON:And we really don't want a Justice Department that is seen as politicized.

    MARA TERESA KUMAR:Exactly right --

    EUGENE ROBINSON:Ive lived in countries where that was the case.

    CHUCK TODD:Let me ask you this.

    EUGENE ROBINSON:We don't want that. It's hard to get it back.CHUCK TODD:I kind of think --EUGENE ROBINSON:It's hard to get it back.

    CHUCK TODD:-- we're in a situation that we may need to come up with different ways that we appoint an attorney general. Do we need to come up with a five-year term? Do we need to separate it out from presidential terms?

    DANIELLE PLETKA:Interesting question.

    CHUCK TODD:I mean, I just throw that out there because the public isn't going to feel good about this. It doesn't matter --PETER ALEXANDER:The Justice Department has to be objectively fair but also to have the perception of fairness right now. And if nothing, if we know nothing else, it's that the perception is clearly lost.MARA TERESA KUMAR:But Eugene really hit on something. We have experienced countries where the press is under, constantly under attack and scrutiny and the Justice Department is constantly under attack and scrutiny. And I have to say, my family fled Colombia. The only thing that kept it as a democracy was the fact that their judges were fair and the, and the press was fair and told the truth. Those were also the most dangerous jobs in that country.EUGENE ROBINSON:Yes. Yes.CHUCK TODD:All right, guys. Thank you. What a - nice to have a couple of robust discussions today. We got them both in. That's all for today. Thank you for watching. It's been great to be in Iowa and New Hampshire, but it's great to be here, too. We'll be back next week right after the Nevada caucuses. We hope they have results. Because if it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.

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    Meet the Press - February 16, 2020 - NBCNews.com

    SUMA Convention Kicks Off in Regina Over The Weekend – DiscoverMooseJaw.com - February 6, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    The 115th annual Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association [SUMA] convention kicked off over the weekend in Regina, giving cities and towns from across the province a chance to meet up and discuss what ongoing issues they're facing in their communities, and what we're facing in the province as a whole.

    The annual convention brings together elected and non-elected officials from across Saskatchewan's urban municipal governments. Over the course of the four days, civic leaders participate in education sessions, keynote addresses, and receive opportunities to meet with provincial political leaders.

    While many of uswere relaxing and enjoying time with family on Sunday, SUMA attendees had a busy schedule.Day 1 saw sessions on emergency preparedness, government ethics, cement compliance regulations, and generating feasible futures for communities. The first day of the convention was also the day of the regular Saskatchewan mayors caucus meeting.

    Moose Jaw Mayor Fraser Tolmie is heading into his final year as chair of the City Mayors Caucus at the convention, and he says this year should be a busy one.

    "We have quite a few things that are coming up. It's a great opportunity for us and council to meet with other cities and talk about some of the issues we're dealing with. These are things that we get to share with cabinet ministers about whats going on in our cities. So it's very important, its a good time for us to share."

    Included in this year's event is a trade show featuring products and services that cater to municipalities and a number of educational interactive panels for municipal leaders to attend.

    Today convention-goers will take part in discussions with SaskPower, and participate in the SUMA sector meetings. The sector meetings allow municipal leaders of similar size to share difficulties and triumphs with each other. The idea being that governments can learn from each other. However, the highlight of Monday's agenda will be the address from Premier Moe. The annual keynote from the provincial premier should also allow for some questions from convention-goers.

    Mayor Tolmie described some of the other topics they will be discussing.

    "We keep talking about the meth issue that's going on across Canada, and that's concerning. We're closest to the people in municipalities and so we've got to pave the roads, make sure there's clean drinking water, make sure our parks are clean, and that we're providing services for our citizens."

    On Tuesday convention-goers will gather for the SUMA president's ball and the municipal awards banquet.

    The convention will wrap up on Wednesday with the regular bear-pit sessions with provincial ministers.

    Here is the original post:
    SUMA Convention Kicks Off in Regina Over The Weekend - DiscoverMooseJaw.com

    Rapture Me This: 2 Books for Progressive Preaching about the Apocalypse – Patheos - January 9, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    It is a surreal experience to be writing a book on preaching about apocalyptic texts in the midst of what feels like a very apocalyptic time. Escalating military tensions with Iran. Australia burning with fires fueled by the climate crisis. Gun violence rampant in our homes and public spaces. Every day seems to bring another portent of the apocalypse reaching biblical proportions. Is the Rapture upon us?

    As weve been plumbing the depths of scriptural passages that contain end-times imagery, were seeing a rise in apocalyptic language within the culture as well as from political and religious figures. We think mainline churches have allowed these passages to be highjacked by those who use them for fearmongering rather than to encourage and strengthen the church. Because preachers often struggle with how to understand and preach on these passages, our book intends to provide exegetical and homiletical guidance to enable ministers and others to preach from and teach about these texts.

    As were completing this book, I have found two volumes to be helpful which I commend to preachers and lay readers alike. One is Barbara Rossings The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation (2004). The second is Ronald J. Allens I Will Tell You the Mystery: A Commentary for Preaching from the Book of Revelation (2019). In this essay, Ill discuss how these books can be helpful for clergy and congregations as were facing cataclysmic events and unprecedented challenges.

    For clergy, preaching apocalyptic texts is fraught with unease about the real fears alluded to in the book of Revelation and passages such as Daniel 7, Mark 13, Matthew 24, 1 Corinthians 15, and 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5. Their warnings of impending cosmic upheaval ricochet sharply off contemporary headlines about war, natural disasters, and threats to the fabric of civilization. Add to this the disconcerting news about the effects of climate disruption and global environmental disasters, and the task of preaching good news in the face of seemingly immanent doom can feel overwhelming to pastor and congregation alike.

    However, New Testament scholar Barbara Rossing notes that apocalyptic texts provide unique opportunities for preachers and are, in fact, essential because they empower radical witness. They give us a sacramental imagination, taking us on a journey into the heart of Gods vision for the world (141). The word apokalypsis in Greek literally means, pulling back the curtain. When biblical texts (and the sermons that utilize them) pull back this veil, it allows us to see a deeper reality that is not immediately visible. We receive a vision that reveals both the beauty of creation and also the pathologies of empire whether these empires originate in Assyria, Babylonia, Rome, or the United States of America.[2]

    Equipped with this double vision, the preacher is able to name and critique the underlying oppressive assumptions of empire and how they manifest in society, the natural world, and the lived experiences of the hearers. But a third move is needed proclaiming the divine eschatological vision that has the power to transform our imaginations, renew hope, and empower collective action to live into this vision.

    Eschatology comes from the Greek word eschaton, meaning end times. The visionary world of the apocalypses can help us see both the perils we face and the urgency of Gods promised future, says Rossing, turning the world for justice and healing, on Earth as in heaven. The preacher cultivates an apocalyptic imagination by helping people recognize Gods future breaking into the present, even in times of despair.

    The problem with apocalyptic texts, says Rossing, is the way they have been used by Fundamentalist Christians to try to predict and manipulate world events. The story they tell is that the Bible predicts an event called The Rapture in which Christ comes to sweep up the faithful into heaven, leaving everyone else in a kind of hellish purgatory on earth. For millions of people, Christian apocalyptic books such as The Late, Great Planet Earth and the Left Behind series are akin to the Bible itself. An entire multimillion-dollar industry has been created around graphic Christian horror that grips the faithful in fear and fantasy.

    Worse, Rapture-theology peddles a narrative that supports a political agenda of war-making in the Middle East, environmental degradation, patriarchal control over women and their bodies, and anti-Semitic and Islamophobic white nationalism. 80 million copies of the Left Behind books, along with numerous Rapture websites, movies, and spin-offs threaten to drown out the gospel of hope, renewal and love. The preacher on a Sunday morning has about 15-20 minutes to proclaim that Jesus return is about justice, transformation, and healing. So its important to make these sermons count for deconstructing harmful theology and reconstructing a theology of nonviolence and an ethic of care for those most vulnerable.

    Understanding the recent history of the influence of Rapture theology on U.S. politics and civil discourse is important when preaching on Revelation or any apocalyptic text for that matter.

    Today, the Trump administration is filled with evangelicals who attend weekly Bible studies led by Ralph Drollinger of the conservative right-wing Capitol Ministries. Trumps Vice President Mike Pence is a staunch conservative Christian, and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has unashamedly confessed that his evangelical Christian beliefs influence his diplomacy. Evangelicals see Trump as the Chosen One a triumphantly apocalyptic figure who, though morally flawed, initiates the Second Coming. Even now, evangelicals are cheering for Trumps attack on Iran, believing that a war with the enemy of Israel is key to setting up the conditions wherein the Rapture will begin.

    Rossings book provides the historical context to help preachers and parishioners better understand apocalyptic texts as they were heard by the original Christians who were being persecuted under oppressive empires. She carefully explains the symbolism and metaphors as the writers intended them to be a vision of Gods healing for the world. Preachers will find her book to be an important resource for countering the destructive reading of scripture by fundamentalists and proclaiming Gods beloved community of nonviolence and peace.

    Like Rossing, Ron Allen provides helpful exegesis to understand the world and times of John of Patmos, author of Revelation. However, whereas Rossings chapters are divided into themes and address a panorama of apocalyptic thought in scripture, Allen goes in depth verse-by-verse with Revelation. He meticulously explains the word pictures used by John and addresses issues and questions that arise in light of contemporary theology. Allens commitment to process theology is evident throughout the book in the way he interprets Revelation as Gods invitation to co-create a better world rather than to destroy it.

    There are times, however, when Johns words do not support the values of love, peace, justice, mutuality, and abundance. Images of violence, misogyny, judgement, and damnation within Revelation are problematic. Allen clearly states his disagreement with Johns writings at these points and invites preachers to name and critique them as well.

    There are only six pericopes from five chapters that are covered, and only 7 Sundays when passages from Revelation are included in the readings. However, because the symbols and imagery from Revelation have found their way into popular culture and political discourse, preachers may want to consider preaching on Revelation as part of a sermon series on this enigmatic book. Allens book is a useful resource for pastors wanting to help their parishioners understand Revelations complex imagery and make sense of it for our world today.

    Like Rossing, Allen highlights the fact that Revelation actually counters the premillennialist theory of a rapture. Allen notes how the downward movement of God through the New Jerusalem in Chapter 21 embodies grace itself: God takes the initiative to bring the holy city down from heaven (200). Thus, hope for the new creation is neither a spiritualized wishful thinking nor an escape from the reality of our crucified world. There is both transcendence and immanence in Christs return and the new creation. They are not mutually exclusive, but instead inform each other in a dialectic exchange in which one points to the other and back again. The challenge for preachers, says Allen, is to help the congregation look for signs of [the holy citys] appearance (200).

    Allen urges preachers not to neglect speaking concretely about Gods promises even while critiquing contemporary empires. Many people are more motivated for long-term commitment by promise and possibility than by fear, threat, and anger. While the critique is important, preaching is often especially empowering when it aims towards a vision of the positively possible and toward helping people imagine how to get from there to here (198).

    Key to this vision-casting is not looking to the skies to see souls raptured up to heaven, but to notice how Gods holy city is coming down to Earth. To this end, Allen does not provide sample sermons, but throughout each chapter offers questions, observations, and suggestions for preachers to attune their listeners to Gods actions here and now. In this way, Allen provides the exegetical and homiletical tools for preachers to create the time and space for the seeds of apocalyptic vision to grow into the fruits of community-building for the sake of Gods Realm. Led by Jesus, the Lamb of God, both preacher and congregation are strengthened to live faithfully towards the coming of the new heaven and new earth (198).

    As your congregation grapples with finding purpose and meaning in this apocalyptic time, may you be blessed with insight, courage, compassion, and a vision for participating in this Realm of God.

    Leah D. Schade is the Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship atLexington Theological Seminaryin Kentucky. She is the author ofPreaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide(Rowman & Littlefield, 2019),Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis(Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), andCreation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit(Chalice Press, 2015).

    Twitter:@LeahSchade

    Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/LeahDSchade/

    Jesus, Apocalyptic Discourse, and the Climate Crisis: Ideas for Preaching Matthew 24:36-44

    More here:
    Rapture Me This: 2 Books for Progressive Preaching about the Apocalypse - Patheos

    Home Renovations With the Best Return on Investment – Motley Fool - January 7, 2020 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Whether you're renovating so you can sell your home for top dollar in the future or are flipping a house for a near-term profit, it's important to identify the home renovations with the best return on investment. The following home improvement projects run the gamut from moderately expensive to very costly, but according to Remodeling Magazine's annual Cost vs. Value report, here's where it pays to put your money.

    Anyone with an older garage knows all too well that older doors can stick, jam, or just plain look banged-up and unsightly. The average garage door replacement job costs $3,611, and the average cost recouped for that project is $3,520, representing 97.5% of that initial investment. That's a pretty good deal.

    While you can replace a garage door yourself, you may be better off hiring a contractor, especially if you're not experienced with that sort of task. Because garage doors are heavy, cumbersome, and tension-loaded, the risk of injury is somewhat high if you're installing one solo.

    The nicer your home's exterior, the more curb appeal it will have, and that's something potential buyers are apt to notice and appreciate. The average cost to install manufactured stone veneer (which is fake stone thats made to look like the real thing -- more expensive natural stone) is $8,907, though your home's size will play a big role in determining your total expense. The average amount recouped for this project, meanwhile, is $8,449, representing 94.9% of your initial investment. Generally, this sort of project is something youll need a contractor for unless youre experienced in doing it yourself.

    One of the most important home improvement projects you can make is updating your kitchen. Many buyers consider the kitchen the heart of the home, and sinking money into new countertops, nice-looking cabinetry, and energy-efficient appliances could spell the difference between commanding top dollar for your home when it's time to sell or getting less money for it.

    The average cost of a mid-range kitchen remodel is $22,507, of which you'll recoup $18,123, or 80.5%. If you're flipping a house, it definitely pays to focus on updating its kitchen, and if you're renovating a home you still plan to live in, a kitchen overhaul could not only be a great return on investment, but be a source of enjoyment for you for years.

    Keep in mind that you may be able to tackle certain components of a kitchen remodel yourself. For example, if youre refacing cabinets rather than replacing them, thats work you can do somewhat easily. The same holds true for installing new cabinet hardware. But when it comes to hauling and hooking up appliances or replacing countertops, you may want to hire a professional.

    Outdoor living tends to be important to buyers, which is why a wooden deck addition is something worth considering for your home or a home youre flipping. The average cost of putting one on is $13,333, while the average recoup is $10,083, representing 75.6% of the cost.

    That said, wooden decks are harder to maintain than decks made of composite material, and while they're cheaper to install, you'll need to weigh those savings against the potential work involved if you're doing home renovations on a property you still intend to live in. If you're flipping a home, consider that a composite deck could be a selling point to buyers who don't want a maintenance-heavy property.

    Keep in mind that composite decks have a lower recoup value, percentage-wise, than wooden decks. The average cost to install one is $19,150, with a recoup percentage of 69.1% -- still a decent return on investment, but not as high as that of wooden decks.

    Installing a deck is something you can do yourself if youre handy, but an elevated deck may be a job best left for professionals. And remember, there are always weather-related constraints to contend with when dealing with outdoor projects, so keep that in mind when making your decision.

    Earlier, we talked about the importance of curb appeal. If your home's siding is damaged and worn, replacing it could be a smart financial move. The average cost to do so is $16,036, of which you'll recoup $12,119, on average, representing 75.6% of your initial outlay. Though its possible to replace siding yourself, it can be a time- and labor-intensive job, so you may want to consider outsourcing it.

    Whether you're renovating a home you'd like to continue living in or are fixing up a home to sell quickly, it's important to understand which updates offer the best return on investment. As such, the above upgrades may be the best way to spend your money if your goal is to command top dollar for that property, whether immediately or in the future.

    Read more from the original source:
    Home Renovations With the Best Return on Investment - Motley Fool

    Go green with eco-friendly kitchen cabinets – News from southeastern Connecticut – theday.com - December 14, 2019 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Kitchen upgrades are among the most popular home improvements, and even a modest renovation will likely replace any outdated cabinets. When completing this work, it helps to consider the environmental impact of the project and what steps you can take to minimize any adverse effects.

    Going green with this renovation won't just benefit the planet. Using the right materials can prevent glues and finishes from releasing unpleasant fumes into the home, thus improving the interior air quality.

    Check the material to see if it bills itself as a more eco-friendly choice. Michelle Jeresek, writing for the home design site Houzz, says materials like particleboard and plywood are more likely to contain formaldehyde, which is carcinogenic and prone to off-gassing. Look for choices that are formaldehyde-free.

    Similarly, some cabinet finishes or paints will give off fumes known as volatile organic compounds. Water-based finishes are preferable, as are finishes rated as having few or no VOCs.

    When you use wood for your cabinets, there will naturally be some risk that you're contributing to deforestation. The home improvement site HomeAdvisor recommends that you look for wood that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. This approval signifies that the wood used in the cabinet has been harvested using sustainable practices.

    Consider environmentally friendly alternatives to harvested wood as well. Sage Builders, a company based in Newton, Mass., says one option is to use salvaged wood to create your new cabinets.

    You can also opt for a more renewable wood source. Jeresek says bamboo has become a popular choice due to its durable quality and rapid growth. More recently, the engineered product Lyptusmade from a hybrid eucalyptus species that replenishes more quickly than traditional hardwoodhas been gaining ground.

    Decide whether you want your cabinets to be made entirely from wood or if you just want to use wood veneer, which uses only a small amount of material to coat a substrate and give the appearance of a completely wooden product. HomeAdvisor says you could also preserve your old cabinets and give them a new look by repainting or refacing them.

    Don't forget to keep green practices in mind when choosing hardware for the cabinets. Maureen Blaney Flietner, writing for the home improvement professional Bob Vila, says you can easily utilize recycled materials such as antique metal or glass knobs.

    Environmentally friendly choices will often result in a bit of a higher price tag on the project. HomeAdvisor says the cost will be worth it, since you can enjoy a healthy and long-lasting upgrade to your kitchen.

    Read this article:
    Go green with eco-friendly kitchen cabinets - News from southeastern Connecticut - theday.com

    Were Analysts Bullish The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) This Week? – The Lamp News - December 14, 2019 by Mr HomeBuilder

    Investors sentiment decreased to 0.98 in 2019 Q3. Its down 0.06, from 1.04 in 2019Q2. It worsened, as 32 investors sold The Home Depot, Inc. shares while 645 reduced holdings. 150 funds opened positions while 516 raised stakes. 731.21 million shares or 0.43% less from 734.39 million shares in 2019Q2 were reported.Stock Yards Comml Bank And Trust Com holds 2.37% or 111,840 shares. Mitchell Mcleod Pugh And Williams invested 2.2% of its portfolio in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD). 1.61M were reported by Credit Suisse Ag. Osborne Prns Capital Mngmt Ltd reported 12,692 shares. Pure Financial Advsr Inc owns 0.17% invested in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) for 4,027 shares. Pictet & Cie (Europe) has invested 0.47% in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD). 4,053 were reported by Fiera Cap. Barclays Public Ltd Com owns 1.66M shares or 0.24% of their US portfolio. 964,652 were accumulated by Envestnet Asset Mgmt Incorporated. Registered Advisor Inc stated it has 1.56% in The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD). Contravisory Inv Mgmt reported 342 shares. Rhumbline Advisers reported 2.04M shares. Connor Clark Lunn Mngmt Ltd accumulated 176,641 shares. Credit Agricole S A owns 83,487 shares. Torch Wealth Limited Company holds 1,758 shares.

    Among 12 analysts covering Home Depot (NYSE:HD), 9 have Buy rating, 0 Sell and 3 Hold. Therefore 75% are positive. Home Depot has $26900 highest and $21300 lowest target. $237.38s average target is 10.88% above currents $214.08 stock price. Home Depot had 30 analyst reports since July 11, 2019 according to SRatingsIntel. The rating was maintained by Morgan Stanley on Thursday, August 22 with Overweight. The rating was downgraded by Gordon Haskett on Thursday, December 12 to Accumulate. Credit Suisse maintained The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) on Wednesday, November 6 with Neutral rating. The stock of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) earned Neutral rating by Nomura on Thursday, December 12. Citigroup maintained it with Buy rating and $26900 target in Friday, September 13 report. The stock has Hold rating by SunTrust on Thursday, November 21. On Thursday, December 12 the stock rating was maintained by JP Morgan with Overweight. The firm has Outperform rating by Wells Fargo given on Tuesday, November 5. The company was maintained on Wednesday, August 21 by Credit Suisse. Nomura maintained it with Hold Neutral rating and $23700 target in Wednesday, November 20 report. Below is a list of The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) latest ratings and price target changes.

    12/12/2019 Broker: Wedbush Rating: Neutral Old Target: $230.0000 New Target: $225.0000 Maintain12/12/2019 Broker: JP Morgan Rating: Overweight Old Target: $252.0000 New Target: $241.0000 Maintain12/12/2019 Broker: RBC Capital Markets Rating: Outperform Old Target: $246.0000 New Target: $232.0000 Maintain12/12/2019 Broker: Nomura Rating: Neutral Old Target: $237.0000 New Target: $224.0000 Maintain12/12/2019 Broker: Gordon Haskett Old Rating: Buy New Rating: Accumulate New Target: $230.0000 Downgrade12/12/2019 Broker: Credit Suisse Old Rating: Neutral New Rating: Outperform Upgrade04/12/2019 Broker: BidaskScore Rating: Sell Downgrade25/11/2019 Broker: Morgan Stanley Rating: Overweight Old Target: $245.0000 New Target: $235.0000 Maintain21/11/2019 Broker: SunTrust Rating: Hold Old Target: $208.0000 New Target: $225.0000 Maintain20/11/2019 Broker: Nomura Rating: Hold Neutral Old Target: $240.0000 New Target: $237.0000 Maintain

    The stock increased 0.96% or $2.04 during the last trading session, reaching $214.08. About 6.35 million shares traded or 54.15% up from the average. The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) has risen 21.78% since December 14, 2018 and is uptrending. It has outperformed by 21.78% the S&P500.

    The Home Depot, Inc. operates as a home improvement retailer. The company has market cap of $233.53 billion. It operates The Home Depot stores that sell various building materials, home improvement products, and lawn and garden products, as well as provide installation, home maintenance, and professional service programs to do-it-yourself, do-it-for-me , and professional customers. It has a 21.32 P/E ratio. The firm offers installation programs that include flooring, cabinets, countertops, water heaters, and sheds; and professional installation in various categories sold through its in-home sales programs, such as roofing, siding, windows, cabinet refacing, furnaces, and central air systems, as well as acts as a contractor to provide installation services to its DIFM clients through third-party installers.

    More notable recent The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) news were published by: Fool.com which released: Home Depot Inc (HD) Q3 2019 Earnings Call Transcript The Motley Fool on November 19, 2019, also Seekingalpha.com with their article: Home Depot: Still Great But Might Stagnate Seeking Alpha published on December 02, 2019, Investorplace.com published: A 10% Correction Might Not Be Enough to Get Investors Into Home Depot Stock Investorplace.com on December 05, 2019. More interesting news about The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) were released by: Seekingalpha.com and their article: Home Depot: Another Dip To Buy Seeking Alpha published on November 21, 2019 as well as Fool.coms news article titled: If You Had Invested $1,000 in Home Depots IPO, This Is How Much Youd Have Now The Motley Fool with publication date: December 13, 2019.

    Receive News & Ratings Via Email - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings with our FREE daily email newsletter.

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    Were Analysts Bullish The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) This Week? - The Lamp News

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