Hello and happy Thursday!

The Kitchens are on vacation this week and were having a wonderful time. The picture below is from the dueling grounds at Weehawken, New Jerseywhere Alexander Hamilton was shot by Aaron Burr.

As we continue our travels I thought itd be nice to provide a condensed and edited transcript of my recent interview with former Trump national security advisor, Robert OBrien. We spoke last week on the Dispatch podcast (listen here) and we cover a lot of different topics of interestincluding China, Ukraine, and the January 6 riots at the Capitol.

Before diving in, a few listeners have said I should have pushed OBrien harder on his January 6 comments. Perhaps. Im certainly not a hard-nosed journalist like many of my fellow Dispatchers. But if Im honest, I also have to admit that I was a little sympathetic to his cause. The reality is that the political rally and the other events that day were not under the purview of the national security adviser. Those were political decisions being made by political operatives and by the president.

Its also true that it was the intelligence community that was raising many of the alarms about how the protests could get out of hand and Im sure OBrien was making those assessments known. Even more, when his deputy, Matt Pottenger, resigned that afternoon, OBriens hands were pretty much tied because national security doesnt take a time out when things go sideways domestically (in fact, they get even more serious). The nation would have genuinely been less safe if he had resigned prior to the Biden administration taking officeand the fact that OBrien was the last senior executive at the White House on Inauguration Day reinforces this point.

Having said all of that, heres the transcript and I hope it gives you a little bit of insight into a job that is hugely important and often very difficult.

See ya next week!

KLON: Robert, thanks for taking time to join me for a conversation.

ROBERT OBRIEN: Great to be with you Klon, thank you.

KLON: You were the fourth NSA to President Trump, is that right?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: I was, so wed had Michael Flynn and H.R. McMaster and John Bolton.

KLON: Talk a little bit about the presidents general approach to national security and foreign policy, the types of work that you were advising him on.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: So, the job of the assistant to the president for national security affairs, or the NSA job, is to be the principal foreign policy and national security adviser to the presidentand I took a little different view of my work than I think my predecessors did. I told the president this in the interview (and I think maybe one of the reasons why he asked me to do the job) is I felt that President Trump had a very well-defined foreign policy. I thought he should get the best options and best advice on whatever issue he was facing, and then once he made a decision the departments and agencies should implement that decision. I didn't view my job is trying to educate him on what his policy should be, I didn't come to the job with a foreign policy agenda've got well-thought out views on a lot of issues, but again, I was staffing the president. I wasn't a principal, and I hadn't been elected by anybody to put my foreign policy in place. My job was to make sure the president gotwhether it was a long term issue that we were facing, great power competition for example, or an immediate crisis like COVID or the Baghdadi situationto make sure the president got the absolute best advice from his Cabinet secretaries. And if he wanted my opinion at the end of the day after hearing from everybody else, and everyone having had their day in court, I'd give my advice. And then once the president made a decision on how to proceed, our job with the NSC was to coordinate with the Cabinet and the Cabinet secretaries and and their departments and agencies to make sure that the presidents foreign policy was implemented.

KLON: That sounds very reminiscent of the way Secretary[Condoleezza] Rice would talk about her role when she was the NSA. That she wanted to make sure that the president was getting as diverse and as deep a counsel as he could on those issues. You know, let's put Michael Flynn aside, but you can see how McMasters and Bolton both came in with a very developed, comprehensive, and public kind of world view on foreign policy issues, and I can see the daylight between how you're describing your approach and perhaps how they might have. I think, from at least open press reporting, why the president kind of chafed against some of that. He probably didn't want to feel like he was being kind of lectured to, he wanted the implementation of his view.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: No, I think that's right. And you know I worked for Condi at the State Department when she was secretary, and she was one of the first visitors I had I think. I took office on a Tuesday and she flew back to see me on a Sunday. We sat in her old office (my new office) and she very generously gave me a couple of hours of her time, and I think Condi tried to follow, and I tried to follow, a model established by Brent Scowcroft, whod served twice as national security advisor under both President Ford and President BushH.W. Bush. And every national security adviser when they come office invokes that, it's kind of a mantra that you know we're going to do the Scowcroft model, but I think it's been followed in the breach more than the regular order.

So I really did try to restore the Scowcroft model, and I think when you look at what we did with a slimmed down NSCI mean when I got there there was still almost 200 policy professionals, Condid had 106 at the height of Afghanistan, Iraq, the global war on terror, great power competition, shed had half that and I kind of took that as my model as wellwe got a very efficient NSC. We had an NSC that really ran on process where, again, all the Cabinet agencies and departments had their data to give their best views and best options. If there was a split opinion Id have each side elect a representative, so it might be Pompeo on one side and Mnuchin on the other, and wed go see the president and Id make sure the president heard both sets of views. But for the most part, we were able to drive consensus and go to the president with a set of options that we thought were best for the American people, and again that was derived out of deputies committee meetings and weekly principal committee meetings where we got the best input fromwhether it was Treasury or Commerce or State or Defense or the IC. And I think of the results of what we did with NATO funding, with getting Baghdadi, with putting Iran in a box, with the new consensus on China, certainly on the peacemaking front with the Abraham Accords, with Serbia-Kosovo, with healing the Gulf rift and even Afghanistan, I think the results were pretty impressive, and in eighteen months.

KLON: Im curious about our perspective on the state of the intelligence community. Whats your take on the IC? Hows it doing? Are there specific ways that it needs to evolve to be more aligned to modern statecraft and policymaking?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: So I think when it comes to collection, were second to none. Its pretty impressive what we can pull together. And I think the IC, like anything else, its a tremendous tool. They have great abilities with their SIGINT or ELINT or even human intelligence. However we think of it, and however we collect, it gets the policymakers people like me, the secretary of state, the CIA director, the folks that have to advise the president and advise Congress on what we should be doing it gets us what we need.

I think one thing thatsthere are a couple of issues with the intelligence community. One, I think its like any big bureaucracy, becomes a little risk-averse. And sometimes we need people thatlleven if theyre wrongthatll step up with an innovative or thoughtful theory that may not fall with conventional wisdom. You always worry that people might not want to be the outlier because they're afraid of how itll affect their career, but we need the outliers. Even if the outliers are wrong, theyre provocative and they cause us to think about things, that maybe look at things a different way and come up with a different solution.

Weve got a lot of people who are highly skilled and spent the best years of their life in places like Jalalabad and Kandahar and Anbar and Fallujah, places like that, and know that part of the world incredibly well. But the world is changing. And those places remain important to the United States, we cant ignore them, but our existential threat comes from the Communist Party of China and their Ministry of State Security on the IC front. Those guys are deadly and serious, and of course we still have what was the former KGB, the FSB and SVR now with the Russians, and the Iranians have the MOIS. So we need to start shifting our focus both as a government to the Indo-Pacific, but also to Russia in Eastern Europe and keep an eye on Iran. And so we want to make sure were not just living in the surge in 2006, in the glory days of Baghdad and the second Bush term.

KLON: So as you were in your position, what types of domestic threat work were you engaged in? What did that look like? What were the kinds of concerns that developed over the course of your time at the White House?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Yeah my biggest domestic concern, Klon, was the CPC (the Communist Party of China) and the Peoples Republic of China and their infiltration into the U.S. which is extensive, pervasive, there are cells everywhere, they have an unbelievable ability to track their students who are here, to enforce their party orthodox on Chineseeven second- and third-generation Chinese that are hereto collect intelligence, to steal our IP. Christopher Wray talked about this in the summer of 2020 in a speech he gavewe gave a series of four speeches, Bill Barr, Chris Wray, myself and Mike Pompeo each gave a speech on China, we each took a different area and kind of laid out the threatand Chris Wray made a statement in his speech that I thought was really interesting. I've repeated it several times. The Chinese IP theft is the largest transfer of wealth in human history. In other words, the Chinese are taking more money and value out of the U.S. over the past 40 years through theft of our intellectual property than any sack of Rome, Trajans campaign in Dacia.

Look, there are certainly threats here. We have an Antifa threat, you know we had domestic terrorism on the left, were seeing now some of the reports about the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys and some of these threats on the right. And those are things we need to keep an eye on, and I dont want to minimize those threats, but I think the threat that were facing from the Communist Party of China is a threat to our way of life and our future liberty. And I think weve got to be careful about, you know, sending FBI agents out to school boards to watch parents protesting about CRT when they really ought to be trailing Chicom agents who are operating here that we know aboutand weve got to be careful not to let our domestic politics influence how the IC does our counter-intelligence here in the US. So that was my biggest concern, and again not that other concerns arent important, but when we think about our kids having liberty and the ability of the pursuit of happinessnot just in America but in the other democracieswere facing an existential threat right now.

KLON: But it does seem over the last several years to have adjusted to some of thewhat well call politically right-wing groups that you mentioned, and that are in the news right now obviously with Oath Keepers and Proud Boys and the like. Not only them, but certainly them. How did that come up as an issue for you to deal with?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: You do. In my case we had a great attorney general in Bill Barr, and Chad Wolf was our acting homeland security secretaryboth very capable men. And so for the most part we sort of coordinated the advice they got, but we left that to the FBI and the DOJ and Homeland to do most of those briefings. I would of course be there, and again the threats we saw changed even over the year and a half that I was national security advisor. At the outset we had the BLM movement and a lot of Antifa, so I mean you had situations where you know, pallets of bricks were being delivered close to the White House and a really impressive logistics chainnot impressive in that it was a good thing but impressive in that these Antifa folks were very good at logistics and created massive damage, I mean far greater damage than happened on January 6 (which again I condemned at the time, in real time, and was a terrible thing to happen to our country). But we also facedI mean, I was taken to an undisclosed location at least two times because of attacks on the White House by Antifa that havent been covered to the same extent as some of the other outbreaks. So both on the far left and the far right, whether youve got Antifa or these Proud Boys typesand you know I dont even think its fair to call them far left or far right because I think its unfair to liberals or conservativesbut just these domestic extremists, and certainly theyre being radicalized and coordinating and we know this from both types of groups.

KLON: Yeah. I think you're exactly right in the sense that no political faction, wherever it is on the spectrum, has a monopoly onunfortunately on political violence and extremism right now. It does seem to be this proliferating challenge and it has evolved over the course of even my time kind of engaging in these issues. YouI just want to touch on this brieflybut you bring up January 6. What was your day like that day? Like, how did those events unfolding what does that look like from your perspective in the White House?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Yeah so I was actuallyand this hasnt been publicly reported on and I dont spend a lot of time talking about itI was in Florida at SOUTHCOM. But thats where I was on January 6, I was actually in a SCIF most of the day until I was pulled out of the SCIF by my staff to let me know what was going on. We finally made it back to Washington late that night, but look in real time I put out tweets on my personal Twitter account and I was impressed by the courage of the vice president staying there. I spoke to a number of our senators, I was waiting for my Coast Guard plane to get me home, and I certainly condemned the protesters and did all of that very publicly. It wasas I said, I think that day it was an utter disgrace, what those people did in the Capitol.

KLON: So we can transition now to a couple of the key hot spots. When you think about China and the possible move on Taiwan, do you see that as a growing possibility? What were the types of briefings that you were getting while you were NSA?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Thats a great question. Look, its a very serious concern. Its theit might be the most pressing concern that Jake Sullivan (the current national security advisor) and the president face, Lloyd Austin the [secretary of defense] and Tony Blinken. We know from Admiral Davidson, Admiral Davidson who was thecombatant commander for the INDOPACOM AOR out in Hawaii (Pearl Harbor), he said a couple of years ago that he had thought it was a five- to seven-year window for the Chinese to invade. In the last days I was national security adviser I said, Look, I think its going to be shorter than that, and since President Bidens taken office and as the Chinese watch whats happening in Ukraine, there are folks nowI saw a headline that one analyst is predicting in October 2022 an invasion of Taiwan, and were seeing that the Chinese put everything in place to be able to do so.

KLON: And so do you think thatit depends on how we define success, but do you think that a successful Chinese invasion of Taiwan isthat theres a potential there for kind of a fait accompli where they could act in such a way to where they can act quickly enough and decisively enough before the United States could really respond, to where it just becomes a done deal? Is that a possibility?

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Thats our play book. I mean the good news is, without getting into details, weve got a few things up our sleeve as well. Were notwe dont lack all capability to defeat a Chinese amphibious invasion. Weve got some exquisite capabilities of our own, many of which arent public. And so I dont think the Chinese canI think theyre trying to put themselves in a position to do that kind of invasion and hit fast and accomplish their goals before we can get into the theater, but weve got somethings that could interrupt that planning and that sort of an operation. Ill leave it at that.

KLON: Okay, so lets now kind of turn to Ukraineand as we talk about Ukraine, I think one thing that would be especially helpful is if you could obviously give us your insights terms of what youre seeing and what youre anticipating, but also there is a growing movement on the kind of right side of the political aisle toward what they euphemistically refer to as restraint. Theres a growing kind of restraint movement particularly in conservative politics where you know, with the recent $40 billion supplemental bill that was passed eventually for supporting Ukraine, there was a lot of disagreement on the political right about this. And I think that is in fact emblematic of this growing voice within Republican and conservative circles. Im curious about your thoughts on that, and then thekind of the broader Ukraine challenge and where you think the United States should be aligning its time and resources on Ukraine.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Well let me address the political issue first.I talk about what Ronald Reagan talked about which is peace through strength. You know, the way to stay out of a warand people are exhausted by the wars, these are the folks that have sent their kids off to go fight in places like Jalalabad and Fallujah and Anbar and the Sahel in Burkina and Niger. These are the people that sent their sons and daughters out to go fight those wars, and so there is a concern and exhaustion that America is overextended, and that were perhaps fighting in wars that we shouldnt be involved intrying to turn Afghanistan into Sweden or that sort of thing. And thats a legitimate concern, and I understand the folks who raise those issuesbut Ukraine is a very different situation. You know Ukrainethe Ukrainians are fighting for themselves. The Ukrainians arent asking for American airmen to enforce a no-fly zone. Theyre asking for MIGs so that their own pilots can enforce a no-fly zone over their own country. Theyre fighting out on the front lines in Donbas, and under incredibly trying circumstances, and fighting for their own country; and theyve got massive enlistment, theres no lack of morale, theres no lack of dedication to fighting. But what theyre asking for is for America to be the arsenal of democracy. And if we dont stand up for freedom here, and if we dont provide folks in Ukraine or other places with the tools and equipment they need to stop Russian aggression, you know eventually its going to be up to Americans to go do it. And soyou know once you have that conversation, Ive found very little disagreement when Americans understand that Ukrainians are fighting for themselves, and all theyre asking from us is for us to give them the tools to fight the Russians. And I think you get a very different response than maybe your standard, Tucker Carlson monologue; and again I havent found whether its in Oklahoma or Nebraska or Idaho or Utah, any of these places Ive been that are very conservative and very much folks that believe in America Firstwhen you explain the stakes that are at issue, when you explain that this is the first time since the 1930s that a bigger neighbor has decided to invade a smaller neighbor just because they want their national resources, they want their population, they want that might makes right, that they can expand their empire through conquest, we havent recognized territorial expansion through conquest at least since the U.N. charter but even 100 years before that. So the idea that this is happening today is very bad. And when they understand that Xi Jinping in Beijing is watching to see how the West reacts to Putins invasion of and attempt to occupy Ukraine, hes watching that to measure what hes going to do in Taiwan. And when Xi Jinping attempts to take Taiwanand if the Chinese communists are successful at taking Taiwangeopolitically thats an absolute disaster for the U.S. We could maybe survive Ukraine being taken over by the Russians, it would be very very difficult in the Indo-Pacific and for our allies to survive a Chinese takeover of Taiwan. Thats the cork coming out of the champagne bottle of the Pacific, and the champagne (in which there is the Peoples Liberation Army and Navy) will spill all out into the entire Pacific from the Aleutians to Hawaii, the Midway to Wake, to California, South, to all the islands that our grandfathers and great uncles fought for in World War II. The Chinese are going to control the Pacificits such a critical island in Taiwan, and thats the most important economic zone in the entire world for the future of our economy, so that would be a travesty. So stopping Putin in Ukraine will send a message to Xi Jinping that you know, might stop him in Taiwan, and avoid a real catastrophe for America and our allies in the Pacific.

KLON: Putin has given every indication that if he were able to roll through Ukraine, that eventually hes going to gohes going to continue on the expansion. All the same rationales that he used for Ukraine would exist with other countries, including NATO-bordering countries. And so eventually, you know, if Vladimir Putin is not sufficiently chastised and kind of pushed back into his hole, hes going to take an action that even the most restrained kind of individual wont be able to kind of look away from, right? I would say that Ukraine already constitutes a significant national interest on our partin part because of the way youve described itbut then too, even if you dont, he will continue to push and he has made that very clear. And so unfortunately we dont have an option of kind of avoiding a kind of conflict because the other guyin this case Putinhe gets a choice. And hes making that choice, and hes making it very clearly and publicly, and sometimes you just have to accept reality. So youve got to engage it.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Youre 100 percent right, by the way. I mean look, he's threatening Poland. The reason the Finns joined NATO is because he said Finland was part of the Russian familyI think the Finns woke up after that speech and said what the heck? Hes threatening the Baltics, I mean these are NATO allies, certainly Moldova and Georgia. So were going to end upif we dont stop him in Ukraine, we are going to have American soldiers engaged with Russian soldiers in one of these other countries. And at that point, the risk of escalation is so high that youve got two massive nuclear powers in a land war, and the risks to America at that point are extraordinary. So we are far better offas you point out, Klon, 100percentletting the Ukrainians try and push the Russians back in Ukraine without asking for American troops on the ground. And if we get them the tools and the platforms they need, I think they can get the job done. The problem is were just not doing it.

Theyre talking the talk but theyre not walking the walk. For example, the MIGswhy werent the Polish MIGs given to Ukraine in month one? That wasnt going to spur nuclear war between the US and Russia. You know, keep in mind, a lot of our grandfathers and fathers fought in Korea and Vietnam. They were shot at every day by Russian MIGs. I mean there were Russian MIGs in Korea, there were Russian MIGs in Vietnam, we didnt launch a nuclear war or say that was some sort of red line. If the Poles wanted to give the Ukrainians 29 MIGs, why didnt we facilitate it? I mean, I kind of think back on our administration, you know Gina Haspel is so clever. Gina would have sold the planes to the Ukrainians through a Russian middleman, Putin would have gotten his 10 percent cut of it, and they would have been in Ukrainian livery the next day and no one would have known what happened. And instead we had this big, public debacle on the MIGs. So lookweve got to cut off the Russians, weve got to get the Ukrainians the MIGs already, and weve got to get them the long-range artillery and let them defend their country against the Sovietthis Russian invasion.

KLON: Yeah. Robert, you and I could keep going, theres a ton of things that we could talk about but youve been very generous with your time already and were bumping into an hour so I want to kind of bring it to a close. But listen, being the national security adviser to a U.S. president is a big job, its a tough job. And you know look, I think the nation owes you an appreciation for the work that you did under difficult circumstances on some very difficult issues. I appreciate you taking the time to have this conversation with me.

ROBERT O'BRIEN: Thank you, honor to be with you Klon, you served a long time as well and so thank you for your service in the IC and in government.

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'Stopping Putin in Ukraine Will Send a Message to Xi Jinping' - The Dispatch

Brits will face sweltering weather in July, according to Met Office forecasts. Here are four myths about heatwaves you need to be aware of to handle the heat safely

Image: Getty)

Heatwaves are becoming a norm this summer across Britain. After a scorching June, the Met Office is predicting that early to mid July will be equally hot with temperature highs of 34 degrees.

While many of us enjoy the sunshine, experts have issued warnings against common mistakes people make when it comes to handling the heat.

Luxury bathroom specialist Big Bathroom Shop and Dr Luke Pratsides, lead GP at Numan health clinic have teamed up to debunk four myths about coping with heatwaves and sun exposure.

John Lawless of Big Bathroom Shop said: "Brits often make the same mistakes when it comes to protecting against heat and sun, so we have been speaking with Dr Luke to provide some guidance on how to handle the heatwave, treat sunburn and safely enjoy the sunshine this weekend."

Image:

Taking cold showers is a simple yet effective method to keep cool and soothe your skin after sun exposure, which Dr Luke Pratsides confirms has been recommended by the NHS.

John Lawless also advises: "You may find that a lower pressure showerhead is more soothing on skin that has been exposed to the sun. A cool bath may provide more relief and you can use a sponge to target areas that are causing discomfort."

Many think that icing a sunburn is good for you, but putting ice directly on sun-exposed skin is actually warned against.

Dr Luke Pratsides explains: "You should never put ice directly on your skin as this can cause damage. You might suffer from an ice burn or frostbite."

Instead, Mr John recommends using ice wrapped in a soft hand towel and placing this on the skin, adding: "Only leave on the skin for a minute or two at a time."

Keeping your windows open to stay cool only works if it's cooler outside than inside. If you're facing the sun, it's actually better for you to keep your blinds closed to block out direct sunlight.

Mr John Lawless adds: "Upstairs rooms tend to get hotter in the summer months, keeping bedroom and bathroom windows open with blinds shut is key to keeping air circulating through the house during a heatwave."

Similar to ice, don't apply petroleum jelly to sunburns, as its oil-based. Dr Luke Pratsides advises that we should use strong moisturising lotion, after-sun lotion or aloe vera instead.

John recommends: "Store after care creams in a cool dark place in your bathroom like a vanity or a storage cabinet."

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Heatwave myths busted as July reaches scorching temperatures - The Mirror

Top Reasons Why a Hybrid Kitchen Makes Perfect Design Sense

Essentially a hybrid kitchen is a design plan that combines both refacingand custom cabinetry. Refacing saves substantially on budget, allowing you to reinvest in other features and upgrades. Additional custom cabinetry or a new island creates valuable additional storage space and that visual change homeowners often want.

The new cabinetry added into a hybrid kitchen remodel will perfectly match the refaced, existing cabinet boxes.

The result is a highly personalized and transformative kitchen design.

This hybrid approach improves the aesthetics and function of a kitchen, while also increasing the property value should you decide to sell down the road.

The 2022 cost vs. value report saysthat a minor kitchen remodel will return74.7% of the investment

Make it personal

A hybrid kitchen can include any type of custom-built cabinets, a desk, or a customized display case that match the refacing cabinets for a unified space.

Our design consultants often propose creative ideas for storage solutions, addressing issues you may not have even known you had. A good example of that might be creating a designated storage space for dry goods, spices, cooking essentials, and other everyday items. All of these improvements go a long way in helping you stay organized.

How to hybrid

Hybrid kitchens are a top trend in Kitchen Magic kitchens, and most homeowners utilize a hybrid design model to one degree or another.

Designers do not see that trend slowing since the outcome is a custom solution for every customer. Even with the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, many homeowners still have enhanced storage on their wish lists.

We've outlined several of the most popular design scenarios for which a homeowner embraces a hybrid design plan:

Pass on the peninsula

Adding a custom kitchen island instead of a peninsula is more conducive to gatherings. Homeowners with older homes often bid adieu to their kitchen peninsula, as the U-shape is a configuration that tends to "trap" people into a particular prep or dining area.

Instead, allow your kitchen design team to create a kitchen island for increased workflow. A kitchen island is also a user-friendly layout for dining and social gatherings.

Storage space galore

Stock up and add a bank of cabinets, a buffet, a credenza, or a pantry. Copious storage is more critical than ever as remote work and more time at home have become permanent for many. A top request of homeowners is additional storage for dry goods, small appliances, and cooking equipment allowing them to keep stocked up and maintain a high-functioning kitchen.

An empty corner can become that creates a personalized focal point for your new kitchen design.Imagine a coffee station, device charging zone, bar area or even a display case as an empty corner becomes your 'statement' corner.

Working from home

A built-in deskoffers a welcome addition to working and learning at home.On those days you can avoid the commute and stay just as functional with an additional work-from-home zone. Reface the existing cabinets and add a custom deck that suits your home office needs.

Design details

A hybrid kitchen design allows you to claim extra space and even double your existing space with smart storage solutions, Whether you plan to add a pantry, credenza, or a mudroom with cabinets, the sky's the limit with the help of the skilled craftspeople and designers at Kitchen Magic.

Up your design game withglass-front cabinets flanked by new pantry cabinets to increase storage and still showcase your new finds.Mix and match colors and textures for a unique design. A woodgrain display cabinet or island can add flair when paired with a white kitchen for a beautiful timeless look.

When you're ready

At Kitchen Magic, our signature refacing consists of premiumNorth American lumber and solid veneers that set the tone for a quality, functional design. Our custom cabinetry is all USA Made, hand crafted in our factory in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

To explore how you can transform the way your kitchen looks and functions with a free in-home design consultation. It's fun, informative, and completely free! Give us a call at 866.437.6147, or click here to schedule your free design consultation with us today!

Linda FennessyPublic Relations ManagerKitchen Magic800.237.0799x 4155[emailprotected]

SOURCE Kitchen Magic, Inc.

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Kitchen Magic Defines the Hybrid Kitchen - PR Newswire

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N-Hance Canada Grows in Six Provinces and Aims to Introduce 20 Territories, with Expansion Plans in Western Canada - Business Wire

Measures in the budget will have an immediate impact this year, Taoiseach Michel Martin has pledged as he insisted the Government is correct in its strategy to wait until the autumn for further measures to ease the cost of living.

His remarks come as inflation in Ireland hit 9.6 per cent and Electric Ireland announced price increases that will kick in next month.

Fianna Fil held a half-day parliamentary party meeting focused on the budget on Friday.

Mr Martin said a budget package must be developed that does not add to inflation and create second and third rounds.

Fianna Fil, he said, wants to target measures on households with low incomes and the squeezed middle.

He said the partys TDs and Senators made about 110 budget proposals on issues such as childcare, pensions, housing and education.

At a press conference, Mr Martin promised a substantial budgetary package including income tax and expenditure measures to respond to the cost of living.

Asked whether it is sustainable to tell the public to wait until September or October for the budget given the rising energy bills and rate of inflation, Mr Martin said the Government has already brought in 2.4 billion in measures.

He said the Government is correct in its strategy as it will be a long winter and the big fear in the autumn is that Russia may cut off gas supplies to Europe with the consequential prices.

He said the budgetary strategy is to have a package that can have immediate impact once the budget is announced on people, certainly within this calendar year.

Mr Martin said: We have to work out whats the best way to alleviate the pressures on households in terms of their disposable income and a way that doesnt further exacerbate the inflationary round.

He said one key objective of Government is to marry some cost-reducing measures with climate action such as reducing transport costs.

Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath said the Summer Economic Statement will be brought to Cabinet on Monday.

It will take account of the current economic circumstances and it will go beyond the package that was envisaged in the Stability Programme Update that we published in April, he said.

Mr McGrath said the package had been based on the medium-term fiscal framework adopted in last years Summer Economic Statement.

The principal reason for a change is that when it comes to public spending, for example, the rule at the time was based on about 5 per cent growth, which is linked to the trend growth rate in the economy.

And that was predicated on about 2 per cent inflation and then 3 per cent real growth.

Of course we are now in a very different space in the context of the level of inflation that were facing.

So we will be changing the parameters and the exact details of that will be available on Monday.

Asked how concerned he was at the 9.6 per cent inflation rate in June, Mr McGrath said it reflects the living reality, it reflects the prices that people have been paying in recent weeks and it is exceptionally high.

He said 10 of the 19 eurozone countries have a higher rate than Irelands but added: Thats no consolation to people who have to pay those high prices.

He said it underlines the need for the Government to respond in a very significant way and that measures to respond to the cost-of-living crisis will have to be implemented really quickly.

Mr McGrath also said: This is a level of inflation we havent seen for four decades.

The Governments response has to be commensurate with that and reflect that.

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Budget measures on cost of living will have 'immediate impact', says Taoiseach - The Irish Times

Per Wikipedia, The Martha Mitchell effect refers tothe process by which a psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health clinician, or other medical professional labels a patients accurate perception of real events as delusional, resulting in misdiagnosis. Per Sundance, Full Frame, Hot Docs, and ultimately Netflix, The Martha Mitchell Effect is one must-see doc.

Running at just under a brisk 40 minutes, Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchys all-archival short which recently screened at the virtual Full Frame in the NEW DOCS section and is set to play in the Persister Shorts: Mothers Day program at the hybrid Hot Docs spotlights the titular figure, once only known to the public as the outspoken (read out of bounds when it came to the women of her day) wife of President Nixons attorney general (read criminally convicted henchman). The Arkansas-born, paparazzi-loving socialite was also a heck of a brave soul, whose inability to ignore her moral compass may have brought down the entire Nixon administration. (At least Tricky Dick thought so. Then again his many failed efforts to silence her including drugging and kidnapping may have played a role in that vitriol.) Her rectitude did, however, most assuredly bring down Martha Mitchell herself.

Its a tragic tale made all the more poignant by the filmmakers deft mixing of Mitchells many controlled interviews and television appearances with her off-the-cuff phone calls. (The UPIs Helen Thomas was both a trusted confidant Mitchell could dial up at all hours and one of the few journalists to actually take her seriously.) With a face that belied an emotional truth deeper than words, Mitchell was equal parts media savvy and heartbreakingly honest. Someone whose trauma had always been hiding in plain painful sight.

Fortunately for history, we now have a doc-making duo that bothered to look. The Martha Mitchell Effect debuts online April 28 at Hot Docs (geo-blocked to Canada, unfortunately) before heading to Netflix.

Filmmaker: So how did this film originate? Was the idea sparked by the Watergate-level corruption of the Trump years? The anti-gaslighting groundswell of MeToo?

Alvergue: Yes and yes. We were both devastated by the 2016 election and looking to tell a female-driven story that could shed light on the present. Marthas story really checked all the boxes. But more than anything we were captivated by what a savvy, hilarious and telegenic person she was; and dismayed by how effective the gaslighting campaign to silence her had been. She is truly a hidden figure of the Watergate era. Now seemed the time to resurrect her story and restore her agency.

McClutchy: Yes, the impeachment scandals of the Trump administration clearly resonated, as did the reckoning around MeToo. We were fascinated with how this conservative Republican wife became one of the first prominent figures to call out the Nixon administration and the retaliation that followed. She was the unlikeliest of people to do it and had a lot to lose. When I first heard her story I was floored.

Filmmaker: How exactly did you acquire the archival material? Is it all in the public domain?

Alvergue: I wish! We first started at the Nixon Library. We knew about the Haldeman Super 8 collection, which is a treasure trove of home movies shot by Nixons young cabinet members. That is in the public domain. But unfortunately, and not surprisingly, there isnt much of Martha there as they were not big fans of hers.

So we knew we would have to seek out primarily news stories to visually illustrate her journey. Luckily, the press followed Martha everywhere once they discovered how outspoken she was, and she in turn would play to the press. But so much of the visual archive in the early 70s has been lost; there was a lot of footage we knew about that we couldnt exhume. It really was a two-year research expedition to uncover sources, ranging from national to local news outlets, YouTube to eBay. As well as mining the archives of journalists. One found an interview tape in his attic that hadnt been broadcast since 1972.

McClutchy: We also took an early research trip to the Library of Congress where we uncovered rarely heard interviews that Martha had given. Its such a thrill to find these gems of archival material. It makes the hunt for more all the more exciting. And then prior to the pandemic both Anne and I researched in person a couple of times at the Nixon Library, which became our main and crucial resource. Were archival nerds and absolutely loved researching there in person. Once the pandemic hit, we still hadnt completed our research. It was only through the Herculean efforts of archivist Ryan Pettigrew that we gained access remotely to even more material.

But our research also extended far beyond the Nixon Library. There were many hours spent on the internet digging in archives, library collections, news outlets and more. It was always the random research finds that were the most thrilling.

Filmmaker: I found your editing choices quite remarkable. The decision to close in on Marthas face, for example, making us aware of the heavy emotional toll speaking truth to power takes on the individual, really prioritizes the woman over the media circus perpetually surrounding her. So as the editor, Anne, can you talk a bit about what that process was like?

Alvergue: We knew from the start we wanted to prioritize the archival and immerse the viewer in Marthas world. Given that her version of events was buried under the prevailing Watergate narrative, we also wanted to lead with her voice as much as we could to return some agency to her own story. But we were limited by the archive. There were some great pop cultural TV show segments, but most of what we uncovered were news stories; there was very little verite footage of Martha, and no home movies.

For Nixon we had the Haldeman Super 8 collection we could pull from, so his story feels much more observational. What raw footage we could find of Martha was mostly interview outtakes. But we were lucky enough to work with the incredible editor Toby Shimin for a week in the final stage of the edit. She really mined these outtakes, slowing down the closeups of Martha to highlight her pain and frustration, particularly during the height of the gaslighting campaign. You can almost see her reacting as if in real time. And by staying within the native 43 aspect ratio of the footage we could focus on Martha and Martha alone in these key emotional scenes.

Filmmaker: When it comes to the historical record, the tragedy of Martha is that her story had been hijacked so thoroughly by the white men around her, her narrative told almost solely through the white male gaze (despite legendary journo Helen Thomass Sisyphean efforts). So was it difficult to even locate enough material to reflect a more nuanced perspective?

Alvergue: Part of the story of this film is how Martha was framed by the media and the White House, which was told predominantly from a male gaze. But we knew we could counteract that somewhat by isolating her interview bites and foregrounding her voice throughout the narrative to tell her side of the story.

We also had the White House tapes, which were much more revealing than the official party line, and allowed us to investigate the media machinations of Nixon and his cabinet; and how they orchestrated public information vis a vis Watergate and Martha. For me, one of the biggest revelations from the tapes was how much Nixon gossiped about Martha pre-Watergate, and then was obsessed with containing her post-Watergate. There was a lot of fear surrounding her and what she might expose.

McClutchy: Were also incredibly lucky that intrepid women journalists back then like Helen Thomas and Winzola McLendon took Martha seriously and listened to her. Without them, we wouldnt have the record we do in order to tell a more nuanced story. And Martha was savvy in developing these relationships with the press so that she would have some agency in telling her story. So these were women who were proactively building this historical record together.

Filmmaker: Upon her death a floral arrangement spelling out Martha was right was sent anonymously to her family, and yet in the decades since shes mostly been forgotten as a heroic American. That said, there does seem to be something of a Martha revival lately, with Julia Roberts even playing her in the Starz seriesGaslit(based on theSlow Burnpodcast) premiering this month. Any thoughts as to why shes being resurrected at this moment?

Alvergue: I think this country is so divided politically that Americans are now thirsty for outliers individuals who are brave enough to cross party lines and risk it all to speak truth to power. And for those few who do speak out we are seeing the same blowback now that we saw then, particularly against women. Treating your opponent as an existential threat, to be dehumanized and then marginalized, is a political tactic used time and again.

I also think we are in a period of looking back at the past through different lenses, and seeking out those who were lost to history. Watergate was one of the 20th centurys biggest political scandals, and yet we know nothing of the women that were involved. As the 50th anniversary of the break-in approaches, we have an opportunity to revisit who was overlooked and in Marthas case, silenced for political gain.

McClutchy: Fifty years after Watergate were facing another existential crisis in our democracy. Its not surprising to me that a story like Marthas is capturing our collective imagination. People are looking to history to help navigate where we go from here.

We were actually at a film festival recently and a young liberal filmmaker said to me, I just really want my conservative Republican dad to see your film so we can talk about Martha. And I thought, yes! Please connect and have that conversation with your dad. If our film can spark a dialogue then thats one small step to a healthier democracy.

Link:
The Tragedy of Martha is That Her Story Had Been Hijacked So Thoroughly by the White Men Around Her: Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy on The Martha...

Has Russias invasion of Ukraine saved Boris Johnsons premiership? Listening to some Conservative MPs, it sounds that way: he broke the law over Partygate, they admit, but Britain couldnt possibly have a change of prime minister at a time of war.

The Daily Mail agrees, having run the front-page headline: Dont they know theres a war on? Even vehement critics of Johnson, such as the Tory MP Sir Roger Gale and the Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, who had both previously called for him to stand down, say now is not the right time.

This argument has baffled some of the countrys leading historians and diplomatic experts, who are also unconvinced by Johnsons efforts to portray himself as a latter-day Sir Winston Churchill.

Britain is not at war, says Leo McKinstry, author of Attlee and Churchill, so this argument seems very specious. Every prime minister faces problems at home and conflict abroad. For 30 years, prime ministers faced conflict in Northern Ireland, so its a pretty dubious argument that the pressure of events mean he cant possibly resign.

He adds: Its a life-and-death struggle for Ukraine, but its not for Britain.

The mechanics of government would continue during a change in leadership because weve got a very good Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, and the logistical system has been set up to supply Ukraine.

And even if the UK were fighting, he tells i, it is ludicrous to suggest that the occupant of 10 Downing Street cannot change it has happened many times before.

Simon Fraser, a former Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office during the Coalition government, tweeted: If the argument that you should not change PM during a war had applied in 1940, Boris Johnsons hero Churchill would not have become PM (And then, unlike now, we actually were at war).

This wasnt for lack of trying by No 10s incumbent at the time, says McKinstry. Neville Chamberlain presented the Boris-camp argument on 10 May 1940, saying that with the invasion of France and the Low Countries, this wasnt the time to change prime ministers. The Cabinet said this is exactly the time were facing the greatest crisis in the history of Britain, we need the best possible leader and youve proved youre not that man. Churchills time had come.

Not only did Churchill enter Downing Street during the war, he left with potentially months of bloody fighting still ahead in the Far East. When the public elected Clement Attlees Labour government by a landslide in July 1945, people had no idea that two atomic bombs still secret at the time would end the war within weeks.

That was a great argument that went on within the coalition: is this the time to hold an election with a potential change in government? People argued: surely we should wait until Japan is beaten? says McKinstry.

But one of the great strengths of democracy is that it carries on even in wartime. Think of Franklin Roosevelt having a US presidential election in 1944. And in a way, thats what Ukraine is fighting for against Russia. If that seems an odd argument that you have to suspend democracy because youre in the middle of a conflict.

Indeed, many have pointed out that France is going through a presidential election now, with Emmanuel Macron facing off against Marine Le Pen for a run-off vote on 24 April.

Peter Ricketts, a crossbench peer who served as National Security Adviser to David Cameron and in high-ranking diplomatic roles for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, tells i that the normal rules of politics should continue to apply, and theres no reason for suspending them because of Ukraine.

Lord Ricketts, the author of Hard Choices, explains: John Major replaced Margaret Thatcher in November 1990, when the Conservative Party had no scruples about making a change right in the middle of the final build-up for the Gulf War, where very large numbers of British forces were preparing for combat. They didnt have a problem then.

He adds: David Cameron won the 2010 election when the armed forces were heavily committed in Afghanistan. I dont think anybody said you couldnt change the government in the middle of a serious military operation. And while Johnson has been effective on Ukraine, he is not irreplaceable.

Both McKinstry and Ricketts underline that they do not necessarily think Johnson who maintains that he did not knowingly mislead Parliament over Partygate should resign or be ousted. Nor do they predict that he will.

I dont think this fine in itself disqualifies him from being Prime Minister but it poses a question to the Conservative Party: do they still think hes a fit person? says Ricketts.

Do they think this is enough to cause them to set in motion a Major-for-Thatcher kind of change? If they dont, in the end the electorate will decide in 2024.

McKinstry says: Johnson is the first prime minister to be convicted of breaking the law, but some might say that other prime ministers have committed far greater offences like Tony Blairs war in Iraq which many would say was illegal, Thatchers leaking of documents in the Westland crisis, Antony Edens invasion of Suez, Churchill and Attlee for the strategic bombing of Germany. You might say that those are greater moral offences than attending a birthday party during lockdown.

Perhaps the most outrageous example of a leading politician remaining in office despite a very dodgy record is David Lloyd-George.

When he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, he offloaded lots of Marconi shares when he had inside information, explains McKinstry.

That was a great stain on Lloyd George. Looking back, it seems inexplicable that he didnt end up in court on charges of insider dealing. How did he survive? That was in 1913. Three years later, Lloyd-George succeeded Asquith in running the Liberal-led wartime coalition. Will Johnson take inspiration from Lloyd-Georges brazen behaviour?

For those who think that drinks gatherings in No 10, even if they were illegal, should not be resigning matters, history also bodes well.

McKinstry names Archibald Primrose, the 5th Earl of Rosebery, as the only modern Prime Minister since the mid 19th century I can think of who resigned over not a major issue. He stepped down in 1895 after his Liberal government lost a vote on the supply of ammunition to the British Army. He wanted to get out anyway, so he just took it as an excuse to say: Theyve lost confidence in me, says the historian.

Every prime minister since then has either resigned because they lost an election, they lost the confidence of their party, they had ill health as in the case of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and Andrew Bonar Law or the major central plank of their policy was last, like Theresa May over Brexit.

Following visits to Kyiv by the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia last month, Johnson was widely applauded for travelling to the Ukrainian capital at the weekend to meet President Zelensky, who urged the world: Be brave like Boris.

Commentators such as is Ian Birrell have little doubt that, while this was an important and admirable show of support for Ukraine by Johnson, he has also used Russias invasion opportunistically for his own political ends, portraying himself as a Churchillian wartime leader. Bloomberg declared that Boris Johnson Is Having His Winston Churchill Moment because in standing next to Zelensky, the Prime Minister knows that reflected glory is often the best way to come by extra kudos.

If these fines have been imposed to two or three months ago, his position would be far more precarious but he shored up his authority a bit with his statesmanlike leadership in the crisis, and that footage of him walking through Kyiv with Zelensky certainly did him no harm, says McKinstry.

He thinks criticism of Johnsons behaviour on Ukraine is harsh.

Hes surprised even his critics by his stature and the strength of his leadership. The Ukrainian government openly says that Britain has been their staunchest ally. There are all these problems at home, with transport chaos and inflation, but the actual organisation logistically of Britains military support for Ukraine has been very effective, from the anti-tank equipment to the Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles. Zalensky has been full of praise for him. Its not just an invention that he has proved himself an effective leader in a crisis overseas.

Nevertheless, he feels there are few genuine parallels to be made between Johnson and Churchill, beyond the fact they are both maverick, colourful characters whose careers recovered after wilderness years, and their oratory skills when able to write their scripts in advance.

Ricketts is also frustrated by misleading comparison between Johnson and Churchill. Churchill was leading the UK in an existential war for survival. Boris Johnson has not committed British Armed Forces to conflict, he says.

Johnson has long encouraged the public to think of him as a Churchillian figure. In 2016, he even wrote a biography of the man The Churchill Factor in which he referred to himself 30 times in the introduction alone.

The book says perhaps less about Churchill than it does about the ambition and self-image of Boris, concluded Sonia Purnell in her review.

Some will point out that many aspects of Churchills life mean he is not necessarily a good person to be likened to. Reviewing the book Churchills Shadow, in which Geoffrey Wheatcroft sought to cut through what he sees as blinkered idolisation of the man, a New York Times review summed up its argument that Churchill was not just a racist but a hypocrite, a dissembler, a narcissist, an opportunist, an imperialist, a drunk, a strategic bungler, a tax dodger, a neglectful father, a credit-hogging author, a terrible judge of character and, most of all, a masterful mythmaker.

But McKinstry says that as an overall characterisation of Churchill, this would unfair with no doubt that he was a truly great leader with tremendous judgment of military strategy and prescience.

The idea that he was just this drunken bore who invented stuff about himself is so absurd.

Ultimately, can analysis of the past offer us any guidance on what will happen next for Johnson? The author Sir Simon Jenkins thinks not. Boris Johnson is not Churchill or Pericles, he wrote in The Guardian this week, adding: As a guide to the present, let alone the future, history is for smart alecks and podcasts. It is bunk.

McKinstry agrees. History never repeats itself, and one of the great failings is always looking for parallels with the past. You get unstuck because theyre not exactly the same This is going to be decided by the Tory MPs.

Whats going to be a huge influence on their judgement is the outcome of the local elections. So in a perverse way, democracy is going to have the final say. If the Tories do really badly in the local elections, what seems possible, that would probably sound the death knell for Boris. In a way, it is quite democratic that its going to be the court of public opinion that will probably decide this.

Attlee and Churchill: Allies in War, Adversaries in Peaceby Leo McKinstry (10.99, Atlantic Books) and Hard Choices: The Making and Unmaking of Global Britain by Peter Ricketts (9.99, Atlantic Books) are both on sale now

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Boris Johnson is no Churchill and can resign during a war, say baffled historians and diplomats - iNews

RIYADH: The Saudi-based Red Sea Development Company said on Monday that it had implemented the first wave of Enablon modules an integrated data enterprise software system to automate manual tools and processes as part of its ambitions as a global leader in responsible development.

The move aims to integrate, automate and streamline governance, risk compliance, health and safety, environment and sustainability, business continuity and internal audit practices across the organization.

The project was launched in January last year and the design and consultation process lasted 15 months, the company said. Wolters Kluwers Enablon was selected based on its industry-leading position as a provider of integrated software solutions, it said.

We began this journey at the height of the global pandemic, with the aim of integrating several of our risk and control functions. The main objective was to enhance monitoring, reporting and alignment across the multiple functions involved in the delivery of standard setting health and safety practices, said John Pagano, CEO of TRSDC.

The rollout has arrived at an opportune time, with manpower at site exceeding 16,000 TRSDC employees and contractors, he said. This was a large-scale implementation project which engaged multiple internal and external stakeholders.

TRSDC established a committee, with management consultants Ernst & Young, Wolters Kluwer as the software provider and Wipro as the implementation consultant, which oversaw the progress and implementation of the solution.

Laurent Dechaux, vice president and managing director, Wolters Kluwer Enablon, said: Our Enablon Vision Platform offers TRSDC a full 360-degree view of risk, addressing the environmental, health and safety challenges of the project.

Ernst & Young said that during the 15-month implementation, their priority was to ensure TRSDC requirements were met with a focus on future adoption and value: TRSDC was indeed a pioneer in conceptualizing the alignment between its risk and controls functions, (and) utilizing the strength of Enablon.

Given the remote location of many of the sites under development at The Red Sea Project, Enablons solution can also be used in an offline mode, allowing incident data or inspection and audit reports to be prepared and then uploaded once a device is connected to the network.

Additional features are being assessed in efforts to continue to automate and enhance operations through the Enablon integrated platform. The system will also be rolled out for AMAALA and the growing number of projects in the TRSDC portfolio, the Public Investment Fund-owned company said.

Work is on track to welcome the first guests to The Red Sea Project by the beginning of next year, when the first hotels will open. Phase one, which includes 16 hotels in total, will be completed by the end of 2023.

On completion in 2030, The Red Sea Project will comprise 50 resorts, with up to 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites. The destination will also include an international airport, luxury marinas, golf courses, entertainment and leisure facilities.

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Lebanon risks missing IMF preconditions for EFF owing to weak governance: S&P - Arab News

From crippling power cuts and a scarcity of essential commodities, to long queues at fuel pumps and a complete disruption of day to day life, Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented economic crisis. Last week, Indian Express National Editor of Strategic Affairs Nirupama Subramanian, who has been covering the country since the 90s, was in Colombo to see how the crisis was folding.

In this episode, she joins host Shashank Bhargava to talk about what she saw, what has led to this crisis, and the challenge that the present government faces.

TRANSCRIPT

Shashank Bhargava: Hi, Im Shashank Bharagava,, and youre listening to three things The Indian Express new show. If you have been following the news, then you know that Sri Lanka right now is facing an unprecedented economic crisis, except for Afghanistan. No other country in South Asia has ever experienced such a crisis in the past 75 years. Sri Lankans currently are facing crippling power cuts scarcity of essential commodities, including medicines, and are having to stand in long queues at fuel pumps, because diesel is an extremely short supply. Now this economic crisis has also led to a major political crisis with massive protests taking place in Sri Lankas capital. Students, teachers, lawyers, doctors and those from a whole range of other professions are all demanding that the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should resign. One slogan that has become really popular among people is Gota go home.

Last week, Indian Expresss national editor of strategic affairs Nirupama Subramanian was in Sri Lanka to see how the crisis was unfolding. Nirupama has been reporting on the country since the 90s, and was based out of Sri Lanka from 1996 to 2002. In this episode, she joins us to talk about what has led to this crisis, what she saw on the ground and the challenges that the present government faces. So Nirupama Why dont you begin by telling us just the kind of shortages and problems people in Sri Lanka are facing right now, because of this unprecedented economic crisis.

Nirupama Subramanian:: So the main thing here to remember is that Sri Lanka is a very important based economy, most of its essential items are imported. So this includes fuel oil, well, most of the world imports that, but in Sri Lankas case, its also milk, pulses, lentils, some kind of fish that they dont have then many other things for daily use even detergents. So many of the things that they dont make, its not really a manufacturing economy, their economy is basically tourism and tea, they export tea. And of course, they want tourists to come all the time. So these are the two big things in their economy on which theyre dependent, and the rest is all imported, all the goods are imported. So what happened was that they ran out of dollars to pay for these inputs. That was sometime last year.

Shashank Bhargava: And I think because they ran out of dollars, they couldnt buy fuel. And because of that they have been experiencing crippling power shortages. Right? There have been a lot of power cuts in the country.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, exactly. So because many of the power plants are thermal fired plants, so they need the diesel to actually start them up. So that led to huge power cuts 13 hours at a time now at this point, of course, long queues at petrol pumps for petrol or diesel. And the other thing that happened was that because they had no foreign exchange, the President announced last year that they would stop importing chemical fertilizers and the whole agriculture in the country would switch to organic fertilizers.

Shashank Bhargava: And the way this decision was promoted was that they said that this was going to be some kind of a green revolution.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, he was saying that Sri Lanka will be the first country to go entirely organic. Now farmers started screaming because farmers know better than anyone else that you cant change from one thing to another just overnight. So it was a bit like our Demonetization that overnight this change happened the paddy crop now the yield is much lower than it has been at other times. And because for organic farming, you have to prepare the soil, the soil has to be cleansed over almost a year of the chemicals and only then the organic fertilizers work, all this has happened. So they now have a rice shortage also. So these are the things that are in short supply, there is also hyperinflation so people who have the money can buy some of these items that are available that limited imports that are coming in or earlier stocks they can buy with that money, but even they are feeling the pinch because its not unrestricted supply. You cant go and buy like five or 10 kilos of milk powder because the shopkeeper has to service other customers also so the restrict those supplies and people who cant afford it. Those are the cues you see outside groceries because these are government run grocery fair price shop a bit like our ration shops but its not rational you which is available at a particular time of the month, it is not like that. Its always open grocery. And there because the rice is still sold at the old prices, people queue up for that. So those are the queues outside groceries that you see.

Shashank Bhargava: So, even though things havent gotten to a point where it has led to starvation, we are still seeing long queues for essential items. And one thing we havent even talked about so far is medicines. Those are in pretty short supply as well. Right?

Nirupama Subramanian: Completely medicines are another big emergency actually. Because I can tell you that when I went from here, friends asked me to bring some medicines like paracetamol. The main paracetamol is a brand called Panadol. And that was simply not there in the market. So people asked me to get some kind of paracetamol for them, which I took from here. But other things, I mean, you can put a price, the hotels are open, the restaurants open, the bars are open, people are there in those places eating you can get a pizza with nice cheese and everything on it imported cheese, because they dont really make their own cheese. And then you can order noodles, you can order pasta. So thats a parallel thing. And that happens. I guess even when there is a short supply, there are people who have money, you can go to these places, these restaurants and they can order and they can eat and they can lead their lives as they would normally. But everybody knows that the economy is in freefall, as it were. And these are artificial. I mean, even if they are in a restaurant and eating, its an artificial bubble. I think people are very aware of that because for the first time, even in Colombo, people are feeling the power cuts, the fuel shortages, the diesel shortages. I mean, its not just that you dont have diesel and or you dont have petrol, it is disrupted livelihoods, it has led to an increase in the prices of goods that are available in Sri Lanka, like vegetables. So vegetables are available, but they cost the earth because they have to be transported from A to B, and that requires diesel cabs. Uber is there but cabs are scarce because theres no petrol, theres a huge petrol shortage. So these are the daily things. I mean, so many gigs are dependent upon vehicles now. And those are all out of service because theres restricted supply of these two things.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay. so, when did this economic crisis start? I mean, many believes that this is an old problem, and it has been going on for a number of years. But when did this situation take its current turn? Like one thing you mentioned was Sri Lankas Demonetization moment, the Gotabaya government suddenly deciding to switch to organic fertilizers? So that I imagine was one thing, what are the other reasons?

Nirupama Subramanian: So that was really a consequence of the crisis? What really perhaps triggered it? I mean, if there is one moment to say that if youre looking for that precise trigger, then it was probably immediately after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa election in 2019, during the election, he had promised that he will cut taxes, he will abolish certain other taxes, which he immediately did upon being elected. So that came down from 15% to 8%. He abolished capital gains tax, I think there are seven varieties of taxes that he either got rid of or reduced immediately what happened was that the governments revenues fell dramatically.

Shashank Bhargava: Right, because you do need taxes, the government runs on taxes.

Nirupama Subramanian: Correct. So the minute the revenues came down the international ratings agencies, they downgraded Sri Lanka and Sri Lankas ability to borrow then was affected because earlier it had been borrowing from the market from the international capital market. So its much of its external debt, contrary to widespread belief that it was I mean, the maximum debts are with China, thats not really the case. China is just 10% of its external debt it owes to China and Japan also it was 10% of its external debt is to Japan. But the maximum about 40% is to the international capital markets. So you know, when this revenue fell, and it became very clear to international agencies, whats going on, they downgraded and Sri Lankas ability to borrow from the international market also ended so it started digging into its own reserves. And now when youre clearly living beyond your means, and then the pandemic hit in March, and the tourists stopped coming, and when the tourists stopped coming, then of course, it was completely I became unsustainable,

Shashank Bhargava: Right, because you mentioned that the two big things that Sri Lanka earns money from is tourism and tea.

Nirupama Subramanian: Tourism, tea and remittances also of workers living abroad. I mean, if youre thinking in terms of foreign exchange, these are the three big foreign exchange earners and then during the COVID all those people also came back because jobs were cut and majority of them like in everywhere in South Asia are low income earners, they go to work in low end jobs. A house helps, carpenters, masons that kind of job. So those God cut and they all came back. So that remittance also dramatically reduced. So this was the origin of the crisis.

Shashank Bhargava: And when talking about tourism, how much did the Easter bombings, the series of bomb blasts that took place in Colombo in 2019? How much has that contributed to the current problem? Because we know that the bombings had affected tourism as well.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, actually, now that you say that we are talking exactly on the third anniversary of that Easter bombings. And in 2019 itself, as soon as the Easter bombings happened, the tourism business nosedived. And so it is already a struggling thing, right. And then in 20, the pandemic really finished whatever was left of it. So just before the second wave, they had a good season, I think. And then there was a second wave. And then after that, again, it picked up. So what Im hearing is that they are already on the path to recovery on the tourism sector. And when all this suddenly hit the roof, the shortages and everything.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so one thing is COVID, which every country in the world had to deal with. But a lot of the crisis that were seeing right now appears to be because of the mismanagement and the policies of the government. And this seems to be genuine anger in people against the Gotabaya Government. How do we see that anger manifested on the ground?

Nirupama Subramanian: So that anger is very clear on the streets, people have come out, Ive never seen something like this. In all the years that Ive been following Sri Lanka used to be based there during the years that the government was waging this. I mean, the government and the LTTwere locked in a huge war. Ive never seen this kind of protest, even then the economy used to struggle at times, but this kind of a shortage, they have probably the nearest they have come to experience. This was in the 70s. But those were the shortages. People remember the as being comparable, but even those were not as crippling as ones that theyre facing now. And therefore the anger or the anger started with the farmers saying our crops are going to be destroyed by this whole organic fertilizer experiment. But you know, farmers voices, as we know, unless they take to the streets as they did in India, they dont come out really but what has happened in the last three months is that the Colombo folk have started feeling the pinch badly.

Shashank Bhargava: From the rural areas. The anger has now spread to the urban parts.

Nirupama Subramanian: Actually, the main the biggest protest we are seeing right now is in Colombo, there are so many protests outside, theres great discontent. Theres much insecurity about the future across the country, but the protests are really in Colombo, and for the first time middle class Colombo, wealthy Colombo professionals in Colombo lawyers, teachers, doctors, these are people who would not normally see on the road protesting like this, but theyre all out there. And the target of the ire of naturally is the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and of course, theres a feeling that the entire family the Prime Minister is Gotabayas elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa who used to be president before. He was president for 10 years between 2005 and 2015. And now he is the prime minister. And then there are many other family members in the government. So theres a feeling that we are suffering and they are very clear in their minds that these people have made money out of mismanaging the economy. They are well off, they are wealthy, they have the flash lifestyle. In fact, Namal Rajapaksa, whos the Prime Ministers son went off in the middle of these protests to the Maldives and the hotel put it up to advertise their own property saying Namal Rajapaksa. You know, he was waterskiing and they had a photo and all that that really got people.

Shashank Bhargava: Wait, so while Sri Lanka is facing a crippling economic crisis, you have the Prime Ministers son who is waterskiing in Maldives?

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, exactly. So all this really boiled peoples blood over and theyre out on the street, and everybodys saying they have to go first, well be able to solve our problems. Only this family quits all its positions in government, all the positions that are with the family members in the government, they have to leave and only then we can start solving the other problem.

Shashank Bhargava: And I suppose this is a bit surprising, right? Because up until a few months ago, the Rajapaksa family was actually pretty popular with the people right like people were pretty happy with them.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, people are happy with them because people are especially happy with both minder Rajapaksa and his brother Gatabaya Rajapaksa because in 2009, when Mahinda was the president Gotabaya was a defense secretary, and he is widely credited as the architect of the defeat, or lets say, as the architect of the military campaign against the Tamil Tigers, which was successful and the entity was defeated. And both brothers took credit for having defeated terrorism and securing the country as it were from this terrorist group that was operating in the north and killing people in the south with it suicide bombers and all that this generation of protesters thats out there knows nothing. It has come of age at a time when Sri Lanka has known complete peace. There isnt that kind of fear that used to prevail at an earlier time.

Shashank Bhargava: So this idea that they got rid of terrorism from the country is what ran in their favor, basically.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, so they have actually dined out on this they have projected themselves as the saviors of the country and then very quickly, it turned into the saviors of the Sinhalese Buddhist majority. So immediately after the war, and which ended in 2009, you saw this resurgence of Sinhalese or this majoritarianism this triumphalism in the majority community, the saying that, you know, we have defeated not just the LTT but also the Tamil community, you know that now we have kind of shown them their place. So this was the widespread kind of feeling at that time, and they have made good of this to win elections and so on.

Shashank Bhargava: And now the Sinhalese Buddhists, the majority population in the country are now also part of the protests against this government. But with this kind of anger with people protesting what kind of challenge does the Gotabaya Rajapaksa government face politically?

Nirupama Subramanian: So politically, still, there is a degree of uncertainty immediately after the first big incidents of these protests were on March 31. Okay, that is when some people attacked, tried to break into go to bars, restaurants, private residence, not as official residence. Its in a suburb of Colombo. And he never felt unsafe or insecure there before because he was so well loved by the people. Also, he believed that youd never be harm like that. So he was to live there often. And I dont know whether he was there on that particular day or not. But on March 31, like about hundreds of people, maybe 1000 people or so were in that March. And then they tried to break through the barricades and police had to resort to tear gassing and water cannons and some buses and all other vehicles belonging to the police was set on fire. So this was a big reality check for the entire house of rajapaksas. Because it was scary, I guess. And then he, of course, immediately call an emergency and put a curfew and all that, but better sense prevailed. And he pulled back all that because people were defying, because in a previous time curfew meant a curfew, nobody would step out. Because I mean, you could be shot off the streets immediately. But this time, people said to have a curfew. And they took out marches during the curfew. And I wasnt there on that particular day. But somebody who witnessed itself it was for me unprecedented that somebody will break a curfew. Like hes an older person. He is I think in a 60s and he has seen the worst of times earlier as well. Listen, unbelievable that people are marching on the streets completely defying saying come and arrest me if you want but I am going to march on the streets.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so this is what has happened on the streets with people. What has happened in the parliament so far.

Nirupama Subramanian: So what happened was basically there was a moment when, of course, in parliament they enjoy or they had a two thirds majority, because mind that just swept the elections. But what happened after these protests was a group of Parliamentarians 42 of them, they withdrew from the coalition, and they said theyre going to sit separately in Parliament, then there are some others within that ruling Alliance who are also unhappy with the rajapaksas. And they also indicated that they may not be with it, but even the withdrawal of these 42 people rendered their majority in parliament a bit shaky. Now, the claims on either side that we still have the majority and opposition saying no, you dont have the majority. The fact is, what has happened is no one has gone out and tested this, the opposition has not yet challenged the government to a floor test, whether through a no confidence, motion, or whatever. Instead, what has happened is the government has seen that the diffidence in the opposition ranks because no one has actually emerged as a challenger to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament. So there is a feeling that we can still possibly manage the situation among the Rajapaksa as this is appealing.

Shashank Bhargava: Right and when Rajapaksa as majority became unsure, they even asked all ministers to hand in their resignations. And they said that they will appoint a new government, and they even invited the opposition to form a new government. But the opposition of course said that they dont want to be a part of this. In fact, you I had one of the main opposition leaders this man called Sajith Premadasa. He said that they should instead abolish the executive presidency. Sri Lanka of course has a kind of presidential system in which the Executive power is exercised by the President on the advice of the prime minister. And Premadasa says that they should get rid of that. Why does he want that?

Nirupama Subramanian: So the executive presidency in Sri Lanka is very, very strong. You know, the guy who the president who got it in who made this oversaw the transition from Prime Ministerial former government to the presidential former government was J.R Jayewardane, and he famously joked, I dont know it may be an apocryphal story, but it said that he used to boast that with this constitution, a president can do anything except change a man and to one and a woman into a man, everything else is possible for a president for this constitution. So now it gives so much powers. Thats also another reason why no one wants to form an interim government with Gotabaya still as executive president,

Shashank Bhargava: Right, because no matter what they do Gotabaya in his position as the president can just change that.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, he can still change that if Prime Ministers Mahinda Rajapaksa and the brother is the President, if the finance minister of say from the opposition takes a particular decision, Prime Minister and President can join hands and they can sack the finance minister also. So that is another reason why national government is not such a hot attraction for anybody but Sajith. Premadasa believes that if you abolish the executive presidency, half the problems in this country will resolve themselves on their own, and perhaps they will, and he has made a big pitch for it. But the problem is that its a very long game.

Shashank Bhargava: Yeah, it would require significant amendments in the Constitution, right?

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, there has to be amendments to the Constitution, it needs a two thirds in Parliament. Now, even for the no confidence motion, which they have been discussing, which is a simple majority. Theyre wondering if they have a simple majority or not. But two thirds in Parliament, even if its passed by Parliament, it has to be approved in a referendum. So those are very, very long process. And many people have tried it before. I mean, many people have at least promised it before but have never kept their promise. Because once they become president, then they see Oh, wow.

Shashank Bhargava: Yeah, because then they also enjoy the same powers and privilege.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, they dont want to change it. So there is an impasse, meaning the rajapaksas have not yet been able to appoint a full cabinet. Theyve been asking people to come up and take charge. But I think every minister, every person who was in the cabinet before, and everybody whos being approached by the rajapaksas are feeling the heat of the protests outside and they dont want to be compromised or tainted by accepting a position now so that everybody is waiting and watching.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so you have the Rajapaksa who have immense power because of the presidential system. And even though they have a wafer thin majority, they dont have a major challenger who can strongly oppose them. And then you have a large population of the country who want them to go, but obviously theyre not doing that. And you spoke to protesters, and Im sure because of all these factors, they must be so uncertain about the future, right?

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, So nobody knows what next and even in the opposition, no one knows what next. So even for the opposition, whatever glue it is, that can bring them together is if tomorrow we bring a no confidence motion against Prime Minister Rajapaksa. What is the next step? What after that, who will form the government? What kind of government will it be who will edit? Those are the questions that they have not been able to resolve? Monday, April 19, is when the parliament meets again, so maybe something will emerge from that session?

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so now lets come to the India part of the story. India has extended help Sri Lanka, it has given the country rice and fuel, both diesel and petrol. How much relief has that been to the country?

Nirupama Subramanian: So it has eased the shortages, but its limited quantities right? I mean, its 500 million credit line for fuel. So, you have seen diesel coming in from India and it has eased the shortages a bit and then there is another credit line of $1 billion for food and medicines. So Indian rice has been has started coming in. And April 14, it was a new year for Sinhalese and for Tamil so they were able to release some supplies of rice into the market. So the shortages were kind of mitigated a bit. So this is the extent and India is supposed to be considering another 2 billion in some form or the other it may not be a credit line. It may be something in some other form, but they are supposed to be considering this request from Sri Lanka for another 2 billion

Shashank Bhargava: and Nirupama. One of the things that you write is that Sri Lankans, they sort of have a mixed reaction to this assistance by India, right.

Nirupama Subramanian: Yeah, so one of the very first things that I heard when I left landed in Sri Lanka and went to a protest site was somebody just asked me Are you Indian? So I said yes. He said, I have a message for India tell your government not to help the Rajapaksa they must stand with the people. They must not stand with Rajapaksa. So I asked him, Why do you say that he was not able to explain it to me immediately. But I spoke to some other people later on. And they said, there is a sentiment, theres an undercurrent in which this food help and the diesel help that and the fuel help that weve been extending people think, okay, the shortages will be mitigated by that and then peoples anger will come down, the temperature on the streets will come down, and the rajapaksas will use it to their advantage, they will take the credit of that. So this I heard even as late as two days ago, when somebody said, your government is giving 2 billion more to the rajapaksas. So I said, its not for the Rajapaksa, its for the people of the country. They said yeah yeah. I mean, thanks a lot, but what is going to happen is that they are going to take the credit of that, you know, so there is a very strong undercurrent in this whole thing that India is probably trying to save the situation for the rajapaksas. So the Indian High Commission, whenever it speaks on these issues, they emphasize very strongly that it is a humanitarian assistance that they are extending ages for the people of the country, it is to mitigate the suffering of the people. The other rumor that came up and that also was denied very emphatically. I mean, they had to actually deny more than once the Indian High Commission is that the Indian Army had landed in Sri Lanka. And they were going to help secure the Rajapaksa family. And again, this had to be refuted very strongly by the Indian High Commission, because I dont think theres any such thing and India would not be so adventurous as to send some soldiers to another country. Theyve done this in the past, and they did this in the Maldives wants to secure your home against a coup attempt. But that was different. I mean, those are different circumstances.

Shashank Bhargava: Okay, so finally, is there any next big thing or an event that will decide how this crisis will unfold?

Nirupama Subramanian: So now theres fear that they might actually crack down on the protesters, maybe try to drive them away, maybe call them for talks, I think Mahinda Rajapaksa said, come and talk to me. And they said, No, first you go, and then we will talk to you. So theres been theres all that also, I think things are a bit up in the air right now. Well have to see. I think the next big thing really, in this week will be what happens at the IMF. And of course, Sri Lanka is reaching out to various countries for bridge financing the reckon for the next six to nine months, theyll need about three to $4 billion to meet the import bills. So they will be looking for that the government is hoping to tire out the protesters that they will go home, how long can they stand here and shout, maybe the energy will dissipate and they will go home. So that is one line of thinking that do not think let them all just let it fizzle out. And they also declared all of last week a holiday. They said its New Year. And so between two weekends, all days were declared official holidays by the government thinking that people will stay at home. But actually it worked in the opposite way. A lot of people just congregated at golf ease, which is the site of the protests. And I mean, the numbers are now huge. So its growing in many ways. And we just have to see how this is resolved. But a lot of people thought regime change is imminent. That has not happened yet. And for the protesters, that is a big disappointment that you know, they didnt run away.

Shashank Bhargava: Youre listening to three things by the Indian Express. Todays show was written and produced by me, Shashank Bhargava and was edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar. If you like the show, then do subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast. You can also recommend the show to someone you think would like it, share it with a friend or someone in your family. Its the best way for people to get to know about us. You can tweet us at @Expresspodcasts and write to us at podcasts@ Indianexpress.com

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How Sri Lanka's unprecedented crisis is unfolding on the ground - The Indian Express

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Ontarios attorney general is establishing a working group to study a controversial liability issue which municipal leaders say is both unfair and costly.

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The government has heard from municipalities that they are facing significant insurance costs, coverage and liability issues, and about the impact this can have on property taxes and public services, Natasha Krstajic, press secretary and parliamentary advisor for Attorney General Doug Downey, told The Intelligencer via e-mail.

Municipal and provincial politicians took part on Monday in a series of meetings as part of the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference, which was held online.

Building on one of the recommendations by the Association of Municipalities Ontario (AMO), the government has established a technical working group of provincial and municipal officials to examine municipal proposals for addressing this important issue, Krstajic wrote.

Deputy Warden Bonnie Adams led Mondays county delegation to meet with Downey to ask for changes to legislation governing joint and several liability.

Both the Eastern and Western Wardens Caucuses have also taken up the cause in an attempt to guard against what municipalities say are unfair judgements against them in civil lawsuits, such as those following traffic accidents.

It is common for a municipality to be named in an action even though there is no apparent liability on the part of the municipality, Adams, the reeve of Carlow/Mayo Township, told The Intelligencer via e-mail.

Even if lawsuits are ultimately dismissed, the cost of defending against them puts an enormous burden on our budgets and ultimately the taxpayers.

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She said such liability is a key driver of unsustainable increases of 20 to 30 per cent in municipal insurance costs and at a time when pandemic financial relief programs are being scaled back by the government.

Adams said Downey recognized such payouts divert municipal funding from capital projects and services.

I believe the meeting was productive and look forward to seeing the technical table report on this issue, Adams wrote.

The ministrys Krstajic added the working group will be coordinated by Downeys ministry and involve staff of other ministries including finance and municipal affairs and housing as needed.

We have also invited a representative of the insurance industry to participate.

The first working group meeting is expected to occur in March, Krstajic wrote.

The government is keen to get this important work underway and is pleased to be working with AMO.

Regional advocacy

County Warden Rick Philips was part of a separate delegation from the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus which met with Deputy Premier and Health Minister Christine Elliott, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, Long-term Care Minister Paul Calandra, and Children, Community and Social Services Minister Merrilee Fullerton, plus parliamentary assistants.

The caucus delegation was focused on housing, long-term care and Ontario Health Teams.

Were facing mounting pressure on affordable housing, Phillips said, calling it a major concern.

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Thousands of households spend more than 30 per cent of their after-tax income on housing.

We need rental housing; we need affordable housing; we need all types.

He said the average wait for community housing is 10 years.

The pandemic has cast a harsh spotlight upon long-term care issues, and Phillips spoke of both capacity and funding concerns. He said eastern Ontario municipalities spent $194 million in the sector in 2019, operating 15 municipal homes with 2,386 beds and 2,000 workers.

The wait times are 45 per cent higher in eastern Ontario than the provincial average, Phillips said after he and Northumberland County Warden Bob Crate addressed the ministers.

According to our research, residents spend 231 days on the wait list versus 166 days province-wide.

Caucus chair and Renfrew County Warden Debbie Robinson told the ministers of Ontario Health Teams uneven approach to municipal membership. The new teams are intended to help make local decisions about care.

The chief administrative officers of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, Jim Pine and Marcia Wallace respectively, are members of the Hastings-Prince Edward team.

Sheila Braidek, a co-leader of that team, said the group has not invited Belleville or Quinte West to join because neither delivers health services. The counties, however, have long-term care homes and other housing.

But not all teams allow municipal involvement because of the political aspect, which is ludicrous, Phillips said.

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He said one health team it was not clear which one had asked a municipality to pay a membership fee.

Were all key partners in health care, he said, adding eastern municipalities invest $120 million annually in health and related services.

Minister Elliott indicated that she would be looking into that and it would be rectified, said Phillips.

The warden said the meeting was more positive than usual.

Ive got a better feeling with this government than with any Ive dealt with before, he said. The delegation made similar presentations to opposition parties that afternoon.

He said municipalities still have many concerns but know they must work with our provincial government in order to advance things and appreciate the support through the pandemic.

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Liability, long-term care, housing discussed at ROMA conference - County Weekly News