Good morning.
Nigel Tuffletorn of the Guardian here, guest writing this edition of Wide World of News so Mark can have a much deserved day off.
Let’s get directly to the news.
You will have a good old chinwag reading the Washington Post’s story about Mr. Biden, which starts out like this:
President Biden and members of his inner circle have reassured allies in recent days that he plans to run for reelection in 2024, as they take steps to deflect concern about the 79-year-old president’s commitment to another campaign and growing Democratic fears of a coming Republican return to power.
But then the article’s to-be-sure paragraph renders it all a damp squib:
Some Democrats take a skeptical view of any public and private signals Biden and his team send about reelection, reasoning that there is an incentive for them to project interest in a second term, regardless of his true intent, to avoid weakening his standing. Another presidential bid, others worry, would involve a much more rigorous schedule than the relatively calm 2020 campaign, which was largely conducted remotely because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Even among those in close touch with Biden’s innermost circle, interpretations about his intentions vary. One Democrat involved in campaigns said they couldn’t think of a single person they had spoken to in the last month who considers the possibility of Biden running again to be a real one.
So that’s that. Or is it?
The New York Times joins the parade of profiles of Mrs. Pelosi (which frankly have me a bit knackered), crediting her with the passage of Mr. Biden’s agenda, including some verbatim dialogue that surely left the reporters feeling proper chuffed:
During that particular call, according to people with direct knowledge of it, Mr. Biden told the two congressional leaders that he had been encouraged by his discussions with Ms. Sinema and Mr. Manchin, though they agreed it might be to their benefit to have Ms. Pelosi talk to Mr. Manchin as well.
“I’m with ya,” Mr. Biden told Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Schumer of their plans.
“Put an F-word in front of that,” Mr. Schumer said enthusiastically.
“Now that you’ve resorted to that language, I’m going to thank you, Mr. President,” retorted the speaker, who frowns on profanity.
“Nancy does not allow me to curse,” Mr. Schumer responded. “I try to curb my foul mouth in front of her, with some degree of success.”
“Every time I look at Nancy, I think of myself as some altar boy,” said the president.
And more!
Ms. Pelosi credits Mr. Biden with the vision and persistence to pursue the social safety net and climate legislation, and he gave her and her colleagues credit of their own when he called on Friday to congratulate her after the vote.
He ended the conversation with what has become a routine expression of his regard for Ms. Pelosi, according to people with knowledge of the exchange.
“All right, love you,” Mr. Biden told her.
“Love you, too,” Ms. Pelosi responded.
Clearly, the folks at 1600 are worried about having cocked up the economy. The Washington Post says the Biden lads are thinking of taking on the private sector:
Several outside advisers have pitched senior White House officials — including White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain and White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese — on an offensive in which the administration would amplify criticisms of large firms in heavily concentrated industries for passing higher prices on to consumers as they benefit from high profits, the people familiar with the matter said. The effort would be aimed at both directing voters’ attention to companies over inflation as well as giving companies a reason to think twice before raising prices. But the push could backfire, should it antagonize many of the firms it is highly dependent on to resolve supply chain pressures ahead of the holiday season.
Finally, have a gander at this brilliant Wall Street Journal story on how businesses are “covertly” raising prices:
When a company raises prices directly, some vigilant customer is bound to notice and complain on social media, no matter how small the increase or valid the reason. A few complaints could then spiral into a firestorm of outrage, upturning even the most carefully orchestrated price increase.
The solution for many companies is to raise prices, but covertly. Companies hope that by making price increases hard to evaluate, they can then escape notice and avoid a customer backlash.
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One list bit from me.
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I’m off to eat a tiny Cadbury for brekkie.
Cheers.
PS: Yes, quite obviously, Mark Halperin wrote this whole bloody thing.
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