deven j.parack of new york to be a member of the board of directors international development finance corporation. mr. moran: mr. president, i ask consent the senate vote on the nominations en bloc with no intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc, the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. the question is on the nominations en bloc. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nominations are confirmed en bloc. mr. moran: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. moran: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to tussments each. the presiding officer: -- up to tussments each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. moran: mr. president, i have five requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval o

we have an assistant professor of economics and an associate professor of international development. correspondent is an agriculture policy specialist and the former director of the institute of social and economic change. he joins us from bangor. welcome to you all. -- bangalore. welcome to ur. -- two you will. -- welcome to you all. what are the main changes the new laws will bring about? >> one goes with commerce, it's called the farmers, produce, trade and commerce act. there are six or seven points covered in this law. intrastate and interstate trading of produce is free and allowed without any kinds of duties. traders must trade with a personal accounting number. electronic registration is essential. no market fees. dispute resolution is in place. this is the first act. the second act is the farmers protection act. this is price assurance and farm service. this is a contract farming act. farmers can enter the agreement with a fixed price, with quality grade standards, and pay two thirds of the amount immediately. this is what is most important. acquiring ownership of the land o

the biggest stories of the week from mounting international developers of russia sputnik the vaccine son an official memorandum of cooperation with astra zeneca they hope by combining the 2 vaccines it will improve advocacy. and you will contagious strain of covert has been detected in england causing panic worldwide with more than 40 countries banning arrivals from the u.k. . this clemency for killers but known for whistleblowers dozens of pardons from donald trump exclude those who spilled the beans on u.s. war crimes but include mercenaries found guilty of the mass murder of civilians in iraq. so that there is no justification iraqi blood has recalled per miscible.

from oxford is nikita sued associate professor of development studies at oxford department international development and pandey is an agriculture policy specialist and the former director of the institute for social and economic change and he joins us from bangalore and welcome to you all our us are i'll start with you if i may just give a quick brief rundown of what the main the most significant reforms the new laws will bring about. i would the new laws there are 3 laws yes one goes with the our commerce and the. it's called farmers' produce trade and commerce act now this comes under the constitution's concordant list part occurred and there are 6 or 7 points which are covered in this law interstate and interstate trading are produced is free is allowed part of me did without any kind of cess duties etc yes electronic trading is permitted trade also must trade a bit up bankcard bankcard is a. personal accounting number electronic registration are traders is essential if we're told are terrified of getting into a meant not to be libyan creates no market fees price information system should be in p

of worker's rights, environmental adulation, food standards, health, public services and international developments a variety of stakeholders deserve the right to assess the consequences, as does your lordships. where the answer as to where that consensus a yes or no, the answer should be the same for complex trade agreements —— the answer should be different for complex trade agreements which affect day—to—day life in the uk. not playing a role until after an agreement has been signed it is problematic, since it means it has no ability to press its priorities to the uk with a negotiated matter. ijust don't understand why the government is choosing to fight this. i accept that having a huge majority in the commons means you can pretty much do what you like, but why would you? actually give power back to the people. if westminster is opposed to devolved governments having their say in these matters, that most certainly will only hasten the day when these parliaments seek the powers making international treaties for themselves to protect the interest of their people. is that what noble lords really w

to take the risk emitted time the project was funded by the british government department international development and they put the initial funding into. how the projects the part of projects in shanghai and you know we talked to a lot of people but it was richard branson that literally flew out to shanghai came and had a look at the project and decided he would support it of course later i find out that you know he wins you know how sneakily present this to the british airline and windsor route to shanghai which given the fact that we had 911 and most of his routes with america shanghai might have been one of the saving grace so everyone. in a way just finally how many countries is it now that that then geo is working in and you talk about actually going to a north korea and helping children that arrive or even to north korea. the north korean government asked the chinese government to go are prepared to go i've been twice china's a big influence in asia and often ending a work in china for example is other nations and governments so initially in thailand for instance interesting late the governm

to take the risk emitted time the project was funded by the british government department international development and they put the initial funding into. how the projects the part of project in shanghai and you know we talked to a lot of people but it was richard branson that literally flew out to shanghai came and had a look at the project and decided he would support it of course later i find out that you know he wins you know how sneakily present this to the british airline and windsor route to shanghai which given the fact that we had 911 and most of his routes with america shanghai might have been one of the saving grace so everyone. in a way just finally how many countries is it now that that then geo is working in and you talk about actually going to a north korea and helping children that arrive or even to north korea. the north korean government asked the chinese government to go are prepared to go i've been twice china's a big influence in asia and often ending a work in china picks up the ears of other nations and governments so initially in thailand french interestingly the government

participation in all international processes to develop regulations on plastic production and impose limits on plastic waste export, have been counr to the efforts of the oader international community. in may of last year on hundred 87 countri took a major step limit the flow of plastic waste to poor countries unr the basal convention. more tn 80 countries have expressed support for a new global agreement to address the full lifetime cycle of plastics. in both cases, the u.s. has not only failed to be a leader, but instead is actually working against progress. the administration's efforts have tilted more towards development and trade agreements supporting investmes in the petrochemical production and various countrie this is totally at odds with a global poly solution to prevent plastic pollution, not to mention the climate change part of this. the u.s. solution to the crisis cannot be, let's just create mo plastic. that is what we are doing. with nearly 400 million tons of plastic produced globally each year and failed policies to reclaim and recycle that plastic, we are creating su

it the united states aid for -- the agency for international development requires foreign elections toe transparent, inclusive, and accountable. we don't do that in her own elections anymore. people were shut out of the counting room, a billionaire paid the people who worked within the counting room. we have ballots that -- there's no love regarding these absentee ballots in the drop boxes -- who pick them up, how they got there. we have midnight drop-offs, we have work stoppages -- that happens in third world countries where suddenly votes for one person come in the door, and now we have hundreds of thousands of ballots from new york across stateline, ready to be counted into pennsylvania. nobody is trying to change things or investigate? >> laura: imagine if this it happened to the democrats. it would be wall-to-wall on every network. wall-to-wall. >> if the koch brothers put $400 million into an election, or the nra, or anything like that laura, you're absolutely correct. i'll tell you what, it indicates people more concerned about power than the democratic process. i actually had a

that's why we cannot afford to have our international development programs look at malnutrition as an isolated problem. to tack this crisis particularly as we continue to grapple a good coronavirus pandemic, we also have to address related economic, educational, health, and social issues. this good resolution authored by representative marshall, outlines the importance of continued american leadership in the fight against global malnutrition and underscoring the significance of usaid's work on this issue. i'm pleased to support it. i urge my colleagues to do the same. i reserve the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas, mr. mccaul, is recognized. mr. mccaul: thank you, mr. speaker. all of us in this chamber probably grew up with a mother telling us to eat our vegetables. as a father myself, i have very strong memories chasing several of my children around the house trying to get healthy food into their mouths. that's because as we know, child's growth and development is severely impacted when they don't

a push back over one contender for the agency for international development, samantha power, former unmbassador who is referred to as the unmasked are in chief after it was revealed her authority was used to unmask hundreds of american names in a secret nsa and escaped in the 2016 election. and over government emails according to a 2019 lawsuit, her appointment may rankle republicans. similarly former epa chief jenna mccarthy being considered for domestic climate czar positions are members by some as richard windsor, an alias she used for environmental activist. mccarthy previously in the interest of joining the biden administration and there are several other contenders for job including washington governor jay inslee, biden has 37 days until he is inaugurated and has positions left to fill. shannon: a tight time line. thank you so much. joe biden is reportedly considering former un ambassador samantha power to run usaid and that is sparking criticism from conservatives. power called the quote unmask are in chief in a report in the left documents show the unmasking of hundreds of amer

agency for international development. carley: okay. a jolly night in one california town.iding along with san jose police, filling the air with christmas music instead of sirens. he waved to crowds while riding around. officials say old saint nick plans to visit other neighborhoods ahead of christmas. usually when you're in the back of a police jeep you're not so happy. todd: have you had something like that in your neighborhood? carley: we did not. todd: we did it in my uncle's neighborhood. it was awesome. carley: to confirm, santa has never been arrested, as far as we know. todd: important clarification. joe biden admitting democrats' anti-police rhetoric is hurting the party. >> that's how they beat the living hell out of us across the country, saying we're talking about defunding the police. todd: the niece of martin luther king, junior and georgia native alveda king on how the push to defund the police could cause the left the senate runoffs. carley: it took 190 voices to create an incredible performance, the virtual choir project you do not want to miss. i have goos

in the stories that shaped of the week here at archie international the developers of russia's sputnik it will be a vaccine sign an official memorandum of cooperation with astra zeneca they hope that by combining their 2 vaccines the efficacy rate will further rocks. a new more contagious strain of kobita has been detected in england causing panic worldwide with more than 40 countries banning arrivals from the u.k. . and victory or a defeat while the u.k. prime minister celebrates and the stuart deal across the english channel the european union's chief negotiator describes it as a lose lose result.

s department for international development which he eventually led as permanent secretary. he had led their responses to such contacts as iraq, syria, nepal, several locations in africa and haiti. he was also their director general for policy and corporate performance and finance, an extraordinary wealth of experience both in the contexts when wartime operations occur and the structure. we're glad to have mark wugs today. mark, there are innumerable crises underway right now, and that large scale, i know you just launched the u.n.'s appeal for funding support to that, but today we want to focus in on covid and what the pandemic has meant for the crises that you helped to manage and for the system as a whole. so with that, mark, welcome to brookings. >> thank you very much, indeed. thank you particularly to you and your colleagues for giving us the chance to have this conversation. let me thank my team as well for helping me prepare for it. i'm not going to speak to the full text. i will talk around the issues. again, the questions you'd like me to address. >> that's terrifi

humanitarian and development contextmo and mt of it has been with the uk's department for international development which he eventually led his permanent secretary. he has led theirhe with responss to iraq, syria, nepal and several s cases in africa and in haiti. he was also their director general for policy and corporate performance and finance so he has an extraordinary wealth of experience, both in the context working on operations and in the infrastructure that helps to manage them. we are delighted to have mark with us today. mark, there are innumerable crises underway right now and on large scale. i know you just launched the un consolidated humanitarian funding the support for that but today we want to focus in on covid and what the pandemic has meant for the crises that you helped to manage and for the system as a whole. mark, without welcome to brookings. >> thank you very much indeed. thank you particularly to you and your colleagues for giving us a chance to have this conversation but let me think my team as well.s they helped me prepare for it. my office was relieved i will not speak to

agency for international development usaid samantha power who spent a lot of time with obama abbasidr to the human unmasking americans whose names appear in classified intel. more than once a date in 2016 according to fox news report of the time. power testified in 2017 "i don't know what number of requests are made to u.s. persons or entities but i can tell you the number is nowhere near the number that i'm reading in the press." and biden needs attorney general, he is considering a leader impressed biden with covid response andrew cuomo. >> your governor in new york has done one of a job. a gold standard. now cuomo a former sexual harassment seeking office in manhattan, lindsay boylan says i can never anticipate what to expect. would i be drilled on my work which was very good or harassed about my looks? cuomo denied the accusations today. >> a woman has the right to come forward and express her opinion, but it is just not true. >> incoming white house staffers are not sounding public alarm about the hunter biden investigation yet arguing hunter biden did not cost them the election

in the stories that shaped the week yards the international the developers of russia sputnik the vaccine signed an official memorandum of cooperation with astra zeneca they hope that by combining their 2 bags of meanings the efficacy of rape will further rise. a new more contagious a strain of covert has been detected in england causing panic worldwide with more than 40 countries banning arrivals from the u.k. . victory or defeat while the british prime minister celebrates and historic deal across the english channel the european union's chief negotiator describes it as a lose lose result.

in the story of the week here on our international the developers of. the vaccine signed an official memorandum to. the efficacy rate for the rise of. a new more contagious. been detected in england causing panic worldwide with more than 40 countries banning arrivals from the u.k. . and a victory or a defeat. for celebrates a historic deal across the english channel the european union's chief negotiator describes it as a result.

international development finance investigation found no wrongdoing regarding the stalled u.s.ment loan to the company. telling lawmakers it found no evidence that kodak executives had any conflicts of interest in the plans. look at that gain, up 53% for kodk. >>> check out bitcoin. bitcoin is still holding above $19,000 after hitting a new record high just one week ago. we are at $19,150 per coin with a gain of 50 bucks today. the cryptocurrency's 170% surge this year may not be over, as analysts expect institutional investor fomo, fear of missing out, during this latest rally to be the fuel that could continue to push bitcoin higher in 2021. >>> oh, tannenbaum, oh, tannenbaum, how much green will your evergreen branches cost this year? we have seen a lot of behavioral trends during the pandemic and here is one emerging, demand for real christmas trees. people want to be able to smell, it's reminiscent of their childhood, blah blah blah. this demand is leading to very short supply but it also coincides with what tree farmers are pointing to as part of the shortage. climate cha

the stories that shaped the week here on our chief international the developers of russia's sputnik vivax signed an official memorandum of cool water ration with astra zeneca they hope that by combining their 2 vaccines the efficacy rate will further rise. a new more contagious strain of kobe that has been detected in england causing panic worldwide with more than 40 countries banning arrivals from the u.k. . and victory or a defeat while the u.k. prime minister celebrates his story breaks the deal across the english channel the european union's chief negotiator describes it as a lose lose result. broadcasting live from our studios in moscow recapping week's top stories with our weekly program this is our international. pharma giant astra zeneca and russia's institute have started clinical trials of a joint coronavirus vaccine it combines elements of the jobs developed individually by the 2 sides astra zeneca c.e.o. explained why they decided to join forces with the russian team. we have 2 main goals the 1st one is to allow headscarf official notice doctors and nurses to use 11 vaccine al

of which passed through the senate unopposed alliance washington jail people involved in developing an international sports events we appreciate congress efforts to address such injustices and we are committed to supporting the continuing development of international tools and initiatives needed to root out fraud identify bad actors and help ensure integrity in global sport however the lower is heavily opposed by the world anti-doping agency which is disruption to the global anti doping framework it also question to why the act actually excludes america's own sports leagues. world and you do bring agency wishes to understand why this legislation excludes vast areas of u.s. sport in particular of the professional leagues and or college sport if it is not good enough for american sports why is it fine for the rest of the world. ok let's get some reaction to this now and speak with the sports writer and broadcaster alan moore good afternoon alan what's your reaction to this huge surprise this rule has gone through in the united states despite all the concern raised by water. not least. you know we're s

in the stories that shaped the week here on r t international the developers of russia sputnik the vaccine signed an official memorandum of cooperation with astra zeneca they hope that by combining their 2 backs it. will further rise. to a new more contagious strain of covert has been detected in england causing panic worldwide with more than 40 countries banning arrivals from the u.k. . victory or defeat while the british prime minister celebrates and historic deal across the english channel the european union's chief negotiator describes it as a lose lose result. that the days of delays and leaving struggling americans running out of cash finally signs that the relief and government funding bill narrowly averted another government shutdown. are broadcasting live from our studios in moscow recapping the week's top stories with our weekly program this is our team international. from a giant astra zeneca and russia's institute have started clinical trials of a joint coronavirus vaccine it combines elements of jabs developed individually by the 2 science astra zeneca as c.e.o. explained why

connection between the world of classical music in the united states and some of the crucial international developments of the 20th century. and over many decades, i argue in the book, classical music achieved a degree of significance that the music had never known before and which it surely lacks today. but of course the question is, why did classical music once command such attention? from world war i through the cold war, the classical music music community in the united states became entangled in international affairs. it was bound up in the two world wars that the united states fought against germany with the soviet union, an important ally in world war ii. it was entwined in the emergence of italian and german fascism between the wars, and it was caught up in america's struggle with the soviet union after 1945. the long, seemingly unending cold war. and these three countries, germany, italy, and the soviet union, were wellsprings of rich musical traditions and the birthplaces of distinguished musical figures, and americans had long admired both those traditions and the musicians who embodied them

today representatives of the chinese government also head the international civil aviation organization the united nations industrial development organization. and the international telecommunications union which played a big role in the development of 5 g. phone technology to. the un's department of economic and social affairs is also headed by a chinese official plus the chinese are assuming an increasingly important role in the un human rights council which is also based in geneva. china now constitutes over a 5th of the world population and economically speaking in terms of manufacturing industry and trade with china ranks 1st or 2nd in the world there are more chinese citizens going into big international organizations and assuming top of posts years old she this trend is inevitable no one can stop this. china is not going to accept insults discrimination or on equal treatment against our country and people my jobs it's not acceptable to slander and create rumors about china so we all but. china has a strategy that consists of building its own in transit balances. but and it needs the world on the economic plane to maintai

in the stories that shaped the week here on r t international the developers of russia would make the vaccine sign an official memorandum of cooperation with astra zeneca they hope that by combining their 2 vaccines at the efficacy rate it will further rise. a new more contagious strain of cold it has been detected in england causing panic worldwide with more than 40 countries banning arrivals from the u.k. . victory or defeat while the british prime minister celebrates and historic breaks a deal across the english channel the european union chief negotiator describes it as a lose lose result.

today representatives of the chinese government also head the international civil aviation organization the united nations industrial development organization. and the international telecommunications union which played a big role in the development of 5 g. phone technology. the un's department of economic and social affairs is also headed by a chinese official plus the chinese are assuming an increasingly important role in the un human rights council which is also based in geneva. china now constitutes over a 5th of the world's population. and economically speaking in terms of manufacturing industry and trade with china ranks 1st or 2nd in the world there are more chinese citizens going into big international organizations and assuming. she this trend is inevitable no one can stop this. china is not going to accept insults discrimination or unequal treatment against our country and people jobs it's not acceptable to slander and create rumors about china so we all. china has a strategy that consists of building its own intrinsic balances and it needs the world on the economic plane to maintain its internal balances for producti

hygiene protocols as well and to to to do this safely as i sit here you've got the international transport association developing a digital code 19 vaccine passport for travelers do you see that as a as a step towards a new job no fly policy for lines. so i think there are a number of technologies that will certainly play a role in this process and yes i have to has recently released the application you're talking about and this is so how certificates what they will do is basically proof that a passenger has been tested or vaccinated which of course is going to help airlines and government deal with with travelers so yeah we definitely support all of these technology nonstick and solutions and we think it's going to be very very helpful where specter takes the next year but is that if people just say no there's no right that i have to go and get a job to travel i know i'm healthy and and why should i you know what they think is a foreign body into that into their bodies in order to do something that was completely normal a number of months ago so that is why we think any that scene needs to co-exist with it with

yeah, we have always been raising it to the international community and the development partners, most that is why we continuously call for institutions so uganda is ruled by institutions and not by an individual. the more the foreign powers are dealing with museveni as an individulal, the more the interests here serve the interests of him as a person. yes, the us and indeed international community has been instrumental in working with uganda. uganda has been a strong pillar in maintaining stability in the region and also our refugee policy has been good. but this is a policy of a nation, it should not be a policy of an individual. the more the international community deals with museveni as an individual is the more that they guarantor our instability and therefore a liability of the human rights and the rule of law in the region. finally and recently, a political scientist in africa says you don‘t pose an electoral threat to museveni. your threat is one to mobilise people onto the streets of the capital. "he has people power being the ghetto president," that catapulted you to the fore

those involved in being at international sports events we appreciate congress efforts to address such injustices and we're committed to supporting the continuing development of international tools and initiatives needed to root out fraud identify bad actors and help ensure integrity in global sport well however the law is heavily opposed by the world anti-doping agency which phase disruption of the global anti doping framework by the pointed out to the unprecedented application of u.s. law on the international stage no nation has ever before a sort of criminal jurisdiction over dublin offenses that occurred outside its national borders and for good reason but we heard from the hosts of capital f.m. sports in moscow a more he told us that the new u.s. law really just aims to subdue the wider. you know i think you really look at light that realistically this law is not about sports it's simply in those taking control of wada and the i.o.c. so we're going to have a big split and i think what's going to happen now is we'll see a takedown of the water leadership that's what your side are going for and if you get enough always on site then they room to it so we

i realize that it has been a disappointing place to be for a lot of investmentors, both international, developed markets it has been tough, a long walk through the desert but i think there are a lot of tail wins in 2021 that should help that theme end. >> where are you looking specifically, liz, fortunate and good valuation >> so, specifically -- first of all when you look at the capital that can re-enter the markets it is not only coming out of, ka. it can also come out of bonds and safe haven bonds that people parked money in in april where i think they are going to look for it number one is europe where i think visitors should look is the european consumer particularly starting in the second quarter we really think there is a lot of opportunity in europe for the second quarter, third quarter, and fourth quarter of 2021 to come back, start to close that valuation gap with the u.s obviously em is a big beneficiary of a european fortunate getting stronger emerging markets, especially emerging market asia should be a beneficiary of that. >> mike, does the weaker dollar play into some of the big w

he was one of the most influential individuals in shaping developing and even creating international cultural relations in europe. that's his legacy which we're very thankful for is into also august and these ideas have been incorporated into our policies for europe 2 will also never forget his relentless dedication and his ability to take a stand especially in difficult times before. there's a institutes around the world prepare for the new normal in times of corona all events and services now take place online. now. spring in berlin came and went some arrived the president had far fewer possibilities to remain active in his last few months in service in late summer 2020 women returned to berlin's museum island which he had so passionately reformed and shake to around the turn of the millennium in his capacity as president of the prussian cultural heritage foundation new and old come together here to create a truly unique space. in the noise museum the modern stack case is a reminder of the many challenges lehmann had to face at the end of the 1990 s. . the grand ensemble of 5 museu

congress efforts to address such injustices and we're committed to supporting the continuing development of international tools and initiatives needed to root out fraud identify bad actors and help ensure integrity in global sport well the law however is being heavily opposed by the world anti-doping agency would count in the global watchdog against drugs in sport it says the application of u.s. loral the international stage in this way is unprecedented. no nation has ever before so it's agreement all jurisdiction of adoption offenses that occurred outside its national borders and for good reason we heard from the host of capital f.m. sports here in moscow and more he believes the new law is a power play by america to supersede to water you know i think if we look at the way that realistically this law is not about sports it's simply a most take control of all water and the i.o.c. so we're going to have a big big split and i think what's going to happen now is we'll see it take down the want of leadership that's what your side are going for and if you go to not always on site then they wouldn't do it so

congress efforts to address such injustices and we're committed to supporting the continuing development of international tools and initiatives needed to root out fraud identify bad actors and help ensure integrity in global sport however the law is heavily opposed by the wild anti doping agency which is currently the global war against drugs in sport it says the uptick ation of us through on the international stage in this way is unprecedented no nation has ever before sort of criminal jurisdiction over doping offenses that occurs outside its national borders and for good reason we have from alan moore who's the host of capital f.m. sports here in moscow he believes the new law is a power play by america to supersede water. you know i think if we look at later realistically this law is not a very scorching it's simply a very controlled all water the o.c. so we're going to be a big split and i think what's going to happen now is we'll see it take down the want of leadership that's what you said they're going for and if you go to look at always on the saudis and the room to it so we could see a complete d

participation requires the completion of interactive training available through the departments internal learning development system. raadditionally, the department provides employees with resources available on our internet as part of a guidance and resource. the department issing the work to ensure its continuity of the central functions and to perform the bulk of its day-to-day operations. they are very proud of their implement a robust policy in response to the pandemic. we believe the efforts to help the work forc workforce to achid maintainn productivity and to serve the department's mission n and the american public. thank you ain for the opportunity to address about the departments work, and i look forward to answering your questions. >> methank y. >> good afternoon. chairman langford, members of the subcommittee. thank you for inviting me to discuss the social security administration. i'm the assistant deputy commissioner and deputy chief information officer for it operations. social security first began to offer remote work options around 20 years ago when technology was much different than the sol