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Feinstein ‘Surprised’ by Suggestion She’s Not Up for Supreme Court Fight as Top Judiciary Democrat

Years of Near-Zero Interest Rates the Latest Bid to Spur Recovery in US, Canada

The Canadian and American central banks are pulling out all the stops to support the economic recovery, with the latest move being their indications that they expect to hold interest rates near zero over the next few years. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic persists, the hoped-for sustained revival in consumer borrowing and spending is anything but certain. In an unprecedented move on Sept. 16, the U.S. Federal Reserve said it doesn’t expect to raise its key interest rate until 2023, providing a very powerful signal that near-zero rates are here to stay for a long time.  A week earlier, the Bank of Canada had said, “The Governing Council will hold the policy interest rate at the effective lower bound [0.25 percent] until economic slack is absorbed so that the 2…

Feinstein ‘Surprised’ by Suggestion She’s Not Up for Supreme Court Fight as Top Judiciary Democrat

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she was surprised by suggestions she be replaced as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of what’s expected to be a brutal fight over President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.

“I’m really surprised and taken aback by this. Because I try to be very careful and I’m puzzled by it,” Feinstein told Politico.

“My attendance is good, I do the homework, I try to ask hard questions. I stand up for what I believe in.”

According to the outlet, some Democrats fear Feinstein, 87, cannot properly represent the party in efforts to delay or stop Trump’s nominee in being confirmed.

A group of senators are pushing for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), 75, or Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), 64, to take over as ranking member of the committee, one Democratic senator said.

Requests for comment sent to the offices of Feinstein, Durbin, and Whitehouse weren’t immediately returned. Durbin told Politico that he believes Feinstein can handle the ranking member position. Whitehouse added, “She’s a very distinguished lady for whom I have great affection.”

Feinstein ‘Surprised’ by Suggestion She’s Not Up for Supreme Court Fight as Top Judiciary Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) speaks during a hearing in Washington on Sept. 16, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Feinstein ‘Surprised’ by Suggestion She’s Not Up for Supreme Court Fight as Top Judiciary Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) speaks during a hearing in Washington on Aug. 5, 2020. (Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Feinstein was ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the tense battle over Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, which ended with Kavanaugh being confirmed in a narrow 50-48 vote.

Feinstein waited until just before the planned committee vote of Kavanaugh to release allegations from Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her while both were in high school.

The delay in disclosing the allegations, which were never substantiated, frustrated and upset many lawmakers.

Senators can only serve as ranking member on one committee. Neither Durbin nor Whitehouse are currently ranking members of any committees. Durbin was the Judiciary’s ranking member from 2015 to 2017. Both are members of the committee.

Feinstein told Politico that the efforts to replace her left her puzzled.

“I’ve been on the committee for a while. I’ve seen how the committee works and I’ve seen how other chairs on our side of the aisle work. I don’t see, to be very blunt and honest, I don’t see a big difference. I’m prepared, so that’s puzzling to me,” she said.

She also admitted that because Republicans appear to have enough votes to confirm Trump’s future nominee, there’s little Democrats can do, no matter who has the top post on the Judiciary Committee.

“Let me say this—I know it’s going to be a fight, I understand that.” Feinstein said. “I don’t have a lot of tools to use, but I’m going to use what I have. We can try to delay and obstruct but they can run this process through. That doesn’t mean that we won’t fight tooth and nail.”

Follow Zachary on Twitter: @zackstieber

Focus News: Feinstein ‘Surprised’ by Suggestion She’s Not Up for Supreme Court Fight as Top Judiciary Democrat

Facebook Removes Fake Chinese Accounts That Posted on US Election, Spread Beijing Propaganda

Facebook has shut down more than 180 fake accounts, groups, pages, and Instagram accounts that it determined to be run in China, which posted content on the U.S. presidential election and spread Beijing’s talking points on a range of topics, from the South China Sea to Hong Kong protests. The U.S. social media giant announced the takedown in a blog post published on Sept. 22, saying that these accounts were a violation of its rule against “coordinated inauthentic behavior on behalf of a foreign or government entity.” In total, 155 Facebook accounts, 11 pages, nine groups, and six Instagram accounts were shut down. The Instagram app is owned by Facebook. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy and author of the blog post, explained that while people behind these accounts…