Saxony’s prime minister calls for ‘pragmatism’ in relations with Russia
Isolating Russia and ending economic cooperation with Moscow is dangerous for Germany, Prime Minister of Saxony Michael Kretschmer told Die Zeit newspaper this week, reiterating his call for a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
“I think the idea of isolating Russia permanently or never again cooperating economically is absurd and dangerous… A Russia that is oriented towards China and has no ties to Europe is much more dangerous for us,” Kretschmer told the news outlet.
The official said he was concerned with the impact of the sanctions on Russia on the German economy and energy security. He called for “pragmatism” in relations with Moscow and for the EU to facilitate peace talks and a “freeze” of the conflict in Ukraine, adding that a ceasefire would not only end the deaths, but “create an opportunity for the supply of raw materials,” most notably fossil fuels and grains.
Roughly half of German households rely on gas for electricity and heating, and around a third of the energy for German industry comes from gas. Prior to the conflict in Ukraine, up to one half of that gas was supplied by Russia. However, deliveries have dropped in recent weeks due to either technical or political reasons.
According to Kretschmer, despite ambitious energy transition plans and political agendas, Germany will need gas supplies from Russia for the next five years at least.
“If we realize that we cannot for now give up on Russian gas, then it is bitter but it is the reality, and we must act accordingly,” Kretschmer said, adding that apart from ordinary residents who will not be able to heat their homes in the winter, German industry is at risk if Russian gas supplies are lost.
“Our entire economic system is in danger of collapsing. If we are not careful, Germany could become de-industrialised,” he stated. Last month, Kretschmer said that Germany needs to ensure reliable fuel supplies before slapping Russia with sanctions.
Both formats of the game, rugby union and rugby league, have decided on the action
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Rugby Football League (RFL) have blocked transgender players from taking part in women's rugby in both codes of the game in England.
The bodies released statements on Friday confirming an update to their policies, with regulations amended to permit only players that were assigned female at birth to feature in women's rugby matches.
The moves bookend review processes dating back to 2020, with the RFU Council voting in their changes and the RFL board approving a new policy which will take effect next month.
"Inclusion is at the heart of rugby values and we will continue to work with everyone to keep listening, learning, and finding ways to demonstrate there is a place for everyone in our game," said RFU president Jeff Blackett.
"We know that many will be disappointed by this decision, however, it has been based on all the scientific evidence available," he added.
The RFL will review its decision in November 2024 and said it had concluded "a wide-ranging consultation with interested parties, government, stakeholders, participants and individuals who continue to engage with us on this complex area," in a statement.
"We also greatly empathize with the personal journeys that individuals have experienced, in sport and in society, and we will continue to endeavor to work with all those actively involved to help us in developing our future policies, research and work in this area to ensure rugby league remains inclusive for all," the RFL went on.
The development comes amid wide-ranging changes in sport with swimming governing body Fina also banning trans athletes that have completed any part of male puberty.
UK Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Nadine Dorries voiced support for Fina's changes and encouraged UK sporting bodies to follow suit, with the RFU and RFL now heeding such advice.
Earlier this month, the British Triathlon Federation also confirmed a first-ever 'open' category in British sports, which Fina also vowed to create at a later date, made especially for transgender athletes.
The new policy will be introduced from January 2023 onwards, and has been created "for all individuals including male, [male and female] transgender and those non-binary who were male sex at birth".
The RFU and RFL's changes follow those made by International Rugby League (IRL) in late June when transgender athletes were banned from international matches.
Trans athletes will therefore not be allowed to take part in the Women's Rugby League World Cup later this year which the IRL will use to help develop a "comprehensive inclusion policy".
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July 30, 2022 at 01:33AM
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Soaring food costs drive more Americans into breadlines
Food banks across the US are struggling as the demand for their services to feed Americans in need soars amid record inflation, Fox News reported on Saturday, citing Atlanta Community Food Bank CEO Kyle Waid.
“It’s kind of a perfect storm of higher demand, higher cost to operate, less federal support. That’s really putting a lot of pressure on food banks, food pantries across the country,” Waid told the news outlet.
According to him, the demand at the food bank he represents dropped last year when Covid-19 pandemic shutdowns were lifted and people returned to work, but has started rising again over the past couple of months.
“We’re seeing folks who are turning to food pantries for the first time in their lives. The inflationary environment has really put a lot of pressure on them. These are folks that are used to being on the other side of the line helping to pass out food to people in need rather than being in the line themselves,” Waid said.
Recent media reports suggest that Atlanta is not alone in facing increased demand for free food. The Meridian Foodbank in Boise, Idaho reported this week that it is now serving 4,200 people every month, compared with 2,800 the same time last year. The Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank in Pennsylvania said on Thursday that “since October, we’ve tripled the number of families we’re serving every month,” while roughly 300 of the 1,800 families it fed in July were first-timers.
Alameda Foodbank in California said recently that it was serving more than 1,400 families a day last month, while in January this year, only 890 households were in need of its services daily. Earlier this month, AP reported of hundreds of families lined up in a breadline outside St Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix, Arizona. The food bank said at the time that its distribution center served 4,271 families in one week, up 78% from the same time last year.
According to Waid, this surge in demand for food bank services is a direct result of soaring inflation, which hit a 40-year high in June at 9.1%. Food prices alone spiked by 10.4%, according to the Department of Labor. And this puts another strain on food banks: According to the Feeding America website, the same amount of food that food banks across the country bought for distribution before the pandemic now costs 40% more than two years ago.
“We’re spending more just to get the same amount of food into our system. We see higher fuel costs for our trucks that are on the road, higher costs for our employees as we’re responding to the same wage pressure that other businesses are responding to,” Waid told Fox News. He stressed that the food bank system is in dire need of government help to support the growing number of Americans facing food insecurity.
The football superstar is set to lace his boots up against Rayo Vallecano
Cristiano Ronaldo has announced he will return to action for Manchester United by featuring in their upcoming friendly against La Liga outfit Rayo Vallecano at home on Sunday.
The Portuguese veteran has been trying to force a move away from Old Trafford in search of Champions League football his current club can't offer him, and has missed a recent preseason tour of Thailand and Australia while citing family reasons.
Ronaldo has also been left out of new manager Erik ten Hag's squad that will play against one of his potential suitors in Atletico Madrid in the Norwegian capital Oslo on Saturday.
On Instagram, however, by again commenting on a post by a fan page about him missing the Atleti game he replied in Portuguese: "Domingo o rei joga" which can be translated to "On Sunday the king plays".
Cristiano Ronaldo announces he’s back with Manchester United team as he’s gonna play friendly game vs Rayo Vallecano: “Sunday, the king plays”, he just commented. 🚨🇵🇹 #MUFC
United have also confirmed that whichever players aren't in the 21-man squad to face Diego Simeone's men "will take part in Sunday's game against Rayo Vallecano, while others are ill or injured".
Ronaldo's Instagram reply is his third in recent days after he popped up elsewhere on the social media network where he boasts 471 million followers.
Earlier on this week, another fan account posted how his agent Jorge Mendes allegedly "told Manchester United that Cristiano Ronaldo is adamant about leaving, but Mendes left negotiations less than positive that Ronaldo would get his move".
"Sir Alex Ferguson has intervened. United insist Ronaldo is not for sale," it was added.
Popping up in the replies section, Ronaldo commented: "[It's] impossible not to talk about me [for] one day. Otherwise the press makes no money."
"You know that if you don't lie you can't get people's attention," he also said.
Then on the same day, Ronaldo caught wind of a post sharing a photo of Atletico Madrid fans holding up a banner in their 4-0 friendly win against Numancia that read 'CR7 not welcome' and responded with a quartet of crying-with-laughter emojis.
Other clubs that have rejected the 37-year-old reportedly include Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Paris Saint Germain.
And while a report from The Sun claimed that Ronaldo has told United he has an offer from a team that wants him which means the Mancunians should name their asking price, appearing against Rayo is the latest indication that Ronaldo might stay to honor the rest of his two-year contract signed when joining from Juventus last summer.
Though the transfer window doesn't close until September 1, Manchester United get their Premier League campaign underway next Saturday at home to Brighton.
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July 29, 2022 at 11:55PM
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Moscow requested that a man convicted for assassinating a former Chechen commander in Berlin be included, CNN reports
Moscow wants Vadim Krasikov, a Russian national convicted of murder in Germany last year, to be included in a potential prisoner exchange with the US, CNN reported on Friday, citing multiple people familiar with the matter.
The channel reported earlier that the US was willing to swap Viktor Bout, who was convicted of arms trafficking in the US a decade ago, for former US Marine Paul Whelan and basketball player Brittney Griner, currently held in Russia on an espionage conviction and drug charges respectively.
Krasikov was convicted by a German court in December for assassinating Zelimkhan Khangoshvili – a former Chechen commander who fought against Moscow – in a Berlin park in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison. The court ruled that Krasikov was acting at the behest of the Russian government, but the Kremlin denied that the state was involved.
According to CNN, Moscow made the request to swap Krasikov last month through “an informal backchannel” used by the country’s chief domestic security agency, the FSB. The sources told the channel that the request was seen as “problematic” because Krasikov is in German custody, and is not viewed as “a legitimate counter” to Washington’s reported offer to exchange Bout for Griner and Whelan.
Nevertheless, a senior German government source was quoted as saying that the US made inquiries to the Germans whether they might be willing to put up Krasikov for a swap, but it “has not been seriously considered.” A US official described the move as “a status check.”
Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the US National Security Council, told CNN that “holding two wrongfully detained Americans hostage for the release of a Russian assassin in a third country's custody is not a serious counteroffer.” She added that a request to trade Krasikov would be “a bad faith attempt to avoid the deal on the table that Russia should take.”
Russia has not commented on the reported request concerning Krasikov.
CNN reported on Wednesday that the White House made an offer to Moscow to swap Bout for Whelan and Griner. The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that negotiations on a potential exchange were underway, but did not provide details. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that he discussed the matter with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over the phone on Friday.
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July 29, 2022 at 11:37PM
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The sanctions on Russia could split the global economy into geopolitical blocs, experts predict
Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and the subsequent Western sanctions on Moscow might push the global economy into geopolitical fragmentation, the IMF warned in a report published on July 26.
“A serious risk to the medium-term outlook is that the war in Ukraine will contribute to fragmentation of the world economy into geopolitical blocs with distinct technology standards, cross-border payment systems, and reserve currencies,” the report states.
According to the IMF, such a split would prevent the global community from jointly addressing global problems.
“Fragmentation may also diminish the effectiveness of multilateral cooperation to address climate change, with the further risk that the current food crisis could become the norm,” the authors of the report warn.
The report notes that traditional economic and financial risks have been exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine and its repercussions. Such risks currently include the effect of tighter monetary policy, slowing economic growth in China and rising energy prices.
However, according to the report, there is “limited evidence of reshoring,” or trade deglobalization, at the moment, and overall, global trade “has been more resilient than expected since the start of the [Covid-19] pandemic,” which can be taken as a positive sign.
Still, the IMF predicts that increasingly tight sanctions on Russia will eventually result in a drop in Russia’s oil exports to the global market and a “decline to zero” of Russian gas exports to Europe, which in turn would make “inflation expectations more persistently elevated” across the globe and tighten financial conditions as governments attempt to deal with rising prices.
“In this scenario, the shock would have a widespread impact, as higher global commodity prices and tighter monetary and financial conditions would affect almost all countries, albeit to different extents. Europe would be particularly affected in this scenario, with 2023… near-zero regional growth,” the IMF states.
Still, according to analysts, “taming inflation should be the first priority for policymakers” despite the costs of tighter monetary policy, as “delay will only exacerbate [the costs].”
Renault recorded an over $2 billion writedown on the withdrawal
French automaker Renault estimates it lost €2.3 billion ($2.34 billion) in the first half of this year as a result of pulling out of Russia, its second-biggest market, the company said in its financial report published on Friday.
“The result of discontinued operations represents a loss of €2.3 billion in 2022 H1, mainly due to the impairment of the property, plant and equipment, intangible assets and goodwill of AVTOVAZ and Renault Russia as well as the impairment of specific assets held by the other entities of the Group and the result of disposals on the Russian entities sold,” the report reads.
Renault suspended operations in Russia back in March, shortly after the start of the country’s military operation in Ukraine. Then, in May, Renault sold its 100% stake in Renault Russia and its 68% stake in Russian carmaker AVTOVAZ. The company’s assets were transferred to Russian state ownership on May 16. Renault President Jean-Dominique Senard at the time called the decision painful but necessary to protect Renault’s Russian employees.
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Fenerbahce supporters sang the name of the Russian leader during a match against Dynamo Kiev
Fenerbahce fans will "feel what Russophobia is" as UEFA investigates them for chants they made during a match with Dynamo Kiev, according to Russian State Duma Deputy Dmitry Svishchev.
UEFA announced on Thursday that it is looking into "alleged misbehavior" of supporters of the Istanbul club after they chanted Russian President Vladimir Putin's name during a 2-1 defeat to Dynamo in a Champions League qualifying tie at their Ulker Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Reacting to the news, Russian politician Svishchev suggested to Match TV that people in the stadium "were just expressing their emotions, perhaps towards their idol."
"In addition [to this], no one insulted anyone, unlike the match at the European Futsal Championship, where Ukrainian fans allowed themselves [to make] obscene expressions," Svishchev added.
"Now, what can I say? Turkish fans, unfortunately, will also feel for themselves what Russophobia is," Svishchev predicted.
"UEFA decided that it was not enough for them to discriminate against Russia. In addition, we have still not seen the results of the investigation into the incident from the futsal match. It is not clear what UEFA has been doing there for six months, [and] why there is still no punishment," Svishchev added.
Following UEFA's announcement, Fenerbahce made a statement"against a discourse that does not represent our club and does not reflect our club's corporate stance in any way."
Fenerbahce insisted that it always takes care to "raise awareness on social and humanitarian issues both in our country and [around] the world within our sphere of influence."
It also pointed out that it was the first club to react when Russia's military operation in Ukraine began in late February and again condemned it.
Fenerbahce addressed the alleged incident directly, and noted how in the 57th minute, when Dynamo midfielder Vitaly Buyalsky put the Ukrainian team 1-0 ahead, "some of the opposing team's players, especially the reserve goalkeepers who played for a team in our country in the past, caused some [sections] of the stands to get excited" and transmit a reaction that "lasted only 20 seconds in the 120-minute match."
"Whatever the reason may be, we, as Fenerbahce Sports Club, do not accept the reaction that arose from some [sections] of our stands," the club continued.
"It is not a fair and equitable approach to attribute this discourse, which never represents the stance and values of our club, to all our fans and to attribute responsibility to our club."
Vladimir Putin, la-la-la-la-la-la," fans of the Turkish football club Fenerbahce chanted at the Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/V1o7U7yeB7
Unlike Fenerbahce, UEFA did not mention the chants specifically, which are said to have broken out after Buyalsky celebrated his opener ferociously while making a "provocative gesture" towards the home side's fans.
In response, sections of the Ulker Stadium are said to have chanted President Putin's name in unison, which social media footage also clearly shows.
Fenerbahce supporters were already emotional ahead of the goal given that one of their men was sent off shortly before Buyalsky struck.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, Enner Valencia then fluffed the chance to equalize by missing a penalty, but Attila Szalai managed to force extra in the dying minutes with a late leveler.
Dynamo eventually prevailed over their 10-men opposition when Alexander Karavayev scored a winner with 114 minutes on the clock to make it 2-1.
As a consequence, the Ukrainians will now face Sturm Graz on Wednesday in the first of two legs in the Champions League qualifying third round, and Fenerbahce must overcome Slovacko over two matches in the third round in order to qualify for the inferior Europa League.
Punishment from UEFA could come in the way of Fenerbahce playing the first leg behind closed doors at home or Slovacko being given a bye.
Considering that UEFA completely banned Russian teams and clubs from international competitions when acting on an International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommendation earlier this year, sanctions against Fenerbahce could be swift and harsh.
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July 29, 2022 at 12:08AM
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Goalkeeper Andrey Lunev claims he is owed bonuses by Zenit St. Petersburg
Russian goalkeeper Andrey Lunev has turned to Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller with a plea to resolve a pay dispute with the footballer’s former club, Zenit St. Petersburg.
Lunev, 30, left Russia for German team Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer last July after spending five seasons at Zenit, helping them to three consecutive Russian league titles before making the move.
The goalie, who has been capped seven times by his country, claims he is still owed bonus payments from the Zenit hierarchy for the last season he spent at the club.
The stopper has now gone public in the row, issuing a plea to Miller – who is CEO of Zenit sponsors Gazprom and one of Russia’s most powerful businessmen.
“I know what kind of support you have been giving to Zenit over the years, being, perhaps, the main fan of the club and its support,”wrote Lunev in a message shared by the Russian media.
“It is difficult to overestimate the role that you and the company you lead play in the life of the club.
“I did not want to do this publicly, but, unfortunately, the situation forces me to address you personally through the media.
“In the 2020/21 season, the general director of the club, Alexander Ivanovich Medvedev, guaranteed the entire team the payment of increased bonuses for victories against Spartak (December 16, 2020, 3-1 victory) and Lokomotiv (May 2, 2021, 6-1 victory ). I was on the pitch in both games and contributed to the victory over principal rivals.
“To date, all club players have been paid increased bonuses. I became an exception. Zenit refused to close the debts to me,” claimed Lunev.
“Representatives of the club claim that there were no such bonuses in the club and they were not paid to anyone. Although everyone knows perfectly well that this is not the case and they were paid out under other payment purposes.
“I understand the motives for such behavior of a number of representatives of the club. It's no secret that I had a financial dispute with the club over a number of positions.
“I can say with confidence that this dispute was the reason for the non-payment of bonuses to me. In addition, the club, in the calculation, which, it is worth noting, was last made with me only in April 2022, also withheld a significant part of the bonuses I earned for winning the 2020/21 championship,” Lunev further alleged.
The goalie said that if the issue could not be resolved then it must be taken up by the Russian Football Union (RFU) in an “objective, unbiased” manner.
The former Zenit claimed he was almost being “blackmailed” into dropping other payment claims to receive the bonuses, arguing that the scandal “does not reflect well” on the Russian champions.
“In order to prove the truth, I will have to involve witnesses from among the former football players of the club who will confirm that the increased bonuses for Spartak and Lokomotiv were received by the players. I would really hate to resort to such methods of protection, but the club leaves me no other choice,” Lunev added.
The ‘keeper insisted that he retains great respect for Zenit and its fans, while calling on Miller directly “to pay attention to my appeal and take control of the situation in order to resolve it.”
Zenit general director Alexander Medvedev responded by denying that the club had any debts to its former goalkeeper.
Lunev was an important part of three title-winning Zenit teams and made more than a century of appearances during his time at the club.
Since he departed, Zenit have gone on to win a fourth successive Russian Premier League title under the guidance of a manager and former playing star Sergey Semak.
Gazprom is the club’s main sponsor and also gives its name to Zenit’s impressive 67,000-seater Gazprom Arena home on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. Gazprom CEO Miller is often seen attending matches.
Lunev has served as a back-up option at Bayer since moving to the Germans, making just one Bundesliga appearance last season and playing once in the UEFA Europa League.
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July 28, 2022 at 11:55PM
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The bloc will wean itself off natural gas from the country, but it won’t happen overnight, Josep Borrell has said
The EU will wean itself off natural gas supplied by Russia in the coming years, the bloc’s top diplomat indicated on Thursday.
Speaking to Television Espanola, Josep Borrell, the high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, said EU members had come to the conclusion that they are too dependent on Russian gas.
“First it will be coal, then... oil... but it will take more time to [phase out Russian] gas, because we have to adapt, we cannot go from 40% to 0% overnight,” he said. “And Russia knows that we will stop buying its gas.”
“Russia wants to sell its gas, but not necessary to us,” Borrell added, urging EU member states to cut down on energy consumption voluntarily so that the authorities will not have to enforce mandatory restrictions.
The EU diplomat also said that the bloc had already made efforts to cut back on Russian gas. “We have already started saving Russian gas,” he noted. “Reducing average heating temperature in Europe by one degree is equivalent to saving 6% of gas.”
According to Borrell, before the conflict in Ukraine broke out, Europe imported about 40% of its natural gas from Russia, but that figure has now dropped to around 20%.
“We have approved almost all [sanctions on Russia] that we could have,” he said. “But the situation with the gas is the opposite; the point isn’t that we don’t want to buy it, the point is that [Russia] may refuse to sell it to us.”
Earlier this week, EU nations agreed to reduce their use of gas in preparation for a potential complete stoppage of supplies from Russia. The emergency plan will see member states voluntarily reduce their consumption of natural gas by 15% between August 2022 and the end of March 2023. In adopting this controversial scheme, EU members hope it will soften the impact if Moscow decides to stop deliveries.
Although the plan has sparked some protest within the bloc, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended it, saying the EU “must be prepared for the worst-case scenario,” while describing Moscow as “not a reliable partner for Europe’s energy supply.”
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed speculation about Moscow’s intentions to cut off the EU from gas supplies. Despite tense relations between Moscow and Brussels over Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, Gazprom is “ready to pump as much as necessary,” but it is the EU that has “closed everything themselves,” he said.
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July 28, 2022 at 11:29PM
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The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) will relocate the gathering from Norway
International gymnastics governing body the FIG has been forced to move its 2022 Congress from Norway after being informed that Russian and Belarusian delegates would be prohibited from attending.
The gathering was due to take place in the city of Sandefjord in October, but organizers have been left scrambling to find an alternative venue.
“The FIG is sorry to announce that the 84th FIG Congress will not take place in Sandefjord, Norway, in October, as planned,” read an FIG statement on Wednesday.
“The Norwegian Gymnastics Federation informed the FIG earlier today that it is not in a position to host the Congress this year, as it must comply with the recommendations from the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports and the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality to not welcome any officials or delegates from Russia or Belarus to events in the country.
“The FIG has been working to quickly find another national federation to host the 2022 Congress. The FIG will announce the new location and dates as soon as they are approved by the Executive Committee. All pertinent information regarding travel and accommodation will be delivered after this decision,” it added.
The FIG has banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from its competitions, although their respective federations are still members of the organization and officials from the two countries have not been suspended.
Nellie Kim of Belarus is one of three FIG vice-presidents, while Russia’s Vassily Titov is a board member.
Both countries have officials on various FIG committees.
The Forward party was created by former Democrats and Republicans who vow to stand against “political extremism”
Former Republicans and Democrats joined forces on Wednesday to create a new Centrist national party to meet the aspirations of Americans that say they are tired of the dysfunctional political system in the US.
The new party, called Forward, is co-chaired by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Christine Todd Whitman, the former Republican governor of New Jersey. Although Yang’s Forward Party was initially established in October 2021, it has now merged with two other organizations: the Renew America Movement, of former Republicans, and the bipartisan Serve America Movement.
The leaders of the newly hatched political group hope to challenge the traditional two party system in America, claiming it divides the US into different camps, while the Forward party seeks to bring them together. “Not left. Not right. FORWARD,” the slogan on the party’s website reads.
In an opinion piece in The Washington Post on Wednesday, Forward leaders sounded the alarm over the current state of the US, decrying “political extremism” that “is ripping our nation apart” and is leading to “political intimidation.”
“If nothing is done, the United States will not reach its 300th birthday this century in recognizable form,” they wrote, adding that Americans have lost faith in their government.
The United States, they said, “badly needs a new political party — one that reflects the moderate, common-sense majority.” “Today’s outdated parties have failed by catering to the fringes. As a result, most Americans feel they aren’t represented,” the article reads.
To achieve the goal of uniting people, the Forward party seeks to “reinvigorate a fair, flourishing economy,” to “give Americans more choices in elections, more confidence in a government that works,” and “revitalize a culture” that “rejects hate and removes barriers.”
The Forward party intends to gain registration and ballot access in all 50 states by late 2024, just in time for the presidential and congressional elections. It also aims to contest several votes on a local level.
In an interview with Reuters, Andrew Yang pointed out that the party’s initial budget would be about $5 million and would gain considerable financial support from its donors. "We are starting in a very strong financial position. Financial support will not be a problem," Yang said.
The formation of the new party comes after a recent poll suggested that only 13 percent of Americans believe that the country is headed in the right direction.
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July 27, 2022 at 11:09PM
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