'I don't even know who they are'

Home » Unlabelled » 'I don't even know who they are'

'I don't even know who they are'

October 14, 2021

Stephen Collinson and Caitlin Hu

'I don't even know who they are'

Joe Biden says this could be a "game changer."

The President is launching an effort to unblock huge bottlenecks strangling the economy as consumer demand outpaces a crippled just-in-time supply chain. He announced Wednesday that the port of Los Angeles would begin operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to clear shipping containers piled up on the docks and to empty more than 50 cargo ships anchored off the west coast. Wal-Mart, FedEx and UPS plan to increase operations.

But there's not much more he can do. The key sectors involved are privately run. And the problem is not just in the ports. There aren't enough trains or trucks to move the goods. Around the country, warehouses are full. Further down the supply chain, Covid-19 enforced factory closures in Asia promise more shortages in months to come.

But the supply chain crunch is causing such difficulties that Biden has no choice but to get involved. Missing consumer goods, even including diapers, could bring real hardships. And shortages are driving prices up, causing inflation to rise, meaning that everyone's pay check goes less far.

But this is also about politics. The supply chain backup is one of a number of pandemic-caused crises over which Biden has limited control but that are darkening his presidency. Then there are the stumbles caused by his own choices, like the chaotic pullout from Afghanistan and the Democratic failure so far to pass his massive social spending agenda.

Unlike British Prime Minister Boris Johnson -- who is also under fire over a shortage of truckers but effectively telling Britons the economy will have to reset itself -- Biden doesn't have the luxury of time. While Johnson isn't due to face an election until 2024, the President is looking down the barrel of lost Democratic majorities in Congress next year. Even if he can't fix all of the problems, Biden had better show that he's working hard.

Subscribe to Meanwhile in America

The world and America

At least five people were killed in a suspected bow and arrow attack in Norway.

Poland is building its own wall to curb migration on its border with Belarus.

And the women's world record holder in the 10k, Agnes Tirop, was found dead at home in Kenya.

Meanwhile in America, the Biden administration is planning to massively expand offshore wind farms.

A Texas florist became the 100th Capitol rioter to plead guilty.

And the Rolling Stones are phasing out their 1971 song "Brown Sugar."

'I don't even know who they are'

At least four well-known lawyers have turned down requests for help from Donald Trump's team, as the former President works to block congressional investigators from getting information on the January 6 insurrection, a source familiar with the discussions tells CNN's Kaitlin Collins.

Among the four is William Burck, the white-collar lawyer who represented 11 Trump associates in and after the Mueller investigation. Burck turned Trump down three times in recent months, according to people familiar with the former President's orbit, because he wanted to stay away from how toxic Trump's situation has become after the attempt to overturn the election, the people said.

Trump said in a statement that he had never asked the four lawyers who turned him down, including Burck, for help. "I don't even know who they are, they are just looking to get publicity," the ex-President said. "I am using lawyers who have been with us from the beginning."

'I don't want another passenger flying with me with a gun in their possession'

Keys … check. Wallet … check. Phone … check. Gun?

The last-minute rundown of vital items people ensure they didn't forget before grabbing a flight is taking on a quintessentially American vibe.

Passengers are taking firearms to the airport in record numbers, according to the TSA, the agency that runs airport security in the United States. At a time of increasing pandemic-induced air rage, it's even more important that those weapons don't slip the net and make it onto planes.

"I think more people are carrying weapons, just generally across the country, and then whatever is happening across the country we see reflected in our checkpoints," said Transportation Security Administrator David Pekoske. "As a passenger, I don't want another passenger flying with me with a gun in their possession."

TSA said it caught 4,650 firearms at checkpoints in the first 10 months of the year -- most of which were loaded. That number surpasses the full-year record of 4,432, set in 2019. Trying to smuggle your shooter onto a plane isn't cheap. Fines total $2,500 for an unloaded gun and up to $10,000 for a loaded weapon.

CNN's Gregory Wallace and Pete Muntean have more on this story here.

Timelapse of the bright lights of the Aurora Borealis visible over the Canadian province of Alberta on Tuesday (Twitter @OhNoNotPatrick).

Thanks for reading.

On Thursday, Biden hosts a bilateral meeting with Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta at the White House. An FDA committee will discuss allowing booster doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for people 18 and older. Netflix launches its Palestinian Stories collection, showcasing 32 films.