- PoliticsThe Wrap
Fox News’ Chris Wallace Counters GOP Messaging on Kamala Harris: ‘She’s Not Far to the Left’
Fox News’ Chris Wallace slowed the roll of the oppositional narrative around Sen. Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s vice presidential pick, arguing that she isn’t actually as far left as people say.On “America’s Newsroom” Wednesday, Wallace said of Harris, who ran against Biden for the Democratic nomination, “She didn’t run a great campaign but she is not far to the left, despite what Republicans are going to try to say.”The longtime newsman was right about Republican reaction to Harris’ renewed presence in the 2020 election: President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign released an ad after Biden’s Tuesday selection of Harris that accused her of embracing “the radical left” during her presidential run and being a “phony.”Also Read: 'Morning Joe' Hosts Knock Trump for Contributing 'Not Once, but Twice' to Previous Kamala Harris Campaigns (Video)Wallace wasn’t the only television host to counter the argument Wednesday, either. “Morning Joe” Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough laughed at Trump’s ad and asked, “That’s all they’ve got?”Wallace took his assessment further on Fox News, telling Sandra Smith, “I think she is a reasonably safe choice. She was the obvious front-runner. She was the obvious choice. She adds some excitement to the ticket. She’s a statement to African-Americans and especially to African-American women — who are the real, solid core of the Democratic party — that the party does not take them for granted and so I think she is a pretty safe choice.”Read original story Fox News’ Chris Wallace Counters GOP Messaging on Kamala Harris: ‘She’s Not Far to the Left’ At TheWrap
- LifestyleIn The Know
TikTok user exposes bad millennial habit in eye-opening video: 'I’m not going to apologize'
Being a millennial is hard.
- CelebrityPureWow
Prince Charles Keeps a Beautiful Tribute to Daughter-in-Law Meghan Markle in His Home
Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand report Prince Charles has a black-and-white version of the photo. Back in 2018, royal correspondent Rebecca English even...
- U.S.USA TODAY
American Airlines passenger hits gate agent in Phoenix after being denied boarding for not wearing a mask
American Airlines said the woman could not board her flight from Phoenix to Las Vegas because she refused to wear a mask.
- WorldYahoo News UK
Abusive boyfriend, 38, faked terminal cancer to stop girlfriend leaving him
Kevin Bevis guzzled 20 vitamins daily pretending they were medication for a cancer he had invented to save his relationship.
- U.S.Cosmopolitan
Meet the Woman Who Might Actually, Finally, Seriously Take Down the NRA
New York Attorney General Letitia James on what people are getting wrong about her lawsuit against the National Rifle Association, why she refuses to be intimidated, and how she deals with Trump's tweets.
- BusinessBloomberg
China's Middle Class Is Staying Home. So Is Its Money
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- The Chinese used to be an adventurous bunch. Last year, 170 million of them traveled internationally, threatening to tip the nation into a current account deficit. Now, scarred by anti-Chinese sentiment abroad amid the pandemic, and suspicious of many things foreign, consumers are turning inward.Consider a CLSA Ltd. survey of 1,600 shoppers, conducted between June 30 and July 7. Three-quarters of respondents hold university degrees, so the study offers a good window into middle-class spending habits.Even if Beijing loosened up and allowed travel with, say, Europe, two-thirds of those surveyed said they planned to wait at least another four months before heading abroad. This is a drastic change from February when, even at the peak of China’s outbreak, only 18% were willing to postpone their arrangements this long. Sentiment about education is similar. Before the pandemic, about a quarter of parents planned to send their kids abroad for schooling. Now, 73% have delayed their preparations, while 20% canceled them outright. Granted, international travel and schooling are expensive, and the middle class may no longer feel as financially secure. Only half of respondents said their employers were back to at least 80% of pre-coronavirus operating levels. But geopolitics are also at play. Until recently, Chinese students’ top destinations included the U.S., Australia and the U.K. Now, their families prefer smaller education markets such as Singapore, Japan and Germany. No doubt, Beijing only added fuel to the fire by urging its citizens not to visit Australia, citing racism against Asians. Meanwhile, Beijing’s second wave outbreak coincided with state media reports that traces of the virus were found on chopping boards used for imported salmon. Even though experts later said the fish was unlikely to have carried the disease, consumers nonetheless started to feel that goods produced and sourced locally would be more reliable. The shorter the supply chain, the better, they reasoned. This newfound look inward is spilling over to many corners of household spending, giving domestic brands an edge and making China even more protectionist than before.For starters, let’s look at medical treatment. Just as some Indians have faith in celebrity yogi Baba Ramdev’s Ayurvedic-inspired coronil tablets to fight the virus, the Chinese are reaching back to ancient wisdom, too. In February, 31% surveyed said they would use Western medicine only; now, the figure is 27%. More than half prefer a combination of Western and traditional Chinese medicine. In June, the latest data available, overall sales in this sector rose 9.7% from a year earlier, compared with a retail sales slump of 1.8%. Cosmetics — a real bright spot, with a 20% sales jump in June — is another example. Domestic brands such as Proya Cosmetics Co. are on fire, propelled by livestreaming e-commerce, as my colleague Nisha Gopalan wrote. Just like everyone else, the Chinese are also spending a lot of time at home, underpinning a 9.8% rise in household appliance sales in June. But even here, brands that have gained the most awareness since the pandemic, according to the CLSA survey, are all Chinese: Zhejiang Supor Co., Midea Group Co., Joyoung Co. and Xiaomi Corp., which makes mobile phones as well as small home gadgets such as hot pot makers, air purifiers and electric toothbrushes.Global supply-chain disruptions, which started two years ago with the U.S.-China trade spat, were already benefiting Chinese players: They could take advantage of the vacuum and grab market share at home. Now robust consumer demand, triggered as much by fear as patriotism, is doing the other half of the job.This is good news for Chinese stocks — consumer staples and discretionary sectors tracked by the CSI 300 Index both rose over 40% this year. But it’s an even greater one for a president who’s into self-sufficiency. Consumers, on the other hand, are missing out. They’re becoming even more isolated from international brands than before. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Shuli Ren is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian markets. She previously wrote on markets for Barron's, following a career as an investment banker, and is a CFA charterholder.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
