23 May 2022

OH YOU HAVE A DIRTY MIND!!!!!!

16 May 2022

Much of Central Virginia now ranks as medium, updated CDC COVID Community Levels map shows 12MAI22

THE coronavirus -covid19 pandemic is still with us and we are approaching 1,000,000 deaths in America from covid-19. Consideration for those most vulnerable should help guide our actions when we are out in public and caution is warranted for our own health and safety. Do not let the voluntary ignorance of the anti-vaxxer and anti-masker thugs pressure you to not take the precautions you feel are necessary for you. Here is the latest on the pandemic in Virginia. Be strong, be safe.....

Much of Central Virginia now ranks as medium, updated CDC COVID Community Levels map shows

By: WTVR CBS 6 Web Staff

Posted at 9:54 PM, May 12, 2022

and last updated 7:36 PM, May 14, 2022

RICHMOND, Va. — The localities in Virginia ranked as medium have nearly doubled since last week and now include many cities and counties in Central Virginia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The update comes as new cases in Virginia increased 25% this week and 73.5% of Virginians are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Virginia Department of Health. COVID cases in the U.S. increased 30% from the prior week, and 82.5% of the country's total population (people 5+) has received at least one vaccine dose, the CDC reported in its weekly update.

The agency released an updated map Thursday, May 12 with county-by-county color designations to indicate whether residents should wear masks or not.

"There are three levels (low, medium, high), which are determined by looking at hospital beds being used by patients with COVID-19, new hospital admissions among people with COVID-19, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in your area," CDC officials wrote.

IN-DEPTH: New COVID cases in Virginia jumped 25% this week; 73.5% of Virginians now fully vaccinated

COVID-19 Community Levels calculated on May 12, 2022.

Parts of Metro Richmond ranked as medium now include Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell, Petersburg, Powhatan and Prince George. Of those localities, only Prince George ranked as medium last week. This is the first time some of these localities have ranked as medium since the CDC launched the new measures, which focus less on positive test results and more on what's happening at hospitals, in late February.

People in areas ranked as low, medium do not need to wear masks, according to the CDC. But those at high risk for severe illness are urged to talk to their healthcare provider about whether to wear a mask and take other precautions.

There are no localities in Virginia ranked as as high where masking indoors is recommended by the CDC.

These CDC measures focus less on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.

Scroll down for a complete alphabetized list city/county-by-county breakdown of localities in Virginia

High Community Level

Wear a mask indoors in public
Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
Get tested if you have symptoms
Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness
No Virginia localities; no change from last week

Medium Community Level

If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions
Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
Get tested if you have symptoms
30 Virginia localities this week; up from 16 localities last week

Albemarle (ranked low last week)
Alexandria (no change from last week)
Arlington (no change from last week)
Augusta (ranked low last week)
Bedford (ranked low last week)
Charles City (ranked low last week)
Charlottesville (no change from last week)
Chesterfield (ranked low last week)
Covington (no change from last week)
Dinwiddie (ranked low last week)
Fairfax County (no change from last week)
Falls Church (no change from last week)
Fredericksburg (ranked low last week)
Greene (ranked low last week)
Halifax (ranked low last week)
Hanover (ranked low last week)
Henrico (ranked low last week)
Highland (no change from last week)
Hopewell (ranked low last week)
James City (no change from last week)
Loudoun (ranked low last week)
Montgomery (ranked low last week)
Nottoway (ranked low last week)
Petersburg (ranked low last week)
Powhatan (ranked low last week)
Prince George (no change from last week)
Stafford (ranked low last week)
Staunton (ranked low last week)
Surry (ranked low last week)
Sussex (ranked low last week)

Low Community Level

Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
Get tested if you have symptoms
103 Virginia localities this week; down from 117 localities last week

Accomack
Alleghany
Amelia
Amherst
Appomattox
Bath
Bland
Botetourt
Bristol
Brunswick
Buchanan
Buckingham
Buena Vista
Campbell (ranked medium last week)
Caroline (ranked medium last week)
Carroll
Charlotte
Chesapeake
Clarke
Colonial Heights
Craig
Culpeper
Cumberland
Danville
Dickenson
Emporia
Essex
Fairfax City
Fauquier
Floyd
Fluvanna
Franklin City
Franklin County
Frederick
Galax
Giles
Gloucester
Goochland
Grayson
Greensville
Hampton (ranked medium last week)
Harrisonburg
Henry (ranked medium last week)
Isle of Wight
King and Queen
King George
King William
Lancaster
Lee
Lexington
Louisa
Lunenburg
Lynchburg
Madison
Manassas
Manassas Park
Martinsville (ranked medium last week)
Mathews (ranked medium last week)
Mecklenburg
Middlesex
Nelson
New Kent
Newport News
Norfolk
Northampton
Northumberland
Norton
Orange
Page
Patrick
Pittsylvania
Poquoson
Portsmouth
Prince Edward
Prince William
Pulaski
Radford
Rappahannock
Richmond City
Richmond County
Roanoke City
Roanoke County
Rockbridge
Rockingham
Russell
Salem
Scott (ranked medium last week)
Shenandoah
Smyth
Southampton
Spotsylvania
Suffolk
Tazewell
Virginia Beach
Warren
Washington
Waynesboro
Westmoreland
Williamsburg
Winchester
Wise
Wythe
York

Covid-19 Complete Continuing Coverage-1200x630.jpg

Full Virginia City/County-by-County Breakdown

Accomack Low
Albemarle Medium
Alexandria Medium
Alleghany Low
Amelia Low
Amherst Low
Appomattox Low
Arlington Medium
Augusta Medium

Bath Low
Bedford Medium
Bland Low
Botetourt Low
Bristol Low
Brunswick Low
Buchanan Low
Buckingham Low
Buena Vista Low

Campbell Low
Caroline Low
Carroll Low
Charles City Medium
Charlotte Low
Charlottesville Medium
Chesapeake Low
Chesterfield Medium
Clarke Low
Colonial Heights Low
Covington Medium
Craig Low
Culpeper Low
Cumberland Low

Danville Low
Dickenson Low
Dinwiddie Medium

Emporia Low
Essex Low

Fairfax City Low
Fairfax County Medium
Falls Church Medium
Fauquier Low
Floyd Low
Fluvanna Low
Franklin City Low
Franklin County Low
Frederick Low
Fredericksburg Medium

Galax Low
Giles Low
Gloucester Low
Goochland Low
Grayson Low
Greene Medium
Greensville Low

Halifax Medium
Hampton Low
Hanover Medium
Harrisonburg Low
Henrico Medium
Henry Low
Highland Medium
Hopewell Medium

Isle of Wight Low
James City Medium

King and Queen Low
King George Low
King William Low

Lancaster Low
Lee Low
Lexington Low
Loudoun Medium
Louisa Low
Lunenburg Low
Lynchburg Low

Madison Low
Manassas Low
Manassas Park Low
Martinsville Low
Mathews Low
Mecklenburg Low
Middlesex Low
Montgomery Medium

Nelson Low
New Kent Low
Newport News Low
Norfolk Low
Northampton Low
Northumberland Low
Norton Low
Nottoway Medium

Orange Low

Page Low
Patrick Low
Petersburg Medium
Pittsylvania Low
Poquoson Low
Portsmouth Low
Powhatan Medium
Prince Edward Low
Prince George Medium
Prince William Low
Pulaski Low

Radford Low
Rappahannock Low
Richmond City Low
Richmond County Low
Roanoke City Low
Roanoke County Low
Rockbridge Low
Rockingham Low
Russell Low

Salem Low
Scott Low
Shenandoah Low
Smyth Low
Southampton Low
Spotsylvania Low
Stafford Medium
Staunton Medium
Suffolk Low
Surry Medium
Sussex Medium

Tazewell Low

Virginia Beach Low

Warren Low
Washington Low
Waynesboro Low
Westmoreland Low
Williamsburg Low
Winchester Low
Wise Low
Wythe Low

York Low

Virginians age 5+ are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine. Go to Vaccine Finder to search for specific vaccines available near you or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-275-8343).

Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for the most complete coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Have You Been Fully Vaccinated?

People are considered fully vaccinated:

2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

What you can and should not do once you have been fully vaccinated.

How to Protect Yourself and Others When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

We’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions—like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces—in public places until we know more.

These recommendations can help you make decisions about daily activities after you are fully vaccinated. They are not intended for healthcare settings.

Click here for more information from the Virginia Department of Health.

WEAR A MASK WEAR A MASK

PHYSICAL DISTANCING: SIX FEET APART IS BETTER THAN SIX FEET UNDER!

Coronavirus Updates

John Hopkins Univ Coronavirus Covid-19 Dashboard

THE PRC CORONAVIRUS FLAG IS A REMINDER OF THE PRC GOVERNMENT WHO UNLEASHED THIS PANDEMIC ON THE REST OF THE WORLD

Avi Schiffmann CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD

(VIDEO) Why corporations are reaping record profits with inflation on the rise 12APR22

INFLATION, another name for corporate greed protected by democratic and republican politicians who are bought and paid for by the military-industrial complex, the bank-financial cabal, the authoritarian oligarchial hierarchy whose goal is increasing their wealth at the expense of the 99%. The gop/greed over people is operating a propaganda campaign that keeps many of the American people whining for the president to do something but they have no idea what that something should be and at the same time do not call on their senators and representative to address the issue. The billionaire tax needs to be pasted by Congress, that would at least provide funding for the American Social Contract and the social safety net programs that will provide the assistance needed by so many to survive. The below from the PBS NewsHour......

Why corporations are reaping record profits with inflation on the rise 12APR22

Despite rising inflation, major U.S. corporations are reporting record profits, as companies pass rising supply-chain costs onto consumers. Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores whether concentrated market power is contributing to inflation.

Judy Woodruff:
Despite rising inflation, major U.S. corporations are reporting record profits, as companies pass rising supply chain costs onto consumers.
Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores whether concentrated market power is contributing to inflation.
Robert Reich, Former U.S. Labor Secretary:
Inflation, inflation, everybody's talking about it.
Paul Solman:
Longtime liberal activist Robert Reich:
Robert Reich:
Corporations are raising prices, even as they rake in record profits.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA):
Prices at the pump have gone up. Why? Well, let me give you a hint.
Paul Solman:
Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren:
This isn't about inflation. This is about price gouging.
Paul Solman:
This is a charge that pops up in lots of places, even on my Twitter feed.
So, do the facts justify the outrage? Well, you have heard the standard causes of COVID inflation, government stimulus money, a tight labor market driving up wages, clogged supply chains, imports anchored offshore, and now, to top it off, Russia's invasion of Ukraine goosing oil, gas and wheat prices.
But if all this explains an inflation rate that's just reached 10 percent for businesses, the Producer Price Index, how come profits have risen even more?
Dion Rabouin>, The Wall Street Journal
Paul Solman:
Wall Street reporter Dion Rabouin.
Dion Rabouin:
Nearly 100 of the biggest U.S. publicly traded companies booked 2021 profit margins that were at least 50 percent higher than their 2019 levels.
Paul Solman:
And 2019 was pre-pandemic, the economy solid, inflation, low. So, why the profit hike?
Lindsay Owens, Groundwork Collaborative:
The CEO of Kroger recently said:
Rodney McMullen, CEO, Kroger:
A little bit of inflation is always good in our business.
Paul Solman:
Lindsay Owens runs a progressive economic think tank that scours the earnings calls corporations hold for stock analysts and investors, like this one from Constellation Brands, which sells beer, wine and spirits.
Garth Hankinson, CFO, Constellation Brands:
We're going to look at this on a market-by-market basis, brand-by-brand basis, and we will take as much pricing as we think the consumer can absorb.
Lindsay Owens:
One of my favorite examples is Tyson Foods.
Paul Solman:
Purveyor of one out of every five pounds of beef, chicken and pork sold in the U.s. here's Tyson's chief financial officer on their latest quarterly results.
Stewart Glendinning, CFO, Tyson Foods:
Our pricing actions led to approximately $2.1 billion in sales and price/mix benefits during the quarter, which offset the higher cost of goods sold of $1.6 billion.
Paul Solman:
In other words, says Owens:
Lindsay Owens:
Our pricing is taking into account the cost of raw materials and the cost of labor, but more than offsetting it. And that more than offsetting it is that additional profit that they're able to bring in.
Paul Solman:
But profits sank when COVID hit, say companies like Tyson. This is just making up for lost time, nothing but an extreme short-term business cycle.
Noah Smith, Economist:
Capitalism requires greed to run.
Paul Solman:
Economist Noah Smith.
Noah Smith:
Corporations are always greedy. Their greed dial is always set to absolute maximum. And the idea that ameliorating greed would have any effect on inflation is wrong. And I made fun of it by making the following chart.
Paul Solman:
Smith, a liberal, mocks the idea that newfound greed explains the inflation surge with a tongue-in-cheek greed index chart.
Noah Smith:
And I labeled the rises in inflation as rising greed and the drops in inflation as falling greed.
Paul Solman:
Which would imply rising corporate generosity.
Noah Smith:
The reason this is a joke is because the big drop in inflation in the '80s would have to be caused by surges in corporate altruism, the altruism of Gordon Gekko and the '80s people.
Michael Douglas, Actor
Paul Solman:
Yes, that Gordon Gekko.
Michael Douglas:
Greed works.
Paul Solman:
So, back to the original question: If corporate America is no greedier than ever, how come profits have soared?
Lindsay Owens:
What we're seeing in this moment is really when that profit maximization and opportunity collides. And the opportunity is the cover of inflation.
Paul Solman:
Aha, the opportunity caused by the pandemic. And when companies like Tyson blame higher costs, as their CEO has?
Donnie King, President and CEO, Tyson Foods: Labor costs have gone up 20 percent, cattle costs are up 22 percent, and freight is up 32 percent. We're not asking customers or the consumer ultimately to pay for our inefficiencies. We're asking them to pay for inflation.
Dion Rabouin:
Woe is me. We have no choice but to raise our prices. Our labor costs are going up, our inputs, our inputs.
But, in reality, companies aren't being forced to raise prices because of inflation. They're raising prices because they can.
Paul Solman:
And why can they now, with so little resistance, I asked Rabouin.
Dion Rabouin:
Inflation sort of disguises these price increases. When prices for everything around you are rising, it's much easier for companies to raise their prices and not experience that consumer blowback.
Paul Solman:
The point is, when consumers come to expect inflation, the process can begin to feed on itself.
Lindsay Owens:
Companies know that consumers expect higher prices right now. And they're really seeing how far they can push that.
Paul Solman:
And, says Robert Reich, Wall Street is egging them on, saying:
Robert Reich:
Look, this is a great time to raise your profit margins. And, of course, those Wall Streeters are saying the same thing to everybody else in the industry.
Paul Solman:
But in a competitive market economy, won't newcomers emerge offering lower prices? That's a lot less likely these days, says Rabouin and Reich.
Dion Rabouin:
Seventy-five percent of all American industries have become more concentrated in the last two decades.
Robert Reich:
Most are now dominated by a handful of corporations that coordinate prices and production. This is true of banks, broadband pharmaceutical companies, airlines, meat-packers.
President Joe Biden:
You got four basic meat-packing facilities. And you pay a hell of a lot more because there's only four.
Paul Solman:
Now, it's not literally just 4, but four do dominate the market. And its not just meat.
President Joe Biden:
You see what's happening with ocean carriers. During the pandemic, about half-a-dozen foreign-owned companies raised prices by as much as 1000 percent and made record profits.
Paul Solman:
The traditional check on consolidation, of course, is antitrust enforcement. Reich worked at the Federal Trade Commission in the 1970s.
Robert Reich:
Antitrust used to be a real thing. But since the early 1980s, antitrust has taken a backseat. In fact, some would say it's been thrown out of the car altogether. And big companies now routinely have the power to raise prices.
Customers will note that there is almost an exact price matching among all major so-called competitors, because they're not really competing.
Paul Solman:
So, what is to be done?
President Joe Biden:
Tonight, I'm announcing a crackdown on those companies overcharging American businesses and consumers.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
Paul Solman:
A crackdown on the shipping industry by regulators.
Brian Deese, Director, National Economic Council:
If they identify that there is market manipulation or price gouging going on.
Paul Solman:
The president's national economic adviser, Brian Deese.
Brian Deese:
And the agencies have now committed to partnering where the Department of Justice has significantly more enforcement resources and investigatory resources.
Paul Solman:
And the administration says it's working to lessen concentration in the food sector too.
Brian Deese:
You need scale to be competitive, and it takes capital to get to scale. So the USDA is actually right now working with smaller processors in rural areas across the country to try to give them grants, give them low-cost capital, so that they can scale, they can get into the game more quickly and easily.
Paul Solman:
As the meat industry points out, though, it's been concentrated for decades, decades of low inflation, even in meat.
In the end, this is any administration's challenge, to effect real change amidst economic forces bigger than all of us. Meanwhile, with company costs rising at about 10 percent, corporate profits are rising at 12.4 percent. That extra 2.5 percent or so seems to be at least part of the inflation we're all paying for right now.
For the "PBS NewsHour," Paul Solman.
- Judy Woodruff:
  Despite rising inflation, major U.S. corporations are reporting record profits, as companies pass rising supply chain costs onto consumers.
  Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores whether concentrated market power is contributing to inflation.
- Robert Reich, Former U.S. Labor Secretary:
  Inflation, inflation, everybody's talking about it.
- Paul Solman:
  Longtime liberal activist Robert Reich:
- Robert Reich:
  Corporations are raising prices, even as they rake in record profits.
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA):
  Prices at the pump have gone up. Why? Well, let me give you a hint.
- Paul Solman:
  Senator Elizabeth Warren.
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren:
  This isn't about inflation. This is about price gouging.
- Paul Solman:
  This is a charge that pops up in lots of places, even on my Twitter feed.
  So, do the facts justify the outrage? Well, you have heard the standard causes of COVID inflation, government stimulus money, a tight labor market driving up wages, clogged supply chains, imports anchored offshore, and now, to top it off, Russia's invasion of Ukraine goosing oil, gas and wheat prices.
  But if all this explains an inflation rate that's just reached 10 percent for businesses, the Producer Price Index, how come profits have risen even more?
  Dion Rabouin>, The Wall Street Journal
- Paul Solman:
  Wall Street reporter Dion Rabouin.
- Dion Rabouin:
  Nearly 100 of the biggest U.S. publicly traded companies booked 2021 profit margins that were at least 50 percent higher than their 2019 levels.
- Paul Solman:
  And 2019 was pre-pandemic, the economy solid, inflation, low. So, why the profit hike?
- Lindsay Owens, Groundwork Collaborative:
  The CEO of Kroger recently said:
- Rodney McMullen, CEO, Kroger:
  A little bit of inflation is always good in our business.
- Paul Solman:
  Lindsay Owens runs a progressive economic think tank that scours the earnings calls corporations hold for stock analysts and investors, like this one from Constellation Brands, which sells beer, wine and spirits.
- Garth Hankinson, CFO, Constellation Brands:
  We're going to look at this on a market-by-market basis, brand-by-brand basis, and we will take as much pricing as we think the consumer can absorb.
- Lindsay Owens:
  One of my favorite examples is Tyson Foods.
- Paul Solman:
  Purveyor of one out of every five pounds of beef, chicken and pork sold in the U.s. here's Tyson's chief financial officer on their latest quarterly results.
- Stewart Glendinning, CFO, Tyson Foods:
  Our pricing actions led to approximately $2.1 billion in sales and price/mix benefits during the quarter, which offset the higher cost of goods sold of $1.6 billion.
- Paul Solman:
  In other words, says Owens:
- Lindsay Owens:
  Our pricing is taking into account the cost of raw materials and the cost of labor, but more than offsetting it. And that more than offsetting it is that additional profit that they're able to bring in.
- Paul Solman:
  But profits sank when COVID hit, say companies like Tyson. This is just making up for lost time, nothing but an extreme short-term business cycle.
- Noah Smith, Economist:
  Capitalism requires greed to run.
- Paul Solman:
  Economist Noah Smith.
- Noah Smith:
  Corporations are always greedy. Their greed dial is always set to absolute maximum. And the idea that ameliorating greed would have any effect on inflation is wrong. And I made fun of it by making the following chart.
- Paul Solman:
  Smith, a liberal, mocks the idea that newfound greed explains the inflation surge with a tongue-in-cheek greed index chart.
- Noah Smith:
  And I labeled the rises in inflation as rising greed and the drops in inflation as falling greed.
- Paul Solman:
  Which would imply rising corporate generosity.
- Noah Smith:
  The reason this is a joke is because the big drop in inflation in the '80s would have to be caused by surges in corporate altruism, the altruism of Gordon Gekko and the '80s people.
  Michael Douglas, Actor
- Paul Solman:
  Yes, that Gordon Gekko.
- Michael Douglas:
  Greed works.
- Paul Solman:
  So, back to the original question: If corporate America is no greedier than ever, how come profits have soared?
- Lindsay Owens:
  What we're seeing in this moment is really when that profit maximization and opportunity collides. And the opportunity is the cover of inflation.
- Paul Solman:
  Aha, the opportunity caused by the pandemic. And when companies like Tyson blame higher costs, as their CEO has?
  Donnie King, President and CEO, Tyson Foods: Labor costs have gone up 20 percent, cattle costs are up 22 percent, and freight is up 32 percent. We're not asking customers or the consumer ultimately to pay for our inefficiencies. We're asking them to pay for inflation.
- Dion Rabouin:
  Woe is me. We have no choice but to raise our prices. Our labor costs are going up, our inputs, our inputs.
  But, in reality, companies aren't being forced to raise prices because of inflation. They're raising prices because they can.
- Paul Solman:
  And why can they now, with so little resistance, I asked Rabouin.
- Dion Rabouin:
  Inflation sort of disguises these price increases. When prices for everything around you are rising, it's much easier for companies to raise their prices and not experience that consumer blowback.
- Paul Solman:
  The point is, when consumers come to expect inflation, the process can begin to feed on itself.
- Lindsay Owens:
  Companies know that consumers expect higher prices right now. And they're really seeing how far they can push that.
- Paul Solman:
  And, says Robert Reich, Wall Street is egging them on, saying:
- Robert Reich:
  Look, this is a great time to raise your profit margins. And, of course, those Wall Streeters are saying the same thing to everybody else in the industry.
- Paul Solman:
  But in a competitive market economy, won't newcomers emerge offering lower prices? That's a lot less likely these days, says Rabouin and Reich.
- Dion Rabouin:
  Seventy-five percent of all American industries have become more concentrated in the last two decades.
- Robert Reich:
  Most are now dominated by a handful of corporations that coordinate prices and production. This is true of banks, broadband pharmaceutical companies, airlines, meat-packers.
- President Joe Biden:
  You got four basic meat-packing facilities. And you pay a hell of a lot more because there's only four.
- Paul Solman:
  Now, it's not literally just 4, but four do dominate the market. And its not just meat.
- President Joe Biden:
  You see what's happening with ocean carriers. During the pandemic, about half-a-dozen foreign-owned companies raised prices by as much as 1000 percent and made record profits.
- Paul Solman:
  The traditional check on consolidation, of course, is antitrust enforcement. Reich worked at the Federal Trade Commission in the 1970s.
- Robert Reich:
  Antitrust used to be a real thing. But since the early 1980s, antitrust has taken a backseat. In fact, some would say it's been thrown out of the car altogether. And big companies now routinely have the power to raise prices.
  Customers will note that there is almost an exact price matching among all major so-called competitors, because they're not really competing.
- Paul Solman:
  So, what is to be done?
- President Joe Biden:
  Tonight, I'm announcing a crackdown on those companies overcharging American businesses and consumers.
  (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
- Paul Solman:
  A crackdown on the shipping industry by regulators.
- Brian Deese, Director, National Economic Council:
  If they identify that there is market manipulation or price gouging going on.
- Paul Solman:
  The president's national economic adviser, Brian Deese.
- Brian Deese:
  And the agencies have now committed to partnering where the Department of Justice has significantly more enforcement resources and investigatory resources.
- Paul Solman:
  And the administration says it's working to lessen concentration in the food sector too.
- Brian Deese:
  You need scale to be competitive, and it takes capital to get to scale. So the USDA is actually right now working with smaller processors in rural areas across the country to try to give them grants, give them low-cost capital, so that they can scale, they can get into the game more quickly and easily.
- Paul Solman:
  As the meat industry points out, though, it's been concentrated for decades, decades of low inflation, even in meat.
  In the end, this is any administration's challenge, to effect real change amidst economic forces bigger than all of us. Meanwhile, with company costs rising at about 10 percent, corporate profits are rising at 12.4 percent. That extra 2.5 percent or so seems to be at least part of the inflation we're all paying for right now.
  For the "PBS NewsHour," Paul Solman.

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