The Steady Drip

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

White House: Trump's Funding Freeze Remains 'in Full Force' (Connecting the Dots: U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), The DOJ, ATF, The American Constitution Society & Soros Funding, All Networking) Newsmax.com

White House: Trump's Funding Freeze Remains 'in Full Force' (Connecting the Dots: U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), The DOJ, ATF, The American Constitution Society & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Newsmax.com

By Charlie McCarthy | Wednesday, 29 January 2025 01:21 PM EST

https://www.newsmax.com/us/trump-administration-omb/2025/01/29/id/1197019/

A White House spokesperson Wednesday said the federal funding freeze announced earlier this week by President Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget remains in effect despite media reports it had been rescinded.

"This is NOT a rescission of the federal funding freeze. It is simply a rescission of the OMB memo. Why? To end any confusion created by the court's injunction. The President's EO's [executive orders] on federal funding remain in full force and effect, and will be rigorously implemented," Leavitt posted on X.

Earlier, various news outlets reported the funding freeze had been rescinded.

A White House official announced the decision to pull back a proposed spending freeze that threatened to disrupt hundreds of billions of dollars in aid to U.S. programs, Reuters reported.

The decision was announced in a copy of a new memo, obtained by The Washington Post, after the administration's move earlier his week to stop spending resulted in a backlash.

Acting OMB acting Director Matthew J. Vaeth used the memo to tell federal agencies that the department's memorandum M-25-13 "is rescinded," the Post reported.

In a memo Monday, Vaeth said funding for federal grants and loans would be put on hold while the Trump administration reviews them to ensure the recipients are aligned with Trump’s priorities, including executive orders he signed last week ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

OMB oversees the federal budget.

The first major domestic policy reversal of the Republican president's new term came after one federal judge had temporarily blocked the freeze and before another judge was due to hear a separate legal challenge. The proposal had thrown the federal government into chaos and disrupted payments to medical and child-care providers.

Democrat critics of the order moved swiftly to celebrate the reported action.

"This is an important victory for the American people whose voices were heard after massive pressure from every corner of this country—real people made a difference by speaking out," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.

"Still, the Trump administration—through a combination of sheer incompetence, cruel intentions, and a willful disregard of the law—caused real harm and chaos for millions over the span of the last 48 hours which is still ongoing."

Connecting the Dots:

Christopher Edley Jr. was an associate director for economics & government for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the American Constitution Society and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Chelsea V. Clinton is the vice chair for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and was an employee at McKinsey & Company.

Eric Braverman was the CEO for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation and a partner at McKinsey & Company.

McKinsey & Company was a funder for the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell was an associate at McKinsey & Company, the secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), William J. Clinton’s deputy chief of staff and a director at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Thomas A. Scully was an administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and an associate director for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Beth F. Cobert was a deputy director for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and a senior partner at McKinsey & Company.

James M. Manyika is a director at McKinsey & Company and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank) and the Committee for Economic Development.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

John P. White is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development and was the deputy director for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

George P. Shultz was a director at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.

Donna S. Morea was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.

CGI Group Inc. was the contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site for Obamacare.

Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.

Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative Obamacare, was the president for the Barack Obama administration and was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Faith Elizabeth Gay was an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP, and is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the American Constitution Society.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Christopher Edley Jr. is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society and was an associate director for economics & government for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Barbra Streisand Foundation was a funder for the American Constitution Society.

Walter E. Dellinger III is a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society and was the acting solicitor general for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Christine A. Varney is a director at the American Constitution Society and was an assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Robert Raben was a director at the American Constitution Society and an assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Philippa Scarlett was a director at the American Constitution Society and a deputy associate attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Janet Reno was a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society and an attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Debo P. Adegbile is a director at the American Constitution Society and was an assistant attorney general nominee for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Eric H. Holder Jr. was a board member for the American Constitution Society and an attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is a division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a “Gun Safety, Gun Control” Government Bureau for guns.

Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence is a “Gun Safety, Gun Control” group for guns.

Maria Cuomo Cole is a trustee at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Mario M. Cuomo’s daughter and married to Kenneth D. Cole.

Mario M. Cuomo was Maria Cuomo Cole’s father and a board of adviser’s member for the American Constitution Society.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the American Constitution Society.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Sundance Institute.

Kenneth D. Cole is a trustee at the Sundance Institute and married to Maria Cuomo Cole.

Lyn Davis Lear is a trustee at the Sundance Institute, a director at the Lear Family Foundation and married to Norman Lear.

Norman Lear is married to Lyn Davis Lear, the president of the Lear Family Foundation and a director at the People for the American Way.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the People for the American Way.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Lear Family Foundation was a funder for the People for the American Way.

Margery Tabankin is a director for the People for the American Way and the treasurer for the Barbra Streisand Foundation.

Barbra Streisand Foundation was a funder for the American Constitution Society.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the American Constitution Society.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Resources: Past Research

Improper Food Stamp Payments Hit $2.6 Billion (Past Research on the U.S. Office of Management and Budget)

Thursday, July 7, 2016

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2016/07/improper-food-stamp-payments-hit-26.html

Obama appoints Jeffrey Zients to fix healthcare website (Past Research on the U.S. Office of Management and Budget)

Saturday, October 26, 2013

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2013/10/obama-appoints-jeffrey-zients-to-fix.html

Left-Wing American ‘Constitution’ Society Urges Deep State to Undermine Trump (Past Research on the American Constitution Society)

Sunday, June 11, 2017

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2017/06/left-wing-american-constitution-society.html

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

CDC Ordered to Immediately Stop Working With WHO, Memo Says (Connecting the Dots: CDC, FDA, WHO, China & Soros Funding, All Networking)

CDC Ordered to Immediately Stop Working With WHO, Memo Says (Connecting the Dots: CDC, FDA, WHO, China & Soros Funding, All Networking)

The decision was made after Trump signed an order indicating the United States would pull out of the global health agency.

The Epoch Times

By Jack Phillips

1/27/2025 Updated:1/28/2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on April 23, 2020. (Tami Chappell/AFP via Getty Images

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/cdc-ordered-to-immediately-stop-working-with-who-memo-says-5799545?c=share_pos2&pid=iOS_app_share

Officials in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were ordered to stop working with the World Health Organization (WHO), effective immediately, according to a memorandum that was sent out this week.

John Nkengasong, a CDC official, issued a memo on Sunday to senior agency leaders that staff working with WHO must immediately stop their collaborations and “await further guidance.”

The move was made after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to extricate the United States from the WHO over what it said was the organization’s “mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic that arose out of Wuhan, China, and other global health crises,” among other issues.

he stop-work memo issued by Nkengasong applied to “all CDC staff engaging with WHO through technical working groups, coordinating centers, advisory boards, cooperative agreements or other means—in person or virtual,” while staff are not allowed to visit WHO offices.

Last week, the administration placed an immediate pause on all posts, reports, and communications issued by the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). That pause will remain in effect until at least Feb. 1, according to an internal memo issued by acting HHS Secretary Dorothy Fink.

Some exceptions, Fink said, would be made for communications that impact “critical health, safety, environmental, financial or nation security functions.” Those statements would have to be reviewed beforehand, she added.

The order targeting the CDC isn’t the only Trump action involving the federal health agency. He also froze spending on an anti-HIV program, which was started by President George W. Bush decades ago. That was suspended as part of a broader freeze on foreign aid for at least 90 days.

Under Trump’s order signaling the United States will leave the WHO, it sets a 12-month notice period to leave the health body and stop all financial contributions to its work. The order to withdraw from WHO did not take immediate effect as it requires the approval of Congress and that the United States will have to meet its financial obligations to WHO for the current fiscal year.

In a statement responding to Trump’s decision, WHO said it “regrets the announcement” and that it hopes “the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.”

Trump selected Fink, an endocrinologist and career civil servant who had led the HHS Office on Women’s Health, to serve as interim HHS secretary while Senate confirmation gets underway for nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the agency. Kennedy is facing his first hearing before a Senate panel this week.

Trump has also selected former Florida Republican congressman Dave Weldon, a medical doctor, to head the CDC and named Johns Hopkins surgeon Marty Makary to lead the FDA. Those positions require Senate confirmation, too.

The president last week confirmed that he removed Secret Service protection for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who had served as a presidential advisor during the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked about the decision on Jan. 24 in North Carolina, Trump told reporters, “You can’t have a security detail for the rest of your life because you worked for government.”

The Epoch Times contacted WHO and the CDC for comment Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Connecting the Dots:

World Health Organization is a U.N. coordinating agency for World Health.

Rockefeller Foundation was a funder for the World Health Organization, the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank) and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank).

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) was a funder for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank).

Margaret A. Hamburg was the VP for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank) and the commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Donald Kennedy was a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Jon M. Huntsman Jr. is a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and an ambassador to China for the Barack Obama administration.

J. Stapleton Roy is a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and was a U.S. ambassador for China.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and married in 2013.

Jim Yong Kim was a guest at George Soros’s 2013 wedding and a director, HIV-AIDS department for the World Health Organization (WHO).

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) was a funder for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank).

Margaret A. Hamburg was the VP for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank) and the commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Donald Kennedy was a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Jon M. Huntsman Jr. is a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and an ambassador to China for the Barack Obama administration.

J. Stapleton Roy is a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and was a U.S. ambassador for China.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank) and the Brookings Institution (think tank) and

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).

Mark B. McClellan was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Robert Jeffrey is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank) and was a board member for the CDC Foundation.

CDC Foundation is a foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Amy Robbins Towers is a board member for the CDC Foundation, a director at the Human Rights Watch, was a director at the Millennium Promise and married to Larry Robbins.

Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Human Rights Watch.

George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and a benefactor for the Human Rights Watch.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Human Rights Watch, the Millennium Promise and the Robin Hood Foundation.

Larry Robbins is a director at the Robin Hood Foundation and was married to Amy Robbins Towers.

Michael R. Bloomberg was a donor for the Robin Hood Foundation and is the founder of the Bloomberg Family Foundation.

Bloomberg Family Foundation was a funder for the CDC Foundation.

CDC Foundation is a foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Resources: Past Research

CDC Director Announces Organization Changes for Faster Response to Health Threats (Connecting the Dots: CDC & Soros Funded Think Tanks) (Past Research on the CDC)

Thursday, August 18, 2022

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2022/08/cdc-director-announces-organization.html

Sen. Marshall to Newsmax: WHO 'Bought and Paid for' by China (Connecting the Dots: The World Health Organization (WHO), FDA, COVID, China, The World Bank, The World Economic Forum, The Bretton Woods Committee & Soros Funding, All Networking) (Past Research on the World Health Organization)

Friday, January 24, 2025

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2025/01/sen-marshall-to-newsmax-who-bought-and.html

Caroline Kennedy Warns Sens That Cousin RFK Jr. a 'Predator' (Connecting the Dots: Caroline Kennedy, The Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Merck & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Caroline Kennedy Warns Sens That Cousin RFK Jr. a 'Predator' (Connecting the Dots: Caroline Kennedy, The Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Merck & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Newsmax.com

Tuesday, 28 January 2025 03:39 PM EST

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/caroline-kennedy-letter-rfk-jr/2025/01/28/id/1196864/

Calling Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a “predator” who is addicted to power, Caroline Kennedy urged the U.S. Senate in a Tuesday letter to reject the nomination of her cousin to be President Donald Trump's health secretary.

In a letter to senators, Ms. Kennedy, who previously served as a U.S. ambassador to Australia and Japan and is the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, etched a damning sketch of her cousin, the latest condemnation Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has received from members of his own, prominent Democrat family.

Several denounced her cousin's bid for the presidency last year. The letter, obtained by The Associated Press, was first reported by The Washington Post.

Ms. Kennedy said in the letter that her cousin’s views on vaccines are disqualifying. She offered senators personal details from their lives growing up together that she said pose an even greater concern.

She described her cousin’s basement, garage and dorm as being an epicenter for drug use, where he would also put baby chickens and mice in blenders to feed to his hawks.

“It was often a perverse scene of despair and violence,” she wrote. She also read the letter in a video recording, sharing it on social media. Attempts to reach Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for comment were not immediately successful.

He has openly talked about his heroin use and he pleaded guilty for bringing it on an airplane in 1984.

Kennedy now “preys on the desperation of parents of sick children,” she told senators, noting that he has vaccinated his own children while discouraging others from vaccinating theirs.

She also pointed out that Kennedy plans to still profit off a lawsuit against pharmaceutical company Merck over Gardasil, its human papillomavirus vaccine that prevents cervical cancer. Last year, he made over $850,000 from the arrangement.

“In other words, he is willing to enrich himself by denying access to a vaccine that can prevent almost all forms of cervical cancer and which has been safely administered to millions of boys and girls,” she wrote. She had previously not spoken about his candidacy or nomination for health secretary.

Her father was assassinated in 1963 when she was a young girl. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968 during his presidential campaign event.

“Unlike Bobby, I try not to speak for my father – but I am certain that he and my uncle Bobby, who gave their lives in public services, and my uncle Teddy, who devoted his Senate career to improving healthcare, would be disgusted,” Ms. Kennedy wrote.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday in his bid to become Trump’s health secretary. Another hearing for his nomination will be held on Wednesday in front of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension committee, the panel his uncle, Ted Kennedy, once chaired.

Connecting the Dots:

Caroline B. Kennedy is the U.S. ambassador nominee for Japan, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank) and a director emeritus for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

George Soros is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Michael H. Armacost was the president for the Brookings Institution (think tank), a U.S. ambassador for Japan and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank).

Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank) and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for Japan.

Thomas S. Foley was a partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank) and the U.S. ambassador for Japan.

Caroline B. Kennedy is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), the U.S. ambassador nominee for Japan and a director emeritus for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

George Soros is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (think tank), and the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

Eric H. Holder Jr. was an intern at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and Merck was his client.

Resources: Past Research

Caroline Kennedy takes up post as US ambassador to Japan (Past Research on Caroline Kennedy)

Saturday, November 16, 2013

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2013/11/caroline-kennedy-takes-up-post-as-us.html

Maybe Merck & Co. should be renamed Merck/CDC & Co. (Past Research on Merck)

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

https://thesteadydrip.blogspot.com/2014/10/maybe-merck-co-should-be-renamed.html

Create Intergenerational Wealth With Dividend Growth Stocks (Connecting the Dots: Abbott Laboratories, Commercial Club of Chicago, FDA, CDC, S&P, McGraw Hill Financial Inc & Soros Funding, All Networking)

Create Intergenerational Wealth With Dividend Growth Stocks (Connecting the Dots: Abbott Laboratories, Commercial Club of Chicago, FDA, CDC, S&P, McGraw Hill Financial Inc & Soros Funding, All Networking)

By Bob CiuraMonday, 27 January 2025 03:05 PM EST

(Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images)

https://www.newsmax.com/finance/bobciura/dividend-growth-stocks/2025/01/27/id/1196704/

Intergenerational wealth is created when one’s investments provide not only for themselves, but for their children, grandchildren, and beyond. Unfortunately, the skills that it takes to build and maintain a growing investment portfolio are typically not transferred with an inheritance.

The good news is that quality dividend growth stocks can generate long-term wealth that lasts through the generations. The following 3 dividend growth stocks should continue to raise their dividends for decades to come. In this way, these 3 dividend growth stocks could produce intergenerational wealth.

NextEra Energy (NEE)

NextEra Energy is an electric utility with two operating segments, Florida Power & Light (“FPL”) and NextEra Energy Resources (“NEER”). FPL is the largest U.S. electric utility by retail megawatt hour sales and customer numbers.

The rate-regulated electric utility serves about 5.9 million customer accounts in Florida. NEER is the largest generator of wind and solar energy in the world. NEE was founded in 1925. NEE generates roughly 80% of its revenues from FPL.

NextEra Energy reported its Q3 2024 financial results on 10/23/24. For the quarter, the company reported revenues of $7.6 billion (up 5.5% year over year), translating to adjusted earnings of $2.1 billion (up 11% year over year). On a per share basis, adjusted earnings climbed 10% to $1.03.

The utility added ~3 GW of new renewables and storage projects to its backlog, including ~1.4 GW of solar and ~1.4 GW of battery storage, bringing its backlog to over 24 GW.

Year to date, it generated operating revenue of $19.4 billion (down 8.8% year over year), adjusted earnings of $6.0 billion (up 11%), and adjusted earnings per share (“EPS”) of $2.90 (up 9%).

NEE has increased its dividend for 29 consecutive years.

S&P Global Inc. (SPGI)

S&P Global is a worldwide provider of financial services and business information and revenue of over $13 billion. Through its various segments, it provides credit ratings, benchmarks and indices, analytics, and other data to commodity market participants, capital markets, and automotive markets.

S&P Global has paid dividends continuously since 1937 and has increased its payout for 51 consecutive years.

S&P Global posted third quarter earnings on October 24th, 2024, and results were quite strong once again. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to $3.89, which was 25 cents ahead of estimates. Earnings were down from $4.04 in Q2, but much higher than $3.21 in the year-ago period.

Revenue soared 16% higher year-on-year to $3.58 billion, which also beat estimates by $150 million. Growth in the Ratings and Indices segment led the top line higher in Q3, although strength was broad.

S&P Global has grown consistently since the financial crisis, boosting revenue and operating margins on a regular basis, with recent results showing a continuation of this trend. We think S&P Global will see a tailwind from its buyback, as well as high-single digit revenue gains, and some measure of margin expansion to get to our target of 12% earnings-per share growth annually in the coming years.

The most important feature of S&P Global is its strong competitive position. It operates in the highly concentrated financial ratings industry where the three well-known rating agencies control over 90% of global financial debt ratings.

SPGI has increased its dividend for 51 years, making it a Dividend King.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT)

Abbott Laboratories, founded in 1888, is one of the largest medical appliances & equipment manufacturers in the world, comprised of four segments: Nutrition, Diagnostics, Established Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices.

In the most recent quarter, the company produced $10.6 billion in sales (60.5% outside of the U.S.), which represented a 4.9% improvement compared to the third quarter of 2023 and was $90 million more than expected. Adjusted earnings-per share of $1.21 compared to $1.14 in the prior year and was $0.01 ahead of estimates.

With its strong position in growth markets such as diagnostics, where Abbott Laboratories is the market leader in point-of care diagnostics - and cardiovascular medical devices, Abbott Laboratories should be able to generate attractive long-term growth.

Abbott Laboratories’ dividend payout ratio has never been above 50% throughout the last decade. Coupled with the fact that the company’s earnings-per-share did not decline during the last financial crisis – it actually continued to grow Abbott Laboratories’ dividend looks very safe.

ABT has increased its dividend for 52 consecutive years.

Connecting the Dots:

William M. Daley was a director at Abbott Laboratories, the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Rahm I. Emanuel was the White House chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration, is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and Ezekiel Emanuel’s brother.

Barack Obama was the president for the Barack Obama administration and an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Sally Blount is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a director at Abbott Laboratories.

W. James Farrell is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a director at Abbott Laboratories.

Edward M. Liddy is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a director at Abbott Laboratories.

William A. Osborn is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a director at Abbott Laboratories.

Samuel C. Scott III is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a director at Abbott Laboratories.

Glenn F. Tilton is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a director at Abbott Laboratories.

Miles D. White is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the chairman & CEO for Abbott Laboratories.

Christopher B. Begley is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was the SVP for Abbott Laboratories.

Jack M. Greenberg is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was a director at Abbott Laboratories.

Robert L. Parkinson Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was the president & COO for Abbott Laboratories.

William D. Smithburg is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was a director at Abbott Laboratories.

Newton N. Minow is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Cameron F. Kerry is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, John F. Kerry’s brother and a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank) and the Center for American Progress.

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society and a supporter for the Center for American Progress.

Ezekiel Emanuel is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, Rahm I. Emanuel’s brother, a founding chair of the Department of Bioethics for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the former Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Barack Obama Administration.

Tom Daschle is the chairman for the Center for American Progress, a nominee for health and human services secretary for the Barack Obama administration and was a special policy adviser at Alston & Bird.

Alston & Bird was the lobby firm for Abbott Laboratories.

Thomas F. Chen was the SVP for Abbott Laboratories and is a director at Baxter International Inc.

James R. Gavin III is a director at Baxter International Inc. and was a staff associate for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Ezekiel Emanuel is a founding chair of the Department of Bioethics for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Rahm I. Emanuel’s brother.

Robert L. Parkinson Jr. is the chairman & CEO for Baxter International Inc., a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and was the president & COO for Abbott Laboratories.

R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Newton N. Minow is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.

Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.

Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.

Cameron F. Kerry is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, John F. Kerry’s brother and a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).

Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank).

George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.

Mark B. McClellan was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank) and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Sally Blount is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and a director at Abbott Laboratories.