Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden, GOP Senators Meet On COVID Aid


President Biden meet with 10 Republican senators at the White House Monday on the scope of a new coronavirus aid package, with the GOP members having proposed a much-reduced $618 billion measure in response to the $1.9 trillion package Biden wants. No agreement was reached during the two-hour session, but Biden said he won't settle on for an amount that he thinks is too small for the scale of the crisis, even though he would like to have bipartisan support. Meanwhile, congressional Democrats moved forward with steps that would be necessary to get an aid package passed even if they don't get any Republican votes.

➤BIDEN THREATENS MYANMAR SANCTIONS AFTER MILITARY COUP: President Biden yesterday threatened new sanctions on Myanmar -- which is also known as Burma -- after the country's military launched a coup and arrested the government's civilian leaders. Biden said in a statement, "The United States removed sanctions on Burma over the past decade based on progress toward democracy. The reversal of that progress will necessitate an immediate review of our sanction laws and authorities, followed by appropriate action." The military coup has also been widely condemned internationally.

Rep. Greene
➤McCONNELL CRITICIZES 'LOONY LIES' BY GOP REP. GREENE: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday criticized a fellow Republican lawmaker, far-right freshman House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, calling her support of conspiracy theories, quote, "loony lies" and a "cancer for the Republican Party." Greene has come under increasing criticism in recent days as her past statements and social media activity have further come to light. Referring to conspiracy theories Greene has supported in the past, McConnell said, "Somebody who’s suggested that perhaps no airplane hit the Pentagon on 9/11, that horrifying school shootings were pre-staged, and that the Clintons crashed JFK Jr.’s airplane is not living in reality." Greene, who also expressed support for QAnon conspiracy theories, responded late yesterday, tweeting, "the real cancer for the Republican Party is weak Republicans who only know how to lose gracefully," adding, "That is why we are losing our country." McConnell's comments came as House Democrats moved to strip Greene of her committee assignments if House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy doesn't do it.

➤TRUMP ATTORNEY CALLS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND 'UNDEMOCRATIC': One of the two attorneys former President Donald Trump just announced as his new legal defense team for his impeachment trial charged Monday that pursuing the case against Trump for allegedly inciting the attack on the Capitol is unconstitutional and "undemocratic." Many congressional Republicans are arguing that it's unconstitutional to hold an impeachment trial of a president who's no longer in office. Democrats cite in response the 1876 impeachment of a secretary of war who had already resigned. Appearing on Fox News, attorney David Schoen called the impeachment effort "the most ill-advised legislative action that I’ve seen in my lifetime," accused Democrats of using impeachment as a, quote, "weapon" against Trump, and stated the case was an attempt to bar Trump from being able to run for office again, saying that's, quote, "about as undemocratic as you can get." Trump's Senate impeachment trial begins one week from today. 


➤OCASIO-CORTEZ SPEAKS ABOUT EXPERIENCE DURING CAPITOL ATTACK, REVEALS PAST SEXUAL ASSAULT: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave an account of her experience during the January 6th Capitol attack on Instagram Live yesterday, saying, "I thought I was going to die," and revealing that she'd been sexually assaulted in the past. The New York Democrat choked up at times as she spoke about hiding in her office as someone appeared to breaking in, saying a man was banging on her office doors and screaming, "Where is she?" She said that as she hid in her office bathroom, "I thought I was going to die." The man turned out to be a Capitol Police officer, but she said the officer had what she called a "hostile" manner with her, and gave only vague instructions on where to go for shelter. Ocasio-Cortez also condemned Republican calls to move on from the attack, saying, "These folks that tell us to move on, that it’s not a big deal, that we should forget what’s happened or even telling us to apologize, these are the same tactics as abusers."


➤OREGON DECRIMINALIZES POSSESSION OF DRUGS: Oregon became the first U.S. state to decriminalize possession of drugs when a ballot measure approved by voters by a wide margin went into effect yesterday. People in Oregon can no longer be arrested for possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, methadone, oxycodone, methamphetamine, LSD and ecstasy. Instead, they'll face a $100 fine or a health assessment that could lead to addiction counseling. Addiction recovery centers will be funded by tax revenue from Oregon’s legalized marijuana industry.

➤CDC..JUST 38 PERCENT OF NURSING HOME STAFF ACCEPTED VACCINE:  Nursing home residents and those who work at the facilities are among the first in line who've been prioritized to get the coronavirus vaccine, but new data out yesterday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that just 38 percent of nursing home staff members accepted the vaccine when it was offered to them. The CDC's report cited previous polling to explain why the nursing home staffers were refusing the vaccine, with many raising concerns about side effects, and others saying they didn't want to be among the first to get it, that they don't trust the government, or referring to false claims about the vaccine. Nursing home residents, however, have been getting the vaccine, with 78 percent receiving at least one shot. Nursing homes have been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus. Most nursing homes and other health care facilities aren't requiring that staff get vaccinated, but they are strongly encouraging it. Acceptance of the vaccines by employees appears to increase in facilities that have done more to educate staff about their safety and effectiveness.



➤SPACE X ANNOUNCES MISSION WITH ALL-CIVILIAN CREW: SpaceX announced Monday that it will launch the first mission to space with an all-civilian crew. The four-person crew will travel on the private company's Dragon spacecraft into orbit around the Earth, with the mission expected to take place towards the end of the year. Leading the crew will be Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4 Payments, who's also a pilot who's flown both commercial and military aircraft. SpaceX didn't reveal how much he paid for the journey. The flight is part of a charity initiative for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Isaacman will give $100,000 to St. Jude and donate the other three seats in the capsule to people who will be specially selected. One will be a St. Jude ambassador, another seat will be offered to the public as part of a charity drive, and the final spot will go to an entrepreneur, quote, "who utilizes the new Shift4Shop eCommerce platform." The multi-day mission, called Inspiration4, will travel into orbit, circling the Earth once every 90 minutes, before returning in a splashdown off the coast of Florida. Although civilians have been on space flights before, they usually pay to hitch a ride with U.S. astronauts or Russian cosmonauts.
 

➤EVAN RACHEL WOOD ACCUSES MARILYN MANSON OF ABUSE:  Evan Rachel Wood is sharing allegations of abuse and grooming against her ex-fiance Marilyn Manson. She wrote on Instagram: “The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson. He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission.”

The 33-year-old is speaking out, she said, because she is “done living in fear of retaliation, slander, or blackmail,” adding, “I am here to expose this dangerous man and call out the many industries that have enabled him, before he ruins any more lives. I stand with the many victims who will no longer be silent.”


⚾MLB SEASON TO START ON TIME AFTER PLAYERS SAY NO TO DELAY: Major League Baseball's season will start on time after the players said no last night to a proposal from the league to push it back by about a month. MLB had proposed that the start of the season by delayed from April 1st to April 28th, with spring training to begin March 22nd instead of February 17th, and for the season to be cut to 154 games from 162. The reasoning had been to give more time for coronavirus vaccinations and because the league believed the virus situation would improve more with the delay.

🏈CHIEFS BACKUPS ROBINSON, KILGORE PUT ON COVID LIST AS CLOSE CONTACTS: Two Kansas City Chiefs backups, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and center Daniel Kilgore, were put on the Covid-19 list Monday as close contacts of someone who was infected, six days before the Chiefs will try to defend their NFL title in the Super Bowl against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Neither Robinson nor Kilgore tested positive for Covid, which means they could still play in the Super Bowl if they continue to test negative throughout the week. Robinson appeared in every game this season, while Kilgore started in four games.

🏀PISTONS-NUGGETS GAME CANCELED DUE TO COVID: Last night's (February 1st) scheduled game between the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets was postponed because coronavirus contact tracing left the Pistons without enough available players. It was the first postponed NBA game since the one the Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzles were supposed to play last Wednesday. The NBA has now postponed 23 games this season.

⚾ARENADO TRADE TO CARDINALS COMPLETED: The trade sending All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado to the St. Louis Cardinals from the Colorado Rockies was completed last night (February 1st). St. Louis is sending pitcher Austin Gomber and four minor leaguers to the Rockies, two of them pitchers and two infielders. Colorado will send cash to St. Louis to offset part of what Arenado is due on his contract. The 29-year-old Arenado has led the National League in home runs three times in eight seasons and led the majors in RBIs twice.


 ⚾REPORT: ANGELS PITCHING COACH CALLAWAY 'AGGRESSIVELY PURSUED' WOMEN IN SPORTS MEDIA: The Athletic reported last night that Los Angeles Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway, a former manager of the New York Mets, quote, "aggressively pursued" several women who work in sports media. That included sending three of them inappropriate photos, according to the report, and asking one to send nude photos back. His contacts included uninvited messages via email, text or social media. He also commented often on their appearance in a way that made them uncomfortable, and in one instance, he, quote, "thrust his crotch near the face of a reporter" while she interviewed him. Five unnamed women spoke to The Athletic about actions over at least five years and when he was with three teams. Callaway was the Cleveland Indians’ pitching coach for five years before managing the Mets from 2018 to 2019. After being fired, he was the Angels' pitching coach last season. Callaway, who is married, told The Athletic, "Any relationship in which I was engaged has been consensual, and my conduct was in no way intended to be disrespectful to any women involved."


⚾RED SOX'S PEDROIA RETIRES: Second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who spent his entire 14-season MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, announced his retirement Monday. The 37-year-old was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2007 and the AL MVP in his second season, but he's played in only nine games in the past three seasons after a slide by Manny Machado, then with the Baltimore Orioles, hurt his knee in 2017. He's since had six surgeries, including a partial knee replacement in December, but told reporters yesterday, "At some point, you can’t play anymore." The four-time All-Star was part of the Red Sox teams that won the World Series in 2007 and 2013.
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