Monday, October 25, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden Pow-Wow Pushes Build Back Better Effort

President Biden met with Senator Joe Manchin yesterday, one of the two Democratic senators who've been roadblocks to getting his Build Back Better agenda passed, as they worked on resolving the issues that had prevented agreement on the landmark legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined them at Biden's Delaware home. The Associated Press cited an unnamed source as saying Manchin is okay with the White House's new approach for raising revenue to pay for it all that would impose new taxes on billionaires and certain corporations. That comes after what had originally been a $3.5 trillion plan focused on social service and climate change has been pared back to a still very large $1.75 trillion.
 
➤APPARENT COUP IN SUDAN: Sudan's acting prime minister and senior government officials were arrested today by military forces in an apparent coup, according to the country's information ministry, which said the forces also disrupted internet access and blocked bridges in the capital of Khartoum. Thousands of people were protesting in the streets in response. 
The apparent coup came after weeks of rising tensions between civilian and military leaders in the African nation, with a failed coup attempt taking place last month. Sudan has been attempting to transition to democracy since longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir was ousted two years ago by mass protests.

💲YELLEN EXPECTS INFLATION TO LINGER INTO 2022: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said yesterday that she expects higher inflation to linger before easing by, quote, "the middle to end of next year." Appearing on CNN's State of the Union, Yellen said, "The Covid shock to the economy has caused disruptions that we'll be working through over the next year. And, of course, Americans have not seen inflation like we have experienced recently in a long time. As we get back to normal, expect that to end." Prices have gone up 5.4 percent in the past 12 months, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index.


➤TWO CHILDREN KILLED AT TEXAS DRAG RACING EVENT: Two children, one a six-year-old boy and the other an eight-year-old boy, were killed at a Texas drag racing event Saturday when a driver lost control and slammed into a crowd of spectators. Eight other people were injured, at least one of them critically. The "Airport Race Wars 2" was being held at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport, with more than 3,500 people attending the event that involved drivers speeding down a runway as they competed for cash. Although water-filled plastic barriers lined the course, AP cited Louis Amestoy, a freelance journalist who was there, as saying they didn't go past the finish line, leaving no protection as cars slowed down at their end of a race. Amestoy said the driver was nearing the end of the strip when the car veered off course. There were no stands, and spectators could get within 15 feet of the track.

➤ATTORNEY..AUTOPSY INCONCLUSIVE FOR LAUNDRIE CAUSE OF DEATH: An attorney for Brian Laundrie's family said Sunday that an autopsy of his remains, which were found last Wednesday in a Florida reserve authorities had been searching for more than one month, was inconclusive for a cause of death, and the remains are now being transferred to an anthropologist for further investigation. Attorney Steven Bertolino also told CNN that Laundrie's family plans to cremate his remains and won't have a funeral service. The 24-year-old Laundrie had been named a person of interest in the death of fiancee Gabby Petito, whose remains were found in Wyoming last month and was found to have died by strangulation. The two had set off months ago on a cross-country van trip, but Laundrie returned at the beginning of September without Petito, and refused to speak to police or her family even as they reported her missing before she was eventually found dead. Laundrie set off by himself more than a month ago, according to his family, and investigators had been looking for him until his remains were found last week.


⛄NOAA RELEASES WINTER WEATHER PREDICTIONS FOR U-S:  Winter is coming. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has put together a list of what they believe is the most-likely weather pattern we’ll see this winter. NOAA is forecasting a warmer than average winter for much of the country. The South and the Gulf Coast have the strongest probability of a warmer-than-usual winter. The Southwest, much of the Midwest, and the Northeast can also expect a warmer winter. Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest, Montana and the western half of the Dakotas are likely to see a colder-than-average winter. Northern California, Wyoming, and Minnesota look like they will see normal temperatures. As far as precipitation, the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes region are most likely to see a wetter-than-average winter this year. The Northern Rockies, parts of New York, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Missouri may also see more precipitation. The southern half of the country is looking at drier conditions, especially the Southwest, Florida and southern Georgia. For the second winter in a row, La Nina conditions are forecast to affect winter weather. John Gottschalck, chief of NOAA’s operational prediction branch, says the predictions are based on probability, and that other outcomes are possible.

➤EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN PATRIARCH HOSPITALIZED AT START OF U.S. VISIT: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the religious leader of some 200 million Eastern Orthodox Christians, was hospitalized yesterday in Washington, D.C., on the first full day of a planned 12-day U.S. trip. The Greek Orthodox Archiocese of America said he'd been taken to the hospital after feeling unwell, quote, "due to the long flight and full schedule of events upon arrival," and that the 81-year-old would stay at the hospital overnight for rest and observation. As part of his schedule, Bartholomew is set to meet with President Biden and to hold a ceremonial door-opening at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine in New York City, which was built to replace a parish church destroyed in the 9/11 attacks.

➤TWO JFK NEWPHEWS CALL FOR ASSASSINATION DOCUMENTS RELEASE AFTER DELAY: Two nephews of President John F. Kennedy are calling for the Biden administration to release the final batch of secret documents related to his 1963 assassination after their scheduled release was delayed. The records were set to be made public on Tuesday, but the White House announced on Friday that it would delay the release until at least December 15th, and potentially longer. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Politico that it's a, quote, "outrage against American democracy" that the documents haven't been released, and his cousin, former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, said, "I think for the good of the country, everything has to be put out there so there’s greater understanding of our history." Politico said the White House issued a background statement saying that the National Archives had advised them that the review of the classified material was, quote, "severely hampered" due to the pandemic, and "asked for more time."

➤AMANDA KNOX ANNOUNCES BIRTH OF FIRST CHILD: Amanda Knox, the American woman who was exonerated in the 2007 killing of her British roommate in Italy after serving nearly four years in an Italian prison, has announced the birth of her first child. The now 34-year-old Knox said in a New York Times article Friday night that her daughter with husband Christopher Robinson was named Eureka Muse Knox-Robinson, and then posted an Instagram Saturday about the news. Knox said in the Instagram post that the image she shared of herself holding the baby would be the only image of her daughter that she'll post on social media. She wrote, "I'm so grateful to everyone who has wished [Robinson] and I well on our journey to parenthood. Thank you for believing in us." Knox also said she's put out a three-part podcast called, Labyrinths, about her pregnancy, saying she's able to tell the story in her own words. In it, she ends by saying her daughter's life is, quote, "off limits" to the media, stating, "Her life is her own, and she is not your content. She deserves to have her privacy respected in the way that mine never

💔FTC WARNS OF INCREASE IN ROMANCE SCAMS, ESPECIALLY TARGETING OLDER ADULTS:  If it seems to good to be true it probably is. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published an updated report on the top scams that cost people ages 60 and up millions of dollars. The FTC writes, “Romance scams; prize, sweepstakes, and lottery scams; and business impersonator scams caused the highest aggregate reported losses for older adults.” In 2019, American seniors lost around $84 million to online scammers who posed as potential love interests on dating apps, and that number rose to $139 million in 2020. Romance scammers reportedly accepted money through bank transfers and direct payments ($31 million) and cryptocurrency ($12 million) in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic was often cited as a reason for needing money. The FTC’s associate director for marketing practices says, “Fortunately, there are clear steps consumers can take to protect themselves, with the most important being this: don’t ever send money, gift cards, or anything else of value to someone you’ve never met in person. And talk with your friends, family, and community members about romance scams to help spread the word.”  

🏈NFL SCORES -- WEEK 7:
  • Green Bay Packers 24, Washington Football Team 10
  • Tennessee Titans 27, Kansas City Chiefs 3
  • Atlanta Falcons 30, Miami Dolphins 28
  • New England Patriots 54, New York Jets 13
  • New York Giants 25, Carolina Panthers 3
  • Cincinnati Bengals 41, Baltimore Ravens 17
  • Las Vegas Raiders 33, Philadelphia Eagles 22
  • Los Angeles Rams 28, Detroit Lions 19
  • Arizona Cardinals 31, Houston Texans 5 -- Cardinals remain NFL's only undefeated team, now at 7-0.
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38, Chicago Bears 3
  • Indianapolis Colts 30, San Francisco 49ers 18
Monday Night Football game on ESPN: New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks (8:15 p.m. ET)

🏈BRADY BECOMES FIRST TO THROW 600 TOUCHDOWNS PASSES: Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady became the first-ever to have 600 touchdown passes yesterday, reaching the career mark in the Buccaneers' 38-3 pummeling of the Chicago Bears. Brady did it during a day in which he threw for 211 yards and four touchdowns, ending with 602 TD passes. Brady said of the accomplishment, "I just think about all the guys that shared it with me. That’s the reality. There’s nothing about this sport that you do by yourself." Mike Evans caught three of Brady's four touchdown passes, including that one that gave him Number 600 with six seconds left in the first quarter.

🏈FANS GIVES BACK TOM BRADY'S 600TH T-D PASS FOOTBALL: When Tom Brady threw his 600th career touchdown pass yesterday in his Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 38-3 win over the Chicago Bears, becoming the first NFL quarterback to ever reach the mark, Mike Evans, who caught the pass, didn't realize it was a milestone play, so he gave the ball to a fan in the front row at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium. Brady unsurprisingly wanted that ball back, and the fan, 29-year-old Byron Kennedy, was good enough to agree to it -- but not at first. Kennedy told the Tampa Bay Times that he said no twice when a Bucs staffer first came over and told him Brady wanted the ball, saying, "I was hesitant to give it back." But he eventually agreed, and while Kennedy hadn't gotten anything from the Buccaneers as of last night, the Times reported it's believed they were putting together a reward package for him. Brady called Kennedy's gesture "pretty cool" after the game, and said, "He’s going to get something nice in return, so we’ll get him a helmet or a couple of jerseys or some other stuff." Ken Goldin, the founder of Goldin Auctions, tweeted that the ball could easily go for $500,000.

🏈JETS' QB WILSON INJURES KNEE: New York Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson injured his knee in the team's lopsided 54-13 loss to the New England Patriots yesterday and will undergo an MRI this morning. Wilson left the game after getting hurt on a hit in the second quarter that injured the posterior cruciate ligament of his right knee, with Wilson saying the knee got "twisted" and he "felt a pop." The Jets are hoping it's not a season-ending injury, and if it's a mild PCL sprain, Wilson could be back in three to four weeks. Mike White took over for Wilson, making his NFL debut.

🏀DEMONSTRATORS PROTEST NETS' IRVING NOT BEING ALLOWED TO PLAY: A group of a few dozen demonstrators protested outside the Barclays Center before the Brooklyn Nets' home opener yesterday over Kyrie Irving not being allowed to play because he's refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19. At one point, a small group of them broke through barriers outside Barclays and made it to the front entrance, leading arena officials to briefly close the doors as ticketed fans were trying to get in. Under a New York City mandate, pro athletes playing for teams in the city must be vaccinated to play in public venues. Although the Nets could have allowed Irving to play in road games, they decided against it.

⚾REPORT...CARDINALS TO HIRE MARMOL AS NEW MANAGER: The St. Louis Cardinals plan to hire Oliver Marmol as their new manager, according to media reports last night, after he was their bench coach for the past two seasons. The 35-year-old would be the youngest active MLB manager and the youngest to manage any team on Opening Day since 2003. Mike Shildt was fired as the Cardinals' manager earlier this month, after their playoff loss to the L.A. Dodgers.


🏒TWO MORE BLACKHAWKS PLAYERS JOIN KANE IN COVID PROTOCOL: Two more Chicago Blackhawks players, Riley Stillman and Jujhar Khaira, joined Patrick Kane in the NHL's Covid-19 protocol yesterday. It was also announced that Ryan Carpenter and Erik Gustafsson had been removed from the protocol, one day after entering it. But there was no further word on Kane, who also entered it on Saturday. The players could be in the protocol because they tested positive or because they were a close contact of someone who did. General manager Stan Bowman said before the season began that the team was 100 percent vaccinated.
Posted

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)