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Monday, January 10, 2022

Wake-Up Call: 19 Killed, Dozens Injured During Bronx Apartment Fire


Nineteen people were killed, including nine children, in a Bronx apartment building fire yesterday that also left dozens injured, among them as many as 13 people who were in critical condition. Investigators determined that the fire, which was New York City's deadliest in nearly 32 years, was caused by a malfunctioning space heater. The fire broke out around 11 a.m. in a duplex apartment on the second and third floors and damaged only a small part of the 19-story building, but the fleeing residents left the apartment door open, and smoke quickly spread throughout the building. 


Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said firefighters found victims on every floor, many of them in cardiac and respiratory arrest, and some couldn't escape because there was so much smoke. Although the building has smoke alarms, several residents said they often went off as false alarms, so they initially ignored them yesterday.

➤REPORT...U-S AVERAGING MORE THAN 700K NEW COVID CASES DAILY: The U.S. is averaging more than 700,000 new coronavirus cases a day amid the omicron surge, according to a USA Today analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. There were some 4.91 million cases reported in the week that ended Saturday, which USA Today said is more cases in seven days than in April, May, June and July of last year combined. Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Biden, said in a New 4 New York interview Saturday (January 8th), "I would not be surprised at all if we go over a million cases per day." As has been widely reported, omicron appears to be a milder variant, but because it's so infectious, there are still many people who need to be hospitalized, and they are putting strain on hospitals. A federal report out Saturday showed Covid hospitalizations were up 32 percent from the week before.

 
➤U-S AND RUSSIA BEGIN TALKS TODAY AMID HIGH TENSIONS OVER URKAINE: U.S. and Russian officials met in a working dinner last night in Geneva ahead of talks this week that will begin today amid high tensions over Moscow's military buildup near their border with Ukraine and concerns about possible invasion. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters as he left the dinner meeting that the talks will be, quote, "difficult." Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on ABC’s This Week yesterday that he didn’t expect any breakthroughs, saying, "The question really now is whether President [Vladimir] Putin will take the path of diplomacy and dialogue or seeks confrontation."

🏫NO SCHOOL IN CHICAGO FOR 4TH DAY AS UNION NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE: School has been canceled for a fourth day in Chicago today as negotiations continue between the Chicago Teachers Union and city officials as the union wants a temporary return to remote learning amid the omicron-driven Covid surge, and the city wants children to be in classrooms. The union says conditions in schools are currently unsafe amid the surge, with inadequate staffing and Covid testing, and voted last Tuesday night to teach remotely. School has been canceled in the nation's third-largest school district since. While negotiating, the two sides are also engaged in a war of words, with Mayor Lori Lightfoot having called the union's actions an "illegal work stoppage," and the union calling it a lockout because they want to teach, but from home, until the surge peaks.


➤POLL..AMERICAN WANTS GOV'T TO WORK MORE ON INFLATION: As we begin a new year -- which is a midterm election year -- a new poll finds that Americans are less focused on the government dealing with Covid and more on it addressing inflation than they were a year ago. In the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, just 37 percent named the pandemic as one of their top five priorities for the government to work on in 2022, compared to 53 percent who said it was a year ago at the same time. There were 68 percent who said the economy is one of their top five priorities for the government, about the same percentage as the same time last year, however, specific mentions of inflation were up significantly, to 14 percent now compared with less than one percent last year. Similarly, 24 percent name the cost of living as a needed government priority, double the 12 percent who named it last year. Higher percentages of people cited other issues as needing action than at the same time last year, including immigration among Republicans and gun control among Democrats. AP noted the poll was taken in early December, when concerns about the omicron coronavirus variant were rising, but before it caused the record cases being seen now. However, it said that in recent follow-ups, many said that didn't change their views.

➤AOC LATEST LAWMAKER WITH BREAKTHROUGH COVID CASE: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has tested positive for Covid-19, the latest lawmaker to have a breakthrough case as the New York Democrat is fully vaccinated and boosted. The high-profile congresswoman's office said Sunday that she's currently having mild symptoms and is recovering at home. The Hill reported that three other House members also announced breakthrough infections over the weekend.
 
➤DICK CARSON DIES AT AGE 92: Variety reports that Dick Carson, director on The Tonight Show and Wheel of Fortune, has died at 92. Carson was the younger brother to Johnny Carson, who recommended him for The Tonight Show months before Johnny became host. Dick directed musical talent, guest appearances, and sketches for The Tonight Show. Dick also served as the director on The Merv Griffin Show from 1972 through 1986.

➤STUDY: TEENS NOT GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP MAY CONSUME 4.5 EXTRA POUNDS OF SUGAR DURING A SCHOOL YEAR:  Sleep is important for all people, but particularly for teens. Brigham Young University researchers found that lack of sleep in teens is linked to many issues, including increased risk of weight gain and other cardiometabolic diseases because teens have worse dietary habits when they sleep less. The specifically found teens who slept six-and-a-half hours each night (short sleep) consumed more foods that were likely to spike blood sugar fast (like foods high in carbs and added sugar, or sugary drinks), compared to teens who slept nine-and-a-half hours each night (healthy sleep.) Lead study author Dr. Kara Duraccio adds, “What’s interesting is that getting less sleep didn’t cause teens to eat more than their peers getting healthy sleep; both groups consumed roughly the same amounts of calories of food. But getting less sleep caused teens to eat more junk. We suspect that tired teens are looking for quick bursts of energy to keep them going until they can do to bed […].” The scientists note, “Sleep health should be incorporated into all prevention and intervention modules for child obesity.”



➤WHERE TO WATCH BETTY WHITE’S 100TH BIRTHDAY DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL: Entertainment Tonight reports on where you can watch the new documentary that celebrates what would have been Betty White’s 100th birthday. Betty White: A Celebration will premiere for one day only on January 17th in theaters nationwide. It features interviews with actors such as Ryan Reynolds, Morgan Freeman, Robert Redford, and Tina Fey—all of which were filmed prior to White’s death on New Year’s Eve.

➤THE VIEW IS HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A CONSERVATIVE CO-HOST: According to The New York Post, The View is struggling to find a conservative co-host that will stick around. Six months after Meghan McCain left The View, producers are having trouble finding someone who works well with the liberal co-hosts. A former ABC News executive told The Post, “It’s driving Whoopi crazy … Having people come in and out with no one permanent interrupts the flow.” A spokeswoman for The View said, “The [show’s] co-hosts have great chemistry, and we look forward to finding the right fit to join these smart, funny and fearless women.”

🎾AUSTRALIAN JUDGE REINSTATES DJOKOVIC'S VISA: An Australian judge reinstated Novak Djokovic's visa on Monday, after it had been canceled when the world's top men's tennis player arrived last week ahead of the upcoming Australian Open. The Australian Border Force had said his medical exemption from being required to be vaccinated against Covid that was granted by Tennis Australia and two medical panels wasn't valid. Despite the ruling, a government attorney said the minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, quote, "will consider whether to exercise a personal power of cancellation," meaning Djokovic could again face deportation. Djokovic applied for a medical exemption on the grounds that he'd tested positive for Covid in December. Australian medical authorities have ruled a temporary exemption for the strict vaccination requirements can be given to those who've been infected with Covid within six months.

🏈NFL SCORES -- WEEK 18:

Saturday, January 8th
  • Kansas City Chiefs 28, Denver Broncos 24
  • Dallas Cowboys 51, Philadelphia Eagles 26
Sunday, January 9th
  • Cleveland Browns 21, Cincinnati Bengals 16
  • Detroit Lions 37, Green Bay Packers 30
  • Minnesota Vikings 31, Chicago Bears 17
  • Washington Football Team 22, New York Giants 7
  • Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Indianapolis Colts 11
  • Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Baltimore Ravens 13 (OT)
  • Tennessee Titans 28, Houston Texans 25
  • New Orleans Saints 30, Atlanta Falcons 20
  • Buffalo Bills 27, New York Jets 10
  • San Francisco 49ers 27, Los Angeles Rams 24 (OT)
  • Miami Dolphins 33, New England Patriots 24
  • Seattle Seahawks 38, Arizona Cardinals 30
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers 41, Carolina Panthers 17
  • Las Vegas Raiders 35, Los Angeles Chargers 32 (OT)


🏈RAIDERS, 49ERS, STEELERS MAKE PLAYOFFS ON OT WINS:
The Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers all made the playoffs because of overtime wins yesterday. The Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers 35-32 on a 47-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson with no time left on the clock in OT, eliminating the Chargers. The 49ers came back from being down 17-3 at halftime to beat the L.A. Rams 27-24, as Robbie Gould made a 24-yard field goal with two minutes, 45 seconds left in OT, and the defense held on for the win, helped by rookie Ambry Thomas' interception. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger put off his retirement a little longer, guiding Pittsburgh to a 16-13 OT win over the Baltimore Ravens. That guaranteed them as playoff spot as long as the Raiders-Chargers game didn't end in a tie.

🏈WATT TIES SINGLE-SEASON SACK RECORD: The Pittsburgh Steelers' TJ Watt tied the NFL's single-season sack record yesterday, getting one on the day to match Michael Strahan's mark of 22.5 sacks from 2001. Watt came close to breaking the record, bringing down Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley with Cam Heyward's help in the second quarter, which would have given him another half-sack. But Heyward was whistled for unnecessary roughness, and the half sack was erased.

🏈BRONCOS FIRE HEAD COACH FANGIO: The Denver Broncos fired head coach Vic Fangio yesterday after three years, during which he was 19-30, including 7-10 this season. Fangio was let go the morning after the Broncos ended their season with a 28-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, missing the playoffs for a sixth straight year.

🏈ALABAMA AND GEORGIA TO PLAY FOR CFP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TONIGHT: Number 1 Alabama, the defending champion, will face off against Number 3 Georgia in the College Football Playoff national championship game tonight. The game is being played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the home of the NFL's Colts. Alabama is trying to get its seventh title in 13 seasons, while Georgia is looking for its first national championship since 1980.

🏌CAMERON SMITH SETS NEW PGA TOUR RECORD FOR MOST UNDER PAR: Australia's Cameron Smith set a new PGA Tour record for most under par with his Sentry Tournament of Champions win yesterday (January 9th) in Hawaii by one shot over Jon Rahm, the world's top player. Smith finished at 34-under 258, three more under par than the previous record of 31-under set by Ernie Els in 2003. But while Smith set the new record, two other players also bested the old one yesterday, Rahm, who finished at 33-under 259, and Matt Jones, who ended at 32-under 260.

⚾REPORT: WOMAN TO MANAGE MINOR LEAGUE TEAM FOR YANKEES: The Athletic reported yesterday (January 9th) that Rachel Balkovec will manage the low-A Tampa Tarpons team for the New York Yankees this season, making her the first female manager in affiliated professional baseball. Balkovec has been a minor league hitting coach for the Yankees since in 2019. She was first hired in pro baseball as a minor league strength and conditioning coach by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012.




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