Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Wake-Up Call: U-S Troops On Red Alert


The Biden administration yesterday ordered 8,500 troops based in the U.S. to be on heightened alert for potential deployment to Europe amid growing concerns that Russia could soon invade Ukraine. The troops would be sent to Eastern Europe to be part of a NATO response force meant to signal a unified commitment to deter any wider aggression by Russia, according to the Pentagon, which said no troops are intended to be sent to Ukraine.
 
President Biden also held a video call with key European leaders yesterday on the Russian military buildup on its border with Ukraine and potential response to an invasion. He told reporters, "I had a very, very, very good meeting -- total unanimity with all the European leaders." Russia denies that it's planning an invasion, and charges that accusations from the West that it is are cover for NATO provocations.

➤FDA STOPS USE OF REGENERON, ELI LILLY COVID ANTIBODY DRUGS, NOT EFFECTIVE AGAINST OMICRON: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday that it's revoking emergency use authorization for Covid-19 antibody drugs from Regeneron and Eli Lilly because they don't work against the omicron variant, which now accounts for 99 percent of all Covid cases in the U.S. The infusion drugs had been given effectively to millions of Americans with Covid before omicron's arrival, and the FDA said that if they are shown to work against any potential future variants, it could reauthorize their use. Only one of the three leading monoclonal antibody treatments has been found to work against Covid. However, it is now in short supply, as are two new antiviral pills for Covid from Pfizer and Merck. Both Regeneron and Lilly have previously said they were developing new antibodies that target omicron.


➤OPENING STATEMENTS HEARD IN FLOYD CASE OFFICERS' FEDERAL TRIAL: The prosecution and defense gave their opening arguments yesterday in the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers who were with then-Officer Derek Chauvin when he kneeled on George Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes in May 2020, leading to his death. J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao are charged with depriving Floyd of his civil rights while acting under government authority. The prosecution accused the three of standing by as Chauvin, quote, "slowly killed George Floyd right in front of them," but a defense attorney contended that Chauvin, as the senior officer at the scene, quote, "called all of the shots." Another attorney focused on Floyd struggling with police before he was restrained, and a third said his client had raised concerns about how Floyd was being restrained, but wasn't listened to. While Chauvin was kneeling on Floyd's neck, Kueng was kneeling on Floyd’s back, Lane held Floyd's legs and Thao kept bystanders from intervening.

➤SPECIAL GRAND JURY APPROVED IN GEORGIA IN PROBE OF ELECTION PRESSURE: Fulton County, Georgia, Superior Court judges yesterday approved the request for a special grand jury from county District Attorney Fani Willis, who's investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and others broke the law by pressuring Georgia election officials to throw out Joe Biden's presidential victory. The grand jury will be seated on May 2nd. In asking for a grand jury to be empaneled, Willis said her office, quote, "has received information indicating a reasonable probability that the State of Georgia’s administration of elections in 2020, including the State’s election of the President of the United States, was subject to possible criminal disruptions."

🔥THREE BALTIMORE FIREFIGHTERS KILLED IN ROWHOUSE FIRE: Three firefighters were killed and another critically injured in Baltimore yesterday when part of a vacant rowhouse collapsed, trapping them inside as they fought a fire. Firefighters responded to call at the three-story rowhouse just before 6 a.m. The head of the Baltimore City Fire Department, Chief Niles Ford, said the cause of the fire is being investigated. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan ordered that all flags across the state be lowered to half-staff.

💑FL LAWMAKERS LOOKING TO DISCOURAGE LGBTQ TALK IN CLASSROOMS:  Florida state lawmakers are looking to ban schools from "encouraging" conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity in young students' classrooms. The legislation was advanced in the Florida House when it was passed last Thursday by the Republican-controlled Education and Employment Committee. The bill doesn't say for what grade this should apply, but its sponsor, Republican state Rep. Joe Harding, told CNN Monday (January 24th) it would be kindergarten through third grade. Harding added, "Allow things to come up organically, but don't force conversations on them." Opponents of the measure, who include Florida Democratic lawmakers, say it would hurt LGBTQ youth, who they say are at an increased risk of suicide, if they aren't able to learn about LGBTQ-related topics at school. Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani told CNN, "It's so important that we can have these conversations and talk about every type of family within our schools."


 ➤FEELING BETTER DURING DRY JANUARY? HERE’S HOW TO KEEP HEALTH HABITS GOING ALL YEAR:  If you’ve been participating in Dry January the challenge is nearly over, but if you’ve been feeling better and want to continue the lifestyle experts have some suggestions as to how to do that. Dr. Dawn Sugarman, a psychologist, says first you should make a pros and cons list—think about why you want to cut back on alcohol and what you do not enjoy about drinking. She says you should also consider the reasons you do like drinking, and then think of other ways to get to those points without alcohol. She also recommends having a plan for social situations where ordering an alcoholic beverage would be the norm. Dr. Jamile Wakim-Fleming, a liver specialist, says you should talk to your social group or family members about your plan to cut back. She also adds that you don’t even have to completely cut out alcohol to feel the good effects, saying, “If they could minimize the amount they drink, it’s going to give them a benefit. If they used to drink three glasses a night, maybe [they] should do two. If they drank every day, maybe they could do it every other day. Any amount that is less than before is a great amount.”

➤MILLENNIAL EMPLOYEES REVEAL HOW ‘MONOTASKING’ HAS CHANGED WORK LIFE: Monotasking is exactly what it sounds like--- working on a single idea, task, or project for a clearly defined amount of time. There’s now a startup called Spacetime Monotasking, and it encourages users to monotask while sharing a Zoom call with four to 12 strangers at a time. It’s the opposite of multitasking, which used to be highly valued in the job market, but has been attributed to burnout and less productivity in recent years. Most who use Spacetime Monotasking are freelancers or self-employed people who enjoy having the “gentle pressure” of having to follow up with a group after an hour or two. And though monotasking is not for everyone, the American Psychological Association (APA) has found that stress has been heightened for employees across all professions and that the stressors causing burnout are unlikely to subside anytime soon. Founder of Spacetime Monotasking, Anna Pugh explains, “[Work is] taking up so much space in your brain, and so you’re building it into this whole big thing rather than just buckling down and doing it. And so that’s basically what we’re giving people a space to do is just come. Be with that thing that maybe feels scary. It’s like gentle hand-holding.”

➤PELOTON INVOLVED IN ANOTHER TV SHOW PLOT HEART ATTACK: Peloton found itself having to respond to another instance of a TV show character having a heart attack after using one of their bikes after the Sunday episode of the drama, Billions. In the sixth season premiere, Mike "Wags" Wagner has a minor heart attack while riding his Peloton. This comes several weeks after "Mr. Big" on the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That..., suffered a fatal heart attack after riding his Peloton. But Wager survived, and says in the episode, "I'm not going out like Mr. Big." Although the episode was written and shot last spring, the showrunners said they went back and added the line. Peloton said in a tweet that it didn't know Billions would use its brand, and that it didn't provide eqiupment or agree for it to be used. They also added, "As the show itself points out, cardio-vascular exercise helps people lead long, happy lives."

🎾NADAL, KEYS ADVANCE TO AUSTRALIAN OPEN SEMIFINALS: Roger Nadal and American Madison Keys won their quarterfinal matches at the Australian Open yesterday to advance to the semifinals. Sixth-seeded Nadal took five seats to beat Number 14 Denis Shapovalov, while Keys upset fourth-seeded Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets.

🏒FLYERS' YANDLE TIES NHL'S CONSECUTIVE GAME RECORD WITH 964TH: Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle tied the NHL's consecutive games record last night with his 964th straight game, and will be able to break it on Tuesday night. The 35-year-old began his streak on March 26, 2009. He tied former center Doug Jarvis, who's held the record since October 1987, and who never played a game outside the streak.

🏀PELICANS' CENTER HAYES FACES MULTIPLE CHARGES AFTER JULY INCIDENT: New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes was charged Monday with 12 misdemeanor charges, including domestic violence, resisting arrest, and battery against a police officer, related to his July arrest at a Los Angeles home. Police were called by Hayes' girlfriend's cousin, who said Hayes was being "loud and violent." After police arrived, an argument escalated between them and Hayes and he pushed one officer into a wall. The police took Hayes down and one began kneeling one his neck. He shouted, "I can't breathe!" and another officer Tased him. Amid criticism by some of the LAPD's use of force, an internal review is being carried out. The Pelicans said in a statement, "Since before the charges were filed, the Pelicans have worked in conjunction with the NBA on the matter and will continue to do so moving forward."

🏈FAMILY TO PLAY BIG ROLE IN BRADY'S DECISION ON WHETHER TO RETURN: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady again indicated Monday that his family will be play a big role in whether he'll come back next season or retire. Appearing on his Let's Go! podcast with Jim Gray on the day after the Bucs were eliminated in a 30-27 divisional round playoff loss to the L.A. Rams, Brady said, "It's not always what I want. It's what we want as a family. And I'm gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what's next." The 44-year-old Brady, who is married and has three children, said there's no rush to make a decision. He also stated that if Sunday's loss was his last game, he would still walk away, quote, "proud and satisfied."


 🏈PACKERS NOT LOOKING TO REBUILD, WHICH WOULD BE NO-GO FOR RODGERS: It's unknown if Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return next year, and if so, if he'll be back with the Packers, where he's spent his entire career. But he made clear he doesn't want to be part of a rebuilding team, and head coach Matt LaFleur said yesterday they're not planning that. Speaking two days after Geen Bay was eliminated in the divisional round playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers, LaFleur said, "There’s no plan for a rebuild," and made clear they want Rodgers back. The 38-year-old Rodgers said after Saturday's loss, "There’s obviously a lot of decisions to be made," and that he'd have to "think about my own future and how much longer I want to keep doing this."

⚾MLB-PLAYER TALKS HELD AS LOCKOUT CONTINUES: Face-to-face talks were held between Major League Baseball and the players' union yesterday for the first time since the league began a lockout on December 1st. During the session, the players' union reportedly withdrew a proposal for more liberalized free agency, one of three major obstacles to reaching a new labor contract. The union also reportedly modified its revenue-sharing proposal. Another meeting is scheduled for today.




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