Thursday, January 20, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Voting Rights Efforts Fails In Senate

Daily Mail graphic 1/20/22

The expected failure of voting rights legislation being pushed by Democrats took place in the Senate last night, with Republicans united in opposition and Democrats falling short of the votes to change the filibuster rules to allow it to pass without having to overcome a GOP filibuster. As they had said they would, moderate Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema voted against changing the filibuster rules for the voting legislation -- which they say they support -- and the attempt failed on a 48-52. After the votes, which came following a day of emotional floor debate and speeches, President Biden said in a statement, "I am profoundly disappointed." But he stated he'd, quote, "explore every measure and use every tool at our disposal to stand up for democracy." Among its provisions, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act would make Election Day a national holiday, ensure access to early and mail-in voting, and allow the Justice Department to intervene in states with a history of voter interference. Voting rights activists say changes in voting laws that have been passed in Republican-led states since the 2020 election will make it harder for Black voters and others to cast their ballot. But Republicans have cast the legislation as an attempted federal takeover of state election systems.


➤BIDEN THINKS RUSSIA WILL INVADE UKRAINE, WARNS PUTIN OF CONSEQUENCES: President Biden said yesterday that he thinks Russia will invade Ukraine, saying, "my guess is he will move in," and warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of the consequences if that happens, saying his country will pay a, quote, "dear price" in lives lost and possibly being cut off from the global banking system. Speaking during a marathon news conference marking his first year in office, Biden also said a, quote, "minor incursion" -- which he later clarified to mean a non-military action, such as a cyberattack -- would draw a lesser response that would be a similar reciprocal one. While explaining the "minor incursion" remark, Biden referred to our NATO allies, saying, "it’s very important that we keep everyone in NATO on the same page." Tensions are high as Russia has massed some 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine. After talks last week failed to ease tensions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Ukraine yesterday, will be in Germany today for talks with allies, and will meet Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Switzerland.

Daily Mail graphic 1/20/22


 
During the nearly two-hour press conference, Biden addressed other issues include the pandemic and inflation, which he promised to take further action to tackle, voting rights, nuclear talks with Iran, trade with China, and his Build Back Better legislation, which has stalled in the Senate. Biden said he'd likely have to break up the sweeping legislation into "big chunks" and try to get them passed that way.


➤SUPREME COURT PERMITS RELEASE OF TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS TO JAN. 6 COMMITTEE: The Supreme Court yesterday allowed the release of Trump administration presidential documents to the House committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. With the 8-1 vote, the high court rejected an attempt by former President Donald Trump to keep the documents from the committee until his claims of executive privilege over them is resolved by the courts. Only Justice Clarence Thomas was in opposition. The documents, which are held by the National Archives and Records Administration, include presidential diaries, visitor logs, speech drafts, and handwritten notes related to January 6th from former chief of staff Mark Meadows' files. The committee began to receive the records after the ruling.

🛫SOME FLIGHTS CANCELED BY AIRLINES AFTER 5G ROLLOUT: Some flights to and from the U.S. were canceled by airlines yesterday due to the 5G high-speed wireless service rollout, even after AT&T and Verizon scaled back the rollout due to concerns by airlines that it could interfere with altimeters on planes, which measure their altitude. Following warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration and airplane maker Boeing, international airlines that rely on Boeing planes canceled flights or switched to different planes. Airlines that rely most on Airbus jets seemed to be less affected by the new 5G, according to the Associated Press. Airlines had canceled more than 320 flights by yesterday evening, according to FlightAware, a little over two percent of the total in the U.S. AT&T and Verizon agreed to a reduced 5G rollout near more than 80 U.S. airports while a longer-term solution is reached.

➤TWO MARINES KILLED IN NORTH CAROLINA MILITARY VEHICLE ROLLOVER: Two U.S. Marines were killed and 17 others injured, two of them critically, yesterday when their large military vehicle rolled over near North Carolina's Camp Lejeune. The driver of the seven-ton tactical vehicle was going too fast while trying to make a turn, causing the rollover. Seventeen Marines in the back of the vehicle were ejected, and another military vehicle that was behind them was unable to stop and hit one of them. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said that the 19-year-old driver of the tactical vehicle, Louis Barrera, had been charged with one count of exceeding a safe speed and two misdemeanor counts of death by motor vehicle.


➤FBI CARRIES OUT SEARCH OF REP. CUELLAR'S TEXAS HOME: The FBI carried out what it said was a "court-authorized" search of the Laredo home of Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat, Wednesday evening, saying it was part of an "ongoing investigation." They didn't provide further information. CNN cited a Cuellar spokesperson as saying the congressman, quote, "will fully cooperate in any investigation," adding, "He is committed to ensuring that justice and the law are upheld." Valerie Gonzales of The Monitor newspaper tweeted that, quote, "by around 7:30 p.m., a group of agents loaded large bags, plastic bins, and a computer into a federal vehicle."

☕NEW REVIEW SUGGESTS COFFEE CONSUMPTION CAN STIMULATE DIGESTION:  Coffee can aid in digestion, suggests a new study. Researchers reviewed over 100 studies, and determined that coffee has a stimulating effect on some digestive processes, and a possible protective effect against common digestive complaints such as gallstones. They also found some evidence of coffee consumption reducing one’s risk of pancreatitis, but say more research would be needed on that. Specifically, they found coffee is associated gastric, biliary, and pancreatic secretions, all necessary for the digestion of food; coffee appears to be associated with positive changes in the composition of gut microbes; and coffee is associated with stimulation of the colon—and can be linked to a deceased risk of chronic constipation. The scientists also note the latest findings also suggest that coffee may protect against liver diseases, including one of the most common types of liver cancer.
 
💰SURVEY..LESS THAN HALF OF AMERICANS HAVE $1,000 TO COVER UNEXPECTED EMERGENCY:  If you have an unexpected emergency that required $1,000 to handle, would have the money to do it? A new survey from personal finance company Bankrate found that less than half of Americans could, with only 44 percent saying they had enough saved to cover a $1,000 emergency. At the same time, that's the highest percentage who would be able to cover such an emergency expense in the last eight years of polling. For those who couldn't come up with $1,000 from their savings, 20 percent said they'd charge it to a credit card, 10 percent said they' borrow from family or friends, and another four percent said they'd take out a personal loan. Age didn't play a factor, with the survey finding only a small difference between generations in being able to cover a $1,000 emergency cost, but there was a difference in education levels, with 59 percent of college graduates saying they'd be able to use savings to cover the expense, compared to 40 percent of those who only attended some college and 34 percent of those with just a high school diploma. Despite those who could cover the expense with savings being at an eight-year high, respondents cited inflation as a factor, with 49 percent of adults saying they were saving less due to inflation.

🧒STUDENTS WITH ATTENTION PROBLEMS MORE LIKELY TO CHEAT:  Kids who have issues paying attention in class are more likely to admit to cheating. Ohio State University researchers found that inattention led to hyperactivity in students, and both together contributed to higher levels of cheating. The issue is important because many students with attention problems don’t get an official diagnosis. Study leader Eric Anderman explains, “Students diagnosed with ADHD get a lot of support and help in school, but many other kids with attention problems fall through the cracks. They don’t get the help they need that could help them do better in school and avoid cheating.” Ultimately, inattention was found to be the main driver of problems in the classroom. About seven-to-nine percent of kids ages 17 and younger have ADHD, but studies suggest that up to three times as many have problems with attention or hyperactivity. Anderman adds, “There are so many evidence-based programs that can help these students who have problems with attention learn to self-regulate, to learn how to be a learner. If they had access to these programs, they could learn in class and they wouldn’t have to cheat.”

🏀EMBIID TIES CAREER HIGH WITH 50 POINTS IN 27 MINUTES: Philadelphia center Joel Embiid tied his career high with 50 points in the 76ers' 123-110 win over the Orlando Magic last night, scoring them in just 27 minutes. The MVP candidate also had 12 rebounds, and according to Elias Sports Bureau, he had at least 50 points and 10 rebounds in the fewest minutes of any NBA player since 1955.

🎾THIRD SEED MUGURUZA UPSET IN SECOND ROUND AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Third-seeded woman Garbine Muguruza of Spain was upset in the second round at the Australian Open yesterday, falling to 61st-ranked Alize Cornet in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Also eliminated was sixth-seeded Anett Kontaveit, while Number 2 Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the third round, but needed three sets to hold off 100th-ranked Wang Xinyu. On the men's side, 13th-seeded Diego Schwartzman was upset by wild-card entry Chris O'Connell, while Number 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas and Number 5 Andrey Rublev were among those who advanced to the third round.

🏈NFL ASKS COURT TO DISMISS GRUDEN LAWSUIT: The NFL has filed a motion asking a Nevada court to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden. The NFL said Gruden's accusations that the league leaked his offensive emails from several years ago are "baseless." Gruden resigned from the Raiders last October after the emails that included racist, misogynist and homophobic language surfaced. He accused NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell of carrying out a, quote, "malicious and orchestrated campaign" to destroy his career. The NFL denied leaking the emails, which were sent to former Washington Football Team executive Bruce Allen and others from 2011 to 2018 when Gruden was an ESPN announcer. They came from 650,000 emails obtained by the NFL during an investigation into the workplace culture at Washington.
 

➤NCAA INSTITUTING SPORT-BY-SPORT APPROACH FOR TRANS ATHLETES: The NCAA's Board of Governors yesterday (January 19th) approved a new sport-by-sport approach for transgender athletes, effective immediately, under which their participation in each sport will be determined by the policy for the sport's national governing body. By doing this, the NCAA will be following for college athletes the latest guidelines for the U.S. and International Olympic Committees. The previous policy was uniform across all sports and was based on hormone therapy requirements.

➤UNIV. OF MICHIGAN REACHES $490 MILLION SETTLEMENT OVER SEXUAL ABUSE BY SPORTS DOCTOR: The University of Michigan announced Wednesday that it had reached a $490 million settlement with more than 1,000 people, most of them men, who said they were sexually assaulted by Dr. Robert Anderson during the sports doctor's nearly four decades at the school. The accusers say they were abused during routine medical exams by Anderson, who died in 2008. Anderson, who worked at the university from 1966 until he retired in 2003, was the director of the university's Health Service and physician for several athletic teams. A report conducted by an outside firm hired by the school found that staff had missed many opportunities to stop Anderson.


 


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