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Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden Says Vaccine Delivery Increasing


President Biden announced yesterday that the federal government will be sending more coronavirus vaccine doses to states over the next three weeks. He shared the news of the approximately 16 percent boost of vaccine shipments amid growing complaints and frustrations from the states about insufficient supplies. Biden also said that the government has ordered another 200 million doses of vaccine -- 100 million each of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines -- which, along with the 400 million that had already been ordered, will be enough to vaccinate 300 million with two shots each by the end of the summer or early fall.

➤NEARLY ALL REPUBLICAN SENATORS VOTE IN FAVOR OF NOT HOLDING TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRIAL: In an indication that former President Donald Trump being convicted in his Senate impeachment trial is likely a long shot, 45 of the 50 Republican senators voted yesterday in favor of a motion that would dismiss holding the trial, declaring it unconstitutional to have an impeachment trial after a president leaves office. All 50 Democrats plus five Republicans were opposed to the objection by Republican Senator Rand Paul, so the trial will go forward starting in two weeks. They rejected the claim that the trial would be unconstitutional, citing the 1876 impeachment of a secretary of war who'd already resigned. 


The House impeached Trump of "incitement of insurrection" of the U.S. Capitol attack one week after the mob riot took place. The five Republicans who voted against dismissing the trial were Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

➤CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF APOLOGIZES FOR FAILING TO PREPARE FOR ATTACK: The interim chief of the Capitol Police, Yogananda Pittman, apologized yesterday for the force not having prepared for what turned into the January 6th attack on the Capitol, despite having warnings that white supremacist and far-right groups would target Congress. In prepared testimony before Congress, Pittman wrote, "We knew that militia groups and white supremacists organizations would be attending. We also knew that some of these participants were intending to bring firearms and other weapons to the event. We knew that there was a strong potential for violence and that Congress was the target." Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, who resigned soon after the Capitol assault, said the day after it happened this his force, quote, "had a robust plan established to address anticipated First Amendment activities." However, Capitol Police officers have said they were given little guidance ahead of time and almost no communication during the assault as they were outnumbered and overwhelmed as they tried to hold off the mob.

➤INDIANAPOLIS TEEN ALLEGED TO HAVE KILLED FIVE FAMILY MEMBERS, INCLUDING PREGNANT WOMAN, AFTER DAD PUNISHED HIM: An Indianapolis 17-year-old who was arrested in the killing of five of his family members early Sunday, including a pregnant woman and a 13-year-old girl, began shooting at them after he became enraged when his father punished him for leaving the house without permission, according to local station Fox59. The suspect's name hasn't been released because he is a minor, but Fox59 and other local stations reported he was the son of 42-year-old Raymond Childs, who was one of the victims. The only person who made it out was the suspect's younger brother, who was found wounded close to the home, but is expected to survive.
 

➤SENATE CONFIRMS BLINKEN AS SECRETARY OF STATE: The Senate confirmed President Biden's nominee Antony Blinken as secretary of state Tuesday in a 78-22 vote. Blinken was deputy secretary of state and deputy national security adviser during the Obama administration. Secretary of state is the most senior Cabinet position, fourth in the line of presidential succession.

➤STUDY: SWEARING MAY BE A SIGN OF INTELLIGENCE, CREATIVITY, AND HELPS US ENDURE MORE PAIN:  Some may be offended by swearing, but those who choose to swear might actually have good qualities. Timothy Jay is a professor of psychology at Massachusetts University, and says that new research in the past two decades on the brain and emotion, along with better technology, has unveiled the benefits of swearing. He believes that there is an evolutionary advantage to using curse words, “or we would not have evolved to do it.” His older studies on swearing have shown that well-educated people were better at coming up with curse words compared to those with a smaller vocabulary, and that profanity has been linked to honesty and creativity, “as people choose such powerful words to express their emotions and when doing so an area of the right brain is activated, which is known as the ‘creative brain.’” Another study found that swearing can help lessen pain, and might even trigger our natural “fight-or-flight” response. Science has also found that unfortunately, people tend to view those who swear as lacking intelligence and trustworthiness, being less likeable, and see them as more aggressive.

➤NETFLIX, DISNEY, AND COCA COLA AMONG THE BEST THINGS TO EVER COME OUT OF AMERICA, ACCORDING TO BRITS:  It seems America is good for some things according to outsiders. A survey of 2,000 Brits finds the top ten things they say have come out of the U.S. are: 1) Netflix, 2) Disney, 3) Coca Cola, 4) McDonald’s, 5) Apple, 6) KFC, 7) Barack Obama, 8) Hollywood movies, 9) Elvis Presley, and 10) NASA. Other things that took random spots on the list of 60 things: “their wildlife—eagles, bears etc.” (30), Rosa Parks (37), Fender guitars (41), Oreos (44) and “Friendly store staff telling you to ‘have a nice day’” (53.) On the flip side, things they say are the top 5 worst things to come out of America: 1) Donald Trump, 2) obsession with guns, 3) the Kardashians, 4) Racial inequality, 5) “their politics in general.” They also hate that we “call football soccer” (8), Facebook (11), pumpkin pie (15), and “the accent” (20.)
 

➤DISNEYLAND UPDATING 'JUNGLE CRUISE RIDE: Disney is giving the iconic Jungle Cruise ride at Disney World and Disneyland an update after years of criticism of its animatronic figures depicting native people as savages or headhunters. Disney said in a blog post Monday that the ride, which first opened at Disneyland in 1955, will have an overhauled storyline and new characters that, quote, "reflect and value the diversity of the world around us." This latest move comes after Disney announced last year that it was changing the theme of the Splash Mountain flume ride from Song of the South, a 75-year-old movie that many charge is racist, to 2009's The Princess and the Frog, and after it eliminated the "Bride Auction" scene from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride three years ago.


⚾NOBODY ELECTED TO BASEBALL HALL OF FAME THIS YEAR: Nobody was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame this year for the first time since 2013, with no players getting enough votes in balloting by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens came the closest, with next year the 10th and final year they'll be eligible. Schilling later wrote on Facebook that he's asked the Hall of Fame to remove his name from next year's ballot, and that he'd like the veterans committee to review his Hall of Fame case.


🏈RODGERS CLARIFIES POST-LOSS REMARKS ABOUT COMING BACK NEXT YEAR: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers yesterday clarified remarks he'd made Sunday after the Packers lost the NFC championship game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rodgers raised speculation about his future with the Packers when he said, quote, "there’s a lot of guys’ futures that are uncertain, myself included." But yesterday he said on Sirius XM's The Pat McAfee Show, "I don’t think there’s any reason why I wouldn’t be back" with Green Bay next season. The two-time MVP has spent his entire NFL career with the Packers and has three years left on the four-year extension he signed in August 2018.

⚾REPORTS: REALMUTO REACHES FIVE-YEAR, $115.5 MILLION DEAL TO STAY WITH PHILLIES: Catcher J.T. Realmuto has reached a five-year, $115.5 million deal to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to media reports Tuesday. His average annual salary of $23.1 million will be the highest for a catcher. Realmuto has been with the Phillies since 2019, when he was traded from the Miami Marlins.
 
⚾REPORT: SEMIEN AGREES TO $18 MILLION, ONE-YEAR DEAL WITH BLUE JAYS: Shortstop Marcus Semien has agreed to an $18 million, one-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to media reports yesterday (January 26th). Semien hit .223 with seven homers and 23 RBIs in his sixth season with the Oakland A's last year. He finished third in American League MVP voting in 2019.

🏃BOSTON MARATHON TO BE HELD IN OCTOBER: After being first postponed and then canceled altogether last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Boston Marathon has been scheduled to be run this year on October 11th. The race is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday in April, which is a state holiday in Massachusetts. But it's being postponed to the fall in hopes that the pandemic situation will have improved enough by then to hold the race. Last year's cancelation was the first time the Boston Marathon wasn't held since it began in 1897.

⚾MEMORIAL HELD FOR HANK AARON AT BRAVES' TRUIST PARK: A memorial service was held at the Atlanta Braves' Truist park stadium Tuesday for Hank Aaron, the Hall of Fame legend who died last week at age 86. Aaron's widow and other family members attended the small, socially-distanced ceremony. Among those who spoke at the service were MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, former Braves outfielder Marquis Grissom, and current Braves manager Brian Snitker. There were also videotaped tributes, including from Hall of Famers John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, former Aaron teammate Dusty Baker, reigning National League MVP Freddie Freeman, and former Braves great Dale Murphy. A private funeral service for Aaron will be held today.
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