Thursday, February 4, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden Wants Fast Action On COVID Relief Plan


SUGGESTS HE'S OPEN TO CHANGES: President Biden said in a private call with House Democrats yesterday to, quote, "act fast" and "go big" on his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan, but he also suggested he's open to changes, saying he's, quote, "not married" to an absolute dollar amount for the overall package, according to AP. 
USAToday 2/4/21

One of those changes could be reducing the income threshold for which Americans would be eligible for a new $1,400 direct payment, something that could draw some Republican support for the package, but he insisted that there be $1,400 payment, saying, "I’m not going to start my administration by breaking a promise to the American people." 

Biden would like to have bipartisan support, and talks with some Republicans continue, but he is prepared to move forward with getting the relief plan through using just the Democratic majority in Congress.

➤STUDY: ASTRAZENECA VACCINE MAY REDUCE COVID-19 TRANSMISSION: Oxford University researchers said Wednesday that AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine shows some evidence it may reduce transmission of the virus and offers strong protection for three months with a single dose. The preliminary findings could bolster the U.K.'s controversial strategy of delaying the second shot for up to 12 weeks, instead of the recommended four weeks, so more people can get the first shot more quickly. It's not clear what implications the research results might have for the two vaccines being used in the U.S., from Pfizer and Moderna. It's been unclear whether the vaccines could not only prevent illness, but also stop someone transmitting the virus even if they don't get sick. Because of that uncertainty, people being vaccinated have been advised to continue to wear masks and distance from others.

Wall Street Journal 2/4/21
U.S. Passes 450,000 Deaths: The U.S. has passed 450,000 deaths from the coronavirus, with the death toll at more than 450,700 as of early this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University's count.

➤HOUSE REPUBLICANS KEEP CHENEY IN LEADERSHIP, STAND BEHIND GREENE: House Republicans rejected an effort yesterday to punish Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming for her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump by removing her from her position as the the party's Number 3 leader in the House. The Republican lawmakers voted 145-61 in a secret ballot against her removal, an effort that was led by hardline GOP House members. Cheney said during the private session, I won't apologize for the vote."


The House Republicans also said they'd stand behind controversial freshman GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene against an effort by the Democrats to remove her from House committees in a vote set for today, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy spoke out against the Democrats' move. Greene has faced criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, for her online support of racist and violent views, including "likes" for violence against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama, and conspiracy theories, including questioning the reality of deadly school shootings and supporting QAnon theories. AP cited sources as saying Greene apologized to her colleagues during yesterday's meeting, but there were conflicting versions of what she said. McCarthy condemned Greene's past support of conspiracy theories, but said she'd recognized in a private conversation that she must meet a, quote, "higher standard" as a member of Congress.

➤DEFENSE SECRETARY ORDERS MILITARY LEADERS TO ADDRESS EXTREMISM IN RANKS: New Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered military leaders to speak with troops about extremism in the ranks, after it was found that current and former military members took part in the attack on the U.S. Capitol last month. A Pentagon spokesman said Austin met with the military service chiefs and secretaries yesterday and said he would order a "stand down" by all units in the next 60 days, with the operational pause to be used to discuss extremism. The spokesman said Austin, a retired U.S. Army four-star general and the nation's first Black defense secretary, wants to get a better sense of the scope of the problem in the military.
 

➤PROSECUTORS ASK FOR ARREST, HIGHER BOND FOR RITTENHOUSE: Wisconsin prosecutors asked a judge yesterday for a new arrest warrant and to increase bail by $200,000 for Kyle Rittenhouse, the 18-year-old charged with fatally shooting two people and injuring a third during a protest over police brutality in Kenosha last August, saying he violated his bail conditions. Prosecutors alleged that Rittenhouse failed to inform the court of his change of address within 48 hours of moving. They said they learned he was no longer living at his address when the court mailed him a notice that was returned as undeliverable, and detectives went to the location and found another person had rented the apartment. Rittenhouse’s attorney told the judge that the teen had moved to what he called an "undisclosed Safe House" because of death threats and that he offered to give prosecutors the new address in November if they'd keep it secret, but they refused. Rittenhouse claims he acted in self-defense and conservatives who've rallied around him raised the money to pay his $2 million bail. A judge ordered Rittenhouse last month not to have any contact with white supremacists after he was seen posing for photos with two men making an "OK" sign that white supremacists use as a symbol while drinking at a bar with his mother. Several men at the bar also sang a song to Rittenhouse that is the anthem of the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys.
 

➤COVID-19 AND SUPER BOWL PARTIES: ARE THEY WORTH THE RISK?  Super Bowl parties are an American tradition, but the pandemic is putting a damper on them this year. The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said yesterday, “As much fun as it is to get together in a big Super Bowl party, now is not the time to do that. Every time we do have something like this, there is always a spike [in coronavirus cases], be it a holiday, Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving.” The experts say a Super Bowl party means people are indoors, with masks down to eat and drink, plus there is potentially a lot of yelling and excitement—all things that make having such a party a high-risk activity. If you insist on still having a Super Bowl party, there are some ways to make it safer, including: having everyone wear masks as much as possible, having an outdoor party if you can, if you live somewhere chilly have the party in your garage if you can (and leave the door open to allow for cross-ventilation—also adding in a space heater is ok), encourage hand washing, keeping a minimum distance from people of six feet, having people bring their own food rather than sharing communal dishes, refraining from sharing hand towels, and leaving cleaning supplies out (like bleach wipes) so guests can wipe down the bathroom surfaces after they use it.

➤STUDY...GRADUALLY GAINING WEIGHT CAN EXTEND YOUR LIFESPAN:  Gaining weight slowly over time has been linked to a longer life. A new study finds that people who started adulthood at a normal weight and then slowly became overweight, but not obese, as they aged tended to live longer. The study found that people who were normal weight at age 31 and gradually moved to overweight status in middle or later adulthood had the lowest mortality risk, even compared to those who maintained a normal weight throughout adulthood. Those with the second-lowest mortality risk were those who were considered overweight but were able to maintain a stable weight, followed by those with a “lower level” of normal weight, and those who were overweight as adults but then lost weight over the years. Those who were obese in early adulthood and then gained more weight with age showed the highest mortality rate. One issue with the study is that it relied on Body Mass Index (BMI) to classify people’s weight, which one expert points out, “cannot distinguish between fat and muscle mass.” He adds, “The BMI at any given time is a snapshot in time. It’s more helpful to study the BMI profile of a person over time, say, since childhood or adolescence rather than only one point in time. People who have been obese for longer periods tend to have higher burden of disease.”

➤POLL..AMERICAN PLAN TO FOCUS MORE ON HEALTH THAN CAREER AFTER PANDEMIC: The coronavirus pandemic has caused a shift in priorities for a majority of Americans, according to a new poll that found people say they're planning to focus more on health and happiness instead of career and success after the pandemic. The OnePoll survey found that 68 percent said they're emerging from the pandemic with a new attitude, with seven in 10 saying they plan to live each day to the fullest and 71 percent saying they value the little things in life now more than ever. Among the concrete changes Americans are making, 45 percent are speaking to their families more, 43 percent are speaking their minds more truthfully, 42 percent are planning to take more vacation time when it's safe to do so, and 40 percent plan to be more confident and express themselves creatively. The poll showed two life milestones are less of a priority, with marriage down 11 percent and achieving a successful career down five percent.




🏈CHIEFS' BARBER TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID JUST BEFORE CUTTING 20-PLUS PLAYERS' HAIR: The Kansas City Chiefs had a close call with what would have been a disastrous situation one week before the Super Bowl when a barber tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday (January 31st) as he was cutting center Daniel Kilgore's hair and was set to cut the hair of more than 20 other players, including quarterback Patrick Mahomes, ESPN reported Wednesday. When the rapid test's positive result came back, the barber was immediately removed from the facility, without even finishing Kilgore's haircut. The same barber had cut receiver Demarcus Robinson's hair the day before, and even though the barber, Kilgore and Robinson had all been wearing masks, the two players were put on the reserve/Covid-19 list. They have to quarantine, but if they continue to test negative, they will be allowed to play in the Super Bowl.
 
➤'MADDEN NFL 21' SIMULATION PICKS CHIEFS TO WIN SUPER BOWL: It's that time of year again for the Super Bowl simulation prediction from EA Sports' Madden NFL franchise, and this year the Madden NFL 21 simulation has the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to repeat as Super Bowl champions. The final score in the simulation was a 37-27 Chiefs' win, and it included Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes getting the go-ahead touchdown on a 12-yard fourth quarter scramble to go up 34-27. Mahomes also takes home the MVP, throwing for 422 yards and four touchdowns. Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady had 322 yards with three touchdowns and an interception.

🏀NBA: NO PLAYERS TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID IN PAST WEEK: The NBA said yesterday that no additional players had tested positive for Covid-19 in the previous week, after nearly two dozen games had to be called off in the past month because of coronavirus-related issues. After 27 players were positive in results between January 6th and January 19th, only one player has been positive since. The NBA has put strict rules in place to keep the cases as low as possible.

🏈NFL SAYS CONCUSSIONS DOWN FIVE PERCENT THIS SEASON; MASKS KEY TO COVID FIGHT: The NFL said yesterday that concussions were down five percent this season, the third year in a row where there's been a reduction in concussions, about 25 percent down from previous years. NFL executive VP of communications, public affairs and policy said, "This is progress. This is not a success. We will continue to implement our concussion reduction strategy . . . " The NFL's chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, also talked about the coronavirus, saying the league's data showed that masks were the, quote, "key element" in preventing transmission. He said there'd been 262 Covid cases among players and 463 cases among coaches, staff and other personnel for an overall test positivity rate from August 1st through the end of January of just 0.08 percent.

🏀FLORIDA'S KEYONTAE JOHNSON'S COLLAPSE NOT CAUSED BY COVID: The family of Florida forward Keyontae Johnson said yesterday that his scary collapse during a game two months ago wasn't, quote, "related to or a result of a previous or current" Covid-19 diagnosis. Johnson was rushed to the hospital on December 12th after falling face-first onto the court during a timeout in the first half of a game against Florida State in Tallahassee. He slowly recovered in the days that followed. Although Johnson had tested positive for Covid during the summer, the family said doctors have determined the virus didn't play a role in his collapse. Neither a diagnosis nor a cause of Johnson's collapse has been publicly disclosed. Johnson rejoined the team later in December, but hasn't played since and his family said he won't play again this season as he focuses on his recovery.
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