Thursday, March 11, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Checks Are Coming


CONGRESS PASSES $1.9 TRILLION COVID RELIEF BILL, HEADS TO BIDEN FOR SIGNATURE: President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill was approved by Congress yesterday, passed by the House on a near party-line 220-211 vote after having been passed by the Senate, also on a party-line vote, over the weekend. All Republicans in the House and Senate voted against it. The legislation now heads to Biden, who said he will sign it on Friday. A central part of the bill will send $1,400 to most Americans, and it also includes money for Covid vaccines and testing, aid to state and local governments, help for schools, the restaurant and airline industries, and more. It further extends $300 weekly emergency unemployment benefits into September, and includes expanded tax credits for children and child care.


 Biden will deliver the first prime-time address of his presidency tonight, marking the one-year anniversary of the Covid pandemic, and will speak about the relief legislation during his remarks.

➤SENATE CONFIRMS GARLAND AS ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Senate confirmed federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland as the new U.S. attorney general Wednesday (March 10th), approving his nomination on a 70-30 bipartisan vote. The elevation of the widely-respected Garland comes five years after Senate Republicans refused to hold a vote on his nomination for the Supreme Court by then-President Barack Obama after the February 2016 death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Among those who voted to approve Garland's nomination yesterday was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who in 2016 as majority leader blocked the vote. Garland said during his confirmation hearings that his first priority would be to fight extremist violence, initially focused on the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6th.

➤AIDE CLAIMS CUOMO GROPED HER IN GOVERNOR'S MANSION: An aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has charged that he groped her in the governor’s residence late last year, The Times-Union of Albany, New York, reported yesterday (March 10th), the most serious allegation that's been made of several by women accusing him of sexual harassment. According to the report, the unnamed woman was alone with Cuomo after he summoned her to come to the governor's mansion to help him with his cellphone. She charges he closed the door, reached under her shirt and fondled her. Cuomo said through a spokesman in response, "I have never done anything like this," while also saying, "The details of this report are gut-wrenching." He cited an ongoing investigation in saying he wouldn't address the specifics of any allegation, including this one. Cuomo has refused any calls to resign.

➤TRIAL FOR 18-YEAR-OLD ACCUSED OF KILLING TWO DURING WISCONSIN PROTESTS DELAYED FOR MONTHS: The trial for 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who's accused of killing two people and wounding a third during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last August against police brutality, was delayed yesterday (March 10th) by at least seven months. Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, faces multiple charges, including reckless homicide. The trial was scheduled to begin on March 29th, but both the prosecution and defense said they needed more time to prepare. A new trial date was set for November 1st. However, the judge said the trial could potentially be pushed back further.
➤PROPOSED LEGISLATION WOULD MAKE DST PERMANENT: Daylight Saving Time will begin this weekend, and if some senators had their way, it would never end. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is reintroducing legislation, called the Sunshine Protection Act, that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, one of the measure's co-sponsors, cited several benefits of making the change, including helping reduce the risk of seasonal depression and reducing the number of car accidents. Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who also backs making Daylight Saving Time permanent, said studies have shown it would, quote, "improve public health, public safety, and mental health -- especially important during this cold and dark COVID winter." Daylight Saving Times is currently in effect for eight months of the year, starting on the second Sunday in March and ending on the first Sunday in November. Hawaii and Arizona are the only states that don't observe it.

➤STUDY...SOCIETY STIGMATIZES HAIR LOSS, BALD PEOPLE SEEN AS LESS ATTRACTIVE, DIRTY: It seems society does not favor bald people. Harvard researchers surveyed 2,000 people about how they felt about hair loss. They found that about 17 percent said they’d be uncomfortable having physical contact with someone with alopecia, which is the medical term for hair loss. Also, six percent said they would not be comfortable hiring someone with alopecia, and people generally viewed those with hair loss as being sick (30%), not attractive (27%), contagious (10%), unintelligent (4%), and dirty (4%.) Researchers note, “These findings confirm the concerns of patients with alopecia who have expressed fear that their disease could affect their professional careers.”

➤CICADAS LIVING UNDERGROUND FOR THE PAST 17 YEARS TO EMERGE IN THESE STATES THIS SUMMER: Cicadas are a part of summer many people might like to forget. But, scientists from several US universities say a brood of periodical cicadas is set to emerge from underground for the first time in 17 years. It’s known as Brood X, or the “Big Brood,” and will likely first emerge across the Southern US at the beginning of spring, before surfacing in states along the East Coast. Americans can likely expect to see swarms across 15 states as the ground temperature warms. Dr. Michael Raupp says, “[…] They’re going to emerge in massive numbers. And, when I say massive, I mean massive. There are going to be as many as 1.5 million cicadas per acre. This is going to translate up and down the coast west of the Mississippi—people say billions. I tend to hyperbole, but I’m saying there are probably going to be trillions.” The black-bodied insects with bright red eyes last appeared en masse in 2004, and generally die after two-to-four weeks, following intercourse. Raupp recommended that people who might be afraid of cicadas try to learn as much about the harmless insects known for their loud mating calls as they can.


🏌TIGER WOODS MAY BE DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL SOON: Tiger Woods is in good spirits and may be discharged from the hospital soon. According to Ace Show Biz, Tiger's friend, golfer Rory McIlroy said that Tiger is "feeling better" and may be transferred to his home in Florida in the "next week or so."

He told Jimmy Fallon, “He’s doing better. Hopefully if things go well over the next week or so he might be able to get home and start recovery at home (sic).”

Rory added that Tiger is still trash talking from his hospital bed, saying, “Even from the hospital bed, he’s still giving me some heat! I just think all of us are wishing him a speedy recovery at this point.”

As previously reported, Tiger was in a serious car crash near Rancho Palos Verdes in California on February 21st. He suffered multiple injuries, including breaking his leg and shattering his angle.

🏈KANSAS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR STEPPING DOWN AFTER MILES OUSTED OVER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT CLAIMS: Kansas athletic director Jeff Long is stepping down, with the university announcing the news yesterday, two days after football head coach Les Miles was ousted over allegations of sexual misconduct while he was head coach at LSU. Long hired Miles to be Kansas' coach in 2018, and the two have a long relationship dating back decades. Long said in a statement that he and the university's chancellor had agreed it was in the best interest of the program and its student-athletes for him to resign.

🏀ALDRIDGE LEAVING SPURS: San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich announced last night that LaMarcus Aldridge is leaving, something he said the team and Aldridge had mutually agreed on. He said, "He won't be with the team moving forward," but denied any issue, stating, "There was no problem there." The Spurs will try to trade the 35-year-old before the March 25th deadline, or could buy him out so he's a free agent. Aldridge was in his sixth season with the Spurs after playing his first nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers.

🏒PANARIN REJOINS RANGERS FROM TWO-WEEK LEAVE: New York Rangers star player Artemi Panarin rejoined the team at practice yesterday after taking a two-week leave of absence. Head coach David Quinn said the timeline for his return to play is still unclear. Panarin left the team on February 22nd after a Russian tabloid printed allegations from a former coach that he attacked a woman in Latvia almost a decade ago. He denies the claim, and the Rangers said it was a fabricated story meant to intimidate Panarin for his political views. Panarin has been a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.


➤EDELMAN WRITES OPEN LETTER TO HEAT'S LEONARD, WHO USED ANTI-SEMITIC SLUR: New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman wrote an open letter to Miami Heat forward Meyers Leonard Wednesday, in the wake of Leonard using an anti-semitic slur while playing a livestreamed video game earlier this week. Leonard publicly apologized, saying he didn't know at the time what the word meant. The Heat said Tuesday that he would be away from the team indefinitely and the NBA is investigating. Edelman, who is Jewish, wrote, "I get the sense you didn't use that word out of hate, more out of ignorance. Most likely, you weren't trying to hurt anyone or even profile Jews in your comment. That's what makes it so destructive." He continued, "When someone intends to be hateful, it's usually met with great resistance. Casual ignorance is harder to combat and has greater reach, especially when you command great influence. Hate is like a virus. Even accidentally, it could rapidly spread." He ended by inviting Leonard to a Shabbat dinner.

🏒NHL REACHES SEVEN-YEAR DEAL WITH ESPN: The NHL has reached a seven-year deal with ESPN, with games to be shown on the sports network for the first time 2004. Included in the deal, which starts next season, will be 25 regular-season games on ESPN or ABC, early-round playoff series and one conference final each year, and four Stanley Cup Final series on ABC. The deal also includes opening-night games and the NHL All-Star Game. Since 2004, all NHL games have been on NBC or its cable stations.
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