Monday, March 22, 2021

Wake-Up Call: DHS Head Says The Border Is Closed


BIDEN SAYS WILL VISIT 'AT SOME POINT': Amid the ongoing surge of people trying to cross the border with Mexico into the U.S., Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared on several morning shows Sunday to talk about the issue.
 


 He said on NBC's Meet the Press, "The border is closed," a point he repeated on more than one show, and said on ABC's This Week that the message to migrants is, "Do not come." The U.S. is, however, letting unaccompanied children in, which is overwhelming facilities to hold them, and Mayorkas said new facilities are being built, but declined on CNN's State of the Union to say when they'll be up and running. Mayorkas placed some of the blame on the Trump administration, saying on This Week" 

"[T]he entire system under United States law that has been in place throughout administrations of both parties was dismantled in its entirety by the Trump administration. So we are rebuilding the system as we address the needs of vulnerable children who arrive at our borders." Meanwhile, President Biden told reporters later in the day that he'd visit the border, quote, "at some point," and said the administration was working to reestablish a program that let refugees apply for asylum from their home countries.




➤MIAMI BEACH, OVERWHELMED BY SPRING BREAK REVELERS, EXTENDS CURFEW: Miami Beach leaders voted yesterday to extend an emergency curfew as the city and its police force have been overwhelmed by spring revelers, with incidents that have been disruptive and violent. The 8 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew in the entertainment district began Saturday for 72 hours, but will now remain in effect through the end of the month, and could possibly be extended to mid-April. Miami Beach officials said the city has made over 1,000 arrests since February, and there have been growing crowd control issues, with Police Chief Richard Clements saying they've seized what he called an "alarming" number of guns. Mayor Dan Gelber also said that he doesn't believe the people coming are the usual college spring breakers, saying, Florida's loose Covid rules have encouraged people from other states to come.

➤REPORT: IRAN THREATENS FORT MCNAIR, ARMY'S VICE CHIEF OF STAFF: Iran has made threats against Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., and the Army's vice chief of staff, General Joseph M. Martin, the Associated Press reported yesterday, citing two senior U.S. intelligence officials. The sources said communications intercepted in January captured Iran's Revolutionary Guard discussing carrying out, quote, "USS Cole-style attacks" on the Army base, referring to the 2000 attack in Yemen in which a small boat pulled up next to the U.S. Navy destroyer in the port of Aden and exploded, killing 17 U.S. sailors. The intercepted communications also contained threats to kill Martin and plans to infiltrate and surveil the Army post, which is his official residence. The threats are part of the reason the Army has been pushing for more security around Fort McNair, according to AP, which city leaders have been fighting against.
 

➤CONGRESSMAN REED APOLOGIZES AFTER MISCONDUCT CLAIM, SAYS WILL RETIRE AFTER TERM: Rep. Tom Reed apologized yesterday to a female lobbyist named Nicolette Davis after The Washington Post reported days earlier that he allegedly rubbed her back and unhooked her bra without her consent at a bar in 2017. The New York Republican also announced he won't run for reelection next year. The 49-year-old said in a statement that the incident involving Davis took place, quote, "at a time in my life in which I was struggling." He said he went into treatment that year and realized he was, quote, "powerless over alcohol." Reed also apologized to his wife and children. Reed had been calling for the resignation of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo over sexual harassment allegations that have been made against him, and in February said he was seriously considering running against Cuomo if the governor ran for a fourth term next year. But Reed said yesterday he won't run for any office next year.


➤STUDY: LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN CUTS COVID-19 PATIENTS’ RISK OF BEING ADMITTING TO THE ICU OR DYING BY NEARLY HALF: Taking a low-dose of aspirin could really be beneficial for COVID-19 patients. Researchers found that taking the medication daily could lower the likelihood of the patient needing a ventilator or being admitted to the ICU by more than 40 percent. It also cut their risk of death by nearly 50 percent compared to people who were not taking the medication. The experts say it’s because the medication is a blood thinner and COVID-19 can cause blood clots that can make the illness more severe. The researchers write, “Aspirin use may be associated with improved outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.” They also note that further research would be needed to find out more about the possible benefits.

➤SURVEY..MORE THAN ONE-THIRD OF GYM MEMBERS DON'T INTEND TO RETURN: The number of people canceling their gym memberships soared over the last year amid the pandemic, with gyms either closed in many places or reopened with safety restrictions. But now that vaccines have brought the light at the end of the tunnel of hopefully ending the pandemic significantly closer, it turns out many of those people don't plan to return to the gym even when it is over. A survey by sports company RunRepeat found that more than one-third of U.S. gym members don't intend to ever return. The survey questioned 11,000 gym members around the world, and the U.S. had the highest percentage, 35 percent, who said they won't return, even after being vaccinated, with the global average at 28 percent.

➤STUDY: SOME PEOPLE AGE MORE SLOWLY:  People really do age at different rates, a new study confirms. Duke University researchers found that by age 45, those with a faster pace of “biological aging” were more likely to feel, function, and look far older than they actually were. And for those individuals the relative sprint toward old age began in their 20s. The experts say this shows we need to take a different view of aging. Researcher Maxwell Elliott says, “Aging is a lifelong process. It doesn’t suddenly begin at the age of 60.” It’s believed genes likely play a role in biological aging, but nothing is set in stone, as lifestyle choices, and environmental factors also contribute. In the future, the researchers hope they can translate what they’re learning about the aging process into medications that can be given to people at the right time.
 

➤FINLAND IS THE WORLD’S HAPPIEST COUNTRY:  Do you consider yourself a happy person? The World Happiness Report was recently released, and it says that Finland, Iceland, and Denmark are the happiest countries in the world, while Sweden came in sixth place and Norway came in eighth. Finland’s death rate from COVID-19 is the lowest in the European Union, and the country scored high in the categories of freedom, healthy lifestyle, and social solidarity. New Zealand also made it into the top ten happiest countries, after virtually stopping transmission of the virus. The United States came in 14th place, while the U.K. came in at 18th place. Zimbabwe came out at the bottom of the list in 95th place, while Tanzania took 94th place, Jordan took 93rd, and India took 92nd.


🏀LOYOLA-CHICAGO UPSETS ILLINOIS 71-58 IN NCAA MEN'S TOURNAMENT'S SECOND ROUND: Eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago upset Illinois 71-58 in the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament Sunday, making Illinois the first Number 1 seed sent home this year. Among the day's other second-round results: Number 12 Oregon State beat fourth-seeded Oklahoma State 80-70; Number 15 Oral Roberts topped Number 7 Florida 81-78; and Number 11 Syracuse downed third-seeded West Virginia 75-72. With those three upsets, there are now three double-digit seeds that have reached the Sweet Sixteen so far, with eight more second-round games set for today.

🏀LAMELO BALL HAS BROKEN WRIST, EXPECTED TO MISS REST OF THE SEASON: Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball has a broken right wrist and is expected to miss the rest of the season, according to media reports yesterday. The Hornets said earlier in the day that he'd be listed as out indefinitely. Ball appeared to have hurt himself during a fall in the Hornet's 125-98 loss to the L.A. Clippers on Saturday. The 19-year-old, who was the third overall pick in the NBA draft, was in the middle of a great first season, and was a leading candidate for NBA Rookie of the Year.


🏌MATT JONES WINS HONDA CLASSIC: Australian Matt Jones won the Honda Classic at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on Sunday, getting the win by five shots over American Brandon Hagy. Jones' margin matched the largest in tournament history, held by Jack Nicklaus in 1977 and Camilo Villegas in 2010. He finished at 12-under 268 after tying the course record with a 9-under 61 in the opening round.

🏀ROCKETS LOSE TEAM-RECORD 20TH STRAIGHT GAME: The Houston Rockets lost a team-record 20th straight game on Sunday, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-112. Houston has now tied for the ninth-worst losing streak in NBA, and the longest since the Philadelphia 76ers' record-setting 28-game losing streak that began in the 2014-15 season and went into the 2015-16 season.

🏈RAMS SIGN RECEIVER DESEAN JACKSON: The Los Angeles Rams agreed to a one-year deal yesterday with veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson. The 34-year-old became a free agent when he was released by the Philadelphia Eagles in February. The signing reunites Jackson with head coach Sean McVay, who was his offensive coordinator with the Washington Football Team from 2014 to 2016.
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