Friday, April 30, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden On The Road Pushing Big-Money Plans

As it traditional after a president delivers their address to a joint session of Congress, President Biden hit the road yesterday to try to build support for the big-money economic and social safety net plans he laid out in his speech Wednesday night. Biden headed to Georgia, where he held a socially-distanced car rally in Duluth for hundreds of supporters, like those he held during his presidential campaign. Biden also met with a group of Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children, to discuss immigration reform. He's set to travel to Pennsylvania and Virginia to tout his plans in the coming days.

Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, met with former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, at their home in Plains, Georgia, earlier in the day.

Screenshot: The Daily Mail 4/30/21


➤AT LEAST 44 KILLED IN STAMPEDE AT RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL IN ISRAEL: At least 44 people were killed and some 150 injured in a stampede at a religious festival in Israel early Friday attended by tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews. The stampede began when large numbers of people tried to get through a narrow tunnel-like passage during the event. The festival at Mount Meron was celebrating Lag BaOmer, the first mass religious gathering held legally since Israel lifted nearly all coronavirus restrictions. Large crowds traditionally light bonfires, pray and dance as part of the annual celebrations, which honor a 2nd century sage and mystic buried there.

➤'N.Y. TIMES'...REMOVAL OF U.S. AMBASSADOR AT CENTER OF GIULIANI INVESTIGATION: The New York Times reported yesterday that Rudy Giuliani's role in the removal of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, is at the center of the Justice Department's investigation of him. That probe led to the raid by federal agents Wednesday on Giuliani's Manhattan apartment. The Times said the probe is focusing on his communications with Ukrainian and U.S. officials before Yovanovitch was removed in May 2019, examining whether he broke lobbying laws and whether he pushed her removal at the behest of Ukrainian officials or former President Donald Trump's. The issue of Yovanovitch's removal was involved in Trump's first impeachment. The former New York City mayor is a personal attorney for Trump.

➤NORTH CAROLINA COUPLE FOUND DEAD WITH GUNMAN IN INCIDENT THAT LEFT TWO DEPUTIES DEAD WERE SAME FAMILY: A North Carolina sheriff's office said Thursday that a married couple who were found dead inside their home with a suspected gunman after a 13-hour standoff Wednesday that also left two deputies dead were members of the same family. 


The Watauga County Sheriff's Office said that 32-year-old suspect Isaac Barnes was the son of 61-year-old Michelle Ligon and stepson of 58-year-old George Ligon. The Ligons were killed in their home in Boone, and Barnes, who appeared to have killed himself, is also suspected in the fatal shootings of the two deputies who'd been sent to the home, Sergeant Chris Ward and K-9 Officer Logan Fox. Sheriff Len Hagaman said family members had been concerned about the large number of weapons Barnes had, and Hagaman said he thinks Barnes may have been considering a public shooting. He stated, "There was familial concern that he might try to do something and he had evidently a fairly large cache of weapons and he was at the house, which we didn’t think he would be."

➤CRUISE LINES COULD BE SAILING AGAIN BY MID-JULY:  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified cruise lines Wednesday that they should be able to resume sailing in the U.S. by mid-July after being shut down for more than a year due to the pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The industry has been lobbying to get back to cruising for months, and the CDC said it's been meeting with industry representatives twice a week for the past month to try to reach a solution. The CDC had said earlier that cruise lines would have to run a test cruise to demonstrate their coronavirus protocols. But now the agency is saying that cruise lines can skip that step if 95 percent of a ship's passengers and 98 percent of its crew have been fully vaccinated.

➤DISNEYLAND REOPENING TODAY: Thirteen months after it closed with the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, Disneyland is finally reopening today. However, the California theme park will have limited capacity of 25 percent, and only in-state visitors are being allowed for now. Across the country, Disney World in Florida has been open since last July, although also at limited capacity, but theme parks were among the last businesses allowed to reopen in California.

 
➤26.9 MILLION WATCHED BIDEN'S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS: An estimated 26.9 million people tuned in to watch President Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, the smallest audience for the annual speech since at least 1993. The previous low was 31.3 million who watched former President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address in 2016. 

There's likely more than one factor involved in the decline, with live events, including sports events and awards shows, all having suffered ratings drops during the pandemic, and also the timing of the speech in late April, when viewership is usually lower than in January or February, when the speech is usually given.

➤FORMER SENATOR BILL NELSON CONFIRMED AS NASA ADMINISTRATOR: The Senate on Thursday confirmed former Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson as the new NASA administrator. The 78-year-old Nelson, who currently serves on the NASA Advisory Council, once flew on the space shuttle. He was a congressman at the time in January 1986 when he flew on the shuttle Columbia as a payload specialist. He served six terms in the House and then three terms in the Senate before being defeated in 2018 by former Republican Governor Rick Scott.

🐶STUDY..SHORT-HEADED DOGS ARE MORE ATTENTIVE AND WILLING TO MAKE EYE-CONTACT WITH HUMANS THAN OTHER BREEDS:  What is your favorite dog breed? A new study finds that dog breeds with short heads, like pugs, bulldogs and boxers, are better at establishing eye-contact with humans than long-nosed breeds are. Hungarian researchers say that locking eyes with a dog is key in establishing a connection and building a bond, and some dogs are better at it than others. The scientists say that short-headed, cooperative, young, and playful dogs are the best when it comes to establishing eye contact with humans. Breed also plays a role, with dogs built to work alongside humans with visual cues, such as sheep dogs, being quicker to lock eyes for a human than a type that was bred for purposes that did not require human visual indicators, such as sled dogs. The researchers note it’s likely due to the shape of their eyes that makes it easier for short-headed dogs to make eye contact with humans, as having a “more pronounced area centralis in the retina” means they have a shorter field of vision than dogs with bigger heads. A researcher adds, “It is possible that their owners gaze at them more often as their facial features resemble a small child, a powerful cue for humans. Because of this, dogs with shorter noses may be more experienced in making eye contact.”

➤POLL..HALF OF US BACK ATHLETES USING INFLUENCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE:  As athletes and some sports leagues have been taking a stand on social issues, there's been controversy over whether it's something they should be doing. A new poll finds that half of Americans support athletes and leagues using their influence to push for social change. In the YouGov survey for Seton Hall University, 48 percent said leagues or teams should and 36 percent said they shouldn't. Almost the exact same percentage of people who said they were casual fans agreed, and a higher 61 percent of self-described "avid" sports fans did. Slightly more people backed athletes pushing for social change, 51 percent, which rose to 65 percent among avid fans. With Arizona considering voting legislation similar that passed by Georgia that led MLB to move this summer's All-Star Game from Atlanta, respondents were asked if the NFL should move the 2023 Super Bowl out of Arizona if the legislation is passed. Of the general population, 49 percent said yes -- which went up to 64 percent among avid sports fans -- while 30 percent were opposed.

🏈JAGUARS TAKE LAWRENCE WITH NUMBER ONE NFL DRAFT PICK: The Jacksonville Jaguars took Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the Number One overall pick in the NFL draft last night in Cleveland. The New York Jets took BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second, and the San Francisco 49ers choose North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance third. The only previous drafts with quarterbacks taken with the top three picks were in 1971 and 1999. Rounding out the top five, the Atlanta Falcons picked Florida tight end Kyle Pitts fourth, and the Cincinnati Bengals chose LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase fifth.

 
🏈PACKERS GM SAYS 'NOT GOING TO TRADE' RODGERS, AFTER REPORT HE DOESN'T WANT TO STAY: Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said last night, "We are not going to trade Aaron Rodgers," after ESPN reported earlier in the day that the veteran quarterback didn't want to stay with the Packers. Gutekunst stated, "we are committed to Aaron in 2021 and beyond." The 37-year-old Rodgers, who's spent his entire career with Green Bay, has three years remaining on his contract after signing a four-year, $134 million extension in August 2018. He threw an NFL-leading 48 touchdown passes last season and won his third MVP award.

🏒DUCKS GOALIE MILLER RETIRING AT END OF SEASON: Anaheim Ducks goalie Ryan Miller announced yesterday (April 29th) that he's retiring at the end of the season. The Ducks will miss the playoffs, so May 8th will end his 18-year NHL career as the winningest American-born goalie in pro hockey history. Miller shared the news at an emotional news conference, saying, "My situation goes to show with some dedication, you can set your sights and you can accomplish something." Miller also excelled in international play, named the MVP and best goaltender at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, leading the U.S. to a silver medal.

🐴ESSENTIAL QUALITY IS KENTUCKY DERBY FAVORITE: Essential Quality is the 2-1 favorite for the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby, which is returning to its traditional first Saturday in May this weekend after being delayed for months to September last year due to the pandemic. Fans will be allowed at Churchill Downs, but at limited capacity. Post time on Saturday will be at 6:57 p.m., but coverage on NBC will begin hours earlier at 2:30 p.m. ET.

🏀ROCKETS' PORTER JR. SCORES 50 POINTS: Houston's Kevin Porter Jr. scored a career-high 50 points last night in the Rockets' 143-136 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, beating his previous career-best of 30 points by a lot. The 20-year-old became only the fourth player to score 50 points in a game before turning 21, joining LeBron James, Brandon Jennings and Devin Booker.
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