Thursday, May 27, 2021

Wake-Up Call: 8 Killed In CA Rail Yard Shooting

NY Times 5/27/21

Eight people were killed in a shooting at a light rail yard for the Valley Transportation Authority in San Jose, California, Wednesday morning by an employee who killed himself as police rushed into the facility in response to the 6:30 a.m. PT attack. The gunman was identified as 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy. Those killed included bus and light rail operators, mechanics, linemen and an assistant superintendent. Officials didn't immediately offer a motive. A fire also broke out shortly before the shooting at a house that the Associated Press says public records show Cassidy owned.

His ex-wife told AP he used to come home from work resentful and angry over what he saw as unfair assignments. Cecilia Nelms also said he talked about killing people at work more than a decade ago, saying, "I never believed him, and it never happened. Until now." The two divorced in 2005. An ex-girlfriend described Cassidy as being violent and having mood swings because of bipolar disorder that became worse when he drank heavily. In a 2009 sworn statement after Cassidy sought a restraining order against her, she said that he had sexually forced himself on her several times while drunk. A neighbor of Cassidy, Doug Suh, told The Mercury News that he seemed "strange."

NY Times Graphic 5/27/21



Governor Gavin Newsom spoke emotionally at the scene, saying, "There’s a numbness some of us are feeling about this. There’s a sameness to this. It begs the damn question of what the hell is going on in the United States of America?" President Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff and called for Congress to pass legislation to combat gun violence, saying in a statement, "We can, and we must, do more."


➤BIDEN ORDERS INTEL OFFICIALS TO 'REDOUBLE' EFFORTS TO FIND COVID-19 ORIGINS: President Biden yesterday ordered U.S. intelligence officials to, quote, "redouble" their efforts to find the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic and report back within 90 days. There has been growing consideration of the possibility that the virus may have been escaped from a Chinese lab and not arisen naturally through human contact with an infected animal, and China is facing mounting global pressure to be more transparent about how the pandemic began. Biden called on China to cooperate with international investigations.

➤MOTHER OF CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER WHO DIED AFTER JANUARY 6TH URGES COMMISSION TO BE CREATED: The mother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who collapsed and later died after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, yesterday urged that an independent commission be approved to investigate what happened. Senate Republicans are poised to use the filibuster to block the legislation to create the bipartisan commission, which was approved in the House, where 35 Republicans joined with all the Democrats in passing it. Gladys Sicknick said in a statement, "I suggest that all Congressmen and Senators who are against this Bill visit my son’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery and, while there, think about what their hurtful decisions will do to those officers who will be there for them going forward. Putting politics aside, wouldn’t they want to know the truth of what happened on January 6?" Sicknick also said she would meet with lawmakers ahead of the vote to try to convince them to act. Ten Senate Republicans would need to join with the Democrats in the evenly-divided Senate to overcome a filibuster.

➤THREE ARRESTED IN ITALIAN CABLE CAR CRASH THAT KILLED 14: Three people were arrested by police in Italy yesterday in Sunday's disaster in which 14 people were killed when a cable car crashed to the ground on Mount Mottarone in northern Italy. Only one small boy survived and is hospitalized with multiple fractures. Police said workers put a clamp on the cable car's emergency brake to deactivate it and it prevented the emergency brake from engaging when the car's lead cable snapped. The workers admitted to putting a clamp on the brake to deactivate because it kept engaging spontaneously, preventing the cable car system from working. It's still not clear why the car's cable snapped.


 ➤HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY ISSUES STRICT WARNING ABOUT TRAVELERS BEHAVING THEMSELVES AHEAD OF SUMMER SEASON: If you’re going to be traveling soon, you’ll want to be on your top behavior. Over the past year, reports of unruly airline passengers have reportedly risen, and officials are making it crystal clear that rules need to be followed. During a recent press conference, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “Let me be clear in underscoring something. It is a federal mandate that one must wear a mask in an airport, in the modes of public transportation, on the airplane itself—and we will not tolerate behavior that violates the law.” Recently, the FAA has been issuing heavy fines against passengers who violated mask policies when flying, in some cases $9,000 or more.

➤DISNEYLAND TO OPEN TO NON-CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS IN MID-JUNE: When Disneyland finally reopened on April 30th after its more than year-long pandemic shutdown, it only allowed California residents. But it was announced yesterday that Disneyland will allow non-Californians starting on June 15th. Disney said the state "strongly recommends" that all guests be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have a negative test before visiting, but it's not being required. However, wearing face masks in the theme park is mandatory. Disneyland is operating at reduced capacity, so guests need to have both a ticket and a reservation for the same date.

➤FORMER SENATOR JOHN WARNER, EX-HUSBAND OF ELIZABETH TAYLOR: DEAD AT 94: Former Senator John Warner, a Virginia centrist Republican who was married to Elizabeth Taylor, died Tuesday of heart failure. He was 94. Warner was known for having an independent streak, and President Biden, who served with him in the Senate, said yesterday that he'd been guided by, quote, "his conscience and our Constitution." The veteran of both World War Two and Korea, military issues were central to Warner's career. He served five terms over three decades in the Senate before retiring in January 2009. Warner was the sixth of Taylor's seven husbands, married to her from 1976 to 1982.
 
➤PEOPLE WITH BIG BUTTS MAY BE HEALTHIER, SCIENCE SAYS: Having a big butt might be good for your health. A 2010 paper from the University of Oxford said that people with big butts and thighs, or “increase gluteofemoral fat mass,” had a decreased cardiovascular and metabolic risk. The study found that fat carried in the butt and thighs, as opposed to the waist, tends to be more stable and less likely to release the hormonal markers that have been linked to insulin resistance, which in turn can lead to diabetes. Having butt and thigh fat also favors leptin levels, which is a hormone responsible for regulating weight. Of course, fat distribution is mostly decided by genetics, so you can’t really affect it by losing or gaining weight.

➤THE ONE ‘80S SNACK SCIENCE SAYS YOU SHOULD NEVER EAT AGAIN:  Back in the ‘80s, people ate a lot of processed foods. These days, we’re much more informed about how unhealthy some of those foods really were. Yahoo reports that "Oreo Big Stuf" were actually one ‘80s food that should never make a comeback. The treat was released in 1984 and promised to deliver “more chocolate and more crème” than the original Oreo. Each of the cookies was about three inches in diameter, and clocked in with 319 calories and 13 grams of fat, which is quite a bit when you consider one serving of regular Oreos (which is 3 cookies) comes in at 160 calories and 7 grams of fat. Oreo Big Stuf was discontinued in 1991. Some think the product was pulled due to the USDA’s 1980 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but that hasn’t been confirmed. These days you can get your fix with Oreo Mega Stuf—two of those cookies come in at 180 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 17 grams of sugar.

➤THERE’S A FIREWORKS SHORTAGE:  This summer should be pretty great, as many American are expected to be fully vaccinated, meaning they can take off their masks and gather in public like they used to pre-pandemic. But there’s one new issue now: a shortage of fireworks. According to a statement posted by Brooklyn Fireworks on May 5th, the fireworks industry is facing a “massive product shortage.” The company says that more than 60 percent of the fireworks ordered by companies in the U.S. for 2021 will not actually arrive this year due to the shortage. 


The issue is increased shipping cost—Brooklyn Fireworks says shipping costs have increased by more than 100 percent over the last year. The company explains, “Many distributors tried to wait until the freight prices were low again, creating a massive fireworks shortage that our industry has never seen before.” Other contributing factors: the Suez Canal disruption, port closures in Canada, the pandemic’s temporary shutdown, and new restrictions for production at Chinese fireworks factories. All of this means that fireworks will be more expensive, since supply is so low and demand is so high.

➤ROYAL CARIBBEAN GETS CDC APPROVAL FOR TEST CRUISES WITH VOLUNTEER PASSENGERS THIS SUMMER: Royal Caribbean is the first to get clearance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct mock cruises with volunteer passengers beginning in June. This comes more than a year after an industry-wide shut down during the pandemic. Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas ship, based in Miami, will start up the test cruises on June 20th. Passengers ages 16 and up must be fully vaccinated with all COVID-19 vaccine doses administered at least 14 days before sailing on the ship. All U.S. travelers age 12 must be fully vaccinated beginning August 1st. Passengers on board the simulated cruise must adhere to the CDC’s Conditions Sailing Order, which requires them to agree to a health screening to check for COVID-19 symptoms, as well as show proof that they are not at risk for contracting a severe illness if they are exposed to COVID-19. Passengers must also agree to be tested for the virus between 3 to 5 days after the cruise.

🏒ISLANDERS, LIGHTING ADVANCE TO NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: The New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning are advancing to the second round of the NHL playoffs after winning their first-round series yesterday (May 26th). The Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 to win 4 games to 2, and will face the Boston Bruins in the second round. The Lightning blanked the Florida Panthers 4-0 to win 4 games to 2. They'll face the winner of the Carolina-Nashville first-round series.

🏒NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:
  • New York Islanders 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 3 - New York wins series 4 games to 2
  • Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Florida Panthers 0 - Tampa Bay wins series 4 games to 2
  • Minnesota Wild 3, Vegas Golden Knights 0 - Series tied 3-3
🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:
  • Philadelphia 76ers 120, Washington Wizards 95 - Philadelphia leads 2 games to 0
  • New York Knicks 101, Atlanta Hawks 92 - Series tied 1-1
  • Utah Jazz 141, Memphis Grizzles 129 - Series tied 1-1


🏀FAN DUMPED POPCORN ON WESTBROOK'S HEAD AS HE LEFT COURT WITH INJURED ANKLE: A fan dumped popcorn on Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook's head in Philadelphia last night as he left the court with an injured ankle near the end of the 76ers' 120-95 win in Game 2 of their first-round playoff. A furious Westbrook had to be held back and the fan was ejected by moments later. Westbrook said later, "[T]his s*** is getting out of hand, especially for me. The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the f*** they want to do -- it's just out of pocket. . . . In these arenas, you got to start protecting the players. We'll see what the NBA does." The president of business operations for the Wells Fargo arena said in a statement, "This was classless, unacceptable behavior, and we're not going to tolerate it[.]"

Westbrook's status for Game 3 Saturday in Washington is to be determined.

⚾YANKEES' STARTER KLUBER OUT AT LEAST TWO MONTHS WITH SHOULDER INJURY: New York Yankees starter Corey Kluber will be out for at least two months after injuring his pitching shoulder, manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday. Kluber was taken out of Tuesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays after three innings and an MRI showed a subscapularis strain. The injury came after the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner just pitched a no-hitter last week. Boone said he doesn't believe the no-hitter caused the injury.

🏈KICKER VINATIERI, NFL'S CAREER SCORING LEADER, TO RETIRE: Kicker Adam Vinatieri announced yesterday that he's retiring after 24 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, during which he became the NFL's career scoring leader. The 48-year-old broke the news to former teammate and SiriusXM host Pat McAfee. Vinatieri hasn't played since December 1, 2019, when he missed three of four field goals in a Colts loss to the Tennessee Titans. He later had surgery on his left knee, with his rehab complicated by the pandemic, and he didn't play last season. Vinatieri scored 2,673 points and made 599 field goals in his career, breaking both records that had been held by Morten Andersen. He made 29 game-winning kicks during his career, including three that won Super Bowl titles for New England.

⚾CALLAWAY BANNED BY MLB AT LEAST THROUGH 2022 OVER SEX HARASS ALLEGATIONS: Former New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway was suspended by MLB yesterday at least through the end of the 2022 season after a probe of sexual harassment allegations. Soon after, the Los Angeles Angels, where Callaway had been the pitching coach since October 2019, said they fired him. Commissioner Rob Manfred didn't release details of what the investigation found, but said in a statement, "I have concluded that Mr. Callaway violated MLB’s policies, and that placement on the ineligible list is warranted." It had been alleged that Callaway pursued women who work in sports media, including sending some of them inappropriate photos.
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