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Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden Goal...70 Percent Vaccinated By July 4


President Biden has set a new Covid-19 vaccination goal, aiming to have 70 percent of U.S. adults having receiving at least one dose of a vaccine by the Fourth of July. Speaking from the White House Tuesday about his new goal, Biden said, "I'd like to get it 100 percent, but I think realistically we can get to that place between now and July Fourth." As of now, more than 56 percent of U.S. adults have gotten at least one vaccine dose. Demand for the vaccine has fallen significantly in recent weeks, and efforts to get people vaccinated are shifting accordingly. Biden yesterday called for states to make vaccines available on a walk-in basis and he will direct many pharmacies to do the same. He also said the administration will focus on three areas: adults who are hesitant about getting the vaccine; people who have had difficulty getting the vaccine or aren't in a hurry to get it; and kids ages 12 to 15, once vaccines are approved for their age group.
 

➤JUDGE ORDERS JUSTICE DEPT. TO RELEASE 2019 MEMO ABOUT TRUMP OBSTRUCTION CHARGES RELATED TO RUSSIA PROBE: A federal judge has ordered the release a March 2019 Justice Department legal memo prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced that he'd concluded then-President Donald Trump hadn't obstructed justice during the Russia probe. The Justice Department had refused to provide it in response to Freedom of Information Act request from a government transparency group, saying it was the private legal advice of attorneys and created before any formal decision on charges had been made, therefore not subject to FOIA requests. But U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said the memo contained strategic, not legal advice, and that the writers and the recipients already understood Trump wouldn't be prosecuted. Barr issued a summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report a month before it was released, and said the Justice Department had decided to clear Trump of obstruction of justice. Mueller, however, hadn't reached a conclusion either way. Jackson was also critical of Barr in her order for his handling of the Mueller report in general.

➤CHAUVIN ATTORNEY FILES MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL: An attorney for Derek Chauvin, who was convicted last month of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, filed a motion Tuesday for a new trial for the former Minneapolis police officer. The motion details errors the defense claims were made during the trial that violated Chauvin's rights to a due process and a fair trial. They include claims of mistakes made by the judge, prosecutorial misconduct, juror misconduct, witness intimidation and the impact of publicity on the jurors. AP cited Minneapolis defense attorney Mike Brandt as saying a request for a new trial is routine following a guilty verdict and often presents issues that will be raised on appeal.

➤MONTANA ENDING EXTRA PANDEMIC BENEFITS, TO GIVE 'RETURN TO WORK' BONUSES: Montana Governor Greg Gianforte announced yesterday that his state will stop taking part at the end of June in the federal program that gives people $300 a week in extra unemployment benefits because of the pandemic. Citing what he said is a worker shortage in his state, the Republican governor said that unemployed people will receive a "return to work bonus" instead if they get a job. Gianforte said in a statement, "Montana is open for business again, but I hear from too many employers throughout our state who can’t find workers." He contended that the extra unemployment benefits are a incentive for people to not look for work. Under the new program, people getting unemployment benefits can get a one-time $1,200 bonus after they've worked for four weeks in a new job. Workers who leave their jobs after getting the bonus won't be eligible for unemployment benefits. The program will run through October.

➤TRUMP DEBUTS NEW WEBSITE: Former President Donald Trump debuted a new website yesterday (May 4th), called, From the Desk of Donald J. Trump, which includes written statements he has issued since leaving office, and also allows him to make video statements. However, visitors to the site can't interact or respond to Trump's message. The site went operational the day before Facebook is to decide today whether to let Trump return to the platform. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media banned Trump after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying his account posed a risk of inciting more violence. Twitter's ban is permanent.


➤STACEY ABRAMS' ROMANCE NOVELS TO BE REISSUED: Three out-of-print romance novels written nearly 20 years ago by Stacey Abrams are being reissued. Berkley announced Tuesday (May 4th) that it had acquired the rights to the novels, which Abrams wrote under the name Selena Montgomery, and will begin reissuing them next year. They're named Rules of Engagement, The Art of Desire and Power of Persuasion. Abrams, the Democratic Georgia politician who narrowly lost the race for governor in 2018 and was a leading organizer of the successful effort to elect Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock earlier this year, said in a statement, "As my first novels, they remain incredibly special to me." Abrams has also written the nonfiction books, Our Time is Now and Minority Leader, and has a legal thriller, While Justice Sleeps, coming out next week from Doubleday. 

➤NYC SCHOOLS ANNOUNCE 'NO MORE SNOW DAYS': One of the happiest kinds of days of childhood is no more for students in the nation's biggest school system, with New York City's Department of Education announcing yesterday that they are getting rid of snow days. The pandemic showed that remote learning is possible, so for students in the city's public schools, they will now have school remotely at home on what would have previously been snow days. New York City isn't the only school system being a grinch that stole snow days. The news organization Education Week did a survey last November of principals and district leaders and found that 39 percent have changed snow days to remote learning days and another 32 percent were considering doing it. But some districts are purposely keeping snow days, believing it's a happy tradition that should remain. Mahwah Township Public School said in a email to parents last October that snow days are a chance for children, quote, "to just be kids by playing in the snow, baking cookies, reading books and watching a good movie. These are times for memory-making, and we believe these types of opportunities should remain intact."


➤FAMILY DINNERS ARE GOOD FOR OUR HEALTH—AND IT’S NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE FOOD:  Sitting down to share family dinner isn’t just good for physical health, it’s good for mental health. More than two decades of research show that kids who eat with their families do better in school and have bigger vocabularies. They also have lower rates of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, as well as healthier diets and better cardiovascular health. But it’s not just good news for kids. The data shows that across the lifespan, shared meals are associated with healthier eating and better mood. Science has even shown that when unrelated adults, like firefighters, cook and eat together they show enhanced team performance. When kids are present at mealtime, parents may eat more healthily, perhaps to model good behavior and provide the best nourishment they can to their kids. In addition, parents who regularly dined with their kids reported higher levels of family functioning, greater self-esteem and lower levels of depressive symptoms and stress.


➤WHY DIVORCE RATES COULD SPIKE AFTER THE PANDEMIC ENDS:  The pandemic has impacted the lives of everyone in countless ways. Now there’s talk among relationship experts and family attorneys that divorce rates will spike post-pandemic when courts are open and operating again. They note that some couples have been stuck at home, and had to address issues or confront subjects they were previously able to avoid by engaging in their regular routines. Plus the overall stresses of the pandemic—financial, emotional, and physical, are forcing some people to take a hard look at their partners. This is backed by data from China, where divorce rates spiked in March 2020 after couples emerged from strict lockdowns. Additionally, a study from the University of Washington demonstrated that divorces usually increase after the summer months or after holidays when couples are together for longer periods of time. On top of all of this, a neuropsychologist notes that many of her clients already knew they had issues in their marriage before COVID-19, and their problems only worsened during lockdown. So while COVID-19 may have a big impact on relationships, it could also be the last straw for many that were on the rocks before the pandemic ever began.


🐶SCIENTISTS REVEAL THE MOST AGGRESSIVE DOG BREEDS:  Some dog breeds tend to be more aggressive than others. University of Helsinki researchers looked at more than 9,000 dogs and 23 different breeds. They found, for example, that small dogs, older dogs, and male dogs are more likely to be aggressive and growl, snap, and bark at humans. They also found that dogs that spend time in the company of other dogs behave less aggressively than those that live without other dogs in the household, and that how experienced the dog owner was impacts the chance of aggressive behavior from the dog. However, dog breed was the factor found to influence behavior more than any other variable, except for advanced age. Still, researchers say they did not look at some notable breeds like Rottweilers, Dobermans, and British Bulldogs—with that in mind, these were the top ten most aggressive dog breeds: 1) Rough Collie, 2) Miniature Poodle, 3) Miniature Schnauzer, 4) German Shepherd, 5) Spanish Water Dog, 6) Lagotto, 7) Chinese Crested, 8) German Spitz Mittel, 9) Coton de Tulear, and 10) Wheaten terrier. They determined the least-aggressive breed was the Labrador Retriever, and the second-least aggressive breed was the Golden Retriever.


🎤TRIBECA TO INCLUDE PODCASTS: The 2021 Tribeca Festival is revealing its first-ever podcasts program. The annual festival has created an official selection of pods, including fiction and non-fiction stories. Highlights include a talk between Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and Abumrad, a preview of Apple TV+'s new Siegfried & Roy podcast, and a talk between the hosts of San Quentin State Prison-created and -produced podcast Ear Hustle and previews of new podcasts Hot White Heist and Red Frontier. “The past few years have seen an explosion in the popularity of podcasts, making this the perfect time to introduce our inaugural Tribeca Podcast Program,” said Tribeca Festival co-founder and Tribeca Enterprises CEO Jane Rosenthal. “We look forward to welcoming the creative forces behind this year’s most anticipated new programs.” The 2021 Tribeca Festival is set to run from June 9-20 in New York.

⚾BRAVES PITCHER YNOA HITS GRAND SLAM, GOES SEVEN INNINGS: Atlanta pitcher Huascar Ynoa hit a grand slam last night and pitched for seven innings, only giving up a single unearned run, in the Braves' 6-1 victory over the Washington Nationals. Ynoa hit his grand slam in the sixth inning, the first by a pitcher since the Cincinnati Reds' Anthony DeSclafani in June 2018. Ynoa also hit a home run in his last start and is batting .385.


⚾DODGERS' KERSHAW OUT AFTER ONE INNING IN SHORTEST CAREER START: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw was pulled after just one inning in L.A.'s 7-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs yesterday in what was the shortest start of his 14-year career. Kershaw, a three-time National League Cy Young Award winner, gave up four runs, facing nine batters in a 39-pitch inning. The loss was the first of two by L.A. to the Cubs in a day-night doubleheader.

🏒RANGERS CALL FOR NHL PLAYER SAFETY HEAD PARROS' REMOVAL AFTER NO SUSPENSION FOR WILSON: The New York Rangers called Tuesday for the removal of George Parros as head of the NHL's Department of Player Safety after the league fined, but didn't suspend, the Washington Capitals' Tom Wilson for two incidents during the Rangers game against the Capitals Monday night. Wilson was fined $5,000 for punching Pavel Buchnevich in the back of the head while he was facedown on the ice, and for later throwing Artemi Panarin to the ice. The Rangers said they were "extremely disappointed" that Wilson wasn't suspended, calling the decision "shocking." They stated, "We view this as a dereliction of duty by NHL Head of Player Safety, George Parros, and believe he is unfit to continue in his current role."

⚾REDS' GARRETT SUSPENDED SEVEN GAMES BY MLB OVER 'BENCHES-CLEARING INCIDENT': MLB has suspended Cincinnati Red pitcher Amir Garrett for seven games, punishing him for, quote, "inciting a benches-clearing incident" in Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Garrett, who was also fined an undisclosed amount, is appealing, so any suspension won't go into effect until the appeal process is done. Cubs infielder Javier Baez was also fined an undisclosed amount. The incident began when Garrett yelled from the mound and beat his chest after striking out Anthony Rizzo in the eighth inning. Baez yelled at him from the dugout, Garrett shouted back, and Baez then got out of the dugout and gestured for Garrett to come toward him. The benches cleared, but no punches were thrown and nobody was ejected.

⚾MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON BEGINS FOR FIRST TIME IN TWO YEARS: The minor league baseball season began for the first time in two years yesterday (May 4th), after all of the 2020 season was wiped out because of the pandemic. But there are now fewer teams, with MLB having eliminated 40 of them as it streamlined the minors. All 30 major league teams now have four levels of minor leagues affiliates: low-A, high-A, Double-A and Triple-A. Additionally, rules experiments are being tried out by MLB at every minor league level this season, as well as in the independent Atlantic League.
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