Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Grand Jury Convened In Trump Probe

A special grand jury has been convened by prosecutors in New York to examine evidence in a criminal probe of former President Donald Trump and his business dealings, The Washington Post reported yesterda. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has for two years been investigating a range of things, including hush-money payments to women on Trump's behalf, his relationship with his lenders, a land donation he made to qualify for an income tax deduction, and tax write-offs his company claimed on millions of dollars in consulting fees it paid, according to AP. A grand jury being convened indicates he is moving toward seeking charges. Trump called the probe "purely political" in a statement.
 
➤FLOYD'S FAMILY MEETS WITH BIDEN, RALLIES AND EVENTS HELD TO MARK ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH: Members of George Floyd's family met with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House yesterday, and rallies and events were held in several U.S. cities, to mark the one-year anniversary of Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police. They spoke about continuing to work for passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act reform legislation, with Floyd's nephew, Brandon Williams, saying Biden told them, quote, "he just wants the bill to be meaningful and that it holds George’s legacy intact." Biden also spoke about, quote, "the hard reality that racism has long torn us apart." Some other Floyd family members attended events in Minneapolis, where he died, along with Mayor Jacob Frey. There were also rallies, moments of silence and other events in others cities, and even in other countries.


➤CDC..HALF OF U.S. ADULTS NOW VACCINATED AGAINST COVID-19: Half of all U.S. adults have now been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to data out yesterday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. White House senior adviser Andy Slavitt called it a "major milestone" in a press briefing. The pace of vaccinations has also started rising again after falling to a record low last month, with state and local officials saying it's due to parents getting their children vaccinated after Pfizer's vaccine was approved for minors ages 12 and older earlier this month. The increase has also come as states and businesses have been offering incentives for people to get vaccinated, with some states, for instance, giving lottery prizes.


➤BIDEN AND PUTIN TO HAVE SUMMIT NEXT MONTH IN GENEVA: President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in a summit next month in Geneva, the June 16th face-to-face meeting being added to the end of Biden's first international trip as president. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said no preconditions were set for the meeting between the two leaders. Biden will also be going to Britain for a Group of Seven world leaders meeting, and attend a NATO summit in Brussels.
 

➤STUDY..LOWERING YOUR EXPECTATIONS A LITTLE COULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER:  If you want to feel happier it may be as simple as lowering your expectations—but not too much. University College London researchers found that when players of a game lowered their expectations, it increased the likelihood of a positive surprise, but that the key is to not constantly lower expectations, and instead to find the right balance. The researchers note that high expectations seem to be a big problem in terms of happiness, suggesting that it “is not a good idea to tell a friend they will love the gift you are about to give them,” as it raises expectations and removes surprise.

➤GOP LEADERS CONDEMN GREENE FOR COMPARING COVID MEASURES TO HOLOCAUST: Republican leaders condemned Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, yesterday for her comparing measures to protect against Covid-19 like wearing face masks to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said, "Marjorie is wrong, and her intentional decision to compare the horrors of the Holocaust with wearing masks is appalling." However, McCarthy didn't call for any discipline for her. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the remarks one of Greene's, quote, "frequent outbursts that are absolutely outrageous and reprehensible." Greene initially made the comments on a conservative podcast last Thursday, saying of the requirement to wear masks on the House floor: "[W]e can look back in a time and history where people were told to wear a gold star. And they were definitely treated like second-class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany." As Greene came under criticism for the comments, she continued wiwth the Holocaust comparison.

➤MODERNA SAYS COVID VACCINE 100 PERCENT EFFECTIVE IN KIDS AGES 12 TO 18: Moderna said yesterday that its Covid-19 vaccine was 100 percent effective in children ages 12 to 18 in their latest clinical trials, and there were "no significant safety concerns." Moderna will submit the results to U.S. government regulators and request that the vaccine be authorized for use in that age group. Currently, only the Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for use in children ages 12 and up. Pfizer has said it will likely seek an emergency use authorization for its vaccine for children ages two to 11 in September.


➤WOMAN CHARGED WITH BATTERY AFTER ASSAULTING FLIGHT ATTENDANT, KNOCKING OUT TEETH: A 28-year-old woman has been charged with felony battery after allegedly attacking a Southwest Airlines flight attendant on Sunday, knocking out two of her teeth and causing other injuries to her face. The incident took place on a flight from Sacramento, California, to San Diego. The Sacramento Bee reported that the woman, Vyvianna Quinonez, lives in the suburb of Antelope outside the city. Southwest said, "The passenger repeatedly ignored standard inflight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing." There's been a sharp increase in unruly behavior this year as people have returned to flying, and this incident led the president of the flight attendants’ union, Lyn Montgomery, to ask for more federal air marshals on planes. AP cited Montgomery as saying in an interview, "I’ve been in the industry since 1992, and this is the worst ever. People seem to be more angry. When they’re asked to do something, compliance seems to be more difficult."

➤STUDY...NARCISSISTIC PEOPLE MORE LIKELY TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND VIOLENT: Personality disorders are no joke. A recent review of over 400 studies finds narcissism is related to a 21 percent increase in aggression and an 18 percent increase in violence. One study found that individuals high in narcissism are especially aggressive when provoked, but are also aggressive when they aren’t provoked. People with high levels of narcissism also showed high levels of physical aggression, verbal aggression, were more likely to spread gossip, were more likely to bully others, and were more likely to displace aggression against innocent bystanders. Narcissism was correlated to aggression in males and females of all ages from both Western and Eastern countries.

➤TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE COMBINES WITH SUPERMOON: The first total lunar eclipse in more than two years coincides with a supermoon today. This super “blood” moon will be visible today across the Pacific (which has the best views), as well as the western half of North America, bottom of South America, and eastern Asia. The total eclipse will last about 15 minutes as Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun, but the whole show will last for five hours, as Earth’s shadow gradually covers the moon, then starts to ebb. The experts say unfortunately, the moon will be setting and the sun will be rising as the eclipse occurs on the East Coast of the U.S.—leaving stargazers pretty much out of luck. The moon will be more than 220,000 miles away at its fullest, and it’s this proximity, combined with a full moon, that qualifies it as a supermoon, and makes it appear slightly bigger in the sky.

⚾MLB UMPIRE JOE WEST BREAKS RECORD WITH 5,376TH GAME: Joe West broke MLB's umpiring record last night, when he was behind the plate for his 5,376th regular-season game, a matchup between the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals. West broke a tie with Hall of Famer Bill Klem. The White Sox showed a video with country music star Garth Brooks and some of West’s former and current umpiring colleagues offering congratulations. The 68-year-old West, who has been umpiring since 1976, has said he will decide at the end of the season if he wants to retire or not.

⚾ROYALS END RAYS' 11-GAME WINNING STREAK: The Kansas City Royals ended the Tampa Bay Rays' winning streak at 11 games last night,  beating them 2-1. The winning streak was the second-longest in franchise history, falling one short of the record set in 2004.

🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:
  • Brooklyn Nets 130, Boston Celtics 108 - Brooklyn leads 2 games to 0
  • L.A. Lakers 109, Phoenix Suns 102 - Series tied at 1-1
  • Dallas Mavericks 127, L.A. Clippers 121 - Dallas leads 2 games to 0
🏒NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:
Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Montreal Canadiens 0 - Toronto leads 3 games to 1
Carolina Hurricanes 3, Nashville Predators 2 (OT) - Carolina leads 3 games to 2

⚾CLEVELAND STARTER PLESAC FRACTURES THUMB 'AGGRESSIVELY RIPPING' OFF SHIRT: Cleveland Indians starter Zach Plesac fractured his right thumb and has been put on the injured list, with manager Terry Francona saying yesterday that he injured himself, quote, "rather aggressively ripping off his shirt" and catching his thumb on a chair in the locker room after being removed from Sunday's game. An X-ray taken on Monday because the thumb was still swollen showed the fracture.

🏀KNICKS' RANDLE WINS NBA'S MOST IMPROVED AWARD: The New York Knicks' Julius Randle was named the winner of the NBA's 2020-2021 Most Improved Player Award yesterday. Randle, who's a seven-year veteran, received 98 first-place votes out of 100, becoming only the second player to win the award in his seventh season or later. His son, Kyden, surprised him with the award after the Knicks' practice on Tuesday.

🏒GRETZKY STEPS DOWN AS OILERS EXEC, REPORTEDLY TO BE TNT ANALYST: Wayne Gretzky stepped down yesterday as the Edmonton Oilers' vice chairman, with the Hall of Fame legend reportedly to join TNT as a hockey analyst next season. The New York Post first reported that he'd be going to TNT. Gretzky said on social media, "Given the pandemic and other life changes, I realize I will not be able to dedicate the time nor effort needed to support this world-class organization." Gretzky, who used to be Edmonton's captain and helped the team win four Stanley Cups, returned to the organization as vice chairman in 2016.
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