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Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden Marks Tulsa Race Massarce

President Biden on Tuesday marked the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, race massacre, when a white mob killed hundreds of Black people and destroyed the prosperous Black community of Greenwood, which was called "Black Wall Street." Speaking in Tulsa, Biden said in emotional remarks that he'd come, quote, "to fill the silence" about the long-suppressed incident of racial violence in which he said "literal hell was unleashed." He stated, "Some injustices are so heinous, so horrific, so grievous, they cannot be buried, no matter how hard people try. Only with truth can come healing."


Biden also used the occasion to urge the passage of sweeping federal legislation protecting voting rights that's being held up in Congress. The president's push comes as Republican-led states across the country are passing tougher voting restrictions. Republicans say they are intended to prevent voter fraud, while Democrats contend they're aimed at making it harder for minorities, in particular, to vote.

LA Times 6/2/21
➤CALIFORNIA FIREFIGHTER KILLS COLLEAGUE, WOUNDS ANOTHER: An off-duty Los Angeles County firefighter shot and killed a fellow firefighter and wounded another yesterday before returning to his home and setting it on fire and then apparently killing himself. Killed in the shooting at Fire Station 81, a small community fire station in Agua Dulce, some 45 miles north of Los Angeles, was a 44-year-old fire specialist. The 54-year-old firefighter who was wounded was in critical but stable condition. The shooter, who wasn't identified, was a firefighter specialist and engineer. Fire Chief Daryl Osby told reporters he didn't know about a motive, saying, "I cannot speak to the mindset of the shooter." Authorities found the gunman's nearby house engulfed in flames, and later found him dead in an empty pool, with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
 

➤MAJOR MEAT PRODUCER JBS EXPECTS MOST PLANTS OPERATING TODAY AFTER CYBERATTACK: JBS SA, the world's largest meat processing company that was the target of a cyberattack, said late Tuesday that it expects most of its plants to be operating today because it had made, quote, "significant progress" in dealing with the attack. The White House had said earlier in the day that Brazil-based JBS had notified the U.S. that it was a ransomware attack, and that the company had received a ransom demand from a criminal organization likely based in Russia. JBS, the second-largest producer of beef, pork and chicken in the U.S., said the cyberattack it had revealed Monday affected servers supporting its operations in North America and Australia.

➤ADMINISTRATION SUSPENDS OIL, GAS LEASES IN ARCTIC NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE: The administration yesterday suspended oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing a drilling program that had been approved by the Trump administration. The suspension follows a temporary moratorium imposed by President Biden on his first day in office. After conducting a review, the Interior Department said it found, quote, "defects in the underlying record of decision supporting the leases, including the lack of analysis of a reasonable range of alternatives" that's required under the National Environmental Policy Act.


➤28 JUDGED AS 'EASIEST AGE' TO START A NEW BUSINESS:  What's the ideal age to start a new business? A new survey of 25,000 people in 35 countries found that 28 was judged to be the "easiest age" to start a new business -- although that result was almost certainly affected by the fact that the survey-takers were between 18 and 40 years old. At the same time, 51 percent said they'd be worried people wouldn't take them seriously because of their younger age, while 61 percent said being younger means being better at adapting to new technology, and 43 percent thought they'd be more likely to have fresh ideas. Having their own business was a goal for most, with 74 percent in the OnePoll survey saying they dream of being an entrepreneur. The top reasons why they want to have their own business were: being their own boss, named by 48 percent; following their passion, at 44 percent; supporting their family, at 37 percent; wanting more flexibility in their job, at 32 percent; and wanting a career change, at 31 percent

➤AMAZON WILL NO LONGER TEST JOB APPLICANTS FOR POT: Amazon announced yesterday (June 1st) that it will no longer test job applicants for marijuana, the change coming as more states continue to legalize recreational use of the drug or pass laws banning employers from testing for it. The policy shift also comes after Amazon, the nation's second-largest private employer after Walmart, was sued in March by a New York man who said his warehouse job offer was rescinded after he tested positive for marijuana, even though the city banned employers from testing job seekers for marijuana last year. Amazon said it will still test workers for other drugs and carry out impairment tests on the job, and that some positions may still require marijuana tests to comply with Transportation Department regulations.

➤CALIFORNIA TEEN PUSHES BEAR OFF WALL TO PROTECT FAMILY DOGS: A California teenager is more courageous than most adults. A security camera at a family’s home in Bradbury was filming when it caught footage of 17-year-old Hailey Morinico facing off with a bear.


 
The video shows three dogs in the enclosed backyard getting agitated and barking at a mother bear and her cubs as they perched on a brick wall dividing the back yard from a neighbor’s property. The mother bear swats at the dogs as they approach. Then 17-year-old Moninico is seen running into the yard, shoving the bear off the wall, and gathering up the dogs to bring them inside. Moninico told KLTA-TV she panicked when she saw the dangerous situation the dogs were in, and she made the snap-decision to push the bear off the wall. Luckily it worked, and she walked away with only a minor scratch, but she recommends others do not attempt the same thing.

➤TSA..AIR TRAVEL SURGED NEARLY 500% DURING MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND:  Americans really took to the skies over Memorial Day weekend. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says more than 1.65 million people were screened at airports across the U.S. on Sunday. That’s a 368 percent increase compared to 2020, when just 352,947 people traveled through airports. TSA figures show there was a 499 percent increase in travelers at U.S. airports on Friday alone, and a 497 percent increase in travelers on Saturday (May 29th). Also, more than 37 million Americans were estimated to have traveled 50 miles or more from home between May 27th and May 31st.

➤FLORIDA BECOMES EIGHTH STATE WITH TRANSGENDER SPORTS BAN: Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation yesterday making his state the eighth in the country to ban transgender girls and women from competing in women's school sports. The ban doesn't apply to elementary school students. DeSantis said during the signing ceremony, "In Florida, girls are going to play girls’ sports, and boys are going to play boys’ sports." The LGBTQ civil rights group Human Rights Campaign said yesterday that it will sue Florida over the ban.

➤AMAZON ANNOUNCES PRIME DAY TO BE LATER THIS MONTH: Amazon announced today that its annual Prime Day sales event will be held this year on June 21st and 22nd. Although Prime Day is usually held in the summer, it was postponed until October last year due to the pandemic. Amazon will offer at least two million deals on products to Prime members this year for Prime Day, more than in previous years.

➤NEW MEXICO OFFERING LARGEST COVID VACCINE LOTTERY PRIZE: New Mexico has become the latest state to have a lottery for people who get vaccinated against Covid-19, but they're offering the biggest jackpot prize yet. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced yesterday that vaccinated residents can win prizes from a pool that totals $10 million, including a $5 million grand prize. California had previously had the largest single Covid vaccine lottery prize of $1.5 million.

➤SUPREME COURT TURNS DOWN JOHNSON & JOHNSON'S APPEAL OF $2 BILLION TALC VERDICT: The Supreme Court yesterday rejected without comment Johnson & Johnson's appeal of a $2 billion verdict for women who claimed they developed ovarian cancer by using the company's talc products, including it's baby powder. Johnson & Johnson denies that its talc products contain asbestos and cause cancer. 

➤STUDY..WAKING UP AN HOUR EARLIER COULD REDUCE YOUR RISK OF DEPRESSION BY 23%:  Waking up an hour earlier could be really good for your mental health. University of Colorado researchers analyzed the genetic data of over 800,000 adults and found a link between earlier sleep timing patterns (going to bed and getting up earlier) and lower risk of a “major depressive disorder.” They say it’s possible that greater exposure to light during the day results in “a cascade of hormonal impacts” that can influence mood. Study author Celine Vetter adds, “Keep your days bright and your nights dark. Have your morning coffee on the porch. Walk or ride your bike to work if you can, and dim those electronics in the evening.” The effect was even seen when people just got up one hour earlier each day.


🏀PORTLAND'S LILLARD HAS RECORD NIGHT, BUT NUGGETS WIN PLAYOFF GAME: Portland's Damian Lillard scored a franchise playoff record 55 points last night in Game 5 of the first-round NBA playoffs match-up between the Trail Blazers and Denver. But the Nuggets got the 147-140 win, with Michael Porter Jr. making the winning three-pointer with 1:33 left in the second overtime. Lillard also had 12 three-pointers in the game, which was an NBA playoff record. The Nuggets lead the series 3 games to 2.

🏀NETS DEFEAT CELTICS TO ADVANCE TO SECOND ROUND: The Brooklyn Nets downed the Boston Celtics 123-109 last night to win their first-round NBA playoff 4 games to 1. James Harden had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in his first postseason triple-double with Brooklyn. The Nets will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round.

🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:

  • Brooklyn Nets 123, Boston Celtics 109 - Brooklyn wins series 4 games to 1
  • Denver Nuggets 147, Portland Trail Blazers 140 (2OT) - Denver leads series 3 games to 2
  • Phoenix Suns 115, Los Angeles Lakers 85 - Phoenix leads series 3 games to 2
🏒NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round games yesterday:
  • Tampa Bay Lightning 2, Carolina Hurricanes 1 - Tampa Bay leads 2 games to 0
🏀PHILADELPHIA'S EMBIID DOUBTFUL FOR GAME 5 AGAINST WASHINGTON: The Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid is listed as doubtful for Game 5 of the first-round NBA playoffs match-up against the Washington Wizards tonight because of a sore right knee. Embiid underwent an MRI yesterday after injuring his knee in Game 4 Monday, and his status will be decided before tonight's game, according to media reports. The 76ers lead the Wizards 3 games to 1.
🎾GRAND SLAM TOURNAMENT LEADERS SAYS WILL ADDRESS CONCERNS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH: One day after Naomi Osaka, the world's Number Two-ranked women's tennis player, stunningly withdrew from the French Open, the leaders of the sport's four Grand Slam tournaments promised Tuesday to address players' concerns about mental health. Osaka pulled out of the tournament after being fined for skipping the required press conference after her first-round win. After withdrawing, Osaka said she has intense anxiety before press conferences, and that she's been suffering from bouts of depression for nearly three years. The Grand Slam leaders, who had threatened Osaka before her withdrawal with suspension or disqualification if she kept on missing post-match news conferences, said yesterday they'd work with players, the tours and the media, quote, "to improve the player experience at our tournaments."

🎾DJOKOVIC, NADAL, BARTY WIN ON DAY THREE AT FRENCH OPEN: The top-ranked men and women, Novak Djokovic and Ash Barty, and third-seeded Rafael Nadal, who has 13 French Open titles, were among the winners on Day Three of the French Open yesterday (June 1st). Also winning yesterday were 13th-seeded Jennifer Brady of the U.S., and fellow Americans Sloane Stephens and Coco Gauff. Meanwhile, 11th-seeded Petra Kvitova had to withdraw after she injured her ankle when she fell as she left from an interview during her required press duties.

⚾CARDINALS PITCHER FLAHERTY HAS 'SIGNIFICANT' OBLIQUE INJURY: St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty, who is leading the majors with eight wins, was put on the 10-day injured list Tuesday (June 1st) with what manager Mike Shildt called a "significant" oblique injury. Flaherty left during the sixth inning of Monday’s 9-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers with tightness in his left side.

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