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Friday, June 25, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Nearly 100 Missing In Condo Collapse


Nearly 100 people remained missing as of early this morning after the partial collapse of a beachfront condo in Surfside, Florida, at around 1:30 a.m. yesterday. At least one person was confirmed killed and dozens of people were pulled out alive, with rescuers continuing to look for more survivors. Officials didn't know how many people were in the 12-story Champlain Towers South when a wing of the condo collapsed, as many of the residents are seasonal.


Surfside City Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer told local station WPLG that the building’s mandated 40-year recertification process was ongoing at the time of the collapse, and a building inspector had been onsite Wednesday. Authorities did not say what may have caused the collapse of the condo located northwest of Miami, which was built in 1981.

➤BIDEN ANNOUNCES BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN: President Biden on Thursday announced a bipartisan agreement on an infrastructure plan that's scaled back from what he'd originally proposed. 


Speaking outside the White House with senators from both parties who'd worked on the deal, Biden called the agreement "a true bipartisan effort, breaking the ice that too often has kept us frozen in place." He also said, "neither side got everything they wanted in this deal; that’s what it means to compromise." While the agreement is reduced from his proposals, he said that Democrats could pass some of his other infrastructure priorities through reconciliation, which doesn't require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Biden said the two items would be done "in tandem," and that he'd wouldn't sign the bipartisan agreement without the other part, which will be larger. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the same would be true in the House. The items in the bipartisan package include $109 billion for roads and highways, $15 billion on electric vehicle infrastructure and transit systems, $65 billion for broadband and drinking water systems.


➤PELOSI ANNOUNCES CREATION OF SELECT COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE U.S. CAPITOL ATTACK: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced yesterday that the House will create a select committee to examine the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Pelosi said, "The select committee will investigate and report on the facts and the causes of the attack and it will make report recommendations for the prevention of any future attack." Her announcement came after Republicans last month blocked the creation of a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the attack. There will be Republicans on the select committee, but Democrats will have the majority and therefore will control it and have subpoena power.

➤CHAUVIN BEING SENTENCED TODAY FOR MURDER OF FLOYD: Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin is being sentenced today after being convicted in April of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the May 2020 death of George Floyd. Prosecutors have requested a 30-year sentence, while the defense asked for probation, saying Chauvin was the product of a broken system who, quote, "believed he was doing his job."

➤GIULIANI'S LAW LICENSE SUSPENDED BY N.Y. COURT: Rudy Giuliani's license to practice law in New York was suspended by an appeals court Thursday because of false statements he made while trying to get courts to overturn Donald Trump's 2020 presidential election loss. The court acted after an attorney disciplinary committee asked it to suspend Giuliani’s license on the grounds that he’d violated professional conduct rules when he promoted false conspiracy theories that the election was stolen. The court agreed, saying, "The seriousness of respondent’s uncontroverted misconduct cannot be overstated." Giuliani reacted by calling the court's action a "disgrace" and saying the opinion "could have been written by the Democratic National Committee."
 

➤BIDEN SAYS WILL EVACUATE THOUSANDS OF AFGHAN INTERPRETERS WHO HELPED U.S.: President Biden said yesterday that the U.S. will evacuate thousands of Afghan interpreters from Afghanistan who helped the U.S. military during the two decades of conflict in that country. AP cited a senior administration official as saying planning has accelerated in recent days to relocate the Afghans and their families to other countries or U.S. territories while their visa applications are processed. The evacuation is planned for later this summer, before Biden's September deadline to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan.


➤COURT RULES AERIAL SURVEILLANCE BY BALTIMORE POLICE UNCONSTITIONAL: A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that an aerial surveillance program used by Baltimore police is unconstitutional, amounting to a warrantless search. The Baltimore Police Department began using the aerial surveillance carried out by planes with wide-angle, high-tech cameras in a pilot program last year mean to fight crime. It tracked the movements of virtually all city residents during the daylight hours. Privacy advocates objected, and the court sided with them in its split 8-7 ruling. A three-judge panel of the court had earlier upheld the program, finding it was, quote, "merely a tool used to track short-term movements in public, where the expectation of privacy is lessened." But the full court disagreed yesterday after an appeal to it of the panel's ruling. The program ended in February, but the court said yesterday that police must also stop using any data obtained through the program when it was operational.

➤EVICTION MORATORIUM EXTENDED FOR ONE MONTH FOR LAST TIME: The administration extended the nationwide ban on evictions for one more month, a continuation of the moratorium that was begun last year to help people unable to make rent payments during the pandemic. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which extended the evictions ban from June 30th to July 31st, said it will be for the last time, stating, "this is intended to be the final extension of the moratorium."
 

➤MICROSOFT UNVEILS WINDOWS 11: Microsoft unveiled Windows 11 on Thursday (June 24th), the next generation of its Windows software that will be the successor to Windows 10, which was introduced in 2015. It includes visual upgrades, such as a new Start button, a revamped task bar and sounds, and features meant to increase speed and efficiency. Windows 11 is expected to become available later this year on new computers and other devices and as a free update for those with Windows 10.

➤BIDEN'S SISTER AND LONGTIME ADVISER GETS BOOK DEAL: President Biden's sister, Valerie Biden Owens, who's been a longtime political adviser to him, has gotten a book deal. AP cited Celadon Books as saying that the memoir, called, Growing Up Biden, will be out in April 2022. The 75-year-old Owens has been working with Biden for his entire career, including managing his successful 1972 U.S. Senate run and his unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 1988 and 2008, and was also a top advisor for his 2020 campaign. Owens also quit her job as a teacher and moved in with her brother for four years to help care for his two sons after he lost his first wife and baby daughter in a 1972 car accident. Owens said in a statement, "What we Bidens learned long ago is a timeless lesson: that family matters, possibility can emerge from pain, and the ties that bind us together are stronger than anything that might pull us apart. So this will be a story of one family -- but our story, I hope, will resonate and inspire."

➤AMERICANS NEED SPACE FOR ALL THEIR STUFF:  A lot of Americans spent lockdown during the pandemic buying things online, and now they're looking for space to put all the stuff they bought. A new OnePoll survey of 2,000 Americans found that 63 percent of them have so much stuff in their homes they have a hard time finding where to store it. Of those surveyed, 30 percent said they spent more than usual over the past year on items like kitchen and cooking utensils, 30 percent spent more than usual on home decor, and 27 percent spent more than usual on personal care products. More than one-third of those surveyed said they had not interest in home organization before the pandemic, but now 63 percent want to be tidier and are planning to keep that going after the pandemic.

👃STUDY..NEARLY 4% OF COVID-19 PATIENTS WHO LOST THEIR SENSE OF SMELL STILL HAVE NOT GOTTEN IT BACK:  A small percentage of people who lose their sense of smell after getting COVID-19 a year ago have not gotten it back. French researchers found that 96.1 percent of COVID survivors regained their sense of smell within a year of having the virus, but the remaining 3.9 percent still have no smell or limited smell and there is no known timeline for when they might regain it. The reason why COVID-19 can cause a loss of smell is not totally understood by scientists, and no one can say for sure the exact percentage of people who develop the symptom due to the virus.

🐶STUDY..PET OBESITY IS ON THE RISE—AND NOT JUST BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC:  It’s likely your pet gained weight during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but new data shows that our cats and dogs have been gaining weight for the last decade. Banfield Pet Hospital reports that between 2011 and 2020 they say a 108-percent increase in dogs diagnosed as overweight or obese. Last year, 34 percent of all examined dogs weighed too much (up form 16 percent in 2011), while for cats that number jumped 114 percent, from 18 percent of all cats in 2011, to 38 percent in 2020. Banfield Chief Medical Officer Molly McAllister said in a press release, “We want pet owners to know that you are not alone in managing your pet’ weight. You can partner with your veterinarian to determine your pet’s ideal weight and the appropriate steps to take together to get there, without judgement. It’s clear from the data that many pets and their owners are struggling with this issue and Banfield is here to help.”


🏒CANADIENS DEFAT KNIGHTS IN OVERTIME TO MAKE STANLEY CUP FINAL: The Montreal Canadiens are heading to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993, beating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime last night (June 24th) to win their semifinal series 4 games to 2. Artturi Lehkonen scored that winning goal at 1:39 into overtime. Montreal will play for the Stanley Cup against the winner of the series between the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders, which is tied at 3-3 with the deciding Game 7 tonight.

 
🏒NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from Conference Finals yesterday:
  • Montreal Canadiens 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2 (OT) - Montreal wins series 4 games to 2
🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from Conference Finals yesterday (June 24th):
  • L.A. Clippers 106, Phoenix Suns 92 - Phoenix leads series 2 games to 1

⚾FOUR CUBS PITCHERS COMBINE ON NO-HITTER, MLB'S RECORD-TYING SEVENTH: Chicago Cubs starter Zach Davies and three relievers -- Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin and Craig Kimbrel -- teamed up on a combined no-hitter last night against the L.A. Dodgers, winning 4-0. It was the seventh no-hitter in MLB this season, tying the record for most in a season since 1900.

🏌SALAS IN LEAD AFTER OPENING ROUND OF WOMEN'S PGA: American Lizette Salas is in the lead after the opening round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship yesterday at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Salas shot a 5-under 67 for a one-stroke lead over Charley Hull of England.

🏀ESPN..CARLISLE TO BE PACERS' HEAD COACH: Rick Carlisle has agreed to a four-year deal to be head coach of the Indiana Pacers, the team announced yesterday, one week after resigning from the Dallas Mavericks. ESPN, which first reported the news, cited sources as saying the deal is worth $29 million. Carlisle previously coached the Pacers for four seasons from 2003 to 2007, making the playoffs three times. He then spent 13 seasons with Dallas, becoming the franchise's winningest coach and leading them to their only championship in 2011.

🏒HAKSTOL TO BE KRAKEN'S HEAD COACH: The NHL's expansion Seattle Kraken announced Dave Hakstol yesterday (June 24th) as their first head coach. Hakstol, who was an unexpected hire, was head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers for more than three seasons from 2015 to 2019, and a Toronto Maple Leafs assistant for the past two years. The Kraken will play in the Pacific Division, with the Arizona Coyotes shifting to the Central Division.
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