Monday, June 14, 2021

Wake-up Call: Netanyahu Out, New Coalition In Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu's 12-year reign as Israel's prime minister came to an end on Sunday, as the country's parliament narrowly approved a new coalition government. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett takes over as head of the fragile coalition made up of eight parties with big ideological differences, while Netanyahu goes into the opposition -- and he made clear he won't be any less controversial or outspoken there. 


In blistering remarks before parliament yesterday ahead of the vote and swearing-in, Netanyahu blasted the incoming government as "evil" and "dangerous," and announced, "We'll be back!" He also charged that Bennett wouldn't be able to stand up to President Biden, declaring, "An Israeli PM must be able to say NO to an American president." Biden quickly congratulated the new government and spoke with Bennett by phone.

➤AFTER CLOSE OF G-7, BIDEN TO TAKE PART IN NATO SUMMIT TODAY: President Biden is in Brussels today where he will take part in a NATO summit, after days of meeting with the leaders of the Group of 7 nations in the U.K. in a gathering that ended Sunday. High on Biden's NATO agenda will be speaking with America's allies about countering provocative actions by China and Russia, as well as emphasizing the U.S. commitment to NATO, after it was frequently criticized by his presidential predecessor, Donald Trump. Biden will also meet with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the summit today.

G-7 Ends: The G-7 meeting closed yesterday with the nation's leaders pledging more than one billion coronavirus vaccine doses for poorer nations, 500,000 of them from the U.S. They also: called on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang, where it's accused of human rights abuses against the Uyghur minority; promised financing for infrastructure to help speed up the global shift to renewable energy; and backed a minimum tax of at least 15 percent on large multinational companies to stop corporations from using tax havens to avoid taxes.


➤DEMS WANT TESTIMONY FROM TRUMP ATTORNEY GENERALS AFTER DISCLOSURES OF SECRETLY-OBTAINED COMMUNICATIONS: Democrats are calling for sworn testimony before Congress by former President Donald Trump's former attorneys general Bill Barr and Jeff Sessions after disclosures about communications records of Democratic lawmakers and journalists being secretly obtained during the Trump administration. It's known that at least two Democratic lawmakers had their records obtained, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell. That came as it was reported Sunday that Trump's Justice Department also subpoenaed Apple for records of his own White House Counsel Don McGahn and his wife while he was still the top lawyer for the presidency. The Justice Department has announced a review by its inspector general of the secret data seizures.

➤THOMAS MARKLE TALKS OPRAH: Meghan Markle’s estranged father Thomas Markle is addressing Meghan and Prince Harry’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. He claims she is “using” the couple to benefit her own career and “taking advantage” of Harry while in a “weakened” state. 

He tells 60 Minutes Australia: “I think she’s using them to build her network and build her new shows. I think she’s taking advantage of a very weakened man and getting him to say things that you just shouldn’t be saying on television.”

𝆕EXPERTS...LISTENING TO MUSIC BEFORE BED CAN DISRUPT YOUR SLEEP BY GETTING ‘EARWORM’ SONGS STUCK IN YOUR HEAD:  It turns out listening to music before bed might be a bad idea. Researchers in Texas have found that people who listen to more music before bed are more likely to have persistent “earworms,” or catchy songs that loop in the mind, as well as poorer sleep. Earworms usually affect people while they’re awake, but the study found that they can also happen while trying to sleep. Also, those who experience earworms regularly at night (one or more times per week) were found to be six times as likely to have poor sleep quality compared to people who rarely experience earworms. The study even found, surprisingly, that some instrumental music is more likely to lead to earworms and disrupt sleep quality than lyrical music. Study leader Michael Scullin adds, “Almost everyone thought music improves their sleep, but we found those who listened to more music slept worse. Our brains continue to process music even when none is playing, including apparently while we are asleep. […] sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. The more you listen to music, the more likely you are to catch an earworm that won’t go away at bedtime.”

➤BIDEN, FIRST LADY MEET FOR TEA WITH QUEEN ELIZABETH: President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle for tea on Sunday afternoon (June 13th). Biden was in the U.K. for the G-7 summit, and he and his wife met with the queen after the summit ended. The three stood together as "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played, and then the queen and first lady stayed on the dais while the president inspected the assembled Guard of Honor. After that, they went inside for tea, with the Bidens spending about an hour with the queen. The president said afterward that the monarch had been "very gracious" and that she reminded him of his late mother. Biden also said he invited her to the White House. On Friday evening, the Bidens and the other G-7 leaders attended a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, and Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton.

🐶PEKINGESE NAMED WASABI WINS WESTMINSTER DOG SHOW: A three-year-old Pekingese named Wasabi won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show last night, the fifth time the toy breed has won the dog show world's most prestigious competition. Show judge Patricia Trotter said of Wasabi, "He stood there as though he was a lion.” The competition was held outside of New York City this year for this first time since its 1877 founding due to the pandemic. Instead of its usual Madison Square Garden location, it took place outdoors at an estate in Tarrytown, about 25 miles north of Manhattan. It also took place in June instead of its usual time in February, and there were no members of the public.

🚀SEAT ON BEZOS' SPACE FLIGHT AUCTIONED FOR $28 MILLION: A seat on the first crewed spaceflight by Jeff Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, was auctioned on Saturday for $28 million. The name of the winner wasn't disclosed, but whoever it is, he or she will be on the flight with Amazon founder Bezos himself and his brother, Mark Bezos. The winner's name will be released in the coming weeks, and a fourth and final passenger will also be announced. The launch of the New Shepard to the edge of space and back is set for July 20th.

🍲STUDY..WOMEN WHO EAT FAST FOOD AND SKIP BREAKFAST HAVE WORSE MENTAL HEALTH THAN MEN WITH SIMILAR DIETS:  What you eat can have an impact on your mental health. Researchers from Binghamton University in New York looked at men and women ages 30 and older and found that for women specifically, a healthy diet may be especially crucial for staving off anxiety, depression, and distress. They found that eating foods like nuts, fish, and leafy greens was associated with a more positive mood, while eating fast food and skipping breakfast were linked to worse mood scores. In addition, eating foods with a high glycemic index, which raise blood sugar quickly (such as refined carbohydrates like potato chips, white bread, and sugary foods) were associated with lower mood scores. Lead study author Linda Begdache says that women who reported eating less healthy food and skipping breakfast reported significantly more negative side effects than men, and these women were also more likely to report side effects even if they ate an otherwise healthy diet. Still, the study proved correlation, not causation, so it’s not clear if the foods caused changes in mood. It could be that happier people are more likely to make healthier food choices, for example.


🏀SUNS SWEEP NUGGETS TO ADVANCE IN NBA PLAYOFFS: The Phoenix Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets 125-118 last night to sweep their second-round playoff series 4 games to 0 and advance to the Western Conference Finals. This is the first time the Suns have reached the conference finals since 2010, the last time they reached the postseason. They'll play the winner of the Utah Jazz-L.A. Clippers series, which Utah leads 2 games to 1. Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who was just named the NBA MVP last week, was ejected in the third quarter for a flagrant foul. Jokic was frustrated after he missed an 11-foot jumper and didn’t get the call, and he tried to slap the ball away from the Suns' Cameron Payne, but hit him in the face. Before leaving, Jokic went over to Payne and appeared to apologize.

NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round games yesterday:
  • Phoenix Suns 125, Denver Nuggets 118 - Phoenix sweeps series 4 games to 0
  • Milwaukee Bucks 107, Brooklyn Nets 96 - Series tied at 2-2

🏒NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from Conference Finals yesterday:
  • New York Islanders 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 1 - New York leads 1 game to 0

🏀NETS' IRVING INJURES ANKLE: Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving had to leave yesterday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second quarter with a sprained ankle, and he's uncertain for Game 5 on Tuesday. Irving landed on the Bucs' Giannis Antetokounmpo's foot after making a layup midway through the second quarter, bending his right foot significantly and appearing to be in pain. He was limping as he walked off the court and was unable to return to the game, which the Bucks won 107-96 to tie their second-round series at 2-2.

🎾DJOKOVIC, KREJCIKOVA WIN FRENCH OPEN: Top-seeded Novak Djokovic mounted a comeback from being down two sets to none to fifth-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open final Sunday to win the tournament 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. It's his second French Open title and 19th Grand Slam overall, and he's now one of just three men -- with Rod Laver and Roy Emerson -- to have won each major twice. On the women's side, unseeded Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic beat 31st-seed Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Saturday 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 to win the championship. It was her first major, with Krejcikova never having before advanced beyond the fourth round in one of them. Then on Sunday, she won the women's doubles title with partner Katerina Siniakova. She's the first to win both titles at the French Open since Mary Pierce in 2000.

🏌CASTREN BECOMES FIRST WINNER FROM FINLAND IN LPGA TOUR HISTORY: Matilda Castren became the first winner from Finland in LPGA Tour history yesterday with the 26-year-old's victory in the MEDIHEAL Championship at Lake Merced in California. Castren won by two strokes over Min Lee of Taiwan, finishing at 14-under 274 to get the win in just her 15th LPGA start.
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