Thursday, June 17, 2021

Wake-Up Call: No Breakthroughs During Biden-Putin Summit


President Biden ended his eight-day European trip yesterday with a meeting in Geneva with Russian President Vladimir Putin. There were no breakthroughs at the summit, but both leaders did agree to return their chief diplomats to the other's capital after both were recalled home amid a worsening relationship in recent months, as well as to begin work on a plan to strengthen the last remaining treaty between the U.S. and Russia limiting nuclear weapons. In a joint statement afterward, the two said the meeting showed the, quote, "practical work our two countries can do to advance our mutual interests and also benefit the world." Biden said he made clear to Putin that if Russia crossed certain lines, including cyberattacks on major American infrastructure, the U.S. would respond and, quote, "the consequences of that would be devastating." However, Putin continued to publicly claim Russia had nothing to do with recent cyberattacks against U.S. companies. 


Biden raised human rights issues with Putin, including the case of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as well as election interference. Both leaders held separate press conferences after the summit, and Biden said when asked if he thought Putin would change his behavior, "I’m not confident he’ll change his behavior. What will change his behavior is the rest of the world reacts to them, and they diminish their standing in the world. I’m not confident in anything."

➤ADMINISTRATION ENDS TRUMP RULES MAKING ASYLUM HARDER FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC, GANG VIOLENCE: Attorney General Merrick Garland yesterday instructed immigration judges to stop following rules put in place under former President Donald Trump's administration that made it harder for immigrants to qualify for asylum in the U.S. as a victim of domestic violence or gang violence. Many Central Americans trying to come to the U.S. are fleeing gang violence in their countries. Garland said he was making the change after President Biden ordered his office and the Department of Homeland Security to draft rules about complex issues regarding who should qualify for asylum.


➤BIPARTISAN SENATE GROUP TRYING TO REACH INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL DOUBLES TO 21: A bipartisan group of senators trying to reach an infrastructure deal more than doubled in size yesterday from 10 senators to 21 -- 11 Democrats and 10 Republicans -- giving their effort more momentum. President Biden, who was returning yesterday from his European trip, said he hadn't seen the proposal they're working on yet, but is still hopeful a bipartisan agreement can be reached. At the same time, as talks have been going on for weeks now, Democrats in Congress are also moving on a parallel track of preparing to pass what they can on their own if the bipartisan effort ultimately fails.

➤BILL TO MAKE JUNETEENTH FEDERAL HOLIDAY HEADS TO BIDEN AFTER APPROVED BY CONGRESS: Legislation that would make Juneteeth, which is on June 19th, a new federal holiday is heading to President Biden for his expected signature after being approved by Congress. The House passed the measure on a 415-14 vote Wednesday after it had been approved under unanimous consent in the Senate a day earlier. Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., marking when the last slaves learned they were free on June 19, 1865. Union soldiers brought the news of the Confederate surrender two months earlier to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas. It would be the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983.


➤$500M IN STUDENT DEBT CANCELLED FOR STUDENTS MISLED ABOUT JOB PROSPECTS, CREDIT TRANSFERS:  The Department of Education announced yesterday that it had approved the cancelation of $500 million in federal student loan debt for some 18,000 people who'd gone to ITT Technical Institute. That represents 100 percent of the borrowers' loan debt. The Education Department has previously forgiven student loan debt for people found to have been defrauded by for-profit schools. But CNBC says this is the first time loan forgiveness has been granted for a school having misled students about their job prospects and their ability to transfer credits to other schools. ITT closed in 2016. Some Democrats have been urging President Biden to more broadly forgive up to $50,000 of federal student loan debt for all borrowers, which would eliminate student debt for an estimated 93 percent of borrowers. But Biden has said he will only support up to $10,000 in debt forgiveness, and would prefer that action to do so comes from Congress.

➤CHRISSY TEIGEN REPORTEDLY WANTS TO SIT DOWN WITH OPRAH: Radar reports that Chrissy Teigen is looking to do a sit-down interview with Oprah in order to do damage control in the wake of her cyberbullying scandals. A source tells the outlet, “Chrissy is being advised to go into hiding and lay low. She is being told that all this will pass if she shuts up and does nothing. However, that isn’t her style which is why Chrissy is in talks with Oprah to do a Meghan Markle sit-down type interview and tell her truth.” The insider added that she hopes the interview will allow her to hit the restart button on her career.

➤GOOGLE TRENDS ANALYSIS REVEALS EACH STATE’S MOST MISSPELLED WORD:  It turns out Americans had issues spelling some of the commonly-used words over the last year or so. An analysis of Google Trends data showed the most commonly misspelled words in each state, revealing “quarantine” topped the list in 12 states. At&T Experts analyzed the Google Trends from between March 2020 and March 2021. They found “Coronavirus” was the most misspelled word in six states, while seven states had issues spelling “favorite,” and five struggled with spelling “which.” Three struggled with spelling “definitely,” while another three had issues spelling “separate.” Also, the most common misspelling of “quarantine” was “corn teen.”

➤SOMETHING IS GOING ON, WHY ARE WE BEING KEPT IN THE DARK?:
The Daily Mail Screenshot 6/17/21



➤SCIENCE: HOW BEING OPTIMISTIC CAN ACTUALLY HELP YOU LIVE LONGER: There’s something to be said for looking at the bright side. In 2019 Boston University researchers found evidence that suggests optimistic people live longer than pessimists—and those who scored higher on an optimism assessment were more likely to live past the age of 85. This echoes results from a study ending in 2004 that found people with higher optimism levels at the start of the study were more likely to be physically active and less likely to have health conditions, but even when looking beyond those factors, there was still a link between optimism and a longer life span. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine found that people with a family history of heart disease who had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years compared to those with a more negative outlook. The finding held even in people with family history who had the most risk factors for coronary artery disease. What’s not clear is if an optimistic outlook facilitates more healthy habits, or vice versa. Whatever the case, it seems there’s something to be gained from having a positive outlook, which can be achieved by doing simple things such as going outside, scheduling Zoom calls with loved ones or even scheduling other daily activities—you could also try keeping a gratitude journal.

➤THE DOWNSIDE OF DITCHING MASKS: THE RETURN OF COLDS, FLU:  People across the U.S. are starting to take their masks off as mandates are slowly relaxed. But infectious disease doctors say the return of facial freedom could also come with some downsides, like a resurgence in cases of the common cold and the flu. All the precautions taken since March 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 also eliminated other common viruses. A study the CDC published in September showed a 98 percent decrease in flu activity in the first months of the pandemic. Dr. Joshua Barocas adds, “Most of us in infectious disease really attributed that to masks—not just masks, but the combination of masks, people working largely from home, social distancing, all of those measures that have been in place for the last year.” But as vaccination rates increase and these precautions are slowly dropped, other viruses will return, starting with colds and other viruses later this summer, and the flu come fall and winter. Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of the Boston University Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research adds, “I would advise my patients—particularly those with high-risk medical conditions, including immunocompromising conditions—to consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor places during flu seasons and during long travels in the future. I am likely to do the same.”

➤EUROPEAN UNION RECOMMENDS LIFTING RESTRICTIONS ON U.S TRAVELERS: The European Union is recommending that its member nations begin lifting restrictions on travelers from the U.S. E.U. members agreed yesterday to add the U.S. to the list of countries for which restrictions on non-essential travel should be gradually removed. However, the recommendation isn't binding on the member countries, who can require Covid test results, vaccination records, or other entry conditions. Some E.U. countries have already started allowing American visitors.


➤SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION VOTES FOR TASK FORCE TO OVERSEE PROBE INTO HANDLING OF SEX ABUSE: Delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting voted by a wide margin yesterday to create a task force to oversee an independent investigation into the denomination’s handling of sexual abuse. It's been alleged that the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee mishandled abuse cases, intimidated victims and advocates, and resisted reforms. This action is the latest response to a 2019 report by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News on hundreds of cases of abuse by Southern Baptist church leaders and workers, including pastors, ministers, Sunday school teachers, deacons and church volunteers.

➤TOM RIDGE, FIRST HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY, SUFFERS STROKE: Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, who became the first secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, suffered a stroke yesterday at his Maryland home. The 75-year-old's family said he was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent successful surgery to remove a blood clot, and remains in critical but stable condition. Ridge is now the chairman of security firm Ridge Global, which focuses on cyber threats, international security, and risk management.

➤PANDEMIC STREAMING SPREE WINDS DOWN AS AMERICANS CUT BACK ON SUBSCRIPTIONS AND AD-BASED VIDEO VIEWERSHIP DROPS BY 10%:  As the world slowly re-opens, Americans are slowing down on consuming streaming content. Media research company Omdia reports that the US user base for advertising-based video on demand services has fallen by ten percent in the past six months. The report also showed that for the first time since 2019 the average number of steaming services people in the U.S. use regularly has dropped from an industry high of 7.23 in November 2020 to 7.06 in April 2021. Advertisement-based channel penetration also dropped from 93 percent in November 2020 to 83 percent currently, while paid subscriptions for services such as Netflix and Disney+ remained stable. The firm says this is expected as Americans get used to various streaming offerings available. The company notes, “We are starting to see the anticipated streaming services fatigue in the US, but critically it’s not [paid subscription services] fatigue.”


🏀HAWKS COME BACK FROM BEING DOWN 26 POINTS TO BEAT 76ERS, TAKE 3-2 SERIES LEAD: The Atlanta Hawks came back being 26 points down to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-106 last night and take a 3 games to 2 lead in their second-round playoff series. Trae Young scored 39 points for Atlanta, including all three free throws with 1:26 left after being fouled on a three-pointer. The 76ers had a 26-point lead in the first half and were still up 87-69 at the end of the third period, before collapsing in the fourth, when they were outscored 40-19 by the Hawks.

🏀LEONARD MISSED CLIPPERS GAME 5 WIN AGAINST JAZZ, FUTURE AVAILABILITY UNCERTAIN: The L.A. Clippers' Kawhi Leonard missed Game 5 of the second-round playoffs matchup between the Clippers and the Utah Jazz last night (June 16th) with a sprained knee. L.A. won 119-111, taking a 3 games to 2 lead, but Leonard's availability for Game 6 on Friday, and potentially after that, is uncertain. AP cited a source as saying the two-time NBA Finals MVP will be undergoing more testing and evaluation. He appeared to be have been injured when he was fouled near the end of Game 4. He left the game less than a minute later and didn't return.

🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round games yesterday:
  • Atlanta Hawks 109, Philadelphia 76ers 106 - Atlanta leads series 3 games to 2
  • L.A. Clippers 119, Utah Jazz 111 - Los Angeles leads 3 games to 2

🏒NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from Conference Finals yesterday:
  • Montreal Canadiens 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2 - Series tied at 1-1

🏀SUNS' PAUL IN COVID PROTOCOL, STATUS UNCLEAR FOR CONFERENCE FINALS: The Phoenix Suns said yesterday that Chris Paul had entered the NBA's health and safety coronavirus protocols, and it's unclear if he'll be available to play for the start of the Western Conference finals next week. AP cited a source as saying Paul has been vaccinated against Covid-19, meaning he might be cleared to return more quickly.

🏀LAMELO BALL NAMED NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: The Charlotte Hornets' LaMelo Ball was named the NBA Rookie of the Year on Wednesday. Ball received 84 of 99 first-place votes in balloting by 100 writers and broadcasters who cover the league. Ball, who was chosen third overall in 2020 after playing professional basketball in Lithuania and Australia, beat out Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton.

⚾DIAMONDBACKS TIE MLB CONSECUTIVE ROAD LOSS RECORD WITH 22ND: The Arizona Diamondbacks got their 22nd consecutive road loss yesterday, falling 13-7 to the San Francisco Giants, to tied the MLB record. Two other teams have lost 22nd straight road games, the 1963 New York Mets and the 1943 Philadelphia Athletics.

🏀PELICANS FIRE HEAD COACH VAN GUNDY: The New Orleans Pelicans have fired head coach Stan Van Gundy after just one season. Team basketball operations head David Griffin said yesterday, "This was something that was very, very difficult," stating, "This was wrought in our philosophical difference in the way we’re going to reach the next step in our development." The Pelicans didn't make the postseason after finishing 10 games below .500.
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