Wake-Up Call: U-S Reaches Vaccination Milestone

150 MILLION AMERICANS FULLY VACCINATED: The U.S. on Monday reached the milestone of 150 million Americans being fully vaccinated against Covid-19. That translates to 45 percent of the U.S. population, while over 53 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine. However, the rate of people getting vaccinated has slowed significantly in recent weeks. Meanwhile, deaths from Covid have fallen below 300 a day for the first time since March 2020, in the early days of the pandemic. Average daily deaths are at 293, down from a high of over 3,400 in mid-January.

➤DRIVER WHO PLOWED INTO BICYCLISTS AT ARIZONA RACE HAS HISTORY OF DUI INCIDENTS: Court records show that the man who allegedly rammed his pickup truck into a group of bicyclists at a weekend race in Show Low, Arizona, on Saturday morning has a criminal history of several episodes of driving while intoxicated. Several riders were critically injured in the incident. Authorities identified him yesterday (June 21st) as 35-year-old Shawn Michael Chock, who is still hospitalized after being shot by police as they chased him after he fled the scene. Police are trying to determine a motive. According to AP, court records also show a 2007 indictment for aggravated assault, and a charge of disorderly conduct with a weapon a few months later, as well as charges of aggravated assault and shoplifting in 2010, and a parole violation in 2012.

➤REPUBLICANS POISED TO BLOCK VOTING BILL IN KEY TEST VOTE IN SENATE: Republicans are poised to block sweeping voting rights legislation proposed by Democrats in a key test vote in the Senate today. Republicans view the measure as federal overreach in state's elections systems and are set to use the filibuster today to block debate from beginning on the measure. Previewing the events, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday, "Are you afraid to debate? We’re about to find out."

➤JUDGE DISMISSES MOST CLAIMS FILED OVER CLEARING OF D.C. PARK LAST YEAR: A federal judge yesterday dismissed most claims that were brought by Black Lives Matter activists and civil liberties groups who accused the Trump administration of having violated the civil rights of protesters when they were forcefully removed by police from the Lafayette Square park near the White House in June 2020 before then-President Donald Trump walked to a nearby church to take a photo with a Bible. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich said that the suit's claims that Trump and then-Attorney General William Barr had conspired to violate the protesters' rights were speculative, and that it was premature for the court to conclude whether the actions of law enforcement were justified. Friedrich dismissed the claims against Trump, Barr and other federal officials, including the acting U.S. Park Police chief, saying in addition that the law gives them immunity in civil suits. He did, however, allow the claims against the Metropolitan Police Department and the Arlington Police Department to proceed.

Winner of Iran's "engineered" presidential election, Ebrahim Raisi, has previously been sanctioned by the U.S. and faced criticism from human rights groups for his alleged involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners. https://t.co/vQLe6zlK5P

— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 22, 2021

Democrat Sen. Whitehouse Says His Exclusive Beach Club’s All-White Membership Is Simply ‘Tradition’ https://t.co/8xZpHNWns1

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) June 21, 2021

➤POLL..AMERICANS SUPPORT EASIER VOTING, I-D REQUIREMENT:  When it comes to voting, a new Monmouth University Poll found that big majorities favor some things that fall on both sides of the political aisle. For instance, 71 percent believe it should be easier overall to vote early in elections, more associated with Democrats in the political debate over voting, while 80 percent support requiring a form of identification to vote, which is associated with Republicans' stance. Half were in favor of making voting by mail easier, while 39 percent said it should be made harder. More than two-thirds, 69 percent, were in favor of creating, quote, "national guidelines to allow vote by mail and in-person early voting in federal elections in every state." When it came to concerns about voting, 50 percent expressed concern about voter disenfranchisement, while 37 percent on the other hand believed voter fraud is a major issue.

➤AIRLINES WANTS DOJ TO PROSECUTE UNRULY, VIOLENT PASSENGERS: The airline industry, flight attendants and pilots are calling for the Justice Department to prosecute unruly, violent passengers. Incidents of such behavior on planes have soared as passengers have been returning to flying, with the Federal Aviation Administration having announced a zero-tolerance policy in January. Many of the cases involve passengers who refuse to wear masks. The trade group Airlines for America and unions for flight attendants and pilots wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging action, citing a, quote, "substantial increase in and growing escalation of passengers' unruly and disruptive behavior onboard aircraft, particularly toward crew members." It noted that federal law calls for up to 20 years in prison for passengers who intimidate or interfere with crew members. The FAA has announced $368,000 in fines on 21 passengers through May.

➤AMERICAN AIRLINES CUTS HUNDREDS OF FLIGHTS DUE TO LABOR SHORTAGE: American Airlines has canceled hundreds of flights in the next month, mainly due to a staffing shortage, rising travel demand, and other issues. American, the world’s largest carrier by fleet size and passengers carried, canceled more than 300 flights on Saturday and Sunday due to the issues. An American Airlines spokeswoman told CNN, “The first few weeks of June have brought unprecedented weather to our largest hubs, heavily impacting our operation and causing delays, canceled flights and disruptions to crew member schedules and our customers’ plans. That, combined with the labor shortages some of our vendors are contending with and the incredible quick ramp up of customer demand, has led us to build in additional resilience and certainty to our operation by adjusting a fraction of our scheduled flying.” She added that the flight cancellations will occur in markets where there are “multiple options” to accommodate passengers. American says it expects between 50 and 80 cancellations per day over the coming weeks.

➤TRUMP'S COMPANY SUES NYC CITY FOR CANCELING CONTRACT TO RUN BRONX GOLF COURSE: Former President Donald Trump's company sued New York City yesterday for canceling its contract to run a Bronx golf course earlier this year in the wake of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Trump Organization claims the move was politically motivated and that Mayor Bill de Blasio didn't have the right to terminate the deal. The suit is demanding that the Trump Organization be allowed to continue to run the golf course, or that the city pay millions of dollars to buy them out. The city maintained Trump was in breach of the contract terms, saying he can no longer contend he can attract prestigious tournaments to the course, called Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, as his contract requires. The Trump Organization argued it's not required by the contract to attract tournaments, but only to maintain a course that is "first-class, tournament quality."

➤STUDY: DRINKING COFFEE REDUCES RISK OF LIVER DISEASE: A new study is good news for people who can't get through the day without their coffee, finding that drinking up to three or four cups a day reduces the risk of developing and dying from chronic liver disease. The study out yesterday (June 21st) in the journal BMC Public Health found that the effect was seen in drinkers of both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. In the study that followed nearly 500,000 participants for close to 12 years, coffee drinkers were found to be 21 percent less likely to develop chronic liver disease and 49 percent less likely to die from chronic liver disease than those who don't drink coffee.

➤SOUTH AFRICAN WOMAN WHO CLAIMED RECORD-BREAKING BIRTH OF 10 BABIES IS IN PSYCH WARD, DOCS SAY NO EVIDENCE OF BIRTH: A 37-year-old South African woman who made worldwide headlines when she claimed to have given birth to 10 babies -- called "decuplets" -- has been admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg for a psychiatric evaluation. As questions have been growing about whether Gosiame Thamara Sithole really did have decuplets, South Africa's Eyewitness News reported that a medical team examined her after she was admitted to the psychiatric ward last week. The outlet cited a source as saying, "The medical evaluation has shown that there was no pregnancy. It also shows that there are no physical scars to indicate a recent C-section." Local health officials have said they have no record of decuplets having been born at any of the region's private or public facilities. Even the reputed father, Teboga Tsotetsi, has raised questions about whether the babies actually exist. Sithole's attorney is claiming she is being "held against her will" at the hospital.

➤SHARK SIGHTINGS, DETECTIONS INCREASE NEAR EAST COAST AS SUMMER UNFOLDS: It’s officially summer, and shark sightings are increasing along the East Coast and around Florida. Authorities in Florida say a shark attacked a man swimming near a fishing line off the coast of Grayton Beach State Park on Thursday. Further north, photos showed a dolphin swimming near South Carolina that had likely been mauled by a shark, and near Rhode Island, a juvenile great white shark was recently tagged for the first time. States are taking precautions as reports of these apex predators emerge. Maine announced last month that its state beaches and coastal parks were set to adopt a flag system used in Massachusetts to warn residents of the presence of sharks. The University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File recorded a total of 57 unprovoked shark bites on humans last year. And while shark sightings and detections have increased on the East Coast, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (SWSC) notes on its website that “stock status remains uncertain.” The experts say humans should be aware that sharks hunt for seals in shallow water, avoid murky or low-visibility water, swim in groups close to shore, limit splashing and adhere to signage and instructions from lifeguards. 

➤WHEN TO SEE THE FULL ‘STRAWBERRY’ MOON, THE LAST SUPERMOON OF 2021:  June’s full moon is the last supermoon of 2021. You can check out this full moon, also called the “strawberry” moon, illuminating the sky this week. A supermoon takes place when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, knows a perigee, and it appears slightly larger and brighter than a typical full moon. The full moon will reach peak illumination on Thursday, June 24th, at 2:40 p.m. Eastern time, but it won’t be visible until it rises above the horizon later that evening. It will appear full for about three days surrounding this time, from about Wednesday morning through Saturday morning (June 26th.) You can find the exact moonrise and moonset times for your location at TimeAndDate.com.

🏈RAIDERS' NASSIB BECOMES FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY: Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib yesterday became the first active NFL player to come out as gay. The 28-year-old, who is heading into his sixth NFL season, shared the news on Instagram, saying in a video message, "I just wanted to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while now, but I finally feel comfortable enough to get it off my chest." He said he was coming out because he felt representation and visibility are important. In a written message after the video, Nassib said he decided to go public after getting the support of family and friends, and also said he was, quote, "incredibly thankful for the NFL, my coaches and fellow players for their support." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement, "The NFL family is proud of Carl for courageously sharing his truth today. Representation matters." Messages of support also came from the Raiders, who reposted Nassib's message on Twitter with the caption, "Proud of you, Carl," as well as from others in the sports world and beyond, including New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and NFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon.

 

BREAKING: US Supreme Court unanimously rules that the NCAA went too far in blocking some education-related aid for student athletes, a decision that comes as college athletics struggles with the issue of how to preserve its amateur status. https://t.co/BEfTAxSLFD

— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 21, 2021

➤SUPREME COURT RULES NCAA CAN'T LIMIT EDUCATION-RELATED BENEFITS FOR ATHLETES: The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday the NCAA can’t limit education-related benefits like computers, paid internships, study-abroad programs, and gradate scholarships that colleges can offer athletes, finding the current limits violate antitrust laws. Schools trying to recruit athletes for Division I basketball and football could now offer these kind of benefits. The decision from the high court could help open the door to allowing more towards potentially paying salaries to student-athletes. The NCAA had defended the rules for preserving the amateur nature of college sports.

🏒LIGHTNING TROUNCE ISLANDERS 8-0 IN CONFERENCE FINALS GAME 5: The Tampa Bay Lightning trounced the New York Islanders 8-0 last night in Game 5 of their Conference Final to take a 3 games to 2 lead. The victory was just the second time in the last 48 years that a team won an NHL playoff game in the final two rounds by eight goals or more. Game 6 is set for Wednesday night, with the defending champion Lightning one win away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final.

🏒NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from Conference Finals yesterday:

• Tampa Bay Lightning 8, New York Islanders 0 - Tampa Bay leads series 3 games to 2

⚾DIAMONDBACKS' LOSING STREAK ENDS AT 17 GAMES: The Arizona Diamondbacks' losing streak finally came to an end after 17 games last night, with a 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Diamondbacks currently have the worst record in baseball, at 21-53, and they've still got another losing streak to end: a new consecutive road losses record of 23 straight games.

🏈CHIEFS' CLARK ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF HAVING CONCEALED GUN IN VEHICLE: Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark was arrested in Los Angeles Sunday night after police saw a submachine gun in his car, police said Monday. Clark was pulled over for a vehicle violation when, police say, officers saw a bag in the car with an Uzi sticking out of it. The 28-year-old was then arrested on suspicion of having a concealed firearm in a vehicle. He was released from jail yesterday on $35,00 bond. Clark's attorney said the gun belonged to the Raiders player's bodyguard. The NFL said the incident would be reviewed under the league's personal conduct policy.