Friday, July 30, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden Wants Vaxxes, Testing For Federal Workers


President Biden yesterday announced new requirements for federal workers and contractors aimed at increasing coronavirus vaccination rates as the highly-contagious delta virus continues to spread. Federal workers will now have to either attest that they've been vaccinated or undergo weekly testing and comply with mandatory mask wearing, distancing, and other requirements. In addition to pushing the millions of federal workers and contractors to get vaccinated, the step is also meant to set an example for private employers. 


Speaking from the White House about the stalled vaccination rate, Biden said, "This is an American tragedy. People are dying who don’t have to die." He also was more forceful in his comments about those who refuse to get vaccinated, saying, "you present a problem to yourself, to your family and those with whom you work." Biden additionally addressed the frustration of Americans, saying, "I know it's exhausting to think we’re still in this fight. I know we hoped this would be a simple straightforward line, without problems or new challenges. But that isn’t real life."


➤ADMINISTRATION TO LET EVICTION MORATORIUM EXPIRE: The administration announced yesterday that it will let the nationwide eviction moratorium expire on Saturday, saying it has no choice after the Supreme Court indicated it could only be extended to the end of the month. However, President Biden called on Congress to extend it, as the White House said he would've liked to be able to do so because of the coronavirus' delta variant. The Democrats are reportedly working on legislation to extend the moratorium, but it's unclear if it will happen. The halt on evictions was put in place amid the height of the pandemic last year to protect people who'd lost their jobs and was extended several times.



➤NAVY CHARGES SAILOR WITH STARTING FIRE THAT DESTROYED SHIP LAST YEAR: The U.S. Navy charged a sailor yesterday with starting a fire in July of last year on the USS Bonhomme Richard while it was docked off San Diego. The amphibious assault ship burned for more than four days and had to be scrapped due to extensive damage. More than 60 sailors and civilians suffered minor injuries, heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. A spokesperson for the U.S. 3rd Fleet said that the sailor, who wasn't named, was a member of the crew at the time. No motive was given. The sailor was charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel.

➤EX-CARDINAL MCCARRICK CHARGED WITH SEXUALLY ASSAULTING TEENAGER: Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was once a high-profile member of the U.S. Catholic Church, has been charged with sexually assaulting a teenage boy during a 1974 wedding reception in Massachusetts, The Boston Globe reported yesterday. The 91-year-old McCarrick was defrocked in 2019 after a Vatican investigation found he'd sexually molested children and adults. Court records show that the now-adult victim says the abuse began when he was a young boy and that McCarrick was close to his family. The alleged incident happened during the boy's brother's wedding reception, and the man said there was more abuse over the years, including when he was an adult. McCarrick, who currently lives in Missouri, has an arraignment on September 3rd in Massachusetts.


🏫NEBRASKA MOSTLY DROPS PLAN FOR GENDFER I-D LESSONS:  Nebraska Department of Education officials said Thursday that they've dropped most plans to teach gender identity lessons in public schools after strong opposition from many parents, school boards, state lawmakers and Republican Governor Pete Ricketts. The original draft of proposed sexual standards from the Nebraska Department of Education -- which would have been voluntary -- suggested lessons for kindergartners about family structures, including same-gender families, discussions about gender identity and stereotypes for first-graders, lessons on a range of gender identities for sixth-graders, and lessons about different types of sex and how diseases are transmitted for seventh graders. Most of those were removed in the new draft, but seventh-graders would still be taught that biological sex and gender identity may not be the same. LGBTQ advocates were unhappy that most of the original draft was removed, with Abbi Swatsworth, executive director of OutNebraska, saying, "The fact that LGBTQ+ people exist should not be controversial." But many conservatives were upset that any gender identity content remained.

➤POLL..MAJORITY DON'T LIKE BIG TECH ANYMORE:  Americans aren't feeling very good about Big Tech companies these days, with a new Change Research poll out this week finding that Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Google, Apple and Amazon all had net unfavorable ratings. Additionally, a majority were open to regulating and even breaking the companies up. Approval for breaking up Big Tech companies was found among a majority of both Republicans and Democrats. Public Citizen's Jane Chung told The Hill, "I think the honeymoon phase of the American public with Big Tech is over," and contended the results are a, quote, "clear sign that voters are fed up with the abuse of the Big Tech companies and internet companies at large."

➤FIRST LADY TREATED FOR FOOT PUNCTURE WOUND AT WALTER REED: First Lady Jill Biden was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center yesterday for a puncture wound in her foot, which she suffered while walking on the beach in Hawaii last weekend after she'd stopped in the state on the way back from the Tokyo Olympics. A spokesperson for Mrs. Biden said it was "unclear" what she'd stepped on. Debris was flushed out of the wound during the treatment, with the spokesperson saying afterward, "The wound is now clean, free of infection and it is anticipated that it will heal nicely." President Biden was with his wife at Walter Reed, and they both went back to the White House last night.

➤FORMER SENATOR CARL LEVIN, LONGEST-SERVING EVER FROM MICHIGAN, DEAD AT 87: Former Democratic Senator Carl Levin, the longest-serving senator ever from Michigan, died Thursday at age 87. No cause of death was given, but he'd been diagnosed with lung cancer when he was 83. Levin was first elected to the Senate in 1978 and was re-elected five more times before he decided against running for a seventh term in 2014. The U.S. Navy named a destroyer after Levin to honor his years of public service. Levin's memoir, Getting to the Heart of the Matter: My 36 Years in the Senate, was just published in March.
 

🎵'NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP' REACHES ONE BILLION VIEWS ON YOUTUBE: Rick Astley's 1987 hit, "Never Gonna Give You Up," which found new life with the "Rickrolling" prank, one of the earliest YouTube memes, passed one billion views on YouTube Wednesday since it was uploaded almost 12 years ago. Astley tweeted a video to mark reaching the milestone, in which he called it "mind-blowing," and said, "The world is a wonderful and beautiful place, and I am very lucky." "Never Gonna Give You Up" is only the fourth music video from the 1980s to have one Billion views, along with Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child o' Mine," A-ha's "Take on Me," and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."

➤DISNEY SUED OVER 'BLACK WIDOW'S' STREAMING DEBUT: Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney, claiming that they cost her money by releasing Black Widow on Disney+ at the same time it debuted in theaters.

According to the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Disney is in breach of contract because streaming the film siphoned potential theatergoers, costing her potential compensation tied to the movie’s theatrical revenue.

A Disney spokesperson told Deadline, “There is no merit whatsoever to this filing. The lawsuit is especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20M she has received to date.”

Black Widow debuted on Disney+ and in theaters on July 9th and has grossed nearly $320,000,000 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.


➤TOKYO OLYMPICS Highlights:
  • American Lee Wins Wins Women's Gymnastics All-Around Gold - Sunisa Lee won the gold medal in the women's gymnastics all-around competition, continuing the streak of American women winning the all-around for the fifth straight Olympics. The 18-year-old beat Brazil's Rebeca Andrade, who won silver after stepping out of bounds twice in the floor exercise, the final event, and the Russian Olympic Committee's Angelina Melnikova, who won bronze.
  • Biles Says Has the 'Twisties' - Simone Biles said in a series of Instagram Stories yesterday that she's struggling with the "twisties," and posted two since-removed videos showing her struggling with dismounts on the uneven bars in practice. The "twisties" is gymnastics-speak for a mental block that causes the gymnasts to lose awareness of their location, and control of their bodies, when they're in the air. Biles said it started the morning after the preliminary competition in Tokyo. She wrote, "It’s honestly petrifying trying to do a skill but not having your mind and body in sync." She said it's happened to her before, but only on the vault and floor exercise, but now it's happening with every event. She said that in the past, her twisties have lasted for two or more weeks. It's still unknown if Biles, who withdrew from the team and all-around competitions, will be able to compete in the individual apparatus events next week.
  • U.S. Women's Basketball Team Beats Japan - The U.S. women's basketball team beat Japan 86-69 for a 2-0 record so far in Tokyo.
  • South African Swimmer Sets World Record - South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker set the first individual swimming world record of the Tokyo Olympics in her gold medal swim in the women's 200-meter breaststroke. Her time of two minutes, 18.95 seconds broke the previous record of two minutes, 19.11 seconds set in the 2013 world championships by Denmark’s Rikke Moller Pedersen. American teammates Lilly King and Annie Lazor won the silver and bronze, respectively.
  • U.S. BMX Racer Taken Off in Stretcher After Crash - American Connor Fields, the 2016 Olympics BMX racing gold medalist, was carried off in a stretcher after crashing in the third semifinal heat. The 28-year-old had landed hard off a jump heading into the first turn and lay on the track. Medical personnel attended to him for several minutes before he was carried off the course. He qualified for the final, but wasn't able to race. The USA's cycling team's doctor said in a later update, "We can confirm that Connor Fields is awake and awaiting further medical evaluation. We will share additional updates as they become available."
MEDAL COUNT: (As of 3:30 a.m. ET) - The U.S. is in first place with 41 medals, followed by China with 34 and the Russian Olympic Committee with 31. In the gold medal count, China leads with 16, Japan in second with 15, and the U.S. is third with 14.  ESPN'S MEDAL TRACKER: https://es.pn/3hZWIw0

OTHER SPORTS:

🏀PISTONS TAKE CUNNINGHAM WITH FIRST PICK IN NBA DRAFT: The Detroit Pistons chose Oklahoma State point guard Cade Cunningham with the first pick in the NBA Draft last night at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. The Houston Rockies chose G League Ignite team shooting guard Jalen Green with the second pick.
  • USC center Evan Mobley was taken third by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
  • Florida State forward Scottie Barnes was chosen fourth by the Toronto Raptors.
  • Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs was picked fifth by the Orlando Magic.

🏀ESPN: WESTBROOK GOING TO LAKERS: The L.A. Lakers have agreed to a deal with the Washington Wizards to acquire Russell Westbrook in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Number 22 pick in last night's NBA draft, ESPN reported yesterday. The Wizards are also giving the Lakers 2024 and 2028 second-round picks. Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in a season four times in his career, including this past season. The deal can't officially be announced until August 6th, when the salary cap becomes official, but Westbrook posted a thank you message to Washington, D.C. on social media last night.

🏈SEC INVITES TEXAS, OKLAHOMA TO JOIN CONFERENCE IN 2025: The Southeastern Conference university presidents voted unanimously Thursday to invite Texas and Oklahoma to join the league effective July 1, 2025. This came two days after the two schools requested to join the SEC in 2025, when their media rights agreement with the Big 12 expires. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who had accused ESPN of trying to destabilize his conference, said after yesterday's vote, "Today’s SEC announcement reaffirms that these plans have been in the works with ongoing discussions between the parties and television partner for some time." ESPN's president of programming and content called Bowlsby's accusations against the sports network "entirely without merit."

⚾INDIANS' MANAGER FRANCONA LEAVING FOR REST OF SEASON WITH HEALTH CONCERNS: Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona is leaving for the rest of the season to deal with health issues. The 62-year-old said yesterday, "I’ve got to get healthy or I can’t do this job." Francona has been wearing a boot on his right foot after having toe surgery for a staph infection in February, and that has made his hip problem worse, for which he has to have hip replacement surgery. After recovering from that, he'll have a rod inserted in his foot. Bench coach DeMarlo Hale will take over on an interim basis for the rest of this season.
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