Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Wake-Up Call: COVID-19 Cases In U-S Have Doubled In Past 3 Weeks

Covid-19 cases in U.S. are increasing again, driven by the highly-contagious Delta variant, after months of falling, and daily cases have now doubled over the past three weeks. Also feeding the increases is significantly slowed vaccine rates and the impact of people getting together for the Fourth of July. Every state except Maine and South Dakota have reported that case numbers have gone up over the past two weeks, and the five states with the biggest two-weeks increase in cases per capita have lower vaccination rates, namely, Missouri, Arkansas, Nevada, Louisiana and Utah.
 

➤BIDEN CONDEMNS VOTING RIGHTS RESTRICTIONS, CALLS ISSUE 'NATIONAL IMPERATIVE': President Biden delivered a speech at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center yesterday in which he condemned efforts in many states to restrict voting accessibility as "un-American" and "un-democratic," saying that protecting voting rights through passing congressional legislation and restoring part of the Voting Rights Act is a, quote, "national imperative." He also called attacks on voting rights a "21st century Jim Crow" assault and "the most significant test" of our democracy since its Civil War in the 1860s. 


At the same time, Biden offered few actual proposals to achieve it, and didn't speak about changing the filibuster, which some Democrats have been urging in order to get voting rights measures passed in the Senate over Republican opposition. However, Biden did say that he would launch a nationwide campaign ahead of the 2022 midterm election so that voters have information about the rule changes and restrictions that have been passed in several Republican-led states since last November's presidential election or that could still be passed before the midterms.

➤SENATE DEMOCRATS REACH $3.5 TRILLION BUDGET AGREEMENT: Senate Democrats said late last night that they'd reached agreement on a budget that would spend $3.5 trillion over the coming decade, which includes funding for climate change, health care and family service programs wanted by President Biden. But they face what Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called a "long road to go" to get legislation done that will be acceptable to both moderates and progressives in the party, as well as get through the closely-divided Congress, with Republicans potentially unanimously opposed. There is also a separate $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure measure being negotiated. The Democrats are hoping to get a budget resolution reflecting this agreement in Congress before the August recess, however, that will only set broad spending and revenue guidelines.


➤FOUR CHARGED IN IRANIAN PLOT TO KIDNAP ACTIVIST IN U-S: The federal government has charged four people, one of them an Iranian intelligence officer and three alleged members of an Iranian intelligence network, in a plot to kidnap a prominent Iranian opposition activist in the U.S. and bring her back to Iran, officials said yesterday. An indictment alleges the plot was part of wider plan to also get three people in Canada and a fifth person in the U.K. back to Iran. Although the names of the people allegedly targeted wasn't released, Masih Alinejad, who lives in Brooklyn, confirmed she was among them. Alinejad, who worked for years as a journalist in Iran, has been targeted by the country's leadership since fleeing Iran in 2009. She became a U.S. citizen in 2019. The defendants are all fugitives, believed to be based in Iran.

➤BAN ON GUN SALES TO THOSE UNDER 21 RULED UNCONSTITIONAL:  A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday (July 13th) that bans on selling handguns to U.S. adults under age 21 is unconstitutional, violating the Second Amendment's right to bear arms. The ruling takes aim at a more than five-decade-old law signed in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson that bans sales of handguns to adults under 21, but allows sales to them of shotguns and rifles. The panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled 2-1 that the law relegated those ages 18 to 20 to second-class status under the Second Amendment. Judge Julius Richardson wrote, "In the law, a line must sometimes be drawn. But there must be a reason why constitutional rights cannot be enjoyed until a certain age." The decision is likely to be appealed, and other appeals court have upheld the federal law, so the issue may eventually be decided by the Supreme Court.


➤AS PANDEMIC WANES, ENGAGEMENT RINGS ARE A HOT COMMODITY:  The world is slowly reopening as the pandemic wanes, and one particular item is selling fast: engagement rings. An executive for the Shane Co. private jeweler tells CNN, “We’ve seen a resurgence in both engagement ring and wedding band sales.” CNN also reports that after people started getting vaccinated earlier this year, the sales of luxury items spiked in April and May. The owner of a Massachusetts jeweler tells the Reminder that people who managed to keep their jobs during the height of the pandemic may have saved up some cash, and perhaps even gotten a stimulus check or two, leaving disposable funds that they’ve chosen to put toward their just-announced or postponed weddings.

➤CONSUMER PRICES ROSE IN JUNE BY MOST IN 13 YEARS: Prices for U.S. consumers rose in June by the most in 13 years, driven by a rapid increase in spending as the country emerges from the pandemic that's run up against widespread supply shortages. The Labor Department's report out yesterday showed that consumer prices rose last month by 0.9 percent from May and 5.4 percent over the past year, the biggest 12-month inflation increase since August 2008. The Federal Reserve and White House have said they believe the current inflation will be temporary, as supply chain bottlenecks are resolved. However, it could lead the Fed to act earlier than expected to retreat from very low interest rates.

➤FLOTUS TO ATTEND TOKYO OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY: The White House announced yesterday that First Lady Jill Biden will attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics later this month, in what will be her first solo trip overseas as first lady. In addition to the July 23rd opening ceremony, Biden is also expected to attend some of the competitions. Her visit will happen even as Tokyo has entered a new state of emergency over an increase in coronavirus cases, which led to the decision to hold the events without any fans.

➤NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINES SUES FLORIDA OVER BAN ON REQUIRING PROOF COVID VACCINATION: Norwegian Cruise Line sued Florida’s surgeon general yesterday over a state law that bars cruise ships from requiring passengers to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination. The suit claims the ban, quote, "poses imminent, substantial, irreparable harms" to NCL, which it said is, quote, "duty-bound to protect the health and safety of its personnel and passengers." The cruise line is also seeking a preliminary injunction to allow it to begin checking passengers' vaccination status. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis' administration sued the Centers for Disease Control over its federal guidelines for vaccinations on cruises, and a federation judge sided with the argument that the CDC had overstepped its authority and temporarily blocked the agency from enforcing its restrictions.

🐶‘BACK TO NORMAL’ BOOSTS PANDEMIC PUP COSTS:  Close to 20 percent of American households adopted a dog or cat since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the ASPCA. The experts say one year later, you have likely noticed that having a dog is an investment. Christa Chadwick with the ASPCA says, “Pet owners can spend anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to several thousand within the first year of owning a new pet.” The issue is now the world is re-opening, meaning dog owners might have to invest in a dog walker, or a doggy daycare to care for their pet when they head back to the office. But there are some ways you can save money: if your dog goes through toys constantly, give them bones instead as they last longer than plush toys, learn to train your dog on YouTube rather than paying for a professional dog trainer, make some dog treats at home, and make friends with other dog owners in your community, as you could score gear from people who want to give away things their dogs have outgrown.

➤KRAFT MACARONI AND CHEESE ANNOUNCES ICE CREAM: Kraft has done something truly crazy-sounding. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese has created a limited-edition ice cream flavor. It was created with Brooklyn-based Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, and the product is said to have no artificial flavors, preservatives, or dyes. In a press release, Kraft noted, “To create the creamy treat, Van Leeuwen churned the familiar, cheesiness of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese into their ice cream made with only a few ingredients. The result? A cool, creamy scoop of ice cream that brings that comforting, nostalgic feeling from a warm bowl of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.” You can buy a pint both inside Van Leeuwen Ice Cream stores (primarily located in New York City, Los Angeles, and Houston) or online for $12.

⚾MLB ALL-STAR UNIFORMS FLOP ON SOCIAL MEDIA: If you watched MLB's All-Star Game last night, you may have noticed something different about the players' uniforms -- and it wasn't going over well on social media. Usually, the players wear their normal team uniform, either their home uniform if their league is the home league or their away uniform if it's not. But last night, the American League players were wearing all-blue uniforms and the National League players had all-white uniforms, with three-letter abbreviations on the jerseys for each players' usual team. Some online critics said the uniforms looked like jumpsuits or pajamas, while others said part of the fun of the All-Star Game is seeing all the players together in all their teams' uniforms. Some MLB players got in on the criticism too, with Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brett Anderson tweeting, "MLB should just let the players wear their own uniforms instead of these slow pitch softball ones."

⚾AMERICAN LEAGUE WINS ALL-STAR GAME 5-2, OHTANI GETS WIN, GUERRERO THE MVP: The American League won MLB's All-Star game for the eighth year in a row last night, beating the National League 5-2 at Coors Field in Denver. The L.A. Angels' Shohei Ohtani, who started the game for the AL and pitched a perfect inning, got the win, and also became the first two-way All-Star, batting leadoff as the designated hitter, but went 0 for 2. The Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who hit a towering 468-foot home run in the third inning, won the MVP, becoming at age 22 the youngest MVP in All-Star history. The AL has now won 20 of the last 23 All-Star Games with one tie.

 
🏀USA BASKETBALL BEATS ARGENTINA FOR FIRST WIN: The U.S. men's basketball team beat Argentina 108-80 yesterday, getting a win after losing the first of five scheduled exhibition games ahead of the Tokyo Olympics later this month. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal each scored 17 points in the win in Las Vegas. The U.S. lost the first two games to Nigeria and Australia.

🏀CLIPPERS' LEONARD HAS SURGERY FOR PARTIAL ACL TEAR: The L.A. Clippers' Kawhi Leonard had surgery Tuesday to repair a partial tear of his right ACL. Leonard was injured in Game 4 of the Clippers' second-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz. He then missed L.A.'s last eight playoff games, which ended with a loss to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals. The Clippers only said at the time that he had a knee sprain, not revealing the partial ACL tear.

🏒DUCHARME REACHES THREE-YEAR DEAL WITH CANADIENS, NO LONGER INTERIM COACH: The Montreal Canadiens announced a three-year contract extension Tuesday with head coach Dominique Ducharme, who had been the interim coach since taking over in late February after Claude Julien was fired. Ducharme took the Canadiens all the way to the Stanley Cup final, where they lost to the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning 4 games to 1.

🏒PREDATORS' GOALIE RINNE RETIRING: Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne announced Tuesday that he's retiring after 15 seasons, all of them with Nashville. The 38-year-old Rinne, who's a native of Finland, said, "It’s been an unbelievable journey. I feel like you need so much luck on your side too along the way, and I feel like I’ve had that." Rinne, who won the NHL's Vezina Trophy in 2018 as best goaltender, had three 40-win seasons, tied for second most in NHL history, and he's one of just seven goalies to reach that mark.
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