Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Delta Variant Now 83 Percent Of All COVID Cases

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in testimony before a Senate committee yesterday that the delta variant now makes up an estimated 83 percent of U.S. Covid-19 cases, up from 50 percent at the beginning of the month. She said the increase is happening the most in unvaccinated areas of the country, stating, "The message from CDC remains clear: the best way to prevent the spread of Covid-19 variants is to prevent the spread of disease and vaccination is the most powerful tool we have." Addressing the issue of boosters, experts said immunity will slowly decrease, and when the vaccines get to around 70 percent to 80 percent immunity, boosters will be needed. Walensky said, "Fortunately, we're anticipating that this will wane and not plummet, so as we see that waning, that will be our time for action."

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell separately implored unvaccinated Americans to get vaccinated, saying, "These shots need to get in everybody’s arms as rapidly as possible or we’re going to be back in a situation in the fall that we don’t yearn for -- that we went through last year." The Kentucky Republican urged that people ignore what he called the "demonstrably bad advice" coming from pundits and others against the vaccines.

➤BARRACK, HEAD OF TRUMP'S INAUGURAL COMMITTEE, ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF ACTING AS FOREIGN AGENT FOR UAE: Tom Barrack, who was the chairman of former President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee, was arrested Tuesday on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the United Arab Emirates. The 74-year-old Barrack was one of three men charged with acting as unregistered foreign agents as they tried to influence U.S. policy on behalf of the UAE while Trump was running for president in 2016 and later while he was president. Additionally, prosecutors said Barrack gave UAE officials sensitive information about developments in the Trump administration. Barrack, who's a longtime close friend of Trump, was also charged with obstruction of justice and making multiple false statements during a 2019 interview with federal agents. He has denied any wrongdoing.

➤HAITI INSTALLS NEW PRIME MINISTER: The Haitian government installed a new prime minister on Tuesday, two weeks after the July 7th assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Designated Prime Minister Ariel Henry was sworn in to replace interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who assumed leadership with the backing of police and the military after the assassination. Henry has promised to form a provisional consensus government until elections are held. Meanwhile, Police Chief Leon Charles announced the arrest of four more people, at least three of them police officers, saying, "There was infiltration in the police. It happened with money." At least 26 people have been arrested in the case, three of them Haitian-Americans.

➤FLOODING INUNDATES CHINESE CITY, KILLING 12, TRAPPING PEOPLE IN SUBWAYS: Severe flooding inundated the Chinese city of Zhengzhou on Tuesday, dropping a stunning eight inches of rain in one hour between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. and killing at least 12 people. Streets were turned into rapid rivers, cars floated away, and water flooded subway stations, with video showing people trapped in subway cars in water up to their chests. Many people stranded by the flooding were spending the night in their workplaces.

 
➤COUPLE WHOSE GENDER REVEAL PARTY STARTED WILDFIRE CHARGED WITH MANSLAUGHTER: A Southern California couple whose use of a pyrotechnic device during a gender reveal party last September started the El Dorado Fire that killed a firefighter have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Refugio Manuel Jimenez Jr. and Angela Renee Jimenez pled not guilty Monday (July 19th), it was reported Tuesday. The party was held at the El Dorado Ranch Park in Yucaipa.

➤BEZOS THANKS ALL THE LITTLE PEOPLE:  After Amazon founder Jeff Bezos returned from his 11-minute space flight on his company Blue Origin's rocket yesterday, the world's richest man thanked Amazon's employees and customers -- and that didn't sit well with some people. Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon's CEO in July, said at a news conference, "I want to thank every Amazon employee, and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all this." There have been growing complaints about how Amazon treats and compensates its employees, including opposition to unionization. 


Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich reflected that criticism yesterday, tweeting, "Amazon workers don’t need Bezos to thank them. They need him to stop union busting -- and pay them what they deserve." Similarly, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, "Yes, Amazon workers did pay for this - with lower wages, union busting, a frenzied and inhumane workplace, and delivery drivers not having health insurance during a pandemic. And Amazon customers are paying for it with Amazon abusing their market power to hurt small business." Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren zeroed in on a ProPublica report that said Bezos paid no income tax in 2007 and 2011. She tweeted, "Jeff Bezos forgot to thank all the hardworking Americans who actually paid taxes to keep this country running while he and Amazon paid nothing."


 After his trip to space yesterday, Bezos gave $100 million donations to both Washington, D.C., chef Jose Andres, whose nonprofit World Central Kitchen provides meals to people after natural disasters, and CNN contributor Van Jones, who has founded a number of nonprofit organizations. The money is for them to put towards any charity or nonprofit of their choice.

😂CNN SAID IT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE: 


➤HARVEY WEINSTEIN SENT TO CALIFORNIA TO FACE RAPE AND ASSAULT CHARGES: Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein flew to California Tuesday to face additional sex assault charges there, according to multiple reports. He is serving a 23-year-sentence for rape and assault at the Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York.

The 69-year-old was taken out of prison in a wheelchair, Page Six reports, and his walker was packed for his journey. The disgraced movie producer faces 11 counts of rape, battery and other charges against five women in L.A. If convicted on all charges, he could face another 140 years to life behind bars.

His legal team has repeatedly argued that his health is too frail to withstand travel, but the judge ultimately blocked the move to stop extradition.

➤STUDY..SPRINGING FORWARD AFFECTS EARLY BIRDS LESS THAN NIGHT OWLS:  It turns out “springing ahead” affects early birds less than night owls. University of Michigan researchers say each spring, the Daylight Savings Time (DST) shift means many lose an hour of sleep. They found those whose genetic profile makes them more likely to be “early birds” the rest of the year were found to adjust to the time change in just a few days, while those who tend to be “night owls” could take more than a week to get back on track with their sleep schedule. Study co-author Dr. Srijan Sen says, “This study is a demonstration of how much we vary in our response to even relatively minor challenges to our daily routines, like DST. Discovering the mechanisms underlying this variation can help us understand our individual strengths and vulnerabilities better.”

➤U-S LIFE EXPECTANCY DECLINE IN 2020 BIGGEST SINCE WORLD WAR TWO: Life expectancy in the U.S. fell by a year and a half in 2020 amid the pandemic, the largest one-year decline since World War Two, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today (July 21st), and the drop was even worse, three years, for Black and Hispanic Americans. The CDC said the pandemic was responsible for close to 74 percent of the overall decline. Drug overdoses also played a role, particularly among whites, and rising homicides had a small, but significant, effect for Black people. Overall life expectancy in the U.S. was 78 years and 10 months in 2019 and last year in was 77 years, four months.

➤ANIMATRONIC BIDEN TO DEBUT AT DISNEY'S HALL OF PRESIDENTS NEXT MONTH: An animatronic President Joe Biden will make his debut next month at the Hall of Presidents attraction in Disney World next month. Disney officials said Monday (July 19th) that they were putting the finishing touches on the animatronic Biden, who will be in the forefront as the current president. Next to him will be a table with peach blossoms, to represent his home state of Delaware, and a pair of aviator sunglasses, which he likes to wear. Biden's real voice will be heard reciting the presidential oath of office in a recording made at the White House. The Hall of Presidents has been closed for several months to add Biden.

➤SUBWAY LAUNCHED AN ENTIRE WEBSITE TO PROVE THEIR TUNA IS REAL: You likely remember the recent drama surrounding Subway’s tuna products. In a not-so-shocking turn of events, Subway has now created a website all about their tuna, claiming it’s absolutely real. This all stems from when The New York Times purchased Subway tuna sandwiches and sent the fish off to a lab that specializes in fish testing. The test found that “No amplifiable tuna DNA was present in the sample.” Subway’s new site also contains information about where they source their fish, their quality control processes, and additional information about the margin of error in lab tests. You can see for yourself by visiting www.subwaytunafacts.com.


🏀BUCKS WIN FIRST NBA CHAMPIONSHIP IN 50 YEARS, DOWN SUNS 105-98 IN GAME 6: The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns 105-98 before their hometown fans last night to win their first NBA championship in 50 years, taking the NBA Finals 4 games to 2. The Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time regular season MVP, scored 50 points, his third game in the series with at least 40 points, and was voted the unanimous NBA Finals MVP. The Bucks became just the fifth team to win the NBA Finals after losing the first two games. For the Suns, they go home still without having ever won an NBA championship in franchise history.

🥎JAPAN BEATS AUSTRALIA IN SOFTBALL GAME THAT KICKS OFF OLYMPICS: The first competition of the Tokyo Olympics took place on Tuesday -- three days before the opening ceremony -- when Japan defeated Australia 8-1 in a softball game. The U.S. defeated Italy 2-0 in the second of the day's three softball games. No fans are being allowed at the Games because of the pandemic, so only about 50 spectators were at the venue, about 150 miles north of Tokyo, likely team and Olympic officials and media.

⚾TIGERS STARTER TURNBULL TO HAVE TOMMY JOHN SURGERY: The Detroit Tigers announced yesterday (July 20th) that starting pitcher Spencer Turnbull will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of this season and most or all of the 2022 season. The 28-year-old, who threw a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners on May 18th, was 4-2 in nine starts.

🏈SABAN..ALABAMA QB YOUNG HAS NEARLY $1 MILLION IN ENDORSEMENTS: Alabama football coach Nick Saban reportedly said yesterday that quarterback Bryce Young, who hasn't yet been named the team's starter for next season -- although he is the presumptive favorite -- already has nearly $1 million in endorsement deals. Saban reportedly made the comment to the Texas High School Coaches Association's convention. Young, a sophomore who was the primary backup to starter Mac Jones last year, signed a deal to be represented by Creative Artists Agency on July 2nd, the day after the NCAA changed the rules to allow college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. Jones was taken in the first round of the NFL draft by the New England Patriots.

🏈BUCCANEERS VISIT WHITE HOUSE, BRADY JOKINGLY REFERS TO TRUMP: The reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers visited the White House yesterday, where quarterback Tom Brady made a couple of jokes referring to former President Donald Trump, who's been an old friend of his. Brady compared those who couldn't believe that the Bucs won the Super Bowl to the false assertion by Trump that he won last November's election, saying, "Not a lot of people think that we could have won, and in fact I think about 40 percent of the people still don’t think we won. You understand that, Mr. President?” President Biden responded to laughter, "I understand that." Brady also referred to the mocking nickname Trump used for Biden of "Sleepy Joe," referring to a time when he forgot what down it was, saying, "I lost track of one down in 21 years of playing, and they started calling me 'Sleepy Tom.' Why would they do that to me?" In his remarks, Biden compared himself to Brady being the oldest quarterback and Bruce Arians the oldest coach to win the Super Bowl, saying, "You won’t hear any jokes about that from me. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing wrong with being the oldest guy to make it to the mountaintop."
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