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Thursday, July 29, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Senate To Begin Debate On Infrastructure Bill


After many weeks of negotiations, the Senate voted last night to formally open debate on the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure legislation, after the White House and Senate negotiators agreed on the package's major provisions. Biden said before the 67-32 vote, "This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function. We will once again transform America and propel us into the future." The lead Republican negotiator, Senator Rob Portman, had announced the group's agreement on the package earlier in the day. What remains to be seen is if enough Republican senators will eventually join Democrats in final passage of the legislation.
 

➤BIDEN TO ANNOUNCE FEDERAL WORKERS MUST VACCINATE OR HAVE REGULAR TESTING: President Biden will announce today that federal employees must show proof that they are vaccinated against Covid-19 or undergo regular testing, according to media reports. AP cited a source as saying the guidance is meant to give an example for private companies as they ready for workers to return in the fall. It comes after the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first federal agency to require vaccinations, for its health workers. Just under 70 percent, 69.3 percent, of U.S. adults have gotten at least one vaccine shot, and about 60 percent are fully vaccinated.


➤BRITAIN ENDS QUARANTINE REQUIREMENT FOR VACCINATED U.S., E.U. VISITORS: U.K. officials said yesterday that visitors from the U.S. and European Union nations who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus will no longer have to quarantine for 10 days after entering England, starting next week. They will instead be able to take Covid tests before and after arriving. However, the U.S. this week announced it is keeping a ban on most international visitors, and has also advised Americans against traveling to the U.K. due to a surge in infections driven by the delta variant. Additionally, some European nations still require British visitors to quarantine upon arrival.

 
➤MAN ARRESTED IN CALIFORNIA MOVIE THEATER SHOOTING THAT LEFT ONE DEAD, ANOTHER IN CRITICAL CONDITION: Police said yesterday that a 20-year-old man had been arrested in the shooting at a Corona, California, movie theater Monday night (July 26th) that left 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich dead and 19-year-old Anthony Barajas in critical condition. Goodrich and Barajas -- who's a well-known TikTok user -- are friends who were at a showing of The Forever Purge. Theater workers found them shot after the move in the theater, where there had been fewer than 10 people. It's still not known if the shooting happened during or after the movie. Police arrested Joseph Jimenez and found him with a gun that matched the caliber of that used in the shooting and other evidence. He is being held on $2 million bail on charges of murder, attempted murder and robbery. Police believe Jimenez didn't know the victims and didn't have any prior contact with them, calling it an "unprovoked attack."

➤HOMEBUYERS PAY MORE WHEN THEY SEE THESE PAINT COLORS, ZILLOW SURVEY SAYS: Sellers haven’t had a hard time selling homes lately, but a new survey from Zillow reveals you can get up to $5,000 more for your home if you paint your walls certain colors. They found light blue is currently the most popular color for bathrooms, and participants said a light blue bathroom would be enough to justify a 1.6% higher offer price (about $5,000 on a $290,000 home). White walls in the kitchen increased interest in touring or purchasing a home, and buyers also liked light-yellow, off-white, dark gray, dark red, and dark green for kitchen colors. When it comes to the living room, survey participants preferred grey, and also said they liked light green, white, dark gray, and light yellow as options. As far as bedrooms go, bright blue was the top pick, along with white, light blue, and dark gray. Zillow notes, “On average, bright green and bright yellow living rooms decreased interest among surveyed buyers to tour a property. Both colors, on average, had a negative effect on prospective offer prices.”


➤YOUR DOG KNOWS WHEN YOU’RE LYING—AND WILL IGNORE YOU IF YOU DO:  Your dog is likely much smarter than you give it credit for. University of Vienna researchers found when dogs were trained to find food hidden in one of two covered bowls, they would trust a stranger called “the communicator” if he or she touched the food-filled bowl. If the dog then saw a different person move the food from the first to the second bowl, and the communicator witnessed the interaction, and then still recommended the now-empty first bowl to the dog, the dog would ignore their judgement and go to the bowl actually filled with food. If the communicator was not present at the time of the bowl switch, and then re-entered the room and once again directed the dog to the first bowl, half the dogs would follow the misleading advice. Oregon State University researcher Monique Udell, who was not involved in this study, adds, “This study reminds us that dogs are watching us closely, are picking up on our social signals, and are learning from us constantly even outside of formal training contexts.”

➤JARED KUSHNER TO LAUNCH INVESTMENT FIRM: Former President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was a senior White House adviser to Trump when he was president, is planning to launch an investment firm, according to a Reuters report yesterday. Kushner is in the final stages of launching the firm, called Affinity Partners, which will be headquartered in Miami. Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, moved to Florida from Washington, D.C., with their three children after the end of Trump's presidency. The Reuters report said Kushner, who is writing a book expected out next year about his experiences in the White House, is also looking to open an office in Israel to pursue regional investments connecting Israel's economy and India, North Africa and the Persian Gulf.

➤'GAWKER' RELAUNCHES FIVE YEARS AFTER HULK HOGAN LAWSUIT CAUSED BANKRUPTCY: Gawker quietly relaunched yesterday, five years after the gossip website went bankrupt after losing a $140 million invasion-of-privacy lawsuit over a Hulk Hogan sex tape it posted. The site was bought three years ago by Bustle Digital Group in a bankruptcy auction. Gawker is now being led by editor-in-chief Leah Finnegan, who asked readers in a letter from the editor on the homepage to approach the new version of the site with a, quote, "open mind and an open heart." She writes, "We are here to make you laugh, I hope, and think, and do a spit-take or furrow your brow, or maybe go 'huh!' or 'wow!' or 'damn!' or 'what the [expletive] or 'I’m glad someone finally said it!.'"

➤McCORMICK RECALLS THREE SEASONINGS OVER POSSIBLE SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION: McCormick issued a voluntary recall yesterday of three of its seasonings after routine testing found possible salmonella contamination. They are: Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning; McCormick's Culinary Italian Seasoning; and Frank's RedHot Buffalo Ranch Seasoning. The seasonings were shipped between June 20th and July 21st. McCormick is asking customers who have recalled products to throw them away rather than return them to the store, and stores have been told to remove them from store shelves.

➤BOB ODENKIRK IS STABLE FOLLOWING ON-SET COLLAPSE:  Bob Odenkirk is recovering after “experiencing a heart-related incident” on the set of Better Call Saul.

On Tuesday night, the two-time Emmy winner collapsed on the set of the AMC drama and was rushed to a New Mexico hospital. The incident was followed by well wishes from costars like Breaking Bad’s Brian Cranston and Aaron Paul, Better Call Saul’s Michael McKean and Mr. Show’s David Cross.

Odenkirk’s son Nate chimed in on Wednesday night, writing, “He’s going to be okay.”

A statement from the actor’s reps to Deadline elaborated saying, “We can confirm Bob is in stable condition after experiencing a heart related incident. He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side. The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery.”

At the time of the incident, Odenkirk was in the middle of filming the sixth and final season of Better Call Saul.


➤TOKYO OLYMPICS: Highlights:
  • Biles Says Support Made Her Realize 'More Than My Accomplishments' - Simone Biles tweeted last night about the outpouring of love and support she's received since withdrawing from the women's team gymnastics competition, saying it, quote, "made me realize I'm more than my accomplishments and gymnastics which I never truly believed." Biles is also not competing in today's all-around, but hasn't said yet if she'll compete in the four event finals next week.
  • U.S. Swimmer Dressel Wins Gold in Men's 100-Meter Freestyle: U.S. swimmer Caeleb Dressel won gold in the men's 100-meter freestyle, beating defending champion Kyle Chalmers of Australia, and setting a new Olympic record. This is Dressel's first individual Olympic gold, after having won one gold in a relay event in Tokyo so far and two in relay events in 2016 in Rio.
  • U.S. Swimmer Finke Wins Gold in Men's 800-Meter Freestyle: U.S. swimmer Bobby Finke won gold in the men's 800-meter freestyle, coming from behind in the race's final 50 meters to grab first place. Finke went from fifth place to first in that final stretch.

  • U.S. Women Win 3x3 Basketball Gold: The U.S. women won the 3x3 basketball gold in the event's Olympic debut. The team of Kelsey Plum, Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray and Jackie Young defeated the Russian Olympic Committee team for the gold.
  • U.S. Pole Vaulter Kendricks, Favorite to Medal, Out with Positive Covid Test: U.S. pole vaulter Sam Kendricks, who was a favorite to win a medal, is out of the Olympics after getting a positive Covid test. Kendricks took the bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics and won gold at the last two world championships.
MEDAL COUNT: (As of 3:30 a.m. ET) - The U.S. is in first place with 37 medals, followed by China with 29 and the Russian Olympic Committee with 25. In the gold medal count, China leads with 14, the U.S. and Japan are tied with 13 in second, and the Russian Olympic Committee and Australia are tied in third with seven.  ESPN'S MEDAL TRACKER: https://es.pn/3hZWIw0

OTHER SPORTS:

⚾NATIONALS-PHILLIES GAME POSTPONED AFTER 12 COVID POSITIVES ON NATS: The Washington Nationals-Philadelphia Phillies game scheduled for last night was postponed after four Nationals players and eight staffers tested positive for Covid-19. The postponement came one day after Nationals player Trea Turner left their game in the first inning after his test came back positive. Washington manager Dave Martinez said the four players had either no symptoms or mild symptoms, and all but one had been vaccinated. This is the ninth MLB game postponed this year due to coronavirus concerns.


⚾YANKEES TO ACQUIRE GALLO FROM RANGERS: The New York Yankees are finalizing a deal to acquire two-time All-Star outfielder Joey Gallo from the Texas Rangers, according to media reports last night, pending a medical review. Pitcher Joely Rodriguez will also go to New York, and Texas will get four minor leaguers in return, according to ESPN.

🏈BIG 12 COMMISH CHARGES ESPN TRYING TO DESTABILIZE CONFERENCE: One day after Texas and Oklahoma requested to join the Southeastern Conference in 2025, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby accused ESPN of encouraging other conferences to pick apart the league so the two schools can move to the SEC more quickly and without paying a big buyout. The Big 12 sent a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN, and Bowlsby told AP, "I have absolute certainty that [ESPN] have been involved in manipulating other conferences to go after our members." ESPN signed a $3 billion deal with the SEC last year that will give the network the broadcast rights to all the conference’s football games starting in 2024. ESPN said the claims have "no merit."

🏒DEVILS GET HAMILTON, BEST FREE AGENT ON MARKET: The New Jersey Devils have agreed to a seven-year deal, $63 million with Dougie Hamilton, the best free agent on the market. The Devils acquired the veteran defenseman on the NHL's first day of free agency.

🏀PELICANS CENTER HAYES ARRESTED: New Orleans Pelicans center Jaxson Hayes was arrested early Wednesday morning after an alleged altercation with a police officer, according to TMZ Sports. The report said police were called to a home in the Los Angeles area because of a domestic disturbance and Hayes tried to keep officers from entering. A fight reportedly took place, during which Hayes was Tased, and he was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries. An officer also reportedly sought treatment, but his condition isn't known. The Pelicans said they are gathering information about the incident.
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