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Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Wake-Up Call: 30 Percent Of COVID Cases In FL, TX

The U.S. reached the threshold of 70 percent of adults having gotten at least one Covid-19 vaccination shot on Monday (August 2nd), nearly one month after the July 4th goal President Biden had originally hoped to reach. It was achieved as vaccinations, which had stagnated, have been starting to rise again amid the latest Covid surge driven by the highly-contagious delta variant. New cases per day are now averaging nearly 80,000, levels last seen in February, and deaths have also risen, up over the past two weeks from a daily average of 259 to 360, although that's way below what was being seen in the worst of the winter surge. White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said yesterday that one-third of all U.S. Covid cases reported in the past week were in just Florida and Texas.
 

➤WHITE HOUSE PUSHES STATES, LOCAL GOV'TS. TO PROTECT AGAINST EVICTIONS: With the Biden administration being pressured by congressional Democrats to act as the pandemic-related moratorium on evictions expired over the weekend, and the administration saying they couldn't extend it again because of a recent Supreme Court ruling, the White House put the pressure on state and local governments yesterday to protect people from eviction. The White House said that the federal government provided $46.5 billion months ago to help keep renters in their homes, but said some states and cities have been slow to give it out to protect people who've had their employment affected because of the pandemic. Gene Sperling, who oversees the administration's coronavirus relief plans said, "There is simply no excuse, no place to hide for any state or locality that is failing to accelerate their emergency” rental assistance.
 

➤ADMINISTRATION EXPANDS AFGHAN REFUGEE PROGRAM: The administration yesterday expanded its efforts to aid Afghans who helped the U.S. during the two-decade war, such as translators, and are now at risk of retaliation from the Taliban, which is taking over territory as the U.S. moves to complete its pullout of Afghanistan by the end of the month. The State Department said it's allowing more Afghans to be eligible for refugee status in the U.S. to now include current and former employees of U.S.-based news organizations, U.S.-based aid and development agencies, and other relief groups that receive U.S. funding. But there is a major stumbling block, in that the applicants must leave Afghanistan to a third country to begin the process, which could take 12 to 14 months, and the U.S. won't support them in leaving or in their time in a third country.

➤TWO MORE POLICE OFFICERS WHO RESPONDED TO U.S. CAPITOL ATTACK DIED BY SUICIDE: Washington, D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department said that two more of its police officers who responded to the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol have died by suicide. A department spokesperson told CNN that Officer Gunther Hashida was found dead in his home last Thursday, and Officer Kyle DeFreytag was found dead on July 10th. There have now been four known suicides among officers who responded to the Capitol attack. The other two were Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, and U.S. Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood.


➤CUOMO QUESTIONED IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT INQUIRY: New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo was questioned under oath for 11 hours last month by investigators in the state attorney general's office who are carrying out an inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against him, the New York Times reported Monday. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the investigation after there were several sexual harassment allegations made against Cuomo earlier this year. Cuomo has denied touching anyone inappropriately, but said in a statement at the time that some of his comments in the workplace, quote, "may have been insensitive or too personal."

➤SEN. GRAHAM POSITIVE FOR COVID DESPITE VACCINATION: Senator Lindsey Graham disclosed yesterday that he'd tested positive for Covid-19 despite having been fully vaccinated. The South Carolina Republican went to the doctor after starting to have "flu-like" symptoms Saturday night. Graham said, "I feel like I have a sinus infection, and at present time, I have mild symptoms." But he said he was very glad he'd gotten vaccinated, otherwise his symptoms would be, quote, "far worse." A few other lawmakers got quick Covid tests after hearing the news, including a few other senators who'd been on Senator Joe Manchin's houseboat Saturday with Graham working and socializing. The 66-year-old will quarantine for 10 days.

➤SAN FRANCISCO'S CABLE CARS BACK AFTER 16 MONTHS: San Francisco's iconic cable cars returned to the city Monday after they stopped running for 16 months because of the pandemic. Mayor London Breed said it will be free to ride the cable cars in August, but they won't be back on a regular schedule with full service on all three lines until September. Breed said, "Our cable cars are part of what makes San Francisco a world-class destination, and their return is just the latest sign that our city is bouncing back."

➤BILL AND MELNDA GATES DIVORCE FINALIZED: The divorce of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates was finalized Monday, officially ending their marriage after 27 years. The couple announced in May that they would be divorcing, saying, "we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives." Neither of the two will pay spousal support, according to court documents, which also say French Gates doesn't plan to change her name. The former couple will continue to jointly run their charity, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, on a trial basis for two years to see if they can continue to work together effectively.

🏫BACK TO SCHOOL ANXIETY: START PREPPING KIDS FOR RETURN TO IN-PERSON LEARNING WEEKS IN ADVANCE, EXPERTS SAY:  If your child is returning to in-person learning in the fall, experts say you should start preparing them now. Dr. Carmen Lopez-Arvizu, a psychiatrist, says after months of digital learning, kids are going to have lots of questions and worries, and it’s important for parents to keep calm so children can feel secure. She says to facilitate the transition back to school, parents should first inform themselves of school districts’ COVID-related safety guidelines and then begin to prepare the child weeks ahead of the new school year. She adds that parents should scale back children’s sleep schedule by about 15-20 minutes each day, beginning about two weeks before the new school year begins, and parents should then talk to children about the transition to help ease their child into a new school, grade, or building, and consider driving the planned bus route or visiting the campus so the child can have some exposure before the first day of school. Experts also say it’s important to discuss grief associated with the pandemic, whether it was the loss of a family member or missed educational and social opportunities, and to validate their feelings and worries. In addition, they say some level of anxiety is normal, and it’s also normal for some kids to be excited about seeing friends and the return to normalcy.

🐶NOW IS NOT AN EASY TIME TO ADOPT A DOG:  You might have a hard time trying to adopt a dog if you’re trying to do so any time soon. Dog adoptions have been booming since 2020 as people grappled with the idea of being home most of the time due to the pandemic. In addition, even pre-pandemic, there were lots of people looking to rescue dogs, due in part to widespread campaigns from the ASPCA. Add to this the fact that there simply aren’t as many dogs being born anymore due to spay and neuter policies in place, and in 2017, the number of dogs in shelters was at an all-time low, and the proliferation of social media (where shelters can promote their dogs) and suddenly you may find competition is very fierce. Allie Conti, with The Cut, wrote about the issue, telling stories of would-be adopters who had their hopes dashed for silly reasons, such as not being able to afford a $240 bag of raw dog food, or because they weren’t able to take days off work to help ease the dog’s transition, or just had their applications rejected for no apparent reason.

➤SOME AMERICANS NOW CONSIDERING CLIMATE CHANGE IN MAKING MOVING DECISIONS: There are all kinds of factors that play into deciding where people go when they move, but there's a new one that's starting to be involved for more Americans: climate change. USA Today reports that while there isn't clear data on how many Americans are moving due to climate-related issues like wildfires, heat waves or hurricanes, there are signs it's starting to play a role. A survey earlier this year from real estate website Redfin found that 49 percent of respondents said they planned to move in the next year, blaming extreme temperatures, and the increasing frequency or intensity of natural disasters for having a role in their decision to relocate. Based on that, Redfin told USA Today it's adding local climate risk data to its site. They'll use data from a startup called ClimateCheck, which lets people see the risk of climate-related hazards for any address in the U.S.

➤TOKYO OLYMPICS Highlights:
  • Simone Biles made her triumphant return to competition at the Tokyo Olympics , and won the bronze medal at Tuesday's balance beam final. The medal is Biles' seventh of her career, tying her with Shannon Miller for most by a U.S. gymnast. Biles finished behind China's Tang Xijjing and Guan Chenchen, who claimed gold and silver. Tuesday was Biles' return to competition in Tokyo after she withdrew from the women's team final last week, citing concerns for her mental health and physical safety.
  • Carey Wins Floor Exercise Gold: Biles' U.S. teammate, Jade Carey, won the gold medal in the floor exercise final, one day after a missed vault ruined her chances in that event.

  • American Benjamin Takes Silver to Norwegian's Gold in Highly-Anticipated 400-Meter Hurdles - Norway's Karsten Warholm won gold and American Rai Benjamin took silver in the 400-meter hurdles, in an epic race that was one of the most anticipated of the Tokyo Olympics. Warholm broke his own world record by an amazing .76 seconds, setting a new record at 45.94 seconds, and even though he finished second, Benjamin also broke the old record, which Warholm had set just last month. Alison dos Santos of Brazil finished third.
  • U.S. Men's Basketball Team Beats Spain - The U.S. men's basketball team beat Spain 95-81 in their quarterfinal match to advance to the semifinals.
  • U.S. Women's Soccer Team Upset By Canada, Will Play for Bronze - The U.S. women's soccer team was upset by Canada 1-0, the second straight Olympics in which they've failed to reach the gold medal game after the U.S. program won gold in four Olympics. The U.S. will now play for the bronze medal against Australia. Canada will play for gold against Sweden.
  • Allman Wins Gold for U.S. in Women's Discus - American Valarie Allman won gold in the women's discus with a 68.98-meter throw. It was the first gold for the U.S. so far in Tokyo in track and field.
  • American Reese Wins Silver in Women's Long Jump - American Brittney Reese won silver in the women's long jump, after also winning silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics and gold in the 2012 London Games. Malaika Mihambo of Germany won gold, and Ese Brume of Nigeria took bronze.
  • U.S. Baseball Team Loses to Japan, One Loss from Elimination: The U.S. baseball team lost to Japan 7-6, blowing a three-run lead for their first loss in the three games they've played in Tokyo. The U.S. is now within one loss of elimination.
  • Belarusian Sprinter Who Fears for Life Given Visa By Poland - One day after Belarusian sprinter refused to get on a plane to return home from the Tokyo Olympics and sought help from Japanese police as team officials tried to force her on the flight, Krystsina Tsimanouskaya was granted a humanitarian visa by Poland. Tsimanouskaya said she feared for her safety if she went back to Belarus, which is ruled by an autocratic government. Team officials tried to force her to go home after she publicly criticized them on Instagram over a racing decision.
MEDAL COUNT: (As of 3:30 a.m. ET) - The U.S. is in first place with 66 medals, followed by China with 63 and the Russian Olympic Committee with 50. In the gold medal count, China leads with 29, the U.S. is second with 22, and Japan is third with 18. ESPN'S MEDAL TRACKER: https://es.pn/3hZWIw0

OTHER SPORTS:

🏈COLTS QB WENTZ HAS BROKEN FOOT, OUT 5-12 WEEKS: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz has a broken foot and will be out for five to 12 weeks, head coach Frank Reich revealed yesterday. Wentz was injured during last Thursday’s practice and underwent surgery yesterday after reviewing his options. The Colts' season opener is nearly six weeks away on September 12th.

🏀LOWRY GOING TO HEAT, BALL TO BULLS, PAUL STAYING WITH SUNS AS FREE AGENCY OPENS: Kyle Lowry is leaving the Toronto Raptors for the Miami Heat, Lonzo Ball is going from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Chicago Bulls, and Chris Paul is staying with the Phoenix Suns. Those were among the reported developments as the NBA's free agency window opened last night. After declining his option with the Suns, Paul reached a deal that would be worth nearly $120 million over four years to stay with them, AP reported. Among other reported deals: Mike Conley agreed to a $73 million, four-year deal to stay with the Utah Jazz; Derrick Rose is staying with the New York Knicks on a three-year, $43 million deal; the Dallas Mavericks agreed to a four-year, $74 deal to keep Tim Hardaway Jr.; Jarrett Allen is staying with the Cleveland Cavaliers in a five-year, $100 million deal; and Trae Young agreed to a five-year, $207 million extension with the Atlanta Hawks that starts in 2022.

⚾YANKEES' COLE, BREWERS' HADER POSITIVE FOR COVID: New York Yankees starter Gerrit Cole and Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader have both tested positive for Covid-19. Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced the news last night, saying Cole won't make his next scheduled start today. Brewers' manager Craig Counsell said last night that Hader tested positive after he reported contact with someone having COVID-like symptoms. Hader must sit out 10 days on the Covid list.
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