Monday, August 9, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Fauci Hopeful of FDA Vaxx Okay This Month


Dr. Anthony Fauci said NBC's Meet the Press yesterday that he's hopeful the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will give full approval to the coronavirus vaccines by the end of the month. Currently, the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are being administered under emergency-use approval. Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, predicted that when full approval is given by the FDA, it will lead to a wave of vaccine mandates in the private sector, as well in schools and universities. The administration has said the federal government won't mandate vaccines beyond the one it's already imposed for the federal workforce, urging state and local government and businesses to enact them.

➤SENATE ENDS DEBATE ON INFRASTRUCTURE MEASURE, VOTE ON PASSAGE SOON: The Senate voted 68-29 last night to end debate on the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan, getting by another hurdle. A vote on passage of the measure could now come as early as tonight, however lawmakers opposed to the bill could delay a final vote for another 30 hours, which would push it to Tuesday morning. Since 18 Republicans voted with Democrats to move past debate, it means it's very likely there will be enough votes to overcome a filibuster and pass the legislation. After that, it would go to the Democratic-led House.

➤EMBATTLED CUOMO'S TOP AIDE RESIGNS: The top aide to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Melissa DeRosa, resigned yesterday, days after an investigation found that the Democratic governor sexually harassed 11 women. DeRosa, who had been one of Cuomo's strongest defenders and strategists, didn't give a specific reason for her resignation, but said in a statement, "Personally, the the past two years have been emotionally and mentally trying." Since the report, state, regional and national Democrats, including President Biden, have all called for Cuomo to resign, but he has refused. Because of that, he is now facing the prospect of impeachment. The report also said that DeRosa was a central figure in Cuomo's office’s retaliation against the woman who first publicly accused him.

➤DURBIN...TRUMP PRESSURE CAMPAIGN TRIED TO GET JUSTICE DEPT. TO OVERTURN ELECTION RESULTS: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin said on CNN yesterday that then-President Donald Trump mounted an intense pressure campaign on the Justice Department in his final weeks in office to try to overturn the results of the presidential election. The Illinois Democrat said former Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen provided information about what had gone on during those weeks when he gave closed-door testimony on Saturday. Durbin said Rosen testified that Trump directly pressured him to falsely say continuing fraud investigations cast doubt on Joe Biden's victory, stating, "It was real. Very real. And it was very specific."

U-N REPORT ISSUES 'CODE READ FOR HUMANITY' WARNING: Earth’s climate is getting so hot that temperatures in about a decade will probably blow past a level of warming that world leaders have sought to prevent, according to a report released Monday that the United Nations calls a “code red for humanity.” 


“It’s just guaranteed that it’s going to get worse,” said report co-author Linda Mearns, a senior climate scientist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research. “I don’t see any area that is safe ... Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.”
But scientists also eased back a bit on the likelihood of the absolute worst climate catastrophes.''

➤DENVER HAD WORLD'S WORST AIR QUALITY THIS WEEKEND DUE TO WILDFIRES: Denver had the world's worst air quality on Saturday due to smoke from wildfires burning in California and other parts of the western U.S. The Colorado city was ahead of Johannesburg, South Africa, for the dubious ranking, with the state's health department saying the air was "unhealthy" due to fine particulates from the fires. By Sunday, Denver was down to the second-worst air quality among the world's cities. Health officials have recommended that residents avoid heavy exercise, keep windows closed, wear a face mask, and use an air purifier if they have one.

➤CANADA'S BORDER NOW OPEN TO VACCINATED AMERICANS: As of today, Americans can once again go to Canada, but they must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and must test negative for Covid within three days before their trip. Travelers also have to fill out a detailed application on the arriveCAN app before crossing the border. The border has been closed to nonessential travel since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. The U.S., however, is for now not lifting its restrictions on Canadians who want to come to the U.S., saying the ban on all non-essential travelers will remain until at least August 21st.

➤JUDGE GRANTS NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE INJUNCTION ALLOWING IT TO REQUIRE VACCINATION: A federal judge yesterday granted Norwegian Cruise Lines a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit challenging Florida's ban signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on businesses requiring that customers be vaccinated against Covid-19. Norwegian's first cruise to leave from a Florida port since the pandemic stopped all cruise line operations last year is set to department on August 15th from Miami. The judge wrote that Florida has failed to, quote, "provide a valid evidentiary, factual, or legal predicate" for the ban, and said that Norwegian had demonstrated that, quote, "public health will be jeopardized if it is required to suspend its vaccination requirement."

➤POLL..SOME WILL CONTINUE TO WEAR MASKS AFTER PANDEMIC:   As much as some Americans are strongly opposed to wearing face masks amid the pandemic, there are a lot of others who liked some things about them and plan to use them in certain situations after the pandemic finally ends. In the Washington Post-Schar School survey, more than 40 percent said they plan to wear masks in crowded places after the pandemic, including more than half of woman, but just one-third of men. Even among Republicans, more than half said they plan to wear masks when they are sick after the pandemic, while 80 percent of Democrats said they'd do so in the same situation. The poll also found another pandemic habit may stick -- dressing more casually. After a year of many people being able to work from home, meaning they could even be in their pajamas if they wanted to be, both Democrats and Republicans said they plan to wear comfortable clothing more often.

🚘MOTORISTS WON'T STOP SPEEDING: Motorists started speeding during the height of the pandemic and they haven’t slowed down. Data shows that the number of highway deaths in 2020 was the greatest in more than a decade even though cars and trucks drove fewer miles during the pandemic. Traffic data indicates the higher death toll was related to higher average speeds in conjunction with more of those on the roads driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and a slight decline in seatbelt use. Authorities in multiple states say that even with the number of vehicles on the roads increasing, people don’t seem to be slowing down.

TOKYO OLYMPICS WERE DOWN A LOT, WHAT HAPPENED?  It was apparent from the start of the just-ended Tokyo Olympics that ratings were down significantly from the Summer Games in 2016 in Rio and 2012 in London, and that continued throughout the two weeks. NBC’s overall TV audience was down an average of about 45 percent from Rio and prime-time viewership was down by 51 percent. So what happened? Here's some ideas from Yahoo! Sports:
  • Fractured audiences - All kinds of TV viewership, including sports, is down since the start of the pandemic, and part of that is because there are so many more entertainment options now, including streaming.
  • The pandemic - The lack of cheering crowds in the empty stands made it seem less exciting to watch, and some people may not have turned it because they didn't thing the Games should've even been held amid the ongoing pandemic. Journalists also weren't able to get as much of the local flavor that's used present because of strict pandemic restrictions, which meant a lot more of hosts just talking.
  • The rise of streaming - More things are moving to streaming, and there was also criticism that NBC's options across cable channels and streaming were confusing and need to be made more clear for viewers.
  • Time zone displacement - Japan is 13 hours ahead of East Coast time in the U.S., so many people knew the outcome of events already and may even have already seen them. Additionally, some of the events that did air live were often late into the night and early morning in U.S. time.
  • Star power, or the lack thereof - There weren't the kind of names of the past like Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt or LeBron James, and the two athletes who did possibly have that kind of recognition didn't compete much: Simone Biles, because of her "twisties" problem, and tennis player Naomi Osaka, who lost early on.
  • The impact of politics - Yahoo! Sports suggested that some athletes being more politically vocal might have played a role in some viewers not tuning in.


➤TOKYO OLYMPICS END WITH CLOSING CEREMONY: The Tokyo Olympics, which were unlike any other due to the pandemic, delayed for a year and with restrictions including no spectators allowed, came to end Sunday with the closing ceremony. Speaking to the athletes gathered in the stadium, which like all events was empty of people in the stands, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said, "You were faster, you went higher, you were stronger because we all stood together -- in solidarity. . . . In these difficult times, you give the world the most precious of gifts: hope." The theme of the closing ceremony was "Worlds We Share," and as part of it, digital scoreboards at either end of the stadium showed Zoom-like videos uploaded by people showing themselves cheering at home. The celebratory event included things like light shows, fireworks, projections, and musical performances, as well as a presentation from France, which will host the next Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024, and the dousing of the Olympic flame, signaling the official end of the Games.

➤FINAL MEDAL COUNT: - The U.S. finished in first place with 113 medals, followed by China with 88 and the Russian Olympic Committee with 71. In the gold medal count, the U.S. finished in first place with 39, China was second with 38, and Japan was third with 27. Host nation Japan was its most Olympics medals ever, with 58, as well as most golds.
ESPN'S MEDAL TRACKER: https://es.pn/3hZWIw0  


🏈MANNING HEADLINES 2021 FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS AT INDUCTION: Peyton Manning headlined the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class that was inducted yesterday at the site of the Hall in Canton, Ohio. Joining the five-time NFL MVP and two-time Super Bowl winner were defensive back Charles Woodson and receiver Calvin Johnson, both like Manning eligible for the first time. Also in the class were safety John Lynch, guard Alan Faneca, coach Tom Flores, wideout Drew Pearson, and Pittsburgh Steelers scout Bill Nunn. The ceremony ended a long weekend that included the induction of the 2020 class on Saturday night as well as the Centennial Class of Hall of Famers selected as part of the league's 100th anniversary, both of which were postponed from last year because of the pandemic.

⚾MARLINS' BRINSON TARGET OF FAN AT ROCKIES GAME WHO SHOUTED N-WORD: The Colorado Rockies are investigating after the Miami Marlins' Lewis Brinson was the target of a fan at Coors Field yesterday who repeatedly should the n-word at the outfielder, who's Black, during the ninth inning. A Marlins spokesperson later said neither Brinson nor other Miami players heard it, but the racial slur was clearly audible on the Bally Sports Florida telecast of the game. The Rockies said in a statement that they were "disgusted" by what happened and are investigating, stating, "The Rockies have zero tolerance for any form of racism or discrimination, and any fan using derogatory language of any kind will be ejected and banned from Coors Field." The Rockies won the game 13-8.
 
⚾FOURTH YANKEE, RIZZO, POSITIVE FOR COVID: The New York Yankees' third Covid-19 outbreak the season has continued to grow, with first baseman Anthony Rizzo testing positive, manager Aaron Boone said yesterday. He said Rizzo has some symptoms and is "achy," but is doing well overall. The other players who've tested positive in recent days are pitchers Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery and catcher Gary Sanchez.

🏈HALL OF FAME COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACH BOWDEN DEAD AT 91: Hall of Fame college football coach Bobby Bowden, who turned the Florida State team into a dynasty, died on Sunday of pancreatic cancer. He was 91. Bowden had announced last month that he'd been diagnosed with a terminal medical condition, which he didn't disclose, saying, "I am prepared for what is to come. . . . I am at peace." Bowden had a 315-98-4 record in 34 years at Florida State, winning national titles in 1993 and 1999 and 12 Atlantic Coast Conference championships. He retired following the 2009 season.
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