Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Senate Republicans Block Effort To Avoid Shutdown

Senate Republicans blocked legislation Monday to suspend the debt limit and avoid a government shutdown, which could happen by the end of the week. The 50-48 vote in the evenly-divided chamber on the measure that would have funded government operations to early December was short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. Democrats said they will try again before Thursday's deadline to pass a bill funding government operations past the September 30th fiscal year end, potentially taking out the debate over the debt limit for later time closer to a separate October deadline.


➤NORTH KOREA FIRES SHORT-RANGE MISSILE IN LATEST TEST: North Korea fired a short-range missile into the sea off the North's eastern coast early Tuesday in its latest weapons test. Details of the launch were being analyzed by South Korea and the U.S. It came after North Korea had tested ballistic and cruise missiles earlier this month, its first launches in six months. As the launch was detected, North Korean Ambassador to the U.N. Kim Song used his speech on the last day of the U.N. General Assembly to justify the North's development of what he called a "war deterrent" against U.S. threats.

➤APPEALS COUT OKAYS NYC SCHOOLS VACCINE MANDATE, SUPREME COURT APPEAL PROMISED: A federal appeals court yesterday okayed a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for teachers, school staffers and other school workers in New York City, the nation's largest school district. The three-judge panel lifted a block of the mandate that had been imposed by a single appeals judge on Friday. The city's Department of Education said the mandate will now go into effect at the end of this week, meaning all teachers and staff would have to be vaccinated by Monday. Lawyers for teachers say they'll appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.


Biden, McConnell Get Boosters: President Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell both separately got Covid-19 vaccine booster shots yesterday, the first work day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration recommended a booster shot of the Prizer vaccine for those 65 and older, as well as those younger with medical conditions or work environments that put them at higher risk. Biden, who took the shot before reporters and cameras, said he didn't have side effects after his first or second shots and hoped for the same with the third.

➤TENNESSEE SUPERMARKET SHOOTER HAD BEEN ASKED TO LEAVE HIS JOB THAT MORNING: A man who opened fire at a Collierville, Tennessee, supermarket last Thursday, killing one person and wounding 14, had been asked to leave his job that morning, the Collierville Police Department said Monday. The police update said that the suspect, 29-year-old U.K. Thang, moved to the town in the summer of 2020 and was a third-party vendor working inside Kroger. The person killed was a customer, Olivia King, one of five customers and 10 employees shot. Of those wounded, four are still hospitalized in stable condition. Thang was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

 
➤FBI..MURDERS UP 30 PERCENT IN 2020, LARGEST-EVER ONE-YEAR INCREASE: Data released by the FBI yesterday showed that murders in the U.S. rose by nearly 30 percent in 2020 over 2019, the largest one-year increase since the FBI began keeping records. Homicides and non-negligent manslaughters rose by an estimated 29.4 percent to 21,570, the highest estimated total since the early 1990s. Violent crimes were up by a more moderate 5.6 percent in 2020, while property crimes continued to decline. Robbery and rape rates also fell.

➤CALIF. MAKES AUTOMATICALLY SENDING MAIL-IN BALLOTS TO VOTER PERMANENT:  California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation yesterday (September 27th) under which every voter in the state will automatically be sent a mail-in ballot ahead of elections, making permanent something that they used as an experiment last year because of the pandemic. The nation's most populous state becomes the latest to have an automatic mail-in ballot system, joining Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Utah, Colorado, Nevada and Washington, D.C., as well as Vermont, which uses it in general elections. Even though they're being sent mail-in ballots, Californians will still be able to vote in person if they want to. Ballots won't be mailed to people on the state's inactive voters list, who can land there if they miss two consecutive federal elections.


👻CDC..IT WILL BE SAFE FOR CHILDREN TO TRICK-OR-TREAT THIS HALLOWEEN:  It’s time to start asking your kids what they want to be for Halloween. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky made a TV appearance on Sunday and said children can safely trick-or-treat on Halloween. She said, “If you’re able to do so outdoors, absolutely.” She also added, “I wouldn’t necessarily go to a crowded Halloween party, but I think that we should be able to let our kids go trick-or-treating in small groups, and I hope that we can do that this year.” According to the CDC, 64.6 percent of people in the US over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Kids under the age of 12 are not yet eligible to receive the vaccine– but that could change soon.

➤FB PUTS KIDS 'INSTAGRAM' ON HOLD: Facebook is putting its project of developing a version of Instagram for kids under age 13 on hold in order to take more time to address concerns about it. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said on NBC's Today show Monday (September 27th), "I still firmly believe that it’s a good thing to build a version of Instagram that’s designed to be safe for tweens, but we want to take the time to talk to parents and researchers and safety experts and get to more consensus about how to move forward." There had been criticism of the project and calls for it to be dropped, including from some lawmakers, since Facebook announced the development of Instagram Kids in March. Mosseri said in a blog post yesterday that it's better for children under 13 to have a specific platform for age-appropriate content, and one which parents can supervise and control. He said Instagram Kids is only meant for those between the ages of 10 and 12, will be ad free, and will include age-appropriate content. Parental permission will be required to join, and parents will be able to supervise the time their children spend on the app, and oversee who can message them, who can follow them and who they can follow.

➤TWO TOP FED OFFICIALS STEP DOWN AMID TRADING CONTROVERSY: Two top Federal Reserve officials stepped down Monday amid controversy over their financial trading. Eric Rosengren, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, said he's stepping down for health reasons, while Robert Kaplan, the president of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, said he's resigning to avoid becoming a distraction for the Fed. The criticism began after the two revealed their extensive stock trading in 2020, when the Fed was pumping out trillions of dollars to stabilize financial markets and boost the economy amid the pandemic, meaning they could have potentially profited from those actions. The investments were allowed under the Fed's rules, but Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said last week that the Fed would change its ethics policies in the wake of the disclosures.

➤ATTEMPTED REAGAN ASSASSIN HINCKLEY TO BE FREED FROM STRICT CONDITIONS OF RELEASE: John Hinckley Jr., who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, will be freed from the strict conditions of his 2016 release from a mental hospital under an agreement reached yesterday with the Justice Department. Since his release, Hinckley has lived in Williamsburg, Virginia, with his mother, who died early last month. Under the deal, he will now have "unconditional release," without restrictions on his movements or Internet activity. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman said that, quote, "everybody is comfortable now" with unconditional release because Hinckley has responded positively over the last decade or so while his freedoms were restored. Hinckley's attorney aid at the hearing that psychologists and experts have repeatedly concluded that Hinckley doesn't pose a risk to the public and his mental illness has been in, quote, "full, stable and complete remission" for over three decades. However, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation issued a statement after the hearing condemning the decision and saying it believed Hinckley is still dangerous. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent nearly 30 years at a mental hospital.

➤STUDY: MARIJUANA USE DIDN'T RISE AFTER LEGALIZATION IN SEVERAL STATES: A study out yesterday found that marijuana use hasn't risen in the wake of recreational use of the drug being legalized in several states. Researchers got their results after surveying some 830,000 people over age 12 on their reported marijuana use before and after recreational marijuana was legalized in their state. Eighteen states and Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana use for those ages 21 and older.

➤STUDY..YOUNG BOYS WHO PLAY SPORTS LESS LIKELY TO HAVE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION: When young boys play sports, it’s a good thing. Canadian researchers found that little boys who play sports are less likely to be anxious or depressed later in childhood and more likely to be active in their early teens. The results held even when researchers accounted for other factors, such as child temperament, parental education, or family income. The same effects were not seen in girls, and the researchers note that girls are more likely to tell loved ones about their emotional distress and seek help. Researcher Marie-Josée Harbec adds, “Boys who experience symptoms of depression and anxiety might be more socially isolated and have a decreased level of energy and lower feelings of competence, which could in turn negatively influence engagement in physical activity.”


🏈COWBOYS DEFEAT EAGLES 41-21: The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 41-21 in Monday Night Football last night, with quarterback Dak Prescott leading the team in his first home game since he suffered a season-ending compound fracture and dislocation of his ankle in Week 5 last season. Prescott was 21 of 26 for 238 yards and three touchdowns, while another Dallas touchdown came on Trevon Diggs returning an interception 59 yards for a score.



⚾GIANTS HR LEADER BELT HAS BROKEN THUMB, STATUS UNCLEAR: The San Francisco Giants said Monday that first baseman Brandon Belt, who's leading the team in home runs with 29, has a broken left thumb. Belt left the Giants' game against the Colorado Rockies in the seventh inning on Sunday after getting hit on the left hand with a pitch while batting. It's unclear if he'll be available to play in the final week of the regular season and the playoffs. The Giants were the first MLB team to clinch a playoff spot earlier this month, but are still trying to win their first division title in the NL West since 2012.

⚾INDIANS WIN FINAL HOME GAME BEFORE NAME CHANGE: The Cleveland Indians won their final home game under that team name last night, with the franchise set to change its name to the Guardians next season. Fans who watched the Indians defeat the Kansas City Royals 8-3 at Progressive Field cheered and chanted, "Let's Go Indians!" during the final three outs. The Cleveland franchise has been the Indians since 1915, but it was announced in July that they would become the Guardians after years of criticism from Native American groups and others over the name.

🏀PORTER AGRESS TO FIVE-YEAR, MAX $207 MILLION EXTENSION WITH NUGGETS: Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. has agreed to a five-year, $207 million maximum extension, according to media reports yesterday. The deal would be worth at least $173 million over the five years for the 23-year-old, and could rise to the supermax level of $207 million if he reaches certain criteria this season.

🏈CHIEFS' COACAH REID OUT OF HOSPITAL AFTER DEHYDRATION TREATMENT: Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was released from University of Kansas Hospital Monday after he was taken there by ambulance after the Chiefs' 30-24 loss to the L.A. Chargers the day before and was treated for dehydration. A Kansas City spokesman described Reid as being "in great spirits." Sunday's game was played in unseasonably warm temperatures that topped 90 degrees.
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