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Friday, October 1, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Infrastructure Bill Vote Delayed

DEMS CONTINUE TO WORK ON $3.5 TRILLION MEASURE: The House delayed a vote on a $1 trillion infrastructure bill negotiated this summer last night as Democrats continued to work on trying to reach agreement on President Biden's $3.5 trillion Build Back Better legislation. Centrist Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have been holdouts on reaching consensus because of concerns about the cost, and an eventual deal if reached almost certainly will have a lower price tag, with Manchin saying he doesn't want it to be more than $1.5 trillion. 


Progressives were refusing to vote in favor of the infrastructure bill without there also being a deal on the larger measure as well. Work will continue today, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki saying in a statement, "A great deal of progress has been made this week, and we are closer to an agreement than ever. But we are not there yet[.]"
  • Meanwhile, Congress passed and Biden signed legislation yesterday to keep the government funded and avoid a partial shutdown that would start today. The extension will keep the government funded until December 3rd.
➤NORTH KOREA CARRIES OUT ANOTHER MISSILE TEST: North Korea carried out another missile test Friday, it's fourth in less than a month, saying it had test-fired a new anti-aircraft missile. The missile tests that began in September have been North Korea's first in six months. South Korea, Japan and the U.S. usually confirm North Korea's missile tests soon after they take place, but didn't for this latest one, which AP said may indicate it wasn't a major weapons test. This test comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week expressed willingness to restore communication hotlines with South Korea, but called U.S. offers to restart stalled nuclear talks, quote, "cunning ways" to try to hide its hostility against the North.

➤NEW U.S. COVID CASES DOWN 25 PERCENT IN TWO WEEKS: New coronavirus cases in the U.S. have fallen 25 percent over the past two weeks, with experts cautiously optimistic that the delta wave may have finally peaked, according to Axios. Deaths, however, are still rising, up two percent over the past two weeks to an average of 2,000 per day, as they are they last indicator to decrease when a wave subsides. With the holidays coming up and colder weather driving people indoors, there will likely be localized outbreaks that could put strains on hospitals, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates.

➤ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW RULES LIMITING DEPORTATIONS: The adminstration yesterday announced new rules requiring pursuit for deportation only of those who recently entered the country illegally or who pose a threat to public safety. Those who entered recently under the rules is defined as after November 1, 2020, and being a threat to public safety is determined as being a national security threat or due to "serious criminal activity." Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters the policy is based on the reality that the U.S. can’t go after all people in the country without legal status and shouldn’t try to because many, quote, "have been contributing members of our communities for years."


➤CALIFORNIA SYNAGOGUE SHOOTER SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR ATTACK THAT KILLED ONE: A 22-year-old white supremacist who opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle at a Southern California synagogue on the last day of Passover in April 2019, killing one person and wounding three others, was sentenced to life in prison without parole yesterday (September 30th). The sentence was expected, after a deal with prosecutors had spared John T. Earnest from the death penalty. Just after the shooting at Chabad of Poway near San Diego, Earnest had called 911 to say he did it to save white people, saying, "I’m defending our nation against the Jewish people, who are trying to destroy all white people."


➤SCHOOL BOARD GROUP ASKS FOR FEDERAL HELP OVER THREATS: The National School Boards Association, which represents school board members around the country, yesterday asked President Biden for federal help to investigate and stop threats that have been made against members over policies, including mask mandates. School board meetings across the country have been scenes of confrontation and threats by protesters during the pandemic. The association asked for the federal government to investigate when threats of violence could be handled as violations of federal laws protecting civil rights, and asked the Justice Department, FBI, Homeland Security and Secret Service to help monitor threat levels and assess risks to students, teachers, board members and school buildings, stating, "the classification of these heinous actions could be the equivalent to a form of domestic terrorism and hate crimes." White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that while responsibility for protecting school boards is largely the purview of local law enforcement, they're "continuing to explore if more can be done from across the administration."

➤MILITARY SUICIDES UP 15 PERCENT LAST YEAR: The number of U.S. military suicides spiked by 15 percent last year, driven by significant increases in the Army and Marine Corps, according to data released yesterday. Although suicides in the armed forces have long been a problem, military leaders have previously said they believe the pandemic was adding stress to an already strained force. Since the pandemic began, troops have been involved in helping provide testing and vaccines, while dealing with the virus themselves and among family and friends, all on top of continued war zone deployments and response to national disasters and civil unrest. But Pentagon press secretary John Kirby acknowledged they can't fully explain the increases in suicides in recent years. Military leaders have been trying for years to reduce the stigma of getting mental health help.

➤STRANGERS LESS AWKWARD, MORE INTERESTED IN DEEP CONVERSATION THAN PEOPLE THINK: Conversations with strangers don’t typically get very deep, but a new study suggests that maybe they should. University of Chicago researchers found that people overestimate the awkwardness of deeper conversations and underestimate their enjoyment. But, researcher Nicholas Epley says if people could get past these misconceptions they could form more meaningful connections. He adds, “As the pandemic wanes and we all get back to talking with each other again, being aware that others also like meaningful conversation might lead you to spend less time in small talk and have more pleasant interactions as a result.”
 

➤THESE ARE THE DAYS IN THE YEAR YOU’RE MORE LIKELY TO HIT A DEER:  It’s Autumn now, and your chance of hitting a deer with your car when driving on roads in rural areas is rising. Deer cause over one million motor vehicle accidents in the US each year, resulting in more than $1 billion in property damage, about 200 human deaths, and 29,000 serious injuries. Researchers figured out that your chances of hitting a deer or other hoofed animal increase when traffic is heavy, drivers are least alert, and driving conditions are poorest for spotting the animals. They specifically found that deer-vehicle accidents are eight times more frequent per hour of dusk than they are during daylight hours, and that they are four times more frequent at dusk than after nightfall. During the week, accidents happen most frequently on days with the most drivers on the road at dawn or dusk, and over the span of the month, most deer-vehicle accidents occur during the full moon, and at the time of night when the moon is brightest. Over the course of a year, the highest number of deer-vehicle accidents are in autumn, particularly during the rut, or mating season for deer. You’re also more likely to hit a deer when daylight saving time ends, which is on November 7th, 2021 in the US. Overall, experts say it’s important to remember that deer-vehicle accidents can occur at any time of day or night, on any day of the year, and that deer can show up in urban areas as well as rural ones.
 

➤PARENTS ARE WARNED CHILD KIDNAPPINGS MOST LIKELY ATTEMPTED DURING THESE DISTINCT TIMES OF DAY:  School is back in session, and experts say parents should make sure their kids know how to keep themselves safe. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) says that school-age children are at the greatest risk of an attempted abduction on school days compared to weekends, and that attempted abductions are most-likely to be carried out by non-relatives or strangers. Most attempted-abductions of school-age children were most likely to happen before school (7 a.m.- 9 a.m.) and after dinner (6 p.m.- 7 p.m.). Experts say you should also always report any attempted abduction to police, as even if there is no arrest, the NCMEC takes information from specific cases and uses it for its educational programming that it has for parents and children.



🏈BENGALS BEAT JAGUARS 24-21 ON FIELD GOAL AS TIME EXPIRES: The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-21 last night, getting the win on a 35-yard field goal by Evan McPherson as time expired. Cincinnati came back from being down 14-0 at halftime for the win. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow passed for 348 yards and two touchdowns, while Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, the top pick in the 2021 draft, is still looking for his first NFL win, with his team off to an 0-4 start.
 
🏀76ERS' EMBIID CALLS SIMMONS SITUATION 'BORDERLINE KIND OF DISRESPECTFUL': Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid yesterday called the situation with Ben Simmons, who's refused to report to training camp and plans to hold out for a trade, "disappointing" and, quote, "borderline kind of disrespectful" to the rest of the team. Embiid made the comments to reporters at training camp following a report by The Athletic that said Simmons feels his partnership with Embiid has, quote, "run its course." Embiid said that he believes the 76ers are better with Simmons, but stated, "[I] kind of owe it to these guys to worry about what we have here."

🏀ESPN..NBA COVID VACCINATION RATE NOW UP TO 95 PERCENT: The Covid-19 vaccination rate among NBA players has now risen to 95 percent, ESPN reported Thursday, citing league sources. The report said there's been a steady increase since the opening of training camps this week, a boost since it was around 90 percent near the start of camps. Unvaccinated players will face stringent restrictions during the season, and unvaccinated players whose home teams are in New York City and San Francisco may not be able to play in home games due to local government mandates.

⚾IOWA'S 'FIELD OF DREAMS' SITE LED BY GROUP HEADING BY HALL OF FAMER FRANK THOMAS: The "Field of Dreams" site in Iowa, where the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees played the "Field of Dreams Game" in August, has been bought by a group headed by baseball Hall of Famer Frank Thomas. Thomas was at the site yesterday (September 30th), where the 1989 movie Field of Dreams was filmed, to annouce that he and his business partners had purchased a controlling stake in the site. He's expected to be CEO, while Dan Evans, the former general manager of the L.A. Dodgers, will be chief operating officer. Thomas said, "On the heels of last month's successful Field of Dreams game . . . the time is right."
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