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Thursday, November 11, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden Says Reversing Inflation 'Top Priority'


NY Post screenshot 11/11/21

President Biden visited the port of Baltimore Wednesday as he touted the $1 trillion infrastructure plan passed by Congress last week that he is set to sign on Monday. He said it will provide a solution for the country's supply chain and inflation issues, however one that will take time to have an effect. He also spoke about infrastructure spending creating many good-paying jobs, most of which wouldn't require college degrees, stating, "This is a once in a generation investment."

Meanwhile, Biden said in a separate statement released by the White House that that reversing inflation is a "top priority" for him. That came after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that inflation rose again in October, and that prices went up 6.2 percent over the past 12 months, the biggest increase since 1990. Taking out food and energy prices, which are more volatile, it was 4.6 percent over the same period, the highest since 1991. Biden said those numbers show there is, quote, "more work to do before our economy is back to normal."

➤JAN. 6TH RIOTER WHO ASSAULATED OFFICER SENTENCED TO THREE-PLUS YEARS IN PRISON: A 44-year-old New Jersey man who punched a police officer during the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to more than three years in prison yesterday. Scott Fairlamb was the first person to be sentenced for assaulting a law enforcement officer during the attack, and his 41-month sentence is the longest of 32 sentences handed down so far related to the day's events. The sentence for Fairlamb, who pled guilty, will likely will guide other judges who sentence rioters who assaulted police at the Capitol. Fairlamb, a gym owner and boxing coach who's a former mixed martial arts fighter, apologized, saying, "I take full responsibility for what I did that day. That’s not who I am. That’s not who I was raised to be."

➤JUDGES APPROVES $626 MILLION FLINT WATER SETTLEMENT: A judge approved a $626 million deal yesterday to settle lawsuits filed by Flint, Michigan, residents whose drinking water was contaminated by lead after the city’s water source was switched. Nearly all of the money in the deal approved by U.S. District Judge Judith Levy is coming from the state of Michigan, which was accused of repeatedly overlooking the risks of switching to the water from the Flint River without properly treating it. Eligible for money will be children who were exposed to the water, adults who can show an injury, some business owners and anyone who paid water bills.

➤RITTENHOUSE TAKES THE STAND IN HIS MURDER TRIAL, SAYS ACTED TO DEFEND HIMSELF: Kyle Rittenhouse took the stand in his Wisconsin murder trial yesterday, in a gamble by his attorneys as the defendant isn't required to testify. The 18-year-old testified that he acted to defend himself when he killed two men and wounded a third with his AR-style semi-automatic weapon during racial justice protests in Kenosha in August 2020 after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse, who said he went to Kenosha from his home in Illinois to protect property after arson of businesses two previous nights, said on the stand, "I didn’t do anything wrong. I defended myself."


Rittenhouse said the first man, Joseph Rosenbaum, chased and cornered him and put his hand on the barrel of Rittenhouse's rifle after having earlier threatened him, the second man, Anthony Huber, hit him with a skateboard, and the third man, Gaige Grosskreutz, who survived, came at him with a gun. At one point, he began sobbing so hard that the judge called a break.


There was an angry exchange during the day with Judge Bruce Schroeder accusing the prosecution of improper questioning and trying to introduce testimony he'd earlier said he wasn't inclined to allow. Because of the two issues, the defense demanded a mistrial with prejudice, meaning Rittenhouse can't be retried. Schroeder didn't immediately rule on the request, but later in the day instructed the jury to expect closing arguments early next week.

🚀SPACEX ROCKET LAUNCHES FOUR ASTRONAUTS: A SpaceX Falcon rocket launched four astronauts last night (November 10th) from Cape Canaveral for a mission to the International Space Station, just two days after the space company brought four other astronauts home from the station. The launch carried the 600th person to reach space in 60 years of spaceflight since Russian Yuri Gagarin’s flight in 1961 as the first person in space.

➤YOUTUBE REMOVING 'DISLIKE' COUNTS FROM VIDEOS: YouTube has announced that it's removing public "dislike" counts from videos. Users will still be able to click on the "dislike" thumbs down to indicate to YouTube's recommendation algorithm content they don't like. But the count showing how many "dislikes" there are will go away. YouTube says they're doing this after an experiment earlier this year that found when a user can't see the results of a campaign to drive up a targeted video's dislike count, they're less likely to pile-on. Users will still be able to see dislike count metrics in their YouTube Studio dashboard.

➤POLL: MANY AMERICANS BELIEVE FACEBOOK IS MAKING SOCIETY WORSE:  Americans have a dismal opinion of Facebook, according to a new CNN poll, which found 76 percent believe the social media giant is making U.S. society worse, with only 11 percent thinking it's making it better. Thirteen percent said they don't believe Facebook has an effect either way. Interestingly, that was true even of frequent Facebook users, with 70 percent of them saying it harms U.S. society. However, there was less consensus on whether Facebook itself is mostly to blame, with 55 percent saying the way some people use Facebook is more at fault, while 45 percent said it's more due to the way the platform is run. Just under half, 49 percent, said they know someone who they believe was persuaded to believe in a conspiracy theory because of content on Facebook, and 54 percent of Americans who use Facebook at least several times a month said it has suggested posts to them that they found objectionable. More than half, 53 percent, said the federal government should increase its regulation of Facebook, while just 11 percent said government should decrease its regulation, A little over one-third, 35 percent, said the amount of regulation shouldn't change.

➤WHY YOUR ANXIETY HAPPENS AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY: Some 40 million Americans suffer from an anxiety disorder, and the Mayo Clinic says people with these disorders “frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations.” Desreen Dudley, a licensed clinical psychologist says anxiety is often “accompanied by physical symptoms of sweating, heart palpitations, stomach pains or nausea.” She says because our brains can learn anxiety, “our bodies and brains often learn to react with anxiety at a certain time of day or in certain situations.” Similarly, we can associate something anxiety-provoking that happened in the past with a time of day in our present. Experts add that recurring anxiety could also be a sign of having generalized anxiety disorder or metabolic and hormonal imbalances. Previous research has shown that anxiety symptoms tend to be more severe in the afternoon or evening compared with the morning. To overcome or prevent recurring anxiety, pay attention to when it happens each day, rate your anxiety on a scale of 0-10, note the accompanying thoughts and physical sensations you experience with your anxiety, and note any context that might be relevant (if you slept poorly the night before, the last time you had coffee, if you had a stressful work day, etc.). Then, don’t avoid the anxiety, but try to do things that are meaningful without being held back by it. You could also distract yourself by taking a walk break or a stretch, or reading.


🏈VIKINGS PLAYER WITH COVID HOSPITALIZED: The Minnesota Vikings are dealing with Covid-19 issues, with five players still on the Covid reserve list Wednesday and head coach Mike Zimmer revealing that one player had to be hospitalized with breathing trouble. Zimmer said yesterday that the player, who he didn't identify, was admitted to the emergency room Tuesday with pneumonia-like symptoms before his condition improved. He said, "He’s stable now, but it was scary." The Associated Press cited a source as saying the player was backup guard Dakota Dozier, who is vaccinated.

👮VIKINGS' COOK REMAINS WITH TEAM AMID SUIT ACCUSING HIM OF ASSAULT; HE CLAIMS HE WAS VICTIM: Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook remains with the team as he's facing a personal injury lawsuit by a former girlfriend who accuses him of assaulting her at his home last year. Cook contends, however, that he was the victim in the incident. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the matter will be reviewed, but Cook will continue to play, saying, "there's no change to his status as this is a civil complaint." Cook's attorney says he had the legal right to defend himself after the woman allegedly entered Cook’s home using a stolen garage door opener, punched him and sprayed mace in his face without provocation. The attorney claims the ex-girlfriend is trying to extort Cook. The woman claims she suffered a concussion, deep cuts to her face and other bruising.

🚨EX-RAIDER RUGGS CHARGED WITH FOUR FELONIES IN FATAL CAR CRASH: Former Las Vegas Raiders player Henry Ruggs III was charged with four felonies yesterday in last week's car crash that left a woman dead. The 22-year-old was formally charged with two counts of driving under the influence causing death or substantial harm, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and two counts of reckless driving. 


Ruggs was reportedly driving as much as 156 miles per hour and had a blood alcohol level twice Nevada's limit when he slammed into a vehicle early in the morning of November 2nd in Las Vegas. The woman in the vehicle, 23-year-old Tina Tintor, died in the fiery crash, along with her dog. The Raiders released Ruggs later that day.

🏈PANTHERS' BURNS WISHES OTHER DEFENSIVE ENDS 'HAPPY HUNTING' AGAINST PATRIOTS' QB JONES: Carolina Panthers defensive end Brian Burns doesn't believe New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones' contention that he was only trying to tackle him, not injure him, when he grabbed Burns' right ankle after a sack in Sunday's game and held on as he tried to escape. Burns was in pain, but continued to play. However, he rolled the ankle again later in the game and had to be helped off the field, and his status is unclear for the next game. Burns suggested yesterday (November 10th) that other NFL defensive ends would gun for Jones in retaliation, saying, "However the NFL handles it, it's on them. . . . I wish all my fellow D-end brothers happy hunting." The NFL is still reviewing the Sunday incident.

🏒DUCKS GM MURRAY RESIGNS, SEEKING ALCOHOL ABUSE TREATMENT: The Anaheim Ducks announced yesterday that Bob Murray had resigned as executive vice president and general manager and will enter an alcohol abuse program. The news came one day after the Ducks put Murray on administrative leave after allegations of improper professional conduct. ESPN cited sources as saying Murray's behavior created an "abuse culture" and that many of the initial complaints were about verbal abuse. Murrray apologized in the release from the team, saying, "I want to apologize to anyone adversely affected by my behavior. I vow to make changes to my life, starting with enrolling in a treatment program."


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