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Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Biden Expected To Warn Putin

President Biden will warn Russian President Vladimir Putin in their video call today of painful economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine. The message will come as Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops near the border with Ukraine and U.S. intelligence has warned of preparations for a potential invasion as early as January. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said yesterday, "We’ve consulted significantly with our allies and believe we have a path forward that would impose significant and severe harm on the Russian economy. You can call that a threat. You can call that a fact. You can call that preparation. You can call it whatever you want to call it." Putin, meanwhile, is expected to demand guarantees that NATO will never expand to include Ukraine, which has long wanted to join. The Associated Press said that while there's little prospect that Ukraine would be invited to join NATO anytime soon, the U.S. and its allies won't rule it out.

➤JUSTICE DEPT. SUES TEXAS OVER NEW RESDISTRICTING MAPS: The Justice Department sued Texas yesterday over its new redistricting maps, saying they discriminate against minority voters, particularly Latinos. The suit claims the Republican-controlled state violated the Voting Rights Act in how it drew new district boundaries this year for its congressional delegation and state legislature. The lawsuit contends that while most of the population growth in Texas over the past decade came from Black, Latino and Asian people, the new maps dilute their votes by scattering them across districts. It also says the maps pack Black and Latino communities into weirdly-shaped districts while preserving seats for white Republicans. A spokesman for Republican Governor Greg Abbott said, "We are confident that Texas’ redistricting plans will be upheld by the courts, and our office continues working with the Office of the Attorney General to ensure Texans are represented fairly."

➤NYC IMPOSES STRICTEST MANDATE, SAYING ALL PRIVATE EMPLOYERS MUST REQUIRE COVID VACCINATION: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced yesterday that the city will require all private employers to mandate that their workers be vaccinated against Covid-19, the strictest mandate of any state or big city in the country. De Blasio said it will take effect on December 27th, four days before the last day of his term, and that regular Covid testing won't be allowed as an alternative. The mayor said it's a, quote, "preemptive strike" aimed at avoiding a spike of infections amid holiday gatherings and the cold weather, and it also comes as the new omicron variant has emerged. A spokesman for Mayor-elect Eric Adams, who is also a Democrat, said he, quote, "will evaluate this mandate and other Covid strategies when he is in office."

➤WOMAN TESTIFIES MAXWELL PRESSURED HER INTO GIVING EPSTEIN SEXUAL MASSAGES WHEN SHE WAS A TEEN: A British woman using the pseudonym "Kate" testified in Ghislaine Maxwell's sexual trafficking trial yesterday that Maxwell pressured her into giving Jeffrey Epstein sexual massages when she was a teenager, although of the legal age of consent at 18. She testified about one particular incident in which Maxwell left out a schoolgirl's outfit for her to wear with Epstein and told her, "I thought it would be fun for you to take Jeffrey his tea in this outfit." After the sexual encounter that took place after that, she said Maxwell asked her if she had fun and told her, "You are such a good girl." "Kate" further testified that Maxwell told her Epstein was "demanding" about sexual massages, and that it was, quote, "very difficult to keep up" with his sexual needs.

➤MICHIGAN PROSECUTOR HASN'T RULED OUT CHARGING SCHOOL OFFICIALS OVER SHOOTING: Oakland County, Michigan, prosecutor Karen McDonald said Monday (December 6th) that they, quote, "haven't ruled out" charging school officials over the shooting at Oxford High School last week that left four students dead and seven others wounded, six of them students. The unusual step has already been taken of charging 15-year-old suspect Ethan Crumbley's parents with involuntary manslaughter related to their alleged purchase of the gun for their son. McDonald said on CNN yesterday that school officials had the legal grounds to search Crumbley's backpack and locker after a teacher found a drawing he made that showed a gun and figure appearing to have been shot twice and the words, "blood everywhere," and "The thoughts won’t stop. Help me." When asked if school staff members might be prosecuted, McDonald said, "We haven't ruled out charging anyone." Crumbley's parents had been called to the school over the drawing hours before the shooting, but they adamantly refused to have Ethan sent home, saying they'd get him into counseling within 48 hours, as the school insisted.

➤BOB DOLE TO LIE IN STATE AT U.S. CAPITOL: Late Senator Bob Dole will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday (December 6th), where the World War Two veteran served in the House and Senate for 36 years. Dole died on Sunday at age 98. The Kansas Republican, who was the party's leader in the Senate, both as majority and minority leader, for 11 years, left Congress when he was the Republican presidential nominee in 1996 to focus on the race. But he lost to President Bill Clinton, who was elected to a second term.
🔫TEXAS SHERIFF'S DEPT. CRITICIZED OVER PHOTO OF SANTA 'APPLYING' FOR CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT: The El Paso County Sheriff’s Department came under criticism by some people after posting a photo on its social media of a man who looks like Santa Claus applying for a concealed carry gun permit. It said, "Guess who came in to receive his Concealed Handgun Permit today? Did you know the El Paso County Sheriff's Office has issued 49,750 Concealed Handgun Permits with another 2,560 awaiting to be issued?" It then had a link for more information. While it got many complaints about the message being sent, others were supportive. The sheriff's office later posted a comment that said: "EPSO intended to highlight our staff in the Concealed Handgun Permit Office, not to be insensitive. Santa correlates to the month of December and we thought he would help to recognize our hard working staff."

📰STUDY..PEOPLE CHOOSE TO LEARN ABOUT HEALTH, WORLD NEWS BASED ON FEELINGS:  People seek out or avoid information on various topics based on how they think it will make them feel and how useful it is, finds a new study. Researchers found people fall into one of three “information-seeking” categories: those who consider the impact of information on their feelings, those that consider how useful information will be for making decisions, and those that mostly seek information about issues they think about often. This can include information about their health, finances, and personal traits. Study co-author Christophe.


😴FOR BETTER SLEEP, BORROW THE BEDTIME ROUTINE OF A TODDLER:  If you want to sleep better, you’ll want to adopt the bedtime routine of a toddler. Data shows regular bedtimes help improve toddler sleep, and that it’s equally important for adults and should be consistent across weekdays as well as weekends. You should also take a hot bath before bedtime, as a comprehensive study published in 2019 found taking a hot bath or shower one or two hours before a planned bedtime significantly shortened the time it took to go to sleep. Next you should apply lotion, as massage therapy has been shown to improve sleep in children and in adults—and applying lotion and giving yourself a bit of a massage each night may act as a close approximation to getting a massage. Finally, wrap up your routine with a language-based activity like reading—as it’s been shown to relax both children and young adults.

🏈PATRIOTS DEFEAT BILLS 14-10 IN WINDY 'MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL' GAME: The New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 14-10 in Monday Night Football last night (December 6th) in blustery weather in Buffalo that had winds gusting at 40 miles per hour. Amid those conditions, the Patriots ran the ball night, with rookie quarterback Mac Jones making just three pass attempts, completing two of them for 19 yards. Nick Folk successfully kicked two field goals for New England with the wind at his back.


🏆HEISMAN TROPHY FINALISTS NAMED: The four finalists for the Heisman Trophy were announced yesterday (December 6th): Alabama quarterback Bryce Young; Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson; Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett; and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. After being delayed and going virtual last year due to the pandemic, the Heisman presentation returns to its normal date, the second Saturday in December, which is this coming Saturday, and is back in person. However, it's moving to a smaller venue in Manhattan. The Heisman Trust also announced that from now on, there will always be four finalists, a change from the past when it had been as few as three and as many as six.

🏇KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER MEDINA SPIRIT COLLAPSES AND DIES AFTER WORKOUT: Medina Spirit, the horse that won the Kentucky Derby in May but raised scrutiny because of a positive drug test, collapsed and died yesterday (December 6th) after a workout at Santa Anita Park racetrack in California. Trainer Bob Baffert said the three-year-old colt suffered a heart attack. Medina Spirit had just ended his second workout since finishing second in the Breeders' Cup Classic a month ago. The horse tested positive after winning the Derby for betamethasone, a legal medication that's not allowed on race day. Baffert was suspended by Churchill Downs and barred from entering horses in the 2022 and 2023 Kentucky Derbies. He also was banned by the New York Racing Association from entering horses at its Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct tracks.

➤U-S TO CARRY OUT DIPLMATIC BOYCOTT OF BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS: The White House confirmed Monday (December 6th) that the U.S. will carry out a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics next February in protest of China's human rights abuses against their Uyghur minority. However, while no U.S. dignitaries will attend, U.S. athletes will compete in the Games. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian accused U.S. politicians of grandstanding over the issue of not sending dignitaries, and said it would be a, quote, "outright political provocation," but didn't say how China might retaliate.

🏈POTENTIAL TOP NFL DRAFT PICK THIBODEAUX TO FORGO SENIOR SEASON: Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, the potential top NFL draft pick, announced last night that he'll forgo his senior season and declare for the draft. He also won't be playing in Oregon's game against Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 29th, and instead will begin readying for the draft.



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