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Monday, December 13, 2021

Wake-Up Call: Death Toll From Twisters May Be Lower

Wall Street Journal Screenshots 12/13/21

While dozens of people were killed by the tornadoes that struck across the Midwest and the South on Friday night, there was some good news Sunday about the candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, where it had initially been feared potentially up to 70 of the 110 people there might have been killed. The company, Mayfield Consumer Products, said that eight people were confirmed dead from the factory and eight were still missing, but more than 90 others had survived and been located.


After hearing that update, Governor Andy Beshear said the state's death toll might be as low as 50. Kentucky was the worst hit by far by the tornadoes, which also left at least 14 dead in Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri, among them at least six people at an Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville, Illinois. In addition to the loss of life, many communities suffered destruction, with Mayfield particularly devastated.

➤G-7 WARNS RUSSIA OF 'MASSIVE CONSEQUENCES' IF IT INVADES UKRAINE: After President Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin last week of severe economic consequences if it invades neighboring Ukraine, the Group of Seven (G-7) economic powers also gave Moscow a warning yesterday of, quote, "massive consequences" that would inflict severe economic pain. Those messages come as Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border with Ukraine. The G-7's joint statement said they were, quote, "united in our condemnation of Russia’s military buildup and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine," and called for Moscow to "de-escalate" the military buildup. Russia denies having any plans to invade Ukraine.

➤FILING: MEADOWS SAID IN PRE-JAN. 6TH EMAIL NATIONAL GUARD ON STANDBY TO DEFEND TRUMP SUPPORTERS: Then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said in an email sent the day before the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol that the National Guard had been put on standby to defend then-President Donald Trump’s supporters, according to a filing last night from the House committee investigating the attack. Politico reports Meadows said that the Guard, which didn't arrive until three hours after the Capitol Police called for help, would be ready to, quote, "protect pro Trump people." It's unclear who was the recipient of the email. The committee put out a 51-page document outlining its case for a contempt of Congress charge against Meadows after he did an about-face last week and said he wouldn't cooperate with them after previously saying he would. He had provided more than 9,000 documents and records to the committee.



➤ONE KILLED, 13 INJURED IN SHOOTING ON TEXAS VIGIL: One person was killed and at least 13 others injured when someone opened fire on a vigil in Baytown, Texas, yesterday evening. Police said at least 50 people were at the candlelight vigil for a man who was killed at his home a couple of weeks ago, and just as they released balloons, a vehicle approached and someone inside began shooting on the attendees. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said a fight broke out at a nearby hospital where some victims had taken themselves, and law enforcement responded. Gonzalez said they didn't yet have information on possible suspects.

➤CDC..FLU VIRUS DETECTIONS ON THE RISE, EARLY SIGNS VACCINATION RATE DOWN: More people in the US are testing positive for the flu. In a weekly influenza report ending December 4th, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that while influenza activity remains low nationally, it continues to increase. The government organization says Influenza A(H2N2) viruses were reported by public health laboratories in all 10 Health and Human Services (HHS) regions last week. Officials have called for communities to get vaccinated against influenza as soon as possible, in order to reduce transmission, protect against severe illness, hospitalization, or even death. While influenza activity was low throughout the US during the 2020-2021 flu season, the CDC said it anticipated an increase in influenza illness and a lower level of community protection for the 2021-2022 flu season. And though the CDC recommends everyone six months and older get a flu vaccine, there are early signs that flu vaccination uptake is down this season compared to last. Notably, you can get your flu shot at the same time as COVID-19 shots.

Daily Mail Screenshot 12/13/21


➤MISS INDIA HARNAAZ SANDHU NAMED MISS UNIVERSE: Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu, who is a Bollywood actress, was crowned the 70th Miss Universe on Sunday (December 12th). She beat out 79 other contestants in the pageant, which was held in Israel and hosted by Steve Harvey. Miss Paraguay Nadia Ferreira came in second and Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane was third. Last year's pageant was delayed due to the pandemic before Andrea Meza of Mexico was crowned in May for a shortened tenure.

 
➤ASSANGE'S FIANCEE CLAIMS HE SUFFERED STROKE IN OCTOBER: Julian Assange's fiancee, Stella Morris, claimed Saturday (December 12th) that the 50-year-old WikiLeaks founder suffered a stroke during his court appeal in late October. Morris, who is the mother of two children with Assange, posted the claim on social media one day after a British judge overruled a previous decision that had protected him from being extradited to the U.S. over concerns he might take his life in prison in this country. The U.S. wants to try Assange on espionage charges. Assange remains in prison in the U.K., and Morris again urged authorities to release him. Assange's lawyers will appeal the judge's decision.

💸POLL..44 PERCENT GOT BURNED AFTER OFFERING FINANACIAL HELP TO A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER: The adage that it can be a bad idea to lend money to friends or family is a cliche for reason, with a new Bankrate survey finding that 44 percent of people who've offered financial help to a friend or family member have had something bad happen as a result. More than two-thirds overall, 69 percent, said they've lent money to friends or family, with some of the ways including: lent money with the idea it would be paid back (54 percent); paid a group bill expecting to be reimbursed (24 percent); co-signed on a loan or other financial product (21 percent); and lent someone their credit card (19 percent). The negative consequences experienced by the 44 percent included: losing money (38 percent); harming the relationship (23 percent); damaging their credit score (14 percent); and getting into a physical fight (7 percent). If you're really want to offer financial help, Bankrate industry analyst Ted Rossman suggests it might be best to give the money outright, or expect you may not get it back, saying, "If you really want to offer assistance, don’t lend more than you can afford to lose, and consider treating the money as a gift to limit the potential for hard feelings."

👶STUDY..SPEAKING ‘BABY TALK’ TO INFANTS ISN’T JUST CUTE: IT COULD HELP THEM LEARN TO MAKE WORDS:  Go ahead and make “baby talk” at your infant—it’s good for them. It was previously known that the way we instinctively speak to babies—higher pitch, slower speed, exaggerated pronunciation—not only appeals to them, but likely helps them to understand what we’re saying. But a new study from the University of Florida finds it also helps babies learn to produce their own speech. Study leader Dr. Matthew Masapollo says, “It seems to stimulate motor production of speech, not just the perception of speech. It’s not just goo-goo ga-ga.” They specifically found babies ages six to eight months “displayed a robust and distinct preference for speech with resonances specifying a vocal tract that is similar in size and length to their own.” Four-to-six-month old babies didn’t have the preference, suggesting that older babies’ dawning ability to control their voices to control their voices and make babble could be what makes the “baby talk” more appealing.



🏈NFL SCORES -- WEEK 14:
  • San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 23 (OT)
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33, Buffalo Bills 27 (OT)
  • Cleveland Browns 24, Baltimore Ravens 22
  • Tennessee Titans 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 0
  • Kansas City Chiefs 48, Las Vegas Raiders 9
  • New Orleans Saints 30, New York Jets 9
  • Dallas Cowboys 27, Washington Football Team 20
  • Atlanta Falcons 29, Carolina Panthers 21
  • Seattle Seahawks 33, Houston Texans 13
  • Denver Broncos 38, Detroit Lions 10
  • Los Angeles Charges 37, New York Giants 21
  • Green Bay Packers 45, Chicago Bears 30

Monday Night Football on ESPN: Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals (8:15 p.m. ET)

🏈FOUR TD PASSES FOR RODGERS AS GREEN BAY BEATS CHICAGO 45-30: The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 45-30 in the NFL's oldest rivalry last night. (December 12th) Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns, leading the team back after they trailed 27-21 at halftime, with them scoring the first 24 points in the second half. However, Rodgers, who's been playing through a broken toe, said after the game, "It feels worse. I don’t know what kind of setback I had tonight, but we’ll look at it tomorrow. Definitely took a step back tonight."

🏈BRADY THROWNS 700TH TD PASS FOR OT WIN OVER BILLS: Tom Brady threw his 700th touchdown pass for the winning score last night (December 12th) as his Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Buffalo Bills 33-27 in overtime. That 700th touchdown pass of Brady's career -- including playoffs -- came with 5:31 left in OT. He also broke Drew Brees' NFL career completions record in the second quarter with his 7,143rd.

🏀DURANT SCORES 51 POINTS IN NETS' 116-104 WIN OVER DETROIT: Brookyn's Kevin Durant scored an NBA season-high 51 points in the Nets' 116-104 win over the Pistons yesterday in Detroit. It was the seventh 50-point game of Durant's career, and his elevated scoring came as James Harden sat out the game. It was the 12th straight loss for the Pistons.

🏀LEBRON OLDEST WITH 30-POINT TRIPLE-DOUBLE IN LAKERS' WIN OVER ORLANDO: LeBron James became the oldest player in NBA history with a 30-point triple-double in the L.A. Lakers' 106-94 win over the Orlando Magic yesterday. James had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, doing it at 36 years and 346 days olds, beating out Kobe Bryant, who had a 30-point triple-double when he was 36 years and 99 days old in 2014.

🏈RAVENS QB JACKSON LEAVES EARLY WITH ANKLE INJURY: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson left yesterday's game against the Cleveland Browns in the first quarter after suffering an ankle injury. He was later carted to the locker room and ruled out for the rest of the game, with head coach John Harbaugh saying later that Jackson had a sprained ankle and would undergo tests today to determine the extent of the injury. Backup Tyler Huntley came into the game, which the Ravens went on to lose 24-22.



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