Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Wake-Up Call: U-S Warns..Russia Could Attack Ukraine Any Time

The Daily Mail - 1/19/22

After having massed more than 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, Russia is now sending troops to Belarus for major war games, which will increase Russia's military presence near Ukraine, amid soaring tensions. Ukrainian officials have warned Russia could launch an invasion from several directions including from Belarus, and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki yestserday said, "We're now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine," calling it an "extremely dangerous situation." Russia had dened it intends to attack Ukraine, but has demanded guarantees from the West that NATO won't expand to Ukraine or other former Soviet bloc nations, or place troops or weapons in those countries. The U.S. and its NATO allies have refused, and talks last week with Russia didn't ease the tensions. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Ukraine today and then meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva Friday in another effort to defuse the crisis.

➤MODELS FORECAST 50K TO 300K MORE U.S. COVID DEATHS BEFORE OMICRON SURGE ENDS IN MID-MARCH: The omicron variant of the coronavirus may be milder than delta, but it's so highly contagious it's still causing a lot of deaths because it's infecting vulnerable people, and it will continue to do so in significant numbers, according to models of what will play out with the omicron surge, the Associated Press reported yesterday. Models are forecasting that there could be 50,000 to 300,000 potential more deaths in the U.S. before the surge subsides in mid-March. It's predicated the omicron wave will reach it's crest in the U.S. in late January or early February before starting to come down.

 
➤N.Y. ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS TRUMP'S COMPANY MISLED BANKS, TAX OFFICIALS: New York state Attorney General Letitia James' office said in a court filing yesterday that it had found evidence that former President Donald Trump's company, The Trump Organization, misled banks and tax officials by using, quote, "fraudulent or misleading" asset valuations, including what land was worth, to get loans and tax benefits. The filing said it hadn't been decided yet whether to bring a civil lawsuit, but that investigators need to question Trump and his two oldest children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump. The findings were detailed in a court motion seeking to force the three to comply with subpoenas for their testimony that Trump's legal team has tried to block. 

➤GIULIANI SUBPOENAED BY JAN. 6TH COMMITTEE: The House committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani and other members of former President Donald Trump's legal team who filed untrue legal challenges to the 2020 presidential election results. The other three subpoenaed are Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell and Boris Epshteyn. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the panel's Democratic chairman, said that the four, quote, "advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former President about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes." Epshteyn tweeted that the committee was illegitimate and carrying out a "witch hunt" against Trump and his supporters.
 

𝅰➤NO RED FLAGS RAISED BY SYNAGOGUE HOSTAGE-TAKER WHEN ENTERED U.S.: The White House said yesterday that there were no red flags raised when 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram, who held four hostages at a Texas synagogue last weekend, arrived in the U.S. at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City about two weeks ago on a tourist visa. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, "Our understanding, and obviously we’re still looking into this, is that he was checked against U.S. government databases multiple times prior to entering the country, and the U.S. government did not have any derogatory information about the individual in our systems at the time of entry." British media reported Tuesday that Akram was investigated by the domestic intelligence service as a possible “terrorist threat” in 2020, but authorities concluded he posed no danger. The four hostages made it out unharmed, and Akram was killed when an FBI SWAT team rushed in.



➤WEBSITE TO ORDER FREE COVID TESTS LAUNCHES A DAY EARLY: The administration's new website where Americans can order free Covid-19 home tests quietly launched on Tuesday, one day ahead of schedule. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said it was operating in a "limited capacity" ahead of its official launch at midmorning today. People can fill out an order form at the site, COVIDTests.gov, to get four tests per residential address, which will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. The tests will usually ship with seven to 12 days, according to the White House. President Biden had announced that U.S. would buy one billion tests for the program. Private insurance companies have since Saturday also been required to cover the cost of at-home rapid tests, with up to eight tests per month covered.

➤TONGA COULD BE CUT OFF FROM COMMUNICATION FOR WEEKS AFTER VOLANCO ERUPTION: Tonga could be cut off from communictions with the rest of the world for weeks after a massive undersea volcano eruption ruptured the lone fiber optic cable that provides the South Pacific archipelago with global communications. They currently have no internet or international calling. New Zealand's foreign ministry says it will be at least four weeks before the cable is repaired, according to the BBC.

➤MICROSOFT BUYS GAMEMAKER ACTIVISION BLIZZARD FOR NEARLY $70B: Microsoft is buying gamemaker Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, which will turn Micrsoft into one of the world's largest video game companies. Among Activision's popular games are Candy Crush and Call of Duty. The deal, which could be one of the biggest tech acquistions in history, will have to pass scrutiny by U.S. and European regulators. Activision disclosed last year it was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over complaints of workplace discrimination and in September settled claims brought by U.S. workforce discrimination regulators.

🩸RED CROSS OFFERING FREE TRIP TO SUPER BOWL 2022 IN EXCHANGE FOR BLOOD:  In response to a national blood shortage, the American Red Cross is trying to entice people to donate blood during January for the chance to win a trip to the Super Bowl in Los Angeles. The prize package includes tickets to the game, round-trip airfare, three-night hotel accommodations and a $500 gift card for expenses. This comes after the organization warned there was a blood crisis last week, in part due to a 62 percent drop in college and high school blood drives due to the pandemic. In response to the crisis, the Red Cross teamed up with the NFL to create the promotion, which also includes entry to the official NFL Tailgate and tickets to the Super Bowl Experience. Additionally, the Red Cross is offering blood donors the chance to win an at-home Super Bowl experience, which includes a short-throw laser projector, speakers, and a $500 gift card.

🧒HOW THE PANDEMIC CHANGED CHILDREN’S RELATIONSHIPS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA:  The pandemic has been a tough time for everyone, particularly for kids. University of Colorado researchers reviewed several studies, and say that at the beginning of the pandemic social media was an important source of connection and information-finding for children. Researcher Dr. Jenna Glover explains, “Because [the pandemic] was so new, and it was rapidly evolving, it was a great place for people to connect, share information and frustrations, and get support.” In addition, it wasn’t how much screen time kids got, but what they were doing while they were online that was found to be affecting their mental health. Glover adds, “If you are creating content […] or if you’re gaming with a friend, and talking with them while you’re doing it, you’re doing something active. That’s super helpful. If you’re passively scrolling TiKTok or passively viewing YouTube videos for three or four hours, that’s toxic for your mental health.” She also explains that generally if children are sleeping, eating, doing chores and homework, and interacting with peers and family, then “the amount of screentime is not important. It’s when those things get disrupted that screen time needs to be looked at to see if that’s what’s disrupting those activities.”

🎾TOP-SEED BARTY, NADAL AMONG DAY'S AUSTRALIAN OPEN WINNERS: Top-seeded woman Ash Barty was among the day's winners at the Australian Open on Tuesday, beating 142nd-ranked qualifier Lucia Bronzetti to advance to the third round. On the men's side, sixth-seeded Rafael Nadal, who's hoping to get a men's record 21st Grand Slam title, also made it to the third round with a win over 126th-ranked Yannick Hanfmann. Others advancing included American Madison Keys, eighth-seeded Paula Badosa, and Number 7 Matteo Berrettini for the men.


 🏈DALLAS QB PRESCOTT APOLOGIZES FOR APPROVING COMMENTS OF FANS THROWING THINGS AT REFS: Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott apologized via Twitter last night for his comments after the team's wild card playoff game loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in which he spoke approvingly of fans throwing things at the refs. When asked about things like water bottles being thrown at the Cowboys players as they left the field, Prescott said, "Credit to them then." He tweeted last night, "I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday. I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair." He also called what he said a "mistake," adding, "I am sorry."

🏒NHL TO STOP TESTING ASYMPTOMATIC PLAYERS FOR COVID: The NHL and the Players' Association announced yesterday that the league will stop testing asymptomatic players, coaches and staff who are fully vaccinated for Covid after the All-Star break in early February. They also said cases continue to decline across the league. Testing of asymptomatic people will continue when needed to cross the border with Canada. A 90-day reprieve from testing for players, coaches and staff who recover from Covid will remain.

🏀LAKERS' HEAD COACH VOGEL'S JOB REPORTEDLY IN JEOPARDY: L.A. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel's job is in jeopardy, according to The Athletic, with the team recently struggling. The report also said Vogel was nearly fired after the Lakers' 37-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. Vogel agreed to a contract extension last August after having a 94-49 regular-season record in his first two seasons and a 18-9 post-season record, taking the Lakers to their 17th championship in 2020.

🏒BRUINS RETIRE JERSEY OF O'REE, NHL'S FIRST BLACK PLAYER: The Boston Bruins retired the Number 22 jersey of Willie O'Ree last night , the first Black player to appear in an NHL game for Boston 64 years to the day earlier in 1958. His number was retired in a ceremony before the Bruins game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Boston's TD Garden. The 86-year-old O'Ree had planned to attend in person, but because of concerns about the pandemic, he participated virtually from his San Diego home. O’Ree played two games for the Bruins that season, spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues, and came back for 43 more games during the 1960-61 season. He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 1961, but never made it back to the NHL level.  




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