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Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Wake-Up Call: As Expected, Liz Cheney Loses Primary

Daily Mail (8/17/22)

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the vice chair of the House January 6th Committee who voted in favor of Donald Trump's impeachment after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, and has been one of former president's strongest Republican critics, lost the Republican primary yesterday as she sought re-eleciton. Harriet Hageman, who was endorsed by Trump, defeated the third-term congresswoman by an apparent wide margin, as with 62 percent of the vote in, Hageman was beating Cheney by more than 30 percentage points. Cheney, who was the Number 3 House Republican before being removed from the post in May 2021 over her opposition to Trump, was already looking ahead last night to a continued political future. Speaking to supporters after her defeat was clear, Cheney said, "Our work is far from over," and hinted at a potential presidential run, saying, "I have said since January 6th that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office -- and I mean it."



➤BIDEN SIGNS INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, SWEEPING CLIMATE, HEALTH CARE AND TAX MEASURE: President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act in a White House ceremony yesterday, sweeping climate, health care and tax legislation passed by congressional Democrats in a party-line vote that was a major legislative victory for the president. The $750 billion legislation includes the largest-ever federal effort on climate change, lets Medicare negotiate what it pays for drugs, caps out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare to $2,000 a year, and extends expiring subsidies that help 13 million people afford health insurance. It raises corporate taxes by imposing a 15 percent minimum tax on corporations with yearly profits of over $1 billion and a one percent tax on companies that repurchase their own stock. Those provisions and others mean the entire package is paid for, with some $300 billion extra to use for deficit reduction.


➤SUSPECTED UKRAINIAN ATTACK IN CRIMEA, SECOND IN A WEEK: There were explosions and fires at an ammunition depot in Crimea yesterday in the second suspected Ukrainian attack on the Russian-occupied peninsula in just over a week. Russia, which seized control of Crimea in 2014, blamed the explosions on an "act of sabotage," but didn't say who they contend is responsible. Ukraine hasn't publicly claimed responsibility, including for blasts that destroyed nine Russian planes at a Crimean air base last week. However, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alluded to Ukrainian attacks behind enemy lines, including people, quote, "who oppose the occupiers in their rear" among those he thanked for supporting the war effort.
 

➤HOMELAND SECURITY WATCHDOG REFUSING LAWMAKERS' REQUEST FOR INFO ON SECRET SERVICE TEXTS: Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari is refusing congressional lawmakers' requests for documents and staff testimony about deleted Secret Service texts related to the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Cuffari told the leaders of the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees earlier this month that his watchdog office wouldn't comply due to the ongoing criminal investigation into the deleted texts. Oversight Committee Chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney and Homeland Security Committee Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson demanded in response yesterday that Cuffari comply or face a potential congressional subpoena, accusing him of, quote, "obstruction" of the committees' investigation. Cuffari told Congress last month that Secret Service texts sent and received around January 6th 2021, were deleted despite requests from Congress and federal investigators that they be preserved.


➤HEARING AIDS TO BE AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER THIS FALL: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized a rule yesterday that will allow hearing aids to be sold over the counter without a prescription starting in mid-October, which is expected to increase competition and eventually lower costs for consumers. The rule creates a new class of hearing aids, meant for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss, that don't require a medical exam or a prescription, the FDA said. Currently, it can cost more than $5,000 to get a hearing aid, including the cost of the device, medical exams and fittings. Insurance coverage is limited, and Medicare doesn't pay for hearing aids.

➤FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19: First Lady Jill Biden has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing "mild" symptoms, the White House announced yesterday, after she first began having symptoms on Monday. President Biden continues to test negative after his recent Covid bout. The Bidens have been vacationing in South Carolina since August 10th. The 71-year-old first lady is fully vaccinated and double-boosted, and has been prescribed the anti-viral drug Paxlovid. She will isolate at the vacation home for at least five days, and her communications director said Biden will return home after she receives two negative Covid tests.

➤WESTERN DROUGHT FORCES WATER CUTBACKS: A “megadrought” has reduced water levels in the American West so severely that two states will be forced to reduce their use of water from the Colorado River and its reservoirs starting next year. The supply to more states may be cut in future. Arizona and Nevada will be the first states to face a forced reduction in their water supply. U.S. Interior Department officials say California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming must also reduce their water use by 15 percent to avoid supply cuts in the future. Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir, has dropped to one-quarter of its capacity. That has triggered the first-ever federal declaration of a tier 2 shortage. The Colorado River supplies water to 40 million people across seven states and Mexico.

😒HATE YOUR JOB? YOU’RE NOT ALONE: Record-high numbers of workers are unhappy in their jobs, according to the latest results from an annual Gallup survey of the workplace. Fully 60% of employees say they’re emotionally detached at work, and 30% say they’re plain miserable. In the U.S., half say they feel stressed on a daily basis. The most common complaint is “unfair treatment at work.” That included complaints about mistreatment by coworkers, inconsistent compensation, and favoritism.


➤WORKERS WALK OUT AT AMAZON FACILITY: Workers at an Amazon air cargo facility in California walked off their jobs this week, demanding higher wages and better working conditions. The facility in San Bernardino is one of the largest of the air hubs the company uses to distribute orders to Amazon warehouses. The company and its employees differ on how many workers walked. They’re demanding an increase in base pay from $17 to $22 an hour plus some relief from what they call “suffocating temperatures” inside the facility. Amazon is the largest employer in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. 

🏫LOANS FORGIVEN FOR DEFRAUDED STUDENTS: About 208,000 people who borrowed money to attend the now-defunct ITT Technical Institute will have their student loans forgiven by the U.S. Department of Education. The for-profit college, which misled prospective students with false claims about the value of their degree programs, was shut down in 2016. Another 130,000 of its former students have already had their loans forgiven.

💰EVEN WEALTHY PEOPLE ARE PINCHING PENNIES: Even higher-income families are pinching pennies when confronted with price inflation at the supermarket, according to the CEO of Walmart. Doug McMillan told CNBC that the company’s earnings in the past quarter benefited from an influx of customers who earn $100,000 or more a year. Food prices overall were up 10.9% in July compared to a year earlier.

🎾SERENA WILLIAMS LOSES IN FIRST ROUND IN LAST PRE-U.S. OPEN TOURNAMENT: Serena Williams lost her first-round match at the Western & Southern Open in Ohio Tuesday, falling 6-4, 6-0 to Emma Raducanu in her last tournament before the U.S. Open later this month, which is expected to be the final tournament of her career. Williams was given a standing ovation from the crowd after the loss, as well as praise from Raducanu, who said, "We all should honor Serena and her amazing career. . . . It was a true honor to share the court with her." The 40-year-old Williams announced last week that she'd be leaving tennis, in part because she wants to have another child, suggesting that the U.S. Open would be her last tournament.

 
🏈JETS QB WILSON HAS SUCCESSFUL KNEE SURGERY: New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson had arthroscopic knee surgery Tuesday to repair a torn meniscus, and ESPN cited sources as saying the procedure was a "success." Wilson suffered the meniscus tear and a bone bruise during the Jets' preseason opener Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was reported before the surgery that Wilson's recovery time would be two to four weeks. No updated timetable was released after the procedure, but the Jets don't want to rush him back, and Joe Flacco is poised to start in the season opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

🏌WOODS, TOP GOLFERS MEET TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF PGA TOUR, LIV GOLF: Tiger Woods met with the most of the PGA Tour's top golfers in Wilmington, Delaware, yesterday evening to discuss the future of the PGA Tour and how it might be strengthened in its ongoing battle with LIV Golf for the best players, ESPN reported. Among those who reportedly attended were Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. A player who attended the meeting told ESPN, "It was about all the top players getting on the same page." The players are expected to take their suggestions on how to better the tour to Commissioner Jay Monahan.

🏀NBA WON'T HAVE ANY GAMES ON ELECTION DAY: The NBA won't have any games on Election Day, November 8th, hoping that teams use the night before the midterms, November 7th, when all 30 teams are playing, as an opportunity to encourage fans to get out and vote. Teams are also being encouraged to share election information, such as registration deadlines, with their fans in the weeks leading up to Election Day. The league said yesterday, "The scheduling decision came out of the NBA family’s focus on promoting nonpartisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to make a plan to vote during midterm elections."

⚾PIRATES' CASTRO SUSPENDED ONE GAME FOR PHONE IN POCKET DURING GAME: MLB suspended Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Rodolfo Castro for one game yesterday  for having a cellphone in his back pocket during a game last week. Castro appealed the penalty, which also included an undisclosed fine. A video clip went viral showing the phone flying out of Castro's back pocket as he dove into third base against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 9th. Castro apologized after the game, saying he put his sliding glove in his pocket and forgot about the phone. MLB has cracked down on technology use by players in the wake of the Houston Astros' cheating scandal.

 
⚾12-YEAR-OLD INJURED IN LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES DORM FALL IN CRITICAL CONDITION: A 12-year-old boy whose team will be playing in the Little League World Series that begins today in Williamsport, PA, was in critical condition Tuesday after suffering a head injury when he fell off the top bunk of his bed at the LLWS dorm complex while he was sleeping. Easton Oliverson is a pitcher and outfielder for the Snow Canyon team from Santa Clara, Utah. His father, Jace Oliverson, who's an assistant coach on the team, said on Facebook that doctors told him Easton had punctured an artery which caused bleeding on the brain and necessitated a piece of his skull being removed. The Snow Canyon team is scheduled to play its first game on Friday.

⚾PADRES CANCEL TATIS BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT, TO GIVE SOTO T-SHIRTS INSTEAD: The San Diego Padres have canceled their planned Fernando Tatis Jr. bobblehead night on September 7th, and instead will give away Juan Soto T-shirts that night, the team announced yesterday. The change came after the 23-year-old star shortstop was banned for 80 games Friday after a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug. He said he accidentally took a medication to treat ringworm that contained the banned substance, the anabolic steroid Clostebol. Tatis had been poised to rejoin the team after being out all season with a broken wrist. 


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