Thursday, November 3, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Biden..'Democracy' Is On The Ballot

Daily Mail 11/3/22

Less than a week before the midterm elections, President Joe Biden yesterday gave a nationally televised address warning that the future of democracy is in peril from the forces of political violence, voter intimidation, and election conspiracists. “We can’t take democracy for granted any longer,” Biden said in the speech from Washington’s Union Station. He blamed the turmoil on “lies told for power and profit, lies of conspiracy and malice, lies repeated over and over to generate a cycle of anger, hate, vitriol and even violence.” Explicitly, the president blamed it on “the defeated former president [who] refuses to accept the will of the people.”
➤ARMED ‘MONITORS’ ORDERED AWAY FROM POLL BOXES: A federal judge has ordered volunteers for an election monitoring group to stay at least 250 feet away from ballot boxes. There were complaints that armed and masked volunteers were intimidating voters waiting to drop off their ballots for the midterm elections. The judge also barred the group’s volunteers from filming people voting or following people from a ballot drop box. The League of Women Voters initiated the case against Clean Elections USA, which is watching ballot boxes in Maricopa County, Arizona.


➤PELOSI’S ALLEGED ATTACKER PLEADS INNOCENT: The man who is accused of breaking into the San Francisco home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer has pleaded not guilty. Among the many charges against him is “attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official.” Police reports indicate that David DePape intended to hold the Speaker hostage.

💰FED RAISES RATES AGAIN: The Federal Reserve yesterday imposed another big interest rate increase of three-quarters of a percentage point in its effort to rein in inflation. Worse yet from one viewpoint, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell gave a clear warning that more increases are likely in the near future. Interest rate hikes mean higher costs for mortgages, car loans, and other loans. It also should result in slower consumer spending, which is supposed to reduce inflation. The stock markets hate rate increases. The Dow Jones Average dropped more than 500 points yesterday to close at 32,418.

➤MUSK DELAYS RETURN OF BLOCKED TWITTER USERS: Elon Musk said Twitter won’t allow blocked users back until it has a clear process in place. The network’s new owner tweeted that he’s spoken to civil-society leaders about how Twitter “will continue to combat hate & harassment & enforce its election integrity policies.” Musk has described himself as a free-speech absolutist, prompting concerns about looser content moderation and the return of booted personalities, such as President Donald Trump. Some public figures have said they’ll quit Twitter over fears of what it could become under new leadership, including showrunner-producer Shonda Rhimes, actor Josh Gad and author Stephen King.

➤NORTH KOREA SENDING ARTILLERY TO RUSSIA:  According to the Biden administration, Pyongyang is using indirect routes that include shipments through third countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The suspected deliveries, though sizable, aren’t expected to change the course of Ukraine’s effort to defend its territory, the National Security Council said. Meanwhile, Russian officials plan to move 70,000 Kherson residents; they say it’s because of a possible Ukrainian attack on a strategic dam nearby, though Kyiv believes the civilians will be used as human shields as Ukrainian forces advance.

➤NETFLIX AD-SUPPORTED TIER LAUNCHES TODAY: The streaming giant continues to haggle with several major studios for the right to run ads against their content or include it on the ad tier, according to people familiar with the matter. “Basic with Ads” costs $6.99 in the U.S.—and four to five minutes of your life per hour of content. Netflix, which wants to grow its subscribers and revenue after a tumultuous 2022, is debuting the service a month before rival Disney+ starts its first ad-backed plan.

➤WHO WANTS TO BE A BILLIONAIRE? The top prize for Saturday night’s Powerball jackpot is now $1.5 billion. No winning tickets were sold in last night’s $1.2 billion drawing. There have been 39 consecutive draws without a jackpot winner since August 3rd.

Cruz
➤PARKLAND KILLER GETS LIFE: Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday for the murders of 17 people at a Parkland, Fla., high school in 2018, concluding a case that was emotionally grueling for victims’ families and whose outcome left them fuming.  A jury in October spared him the death penalty and instead recommended that he spend the rest of his life in prison. At the request of prosecutors, Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer scheduled a two-day hearing that began Tuesday to allow victims’ family members to express themselves before the court and the defendant. When they concluded, Judge Scherer imposed life sentences for each of 34 counts—17 involving people Cruz murdered and 17 involving those he attempted to murder but who survived—as some family members wept. She ordered that Cruz serve the sentences consecutively and granted a motion by prosecutors to prevent him from benefiting from any proceeds deriving from literary or cinematic accounts of his crimes.

➤OREGON MAYOR CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER: The mayor of Rufus, Oregon was arrested and charged with attempted murder after a road rage shooting incident, Fox News reported. Mayor Dowen Jones is accused of firing multiple rounds from a handgun at a vehicle carrying a family of four. No one was injured.

➤NETWORK OF CATALYTIC CONVERTER THIEVES BUSTED: The U.S. Justice Department has charged 21 people with participating in a nationwide ring of catalytic converter thieves. Catalytic converters are designed to reduce pollutants emitted by a car engine. They’re targeted by thieves because they contain precious metals including platinum and rhodium. The metals were extracted and the precious powder was sold to metal refineries, netting the thieves an estimated $545 million.

➤STUDY: TIKTOK PROMOTES A TOXIC DIET CULTURE IN TEENS:  A study from the University of Vermont found that TikTok's most popular weight loss videos promote a toxic diet culture by glorifying weight loss. There's also a lack of content created by people who are qualified to discuss weight and nutrition. "Getting stuck in weight loss TikTok can be a really tough environment, especially for the main users of the platform, which are young people," researcher Lizzy Pope said. The majority of TikTok creators included in the study were white, female adolescents and young adults. Authors say very few creators were dietitians, doctors, or certified trainers.

😭CRYING BREAKUP VIDEOS ARE A NEW TREND: Gen Zers are having a good cry after their breakups...on TikTok. This vulnerable trend has collected millions of views, and creators claim the support they receive on social media helps them grieve.  Ashley Singh received 13.3 million views of her emotional post detailing the end of her 5-year relationship. "I know this video has reached so many other people going through the same thing, and I think this is helping people," Singh said when others told her she should take the personal clip down.  The #breakup tag has 24.7 billion views on the platform.

⚾WORLD SERIES TIED 2-2: The Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-0 last night in Game 4 of the World Series. Four Houston Astros pitchers pulled off a no-hitter, only the second in World Series history. Christian Javier pitched for six straight innings, followed by Bryan Abreu, Rafael Montero and Ryan Pressly. The Astros are staying in Philly for tomorrow’s Game 5.

🏈CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED INTO WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations of financial improprieties by the management of the Washington Commanders, according to a report by ESPN. The U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia opened the investigation after receiving information from a Congressional committee alleging deceptive business practices by team management. Specific allegations are said to include withholding ticket revenue from visiting teams, keeping refundable deposits from season ticketholders, and concealing revenue owed to the NFL. Separately, team owners Dan and Tanya Snyder announced yesterday that they are exploring “potential transactions” involving the team, presumably meaning a sale of the team or part ownership in it.

🏈SUSPECT ARRESTED IN ROBINSON SHOOTING: One of two suspects allegedly involved in the shooting of Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Junior has been arrested, Washington police announced yesterday. The teenager was charged with assault with intent to rob while armed. Robinson was shot twice in the leg on August 28th. The rookie player still managed to make his NFL debut in Week 5, just 42 days later.
 
🏈MIAMI HAS HIGH HOPES FOR CHUBB: The Miami Dolphins are hoping for a long and fruitful relationship with linebacker Bradley Chubb. He was traded to the Dolphins from the Denver Broncos earlier this week. Yesterday, general manager Chris Grier said the team hopes to sign Chubb to a long-term deal. Now 26, Chubb is in the final year of his four-year rookie contract.

🏀IRVING APOLOGIZES FOR NASTY POST: Kyrie Irvin and the Brooklyn Nets each will donate $500,000 to anti-hate organizations in apology for Irvin’s social media post last week promoting an anti-Semitic movie and book. “I oppose all forms of hatred and oppression and stand strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day,” Irving said in a post.



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