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Thursday, November 17, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Republicans Control The House


Republicans recapture House majority, winning narrow control of a chamber they hoped to dominate. The hopes of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of claiming a resounding majority were blunted by a far stronger showing for Democrats than anticipated. The far right of the lower chamber has vowed to investigate President Biden's family and policies, but passing legislation will be more difficult in a closely divided chamber. 


There will now be split control of Congress as Democrats captured a thin Senate majority with the reelection of Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada.

➤NATIONS DIAL BACK MISSILE TALK: Officials said a Ukrainian air-defense system likely fired the missile. Russia unleashed one of the biggest barrages of the war on Tuesday; its defense ministry said its precision strikes were at least 20 miles from the Ukraine-Poland border. The two people killed in Poland appear to be the first fatalities in a NATO country directly linked to the Ukraine conflict. Meeting in Indonesia, the G-20 nations—including Russia and China—unanimously endorsed a declaration saying the war is hurting the global economy and calling for the fighting to end.

➤TEXAS GOVERNOR BUSES MIGRANTS TO PHILADELPHIA: Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a busload of migrants to Philadelphia in his latest campaign to offload border-crossers on cities that have declared themselves sanctuary cities. An estimated 28 people arrived in Philadelphia yesterday morning and were greeted by city agency representatives and volunteers. Most have plans to go to other cities, a local official told ABC Channel 6 news.

➤CHRISTMAS PARADE KILLER SENTENCED: Darrell Brooks, who drove an SUV into a crowd of Christmas parade attendees in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last year, has been sentenced to life in prison plus 700 years. He was found guilty last month on all 62 counts related to the deaths of six people and the wounding of dozens more.

➤EARTHQUAKE RATTLES TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO: A magnitude 5.3 earthquake shook western Texas and southern New Mexico yesterday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter of the quake was northwest of Pecos, Texas. Only light damage was reported.


➤CHINESE SPY GETS 20-YEAR SENTENCE: A Chinese intelligence officer has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to steal high-tech aviation trade secrets from GE Aviation in Cincinnati. The officer in China’s Ministry of State Security tried to obtain technical information from a GE Aviation employee, who contacted the FBI.

➤FTX'S QUICK COLLAPSE LITERALLY MADE STAFFERS SICK:  Many of the roughly 300 staffers said that they’d learned of the Bahamas-based crypto exchange’s decline through Twitter and the media, not management. Outside the U.S., many workers were paid via direct deposit to their FTX accounts, and lost access to their funds, people familiar with the matter said. One executive vomited when he learned that the exchange was missing billions of dollars of customer money. FTX filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday. The House Financial Services Committee plans to hold a hearing next month to investigate.

➤US CONSUMERS BOOSTED RETAIL SPENDING IN OCTOBER: The seasonally adjusted 1.3% increase over September likely means the Fed will continue raising interest rates to tame high inflation. Meanwhile, individual Fed officials said that putting a lid on rising prices without a recession might not be feasible and warned against prematurely concluding that inflation has peaked. Meanwhile, Wall Street and private-equity yearly bonuses are expected to be smaller. U.S. families will spend about 14% more on this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, according to Information Resources Inc.

The Victims

➤POLICE ADVISE 'WATCH OUT FOR EACH OTHER': Shaken police officials and university leaders in Moscow, Idaho on Wednesday told the community to 'watch out for each other', as they confirmed they are yet to identify a suspect or find a murder weapon three days after the stabbing of four students - and revealed two roommates were inside the house at the time of the killings. The victims - three women and one man - were found on Sunday morning inside the student house the three women shared. The three women have been named as Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; and Xana Kernodle, 20. The man, 20-year-old Ethan Chapin, was the boyfriend of Kernodle, one of the housemates. 'There is still someone out there who committed four horrible, horrible crimes,' said James Fry, chief of Moscow police. 'We all have to be aware of our surroundings, and make sure we're watching out for each other.' 

➤IOWA HOUSE FIRE CLAIMS 4 KIDS: A house fire left four children dead and two people injured early Wednesday in northern Iowa. Mason City firefighters were called to the fire about 5 a.m. in an older home in a neighborhood near the city’s downtown. Crews who arrived could see flames in the first and second floors of the house, according to a news release from the Mason City Fire Department. The four children killed were identified as John Michael Mcluer, 12; Odin Thor Mcluer, 10; Drako Mcluer, 6; and Phenix Mcluer, 3.



➤GUN SALES SKYROCKET IN OREGON: Requests for background checks from prospective gun buyers have more than doubled in the week after the state’s voters approved a tougher gun control law, The Oregonian reports. Voters narrowly approved a measure to require gun buyers to obtain a permit and undergo gun safety training. It also bans magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The changes will go into effect as early as December 8th.

➤MUSK TO HIRE SOMEON TO RUN TWITTER: Elon Musk said he expects to name someone else to run Twitter. He said that he’s been spending most of his time working on the social-media platform he bought last month. The Tesla boss was testifying in a shareholder lawsuit claiming he had undue influence over his 2018 pay package (worth around $52 billion at recent share prices) at the electric-car maker. Meanwhile, Musk told Twitter employees they must commit to working “long hours at high intensity” or leave the company, according to an email viewed by The Wall Street Journal. They received a Google form where they could choose to stay or go.


➤STUDY: EMPLOYEES WHO VIEW MANAGERIAL CONTROLS AS RESTRICTIVE DEVELOP NEGATIVE RESPONSES TO THE ORGANIZATION WHERE THEY WORK: Employees who view managerial controls as restrictive start to dislike the organization they work for. University of East Anglia researchers say managerial control systems are the procedures and processes used by managers to set goals, monitor and evaluate progress, provide feedback, and encourage employees to conform to organizational expectations. The data shows when employees viewed these controls as restrictive and punitive they started exhibiting “workplace deviance” which could include behaviors like absenteeism, reducing effort, daydreaming, and more. Researchers say this type of behavior is most often seen in “highly skilled workers” who usually have a “high need for professional autonomy.”


⚾IT’S UNANIMOUS! Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander was unanimously named the American League’s Cy Young Award winner yesterday. It’s the third Cy Young award of his career and came after he spent nearly two years recovering from elbow surgery. The vote also was unanimous for Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara as the year’s National League Cy Young award.


 ➤SPORTS STARS SUED FOR CRYPTO ENDORSEMENTS: Product endorsements may be easy money for pro athletes but they’re not without risk. A class action lawsuit filed in Florida this week names some big names in sports who appeared in ads for FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange that recently collapsed, taking billions of dollars of other people’s money with it. Those named in the suit include Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, tennis pro Naomi Osaka, basketball great Shaquille O’Neal, Boston Red Sox veteran David Ortiz, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem. The suit alleges that they promoted a scheme that took advantage of unsophisticated investors.

⚾BRYCE HARPER SCHEDULES SURGERY: Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper is finally scheduling surgery on his right elbow, and it might keep him out of commission through the start of the 2023 season. The injury has kept him from fielding but not hitting since May.

🏀KYRIE IRVING MAY RETURN TO PLAY SUNDAY: Kyrie Irving may rejoin the Brooklyn Nets as soon as this Sunday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies, ESPN reports. He will have missed eight games due to his suspension for a tweet linking to an anti-semitic propaganda film and an initial refusal to apologize for it. Irving was given a lengthy to-do list of educational activities to earn his way back onto the team, and the NBA player’s association says he is making progress on his “journey of dialogue and education.”


🚘‘INTENSE’ WEATHER COULD DISRUPT SOME THANKSGIVING TRAVEL: Americans plan to hit the road for Thanksgiving. The AAA predicts more than 54 million people will travel this year, making it the busiest holiday travel period in November since before the coronavirus pandemic. AccuWeather meteorologists say if you’re planning to travel you’ll want to keep an eye on the skies, as far-reaching weather could contribute to travel challenges across the U.S. 

The AAA says the Tuesday (November 22nd) before Thanksgiving (November 24th) appears to be overtaking Wednesday (November 23rd) as the busiest travel day. They suggest people looking to save some money should book flights for the Monday (November 21st) before Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day itself as airfare is typically cheaper on these days, and the highways are usually less crowded. As far as weather goes, on Wednesday (November 23rd) there is predicted “wet, windy, and snowy weather in the Northwest and Northern California” that will “extend east into the northern Rockies.” 

They warn mountain passes could be closed due to heavy snow, which would force travelers on Interstate 80 to change their routes. Better weather is predicted for Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. Meanwhile, chilly and dry weather is expected on November 23rd in New York City, Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta. But those in the southern Plains and Mississippi Valley can expect rain and thunderstorms. On Thanksgiving Day itself (November 24th) Accuweather warns of potentially poor weather as multiple storm systems spread rain and snow across large swaths of the U.S. The stormy weather could linger into Black Friday (November 25th) as well.



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