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Thursday, December 1, 2022

Wake-Up Call: House OKs Bill To Force Labor Deal


➤HOUSE OKAYS RAILROAD BILL: The House approved legislation to force rail workers to accept a labor deal ahead of a possible strike. Lawmakers also voted to impose paid sick leave, a sticking point for workers and a step demanded by some in Congress. The freight railroads and unions representing engineers, conductors, machinists and others have been in labor negotiations for more than two years. Eight unions ratified a proposed contract the Biden administration helped mediate over the summer, while four didn’t. President Biden asked Congress to intervene earlier this week to avoid a strike during the busy holiday season. Both measures now head to the Senate.

➤HAKEEM JEFFRIES BECOMES HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries was elected House minority leader without opposition yesterday, replacing Representative Nancy Pelosi as the Democratic Party’s leader in the House. Jeffries is the first Black person to get the position. The 52-year-old New Yorker has been chairman of the House Democratic Caucus since 2019.

➤TORNADOES RIP THROUGH THE SOUTH: Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana were under a tornado watch yesterday as a severe storm system swept through a wide region. Heavy thunderstorms rumbled from eastern Texas to Georgia and as far north as Indiana on Tuesday night and into yesterday morning. Several tornadoes touched down, causing some damage but no reported injuries.

➤HOUSE COMMITTEE GETS TRUMP TAX RECORDS: After a three-year legal battle, the House Ways and Means Committee has received six years of former president Donald Trump’s federal tax returns. Trump’s effort to prevent the documents from being turned over by the IRS ended last week when the Supreme Court declined to intervene in a lower court ruling. Trump was the only president in modern U.S. history to refuse to release details of his finances.


➤ECONOMIC GROWTH STRONGER THAN EXPECTED: The American economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.9 percent in the third quarter, according to a new government report. That’s much faster growth in the nation’s gross domestic product than was expected. And, it’s a big improvement over the negative numbers seen in the first half of the year. Higher consumer spending was credited.

➤SMALLER INTEREST RATE HIKES LIKELY: In more positive news on the economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell confirmed yesterday that smaller interest rate increases are likely starting as early as this month as inflation begins to subside. The stock market was pleased. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 737 points, or 2.18 percent, after three losing sessions.



➤MAUNA LOA BLOWS: Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano is erupting for the first time in 38 years. The world’s biggest active volcano started spewing Monday, and no one knows when it will stop. Experts say it does not pose a threat to any communities.


➤THE WORLD’S PRICIEST CITIES: New York City ties with Singapore as the world’s most expensive city, according to the Economist’s annual Worldwide Cost of Living report. Tel Aviv dropped from first to third place this year, followed by Hong Kong and Los Angeles. San Francisco was the only other U.S. city to make the top 10 list, at eighth place on the list.

➤THANKSGIVING SALES HIT A RECORD: A record 196.7 million Americans shopped in stores or online, or both, during the five-day holiday period from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, according to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation. That’s up nearly 17 million from 2021.

➤AMAZON SAYS IT HAD ITS BIGGEST THANKSGIVING SHOPPING WEEKEND:  Amid rising inflation rates, shoppers are on the hunt for bargains now more than ever. At least that’s what people reported after noticing a record-number of in-store and online shoppers between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Over 196 million people showed up at storefronts or scoured the internet for deals this year, which is 17 million more than last year. Amazon benefited from the trend, reporting a chart-topping about of money made as online shoppers scanned screens in the name of frugality. The popular e-commerce site didn’t disclose how much money they made outright, but shared that independent businesses selling on their site made over $1 billion this year.

➤BANNED IN CHINA, TWITTER IS CIRITICAL TOOL FOR PROTESTORS: Banned in China, Twitter proves to be a critical tool for sharing evidence of protests with the world. People use VPNs, or virtual private networks, to disguise their locations, access the social network and send material to a handful of widely followed accounts. The country’s internet censors have scrubbed domestic social media of photos and video streams showing the demonstrations against harsh Covid-19 restrictions. Twitter didn’t respond to a request for comment. Meanwhile, expressions of solidarity with Chinese protesters are mushrooming from Yale University to Istanbul.

➤A RECORD-BREAKING NUMBER OF PARENTS ARE MISSING WORK TO CARE FOR SICK KIDS:  With flu-season upon us, sick kids are surging. Factor in cases of COVID-19 and spikes in child cases of respiratory syncytial virus alongside the usual cold season and you get more parents having to miss work to take care of their kids. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that over 100,000 Americans had to miss work in October to comfort their sick youngsters. As labor shortages within childcare facilities happen alongside the rise in illnesses, healthcare providers are urging parents to keep children up to date with flu shots and COVID boosters to help cut down contagious illnesses to keep parents in the workforce.


🏀RETURN OF THE NBA STARS: Three badly-missed NBA stars are expected to return in the next week, according to Yahoo! Sports. James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers hopes to play in the team’s December 9th matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s been out with a strained tendon for 12 games. The Portland Trailblazers’ Damian Lillard is said to be working towards a return in the December 4th game against the Indiana Pacers after missing five games due to a calf injury. And, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Khris Middleton hopes to be in tomorrow’s game against the Lakers. It’ll be his first appearance since he suffered a torn wrist ligament during last season’s Eastern Conference playoffs.

⚾LATEST OFFER FOR AARON JUDGE: The New York Yankees’ latest offer to slugger Aaron Judge is an eight-year deal worth about $300 million, according to ESPN. And that might get even bigger when expected offers from the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers roll in.

🏈RAMS’ McDONALD IS OUT FOR THE WEEK: Los Angeles Rams star defensive tackle Aaron Donald will miss Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks due to an ankle sprain. More bad news for a team already at the bottom of the NFC West at 3-8.

🏈FALCONS’ PITTS OUT FOR THE SEASON: Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts underwent knee surgery this week. He has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

🏈FLORIDA BACKUP QB FACES CHILD PORN CHARGES: University of Florida backup quarterback Jalen Kitna was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography after a search of his apartment in Gainesville. He has been indefinitely suspended from the Gators.

⚽ARGENTINA ADVANCES TO NEXT STAGE AT WORLD CUP: Argentina’s team defeated Poland 2-0 in its latest move toward making it to the World Cup’s knockout stages for the 13th time in 14 years. Despite losing the game, Poland will also advance in Group C because Mexico didn’t beat Saudi Arabia by enough goals. In Group C, Australia pulled off a 1-0 win over Denmark and advanced to the knockout stage.

➤IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE THIS WAY: An Atlantic hurricane season that had 14 named storms officially ended on Wednesday, leaving residents in the Florida Keys to celebrate even as others around Florida and Puerto Rico continue to grapple with the damage caused by Hurricanes Ian, Nicole and Fiona. AP News reports the 2022 season had an unusually calm first half but made up for that with the three destructive hurricanes in the second half, ending with an average number of named storms. The season runs from June 1 until Nov. 30. This year’s period saw eight hurricanes with winds of at least 74 mph (119 kmh), and two of them intensified to major hurricanes with winds reaching at least 111 mph (179 kmh), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An average hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, forecasters said.



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