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Friday, December 9, 2022

Wake-Up Call: TWH..It Was Griner Or No One

The Swap

Joe Biden’s move to exchange a notorious arms dealer for WNBA Star Brittney Griner, without a deal for former US Marine Paul Whelan, was celebrated by much of his party while opening the president to criticism the deal was lopsided and risks detentions of more Americans abroad. Biden announced the deal Thursday, saying Griner was on a flight home after the US swapped Viktor Bout, the so-called “merchant of death,” whom Russia has been working for years to free.



 The Kremlin quickly characterized the swap as an example of Russian President Vladimir Putin one-upping Biden, with human rights ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova calling Bout’s return “a true Christmas present.” Putin could also point to Griner’s release as a humanitarian gesture even as his military assault on Ukraine continues. Kevin McCarthy, who is in line to become Speaker of the House next month, said that trading Bout without getting Whelan is an “unconscionable” move and a “a gift to Vladimir Putin.”

➤WORRIES INCREASE ABOUT SAFETY OF INFRASTRUCTURE: Shots were fired near a Duke Energy Corp. hydropower plant in Ridgeway, South Carolina, Wednesday evening — the second incident in the past week of gunfire at a US power facility after armed attacks on two substations knocked out electricity for about 45,000 homes and businesses in neighboring North Carolina. Law enforcement agencies are investigating at least eight incidents in four states in the past month, an unusual uptick of violence for power plants, which don’t typically see many physical attacks. Jon Wellinghoff, former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said he couldn’t recall another month with this many physical threats to the US electric grid.  “The attacks continue to demonstrate the grid is vulnerable and we haven’t adequately protected it from physical attacks,” Wellinghoff said.  As of now, it’s unclear whether the shots fired in different states are in any way connected. Richard Maness, the sheriff’s office chief deputy for Moore County, North Carolina, said investigators are looking into all the national incidents for any possible links. His office is also working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he said. 

👥SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RIGHTS BILL CLEARS CONGRESS: House lawmakers approved legislation Thursday that would cement same-sex marriage rights into federal law, a Democratic-led measure that has moved through Congress with some Republican support despite misgivings among conservatives. The vote was 258 to 169, with all Democrats present joined by 39 Republicans in backing the measure. It now goes to President Biden for his signature. Supporters said the proposal marks the most significant gay-rights measure to pass in Congress since lawmakers agreed in 2010 to repeal the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which required gay service members to keep their sexual orientation to themselves.

➤FTC BLOCKS MICROSOFT ACQUISITION: The Federal Trade Commission, in one of the most aggressive actions taken by federal regulators in decades to check the power of the tech industry’s giants, on Thursday sued to block Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of the video game maker Activision Blizzard.  The F.T.C. said that the deal would harm consumers because Microsoft could use Activision’s blockbuster games like Call of Duty to lure gamers from rivals. The agency’s commissioners voted 3to 1 to approve filing the suit. The decision is a blow to the expansion of Microsoft’s video game business, which has become its most important consumer unit and topped $16 billion in annual sales during the most recent fiscal year. For the F.T.C. chair, Lina Khan, a legal scholar who rocketed to fame after she wrote an article criticizing Amazon, the lawsuit will test whether her aggressive plan to rein in the power of Big Tech can survive in the courts.

➤EX-BORDER PATROL AGENT CONVICTED OF FOUR MURDERS: A former Border Patrol agent has been convicted of murdering four sex workers in Texas in 2018. Juan David Ortiz was recorded telling investigators he was just trying to “clean up the streets” of his hometown, Laredo, Texas. Ortiz was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. His defense argued that Ortiz, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq, was suffering from post-traumatic distress disorder.


➤CHUCK SCHUMER REELECTED SENATE LEADER: Senator Chuck Schumer of New York was reelected without opposition as Senate Democratic leader yesterday. Schumer will resume his role next year in a Senate that strengthened its party’s majority to 51-49 in the recent midterm elections. The current 50-50 tie forces Democrats and Republicans to share control over key Senate committees.

➤NICK CARTER ASSAULT CLAIM "ENTIRELY UNTRUE": Nick Carter is denying the bombshell claims that he allegedly raped a fan when she was underage back in 2001. “This claim about an incident that supposedly took place more than 20 years ago is not only legally meritless but also entirely untrue,” the Backstreet Boys member’s attorney Michael Holtz said in a statement. “Unfortunately, for several years now, Ms. Ruth has been manipulated into making false allegations about Nick – and those allegations have changed repeatedly and materially over time. No one should be fooled by a press stunt orchestrated by an opportunistic lawyer – there is nothing to this claim whatsoever, which we have no doubt the courts will quickly realize.” Shannon “Shay” Ruth held a press conference Thursday, in which she slammed Carter, 42, for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 years old.

In her lawsuit, Shannon 'Shay' Ruth, now 39, who has autism and cerebral palsy, claims the Backstreet Boys singer, now 42, invited her onto his tour bus when she was 17 following the band's concert in Tacoma, Washington in February 2001 after spotting her waiting in the autograph line.  Ruth claims the star pulled down his trousers and exposed himself to her in a bathroom  - before allegedly forcing her to perform oral sex on him and then raping her.

➤PERU’S PRESIDENT CHARGED WITH REBELLION: Pedro Castillo was president of Peru on Wednesday. On Thursday, he was in court being charged with rebellion. Castillo was ousted after just 17 months in office when he tried to dissolve Peru’s Congress, a dark reminder of the nation’s autocratic past. The new president is Dina Boluarte, a Marxist lawyer and formerly the nation’s vice president.

➤MARIJUANA NOW LEGAL IN MISSOURI (SORT OF): Possession and use of marijuana is officially legal in Missouri as of yesterday, but a few technicalities remain unresolved. The bureaucracy isn’t ready yet for the license and permit processes that will authorize people to sell it or grow their own. Missouri is the 21st state to legalize recreational use of marijuana. It could be February 2023 before it’s actually for sale without a prescription.

➤COVID VACCINE APPROVED FOR BABIES AS YOUNG AS 6 MONTHS: Children as young as six months are now eligible to receive the latest version of the COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech for children from six months to five years old. The shots target both the original strain of COVID and the now common Omicron strain.

➤YOUNGEST CONGRESSMAN CAN’T RENT AN APARTMENT: The nation’s first Gen Z congressman-elect can’t get an apartment in Washington, D.C., because of his admittedly “very bad” credit rating. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who was elected to represent Florida’s 10th Congressional District, said on Twitter that he ran up a lot of debt running for Congress and his last job as an Uber driver didn’t cover the bills. Frost is 25


🏈THURSDAY NIGHT’S NFL SCORE:  Los Angeles Rams 17 Las Vegas Raiders 16

🏈HOUSE REPORT SLAMS NFL COMMANDERS: A House committee report slammed the Washington Commanders football team for covering up sexual harassment and misconduct cases inside the organization for decades. House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) released the report Thursday after 12 months of interviews and depositions with former employees. Beyond sexual misconduct, the report alleges that Commanders owner Daniel Snyder was responsible for maintaining a toxic work environment. Snyder was a no-show at a committee hearing in June. “Our report tells the story of a team rife with sexual harassment and misconduct, a billionaire owner intent on deflecting blame, and an influential organization that chose to cover this up rather than seek accountability and stand up for employees,” Maloney said in a statement with the report. The report’s release comes as some members of Congress are working to expand workplace protections for employees, including for cases of sexual assault and harassment.

⚾XANDER BOGAERTS JOINS THE PADRES: All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts is headed to San Diego after accepting an 11-year, $280 million deal, to play with the Padres, ESPN reports. The Red Sox wanted to keep Bogaerts but didn’t break $200 million in their final contract offer, according to The Boston Globe.

⚾BRANDON NIMMO STAYS WITH THE METS: Outfielder Brandon Nimmo is returning to the New York Mets with a new eight-year, $162 million contract. Nimmo first joined the Mets in 2016. This latest deal gives the Mets a $322 million payroll for 2023, easily the league’s highest, according to Yahoo! Sports.

⚾TREA TURNER FINALIZES DEAL WITH THE PHILLIES: Trea Turner finalized a $300 million, 11-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday. He’s now 29, so he’s booked until he turns 40.

🏈USC’S CALEB WILLIAMS IS COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Caleb Williams of the University of California Trojans got the Maxwell Award for player of the year at last night’s annual Football Awards Show on ESPN. Max Duggan of Texas Christian University’s Horned Frogs got the Davey O’Brien Award for best quarterback. The Chuck Bednarik Award for best defensive player went to Will Anderson Junior of Alabama’s Crimson Tide. For the full list of College Football Award winners, click here.

⚽WORLD CUP QUARTERFINALS: The quarterfinals of the World Cup kick off today with Croatia playing Brazil and The Netherlands versus Argentina. The action continues Saturday with Morocco up against Portugal and England playing France.



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