Thursday, January 12, 2023

Wake-Up Call: What Did Biden Know, When Did He Know It?


Aides to President Biden have discovered a second trove of classified documents in a different location from the last set, a person familiar told NBC News. The classification level, number and exact location of the documents is still unclear. On Monday it was reported that attorneys for the president had in November discovered documents at his office in the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C., which he used after his time as vice president. Since the White House said Monday that Biden's attorneys had found 10 documents with classified markings at an old office at a Washington, D.C. think tank, the president has been peppered with questions about the discovery.

  • White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wouldn't tell reporters Wednesday when President Joe Biden was informed of the discovery of classified documents.
  • A Florida congressman questioned 'who knew' about the documents between their discovery and the Nov. 8 elections and why they were not disclosed during that six-day window.
  • KJParine Jean-Pierre insisted Wednesday that President Joe Biden was not coming after Americans' gas stoves.
  • Hunter Biden could soon face charges for making false deductions on his tax returns, it was reported on Wednesday, as it emerged that a Chinese business associate of Hunter's asked him for advice on the FBI, because a colleague was being investigated.

➤PUTIN TRIES NEW COMMANDER: Moscow named a new commander for its invasion of Ukraine while Russian private military firm Wagner Group said its capture of the salt mining town Soledar in eastern Ukraine was complete, though the Ukrainian military said the battle was not over. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday appointed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as overall commander for what Moscow calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine, now in its 11th month. The change effectively demoted General Sergei Surovikin, who was appointed only in October to lead the invasion and oversaw heavy attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said his forces had captured all of Soledar and killed about 500 Ukrainian soldiers after heavy fighting.

➤MOM TELLS HUBBY 'I THINK I'M DYING' WAITING IN E-R: A Canadian mom of three died in agony at a Nova Scotia hospital after waiting for medical help in the emergency room for nearly seven hours on New Year’s Eve — and now her widowed husband is demanding answers. Gunther Holthoff told reporters earlier this week that his 37-year-old wife, Allison, woke up on Dec. 31 complaining of what she thought was an upset stomach. He said Allison had fallen off a horse back in September and had been suffering from pain ever since, according to reporting by CTV News.

Throughout the day, her condition deteriorated, and after taking a bath, the woman ended up writhing in pain on the floor. Holthoff drove Allison to the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre in Amherst, arriving there shortly after 11 a.m. and carrying her into the building on his back because she was unable to walk. The husband then got a wheelchair and wheeled his wife into the emergency room. He said she was struggling to sit up because of the excruciating pain. “I did tell the triage nurse and the lady behind the desk that it was getting worse,” he said. “She wasn’t doing good and was in pain.”

➤HARRY SELLS-OUT FAMILY FOR 30 PIECES OF SILVER: Penguin Random House announced Wednesday that first day sales for the Harry’s tell-all memoir topped 1.4 million copies, a record pace for non-fiction from a company that also publishes Barack and Michelle Obama, whose “Becoming” needed a week to reach 1.4 million when it was released in 2018.

The sales figures for “Spare” include hardcover, audiobook and e-book editions sold in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. ″‘Spare’ is the story of someone we may have thought we already knew, but now we can truly come to understand Prince Harry through his own words,” Gina Centrello, President and Publisher of the Random House Group, said in a statement. “Looking at these extraordinary first day sales, readers clearly agree, ‘Spare’ is a book that demands to be read, and it is a book we are proud to publish.”


➤ANOTHER WAVE OF STORMS HEADED FOR CALIFORNIA: Today is supposed to be a very nice day in most of California. After that, all bets are off. The latest in a series of heavy rainstorms is expected to hit the coast through the weekend and into next week. It will be the seventh of a series of storms that has already become “one of the deadliest disasters in the history of our state,” according to a spokesman for the state’s Office of Emergency Services. Eighteen storm-related deaths have been reported.

➤COMPUTER GLITCH GROUNDS AIR TRAFFIC: A single corrupted computer file in the Federal Aviation Administration’s system yesterday caused all U.S. flights to be grounded for the first time since September 11, 2001. The FAA ordered all planes to land and stay on the ground until 9 a.m. Eastern time. That led to the cancelation of 1,000 flights and delayed for 8,000 more through the day. The system is used to update flight service centers. Purely by coincidence, Canada’s system also went down yesterday but flights continued without delay. Flights are supposed be back to normal today.

🚆AMTRAK PASSENGERS FEARED THEY WERE HOSTAGES ON DELAYED TRIP:An Amtrak trip lasted so long, passengers feared they were being held hostage. The nightmare trip involving over 500 passengers should have lasted only 17 hours...but it stretched to 37. The train left Virginia at 5 PM Monday and was supposed to reach Florida the next morning, but had to be rerouted. Amtrak said it worked with passengers to provide meals, snacks, and beverages, as well as pet bathroom breaks. Some passengers even called the local police, prompting the conductor to console everyone aboard. "For those of you that are calling the police, we are not holding you hostage," the conductor said over loudspeaker.

➤ALABAMA WILL PROSECUTE WOMEN WHO TAKE ABORTION PILL: Alabama’s attorney general has vowed to prosecute women who use abortion pills. Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, said that the state would prosecute them under a law that was “initially designed to protect children from meth lab fumes.” The U.S. Department of Justice said it had authorized the Postal Service to deliver abortion pills to every state, even if it has state laws that ban abortion.


➤ESPN SUED OVER VAX MANDATE: Two ex-ESPN employees are suing the sports company, alleging they were dismissed for failing to comply with its Covid-19 vaccine mandate.   A federal lawsuit was filed Wednesday on behalf of plaintiffs, Allison Williams and Beth Faber, in U.S. District Court in Connecticut.  Williams was a former reporter at 'The Worldwide Leader in Sports', while Faber was a long-time producer. Both were dismissed in late 2021. Williams and Faber objected to the vaccine on religious and disability grounds. Their appeals for exemption were both denied, allegedly leading to their dismissals. The lawsuit claims ESPN made 'no serious attempt' to 'accommodate them.' The sports network and its parent company, The Walt Disney Company, are listed as defendants. 

➤JILL BIDEN RECOVERING FROM SKIN CANCER TREATMENT: First lady Jill Biden is said to be doing fine after the removal of three skin lesions, two of which turned out to be basal cell carcinoma. That is a common and relatively non-aggressive form of skin cancer. She is back at the White House after spending most of the day at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

➤STUDY: KINDNESS IS THE BEST MEDICINE FOR THESE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS: A little kindness goes a long way! A new study from Ohio State University showed performing good deeds can lead to notable mental health improvements. The study examined 122 people living in Ohio with moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Participants were split into three groups: one which engaged in social activities, one kept records of their feelings, and the third engaged in acts of kindness. While all three groups saw improvements in mental health, the good deeds group felt more connected to others than those who underwent the other two treatments. "Social connection is one of the ingredients of life most strongly associated with well-being," study co-author David Cregg said. "Performing acts of kindness seems to be one of the best ways to promote those connections."
 
➤MORE MEGA MILLIONS: The Mega Millions jackpot for Friday’s drawing has climbed to $1.35 billion after no one drew the prize numbers in Tuesday night’s drawing. That’s the second-biggest jackpot ever. Sixteen people won the second prize, which should be worth up to $3 million.
 

➤BAD DAY ON WALL STREET: Wall Street’s dealmakers were shaking in their boots yesterday as a round of layoffs hit the financial industry. Two of the biggest players in the business, Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, both cut staff. Goldman Sachs will lose about 3,000 jobs and BlackRock will cut up to 500. Last year was ugly for the financial world, with falling stock prices, fewer big business deals and a rocky global economy.

🏈DAMAR HAMLIN READY FOR REHAB: Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been discharged from a Buffalo hospital and has been cleared to continue physical rehab at home and with the team, according to a team announcement. He is said to be making extraordinary progress since suffering a cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals only last Monday.

 
🏈TUA TAGOVAILOA WILL MISS PLAYOFF GAME: Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won’t be in the wild-card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. He did not pass the NFL’s concussion protocol after being injured during the Dolphins game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16.

🏈LAMAR JACKSON MIGHT NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS: The status of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is still unknown, just before the start of the playoffs. He was noticeably absent at yesterday’s practice, making it less likely that he’ll play in Sunday’s wild-card game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson has not played since injuring his knee on December fourth. His backup is Tyler Huntley, who is coping with tendonitis. And Huntley’s backup is rookie Anthony Brown, who made his first NFL start at Cincinnati on Sunday. The team isn’t answering questions.

➤NAOMI OSAKA IS EXPECTING: Turns out tennis star Naomi Osaka had a good reason for withdrawing from the 2023 Australian Open a week before the event. She is expecting a child, she announced yesterday. Osaka is in a relationship with the American rapper Cordae.

⚾WHEW! CARLOS CORREA PASSES PHYSICAL: Shortstop Carlos Correa has passed the physical exam that was required for him to rejoin the Minnesota Twins. He and the team have now signed his six-year, $200 million deal. Similarly juicy offers from the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets fell apart over concerns about a 2014 surgical repair on his right leg.



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