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Friday, April 21, 2023

4/21 WAKE-UP CALL: Explosion Called 'Successful Failure'

Daily Mail Graphic 4/21/23

The spectacular explosion of SpaceX's new Starship rocket minutes after it soared off its launch pad on a first flight test is the latest vivid illustration of a "successful failure" business formula that serves Elon Musk's company well, experts said on Thursday.  Rather than seeing the fiery disintegration of Musk's colossal, next-generation Starship system as a setback, experts said the dramatic loss of the rocket ship would help accelerate development of the vehicle.

Images of the Starship tumbling out of control some 20 miles up in the sky while mounted to its Super Heavy rocket booster before the combined vehicle blew to bits dominated media coverage of the highly anticipated launch. SpaceX acknowledged that several of the Super Heavy's 33 powerful Raport engines malfunctioned on ascent and that the booster rocket and Starship failed to separate as designed before the ill-fated flight was terminated.

But SpaceX executives including Musk - the founder, CEO and chief engineer of the California-based rocket company - hailed the test flight for achieving the major objective of getting the vehicle off the ground while providing a wealth of data that will advance Starship's development.

➤BIDEN TO DECLARE TUESDAY: President Biden and his team are preparing to announce his reelection campaign next week, with aides finalizing plans to release a video for the president to officially launch his campaign, according to three people briefed on the plans. Biden and his aides have targeted Tuesday for the release of the video to coincide with the four-year anniversary of his 2020 campaign launch. The people briefed on the plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations, cautioned that the official announcement could be delayed. 

Daily Mail Composite 4/21/23
➤A-G SEEN AS WHISTLEBLOWER'S 'SENIOR' OFFICIAL: Attorney General Merrick Garland is the 'senior' unnamed Biden administration official in the center of a new bombshell IRS whistleblower claim, a source familiar tells DailMail.com. According to a letter Wednesday from attorney Mark Lytle, a man serving as a supervising agent on a 'high-profile' criminal tax probe has come forward seeking whistleblower protections while claiming politics are 'improperly infecting decisions' in an investigation. The investigation referred to is reportedly examining matters related to President Biden's son Hunter Biden.

➤YELLEN SAYS IT'S SECURITY FIRST WITH CHINA: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said protecting national security would be the U.S. priority in its relationship with China even if it slows economic growth, taking a hawkish stance as she pushed for more collaboration with Beijing.  In a speech Thursday, Yellen laid out the Biden administration’s vision for its economic relationship with China. The U.S. will remain the world’s dominant economic power, Yellen said, curbing its ties with China in certain areas. But she said the U.S. isn’t trying to prevent China’s economic advancement, adding that many trading and scientific links should remain. Finding the balance with China between defending national security and encouraging economic growth is a central task for Ms. Yellen and the Biden administration. China is the world’s second largest economy, behind only the U.S., and the globe’s largest exporter. Trade between the two countries reached a record last year. 


Audrey Hale
➤WHERE'S THE NASHVILLE MANIFESTO? Multiple Republicans in the House of Representatives are demanding the FBI release Nashville shooter Audrey Hale's manifesto, while a councilmember says she's been told it's a 'blueprint on total destruction.'  It comes a week after a poll where two thirds of US voters said they want Nashville police to release the manifesto — a sign of growing frustration with the investigation into the deadly attack.  Hale, who is transgender, fired 152 rounds from two assault rifles and a handgun, murdering Hallie Scruggs, William Kinney, Evelyn Dieckhaus, all nine, and headmistress Dr. Katherine Koonce, 60, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, and chef Mike Hill, 61 on March 27.  Officers retrieved a 'manifesto', hand-drawn maps, a suicide note, 20 journals, laptops, phones, and several writings, from Hale's home and the Honda Fit she left in the school parking lot. 

➤AOC STEPS IN IT: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has claimed she helped cut repeat violent crime in the Bronx by preventing cops from getting involved and enlisting ex-gangsters to help instead - but the latest figures still show overall crime on the increase. The 33-year-old liberal said making hospitals the center for responding to crime rather than police precincts had led to a 'dramatic' reduction in serious offending. But the latest statistics show that while murder and rape are down in the Bronx, felony assaults are up 10 percent and burglary has risen by more than 2 percent, with overall crime increasing in the borough by 4.4 percent compared to 2022. The picture is starker compared with two years ago. Rape increased by 11 percent, robbery by 40 percent, felony assault by 36 percent and burglary by 47 percent. Overall crime in the Bronx rose by almost 50 percent compared to 2021, according to the NYPD. 

➤74% OF MANAGERS FIND WORKING WITH GEN Z CHALLENGING : 74% of managers and business leaders say Gen Z is the "most challenging generation", according to a recent ResumeBuilder.com survey. Why? Managers feel Gen Z employees lack technological skills and get easily distracted. The survey polled 1,300 managers and business leaders across the United States. "As a result of COVID-19 and remote education, it's possible that GenZers lack the foundation to be more successful than older generations in entry-level positions," said chief career advisor Stacie Haller. One in three respondents prefer to work with Millennials, and 30% want to work with Gen X. 

➤'RUST' CHARGES AGAINST ALEC BALDWIN DROPPED:  The manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin in the death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins are expected to be dropped. A statement from prosecutors Thursday evening, revealed that new facts had come to light that make it impossible to proceed against Baldwin in the time alotted. The D.A. will drop the charges “without prejudice,” meaning that the case could be refiled later, perhaps with a lesser charge. A source close to the situation told Variety evidence indicated that the Colt .45 used to kill Hutchins had been modified prior to the shooting, making it more difficult for the D.A. to prove that Baldwin actually did pull the trigger. The actor’s lawyers told the outlet, "We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident.”

➤MAN ACCUSED OF SHOOTING 6-YEAR-OLD: The man accused of shooting a six-year-old girl and her parents after her ball rolled into his front yard has been arrested after it emerged he was previously cited for attacking his girlfriend with a mini-sledgehammer. Police and law enforcement officials in North Carolina say Robert Louis Singletary, 24, opened fire on Kinsley White, 6, and her parents Tuesday night in Gastonia, North Carolina. Singletary turned himself in to investigators in Tampa, Florida late Thursday evening. Tampa is located roughly 600 miles from Gastonia. In a news release from the domestic violence incident which took place in December, police said Singletary did not allow the victim to leave for several hours, despite her feeling 'dizzy' after being struck. 'The victim further stated that Singletary told her that she could not leave until she had cleaned up all the evidence from the assault,' the release states.

➤CHEERLEADER LOSES SPLEEN AFTER BEING SHOT: The Texas cheerleader who was shot in the back after her friend mistakenly got into the wrong car is recovering in the ICU after her spleen was removed. 18-year-old vPayton Washington (left) was described by her father as 'tough' days after she was shot on Tuesday around midnight in an H-E-B market parking lot in Elgin following a practice at Woodlands Elite Cheer. The cheerleader and another teammate were shot at by 25-year-old Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr, who allegedly opened fire at them. The gunman struck Payton in the back, prompting her to vomit blood, while her friend was grazed by a bullet. 

➤10-YEAR-OLD DEAD AFTER PLAYGROUND FIGHT: A 10-year-old boy died four days after he lost consciousness while fighting another child at a trampoline park in California last week, according to police. The boy, identified by police as Anthony Duran, had been playing basketball with friends at the Rockin’ Jump Trampoline Park in Merced around 5 p.m. on April 13 when a physical fight broke out between Duran and another child, according to KFSN. Duran collapsed and all the other children ran away. Bystanders immediately began performing CPR until first responders arrived, the outlet reported.  The boy was rushed to a local hospital and died from his injuries on Monday, the Merced Police Department announced. The Merced County Coroner’s Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death, cops said.


➤CRIMINAL CHARGES BROUGHT IN COVID FRAUD CASES: Eighteen people including several doctors have been charged with Covid healthcare fraud schemes that brought in hundreds of millions of dollars. A single doctor in California was charged with submitting about $230 million in fraudulent claims under a program that funded Covid care for the uninsured. A lab owner is accused of submitting more than $358 million in false Medicare claims for Covid testing. The charges came three months after three government strike force teams were created to expand investigation into Covid-related fraud.

➤FLORIDA LOOSENS RULES FOR DEATH PENALTY: A new Florida law has given the state the nation’s lowest threshold for imposing the death penalty. The law allows a judge to impose the death sentence even if as many as four of the 12 jurors oppose it. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill yesterday. Currently, 27 states allow the death penalty and all but three require a unanimous decision in favor of it by the jury. Alabama, Indiana and Missouri permit judges to decide the sentence if a 10 to 2 majority favors the death sentence.

🏀SIXERS TAKES 3-0 SERIES LEAD: Philly 76ers have taken a 3-0 series lead despite Harden ejection, Embiid injuries It wasn’t easy — and saw Joel Embiid spend much of the night picking himself up off the floor — but the Sixers were able to win a wild Game 3 in Brooklyn, despite James Harden being ejected, and take a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Nets. They’ll go for the sweep on Saturday afternoon.

⚾FERNANDO TATIS JUNIOR IS BACK: Fernando Tatis Junior returned to play with the San Diego Padres last night after 18 months in the wilderness. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, fans received him with a roaring ovation and just a smattering of boos. Tatis said he was “grateful for the chance” after first breaking his wrist and then getting slapped with an 80-game suspension for using a performance-enhancing drug. The Padres defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-5.


⚾METS’ SCHERZER SUSPENDED FOR 10 GAMES: New York Mets pitcher Max Scherzer has been suspended for 10 games after being ejected from a game for having a banned foreign substance on his hand. Scherzer insists the substance was just rosin. He will appeal the penalty and can continue to play until the appeal is decided.

⚾THE OAKLAND ATHLETICS ARE GOING TO VEGAS: The Oakland Athletics are moving to Las Vegas. Team President Dave Kaval announced that he has signed a binding agreement to buy a plot of land near the Las Vegas Strip for a future ballpark. The team has been negotiating for 20 years with the city of Oakland to build a new stadium to replace the crumbling RingCentral Coliseum. The new stadium in Vegas is expected to cost $1.5 billion. It won’t be ready until 2027 at the earliest.

➤50 MILLION UNDER SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING: More than 50 million people from southeast Texas to Wisconsin were under a severe thunderstorm watch last night after the same storm system that left at least three dead in Oklahoma on Wednesday headed east. Thunderstorm warnings were in effect last night from Texas to Illinois, while a tornado watch was in effect in northern Illinois, eastern Iowa and southern Wisconsin.



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