Thursday, May 18, 2023

5/18 WAKE-UP CALL: Russian Missiles Rain On Ukraine

Russia launched cruise missiles at Ukraine’s capital and the Odesa region early Thursday, officials said, in an escalation ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive. Most of the missiles were shot down, and one death was reported from the attacks. Loud explosions were heard in Kyiv, and falling debris caused a fire in a non-residential building. It was the ninth Russian air raid that targeted the capital this month, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced Western weapons. The attack was carried out by strategic bombers from the Caspian region, probably using cruise missiles, and Russia later deployed reconnaissance craft over the capital. According to preliminary information, all enemy targets were destroyed, Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv Military Administration, said in a Telegram post. Debris fell on two Kyiv districts and the fire at a garage complex was extinguished. There was no information so far about any victims, Popko said.

The Ukrainian military is working to destroy Russian ammunition, fuel and other supplies ahead of a broader ground campaign to reclaim captured territory. Kyiv’s is striking behind enemy lines while it waits for weapons from the West to use in the spring campaign. Strategists say such “shaping operations” are aimed at undermining the enemy and probing for gaps to exploit. For Ukraine, which is battling a larger military, the attacks help to chip away at Russia’s battlefield resources. Any engagement longer than a few days becomes a logistical contest, say commanders, so eliminating stockpiles has a broader impact than neutralizing individual tanks or artillery pieces, which are of little use without fuel or shells.

➤DeSANTIS MAY DECLARE NEXT WEEK: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will officially enter the race for president next week as his campaign donors begin a fundraising blitz, people familiar with the decision said. DeSantis’s intentions have been clear for months, but the decision to file formal paperwork with the Federal Election Commission declaring his candidacy, corresponding with the donor meeting in Miami on May 25, begins a new phase in his quest for the GOP nomination and puts him in direct competition with former President Donald Trump and a handful of other candidates. A more formal kickoff event or events would follow, but the details haven’t yet been made public. DeSantis, 44, is running second in polls to Trump, who has opened up a sizable lead in recent weeks and has sharpened attacks on the governor. But a number of analysts and people close to Trump expect DeSantis will gain back some ground after becoming an official candidate, garnering more attention from voters and the news media.


➤NEW POLL HAS BIDEN A WINNER: President Joe Biden, 80, would defeat former President Donald Trump, 76, by an even bigger margin than in 2020 if the election was held today, a new poll claims. There were 1,571 registered voters polled between May 10-13, revealing that Biden would lead Trump 47 percent to 40 percent, according to the WPA Intelligence survey results shared with The New York Post. In 2020, Biden defeated Trump by 4.5 percent in the popular vote, but if the election were held today, Biden would win by a whopping seven percent. Meanwhile, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to announce his presidential bid, formally challenging Trump for the GOP nomination, for now trails behind by 36 percentage points, according to the latest RealClearPolitics poll.

➤SOME HOPE FOR DEBT CEILING AGREEMENT: Both sides of the talks on raising the U.S. debt ceiling expressed optimism yesterday that a deal would be reached before the government is forced to default. “I think at the end of the day we do not have a debt default,” Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on CNBC. At the White House, President Joe Biden agreed, saying, “We’re going to come together because there is no alternative.” Unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, the government will be unable to pay its bills after June 1.

➤SUPREME COURT REFUSES TO BLOCK ASSAULT WEAPON BAN: The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday refused to block a local and state ban on assault weapon sales in Illinois. The court did not explain its rejection of an emergency request filed by gun rights advocates and a gun store. The ruling means that the ban stays in place at least until a scheduled hearing before a federal appeals court.


➤FLORIDA GOVERNOR DEFUNDS ‘WOKE’ SUBJECTS IN COLLEGES: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that defunds diversity and inclusion initiatives at the state’s public colleges. The Republican governor, who is expected to be a presidential candidate, has waged war on critical race theory, which he calls “state-sanctioned racism.”
 
➤LIMO COMPANY OPERATOR GUILTY OF MANSLAUGHTER: The manager of a limousine company has been found guilty of second-degree manslaughter for a 2018 crash in upstate New York that killed 20 people. The stretch SUV rented by a group celebrating a 30th birthday went through an inspection and crashed into a parked vehicle on October 6, 2018. All 17 passengers, the limo driver and two pedestrians were killed. The limo had failed a state inspection prior to the crash and one of its brakes was inoperable.

➤NEW YORK..THE CITY THAT NEVER SINKS? New geological research warns that the weight of New York City’s skyscrapers is actually causing the Big Apple — whose more than 1 million buildings weigh nearly 1.7 trillion pounds — to sink lower into its surrounding bodies of water. The city is plopping closer to the water at a rate of 1 to 2 millimeters a year, “with some areas subsiding much faster.” While that may not seem significant to untrained eyes, the gradual descent makes NYC extremely vulnerable to natural disasters, according to lead researcher and geologist Tom Parsons of the United States Geological Survey. Lower Manhattan is particularly at risk, and there is concern for both Brooklyn and Queens as well, according to the study. As awful as Sandy and Ida were — the more recent of the two hurricanes forcing people to abandon their cars on major roadways across the city — Parsons fears that the structural integrity of the city’s many buildings could be at risk in the future.

➤KIDS AND TEENS DYING AT HIGHEST RATE IN 15-YEARS:  Between 2019 and 2020, the overall mortality rate for ages 1 to 19 rose by 10.7%, and increased by an additional 8.3% the following year—the highest increase for two consecutive years in the half-century that the government has publicly tracked such figures—according to an analysis of federal death statistics recently published in JAMA. An increased number of homicides, drug overdoses, car accidents and suicides helped fuel the reversal after decades of advances in healthcare and safety steadily drove down death rates. The uptick among younger Americans accelerated in 2020—less from Covid-19 itself than from the pandemic’s social disruption that exacerbated public-health problems, including worsening anxiety and depression. Greater access to firearms, dangerous driving and more lethal narcotics also contributed.



🏀HEAT BEATS CELTICS: Celtics overtaken by Heat in opener of Eastern Conference finals  123-116. The start of the game rekindled a few concerning aspects of the last series for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum missed a pair of good looks inside and Al Horford missed an open 3-pointer. And at the other end, Jimmy Butler looked rejuvenated after having a mediocre series against the Knicks. But the story of the game was the third quarter, in which the Heat took control and didn't look back.

🏀SPURS LAND NO. 1 DRAFT PICK: The San Antonio Spurs have landed the Number 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. And that means they are first in line to obtain the services of Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 French basketball star who has stirred up more excitement than any player since LeBron James graduated from high school in Akron.
Meanwhile, here are the full results of the NBA Draft Lottery draw:
  1. San Antonio Spurs
  2. Charlotte Hornets
  3. Portland Trail Blazers
  4. Houston Rockets
  5. Detroit Pistons
  6. Orlando Magic
  7. Indiana Pacers
  8. Washington Wizards
  9. Utah Jazz
  10. Dallas Mavericks
  11. Orlando Magic
  12. Oklahoma City Thunder
  13. Toronto Raptors
  14. New Orleans Pelicans
🏀NBA PROSPECT SPEAKS ABOUT GUN INCIDENT: Alabama’s Brandon Miller, a top prospect for the NBA in 2023, spoke publicly yesterday for the first time about his role in an alleged murder. Miller is believed to have supplied the gun that was used, allegedly by one of his Crimson Tide teammates, to murder a woman. Miller was not charged with a crime. Asked what he told teams now interviewing him, Miller said: “The message I’ve presented to them is it’s all a lesson learned. You always have to be aware of your surroundings and what you’re surrounded by. I feel like that night could have changed my career in less than a heartbeat.” Miller is considered a top three talent among 2023 NBA recruits.

⚾MLB Mets 8 Rays 7: Francisco Álvarez hit a tying three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning and Pete Alonso hit a game-ending three-run shot in the 10th, giving the New York Mets an improbable 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night. New York trailed 2-0 before Mark Vientos, a rookie brought up from the minors for his season debut, tied the score with a two-run homer in the seventh off side-arm pitcher Ryan Thompson. Brandon Lowe put the Rays back ahead with a two-run homer off Adam Ottavino in a three-run eighth that built a 5-2 lead.

⚾MLB Blue Jays 3 Yankees 0: Danny Jansen hit a three-run homer in the 10th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 3-0 on Wednesday night. Long after Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt and Yankees ace Gerrit Cole exited a scoreless duel, Jansen´s fourth homer of the season came on the first pitch he saw from reliever Wandy Peralta (2-1). 

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Giants 7 Phillies 4
  • Blue Jays 3 Yankees 0
  • Mets 8 Rays 7
  • Cubs 6 Astros 5
  • Pirates 8 Tigers 0
  • Dodger 7 Twins 3
  • Rockies 11 Reds 6
  • Diamondbacks 5 Athletics 3
  • Royals 4 Padres 3
  • Orioles 3 Angels 1
  • Marlins 4 Nationals 3
  • Red Sox 12 Mariners 3
  • Cardinals 3 Brewers 0
  • Braves 6 Rangers 5
  • White Sox 7 Guardians 2

✞WWE LEGEND DIES: Eldridge Wayne Coleman, a professional wrestler better known to millions as WWE legend “Superstar” Billy Graham, died Wednesday of undisclosed causes. He was 79, and had reportedly been battling a number of health issues. The news was made public by fellow pro-wrestling legend Ric Flair, and confirmed by Dave Meltzer, a reporter for the Wrestling Observer, later confirmed the news.

🏌TIGERS' EX-GAL PAL LOSES ROUND N COURT: Tiger Woods's ex-girlfriend Erica Herman was denied her request to have her non-disclosure agreement with the golf star voided.  Herman, 38, who dated Woods, 47, for five years, is sued him over an NDA she claimed she was being wrongfully enforced on her, citing the Speak Out Act and alleging sexual harassment.  But late Wednesday night, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger, in an 11-page opinion, rejected Herman's attempt to quash the 2017 agreement by saying Woods had committed sexual harassment against her, calling Herman's allegations 'vague and threadbare.' 'Herman has had the opportunity (to) provide factual specificity for any claim relating to sexual assault or sexual harassment, however, she has not done so,' Metzger wrote. Metzger also said that the evidence shows that a nondisclosure agreement was negotiated between Herman and Woods in 2017, even if her attorney, Benjamin Hodas, now questions whether she actually signed it.

🌇IT'S GETTING HOT OUT THERE: Our planet is likely to record its hottest year ever in at least one of the next five years, according to data tracked by the World Meteorological Organization show. The increased heat is expected to lead to more frequent and intense rainstorms and droughts, with greater risks to food and water supplies. The organization blames the problem on greenhouse gas emissions including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, all of which showed record rates of growth in 2022.



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