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Thursday, May 25, 2023

5/25 WAKE-UP CALL: DeSantis' Bid Leans On Culture Wars

NY Post 5/25/23
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suffered a chaotic start to his 2024 presidential election race on Wednesday when glitches marred an online forum hosted by Twitter owner Elon Musk that was meant to showcase DeSantis' fitness for the job. The Twitter broadcast of the hour-long interview , which had been intended as the formal launch for the DeSantis campaign, lost sound for extended stretches and thousands of users were either unable to join or were dropped. It was an inauspicious start for a campaign predicated on the governor's executive competence. 

Ron DeSantis
"We must end the culture of losing that has infected the Republican Party in recent years," DeSantis said in the event with Musk once the problems were largely resolved. The hashtag #DeSaster was trending on Twitter. DeSantis' entrance in the Republican contest sets up a showdown with his one-time ally, former President Donald Trump, who lost the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.

Mother-of-three Casey DeSantis, 42, has taken center stage with her dazzling outfits, channeling the classic style of powerhouse First Ladies Jackie Kennedy and Nancy Reagan. DeSantis has faced questions over his apparent lack of charisma and whether his retail politics will be enough to carry him to the Oval Office. So it could be down to Casey, who announced she was free of breast cancer in March, to lead the charm offensive.

➤NIKKI HALEY SKEDS CCN TOWNHALL: CNN will host Republican U.S. presidential candidate Nikki Haley for a live town hall in Iowa on June 4, which will be hosted by the network's anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper, CNN said on Wednesday. CNN is getting more Republicans on the air as it seeks political diversity, the chief executive of parent company Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) said earlier this month, just after the network took heat for its broadcast of a May 10 town hall with former Republican President Donald Trump.

➤DEBT TALKERS SEE PROGRESS: Negotiators for Democratic President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy held what both sides called productive talks on Wednesday to try to reach a deal to raise the United States' $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default. After a four-hour White House meeting, U.S. House Speaker McCarthy said negotiations had improved and would continue in the evening. He predicted the two sides would reach an agreement, though several issues remain unresolved.  "We've made some progress working down there. So that's very positive," McCarthy told reporters. "I want to make sure we get the right agreement. I can see that we're working towards that."

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said talks remain fruitful. "If it keeps going in good faith, we can get to an agreement here," she said at a briefing while discussions were taking place. But the White House and congressional Democrats also accused Republicans of taking the economy hostage to advance an agenda they could otherwise not pass. They said Republicans need to make more concessions as they will need Democratic votes to pass any deal.


➤SOUTH CAROLINA APPROVES 6-WEEK ABORTION BAN: The South Carolina legislature has passed a bill that will ban almost all abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. The three Republican women in the state Senate opposed the measure. It is expected to be signed into law by Republic Governor Henry McMaster.
 
➤CRACK APPEARS BETWEEN MERCENARIES-RUSSIA: A feud between Wagner's owner and the Russian military is the first significant crack in President Vladimir Putin’s image of control since the Ukraine war began. Yevgeny Prigozhin’s criticism of Moscow’s generals and defense minister shows strains in the mighty leadership structure the Russian president built. Putin has long promoted rivalries among subordinates to keep potential challengers in check. Until now, these intrigues were hidden from the public. In recording after recording, some with the bodies of Wagner’s dead soldiers as a backdrop, Prigozhin has cursed Moscow’s top military brass and accused them of limiting the supply of weapons and ammunition to settle political scores. The ministry of defense has responded that it is providing Wagner with everything it requires.

➤KILLER ON THE LOOSE IN OHIO: A prisoner serving time for murdering two people has escaped from the Allen/Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio. Prison officials said that Bradley Gillespie and another inmate were discovered to be missing on Tuesday morning. The second inmate, a convicted safecracker, was apprehended yesterday in Kentucky.

✞THE QUEEN OF ROCK & ROLL HAS DIED: Tina Turner, the American-born singer who left a hardscrabble farming community and abusive relationship to become one of the top recording artists of all time, died on Wednesday at the age of 83. She died peacefully after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, Switzerland, her representative said.

Turner began her career in the 1950s during the early years of rock 'n' roll and evolved into an MTV phenomenon. In the video for her chart-topping song "What's Love Got to Do with It," in which she called love a "second-hand emotion," Turner epitomized 1980s style as she strutted through New York City streets with her spiky blond hair, wearing a cropped jean jacket, mini skirt and stiletto heels. With her taste for musical experimentation and bluntly worded ballads, Turner gelled perfectly with a 1980s pop landscape in which music fans valued electronically produced sounds and scorned hippie-era idealism.

On social media, The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, who had collaborated on stage with Turner multiple times, shared photos of himself duetting with her while paying tribute to his 'wonderful friend.' 'I'm so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly and enormously talented performer and singer,' he gushed. 'She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.'

He included a photo of the two singing his Jacksons collaboration State Of Shock and the classic Rolling Stones tune It's Only Rock 'N Roll (But I Like It) in Philadelphia at a 1985 Live Aid performance.

FETTY WRAP GETS 6-YEARS: Rapper Fetty Wap (left) was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in prison after pleading guilty in New York federal court to participating in a large-scale drug distribution ring. The “Trap Queen” rapper, whose legal name is William Maxwell, admitted to distributing 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of cocaine. Prosecutors said he was part of a crew that also sold heroin, fentanyl and crack cocaine across Long Island and New Jersey between June 2019 and June 2020. 

Maxwell apologized during a sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip, N.Y. He said he was motivated by a desire to provide for his family while his income from live performances dried up during the pandemic.

⚾MLB TWINS 7 GIANTS 1: Minnesota Twins closing pitcher Jhoan Duran has set the mark for the fastest thrown pitch this season after he hit a blazing 104.6 mph. During his relief appearance on Wednesday, Duran had three separate pitches touch 104 mph in the Twins' 7-1 win over the San Francisco Giants.  Before Duran hit 104.6 on the gun, Jordan Hicks of the St. Louis Cardinals and Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees were tied for the fastest thrown pitch this season at 103.8 mph.

⚾MLB PHILLIES 5 DIAMONDBACKS 5: Trea Turner tied the game with a two-run homer in the ninth inning and Alec Bohm hit the winning single in the 10th to rally the Philadelphia Phillies from five runs down in a 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. Turner delivered his first highlight-reel hit for the Phillies when he connected to left field off reliever Jose Ruiz (1-1) with two outs, tying the game at 5.

⚾OVIEDO’S ‘IMMACULATE INNING’: Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Johan Oviedo made the history books yesterday by pitching a so-called “immaculate inning” at the top of the fourth inning of the team’s game against the Texas Rangers yesterday. An immaculate inning occurs when a pitcher strikes out all three batters in an inning with no more than nine pitches total. Oviedo is the 112th pitcher in major league baseball history to accomplish the feat. Another Pirate, Colin Holderman, did it on May 4 in the game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite Oviedo’s best efforts, Pittsburgh lost to the Rangers 3-2.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Rays 7 Blue Jays 3
  • Orioles 9 Yankees 6
  • Brewers 4 Astros 0
  • Reds 10 Cardinals 3
  • Nationsal 5 Padres 3
  • Braves 4 Dodgers 3
  • Tigers 6 Royals 4
  • Cubs 4 Mets 2
  • Marlins 10 Rockies 2
  • Angels 7 Red Sox 3
  • Mariners 6 Athletics 1

🏒NHL PANTHERS 4 HURRICANES 3:  Matthew Tkachuk netted a game winner in the dying seconds of regulation to ensure his team's sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. The 25-year-old winger scored a power-play goal with 4.9 seconds remaining in Game 4 on Wednesday. His second goal of the night came minutes after the Hurricanes thought they had salvaged their season by levelling score. (3-3).

➤TYPHOON STRIKES GUAM: The strongest storm in decades brought hurricane-force winds and heavy rain to the U.S. territory of Guam last night. Most of the island has lost power. Residents were urged to stay home until Typhoon Mawar passes. President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for the island, enabling emergency personnel to provide assistance.



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