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Thursday, June 1, 2023

6/1 WAKE-UP CALL: Debt Deal Passes In House, Senate Is Next

The House passed the debt limit deal between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden on Wednesday 314 to 117. Most Republicans opposed the deal, arguing it caved too far to White House demands, while some Democrats voted in favor of it. The deal, which suspends the debt limit until Jan. 1, 2025, now heads to the upper chamber - where senators have begun to demand amendments to the bill. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said there is not time to send an amended version back to the House before the nation runs out of funds to pay its bills -and is trying to force a quick vote. 

Some older adults would be required to work to get food aid under the federal debt-limit deal set for congressional votes this week, while others would be newly exempt from having to find a job, in one of the more controversial provisions of the compromise agreement. The deal struck by President Biden and House GOP negotiators over the weekend would raise the age to 54, up from 49, for able-bodied, low-income adults without dependents who would be required to work at least 80 hours a month to receive food aid. Currently, able-bodied, low-income people between the ages of 18 and 49 can receive food assistance for no more than three months within a three-year period unless they are working or enrolled in a work program.

➤TRUMP-DeSANTIS FEUD TO INTENSIFY: A ruthless war between the Trump and DeSantis campaigns is unfolding in increasingly personal terms, sucking in top surrogates and raising new skepticism about the likelihood of post-primary reconciliation, reports Axios. Why it matters: Former President Trump doesn't just want to defeat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — he's out to destroy DeSantis' political career and that of anyone who has expressed even a hint of support for his candidacy. For Trump, loyalty is paramount — and a one-way street. The fact that so many former Trump administration officials and supporters have defected to team DeSantis has made the feud intensely personal for the ex-president.

➤DONALD ON TAPE ADMITTING HE KEPT CLASSIFIED DOCS: Prosecutors for the Department of Justice have gotten an audio recording of former President Donald Trump discussing keeping a classified Pentagon document related to a potential attack on Iran, as part of a continuing investigation into Trumps handling of classified documents. Aide Margo Martin was regularly taping Trump at the time so that she could accurately depict his remarks in former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows' memoirs.

➤'JESUS' IS WH SPOX RESPONSE TO BIDEN CORRUPTION QUESTION: The questions had covered Ukraine, North Korea and Sudanese peace talks when one of the White House briefing room's more robust questioners hijacked proceedings. After citing a secret FBI file, an anonymous IRS whistleblower and a Harvard-Harris poll earlier this month that found 53 percent of the public had suspicions about the first family's foreign relations, The New York Post's Steven Nelson got to his question. 'So what do you say to the majority of Americans who believe that the President is himself corrupt?' he asked. 'Jesus,' was White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's response, muttered as she bowed her head on the briefing room podium.


➤ACTOR DANNY MASTERSON GUILTY OF RAPE: A jury found Danny Masterson guilty on two of three rape counts on Wednesday. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a third rape charge against him. A judge ordered he be taken into custody and scheduled a hearing for August 4. His wife, actress Bijou Phillips - who had been at his side throughout the four-week trial at criminal court in downtown Los Angeles - burst out crying as the jury gave the verdicts. The Scientologist, 47, was on trial for rape for a second time after his first ended in a mistrial in December, with a jury deadlocked on all counts.

Erik Carnell
➤'RAINBOW CAPITALISM' FACES BACKLASH: A Satan-loving designer behind Target's Pride campaign has said the axing of his products has exposed the problem of 'rainbow capitalism.' The Daily Mail reports Erik Carnell, a British designer whose slogans include 'Satan loves pronouns,' had his products pulled from Target after the retail giant faced a consumer boycott over its Pride Month collection.  The Pride month collection featured transgender swimsuits for children, books called 'bye bye binary' and a handful of items made by the British designer.
➤CHRISTIAN FAITH DAY SKED FOR L-A BALPARK: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw has announced on Twitter that the team will celebrate Christian Faith and Family Day at Dodger Stadium on July 30th. The event was held in previous seasons before COVID interrupted all kinds of celebrations. However, according to The Los Angeles Times, the date of Christian Faith and Family Day was moved up at Kershaw’s urging in response to the Dodgers’ plan to host the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence on Pride Night, June 16. The Sisters is a charitable non-profit whose members often appear in outrageous drag costumes, including nuns’ habits. Kershaw told The Times he simply doesn’t approve of anyone “making fun of other people’s religions.”

➤CHINA SNUBS U-S REQUEST: Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday denounced China’s apparent refusal to meet with senior Pentagon leaders after an incident U.S. officials have described as an “unnecessarily aggressive” encounter between military aircraft over the South China Sea last week. Video released Tuesday by the U.S. military depicts a twin-engine J-16 Shenyang fighter jet crossing what appears to be several dozen feet in front of an Air Force RC-135 surveillance plane. The 30-second clip, recorded Friday from within the American aircraft’s cockpit, shows the crew being bounced around as they fly through the Shenyang’s wake.

➤NASA UFO HEARING CANNOT CONFIRM EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE: NASA's much-anticipated public hearing on UFOs took place Wednesday amid harassment concerns faced by the agency's 16-person team studying "events in the sky that cannot be identified as aircraft or as known natural phenomena."   The team, assembled about seven months ago, includes experts in astrophysics and other disciplines. Among its stars is Scott Kelly, a former astronaut and test pilot who commanded three International Space Station expeditions.  Technically the group is studying unidentified anomalous phenomena, or UAPs. NASA says UAPs are of interest for national security as well as air safety. And without access to an extensive set of data, it is nearly impossible to verify or explain any observation, NASA says. “I want to emphasize this loud and proud: There is absolutely no convincing evidence for extraterrestrial life associated with” unidentified objects, NASA’s Dan Evans said after the hearing.

📺SHANNON SHARPE TO EXIT 'UNDISPUTED': Shannon Sharpe is sensationally leaving his Undisputed show on Fox Sports 1 after seven years, it has emerged. The New York Post has claimed that Sharpe has agreed a deal with Fox over a buyout on his terms and his last show will be in June after the NBA Finals. It comes months after a couple of tense disagreements between Sharpe and co-host Skip Bayless - most notably on how the NFL should handle the response to Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest back in January. 

🏀MONTY WILIAMS GET HUGE CONTRACT: The Detroit Pistons have agreed to the largest coaching deal in with Monty Williams worth $78.5 million over the course of six years, according to multiple sources. Williams' deal is said to include team options and incentives that could extent the deal for a seventh and eighth year, while also pushing the value of the contract up to $100 million. Earlier in the day it was reported that the Pistons were heavily pursuing Williams following his outstanding tenure and shocking firing from the Phoenix Suns.

⚾MLB SCORES:  Minnesota Twins rookie Louie Varland (below) throws seven shutout innings in win over Astros, while Mets win again vs. Phillies and Yankees lose in the 10th inning. 

  • Rays 4 Cubs 3
  • Mets 4 Phillies 1
  • Mariners 1 Yankees 0
  • Tigers 3 Rangers 2
  • Angles 12 White Sox 5
  • Guardians 12 Orioles 8
  • Braves 4 Athletics 2
  • Pirates 9 Giants 4
  • Nationals 10 Dodgers 6
  • Marlins 2 Padres 1
  • Brewers 4 Blue Jays 2
  • Reds 5 Red Sox 4
  • Twins 8 Astros 2
  • Diamondbacks 6 Rockies 0
🏀NO HERRO TONIGHT: Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat won’t be playing in tonight’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets. Coach Erik Spoelstra indicated that Herro has not yet fully recovered from surgery needed after he broke his right shooting hand in April during Game 1 of the first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks. There’s still some hope that he’ll make it to Game 3 next week.

💸NASCAR SLAPS BRISCOE WITH HUGE FINE: NASCAR has hit the Stewart-Haas Racing team with a $250,000 fine plus 120 regular-season points and 25 playoff points after discovering a counterfeit part in the underwing of driver Chase Briscoe’s car after Monday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It’s one of the biggest penalties ever levied by NASCAR. The crew chief has been suspended for six races. NASCAR forbids modifying parts to ensure that all drivers have most of the same parts. A team spokesman said the illegal part was “a quality control lapse.”

🎾AMERICAN PEYTON STEARNS SHINES AT FRENCH OPEN: Peyton Stearns wasn’t all that well known going into the French Open, but we’ll be hearing more about her. The 21-year-old American defeated 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.



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