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Wednesday, June 28, 2023

6/28 WAKE-UP CALL: NATO Worried Over Wagner Mercenaries

Eastern European NATO countries on Tuesday warned that a move of Wagner's Russian mercenary troops to Belarus would create greater regional instability, but NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is ready to defend itself against any threat.

"If Wagner deploys its serial killers in Belarus, all neighboring countries face even bigger danger of instability," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said after a meeting in The Hague with Stoltenberg and government leaders from six other NATO allies.

"This is really serious and very concerning, and we have to make very strong decisions. It requires a very, very tough answer of NATO," Polish President Andrzej Duda added. Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus on Tuesday under a deal negotiated by President Alexander Lukashenko that ended the mercenaries' mutiny in Russia on Saturday. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wagner's fighters would be offered the choice of relocating there.

➤MERCENARIES TO TURN IN HEAVY WEAPONS: Wagner is preparing to hand over its heavy weapons to Moscow by Saturday. The Russian National Guard primarily responsible for maintaining order inside the country will get tanks and long-range artillery, officials said. This could mean Yevgeny Prigozhin’s paramilitary organization, which launched an armed insurrection last week, will be disbanded soon. After invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin bet he had more staying power than the West, but Wagner’s mutiny exposed the risks for Russia’s political stability that quagmire now poses.

➤RUSSIA ROUNDS UP ITS DIPLOMATS IN D-C: A Russian government plane left Moscow on Tuesday morning bound for Washington DC, to collect Russian diplomats and return them to Moscow. The State Department confirmed the landing of the plane, and said it was a routine procedure - reminding Russia that they expect them to honor the same protocols for returning U.S. diplomats. But the move comes amid deep unease at this weekend's insurgency led by Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, and will provide officials in Moscow with a chance to hear from the returning diplomats how events were seen in the United States. It is not known how many boarded, and how many disembarked.


Russians Fire Deadly Missile: At least four people were killed, including a teenager, after Putin's missiles pounded a crowded Ukrainian restaurant, with dozens trapped and hurt in the wreckage. More than 42 people were wounded in the strike - which hit a restaurant in Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian police said Russia fired two S-300 surface-to-air missiles at the city.

➤TRUMP DEFENDS SHOWING OFF CLASSIFIED DOCS: Former President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that he was not showing off classified documents in an audio clip first published by CNN in which he referred to “highly confidential” material and “secret information” that he could no longer declassify.  “I would say it was bravado, if you want to know the truth, it was bravado,” Trump said in an interview aboard his plane with Semafor and ABC News. “I was talking and just holding up papers and talking about them, but I had no documents. I didn’t have any documents.” The latest comments suggested a new potential legal argument from the former president: That he was overselling the material he was showing to an aide and people working on a biography of former chief of staff Mark Meadows in the recording, a transcript of which featured heavily in his recent federal indictment.

➤TRUMP COUNTERSUES E JEAN CARROLL: Donald Trump is doubling down on his legal brawl with E. Jean Carroll, suing the New York author for defamation weeks after a jury held him liable for sexually abusing her. The former president on Tuesday night filed a counterclaim accusing Carroll of trashing his reputation by publicly accusing him of rape during a May 10 appearance on CNN, despite jurors concluding a day earlier that his actions during the alleged 1996 assault hadn’t gone that far. Trump “has been the subject of significant harm to his reputation, which, in turn, has yielded an inordinate amount of damages sustained as a result,” according to the filing. A jury of six men and three women last month found that Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House in the 2024 presidential election, was liable for sexual abuse — and not liable for rape — before awarding Carroll $5 million in damages.

DeSantis On Fox:  FOX News Channel’s Martha MacCallum will present an interview with Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, June 28th. The interview, which will air on The Story at 3 PM/ET, will cover DeSantis’ 2024 campaign and other news of the day.


➤CALIFORNIA MAN SENTENCED TO MORE THAN 6 YEARS IN COW MANURE PONZI SCHEME: A California man has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison for duping investors by telling them he was using cow manure to create green energy, the U.S. Attorney's office announced Monday. From March 2014 through December 2019, Ray Brewer, 66, falsely told investors he was building machines called anaerobic digesters, which "use microorganisms to break down biodegradable material and turn it into methane," in several California counties, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

➤CHICAGO MOTHER SUES CITY AFTER MURDER CHARGES WERE DROPPED AGAINST HER AND HER SON: A Chicago mother who was accused of telling her teen son to shoot a man at a fast food restaurant is suing the city and arresting officers, a day after murder charges against her and her son were dropped. Carlishia Hood, 35, was held on $3 million bail after she was charged last week with first-degree murder and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was released Monday from the Cook County Jail. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office said it was unable to “meet our burden of proof in the prosecution of these cases.”

✞TITANIC’ ACTOR LEW PALTER DIES AT 94: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lew Palter, the actor who portrayed Isidor Straus in James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic, has died at the age of 94. His daughter, Catherine Palter, revealed to the outlet on Monday (June 27th) that he passed away on May 21st due to lung cancer. His other film and television roles included First Monday in October, The Flying Nun, Hill Street Blues, and L.A. Law. Palter taught acting at CalArts from 1971 until his retirement in 2013. “As a teacher, he seemed to have truly changed people’s lives,” his daughter said.

🍺BUD LIGHT OFFERS FREE BEER OVER JULY 4TH HOLIDAY IN WAKE OF DYLAN MULVANEY FIASCO: Bud Light touted a new $15 rebate during the July 4 holiday weekend to jumpstart cratering sales after its disastrous partnership with Dylan Mulvaney. The nation’s top-selling beer was forced to resort to the giveaway gimmick as sales plunged another 28.5%, the largest dip yet, for the week ended June 17. The rebate applies to purchases of up to $15 made between June 15 and July 8, according to the terms of service. That means that Bud Light is effectively giving away the beer for free in areas where 15-packs sell for less than $15.

➤MALARIA CASES IN TEXAS AND FLORIDA ARE THE FIRST U.S. SPREAD SINCE 2003, CDC SAYS: The United States has seen five cases of malaria spread by mosquitos in the last two months, the first time there's been local spread in 20 years. There were four cases detected in Florida and one in Texas, according to a health alert issued Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

➤NETFLIX TO CONTINUE PARTNERSHIP WITH PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE: While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s deal with Spotify has come to a close, their relationship with Netflix is ongoing. A spokesperson for the streaming platform told People in a statement, "We value our partnership with Archewell Productions. Harry & Meghan was Netflix's biggest documentary debut ever, and we'll continue to work together on a number of projects, including the upcoming documentary series Heart of Invictus." Heart of Invictus follows veteran athletes as they prepare for Prince Harry's Invictus Games, which took place in The Hague, the Netherlands, in April of 2022.

🏠HOME PRICES DOWN: Home prices posted their first year-over-year price decline in 11 years in April, as higher mortgage rates made home purchases more expensive for buyers. Mortgage rates rose rapidly in 2022, causing a major slowdown in home sales as buyers backed away from the market. House-buying affordability in April fell to its lowest level since November, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. But prices haven’t declined as much as many economists expected, because the higher mortgage rates made current homeowners reluctant to sell, keeping the supply of homes on the market lower than normal.


✞FORMER NFL QB RYAN MALLETT DROWNS: Former football player Ryan Mallett has passed away at the age of 35, according to reports. Mallett, who played in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens, reportedly drowned in Florida. Deltaplex News first reported the tragedy on Tuesday. He was taken from a Florida beach to the hospital - where he was pronounced dead. The Patriots confirmed the news and paid tribute to the late sports star. 'The New England Patriots are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden and unexpected passing of former quarterback Ryan Mallett,' the team wrote on Twitter. 'Our thoughts are with the Mallett family, his former teammates and all who are mourning his loss.' Mallett was on vacation with his girlfriend Madison Carter, KNWA reported. The ex-player went Facebook official with Carter on June 1.

⚾FRANCONA HOSPITALIZED: Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona remained hospitalized overnight for observation after feeling ill before before Tuesday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals. The 64-year-old Francona missed the game and was taken to the University of Kansas Health Systems to be evaluated “out of an abundance of caution,” given his medical history, the team said. He missed much of the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to a variety of physical issues. Without Francona, the Guardians rallied to beat the Royals 2-1. Afterward, a team spokesman said Francona was still at the hospital being evaluated.

⚾MLB  ANGELS 4 WHITE SOX 2:  Shohei Ohtani made personal history on Tuesday night as the Angels beat the White Sox 4-2. The dual-threat phenom hit multiple runs as a starting pitcher for the first time, hitting a solo shot in the first inning and another one-run homer in the seventh inning. On the mound, Ohtani was impressive as well, striking out 10 in 6.1 innings as he allowed just one earned run.

⚾MLB METS 7 BREWERS 2:    Brandon Nimmo homered twice and David Peterson threw six scoreless innings in his return to the majors as the struggling Mets beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2 Tuesday night, hours after New York owner Steve Cohen announced plans to hold a press conference on the state of the team. The Mets won for the third time in 10 games and for the sixth time in 22 games, improving to 36-43 record. The Mets, who were coming off a three-hit, 2-1 loss Monday night, slugged four homers as Francisco Lindor and Daniel Vogelbach joined Nimmo in going deep.  Peterson (2-6) allowed eight baserunners, five hits and three walks while striking out five. The Brewers Brian Anderson ended the combined shutout bid with a two-run single in the eighth off Jeff Brigham. Julio Teheran (2-3) took the loss after retiring the first nine batters on just 34 pitches.

⚾MLB  ATHLETICS 2 YANKEES 1: Paul Blackburn pitched effectively into the sixth inning for his first win of the season and the Oakland Athletics held on for a 2-1 victory over the visiting New York Yankees on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series. Trevor May and Sam Moll pitched out of jams of their own making in the last two innings for the A's, who had lost 10 of 11 since opening their previous homestand with two straight wins over the Tampa Bay Rays. Oakland never trailed, getting on the board first in the third inning on a Tyler Wade triple and an Esteury Ruiz RBI single against Yankees starter Jhony Brito (4-4).

⚾MLB SCORES

  • Phillies 5 Cubs 1
  • D-Backs 8 Rays 4
  • Reds 3 Orioles 1
  • Pirates 9 Padres 4
  • Giants 3 Blue Jays 0
  • Marlins 10 Red Sox 1
  • Braves 6 Twins 2
  • Cardinals 4 Astros 2
  • Rangers 8 Tigers 3
  • Guardians 2 Royals 1
  • Dodgers 5 Rockies 0
  • Nationals 7 Mariners 4


➤JIMMIE JOHNSON WON'T RACE AFTER IN-LAWS, NEPHEW FOUND DEAD: Jimmie Johnson will not race this weekend in NASCAR's Cup Series street race in Chicago following the deaths of his wife's parents and a nephew in Oklahoma. The bodies of Jack Janway, 69; his wife, Terry Janway, 68; and their grandson Dalton Janway, 11, were discovered Monday at a home in Muskogee, Oklahoma, located about 50 miles southeast of Tulsa, Muskogee police spokesperson Lynn Hamlin said. Hamlin said investigators believe Terry Janway shot and killed her husband and grandson before shooting herself.

🏓PICKLEBALL EXPECTED TO COST $350 MILLION IN MEDICAL INJURIES: Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States, but its popularity is expected to create a surge in injuries. UBS Analysts predicted 2023 pickleball medical costs to range anywhere between $250 to $500 million dollars. Surgeries like joint replacements could be linked back to the court, as 90% of American pickleball players are over 50. An estimated 22.3 million Americans will play pickleball in 2023, up 150% from 2022.

🌞HEAT BEATS THE SOUTH: Triple-digit temperatures are a staple of summertime in Texas, but readings are running extra high so far this June. An exceptional heat wave is continuing to bake the Lone Star State, and it will expand in the coming days across much of the southern Great Plains, the Deep South and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Heat advisories stretch from northern Florida to southern New Mexico, and excessive-heat warnings have been issued for much of Texas and parts of New Mexico and Arizona and along the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. New Orleans is included in the zone of greatest heat risk, with actual air temperatures around 100 degrees and humidity that will push heat indexes to 115 degrees.

South Texas county sees nine heat-related deaths: Nine people in eight days died because of the heat wave in a Texas county along the border. County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern said she hoped to bring awareness to the recent trend so that residents can combat heat stroke and heat exhaustion as temperatures remain high. Stern encouraged people to check on others — family members, friends, neighbors and even folks walking down the street.



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