Tuesday, June 6, 2023

6/6 WAKE-UP CALL: Pilot of Wayward Plane Was Slumped-Over

 A pair of U.S. F-16 fighter jets caused a thundering sonic boom over Washington, D.C., as they tried and failed to contact the unresponsive pilot of a private Cessna jet that wandered into restricted airspace Sunday. The Cessna later lost altitude and crashed in a rural area of Virginia. It's not yet known why the plane was over Washington, but it's possible a loss of cabin pressure rendered the pilot and passengers unconscious, the plane's owner said. The autopilot may have taken control. 

The F-16s were scrambled from Joint Base Andrews to intercept the plane. The fighter jets did not cause the Cessna to crash, defense officials said. The Cessna, identified as a Model 560 Citation, crashed near the George Washington National Forest near rural Montebello, Virginia, at about 3:23 p.m. No survivors were found. Fighter jet pilots who attempted to intercept a small private plane flying Sunday in restricted airspace over Washington reported seeing its pilot slumped over and unresponsive, providing a major clue about what might have led to the crash into a Virginia mountain that killed the four people aboard.

➤DAMAGED UKRAINE DAM IS A THREAT: Russian news agency Tass quoted an unspecified Russian government official as saying the Kakhovka dam had 'collapsed' due to damage. Ukrainian authorities have previously warned that the dam's failure could unleash 18 million cubic meters (4.8 billion gallons) of water and flood Kherson and dozens of other areas where hundreds of thousands of people live, as well as threatening a meltdown at a nearby Russian-occupied nuclear power plant. It was confirmed by a top advisor that President Volodymyr Zelensky will urgently convene his Security Council on Tuesday after an explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in the south of the country.

Ukrainian mechanized forces launched their broadest assault in months on Russian positions, Moscow said on Monday, as Kyiv’s preparations for a major counteroffensive to retake occupied territory gained momentum. Ukraine has said it won’t announce the start of its new campaign, which defense analysts expect to take the form of a major armored thrust that aims to break through dug-in Russian positions in the east and south of Ukraine. Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, said Monday that Kyiv was “shifting to offensive operations in some areas.” But Maliar said combat in the south—where Russia said the Ukrainian attack took place—was of “local importance,” implying that it isn’t the main drive of a counteroffensive. Overnight, the Nova Kakhovka dam that separates Ukrainian and Russian held parts of the Kherson region was blown up, the south command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said. It blamed Russian forces Ukraine’s effort to turn the tide in the 15-month conflict is a pivotal moment for Zelensky and his government. The outcome will shape the contours of Western military support and diplomatic jockeying over Ukraine’s future.


➤TRUMP LAWYERS MEET WITH DOJ: Lawyers for Donald Trump met with Justice Department officials on Monday, according to people familiar with the matter, to argue against any indictment of the former president over his handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The meeting is the latest indication that special counsel Jack Smith, who was in attendance, has all but wrapped up his investigation into whether Trump mishandled the documents. In recent months, Smith’s team has homed in on several key pieces of evidence, including an audio recording in which Trump acknowledged he kept a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, and extensive notes from one of his lawyers about the investigation, people familiar with the matter said.

➤GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TUSSLE WITH 'THE VIEW': Sen. Tim Scott and the hosts of The View had a respectful debate Monday over Republican policies and people of color - it wasn't until he defended Ron DeSantis and his legal fight with Disney that things turned ugly with the studio audience. “Disney and Ron have been in a combat zone over what I thought is the right issue, which is our young kids and what they are being indoctrinated with,” Scott said, triggering boos from the audience and an apology from View co-host Whoopi Goldberg. “No, no, no, not here,” Goldberg said before turning to Scott to say, "I'm sorry, sir."

To the crowd, Goldberg said: “Do not boo; this is ‘The View.' We accept, we don’t have to believe everything people say, but you cannot boo people here, please.” Scott went on The View because panelists had criticized him, the lone Black Republican in the Senate, for standing up against Republican policies that hurt people of color. During the interview-debate, Scott said he went on the program because of panelists' past comments "that the only way for a young African American kid to be successful in this country is to be the exception and not the rule ... That's a dangerous offensive disgusting message to send."

➤FBI WHISTLEBLOWER FEARS FOR LIFE: A member of the House Oversight Committee on Monday claimed the FBI is fearful that the informant who provided information alleging a $5 million bribery scheme involving President Biden “will be killed” if their identity is revealed.  Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) made the allegations in a tweet Monday after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) were allowed by the bureau to review the bombshell accusations in the informant file at the Capitol.  “Just left meeting for House Oversight. The [FBI] is afraid their informant will be killed if unmasked, based on the info he has brought forward about the Biden family,” Luna wrote on Twitter. 

➤REMAINS OF 3 VICTIMS RECOVERED FROM IOWA APARTMENT BUILDING COLLAPSE, DAVENPORT POLICE SAY: A week of agony has culminated for the families of three Iowa men missing since their six-story Davenport apartment building partially collapsed.  Amid the rubble, the remains of Daniel Prien, 60, were found early Monday, and those of Ryan Hitchcock, 51, found Sunday, Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel said Monday. Two victims had been unaccounted for, a city official said the prior day.  The remains of Branden Colvin Sr., 42, were found Saturday, the same day his son graduated from high school.

➤OKLAHOMA SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES WHAT WOULD BE THE 1ST TAXPAYER-FUNDED RELIGIOUS SCHOOL IN THE U.S.: A state school board in Oklahoma voted Monday to approve what would be the first publicly funded religious school in the nation, despite a warning from the state's attorney general that the decision was unconstitutional.

The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3-2 to approve the application by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma to establish the St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Charter School. The online public charter school would be open to students across the state in kindergarten through grade 12.

➤APPLE UNVEILS VISIION PRO HEADSET: Apple unveiled its much-anticipated Vision Pro headset. The device, which allows users to experience virtual reality and apps overlaid on the real world, will sell for $3,499 and won’t be available until early next year. It’s a new way both to interact with digital content in the physical space—using one’s hands, eye and voice—and to experience movies, TV shows and games in a more immersive way. Apple has been working on the headset for seven years and delayed the launch several times. The Vision Pro is far more expensive than rivals’ headsets; Meta Platforms’ most expensive Quest Pro headset costs $1,000.


➤PILL HALVES RISK OF DEATH IN TYPE OF LUNG CANCER: A pill has been shown to halve the risk of death from a certain type of lung cancer when taken daily after surgery to remove the tumor, according to clinical trial results presented on Sunday. The results were unveiled in Chicago at the largest annual conference of cancer specialists, hosted by the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The clinical trial included some 680 participants at an early stage of the disease, in more than 20 countries. They had to have been operated on first to remove the tumor, then half of the patients took the treatment daily, and the other a placebo. The result showed that taking the tablet resulted in a 51 percent reduction in the risk of death for treated patients, compared to placebo. After five years, 88 percent of patients who took the treatment were still alive, compared to 78 percent of patients who took the placebo.

🏒NHL KNIGHTS 7 PANTHERS 2: The Vegas Golden Knights made it clear the Stanley Cup could be an absolute whitewash as they didn't just beat but rather dismantled the Florida Panthers in Ga me 2. The hosts stormed into a 2-0 series led with a 7-2 victory Monday night, asserting their dominance across the ice. Even more physicality than in Game 1 couldn't put them off their game.


 ⚾MLB PHILLIES 8 TIGERS 3: Aaron Nola's strikeout total was up - the Phillies' ace would tie his career-high with 12 - and so was his pitch count. As Nola delivered with two outs in the seventh inning, and a shot at baseball history still on the line, manager Rob Thomson wasn't sure just how much longer he would let the right-hander go. 'I wouldn't have chanced his health just for that,' Thomson said.

Nick Maton took care of Thomson's no-no call when the Tigers' third baseman put one into the second deck for their first hit of the game. No worries. Trea Turner's best game with the Phillies and a shutdown effort from the bullpen kept the game in control and preserved Nola's finest outing of the season. Nola took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Turner homered twice for the first time with the Phillies among his four hits to lead Philadelphia to its third straight win, 8-3 over the Detroit Tigers on Monday night.
Aaron Nola

⚾MLB SCORES:
  • Rays 4 Red Sox 1
  • Marlins 9 Royals 6
  • Pirates 5 Athletics 4
  • Astros 11 Blue Jays 4
  • Reds 2 Brewers 0
  • Rangers 4 Cardinals 3
  • Padres 5 Cubs 0
⚾MARCELL OZUNA REMOVED FOR NOT HUSTLING IN BRAVES' 8-5 VICTORY: Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna was removed from Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks for not hustling after hitting a drive to deep center field, manager Brian Snitker confirmed after the contest. In the fourth inning of the Braves' 8-5 victory, Ozuna smashed a Zac Gallen offering to deep center. He ended up on first base, settling for a 415-foot single because Ozuna stood at home plate and watched the ball reach its destination instead of running right after contact.

⚾ALBERT PUJOLS NAMED SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO MLB COMMISSIONER: Retired slugger Albert Pujols was named a special assistant to Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred on Monday. Pujols will consult with MLB on a range of topics, including player relations and issues regarding his home country, the Dominican Republic. He will also work as an on-air analyst for MLB Network.



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