Wednesday, June 7, 2023

6/7 WAKE-UP CALL: Fire Smog Blankets Northeast

NYPost Composite 6/7/23
Pictures showed an orange glow hanging above New York City as the sun set, concealing iconic structures like the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty.

 New Yorkers were back in masks on Tuesday as thick smoke originating from Canadian wildfires to the north descended on the city. Air quality levels throughout the city were 'very unhealthy', according to the US government online platform AirNow, which also warned against outdoor activities. Across from Manhattan in the Bronx, Yankees fans watching the evening's baseball described being able to smell the smoke filling the stadium. Meanwhile, a game involving their Minor League affiliate, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, was postponed 'due to poor air quality,' the team announced.

On Wednesday the air quality is expected to worsen.  Meteorologist John Homenuk of New York Metro Weather told New York Daily News the smoke could last for days and that on Wednesday afternoon the risk was likely to be even higher.

'Right now, the models are suggesting another burst of near surface smoke during the afternoon hours on Wednesday, and then some elevated smoke for the rest of the week and even into parts of the weekend,' he said.  'It's no secret that New York is facing extraordinary air quality conditions right now,' Basil Seggos, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said during a press conference on Tuesday, Newsbreak reported. 'Most New Yorkers, all New Yorkers, have seen the conditions out in the field today - the sky is hazy, visibility is terrible and you can smell the smoke in the air.' 

➤DAM WATER PUTS TENS OF THOUANDS AT RISK: About 42,000 people are at risk from flooding in Russian- and Ukrainian-controlled areas along the Dnipro River after a dam collapsed, as the U.N. aid chief warned of "grave and far-reaching consequences". Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the collapse of the massive dam on Tuesday, which sent floodwaters across a swathe of Ukraine's war zone and forced thousands to flee. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine, saying it was trying to distract from the launch of a major counteroffensive that Russia says is faltering. U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths told the Security Council that the dam breach "will have grave and far-reaching consequences for thousands of people in southern Ukraine on both sides of the front line through the loss of homes, food, safe water and livelihoods".

➤GUNFIRE ERUPTS AT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION: Witnesses have recounted the terrifying moment a gunman opened fire outside a Virginia high school graduation leaving a father, 36, and his son, 18, dead.  A 19-year-old was taken into custody and charged with two counts of second-degree murder with police saying that he 'knew at least one of the victims.' Pictures and videos from the scene revealed the chaos unfold as students from Huguenot High School emerged from the Altria Theater in Richmond after graduating to be met with violent gun fire. The shooting erupted around 5:15 p.m. across from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Altria Theater, where Huguenot High School was hosting its commencement ceremony, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a press conference. 


Video from the scene captures the chilling sounds of gunfire reverberating through the air, sending graduates and their families scrambling for cover. “As they heard the gunfire, it was obviously chaos,” Edwards said. “We had hundreds of people in Monroe Park, so people scattered. It was very chaotic at the scene.” A 19-year-old man was taken into custody following the shooting and is expected to face second-degree murder charges, according to Edwards. 

➤CHRISTIE JOINS THE RACE: Where other GOP hopefuls have attempted to strike a very delicate balance — stuck somewhere between making clear that they should be the party’s pick to face President Biden in November of 2024, while not insulting the 45th president directly lest they alienate his MAGA-movement base — Christie launched his campaign with broad-ranging historical references to successful political leaders from the past and then promptly began an unapologetic assault on Trump’s record and public scandals.

“A lonely, self-consumed, self-serving, mirror hog is not a leader,” he said. “So now we have pretenders all around us, who want to tell you ‘pick me, because I’m kind of like what you picked before, but not quite as crazy, but I don’t want to say his name.’

“The person I am talking about, who is obsessed with the mirror, who never admits a mistake, who never admits a fault, and who always finds someone else and something else to blame for whatever goes wrong but finds every reason to take credit for anything that goes right, is Donald Trump” Christie said in New Hampshire during a town hall style appearance at Saint Anselm College, before officially announcing his candidacy for the GOP nomination.

➤FLORIDA CONFIRMS: Florida officials confirmed on Tuesday that Governor Ron DeSantis had coordinated two flights of migrants from New Mexico to Sacramento. The governor's office claimed that 36 asylum seekers consented to the trips and released footage of supposed migrants on private planes, listening to music, signing waivers and appearing to have a generally good time.  'We made it to California,' said one migrant in a video in a selfie video that revealed behind him the turbo prop Dehavilland plane he and the others arrived on.

➤TEXAS SHERIFF FILES CRIMINAL CASE OVER DESANTIS FLIGHTS TO MARTHA'S VINEYARD​: A Texas sheriff’s office has recommended criminal charges over flights that the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, arranged to deport 49 South American migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts, last year. In a statement on Monday, the Bexar county sheriff’s office said it had filed a criminal case with the local district attorney over the flight. The Bexar county sheriff, Javier Salazar, has previously said the migrants were “lured under false pretenses” into traveling to Martha’s Vineyard, a wealthy liberal town. The recommendation comes after the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, threatened DeSantis with kidnapping charges on Monday, after Florida flew a group of people seeking asylum to Sacramento. It was the second time in four days Florida had used taxpayer money to fly asylum seekers to California.

➤NEW STUDY FINDS A.I. CAN HELP IMPROVE BREAST CANCER RISK PREDICTIONS: A new study is showing yet another way artificial intelligence is entering the medical field, and potentially improving existing practices for predicting breast cancer risk. The study, which was published Tuesday in Radiology, found AI algorithms outperformed the standard clinical risk model for predicting the five-year risk for breast cancer. Risk models like the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium (BCSC) clinical risk score, which use self-reported and other patient information including age, family history and more, are typically used to calculate a woman's risk of breast cancer.

➤MORE THAN 200 LGBTQ GROUPS DEMAND TARGET RESTOCK 'TUCK-FRIENDLY' SWIMSUITS: The Human Rights Campaign, along with GLAAD and the controversial GLSEN released a statement Monday, asking the retail giant and other businesses, including Bud Light brewer Anheuser-Bush, to 'reject and speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ extremism going into Pride Month.' Over 200 other progressive organizations also signed the statement, arguing that showing support for the community is good for business. It is not clear what action the coalition will take if Target fails to back the LGBTQ+ community within 24 hours.

⚾YANKEES' JUDGE ON I-L: New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is headed for a trip to the injured list due to the foot injury he sustained Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Judge injured the toe when it struck the concrete base of the outfield fence as he ran through the wall to the bullpen while making a spectacular grab against the Dodgers. The 31-year-old outfielder has been diagnosed with a contusion and sprained toe ligament according to manager Aaron Boone. 

⚾SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES: The Yankees took the field in potentially dangerous conditions as New York's air quality reached a 185 rating on the air quality index due to smoke overtaking the sky as a result of Canadian wildfires. Thick smoke from the north descended on New York City Tuesday with an orange glow hanging above the iconic skyline, covering the famous monuments, such as the Statue of Liberty.  And the Bronx was no exception as the sky over Yankee Stadium glowed a mix of orange and dark grey.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Judge Hits Wall At Dodger Stadium
    Phillies 1 Tigers 0
  • Rays 7 Twins 0
  • White Sox 3 Yankees 2
  • Marlins 6  Royals 1
  • Diamondbacks 10 Nationals 5
  • Athletics 11 Pirates 2
  • Blues Jays 5 Astros 1
  • Red Sox 5 Guardians 4
  • Reds 9 Dodgers 8
  • Braves 6 Mets 4
  • Brews 4 Orioles 3
  • Rangers 6 Cardinals 4
  • Giants 10 Rockies 4
  • Angels 7 Cubs 4
  • Mariners 4 Padres 1

⚾RANGERS ACE JACOB DEGROM TO HAVE SURGERY ON UCL TEAR: Jacob deGrom will have surgery to repair a tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament, cutting short his first season with the American League West-leading Texas Rangers after signing a five-year, $185 million deal this past offseason. General manager Chris Young said Tuesday the decision on surgery came after an MRI on deGrom's ailing right elbow.

🏌GOLF'S SHOCK MERGER:   The world of golf was left stunned on Tuesday as the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and rival Saudi-backed LIV circuit, who have been involved in a bitter fight that has split the sport, announced a shock agreement to merge and form one unified commercial entity. Additionally, the organizations said in a joint news release they will work together to allow a process for LIV Golf players to reapply for membership on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour, following the 2023 season.



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