Tuesday, July 25, 2023

7/25 WAKE-UP CALL: Tensions Rise In Israel


Israel’s Parliament passed a divisive judicial overhaul, defying months of protests and plunging the country further into a political crisis. The move has exposed rifts over Israel's identity, raised national-security fears, and could complicate its relationship with the U.S. and other allies. The law removes the Supreme Court’s ability to nullify government decisions it finds “unreasonable in the extreme”—a concept Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition of right wing, nationalist and religious lawmakers said was nebulous and allowed liberal judges to overturn the will of an increasingly conservative electorate.

Thousands of military reservists have said they would quit, and businesses, union leaders and medical professionals have threatened work stoppages.

➤TWITTER REBRANDING GET COMPLICATED: Elon Musk's decision to rebrand Twitter as X could be complicated legally: companies including Meta and Microsoft already have intellectual property rights to the same letter. X is so widely used and cited in trademarks that it is a candidate for legal challenges - and the company formerly known as Twitter could face its own issues defending its X brand in the future. "There's a 100% chance that Twitter is going to get sued over this by somebody," said trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who said he counted nearly 900 active U.S. trademark registrations that already cover the letter X in a wide range of industries.



➤MUSK'S DECISION DRAWING STRONG OPINIONS: Users are responding with excitement and dismay to his latest move to remake the social-media platform. The new branding is unlikely to persuade brands that have paused ad spending on the platform—or turn off advertisers who have stuck with the platform under Musk’s ownership, as long as users also stay, advertising executives said. The new corporate design harks back to Musk’s former online banking startup, X.com, which later became PayPal after a merger with another firm. Musk tweeted last year that buying Twitter would bring him closer to fulfilling the “original X.com vision”—he has talked about using the social-media platform as the foundation of an “everything app.”

➤AIRSTRIKES SHARPLY ESCALATE: Russia attacked a Ukrainian grain terminal on the border with Romania, a NATO member, while Ukraine used drones to hit Moscow and Crimea, Russian officials said. The attack pushed grain prices higher. Russia is trying to disrupt Ukraine’s exports after Moscow pulled out of a pact allowing safe passage of grain through the Black Sea. Ukrainian traders are building up capacity on the Danube River after Russian attacks closed off Black Sea ports that typically shipped 95% of its grain exports. They might have to export more by land, which is slower and more expensive.





Tafari Campbell
➤OBAMA CHEF DROWNS: The man who drowned while paddleboarding on a pond outside the Obamas’ Martha’s Vineyard estate has been identified as the former first-family’s personal chef. Authorities confirmed Monday afternoon that the body of 45-year-old Tafari Campbell was found in 8-feet of water about 100 feet from the banks of the Obamas’ property on Edgartown Great Pond. Campbell previously served as the sous chef in the White House kitchen while Barack Obama was in office, and was hired to be his personal staff when his term ended. Emergency responders were dispatched to the 30-acre estate at 79 Turkeyland Cove Road Sunday evening after reports of a “possible drowning” in the water nearby. Rescue efforts involving divers, Coast Guard helicopters, and resources from multiple agencies, were launched from the property overnight. Campbell’s body was finally discovered around 10 a.m. Monday using sonar scanners deployed from a boat.

➤RUSSELL ADMITS THERE WAS NO KIDNAPPING: Alabama nursing student Carlee Russell admitted Monday that she wasn’t abducted earlier this month — as she apologized for the bizarre hoax that sparked a massive two-day search. “There was no kidnapping … my client did not see a baby,” Russell’s attorney Emory Anthony wrote in a statement read at a press conference Monday. 

Anthony’s confirmation was read by Hoover Police Chief Nicholas Derzis.  Neither Anthony nor Russell were in attendance. “My client did not leave the Hoover area. My client apologizes for her actions to this community … Carlee asks for your forgiveness & prayers.” Russell, 25, disappeared on the night of July 13, shortly after she called 911 to report a sighting to a toddler wearing a t-shirt and diaper walking barefoot down 459 in Hoover. She initially told police she would stay at the scene, but then dropped off the grid when she was heard screaming during a bizarre call to her sister-in-law. After a two-day search, the Alabama nursing student showed up at her parents’ door on July 15.


➤BIDEN ADMIN CRACKDOWN ON WATER HEATERS WOULD GO INTO EFFECT IN 2029 AS IT TARGETS MORE HOME APPLIANCES: The Biden administration is getting heat for new regulations that would limit the use of water heaters in the name of reducing carbon emissions. The proposal from the Department of Energy aims to eliminate lower priced but less energy efficient water heaters from Americans homes, which would not be enforced until 2029. Biden's Secretary of Energy said that: "If and when it is enacted, it's going to help save consumers about $11 billion a year."

🛫TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING AIRLINES' "UNREALISTIC SCHEDULING" AFTER FLIGHT DELAYS, CANCELLATIONS: The Secretary of Transportation—Pete Buttigieg—is leading an investigation into the widespread cancellation of flights and delays currently plaguing the airline industry. Industry experts are pointing to staff shortages as the main cause behind the lack of planes being able to take off on time. As long as the number of air traffic controllers, pilots, and airplane mechanics remain low, people fear the trend will continue for years to come.

⚾MLB REDS 3 BREWERS 2:  Cincinnati rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz served up some red-hot revenge to the rival Milwaukee Brewers on Monday with a towering 456-foot home run, albeit in a losing effort.  The 21-year-old couldn't have picked a better moment to hit his sixth longball after being robbed of another in the first inning and subsequently being teased about it by the Brewers' scoreboard operator.

De La Cruz appeared to go deep off Brewers starter Colin Rea to lead off the game, but Milwaukee centerfielder Joey Wiemer tracked the shot back to the wall and easily snagged the would-be home run. 

Two innings later, the Brewers' scoreboard operator decided to add insult to injury when De La Cruz returned to the plate by writing a snarky message on the jumbotron alongside the Reds star's face: 'Almost hit a home in the first inning… but didn't.'

It's unlikely De La Cruz saw the scoreboard caption, but regardless, he responded by hitting the ball 456 feet at 113.7mph. 

Unfortunately for Cincinnati, Milwaukee got the last laugh when Christian Yelich knocked a walk-off RBI-single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Brewers a 3-2 win. As a result, Milwaukee extended its lead over Cincinnati in the National League's Central Division to 1.5 games. 

⚾MLB: ORIOLES 3, PHILLIES 2: Rookie Colton Cowser hit a tiebreaking double in the ninth inning after helping to throw out the potential go-ahead run in the eighth, lifting the surging Baltimore Orioles to a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. Ryan Mountcastle and Jordan Westburg homered for the AL-East leading Orioles, who have won 13 of 16 games and moved 2 1/2 games ahead of idle Tampa Bay. Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber drove in runs for the defending NL champion Phillies. Philadelphia has lost five of six. Cowser entered as a defensive replacement for Aaron Hicks in the third inning after Hicks was hurt making a diving catch. In the ninth, he lofted a flyball to left against Craig Kimbrel (6-2) that went off the glove of diving left fielder Schwarber.

The Wild Card is wild!

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Tigers 5 Giants 1
  • Rockies 10 Nationals 6
  • Royals 5 Guardians 3
  • Astros 10 Rangers 9
  • Pirates 8 Padres 4
  • Cardinals 10 D-Backs 6
  • Blue Jays 6 Dodgers 3


⚽WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TICKETS ON TRACK TO BREAK TICKET RECORDS: The amount of money made on selling 2023 Women's World Cup tickets is on track to break ticket sale records. The update on the soaring ticket sales comes from analysts at the World Cup. The elevated numbers have climbed to over 1.5 million tickets sold worldwide which likely indicated an increased appetite for women's soccer as the game gains popularity. (CBS News)

⚽USA AND NETHERLANDS TO GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN WORLD CUP: The USA and Netherlands women's soccer teams will go head-to-head for the first time since 2019 in the Women's World Cup in a rematch this Thursday. The match will be different from the last time the two teams faced off because the USA now has secured equal pay for women which matches the rates men are paid in professional soccer. The 2019 match was known for spectators chanting about equal pay which is no longer the case, yet the game will still be an important showdown as the teams creep towards a chance at winning the Cup. (AP)

🏈DENVER BRONCOS PLAYER FACES INDEFINITE SUSPENSION FOR ILLEGAL GAMBLING: Eyioma Uwazurike, a defensive for the Denver Broncos has been taken out of the game on indefinite suspension after getting caught betting on NFL games back in 2022. The will be the tenth NFL player this year that has been put on suspension for illegally gambling on professional football games. The NFL released a statement saying the Bronco will not be up for reinstatement consideration until next July. (Fox News)

➤ESPN ANALYST RECOVERS AFTER COLLAPSING ON-AIR: A soccer analyst from ESPN has recovered after collapsing on-air before a match at the Rose Bowl on Sunday. Updates on social media surfaced after the 54-year-old soccer veteran and now-host went down and was briefly knocked out. The former soccer professional retired in 2007 after playing as the starting goalie for Trinidad's national team during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. (Yahoo Sports)




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