Thursday, July 27, 2023

7/27 WAKE-UP CALL: Hunter Deal Stalls

The judge who blew up Hunter Biden's plea deal on Wednesday told the noted artist and former Ukrainian energy executive that he must look for a job as part of the conditions of his release. Biden appeared in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, for what had expected to be little more than a formality after he accepted a plea deal last month settling tax and gun charges. But the agreement collapsed under the scrutiny of Judge Maryellen Noreika.

Hunter Biden pleaded 'not guilty' to tax charges after the judge said she needed more information before approving a planned plea deal. A lawyer for the president’s son clashed with prosecutors about the potential for future charges. Biden had agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor tax charges, avoiding a gun charge. Republicans have accused the Justice Department of being too lenient; the DOJ has denied any favoritism. 

The last-minute upheaval before the judge, a Trump appointee, is the latest twist in a meandering and politically explosive probe into the younger Biden’s finances, business dealings and addiction problems, and ensures it will loom large in the 2024 presidential race. His dad is running for re-election. Biden revealed Wednesday that he'd been in rehab six times in the last 20 years during his dramatic appearance in Wilmington court. 

➤RUDY ADMITS 'FALSE' STATEMENTS: In a court filing, Rudy Giuliani admitted he made “false” statements about Georgia election workers and no longer contests the outcome of the Georgia election. The filing came in response to a motion filed by election workers against Giuliani. It also comes as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is reportedly close to filing racketeering charges against former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state. Giuliani appeared to state that his previous comments about Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who were at the center of a baseless conspiracy of stolen votes in an Atlanta voting center, were false.

➤McCONNELL SAYS HE'S OKAY, OBVIOUSLY HE'S NOT: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told President Joe Biden that he too was 'sandbagged' after the Kentucky Republican froze midsentence during a press conference Wednesday. The 81-year-old Republican was speaking at his leadership briefing when he stopped abruptly, unable to complete his sentence. Aides later said that McConnell had been feeling 'light-headed' prior to making his remarks. 'There's been good bipartisan cooperation and a string of er ... ' he said before stopping and staring into space as he shifted uneasily on his feet. He stood frozen awkwardly for more than 20 seconds in front of the assembled cameras before colleagues stepped in to help.


➤FED RAISES RATES: Officials’ unanimous decision in favor of a quarter-percentage-point increase brought the benchmark federal-funds rate to a range between 5.25% and 5.5%. It is the 11th increase since March 2022, when rates were near zero. So ends last month’s brief pause in rate increases, as officials debate whether they have done enough to tame inflation. Fed Chair Jerome Powell didn’t rule out another rate rise. At the same time, a slowdown in inflation could make it hard for the central bank to settle plans for any additional increase.

➤DOW ON HOT STREAK: The blue-chip index climbed for 13 straight sessions, rising 0.2%. The S&P 500 edged less than 0.1% lower, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.1%. Zooming out, an AI-fueled rally has dramatically boosted smaller biotech companies, a sector where investors give greater weight to growth opportunities than current financial results. Meanwhile, the SEC voted to propose a rule that would impose new guardrails on the way retail investment firms such as Robinhood use advanced analytics to encourage customers to trade, the latest in a series of policy efforts prompted by the 2021 meme-stock craze. The agency also approved toned-down rules requiring publicly traded companies to report cyberattacks.


➤HOAX COULD COST PERP: In Alabama, Carlee Russell could face up to a year behind bars if cops decide to charge her for fabricating her kidnapping during her police interview, a legal expert has revealed.  Nursing student Russell, 25, captured headlines after she went missing while on a 911 call on July 13, during which she reported finding a toddler by the side of the road. After she turned up two days later claiming that a man with 'orange hair' abducted her, she told police that she had been kidnapped and spun an elaborate tale about escaping to her freedom.

➤COLLEGES REVIEW ADMISSION QUESTIONS: Colleges are rethinking what they ask of applicants in the wake of a Supreme Court decision prohibiting affirmative action in admissions. Schools are introducing new essay prompts and software updates for application readers, while worrying about legal exposure. Most applications go live on Tuesday. The court’s majority opinion said that colleges can still consider applicants’ discussions of how race affected their lives if it “is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute.” Universities committed to enrolling diverse students also are changing recruitment locations and preferential-treatment policies, such as those for alumni's children.

⛽GAS PRICES SURGING AGAIN: Consumers may need to prepare to spend more for a gallon of gas tied to the rising cost of oil and heat-induced refinery outages as temps across the nation soar to the highest of the summer this week.  The national average price for a gallon of gasoline could rise five to 10 cents this week, with increases of 10 to 25 cents a gallon in some states, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, tweeted Monday. Currently, the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.58 for the week ending July 20, three cents higher from the previous week. Still, it is 88 cents less than a year ago, according to the latest report by AAA.

➤CRANE COLLAPSES IN NYC: The man who was at the helm of the crane that caught fire and collapsed in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards Wednesday once had his operating license suspended after a co-worker plummeted 48 stories to his death. The Department of Buildings identified Chris Van Duyne of Rockaway, New Jersey, as the man who was operating a construction crane that snapped and struck a neighboring building before smashing onto the street below. Van Duyne, along with his older brother James Van Duyne, temporarily lost their tower-crane operators’ licenses in September 2008 after a crane rigger fell from a platform attached to the crane. Anthony Esposito, 43, was working on a 20-foot movable walkway that linked the crane to the glass-walled Silver Towers at the River Place skyscraper on West 42nd Street.

✞SINEAD O'CONNOR HAS DIED: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has died at age 56. A cause of death was not given. O’Connor, who courted controversy throughout her long career, rose to fame with her 1990 rendition of the Prince song “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.  Her 17-year-old son, Shane O’Connor, died of an apparent suicide last year. She announced his passing in January 2022.

➤WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS GOVERNMENT IS CONCEALING UFO PROOF: A former Air Force intelligence officer told a House committee yesterday that the U.S. government has been secretly retrieving and investigating unidentified flying objects for decades. The Pentagon has denied the claims made by retired Major David Grusch.  He told the House Oversight subcommittee that he was head of a government task force that was assigned to identify various highly classified programs relating to unidentified aerial phenomena. He said he was informed of “a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program to which I was denied access.” It was not clear whether the mysterious objects were extraterrestrial or merely foreign in origin. Grusch said he had interviewed officials who said they had direct knowledge of aircraft with “non-human” origins. 
  • Unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, are now being called “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” or UAP.

➤PEOPLE GETTING BURNS ON HOT STREETS: Southwest burn centers report a rise in injuries to people who touch hot door handles, walk barefoot or fall on scorching pavement—even briefly. Pavement burns often result in worse injuries than exposure to flames, boiling water or chemicals. They are riskiest to those who can’t get up immediately such as elderly people who might faint from dehydration and patients with conditions that cause loss of feeling in their feet. Doctors advise staying indoors on hot days, but if you have to go out, wear shoes, socks and a hat; drink plenty of water; and let people know where you will be.

⚽USWST TIES NETHERLANDS 1-1: Lindsey Horan, angry over being knocked down minutes earlier by Danielle Van de Donk, scored a revenge goal minutes later in the second half to help the United States squeeze out a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands at the Women's World Cup. The Dutch struck first with a goal from Jill Roord in the first-half to surprise the Americans, who remained unbeaten in 19 consecutive matches with Horan's second-half score. Horan´s goal on a header off a corner kick in the 62nd minute followed several minutes of jawing between the two teams: Horan was angry after she was knocked off her feet and even cursed in the direction of Van de Donk - her teammate for club team Lyon.

⚾JUDGE MAY RETURN FRIDAY: Aaron Judge is set to return from his nearly two-month long injury absence for the New York Yankees on Friday night against the Baltimore Orioles, having been out since June 3 with a sprained right big toe. The 31-year-old has been going through rehab in Tampa, Florida, and was believed to be eyeing to play for the pinstripes against the Mets in the Subway Series, which goes on this week from Tuesday to Thursday, according to The NYPost. But, manager Aaron Boone wants his star slugger to be a bit more patient, as he doesn't want Judge to miss what will be a crucial second-half of the season for a team sitting in last place of a competitive AL East (53-48) with another injury.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Marlins 7 Rays 1
  • Phillies 6 Orioles 4
  • Yankees 3 Mets 1
  • Narionals 5 Rockies 4
  • Guardians 8 Royals 3
  • Mariners 8 Twins 7
  • Brewers 3 Reds 0
  • Cardinals 11 D-Backs 7
  • Blue Jays 8 Dodgers 1
  • Pirates 3 Padres 2
  • Red Sox 5 Braves 3
  • Cubs 10 White Soxc 7
  • Rangers 13 Astros 5
  • Giants 8 Athletics
  • Angels at Tigers PP

🏈AARON RODGERS TAKES A PAY CUT: New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is taking a bit of a pay cut, but he’ll be fine. His newly revised with the New York Jets will pay him $75 million over two years, and it’s fully guaranteed. The agreement with the Jets replaces a previous deal he signed with the Green Bay Packers that had nearly $110 million in guaranteed pay remaining on it.



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