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Friday, July 7, 2023

7/7 WAKE-UP CALL: Zuck Takes Aim At Musk


Meta’s stand-alone microblogging app is taking direct aim at Twitter. Threads had 30 million sign-ups so far, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said today in a post on the social-media app. Twitter sent a letter to Meta accusing the tech giant of misappropriating trade secrets or intellectual property and hiring Twitter employees to work on Threads. A Meta executive said no ex-Twitter employees are on the Threads engineering team. Threads uses some of Instagram’s infrastructure and allows people to use their IG login, a step that will likely help it gain a following quickly, analysts have said, though how much additional revenue the Facebook and IG parent stands to gain from the new product remains to be seen. User unrest on Twitter has grown since Elon Musk acquired it in October.

➤NEW MUNITIONS HEADED TO UKRAINE: The Department of Defense is expected on Friday to announce that it is sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, after six months of agonizing over the controversial decision. Cluster munitions explode and disperse a series of smaller bombs over a wide area, often killing civilians. More than 100 nations have signed a 15-year-old treaty banning their use, but Ukraine and Russia have both deployed them - and Ukraine's supplies of all types of ammunition are dwindling. When, five days into the war, Jen Psaki, then the White House press secretary, was asked about the Russian use of cluster munitions, she said: 'We have seen the reports. If that were true, it would potentially be a war crime.' The White House has now shifted its position.

➤WAGNER BOSS BACK IN RUSSIA: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who had promised Yevgeny Prigozhin safe passage in exchange for calling off the armed march, said he was no longer in his country. The Kremlin said it wasn’t following Prigozhin’s movements. Speculation surrounds the paramilitary leader’s location; he hasn’t been seen in public since shortly after the revolt. If Prigozhin is in Russia, it could further challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authority and raise questions about how someone who brought the country to the brink of civil war remains untouched without powerful backers. Meanwhile, Russian state media showed footage of a raid said to be of Prigozhin’s mansion and offices.

➤NEW TWIST EMERGES IN SNOW AT TWH: A new twist has emerged in the investigation of the cocaine discovered at the White House on Sunday - it was actually found in a different location.  The bag of powder was found in a cubby near the White House's West Executive entrance, not the formal West Wing lobby, NBC News reported citing multiple sources. That entrance - which is in the West Wing but on the floor below the lobby - is also a heavily trafficked area, a description White House officials have used as a way to explain their doubts the culprit will be found.

Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany dismissed the idea that the cocaine found at the White House over the weekend belonged to President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. “For it to be Hunter Biden, he left on Friday, he was at Camp David, there is no way, it is inconceivable to think cocaine could sit for a 72-hour-period so I would rule him out at this point,” McEnany said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” on Thursday. The White House temporarily closed on Sunday after Secret Service agents discovered a suspicious white powder that was later determined to be cocaine. 


➤MORTGAGE RATES HIT A HIGH POINT: The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.81 percent this week. That’s its highest level since last November. A 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.24 percent. Only a year ago it was 4.45 percent.

➤MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE BOOTED BY HER OWN CAUCUS: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has been expelled from the conservative House Freedom Caucus by a vote of its members. Another Congressman told Politico that the straw that broke the camel’s back was Taylor Greene’s floor fight with fellow conservative and Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert, during which Taylor Greene called Boebert a “little b***h.”


➤TRUMP EMPLOYEE PLEADS NOT GUILTY: Donald Trump’s valet, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges that he helped the former president hide boxes of classified documents from federal authorities who were trying to get them back. Nauta and Trump are both charged in the 38-count indictment alleging the mishandling of classified documents. Trump pleaded not guilty at his own arraignment on June 13.


➤AMERICANS QUIT QUITTING: Workers voluntarily left four million jobs in May, down from 4.5 million in November 2021, the highest level in Labor Department records back to 2000. Resignations rose as the economy recovered from deep job losses early in the pandemic, leading to labor shortages in many industries. Millions of people waved goodbye as they re-evaluated their life goals, sought higher salaries or switched to fully remote roles. A slowdown in voluntary departures can indicate a softening labor market if it reflects employers’ easing demand for workers, economists say. Employees might have less confidence they will find a better job or feel they have less bargaining power. Or they could simply be content with their jobs.


⚾MLB ORIOLES 14 YANKEES 1:  Aaron Judge's return from injury is said to be progressing, but the Yankees still missed him badly on Thursday as they were clobbered 14-1 at home by the Orioles. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters before the game that Judge, who suffered a torn ligament in his big right toe last month, has been jogging on an anti-gravity treadmill, as well as taking some hard toss batting practice. The star outfielder has also been playing catch on the field. Judge may be inching towards a return, but the Yankees were easily beaten by Baltimore as starting pitcher Luis Severino lasted just 2.2 innings on the mound and gave up seven earned runs.  New York registered just six hits in the game, which gave them their fourth loss in seven games.

⚾MLB METS 9, DIAMONDBACKS 0: Francisco Lindor homered and had two triples among his five hits, Francisco Alvarez homered for the third straight game and New York routed Arizona. Carlos Carrasco (3-3) allowed three hits in eight innings for the once-struggling Mets, who had 17 hits for their fifth straight win. Alvarez became the first Mets rookie to have three homers in a three-game series twice in a season - Larry Elliot in 1964 was the only other New York rookie to do it once - and Pete Alonso hit his 26th of the season. The last team to be shut out this season, the Diamondbacks lost their fourth straight and All-Star rookie Corbin Carroll went down with a right arm injury on a swing in the seventh inning. Ryne Nelson (5-5) was the loser.

⚾MLB REDS 5, NATIONALS 4:  Nick Senzel made a leaping catch to save a run in the ninth inning, then hit a two-run homer leading off the 10th to lift the Cincinnati Reds over the Washington Nationals 5-4 Thursday for their 20th win in 24 games. Cincinnati (49-39) stretched its winning streak to five and maintained a two-game lead over the second-place Brewers in the NL Central heading into a weekend series at Milwaukee. Senzel preserved a 3-3 tie when he made the leaping catch on CJ Abrams with a runner on second, then hit a leadoff two-run homer in the 10th off Hunter Harvey (3-4). Tony Santillan (1-0) got the win and Alexis Díaz earned his 25th save after allowing Lane Thomas' RBI single.

⚾MLB SCORES

  • Phillies 3 Rays 1
  • 'Tigers 9 Athletics 0
  • Brewers 6 Cubs 5
  • Guardians 6 Royals 1
  • Blue Jays 6 White Sox 2
  • Cardinals 3 Marlins 0
  • Red Sox 10 Rangers 6
  • Mariners 5 Astros 1
  • Dodgers 5 Pirates 2


🏀HAWKS’ MURRAY SIGNS A BIG DEAL: DeJounte Murray is about to finalize a four-year deal worth a maximum of $120 million to stay with the Atlanta Hawks, The Athletic reports. He’s only been with the team for one season.

🏒ZADINA AND RED WINGS PART WAYS: Filip Zadina and the Detroit Red Wings have mutually agreed to terminate his contract, one year into the three-year agreement. Zadina is giving up about $4.5 million in salary but will become an unrestricted free agent. He was sixth in the NHL draft in 2018 when he was first picked by the Red Wings.

🎾SOFIA KENIN MAKES A COMEBACK AT WIMBLEDON: Sofia Kenin defeated Xinyu Wang at Wimbledon yesterday 6-4, 6-3. That gets her to the third round of a major tournament for the first time since the 2021 French Open. Kenin, who was born in Russia but raised in the U.S., beat Coco Gauff in Monday’s first round.





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