Tuesday, August 1, 2023

8/1 WAKE-UP CALL: Hunter Was Selling Joe

Former Hunter Biden business partner Devon Archer told Congress Monday that Hunter referred to President Biden as “my guy” while connecting his dad to foreign associates nearly two dozen times — as Republicans move closer to starting an impeachment inquiry. Archer said during a four-hour House Oversight Committee interview that Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings paid Hunter up to $1 million per year to serve on its board because of his family’s “brand.”

Archer met with then-Vice President Joe Biden in April 2014, within days of joining Burisma’s board alongside Hunter, and told lawmakers that “Burisma would have gone out of business if ‘the brand’ had not been attached to it,” according to a readout from panel Republicans. “Archer talked about the ‘big guy’ and how Hunter Biden always said, ‘We need to talk to my guy,’ ‘We need to see when my guy is going to be here,’ and those types of things,” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) told reporters as he left the deposition. According to Archer, Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky —  who allegedly told an FBI informant in 2016 he was “coerced” to pay $10 million in bribes to Hunter and Joe Biden — put intense pressure on Hunter in late 2015 to enlist US support for ousting Ukrainian prosecutor-general Viktor Shokin, who had investigated Burisma, the Republican readout said. At one point, Hunter Biden, Zlochevsky and Burisma executive Vadym Pozharskyi stepped away and “called DC” about the issue, Archer said.

➤DEM MOCKED FOR 'WEATHER' REMARK: President Biden didn’t talk business with his son’s business associates but rather discussed “the weather or whatever,” Manhattan and Brooklyn Rep. Daniel Goldman claimed Monday after former Hunter Biden partner Devon Archer admitted that the then-vice president was frequently patched into meetings involving the now-first son. Goldman, a member of the House Oversight Committee who was the lead attorney for Democrats’ bid to impeach then-President Donald Trump in 2019, emerged from Archer’s four-hour deposition on Capitol Hill and confirmed that the former Burisma Holdings board member had recalled “approximately 20 occasions” on which Hunter, now 53, would ask his father to say “hello” during business meetings.

➤TRUMP FACING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN GEORGIA: A state court judge rejected Donald Trump’s effort to halt the criminal investigation he faces in Georgia. The ruling found the former president’s allegations of prosecutorial misconduct are meritless. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the coming weeks is expected to announce her charging decisions from her investigation into alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election. Trump argued that the entire process has been “tainted by improper influences,” including public statements that Willis, an elected Democrat, made in media interviews. A Willis spokesman declined to comment on the ruling.

➤DeSANTIS: TRUMP CANNOT WIN: Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said if elected he would look at a national ban of TikTok, the popular video sharing app, citing a growing threat to the U.S. from China. “I am inclined to not want TikTok in the United States,” DeSantis told The Wall Street Journal in an interview following the release of his economic plan that identifies confronting Beijing as a priority. “I think it’s creating a security vulnerability for us. I think they are mining a lot of data.” 


The Florida governor also said he would work to oust Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell before his post expires in 2026, adding to his continuing criticism of the Fed, and said he would support rules governing how the central bank sets interest rates.

➤DRONE ATTACKS BUILDING IN MOSCOW: A Moscow skyscraper which houses the ministry of the economy and the ministry of communications came under attack in the early hours of Tuesday, for the second time in two days. Surveillance footage from inside the tower in the city center several miles west of the Kremlin, shared online, appeared to show an explosion shortly before 1am. Russia's defense ministry said the previous night's attack was a thwarted Ukrainian drone attack - the second in a week. Nobody was hurt in that attack and there was only minor damage, but such attacks are uncomfortable for the authorities who have told the public that Russia is in full control of what they call its 'special military operation' in Ukraine. Kyiv typically does not claim responsibility for specific incidents on Russian territory, and did not claim the latest attack. President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, said the war was 'gradually returning to Russia's territory - to its symbolic centers'.

Meanwhile in Ukraine..More than a year into the war, Russian missiles and shells are chewing away at Ukrainians going about their daily business in cities miles from the front lines. Russia says it is targeting military facilities, but the strike in the industrial Kryviy Rih in central Ukraine is the latest in a string of attacks over the past week that killed civilians and damaged infrastructure. The port city of Odesa has been repeatedly struck by Russian missiles, which damaged its cathedral, as well as critical infrastructure for exporting grain. At least four people were killed by shelling in the southern city of Kherson on Monday. “The enemy has been stubbornly attacking cities, city centers, shelling civilian objects and housing,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram, adding that five floors of the apartment building in Kryviy Rih had been destroyed. “But this terror will not frighten us or break us. We are working and saving our people.”

Lori Daybell
➤KILLER MOM GETS LIFE: An Idaho mother convicted of the gruesome killings of her two youngest children and her husband's former wife was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the maximum sentence possible. Lori Vallow Daybell was sentenced more than three years after the bodies of her son, Joshua "JJ" Vallow, 7, and daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, were discovered in her husband's backyard in rural Idaho. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the two first-degree murder charges and conspiracy to commit murder of her husband's former wife, Tammy Daybell. The three sentences are to be served consecutively because Vallow Daybell "needs to be held accountable separately for each of the three murders," Judge Steven Boyce said. 

✞CANCER KILLS PEE-WEE: Actor Paul Reubens – or, you might better know him as Pee-wee Herman – has died at 70 after a private battle with cancer. Reubens' estate confirmed news of his death on his official Instagram page Monday, including a quote from Reubens himself apologizing to fans for dealing with his health privately. His comedic man-child character Pee-wee Herman was featured in the 1985 film "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" and a Saturday morning children's show on CBS, "Pee-wee's Playhouse." 

Reubens’ life and career was not without controversy: In 1991, he was charged with public masturbation, and in 2001, he was charged with possessing child pornography.

Angus Cloud
✞EUPHORIA STAR DEAD: Angus Cloud, cast member of the HBO teen drama series "Euphoria," died on Monday at age 25 just days after the death of his father, his family said in a statement. Cloud played Fezco, an intense drug dealer with a moral code, in the series starring Zendaya in the lead role of Rue Bennett. No specific cause of death was reported but the family statement said he had suffered from mental health issues and was hit hard by the death of his father, described as his "best friend," who was buried last week.

🎵CARDI B IS SUSPECT: Cardi B broke her silence following reports that she is a suspect in a battery investigation for throwing a microphone at an audience member, who tossed a drink at her. While opting not to address the incident directly, the rapper, 30, shared a risqué Instagram video of herself and husband Offset letting loose. 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,' she captioned the footage, in which she recorded herself twerking in a pool on the rooftop of their hotel in Sin City. The WAP hitmaker showcased her sensational curves in a red monokini, and could be seen flipping off the camera, at one point. As they partied away, the father-of-five playfully slapped his wife's rear and danced in the water as their new single, Jealousy, played in the background.

🆇MUSK'S ROOFTOP X REMOVED: San Francisco authorities have removed Elon Musk's huge new, brightly-lit 'X' sign because it violated permit orders.  The social-media giant, formally known as Twitter, was under investigation after Musk had the blinding sign that aggravated neighbors installed without first obtaining permits from the San Francisco Department of Buildings. Monday, workers dismantled the large X logo on the roof of the headquarters in San Francisco, California - just over 48 hours after it was installed. 

📲iPHONES FEATURING THE OLD TWITTER ICON ARE BEING SOLD FOR UP TO A WHOPPING $25,000: Twitter recently got rebranded to X last week, and that would only mean that Android smartphones and iPhone owners would eventually have to update their apps to get the new changes. However, iPhone models that are still flaunting the old Twitter logo showing a bird are being ‘cashed in’ as collector’s items, as some of these devices are going for thousands of dollars at online stores. One version, in particular, was listed at $25,000, and if you thought that this is an outrageous asking price, there have been occasions where people have paid significantly more in the past.

➤NASA LOSES CONTACT WITH VOYAGER 2 SPACECRAFT, OPERATING ALMOST 12.4 BILLION MILES FROM EARTH: NASA lost contact with its Voyager 2 spacecraft and it's possible that communications won't resume until mid-October. Voyager 2, located nearly 12.4 billion miles from Earth, is currently unable to send data back to Earth or receive commands. Contact was disrupted when a series of planned commands on July 21 accidentally caused the antenna to point 2 degrees away from Earth.

⚽U-S WOMEN BARELY ALIVE IN WORLD CUP: Needing a win or tie to avoid being eliminated in the group stage for the first time ever at a World Cup or Olympics, the four-time World Cup champions squeaked through with a scoreless draw against Portugal, a team it had beaten in each of its previous 10 meetings. It was a far closer game than it should have been, but the tie was enough for the USWNT to finish second in Group E and go through.  That’s the good news. The bad news is the USWNT is likely to face old nemesis Sweden in the round of 16. 

⚾MLB ANGELS 4 BRAVES 1:   Shohei Ohtani, who has been the center of speculation in the buildup to the MLB trade deadline on August 1, looked to have blasted yet another home run in the LA Angels' 4-1 win over the Atlanta Braves. However, the Japanese star was denied the home run by Braves center fielder Harris with a spectacular catch.  But Angels fans needn't despair as they are likely to witness another home run from Ohtani in an LA uniform. The trade deadline is 6pm ET on Tuesday but Angels will hold on to two-way star Ohtani unless they receive an offer they can't refuse,

⚾MLB: ASTROS 7, GUARDIANS 3: Yordan Alvarez hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to put Houston on top after Noah Syndergaard exited his Cleveland debut with an injury. J.P. France pitched seven strong innings for Houston, which moved within a half-game of idle AL West-leading Texas. Cleveland fell one game under .500 and one game behind first-place Minnesota in the weak AL Central. Earlier Monday, the Guardians traded starting pitcher Aaron Civale to Tampa Bay for a minor league outfield prospect. Syndergaard, acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, had allowed just two hits and Cleveland was up 2-0 when Jeremy Peña hit a ball that bounced off the pitcher's lower right leg. Syndergaard fielded the ball and got it to first for the out. But was lifted by manager Terry Francona.

⚾MLB RAYS 5, YANKEES 1: Tyler Glasnow pitched seven strong innings and Tampa Bay hit four early homers off spot starter Jhony Brito to beat New York. Brandon Lowe launched a two-run drive in the first and Wander Franco added a solo shot in the third before Isaac Paredes and Josh Lowe went back-to-back in the fourth. Glasnow (5-3) allowed three hits and struck out eight for Tampa Bay, which is behind first-place Baltimore in the AL East and leading the wild-card standings. Robert Stephenson and Pete Fairbanks finished the three-hitter. 

Brito (4-5) was called up from the minors earlier in the day to start in place of Domingo Germán, who was scratched because of discomfort in his armpit that prevented him from playing catch Sunday. Germán entered out of the bullpen in the fifth and worked five scoreless innings of two-hit ball. Jake Bauers homered in the second for the last-place Yankees (55-51).

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Phillies 4 Marlins 2
  • Nationals 5 Brewers 3
  • Orioles 4 Blues Jays 2
  • Reds 6 Cubs 5
  • Marines 6 Red Sox 2
  • Rockies 4 Padres 3
  • D-Backs 4 Giants 3


🏈BRONCOS WR TIM PATRICK TEARS ACHILLES IN PRACTICE: Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick, who missed the 2022 season with a torn right ACL, suffered a torn Achilles in his left leg during practice Monday. Patrick was carted off the field with the injury and an MRI confirmed the Achilles tear meaning the receiver will miss his second consecutive season with an injury.

🏈COWBOYS RB RONALD JONES SUSPENDED TWO GAMES FOR PEDS: Dallas Cowboys running back Ronald Jones has been suspended for the first two games of the regular season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy. Jones, who signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys in March, can continue to practice during training camp and play in preseason games. His suspension takes effect on Sept. 3, and he is eligible to return to the Cowboys on Sept. 18, a day after their Week 2 meeting against the New York Jets.

🏈COLTS RB ZACK MOSS SUFFERS BROKEN ARM, 4-6 WEEKS: Zack Moss, who was working with the starting offense in the absence of Jonathan Taylor, sustained a broken arm in Monday's practice and will miss roughly four to six weeks.

🌞PHOENIX SIZZLED DURING JULY: July 2023 will not only end up being the hottest July on record, but it will also shatter the hottest month ever recorded for Phoenix by about 4 degrees Fahrenheit, AccuWeather meteorologists say. The Arizona metropolis will finish the month with an average temperature (combining high and low temperatures) near 103 F.

With 30 of 31 days of high temperatures at or above 110 F and a total of 19 nights where the temperature failed to drop below 90, it's no wonder that July 2023 will go down in the history books as an incredibly hot month for Phoenix. The grueling 31-day stretch of consecutive days with high temperatures at or above 110-degrees Fahrenheit began on June 30 and is the longest-ever stretch since record-keeping began in 1895. The old record of 18 days in a row with 110 F plus heat, previously set in 1974, was blown away.

Prior to 2023, the hottest July on record in Phoenix was set in 2020 with an average temperature of 98.9 degrees. That same summer also brought the hottest month on record, which was August. The average temperature for the aptly named "Valley of the Sun" was 99.1 in August 2020. To beat the prior record by such a wide margin is phenomenal, according to meteorologists. Most often when a monthly temperature record is topped, it is done so by a few tenths of a degree.



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