Friday, August 4, 2023

8/4 WAKE-UP CALL: Trump Pleads 'Not Guilty'..Again

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his alleged widespread efforts to remain in power after his 2020 election loss. The former president’s third arraignment in four months took place blocks from the U.S. Capitol his supporters stormed on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump is accused of conspiring to subvert the will of American voters after now-President Biden defeated him. Trump has denied wrongdoing and accused prosecutors of pursuing him to undermine his bid to return to the White House. The magistrate judge handling former President Trump’s arraignment on charges related to trying to overturn the 2020 election warned him Thursday against bribing or influencing witnesses. U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya reminded Trump during the arraignment proceedings that bribing, influencing or retaliating against witnesses is a crime.

➤FED UNIONS DENOUNCE DESANTIS: The two largest federal employee unions on Thursday denounced Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s recent vow that as president he would “start slitting throats” in the federal bureaucracy — the latest escalation in intensifying Republican attacks on government operations they want to slash or eliminate. DeSantis, whose campaign for the GOP nomination has included promises to downsize agencies and fire bureaucrats, made the comments this weekend in New Hampshire while criticizing the “deep state,” echoing a term regularly used by former president Donald Trump to deride Washington.

➤ZELENSKY CALLS CORRUPTION 'REVOLTING': President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday decried "revolting" practices exposed during an audit of Ukraine's military recruitment centers and pledged to fix the system by placing in charge people who understood the meaning of war. Zelensky has expressed indignation at corruption uncovered during the audit last month after a high-profile incident of wrongdoing came to light in the Black Sea port of Odesa. "We had a detailed conversation," Zelensky said in his nightly video address after meeting Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and the head of the SBU security service, Vasyl Maliuk. "The investigation is revealing numerous abuses," Zelensky said. "And they are frankly revolting." The probe of recruitment offices is part of a long-running campaign to root out corruption, a critical issue as Ukraine presses a campaign to join NATO and the European Union.


➤BOTH SIDES DESTROYING DRONES: Kyiv and Moscow said Thursday that they had destroyed each other's drones, with Ukraine reporting 15 downed Iranian-made Shahed drones Russia fired overnight and Russia saying it destroyed six Ukrainian ones. The Ukrainian Air Force reported the destruction of the Russian drones Thursday, adding that seven Russian reconnaissance drones were also destroyed. There was initially no information about damage or casualties. The Russian Defense Ministry announced Thursday that it had destroyed six Ukrainian drones in an attack on the Kaluga area, about 118 miles southwest of Moscow. There were no casualties or damage, according to official reports, but this is often not possible to independently verify.


➤FORMER MISSISSIPPI DEPUTIES PLEAD GUILTY TO TORTURE CHARGES: Six former Mississippi law enforcement officers pleaded guilty to charges related to a prolonged assault on two Black men in a house in Braxton, Mississippi. The six men were members of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department, but they called themselves “the Goon squad.” They are accused of entering the house the two men were in and torturing them for two hours. One of the victims was shot in the mouth during the assault. The two victims filed a federal civil lawsuit.


🚘HYUNDAI AND KIA RECALL 92,000 VEHICLES: About 92,000 late-model Hyundai and Kia vehicles have been recalled over concerns that an oil pump assembly may overheat and cause a fire. The vehicles include some 2023 Hyundai Elantra, Kona, Palisade, Sonata, and Tucson models and some 2024 Palisade models. The Kia recalls include some 2023 Kia Seltos, Soul and Sportage models and 2024 Seltos models. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside until they’re fixed.

➤ELDERLY LAWMAKER CEDES POWER OF ATTORNEY: California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has relinquished power of attorney to her daughter — even as she continues to serve in Congress at the age of 90, according to a report. The Democratic senator — who is the oldest member of Congress — has faced calls to resign after health complications kept her away from the Capitol for months earlier this year. Since returning to Washington DC, she has appeared frail and has had a number of public mental lapses. Feinstein handed over power of attorney to her daughter, 66-year-old Katherine Feinstein, in part to help handle legal battles over her late husband Richard Blum’s estate, the New York Times reported on Thursday.

🐖YOUR PRICES FOR BACON COULD SOAR: The bacon you like golden brown could soon cost more, and you might have the Golden State to blame. Wholesale prices for pork belly—the cut of meat used to make the breakfast classic—have nearly tripled since the start of June. A new California animal-welfare law requiring pigs to have at least 24 square feet of pen space for their meat to be sold in the state is helping drive the price surge. California accounts for roughly 15% of U.S. pork consumption. Another factor is a seasonal shift: pork-belly prices normally rise in the summer when hog slaughters and pork production slow, but the scale and speed of this year’s price increases have been outliers.

🏈NFL BROWNS 21 JETS 16: Aaron Rodgers was not active on Thursday for the Jets' 21-16 preseason loss to the Browns, but the quarterback was in attendance in Canton, Ohio - and spoke glowingly of his time with New York thus far. After 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers was traded to the Jets on April 24, and the California native seemingly couldn't be happier with where he's at.  'I love our team. I love the guys we got, I love the men and women that work for the organization,' he told NBC during the Hall of Fame Game. ' It was a battle of rookies and reserves as both teams rested their starters in the NFL's inaugural game of 2023. Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round pick, was 8 of 11 for 82 yards. Kellen Mond started for the Browns and played the first half, going 7 of 12 for 49 yards with a TD pass and an interception. On the other hand, Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft was 3 of 5 passing for 65 yards after his 15-minute cameo in the first half.

🏈TITANS FIRE JAMARCO JONES: Offensive lineman Jamarco Jones has been released by the Tennessee Titans after his second altercation in a week during practice. Jones was ejected from practice yesterday after a dispute with fellow linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. He and Jeffery Simmons were ejected on Tuesday after getting into a pushing match. Jones played in Seattle for three seasons before signing with the Titans in March 2022. He has not played since being placed on injured reserve on Sept. 22, 2022.

🏀POLITICAL DONATION BY MAGIC ALARMS PLAYERS’ GROUP: The union for NBA players released a statement condemning a political donation by the Orlando Magic to a super PAC that supports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. The union released a statement calling the donation “alarming” and saying it did not represent support by Magic players. The $50,000 donation was revealed in a filing with federal regulators. The Magic team is owned by the DeVos family, which is prominent in Republican political circles.

⚾MLB MARINERS 5 ANGELS 3: Shohei Ohtani left the mound after only four scoreless innings due to cramping in his pitching hand and fingers, but then hit his major league-leading 40th homer before his LA Angels blew a two-run lead in the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. Rookie Cade Marlowe hit his first career grand slam in the ninth for the Mariners, who rallied from a two-run deficit against All-Star closer Carlos Estévez (5-2).

⚾MLB YANKEES 4, ASTROS 3:  Anthony Volpe hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the sixth inning, helping New York past Houston in a rematch of last season's American League Championship Series. Giancarlo Stanton and Billy McKinney hit back-to-back homers in the first inning for the Yankees, who beat the Astros at home for the first time since June 26, 2022. The win was the second straight for the Yankees, who beat the Tampa Bay Rays a night earlier.

⚾ROYALS 9, METS 2: Brady Singer tossed eight innings of three-hit ball, Bobby Witt Jr. and Drew Waters hit homers, and the suddenly hot Kansas City Royals blew out the free-falling New York Mets to wrap up their second straight series sweep. The last-place Royals had won just four of their first 33 series this season, but squeaked out three wins over Minnesota before taking three from the Mets, a club they had never swept in franchise history.

⚾RANGERS 3, WHITE SOX 3:  Three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer settled down after a shaky start to win his debut for the AL West-leading Texas Rangers, striking out nine over six innings and getting help from his new teammates as they beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Thursday. Four of Chicago's first five batters reached base in a three-run first inning when Scherzer (10-4) threw 37 pitches.  The White Sox then had three singles in the second, though Scherzer benefitted from a double-play grounder and an inning-ending strikeout to prevent any more runs.


⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Phillies 4 Marlins 2
  • Rangers 5 Whites Sox 3
  • Orioles 6 Blue Jays 1
  • Giants 1 D-Backs 0
  • Brewers 14 Pirates 1
  • Twins 5 Cardinals 3
  • Cubs 5 Reds 3
  • Mariners 5 Angels 3
  • Dodgers 8 Athletics 2

⚾YANKEES PITCHER BECAME 'BELLIGERENT': Yankees pitcher Domingo German “grew belligerent” in the clubhouse Tuesday and got into confrontations with members of the Yankees — even flipping over a couch and smashing a TV — before seeking treatment for alcohol abuse. German, who was placed on the restricted list Wednesday by the Yankees after voluntarily submitting to inpatient treatment, “grew belligerent while in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium,” according to SNY. The Wall Street Journal reported that German, who appeared to be intoxicated, had “confrontations” with Yankees teammates and manager Aaron Boone. During the incident, the pitcher flipped over a couch and smashed a TV and was then held in a sauna as the team tried to get him to sweat out the alcohol, according to the Journal.

⚾HE THOUGHT HE FELT A LITTLE FUNNY: Anthony Rizzo of the New York Yankees is on the injured list being treated for an injury that he may have sustained all the way back on May 28 when he collided with San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Junior during a game. Rizzo had a concussion test at the time and it came back clean. But he was sent for more tests this week after complaining about feeling “foggy” in recent days. They showed he probably was suffering from the effects of a concussion.



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