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Friday, September 22, 2023

9/22 WAKE-UP CALL: Media Icon Steps Away

Rupert Murdoch will step down as chair of Fox and News Corp in November and serve as chairman emeritus of each. His eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, will transition from co-chair to sole chair of News Corp and will continue as Fox’s executive chair and CEO, the companies said. The 92-year-old media baron’s exit comes at a key moment for both Fox, on guard against cable cord-cutting and the growth of streaming, and News Corp, which is seeking digital growth amid a fierce battle for subscribers and online-ad dollars. 


Starting with one newspaper in Australia seven decades ago, the senior Murdoch built a media empire that revolutionized news and entertainment and made him one of the world’s most influential and controversial tycoons. He bought the WSJ’s parent, Dow Jones, in 2007.

🚍NY BUS CRASH KILLS 2: A charter bus carrying high school marching band members on their way to summer camp crashed off Interstate 84 northwest of New York City, killing two adults and injuring multiple students, police said. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said at least five people remain in critical condition. Speaking at a Thursday evening press conference, officials said there were 44 people onboard the bus when a front tire failed. The bus careened off the highway, down a 50-foot embankment and came to rest on its side in bushes and trees, the governor said. "There's a lot of families who need some love tonight," Hochul said. "Today was a day of terror for 44 passengers on a private coach line."

💸INFLATION FIGHT HURTING AMERICANS: U.S. consumers are only now beginning to feel the full effects of the Fed’s higher-for-longer interest rates. The central bank’s campaign to cool inflation is taking its toll on households that need to borrow money—especially for major purchases such as homes and cars—or rely on credit-card debt. More Americans have turned to payday and other short-term loans, which tend to carry superhigh interest rates; at the same time, traditional loans are harder to get. Not everyone is suffering: Some locked in low mortgage rates or saved more during Covid-19. Also, wage gains surpassed inflation this summer, and price increases have slowed more than expected. And the job market is in solid shape, despite slowed growth this summer and layoffs in some rate-sensitive industries.

➤HEALTH COVERAGE RESTORED TO HALF A MILLION AMERICANS: A half million Americans are getting back their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage after bureaucratic errors accidentally struck them off the rolls. They were among the families who received additional benefits during the Covid-19 crisis. These benefits were funded by the federal government but administered by the states. After the emergency funding lapsed, about 30 states accidentally struck off many who were still eligible for the regular programs based on their low incomes. The errors are now being fixed.

➤US RELEASES MORE AID TO UKRAINE: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky ended a visit to Washington D.C. by receiving $325 million more in military aid from President Joe Biden. The Ukrainian leader spent yesterday lobbying members of Congress to authorize additional military and humanitarian aid to help the nation in its fight against the Russian invasion. In an emotional speech, Zelensky thanked Americans, who he said have saved millions of lives in Ukraine and kept most of the country out of Russian hands.


➤UKRAINIANS BREECH RUSSIAN DEFENSES: Ukrainian forces breached the main Russian defensive line in the southeast of the country with armored vehicles. It’s a significant milestone in the 3½-month counteroffensive aimed at splitting up the occupying army. The Russians are hammering the area with artillery and launching counterattacks, and the Ukrainians are taking heavy casualties. A firm foothold could let Kyiv drive more armored vehicles through the gap and punch into less heavily fortified areas. Stateside, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with House leaders and all 100 senators in private meetings on Capitol Hill to make his case for more U.S. assistance. He faces some Republicans’ concerns about what they call President Biden’s “open-ended commitment” to Kyiv.

➤HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS GET LEGAL STATUS: The Biden administration is granting temporary legal status to 472,000 Venezuelan migrants who are already in the U.S., a major step toward aiding asylum seekers as the number of migrants at the southern border is on the rise again. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas − citing political instability in Venezuela preventing the safe return of migrants − extended the temporary protected status designation by 18 months for Venezuelan migrants who arrived in the U.S. this year prior to July 31. The move Wednesday was applauded by Democrats who have pushed the White House to do more to help migrants seeking asylum and blasted by congressional Republicans from Texas who accused the Biden administration of further enflaming unrest at the border.

➤EAGLE PASS OVERWHELMED: A growing wave of migration that has been building at the U.S.-Mexico border for the past few months is exploding in this small Texas city. Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. declared a state of emergency as thousands of migrants are entering daily, overwhelming the resources of federal border agents and the community’s only shelter. About 3,000 migrants crossed into Eagle Pass on Wednesday and another 3,000 are on track to enter Thursday, said U.S. Rep Tony Gonzalez, who represents the city in Congress. He said the Border Patrol estimates that by Friday, 10,000 migrants will have illegally entered Eagle Pass in a week. “We are on pace for this to be the worst of the border crisis yet, and we’ve seen some doozies,” the Republican said.

➤BIDEN REPEATS STORY WITHIN MINUTES: Joe Biden repeated the same story twice within minutes at a private fundraising event in New York, sparking further concerns about his age. The story was one the 80-year-old president tells often about how events in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and the reaction of Donald Trump, inspired him to run for the White House. On Aug 11, 2017 white supremacists and neo-Nazis descended on the city and clashes continued into the following day. 

Biden, who was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, attended a fundraising gathering hosted by food security expert Amy Goldman Fowler at her home. According to a White House pool report of the private event he began speaking just after 4pm in a living room in front of about two dozen people. After briefly talking about his economic record he reflected on his decision to seek the presidency and 'talked about the events of Charlottesville' as the reason for his campaign, the report said. ''A few minutes later, he told the story again, nearly word for word,' the report went on. A spokesman for the Republican National Committee, commenting sarcastically on the report, said: 'This is completely fine.'

➤CONGRESS FAILS TO BUDGE ON MILITARY SPENDING BILL: The House of Representatives failed for a second time this week to move forward on a critical military funding bill. And then they left town for a long weekend. The ultra-conservative wing of the Republican Party blocked debate on the military spending bill. They are holding it up as a negotiating tactic in hopes of bringing forward largely symbolic votes on subjects such as an end to aid to Ukraine. The lack of action bodes badly for the chances of avoiding a government shutdown at the end of this month.

🏈NFL TNF: Brock Purdy passed for a regular-season career-high 310 yards and two touchdowns to help the San Francisco 49ers post a 30-12 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday night at Santa Clara, Calif. Christian McCaffrey rushed for a touchdown and totaled 119 yards (85 rushing, 34 receiving) for the 49ers (3-0), who won their 13th consecutive regular-season game. Deebo Samuel had six receptions for 129 yards and one score, George Kittle caught seven passes for 90 yards and Ronnie Bell hauled in his first career touchdown catch for San Francisco.

⚾MLB DODGERS 7 GIANTS 2:  Rookie right-hander Emmet Sheehan struck out nine over 4 2/3 no-hit innings, J.D. Martinez drove in three runs and the host Los Angeles Dodgers opened a four-game series against the rival San Francisco Giants with a 7-2 victory on Thursday. Sheehan gave up a run on a bases-loaded walk but has not given up a hit to the Giants in two starts after going six no-hit innings against San Francisco in his major league debut back on June 16. Martinez hit his 30th home run as the Dodgers (94-58) won for the sixth time in their last seven games. They have a magic number of two for clinching a bye into the National League Division Series. Shelby Miller (2-0) pitched a scoreless inning to earn the win. Joc Pederson hit a home run against his former team for the Giants, whose playoff chances took a major blow with a sixth loss in seven games. San Francisco (76-77) is three games out of the final NL wild-card spot.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Rays 5 Angels 4
  • Yankees 5 Blue Jays 3
  • Phillies 5 Mets 4
  • Brewerr 6 Cardinals 0
  • Braves 10 Nationals 3
  • Guardians 5 Orioles 2
  • Pirates 8 Cubs 6
  • Tigers 7 Athletics 3

🏈COWBOYS LOSE DIGGS FOR SEASON: Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs has suffered a season-ending knee injury. Diggs, who turned 25 on Wednesday, tore his ACL during practice on Thursday, the team confirmed. Diggs went down during 1-on-1 drills and his ACL injury was later confirmed by an MRI. The news comes after Diggs was seen exiting Thursday's practice on crutches. The Cowboys said a timeline for his return to action has not been established, but Diggs is expected to miss the remainder of the 2023 campaign. The two-time Pro Bowl corner said he "will be back and better! "Thank you for all the prayers and I appreciate everyone for checking on me!" Diggs said on social media Thursday in his first public remarks since his injury. "This is just God’s Plan. I will be back and better!"

⚽MESSI MISSING ON SUNDAY: Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi will not play in Sunay’s game against Orlando City, and neither will his teammate Jordi Alba. That’s according to coach Tata Martino. Both exited the game during Miami’s 4-0 win against Toronto FC on Wednesday night. The two players are being evaluated day to day as the club is the midst of a six-game stretch over 18 days. No details have been released but there are reports that both are nursing minor injuries or are just “fatigued.”


➤TROPICAL STORM SURGES  EXPECTED: A tropical storm warning was issued for portions of the East Coast on Thursday as a "potential tropical cyclone" formed in the Atlantic Ocean not far from the southeastern U.S. shoreline. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm will bring "tropical-storm-force winds, storm surge, heavy rain and high surf to large portions of the Southeast and mid-Atlantic United States coast beginning Friday and continuing into the weekend." The current forecast track for the storm indicates it will impact the densely populated I-95 corridor from Washington, DC, to Boston over the weekend. As of Thursday, more than 5 million people faced tropical storm warnings from North Carolina to Delaware.



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