Tuesday, September 5, 2023

9/5 WAKE-UP CALL: Voters Not Buying Bidenomics

President Joe Biden traveled to Philadelphia on Labor Day to court middle-class voters with a speech touting his economic record and boosting unions − just as a new poll found his 2024 reelection bid is in danger precisely over voters' economic worries. The Wall Street Journal poll, conducted from Aug. 24 to Aug. 30, found that 59% of voters disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy. Nearly 3 in 4 voters say that inflation “is headed in the wrong direction,” the outlet reported. Voters overwhelmingly think Biden, who is 80 years old, is too old to run for reelection and only 39% of voters had a favorable view of the president.





➤FLOTUS HAS COVID: Jill Biden, 72, is “currently experiencing only mild symptoms,” her communications director Elizabeth Alexander said in a statement. “She will remain at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware,” Alexander added.  The first lady, who previously received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as well as a pair of booster shots, has tested positive for the coronavirus at least twice before.  Joe Biden, 80, was administered a COVID-19 test Monday night following the first lady’s positive test, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.  “The President tested negative. The President will test at a regular cadence this week and monitor for symptoms,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement.  “It wouldn’t be a total shock” if President Biden drops out of the 2024 presidential race, according to a Biden biographer who had “unparalleled access’’ to the president’s “tight inner circle’’ for his new book.


➤BIDEN BIO WRITER WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED: Franklin Foer, the well-connected author of “The Last Politican,” said Sunday he wouldn’t rule out the 80-year-old commander in chief withdrawing from seeking a second term — because of the president’s strong belief in fate.  “I would say it would, it would be a surprise to me. But it wouldn’t be a total surprise. … It wouldn’t be a total shock,” Foer told “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd when asked about the prospects of Biden removing himself from the race by the end of the year.

“When he talks about his life, he uses this word, fate, constantly,” Foer explained. “Joe Biden is a very religious guy, and fate is a word loaded with religious meaning. And he always talks about, he can’t say where fate goes. And so I always, when I hear that, to me, it’s the ellipses in the sentence when he’s talking about his own future.”

➤AVERAGE AMERICAN EMPLOYEE HASN'T RECEIVED A RAISE IN THREE YEARS: A survey of 2,000 American adults found that the average employee has not received a raise in three years. 69% of Gen Zers are concerned about nationwide worker strikes, and 53% of millennials are worried about salary cuts. 73% of all respondents agree that the gender wage gap between men and women is real. Despite these concerns, only 43% of workers say they belong to a union. More than half believe talking to management directly is the best way to improve pay and work conditions.

➤COMMAND CHANGE: Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov submitted a letter of resignation on Monday after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be replaced and named his successor. Oleksii Reznikov’s removal follows a scandal around the defense ministry's procurement of military jackets. It was not the first similar case during the ongoing war.

Zelenskyy made the announcement on his official Telegram account, writing that new leadership was needed after Reznikov went through “more than 550 days of full-scale war.” He named Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar lawmaker, as the new defense minister. “Reznikov was a good and prominent international negotiator, but it appears that there is chaos and disorder within the Ministry of Defense, which many deputies have taken advantage of, resulting in corruption scandals during the war,” said analyst Volodymyr Fesenko from the Kyiv-based Penta Center. “All actions of the Ukrainian authorities are geared toward the interests of the war, and scandals and statements about Ukraine’s slow counteroffensive in the face of very limited military resources compel Zelenskyy to be flexible and seek new personnel solutions.”

➤MUD MAN FESTIVAL ENDS: The annual Burning Man festival will come to an end on Monday night with the burning of 'the man', and the remaining 64,000 revelers attempting to leave the waterlogged Nevada desert. A half-inch of rain fell on Friday, turning the site into a quagmire, and attendees were told not to leave because the exit roads were impassable. Some said that the dramatic weather engendered a sense of community, but others admitted there was a mild panic at the thought of being stuck there with dwindling food and water. The road reopened at 2pm on Monday and 'the exodus' could begin: Those leaving the festival before 'the burn' on Monday night faced five hour waits in their vehicles until they reached the open road. 'Take it slow and mind those directing traffic,' organizers pleaded. 'Please be patient as you exit through Gate Road, and respect Burning Man staff who are working hard to make the Exodus experience as smooth and safe as possible.' 

➤CALIFORNIA CITY VOTED TO BAN JUNK FOOD AT GROCERY STORE CHECKOUT LANES: One Southern California city is cracking down on junk food at the checkout lanes at grocery stores. Earlier this year, the Perris City Council voted to ban candy and junk food in checkout aisles at grocery stores larger than 2,500 square feet. By the end of 2023, stores will only be allowed to sell healthy snacks and drinks at the register. Perris City Manager Clara Miramontes said the initiative was passed to help promote healthy food options.

🎥UNDER PRESSURE: Fran Drescher is feeling the weight of the joint WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. The Nanny actress took to Instagram on Sunday (September 3rd) to express regret over losing her temper with another member of SAG-AFTRA. Due to a “convergence of family aggravation, personal health issues, board member abuse, staff bureaucracy and a release of tears to Duncan [Crabtree-Ireland] from feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders,” Drescher said she “yelled at an unsuspecting member” who was “simply sharing her grievances.” The Beautician and the Beast actress added, “I had a meltdown and a complete and offensive, over reaction. I, of course apologized but continue to beat myself up over it … Do not demand perfection from yourself because you are setting yourself up for failure if you do. You may lose it (like I did) and you may offend those undeserving of your wrath when you’ve reached the end of your rope.”

➤3 KILLED, SEVERAL OTHERS RESCUED IN RIP CURRENTS AT JERSEY SHORE BEACHES: Three swimmers died and several others had to be rescued due to rip currents at Jersey Shore over the weekend. Ocean City, Maryland, lifeguards were busy over Labor Day weekend making nearly 400 rescues as tourists enjoyed the beaches along the popular resort area and a major storm’s leftovers churned in the Atlantic Ocean.

➤FIREBALL WAS A METEOR: A blazing fireball flew Sunday night across the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, dazzling hundreds of eyewitnesses who reported the sighting to the American Meteor Society. It's likely the meteor first became visible at about 9:20 p.m. local time 47 miles above the Maryland town of Forest Hill as it streaked northwest across the sky at 36,000 miles per hour, according to the NASA Meteor Facebook page. The meteor, which was bright enough for NASA to refer to it as a fireball, eventually disintegrated 22 miles above Pennsylvania in Gnatstown, a town south of Harrisburg.

🎵THE WAIT IS OVER: The Rolling Stones will soon release new music.On Monday, the band announced they are preparing to release their first album of original material in 18 years — since 2005’s “A Bigger Bang.” Titled “Hackney Diamonds,” the band will share details of the release at an event in East London’s Hackney district on Wednesday, where Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood will be interviewed live by “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon.

➤PROTESTORS RALLY OUTSIDE OF WOODY ALLEN’S ‘COUP DE CHANCE’ PREMIERE AT THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL: According to The Hollywood Reporter, protestors gathered outside of the world premiere of Woody Allen’s new film titled Coup de Chance on Monday night (September 4th). “No spotlight for rapist directors,” they chanted, among other slogans. One of the protestors told the outlet, “We decided to protest the decision of the film festival to invite not one but three directors that have, all together, 17 sexual assault allegations against them,” referring to directors Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, and Luc Besson. On Sunday (September 3rd), banners reading, “Island of rapists” and “No Golden Lion for predators” were put up near the festival as well.

⚾OHTANI HEADED FOR SURGERY: Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is set to eventually undergo surgery on his injured right elbow, according to his agent Nez Balelo. Balelo told reporters on Monday that it was 'inevitable', although he did not specify whether Ohtani would undergo Tommy John surgery or a separate operation. Ohtani is currently dealing with a torn UCL that has ruled him out from pitching for the rest of this season and for at least part of the 2024 campaign as well.

Astros Slam 5 Homers

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Red Sox 7 Rays 3
  • Phillies 9 Padres 7
  • Royals 12 White Sox 1
  • Cubs 5 Giants 0
  • Astros 10 Rangers 6
  • Reds 6 Mariners 3
  • D-Backs 4 Rockies 2
  • Twins 20 Guardians 6
  • Pirates 4 Brewers 2
  • Orioles 6 Angels 3

⚾DODGER PITCHER ARRESTED: Julio Urías, starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence Sunday, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Los Angeles County jail records show that Urías was arrested around 11 p.m. PT and booked into jail at 1:05 a.m. He was released at 4:47 a.m. on $50,000 bond. No other details about the arrest are available, though we have a good idea where Urías was Sunday: at BMO Stadium watching LAFC take on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.



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