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Oscars producer says police offered to arrest Will Smith
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oscars producer Will Packer said Los Angeles police were ready to arrest Will Smith after Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Academy Awards stage.
“They were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment,” Packer said in a clip released by ABC News Thursday night of an interview he gave to “Good Morning America.” “They said we will go get him. We are prepared. We’re prepared to get him right now. You can press charges, we can arrest him. They were laying out the options.”
But Packer said Rock was “very dismissive” of the idea.
“He was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m fine,” Packer said. “And even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’ The LAPD officers finished laying out what his options were and they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?’ And he said no.”
The LAPD said in a statement after Sunday night’s ceremony that they were aware of the incident, and that Rock had declined to file a police report. The department declined comment Thursday on Packer’s interview, a longer version of which will air on Friday morning.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. Smith could be suspended, expelled or otherwise sanctioned.
The academy said in a statement that “Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television.”
Without giving specifics, the academy said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, but refused to do so.
Smith strode from his front row seat on to the stage and slapped Rock after a joke Rock made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, when he was on stage to present the Oscar for best documentary.
On Monday, Smith issued an apology to Rock, the academy and to viewers, saying “I was out of line and I was wrong.”
The academy said Smith has the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on April 18.
Rock publicly addressed the incident for the first time, but only briefly, at the beginning of a standup show Wednesday night in Boston, where he was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation. He said “I’m still kind of processing what happened.”
___
Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.cbs46.com/2022/04/01/oscars-producer-says-police-offered-arrest-will-smith/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:53Z |
As casino executives and gaming regulators prepared to mark the official launch of the PlayMyWay program at MGM Springfield on Thursday afternoon, about 200 gamblers had already enrolled to use the voluntary gambling budget tool.
The program that's been available to players at Plainridge Park Casino since 2016 allows gamblers to set a slot machine budget for themselves and then track their spending against that budget. Once enrolled, players get automatic notifications when approaching 50%, 75 % and 100% of the budget they set for daily, weekly or monthly wagering.
Daniel Miller, MGM Springfield's compliance manager who was sporting a green PlayMyWay t-shirt, told the Gaming Commission on Thursday that the program began to roll out Monday morning and that about 200 people had signed up as of 3 p.m. Wednesday. He said 170 of those gamblers had already redeemed the $10 food credit that came as a perk of signing up.
A study of more than 1,500 Massachusetts gamblers released last year found that 77% of those survey scored high on a personal responsibility metric -- meaning they clearly understand the need to gamble only within their means -- and that most players know when it's time to stop gambling and can control their betting.
Dr. Richard Wood, a psychologist who specializes in the study of gaming behavior for the firm Gamres, told the Gaming Commission that "gambling literacy and pre-commitment certainly are areas that would benefit from a little bit more focus going forward."
Miller said the responsible gaming program is "definitely gathering momentum" at MGM.
More Massachusetts news
Gaming Commission Director of Research and Responsible Gaming Mark Vander Linden, MGM Springfield President Chris Kelley, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Springfield Health & Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris officially launched the program during a Thursday afternoon press event at the casino.
PlayMyWay is "COMING TO ENCORE BOSTON HARBOR SOON," according to the Gaming Commission's GameSense website. | https://www.necn.com/news/local/gamblers-budget-tool-rolls-out-at-mgm-springfield/2709114/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:52Z |
A text from your own phone number? It’s spam
(Gray News) - Many Verizon customers are getting spam text messages that appear to be coming from their own phone number.
Like many scams, the text provides a link to a “free gift” for the user to click on.
Verizon customers have been sharing their experiences in a community forum on Verizon’s website, with most of them encountering the same text that appears to come from their own phone number. It reads:
“Free Msg: Your bill is paid for March. Thanks, here’s a little gift for you” followed by a link.
Of course, there is no gift for you – it’s a scam to get information from you. As with any scam, it is best to not click on the link and simply delete the message.
Verizon said on its Support Twitter account that it is actively working to stop the messages and have involved law enforcement to try to identify the source of the spam texts.
For more information about phishing scams and how to report them, visit Verizon’s website here.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kswo.com/2022/03/30/text-your-own-phone-number-its-spam/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:53Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers moved to the brink Thursday of shaking hands on a scaled-back bipartisan compromise providing a fresh $10 billion to combat COVID-19, a deal that could set up final congressional approval next week.
The price tag was down from an earlier $15.6 billion agreement between the two parties that collapsed weeks ago after House Democrats rejected cutting unused pandemic aid to states to help pay for it. President Joe Biden requested $22.5 billion in early March. With leaders hoping to move the package through Congress quickly, the lowered cost seemed to reflect both parties’ calculations that agreeing soon to additional savings would be too hard.
The effort, which would finance steps like vaccines, treatments and tests, comes as Bidenand other Democrats have warned the government is running out of moneyto counter the pandemic. At the same time, the more transmissible omicron variant BA.2 has been spreading quickly in the U.S. and abroad.
“We’ve reached an agreement in principle on all the spending and all of the offsets,” Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, the lead Republican bargainer, told reporters, using Washington-speak for savings. “It’s entirely balanced by offsets.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and others were more circumspect.
“We are getting close to a final agreement that would garner bipartisan support,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. He said lawmakers were still finalizing the bill’s components and language, and awaiting a cost estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., chair of the Senate health committee and another bargainer, said, “I’m hoping,” when asked about Romney’s assessment.
Once clinched, an agreement would represent a semblance of bipartisan cooperation in battling the pandemic that dissolved a year ago, when a far larger, $1.9 trillion measure proposed by the new president cleared Congress with only Democratic votes. That bill was laden with spending to help struggling families, businesses and communities, while this one would be aimed exclusively at public health.
Many Republicans have been willing to go along with the new expenditures but have insisted on paying for them with unspent funds from previous bills Congress has enacted to address the pandemic.
Half the new measure’s $10 billion would be used for treatments, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who has helped negotiate the agreement. He said top federal health officials would be given wide discretion on spending the rest of it but it would include research and other steps for battling the disease, which has killed around 975,000 Americans and millions across the world.
Romney and others said savings the two parties had agreed to for the new bill would not include the cuts in state assistance that House Democrats opposed. He said some unused funds would be culled from another pandemic program that gives state and local governments funds for grants to local businesses.
Blunt said both sides had also agreed to savings that include pulling back an unspent $2.2 billion for aiding entertainment venues closed during the pandemic and more than $2 billion still available for assisting aviation manufacturing.
Romney said the $10 billion might include $1 billion for vaccines, treatments and other support for countries overseas. Blunt said that figure seemed unresolved. One third of the earlier, $15.6 billion measure had been slated to go abroad.
The lowered figure for assisting other countries encountered opposition in the House, where some Democrats wanted to boost the figure. Epidemiologists have cited the need to vaccinate more people around the world and reduce the virus’ opportunities for spinning off new variants.
“It’s a problem,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters. “It’s a shame.”
Kate Bedingfield, White House communications director, said officials were “very hopeful” an agreement would be reached and prodded lawmakers to include funds to help other countries cope with the disease.
“We’re not going to be able to put this pandemic behind us until we stop the spread and proliferation of new variants globally,” Bedingfield said.
Leaders hope Congress can approve the legislation before lawmakers leave for a spring recess after next week.
Republicans have leverage in the Democratic-controlled, 50-50 Senate because 60 votes are needed to pass most major bills. Romney and Blunt both said they believed a finalized package they described would attract significantly more than the 10 GOP votes needed.
Since the pandemic began, Congress has approved more than $5 trillion to address the economic and health crises it produced. Only a small fraction of that has been for public health programs like vaccines.
In an interview earlier Thursday with Punchbowl News, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the measure’s price tag seemed to have fallen to $10 billion because Democrats weren’t agreeing to additional savings.
Minutes later, Schumer took to the Senate floor and mentioned no figures but suggested its size could fall.
“I’m pleading with my Republican colleagues, join us,” Schumer said. “We want more than you do, but we have to get something done. We have to get something done.”
Asked if he thought an agreement could be reached before lawmakers’ recess, McConnell said, “We’ll see. Hope so.”
___
Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report. | https://www.mystateline.com/news/politics/mcconnell-says-covid-spending-package-could-shrink-to-10b/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:53Z |
HONOLULU (AP) — A man accused with his wife of trafficking a mother and teenaged girl to Hawaii from Guam pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Kevin Robert pleaded not guilty to labor trafficking charges, according to his attorney, Tim Rakieten. His wife, Pomerrine Robert, pleaded not guilty last week. Kevin Robert's arraignment was postponed then because he requested a Chuukese interpreter.
“I need sufficient time to review the case, and review with him, before I can comment any further,” Rakieten said.
State Public Defender James Tabe, whose office represents Pomerrine Robert, has previously declined to comment.
Police alleged in court documents that when the 15-year-old girl and her mother arrived in Honolulu, the Roberts took away their passports, forced them to work and beat them.
Court documents don't specify the country of the passports.
The girl and her mother lived in the couple's apartment, while the teen enrolled at a high school and the woman got a job at a deli where Pomerrine Robert also worked, the documents said.
The documents said Robert took away the mother’s money, the girl was expected to clean the apartment and Robert beat the girl and mother.
The couple locked the girl in a bedroom for several days and she reported it to a school counselor after she was let out, according to the documents. | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Husband-pleads-not-guilty-in-Hawaii-Guam-17049732.php | 2022-04-01T00:43:55Z |
You will absolutely love Subway's new "Nonna" approved subs
It's all about the freshness
When it comes to Italian food, the ultimate experts are Italian Grandmas also called "Nonnas." Subway is so confident in the ingredients in the new Italian sandwiches, they put them to The Nonna Test together with BuzzFeed
Posted at 4:16 PM, Mar 31, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-31 19:16:28-04
Subway is a paid sponsor of The Morning Blend.
Visit your local Subway or download the Subway app to order the new Italian sandwiches.
Copyright 2022 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Sign up for the Headlines Newsletter and receive up to date information. | https://www.kgun9.com/the-morning-blend/you-will-absolutely-love-subways-new-nonna-approved-subs | 2022-04-01T00:43:55Z |
You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://sportspyder.com/nhl/boston-bruins/articles/39011714 | 2022-04-01T00:43:56Z |
Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has agreed to appear at a deposition in Connecticut to answer questions in a lawsuit by relatives of some of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.
That's according to new court filings by his lawyers on Thursday, which comes a day after a judge ordered fines against Jones for defying orders to attend a deposition last week despite his claim of illness.
Jones now says he can answer questions on April 11 and is asking the judge to put a hold on the fines. There was no immediate ruling on Jones' requests. The families are suing him for calling the school massacre a hoax.
Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis said, “The court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant Alex Jones willfully and in bad faith violated without justification several clear court orders requiring his attendance at his depositions on March 23 and March 24.”
Judge Bellis said in the decision on Wednesday, “It is clear…that the plaintiffs here simply want and are entitled to the deposition of Mr. Jones and that Mr. Jones has continued to attempt to deliberately disregard the court’s orders and attempts to manipulate the court process.”
“While paying the fees and court’s costs will reimburse the plaintiffs for costs incurred in attempting to procure Mr. Jones’ deposition, it is not a substitution for his testimony,” she said. | https://www.10news.com/news/national/alex-jones-agrees-to-appear-at-deposition-in-sandy-hook-case-after-defying-orders-to-attend | 2022-04-01T00:43:56Z |
Taylor Hawkins died with a heavy heart, but what does that mean?
By Sarah Berry
People can die of a broken heart, but what about a heavy heart?
A toxicology report following the death of Foo Fighters drummer, Taylor Hawkins, last Friday, revealed that the 50-year-old had at least 10 different substances in his body including THC (marijuana), tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and opioids.
An autopsy also found Hawkins’ heart was about double the size of a normal healthy heart and weighed at least 600 grams, as reported by Colombian publication, Semana.
A heavy heart is “not out of the ordinary” says Professor Tom Marwick, the director of Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.
Athletes can have enlarged hearts which is a healthy adaptation to increased blood circulation during exercise. But a heavy heart is typically not a good thing.
Just about anything that damages the heart muscles can enlarge the heart as it gets bigger to compensate for impaired function, says Heart Foundation chief executive Garry Jennings: “People can get fat hearts too. There is a relationship between body size and heart size.”
And although high blood pressure is a common cause and COVID-19 can also increase the size of the heart, illicit drugs and some prescription drugs carry a significant cardiac risk.
“Cocaine, for example, can cause the arteries of the heart to spasm and that can produce scarring and cause blood pressure to increase. That can increase load on the heart,” Marwick says, pointing out that “old-style” antidepressants like tricyclics also carry a risk.
“Stimulants at high doses can kill heart muscle cells,” adds Jennings. “Or injecting [any type of drug] can introduce bacteria into circulation which can settle on the valves and damage the heart valves - that’s a common cause of heart problems too.”
Heart attacks are increasingly common in people aged under 50 and experts believe substance use may be contributing to the problem.
People who smoke cigarettes are nearly twice as likely to have premature heart disease; cocaine or cannabis users are about 2.5 times as likely to have premature heart disease, while those who use amphetamines increase their risk three-fold. The more substances a person uses the greater the risk.
And while Jennings explains that the heart has “a great reserve” and can cope with a lot of damage before giving out, meaning people are not always symptomatic before a heart attack, if someone has a heart as heavy as Hawkins’, there is likely to be a sign.
“They may have exercise intolerance or shortness of breath,” Marwick says, explaining that a heavy heart can be a symptom of problems, or exacerbate existing problems.
“An enlarged heart carries with it a risk of heart rhythm disorders because the electrical impulses that drive the heart become disrupted as the heart is damaged and scarred,” he explains, “so it can be a cause of death.”
About 20 per cent of people with a coronary blockage die before they get to the hospital and, Jennings estimates, for half of those who know they have high blood pressure or another heart issue there’s another one who doesn’t.
“There is a problem with unrecognised heart problems out in the community,” he says.
Marwick agrees: “These prominent people who have died in the last month or so have been a reminder to the Australian community that as much as we have appropriately focused on COVID over the last two years… probably 100 times the number of people who got into trouble with COVID have been getting into trouble with cardiovascular disease.”
An echo test or an ultrasound of the heart can show the size of the heart, but the first step is a cardiac check-up.
“This is a disease of women as much as men and once people get to the age of 40 they should have blood tests for cholesterol, they should have a blood pressure check and somebody should listen to their heart,” Marwick says.
Some people may require further testing and possibly medication. For many, however, addressing lifestyle is enough to prevent the development of heart problems and can help even those with a genetic predisposition.
“No matter how bad your genes are, there is always a benefit of lifestyle - healthy nutrition, physical activity, not smoking tobacco, not getting diabetes,” Jennings says. “You should never give up on the possibilities that lifestyle can put off the problems.
“The earlier you find out about it the less damage will be there and therefore the better the outcome in the longer term.”
Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it in your inbox every Monday. | https://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/taylor-hawkins-died-with-a-heavy-heart-but-what-does-that-mean-20220329-p5a8un.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed | 2022-04-01T00:43:56Z |
Shell pledges to put profits from Russian oil purchases in Ukrainian aid fund
Shell pledged on Saturday to put any profits it makes from the purchase of Russian oil into a special fund to assist Ukrainians after receiving intense backlash for buying a Russian oil shipment.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the oil company said it would “commit profits from the limited amount of Russian oil we have to purchase to a dedicated fund” and would coordinate with humanitarian agencies and partners for how to distribute the money.
This comes after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Saturday morning he was made aware of Shell “discretely” purchasing oil from Russia.
“One question to @Shell: doesn’t Russian oil smell Ukrainian blood for you?” Kuleba tweeted. “I call on all conscious people around the globe to demand multinational companies to cut all business ties with Russia.”
In its statement, posted a few hours after Kuleba’s tweet, Shell noted that Russia is a significant oil producer. Russia is the world’s third-largest producer of oil after the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, producing about 10 percent of the global oil supply.
“Yesterday we made the difficult decision to purchase a cargo of Russian crude oil,” the company said, saying the purchase was made with the intent of providing “security of energy supply.” “We didn’t take this decision lightly and we understand the strength of feeling around it.
“We will continue to choose alternatives to Russian oil wherever possible, but this cannot happen overnight because of how significant Russia is to global supply,” Shell added.
On Monday, Shell announced that it would end joint ventures with Russian majority state-owned oil giant Gazprom, joining a slew of companies severing ties with Russia and Russian entities amid the country’s invasion in Ukraine.
In Saturday’s statement, Shell said it was still committed to ending ventures with Gazprom.
“We are appalled by the war in Ukraine,” the company said.
The news comes as the Biden administration is weighing whether to ban Russian oil imports in the U.S..
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. | https://thehill.com/policy/international/597024-shell-pledges-to-put-profits-from-russian-oil-purchases-in-ukrainian-aid/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:55Z |
A Henrico County man who rose to the position of assistant production manager at San-J International Inc. and was regarded as a role model was sentenced Thursday in federal court to just over three years in prison for participating in a multistate conspiracy to breed, train and fight dogs — and gamble on the outcome of the brutal fights.
After a sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Judge Robert E. Payne sentenced Raymond Johnson, 41, to 37 months behind bars on his earlier guilty pleas to conspiring to participate in a dogfighting venture and possession of firearms after being convicted of a felony.
The punishment was at the low end of discretionary federal sentencing guidelines, which called for a term of incarceration of between 37 and 46 months.
The judge denied defense attorney William Dinkin’s request for a downward variance in punishment of 24 months.
In crafting a sentence, Payne emphasized the seriousness of Johnson’s offenses, but noted that Johnson had essentially turned his life around and accomplished much in the 20 years since he was convicted at age 21 of conspiring to distribute more than 50 grams of cocaine and spent nearly seven years in federal prison.
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Dinkin noted that in the years since Johnson’s drug offense, he married his high school sweetheart, became an active parent to their two children, became involved in the community and was hired more than a decade ago by Henrico-based San-J International, a manufacturer of soy sauce.
There, he was promoted twice and became assistant plant manager, supervising 24 employees. A company official described Johnson as a role model with “great integrity” who played a key role in expanding the capacity of the company’s plant.
But prosecutors said Johnson engaged in a dark enterprise with four other co-conspirators beginning in November 2019 that involved sponsoring and exhibiting dogs for fighting in Virginia and Maryland.
The participants possessed, trained, delivered and received the dogs for various dogfighting activities, which U.S. Attorney William Shapiro on Thursday described as a “violent crime” and “blood sport.”
Johnson “did not merely dabble in dog fighting nor was he a simple spectator,” wrote Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Anthony in a sentencing memorandum. “He was a breeder, trainer, gambler and fight coordinator, subjecting innocent animals to a despondent lifestyle filled with pain.”
In one intercepted phone call involving Johnson and an unnamed co-conspirator, Johnson advised that in a single day, he lost $1,600 on one dogfight and $2,400 on another. He also helped co-conspirators set up and wager on dogfights, prosecutors said.
Investigators obtained videos recorded on Johnson’s and the other participants’ cellphones that depicted dogs wearing heavy chains and a collar, and being made to run on treadmills at Johnson’s home, which prosecutors said is consistent with conditioning and training the dogs for fights.
Shapiro described for the court a video of a fight that Johnson hosted at his home in January 2020 that showed two dogs attacking each other, snarling and biting each other around the head and neck. Johnson and the other participants can be heard encouraging the dogs to fight, Shapiro said.
In a second dogfight at Johnson’s home in April 2020, two dogs are seen fighting in a pit with plywood walls. The dogs are biting each other on the face, neck and legs and, by the end of the video, the dogs’ faces and ears are bleeding and raw, Shapiro told the court.
In November 2020, investigators executed a search warrant at Johnson’s home and recovered nine pit bull terriers, some of which had scars and physical injuries consistent with dogfighting. Authorities also found dog collars, chains, medications, supplies and supplements, and a treadmill that Johnson used to train his dogs, prosecutors said.
During the search, investigators also recovered a Taurus revolver, a .45-caliber pistol and a Century Arms AK47-style rifle, along with accompanying ammunition. Johnson was forbidden from possessing firearms because of his 2001 felony drug conviction.
Dinkin, Johnson’s attorney, told the court that the guns were for home protection purposes and never carried in public nor used in connection with dogfighting activities.
The dogfighting operation was uncovered during a 2019 drug conspiracy investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
In connection with that probe, DEA agents obtained authorization to conduct wiretap surveillance on certain electronic devices belonging to one of Johnson’s co-conspirators, according to court documents.
During those wiretaps, the unidentified co-conspirator had dozens of conversations with Johnson and at least four other co-conspirators as they discussed their involvement in dogfighting, prosecutors said.
Shapiro, in response to a question from the judge, said authorities are “actively investigating” the other four participants and are “making progress” in obtaining indictments and/or plea agreements with those parties. So far, only Johnson has been charged.
Dinkin told the court that Johnson, a 1998 Varina High School graduate, was first exposed to dogfighting while growing up in Fulton Hill, “where older men in the community raised dogs and held fights.”
“Unfortunately, it was an accepted form of ‘entertainment’ that was transmitted to him and his peers,” Dinkin said. “He fully recognizes the harm it causes to the animals involved and feels deeply ashamed for his actions.”
When given the opportunity to speak Thursday, Johnson apologized for his behavior to the court and to his family.
(804) 649-6450 | https://richmond.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/henrico-man-gets-3-years-for-role-in-multistate-dogfighting-conspiracy/article_3adc3cba-4958-578c-89eb-b27267f49b45.html | 2022-04-01T00:43:57Z |
Former RI State Police Trooper Who Allegedly Has Sex in Car, Involved in Fight and Road Rage
Former Rhode Island State Police Lieutenant John Gadrow -- who was under suspension for allegedly having sex with a woman in his state police vehicle -- was recently involved in an episode with another man that started as road rage and led to a fight in a church parking...
www.golocalprov.com | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556553515441/former-ri-state-police-trooper-who-allegedly-has-sex-in-car-involved-in-fight-and-road-rage | 2022-04-01T00:43:57Z |
Editorial Cartoon | April 1, 2022
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Click Below to: | https://kdminer.com/news/2022/mar/31/editorial-cartoon-april-1-2022/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:57Z |
A late burst of selling left stocks broadly lower on Wall Street Thursday, as the market closed out its worst quarter since the pandemic broke out two years ago.
Despite posting a 3.6% gain for March, a dismal January and February left U.S. indexes lower for the year to date. The S&P 500 ended the day 1.6% lower, bringing its loss since the beginning of the year to 4.9%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.6%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 1.5%. Both indexes also notched gains for March, thanks largely to a market rally in the two weeks heading into this week.
Oil prices fell as President Joe Biden ordered the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve. The move to pump more oil into the market is part of an effort to control energy prices, which are up nearly 40% globally this year.
Wall Street’s downbeat finish to March comes as investors try to navigate the market risks amid surging inflation, geopolitical instability and uncertainty over how aggressively the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates to quash inflation.
“Yesterday’s weakness and some weakness today may be in response to sentiment that’s a little more cautious given the recent strength in the last two weeks and the ongoing uncertainty related to inflation and earnings,” said Terry Sandven, chief equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.
The S&P 500 fell 72.04 points to 4,530.41. The Dow fell 550.46 points to 34,678.35, and the Nasdaq slid 221.76 points to 14,220.52.
Smaller company stocks also fell. The Russell 2000 index dropped 20.94 points, or 1%, to 2,070.13.
About 85% of stocks in the benchmark S&P 500 fell. Much of the movement seemed like a “consolidation” for investors, said Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.
“This is a little give back today just from the big run that we had, but we’re hanging in here pretty well,” Wren said. Major indexes fell on Wednesday to end a four-day winning streak.
Technology and communications stocks were among the biggest weights on the market. Many of the companies in those sectors have pricey stock values that tend to give the broader market a more forceful push either up or down. Chipmaker Intel fell 3.6%, while Facebook parent Meta Platforms slid 2.4%.
Banks also fell along with bond yields, which forces interest rates on loans lower, making lending less profitable for banks. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 2.34% from 2.36% late Wednesday. Bank of America fell 4.1%.
U.S. crude oil prices fell 7% and Brent, the international standard, fell 4.9%. The pullback slightly trimmed what have been soaring oil prices amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conflict has elevated concerns that tightened supplies will only worsen persistently rising inflation that threatens businesses and consumers globally.
An inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, marking the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
Energy prices have been a key factor in pushing inflation higher and Biden’s plan to release more oil into the system comes as little relief is expected from the oil cartel OPEC. The cartel and its allied oil producers including Russia are sticking to a modest increase in the amount of crude they pump to the world, a step that supports higher prices.
Higher prices for everything from energy to food has been a key concern of central banks globally, which are moving to raise interest rates to help temper the impact. Investors have been trying to measure how the economy and companies will fare amid rising inflation, higher interest rates, the war in Ukraine and other factors. That has made for a rocky start to the year.
Investors received a lukewarm update on the job market on Thursday. More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs remain at historic lows. Wall Street will get a fuller report on Friday when the Labor Department releases employment data for March. | https://www.fox44news.com/news/business-news/asian-stocks-fall-after-china-manufacturing-weakens/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:56Z |
A biomedical engineer told a judge Thursday that he was inspired by “Breaking Bad” when he bought castor beans and lily of the valley plants, which produce deadly toxins and were used by a character on the popular television show to poison people.
Ishtiaq Ali Saaem, 38, a former research director at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said during his sentencing hearing in federal court in Boston that he was “guided by innocent curiosity” to learn more about ricin, a lethal agent that can be extracted from the beans.
“I never made the poison nor intended to harm anyone,” said Saaem, now of Allentown, Pa. He said he was “scared and overwhelmed” when FBI agents confronted him about his online purchases in 2015 “which led to my poor choice of not telling the truth.”
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US District Judge Richard G. Stearns sentenced Saaem to six months of home confinement and three years of probation for obstruction of justice.
While it’s not illegal to buy castor beans, Saaem pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice last year for making false statements to the FBI. He admitted he falsely claimed that he wanted to plant the beans and decorate his Cambridge apartment with their colorful blossoms.
The judge rejected the government’s request to sentence Saaem to a year in prison, in part because he is the primary caretaker for his 3-year-old son, who was born three months premature and has chronic medical conditions.
“I am persuaded that incarceration for the defendant, while deserved in this case, would pose an undue and extreme hardship on his family,” Stearns said after hearing testimony from Saaem’s wife, who is a doctor, and reviewing their son’s medical records.
The judge also said that after reviewing the evidence and 17 letters of support from Saaem’s relatives, friends, and former colleagues, he believed Saaem “is extremely remorseful for his conduct.”
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Assistant US Attorney Kriss Basil had urged the judge to send Saaem to prison for a year, arguing that his interest in ricin was frightening, especially given his biomedical engineering expertise.
“Ricin has only one purpose,” Basil said, and that’s “to kill people.”
In its sentencing memorandum, the government said Saaem’s inspiration was “Breaking Bad” character Walter White, a disaffected scientist who used convallatoxin, from lily of the valley, and ricin to poison people.
“Although the government cannot identify any specific intended victim and is aware of no specific threat made by Saaem to use ricin or convallatoxin against a person, his conduct was nevertheless threatening,” prosecutors wrote in the memorandum.
But, Saaem’s attorney, Derege Demissie, told the judge that Saaem never possessed ricin, which is extracted from castor beans, and his conduct can best be summed up as “misplaced curiosity.”
After watching “Breaking Bad,” Saaem ordered the plants and beans as “a good conversation piece” and thought he might experiment with them, Demissie said, adding,“There’s no evidence whatsoever that Mr. Saaem intended to use ricin to harm people.”
He said Saaem never took any steps to extract poison and lost his career as a scientist for making false statements to the FBI about his online purchases.
Saaem earned a PhD in biomedical engineering at Duke University and an MBA at Northwestern University. He came under scrutiny by the FBI in 2015 after ordering 800 castor beans and six lily of the valley plants, according to court filings.
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He told the FBI he was only interested in the castor beans for gardening and had accidentally purchased 100 packets instead of one. After that visit, Saaem amended his order and received only one packet of the beans, according to his lawyer.
But, he also began searching the Internet for tasteless poisons and rat poison and visited webpages with articles headlined, “What is the most lethal poison?” and “The five deadly poisons that can be cooked up in a kitchen,” according to court filings.
In 2019, the FBI renewed its focus on Saaem after discovering he had been accused of embezzling money from his employer a few years earlier by submitting false invoices for laboratory equipment, according to court filings. That case was resolved without criminal charges when Saaem paid the company $275,000.
Prosecutors charged Saaem with obstruction of justice last March for making false statements to the FBI about his interest in ricin.
In letters to the judge, Saaem’s supporters described him as a good man, father, and colleague and an accomplished scientist.
In one letter, Saaem’s older sister wrote that as a child growing up in Bangladesh he was very fond of several American television series, including “MacGyver,” “Bionic Woman,” and “ThunderCats,” and used to perform experiments learned from the show with material from old toys and other household items.
On Thursday, Saaem’s voice cracked with emotion and he struggled to hold back tears as he told the judge that he wanted to be a “hero” for his son, someone proud of his accomplishments “and not seen as a criminal.”
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Saaem, former associate director of the synthetic group at the MIT-Broad Foundry, said his curiosity had been an advantage in his work, including moon mission projects that “sound like science fiction.”
But, he said his curiosity proved to be a detriment in the criminal case and he doesn’t know if he will ever be allowed to work as a scientist again. He’s now a stay-at-home father.
After leaving the courtroom, Saaem said he was grateful that the judge had followed the defense’s recommendation and sentenced him to home confinement and probation.
“I never had any intent to harm anyone,” he said. “I’m moving on with my life.”
Shelley Murphy can be reached at shelley.murphy@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shelleymurph. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/31/metro/former-mit-researcher-inspired-by-breaking-bad-buy-poison-is-spared-prison-term/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:57Z |
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – For some people, overdraft fees are a frustrating inconvenience. For others, they pose crippling costs. Some lawmakers now want to change how they’re charged altogether.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney introduced legislation called the “Overdraft Protection Act.” The bill includes provisions to cap the amount and number of fees a bank can charge.
“My bill tries to cut down on these unfair and deceptive practices,” the New York Democrat said.
Advocates like Elyse Crawford-Hicks with Americans for Financial Reform say overdraft fees hit low-income families and people of color the hardest.
“Overdraft fees are paid the most by people who can least afford them,” Crawford-Hicks said.
Others say over-drafting is a useful service because it can function like a short-term loan. Paul Kundert is the CEO of UW Credit Union, which recently reduced their overdraft fees and put more limits on how they charge them.
“When prices are fair, we believe consumers do benefit from access to the credit provided by overdraft fees,” Kundert said.
Recently, major banks like Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Bank of America have made changes themselves, by reducing their overdraft fees or eliminating them altogether.
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, says that demonstrates the legislation is unnecessary.
“The market is naturally, naturally taking care of the issue without government intervention. And we do not need more rules from Washington,” Williams said.
Because banks make billions of dollars in revenue from overdraft fees, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law Todd Zywicki argues the proposed changes would cost consumers.
“We’ll see higher bank fees, we’ll see higher minimum monthly deposits as basically insurance against over-drafting and we will see a loss of access to free checking,” Zywicki said.
Lawmakers like Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., are promising to continue pushing for the reforms.
“How can we perform such an abusive and predatory practice that punishes people simply for being poor?” Pressley said. | https://www.klfy.com/national/washington-dc/bill-seeks-to-put-cap-on-overdraft-fees/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:58Z |
Kava.io (KAVA) traded flat against the dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 19:00 PM E.T. on March 31st. Over the last week, Kava.io has traded flat against the dollar. One Kava.io coin can currently be bought for about $5.62 or 0.00012724 BTC on major exchanges. Kava.io has a total market cap of $513.55 million and approximately $147.08 million worth of Kava.io was traded on exchanges in the last day.
Here is how similar cryptocurrencies have performed over the last day:
- Avalanche (AVAX) traded 0.5% higher against the dollar and now trades at $96.55 or 0.00211920 BTC.
- Cronos (CRO) traded 3% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.46 or 0.00001011 BTC.
- NEAR Protocol (NEAR) traded down 5.5% against the dollar and now trades at $13.28 or 0.00029160 BTC.
- Algorand (ALGO) traded 0.3% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.93 or 0.00002035 BTC.
- Hedera (HBAR) traded 7.3% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.24 or 0.00000516 BTC.
- Elrond (EGLD) traded 5.8% lower against the dollar and now trades at $186.62 or 0.00409620 BTC.
- Helium (HNT) traded 2.2% lower against the dollar and now trades at $24.08 or 0.00052848 BTC.
- Theta Fuel (TFUEL) traded up 6.9% against the dollar and now trades at $0.21 or 0.00000461 BTC.
- Kava (KAVA) traded 1% lower against the dollar and now trades at $4.51 or 0.00009902 BTC.
- Ardor (ARDR) traded 0.5% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.24 or 0.00000537 BTC.
About Kava.io
According to CryptoCompare, “Kava is a PoS blockchain built on Cosmos, with its own native KAVA token that is deployed in its governance model along with its multi-collateral backed USDX stable coin. “
Buying and Selling Kava.io
It is usually not presently possible to buy alternative cryptocurrencies such as Kava.io directly using U.S. dollars. Investors seeking to acquire Kava.io should first buy Bitcoin or Ethereum using an exchange that deals in U.S. dollars such as Changelly, Coinbase or GDAX. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Bitcoin or Ethereum to buy Kava.io using one of the aforementioned exchanges.
Receive News & Updates for Kava.io Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and updates for Kava.io and related cryptocurrencies with MarketBeat.com's FREE CryptoBeat newsletter. | https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2022/03/31/kava-io-kava-achieves-market-cap-of-513-55-million.html | 2022-04-01T00:43:58Z |
Caitlyn Jenner has joined Fox News Media as a contributor, the network announced on Thursday.
Suzanne Scott, the news network's CEO, said via a news release that the former Olympic great and one-time California gubernatorial candidate will offer commentary and analysis across Fox News Channel programming and its various media platforms.
"Caitlyn's story is an inspiration to us all," Scott said in the statement. "She is a trailblazer in the LGBTQ+ community and her illustrious career spans a variety of fields that will be a tremendous asset for our audience."
Jenner said she was "humbled by this unique opportunity to speak directly to Fox News Media's millions of viewers about a range of issues that are important to the American people." Jenner is set to make her first appearance in her new role at the 9 p.m. ET hour on Thursday.
Jenner transitioned from Bruce Jenner in 2015 and publicly came out as transgender in an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer. She documented her journey as a trans woman on her reality TV show, I Am Cait.
During a recent interview with ET while talking about daughter Kylie Jenner changing her son's name, Jenner said that when it came to her own name, after changing her name from Bruce, she "struggled with it for years."
"When you have a little child, you know the little baby comes out and you think of what it should be, but then you get them in your arms and you play with them and spend time with them and say, ‘I don’t know if that name fits, maybe it’s another name,'" Jenner explained. "That’s Kylie’s decision. When she officially announces it, but honestly, I think this is very good."
Last year, Jenner was among a long list of GOP candidates to run for California governor, but she garnered only one percent of the vote in the second recall election in the state's history.
Jenner earned renewed fame after appearing on Keeping Up With the Kardashians when it debuted on E! in 2007 until its end last year. Earlier this month, the 72-year-old said she had no hard feelings about not being included in the Kardashian-Jenner family's new Hulu reality series, The Kardashians.
She retweeted a Variety story, writing, "I was there when this started from day one. I watched it grow. And doing the show for almost 20 seasons was one of the highlights of my life. To be able to work with my family for all those years, connect with the fans, it was incredible. Happy that it continues for my family."
RELATED CONTENT: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/caitlyn-jenner-joins-fox-news-as-a-contributor/603-3f230505-9a06-489c-9be0-77b9008971f9 | 2022-04-01T00:43:58Z |
By Michelle Price
Associated Press
A judge has ordered New York’s Democratic-controlled Legislature to quickly redraw the state’s congressional and legislative districts after finding they were unconstitutional.
Judge Patrick McAllister said in a Thursday ruling that maps redrawing the state’s congressional districts were gerrymandered to benefit Democrats. McAllister said those districts must be redrawn, along with the legislative districts, in a way that attracted at least some bipartisan support.
McAllister, a state trial court judge, gave lawmakers until April 11 to try again. If their new maps fail to pass muster in the courts again, the judge said he would order the state to pay for a court-approved expert to redraw the maps.
Legislative leaders said they would appeal the ruling.
“This is one step in the process. We always knew this case would be decided by the appellate courts. We are appealing this decision and expect this decision will be stayed as the appeal process proceeds,” said Mike Murphy, spokesman for the Senate majority.
A message seeking comment from the Governor’s Office was not immediately returned.
The state’s primary elections are scheduled June 28 and candidates have already begun campaigning in the new districts.
The judge said that if the Legislature fails again and an outside expert is hired to draw the maps, the process would be expensive and lengthy and may leave the state without maps before Aug. 23, the last possible date that the state could push back its primary election.
Republicans had argued in a lawsuit that the maps were unconstitutionally gerrymandered to benefit Democrats and marginalize GOP voters.
One of those Republicans who protested was Brooklyn-Staten Island U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, whose district was redrawn to include parts of Sunset Park and Park Slope, both Democratic strongholds .
When the redistricting plan was announced in January, Rob Ryan, her campaign manager, said, “They know Congresswoman Malliotakis is popular and they can’t beat her on the merits or public policy, so they are changing the boundaries to tilt the scale.”
Former GOP U.S. Rep. John Faso, a spokesperson for the Republicans who filed the lawsuit challenging the maps, said Democrats willingly violated a prohibition on partisan gerrymandering.
“This is a victory for the people of the state and it’s a victory for competitive and fair elections in New York State,” Faso said.
Legislative and congressional boundaries are being redrawn as part of the once-per-decade redistricting process kicked off by the 2020 Census.
The maps, drafted by lawmakers and approved by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, ensured that Democrats made up a strong majority of registered voters in 22 of the 26 congressional districts the state will have for a decade.
Republicans currently hold eight of New York’s 27 seats in Congress.
In early March, McAllister said at a hearing that he didn’t think there was enough time to redraw the maps before the June primary. But the judge said he would issue a decision by April 4 about whether to uphold or strike down the maps.
The legal challenge in New York is among a series of disputes over redistricting playing out in states around the country.
___
Additional reporting by Brooklyn Eagle staff | https://brooklynreporter.com/2022/03/ap-judge-rejects-ny-redistricting-plan-orders-new-maps/ | 2022-04-01T00:43:58Z |
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis endorsed a state legislator Thursday over U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn in their upcoming Republican primary, saying the first-term congressman has “fallen well short” of expectations.
Tillis’ backing of state Sen. Chuck Edwards adds another consequential voice in North Carolina’s GOP willing to oppose Cawthorn, who has received criticisms from a larger swath of Republicans for recent comments, including one in which he called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “thug.”
The top Republican leaders in the state legislature — House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger — also were featured guests at a lunch fundraiser Thursday for Edwards, one of seven Republicans challenging Cawthorn for the nomination in the May 17 primary.
“The 11th Congressional District deserves a congressman who is fully dedicated to serving their constituents,” Tillis said in a news release. “Unfortunately, Madison Cawthorn has fallen well short of the most basic standards western North Carolina expects from their representatives, and voters now have several well-qualified candidates to choose from who would be a significant improvement. I believe Chuck Edwards is the best choice.”
Cawthorn, who was elected in 2020 at age 25, is a strong supporter of Donald Trump. Cawthorn spoke at a rally in Washington on Jan 6, 2021, that questioned the outcome of the White House election won by Democrat Joe Biden. The riot at the U.S. Capitol took place after that rally.
A Cawthorn campaign commercial posted Thursday on Twitter includes what appears to be text from a quote from Trump stating Cawthorn has “my complete and total endorsement.”
Recently, Cawthorn has received negative publicity for being cited three times in five months for traffic violations — speeding and driving with a revoked license among them — and for the video about Zelenskyy. In the same short video, Cawthorn said the Ukrainian government “is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies.”
Cawthorn and a spokesperson later attempted to clarify those remarks, with the congressman calling actions by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his country’s invasion of Ukraine “disgusting.” After recent comments Cawthorn made on a podcast that angered fellow Republicans in Congress, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., met with Cawthorn this week and reprimanded him publicly.
Moore said Thursday that someone like Cawthorn doesn’t deserve to be in Congress.
“If you have clowns in office who aren’t serious about what they’re doing, you can’t get somewhere,” Moore told WNCN-TVwhile attending a fundraiser for Edwards. “I’m just kind of without the words to describe what Congressman Cawthorn is doing and saying. I mean, some of these ridiculous recent comments that continue to build on one another.”
A Cawthorn spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the Republican opposition.
Cawthorn announced in November that he planned to run in a proposed congressional district closer to Charlotte, rather than to keep representing the far western mountains. Moore had also considered a run in that new district but decided against it. That district ultimately was thrown out by judges, and Cawthorn returned to a run in the reconfigured 11th District, which leans Republican.
Cawthorn’s campaign raised $2.8 million in 2021 but had only $282,000 in cash entering this year, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Other primary opponents includes former political ally Michele Woodhouse and Wendy Marie-Limbaugh Nevarez, who is being supported by a super political action committee linked to Moe Davis, the 11th District Democratic nominee in 2020.
The top vote-getter in the upcoming primary would have to receive more than 30% of the vote to avoid a July 26 runoff with the second-place finisher. | https://www.mystateline.com/news/politics/nc-sen-tillis-adds-to-republicans-supporting-cawthorn-rival/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:00Z |
Gas prices are still riding high, and you may be trying anything and everything to save money when you fill up your tank.
In addition to shopping around for the best prices, driving the speed limit and cutting back on trips, you may be considering a gas rewards credit card to save even more money.
There are a lot of options, and experts say some are better than others.
Bankrate.com analyzed 22 cards offered by popular gas retailers, and they weren't impressed.
"We found that the gas-branded credit cards are not the best deal," said Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate.com. "The ones from the stations themselves, they typically only give a 5-or-10%-per-gallon discount. You can do a lot better with a general-purpose credit card."
The gas retailer cards usually only provide a discount at their own stations, so you're limited on where you can buy gas.
Bankrate.com says another drawback of these cards is their high interest rates.
"The average gas station card has an interest rate around 26%, which is really astronomical," said Rossman. "Now, the average for all cards is no picnic, that's 16%, so really, any good credit card rewards strategy is predicated on paying in full, avoiding interest. But the gas-branded cards are especially painful when you're talking about a 26% average interest rate."
Rossman says you can find general-purpose credit cards with lucrative gas rewards and no annual fee, and some offer up to 5% cashback.
"Get a general-purpose credit card with good rewards on gas. Try to stack that discount, too," said Rossman. "Get the free app from the gas station, get another five or ten cents off when you pay that way. You can combine those two discounts, the rewards credit card and the gas app. Some grocery chains offer rewards that can turn into fuel points. That's another way to stack savings, use rewards credit cards and the grocery savings."
More on gas prices
You may not be aware that you already have a credit card that offers you gas discounts. Check out your card issuer's website or call customer service to find out.
Here's a list of Bankrate.com's recommended no-annual-fee credit cards that have lucrative gas rewards:
- Citi Custom Cash Card: 5% cash back on your top eligible spending category each billing cycle (up to $500 in purchases, with 1% cash back on all other purchases).
- Sam's Club Mastercard: 5% cash back on gas (purchased almost anywhere, not just at Sam's Club — up to $6,000 per year). This card also gives 3% cash back on dining and at Sam's Club. Other purchases earn 1% cash back. The total cash back maximum per year is $5,000.
- The Discover It Cash Back Card: 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories (gas makes an appearance from April 1 through June 30, 2022). The rate applies after activation on up to $1,500 in quarterly spending (then 1% cash back after that).
- Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi: 4% cash back on gas (again, purchased almost anywhere, this time with a $7,000 annual cap), plus 3% cash back on eligible travel and dining, 2% cash back at Costco and 1% cash back on everything else.
- PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature Card: Five points per dollar at gas pumps and electric vehicle charging stations, three points per dollar at supermarkets, restaurants and on streaming services with one point per dollar elsewhere. Note that each point is worth approximately 0.8 cents. Among these four cards, this is the only one that does not have a spending cap on its gas rewards category.
- The Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom Flex are both offering new customers 5% cash back on gas (up to $6,000 in purchases within their first year). That's in addition to the standard welcome bonus of $200 after spending $500 (on anything) within their first three months. The promotion is scheduled to expire June 30, 2022. | https://www.necn.com/news/local/looking-to-save-with-a-gas-rewards-credit-card-some-can-help-more-than-others/2709144/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:00Z |
Toddler goes home after spending whole life in hospital
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (WCVB) - After spending her entire life in a hospital, a 19-month-old girl from Massachusetts is finally home with her family.
Bradi Foster’s parents say it’s been a long and emotional roller coaster, but the family of six is finally together at home Monday after a special sendoff from Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Boston.
“All her doctors and her nurses and her respiratory therapist – everybody was there, blowing bubbles and cheering for her,” said Bradi’s mother, Darlene Foster. “The light at the end of the tunnel after 19 months.”
Bradi was born at 25 weeks and had a series of serious health problems. She had to undergo cardiac surgery, and for a while, she needed a ventilator and oxygen.
“Franciscan’s has gotten her so far with her physical therapist and coming here on complete IV nutrition. Now, she’s completely off of IV nutrition,” Foster said.
Bradi is starting to eat some pureed food by mouth, but she still needs a gastrostomy tube. She is being sent home with an adaptive backpack, provided by The Kid Fund, which is an employee-sponsored group at Franciscan Children’s.
“What they do for kids like Bradi is they put all their feeding equipment in their backpack, and there’s a little tube that goes to them and it gives them full mobility,” said Amanda Voysey, a member of Kid Fund.
A smiling Bradi is now beginning her new life at home in Plymouth with her parents, family dog and three older sisters, ages 6, 4 and 3.
“She’s just happy to be alive and happy to love everyone,” Foster said. “She has never met the dog, so that’s a big deal. She hasn’t seen her sisters since July, so this is a huge deal, that they finally get to see her.”
The family says Bradi’s 6-year-old sister is talking about becoming a pediatrician after seeing what doctors did to save her little sister.
Copyright 2022 WCVB via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kswo.com/2022/03/30/toddler-goes-home-after-spending-whole-life-hospital/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:00Z |
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland lawmakers passed a measure on Thursday to create a paid family leave program, sending the legislation to Gov. Larry Hogan.
The bill, approved by supermajority votes by Democrats who control the legislature, would enable workers to take up to 12 weeks of partially paid leave for specified personal family circumstances such as caring for a sick relative or having a baby. It would provide up to 24 weeks for a parent, if he or she has a serious health issue in the year of a child's birth.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Sen. Antonio Hayes, a Baltimore Democrat. He thanked supporters who have “come together and really advocated on behalf of Maryland families."
Republicans criticized the measure for failing to spell out how much employees and employers would have to contribute, leaving that for the state's labor department to define later. They said Democrats were rushing to get the bill to the Republican governor just to meet a deadline so lawmakers will still be in session if the bill is vetoed.
“We're pushing this bill as quick as we can to get it upstairs,” said Sen. J.B. Jennings, a Republican, who added: “We don't know the numbers ... this bill is a hot mess.”
Because lawmakers are in the last session of the four-year term, they would not have a chance to override the veto next year if they adjourn before the governor acts on legislation.
The measure would create an insurance pool. Employees and employers would contribute to fund the program. Under the bill, the state’s labor department would set contribution rates to pay for the program. Employers with fewer than 15 employees would not be required to contribute.
The measure also includes job protections to protect employees from retaliation or termination for using the leave.
Seven states and the District of Columbia have paid family and medical leave insurance programs, including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington. Colorado and Oregon have approved programs that have not started yet. | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Maryland-paid-family-leave-program-bill-passed-to-17049782.php | 2022-04-01T00:44:01Z |
USDA forecasting higher food, grocery costs in 2022
(Gray News) - It looks like elevated food prices are going to continue this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA released its Food Price Outlook for 2022 and predicted the cost of groceries would continue to increase to as much as 4%.
According to the Consumer Price Index, grocery and supermarket food prices were already 8.6% higher in February than last year and up nearly 1.5% from January to February in 2022.
As reported by the Associated Press, prices for U.S. consumers have continued to jump recently, leaving families facing the highest inflation rate since 1990.
“We’re getting into this situation where we have spiraling inflation,” said Jay Hatfield, CEO of Infrastructure Capital Advisors. “Inflation in one area drives inflation in another.”
Currently, the CPI reports all food categories are increasing in price other than fresh vegetables. Last year, the beef and veal categories had the most significant price increase of 9.3%, and the fresh vegetable category had the smallest at 1.1%. However, no food categories decreased in price in 2021.
Poultry prices are also expected to increase up to 7%, with egg prices predicted to increase up to 3.5% in 2022.
Overall, grocery store and supermarket food purchases are expected to increase up to 4%, with restaurant purchases or food away from home forecasted to increase up to 6.5%, according to the USDA.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.cbs46.com/2022/04/01/usda-forecasting-higher-food-grocery-costs-2022/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:00Z |
You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://sportspyder.com/nhl/boston-bruins/articles/39012113 | 2022-04-01T00:44:02Z |
The House on Thursday passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients, part of an election-year push by Democrats for price curbs on prescription drugs at a time of rising inflation.
Experts say the legislation, which passed 232-193, would provide significant relief for privately insured patients with skimpier plans and for Medicare enrollees facing rising out-of-pocket costs for their insulin. Some could save hundreds of dollars annually, and all insured patients would get the benefit of predictable monthly costs for insulin. The bill would not help the uninsured.
But the Affordable Insulin Now Act will serve as a political vehicle to rally Democrats and force Republicans who oppose it into uncomfortable votes ahead of the midterms. For the legislation to pass Congress, 10 Republican senators would have to vote in favor. Democrats acknowledge they don't have an answer for how that's going to happen.
"If 10 Republicans stand between the American people being able to get access to affordable insulin, that's a good question for 10 Republicans to answer," said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., a cosponsor of the House bill. "Republicans get diabetes, too. Republicans die from diabetes."
Public opinion polls have consistently shown support across party lines for congressional action to limit drug costs.
But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., complained the legislation is only "a small piece of a larger package around government price controls for prescription drugs." Critics say the bill would raise premiums and fails to target pharmaceutical middlemen seen as contributing to high list prices for insulin.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Democrats could have a deal on prescription drugs if they drop their bid to authorize Medicare to negotiate prices. "Do Democrats really want to help seniors, or would they rather have the campaign issue?" Grassley said.
The insulin bill, which would take effect in 2023, represents just one provision of a much broader prescription drug package in President Joe Biden's social and climate legislation.
In addition to a similar $35 cap on insulin, the Biden bill would authorize Medicare to negotiate prices for a range of drugs, including insulin. It would penalize drugmakers who raise prices faster than inflation and overhaul the Medicare prescription drug benefit to limit out-of-pocket costs for enrollees.
Biden's agenda passed the House only to stall in the Senate because Democrats could not reach consensus. Party leaders haven't abandoned hope of getting the legislation moving again, and preserving its drug pricing curbs largely intact.
The idea of a $35 monthly cost cap for insulin actually has a bipartisan pedigree. The Trump administration had created a voluntary option for Medicare enrollees to get insulin for $35, and the Biden administration continued it.
In the Senate, Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire are working on a bipartisan insulin bill. Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has introduced legislation similar to the House bill, with the support of Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Stung by criticism that Biden's economic policies spur inflation, Democrats are redoubling efforts to show how they'd help people cope with costs. On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported a key inflation gauge jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
But experts say the House bill would not help uninsured people, who face the highest out-of-pocket costs for insulin. Also, people with diabetes often take other medications as well as insulin. That's done to treat the diabetes itself, along with other serious health conditions often associated with the disease. The House legislation would not help with those costs, either. Collins says she's looking for a way to help uninsured people through her bill.
About 37 million Americans have diabetes, and an estimated 6 million to 7 million use insulin to keep their blood sugars under control. It's an old drug, refined and improved over the years, that has seen relentless price increases.
Steep list prices don't reflect the rates insurance plans negotiate with manufacturers. But those list prices are used to calculate cost-sharing amounts that patients owe. Patients who can't afford their insulin reduce or skip doses, a strategy born of desperation, which can lead to serious complications and even death.
Economist Sherry Glied of New York University said the market for insulin is a "total disaster" for many patients, particularly those with skimpy insurance plans or no insurance.
"This will make private insurance for people with diabetes a much more attractive proposition," said Glied. | https://www.10news.com/news/national/house-passes-35-a-month-insulin-cap-as-dems-seek-wider-bill | 2022-04-01T00:44:02Z |
Fried chicken meets fine dining: putting haute KFC to the taste test
For some it’s a guilty pleasure, a road trip tradition, a reward for the kids or a Friday night blowout. But now KFC - somehow the most sinful of all the fast foods - has become something else entirely: haute cuisine.
As far as marketing stunts go, it’s a winner. More than 20,000 Sydneysiders supposedly signed up for a seat at the KFC Degustation Restaurant, an 11-course romp through popcorn chicken, Twisters and Zinger burgers - deconstructed, reimagined and dolled up by executive chef Nelly Robinson.
Only 180 diners over three nights will be admitted to the top secret set-up down an Alexandria laneway. In a city that fawns over trendy restaurants, this is bizarrely one of the hardest tables in town to nab (at $75-a-head, for charity, it is also one of Sydney’s most affordable degustations).
But how does this Frankenstein feast stack up on the culinary front? Can those 11 secret herbs and spices survive the transition from greasy cardboard box to the fine dining table? Is any of this stuff actually edible while sober?
We won’t get an answer on that front because, unlike most KFC restaurants, there’s champagne on arrival - a stellar innovation in this correspondent’s book. A host shows us to our seats, and we are offered sparking or still water while PR agents buzz about the room fawning and spruiking.
The meal begins with a soft tomato-ey marshmallow dusted in those stubbornly secret spices, and is quickly followed by something they’re calling a Zinger katsu - a piece of fried chicken stacked on a potato block, drizzled with curry mayo and dill.
Then comes the allegedly “supercharged” wings, which resemble your normal KFC chicken wings, except (as per fine dining custom) smaller. They are cooked on a bed of charcoal and set alight at the table, which makes a nice change from the deep fryer.
By this time we have noticed the candle on our table has melted curiously quickly. Greater alarm sets in when the waiter starts pouring something on the melted wax. Of course, it transpires the candle was made of gravy and this is Robinson’s take on KFC’s venerated potato and gravy tubs.
Paired wines arrive, and what vineyard wouldn’t be thrilled to learn it has been judged the best accompaniment to fried chicken? Or, indeed, Zinger kingfish. Robinson told us this controversial creation was the subject of much disagreement with the powers-that-be, who were not convinced fish belonged on a KFC menu.
“This went on and on and on until I won,” Robinson said.
A Twister follows in two parts; first, Colonel Sanders’ face is drawn on a plate with tomato, lettuce, pepper mayo and KFC flavouring. It can only be consumed by licking - perhaps another fine dining first - and precedes a mini Twister embellished with pearl barley risotto, sundried tomato and Manchego cheese in a spinach tortilla, adorned with an edible flower “just to make it posh”.
We move on to this correspondent’s pick of the bunch - a reinvention of the humble delicacy of popcorn chicken. Here the chicken bites are dunked in a roast garlic mushroom soup which also hosts little pillows of mushroom gnocchi, topped with parsley chips.
By this point, one’s enthusiasm for fried chicken may begin to wane, gunned down by attrition, but the main event is still to come; an Original Recipe drumstick rolled in deep-fried “gold quinoa”. No contemporary degustation would be complete without quinoa, but this rocky accoutrement isn’t to everyone’s taste.
A dessert of wattle seed ice cream is popular at our table, and we imagine ourselves shamelessly demanding it from a hapless teenage cashier at George Street KFC at 3.30am after a night out.
The British-born Robinson loves a gimmick; he previously created a Disney-inspired degustation menu and an Aussie feast featuring dishes like ‘vegemite focaccia’ and ‘bunnings sausage sizzle’.
It’s obviously not vegetarian friendly, and it’s not likely to earn many Michelin stars, but there’s no doubt this KFC caper is a bit of fun. It’s fast food for the Instagram generation and, surprisingly, it works - even the fussy foodies on our table were suitably impressed.
You’ll avoid the grease trap, too; there’s surprisingly little need for the refresher toilette when you’re eating fried chicken with a knife and fork.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here. | https://www.theage.com.au/national/fried-chicken-meets-fine-dining-putting-haute-kfc-to-the-taste-test-20220331-p5a9pw.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed | 2022-04-01T00:44:03Z |
Guest Column | TurboTax’s ‘free’ tax prep service is often not free
It’s tax time, and like many people, you might be looking for a tax preparation service – especially one that’s free. Intuit, the company that owns TurboTax, has gotten a lot of people’s attention with ads that said things like “$0 to file” and “file FREE.” The problem? For a lot of people, it’s not actually free.
Today, the Federal Trade Commission announced an administrative action against Intuit for misleading people about free tax filing with TurboTax and separately has asked a federal court to stop Intuit’s deceptive advertising. According to the administrative complaint, since at least 2016, it was only after people spent time entering sensitive personal and financial information that many learned they’d need to upgrade to a paid TurboTax product to complete and file their taxes.
So, when is it free? Only when you meet TurboTax’s definition of a “simple return” (which they’ve changed a few times since 2016). In practice, during 2020, two-thirds of all tax filers didn’t qualify for the “simple return.” That includes people who got unemployment benefits and gig workers with 1099 forms.
Looking to do your taxes for free – for real?
– Check out the IRS Free File Program. If your 2021 adjusted gross income was $73,000 or less, you qualify for free guided tax preparation software for your federal taxes. Use this tool to find which free software is available to you, based on your income and situation. Depending on your income and which IRS partner site you use, you might be able to prepare and file your state taxes for free.
– Check out MilTax if you’re a servicemember or veteran. If your income is too high for the IRS Free File Program, this is another free option for you. There’s no income limit for the Department of Defense’s free filing program, but there are some eligibility requirements.
– Look into the details. If a company advertises free tax preparation services, ask what qualifications you’ll have to meet for it to be free?
– Check out IRS Free File Fillable Forms. Use these to file your federal taxes for free if your 2021 adjusted gross income was more than $73,000. These are an online version of the IRS paper forms, so you won’t get any guidance. These forms don’t help with your state tax return, so learn more by going to the website for your state’s tax agency.
See a tax prep service that says it’s free but isn’t? Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
SUBMIT FEEDBACK
Click Below to: | https://kdminer.com/news/2022/mar/31/guest-column-turbotaxs-free-tax-prep-service-often/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:03Z |
TRENTON, N.J. - Starting Monday, masks are no longer required for workers, customers and visitors inside all New Jersey state offices and buildings. Gov. Phil Murphy says anyone who wants to wear a mask may still do so, however. As of now, the only places where mask mandates remain in New Jersey are those that fall under federal regulations, including NJ TRANSIT, PATH trains and Amtrak. CORONAVIRUS PANDEMICComplete COVID Vaccine CoverageVaccination Sites In New York City | Call 877-VAX-4NYCTrack NYC Vaccinations By Zip CodeFind NYC Testing Site Near YouCheck NYC Testing Wait TimesCDC's COVID Vaccine FAQCDC's COVID Tracking Map By CountyResources: Help With Unemployment, Hunger, Mental Health & MoreRemote Learning Tools For Students And Parents At Home | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556554373105/indiana-20-other-states-file-federal-mask-mandate-lawsuit | 2022-04-01T00:44:03Z |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kim Mulkey knew she had a rebuilding project when she took over as coach of LSU this season.
The longtime Baylor coach quickly was able to orchestrate an incredible turnaround for the Tigers, who won 26 games — 17 more than last season.
Mulkey was honored Thursday as The Associated Press women’s basketball Coach of the Year, the third time she has won the award. Geno Auriemma and Muffet McGraw are the only other coaches to have accomplished the feat.
“I’m certainly honored to be in that group,” Mulkey said. “This doesn’t happen without players who allow you to coach them and buy into a system. We had a really, really good year.”
Mulkey received 10 votes from the 30-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. South Carolina Dawn Staley was second with eight votes. Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer received three while Nicki Collen, who replaced Mulkey at Baylor, got two along with Wes Moore of N.C. State. Five coaches got one vote apiece.
Mulkey, who was surprised by her team last week who told her she won, thanked her coaches and individually named each of her players in the ceremony. She choked up when talking about her family, who were still in Texas.
LSU rose to No. 6 in the AP poll and hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers lost to Ohio State in the second round and finished with more than 25 wins for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Mulkey compared this season to her first at Baylor when she inherited a team that won just seven games the year before she took over.
“You make goals that are realistic such as having a winning season,” she said. “Beat your first ranked team, we’re going to celebrate that. In conference if we finish in the top half of SEC we can then potentially get to the NCAA Tournament. It sounds so simple. but you have to crawl before you can walk, and have to walk before you can run. We were just realistic.”
The Tigers went 13-3 in the tough Southeastern Conference and had wins over Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. Mulkey’s squad also played South Carolina tough, only falling by six points.
After the ceremony, Mulkey bumped into Nikki Fargas, the coach she replaced at LSU. The two hugged and had a 15-minute conversation. It was the first time they had talked since Mulkey got the job.
Mulkey grew up in Louisiana and won national titles with Louisiana Tech as both a player and assistant coach before a 21-year run at Baylor in which she won three national titles and became the fastest coach in women’s college basketball history to 600 victories, doing so in just 700 games. In 2020, she was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Mulkey also won AP Coach of the Year in 2012 and 2019 while at Baylor.
“I can’t name all the things that the team did this year but it was unbelievable,” she said. “We were not supposed to do what we did in a year. That’s hard to do.” | https://www.klfy.com/sports/geaux-nation/lsus-kim-mulkey-wins-ap-coach-of-the-year-for-third-time/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:04Z |
Could the Golden Globes be getting an overhaul?
That's the plan proposed by Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who formerly served as the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who hold the annual Oscars. Isaacs now serves as a partner and senior advisor at Pacific Coast Entertainment, who shared their proposal to the members of the Globes' governing body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, exclusively with ET on Thursday.
The proposal reads in part, "Over the last year, many watched the headlines that have dramatically impacted the reputation and stature of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA or Association), its members, and the Golden Globe Awards. A year into the Association's public commitment to transform, and despite the actions taken toward that goal, the boycotts continue, and the public image of the HFPA and Golden Globe Awards remains tarnished."
"As partners, we would take the additional steps needed to reassure the world that the processes by which nominees are considered and awardees selected adhere to the highest ethical standards," the letter continues. "Further, we would deepen and accelerate the work you began more than a year ago, adding more credibility in establishing a more authentic transformation and a willingness to encompass greater diversity and inclusion. This evolution goes far beyond a single award show on a single night."
Prior to issuing an invitation to all HFPA members to hear more about PCE's proposal at an upcoming dinner, the letter concludes, "At PCE, our goal is to build a robust business partnership with the HFPA that will benefit all members of the HFPA while restoring the brand and reputation of the Golden Globes. Our plan includes: creating an endowment to support the foreign correspondents; consummating strategic relationships for brand and community impact; and, creating a path for key industry partners to re-engage with the HFPA."
Following a year of controversy over the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's membership and nominations process, the 2022 Golden Globes were not televised and were held without an audience or red carpet. The HFPA announced just days ahead of the scheduled ceremony that only "select members and grantees" of the governing body would be in attendance, under strict COVID protocols.
During the ceremony, Senior Vice President of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau Kyle Bowser unveiled the Reimagine Coalition, a joint five-year initiative to increase diversity, equity and inclusion across the global entertainment industry.
According to the initiative, each year, the HFPA and NAACP "will collaborate on, fund, and support a series of trailblazing initiatives, with the overall goals of ensuring visibility of projects from artists of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds; increasing diverse representation in the industry; and building pathways to inclusion for young artists and journalists of color."
RELATED CONTENT: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/former-academy-president-cheryl-boone-isaacs-proposes-new-plan-for-golden-globes-exclusive/603-50ecba86-4efb-4b7f-ab21-8027458e85a7 | 2022-04-01T00:44:04Z |
Mike Gilbert is a software consultant from Arlington, so it goes without saying he’s pretty good with computers.
Using his computer, he has become a voice of hope to a handful of Ukrainian refugees, some of the more than 4 million people, mostly women and children, who have fled Vladimir Putin’s unconscionable and needless war.
Just having someone take an interest in their plight is a morale boost for the Ukrainians. But Gilbert, like many other Americans, wants to be more than a shoulder to cry on. He and others hope that Ukrainians escaping the war can come, even if only temporarily, to the United States.
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But they are finding that while countries such as Poland and Romania have taken in millions of refugees, the US, the richest, most powerful nation in the world, can’t fulfill its modest offer of sanctuary.
“When I heard President Biden say we would take in 100,000 Ukrainians, I had to laugh, because the number is so low and our system is not even able to take that number in,” said Gilbert. “The existing US visa programs require months of paperwork, which is not useful to refugees who are being bombed every day and need to emigrate urgently as a matter of life and death.”
Under the Trump administration, the asylum system was decimated, a deliberate policy of sabotage. The Biden administration vowed to restore a functioning asylum and immigration system, but progress has been glacial. The government said it would take in 125,000 refugees in fiscal year 2022 but is on pace to take in 16,000.
Biden’s promise to take in Ukrainians consists of a pledge, not a plan.
Mike Gilbert is in constant contact with Kristina Bondarenko, who with her mother, two daughters, two dogs, and a cat, fled their home in Kharkiv, eventually getting to Warsaw.
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“They are exhausted,” Gilbert said. “They want to come to Boston.”
Gilbert travels a lot for work, and has a bunch of frequent flier miles he is willing to donate to the Bondarenko family. But they can’t get a US visa to board a plane in Warsaw.
Gilbert relates the story of Bondarenko’s friend, Diana Hlushko, who was in a hospital in Kharkiv with severe abdominal pain when the Russians started bombing. When the windows cracked, she fled the hospital at 5 in the morning, in desperate pain.
Hlushko spent days in a bomb shelter with her parents, who are deaf, before her parents and her 14-year-old brother made it out to Germany. Diana remains behind, in western Ukraine, trying to figure out if the call she got asking her to return to the morgue to claim the body of an uncle killed while defending Kharkiv was real or a prank by Russian soldiers who found her uncle’s phone.
Gilbert is in regular contact with a half-dozen Ukrainian families.
“None of them have said they want to make a life in the United States,” he said. “As soon as the war is over, they want to go back to Ukraine.”
He is also part of an ad hoc network of ordinary Americans who are willing to help Ukrainians get here, to give them jobs. Some have offered to take refugees into their own homes.
“Blaming bureaucracy for inaction in the face of a humanitarian disaster just doesn’t cut it,” Gilbert said. “There are people willing to help, if only our government could give visas to these refugees.”
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In 1999, as civilians in Kosovo were being slaughtered by Serb forces, the US allowed 20,000 Kosovars to take immediate sanctuary in the US while their asylum paperwork was being processed. There’s no reason the US government can’t push the paperwork aside again now.
Hanging a Ukrainian flag, or wearing a swatch of blue and yellow on your lapel, is a nice gesture. But Ukrainians need more than gestures. With more than 4 million refugees already after five weeks of war, the least the US can do is loosen the bureaucratic strings and allow Americans like Mike Gilbert to do what the government is proving incapable of doing.
Kevin Cullen is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at kevin.cullen@globe.com. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/31/metro/helping-ukrainian-refugees-is-easier-said-than-done/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:04Z |
DALLAS (AP) — President Joe Biden is again dipping into the nation’s petroleum stockpile to try to corral rising energy prices.
The White House announced Thursday that Biden ordered the daily release of 1 million barrels of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve for the next six months. Biden will also ask Congress to penalize oil and gas companies that lease public land but aren’t producing energy.
The administration hopes that tapping the petroleum reserve will buy time and tamp down gasoline prices long enough until domestic producers can boost output.
Global oil prices were rising even before Russia invaded Ukraine in February. When Biden announced a ban on Russian oil imports in early March, he acknowledged it would come at a cost to American consumers.
This is the third time Biden has turned to the strategic petroleum reserve in a little over four months. Back in November, he ordered the release of 50 million barrels of oil. Then, in his state of the union speech in March, Biden announced another 30 million barrels as part of a multi-nation effort to boost the oil supply.
Tapping the reserve among the few things a president can do alone to try to control inflation, which makes Americans poorer and often creates a political liability for the party in control of the White House.
Here is a look at what’s involved:
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WHAT IS THE PETROLEUM RESERVE?
America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve is a collection of underground salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana that can hold more than 700 million barrels of oil, although it is not currently full. The reserve held about 568 million barrels last week, down from more than 650 million barrels in mid-2021, according to the U.S. Energy Department.
The reserve was created after the 1970s Arab oil embargo to give the United States a supply that could be used in an emergency.
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WHY IS IT USED?
The U.S. now exports more oil than it imports, but the reserve remains and has been tapped for various reasons, from offsetting the impact of hurricanes and ship-channel closings to raising money for deficit reduction.
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush authorized withdrawing nearly 34 million barrels during the Gulf War, although only 17 million barrels were used. In 2011, President Barack Obama approved the release of 30 million barrels to offset the disruption of supply from Libya.
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HOW DO THEY GET THE OIL OUT?
Oil is lighter than water — that’s why disasters like those caused by the Exxon Valdez tanker and the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig create slicks on the surface. To remove oil from the reserves, water is pumped into the salt caverns, making the crude float to the surface, where it is captured and sent through pipelines to refineries.
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WHY IS BIDEN TAPPING THE RESERVE?
Supply and demand. Biden is hoping that by releasing more oil on the market, prices will fall. Prices did dip for nearly two weeks after Biden’s initial announcement about tapping the reserve back in November but then resumed their steep climb. U.S. crude is up almost 40% this year and has grown even more volatile in the past month.
Whether Biden’s latest move works will depend on several factors. One factor to keep in mind: Even though 1 million barrels a day is a huge amount of oil, the U.S. consumed nearly 20 million barrels a day last year, and worldwide consumption topped 97 million barrels a day.
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WILL GASOLINE GET CHEAPER?
What most people want to know is what’s going to happen to prices at the pump. Many factors go into the price of gasoline. Refineries buy crude oil in advance, so they could still be working with more expensive oil. States have differing tax rates that affect the price that motorists pay.
On Thursday, the national average price for a gallon of regular was more than $4.22, down about a dime from the peak earlier in March, according to auto club AAA.
The average is still under $4 a gallon in many states in the middle of the country, but it’s higher in the Northeast and highest in the West. In California, it’s an eye-popping $5.90 a gallon.
Even if those prices don’t drop, Biden can argue that by tapping the reserve he tried to help.
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WHO GETS HURT MOST?
Gasoline prices are regressive — lower-income people are more likely to spend a higher percentage of their money on gasoline than are affluent Americans — so increases hurt the most price-sensitive consumers. Kevin Book, managing director at Clearview Energy Partners, says those consumers might not show up in measures of the nation’s economy, “but they show up in vote counts … if we get down to it, that’s really what this is about.”
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WHY DOES OIL MATTER?
The future of oil and gas in the U.S. is a political flashpoint and source of tension, especially as companies and government agencies grapple with climate change and the transition to cleaner sources of energy.
On one hand, the U.S. oil and gas industry has been praised by some political leaders for creating energy independence. Where the U.S. once relied heavily on imports, other nations now rely on the U.S. for oil. It’s also a job supplier: The oil and gas industry employs more than 10 million people in the U.S. and contributes about 8% of the nation’s gross domestic product, according to the American Petroleum Institute.
Companies that supply oil benefit from higher prices. But consumers don’t like it when those higher prices trickle down to the pump.
The institute has previously said that any release of oil from the strategic reserve should be paired with policy measures that encourage more U.S. energy production. That collides with Biden’s promise to reduce dependence on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. | https://www.fox44news.com/news/business-news/explainer-what-is-the-strategic-petroleum-reserve-2/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:03Z |
5 things to know today about the Russia-Ukraine conflict
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has hit day ten, with an agreement being broken and new threats emerging in the ongoing conflict.
Here are five things you need to know about Saturday’s news from the war:
Russian troops broke cease-fire, Ukrainian officials say
After Russia and Ukraine agreed to a temporary cease-fire on civilian evacuation routes from two cities in southern Ukraine, Mariupol and Volnovakha, Ukrainian officials said Saturday that Russia had gone back on its word.
“The Russian side is not holding to the cease-fire and has continued firing on Mariupol itself and on its surrounding area,” the deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said.
“Talks with the Russian Federation are ongoing regarding setting up a ceasefire and ensuring a safe humanitarian corridor,” Tymoshenko added.
Ukraine has paused civilian evacuations in Mariupol, with the deputy mayor saying residents cannot leave safely.
Putin threatens Ukrainian statehood
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened Ukraine’s statehood in a statement on Saturday.
“The current leadership needs to understand that if they continue doing what they are doing, they risk the future of Ukrainian statehood,” Putin said. “If that happens, they will have to be blamed for that.”
The Russian president also took aim at Western countries in his comments, calling the sanctions that have been imposed by multiple Western countries “akin to a declaration of war.”
Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials continue to push for a no-fly zone over Ukraine as allies balk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials continued to push for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine after the U.S. and NATO rebuffed the request, saying implementing such a zone could lead to large-scale war.
In a Saturday virtual meeting with Congress, Zelensky urged the creation of a no-fly zone, additionally pleading for the U.S. to stop buying Russian oil and send Ukraine more airplanes.
In a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Ukraine-Poland border Saturday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba similarly reiterated the call for a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
American and NATO officials, however, have clearly stated that the idea is not being considered.
“A no-fly zone is the beginning of World War III. The Russians will not observe a no-fly zone, thus you will have U.S. and Russian forces in combat,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said.
Media makes moves to protect itself in Russia
As Russia cracks down on the press amid reporting on its invasion of Ukraine, media organizations are responding by making moves to protect themselves and their reporters.
Putin on Friday signed legislation that said those found to be spreading “fake news” about Russian troops could be punished with up to 15 years in prison.
Following the move, The Washington Post said it would be taking bylines and datelines off some coverage in order to protect its staff.
BBC, CNN and Bloomberg all announced they are halting all operations in Russia.
Russian state-media outlets have been restricted and demonetized on a number of social media platforms for spreading misinformation about the war in Ukraine.
State Department warns Americans against traveling to Russia
The State Department issued a level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for Russia on Saturday due to “arbitrary” laws being implemented in the country.
“Russian security services have arrested U.S. citizens on spurious charges, denied them fair and transparent treatment, and have convicted them in secret trials and/or without presenting credible evidence,” the advisory stated.
This comes as WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested on Saturday in Russia for possession of vape cartridges containing hashish oil at Sheremetyevo airport.
“If you wish to depart Russia, you should make arrangements on your own as soon as possible. If you plan to stay in Russia, understand the U.S. Embassy has severe limitations on its ability to assist U.S. citizens, and conditions, including transportation options, may change suddenly,” the advisory said.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. | https://thehill.com/policy/international/597027-5-things-to-know-today-about-the-russia-ukraine-conflict/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:03Z |
Spero Therapeutics, Inc. (SPRO) Reports Q4 Loss, Lags Revenue Estimates
Spero Therapeutics, Inc. (SPRO) came out with a quarterly loss of $0.90 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.80. This compares to loss of $0.68 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of -12.50%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this company would post a loss of $0.70 per share when it actually produced a loss of $0.70, delivering no surprise.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates just once.
Spero Therapeutics, Inc.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Spero Therapeutics, Inc. Shares have lost about 46.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of -3.4%.
What's Next for Spero Therapeutics, Inc.
While Spero Therapeutics, Inc. Has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Spero Therapeutics, Inc. Favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is -$0.87 on $2.7 million in revenues for the coming quarter and -$3.81 on $18.39 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Medical - Biomedical and Genetics is currently in the bottom 37% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Another stock from the same industry, Sorrento Therapeutics (SRNE), has yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2021.
This biopharmaceutical company is expected to post quarterly loss of $0.30 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -11.1%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 37.5% lower over the last 30 days to the current level.
Sorrento Therapeutics' revenues are expected to be $15.13 million, up 31.4% from the year-ago quarter.
Zacks Names "Single Best Pick to Double"
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/spero-therapeutics-inc.-spro-reports-q4-loss-lags-revenue-estimates | 2022-04-01T00:44:05Z |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials have revoked the license of a Nevada-based gun manufacturer that was accused of illegally selling guns and went bankrupt but then rebranded itself.
The revocation comes after a lawsuit that alleged the Justice Department didn’t conduct proper oversight before issuing the license.
The decision to revoke the license of JA Industries was spelled out in a court filing late Wednesday as part of the lawsuit brought by Illinois; Kansas City, Missouri; and gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.
The lawsuit alleged that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a law enforcement agency in the Justice Department, awarded the license to JA Industries, renamed from Jimenez Arms, after it violated federal firearms law. The suit also alleged that the company’s guns were contributing to rising violent crime rates in Chicago and Kansas City.
Kansas City and Everytown had sued Jimenez Arms and several gun dealers previously, alleging they contributed to surging gun violence in the Kansas City region by ignoring evidence that guns were being sold illegally in the area. Jimenez Arms filed for bankruptcy about a month after the suit was filed.
That suit contended that Jimenez Arms every year made tens of thousands of cheap handguns that turned up at crime scenes in Kansas City and Chicago “at a rate disproportionate to the company’s market share.”
The plaintiffs alleged in their suit against the ATF that the company’s owner, Paul Jimenez, applied for a new license under the name JA Industries and that it took the ATF less than a month to award the license. The suit alleged that company officials had made false statements to the ATF and had unlawfully shipped guns to a firearms trafficker, which should’ve made the company and its officials ineligible for holding a federal firearms license.
A message seeking comment from JA Industries on Thursday was not immediately returned.
Everytown for Gun Safety heralded the decision to revoke the company’s license.
“We can only hope this decision marks the beginning of a new era at ATF, one that is consistent with President Biden’s commitment to holding rogue and reckless members of the gun industry accountable for breaking the law and putting lives in danger,” said John Feinblatt, Everytown’s president.
In a statement, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said it was a “bold action to stop the flow of illegal firearms into Kansas City.”
An ATF spokesperson, Erik Longnecker, declined to comment specifically, citing the ongoing case. But he said the agency “revokes Federal firearms licensees who are found to have committed willful violations of the Gun Control Act and have an adverse impact on public safety.” | https://www.mystateline.com/news/politics/nevada-gun-manufacturers-license-is-revoked-after-lawsuit/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:06Z |
Investigators looking for suspect involved in shooting of off-duty Inglewood Police officer
An off-duty Inglewood Police officer was shot Thursday morning in Lennox, an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County, and investigators are still trying to figure out exactly what happened.
The incident occurred at around 10 a.m., outside an apartment complex on Osage Avenue, near 111th Street, and in front of Alexandria Renteria's home.
"He didn't seem too hurt, but I don't know what actually went down. I just literally seen them, like, putting him in the stretcher. That's it," she said.
Sky9's camera captured the injured officer being taken into Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he was being treated for injuries that were not life threatening.
Inglewood Mayor James Butts said the officer was off-duty and in plain clothes at the time of the shooting. The mayor also said that the officer was hit twice by gunfire, once in the hip and once in the arm.
The LA County Sheriff's Department is handling the criminal investigation.
"The officer was at the location, possibly either attempting to retrieve property or something to do ... that we learn now might've been domestic violence with a family member," Lt. Charles Calderaro, with the LASD, said.
Detectives are not saying what led up to the violent confrontation or the connection between the injured officer and the shooter. It's unclear if the officer fired off any shots, but the suspect ran away.
"All we know is that he possibly entered a vehicle and fled the location," the Lt. said.
One weapon and ballistic evidence were found at the scene.
For the people living in the Lennox community, a shooting involving a police officer is rare, but for some younger mothers in the area, the fear of gun violence is a constant.
"We're always alert. We keep our dogs out, our gate is always locked," said neighbor Marilyn Ruiz.
Renteria echoed the worries.
"It's kind of scary because you want your kids to have a sage environment to be playing, and you're like iffy to even take your kids out. So it's kind of like heartbreaking that stuff like this does happen."
While authorities have yet to release a suspect description, they did say that the officer is in stable condition.
for more features. | https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/investigators-looking-for-suspect-involved-in-shooting-of-off-duty-inglewood-police-officer/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:07Z |
WASHINGTON (CBS SF) — Betty Reid Soskin, an East Bay author, social justice activist, and at age 100 the oldest active ranger in the National Park Service (NPS), retired Thursday after a final year that celebrated her career and her work at Richmond’s Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park.
Soskin spent her last day on the job providing an interpretive program to the public and visiting with coworkers at Rosie the Riveter park Thursday, named after the iconic campaign during the war in which millions of women entered the workforce to support the Allied industrial labor effort.
READ MORE: California Drought: Water Restrictions Return for Coastside Residents“To be a part of helping to mark the place where that dramatic trajectory of my own life, combined with others of my generation, will influence the future by the footprints we’ve left behind has been incredible,” said Soskin in a prepared statement from the NPS.
“Betty has made a profound impact on the National Park Service and the way we carry out our mission,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams in a statement. “I am grateful for her lifelong dedication to sharing her story and wish her all the best in retirement. Her efforts remind us that we must seek out and give space for all perspectives so that we can tell a more full and inclusive history of our nation. Congratulations, Betty!”
As part of the celebrations surrounding her 100th birthday in September 2021, a middle school in El Sobrante was renamed in honor of Soskin who grew up in Oakland after her family resettled from Louisiana.
Before joining the NPS at age 84, Soskin was part of the planning effort to bring the Rosie the Riveter National Historical Park to Richmond. She also worked to help uncover untold stories of African Americans on the Home Front during WWII.
READ MORE: Stanford Women, UConn To Renew Intense Rivalry At Final FourSoskin has been an eyewitness to American history, growing up under the bigotry of Jim Crow, witnessing the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, and living to see and be embraced by America’s first African American President, Barack Obama.
Being a primary source in the sharing of that history – my history – and giving shape to a new national park has been exciting and fulfilling,” said Soskin. “It has proven to bring meaning to my final years.”
“The National Park Service is grateful to Ranger Betty for sharing her thoughts and first-person accounts in ways that span across generations,” said Naomi Torres, acting superintendent of Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park. “She has used stories of her life on the Home Front, drawing meaning from those experiences in ways that make that history truly impactful for those of us living today.”
Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park will celebrate Betty’s retirement on Saturday, April 16 in Richmond. Details of the event can be found on the park’s website.
MORE NEWS: UPDATE: 1 Injured, 1 Arrested in Shooting Near San Jose's Yerba Buena High; Shelter-In-Place Order Lifted | https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2022/03/31/betty-reid-soskin-nations-oldest-park-ranger-retires-at-age-100/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:07Z |
Benjani to use contacts to link Ngezi players with European teams
Mhondoro based Castle Lager Premier Soccer League outfit Ngezi Platinum Stars could soon “reap what they sow” following the appointment of Benjani Mwaruwari as the club’s new head coach.
This comes after the newly appointed Mwaruwari revealed he is determined to facilitate a European tour for his new employers during their pre-season campaign.
In fact, Ngezi are likely set to play the French club AJ Auxerre first after the ex-Warriors captain highlighted his proposal to see the two clubs face off in a pre-season friendly match was approved by the French outfit.
According to reports, the Undertaker as Mwaruwari is fondly known secured the practise match when he was undergoing a week long coaching attachment with Auxerre in France earlier this month.
“I was recently there (Auxerre) when I was appointed the new Ngezi coach as I was doing my coaching attachment with the club. I then spoke to them that we would like to come and play them in a pre-season friendly match and they accepted.
“As it stands, a friendly match with Auxerre is already in the pipeline,” he said.
Mwaruwari was unveiled as the club’s new substantive coach on Tuesday along with his backroom staff of the former Highlanders coach Bongani Mafu and Takesure Chiragwi as his two assistant coaches.
Apart from facilitating friendly matches for Madamburo (Ngezi) the 43-year-old former Warriors assistant coach also said he is prepared to assist the club’s players to undergo trials and secure moves to European teams.
“I will try to help players to go for trials abroad. If I see a good player within the squad it will be easy for that player to go for trials that’s the advantage of me being here,” he further added.
However, the ex-Manchester City and Jomo Cosmos striker who is a holder of a UEFA A coaching badge is set to wait for a nod from ZIFA to sit on the bench for his new side.
This is because his attained coaching license doesn’t tally with the country’s club licensing system. The requirements only permit holders of CAF A badge to be in charge of premier league clubs. Nehanda Radio | https://nehandaradio.com/2022/04/01/benjani-to-use-contacts-to-link-ngezi-players-with-european-teams/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:07Z |
The De Soto Area School District has provided free Rapid Antigen COVID-19 testing at each of our schools to students, staff and families since October 2021. As part of a community partnership program, the district will be offering free Rapid Antigen Testing to those who live in the district’s communities starting April 4 and continuing through the summer months. Testing remains available to students and staff as well.
Expanding the testing program corresponds with a request from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services seeking districts who are willing to provide this service in their communities. districts will receive free testing kit supplies in order to provide the test at no cost to area residents.
Linzi Gronning, superintendent, said in a press release, the De Soto Area School District feels launching the program at this time will be very helpful to area residents as they plan possible spring break trips and family gatherings over the upcoming Easter holiday adding to the safety of getting together. Testing will be available at all three school buildings. Prairie View Elementary Mondays from 9 to 11 a.m.; Stoddard Elementary Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m.; and De Soto Middle/High School Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The public is asked to make a testing appointment by calling the school where they would like to test ahead to schedule a date and time. | https://lacrossetribune.com/community/vernonbroadcaster/news/de-soto-area-school-district-to-offer-free-rapid-antigen-covid-19-testing-to-community/article_66dfda77-f8f9-5d9c-a7f6-418b0f3d2bcc.html | 2022-04-01T00:44:07Z |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The owner of a downtown Los Angeles building where an explosion injured 12 firefighters has been allowed to enter a judicial diversion program that allows him to avoid jail time and potentially have all charges dismissed.
A court commissioner on Wednesday granted the diversion request for Steve Sungho Lee. He and his companies must pay more than $125,000 in investigative fees, make sure the property meets fire and building codes and arranging for Fire Department training.
Lee owned a commercial building on East Boyd Street in the city's Toy District that caught fire on May 16, 2020. Firefighters had to run for their lives when a ball of flames shot out the building and scorched a fire truck across the street.
Firefighters inside the building had to run through a wall of flames he estimated as 30 feet (9 meters) high and wide, and those on the roof scrambled down a ladder that was engulfed in fire.
Fire officials said the building was a warehouse for Smoke Tokes, a wholesale distributor of supplies for smoking and vaping products including butane hash oil, a concentrated cannabis extract that can be eaten, smoked or vaped. Highly flammable butane is used in the manufacturing process.
Most of the injured firefighters still haven't returned to work and one, Capt. Victor Aguirre, was hospitalized for more than two months and all of his fingers had to be partially amputated, according to a lawsuit he filed against the building and business owners.
Aguirre alleged that the area contained “hundreds of illegally and improperly stored butane canisters and thousands of illegally and improperly stored nitrous oxide cylinders.”
A fire department report concluded that the blaze, which spread to a nearby building, was fueled by an “excessive quantity” of the containers.
Investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives concluded that the fire started under a storage rack in the building and that a worker with a lit cigarette was seen in the area. The cause of the fire was ruled accidental.
However, city prosecutors filed more than 300 misdemeanor charges of violating fire and safety codes against Lee, his companies and owners of businesses in the building and nearby properties. That included more than 160 counts against Lee and his companies.
If Lee meets all conditions of his judicial diversion program for two years, the charges will be dismissed.
“Mr. Lee will be deemed by law to have never been charged," said his attorney, Blair Berk. “The exhaustive federal investigation of the tragic fire objectively concluded that the cause was accidental, and there was no finding of any wrongdoing by Mr. Lee or his companies.”
City Attorney Mike Feuer opposed diversion for Lee, noting the severity of the fire, the injuries suffered by the firefighters and Lee's alleged failure “to take steps which could have mitigated the extent of the blaze."
The owners of Smoke Tokes and another business, Green Buddha, agreed in November 2020 to pay $139,000 each to cover investigative costs and to move out of the building. Charges against them were later dismissed. | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/No-jail-for-LA-building-owner-over-explosion-that-17049830.php | 2022-04-01T00:44:07Z |
More than 100 teachers, students and parents rallied Thursday outside city hall in Newton, Massachusetts, chanting "Fund our schools!" and "Stop the cuts!" after a budget gap prompted plans for the city to lay off more than 50 educators.
The Newton Teachers Association, which claims the total number of cuts could end up being even higher than first predicted, said the layoffs are avoidable.
"It's going to impact our most vulnerable students the most. It's going to hurt them," said Mike Zilles, the union's president. "A lot of the services that are being cut are services that are designed to support students who are struggling."
Zilles and others point to the $63 million in federal funds that the city received from the American Rescue Plan.
About a quarter of that money, which is designed to stimulate the country's economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic, has been allocated to the city's public school system.
The city now has $38 million on hand to allocate by the end of 2024, and teachers said that could be used to prevent layoffs and other hour reductions.
"I feel like Newton probably has the money to keep a lot of our educators that they're threatening to cut," said teacher Sheree Russo, who is keeping her job. "And if they do cut the amount of educators that they choose to, then students are going to have larger class sizes."
Local
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has said that she actually increased funding to the schools by 3.5%. She cited increasing needs and rising costs as culprits for what she described as "wrestling with a budget challenge."
When reached for comment on Thursday, the mayor's spokesperson referred NBC10 Boston to the her previous statements on the budget issues. | https://www.necn.com/news/local/newton-teachers-supporters-protest-against-plans-for-school-layoffs/2709131/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:07Z |
You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://sportspyder.com/nhl/boston-bruins/articles/39012142 | 2022-04-01T00:44:08Z |
Keep4r (KP4R) traded down 33.3% against the dollar during the twenty-four hour period ending at 19:00 PM ET on March 31st. During the last seven days, Keep4r has traded down 9.5% against the dollar. One Keep4r coin can currently be purchased for approximately $5.25 or 0.00011528 BTC on popular exchanges. Keep4r has a market capitalization of $453,792.12 and $345.00 worth of Keep4r was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours.
Here is how other cryptocurrencies have performed during the last 24 hours:
- Binance USD (BUSD) traded down 0% against the dollar and now trades at $1.00 or 0.00002193 BTC.
- Polygon (MATIC) traded 4% lower against the dollar and now trades at $1.62 or 0.00003552 BTC.
- Polygon (MATIC) traded up 1% against the dollar and now trades at $1.65 or 0.00004286 BTC.
- Crypto.com Coin (CRO) traded 5% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.41 or 0.00001075 BTC.
- Dai (DAI) traded down 0% against the dollar and now trades at $1.00 or 0.00002194 BTC.
- Chainlink (LINK) traded down 1.8% against the dollar and now trades at $16.92 or 0.00037138 BTC.
- Parkgene (GENE) traded flat against the dollar and now trades at $25.59 or 0.00045023 BTC.
- DREP (DREP) traded flat against the dollar and now trades at $1.96 or 0.00003398 BTC.
- DREP [old] (DREP) traded flat against the dollar and now trades at $1.96 or 0.00003399 BTC.
- FTX Token (FTT) traded down 4.5% against the dollar and now trades at $48.91 or 0.00107359 BTC.
About Keep4r
According to CryptoCompare, “The network allows users to post on-chain/off-chain jobs, such as to periodically call a smart-contract function. Keepers execute the transaction/task. Keep4r is based on Andre Cronjes keep3r Network, with a number of improvements, including allowing users to bond and reward jobs directly with ETH and DAI. This makes the project more compatible with existing DeFi projects, who can already make great use of the keepers. KP4R is the token that runs the network, it's required for proposing new jobs. Holders will be able to stake and vote with their tokens. passively earning not only bonus KP4R, but also a share of all the ETH and DAI in the network. “
Keep4r Coin Trading
It is usually not possible to buy alternative cryptocurrencies such as Keep4r directly using US dollars. Investors seeking to acquire Keep4r should first buy Bitcoin or Ethereum using an exchange that deals in US dollars such as Gemini, Coinbase or Changelly. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Bitcoin or Ethereum to buy Keep4r using one of the aforementioned exchanges.
Receive News & Updates for Keep4r Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and updates for Keep4r and related cryptocurrencies with MarketBeat.com's FREE CryptoBeat newsletter. | https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2022/03/31/keep4r-kp4r-price-tops-5-25-on-major-exchanges.html | 2022-04-01T00:44:08Z |
US astronaut ends record-long spaceflight in Russian capsule
(AP) - A NASA astronaut caught a Russian ride back to Earth on Wednesday after a U.S. record 355 days at the International Space Station, returning with two cosmonauts to a world torn apart by war.
Mark Vande Hei landed in a Soyuz capsule in Kazakhstan alongside the Russian Space Agency’s Pyotr Dubrov, who also spent the past year in space, and Anton Shkaplerov. Wind blew the capsule onto its side following touchdown, and the trio emerged into the late afternoon sun one by one.
Vande Hei, the last one out, grinned and waved as he was carried to a reclining chair out in the open Kazakh steppes.
“Beautiful out here,” said Vande Hei, putting on a face mask and ballcap.
Despite escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine, Vande Hei’s return followed customary procedures. A small NASA team of doctors and other staff was on hand for the touchdown and planned to return immediately to Houston with the 55-year-old astronaut.
Even before Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Vande Hei said he was avoiding the subject with his two Russian crewmates. Despite getting along “fantastically ... I’m not sure we really want to go there,” he said.
It was the first taste of gravity for Vande Hei and Dubrov since their Soyuz launch on April 9 last year. Shkaplerov joined them at the orbiting lab in October, escorting a Russian film crew up for a brief stay. To accommodate that visit, Vande Hei and Dubrov doubled the length of their stay.
Before departing the space station, Shkaplerov embraced his fellow astronauts as “my space brothers and space sister.”
“People have problem on Earth. On orbit ... we are one crew,” Shkaplerov said in a live NASA TV broadcast Tuesday. The space station is a symbol of “friendship and cooperation and ... future of exploration of space.”
The war tensions bubbled over in other areas of space with the suspension of European satellite launches on Russian rockets and the Europe-Russia Mars rover stuck on Earth for another two years.
Vande Hei surpassed NASA’s previous record for the longest single spaceflight by 15 days. Dubrov moved into Russia’s top five, well short of the 437-day, 17-hour marathon by a cosmonaut-physician aboard the 1990s Mir space station that remains the world record.
“Broken records mean we’re making progress,” said NASA’s previous space endurance champ, retired astronaut Scott Kelly, whose 340-day mission ended in 2016.
Like Kelly, Vande Hei underwent medical testing during his long stay to further NASA’s quest to get astronauts back to the moon and on to Mars. He said daily meditation helped him cope during the mission, twice as long as his first station stint four years earlier.
“I’ve had an indoor job 24-7 for almost a year so I am looking forward to being outside no matter what kind of weather,” Vande Hei said in a recent series of NASA videos. As for food, he’s looking forward to making a cup of coffee for himself and wife Julie, and digging into guacamole and chips.
Remaining on board: Three Russians who arrived two weeks ago and three Americans and one German, who have been aboard since November. Their replacements are due in three weeks via SpaceX. Next week, SpaceX will fly three rich businessmen and their ex-astronaut escort to the station for a weeklong visit arranged by the private Axiom Space.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX began transporting NASA astronauts to the station in 2020, nine years after the shuttle program ended. During that gap, Russia offered the lone taxi service, with NASA shelling out tens of millions of dollars per Soyuz seat. Vande Hei’s ride was part of a barter exchange with Houston-based Axiom.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kswo.com/2022/03/30/us-astronaut-ends-record-long-spaceflight-russian-capsule/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:07Z |
NSW adds 331 previously unreported deaths to COVID-19 toll
By Mary Ward
Health authorities have added more than 300 deaths to the state’s COVID-19 toll following a review of data from Births, Deaths and Marriages, including 66 people who died from the virus in the home.
The 331 previously unreported deaths, which were certified by a doctor on the person’s death certificate as being caused by or contributed to by COVID-19, were added on Thursday.
NSW has now recorded 2433 deaths from COVID-19, including two – a man in his 50s from western NSW and a man in his 70s from the Central Coast, both with significant underlying health conditions – reported on Friday.
Of the previously unreported deaths, 270 occurred this year, 58 in 2021 and three were deaths from 2020, in the first year of the pandemic.
There were 131 previously unreported deaths in aged care facilities (39.6 per cent of the missing deaths). Another 98 (29.6 per cent) occurred in public hospitals, 66 (19.9 per cent) occurred at the person’s home and 22 (6.6 per cent) occurred in private hospitals.
“COVID-19 related deaths are notified to NSW Health from a range of sources, including public and private hospitals, aged care facilities, and the Coroner,” the ministry said in a statement, noting it was “usually” automatically notified when a death from COVID-19 occurred in a public hospital.
“To ensure NSW COVID-19 mortality data is as robust as possible, NSW Health has been cross-checking these deaths with all those identified in death certificates by the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages during this period.”
The deaths followed a similar geographic distribution to those authorities were already aware of. Thirty per cent – 102 deaths – occurred in South Western Sydney Local Health District, where about a quarter of the state’s virus deaths have been recorded.
In a report released by NSW Health on Thursday providing further information about the previously unreported deaths, the ministry said processes had been put in place such that deaths certified by a doctor as caused by COVID-19 would now be included in its figures.
“For people where an expected death occurred at home, for example an elderly person with significant underlying health conditions or people receiving palliative care, the doctor may not have reported the death through any channels other than the [registry],” the report stated.
“As many of the deaths occurred recently, and there is sometimes a delay between a death occurring and it being reported to NSW Health, it is possible that NSW Health would have received a report of the death through the usual channels, but at a later date.”
NSW Health was aware of a positive test result for 256 of the 331 deaths, but did not receive a report of death. It did not have a record of a positive test result for the remaining 75.
The report said health authorities “do not yet know the details of why” the additional deaths in hospitals and aged care facilities had not been reported.
“It is known that some infections may have been identified by a rapid antigen test that was not registered with Service NSW and some may have had a diagnosis based on testing performed outside of NSW, or based on a clinical diagnosis without a laboratory test,” the report read.
“In some cases, it is possible the facilities may have assumed the death was already reported by another authority. Some deaths were associated with other significant conditions such as end-stage cancer or significant neurological conditions.”
NSW Health also plans to use excess mortality data over the pandemic to further assess the impact of the virus on the community.
There were 25,495 new local COVID-19 cases reported in NSW on Friday. The number of people in hospital who are COVID-positive is trending up: there are 1345 cases admitted to hospital including 43 in intensive care.
Stay across the most crucial developments related to the pandemic with the Coronavirus Update. Sign up to receive the weekly newsletter. | https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-adds-331-previously-unreported-deaths-to-covid-19-toll-20220401-p5a9zh.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed | 2022-04-01T00:44:09Z |
Historic aircraft to be displayed at Bullhead airport open house
Updated as of Thursday, March 31, 2022 5:08 PM
BULLHEAD CITY – Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport’s Wings and Wheels Airport Open House will help bring history alive with the historic World War II aircraft C-53 D-Day Doll and two helicopters from the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation.
LBIA Director Jeremy Keating said “It’s an outstanding opportunity for the community to see and experience up close these historic aircraft and talk with the people who fly and care of them.”
Open to the public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, April 2, the open house celebration is located on the airport apron at Signature Flight Support, 2550 South Laughlin View Drive. Parking and admission to the event are free. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.
The Commemorative Air Force Inland Empire Wing’s WWII C-53D “Skytrooper” D-Day Doll participated in most of the important battles to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany including the Normandy Invasion, Operation Market-Garden, Operation Varsity and in the dropping of supplies to surrounded U.S. troops in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.
Accompanying the D-Day Doll is the CAF-Inland Empire Wing’s living history exhibit, D-Day Experience, which brings history to life with reenactments and hands-on artifacts for the public to explore.
The historic aircraft join more than 30 additional vintage and contemporary aircraft provided by private pilots and aircraft owners for display. Pilots and crew for many of the exhibits will be available to answer questions.
There will also be classic automobiles and motorcycles, and remote control aircraft, as well as other exhibits.
For more information call 928-754-2134.
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Click Below to: | https://kdminer.com/news/2022/mar/31/historic-aircraft-be-displayed-bullhead-airport-op/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:09Z |
On Wednesday, fans were shocked to hear that legendary actor Bruce Willis would be stepping away from his acting career after being diagnosed with aphasia.
Willis' family announced on Wednesday that after a decades-spanning career with many blockbuster films and franchises to his name, the 67-year-old actor would be "stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him," due to the condition affecting his "cognitive abilities."
According to the Mayo Clinic, aphasia is "a condition that robs you of the ability to communicate. It can affect your ability to speak, write and understand language, both verbal and written."
Two sources have since told ET that the actor's health has been deteriorating for a while now, so much so that he needed help with his lines on film sets.
"It got to the point where on his last several films, he was fitted with an earpiece, and someone had to read him his lines because he was unable to remember them," one of the sources told ET.
ET spoke with Dr. Nneka Ifejika, a rehab specialist at UT Southwestern, about the condition.
"Aphasia is a condition that results from damage to the speech areas of the brain," Dr. Ifejika shared with ET.
As for what Willis and his family can do to treat his condition moving forward, he has several options to maintain a good quality of life.
"There are treatments for it, though, so it will be very important to get ahold of a speech and language pathologist," Dr. Ifejika noted. "Their quality of life is greatly affected by aphasia, however, with good, adaptive methods and ways to compensate for aphasia, you can still have a good quality of life. There are certain medications and certain conditions that can be used to help facilitate communication."
Willis' last released project was this year's A Day to Die, and he has several completed and announced projects listed on his IMDb page.
Willis is best known for his role as John McClane in the Die Hard films and has many other hit movies to his name including Pulp Fiction, The Sixth Sense, Sin City, Armageddon, The Fifth Element and more.
For more on the condition, watch the clip below:
RELATED CONTENT: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/how-bruce-willis-was-able-to-keep-acting-amid-aphasia-battle/603-db71b1c6-e95f-48af-a3d7-44ba15fc60b2 | 2022-04-01T00:44:10Z |
Volkswagen has been steadily accelerating its electrification push as the demand for cleaner vehicles increases. The latest to be revealed is the ID.Buzz, which looks great and seems to have the substance to back up its styling. It seems that, with the ID.4 and the rest of Volkswagen's new generation of EVs, the brand is hitting the nail on the head for feature-rich yet fuss-free vehicles that do their jobs well. Sure, some people won't like the styling, and some have clamored for more exciting innovations to be offered in these EVs, but that's what premium products are for. Products like the dead-in-America Passat and its electric counterpart which, thanks to comments made at the brand's Annual Media Conference, we now know will launch in 2023. | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556554376616/honda-suspends-production-at-greensburg-plant-for-this-week | 2022-04-01T00:44:10Z |
Tuukka Rask didn’t have to worry about nerves as he prepared to step on the ice at TD Garden for the first time since he officially announced his retirement in February and, in his mind, what might be the last time in a long while.
He was used to seeing the crowd.
“I’m kind of more uncomfortable wearing a suit and going on the ice than wearing my uniform,” he said. “It’s a little different.”
Rask was honored by the Bruins before their matchup Thursday against the Devils at TD Garden. He performed the ceremonial puck drop with his wife and three daughters on hand.
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“It’s nice to have my family here,” he said. “It’ll be fun. Fun memories for them, too.”
Rask’s 15-year career (all in Boston) came to an end two months ago after a failed comeback attempt. The 35-year-old goalie had offseason hip surgery last summer, but the Bruins left the door open if he wanted to return. He did in January, but it took just four games to realize his body couldn’t stand the rigors.
With his retirement decision behind him, Rask said his body feels fine, and was comfortable with the outcome.
“Most days, it feels like, ‘Yeah, I think I could do it,” he said. “But then you get a day or two where you’re like, ‘Oh, thank God I don’t have to put the gear on and go butterfly.’ So yeah, there’s days that I feel great and, hopefully, it continues that way. But I know that it just wouldn’t hold if I was playing. So I always keep that in the back of my mind.”
Rask said he wasn’t disappointed by the outcome of his comeback attempt even though he went through with the surgery last summer.
“I would have done the surgery anyways at some point because it was at the point that it affected my everyday life,” he said. “I just did it because I wanted to come back and play because I couldn’t play without the surgery. [I] knew that going into the surgery, that it’s going to go either way. Did the rehab, tried to come back. At least I tried, right?”
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Rask didn’t see a future for himself as a coach quite yet, but he will work with the organization on corporate sponsorships.
“I’ll be hanging out with sponsors, golfing and shaking hands in suites,” he said. “We’re going to have to figure out a better title for me, I guess. But that’s something I’ve always been intrigued about — the business side of things — anyways. I don’t know what the future holds. Maybe I’ll get into coaching, maybe not. But for now, I’ll be hanging out with sponsors.”
He’s seen the hugs that have become a ritual for Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark after wins and he approves.
“It’s great to have that chemistry,” Rask said. “What I understand is that it just kind of happened by accident and they just kept doing it. So it’s good. Those are the fun stories that happen during the season. They stuck with it. Hopefully, they get to do it very often. That means they’re winning.”
Changes in the lines
Bruce Cassidy anticipated making changes after Tuesday’s loss to the Maple Leafs, but two of them were out of his control.
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Craig Smith was “under the weather” and Nick Foligno was dealing with a lower-body injury. With Smith day-to-day, Marc McLaughlin, a Billerica native and Boston College product, made his Bruins debut on the third line with Charlie Coyle and Trent Fredric. Anton Blidh slotted into Foligno’s spot on the fourth line.
The changes Cassidy planned to make were along the blue line. Reilly and trade deadline addition Josh Brown replaced Connor Clifton and Derek Forbort on the third defensive pairing.
Brown wasted no time making his presence felt when he engaged New Jersey’s Mason Geertsen in a first-period bout, which earned him a five-minute fighting major (Geertsen was also sent off for five minutes) and a stick salute from his Bruins teammates on the bench.
Reilly hadn’t played since March 21 against Montreal. Blidh’s last game was March 16 against Minnesota.
“We had discussed a while ago how to get all eight guys involved,” Cassidy said. “They had been practicing together. I think that helps a little bit. So keep them as a pair and then we’ll sort through as we go how it breaks out after that.”
Clifton and Forbort had been a steady third pair, but Clifton was on the ice for three goals in the 6-4 loss to Toronto on Tuesday night and Forbort was on for two.
“Cliffy had a tough night the other night, but they’d been good, him and Forbort, for a while,” Cassidy said. “Good stretch — good, solid, consistent, played within themselves hockey.”
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Cassidy said he expects Foligno to be available for Saturday night’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
A family gathering
Making his NHL debut was one thing, but doing it in a Bruins jersey made it that much more special for McLaughlin, who grew up in Billerica and starred at Boston College.
Putting a ballpark figure on how many people he expected to show up at TD Garden for him Thursday was a challenge.
“A lot,” he said. “Too many to count.”
Pressed to pick a number, McLaughlin guessed about 50 family members and friends were at the Garden to see his debut.
He signed a two-year entry-level contract on March 15 and was given time to get acclimated before being tested Thursday against the Devils.
“It’s been really good,” McLaughlin said. “There’s a ton of leaders in that locker room. So just trying to absorb as much as I can and learn from them. They’re all such great professionals, so just trying to absorb it.”
McLaughlin, a center by nature but a right wing Thursday, was the Eagles’ captain his junior and senior seasons. He scored 21 goals and had 11 assists as a senior this past season. While only 22 years old, Cassidy said it was a good sign that McLaughlin showed the habits of a pro in practice.
“Very professional in his approach,” Cassidy said. “Does everything hard. Ready to go when it’s his turn. Alert, focused. So that part’s great. Shoot’s the puck very hard, he passes the puck very hard, so he’s got hard habits, for lack of a better term, which are going to be required at this level.”
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Julian Benbow can be reached at julian.benbow@globe.com. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/31/sports/bruins-pay-homage-retired-goalie-tuukka-rask-pregame-puck-drop-ceremony/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:10Z |
BERLIN (AP) — The operator of Frankfurt Airport said Thursday that it is selling its minority stake in China’s Xi’an Airport after failing to expand its business in the huge Chinese market.
Fraport AG said it is selling its 24.5% stake in the airport’s operating company to Chang’an Huitong Co. Ltd. for 1.11 billion yuan ($175 million).
CEO Stefan Schulte said Xi’an “gave us an opportunity to showcase our expertise in airport management,” with passenger numbers more than quadrupling to over 40 million per year over the 14 years since Fraport acquired its stake.
“We always regarded our minority stake in Xi’an as a starting point for expanding our business in China,” Schulte said in a statement.
“However, this never materialized in Xi’an or at any other Chinese airport,” he added. “Consequently, we have now decided to cease our activities in the Chinese market.”
Fraport said the Xi’an operating company, Xi’an Xianyang International Airport Co. Ltd., expects the transaction to be concluded during the second quarter. | https://www.fox44news.com/news/business-news/frankfurt-airport-owner-sells-stake-in-chinas-xian-airport/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:10Z |
Zelensky says Ukraine receiving more SpaceX internet stations for ‘destroyed cities’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will be receiving more Starlink satellite internet stations for “destroyed cities” after he spoke with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
“Talked to @elonmusk. I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities,” Zelensky tweeted Saturday.
“Discussed possible space projects . But I’ll talk about this after the war,” he added.
This comes after Musk last week said SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service had been activated in Ukraine amid reports of internet outages in parts of the country.
A Ukrainian official tweeted at Musk asking for stations after the Russian invasion began.
“@elonmusk, while you try to colonize Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and to address sane Russians to stand,” Ukraine’s vice prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, said in a Twitter post. Federov is also the country’s minister of digital transformation.
“Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route,” Musk tweeted in response.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. | https://thehill.com/policy/international/597028-zelensky-says-ukraine-receiving-more-spacex-internet-stations-for/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:11Z |
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NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence is offering a “Freedom Agenda” platform for Republicans ahead of this year’s midterm elections, presenting a framework for GOP candidates — and possibly himself for a 2024 presidential run.
Pence’s platform, released Thursday, combines traditional Republican goals such as increasing American energy production, cutting taxes and rolling back regulations, with priorities pursued by former President Donald Trump on issues like trade and immigration.
Pence also offers plenty of culture war red meat for the GOP base, pledging, for instance, to save women’s sports by “ensuring that sports competitions are between those who share their God-given gender” and calling for all high school students to pass a civics test.
“Elections are about the future, and I think it’s absolutely essential that, while we do our part to take the fight to the failed policies of the Biden administration and the radical left, at the same time, we want to offer a compelling vision built on our highest American ideals,” Pence told reporters ahead of the plan’s release. “It really is an effort to put in one place the agenda that I think carried us to the White House in 2016, carried two Bush presidencies to the White House and carried Ronald Reagan to the White House in 1980.”
Much of the 28-page plan reads like the platform of a presidential campaign, underscoring Pence’s ambitions and providing a clear road map of the themes and policies he is likely to pursue if he moves forward with a 2024 run. While Pence in recent weeks has worked to distance himself from his former boss as he begins to reintroduce himself to voters and develop a political identity of his own, he has also been careful to tie himself to the policies of the Trump-Pence administration, which remain extremely popular among Republican voters.
It’s part of what aides see as Pence’s unique opportunity, as a former talk radio host, congressman and Indiana governor, to merge the traditional conservative movement with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda.
“There is a winning coalition for America that believes in the traditionally conservative values that the vice president has championed through his career,” said Marc Short, co-chair of Advancing American Freedom, the advocacy group Pence launched last year.
Still, Pence argues that “elections are about the future,” in contrast to Trump’s continued focus on his own false 2020 election claims.
Pence’s plan comes as the GOP has been at odds over the wisdom of offering voters a concrete policy agenda ahead of the midterm elections this year. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has been pointedly opposed to such efforts, arguing that Republicans should keep the focus on President Joe Biden, whose popularity has slumped amid the highest inflation in 40 years and the Russian war in Ukraine, and make the election a referendum on him.
The risks of a specific plan came into stark relief last month when Florida Sen. Rick Scott, another potential 2024 contender and the chair of the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, unveiled his 11-point plan to “rescue America.” The effort drew immediate criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans, particularly its call for all Americans to “pay some income tax to have skin in the game” — which would amount to a tax hike for millions of people who pay no income tax because they earn so little.
On Thursday, Scott defended his plan during a speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation.
“Bring it on,” the Florida senator said to his critics. “If the Republicans return to Washington’s business as usual, if we have no bigger plan than to be a speed bump on the road to America’s socialism and collapse, we don’t deserve to govern.”
House Republicans, meanwhile, have been working on their own “Commitment to America” plan with echoes of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America,” which Republicans unveiled in 1994 before sweeping the midterms that year.
“For the American public to join with you and support you, first they want to know what will you do,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said at the party’s annual retreat in Jacksonville, Florida, last week.
Candidates on the campaign trail have expressed similar sentiments.
At a Republican Senate primary debate in Ohio on Monday, several of the candidates applauded Scott for his effort, even as they said they disagreed with parts of his plan.
“I’m so sick of Republicans who say, ‘Well, we’re just going to push back against the Biden agenda.’ Well, of course we’re going to do that. But what are we gonna actually do for our voters?” candidate J.D. Vance asked. “There are a lot of problems out there. A lot of very serious problems. And we can’t just sort of stick our flag in the mud and say, ‘We’re against, we’re against, we’re against.’ We gotta be for stuff.”
Pence said that was part of his intention.
“As important as it is for us to criticize and to confront and to be the loyal opposition,” he said, it is “absolutely of equal importance that we offer a positive, compelling vision built on our highest ideals and frankly the successes that we were able to demonstrate during our administration.”
The economic plan unveiled Thursday calls for fast-tracking permits for oil and gas production, expanding drilling on federal lands and offshore and pursuing trade agreements that better protect American workers. On foreign policy, Pence calls on China to “establish a victims compensation and economic recovery fund” for “negligently unleashing and hiding the origins of COVID-19.”
On immigration, Pence’s agenda sounds much like a Trump press release. It calls on leaders to “oppose all forms of amnesty,” typically defined as a path to citizenship for those who entered the country illegally, and seeks an end to what he calls “chain migration” by limiting family reunification to an immigrant’s close family. It also calls for promoting “the patriotic assimilation of immigrants” and finishing Trump’s border wall.
Under a section dedicated to “protecting American culture,” Pence calls for the promotion of “patriotic education” by ending “radical political indoctrination — including the teaching of anti-American racist ideologies like Critical Race Theory,” which views racism as systemic in the nation’s institutions.
Pence also calls on states and local jurisdictions to require that all high school students pass a test on the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Federalist Papers to graduate. And he seeks limits on mail-in voting and early in-person voting, among other election measures.
Pence has been raising his public profile, making frequent media appearances, headlining political events and delivering policy speeches. He has traveled in recent weeks to South Korea, Israel and the Ukrainian border with Poland, where he greeted fleeing refugees. And he has paid numerous visits to early voting states, including New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, which he’ll return to next month.
Meanwhile, his advocacy group is spending millions of dollars on ads and filing friend-of-court briefs opposing vaccine mandates and abortion rights, and he’s working on a pair of books in addition to projects with the Heritage Foundation and Young America’s Foundation.
___ Associated Press writer Steve Peoples contributed to this report. | https://www.mystateline.com/news/politics/pence-unveils-republican-policy-agenda-for-midterm-elections/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:13Z |
Chris Rock returns to stage after Will Smith Oscars slap
Comedian Chris Rock returned to the stage in Boston on Wednesday night, just several days after Will Smith slapped him during the Oscars award show. CBS News' Jericka Duncan was at the show and has more on what Rock said. | https://www.cbsnews.com/video/chris-rock-returns-to-stage-after-will-smith-oscars-slap/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:13Z |
SAN MATEO COUNTY (KPIX ) — The Coastside County Water District declared a water-shortage emergency Thursday, bringing back some water-use restrictions for the approximately 19,000 customers it serves in Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Princeton, and Miramar.
“We are going into a third consecutive year of drought,” said Cathleen Brennan, a water resource analyst with the CCWD. “The CCWD does have local sources, but they are impacted by the drought, and we rely on purchases from SFPUC to serve our community. When SFPUC declared a water shortage emergency and gave us an allocation, that prompted us to declare a water shortage emergency and mandate certain water use restrictions so we could try to meet that allocation.”
READ MORE: Betty Reid Soskin, Nation's Oldest Park Ranger, Retires At Age 100According to a CCWD ordinance, “except where necessary to address an immediate health and safety need or to comply with a term or condition in a permit issued by a state or federal agency,” the following actions are prohibited for all customers:
1. The application of water to outdoor landscapes in a manner that causes more than incidental runoff such that water flows onto adjacent property, non-irrigated areas, private and public walkways, roadways, parking lots, or structures;
2. The use of a hose that dispenses water to wash a motor vehicle, except where the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle or device attached to it that causes it to cease dispensing water immediately when not in use;
3. The use of water for washing sidewalks, driveways, buildings, structures, patios, parking lots, or other hard surfaced areas;
4. The use of water for street cleaning or construction site preparation purposes unless no other method can be used or as needed to protect the health and safety of the public;
5. The use of water for decorative (decorative water feature) fountains or the filling or topping-off of decorative lakes or ponds, with exceptions for those decorative fountains, lakes, or ponds that use pumps to recirculate water and only require refilling to replace evaporative losses:
6. The application of water to Irrigate turf and ornamental landscapes during and within 48 hours after measurable rainfall of at least one fourth of one inch of rain. In determining whether measurable rainfall of at least one fourth of one inch of rain occurred in a given area, enforcement may be based on records of the National Weather Service, the closest CIMIS station to the parcel, or any other reliable source of rainfall data available to the District.
7. The use of water for irrigation of ornamental turf on public street medians.
READ MORE: Stanford Women, UConn To Renew Intense Rivalry At Final FourThe focus of the restrictions is primarily on reducing outdoor water usage and reducing water waste.
“The biggest change is, if you have spray irrigation, you’re limited to two days a week of when you can irrigate. It’s by your address, so on even days you’re allowed to irrigate on Mondays and Wednesdays, and if you have an odd address, you’re restricted to Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can’t have spray irrigation between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., and you can only have each station running for 10 minutes maximum,” Brennan said. “If you have drip irrigation – which we consider more a more efficient irrigation system – you don’t have those same restrictions. Hopefully it encourages people to upgrade their irrigation systems to drip.”
The CCWD has a goal of reducing total water use in its service area this year, according to Brennan.
The water district wants all customers to use a maximum of 50 gallons per day, per person. However, it will not fine or penalize those who use more than that.
“We thought it would be good to put in the ordinance a gallons per day threshold or goal for our customers to meet so we could reassure them that if they’re already down there, they don’t really have to do much more,” she said. “A lot of our customers are already doing really well and there’s really no way they can cut back much more. But there are others that could do more – they could reduce their irrigation or install high-efficiency toilets, things like that.”
You can read the entire ordinance at the Coastside Water website.
On Friday, state water officials will conduct the critical fourth snow survey of the season, and expectations are not good.
The April 1st survey is considered a key measurement of water conditions for the rest of the year, since it’s typically when the snowpack reaches its peak water content before the snow melt picks up in the spring.
It comes as the latest drought map showed more than 40% of the state is under extreme drought conditions, including parts of Sonoma and Napa counties.
MORE NEWS: UPDATE: 1 Injured, 1 Arrested in Shooting Near San Jose's Yerba Buena High; Shelter-In-Place Order LiftedThe rest of the Bay Area currently falls in the severe drought category. | https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2022/03/31/california-drought-water-restrictions-return-for-coastside-residents/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:13Z |
Former Minister Kagonye acquitted after state fails to prove fraud cases
Former Labour and Social Welfare Minister Petronella Kagonye has been acquitted on two counts of fraud by a Harare magistrate after the state failed to provide sufficient evidence against her.
Magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti Guwuriro on Wednesday ruled that the investigating officer and the State indicated that there was not sufficient evidence to build a case against Kagonye.
She was accused of defrauding Shingiriro Housing Cooperative of US$18 000 after she allegedly received money promising them residential stands.
The Herald reported that a bookkeeper, who was supposed to testify during the trial is said to be outside the country and Guwuriro stated that the evidence of Joyce Chiroodza, the complainant, was not enough to sustain the allegations.
The magistrate further stated that the documents of the cooperative were also not enough.
She also noted that the other matters were withdrawn by the complainants who alleged that they were forced to report lies against the accused.
The former Minister was facing three counts of fraud and she was acquitted on two counts but Guwuriro said she has a case to answer on the third count.
Kagonye had applied for discharge at the close of the State’s case but Guwuriro ruled Kagonye must be put to her defence.
On the third count, she is accused of taking 20 computers from the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (POTRAZ) for her constituency.
Magistrate Guwuriro ruled that Kagonye should reveal the location of the computers that were taken from POTRAZ.
She is also expected to tell the court who her brother, Evans Kagonye, gave the computers to and how many were received. Nehanda Radio | https://nehandaradio.com/2022/04/01/former-minister-kagonye-acquitted-after-state-fails-to-prove-fraud-cases/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:13Z |
FUNDRAISER
Chicken and fish dinner at Legion
The La Crosse American Legion Post 52 baseball team will hold a chicken and fish dinner from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at Post 52, located at the corner of Sixth and Market streets. All proceeds benefit Post 52 baseball.
Takeouts may be ready as early as 4:30 p.m. Cost is $10 for batter fried or boiled fish or a fish/chicken combo meal. Cost is $9 for chicken wings or chicken tenders, $9 for two-piece battered or boiled fish meal and $6 for fish or chicken sandwich meal. Meal includes baked potato or fries, coleslaw, rolls, plus coffee or milk. Soup and garlic bread available.
MLB
Brewers sign RHP Ureña
MILWAUKEE — Former Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers pitcher José Ureña has signed a $1.25 million, one-year contract with the Milwaukee Brewers
The NL Central champion Brewers announced the signing Tuesday as a minor league contract and immediately selected him to the major league roster.
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He can earn $1.55 million based on starts: $50,000 for five, $100,000 for 10, $200,000 for 15, $300,000 for 20, $400,000 for 25 and $500,000 for 30. Ureña can earn $1.05 million for relief appearances: $50,000 for 20, $100,000 for 30, $150,000 for 40, $200,000 for 50, $250,000 for 60 and $300,000 for 70.
He would have a $250,000 salary if assigned to the minor leagues.
Ureña, 30, went 4-8 with a 5.81 ERA for the Tigers last season in 26 appearances, including 18 starts. The right-hander had 67 strikeouts and 42 walks in 100 2/3 innings.
He owns a 36-54 career record with a 4.77 ERA, and 473 strikeouts and 250 walks in 697 2/3 innings. Ureña pitched for the Marlins from 2015-20.
Ureña’s best seasons came in 2017 and 2018. He went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA in 2017 and was 9-12 with a 3.98 ERA in 2018.
FORMULA ONE
F1 driver Vettel back for Australian GP
SILVERSTONE, England — Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel is “fit to race” after recovering from COVID-19, the Formula One team said Thursday.
The four-time world champion will make his season debut at the Australian Grand Prix on April 10.
The 34-year-old German missed the first two races of the F1 season — in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia — because of his coronavirus infection.
“We are pleased to confirm that Sebastian Vettel is now fit to race and will therefore line up alongside Lance Stroll in Melbourne to kick off his 2022 F1 season,” the British team said.
Reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg had replaced Vettel for both races, finishing 17th in Bahrain and then 12th in Saudi Arabia.
Aston Martin is still searching for its first points this season.
MEN’S SOCCER
US turns attention to Qatar
SAN JOSE Costa Rica — Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams had relief on their faces as they headed straight from the stadium for a charter jet to Europe and weekend club games.
“This is whatever I’ve always wanted to be, and right now emotions are a bit crazy,” Pulisic said, his voice quavering.
Coach Gregg Berhalter had rushed out for a red-eye to New York and a 12 1/2-hour connecting flight to Friday’s World Cup draw in Doha.
Recovering from the past and preparing for the future intertwined as the United States clinched a return to the World Cup.
For Pulisic, DeAndre Yedlin, Kellyn Acosta and Paul Arriola, all on that doomed American team at Trinidad 4 1/2 years earlier, the pain had not gone away until now. The 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on Wednesday night was deflating, but by the time players entered the locker room of Estadio Nacional, focus turned to the accomplishment of clinching a return to soccer’s showcase for the first time since 2014.
Erik Palmer-Brown started popping open the Duet Mosseux Brut even as Berhalter was giving his speech. Then the new JBL Boombox 2 got to blare.
“We’re the youngest team to ever qualify for the World Cup, youngest U.S. team, and we’ll be the youngest team at the World Cup,” Berhalter said. ”That’s an accomplishment for these guys. It really is.”
They had traveled 25,042 miles on charters — circling the globe adds to only 24,901 — making four trips to Central America, plus one each to Mexico, Canada and Jamaica. plus up to five trans-Atlantic round trips. Forty-four players were called in, of which 38 took the field. In all, 114 players have been used since Trinidad, 88 since Berhalter was hired in December 2018.
Pulisic had buried his face in his hands at Couva, wiping away tears.
“That was one of the toughest days of my life. I’ll never forget it,” he recalled. “Now to be in this position. — qualified for a World Cup, we’re all extremely proud.”
Berhalter admitted the pressure was omnipresent.
“The public was on edge. They desperately wanted us to make it,” he said.
All of 23, Pulisic, Adams and Weston McKennie are the team leaders. Right back Sergiño Dest and left back Antonee Robinson became offensive threats. Gio Reyna, at 19, emerged a budding star, just like his dad three decades earlier.
“Now we have to test ourselves against the best players in the world, the best teams in the world,” Adams said. “This was only the first stage in our development.”
Berhalter is among a 12-person U.S. Soccer Federation attending the draw, mapping out Qatar plans for a tournament that opens Nov. 21, in the middle of European club seasons.
Four games are likely in June, two in the CONCACAF Nations League and two exhibitions, followed by a pair of friendlies in September, possibly in Europe. Major League Soccer players may have a domestic training camp before the tournament.
And if the U.S. winds up in Groups E through G, which don’t start play until Nov. 24-25, the Americans might train in Europe for several days and have one more exhibition before heading to the Middle East.
“The starting point is getting out of the group,” Berhalter said.
USSF staff locked down hotel and training arrangements on Oct. 1, 2019, the day the portal opened, putting the team in an optimum logistical situation.
Berhalter presumes form will change between now and November, causing roster churn. He was impressed with the growth over 14 qualifiers in temperatures that ranged from minus-3 degrees (minus-16 Celsius) in St. Paul, Minnesota, and 85 degrees (29 Celsius) in Austin, Texas.
“I think we improved our pressing,” he said. “But we’re going to continue to evolve and to continue to improve. The 4-3-3 system as it’s been good for us, we might work with some other systems just to have some flexibility in the World Cup. I think it’s important to see who we are playing and start planning out how we can be successful there.”
For all the positive feelings, the U.S. dropped to third among eight nations in North and Central America and the Caribbean, behind Canada and Mexico. If not for last week’s 0-0 draw at Mexico, the Americans would have finished fourth and wound up in a June playoff against New Zealand.
“The easy part is over, and now we focus on this draw,” said defender Walker Zimmerman, who rose like a rocket from initially off the roster in October to starting nine of the past 11 games. “Ultimately just focus on staying fit, staying healthy, performing for our clubs.”
Forward remains a concern. After scoring three goals over two games last fall, Ricardo Pepi has gone scoreless in 19 games for club and country. Strikers produced just four of the Americans’ 21 goals, with Jesús Ferreira getting the other.
“We’re hoping that one of our 9s gets into a good form by the time the World Cup comes around,” Berhalter said Thursday during a layover at JFK International Airport.
Midfielders and wingers have been the engine, with Pulisic scoring five of the team’s 21 goals, and McKennie, Brenden Aaronson and Robinson two each.
“We can do a lot of damage, man,” Pulisic said. “I think we’re a confident bunch of guys and I think that country will get behind us and we’re going to give everything we got.”
“I just like the fight of his team and I think we have a lot of quality, as well,” he added. “I think we can be a force going into the World Cup.” | https://lacrossetribune.com/la-crosse-sports-briefs/article_296bd98b-b3f5-5870-837e-b97dbf1f0eda.html | 2022-04-01T00:44:13Z |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oscars producer Will Packer said Los Angeles police were ready to arrest Will Smith after Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Academy Awards stage.
“They were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment," Packer said in a clip released by ABC News Thursday night of an interview he gave to “Good Morning America.” “They said we will go get him. We are prepared. We’re prepared to get him right now. You can press charges, we can arrest him. They were laying out the options.”
But Packer said Rock was “very dismissive” of the idea.
“He was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m fine,” Packer said. "And even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’ The LAPD officers finished laying out what his options were and they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?’ And he said no.”
The LAPD said in a statement after Sunday night's ceremony that they were aware of the incident, and that Rock had declined to file a police report. The department declined comment Thursday on Packer's interview, a longer version of which will air on Friday morning.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. Smith could be suspended, expelled or otherwise sanctioned.
The academy said in a statement that “Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television."
Without giving specifics, the academy said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, but refused to do so.
Smith strode from his front row seat on to the stage and slapped Rock after a joke Rock made about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, when he was on stage to present the Oscar for best documentary.
On Monday, Smith issued an apology to Rock, the academy and to viewers, saying “I was out of line and I was wrong.”
The academy said Smith has the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on April 18.
Rock publicly addressed the incident for the first time, but only briefly, at the beginning of a standup show Wednesday night in Boston, where he was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation. He said “I’m still kind of processing what happened.”
___
Follow AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/andyjamesdalton | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Oscars-producer-says-police-offered-to-arrest-17049804.php | 2022-04-01T00:44:13Z |
You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://sportspyder.com/nhl/boston-bruins/articles/39012218 | 2022-04-01T00:44:14Z |
The conservative media organization The Daily Wire announced plans to invest $100 million to create programming for children to counter "woke media companies."
The move follows Disney's opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education act — which critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — which was signed into Florida law this week. The law restricts discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in classrooms. A group of over a dozen students, parents, educators and advocates filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s Board of Education.
The Daily Wire said Wednesday it plans to roll out live-action and animated children's entertainment. It also will spend another $100 million on similar content for adults. The programming is scheduled to launch on The Daily Wire's subscription streaming service in spring 2023.
"Americans are tired of giving their money to woke media companies who hate them," Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing said in a statement. "They're tired of giving their money to woke media companies who want to indoctrinate their children with radical race and gender theory. They want to do more than just cancel them. They want alternatives."
Read the full story at NBCNews.com | https://www.necn.com/news/national-international/disney-spurs-far-right-media-organizations-push-into-kids-content/2709135/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:13Z |
By Jordan Baker
In the past two years, Walgett Community College incident log has recorded almost 50 cases of violence at the school, ranging from student brawls and threats involving weapons to assaults on teachers. Police were notified or called almost 15 times and, on a handful of occasions, lockdown procedures were activated.
“Numerous students displayed aggressive and threatening behaviour on school grounds and a lockdown was implemented,” the log says of an incident in term one last year, in which police were called.
Another incident involved students breaking into a classroom and distributing the equipment, says the log, released under freedom of information laws. On another occasion, some students lit a fire, causing minor property damage. There were multiple fights between students that teachers tried to handle, but in some cases called police for support.
One time, six students approached a student who was leaving with their parent. “[They] assaulted the student,” it said.
Violence has become a fixture of Walgett High. There are deep disagreements over what to do about it; the elders say the students need more help for their disability and trauma and want police kept out, but others say the environment has become dangerous for both students and teachers.
It is not a new problem. Almost 10 years ago, then Education Minister Adrian Piccoli denounced the government’s neglect of Walgett, and rural schools like it, where most students are indigenous. He said Walgett Community College’s ruinous buildings made it the worst school in the state. “I think it is true to say that we as a community have treated Aboriginal people like rubbish.”
To turn the school around, the NSW government gave its buildings a $9 million makeover. It created a new governance structure - known as Connected Communities - to give parents and local leaders a greater voice in decisions made not only by Walgett Community College, but 15 schools with similarly high numbers of Indigenous children in other parts of the state. The department lured former Asquith high principal, Richard Rule, out of retirement to lead the new-look school.
More money, including Gonski funding, flowed over the next few years and gave Walgett the highest per capita funding of any school in the state. In 2020 - the most recent figures available - it received more than $44,500 for each student from state and federal governments.
None of it seems to have helped.
The high school now has its 31st principal in 24 years. Its attendance rate has been trending downwards from a low base since 2011. Last year it was 43.3 per cent, which was slightly higher than the year before, but far lower than the average across the state (90.7 per cent) or statistically similar schools (76.7 per cent), the freedom of information documents show. Just five of 151 students attended school more than 90 per cent of the time, compared with 31 per cent in similar schools.
In the five years to 2018, the average yearly staff turnover was 50 per cent. Potential recruits were deterred by the geographical isolation and the violence. Two female teachers have been on long-term leave due to severe injuries sustained while being assaulted by female students on school grounds, multiple sources say, and staff members have been hit, spat upon and had their cars damaged.
The turnover and vacancies mean, among other things, that there’s little educational continuity in a school where it’s particularly important. NAPLAN results show many of the students struggle with the basic skills they will need to function in society; the average year 9 score was below minimum standard in every subject but spelling and numeracy. In writing, the average year 9 student was functioning at year 3 level.
Some local families do not want to send their children there. They say they don’t learn, and the conflict makes them anxious.
Kathryn Sharpley’s daughter Caroline Ashby, who is 12, finds the work too easy - her mother says it’s often at year 5 level - and doesn’t like the violence. “Some days she doesn’t want to go, because of all the fights around the school,” her mother says. “She loves maths, it’s her favourite subject. Going there, they’re making her take a step back. I tell her, being Aboriginal doesn’t mean you can’t get somewhere in life.”
Mrs Sharpley could send Caroline to Queensland to live with relatives, or to a school in the nearby town of Lightning Ridge. “I’d prefer her to be close to us, than move a long way,” she says.
Local mother Rebecca Trindall has organised a daily bus to Lightning Ridge, which is about 45 minutes away, and is lobbying for Walgett children to be given automatic access to that school rather than having to lodge out of area applications. “Each year, families are forced to relocate from Walgett or send children away to simply be educated as there are no options available to them locally outside of Walgett Community College.”
One ongoing issue has been tension between principals and community leaders. Richard Rule, the principal installed as part of Dr Piccoli’s makeover, lasted two years. He says he came under pressure from the school reference group - community members who help make school decisions - to leave. Few principals since have lasted much longer.
“[They] were of the belief I was not running the school in the spirit of Connected Communities,” he says. “In Walgett’s case, the model just didn’t work. I wanted a well-run school where children stayed in the classroom and had a teacher in front of them and actually learned something in a stable environment.
“That did not seem to satisfy the reference group, who seemed to want some sort of cultural revolution in their school that was never going to happen while the school was unstable, with violence and teachers under threat.”
The Dharriwaa Elders lay the blame for continued dysfunction with the NSW Department of Education, which “continues to fail to provide what’s needed for Walgett students to succeed at school,” they said in a statement published on their website after the Herald requested an interview. They say they are being denied figures on suspension by Aboriginality, which, they say, means NSW Education wants to hide the link between school suspensions and a lack of support for disability and trauma.
They want the school to stop calling police “as their first response to behaviour incidents”, and say officers should be banned from bringing guns onto the school site. “Recently there was an escalation when five police cars attended the high school to arrest a young teenage girl,” their statement says. “ Walgett school leadership must train their staff to de-escalate behaviours in our young people and decommission their hotline to police. The criminalising of our young people when they aren’t well has to stop.
“We conclude that Walgett schools are not culturally or physically safe.”
Piccoli acknowledges the conflicting expectations of school staff and the community. “When incidents occur at school, and the school takes the disciplinary action it would take at any other school, sometimes the community doesn’t respond well to that,” he says. “Walgett is a very unique place. So it has to be a unique school.
“For example, having police - the community didn’t like that. They don’t want it to be seen as a justice precinct. It’s got to be an education precinct. And they’re right, but you have to be able to guarantee staff safety as well.”
The Connected Communities program was supposed to build bridges between schools and the community. The NSW Department of Education evaluated the program a few years ago, and its findings were ambivalent. On the plus side, most of the 15 schools were successfully introducing local Aboriginal language programs, and attempting to incorporate Aboriginal content into their curriculum.
However, the role of School Reference Groups lacked clarity, it says, and there was uncertainty - “and in some cases tension” - around their role in decision-making. The strategy has also, as yet, had little impact on academic outcomes or attendance at the secondary level. Attendance has gone backwards, and schools were still struggling to engage parents in students’ education. The NSW Department of Education has nevertheless expanded the number of schools involved in the program from the original 15 to 31.
Mark Banasiak is an upper house MP representing the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, and is also a former teacher. He has taken a particular interest in Walgett, and worries about the students. “People need to be held accountable for these failures to deliver,” he says.
“I’m turning my attention to people higher up, past the executive principal, who are supposed to be supporting the school. Until you address that core issue about why some elements of the community are not coming along with the school’s plan, you are never going to achieve the change you need. The tragedy is it’s the kids that suffer the most. Education should be a circuit breaker in this community, and a way for the community to grow and prosper, and at the moment that’s not happening.”
Asked about the issue in parliament, Education Minister Sarah Mitchell acknowledged there was more to do. “Part of it is the work we need to do to make sure that our staff feel supported, that they feel empowered and that we work not just with the school but also with the whole of the community,” she says.
“We know that some entrenched issues in the Walgett community have existed for years. These are things that multiple government agencies are working on together, and they will continue to do so.”
Mr Rule is sceptical about the whole-of-government approach. “I went to some of those meetings and there was a lot of rhetoric,” he says. “I don’t think I saw in the school one positive outcome from any of the state and federal agencies.”
The NSW Department of Education refused the Herald’s request to interview the school’s principal, who, some say, has brought relative stability in the past 11 months. It gave a statement saying that the Department of Regional NSW was working with community leaders to improve youth education, vocational training, employment and social outcomes.
There’s no easy solution for Walgett, says Piccoli. “There are deep social and historical issues there, that are difficult to change,” he says. Inter-agency collaboration was important, but often did not involve people senior enough to cut through the bureaucracy.
“If I had five minutes to talk to [Secretary of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet] Michael Coutts-Trotter, I would say, ‘we need a minister for Walgett, or a deputy secretary’. It’s very hard to change human behaviour, but we can certainly provide the fundamentals and basics that most people take for granted ... that we haven’t got right there.
“The bottom line is you can never give up. You have to keep getting the best support you can there.”
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here. | https://www.theage.com.au/national/nsw/violence-is-disrupting-learning-at-walgett-high-no-one-knows-what-to-do-about-it-20220330-p5a9gf.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed | 2022-04-01T00:44:15Z |
VIDEO: Man pummels 73-year-old in grocery store parking lot
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (Gray News) - A man in Florida was arrested for attacking an elderly man in a grocery store parking lot Saturday afternoon, according to police.
Winter Haven police said in a Facebook post that Donald Walker, 43, turned himself in Tuesday.
The attack was captured on camera, with police identifying Walker as the man seen throwing a 73-year-old man to the ground and punching him repeatedly in the Publix parking lot.
Police said the victim was walking out of Publix and as he entered the crosswalk, Walker sped by in his truck “faster than it should have” and came very close to hitting the victim. The victim yelled out to Walker, and a verbal exchange transpired until Walker got out of the vehicle and pummeled the elderly man, police said. Police also said Walker smashed the victim’s cell phone so that he couldn’t call for help.
In a Facebook post Monday, Winter Haven police asked the public to help locate Walker. The following day, police announced that Walker was in custody after turning himself in.
Walker is charged with battery on an elderly person and tampering.
Police did not provide details on the victim’s injuries, but said he was “pretty banged up” but appears he will be OK.
Winter Haven is about 50 miles east of Tampa.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kswo.com/2022/03/30/video-man-pummels-73-year-old-grocery-store-parking-lot/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:14Z |
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Horoscopes | April 1, 2022
Originally Published: March 31, 2022 12:38 p.m.
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Latest State News | https://kdminer.com/news/2022/mar/31/horoscopes-april-1-2022/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:16Z |
Emotions were running high during Chris Rock’s first stand-up shows since he was slapped by Will Smith during Sunday's 94th annual Academy Awards. On Wednesday, the 57-year-old comedian took the stage at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, for two shows to kick off of his Ego Death Live tour, and quickly addressed the shocking incident at the Oscars.
"I have a whole show… that I wrote before the weekend, so, if you came here for that, I'm still processing it," the comedian said during his first show. "I will talk about it, and it will be serious, and it will be funny, but not tonight."
ET learned that Chris arrived via private plane to Boston on Tuesday afternoon and checked into the Ritz Carlton before heading to his dress rehearsal at the venue.
A source told ET that Chris has been "pensive" and the events from Sunday have been on his mind, but he didn't want them to distract from his performance. "His focus is on his show right now," the source said.
The source also told ET that ahead of taking the stage, Chris worked out at his hotel gym and made his way to the venue around 4 p.m. to prepare for the sold-out shows. The source added that Chris was relaxed and upbeat and looking forward to performing, but knew he had to address the incident at the Oscars.
At the first show at 7 p.m., an eyewitness tells ET that Chris entered the stage to uproarious applause, with the audience giving him an enthusiastic standing ovation for about three minutes. The eyewitness says fans were whistling and cheering and yelling out that they love him. And just as the crowd looked as if they were about to settle down and let Chris begin, they rose to their feet again.
Chris, sporting an all-white outfit and a couple of silver bracelets, was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and touched by the very warm response. He even noted that he was getting “misty.”
"The reception he received onstage was very emotional for Chris," the source tells ET.
From there, Chris jokingly asked how everyone's weekend was and explained that he wrote his jokes before the shocking event that took place at the Oscars.
After he quickly addressed the incident, he went into his stand-up routine. ET's eyewitness says he commanded the stage and had the audience in stitches with non-stop laughter.
While he did make a couple subtle comments about Sunday’s incident, he never referred specifically to Will or his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. At one point in the show, he said, "I have a great life. Well, other than some weird sh** going on."
ET's eyewitness says there was an incident at the first show, where two unruly audience members were escorted out by security. The show resumed, but police were called out and the men were arrested for assaulting an officer, according to ET's source. After the men were escorted out, Chris told the audience, "Is this how the tour is going to be?"
The source tells ET that Chris' personal security was on high alert and ready to pull him off stage if needed, but it didn't get to that point. "Chris was not rattled by that incident," ET's source says.
Chris ended his show with another standing ovation and ET's source says he was "upbeat and was in great spirits" after that first performance.
As for Chris' 10 p.m. show, ET's eyewitness says it was much like the first one but with a few minor tweaks.
"I don't have a bunch a sh** about what happened, so if you came to see that, I have a whole show that I wrote before this weekend and I'm still kind of processing what happened," he said during his second set. "At some point, I'll talk about that sh** and it'll be serious and funny, but I'm going to tell some jokes. I'm going to talk about-- it's nice to just be out!"
After the shows, he was escorted out of the venue with security and went back to his hotel to sleep. It was a quiet first night for him, but ET's source says, "Chris was in really great spirits and happy to be back onstage!"
As for how Chris is coping after being slapped at the Oscars, a source tells ET that while he's used to fame, he has never experienced this level of attention.
"It's not uncommon to see Chris walking around the streets of New York City and showing up in small comedy clubs to workshop new material. He's never been someone who's hounded by paparazzi," the source says. "This level of attention is very new to Chris. There was a mob of photographers chasing him from the hotel to the theater and swarming him as he entered. There were even choppers following him."
Needless to say, Chris has beefed up security and is really taking this time to wrap his head around everything that's transpired, the source says.
"It's been an emotional week for Chris," the source adds.
RELATED CONTENT: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/inside-chris-rocks-emotional-first-stand-up-shows-since-will-smith-incident-at-oscars/603-ca3aaf0b-c9c2-4227-a086-51ade0110ce6 | 2022-04-01T00:44:16Z |
HomeVestors Donates $20,000 to Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola County in Honor of Orlando’s The Ugliest House Of The Year® National Winner
March 30, 2022 // Franchising.com // DALLAS, TX. - HomeVestors®, the original “We Buy Ugly Houses®” company, presented $20,000 to Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando & Osceola County in honor of Bernardo Mazzucco, an Orlando real estate investor who recently won “The Ugliest House Of The Year” contest. Highlighting the most...
www.franchising.com | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556555211577/homevestors-donates-20-000-to-habitat-for-humanity-greater-orlando-osceola-county-in-honor-of-orlando-s-the-ugliest-house-of-the-year-national-winner | 2022-04-01T00:44:17Z |
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox third base coach Carlos Febles and infielder Christian Arroyo were zeroed in on the art of turning a double play early Thursday morning.
The pair had a student and teacher bond with Febles, who works with the infielders, affirming or correcting Arroyo’s moves around the second base bag. Febles fed baseballs to Arroyo from a machine cranked up to moderate speed. This allowed Arroyo to work through double plays at a steady pace. Going too fast would, perhaps, disrupt Arroyo from hammering down the mechanics.
In this drill, Febles wanted Arroyo to work behind the bag, not making his move toward second until he was certain where the machine would deliver the ball.
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“The main thing is you have to see the flight of the baseball and use your legs,” an animated Febles explained. “To me, everything you do on the field, you have to use your legs. You cannot start your legs before seeing the baseball.”
With each rep it appeared Arroyo got the hang of it, staying behind the bag before pouncing. Febles clapped his hands emphatically once the round was over before reflecting with Arroyo on the session and what the infielder took from it. At that point, Febles walked back to the machine and started feeding baseballs through it again.
It’s been the routine for Red Sox infielders this spring. Each morning, just before batting practice and other infield work on the back fields at Fenway South, infielders plant themselves on a sliver of turf outside the clubhouse.
It’s divided into two sections. On one side, Febles delivers flies to the infielders. On the other, it’s all about grounders. The players start on their knees. Glove-side grounders; grounders in front of the player; backhand grounders; glove-side grounders with in-between hops; grounders in front of the player with in-between hops; backhand grounders with in-between hops. The infielders then stand up and repeat the movements in their usual ready positions, but at a slow pace, utilizing miniature baseballs, and sometimes a pancake glove. Both require intense focus and attention to detail. If you don’t look the ball in, you’re likely to boot it.
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“I like them a lot,” Arroyo said of the drills. “Because it allows me to focus on catching the ball in my pocket and getting it in a sweet spot and also with the transfer for the smaller ball. We’ll sometimes do double-play feeds with them. Then when you grab the regular ball it feels like a beach ball.”
Much of the goal, Febles said, is to isolate the hands from the rest of the body.
“Then when we get on the field, that’s when we work on angles and first-step quickness,” Febles said. “Here, it’s all about hand work.”
Entering the 2021 season, manager Alex Cora said he wanted the Red Sox to make more of a commitment to defense. Yet the Sox still struggled, committing the second-most errors in baseball (108) behind the Marlins (122).
That forced Cora and his staff to come up with another plan. They began these drills last season, but this year it’s been more consistent.
“It worked out well for us the last part of the season,” shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. “And also in the playoffs. It helped me, personally, and I’m going to continue to do it.”
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Bogaerts’s area of improvement was his backhand, Febles said. So, when it was his turn, Bogaerts took grounders to his backhand with miniature baseballs and a pancake glove.
On the other side was first baseman Bobby Dalbec. Febles shot baseballs through the machine with Dalbec mimicking receiving snap throws from the catcher. Febles said Dalbec has a tendency to reach for the ball instead of getting into his legs. This creates more of a distance between the tag and the runner. When Dalbec gets into an athletic and crouched stance and waits for the ball to come to him, that cuts the distance between the tag and the runner significantly.
“Now, it’s a straight-down, quick tag,” Febles said.
There’s no quick fix to some of the Sox’ defensive woes from 2021, but consistency in the proper movements builds fundamentally sound players who make routine plays routinely.
“I think the drills help get everyone kind of locked in with their hands and their eyes, just getting us moving,” Arroyo said. “The more you do it, when it happens in a game it’s natural.”
Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @byJulianMack. | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/31/sports/how-red-sox-use-drills-spring-training-improve-their-infield-defense/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:17Z |
Kforce Inc. (NASDAQ:KFRC – Get Rating) CFO David M. Kelly sold 5,000 shares of Kforce stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.44, for a total value of $377,200.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.
KFRC stock traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $73.97. The company had a trading volume of 74,905 shares, compared to its average volume of 112,752. The company has a quick ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $71.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $70.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, a PE ratio of 20.78 and a beta of 1.11. Kforce Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.80 and a fifty-two week high of $81.47.
Kforce (NASDAQ:KFRC – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 7th. The business services provider reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, hitting the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.98. The firm had revenue of $410.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $398.23 million. Kforce had a return on equity of 40.56% and a net margin of 4.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Kforce Inc. will post 4.23 EPS for the current year.
Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KFRC. New South Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kforce by 571.1% in the 3rd quarter. New South Capital Management Inc. now owns 585,719 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $34,932,000 after purchasing an additional 498,443 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kforce by 993.3% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 122,987 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,335,000 after purchasing an additional 111,738 shares during the period. S&T Bank PA acquired a new position in shares of Kforce in the 4th quarter valued at $8,185,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Kforce by 743.6% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 101,571 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,640,000 after purchasing an additional 89,531 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in shares of Kforce by 263.0% in the 3rd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 117,667 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,018,000 after purchasing an additional 85,256 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.66% of the company’s stock.
Several analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Kforce in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Kforce from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 8th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research upgraded shares of Kforce from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $84.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.25.
About Kforce (Get Rating)
Kforce Inc provides professional staffing services and solutions in the United States. It operates through two segments, Technology, and Finance and Accounting (FA). The Technology segment provides talent solutions to its clients primarily in the areas of information technology, such as systems/applications architecture and development, data management and analytics, business and artificial intelligence, machine learning, project and program management, and network architecture and security.
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Receive News & Ratings for Kforce Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kforce and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. | https://www.americanbankingnews.com/2022/03/31/kforce-inc-nasdaqkfrc-cfo-sells-377200-00-in-stock.html | 2022-04-01T00:44:18Z |
BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s independent vaccination advisory panel is recommending a booster shot with a messenger RNA vaccine for people who have had a full course of four Chinese, Indian and Russian COVID-19 vaccines that aren’t currently approved for use in the European Union.
In a draft recommendation Thursday, the panel, known by its German acronym STIKO, said the advice applies to people given a full course and also a booster of the Chinese Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, the Indian-made Covaxin and Russia’s Sputnik V.
It said that the new booster shot should be administered at least three months after the previous vaccination.
The German panel said that people who have received only a single shot of the four vaccines should start a new vaccination series.
And it added that recipients of other vaccines not cleared by the EU should in general start a new series with a vaccine European authorities have approved.
Scientists believe that mixing and matching vaccines prompts a better immune response.
The BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines have been the mainstay of Germany’s vaccination program. Three other vaccines using different technologies have been cleared for use in the 27-nation EU — the AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax products.
The mRNA vaccines have shown to be better than others at protecting against newer variants like omicron.
Separately, efforts to find a majority in the German parliament for a bill that would require all adults to be vaccinated against COVID-19 have reportedly stalled.
German publications Bild and Der Spiegel reported that talks between parties haven’t resulted in the necessary support, and lawmakers may now focus on a vaccine mandate for residents age 50 and over.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz declined Thursday to comment on the reports but said he continues to back the idea of a vaccine mandate for all adults.
___
Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic | https://www.fox44news.com/news/business-news/german-panel-recommends-booster-for-recipients-of-4-vaccines/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:17Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Military bases with a high risk for sexual assault, harassment and other harmful behaviors often have leaders who don’t understand violence prevention, don’t make it a priority and focus more on their mission than on their people, a Pentagon review has concluded.
The review studied 20 bases in the United States and Europe, including 18 with some of the more severe problems identified in command climate surveys. It found that the failures were worse in a number of bases in Germany and Spain where key leaders and resources weren’t on site. The report was publicly released Thursday.
At Naval Station Rota in Spain, for example, the report said that the military mission requirements “were prioritized above and at the expense of the sailors’ well-being.” They said sailors reported bullying, mental health issues, sexual harassment and relationship problems, but often could not seek help due to their mission requirements.
In one location, officials said, they found that young enlisted men were taking steps to help their female peers stay safe by keeping them away from more senior leaders who were harassing them.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the report as part of his effort to strengthen sexual assault and harassment prevention across the forces, identify what programs work and ensure high-risk bases get attention quickly. Austin approved the report, and in a memo said it will help the department tailor improvements for bases where needs may vary.
“While we have made progress, we must do more to strengthen the integrated capabilities we have on the ground to prevent sexual assault, harassment, suicide, domestic abuse and other harmful behaviors,” he said.
The report comes nearly two years after Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén went missing from Fort Hood, Texas, and her remains were found two months later. Guillen was killed by a soldier, who her family says sexually harassed her, and who killed himself as police sought to arrest him.
Her death and a number of other crimes, murders and suicides led to heightened scrutiny on assaults and other violence in the military, and to a series of reviews. An independent panel appointed by Austin last year made more than 80 recommendations, including specific changes to improve accountability of leadership, command climate and culture, and victim care and support.
Officials said Austin’s goal is to find effective ways to prevent harmful behavior, which includes sexual assault and harassment, suicides and domestic violence. They said this latest report is designed to pinpoint which leadership and other failures contribute to higher instances of such behavior and which prevention programs and other changes actually work.
According to the report, 16 of the bases were selected because a command climate survey of nearly a million personnel identified problems there, which included things such as binge drinking, toxic leadership, stress, and racial or sexual harassment. While serious problems were identified at these 16 bases, the report looked at a variety of factors for each location and doesn’t specifically characterize them as the worst in the military.
Two other bases were chosen because the survey showed good results, such as high morale, inclusion and good leadership. Two others had a mix of both high-performing and problem units.
Defense officials said that while in many cases leaders had a genuine desire to prevent violence, there was a “pervasive” misunderstanding of how to do it and they often didn’t devote enough personnel or time for it or hold subordinates accountable.
And even if they understood department policies, leaders often didn’t recognize when there was a high risk for violence or harmful behavior among their people.
In the United States, the bases surveyed were: Fort Custer, Michigan; Naval Support Activity Sarasota Springs, New York; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Bliss, Texas; Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia; Marine Corps Base Hawaii; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California; Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; the Kentucky National Guard; and the Army Reserve base in Fraser, Michigan.
The last two — the Guard and Reserve bases in Kentucky and Michigan — were the ones chosen because they had less risk and more positive command climates.
The overseas bases were: Army Garrison Ansbach, Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfatz Smith Bararcks; Army Garrison Bavaria; Naval Station Rota; Army Garrison Stuttgart; and the Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, Kaiserslautern. All but Rota are in Germany.
As an example, the report found that at the Kentucky National Guard base leaders believed that their soldiers came first, and their “well-being was part of the mission, not an adjacent effort that was secondary.” In contrast, commanders in at the bases in Germany and Spain “tolerated harmful behaviors” and it was difficult to access resources “due to mission requirements or geographic dispersion of services.”
The report said that the changes proposed by the independent review board will help address the problems. Those improvements include establishing a dedicated prevention workforce, expanded sexual assault prevention and response programs, and better leadership. The budget for 2023 includes funding to hire additional personnel.
The report also recommends that the department establish data to help the military services share prevention and program support information, hold leaders accountable if they don’t have healthy command climates. Officials said it’s important to ensure that leaders better understand the prevention policies and programs and that service members and employees know where to go to get help.
Officials also said that there will be follow-up visits to the bases by this fall, and that similar site visits and reviews will be done every two years.
Austin is asking military service leaders for implementation plans by early June and said the department will issue more guidelines and policies by early October. | https://www.mystateline.com/news/politics/pentagon-links-leadership-failures-to-violence-at-bases/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:19Z |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Stanford and UConn have met on the biggest stage in women’s basketball many times over the past 27 years.
The rivalry between the two storied programs led by Hall of Fame coaches Geno Auriemma and Tara VanDerveer will resume Friday night in the Final Four, five years after their previous meeting. The winner advances to Sunday night’s championship game against either Louisville or South Carolina.
READ MORE: California Drought: Water Restrictions Return for Coastside ResidentsVanDerveer and Auriemma are 1-2 on the all-time coaching wins list in women’s basketball, combining for more than 2,300.
They have played in the Final Four or national championship game against each other five times, with UConn winning four of the meetings.
“We’ve been competing against each other for a long time, playing against each other,” VanDerveer said. “I like him and think we get along really well. I’ve never felt that we were adversaries in a negative way, but more competitors in a good way.”
The two teams met in the Final Four 27 years ago to the day in Minneapolis in 1995.
Auriemma’s Huskies came away with the 87-60 victory and went on to win their first national championship. They have won a record 10 more since then. Stanford returned to the Final Four 10 more times before winning the team’s third national championship last year.
No one on either team has played against the other in college. The two programs played at least once every year from 2007-2014 and then again in 2017. They haven’t played since.
“Always had great games with them. Some have been close and some had not been close,” Auriemma said. “I think like us they haven’t changed much over the years. They play the same style of play. when you watch them you know what you’re going to get. … It’s the same Stanford team I remember 27 years ago playing them out here. It’s just different people.”
Stanford’s Haley Jones remembers growing up and watching the Cardinal play UConn. She said she is glad to be part of the matchup.
“I think the UConn-Stanford kind of bi-coastal rivalry is a longstanding tradition,” she said. “I think each program you have Hall of Fame coaches, the two winningest coaches of all time. All these All-Americans, Olympians, WNBA players come from both these programs. So to be a part of it is huge.”
Stanford is two victories away from repeating as NCAA champion. The NCAA hasn’t had a repeat champion since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. The Huskies haven’t reached the title game since 2016, losing in heartbreaking fashion a few times since then.
HOMECOMING
UConn sophomore star Paige Bueckers grew up 10 miles from Minneapolis and will have many friends and family at the game on Friday night. She isn’t worried about it being a distraction.
READ MORE: Betty Reid Soskin, Nation's Oldest Park Ranger, Retires At Age 100“I’m obviously super grateful to be home, but it doesn’t matter the location, where it is, we’re all excited to be at the Final Four and keep playing,” she said. “I’m hoping to see a lot of Minnesota basketball fans because it’s an awesome experience and opportunity for the state.”
RECOVERING HUSKY
Dorka Juhasz had surgery on her left wrist Wednesday, two days after she had fractured it in the Huskies’ double-OT win over N.C. State in the regional final.
“She’s in that state where everything is fine, everything is happy and making nothing but happy talk,” Auriemma said. “But once it wears off this afternoon, it’s going to be a different Dorka.”
Auriemma said they are hoping to have Juhasz in Minneapolis for the game Friday. He also said she’ll return for another season next year instead of potentially turning pro.
“I always expected she was coming back. One big reason she came to UConn is to experience something like this,” he said. “It was taken away from her. I think she’s coming to hopefully be in the same situation, but actually playing instead of watching.”
STAYING OUT OF FOUL TROUBLE
One of the major keys to the game is which set of post players can stay on the court. Stanford’s Cameron Brink and UConn’s Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aaliyah Edwards have had been plagued by foul trouble for the entire tournament.
“I think the only thing that can stop Cam is when she gets too aggressive and fouls, and if she can stay in the game without fouling, then there’s no stopping her,” VanDerveer said.
Nelson-Ododa knows how important it is for her and Edwards to be on the court, especially with Juhasz sidelined leaving the Huskies short in the post.
“I think that’s something Aaliyah and I have struggled with in this tournament,” Nelson-Ododa said. “We’re aggressive on the defensive end, but just knowing when to be smart about it is going to be key.”
SHE SAID IT
“I call it hot dogs for the girls and steak for the boys. It will be a great time when you don’t need Title IX, but unfortunately in our world, there’s discrimination still against people, women and we need to keep battling.” — Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer.
MORE NEWS: UPDATE: 1 Injured, 1 Arrested in Shooting Near San Jose's Yerba Buena High; Shelter-In-Place Order Lifted© Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2022/03/31/final-four-stanford-women-uconn-to-renew-intense-rivalry/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:19Z |
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There was a time when Jens Brabbit’s life was all about, well, time.
The time, down to hundredths of a second, it would take the teenage phenom to finish a Junior Cup cycling race along the narrow, winding roads of various European countries.
The time he would finish a 10k (6.2 miles) or 20k (12.4 miles) cross country ski race at regional, then national competitions while a standout skier at NCAA Division III Gustavus Adolphus College, all while competing against mostly Division I scholarship skiers.
That time, while extremely interesting and eventful, is part of the 33-year-old La Crescent man’s past at this point in, well, time. This is not to say the Winona native isn’t still fast — he definitely is — but it’s not as important to him as it once was.
Time changes things.
So when I sat down with Brabbit last week with the intent of finding out more about his speed training, or what makes this guy the premier cross country skier, as well as runner, in the La Crosse area — and beyond — I didn’t expect this elite American Birkebeiner skier to have changed his priorities.
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Well, at least to have adjusted them. But he has, and his reasons are admirable, his vision insightful.
“I think people think I am all about times and stuff. I just like the process and if the results come with the process, great. I don’t really think about the results much anymore,” said Brabbit, an almost annual top-100 finisher over the past decade in a Birkie field which typically features more than 3,000 competitors.
“Does it matter at the end of the day if I am eighth in the Birkie or 23rd? No one cares except me.
“People that are in the silent sports community around here, I don’t want this to come across as arrogant, but they know what they do and are fine with that. It is kind of like I don’t go out and say, ‘I do the Birkie; look at me.’ I like being the underground guy a little bit.”
Brabbit’s life now consists of raising a growing family of two-plus kids with his wife, Katherine, and working as vice-president at MGI Data Center, where he “buys and sells data center infrastructure.”
Oh, there is some serious running with the cross country ski season having come and gone. There’s some highly competitive races coming up, including the Chicago Marathon this fall.
“I’m running every morning now. I am just starting to get back into it. Right now I am running about 45-50 miles a week, and then full-marathon prep, I will probably get to like 85-ish range,” said Brabbit, who is coming off a winter where he would ski 50-60 miles per week.
“Before we had kids, I would train after work, and then I guess life evolved. Now I get one hour in the morning. My window to train is like 5:30 in the morning for an hour. And if I miss it, I don’t overthink it, I just move on to the next day.”
With Katherine, who works at United National Foods Incorporated, able to work mostly from home, it allows Brabbit an hour to himself each daybreak. Once he’s back from training, he helps with sons, Bjorn, 5, and Aksel, 3, in the morning routine. Soon, as in the end of May, the Brabbits will add a little girl to their family.
Yes, with time comes even more changes.
Training in the darkness of early morning, Brabbit says, allows him to balance family, work and his love for endurance sports.
“It is just like, prioritizing. I don’t overthink it now. I am never training after work. That is like a terrible balance for life. If I miss a day, I don’t overthink it, just move on,” Brabbit said.
“A lot of times, people will go out with their friends and drink and go out and have dinner and stuff. My social time is at 5:30 a.m. I train for an hour with some buddies every day. I ran for like nine miles this morning with my buddies. I don’t even think of it as working out. I think of it as my social time with life.”
There has indeed been a transformation of Jens Brabbit. This is the same person who started cycling at 12 with his mother, then developed so rapidly by age 16 he was spending six-week stints in Belgium where he was invited to train with the U.S. National Team.
“I was doing like races in Spain, Germany and Belgium. I was kind of like a deer in the headlights there,” Brabbit said. “It was a good life experience, more valuable than high school in that sense.
“Basically, it was like six weeks when I was junior in high school and a six-week stint when I was senior in high school. I was never a mainstream sport kind of guy, so it was like it kind of felt right for me, I guess.”
It got his competitive juices flowing, and kept alive his dream of someday competing in the world’s premier cycling event, the Tour de France. One of the reasons (in addition to academics) why Brabbit turned down ski scholarships to attend Gustavus Adolphus (in St. Peter, Minn.) was that he could still be a competitive cyclist and cross-country skier at the same time.
“I was still racing bikes fairly serious while at Gustavus, like Pro 1, which is like pro/amateur in our world, so I would be doing big stage races in Uptown (Minneapolis) in front of 20,000 fans,” Brabbit said.
But again, over time (there it is again), his priorities changed.
“As the skiing started getting more and more important to me, I started to turn the dial on that a bit more. I think the writing was on the wall in the sense that cycling was like, I guess, like my time had come and gone in cycling. I could still do it for fun, but I am not going to race in the Tour de France,” Brabbit said.
“There is that harsh reality, you know, that in road cycling, it can be a cut-throat sport.”
When Brabbit’s dialed in, there is little that can stop him. That’s why he earned back-to-back trips to the National Collegiate Men’s Skiing Championships as a junior and as a senior. One of just a handful of Division III skiers racing against mainly Division I competition, he did well, too.
With only 39 skiers earning a spot in the national championships, Brabbit was 34th in the 10k and 39th in the 20k as a junior, then 36th in the 10k and 34th in the 20k as a senior.
“I just kind of kept getting into skiing. That was pretty important to me.
My junior year, I was like Division I first-team All-Region. I broke two poles and still made the podium in a race. I was in really good shape that year,” Brabbit said. “I think I could have won that one (without broken poles). There was like Europeans and stuff, guys on full scholarship.”
That explains, at least to me, why Brabbit has been able to compete with the world’s best skiers in the Birkebeiner. His best Birkie finish, 25th, came in 2021 when he stopped the clock at 2:07:39. He was 36th in 2020 (2:09:07) and has eight finishes in 2 hours, 37 minutes or less.
So a slight eye roll would have been in order when I mentioned his effort of 348th (3:00:16) in 2022, but Brabbit just smiled when talking about this year’s Birkie.
“This year, I didn’t actually have a good race. I skied a bad last 20k.
“This is my 10th time this year. Two years ago, I knew it was good because a couple of guys in front of me were just off their Olympic career,” Brabbit said. “I was catching them on the lake, I am like, ‘I am on a good one today.’ That year I was (surrounded by Europeans); this year I wasn’t.”
Besides, Brabbit was more interested in talking about people who comprise the long-running La Crosse group named EMAG (Early Morning Aerobic Group) than he was about his incredible 10-year Birkie run.
“One of the big things I have always enjoyed is there are some pretty successful guys who do these things (endurance sports). And, when I was in my early 20s, some of the older guys, they have had success in life,” Brabbit said.
“Where else do you get, like essentially a built-in mentor for three or four hours on a bike and just talk, pick their brain about life, about business. I have always enjoyed that. And with EMAG, the wisdom and knowledge with those guys, that is a pretty special group.”
Wisdom, knowledge, incredible drive and a successful work-life balance, Brabbit says, is what he respects about EMAG members, and endurance athletes in general.
“There is a humility and a modesty about silent sports people. I feel like that is one of the traits about these guys that I have always admired is their humility, their modesty. It is a quality that is very endearing. It is a good quality that they teach you,” Brabbit said.
“I like seeing people come into the silent sports now and kind of being a mentor. Like people were to me, in skiing, in business. I like being a mentor on more than just skiing now.”
ANY IDEAS? I’m always open for ideas, as the outdoor community is full of interesting people who do fascinating things. I just need help finding them. It can be someone who is into canoeing, trapping, hunting, fishing, skiing or runs ultramarathons. If you know of someone, send me a note at outdoorstrib@gmail.com
Jeff Brown, a former longtime sports editor for the Tribune, is a freelance outdoors writer. Send him story ideas at outdoorstrib@gmail.com | https://lacrossetribune.com/outdoors/outdoors-commentary-all-good-things-in-time/article_b2d45d8b-034b-5477-862b-56f3868a976d.html | 2022-04-01T00:44:19Z |
Visa, Mastercard suspend all Russian operations
Visa and Mastercard announced on Saturday that they would be suspending their operations in Russia amid its ongoing invasion in Ukraine.
Visa said it is working, effective immediately, to cease all transactions in Russia. No Visa card issued outside Russia will work in the country and no Visa card issued there will work anywhere else, the company said.
“We are compelled to act following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the unacceptable events that we have witnessed,” Al Kelly, chairman and chief executive officer of Visa Inc., said in a statement.
“We regret the impact this will have on our valued colleagues, and on the clients, partners, merchants and cardholders we serve in Russia. This war and the ongoing threat to peace and stability demand we respond in line with our values,” Kelly added.
In a similar action, Mastercard said cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by the company’s network and Mastercards from outside of the country will not be usable at Russian merchants or ATMs.
“We don’t take this decision lightly. Mastercard has operated in Russia for more than 25 years. We have nearly 200 colleagues there who make this company so critical to many stakeholder,” Mastercard said in a statement.
“These have been and will continue to be very difficult days – most of all for our employees and their families in Ukraine; for our colleagues with relatives and friends in the region; for our colleagues in Russia; and for the rest of us who are watching from afar,” it added.
President Biden praised the moves by Mastercard and Visa in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, according to the White House.
“President Biden highlighted the ongoing actions undertaken by the United States, its Allies and partners, and private industry to raise the costs on Russia for its aggression in Ukraine. In particular, he welcomed the decision this evening by Visa and Mastercard to suspend service in Russia,” the White House said.
Many private companies have taken action against Russia since it attacked Ukraine more than a week ago.
Visa and Mastercard previously announced on Monday that they would be blocking multiple Russian financial institutions from their networks after governments around the world announced sanctions amid the invasion.
— Updated at 8:23 p.m.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. | https://thehill.com/policy/international/597029-visa-mastercard-suspend-all-russian-operations/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:18Z |
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Surgeries hang in the balance as COVID strikes down health staff
By Matt Dennien
Some Queensland hospitals could suspend elective surgeries as rising COVID cases and hospitalisations of health staff and infected patients place pressure on the health system.
Fifty extra pop-up vaccination clinics will be set up for the school holidays to make it easier for families and children to get the jab — with school-aged and booster rates lagging.
A total of 10,722 new infections were reported on Friday, with 403 people in the state’s public and private hospital system with the virus. Fourteen of these are in intensive care units.
The number of Queensland Health and ambulance staff off work because of infections or close contact requirements had also risen again to 3305, more than double the number of a week ago.
“This will put increasing pressures on our health systems,” Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said.
“Each hospital and health service, based on their demand, can be looking at whether they need to suspend planned care - that means elective surgery.
“We are not at this stage looking at having a statewide suspension of elective surgery, and we hope not to need to do that in this current wave.”
Ms D’Ath said 2373 of the new cases were children, and she urged parents and carers to take advantage of the pop-up clinics set to spring up at shopping centres, amusement parks and schools.
More details were expected to be released on the Queensland Health website.
Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said the disproportionate number of children being infected was likely due to low vaccination rates among the cohort and less exposure to the previous wave of the virus in January.
He said the state was approaching the peak of the latest wave, meaning case numbers could soon decline, but hospitalisations and health workforce pressures would lag by one or two weeks.
Data suggested the wave would be about one-third the size of January’s peak owing to increased vaccination. But authorities were still unsure whether winter would bring another wave.
“Vaccination has completely transformed this pandemic,” Dr Gerrard said. “So it’s critical, of course, that people continue to get vaccinated.“
Queensland’s booster rate among the eligible population, at 61.4 per cent, is the lowest in the country.
And its vaccination rate among the five- to 11-year-old age group sits at only 43.3 per cent first-dosed.
The Morning Edition newsletter is your guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here. | https://www.theage.com.au/national/queensland/surgeries-hang-in-the-balance-as-covid-strikes-down-health-staff-20220401-p5aa0b.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed | 2022-04-01T00:44:21Z |
President Joe Biden is naming actor Taraji P. Henson and the NBA's Chris Paul to a presidential advisory board on historically Black colleges and universities.
They are among nine men and nine women Biden is appointing to the President's Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the White House announced Thursday.
Several HBCU presidents, the president of United Airlines and the first Black woman to become administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency are among Biden's selections.
They will join Tony Allen, the president of Delaware State University, and Glenda Glover, the president of Tennessee State University, who are serving, respectively, as chairperson and vice chairperson of the board, which was established during the Carter administration.
Henson is a Washington, D.C., native who studied acting at Howard University, a historically Black school and the alma mater of Vice President Kamala Harris. Paul is a 12-time NBA All-Star with the Phoenix Suns and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Besides Allen and Glover, the presidents of five other HBCUs will also join the board. They are Virginia State University, Norfolk State University in Virginia, Alabama State University, Prairie View A&M University in Texas and Dillard University in New Orleans.
Lisa Jackson, who became the EPA's first Black administrator in the Obama administration, and United Airlines President Brett Hart will also join the board.
U.S. & World
Biden also intends to appoint Paige Blake, a 20-year-old junior at Bowie State University, an HBCU in Maryland.
The White House said the administration has committed $5.8 billion in support to these historically Black colleges and universities through a combination of pandemic relief funding, grants and forgiving capital improvement debt. | https://www.necn.com/news/national-international/taraji-p-henson-chris-paul-named-to-black-colleges-board/2709121/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:20Z |
Wanda Sykes on Smith slapping Rock: ‘It was sickening’
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wanda Sykes said she felt physically ill after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock across the face at the Oscars, and she’s angry Smith was permitted to stay and collect his award.
Sykes, who co-hosted Sunday at the Dolby Theatre with Amy Schumer and Regina Hall, told Ellen DeGeneres in an interview to air April 7 that she missed the confrontation live as she walked between her trailer and the theater after a costume change.
“Then someone showed me on the video,” Sykes said, “and I just felt so awful for my friend, Chris. It was sickening. I physically felt ill, and I’m still a little traumatized by it.”
Smith, seated close to the stage during the awards show, walked up to Rock and slapped him after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. After he walked back to his seat, Smith cursed twice at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your (expletive) mouth.”
The room and millions watching live were stunned. Soon after, Smith won his first-ever Academy Award for playing tennis dad Richard Williams in “King Richard” and gave a tearful acceptance speech in which he apologized but not directly to Rock. That came later in a statement.
Sykes, in a video released of her interview by “The Ellen Show,” said letting Smith stay and accept his award should not have happened.
“I was like, how gross is this? This is the wrong message. You assault somebody and you get escorted out the building and that’s it. But for them to let him continue, I thought it was gross. I wanted to be able to run out (on stage) after he won and say, ‘Uh, unfortunately, Will couldn’t be here tonight.’”
Sykes said she caught up with Rock later at a party and he apologized to her.
“I’m like, ‘Why are you apologizing?’ And he was like, ‘It was supposed to be your night. You and Amy and Regina, you all were doing such a great job. I’m so sorry, this is now going to be about this.’”
Schumer, in a since-deleted Instagram post, said she was “triggered and traumatized” by what happened.
“I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro. Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend @questlove and the whole thing was so disturbing,” she wrote. “So much pain in @willsmith anyway I’m still in shock and stunned and sad.”
Schumer went on, “Im proud of myself and my cohosts. But yeah. Waiting for this sickening feeling to go away from what we all witnessed.”
Sykes had a question for the entertainment industry as a whole.
“We were the hosts. This is our house. We’re inviting you in. We’re hosting. We’re going to take care of you all tonight, make sure you have a good time, and no one has apologized to us,” she said. “We worked really hard to put that show together. Like the industry itself, what the hell is this?”
Hall has not spoken publicly about the confrontation, but others have.
Jim Carrey, who didn’t attend the Oscars, told Gayle King in a CBS interview Monday he was “sickened” when the crowd inside the Dolby gave Smith a standing ovation after he won his best actor award.
“I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like, oh, this is a really clear indication that we’re not the cool club anymore,” he said.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kswo.com/2022/03/30/wanda-sykes-smith-slapping-rock-it-was-sickening/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:21Z |
WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients, part of an election-year push by Democrats for price curbs on prescription drugs at a time of rising inflation.
Experts say the legislation, which passed 232-193, would provide significant relief for privately insured patients with skimpier plans and for Medicare enrollees facing rising out-of-pocket costs for their insulin. Some could save hundreds of dollars annually, and all insured patients would get the benefit of predictable monthly costs for insulin. The bill would not help the uninsured.
But the Affordable Insulin Now Act will serve as a political vehicle to rally Democrats and force Republicans who oppose it into uncomfortable votes ahead of the midterms. For the legislation to pass Congress, 10 Republican senators would have to vote in favor. Democrats acknowledge they don't have an answer for how that's going to happen.
“If 10 Republicans stand between the American people being able to get access to affordable insulin, that's a good question for 10 Republicans to answer,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., a cosponsor of the House bill. “Republicans get diabetes, too. Republicans die from diabetes.”
Public opinion polls have consistently shown support across party lines for congressional action to limit drug costs.
But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., complained the legislation is only “a small piece of a larger package around government price controls for prescription drugs." Critics say the bill would raise premiums and fails to target pharmaceutical middlemen seen as contributing to high list prices for insulin.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Democrats could have a deal on prescription drugs if they drop their bid to authorize Medicare to negotiate prices. “Do Democrats really want to help seniors, or would they rather have the campaign issue?" Grassley said.
The insulin bill, which would take effect in 2023, represents just one provision of a much broader prescription drug package in President Joe Biden's social and climate legislation.
In addition to a similar $35 cap on insulin, the Biden bill would authorize Medicare to negotiate prices for a range of drugs, including insulin. It would penalize drugmakers who raise prices faster than inflation and overhaul the Medicare prescription drug benefit to limit out-of-pocket costs for enrollees.
Biden's agenda passed the House only to stall in the Senate because Democrats could not reach consensus. Party leaders haven't abandoned hope of getting the legislation moving again, and preserving its drug pricing curbs largely intact.
The idea of a $35 monthly cost cap for insulin actually has a bipartisan pedigree. The Trump administration had created a voluntary option for Medicare enrollees to get insulin for $35, and the Biden administration continued it.
In the Senate, Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire are working on a bipartisan insulin bill. Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has introduced legislation similar to the House bill, with the support of Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Stung by criticism that Biden's economic policies spur inflation, Democrats are redoubling efforts to show how they'd help people cope with costs. On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported a key inflation gauge jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
But experts say the House bill would not help uninsured people, who face the highest out-of-pocket costs for insulin. Also, people with diabetes often take other medications as well as insulin. That's done to treat the diabetes itself, along with other serious health conditions often associated with the disease. The House legislation would not help with those costs, either. Collins says she's looking for a way to help uninsured people through her bill.
About 37 million Americans have diabetes, and an estimated 6 million to 7 million use insulin to keep their blood sugars under control. It’s an old drug, refined and improved over the years, that has seen relentless price increases.
Steep list prices don't reflect the rates insurance plans negotiate with manufacturers. But those list prices are used to calculate cost-sharing amounts that patients owe. Patients who can’t afford their insulin reduce or skip doses, a strategy born of desperation, which can lead to serious complications and even death.
Economist Sherry Glied of New York University said the market for insulin is a “total disaster” for many patients, particularly those with skimpy insurance plans or no insurance.
“This will make private insurance for people with diabetes a much more attractive proposition,” said Glied. | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/insulin-cap-35-dollars-month-bill/507-855508ee-6b9d-4ce8-9937-22fa115af232 | 2022-04-01T00:44:22Z |
Hualapai bird dancer Ernestine Claw stands on the Grand Canyon Skywalk where she has performed in front of many visitors over the years. (Courtesy photo)
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Unseeded Naomi Osaka defeated No. 22 Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the Miami Open semifinals. She’s in a championship match for the first time since the 2021 Australian Open, and will meet either No. 16 Jessica Pegula or No. 2 Iga Swiatek on Saturday in Miami Gardens. Fla. It has been a long, trying and often emotional ride for former No. 1 Osaka since her win in the 2018 U.S. Open final over Serena Williams. She was rattled during a loss at Indian Wells on March 12 following a derogatory shout from a spectator, withdrew from last year’s French Open to address her mental state and left last year’s US Open in tears. But in South Florida, one of the places she considers home, it’s been all support from the fans. Osaka entered the tournament ranked No. 77 in the world, will leave Miami no worse than 36th and would be back in the top 30 if she wins the title … Hubert Hurkacz, seeded eighth, moved two wins away from defending his Miami Open title by wearing down the top-seeded Daniil Medvedev, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, in a men’s quarterfinal. Had Medvedev prevailed, he would have overtaken Novak Djokovic on Monday and returned to No. 1 in the world rankings. Instead, the Russian will stay No. 2.
NBA
Hall of Fame inductees decided
Former San Antonio Spurs guard and two-time All-Star Manu Ginóbili will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first time on the ballot, according to The Athletic. Tim Hardaway, a five-time All-Star, and George Karl, the NBA’s sixth-winningest head coach, will also inducted. Others include WNBA legend Swin Cash, a four-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist and West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, who has coached for 45 years and earned NCAA Coach of the Year honors twice throughout his career.
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Chinese state TV airing games again
China Central Television, China’s state-run TV network, has begun to broadcast NBA games again, signaling that the rift between the league and the authoritarian government that has persisted since 2019 appears to be coming to an end. The first game this year on state TV was Tuesday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Utah Jazz. According to Global Times, the broadcast was the start of a full return of the NBA to China’s airwaves. The league has been almost entirely off the air on Chinese state television since 2019, except for a lone finals game in 2020. The dispute between China and the NBA began in the fall of 2019, when Daryl Morey, then an executive with the Houston Rockets, shared an image supportive of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The social media post angered the Chinese government, causing games to be pulled off the air and Chinese companies to pull sponsorships from the league … President Joe Biden has appointed Suns star Chris Paul to his board of advisors on historically Black college and universities. Biden along with Vice President Kamala Harris — a graduate of Howard University, an HBCU—have committed more than $5.8 million to support toward the financial commitment to these institutions.
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NHL
Capitals rest Ovechkin
Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin missed practice, taking a maintenance day to rest, according to the team. That rest, though, comes at an unusual time - after two days off for the Capitals, following a loss to Carolina on Monday. Capitals Coach Peter Laviolette said he expects Ovechkin, who was at the Capitals’ practice facility Thursday, back on the ice for Friday’s practice. Ovechkin has shouldered a significant workload this season, averaging 21:04 per game. The last time Ovechkin averaged more than 21 minutes a night was during the 2010-11 season … Clayton Keller is out for the season after breaking his leg in the third period against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. The forward was injured with 5:15 remaining after falling and hitting the end boards legs first. The Coyotes said he had surgery and is expected to make a full recovery in 4-6 months … Goalie Petr Mrazek will be out at least six weeks for the Toronto Maple Leafs because of a groin injury, meaning the goalie would miss the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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Auto racing
Vettel back after COVID
Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel is “fit to race” after recovering from COVID-19. The four-time world champion will make his season debut at the Australian Grand Prix on April 10. The 34-year-old German missed the first two races of the F1 season — in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia — because of his coronavirus infection. Reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg replaced Vettel for both races, finishing 17th in Bahrain and then 12th in Saudi Arabia. Aston Martin is still searching for its first points this season.
Miscellany
Tribe supports Conn. city
A small American Indian tribe is supporting a Connecticut city’s attempt to retain funding put in jeopardy by its continued use of a Native American mascot and imagery for its schools’ athletic teams. The Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, which has just over 100 members in Western Connecticut, passed a resolution this month supporting the city of Derby’s use of the nickname “Red Raiders” and logos that include an arrowhead and the profile of the head of an American Indian. The tribe says it supports the use of those images “as a public means of sustaining Native American culture and history of Connecticut’s first citizens,” according to the March 15 resolution from the tribal council. The state last year enacted a law that requires municipalities whose athletic teams use Native American names or mascots to receive written support from a state or federally recognized tribe in Connecticut or risk losing state grants derived from revenue at the state’s two tribal casinos, The Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino.
Advertisement | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/31/sports/naomi-osaka-reaches-miami-open-tennis-final/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:24Z |
We investigated inter-arm systolic blood pressure (sIAD) difference, reproducibility, and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesized that higher sIAD values have low prevalence and nonpersistence over years, but that CVD risk is higher starting from the time of first high absolute sIAD. In Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis participants (n"‰="‰6725, 53% female, 45"“84 years old), Doppler systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements were made in both arms (10-minute interval) thrice over 9.5 years. Proportional hazards for CVD (coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, peripheral arterial disease (PAD)) over 16.4 years were tested according to time-varying absolute inter-arm difference with covariates: (1) age, gender, race, and clinic; (2) model 1 plus height, heart rate, BP, antihypertensives, BMI, smoking status, lipids, lipid lowering medication, and diabetes. High sIAD was not persistent across exams. Maximum absolute sIAD"‰â‰¥"‰15"‰mmHg was found at least once in 815 persons. Maximum absolute sIAD had a graded relationship with incident stroke or PAD: 6.2% events; model 2 hazard ratio per 10"‰mmHg 1.34 (95% CI, 1.15"“1.56) and this risk was approximately doubled for maximum absolute sIAD"‰â‰¥"‰15"‰mmHg vs 0"“4"‰mmHg. Total CVD risk (18.4% events) was increased only for maximum absolute sIAD"‰â‰¥25"‰mmHg. Associations with incident CVD did not differ for higher SBP in left vs right arm. A higher maximum absolute sIAD at any exam was associated with greater risk for stroke and PAD especially for values"‰â‰¥"‰15"‰mmHg, and"‰â‰¥25"‰mmHg for other CVD. Measuring SBP between arms may help identify individuals at risk for CVD. | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556555622644/addressing-racial-inequities-in-neuropsychological-assessment-requires-international-prescriptive-standards-not-demographically-adjusted-norms | 2022-04-01T00:44:24Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said Thursday that the Justice Department has closed without criminal charges an investigation into political fundraising activity at his former business.
“As I said from the beginning and have maintained throughout this process, I was confident that after a thorough review the Justice Department would find all of my activities to be lawful,” DeJoy said in a statement provided to The Associated Press. “I have always adhered to the law in my personal and professional life.”
He added that he was “not surprised” that the department had concluded its investigation and that he was “pleased that this episode is over.”
The Justice Department declined to comment. But it is standard practice for department officials to reveal to defense lawyers that their investigations have concluded without charges rather than make that announcement themselves. A DeJoy spokesman said DeJoy’s lawyer had received that notification from the department.
DeJoy, a wealthy former logistics executive and GOP donor, was appointed postmaster general in 2020 by the Board of Governors controlled by then-President Donald Trump. He remains in the position in the Biden administration. He confirmed the existence of a Justice Department investigation last June when his spokesman said investigators were examining campaign contributions made by employees who worked for him when he was in the private sector.
—
This story has been corrected to show that DeJoy was appointed by Trump-controlled Board of Governors, not Trump himself. | https://www.mystateline.com/news/politics/postmaster-general-says-hes-been-cleared-in-federal-probe/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:25Z |
BERKELEY (BCN) – Grinnell, a peregrine falcon making a home with his partner Annie on the Campanile at the University of California at Berkeley campus, was found dead Thursday, according to a group that monitors the birds.
“We are all deeply saddened to report that Grinnell was found dead in downtown Berkeley this afternoon,” the group Cal Falcons announced on Twitter. “We are devastated and heartbroken.”
READ MORE: California Drought: Water Restrictions Return for Coastside ResidentsThe announcement added, “His cause of death isn’t known, but he was probably struck by a car given where we found him.”
Annie and Grinnell had been nesting atop the Campanile since 2017. Late last year, it was unclear whether the pair were going to stay together after Grinnell was attacked by two other falcons and hospitalized and Annie was seen starting pairing behavior with one of them.
READ MORE: Betty Reid Soskin, Nation's Oldest Park Ranger, Retires At Age 100
But fans were optimistic earlier this year that Annie and Grinnell would stay together.
“They know each other is around,” said Mary Malec of Cal Falcons in a statement in early January. “They have been talking to each other and flying together, but this is the first time anyone has seen courtship behavior between them.”
Now members of Cal Falcons are unsure if Annie’s nest will last with just her.
“Given the timing of this within the breeding season, it is doubtful that this nest will succeed with Annie alone,” Cal Falcons’ Twitter account said.
MORE NEWS: Stanford Women, UConn To Renew Intense Rivalry At Final Four© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2022/03/31/grinnell-uc-berkeley-falcon-found-dead-possibly-struck-by-driver/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:25Z |
SCAPPOOSE, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a man was shot and killed Thursday by two police officers in Scappoose, Oregon.
Columbia County officials confirmed the officer-involved shooting on social media. In a tweet, officials said that “no officers were injured and the incident is currently under investigation.”
A witness told KOIN-TV that he was dropping his wife off at work when he saw a man show up to the towing facility next door. The witness, Erik Tyler, said the man appeared angry and a fight escalated between the man and employees until the workers told him they would call the police.
Police arrived and Tyler said he heard them yell at the man to drop his weapon and the man didn’t comply.
Detective Shannon Wilde with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, which has taken over the investigation, told reporters police responded to the “disturbance” at Grumpy’s Towing just before 10 a.m. During the incident, Wilde said both a sheriff's deputy and an Oregon State Police trooper fired their weapons, killing the man.
Wilde did not identify the deceased man or specify whether he was armed at the time but said he was wanted for an unrelated “violent felony.”
Wilde also declined to comment on the circumstances that led up to the shooting. | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Police-Officers-shoot-kill-man-in-Scappoose-17049819.php | 2022-04-01T00:44:26Z |
US officials to meet with government of Russian ally Venezuela: report
Senior U.S. officials on Saturday went to Venezuela, a Russian ally, to meet with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, people familiar with the matter told The New York Times.
A delegation including senior State Department and White House officials is traveling to the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, sources told the Times.
It is not known how long the officials will stay in Venezuela or who they will be meeting with.
This comes as Venezuela and fellow Latin American Russia allies Nicaragua and Cuba this week abstained or did not vote on United Nations resolutions condemning Russian aggression, according to the Times, indicating that the countries may be distancing themselves from Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Maduro has also signaled that he would be open to restarting Venezuela’s oil trade with the U.S. as President Biden mulls reducing U.S. imports of Russian oil.
“Here lies the oil of Venezuela, which is available for whomever wants to produce and buy it, be it an investor from Asia, Europe or the United States,” Maduro said Thursday, according to the Times.
This will be the most high-level meeting between the U.S. and Venezuela in Venezuela’s capital city in years, the Times noted.
Venezuela and the U.S. severed all diplomatic relations in 2019 following the Trump administration’s recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president after Maduro secured a second term in an election deemed illegitimate by most of the international community.
The Trump administration then imposed sanctions on individuals with ties to Maduro’s government and on companies involved in exporting Venezuelan oil in an effort to provoke regime change in the country.
In response to the sanctions, Venezuela turned to Russia, as well as Iran and China, for diplomatic and economic aid, the Times reported. Russian energy companies and banks have since played a major role in Venezuela’s exporting of oil.
The Hill has reached out to the State Department and White House for comment.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. | https://thehill.com/policy/international/597031-us-officials-to-meet-with-government-of-russian-ally-venezuela-report/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:26Z |
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients, part of an election-year push by Democrats for price curbs on prescription drugs at a time of rising inflation.
Experts say the legislation, which passed 232-193, would provide significant relief for privately insured patients with skimpier plans and for Medicare enrollees facing rising out-of-pocket costs for their insulin. Some could save hundreds of dollars annually, and all insured patients would get the benefit of predictable monthly costs for insulin. The bill would not help the uninsured.
But the Affordable Insulin Now Act will serve as a political vehicle to rally Democrats and force Republicans who oppose it into uncomfortable votes ahead of the midterms. For the legislation to pass Congress, 10 Republican senators would have to vote in favor. Democrats acknowledge they don’t have an answer for how that’s going to happen.
“If 10 Republicans stand between the American people being able to get access to affordable insulin, that’s a good question for 10 Republicans to answer,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., a cosponsor of the House bill. “Republicans get diabetes, too. Republicans die from diabetes.”
Public opinion polls have consistently shown support across party lines for congressional action to limit drug costs.
But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., complained the legislation is only “a small piece of a larger package around government price controls for prescription drugs.” Critics say the bill would raise premiums and fails to target pharmaceutical middlemen seen as contributing to high list prices for insulin.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Democrats could have a deal on prescription drugs if they drop their bid to authorize Medicare to negotiate prices. “Do Democrats really want to help seniors, or would they rather have the campaign issue?” Grassley said.
The insulin bill, which would take effect in 2023, represents just one provision of a much broader prescription drug package in President Joe Biden’s social and climate legislation.
In addition to a similar $35 cap on insulin, the Biden bill would authorize Medicare to negotiate prices for a range of drugs, including insulin. It would penalize drugmakers who raise prices faster than inflation and overhaul the Medicare prescription drug benefit to limit out-of-pocket costs for enrollees.
Biden’s agenda passed the House only to stall in the Senate because Democrats could not reach consensus. Party leaders haven’t abandoned hope of getting the legislation moving again, and preserving its drug pricing curbs largely intact.
The idea of a $35 monthly cost cap for insulin actually has a bipartisan pedigree. The Trump administration had created a voluntary option for Medicare enrollees to get insulin for $35, and the Biden administration continued it.
In the Senate, Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire are working on a bipartisan insulin bill. Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has introduced legislation similar to the House bill, with the support of Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Stung by criticism that Biden’s economic policies spur inflation, Democrats are redoubling efforts to show how they’d help people cope with costs. On Thursday,the Commerce Department reported a key inflation gauge jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
But experts say the House bill would not help uninsured people, who face the highest out-of-pocket costs for insulin. Also, people with diabetes often take other medications as well as insulin. That’s done to treat the diabetes itself, along with other serious health conditions often associated with the disease. The House legislation would not help with those costs, either. Collins says she’s looking for a way to help uninsured people through her bill.
About 37 million Americans have diabetes, and an estimated 6 million to 7 million use insulin to keep their blood sugars under control.It’s an old drug, refined and improved over the years, that has seen relentless price increases.
Steep list prices don’t reflect the rates insurance plans negotiate with manufacturers. But those list prices are used to calculate cost-sharing amounts that patients owe. Patients who can’t afford their insulin reduce or skip doses, a strategy born of desperation, which can lead to serious complications and even death.
Economist Sherry Glied of New York University said the market for insulin is a “total disaster” for many patients, particularly those with skimpy insurance plans or no insurance.
“This will make private insurance for people with diabetes a much more attractive proposition,” said Glied. | https://www.fox44news.com/news/business-news/house-passes-35-a-month-insulin-cap-as-dems-seek-wider-bill/ | 2022-04-01T00:44:24Z |
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By Daile Cross
An enraged father who drove 600 kilometres to confront his daughter’s alleged abuser before trying to cut the man’s penis off and setting a house fire that led to his death has been jailed.
The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of the man, who died in June 2020 after the home he was renting was set on fire.
The father stormed the house armed with a kitchen knife after learning about the abuse allegation and used his mobile phone to record the confrontation.
“I’m here to tell you that I know, and we’re going to sort it out tonight,” he told the man.
“I hope you have made good with everyone because this next bit and what goes on now depends on you. I drove 600 f***ing kilometres to see you.”
The attacker told the man “you took my daughter’s innocence” before instructing him to pull his pants down. He then inflicted two cuts either side of his groin.
The court was told the injuries were not life-threatening, however the attacker then doused the inside of the home with petrol and set it on fire.
The deceased man, who had heart disease, was found dead outside his back door with a garden hose near his body. A post-mortem found he died from smoke inhalation and possibly a heart attack.
The father pleaded guilty to manslaughter and arson and was sentenced in the Supreme Court of Western Australia on Tuesday to nine years in prison, and will be eligible for parole in seven.
Lawyer Simon Watters told the court his client accepted he had overreacted in an illegal way that ultimately led to the man’s death.
Justice Joe McGrath said the act of inflicting the knife injuries and setting fire to the house was premeditated and an act of vigilantism.
“You found out the day before you committed the offences about the allegations concerning the
deceased abusing your daughter,” he said.
“A number of persons told you not to take any action against the deceased.”
The wife and son of the deceased man provided references to the qualities of the offender and Justice McGrath said he accepted that he had taken responsibility for his actions and expressed remorse.
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Lyft, Inc. (NASDAQ:LYFT – Get Rating) insider Kristin Sverchek sold 3,938 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $157,520.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Kristin Sverchek also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, February 1st, Kristin Sverchek sold 10,999 shares of Lyft stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.05, for a total value of $429,510.95.
- On Tuesday, January 4th, Kristin Sverchek sold 8,857 shares of Lyft stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.06, for a total value of $399,096.42.
Shares of Lyft stock traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $38.40. The company had a trading volume of 4,734,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,852,070. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $38.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.03. Lyft, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.94 and a fifty-two week high of $65.94. The firm has a market cap of $13.38 billion, a PE ratio of -12.67 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.
Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Lyft in a research note on Friday, March 11th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $43.00 price target for the company. BTIG Research reduced their price target on Lyft from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 9th. Wolfe Research cut their target price on Lyft from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “peer perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 9th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Lyft from $73.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 9th. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on Lyft from $72.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 20th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.14.
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Lyft in the 4th quarter worth approximately $82,882,000. Walleye Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Lyft by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Walleye Capital LLC now owns 30,822 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock valued at $1,317,000 after acquiring an additional 9,200 shares in the last quarter. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Lyft in the 4th quarter valued at $251,000. JustInvest LLC increased its stake in shares of Lyft by 45.4% in the 4th quarter. JustInvest LLC now owns 5,991 shares of the ride-sharing company’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 1,870 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Advisory LLC bought a new stake in shares of Lyft in the 4th quarter valued at $383,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.44% of the company’s stock.
Lyft Company Profile (Get Rating)
Lyft, Inc engages in the provision and management of an online social rideshare community platform. It provides access to a network of shared bikes and scooters for shorter rides and first-mile and last-mile legs of multimodal trips, information about nearby public transit routes, and Lyft Rentals to offer riders a view of transportation options when planning any trip.
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On Monday, President Joe Biden unveiled his proposal for the next federal budget.
Though Congress has the final say in the annual budget, presidents create a proposal highlighting their fiscal priorities. Then, the president typically spends time advocating for their plan to the public, arguing for those priorities.
While promoting his latest proposal, Biden tweeted, “This year, my administration is on track to cut the deficit by more than $1.3 trillion… that would be the largest one-year reduction in the deficit in U.S. history.”
THE QUESTION
Would a $1.3 trillion reduction in the deficit be the largest single-year reduction ever?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, if the deficit shrinks by $1.3 trillion this year, that will be the largest single-year reduction in history.
WHAT WE FOUND
Both the Federal Reserve and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) track how much money the federal government takes in each year, and how much it spends. The Fed has records dating back to 1901, and the CBO dating to 1962.
If the government makes more than it spends, there’s a budget surplus. Since 1962, there have only been five years with a surplus, and none since 2001.
More commonly, the government spends more than it takes in. That’s a deficit, and it results in the U.S. borrowing money to make up the difference, which in turn adds to the federal debt.
According to the Fed and the CBO, the year in which the deficit shrank the most was 2013. In 2012, the budget was nearly $1.08 trillion in the hole, and in 2013, it was just under $679.8 billion. The deficit decreased by roughly $396.8 billion, more than in any other year in history.
If the deficit drops by $1.3 trillion in 2022 like Biden projected, it would indeed be the largest deficit reduction in American history, by a big margin.
The Fed and CBO track numbers on a fiscal-year basis, with the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30. So we won’t really know if Biden’s projections for 2022 are accurate until at least October.
But budget experts VERIFY spoke with agreed it’s likely the deficit reduction could wind up being more than a trillion dollars. However, they said that drop is mostly due to COVID-related spending programs expiring.
“It's not really due to any particularly aggressive policy action to, say, raise more revenue than we would have otherwise, or spend less. It's mostly just a factor of temporary things,” said Alex Muresianu, a federal policy analyst for the Tax Foundation.
“We had deficits that were over $3 trillion [in 2020], and one that was $2.8 trillion [in 2021]. That was as a result of a huge recession, and trillions of dollars that we were spending to fight COVID. So we will be dropping for sure. The deficit will be closer to a trillion dollars this year,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a non-profit group. “But that doesn't come from policies to reduce the deficit.”
More from VERIFY: No, Congress members did not give themselves a 21% pay raise in 2022 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/verify/money-verify/biden-projects-trillion-dollar-deficit-reduction-largest-ever/536-82b0158e-0851-49dd-a546-3dbef252c761 | 2022-04-01T00:44:28Z |
A key inflation gauge sets 40-year high as gas and food prices soar
WASHINGTON – An inflation gauge that is closely monitored by the Federal Reserve jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, with sharply higher prices for food, gasoline and other necessities squeezing Americans' finances.
The figure reported Thursday by the Commerce Department was the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982. Excluding volatile prices for food and energy, so-called core inflation increased 5.4% in February from 12 months earlier.
Robust consumer demand has combined with shortages of many goods to fuel the sharpest price jumps in four decades. Measures of inflation will likely worsen in the coming months because Thursday's report doesn't reflect the consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which occurred Feb. 24. The war has disrupted global oil markets and accelerated prices for wheat, nickel and other key commodities.
Squeezed by inflation, consumers increased their spending by just 0.2% in February, down from a much larger 2.7% gain in January. Adjusted for inflation, spending actually fell 0.4% last month. The decline partly reflected a shift away from heavy spending on goods to a focus on services, such as health care, travel and entertainment, which consumers had long avoided during the worst of the pandemic.
Spending on such services grew 0.6%, the most since July, while purchases of autos, furniture, clothes and other goods dropped 2.1%. Many economists had previously suggested that a shift away from goods purchases might loosen supply chain snarls and cool inflation. But prices are still rising rapidly for goods, including a 1.1% increase in February.
Americans' overall incomes rose 0.5% in February, the highest gain since November and up from just 0.1% in January. Wages and salaries jumped 0.8%, the most in four months.
Businesses have been raising pay to attract and keep employees – a trend that is benefiting workers but also giving employers cause to raise prices to offset their higher labor costs. That cycle is helping fuel inflation.
Last month, food costs climbed 1.4%, the most in nearly two years. Energy costs spiked 3.7%, the biggest such increase since October.
The Federal Reserve responded this month to the inflation surge by raising its benchmark short-term interest rate by a quarter-point from near zero, and it's likely to keep raising it well into next year. Because its rate affects many consumer and business loans, the Fed's rate hikes will make borrowing more expensive and could weaken the economy over time.
On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.6% from January to February, up slightly from the previous month’s increase of 0.5% and matching the highest monthly figure since 2008.
Gas prices have soared in the past month in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion, which led the United Kingdom and the Biden administration to ban Russia’s oil exports. The cost of a gallon of gas shot up to a national average of $4.24 a gallon Wednesday, according to AAA. That’s up 63 cents from a month ago.
Michael Pearce, an economist at Capital Economics, said Americans will likely dig into their savings to cover the higher gas costs in the near term. “But if higher gasoline prices are sustained, that will eventually weigh on spending in other areas.”
Thursday’s report follows a more widely monitored inflation gauge, the consumer price index, that was issued earlier this month. The CPI jumped to 7.9% in February from a year ago, the sharpest such increase in four decades.
Many economists still expect inflation to peak in the coming months. In part, that’s because price spikes that occurred last year, when the economy widely reopened, will begin to make the year-over-year price increases appear smaller. Yet Fed officials project that inflation, as measured by its preferred gauge, will still be a comparatively high 4.3% by the end of this year.
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