The Full Belmonte, 2/12/2023
Sorrow turns to tension over Turkey earthquake response
By JUSTIN SPIKE
65 year-old Atari Kales mourns for her daughter in law and two grandchildren near the collapsed building that they were trapped in Antakya Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023. Rescue crews on Saturday pulled more survivors, including entire families, from toppled buildings despite diminishing hopes as the death toll of the enormous quake that struck a border region of Turkey and Syria five days continued to rise. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
“ANTAKYA, Turkey (AP) — Six days after a massive earthquake killed more than 28,000 in Syria and Turkey, sorrow and disbelief are turning to anger and tension over a sense that there has been an ineffective, unfair and disproportionate response to the historic disaster.
Many in Turkey express frustration that rescue operations have proceeded painfully slowly, and that valuable time has been lost during the narrow window for finding people alive beneath the rubble.
Others, particularly in the southern Hatay province near the Syrian border, say that Turkey’s government was late in delivering assistance to the hardest-hit region for what they suspect are both political and religious reasons.
In Adiyaman, southeastern Turkey, Elif Busra Ozturk waited outside the wreckage of a building on Saturday where her uncle and aunt were trapped — believed dead — and where the bodies of two of her cousins had already been found….” Read more at AP News
Trudeau: US fighter shot down object over northern Canada
By JIM MORRIS
FILE - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023. On Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, Trudeau said that on his order a U.S. warplane shot down an unidentified object that was flying high over northern Canada, acting a day after U.S. planes took similar action over Alaska. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
“VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an ‘unidentified object’ that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska.
North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations, detected the object flying at a high altitude Friday evening over Alaska, U.S. officials said. It crossed into Canadian airspace on Saturday.
Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden, who also ordered the object to be shot down. Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot down the object.
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand told a news conference in Ottawa that the object, flying at around 40,000 feet, had been shot down at 3:41 p.m. EST, approximately 100 miles from the Canada-U.S. border in the central Yukon. A recovery operation was underway involving the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP….” Read more at AP News
Chinese spy balloon has GOP saying no cuts to defense
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON
“A growing number of Senate Republicans are saying that President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) should take defense spending cuts off the table in their negotiation over the debt ceiling.
The Republicans are digging in their heels after receiving a classified briefing on a Chinese spy balloon that floated over sensitive military installations.”
Read the full story here at The Hill
Turkey arrests building contractors 6 days after quakes
By JUSTIN SPIKE and SUZAN FRASER
FILE - Emergency teams search for people in the rubble of a destroyed building in Adana, southern Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023. For Syrians and Ukrainians fleeing the violence back home, the earthquake that struck in Turkey and Syria is but the latest tragedy. The U.N. says Turkey hosts about 3.6 million Syrians who fled their country’s 12-year civil war, along with close to 320,000 people escaping hardships from other countries. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
“ANTAKYA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish officials detained or issued arrest warrants for some 130 people allegedly involved in shoddy and illegal construction methods as rescuers on Sunday continued to pull a few survivors from the rubble, six days after a pair of earthquakes collapsed thousands of buildings.
The death toll from Monday’s quakes that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria stood at 28,191 — with another 80,000-plus injured — as of Sunday morning and was certain to rise as bodies continued to be uncovered.
As despair also bred rage at the agonizingly slow rescue efforts, the focus turned to who was to blame for not better preparing people in the earthquake-prone region that includes an area of Syria that was already suffering from years of civil war.
Even though Turkey has, on paper, construction codes that meet current earthquake-engineering standards, they are too rarely enforced, explaining why thousands of buildings slumped onto their side or pancaked downward onto residents….” Read more at AP News
California Senate race gets swift start
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) campaigns for U.S. Senate in Burbank yesterday. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
“California's U.S. Senate race is unfolding fast and furious:
Candidates are reporting seven-figure fundraising — and holding competing rallies and events — more than a year before the 2024 primary election, AP's Michael Blood reports.
Why it matters: The fight for the safe Democratic seat held by Sen. Dianne Feinstein — who at 89 is the oldest member of Congress — is a marquee match-up between nationally known rivals, and will be one of next year's most expensive Senate races.
The twist: Feinstein has yet to say if she'll seek a seventh term. She faces questions about her cognitive health, but has defended her effectiveness.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) — who rose to prominence as lead prosecutor in former President Trump's first impeachment trial — gathered hundreds of supporters yesterday in a union hall parking lot in his hometown of Burbank.
Schiff, who announced last month, was starting a two-week statewide tour that includes San Diego, Sacramento, Fresno and San Francisco.
Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) talks Friday with Dr. Wilma Franco and Huntington Park Mayor Eddie Martinez near a metal recycling plant close to schools. Photo: Robert Gauthier/L.A. Times via Getty Images
A day earlier, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) met with local leaders to discuss pollution in lower-income neighborhoods. She said such areas are often overlooked in Washington and Sacramento.
Porter, a leader of Congress' progressive wing, has built a reputation for tough questioning of CEOs and other witnesses at hearings — often using a whiteboard to break down information.
The intrigue: Schiff and Porter, both prolific small-dollar fundraisers, are already dueling for endorsements. Former Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.) is backing Schiff, providing Feinstein retires.
Porter is backed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
Another potential contender is Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. If she won, Lee would be the only Black woman in the Senate.” [Axios]
Army sees safety, not ‘wokeness,’ as top recruiting obstacle
FILE - Students in the new Army prep course stand at attention after physical training exercises at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 27, 2022. The Army is trying to recover from its worst recruiting year in decades, and officials say those recruiting woes are based on traditional hurdles. The Army is offering new programs, advertising and enticements to try to change those views and reverse the decline. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford, File)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — While some Republicans blame the COVID-19 vaccine or ‘wokeness’ for the Army’s recruiting woes, the military service says the bigger hurdles are more traditional ones: Young people don’t want to die or get injured, deal with the stress of Army life and put their lives on hold.
They ‘just don’t see the Army as something that’s relevant,’ said Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, head of Army marketing. ‘They see us as revered, but not relevant, in their lives.’
Addressing those longtime issues has taken on greater urgency as the Army tries to recover from its worst recruiting year in decades, a situation aggravated by the tight jobs market. The Army is offering new programs, advertising and enticements in an effort to change perceptions and reverse the decline.
One incentive gives recruiters bonuses of up to $4,500 per quarter if they exceed their baseline enlistment requirement. A pilot program allows young enlisted soldiers — those in the three lower ranks — to get a promotion if they refer someone who enlists and goes to basic training. Only one promotion per soldier is allowed.
The Army fell about 15,000 soldiers, or 25%, short of its 60,000 recruitment goal last year, when all the branches struggled to meet recruiting goals.
Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said the Army has set a difficult goal for this year: aiming to bring in 65,000 recruits, which would be 20,000 more than in 2022. It’s difficult to predict how it will go, she said, adding that recruiters need to do all they can to surpass last year’s numbers….” Read more at AP News
Don’t buy this
Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
“Millions around the world have built careers out of influencing — getting us to buy things.
Now a new trend is on the rise: ‘de-influencing.’
What’s happening: On TikTok and on Instagram, more and more people are using their platforms to tell fans what not to buy to push back against the growing pressure to spend more and more cash to hop on viral trends, Axios' Erica Pandey reports.
Why it matters: It’s a real threat to the $16 billion influencer marketing economy if the trend of rising above the influence spreads — and lasts.
By the numbers: Social media and commerce have become inextricably linked.
The number of American consumers who research products on social networks has increased 42% since 2015, according to GWI, a market research firm.
But now, ‘we’re seeing social commerce go through a recession for the first time,’ says Chris Beer, an analyst at GWI.
The number of Gen Zers interested in influencers has dropped 12% since 2020, and the number who take note of what influencers wear has fallen 16% since then, per GWI data.
As a result, influencers — and others — are making viral videos listing trendy makeup products or shoes that aren’t worth the money, or what to cut when planning trips or weddings.
‘The hashtag #deinfluencing has racked up more than 76 million views on TikTok,’ notes NBC's "Today."
What to watch: whether Gen Z's fatigue with overconsumption outlasts the current economic situation.” [Axios]
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
Patrick MahomesKevin C. Cox/Getty Images
“Sometimes, a lesser team will get hot in the playoffs and sneak into the Super Bowl. Not this year. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles were by many measures the two best teams.
Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ quarterback, is the heir to Tom Brady, the best of his generation. Still just 27, Mahomes won his second M.V.P. award this year. The big question today: How much has his injured ankle healed?
Jalen Hurts, the Eagles’ 24-year-old quarterback, is having a breakout year. He has a powerful running style and a strong offensive line, which enabled him to rush for 13 touchdowns this season, more than any other quarterback.
As Field Yates of ESPN noted recently, the two teams are evenly matched: Both went 14-3. Both have six All-Pro players. Both scored exactly 546 points this season. And both have a member of the Kelce family on their rosters.
More about the teams
The Eagles are so good because they are balanced. Hurts, the quarterback, is as good at running as he is at passing. Philadelphia’s defense can attack a quarterback (it led the league in sacks) as well as it can bottle up receivers.
Kansas City’s success stems from a perfect pairing. The Chiefs are appearing in their third Super Bowl in four seasons with Mahomes as quarterback and Andy Reid as head coach. Reid favors a pass-first offense, filled with creative formations that take advantage of Mahomes’s mobility and strong arm.
— Emmanuel Morgan, N.F.L. reporter
A bounty of booze ads
Since 1989, every alcohol ad to air during the Super Bowl has been for an Anheuser-Busch product. That changes today. Last summer, the company, which owns Budweiser, gave up its exclusive advertising rights, and the competitors have come rushing in. Heineken, Coors Light and Miller Light will appear in commercials for the first time. Spirits such as Rémy Martin and Crown Royal will also be in the mix. Still, Anheuser-Busch will be the largest advertising spender of any company this year.
— Lora Kelley, business reporter
Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters
Rihanna in the spotlight
Rihanna, this year’s halftime headliner, isn’t just a hitmaker — she’s also a mogul. She has founded three successful companies, which have helped make her the world’s wealthiest female musician, with an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion. She has brought that business savvy to tonight’s performance: Her cosmetics brand, Fenty Beauty, is selling a special edition ‘Game Day Collection’ (with a football-shaped sponge), while her clothing line, Savage x Fenty, is selling a $60 graphic T-shirt expressing a sentiment many of her fans share: ‘Rihanna Concert Interrupted by a Football Game, Weird but Whatever.’” [New York Times]
— Lindsay Zoladz, pop critic
New Mexico State players interviewed about alleged hazing
By EDDIE PELLS
FILE - New Mexico State's Ivan Aurrecoechea shoots against New Mexico during an NCAA college basketball game Nov. 21, 2019, in Las Cruces, N.M. New Mexico State indefinitely suspended its men's basketball program Friday night, Feb. 10, 2023. The school also placed first-year coach Greg Heiar and his staff on administrative leave for what it said were violations of university policy. (Nathan J. Fish/The Las Cruces Sun News via AP, File)
“The chancellor at New Mexico State says players on the basketball team were interviewed by school personnel Saturday about an alleged hazing incident that led to the program’s suspension.
In a letter to the school community, chancellor Dan Arvizu said he was ‘heartbroken and sickened to hear about these hazing allegations.’
‘Hazing is a despicable act,’ he wrote. ‘It humiliates and degrades someone and has the potential to cause physical and emotional harm, or even death. Sadly, hazing can become part of an organization’s culture, if left unchecked.’
He said the team, which arrived back in Las Cruces after its game at California Baptist was canceled, would remain under suspension until further notice.
The letter came out a few hours after the school announced it would hold a closed meeting Tuesday night to ‘discuss limited personnel matters concerning individual employees.’ It did not name the employees who were to be discussed.
In announcing the virtually unheard-of midseason suspension of a Division I basketball program, the university put coach Greg Heiar and his staff on administrative leave pending an investigation into an alleged violation of university policy.
‘NMSU policy strictly prohibits hazing, in all forms, and it’s something we simply will not tolerate,’ Arvizu wrote in the letter….
The hazing allegations come nearly three months after the Nov. 19 fatal shooting in Albuquerque of Brandon Travis, a 19-year-old student from rival school, University of New Mexico. Aggies forward Mike Peake was suspended early in December while an outside investigator looked into his involvement in Travis’ killing. In the moments before the shooting, Peake suffered a leg injury and was later taken to the hospital by three of his teammates.
Peake has not been charged in the case, which is also under investigation by the district attorney in Albuquerque….” Read more at AP News
“A New York City pigeon that was dyed pink — likely for a gender-reveal party — was rescued and gained a loyal following but died soon after, presumably from toxins in the dye.” [NPR]
Alexis Ayala/Wild Bird Fund
“An exterminator was called to a California home for a worm problem. He found 700 pounds of acorns in the walls — stashed away by some ambitious woodpeckers. ‘Bird was a bit of a hoarder,’ he joked.”