The Full Belmonte, 6/18/2022
Stocks closed mixed Friday, with the Dow ending the week below 30000.
PHOTO: BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS
U.S. stocks closed with mixed results as major indexes extended their recent whipsaw moves.
“The S&P 500 was up about 0.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.1%, about 38 points. The Nasdaq Composite rose 1.4%. Even with today’s increases, stocks finished the week with sharp losses, marking their worst week since March 2020.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
“Children younger than 5 could start getting Pfizer and Moderna shots as early as next week, Axios' Erin Doherty reports.
The FDA approved Pfizer and Moderna shots for kids 6 months and older today, leaving CDC authorization as the last step.
Between the lines: ‘Uptake in the coming weeks could be low, which could be particularly worrisome for children with underlying conditions that can increase the risks of severe disease,’ the N.Y. Times reports
Parents, take note: Pfizer's three-dose vaccine was authorized for kids up to 4, while Moderna's two-dose regimen got approval for kids up to 5.” Read more at Axios
The House Jan. 6 hearings.Kenny Holston for The New York Times
“Analysis: Though the Jan. 6 hearings have demolished the lies that the 2020 election was stolen, the fictional conspiracy has a hold on Republicans during this primary season.” Read more at New York Times
“A half-century after the Watergate scandal, members of its investigating committee warned that the Jan. 6 panel has a more difficult task.” Read more at New York Times
“A third victim in the Thursday shooting at a church outside Birmingham, Alabama, has died, authorities said Friday.
An 84-year-old woman died after being rushed to a hospital following the shooting, where a man who occasionally attended Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church pulled out a handgun during a potluck dinner, according to police.
Two other people also died.
Walter Rainey, 84, was found dead at the scene of the shooting in Vestavia Hills, just south of Birmingham, Capt. Shane Ware of the Vestavia Hills Police Department said at a Friday news conference. Sarah Yeager, 75, died after being taken to a hospital, he said.
Police said the suspected gunman, who was arrested Thursday, occasionally attended services at the church. He was identified as Robert Findlay Smith and charged with capital murder by the Jefferson County District Attorney's office on Friday. Ware said the suspect was ‘subdued’ by another attendee of the potluck.” Read more at USA Today
“Residents of Odessa, Texas, who have been without safe tap water this week amid scorching temperatures may be able to drink safely straight from the faucet as early as Saturday afternoon, city officials said Friday. Samples from the Odessa area water utility pipes were sent off for testing Friday afternoon, said Odessa Public Works Director Thomas Kerr. If the test results come back clean, the city’s weeklong boil-water notice could be lifted by early Saturday afternoon, he said. Temperatures approached 100 degrees in Odessa daily this week as Texas and much of the U.S. faced extremely hot and humid conditions. The city said taps in 165,000 homes and businesses lost pressure or went completely dry after a 24-inch main broke Monday. In the meantime, customers have relied on bottled water to consume and cook with, and boiling to disinfect whatever water came from their faucets.” Read more at USA Today
“Uterine cancer is on the rise, particularly among Black women.” Read more at New York Times
“Bitcoin plummeted below $20,000 for the first time since November 2020, driven partly by the recent collapse of two big cryptocurrency projects.” Read more at New York Times
“Executives at two well-known U.S. businesses are stepping down.
Vince McMahon stepped aside temporarily as chief and chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment while its board investigates a secret settlement he agreed to pay a departing employee over misconduct allegations. Also, the head of Starbucks’s North American business, Rossann Williams, will leave at the end of the month as interim CEO Howard Schultz reshapes the executive ranks.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
People participate in the annual LA Pride Parade in West Hollywood, California, in 2019.Photograph: Agustin Paullier/AFP/Getty Images
“In Idaho, police recently found 31 members of a white supremacist group packed into the back of a U-Haul truck, apparently on their way to an LGBTQ+ pride event in the town of Coeur d’Alene.
Further west, a crew of Proud Boys interrupted a drag queen event in California, intimidating parents and children and screaming transphobic and homophobic insults. In Texas, a state plagued by anti-trans politics, a group of rightwingers screamed abuse and threatened attendees at an adults-only drag brunch.
The incidents, which led to multiple arrests, took place over just one weekend. It was a concentration of anti-LGBTQ+ hate in America that came as a shock to some – but not to the advocates and groups who have been warning of an alarming rise in anti-trans and gay speech over the past year, especially from the far right.
It’s an increase, they warn, that has been spurred by Republican politicians and rightwing media, who have pushed anti-LGBTQ+ talking points and legislation that has seen the rights and safety of an already marginalized group threatened.” Read more at The Guardian
“Commissioners in New Mexico’s Otero County voted 2 to 1 Friday to comply with a state Supreme Court order and certify primary-election results, reversing an earlier rejection of vote totals over unfounded claims that voting machines were insecure.
In an afternoon meeting, Republican County Commissioners Vickie Marquardt and Gerald Matherly voted to certify the results from the state’s June 7 primary over the objections of the third commissioner, Couy Griffin.
Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump, spoke by phone from Washington, where he had been sentenced earlier Friday to 14 days in jail on one count of entering a restricted area during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In his remarks, Griffin refused to back down from assertions that the machines were not secure or apologize for leading a charge against a normally straightforward procedural vote that caused a week-long uproar.
“My vote to remain a no isn’t based on any evidence, it’s not based on any facts, it’s only based on my gut feeling and my own intuition, and that’s all I need,” Griffin said.
On Wednesday, New Mexico’s Supreme Court granted an emergency petition by the secretary of state demanding that the Otero commissioners do their job and approve some 7,300 votes from the primary, where races such as the county’s only state House seat and county sheriff hung in the balance.
The state’s attorney general, Hector Balderas, had said Friday that the commissioners ‘must comply with the rule of law’ or face legal action and potentially be removed from office.
‘I don’t want to let anybody down, I know there’s a lot of people who want us to stand our ground,’ Marquardt said Friday. But, she said, ‘I don’t think it’s worth us getting removed from our seats to do that.’
Commissioners in a second county, Torrance, who had delayed certification earlier this week, voted to approve the vote totals in a contentious public hearing Friday morning.” Read more at Washington Post
William Campbell/Getty Images
“This week, severe flooding wiped out roads, bridges, and infrastructure in Yellowstone National Park, threatening the livelihoods of nearby communities.” [Vox] Read more at BBC
“On Monday, intense rainfall and rapid snowmelt caused rivers to overflow, forcing the park — which spans Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana — to close for the first time in 34 years.” [Vox] Read more at Reuters / Ruffin Prevost
“As conditions worsened in Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office refused to disclose his whereabouts. Gianforte returned Thursday evening from a personal trip amid criticism for his absence.” [Vox] Read more at NBC News / Corky Siemaszko
“Parts of the park could remain closed for months. Local businesses that make most of their yearly income from millions of visitors during the summer are worried.” [Vox] Read more at CBS News / Analisa Novak
“Most of the park’s wolves, bears, and other wildlife can withstand severe flooding. However, climate change, which likely causes more frequent extreme rainfall events, is pushing animals’ limits.” Read more at Vox / Benji Jones
“Thursday, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Montana, providing federal funding to help the state recover.” [Vox] Read more at Montana Free Press / Arren Kimbel-Sannit
Dr Gabriela Kramer-Marek, the leader of the study. Photograph: John Angerson
“Scientists have successfully developed a revolutionary cancer treatment that lights up and wipes out microscopic cancer cells, in a breakthrough that could enable surgeons to more effectively target and destroy the disease in patients.
A European team of engineers, physicists, neurosurgeons, biologists and immunologists from the UK, Poland and Sweden joined forces to design the new form of photoimmunotherapy.
Experts believe it is destined to become the world’s fifth major cancer treatment after surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy.
The light-activated therapy forces cancer cells to glow in the dark, helping surgeons remove more of the tumours compared with existing techniques – and then kills off remaining cells within minutes once the surgery is complete. In a world-first trial in mice with glioblastoma, one of the most common and aggressive types of brain cancer, scans revealed the novel treatment lit up even the tiniest cancer cells to help surgeons remove them – and then wiped out those left over.” Read more at The Guardian
“The European Commission on Friday said Ukraine should become a candidate to join its 27 members.” [Vox] Read more at CNN / Luke McGee
“Gaining membership could take years, since Ukraine must first undergo political and economic reforms. Turkey has been a candidate since 1999.” [Vox] Read more at Reuters / Robin Emmott and Max Hunder
“The recommendation is likely to boost morale as Ukraine fights off Russia. The move is also a setback in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to curb Western influence in the country.” [Vox] Read more at Associated Press / David Keyton, John Leicester, and Efrem Lukatsky
“Next week, EU leaders will likely discuss making Ukraine an official candidate, the first step in becoming a member. Although many leaders have voiced support for Ukraine, it’s unclear whether all 27 states agree.” [Vox] Read more at Washington Post / Emily Rauhala, Adela Suliman and Quentin Ariès
“Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the West and said Ukraine-related sanctions are backfiring.
In a speech, he blasted the U.S. and Europe as failing to recognize the rise of new power blocs since the end of the Cold War. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s navy said it hit a Russian vessel in the Black Sea, its first acknowledged use of the Western-provided Harpoon antiship system. The country’s farmers, already contending with stolen grain and mined fields, now say Russian troops and pro-Moscow factions are seizing their land.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Gas Rationing Gets Closer for Europe as Putin Squeezes Supplies
Europe has long put its faith in Russia as a stable supplier of natural gas. But as Isis Almeida, Anna Shiryaevskaya and Elena Mazneva report, that changed this week when Moscow slashed supplies in apparent retaliation over Europe’s support for Kyiv.” Read more at Bloomberg“Russia Turns to Old Tanks as It Burns Through Weapons in Ukraine
Russia is struggling to find manpower and weapons to throw into the war in Ukraine, having exhausted much of its forces in the first 100 days of its invasion. As Marc Champion reports, the Kremlin may be only a few months from needing to slow operations for a major regroup.” Read more at Bloomberg“TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A celebrated Ukrainian medic whose footage was smuggled out of the besieged city of Mariupol by an Associated Press team was freed by Russian forces on Friday, three months after she was taken captive on the streets of the city.
Yuliia Paievska is known in Ukraine as Taira, a nickname she chose in the World of Warcraft video game. Using a body camera, she recorded 256 gigabytes of her team’s efforts over two weeks to save the wounded, including both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.
She transferred the clips to an Associated Press team, the last international journalists in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, one of whom fled with it embedded in a tampon on March 15. Taira and a colleague were taken prisoner by Russian forces on March 16, the same day a Russian airstrike hit a theater in the city center, killing around 600 people, according to an Associated Press investigation.” Read more at AP News
“DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — At least 18 people have died as massive floods ravaged northeastern India and Bangladesh, leaving millions of homes underwater and severing transport links, authorities said Saturday.
In India’s Assam state, at least nine people were killed in the floods and 2 million saw their homes submerged, according to the state disaster management agency.
Lightning in parts of neighboring Bangladesh meanwhile killed nine people on Friday.
Both countries have asked their militaries for help as more flooding looms with rains expected to continue over the weekend.
The Brahmaputra, one of Asia’s largest rivers, breached its mud embankments, inundating 3,000 villages and croplands in 28 of Assam’s 33 districts.” Read more at AP News
“Macron May Need the Premier He Ousted to Salvage Second Term
Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe could be key to saving Macron’s second-term agenda. Ania Nussbaum reports that, with the president’s majority at risk in France’s parliamentary ballot Sunday, he may have to depend on the man he once ousted to wield power.” Read more at Bloomberg“Johnson’s Coalition Is Crumbling Among New Tory Voters and Old
Six years to the day since the vote to leave the EU that helped propel Boris Johnson to power, by-elections will show how much damage ‘Partygate’ and other scandals have done to UK prime minister’s party. Joe Mayes speaks to Johnson supporters who are now switching sides.Johnson made his second surprise visit to Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine, telling President Volodymyr Zelenskiy the UK is offering to train as many as 10,000 soldiers every 120 days.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Hong Kong’s Lam Calls Deadly Vaccination Lag Her Biggest Regret
Outgoing Chief Executive Carrie Lam conceded her government could have prevented elderly deaths from Covid-19 with a stronger vaccination drive. However, in an interview with Kari Lindberg, Krystal Chia and Stephen Engle, she refused to apologize as her term comes to a close.” Read more at Bloomberg“Worst Drought in 70 Years Threatens Northern Italy’s Food, Power
Italy is in the depths of one of its worst droughts, with the country’s largest river, the Po, hitting its lowest level in 70 years. As Marco Bertaccheexplains, that’s threatening crops and raising the specter of power outages.” Read more at Bloomberg“Leaked audio from internal TikTok meetings reveals China had access to US user data.” [Vox] Read more at BuzzFeed News / Emily Baker-White
“SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) — After two days of deliberations in which they reached verdicts on nearly all of the questions put before them, jurors in a civil trial who were deciding on sexual abuse allegations against Bill Cosby will have to start from scratch on Monday.
By the end of the court day Friday, the Los Angeles County jury had come to agreement on whether Cosby had sexually assaulted plaintiff Judy Huth at the Playboy Mansion when she was 16 in 1975, and whether Huth deserved any damages. In all they had answered eight of nine questions on their verdict form, all but one that asked whether Cosby acted in a way that should require punitive damages.
Judge Craig Karlan, who had promised one juror when she agreed to serve that she could leave after Friday for a prior commitment, decided over the objections of Cosby’s attorneys to accept and read the verdict on the questions the jury had answered. But he had to change course when deputies at the Santa Monica Courthouse appeared and required him to clear the courtroom. The courthouse has a required closure time of 4:30 p.m. because of no budget for deputies’ overtime.
Karlan refused to require the departing juror, who had been chosen as foreperson, to return on Monday, so jurors will have to begin again with an alternate in her place.” Read more at AP News
School pride, indeed!
”The graduating seniors of Seattle Pacific University made their commencement ceremony especially meaningful with a subtle, brilliant act of protest. The Christian university recently doubled down on a rule that keeps staff from engaging in same-sex relationships. In response, dozens of graduates handed the school's interim president a miniature Pride flag onstage while accepting their diplomas. Seniors offended by the rule balked at the idea of shaking the interim president’s hand onstage. So they hatched a plan – before the president could offer them his hand, they’d quickly put a Pride flag in his palm and exit the stage. A compilation of the surprise flag presentations made it to TikTok – some students beamed, handed him a flag and said nothing; others appeared to give him a stern look and speak a few words before exiting proudly. Student organizer Pamela Styborski said it best: ‘We couldn’t go out being silent.’” Read more at CNN“The owner of Marilyn Monroe’s ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ dress denied that Kim Kardashian damaged it.” Read more at New York Times
“The author James Patterson apologized after saying older white male writers face ‘another form of racism.’” Read more at New York Times
“Amber Heard says she stands by accusations that her ex-husband Johnny Depp abused her.” Read more at New York Times
“The country star Toby Keith, 60, has stomach cancer. ‘I need time to breathe, recover and relax,’ he wrote.” Read more at New York Times
“A Brooklyn venue canceled a sold-out concert by John Hinckley Jr., who shot Ronald Reagan in 1981.” Read more at New York Times
“It's crowded at the top of the leaderboard heading into Saturday's third round of the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, and by Sunday evening we could have a new champion. Americans Joel Dahmen and Collin Morikawa are tied for the 36-hole lead at 5 under. But there are 13 golfers within three shots of the co-leaders. Defending champion Jon Rahm of Spain and 2011 champ Rory McIlroy, a four-time major winner, are among the group at 4 under. Masters winner and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler leads the group at 3 under. "It's not every U.S. Open that the reigning Masters champion can claim, quite correctly, that he is flying under the radar when he's near the lead at the halfway point of the men's national championship ..." USA TODAY Sports columnist Christine Brennanwrote Friday. But that's fine with him. "I kind of like flying under the radar," Scheffler, 26, said. "For me, it makes things a lot simpler." NBC will be anchoring the coverage of the tournament all weekend.” Read more at USA Today
Rendering of Lego factory planned in Chesterfield County, Va. Image: Lego
“In talking points released accidentally, Lego distanced itself from policies of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who personally announced a $1 billion Lego factory in Chesterfield County, outside Richmond.
At a press conference Wednesday, the gov gushed that he loves the toy bricks, Axios Richmond's Ned Oliver reports.
Lego's internal Q&A asks: ‘Why are you establishing a factory in a state where the governor supports non-renewable energy, such as coal, and is critical of renewable energy investment?’
As a suggested response, Lego touted its ‘ability to advance our ambitious sustainability agenda, and we are confident that we will accomplish our goals in Virginia.’
On Youngkin's opposition to teaching of critical race theory, Lego highlighted its donations to organizations that support Black children "and educate all children about racial equality."
Lego said: ‘The document was intended for internal use only and shared in error.’
The WashPost reported: ‘The FAQ was briefly included Wednesday among the fact sheets and videos that Lego's outside public relations firm released around the announcement.’” Read more at Axios