“Weeks before a Florida condo building collapsed, the president of its board wrote that structural problems identified in a 2018 inspection had ‘gotten significantly worse’ and owners needed to pay a hefty price to get them fixed.
The April 9 ‘Dear Neighbors’ letter from Champlain Towers South Condominium President Jean Wodnicki hinted at an ongoing debate over the repairs and a reluctance by some condo owners to pay for major work that would cost at least $15.5 million.
‘A lot of this work could have been done or planned for in years gone by. But this is where we are now,’ she wrote in the letter, which was confirmed to The Associated Press by a spokesman for the condo board.
Wodnicki noted costs had increased since an October 2018 report by engineering firm Morabito Consultants first identified key issues with weakening concrete, and she predicted they would only grow more if put off any longer.” Read more at AP News
“NEW YORK (AP) — The Democratic primary for mayor of New York City was thrown into a state of confusion Tuesday when election officials retracted their latest report on the vote count after realizing it had been corrupted by test data never cleared from a computer system.
The bungle was a black mark on New York City’s first major foray into ranked choice voting and seemed to confirm worries that the city’s Board of Elections, which is jointly run by Democrats and Republicans, was unprepared to implement the new system.
The disarray began as evening fell, when the board abruptly withdrew data it had released earlier in the day purporting to be a first round of results from the ranked choice system.
That data had indicated that Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a former police captain who would be the city’s second Black mayor, had lost much of his lead and was ahead of former sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia by fewer than 16,000 votes.” Read more at AP News
“Biden weighs executive order reining in big business power. The executive order, which the president could sign as soon as next week, would direct industry regulators to rethink their rule-making process to inject more competition and give consumers, workers and suppliers more rights to challenge large companies.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“It’s already clear the US is going to miss the White House target to get 70% of the adult US population at least partially vaccinated by July 4, but here’s where the numbers stand: 16states have reached the goal. Sixteen states have also fully vaccinated more than half of their residents. Four states have recorded less than half of adults with at least one dose. About 847,000 vaccine doses are being administered per day. Meanwhile, the Delta variant now accounts for 26% of coronavirus cases in the US; you’ll recall, just weeks ago, that proportion was more around 10%. Dr. Anthony Fauci now warns there could soon be ‘two Americas’ -- one where most people are vaccinated and another where low vaccination rates could lead to spikes in cases.” Read more at CNN
“Supreme Court declines to lift national eviction moratorium.The high court rejected an emergency request by landlords and real-estate companies to clear the way for evictions after a federal judge in Washington ruled last month that the moratorium was legally unsupportable.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“A ruling last week extended protection of student speech to social media, limiting a school’s authority over speech made off-campus and leaving educators struggling to understand what is punishable. This has complicated the way school leaders nationwide will handle such situations. Schools can still exert their authority when student speech involves bullying, cheating, harassment or threats. But the latest ruling doesn’t address the vast gray area of off-campus speech that doesn’t rise to such levels but can still affect the school. The decision also doesn’t take into account the difficulty in discerning which seemingly innocuous social-media post has the potential to blow up.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“A major policing law overhaul is in jeopardy as lawmakers and law enforcement groups remain divided over what the wide-reaching legislation should look like. Last week, bipartisan negotiators for the bill said they’d reached an agreement on its general framework, but the hot-button issue of qualified immunity -- protections given to police officers in civil court -- remains unresolved. Additionally, some law enforcement groups have outright said they’d be resistant to any major changes. After blowing past two deadlines, Congressional lawmakers say they need to make a decision by August as to whether they can agree on a bill or drop the prospect entirely.” Read more at CNN
“More than 230 deaths have been reported in British Columbia since Friday amid the historic heat wave gripping the Pacific Northwest. That’s a huge increase over a typical four-day period, and authorities are working to figure out how many of the deaths are heat-related. In the US Northwest, at least 60 deaths have been reported. Emergency room visits are also up: In Washington, at least 676 people visited emergency departments for heat-related symptoms from Friday to Sunday, and that was before peak heat hit the state. A major concern amid the record temperatures is how unprepared people in the region are for extreme heat. Seattle and Portland rank first and third, respectively, among cities with the highest proportion of households without air conditioning.” Read more at CNN
“Rebel forces in the war-torn Ethiopian region of Tigray have rejected a ceasefire offer from the central government a day after the Tigrayan forces retook the regional capital Mekelle. The recapture of the city and the retreat of Ethiopian government troops mark a stunning turn in the devastating eight-month civil war. The Ethiopian military has been in control of much of Tigray since November, when it launched a major assault on the region with the support of Eritrean soldiers and local ethnic militias in an effort to remove the region’s ruling political party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Since then, the conflict has devolved into protracted violence that has left thousands dead, forced millions to flee and fueled famine and unrest across the region.” Read more at CNN
“Kim Jong Un’s shakeup. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un accused officials of causing a ‘great crisis’ in the country’s COVID-19 response that would lead to ‘grave consequences,’ North Korean state media reported on Wednesday, a rare acknowledgement of the pandemic as North Korea officially claims to be free of the virus. State media said that several Workers Party members had been replaced over the unspecified incident, including one of its powerful five-member Politburo standing committee known as the Presidium. The publication of Kim’s remarks comes soon after the leader admitted to a ‘tense’ food situation in the country.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“The creation of a House committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol will be up for a vote Wednesday. The panel would have eight members appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and five more members selected ‘after consultation’ with House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy. Pelosi said the committee will seek the truth about Jan. 6, ‘one of the darkest days in our nation’s history.’ The vote will come after Senate Republicans blocked an independent commission to study the insurrection, which would've been modeled after the panel that studied the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.” Read more at USA Today
“The NCAA's Division I Board of Directors is expected to approve a recommendation to temporarily ‘suspend amateurism rules’ Wednesday. Under the guidance, schools in states that have passed laws related to name, image and likeness, or NIL, would be ‘responsible for determining whether’ athletes' activities ‘are consistent with state law,’ an NCAA statement said. In states without an NIL law, athletes would be able to engage in NIL activities without violating NCAA rules. However, the new policy would leave intact the NCAA's ‘commitment to avoid pay-for-play and improper inducements tied to choosing to attend a particular school.’” Read more at USA Today
“In Wisconsin, President Biden appealed to both Republicans and Democrats to get behind the bipartisan infrastructure plan. ‘This is a generational investment,’ he said.” Read more at New York Times
“The Supreme Court ruled that the federal government could give private companies the power to take land from states, clearing the way for a natural gas pipeline in New Jersey.” Read more at New York Times
“WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the government can indefinitely detain certain immigrants who say they will face persecution or torture if they are deported to their native countries.
Over the dissent of three liberal justices, the court held 6-3 that the immigrants are not entitled to a hearing about whether they should be released while the government evaluates their claims.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the court that ‘those aliens are not entitled to a bond hearing.’
The case involves people who had been previously deported and, when detained after reentering the United States illegally, claimed that they would be persecuted or tortured if sent back. One man is a citizen of El Salvador who said he was immediately threatened by a gang after being deported.” Read more at Boston Globe
“The House voted to remove statues of Confederate leaders from the Capitol.” Read more at New York Times
“For the first time, astronomers have witnessed a black hole swallowing a neutron star, the most dense object in the universe — all in a split-second gulp.
Ten days later they saw the same thing, on the other side of the universe. In both cases, a neutron star — a teaspoon of which would weigh a billion tons — orbits ever closer to that ultimate point of no return, a black hole, until they finally crash together and the neutron star is gone in a gobble.
Astronomers witnessed the last 500 orbits before the neutron stars were swallowed, a process that took far less than a minute and briefly generated as much energy as all the visible light in the observable universe.” Read more at Boston Globe
“New York (CNN) New York prosecutors investigating the Trump Organization are scrutinizing cash bonuses as part of their focus on whether the company failed to pay taxes on benefits provided to some of its employees, people familiar with the matter say.
The interest in cash payments, which has not been previously reported, is part of investigators' look at whether executives and the company failed to pay appropriate taxes on benefits, including school tuition, cars and rent-free apartments, the people said.
It's not clear who received the bonuses or how much they totaled.
The Manhattan district attorney's office and the New York attorney general's office have been investigating the Trump Organization and its employees for potential tax-related frauds, and charges could come as soon as this week, CNN has reported.” Read more at CNN
“Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday denied that he plans to attend a fundraiser this week with a group that promotes white nationalist ideas, despite an invitation for the event circulating online that features the congressman and Nick Fuentes, a far-right operative who leads America First.
Gosar has previously attended events with Fuentes and appeared to defend the fundraiser in a tweet Monday night when he wrote: ‘Not sure why anyone is freaking out. I’ll say this: there are millions of Gen Z, Y and X conservatives. They believe in America First. They will not agree 100% on every issue. No group does. We will not let the left dictate our strategy, alliances and efforts. Ignore the left.’
But on Tuesday Gosar denied any knowledge of the fundraiser when asked about the invitation featuring a photo of him with Fuentes.” Read more at Washington Post
“Former ‘Smallville’ actress Allison Mack is scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday for her role in the NXIVM cult , a purported self-help group that groomed followers into sex slaves. According to reports, Mack’s legal team is asking for no jail time, given she has recognized her wrongdoings and publicly denounced Keith Raniere, the group’s founder. Raniere was sentenced last year to 120 years in prison for his role in leading the criminal enterprise where women were sexually exploited and branded with his initials. Days before Mack's sentencing, the actress apologized to those who she brought to NXIVM, claiming she believed she ‘was helping’ them.” Read more at USA Today
“The trustees of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will hold a special meeting Wednesday amid reports it will vote on granting tenure to investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. A decision by trustees earlier this year not to grant tenure to Hannah-Jones, even though it had been given to those who preceded her as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism, sparked criticism from inside and outside the university . Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for her work on the New York Times' 1619 Project examining the legacy of slavery.” Read more at USA Today
“The ‘Fancy Bear’ hacker group linked to the Russian state conducted a cyberattack on critical German infrastructure and the banking system in the past few days, Bild newspaper says, citing intelligence sources.” Read more at Bloomberg
“The U.K. announced its post-Brexit system for overseeing subsidies to companies, promising to make quicker decisions now it’s out of the EU.” Read more at Bloomberg
Armed men who oppose the Taliban stand yesterday at a check post in the Ghorband District, Parwan Province, Afghanistan. Photo: Omar Sobhani/Reuters
“The top U.S. general in Afghanistan warned yesterday that the country is at serious risk of sliding into a chaotic civil war, citing the ‘rapid loss’ of district centers each day to Taliban fighters taking advantage of the U.S. drawdown, the N.Y. Times reports.
Why it matters: ‘The security situation is not good,’ Gen. Austin Scott Miller told reporters at U.S. and NATO headquarters in Kabul, in what may have been the last public news conference delivered by an American four-star general in Afghanistan.
Miller said that while the U.S. withdrawal is going ‘very well’ from a military standpoint, a multi-factional civil war is ‘certainly a path that can be visualized if it continues on the trajectory it's on ... That should be a concern for the world.’” Read more at Axios
“The National Security Agency, which rarely talks about anything, issued an extremely unusual statement last night to rebut Tucker Carlson's explosive claims that the Biden administration is ‘spying’ on him in a conspiracy to take him off the air.
Carlson then responded on his show, calling the statement a ‘paragraph of lies written purely for the benefit of the intel community’s lackeys at CNN and MSNBC’ — while insisting that the NSA did not deny it has been reading his emails without his permission.
“Across the nation, state lawmakers supporting transgender athlete bans have painted a picture that girls’ sports teams will be overrun by athletes with insurmountable physical advantages. But a USA TODAY investigation shows that narrative has been built on vague examples that have been overstated or outright fabricated.” Read more at USA Today
“Serena Williams dropped out of Wimbledon because of a leg injury. She is one title short of the record for most majors won.” Read more at New York Times
“Lives Lived: Elizabeth Martínez helped organize the Chicana movement, which sought to empower people, like her, who were of Mexican descent and born in the United States. She died at 95.” Read more at New York Times
“Scientists in Germany have identified the earliest known plague victim—a 5,000 year-old hunter-gatherer—after analyzing the DNA of bone fragments. Screenings revealed that the man, whose remains were found on the banks of the Salaca river in Latvia, may have carried the disease for some time and may have been less infectious than those carrying strains that came in the centuries after his death. The discovery rekindles a debate over what caused a rapid decline in the population of Neolithic settlers in western Europe which allowed for an increased migration of humans from the east.” Read more at Foreign Policy
“They held the title for nearly 30 years, but Los Angeles residents can no longer claim they have the worst traffic in the country , according to a study on traffic trends in 2020. The Texas A&M Transportation Institute study had ranked the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim region as the area with the country's worst traffic since 1982. But the institute's 2021 Urban Mobility Report showed the New York-Newark region now has the worst traffic in the nation. The rankings are based on the total amount of hours drivers were delayed. Even though Angelenos can no longer claim their traffic is the worst, they can blame the COVID-19 pandemic for it. With a stay-at-home order in place for much of the year, many California employees worked from home.” Read more at USA Today
“The governor of South Dakota announced her intent to deploy State National Guard troops to Texas to assist in securing the U.S.-Mexico border from illegal entrants.” Read more at USA Today
“The Atlanta Hawks ran away from the Bucks in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals to tie the series after Giannis Antetokounmpoleft with a knee injury.” Read more at USA Today
“Call it a cooling reckoning: Dealing with all the heat caused by global warming is likely to increase greenhouse gas emissions even more, Axios' Ben Geman and Andrew Freedman write.
Why it matters: The world is going to need a lot more air conditioning. A 2017 study found that 30% of the world’s population endures climate exceeding a deadly threshold for at least 20 days a year. By 2100, that could be 48%, even if drastic cuts are made in emissions — or 74% if they aren't.
What's next: "Building design, city design, cooling strategies all have to work to ensure the A/C doesn’t have to work so hard," Rachel Kyte, dean of the Fletcher School at Tufts University, told Axios.” Read more at Axios
“Drink prices could be on their way up. Some distillers, brewers and vineyards say they are absorbing higher costs for packaging, aluminum, labels, transportation and energy, but that might not last.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Buffalo Chicken Doughscuits. Photo: Minnesota State Fair
“Food offerings at the Minnesota State Fair, back Aug. 26 after a COVID hiatus, include the Buffalo Chicken Doughscuit(above) — a doughnut stuffed with shredded chicken, then drizzled with Buffalo sauce icing and bacon bits, Axios Twin Cities' Nick Halter writes. Also on the menu:
The Spufull Puff by Potato Man & Sweety: Mashed sweet potatoes blended with sweetened cream cheese, wrapped in dough and fried.
Herbivorous Butcher, the wildly popular meatless butcher in Minneapolis, will make its fair debut with a ChoriPop — meatless Chorizo dipped in corn-dog batter and fried.
Fluffy's Hand Cut Donuts will serve donuts topped with soft-serve ice cream.
What we're not so sure about: The Blue Raspberry Blitzed, a ‘traditional hand pie filled with a raspberry, blueberry and apple blend infused with UV Blue Vodka and topped with cotton candy sugar.’
Dig in: 27 new menu items for Minnesota State Fair.” Read more at Axios