The Full Belmonte, 8/1/2022
A man dries himself after cooling off in a fountain last week in Portland, Oregon.
“Much of the Northwest remains under heat alerts today following a week of extreme temperatures that turned deadly. In Oregon, officials believe at least six deaths over the past week were heat-related. Parts of Washington, Montana, and Idaho also recently saw record-breaking temperatures, and officials are warning critical fire conditions are in the forecast today. In Europe, meanwhile, officials are urging citizens to cut back on air conditioning despite recent heat waves due to higher prices for energy and a Russian threat to cut off gas supplies. Separately, as many families try to stay safe in the heat, batches of a popular brand of sunscreen are being recalled. An internal review of Banana Boat Hair & Scalp Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 found some samples contained trace levels of benzene, which is classified as a human carcinogen.” Read more at CNN
“The first grain ship to leave the Ukrainian port of Odesa under a UN-brokered deal to help ease the global hunger crisis departed today, according to Ukrainian and Turkish officials. This is the first grain shipment from Ukraine's Black Sea ports since Russia began its invasion of the country in February. ‘This is such an important step... but (Russia) now needs to (honor) their side of this deal and let grain ships pass safely,’ UK Ambassador Melinda Simmons tweeted today. It took months of negotiations for Ukraine and Russia to reach a deal on allowing the safe passage of grain and oilseeds -- some of Ukraine's most important exports. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the ship's departure today a ‘relief for the world.’” Read more at CNN
“President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 again Saturday morning, per a letter from presidential physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor. Biden first tested positive on July 21 but received negative test results from Tuesday to Friday last week. Biden's latest case is likely a ‘rebound’ Covid-19 positivity that the doctor noted is ‘observed in a small percentage of patients treated with Paxlovid.’ Biden has experienced ‘no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well’ and will, as a result, not resume treatment, the White House said. The President will reinitiate strict isolation protocols, just days after celebrating his return with remarks from the White House Rose Garden. Separately, the US Department of Health and Human Services recently said Moderna and Pfizer booster shots updated to target Omicron subvariants could be available by September.” Read more at CNN
“Devastated Kentucky communities brace for more rain
People in ravaged portions of eastern Kentucky continue to dig out as the state's death toll from historic flooding rose to 28, according to the governor's office. As of Sunday, dozens of people remained unaccounted for, and some areas were inaccessible to search-and-rescue teams. Here are stories from Kentucky of heroism and survival.
Takeaway: The flooding harkens previous disasters, but the destruction isn't over.
•Excessive runoff from showers and thunderstorms Sunday and Monday could result in additional flooding, according to the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms are possible Tuesday, as well as Thursday through Saturday.•The flooding overwhelmed neighborhoods where people already have few resources, Gov. Andy Beshear said, and a heat wave forecast this week will deepen the suffering.
Read more: Jessica Willett and her neighbors in the remote Appalachian region of Kentucky were already vulnerable and struggling. Then came historic floodwaters.” Read more at USA Today
Members of the Tennessee Task Force One search and rescue team searched through Troublesome Creek in Perry County, looking for potential victims on Sunday, July 31, 2022.Jeff Faughender/Courier Journal and USA Today Network
“McKinney Fire becomes California's largest blaze this year
A wildfire just south of Oregon's state line exploded to over 50,000 acres on Sunday, becoming California's largest fire this year just one week after the previous record was broken. The McKinney Fire erupted Friday in the Klamath National Forest and quickly burned out of control. It remained 0% contained as of Sunday afternoon, according to CalFire. ‘Abundant’ lightning, gusty winds, high temperatures and low relative humidity all pose threats to firefighters and could further intensify the fire's behavior, the U.S. Forest Service said. Read more
•Gallery: The McKinney Fire grows to over 50,0000 acres in Northern California.” Read more at USA Today
A horse grazes in a pasture as the McKinney Fire burns in Klamath National Forest, Calif., Saturday, July 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)Noah Berger, AP
President Biden in the State Dining Room on Thursday. Photo: Susan Walsh/AP
“President Biden has slowly but substantially re-engineered significant parts of the American economy — achievements obscured by COVID, inflation and broad disenchantment.
Why it matters: Love it or hate it, piece by piece, Biden has pumped billions into infrastructure projects, helped revive the domestic semiconductor industry, and accelerated U.S. viral research and vaccine production capabilities. He might be on the cusp of the biggest domestic clean-energy plan in U.S. history.
Between the lines: Interestingly, it all has an America First twist — drilling more oil here ... fixing infrastructure here ... moving chip-making here ... increasing manufacturing jobs here ... creating vaccines here.
What's happening: Biden hasn't done a dazzling job explaining this to the public. And it’s possible no amount of explaining can excite people when prices are soaring and viruses are spreading.
It's also clear his early spending binge helped exacerbate inflation — the overshadowing topic of the day.
At the same time, the re-engineering of specific sectors is highly consequential — and expensive. Soak up the specifics:
The $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act — which Biden will sign soon, after the House and Senate passed it last week — provides grants, tax credits and other incentives to manufacture computer chips in the U.S. The White House says it'll eventually lower the price of cars, dishwashers and computers.
Biden could get another huge win with the climate plan secretly negotiated by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin. The package would provide new tax credits for buying EVs — plus rebates for buying efficient appliances and weatherizing homes, and tax credits for heat pumps and rooftop solar panels.
Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure bill to rebuild roads, bridges and rail is one of the biggest packages signed by a president ever.
The Biden administration said it'll pour $3 billion into the vaccine supply chain, creating thousands of U.S. jobs, and helping prepare for future threats.
Electric-vehicle manufacturing is growing in the U.S., with GM and Ford announcing plans for massive vehicle and battery plants across the Midwest and Appalachia. Fun fact: GM's Mary Barra, who also chairs the Business Roundtable, is the CEO this White House has hosted most often.
Our thought bubble: These developments required bipartisanship — something Biden promised but gets little credit for, since these thin bands of Republican support look nothing like traditional bipartisanship.
The bottom line: Not only did Biden land these economic measures and a gun-c0ntrol bill, but same-sex marriage protection is getting close — baby steps, but in a once unthinkable direction.” Read more at Axios
“Pelosi potential Taiwan visit in murky middle ground
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a congressional delegation on a visit to the Indo-Pacific region, but a controversial visit to Taiwan has so far not been announced. Pelosi's office on Sunday said the delegation will visit Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. A potential stop in Taiwan has risen as a tension point between Washington and Beijing. China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has warned of "consequences" should the speaker visit. Taiwan sees itself as a sovereign country, and the U.S. has long embraced a murky middle ground that seeks to support Taiwan without antagonizing China. Read more at USA Today
A resident walks by a man reads a newspaper reporting on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Asia visit, at a stand in Beijing, Sunday, July 31, 2022.Andy Wong, AP
“Democrats have campaigned for 30 years on promises they'd let Medicare directly negotiate the cost of prescription drugs. After all that time, they might finally be about to achieve it, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim and Caitlin Owens write.
Why it matters: The Senate's reconciliation bill would only open up negotiations for a small number of drugs — but even that is a threshold Democrats have never before been able to cross. And it opens the door to more aggressive policies in the future.
Flashback: Then-President Clinton proposed direct negotiations between drug companies and the federal government in 1993.
Clinton, Al Gore, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden — and even Donald Trump — each embraced the idea while in office or as candidates, only to be thwarted by arguments it would squelch new drug development or limit seniors' choices.
Federal law has prohibited Medicare from directly negotiating how much it will pay for drugs since 2003.
Reality check: The version of price negotiations contained in the Senate's bill is much narrower than most of those ambitious campaign proposals.
"A baby step is the way I would describe this," said Zeke Emanuel, a health policy adviser to former President Obama, and chair of the department of medical ethics and health policy at Penn.
🔮 What's next: If negotiations make it into law now, future administrations and Congress could expand them.
The other side: The drug industry and its allies have long argued that these sorts of policies — which they say are more like price controls than price negotiations — would weaken the incentives for smaller biotech firms to take scientific risks required to develop new drugs.” Read more at Axios
“Indiana Senate narrowly passes near-total abortion ban
Republicans in the Indiana Senate narrowly voted Saturday to ban nearly all abortions in the state in a rare weekend session after a contentious week of arguments over whether to allow exceptions for rape and incest. The vote puts Indiana on track to be one of the first states in the nation to pass new abortion restrictions after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The measure led to protests by thousands of people who descended on the Statehouse this week and outrage among doctors and major medical associations.” Read more at USA Today
Anti-abortion supporters try to cover a sign of an abortion rights supporter during an anti-abortion rally as the Indiana Senate Rules Committee met a Republican proposal to ban nearly all abortions in the state during a hearing at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, Tuesday, July 26, 2022.Michael Conroy, AP
“Thousands of protesters rallied in Sudan on Sunday calling for an end to military rule, following a CNN investigation that exposed Russia's plundering of gold in the African nation. Clashes erupted after hundreds of demonstrators attempted to head to Sudan's presidential offices but were met by police, who responded by firing tear gas. The investigation, based on multiple interviews with high-level Sudanese and US officials and troves of documents reviewed by CNN, painted a picture of an elaborate Russian scheme to take Sudan's riches in a bid to fortify Russia against robust Western sanctions. Evidence seen by CNN also suggests that Russia colluded with Sudan's military, enabling billions of dollars in gold to bypass the Sudanese state and to deprive the poverty-stricken country of hundreds of millions in state revenue.” Read more at CNN
“ROME — In May 2021 Alika Ogorchukwu, a 39-year-old Nigerian living in Italy, was hit by a car while he was riding his bicycle, an accident that forced him to use a crutch to move around.
On Friday, an Italian man used the crutch to knock Mr. Ogorchukwu to the ground on a major shopping street in Civitanova Marche, a seaside town on the Adriatic Coast, before beating him to death, as a video of the assault shows and police officials confirmed. Moments earlier, Mr. Ogorchukwu, a street vendor, had unsuccessfully pitched his wares to the assailant and his girlfriend.
The brutal, senseless murder — which was videotaped by witnesses and shared thousands of times on social media — has shocked Italians, stirred political bickering ahead of national elections in September and spawned fresh debate over racism in Italy, even though, for now, investigators do not believe that the crime was racially motivated.” Read more at New York Times
The Zaporizhzhia plant, in southeastern Ukraine.David Guttenfelder for The New York Times
“Russia has turned Europe’s largest nuclear power plant into a fortress.” Read more at CNN
“Iraq’s parliament protests. Protesters supporting Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are camped out in Iraq’s parliament for the third straight day today after hundreds stormed Baghdad’s Green Zone on Saturday. Sadr has called the actions “a great opportunity to radically challenge the political system, the constitution, and the elections,” but has yet to appear in parliament himself.” Read more at Foreign Policy
Image caption, Tourism in New Zealand was hit hard when the country's borders shut in March 2020
“New Zealand's borders are fully open for the first time since March 2020, when they shut in an effort to keep out Covid-19.
Immigration authorities will now begin accepting visitors with visas and those on student visas again.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it an ‘enormous moment’, adding it was part of a ‘cautious process’.
Most visitors will still need to be fully vaccinated, but there are no quarantine requirements.
The country's maritime border has also reopened, with cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts now allowed to dock.
New Zealand first announced a phased reopening plan in February. It allowed vaccinated citizens to return from Australia that month, and those coming from elsewhere to return in March.
In May, it started welcoming tourists from more than 50 countries on a visa-waiver list.
‘We, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe,’ said Ms Ardern in a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland on Monday.
‘But keeping people safe extends to incomes and wellbeing too.’” Read more at BBC
“Mounting strain | The presidential palace in Berlin is no longer lit at night, Hanover is turning off warm water in the showers of its pools and gyms, and municipalities across Germany are preparing heating havens to keep people safe from the cold when the winter comes. Much of Europe is feeling the strain from Russia’s squeeze on natural gas deliveries, yet no other country is as exposed as the region’s biggest economy, where nearly half the homes rely on the fuel for heating.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called on tie-wearers in his government and throughout society to free themselves from their silk and polyester prisons and go tieless—to keep cool and save electricity.
A tie-free Sanchez suggested the sartorial innovation ahead of his government’s energy efficiency and savings program which is expected to be approved today. Sanchez’s call tracks with other tweaks to save on cooling power in Spain’s heat, such as the air conditioners at the Environmental Transition Ministry now running at a balmy 27 degrees Celsius (80.6 Fahrenheit).” Read more at Foreign Policy
“After two-plus years of interrupted learning, schools are trying new ways to help students catch up, both socially and academically, Axios' Erin Doherty reports.
Why it matters: At the current rate, it may take years for some students to recover from pandemic-era learning loss, according to a report by NWEA, an education research organization.
What's happening: Schools are rolling out tutoring programs and enhanced after-school offerings, and some are considering extending the school year in an effort to remedy lost time.
Schools are boosting emotional and social support offerings after disrupted educational experiences, holding food drives for students and families and free health screenings.
🧠 Reality check: Even all these offerings may be no match for the problem.
School districts across the country are still facing widespread teaching shortages. Some are also bracing for continued staffing shortages among bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other academic support positions.
Schools are boosting pay for teachers and bolstering teacher recruiting programs, among other tactics, to mitigate staffing challenges, but even if those efforts succeed, getting back up to speed will take time.
🔮 "Hopefully by spring of '23, teachers and administrators will have their mojo back," said Thomas Kane, a Harvard economist who has done extensive research on the pandemic achievement loss.” Read more at Axios
“Elizabeth Johnson Jr. is — officially — not a witch.
Until last week, the Andover, Mass., woman, who confessed to practicing witchcraft during the Salem witch trials, was the only remaining person convicted during the trials whose name had not been cleared.
Though she was sentenced to death in 1693, after she and more than 20 members of her extended family faced similar allegations, she was granted a reprieve and avoided the death sentence.
The exoneration came on Thursday, 329 years after her conviction, tucked inside a $53 billion state budget signed by Gov. Charlie Baker. It was the product of a three-year lobbying effort by a civics teacher and her eighth-grade class, along with a state senator who helped champion the cause.” Read more at New York Times
“Lives Lived: On ‘Star Trek,’ Nichelle Nichols portrayed Lieutenant Uhura, an educated technician and one of the first TV roles to show a Black woman in a position of authority. Nichols died at 89.” Read more at New York Times
Nichelle Nichols in her role as communications officer Lt. Uhura on the TV series Star Trek.
Bettmann Archive
“Nichelle Nichols — whose portrayal of starship communications officer Lt. Uhura in "Star Trek" and subsequent movies broke color barriers and helped redefine roles for Black actors — died at 89.
Why she mattered: The 1960s sci-fi series shattered stereotypes common on U.S. TV at the time by casting minority actors in high-profile roles, Reuters reports.
Nichols had planned to quit "Star Trek" after one season. But the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. convinced her to stay because it was so revolutionary to have a Black woman playing a senior crew member, at a time when Black people were fighting for equality in American society.
She helped break color barriers at NASA, whose leaders were "Star Trek" fans. After she criticized the space agency for failing to pick qualified women and minorities as astronauts, Nichols was hired in the 1970s to help recruit.
NASA tweeted that Nichols "symbolized to so many what was possible ... and inspired generations to reach for the stars."Read more at Axios
Bill Russell, center, during a playoff game against Philadelphia.Bettmann via Getty Images
“Bill Russell is dead at 88: Basketball’s most accomplished player died yesterday, his family announced. He leaves behind an almost unfathomable legacy, Jay King writes. (Here is The Times’s obituary of Russell.)” Read more at The Athletic
“"As tall as Bill Russell stood," former President Obama tweeted, "his legacy rises far higher — both as a player and as a person."
Bill Russell — who redefined how basketball is played, then changed the way sports are viewed in a racially divided country — died at 88 with his wife, Jeannine, at his side.
"On the court," Obama added, "he was the greatest champion in basketball history. Off of it, he was a civil rights trailblazer — marching with Dr. King and standing with Muhammad Ali."
"For decades, Bill endured insults and vandalism, but never let it stop him from speaking up for what's right. I learned so much from the way he played, the way he coached, and the way he lived his life."
Russell, the sport's most decorated champion, was the centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty that won 11 championships in 13 years. He earned his last two NBA titles as a player-coach — the first Black coach in any major U.S. sport, AP writes.
Russell in 1980 was voted greatest player in NBA history by basketball writers.
💡 He was an archetype of selflessness who won with defense and rebounding while others racked up gaudy scoring totals.
Twitter tributes: 14 tweets on 1 page ... Family announcement ... Biden statement.” Read more at Axios
“Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has been suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, under a ruling Monday by the disciplinary officer jointly appointed by the league and the NFL Players Association.
The length of the suspension was confirmed by a person familiar with the ruling by Sue L. Robinson, a former U.S. district judge.
The suspension is without pay and comes after more than two dozen women filed civil lawsuits accusing Watson of sexual misconduct. Watson has denied the allegations and has not been charged with a crime. He has reached settlements in 23 of the 24 then-active lawsuits that were filed against him. Anthony Buzbee, the attorney for the women, announced the latest three settlements Monday.
Robinson made the ruling after conducting a three-day hearing in late June in Delaware. The NFL argued to Robinson for an indefinite suspension of at least one full season, requiring Watson to apply for reinstatement, according to a person familiar with the case. The NFLPA is believed to have argued for no suspension. Robinson made her ruling after each side submitted a post-hearing brief.” Read more at Washington Post
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“The Lionesses roar: Chloe Kelly’s goal in the 110th minute led the English women’s national team to a 2-1 win over Germany in the Euros final yesterday, an iconic moment for a program that was banned until 1971.” Read more at The Athletic
”Supreme Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been immortalized with her own bobblehead at the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum.” Read more at NPR
“A Greenland shark, one of the longest-living animals on Earth, was caught by stunned researchers in the Caribbean — far from the shark's usual Arctic range.” Read more at NPR