The Full Belmonte, 8/31/2023
Hurricane Idalia hit Florida with flooding, tornadoes and dangerous winds.
“The damage: It left a trail of destruction after making landfall in the Big Bend area yesterday. But officials were hopeful that they had avoided the worst-case, deadliest scenarios.
The latest: Idalia, now a tropical storm, is bringing destructive winds and fears of fatal flooding to the Carolinas. Track its path here.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Flooding in the streets of downtown Charleston, South Carolina, after Idalia moved through on Wednesday.
Trump Inflated Property Values by Up to $2.2 Billion, New York A.G. Says
Letitia James, the attorney general, asked a judge to find, without a trial, that the former president had fraudulently overvalued his assets.
By Jonah E. Bromwich, Ben Protess and William K. Rashbaum
“Before Donald J. Trump was indicted four times over, he was sued by New York’s attorney general, who said that for years the former president, his business and members of his family had fraudulently overvalued their assets by billions of dollars.
Before any of those criminal trials will take place, Mr. Trump is scheduled for a civil trial in New York in October. During the trial, the attorney general, Letitia James, will seek to bar him and three of his children from leading their family business, the Trump Organization, and to require him to pay a fine of around $250 million.
On Wednesday, Ms. James fired an opening salvo, arguing that a trial is not necessary to find that Mr. Trump and the other defendants inflated the value of their assets in annual financial statements, fraudulently obtaining favorable loans and insurance arrangements.
The fraud was so pervasive, she said in a court filing, that Mr. Trump had falsely boosted his net worth by between $812 million and $2.2 billion each year over the course of a decade.
‘Based on the undisputed evidence, no trial is required for the court to determine that defendants presented grossly and materially inflated asset values,’ the filing said.
But Mr. Trump’s lawyers, in their own motion, argued that the entire case should be thrown out, relying in large part on a recent appellate court decision that appeared as if it could significantly narrow the scope of the case because of a legal time limit. Mr. Trump had received most of the loans in question too long ago for the matter to be considered by a court, his lawyers argue….” Read more at New York Times
Judge holds Giuliani liable in Georgia election workers’ defamation case for withholding information
BY ERIC TUCKER
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday held Rudy Giuliani liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers who say they were falsely accused of fraud, ruling that the former New York city mayor gave ‘only lip service’ to complying with his legal obligations while trying to portray himself as the victim in the case.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said the punishment was necessary because Giuliani had ignored his duty as a defendant to turn over information requested by election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea’ ArShaye Moss, as part of their lawsuit.
The decision moves the case toward a trial in Washington that could result in Giuliani being ordered to pay significant damages to the women, in addition to the tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees he’s already being directed to pay….” Read more at AP News
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell appears to freeze up again, this time at a Kentucky event
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell appeared to briefly freeze up and was unable to answer a question from a reporter at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday, weeks after he had a similar episode in Washington. (Aug. 30)
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell appeared to briefly freeze up and was unable to answer a question from a reporter at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday, weeks after he had a similar episode in Washington.
As seen on video from a local news station, the 81-year-old McConnell was asked whether he would run for reelection in 2026. The senator asked the reporter to repeat the question before trailing off and staring straight ahead for about 10 seconds.
An aide standing at the front of the room with McConnell then asked him whether he heard the question and repeated it to him. When McConnell did not answer, the aide announced to the room that ‘we’re going to need a minute,’ and McConnell continued to stare ahead. In all, he was silent for around 30 seconds.
McConnell eventually answered two additional questions — though not the one about a 2026 campaign — and was halting and appeared to have some difficulty speaking. The woman then ended the news conference and McConnell left the room, walking slowly….” Read more at AP News
Joe Manchin and his daughter are pitching major donors on a $100 million-plus project to boost centrist policies and candidates.
“The project comes as the West Virginia Democrat is deciding whether to run for re-election to the Senate in 2024, pursue a long-shot run for president or do something else in politics. Heather Manchin, the former CEO of EpiPen-maker Mylan, said she registered a politically active nonprofit organization called Americans Together in late July. The senior Manchin’s camp didn’t respond to a request for comment, but earlier this month, he said that he was considering becoming an independent before the next election.” [Wall Street Journal]
Ex-Catholic Cardinal McCarrick, age 93, found unfit to stand trial on teen sex abuse charges
A judge has ruled that former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is not competent to stand trial. The judge dismissed the case accusing the 93-year-old of sexually assaulting a teenage boy in Massachusetts decades ago. (Aug. 30)
“DEDHAM, Mass. (AP) — The once-powerful Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick will not stand trial on charges he sexually assaulted a teenage boy decades ago, as a Massachusetts judge dismissed the case against the 93-year-old on Wednesday because both prosecutors and defense attorneys agree he is experiencing dementia.
McCarrick, the ex-archbishop of Washington, D.C., was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after an internal Vatican investigation determined he sexually molested adults as well as children. The McCarrick scandal created a crisis of credibility for the church, primarily because there was evidence Vatican and U.S. church leaders knew he slept with seminarians but turned a blind eye as McCarrick rose to the top of the U.S. church as an adept fundraiser who advised three popes.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Dr. Kerry Nelligan, a psychologist hired by the prosecution, said she found significant deficits in McCarrick’s memory during two interviews in June, and he was often unable to recall what they had discussed from one hour to the next. As with any form of dementia, she said there are no medications that could improve the symptoms….” Read more at AP News
Easing restrictions on marijuana? HHS calls for classifying weed as less dangerous: report
“WASHINGTON - The Department of Health and Human Services has moved to reclassify marijuana as less harmful than cocaine or heroin, a possible first step toward wider legalization, according to reports.
In a letter obtained by Bloomberg News, a Health and Human Services Department official wrote to Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram that marijuana should be classified as a schedule three substance, which consists of drugs ‘with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.’
It is currently a schedule one substance, which are drugs with no accepted medical use and have a ‘high potential of abuse,’ according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
A spokesperson for the Drug Enforcement Administration confirmed they received the letter and said they would initiate its own review, Bloomberg reported.
President Joe Biden had asked Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland to review how marijuana is classified under federal law last year.
He also had taken steps to ease the restrictions of marijuana last year, including announcing a pardon of all prior offenses for the possession of marijuana and urging governors to do the same in states.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday in a press briefing that both agencies are engaged in an ‘independent process’ that is ‘guided by evidence.’
As of April, 38 states and the District of Columbia allow for the medical use of marijuana, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 23 states and the District of Columbia, states have passed measures to regulate cannabis for adult non-medical use.” [USA Today]
Donors fret over Scott's single status
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is reflected in a mirror while speaking at a campaign town hall in Salem, N.H., in July. Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters
“Top GOP donors are pushing Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) for more detail about his bachelor status before deciding how aggressively to support his presidential campaign, Axios' Alex Thompson reports.
Why it matters: Many of these donors are seeking a viable alternative to former President Trump. And they still aren't sure about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's running second to Trump in GOP polls.
What's happening: The reluctance by Scott, 57, to say much about his private life is making some conservative donors skittish about backing him.
Vague answers by Scott and his campaign — both publicly and through private backchannels — have fueled some potential backers' curiosity and apprehension.
Responding to this reporting, a senior campaign official told Axios that Scott will discuss the issue in the coming weeks.
During an onstage interview with Axios in May, Scott said he had a girlfriend but didn't name her.
Scott added that at a time when nearly half of U.S. adults are unmarried, ‘to suggest that somehow being married or not married is going to be the determining factor of whether you're a good president or not — it sounds like we're living in 1963 and not 2023.’
Scott spun being single as a potential plus. ‘I probably have more time, more energy, and more latitude to do the job,’ he said, adding that even so, ‘my girlfriend wants to see me when I come home.’
Context: The U.S. hasn't elected an unmarried person as president in 139 years (Grover Cleveland in 1884). Candidates typically trot out their families.
But there have been other unmarried candidates recently. When Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) ran for president three years ago, he was dating actor Rosario Dawson.
Between the lines: Scott has bet big on doing well in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, and has emphasized his faith in courting the state's large number of evangelicals.
DeSantis' campaign has pointedly emphasized his family. His wife, Casey, and their young children often are at events and in ads.
Scott spokesman Nathan Brand told Axios: ‘Tim Scott's optimistic, positive message continues to resonate with Iowa and New Hampshire voters who are focused on issues impacting their families.’” [Axios]
“Drone attacks targeted multiple regions deep inside Russia. Four Ilyushin Il-76 military transport planes were damaged at an airport in Russia’s northwestern Pskov region, state-controlled media said. Russian air defenses claimed they shot down drones in five other regions including near Moscow, as well as in Sevastopol in occupied Crimea. The strikes came as the Ukrainian military cites progress in a grinding three-month counteroffensive to reclaim territory and steps up attacks far behind the front lines, including deploying sea drones against Russian ships in the Black Sea. Last week it also staged a special-forces raid in Crimea. At the same time, however, Kyiv has seen its heaviest air assault since the spring. But another weapon from the US may change that equation.” [Bloomberg]
Russian forces have stepped up bombardment of residential areas like this one in the Kyiv region, as seen Aug. 27. Photographer: Anatolii Stepanov/AFP
Coup Contagion
Residents holding Gabon national flags celebrate in Libreville, Gabon, on Aug. 30.AFP via Getty Images
“Africa experienced another round of coup déjà vu on Wednesday when military officers in Gabon seized power moments after the announcement of incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s reelection win. The officers, led by Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema, the head of Gabon’s presidential guard, went on state-run television to announce that they were voiding the Aug. 26 election results, closing the Central African country’s borders, and dissolving all state institutions.
The new transitional government, called the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, denounced Bongo’s rule as propagating ‘irresponsible and unpredictable governance.’ Under Bongo’s leadership, 30 percent of Gabon’s population lives in poverty and nearly 40 percent of young people are unemployed, despite the state generating around $6 billion in 2022 from its vast oil production wealth.
Bongo and members of his family are under house arrest at the presidential palace in Libreville, the capital. The Bongo family’s reign has been one of Africa’s longest-serving dynasties. Prior to Bongo, who has served as head of state since 2009, his father ruled the country for almost 42 years. In a video shared online by a Gabonese journalist on Wednesday, the deposed leader pleaded for international support to help restore him to power.
Controversy marred Bongo’s most recent electoral win even before the results were announced on Wednesday. Opposition leader Albert Ondo Ossa, who secured 31 percent of the vote versus Bongo’s 65 percent, accused the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party of rigging ballots and harassing voters. Prior to election day, Bongo imposed a nightly curfew, and Gabon’s government cut internet access, allegedly to combat disinformation. Many residents fled the capital over the weekend in anticipation of violence. No international election observers were invited to oversee Gabon’s vote.
If Gabon’s junta succeeds, then it will be the eighth coup in West and Central Africa (and the sixth former French colony) to overthrow its government since 2020. Prior to Gabon, the most recent African coup occurred in Niger in July—and was also carried out by the head of the nation’s presidential guard. Gabon last battled a coup attempt in 2019, when soldiers briefly took control of a state broadcaster.
Hundreds of people have gathered in Libreville’s streets to celebrate the junta’s takeover. However, not everyone has been quick to cheer on Africa’s latest coup. Officials in France, which has troops in Gabon, condemned the takeover and ordered French citizens in the country to remain indoors. White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the events in Gabon were ‘deeply concerning’ and that the United States is watching the situation ‘very, very closely.’ He also said all U.S. Embassy personnel, as well as what he called a small number of U.S. troops in the country, have been accounted for. Russia and China expressed concern regarding the potential spread of violence in the region.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, the chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), warned that a ‘contagion of autocracy’ is spreading across the continent and said he was working closely with other African leaders on how to respond in Gabon, though Gabon is not a member of ECOWAS.” [Foreign Policy]
“China spotlight. Beijing is taking additional serious measures to shore up its wobbly economy. Facing threats of deflation, Guangzhou, China’s fifth-largest city, and tech hub Shenzhen announced on Wednesday that they would ease mortgage rates to allow first-time homeowners to receive preferential loans regardless of their credit scores. The decision comes after Beijing called on Chinese cities to revive the country’s real estate sector, which accounts for a quarter of the nation’s GDP. State-owned banks are also expected to lower interest rates on existing mortgages.
Economic stimulus is not the only field that China is struggling to control. On Tuesday, Meta announced that it had removed thousands of accounts linked to Beijing in what the company called its ‘biggest single takedown’ of a Chinese influence campaign. The covert operation began in 2019 and resulted in the removal of 7,704 Facebook accounts, 954 Facebook pages, 15 Facebook groups, and 15 Instagram accounts. This was the seventh Chinese influence operation that Meta removed over the past six years and the fourth of its kind that it removed this year alone.” [Foreign Policy]
“LGBTQ crackdown in Africa. Prosecutors in Uganda charged two men with ‘aggravated homosexuality’ in what could result in the East African country’s first execution in decades. Under the nation’s new Anti-Homosexuality Act, it is illegal to perform same-sex sexual acts (consensual or not) with the elderly or someone who has a disability, with punishment as severe as the death penalty. LGBTQ rights activists have denounced the Ugandan government’s actions.
More than 2,000 miles away, in Nigeria, police on Monday arrested more than 200 people attending a same-sex wedding. Nigeria’s penal code criminalizes same-sex civil unions, with punishment up to 14 years in prison. Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the mass arrest as a ‘witch-hunt.’” [Foreign Policy]
At least 73 people were killed in an apartment fire in South Africa.
What happened? The blaze tore through a multistory apartment building in Johannesburg, officials said this morning. At least 52 people were injured.
The latest: A search and rescue operation is underway, and the death toll could rise. Around 200 people may have been inside, witnesses said. It’s not clear what caused the fire.
Read this story at Washington Post
Medics and emergency works at the scene of a deadly blaze in downtown Johannesburg Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023.
Jerome Delay, AP
“Despite gloomy talk from some allies about the slow pace of the military counteroffensive, Ukraine is steadily making progress on the battlefield and raising the cost of the war for Russia.
After weeks of punching against fortified Russian frontlines in the occupied east and south, Ukrainian forces may have made significant breakthroughs that open up the prospect of a more rapid advance.
Kyiv announced troops have pierced the first line of fortifications in the southeast and are pushing to widen the breach, part of a strategy aimed at splitting Russian forces in two by pressing toward the Sea of Azov and cutting off occupied Crimea. Further north, Ukraine declared it’s continuing an advance around the city of Bakhmut.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also confronting intensifying drone assaults on Moscow and other cities, undermining his claim to be able to secure the country as Ukraine retaliates for the war he started. Putin potentially faces presidential elections in March with his nation’s cities under regular attack and his troops in retreat.
Ukraine knows that victories help counter war-weariness among allies it depends on for weapons. While Joe Biden’s administration says the US backs Ukraine for as long as it takes, Republican contenders to challenge him for the presidency next year are far more divided.
A lot of hard fighting lies ahead and Russian forces remain well dug-in. Ukraine knows it must gain as much ground as possible before the terrain becomes muddier ahead of a second winter of war.
Early expectations for the counteroffensive were high after the delivery of billions of dollars of weapons, even as military analysts warned of the difficulties. It has so far lacked the fireworks of last year’s spectacular wins in Kharkiv region and Kherson city.
As Ukraine’s battle-hardened troops press their advantage, the weeks ahead will help define whether it’s judged a success.” [Bloomberg]
A destroyed Russian tank with ribbons featuring the colors of the Ukrainian flag attached to its cannon in Kyiv on Aug. 21. Photographer: Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images markets.
“Gabon’s new military leader sought to justify the armed takeover of the OPEC member state as the deposed president appealed for help from his supporters. Hours after seizing power, the junta appointed General Brice Nguema — a cousin of ousted leader Ali Bongo — as transitional head. Nguema said the decision to remove Bongo was motivated by the president’s illness, along with what he described as a flawed Aug. 26 election that secured him a third term.” [Bloomberg]
Soldiers holding Nguema aloft in the capital, Libreville, yesterday. Photographer: Gabon24/AP Photo
“Mexico’s opposition coalition is set to pick Xochitl Galvez, a senator of Indigenous origin whose informal, charismatic style has helped her connect with younger voters, to challenge Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s ruling Morena party for the presidency next year. AMLO — as the president is known — remains hugely popular but is unable to seek reelection in June. Polls suggest Galvez, a businesswoman before entering politics, will struggle to catch the Morena candidate to be named Sept. 6, but could still upset their ability to govern.” [Bloomberg]
“North Korea test-fired two suspected ballistic missiles about a week after its attempt to put a spy satellite into orbit failed. The action was a show of defiance after the US sent a B-1B strategic bomber to airspace off the peninsula for military drills with South Korea that Pyongyang denounced as a preparation for a nuclear attack.
Japan’s Defense Ministry is seeking a record budget for the next fiscal year as the traditionally pacifist country is set to have some of the highest military spending in the world in response to mounting threats in its region.” [Bloomberg]
“The new chief executive of Shell, Wael Sawan, has quietly ended the world’s biggest corporate plan to develop carbon offsets, the environmental projects designed to counteract the warming effects of CO2 emissions, and is focusing on cost cuts and profit drivers like oil and gas. The decision is a sign that the favored approach of most big companies to address global warming is faltering. ‘The company has flipped to the short-term focus, to profit maximization,’ said Adam Matthews, chief responsible investment officer at the Church of England Pensions Board.” [Bloomberg]
A flare stack at the PCK Schwedt oil refinery, controlled by the German government, beyond a Shell gas station in Schwedt on March 20. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg
“Chile’s president announced a plan to find the remains of people killed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s and 1980s.” [New York Times]
“The weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy have made their manufacturer so successful that it’s reshaping Denmark’s economy.” [New York Times]
A prayer vigil in Florida after the Jacksonville shooting.Malcolm Jackson for The New York Times
The politics of crime
“Republican politicians often treat it as an established fact: Where they are in power, crime is low. Where Democrats are in power, crime is high.
‘Republican-run cities are doing very nicely because they arrest people when you have crimes,’ Donald Trump told Tucker Carlson last week.
‘The cities and these left-wing states allowing criminals to run wild on our streets, that doesn’t work,’ Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, said in March, citing New York in particular.
But party rule does not drive crime. Consider DeSantis’s state, Florida. Its homicide rate was roughly 50 percent higher than New York’s in 2021. Florida’s two most populous cities, Jacksonville and Miami, each had a homicide rate more than double New York City’s last year, even though both had Republican mayors.
This is not to say Republican leadership leads to more crime. You can find examples of blue states and cities doing worse than Florida, and of other red states and cities doing better. Looking at all the data, it is hard to make much of any connection between political partisanship and crime. To put it another way, prominent Republicans are misrepresenting the country’s crime problem.
Comparing places
The Republican claim is rooted in a real pattern. Big cities generally have higher crime rates than rural and suburban areas, thanks to their density and other factors. Democrats run most big cities because urban areas tend to contain more liberal voters. So when looking at the places with the most murders, you’ll often find Democratic-run cities. But that is not the whole story.
Take the 20 largest U.S. cities. The 16 run by Democratic mayors had 12.3 murders for every 100,000 people. The three Republican-run cities — Jacksonville, Fort Worth and Oklahoma City — had a rate of 11.4. There is a difference, but it is small. (I’m focused on murders because the data for them is more reliable than for other crimes, which go underreported.)
Those rates mask a lot of variation. In a ranked list of murders for all 20 cities, the three Republican-run cities fall around the middle. Some blue cities — such as New York, San Francisco and Seattle — have roughly half the murder rates as their red counterparts, while the rates in other blue cities, like Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Chicago, are two to three times as high.
That variation is the point: Whether a big city is run by Democrats or Republicans has little influence on its murder rate.
The same is true at the state level for homicides, as this map by my colleague Ashley Wu shows:
Source: C.D.C. | Data is from 2021. | By The New York Times
Once again, it’s hard to see a strong link between party rule and killings. The four deadliest states are Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and New Mexico. Two have Democratic governors, and two have Republican governors. Some red states look bad, and some look good. The same is true for blue states.
Deeper causes
So what drives higher crime rates? The state map offers a few answers. Rural areas tend to have lower crime and murder rates. (But when murders surged and then fell across the U.S. starting in 2020, rural places experienced a similar pattern.) Poverty and race play a role, both of which are historically linked to violence in cities.
Access to guns is another major factor, particularly for murders. Guns make any conflict more likely to escalate into deadly violence, and they can embolden criminals. On this issue, there is a partisan divide — Democrats are more comfortable regulating firearms — and that could help explain higher levels of violence in Republican states, especially in the South. It can also explain violence in cities, which get a lot of guns from Southern states with laxer laws.
There are many more variables. It is a point that this newsletter has made before: Crime is a complicated issue, touching on personal disputes, the economy, social services and, really, almost every other aspect of society. Only a few factors are significant enough to make a big difference by themselves — and partisanship is not one of them.
Related: Tennessee held a special legislative session on gun violence after a mass shooting at a Nashville school. Lawmakers enacted no major policy changes.” [New York Times]
Websites revolt against AI giants
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
“Nearly 20% of the world's top 1,000 websites are blocking crawler bots that gather data for AI services, Axios' Sara Fischer writes from data by Originality.AI, which makes a plagiarism detector.
Why it matters: In the absence of clear laws or regulations governing AI's use of copyrighted material, websites big and small are taking matters into their own hands.
OpenAI introduced its GPTBot crawler in early August, declaring that the data gathered "may potentially be used to improve future models" — and promising that paywalled content would be excluded.
Several huge news sites, including the N.Y. Times, Reuters and CNN, began blocking GPTBot. Many more followed. (Axios is among them.)
Between the lines: Google and other tech giants see their data crawlers' work as fair use. Publishers have long objected.” [Axios]
“Apple is said to be testing the use of 3D printers to produce the steel chassis used by some of its upcoming smartwatches, heralding a major change to how the company manufactures products.” [Bloomberg]
“Salesforce, which has said it plans to terminate thousands of employees, gave a revenue and profit forecast for the current quarter that topped analysts’ estimates following a push by activist investors. The shares jumped about 5% in extended trading.” [Bloomberg]
“Visa and Mastercard are planning to boost the fees that many retailers pay when accepting customers’ credit and debit cards. The additional Visa charges will be for online transactions and commercial credit, debit and prepaid cards. For Mastercard, there’s a new pre-authorization fee for credit-card purchases. With the increases, merchants could pay more than $500 million in additional fees each year.” [Bloomberg]
Like Snoop Dogg’s living room': Smell of pot wafts over notorious U.S. Open court
BY JAMES MARTINEZ
“NEW YORK (AP) — It’s become a stink at the U.S. Open: a pungent marijuana smell that wafted over an outer court, clouded the concentration of one of the world’s top players and left the impression there’s no place left to escape the unofficial scent of the city.
While the exact source of the smell remained a mystery Tuesday, one thing was clear: Court 17, where eighth-seeded Maria Sakkari complained about an overwhelming whiff of pot during her first-round loss, has become notorious among players in recent years for its distinctive, unmistakable odor.
‘Court 17 definitely smells like Snoop Dogg’s living room,’ said Alexander Zverev, the tournament’s 12th-seeded man who won his opening match on the court Tuesday. ‘Oh my God, it’s everywhere. The whole court smells like weed.’
Stung by stories in the wake of Sakkari’s match Monday that made it appear the U.S. Open’s stands are the sporting equivalent of a Phish concert, the United States Tennis Association conducted its own investigation, of sorts, to weed out the source of the smell….” Read more at AP News
Nebraska set a world record for attendance at a women’s sports event.
Fans at Memorial Stadium yesterday. (Kenneth Ferriera/Lincoln Journal Star/AP)
“The event: The University of Nebraska’s volleyball match against Omaha last night. Nebraska, the nation’s fourth-ranked team, won in a sweep, 25-14, 25-14, 25-13.
The numbers: 92,003 fans filled Memorial Stadium — the university’s football home — breaking a record set last year at a soccer match between Barcelona and Wolfsburg.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Meet Skelly
Photo courtesy of Katie Shealy
“Halloween enthusiasts are extending the spooky holiday by weeks and months — and in some cases year-round — with giant skeletons.
12-foot skeletons known as Skellys are moving into more neighborhoods, Axios' Kelly Tyko reports.
The giant creatures are being named by their owners and amassing large wardrobes that include Santa hats and Easter bunny ears.
Katie Shealy, of Columbus, Ohio, is even bringing a Skelly to her wedding and making him a top hat.
Zoom in: Home Depot's Giant-Sized Skeleton is believed to have started the skeleton frenzy when it launched in 2020.
It costs $299 and is constantly sold out on the store's website.” [Axios]
In Britain.Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
“Blue supermoon: See beautiful moonrises from around the world, from the BBC.” [New York Times]