The Full Belmonte, 9/1/2022
Pfizer-BioNTech’s new COVID-19 booster updates the original vaccine to also target the BA.4 and BA.5 variants. PFIZER INC
“(CNN)The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized updated Covid-19 vaccine booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer. This is the first time updated Covid-19 vaccines have received emergency use authorization in the United States.
Both are bivalent vaccines that combine the companies' original vaccine with one that targets the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sublineages.
Pfizer's updated vaccine is a 30-microgram dose authorized for people age 12 and older. Moderna's updated vaccine is a 50-microgram dose authorized for people age 18 and older.
The shots can be administered after they're recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC's vaccine advisory group is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to support recommending the boosters for use. Then, the CDC director must sign off on the recommendation.
An OK from the CDC would mean updated boosters could be administered within days -- both to older people who may have received a booster just a few months ago and younger people who haven't been eligible for an additional booster during the latest wave of cases.” Read more at CNN
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
“Life expectancy in the U.S. dropped for the second year in a row, making it the lowest it's ever been since the 1920s. COVID drove the drop, even though other countries have seen a rebound in life expectancy since the pandemic began.” Read more at NPR
Sarah Palin Loses Alaska Special Election House Race to Democrat Mary Peltola
Ranked-choice voting system determined winner, fills seat until January; candidates face rematch for next term this fall
Republican Sarah Palin was endorsed by former President Donald Trump in her effort to capture a Congressional seat in Alaska. PHOTO: LEV RADIN/PACIFIC PRESS/ZUMA PRESS
ANCHORAGE, Alaska—Democrat Mary Peltola scored an upset victory in a special election for the state’s only U.S. House seat, frustrating the efforts of Republican former Gov. Sarah Palin to mount a political comeback.
Ms. Palin, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and Ms. Peltola, a former state legislator, were competing to fill the seat previously held by longtime Republican Rep. Don Young, who died in March and whose term expires in January. Another candidate, Republican Nick Begich III, trailed in third. All three are on the ballot again this November to run for the next term.
‘We built a great deal of momentum in a short time,’ Ms. Peltola said. ‘I plan to continue introducing myself to Alaskans and working to earn their trust.’
Democrat Mary Peltola, shown speaking with reporters earlier in August, won a three-way race for the U.S. House seat in Alaska.PHOTO: KERRY TASKER/REUTERS
Ms. Peltola, a Yup’ik Eskimo, will be the first woman to represent Alaska in the House and the first native Alaskan in Congress.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Prosecutors are reportedly preparing to compel Trump-supporting attorney Lin Wood to testify in a criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the Georgia election in 2020. Wood, a libel lawyer who vociferously pushed conspiracy theories following the last presidential election, said Tuesday that the Fulton County District Attorney’s office is preparing to serve him with a material witness subpoena to order him to testify before the grand jury. In a phone interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Wood said he planned to comply with the subpoena. ‘I didn’t do anything wrong, I’ll tell you that,’ he told the paper. ‘I’ll go down there and tell them what they want to know.’ News of Wood’s subpoena comes after a Fulton judge approved a series of similar certificates for four key Trump allies, including attorney Sidney Powell. At a December 2020 rally in Alpharetta which Wood attended alongside Powell, Wood claimed without evidence that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had taken bribes to give the state’s electoral votes for Joe Biden.” [Daily Beast] Read more at Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.N. report: China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang
A U.N. report on human rights abuses in the Chinese region of Xinjiang, released late Wednesday after months of unexplained delays, concludes that China’s actions ‘may’ constitute international crimes, particularly crimes against humanity.
The report by U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet came in the final minutes of her last day on the job and ended speculation that it might never become public. The closely watched review had faced criticism from both human rights advocates, who worried that it would whitewash state-sponsored abuses, and Chinese officials, who insisted that the investigation was politically motivatedand strongly opposed its release.
‘The high commissioner’s damning findings explain why the Chinese government fought tooth and nail to prevent the publication of her Xinjiang report, which lays bare China’s sweeping rights abuses,’ said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch.
Richardson called on the U.N. Human Rights Council to initiate a comprehensive investigation, with the report as its guide, into the Chinese government’s actions targeting the Uyghurs and others — ‘and hold those responsible to account.’” Read more at Washington Post
“WASHINGTON – A new Pentagon survey shows women in the military endured the highest level of unwanted sexual contact since the Defense Department began tracking the data sixteen years ago, a startling finding that shows sexual crimes rising steadily despite hundreds of millions spent to curb the problem and vows by senior leaders to tackle itt.
The Pentagon estimates that sexual assaults among women service members surged an estimated 35% from 2018 to 2021. The survey shows that 8.4% of women and 1.5% of men in the active-duty military said they had been the victim of a sex crime, ranging from groping to rape, according to results of the survey obtained by USA TODAY. In 2018, an estimated 6.2% of women in the armed services were victims of unwanted sexual contact.
The previous high for women was 6.8% in 2006, the same year that produced the highest on record for men at 1.8%.
USA TODAY obtained some of the new data from sources familiar with the briefing that will be given to members of Congress late Wednesday. The sources were not authorized to speak publicly before the report's release.” Read more at USA Today
“States are scrambling to find enough teachers to keep their schools open as kids begin to head back to the classroom. Many are dealing with a fight over teaching race history, a shortage of substitute teachers, low pay, lack of respect and more. And for many, the pandemic can be the last straw.” Read more at NPR
“Teachers aren't the only ones falling victim to politics. In many communities, libraries have become the latest cultural battleground. Conservative groups are demanding the removal of books they consider unsuitable for young readers, and many librarians see it as an attack on civil liberties.” Read more at NPR
“A new poll reveals that support for labor unions in the U.S. is at a 57-year high. The rush of support comes as workers at companies like Starbucks, Amazon and Chipotle have launched union drives.” Read more at NPR
Robotext onslaught
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
“Americans are sick of the constant barrage of robotexts from political campaigns. So they're suing.
Staggering stat: Campaigns have already sent 90.5 million texts this election cycle, including some 68 million from Democrats and around 23 million from Republicans, Axios' Lachlan Markay reports from data by RoboKiller, a blocker app.
The big picture: Marketing texts have an open rate of 98%, compared with 22% for emails, per TextAnywhere, a U.K. firm. So they've quickly become the way to campaign.
What's happening: Plaintiffs are citing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which cracks down on phone solicitation, when building their cases against these campaigns.
Texts come multiple times a day, from multiple campaigns in multiple states. And sometimes they're even addressed to deceased relatives because voter lists are so outdated.
They've brought lawsuits against campaigns on the left and the right, from Texas to California and beyond.
Case in point: Kin Wah Kung of Fremont, Calif., has filed a civil complaint against the DNC, the Ohio Democratic Party, President Biden's campaign, and Tim Ryan's campaign for senator, WFMJ-TV of Youngstown, Ohio, reports.
Kung claims robotexts have invaded his privacy and drained his phone battery. None of the parties has responded to his suit yet.
Flashback: In the past, the Obama and Trump campaigns both settled such robotext lawsuits.
The bottom line: The ping on your phone is the new knock on the door. Campaigns might have to dial it back to avoid more lawsuits and more settlements.” Read more at Axios
Snap pullback
Photo: Steve Jennings/Getty Images
“Snap Inc. is laying off 20% of its workforce — over 1,200 employees — and it's pulling back some products to save $500 million this quarter, CEO Evan Spiegel told staff today.
Why it matters: Snap has lost nearly 80% of its market value since the beginning of the year, Axios' Sara Fischer reports.
What's happening: ad headwinds + inflation, supply chain woes and more.
What's next: Spiegel said the company will double down on three strategic priorities — community growth, revenue growth and augmented reality. Snap's shares popped around 9% in response to the restructuring news today.” Read more at Axios
Trump's Truth Social barred from Google Play
Former US President Donald Trump's social media platform has been barred from Google Play.
“Google says the platform violates its policies on prohibiting content like physical threats and incitement to violence.
The move makes it difficult for users with Android phones to download the app.
Devin Nunes, the CEO of Truth Social, has previously called Google a ‘monopoly.’
Truth Social launched on Apple's App Store in February, though the roll-out was beset by problems.
However, the app isn't available on Google Play, where the vast majority of apps are downloaded on Android phones.
Last week Truth Social's CEO said the decision on whether the app would be available was ‘up to the Google Play Store’.
But Google says it's down to Truth Social to comply with its rules.
A Google spokesperson told the BBC: ‘On August 19 we notified Truth Social of several violations of standard policies.’
‘Having effective systems for moderating user-generated content is a condition of our terms of service for any app to go live on Google Play,’ they added.
Google says it has offered Truth Social advice on how to fix the problems. Truth Social did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
Truth Social is often described as a ‘free speech’ platform.
However, for the app to be downloadable on the vast majority of the world's phones it needs to be approved by Apple and Google.
Far from Truth Social being a place of unfettered free speech, the platform in fact has many rules on what you can and cannot say.
In fact, Truth Social has a long list, in its Terms of Service, of things that can and cannot be posted.
The platform was founded by Mr Trump, and is where the former president chooses to post on social media. Mr Trump was banned from Twitter and Facebook after last year's US Capitol riot.
Critics argue that Truth Social has a problem with disinformation and hate speech.
A report released on Monday found 47 verified accounts that promoted QAnon conspiracy theories on the platform.” Read more at BBC
Much of Southern California under excessive-heat warning
“An excessive, prolonged heat wave will further parch large swaths of California in the longest and hottest heat wave of the year, according to forecasters at the National Weather Service. Warnings went into effect in San Diego and Orange counties as well as in Southern California’s inland counties, and will spread north through the Los Angeles region and San Joaquin Valley on Wednesday. As the heat wave expands into Northern California throughout the weekend, temperatures could hit trip-digits, heightening the risk of heat-related illness.” Read more at USA Today
A hiker walks past the setting sun in Los Angeles, California on August 30, 2022. Forecasters said the mercury could reach as high as 112 Fahrenheit (44 Celsius) in the densely populated Los Angeles suburbs as a heat dome settles in over parts of California, Nevada and Arizona.FREDERIC J. BROWN, AFP via Getty Images
“Twin energy and climate crises are forcing governments around the world to take a fresh look at embracing nuclear power, Matt Phillips writes in Axios Markets.
Why it matters: Pressure on politicians to find reliable, low-carbon power supplies has them reconsidering the long-standing stigma surrounding nuclear plants.
What's happening: That means rethinking already-planned retirements of nuclear reactors.
In California, the legislature is considering a bill to extend the life of the state's last nuclear plant, Diablo Canyon, which is slated to be shut down by 2025.
Germany, which was set to shutter its remaining nuclear plants by the end of the year, is debating whether to keep some open as it faces energy shortages due to plunging Russian natural gas imports.
And in energy-poor Japan, the prime minister has called for the reopening of idled nuclear reactors — and a broader policy shift toward nuclear, for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The backstory: The golden age of nuclear power plants was the 1970s, when surging prices for oil and coal — natural gas wasn't in wide use at the time — and strong economic growth set off a boom in construction.
By 1974, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission forecast that nuclear power would produce half the country's energy by the end of the century. (It's been roughly 20% since 1990.)
Instead, nuclear power plant construction plunged, as environmental and safety concerns grew — especially after the accident at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island plant in 1979.
What's next: Though governments may extend existing nuclear plants, don't expect a surge in new construction.
There are worries about safety and nuclear waste disposal, and political headaches around selecting sites and building plants.
Also: They're incredibly expensive.” Read more at Axios
Bed Bath & Beyond to Close 150 Stores, Cut Staff, Sell Shares to Raise Cash
Home-goods seller to lay off 20% of corporate, supply-chain workers
The retailer intends to overhaul the assortment of goods in the company’s stores, focusing more of its inventory on national brands.PHOTO: TAIDGH BARRON/ZUMA PRESS
“Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. BBBY -21.30%▼ said it would close roughly 20% of its namesake stores, cut its workforce and bring in fresh cash to stabilize the business through the holiday season as it confronts plunging sales.
The home-goods seller is attempting to trim costs and raise money as it tries to correct recent operating missteps and navigate a challenging economic environment. It has been burning through its cash reserves for several quarters, and a shopper exodus has shaken investor and vendor confidence.
On Wednesday, executives and directors attempted to assuage its uneasy partners. In a business update, they said the company had secured commitments for more than $500 million in financing and could potentially sell as many as 12 million shares of common stock to raise money. They also pledged to overhaul the assortment of goods in the company’s stores, focusing more on national brands after spending millions to develop private-label goods.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
Serena Williams wins again at U.S. Open, upsetting No. 2 Anett Kontaveit in the second round
“The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion advances to the third round, where she'll face Ajla Tomljanovic on Friday. Williams said in a recent essay in Vogue that she is ‘evolving away from tennis.’ She's set to play doubles with her sister Venus later this week in New York.” Read more at USA Today
Portuguese Man Accidentally Finds 82-Foot-Long Dinosaur in His Backyard
Scientists say this could be the largest specimen ever discovered in Europe
A Portuguese man accidentally discovered the bones of what may be the largest dinosaur ever found in Europe.
While doing construction on his Pombal, Portugal, property in 2017, he noticed fossilized bone fragments in his yard. The man contacted scientists, who began initial excavations later that year.
The effort to dig up this dinosaur has been ongoing, and this month, Spanish and Portuguese paleontologists unearthed more of the gigantic remains. So far, an ‘important set of elements of the axial skeleton’ has been collected—including vertebrae and 10-foot-long ribs, per a statement.
‘It's one of the biggest specimens discovered in Europe, perhaps in the world,’ Elisabete Malafaia, a paleontologist from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon in Portugal, tells Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The bones likely belonged to a sauropod, a type of plant-eating dinosaur with a characteristically long neck and tail. This group of dinosaurs included the largest land creatures ever to roam the Earth. Scientists estimate this specimen, which may belong to the Brachiosauridae family, was about 39 feet tall and 82 feet long, per a statement, and lived about 160 to 100 million years ago, during the Upper Jurassic to the Lower Cretaceous.” Read more at Smithsonian Magazine