The Full Belmonte, 9/30/2022
Hurricane Ian blasts Florida
“After blasting Florida Wednesday and Thursday, Ian isn't done yet. Even after weakening some on Thursday, Ian’s tropical-storm force winds still reached 415 miles from its center on Thursday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said. The Hurricane Center warned that storm surge of 6 feet or more was still possible from Daytona Beach, Florida, to north of Charleston, South Carolina. And rainfall of up to 8 inches threatened flooding in the Carolinas and Virginia.” Here's more on where Ian will go next
Click here to see more photos of Ian's path in Florida.” Read more at USA Today
Damage to homes on Fort Myers Beach after Hurricane Ian on September 29 2022.GREG LOVETT, THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK
“Aileen Cannon, a federal judge appointed by Donald Trump, has extended the timeline for a controversial review she ordered of highly classified documents and other files seized from the former president’s Florida home, further delaying the fight over whether any materials are privileged. Trump has sought a longer review from the start. Cannon has repeatedly sided with Trump in the case, including against the special master she appointed to review the files.” Read more at Bloomberg
Aileen Cannon Source: Bloomberg
Legal challenges stack up for Biden's student debt forgiveness plan
“President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel billions in federal student loan debt faces new legal challenges, with a group of six conservative states joining forces Thursday on one lawsuit and Arizona filing its own challenge to Biden's plan.
Even as new suits emerged Thursday, a federal judge in Indiana dismissed yet another lawsuit aiming to block the massive loan forgiveness plan.
Arkansas is leading one of the court battles, together with Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Carolina.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, who had said she was willing to challenge the administration’s plan to cancel student loan debt, in a Thursday press conference called it a disgrace that "the president is trying to bail out adult college students who voluntarily took out these loans."
It’s the second of at least three challenges to Biden's proposal this week, and it comes just days before the administration's early-October plan to share an application for people who want debt relief.
Biden's plan would cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for other borrowers, for people earning up to $125,000 a year or part of a household where total earnings are no more than $250,000.
What does debt relief mean to borrowers?:Student loan cancellation will change some lives, but fall short for others
Rutledge, who said her office filed the suit Thursday in a Missouri federal court, said Biden acted beyond his authority. She said the president has declared the pandemic over and questioned how he could discharge student debt now, using the impact of coronavirus as a justification.” Read more at USA Today
Ex-NSA staffer charged with espionage, allegedly sought thousands to relieve crushing debt
Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, allegedly attempted to sell secrets to satisfy thousands of dollars in personal debt, including student loans and credit card debt.
“A former National Security Agency staffer, awash in personal debt, was charged with espionage for allegedly attempting to sell classified national defense information to an undisclosed foreign government, according court documents unsealed Thursday.
Federal authorities said Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, used an encrypted email account to transmit excerpts of three classified documents and one document in its entirety to an undercover FBI agent, believing the agent to be a representative of the foreign government.
Among the records, officials said, was an assessment of ‘sensitive U.S. defense capabilities.’
While the foreign government is not identified, court documents described the country as maintaining "many interests that are adverse to the United States." The court documents also indicate that Dalke allegedly claimed to have reached out to Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service.
More:FBI: Navy engineer, wife sought $5 million, had 'go bag' packed in nuclear submarine espionage case
Dalke, who briefly served as an information systems security designer, said in his contacts with the undercover agent that he sought the position because he “questioned our role in damage to the world in the past and by mixture of curiosity for secrets and a desire to cause change.”
The former NSA staffer was allegedly in contact with the undercover U.S. agent between Aug. 1 and Sept. 26.
According to court records, Dalke told the agent that he was in financial need and seeking compensation in cryptocurrency in exchange for information.
The suspect allegedly had filed for bankruptcy in 2017, owing nearly $33,000 in student loans and nearly $60,000 in mostly credit card debt.” Read more at USA Today
FDA approves Relyvrio, the first new ALS drug in five years. Patients had wanted it sooner.
“SOMERVILLE, Mass. — Bruce Rosenblum knows the drug Relyvrio won't save his life. It might not even make a difference.
But after using a make-your-own version for months, he stopped being able to get it early this summer and he's eager to start up again.
Late Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Relyvrio to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS. Rosenblum said he's thrilled by the decision and immediately requested a prescription for it.
Early trial data suggests the drug is particularly helpful early in the fatal disease that gradually robs people of their ability to control their movement, eventually including breathing.
Rosenblum and others with ALS don't have a lot of other options.
There are only five other drugs approved to treat ALS, the most recent in 2017, but none has been shown to stop the inexorable loss of muscle control. Only one has been shown in some people to extend life, but by just three months on average.
Data on Relyvrio's effectiveness remains preliminary. A six-month trial in 137 patients, half of whom received a placebo and half the active drug, suggested Relyvrio could slow the rate of decline. A follow-up found that patients on the active drug lived longer than those who got the placebo.
An FDA advisory committee voted in March that the data was too thin to justify approval, but in a second meeting earlier this month, the committee reversed its position and recommended approval. The drug was approved in Canada in June.
A larger trial is due to be completed next year. The company has promised to take Relyvrio off the market if the more definitive study shows the drug doesn't work.” Read more at USA Today
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson formally welcomed to a Supreme Court she will help to shape
“The newest associate justice of the Supreme Court will take her seat behind the court's mahogany bench Friday at a formal investiture ceremony. Three days later, she will take part in her first oral argument – delving into an environmental case that has vexed the court for years. Read more
One thing to know: The Supreme Court will grapple with affirmative action, LGBTQ rights and election rules in a fraught new term that begins Monday, even as the justices and the nation continue to wrestle with the fallout from the decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade.
•Among the major cases this term: A decision involving race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina. Those schools consider race as one of many factors in deciding whether to accept prospective students, a policy that is consistent with current Supreme Court precedent.
•The court of public opinion: Trust in Supreme Court is at a historic low, down 20 points in two years.
•Just beyond the debate over the court's legitimacy is a question about the conservative majority's commitment to precedent. And what does that mean for future cases?” Read more at USA Today
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson after delivering remarks on the Senate’s confirmation of Judge Jackson to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on the South Lawn of The White House on April 8, 2022. Megan Smith, Megan Smith-USA TODAY
What's at stake in the Beto-Abbott debate
“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic rival Beto O’Rourke are set to go head-to-head in their first, and most likely only, in-person debate Friday evening, scarcely more than five weeks before Election Day. But with Abbott consistently leading O’Rourke by 5 or more percentage points in multiple polls, the debate carries very different stakes for the two candidates. The race is one of several gubernatorial contests attracting national attention where issues such as abortion, border politics and a flagging economy socked by high inflation have brought federal issues into state campaigns. Read more
•Abortion, voting and COVID-19: Why we're eyeing these 10 governor's races in 2022 midterms.
•From Pennsylvania: Dr. Oz tightened a Senate race with Fetterman. Is it a warning sign for Democrats?” Read more at USA Today
Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks to students during a rally at University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in San Antonio.Eric Gay, AP
Russian strike kills 23 as Kremlin to annex Ukraine regions
“A Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia killed at least 23 people and wounded dozens, an official said Friday, just hours before Moscow planned to annex more of Ukraine in an escalation of the seven-month war. The Kremlin announced Thursday that four regions of Ukraine that were forced into elections would be annexed into Russia on Friday. The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a vote for Friday afternoon on a resolution that would condemn Russia for its “illegal so-called referenda” in the regions and declare that they ‘have no validity.’” Read more at USA Today
Residents charge their mobile phones outside a humanitarian centre in Izyum, eastern Ukraine, on 29 September 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.JUAN BARRETO, AFP via Getty Images
“The US dollar is steamrolling everything right now, causing issues for economies almost everywhere but America. That means that, for now at least, it’s not a US problem and the historic central-bank-fueled surge in the greenback is unlikely to abate anytime soon. By some measures, the US currency is already stronger than ever, eclipsing the highs of the early pandemic. The pain it’s inflicting has echoes of the mid-1980s, when foreign exchange chaos forced the world’s most important finance officials to impose a solution on markets. But right now, as far as America is concerned, it’s every country for itself.” Read more at Bloomberg
Small protests appear in Havana over islandwide blackout
By ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ
“HAVANA (AP) — A few hundred Cubans took to the streets Thursday night in Havana demanding the restoration of electricity, protesting more than two days after a blackout hit the entire island following the passage of Hurricane Ian.
An Associated Press journalist saw a total of about 400 people gathered in at least two spots in the Cerro neighborhood shouting, ‘We want light, we want light,’ and banging pots and pans.
It was the first public outpouring of anger after electricity problems spread from western Cuba, where Ian hit, and knocked out all of the island’s power grid Tuesday night, leaving its 11 million people in the dark. The storm also left three people dead and caused still unquantified damage.
In addition to power problems Thursday in Havana, internet service was out and cellphones did not work.
Groups that monitor internet access confirmed to the AP the internet disruption in the island.” Read more at AP News
Taliban say suicide bombing in Shiite area of Kabul kills 19
By EBRAHIM NOROOZI and RAHIM FAIEZ
This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo)
“KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber struck an education center in a Shiite area of the Afghan capital on Friday, killing 19 people and wounding 27, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kabul police chief said.
The explosion inside the center in the Dashti Barchi neighborhood of Kabul — populated mostly by members of Afghanistan’s minority Shiite community — took place in the morning hours, said the spokesman, Khalid Zadran.
The victims included high school graduates, both girls and boys, who were taking a practice university entrance exam when the blast went off, Zadran said. The center is known as the Kaaj Higher Educational Center and helps students prepare and study for college entrance exams, among its activities.
Zadran said education centers in the area will need to ask the Taliban for additional security when they host events with big gatherings, such as the study prep on Friday.” Read more at AP News
“Facebook-parent Meta, via Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, outlined sweeping plans to reorganize teams and reduce headcount for the first time ever, which may include firings. Zuckerberg’s move marks an end to an era of rapid growth at the embattled social media giant, the subject of a barrage of criticism in recent years over privacy, hate speech and its central role in what intelligence agencies have said were Russian attempts to manipulate US elections.” Read more at Bloomberg
'Blind spot': Report confirms Fresno State president bungled sexual harassment claims
“Fresno State and its former president mishandled a spate of sexual harassment complaints against a senior administrator, according to an outside law firm’s examination of the matter that was released Thursday by California State University officials.
The firm’s report found then-Fresno State president Joseph Castro failed to take more rigorous action to address repeated reports of misconduct by Vice President of Student Affairs Frank Lamas over a six-year period. Castro’s ‘blind spot’ for Lamas, the report found, negatively impacted his response to the conduct and the morale of students and employees at the school.
‘The President’s failure to more aggressively respond to reports of Lamas’ alleged misconduct also allowed such conduct to continue because there were no serious repercussions for it,’ the report said. ‘In summary, more should have been done.’
Castro left Fresno State in late 2020 to become the chancellor of the CSU system, a coalition of 23 state universities that includes Fresno State. But he resigned just one year into his new job after a USA TODAY investigation detailed his mishandling of numerous complaints about Lamas. The Thursday report, by attorney Mary Lee Wegner, confirmed much of USA TODAY’s reporting.
USA TODAY's investigation found that Castro personally received at least seven complaints about Lamas, including that he stared at women’s breasts, touched women inappropriately, made sexist remarks, and berated, belittled, and retaliated against employees. But Castro never formally disciplined Lamas, instead praising him in annual performance reviews and endorsing him for a prestigious lifetime achievement award, which Lamas won.
Although a 2020 internal investigation found Lamas responsible for sexually harassing a subordinate and engaging in abusive workplace behavior, the settlement Castro authorized enabled Lamas to leave the university with $260,000 and a clean record in exchange for his retirement. It banned Lamas from working at the CSU again but promised him a letter of recommendation from Castro to help him find work elsewhere.” Read more at USA Today
Judge goes for 62nd home run
“Aaron Judge is going for the home run of history. The 30-year-old New York Yankees slugger made baseball news Wednesday with homer No. 61, tying Roger Maris for the American League single-season home run record. Now he's back Friday as the Yankees open a three-game series in the Bronx against the Baltimore Orioles. Judge’s next home run would move him one ahead of Maris, solidifying his spot in baseball infamy. But even if Judge hits No. 62 in the next seven games, MLB's records clearly state Barry Bonds is the record-holder with 73 in 2001. However, those numbers came during baseball's performance-enhancing drug era.” Read more at USA Today
New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) hits his 61st home run scoring two runs against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning at Rogers Centre. Nick Turchiaro, USA TODAY Sports
Explainer: Tua Tagovailoa, fencing response and NFL protocol
By ROB MAADDI
“Tua Tagovailoa stumbled to the ground, his legs wobbly and unable to walk to the huddle after banging his head Sunday. And then Thursday night, he was carried off the field by stretcher after another hit caused his head to violently slam against the turf and his hands to freeze up.
The Dolphins said the third-year quarterback was conscious and had movement in all his extremities. He was taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center but was released and expected to return to Miami with the team.
“It was a scary moment. He was evaluated for a concussion and he’s in the concussion protocol,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said.
Some who watched the scary injury want to know why Tagovailoa was playing just four days after his quick return Sunday prompted a joint review by the NFL and NFL Players Association.
Many former players were critical of the decision to allow Tagovailoa to return against Buffalo and start against Cincinnati.” Read more at AP News
Trevor Noah announces he's leaving 'The Daily Show' after 7 years: 'My time is up'
“Trevor Noah is departing "The Daily Show" after seven years.
The comedian, 38, announced during a taping of the long-running Comedy Central show Thursday that he will be leaving the comedic current events program.
"I remember when we first started... so many people didn't believe in us. It was a crazy bet to make. I still think it was a crazy choice, this random African," said Noah, who hails from South Africa. "What a journey it’s been... It’s been absolutely amazing. It's something that I never expected."
He added: "After the seven years, my time is up, but in the most beautiful way, honestly. I’ve loved hosting this show. ... But after seven years I feel like it's time."
Noah's announcement earned a standing ovation from the masked studio audience.
A Comedy Central spokesperson said in a statement Thursday there is no timetable for Noah's departure and the network is working with him on next steps.” Read more at USA Today
Herd the news? Wild boar piglet adopted by cows
“BERLIN (AP) — A cow herd in Germany has gained an unlikely following, after adopting a lone wild boar piglet.
Farmer Friedrich Stapel told the dpa news agency that he spotted the piglet among the herd in the central German community of Brevoerde about three weeks ago. It had likely lost its group when they crossed a nearby river.
Stapel said while he knows what extensive damage wild boars can cause, he can’t bring himself to chase the animal away, dpa reported Thursday.
The local hunter has been told not to shoot the piglet — nicknamed Frieda — and in winter Stapel plans to put it in the shed with the mother cows.
‘To leave it alone now would be unfair,’ he told dpa.” Read more at AP News