GOP leads in generic ballot; Flu season starts; US: China to annex Taiwan; Biden to release more oil; Russia knocks out Ukraine power; White House after Saudis while retired U.S. Generals work for MBS
Trump deposed in rape case; McCarthy threatens Ukraine aid; moms killing kids; Andrew Cuomo is back; Netflix growing again; Zelensky's book; Tom Brady spiraling; Circle K to sell weed
Good Thursday morning!
My take: Late night edition after a day of work in Connecticut, now back in Maine, and headed to Florida. The election is now the focus of most media while the country is overwhelmed with inflation and the world is consumed by watching the brutal war crimes in the Ukraine. Both United States parties have their surrogates out. All election watchers agree that the control of the House will go to the Republicans while the Senate will be decided by the elections in Pennsylvania and Georgia. I am still predicting the Democrats win in Pennsylvania and the Georgia race goes into a run off. This amounts to two Walker-Warnock battles within two months of each other. The money will flow in from the country and Party surrogates will set up shop in Georgia. This one race — more than likely played out twice as no one candidate will win 50 percent of the vote on November 8 — will decide it all. The control of the Senate will decide if President Biden will be able to get his Federal Judges through at a rapid pace as he has. President Trump redid much of the Federal judiciary with right-wing appointments. President Biden is now ahead of Trump in confirming Judges at the the same time in his Administration. All of that is on the line in the race for control of the U.S. Senate. Finally, there is so much in this letter that is sad — Ukrainian and Iranian brutality, Presidents behaving badly, more talk of vaccinations, U.S. Generals working for Saudi Arabia, armed citizens caught near U.S. government offices and parents killing their kids. If it all becomes too much, Circle K gas stations will be selling weed in some locations that may help kill some of this news-driven anxiety.
Now to your “1 to…”
What we care about: CDC: Signs point to an early start for flu season, with cases already ticking up in parts of the U.S.
and care about again: IRS: Here are the new income tax brackets for 2023.
Biden announces sale of 15 million barrels of reserve oil: The president said he also plans to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is at its lowest level in decades.
Trump deposed in E. Jean Carroll defamation case: Former President Donald Trump answered questions under oath Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by E. Jean Carroll, a writer who accused Trump of defamation for saying she was "totally lying" about a sexual assault allegation.
Trump considers allowing federal investigators to search Mar-a-Lago again: Donald Trump’s legal team is weighing whether to allow federal agents to return to the former President’s Florida residence, and potentially conduct a supervised search, to satisfy the Justice Department’s demands that all sensitive government documents are returned, sources tell CNN. In private discussions with Trump’s team as well as court filings, the Justice Department has made clear that it believes Trump failed to comply with a May subpoena ordering the return of all documents marked as classified and that more government records remain missing.
You can run, but you can't hide: Inflation is busting budgets, and killing joy too.
Moderna CEO: Not everyone will need an annual COVID booster.
New COVID subvariants rising: How Concerned Should We Be?
Breaking: Blinken: China’s plans to annex Taiwan moving on a ‘much faster timeline’.
GOP leads Democrats among likely voters on generic ballot: poll
CBS News poll shows Democrats losing steam in House races: A new CBS News battleground tracker poll shows that Democrats' gains have stalled. Republicans have a solid chance to win 224 House seats, enough to regain the majority.
Voters see Democracy in Peril, but saving it isn’t a priority: A New York Times/Siena College poll found that other problems have seized voters’ focus — even as many do not trust this year’s election results and are open to anti-democratic candidates.
Trump attack leaves GOP wondering if he cares about Senate majority: Former President Trump’s Monday assault against Joe O’Dea, the GOP’s Senate nominee in Colorado, is angering Republicans while leaving them wondering if he cares about the party winning back the majority in the upper chamber.
O’Dea, a pro-abortion rights moderate whom Democrats spent $4 million against in the primary, was already in an uphill fight against Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).
Biden says codifying Roe will be a priority if Democrats expand majorities: The commitment comes as the White House and Democrats have been focused on protecting abortion access before the midterm elections. But it is not clear if the issue is resonating with voters.
McCarthy suggests a G.O.P.-led House would question aid to Ukraine: In an interview, the House minority leader, who is in line to be speaker should Republicans win a majority, said his party would resist giving a “blank check” to the war-torn country.
Circle K gas stations are adding a new product for convenient pickup – weed: Next year, when consumers in Florida pick up a soda, chips or a candy bar when they load up for gas at Circle K gas station stores, they’ll be able to add another new item – licensed medical weed. Circle K, a Canadian convenience store and gas station operator, is teaming up with a leading cannabis packaged goods company, Green Thumb Industries, to sell marijuana at a limited number of locations in 2023. The rollout of the pilot with begin with 10 locations where Green Thumb will set up its RISE Express dispensaries adjacent to the Circle K convenience stores. Circle K has 600 locations in the state.
Biden admin officials considering trying to discourage American companies from expanding business ties with Saudi Arabia: Officials said it's one option on the table as the administration weighs how to respond to OPEC's cut to oil production without undermining U.S. objectives in the Middle East.
Biden's family got 'interest-free,' 'forgivable' loan from China, new evidence reveals: 2017 business email and new information released by Sen. Chuck Grassley expose Chinese effort to enrich first family.
Stalked, tortured, disappeared: Iranian authorities have a playbook for silencing dissent, and they’re using it again.
At least 15 former U.S. Generals and Admirals are now working for Saudi Arabia: A lengthy Washington Post investigation has found that since 2015, at least 500 retired United States military members, including generals and admirals, have accepted plum jobs for foreign countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and other nations known for abuses of human rights and political repression. Mostly working as civilian contractors, some of them are being paid seven figures to help these countries strengthen their militaries. Since 2016, according to the Post, 15 retired U.S. generals and admirals have turned to working for Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry. American intelligence agencies believe the country’s leader Mohammed bin Salman ordered the 2018 death of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi. Among the other paid American advisers in Saudi Arabia are former Marine General James L. Jones, who was a national security adviser to President Barack Obama, and former Army General Keith Alexander, a former National Security Agency leader for Obama and George W. Bush.
Saudis sentence U.S. citizen to 16 years in prison over tweets, his family says: An American citizen has been arrested in Saudi Arabia, tortured and sentenced to 16 years in prison over tweets he sent while in the United States, his son said Tuesday. Saad Ibrahim Almadi, a 72-year-old retired project manager living in Florida, was arrested last November while visiting family in the kingdom and was sentenced earlier this month, his son Ibrahim told The Associated Press, confirming details that were first reported by the Washington Post. Almadi is a citizen of both Saudi Arabia and the U.S.
Andrew Cuomo to host new weekly podcast, leaves door open to politics: Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is launching a new podcast on the subscription podcast platform Quake, he told Axios. It's the former governor's first major public undertaking since resigning last year in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal. The new hour-long show, called "As a Matter of Fact,” will debut weekly on Thursdays, beginning this week. The show's first guest is former White House communications director and Wall Street financier Anthony Scaramucci. The first two episodes will be free, but the others will be paywalled, Cuomo said. The podcast, which will be recorded in Manhattan, will also be available as a video.
The show will feature radio-like call-ins, Cuomo said. A big part of what he wants to do, he says, is "hear from people — their questions, their issues — and have that dialogue." While Cuomo declined to disclose the exact terms of the deal, he said he has "a compensation arrangement" with Quake as a part of a one-year deal. The company will promote the new podcast with paid social media advertising, Cuomo said. The show will cover news of the day as well as policy solutions, Cuomo said. In an interview, the former governor stressed an emphasis on fact-based coverage of the news. "There's a fundamental problem with the entire system here," Cuomo said. "We have such division of people and we have such dysfunction of government, and part of it is this hyper-partisan, extreme dialogue that goes on."
Topics Cuomo intends to cover include events like the FBI's execution of a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago over the summer, as well as policy issues like guns and immigration. "Those issues I want to address in a deep substantive way," he said, noting that he plans to bring on fewer politicians as guests and more nonpartisan experts.
Why the US House of Representatives has 435 seats – and how that could change.
Pandemic-related fraud totaled billions: California is trying to get some of it back.
Capitol police say they arrested an armed 80-year-old man who told investigators he wanted to 'deliver documents' to the Supreme Court: US Capitol Police arrested an armed 80-year-old Georgia man on Capitol grounds Wednesday.
Two others were detained but not taken into custody. The three individuals claimed to have been delivering documents to the US Supreme Court.
Buffalo mass shooting suspect was "radicalized" online, New York officials say: The New York state attorney general's office and governor on Tuesday released the findings of an investigative report on the role of online platforms in the mass shooting in Buffalo earlier this year. The report is another indication that radicalization on fringe platforms and the pipeline of online, right-wing misinformation to the real world has played a major role in recent mass shootings.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said in the report that the suspect, Payton Gendron, "was first indoctrinated and radicalized through online platforms." The radicalization happened “by explicitly racist, bigoted, and violent content he viewed online on 4chan, Reddit, and elsewhere," James said in the report. She also said that fringe platforms — such as 4chan — can fuel radicalization and later damage vulnerable communities.
Florida father and son shoot at innocent woman they thought tried to break in home, sheriff says: “You don’t shoot at people. You don’t leave the security of your home and go out and chase people down,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a harsh rebuke.
Texas mom accused of killing 5-year-old daughter as she yelled, ‘I’ve been good!’: A Texas woman allegedly confessed to killing her 5-year-old daughter because “she was evil” – stabbing, strangling and placing a bag over the girl’s head even as she desperately pleaded for her life by screaming: “I’ve been good!”
Melissa White Towne, 37, allegedly took her daughter Nichole to Spring Creek Park in Tomball on Sunday, made her get down on her knees and cut her neck with a knife, KPRC reported. Nichole desperately fought for her life and yelled, “I’ve been good!” – but her deranged mother continued the brutal attack and mercilessly yelled, “Stop fighting it!” authorities said.
Missing Georgia toddler allegedly left in dumpster; police searching landfill for his body: Quinton Simon's mother is the only suspect, police said.
2 killed in plane crash at car dealership lot near Marietta, Ohio: Two people were killed when a twin-engine plane crashed Tuesday morning into a car dealership lot just outside the southeastern Ohio city of Marietta, officials said.
The 1974 Beechcraft King Air E90 crashed in the parking lot of a Pioneer Buick GMC dealership, killing the pilot and the plane’s only other occupant, Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Nathan Dennis told reporters.
Paul Flores convicted in '96 disappearance, murder of California college student Kristin Smart; jury finds his father not guilty: Prosecutors said Smart was killed during an attempted rape by then Cal Poly classmate Paul Flores. His father had been accused of helping dispose of the body, which was never found.
LA City Council elects Paul Krekorian as its new president: The Los Angeles City Council elected Paul Krekorian as its new council president Tuesday following a four-hour meeting that was held virtually due to COVID-19 exposure after last week's meetings were disrupted by protesters amid the City Hall racism scandal.
Krekorian will be immediately tasked with leading the council through a turbulent stretch, with Councilmen Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo facing fierce calls to resign for their roles in a recorded conversation that included racist comments and discussions over favorable redistricting that led to former Council President Nury Martinez resigning her council seat last week.
'He doesn't allow us to drill': Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus blames President Biden for oil supply issues.
Biden awards $2.8 billion for projects to boost electric vehicle battery manufacturing: The Biden administration on Wednesday said it will award $2.8 billion in grants for projects to expand U.S. manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles and domestic mineral production.
The grants will enable manufacturing and processing companies in at least 12 states to extract and process more lithium, graphite, nickel and other battery materials. The announcement is part of the administration’s broader push to transition the U.S. away from gas-powered cars to EVs.
Amazon workers reject Union in vote at Upstate New York warehouse: Results are a setback for Amazon Labor Union, which aimed to expand after April victory in Staten Island.
Netflix returns to growth, saying the worst of slowdown is over: Streamer added 2.41 million customers in the third quarter. The strong dollar is weighing on Netflix’s revenue and profit.
Uber rolls out ad business to reach more riders: Rideshare company looks to accelerate revenue growth with new business division.
Gates Foundation pledges $1.2B to eradicate polio globally: The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says it will commit $1.2 billion to the effort to end polio worldwide. The money will be used to help implement the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s strategy through 2026. The initiative is trying to end the polio virus in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the last two endemic countries, the foundation said in a statement Sunday. The money also will be used to stop outbreaks of new variants of the virus. The announcement was made Sunday at the World Health Summit in Berlin.
Rolls-Royce says it already has hundreds of U.S. orders for its $413,000 Spectre electric vehicle: Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Otvos told CNBC the buyers visited the company’s headquarters in England to get a sneak peak at the Spectre.
The company’s first electric vehicle was publicly revealed Tuesday and comes starting price tag of $413,000. General Motors this week unveiled its Celestiq electric vehicle, which starts at more than $300,000.
French Cement Company to pay $780 million over payoffs to ISIS: The Justice Department hit the firm, Lafarge, with one of the largest penalties a corporation has ever paid for providing material support to a terrorist organization.
George Floyd’s family prepares to sue Kanye West for $250 million:
Floyd’s family seeks damages for comments Ye made during his controversial Drink Champs interview.
South Korea stands to lose billions from making K-pop superstars BTS do military service: Fans of K-pop band BTS were left heartbroken on Monday when it was announced the group’s members were set to serve in the South Korean military, meaning no new tours or music for several years.
However, the seven members’ conscription—which Seoul allowed them to defer in 2020—could also come with an economic cost.
Iran has sent military trainers to Crimea to train Russian forces to use drones: Iran has sent military personnel to Russian-occupied territory inside Crimea to train and advise the Russian military on the use of Iranian-built drones that Moscow has used to devastating effect in its war in Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with US intelligence. Russia has launched many of what is believed to be a store of hundreds of Iranian-made drones from Crimea in a fusillade that has targeted Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure in increasing numbers in recent weeks. The drones have been seen as a signal of growing closeness between Tehran and Moscow.
Entire known universe recreated in Minecraft by 18-year-old: In a game where you can build nearly anything, one 18-year-old spent two months creating and sharing the whole observable universe. Christopher Slayton, 18, is a long-time aficionado of Minecraft, a game that allows people to create castles, cliffs and other objects using old-school blocks. But Slayton supersized the effort. He created black holes, stars and galaxies using his desktop computer and shared the epic results on YouTube (opens in new tab) and in the Minecraft Reddit community (opens in new tab) earlier this month, swiftly going viral in the process.
Man holds 150 lit candles in his mouth for Guinness World Record.
The Crown is crude and cruel, says Dame Judi Dench: Oscar-winning actress adds to pressure on Netflix to tell viewers that its show is fiction
Meghan Markle Says She Was Treated Like A “Bimbo” When She Worked On ‘Deal or No Deal’: “There was a a very cookie-cutter idea of what we should look like,” said Meghan Markle said on her Achetypes podcast about her early-career time on NBC’s Deal or No Deal. “It was solely about beauty and not necessarily about brains.” “I ended up quitting the show,” said Markle. “I was thankful for the job, but not the way it made me feel, which was: Not smart.”
The now Duchess of Sussex made her comments in introduction of the archetype being explored in the episode, which was “The Bimbo.”
Zelenskyy to publish book of wartime speeches in December: A collection of wartime speeches by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, featuring an introduction written by the Ukrainian president, will be published Dec. 6. Crown, a Penguin Random House division, announced Monday that the book will be called “A Message from Ukraine” and will also include a preface by Arkady Ostrovsky, the Economist’s editor for Russia and Eastern Europe.
Matthew Perry describes his battle with addiction in his new memoir: Matthew Perry is “safely sober” and ready to tell his story. The “Friends” star, who played the lovable Chandler Bing on the show, has written a memoir called “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” which is set for release on Nov. 1. In it, he tells the story of his life and addictions, saying he’s finally in a place to talk about it.
New ‘Percy Jackson’ book is on its way, 14 years after the previous one: Author Rick Riordan announced 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods' will hit stands in September 2023.
Brittney Griner releases message on 32nd birthday, marking 8-month stay in Russian detention: Griner has remained in prison since her February arrest at an airport in Moscow.
Bubba Wallace suspended after altercation at Vegas race: Wallace shoved Kyle Larson after crash.
Colts owner says Commanders’ owner Dan Snyder should be removed: Colts owner Jim Irsay said Tuesday that Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder should be removed from owning an NFL team, ESPN reports. It's the first time an NFL owner has publicly expressed that Snyder — who has been accused of workplace misconduct — should be ousted, calling his missteps "gravely concerning," per ESPN. "I believe there is merit to removing him as owner of the (Commanders)," Irsay said per ESPN. "There's consideration that he should be removed." During congressional hearings in February, five former female employees recounted allegations of sexual misconduct by the team's senior executives and Snyder. As NFL team owners convene in New York Tuesday for league meetings, many said privately they want to see Snyder removed as owner, Axios' Ned Oliver reports.
Analysis: Tom Brady is losing more than just his cool.
Can Yankee Candle reviews predict COVID surges? Study puts theory to test — and experts weigh in.
Want to know if your cat loves you? Look out for these signs.
Have a great Thursday!