How the Texas shooting happened; Beto tosses a political bomb to Abbott; McConaughey's home town; PA GOP Senate race to be recounted; the shutdown baby formula plant; American's thoughts on SCOTUS
Davos 2022; Walmart drone delivery; Duggar gets long Federal sentence; Kaepernick back on the football field;
Good Thursday morning! A short issue today.
My take: In Texas it only took one day for the thoughts and prayers to degenerate into partisan political theatrics. Democrat gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke interrupted Governor Greg Abbott’s press conference to shout that his November opponent was not doing anything about the tragic shooting. In my opinion O’Rourke was several days early. I am certain if he was Governor he would not appreciate this moment being politicized. No one has a timeline to follow in cases like these but the day after is not appropriate. The Democrats will see this action as a protest and appropriate. Republicans will point to O’Rourke’s temperament not being appropriate for office. As a PR guy, I would have suggested the former Congressman wait one week. Politics and legislation will have its time but I am certain that the appropriate tone would be to let the community mourn and bury the victims. Also, it is appropriate to support the focus the families who lost their children and adult relatives. My thoughts may not be popular but I am thinking of the victims first rather than politics which will have over five months to percolate. Once again, God bless the victims — those who were murdered and those who have to live with murders for the rest of their lives. Also, God help America which are no longer united.
Now to your “1 to…”
Ominous texts. An earlier shooting. What we know about the Texas elementary school massacre that killed 21 people: Ominous texts. An earlier shooting. What we know about the Texas elementary school massacre that killed 21 people.
Uvalde 4th grader didn’t want to go to school on Tuesday. She died next to ner cousin: “How can they allow an 18-year-old to purchase a weapon when they don’t allow them to buy alcohol or liquor?” Jailah Silguero’s outraged grandmother asked The Daily Beast.
O’Rourke confronts Abbott at press conference on Texas school shooting: Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke confronted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) at a press conference in Uvalde on Wednesday following an elementary school shooting that left 21 people, including 19 children, dead.
Abbott had been providing information on mental health in the wake of the shooting when O’Rourke rushed up to the podium. “You are doing nothing,” O’Rourke said, only feet away from Abbott. “You said this was not predictable, this was totally predictable, and you choose not to do anything.”’
Uvalde mayor calls O’Rourke ‘sick son of a b—-‘ after disruption: McLaughlin, who was sitting in the back row in a blue shirt and khakis, interrupted him and repeated said, “sir, you are out of line.” He then stated, “I can’t believe you’re a sick son of a bitch who would come to a deal like this to make a political issue.”
Senate begins search for bipartisan gun deal after Schumer's green light: “It’s the only approach that will result in law,” said Majority Whip Dick Durbin. “He said if there’s even the possibility of getting bipartisanship, we’ll try to find it.”
Student arrested after pistol found in car near North Texas school, police say: Police in North Texas have located and arrested a juvenile suspect after receiving a phone call that a man allegedly holding a rifle was seen walking toward a school. Officers observed an AK-47 style pistol and a replica AR-15 style Orbeez rifle inside a vehicle used by the suspect, according to Richardson police.
'American Pie' singer Don McLean pulls out of NRA convention: Don McLean said his performance would be 'disrespectful' after the tragic shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Biden signs policing order on George Floyd anniversary: President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed an executive order on policing on the second anniversary of George Floyd’s death. Most of the order is focused on federal law enforcement agencies — for example, requiring them to review and revise policies on the use of force. It will also create a database to help track officer misconduct. The administration cannot require local police departments to participate in the database, which is intended to prevent problem officers from hopping from job to job. But officials are looking for ways to use federal funding to encourage their cooperation.
The order will also restrict the flow of surplus military equipment to local police.
Oklahoma governor signs nation’s strictest abortion ban: The law takes effect immediately upon Gov. Kevin Stitt’s signature and prohibits all abortions with few exceptions.
About 200 corpses found in a basement in the devastated city of Mariupol, Ukraine says: Workers digging through the rubble of an apartment building in Mariupol found about 200 bodies in the basement, Ukrainian authorities said Tuesday, as more horrors come to light in the ruined city that has seen some of the worst suffering of the 3-month-long war. The bodies were decomposing and the stench hung over the neighborhood, said Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to the mayor. He did not say when they were discovered, but the sheer number of victims makes it one of the deadliest known attacks of the war.
Zelensky says Ukraine will fight until it regains all its territories after Kissinger remark: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during the World Economic Forum on Wednesday that Ukraine would fight until it regained all of its territories — comments that come after former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger remarked that Ukraine’s borders should remain as they were prior to the start of the Russian invasion. “When Ukraine says that it will fight until it regains all its territories, it means only one thing: that Ukraine will fight until it regains all its territories. This is about independence and sovereignty,” Zelensky said.
Pennsylvania officially orders recount in GOP Senate primary: Pennsylvania’s Senate GOP primary is officially heading to a recount as celebrity surgeon Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund manager Dave McCormick remain neck and neck. Pennsylvania acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman officially announced the recall Wednesday afternoon as tallies show Oz and McCormick separated by 902 votes, or 0.1 percentage points. Under state law, a recount is triggered if two candidates are separated by 0.5 percentage points or fewer.
Trump said to have reacted approvingly to Jan. 6 chants about hanging Pence: The House committee investigating the Capitol assault has heard accounts of the former president’s remarks as he watched the riot unfold on television.
F.D.A. chief details ‘shocking’ conditions at baby formula plant: Agency inspectors found a leaking roof, standing water and cracked production equipment before a facility shutdown that led to major shortages.
New poll: 54% of Americans disapprove of Supreme Court following Roe draft opinion leak.
Davos gathering overshadowed by global economic worries: Soaring inflation. Russia’s war in Ukraine. Squeezed supply chains. The threat of food insecurity around the world. The lingering COVID-19 pandemic. The risks to the global economy are many, leading to an increasingly gloomy view of the months ahead for corporate leaders, government officials and other VIPs at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss resort town of Davos. The war has been a thread, setting back the global economic recovery from the pandemic, economists say.
The 2022 Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings: This survey is the result of a partnership between Axios and Harris Poll to gauge the reputation of the most visible brands in America, based on 20 years of Harris Poll research. From Trader Joe's to Disney, here's how this year's class stacks up.
Fleet Week is back in NYC: Early speculation that the Covid-19 pandemic may lead to a baby boom has been turned on its head, with early data showing more of a baby bust -- and worsening rates of some adverse outcomes.
After a steep drop in the first year of the pandemic, US birth rates rose only slightly in 2021, according to provisional data published Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. It was the first time in seven years that the US birth rate increased. Births had been dropping by an average of 2% a year since 2014, including a decline of twice that much between 2019 and 2020.
Walmart expands drone delivery in six states: Walmart soon will deliver packages to homes in six states using drones. The retail giant announced May 24 it’s expanding its drone delivery program across six states: Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, Texas, Utah and Virginia. Drone hubs will be set up at 34 sites by the end of the year. One of the sites will be in Tampa, Fla., Walmart spokesperson John Engleman said in an email.
Elon Musk deep fakes promote new BitVex cryptocurrency scam: Cryptocurrency scammers are using deep fake videos of Elon Musk and other prominent cryptocurrency advocates to promote a BitVex trading platform scam that steals deposited currency. This fake BitVex cryptocurrency trading platform claims to be owned by Elon Musk, who created the site to allow everyone to earn up to 30% returns on their crypto deposits.
Twitter will pay a $150 million fine over accusations it improperly sold user data: Twitter has agreed to pay a $150 million fine after federal law enforcement officials accused the social media company of illegally using peoples' personal data over six years to help sell targeted advertisements.
In court documents made public on Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice say Twitter violated a 2011 agreement with regulators in which the company vowed to not use information gathered for security purposes, like users' phone numbers and email addresses, to help advertisers target people with ads.
Touchdown! Boeing's Starliner returns to Earth from space station: Starliner's crucial test flight is in the books.
Descending into one of the deepest caves on Earth: For decades, highly skilled cavers have come to Mexico to explore Cheve, a labyrinth within a mountain.
Billions of Fireflies light up an Indian Wildlife Reserve in rare footage captured by Sriram Murali: In many parts of the world, a warm summer evening sets the stage for a familiar sight: the lightning bug. Through a phenomenon called bioluminescence, these winged beetles generate chemical reactions in a part of their abdomen known as the lantern to produce flickers of light. Of more than 2,000 species found throughout the world, only a handful coordinate their flashes into patterns and are known as synchronous fireflies. Filmmaker Sriram Murali captured a rare gathering of billions of these insects at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in western Tamil Nadu, India.
Photographer is helping overlooked shelter pets get adopted through striking pawtraits: Maggie Epling knew that she wanted to give back during her summer break from college. Interested in photography and helping animals in need, she found the perfect volunteer opportunity at her local Pike County Animal Shelter in Pike, Kentucky. There, she used her camera to snap portraits of cats and dogs and paid particular focus on black shelter animals. The results are striking glamour shots of cats and dogs in search of their forever home.
Epling decided to approach the shelter after reading articles about how animals with good photos are more likely to be adopted. Pike County Animal Shelter was happy to have her, and she got to work. During this time, she heard from fellow volunteers that black kitties and pups often struggle to find their humans. Black cats, in particular, suffer from this because of the enduring superstition that they will be bad luck.
Josh Duggar sentenced to more than 12 years in Federal Prison for child pornography conviction: U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks handed down the sentence of 151 months in total to the former 19 Kids and Counting star on Wednesday.
A Judge halts the auction of the blue gingham dress Judy Garland wore in: ‘The Wizard of Oz’ until its true owner is determined The dress was expected to fetch $800,000 to $1.2 million.
Colin Kaepernick to work out for Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday, sources say: Colin Kaepernick, who last played professional football in 2016 -- the year he started kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice -- is scheduled to work out Wednesday for the Las Vegas Raiders, league sources told ESPN. It will mark Kaepernick's first workout with an NFL team since being exiled, and it will be the first time the former star quarterback visits with a team since he flew to Seattle to meet with the Seattle Seahawks in May 2017 before they passed on the opportunity to sign him.
Again, a quiet Wednesday. Have a great Wednesday!