August 5, 2021

Support For DeSantis Drops Amidst Pro-COVID Policy Push

*Yep. Just what Ron DeathSentence deserves! (Actually he deserves worse)

(TalkingPointsMemo) Floridians don’t seem wild about Gov. DeSantis’s pro-COVID policy agenda. A new poll out this morning shows DeSantis’s public support falling roughly ten points since May. The new poll is from St Pete Polls and shows DeSantis with 44% approval and 49% disapproval.

We can’t say with certainty that it’s an apples to apples comparison since the earlier poll was from a different pollster polling on behalf of the state Chamber of Commerce. It’s also the case that DeSantis’s public approval has tended to ebb and crest along with the vicissitudes of COVID, unsurprisingly. So it could bounce back. But it suggests voters have not been impressed by DeSantis’s performance during the recent surge of COVID infections and hospitalizations in the state.

Back in May the Florida Chamber of Commerce poll showed DeSantis with 55% and 40% disapproval. (Read More)
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/support-for-desantis-drops-amidst-pro-covid-policy-push

July 29, 2021

Facebook Post About Simone Biles and Kerri Strug

*A friend of mine re-posted this (not sure who the original author was) about Simone Biles and Kerri Strug, it made me weep as I thought of them.

This realization I had about Simone Biles is gonna make some people mad, but oh well.

Yesterday I was excited to show my daughters Kerri Strug's famous one-leg vault. It was a defining Olympic moment that I watched live as a kid, and my girls watched raptly as Strug fell, and then limped back to leap again.

But for some reason I wasn't as inspired watching it this time. In fact, I felt a little sick. Maybe being a father and teacher has made me soft, but all I could see was how Kerri Strug looked at her coach, Bela Karolyi, with pleading, terrified eyes, while he shouted back "You can do it!" over and over again.

My daughters didn't cheer when Strug landed her second vault. Instead they frowned in concern as she collapsed in agony and frantic tears.

"Why did she jump again if she was hurt?" one of my girls asked.

I made some inane reply about the heart of a champion or Olympic spirit, but in the back of my mind a thought was festering: *She shouldn't have jumped again*

The more the thought echoed, the stronger my realization became. Coach Karolyi should have gotten his visibly injured athlete medical help immediately! Now that I have two young daughters in gymnastics, I expect their safety to be the coach's number one priority. Instead, Bela Karolyi told Strug to vault again. And he got what he wanted; a gold medal that was more important to him than his athlete's health.

I'm sure people will say "Kerri Strug was a competitor--she WANTED to push through the injury." That's probably true. But since the last Olympics we've also learned these athletes were put into positions where they could be systematically abused both emotionally and physically, all while being inundated with "win at all costs" messaging. A teenager under those conditions should have been protected, and told "No medal is worth the risk of permanent injury." In fact, we now know that Strug's vault wasn't even necessary to clinch the gold; the U.S. already had an insurmountable lead.

Nevertheless, Bela Karolyi told her to vault again according to his own recounting of their conversation:
"I can't feel my leg," Strug told Karolyi.
"We got to go one more time," Karolyi said. "Shake it out."
"Do I have to do this again?" Strug asked.
"Can you, can you?" Karolyi wanted to know.
"I don't know yet," said Strug. "I will do it. I will, I will."

The injury forced Strug's retirement at 18 years old. Dominique Moceanu, a generational talent, also retired from injuries shortly after. They were top gymnasts literally pushed to the breaking point, and then put out to pasture. Coach Karolyi and Larry Nassar (the serial sexual abuser) continued their long careers, while the athletes were treated as a disposable resource.

Today Simone Biles--the greatest gymnast of all time--chose to step back from the competition, citing concerns for mental and physical health. I've already seen comments and posts about how Biles "failed her country", "quit on us", or "can't be the greatest if she can't handle the pressure."

Those statements are no different than Coach Karolyi telling an injured teen with wide, frightened eyes: "We got to go one more time. Shake it out."

The subtext here is: "Our gold medal is more important than your well-being."
Our athletes shouldn't have to destroy themselves to meet our standards. If giving empathetic, authentic support to our Olympians means we'll earn less gold medals, I'm happy to make that trade.

Here's the message I hope we can send to Simone Biles: You are an outstanding athlete, a true role model, and a powerful woman. Nothing will change that. Please don't sacrifice your emotional or physical well-being for our entertainment or national pride. We are proud of you for being brave enough to compete, and proud of you for having the wisdom to know when to step back. Your choice makes you an even better example to our daughters than you were before. WE'RE STILL ROOTING FOR YOU!

July 22, 2021

Michael Cohen thinks Jared Kushner already flipped on Trump

(Salon) Former Trump "fixer" Michael Cohen made a bold declaration on Wednesday when he tweeted that he thinks that Jared Kushner has already flipped on his father-in-law in conversations with prosecutors. Cohen referenced a 2017 CNN report about Jared Kushner being the so-called "secretary of everything," because Trump handed everything off to him to accomplish.

"Interesting how Jared Kushner (#SecretaryOfEverything) name appears to be absent from all the controversy, indictments and arrests. Is he next to fall or a cooperating witness? Knowing what a snake he is, I bet the latter!" tweeted Cohen.

Tom Barrack's indictment will potentially lead to other indictments, as former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuade explained on MSNBC earlier this week.

Meanwhile, rumors have been swirling that both Kushner and Ivanka are distancing themselves from the former president. Kushher, according to reports, wants to focus on his book and continue to pat himself for his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East -- including some initiatives that benefited the government of the United Arab Emirates, which Barrack is accused of illegally lobbying for.

Read More: https://www.salon.com/2021/07/22/michael-cohen-thinks-jared-kushner-already-flipped-on-trump_partner/

July 15, 2021

This family's 24-year search for their abducted son inspired a movie. They've just been reunited.

Hong Kong (CNN) The abduction of 2-year-old Guo Xinzhen in eastern China in 1997 sparked a desperate, seemingly never-ending nationwide search by his parents that inspired filmmakers to bring their story to the big screen.

But this week -- 24 years after his disappearance -- the search for Guo finally came to an end.

Police in Liaocheng City, Shandong province, said Monday they had found Guo, now an adult living in neighboring Henan province -- and had reunited him with his parents. Video footage of the reunion on Sunday, released by police, shows the family in tears and embracing tightly, crying out, "We found you, you've come back."

Police said they had arrested two people who confessed to kidnapping and trafficking Guo. Guo had been abducted near his home by an unfamiliar woman, his parents told police in 1997. Authorities collected blood, DNA samples and other evidence -- but with limited technology at the time, the case remained unsolved, the police said on their official social media account on Tuesday. The case was never closed, and police say they continued investigating throughout the 24 years.

snip

Child abduction and trafficking has long been a rampant problem in China, with many parents never finding their missing children. Activists and experts say the problem was exacerbated by China's one-child policy, which has been relaxed in recent years. In May, the government announced it would begin allowing couples to have up to three children. But for decades, because of the strict policy and China's patriarchal society, it was common for couples to desire a boy -- driving a black market for trafficked infant boys, while girls are often sold to foreign adoptive parents, falsely labeled as orphans.

(Read More) https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/14/china/china-abducted-child-reunited-intl-hnk-scli/index.html

July 8, 2021

Comfort dogs from several states arrive in South Florida to help Surfside rescue workers

(Local10News) NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – First responders in Surfside are getting some four-legged support.

Nine comfort dogs from several states have been brought to South Florida to help with mental health. The golden retrievers are similar to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s therapy dogs that are already on site.

They have the same important job: to help rescuers cope with the extreme emotional toll of the collapse.

“These dogs are here for you,” said Bonnie Fear with the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry. “A lot of times they come up, they’ll fall to their knees, they’ll start crying or they’ll smile. We try not to say anything, we let the dog be the bridge for those people to grieve the loss, whatever they’re feeling.”

(Read More and Watch Video) https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/07/comfort-dogs-from-several-states-arrive-in-south-florida-to-help-surfside-rescue-workers/

July 7, 2021

Eric Adams wins Democratic primary in NYC's mayoral race

(Associated Press) NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City after appealing to the political center and promising to strike the right balance between fighting crime and ending racial injustice in policing.

A former police captain, Adams would be the city’s second Black mayor if elected.

He triumphed over a large Democratic field in New York’s first major race to use ranked choice voting. Results from the latest tabulations released Tuesday showed him leading former city sanitation commissioner Kathryn Garcia by 8,426 votes, or a little more than 1 percentage point.

“While there are still some very small amounts of votes to be counted, the results are clear: an historic, diverse, five-borough coalition led by working-class New Yorkers has led us to victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York,” Adams said in a statement.

(Read More) https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-nyc-state-wire-ny-state-wire-government-and-politics-eric-adams-9c564828a29831747f9c2e6f52daf55e

June 24, 2021

WATCH CONTINUING COVERAGE LIVE: Local10 News in Surfside, Florida

So tragic, I am just beyond heartbroken.

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/06/24/partial-building-collapse-in-surfside/

June 24, 2021

Surfside, Florida building collapse - important phone numbers for residents/family

SURFSIDE, Fla. – Several rescue teams are working at the scene where the Champlain Towers South building near 88th Street and Collins Avenue partially collapsed on Thursday morning.

A family reunification hotline has been set up at 305-614-1819, and people can also open a Missing Person Report Online.

If you live at the Champlain Towers at 8777 Collins Ave., you are encouraged to complete this Wellness Check Form as part of efforts to ensure all tenants of the building are located. A Family Assistance Center is open at the Surfside Recreational Center at 9301 Collins Ave. for people who are unable to locate relatives who live in the building.

For more information on those county resources, click here. If you need information about a loved one who lives in the Champlain Towers, another emergency hotline has also been created: 305-993-1071


People who have been rescued or are in the area are being kept away from the condo building to prevent injuries from falling debris and to prevent further collapse. The emergency number is specifically for people who are trying to find out about loved ones in the building.

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/06/24/surfside-building-collapse-hotline-set-up-for-emergency-info/

June 16, 2021

"He can handle it": Michael Cohen recalls the time Trump offered up Don Jr. for prison before Ivanka

(Salon) In a wide-ranging interview with The Lincoln Project, former lawyer to Donald Trump, Michael Cohen responded to the recent news that Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg could be indicted as early as this summer.

Among the many things Cohen revealed, he cited an occasion in which some legal things seemed to be getting complicated and it was possible that Donald Trump Jr. or Ivanka Trump could be held accountable for it. It was something that Cohen said he included in his 2020 book "Disloyal," but appeared to go largely unnoticed. Cohen recalled Trump saying that if it comes down to Don Jr. or Ivanka going to prison that it should be Don Jr. because "he can handle it." Cohen explained that he would shoot for keeping both children out of prison.

The comment came as Lincoln Project hosts Tara Setmayer and Rick Wilson were talking about a past appearance Cohen had on MSNBC in which he predicted that Trump would flip on Weisselberg as well as his children and even his wife if necessary.

Cohen went on to talk about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the hosts asked him what he thought Trump was thinking or feeling as he watched the U.S. Capitol falling under siege by his supporters. Cohen predicted that Trump was elated and that for him, the attack was probably "better than sex."

(Read More)
https://www.salon.com/2021/06/16/he-can-handle-it-michael-cohen-recalls-the-time-trump-offered-up-don-jr-for-prison-before-ivanka_partner/

June 11, 2021

Publix murder-suicide: Grandmother tried to fight off man in seemingly random attack

(Local10News) ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. – Detectives believe the Publix murder-suicide was a random act by a mentally ill man, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

Timothy J. Wall, 55 of Loxahatchee, is the man authorities say killed a woman and her nearly 2-year-old grandson before taking his own life in the frightening supermarket shooting Thursday morning.

Deputies say Wall walked into the Publix at 1180 Royal Palm Beach Boulevard in Royal Palm Beach and shot the toddler dead. The boy’s grandmother ran over to try and stop the attack. Wall knocked her to the ground, shot her, and then turned the gun on himself, investigators say.

snip

Bradshaw said this should have been prevented but no one in Wall’s life spoke up about it.

“He’s on Facebook. He has said, ‘I want to kill people and children,’” Bradshaw said. “He’s got friends. Obviously they saw that. His ex-wife said he’s been acting strange. He thinks he’s being followed. He’s paranoid. You think a damn soul told us about that? No.”

Read More: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/06/11/timothy-wall-identified-as-publix-gunman-its-awful-shoppers-say/