| | | The Biden administration announced it will distribute millions of free masks to Americans next week in an effort to combat the nation’s omicron surge. The University of Michigan has agreed to pay out a staggering $490 million to victims over a former university sports doctor’s alleged sexual abuse. In New York, Attorney General Letitia James announced more details in her ongoing investigation of Trump business practices. And in Washington, the Senate moved deeper into gridlock yesterday during a debate over changing the filibuster. All this and more in today’s Presidential Daily Brief. | | |
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| IMPORTANT | 1 - A Mask in Every Pot The Biden administration will provide 400 million free masks to Americans Get ready to visit your local pharmacy to claim your three free non-surgical N95 masks from the millions the Biden administration will make available, starting as soon as next week. White House officials are calling the nationwide distribution the biggest deployment of personal protective equipment in the country’s history. The N95 masks, made with five filtering layers, are much more effective than cloth or looser-fitting surgical masks, and are considered by experts as essential in fighting the omicron variant. A recent study showed that the risk of omicron transmission was reduced 75-fold by wearing the N95. (Sources: Axios, TIME) |
| 2 - Millions in Michigan The University of Michigan will pay an eye-popping $490 million settlement After 15 months of negotiations involving hundreds of accusations of sexual abuse by sports doctor Robert Anderson, the University of Michigan has agreed to pay nearly half a billion dollars to more than 1,000 mostly male former students. Anderson, who died in 2008, is alleged to have abused patients during routine medical examinations over a span of more than 30 years while employed at the university. A police investigation in 2018 found that all of Anderson’s alleged crimes fell outside Michigan’s statute of limitations. But last year, an independent report concluded that university staff had missed many opportunities to stop Anderson. (Source: BBC) |
| | | 3 - Sniffing Out Fraud NY Attorney General releases new details in Trump investigation New York Attorney General Letitia James, who initiated an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s business in 2019, released new details Tuesday night, specifically mentioning Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump. The probe has found that the company may have put a fraudulent value on multiple assets when interacting with financial institutions for economic gain. James specified that Donald Trump and his two eldest children all had the authority and responsibility to prevent fraudulent misstatements to financial institutions or to the Internal Revenue Service. James’ office has yet to determine whether the evidence gathered merits legal action. (Source: NBCNews) |
| 4 - Filibuster Fail Passing voting rights legislation may be a pipe dream for Democrats After a fiery Senate floor debate yesterday, it looks like Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin will prevent any rule changes on a party-line vote by Democrats alone. Democrats, who say the filibuster is vital for passing legislation to protect voting rights and perhaps our very democracy, are desperate to change Senate rules so they can bypass the 60-vote filibuster to pass the legislation with a 50-vote majority. But what’s bad for Democrats is good news for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who led Republicans in abolishing the 60-vote filibuster for Supreme Court nominees during the Trump presidency. (Source: AP) |
| 5 - Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Mild COVID-19 may lead to attention and memory issues. A new study found a reduction in attention and memory in COVID-19 survivors, but the loss appears to be temporary. (Source: TheHill) Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch issue joint statement on masks. The justices denied reports that they were at odds over wearing face masks during oral arguments. (Source: Reuters) World Health Organization marks slowdown in omicron surge. Though global COVID cases rose by a massive 20% last week, the increase marks a vast improvement over the 50% rise seen the week before. (Source: ABCNews) |
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| | | Watch Michigan's Gov. Gretchen Whitmer COVID Protests and Kidnapping Attempts Can’t Stop Her!
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| INTRIGUING | 1 - More Justice for Britney Britney Spears fights to make her father pay his own legal fees Now that Britney is free from her father Jamie Spears’ conservatorship, she’s got a new fight on her hands: cutting him off from her money. Jamie Spears has petitioned the court to force Britney to pay his legal fees, a move that her legal team called “morally abominable.” Britney’s legal team argues that Jamie siphoned more than $6 million from his daughter’s earnings over the years and should have plenty of money to pay his own fees. They also allege that Jamie used the money for his own enrichment, including an attempt to create his own TV show called Cookin’ Cruzin’ & Chaos with James Spears. (Source: NBCNews) |
| 2 - The Future is Now 3D printing technology could be entering its metal age very soon Long touted as the technology of the future, 3D printing has allowed manufacturers to make small plastic parts and prototypes with remarkable ease. Now a company called Seurat Technologies may revolutionize the 3D process with their innovative new laser-based metal-printing technology. Metal printing is a painstakingly slow process, as the laser must melt metal powder into thin layers that build on each other. Seurat has found that by splitting a laser into millions of beams, they can make the process 10 times faster. Used on a large scale, the technology could allow low-cost, high-volume manufacturing of many larger parts. (Source: Axios) |
| 3 - Discrimination in the Blood The Biden administration speaks out on outmoded blood-donation rules The American Red Cross’s announcement last week of the nation’s “worst blood shortage in over a decade” gave the White House an opportunity to comment on the FDA’s longstanding rule deterring gay and bisexual men from becoming blood donors. The rule, instituted during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and revised in 2015 and 2020, says gay and bisexual men must abstain from sex for a minimum of three months before donating blood, regardless of sexual practices. The Biden administration hopes to remove a painful legacy and make amends with new policies “based on science, not fiction or stigma.” (Source: ABCNews) |
| | | 4 - Remembering André The fashion world mourns the passing of a legend André Leon Talley, the former creative director and editor-at-large for Vogue magazine, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 73. Talley, known worldwide as one of the biggest names in fashion, was a larger-than-life figure in the industry. At 6 feet, 6 inches tall, Talley’s presence was hard to ignore and his magnetic personality was legendary. As an openly gay Black man, he was an inspiration for Black and queer communities. Arriving in New York City from the Jim Crow South as a teenager, Talley worked with Diana Vreeland and Andy Warhol before circulating among the elite cultural circles of NYC and the world. (Source: NPR) |
| 5 - Freedom Rings Enes Kanter Freedom had harsh words for embattled minority owner Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter Freedom starkly criticized Golden State Warriors owner Chamath Palihapitiya on Monday for his recent statement that “nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs” in China in a podcast interview. Freedom, who has repeatedly protested against the Chinese government’s treatment of its Muslim Uyghur ethnic minority, said in an interview with CNN’s John Berman that he was “very angry, disappointed, and disgusted” with Palihapitiya's comments. Outrage at the comments reflects long-standing criticism of the NBA for continuing to do business in China amid human rights abuses. (Source: TheHill) |
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