News in Late September 2022.

 

President Biden once said that the pandemic is over. Is this true? The truth is no. What is true is that tons of progress has been made in fighting back against the pandemic virus. In 2020, tons of schools and stadiums were closed because of the virus. Over one million people have died in America alone as a result of the pandemic. Vaccinations, booster shots, education, and other investments have lowered COVID-19 rates in the world. We have now the majority of Americans are vaccinated. Yet, the pandemic is not over as about 400 people have died each day. Variants are still around, and these variants can spread faster than the original virus. There is a risk of a future winter surge during the 2022-2023 winter season. That is why people should be prepared for illnesses in general. Everyone knows that the actions of Governor Abbott and Ron DeSantis in sending legal migrants from Texas and Florida to other parts of the country is evil, cruel, and exploitative. It is not only a waste of taxpayer dollars. Many authorities are investigating DeSantis to see if he violated human trafficking laws. Many migrants are suing DeSantis too. The migrants are human beings, and we are called to follow the Golden Rule. The Republican leadership including Mitch McConnell called this evil migrant shipping policy as a "good idea." It is never a good idea to mislead migrants about this sick action.

The appeals courts have asked the appeals court to block the Trump documents ruling. This request comes to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Justice Department said that the lower court's move to block the criminal investigations from reviewing the seized documents (marked as classified) will cause irreparable harm. The DOJ said that its criminal investigation is important to stop potential national security risks. It is obvious what Trump is trying to do. Trump is trying to stall and delay to prevent himself from being indicted as a criminal. Judge Cannon did the wrong thing by supporting compromises to Trump instead of real accountability to Trump. Judge Cannon wanted the DOJ to send documents to the Master and the plaintiff's attorneys (when they possibly don't have security clearances). Classified information is heavily sensitive. Trump experienced a legal search warrant, and that search warrant is justified under the circumstances that we live in. Trump's team has until noon ET on Tuesday to respond to the DOJ's request. The rule of law matters, and a former executive member doesn't have infallible powers.

The Las Vegas Aces win their first WNBA title. They beat the Connecticut Sun in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals. Chelsea Gray is named MVP. After hard work, the Aces have achieved victory. The WNBA was born in 1997 after the historic 1996 Olympics when the USA Women's Basketball Olympics team made gold a reality. Las Vegas has now its first major professional sports championship. It's a very important, historic time for the Western city of Las Vegas, and we congratulate the Las Vegas Aces for their hard work, courage, talent, and resiliency. Coach Becky Hammon (being 45 years old) is the first person in WNBA history to win a title in her first season as a head coach (other than the inaugural season of the WNBA in 1997). The Season's MVP is A'ja Wilson of the Aces too.

Hurricane Fiona has damaged much of the Caribbean in places like Puerto Rico. Heavy rain and flooding have been produced by the storm. Millions are without power, clean water, and safe shelter in Puerto Rico. It has moved into the Dominican Republic. As high as 30 inches of rain has poured down on Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is an American territory still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Maria. Maria came to the island five years ago. The working class and the poor of Puerto Rico are suffering also from the looting of its state-owned utilities and other public assets under the financial restructuring done by the U.S. government. Puerto Rico has a lot of debt. Climate change has impacted the growing intensity of Hurricane Fiona too. Warmer waters will result in more precipitation. Some have died in the area too. There have been over 1,000 rescues of people in Puerto Rico as some folks had to climb on the roofs of their homes to survive. As human beings, we certainly express empathy for the people of Puerto Rico. The massive privatization of Puerto Rico's resources should end.

Yesterday was the Birthday of Sister Deborah Roberts, and she is 62 years old. She is a famous journalist for ABC News and is married to the meteorologist Al Roker. Perry, Georgia is the city of her birth. She graduated from the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 1982. By 1992, Roberts was awarded the University of Georgia Distinguished Alumnus Awards for her rapid success as a journalist. Roberts worked in Columbus, Georgia, Orlando, and other locations. Later, she was a correspondent for Dateline NBC. She was in ABC News since 1995. She worked for Good Morning America and the View. Also, she won an Emmy Award and a Clarion Award for her reporting. Her non-fiction book by her and Al Roker was published in 2016. It is titled Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Time. She loves her daughter and son with Al Roker. She has a stepdaughter too. She is an iconic human being. I wish Sister Deborah Roberts more Blessings. 

By Timothy