Month: December 2022

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a $1.7 trillion government spending bill, averting a government shutdown. The bill includes more aid to Ukraine and funding for his domestic priorities.

The White House said Thursday that the bill ‘caps off a year of historic bipartisan progress for the American people:’  The bill will advance cutting-edge research on cancer and other diseases, make communities safer, deliver for our veterans, prioritize mental health care, improve access to high quality health care for Indian country, and strengthen worker protections for pregnant women. It also provides the resources needed to support Ukraine, provides the highest funding level for the Violence Against Women Act in history, and takes long overdue action to shore up our democracy and preserve the will of the people by reforming the Electoral Count Act.

Biden tweeted: “Today, I signed the bipartisan omnibus bill, ending a year of historic progress. It’ll invest in medical research, safety, veteran health care, disaster recovery, VAWA funding – and gets crucial assistance to Ukraine. Looking forward to more in 2023.”

The bill was approved last week by the Senate and House of Representatives after a speech by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before Congress in a plea for funding to “guarantee the future of our common freedom.” The spending package will provide an additional $45 billion in emergency assistance for Ukraine The spending plan includes $772.5 billion for domestic priorities, and $858 billion for defense. The bill also includes roughly $40 billion in disaster relief for communities recovering from hurricanes, wildfires, drought and other natural disasters. It also includes reforms to the Electoral Count Act, and a ban of the use of TikTok on government phones, among other projects for lawmakers.

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Brazilian soccer icon Pelé has died after battling cancer, his family announced Thursday on social media. He was 82.

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the man widely known as Pelé died at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Pelé’s cancer was discovered when he underwent colon tumor removal surgery in 2021. He was admitted to the hospital Nov. 29 for a respiratory infection, and was re-evaluated for the chemotherapy treatment. The hospital said last week that his colon cancer had progressed and continued to impact his kidney and heart function, saying in a news release: “The Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein regretfully confirms the death of Pelé, today, December 29, 2022, at 3:27 p.m, due to multiple organ failure, a result of the progression of colon cancer associated to his previous clinical condition. Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein sympathizes with “the family and everyone who suffers from the loss of our dear King of Football.”

Pelé was a three-time World Cup champion, scoring 12 times in 14 career appearances at the tournament. Additionally, he scored nearly 1,300 goals over his professional career. Pelé’s daughter, Kely Nascimento, wrote on Instagram: “Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace.” In addition, a message posted to Pelé’s Instagram account read: “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pele, who peacefully passed away today. On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love. His message today becomes a legacy for future generations. Love, love and love, forever.”

Tributes to Pelé flooded social media Thursday afternoon, with messages from the Brazilian Football Confederation and other national teams, and players from around the world including Neymar Jr., Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo wrote on Instagram: “My deep condolences to all of Brazil, and in particular to the family of Edson Arantes do Nascimento.  A mere ‘goodbye’ to the eternal King Pelé will never be enough to express the pain that the entire football world is currently embracing. An inspiration to so many millions, a reference yesterday, today and forever. The love you always showed me was reciprocated in every moment we shared even from distance. He will never be forgotten and his memory will live forever in each and every one of us football lovers. Rest in peace King Pelé.”

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The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that travelers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau will need to submit a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test before entering the United States, starting on Jan. 5. The new policy comes amid a surge in Covid cases in China and fears that a new, concerning variant could emerge. China is reporting more than 250 million positive cases in the first 20 days of December.

Under the new rule, travelers older than 2 must submit a negative COVID-19 test taken within two days of departing for the United States. Nationality and vaccination status will not have any bearing on whether a test must be provided. The policy also applies to travelers who have connecting flights in China. Passengers who tested positive 10 days before their flight can provide documented proof of recovery instead of a negative test.

The CDC warned that new variants of the COVID-19 virus are likely to emerge and go unidentified for longer due to China’s reduced testing and case reporting, saying in a press release: “Pre-departure testing and the requirement to show a negative test result has been shown to decrease the number of infected passengers boarding airplanes, and it will help to slow the spread of the virus as we work to identify and understand any potential new variants that may emerge.” 

The U.S. State Department issued a level-three travel advisory for China on Dec. 23, urging travelers to reconsider plans to visit the country “due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, and COVID-19-related restrictions.”

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47-year-old Barry Croft Jr., who was convicted of playing a key role in the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, was sentenced to 19 1/2 years in prison Wednesday. Croft and co-defendant Adam Fox, 39, were convicted in August of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and to use a weapon of mass destruction to attack Whitmer, who drew the hatred of far-right groups for her efforts to curb the spread of Covid in 2020. Fox was sentenced to 192 months (16 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker, and Croft was sentenced to 235 months in a Grand Rapids.

Jonker stopped short of issuing a life sentence sought by prosecutors, but the judge largely agreed with the government’s stance that Croft fueled the plot with dangerous rhetoric. Jonker said: “I do think of Mr. Croft as the more seriously culpable … more so than even Mr. Fox … I think he was the person who gave Mr. Fox something to grab on to,” calling Croft the “idea guy” who egged on co-conspirators with “wrong” and “twisted” ideology.

A jury in April failed to arrive at verdicts against Fox and Croft, forcing a judge to declare a mistrial before a second trial proved decisive. Gov. Whitmer, who won re-election last month, was the focal point of far-right rage in 2020 when she imposed various lockdowns aimed at curbing the spread of Covid. A representative for Whitmer on Wednesday said the governor had no comment beyond a statement she made when the Croft and Fox were convicted, insisting that plots “against public officials and threats to the FBI are a disturbing extension of radicalized domestic terrorism that festers in our nation, threatening the very foundation of our republic.”

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An avalanche caught four snowboarders on Berthoud Pass west of Denver, burying two and killing one. The 44-year-old victim was the first person to die in an avalanche in Colorado this winter  He and another snowboarder were fully buried when a slope near Winter Park fell. The slope, referred to as “Nitro Chute,” was located at about 11,500 feet.

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office said bystanders and family members were able to rescue one snowboarder but the 44-year-old was dead on the scene. The sheriff’s office shared in a press release: “The second subject, a 44-year-old male, was located and unfortunately, lifesaving measures performed by bystanders were unsuccessful and the male was pronounced dead at the scene. The Coroner’s Office is working with the victim’s family. The decedent’s identity and cause and manner of death will be released by the coroner when appropriate.”

The avalanche on Berthoud Pass was one of several triggered by riders on east-facing slopes the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (“CAIC”) was alerted of on Monday. A snowboarder in the same area of the pass triggered an avalanche earlier in the day. Several areas, including Park Range, Grand Mesa, Elk and West Elk Mountains, and the San Juan Mountains, are in an avalanche watch due to “very dangerous avalanche conditions” developing from Tuesday night into Thursday. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center tweeted: “You can trigger large and dangerous avalanches from below slopes or from a distance so be aware of steep slopes overhead or nearby parties. The most dangerous areas are wind-loaded, easterly aspects near and above the treeline.”

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The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday in a 5-4 vote that it will put off its decision on whether or not it will end Title 42 until at least June 2023, leaving the immigration rule in place until then. The court may consider arguments, largely from Republican-led states, seeking to keep Title 42 in place.  Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuch was the only conservative to join three liberal justices in voting against a stay. With the decision, the court will begin hearings on Title 42 in February, with the expectation of making a ruling by the end of June.

Title 42 was established in 1944 to allow the government authority to reject migrants as a way to stop the transmission of contagious diseases. Former President Donald Trump enacted Title 42 in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was on the rise worldwide. With the rule in place, migrants, including some who may otherwise be able to start the process of seeking asylum in the United States, are instead deported in a much quicker manner. President Joe Biden attempted to end Title 42 after pressure from asylum seekers, human rights organizations and a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Nineteen attorneys general from Republican-led states joined to file an emergency motion to keep Title 42 in place.  Justice Gorsuch joined Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson with the opinion that the court should not act as “policymakers of last resort.”  He wrote: “Even if at the end of it all we find that the States are permitted to intervene, and even if the States manage on remand to demonstrate that the Title 42 orders were lawfully adopted, the emergency on which those orders were premised has long since lapsed. The current border crisis is not a COVID crisis.”

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