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Judge denies Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's request to lift two-year Churchill Downs ban

February 18, 2023 Published by



CNN
 — 

Hall of Fame horse trainer Bob Baffert will miss the Kentucky Derby for a second straight year after a federal judge denied his request to have a two-year ban by Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) overturned.

US District Court Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings ruled Friday that Baffert and his attorneys “failed to carry their burden to demonstrate that the Court should impose a preliminary injunction against CDI’s suspension.”

Baffert, 70, argued, among other things, that his suspension had a negative effect on his business and reputation. Baffert also argued that Churchill Downs would not be affected if he were allowed to compete at the Kentucky Derby in May.

Jennings noted his participation could impact the integrity of the race as he is the only trainer who has had horses test positive in consecutive marquee races on Churchill Downs Inc. tracks.

“Failing to punish trainers whose horses test positive in marquee races could harm CDI’s reputation and the integrity of their races,” Jennings wrote.

CNN has reached out to Baffert’s representation for comment. It is unclear if Baffert’s attorneys intend to appeal the federal judge’s decision.

“Churchill Downs is pleased that the Court denied Mr. Baffert’s demand for a preliminary injunction and granted our motion to dismiss on all but one claim, and on that claim, the Court held that Mr. Baffert did not establish a likelihood of success on the merits,” the company that runs the Louisville racetrack said Friday.

“Today’s opinion is a victory for the integrity of horseracing and we will continue to take action to protect the safety of our human and equine athletes.”

Baffert was banned from all three Triple Crown races last year after Medina Spirit’s victory at the 2021 Kentucky Derby was disqualified.

The Kentucky Derby winner, who died in December 2021, tested positive for betamethasone – an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid sometimes used to relieve joint pain – in a blood sample taken after crossing the finish line first. Kentucky horse racing rules don’t allow that and tell trainers to stop using the therapeutic 14 days before an event.

In February 2022, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced its decision to disqualify Medina Spirit and suspended Baffert for 90 days.

In total, Baffert received a two-year suspension from Churchill Downs, a one-year suspension from the New York Racing Association, and was suspended from the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes in Maryland.

A two-time winner of horse racing’s Triple Crown, Baffert is eligible to enter horses this year at the Preakness Stakes in May and at the Belmont Stakes in June. Baffert’s suspension from the Kentucky Derby expires after the 2023 race.

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3 ways Biden, Congress must respond to very real Chinese, Russian threats

February 18, 2023 Published by

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In recent weeks, a Chinese spy balloon captured the nation’s attention. The alarm and outrage among the American people demonstrate a broad consensus on national security. To those who follow foreign policy public opinion, this reaction comes as no surprise.  

Americans are clear-eyed about the threats we face, but they worry that our government and military might not be up to the task of responding. Policymakers in the new Congress should know Americans are ready for serious action on the multiplying threats to our national security. 

The latest Reagan National Defense Survey shows an increasing public awareness of the threats emanating from China and Russia. In our nationwide public opinion poll, 81% of Americans are concerned about the threat of rising authoritarianism around the world — up from 75% in 2021. 

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Nearly two-thirds are worried about Russia winning the war in Ukraine, and three-quarters are concerned that the war will expand to NATO countries in Eastern Europe, forcing the United States to get directly involved. If Russia were to attack a NATO ally, most Americans support that U.S. involvement. 

Ukrainian soldiers inspect a damaged Russian tank on a road near the recently retaken village of Kamianka, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Sunday

Ukrainian soldiers inspect a damaged Russian tank on a road near the recently retaken village of Kamianka, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Sunday (AP Photo)

Americans are concerned that Russian aggression will have spillover effects in other parts of the world, inspiring other authoritarian countries to invade their democratic neighbors. Even before this recent spy balloon incident, China and Taiwan were not far from the minds of most Americans.  

Seven in 10 worry that within the next five years, the United States will go to war with China. They are concerned about China’s economic practices, its military buildup and its human rights abuses — but they do not believe we have a clear strategy to manage our relationship with China. Less than half think the United States has the best military capabilities in the world. Even fewer think we have the best high-tech capabilities.  

With this assessment of the strategic landscape, here are three things Congress and the Biden administration must achieve: 

1. Invest in peace through military strength 

In the face of Chinese military investment and Russian military aggression, we must rebuild American hard power to bolster deterrence — reestablishing the peace in Europe and maintaining the peace in the Indo-Pacific.  

According to our survey, increasing defense spending has widespread public support. Three-quarters favor a higher military budget — including supermajorities (more than two-thirds) of Democrats, Independents and Republicans. Congress should provide funding for a bigger navy, more conventional weapons, and a modernized nuclear arsenal. It should also assist our military with procuring and integrating the cutting-edge technologies we need to compete in the 21st century. 

2. Develop a strategy for confronting China, our top adversary 

Americans identify China as the country posing the greatest threat to the United States, despite Russia’s aggression in Ukraine dominating headlines for almost a year.  

Three-quarters of Americans now view China as an enemy, up from 55% in 2018.The newly formed House Select Committee on China represents a laudable first step in addressing this threat. Part of this committee’s work should consider ways to strategically separate our economy from China’s in industries relevant to national security.  

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Over half of Americans, including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans, support efforts to reduce the amount of trade between the United States and China. Simultaneously, Congress should enhance American support for Taiwan, as bipartisan majorities approve of efforts to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, such as increasing the U.S. military presence in the region and increasing arms sales to Taiwan. 

3. Uphold American values of freedom and democracy 

Americans want our country to walk and chew gum when it comes to the Indo-Pacific and Europe. In particular, they want to stand with the people of Ukraine.  

Nearly one year into the war, a majority of Americans wants the United States to continue providing assistance and equipment to the Ukrainians in their fight for freedom. Only one in three Americans believe we have enough problems at home and cannot afford to spend more on the conflict and risk further provoking Russia.

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Americans understand that a freer and more democratic world is one of greater peace and prosperity. Our values are our interests. Seven in 10 Americans want to continue or increase U.S. assistance for democracy advocates abroad. In addition to supporting the fight in Ukraine, Congress should fully fund the National Endowment for Democracy and the U.S. Agency for Global Media as part of our efforts to advance freedom around the world. 

Policymakers on both sides of the aisle should know that Americans believe, as Ronald Reagan explained at the 1980 Republican National Convention: “The United States has an obligation to its citizens and to the people of the world never to let those who would destroy freedom dictate the future course of life on this planet.” Our leaders would do well to take a page from President Reagan’s foreign policy playbook. 

Thomas Kenna is the Reagan Institute’s policy associate. 

Rachel Hoff is Policy Director at the Ronald Reagan Institute.

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Qatari Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani officially makes bid for Manchester United

February 18, 2023 Published by



CNN
 — 

Qatari Shiekh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani has officially made a bid for English Premier League club Manchester United, Al Thani confirmed in a statement Friday.

“Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani today confirmed his submission of a bid for 100% of Manchester United Football Club,” Al Thani’s statement read.

“The bid plans to return the club to its former glories both on and off the pitch, and – above all – will seek to place the fans at the heart of Manchester United Football club once more.

“The bid will be completely debt free via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training centre, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports.

“The vision of the bid is for Manchester United Football Club to be renowned for footballing excellence, and regarded as the greatest football club in the world.

“More details of the bid will be released, when appropriate, if and when the bid process develops.”

Al Thani is the chairman of one of Qatar’s banks QIB.

CNN has reached out the club and Raine Group – the investment banking firm handling the sale – for comment but did not immediately hear back.

In November, club owners the Glazer family announced their intention to explore the sale of the club.

Al Thani is the second known bidder for the club. British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s company INEOS had formally entered the bidding process to buy the club, according to The Times last month.

Raine Group had set a Friday 10 p.m. UK (5 p.m. ET) soft deadline for offers, according to multiple reports.

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Method uses electricity to spot Alzheimer’s ‘tipping point’

February 18, 2023 Published by

A new method allows researchers to control and follow in real time how tau protein changes from a benign protein essential for normal function in our brains to the toxic tangles that are a signature of Alzheimer’s.

The technique uses low voltage electricity as a surrogate for the natural signals that trigger the protein to fold and assemble, both for its normal function in the brain and in the runaway process leading to often fatal disease.

“This method provides scientists a new means to trigger and simultaneously observe the dynamic changes in the protein as it transitions from good to bad,” says Daniel E. Morse, professor emeritus of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of California, Santa Barbara and senior author of the study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

“The method should be widely useful to identify molecules and conditions that direct different trajectories of assembly in a number of different but related amyloid diseases,” says lead author Eloise Masqulier.

Under normal circumstances, tau is a soluble protein that starts out in an open, loose configuration, like a piece of string. In response to a signal, tau proteins fold up and progressively assemble with one another, enabling them to bind to tiny cylindrical structures—microtubules—that support the shape of the neurons and transport nutrients and molecules inside the cells.

However, in pathological cases, the signal goes too far, causing the protein to assemble uncontrollably, forming the insoluble amyloid filaments that become neurofibrillary tangles inside neurons, interrupting their function and eventually killing them.

Using their new method with the core portion (a peptide) of tau, the investigators were able to observe and analyze a critical “tipping point” between normal, reversible folding and assembly, and the irreversible, pathological assembly that underlies tauopathic, neurodegenerative diseases.

Using less than a volt of electrical potential to mimic hyperphosphorylation (the disease-promoting signal), the scientists triggered and finely tuned the tau-peptide’s folding in their lab experiments, using spectroscopic methods to reveal details of the folding and progressive assembly to form amyloid-like filaments.

Unlike other modes of examining protein folding and assembly, such as X-ray diffraction or cryo-electron microscopy that provide static snapshots of the processes as they occur in time, the new electrochemical method allows users to continuously witness and analyze details of the progressive, dynamical folding and assembly as they occur in real time, permitting the first direct observations of the critical earliest steps in these processes.

Also, unlike most techniques previously used for studies of tau and its core peptide, because the electrical trigger closely mimics the natural triggering signal, the method permits direct observation of these processes without the need for additional “helper” molecules.

The authors report that the technology can also be used as a tool to more rapidly test and identify drugs and antibodies potentially useful for prevention or treatment of Alzheimer’s and other amyloid diseases.

“Because we can turn on and fine-tune the process at will,” Morse says, “we can use this system to see what molecules could interdict or block specific stages of folding and assembly.”

Source: UC Santa Barbara

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Man arrested after 6 killed, including suspect's ex-wife, in series of shootings in Mississippi, sheriff says

February 18, 2023 Published by



CNN
 — 

Six people are dead and another was wounded Friday in a series of shootings in Tate County, Mississippi after a man opened fire on his ex-wife and potentially other family members, Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance told CNN.

The suspect, Richard Dale Crum, 52, was arrested after the alleged rampage and is facing charges of first-degree murder in connection with the case, the sheriff’s office said. Additional charges are expected to be filed, the department said.

Authorities got the first 911 call around 11 a.m. ET after the suspect pulled into the parking lot of a store in Arkabutla, a small rural town in northern Mississippi, and fired into the car next to him where he fatally shot the driver, Lance said. Another person in the vehicle was not injured.

Lance said the suspected gunman went into the store then took off, driving to his ex-wife’s home. Lance said the suspect shot and killed his ex-wife before striking her fiancé, who was also in the residence.

Deputies caught up to the suspect after finding a vehicle matching its description in front of a residence that authorities determined belonged to him, Lance said.

Law enforcement personnel work at the scene of a shooting, Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, in Arkabutla, Miss. Six people were fatally shot Friday in the small town in rural Mississippi near the Tennessee state line, and authorities said they had taken a suspect into custody.

On a small road behind the suspect’s home, authorities found two men who had been shot and killed. One was found on the road and the other was in a vehicle, Lance said.

Another two victims were found shot and killed in a house neighboring the suspect’s home, Lance said. According to Lance, deputies believe the suspect might be related to the victims, a man and woman.

Lance said another person was injured in the shootings. That person was treated by emergency crews and not taken to a hospital for additional treatment, Lance said.

Deputies took the suspect into custody as he was trying to leave the scene near his house, Lance said.

Richard Dale Crum

Lance said deputies found several handguns and a shotgun in the suspect’s car. The suspect is being held at the Tate County jail, according to Lance.

The victims have not been identified. Lance said a motive is unclear at this time.

CNN has not been able to determine if Crum has obtained an attorney.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is working with local law enforcement in the investigation, Bailey Martin, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation told CNN.

Gov. Tate Reeves said he’d been briefed on the shootings, explaining in a tweet that the suspect is believed to have acted alone.

“I will ensure that the full resources of the state are available to law enforcement as we continue to investigate the situation,” Reeves said.

Tate County is in northwest Mississippi, about 30 minutes south of Memphis, Tennessee. 

Correction: A previous version of this story mistakenly transposed a spokesperson’s name for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. The person’s name is Bailey Martin.


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Why do we think the ‘forbidden fruit’ is an apple?

February 18, 2023 Published by

face up and face down halves of green apple on black

How did the apple from the Garden of Eden become the “forbidden fruit” symbolizing temptation, sin, and the fall of man?

“‘Adam and Eve ate a pom,’ meant ‘Adam and Eve ate a fruit.’ Over time, however, the meaning of pom changed.”

An attention-grabbing Super Bowl ad looked at what would have happened if Adam and Eve ate an avocado instead of an apple. Although a spoof, the Bible never actually specifies what Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden.

Azzan Yadin-Israel, a professor of Jewish studies and classics at Rutgers University, tackles the question in his new book Temptation Transformed: The Story of How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple (University of Chicago Press, 2022).

Here, Yadin-Israel unpacks the evolution of the identity of the forbidden fruit:

The post Why do we think the ‘forbidden fruit’ is an apple? appeared first on Futurity.

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Vermont college staff vote no confidence in board of trustees

February 18, 2023 Published by

Faculty from three Vermont state colleges have voted no confidence in the board of trustees that oversees the separate institutions after the board voted to have the school libraries go all-digital and restructure athletics, the faculty announced Friday.

The vote by the faculty of Castleton University, Northern Vermont University and Vermont Technical College came in response to what they called the “reckless decisions.”

The schools that are part of the Vermont State Colleges system will be consolidated this summer into the Vermont State University, but the individual schools will still maintain separate campuses. The state colleges have been struggling for years with declining student numbers due in large part to Vermont’s well-known demographic challenges and increasing costs.

VERMONT STATE COLLEGES TRUSTEES ADOPT SYSTEMWIDE ‘ANTI-RACISM PLEDGE’

The no confidence motion was in the Vermont State College Board of Trustees, Chancellor Sophie Zdatny, Chief Academic Officer Yasmine Ziesler, and President Parwinder Grewal. The motion specifically excludes the student representative on the board, the faculty said in a news release.

“We need to see the larger picture in order to help make (Vermont State University) successful,” the faculty said in announcing the vote. “Any decisions made moving forward need to be made transparently, driven by data and cost benefit analysis, and need to be communicated with wisdom and compassion.”

Faculty members at three Vermont colleges have voted no confidence in the board of trustees that oversees each of them.

Faculty members at three Vermont colleges have voted no confidence in the board of trustees that oversees each of them.

Also Friday, the Vermont School Library Association called on the state college system to reverse the decision to eliminate print libraries, repurpose physical spaces and lay off librarians.

The state colleges announced the changes last week.

VERMONT UNIVERSITY HOSTS ‘SEX TOY BINGO’

When asked for a reaction on Friday, the administration of the state colleges sent a message from last week from Grewal, the incoming Vermont State University president, apologizing for the way the initial announcements were made.

He said the libraries will not be closed, but they will be transformed to serve “not only campus-based learners, but all learners. The digital generation is coming through the door, and we need to be prepared to serve them well — with full access for everyone.”

Grewal said they must make strategic decisions. “And sometimes those decisions may mean a change in one area that will feel like loss to invest in another area,” he said.

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They claimed the shift to an all-digital library format was a “data driven decision” that would give users unlimited access to resources. The changes to athletics include moving some of the sports offerings on some of the campuses to club teams rather than intercollegiate sports.

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