Good Morning!
A pro-life amendment takes center stage in Kansas today; new studies show lack of sleep can have a detrimental impact on a child’s cognitive development and the U.S. military kills the al-Qaeda leader who oversaw the 9/11 attacks.
Those stories and more below.
- 11 races we’re watching in Tuesday’s primaries
From The Hill:
Five states hold closely watched primaries on Tuesday, several of which are seen as the latest tests of former President Trump’s hold over the GOP.
Voters in Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington will decide Senate, House and gubernatorial nominees, along with a key secretary of state’s race and a ballot measure on abortion.
The races feature everything from a proxy battle between Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence to an incumbent-on-incumbent primary to lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump fighting for their political lives.
- U.S. kills al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, officials say
From the Washington Post:
The United States has killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda and one of the world’s most-wanted terrorists, who oversaw the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, alongside the group’s founder, Osama bin Laden, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
Both men escaped U.S. forces in Afghanistan in late 2001, and Zawahiri’s whereabouts had long been a mystery. Bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. forces in Pakistan in 2011.
It was not immediately clear where and when Zawahiri died and what element of the U.S. government had carried out the mission.
- Kansas’ abortion vote kicks off new post-Roe era
From Politico:
Kansas is the first state in the nation to put the question of abortion rights directly to voters since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The final hours of the campaign are a street fight.
Working block-by-block, hundreds of canvassers, some flown in from across the country, are knocking on hundreds of thousands of doors to remind people of the stakes in Tuesday’s referendum — not just for Kansas, but for the country.
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was the culmination of decades of conservative strategizing, but it was also a starter’s pistol for 50-plus battles about to be waged across the country. The fight in Kansas offers a preview of this new era, and a test of which voters are more motivated by the Supreme Court’s bombshell decision.
“This is the first of many battles that we’re going to be seeing across many states,” said Mary Owens, the communications director for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, who flew in from the organization’s Virginia headquarters for the final push. “The power has gone back to the people to be able to enact pro-life legislation through their elected representatives rather than judges.”
- Pelosi to visit Taiwan, local media say, despite China warnings
From CNBC:
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi was set to visit Taiwan on Tuesday, three people briefed on the matter said, as China warned that its military would never “sit idly by” if she visited the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.
Pelosi, who began an Asia trip earlier on Monday in Singapore, was due to spend Tuesday night in Taiwan, the people said.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had no comment on reports of Pelosi’s travel plans.
Amid widespread speculation over whether she would make a stop in Taiwan, Pelosi’s office said on Sunday that she was leading a congressional delegation to the region that would include visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. It did not mention Taiwan.
- Christian Soccer Player Benched for Refusing to Wear ‘Pride’ Jersey
From the Daily Citizen:
One of the recurring marketing schemes of the LGBT agenda involves pro sports teams wearing “pride” themed insignia or clothing at least once a year. And for Christians who earn their living playing such sports, but won’t compromise their Christian witness, “pride night” at the ballpark or stadium can result in tough choices and career fallout.
Just ask Jaelene Daniels, a 29-year-old professional women’s soccer player with the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League. She was benched by her club for their July 29 match against the Washington Spirit for refusing to wear rainbow-themed pre-match and warmup tops in honor of “pride night.”
Her team sent a mixed message about her decision.
“Jaelene will not be rostered tonight as she has made the decision to not wear our Pride jersey,” a Courage spokeswoman said in a statement to media before the game, as reported by ESPN. “While we’re disappointed with her choice, we respect her right to make that decision for herself.
- 61% Of Americans Living Paycheck-To-Paycheck
From the Daily Wire:
Bidenflation is hitting Americans across the board, according to a new study.
On Monday, CNBC reported that recent data from LendingClub indicates that in June 2022, 61% of all Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck — including 36% of those earning more than $200,000. That figure is up from 55% from the year before for all Americans.
“What a difference a year makes. Last summer we were all worried about how quickly the economy would recover,” Anuj Nayar, LendingClub’s Financial Health Officer, said in a press release issued Monday. “Now, as inflation continues its upwards swing, consumers are finding it more difficult to manage spending and are eating into their savings as financial pressures mount.”
Nayar predicted that Americans would soon have difficulties handling unexpected costs.
- Russian Invasion of Ukraine Widens Spiritual Rifts Among the Nations’ Christians
From the WSJ:
After a solemn Mass in the Church of the Transformation, the Rev. Marco Fedak retired to a back room to review the latest news on his iPhone. Artillery rattled the church windows, and Ukrainian soldiers in fatigues prayed on hewed wooden church pews. If Ukraine’s army retreats, Father Fedak said, he must leave with them.
“I wouldn’t live long among the enemy,” he said.
As Russian forces approach Father Fedak’s Greek Catholic monastery, a wider ecclesiastical flight is happening in Ukraine. When Russia launched its invasion in February, the ground war was coupled with a spiritual one.
In Moscow, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, blessed Russian troops and proclaimed the war in Ukraine a metaphysical conflict between the faithful of God and a decadent West. That has sent officials from other denominations fleeing to the western reaches of the country to escape the fighting.
- Children Who Lack Sleep May Experience Detrimental Impact on Brain and Cognitive Development That Persists Over Time
From Neuroscience News:
Elementary school-age children who get less than nine hours of sleep per night have significant differences in certain brain regions responsible for memory, intelligence and well-being compared to those who get the recommended nine to 12 hours of sleep per night, according to a new study led by University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers.
Such differences correlated with greater mental health problems, like depression, anxiety, and impulsive behaviors, in those who lacked sleep. Inadequate sleep was also linked to cognitive difficulties with memory, problem solving and decision making.
The findings were published today in the journal Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that children aged 6 to 12 years of age sleep 9 to 12 hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
- CNN Chief’s Republican Apology Tour
From the Washington Free Beacon:
CNN’s new CEO, Chris Licht, has been attending to an audience neglected by the network for the past several years: Republican lawmakers.
The network boss camped out in mid-July in a room on the first floor of the Senate side of the Capitol, S-120, where he asked GOP lawmakers to come talk with him privately. That arrangement avoided alerting the reporters who stalk the halls of the Capitol, sources said, and accommodated Republican lawmakers who preferred not to be seen hobnobbing with him.
Licht’s message, according to one of the lawmakers who sat down with him as well as to several sources briefed on the exchanges: “We want to win back your trust.”
The CNN chief spent between 45 minutes and an hour cajoling GOP lawmakers who no longer appear on the network to come back on the air — and assuring them he’d praise producers for inviting them and communicate his displeasure if he doesn’t believe they are treated fairly
“I think he does genuinely want that to happen,” one Republican lawmaker told the Washington Free Beacon. “Put aside ideology, I think he thinks CNN sucks.”
- Last Victim Injured in Uvalde School Shooting Discharged from Hospital
From the Daily Citizen:
The final victim still receiving treatment from the horrific mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas in May has been released from a San Antonio hospital.
Dozens of family, friends and hospital staff cheered for 10-year-old Mayah Zamora as she departed. Zamora passed out roses to nurses and hospital staff on her way out of the hospital.
University Health tweeted the video of Mayah being discharged from the hospital.
“Today was a happy day at University Hospital! Our final patient from the Uvalde shooting, 10-year-old Mayah Zamora, was discharged! She passed out roses and left in style thanks to @HEB.
“She is our hero and we can’t wait to see all she accomplishes in the future! #MayahStrong” the hospital added.
