RFK Jr. Endorses Trump: Will It Matter?
Plus, Taliban bans women from speaking in public; Dr. Fauci gets West Nile Virus
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Good morning,
Already annoyed about travel delays with Labor Day on the horizon? Just think about NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
They are STILL in space after their scheduled eight day mission, which took-off in early June, was extended because of technical issues on the Boeing Starliner that was supposed to take them back.
Now the capsule is being sent back to Earth empty.
Instead, NASA decided that SpaceX’s Dragon capsule will bring them home in March as part of the Crew-9 mission. They are likely to now spend about nine months in space.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson isn’t giving up on Boeing after issues with the thrusters and propulsion system are to blame.
He said on Saturday, “We want to further understand the root causes and understand the design improvements so that the Boeing Starliner will serve as an important part of our assured crew access to the ISS.”
Eight days to nine months… A several hour flight delay doesn’t seem so bad after all!
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
📌 RFK JR. BACKS TRUMP — WHAT THAT MEANS FOR NOVEMBER
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially dropped out of the presidential race and backed former President Donald Trump on Friday. On Sunday RFK Jr. said that “there's been no commitments” regarding a role in a potential second Trump administration, but “we just made a general commitment that we were going to work together.”
The former independent presidential candidate said that despite him and Trump having “very serious differences” on numerous issues, they share similar views on cutting aid to Ukraine, battling chronic disease and social media censorship. Plus, he said Trump took his recent phone calls — unlike Vice President Kamala Harris, who won’t call him back.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A MONTH MAKES: As recently as last month, Kennedy called Trump a “terrible human being” who was “probably a sociopath” and engages in “barely coherent barrages” of words.
THE POLITICS: WILL IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
The move could give Trump a slight boost. Polling has shown RFK Jr. takes more votes from Trump than Harris and people who supported him have more favorable views of Trump (52%) than Harris (37%).
RFK Jr. was polling about 20% in some early polls, but was recently only getting 3-5% in recent polls. And, historically, third party candidates only received about ½ of the vote percentage they see in polls.
SWING STATES: Analysis shows that the impact of Kennedy’s exit from the race will be marginal.
The Nate Silver Bulletin found that Harris got a 0.8% bump from RFK Jr.’s exit, while Trump increased 1.1%. So, a boost to Trump of 0.3%.
Note, Trump lost to Biden by about 10,000-20,000 votes in GA, AZ and WI in 2020. So, even several thousand Kennedy voters moving to Trump could impact the final result if 2024 is as close as 2020.
An unscientific poll of RFK Jr supporters in the Mo New community found that a majority will follow him to Trump, but others said they will not be voting or supporting Harris instead.
A TRUMP WHITE HOUSE
At a Trump rally in Arizona on Friday night, the former president vowed to establish a commission on presidential assassinations and a panel, “working with Bobby,” to investigate the decades-long surge in chronic health problems and childhood diseases if elected.
RFK Jr.’s father, the former attorney general, and his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, were assassinated in the 1960s.
He also opposed vaccines and created the nonprofit group Children’s Health Defense.
📌 TALIBAN CONTINUES TO CLAW BACK WOMEN’S RIGHTS
The women of Afghanistan are having all their rights stripped away in the just over three years since the US withdrew from the country, and the Taliban quickly took back control.
Last week, Taliban leaders banned women from speaking aloud in public or revealing their faces and bodies. It’s a stark change from women working in politics, news, and education just a few years ago, and the Taliban promised they would be more open to women’s rights during their rule.
RULES & PUNISHMENT
Taliban leaders issued the country’s first set of laws to prevent vice and promote virtue on Wednesday.
The rules: Women must be covered in front of all non-Muslims to avoid being “corrupted.” Women cannot look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa. The law deems a woman’s voice as intimate, and so it should not be heard in public.
Already, 13,000 people have been temporarily detained for violating the morality ministry.
The punishment: The Justice Ministry said that penalties for violations included “advice, warnings of divine punishment, verbal threats, confiscation of property, detention for one hour to three days in public jails, and any other punishment deemed appropriate.” The courts would be the next step.
Afghans who believe women in their country are treated with respect in 2023. Via: Gallup.
WHERE THEY WERE
Following 9/11, the US ousted the previous Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Women’s rights were enshrined in the new constitution in 2003. However, the Taliban quickly took back control as the US withdrew troops in August 2021, suspended the constitution, and returned to their extreme interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
📌 WEST NILE VIRUS SENT DR. FAUCI TO HOSPITAL, WHAT IS IT?
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who became a household name during COVID, was hospitalized for about a week recently with the West Nile virus.
The 83-year-old is now recovering at home. But it is the peak of the season for the mosquito-borne disease. Here’s what to know.
WHAT IT IS
When mosquitoes bite sick birds, they can become infected. They can then spread the virus to people when they bite them. It’s the US’s most common mosquito-borne illness, and over 200 people in at least 33 states have reported infections so far this year. Most cases go undetected, however, as 80% of people never feel symptoms.
About a fifth of those infected get flu-like symptoms. The virus invades the brain and nervous system in about 1 in 150 cases, which can lead to brain swelling, brain damage or death.
There is no specific treatment or vaccine for West Nile.
About 100 people die from West Nile infections in the US each year and people over age 60 are at higher risk.
How to avoid: The key is not getting bit. Wear loose-fitting, body-covering clothing. Use screens or air conditioning inside. Empty any standing water outside (bird baths, flower pots and toys).
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Harris campaign says it's raised $540 million and saw a surge of donations during the convention (AP)
📌 Hurricane Hone brings heavy rain, winds to Hawaii’s Big Island (NBC NEWS)
📌 Secret Service places at least 5 agents on leave in Trump assassination attempt probe (MO NEWS)
📌 Small grocers feel squeezed by suppliers, and shoppers bear the pain (WASHINGTON POST)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Israel and Hezbollah both claim victory after night of heavy fighting (AXIOS)
📌 Russia and Ukraine swap prisoners of war as Ukraine marks independence anniversary (AP)
📌 Man arrested over suspected terror attack explosion at French synagogue (TIMES OF ISREAL)
📌 Telegram app founder Pavel Durov arrested at French airport (GUARDIAN)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Free at-home COVID testing program restarting as officials prepare for fall, winter season (ABC NEWS)
📌 Alice Walton (heiress to Walmart) is the world's richest woman — and may soon be worth $100 billion (BI)
📌 How SpaceX's historic Polaris Dawn private spacewalk will work, launch today (SPACE)
📌 NBA says Warner Bros Discovery lacks reach & cash to challenge Amazon TV rights deal (DEADLINE)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Justin and Hailey Bieber have their first child (USA TODAY)
📌 ‘Ted Lasso’ eyes Season 4 with main cast members returning (VARIETY)
📌 Ben Affleck, 52, is 'hanging out' with RFK Jr.'s daughter Kick Kennedy, 36, amid Jennifer Lopez divorce (DAILY MAIL)
📌 Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce host Blake Lively birthday bash at Rhode Island beach house (TMZ)
📌 Jenna Ortega says she deleted Twitter after seeing explicit AI images of herself as a minor (NBC NEWS)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: AUGUST 26
1883: The Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia begins its peak eruption. 36,000+ people would be killed in the eruption and resulting tsunami, in the one of the deadliest volcanoes in human history.
1977: The Commodores released ‘Brick House.’
1978: Frankie Valli’s “Grease” reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
1985: Ryan White, a 13-year-old AIDS patient, began “attending” classes in Kokomo, Indiana via a telephone hook-up at his home, as school officials had barred White from attending classes in person due to his illness.
2009: Jaycee Dugard was discovered alive in California after being kidnapped 18 years earlier.