Somehow we made it to another Friday with all our faculties more or less in tact. Victory is ours.
Good morning, and happy National Whistleblower Day!
I have a soft spot in my heart for whistleblowers, in part due to my former life as a reporter, but also because a very dear friend specializes in whistleblower law. (This one’s for you, Greg, if you’re reading this morning).
On this day in 1778, the U.S. Continental Congress unanimously passed America’s first whistleblower law. Yup, that’s right, the Founding Fathers of this glorious country recognized the importance of whistleblowers and demanded that they be protected.
Their resolution clearly stated:
“It is the duty of all persons in the services of the United States, as well as all other inhabitants thereof, to give their earliest information to Congress or other proper authority of any misconduct, frauds, or misdemeanors conducted by any officers, or persons in the service of these states, which may come to their knowledge.”
Cool, right?
The whistleblowers who sought protection at the time were 10 American sailors and marines who had reported improper behavior by the Continental Navy’s most powerful man. (It’s kind of a long and winding story, if you’ve got a few minutes, read it here).
A little more history….
The U.S. government further empowered whistleblowers – a term that was popularized in the 1970s during Watergate and the release of the Pentagon Papers – in the midst of the Civil War.
Lacking money to hire an army of inspectors, the government instead authorized the public to act as whistleblowers with the passage of the False Claims Act of 1863, also known as the “Lincoln Law.”
In 2018, the Department of Justice used the law to obtain nearly $3 billion in settlements and judgments from cases involving fraud and false claims against the U.S. government.
One of the most recent federal laws on this subject is the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, which was enhanced in 2012 to extended protection to federal employees in the intelligence community and others with security clearance.
The whistleblower lawyers at Kohn, Kohn and Colapinto and officials at the National Whistleblower Center have long urged Congress to officially acknowledge today as National Whistleblower Day.
If you’re into it, there’s a petition you can sign and everything.
It’s going to be unseasonably cool – like in the 70s – for a good chunk of time. I personally am not sorry, as I hate running in the heat. Today will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of a rain shower.
In the headlines…
Federal workers will be required to prove their coronavirus vaccination status or submit to a series of rigorous safety protocols, President Joe Biden announced as his administration prepares for an expected surge in infections.
Bide called on local governments to dish out $100 payments with shots and announcing that federal workers who remain unvaccinated will face regular testing and other onerous restrictions.
“This is not about red states and blue states, it’s literally about life and death, it’s about life and death,” said Biden, “that’s what it’s about.”
In his sternest approach yet to pushing Americans to get vaccinated, the President bluntly argued that if you are unvaccinated, “You present a problem to yourself, to your family and to those with whom you work.”
Biden said he has ordered the military to start taking steps toward making the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for uniformed service members.
Vice President Kamala Harris released a sweeping strategy to address the root causes of migration amid the recent surge in illegal U.S.-Mexico border crossings.
Former President Trump lashed out at Senate Republicans after the upper chamber voted to take up debate on a bipartisan infrastructure package, accusing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and “RINOs” of surrendering to Democrats.
The firm leading a widely criticized, Republican-backed audit of election ballots in Arizona has received $5.7 million in donations, the majority from supporters of Trump.
Congress overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.
The Biden administration threatened to sue Texas over an order from its governor banning the transportation of migrants within the state by anyone other than law enforcement, saying the move impinges on the federal government’s control over immigration.
Biden and congressional Democrats scrambled to try and find a way to prevent a federal eviction moratorium from expiring in two days, mounting a last-minute effort as fears spread about the economic impact of a new resurgence of the coronavirus.
Biden called on Congress to extend the eviction moratorium set to expire on Saturday that prohibits landlords nationwide from evicting certain tenants who fail to pay rent amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The delta variant of the coronavirus appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal federal health document that argues officials must “acknowledge the war has changed.”
After issuing new guidance that vaccinated people should wear masks indoors – recommendations that are likely to affect millions of Americans in the form of private and public mask mandates – the CDC has yet to release the data behind its decision.
The new masking advice was based in part on data showing that the virus can thrive in the airways of vaccinated people. The findings are expected today.
Israeli health officials plan to offer booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to people over age 60 as the shot’s effectiveness appears to wane as the delta variant spreads across the world.
AstraZeneca said it will seek full regulatory approval — as opposed to fast-track emergency use authorization — for its COVID-19 vaccine from the U.S. before the end of the year.
Local officials across Florida are bucking Gov. Ron DeSantis and his anti-mandate coronavirus strategy as infections soar in the state and nation.
The U.S. economy grew rapidly in the second quarter and exceeded its pre-pandemic size, but the outlook has suddenly turned cloudier due to the fast-spreading Delta coronavirus variant.
New claims for unemployment insurance fell last week by 24,000, the Labor Department said.
The weekly applications have fallen more or less steadily this year — from a peak of 904,000 in early to January. But they remain high by historic standards: Before COVID struck the United States in March 2020, claims were coming in at about 220,000 a week.
The 20 Republican-led states that reduced unemployment benefits in June did not see an immediate spike in overall hiring, but early evidence suggests something did change: The teen hiring boom slowed, and workers 25 and older returned to work faster.
The government is issuing another batch of refunds to taxpayers who received jobless aid last year and overpaid on taxes, the Internal Revenue Service announced.
Production of movies and TV shows is getting disrupted again because of Covid-19 and uncertainty over vaccination protocols, a setback as networks and streaming services remain hungry for fresh content.
Los Angeles Unified School District said it is requiring all students and faculty to be tested for COVID-19 – regardless of their vaccination status – before returning to in-person learning for the new school year.
Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases, Twitter has announced that they will be closing their San Francisco and New York offices.
New cases of Covid-19 continue to surge in New York with the state confirming over 2,500 positive tests Wednesday.
First Lady Jill Biden underwent a medical procedure to remove an object lodged in her left foot, a White House official said. She stepped on the unknown object while walking on a beach during an official event in Hawaii over the weekend.
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal that this week took a step closer to being agreed upon includes billions of dollars for New York transit, railroads, airports, highways and more, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
More than a year after New Yorkers fled the city in droves as the pandemic ravaged the city, the trend is beginning to reverse.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo made a plea to business owners to “play a major role” in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19 by only allowing vaccinated people inside.
Some labor unions in New York are questioning Cuomo’s plan to require Covid-19 vaccines or regular testing for all state workers.
Nearly four months after the state agreed to spend $15 million directly to address vaccine hesitancy, Cuomo finalized deals with organizations working within communities where cases of COVID-19 are skyrocketing because of relatively low vaccination rates.
Renowned restaurateur Danny Meyer is calling on all staff and indoor diners at his full-service restaurants in New York City and Washington, D.C., to show proof of vaccination before entering any of his establishments beginning in early September.
Though he says he hates wearing a mask, Rochester Chamber of Commerce President Bob Duffy believes it’s fair game for businesses to choose how they want to operate with COVID-19 still around.
New York restaurants could make up $50,000 in tax credit as part of a new program announced by the state. The “Restaurant Return-to-Work Tax Credit” program will give a credit for the “rapid” hiring of workers.
In a memo to school leaders, state Education Commission Betty Rosa expressed frustration that Cuomo’s staff has not yet released health and safety guidelines for the opening of school this fall.
Julie Samuels is stepping down as the head of Tech:NYC, but will remain on its board.
The City Council announced a new bill that would lower Department of Education class sizes to protect against coronavirus transmission and bolster overall learning.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to lay out new rules for mask-wearing in the city on Monday — nearly a week after federal health officials urged high-risk coronavirus areas to reinstate indoor face-covering mandates amid concern over the delta variant.
Companies that dealt with shifting recommendations, angry customers and vulnerable employees earlier in the pandemic find themselves again considering mask mandates.
One of Cuomo’s sexual-harassment accusers, Lindsey Boylan, said his outgoing lawyer should be “disbarred” over her key role in the scandal that’s under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office and part of an impeachment probe.
GOP mayoral hopeful Curtis Sliwa called on Asian Americans in the Big Apple to protect themselves in the wake of the fatal subway attack on a 58-year-old mom — while offering a $20,000 reward to solve the case.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the Democratic mayoral nominee, chose to catch a ceremonial first pitch from his son at the Mets game at Citi Field.
Without an agreement in the state Legislature to keep her on, Interim NYC Transit Authority President Sarah Feinberg is leaving the MTA at the end of day today, part of a shakeup at the top of the transportation agency.
Janno Lieber, a construction pro who oversaw Silverstein Properties’ rebuild of the World Trade Center in the years after 9/11, takes over Saturday as the top official at the MTA as it struggles back from the coronavirus pandemic.
A newly built Brooklyn hospital will be named after Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the late Supreme Court justice’s daughter held it up as an “important” tribute to her mother’s New York City roots.
Former City Councilman Chaim Deutsch was sentenced to three months in prison for dodging nearly $83,000 in taxes.
Affluent Hamptons residents are struggling to keep up with their new superrich neighbors — who hightailed it from Manhattan to the East End during the pandemic.
Bail has become a flashpoint in the Nassau County district attorney’s race as Democrats accuse Republican rivals of inaccurately describing justice reforms.
New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who lost in his bid to become the city’s next comptroller and whose Council term ends Dec. 31, told reporters he’s not sure what he’ll do once he’s no longer speaker — and that’s just fine with him.
A teenage boy jumped to his death from the Vessel at Manhattan’s Hudson Yards as his horrified family watched, police said.
The death, the fourth suicide at the attraction in a year and a half, angered community members who have repeatedly called on developers to build higher barriers on the walkways and raised questions about the effectiveness of suicide-prevention methods.
Schools in New York state can no longer file any type of lawsuit against parents or guardians over unpaid meals.
The City University of New York will clear the debts of at least 50,000 students, using $125 million in federal stimulus funds to erase balances the students owed to the institution for costs such as unpaid tuition and laboratory fees.
The State University of New York (SUNY) is finalizing a plan to grant widespread relief for outstanding tuition and fees incurred by students during the pandemic.
Former Albany firefighter Sam Fresina was reelected for a third term president of the 18,000-member New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association earlier this month.
SEFCU has confirmed it will merge into an $8 billion dollar partnership with CAPCOM.
The Wesson Group has recently broken ground on the new Bluestone Wind Farm being constructed across 6,000 acres of ridgelines in Broome County.
Helicopters will soon fill the skies over the Adirondacks for a nearly weeklong training exercise of the U.S. Army’s 10th Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Drum.
Actress Scarlett Johansson is suing Walt Disney, alleging her contract was breached when the company released “Black Widow” on its streaming service Disney+ at the same time it debuted in theaters.
Disgraced movie mogul and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein achieved a small win in Los Angeles court when a judge agreed to dismiss one of the sexual assault charges against him.
Judge Marco Juberías decided that Spanish singer Shakira’s tax fraud case should proceed to a trial judge after finding “sufficient evidence of criminality.
Theodore E. McCarrick, the former Roman Catholic cardinal expelled by Pope Francis after the church found him guilty of sexually abusing minors and adult seminarians over decades, was criminally charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy in 1974.
Suni Lee is the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympics and is now the women’s gymnastics all-around champion.
The victory for Lee, 18, resonated deeply back home in Minnesota, particularly with the state’s Hmong American community, in which she was raised.
Simone Biles celebrated her teammate Lee’s gold medal. “Absolutely killed it!!!” Biles wrote on Instagram. “OLYMPIC CHAMPION RIGHT HERE !!! So so so beyond proud of you!!!!”
Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade also made history in the all-around. The silver medalist is the first woman to bring home a medal of any color in the event for her country.
Swimmer Caleb Dressel set a new Olympic record and won his first individual gold medal in Tokyo with a time of 47.02 in the 100-meter freestyle.
Long Island native Andrew Capobianco and partner Michael Hixon snagged a silver medal in the men’s 3-meter synchronized dive at the Tokyo Games.
Outside the Tokyo Olympics bubble, the coronavirus situation in Japan has never been worse. Both the city and the country reported record numbers of new infections as the Delta variant outpaced vaccinations, straining the health care system.
This is simply unfair.
