Community Tea

President Joe Bidden came under fire after he was photographed fist bumping the Saudi Arabia Prince during his recent visit. Biden had called the Crown Prince a “pariah” while on the US election campaign trail back in 2019 after the CIA concluded the crown prince had approved the brutal killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Istanbul consulate. “We’re focused on the meetings, not the greetings,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters. In the age of COVID, many ask if a handshake should have overridden the fist bump?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted for the prevention of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in individuals 18 years of age and older. “Authorizing an additional COVID-19 vaccine expands the available vaccine options for the prevention of COVID-19, including the most severe outcomes that can occur such as hospitalization and death,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D.

The House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol attack subpoenaed the Secret Service for text messages agents reportedly deleted around Jan. 6, 2021, as the panel probes Donald Trump’s actions at the time of the deadly siege. The subpoenas come hours after the nine-member panel received a closed briefing from the watchdog for Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service. The watchdog briefed the lawmakers about his finding that the Secret Service deleted texts from around Jan. 6, according to two people familiar with the matter. Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement that the committee understands the messages had been “erased.” Thompson outlined an aggressive timeline for production of the documents by Tuesday. “The USSS erased text messages from January 5 and 6, 2021, as part of a ‘device-replacement program,’” Thompson said late Friday. He said the panel “seeks the relevant text messages, as well as any after action reports that have been issued in any and all divisions of the USSS pertaining or relating in any way to the events of January 6, 2021.”

Jill Biden apologized for saying Latinos are “as unique” as breakfast tacos during a speech to the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in San Antonio. “The first lady apologizes that her words conveyed anything but pure admiration and love,” tweeted Biden spokesperson Michael LaRosa. The first lady, addressing the annual conference of Unidos US, said the community is “as distinct as the bodegas of the Bronx, as beautiful as the blossoms of Miami and as unique as the breakfast tacos here in San Antonio.”

A former CIA software engineer was convicted on Wednesday on federal charges accusing him of causing the biggest theft of classified information in CIA history. Joshua Schulte, who chose to defend himself at a New York City retrial, had told jurors in closing arguments that the CIA and FBI made him a scapegoat for an embarrassing public release of a trove of CIA secrets by WikiLeaks in 2017. The so-called Vault 7 leak revealed how the CIA hacked Apple and Android smartphones in overseas spying operations and efforts to turn internet-connected televisions into listening devices. 

A federal judge has denied an attempt by advocacy organizations to throw out a part of Georgia’s voting law that prohibits mailing multiple absentee ballot applications. U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee upheld the mandate that such forms may not be sent to Georgians who have already voted or requested a ballot. The ruling leaves in place restrictions on sending absentee ballot request forms after voters were swamped with repeated solicitations during the 2020 election year. Some voters complained they kept receiving letters imploring them to apply for absentee ballots after they had done so. Plaintiffs argued it was “impossible” to avoid mailing duplicate absentee ballot applications prepared weeks in advance. The decision arrived as several lawsuits are challenging Senate Bill 202, the voting law passed last year that also limits ballot drop boxes, requires additional ID to vote absentee, allows state takeovers of county election boards and bans handing out food and water to voters waiting in line.

A federal judge on Monday declined to delay the upcoming trial of Steve Bannon, an adviser to former President Donald Trump who faces contempt charges after refusing for months to cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Bannon is \scheduled to go on trial this week despite telling the House committee that he is now prepared to testify. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols also ruled against several requests by Bannon’s attorneys to seek the testimony of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi or the committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. Nichols also barred Bannon’s attorneys from arguing before a jury that the committee violated House rules in demanding Bannon’s appearance, and that Bannon defied the subpoena on the advice of his defense counsel or at Trump’s order.

Georgia officials are bracing for a potential increase in mental health calls as a new three-digit crisis hotline goes live. The number, which is simply 988, is an ambitious project that is being rolled out across the nation. The goal is to curb the nation’s rise in mental health cases, substance abuse disorders and suicides, at the same time relieving law enforcement officers who are often the first responders to mental health calls that are made to 911.

Georgia’s governor and first lady suffered a death in the family. Gov. Brian Kemp’s mother-in-law, Jeane Lois Alderson Argo, died at age 92, the family announced on Twitter. Argo also was the mother-in-law of state Sen. Bill Cowsert, R Athens, and the widow of former state Rep. Bob Argo, who represented Athens in the Legislature from 1977-86. In a statement posted on Twitter, Marty Kemp called her mother “a guiding presence in our family,” saying she has now been reunited with her husband and daughter. 

Bill Gates announced that he was donating $20 billion to his foundation so it can increase its annual spending in the wake of “significant suffering caused by global setbacks including the Covid pandemic. The donation combined with board member Warren Buffett’s $3.1 billon makes the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Endowment the largest in the world worth approximately $70 billion. In an essay on the foundation’s website, Gates says he hopes “others in positions of great wealth and privilege would step up in this moment too.”

Twitter sued Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Tuesday, trying to force him to complete his $44 billion

takeover of the social media company by accusing him of “outlandish” and “bad faith” actions that have caused the platform irreparable harm and “wreaked havoc” on its stock price.

Back in April, Musk pledged to pay $54.20 a share for Twitter, but the billionaire said Friday that he was backing away from his agreement.

LGBTQ advocates are critical of social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok are failing to stop hate and threats against LGBTQ users, a report issued Wednesday from advocacy group GLAAD found. Instead of protecting their users, GLAAD says in the report,

the tech companies are safeguarding information about how they respond to those attacks.

Tons of luggage delayed in London were ferried on a Delta Airbus A330-200 jet. The Airbus left London Heathrow Airport without any human passengers after extraordinary operational disruptions triggered chaos at the London hub. Overwhelmed and understaffed, Heathrow made an alarming announcement this week, telling airlines to stop selling tickets for summer travel because it simply cannot handle the volume.

Latonia Hines was sworn in as the Smyrna City Council member for Ward 2 during a ceremony held at Smyrna City Hall. Hines is an attorney and prosecutor who works as executive assistant district attorney in the office of Cobb District Attorney Flynn Broady. Hines filled the council seat made vacant in February when then-Councilman Austin Wagner resigned to take a job in the administration of Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office is hosting its first Deputy Career Fair July 23-24 at 9 a.m. at the Cobb County Safety Village, 1220 Al Bishop Drive in Marietta. Those interested should attend the event to possibly expedite their hiring process by several weeks. For more information, visit CobbSheriff.org/Recruitment.

A farmers’ market is now open from 1-4 p.m. Sundays on the Plaza Green at The Battery Atlanta, 755 Battery Ave. SE, Atlanta next to Truist Park. The event is free, with free parking for three hours in the Purple, Green, Yellow or Red Decks on nonevent days. For those interested in becoming a vendor, fill out the new vendor inquiry form at:

form.jotform. com/batteryinfo/FarmersMarket. Information: Batte

National Night Out will be held Aug. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Jim R. Miller Park, 2245 Callaway Road in Marietta. National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships, enhancing the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement.

The Cobb 911 Kids Expo is Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 911 operations, 140 N. Marietta Parkway in Marietta. Participants can take part in activities, games, tours of the 911 center where they dispatch police and learn when to call 911. This free event is for kids in K-5th grades. Children must be accompanied by a parent.

The Atlanta Braves will host their annual Alumni Weekend, July 29-31 as the Braves take on the Arizona Diamondbacks. The event will welcome Braves legends to Truist Park for a weekend full of activities, including the induction of Joe Adcock, Leo Mazzone, and Joe Torre into the Braves Hall of Fame and an Alumni Softball Home Run Derby. Additional information about Alumni Weekend is available at Braves.com/alumniweekend. A full schedule of events for Alumni Weekend will be announced at a later date.

Walt Disney Co.’s ESPN is raising the price of its streaming service by 43% next month, betting that it can raise prices and not lose subscribers who are grappling with soaring inflation. Starting Aug. 23, the cost of an ESPN+ subscription will jump to $9.99 a month from $6.99, or to $99.99 a year from $69.99. ESPN says the price increase reflects the growing amount of live sports and original programming on the streaming service. The number of ESPN+ subscribers has climbed 62% in the past 12 months after years of anemic growth. But it is still not making money.

A company has recalled some of its dog treats after a sample tested positive for salmonella, according to the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Stormberg Foods announced that its chicken dog treats, which were sold under three brands, were recalled after the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services said their treats were tainted with the bacteria.

The treats included on the recall have a product code on the back of the package to the right or left of the UPC barcode.

The following codes are part of the recall:

• 1 oz Beg & Barker Chicken Breast Strips UPC: 8 50025 54628 7; All batch numbers; Exp Dates: 06/06/23 to 06/23/23
• 4 oz Beg & Barker Chicken Breast Strips UPC: 8 50025 54611 9; All batch numbers; Exp Dates: 06/06/23 to 06/23/23
• 10 oz Beg & Barker Chicken Breast Strips UPC: 8 50025 54610 2; All batch numbers; Exp Dates: 06/06/23 to 06/23/23
• 4 oz Billo’s Best Friend Chicken Breast Strips UPC: 8 50025 54682 9; All batch numbers; Exp Dates: 06/06/23 to 06/23/23
• 4 oz Green Coast Pets Chicken Crisps UPC: 8 60001 92832 7; All batch numbers; Exp Dates: 06/06/23 to 06/23/23
• 8 oz Green Coast Pets Chicken Crisps UPC: 8 60001 92833 4; All batch numbers; Exp Dates: 06/06/23 to 06/23/23

The company said the treats were sold nationwide between June 8, 2022, and June 22, 2002, in retail stores or online.

Have a wonderful week…