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☆ Horse racing-Churchill Downs announces measures to improve horse safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] May 5, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; The field for the 149th Running of the Kentucky Oak makes their way past the grandstands at Churchill Downs on May 5, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Michael Clevenger and Christopher Granger-USA TODAY SportsJune 1 (Reuters) - Churchill Downs Racetrack unveiled a number of safety initiatives and precautionary measures on Thursday following a recent series of horse deaths at the home of the Kentucky Derby. In addition, the number of starts per horse during a rolling eight-week period will be restricted to four. At the summit, the Churchill Downs, Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and HISA veterinary teams reviewed all veterinary information available in the hope of better understanding the events surrounding the recent fatalities. Since the Churchill Downs stable reopened for training on March 30, there have been 12 equine fatalities at Churchill Downs, which the racetrack previously described as a "highly unusual statistic."

Persons: Michael Clevenger, Christopher Granger, Downs, Frank Pingue, Ken Ferris Organizations: Kentucky Oak, USA, Kentucky Derby, Safety Authority, Churchill Downs , Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Churchill, racing's Triple Crown, Thomson Locations: Louisville , KY, USA, Kentucky, Churchill Downs, Churchill, Churchill Downs ,, Toronto

☆ James Beard Foundation, Whose Awards Honor Chefs, Is Now Investigating Them
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Brett Anderson | Julia Moskin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The chef Sam Fore received an ominous voice mail message this month from an unknown number. The caller identified himself as a private investigator working for the James Beard Foundation. Later that day, Ms. Fore found herself on a Zoom call, answering questions from him and another man. Ms. Fore is among the first subjects of an investigatory process created in 2021 as part of that overhaul. But in many ways she is the kind of chef the retooled awards are meant to recognize more fully.

Persons: Sam Fore, James Beard, Fore, “, ’ ”, Beard, Ms, Tuk Organizations: James, James Beard Foundation Locations: United States, Lexington, Ky, Sri Lankan

☆ Five Stand-Up Specials for the Long Holiday Weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Jason Zinoman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Lewis Black, ‘Tragically, I Need You’(YouTube)If a stand-up can tap into or channel the fury of an audience, he can light up a room. Lewis Black’s great gift is that behind that dyspeptic front, you could detect a thoughtful, introspective side, a little damaged perhaps. He shows us more of that vulnerable side here, in part because the isolation of the pandemic put him in a reflective mood. Along with swinging sharp political elbows, in defense of Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, say, Black beats himself up over past relationships and sings the praises of companionship. He talks about his failed career as a playwright, bringing up theater because “I like to feel the interest of the audience leave the room.”

☆ Companies Are Taking a Harder Line on Union Organizers, Workers Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Noam Scheiber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In some cases, the apparent escalation of company pushback has coincided with a slowing down of the union campaigns. At Starbucks, filings for union elections fell below 10 in August, from about 70 five months earlier, and no Apple store has filed for a union election since November. And in advance of a recent union election at an REI near Cleveland, management sought to exclude certain categories of workers from voting, according to the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. It said the chain, a co-op that sells recreational gear, had made no such challenge in two previous elections, in which workers voted to unionize. (The union said the company backed down after workers at the Cleveland-area store walked out, and the store voted to unionize in March.)

Art of Craft is a series about specialists whose work rises to the level of art. Are blacksmiths going extinct in America? Not according to Craig Kaviar, a prominent practitioner of the craft who is based in Louisville, Ky. If anything, he said, “there’s been a revival.”The industrial revolution rendered a lot of traditional blacksmith work — making hammers, nails, axes, shovels and more — obsolete. But blacksmiths like Mr. Kaviar, 69, have found success creating so-called “functional art.” Mr. Kaviar, for instance, is regionally known for making handrails forged with leaves and birds that have a rough-hewed, borderline macabre design evocative of the work of sculptors like Louise Bourgeois.

But attendees said they made progress, including through an agreement to turn the multilateral debt limit negotiations into direct one-to-one talks between a close ally of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and two White House aides, on Biden's behalf. The White House said Biden "directed staff to continue to meet daily on outstanding issues. It was "a good and productive meeting," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who noted that it was "more cordial" than a previous meeting last week. The White House also said Tuesday that it would cancel the second leg of the president's upcoming international trip, given the delicate state of the debt ceiling negotiations. His return will set up a critical stretch in the efforts to avoid a first-ever default on U.S. debt and prevent major economic damage.

☆ Biden optimistic about a debt limit deal, but McCarthy says White House isn't being serious
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden sounds optimistic about the odds of reaching a deal with Republicans to raise or suspend the debt limit in time to avoid economic fallout from even a potential U.S. debt default. Biden also characterized the talks underway between White House liaisons and congressional aides as "a negotiation," a notable choice of words after months of insisting that he would not "negotiate" over the debt limit. The White House said the three-day delay should be viewed as a sign of progress in the talks. "The meetings have been productive over the past few days and leaders wanted to continue before they regrouped," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday. Democrats have spent months blasting House Republicans' proposal, which demands sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for agreeing to pass a debt limit hike.

But just when it looked as though the incentive monster was being cut down to size, the CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act are threatening to give it an enormous infusion of steroids. The CHIPS Act, at least, requires companies to do some good in return. In February, Ford agreed to build its new electric vehicle plant in Michigan, but only after extracting a promise of as much $1.75 billion in state and local incentives. To limit the damage to state and local budgets and ensure meaningful community impacts, there are a few things we can do. First, Congress should consider amending the U.S. CHIPS Act to ensure that there are no requirements that projects receive any state or local funding in order to obtain federal dollars.

☆ Social Security, Medicare, federal salaries: What payments may be delayed in debt ceiling standoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Among the ramifications of a debt ceiling standoff, any payment issued by the federal government — like Social Security, Medicare, tax refunds, military paychecks and ample others — may be delayed. Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe U.S. is in this situation due to a political standoff tied to the debt ceiling, also known as the debt limit. Congress periodically raises or temporarily suspends the debt ceiling to avoid the other scenario: a default on the national debt and other federal payments. Here's the current problem: The country hit the debt ceiling — currently $31.4 trillion — in January. Federal Reserve officials alluded to the likelihood of prioritizing bondholders in a 2011 meeting that followed an earlier debt ceiling episode.

☆ U.S. can avoid default in July if Treasury can make it through June cash crunch, Congressional Budget Office says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The updated guidance otherwise reiterated the CBO's earlier uncertainty about the debt ceiling during the first few weeks of June. The CBO also issued an updated projection of the federal budget deficit for 2023, raising it to $1.5 trillion. The CBO is a nonpartisan federal agency that provides objective budget and economic data to Congress, typically to inform legislation. It was unclear Friday what impact, if any, the new report would have on talks currently underway at the staff level, between aides to the four congressional leaders and White House liaisons. "It seems like they want to default more than they want a deal," the California Republican told reporters in the Capitol.

☆ Lawmakers press companies that collect U.S. consumer data to reveal how they buy and sell it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In the letters, 10 lawmakers asked the companies for detailed responses on the types of sensitive information they gather, such as health, location and phone data, including apps consumers download to their devices. The companies were also asked what information they collect on minors. Last month, the subcommittee on oversight and investigations held a hearing with expert witnesses to examine "the role of data brokers in the digital economy." In that report, the regulator recommended that Congress force brokers to give consumers greater control over their data, but the "data brokers can easily circumvent existing rules and laws," the letter said. Here's the full list of data brokers who received the letter::AcxiomAtDataBabel StreetCoreLogic SolutionsEpsilon Data ManagementEquifaxExperianGravy AnalyticsInteliusKochavaLiveRampMylifeOracle AmericaPeopleConnectPlacer.aiRELXSafegraphSpokeoThomson ReutersTransUnionVerisk AnalyticsWhitepagesSubscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

☆ The 2024 Senate Map Favors Republicans, but Candidates Remain the Wild Card
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The Senate seats up for grabs in 2024 lean heavily in Republicans’ favor, with Democrats defending far more competitive states. Now, GOP leaders want to make sure they get strong candidates to run—or risk another disappointing election and two more years in the minority. In 2022, Republicans thought a “red wave” fueled by economic anxiety would carry the party to power in the Senate, but the GOP fell short, as candidates lost races in battleground states including Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) pointedly cited “candidate quality” for some of the defeats, which left Democrats with a 51-49 majority.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will meet with congressional leaders Tuesday as Washington scrambles to lift the debt ceiling with less than a month before the federal government is set to run out of money. Lifting the debt ceiling is necessary for the government to cover spending commitments already approved by Congress and the president and prevent default. But House Republicans have said they will not lift the limit if Biden and lawmakers do not agree to future spending cuts. The White House has stressed that while it is open to discuss spending cuts, it will not negotiate with Republicans on the debt ceiling. If the meeting is indeed a negotiation, then the bill House Republicans passed last month effectively serves as the GOP's opening offer to the White House.

☆ Renewed Concerns About Horse Safety Linger in the Aftermath of Mage’s Kentucky Derby Win
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Jim Chairusmi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Horse racing’s Triple Crown season will move on to the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore later this month after Mage’s win in the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. But racing officials here will be faced with sorting out what went wrong during a Derby week in which a string of horse fatalities put a damper on the sport’s most prominent event. Seven horse deaths have been reported at Churchill Downs since April 27, including two on Saturday in the hours before the Kentucky Derby. The run of tragedies again brings safety issues to the fore in racing, a sport in which a maze of state-by-state regulation, in the absence of an empowered national regulator, has made it difficult to impose reforms.

☆ Mage Wins the Kentucky Derby Amid String of Horse Deaths at Churchill Downs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Jim Chairusmi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Mage won the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on a day when an abnormal string of horse deaths continued earlier in the day at Churchill Downs , casting a long shadow over America’s marquee racing event. Mage broke a step slow from the No. 8 post but quickly recovered as Verifying and Kingsbarns set a blistering early pace, covering the first half-mile in 45.73 seconds. As the leaders began to tire, jockey Javier Castellano navigated Mage into the clear as the field approached the final turn. Mage finished the 1 1/4-mile race in 2:01.57.

☆ Yellen warns of 'economic chaos' unless Congress raises the debt ceiling
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen holds a press conference at the US Treasury Department in Washington, DC, on April 11, 2023. "Our current projection is that in early June, a day will come when we're unable to pay our bills unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, and it's something I strongly urge Congress to do," Yellen told ABC's "This Week." Yellen said the U.S. has already been using "extraordinary measures" to avoid default, and it's not something the Treasury Department can continue to do. Lawmakers have been trying to find a path forward to raise or suspend the debt ceiling, which would enable the U.S. to pay its bills on time. But for Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., the meeting about the debt ceiling should have happened much sooner.

☆ Kentucky Derby Favorite Forte Is Scratched as Caution Prevails at Churchill Downs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Jim Chairusmi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As Churchill Downs prepares for Saturday’s 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, a familiar uneasiness has settled over the horse-racing industry after an abnormal string of horse fatalities here over the past week has renewed concerns about the safety and welfare of racehorses. Caution has become the theme around the stable area at the historic track—which was underscored on Saturday morning, when it was announced that Forte, the favorite for the Derby, would scratch from the race due to a foot bruise.

☆ Forte, the Derby Favorite, Is Scratched Hours Before the Race
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky state veterinarians on Saturday morning scratched Forte, the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, after examining him and finding him unfit to compete. State veterinarians have reason to be cautious at the 149th running of the race after four horses died in six days at Churchill Downs. Forte was named last year’s 2-year-old champion and had won six of his seven races. He was to be ridden the by the nation’s top jockey, Irad Ortiz Jr.Now only 18 horses will compete in the Derby. In 2011, Forte’s co-owner, Mike Repole, had to scratch another 2-year-old champion, Uncle Mo, the day before the race.

☆ Horse racing-Kentucky Derby favourite Forte scratched from race
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare-USA TODAY SportsMay 6 (Reuters) - Early favourite Forte has been scratched from the Kentucky Derby hours before post time for the first leg of U.S. thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown due to concerns about a bruised front foot, Churchill Downs said on Saturday. The Todd Pletcher-trained dark bay colt had brought a five-race win streak to the 1-1/4-mile Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs and was installed as the early 3-1 favourite. The decision to scratch Forte, who appeared to stumble during a gallop earlier in the week, was made by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission state veterinarian. Forte was the fifth horse to scratch from Saturday's race, joining Practical Move, Lord Miles, Continaur and Skinner. The last time five horses were scratched from the Kentucky Derby was 1936 when 19 horses entered the race and 14 ran.

☆ What to Watch for in the 2023 Kentucky Derby
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Joe Drape | Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Forte, who was named last year’s 2-year-old champion, has won six of his seven races. So no wonder Forte is the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. In 2011, Repole had to scratch another 2-year-old champion, Uncle Mo, the day before America’s greatest race. “I’m 0 for 7 in the Derby,” Repole said. Four other Derby horses were scratched, the first time that many horses were taken out of the field since 2015.

☆ Mage Captures the Derby After an Agonizing Week at Churchill Downs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Joe Drape | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The best thing you can say about the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby is that the 18 horses who made it to the starting gate on Saturday survived. That came as a relief after at least seven horses died at Churchill Downs in the past week, two of them on Saturday in races leading up to America’s most famous race. In the past week, seven horses died, one trainer and his horse were kicked off the grounds by regulators under a cloud of suspicion and four other Derby horses were declared out of the race. Forte was trained by a Hall of Famer, Todd Pletcher. He was co-owned by a passionate champion of horse racing, Mike Repole, who by his own estimate has sunk $300 million into buying horses, even as he confessed that he was confounded by the dysfunction that is tolerated in horse racing.

☆ Mage wins Kentucky Derby, seven horse deaths being investigated at Churchill Downs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] May 6, 2023; Louisville, KY, USA; Mage jockey Javier Castellano celebrates after winning the 149th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs May 6, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Andrew P. Scott-USA TODAY SportsMay 6 (Reuters) - Mage won the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday to capture the first leg of U.S. thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown. Mage, who finished second in the Florida Derby last month, finished the 1-1/4-mile race in two minutes and 1.57 seconds. The victory was the first Kentucky Derby win for Venezuelan trainer Gustavo Delgado and Venezuelan Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, who won the Run for the Roses after 16 attempts. Thank you for the opportunity to run this horse, that has a lot of heart."

☆ Kentucky Derby Live Updates: Scratch of Favorite Forte Shakes Up Already Chaotic Derby
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Secretariat, with jockey Ron Turcotte up, passed his rival, Sham, in the homestrech and ran away with the 99th Kentucky Derby in record time on May 5, 1973. Rumors swirled: he was injured, he lost a step during his 3-year-old season, he just wasn’t the superhorse everyone thought he was, his Wood rival Sham would be the true king of 1973. His rival Sham sat near the lead and made his move to catch the leader, Shecky Greene, at the top of the homestretch. Then, and only then, did Turcotte ask his horse for more, and Secretariat, like the finest of racecars, found another gear. Nearly half of the horses in Saturday’s Derby have Secretariat in their bloodlines.

☆ Horse Fatalities Overshadow This Year’s Kentucky Derby
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Jim Chairusmi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—As Churchill Downs prepares for Saturday’s 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, a familiar uneasiness has settled over the horse-racing industry after an abnormal string of horse fatalities at the historic track over the past week has renewed concerns about the safety and welfare of racehorses. Since April 27, at least four known horse deaths have occurred on track here under the famous twin spires.

☆ Expert Picks: Who Will Win the 2023 Kentucky Derby
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Joe Drape | Melissa Hoppert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The horses in the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby are listed in order of post position, with comments by Joe Drape and Melissa Hoppert of The New York Times. The morning-line odds were set by Mike Battaglia of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., where the race will be held. Skinner was scratched Friday, and the morning-line favorite, Forte, was scratched Saturday, reducing the field to 18 horses. The last time four entrants were scratched from the Derby was 2015. Because of the scratches, more than half the horses in the field will break from post positions that don’t match their program numbers.

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