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Two Armed Men Arrested While Heading Towards Philadelphia Vote-Counting Center

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  • Armed men were arrested Thursday while on their way to the ballot counting center in Philadelphia.
  • Police received a tip that the two men from Virginia were arriving in a silver hummer with Qanon stickers. The two men are facing firearm charges.
  • The vote in Pennsylvania is still being counted, and Philadelphia is likely to play a major role as the state’s largest population center.
  • This morning the Associated Press announced that Pennsylvania was officially leaning towards Biden, but there are still enough votes for it to go either way.
  • Additionally, there are legal challenges there, and across the U.S., by President Donald Trump’s campaign to stop counting votes in some areas, while demanding recounts in others.

Qanon in Philly

Two armed men were arrested in Philadelphia Thursday while allegedly on their way to the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where ballots in the presidential election are being counted.

In a statement released Friday morning, police announced they received a tip that a silver Hummer carrying people and firearms from Virginia was coming to the convention center, which is acting as Philadelphia’s voting-counting center. At around 10:20 p.m., police found the Hummer parked on the street not far from the building. Stickers associated with Qanon, such as a large “Q” and “#WWG1WGA,” which stands for, “where we go one, we go all,” adorned the Hummer.

Silver Hummer from Virginia with Qanon isignia. Via: Philadelphia Inquirer

Inside the Hummer, Philadelphia Inquirer photographer Jessica Griffin took photos of hats emblazoned with Qanon labels.

In less than ten minutes, bicycle police encountered the two men carrying firearms as they headed towards the convention center and stopped them. Neither were from Pennsylvania nor had valid permits to carry firearms in the state. Both were arrested without incident. Both agreed that the silver Hummer was theirs, and inside the Hummer, police found more guns.

Regarding the incident, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said, “This is a highly active investigation and we have no additional comment at this time.” Philadelphia police were also in close communication with the FBI regarding the incident. 

Who, for their part, said in a statement,“The FBI works closely with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to identify and stop any potential threats to public safety.”

It is vital that the FBI, our partners, and the public work together to protect our community. As always, we encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. We have no further information for release and would refer you to the Philadelphia Police Department for any additional guidance at this time.” 

Both men have pending firearms charges, although it’s currently unclear what the two men were planning to do at the convention center, which has both Joe Biden and Donald Trump supporters outside. Trump supporters chanted “stop the vote,” while the much larger Biden crowd showed their support for poll workers.

Legal Challenges

This incident comes amid a legal challenge issued by Trump and his team to stop the vote with baseless claims that there is widespread fraud. On Thursday afternoon, a Pennsylvania state appeals court granted the Trump campaign a legal victory, albeit a small one, by allowing Republicans poll watchers to observe ballot counting while wearing masks and just 6-feet away. However, this decision is unlikely to affect any vote counting, as observers cannot challenge the validity of a ballot.

Philadelphia is likely to be a significant factor in how Pennsylvania votes, as it’s the largest population center in the state. Early indications point to voters there leaning towards Biden, which has helped the candidate close the gap in the state. The Associated Press currently shows that Biden has pulled ahead slightly in the state, although there are still many ballots to be counted, and it could swing either way.

If Biden secures Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes, then he’s all but assured to win the Presidency. It’s not expected that the nation will know who won the Presidency until multiple legal challenges are resolved and widely anticipated recounts are completed across the various states with extremely close races.

See What Others Are Saying: (Philadelphia Inquirer) (CBS Philly) (Washington Post)

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White Supremacist Propaganda Reached Record High in 2022, ADL Finds

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 “We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.


White supremacist propaganda in the U.S. reached record levels in 2022, according to a report published Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League’s Center of Extremism.

The ADL found over 6,700 cases of white supremacist propaganda in 2022, which marks a 38% jump from the nearly 4,900 cases the group found in 2021. It also represents the highest number of incidents ever recorded by the ADL. 

The propaganda tallied by the anti-hate organization includes the distribution of racist, antisemitic, and homophobic flyers, banners, graffiti, and more. This propaganda has spread substantially since 2018, when the ADL found just over 1,200 incidents. 

“There’s no question that white supremacists and antisemites are trying to terrorize and harass Americans with their propaganda,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “We cannot sit idly by as these extremists pollute our communities with their hateful trash.” 

The report found that there were at least 50 white supremacist groups behind the spread of propaganda in 2022, but 93% of it came from just three groups. One of those groups was also responsible for 43% of the white supremacist events that took place last year. 

White supremacist events saw a startling uptick of their own, with the ADL documenting at least 167, a 55% jump from 2021. 

Propaganda was found in every U.S. state except for Hawaii, and events were documented in 33 states, most heavily in Massachusetts, California, Ohio, and Florida.

“The sheer volume of white supremacist propaganda distributions we are documenting around the country is alarming and dangerous,” Oren Segal, Vice President of the ADL’s Center on Extremism said in a statement. “Hardly a day goes by without communities being targeted by these coordinated, hateful actions, which are designed to sow anxiety and create fear.”

“We need a whole-of-society approach to combat this activity, including elected officials, community leaders, and people of good faith coming together and condemning this activity forcefully,” Segal continued. 

See what others are saying: (Axios) (The Hill) (The New York Times)

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Adidas Financial Woes Continue, Company on Track for First Annual Loss in Decades

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Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company. 


Yeezy Surplus 

Adidas’ split with musician Kanye West has left the company with financial problems due to surplus Yeezy products, putting the sportswear giant in the position to potentially suffer its first annual loss in over 30 years. 

Adidas dropped West last year after he made a series of antisemitic remarks on social media and other broadcasts. His Yeezy line was a staple for Adidas, and the surplus product is due, in part, to the brand’s own decision to continue production during the split.

According to CEO Bjorn Gulden, Adidas continued production of only the items already in the pipeline to prevent thousands of people from losing their jobs. However, that has led to the unfortunate overabundance of Yeezy sneakers and clothes. 

On Wednesday, Gulden said that selling the shoes and donating the proceeds makes more sense than giving them away due to the Yeezy resale market — which has reportedly shot up 30% since October.

“If we sell it, I promise that the people who have been hurt by this will also get something good out of this,” Gulden said in a statement to the press. 

However, Gulden also said that West is entitled to a portion of the proceeds of the sale of Yeezys per his royalty agreement.

The Numbers 

Adidas announced in February that, following its divergence from West, it is facing potential sales losses totaling around $1.2 billion and profit losses of around $500 million. 

If it decides to not sell any more Yeezy products, Adidas is facing a projected annual loss of over $700 million.

Outside of West, Adidas has taken several heavy profit blows recently. Its operating profit reportedly fell by 66% last year, a total of more than $700 million. It also pulled out of Russia after the country’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which cost Adidas nearly $60 million dollars. Additionally, China’s “Zero Covid” lockdowns last year caused in part a 36% drop in revenue for Adidas compared to years prior.

As a step towards a solution, Gulden announced that the company is slashing its dividends from 3.30 euros to 0.70 euro cents per share pending shareholder approval. 

Adidas has labeled 2023 a “transition year” for the company. 

“Adidas has all the ingredients to be successful. But we need to put our focus back on our core: product, consumers, retail partners, and athletes,” Gulden said. “I am convinced that over time we will make Adidas shine again. But we need some time.”

See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (The New York Times) (CNN)

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Immigration Could Be A Solution to Nursing Home Labor Shortages

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98% of nursing homes in the United States are experiencing difficulty hiring staff. 


The Labor Crisis 

A recent National Bureau of Economic Research paper has offered up a solution to the nursing home labor shortage: immigration. 

According to a 2022 American Health Care Association survey, six in ten nursing homes are limiting new patients due to staffing issues. The survey also says that 87% of nursing homes have staffing shortages and 98% are experiencing difficulty hiring. 

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) outlined in their paper that increased immigration could help solve the labor shortage in nursing homes. Immigrants make up 19% of nursing home workers.

With every 10% increase in female immigration, nursing assistant hours go up by 0.7% and registered nursing hours go up by 1.1% And with that same immigration increase, short-term hospitalizations of nursing home residents go down by 0.6%.

The Solution 

Additionally, the State Department issued 145% more EB-3 documents, which are employment-based visas, for healthcare workers in the 2022 fiscal year than in 2019, suggesting that more people are coming to the U.S. to work in health care. 

However, according to Skilled Nursing News, in August of 2022, the approval process from beginning to end for an RN can take between seven to nine months. 

Displeasure about immigration has exploded since Pres. Joe Biden took office in 2021. According to a Gallup study published in February, around 40% of American adults want to see immigration decrease. That is a steep jump from 19% in 2021, and it is the highest the figure has been since 2016.

However, more than half of Democrats still are satisfied with immigration and want to see it increased. But with a divided Congress, the likelihood of any substantial immigration change happening is pretty slim. 

See what others are saying: (Axios) (KHN) (Skilled Nursing News)

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