Good Wednesday morning! First far-left member of ‘the squad’ goes down in Dem primary; US surgeon general says firearm violence = public health crisis and chaos in Kenya over more taxes

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Good morning,

Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, old sisters! Well, oldest sisters! These six from Missouri broke the world record for the highest combined age of living siblings.

• The Overall sisters — ages 88 to 101 — have a combined 571 years (and counting) on earth!

  • Three were born in July, so the number could get higher pretty soon.

    

  • Their trick to staying close: Mom and dad. The sisters have stayed close over the years, traveling together across the US and having annual celebrations in July. They credit their upbringing and parents.

Long live the Overall sisters!

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!

⛔️ THE SUPERSTITION OF WARNING LABELS

Our friends at The Dispatch just published a thoughtful piece that we think our Mo Newsletter readers will find interesting. They discuss the surgeon general’s call for warning labels on social media through the lens of history — it’s a fascinating read, and it cuts to what The Dispatch does so well.

The Dispatch newsletter is one of our favorite news sources here at Mo News, and you can subscribe to read this article and more with a 7-day free trial, when you sign up through the Mo Newsletter.

Subscribe and read “The Superstition of Warning Labels” now.

⚕️GUN VIOLENCE = PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS

The US surgeon general issued the first-ever advisory on gun violence yesterday, warning it is a public health crisis — especially for kids.

The move follows a growing number of injuries and deaths caused by firearms in the country, particularly compared to other wealthy nations. And guns are the leading cause of death for minors in the US.

LEADING THE HEADLINES
The advisory issued by Dr. Vivek Murthy comes as the US is in the throes of another summer plagued by mass shootings. Just last weekend, dozens of people were killed and wounded by guns.

• Asks: Murthy wants federal and state lawmakers to ban automatic rifles, have background checks for every gun purchase, restrict the use of firearms in public spaces and penalize people who fail to safely store weapons away from kids.

THE NUMBERS
Murthy says the rate of gun violence in the US is anywhere from 5x to 120x times higher than any other high-income country in the world.

• Latest stats: More than 48,000 Americans died from firearms in 2022. That’s about 27,000 people who died by suicide, or about 60% of incidents, and about 20,000 from homicide.

  • 54% of US adults report that they or a family member have experienced a firearm-related incident.

  • Death by firearm recently surpassed car accidents as the leading killer of kids in America.

• The aim: The move is the latest from the nation’s top doctor as he attempts to shift public sentiment and lawmakers’ responses to some contentious issues.

🇰🇪 KENYANS STORM PARLIAMENT OVER TAX INCREASES

Thousands of protesters in Kenya fought their way into the country’s parliament yesterday amid growing tension over proposed tax increases. One section of the building was set on fire, along with Nairobi’s City Hall. At least five people were killed as police opened fire on the protesters in the capital Nairobi; dozens more were injured.

• Lawmakers were crafting the legislation in hopes of raising money to ease the East African country’s crippling debt.

ANGER ESCALATING
The protests began a week ago in Nairobi and have since spread to other cities in the country of 54 million people. They have been led by younger organizers who had voted for President William Ruto into power following his promises of economic relief.

• Protesters demanded that legislators vote against the bill imposing new taxes on the country, arguing that the measures will hurt ordinary Kenyans who struggle to keep up with the high cost of living.

  • But, the bill passed yesterday despite their calls. Ruto will need to sign the legislation for it to be implemented or send it back to parliament for changes.

  • Ruto called Tuesday’s events an attack on the country’s democracy and that “legitimate” protests against his policies had been “hijacked by a group of organized criminals.”

• THE DEBT: Kenya has not been able to keep up with its more than $80 billion in debt — over two-thirds of which is from China while the rest is from other international investors.

  • The tax increases, which are set to raise about $3 billion, are part of a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund that will also provide Kenya rescue loans to avoid a default. Last year, the government spent 55% of its revenue servicing foreign debts.

THE PROTESTS
Kenyan lawmakers in the parliament building were evacuated through underground tunnels as police opened fire after tear gas and water cannon failed to disperse the crowds.

• The government also tries to shut down the internet and phone service in the country. It is how protesters have been organizing.

  • 📲 A Mo News community member in Kenya reported that authorities tried to blame the outage on an issue with undersea internet cables.

• Former US President Barack Obama’s half-sister, Kenyan activist Auma Obama, was teargassed by police during an interview with CNN live on air.

🗳️ SQUAD MEMBER LOSES TO CENTRIST DEMOCRAT IN NY

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), one of the most liberal voices in Congress and one of its most outspoken critics of Israel, was trounced in his primary in New York Tuesday. George Latimer, a well-known, moderate politician, defeated Bowman in the district that includes the Bronx and suburban Westchester County.

• Bowman is the first member of ‘the squad’ progressive group to go down to defeat since the group formed in 2018.

• It was the most expensive primary race in US congressional history. Outside groups spent more than $25 million in the race.

• Latimer benefited from an unprecedented flood of outside cash, including from pro-Israel groups. Notably, the focus of most of the ads was not Israel, but rather it was how many times Bowman didn’t vote along with Biden and most Democrats.

  • Bowman’s critics argue that, beyond Israel, he was a showboat who was not present in the district during his two terms, and that his intentional pulling of a fire alarm during a vote was a huge embarrassment. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge, and the House formally censured him.

  • His vote against an infrastructure spending package, police funding and defense spending were also at issue.

• Progressive members, including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, rallied to Bowman’s defense.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Rep. Lauren Boebert wins primary after switching districts to save seat (AP)

📌 After FBI raid, defiant Oakland mayor says she did nothing wrong and will not resign (AP)

📌 NTSB reveals cause of 2023 toxic train crash in East Palestine, Ohio (ABC NEWS)

📌 Judges halt key parts of Biden’s student loan forgiveness, repayment plan — risking relief for millions (CNBC)

📌 Nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school blocked by Oklahoma Supreme Court (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Wikileaks’ Julian Assange pleads guilty in deal to secure his freedom (AP)

📌 International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Putin allies (CNN)

📌 Israel court ends draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews (REUTERS)

📌 Protecting just 1.2% of land on earth could save most-endangered species (GUARDIAN)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 China has just returned the first-ever samples from the far side of the moon (NPR)

📌 WHO and scientists call for urgent action on highly dangerous mpox strain (NBC NEWS)

📌 Federal judge rejects $30 billion settlement between Visa, Mastercard and retailers (CNN)

📌 CDC issues dengue fever alert in the US (PBS)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 UK’s Princess Anne suffering memory loss, remains hospitalized after horse 'incident' (PEOPLE)

📌 Céline Dion insisted on sharing ‘upsetting’ footage of seizure in doc amid stiff person syndrome battle (NY POST)

📌 Gena Rowlands, star of ‘The Notebook,’ is living with Alzheimer’s (CNN)

📌 Kenya Moore exits Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 16 after suspension for explicit photos scandal (DEADLINE)

Mo News Podcast: A daily conversation about the news that matters.

🗓 ON THIS DAY: JUNE 26

• 1945: The UN Charter, the founding document of the United Nations, was formally signed in San Francisco.

• 1963: President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin, where he delivered a famous speech expressing solidarity with residents. He declared: “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

• 1977: Elvis Presley performs in public for the very last time in Indianapolis. He closed the concert with ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,’ and reportedly told the audience: “We’ll meet you again, God bless, adios.” He died about six weeks later at the age of 42.

• 1981: Bill Murray’s ‘Stripes’ premiered in theaters.