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Could Prohibition come back? These activists might declare any level of alcohol is unsafe.

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Could Prohibition come back? These activists might declare any level of alcohol is unsafe.



A parallel, opaque review process has been started by a secretive, six-person panel. This panel operates deep within the Department of Health and Human Services, receiving little public scrutiny.

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In Wisconsin, tavern owners are proud to open their doors to just about everyone, without judgement of what their customers choose to drink.

But right now, in Washington, DC, a few little-known anti-alcohol activists are about to have a big impact on the beer you drink – unless something is done, and soon.

Every five years, the U.S. government reviews the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. For a decade or more, the guidelines have said it’s OK to have one beer (or cocktail or glass of wine) per day if you’re a woman, and two if you’re a man. Those decisions were made based on a scientific review.

But in 2023, the World Health Organization declared that “no safe level” of alcohol exists, and now the anti-alcohol activists in this country are coming for everyone’s beer.

And this time around, the dietary guidelines process appears to be heading in an alcohol-free direction, thanks in large part to zero-tolerance temperance groups that object to all drinking – even in moderation.

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Federal agency reviewing dietary guidelines, including alcohol

In Washington, in addition to the normal review of the dietary guidelines process, a parallel, opaque review process has been started by a secretive, six-person panel. This panel operates deep within the Department of Health and Human Services, receiving little scrutiny from the public. 

It may seem far-fetched, but the truth is that behind closed doors, this six-person body will help decide whether the government should tell you that no amount of alcohol is safe to consume.

A hunt shouldn’t cause rancor. Wisconsin has stable and growing sandhill crane population.

Is this a fair and balanced approach? Can we trust these six people to determine what science that’s out there is sound, and judge it by a preponderance of the evidence as they’re supposed to?

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The Wall Street Journal isn’t so sure. According to their reporting, half of the panel have already made up their minds, having authored reports that say any amount of alcohol is harmful. Can they be trusted to take an honest look at the evidence?

There is plenty of evidence that people who drink in moderation live as long or longer than people who do not. Telling people not to drink at all could well cause them to just disregard all advice regarding drinking.

This could be the start of alcohol scold culture, Prohibition 2.0

It might also lead us further down the road to a “scold” culture – to a Prohibition 2.0. If you’re attending the Wisconsin State Fair, celebrating Oktoberfest, tailgating at Camp Randall or having a beer after a long day at work, we just don’t need Washington telling us we shouldn’t have any alcohol at all.

Toasting Prohibition’s end: Turns out this ‘failure’ led to longer life spans

One person who we know understands the importance of this issue is U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. We’re grateful to her for her work to bring light to this issue, and if you see her, we encourage you to thank her. We hope she can use her position to tell the White House to stop this rogue panel from conducting its stealth Prohibition campaign.

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The process of reviewing the guidelines should be open and transparent. It should be free of the influence of those with an agenda or a conflict of interest. And it should be decided as the law requires – by a preponderance of sound scientific evidence – not by the whims of anti-alcohol groups.

Keith Kern is the President of the Tavern League of Wisconsin



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Texas woman who traveled to DC arrested for allegedly making threats against Trump | CNN Politics

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Texas woman who traveled to DC arrested for allegedly making threats against Trump | CNN Politics




CNN
 — 

The Metropolitan Police Department said it arrested a Texas woman who traveled to Washington, DC, for allegedly making threats against former President Donald Trump and carrying a gun without a license.

Police were first alerted to woman Friday afternoon by the US Secret Service, according to a police report obtained by CNN.

Officers found the woman and her Honda Accord in a residential area in northeastern DC, according to the report and a police news release.

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Police said they charged 41-year-old Christina Montoya of San Antonio, Texas, with carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm and making threats against a former president. Montoya was in custody Friday night, according to the news release.

The police report indicates the threats against Trump started on July 20. Police did not provide any specifics about the alleged threats.

CNN was not immediately able to identify an attorney for Montoya.

Officers recovered a silver Smith and Wesson M&P Shield pistol, a magazine and a gun lock, according to the police report.

Political violence has been at the forefront of the national discourse in recent weeks after an assassination attempt was made against the former president at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

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DC Board of Elections OKs placing ranked choice voting, opening primaries to independents on ballot – WTOP News

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DC Board of Elections OKs placing ranked choice voting, opening primaries to independents on ballot – WTOP News


The District of Columbia’s Board of Elections has decided that voters should choose whether they want to institute ranked choice voting and open primary elections to independent voters.

Visit WTOP’s Election 2024 page for our comprehensive coverage. Listen live to 103.5 FM for the latest. Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk newsletter for headlines and analysis from now until Inauguration Day.

The District of Columbia’s Board of Elections has decided that voters should choose whether they want to institute ranked choice voting and open primary elections to independent voters.

On Friday, the board went along with the recommendations of its executive director, Monica Evans, and approved Initiative 83, also known as the “Ranked Choice Voting and Open the Primary Elections to Independent Voters Act of 2024,” which would place the item on the November general election ballot.

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BOE senior policy adviser Alice Miller, speaking on behalf of Evans, said more than 35,000 eligible signatures were received on petitions to put the issues on the ballot, far more than the 5% minimum of registered voters.

Under ranked choice voting, rather than the current process of casting a single vote, a voter can choose their favorite candidate, then rank back up choices second, third, fourth and fifth.

The measure would also allow independent voters to cast a ballot in a primary election. Currently, only registered Democrats and Republicans are allowed to vote in each of their party’s primaries.

In a statement, Lisa D.T. Rice, with the group Make All Votes Count DC — which advocated for ranked choice voting — thanked the Board of Elections for validating tens of thousands of D.C. voters’ signatures.

“These and many more D.C. voters have told us how Initiative 83 would finally give independents a vote in the primary, as well as allow all D.C. voters to use ranked choice voting to hold politicians accountable to a majority of voters,” said Rice.

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BOE Chairman Gary Thompson said the agency doesn’t take a position on either issue.

“Take the issue to the voters. At the end of the day, it’s an initiative about how voters should vote,” Thompson said. “And who should decide how voters should vote, (but) the voters.”

Thompson said each side has “excellent and reasonable arguments” to take to the voters, whether they prefer to change voting procedures.

“Educate them,” Thompson said. “People have heard about this, but I think our voters have a long way to go before November to really hear out both sides.”

Thompson said he looks forward to hearing both sides of the argument on whether to implement ranked choice voting and allow independents to vote in primaries.

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He said he too remains undecided “like probably a lot of people in D.C.”

The act will take effect after a 30-day period of Congressional review under the Home Rule Act, which allows the District government to pass local laws.

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© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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DC Open Has Its Best Year During Olympics

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DC Open Has Its Best Year During Olympics


Never mind that on the other side of the Atlantic, the 2024 Summer Olympic Games are in full swing. Right in the nation’s capital, some of the top names in tennis are going head to head in this year’s Mubadala Citi DC Open, with every single ticket sold out.

Among the talent is local favorite Frances Tiafoe, ATP’s No. 29-ranked player, known for his strong serve and aggressive style of offensive play. Tiafoe, who grew up nearby in Maryland, made an eighth appearance at his hometown tournament a decade after his professional debut at age 16.

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Tiafoe attended a solo press conference on Monday afternoon to discuss his goals for the remainder of this year and the importance of this tennis event in Washington, D.C.’s Rock Creek Park.

“Obviously coming here, I want to perform,” Taifoe said, also saying that seeing his name and image around the stadium “gets me going. I mean, I need to get a few matches under my belt,” he added, “obviously try(ing) to get some good momentum to get me to the (U.S.) Open.”

On Thursday, Tiafoe advanced from the Round of 16 after beating fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic in three sets. When I spoke directly to Tiafoe after the presser, he said that his intensity would not let up.

“I like to play hard, and I’m always going try to get to the net more aggressively, hit my serves hard, and play hard but keep it smooth.”

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Tiafoe, who entered the Mubadala Citi DC Open’s men’s singles tourney as the No. 5 seed, also said he focuses on the mental aspect of his game most.

“My game is my game, and I know I’m dangerous. So, I know it’s about my mental game and how I can bring my best week in and week out.”

When I asked about playing in Washington, D.C., and being the hometown favorite, Tiafoe said there’s something special about being close to where he grew up.

“Generally, when I play anywhere around the States, I feel a lot of love. I feel it in New York and places like Cincinnati, but obviously home is home,” Tiafoe said. I’m going to my favorite restaurants while (at) home. I’ve got my friends in the stadium, (plus) family, parents, and cousins here watching. It’s a really big thing.”

When I asked Tiafoe which challenger he felt has helped him the most recently in the ongoing evolution of his game, he said the current world No. 3 player and two-time consecutive Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz.

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“Playing Alcaraz, We’ve gone to the brink twice in huge matches. I think he brings out the best in me, and I bring out the best in him. ”

Tiafoe saw competition against Alcaraz a month ago at Wimbledon, in which the defending champion survived a major scare versus Tiafoe in Wimbledon’s third round on Friday, July 5. Eventually, Alcaraz rallied to beat Tiafoe in a five-set thriller 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2.

At the US Open in 2022, Tiafoe tested the Spaniard in a five-set match-up en route to his only US Open title.

DC Open: A local favorite and then some

Mark Ein, an American former tennis player, venture capitalist, and sports executive, has chaired the DC Open since 2019.

Ein says that even with the Olympics going on—with a lot of attention from tennis diehards to attendees in Paris like Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, and WTA world No. 1 Iga Świątek—the Mubadala Citi DC Open is having perhaps its best year.

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“Our player field is really strong. It’s a small draw in that there are on 28 players on the women’s side, and 48 on the men’s. We have seven of the top women’s players, plus exciting players in Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, Emma Radacanu,” Ein said. “That means every round, you draw players who are really good.”

Nine of the world’s top 20-ranked players were on the docket at the DC Open, including Aryna Sabalenka (3), Ons Jabeur (10), Grigor Dimitrov (10), Daria Kasatkina (12), Ben Shelton (14), Liudmila Samsonova (15), Victoria Azarenka (16) and Anna Kalinskaya (18), as well as Madison Keys (13), who withdrew at the last minute because of an injury.

Sabalenka, Azarenka, and Karolína Plíšková are all one-time world No. 1 players, while Sabalenka, Azarenka, Kenin, Stephens, and Raducanu are all Grand Slam winners. Azarenka is also an Olympic Gold Medalist (London 2012, Mixed Doubles).

Ein, who also plays a role as a limited partner with the Washington Commanders, points out that for the last two consecutive years, the Citi Open ticket office has completely sold out, and he thinks this has a lot to do with the top-level of talent in the DC Open, and it being so accessible for the fans.

But it’s not just the talent on the court that DC Open can boast about. The William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, home of the DC Open, is tucked into the picturesque wooded are known as Rock Creek, a U.S. National Park Service location.

Also on hand for fans is a world-class selection of food that consists of both Michelin-starred chefs and DC-area local favorite coffee spots and sandwich shops.

“It’s great tennis up close, with this incredible summer festival,” Ein said. “In the middle of the day, when tennis is being played and all the fans are out, the DC Open has great energy.”

Ein also points out that the DC Open is one of the most innovative events in the sport, as the world’s first combined 500 event. In pro tennis, both ATP, the men’s tennis authority, and WTA, the women’s tennis authority, sponsor events in which tournament singles champions collect 500 ranking points.

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“When we took over the DC Open (in 2019), our event was a men’s 500 and a women’s 250,” Ein said. This meant that you couldn’t highlight both sides equally, but we decided to fix that.”

Aryna Sabalenka, currently the WTA’s No. 3-ranked player and a two-time consecutive Australian Open champ (2022, 2023), is known for her intensity on and off the court, like Tiafoe.

She hints that the Mubadala Citi DC Open is a great alternative to the Olympic tussle and provides a great opportunity not only to regroup but to win.

“I definitely feel like being in Paris right now, it’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure, like different pressure,” Sabalenka said during her Monday presser. Here, it actually feels much, much easier to breathe.”

Read Frye’s interviews with Maria Sharapova and Billie Jean King.

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