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UPI
5 days ago
- Sport
- UPI
Horse racing's heavyweight Journalism back in weekend action
1 of 3 | Journalism (R) is entered in Saturday's $1 million Grade I Haskell at Monmouth, a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Classic, File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 18 (UPI) -- Top 3-year-olds return to action in weekend racing with the Grade I Haskell at Monmouth Park and fillies on parade in the Group 1 Irish Oaks, Group 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga and the Woodbine Oaks in Canada. Del Mar swings into action, providing graded stakes action on both coasts on turf and dirt at a wide variety of distances. In short, a racing fan's dream, a handicapper's challenge and a bettor's opportunity. We'd "bettor" get on with it. The 3-year-olds Saturday's $1 million Grade I Haskell at Monmouth is a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Classic, but should odds-on favorite Journalism win the 1 1/8-mile heat, that would be irrelevant. The Curlin colt is pretty much welcome at the big dance already after winning the Santa Anita Derby and Preakness and finishing second to Sovereignty in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. The other seven, though, could need a free pass to get into the Classic, and the most likely of them would seem to be Gosger. The Nyquist colt won the Grade III Lexington at the Keeneland spring meeting, skipped the Derby and finished second in Preakness in the dramatic finish that saw Journalism wipe out a 4-length lead in well under a furlong. The other six in the Haskell field aren't bums. But they're not Journalism, either. Sunday's $150,000 (Canadian) Plate Trial at Woodbine is the local prep for the King's Plate and is similarly restricted to Canadian-bred 3-year-olds. The Oaks Crowd Saturday's $500,000 Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga has a field modest in size with six entries, but large in talent. Immersive, the 2024 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and Eclipse Award winner, was undefeated at 2 but finished second in the Monomoy Girl Stakes at Churchill Downs in her 2025 debut in June. Take Charge Milady, the Monomoy Girl winner, tries for a repeat. La Cara won the Grade I Ashland at Keeneland and Grade I Acorn at Saratoga. Sunday's $500,000 (Canadian) Woodbine Oaks is restricted to Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies, but the limitation hasn't prevented some of the contestants from going on to graded glory, including 2022 winner Moira. Twelve are set for this seemingly wide-open edition, including five to be saddled by the Mark Casse team. Casse already has four Oaks wins to his credit. Coincidentally, he got his 4,000th North American training win Thursday at Colonial Downs in Virginia. Distaff There's a lot of talent scattered around the nine entries for Saturday's $500,000 Grade III Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park. The eye goes to Dorth Vader, last-race winner of the Grade I Ogden Phipps in the slop at Saratoga, and Majestic Oops, who steps up on the heels of three straight wins. Step right up, pick a long shot and win a top-shelf prize in this one. Sprint Saturday's $400,000 Grade II Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga attracted some of the world's top dirt sprinters. Book'em Danno and Mullikin exit a 1-2 finish in the Grade III True North. Nash, Baby Yoda and Full Moon Madness have been improving steadily. Nakatomi and Skelly return after filling the exacta spots in this race a year ago. Friday's $100,000 Jersey Shore for 3-year-olds at Monmouth Park has a field of six. Filly & Mare Sprint Scylla is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of nine for Sunday's $200,000 Grade II Honorable Miss at Saratoga. The 5-year-old Tapit mare hasn't won for more than a year, but has been competitive in top company. She was second in the Grade II Bed o' Roses Stakes in her last. Turf Saturday's $600,000 Grade II United Nations at Monmouth Park features the 1-2-3 finishers from last year's running -- Get Smokin, Grand Sonata and Tawny Port. Among the others, Redistricting, Rebel Red, Limited Liability and Vote No look capable of putting on a good show. Filly & Mare Turf Seven are set for Saturday's $300,000 Grade III WinStar Matchmaker at Monmouth Park and a case can be made for most of them. Saturday's $200,000 Grade II San Clemente Handicap at Del Mar is a lively looking heat with nine 3-year-old fillies set to mix it up. South African import Gimme a Nother looks to bounce back from a bad day in her last start while contesting Sunday's $200,000 (Canadian) Grade II Canadian Stakes at Woodbine. The Gimmethegreenlight mare finished second twice in graded stakes for trainer Graham Motion before reporting seventh in the Grade I New York Stakes at the Spa last month. Turf Mile Del Mar's traditional opener, the Oceanside Stakes, is a restricted 1 mile on the grass for 3-year-olds. Saturday's $100,000 Wickerr Stakes for 3-year-olds and up also has restrictions. Both bear watching, especially in a year when the Breeders' Cup World Championships return to Del Mar. Turf Sprint Isivunguvungu was on a bit of a roll in the United States after his import from South Africa, but then hit the wall when sent in April to Dubai, where he reported 10th in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint. He's back for Saturday's $100,000 Wolf Hill at Monmouth Park. Saturday's $175,000 Grade III Caress for fillies and mares at Saratoga has the top five finishers from last month's Grade II Intercontinental over the course -- Pipsy, Future Is Now, Kairyu, Time to Dazzle and Pandora's Gift. A 4-year-old filly named Caress is a "main track only" entry. Sunday's $175,000 (Canadian) Grade II bet365 Connaught Cup at Woodbine has a field of 10 to go 7 furlongs. Around the world, around the clock Ireland Coolmore and trainer Aidan O'Brien send out four of the seven confirmed runners for Saturday's Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh. Among them is the prohibitive favorite, Epsom Oaks winner Minnie Hauk, not surprisingly jockey Ryan Moore's choice to ride. The Frankel filly has won three of four starts, including the Cheshire Oaks in her 3-year-old debut. Her only loss was a second in her career bow, when Wemighttakedlongway got the jump on a big field, set an easy pace and held on late. Wemighttakedlongway, trained by Joseph Patrick O'Brien, was fourth at Epsom and fourth again in the Pretty Polly over the Curragh sod June 28. Al Riffa and Shackleton figure in a nine-horse field for the Group 2 Michael John Kennedy Curragh Cup at 1 3/4 miles. Al Riffa, a 5-year-old by Wootton Bassett, was second to Rebel's Romance in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal meeting in his most recent start. Shackleton gets a different test after he reported eighth in the Irish Derby in his last outing. It's another family feud as Joseph Patrick O'Brien handles Al Riffa and dad Aidan trains Shackleton. Only four were left in for the Gain Railway Stakes for 2-year-olds with the elder O'Brien in charge of the solid antepost favorite, True Love. The No Nay Never filly got her first win in her third start, the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot, vanquishing 22 rivals in that one.
UPI
6 days ago
- Business
- UPI
Crypto bills advance in longest House vote ever
The House of Representatives, seen here after a vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. in July. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 17 (UPI) -- The House advanced a trio of cryptocurrency rules as it set a new record Wednesday for the longest vote ever held in the chamber in history. It took 10 hours for the chamber's GOP majority to advance the bills, breaking a record that had only been set earlier in the month, in a session that involved behind-the-scenes negotiations to get Republican holdouts to change their minds. Once the clock struck 8:43 p.m. EDT, the old record was broken, which had only been set in the first week of July when the House approved the fiscal year 2026 federal budget bill. The three bills in question include the Genius Act, which the Senate already passed in June, the Clarity Act and a third bill that would prevent the Federal Reserve from establishing a central bank digital currency. "After the longest House vote in Week continues on!" posted Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., who serves as the House Crypto Subcommittee Chairman, to X at 11:10 p.m. EDT Wednesday. "We took a step forward today," he said in a follow-up video X post at 11:31 p.m. EDT Wednesday, in which he acknowledged it was the longest rule vote ever in the House. "It took a little bit longer than we thought, but away we go."
UPI
6 days ago
- Business
- UPI
FDA to end dozens of 'obsolete' rules for U.S. food items
"I'm eliminating outdated food regulations that no longer serve the interests of American families," U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (pictured July 15 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.) said Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 16 (UPI) -- The federal government says its ending a whole slew of "obsolete" U.S. food standards that Trump administration officials say also include "unnecessary" ones. "I'm eliminating outdated food regulations that no longer serve the interests of American families," stated U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it's revoking, or proposing to revoke, 52 federal standards for scores of food products in items such as canned fruit, vegetables, dairy, baked goods and macaroni products. It will also apply to areas of food safety, packaging, manufacturing and production practices and nutrition information, labeling and claims on American-made products. A proposal targets 23 types of product -- bakery, noodle and macaroni products, canned fruit juices, fish and shellfish along with flavoring and food dressings. Kennedy said his new U.S. food policy changes marked a "crucial step in my drive to cut through bureaucratic red tape, increase transparency and remove regulations that have outlived their purpose." In March he had ordered the FDA to revise its rule allowing food companies to "self-affirm" the safety of its own ingredients. FDA officials say Wednesday's unveiling is the first round of results in the ongoing review of its portfolio of over 250 "Standards on Identity," with a goal to "make sure they are useful, relevant and serve consumers." "Antiquated food standards are no longer serving to protect consumers. It is common sense to revoke them and move to a more judicious use of food standards and agency resources," said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. The Food and Drug Administration now contends that additional consumer protections mixed with advances in food science, production and agricultural practices have made it "unnecessary" to keep many of the older "recipe standards." A direct rule, which came with a proposed companion in case of a legal challenge, ends federal guidance and standards on 11 types of canned fruits and vegetables the FDA claimed is "no longer sold in U.S. grocery stores." It included seven rules for artificially-sweetened fruits with saccharin or sodium saccharin. The other proposed revocation of standards looks at 18 dairy product types to included certain milk and cream items, frozen desserts, cheese and cheese-related products. "The removal of these standards is in alignment with broader efforts to ensure that HHS is directing resources to where they're most needed," which federal officials say is in "delivering better outcomes for the American people." For example, an FDA analysis concluded that "little to no market" existed for dairy products like Goat's milk ice cream, acidified milk and acidified sour cream. It also included a plethora of cheese lines: Caciocavallo siliciano, Low sodium cheddar, Low sodium colby, Cook cheese, koch kaese, Gammelost, High-moisture jack, Nuworld, Samsoe, Mellorine and Sap sago cheese. In 1939, the U.S. government created food standards for a multitude of consumer and public health-related reasons part of massive social changes that took place under the administration of then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Kennedy's FDA under HHS argued that "many" of the "outdated and unnecessary" federal standards predate later requirements on American consumer protections on public issues such as ingredient safety and labeling. "Because few products covered by these food standards are currently marketed, revoking these 13 food standards would affect few small businesses," according to government officials. The agency claimed that with these changes, small businesses as a result may see "benefits of additional flexibility in product development."
UPI
6 days ago
- Business
- UPI
Senate set for final vote on $9B DOGE cuts with necessary votes
Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought speaks to the press after attending the Senate Republican caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. He announced the Senate is ready to pass a bill that will codify DOGE cuts of $9 billion. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate has the votes to pass a bill that would codify congressionally approved appropriations cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency. The bill would cut $9 billion in spending. Two Republican senators fought back on sticking points of AIDS funding and tribal-area public radio stations. The GOP resolved the issues to gain the votes. Three GOP senators voted against the bill: Susan Collins, R-Maine; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. The final number for both earlier votes was 51-50, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking votes. The Senate will gather this morning to vote on amendments, then will have a final vote this afternoon. The bill will still have to pass the House of Representatives then move to President Donald Trump for final approval. The bill had originally planned to cut $9.4 million in spending, but Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., worked out a deal to redirect Interior Department funds to help about 28 radio stations in 14 states that broadcast to tribal lands. The stations are at risk because of $1.1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. They provide vital emergency warnings to those areas. Several other GOP senators held out on the $400 million cut that they believed would hurt the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, created by President George W. Bush. A rescission package was created by Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to stop cuts to the PEPFAR program. Murkowski said the rescissions package sets a precedent that undermines the authority of Congress. "We're lawmakers. We should be legislating. What we're getting now is a direction from the White House and being told, 'This is the priority. We want you to execute on it. We'll be back with you with another round,'" she said. "I don't accept that. I'm going to be voting no." Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., called the bill a "down payment" on reducing the size of the federal government. "What we're talking about here is one-tenth of 1% of all federal spending," he told reporters.
UPI
14-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
DOGE cuts on Senate agenda in busy week for lawmakers
1 of 2 | The Senate is set to consider a plan this week that will withhold funding from foreign aid and public broadcasting. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 14 (UPI) -- Lawmakers will have a busy week in Washington as senators consider a GOP plan with a Friday deadline to pull back billions of dollars that hits foreign aid and public broadcasting. The Senate will hold yet another "vote-a-rama" after the House in June approved a Republican-crafted rescission package in a 214-212 vote to rescind some $9.4 trillion in federal money. It seeks to claw back already-approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting -- which funds PBS and NPR -- and cuts cash for the U.S. Agency for International Development, which was targeted this year by the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency. Trump has long attacked both NPR and PBS over a perceived bias. In May, he signed an executive order to halt federal streams. But concerns exist among some Republican members over cuts to public broadcasting and the 22-year-old President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief under USAID. Trump last week threatened to withhold political support for any Republican who opposed the legislation. "What we're trying to do is ensure that every dollar spent by the federal government is used efficiently and effectively," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in June on the package. Last month, four House Republicans broke from GOP ranks to vote against the proposed cuts. But Republicans can afford to lose only three votes this week in the Senate and still have it pass the upper chamber. "I want to strike the rescission of funds for PEPFAR, which has an enormous record of success, having saved some 26 million lives over the course of the program, as well as preventing nearly 8 million infants from receiving AIDS from their infected mothers," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said previously. PEPFAR came to life under then-Republican President George W. Bush with global success in dealing with the immunity virus, which currently infects more than 1 million American women and men. "So I can't imagine why we would want to terminate that program," added Collins. In a social media post last week, the president said it was "very important" that "all Republicans adhere" to his recessions bill. "Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement," Trump wrote. The Senate's Democratic leader has signaled that attempts to ditch pre-approved federal spending may lead to a breakdown in future budget talks headed to a government shutdown. "It is absurd to expect Democrats to play along with funding the government if Republicans are just going to renege on a bipartisan agreement," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said last week on the floor. However, even some Republicans remain skeptical that Trump's cuts can pass the divided Congress. "Will it pass? I don't know. I really don't know," Sen. John Kennedy, R-L.a., told CNN on Monday. "We got a lot of Republicans who talk tough. We'll see if they're tough." Meanwhile, ex-U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Republican congressman from Florida who briefly served this year as Trump's national security adviser, will be on Capitol Hill this week for his confirmation as UN ambassador. The House will consider landmark cryptocurrency-related legislation, and also vote on a Pentagon funding bill for fiscal year 2026 that will include a further $831 billion in discretionary spending.
