A Senate committee on Tuesday advanced the nomination of President TrumpDonald John TrumpMcBath, Handel to face off in Georgia House rematch Trump thanks George P. Bush for his support: ‘Great honor’ Trump Jr.’s Mongolia hunting trip cost K in Secret Service protection MORE’s pick for the second-in-command role at the Energy Department.
Mark Menezes’s nomination to be deputy energy secretary received opposition from just one senator on the chamber’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Catherine Cortez MastoCatherine Marie Cortez MastoOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Interior faces legal scrutiny for keeping controversial acting leaders in office | White House faces suit on order lifting endangered species protections | Lawmakers seek investigation of Park Police after clearing of protesters Senate advances deputy energy secretary nominee Senate Democratic campaign arm launches online hub ahead of November MORE (D-Nev.), over the Trump administration’s reported consideration of nuclear testing.
The Washington Post reported last month that administration officials discussed the possibility of such testing during a May 15 meeting with senior officials.
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This would be the first time the U.S. has conducted a nuclear test since 1992. In the 20th century, some U.S. nuclear tests were conducted at a site in Nevada, Cortez Masto’s home state.
“Reports are suggesting that this Administration is prepared to jeopardize the health and safety of Nevadans, undercut our nation’s nuclear nonproliferation goals, and further weaken strategic partnerships with our global allies just to flex its muscles on the global stage,” Cortez Masto said in a statement submitted to the congressional record.
“I look forward to receiving assurances that Nevada will not be used, once again, for explosive nuclear testing,” she added.
The senator also referenced tests that took place at the Nevada National Security Site between 1945 and 1992.
“Each one of those tests made a lasting mark on Nevada, surrounding states, test site workers, and individuals downwind from the blasts,” her statement said.
The Energy Department did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
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Following the voice vote on Tuesday, Menezes will have to be approved by the full Senate.
Since 2017, he has served as under secretary of energy and has advised the department on policy and technology. Before that, he worked as an executive with Berkshire Hathaway Energy and has also lobbied for several energy companies.
Cortez Masto’s comments are not the first time Nevada nuclear issues have come up in recent months.
Earlier this year, President Trump reversed his stance on storing nuclear waste in the state’s Yucca Mountain, and for the first time did not seek funding for storing waste at the controversial repository in his annual budget proposal.
“Nevada, I hear you on Yucca Mountain and my Administration will RESPECT you! Congress and previous Administrations have long failed to find lasting solutions – my Administration is committed to exploring innovative approaches – I’m confident we can get it done!” he tweeted in February.
Happy Thursday and welcome back to On The Money. I’m Sylvan Lane, and here’s your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line.
See something I missed? Let me know at slane@thehill.com or tweet me @SylvanLane. And if you like our newsletter, you can subscribe to it here.
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THE BIG DEAL—Dow plunges more than 1,800 points as rising COVID-19 cases roil Wall Street: Stocks plummeted Thursday as the emergence of new coronavirus hotspots and a caution from the Federal Reserve chairman shook Wall Street after months of steady gains.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed with a loss of 1,861 points, plunging 6.9 percent for its worst day of losses since March.
The S&P 500 index closed with a loss of 5.9 percent, and the Nasdaq composite sank 5.3 percent on the day.
All three major U.S. stock indexes closed with their steepest single-day losses since crashing in March amid the beginning of stay-at-home orders imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Thursday’s dive comes after more than two months of steady recovery toward the record highs seen before the pandemic derailed the economy. I have more on the sell-off here.
Steady rally comes to screeching halt: Despite the loss of more than 21 million jobs and the deaths of more than 112,000 Americans due to the coronavirus, investors had gradually upped their bets on a quick economic recovery through April and May as states began loosening business closures and travel restrictions.
The surprise addition of 2.5 million jobs in May, according to the Labor Department, also fueled hopes for a quicker than expected rebound from a recession of unprecedented scale and speed.
But Thursday’s abrupt reversal comes as states across the U.S. see spiking COVID-19 cases and diminishing hospital capacity to handle a new wave of infections.
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Week-over-week case counts are rising in half of all U.S. states, and only 16 states plus the District of Columbia have seen their total case counts decline for two consecutive weeks.
North Carolina, California, Mississippi and Arkansas are all facing record levels of hospitalizations, and the virus appears to be quickly spreading in Houston, Phoenix, South Carolina and Missouri.
Some market experts also attribute Thursday’s losses to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s Wednesday prediction of a “long road” to recovery.
During a Wednesday press conference, Powell said that while the U.S. may see significant job growth in coming months as people return to their jobs,” the country is “still going to face, probably, an extended period where it will be difficult for many people to find work.”
Trump responds: President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE, who frequently lashes out at the Fed when markets turn south, blasted the bank for underestimating how quickly the U.S. economy could recover and how soon a COVID-19 vaccine would be available.
Trump’s top economic advisor Larry KudlowLawrence (Larry) Alan KudlowMORE also criticized Powell, urging the Fed chief to ease up on the dour forecasts.
“I do think Mr. Powell could lighten up a little when he has these press offerings. You know, a smile now and then, a little bit of optimism,” Kudlow said on Fox Business Network.
“I’ll talk with him and we’ll have some media training at some point.”
The takeaway: One day of steep losses can be reversed fairly quickly, so the financial implications of today’s sell off remain to be seen. But Trump on Thursday showed once again how quickly he’s willing to pin blame on Powell for any economic headwinds, which raises significant political risks for the Fed as it scrambles to keep the economy afloat.
LEADING THE DAY
More than 1.5 million file new jobless claims in first week of June: More than 1.5 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment benefits during the first week of June, according to Labor Department data released Thursday.
In the week between May 31 and June 6, the total number of seasonally adjusted initial claims for jobless benefits fell to 1,542,000 from a revised total of 1,897,000 in the final week of May.
Roughly 705,676 Americans also filed new claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, an extension of jobless benefits to workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic but do not qualify for standard unemployment insurance.
Weekly new claims for unemployment still remain far above historic levels but have dropped steadily from a peak of 6.9 million in April. The new batch of claims also came less than a week after a surprisingly strong May employment report showed the U.S. adding 2.5 million jobs that month, largely due to 2.7 million workers returning from furloughs. I have more on the numbers here.
Nursing homes under scrutiny after warnings of seized stimulus checks: Nursing homes are coming under more scrutiny during the coronavirus pandemic, this time for complaints about efforts to confiscate coronavirus stimulus checks.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling on the Trump administration to ensure nursing homes and assisted living facilities aren’t improperly seizing the checks from residents following alerts from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general.
State and federal authorities have recently notified the public about complaints of long-term care facilities demanding residents on Medicaid turn over their relief payments.
Those alerts prompted prominent lawmakers to lean on various federal agencies, urging them to investigate the issue and make it clear to facilities that they aren’t entitled to the checks.
“These economic impact payments were not designed to reimburse people,” Rep. Gwen MooreGwen Sophia MooreOn The Money: Dow plunges more than 1,800 points as rising COVID-19 cases roil Wall Street | Trump rips Fed after Powell warns of ‘long road’ to recovery Nursing homes under scrutiny after warnings of seized stimulus checks Senators press IG to act to prevent nursing homes from seizing coronavirus checks MORE (D-Wis.) told The Hill. “And we have provisions that protect the elderly.”
The Hill’s Naomi Jagoda explains here.
Read more:The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said Thursday that nursing homes that confiscate residents’ coronavirus stimulus payments could be subject to federal enforcement actions, including possible removal from participating in Medicaid and Medicare programs.
States need ‘aggressive outreach’ to help low-income people get their stimulus checks: Think tank: The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) on Thursday released a paper urging states to conduct “aggressive outreach” in order to help millions of low-income individuals receive their coronavirus stimulus payments.
The Treasury Department said last week that it has made around 159 million disbursements, saying payments have been sent to all eligible Americans about whom the IRS has necessary information.
But the IRS is still struggling to get payments to eligible Americans who are not typically required to file tax returns and do not receive those federal benefits.
CBPP estimated in its report that there are about 12 million people who don’t file tax returns and don’t receive the specified federal benefits. These people have very low incomes are are largely not elderly, according to the report.
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Naomi walks us through their recommendations here.
GOOD TO KNOW
European Union officials plan to file antitrust charges against Amazon over the company’s treatment of third-party sellers on the e-commerce platform, according to multiple reports.
Microsoft said Thursday it will not sell facial recognition tools to police departments until there is a federal law governing the technology.
An internal memo sent to Starbucks employees last week specifically warned staffers against wearing accessories or clothes bearing messages in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Manheim, Pennsylvania — A record 92 college teams will be participating in Mat Mayhem this coming weekend at the Kentucky Exposition Center at the NWCA’s annual National Duals.
The 2020 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships presented by ARMS Software and Defense Soap hosted by NUWAY takes place January 10-11 with Louisville as the host for the second straight year.
“Last year, we saw great support from the wrestling community in Louisville and the state of Kentucky and we’re excited to expand even more this year with the record number of teams participating and even some local high schools getting into the mix, hosting one of their regional dual meet events here at the Kansas Exposition Center,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer.
With the rapid growth of the women’s college wrestling scene, the Women’s Division has been split into two, with NCAA teams on one tournament, NAIA teams in the other. In 2019, the NAIA hosted its first invitational championship for women’s wrestling. The NCAA is close to adding women’s wrestling as an emerging sport.
Of the 92 teams, 65 are nationally ranked, including the top-ranked teams in five of the six Divisions. Of the 92 squads competing, 12 different schools will have both their men’s and women’s wrestling teams in action.
“This is a real unique and progressive opportunity to showcase the growth of new programs in both men’s and women’s wrestling,” said Moyer. “We’ll begin to see the camaraderie shared amongst the men’s and women’s wrestling teams at these schools like we do in other sports that compete and travel at the same events like in swimming and track. That’s a win-win for our student-athletes, our coaches and the entire athletics model.”
Division II Men Top-seeded St. Cloud State has won 54 dual meets in a row, tying its own record for the longest in Division II history. The streak also ranks 11th all-time for dual meet wins in college wrestling history. The Huskies, winners of the last three Division II National Duals, will await the winner of the Mercyhurst-Maryville preliminary and sit in a bracket with No. 8 Tiffin, which opens up with Newberry. McKendree is seeded second and awaits the winner of the UW-Parkside vs. Seton Hill winner. Down in that quarter bracket is No. 7 Upper Iowa, which will open with Gannon. Third-seeded Pitt-Johnstown will face the winner of the Limestone-Mary opener with No. 6 Nebraska-Kearney and Bellarmine also in that quarter bracket. Nebraska-Kearney is a two-time winner of the event. Fourth-seeded Notre Dame College, a two-time winner of the event, opens with Lindenwood, while No. 5 Central Oklahoma, which won the first Division II National Duals in 2002, will open with Colorado School of Mines.
Division III Men There hasn’t been much imagination in the Division III field since 2002, where only two teams have ever won the event – Wartburg and Augsburg. Only eight different schools have ever made the finals, with Johnson & Wales breaking through last year, only to finish second to Augsburg, which won its second Division III title in a row and seventh overall. The Auggies are the top seed and await the winner of the Roger Williams-Olivet dual. Second-seeded Wartburg has won 11 Division II dual titles and has reached the final every year except 2019. The Knights have a bye and will face the winner of Millikin and UW-Oshkosh. Third-seeded Wabash awaits the winner of Heidelberg and UW-Whitewater, while fourth-seeded Loras will await the winner of the RIT-Washington & Jefferson dual. Up top with Loras is fifth-seeded Mount Union, which will face the winner NYU and Alma. Coe College, seeded sixth, will take on either Western New England or Ithaca. Baldwin Wallace comes in seeded seventh and will face either Luther or North Central. Up top, last year’s runners-up, Johnson & Wales, is the No. 8 seed and will face the winner of Westminster (Mo.) and UW-La Crosse.
NAIA Men Grand View is riding college wrestling’s second best dual win streak in history and the Vikings show no signs of slowing down. Winners of 81 straight duals, Grand View is also seeking its ninth straight NAIA National Duals crown. Six different teams have fallen to Grand View in the finals since 2012. Grand View opens with Brewton-Parker with the winner facing either No. 8 Southeastern or Providence (Mont.). Reinhardt will make its first National Duals appearance and comes in ranked second in the country. Coach Jeff Bedard’s team, on paper, could be a capable challenger to the crown, but first they’ll have to get past Midway and the winner of the No. 7 Oklahoma City vs. Indiana Tech dual just to reach the semis. Campbellsville is seeded third and opens with Cumberland University with the winner facing either No. 6 University of the Cumberlands or Life University. Fourth-seeded Baker opens with Lourdes with the winner facing either No. 5 Lindsey Wilson or Missouri Valley, which has been second on two different occasions in its history.
NCAA Women Fifteen teams will compete for the first NCAA Women’s National Duals title. The NWCA has sponsored the Women’s Division since 2005, but now with over 70 women’s college teams, the time to expand has come. Top-seeded McKendree won last year’s Women’s title, defeating rival King in the final. The Bearcats come in as the top-ranked NCAA women’s team and will have an opening round bye before facing the winner of No. 8 Augsburg and Presbyterian. Second-seeded Simon Fraser has been a powerhouse in women’s wrestling. The Canadian university has strong tradition and previously won the Women’s Division in 2013. Simon Fraser opens with Tiffin with the winner facing either Ferrum or seventh-seeded Adrian. King is seeded third and looks to win its first NCAA division title after winning four straight Women’s Division championships from 2014-2017. The Tornado open with Schreiner (Texas) with the winner facing either MacMurray (Ill.) or sixth-seeded Gannon. Fourth-seeded Emmanuel will open with North Central with the winner facing either Limestone or fifth-seeded Colorado Mesa. Amongst the NCAA field are one Division I school, eight Division II schools and six Division III schools.
NAIA Women Campbellsville, winners of the 2018 Women’s Division, will be the tournament’s top seed and will have an opening-round bye before facing off with the winner between No. 8 Lyon and Midland. Life, which was seventh in the Women’s Division last year, is seeded second and will have a bye before wrestling either No. 7 Providence (Mont.) or Missouri Valley, one of the pioneer programs of women’s wrestling. Third-seeded Menlo, last year’s WCWA and NAIA invitational champions, will face five-time Women’s Division champion Oklahoma City in the quarterfinals as both teams have opening-round byes. Fourth-seeded Wayland Baptist will face two-time winner and fifth-seeded U. of the Cumberlands in the quarterfinals.
NJCAA Men Five different programs have claimed championships in the NJCAA and a sixth could be added to the list this season as seven of the eight teams in this year’s field have not won titles. Top-seeded Niagara Community College (N.Y.) will open up with Northland (Minn.). Niagara’s top finish came in 2013 when they finished fourth. Second-seeded Harper (Ill.) has a strong tradition and has placed 13 times in the event, placing third on three different occasions. Harper will open with Minnesota West. Third-seeded Rochester (Minn.) finished seventh in 2014 and will open with Rowan College of Gloucester County, which was formerly known as Gloucester County College. Fourth-seeded Nassau, the only school in the field with an NJCAA National Duals title, will open with Joliet Junior College, a school steeped in tradition which recently restarted its wrestling program. Nassau won the first two NJCAA National Duals titles in 2004 and 2005.
One of the event’s highlights is to showcase the growth of college wrestling. Of the 92 teams in attendance, 53 started since 2000.
“What’s unique about this event and where we are with our sport is there are going to be those new opportunities on center stage,” said Moyer. “Over half of our collegiate programs have been founded in the last 20 years and more than half of our teams here were started in the same era. These are schools building traditions before our own eyes.”
All-session adult passes are available at the door for $45, while student tickets are $30. A weekend corner pass is also available for $55. Single-day tickets are $25 for adults, $17 for students and $32 for a corner pass.
WHAT: 2020 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships presented by ARMS Software and Defense Soap hosted by NUWAY WHERE: Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville, Kentucky WHEN: January 10-11, 2020 WATCH: Trackwrestling.com (PPV) RESULTS & BRACKETS: Men’s Divisions | Women’s Divisions
Participating Teams Division II Men (19): Bellarmine, Central Oklahoma, Colorado School of Mines, Gannon, Limestone, Lindenwood, Mary (ND), Maryville, McKendree, Mercyhurst, Nebraska at Kearney, Newberry, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill, St. Cloud State, Tiffin, Upper Iowa, Wisconsin-Parkside. Division III Men (24): Alma, Augsburg, Baldwin Wallace, Coe, Heidelberg, Ithaca, Johnson & Wales, Loras, Luther, Millikin, Mount Union, North Central, NYU, Olivet, RIT, Roger Williams, Wabash, Wartburg, Washington & Jefferson, Western New England, Westminster (Mo.), Wisconsin-La Crosse, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin-Whitewater. NAIA Men (16): Baker, Brewton-Parker, Campbellsville, Cumberland University, Grand View, Indiana Tech, Life, Lindsey Wilson, Lourdes (Ohio), Midway (Ky.), Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City, Providence (Mont.), Reinhardt (Ga.), Southeastern (Fla.), U. of the Cumberlands NCAA Women (15): Adrian, Augsburg, Colorado Mesa, Emmanuel (Ga.), Ferrum, Gannon, King (Tenn.), Limestone, MacMurray (Ill.), McKendree, North Central, Presbyterian, Schreiner, Simon Fraser, Tiffin. NAIA Women (10): Campbellsville, Life, Lyon, Menlo, Midland (Neb.), Missouri Valley, Oklahoma City, Providence (Mont.), U. of the Cumberlands, Wayland Baptist. NJCAA Men (8): Harper, Joliet (Ill.), Minnesota West, Nassau, Niagara, Northland (Minn.), Rochester (Minn.), Rowan College at Gloucester County (N.J.).
St. Paul Harding 48 St. Paul Central 27 106: Koua Thao (SPH) over (SPC) (For.) 113: Law Law Eh (SPC) over Dah Ku Htoo (SPH) (Fall 0:00) 120: Kong Pheng Lor (SPH) over Ryan Son (SPC) (Dec 11-4) 126: Pedro Cervantes (SPH) over Henry Phillips (SPC) (Fall 0:00) 132: Tong Lee (SPH) over John Wallace (SPC) (SV-1 6-4) 138: Bah Blu (SPH) over Khalid Mohamd (SPC) (Fall 0:00) 145: Myles Lee (SPH) over (SPC) (For.) 152: Gunnar Nelson (SPC) over Emmanuel Hawkins (SPH) (Fall 0:00) 160: William Martinez (SPC) over Bi Jae Mon (SPH) (Fall 0:00) 170: Antione Suggs (SPH) over Mee Soe (SPC) (Fall 0:00) 182: Manuel Fortoso (SPC) over Tyler Drees (SPH) (Dec 8-7) 195: Destiny Azonwu (SPH) over Yunus Mohamed (SPC) (Fall 0:00) 220: Tou Chor Vang (SPC) over (SPH) (For.) 285: Godwin Kardor (SPH) over Deavon Goodlow (SPC) (Fall 0:00)
Rogers 45 Osseo 27 106: Max Ricks (ROGE) over Alexander True (OSSE) (Fall 0:31) 113: Cole Jordan (ROGE) over Peter Hollingshead (OSSE) (Fall 2:11) 120: Chris Dietl (ROGE) over Connor Spanier (OSSE) (Fall 4:34) 126: Sam Essendrup (ROGE) over John Lundstrom (OSSE) (Dec 6-4) 132: Ryan Lund (ROGE) over Jack White (OSSE) (Dec 10-4) 138: Dylan Jackson (OSSE) over Marshall Packer (ROGE) (Dec 12-7) 145: Wil Yasseri (ROGE) over Thomas Cornell (OSSE) (Fall 4:23) 152: Caidon Williams (OSSE) over Caleb Climaco (ROGE) (Fall 1:44) 160: Ross Meskimen (ROGE) over Jacobe Jackson (OSSE) (Fall 1:10) 170: Jacob Meissner (OSSE) over Thomas Gilmore (ROGE) (Fall 1:28) 182: Isaiah Brown (ROGE) over Aidan Wayne (OSSE) (Dec 9-3) 195: Evan Braesch (ROGE) over Yosef Salti (OSSE) (Fall 2:35) 220: Jagger Schack (OSSE) over Jason Anderson (ROGE) (Fall 0:42) 285: Trey Williams (OSSE) over Cole Hamilton (ROGE) (Fall 1:22)
BURNSVILLE, Minn. — Augustana Redshirt freshman Hunter Burnett has been named the NSIC’s Wrestler of the Week the conference office announced Monday afternoon.
Burnett helped lead the Vikings to victory last Friday at No. 17 Minnesota State. In the dual, Burnett defeated returning national qualifier, and No. 9 ranked, Louie Sanders in the 141-pound bout. In his match with Sanders, Burnett dominated with two takedowns, a reversal and an extra point for riding time. Augustana would go on to win the dual by a score of 24-13.
Hunter Burnett
Overall, the Pipestone, Minnesota, native has won nine-consecutive bouts and is currently 9-0 in Division II duals. He leads the Vikings with a 25-7 record with six falls, seven major decisions and seven tech falls.
Burnett and the rest of the Vikings return to action Wednesday in St. Cloud, Minnesota where they will take on the defending national champion and No. 1 ranked St. Cloud State Huskies.
Check out Vikings Wrestling at goaugie.com and on Twitter and Facebook.
Kasson-Mantorville senior Patrick Kennedy said he remembers his losses much clearer than any of his wins. He’s going to have to reach deep in his memory to find the last one.
On Saturday Kennedy defeated Simley’s Quayin Short 5-2 in the Class 2A 182-pound title match to win his fourth state title. He is the 27th wrestler to accomplish the feat. It also closed out his 112th consecutive victory.
“It means a lot,” Kennedy said. “Finishing my career on top. I worked so hard and showed everyone anything is possible.”
Kennedy has 223 career victories, trailing only Brady Berge’s 287 in Kasson-Mantorville history. Berge also won four state championships. Continue reading at mnwrestlinghub.com