U.S. and world news for Aug. 9

Ohio voters reject Republican initiative: Voters in Ohio have rejected a move by Republicans who control the state government to make it more difficult for citizens to change the state’s constitution. The Republicans wanted to block voters from approving this coming November a change to the state’s constitution that would make abortion legal in Ohio. They called yesterday’s special election to try to raise to 60% the margin needed to pass a constitutional change. The vote count so far shows that about 70% of the voters have rejected what the Republican tried to do.

Jackpot winner: A winning ticket was sold in last night’s $1.58 billion Mega Millions jackpot drawing. The ticket was sold at a supermarket in Neptune Beach, Florida. Last night’s jackpot was the third largest in U.S. history.

Charges in Alabama brawl: Three White males are facing misdemeanor assault charges in the riverfront fight that broke out at the riverfront in Montgomery, Alabama. They were part of a group that attacked a Black assistant captain of a riverboat who was trying to help dock the riverboat. He had asked the men to move the pontoon vessels they had tied up in the space at the dock reserved for the riverboat. When they refused, he untied one of the vessels’ ropes and the fight began.

Deflation in China: While most economies are trying to cope with inflation, the economy of China has turned the corner and is now being affected by deflation, a decline in consumer prices. China’s consumer price index fell by 0.3% in July. Analysts suggest deflation will help other countries such as the U.S. that import Chinese goods, while China’s consumer economy slows.

Hollywood strike continues: The strike by the actors union SAG-AFTRA against the major Hollywood studios entered day 100 today with no settlement in sight even though the union and the organization of producers have been taking. Some production of independent movies and TV shows continues with the union granting waivers allowing actors to continue working on 39 productions.

Secret memo: The New York Times reports that a previously secret memo written by Attorney Kenneth Cheseboro outlined a plot to use fake electors to overturn the 2020 Presidential Election. One of the six unindicted co-conspirators mentioned in the indictment of Trump for his efforts to subvert the election and seize power appears to be Cheseboro. The Times reported that in the memo Cheseboro said that his plan would buy the Trump campaign more time to go to court while blocking Biden from getting enough Electoral College votes to win the presidency.