Month: December 2022

The United States Coast Guard said Tuesday night that the two men who went missing more than a week ago while sailing to the Florida Keys have been found safe. 76-year-old Joe DiTomasso and 64-year-old Kevin Hyde were found about 214 miles east of Delaware by the tanker vessel Silver Muna just after 4:15 p.m. Tuesday. The men are being taken to New York for evaluation.

Hyde and DiTommasso had departed Cape May, New Jersey on Nov. 27th on their 30-foot sailboat, the Atrevida II, along with a pet dog, according to the Coast Guard. The pair was last seen aboard their boat as it left the Oregon Inlet in North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Dec. 3. Family and friends contacted officials on Sunday after last speaking with the pair on that same day, prompting a search that included aircraft and vessels.

The Atrevida II was located Tuesday afternoon approximately 214 miles east of Delaware, after the men waved down the tanker vessel Silver Muna around 4:18 p.m. Tuesday. The Coast Guard said in a statement: “The Atrevida II was found to be without fuel and power, rendering their radios and navigation equipment inoperable.”

The two men and dog were brought aboard the tanker and evaluated by the vessel’s medical staff “with no immediate concerns.”  Ditommasso and Hyde are now aboard the Silver Muna, headed to New York. Once they arrive, they’ll be transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and reunited with family, which is expected Wednesday. Cmdr. Daniel Schrader, the spokesperson for the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, said in a statement: “This is an excellent example of the maritime community’s combined efforts to ensure safety of life at sea. We are overjoyed with the outcome of the case and look forward to reuniting Mr. Hyde and Mr. Ditomasso with their family and friends.”

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On Tuesday, President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act o at a White House ceremony, enshrining federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages into federal law for the first time. Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff also attended the signing, along with Democratic and Republican lawmakers and more than 5,000 guests in a ceremony held on the White House South Lawn.

Mr. Biden said: “Today is a good day, a day America takes a vital step toward equality, toward liberty and justice, not just for some, but for everyone … Today, I sign the ‘Respect for Marriage Act’ into law. Deciding whether to marry, who to marry, is one of the most profound decisions a person can make. And as I’ve said before and some of you might remember, on a certain TV show 10 years ago, I got in trouble. Marriage, I mean this with all of my heart, marriage is a simple proposition: Who do you love and will you be loyal to that person you love? It’s not more complicated than that.”

The Respect for Marriage Act overturns the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibited the federal government from recognizing marriages that were not between a man and a woman. It also requires states to recognize any valid marriage performed in other states, regardless of sex. The law comes after Democratic leaders expressed concern that the Supreme Court could follow its June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade with a ruling that rescinds the right of same-sex couples to marry.

Singer and longtime advocate for LGBTQ rights, Cyndi Lauper, sang “True Colors,” and Sam Smith performed “Stay With Me.” Lauper told reporters in the White House briefing room ahead of the event: “Americans can now love who they love.”

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The Supreme Court said on Monday it will hear a second challenge to President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, setting oral arguments for late February or early March in a dispute brought by two borrowers with outstanding student loans.  In its order announcing the decision to hear the Texas case, the Supreme Court said the parties will argue two questions:  Whether borrowers Myra Brown and Alexander Taylor have legal standing to challenge the lawfulness of the relief plan, and whether the plan is “statutorily authorized and was adopted in a procedurally proper manner.”

Mr. Biden announced in August he planned to cancel up to $10,000 in federal student debt for Americans earning less than $125,000 per year, and an additional $10,000 for recipients of Pell Grants, which are awarded to students with the greatest financial need. More than 26 million people have already applied for forgiveness, and 16 million applications have been approved, according to the Department of Education.

In both legal fights before the Supreme Court, lower courts blocked implementation of the student loan forgiveness program nationwide; the relief program remains on hold pending oral arguments in the two cases. The president last month extended his pause on federal student loan payment until June 30, giving the high court time to consider the disputes.

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