Robert E. Lee statue, Hurricane Larry, Baseball Hall of Fame: 5 things to know Wednesday
Virginia set to remove Richmond's Robert E. Lee statue, its largest Confederate monument
A 131-year-old Robert E. Lee memorial statue, which served as both a symbol of Confederate heritage and the unofficial ground zero of racial equity demonstrations in Virginia's capital last summer, will be taken down Wednesday after the state Supreme Court cleared the path for its removal. The statue will be kept in a state-run storage facility until a decision on its disposition is made. Gov. Ralph Northam announced the Lee statue — considered the crown jewel in a parade of Confederate memorials on Monument Avenue — would be removed in 2020 amid the nationwide protests against systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd's death. Residents filed a lawsuit opposing the removal, but the Supreme Court of Virginia ruled last week the monument could be taken down. The statue’s 40-foot pedestal, tagged with graffiti from protests, will remain for now, officials say.
- Nearly 100 Confederate statues were removed in 2020, but hundreds remain, data shows
- State issue: Virginia grapples with Confederate names on side streets; counties vary in approach
- Charlottesville: City removes Confederate statues, including one that sparked deadly far-right rally
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Hurricane Larry to soon start impacting the East Coast
While the Ida-hammered areas await more rain, Larry lurks in the Atlantic. The Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds still blowing at 115 mph Wednesday morning, is not expected to reach the Atlantic Coast but swells could also begin pounding East Coast beaches from Florida to Maine as soon as Wednesday. The increased wave action could prompt coastal flooding at high tide, forecasters said. Meanwhile, the effects of Ida continue to bring rain in parts of the Northeast and Southeast, and while the showers are typical of summer weather, they continue adding to the troubles from Ida's destruction last week.
- Week after Hurricane Ida's landfall, hundreds of thousands still without power
- 'Nothing you can do but wait': In New Orleans, frustrations rise over Hurricane Ida outages
- 'This is everybody's crisis': Biden highlights climate change as he tours Hurricane Ida damage in NY, NJ
Kamala Harris to campaign for California Gov. Newsom as recall election looms
Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign in her home state of California for Gov. Gavin Newsom Wednesday, ahead of next Tuesday's recall election. Harris' campaigning in the Bay area will come days before President Joe Biden arrives in the state to do the same. A loss for Newsom in California — which hasn't elected any Republican to statewide office since former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 — would be a brutal setback for the Democratic brand nationally, 15 months before the 2022 midterm elections. Conservative radio talk show host Larry Elder is considered the leading Republican in a race that features 46 qualified candidates. The vice president's trip comes days after other top Democrats including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota campaigned for Newsom.
- Keep Gov. Gavin Newsom, or kick him out of office? What to know about California recall election
- California recall: Environmentalists fear a one-time climate change denier could oust Newsom
Derek Jeter, Larry Walker to be inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
After being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter and Colorado Rockies star Larry Walker, who had his best years with the Colorado Rockies, will finally be formally inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on Wednesday (1:30 p.m. ET, MLB Network and live streamed on MLB.com). Jeter and Walker will be joined in the Class of 2020 by former St. Louis Cardinals catcher/first baseman Ted Simmons and the late former labor leader Marvin Miller. No one was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2021. Pitcher Curt Schilling came the closest, followed by slugger Barry Bonds and another pitcher, Roger Clemens.
- The Captain: Jeter's election comes at a perfect time
- 'Grateful as can be': Walker completes long climb into Hall
- Nobody voted into Baseball Hall of Fame in 2021 class: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling have one more year
Live long and prosper: Star Trek Day has arrived
Star Trek Day arrives Wednesday and fans around the world will be able to attend a virtual celebration of the culture-altering sci-fi TV series that continues to hurtle through galaxies. Sept. 8, 2021 marks the 55th anniversary of the premiere of "Star Trek," also known as "Star Trek: The Original Series," as part of NBC's prime-time lineup. The series was canceled in 1969 after its third season, but it has maintained a massive cult following that has led to more than a dozen movies and a half-dozen separate television series. In fact, Paramount has already greenlit a "Star Trek" movie for 2023, the fourth in the new timeline, with "WandaVision" director Matt Shakman and J.J. Abrams producing. A free live-streamed event celebrating the beloved franchise is scheduled for Wednesday night and will feature conversations with many people associated with the "Star Trek" universe (8:30 p.m. ET, Paramount+ and startrek.com/day).
- Looking back: William Shatner remembers 'Star Trek's cancellation as 'a low point in my life'
- 'Woman in Motion': 'Star Trek' documentary unveils star Nichelle Nichols' impactful NASA connection
- 'Among the stars': Ashes of James Doohan, Scotty from 'Star Trek,' hidden on International Space Station
