Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ The infant son of Transportation Secretary Pete and Chasten Buttigieg returned home after three weeks of medical treatment, 125 miles in an ambulance, and a “terrifying” period spent on a ventilator, Chasten Buttigieg said. The couple adopted Joseph August and his sister, Penelope Rose, in late summer. It was only in recent weeks that the couple revealed that their son, whom they call Gus, was in poor health. “A special thank you to the countless medical professionals who helped Gus (and his dads and sister) along the way,” Chasten said on Twitter on Friday. He also thanked people who shared stories of their stays in pediatric intensive-care units. Pete Buttigieg has been on parental leave since mid-August, spurring widespread conversation about the absence of national paid parental leave. Some conservatives — notably Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. — questioned whether fathers should go on extended parental leave, and criticized Buttigieg for leaving work with an infrastructure bill pending in Congress and congested American ports exacerbating supply-chain problems. Buttigieg defended his leave, noting that he was in constant contact with his office and saying his decision reflected the “pro-family” nature of the Biden administration.
■ Rapper Fetty Wap was ordered released from jail on $500,000 bond in his drug dealing case. The “Trap Queen” singer, born Willie Maxwe l l II, put up his Georgia home as part of his bail package, and he must wear an ankle monitor. A Long Island, N.Y., federal judge also noted Friday that the rapper can travel for music tours with permission from federal prosecutors. The platinum-selling star was busted for his alleged role in a multimillion-dollar drug ring that brought more than 100 kilos of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine from the West Coast for sale in New Jersey and Long Island, federal prosecutors charge. Fetty Wap, 30, was charged along with five other men. “The fact that we arrested a chart-topping rap artist and a corrections officer illustrates just how vile the drug trade has become,” said Michael Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York office.