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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Tribes in Maine gave up some of their rights to the state when they settled their land claims more than 40 years ago.
They want to change that agreement so they can enjoy the same self-governing rights as the other Native Americans.
The Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet and Mi’kmaq view legislative debate this week, ahead of the midterm elections, as their best opportunity for establishing rights to self determination.
The proposed changes come against a backdrop of President Joe Biden’s administration seeking to ensure that tribes are consulted early when it comes to policies or actions that impact them. It also has sought ways for the federal government and tribes to co-manage federal land that is part of tribes’ ancestral homeland.
But unlike the hundreds of tribal reservations across the United States, the Passamaquoddy’s and Penobscot’s three reservations in Maine are governed like municipalities and bound by state laws under the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
In Maine, the larger Passamaquoddy and Penobscot tribes operate their own police departments and health clinics but don’t have full autonomy over matters on their land. The state and tribes have butted heads on environmental, fish and wildlife rules.
Change could come with votes in the state Legislature starting Tuesday.
One of the bills would amend the land claims act to ensure that tribes have control over their land that’s comparable to other tribes in the U.S. Of the 574 federally recognized tribes in the country, about 325 have reservation land.
Another bill would ensure the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point can regulate its own drinking water, drilling wells on land owned by the tribe, for example, and working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency instead of being bound by state regulatory agencies.
On Monday, about 300 tribal members and supporters gathered at the State House and marched to the home of Gov. Janet Mills, who’s opposed some aspects of both proposals.
One of the speakers, 19-year-old Passamaquoddy Noela Altvater, told the crowd that clean drinking water is available virtually everywhere in Maine — except on the Pleasant Point reservation where she’s grown up.
“Our community has been stripped and kept from this basic need for our entire existence,” she said.
Chief Maggie Dana of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, also known as Sipayik, put it in stark terms.
“Our culture is clear — water is life. And for the Passamaquoddy people at Sipayik, it is poison,” Dana said.
For the tribes, it has been a long, frustrating battle since they traded some rights to the state under an $81.5 million settlement that was signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. The settlement can be changed, but only with the agreement of both the state and the tribes.
That settlement for the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot and Maliseet, along with a 1991 agreement for the Mi’kmaq, all federally recognized, put the Maine tribes on a different footing from tribes elsewhere across the country.
In Maine, opponents fear unintended consequences, like tribes flexing their muscle on environmental, fish and wildlife, and economic development.
That’s one of the reasons why Maine’s Democratic governor has not warmed to the sovereignty bill. If it’s approved, she might veto it.
A spokesperson said the governor is committed to improving drinking water quality by working with the local water district, Passamaquoddy Tribe, and the federal government. But Mills didn’t appreciate one tribal leader’s suggestion that she was offering “beads and trinkets” instead of substantive proposals.
“The governor is focused on bringing people together to solve problems, not trading insults at press conferences,” spokesperson Lindsay Crete said.
Despite the governor’s opposition, the tribes still see this as their best chance, potentially for some time, to get the bills passed because they have the support of Democratic leadership.
With the midterms coming up, Republicans could take control of one or both Democratically controlled chambers in the State House, along with the governorship, hampering efforts to press forward with the proposals.
Maggie Dana said the tribes have been educating lawmakers and creating alliances, and they’re hopeful for change.
It’s time for the state to live up to its motto Dirigo, which is Latin for “I lead,” instead of being last to expand the rights of Native Americans to the same rights enjoyed by others, Dana said. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/maine-lawmakers-taking-up-thorny-issue-of-tribal-sovereignty/ | 2022-04-12T19:14:58 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/maine-lawmakers-taking-up-thorny-issue-of-tribal-sovereignty/ |
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law on Tuesday that makes it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, as part of an aggressive push in Republican-led statesacross the country to scale back abortion rights.
The bill, which takes effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns next month, makes an exception only for an abortion performed to save the life of the mother. Abortion rights advocates say the bill signed by the GOP governor is certain to face a legal challenge.
Its passage comes as the conservative U.S. Supreme Court considers ratcheting back abortion rights that have been in place for nearly 50 years.
“We want to outlaw abortion in the state of Oklahoma,” Stitt said during a signing ceremony for the bill, flanked by anti-abortion lawmakers, clergy and students. “I promised Oklahomans that I would sign every pro-life bill that hits my desk, and that’s what we’re doing here today.”
Under the bill, anyone convicted of performing an abortion would face up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. It does not authorize criminal charges against a woman for receiving an abortion.
Sen. Nathan Dahm, a Broken Arrow Republican now running for Congress who wrote the bill, called it the “strongest pro-life legislation in the country right now, which effectively eliminates abortion in Oklahoma.”
Dahm said the bill would apply to any physicians in Oklahoma who dispense abortion medication to women, which accounted for about 64% of all abortions performed in Oklahoma in 2020, the most recent year for which statistics were available. There is no enforcement mechanism in the bill for women who order abortion medication online from out-of-state suppliers. Oklahoma lawmakers passed a bill last year to prevent women from ordering abortion medication online, but that measure was blocked by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Abortion rights advocates say the bill is clearly unconstitutional, and similar laws approved recently in Arkansas and Alabama have been blocked by federal courts.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki released a statement Tuesday describing the bill as an “unconstitutional attack on women’s rights.”
“Protecting the right recognized in Roe v. Wade continues to be a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, and we call on Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would shut down these attacks and codify this long-recognized, constitutional right,” Psaki said.
Although similar anti-abortion bills approved by the Oklahoma Legislature in recent years have been stopped as unconstitutional, anti-abortion lawmakers have been buoyed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow new Texas abortion restrictions to remain in place.
The new Texas law, the most restrictive anti-abortion law to take effect in the U.S. in decades, leaves enforcement up to private citizens, who are entitled to collect what critics call a “bounty” of $10,000 if they bring a successful lawsuit against a provider or anyone who helps a patient obtain an abortion.
“The U.S. Supreme Court’s failure to stop Texas from nullifying the constitutional right to abortion has emboldened other states to do the same,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. “We’ve sued the state of Oklahoma ten times in the last decade to protect abortion access and we will challenge this law as well to stop this travesty from ever taking effect.”
Several states, including Oklahoma, are pursuing legislation similar to the Texas lawthis year.
The Texas law bans abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy and makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest. Abortions in Texas have plummeted by about 50% since the law took effect, while the number of Texans going to clinics out of state and requesting abortion pills online has gone up.
One of the Texas-style Oklahoma bills that is one vote away from the governor’s desk would ban abortions from the moment of conception and would take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/oklahoma-governor-signs-bill-to-make-abortion-illegal/ | 2022-04-12T19:15:04 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/oklahoma-governor-signs-bill-to-make-abortion-illegal/ |
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police have made an arrest in a shooting during a birthday party inside a crowded Iowa nightclub that left two people dead and 10 others injured.
Timothy Ladell Rush, 32, was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree murder, willful injury and three weapons-related felonies, police said in a statement Monday night.
Online court records Tuesday didn’t list information about Rush’s case, including whether he has a lawyer yet. He was being held in the Linn County jail and couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Police said the shooting at the Taboo Nightclub and Lounge in Cedar Rapids killed Michael Valentine, 25, and Nicole Owens, 35, both of Cedar Rapids. Ten other people also were injured in the shooting, which occurred around 1:30 a.m. Sunday during a birthday party for a friend of the victims.
Police said Sunday they believe one of the victims was the target of the shooting. Between 100 and 150 people were inside the club when the shooting happened, police said.
Police have not provided an update on the condition of those injured. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/police-make-arrest-in-deadly-iowa-nightclub-shooting/ | 2022-04-12T19:15:11 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/police-make-arrest-in-deadly-iowa-nightclub-shooting/ |
spring is here and there's no need to fear other than a global pandemic to consider. But if you follow these tips, at least will help you combat your spring. Allergy fears. If we've caught you ahead of allergy time, the best preventative measurement is to reduce your exposure to allergy triggers. Mayo clinic says to stay indoors on dry windy days, delegate green jobs to someone less susceptible. Don't hang your laundry outside and remove any clothing you've been wearing outside. If the damage is already done, your symptoms likely include watery red puffy eyes, sneezing, runny or stuffy nose and coughing, wheezing or difficulty breathing. Medical news Today recommends taking medication if necessary, but also offers a variety of home remedy ideas to nip your symptoms in the bud, try steam inhalation. A saline rinse. Even acupuncture can help if symptoms persist. There is no shame in seeing a doctor or allergy specialist. Spring allergies affect millions of people in the U. S. Every year.
Having allergies or asthma may raise risk of heart disease, study finds
Updated: 10:46 AM MDT Apr 12, 2022
If you have a history of asthma or allergies, you may be at increased risk of developing high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, new research finds.Adults between the ages of 18 and 57 who have suffered from an allergic disorder had a higher risk of high blood pressure, according to the research, which will be presented at the American College of Cardiology and Korean Society of Cardiology's spring conference in Gyeongju, South Korea.The highest risk for high blood pressure was found among people with asthma, researchers said.High blood pressure and cholesterol, along with a lack of exercise, obesity, diabetes, smoking and a family history of cardiovascular issues, are all key contributors to heart disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Asthma highest riskPrevious studies have also found a correlation between allergic disorders and heart disease, but the link was controversial, the researchers said. In this latest research, scientists tested their hypothesis using data on over 10,000 people with allergies who participated in the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, a government-led survey of the United States population.Each person had asthma or at least one allergic disorder, such as a respiratory, food or skin allergy.In addition to the risk for high blood pressure, the research also found a higher risk for coronary heart disease for people between the ages of 39 and 57 with allergies. Coronary heart disease occurs when plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart.Based on their findings, researchers encouraged clinicians to add a cardiovascular risk assessment to clinical examinations of people with asthma and allergies."For patients with allergic disorders, routine evaluation of blood pressure and routine examination for coronary heart disease should be given by clinicians to ensure early treatments are given to those with hypertension or coronary heart disease," said lead study author Yang Guo, a postdoctoral researcher at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital in China, in a statement.'Question is why'While prior research has shown a connection between having allergies and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, "the question is why?" said pulmonologist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California."We can't really show causality, but science does show it's connected to pro-inflammatory mediators, things that trigger inflammation in the body," said Dasputa, who was not involved in the study.Histamines, for example, boost blood flow into the area the allergen attacks, which causes the immune system to send antibodies, thus triggering inflammation. That's why many allergy medications are antihistamines, designed to counter that inflammatory response.Although inflammation is the body's way of fighting pathogens, an overactive or long-lasting response is an underlying factor in many chronic diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.Antihistamines constrict blood flow, as can other over-the-counter allergy medications such as those that contain the "letter D, which is pseudoephedrine," Dasgupta said. "Those narrow the blood vessels not only in the nose but the rest of the body, which can lead to high blood pressure and an increased heart rate."Other medications can also have a negative effect on the cardiovascular system, including steroids often prescribed for asthma attacks and emergencies, Dasgupta said."Steroids increase blood pressure, they increase blood sugar and both high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels are very important risk factors for coronary artery disease and stroke," he said. "They can also cause weight gain, which is another risk factor."Add all of this to other triggers of chronic inflammation in the body — such as sugar, highly processed and fried foods, stress, poor sleep, a lack of exercise and pollution, to name a few — the answer "could be multifactorial — the immune response, medications and all these things put together," Dasgupta said.
If you have a history of asthma or allergies, you may be at increased risk of developing high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, new research finds.
Adults between the ages of 18 and 57 who have suffered from an allergic disorder had a higher risk of high blood pressure, according to the research, which will be presented at the American College of Cardiology and Korean Society of Cardiology's spring conference in Gyeongju, South Korea.
The highest risk for high blood pressure was found among people with asthma, researchers said.
High blood pressure and cholesterol, along with a lack of exercise, obesity, diabetes, smoking and a family history of cardiovascular issues, are all key contributors to heart disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Asthma highest risk
Previous studies have also found a correlation between allergic disorders and heart disease, but the link was controversial, the researchers said. In this latest research, scientists tested their hypothesis using data on over 10,000 people with allergies who participated in the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, a government-led survey of the United States population.
Each person had asthma or at least one allergic disorder, such as a respiratory, food or skin allergy.
In addition to the risk for high blood pressure, the research also found a higher risk for coronary heart disease for people between the ages of 39 and 57 with allergies. Coronary heart disease occurs when plaque builds up in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
Based on their findings, researchers encouraged clinicians to add a cardiovascular risk assessment to clinical examinations of people with asthma and allergies.
"For patients with allergic disorders, routine evaluation of blood pressure and routine examination for coronary heart disease should be given by clinicians to ensure early treatments are given to those with hypertension or coronary heart disease," said lead study author Yang Guo, a postdoctoral researcher at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital in China, in a statement.
'Question is why'
While prior research has shown a connection between having allergies and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, "the question is why?" said pulmonologist Dr. Raj Dasgupta, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
"We can't really show causality, but science does show it's connected to pro-inflammatory mediators, things that trigger inflammation in the body," said Dasputa, who was not involved in the study.
Histamines, for example, boost blood flow into the area the allergen attacks, which causes the immune system to send antibodies, thus triggering inflammation. That's why many allergy medications are antihistamines, designed to counter that inflammatory response.
Although inflammation is the body's way of fighting pathogens, an overactive or long-lasting response is an underlying factor in many chronic diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Antihistamines constrict blood flow, as can other over-the-counter allergy medications such as those that contain the "letter D, which is pseudoephedrine," Dasgupta said. "Those narrow the blood vessels not only in the nose but the rest of the body, which can lead to high blood pressure and an increased heart rate."
Other medications can also have a negative effect on the cardiovascular system, including steroids often prescribed for asthma attacks and emergencies, Dasgupta said.
"Steroids increase blood pressure, they increase blood sugar and both high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels are very important risk factors for coronary artery disease and stroke," he said. "They can also cause weight gain, which is another risk factor."
Add all of this to other triggers of chronic inflammation in the body — such as sugar, highly processed and fried foods, stress, poor sleep, a lack of exercise and pollution, to name a few — the answer "could be multifactorial — the immune response, medications and all these things put together," Dasgupta said. | https://www.koat.com/article/allergies-asthma-may-raise-risk-heart-disease-study/39698277 | 2022-04-12T19:15:17 | 1 | https://www.koat.com/article/allergies-asthma-may-raise-risk-heart-disease-study/39698277 |
Schools across America are racing to make up for time they lost during the pandemic by budgeting billions of dollars for tutoring, summer camps and longer school days and trying to untangle which students need help most urgently after two years of disruptions.
Many schools saw large numbers of students fall under the radar when learning went online for the pandemic. Many skipped class, tests and homework. Record numbers of families opted out of annual standardized tests, leaving some districts with little evidence of how students were doing in reading and math.
Now districts are trying to address that lack of information by adding new tests, training teachers to spot learning gaps and exploring new ways to identify students who need help. In many districts, the findings are being used to guide the spending of billions of dollars in federal relief that’s meant to address learning loss and can be used in myriad ways.
New York City is adding three rounds of testing this year, hoping to pinpoint which students are behind. Similar tests are being used in Virginia’s Fairfax County, which is allotting larger shares of funding to schools with lower scores. Chicago is prioritizing students using a ranking system that factors in their grades and also rates of COVID-19 and violent crime near their homes.
“Understanding completely where students are and what those gaps or challenges might be for them — that is going to be a challenge for us,” said Debbie Durrence, the data officer for Gwinnett County, Georgia.
Her team, which serves the 180,000-student district, has started tracking a new metric: “missingness.” In regular reports, the team aims to log what is known about each student’s learning progress, but also what is unknown. Schools have been asked to help fill in gaps, and students are being tested more frequently.
For students, disruptions related to the pandemic are still reverberating. Now that Lorena Rivera’s twin daughters are back in the classroom in Boston, some of their teachers have quit mid-year or gotten sick with COVID-19. The 14-year-old twins struggled with virtual learning, feeling like they had nowhere to turn when they had trouble with math problems.
“There was a lot of giving up — it was hard,” Rivera said.
Her daughters, Elizabeth and Amerie Allder, have since found support through a local tutoring program, Boston Partners in Education, but Rivera wonders whether their school knows how her daughters are doing.
“I’m not sure because every time you meet with someone, they give you something different,” she said. “Some teachers say they’re doing great, others say they can do better.”
Early results of data gathering by some of the country’s biggest school districts confirm what many had feared: Groups of students that already faced learning gaps before the pandemic, including Black and Hispanic students and those from low-income families, appear to be behind in even greater numbers now.
In Fairfax County, tests given this fall found that 68% of Hispanic elementary school students need intervention in math, up from 55% in 2019. Students learning English saw a similar increase. A quarter of white students were flagged for help, up from 19% in 2019.
Last year, public schools in Houston found that 45% of Black and Hispanic students had at least one failing grade. That was up from 30% in 2019, and nearly three times the rate of white students.
Similar inequities are turning up at schools across the country, said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a national research group. It suggests that longstanding inequities are widening, she said, which could translate to deeper learning and income gaps for generations to come.
States have been raising alarms, urging schools to focus on students who spent more time away from school. Utah’s education officials found that students who missed last year’s exams were far more likely to be Native American or Hispanic, prompting an urgent call to find those students and “prevent them from falling into an academic spiral.”
Many bigger districts already had testing regimes and data systems to find students who are falling behind, while some are scrambling to catch up. But not all major districts are analyzing the data or making it public.
New York City is spending $36 million on new testing, but officials said they don’t have district-wide results. Instead, they said the tests are being used at the school level to help teachers support students.
Schools in Chicago were encouraged to use a new screening exam, but a district spokesperson declined to provide the results.
In Fairfax County, where more than 20% of students opted out of state tests last year, district officials attempted to fill in the gaps by giving students informal, low-stakes tests to measure their progress this fall.
“We’ve been working to figure out which students need the most targeted support most quickly,” said Amy Goodloe, principal of Rocky Run Middle School. Teachers have used test results to find concepts students struggle with and create plans to get them up to speed, she said.
The results are also guiding the district as it divides $188 million in federal funding among nearly 200 schools. In many buildings, the money is being used to add staff who help students in small groups, or to hire tutors for more personal help after school.
Testing increases in some districts have led to pushback from parents and teachers who say it takes away from valuable classroom time, but proponents say it’s a crucial step toward understanding the impact of the pandemic.
In Texas, a law passed last year requires 30 hours of tutoring for students who did not pass state exams last year. It applies to students who failed tests but also those who didn’t take exams.
In Houston, the state’s largest district, officials are hiring more tutors but haven’t added new tests.
“Increasing the numbers of assessments isn’t going to yield a different result, it just would impact the amount of instructional time we have as a district,” said Margarita Gardea, who oversees elementary curriculum and instruction.
Finding tutors, though, has been a challenge in many areas amid a sudden surge in demand.
In Florida’s Miami-Dade County, school officials created a new learning loss index based on assessments, attendance and state exams, and then ranked students based on need. The district brought back retired teachers to work as tutors on a temporary basis, and it’s expanding summer school, Saturday classes and other programs.
So far, test results have shown some progress toward getting students up to grade level, but thousands of students are still behind.
“The bottom line is that we have such a loss that it will take some time,” said Gisela Feild, administrative director of assessment, research and data analysis. “You can’t make up that kind of a loss in one year.”
___
Associated Press reporter Kathleen Foody contributed from Chicago. | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/with-aid-to-spend-schools-look-for-students-who-need-help/ | 2022-04-12T19:15:17 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/with-aid-to-spend-schools-look-for-students-who-need-help/ |
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — An armed gang has killed more than 100 people in a remote part of northern Nigeria, survivors and local authorities said on Tuesday.
The attackers targeted four villages in the Kanam area of Plateau State, the most recent in a series of violent attacks in Nigeria’s north.
Such attacks in Nigeria’s northern region have become frequent, especially between Fulani Muslims who are mostly cattle herders and Christian communities from the Hausa and other ethnic groups who are mainly farmers.
The conflict over access to land and water has further worsened the sectarian division between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with its 206 million people deeply divided along religious lines.
In this recent attack, the assailants arrived Sunday afternoon, ransacking houses and shooting at residents, according to Alpha Sambo, a survivor and Kanam youth leader who is helping those displaced and injured.
“The people that have been killed are more than 100,” he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Other witnesses say as many as 130 died and many have been injured and displaced.
The police and the state government confirmed the attacks but did not give details on the cause or number of casualties. Authorities in Nigeria have in the past been accused of withholding information about death tolls in such killings.
On social media, videos viewed by AP appeared to show razed houses and bodies wrapped in mats and bags in mass graves. Many were buried even before their loved ones heard of their demise, residents said.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest violence, residents said it was carried out by the herdsmen.
The assailants “were well-armed” with AK-47 rifles and machetes and arrived on dozens of motorcycles each carrying up to three men, said youth leader Sambo.
Two days after the attack, the Kanam area is still tense and calm has not been fully restored, Dayyabu Yusuf Garga, chairman of the Kanam local government authority, said.
Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong directed security forces to restore peace and order in the affected villages and vowed “to make it difficult for terrorists and other criminals to set their bases in any part of the state,” according to a government statement.
The State Security Council has adopted “far-reaching measures to strengthen all security measures,” Lalong said, but similar commitments made in the past have not succeeded in improving security in the area, say residents.
President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in 2015 on promises that he would improve Nigeria’s security and is facing growing pressure to curb the killings as he reaches the end of his second and final four-year term as the country’s leader.
The West African nation continues to grapple with security challenges in other parts of the country. A decade-long insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast by the Islamic extremist rebels of Boko Haram and violence by armed groups in the northwest have led to the deaths of thousands more.
Nigerian security forces are often outnumbered and outgunned by the armed groups in those volatile areas, say security analysts, creating a serious challenge to Nigeria’s quest for peace and stability. | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/gunmen-kill-more-than-100-in-nigerias-north-say-survivors/ | 2022-04-12T19:15:23 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/gunmen-kill-more-than-100-in-nigerias-north-say-survivors/ |
Britney Spears' fiance Sam Asghari says he's 'always looked forward to' fatherhood
Britney Spears has shared that she is having a baby and now her fiancé is revealing his thoughts about fatherhood.
"Marriage and kids are a natural part of a strong relationship filled with love and respect," Sam Asghari wrote on his verified Instagram account Monday.
"Fatherhood is something i have always looked forward to and i don't take lightly," he wrote in the caption of a drawing showing a family of lions. "It is the most important job i will ever do."
Earlier Spears had posted on her verified Instagram account that after losing some weight to go on a recent Maui vacation, she had gained it back and wrote that Asghari told her she was "food pregnant."
"So I got a pregnancy test ... and uhhhhh well ... I am having a baby," Spears wrote.
CNN has reached out to a representative for Spears for comment.
Asghari and Spears got engaged in September 2021 and do not currently have any children together.
She shares teen sons Sean and Jayden with ex-husband Kevin Federline. | https://www.koat.com/article/britney-spears-fiance-sam-asghari-looks-forward-to-fatherhood/39704512 | 2022-04-12T19:15:27 | 1 | https://www.koat.com/article/britney-spears-fiance-sam-asghari-looks-forward-to-fatherhood/39704512 |
NEW YORK (AP) — Police are looking for a U-Haul truck with Arizona license plates in connection to the Brooklyn subway shooting, law enforcement officials said.
The official said officers around New York city are being told that if they spot the U-Haul truck moving in traffic, they should initiate stop it and detain all occupants immediately.
The officials weren’t authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
NEW YORK (AP) — A gunman in a construction vest donned a gas mask, set off a smoke canister on a rush-hour subway train and shot at least 10 people Tuesday morning, authorities said. The shooter was at large after leaving wounded commuters bleeding on a Brooklyn platform while others ran screaming.
Five people were in critical condition but expected to survive. At least 16 in all were injured in some way in the attack that began on a subway train that pulled into the 36th Street station in the borough’s Sunset Park neighborhood.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said that the attack was not being investigated as terrorism, but that she was “not ruling out anything.” FBI agents and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force surveyed nearby businesses, interviewing witnesses and searching for surveillance footage.
Police helicopters hovered overhead for hours as authorities searched for the shooter, who has not been identified. The motive remains unknown. Investigators recovered a firearm at the scene, along with multiple smoke devices and other items they are analyzing, two law enforcement officials said.
“My subway door opened into calamity. It was smoke and blood and people screaming,” eyewitness Sam Carcamo told radio station 1010 WINS, saying he saw a gigantic billow of smoke pouring out of the N train once the door opened.
The attack unnerved a city on guard about a rise in gun violenceand the ever-present threat of terrorism. It left some New Yorkers jittery about riding the nation’s busiest subway system and prompted officials to increase policing at transportation hubs from Philadelphia to Connecticut.
One rider’s video, shot through a closed door between subway cars, shows a person in a hooded sweatshirt raising an arm and pointing at something — possibly the door to a conductor’s booth — as five bangs sound. In another video, smoke and people pour out of a subway car and wails erupt as passengers run for an exit while a few others limp off the train. One falls to the platform.
“Someone call 911!” a person shouts.
Other video and photos from the scene show people tending to bloodied passengers lying on the platform, some amid what appear to be small puddles of blood, and another person on the floor of a subway car.
Juliana Fonda, a broadcast engineer at WNYC-FM, told its news site Gothamist she was riding the train when passengers from the car behind hers started banging on the door between them.
“There was a lot of loud pops, and there was smoke in the other car,” she said. “And people were trying to get in and they couldn’t, they were pounding on the door to get into our car.”
As police searched for the shooter, Gov. Kathy Hochul warned New Yorkers to be vigilant.
“This individual is still on the loose. This person is dangerous,” the Democrat said at news conference. “This is an active shooter situation right now in the city of New York.”
Fire and police officials were investigating reports that there had been an explosion, but Sewell said at a press conference just after noon that there were no known explosive devices. Multiple smoke devices were found on the scene, said mayoral spokesperson Fabien Levy.
After people streamed out of the train, quick-thinking transit workers ushered passengers to another train across the platform for safety, system chief Janno Lieber noted.
High school student John Butsikaris was riding the other train when he saw a conductor urging everyone to get in. He thought there might just have been a mundane problem until the next stop, when he heard screams for medical attention and his train was evacuated.
“I’m definitely shook,” the 15-year-old told The Associated Press. “Even though I didn’t see what happened, I’m still scared, because it was like a few feet away from me, what happened.”
No transit workers were physically hurt, according to their union. Besides gunshot wounds, the injured riders were treated for smoke inhalation, shrapnel and panic.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland were briefed on the incident. New York Mayor Eric Adams, who is isolating following a positive COVID-19 test on Sunday, said in a video statement that the city “will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized, even by a single individual.”
The incident happened on a subway line that runs through south Brooklyn in a neighborhood predominantly home to Hispanic and Asian communities and about a 15-minute train ride to Manhattan. Local schools, including Sunset Park High School across the street from the station, were locked down.
Danny Mastrogiorgio of Brooklyn had just dropped his son off at school when he saw a crush of passengers, some of them wounded, running up the subway stairway at the nearby 25th Street station in panic. At least two had visible leg injuries, he said.
“It was insane,” he told the AP. “No one knew exactly what was going on.”
Allan Lee was running his business, Cafe Nube, when a half-dozen police cars and fire vehicles suddenly converged on the block that contains the 36th Street station.
“Then they started ushering people that were on the block to the adjacent block and then closed off the subway entrance,” he told the AP. When he noticed bomb squad officers and dogs, he was certain it was no everyday subway problem.
New York City has faced a spate of shootings and high-profile incidents in recent months, including on the city’s subways. One of the most shocking was in January, when a woman was pushed to her death in front of a train by a stranger.
Adams, a Democrat a little over 100 days into his term, has made cracking down on crime — especially on the subways — a focus of his early administration, pledging to send more police officers into stations and platforms for regular patrols. It wasn’t immediately clear whether officers had already been inside the station when the shootings occurred.
“We say: No more. No more mass shootings. No more disrupting lives. No more creating heartbreak for people just trying to live their lives as normal New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “It has to end.”
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Associated Press reporters Michael Balsamo in Washington and Jennifer Peltz, Karen Matthews, Michelle L. Price and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report. | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/multiple-people-shot-at-new-york-city-subway-station/ | 2022-04-12T19:15:30 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/multiple-people-shot-at-new-york-city-subway-station/ |
P.M. LAST NIGHT. THEY SAY THE BOY GOT CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT. CREWS RECOVERED THE TEEN AROUND 7:30 P.M. HE DIED AT THE HOSPITAL. INVESTIGATES IS TALKING WITH A RIDE SAFETY EXPERT WHO THINKS THE STATE CAN AND SHOULD DO A BETTER JOB INSPEINCTG RIS.DE STEWART: IT’S BEEN MORE THAN TWO WEEKS SINCE 14-YEAR-OLD RETY SAMPSON DIED WHEN HE CAME OUT OF HIS SEAT ON THE FREE FALL RIDE AT ICON PARK. WESH 2 NEWS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER GREG FOX SHOWS US WHY THIS EXPT ERBELIEVES THE PUBLIC DESERVES MORE INFORMATION BEFORE THEY BOARD THE NEXT THRILL RIDE. >> I KNOW THAT IT’S TOH. GREG: LOVED ONES IN ST. LOUIS LAID TO REST A 14-YEAR-OLD BOY WHO WAS JUST BEGINNING WHAT NYMA THOUGHT WAS A FOOTBALL CAREER. THEY NEVER IMAGINED JU A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO TYRE SAMPSON’S LIFE WOULD END SUDDENLY, SHOCKINGLY, IN FRONT OF A CWDRO OF PEOPLE AT ICON PARK. THE FREE FALL HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN SINCE MARCH 24, WITH SOME CALLING FOR THE OWNER, SLINGSHOT GROUP, TO DISMTLANE THE DROP RI.DE >> HE SHOULD HAVE NEVER GOTTEN THROUGH THE GATE TO THE RI.DE BECAUSE THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SIGNAGE THERE STOPPING HIM. GREG: KEN MARTIN IS A RIDE SAFETY ANALYST AND CONSULTANT. HE’S READ THE OPERATIONS MANUAL FOR THE FREE FALL AND SAYS THE 287 POUND LIMIT UNDER WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS SHOULD HAVE PROMPTED STAFF TO QUESTION TYRE, WHOSE FAMILY SAYS HE WEIGHEDT A LEAST 330 POUN.DS >> THE OWNER OPERATOR AND THEI STAFF ARE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE WE FOUND THAT THE MATERIAL IS IN THE BOOK. THEY FAILED. THE OWNER OPERORAT FAILED TO DO A PROPER HAZARD ANALYSIS AND ENFORCE IT. GREG: MARTIN IS ALSO CRITICAL OF THE STATE AND HOW IT HANDLED THE INSPECTION OF FREE FALL LAST DECEMBER. AS YOU CAN SEE, IT SHOWS THE RIDE PASSED, AND UERND DEFICIENCIES THERE ARE NO NOTES, INDICATING WHETHER THE INSPECTOR WITNESSED THE RIDE IN OPERATION. >> I CALL THAT A DRIVE-BY INSPECTI. HE DIDN’T WRITE, YOU KNOW, TTHA "I OPERATED IT AND IT DID THIS AND IT DID THAT, CHECKED ALL THAT LAP BARS FOR PROPER CONFIGURATION," THIS INSPECTOR DIDN’T WRITE ANYTNGHI DOWN. GREG: ACCORDING TO A SPOKESWOMAN WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES, THE INSPECTION REPORT IS COMPLE.ET THERE ARE NO NOTES AND SHE SAID THERE WOULD
'They failed': Ride safety analyst criticizes state, Free Fall operator over teen's death
Updated: 12:43 PM MDT Apr 12, 2022
A ride safety expert says he thinks Florida can and should do a better job inspecting rides.It's been more than two weeks since 14-year-old Tyre Sampson died when he came out of his seat on the Free Fall ride at Icon Park in Orlando. As loved ones in St. Louis laid Sampson to rest, they said never imagined his life would end suddenly, shockingly, in front of a crowd of people at Icon Park. The Free Fall has been shut down since March 24, with some calling for the owner, Slingshot Group, to dismantle the drop ride."He should have never gotten through the gate to the ride. Because there should have been signage there stopping him," said Ken Martin, ride safety analyst and consultant.Martin read the operations manual for the Free Fall and says the 287 pound limit under weight restrictions, should have prompted staff to question Sampson, whose family says he weighed at least 330 pounds."The owner, operator and their staff are the ones responsible because we found that the (safety) material is in the book. They failed. The owner, operator failed to do a proper hazard analysis and enforce it," Martin said.Martin is also critical of the state and how it handled the inspection of Free Fall last December. It shows the ride "passed" and under deficiencies there are no notes, indicating whether the inspector witnessed the ride in operation. "I call that a drive-by inspection," Martin said. "He didn't write, you know, that I operated it (the ride) and it did this and it did that, checked all that lap bars for proper configuration. This inspector didn't write anything down!" According to a spokeswoman with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the inspection report is "complete." She also says testing by inspectors is not documented on the worksheet or inspection report unless there is a failure. Free Fall remains closed while the state's independent engineering firm investigates the fatal fall.Following sister station WESH's initial report, the Florida Department of Agriculture provided answers to questions regarding ride inspectors. The FDACS told WESH that there are 17 inspection specialists who conduct approximately 10,000 inspections, including carnival, water park, go-kart and zip line attractions. None are licensed engineers. Among the required qualifications to be an inspector are: Knowledge, skills and abilities, including utilization of equipment, required for the position. Knowledge of techniques and equipment needed for amusement device/attraction set-up, maintenance and operation. Knowledge of applicable safety requirements and terminology used in the amusement device/attraction industry. Knowledge of basic principles of power (electrical and hydraulic), mechanical motion, structural assembly, stress and fatigue. Knowledge of basic principles of electrical, mechanical and structural operation and stress testing and analysis. Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing. Ability to read and understand fabrication and assembly drawings, manufacturer's equipment specifications and operation and maintenance procedures. Ability to conduct amusement device/attraction inspection. Skill in the use of equipment needed to conduct amusement device/attraction inspections. A valid class E driver's license is also required.
ORLANDO, Fla. — A ride safety expert says he thinks Florida can and should do a better job inspecting rides.
It's been more than two weeks since 14-year-old Tyre Sampson died when he came out of his seat on the Free Fall ride at Icon Park in Orlando.
As loved ones in St. Louis laid Sampson to rest, they said never imagined his life would end suddenly, shockingly, in front of a crowd of people at Icon Park. The Free Fall has been shut down since March 24, with some calling for the owner, Slingshot Group, to dismantle the drop ride.
"He should have never gotten through the gate to the ride. Because there should have been signage there stopping him," said Ken Martin, ride safety analyst and consultant.
Martin read the operations manual for the Free Fall and says the 287 pound limit under weight restrictions, should have prompted staff to question Sampson, whose family says he weighed at least 330 pounds.
"The owner, operator and their staff are the ones responsible because we found that the (safety) material is in the book. They failed. The owner, operator failed to do a proper hazard analysis and enforce it," Martin said.
Martin is also critical of the state and how it handled the inspection of Free Fall last December.
It shows the ride "passed" and under deficiencies there are no notes, indicating whether the inspector witnessed the ride in operation.
"I call that a drive-by inspection," Martin said. "He didn't write, you know, that I operated it (the ride) and it did this and it did that, checked all that lap bars for proper configuration. This inspector didn't write anything down!"
According to a spokeswoman with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the inspection report is "complete." She also says testing by inspectors is not documented on the worksheet or inspection report unless there is a failure.
Free Fall remains closed while the state's independent engineering firm investigates the fatal fall.
Following sister station WESH's initial report, the Florida Department of Agriculture provided answers to questions regarding ride inspectors.
The FDACS told WESH that there are 17 inspection specialists who conduct approximately 10,000 inspections, including carnival, water park, go-kart and zip line attractions. None are licensed engineers.
Among the required qualifications to be an inspector are:
- Knowledge, skills and abilities, including utilization of equipment, required for the position.
- Knowledge of techniques and equipment needed for amusement device/attraction set-up, maintenance and operation.
- Knowledge of applicable safety requirements and terminology used in the amusement device/attraction industry.
- Knowledge of basic principles of power (electrical and hydraulic), mechanical motion, structural assembly, stress and fatigue.
- Knowledge of basic principles of electrical, mechanical and structural operation and stress testing and analysis.
- Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing.
- Ability to read and understand fabrication and assembly drawings, manufacturer's equipment specifications and operation and maintenance procedures.
- Ability to conduct amusement device/attraction inspection.
- Skill in the use of equipment needed to conduct amusement device/attraction inspections.
- A valid class E driver's license is also required. | https://www.koat.com/article/free-fall-accident-safety-analyst/39704988 | 2022-04-12T19:15:37 | 1 | https://www.koat.com/article/free-fall-accident-safety-analyst/39704988 |
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, whose seven months in that role has been overshadowed by probes into a previous campaign, was arrested Tuesday in a federal corruption investigation.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said Benjamin was arrested on charges of bribery, honest services wire fraud and falsification of records.
Benjamin, formerly a state senator from Harlem, had joined the administration of Gov. Kathy Hochul in September, chosen by her to fill her former job a couple of weeks after she stepped into the governorship following the resignation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo over sexual harassment allegations.
But just over two months later, a real estate developer who steered campaign contributions toward Benjamin’s failed bid for New York City comptroller was indicted.
Federal authorities accused Gerald Migdol of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in illegally giving donations to Benjamin’s campaign.
Prosecutors had previously not made any accusations against Benjamin, and his campaign said at the time of Migdol’s arrest that it had forfeited any improper donations as soon as they were discovered.
More recently, reports came out saying subpoenas had been issued to Benjamin regarding the financial issues even before Hochul picked him as lieutenant governor.
Despite her saying she didn’t know of the subpoenas at the time, Hochul proclaimed her support for Benjamin, and he said he had told state police as they went though the process of vetting him.
“I have utmost confidence in my lieutenant governor,” Hochul said during a Thursday press conference. “This is an independent investigation related to other people and he’s fully cooperating. He is my running mate.”
Benjamin was the state’s second Black lieutenant governor. During his state Legislature career, the Democrat emphasized criminal justice reform and affordable housing. His district included most of central Harlem, where he was born and raised by Caribbean immigrant parents.
He has a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Brown University and a master’s of business administration from Harvard Business School, and worked as a developer of affordable housing. | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ny-lt-gov-benjamin-arrested-in-campaign-donation-scheme/ | 2022-04-12T19:15:37 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ny-lt-gov-benjamin-arrested-in-campaign-donation-scheme/ |
What do we know about“stealth omicron”so far?
It’s an extra-contagious version of the omicron variant, but it doesn’t seem to cause more severe disease.
Since it was first identified in November, BA.2 has been spreading around the globe, driving new surges in parts of Asia and Europe. It’s now the dominant coronavirus version in the U.S.and more than five dozen other countries.
It was given the “stealth” nickname because it looks like the earlier delta variant on certain PCR tests, says Kristen Coleman at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. The original omicron, by contrast, is easy to differentiate from delta because of a genetic quirk.
In rare cases, early research indicates BA.2 can infect people even if they’ve already had an omicron infection. COVID-19 vaccines appear just as effective against both kinds of omicron, offering strong protection against severe illness and death.
Health officials also are tracking other variants including XE — a combination of BA.2 and BA.1, the original omicron — that was first identified in January in the United Kingdom. The World Health Organization is keeping tabs on XE but has not yet deemed it a variant of concern or interest.
___
The AP is answering your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Submit them at: FactCheck@AP.org. Read more here:
How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed after two years?
Why are COVID vaccination rates still low in some countries?
Can you get long COVID after an infection with omicron? | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/what-do-we-know-about-stealth-omicron-so-far/ | 2022-04-12T19:15:44 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/news/ap-top-headlines/what-do-we-know-about-stealth-omicron-so-far/ |
Russian forces left bombs, death and destruction around Kyiv. Now, demining operations are underway
On the outskirts of Kyiv, Lt. Col. Mykola Opanasenko kneels down in a remote field as he winds up a small electrical generator to power a blast.
"Fire," he shouts, before bracing and pressing the trigger. A fraction of a second later, an ear-ringing bang pierces through the otherwise silent countryside.
This is the sixth controlled explosion 34-year-old Opanasenko and his demining unit have carried out since Russia withdrew its forces from the Kyiv region earlier this month. Today, they blew up 16 unexploded artillery shells, each weighing nearly 100 pounds, in one explosion. They have another 30 shells to go through before the day is over.
Their unit is one of many operating in the region. In total, they say they've destroyed 2.5 tons of ammunition in the past week and a half alone.
"If we are all alive, then everything is successful," Opanasenko says.
As Russian forces retreated, they left behind scores of unexploded shells and bombs in addition to mines they planted to slow down the Ukrainian advance, to protect their withdrawal, or perhaps, simply to scorch the earth.
Mines, ammunition and rusty machine guns from destroyed armored vehicles can be dangerous for civilians now returning to their homes, so Opanasenko's unit goes from village to village, scouring the ground for any of these deadly ordnances that need to be cleared out.
Signs warning of mines can be seen across towns and villages around Kyiv. Units like Opanasenko's will continue their work for months to come across the country as the war rages on, according to Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SES).
"As of now, we need to survey more than 300,000 hectares," the head of the SES, Serhiy Kruk, told journalists last Wednesday.
"Therefore, in cooperation with the Armed Forces and the National Police of Ukraine, we are actively working and doing everything to return people and restore livelihoods," he said, adding Kyiv will be a model for similar efforts in other regions.
At a different location near the capital, Opanasenko shows CNN another dangerous ordnance they've found in a backyard. It's tube shaped, with a blunt red tip and six fin-like attachments at its end.
"It is one of the elements of a cluster bomb dropped from an airplane," he says. "There are about 50 such elements in one bomb."
"This is a highly explosive fragmentation bomb to kill people, designed just to kill people," Opanasenko adds, before taking it away for disposal.
His unit has found several of these explosives around the Ukrainian capital, he says.
Russian forces have been accused of regularly using cluster munitions against civilian targets in Ukraine. Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said it received credible allegations that Russian armed forces have used cluster munitions in populated areas at least 24 times.
Such attacks "may amount to war crimes," UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said he viewed these actions as "war crimes," intended to "kill or maim as many of our people as possible."
Speaking during his almost nightly address on Monday — the 47th day since the start of the invasion — Zelensky said that Russian troops retreating from parts of northern Ukraine had deliberately left thousands of mines in their wake, adding they would not have done so without explicit orders from Russia's leadership.
He said in areas in northern Ukraine from which Russian troops had withdrawn, "tens if not hundreds of thousands" of unexploded ordnance had been left behind.
He added that teams were working to clear these "dangerous items," which "invaders left mines everywhere," including in homes, on streets and in fields.
"They deliberately did everything to ensure that the return to these areas after de-occupation was as dangerous as possible. Due to the actions of the Russian army, our territory today is one of the most contaminated by mines in the world," Zelensky added.
A larger effort
Mine sweeping goes hand in hand with other clean-up efforts as residents from the Kyiv region begin to embrace their new reality and try and return to what is left of their shattered lives following Russia's withdrawal.
Around 30,000 people have returned to the area, according to local authorities. Some businesses are reopening, and traffic is significantly increasing. Some military checkpoints have also been removed from the city's arteries and some public transportation is resuming.
As they do, authorities are continuing to remove debris from the streets, including shells of destroyed tanks and other armored vehicles.
It's a seemingly endless clean-up task for public officials, especially those who are tasked with collecting bodies caught in the crossfire.
At the main cemetery in Irpin, a Kyiv suburb, rows of graves for soldiers and civilians have been freshly dug.
Here, the military burials take place in quick succession. Russia may be regrouping, shifting its forces towards the East, but the war is not over — and there's not a moment to spare.
Tetyana Bliznyuk is surrounded by her husband's comrades as his body is laid to rest just before the sun sets, the last of the day's burials for members of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
When she last saw her husband, Oleksandr Lytkin, he promised her he'd be right back, Bliznyuk says.
"(He was killed by) a mortar shell," she says, her eyes still swollen red. "I'm very proud of him, he's a hero."
"It's so scary! No one thought this was possible in the 21st century," she says, adding that the war "must be stopped."
Her pain is shared by millions around Kyiv, as the death and destruction left by Russia's invading forces becomes increasingly visible. | https://www.koat.com/article/russian-forces-left-bombs-death-and-destruction-around-kyiv-demining-operation-underway/39703824 | 2022-04-12T19:15:47 | 0 | https://www.koat.com/article/russian-forces-left-bombs-death-and-destruction-around-kyiv-demining-operation-underway/39703824 |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it will suspend a federal rule that bars higher levels of ethanol in gasoline during the summer. The move, which President Joe Biden was set to announce during a Tuesday visit to Iowa, is intended to tamp down prices at the pump that have spiked during Russia’s war with Ukraine. Iowa is a key producer of the corn-based fuel additive.
A look at how that the decision to authorize year-round use of so-called E15 will impact gas supplies, prices and the environment.
WHAT ACTION IS BIDEN TAKING?
Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol. At Biden’s direction, the Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency waiver to allow widespread sale of 15% ethanol blend that is usually prohibited between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.
Senior Biden administration officials said the move will save drivers an average of 10 cents per gallon at 2,300 gas stations that sell E15, as the high-blend ethanol is known. Those stations are mostly in the Midwest and the South, including Texas, according to industry groups.
WHY IS BIDEN DOING THIS?
Lawmakers from both parties and ethanol advocates have urged Biden and the EPA to allow year-round sales of E15, calling it a cheaper and readily available domestic alternative to traditional gasoline. The U.S. has banned imports of Russian crude oil since the country’s late February invasion of Ukraine, disrupting global markets and raising prices.
“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump, and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a longtime ethanol proponent. Grassley and 15 other senators sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.
Ethanol groups called Biden’s action a major win for American drivers and U.S. energy security. “It means cleaner options at the pump and a stronger rural economy,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, a biofuel trade group.
HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT?
Biden administration official say the short-term move will have little effect on the environment and that EPA will work with states to “ensure there are no significant air quality impacts through the summer driving season.”
Environmentalists questioned that, saying ethanol production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion and raises prices for corn and other crops.
A recentreport in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciencesrevealed that the federal ethanol mandate inflated corn prices by 30% from 2008 to 2016, made corn-based ethanol more carbon intensive than gasoline and increased annual fertilizer use by up to 8%, polluting waterways.
HAS EPA DONE THIS BEFORE?
The EPA has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Trump administration allowed for year-round E15 sales starting in 2019, but a federal appeals court struck down the policy change in July 2021, saying the EPA overstepped its authority.
The decision dealt a significant blow to the ethanol industry and corn farmers who had anticipated increased ethanol demand through year-round sales of the higher blend.
HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM TRUMP’S ACTION?
Senior Biden administration officials said they expected the EPA waiver to survive a likely court challenge, saying that unlike the open-ended Trump rule, the action is limited to this summer and is prompted by a supply disruption caused by the war in Europe.
Greater use of E15 “would be helpful to the American people and to help alleviate some of the pain that we’ve seen since Russia launched this war against Ukraine,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan told a Senate committee last week.
But critics said the only emergency is Biden’s dropping poll numbers.
Emergency fuel waivers are reserved for acute supply disruptions, such as those resulting from a hurricane, said Chet Thompson, president & CEO of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, which represents petroleum refiners.
“An additional three months of E15 sales won’t do anything to address high crude oil prices, and 98% of retail (gas) stations can’t even sell the fuel,” Thompson said. “This is politics, not a real solution for drivers.”
WILL E15 HURT MY CAR’S ENGINE?
E15, often sold at the pump as Unleaded 88, for its octane rating, can safely be used in all cars, trucks and SUVs from 2001 on. Those model years represent more than 90% of vehicles on U.S. roads. The ethanol industry says the fuel is one of the most tested in history and has no effect on vehicle drivability. More than 20 billion miles have been driven in cars and trucks using Unleaded 88, a number continues to grow.
WHAT IS THE PRICE OF E15 GAS?
E15, or Unleaded 88, typically sells for 10 cents a gallon less than E10, the standard formulation for U.S. cars. The price difference between Unleaded 88 and conventional gasoline without ethanol is around 40 cents.
WILL I GET BETTER MILEAGE WITH E15?
There is no noticeable difference between the mileage achieved when using E15 and mileage when operating on E10.
CAN I USE E15 IN MY LAWNMOWER OR OTHER SMALL-ENGINE EQUIPMENT?
E15 has not been approved by EPA for use in non-automotive engines such as boats, motorcycles, lawn mowers and other small engines. E10, the standard ethanol formulation, is approved for small engines. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/explainer-why-biden-is-allowing-more-ethanol-in-gasoline/ | 2022-04-12T19:15:51 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/explainer-why-biden-is-allowing-more-ethanol-in-gasoline/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg so liked the caricature that accompanied an article about her that she got a copy from the artist and hung it in her Supreme Court office.
That signed and inscribed print by artist Eleanor Davis is among 150 items from Ginsburg’s office and home at the Watergate in an online auctionto benefit opera in Washington that will end in late April.
An earthenware plate by Pablo Picasso that hung in Ginsburg’s dining room, a black mink coat with her name sewn in a pocket and a souvenir vase from the Capitol luncheon following former President Barack Obama’s first inaugural also are up for auction.
The sale could raise $50,000 to $80,000 for the Washington National Opera, one of the late justice’s passions. She took part in at least three productions over the years, including a speaking, but non-singing, role for one night in 2016.
Ginsburg’s family selected the Potomack Company to handle the auction.
“It’s an opportunity to own something personal of hers and support the opera,” said Elizabeth Haynie Wainstein, the auction house’s owner.
Bidding for some items begins as low as $25, though the opening bid on the Picasso plate is $4,000, Haynie Wainstein said. Three other Picasso pieces also are in the auction.
The natural black mink coat, made by the Gartenhaus fur company in the Washington area, is going for a starting bid of $250.
Ginsburg died of cancer at age 87 in September 2020. Appreciation for the Supreme Court’s second female justice and liberal icon, dubbed the Notorious RBG in her later years, has continued well after her death.
The Navy recently announced it would name a ship after her in the John Lewis-class of replenishment oilers. The ships are named in honor of people who fought for civil and human rights, the Navy said.
Last month, the Smithsonian also posthumously honored Ginsburg with the National Museum of American History’s Great Americans Medal. Her children, Jane and James Ginsburg, have donated other of their mother’s possessions to the museum, including Ginsburg’s Paris-made judicial robe and a collection of collars she wore over it.
In January, an online auction of Ginsburg’s books brought in $2.3 million, almost 30 times the pre-sale estimate, according to Bonhams, the company that conducted the auction.
The April auction includes a print of the artist Josef Albers’ “Red Orange Wall” that hung above Ginsburg’s bed. Albers was among Ginsburg’s favorite artists. An original Albers work that was on loan from the National Gallery of Art was prominently displayed in her office at the court.
Six works by the sculptor Glenna Goodacre that Ginsburg acquired during her regular summer trips to Santa Fe, New Mexico for an opera festival are for sale, along with a silver tea set and a pair of Saint Louis Crystal eagle bookends.
One of Ginsburg’s grandchildren, Paul Spera, also has an original piece of art among the items being auctioned. His “Bubbie of Liberty,” using the Yiddish word for grandma, has Ginsburg’s likeness atop the Statue of Liberty. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/ginsburgs-art-fur-coat-awards-in-auction-to-benefit-opera/ | 2022-04-12T19:15:57 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/ginsburgs-art-fur-coat-awards-in-auction-to-benefit-opera/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Shirley Troutman, a judge on New York’s highest court, was working last week when her daughter texted messages that included a clapping hands emoji. Soon, her phone was buzzing with other celebratory messages. The applause and the excitement was for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who last week was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court and will become its first Black female justice.
Jackson will become the court’s 116th member. That’s special for Troutman, who is the 116th member of her court too.
“As a judge, as a Black woman, I am extremely proud and wish her the best,” said Troutman, who took her seat earlier this year and is the second Black woman to serve on her court. She said she cried “tears of joy” Thursday when Jackson was confirmed.
Troutman is among 17 Black women and 14 Black men currently serving on their state’s highest court, according to the Brennan Center for Justice in New York, which has tracked diversity on those courts. A majority of the women joined the bench within the last five years and, like Jackson, shattered a barrier, becoming the first Black woman on their state’s high court. In interviews, some of those women described not only their own delight at Jackson’s confirmation but also suggested there’s more work to be done to make America’s courts more reflective of its citizens.
“I am so proud and optimistic about her accomplishment and what this means,” said Justice Melissa Long of Rhode Island’s Supreme Court.
Long, who joined her state’s high court in 2021, also feels a “great sense of connection” to Jackson. They were born 10 days apart in 1970 in Washington, D.C. Long’s parents had married in the city because laws against interracial marriage, struck down by the Supreme Court in 1967, prohibited them from getting married in Virginia.
Being the first Black woman and first person of color on her state’s five-member court “feels like a responsibility,” Long said. “It’s an important responsibility, but it does feel like a responsibility.”
That’s in part because diversity overall on state courts is lacking. People of color make up 17% of the judges on state supreme courts, but as of last year, 22 states had high courts where no member identified as a person of color, according to the Brennan Center. In 11 of those states, minorities make up at least 20% of the population, according to the Brennan Center. About 30% of all federal judges, meanwhile, identify as people of color.
Those numbers help explain why the Brennan Center’s Madiba Dennie says she’s wary of people thinking that Jackson’s confirmation means: “We did it. We have a Black woman on the Supreme Court now.” There’s more work to be done, she said, with “huge disparities throughout the rest of the federal judiciary and at the state judiciary as well.”
The history of Black women serving on their state’s highest court goes back to 1988 when Juanita Kidd Stout joined Pennsylvania’s highest court. That was seven years after Justice Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. Stout served for a year before she reached the mandatory age of retirement. Today, the four men and three women on Pennsylvania’s highest court are all white.
Other state high courts are more diverse. Maryland has two Black women on its highest court, the Court of Appeals, where members wear red robes with white collars and are called judge, not justice. Judge Shirley M. Watts joined the seven-member court in 2013 and Judge Michele D. Hotten in 2015.
In California, Justice Leondra Kruger was among the women President Joe Biden considered nominating to fulfill his campaign pledge to put a Black woman on the Supreme Court, if given the opportunity. In Ohio, Justice Melody Stewart was a classically trained pianist before making the switch to a career in law. And in Washington, Justice G. Helen Whitener is one of two gay justices and one of seven women on state’s nine-member high court.
In Massachusetts, Kimberly Budd serves as her court’s chief justice, a position she has held since 2020. North Carolina’s Cheri Beasley served as the chief justice of that state’s Supreme Court and is now a leading candidate in the Democratic primary for the 2022 U.S. Senate election.
Louisiana also until recently had a Black woman leading its highest court. Bernette Johnson was elected to the court in 1994 and served as its chief from 2013 to her 2020 retirement. Today, Justice Piper D. Griffin is the second Black woman and third Black person to serve on that court.
Griffin called Jackson’s confirmation “surreal” and “humbling.” “It was one of those things that you never think you’d see in your lifetime. You know, it’s kind of like you, you’re hopeful, but you’re never expecting it,” said Griffin, who was elected to her position in 2020.
Griffin said her phone “blew up” Thursday afternoon when Jackson was confirmed. “I got lots of exclamation points,” she said. One friend, knowing Griffin couldn’t watch Vice President Kamala Harris announce live that Jackson had been confirmed, recorded the moment on her phone and texted it to her. Over and over and over again friends texted one word: Yes!
Troutman, the judge on New York’s highest court, said one of the things her daughter sent her that day was a picture of Jackson and the president hugging. It’s important that Jackson is the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, Troutman said, but: “It is most important that she shall not be the last.” | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-is-and-isnt-first-black-woman-justice/ | 2022-04-12T19:16:03 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/ketanji-brown-jackson-is-and-isnt-first-black-woman-justice/ |
Climate change made the record-smashing deadly 2020 Atlantic hurricane season noticeably wetter, a new study says. And it will likely make this season rainier, too, scientists said.
Human-caused climate change made the entire season — 30 named storms — drop 5% more rain. During the 14 storms that reached hurricane status the rainfall was 8% heavier, according to the study in Tuesday’s Nature Communications.
“It doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you’re near a threshold, a little bit can push you over the top,” said Lawrence Berkeley National Lab climate scientist Michael Wehner, co-author of the paper. “The implication is that that means there was more freshwater flooding and that the damages from freshwater flooding were increased, but by how much would require a more detailed analysis.”
While past studies have predicted climate change would make storms wetterand found individual storms, such as 2017’s Harvey,were in fact wetter because of human-caused climate change, this is the first study to look at an entire season, Wehner said. That’s important because it removes the selection bias of just picking the worst storms, such as Harvey.
“It’s not just the big monster ones, it’s a whole season,” Wehner said.
It’s likely 2020 is not the only year made significantly rainier by climate change. Warming is probably increasing the downpours in nearly all storms and most hurricane seasons, including the one that starts June 1, said study lead author Kevin Reed, an atmospheric scientist at Stony Brook University.
And what a season 2020 was. It broke recordsnot only for the number of named storms, but for the number that became major storms with winds of at least 111 miles per hour — seven — and the number that made landfall in the United States. Louisiana got hit five times. Overall, more than 330 people were killed directly by named storms in 2020 and damage soared past $41 billion, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Hurricanes Laura, Sally, Isaias, Zeta, Delta, Eta and Hanna all caused more than $1 billion in damage, much of it from flooding. Laura, for example, was 10% wetter than it would have been without climate change, a separate quick analysis shows, Reed said.
The researchers used computer simulations — continually updated with real-time observations — to calculate how much water fell during the 30 storms and then compared them to a simulated world with no human caused climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. The difference is what’s caused by global warming. This scientifically accepted technique came up with the 5% and 8% figures.
When scientists looked at just the three rainiest hours of each storm, climate change amped them up 8% compared to the mythical world without climate change. For the storms that hit hurricane status, 11% more rain fell during the peak rainy time than would have otherwise, the study found.
A fundamental rule of physics is that the atmosphere can hold nearly 4% more moisture for every degree Fahrenheit the air warms (7% more for every degree Celsius). Globally, temperatures have increased about 2 degrees (1.1 degrees Celsius) since pre-industrial times. And the water of the Atlantic hurricane basin, which acts as storm fuel, has warmed about 1.3 degrees (.7 degrees Celsius) in the past century, Wehner said.
“That signal will only get larger as the sea surface temperatures continue to warm,” Reed said.
Storms are getting stronger, which also makes them wetter, Wehner said.
“The expected increase in hurricane rainfall is probably the most robust prediction concerning the response of hurricanes to climate change,” said MIT atmospheric science professor Kerry Emanuel, who wasn’t part of the study team. But the study is limited by not looking at how climate change could have affected storm track, intensity and frequency, he said.
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Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/pouring-it-on-climate-change-made-2020-hurricanes-rainier/ | 2022-04-12T19:16:09 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/pouring-it-on-climate-change-made-2020-hurricanes-rainier/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — The hiring of non-journalists as contributors to television news organizations isn’t new. Far less common is seeing pushback to such decisions from journalists working there, as has happened recently at CBS and NBC News.
Discontent emerged over CBS’ hiring of former Trump administration official Mick Mulvaney as a commentator and discussions about current White House press secretary Jen Psaki working at MSNBC when her time in the Biden administration is through.
In both cases, journalists have been quiet publicly about their concerns over the decisions. Because of concern about Psaki — which has raised ethical issues for the press secretary — NBC News President Noah Oppenheim was compelled to address the discussions in a phone meeting with Washington-based staff, first reported by CNN.
While both cases are different, the fact that these internal complaints surfaced illustrates some of the pressures many journalists feel under, said Mark Whitaker, a former executive at NBC News, CNN and Newsweek. They already work in a hyper-partisan time and face accusations of promoting “fake news,” he said.
“There’s a feeling of ‘this just makes our job harder when we’re under attack anyway,’” Whitaker said.
Each case is more complex than rubbing elbows at the water cooler with a partisan.
Neither MSNBC nor Psaki have publicly confirmed their talks about a role there. MSNBC has already hired Symone Sanders, former chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris, for a job that begins in May. NBC News has taken pains to draw distinctions between its journalists and MSNBC, which has beefed up its opinion programming, although that’s awkward when journalists like Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd both have shows on the cable network.
At least until the situation becomes clearer, NBC News journalists are put in the uncomfortable position of having professional contact with someone who may soon become a colleague.
NBC White House correspondent Kristen Welker asked Psaki about her status at a recent White House briefing, saying “is it ethical for you to keep conducting this job while negotiating with a media outlet?”
Without confirming or denying those talks, Psaki said she had already gone “over and above” stringent ethical requirements. Welker followed up twice, asking “how can you be an effective briefer if you do, in fact, have plans to join a media outlet?”
Psaki said she has taken steps to make sure there is no conflict. While the situation is still in flux, CNN reported that she is not expected to do any on-camera interviews with NBC News or MSNBC personnel, and won’t be involved in decisions about booking administration officials on the networks.
Oppenheim declined an opportunity to discuss the issue, through a spokesman.
CBS News said Mulvaney’s signing was part of the network’s buildup of its roster of contributors in advance of the 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential elections. The news division’s co-president, Neeraj Khemlani, said in a staff meeting prior to the announcement that CBS is making sure that it hires contributors that ensure the network has access to officials in both parties with a midterm election looming, according to a tape of that meeting provided to the Washington Post.
In addition to internal grumbling, CBS News received outside criticism; Post columnist Margaret Sullivan, for example, blasted the “ galling cynicism ” of the move. A former congressman, Mulvaney served Trump as chief of staff, as well as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
CBS has had other like-minded outsiders as contributors, like former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus, and it recently announced the signing of former national security adviser H.R. McMaster.
Mulvaney, however, drew criticism for lying when he publicly admitted Trump had withheld aid to Ukraine to pressure the country into investigating political opponents, then later suggesting he hadn’t said that. In the early days of the coronavirus, he said the media was hyping the virus as a way to bring down Trump.
“Even in opinion journalism, a respect for facts is essential,” said Geneva Overholser, a veteran consultant who’s worked at both the University of Missouri and USC Annenberg journalism schools.
“I read the CBS staff reaction as trying to hold onto that principle, to continue to uphold the network’s honor,” she said. “More power to them.”
Khemlani was not made available for an interview. CBS said that when Mulvaney makes appearances as a commentator on political news, he will be with news anchors who can give context to his statements.
Since the March 29 announcement that he’d been hired as a contributor, he’s appeared once on the network’s streaming service but not yet on TV, a spokeswoman said. | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/psaki-rumors-mulvaney-hire-at-cbs-news-trouble-journalists/ | 2022-04-12T19:16:15 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/politics/ap-politics/psaki-rumors-mulvaney-hire-at-cbs-news-trouble-journalists/ |
Which bully stick is best?
Dogs know we love them, but we don’t always have a way to communicate how grateful we are to have them. One solution is to shower them with treats, but this can lead to adverse effects like weight gain. An excellent middle ground to this approach is giving them tasty bully sticks to chew on. Top choice Pawstruck 12-Inch Bully Sticks are high in calories but can last long enough to mitigate that fact.
What to know before you buy a bully stick
Length and thickness
Bully sticks come in a variety of lengths and thicknesses to fit the size and caloric needs of any dog breed. It’s important to use appropriate lengths and thickness with your dog. If it’s too small, it becomes a choking hazard; too large and it can upset their stomach or be difficult to chew.
Four-inch sticks are best for dogs under 30 pounds, while six-inch sticks are best for dogs between 30-50 pounds. Dogs between 50-100 pounds should chew on 12-inch sticks, and dogs over 100 pounds should chew on 24-inch sticks.
Shape
Bully sticks are available in a variety of shapes. The most common is a straight stick. Others include curls, rings and braids. Rings take the longest to chew, while braids provide the most dental benefits.
Per-pack size
Bully sticks are available as an individual purchase, but this is rare. Most come in packs of at least five, though some can be as large as 100. It’s recommended to start with a small package to see if your dog likes the treat before upgrading to larger sizes for cheaper per-stick costs. Extra-large packages should be stored in airtight containers to prevent them from spoiling before you can use them all.
What to look for in a quality bully stick
Odor
All bully sticks have a natural odor. It becomes stronger as your dog pumps moisture into them while chewing. Fair warning: many consumers find the odor to be difficult to stand. Thus, many manufacturers use one of several methods to reduce or change the odor into something more manageable. The most common method of odor reduction is to dry the stick for varying lengths. The less moisture it contains before chewing, the less it will smell. But even the most thoroughly dried sticks — often marketed as odor-free — still have some amount of smell. Smoking the stick to make it smell smoky is also commonly done.
All of this said, the smellier the stick, the more flavorful it will be and the more your dog will enjoy it. Some dogs will outright refuse to chew an odorless stick.
Filling
Some bully sticks take the “treat” aspect even further and stuff the center with all manner of fillings, peanut butter being among the most common. The downside to filled treats is the increase in calories and the likely presence of preservatives that fill-less sticks usually lack.
How much you can expect to spend on a bully stick
Small packages of bully sticks usually cost $10-$30. Medium-sized packages usually cost $20-$50. Large packages can cost up to $100, and the rare individual bully stick rarely costs more than $15.
Bully stick FAQ
What is a bully stick made of?
A. Bully sticks are made from high-protein muscle. They’re a good source of protein and taurine, which improves the health of your dog’s muscles and organs.
How often can a dog have a bully stick?
A. Generally speaking, one stick a day. However, due to the high levels of protein, it’s wise to consider one every two or three days. Too much protein can upset a dog’s stomach and negatively affect its liver and kidneys. You also need to balance your dog’s caloric intake to prevent unhealthy weight gain.
How safe are bully sticks for my dog?
A. When given responsibly, perfectly safe. The biggest risks are simply too much protein and calories. They can also be a possible choking hazard once your dog has chewed a stick down to a size it can swallow, so it’s best to take the stick away once it hits that point. The health benefits of the treats and the dental benefits of being a hard chew outweigh the risks.
What’s the best bully stick to buy?
Top bully stick
Pawstruck 12-Inch Bully Sticks (10-Pack)
What you need to know: These sticks can last for several hours of chewing and provide plenty of nutrition and fun for large-breed dogs.
What you’ll love: Each one has approximately 120 calories. The braided design is excellent for cleaning teeth. They’re sourced from free-range Paraguayan bulls and have no additives, including color or preservatives. Pawstruck is a family-owned small business.
What you should consider: The extra-large size makes for a long-lasting smell. Stick quality is inconsistent between packages.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top bully stick for the money
Best Bully Sticks Odor-Free Angus Bully Sticks
What you need to know: These are lower-cost and come in perfect sizes for any breed.
What you’ll love: They are sourced from free-range, grass-fed Brazilian cattle and contain no additives. The sticks resist even heavy chewers. and help keep your dog’s teeth clean. They’re available in a 6-inch pack of 20 or a 12-inch pack of 12 or 24.
What you should consider: They aren’t fully odor-free, only odor-reduced with some packages being more or less so. Stick quality is inconsistent between packages.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
Worth checking out
Nature Gnaws Small Bully Sticks
What you need to know: If you’re unsure about bully sticks, try this small-size package.
What you’ll love: These are 6 inches long and provide adequate dental cleaning. The company sources only fresh material, irradiates for cleanliness, submits for food-grade testing and is packaged in the U.S. with a further round of UV disinfection.
What you should consider: Some consumers found these sticks to have a powerful odor. Others were unhappy with the thinness and hollowness of the sticks.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon and Chewy
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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Which navy blue rug is best?
Navy blue is a classic color loved by interior designers for its dignified aesthetic. This versatile hue can do wonders as a backdrop for your decor, letting your accents glimmer and shine like stars in the night sky. This makes a rug the perfect candidate to add a rich pool of color to your interior. Which rug you choose will come down to your taste and the area you’re trying to cover.
For a solid area rug that will elevate your home’s aesthetic, you can’t go wrong with the Safavieh Vision Collection Modern Ombre Tonal Chic Non-Shedding Area Rug.
What to know before you buy a navy blue rug
Advantages of navy blue
Navy blue is a stately color associated with power and authority. When used in deeper, darker shades, navy is a great way to add a sense of importance and momentousness to your room. But it can also be peaceful and relaxing, recalling the expansive ocean. Lighter shades not only inspire tranquil reflection, but also positivity and possibility — after all, the big blue sky’s the limit.
Colors that go with navy blue
Navy blue is a cool color, so it pairs best with the warmer side of the spectrum. Colors from blush pink to rust red can balance out the hue. Consider also warm, muted purples, golden yellows and burnt oranges. And navy blends with warm neutral tones such as grays that have red or yellow undertones.
Another tried-and-true pairing is navy blue and white. This crisp, clean aesthetic is a touch nautical, but suits the modern and classical home alike.
If you’re feeling blue through and through, try adding lighter, warmer shades of the color, or even brighter greens to lean into the cool half of the color wheel.
Patterns vs. solid color
While a solid blue rug provides a rich base to play with accents, a patterned rug can have its benefits as well. Patterns tone down navy’s domineering qualities. When set against a warm neutral tone, a navy-blue patterned rug, whether floral or geometric, can offer a modest dose of blue’s psychological prowess without sucking your entire decor into its awesome orbit.
What to look for in a quality navy blue rug
Material
Choosing the right material comes down to your budget and where you intend to place the rug, as certain materials stand up better to foot traffic than others.
- Wool: Tough yet soft underfoot, wool is one of the most common rug materials because it can take a beating. Just keep it out of damp environments.
- Silk: The stuff of luxury, silk is a great option for patterned rugs as the fine fibers allow for intricate details. It won’t stand up to lots of foot traffic, so place it in a less-visited room. .
- Cotton: A more-affordable natural fiber, cotton is used for a lot of flat-weave rugs. It’s easy to clean, making it great for kids’ rooms or kitchens where spills are inevitable.
- Grasses and fibers: Jute, sisal and seagrass are natural grasses used to make rugged carpets. They’re perfect for the outdoors, but can also look great indoors, especially in sunny rooms. They’re just a little rough underfoot.
- Synthetics: Synthetic rugs can are usually polyester, but also include polypropylene, rayon and viscose. These mimic natural fibers’ properties. They’re not as long-lasting, but are easy to clean and can be used in high-traffic areas. They’re also generally more affordable than wool, cotton or silk.
Weave
Your rug’s weave reflects its manufacturing process. Today, most rugs are produced by machine on a power loom. But you can still find one-of-a-kind handmade ones that not only reflect their makers’ idiosyncrasies, but also last for generations.
Both handwoven and hand-knotted rugs don’t have a backing. Because hand-knotted rugs are flat woven, they have the added benefit of reversibility, meaning you can flip them to extend their lifespan.
Machine-woven rugs, on the other hand, pull the fibers through a backing. This renders them prone to shedding as the glue deteriorates over time. But the cheaper cost of production does make synthetics an affordable alternative.
Pile
Your rug’s pile is a measurement of how long or high each individual fiber is, and how densely they’re woven together. A high pile height indicates long strands like those of a shag rug. These are fluffy and thick, but shed easily. A low pile can still be dense, but lasts much longer as it’s harder to pull these rugs apart. Flat-woven rugs have zero pile.
How much you can expect to spend on a navy blue rug
The cost of a rug depends on its size and material. Smaller rugs are typically $25-$150. A large synthetic area rug can cost as much as $200-$350, and a premium handmade rug can cost $700 or more.
Navy blue rug FAQ
What decors does navy blue look best in?
A. Navy blue is a jack of all trades. While it’s most often associated with beach houses, this grand color looks great with a muted palette in modern decors, or with rich yellow-to-red tones in classical homes. How you integrate it is a game of accents, and warm metals and natural woods work great in this regard.
How do I clean my rug?
A. Most rugs need to be cleaned by hand, though some synthetics can be washed in a machine. Silk must be professionally cleaned.
If you’re cleaning by hand, first dust and vacuum your rug to get any dirt and debris out of the fibers. Then, using a carpet shampoo, scrub thoroughly with a brush. Rinse your rug with a hose or a bucket and dry it off. You can do this by blotting with towels first and then hang-drying on a line. When cleaning your rug, it’s best to first test a small patch in case your dyes will fade.
What’s the best navy blue rug to buy?
Top navy blue rug
Safavieh Vision Collection Modern Ombre Tonal Chic Non-Shedding Area Rug
What you need to know: Cast in deep dark blue, this solid-color rug has a hint of faded glory to soften its presence.
What you’ll love: At 5 feet, 1 inches by 7 feet, 6 inches, this area rug suits bedrooms and living rooms. It’s machine-made from polypropylene, a resilient material that resists staining and heavy treading. That makes it a good fit for homes with kids or pets.
What you should consider: Because it’s synthetic, this rug will have a strong smell out of the wrapper, so prepare to air it out for a couple of weeks.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top navy blue rug for the money
Wayfair Basics Shag Navy Area Rug
What you need to know: This shag rug has just the right amount of pile to feel like you’re walking on a cloud without looking like it came from some big blue animal.
What you’ll love: This rug is versatile. You have your choice of large area rugs and smaller accent rugs, as well as rectangular and circular shapes. As an area rug, its high pile adds rich texture to your decor. And as a smaller accent rug — say, by your bedside — you’ll have a luxuriously plush surface to step onto every morning. The synthetic fibers are durable and resist shedding.
What you should consider: You need a pad under it to avoid slipping.
Where to buy: Sold by Wayfair
Worth checking out
Callista Southwestern Navy/Ivory Area Rug
What you need to know: Inspired by Oriental and Persian rugs, it features a geometric pattern that’s right at home in boho and classical interiors.
What you’ll love: It has a sophisticated ornamental diamond motif. With just the right mixture of blue and ivory, you don’t have to totally commit to navy, making this a great rug for decors that prize the crisp duality of blue and white. It’s synthetic, so it’s tough. And it comes in a vast array of sizes to fit whatever space you envision.
What you should consider: The rug can get pricey the larger you go in size.
Where to buy: Sold by Wayfair
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Karl Daum writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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What are the best gifts for 11-year-olds?
No longer little kids but not quite teenagers, 11-year-olds often want to be more grown-up than they are, and will appreciate gifts that make them feel this way. It can be a tricky age group to buy for, but once you get down to it, you can find plenty for tweens to enjoy.
You know the 11-year-old you’re buying for, so thinking about their likes and interests will help you choose the perfect gift. And it’s useful to look at popular products for inspiration.
Best tech gifts for 11-year-olds
Top tech gift
WobbleWorks 3Doodler Create+ 3D Printing Pen
What you need to know: Creative 11-year-olds who love tech will be wowed by this 3D printing pen.
What you’ll love: It lets users create 3D models out of plastic rods that are inserted into the pen and melt as they come out of the tip. Users can craft all kinds of wonderful creations, both big and small.
What you should consider: Although sensible 11-year-olds will be able to use it safely, it’s recommended for ages 14-plus.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top tech gift for the money
Sphero Mini App-Enabled Programmable Robot Ball
What you need to know: This is an excellent choice if you’re buying for an 11-year-old who loves tech and is interested in programming.
What you’ll love: This tiny robot can teach users how to code with the Sphero app for smartphones, tablets or laptops. It also acts as a controller to play a variety of mini games and has a drive mode that lets users drive it around from the app.
What you should consider: It suffers from a few glitches, such as easily becoming uncalibrated and disconnecting from Wi-Fi.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Best gifts for 11-year-olds who love music
Top music gift
Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster Starter Pack
What you need to know: It’s a reasonably priced electric guitar that’s great for beginners as it comes bundled with other essentials.
What you’ll love: This guitar is on the higher end of basic, so it will serve a new player for at least a few years before they want to upgrade. It comes with accessories including a strap, lead, tuner and small practice amp.
What you should consider: If you’re not sure your 11-year-old wants to learn guitar, it’s a pricey gift to take a risk on.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top music gift for the money
What you need to know: This portable Bluetooth speaker is perfect for music lovers, letting them play music from a phone, tablet or laptop.
What you’ll love: It’s waterproof and durable, so it’s a good choice for kids who aren’t known for taking the best care of their belongings. The sound quality is excellent considering its compact size.
What you should consider: Kids who don’t have their own phone or tablet will get limited use from it.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Best gifts for creative 11-year-olds
Top creative gift
Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils
What you need to know: Art-lovers can level up their drawing game with these colored pencils.
What you’ll love: They have soft cores, are highly pigmented and easily blendable, so they’re a huge step up for tweens who only have basic colored pencils. You can choose a range of pack sizes, from small 36-pencil sets to huge 150-pencil ones.
What you should consider: Their high price point means they’re not ideal for kids who aren’t seriously into art.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top creative gift for the money
Fujifilm Instax Mini 11 Instant Camera
What you need to know: This camera lets the tween in your life experience the magic of instant Polaroid pictures, but in a modern package.
What you’ll love: It’s great for 11-year-olds into photography, easy to use and comes in a range of appealing colors: blue, pink, lilac, charcoal and white. It automatically adjusts the shutter speed to get the best results in any lighting.
What you should consider: The film is relatively pricey and kids may go through it quickly when they’re used to taking snaps on digital cameras.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Best gift for adventurous 11-year-olds
Top adventurous gift
What you need to know: This mini drone is made by a reputable drone manufacturer, but has cheaper components and hardware to bring the cost down.
What you’ll love: It has a decent build quality and is easy to control, which is great for young drone pilots. It comes with a camera that can capture still photos and videos.
What you should consider: The maximum flight time is only 13 minutes, but it’s still fun to play with.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top adventurous gift for the money
What you need to know: A skateboard is a great gift for adventurous young people who are longing to hang out at the skatepark with their friends.
What you’ll love: This is a complete board, so it’s ready to ride out of the box. It’s a decent setup for new skaters that they’ll take a while to grow out of. The 7.5-inch width is a good size for young skaters.
What you should consider: You’ll need to buy the right safety gear for the 11-year-old in your life to skate safely.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Best gifts for 11-year-olds into games and gaming
Top game and gaming gift
What you need to know: This Marvel version of the strategy game Splendor is complex enough to keep 11-year-olds interested without being too hard to play.
What you’ll love: It’s a great choice for Marvel fans, board-gamers and young people you’re trying to encourage to spend less time staring at screens. It’s a relatively quick game, taking around 30 minutes from start to finish once players have the hang of the mechanics.
What you should consider: It can be tough to get some 11-year-olds to agree to family game time.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top game and gaming gift for the money
Paladone Playstation Icons Light
What you need to know: Young people of this age often want to start asserting their identity, so a keen gamer would love to display this in their bedroom or game room.
What you’ll love: It has three lighting modes: one displaying solid colors, one phasing among colors and one music-reactive mode that flashes along with a beat. It’s officially licensed by PlayStation and is solidly made.
What you should consider: Kids who are more into Xbox or Nintendo than PlayStation might not like it.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Lauren Corona writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/baby-kids-br/best-gifts-for-11-year-olds/ | 2022-04-12T19:16:35 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/baby-kids-br/best-gifts-for-11-year-olds/ |
Which toddler beanbag chair is best?
A toddler beanbag chair provides a comfy spot to rest that’s just the right size for a little body. It’s a perfect place for toddlers to sit and look at a picture book, do some coloring or watch their favorite shows. The Idea Nuova Toddler Beanbag Chair comes in three cute designs and is an ideal size for young toddlers.
What to know before you buy a toddler beanbag chair
Filling type
Beanbag chairs can be filled with polystyrene beads, expanded polypropylene beads or shredded foam beads.
- Polystyrene beads are comfortable to sit on and inexpensive, but they flatten over time.
- Expanded polypropylene beads bounce back into shape better than polystyrene beads, but they’re pricier.
- Shredded foam beads are light and very comfortable, but feel slightly more squishy than classic beanbag fillings, which some people prefer and some people don’t.
Size
Some beanbag chairs for kids are the perfect size for toddlers but not for older kids, while others are great for toddlers to grow into. It’s up to you to decide if you want a chair that’s just the right size for your toddler now, or one that’s oversized now but might last until they’re 8 or 10 years old.
Design
Beanbags for toddlers generally have more elaborate designs than those for adults. While you can find some in solid colors, many feature animal designs, cartoon characters, princesses or superheroes. This means you should be able to easily find a chair design your child will love.
What to look for in a quality toddler beanbag chair
Washable cover
Toddlers aren’t known for their ability to keep things clean, so any chair you buy for them will probably end up covered in crumbs and sticky fingerprints. Ideally, it should have a removable, washable cover so you can keep it clean and fresh.
Refillable
Fillings often flatten over time, so it’s great if you can top up the filling to keep the chair plush and comfy for years to come.
Safety-locked zippers
Toddlers are curious and get into everything, so it’s natural they’d want to discover what’s inside their chair. However, a learning experience for them equals a huge mess to clean up for you. Safety-locked zippers are easy for adults to open but tricky for toddlers to work, which is a huge bonus.
How much you can expect to spend on a toddler beanbag chair
Expect to spend around $30-$75 on a beanbag chair for your toddler. If it’s cheaper than $30, make sure you’re getting a filled beanbag rather than just a cover.
Toddler beanbag chair FAQ
How long do beanbag chairs last?
A. This depends on a range of factors, including the quality of the chair and how much use it gets. On average, you can expect them to last around three to five years before they split, flatten or get too worn and grubby. It’s likely that your toddler will outgrow the chair before it needs replacing, but it may have enough life left in it to pass down to a younger sibling or another child in your life.
Are beanbag chairs safe for toddlers?
A. The only real risks are that a toddler could eat the filling or open up the zipper, climb inside and suffocate. Both risks are negated by choosing a chair that either has a safety locked zipper or doesn’t open. As long as your toddler can’t open up the chair, it’s safe to use unsupervised.
Which beanbag shape is best?
A. Toddlers will have more support from a with a back and arms than a round sack-shaped one. Beanbag loungers also offer support in a reclined position but are harder to sit up on. Most toddlers are happy to sit on any kind of beanbag chair.
What’s the best toddler beanbag chair to buy?
Top toddler beanbag chair
Idea Nuova Toddler Beanbag Chair
What you need to know: This adorable mini beanbag chair is perfectly sized for toddlers of around 12-36 months.
What you’ll love: You can choose from three designs, featuring Minnie Mouse, Spiderman and Grogu from “The Mandalorian.” It’s made from a soft fleece material with a sherpa trim.
What you should consider: It’s very small, so older toddlers will grow out of it quickly.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top toddler beanbag chair for the money
Big Joe Milano Kids Beanbag Chair
What you need to know: Featuring a terrazzo print, this cool-looking beanbag is ideal for ages 2-4.
What you’ll love: The back and arms offer plenty of support and the foam bead filling is comfortable. It has a handle to make it easier to pick up and move around. It has a safety locked zipper.
What you should consider: The filling flattens slightly over time, so you may need to top it up after a year or so of use.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Posh Creations Beanbag Chair for Kids
What you need to know: It’s perfect for parents who want to buy a beanbag chair for their toddler to grow into.
What you’ll love: Buyers have eight designs to choose from, including a llama, sloth and dragon. The cover is removable and washable, with a safety locked zipper.
What you should consider: Young toddlers may need to climb onto it, but it will last them through much of their childhood.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Lauren Corona writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/baby-kids-br/best-toddler-beanbag-chair/ | 2022-04-12T19:16:42 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/baby-kids-br/best-toddler-beanbag-chair/ |
Which YSL lipstick is best?
For more than 50 years, Yves Saint Laurent has been one of the most respected and coveted names in beauty. The brand’s daring colors and high scientific standards make YSL lipsticks a must-have for beauty fans.
If you’re looking for a long-wearing lipstick that’s still hydrating and comfortable, YSL Rouge Pur Couture The Slim Matte Lipstick is a great choice.
What to know before you buy a YSL lipstick
Lipstick formulation
Yves Saint Laurent makes more than a dozen lip products, including classic bullet formulations, liquid lipsticks, lip glosses and lip stains. For a classic lipstick experience, it’s hard to beat a bullet format. However, if you prefer a longer-wearing option, a better bet may be a YSL liquid lipstick or stain.
Bold color choices
Yves Saint Laurent founded his own fashion house in 1961 after working as head designer at Dior for 3 years. He drew inspiration from the Algerian culture he grew up in as well as the bounty of the Mediterranean, and this is reflected in the bold color palettes YSL offers.
Often regarded as one of the most subversive and avant-garde of the French fashion houses, the brand’s lipsticks capture modernity and boldness in shades that are highly pigmented or texturally unique. Along with iconic bright reds, YSL lipsticks come in rich burgundies, bright oranges and corals, vivid pinks and more. If you prefer makeup that stands out, YSL lipstick deserves a place on your vanity.
True French beauty
Yves Saint Laurent Beauty manufactures all of its products in France with internationally sourced ingredients. Some of their ingredients, such as the pomegranates in the Rouge Volupte Shine lipstick, are sourced from a proprietary garden co-op in Morocco.
What to look for in a quality YSL lipstick
Customizable pigmentation
Do you want full, matte coverage from your lipstick, or something more sheer and balmy? Yves Saint Laurent offers lipsticks with varying coverage levels and finishes. Check the product description carefully while you’re shopping, because some YSL lipsticks can look more pigmented in the tube than they do on your lips.
Bold vs. nude lipsticks
Yves Saint Laurent may be famous for its classic red shades, but if you don’t feel like going bold, there are plenty of nude options in YSL’s lineup that still let you stand out.
For fair or light skin skin tones, consider YSL Tatouage Couture Velvet Cream Matte Liquid Lipstick in Nude Sedition or Rouge Pur Couture Satin Lipstick in Rosy Nude.
For medium or deep skin tones, try Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick in Burnt Zellige or Rouge Pur Couture The Slim Matte Lipstick in Nude Antonym.
Luxe packaging
If you’re going to splurge on a luxury lipstick, it should look and feel luxurious on every level — and YSL delivers. The brand’s lipsticks come in beautiful metallic cases with the distinctive YSL logo highly visible on the side. Some formulations also feature thoughtfully engineered bullet shapes or applicator wands customized to how the formula behaves to make application smoother and simpler.
European cosmetics regulations
As a French brand, YSL adheres to the regulations that control European cosmetics, which are some of the strictest in the world. This means that YSL lipsticks have unsurpassed standards for ingredient quality, and they’re formulated without ingredients like parabens or phthalates.
Yves Saint Laurent Beauty has also been recognized by Positive Luxury, a company that rewards luxury brands for taking steps toward better sustainability and business ethics.
How much you can expect to spend on a YSL lipstick
Almost all YSL lipsticks cost $39. However, some lipsticks, especially the liquid formulations, contain more product per dollar than others.
YSL lipstick FAQ
Do YSL lipsticks have fragrance?
A. Yes, YSL lipsticks contain different fragrances. The flagship Rouge Pur Couture lipstick line has a floral fragrance reminiscent of a classic perfume scent, while other YSL lipsticks have fruity scents like melon or mango thanks to added botanical oils.
Is YSL lipstick vegan?
A. Some Yves Saint Laurent Beauty products contain animal-derived ingredients, and while YSL Beauty does not test its products on animals, they’re sold in countries that require animal testing.
What’s the best YSL lipstick to buy?
Top YSL lipstick
Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture The Slim Matte Lipstick
What you need to know: These highly pigmented lipsticks are so long-wearing, you may never need to reapply.
What you’ll love: The slim, square-shaped bullet makes precise application a breeze, especially for defining your cupid’s bow. It’s available in 19 shades that dry down to a matte finish and leave a lasting tint.
What you should consider: The bullet contains less product than other YSL lipsticks. Not everyone is a fan of the square shape.
Where to buy: Sold by Sephora and Macy’s
Top YSL lipstick for the money
Yves Saint Laurent Tatouage Couture Liquid Matte Lip Stain
What you need to know: This long-wearing, non-drying liquid lipstick can last comfortably for up to 8 hours.
What you’ll love: The lightweight, ultra-thin formula resists smudging or flaking for a true and lasting stain. Its unique flat-paddle applicator can also act as a lip liner. It’s available in 18 shades, ranging from everyday nudes to bright corals and pinks.
What you should consider: Application can be uneven. Some users disliked the lipstick’s fragrance.
Where to buy: Sold by Sephora and Macy’s
Worth checking out
Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick Balm
What you need to know: A lightweight, moisturizing lipstick, this formula is infused with botanical oils for glossy, comfortable color.
What you’ll love: It comes in 35 shades that apply sheer and can be built up for full, glowy color coverage. Users love its luxe packaging, which includes a colored ring that matches the lipstick shade, and the formula’s creamy, hydrating feel.
What you should consider: The soft, oil-rich formula can be prone to quickly smudging and fading. The formula’s botanical scent received mixed reviews.
Where to buy: Sold by Sephora and Macy’s.
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Laura Duerr writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/lip-makeup-br/best-ysl-lipstick/ | 2022-04-12T19:16:49 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/beauty-personal-care-br/lip-makeup-br/best-ysl-lipstick/ |
Which queen-size bedspreads are best?
When you’re looking for a clean, polished look in your bedroom, few items can instantly transform your room like a good bedspread. With its ability to conceal any clutter under the bed to its crisp construction, a bedspread is an easy and fast solution. If you’re looking for a bedspread that instantly dresses up your bedroom, Madison Park Quebec 3-Piece Queen Quilted Bedspread Set is the top choice.
What to know before you buy a queen-size bedspread
Mattress thickness
There can be a wide disparity between thicknesses in different mattresses. This is important in how your bedspread falls and how far down it reaches. If you have a pillow-top mattress or another deep-pocket variety, this may affect the fall of your bedspread. Bedspreads are intended to give crisp edges and a straight fall down the sides of the bed, so getting the measurements right is key.
Bed height and width
After measuring the thickness of your mattress, next tackle the measurement of the distance of its top from the floor. Next, measure the width of your mattress. (If it is a queen mattress, this measurement should equal 60 inches.) Subtracting this amount from the overall width of the bedspread, then dividing this number by two will give you a measurement of how far the bedspread will fall on your bed. If you like the look of a bedspread that just skirts the floor, be precise in your sourcing of a bedspread.
Bed type
Bedspreads give a great, well-made look to a bed, but they aren’t for every bed. They tend to not fit snugly on beds with posts, for example, or those with a tall, pronounced footboard. Even if the foot of your bed is lower but ornate (e.g., a carved wood footboard), a bedspread will both obscure this detail and also fail to fall straight down, which is one of the key benefits of a bedspread. If any of these are true about your bed, you may be better off with either a patterned comforter or, for greater flexibility, a plain white comforter and a duvet cover.
What to look for in a quality queen-size bedspread
Washability
It’s great when a bedspread looks good right out of its packaging, but it’s even better when it still looks good after being washed many times. Fabrics like cotton and linen look great after repeated wear and washing, for example. Be sure to read the care instructions on the packaging or the online listing to be sure the recommended care is something you can easily keep up with.
Weight
Do you tend to like snug, heavy bedding while you sleep? Or do you like to “feel free” and tend to kick off the covers? Bedspreads come in a variety of weights, so pay attention to the description as you consider a bedspread. Light or summer-weight bedspreads will be best for sleepers who don’t like a lot of weight.
Visual interest
Whether it’s an embroidered design, appliques, or patterned fabric, a bedspread can add to the appeal of your bedroom by including detailing that’s pleasing to you. Matelasse bedspreads, which can have raised embroidered detail, offer both the visual appeal of a pattern but the calmness of a solid color.
How much you can expect to spend on a queen-size bedspread
Depending on material, expect to pay between $50-$200 for a queen-size bedspread.
Queen-size bedspread FAQ
Bedspread, comforter, coverlet, quilt … what’s the difference?
A. The basic differences between the various types of bed coverings are size and thickness. Bedspreads are single-layer coverings that are intended to cover the whole bed and its sides down to the floor. A quilt and a coverlet both are designed to cover only to the point where the mattress meets the box spring or the platform of your bed (for beds without box springs, a coverlet would lay flat like a bedspread, but a quilt would contain batting). A comforter also covers the area to the box spring but has thicker filling, giving it a puffy look.
Do people still use bedspreads?
A. Bedspreads were once the go-to bed covering, but they have lost ground to comforters in recent decades due to fashion as well as the latter’s ease of use and superior warmth. However, bedspreads are making a comeback, and they are particularly suited for bedrooms with a retro or boho feel.
What’s the best queen-size bedspread to buy?
Top queen-size bedspread
Madison Park Quebec 3-Piece Queen Quilted Bedspread Set
What you need to know: Available in a dozen color options, this quilted, classic bedspread is sure to make any room look dignified and put together.
What you’ll love: This bedspread looks high-end but is easily machine-washable. It is designed to drape well on pillow-top mattresses.
What you should consider: Some shoppers report that the colors aren’t exactly as seen onscreen, so choose yours carefully.
Where to buy: Sold by Macy’s
Top queen-size bedspread for the money
Mellanni Bedspread Coverlet Set
What you need to know: Available both in solid and patterned fabric, this budget-friendly option adds polish to your bedroom.
What you’ll love: The microfiber construction is soft and durable, and the stitching is sturdy and beautiful.
What you should consider: This bedspread is on the thinner side and most suited for summertime use.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Martha Stewart Collection Midland Vine Queen Bedspread
What you need to know: Dainty floral embroidery gives this bedspread an air of a time gone by.
What you’ll love: The soft, beige cotton washes easily and spring back into shape on your bed with a minimum of fuss.
What you should consider: Depending on the height of your bed, this bedspread may not fall all the way to the floor, so measure carefully.
Where to buy: Sold by Macy’s
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Maria Andreu writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/bed-bath-br/bedding-br/best-queen-size-bedspread/ | 2022-04-12T19:16:56 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/bed-bath-br/bedding-br/best-queen-size-bedspread/ |
Which Bluetooth headphones are the best for calls?
It’s relatively easy to find an acceptable pair of headphones for listening to music. Making phone calls, though, relies a little more on specific aspects of Bluetooth connectivity and microphone capabilities. There are some Bluetooth headphones that are decidedly poor at making voice and video calls, but luckily, there are plenty of great choices if you need dependable voice capabilities compatible with your phone or PC. Many of those great models are even available at reasonable prices.
What to know about Bluetooth headphones and phone calls
There are two types of noise cancellation
The most well-known form of active noise cancellation (ANC) helps to eliminate noise that you hear around you. Headphones with ANC will let you turn the feature on and off, and generally offer significantly different sound quality and battery life depending on whether ANC is activated or not. This type of ANC isn’t incredibly important to making phone calls, although it can help if you frequently call from busy locations.
The more important type of noise cancellation in terms of making calls, though, has everything to do with your primary microphone. Specifically referred to as Clear Voice Capture (CVC) noise cancellation, it uses algorithms to isolate your voice and remove echo and background noise that might otherwise distract the person you’re calling. This type of noise isolation goes so far as to reduce the sound of keyboard keystrokes and mouse button clicks (when it’s implemented well, at least). In contrast to ANC, CVC noise canceling is especially important when choosing wireless headphones for making calls.
Over-ear headphones vs. earbuds for making calls
Over-ear headphones almost universally sound better when listening to music and true wireless earbuds are practically infinitely more convenient. Both of those items hold true in terms of calls, and there are even more definite considerations. It’s harder to find earbuds (whether true wireless or tethered) that offer pristine call quality, simply because earbuds have smaller and fewer microphones that are essentially located in the ear canal, nowhere near your mouth.
For that reason, you’ll notice that over-ear headphones get the majority of recommendations for voice and video calls. Nonetheless, there are some earbuds that are great at picking up your voice, and we’ve gone to great lengths researching which models are best.
What Bluetooth version do you need for phone calls?
Headphones’ call quality isn’t directly tied to their Bluetooth version, but look for headphones with version 4.2 or later. Bluetooth 5.0 to 5.2 is ideal because it ensures a robust connection and advanced connectivity options like multipoint pairing (which lets you connect to two devices at once and switch between them at will). However, you’ll notice that some models from big-name manufacturers like Sony and Bose still use Bluetooth 4.2, and ultimately it doesn’t cause any significant drawbacks when making calls.
Best Bluetooth headphones for voice and video calls
These are some of the best headphones on the market in nearly every facet, including sound quality, Bluetooth codec support, active noise cancellation and microphone isolation and effectiveness. They also have a great battery life and charge quickly via USB-C.
Sold by: Amazon
Don’t be fooled by their low price; these high-quality headphones punch well above their class and deliver surprisingly good audio quality. In particular, they’re better at making phone calls than such cheap headphones have any right being.
Sold by: Amazon
Bose has made industry-leading wireless headphones for years, and the 700s are no exception. They’re exceedingly simple to use and offer great background noise removal, although they’re not ideal for Android phones due to subpar Bluetooth codec support.
Sold by: Amazon
While true wireless earbuds can be hit or miss when it comes to microphone capabilities, these are an excellent option for both listening to music and talking on the phone. Since they’re also waterproof and have secure ear hooks, they’re great for everyday use like during workouts at the gym.
Sold by: Amazon
The evolution of Bose’s famous QC35 II headphones, the QuietComfort 45 offer arguably the most effective active noise cancellation on the market with advanced features such as transparency mode, which lets you hear your surroundings when needed.
Sold by: Amazon
Since they’re marketed as a gaming headset, these headphones are specially designed with a flexible boom and a microphone engineered for peak clarity, even in crowded environments. In case you do plan on gaming with them, they use a low-latency proprietary wireless connection in addition to Bluetooth 5.0 and wired support.
Sold by: Amazon
If you need professional-grade performance, consider this headset from corporate audio giant Jabra. Their flip-up boom mic ensures you’ll be heard clearly and their on-ear design helps to ventilate and cool your ears during a long workday.
Sold by: Amazon
If you want unobtrusive headphones that are made specifically for phone calls on your iPhone, these are the best on the market. They even work well with some Android phones, but unfortunately not all of them.
Sold by: Amazon
These are some of the most affordable true wireless earbuds available, but in spite of their affordable cost, they sound great with most genres of music and enable clear communication over the telephone as well as Zoom and other PC-based voice and video calling.
Sold by: Amazon
Most people buy these because they’re especially stylish and deliver pristine audio when listening to music. Their lesser-known feature is that they pick up and reproduce voices on phone calls as good as or better then almost anything else.
Sold by: Amazon
If you need headphones for both work and play, it’s hard to beat this pair from a leader in telecommunications. Their active equalizer and noise cancellation algorithm go into effect only when needed, ensuring the best possible audio quality at all times.
Sold by: Amazon
A four-microphone array allows the Voyager 8200 to reduce background noise for you and your call’s recipient better than most of the competition. They even include a USB-A Bluetooth adapter in case there isn’t one built into your PC.
Sold by: Amazon
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Chris Thomas writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/headphones-br/best-bluetooth-headphones-for-calls/ | 2022-04-12T19:17:03 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/headphones-br/best-bluetooth-headphones-for-calls/ |
Which outdoor ceiling fan is best?
If you want to enjoy your outdoor space to its fullest in every season, you need a way to keep cool when the weather turns warm. The best way to do that is by installing an outdoor ceiling fan that can keep the air circulating, even when Mother Nature isn’t providing you with much of a breeze.
While many aspects of choosing an outdoor ceiling fan will be similar to picking an indoor model, such as aesthetics and extra features, you’ll also need to consider its weatherproof rating to ensure it is suitable for your installation location. It’s a good idea to pick a model that can move a lot of air, too, since there may be crosswinds that can affect how much of the fan’s cooling breeze actually reaches you.
What to consider when purchasing an outdoor ceiling fan
Weatherproofing
Outdoor ceiling fans have two ratings — damp rated and wet rated. It is important to understand the difference between these two ratings, as that will determine where you can install a particular fan. Damp rated models can be installed outdoors where the air may be damp, but only in places where they will not be exposed directly to the elements, such as in covered patios and garages.
Wet rated fans can be installed in locations that are completely exposed to the elements, like gazebos and open decks. These have a sealed motor casing that protects their electrical components from water damage even if they are constantly rained on.
Aesthetics
Everyone wants their fan to look nice in their home or business and match well with the existing decor. With that in mind, aesthetics should play a major role in your decision making process. Consider what kind of style you have already cultivated, whether that be contemporary, tropical, rustic, industrial chic or anything else, and look for a fan that will blend in well with it.
Mounting location
Some fans are designed to be flush mounted. These are ideal for areas with a low ceiling. Other models install on a downrod that may be as short as 4 inches or as long as 60 inches. These work best in locations with a high ceiling. There are also outdoor fans that allow for both installation methods as per your needs.
Blades
Many people assume the number of blades matters in determining air flow, but this actually only has a negligible effect on it. More important is the length and the pitch or tilt of the blades. The longer the blades and the deeper the pitch, the more air they will move. You can read more about what blade length best fits spaces of various sizes in this outdoor ceiling fan guide.
Settings
Fans differ in the number of speed settings they have. You may find some that have just two speeds while others may have as many as seven. The more speeds a fan has, the more control you will have over the air flow. There are also fans that feature a reversible motor that can spin backwards. This is useful for pulling warm air up and away from the ground.
The best outdoor ceiling fan
Best overall outdoor ceiling fan
Kathy Ireland Home Batalie Breeze Outdoor Ceiling Fan
This attractive wet-rated fan can be installed in gazebos and other outdoor locations where it will be exposed to the elements, and it boasts the classic palm leaf style blades that many people love so much. It is backed by a limited lifetime warranty too, so you can rest assured you’ll get plenty of years of use out of it.
Sold by Amazon
Best outdoor ceiling fan for the money
When it comes to bang for the buck, it’s hard to beat the Merrimack II, which offers all the style of a premium model and many of the same features but for a much more palatable price. It can be installed flush to the ceiling or on the included downrod, making it suitable for low and high ceilings alike. It fits in well with many decor schemes too, and the blades are reversible with a different color on each side.
Sold by Amazon
Best smart outdoor ceiling fan
Trifecte 60-inch Indoor Outdoor Ceiling Fan
If you are searching for a high-tech model that can be controlled via a smartphone or even by voice when paired with an Alexa device, look no further than this sleek model from Trifecte. You can even set schedules and timers for both the fan component and it’s dimmable light. Plus, despite moving a lot of air, it is very quiet so it won’t disturb you when running.
Sold by Amazon
Best modern outdoor ceiling fan
Monte Carlo Maverick Outdoor Fan
This eye-catching ceiling fan has a unique shape to the blades that really makes it stand out. It is available in a wide variety of colorways, including options like aged pewter and weathered oak or brushed steel and dark walnut, and comes with a six-speed handheld remote control. The fan is pricey, but the bold style statement makes it worth every penny.
Sold by Amazon
Best tropical-inspired outdoor ceiling fan
Concord Fans Fernleaf Breeze Tropical Ceiling Fan
You can bring that tropical resort feel into your outdoor space with this fern leaf-inspired fan. It is damp rated for covered areas, has three speed settings and can be upgraded with a light with the purchase of an optional adapter kit. Note that the blades are actually plastic, but many will mistake them for wood unless closely inspected.
Sold by Amazon
Best outdoor ceiling fan for large spaces
Big Air 72-Inch Industrial Indoor/Outdoor Ceiling Fan
If you are trying to cool a large space, this 72-inch, nine-blade model can do the trick. It has six speed settings, and at its highest it moves 10,200 cubic feet of air per minute. The motor is reversible, so it can be used to push cold air towards the ground or draw hot air away. Sadly, it is only backed by one-year warranty.
Sold by Amazon
Best outdoor ceiling fan for small spaces
Vox Indoor and Outdoor 5-Blade Smart Flush Mount Ceiling Fan
Falling into the opposite end of the spectrum as the Big Air 72-inch is this short-bladed smart fan from Vox. It measures just 26 inches in diameter, so it can fit almost anywhere, yet still moves a respectable 5,084 cubic feet of air per minute. It is quieter than many other models too. You can control it by an app or, when paired with an Alexa device, by voice.
Sold by Amazon
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Brett Dvoretz writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/home-br/heating-cooling-air-quality-br/how-to-choose-an-outdoor-ceiling-fan/ | 2022-04-12T19:17:10 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/home-br/heating-cooling-air-quality-br/how-to-choose-an-outdoor-ceiling-fan/ |
Which Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set is best?
Baking cookies with your children or grandchildren is a time-honored tradition. There’s nothing wrong with the classic circle shape, but your children will love the hands-on work of using a cookie cutter, and the Mickey Mouse shapes pair perfectly with your Disney movie night. Plus, a good set can be used on more than just cookies.
The best Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set is the Elfkitwang Mickey And Minnie-Themed Cookie Cutter Set. It includes multiple sizes of Mickey and Minnie’s silhouettes and some other fun shapes like Mickey’s hands and feet.
What to know before you buy a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set
Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set types
Mickey Mouse cookie cutters can be one of four types.
- Cutout cutters are the classic idea. You press them down into the dough, and the edges cut out the outline of your shape.
- Stamp cutters are like upgraded cutouts. They still cut out an outline, but they also have a second layer that presses a design into the cookie.
- Mold cutters are an inverted process. Instead of being pressed into the dough, you press the dough into them and push the cookie out.
- 3D cutters use several cutters, of any mixture of the above three types, to cut out layers that are then stacked up to create a 3D cookie.
What’s included
Mickey Mouse cookie cutters come in a surprisingly large variety of shapes, plus a given set can have any number of them. Some even have extras like cleaning wands or pipettes.
Most include, at the very least, the outline of Mickey’s head. Many also include Minnie-shaped heads. Other common shapes are Mickey’s hands and feet. If there’s a particular shape you’re looking for, it’s likely just a matter of time before you find it.
What to look for in a quality Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set
Material
Most Mickey Mouse cookie cutters are made of metal, plastic or silicone.
- Metal cutters can be either tin, aluminum or stainless steel. Tin is cheap, flimsy and rusts. Aluminum is also a little flimsy, but affordable and naturally rust resistant. Stainless steel is the most durable, but can still be bent if subjected to enough force.
- Plastic cutters are best for kids, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t great for adults too. They have enough of an edge to cut through most doughs but are much softer on the hands, even if the dough is tough.
- Silicone cutters are typically for molds only. They’re durable and easy to clean.
Nonstick
Some Mickey Mouse cookie cutters are nonstick to help keep your cookie operation flowing. It isn’t the end of the world if they aren’t, but it absolutely helps.
How much you can expect to spend on a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set
Most Mickey Mouse cookie cutter sets cost $5-$15, though some can cost up to $30. Some extra-pricey sets can reach highs of $60-plus.
Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set FAQ
How should I clean and care for my Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set?
A. Unlike most kitchen gear, many cookie cutters can’t be run through your dishwasher. Hand-washing them is relatively straightforward: simply drop them into a sink full of hot soapy water and scrub. You may need to use a little elbow grease to remove all the remnants of dough — some cutter sets include a brush for just this purpose.
Once they’re dry, you need to store them properly to prevent damage. Most are made of sturdy stainless steel, but even these types of cutters can still bend if tossed into the average kitchen drawer. Instead, you’ll want to keep them in their own storage unit. Plastic bins are the most common.
How do I get the cleanest cuts from my Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set?
A. That depends on the dough you’re cutting, but there are a few general tips you can follow. The first is to use metal cutters — they have sharper edges than any other material so have an easier time, well, cutting. Secondly, grease or flour your cutters before each cut. Common cooking spray works especially well.
What’s the best Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set to buy?
Top Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set
Elfkitwang Mickey And Minnie-Themed Cookie Cutter Set
What you need to know: This brightly colored set is excellent for parent-child activities.
What you’ll love: This 15-piece set includes four sizes each of Mickey and Minnie heads, one each of glove, foot, bow and heart, a cleaning wand, a skewer and a stamp. Each cutter has a bright plastic covering on one side for protection and easy identification.
What you should consider: Most of the pieces in this set are too small to be used for cookies, instead being intended for cutting fun shapes out of other foods.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top Mickey Mouse cookie cutter set for the money
BakingWorld Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutter Set
What you need to know: This 10-piece set is full of fun Mickey- and Minnie-related shapes.
What you’ll love: It includes four different sizes of Mickey’s head, four of Minnie’s head and a smiling Mickey cutter. They are made of rigid stainless steel that won’t bend easily. They’re also great for cutting sandwiches into fun shapes.
What you should consider: You might not realize what the small green tools that come with it are for. (They’re for pressing in the filling.)
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Texasdeluxe Mickey-Shape Cookie Cutter Mold Set
What you need to know: This five-piece set can create richly detailed Mickey and Minnie faces.
What you’ll love: It includes one each of Mickey- and Minnie-shaped cutter, one each of Mickey- and Minnie-shaped press molds and a miniature pipette for carefully adding food coloring to each section.
What you should consider: The imprint molds can be difficult to pull from some doughs without damaging the shape. All pieces must be washed and dried by hand.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/bakeware-baking-tools-br/best-mickey-mouse-cookie-cutter-set/ | 2022-04-12T19:17:17 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/bakeware-baking-tools-br/best-mickey-mouse-cookie-cutter-set/ |
PLAYA GIRON, Cuba (AP) — Every year in Cuba, millions of crabs emerge from the forest at the beginning of the spring rains and head for the waters of the Bay of Pigs, crossing streets and highways on a perilous journey to mate and reproduce.
Now underway, the migration causes concern to drivers who try to swerve in an often futile attempt not to kill the crustaceans. The crabs are a nuisance to residents but the sight of their road-crossing is a wonder for tourists and other first-time onlookers.
“They got here before us,” said Amaury Urra, a 50-year-old hiking guide who spent his entire life in this part of the Ciénega de Zapata, the largest wetland in the Caribbean, particularly picturesque for the backdrop of turquoise sea waters and the coastal cliffs. ″We’re used to this.″
“Where I live, which is in the center of the town of Girón, the crabs don’t get there as much,″ though there are plenty on the outskirts, he said.
Located about 180 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of Havana, the area was the scene of a 1961 failed invasion by Cuban exiles who signed up for a covertly CIA-funded operation to overthrow Fidel Castro.
This year, the crabs started their journey early. At the end of March, the municipal authorities issued a warning to drivers to avoid traveling in the morning and evening hours – the favorite crossing times for the crabs. Environmentalists usually demand the closure of the main road, especially at key migration times.
The passage of the red crustaceans — the species is called gecarcinus ruricola — could last until July. The largest amount of traffic occurs between April and May. Residents have to be careful: When the crabs feel threatened, they can puncture car tires with their pincers.
Official figures estimate that some 3.5 million crabs die each season on the road, many crushed by passing vehicles. They take a minute and a half to cross.
This type of crab lives and migrates in the Bahamas, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Dominica. But only here, and perhaps in another sector of the coast towards the neighboring province of Cienfuegos, does its path collide so dramatically with human traffic. | https://www.cenlanow.com/science/ap-science/in-cuba-crabs-embark-on-perilous-migration-to-bay-of-pigs/ | 2022-04-12T19:17:24 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/science/ap-science/in-cuba-crabs-embark-on-perilous-migration-to-bay-of-pigs/ |
Final bids are being prepared for European champion Chelsea and new business figures are being added to consortia as the process to end the ownership of sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich steps up.
Four known bids are still under consideration to buy Chelsea, which could be sold for 3 billion pounds ($4 billion) given the interest that has emerged since Abramovich put the west London Premier League club up for sale six weeks ago.
Steve Pagliuca, co-owner of the NBA’s Boston Celtics, went public for the first time on Tuesday to confirm his plans to become a Premier League team owner that could see him have to relinquish his 55% controlling stake in Serie A team Atalanta.
The American cannot control two clubs playing in the same UEFA-organized European competition, though Atalanta is not in qualifying contention for next season.
“Later this week, we will submit a substantial and credible bid proposal,” Pagliuca said in a statement. “One that we expect will meet the respective requirements and regulations of the Premier League, UK Government and UEFA — and we pledge to honor our commitment to credibility and good guardianship of Chelsea Football Club from day one.”
Another bid, which is led by Chicago Cubs baseball owner Tom Ricketts, has been shrouded in criticism over Islamophobic comments by his father, Joe, that featured in leaked emails three years ago. The Ricketts family has been working to distance itself from the patriarch, and another business leader was announced on Tuesday as a new leading figure involved in the bid.
Karan Bilimoria, a Chelsea fan who founded the Cobra beer company in west London in 1989 and sits in the House of Lords, will become a director of the club if the Ricketts bid is successful, and serve as an ambassador.
“Tom and the wider group have a proven track record of running successful sports teams and a strong vision for both the club and the local community,” Bilimoria said in a statement.
Bilimoria is the outgoing president of the Confederation of British Industry.
“We have always been clear that having local expertise and perspectives on our bid is vital,” Tom Ricketts said in a statement. “Given Lord Bilimoria’s unparalleled credentials and his love for Chelsea, he is the perfect addition to our team.”
A rival bid features an existing American investor in a Premier League team: Josh Harris owns a 17% stake in south London club Crystal Palace. Harris, who is also owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, is part of a consortium fronted by former Liverpool and British Airways chairman Martin Broughton and World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.
A fourth consortium features Todd Boehly, part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, and Jonathan Goldstein, a London-based property investor who is CEO of Cain International.
Abramovich has been forced to sell Chelsea after he was sanctioned in Britain and his assets were frozen as part of a crackdown on oligarchs following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.
The government has to sign off on the sale, which is being overseen by the New York-based Raine Group merchant bank, under the terms that allow the team to continue operating since Abramovich was sanctioned. Abramovich cannot profit from the proceeds of the sale.
“Our role is to consider an application for an amended license that authorises a sale of the club when it comes forward with a preferred bidder,” the British government said in a statement.
Chelsea has won 21 trophies in 19 years of Abramovich ownership, relying on his lavish investment to become one of Europe’s most successful clubs.
The ability of a new owner to continue significant funding of players could help to determine which bid prevails.
“Our first focus and goal is to make strategic investments to continue competing for championships and trophies,” Pagliuca said. “We will support our players and managers to make sure that Chelsea are habitual winners and title contenders, whether in the Premier League, Champions League or the Women’s Super League.
“In addition, we will continue to invest in the youth academy to develop the stars of the future and we would not be in this process if we did not have an exciting and inclusive vision for Chelsea.”
There is a long-term need to revamp Stamford Bridge to generate more income from fans and corporate backers. Chelsea has the smallest and most dated stadium of the Premier League’s most successful clubs, with plans for a rebuild of the 41,000-capacity venue put on hold by Abramovich in 2018 as British-Russian diplomatic tensions deepened.
“Not only are we committed to remaining at the home of Chelsea, Stamford Bridge,” Pagliuca said, “but we are inspired to renovate or redevelop the stadium. Chelsea is a world-class team, in a world-class city, with world-class fans: it deserves a world-class stadium.”
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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/chelsea-bidders-reveal-new-details-as-sale-process-heats-up/ | 2022-04-12T19:17:31 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/chelsea-bidders-reveal-new-details-as-sale-process-heats-up/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House Oversight Committee sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday saying it found evidence the NFL’s Washington Commanders engaged in potentially unlawful financial conduct for more than a decade by withholding ticket revenue from visiting teams and refundable deposits from fans.
In the letter obtained by The Associated Press, the committee outlined through the testimony of former employees and access to emails and documents a pattern of financial impropriety by owner Dan Snyder and team executives. At one point in 2016, the committee said the team retained up to $5 million from 2,000 season-ticket holders while also concealing sharable revenue from the league.
One former employee testified before Congress saying the team had two separate financial books: one with underreported ticket revenue that went to the NFL and the full, complete picture. According to testimony, Snyder was aware of the numbers shared with the league while also being privy to the actual data.
The business practice was known as “juice” inside Washington’s front office. And, if correct, it could spell significant trouble for Snyder and the Commanders.
Ticket revenue is shared among all 32 NFL teams, with 40% of it deposited in a visiting team fund. Such money is among the pillars of the league’s revenue-sharing commitment.
A team spokeswoman said there was no new comment and referred to the statement from March 31: “The team categorically denies any suggestion of financial impropriety of any kind at any time.”
“We adhere to strict internal processes that are consistent with industry and accounting standards, are audited annually by a globally respected independent auditing firm, and are also subject to regular audits by the NFL. We continue to cooperate fully with the Committee’s work.”
The league did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The House Oversight Committee said it is sharing documents with the FTC because the commission has the authority to investigate unfair or deceptive business practices and determine if any laws were broken.
“We request that you take any other action you deem necessary to ensure that all funds are returned to their rightful owners and that those responsible are held accountable for their conduct,” said the letter signed by committee chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney and economic and consumer policy subcommittee chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi.
The letter is addressed to FTC chair Lina M. Khan but was also sent to the attorneys general of Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Congress launched an investigation into the team’s workplace misconduct after the league did not release a report detailing the findings of an independent probe into the matter. The committee said the NFL and the team “have taken steps to withhold key documents and information.”
That led investigators to seek testimony and documents in other ways. The committee said its investigation uncovered everything from “pervasive sexual harassment and other workplace misconduct to potential financial misconduct.”
According to testimony, financial misconduct included making it intentionally difficult for season-ticket holders to recoup refundable deposit money, counting some of those leftover funds as a different kind of revenue that doesn’t need to be shared with the league, and shifting money from ticket sales for NFL games to other events at FedEx Field as a way of hiding that money from the league.
The committee in the letter shared spreadsheet data showing evidence of deposits that were not returned. Citing emails and the testimony of longtime vice president of sales and customer service Jason Friedman, ticket sales from Washington games were shifted to a 2013 Kenny Chesney concert and a 2014 Navy-Notre Dame college football game as a way to “juice” revenue and keep it off the books shared with the NFL.
When word first surfaced in early April about the team withholding ticket revenue, the team released a statement denying that report and added: “Anyone who offered testimony suggesting a withholding of revenue has committed perjury, plain and simple.” Lawyer Lisa Banks, who represents Friedman, said the team defamed her client, who testified truthfully “with evidence.”
After the committee sent the letter to the FTC, Banks and lawyer Debra Katz, who represent more than 40 former employees, called it “damning.”
“It’s clear that the team’s misconduct goes well beyond the sexual harassment and abuse of employees already documented and has also impacted the bottom line of the NFL, other NFL owners, and the team’s fans,” they said in a statement. “We are proud of our many clients who have come forward at great personal risk to reveal the truth and bring us closer to total transparency about the full extent of the dysfunction at the Washington Commanders.”
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Associated Press reporter Farnoush Amiri contributed.
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/congress-tells-ftc-commanders-may-have-broken-financial-laws/ | 2022-04-12T19:17:38 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/congress-tells-ftc-commanders-may-have-broken-financial-laws/ |
A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
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REMARKABLE ROOKIE
Guardians newcomer Steven Kwan has quickly become the biggest story in baseball after a sensational start in a season-opening series at Kansas City.
The 24-year-old rookie is the first player in major league history to reach base at least three times in each of his first four games. Kwan hit a bases-loaded triple and walked twice Monday in a 10-7 win over the Royals.
Kwan, who made his debut opening day, is 9 for 13 at the plate and has reached base in 15 of 19 plate appearances. That’s the most times any player has safely reached in his first four games since 1901.
“Pretty cool,” Kwan said in his typical understated manner. “Pretty surreal.”
Kwan was Cleveland’s fifth-round draft pick in 2018. He’s a contact hitter — he’s swung 26 times so far this season and gotten a piece of the ball every time, according to Statcast.
Kwan had the lowest swing-and-miss rate in the minors last year among players with at least 300 plate appearances at 2.6%.
Cleveland opens a series at Cincinnati, with Tyler Mahle starting for the Reds. He won on opening day, holding the World Series champion Braves to no earned runs in five innings at Atlanta.
Shane Bieber pitches for the Guardians. In his first start, he allowed one earned run in 4 2/3 innings at Kansas City.
SEEING DOUBLE
Giants reliever Tyler Rogers and his twin brother, Padres reliever Taylor Rogers, spent a few minutes chatting with big grins behind the batting cage Monday afternoon as their teams prepared for a three-game series in San Francisco.
Later, they headed to home plate and exchanged the lineup cards for their managers before posing for photos with the umpire crew.
What fun for these two now playing in the same division on rival clubs.
“Probably if you put them in the same uniform you couldn’t tell them apart,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “I know it’s a special day for both of them being able to be on the field together. There’s twins and then there’s twins, and that is a difficult one to tell apart.”
Both pitched in relief Monday night and played a significant role in the outcome, too. Taylor Rogers earned his third save and Tyler took the loss in San Diego’s 4-2 victory over the Giants.
Yu Darvish starts for the Padres on Tuesday night. In his season debut last week at Arizona, he had a no-hitter in progress but was pulled following the sixth inning after throwing 92 pitches.
DOUBLE DEBUT
Tampa Bay right-hander Tommy Romero and Oakland righty Adam Oller will both be making their major league debuts when they pitch against each other at Tropicana Field.
It will be the 28th time since Baseball Reference data is available since 1901 that two starting pitchers are making their big league debuts in the same game.
Neither the Athletics nor Rays have been involved in such a game.
The most recent occurrences came in 2020 when Washington’s Wil Crowe faced Miami’s Sixto Sánchez on Aug. 22 at Nationals Park and Detroit’s Casey Mize and Dane Dunning of the White Sox met Aug. 19 in Chicago.
WELCOME BACK
Martin Perez spent his first seven big league seasons with the Texas Rangers. The lefty is back after three years away.
Perez makes his return to the mound for the Rangers to wrap up a two-game set against Colorado, with right-hander Chad Kuhl pitching for the first time with the Rockies.
Texas initially signed Perez as a 16-year-old international free agent out of Venezuela in July 2007, and he made his big league debut in 2012. After going 43-49 in 141 games over seven years with the Rangers, Perez went to Minnesota in free agency for the 2019 season and then pitched for Boston the past two years.
Kuhl signed as a free agent last month after pitching in 100 games (84 starts) for Pittsburgh in his first five big league seasons. He was 5-7 with a 4.82 ERA in 28 games (14 starts) for the Pirates last year.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/leading-off-kwan-delivers-again-rogers-twins-together-2/ | 2022-04-12T19:17:45 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/leading-off-kwan-delivers-again-rogers-twins-together-2/ |
Joey Logano has had his share of conflict during a career that began with his appointment as “Sliced Bread” upon arrival.
He was 18 and overhyped, evidenced by a nickname that likened him to the “greatest thing since … sliced bread.” Eager to prove himself and determined not to be pushed around, Logano scrapped with just about all of NASCAR’s biggest stars.
He’s had a beef with Kevin Harvick, as well as former Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Tony Stewart, the guy he replaced at Gibbs, called Logano “nothing but a little rich kid” during their spat, and Matt Kenseth was suspended two races for deliberately knocking Logano out of championship-contention during their contentious flare-up.
And so it is with some bemusement that Logano watches from afar as Ty Gibbs, the 19-year-old heir apparent at the Gibbs organization, is struggling to find his own footing with three incidents in the past six Xfinity Series races.
“I have a lot more grace for seeing that stuff after going through it myself,” Logano said. “Do I agree with the way it went down? No, I don’t. Have I done that type of thing before? Yeah, I have. Am I proud of it? No, not at all. But I learned from it at least.”
Ty Gibbs this year hasn’t helped his bid to overcome the perception he’s only advanced to NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series because his grandfather owns the team. Gibbs has the best car on track each week and it shows — he has three wins through eight races, is ranked second in the standings and has led nearly a quarter of the laps completed to date — but he’s aggressive and it exploded last weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
Gibbs and Sam Mayer were racing AJ Allmendinger on the final lap of Friday’s Xfinity Series race with a $100,000 bonus on the line. Mayer moved Gibbs out of his way, Gibbs retaliated after the checkered flag and then they brawled on pit road.
Gibbs, while still wearing his helmet, threw punches at the unprotected face of his fellow teen rival.
“It’s part of growing up on TV. You’re growing up in the limelight, right?” he said before addressing Gibbs specifically, “it’s a very popular driver. He’s very good, he wins, he’s in a great car, and he’s pretty dang aggressive. And I can relate to all that.
“I wouldn’t say what happened on the race track was wrong, but I’d say what happened after was probably not the right direction.”
What Logano most did not understand is why Gibbs was upset with Mayer after the race. Gibbs has shown since his NASCAR national series debut — a stunning win on the road course in Daytona — that he’s willing to bump and bang his way into victory lane and he’s been aggressive this season.
At Las Vegas in March, Gibbs spun Ryan Sieg early in the Xfinity Series race, which led to a conversation on pit road between the two during a rain delay, and then more contact between the two when racing resumed. At Richmond two races ago, Gibbs bumped his way past teammate John Hunter Nemechek to win the race.
“If you’re going to race a certain way, you got to expect to be raced that way back,” Logano said of Gibbs. “That’s the driver code that nobody can understand. That’s it. If you’re willing to push, then you’ve got to be willing to take some pushes. That’s what it comes down to. If you’re willing to push for a win, and someone is willing to push for $100,000 behind you, (it’s) one for the other at that point.”
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More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/logano-watches-ty-gibbs-scrap-with-veteran-bemusement/ | 2022-04-12T19:17:52 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/logano-watches-ty-gibbs-scrap-with-veteran-bemusement/ |
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks are not putting a timetable on Luka Doncic’s return from a calf strain four days before the opener of a first-round playoff series against Utah.
The team said Tuesday that the 23-year-old superstar had begun treatment. Doncic strained his left calf late in the third quarter of what turned out to be a meaningless regular-season finale against San Antonio on Sunday.
Dallas opens the playoffs at home Saturday against the Jazz. The fourth-seeded Mavericks have home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since they won their only championship in 2011. That’s also the last time Dallas won a postseason series.
Doncic finished as the NBA’s third-leading scorer at 28.4 points per game. He was the only player in the league to average at least 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game.
The two-time All-Star wouldn’t have been eligible for the finale against the Spurs if the NBA hadn’t rescinded his 16th technical foul. Without the reversal, Doncic would have served a one-game suspension.
Doncic played his normal rotation, which included all of the first quarter and was supposed to be all of the fourth. Coach Jason Kidd said he would have been finished for the night after the third. The injury happened in the final three minutes of the quarter. | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/mavs-put-no-timetable-on-doncic-return-with-playoffs-looming/ | 2022-04-12T19:17:59 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/mavs-put-no-timetable-on-doncic-return-with-playoffs-looming/ |
The mother of a Puerto Rican Olympian killed by a stray bullet in her Connecticut home was an unintended victim of a drug dispute that erupted into the firing of more than 20 gunshots, a police official said Tuesday.
Mabel Martinez, 56, was shot in the head inside her Waterbury home on Saturday afternoon when at least two people opened fire outside on the street, Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said at a news conference. No arrests were announced.
Martinez was the mother of Yarimar Mercado Martinez, a rifle shooter on the Puerto Rico Olympic team who competed in the summer Olympics last year and in 2016. She and other family members were in Waterbury on Tuesday, but did not speak at the news conference.
Spagnolo said people in two cars, including convicted felons known for drug dealing, got into a shootout outside Mabel Martinez’s home. The reason for the dispute was not clear. A man involved in the confrontation, who was on the street, was shot in the hip but survived. No other injuries were reported.
Officers found 15 9mm casings and seven 45-caliber cases at the scene. Police said they were trying to determine if one or two 9 mm guns were fired.
Police have found both cars involved in the shooting and one of their owners. The other owner was being sought for questioning. Both men are convicted felons known to have sold drugs, police said, but they have not been charged in the shooting.
Spagnolo said the shooting raises questions about how illegal guns get into communities and how people on parole and probation are monitored.
Yarimar Mercado Martinez, 27, traveled to Waterbury late Sunday from Brazil, where she was to compete in an international shooting competition. She expressed her anguish in social media posts.
“Why you? Why this way? You were just sitting in your little house sewing, as you always did,” she wrote in Spanish on Facebook. | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/police-olympians-mother-unintended-victim-of-drug-dispute/ | 2022-04-12T19:18:06 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/police-olympians-mother-unintended-victim-of-drug-dispute/ |
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Taylor Rogers struggled to find the right words through all his emotions after he and twin brother Tyler pitched in the same major league game wearing opposing uniforms, each part of the boxscore for a moment they had envisioned for so long.
Taylor pitched the ninth inning to earn his third save in San Diego’s 4-2 victory against losing pitcher Tyler Rogers (0-1) and the San Francisco Giants on Monday night. They even stood in for their managers exchanging the lineup cards, startling the umpire crew before posing for a photo with them.
“I don’t know if I even have the words yet,” said Taylor Rogers, acquired by the Padres from Minnesota last Thursday ahead of opening day. “Really, really cool. I want to thank Bob Melvin and Gabe Kapler for letting us do the lineup cards. That was a special moment and got some good pictures from that, too. I’m so blessed. I can’t believe it’s happening.”
Tyler immediately left the ballpark and the state to go welcome his first child, a boy.
“Next week’s going to feel dull,” joked Taylor, greeted by the game ball already authenticated and in his locker.
Photos showed similar mannerisms, to which Taylor said “that’s how twins work.”
The brothers chatted behind the batting cage before the game,then later exchanged the lineup cards at home plate and posed for a photo with the umpire crew. They didn’t know that was part of the plan.
“Probably if you put them in the same uniform you couldn’t tell them apart,” said Melvin, the Padres’ manager. “I know it’s a special day for both of them being able to be on the field together. There’s twins and then there’s twins, and that is a difficult one to tell apart.”
Hours later, Taylor Rogers was summoned to close out the game and hang his brother with a loss.
“I thought about that as I was running out to the mound — this is putting me in a weird spot here,” he said. “It’s OK, because the relationship that we have, it’s not … I’m not going to go over to him and say, ‘Ha, ha.’ I’m going to go over to him and say, ‘Dude, how freakin’ cool was that?’”
Manny Machado’s RBI groundout in the seventh inning put San Diego ahead, and Austin Nola hit his first home run of the season for the Padres.
Jake Cronenworth’s RBI single in the ninth provided insurance.
Pierce Johnson loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth on a walk to Steven Duggar, but Mauricio Dubon struck out swinging.
Nola connected in the fifth only for the Giants to tie it in the sixth on a two-out wild pitch by winner Steven Wilson (2-0).
San Diego right-hander Nick Martínez made his first major league start since 2017 for Texas after spending three of the past four years playing in Japan. He allowed one run on five hits, struck out six and walked one over five innings.
Giants starter Alex Wood struck out six over 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits in his first 2022 start.
Kapler received his 2021 NL Manager of the Year award during a pregame ceremony. He was thrilled for the Rogers brothers, too.
“We can shine the light on a special day for their family,” the Giants’ skipper said.
FAMILIAR FLAPPIN’ FLAGS
Melvin, the former A’s manager who caught for the Giants after growing up in the Bay Area, compared the blustery night to his days going to games at Candlestick Park.
“It’s always special when you get to come home,” Melvin said. “The rivalry between the Giants, this ballpark’s fantastic, you’re always going to get big crowds here. It’s a really good team. You have to play your best to win here.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Padres: LHP Blake Snell, scratched from his start Sunday with tightness in his left upper leg, will wait until Tuesday to throw and then the Padres will determine whether he might need a stint on the 10-day injured list. “He’s walking around OK,” Melvin said, not ready to guess on Snell’s status. “I want to leave it open. I’m a little skeptical based on the fact that he had to be scratched yesterday, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself and I want him to have some input.”
Giants: 3B Wilmer Flores is dealing with a personal matter that is keeping him out of the lineup. “He’s also going through a difficult time off the field and we’re respecting that,” Kapler said, noting the Giants are treating it as they would an injured player by giving Flores the time he needs. “Wilmer and I have had consistent communication and conversations about his personal circumstance over the last couple days since the season began. When we collectively believe he is prepared and strong enough emotionally to be on the field we’re going to have him be on the field. And when we don’t, just like a player who’s dealing with something physical, it’s the same thing. These things are equally challenging when they’re emotional or mental as when they are physical.” … OF LaMonte Wade Jr., on the injured list with left knee inflammation, will soon begin a running progression.
UP NEXT
Padres: RHP Yu Darvish (0-0, 0.00 ERA) looks to build on his season-opening outing last week at Arizona, where he had a no-hitter in progress but was pulled following the sixth inning after throwing 92 pitches.
Giants: RHP Alex Cobb makes his Giants debut after signing a $20 million, two-year contract ahead of the lockout.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/tag/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/twin-win-rogers-gets-save-brother-loss-as-pads-top-giants/ | 2022-04-12T19:18:13 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/twin-win-rogers-gets-save-brother-loss-as-pads-top-giants/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Western law enforcement agencies have dismantled an online marketplace used to buy and sell hacked and stolen personal data belonging to millions of people, and have charged the platform’s founder and chief administrator, officials announced Tuesday.
Authorities say the RaidForums website trafficked in hundreds of databases of sensitive data, including credit card and Social Security numbers and bank account information, that had been hacked or stolen from victims.
In addition to seizing three domains that hosted the website, officials have also arrested 21-year-old Diogo Santos Coelho of Portugal, who prosecutors say controlled and administered the platform between 2015 and this past January, when he was taken into custody in the United Kingdom. The U.S. is seeking his extradition to federal court in Alexandria, Virginia ,on charges including conspiracy, access device fraud and aggravated identify.
“The takedown of this online market for the resale of hacked or stolen data disrupts one of the major ways cybercriminals profit from the large-scale theft of sensitive personal and financial information,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, said in a statement.
The site, founded in 2015, offered special access and features for members willing to pay and enabled members to earn credits through means that included posting instructions on how to commit illegal acts, officials said.
“Disruption has always been a key technique in operating against threat actors online, so targeting forums that host huge amounts of stolen data keeps criminals on their toes,” said Edvardas Šileris, head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre. “Europol will continue working with its international partners to make cybercrime harder — and riskier — to commit.”
The FBI and Justice Department and other Western law enforcement agencies, including Europol and agencies in Sweden, Portugal, Germany and the UK, were involved in the operation.
____
Associated Press writer Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands contributed to this report. | https://www.cenlanow.com/technology/ap-technology/global-operation-takes-down-hackers-leaked-data-market/ | 2022-04-12T19:18:20 | 0 | https://www.cenlanow.com/technology/ap-technology/global-operation-takes-down-hackers-leaked-data-market/ |
BOSTON (AP) — Russian military hackers attempted to knock out power to millions of Ukrainians last week in a long-planned attack but were foiled, Ukrainian government officials said Tuesday.
At one targeted high-voltage power station, the hackers succeeded in penetrating and disrupting part of the industrial control system, but people defending the station were able to prevent electrical outages, the Ukrainians said.
“The threat was serious, but it was prevented in a timely manner,” a top Ukrainian cybersecurity official, Victor Zhora, told reporters through an interpreter. “It looks that we were very lucky.”
The hackers from Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency used an upgraded version of malware first seen in its successful 2016 attack that caused blackouts in Kyiv, officials said, that was customized to target multiple substations. They simultaneously seeded malware designed to wipe out computer operating systems, hindering recovery.
Authorities did not specify how many substations were targeted or their location, citing security concerns, but a deputy energy minister, Farid Safarov, said “2 million people would have been without electricity supply if it was successful.”
Zhora, the deputy chair of the State Service of Special Communications, said the malware was programmed to knock out power on Friday evening just as people returned home from work and switched on news reports.
He said that power grid networks were penetrated before the end of February, when Russia invaded, and that the attackers later uploaded the malware, dubbed Industroyer2. The malware succeeded in disrupting one component of the impacted power station’s management systems, also known as SCADA systems.
Zhora would not offer further details or explain how the attack was defeated or which partners may have assisted directly in defeating it. He did acknowledge the depth of international assistance Ukraine has received in identifying intrusions and the challenges of trying to rid government, power grid and telecommunications networks of attackers. The helpers include keyboard warriors from U.S. Cybercommand.
Cybercom was asked if it assisted in the emergency response but did not immediately answer.
The Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine thanked Microsoft and the cybersecurity firm ESET for their assistance in dealing with the power grid attack in a bulletin posted online.
Officials said the destructive attacks had been planned at least since March 23, and Zhora speculated it was timed by Russia to “invigorate” its soldiers after they took heavy losses in a failed bid to capture Kyiv, the capital.
Zhora stressed that Russian cyberattacks have not successfully knocked out any power to Ukrainians since this invasion began.
GRU hackers from a group that researchers call Sandworm twice successfully attacked Ukraine’s power grid — in the winters of 2015 and 2016. U.S. prosecutors indicted six GRU officials in 2020 for using a previous version of the Industroyer malware to attack Ukraine’s power grid by gaining control of electrical substation switches and circuit breakers.
In the 2016 attack, Sandworm hackers used Industroyer to turn circuit breakers on and off in a sequence designed to create a blackout, said Jean-Ian Boutin, director of threat research at ESET.
“We know that Industroyer still has the capability to turn off circuit breakers,” he said.
Working closely with Ukrainian responders, ESET also determined that the attackers had infected networks at the targeted plants with disk-wiping software.
Successfully activating the malware would have rendered plant systems in operable, seriously hindering remediation and recovery and destroying the attackers’ digital footprints, Boutin said.
One of the destructive malware varieties used in the attack, dubbed CaddyWiper, was first discovered by ESET in mid-March being used against a Ukrainian bank, he said.
Western prosecutors blame Sandworm for a series of high-profile cyberattacks including the most destructive, the 2017 NotPetya wiper virus that caused more than $10 billion in damage globally by destroying data on entire networks of computers of companies doing business in Ukraine including those belonging to the shipper Maersk and the pharmaceutical company Merck.
Russia’s use of cyberattacks against Ukrainian infrastructure during its invasion has been limited compared with experts’ pre-war expectations. In the early hours of the war, however, an attack Ukraine blames on Russia knocked offline an important satellite communications link that also impacted tens of thousands of Europeans from France to Poland.
In another serious cyberattack of the war, hackers knocked offline the internet and cellular service of a major telecommunications company that serves the military, Ukretelecom, for most of the day on March 28.
Zhora said “the potential of Russian (state-backed) hackers has been overestimated” and cited a number of reasons why he believes cyberattacks have not played a major role in the conflict:
— When the aggressor is pummeling civilian targets with bombs and rockets there is little need to hide behind covert cyberactivity.
— Ukraine has significantly upped its cyber defenses with the help of volunteers from sympathetic countries.
— Attacks as sophisticated as this effort to knock out power are complex and tend to require a lot of time.
“This is not an easy thing to do,” Zhora said.
Ukraine has been under steady Russian cyberattack for the past eight years, with Zhora noting that the attacks have tripled since the invasion when compared with the same period last year.
Russia has said its invasion was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine, a false claim the U.S. had predicted Russia would make as a pretext for the invasion. Ukraine has called Russia’s assault a “war of aggression,” saying it “will defend itself and will win.”
___
Associated Press writer Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report. | https://www.cenlanow.com/technology/ap-technology/ukraine-says-potent-russian-hack-against-power-grid-thwarted/ | 2022-04-12T19:18:27 | 1 | https://www.cenlanow.com/technology/ap-technology/ukraine-says-potent-russian-hack-against-power-grid-thwarted/ |
Florida man caught on video masturbating on plane out of Newark, NJ airport, feds say
NEWARK — An elderly Florida man is accused of masturbating next to a younger female passenger on a flight that departed from Newark Liberty International Airport.
76-year-old Donald Edward Robinson was arrested Sunday morning at Boston Logan International Airport. The Bonita Springs resident faces one count of lewd, indecent, and obscene acts while in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.
A 21-year-old woman was sitting next to Robinson on United Airlines flight 1663 on Friday. Partway through the midday trip, she caught the man on a 24-second video fondling himself through his pants, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts.
Prosecutors said it was not long before the man fully exposed his genitals in full view of his seat mate.
Robinson was also accused of putting his hand on the victim's thigh just minutes before landing. He stopped when the woman questioned what he was doing, officials said.
The victim then discretely got the attention of another passenger. She used her phone to write out a message, “Hi, this man assaulted me and touched my leg and is masturbating.”
However, the victim could not alert a flight attendant until passengers started getting off the plane. Robinson got away in the confusion, according to federal authorities.
Investigators later used surveillance footage to track Robinson heading to baggage claim.
The charge against Robinson carries a maximum sentence of 90 days in prison plus a $5,000 fine, if convicted.
NJ teachers and educators caught in sex crime busts | https://nj1015.com/florida-man-caught-on-video-masturbating-on-plane-out-of-newark-nj-airport-feds-say/ | 2022-04-12T19:19:21 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/florida-man-caught-on-video-masturbating-on-plane-out-of-newark-nj-airport-feds-say/ |
Legal weed in NJ may be too little too late for some (Opinion)
Gov. Murphy swore he could get legalized recreational marijuana in his first hundred days in office. Many years and many missteps and many blundered political moves later New Jersey is still waiting.
It even went to a ballot question and New Jersey voters are the ones who actually passed it. Afterwards, it was New Jersey politicians and bureaucrats who still dragged their feet and they stand as the reason weed is still not yet for sale.
This week, finally, there was a vote that is said to clear the way for certain medical marijuana dispensaries to start also selling recreational marijuana legally, possibly by the end of the month. Brings the old phrase ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ to mind, does it not?
But here’s the thing. Even if you will be able to visit one of these medical marijuana dispensaries to buy marijuana for recreational purposes in just a few weeks after all of this nonsense are you going to? Or are you going to stick with your current source?
Personally I have no interest in it at all and I’m not going to be partaking. But the people voted on this and they should have had the right years ago. For those who want to do it, this is so long overdue that I wonder if people are really going to go along with the program. What I mean is will people start buying it legally or will they continue to buy it from whatever trusted friend or source they’ve been getting it from for years? Call it the spite factor. New Jerseyans are good at spite.
You’re not going to endure the harsh penalties of the past if you’re caught, and you were certainly willing to risk your skin back then anyway. I have to wonder if there’s going to be a pushback because of all of these nonsensical delays that will make people who otherwise would have gone along with the legal program to shun it now.
Time will tell, but I have to assume a certain number of people who puff puff will choose to pass…on doing it legally that is.
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.
You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now: | https://nj1015.com/legal-weed-in-nj-may-be-too-little-too-late-for-some-opinion/ | 2022-04-12T19:19:27 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/legal-weed-in-nj-may-be-too-little-too-late-for-some-opinion/ |
New Jersey increases vigilance after mass shooting in Brooklyn subway
New Jersey law enforcement is increasing security and staying in touch with officials in New York following a shooting on board a subway in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning.
The gunman who put on a gas mask, opened a canister releasing smoke onto a subway car as it pulled into the 36th Street station in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn and then opened fire was the subject of a manhunt on Tuesday afternoon.
Officials said the gunfire wounded at least 10 people, and at least 16 in all were injured.
Police have not released a description of a suspect.
Officials in Jersey City said there would be increased police presence on PATH trains Tuesday until the person responsible was apprehended.
New Jersey Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin and Gov. Phil Murphy said the state was actively monitoring the situation.
"Please keep law enforcement in your thoughts as they work to resolve the situation, as well as those tragically impacted," Platkin said.
"We are praying for the victims and those impacted by this morning's horrific shooting in Brooklyn. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with our partners in New York to ensure everyone’s safety," Murphy said.
Sen. Cory Booker on his personal account said his heart is with those who experienced the shooting.
"Gun violence has touched every part of American life–our schools, our churches, even the morning commute–Congress must act to prevent tragedies like this one," Booker wrote.
NJ Transit's employee union SMART Local 60 urged members to also be alert.
"Please stay on the look out for any suspicious activities now more than normal because of the shooting tragedy on the NY subway," President Jerome Johnson said in a message to members. " I ask for everyone not to be a hero, and if members have any concerns don’t hesitate to call NJTPD."
New Jersey State Police also urged the public to remain vigilant.
"If you see something, say something. Please call 1-866-4SAFENJ to report any suspicious activity," State Police said on their social media.
(Includes material copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. | https://nj1015.com/new-jersey-increases-vigilance-after-mass-shooting-in-brooklyn-subway/ | 2022-04-12T19:19:33 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/new-jersey-increases-vigilance-after-mass-shooting-in-brooklyn-subway/ |
MONTCLAIR — Safety mechanisms at a railroad crossing were working properly at the time of a train collision that killed a well-known media critic riding his bike, NJ Transit officials have announced.
Lights and crossing gates “were working as intended,” according to an agency spokesman on Tuesday, a week after the death of 56-year-old Eric Boehlert, a township resident.
A memorial service was being held on Tuesday afternoon for Boehlert, who is survived by his wife of 29 years and their two children, according to his obituary.
Boehlert was struck at the North Fullerton Avenue crossing on April 4 around 9:40 p.m., NJ Transit previously confirmed. The spot is south of Montclair’s Watchung Avenue rail station.
As reported by NorthJersey.com, neighbors in that area have been questioning why the crossing gates do not span the roadway more fully.
A sizable gap remains even when the gate arms are lowered, as seen in Google Map images from this past fall.
Boehlert rode his bicycle frequently in the area, according to the same report.
The Eric Boehlert Memorial Scholarship, for college-bound graduates of Montclair High School, has been established and was receiving donations in his honor.
This is how New Jersey saw the world from 1940-to 1980. All these photos are from AP and Getty publications, meaning they were used in a magazine or newspaper. There has been plenty of inventions and history made in New Jersey. Check the photos below.
Every NJ pizza joint Barstool's Dave Portnoy has reviewed
Dave Portnoy, commonly known as El Presidente, is the founder of Barstool Sports. Somewhere along the way, he decided to start reviewing local pizzerias, and the concept took off. Here is every New Jersey pizzeria Dave has stopped in, along with the score he gave them.
New Jersey's new legislative districts for the 2020s
Boundaries for the 40 legislative districts for the Senate and Assembly elections of 2023 through 2029, and perhaps 2031, were approved in a bipartisan vote of the Apportionment Commission on Feb. 18, 2022. The map continues to favor Democrats, though Republicans say it gives them a chance to win the majority.
These are the best hiking spots in New Jersey
A trip to New Jersey doesn't have to be all about the beach. Our state has some incredible trails, waterfalls, and lakes to enjoy.
From the Pine Barrens to the Appalachian Trail to the hidden gems of New Jersey, you have plenty of options for a great hike. Hiking is such a great way to spend time outdoors and enjoy nature, plus it's a great workout.
Before you go out on the trails and explore some of our listeners' suggestions, I have some tips on hiking etiquette from the American Hiking Society.
If you are going downhill and run into an uphill hiker, step to the side and give the uphill hiker space. A hiker going uphill has the right of way unless they stop to catch their breath.
Always stay on the trail, you may see side paths, unless they are marked as an official trail, steer clear of them. By going off-trail you may cause damage to the ecosystems around the trail, the plants, and wildlife that live there.
You also do not want to disturb the wildlife you encounter, just keep your distance from the wildlife and continue hiking.
Bicyclists should yield to hikers and horses. Hikers should also yield to horses, but I’m not sure how many horses you will encounter on the trails in New Jersey.
If you are thinking of bringing your dog on your hike, they should be leashed, and make sure to clean up all pet waste.
Lastly, be mindful of the weather, if the trail is too muddy, it's probably best to save your hike for another day.
I asked our listeners for their suggestions of the best hiking spots in New Jersey, check out their suggestions: | https://nj1015.com/nj-transit-rail-gates-worked-eric-boehlert-montclair-death/ | 2022-04-12T19:19:39 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/nj-transit-rail-gates-worked-eric-boehlert-montclair-death/ |
No criminal charges for Morris Plains, NJ cop who killed man holding replica gun
MORRIS TOWNSHIP — No criminal charges will be filed against the Morris Plains cop who shot and killed a man while responding to a report of a domestic disturbance at a Morris Township home.
The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General announced that a state grand jury on Monday voted that the actions of Sergeant Christopher Cornine on July 14, 2020 should not result in charges.
Cornine was one of many officers from Morris, Morris Plains and Morristown who responded to the residence on Fairchild Avenue, home of Timothy O'Shea. A 911 caller had reported that a person at the residence had cut himself and had a gun, according to an investigation into the incident.
Upon arrival, officers took the caller into safety and soon encountered O'Shea, 24, who was holding a pistol and bleeding from the neck and wrists, according to the investigation. O'Shea would not comply with orders to drop the weapon; instead, he raised the weapon and pointed it in the direction of Sgt. Cornine.
Cornine fired 4 shots, striking O'Shea twice, according to the investigation. O'Shea was pronounced dead at Morristown Medical Center at 5:41 p.m., about 90 minutes after the initial 911 call.
The pistol that was in O'Shea's hand was a replica Beretta 9mm airsoft pistol, the investigation notes.
The victim was identified by Morristown Green as the son of retired Morris Twp. Police Lt. Kevin O'Shea, who currently serves as the department's executive administrative assistant.
Investigation of the fatal police encounter included interviews of witnesses, review of video footage, collection of forensic evidence, and autopsy results. After considering testimony and the evidence, the state grand jury determined that Cornine's actions were legally justified — an officer may use deadly force in New Jersey when the officer reasonably believes that it's necessary in order to protect the officer or another person from serious harm, danger, or death.
The Attorney General's Office noted that a "conflicts check" was also conducted, and no actual or potential conflict of interest was uncovered regarding any individual assigned to the investigation.
Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. | https://nj1015.com/no-criminal-charges-for-morris-plains-nj-cop-who-killed-man-holding-replica-gun/ | 2022-04-12T19:19:45 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/no-criminal-charges-for-morris-plains-nj-cop-who-killed-man-holding-replica-gun/ |
Opposing self-serve choice is as dumb as it gets in NJ (Opinion)
In a state with so many intelligent people, how are we so short-sighted and stupid on just one issue?
The rest of the country is allowed to pump their own gas and somehow it works just fine. Yet here, we have happily put up with this government intrusion decade after decade with no end in sight. How many other businesses are told that they cannot offer a way for their customers to serve themselves?
Grocery stores can do it.
Frozen yogurt shops can do it.
Car washes can do it.
Banks can do it.
Drug stores can do it.
Post offices can do it.
That list can go on and on.
When bipartisan legislation was recently introduced to allow New Jersey a hybrid model of both full-service and self-service, (yes, you would have the choice) there was some hope. Some hope for those of us who are tired of sitting and waiting for one guy servicing five cars when we could easily be saving time doing it ourselves. Some hope for those of us who are sick and tired of this so-called full-service being far too often a guy who barely speaks English never even greeting you and not getting off his cell phone call during the entire encounter.
Soon Senate President Nick Scutari had a thing to say. He pointed to one Rutgers-Eagleton poll that was based on a poorly-worded question and decided that that was it, he wouldn’t support the idea and would not post it for a vote. Gov. Murphy soon followed saying he didn’t see it happening anytime soon.
That poorly-worded question? “Do you prefer to pump your own gas or have your gas pumped for you?”
I that’s like asking somebody do you prefer to pay for your dinner or have it bought for you? Do you prefer to do your homework or have it done for you? You get the idea.
The wording was flawed because it never addressed what the actual legislation was which was consumer choice. You would still in a large way have your full-service but for those of us who wanted to pump our own gas, we would finally have that opportunity at certain gas stations that chose that as their business model.
God forbid in America we have freedom of choice, huh?
This week came a much more fair poll asking the question the right way. The results of the Monmouth University poll were eye-opening. When asked if they were in favor or opposed to self-serve gas as long as full-serve gas was still an option, the majority of New Jersey said they were in favor: 54%.
What’s more, the poll found if this became available more than 2 out of 3 drivers would choose to pump their own gas and it has nothing to do with saving money. It was because it would be more convenient. The prospect of saving money only made those numbers even higher.
Yet here we sit still having the same stupid debate with the same misinformation just on a different day. This long-standing government intrusion in telling a business how it can operate is absurd and it’s pathetic that so many people don’t see it.
You’re allowed to jack up your car in your driveway and climb beneath it to do work. Far more dangerous than pumping your own gas. You’re allowed to change your own oil. Hell, you’re even allowed to take a can of gasoline on the side of the road and pour it into your car’s empty gas tank, or into your lawnmower in your garage. Far more likely to spill, by the way. But you’re not allowed to speed things up when you’re busy by dispensing it from a safer pump into your car?
If this ban on self-serve gasoline continues then perhaps New Jersey is getting exactly what it deserves.
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.
You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now: | https://nj1015.com/opposing-self-serve-choice-is-as-dumb-as-it-gets-in-nj-opinion/ | 2022-04-12T19:19:52 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/opposing-self-serve-choice-is-as-dumb-as-it-gets-in-nj-opinion/ |
NORTH HALEDON — Petitions championed by the mayor of this borough to drum up support against a Virginia-based group that recently asked for a light-up star to be taken off a local mountain have racked up hundreds of signatures so far.
Mayor Randy George of North Haledon told NorthJersey.com the target is 1,000 signees or more as he plans to do "everything I can to harass" The Nature Conservancy, which has demanded that the star, a long-ago Boy Scout project, be removed from atop High Mountain, where the mayor said its reinstallation just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic made it a beacon of hope.
NorthJersey.com reported that an online petition launched by residents boasted more than 300 signatures as of Monday afternoon, and more signatures were being taken by hand at the local library, and borough hall.
The Nature Conservancy argues that the star was a "temporary allowance," is a safety hazard to hikers, and negatively impacts plant and bird life, according to the report.
Mayor Christopher Vergano of Wayne, the township that owns most of High Mountain Park Preserve, has previously thrown his support behind his neighboring borough, but the Nature Conservancy said in the NorthJersey.com report that Wayne has nothing to do with the portion where the star is located.
George has called a meeting of borough residents and concerned citizens from other municipalities, to be held May 9 at Eastern Christian High School.
Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.
NJ county fairs make a comeback: Check out the schedule for 2022
UPDATED 4/10: A current list of county fairs happening across the Garden State for 2022. From rides, food, animals, and hot air balloons, each county fair has something unique to offer.
(Fairs are listed in geographical order from South NJ to North NJ)
These are the best hiking spots in New Jersey
A trip to New Jersey doesn't have to be all about the beach. Our state has some incredible trails, waterfalls, and lakes to enjoy.
From the Pine Barrens to the Appalachian Trail to the hidden gems of New Jersey, you have plenty of options for a great hike. Hiking is such a great way to spend time outdoors and enjoy nature, plus it's a great workout.
Before you go out on the trails and explore some of our listeners' suggestions, I have some tips on hiking etiquette from the
American Hiking Society.
If you are going downhill and run into an uphill hiker, step to the side and give the uphill hiker space. A hiker going uphill has the right of way unless they stop to catch their breath.
Always stay on the trail, you may see side paths, unless they are marked as an official trail, steer clear of them. By going off-trail you may cause damage to the ecosystems around the trail, the plants, and wildlife that live there.
You also do not want to disturb the wildlife you encounter, just keep your distance from the wildlife and continue hiking.
Bicyclists should yield to hikers and horses. Hikers should also yield to horses, but I’m not sure how many horses you will encounter on the trails in New Jersey.
If you are thinking of bringing your dog on your hike, they should be leashed, and make sure to clean up all pet waste.
Lastly, be mindful of the weather, if the trail is too muddy, it's probably best to save your hike for another day.
I asked our listeners for their suggestions of the best hiking spots in New Jersey, check out their suggestions:
Every NJ city and town's municipal tax bill, ranked
A little less than 30 cents of every $1 in property taxes charged in New Jersey support municipal services provided by cities, towns, townships, boroughs and villages. Statewide, the average municipal-only tax bill in 2021 was $2,725, but that varied widely from more than $13,000 in Tavistock to nothing in three townships. In addition to $9.22 billion in municipal purpose taxes, special taxing districts that in some places provide municipal services such as fire protection, garbage collection or economic development levied $323.8 million in 2021. | https://nj1015.com/star-wars-nj-mayor-pledges-to-harass-nonprofit-over-mountain-fixture/ | 2022-04-12T19:19:58 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/star-wars-nj-mayor-pledges-to-harass-nonprofit-over-mountain-fixture/ |
Turning Point Restaurant to open another Toms River location
Turning Point, the popular breakfast, lunch, and brunch chain of restaurants, is opening its second Toms River location with word that they will be taking over the closed Ruby Tuesday site on Rte. 37 in Toms River.
According to TomsRiver.org, renovations have already begun with an eye toward debuting the new restaurant in the summer. Turning Point opened its first Toms River location in the Ocean County Mall last year. Kirk Ruoff, founder of the restaurant chain, told the Asbury Park Press that the mall location has done very well, "Toms River is a very large market. If Toms River can support (three) regional high schools, it can support two Turning Points."
Ruby Tuesday closed its Route 37 store in 2020 when the chain declared bankruptcy.
After starting as a single restaurant in Little Silver in 1998, Turning Point has grown to 21 locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The new Toms River store will be the 14th in New Jersey. They are not open for dinner, allowing for a better work/life balance for owners and employees.
Their website says that “Turning Point’s spacious interiors are decorated with natural wood floors, bright traditional colors, and fireplaces. Its menu offers elevated daytime meal options that change with the seasons. Popular items include lobster avocado toast, bacon lollipops, and seven different origins of French-pressed coffee.”
With residential neighborhoods in surrounding Toms River, Berkeley, and Manchester, Ruoff predicts the new restaurant will do well, "The community is already aware of our brand."
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.
You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now: | https://nj1015.com/turning-point-restaurant-to-open-another-toms-river-location/ | 2022-04-12T19:20:04 | 0 | https://nj1015.com/turning-point-restaurant-to-open-another-toms-river-location/ |
Wawa to celebrate its birthday with free coffee
Wawa has announced that its annual Wawa Day tradition is back and brighter than ever.
On April 14, in honor of its 58th anniversary in retail, Wawa will celebrate the occasion by offering customers free hot coffee of any size, chainwide, all day. Throughout the day, Wawa expects to give away more than 2 million free cups of any size coffee to customers at its more than 960 stores.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring back our traditional Wawa Day festivities to honor the millions of customers who have been such an integral part of our growth through the years. As we mark our 58th anniversary, we look forward to brightening the days of our customers, associates and communities with free coffee, special recognitions and vital resources, continuing our longstanding tradition of providing necessary support to our communities and National Partners during times of need,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa President and CEO. “Being there for our customers, associates and communities when they need us most remains one of our core commitments and one that we always seek to strengthen through new partnerships and possibilities. Happy Wawa Day, and cheers to 58 years of fulfilling lives, every day!”
In addition to the free coffee, Wawa will also be making several charitable contributions in honor of their birthday, including $1 million each to the Special Olympics and to Check Out Hunger, to support Feeding America Food Banks operating in Wawa’s markets. Funds supporting Check-Out Hunger come from The Wawa Foundation’s in-store customer donation campaign.
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle only.
You can now listen to Deminski & Doyle — On Demand! Hear New Jersey’s favorite afternoon radio show any day of the week. Download the Deminski & Doyle show wherever you get podcasts, on our free app, or listen right now: | https://nj1015.com/wawa-to-celebrate-its-birthday-with-free-coffee/ | 2022-04-12T19:20:10 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/wawa-to-celebrate-its-birthday-with-free-coffee/ |
Fentanyl behind doubling of teen overdose deaths over past decade, study says
Published: Apr. 12, 2022 at 1:44 PM CDT|Updated: 37 minutes ago
(CNN) – More and more teens are overdosing on fentanyl, according to new research.
Adolescent drug overdose deaths doubled from 2010 to 2021, according to a study published Tuesday in the Medical Journal JAMA.
The research says there were about 500 adolescent overdose deaths in 2010 and more than 1,100 in 2021.
Fentanyl was involved in more than 75% of deaths in 2021.
Researchers say the increase isn’t because more teens are using drugs. It’s because drug use is becoming more dangerous.
Annual drug overdose deaths for all ages have reached record highs in the U.S. recently.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/fentanyl-behind-doubling-teen-overdose-deaths-over-past-decade-study-says/ | 2022-04-12T19:21:44 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/fentanyl-behind-doubling-teen-overdose-deaths-over-past-decade-study-says/ |
Toney seeks removal of 5 elections commission members
A Republican district attorney and candidate for attorney general has filed a complaint with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers seeking the removal of five members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Republican district attorney and candidate for attorney general on Tuesday filed a complaint with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers seeking the removal of five members of the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission.
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney submitted a complaint with Evers asking him to remove two Republicans and three Democrats from the board because they did not allow special voting deputies into nursing homes in 2020 to assist residents with voting.
The election commission's decision has been cited by Republican critics of how that election was run as opening the door to potential voting fraud in nursing homes. The Racine County Sheriff, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, called for prosecuting the board members but no prosecutor has filed charges. The action was also cited in a widely discredited report from Michael Gableman, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice hired by Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to investigate the election.
The Racine County district attorney, a Republican, declined to bring charges against commission members in February, saying she didn't have jurisdiction because none of them live in her county. District attorneys in Milwaukee and Green Lake counties have also declined to bring charges, saying there wasn't enough evidence to prove commission members living in those counties committed a crime.
Toney said he also doesn't have jurisdiction, but that he can ask Evers to remove the board members.
“They went rogue," Toney said of the commissioners. "What they did was illegal. They committed crimes and they should be held accountable.”
A spokesman for the elections commission, Riley Vetterkind, had no immediate comment. Evers' spokeswoman, Britt Cudaback, didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Toney faces former Republican state Rep. Adam Jarchow in the Aug. 9 primary for attorney general. Jarchow called Toney's complaint a “political stunt.”
“My focus is on restoring order and keeping our citizens safe in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and other places across the state where violence is out of control,” Jarchow said in a statement.
The winner of the primary will face Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul in November.
State law requires local election clerks to send so-called special voting deputies to nursing homes to give residents an opportunity to vote. After trying to make two visits, the deputies can mail absentee ballots to the residents instead.
But early in the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Wisconsin Elections Commission made its decision not to send in the deputies, the state was under a safer-at-home order and nursing homes were severely limiting who could come into their facilities, often not even allowing immediate family members inside.
The elections commission in March 2020 voted unanimously that poll workers could not be sent into nursing homes. The commission voted 5-1 in two follow-up votes extending the order through the November 2020 election before rescinding it in March 2021. Instead of sending in voting deputies, the commission directed clerks to mail absentee ballots to nursing home residents who had requested them.
Toney was not seeking the removal of the one commissioner who changed his vote, Republican Bob Spindell.
The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau determined that the commission broke the law by not sending in the voting assistants. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/toney-seeks-removal-5-elections-commission-members/ | 2022-04-12T19:21:53 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/toney-seeks-removal-5-elections-commission-members/ |
Two Republicans won’t seek reelection to Assembly
Two more Republicans say they won’t seek reelection to the state Assembly this fall
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two more Republicans announced Tuesday they won’t seek reelection to the state Assembly this fall.
Reps. Joe Sanfelippo of New Berlin and Cody Horlacher of Mukwonago announced their retirements. Sanfelippo, 58, didn’t offer a reason. Horlacher, 35, said he plans to run for Waukesha County Judge Maria Lazar’s open seat. Lazar won election to the state appeals court in the April 5 spring election. Horlacher earned a law degree from Marquette University in 2014.
Sanfelippo has served in the Assembly since 2013 and has been the chairman of the Assembly Health Committee since 2015. Horlacher has served in the Assembly since 2015.
Thirteen Assembly Republicans have now announced they won’t seek reelection. Six Assembly Democrats have said they’re not running again.
Six senators aren’t running in November, including three Republicans and three Democrats.
___
This story has been updated to correct that 13 Republicans have now retired from the Assembly, not 19. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/two-republicans-wont-seek-reelection-assembly/ | 2022-04-12T19:22:04 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/two-republicans-wont-seek-reelection-assembly/ |
Windy with showers today; severe weather likely tonight
Large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes will be possible
ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – A large storm system is moving into the region from the west today, bringing mild, but unsettled weather to the area for our Tuesday. Expect increasing cloud cover with a chance of isolated showers and a few thunderstorms in the midday and afternoon hours. Strong, gusty southeast winds will work to pull in warmer air, but they’ll also add an extra chill to the air, reaching 35 miles per hour at times. High temperatures will be around 60 degrees, which is several degrees warmer than the seasonal average.
A line of strong to severe thunderstorms will develop to our west and then rumble into the area after 8:00 this evening. At this point, large hail, damaging wind gusts, and tornadoes will all be possible across the area, but the area of highest tornado risk will be south of Interstate 90 and on the Iowa side of the border. Downpours of rain in some of those storms may yield a quick half-inch to one-inch of rainfall. The primary local severe weather risk tonight will run from 8:00 to 2:00 AM. Temperatures will drop slowly to the mid and upper 40s with a gusty southwest breeze.
A few isolated showers will be possible Wednesday behind the departing storm system. Expect occasional sunshine and brisk west winds and afternoon high temperatures will be in the upper 40s to low 50s.
Light snow showers and sprinkles will be possible on Thursday as some of that activity will rotate into the area on the backside of the storm system. Strong west winds will gust to 40 or 50 miles per hour throughout the day and high temperatures will be in the upper 30s to around 40 degrees.
After a couple of bright, but chilly days Friday and Saturday, another storm system will graze the area to the south, bringing a chance for light snow showers and perhaps a little light rain for Easter Sunday, and high temperatures will be in the low 40s.
Copyright 2022 KTTC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/windy-with-showers-today-severe-weather-likely-tonight/ | 2022-04-12T19:22:12 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/windy-with-showers-today-severe-weather-likely-tonight/ |
Wisconsin Supreme Court lets Racine recount stand
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that challengers of a school referendum in Racine did not have a right to have the ballots examined in court following a recount that upheld a five-vote margin of victory for the ballot measure
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Tuesday that challengers of a school referendum in Racine did not have a right to have the ballots examined in court following a recount that upheld a five-vote margin of victory for the ballot measure.
Racine voters approved the referendum in April 2020 with 16,748 voters in favor and 16,743 against. After a recount, the five-vote margin of victory was upheld with 16,715 in support and 16,710 against.
Those challenging the results had argued that courts should be able to examine ballots after they have been recounted.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court, in its unanimous decision, ruled that the ballots could not be examined in court. It upheld a similarly unanimous state appeals court decision last year that said reopening the ballots was unnecessary because that had been done during the recount. A Racine County judge also had determined that the recount was done properly and that both sides had an opportunity to challenge ballots.
The approved referendum is expected to cost Racine taxpayers $1 billion over 30 years, with the money primarily going toward updating and constructing school buildings.
Recounts are not uncommon in narrowly divided Wisconsin. Former President Donald Trump had recounts done in Milwaukee and Dane counties in 2020 and there was a statewide recount in the 2016 presidential race. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/wisconsin-supreme-court-lets-racine-recount-stand/ | 2022-04-12T19:22:18 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/wisconsin-supreme-court-lets-racine-recount-stand/ |
Yelp to cover travel expenses for workers seeking abortions
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yelp will cover the travel expenses of employees who must travel out of state for abortions, joining the ranks of major employers trying to help workers affected by new restrictions in Texas and other states.
The benefit announced Tuesday covers all 4,000 employees at the online review service, but seems most likely to have its biggest immediate impact on its 200 workers in Texas, which has passed a law banning abortions within the state after six weeks of pregnancy.
“We’ve long been a strong advocate for equality in the workplace, and believe that gender equality cannot be achieved if women’s healthcare rights are restricted,” said Miriam Warren, Yelp’s chief diversity officer.
Other states, including Oklahoma, are also are clamping down on abortions, prompting Yelp, based in San Francisco, and several other companies to draw up policies aimed at helping their workers get reproductive health care in other states.
Last month Citigroup, based in New York, disclosed plans to cover the travel expenses of any of its more than 220,000 employees, thousands of whom work in Texas, who travel to another state for an abortion.
The two largest U.S. ride-hailing services, Uber and Lyft, last year announced they will pay the legal fees for drivers who could get sued under the new Texas law for transporting a passenger to an appointment for an abortion.
The policies expose companies to potential backlash from those who support abortion restrictions, but they could be an advantage for employers with a footprint in states like Texas in an increasingly competitive job market.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/yelp-cover-travel-expenses-workers-seeking-abortions/ | 2022-04-12T19:22:28 | 1 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/yelp-cover-travel-expenses-workers-seeking-abortions/ |
The city of Talladega enjoyed over a week without violence following the murder of an eighth-grader in a car on Avenue H earlier this month, but the violence seems to have resumed over the weekend.
Talladega Police responded to at least four incidents involving gunfire in the city between Friday night and Sunday afternoon, with at least one person wounded. The investigation into the earlier homicide is also still ongoing.
The first incident from the weekend was reported just before 12:30 a.m. Saturday at a residence on West Coosa Street. According to the police report, two people were inside the house during the shooting, a 77-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman.
The occupants told police that they heard at least four shots fired and that one shot came into the house, into their master bedroom, hit a wall, and then lodged in the headboard of the bed. The projectile was recovered. No one was hurt, however.
Prayer On The Square
Saturday morning, a group of about 50 people comprising local ministers, community leaders, and those simply sick of the violence in their communities gathered together on the courthouse square to pray for the city.
“We call for the streets to come together, and we ask the Lord to hear hear the cry of our communities, our city, our state, our country and the whole world,” said Rev. Phoebe Presson, one of the organizers of the event. “He knows what is in our heart. We can speak all we want, but he knows what is in our hearts, our souls, our very being.”
Pastor Heath Walton of First Baptist Church of Talladega then read from the 86th Pslam, a prayer of David, beginning, “Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God. Be gracious to me, O Lord,for to you do I cry all the day.“
Rev. Johnny McKinney of Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church then led a prayer of the whole group assembled, noting, “we are on hallowed ground. We ask that you bless our effort (and) this collective body, (and that) you hear our prayers, our moans, our tears. We ask that your will be done, for our children, our families, our communities, for our government, our schools and all our leaders.”
Presson said when she prayed the night before, she prayed for the community, for the family of the young boy who had been killed, and for the shooters who were responsible for his death.
“As I was moving from a physical plane to a spiritual one, I heard Satan say that the shooters were evil and I should not pray for them. But the Lord said my mercy endures forever, and I ask that the Lord change their hearts and let them come forward to admit what they’ve done. It’s not for me to judge them. We will all stand up and be judged for what we’ve done, and there is not one of us who has not sinned and fallen short.”
After that, the crowd assembled, divided itself into four groups, and moved to the four cardinal compass points around the square, where each offered prayer for their specific community and part of town. Afterward, they came together again, marched all around the square, and ended with another group prayer, hand in hand, around the flag pole.
Other Reported Shootings
Officers responded to a second shooting at 1:37 a.m. near the intersection of McMillan and Elm streets. Officers found a small, red vehicle with a bullet hole in the window on the passenger side that had apparently run off the road and hit a power pole.
While on the scene, officers were notified that someone from the car was at the emergency room at Citizens Baptist Medical Center being treated for a gunshot wound to the arm.
“The victim reported that while driving past Elm Street, several subjects dressed in black began shooting at her and her friends in the vehicle.”
The driver, in this case, appears to have been a 28-year-old woman. There were three other people in the car, all of them female, one of them possibly a child.
Several hours later, police responded to another call involving a house shot into, this one on Moorefiled Drive. Investigators believe it stemmed from the West Coosa incident. The victim, in this case, is an 85-year-old man, who said his house was hit sometime during the night, but he did not discover the damage until the next day.
According to Lt. Jimmy Thompson, investigators do not believe that this house was the intended target but was hit by stray bullets from the previous incident.
The fourth incident was reported Sunday afternoon in Curry Court. Details of that incident were not readily available Monday.
Anyone with information on any of these incidents or any other crime should contact the Talladega Police Department at 256-362-4508 or call the city’s anonymous tip line at 256-299-0011. You may also leave an anonymous tip on the city’s web site, www.talladega.com.
Information can also be left with Central Alabama CrimeStoppers using their 24-hour tip line at (334) 215-STOP (7867), or download the P3-tips app. Central Alabama CrimeStoppers can also be reached using their toll-free number at 1-833-AL1-STOP. Information submitted to Crime Stoppers is also anonymous. | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/community-members-come-together-to-pray-after-gun-violence-returns-to-talladega-following-murder-of/article_06715178-ba89-11ec-8e50-87fc0932aeea.html | 2022-04-12T19:25:16 | 1 | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/community-members-come-together-to-pray-after-gun-violence-returns-to-talladega-following-murder-of/article_06715178-ba89-11ec-8e50-87fc0932aeea.html |
LINCOLN — The Lincoln City Council has approved tax abatements for a new business in the industrial park, bringing 90 new jobs to the community.
During its Tuesday meeting, the council approved tax agreements that will bring Aer-Flo Sports to the second speculative building in Lincoln’s industrial park. The speculative building was originally constructed by the city and the Talladega County Economic Development Authority (EDA) with a loan from the Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative (CVEC). Aer-Flo purchased the building last month.
The council approved two agreements, one with Streamliner RE Holdings LLC, which will lease the building to Aer-Flo and another with Aer-Flo itself. EDA Director Calvin Miller said the parties had requested an abatement from sales and use taxes for equipment and materials to finish the build-out of the spec building along with a 10-year abatement from property taxes except school related taxes. He said this agreement is standard for commercial tax abatements.
Miller said Aer-Flo, which builds materials for ball fields such as padding, covers and windscreen, will initially hire 60 local employees with plans to expand to 90 over the next three years.
“They will most likely employ more than that,” he added to the council.
Miller said the company’s total capital investment in the property would be roughly $7 million.
The EDA director said the new business is another success of the EDA’s speculative building program that is possible thanks to loans from CVEC. These buildings, which the EDA has built eight of throughout the county, are meant to be ready-made spaces for industrial businesses to locate with minimal construction. Miller said the program is a rather effective recruitment tool.
“We have found that we do much better having a building than when we don’t,” he said.
There was one issue brought up during the meeting with the abatements. Councilmen Joey Callahan and Brandon Tate both addressed drainage issues with the property the speculative building sits on. Callahan said the property currently lacks proper drainage leading to adjacent properties flooding when it rains.
The council previously approved hiring an engineer to fix the issue, but Tate asked if it would be better to hold the abatements until the city is sure those issues will be addressed.
Miller said that the issues would be addressed in the full build-out of the building as it would include parking and landscaping. Callahan said he would prefer to have a guarantee.
“It's not fair to just assume that people are going to do things and make assumptions without it being documented and written down,” he said.
Lincoln Code Enforcement Officer Adam Thrasher said he could ensure that when Aer-Flo submits its plans that it does the engineering work to abate the drainage issue, but said he couldn't guarantee they would actually do the project.
Mayor Lew Watson said that no matter what the new property owners' plans are, the city would still need to be involved as it still owns 40 acres of land next to the property and has committed to working on the drainage issue.
Ultimately the council approved the abatements, but Callahan said he is committed to fixing the drainage issue as he sees it as a city-created issue. He said he is proud to have a new business in Lincoln, but it needs to be done responsibly.
“As we go along and we build new business, we need to do it responsibly without having adverse effects on people who already have business,” Callahan said.
Watson said he is glad the city’s investment in the property, with the help of CVEC and the EDA, has paid off.
“That was the whole purpose in investing in this property is for job opportunities for our city and our county and our state,” he said. "And we are glad it's paying off.”
In other matters, the council:
— Approved a bid from Coastal Rescue Solution for a battery-powered rescue tool in the amount of $26,970;
— Approved issuing a business license to Glenn Warren for Old Guys Water Sport;
— Approved allowing Warren use of a fence at the city shop while the city owns the property;
— Approved rules, regulation and uniform schedules for the Parks and Recreation Department;
— Approved retail beer and wine licenses for express mart 46 on Honda Drive;
— Approved the installation of a street light at Rushing Springs Road and Hwy 77;
— Appointed Billy Pearson as voting delegate and Sadie Britt as alternate for the 2022 Alabama League of Municipalities convention;
— Approved adding Juneteenth as a paid municipal holiday for city employees; and
— Reappointed Bonnie Ponder to the Lincoln Planning and Zoning Commission. | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/dh_news/lincoln-approves-tax-abatements-for-new-business-in-the-industrial-park/article_7c249348-ba8f-11ec-8cd4-5b7679ab0b47.html | 2022-04-12T19:25:22 | 0 | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/dh_news/lincoln-approves-tax-abatements-for-new-business-in-the-industrial-park/article_7c249348-ba8f-11ec-8cd4-5b7679ab0b47.html |
MUNFORD— Connor Morgan accomplished a rare feat in Munford’s 16-7 win over Handley on senior night on Monday. The senior hit two home runs and recorded five RBIs as the Lions scored 10 runs in the first inning. According to Alabama High School Athletic Association’s baseball records, Morgan is the 24th player to hit two home runs in one inning.
“We knew coming into (Monday’s game) that we were prepared,” Morgan said. “We know that we can play with anyone in the state. We were swinging before the game, and I told my dad before the game that I was going to hit the ball. In my first at bat, it was right down the middle. I didn’t think they were going to give me another one. I thought that they were going to throw me junk. I got the count in my favor 2-0 and he gave me a high fast ball. I just elevated. My dad always tells me elevate and celebrate. I elevated and we are celebrating now.”
Morgan’s performance couldn’t come at a better time as it helped the Lions clinch their first area title since 2018. Munford head coach Derek Stephens said his team has proved people wrong all season when they have been counted out.
“Coming into this year we wanted to win the county, win our area and play the first round of the playoffs here,” Munford head coach Derek Stephens said. “We have done all those things. We started out the year 2-4, so everybody thought it’s no way all that is going to happen. That just shows you what kind of leadership that these seniors have. They always stay positive, and they don’t turn on each other. We went through sometimes where everybody was ready to count us out and I think that’s the story of our season. In the county tournament it was 1-0 (against Sylacauga) and we won 3-1. We went to Handley and lost, and they were like they are not going to win area. And we won the area. Our guys are really good at competing, not giving up and loving each other.”
Senior center fielder Corbin Smith recorded two RBIs in Munford’s win over Handley on Monday. Smith said thrive in the role of being the underdogs.
“We love it (being under dogs),” Smith said. “Since we were little, we have always been in a big situation to do this or that. We just think that this is the team that’s going to do it at Munford. We think we can win state. We have the best shot of anybody. We have the heart, we thrive in big moments, we want it.”
What to know
— Handley fought their way back into the game in the second inning as they scored six runs. Munford however added two more runs in the bottom half of the frame to increase the lead to 12-6.
— Handley’s Ty Fetner hit a solo home run in the third inning. Fetner watched the ball quickly exit the playing field. The junior then flipped his bat as high as he could before he rounded the bases.
— Munford scored three runs in the fourth to take a 15-7 lead. Tyler Stephen had another big game for the Lions. The senior right fielder hit a two-run single in the fourth. Stephens finished the game with two hits and four RBIs for Munford.
— Connor Fisher and Jonathan Ponder recorded two RBIs apiece for Munford.
— Riley Brown earned the win for Munford.
Who said:
—Derek Stephens on Morgan’s performance:
“We took a round (Monday) before the game and he was on fire. He looked at me and gave me the green light signal and it was 0-0. I was like what is he doing? Does he want to bunt? He didn’t want to bunt, he wanted to swing at the first pitch, and he did. They don’t get any better than Connor. All of our guys are outstanding character people, and they are going to be successful in life. Connor does everything the right way, he has really good grades, he’s a good student. He’s the quarterback for football, point guard in basketball, he is our second baseman and three-hole hitter. He does it all. It doesn’t surprise me when he has success because of who he is.”
—Morgan on holding off Handley
“We knew that they weren’t going to lay down. Their athletic program is taught to never back down from a challenge, so we knew it wasn’t going to be over in the first inning. They fought and we were able to match it. I’m proud of the way we carried ourselves in this game.”
Up next
—Munford will travel to take on Piedmont on Saturday. | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/dh_sports/morgans-career-night-lifts-munford-past-handley/article_500188f6-ba86-11ec-9a0f-9f3579eb77e7.html | 2022-04-12T19:25:29 | 1 | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/dh_sports/morgans-career-night-lifts-munford-past-handley/article_500188f6-ba86-11ec-9a0f-9f3579eb77e7.html |
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock indexes edged lower on Wall Street in afternoon trading Tuesday, shedding early gains as investors weighed new data showing some signs of inflation slowed slightly in March, though it overall remained at its highest level in 40 years.
The S&P 500 was 0.6% lower after having been up 1.3% earlier in the day. The benchmark index is coming off back-to-back losses driven by worries about the economic collateral damage as the Federal Reserve tackles high inflation more aggressively. A report on Tuesday morning showed inflation last monthwas again at its highest level in generations, driven by soaring gasoline prices in particular, but the reading was relatively close to economists’ expectations.
Another faint silver lining was that inflation wasn’t as bad as economists expected, when ignoring the costs of food and fuel. While it’s laughable to ask households to forget soaring prices at the gasoline pump and the grocery store, the Federal Reserve pays more attention to what’s called “core inflation” while setting policy because it’s less volatile. And core inflation on a month-over-month basis moderated to its slowest level since September.
“Hopefully this is as bad as it gets,” said Brian Jacobsen, senior investment strategist at Allspring Global Investments.
“The risk is that a red hot labor market grows cold under the force of those higher food, fuel, and financing costs. This is a time when economic resilience will be tested.”
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 156 points, or 0.5%, at 34,151, as of 3:11 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was 0.7% lower.
Stocks in recent days have been trading in the opposite direction of Treasury yields, which have climbed to their highest levels since well before the pandemic. Yields jumped as investors brace for the Federal Reserve to hike short-term rates at a faster pace than typical and to aggressively pare its trove of bonds, whose buildup helped keep longer-term rates low.
But Treasury yields pulled back on Tuesday following the inflation report. The 10-year yield slid to 2.72% from 2.77% late Monday. It was as high as 2.83% overnight, before the inflation report’s release. The 10-year yield nevertheless remains well above the 1.51% level where it began the year.
A measure of nervousness among stock investors also fell immediately after the inflation report.
Stocks elsewhere around the world were lower or mixed, as unease continues to hang over markets about the war in Ukraine, Chinese efforts to contain COVID outbreaks and where inflation and interest rates are heading.
In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi fell 1%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.8% and stocks in Shanghai climbed 1.5%. In Europe, Germany’s DAX lost 0.5%, the French CAC 40 slipped 0.3% and the FTSE 100 in London dropped 0.5%.
The price of U.S. crude oil climbed 6.7% to settle at $100.60, keeping the pressure on high inflation. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 6.3% to settle at $104.64.
Higher interest rates from the Federal Reserve would slow the economy, which would hopefully knock down high inflation. Consumer prices were 8.5% higher in March than a year earlier, accelerating from February’s 7.9% inflation rate and the highest since 1981. To bring it down, the Fed revealed in the minutes from its latest meeting that it’s prepared to hike short-term rates by half a percentage point, double the usual amount, at some upcoming meetings, something it hasn’t done since 2000.
The worry is the Federal Reserve may be so aggressive about hiking interest rates that it forces the economy into a recession.
Higher interest rates also put downward pressure on all kinds of investments, with those seen as the most expensive hardest hit. That’s because when investors are earning more in interest to own relatively safe bonds, they’re less willing to pay higher prices for riskier stocks. Technology and other high-growth stocks that have been some of the stock market’s biggest recent winners have been in the spotlight in particular.
On Tuesday, technology stocks were among the biggest drags on S&P 500. Microsoft fell 1.4% and chipmaker Nvidia fell 2.4%.
Losses in health care and financial stocks also weighed down the index. Pfizer fell 1.3% and Wells Fargo slid 2.4%.
Energy and utilities stocks held up better than the rest of the market. Marathon Oil rose 4.5% and Constellation Energy rose 2%.
More swings may be in store for stocks as companies prepare to report their earnings for the first three months of the year. Delta Air Lines, JPMorgan Chase and other big-name companies will kick off the reporting season on Wednesday.
A key focus for investors during the latest round of earnings will be any sign of consumers pulling back on spending and how companies reacted, said Jack Janasiewicz, portfolio manager and lead portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers Solutions.
“It all boils down to their margins and how are companies deal with rising costs,” Janasiewicz said.
Earnings were able to stay at record levels through the end of last year as companies raised prices for their products and services enough to protect their profit margins. But the further acceleration of inflation may be straining that formula.
Used car dealership chain CarMax slumped 7.7% after reporting disappointing earnings. The company said high prices for cars were discouraging buyers.
While they can swing sharply for many reasons in the short term, stock prices tend to track the path of corporate profits over the long term.
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AP Business Writer Joe McDonald contributed. Veiga reported from Los Angeles. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/asian-stocks-mixed-as-investors-await-us-profits-inflation/ | 2022-04-12T19:29:47 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/asian-stocks-mixed-as-investors-await-us-profits-inflation/ |
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The top international official in Bosnia on Tuesday suspended a Bosnian Serb property law that is seen as part of a separatist drive by Bosnian Serbs.
Christian Schmidt, who heads the U.N. Office of High Representative in Bosnia, says that the law passed in February in the Bosnian Serb assembly was unconstitutional.
Bosnian Serbs have refused to withdraw the law and top Serb politician Milorad Dodik said Tuesday he does not accept Schmidt’s decision.
The legislation seeks to transfer ownership of public property to the Serb-run entity called Republika Srpska, rather than the Bosnian federal state.
Bosnia’s government consists of two entities — one run by Bosnian Serbs and the other by Bosniaks and Croats — established in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 ethnic war. The two semi-autonomous regions are bound together by joint central institutions.
Dodik, a pro-Russia politician who’s the Serb member of Bosnia’s multi-ethnic presidency, has repeatedly called for the separation of the Serb entity from the rest of Bosnia.
Britain slapped Dodik and Bosnian Serb President Zeljka Cvijanovic with sanctions on Monday for undermining peace in the Balkan nation. Dodik already has faced U.S. sanctions earlier this year.
He remained defiant on Tuesday, saying that “the property of Republika Srpska remains the property of Republika Srpska.”
Schmidt said that his decision “makes it clear that only the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina can dispose of state property or regulate property.”
The Dayton peace accord envisages that joint decisions in Bosnia are reached by consensus of its ethnic groups. The U.N. High Representative has the authority to suspend laws and officials viewed as violating the peace deal.
The issue of ownership and division of the state property has remained unsolved for years amid disagreements between Bosnian politicians.
Bosnia’s war killed more than 100,000 people and left millions homeless. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/bosnias-international-official-suspends-serb-property-law/ | 2022-04-12T19:29:54 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/bosnias-international-official-suspends-serb-property-law/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is suingTransUnion and one of its long-time executives alleging that the credit company completely “disregarded” a previous order from five years ago to stop selling dubious credit-related products and marketing.
TransUnion entered into an agreement with the CFPB in 2017, agreeing to pay $13.9 million in restitution and $3 million in civil penalties, saying it would stop trying to sell customers credit monitoring subscription products and would provide an clear way for a customer to cancel a subscription if they no longer wanted it.
Instead of taking actions to stop these practices, the CFPB alleged Tuesday that TransUnion executive John Danaher looked for ways to keep the subscription revenues flowing. This included keeping a vague “checkbox” on the TransUnion website that signed customers up for products that they may not have wanted. This often happened when a customer used annualcreditreport.com, the Federal Government’s portal that gives every American access to their credit report from each of the bureaus free once a year.
The CFPB says that roughly 18% of TransUnion’s annual revenue came from these services, which means it would have been a substantial hit to the Chicago company’s bottom line if it were to stop the program entirely.
“TransUnion is an out-of-control repeat offender that believes it is above the law,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said. “I am concerned that TransUnion’s leadership is either unwilling or incapable of operating its businesses lawfully.”
In a prepared statement TransUnion called the CFPB’s lawsuit “meritless” and said that the CFPB refused to meet with TransUnion to resolve this matter in the weeks and months leading up to the suit.
“We have been in compliance with our obligations and we remain in compliance with the consent order today,” the company said. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/cfpb-sues-transunion-for-violating-previous-agreement/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:01 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/cfpb-sues-transunion-for-violating-previous-agreement/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it will suspend a federal rule that bars higher levels of ethanol in gasoline during the summer. The move, which President Joe Biden was set to announce during a Tuesday visit to Iowa, is intended to tamp down prices at the pump that have spiked during Russia’s war with Ukraine. Iowa is a key producer of the corn-based fuel additive.
A look at how that the decision to authorize year-round use of so-called E15 will impact gas supplies, prices and the environment.
WHAT ACTION IS BIDEN TAKING?
Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol. At Biden’s direction, the Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency waiver to allow widespread sale of 15% ethanol blend that is usually prohibited between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.
Senior Biden administration officials said the move will save drivers an average of 10 cents per gallon at 2,300 gas stations that sell E15, as the high-blend ethanol is known. Those stations are mostly in the Midwest and the South, including Texas, according to industry groups.
WHY IS BIDEN DOING THIS?
Lawmakers from both parties and ethanol advocates have urged Biden and the EPA to allow year-round sales of E15, calling it a cheaper and readily available domestic alternative to traditional gasoline. The U.S. has banned imports of Russian crude oil since the country’s late February invasion of Ukraine, disrupting global markets and raising prices.
“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump, and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a longtime ethanol proponent. Grassley and 15 other senators sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.
Ethanol groups called Biden’s action a major win for American drivers and U.S. energy security. “It means cleaner options at the pump and a stronger rural economy,” said Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy, a biofuel trade group.
HOW WILL THIS AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT?
Biden administration official say the short-term move will have little effect on the environment and that EPA will work with states to “ensure there are no significant air quality impacts through the summer driving season.”
Environmentalists questioned that, saying ethanol production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and soil erosion and raises prices for corn and other crops.
A recentreport in the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciencesrevealed that the federal ethanol mandate inflated corn prices by 30% from 2008 to 2016, made corn-based ethanol more carbon intensive than gasoline and increased annual fertilizer use by up to 8%, polluting waterways.
HAS EPA DONE THIS BEFORE?
The EPA has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Trump administration allowed for year-round E15 sales starting in 2019, but a federal appeals court struck down the policy change in July 2021, saying the EPA overstepped its authority.
The decision dealt a significant blow to the ethanol industry and corn farmers who had anticipated increased ethanol demand through year-round sales of the higher blend.
HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT FROM TRUMP’S ACTION?
Senior Biden administration officials said they expected the EPA waiver to survive a likely court challenge, saying that unlike the open-ended Trump rule, the action is limited to this summer and is prompted by a supply disruption caused by the war in Europe.
Greater use of E15 “would be helpful to the American people and to help alleviate some of the pain that we’ve seen since Russia launched this war against Ukraine,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan told a Senate committee last week.
But critics said the only emergency is Biden’s dropping poll numbers.
Emergency fuel waivers are reserved for acute supply disruptions, such as those resulting from a hurricane, said Chet Thompson, president & CEO of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, which represents petroleum refiners.
“An additional three months of E15 sales won’t do anything to address high crude oil prices, and 98% of retail (gas) stations can’t even sell the fuel,” Thompson said. “This is politics, not a real solution for drivers.”
WILL E15 HURT MY CAR’S ENGINE?
E15, often sold at the pump as Unleaded 88, for its octane rating, can safely be used in all cars, trucks and SUVs from 2001 on. Those model years represent more than 90% of vehicles on U.S. roads. The ethanol industry says the fuel is one of the most tested in history and has no effect on vehicle drivability. More than 20 billion miles have been driven in cars and trucks using Unleaded 88, a number continues to grow.
WHAT IS THE PRICE OF E15 GAS?
E15, or Unleaded 88, typically sells for 10 cents a gallon less than E10, the standard formulation for U.S. cars. The price difference between Unleaded 88 and conventional gasoline without ethanol is around 40 cents.
WILL I GET BETTER MILEAGE WITH E15?
There is no noticeable difference between the mileage achieved when using E15 and mileage when operating on E10.
CAN I USE E15 IN MY LAWNMOWER OR OTHER SMALL-ENGINE EQUIPMENT?
E15 has not been approved by EPA for use in non-automotive engines such as boats, motorcycles, lawn mowers and other small engines. E10, the standard ethanol formulation, is approved for small engines. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/explainer-why-biden-is-allowing-more-ethanol-in-gasoline/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:07 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/explainer-why-biden-is-allowing-more-ethanol-in-gasoline/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Another month, another four-decade high for inflation.
For the 12 months that ended in March, consumer prices rocketed 8.5%. That was the fastest year-over-year jump since 1981, far surpassing February’s mark of 7.9%, itself a 40-year high.
Even if you toss out food and energy prices — which are notoriously volatile and have driven much of the price spike — so-called core inflation jumped 6.5% in the past 12 months. That was also the sharpest such jump in four decades.
Consumers have felt the squeeze in everyday routines. Gasoline is up an average of 48% in the past year. Airline tickets are up 24%, men’s suits nearly 15%, bacon 18%.
The Federal Reserve never anticipated inflation this severe or persistent. Back in December 2020, the Fed’s policymakers had forecast that consumer inflation would stay below their 2% annual target and end 2021 at around 1.8%.
Yet after having been merely an afterthought for decades, high inflation reasserted itself last year with brutal speed. In February 2021, the government’s consumer price index was running just 1.7% above its level a year earlier. From there, the year-over-year increases accelerated — 2.6% in March, 4.2% in April, 5% in May, 5.4% in June.
By October, the figure was 6.2%, by November 6.8%, by December 7%.
For months, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and some others characterized higher consumer prices as merely “transitory” — the result, mainly, of shipping delays and temporary shortages of supplies and workers as the economy rebounded from the pandemic recession much faster than anyone had anticipated. Now, most economists expect inflation to remain elevated well into next year, with demand outstripping supplies in numerous areas of the economy.
So the Fed has radically changed course. Last month, it raised its benchmark short-term rate by a quarter-point and is expected to keep raising it, probably aggressively, well into 2023. In doing so, the Fed is moving decisively away from the ultra-low rates that helped revive the economy from the recession but also helped fuel surging consumer prices.
The Fed is making a high-risk bet that it can slow the economy enough to rein in inflation without weakening it so much as to trigger a recession. The overall economy is healthy, with a robust job market and extremely low unemployment. But many economists say they worry that the Fed’s steady credit tightening will cause an economic downturn.
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WHAT’S CAUSED THE SPIKE IN INFLATION?
Good news — mostly. When the pandemic paralyzed the economy in the spring of 2020 and lockdowns kicked in, businesses closed or cut hours and consumers stayed home as a health precaution, employers slashed a breathtaking 22 million jobs. Economic output plunged at a record-shattering 31% annual rate in 2020’s April-June quarter.
Everyone braced for more misery. Companies cut investment and postponed restocking. A brutal recession ensued.
But instead of sinking into a prolonged downturn, the economy staged an unexpectedly rousing recovery, fueled by vast infusions of government aid and emergency intervention by the Fed, which slashed rates, among other things. By spring of last year, the rollout of vaccines had emboldened consumers to return to restaurants, bars, shops, airports and entertainment venues.
Suddenly, businesses had to scramble to meet demand. They couldn’t hire fast enough to fill job openings or buy enough supplies to meet customer orders. As business roared back, ports and freight yards couldn’t handle the traffic. Global supply chains seized up.
With demand up and supplies down, costs jumped. And companies found that they could pass along those higher costs in the form of higher prices to consumers, many of whom had managed to pile up savings during the pandemic.
Critics blamed, in part, President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, with its $1,400 checks to most households, for overheating an economy that was already sizzling on its own. Many others argued that the Fed kept rates near zero far too long, lending fuel to runaway spending and inflated prices in stocks, homes and other assets.
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HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?
Elevated consumer price inflation could endure as long as companies struggle to keep up with consumers’ demand for goods and services. A recovering job market — employers added a record 6.7 million jobs last year and are adding 560,000 a month so far this year — means that Americans as a whole can continue to splurge on everything from lawn furniture to electronics.
Many economists foresee inflation staying well above the Fed’s 2% annual target this year. But relief from higher prices might be coming. Jammed-up supply chains are beginning to show some signs of improvement, at least in some industries. The Fed’s pivot away from easy-money policies toward an anti-inflationary policy could eventually reduce consumer demand. There will be no repeat of last year’s COVID relief checks from Washington. Inflation itself is eroding purchasing power and might force some consumers to shave spending.
At the same time, new COVID variants could cloud the outlook — either by causing outbreaks that force factories and ports to close and disrupt supply chains even more or by keeping people home and reducing demand for goods.
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HOW ARE HIGHER PRICES AFFECTING CONSUMERS?
The strong job market is boosting workers’ pay, though not enough to offset higher prices. The Labor Department says that after accounting for higher consumer prices, hourly earnings for private-sector employees fell 2.7% last month from a year earlier, the 12th straight such drop.
There are exceptions: After-inflation wages rose 8% for hotel workers and 4% for restaurant and bar employees in March from a year earlier.
Partisan politics, in the meantime, is influencing the way Americans view the inflation threat. With a Democrat in the White House, Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to say that inflation is having a negative effect on their personal finances, according to surveys of consumer sentiment conducted by the University of Michigan. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/explainer-why-us-inflation-is-so-high-and-when-it-may-ease-5/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:13 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/explainer-why-us-inflation-is-so-high-and-when-it-may-ease-5/ |
BERLIN (AP) — German auto parts and technology company Bosch said Tuesday it is buying Five, a British automated driving startup, for an undisclosed amount.
Bosch said Five, which is based in Cambridge and employs 140 people at six locations in the U.K., currently focuses on a cloud-based development and testing platform for the software used in self-driving cars.
Bosch board member Markus Heyn said the company wants Five “to give an extra boost to our work in software development for safe automated driving, and offer our customers European-made technology.”
Bosch said in a statement that Five ”gave preference to Bosch over other takeover bidders,” which it didn’t identify, and that the agreement was signed at the beginning of April. It said the companies agreed not to disclose financial details, and that the deal is subject to approval by antritrust authorities. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/germanys-bosch-buys-british-automated-driving-startup-five/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:19 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/germanys-bosch-buys-british-automated-driving-startup-five/ |
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece will accelerate plans to exploit offshore natural gas deposits, the country’s prime minister said Tuesday, describing a return to reliance on fossil fuels as a temporary necessity due to the disruption caused by the war in Ukraine.
Surveys in six regions in western and southern Greece should be completed by the end of next year, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing international energy crisis have added to the very serious level of uncertainty in all our lives,” he said.
“I would like to emphasize that this new path in no way diverts us from the long-term goals of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.”
Low oil and gas prices in recent years were blamed for stalling gas exploration in Greece’s Ionian Sea and off the coast of the island of Crete.
But the government last week announced plans to increase domestic coal production and expand its natural gas infrastructure to boost its liquefied natural gas capacity with additional storage space at an existing facility and plans to build two more.
The expansion will eventually allow Greece to export gas to its northern neighbors Bulgaria and North Macedonia, which are also heavily reliant on Russian gas. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/greece-fossil-fuels-offer-new-path-to-green-transition/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:26 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/greece-fossil-fuels-offer-new-path-to-green-transition/ |
(NewsNation) — Skyrocketing prices on essentials are forcing some older Americans out of retirement as U.S. inflation continues to hit new highs.
In just the past six months, about 480,000 adults over 55 began looking for a job, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal. That’s compared to the 180,000 adults looking in the six months prior to the pandemic. This increase is credited in part to the outsized impact inflation is having on the ability of people to retire.
The government’s consumer price index, released Tuesday morning, showed prices shot up 8.5% in March compared to 12 months earlier, according to a report by the Labor Department. This marks the fastest year-over-year inflation rise since December 1981 and surpasses the 7.9% 12-month increase in February, which itself set a 40-year high.
One out of four adults said that inflation is the single greatest threat to their retirement plans in 2022, according to Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis. That’s more than concerns about health care costs, outliving your money or job security combined.
Even before the pandemic, the economic health for some retirees varied. Older workers without a college degree only had about $9,000 in retirement savings on average, compared to the $167,000 for those with a college degree.
In just February, 3% of retirees re-entered the workforce, a trend that is expected to continue for months according to Indeed. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/inflation-forcing-retirees-back-into-jobs/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:34 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/inflation-forcing-retirees-back-into-jobs/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — With inflation at a 40-year high, President Joe Biden headed to corn-rich Iowa on Tuesday with a modest step aiming to trim gasoline prices by about a dime a gallon by waiving rules limiting ethanol blending.
His announcement reflects the ways Biden is deploying almost every weapon in his bureaucratic arsenal to ease price pressures, yet the impact appears to be limited and uncertain. Inflation has only accelerated in recent months, instead of fading as Biden once promised it would after the recovery from the coronavirus recession following last year’s $1.9 trillion relief package.
Tuesday’s government report that consumer prices jumped 8.5% in March from a year ago — the worst reading since December 1981 — only deepened Biden’s challenge in defending Democrats ahead of this year’s midterm elections. More than half the increase came from higher gas prices, which spiked in part because of Russia’s war in Ukraine, but costs also jumped for housing, food and other items.
Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol, a biofuel that is currently cheaper than gas. Biden was announcing that the Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency waiver to allow widespread sale of a 15% ethanol blend that is usually prohibited between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.
Senior Biden administration officials said the action will save drivers an average of 10 cents per gallon based on current prices, but at just 2,300 gas stations out of the nation’s more than 100,000. The affected stations are mostly in the Midwest and the South, including Texas, according to industry groups.
Administration officials said the EPA has determined that the “emergency” step of allowing more E15 gasoline sales for the summer is not likely to have a significant air quality impact. That’s despite some environmentalists long arguing that more ethanol in gasoline increases pollution, especially during warmer summer months.
Biden was announcing the move at a biofuel company in Menlo, west of Des Moines. Iowa is the country’s largest producer of corn, key to producing ethanol.
The waiver is another effort to help ease global energy markets that have been rocked since Russia invaded Ukraine. Last month, the president announced the U.S. will release 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve over the next six months. His administration said that has helped to slightly reduce gas prices lately, after they climbed to an average of about $4.23 a gallon by the end of March, compared with $2.87 at the same time a year ago, according to AAA.
“Not only is this decision a major win for American drivers and our nation’s energy security, it means cleaner options at the pump and a stronger rural economy,” Emily Skor, CEO of the biofuel trade association group Growth Energy, said in a statement.
Members of Congress from both parties also had urged Biden to grant the E15 waiver.
“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump, and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. He was among nine Republican and seven Democratic senators from Midwestern states who sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.
The trip will be Biden’s first as president to Iowa, where his 2020 presidential campaign limped to a fourth-place finish in the state’s caucus. He will arrive saddled with sagging approval ratings and the high inflationwhile his party faces the prospect of big midterm election losses that could cost it control of Congress.
The president also planned to promote his economic plans to help rural families and highlight the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law enacted last fall. That law includes money to improve internet access, as well as for modernizing wastewater systems, reducing flooding threats and improving roads and bridges, drinking water and electric grids in sparsely populated areas.
Biden had hoped Democrats could run on the low 3.6% unemployment rate and an agenda geared toward lifting the middle class, but inflation has hijacked those ambitions and given Republicans a target for criticism.
Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kauffman was unsparing in his criticism of Biden’s handling of the economy and inflation. But, he said, the temporary move on ethanol was the right one.
“First of all, let me say that that’s a good thing. Absolutely good thing. It would have been nice had he done it earlier,” Kauffman said. “Am I glad about this waiver? Yes I am. Is it enough? Nope.”
The high inflation also poses a threat to Biden’s broader domestic agenda that likely hinges on the vote of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Manchin released a statement saying that the Biden administration and the Federal Reserve failed “to act fast enough,” to curb costs for the American people and that the problem of high prices predates the invasion of Ukraine.
Manchin, whose opposition doomed Biden’s 10-year, roughly $2 trillion measure in December, had recently returned to the negotiating table with the White House. It remains unclear what impact the new inflation data will have on those negotiations.
After Iowa, Biden will visit Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.
The EPA has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Trump administration did so in the summer two years later but had that action struck down by a federal appeals court.
A group representing petroleum refiners blasted Biden’s decision, saying the only emergency was his dropping poll numbers.
“We are right there with the administration on wanting to see relief for consumers at the pump, but an unlawful executive order is not how to solve the problem,” said Chet Thompson, president & CEO of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers.
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Associated Press writers Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa and Farnoush Amiri and Matthew Daly in Washington contributed to this report. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/iowa-rejected-biden-but-president-back-to-sell-rural-plan/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:40 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/iowa-rejected-biden-but-president-back-to-sell-rural-plan/ |
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A California appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that Johnson & Johnson must pay penalties to the state for deceptively marketing pelvic mesh implants for women, but reduced the amount by $42 million to $302 million.
Johnson & Johnson had appealed in 2020 after Superior Court Judge Eddie Sturgeon assessed the $344 million in penalties against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon.
Sturgeon found after a non-jury trial that the company made misleading and potentially harmful statements in hundreds of thousands of advertisements and instructional brochures for nearly two decades.
California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal issued a ruling Monday that $42 million in penalties assessed for the company’s sales pitches to doctors were unjustified because there was no evidence of what the sales representatives actually said.
But the appeals court said Sturgeon received ample evidence that Ethicon knowingly deceived both physicians and patients about the risks posed by its products, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Ryan Carbain, a Johnson & Johnson spokesperson, told the Chronicle that the company would appeal the appeals court ruling to the state Supreme Court.
The instructions for use in all of the company’s pelvic mesh implant packages “falsified or omitted the full range, severity, duration, and cause of complications associated with Ethicon’s pelvic mesh products, as well as the potential irreversibility and catastrophic consequences,” Presiding Justice Judith McConnell of the appeals court said in a 3-0 ruling upholding the $302 million in penalties.
She rejected the company’s claim that the fine was excessive, saying it amounted to less than 1% of Johnson & Johnson’s net worth of $70.4 billion.
The products, also called transvaginal mesh, are synthetic and surgically implanted through the vagina of women whose pelvic organs have sagged or who suffered from stress urinary incontinence when they cough, sneeze or lift heavy objects.
Many women have sued the New Jersey-based company alleging that the mesh caused severe pain, bleeding, infections, discomfort during intercourse and the need for removal surgery.
The condition is estimated to affect 3% to 17% of women and it sometimes becomes severe after age 70.
Johnson & Johnson, the world’s biggest maker of health care products, is contesting other lawsuits over drug side effects, its role in the U.S. opioid epidemic and allegations its baby powder caused cancer in some users. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/johnson-johnson-ordered-to-pay-302m-in-pelvic-mesh-case/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:47 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/johnson-johnson-ordered-to-pay-302m-in-pelvic-mesh-case/ |
DALLAS (AP) — The federal requirement to wear face masks on airplanes and public transportation is scheduled to expire next week, and airline executives and Republican lawmakers are urging the Biden administration to let the mandate die.
The fate of the rule — and consideration of an alternate “framework” of moves to limit the spread of COVID-19 — was under discussion Monday within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Officials described it as a close call.
“This is a decision that the CDC Director Dr. (Rochelle) Walensky is going to make,” White House coronavirus-policy adviser Dr. Ashish Jha said Monday. “I know the CDC is working on developing a scientific framework for how to answer that. We are going to see that framework come out I think in the next few days.”
Jha said that extending mask mandate again is “on the table.”
The administration gave the rule a one-month reprievein March so that public-health officials would have time to develop alternative methods of limiting the transmission of COVID-19 during travel.
The mask mandate is the most visible vestige of government restrictions to control the pandemic, and possibly the most controversial. A surge of abusive and sometimes violent incidents on airplanes has been attributed mostly to disputes over mask-wearing.
Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January.
“The American people have seen through the false logic that COVID-19 only exists on airplanes and public transportation,” Republicans on the House and Senate transportation committees said Friday in a letter to the administration.
However, a recent uptick in cases could provide reason for the CDC to keep the mask rule a bit longer.
After a steep, two-month decline, the seven-day rolling U.S. average of new reported COVID-19 cases has turned slightly higher in recent days, although from relatively low levels.
Several prominent officials have contracted the virus, including the 82-year-old House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who tested positive for the virus last week after appearing – without a mask – at a White House event with President Joe Biden. Also last week, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo disclosed that they had tested positive after a gathering that was quickly dubbed a super-spreader event.
Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist at the New England Complex Systems Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, believes that if the mandate is dropped, more air travelers and airline crew members will get sick. He said the CDC made a mistake by linking mask guidance to hospitalization rates because less-severe but highly transmissible variants can still kill large numbers of people.
“In public health we try to prevent crashes. Medicine is basically mechanics who try to fix cars after they have already crashed,” he said. “Do you say, ‘Oh, you don’t need to buckle your seat belt today, hospital beds are not full?’ Who does that?”
Airlines began requiring masks in 2020, months before the government mandate was issued days after President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Airlines faced financial ruin because of the pandemic, and the masks and other measures such as blocking middle seats were meant to reassure frightened passengers that flying was safe from the virus.
In December, the CEO of Southwest Airlines was forced to walk back a comment that masks didn’t do much to improve health safety in the cabin because planes have strong air filters.
Travelers have returned — the number of Americans getting on planes surged past 2 million a day in March — and airlines think they can sell plenty of seats without the mask rule.
“My flight attendants are begging us to stop this,” Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle said. “Every day it’s causing all of these incidents on board, and it’s frustrating and it’s dangerous. You’re asking a 24-year-old flight attendant to explain it to someone who is mad” about the rule.
Unions that represent flight attendants once supported the mask rule but are now neutral. Officials say their members are divided, which could explain why the two largest U.S. flight-attendant unions declined to comment on the issue this week.
Executives of 10 airlines including American, Delta, United and Southwest wrote to Biden last month, urging the White House to drop the mask rule and a requirement that international travelers test negative for COVID-19 before flying to the U.S. “Much has changed since these measures were imposed and they no longer make sense in the current public health context,” the executives said.
Airlines for America, a trade group representing those big airlines, and three other industry organizations made a similar appeal to Dr. Jha on Friday. They pointed to recent CDC guidance which found that the most Americans no longer need to wear masks indoors because hospitalization rates in their communities are relatively low.
Savanthi Syth, an airline analyst for Raymond James & Associates, said there are some people who will feel uncomfortable flying with fellow passengers who aren’t wearing masks, but there could be others who have avoided flying because they’re not comfortable wearing one for a long flight.
“I expect the vast majority of passengers and flight attendants will welcome the change (if the rule is dropped), given that it is consistent with most other areas of everyday life,” Syth said. She said any impact on travel demand will be small, and that airlines would get a much bigger boost from elimination of the testing requirement on inbound international travelers.
Chris Lopinto, co-founder of travel site ExpertFlyer.com, said that because of the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases, it might be wise to keep the mask mandate until cases subside again.
“I don’t think there would be a material effect on demand either way, considering airlines can barely keep up with the demand they already have,” he said.
Most congressional Democrats continue to support the mask mandate. A leading liberal, Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass, urged the CDC and the Transportation Security Administration to keep the rule in place, saying that the virus and variants remain a threat to seniors and people with weakened immune systems or disabilities.
The political calculus could be shifting, however. Last month, eight Democrats broke with the White House and joined Senate Republicans in a symbolic vote against the mask mandate. Four of those Democrats face difficult re-election races in November, and the party is unlikely to keep control of the Senate if any of them lose.
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Associated Press White House reporter Zeke Miller contributed to this report. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/mask-rule-for-planes-and-trains-still-up-in-the-air/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:53 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/mask-rule-for-planes-and-trains-still-up-in-the-air/ |
Climate change made the record-smashing deadly 2020 Atlantic hurricane season noticeably wetter, a new study says. And it will likely make this season rainier, too, scientists said.
Human-caused climate change made the entire season — 30 named storms — drop 5% more rain. During the 14 storms that reached hurricane status the rainfall was 8% heavier, according to the study in Tuesday’s Nature Communications.
“It doesn’t sound like a lot, but if you’re near a threshold, a little bit can push you over the top,” said Lawrence Berkeley National Lab climate scientist Michael Wehner, co-author of the paper. “The implication is that that means there was more freshwater flooding and that the damages from freshwater flooding were increased, but by how much would require a more detailed analysis.”
While past studies have predicted climate change would make storms wetterand found individual storms, such as 2017’s Harvey,were in fact wetter because of human-caused climate change, this is the first study to look at an entire season, Wehner said. That’s important because it removes the selection bias of just picking the worst storms, such as Harvey.
“It’s not just the big monster ones, it’s a whole season,” Wehner said.
It’s likely 2020 is not the only year made significantly rainier by climate change. Warming is probably increasing the downpours in nearly all storms and most hurricane seasons, including the one that starts June 1, said study lead author Kevin Reed, an atmospheric scientist at Stony Brook University.
And what a season 2020 was. It broke recordsnot only for the number of named storms, but for the number that became major storms with winds of at least 111 miles per hour — seven — and the number that made landfall in the United States. Louisiana got hit five times. Overall, more than 330 people were killed directly by named storms in 2020 and damage soared past $41 billion, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Hurricanes Laura, Sally, Isaias, Zeta, Delta, Eta and Hanna all caused more than $1 billion in damage, much of it from flooding. Laura, for example, was 10% wetter than it would have been without climate change, a separate quick analysis shows, Reed said.
The researchers used computer simulations — continually updated with real-time observations — to calculate how much water fell during the 30 storms and then compared them to a simulated world with no human caused climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. The difference is what’s caused by global warming. This scientifically accepted technique came up with the 5% and 8% figures.
When scientists looked at just the three rainiest hours of each storm, climate change amped them up 8% compared to the mythical world without climate change. For the storms that hit hurricane status, 11% more rain fell during the peak rainy time than would have otherwise, the study found.
A fundamental rule of physics is that the atmosphere can hold nearly 4% more moisture for every degree Fahrenheit the air warms (7% more for every degree Celsius). Globally, temperatures have increased about 2 degrees (1.1 degrees Celsius) since pre-industrial times. And the water of the Atlantic hurricane basin, which acts as storm fuel, has warmed about 1.3 degrees (.7 degrees Celsius) in the past century, Wehner said.
“That signal will only get larger as the sea surface temperatures continue to warm,” Reed said.
Storms are getting stronger, which also makes them wetter, Wehner said.
“The expected increase in hurricane rainfall is probably the most robust prediction concerning the response of hurricanes to climate change,” said MIT atmospheric science professor Kerry Emanuel, who wasn’t part of the study team. But the study is limited by not looking at how climate change could have affected storm track, intensity and frequency, he said.
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Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/pouring-it-on-climate-change-made-2020-hurricanes-rainier/ | 2022-04-12T19:30:59 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/pouring-it-on-climate-change-made-2020-hurricanes-rainier/ |
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands’ data protection watchdog imposed a record 3.7 million euro ($4 million) fine Tuesday on the country’s tax office for unlawfully processing and storing personal information in a “black list” used to detect fraud.
Data Protection Authority’s Chairman Aleid Wolfsen said the government’s Taxation Service “violated the rights of the 270,000 people on that list in an unprecedented way.”
“For over 6 years, people were often wrongly labeled as fraudsters, with dire consequences,” said Wolfsen.
It was the latest in a string of rebukes for Dutch tax authorities, including a fine of 2.75 million euros last year for what the Data Protection Authority called discriminatory practices in a long-running scandal centered on efforts to stamp out fraud with child welfare payments.
The last Dutch government resigned early last year to take responsibility for the welfare fraud scandal.
In the latest case, the authority said that tax authorities collected personal information without a proper legal foundation, often got personal details wrong, leading to people being incorrectly labeled as fraudsters, and did not adequately protect the list.
An internal investigation also revealed that tax office staff were instructed to use the nationality and appearance of people as criteria for gauging whether they could be considered fraud risks.
“If you had a Turkish, Moroccan or East European nationality, then you were further investigated without good reason,” Wolfsen said. “This discrimination is unacceptable.”
The data protection agency said that the tax authorities stopped using the black list in February 2020.
The government minister in charge of the tax office, Marnix van Rij, said the decision was “hard and undeniable and shows once again that fundamental improvements are necessary at the Taxation Service.”
He called the fine “a painful, but understandable conclusion given the seriousness of the findings” and said he would not appeal. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/record-fine-for-dutch-tax-office-over-personal-data-list/ | 2022-04-12T19:31:06 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/record-fine-for-dutch-tax-office-over-personal-data-list/ |
KIAMBU COUNTY, Kenya (AP) — Monica Kariuki is about ready to give up on farming. What is driving her off her 10 acres of land outside Nairobi isn’t bad weather, pests or blight — the traditional agricultural curses — but fertilizer: It costs too much.
Despite thousands of miles separating her from the battlefields of Ukraine, Kariuki and her cabbage, corn and spinach farm are indirect victims of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. The war has pushed up the price of natural gas, a key ingredient in fertilizer, and has led to severe sanctions against Russia, a major exporter of fertilizer.
Kariuki used to spend 20,000 Kenyan shillings, or about $175, to fertilize her entire farm. Now, she would need to spend five times as much. Continuing to work the land, she said, would yield nothing but losses.
“I cannot continue with the farming business. I am quitting farming to try something else,’’ she said.
Higher fertilizer prices are making the world’s food supply more expensive and less abundant, as farmers skimp on nutrients for their crops and get lower yields. While the ripples will be feltby grocery shoppers in wealthy countries, the squeeze on food supplies will land hardest on families in poorer countries. It could hardly come at a worse time: The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said last week that its world food-price index in March reached the highest level since it started in 1990.
The fertilizer crunch threatens to further limit worldwide food supplies, already constrained by the disruption of crucial grain shipments from Ukraine and Russia. The loss of those affordable supplies of wheat, barley and other grains raises the prospect of food shortages and political instability in Middle Eastern, African and some Asian countries where millions rely on subsidized bread and cheap noodles.
“Food prices will skyrocket because farmers will have to make profit, so what happens to consumers?’’ said Uche Anyanwu, an agricultural expert at the University of Nigeria.
The aid group Action Aid warns that families in the Horn of Africa are already being driven “to the brink of survival.’’
The U.N. says Russia is the world’s No. 1 exporter of nitrogen fertilizer and No. 2 in phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Its ally Belarus, also contending with Western sanctions, is another major fertilizer producer.
Many developing countries — including Mongolia, Honduras, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Mexico and Guatemala — rely on Russia for at least a fifth of their imports.
The conflict also has driven up the already-exorbitant price of natural gas, used to make nitrogen fertilizer. The result: European energy prices so high that some fertilizer companies “have closed their businesses and stopped operating their plants,’’ said David Laborde, a researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute.
For corn and cabbage farmer Jackson Koeth, 55, of Eldoret in western Kenya, the conflict in Ukraine was distant and puzzling until he had to decide whether to go ahead with the planting season. Fertilizer prices had doubled from last year.
Koeth said he decided to keep planting but only on half the acreage of years past. Yet he doubts he can make a profit with fertilizer so costly.
Greek farmer Dimitris Filis, who grows olives, oranges and lemons, said “you have to search to find’’ ammonia nitrate and that the cost of fertilizing a 10-hectare (25-acre) olive grove has doubled to 560 euros ($310). While selling his wares at an Athens farm market, he said most farmers plan to skip fertilizing their olive and orange groves this year.
“Many people will not use fertilizers at all, and this as a result, lowers the quality of the production and the production itself, and slowly, slowly at one point, they won’t be able to farm their land because there will be no income,’’ Filis said.
In China, the price of potash — potassium-rich salt used as fertilizer — is up 86% from a year earlier. Nitrogen fertilizer prices have climbed 39% and phosphorus fertilizer is up 10%.
In the eastern Chinese city of Tai’an, the manager of a 35-family cooperative that raises wheat and corn said fertilizer prices have jumped 40% since the start of the year.
“We can hardly make any money,” said the manager, who would give only his surname, Zhao.
Terry Farms, which grows produce on 2,100 acres largely in Ventura, California, has seen prices of some fertilizer formulations double; others are up 20%. Shifting fertilizers is risky, vice president William Terry said, because cheaper versions might not give “the crop what it needs as a food source.”
As the growing season approaches in Maine, potato farmers are grappling with a 70% to 100% increase in fertilizer prices from last year, depending on the blend.
“I think it’s going to be a pretty expensive crop, no matter what you’re putting in the ground, from fertilizer to fuel, labor, electrical and everything else,” said Donald Flannery, executive director of the Maine Potato Board.
In Prudentopolis, a town in Brazil’s Parana state, farmer Edimilson Rickli showed off a warehouse that would normally be packed with fertilizer bags but has only enough to last a few more weeks. He’s worried that, with the war in Ukraine showing no sign of letting up, he’ll have to go without fertilizer when he plants wheat, barley and oats next month.
“The question is: Where Brazil is going to buy more fertilizer from?” he said. “We have to find other markets.”
Other countries are hoping to help fill the gaps. Nigeria, for example, opened Africa’s largest fertilizer factory last month, and the $2.5 billion plant has already shipped fertilizer to the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.
India, meanwhile, is seeking more fertilizer imports from Israel, Oman, Canada and Saudi Arabia to make up for lost shipments from Russia and Belarus.
“If the supply shortage gets worse, we will produce less,” said Kishor Rungta of the nonprofit Fertiliser Association of India. “That’s why we need to look for options to get more fertilizers in the country.”
Agricultural firms are providing support for farmers, especially in Africa where poverty often limits access to vital farm inputs. In Kenya, Apollo Agriculture is helping farmers get fertilizer and access to finance.
“Some farmers are skipping the planting season and others are going into some other ventures such as buying goats to cope,” said Benjamin Njenga, co-founder of the firm. “So these support services go a long way for them.”
Governments are helping, too. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last month that it was issuing $250 million in grants to support U.S. fertilizer production. The Swiss government has released part of its nitrogen fertilizer reserves.
Still, there’s no easy answer to the double whammy of higher fertilizer prices and limited supplies. The next 12 to 18 months, food researcher LaBorde said, “will be difficult.”
The market already was “super, super tight” before the war, said Kathy Mathers of the Fertilizer Institute trade group.
“Unfortunately, in many cases, growers are just happy to get fertilizer at all,’’ she said.
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Asadu reported from Lagos, Nigeria, and Wiseman from Washington. Contributing to this story were: Tatiana Pollastri in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Debora Alvares in Brasilia, Brazil; Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Lefteris Pitarakis in Athens; Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Joe McDonald and Yu Bing in Beijing; Lisa Rathke in Marshfield, Vermont; Dave Kolpack in Fargo, North Dakota; Kathia Martínez in Panama City; Christoph Noelting in Frankfurt; Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City; Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria; Tarik El-Barakah in Rabat, Morocco; Tassanee Vejpongsa and Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok; Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem; Edie Lederer at the United Nations; and Aya Batrawy in Dubai. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/russian-war-worsens-fertilizer-crunch-risking-food-supplies/ | 2022-04-12T19:31:13 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/russian-war-worsens-fertilizer-crunch-risking-food-supplies/ |
BEIJING (AP) — Some residents of Shanghai were allowed out of their homes as the city of 25 million eased a two-week-old shutdown Tuesday after a video posted online showed what was said to be people who ran out of food breaking into a supermarket.
About 6.6 million people can go outdoors, but some must stay in their own neighborhoods, the online news outlet The Paper reported, citing city officials. The government said some markets and pharmacies would reopen.
A health official warned Shanghai doesn’t have the virus under control despite easing restrictions.
“The epidemic is in a period of rapid growth,” said Lei Zhenglong of the National Health Commission at a news conference. “Community transmission has not been effectively contained.”
The abrupt closure of most businesses starting March 28 and orders to stay home left the public fuming about lack of access to food and medicine. People who test positive for the virus are forced into sprawling temporary quarantine facilities criticized by some as crowded and unsanitary.
Meanwhile, the American government announced all “non-emergency U.S. government employees” would be withdrawn from its Shanghai Consulate. A foreign ministry spokesman defended China’s handling of the outbreak and accused Washington of politicizing its evacuation.
Also Tuesday, the government of Guangzhou, a manufacturing and trading center northwest of Hong Kong, announced a new round of virus testing for its 19 million people. Most access to the city was stopped after 27 infections were found Monday.
The unusual severity of Shanghai’s shutdown appeared to be driven as much by politics as by public health concerns.
The struggle in China’s richest city is an embarrassment during a politically sensitive year when President Xi Jinping is expected to try to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party.
China’s case numbers are relatively low, but the ruling party is enforcing a “zero-tolerance” strategy aimed at isolating every case. Some officials have been fired for failing to act aggressively enough, which gives others an incentive to impose extreme measures.
The government reported 24,659 new cases through midnight Monday, including 23,387 with no symptoms. That included 23,346 in Shanghai, only 998 of whom had symptoms.
In Shanghai, more than 200,000 cases but no deaths have been reported in the latest wave of infections.
The government eased restrictions by announcing residents of areas with no cases for at least two weeks can leave their homes starting Tuesday. It said they could go to other areas that also had no new cases during that time but were urged to stay home when possible.
Such “prevention areas” have about 4.8 million people, The Paper reported, citing city officials. It said all but 500,000 of those were in less crowded suburbs.
An additional 1.8 million people in “control areas” with no new cases in the past week are allowed out but can’t leave their neighborhoods, the report said.
Another 15 million people in “quarantine areas” that have had infections in the past week still are barred from leaving their homes. The report gave no indication of the status of the remaining 3.4 million people in the official population.
The shutdown of Shanghai, home of the world’s busiest port and China’s main stock exchange, has prompted fears manufacturing and global trade might be disrupted.
Automakers in Shanghai, a manufacturing center, have suspended or reduced production due to interruptions in supplies of components. The port’s management says operations are normal, but European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has estimated the volume of cargo it handles every day has fallen 40%.
Residents complained the shutdown left them without access to food or medicine and unable to look after elderly relatives who lived alone.
The government distributed packages of vegetables and other food for a few days at least twice to some households. Others said they received nothing.
A video that circulated online Saturday showed what a caption said were people in the Songjiang district breaking into a supermarket and carrying away cartons of food.
Police denied the event occurred in Shanghai. A police statement Tuesday said the video was posted by a man in Kunshan, west of Shanghai, but not when or where it was shot. It said the man received unspecified “administrative penalties” for “disrupting public order by fabricated facts.”
The Associated Press was unable to find the source of the video or when and where it was shot.
Official plans in late March called for suspending access to districts of Shanghai for four days at a time while residents were tested. After case numbers soared, that changed to an indefinite citywide shutdown with only a few hours’ notice.
Despite a promise by city officials to improve food supplies, residents said online grocers often sold out early in the day or were unable to deliver. Vendors said they added hundreds of employees to speed deliveries.
The State Department last week advised Americans against travel to China due to “arbitrary enforcement” of laws and anti-virus restrictions. It cited a risk of “parents and children being separated.”
On Tuesday, a State Department statement said the U.S. government decided “it is best for our employees and their families to be reduced in number” due to “changing circumstances on the ground.”
The foreign ministry criticized the announcement and said China’s anti-virus work is “scientific and effective.”
“The United States should immediately stop attacking China’s epidemic prevention policy, stop political manipulation with the epidemic issue and stop smearing and discrediting China,” said a ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian.
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AP video producer Liu Zheng and researcher Yu Bing in Beijing and researcher Chen Si in Shanghai contributed. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/shanghai-eases-2-week-shutdown-letting-some-residents-out/ | 2022-04-12T19:31:21 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/shanghai-eases-2-week-shutdown-letting-some-residents-out/ |
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka is suspending its repayment of foreign debt, including bonds and government-to-government borrowing, pending the completion of a loan restructuring program with the International Monetary Fund to deal with the island nation’s worst economic crisis in decades, the government announced Tuesday.
Sri Lankans in recent months have endured fuel and food shortages and daily power outages. Most of those items are paid for in hard currency, but Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, saddled with dwindling foreign reserves and $25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment over the next five years. Nearly $7 billion is due this year.
“Sri Lanka has had an unblemished record of external debt service since independence in 1948,” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement. “Recent events, however, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout from the hostilities in Ukraine, have so eroded Sri Lanka’s fiscal position that continued normal servicing of external public debt obligations has become impossible.”
The ministry said the IMF has assessed Sri Lanka’s foreign debt as unsustainable, and that staying current on foreign debt payments is no longer a realistic policy.
In addition to seeking help from the IMF, the government has turned to India and China for help in dealing with shortages.
“The government intends to pursue its discussions with the IMF as expeditiously as possible with a view to formulating and presenting to the country’s creditors a comprehensive plan for restoring Sri Lanka’s external public debt to a fully sustainable position,” the ministry said.
Central Bank governor Nandalal Weerasinghe told reporters that the announcement on suspending foreign debt payments was urgent because Sri Lanka is due to repay nearly $200 million next week and if the country can’t raise that money, it would face a “hard default” leading to worse repercussions.
The Central Bank appealed to Sri Lankans living and working abroad to donate foreign currency into four government-run bank accounts set up for government officials to purchase essentials like food, fuel and medicine for distribution to the population urgently because talks with the IMF will take time to generate economic improvement. The Central Bank tweeted that a three-member committee will assure transparency in distribution of the funds and promised to make public quarterly financial statements.
Sri Lankans have been forced to wait in long lines to buy cooking gas, fuel and milk power and doctors have warned there is a catastrophic shortage of essential drugs in government hospitals.
Protesters camped out around the president’s office for a fourth straight day demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, holding him responsible for the economic crisis. Supporters of the protesters who are also calling on the ruling Rajapaksa family to quit supplied drinking water and food to the demonstrators. Muslim protesters broke their Ramadan fasting at the site to share food with people around them.
Much of the anger expressed in weeks of protests has been directed at the Rajapaksa family, which has held power for most of the past two decades. Critics accuse the family of borrowing heavily to finance projects that have earned no money, such as a port facility built with Chinese loans.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president who is the current president’s older brother, sought in a speech Monday night to reassure people that the government is working to resolving the country’s financial problems.
“We are embarking on an enormous program to overcome the crisis we face today. Every second spent by the president and this government is used up exhausting avenues to rebuild our country,” he said.
Rajapaksa refused to yield power, saying the governing coalition will continue to rule Sri Lanka because opposition parties rejected its call for a unity government.
The crisis and protests prompted many Cabinet members to resign. Four ministers were sworn in as caretakers, but many of the key government portfolios are vacant.
Parliament has failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with the crisis after nearly 40 governing coalition lawmakers said they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions, significantly weakening the government.
But with opposition parties divided, they have been unable of forming a majority to take control of Parliament. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/sri-lanka-halts-debt-repayment-pending-imf-bailout-plan/ | 2022-04-12T19:31:31 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/sri-lanka-halts-debt-repayment-pending-imf-bailout-plan/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation soared over the past year at its fastest pace in more than 40 years, with costs for food, gasoline, housing and other necessities squeezing American consumers and wiping out the pay raises that many people have received.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that its consumer price index jumped 8.5% in March from 12 months earlier, the sharpest year-over-year increase since 1981. Prices have been driven up by bottlenecked supply chains, robust consumer demand and disruptions to global food and energy markets worsened by Russia’s war against Ukraine. From February to March, inflation rose 1.2%, the biggest month-to-month jump since 2005. Gasoline prices drove more than half that increase.
Across the economy, the year-over-year price spikes were widespread. Gasoline prices rocketed 48% in the past 12 months. Used car prices have soared 35%, though they actually fell in February and March. Bedroom furniture is up 14.7%, men’s suits and coats 14.5%. Grocery prices have jumped 10%, including 18% increases for both bacon and oranges.
Investors focused on a bright spot in the report and sent stock prices up: So-called core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose just 0.3% from February to March, the smallest monthly rise since September. Over the past year, though, core prices are up 6.5%, the most since 1982.
“The inflation fire is still out of control,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at the research firm FWDBONDS LLC.
The March inflation numbers were the first to fully capture the surge in gasoline prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Moscow’s attacks have triggered far-reaching Western sanctions against the Russian economy and disrupted food and energy markets. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gasoline — $4.10 — is up 43% from a year ago, though it’s dipped in the past couple of weeks.
The acceleration of inflation has occurred against the backdrop of a booming job market and a solid overall economy. In March, employers adding a robust 431,000 jobs — the 11th straight month in which they’ve added at least 400,000. For 2021, they added 6.7 million jobs, the most in any year on record. In addition, job openings are near record highs, layoffs are at their lowest point since 1968 and the unemployment rate is just above a half-century low.
The escalation of energy prices, a potential threat to the economy’s long-term durability, has led to higher transportation costs for the shipment of goods across the economy, which, in turn, has contributed to higher prices for consumers. The squeeze is being felt particularly hard at the gas pump.
“That’s an extra dollar per gallon that I’m paying to get into the city to work,” Jason Emerson of Oakland, California, said as he loaded groceries into his car. “And then, you know, we have the tolls that just went up this past year a dollar. My eggs are a dollar more as well. So everything’s going up at least a dollar, which, you know, adds up.’’
The latest inflation numbers solidify expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates aggressively in the coming months to try to slow borrowing and spending and tame inflation.
Kathy Bostjancic, an economist at Oxford Economics, said she expects year-over-year inflation to hit 9% in May and then begin “a slow descent.” Some other economists, too, suggest that inflation is at or near its peak. With federal stimulus aid having expired, consumer demand could flag as wages fall behind inflation, households drain more of their savings and the Fed sharply raises rates, all of which could combine to slow inflation.
But that could take time. Robust spending, steady pay raises and chronic supply shortages are still fueling inflation. In addition, housing costs, which make up about a third of the consumer price index, have escalated, a trend that seems unlikely to reverse anytime soon.
Economists note that as the economy has emerged from the depths of the pandemic, consumers have been gradually broadening their spending beyond goods to include more services. A result is that high inflation, which at first had reflected mainly a shortage of goods — from cars and furniture to electronics and sports equipment — has been emerging in services, too, like travel, health care and entertainment. Airline fares, for instance, have soared an average of nearly 24% in the past 12 months. The average cost of a hotel room is up 29%
The expected fast pace of the Fed’s rate increases will make loans sharply more expensive for consumers and businesses. Mortgage rates, in particular, though not directly influenced by the Fed, have rocketed higher in recent weeks, making home buying costlier. Many economists say they worry that the Fed has waited too long to begin raising rates and might end up acting so aggressively as to trigger a recession.
The American public’s expectation for inflation over the next 12 months has reached its highest point — 6.6% — in a survey the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has conducted since 2013. Once public expectations for inflation rise, they can be self-fulfilling: Workers typically demand higher pay to offset their expectations for price increases. Businesses, in turn, raise prices to cover their higher labor costs. This can set off a wage-price spiral, something the nation last endured in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Inflation, which had been largely under control for four decades, began to accelerate last spring as the U.S. and global economies rebounded with unexpected speed and strength from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession that began in the spring of 2020.
Many Americans have been receiving pay increases, but inflation has more than wiped out those gains for most people. In February, after accounting for inflation, average hourly wages fell 2.7% from a year earlier. It was the 12th straight monthly drop in inflation-adjusted wages.
Still, for now, with the job market healthy, inflation has yet to dampen overall consumer spending. Levi Strauss & Co., for example, says its price increases don’t seem to have fazed its customers.
That said, Adrian Mitchell, chief financial officer at Macy’s, cautions that chronically high inflation will likely lead consumers to be choosier: They may spend less on department store goods and more on services like travel and dinners out.
“We do believe that the consumer is going to be spending,’’ Mitchell said. “But are they going to be spending on discretionary items that we sell, or are they going to be spending on an airline ticket to Florida or air travel or going out to restaurants more?”
In Atlanta, Shirley Hughes has had to raise prices at her bakery, Sweet Cheats, because of soaring costs for items like eggs and milk. Two years ago, a 36-pound container of butter cost $75. Now, it’s $145. Thirty dozen eggs were $50. Now, they’re $75 — and even that price is possible only if Hughes picks them up herself, instead of having them delivered. She’s raised the price of her six-inch cake by $5 to $50.
So far, she said, people have generally accepted her higher prices. But there are limits. One customer wanted a six-inch cake delivered to her boyfriend — an hour’s drive away. Hughes told her the price of making the cake and delivering it would come to nearly $200.
The customer canceled.
___
D’Innocenzio and Anderson reported from New York. AP video journalist Terence Chea in Oakland, California, contributed to this report. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/sticker-shock-march-inflation-likely-set-new-40-year-high/ | 2022-04-12T19:31:39 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/sticker-shock-march-inflation-likely-set-new-40-year-high/ |
DETROIT (AP) — Toyota, the top-selling automaker in the U.S., is rolling out its first fully electric vehicle in eight years.
The company on Tuesday unveiled the battery-powered bZ4X small SUV, which starts at $42,000 and can go up to 252 miles (406 kilometers) per charge.
The bZ4X, which will be sold globally, adds to the 38 electric vehicle models now on sale in the U.S., with more than 120 expected by 2025.
While it doesn’t have ground-breaking range or performance for an electric vehicle, the bZ4X is an important entry because it’s from a trusted brand that will convince some buyers to make the switch from internal combustion engines, said Stephanie Brinley, principal analyst for S&P Global Mobility.
“You’ve got buyers who are interested in checking this out but may not be willing to try a new brand, or leave (Toyota) to go to Chevrolet or Ford,” Brinley said. “As we transition to a market that is more dominated by electric vehicles, the answer is really convincing normally ICE (internal combustion engine) owners to try something new.”
The bZ4X looks similar to and is slightly longer, lower and wider than Toyota’s RAV4, the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. that isn’t a pickup truck. It is Toyota’s first EV since 2014, when it last sold an electric version of the RAV4.
Like most electric vehicles, it’s fast when compared with internal combustion engine vehicles. The all-wheel-drive version can go from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in as little as 6.5 seconds, Toyota says.
Sales will start in states that have zero-emissions vehicle requirements, then spread to the rest of the U.S., Toyota said. The bZ4X will be on display at the New York International Auto Show, where press days start this week. The show opens to the public from April 15-24.
Toyota says it plans to offer 15 electric vehicles by 2025, with seven with the bZ brand, which stands for “Beyond Zero.”
When the bZ4X arrives in U.S. showrooms in May, owners likely will have to hurry to get the $7,500 federal tax credit that would make it more affordable. The automaker expects that sometime before the end of June it will reach a 200,000-vehicle cap on the credits.
After it hits the cap, the credits will be phased out over the next year, reaching zero as Tesla and General Motors already have.
Toyota reached the cap largely by selling plug-in gas-electric hybrid vehicles such as the RAV4 Prime, which can go 42 miles on electricity before switching to a hybrid system that uses an internal combustion engine.
Automakers sold nearly 4.6 million electric vehicles worldwide last year. LMC Automotive, an industry consulting firm, expects that to rise to nearly 7 million this year and to more than 15 million by 2025. Still, that will be only about 15% of global vehicle sales. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/toyota-unveils-first-electric-vehicle-since-rav4-ev-in-2014/ | 2022-04-12T19:31:46 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/toyota-unveils-first-electric-vehicle-since-rav4-ev-in-2014/ |
BOSTON (AP) — Russian military hackers attempted to knock out power to millions of Ukrainians last week in a long-planned attack but were foiled, Ukrainian government officials said Tuesday.
At one targeted high-voltage power station, the hackers succeeded in penetrating and disrupting part of the industrial control system, but people defending the station were able to prevent electrical outages, the Ukrainians said.
“The threat was serious, but it was prevented in a timely manner,” a top Ukrainian cybersecurity official, Victor Zhora, told reporters through an interpreter. “It looks that we were very lucky.”
The hackers from Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency used an upgraded version of malware first seen in its successful 2016 attack that caused blackouts in Kyiv, officials said, that was customized to target multiple substations. They simultaneously seeded malware designed to wipe out computer operating systems, hindering recovery.
Authorities did not specify how many substations were targeted or their location, citing security concerns, but a deputy energy minister, Farid Safarov, said “2 million people would have been without electricity supply if it was successful.”
Zhora, the deputy chair of the State Service of Special Communications, said the malware was programmed to knock out power on Friday evening just as people returned home from work and switched on news reports.
He said that power grid networks were penetrated before the end of February, when Russia invaded, and that the attackers later uploaded the malware, dubbed Industroyer2. The malware succeeded in disrupting one component of the impacted power station’s management systems, also known as SCADA systems.
Zhora would not offer further details or explain how the attack was defeated or which partners may have assisted directly in defeating it. He did acknowledge the depth of international assistance Ukraine has received in identifying intrusions and the challenges of trying to rid government, power grid and telecommunications networks of attackers. The helpers include keyboard warriors from U.S. Cybercommand.
Cybercom was asked if it assisted in the emergency response but did not immediately answer.
The Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine thanked Microsoft and the cybersecurity firm ESET for their assistance in dealing with the power grid attack in a bulletin posted online.
Officials said the destructive attacks had been planned at least since March 23, and Zhora speculated it was timed by Russia to “invigorate” its soldiers after they took heavy losses in a failed bid to capture Kyiv, the capital.
Zhora stressed that Russian cyberattacks have not successfully knocked out any power to Ukrainians since this invasion began.
GRU hackers from a group that researchers call Sandworm twice successfully attacked Ukraine’s power grid — in the winters of 2015 and 2016. U.S. prosecutors indicted six GRU officials in 2020 for using a previous version of the Industroyer malware to attack Ukraine’s power grid by gaining control of electrical substation switches and circuit breakers.
In the 2016 attack, Sandworm hackers used Industroyer to turn circuit breakers on and off in a sequence designed to create a blackout, said Jean-Ian Boutin, director of threat research at ESET.
“We know that Industroyer still has the capability to turn off circuit breakers,” he said.
Working closely with Ukrainian responders, ESET also determined that the attackers had infected networks at the targeted plants with disk-wiping software.
Successfully activating the malware would have rendered plant systems in operable, seriously hindering remediation and recovery and destroying the attackers’ digital footprints, Boutin said.
One of the destructive malware varieties used in the attack, dubbed CaddyWiper, was first discovered by ESET in mid-March being used against a Ukrainian bank, he said.
Western prosecutors blame Sandworm for a series of high-profile cyberattacks including the most destructive, the 2017 NotPetya wiper virus that caused more than $10 billion in damage globally by destroying data on entire networks of computers of companies doing business in Ukraine including those belonging to the shipper Maersk and the pharmaceutical company Merck.
Russia’s use of cyberattacks against Ukrainian infrastructure during its invasion has been limited compared with experts’ pre-war expectations. In the early hours of the war, however, an attack Ukraine blames on Russia knocked offline an important satellite communications link that also impacted tens of thousands of Europeans from France to Poland.
In another serious cyberattack of the war, hackers knocked offline the internet and cellular service of a major telecommunications company that serves the military, Ukretelecom, for most of the day on March 28.
Zhora said “the potential of Russian (state-backed) hackers has been overestimated” and cited a number of reasons why he believes cyberattacks have not played a major role in the conflict:
— When the aggressor is pummeling civilian targets with bombs and rockets there is little need to hide behind covert cyberactivity.
— Ukraine has significantly upped its cyber defenses with the help of volunteers from sympathetic countries.
— Attacks as sophisticated as this effort to knock out power are complex and tend to require a lot of time.
“This is not an easy thing to do,” Zhora said.
Ukraine has been under steady Russian cyberattack for the past eight years, with Zhora noting that the attacks have tripled since the invasion when compared with the same period last year.
Russia has said its invasion was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine, a false claim the U.S. had predicted Russia would make as a pretext for the invasion. Ukraine has called Russia’s assault a “war of aggression,” saying it “will defend itself and will win.”
___
Associated Press writer Alan Suderman in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/ukraine-says-potent-russian-hack-against-power-grid-thwarted/ | 2022-04-12T19:31:52 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/ukraine-says-potent-russian-hack-against-power-grid-thwarted/ |
GENEVA (AP) — The World Trade Organization predicted Tuesday that trade in goods will grow much less than previously expected this year, saying prospects for the global economy have darkened since the onset of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
In the latest grim economic outlook to emerge, the Geneva-based trade body pointed to multiple uncertainties in its forecast over the next two years because Russian and Ukrainian exports of items like food, oil and fertilizers are under threat from the war. It also cited the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic — notably from lockdowns in China.
“It’s now clear that the double whammy of the pandemic and the war has disrupted supply chains, increased inflationary pressures and lowered expectations for output and trade growth,” WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told reporters.
The WTO said its projections for world trade take into account factors like the impact of the war, sanctions on Russia and shrinking worldwide demand amid lower business and consumer confidence.
It said world merchandise trade volume is expected to grow 3% this year, down from a forecast of 4.7% before the war began. For 2023, it’s expected to increase 3.4%.
The trade body also projects that global gross domestic product at market exchange rates will grow by 2.8% this year, down from the 4.1% previously anticipated.
Okonjo-Iweala said the war has caused “immense human suffering” in Ukraine and its effect has rippled around the world, notably in poorer countries, adding: “A potential food crisis is looming.”
She said high fuel prices and expensive fertilizer pose a threat to future crop yields, and the war has further strained global supply chains already under pressure.
The WTO is part of a steering committee set up by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to look into the possible food crisis. The panel has discussed, among other things, whether countries with “additional buffer stocks” of grain could release some supply into international markets, Okonjo-Iweala said.
She expressed hopes for a “humanitarian cover” to ensure that the harvest of 80% of Ukraine’s winter wheat in July can go forward, and that wheat can be planted in the country in September.
The WTO outlook follows a similarly downbeat forecast from the World Bank.
The Washington-based lender said in a report Sunday that the war in Ukraine is set to inflict twice the amount of economic damage across Europe and Central Asia that the COVID-19 pandemic did.
It also said Ukraine’s economy will shrink by 45.1% this year. Besides Ukraine, the report focused on central and Eastern Europe, former Soviet republics, the Balkan countries and Turkey. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/wto-war-in-ukraine-to-curb-trade-economic-growth-this-year/ | 2022-04-12T19:31:59 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/wto-war-in-ukraine-to-curb-trade-economic-growth-this-year/ |
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yelp will cover the travel expenses of employees who must travel out of state for abortions, joining the ranks of major employers trying to help workers affected by new restrictions in Texas and other states.
The benefit announced Tuesday covers all 4,000 employees at the online review service, but seems most likely to have its biggest immediate impact on its 200 workers in Texas, which has passed a law banning abortions within the state after six weeks of pregnancy.
“We’ve long been a strong advocate for equality in the workplace, and believe that gender equality cannot be achieved if women’s healthcare rights are restricted,” said Miriam Warren, Yelp’s chief diversity officer.
Other states,including Oklahoma, are also are clamping down on abortions prompting Yelp, based in San Francisco, and several other companies to draw up policies aimed at helping their workers get reproductive health care in other states.
Last month Citigroup, based in New York, disclosed plans to cover the travel expenses of any of its more than 220,000 employees, thousands of whom work in Texas, who travel to another state for an abortion.
The two largest U.S. ride-hailing services, Uber and Lyft, last year announced they will pay the legal fees for drivers who could get sued under the new Texas law for transporting a passenger to an appointment for an abortion.
The policies expose companies to potential backlash from those who support abortion restrictions, but they could be an advantage for employers with a footprint in states like Texas in an increasingly competitive job market. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/yelp-to-cover-travel-expenses-for-workers-seeking-abortions/ | 2022-04-12T19:32:06 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/yelp-to-cover-travel-expenses-for-workers-seeking-abortions/ |
BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Symphony Orchestra has canceled its European tour that had been scheduled for next month because of an increase in positive coronavirus cases among orchestra members as well as concerns about the rising number of cases on both sides of the Atlantic.
Despite health and safety protocols that include mandatory vaccinations for all musicians and daily testing for woodwind and brass instrumentalists, as well as members of the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, there were 31 cases among onstage musicians and chorus members following recent performances, the BSO said in a statement Monday.
The increase in cases in Europe could potentially disrupt travel during the tour, the BSO said.
The decision to cancel was made with “deep regret,” BSO President and CEO Gail Samuel said.
“Given the ongoing presence of COVID, brought home by its unfortunate impact on a significant number of our own artists, we must keep as our first priority the health and safety of everyone involved with the Boston Symphony Orchestra,” she said.
The BSO had been scheduled to visit Vienna, Leipzig, Hamburg and Paris in May during a Strauss-focused tour partnership with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, under Andris Nelsons, who is the music director of both ensembles.
“I was deeply passionate and excited to share this international alliance — a musical and human bond between exceptional orchestras on two continents — with our audiences,” Nelsons said. “I am so very sorry for all presenters and audience members who were looking forward to the BSO’s performances, and to all the wonderful teams who spent so much time and energy on making this dream a reality.”
The Boston Symphony Orchestra hopes to visit Europe when conditions allow, Samuel said. | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/boston-symphony-orchestra-cancels-europe-dates-over-covid/ | 2022-04-12T19:32:13 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/boston-symphony-orchestra-cancels-europe-dates-over-covid/ |
HONOLULU (AP) — A Hawaii couple have dropped their petition for a temporary restraining order against actor Ezra Miller, known for playing “The Flash” in “Justice League” films.
According to court documents, a judge dismissed the case Monday after the couple requested it.
William Dean, a lawyer who represents the couple, declined comment Tuesday on why his clients no longer want to pursue the petition that accused Miller of bursting into their bedroom and threatening them in Hilo, the Big Island town where Miller was arrested for allegedly harassing patrons at a karaoke bar.
A judge had granted the restraining order petition, saying it was needed to prevent future harassment and had set a hearing for Wednesday. It’s unclear if the hearing will be held now that the case is dismissed.
A hearing is scheduled for April 26 on Miller’s arrest. There is also a hearing scheduled for Tuesday in a separate case involving an alleged traffic violation for Miller in Hilo.
Francis Alcain, Miller’s Hilo attorney for all three cases, declined to comment on Tuesday. | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/hawaii-couple-drop-restraining-order-against-ezra-miller/ | 2022-04-12T19:32:20 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/hawaii-couple-drop-restraining-order-against-ezra-miller/ |
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A trial over libel allegations by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, will likely turn into a six-week, mudslinging soap opera, Heard’s lawyers warned a Virginia jury Tuesday.
“You’re going to see who the real Johnny Depp is — behind the fame, behind the pirate costumes,” Heard lawyer J. Benjamin Rottenborn told the jury during opening statements in the civil trial. “Because Johnny Depp brought this case, all of this is going to come out.”
Depp sued Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp says the article indirectly defames him by referring to abuse allegations Heard made back in 2016. Depp denies abusing her.
In Tuesday’s opening statements, Rottenborn said the evidence will show that Depp physically and sexually assaulted Heard on multiple occasions. But he told jurors that they don’t need to make themselves referees of the couple’s turbulent marriage if they focus on the basics of libel law.
He argued that Heard was exercising her First Amendment rights as an advocate when she wrote the article, which focused largely on the broad topic of domestic violence.
He also said the 2018 article did nothing to damage Depp’s reputation. He noted that the abuse accusations had been public for two years already, and he said Depp’s spiraling career was the result of his drinking and drug-using, which made him an unreliable commodity to Hollywood studios.
“This man’s poor choices have brought him to this point,” he said. “Stop blaming other people for your own self-created problems.”
More than anything, though, he pointed out that the article in question never even mentions Depp’s name.
Depp’s lawyer, Benjamin Chew, acknowledged that Depp’s name never appears in the piece.
“It didn’t have to,” Chew told the jury. “Everyone in Hollywood knew exactly what she was talking about.”
Depp’s team argues that the article is an example of “defamation by implication.” In the December 2018 piece, Heard wrote that “two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse, and I felt the full force of our culture’s wrath for women who speak out.”
Chew said that’s a clear reference to a restraining order Heard sought in May 2016 — right after Depp told her he wanted a divorce — in which she claimed she’d been physically abused.
Chew said she showed up at the courthouse on May 27 of that year with a bruise on her face that was photographed by the paparazzi. But he said the evidence will show that Heard gave herself the injury to ruin Depp’s reputation. He said that Depp and Heard hadn’t seen each other since May 21: He’d gone on a European tour with his band, the Hollywood Vampires.
Police and others saw Heard immediately after May 21 and her face wasn’t bruised, Chew said. He said a witness will testify that he saw security footage in which Heard’s sister throws fake punches at her, and the two laugh.
Another of Depp’s lawyers, Camille Vasquez, told the jury that Heard refuses to admit she lied and has now dug in even deeper.
“She can’t back down. She has been living and breathing this lie for years,” Vasquez said. “She’s going to give the performance of a lifetime in this courtroom.”
Both Depp and Heard are expected to testify at the trial, scheduled for six weeks, along with actors Paul Bettany and James Franco and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk.
About 80 people, mostly Depp supporters, sat in the courtroom Tuesday. Some people lined up hours early for seats, but several rows were largely vacant.
The courtroom went silent a few minutes before the 10 a.m. start time when Heard entered the room, through a special entrance usually reserved for the judge. But there was an audible intake of breath when Depp came in a minute later, again through a special entrance.
A civil jury of seven members, plus four alternates, was selected Monday to hear the case.
Heard’s lawyers had sought to have the case tried in California, where the actors reside. But a judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case in Virginia because The Washington Post’s computer servers for its online edition are located in the county. Depp’s lawyers have said they brought the case in Virginia in part because the laws here are more favorable to their case. | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/jury-to-hear-opening-statements-in-johnny-depp-libel-case/ | 2022-04-12T19:32:26 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/jury-to-hear-opening-statements-in-johnny-depp-libel-case/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — “Hello, Molly! A Memoir” by Molly Shannon (Ecco)
Molly Shannon made a name for herself as a standout performer on “Saturday Night Live,” star of the movie “Superstar” featuring her “SNL” character Mary Katherine Gallagher, and playing an eager-to-please stage mom in the sitcom “The Other Two.”
But before the professional successes, Shannon had to overcome an enormous tragedy, she details in her new memoir, “Hello, Molly!” which she wrote with Sean Wilsey.
When she was just 4, her whole family was involved in a horrendous car accident that killed her mother, younger sister and cousin. Her father, who survived, was driving after drinking earlier in the day.
“My whole life changed in an instant,” she writes.
Though devastated by the loss of her mother at such a young age, Shannon found solace in performing in school plays and community shows while growing up in the Irish-Catholic community in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio. She also found comfort in a close bond with her sister, Mary, who also survived the accident.
She remained close with her father Jim, a charismatic but unstable man who is haunted by the accident. He encourages her adventurous performer side, but he can also be suffocating and fly off the handle into a rage at a moments’ notice. She later says many of her characters are partly based on her larger-than-life father.
Shannon peppers the memoir with inside-showbusiness anecdotes that make the memoir a hard-to-put down page turner. She recounts waiting tables for Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts while she awaits her big break and landing auditions in Hollywood by calling agents and pretending to be David Mamet’s assistant. More disturbingly, she recalls an unscrupulous manager setting her up with an 18-year-old Gary Coleman who harasses her.
After a few years of trying to make it in L.A., she finally gets her big break, an audition with Lorne Michaels for “Saturday Night Live.” She’s passed over her first time, but a second audition lands her the gig. She spends six seasons on the show with fellow cast members including Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, Ana Gasteyer and Tracy Morgan.
She left in 2001, not because she had another job lined up, but because she wanted to finally have time to have a personal life. “I wanted to get coffee with friends and start a family,” she says. She now has two children with her husband, Fritz – successfully becoming the mother she always dreamed of being.
“Hello, Molly!” paints a portrait of a resilient spirit persevering through tragedy and the cutthroat world of fame to build a fulfilling life for herself. | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/molly-shannons-tragedy-and-perseverance-in-hello-molly/ | 2022-04-12T19:32:33 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/molly-shannons-tragedy-and-perseverance-in-hello-molly/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Timekeeping isn’t Rihanna’s strong suit, and that goes for the pregnancy she’s been sharing with the world as well.
“Planning? I wouldn’t say planning,” she told Vogue about her upcoming motherhood. “But certainly not planning against it. I don’t know when I ovulate or any of that type of (expletive). We just had fun. And then it was just there on the test.”
Now in her third trimester, the music star, and fashion and beauty mogul hasn’t exactly been hiding under a maternity tentsince she and boyfriend A$AP Rocky announced they were expecting in late January via a wintry New York street photo shoot. Since, she’s made the fashion week rounds in Milan and Paris wearing a range of belly-bearing couture.
If it’s not something she would have put on pre-pregnancy, Rihanna said, it’s not something on her list now.
“My body is doing incredible things right now, and I’m not going to be ashamed of that,” she said. “This time should feel celebratory. Because why should you be hiding your pregnancy?”
The cover interview, out Tuesday, has 34-year-old Rihanna in a lacy red Alaïa bodysuit and long gloves. It’s just one of the numerous rule-breaking designer looks she’s been wearing in celebration of her bump.
So how is she feeling about the next part, where she actually gives birth and scheduling possibly kicks in?
Rihanna wishes all of her closest loved ones could be in the room, but that seems unlikely under COVID-19 rules. She didn’t disclose where she’ll be headed for labor and delivery — or when she’s due for that matter.
“Maybe I’ll just have a party bus parked outside or something,” she said. And what frightens her the most? “Postpartum depression. Will I feel out of control emotionally? Those are the stories I hear from other women that scare me.” | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/rihanna-talks-fashion-motherhood-as-due-date-approaches/ | 2022-04-12T19:32:40 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/rihanna-talks-fashion-motherhood-as-due-date-approaches/ |
LONDON (AP) — European health officials investigating an outbreak of salmonella linked to chocolate Easter eggs that has sickened at least 150 children across the continent said Tuesday they suspect it is due to bad buttermilk in a Belgian factory.
In an assessment of the continuing outbreak, experts at the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Food Safety Authority said they had matched the same salmonella strain currently infecting people to samples taken from a factory in Belgium last December.
Officials said “the processing step involving buttermilk” was identified by the company as the point of contamination for two products, chocolate eggs that normally have a surprise toy inside and bite-sized praline chocolates. National authorities have previously named the involved company as the Italian chocolate firm Ferrero.
Before the Belgian factory was shut down, however, European officials noted it had exported “the implicated chocolate products” across Europe and globally.
As of this week, 150 cases of salmonella have been reported in nine European countries and the U.K. after the first case was identified in Britain last December. The majority of cases have been in children under age 10 and “an exceptionally high number” have been hospitalized, European officials said. Britain has so far reported the most cases – 65 – of whom 43% are hospitalized.
Ferrero began recalling chocolate eggs and other products in Britain, France, Germany, Italy and elsewhere weeks ago. Last week, the company expanded its recall to the U.S., acknowledging that some of the goods on sale were made in the tainted Belgian factory.
“This outbreak is rapidly evolving, and children have so far been most at risk for severe infection among reported cases,” the European CDC said in its report. It noted that further investigation was needed to determine how the problem happened and evaluating “the possibility of the wider use of contaminated raw material in other processing plants.”
Salmonella typically causes symptoms including diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick do not need any medicine but severe cases that result in hospitalization may require antibiotics or other treatment.
European officials warned that it was likely cases were being missed in some countries due to a lack of surveillance and genetic sequencing.
Ferrero has previously said it is cooperating with national and European health authorities in the outbreak investigation.
“We are taking this extremely seriously as consumer care is our top priority,” the company said. | https://www.wric.com/health/eu-salmonella-outbreak-in-chocolate-eggs-due-to-bad-milk/ | 2022-04-12T19:32:46 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/health/eu-salmonella-outbreak-in-chocolate-eggs-due-to-bad-milk/ |
ATLANTA (AP) — The National Urban League released its annual report on the State of Black America on Tuesday, and its findings are grim. This year’s Equality Index shows Black people still get only 73.9% of the American pie white people enjoy.
While Black people have made economic and health gains, they’ve slipped further behind white people in education, social justice and civic engagement since this index was launched in 2005. A compendium of average outcomes by race in many aspects of life, it shows just how hard it is for people of color to overcome systemic racism, the civil rights organization says.
“These numbers change so little and so slowly. What it tells me is that this institutional disparity based on race seems to be built into American society,” National Urban League President Marc Morial said in an interview.
The index shows not only that the median household income for Black people, at $43,862, is 37% less than that of white people, at $69,823. Black people also are less likely to benefit from home ownership, the engine of generational wealth in America. Census data shows Black couples are more than twice as likely as their white counterparts to be denied a mortgage or a home improvement loan, which leads to just 59% of the median home equity white households have, and just 13% of their wealth.
“In that area of wealth, we’ve seen almost no change, none, since the civil rights days,” Morial said. “The wealth disparity has gotten wider.”
Among dozens of health measures, one stands out: Life expectancy has declined slightly for African Americans, so a Black child born today can expect to live to 74.7, four years less than a white baby. And lifelong inequities loom: Black women are 59% more likely to die as a result of bearing a child, and 31% more likely to die of breast cancer. Black men are 52% more likely to die of prostate cancer.
Overdoses afflict the races about equally, while white people are 55% more likely to drink themselves to death through cirrhosis or chronic liver disease. Among people 15-24, white people are more than twice as likely to kill themselves, while Black men are nine times more likely to die by homicide.
Educational gaps abound: Black and white preschoolers are roughly equally prepared, but the classrooms they enter are starkly different. Schools with more minority students are more likely to have inexperienced, less trained and even uncertified teachers. Fewer of these students are enrolled in the STEM classes that can lead to higher-paying jobs. Black students are less likely to graduate from college.
The index uses U.S. Justice Department statistics to chart social justice differences, noting that Black people have been more than twice as likely as white people to experience threats or uses of force during police encounters, and three times more likely to be jailed if arrested. In 2020, they were 93% more likely to be victims of hate crimes.
Measuring civic engagement, the index cites 2020 census data showing that white people are about 5% more likely to be registered and to actually vote than Black people.
Morial chose to release the report in Atlanta, where a concentration of historically Black colleges have long represented high achievement among African Americans, in part because its survey shows a declining faith among young people that voting can make a difference. The Urban League is responding by launching a “Reclaim Your Vote” campaign.
“Georgia is ground zero for voter suppression,” Morial said. The legislature’s actions after Jan. 6 have been sweeping in their aggressiveness to suppress the vote. We’ve got to remain resolute, to push back against this. We cannot give in. We cannot give up.” | https://www.wric.com/health/national-urban-league-finds-state-of-black-america-is-grim/ | 2022-04-12T19:32:52 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/health/national-urban-league-finds-state-of-black-america-is-grim/ |
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama has become the first state to criminalize the use of puberty blockers and hormonesto treat transgender people under age 19. In line with some other Republican-led states, legislators here also passed a law requiring students to use bathrooms corresponding to their sex at birth and prohibiting discussion of gender and sexual identity in the lower grades. Critics have derided the limitation on such discussions as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
The two GOP bills were signed into law Friday by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, a day after being passed by the Alabama Legislature. Advocacy groups quickly filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the medication ban.
Republicans argue the bills are needed to protect children and that decisions on gender-affirming medications should wait until adulthood. Critics say the politicians are interfering with medical decisions that belong with families and their doctors. Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel for the Human Rights Campaign, a national advocacy group for the LGBTQ community, called the two pieces of legislation “the single most anti-transgender legislative package in history.”
WHAT DOES THE TREATMENT BAN DO?
Titled the “Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act,” the law makes it a crime to prescribe or administer to anyone under 19 puberty blockers or hormone treatment “for the purpose of attempting to alter the appearance of or affirm the minor’s perception of his or her gender or sex.”
Legislators made it a Class C felony to violate the law, meaning doctors who prescribe or administer such medication would be subject to up to 10 years in prison.
The law, which takes effect on May 8 unless blocked by the courts, also bans surgeries for the purpose of altering gender appearance, but doctors say those are generally not performed on minors.
Alabama’s legislation goes further than measures passed in other states. Arkansas was the first state to pass a ban on gender-affirming drugs, but its measure did not include criminal penalties. The Arkansas law was blocked by a federal judgebefore it could go into effect. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate as child abuse reports of youth receiving such care.
WHAT ARE THE CRITICISMS?
Doctors, families and advocacy organizations say politicians are inserting themselves into decisions that belong with families and medical teams. The measures have prompted swift backlash from medical experts, Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, the U.S. Department of Justice and the families of trans youth. Doctors say the Alabama law is contrary to peer-reviewed research and applies a criminal label to standard medical care. Health experts also say that minors with gender dysphoria who do not receive appropriate medical care face dramatically increased risk of suicide and serious depression.
DOES THE LAW DO ANYTHING ELSE?
Yes. The law requires counselors, teachers, principals and other administrators — in both public and private schools — to tell parents if a child discloses that they think they may be transgender. It also prohibits school staff from encouraging students to withhold the information from their parents.
WHAT DOES THE BATHROOM/ “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW DO?
The second piece of legislation signed by Ivey involves public school bathroom use and classroom instruction.
The law requires students in grades K-12 to use multi-person bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their sex at birth rather than their gender identity. It also prohibits teachers and others who provide lessons to grades K-5 from talking about sexual orientation or gender identity “in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Critics have labeled a similar measure passed in Florida that applies to grades K-3 the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Opponents of the medication ban who filed the lawsuit are hoping a judge will grant their request to block it. A legal challenge is also expected to be filed against the bathroom and classroom-instruction measures.
The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to states warning that efforts to block transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming care may be violating federal law and the constitutional protections. | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/explainer-what-do-new-alabama-laws-say-on-transgender-kids/ | 2022-04-12T19:32:59 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/explainer-what-do-new-alabama-laws-say-on-transgender-kids/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg so liked the caricature that accompanied an article about her that she got a copy from the artist and hung it in her Supreme Court office.
That signed and inscribed print by artist Eleanor Davis is among 150 items from Ginsburg’s office and home at the Watergate in an online auctionto benefit opera in Washington that will end in late April.
An earthenware plate by Pablo Picasso that hung in Ginsburg’s dining room, a black mink coat with her name sewn in a pocket and a souvenir vase from the Capitol luncheon following former President Barack Obama’s first inaugural also are up for auction.
The sale could raise $50,000 to $80,000 for the Washington National Opera, one of the late justice’s passions. She took part in at least three productions over the years, including a speaking, but non-singing, role for one night in 2016.
Ginsburg’s family selected the Potomack Company to handle the auction.
“It’s an opportunity to own something personal of hers and support the opera,” said Elizabeth Haynie Wainstein, the auction house’s owner.
Bidding for some items begins as low as $25, though the opening bid on the Picasso plate is $4,000, Haynie Wainstein said. Three other Picasso pieces also are in the auction.
The natural black mink coat, made by the Gartenhaus fur company in the Washington area, is going for a starting bid of $250.
Ginsburg died of cancer at age 87 in September 2020. Appreciation for the Supreme Court’s second female justice and liberal icon, dubbed the Notorious RBG in her later years, has continued well after her death.
The Navy recently announced it would name a ship after her in the John Lewis-class of replenishment oilers. The ships are named in honor of people who fought for civil and human rights, the Navy said.
Last month, the Smithsonian also posthumously honored Ginsburg with the National Museum of American History’s Great Americans Medal. Her children, Jane and James Ginsburg, have donated other of their mother’s possessions to the museum, including Ginsburg’s Paris-made judicial robe and a collection of collars she wore over it.
In January, an online auction of Ginsburg’s books brought in $2.3 million, almost 30 times the pre-sale estimate, according to Bonhams, the company that conducted the auction.
The April auction includes a print of the artist Josef Albers’ “Red Orange Wall” that hung above Ginsburg’s bed. Albers was among Ginsburg’s favorite artists. An original Albers work that was on loan from the National Gallery of Art was prominently displayed in her office at the court.
Six works by the sculptor Glenna Goodacre that Ginsburg acquired during her regular summer trips to Santa Fe, New Mexico for an opera festival are for sale, along with a silver tea set and a pair of Saint Louis Crystal eagle bookends.
One of Ginsburg’s grandchildren, Paul Spera, also has an original piece of art among the items being auctioned. His “Bubbie of Liberty,” using the Yiddish word for grandma, has Ginsburg’s likeness atop the Statue of Liberty. | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/ginsburgs-art-fur-coat-awards-in-auction-to-benefit-opera/ | 2022-04-12T19:33:05 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/ginsburgs-art-fur-coat-awards-in-auction-to-benefit-opera/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — The hiring of non-journalists as contributors to television news organizations isn’t new. Far less common is seeing pushback to such decisions from journalists working there, as has happened recently at CBS and NBC News.
Discontent emerged over CBS’ hiring of former Trump administration official Mick Mulvaney as a commentator and discussions about current White House press secretary Jen Psaki working at MSNBC when her time in the Biden administration is through.
In both cases, journalists have been quiet publicly about their concerns over the decisions. Because of concern about Psaki — which has raised ethical issues for the press secretary — NBC News President Noah Oppenheim was compelled to address the discussions in a phone meeting with Washington-based staff, first reported by CNN.
While both cases are different, the fact that these internal complaints surfaced illustrates some of the pressures many journalists feel under, said Mark Whitaker, a former executive at NBC News, CNN and Newsweek. They already work in a hyper-partisan time and face accusations of promoting “fake news,” he said.
“There’s a feeling of ‘this just makes our job harder when we’re under attack anyway,’” Whitaker said.
Each case is more complex than rubbing elbows at the water cooler with a partisan.
Neither MSNBC nor Psaki have publicly confirmed their talks about a role there. MSNBC has already hired Symone Sanders, former chief spokeswoman for Vice President Kamala Harris, for a job that begins in May. NBC News has taken pains to draw distinctions between its journalists and MSNBC, which has beefed up its opinion programming, although that’s awkward when journalists like Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd both have shows on the cable network.
At least until the situation becomes clearer, NBC News journalists are put in the uncomfortable position of having professional contact with someone who may soon become a colleague.
NBC White House correspondent Kristen Welker asked Psaki about her status at a recent White House briefing, saying “is it ethical for you to keep conducting this job while negotiating with a media outlet?”
Without confirming or denying those talks, Psaki said she had already gone “over and above” stringent ethical requirements. Welker followed up twice, asking “how can you be an effective briefer if you do, in fact, have plans to join a media outlet?”
Psaki said she has taken steps to make sure there is no conflict. While the situation is still in flux, CNN reported that she is not expected to do any on-camera interviews with NBC News or MSNBC personnel, and won’t be involved in decisions about booking administration officials on the networks.
Oppenheim declined an opportunity to discuss the issue, through a spokesman.
CBS News said Mulvaney’s signing was part of the network’s buildup of its roster of contributors in advance of the 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential elections. The news division’s co-president, Neeraj Khemlani, said in a staff meeting prior to the announcement that CBS is making sure that it hires contributors that ensure the network has access to officials in both parties with a midterm election looming, according to a tape of that meeting provided to the Washington Post.
In addition to internal grumbling, CBS News received outside criticism; Post columnist Margaret Sullivan, for example, blasted the “ galling cynicism ” of the move. A former congressman, Mulvaney served Trump as chief of staff, as well as director of the Office of Management and Budget.
CBS has had other like-minded outsiders as contributors, like former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus, and it recently announced the signing of former national security adviser H.R. McMaster.
Mulvaney, however, drew criticism for lying when he publicly admitted Trump had withheld aid to Ukraine to pressure the country into investigating political opponents, then later suggesting he hadn’t said that. In the early days of the coronavirus, he said the media was hyping the virus as a way to bring down Trump.
“Even in opinion journalism, a respect for facts is essential,” said Geneva Overholser, a veteran consultant who’s worked at both the University of Missouri and USC Annenberg journalism schools.
“I read the CBS staff reaction as trying to hold onto that principle, to continue to uphold the network’s honor,” she said. “More power to them.”
Khemlani was not made available for an interview. CBS said that when Mulvaney makes appearances as a commentator on political news, he will be with news anchors who can give context to his statements.
Since the March 29 announcement that he’d been hired as a contributor, he’s appeared once on the network’s streaming service but not yet on TV, a spokeswoman said. | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/psaki-rumors-mulvaney-hire-at-cbs-news-trouble-journalists/ | 2022-04-12T19:33:12 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/psaki-rumors-mulvaney-hire-at-cbs-news-trouble-journalists/ |
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Two license plates passed Ohio’s censors at the state’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles this year, while other plates with similar sentiments were rejected.
Patricia Ritchie took a photo of the JAN 6 DC plate in Chillicothe. She said in an email to WCMH:
“I was shocked to see an Ohio vanity license tag clearly supporting the January 6th insurrection, a shameful event that has resulted in many participants being charged with crimes — misdemeanors and felonies –including charges of seditious conspiracy against the United States Government.”
“How this could be approved by the Ohio BMV is beyond me. I was also disturbed that anyone would drive around blatantly showing such disrespect for the rule of law, but I guess that’s where we live now.”
A second person snapped a picture of a truck that had the plate B1DNSUX. He didn’t want to be named but asked: “I would like to know if the BMV still reviews vanity plate requests for inappropriate content?”
That person said that he once was asked to sit on the license plate review committee – and although he did not have time to do that, he was shocked this plate got through.
“The committee was so hard-nosed about everything,” he recalled. “Do they even have that committee anymore?”
This isn’t the first time political opinions have circumvented the censors. In 2017, an Ohio woman was able to get a covfefe license plate, based on then-President Donald Trump’s mysterious tweeted typo.
A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Public Safety confirmed the plates were in circulation. Repeated requests as to how plates are refused or approved did not receive a reply.
There was also no reply as to why these two plates were approved for circulation while hundreds of others, such as FKB1DN, were not. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/b1dnsux-and-jan-6-dc-license-plates-spotted-on-ohio-roads/ | 2022-04-12T19:33:20 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/b1dnsux-and-jan-6-dc-license-plates-spotted-on-ohio-roads/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — 2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, and new data and research are offering more insights into how it got that bad.
The main reason for the increase in deaths? COVID-19, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on death statistics.
The agency this month quietly updated its provisional death tally. It showed there were 3.465 million deaths last year, or about 80,000 more than 2020’s record-setting total.
Early last year, some experts were optimistic that 2021 would not be as bad as the first year of the pandemic — partly because effective COVID-19 vaccines had finally become available.
“We were wrong, unfortunately,” said Noreen Goldman, a Princeton University researcher.
COVID-19 deaths rose in 2021 — to more than 415,000, up from 351,000 the year before — as new coronavirus variants emerged and an unexpectedly large numbers of Americans refused to get vaccinated or were hesitant to wear masks, experts said.
The coronavirus is not solely to blame. Preliminary CDC data also shows the crude death rate for cancer rose slightly, and rates continued to increase for diabetes, chronic liver disease and stroke.
Drug overdose deaths also continued to rise. The CDC does not yet have a tally for 2021 overdose deaths, because it can take weeks of lab work and investigation to identify them. But provisional data through October suggests the nation is on track to see at least 105,000 overdose deaths in 2021 — up from 93,000 the year before.
New research released Tuesday showed a particularly large jump in overdose deaths among 14- to 18-year-olds.
Adolescent overdose death counts were fairly constant for most of the last decade, at around 500 a year, according to the paper published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. They almost doubled in 2020, to 954, and the researchers estimated that the total hit nearly 1,150 last year.
Joseph Friedman, a UCLA researcher who was the paper’s lead author, called the spike “unprecedented.”
Those teen overdose deaths were only around 1% of the U.S. total. But adolescents experienced a greater relative increase than the overall population, even though surveys suggest drug use among teens is down.
Experts attributed the spike to fentanyl, a highly lethal drug that has been cut into heroin for several years. More recently it’s also been pressed into counterfeit pills resembling prescription drugs that teens sometimes abuse.
The total number of U.S. deaths often increases year to year as the U.S. population grows. But 2020 and 2021 saw extraordinary jumps in death numbers and rates, due largely to the pandemic.
Those national death trends affect life expectancy — an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live.
With rare exceptions, U.S. life expectancy has reliably inched up year after year. But the CDC’s life expectancy estimate for 2020 was about 77 years — more than a year and a half lower than what it was in 2019.
The CDC has not yet reported its calculation for 2021. But Goldman and some other researchers have been making their own estimates, presented in papers that have not yet been published in peer-reviewed journals.
Those researchers think U.S. life expectancy dropped another five or six months in 2021 — putting it back to where it was 20 years ago.
A loss of more than two years of life expectancy over the last two years “is mammoth,” Goldman said.
One study looked at death data in the U.S. and 19 other high-income countries. The U.S. fared the worst.
“What happened in the U.S. is less about the variants than the levels of resistance to vaccination and the public’s rejection of practices, such as masking and mandates, to reduce viral transmission,” one of the study’s authors, Dr. Steven Woolf of Virginia Commonwealth University, said in a statement.
Some experts are skeptical that life expectancy will quickly bounce back. They worry about long-term complications of COVID-19 that may hasten the deaths of people with chronic health problems.
Preliminary — and incomplete — CDC data suggest there were at least 805,000 U.S. deaths in about the first three months of this year. That’s well below the same period last year, but higher than the comparable period in 2020.
“We may end up with a ‘new normal’ that’s a little higher than it was before,” Anderson said.
___
The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/covid-19-overdoses-pushed-us-to-highest-death-total-ever/ | 2022-04-12T19:33:26 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/covid-19-overdoses-pushed-us-to-highest-death-total-ever/ |
BRNO, Czech Republic (AP) — Of the first four shots Olha Dembitska fired from an AK-47 assault rifle in her life, one hit the target.
“It’s pretty difficult the first time,” the 22-year-old Ukrainian woman acknowledged.
On this occasion, the target was the shape of a human body at a shooting range in the Czech Republic. Next time, it might be for real, in Ukraine, and the target could be one of the Russian troops who have invaded her homeland.
Dembitska is one of at least 130 men and women who have so far undergone free-of-charge training for Ukrainians living in the Czech Republic who want to learn how to fight the aggressor.
“I might return to Ukraine if they need me,” she said.
Almost none of the participants had any experience with weapons before war struck their homeland.
Since Russia launched its brutal attack, Ukrainians from all parts of the country and elsewhere have been arriving in the Czech Republic’s second-largest city, Brno, attracted by courses designed to teach them essentials and skills to safely handle lethal rifles while being able to inflict damage on their enemy.
Beside learning to shoot, the courses give them the basics about guns, movement around the battlefield and a lesson in providing first aid, something that can save lives if they‘re mobilized by their embattled country or decide to return home as volunteers to join the Ukrainian army.
They are all motivated.
“It’s horrible,” Dembitska said about the situation in her homeland. She gets her news from social media and from phone calls with a friend based in the southern city of Kherson, seized by Russian troops in the early stages of the invasion.
“She tells me everything. They haven’t received humanitarian aid. It’s a horror what the Russian soldiers are doing, I’m sick of it.”
Michal Ratajsky, the owner of CS Solutions, a security company that offers the training program at its base on the outskirts of Brno, located some 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of Prague, called it “our contribution to the help for Ukrainians.”
“We view it as a morale boost we’re giving them in this situation, an effort to show we’re supporting them and that we will do for them what we can at the given moment,” Ratajsky said. “That was our motivation and goal.”
A crowdfunding campaign helped secure enough money for the ammunition, while his company provides the rest, including experienced instructors, weapons and the shooting range.
Ratajsky said the brief, three-hour training can’t do miracles but should be enough to introduce the Ukrainians to new, unfamiliar skills.
“We know that we don’t make soldiers of them in those three hours,” he said. “We try to do the maximum for them in the time, with the focus on their safety.”
Some of the participants have returned for repeated lessons. Some have come from as far away as Vienna. in neighboring Austria. Some took the course on their way back to Ukraine from Western Europe, Ratajsky said.
He said the Ukrainians are united by anger about the Russian aggression, and determined to end it.
“They take it seriously and want to do something about it.”
He said that because some 80% percent of troop losses in a war like the one in Ukraine are caused by artillery and missiles, a sense of self-preservation and knowledge of first aid might be more useful for survival than shooting.
“We’re aware of the limits of what we can get them ready for and make no secret of it,” Ratajsky said.
Yehor Nechyporenko, 38, who had traveled some 260 kilometers (160 miles) from the town of Mlada Boleslav to Brno for the second time said he is helping Ukrainian refugees who have arrived in the Czech Republic but wants to be ready to go back home to fight.
“It’s very useful for me,” he said of the training. “I really like it. I need to learn those things because I didn’t do military service.”
Nechyporenko said he was sure the Russians have no chance of taking the entire country.
“I think the war will be over in a couple of months,” he said. “And if we see we’re losing, we’ll all travel home.”
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/czechs-provide-free-shooting-training-for-local-ukrainians/ | 2022-04-12T19:33:34 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/czechs-provide-free-shooting-training-for-local-ukrainians/ |
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Ukraine said Tuesday it is investigating a claim that a poisonous substance was dropped on the besieged city of Mariupol. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said it was possible that phosphorus munitions — which cause horrendous burns but are not classed as chemical weapons — had been used.
Now the question is how to establish the truth amid the fog of war that has descended over a city still under attack from Russian forces. A clear answer is unlikely to emerge any time soon.
The global chemical weapons watchdog said Tuesday it is “concerned by the recent unconfirmed report of chemical weapons use in Mariupol” and is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine are among the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ 193 member states.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning OPCW says that it “remains ready to assist any State Party upon its request, in case of use or threat of use of chemical weapons.”
WHO COULD INVESTIGATE?
First in line to investigate in Ukraine is the country’s own law enforcement agencies. There also are teams from other nations investigating allegations — particularly around the Ukrainian town of Bucha — of war crimes and the International Criminal Court has launched an investigation in Ukraine. The OPCW has, so far, not announced any investigations in Ukraine, although it says on its website that it “is monitoring the status of relevant chemical industrial facilities and any threats of use of toxic chemicals as weapons in the country.”
Marc-Michael Blum, former head of the OPCW’s laboratory and now an independent consultant, said the organization won’t send a team to Mariupol any time soon to investigate.
“We have an active war zone where the OPCW would not send a team in because the security of the team cannot be guaranteed,” Blum told The Associated Press.
HOW ARE SUSPECTED CHEMICAL ATTACKS INVESTIGATED?
If a team of experts were able to investigate what was used and by whom, it would seek to build a dossier of evidence based on laboratory tests of samples collected at the scene and from victims. That means taking soil samples and testing them for traces of possible chemical weapons or other munitions. Samples of blood and urine from victims who were exposed to the munition would also be tested.
Then investigators would seek to interview witnesses and survivors, to build a picture of what they experienced, and the physicians who treated them. In past investigations, experts have studied gas dispersion models and topographic charts and looked at digital images. The OPCW has experience building such investigations in Syria, where its experts have confirmed the use of chemical weapons on multiple occasions.
Damascus denies using chemical weapons.
WHAT HAPPENED IN PREVIOUS CASES OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS USE ELSEWHERE?
Hundreds of people were killed in gas poisoning attacks in Syria during the country’s civil war. The OPCW faced numerous hurdles and Russian vetoes complicating the establishment of investigation mechanisms. To this day, no one has been held accountable.
Two recent cases outside Syria show how a suspected chemical weapon use can be investigated by local authorities — the poisoning in 2020 of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny and of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in 2018.
In those cases, authorities in Germany, where Navalny went for treatment, and in the United Kingdom in the case of the Skripals, took and tested biological samples and concluded that they were targeted with a Soviet-era nerve agent known as Novichok. In those cases, the OPCW tested the samples and confirmed the findings by national authorities.
Russia denied involvement in both attacks.
IF PHOSPHORUS WAS USED IN MARIUPOL, IS IT ILLEGAL?
Phosphorus munitions are not considered chemical weapons. Most armies have phosphorus munitions to use for illuminating battlefields or targets or to produce smoke screens. However, if an army deliberately fired a phosphorus munition into an enclosed space in order to expose people to toxic fumes, it could be a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention, said Blum.
“Once you start using the properties of white phosphorus, toxic properties, specifically and deliberately then it becomes banned,” he said.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF A SUCCESSFUL INVESTIGATION IN BESIEGED MARIUPOL?
Blum is not optimistic. “Given the current situation we have Mariupol, almost impossible to really pin down, and so I have no high hopes for any any kind of investigation,” he said.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/explainer-how-to-investigate-alleged-chemical-attacks/ | 2022-04-12T19:33:41 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/explainer-how-to-investigate-alleged-chemical-attacks/ |
Russia is readying a massive, new offensive in eastern Ukraine, hoping to reverse its fortunes on the battlefield after a catastrophic start to seven weeks of war.
A long convoy of combat vehicles has jammed highways across northeastern Ukraine in preparation for an attack that could begin within days, and the Kremlin has named a general known for overseeing Moscow’s campaign in Syria to lead it.
A look at Russia’s military objectives and challenges it faces.
A BOTCHED BLITZ
A failed Russian attempt to storm Kyiv and other big cities took a heavy toll in personnel and equipment, boosted morale in Ukraine and allowed it to rally broad international support.
“The myth about the invincibility of the Russian military as the second-most powerful in the world has been shattered to much surprise of the Ukrainians themselves,” Ukrainian military expert Oleh Zhdanov told The Associated Press.
The flow of Western weapons into Ukraine and a growing popular resistance to Russian aggression will further raise the costs of war for Moscow.
President Vladimir Putin badly needs a quick battlefield victory to find an exit from what increasingly looks like a disastrous quagmire.
Russia’s focus is turning to Ukraine’s industrial heartland, known as the Donbas, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since the conflict there erupted shortly after the Kremlin’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
“In the first round, Russia has lost face both politically and militarily,” Zhdanov said. “It has done every possible stupid thing in the careless hope for a blitz … but it will make the Russian attack in the next round even more furious.”
REFOCUS AND REDEPLOYMENT
After their retreat from Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy, Russian forces pulled back to the territory of Belarus, Moscow’s ally, as well as areas in western Russia to be rearmed and resupplied for the new offensive.
Retired British Gen. Sir Richard Barrons estimated the Russians have “probably lost about 25% of the ground forces they started out with in the sense that those have been units that have become noncombat effective.”
“So they’re amalgamating them, they’re refitting them, they’re reinforcing them and then moving them around,” Barrons told AP.
Russia also was trying to move additional equipment from elsewhere and mobilize reservists in a desperate attempt to build a sufficient attack force, said Barrons, a co-chair of the consulting group Universal Defence & Security Solutions.
“They’ve had a beating, and they will have only a few weeks to get better,” he said.
Recently, Russian troops have been seen rolling into eastern Ukraine to move into attack positions. A convoy stretched for about 13 kilometers (8 miles) on a highway east of Kharkiv, heading south toward Ukrainian lines near Izyum, a strategic road junction.
At the same time, Russian forces rushed to crush remaining pockets of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol after besieging the vital Sea of Azov port for nearly 1 1/2 months.
The offensive is expected to start once Mariupol is fully under Russian control, and the troops pulled from areas near Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy complete their redeployment.
WILL A NEW COMMANDER MAKE THE DIFFERENCE?
Gen. Alexander Dvornikov was appointed the new military commander for the campaign in Ukraine. The 60-year-old soldier is one of Russia’s most experienced officers, credited with leading Moscow’s forces to victory in Syria in a ruthless campaign to shore up President Bashar Assad’s regime in a civil war that saw entire cities flattened and millions displaced.
In 2016, Putin awarded Dvornikov the Hero of Russia medal, one of the country’s highest awards, and named him the chief of the Southern Military District, commanding units in southwestern Russia.
Dvornikov’s appointment is seen as reflecting the Kremlin’s awareness to quickly improve poor coordination among various forces that hampered previous military efforts. Skeptics point out, however, that the Syrian campaign involved a relatively small number of troops, unlike the massive operation in Ukraine.
TRYING NEW BATTLEFIELD TACTICS
Ukrainian and Western experts expect the Russians to try to encircle Ukrainian forces in Donbas with a pincer movement by advancing from Izyum in the north and Mariupol in the south.
Some predict Russia also may try to use its forces north of Crimea to try to capture the industrial hubs of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro on the Dnieper River, effectively cutting Ukraine in half.
Barrons said the Russians are focusing on the east ”instead of trying to do three or four big things at once and spreading the air power and the logistics.”
“The key conundrum is, can the Russians muster enough force … good enough to overwhelm a very good Ukrainian defensive position by sheer weight of brutality” by concentrating firepower and troops in a few key locations, he said.
WILL RUSSIA’S LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS PERSIST?
Despite a new commander, the offensive will likely face the same logistical challenges Russian troops encountered early in the campaign.
During the botched attempt to storm Kyiv, Russian convoys stretched along highways leading to the capital, becoming easy prey for Ukrainian artillery, drones and scouts.
Supporting the operations in the east could be equally hard, with Russian supply lines likely to face hit-and-run raids, helped by the arrival of spring as foliage offers natural cover for Ukrainian scouts and guerrillas.
Control of the skies also has been a problem, with Ukrainian air defense assets continuing to shoot down Russian warplanes, making it more difficult for ground troops to advance. In recent days, Russia has launched strikes on Ukrainian long-range air defense systems in apparent preparation for the offensive.
“If the Russians learned the lessons of their failure so far and could concentrate more force and could connect their air force to the ground forces better and could sort the logistics out, then they might start to overwhelm the Ukrainian positions eventually, although I still think it would be a battle of enormous attrition,” Barrons told AP.
MORE FAVORABLE TERRAIN FOR RUSSIA?
During the eight years of fighting separatists in the east, Ukrainian forces have built multilayered defenses, which Russian troops failed to break despite persistent attacks since the invasion began Feb. 24.
“They’ve been fighting in these current positions in the Donbas for about eight years, so they’re very seasoned and they’re very well prepared,” Barrons said of Ukrainian forces.
He noted, however, that “this will be different because the Russian onslaught will be potentially very much greater” and the east’s flat terrain could give the Russians an edge.
“The sort of ambush tactics the Ukrainians were highly successful with around Kiev may not apply in the Donbas,” Barrons said. “And if the Russians were capable of maneuvering their armor so tanks, armored infantry and armored artillery at speed, they could get behind the Ukrainian position. It is going to be a much harder, bigger fight than we’ve seen so far.”
Ukraine has pleaded with the West for warplanes, long-range air defense systems, heavy artillery and armor to counter a massive Russian edge in firepower.
“There is a battle of time and space between the Russians and Ukrainians for the Russians to muster enough force and the Ukrainians to get the weapons that they need and rehearse themselves for what will be a bigger and slightly different battle, and I think it is finely balanced,” Barrons said.
FOR PUTIN, A RACE AGAINST TIME
After earlier battlefield failures, Putin desperately needs a quick success in the east.
Battered by Western sanctions, Russia lacks financial resources for a protracted conflict. If the fighting drags on, it will inevitably worsen the economy and could bring social tensions, eroding the Kremlin’s support base.
The military already has put its most capable combat units in the campaign, and continued fighting will likely force it to call up more reservists and throw fresh conscripts into combat — moves that could be extremely unpopular.
Putin could be hoping to quickly expand the territory under separatist control in the east, then try to force Ukraine into concessions in negotiations to wrap up the campaign and spin it as victory.
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Associated Press writers Yuras Karmanau in Lviv, Ukraine, and Danica Kirka in London contributed.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/explainer-new-front-same-challenges-for-russian-offensive/ | 2022-04-12T19:33:47 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/explainer-new-front-same-challenges-for-russian-offensive/ |
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Heavy rains caused by a summer tropical depression killed at least 25 people in the central and southern Philippines, mostly due to landslides, officials said Monday.
Twenty-two villagers died in landslides in four villages in Baybay city in central Leyte province on Sunday and Monday, city police chief Lt. Col. Joemen Collado said. At least six other people were reported missing in the landslides and a search was underway, he said.
Three other storm-related deaths were reported by the government’s main disaster-response agency in the southern provinces of Davao de Oro and Davao Oriental.
“In one village, a landslide occurred and other victims, unfortunately, were also swept away by the surge of water,” Collado told the DZBB radio network. “There were at least six missing but there could be more.”
Nearly 200 floods were reported in different areas in central and southern provinces over the weekend, displacing about 30,000 families, some of which were moved to emergency shelters, officials said.
Coast guard, police and firefighters rescued some villagers in flooded communities, including some who were trapped on their roofs. In central Cebu city, schools and work were suspended Monday and Mayor Michael Rama declared a state of calamity to allow the rapid release of emergency funds.
At least 20 storms and typhoons batter the Philippines each year, mostly during the rainy season that begins around June. Some storms have hit even during the scorching summer months in recent years.
The disaster-prone Southeast Asian nation also lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where many of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/flooding-landslides-kill-at-least-25-people-in-philippines/ | 2022-04-12T19:33:55 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/flooding-landslides-kill-at-least-25-people-in-philippines/ |
“Good morning! Happy morning!” Rabbi Avraham Wolff exclaimed, with a big smile, as he walked into the Chabad synagogue in Odesa on a recent morning.
Russian missiles had just struck an oil refinery in the Ukrainian city, turning the sky charcoal gray. Hundreds were lining up outside his synagogue hoping to receive a kilo of matzah each for their Passover dinner tables. The unleavened flatbread, imperative at the ritual meal known as a Seder, is now hard to find in war-torn Ukraine amid the war and a crippling food shortage.
But the rabbi wanted no challenge to get him down — be it the lack of matzah or that he was missing his wife and children who had fled the Black Sea port for Berlin days ago.
“I need to smile for my community,” Wolff said. “We need humor. We need hope.”
Tens of thousands of Ukrainian Jews have fled while about 80% remain in Ukraine, according to estimates from Chabad, one of the largest Hasidic Jewish organizations in the world. Inside and outside Ukraine, a nation steeped in Jewish history and heritage, people are preparing to celebrate Passover, which begins sundown on April 15. It’s been a challenge, to say the least.
The holiday marks the liberation of Jewish people from slavery in ancient Egypt, and their exodus under the leadership of Moses. The story is taking on special meaning for thousands of Jewish Ukrainian refugees who are living a dramatic story in real time.
Chabad, which has deep roots and a wide network in Ukraine, and other groups such as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Federations of North America, have mobilized to help Ukrainian Jews celebrate Passover wherever they have sought refuge. In Ukraine, Chabad plans 52 public Seders welcoming about 9,000 people.
In Odesa, Wolff is preparing to host two large Seders – one in early evening at the Chabad synagogue for families with young children and a later Seder at a hotel where participants can stay the night, obeying a 9 p.m. curfew.
He’s been waving in trucks loaded with Passover supplies – matzah from Israel, milk from France, meat from Britain.
“We may not all be together, but it’s going to be an unforgettable Passover,” Wolff said. “This year, we celebrate as one big Jewish family around the world.”
JDC, which has evacuated more than 11,600 Jews from Ukraine, has shipped more than 2 tons of matzah, over 400 bottles of grape juice and over 700 pounds of kosher Passover food for refugees in Poland, Moldova, Hungary and Romania, said Chen Tzuk, the organization’s director of operations in Europe, Asia and Africa. In Ukraine, their social service centers and corps of volunteers are distributing nearly 16 tons of matzah to elderly Jews and families in need, she said.
“Passover is something familiar and basic for Jewish people,” Tzuk said. “For refugees who have left everything behind, it’s important to be able celebrate this holiday with honor and dignity.”
JDC is organizing in-person Seders in countries bordering Ukraine and elsewhere in Europe, she said, and is facilitating online Seders where it’s too dangerous to gather in person.
The Jewish Federations of North America has set up a volunteer hub in support of refugees fleeing Ukraine; it’s a partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel, the JDC and IsraAID. Russian-speaking volunteers, such as Alina Spaulding, will help organize a Seder for 100 refugees at a hotel in Budapest.
Spaulding, a resident of Greensboro, North Carolina, fled Kharkiv, Ukraine, as a 5-year-old in the 1970s with her parents. She said the war has rekindled strong connections to Ukraine.
“My mom showed me a photo of me with my grandpa on a street that was recently bombed,” Spaulding said. “We talked about the university in Kharkiv where my mom and dad went, which was also hit. Suddenly, it all felt so personal.”
Spaulding believes spending Passover with refugees will be “an experience to remember.”
“Part of the magic of Passover is finding your own story,” she said. “We’re in the middle of a modern-day exodus. I can’t even imagine the stories I will hear.”
Celebrating a holiday can give people a rush of hope and happiness even in grim situations, said Rabbi Jacob Biderman, who leads Chabad activities throughout Austria, including a center in Vienna that is sheltering about 800 Ukrainian Jews. Days after refugees reached his center, Biderman led a joyous celebration of Purim, a festival commemorating the deliverance of Jews from a planned massacre in ancient Persia.
“The look on their faces changed from sorrow to joy… Their eyes lit up,” Biderman said. “It gave them a sense of normalcy, dignity and the belief that their spiritual life is something no one can take away from them.”
That fueled Biderman’s determination to provide a memorable Passover Seder for the refugees.
Dr. Yaacov Gaissinovitch, his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children – ages 11, 8 and 4 – will be part of that celebration. They fled the Ukrainian city of Dnipro by car on Friday, March 4. Gaissinovitch, a urologist and mohel who performs the Jewish rite of circumcision, said it pained him, as an observant Jew, to drive on Shabbat – a forbidden act on the day of rest and prayer except when lives are at stake.
“I drove nonstop for 12 hours to Moldova to save us all,” he said. “We sang all the Shabbat songs in the car. It was very, very hard.”
In Dnipro, Gaissinovitch had his offices in the sprawling Menorah Center, which serves as a center of Jewish life, housing a synagogue, shops, restaurants, museums and the office of the city’s chief rabbi.
After a month of being severed from everything familiar, the Chabad center in Vienna has been a blessing, Gaissinovitch said.
“We’ve been accepted here very warmly,” he said. “After being disconnected for days, the children have been able to see that our life hasn’t stopped.”
A similar community at the Chabad center in Berlin is housing about 1,000 refugees, including Rabbi Avraham Wolff’s wife and children from Odesa. The center plans to host eight Seders citywide and has distributed matzah and other food to community members. Refugees, including 120 children from an Odesa orphanage who arrived in Berlin along with Wolff’s family, distributed the items to locals, said Yehuda Teichtal, the chief rabbi of Berlin.
“To me, this is extremely touching,” he said. “That people on the receiving end are able to give and not be viewed as victims. It’s empowering and energizing.”
As they prepare for Passover, Teichtal, Biderman and Wolff said they have been inspired by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who was among the most influential global leaders in Judaism in modern times. April 5 marked the Rebbe’s 120th birth anniversary, a special number in Jewish tradition.
“The Rebbe built a strong foundation (in Ukraine) so we’re able to do what we’re doing now,” Wolff said.
Schneerson grew up in Ukraine during a challenging time in the former Soviet Union, Teichtal said.
“In spite of all the darkness, his focus was selflessness, dedication, love for all humanity and the unwavering faith that we are going to overcome,” Teichtal said.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/for-jews-fleeing-ukraine-passover-takes-on-new-meaning/ | 2022-04-12T19:34:02 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/for-jews-fleeing-ukraine-passover-takes-on-new-meaning/ |
MULHOUSE, France (AP) — Facing a tougher-than expected fight for reelection, French President Emmanuel Macron has hit the campaign trail at last — and it isn’t always proving welcoming.
But he’s not shying away from angry voters, instead engaging in lively, sometimes confrontational debates. Since he and far-right nationalist rival Marine Le Pen qualified Sunday for France’s April 24 presidential runoff, Macron has seemed eager to go in the field to explain his policies and try to convince people to hand him a second term.
On Tuesday, he was asked hard questions during a visit to the eastern city of Mulhouse.
“Why didn’t you help the poorest?”
“Why do hospitals suffer from shortages of beds and shortages of health workers?”
“How can you propose to push back retirement age from 62 to 65 when so many people are jobless?”
The 44-year-old leader appeared determined to explain his policies at length — but sometimes grew impatient when people kept contradicting him.
Before Sunday’s first round presidential vote which had 12 candidates, Macron skipped most campaign activities, focusing his time at the Elysee Presidential Palace on diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Domestic critics decried the perceived lack of debate in France’s presidential campaign.
Now the role of candidate has taken over. Macron is considered the favorite by the polls, but Le Pen appears to have significantly narrowed the gap from 2017, when he trounced her in the same presidential runoff.
On Monday, Macron went to an economically depressed region in northern France that is considered Le Pen’s stronghold. The next day, he visited the eastern cities of Mulhouse and Strasbourg, where far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who came in third Sunday, got a majority of the first-round vote.
Upon his arrival in Mulhouse, Macron literally ran toward the small crowd waiting for him. He met some supporters, but also angry, discouraged workers from a nearby public hospital who came to challenge him.
“We are exhausted,” some nurses told him. “Improve our working conditions!”
A 61-year-old health care worker said he worked for 30 years and but is earning only 1,885 euros ($2,051) a month.
“I am not thinking about myself. I am thinking of my children, my grandchildren,” he said, explaining his vote.
Macron mentioned changes his government had made amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including a small salary increase for hospital workers.
“Have your earnings been increased?” he asked.
“We don’t feel the impact of it,” the man answered.
Another health care worker asked him about hospitals “losing beds” as the pandemic is still going on.
“I know, that is the challenge we are facing,” Macron acknowledged, explaining that the issue is about a lack of trained hospital staff, a situation amplified in a region where many French seek work in neighboring Germany and Switzerland where wages are higher.
“Two years ago, I made commitments… and the salaries were increased. And 183 euros ($199) per month, you can’t say that’s nothing,” Macron insisted.
Another big obstacle repeatedly came Macron’s way: his planned pension changes. Macron wants to raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 65, which he argues is needed so France can keep financing the pensions. Le Pen says she would maintain the retirement age at 62. The issue prompted major street protests in late 2019, and Macron then had to postpone his plans amid the COVID-19 crisis.
“We must work longer,” Macron said. “It’s not true we can keep financing our social model if we don’t push back (the retirement age).”
He kept repeating that the retirement changes would be implemented very gradually through 2031 and opened the door to softening the reform, as he seeks to attract voters who chose other candidates in the first round.
Le Pen’s supporters credit her months of campaigning in France’s provinces for her strong first-round showing. But as Macron joined the fray at last, he sought to make a distinction between their campaigns, criticizing those candidates “who never go to meet opponents.”
“I’m not going to meet only people who like me,” he said.
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Follow all AP stories on the 2022 French presidential election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/frances-macron-faces-angry-voters-as-he-fights-for-2nd-term/ | 2022-04-12T19:34:09 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/frances-macron-faces-angry-voters-as-he-fights-for-2nd-term/ |
BERLIN (AP) — A German woman who allegedly abused a Yazidi slave while in Islamic State-held territory in Syria has been charged with crimes against humanity and other offenses, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
The woman, identified only as Jalda A. in keeping with German privacy laws, was arrested upon her arrival back in Germany on Oct. 7. Before her repatriation, she had been held captive by Kurdish forces since late 2017.
She was charged with membership in a foreign terrorist organization, crimes against humanity, war crimes and being an accessory to genocide, prosecutors said in a statement.
The suspect traveled in April 2014 via Turkey to Syria, according to prosecutors, where she quickly married an IS fighter and gave birth to a son the following year. When her first husband died, she married two other men in succession.
She lived with the third man in and near the Syrian city of Mayadin from September to October 2017, prosecutors said, adding that the husband kept a Yazidi woman as a slave and regularly raped her with the suspect’s knowledge.
The suspect also physically abused the woman “almost every day,” according to prosecutors. She allegedly punched and kicked the woman, pulled her hair, and slammed her head against the wall, and on one occasion hit the woman in the head with a flashlight.
In addition, prosecutors said, the suspect constantly watched the woman and repeatedly told her to pray according to Islamic custom, an act that “served the stated goal of the IS, to eradicate the Yazidi faith.”
The indictment was filed last month at the state court in Hamburg, which will have to decide whether and when to open a trial. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/german-court-charges-is-returnee-over-alleged-slave-abuse/ | 2022-04-12T19:34:16 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/german-court-charges-is-returnee-over-alleged-slave-abuse/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Western law enforcement agencies have dismantled an online marketplace used to buy and sell hacked and stolen personal data belonging to millions of people, and have charged the platform’s founder and chief administrator, officials announced Tuesday.
Authorities say the RaidForums website trafficked in hundreds of databases of sensitive data, including credit card and Social Security numbers and bank account information, that had been hacked or stolen from victims.
In addition to seizing three domains that hosted the website, officials have also arrested 21-year-old Diogo Santos Coelho of Portugal, who prosecutors say controlled and administered the platform between 2015 and this past January, when he was taken into custody in the United Kingdom. The U.S. is seeking his extradition to federal court in Alexandria, Virginia ,on charges including conspiracy, access device fraud and aggravated identify.
“The takedown of this online market for the resale of hacked or stolen data disrupts one of the major ways cybercriminals profit from the large-scale theft of sensitive personal and financial information,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., head of the Justice Department’s criminal division, said in a statement.
The site, founded in 2015, offered special access and features for members willing to pay and enabled members to earn credits through means that included posting instructions on how to commit illegal acts, officials said.
“Disruption has always been a key technique in operating against threat actors online, so targeting forums that host huge amounts of stolen data keeps criminals on their toes,” said Edvardas Šileris, head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre. “Europol will continue working with its international partners to make cybercrime harder — and riskier — to commit.”
The FBI and Justice Department and other Western law enforcement agencies, including Europol and agencies in Sweden, Portugal, Germany and the UK, were involved in the operation.
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Associated Press writer Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands contributed to this report. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/global-operation-takes-down-hackers-leaked-data-market/ | 2022-04-12T19:34:22 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/global-operation-takes-down-hackers-leaked-data-market/ |
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — An armed gang has killed more than 100 people in a remote part of northern Nigeria, survivors and local authorities said on Tuesday.
The attackers targeted four villages in the Kanam area of Plateau State, the most recent in a series of violent attacks in Nigeria’s north.
Such attacks in Nigeria’s northern region have become frequent, especially between Fulani Muslims who are mostly cattle herders and Christian communities from the Hausa and other ethnic groups who are mainly farmers.
The conflict over access to land and water has further worsened the sectarian division between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with its 206 million people deeply divided along religious lines.
In this recent attack, the assailants arrived Sunday afternoon, ransacking houses and shooting at residents, according to Alpha Sambo, a survivor and Kanam youth leader who is helping those displaced and injured.
“The people that have been killed are more than 100,” he told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Other witnesses say as many as 130 died and many have been injured and displaced.
The police and the state government confirmed the attacks but did not give details on the cause or number of casualties. Authorities in Nigeria have in the past been accused of withholding information about death tolls in such killings.
On social media, videos viewed by AP appeared to show razed houses and bodies wrapped in mats and bags in mass graves. Many were buried even before their loved ones heard of their demise, residents said.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest violence, residents said it was carried out by the herdsmen.
The assailants “were well-armed” with AK-47 rifles and machetes and arrived on dozens of motorcycles each carrying up to three men, said youth leader Sambo.
Two days after the attack, the Kanam area is still tense and calm has not been fully restored, Dayyabu Yusuf Garga, chairman of the Kanam local government authority, said.
Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong directed security forces to restore peace and order in the affected villages and vowed “to make it difficult for terrorists and other criminals to set their bases in any part of the state,” according to a government statement.
The State Security Council has adopted “far-reaching measures to strengthen all security measures,” Lalong said, but similar commitments made in the past have not succeeded in improving security in the area, say residents.
President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in 2015 on promises that he would improve Nigeria’s security and is facing growing pressure to curb the killings as he reaches the end of his second and final four-year term as the country’s leader.
The West African nation continues to grapple with security challenges in other parts of the country. A decade-long insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast by the Islamic extremist rebels of Boko Haram and violence by armed groups in the northwest have led to the deaths of thousands more.
Nigerian security forces are often outnumbered and outgunned by the armed groups in those volatile areas, say security analysts, creating a serious challenge to Nigeria’s quest for peace and stability. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/gunmen-kill-more-than-100-in-nigerias-north-say-survivors/ | 2022-04-12T19:34:29 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/gunmen-kill-more-than-100-in-nigerias-north-say-survivors/ |
PLAYA GIRON, Cuba (AP) — Every year in Cuba, millions of crabs emerge from the forest at the beginning of the spring rains and head for the waters of the Bay of Pigs, crossing streets and highways on a perilous journey to mate and reproduce.
Now underway, the migration causes concern to drivers who try to swerve in an often futile attempt not to kill the crustaceans. The crabs are a nuisance to residents but the sight of their road-crossing is a wonder for tourists and other first-time onlookers.
“They got here before us,” said Amaury Urra, a 50-year-old hiking guide who spent his entire life in this part of the Ciénega de Zapata, the largest wetland in the Caribbean, particularly picturesque for the backdrop of turquoise sea waters and the coastal cliffs. ″We’re used to this.″
“Where I live, which is in the center of the town of Girón, the crabs don’t get there as much,″ though there are plenty on the outskirts, he said.
Located about 180 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of Havana, the area was the scene of a 1961 failed invasion by Cuban exiles who signed up for a covertly CIA-funded operation to overthrow Fidel Castro.
This year, the crabs started their journey early. At the end of March, the municipal authorities issued a warning to drivers to avoid traveling in the morning and evening hours – the favorite crossing times for the crabs. Environmentalists usually demand the closure of the main road, especially at key migration times.
The passage of the red crustaceans — the species is called gecarcinus ruricola — could last until July. The largest amount of traffic occurs between April and May. Residents have to be careful: When the crabs feel threatened, they can puncture car tires with their pincers.
Official figures estimate that some 3.5 million crabs die each season on the road, many crushed by passing vehicles. They take a minute and a half to cross.
This type of crab lives and migrates in the Bahamas, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Dominica. But only here, and perhaps in another sector of the coast towards the neighboring province of Cienfuegos, does its path collide so dramatically with human traffic. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/in-cuba-crabs-embark-on-perilous-migration-to-bay-of-pigs/ | 2022-04-12T19:34:37 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/in-cuba-crabs-embark-on-perilous-migration-to-bay-of-pigs/ |
An influential U.S. group is raising doubts about routine suicide screening for children and teens even as others call for urgent attention to youth mental health.
In draft guidance posted Tuesday, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said there’s not enough evidence to recommend routinely screening kids who show no obvious signs of being suicidal. The document is open for public comment until May 9, and opposing voices are already weighing in.
Many experts agree with the group’s assessment that more research is urgently needed but argue that there’s no evidence that screening — asking kids if they’ve ever considered or attempted suicide — could cause harm.
“In the meantime, what are you going to do with this mental health crisis? You cannot turn a blind eye,’’ said psychologist Lisa Horowitz of the National Institute of Mental Health.
The task force is an independent group of doctors and other experts that creates guidelines for prevention services in primary care settings, based on an analysis of research. The group’s final recommendations often mirror its draft guidance. Insurance coverage decisions are often based on its advice.
The draft guidance pertains to screening in pediatricians’ offices and similar settings for kids up to age 18.
In 2020, suicide was the second-leading cause of death for ages 10 to 14, and the third leading cause for ages 15 to 19, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Abundant reports suggest kids’ mental health has suffered during the pandemic, with troubling numbers of suicide attempts and increases in depression, anxiety, eating disorders and other signs of distress.
“Certainly, we all share the same concern about wanting to minimize this risk for young people and to intervene effectively so that we can prevent these consequences,’’ said task force member Martha Kubik, a professor of nursing at George Mason University. But she said suicide screening in kids who aren’t obviously troubled could lead to stigma and needless anxiety.
The task force’s draft document recommends anxiety screening for ages 8 to 18, and echoes its previous advice for depression screening starting at age 12. Kubik said depression screening may catch some suicidal kids.
Suicide prevention experts say there’s a common misconception that asking kids about suicide will plant the idea in their minds. They argue that open conversations will reduce suicide stigma and let kids know parents and trusted adults care about their wellbeing.
“This report may actually set the field back,’’ said Dr. Christine Moutier of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Just last month, the foundation and the American Academy of Pediatrics backed suicide screening for ages 12 and up, and for kids aged 8 to 11 when there are concerns.
Last year, the pediatrics group and two others declared children’s health a national emergency worsened by the pandemic. And in January, the government issued updated Affordable Care Act preventive care guidelines that call for universal screening for suicide risk for ages 12 to 21.
The suicide of a 12-year-old Elkhart, Indiana, girl last month left her close-knit family reeling and wondering if they’d missed any signs. Rio Allred was a witty, bright-eyed seventh grader with a wicked laugh who loved books, sketching and video games.
They knew she was bothered by merciless bullying about her alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. She developed it during the pandemic, shaved her head and only sometimes wore wigs or a hat. The family complained to school authorities and gave Rio a choice of transferring or home-schooling, but she wanted to stay put, said her mom, Nicole Ball.
“She put on such a brave face,” Ball said. “I never thought it would get to this point.”
The family talked openly about tough subjects including suicide, and Ball says Rio had recently gone to a school counselor, worried about one of her friends self-harming.
But Ball says she thinks routine suicide screening by “somebody that’s trained, on the outside looking in,’’ might pick up things kids don’t openly share, or signs that parents overlook.
The family has launched an anti-bullying campaign, and Ball says she’s sure Rio would approve.
“I always said she would change the world,’’ she said. “I hate that it’s this way.”
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Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner: @LindseyTanner
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/influential-panel-raises-doubts-on-youth-suicide-screening/ | 2022-04-12T19:34:44 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/influential-panel-raises-doubts-on-youth-suicide-screening/ |
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday insisted negotiations over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal “are going ahead properly,” even after repeated comments by American officials that an agreement to restore the accord may not happen.
The comments by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during a meeting with hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration marking the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, offered his endorsement of their “faithful and diligent” efforts.
But restoring the deal remains in question, apparently over Iran’s demand that its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard be delisted by America as a terrorist group.
Khamenei made a point to praise the country’s foreign minister and negotiating team, something that he had grown sour on under the government of previous President Hassan Rouhani, who attended the event Tuesday night in Tehran as well.
“There is nothing wrong with criticizing and commenting on their performance, as long as it is free from suspicion and pessimism and, as I have said many times, does not weaken the elements of the field and disappoint the people,” Khamenei said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
Khamenei and other officials have referred to the Guard and its expeditionary Quds Force as “the field” in the past.
He added that the West had faced a “deadlock” since then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018.
“So far our negotiation team has resisted before the other party’s excessive demands and, God willing, (that resistance) will continue,” Khamenei said.
However, lead U.S. negotiator Rob Malley has said in recent days that a deal is “not just around the corner and is not inevitable.” That’s been repeated by other American officials since the talks in Vienna went on a “pause” a month ago.
There’s been no immediate sign of them resuming, despite Iranian media in recent days suggesting a prisoner swap could see billions of dollars in Iranian assets unfrozen in South Korea.
The U.S. State Department on Tuesday said no deals had been reached on either a prisoner swap or on the nuclear accord.
“Any reports otherwise, including reports that Iranian funds held in restricted accounts in third countries will be transferred, are false,” the State Department said. “Our partners have not released these restricted funds to Iran, nor has the United States authorized or approved any such transfer of restricted funds to Iran.”
The 2015 nuclear deal saw Iran put advanced centrifuges into storage under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency, while keeping its enrichment at 3.67% purity and its stockpile at only 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of uranium.
As of Feb. 19, the IAEA says Iran’s stockpile of all enriched uranium was nearly 3,200 kilograms (7,055 pounds). Some has been enriched up to 60% purity — a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Meanwhile, Iran has stopped the IAEA from accessing its surveillance camera footage.
That has worried nuclear nonproliferation experts. While Iran insists its program is peaceful, the IAEA and Western governments say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until the end of 2003.
But having Iran able to sell its crude oil and natural gas on the global market could also push down energy prices. Americans have been paying some of the highest-ever prices at the pump for gasoline, fueled by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Khamenei also praised Palestinians for attacks against Israelis that killed and wounded several people in recent days.
“These moves showed that Palestine is alive despite efforts by the U.S. and its followers and through the current moves the final victory will be with the Palestinian people,” he said.
Iran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israeli militant groups like the Palestinian group Hamas and Lebanon’s Shiite militia group Hezbollah.
In Yemen, where Iran supports the Houthi rebels against Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, Khamenei urged the kingdom to bring an end to the war. A temporary truce is ongoing there amid Ramadan.
“Why do you continue a war when you do not have the possibility of victory in it?” Khamenei asked. “Find a way and pull yourself out of the trouble.”
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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/iran-supreme-leader-optimistic-though-nuclear-talks-stalled/ | 2022-04-12T19:34:51 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/iran-supreme-leader-optimistic-though-nuclear-talks-stalled/ |
BUCHA, Ukraine (AP) — The coffin was made from pieces of a closet. In a darkened basement under a building shaking from the bombardment of war, there were few other options.
Six-year-old Vlad watched as his mother was carried out of the shelter last month and to the yard of a nearby home. The burial was hurried and devastating.
Now Russian forces have withdrawn from Bucha after a monthlong occupation, and Vlad’s father, Ivan Drahun, dropped to his knees at the foot of the grave.
He reached out and touched the dirt near his wife Maryna’s feet. “Hi, how are you?” he said during the visit last week. “I miss you so much. You left so soon. You didn’t even say goodbye.”
The boy also visits the grave, placing on it a juice box and two cans of baked beans. Amid the stress of war, his mother barely ate. The family still doesn’t know what illness caused her death. They, much like their town, barely know how to move on.
Bucha witnessed some of the ghastliest scenes of Russia’s invasion, and almost no children have been seen in its silent streets since then. The many bright playgrounds in the once popular community with good schools on a far edge of the capital, Kyiv, are empty.
The Russians used a children’s camp in Bucha as an execution ground, and bloodstains and bullet holes mark a basement. On a ledge near the camp entrance, Russian soldiers placed a toy tank. It appeared to be connected to fishing wire — a possible booby trap in the most vulnerable of places.
Steps away from Vlad’s home, some of the Russians used a kindergarten as a base, leaving it intact while other nearby buildings suffered. Casings of used artillery shells were left along a fence in the yard. In a nearby playground, white and red tape marked off unexploded ordnance. The booms of de-mining operations were so strong they set off car alarms.
At the apartment block where Vlad, his older brother Vova and sister Sophia live, someone had spray-painted “CHILDREN” in child-high letters on an outside wall. Under it, a wooden box once used for ammunition held a teddy bear and other toys.
It is here that Bucha’s fragile renewal can be seen.
A small group of neighborhood children gathered, finding distraction from the war. Bundled up in winter coats, they kicked a football, wandered around with bags of snacks handed out by visiting volunteers, called out from a glass-less window above.
Their parents, taking in the feeble warmth of spring after weeks in freezing basements, reflected on how they tried to protect the children. “We covered his ears,” said Polina Shymanska of her 7-year-old great-grandson Nikita. “We hugged him, kissed him.” She tried to play chess and the boy let her win.
Upstairs, in a neighbor’s apartment where Vlad’s father for now has merged his family with that of the neighbor to help manage their collection of children, Vlad curled up on a bed with another boy and played cards. The radiator gave off no heat. There was still no gas, no electricity, no running water.
Not everyone in Vlad’s family can stand to return to their own apartment nearby. The memories of Maryna are everywhere, from the perfume bottles on the table by the front door to the quiet kitchen.
In the living room, time has stopped. Limp balloons dangled from the overhead light. A string of colorful flags still hung on the wall, along with a family photo. It showed Ivan and Maryna holding Vlad on the day he was born. They celebrated his birthday on Feb. 19.
Five days later, the war began. And the family’s life shrank to a dank concrete half-room in the basement, lined with blankets and scattered with sweets and toys. It was very, very cold, Ivan remembers. He and Maryna did what they could to muffle the sounds of shelling for Vlad and keep him calm. But they were afraid, too.
Two weeks ago, Ivan took Vlad to the makeshift toilet in the shelter and visited neighbors. Then he came to Maryna to tell her that he was going outside. “I touched her shoulder, and she was cold,” he said. “I realized she was gone.”
At first, he said, Vlad appeared not to understand what had happened. The boy said his mother had moved away. But at the burial, the boy watched Ivan kneel and cry, and now he knows what death is.
Death is inseparable from Bucha. Local authorities told The Associated Press that at least 16 children were among the hundreds of people killed. Those who survived face a long recovery.
“They’ve realized that now it’s calm and quiet,” Ivan said. “But at the same time, older children understand that it’s not the end. The war is not finished. And it’s hard to explain for the smaller ones that war is still going on.”
The children are adapting, he said. They have seen a lot. Some even saw dogs killed.
Now the war has slipped into the games they play.
In a sandbox outside the kindergarten, Vlad and a friend “bombed” each other with fistfuls of sand.
“I’m Ukraine,” one said. “No, I’m Ukraine,” said the other.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/its-not-the-end-the-children-who-survived-buchas-horror/ | 2022-04-12T19:34:59 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/its-not-the-end-the-children-who-survived-buchas-horror/ |