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Friday, March 18, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Leaders Want Probe Of Repeated Civilian Targets

Daily Mail graphic 3/18/22

World leaders are calling for an investigation of Russia's repeated attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, including schools, hospitals and residential areas. The U.N. political chief, Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo, is among them, saying many of the daily attacks against Ukrainian cities are, quote, "reportedly indiscriminate." She also reminded the U.N. Security Council yesterday that international humanitarian law bans direct attacks on civilians. One day after President Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal" in a remark to a reporter, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said U.S. officials were evaluating potential war crimes by Russia, and if the intentional targeting of civilians is confirmed, there will be, quote, "massive consequences."

 
In one of the many places that civilians had sought shelter that was targeted with an attack, rescue workers were looking for survivors yesterday in the rubble of what had been a theater in the besieged city of Mariupol where hundreds of people had been sheltering. There were conflicting reports of of whether anyone had been rescued after the Wednesday airstrike, with some reports that the bomb shelter under the theater had held. In the city of Merefa, at least 21 people were killed when a school and community center were destroyed by Russian artillery. Both locations were hit in what AP described as a "furious bombardment of civilian sites in multiple cities over the past few days." World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said WHO had verfied 43 attacks on hospitals and health facilities in Ukraine.

 
U.S. Man Killed: An American man, Jim Hill of Diggs, Idaho, was killed Wednesday in a Russian attack in the city of Chernihiv, his sister reported yesterday. Cheryl Hill Gordon wrote on Facebook, "My brother Jimmy Hill was killed yesterday in Chernihiv, Ukraine. He was waiting in a bread line with several other people when they were gunned down by Russian military snippers. His body was found in the street by the local police." Hill had posted on Facebook in the weeks since the attack began about the bombings in Chernihiv, which he called "indiscriminate." He identified himself as a lecturer at universities in Ukraine's capital of Kyiv and Warsaw in Poland, and said he was in Chernihiv with his partner for her to receive medical treatment.


➤BIDEN SPEAKING TO CHINESE LEADER XI TODAY, FOCUS ON WAR IN UKRAINE: President Biden and China's leader Xi Jinping are scheduled to speak to each today, with the focus of the call to be Russia's war in Ukraine. The U.S. has warned China that giving military or economic aid to Russia to help in its invasion would lead to severe consequences. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would ask Xi about China's, quote, "rhetorical support" of Russian President Vladimir Putin and its, quote, "absence of denunciation" of the invasion," stating, "This is an opportunity to assess where President Xi stands." The U.S. told allies earlier this week that intelligence had determined China had signaled to Russia that it would be willing to provide both military support for the campaign in Ukraine and financial assistance to help deal with the crippling sanctions imposed by the West.
➤NTSB SAYS 13-YEAR-OLD WAS DRIVING PICKUP THAT CAUSED CRASH THAT KILLED NINE: The National Transportation Safety Board revealed Thursday that a 13-year-old boy was driving the pickup truck that crossed into the opposite lane and hit a van in a head-on collision in west Texas earlier this week, killing nine people, including six members of a college golf team and their coach. The still-unidentified teenager and a man in the truck with him also died. The minimum age in Texas for a learner's permit to drive with an instructor or licensed adult in the car is 15. The golf teams were from the University of the Southwest in New Mexico, and were returning from a tournament. Two students were hospitalized in critical condition.
This is the second tragedy to befall the family recently. Before Christmas 2021, the boy burned the family house to the ground after he left the stove unattended while cooking some eggs, according to a family friend.

➤MODERNA ASKS FDA TO AUTHORIZE FOURTH COVID VACCINE SHOT FOR ALL ADULTS: Moderna yesterday asked the Food and Drug Adminstration to authorize a fourth shot of its Covid-19 vaccine for all adults. Their request came after Pfizer earlier this week also asked regulators for approval for a fourth shot of its vaccine, but only for seniors over age 65. Moderna said it asked for approval for all adults to, quote, "provide flexibility" to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical providers to determine the appropriate use of a second booster.

➤FBI SAYS HAS SIX SUSPECTS IN BOMB THREATS TO HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES, UNIVERSITIES: The FBI says it has identified six suspects who they believe are responsible for dozens of bomb threats that have been made against historically Black colleges and universities in recent weeks, most of them during Black History Month in February. All six suspects in the threats, which are being investigated as racially-motivated hate crimes, are juveniles. No bombs or explosives have been found in connection with any of the threats.
 
➤CBS POLL..MORE THAN TWO-THIRDS SAY COVIS DIVIDED THE COUNTRY:  A lot of times adversity will bring people together, but more than two-thirds of Americans say that wasn't the case over the past two years of the pandemic. 

In a new CBS News/YouGov poll, 68 percent of Americans said Covid divided the country, with just 14 percent saying it made us more united and 18 percent saying it didn't change. When those who said it divided the country were asked how it did, 78 percent said between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, 75 percent said over mandates and health policies, 71 percent said along political lines, and 70 percent said over different levels of trust in information.
 

➤TOBACCO USE DECLINED AMONG U.S. ADULTS IN 2020, CDC REPORTS:  Americans have really cut down on their tobacco use. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data yesterday that shows the percentage of adults who used tobacco products nationally, including traditional cigarettes and vaping devices, fell from 21 percent to 19 percent, the lowest level since the mid-1960s. Still, an estimated 47.1 million adults nationally used tobacco products in 2020. Thomas Carr, with the American Lung Association, says, “This is definitely positive news as these numbers are continuing a downward trend in tobacco use we’ve seen in the past few years. That said, tobacco use is a big cause of lung disease, so the problem isn’t solved.”

➤PETE DAVIDSON NOT GOING TO SPACE ON BEZOS' ROCKET AFTER ALL: Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson won't be traveling to space on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' rocket after all. Davidson is no longer able to make the flight, which has been delayed for nearly a week, Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, announced last night. The company had just announced earlier this week that Davidson would be one of six passengers on the next 10-minute flight, which had been scheduled for next Wednesday, but has now been moved back to March 29th.

➤AMAZON CLOSES ACQUISITION OF MGM AFTER REGULATORS SIGN-OFF: Amazon said Thursday that it had closed its acquisition of Hollywood studio MGM, the word coming two days after European regulators signed off on the deal, saying it wouldn't significantly reduce competition in European markets. The $8.5 billion acquisition announced in May is aimed at boosting Amazon’s streaming services to compete against Netflix and Disney+. Amazon plans to draw on MGM's vast library to create new movies and shows.

🚘THESE ARE THE CARS MOST COMMONLY OWNED BY PEOPLE WITH DUIs:  Insurance comparison website Insurify has rounded up a list of the top ten cars people with DUIs drive. Insurify pulled its numbers from their database of about 1.6 million car insurance applications. They write on their website, “For each model, the share of drivers with a prior DUI violation was compared against the total population of motorists that owned that model.” They say about 1.78 percent of all car owners have a prior DUI violation, and seven of the top ten vehicles on their list were pickup trucks. The list: 10) Ford Contour (2.92%), 9) Dodge Dakota (2.94%), 8) GMC Sierra (3.01%), 7) Chevrolet Silverado (3.02%), 6) Toyota Tacoma (3.08%), 5) GMC Sonoma (3.09%), 4) Audi A4 (3.28%), 3) Chevrolet S-Series Trucks (3.47%), 2) Subaru WRX (4.1%), and 1) Dodge Ram 2500 (4.95%).

🏀SAINT PETER'S OUSTS KENTUCKY IN STUNNER IN BIGGEST MARCH MADNESS DAY 1 UPSET: Fifteenth-seeded Saint Peter's took down second seed Kentucky Thursday with a 85-79 overtime victory, in the biggest upset as the men's NCAA basketball tournament got underway with 16 first round games. Saint Peter's became just the 10th Number 15 team to win a first-round game since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. In other upsets yesterday, Number 12 Richmond beat Number 5 Iowa 67-63, Number 12 New Mexico State topped Number 5 UConn 70-63, and Number 11 Michigan downed Number 6 Colorado State 75-63. The other 16 first round games are today.

🏀LONGWOOD, MISSOURI STATE WIN LAST TWO WOMEN'S 'FIRST FOUR' MARCH MADNESS GAMES: Longwood and Missouri State won the second two of the "First Four" play-in games Thursday in the women's NCAA basketball touranment. Longwood beat Mount St. Mary's 74-70, and Missouri State defeated Florida State 61-50. The first round begins today.

🏀GRINER'S DETENTION BY RUSSIA EXTENDED TO MAY: WNBA star Brittney Griner's detention by Russia has been extended until at least May 19th, Russian media reported yesterday. The 31-year-old Griner, who'd been playing in the off-season in Russia, was detained at a Moscow airport in mid-February after authorities said vape cartridges contained cannabis oil were found in her luggage. Meanwhile, ESPN reported that U.S. consular officials have not been given access to Griner, and that the State Department insisted that the, quote, "Russian government provide consular access to all U.S. citizen detainees in Russia, including this in pre-trial detention" like Griner.


🏀WARRIORS' CURRY HAS SPRAINED LIGAMENT IN FOOT: Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has a sprained ligament in his left foot and is out indefinitely, The Athletic reported yesterday. Curry was injured in Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics. ESPN reported that Golden State is hoping he will be able to play by the start of the playoffs.

🏈PACKERS TRADING DAVANTE ADAMS TO RAIDERS: The Green Bay Packers are trading All-Pro receiver Davante Adams to the Los Vegas Raiders, according to media reports yesterday (March 17th). AP cited a source as saying the Raiders are sending the Number 22 overall pick in the April draft and additional compensation to the Packers in return. NFL Network reported that Adams has agreed to a five-year, $141.25 million deal with the Raiders, the richest ever for a wide receiver.

🏊LIA THOMAS FIRST TRANSGENDER WOMAN TO WIN NCAA SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIP: University of Pennsylania swimmer Lia Thomas won the 500-meter freestyle yesterday at the NCAA women's swimming and diving championships to become the first transgender woman to win an NCAA swimming title. Thomas entered the event as the top seed, and won with a season-best time of four minutes and 33.24 seconds. Virginia's Emma Weyant was second at four minutes at 34.99 seconds. Thomas is also the top seed in the 200-meter freestyle and the 10th seed in the 100-meter freestyle. Thomas, who formerly competed as a male swimmer for Penn State, has followed NCAA and Ivy League rules since she began her transition in 2019 by starting hormone replacement therapy.



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