Friday, March 11, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Russian Bombardments Continue

NY Post 3/11/22

HUGE RUSSIAN CONVOY OUTSIDE KYIV APPEARS TO DISPERSE: The huge, 40-mile Russian convoy of vehicles, tanks and artillery that was stalled since last week outside Ukraine's capital of Kyiv appears to have dispersed, with satellite images showing that it fanned out into nearby towns and forests, with artillery moved into firing positions. As they braced for an attack, Kyiv's mayor said the city had become practically a fortress protected by armed civilians.

Russian forces continued their relentless bombardment of Mariupol, and Ukrainian authorities said repeated attempts to send in desperately-needed food and medicine had been prevented by Russian shelling. The attacks continued amid international condemnation and war crime accusations for the airstrike a day earlier on a maternity hospital in Mariupol in which three people were killed, including one child, and 17 wounded, including pregnant women. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian refusal to allow evacuations from Mariupol was, quote, "outright terror," while also saying 100,000 people have been evacuated during the previous two days from seven cities under Russian blockade, including the Kyiv suburbs. The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine has now passed 2.3 million.


In other developments:

Revoking Russia's 'Most Favored Nation' Status: President Biden will announce today that the U.S., the European Union, and the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations would move to revoke Russia’s "most favored nation" trade status, according to reports. This would allow tariffs to be imposed on Russian imports and increase the isolation of the Russian economy.

Congress Approves $13.6 Billion Ukraine Aid: The Senate gave final congressional approval yesterday to a $13.6 billion emergency package of military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and its European allies, one day after it passed in the House. About half of the money is for arming and equipping Ukraine and the Pentagon’s costs for sending U.S. troops to nervous Eastern European nations in NATO. Most of the rest is for humanitarian and economic aid, strengthening regional allies' defenses, and protecting their energy supplies and cybersecurity needs.

➤U.S. SAYS NORTH KOREA HAS BEEN TESTING NEW ICBM: The administration said yesterday that North Korea was test firing a new long-range ICBM in two missile launches in recent weeks, and that a full-range test could come soon. The missile being tested is reportedly larger than the one North Korea launched in 2017 that was judged to be able to reach the U.S. North Korea has claimed the recent launches were to test cameras to be installed in a spy satellite. U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from firing ICBMs, and the the U.S. will announce a new round of sanctions today.

➤U.S. KEEPS MASK MANDATE FOR TRAVEL FOR ANOTHER MONTH: Federal officials said yesterday that they are extending the mask mandate for travel on planes and public transportation for another month, running through mid-April. It had been scheduled to expire on March 18th. The Transportation Security Administration said the month will give the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention time to develop new, more targeted policies, signaling it may be lifted after April 18th. The federal mask mandate was imposed in January 2021, days after President Biden took office, but the airlines had begun requiring them in mid-2020.

NY Post 3/11/22


💵INFLATION UP 7.9 PERCENT OVER LAST YEAR, NEW 40-YEAR RECORD: Inflation increased to 7.9 percent over the past year, according to Labor Department data out Thursday, the biggest jump since 1982. The increase reflected the 12 months ending in February, and while it was driven by costs for gas, food and housing, it didn't include the further gas price hikes since Russia invaded Ukraine. The war has worsened price increases, but even before that, inflation was being driven by strong consumer spending, good pay raises, and persistent supply shortages.


 🚘AAA SAYS GAS PRICES—NOW AVERAGING $4.32—WILL BRING CHANGES TO DRIVING HABITS, LIFESTYLE:  It’s no secret that gas prices are climbing fast. The AAA says in a recent survey, 59 percent of U.S. drivers said they would make changes if the average cost of gas rose above $4 per gallon, and about three-quarters said they would do so if it rose to over $5. Yesterday AAA reported the national average for a gallon of gasoline was $4.32, up from $4.17 earlier this week. The company says the impact on drivers varies by age, as 18-to-34-year-olds are almost three times as likely to consider carpooling than those over age 35. And drivers over age 35 are more likely to combine trips and errands and cut down shopping and dining out due to the higher gas prices. Still, AAA says it doesn’t expect the higher prices to have a significant impact on summer travel in the coming months, as a recent survey found 52 percent of Americans said they have summer vacation plans, and 42 percent said they wouldn’t change those plans regardless of the price of gas.

Daily Mail 3/11/22

➤JUSSIE SMOLLETT SENTENCED TO 150 DAYS IN HATE CRIME HOAX CASE: Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail in his hate crime hoax case. According to TMZ, the former Empire star was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and spend 30 months on felony probation after being found guilty on five counts of felony disorder conduct for making false reports to the Chicago police.


Smollett alleged that he was the target of an anti-gay and anti-black hate crime, which a judge has deemed as false.

Judge James Linn called Jussie arrogant, selfish and narcissistic while making the judgement, and stated that Jussie faked the attack because he wanted attention. She explained, “You picked out the actors…They idolized you. You paid them in advance. You chose the date. You chose the time. You chose a location.” Jussie maintained his innocence by responding, “Your honor, I respect you and I respect the jury, but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.”


➤POLL...AMERICAN ARE VERY, VERY STRESSED:  After two years of a pandemic, high inflation, and now Russia's invasion of Ukraine, bringing horrible scenes of devastation and raising nuclear war fears, it's not a surprise that Americans are stressed. But the American Psychological Association's "Stress in America" poll out yesterday found unprecedented levels of stress. It found 87 percent cited the costs of everyday items, like groceries and gas as a "significant sources of stress," and 84 percent said the invasion of Ukraine is, quote, "terrifying to watch." The same percentage said their mental health was greatly affected by a, quote, "constant stream of crises without a break over the last two years." Clinical psychologist Lynn Bufka called the shared feeling of stress among Americans "startling," saying, "We don't usually see 80 percent of people telling us that a particular stressor is stressful for that many individuals." Specifically related to Russia, 80 percent said they were concerned about potential retaliation from Russia, either through cyberattacks or nuclear threats, and 69 percent said they feared they were witnessing the beginning stages of what could be World War Three.


⌚EXPERTS URGE CONGRESS TO SWITCH COUNTRY TO DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME PERMANENTLY: Most Americans will be switching their clocks forward one hour on Sunday, and members of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee and a variety of experts say it’s time for the country to stop switching times. Law professor Steve Callandrillo testified before the House Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee and said that while saving energy “was the original justification for daylight saving time, it’s no longer as strong as it used to be, but it still does save energy.” The amount of energy being saved is relatively small, a 2008 study found “the total electricity savings of extended daylight saving time was about 1.3 terawatt-hour. That corresponds to…0.03% of electricity consumption over the year.” Another argument for ending the time switching was the harm it has on physical and mental health. Lawmakers touted choosing daylight saving time as the permanent time, pointing out the economic benefits of having the extra hour of sunlight in the afternoon or early evening. Lawmakers from both parties have introduced bills in the House related to time changes. Two bills would make daylight saving time permanent, and two others would give states the option to observe it year-round.

⚾MLB LOCKOUT OVER AS OWNERS AND PLAYERS REACH LABOR DEAL: MLB's 99-day lockout ended yesterday as the owners and players agreed on a new labor deal. Spring training camps will open today, with players required to report by Sunday. Even though MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred had earlier announced the cancellation of each team's first four series of games, there will be a full 162-game season after all, with Opening Day pushed back just one week to April 7th, and the regular season extended by three days to October 5th. About three games per team will be made up as part of doubleheaders. Besides the economic issues that were resolved, there was also agreement on some changes to the game, including the designated hitter being expanded to the National League and the post-season increased from 10 teams to 12. Baseball will also now have an amateur draft lottery.


🏀LOUD BOOS FOR SIMMONS IN RETURN TO PHILLY AS NETS HAMMER 76ERS 129-100: Boos rained down on Ben Simmons as he made his return to Philadelphia last night (March 10th) for the first time since requesting a trade over the summer, but his Brooklyn Nets weren't fazed, blowing out the 76ers 129-100. Simmons didn't actually play because he's dealing with a back issue, but he heard the boos and jeers as he sat on the bench cheering on his teammates.

🏈BEARS FINALIZING TRADE OF MACK TO CHARGERS: The Chicago Bears are finalizing a trade of six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Khalil Mack to the L.A. Chargers, according to media reports Thursday. The Chargers are expected to send a 2022 second-round draft pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick in return. The 31-year-old Mack is going into his ninth NFL season, having been with the Bears for the last four seasons, and the Raiders for the four years before that. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2016.

🏀GRINER'S HIGH SCHOOL COACH DOESN'T BELIEVE RUSSIAN CHARGES: Brittney Griner's high school coach, Debbie Jackson, says she doesn't believe the charges that Russia claims led them detain the WNBA star, who's been held since February 17th. The Phoenix Mercury center had been playing in Russia in the off-season, and when she went to the airport in Moscow, officials said they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. Jackson told the New York Times, "It’s just hard to believe that Brittney, or any professional athlete that knows the laws of that country and the cultural differences and norms and just the completely different political system, would even think about putting in their carry-on bag something that was a banned substance in that country." There's been little word from Russia on Griner's case amid the sky-high tensions over its invasion of Ukraine.




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