Thursday, March 3, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Ukraine Refugees Top One Million

Daily Mail Graphic 3/3/22

RUSSIA POUNDS KHARKIV, CLAIMS TO HAVE TAKEN KHERSON: Russian forces continued to pound Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city Wednesday, while also having encircled Mariupol, a large city on the Azov Sea, and claiming to have taken Kherson, another port city, which would be the first major urban center its taken. However, Ukraine disputed that, saying Kherson remained in Ukrainian hands. AP cited a senior U.S. defense official as saying that a 40-mile military convoy that had been closing in on the capital city, Kyiv, appears to be stalled about 16 miles away, and has been dealing with fuel and food shortages.

Meanwhile, the number of refugees fleeing Ukraine has risen to more than one million people, according to the United Nations' refugee agency, about two percent of the country's population that has fled in less than a week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy released a video address to his country early Thursday praising their resistance, saying, "We are a people who in a week have destroyed the plans of the enemy. They will have no peace here. They will have no food. They will have here not one quiet moment." He also called Russian soldiers "confused children who have been used."

Russia released casualty numbers for the first time, saying nearly 500 of its troops had been killed and almost 1,600 wounded. Ukraine hasn't disclosed its troop losses, but claimed more than 2,000 civilians have died.




In other developments:

House Resolution: The House passed a near-unanimous resolution in support of Ukraine yesterday in a 426-3 vote, with only Republican Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Matt Rosendale of Montana voting against it. The resolution says the House, quote, "stands steadfastly, staunchly, proudly and fervently behind the Ukrainian people in their fight against the authoritarian Putin regime." It also calls for an immediate cease-fire and the removal of Russian forces, pledges U.S. suport for the Ukrainian resistance, and vows to provide more aid and humanitarian relief for refugees. Congress is working on a supplemental funding package of at least $6.4 billion of military and humanitarian aid.

Targeting Oligarchs: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said yesterday that the U.S. and its allies plan to go after Russian oligarchs, saying, "We have made it a priority to go after oligarchs or Russian elites who are key to President [Vladimir] Putin’s corrupt power," and that they will, quote, "uncover, freeze and seize their wealth around the world." Yellen made her remarks the day after President Biden spoke about those plans in his State of the Union address.

 
Report: China Asked Russia to Wait Until After Olympics: A Western intelligence report indicated that in early February, Chinese officials requested that Russia wait until after the Beijing Olympics were over before launching the invasion of Ukraine, the New York Times first reported yesterday. CNN reported that U.S. officials broadly view the report as credible, but its particulars are open to interpretation. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said, "The claims mentioned in the relevant reports are speculations without any basis, and are intended to blame-shift and smear China."


➤JAN. 6TH HOUSE COMMITTEE SAYS EVIDENCE SUGGESTS TRUMP MAY HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES: The House committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol said for the first time yesterday that its evidence suggests former President Donald Trump and his associates may have committed crimes in their attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The committee said in a court filing that Trump and his associates engaged in a, quote, "criminal conspiracy" to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s electoral college victory. The panel said they spread false information about the outcome of the election and pressured state officials to overturn the results, potentially violating multiple federal laws, stating, "The Select Committee also has a good-faith basis for concluding that the President and members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States." The court filing was made in response to a lawsuit John Eastman, a lawyer who was consulting with Trump as he tried to overturn the election. Eastman is trying to withhold documents from the committee, and the brief filed yesterday was meant to challenge his attorney-client privilege claims.

➤ALABAMA MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SEDITIOUS CONSPIRACY IN JAN. 6TH ATTACK: A 34-year-old Alabama man affiliated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia pled guilty Wednesday to seditious conspiracy for his actions leading up to and during the January 6th attack. Joshua A. James is the first person in the attack on the U.S. Capitol to be convicted of the rarely-used charge. James admitted getting into a physical altercation with a police officer inside the Capitol and taking part in a plan to use force to hinder or delay the presidential transfer of power. He also agreed to cooperate with authorities investigating the attack. James, who also pled guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding, faces some seven to nine years in prison, according to sentencing guidlines.

➤JACKSON'S SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATION HEARINGS TO BEGIN MARCH 21ST: Senate Democrats announced Wednesday that the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson will begin on March 21st. The goal is to have President Biden's nominee to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, who would be the first Black woman on the nation's highest court, confirmed in April. That news came as Jackson began the traditional private meeetings with senators yesterday, including with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

➤PAT SAJAK CALLS OUT SOCIAL MEDIA MOCKING OF 'WHEEL' CONTESTANTS OVER PUZZLE: It can sometimes seem that people on social media like nothing better than mocking others, and Wheel of Fortune Pat Sajak called it out Wednesday when it came to three contestants on the previous night's show who'd had a very difficult time with the seemingly easy solution to one of the puzzles. 


In the clip that went viral, the contestants struggled to solve the phrase, "another feather in your cap," with the problem being the last word, "cap." Among those who'd mockingly shared it, HuffPost's Phil Lewis tweeted, "I have never wanted to scream this loudly in my life." But Sajak urged some compassion and kindness, tweeting, in part, "Imagine you're on national TV, and you're suddenly thrown a curve and you begin getting worried about looking stupid." He said you can start, quote, flailing away looking for alternatives," and that it can happen to "very bright people." Sajak said the contestants don't deserve to be subject to ridicule, writing, "cut them slack" and "have a little heart."

➤ADMIN. CONDEMNS TEXAS EFFORT TO INVESTIGATE PARENTS OF TRANSGENDER KIDS GETTING MEDICAL TREATMENT: The administration yesterday condemned a Texas effort to investigate the parents of transgender children who are getting gender-affirming medical treatment. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott directed the state's youth protection agency last month to investigate such cases as potential child abuse. President Biden in a statement yesterday evening said, "This is government overreach at its worst," and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra urged families to contact the department's civil rights office if they became the target of an investigation. He also issued guidance saying restrictions on gender-affirming care would likely violate federal law, stating, "HHS will take immediate action if needed." The statements came hours after a Texas judge temporarily blocked the investigation of the family of a 16-year-old transgender girl.

➤SEVERAL STATES LAUNCH PROBES OF TIKTOK'S EFFECTS ON CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH: The attorneys general of several states have launched an investigation of TikTok and its potential harmful effects on children's health, it was announced yesterday. The video platform, which has some one billion monthly users, is particularly popular with teens and younger children, and some lawmakers and federal regulators have criticized TikTok over its practices and algorithm-driven promotion of content they say can endanger the physical and mental health of young users, such as promoting eating disorders and even self-harm and suicide. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the probe wants to determine if TikTok is violating the law in promoting its platform to young people. TikTok notes that some features, like direct messaging, aren't available for young users, and says it has tools like screen-time management to help kids and their parents manage how long they're on the platform and what they see.

➤EXPERTS WARN THAT YOUNG PEOPLE WHO TURN TO INFLUENCERS FOR ‘VALIDATION’ AND REASSURANCE GET LESS RESILIENT IN THE FACE OF REAL-WORLD CONFLICT:  Older generations had to write into newspaper columnists to get advice, but members of Gen Z are apparently turning to TikTok for all types of advice now. One very popular TikToker who goes by Tinx doles out advice on everything from dating to weight loss, and her videos have been “liked” over 80 million times. Therapist Carolina Plumer says that members of Gen Z may be more open about their emotions than older generations, but they may still shy away from opening up to their real-life friends about them. She adds that young people may feel validated by having high-profile influencers giving their problems attention, and may get instant gratification from using their phone, as opposed to going to a real therapist. In addition, she says these influencers “recognize and validate” the emotions of young people, and that, “Thankfully, today’s young people are also growing up in a world that is slowly starting to encourage us to recognize and validate our emotions, and deal with them in a healthy way.” Still, she warns that “[…] it’s vital we educate today’s young people on both the advantages and dangers of ‘living’ online.”

⚾THREE-TIME MVP TROUT CRITICAL OF MLB AFTER GAMES CANCELED: Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout publicly criticized MLB on Wednesday, one day after Commissioner Rob Manfred announced he was canceling Opening Day and each team's first two series following the collapse of labor talks. The three-time AL MVP, who's arguably the best player in baseball, posted on social media, "I want to play, I love our game, but I know we need to get this [collective bargaining agreement] right. Instead of bargaining in good faith, MLB locked us out. Instead of negotiating a fair deal, Rob canceled games." There is currently no date set to resume negotiations.


➤RUSSIAN, BELARUSIAN ATHLETES BARRED FROM PARALYMPICS IN REVERSAL: The International Paralympic Committee (IPIC) said Thursday that Russian and Belarusian athletes had been banned from the Beijing Winter Paralympic Games because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Belarus' assistance. The reversal came less than 24 hours after the IPC said the two countries' athletes would be allowed to compete, but as neutral athletes without colors, flags or national symbols. The IPC had received strong pushback over that decision, and said many athletes would have refused to compete against Russian or Belarusian athletes. The Paralympic Games open Friday.

➤MAN EX-UFC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP VELASQUEZ ACCUSED OF SHOOTING CHARGED WITH MOLESTING RELATIVE: The man that former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was arrested Tuesday for allegedly shooting at was recently charged with molesting a relative of Velasquez who's a minor, according to court documents, The Denver Post reported. Velasquez was charged with attempted murder in the shooting, in which the victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Velasquez’s relative last week reported being molested by a man at a home daycare. The accused man, Harry Eugene Goularte, lives at the home where his mother runs a daycare. Velasquez allegedly fired at a car Goularte was in with his stepfather and one other person. The person wounded was reportedly the stepfather.

🏌TIGER WOODS WINS $8 MILLION 'PLAYER IMPACT PROGRAM' PRIZE: The PGA Tour told players yesterday (March 2nd) that Tiger Woods was the winner of the $8 million prize in the new "Player Impact Program" that rewards those who generate the most positive interest in golf. Woods beat out Phil Mickelson, who got $6 million. The winner is measured based on five metrics: internet searches; unique news articles that include the player’s name; TV sponsor exposure; awareness; and social media engagement. Woods hasn't played in a PGA Tour event since the Masters in November 2020, having shattered his right leg in a February 2021 car accident. He hasn't indicated when or if he'll be able to play again.




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