Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Russia Warns Ukraine of Provoking WW3


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Monday that Ukraine risks provoking World War Three, and said the threat of nuclear conflict, quote, "should not be underestimated." Lavrov said in a Russian TV interview, "Everyone is reciting incantations that in no case can we allow World War Three," and accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the war. He charged that NATO is, quote, "pouring oil on the fire" by providing weapons to Ukraine. He aso blamed Ukraine for stalled talks between the two countries, and accused the U.S. and Britain of pressuring Kyiv not to reach an agreement.

Lavrov's remarks came after the U.S. indicated its aim is not only to help Ukraine, but to weaken Russia’s military badly enough to prevent it from carrying out military aggression anywhere. CNN said that aim was delivered most clearly early Monday when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters after he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv that, quote, "we want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine."

Meanwhile, officials in Mariupol said yesterday that a new mass grave has been identified some six miles north of the devastated port city. Mayor Vadym Boychenko said authorities are trying to estimate the number of victims in the grave.


WHITE HOUSE WARNS OF U.S. MISSING OUT ON COVID TREATMENTS WITHOUT FUNDING: The White House is warning that the U.S. could miss out on early access to the next generation of Covid-19 treatments and more vaccine booster doses if Congress doesn't act on getting funding passed. Because of virus funding having stalled in Congress, the federal government has already had to curtail free Covid treatment for the uninsured and to ration monoclonal antibody supplies. Now there is growing alarm by administration officials that we'll miss out on securing orders of vaccine booster doses and new antiviral pills because the funding issue doesn't allow us to commit to buying them. Meanwhile, other countries like Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Hong Kong have all already placed orders for them. The White House months ago requested another $22.5 billion in Covid funding, warning the money in the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan dedicated to Covid-19 response had been spent. Republicans balked at that amount, and the Senate appeared last month to reach a deal on a smaller $10 billion package. But the deal fell apart amid Republican objections to the administration planning to end border restrictions related to the pandemic that were put in place under former President Donald Trump.

➤JUDGE HOLDS TRUMP IN CONTEMPT: Former President Donald Trump was held in contempt of court by a New York State judge yesterday for failing to comply with a subpoena of his business records. The records are sought by the state’s attorney general, who is investigating alleged “fraudulent and misleading” business practices by the Trump Organization. Trump was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 a day until he turns over the records.

➤HALF OF ALL PARENT WILL FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THEIR ADULT KIDS: Half of parents with a child or children over age 18 still give them at least some financial support, according to a new report from Savings.com. These parents are spending about $1,000 a month on average on expenses for their adult children, such as health insurance, a cell phone plan, or food. Support could also include having adult children living at home, something that temporarily shot up in 2020 as many young adults went home because of the pandemic. Those adult children looking to go out on their own also faced increased hurdles beyond the pandemic, including an uneven job market and soaring house costs, and a lot of them have high student loans. But while parents are helping out their adult children financially, the study found that 62 percent of adult children who live at home don't contribute to household expenses at all.

➤SIGNS WARNING OF HIGHWAY DEATHS MAY CAUSE MORE CRASHES: You could understand how this might be distracting. University of Minnesota researchers found when highway death tolls are posted on roadside message boards in an attempt to curb crashes may actually have the opposite effect—causing more accidents. At least 27 states have used such messaging. Study co-author Joshua Madsen says, “People have limited attention. When a driver’s cognitive load is already maxed out, adding on an attention-grabbing, sobering reminder of highway deaths [can] become a dangerous situation." The study shows that seeing these dire messages temporarily affects drivers’ ability to respond to changes in traffic conditions, and the additional crashes associated with the messages increased as the death toll rose. Overall, Madsen says states should consider other ways of raising awareness about road safety, saying, “Perhaps these campaigns can be reimagined to reach drivers in a safer way, such as when they are stopped at an intersection, so that their attention while driving remains focused on the roads.”



🏀BASKETBALL  PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:
  • Boston Celtics 116, Brooklyn Nets 112 - Boston wins 4-0
  • Dallas Mavericks 102, Utah Jazz 77 - Dallas leads 3-2
  • Toronto Raptors 103, Philadelphia 76ers 88 - Philadelphia leads 3-2

🏀CELTICS SWEEP NETS IN FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS: The Boston Celtics beat the Brooklyn Nets 116-112 last night to sweep their first-round playoffs series 4 games to none. Jayson Tatum scored 29 points for Boston and Jaylen Brown had 22 points. The Celtics are the first team to reach the second round, where they'll face the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks-Chicago Bulls series, which the defending NBA champion Bucks lead 3 games to 1.

🏀UTAH'S MITCHELL TO HAVE MRI AFTER HAMSTRING INJURY: Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz will have an MRI today after he injured his left leg hamstring during the Dallas Mavericks' 102-77 rout of the Jazz in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series last night. Mitchell immediately grabbed his leg when he landed after a leaping pass late in the fourth quarter, and then left the game. He was optimistic after the game that he'll be available for Game 6 on Thursday, saying, "This is the playoffs, so I've got to find a way. We'll see how I feel, but I'm a competitor." Dallas leads 3 games to 2.

⚾BAUER SUES WOMAN WHO ACCUSED HIM OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer on Monday sued the woman who accused him of sexual assault, after L.A. prosecutors decided in February not to file criminal charges against him, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove the woman’s accusations. The lawsuit charges the woman, quote, "wanted to destroy Mr. Bauer’s reputation and baseball career, garner attention for herself, and extract millions of dollars from Mr. Bauer." The two met through social media, and the woman alleged Bauer beat and sexually abused her last year during two sexual encounters. Bauer said they engaged in rough sex at her suggestion and that everything was consensual, following guidelines agreed to in advance. Bauer was put on administrative leave last July under MLB's domestic violence and sexual assault policy, and it has been repeatedly extended.



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