Thursday, April 7, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Ukraine Braces For New Russian Offensive

AP Photo

Ukraine is bracing for a renewed Russian offensive in the eastern part of the country after Russia withdrew its forces from the areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to regroup and shift its focus east, particularly to the Donbas region. Ukrainian authorities are urging people in the Donbas to evacuate immediately, saying they won't be able to help them once the battle begins. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to his country Wednesday (April 6th) that Ukraine is also readying for the fight in the east, saying, "We will fight and we will not retreat. . . . This is our land. This is our future. And we won’t give them up." AP cited a Western official, however, as estimating that it will take Russia three to four weeks to regroup its forces for a major offensive in eastern Ukraine. 

The mayor of Mariupol said yesterday that more than 5,000 civilians had died in the southern port city during weeks of Russian bombardment and street fighting, 210 of them children. Mayor Vadym Boichenko said that Russia bombed hospitals, including one where 50 people burned to death, and that more than 90 percent of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed. A humanitarian relief convoy has been trying to get into the city for days, where some 160,000 people remain trapped of its prewar population of 430,000, AP reported, citing British defense officials.
 

After the focus in recent days on accused war crimes against civilians discovered in areas from which Russia pulled out, most prominently in the city of Bucha, Zelenskyy last night accused Russia of removing bodies and trying to hide other evidence. He said, "This is only an attempt to hide the evidence and nothing more." Russia has denied the war crimes accusation and accused Ukraine of staging the scenes of murdered civilians.

New Sanctions Announced: In the wake of the alleged atrocities carried out by Russia, the U.S. announced more sanctions yesterday, including on President Vladimir Putin's two adult daughters, as well as on all of Putin's close close family members, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the wife and children of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavov, and members of Russia's Security Council. The U.S. also toughened penalties against two key Russian banks. The U.K. also announced fresh sanctions and the European Union is expected to take more steps soon.

 
Pope Kisses Flag From Bucha, Denounces 'Massacre': Pope Francis yesterday (April 6th) kissed a dirtied Ukrainian flag that he said he been brought to him from Bucha, which he called a "martyred city," and denounced the, quote, "massacre" there. Francis held the flag as he welcomed six Ukrainian refugee children at the Vatican audience hall, and again urged an end to the war.

➤SACRAMENTO MASS SHOOTING WAS BETWEEN GANGS: Sacramento police said Wednesday that the downtown shooting early Sunday morning that six people dead and wounded 12 others was a gunfight between members of at least two rival gangs. Police said they had identified at least five shooters, but there may have been more. So far, only two suspects, who are brothers, have been arrested. There were more than 100 gunshots in the crowded streets as bars were letting out.
 

➤SENATE SET TO CONFIRM JACKSON TO SUPREME COURT TODAY: The Senate is set to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court today in what will make her the first Black woman on the nation's highest court. Three Republican senators in the 50-50 Senate have said they will support Jackson, Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Jackson will be replacing Justice Stephen Breyer after he retires this summer.


➤EX-TRUMP ADVISERS NAVARRO, SCAVINO HELD IN CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS: Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino, who were advisers to former President Donald Trump, were held in contempt of Congress yesterday for refusing to comply with subpoenas from the House committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. The vote was almost entirely along party lines, with the only two Republican votes coming from the two Republicans on the committee, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. The vote sends the criminal referrals to the Justice Department for possible prosecution. These are the third and fourth contempt referrals from the House related to the probe that have been sent to the Justice Department, after two late last year for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Trump ally Steve Bannon. Bannon has been indicted, with a trial set for July. The Justice Department has not yet acted on Meadows' referral.


🐶STUDY..ARE PEOPLE MORE WILLING TO EMPATHIZE WITH ANIMALS OR OTHER HUMANS?Are you more likely to empathize with another human or an animal? Penn State researchers found when people are deciding to engage in empathy, context matters. Study leader Daryl Cameron says, “It’s possible that if people are seeing humans and animals in competition, it might lead to them preferring to empathize with other humans. But if you don’t see that competition, and the situation is just deciding whether to empathize with an animal one day and a human the other, it seems that people don’t want to engage in human empathy but they’re a little bit more interested in animals.” He also says there’s a theory that it may be more difficult for people to feel true empathy for animals since their minds are different than those of humans.


👩WHAT’S BEHIND THE TREND OF WOMEN POSTING MAKE-UP FREE SELFIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA?:  There’s now a trend of older women posting make-up free selfies on social media. The Wall Street Journal notes that social media platforms don’t just harm teenagers, but can be harmful to women as they age, and so women are fighting back with these selfies to embrace their age. Psychiatrist Dr. Samantha Boardman says of the photos, “It’s satisfying to feel connected and not so alone in how you look, so I think there is a generosity in that when it’s authentic.” She also cautions that the natural look might be staged at times with products, treatments and injectables, or even ring lights, secret makeup, or a filter. Some brands such as Milk, Dove, and Olay are also supporting the trend by using real photos that are not retouched across a wide spectrum of ages to showcase women’s beauty at their stage in life.

🛫NYC TO PARIS FLIGHT HAS 'SERIOUS INCIDENT': An Air France flight from New York City to Paris had what was described as a "serious incident" as it was making its final approach to Charles de Gaulle Airport Tuesday. French aviation safety officials are investigating the incident, in which the pilot could be heard telling traffic controllers "the airplane was just kind of out of control" and "the plane did just about anything." The Boeing 777 ascended again, circled the airport for about 10 minutes, and then came back in and landed safely. Passengers reported feeling some "sudden jolts" during the incident.

➤ALEX JONES APPEARS FOR QUESTIONING IN SANDY HOOK LAWSUIT: A week after a Connecticut judge imposed daily fines on Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for each weekday he didn't appear for a deposition in a lawsuit brought by relatives of some victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting, Jones showed up Wednesday (April 6th) and was questioned by lawyers for the families. The lawsuit charged Jones with defamation for saying the Sandy Hook massacre never happened, and a judge found Jones liable for damages. A trial on how much he should pay the families is set for August. Jones had been defying a judge's order to appear for a deposition in the case, claiming he was too sick. But a judge said there wasn't enough evidence that he was too sick to appear and fined him $25,000 per weekday, increasing by $25,000 per weekday. He paid $25,000 in fines for Friday and $50,000 in fines for Monday, according to court records. Jones said on his show that the deposition actually began on Tuesday. 

🥛SCIENCE...BUTTER AND FULL-FAT DAIRY MAY BE HEALTHIER THAN WE THOUGHT:  Full-fat dairy and butter might be healthier than originally thought. Public health researcher Stephanie Venn-Watson says her company, Fatty 15, has found that a type of saturated fat called C15:0 found in butter and full-fat dairy may be good for you in moderation. A study on Navy dolphins revealed consuming the specific type of fat may reduce risk of disease and improve health and well being. Watson says this suggests that getting more C15:0 in your diet, with foods such as grass-fed butter in moderation, may help you be healthier. Research suggests C15:0 is an essential fatty acid similar to other healthy fats like omega-3, which can help prevent heart disease and other chronic illnesses. More research is needed to determine the optimal levels of C15:0 humans need and the best way to get it.


⚾BASEBALL'S DELAYED OPENING DAY FINALLY ARRIVES: It's opening day for baseball today (April 6th), one week later than the original March 31st date, pushed back because of the MLB lockout that delayed the start of spring training before it ended on March 10th with an agreement between the owners and players. The season will kick off with an afternoon game between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, one of seven games today. One of them will be between the Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Guardians, playing under their new name after changing it from the Indians. Among some changes this season, the National League now has the designated hitter and the postseason field will be expanded to 12 teams from 10.

🏌MASTERS BEGINS TODAY WITH ALL EYES ON TIGER WOODS: The Masters golf tournament gets underway today at Augusta National in Georgia, where all eyes will be on Tiger Woods, playing in his first regular PGA tournament since a February 2021 car crash in which his right leg was severely injured. Despite the focus on Tiger, there are a couple of other storylines at the Masters. If he wins, Rory McIlroy would become just the sixth player to have won all four majors, and while the tournament is beginning with Scottie Scheffler as the world Number 1, there are five other players that could potentially replace him according to the results.

🏈SIX STATES' ATTORNEYS GENERAL WARN NFL TO TREAT FEMALE EMPLOYEES BETTER: The attorneys general of six states have written to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell expressing concern over the league’s treatment of female employees, and warning of potential legal action if there's isn't improvement. The letter from the attorneys general of New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington State talks about concerns of gender discrimination, including the NFL’s treatment of women who have experienced domestic violence to the hiring and promotion of women in NFL offices.

⚾RAMIREZ AGREES TO $124 MILLION, FIVE-YEAR DEAL WITH GUARDIANS: All-Star third baseman José Ramírez agreed to a $124 million, five-year contract with the Cleveland Guardians yesterday, the day before today's start of the season, AP reported. The deal is the biggest in franchise history, more than double the $60 million given to Edwin Encarnacion five years ago. Ramirez has been with the Guardians for his entire nine-year career, and has finished in the top three in MVP voting three times in the past five seasons.

🏈DIGGS AGREES TO FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH BILLS: Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs has agreed to a four-year, $96 million contract extension, AP reported Wednesday. The 28-year-old Diggs had two years remaining on his current contract, with the extension keeping him through the 2027 season. Diggs tweeted a video clip from the movie The Wolf of Wall Street in which Leonardo DiCaprio says, "I’m not leaving."



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