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Thursday, April 21, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Ukraine Refugees Top 5 Million


RUSSIA BOMBARDS LAST UKRAINIAN STRONGHOLD IN MARIUPOL: Russia continued to relentlessly bombard a sprawling steel plant in Mariupol Wednesday, the last Ukrainian stronghold in the devastated city, where Russia estimates a few thousands Ukrainian troops remain and where Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy said some 1,000 civilians were also trapped. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said an attempt to open a safe corridor for women, children and the elderly to evacuate failed because Russians didn't observe a cease-fire. Meanwhile, the U.N. refugee agency estimated yesterday that more than five million people have now fled Ukraine since the Russia invasion on February 24th.

Ukraine said Russia was continuing to launch attacks in the eastern part of the country, with Zelenskyy saying in his nightly video address yesterday, "the occupiers aren’t abandoning their attempts to score at least some victory by launching a new, large-scale offensive." Russia said it had given Ukraine a draft document with its demands for ending the war, just days after President Vladimir Putin said the talks were at a, quote, "dead end," Zelenskyy said he hadn't seen or heard of the proposal, even though one of his top advisers said Ukraine was reviewing it.

President Biden is set to announce plans today to send Ukraine more military aid, with AP saying the new package is expected to be around the same size as the $800 million package he announced last week. It includes heavy artillery and ammunition needed for the fight in the eastern Donbas region, and is part of a stepped-up commitment of heavier military material from Western nations. Zelensky said that Ukraine's allies have, quote, "come to understand our needs better," and they are receiving new shipments of Western weapons now, "not in weeks or in a month."

Source: Ukraine Government

Russia Test Launches New ICBM: Russia reported the first successful test launch of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat yesterday, amid the heightened global tensions over their war in Ukraine. Putin claimed it can overcome any missile defense system and make those who threaten Russia, quote, "think twice." However, the U.S. called the test routine and said it wasn't considered a threat.

DOJ TO APPEAL TRAVEL MASK MANDATE RULING AFTER CDC SAYS NEEDED: The Justice Department is appealing a federal judge's order Monday that ended the federal travel mask mandate for planes, trains and in travel hubs, acting after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked them to do so yesterday. The CDC said the mandate, quote, "remains necessary for the public health." It's unclear if the administration will ask for an emergency stay to immediately reimpose the mask mandate, as most airlines, airports and many public transit systems lifted their mandates in the hours after the ruling. The mask mandate had been due to expire Monday, the same day as the judge's ruling, but the CDC had extended it before the judge's order until May 3rd to allow more time to study the omicron subvariant that's now responsible for most U.S. Covid-19 cases.

 
➤EXCHANGE OF FIRE BETWEEN ISRAEL, PALESTINIAN MILITANTS IN GAZA: There was an exchange of fire between Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip and Israel early Thursday, with the militants firing several rockets into southern Israel and Israeli aircraft firing on and hitting militant targets in Gaza. The strikes across the border escalated tensions that have been heightened in recent weeks after a series of deadly attacks by Palestinian gunmen on civilians in Israel and Israeli military operations in the West Bank in response, as well as clashes between Israelis and Palestinians at the Al Aqsa compound. In the latest incident before the cross-border fire, there was a march of Israeli ultra-nationalists Wednesday toward predominantly Palestinian areas around Jerusalem’s Old City.

➤SECRET SERVICE KILLS INTRUDER AT PERUVIAN AMBASSADOR'S RESIDENCE: U.S. Secret Service officers fatally shot an intruder who was smashing windows at the residence of the Peruvian ambassador to the United States in Washington, D.C., yesterday. Authorities said the ambassador and his family were inside the residence when they heard windows being smashed just before 8 a.m. and called the Secret Service. Officers responded and found a man with a metal stake in the rear yard and used a Taser to try to stop him, but it didn't appear to have any effect on him, according to Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee. The officers then shot the man, who died at the scene. His identity has not been released. Investigators are still trying to find out why the man was at the home and why he was smashing the windows.📲STUDY..CUTTING YOUR SMARTPHONE USE BY JUST ONE HOUR A DAY MAKES YOU LESS ANXIOUS:  Could you bear to cut your smartphone use down? Researchers from Germany found cutting smartphone use by just one hour per day left people feeling less anxious, more satisfied with life, and made them more likely to exercise. Participants who used their phones for one hour less a day for the week-long experiment also reported reduced symptoms of depression, and lowered nicotine consumption. Participants who abstained from using their phones completely for the duration of the experiment reported they used their smartphones an average of 38 minutes less per day even four months after the experiment ended. Study leader Dr. Julia Brailovskaia says, “It’s not necessary to completely give up the smartphone to feel better.”



➤BIDEN TO ATTACH WH CORRESPONDENCE DINNER: President Biden will attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner later this month, the first time the sitting president will be there since 2016 in then-President Barack Obama's final year in office. Donald Trump chose not to go when he was president, and it was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. The organization tweeted the news that Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will be at the April 30th dinner, which will honor the First Amendment. The Daily Show host Trevor Noah will be the event's entertainer. For the 2019 dinner, an historian was chosen to speak, breaking the tradition of having a comedian perform and roast the president, members of his administration and the media, and joke about current events, after there'd been criticism of some of the sharp jabs by comics who'd recently hosted. For this year's dinner, the association is requiring that all attendees be fully vaccinated and show a negative result from a rapid Covid-19 test taken earlier in the day.

🐶STUDY...DOGS REALLY DO HATE GOING TO THE VET:  Dogs aren’t faking it—they do not like going to the vet. University of Adelaide researchers found some dogs’ average heart rate doubled between the time they spent in the waiting room and the time they spent on the examination table during a trip to the veterinarian. They also found that elevated heart rate was correlated with fearful body language, and that female dogs were more fearful during their vet visits than male dogs were. The scientists hope the findings will encourage veterinary staff and dog owners to take extra precautions to help reassure dogs during examinations.


⚾CAPITOL BRIEFLY EVACUATED DUE TO NATIONALS' PRE-GAME PARACHUTE DEMONSTRATION: The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated around 6:30 p.m. yesterday evening over what police said was a, quote, "probable threat" from an aircraft that was circling in heavily restricted airspace close to the Capitol. However, the plane turned out to have members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights on board, who went on to parachute into Nationals Parks for a demonstration before the MLB game between the Washington Nationals and the Arizona Diamondbacks. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blamed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), saying in a statement that its, quote, "apparent failure to notify Capitol Police of the pre-planned flyover Nationals Stadium is outrageous and inexcusable."

🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:
  • Boston Celtics 114, Brooklyn Nets 107 - Boston leads series 2-0
  • Philadelphia 76ers 104, Toronto Raptors 101 (OT) - Philly star Joel Embiid made a 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left in overtime for the win. - Philadelphia leads series 3-0
  • Chicago Bulls 114, Milwaukee Bucks 110 - Series tied 1-1
🏀SUNS' BOOKER HAS HAMSTRING STRAIN, UNCLEAR FOR REST OF FIRST-ROUND: The Phoenix Suns said yesterday that their star guard Devin Booker has a "mild" right hamstring strain, which he suffered in Game 2 of the Suns' first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday. It's unclear if or when Booker will be able to return for the rest of the series, which is tied at 1-1 with Game 3 on Friday. Booker is Phoenix's leading scorer.

🏒CAPITALS' OVECHKIN OLDEST WITH 50 GOALS IN A SEASON: Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored his 49th and 50th goals of the season last night in a 4-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, becoming, at age 36, the oldest NHL player ever with 50 goals in a season. It was also the ninth time in his career that Ovechkin scored 50 goals, tying Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy for the most in NHL history.

⚾MARINERS MANAGER SERVAIS OUT WITH COVID-19: Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais will be away from the team after taking positive for Covid-19, as will be third base coach Manny Acta. Both were out starting with yesterday's game against the Texas Rangers, which Seattle won 4-2. First base coach Kristopher Negrón is filling in as acting manager. Also put on the Covid list from Seattle yesterday was pitcher Paul Sewald, joining outfielder Mitch Haniger and catcher/designated hitter Luis Torrens.

🏀WRIGHT RETIRES AS VILLANOVA BASKEBALL COACH: Hall of Fame Villanova basketball head coach Jay Wright announced last night that he's retiring after 21 seasons with the school, the shocking news coming after he'd just led the team to the Final Four in the NCAA basketball tournament. Villanova had two national championships under Wright, in 2016 and 2018, and went to four Final Fours. Wright had a 520-197 record at Villanova and a 642-282 record overall, including his years coaching Hofstra from 1994 to 2001. Kyle Neptune, who was on the Villanova coaching staff before accepting the head coach position at Fordham in 2021, is returning to replace Wright.

🎾WIMBLEDON BANS TENNIS PLAYERS FROM RUSSIA, BELARUS:  The All England Club announced yesterday that players from Russia and Belarus will be banned from Wimbledon, one of tennis' four Grand Slam tournaments, this year over the war in Ukraine. Wimbledon begins June 27th. 

Several high-ranking players are among those banned, including world Number 2 Daniil Medvedev, the reigning U.S. Open champion, and Number 8 Andrey Rublev among the men, and world Number 4 Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka, a former Number 1, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the French Open runner-up last year among the women. 

The All England Club said, "It is our responsibility to play our part in the widespread efforts . . . to limit Russia’s global influence through the strongest means possible." The ATP men's tour and WTA women's tour criticized the decision. The French Open next month will be the first tennis Grand Slam tournament since Russia invaded Ukraine. It's expected to allow players from Russia and Belarus, but as "neutral" athletes who aren't allowed to represent their countries. 

Russian athletes have been prevented in competing in many sports since the invasion, and athletes from Belarus have also often been banned because Belarus has been helping Russia in the war.

🏈HASKINS' WIFE TOLD 911 HE WAS WALKING TO GET GAS ON MORNING HE WAS FATALLY HIT ON HIGHWAY: Audio released by the Broward County Sheriff's office in Florida yesterday (April 20th) revealed that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins' wife said in a 911 call that he was walking to get gas on the morning he was fatally hit by a dump truck on Interstate 595 in Fort Lauderdale. Kalabrya Haskins told the 911 operator that her husband called her early on April 9th and said he was getting out of his vehicle to get gas and that he would call her back when he returned to the car. When she didn't hear back from him, she called 911 and ask that dispatch check on him. A report has determined that Haskins was improperly in the roadway when he was hit, and the driver of the dump truck wasn't found to have taken any actions that contributed to the accident. He was also hit by a second car that tried to avoid him, but partially hit him, according to the report.



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