Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Wake-Up Call: Russians Storm Plant As Evacs Stall


After 101 Ukrainian civilians were evacuated from bunkers under a sprawling steel plant in the devastated city of Mariupol over the weekend, where they've been for two months, Ukrainian and U.N. officials are hoping for an agreement to allow more of the remaining civilians to leave. But as of yet that hasn't happened, even as Russian forces backed by tanks began storming the plant yesterday (April 3rd). Ukraine's deputy prime minister said a few hundred civilians are still holed up at the plant. It's unclear how many Ukrainian fighters are still there, but Russia has estimated it at about 2,000, with 500 of them reported to be wounded.

 

Meanwhile, in developments in the fighting, Russia shelled a chemical plant in the eastern city of Avdiivka, killing at least 10 people, and there were also strikes in the western city of Lviv near the Polish border. Three power substations in Lviv were damaged, cutting off electricity to parts of the city and disrupting the water supply. The head of the Ukrainian railways said Russian strikes hit six railway stations in central and western parts of Ukraine, causing heavy damage. Railroads have been important to moving people, as well as goods and military supplies since the war began with Russia's late February invasion.

➤BIDEN CALLS LEAKED ROE OPINION 'RADICAL,' WARNS OTHER RIGHTS AS RISK: President Biden on Tuesday criticized what he called a "radical" Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide, and warned that other rights, including gay marriage and birth control, would also be at risk from the decision. Biden spoke the day after Politico released the "1st Draft" written in February by conservative Justice Samuel Alito in an extraordinary breach of court secrecy. He told reports that he hopes the draft that was leaked won't be finalized by the high court, calling it "really quite a radical decision" that reflects a "fundamental shift in American jurisprudence" and that threatens "other basic rights." He said, "If the court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman’s right to choose." Vice President Kamala Harris also reacted, saying the draft opinion showed that, quote, "women’s rights in America are under attack."


Chief Justice John Roberts released a statement confirming that the draft opinion was authentic, calling the leak an "egregious breach of trust," and saying he'd ordered an investigation. He also said in the written statement, "Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case. To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed."

➤NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE: North Korea launched a ballistic missile on Wednesday, its 14th round of weapons firing this year, coming just days after leader Kim Jong Un said he'd bolster the North's nuclear arsenal, quote, "at the fastest possible pace" and threatened to use them if his country's national interests are threatened. South Korea said the missile was fired into the water off North Korea's eastern coast, and called the repeated launches "an act of grave threat" to undermine international peace and security. Japan also condemned the launch.

➤ESCAPED ALABAMA INMATE, VANISHED JAIL OFFICIAL HAD 'SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP': The Lauderdale County, Alabama, Sheriff's Office said yesterday (May 3rd) that an escaped Alabama inmate and a jail official who's disappeared and who it's believed helped in his escape had a, quote, "special relationship." There is an ongoing manhunt for 38-year-old Casey White, who was awaiting trial in a capital murder case, and the jail office, 56-year-old Vicky White -- who isn't related to the inmate. The sheriff's office said, "Investigators received information from inmates at the Lauderdale County Detention Center over the weekend that there was a special relationship between Director White and inmate Casey White. That relationship has now been confirmed through our investigation by independent sources and means." They didn't give more information on the nature of the relationship. Vicky White told coworkers on Friday morning that she was taking Casey White to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation. The two disappeared, and it was later discovered that no such evaluation was scheduled. A warrant has been issued for Vicky White’s arrest on charges of assisting in an escape.

➤A PSYCHOLOGIST SAYS JOHNNY DEPP REPEATEDLY SEXUALLY ASSAULTED AMBER HEARD:  Dr. Dawn Hughes, a New-York based clinical and forensic psychologist, testified in Johnny Depp’s defamation trial on Tuesday, detailing how Amber Heard was repeatedly “subjected to sexual violence” by Depp. She also said that Heard that suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of this violence.

“There are a number of incidents of sexual violence reported in this relationship. Those are documented early on … where when Mr. Depp was drunk or high. He threw her on the bed, ripped off her nightgown and tried to have sex with her,” Hughes said.

When Depp was “not able to perform” during these instances, he would become “enraged,” she said. “There were times when he forced her to give him oral sex when he was angry — these weren’t loving moments, these were angry moments.”

In a haunting addition to her testimony, Hughes said that at one point, Depp screamed, “I will kill you,” and penetrated Heard with a bottle. She added that she hoped it “wasn’t the broken one.”

According to Hughes, Depp “pushed Heard, he shoved her, he slapped her with the front of his hand and the back of his hand, he choked her, he slammed her into the wall, he pushed her, and when she fell down he kicked her in the back.”

Hughes added, “The intimate partner violence by Mr. Depp was the cause of Heard’s PTSD condition.”

➤RECORD 11.5 MILLION JOB OPENINGS POSTED IN MARCH: There were a record 11.5 million job openings posted in March, according to data released yesterday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, meaning the U.S. has an unprecedented two job openings for every unemployed person. There were 4.5 million Americans who quit their jobs in March, which is also a record, a sign of worker confidence that they can find another job with better pay or working conditions. Layoffs were up slightly to 1.4 million from 1.35 million in February.
 
➤260 NAVY SAILORS MOVED OFF AIRCRAFT CARRIER AFTER SEVEN DEATHS: After there were seven deaths on board the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in the past year, including three suspected suicides in one week in April, 260 Navy sailors are being moved to a local installion on shore in Virginia, where the aircraft carrier has been dry-docked since 2017. Military.com says some 420 sailors currently live on board the George Washington. A Navy spokesman told the outlet the move onshore would continue, quote, "until all Sailors who wish to move off-ship have done so." In addition to the three suspected suicides, one of the other four deaths was a confirmed suicide, two were health-related, and the cause of the other death was undetermined.

➤BLAC CHYNA PLANS TO APPEAL RULING IN DEFAMATION TRIAL: Page Six reports that Blac Chyna’s lawyer, Lynne Ciani, says Chyna is planning to appeal her case against the Kardashian-Jenner family. ”Two things. Number one, the jury found that Chyna had not physically abused Rob Kardashian. Number two, the jury found that all four defendants intentionally interfered with [Chyna’s] contracts with the E! Network. We will appeal the remainder of the verdict,” Ciani said.

➤CHERYL LADD SAYS SHE WAS ONCE CHASED AROUND A DESK BY A HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE: Page Six reports that Charlie’s Angels star Cheryl Ladd recently shared a #MeToo story that happened after she first moved to Los Angeles from South Dakota. “I was about 19 and I did get chased around one desk. I literally ran around the desk and out the door,” she said.

➤DON LEMON ASSAULT CASE IS DROPPED: The New York Post reports that Dustin Hice, the man who accused CNN anchor Don Lemon of assaulting him at a bar in Sag Harbor three years ago, has dropped his case. “After a lot of inner reflection and a deep dive into my memory, I have come to realize that my recollection of the events that occurred on the night in question when I first met CNN anchor Don Lemon were not what I thought they were when I filed this lawsuit,” Hice said in a statement. Lemon’s attorney Caroline Polisi said the case was “a crass money grab from its inception.”

➤STUDY: COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT FROM SEVERE COVID-19 EQUIVALENT TO 20 YEARS OF AGING:  Getting severe COVID-19 is no joke. Researchers from the UK found that cognitive impairment as a result of severe COVID-19 is similar to that sustained between 50 and 70 years of age and is the equivalent of losing ten IQ points. Researchers looked at data from 46 individuals who received in-hospital care, on the ward, or intensive care, at a hospital in the UK. The survivors took a detailed cognitive test an average of six months after their acute illness, and researchers say they were less accurate and had slower response times than the matched control population—and that these deficits were still detectable when patients were following up six months later. The effects were strongest for those who required mechanical ventilation. Some patients showed very slow improvement over time, but the study’s senior author, Professor David Menon says, “[…] it is very possible that some of these individuals will never fully recover.”

➤POLL: BEST MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND OF MOTHER SHE IS: When deciding what to get your mom for Mother's Day this weekend, a new poll suggests it depends on what kind of mother she is overall. The OnePoll survey of 2,000 adults found that "Foodie moms" would, unsurprisingly, like edible gifts (29 percent), but would also like a getaway or gift card (27 percent). Sports "soccer moms" prefer homemade gifts (31 percent) or household gifts (29 percent). "Wine moms" like heartfelt homemade gifts (35 percent) or ones they can eat (27 percent). Among some of the best Mother's Day gift they remember receiving, named were things like having the house cleaned and dinner made, a handwritten poem, and a vase with porcelain roses. At the same time, 62 percent admitted to pretending to like a gift in the past, such as a plant, mud flaps for their car, or dish towels.

🏀NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from second-round games yesterday:
  • Boston Celtics 109, Milwaukee Bucks 86 - Series tied 1-1
  • Memphis Grizzlies 106, Golden State Warriors 101 - Grizzlies' Ja Morant scored 47 points. - Series tied 1-1


🏒NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from first-round games yesterday:
  • Pittsburgh Penguins 4, New York Rangers 3 (3OT) - Pittsburgh leads series 1-0
  • Washington Capitals 4, Florida Panthers 2 - Washington leads series 1-0
  • Colorado Avalanche 7, Nashville Predators 2 - Colorado leads series 1-0
  • Calgary Flames 1, Dallas Stars 0 - Calgary leads series 1-0

🏀GRIZZLIES' BROOKS EJECTED OVER PLAY THAT BROKE WARRIORS' PAYTON'S ELBOW: The Memphis Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks was ejected less than three minutes into last night's 106-101 win in Game 2 of the second round of the playoffs over the Golden State Warriors for a flagrant foul 2 that left Gary Payton II with a broken elbow. Brooks was chasing down Payton when he hit him in the head in the air, sending him down hard to the floor. X-rays showed Payton fractured his left elbow and he will undergo an MRI today for further evaluation. A furious Warriors head coach Steve Kerr screamed at the officials when the foul took place, and said after the game, "I don't know if it was intentional, but it was dirty. There is a code. This code that players follow where you never put a guy's season [or] career in jeopardy . . . He broke the code."

🏒PENGUINS NEED THREE OVERTIMES TO BEAT RANGERS: It took three overtimes before the Pittsburgh Penguins finally pulled out a 4-3 win in Game 1 of their first-round playoffs series against the New York Rangers last night. The victory finally came on a goal by Evgeni Malkin 5:58 into the third overtime. Jake Guentzel also scored twice in the game for the Penguins and Bryan Rust had the other goal. Game 2 is Thursday night.

⚾ASTROS' BAKER BECOMES 12TH MLB MANAGER WITH 2,000 WINS: Houston's Dusty Baker became the 12th manager in MLB history and the first Black manager with 2,000 wins last night as the Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 4-0. Baker reached the mark more than 29 years after getting his first win in April 1993. The 72-year-old Baker, who has a 2,000-1,745 record, is the only manager in MLB history to take five different teams to the postseason, the San Francisco Giants, the Chicago Cubs, the Cincinnati Reds, the Washington Nationals, and the Astros.

🏀U.S. CLASSIFIES GRINER AS WRONGFULLY DETAINED: The State Department said Tuesday that the administration has determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained by Russia, meaning the U.S. will more aggressively work for her release even as the legal case in Russia plays out. The U.S. had until now stopped short of classifying Griner as wrongfully detained, focusing on ensuring she had access in jail to U.S. consular affairs officials. But now her case has been sent to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which focuses on negotiating for the release of hostages and other Americans classified as being wrongfully detained in other countries. It was unclear what led to the change.


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