Monday, March 6, 2023

Wake-Up Call: Death Grinding Battle Continues For Bakhmut


Bakhmut, around 400 miles south east of Kyiv, has for months been a prime target of Moscow's grinding eastern offensive in the war with Russian forces and private Wagner Group surrounding Ukrainian units. It has now become too dangerous for the last remaining residents to make it out the area by vehicle, with a woman killed and two men badly wounded by shelling as they tried to cross a makeshift bridge yesterday. Putin's forces have been relentlessly attacking the small mining town as part of efforts that would give them a first major victory in more than half a year. But both sides are said to have suffered huge losses during the fighting, with Kyiv officials claim seven Russian soldiers have been killed for every Ukrainian troop who has died in the area.

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary force warned that Russia's position around the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was in peril unless his troops got ammunition, the latest sign of tension between the Kremlin and the private militia chief. Ukrainian military officials and analysts also reported leaders of Russia's 155th Brigade fighting near the town of Vuhledar, south of Bakhmut, were resisting orders to attack after sustaining severe losses in attempts to capture it.


➤ATLANTA'S FUTURE POLICE TRAINING FACILITY 'COP CITY' SET ABLAZE: The site of Atlanta's future Public Safety Training Facility infamously called 'Cop City' by protestors is now on lockdown as smoke and flames were put out, and the area was secured. Police have not released the number of protestors arrested during or after the incident. People have been protesting the planning, and now construction, of the future training facility since it was proposed in June 2021.

➤DEATH TOLL RISES TO 13, TEENAGER HIKERS RESCUED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Almost half a million Americans from Kentucky to Michigan were in the dark Sunday after a massive front dumped heavy snow across much of the nation's northern tier and slammed parts of the South with powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes. At least 13 deaths were reported from the storm, which began by dumping several feet of snow in California's mountains and pushing east. Five deaths were confirmed in Kentucky as wind gusts surpassing 70 mph downed trees and power lines and damaged homes and other buildings, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

 
➤STATIONMASTER CHARGED IN GREECE TRAIN CRASH THAT KILLED 57: A stationmaster accused of causing Greece’s deadliest train disaster was charged with negligent homicide and jailed pending trial Sunday, while Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis apologized for any responsibility Greece’s government may bear for the tragedy. An examining magistrate and a prosecutor agreed that multiple counts of homicide as well as charges of causing bodily harm and endangering transportation safety should be brought against the railway employee. At least 57 people, many of them in their teens and 20s, were killed when a northbound passenger train and a southbound freight train collided last Tuesday.

➤YET ANOTHER TRAIN RERAILMENT IN OHIO: A second freight train derailment in Ohio within a month is giving new impetus for rail safety legislation in Congress, as Democrats and Republicans prepare to grill Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw when he testifies to a Senate committee Thursday. “The big railroads have weakened safety rules or resisted safety rules for years,” Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “But you’d think a disaster that happened in East Palestine would have gotten their attention.”  Saturday’s train derailment happened outside Springfield, Ohio — about 180 miles (400 kilometers) west of East Palestine, where a derailment last month spilled toxic chemicals into the rural community along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Initial reports indicate that there were no hazardous materials spilled in the Springfield incident, and officials quickly lifted a shelter-in-place order. But Brown said he wants to know if there were any residual contaminants left in the 20 mostly-empty train cars that went off track. 

➤FLOTUS SAYS BIDEN MENTAL COMPETENCY TEST 'RIDICULOUS": President Joe Biden would “never even discuss” taking a mental competency test suggested by Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley for politicians older than 75, first lady Jill Biden said. Her comments to CNN come in the context of Biden’s expected bid for a second term, which would make him 82 at his inauguration if he won reelection. In previously released interview excerpts, the first lady said she’s “all for” her husband running in 2024 and pointed to his recent trip to Ukraine that included a nine-hour train ride from Poland. “Ridiculous,” Jill Biden said when asked about Haley’s proposal and whether the president would consider taking such a test. “We would never even discuss something like that.”

Haley, 51, who is running against her former boss, ex-president Donald Trump, 76, proposed a mandatory mental competency test for politicians over the age of 75 in February. Another contender expected to enter the GOP fray is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who’s 44.


➤DeSANTIS NOT 'CAPTIVE TO POLLS: Ron DeSantis attributed his success to not getting held 'captive to polls' and avoiding leaks as he went on the offense against California Gov. Gavin Newsom on his home-turf in 'anti-woke' remarks that have become his signature. Florida Gov. DeSantis' remarks Sunday took aim at policies enacted by California and other liberal states that he claims have led to the hemorrhaging of residents who have migrated to the Sunshine State. 'I know you've got a lot of problems out here, but your governor is very concerned about what we are doing in Florida so I figured I had to come by,' DeSantis joked at the top of his remarks at the Ronald Reagan Library to a crowd of more than 1,300.

➤NYC MAYOR SAYS LIGHTFOOT LOSS IS WARNING FOR DEMS: New York City Mayor Eric Adams said last week’s reelection loss of his Chicago counterpart is a “warning sign for the country” and that fellow Democrats ignore the issue of crime at the party’s peril. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot came in third in a top-two primary election last Tuesday after a campaign that turned largely on the city’s skyrocketing crime rate. Adams told CNN on Sunday that her loss vindicates his tougher-on-crime policies, including a surge of police officers in the subway. “Mayors, we are closest to the problems. I stated on the campaign trail and in the city — public safety is a prerequisite to prosperity, same as Chicago, like New York, and many of our big cities across America,” Adams said. “People want to be safe.” Adams’s comments on CNN’s “State of the Union” underscore the divisions among Democrats on crime, as centrists rebuff “defund the police” rhetoric from the party’s progressive wing ahead of President Joe Biden’s likely reelection campaign in 2024.

➤USS ALBACORE, WORLD WAR II SUBMARINE LOST AT SEA FOR ALMOST 80 YEARS, FOUND OFF COAST OF JAPAN: Naval historians on Feb. 16 confirmed a shipwreck site off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, as the USS Albacore (SS-218), which was lost at sea Nov. 7, 1944, after striking a mine. All 85 crew members were killed in the explosion. The Naval History and Heritage Command’s underwater archaeology branch at the Washington Navy Yard verified the submarine’s identity using images provided by Dr. Tamaki Ura of the University of Tokyo, according to Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Abigayle Lutz.

➤META IS SLASHING UP TO $500 OFF THE PRICE OF ITS VR HEADSETS AFTER 'UNDERWHELMING' SALES AND MIXED REVIEWS: Meta is slashing the price of its Quest 2 and Quest Pro virtual-reality headsets in a bid to boost sales, it announced on Friday. The price of the 256GB Meta Quest 2 will drop from $500 to $430, while the higher-end Meta Quest Pro will get a $500 haircut to $1,000. "Our goal has always been to create hardware that's affordable for as many people as possible to take advantage of all that VR has to offer," Meta said on its blog.

➤CHRIS ROCK 'SLAPSBACK' AT WILL SMITH: Chris Rock unleashed a year of pent-up rage after being slapped across the face by actor Will Smith in his new stand-up comedy special Saturday night. The dramatic moment occurred on air during the 2022 Oscars ceremony after Rock, who was hosting the event, made a comment about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair. But in his live stand-up special, Rock, 58, claimed that anybody who really knew about the circumstances surrounding the slap knew that it wasn't actually about him - as he accused Smith, 54, of 'selective outrage,' lashing out because his wife had an affair. He even brought up the fact that Jada Pinkett Smith only confessed to having an affair while interviewing her husband and noted: 'His wife was f****** her son's friend.' Now, Rock says he still has ringing in his ears and watches the I Am Legend star's feature film, Emancipation, 'just to see him get whooped.' 

➤PETE DAVIDSON CAR SLAMS INTO HOUSE: Pete Davidson and Chase Sui-Wonders were involved in a car crash on Saturday night in LA as he was driving a Mercedes at high speed through Beverly Hills. Davidson lost control of the vehicle, jumped a curb, hit a fire hydrant, and collided with the side of a house, leaving skid marks on the lawn. No one was injured in the accident and there were no immediate arrests or citations issued, but an investigation is ongoing. Earlier that day, the couple had been photographed walking around Kauai and then later on a beach in Hawaii. After returning to LA, Davidson headed to the Kids' Choice Award to present one of the accolades.


🏀JA MORANT TO MISS AT LEAST TWO GAMES AFTER DISPLAYING APPARENT GUN IN VIDEO: Following an Instagram Live video in which Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant was seen displaying what appeared to be a gun at a nightclub early Saturday morning, the NBA initiated an investigation.  Consequently, the Grizzlies announced on Saturday that Morant "will be away from the team for at least the next two games," meaning he will miss Sunday's game against the LA Clippers and Tuesday's against the Los Angeles Lakers.

⚾BRYCE HARPER (ELBOW) TO REPORT TO PHILLIES CAMP WEDNESDAY: Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper says he will report to spring training Wednesday as he continues recovering from elbow surgery and then determine when he can return full time. The two-time National League MVP was injured in April and last played right field April 16 in Miami. He underwent reconstructive right elbow surgery in November, causing him to miss the beginning of spring training.

🥊JON JONES SUBMITS CIRYL GANE TO WIN UFC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: Jon Jones defeated Ciryl Gane with a guillotine choke at 2 minutes, 4 seconds of the first round Saturday night in the main event of UFC 285 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Jones is now the UFC heavyweight champion after owning the light heavyweight division for years.

🏀NBA SCORES:
  • Phoenix Suns 130 Dallas Mavericks 126
  • Indiana Pacers 125 Chicago Bulls 122
  • Los Angeles Lakers 113 Golden State Warriors 105
  • Brooklyn Nets 102 Charlotte Hornets 86
  • Portland Trail Blazers 122 Orlando Magic 119
  • Houston Rockets 142 San Antonio Spurs 110
  • Oklahoma Thunder 129 Utah Jazz 119
  • New York Knicks 131 Boston Celtics 129
  • Milwaukee Bucks 117 Washington Wizards 111
  • Los Angeles clippers 135 Memphis Grizzlies 129 





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