Thursday, March 2, 2023

Wake-Up Call: Ukraine May Retreat From Embattled City


The Ukrainian military might pull troops back from the key stronghold of Bakhmut, an adviser to Ukraine’s president said Wednesday in remarks that suggested Russia could capture the city that has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. Kremlin forces have waged a bloody, monthslong offensive to take Bakhmut, a city of salt and gypsum mines in eastern Ukraine that has become a ghost town.

“Our military is obviously going to weigh all of the options. So far, they’ve held the city, but if need be, they will strategically pull back,” Alexander Rodnyansky, an economic adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told CNN. “We’re not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing.” 

➤RUSSIA SUFFERS HEAVY TOLL IN UKRAINE: Between 60,000 and 70,000 Russian troops have died during the nation’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a study published by the Center for Strategic International Studies. “Some types of authoritarian regimes are willing to accept high casualties in interstate conflicts but Russian casualty numbers are unprecedented for post-World War II Russia,” the report says. On Tuesday, a series of drone attacks were made on targets inside Russia, including a hit at a Russian air base. Ukraine authorities did not take responsibility but have asserted their right to such action in order to thwart Russia.

The battle for Bakhmut has come to embody Ukraine’s determination as the city’s defenders hold out against relentless shelling and Russian troops suffer heavy casualties. Bakhmut lies in Donetsk province, one of four provinces Russia illegally annexed last fall. 

Marc Muffley
➤PA MAN CAUGHT WITH EXPLOSIVE DEVICE AT AIRPORT: A Pennsylvania man faces federal criminal charges after he checked in a suitcase with an explosive device hidden in the lining on a flight to Florida, authorities said Wednesday. 40-year-old Marc Muffley is charged with possessing an explosive in an airport and possessing or attempting to place an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors allege that the material was found in a suitcase Muffley had checked in Monday at Lehigh Valley International Airport to Allegiant Air Flight 201, which was bound for Orlando-Sanford International Airport in Florida. After an alert during security screening, the bag was examined and found hidden in the lining was a “circular compound” about three inches in diameter encased in a wax-like paper and clear plastic wrap.

➤LAWMAKER PANNEL OKs GIVING BIDEN POWER TO BAN TIK TOK: The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on Wednesday along party lines to give President Joe Biden the power to ban Chinese-owned TikTok, in what would be the most far-reaching U.S. restriction on any social media app. Lawmakers voted 24 to 16 to approve the measure to grant the administration new powers to ban the ByteDance-owned app - which is used by over 100 million Americans - as well as other apps considered security risks.

➤TIK TOK SETTING TIME LIMITS FOR TEENS: TikTok has been criticized for its addictive algorithm, but a solution might be on the horizon. The social media app is implementing a screen time limit for users aged 13 to 17 in the coming weeks. Those under 18 will need to enter a passcode if they're on the app for an hour, and will also receive a weekly recap of their screen time. "It is the crack cocaine of algorithms," Imran Ahmed of the Center for Countering Digital Hate said of TikTok. "It is the most addictive, it is the most dangerous and the one that needs to be dealt with most urgently."

➤RFK KILLER DENIED PAROLE: Sirhan Sirhan, the man who murdered Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 6, 1968, was again denied parole by a California parole board. The board said that Sirhan, now 78 years old, still lacks insight into his motive for murdering the senator and presidential candidate. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after accepting victory in the state’s Democratic primary.

➤SHOOTINGS FORCE APPLE TO CLOSE MALL LOCATION: Apple Inc. has abruptly shut down one of its retail stores in Charlotte, North Carolina, after the mall where it’s located suffered at least three shootings in recent months. The company informed the store’s employees on Wednesday that the location would be closing immediately, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The store was open for business Wednesday morning and a copy of its website from the previous day showed no plans for it to change business hours or close.  After employees were informed of the plan, Apple updated its website to show that the location — at the Northlake Mall in Mecklenburg County — would be shuttered permanently. The shootings at the mall contributed to the decision, the people said.  Apple told employees that there will be no layoffs and that staff at the Northlake Mall site would be transfered to the nearby SouthPark location in Charlotte or roles working at the company’s online store.

🛬AIRFARES EXPECTED TO RISE: Pilots at Delta Air Lines easily approved a new contract that will raise their pay by more than 30 percent over four years and likely lead to similar agreements covering union pilots at other major US airlines. The Air Line Pilots Association said 78 percent of Delta's 15,000 pilots voted to support the contract which will lead to a cumulative $7 billion in pay raises. Delta pilots currently make between $66,853.80 per year to $257,657.40 per year, according to aviationinterviews.com. The pay raise can increase salaries to between $89,584.10 and $345,260.92.

➤TRANS TEACHER WEARING Z-CUP BREAST PROSTHETICS PUT ON LEAVE: A transgender teacher with prosthetic Z-cup breasts has finally been put on leave from her Canadian school after pictures emerged of her wearing men's clothing. Kayla Lemieux, who claims the breasts are real and the result of a medical condition, has come under fire for her provocative attire, with parents previously claiming she 'mocks women and the education experience.' The Halton District School Board confirmed she had been put on paid leave on Tuesday - though she continues to be paid for her role at Oakville Trafalgar High School. 'While not currently on an active assignment, the teacher remains employed with the HDSB (Halton District School Board),' board spokesperson Heather Francey told the Toronto Sun. It came as parents of students lined up to attack the schoolboard for its failure to impose a stricter dress code on Lemieux sooner.

➤ELI LILLY HALVES PRICE OF INSULIN: The Eli Lilly drug company will cap the out-of-pocket cost of its insulin at $35 a month, the company announced yesterday. The change is expected to be matched soon by other insulin manufacturers. A provision in the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress in January imposed a $35 cap on the out-of-pocket cost of insulin for Medicare recipients. The Lilly decision cuts the price for all buyers. In 2018, the average price of the life-saving medication in the U.S. was almost $99, far higher than in other countries.

➤SMIRKING IRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS WOMEN HAVE ALL THE RIGHT THEY NEEED: Iran's foreign minister could not stop smirking as he was grilled about his country's record on women's rights in a combative interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour (right) on Wednesday. Hossein Amirabdollahian (left) told the host 'this is not the way to conduct an interview' as he insisted women in Iran had 'all the necessary, required freedoms' and accused Western media of fueling protests there. It comes just two days after diplomats walked out of a speech given by the Iranian minister to the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva. During the tense interview, Amirabdollahian claimed Mahsa Amini - the 22-year-old who died after being arrested by morality police for failing to wear the hijab - was turned into a 'symbol' by protesters. 'You're supposed to interview me but you're actually having a confrontation with me,' he told Amanpour.

➤JURY TO GET MURDAUGH CASE: The jurors who will decide Alex Murdaugh’s fate toured the South Carolina hunting lodge Wednesday where his wife and son were found murdered — getting an up-close look for the first time of where the grisly crime occurred. Alex Murdaugh has been charged in the killing of his son Paul, 22, and wife Maggie Murdaugh, 52, who were found dead on June 7, 2021, shot with two different weapons, neither of which has been recovered. Jurors got to see inside the small feed room where Paul was found dead on Wednesday. Paul had been shot at such a close range the room was covered in his blood and body matter in the aftermath of the crime. Alex’s brother John Marvin Murdaugh tearfully recounted  how he had cleaned up the crime scene on the stand Monday, saying: “I saw blood, I saw brains, I saw pieces of skull, I saw tissue.

➤NYC MAY MAKE CASH SETTLEMENT WITH PROTESTORS: The city of New York has agreed to shell out $21,500 to each of the more than 300 protesters who were confined and some beaten or pepper-sprayed by NYPD officers in The Bronx during the nationwide 2020 George Floyd demonstrations. The proposed settlement — which will have to be signed off on by a federal judge — was published in a Manhattan federal class-action suit filed by the protesters who were “kettled” by cops at the protest in Mott Haven on June 4, 2020.  Protesters who were unlawfully charged with a crime after being confined by officers will receive an additional $2,500, according to the terms of the settlement.  If Judge Colleen McMahon okays the proposed agreement, the city would have to shell out up to $6 million to the protesters.  It could be the highest per-person amount awarded in a mass-arrest class-action lawsuit in city history.

🏈FLORES LAWSUIT VS. NFL TO CONTINUE: Former Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores can proceed with a lawsuit accusing the National Football League and several of its teams of racial bias in hiring for coaching and front-office positions. A federal judge in Manhattan on Wednesday rejected the NFL’s move to force Flores to arbitrate his claims against the league, the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans because he had no contracts with those teams. But Flores — now a defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings — did have a contract with the Dolphins, requiring any claims against that team to be heard in an out-of-court process overseen by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell., US District Judge Valerie Caproni said.

🏀BIG COMEBACK FOR ALABAMA: After trailing as much as 17 points in the second half, Alabama’s Crimson Tide mounted a big comeback to beat the Auburn Tigers 90-85 in overtime in Tuscaloosa last night. That means Alabama takes the NCAA Southeastern Conference men’s title for the second time in three years.

🎾RAFAEL NADAL WILL SKIP INDIAN WELLS AND MIAMI: Twenty-two-time Grand Slam tennis champion Rafael Nadal will miss the upcoming events at Indian Wells Open next week and the Miami Open later this month as he recovers from a hip injury suffered at the Australian Open. In a tweet, Nadal said he hopes for a comeback this summer.

🏀KYRIE IRVING MAKES A HABIT OF GIVING: A young man named Cameron Mofid woke up one morning to find his GoFundMe campaign had grown by $45,000 with an unexpected donation from Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving. Mofid’s quest to build a school in Nigeria and an orphanage in Ghana had exceeded its funding goal overnight. According to Nets Daily, Irving has quietly donated about $500,000 to GoFundMe accounts over the past several years. Now he’ll have a classroom in Nigeria and a basketball court in Ghana named after him. And Mofid is using the excess donation to buy shoes for the kids and bring clean water to a Nigerian slum.

🏈HOW NFL PLAYERS RATE THEIR TEAMS: The NFL Players Association has issued the conclusions of a poll in which pro players rate the teams for the quality of their facilities and their treatment of players and their families. The survey results are meant to inform free agents about what they could be in for, and also to encourage low-ranking teams to do better. Based purely on the players’ rankings, free agents might head for the Minnesota Vikings, the Miami Dolphins, or the Las Vegas Raiders, the top three picks in the survey. But they might steer clear of the Washington Commanders, bottom of the list.

➤CHECK IT OUT: Click here for the full list of NFL teams, as ranked by the players

🏂SNOW PILING UP IN CALIFORNIA: The powerful winter storm that has focused on California has dropped nearly seven feet of snow in some parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Yosemite National Park has closed indefinitely, as has Joshua Tree National Park. Hail and light snow have even been seen in Los Angeles and San Diego far to the south. Some relief is expected over the next couple of days but weather forecasters say the snow will return on Saturday.


 

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