And another day of the horror of Russian occupation, increasing ‘international conflict,’ an ‘extremely grim’ Covid outbreak, OK’s turn on abortion, state murder rates, OH’s own ‘don’t say gay’ bill, bad air, Musk joins Twitter’s board, and TN wants to eliminate age requirement for marriage comes to a close:
"It's terrifying to think that we're going backwards in time, that we're actually watching in real time getting our rights taken away from us.” -- Kristin Williams
“If I were a Republican I’d be ashamed today. Of course, anyone capable of shame wouldn’t still be a Republican.” — John Pavlovitz
Deaths
US: 1,009,390 (+711)
World: 6,183,510 (+4367)
Cases
US: 81,900,012 (+32,049)
World: 494,140,283 (+1,360,945)
'We're not finding soldiers, just innocent people': The horror of Russian occupation revealed in Borodianka. Moscow has denied targeting civilians, but volunteers are working with police to pick up the bodies of killed civilians left to rot in the open air..."We are gathering people who were shot by the Russians. Civilians who were tortured. We have been working for two days," Hennadiy Avramenko, 45, said.
In Bucha, Ukraine, burned, piled bodies among latest horrors. One blackened body had arms raised in supplication, the face contorted in a horrible scream. The skull of another had a bullet hole in the left temple. The small blackened foot of a child could be seen in the tangle of charred bodies piled together in Bucha, the town outside of Kyiv where graphic evidence of killings and torture has emerged following the withdrawal of Russian forces. The six burned and blackened corpses were just the latest gruesome scene to emerge from Bucha as world leaders push for Russia to be held accountable, including for possible war crimes.
Top US general: Potential for 'significant international conflict' is increasing. The top US military officer told lawmakers Tuesday that the world is becoming more unstable and the "potential for significant international conflict is increasing, not decreasing."
Oklahoma Legislature passes bill to make performing abortions a felony. The state House passed a bill Tuesday that would make performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, has said he will sign any anti-abortion bill sent to him. If he signs this one, it will go into effect this summer. Another House bill, 4327, would allow private citizens to file lawsuits against doctors who perform abortions and would only allow a woman to have an abortion if her life were at stake. It now goes to the state Senate. -- Remember, Republicans are not “pro-life.” They are merely “pro-birth.” Once you’re born, they don’t give a fucking shit about you. No one, absolutely no one, should be forced to continue a pregnancy against their will.
Republican-controlled states have higher murder rates than Democratic ones: study. Republican politicians routinely claim that cities run by Democrats have been experiencing crime waves caused by failed governance, but a new study shows murder rates are actually higher in states and cities controlled by Republicans…But a comparison of violent crime rates in jurisdictions controlled by Democrats and Republicans tells a very different story. In fact, a new study from the center-left think tank Third Way shows that states won by Trump in the 2020 election have higher murder rates than those carried by Joe Biden. The highest murder rates, the study found, are often in conservative, rural states. The study found that murder rates in the 25 states Trump carried in 2020 are 40% higher overall than in the states Biden won. (The report used 2020 data because 2021 data is not yet fully available.) The five states with the highest per capita murder rate — Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, Alabama and Missouri — all lean Republican and voted for Trump…Criminologists say research shows higher rates of violent crime are found in areas that have low average education levels, high rates of poverty and relatively modest access to government assistance. Those conditions characterize some portions of the American South.
COVID outbreak ‘extremely grim’ as Shanghai extends lockdown. The COVID-19 outbreak in China’s largest metropolis of Shanghai remains “extremely grim” amid an ongoing lockdown confining around 26 million people to their homes, a city official said Tuesday. The director of Shanghai’s working group on epidemic control, Gu Honghui, was quoted by state media as saying that the outbreak in the city was “still running at a high level.”
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) announced on Tuesday evening that he had tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
Florida 'Don't Say Gay' law inspires proposed legislation in Ohio. The bill also goes a step further than the recently passed Florida law, forbidding Ohio public school educators in grades 4 through 12 from teaching or using "instructional materials on sexual orientation or gender identity in any manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards." The drafted bill language does not specify what "age-appropriate" or "developmentally appropriate" material might qualify.
99 percent of people worldwide breathe air that doesn’t meet WHO standard. Fine particle pollution has been linked to premature deaths, heart attacks and decreased lung function, while nitrogen dioxide can contribute to or worsen asthma. In response to its findings, the WHO called on countries to revise their own air quality standards and increase vehicle emissions and efficiency standards, among other actions.
Republican candidate in New Hampshire voted in two states’ primaries in 2016. Matt Mowers, the former Trump administration aide who is running for Congress in New Hampshire, voted twice during the 2016 primary, according to voting records obtained by CNN, opening the Republican candidate up to criticism from his opponents and charges of hypocrisy from Democrats.
Elon Musk to join Twitter's board. Elon Musk is set to join Twitter's board of directors, a move that potentially boosts his influence over the social media platform and which comes one day after it was disclosed that he had become the company's largest individual shareholder. Twitter said in a regulatory filing Tuesday that it plans to appoint the Tesla and SpaceX CEO to its board for a term that ends in 2024. As part of the deal, Musk has agreed not to acquire more than 14.9% of the company's shares while he remains on the board.
Editorial: If you saved $365,000 a day every day for 2000 years, you still wouldn’t have as much wealth as Elon Musk. Yes. 2000 years.
“The newest member of Twitter’s board of directors once went on Twitter and called a U.S. Senator “Senator Karen” because she suggested he—the richest man in the world—should pay income taxes. He paid $0 in income taxes last year.” — Sawyer Hackett
More families would be able to access Affordable Care Act subsidies next year, under a rule proposed by the Biden administration Tuesday.
Study of wealthy nations finds American women most likely to die of preventable causes, pregnancy complications. Researchers with the Commonwealth Fund pulled data from the fund’s 2020 International Health Policy Survey and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Statistics on health care were compared among Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the US. Among US women ages 18 to 49, just over a quarter rated their country’s health care system as good or very good. In every other country, a majority of women in this age group gave their health care system a positive rating.
Tennessee bill would eliminate age requirements for marriages, opponents say. A bill proposal making its way through Tennessee legislature that would establish a common-law marriage between “one man” and “one woman.”…Opponents of the bill say it would eliminate an age requirement, opening the door for a coverup of child sex abuse.
Life’s short. Live, love, create, and help others.
Until next time, my friends. Stay safe and stay sane. Good night.
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