The steep cost of
Ron DeSantis’ vaccine turnabout
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presents his COVID strategy not only as his biggest accomplishment but also as the foundation for his presidential campaign. But a close review by The New York Times of Florida’s pandemic response suggests DeSantis’ account of his record leaves much out. On the single factor experts say mattered most in fighting COVID — widespread vaccinations — DeSantis’ approach of crusading for Floridians 65 and older to get shots and then laying off once younger age groups became eligible proved flawed. Of the 23,000 Floridians who died, 9,000 were younger than 65, and a vast majority of the 23,000 were unvaccinated or had not yet completed the two-dose regimen.
They checked out Pride books in protest. It backfired.
Adrianne Peterson, the manager of the Rancho Peñasquitos branch of the San Diego Public Library, was taken aback when an email from two residents, Amy Vance and Martha Martin, informed her they had checked out nearly all of the books in the Pride display and would not return them unless the library removed what they considered “inappropriate content.” But soon, stacks of Amazon boxes containing new copies of the books the protesters checked out started to arrive, and roughly 180 people gave more than $15,000 to the library system, which after a city match will provide over $30,000 toward more LGBTQ-themed materials and programming.
The question after every mass shooting: How much do we deserve to know?
After every mass shooting, law enforcement releases the grim evidence. This tsunami of investigative detail could save lives, but it inflicts fresh agony on the families of the dead. Increasingly, survivors ask: What does the public have a right to know about their loved ones’ deaths, and at what cost to them? Grieving families in Nashville, Tennessee, have been seeking these answers in court. After the March 27 shooting deaths of six people at the Covenant School in the city’s Green Hills neighborhood, some 100 family members of the victims and their classmates want a judge to ban public release of the shooter’s handwritten journals and other information.
Tim Scott awaits his moment. But will
it come?
He is rising in the polls and turning heads in Iowa and New Hampshire, behind heavy spending on ads that play to voters’ appetite for a leader who is upbeat and positive in a dark political moment. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is perfectly positioned to seize the moment if former President Donald Trump collapses under the weight of his criminal cases or if the challenge from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis evaporates. The only question is whether either moment will come. While Scott is well-liked in early primary states, more than half of Republican voters surveyed nationally said they did not know enough about him to have an opinion.
Lawyers say helping aylum-seekers in border custody is nearly impossible
In the first weeks after President Joe Biden’s new border policies were put in place, his administration recorded a sharp drop in the number of people allowed to apply for asylum. But lawyers who counsel migrants seeking asylum say the changes make it nearly impossible for them to do their jobs and leave the people most in need of protection struggling to find help. Lawyers cannot meet with, call or leave messages for clients in the custody of Border Patrol — a byproduct of changes in how and where the government conducts a “credible fear interview,” a make-or-break step that determines whether someone should be allowed to apply for asylum.
When mental health crisis ends in a police shooting
The San Antonio Police Department has a Mental Health Unit available around the clock to respond to calls that require trained, empathetic responses and support for people in distress. None of the mental health officers on duty were dispatched before Melissa Perez was fatally shot in her home last month by three police officers. Perez, 46, was exhibiting unusual behavior and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Her shooting is renewing vexing questions about police staffing, training and decision-making, and how officers deal with people experiencing mental health issues.
Zelenskyy pushes for way to ship grain through Black Sea
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was pushing forward with diplomatic efforts Saturday to reopen the Black Sea to Ukraine’s grain shipments, strategizing with NATO’s chief a day after discussing with Turkey’s president the collapse of a deal that allowed ships to bypass Russia’s blockade. Russia pulled out of the yearlong agreement, and efforts to revive it have been plunged into doubt as Russia has vowed it will treat commercial ships in the Black Sea as potentially carrying military cargo. “Due to Russia’s actions, the world is once again on the brink of a food crisis,” Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter late Friday.
Far right may rise as kingmaker in Spanish election
If Spain’s national elections Sunday turn out as most polls and analysts suggest, mainstream conservatives may come out on top but need allies on the political fringe to govern, ushering the first hard-right party into power since the Franco dictatorship. The potential ascent of that hard-right party, Vox, would bring Spain into the growing ranks of European nations where mainstream conservative parties have partnered with previously taboo forces out of electoral necessity. The mainstream conservative Popular Party, although predicted to come out on top Sunday, is not expected to win a majority in Parliament; Vox is its most likely coalition partner.
Oil industry, Venezuela’s failing lifeline, turns more lethal
Venezuela’s oil industry, which helped transform the country’s fortunes, has been decimated by mismanagement and several years of U.S. sanctions imposed on the country’s authoritarian government. The state-owned oil company has struggled to maintain minimal production, but to do so it has sacrificed basic maintenance and relied on increasingly shoddy equipment that has led to a growing environmental toll, activists say. In El Tejero, a town in an oil-rich eastern region, rain brings down an oily film. Many residents complain of having respiratory diseases such as asthma, which scientists say can be aggravated by emissions from gas flares.
Even past dissent in Belarus means constant scrutiny
After claiming victory in a widely disputed presidential election three years ago — and violently crushing the outraged protests that followed — Belarus’ authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko has ushered in a chilling era of repression. He is moving ever closer to his patron, President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Belarusian security forces are rounding up opposition figures, journalists, lawyers and even people committing offenses such as commenting on social media memes or insulting Lukashenko in private conversations that are overheard and reported. In particular, activists and rights groups say, the country’s security forces are intent on finding and punishing the people who participated in the 2020 protests.
In Japan, a push for ‘clean coal’ using ammonia brings criticism
The world’s advanced economies have committed to phasing out coal. But not Japan, which stands alone in insisting it can make coal less damaging to the planet. Nowhere is that more evident than at the nation’s largest coal-fired power plant in Hekinan, in central Japan. Starting next spring, Jera, the company that owns the site, wants to demonstrate it can blend ammonia — which does not emit carbon dioxide when burned — with coal in its boilers. The company says the ammonia method can reduce dangerous emissions. But critics say the use of ammonia merely extends Japan’s reliance on fossil fuels and could potentially increase carbon emissions as the ammonia is produced.
Greece rescues hundreds
from island as fires near
coastal villages
Greek Coast Guard vessels on Saturday evacuated hundreds of tourists and locals trapped in seaside villages on Rhodes that were threatened by 5-day-old wildfires, moving them to safer parts of the island. A Greek navy warship was en route to join the five Greek coast guard vessels and two army boats that were being aided by 30 private vessels in the area. A coast guard spokesperson, said around 2,000 people had been evacuated by sea from southeastern Rhodes. About 7,500 more people on Rhodes were evacuated over land to other parts of the island, the regional governor said.
By wire sources
