Lawmakers face an increase in threats and intimidation, and fear the worst
Members of Congress from both parties are experiencing an increase in threats and confrontations as the rise of violent political speech has increasingly moved into the realm of in-person intimidation and physical altercation. In the months since the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, which brought lawmakers and the vice president to the feet of rioters who threatened their lives, Republicans and Democrats have faced harassment, armed visits at home, vandalism and assaults. It’s part of a chilling trend that many fear will only intensify as lawmakers disperse to campaign and meet with voters across the country ahead of next month’s midterm congressional elections.
Spending on children increased during the pandemic. It didn’t last.
In 2021, the federal government spent $10,710 per child, through a combination of programs and tax changes, up from $6,810 in 2019, according to the latest installment of Kids’ Share’s annual report Urban Institute. It amounted to 834 billion dollars, invested in 78 million children. It didn’t last. Government financial support to families will largely return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024, and in some categories, will decline from these levels, although the evidence is clear that government support to families during the pandemic benefited children: by 2021, child poverty decreased. at the lowest rate on record.
In Washington, Putin’s nuclear threats are causing growing alarm
For the first time since the Cuban missile crisis, top government leaders in Moscow are making explicit nuclear threats and Washington officials are playing with scenarios if President Vladimir Putin decides to use a tactical nuclear weapon to offset troop failures Russians in Ukraine. . In background talks, several officials suggested that if Russia detonated a tactical nuclear weapon on Ukrainian soil, the options included cutting Russia off from the global economy or some sort of military response, though it would likely be delivered by the Ukrainians with the West . – conventional weapons supplied.
Second day of tensions in Burkina Faso adds doubt to who is in power
A day after military officers seized power in Burkina Faso, the apparently ousted president refused to relinquish power and warned of a “fratricidal war”. The country’s newest self-proclaimed leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, said on Saturday that former president Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba was planning a counterattack from a “French base” to “stir trouble” for the armed forces of the country. forces The escalation between the two men, who appear to have brought together different factions of the armed forces, threatened to further destabilize the region. France, former colonizer of Burkina Faso, quickly denied any involvement in the events.
Ukraine forces to retake strategic city as Russians retreat
Russian forces pulled out of the strategic eastern Ukrainian town of Lyman on Saturday, a humbling setback for President Vladimir Putin a day after he illegally declared the surrounding region part of Russia. The Ukrainians’ assault on Lyman, a railway hub leading to the mineral-rich Donbas region, underlined their determination to strike in territory over which Putin now claims sovereignty, raising the stakes in a war which a nuclear-armed Russia has declared it would use. “all available means” to defend the land it considers its own. The Russian withdrawal quickly drew bitter criticism from Putin’s powerful allies, who blamed Russia’s military leaders for the recent losses, calling them incompetent.
129 dead after fans stampede out of Indonesia soccer match
Panic at an Indonesian soccer match after police fired tear gas to stop fighting left 129 dead, most of them trampled to death. Police said on Sunday that several fights were reported between supporters of the two rival soccer teams inside the stadium after the Indonesian Premier League match ended with Persebaya defeating Arema 3-2 . East Java’s police chief says the clashes led to riot police firing tear gas, causing panic among supporters. Hundreds ran to an exit door in an effort to avoid the tear gas. Some suffocated in the chaos and others were trampled. More than 300 have been rushed to nearby hospitals for their injuries. But many of them died on the way and during treatment.
Venezuela exchanges 7 imprisoned Americans for relatives of Maduro
The government of Venezuela has released seven Americans imprisoned in the South American country in exchange for the release of two nephews of President Nicolás Maduro’s wife who had been imprisoned by the United States for years for drug trafficking. The exchange of the Americans, including five oil executives jailed for nearly five years, is the largest trade in citizen detainees ever conducted by the Biden administration. It is an unusual gesture of goodwill from Maduro as he seeks to rebuild relations with the US after defeating most of his opponents and after months of secret talks, including repeated visits to Venezuela over the past year Washington’s top hostage negotiator.
