[ad_1]
The race enters its final sprint on a chaotic, surprising map
Democrats and Republicans entered the final stretch of more than a dozen gubernatorial races on Saturday, as Republicans clinched a staggering distance to the top job in a string of blue and battleground states while Democrats showed in several other races. Amazing strength. Crimson Oklahoma is playing for Democrats. New York and Oregon are within reach for Republicans. Several battleground states are fiercely contested on abortion, elections and other issues. The country’s more fluid and highly important gubernatorial race is attracting an influx of money as key races in the House and Senate appear to be turning to Republicans.
Undocumented carry laws create new dilemma for police
Laws that allow guns in states like Kentucky, Idaho and Texas present a dilemma for police officers working on the streets: They must now decide in seconds whether someone entitled to carry a gun poses a danger. Advocates of the laws say they make people safer because the best way to stop bad guys from holding guns is to let good guys hold guns. Opponents say allowing anyone to carry a firearm is more dangerous for ordinary people and the police. The debate has unfolded as gun violence is on the rise across the country.
Affirmative action under threat as high court hears UNC case
The University of North Carolina was once a bastion of segregation. Today, the school makes up for that history with race in mind and increases the number of black students and other underrepresented minorities on campus. Its affirmative action program uses race among multiple factors to build a diverse student body, similar to programs at other selective public and private institutions. But the Supreme Court, which has approved race-conscious college admissions programs twice in the past 19 years, now appears poised to limit their use or outlaw them altogether. The court will hear two such cases on Monday, involving the University of North Carolina and Harvard. They are the oldest public and private universities in the United States, respectively.
Volunteer detectives look for stolen cars
For much of the past year, Titan Crawford, 38, has led a growing network of volunteer detectives working the streets, alleys and forests of Portland, Oregon Search, race against time, hoping to find stolen vehicles before they end up being ripped to shreds. There is no shortage of work to be done. Portland is expected to see more than 10,000 vehicle thefts this year, more than triple the number the city recorded a decade ago, part of a national trend that has accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. Neighbors share photos of license plates, stay vigilant on commutes and look for reports of stolen vehicles online.
Richmond can remove last Confederate statue, judge rules
Since 1892, a statue of Confederate Lieutenant General Ambrose P. Hill has towered over a busy intersection in Richmond, Virginia, where his remains were buried. The statue is the city’s last federal monument, and it may soon disappear. Judge D. Eugene Cheek Sr. of the Richmond City Circuit Court ruled this week that the city has the right to remove the statue and donate it to the Virginia Black History Museum and Cultural Center. According to his ruling, the general’s body will be reburied at a cemetery in Culpeper, about 85 miles north.
Russia suspends Ukrainian grain trade over ship attack claim
Russia said it would immediately suspend a U.N.-brokered grain export deal that has exported more than 9 million tonnes of grain from Ukraine and dragged down global food prices. The Russian Defense Ministry cited an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian Black Sea Fleet ship anchored near occupied Crimea as the reason for the move. Ukraine has denied the attack and said the Russians simply mishandled their weapons. Russia’s announcement comes a day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Russia and Ukraine to renew the food deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia’s move “predictable”, saying Russia’s delays had supported 176 grain ships at sea. Another Ukrainian official said that Russia is starting a new “Hunger Games” in the world.
With Western weapons, Ukraine turns the tide in artillery battle
On the screen of the thermal imaging camera, the Russian armored personnel carrier disappeared in a silent puff of smoke. “What a wonderful explosion,” said 1st Lieutenant Serhiy, a Ukrainian drone pilot who saw his weapon buzz into a Russian-controlled village before knocking the armored car into the air. The war in Ukraine is mostly air combat, and Russia has had the upper hand for months. But in recent months, the situation on the southern Ukrainian front has turned. With powerful Western weapons and lethal homemade drones, Ukraine has an artillery advantage in the region, commanders and military analysts say.
17 Australians return home after years in ISIS internment camp
On Thursday, 17 Australian citizens – four women and 13 children – began to return home from detention camps in Syria, where they have been suffering since the fall of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in 2019. By Saturday, they had returned to New South Wales, Australia, according to a statement from Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Claire O’Neill. Dozens of other Australians remain in the camp. But hopefully this will be the first of several government-sponsored versions. Many of those who remain are children who have been detained for most of their lives, even their entire lives.
Via Wire Source
[ad_2]
Source link
