Friday,  April 22nd, 2022 

Vladimir Putin tells his troops not to storm the Azovstal iron and steel works building in Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, describing proposed plans to do so as “impractical” and instead ordering a blockade of the area. (The Guardian) 

Russian Major general Rustam Minnekayev says the goal of the military operation is now the permanent occupation of Southern Ukraine, creating a land corridor from Crimea to Transnistria. (BBC) (The Guardian) 

Putin claims victory in Mariupol Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, even though Ukrainian defenders are fighting on from a massive steel plant with a network of tunnels. Russia is choking off food and ammunition supplies to the Ukrainian holdouts, rather than risk a bloody assault on the plant. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko rejected Putin’s insistence the city had fallen. “The city was, is, and remains Ukrainian,” he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also rejected Putin’s claim, saying that Russia captured “most of Mariupol long ago” but Ukrainian troops refuse to surrender. Ukraine said satellite images appearing to show mass graves near Mariupol were evidence of Russian war crimes. NPR 

Russia holds off on storming last Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered his troops to hold off on storming a steel plant that is the last Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged port city of Mariupol, but he told Russian forces to surround it “so that not even a fly comes through.” The fall of Mariupol would give Russia a key port and complete a land bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, a part of Ukraine that Moscow annexed in 2014. Western nations said they were rushing artillery, helicopters, and other heavy military equipment to help Ukrainian forces fight off Russia’s new offensive in eastern Ukraine. The Pentagon said Ukraine had returned at least 20 fighter jets to action after receiving parts for repairs. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Biden announces $800 million military aid package for Ukraine President Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800 million military aid package to help Ukraine fight back against Russia’s new major offensive in eastern Ukraine. The package includes “heavy artillery weapons, dozens of howitzers, and 144,000 rounds of ammunition to go with those howitzers,” Biden said. He added that the military equipment was well-suited to Ukraine’s needs in intensifying fighting in the flat, open Donbas region. “We’re in a critical window,” he added, vowing that the United States and its allies would provide Ukraine with the “equipment they need — their forces need — to defend their nation.” Biden also said the U.S. would ban all Russian-affiliated ships from U.S. ports. ABC NEWS 

Russia tests missile Putin says should make enemies ‘think twice’ Russia announced Wednesday it had successfully tested the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which Moscow says can deliver nuclear warheads at hypersonic speeds and dodge defenses. “This truly unique weapon will force all who are trying to threaten our country in the heat of frenzied, aggressive rhetoric to think twice,” Russian Vladimir Putin said. But Russia’s Defense Ministry said the missile wouldn’t be ready for use until “after the completion of the testing program.” In Wednesday’s test, a Sarmat missile was launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwest Russia and hit a target 3,500 miles east on the Kamchatka Peninsula. U.S. officials made no immediate comment. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Ukraine says it will not allow residents to evacuate the country today over concerns the route is too dangerous. (Times of Israel) 

Russian, Belarusian tennis players barred from Wimbledon The All England Club announced Wednesday that it was barring tennis players from Russia and Belarus from competing at Wimbledon this year because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Belarus supports. The ban affects reigning U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, a Russian player who was recently ranked No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is currently No. 2. No. 8 Andrey Rublev, also Russian, will be banned, too. No. 4 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is the top-ranked women’s player affected. She was a Wimbledon semifinalist last year. Former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open winner also from Belarus, and last year’s French Open runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, also are among the banned players. The grass-court Grand Slam tournament starts on June 27. CNN 

One person is killed and two are injured after a transport plane crashes in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (Reuters) 

Mike Tyson repeatedly punches a man on a plane A flight out of San Francisco turned into Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! rather quickly. In a video published by TMZ on Thursday, Mike Tyson is seen attacking a man seated behind him on a plane at San Francisco International Airport. The “overly excited” passenger “kept trying to talk” to Tyson, who “told him to chill,” according to TMZ. The man apparently wouldn’t do so, leading Tyson to punch him multiple times. The man’s head appeared to be bloodied after the incident. “Boy just got beat up by Mike Tyson,” the person filming the video says. “…Yeah, you got f–ked up. Just trying to ask for an autograph, man. I don’t know what happened.” Sources close to Tyson told TMZ the man was “extremely intoxicated” and “wouldn’t stop provoking” him, and Ice-T quickly came to Tyson’s defense. “Mike Tyson punched somebody who was Fn with him,” he tweeted. “The problem is nowadays, MFs think they WON’T get punched in the Face.”  TMZ 

Musk says he has lined up $46.5 billion to buy Twitter Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Thursday he had secured $46.5 billion in financing for his bid to take Twitter private. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Musk said Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, and several other banks had agreed to lend $25.5 billion, backed partly by some of Musk’s Tesla stock. Musk, the richest person in the world, said he would provide the remaining $21 billion from his own money, which is mostly held in his shares of Tesla and his private space-flight company, SpaceX. Twitter’s board tried to thwart Musk’s bid by adopting a limited duration shareholder rights plan, often called a “poison pill.” Musk said he was considering pitching it directly to shareholders. NPR 

A bomb has exploded in a Sunni mosque in Kunduz, Afghanistan leaving 36 dead and 40 people injured. (BBC News) 

Authorities in Shanghai announce they will tighten the enforcement of lockdown measures, as COVID-19 cases continue to increase in China’s financial capital. (BBC News) 

Florida House approves bill ending Disney self-governing status The Florida House of Representatives on Thursday gave final approval to a bill ending Disney’s special self-governing status at its Florida theme parks, sending the measure to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for his signature. DeSantis and his fellow Republicans, who control both chambers in the state legislature, pushed through the measure after Disney, facing pressure from employees, vowed to push for the repeal of Florida’s new parental rights in education law, which critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The law bars public schools from teaching young children about sexual orientation or gender identity. Republicans pushed through the bill to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, a unique Florida law that helped establish Walt Disney World in the state by giving the company the power of self-government. CNN 

Ex-Honduras president extradited on drug, weapons charges Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández was extradited to the United States on Thursday to face federal drug and weapons charges. He is accused of accepting millions of dollars to protect cocaine shipments. Hernández was president from 2014 until January. After his party lost the November presidential election, he became more vulnerable to U.S. calls to extradite him. His downfall came fast. Less than three years ago, then-President Donald Trump praised the conservative Honduran leader for “working with the United States very closely” to fight a wave of Central American migrants trying to get into the U.S. through Mexico. His brother was later prosecuted and convicted as a drug kingpin, and the case included references to then-president Hernández’s alleged crimes. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Bill Murray movie suspends production after complaint Searchlight Pictures has suspended production of the movie Being Mortal after a complaint accusing Bill Murray of “inappropriate behavior,” Deadline reported Thursday. Deadline had reported the production halt a day earlier without specifying the nature of the complaint. Being Mortal is the feature directorial debut for Aziz Ansari, a comedian who was accused of sexual misconduct in 2018, although the new allegation reportedly has nothing to do with him. It was not immediately clear what Murray was accused of doing. “Late last week, we were made aware of a complaint, and we immediately looked into it,” Searchlight reportedly told the cast and crew. “After reviewing the circumstances, it has been decided that production cannot continue at this time.” DEADLINE 

French prosecutors issue international warrant for Ghosn’s arrest French prosecutors have issued an international arrest warrant for former Nissan and Renault chief Carlos Ghosn, who fled from Japan to Lebanon ahead of a trial on financial misconduct charges, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday evening. An investigating magistrate in France issued warrants for Ghosn and four current owners or former directors of Shuhail Bahwan Automobiles, an Omani vehicle distributor that allegedly help siphon off millions of dollars from Renault for his personal use, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. A Ghosn spokesperson declined to comment. The warrants aren’t expected to have much immediate effect on Ghosn’s situation, as he has Lebanese citizenship and Lebanon doesn’t extradite its citizens. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

CNN shutting down CNN+ after 1 month CNN is shutting down its CNN+ streaming service at the end of April, one month after its launch. The company said CNN+ customers “will receive prorated refunds of subscription fees.” The service launched March 29, shortly before CNN was taken over by Warner Bros. Discovery, which promptly indicated it considered CNN+ a bad idea. In a memo to employees, incoming CNN Chief Executive Chris Licht said consumers wanted “simplicity,” not numerous stand-alone offerings. Discovery had previously indicated support for merging its streaming services, which include Discovery+ and HBO Max, into one app. Executives said CNN+’s inability to show live breaking news due to CNN’s contracts with cable and satellite companies also was a critical problem. CNN 

Fed chair signals half-point interest rate hike Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that taming high inflation was “absolutely essential,” so a larger-than-usual half-percentage-point interest rate hike “will be on the table” when the central bank’s policy makers meet in May. “It is appropriate, in my view, to be moving a little more quickly” to cool down the economy by raising borrowing costs, Powell said. The Fed had kept interest rates near zero to boost the economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis. It approved a quarter-point increase to its benchmark short-term interest rate at its March meeting, its first rate hike in three years. Prices have been rising at the fastest rate in decades, as Russia’s Ukraine invasion, and other factors, disrupt supply chains and push fuel prices higher. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

 
Bill Murray reportedly accused of ‘inappropriate behavior’ on new movie Production on a new Aziz Ansari movie was suspended this week over a mysterious complaint — and it allegedly had to do with Bill Murray. On Wednesday, Deadline reported Ansari’s feature directorial debut Being Mortal suspended production after a “complaint” was made, though it wasn’t initially clear what this was related to. The studio, Searchlight Pictures, told cast and crew that “late last week, we were made aware of a complaint,” and “after reviewing the circumstances, it has been decided that production cannot continue at this time.” On Thursday, Deadline followed up to report the “suspension had to do with a complaint made against star Bill Murray for inappropriate behavior.” It’s unclear what Murray was accused of. Ansari stars in the movie in addition to directing it. “Our hope is to resume production and are working with Aziz and [producer] Youree [Henley] to figure out that timing,” Searchlight said. An investigation is reportedly ongoing.  DEADLINETHE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

The Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade bans the import of iPhones. (Tasnim) 

Thursday, April 21st, 2022 

UK judge approves Julian Assange extradition to U.S. A United Kingdom judge on Wednesday approved WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States, where he faces espionage charges related to WikiLeaks’ publication of classified material. Assange has been in British custody since 2019, and a U.K. court in December granted his extradition. In March, the U.K. Supreme Court denied him permission to appeal because his “application does not raise an arguable point of law.” U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel will make the final decision, although Assange can appeal to the High Court. A judge previously said sending Assange to the U.S. would be “oppressive” because of his “mental condition,” but the U.S. promised he would receive “appropriate clinical and psychological treatment.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESSAXIOS 

The legislature for the U.S. state of Florida votes to strip Walt Disney World of its ability to self-govern by dissolving the Reedy Creek Improvement District, in apparent retaliation for Disney’s actions during and following the passage of HB 1557, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. (CNBC) 

An Iraqi Shia hacker group named the Altahrea Team launches major cyberattacks against numerous Israeli websites in retaliation for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani. (Ynet News) 

Thirty-one people are killed and 87 others are injured in a bombing at a Shia mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province. The Islamic State claims responsibility for the bombing.  (Reuters) 

Four people are killed and 18 others are injured during a bombing in Kunduz targeting the 217 Omari Corps. (Tolo News) 

Four Taliban members are killed and another is wounded when their vehicle is hit by a roadside bomb in Nangarhar Province. (BBC News) 

Six people are killed after a fire occurs at a defence research institute in Tver, Russia. (Reuters) 

Iran arrests three alleged Israeli Mossad spies in Sistan and Baluchestan province, claiming that the spies are part of recent sensitive data leaks. (AP) 

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is extradited to the United States on drug trafficking charges. (The Washington Post) 

New Mexico regulators hit ‘Rust’ production company with maximum fine New Mexico’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau on Wednesday fined a film production company nearly $137,000 for firearms safety failures on the set of Rust over the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins by actor and producer Alec Baldwin with a prop gun. The state workplace regulator hit Rust Movie Productions with the maximum possible fine, citing safety failures in clear violation of industry protocols. The agency said production managers didn’t address complaints from crew members or sufficiently tighten safety procedures after two misfires on set before the deadly October accident. The production company failed to act despite “a set of obvious hazards to employees,” Bob Genoway, bureau chief for occupational safety, told The Associated Press. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Jury finds former Ohio doctor not guilty in fentanyl deaths An Ohio jury on Wednesday acquitted former Ohio doctor William Husel on murder charges. He was accused of hastening the deaths of 14 critically ill patients by prescribing them large doses of the powerful painkiller fentanyl. Husel’s medical license was suspended three years ago. He faced the possibility of life without parole on the charges, one count of murder for each patient. The jury also was allowed to consider the lesser charge of attempted murder. Husel hugged one of his attorneys after Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Holbrook read the verdict. Franklin County prosecutors said the case was “carefully tried and prepared,” and they accepted the verdict. NBC NEWS 

Shanghai lets 4 million more people leave homes Shanghai on Wednesday cleared four million more people to leave their homes under relaxed anti-coronavirus restrictions in China’s biggest city. Nearly 12 million of the city’s 25 million people are permitted outdoors now, health official Wu Ganyu said at a news conference, adding that virus was “under effective control” in much of the city for the first time since the start of the current outbreak. The changes came as the International Monetary Fund warned the global flow of industrial goods could be disrupted by China’s shutdowns in Shanghai and other industrial hubs, resulting in a reduction of the IMF’s forecast for economic growth in China this year to 4.4 percent from the previous estimate of 4.8 percent, a sharp drop from last year’s 8.1 percent growth. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Netflix stock rout continues Netflix shares continued to dive on Wednesday, dropping 35 percent the day after the streaming-video company reported its first quarterly subscriber loss in more than a decade. Netflix said after releasing the results that it is considering offering a lower-priced option supported by ads to help attract customers. That would mark a significant shift, as Netflix has always touted itself as commercial-free. “Those who have followed Netflix know that I’ve been against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription,” Netflix Chair and Co-CEO Reed Hastings said in a call with analysts after the company released its quarterly results. “But as much as I’m a fan of that, I’m a bigger fan of consumer choice.” CNN 

Tesla reports record 1st-quarter profit Tesla on Wednesday reported record first-quarter profit of $3.32 billion, a seven-fold increase as sales jumped by 80 percent over a year earlier. The electric-car maker said its earnings per share reached $3.22, beating expectations of $2.26 per share. Revenue reached $18.76 billion, compared to $17.80 billion expected. CEO Elon Musk said Tesla would be able to increase production more than previously projected this year despite ongoing supply-chain clogs and China coronavirus restrictions that cost Tesla a month of production at its Shanghai factory. “Shanghai is coming back with a vengeance,” Musk said. He said Tesla would produce more than 1.5 million vehicles this year, 60 percent more than last year. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Home prices hit record high Home prices jumped to an all-time high in March, with the median existing-home price reaching $375,300, the National Association of Realtors reported Wednesday. Buyers rushing to close purchases before mortgage rates, which already have hit 5 percent, rise further. Prices have gone up year-over-year for more than a decade now, the longest such streak on record. High prices deterred some potential buyers, and low inventory contributed to a decline in the number of existing-home sales, which fell 2.7 percent in February and 4.5 percent from March 2021, according to the report. Still, the typical home only stayed on the market 17 days in March before getting snapped up. REUTERS 

Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak says in a tweet that Ukraine is ready to hold a special round of negotiations in Mariupol in an effort “To save our guys, Azov (battalion), military, civilians, children, the living and the wounded”. (Reuters) 

A 91-year-old Holocaust survivor is confirmed to have died on April 4, making her the second Holocaust survivor to be killed during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. (BBC News) 

The Israel Defence Forces launches airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a previous rocket attack launched from Gaza. (AP) 

Marches organized by ultranationalist Itamar Ben-Gvir in the Arab neighbourhood in the old city of Jerusalem are interrupted by Israeli police, leading to skirmishes between protesters and police. (EFE via eldiario.es) 

At least 20 people are killed and another 50 injured in clashes in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia. (BBC News) 

One person is killed and four others are injured when an IED blast hits a bus in Bursa, Marmara, Turkey. (Reuters) 

New Delhi reinstates mandatory face mask wearing due to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the Indian capital. (Reuters) 

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett‘s office announces that mandatory indoor mask-wearing will be lifted for the second time on April 23 at 8 p.m., pending approval from the Knesset Health Committee. However, mask wearing will still be mandatory in high-risk locations and by those who are in quarantine. (The Times of Israel) 

Taiwan reports a record 2,386 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, all locally transmitted, bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 40,186. (Focus Taiwan) 

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health announces that it has begun giving people over the age of 80 a second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (ABC News) 

528 Rohingya refugees flee an immigration detention centre in Penang State, Malaysia, following a riot inside the building. Six people are killed after colliding with motorcyclists while crossing a road. (Al Jazeera) 

Former president José Ramos-Horta defeats incumbent president Francisco Guterres to become the next President of East Timor. (The Guardian) 

A$AP Rocky arrested at the airport in connection with a shooting It’s another rocky week for A$AP Rocky. The rapper was arrested at the airport Wednesday for assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Rocky allegedly shot at an acquaintance with a handgun in November 2021 after an argument between them “escalated.” The victim “sustained a minor injury” and sought medical treatment, while Rocky and two other men fled the area, police said. The development comes after Rocky was convicted on assault charges in Sweden in 2019 in connection with a street brawl. He was released after a month in jail. This time, Rocky was arrested while returning from Barbados, where he was on vacation with his girlfriend, Rihanna. In January, Rihanna announced they’re expecting their first child together. To paraphrase the immortal words of Donald Trump, will A$AP get home ASAP? NBC NEWS 

The new ‘Fast & Furious’ movie is called ‘Fast X’ Will the tenth Fast & Furious‘ title go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities in Hollywood history? Vin Diesel revealed Wednesday the next Fast & Furious film will be called Fast X, though he didn’t clarify whether that’s supposed to be pronounced “Fast Ex” or “Fast Ten.” Either way, fans were immediately disappointed they didn’t go with the punny title everyone’s been suggesting: Fast 10 Your Seat Belts. It was right there, guys! This continues the series’ streak of hilariously inconsistent titles following F9, not to mention installments with nearly the exact same name like The Fast and the Furious and Fast & Furious. Normally, we’d joke that Fast X suggests the franchise is headed to space, Jason X style — but, well, they’re way ahead of us. Is an X-Men crossover the only place left to go? THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Is George R.R. Martin just trolling us at this point? George R.R. Martin didn’t literally just Rickroll fans, but his new blog has that energy. The Game of Thrones author on Wednesday published a hilariously misleading blog post, which at first glance looks like an announcement that the series’ next book, The Winds of Winter, is finally coming out after an epic 11-year wait. The blog’s title is “The Winds of June,” and it opens with these promising words: “The Dark Winds will start blowing in June. June 12, to be precise.” But it’s not what you think: Martin continues that June 12 is not the release date for The Winds of Winter but instead “the day that DARK WINDS, a new series based on the classic bestselling Navajo detective novels by Tony Hillerman, will premiere on AMC and AMC+.” Oh, come on! Motherboard‘s Tim Marchman joked the post was “cruel and malevolent on a level I can only respect.” We look forward to his next blog titled “Major Winds News,” which is just him giving a weather report.  GEORGE R.R. MARTIN 

Ezra Miller arrested again for alleged assault Okay, seriously, we really need to talk about Ezra Miller. The Fantastic Beasts and The Flash star has been arrested in Hawaii for the second time in under a month. This time, the Hawaii Police Department said Miller was arrested for second-degree assault after allegedly becoming “irate” when asked to leave a get-together, at which point they “threw a chair, striking a 26-year-old female on the forehead, resulting in an approximate half-inch cut.” This comes weeks after Miller was arrested for disorderly conduct after an incident at a bar, and the actor also allegedly burst into a couple’s bedroom and threatened them. It already seemed unlikely Warner Bros. would bring Miller back to the DC universe after The Flash, but are we getting to the point where they’ll need to straight up reshoot that whole movie with a different actor? Keep an eye on your phone, Grant Gustin.  THE WEEK 

Populations of countries 

Hungary 

Romania 

Czech 

Poland 

Slovakia 

Moldova 

Ukraine 

Belarus 

The End

Around 70 Extinction Rebellion members, including canoeist Etienne Stott and sailor Laura Baldwin, are detained after gluing themselves to a Shell oil tanker near the Marble Arch at Hyde Park in London. (BBC News) 

Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 

Presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych says Ukraine is blocking an attempted Russian advance on Sloviansk. (Reuters) 

The Pentagon announces that Ukraine has received fighter aircraft and aircraft parts to bolster the Ukrainian Air Force. The number of aircraft sent or their origin are not disclosed. Both Poland and Slovakia have previously offered Ukraine their aircraft. (Euractiv) 

One person is killed and four more are injured when an IED blast hits a bus in Bursa, Marmara, Turkey. (Reuters) 

At least six people have been killed and five have been injured in a bombing in north-western Antioquia, Colombia. (BBC News) 

Five people are dead and seven remain trapped after a coal mine explosion in the Pniówek Coal Mine, Poland. (Reuters) 

The United States signs an agreement with Panama to help stop undocumented immigration. (The Jerusalem Post) 

Judge Paul Golspring of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court refers to Home Secretary Priti Patel to sign the extradition order to the United States of Julian Assange in relation to publications on his WikiLeaks website, which in 2010 and 2011 exposed human rights abuses at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp as well as during the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan. (eldiario.es) 

Ukraine, allies counter Russian offensive  Russian forces have taken control of their first city in eastern Ukraine — Kreminna, population 18,000 — as part of their new offensive in the Donbas region, the governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Gaidai, said in a Tuesday briefing. He said the defenders “have entrenched themselves in new positions and continue to fight the Russian army.” Ukrainian officials rushed to evacuate civilians from densely populated areas in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions as Russia confirmed that it had launched a new phase of its war. The U.S. and other countries rushed to get more military aid to Ukraine. Russia gave Ukraine’s last defenders in the besieged port city of Mariupol another deadline to surrender, but they vowed to keep fighting. THE GUARDIAN 

Biden administration to expand access to student-loan forgiveness program The Education Department announced Tuesday that it would make it easier for millions of lower-income student-loan borrowers to get their debts forgiven by using a federal program that already exists. President Biden this month extended a pandemic-related pause in federal student loan payments until Aug. 31, but few people have been able to get their debt erased altogether. Progressive Democrats are pressuring Biden to forgive student-loan debt for more people. Under the changes announced Tuesday, about 3.6 million people, or about 10 percent of student-loan borrowers, will be able to get three years of credit toward debt forgiveness. The program lets people pay a percentage of their income for up to 25 years, then their balance is forgiven. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Independent autopsy confirms officer shot Patrick Lyoya in head Patrick Lyoya, a Black man killed by a Grand Rapids, Michigan, police officer during a traffic stop, was fatally shot in the back of the head, independent forensic pathologist Werner Spitz, who was hired by Lyoya’s family, said Tuesday. The autopsy indicated that the officer shot Lyoya, a refugee from Congo, as his gun was pressed to the unarmed 26-year-old’s head. “That is now scientific evidence of this tragic killing where his family believes was an execution,” civil rights attorney Ben Crump said. Lyoya’s family is calling for charges against the officer, who has not been publicly identified. In police video, the officer can be heard telling Lyoya to take his hand off the officer’s Taser.  REUTERS 

Biden to again require agencies to consider projects’ climate impact The Biden administration is reinstating key pieces of a “landmark” environmental law requiring federal agencies to consider climate implications and speak with local communities before breaking ground on highways, pipelines, and other such projects, The New York Times and The Washington Post reported Tuesday. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump rolled back parts of 1970’s National Environmental Policy Act’s implementation to cut down on “mountains and mountains of bureaucratic red tape.” Under his changes, many projects were exempted from review and agencies skipped considering “indirect” climate impacts, the Post reported. Under Biden’s changes, regulators will have to consider how government actions contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and burden communities — particularly poor and minority ones subject to disproportionate pollution levels. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Uber, Lyft end mask requirement after judge’s ruling Uber and Lyft decided Tuesday to stop requiring U.S. drivers and riders to wear masks following a Monday decision by a federal judge in Florida that struck down the Biden administration’s COVID-19 face-covering mandate in planes and public transit. “Remember: Many people still feel safer wearing a mask because of personal or family health situations, so please be respectful of their preferences,” Uber said in a statement. “And if you ever feel uncomfortable, you can always cancel the trip.” Uber also said it would allow passengers to ride in the front next to the driver, lifting a requirement that they ride in the back to provide social distance and reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

DeSantis tells Florida lawmakers to consider ending Disney self-governing status Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said at a press conference on Tuesday that he was directing the state legislature to consider abolishing the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which was created in 1967 and grants Disney the powers of a local government in the area around Disney World. The legislature is already in a special session to determine how Florida’s congressional districts should be redrawn and will simply add DeSantis’ new request to the agenda, according to a Florida CBS affiliate. Last month, DeSantis signaled his willingness to consider stripping Disney of “special privileges” after the entertainment company vowed to push for DeSantis’ parental rights in education law — referred to by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — to be repealed or struck down in court. NPR 

Moderna says new booster helps against coronavirus variants Moderna reported Tuesday that preliminary data suggest its updated COVID-19 booster, which adds protection against the Omicron coronavirus variant to its original vaccine, shows promise in fighting Omicron and other coronavirus variants. Moderna hopes to offer a new version of the booster in the fall. It started developing the new version before the Omicron wave, aiming to combine protection against the original coronavirus and an earlier variant known as Beta. The company said people who got the combination vaccine produced more antibodies to fight Omicron and other variants than current, approved boosters did. The extra protection was limited, but Moderna hopes to fine-tune a booster to target Omicron specifically. “These results really give us hope,” said Dr. Jacqueline Miller, a Moderna vice president. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DOJ says it will challenge ruling if CDC says mask mandate is needed The Biden administration said Tuesday it would appeal a Florida judge’s ruling voiding the federal mask requirement on airplanes and public transportation if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decides the policy is necessary to curb rising coronavirus infections. The mask mandate applied to planes, trains, and buses, as well as airports and train stations. It was scheduled to expire on May 3. The decision by the Justice Department to hold off on an appeal even though it said it disagreed with the ruling will avoid sending the matter to a higher court, where a loss could set a precedent limiting the CDC’s authority to impose similar policies in the future. The judge said the CDC had overstepped its authority and failed to justify the mandate. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

School bombings target Afghanistan Shiite community Back-to-back bombings at schools in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, killed at least six people and injured at least 11 others on Tuesday. The toll was expected to rise. Witnesses said dozens of wounded victims were rushed to hospitals. The explosions hit outside the prominent Abdul Rahman Shahid school as dozens of high school students were leaving morning classes. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted Kabul’s minority Shiite Hazara community, but the blasts were similar to previous attacks. “They want us to give up hope,” Reza Alizada, 18, who was wounded as he walked out the school gate with classmates, told The Washington Post. “But I want to go back, as soon as I can walk.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Netflix shares plunge after subscriber loss Netflix shares dropped by as much as 25 percent in after-market trading on Tuesday after the streaming video company reported that it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022, its first quarterly subscriber loss in more than a decade. Netflix, which has 221.6 million subscribers globally, had been expected to gain 2.5 million subscribers. The company said it was forecasting a loss of another 2 million subscribers in the second quarter. Netflix’s fourth-quarter profit was $1.5 billion, down from $1.7 billion in the same period a year earlier. Revenue was up 9.8 percent to $7.8 billion. Netflix’s stock has dropped 40 percent this year on concerns about its growth. CNN 

Greece seizes Russian oil tanker Greece has seized a Russian-owned oil tanker in the Aegean Sea in accordance with European Union sanctions imposed over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a Greek coast guard spokesperson said Tuesday. The 750-foot oil tanker, the Pegas, had 19 Russian crew members on board when it was hobbled by engine problems and seized on April 15. The engine problems meant it had to be towed by tugboats toward Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula, where its oil was to be transferred to another vessel. It was seized after rough seas forced the crew to moor the ship off Karystos, on the southern coast of the island of Evia. Greek authorities also have frozen bank accounts and other assets of Russians in the country. BUSINESS INSIDER 

Tuesday,  April 19th, 2022 

Russia starts eastern Ukraine offensive Russia has started its expected major offensive in eastern Ukraine with a flurry of missile attacks on cities across the country, Ukrainian officials said Monday. Russia has been massing troops and material for an anticipated offensive in the Donbas region, parts of which are controlled by pro-Russia separatists. “It can now be stated that the Russian troops have begun the battle for Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. “A very large part of the entire Russian army is now focused on this offensive.” Ukrainian security officials said their forces were “holding on” in the targeted areas. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Four people are killed in a Russian missile strike on a residential neighbourhood in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (AP) 

Ukraine says that Russian forces have begun an anticipated military offensive in the Donbas with explosions reported in multiple cities. (BBC News) (Reuters) 

A civilian is killed and several others are injured by an explosion in Kramatorsk. (Times of Israel) 

The Iron Dome intercepts a Hamas missile fired into Israel’s Southern District from the Gaza Strip. (Times of Israel) 

Israel fires missiles at a Hamas weapon depot in Gaza in response to the Hamas attack. No injuries are reported. (Reuters) 

At least 40 Palestinians are injured after the IDF fires tear gas and rubber bullets at Palestinians protesting a march held by right-wing settlers near the former settlement of Homesh. (Al Jazeera) 

At least six people are killed and many others are injured by a school bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Reuters) 

One person is killed and 14 others injured after police fire live bullets at protesters in Rambukkana. (BBC News) 

The Russian foreign ministry expels 21 Belgian diplomats, 15 Dutch diplomats and 4 Austrian diplomats as a reciprocal measure. (The Moscow Times) 

Greece seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker Pegas/Lana off the island of Euboea as part of European Union economic sanctions on Russia. The ship had 19 crew members on board, according to the Ministry of Shipping. (Reuters) 

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi warns Israel that Iran will respond to any hostile action taken against it. (DW) 

The foreign ministers of the People’s Republic of China and Solomon Islands sign a security pact. (Al Jazeera) 

Jeune Afrique reveals that on 12 April the defence ministers of Russia and Cameroon signed a new military cooperation agreement, renewing a similar agreement signed in 2015. (Jeune Afrique) 

The East Timorese people head to the polls for the second round of the presidential election between José Ramos-Horta and incumbent Francisco Guterres. (The Guardian) 

The United States says it will ban anti-satellite missile tests. (BBC News) 

Judge voids CDC public-transport mask mandate  A federal judge in Florida on Monday struck down the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national mask mandate for planes and public transportation. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled that the CDC had overstepped its authority and failed to properly justify the policy. The mandate had been scheduled to expire on April 18, but the CDC extended it until May 3 to allow time to study the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2, which is spreading quickly in parts of the country. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the ruling was “disappointing.” The Transportation Security Administration stopped enforcing the mandate, but the Biden administration still recommends that travelers wear masks. CNN 

Feds won’t charge against ex-officer over Laquan McDonald shooting  Federal prosecutors announced Monday they would not file civil-rights charges against former Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke for the 2014 fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald, a Black teenager. Van Dyke served about three years in prison after being convicted on state second-degree murder charges for shooting the 17-year-old McDonald. Federal law requirements for proving civil-rights violations in such cases are “more stringent than the state charges on which Mr. Van Dyke was convicted,” a statement released Monday by U.S. Attorney John Lausch’s office said. Federal prosecutors would have to prove that Van Dyke did not act as “the result of mistake, fear, negligence, or bad judgment,” the statement said. Prosecutors made their decision after consulting with McDonald’s family, the statement said. CHICAGO TRIBUNE 

Philadelphia reinstates mask mandate The city of Philadelphia started enforcing its new indoor mask mandate on Monday, making it the first major city in the country to reinstate a local face-covering requirement this spring due to rising coronavirus infections. The policy requires people to wear masks in all indoor public places. Businesses can require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for workers and customers instead. Some public health advocates said the move was wise given the spread of the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2. A business group sued on Saturday hoping to block the mandate. Bistro owner Shane Dodd told The New York Times he feared losing business to suburban restaurants not subject to the requirement. THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER 

DeSantis defends Florida’s rejection of math textbooks Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Monday defended the state Department of Education’s rejection of 41 percent of 132 public-school K-12 math textbooks, saying they wasted space on “social and emotional learning” that diluted the essential subject matter. “Math is about getting the right answer,” he said. “It’s not about how you feel about the problem.” The state education department said some of the books discussed prohibited topics, including critical race theory. Democrats accused DeSantis of making muddy and dishonest allegations about school material to score points with conservative voters. “#DeSantis turned our classrooms into political battlefields and put kids in the crossfire to advance his presidential ambitions,” State House Rep. Carlos Smith (D) tweeted. NPR 

Biden calls for using U.S. materials in infrastructure projects The Biden administration issued a new guidance on Monday requiring all projects, including bridges, highways, and internet networks, funded through the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package to use U.S.-sourced steel and other materials. The policy includes a process to waive the requirement if there is not enough domestic material, or if it is too expensive to get the job done. “There are going to be additional opportunities for good jobs in the manufacturing sector,” said Celeste Drake, director of Made in America at the White House Office of Management and Budget. President Biden reportedly hopes that increased domestic production will reduce price pressures to counter Republican arguments that the infrastructure package has driven up inflation. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Infowars files for bankruptcy Conspiracy website InfoWars has filed for bankruptcy as the company and its founder and host, Alex Jones, brace for massive penalties in defamation cases. Jones was sued by relatives of people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting after he repeatedly called the massacre, in which 20 children and six educators died, a hoax. InfoWars, which described itself in filings to the Texas court as a “conspiracy-oriented website and media company,” said it had less than $50,000 in assets and $1 million to $10 million in liabilities. Courts in Connecticut and Texas have found Jones liable in the defamation cases but damages remain to be determined. NPR 

Hip hop pioneer DJ Kay Slay dies of COVID at age 55  Hip hop pioneer Keith Grayson, who performed as DJ Kay Slay, has died at age 55 from COVID-19 complications, his family confirmed in a statement released through New York radio station HOT 97, where he hosted The Drama Hour for more than two decades. Grayson became immersed in New York City’s early hip hop scene when he was growing up in Harlem. He started out as a graffiti artist in his teens and started selling bootleg mixtapes on street corners in the early 1990s. He released his first studio album, The Streetsweeper, Vol. 1, in 2003, and worked with numerous artists, including Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Jadakiss, and Busta Rhymes, on other albums. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Mac Miller drug dealer sentenced to over a decade in prison A man charged in connection with rapper Mac Miller’s overdose death has been sentenced to more than a decade behind bars, Rolling Stone reported Monday. Thirty-nine-year-old Ryan Michael Reavis received a prison sentence of 10 years and 11 months on Monday, over three years after Miller’s death, Rolling Stone reported. Prosecutors were seeking over 12 years, while Reavis asked for five. Reavis pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl last November. Prosecutors said he distributed fentanyl-laced pills to Cameron James Pettit, who then distributed the drugs to Miller two days before his fatal overdose in September 2018. Officials determined that Miller “died from mixed drug toxicity,” including cocaine, fentanyl, and alcohol. He was 26. ROLLING STONE 

Kenyan runners sweep Boston Marathon Kenyan runners swept the top spots at the Boston Marathon on Monday as the world’s oldest annual marathon returned to its traditional Patriots’ Day spot for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March 2020. Reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir, 28, won the women’s division after trading the lead eight times with Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia in the final mile, and finished in 2:21:01. Evans Chebet, 33, broke away from the pack with four miles to go to win the men’s race in 2:06:51 in his first major marathon victory. Daniel Romanchuk of Champaign, Illinois, won the men’s wheelchair title for the second time, and Manuela Schar of Switzerland took her fourth women’s title, and second in a row. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Biden calls for using U.S. materials in infrastructure projects The Biden administration issued a new guidance on Monday requiring all projects, including bridges, highways, and internet networks, funded through the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package to use U.S.-sourced steel and other materials. The policy includes a process to waive the requirement if there is not enough domestic material, or if it is too expensive, to get the job done. “There are going to be additional opportunities for good jobs in the manufacturing sector,” said Celeste Drake, director of Made in America at the White House Office of Management and Budget. President Biden reportedly hopes that increased domestic production will reduce price pressures to counter Republican arguments that the infrastructure package has driven up prices. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

TSA stops enforcing mask mandate for travelers after judge’s ruling The Transportation Security Administration said Monday it would stop enforcing the federal mask mandate on public transportation after a federal judge in Florida ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority. The CDC still recommends that travelers wear masks on planes and on public trains and buses. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2020, said the CDC did not adequately explain the reasons for its mandate. Critics of the policy, which had been scheduled to expire on April 18 before the Biden administration extended it into May, argued it made no sense to keep requiring masks in public transit when they aren’t mandatory in other public spaces. CNBC 

Infowars files for bankruptcy Conspiracy website InfoWars has filed for bankruptcy as the company and its founder and host, Alex Jones, brace for massive penalties in defamation cases. Jones was sued by relatives of people killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting after he repeatedly called the massacre, in which 20 children and six educators died, a hoax. InfoWars, which described itself in filings to the Texas court as a “conspiracy-oriented website and media company,” said it had less than $50,000 in assets and $1 million to $10 million in liabilities. Courts in Connecticut and Texas have found Jones liable in the defamation cases but damages remain to be determined. NPR 

Judge orders Amazon to reinstate worker fired after protest A judge ruled Monday that Amazon must reinstate a former warehouse employee fired early in the pandemic after he led a protest calling for the online retail giant to increase worker protections against coronavirus infection. Gerald Bryson, who worked at an Amazon warehouse in New York City’s Staten Island borough, filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board accusing Amazon of retaliation. Bryson led the April 2020 protest after participating in another demonstration led by Chris Smalls, another warehouse employee who was fired and now heads the Amazon Labor Union, which won an election this month to unionize the facility. Amazon said it “strongly” disagrees with the ruling, and that Bryson was fired for cursing a co-worker. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Is Drake teasing a collaboration with Taylor Swift? Is 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (Feat. Drake) (From the Vault) (Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire) on the way? Drake has sparked speculation he could be collaborating with Taylor Swift after posting a photo of himself with her on Instagram. The picture, which showed Drake with his arm around Swift and didn’t appear to be recent, was shared along with four other photos and the caption, “They too soft to understand the meaning of hard work.” Swifties will recall she mentioned Drake in her song “I Forgot That You Existed,” which includes the lyric, “I couldn’t get away from ya, in my feelings more than Drake, so yeah.” But on the Taylor Swift fan subreddit, not all Swifties seemed pumped about a possible team up, with one fan accusing her of “choosing to associate with sketchy people” and another describing their feelings using the barf emoji. If they do end uap putting out a song together, these Swifties can feel free to forget that it existed.  TMZ 

Kaley Cuoco ‘got b—h slapped’ by Sharon Stone 3 times Kaley Cuoco got slapped by Sharon Stone, and this time, it wasn’t because of a G.I. Jane joke. Stone plays Cuoco’s mom on the new season of The Flight Attendant, and Cuoco chatted with Jimmy Kimmel about working with her on a “very emotional” scene. At the end of it, Stone surprised Cuoco by going off script and slapping her in the face for real. “I said, ‘That was incredible!’” Cuoco said. “‘I just got b—h slapped by Sharon Stone.’” But this wouldn’t be the last time. They did two more takes, and while Cuoco assumed Stone wouldn’t slap her again since they got it the first time, she was very wrong. “Three times I got slapped!” Cuoco said — even though by the third take, “[the camera] wasn’t even on me.” Thankfully, Cuoco was cool with it, so this is one star-studded slap we don’t need to spend the next month sharing hot takes about.  E! NEWS 

Johnny Depp takes the stand in Amber Heard defamation trial Johnny Depp is once again denying Amber Heard’s domestic abuse allegations, this time on the stand as part of his lawsuit against her. The actor testified Tuesday in his defamation case against Heard, calling her claims that he abused her “heinous” and saying they came as a “complete shock.” He denied ever hitting Heard, saying he’s never “struck any woman in my life,” and he said her allegations have turned him from “Cinderella” into “Quasimodo.” From there, the testimony went surprisingly in-depth for over an hour reviewing Depp’s career highlights, for some reason — and at one point, he told the court he’s never actually seen the original Pirates of the Caribbean. “I’m obsessed with the truth,” Depp claimed. A judge in the U.K. previously ruled that a tabloid’s description of him as a “wife beater” was “substantially true.”  DEADLINE 

Monday,  April 18th, 2022 

Russian troops capture the city of Kreminna in Luhansk Oblast. Local authorities say that four refugees have been shot dead trying to escape the city. (Reuters) 

The Russian defence ministry says that its forces have destroyed 16 Ukrainian military facilities, including five command posts, a fuel depot and three ammunition warehouses in “mass strikes” overnight. Russia also says that it shot down two Ukrainian MiG-29s and one Su-25. (Reuters) 

Turkey launches a series of airstrikes on PKK targets in Duhok Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. (Reuters) 

Two Palestinians are seriously injured after being shot by Israeli security forces in the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces say that the Palestinians were attacking Israeli troops. (Times of Israel) 

Scotland lifts their law mandating face coverings in shops, restaurants and public transport. (BBC News) 

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida voids the Biden administration‘s mask mandate on airplanes and public transportation. Most U.S. airlines including Alaska Airlines and United Airlines subsequently end their mask mandates due to the ruling. (Bloomberg) 

South Korea ends their COVID-19 restrictions two years after they were imposed. However, the mask mandate will remain in place. (Yonhap) 

Igor Kastyukevich is appointed the de facto mayor of Kherson, the only Ukrainian Oblast capital captured during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Euromaidan Press) 

United States officials plan to travel to Solomon Islands due to concerns that the country is making a security pact with China. The U.S. fears the proposed agreement could lead to Chinese troops being deployed to Solomon Islands. (Reuters) 

The Houthi movement signs an agreement to stop using child soldiers. (AP) 

Below posted 

Monday,  April 18th, 2022 

Marathon Monday 

Rivian CEO warns of looming EV battery supply crunch Rivian Automotive CEO RJ Scaringe is warning that a looming electric-vehicle-battery shortage could soon cause a bigger challenge for EV-makers than the ongoing computer-chip shortage plaguing all car companies. Automakers are racing to stock up on limited supplies of crucial battery materials, including cobalt, lithium, and nickel as they build battery plants so they can crank out more EVs. “Put very simply, all the world’s cell production combined represents well under 10 percent of what we will need in 10 years,” Scaringe told reporters last week during a tour of the company’s plant in Normal, Illinois, according to The Wall Street Journal. “Semiconductors are a small appetizer to what we are about to feel on battery cells over the next two decades.” THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities Russian missiles struck Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine, on Monday, killing at least six people as Russia continued to expand its attacks on major cities across the country. Strikes in Kharkiv injured four workers for the humanitarian group World Central Kitchen. Ukrainian forces braced for an all-out assault in the east. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, vowed that the last several thousand Ukrainian fighters holding out in a steel plant in the port city of Mariupol would “fight absolutely to the end” after rejecting Russia’s call to surrender or be “exterminated.” The fall of Mariupol, which is largely in ruins after a brutal siege, would give Russia its biggest victory since invading on Feb. 24. THE WASHINGTON POST 

China economic reports show cost of outbreak China reported Monday that its economy expanded 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2022. The figure was slightly better than expected, but most of the growth came in January and February before the country’s worst COVID-19 outbreak yet forced mass quarantines and lockdowns that have shut down key industrial centers. Retail sales fell 3.5 percent in March compared to a year earlier, China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported Monday. Factory output expanded by 5 percent in March, slower than the rate in the first two months of the year, adding to evidence of the impact of China’s zero-COVID policy on the world’s second-largest economy. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Saudi Arabia pushed out Yemen’s president Saudi Arabia pressured Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi into stepping down recently and has kept him mostly incommunicado in his home since then, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing Saudi and Yemeni officials. Hadi handed power to a council representing various Yemeni groups on April 7, the Journal reported. The moves were part of a Saudi effort to end Yemen’s seven-year war with Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The fighting has caused a dire humanitarian crisis and stoked tensions between Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition battling the rebels, and the United States. Saudi Arabia’s day-to-day leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, told Hadi that Yemeni leaders had agreed he should delegate his powers to the council. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Tax Day is here and millions are still rushing to file Tax Day arrived Monday, with millions of Americans still struggling to get their income tax returns filed. As of April 8, the Internal Revenue Service had received more than 103 million returns and issued refunds totaling $204 billion to more than 63 million taxpayers. Last year, more than 169 million people filed returns, meaning that at that point 40 percent or so still had yet to file. Those rushing to meet the deadline are “better off filing an extension,” said Nina Tross at the National Society of Tax Professionals. It has “zero effect” as long as you don’t owe the IRS any money. The IRS is under pressure, too, as it contends with its biggest backlog in history. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

COVID adviser: Those over 60 should get 2nd booster People over age 60 should get a second COVID-19 booster shot, Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the new White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said Sunday. Jha said on Fox News Sunday that there was “pretty compelling” new data from Israel indicating that getting a fourth dose of a coronavirus vaccine significantly reduces the risk of infection and death in older people. The Food and Drug Administration in late March authorized second boosters of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines for Americans 50 and up. The FDA said the authorization was meant to help older people restore waning immunity as the highly contagious BA.2 Omicron subvariant spreads rapidly in some parts of the United States. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

3 mass shootings leave 2 dead, dozens injured Three separate mass shootings — one in Pennsylvania and two in South Carolina — left two dead and more than 30 injured over Easter weekend. Two young men were killed and at least nine other people were injured in Pittsburgh early Sunday in a shooting during a party at an Airbnb short-term rental property. In South Carolina, nine people were injured in a shooting at a Hampton County nightclub. Fourteen were hurt — nine by gunfire and five in a stampede of shoppers seeking safety — in a shooting at a busy Columbia, South Carolina, mall. A judge on Sunday ordered suspect Jewayne Price, to be placed under house arrest. Police said at least two people fired shots in the mall. THE ASSOCIATED PRESSUSA TODAY 

‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’ has weakest opening of Harry Potter franchise Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore brought in $43 million at the domestic box office in its opening weekend, the lowest debut for a movie in the franchise. The previous low point for the franchise was The Secrets of Dumbledore‘s predecessor, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which opened with $62 million in 2018. That film also had the worst reviews yet for a movie set in the Wizarding World created by author J.K. Rowling. Since then, Fantastic Beasts has faced a string of controversies: Johnny Depp was asked to step down over allegations of domestic abuse; series star Ezra Miller was arrested for disorderly conduct shortly before The Secrets of Dumbledore‘s premiere; and, Rowling has faced criticism over her tweets about transgender people. DEADLINE 

The End