Hello!
Here's your weekly roundup of important stories both locally and nationally!
Biden stated the US would join the European Union (EU) and other allies in removing normal trade relations between their countries and Russia as the international effort to lessen relations with Russia and punishment for President Putin increases as the war in Ukraine rages on. Biden also mentioned he would sign an executive order on 3/11 to ban exports of items including seafood, vodka, and nonindustrial diamonds in an effort to deny Russia more than $1 billion in revenues. Biden stated “Putin is an aggressor…(he) must pay the price.” This makes Russia one of only three countries with abnormal trade relations with the US, including Cuba and North Korea. This announcement comes just days after the US announced a ban on imports of Russian oil, gas, and other forms of energy. However, US allies in Europe were not part of this energy import announcement as they rely much more heavily on Russian energy imports, while the US counts on Russia for less than 10% of its imports.
The war in Ukraine has caused the fastest growing refugee crisis since World War II according to the United Nations (UN). It was stated by the UN that 564 civilians have been killed and 982 injured by Russian forces thus far, but they also recognize that the full totals of deaths and injuries this far is likely much higher simply due to civilians being targeted with cluster bombs by Russia.
Russian ambassador, Vasily Nevenzya, accused the US Department of Defense of funding and supervising biological weapons research programs in 30 labs in Ukraine. Nebenzya was also noted to state that Ukraine was planning to transport disease pathogens to Russia by migratory birds and bats. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the UN, and the Ukrainian government have rejected these statements as Russian disinformation. Thomas-Greenfield refuted the allegations stating that the US “proudly and openly supported Ukraine's medical labs where disease pathogens were researched for public health.”
According to the CDC’s update Thursday, only 2% of the US population (about 7 million people) currently live in a county where the CDC recommends universal indoor masking. This is 16 million fewer people from last week when 7% of the population lived in a county where there was considered a high community level for COVID-19. This has significantly dropped from the 28% originally noted two weeks ago when the CDC first released the new metrics. 73 % of the American population currently live in a county that is considered to have a low community level meaning there is no recommendation for masking. The remaining 21% of the population live in a medium community level where taking extra precautions against COVID-19 is recommended for those that are immunocompromised and at high risk for severe disease.
These new community level metrics are based on these three things: new hospitalizations for COVID-19, hospital capacity, and new COVID-19 cases. One third of the population still living in high community levels are in Texas in Kentucky, with Hidalgo County of south Texas being the most populous county to still have a high community level. Hawaii Governor David Ige announced this past Tuesday that their state mask mandate will expire this month, making it the last state to drop a masking requirement.
The Parental Rights in Education Bill, more commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill was passed by both the Florida Senate and House. This bill would limit what classrooms can teach about sexual orientation and gender identity.
The bill would restrict these lessons from occurring in kindergarten through 3rd grade classes as it has been deemed “not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.” It would also allow parents to sue schools or teachers that engage in conversation and teaching about these topics.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has stated he supports the bill, but has not explicitly said if he will sign it if it crosses his desk. If the bill would be signed into law it would go into effect July 1.
LGBTQ+ activists and advocates have spoken out in opposition to moving this legislation forward stating that it will harm queer youth by shunning representation and inclusion from classrooms. Equality Florida, local LGBTQ+ advocacy group was quoted as saying “Let us be clear: should its vague language be interpreted in any way that causes harm to a single child, teacher, or family, we will lead legal action against the State of Florida to challenge this bigoted legislation.” Equality Florida also stated that “erasing the presence of LGBTQ community from lessions implies that students should be a shamed or supress their gender identity or sexual orientation.” Amit Paley, CEO & Executive director of The Trevor Project said in a statement “Every LGBTQ young person deserves to attend a school that provides an inclusive, affirmative environment - not one that aims to erase their existence.” Paley also added “We know that LGBTQ youth already face higher risk for bullying, depression, and suicide - and this bill will only add to the stigma that fuels these disparities.”
Have a great rest of your week and keep up the good fight!
Sincerely,
Team Katzenmeyer
