The News Diet
The News Diet
The EU’s newest Russian sanctions, an update on monkeypox, the police response to the Texas shooting, and acts of kindness in Uvalde
The EU’s newest Russian sanctions, an update on monkeypox, the police response to the Texas shooting, and acts of kindness in Uvalde. Let's be informed so we can get on with our day.
It’s Tuesday, May 31. Welcome to The News Diet, a healthier alternative for staying informed. I’m your host, Michele Carroll.
Today I’m going to talk about the EU’s newest Russian sanctions, an update on monkeypox, the police response to the Texas shooting, and acts of kindness in Uvalde.
Let’s be informed so we can get on with our day.
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The EU is ready to impose a sixth package of sanctions on Russia, as their attacks on Ukraine continue. Most participants, and Ukrainian President Zelensky, were hoping to announce an oil embargo - which would ban oil imports, and be a huge hit on the Russian economy considering that revenue from oil and gas is considered to be responsible for 43% of their federal budget from 2011 to 2020.
But this particular sanction was left out after EU member Hungary failed to agree to the terms. Much of Europe, including Hungary, relies heavily on Russia for their energy. So cutting off that source would be a hit. Hungary seemed open to the idea of banning oil brought in by tankers, but expressed its desire to continue receiving oil via pipelines until alternative sources can be found.
Overall, Russian oil accounts for about 36% of EU oil imports. Russia is the third largest oil producer, behind the US and Saudi Arabia, and the largest exporter of crude to the world.
Ukrainian President Zelensky has criticized the absence of a ban, saying that the oil revenue Russia continues to collect from Europe is actually financing the invasion. One analysis showed that the military is being fueled by $285 million worth of oil money. - per day.
Some other items in this sanctions package include the creation of an international fund to help rebuild Ukraine after the conflict, and a pledge to help Ukraine find ways to move their grain out of the country, which is a major export that’s been blocked by Russian presence over the ports.
EU leaders are hoping for a decision on an oil ban by a summit scheduled for the end of June.
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On Sunday, the World Health Organization claimed that the current outbreak of Monkeypox poses only a moderate threat to the global public health, and should not be put in the same category as Covid.
As of now a total of 257 cases have been confirmed across 23 countries, with most cases in Europe and North America.
Here is Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the John Hopkins Center for Health Security, speaking on the virus.
Audio: Fox News - https://www.foxnews.com/world/monkeypox-moderate-risk-global-public-health-who
Monkeypox is in the same family as the now eradicated smallpox. Symptoms are said to be milder than small pox was, which saw a death rate of about 30% of cases. Monkeypox is said to have a death rate of up to 10%, but here, there have yet to be any cases resulting in death.
The majority of these cases have been found in homosexual men, but the WHO has stated that this could be because symptoms can resemble sexually transmitted diseases, and that this demographic is more likely to seek medical attention for such symptoms. In fact, many cases have been discovered from within sexual health clinics. But the virus isn’t just transmitted through sexual activity - it can also spread through skin-to-skin contact.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/monkeypox-moderate-risk-global-public-health-who
https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/29/monkeypox-outbreak-poses-moderate-risk-who-says/
https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON388
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The US Department of Justice is launching a review into the Uvalde law enforcement’s response to last weeks shooting that killed 21 people.
Now about a week later, details are emerging about the timeline of the police response to the shooter. Here’s what we know about that day:
At 11:28am, the shooter, after shooting his grandmother, drove to and crashed outside the school. Witnesses say that he fired at a funeral home across the street before heading to the elementary building.
At 11:33am, so five minutes later, he entered the school through a door that was propped open and barricaded himself inside a classroom that was connected to another another classroom.
Two minutes later, at 11:35am, several police officers entered the school where they took fire, called for backup, and began evacuating.
Now, here is the part that many parents and authorities are questioning - why it wasn’t until 12:50pm, or an hour and eighteen minutes after the shooter first entered the building, when enforcement got in the classroom and killed him.
During this timeline, students inside the classroom repeatedly called 911 and parents gathered outside called on the police to go back inside.
Since then, conflicting accounts have been given by enforcement officials, and some have been proven wrong - for example, an original account that a school police officer had come into contact with the shooter when he first arrived - now appears to have never happened, no officer was at the school originally.
The school district’s chief of police has said that they wanted to wait for backup and equipment before heading in. But the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety has since said it was a mistake to wait.
Even Governor Greg Abbott has walked back statements after learning more details.
Audio: KHOU 11 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bURHSK8d548
So the US Department is conducting a review, and some are calling on the FBI to investigate the response as well.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/28/us/school-shooting-timeline-uvalde-texas.html
https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-school-shooting-430b975bbaacce445451e4026cedc171
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/29/uvalde-shooting-response-justice-department/
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On a more hopeful note on the Uvalde tragedy, acts of kindness from the local and national community are showing another side to this story, so I’d like to share some here.
We have the story of Carlos Hernandez, who owns the restaurant Carlitos Way, which is located only a mile from the school where the shooting took place. Last week, he turned his restaurant into a community kitchen, giving away food to families in the community who didn’t feel like cooking.
Then you have Patrick Johnson, who drove more than seven hours away to set up a table full of toys in the town square for any children around to choose one that they wanted. When the table emptied, he would head back to the store to restock.
And then the El Progreso Memorial Library, located less than a mile from the school, has converted into a space for the healing by hosting psychologists, massage therapists, pianists, magicians, and artists. They’ve also started a book fund to provide books, games, and puzzles for families grieving.
And then lastly, a group with Lutheran Church Charities has travelled to the town with eight golden retrievers to serve as emotional support dogs. They’ve sat in the town square for whoever wants to visit.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/30/us/uvalde-texas-acts-of-kindness/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/carlitoswaycaterings
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It’s Tuesday, May 31. And you’ve just been informed. Now it’s time to get on with your day. I’m Michele Carroll. Thanks so much for listening.
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