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IMPORTANT | | Turning Off the Tap | US, UK Ban Russian Oil on Bleak International Women’s Day Of the more than 2 million refugees that have fled Ukraine, UNICEF reported that half are children, and the rest are mostly women. In a video address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that usually Ukrainians would celebrate International Women’s Day with gratitude and congratulations, but this year he “cannot say the traditional words ... when there are so many deaths.” Instead Ukrainian women pleaded for peace amid the chaos of war. Meanwhile, the U.S. and the U.K increased pressure on Moscow by banning Russian oil imports, and more major companies including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks have pulled out of Russia. (Sources: AP, BBC, CNN) |
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| | Capitol Punishment | First Jan. 6 Rioter to Go to Trial Found Guilty on All Counts Guy Reffitt, a Texan who stormed the U.S. Capitol armed with a gun and zip ties, was convicted on five counts including transporting a firearm in support of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. The weeklong trial included video footage of Reffitt leading a mob up the Capitol steps, as well as dramatic testimony from his teenage son, Jackson Reffitt, who warned the FBI about his father prior to the insurrection. The jury deliberated for barely two hours before reaching their decision. Over 750 have been arrested in connection with the riot and 200 have already been sentenced. (Source: NBC News) |
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| | ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Here to Stay | Florida State Senate Passes Anti-LGBTQ Education Bill Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the bill into law, barring teachers from educating children about sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten to third grade. Parents would be able to sue districts over violations, which many educators fear would marginalize LGBTQ children and families. Under the vague, far-reaching bill, it’s unclear if queer teachers could even talk about their lives without repercussions. Students and activists have protested for weeks across the state, and U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona accused Florida lawmakers of “prioritizing hateful bills that hurt some of the students most in need.” (Sources: NPR, The Guardian) |
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| | | Fighting for What’s Right | Nigerian Women See Promising Wins in Struggle for Equality Nigeria’s National Assembly will reconsider three women’s rights bills it initially rejected last week. One bill would grant citizenship to foreign-born husbands of Nigerian women, one would give women citizenship rights of their husband’s state after five years of marriage, and the third would reserve 35% of legislative seats and political party leadership positions for women. The decision to reconsider the bills came hours after women protested across three states and in Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos. They were also protesting for justice in recent cases of sexual violence and ritual killings targeting women. (Source: Al Jazeera) |
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| | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Antarctic explorer’s shipwreck found. Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance hadn’t been seen since it was crushed by ice in 1915. (Source: The Guardian) Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers demand verdict be thrown out. A juror has testified that he mistakenly did not disclose that he was a victim of sexual abuse on a jury screening survey. (Source: The Hill) Leader of Proud Boys charged in connection with Jan. 6 attack. Enrique Tarrio was allegedly instrumental in planning the riot. (Source: ABC News) |
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| | INTRIGUING | | | Spill the Beans | Future of Coffee Becomes Clearer With Glimpse Into Its Past A team of coffee genetics experts recently confirmed that the beloved beverage originated in the East African countries of Ethiopia and South Sudan, which is also where the most diverse array of coffee beans still thrive. Knowledge of the crop’s genetic history is essential to learning how coffee can survive climate change by adapting in a rapidly warming world. But East Africa didn’t just give the world coffee: It’s also where coffee culture originated. In Ethiopia, coffee consumption has long been seen as a communal ceremony where people can connect and take time to exchange information. Sound familiar? (Source: NPR) |
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| | The Bears Are Back in Town | North Carolina to Lift Black Bear Hunting Ban After Population Rebounds In 1971 there were fewer than 1,000 black bears left in the Tarheel State. Five decades later, thanks to a ban on hunting in state bear sanctuaries, the population has steadily risen to around 15,000. That’s prompted the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to propose overturning the ban to allow hunting in Panthertown Valley, a large backcountry area with three bear sanctuaries. The proposal, which would go into effect by August, has yet to win over public opinion: Of the 2,744 comments submitted about the proposed rule change, 86% were opposed to lifting the ban. (Source: The Hill) |
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| | Lead, Lead Everywhere | 170 Million Americans Exposed to Dangerous Levels of Lead as Children That’s about half of all adults. A new study on early childhood lead exposure between 1940 and 2015 also found that 90% of children born between 1950 and 1981 had blood-lead levels higher than the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s threshold for harmful exposure. Researchers found that the elevated exposure, which they attributed largely to leaded gasoline, resulted in average IQ being 2.6 points lower, and increased the risk of developing hypertension and heart disease. Study author Michael McFarland described the findings as “infuriating” since the scientific community has long known about lead’s cognitive and physical dangers. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | From Victim to Survivor | Indian Actress Breaks Silence to Speak About Sexual Assault Bhavana Menon, who’s worked in over 80 films and won numerous awards, has long kept silent about her “nightmare” in 2017 when she was kidnapped and assaulted by a group of men while traveling — a group that allegedly included one of her longtime co-stars. She’s finally spoken out on Instagram and in interviews, revealing that in the aftermath of the attack there were “many attempts to humiliate, silence and isolate” her. Now Menon’s going on the offensive and fighting for dignity, describing her “journey from being a victim to becoming a survivor.” The case against her co-star is still being heard. (Source: BBC) |
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| | Expanding the Fantasy | ESPN to Launch Fantasy Women’s Basketball for 2022 WNBA Season The league got a huge bump in viewership in 2021, mirroring a similar boost across women’s sports in general. Now ESPN has announced that before the WNBA season opener on May 6, it will launch the first full-season, full-scale fantasy game focused on a major women’s sports league. Fantasy sports is a multi-billion dollar business, attracting younger fans who gravitate towards virtual, immersive direct engagement. The WNBA hopes that interest in the fantasy league will have a positive effect on viewership and lead to another record-breaking year. (Sources: ESPN, Axios) |
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| | COMMUNITYWhat else are you curious about? Share your questions or thoughts with us at [email protected] |
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