IMPORTANT | | | Russian In | Moscow Orders Troops Into Separatist Regions of Eastern Ukraine President Vladimir Putin has ordered “peacekeeping” forces into the rebel-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, crushing any lingering hopes that a conflict could be averted. The move comes a day after Putin recognized the separatist regions’ independence, incurring fresh international sanctions. In a televised address to his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of violating his country’s sovereignty, but said, “We are not afraid of anyone or anything.” At Ukraine’s request, the U.N. Security Council met last night, with Undersecretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo warning, “The risk of major conflict is real and needs to be prevented at all costs.” (Sources: AP, BBC) |
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| | | UK Says Nay | England to Lift All COVID-19 Restrictions — and Free Testing Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled his “living with COVID” plan Monday, which involves dropping all pandemic precautions in England as of Thursday. Free testing will end April 1 for all but the most vulnerable. Opposition leader Keir Starmer called it a “half-baked announcement from a government paralyzed by chaos and incompetence,” and the British Medical Association criticized the move as much too sudden and likely to cause “more uncertainty and anxiety.” While England has passed its peak of omicron infections, an estimated 1 in 20 people still have COVID-19. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will make their own plans. (Source: BBC) |
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| | | | | Unrest in Sudan | Thousands Protest Military Coup, Demand Release of Prisoners They’ve been calling for civilian rule in the northeast African country after Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan led a military coup in October. Months of protests have been met with violent crackdowns from the military, leaving at least 82 people dead, and over 200 citizens have been detained, including political figures and anti-coup activists. Yesterday thousands of protesters rallied outside government buildings and endured tear gas to demand civilian rule and the release of prisoners. When the coup occurred, Sudan had been in the midst of a transition to civilian rule after the 2019 removal of authoritarian President Omar al-Bashir. (Source: Al Jazeera) |
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| | | Rocky Launch | Trump’s Social Media App Truth Social Has Glitchy Debut Former President Donald Trump hoped his new venture would rival Big Tech and attract the millions of followers he once enjoyed before he was banned from Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. His new Truth Social platform launched yesterday to a limited number of subscribers who preordered the app, with others joining a waitlist to get access over the next 10 days. The launch was plagued by technical glitches almost immediately, with users reporting that they were shut out or had trouble signing on for hours. Truth Social is not expected to support full public downloads until next month. (Sources: ABC News, TechCrunch) |
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| | | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Bernie Madoff’s sister and her husband are dead after an apparent murder-suicide. The elderly couple, Sondra and Marvin Wiener, were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds in their Florida residence. (Source: AP) The hate crime trial for Ahmaud Arbery’s killers enters deliberations. The jury will now decide whether the three men convicted of murder also committed a federal hate crime. (Source: The Hill) Australia reopens international borders after almost two years. The country imposed some of the strictest travel bans during the pandemic. (Source: BBC) |
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| INTRIGUING | | | Taxing Workload | IRS Assigns 1,200 Employees to Deal With Daunting US Tax Season The Internal Revenue Service is still working through a backlog of millions of returns from last year, and this year’s tax season is already halfway over. The agency is also facing a higher workload with fewer staffers than usual to handle the financial chaos that was 2021. Tax credits and COVID-19 relief payments all ran through the IRS, which has 22% fewer staff and 20% less funding than in 2010. While the Biden administration hoped to provide extra funding from the Build Back Better plan, it’s hit opposition from Republicans who are reluctant to agree to any significant spending increase. (Source: NPR) |
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| | | | | Held Back by History | Study Shows Criminal Records Have Crushing Effect on Employment Policy think tank the RAND Corporation dropped a new study examining the relationship between criminal records and unemployment in American men. Researchers found that by the age of 35, 64% of unemployed men had been arrested and 46% had been convicted of a crime. Those shocking numbers are consistent with U.S. government data, which shows that incarceration rates increased 220% from 1980 to 2014. Researchers noted that most government programs that focus on alleviating unemployment aim to foster new skills, but they’re “missing a big part of the problem” if little is done to destigmatize applicants’ criminal histories. (Source: The Hill) |
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| | | Here Comes Hank | 500-Pound Bear Named Hank Goes on B&E Spree in South Lake Tahoe The sleepy California town has been struck by a smooth (hairy) criminal. Hank, who weighs a whopping 200 pounds more than the average black bear, has managed to break into at least 28 homes, busting down doors to forage for food. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and local police are attempting to trap Hank the Tank, as he’s affectionately known, and ideally will put the big fluffy guy in a controlled habitat or wildlife sanctuary. They say euthanizing him is the last option, but warn that “this is a bear that has lost all fear of people.” (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | | Spirits Crushed | Winner of Kentucky Derby Stripped of Title, Trainer Fined Medina Spirit, the horse that handily won 2021’s Kentucky Derby, will lose his title and $1.86 million prize money after a nine-month investigation into a failed post-race drug test. Bob Baffert, his trainer, will be suspended for 90 days and must pay a $7,500 fine. Runner-up Mandaloun has now been declared the race’s official winner. Three-year-old Medina Spirit died of unknown causes during a workout in December, and the scandal is a black mark on the horse’s sterling reputation. Baffert’s attorney says he plans to appeal the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's decision. (Source: NBC News) |
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| | | A Dragic Move | Goran Dragic to Finish NBA Season With Brooklyn Nets The 35-year-old free agent is known for quickly taking on a leadership role when he joins a team. Dragić began this season with the Toronto Raptors, then went to the San Antonio Spurs before landing with the Nets — though the Lakers, Warriors, Clippers, Bucks and Bulls were all vying for the veteran guard. This is Dragić’s 15th NBA season, but there’s no sign that the Slovenian’s best years are behind him. In 2020 he started 16 postseason games and averaged 19 points during the Miami Heat’s run to the NBA finals. He joins joins Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons in Brooklyn. (Sources: ESPN, SI) |
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| | | COMMUNITY What else are you curious about? Share your questions or thoughts with us at OzyCommunity@Ozy.com |
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| ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. www.ozy.com / #CarlosWatson / #OZY Curiosity. Enthusiasm. Action. That’s OZY! |
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