IMPORTANT | | | | No More Speculation | Russia Launches Full-Scale Attack on Ukraine as Major Cities Bombed Early this morning Russia waged a major attack on multiple Ukrainian cities, ending months of speculation and frantic attempts at a diplomatic solution spearheaded by the U.S. and France. Explosions from missile strikes were heard in cities across Ukraine, including the capital city of Kyiv, as well as the country's airports, as Russia seeks to “demilitarize” Ukraine, said Russian President Vladimir Putin in a speech this morning. U.S. President Joe Biden warned of “consequences” for Russia and a “catastrophic loss of life and human suffering,” while Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to Russians to reject a “major war in Europe.” (Sources: NYT, France 24, Al Jazeera) |
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| | Prosecutors Abandon Ship | Two Key Prosecutors in Trump Organization Probe Resign Carey Dunne and Mark Pomerantz resigned from the Manhattan district attorney’s office Wednesday with little explanation. According to insiders in the case, the new Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had expressed concerns over moving forward with the investigation against the organization and paused the probe’s use of a state grand jury that had already heard witness testimony. Bragg’s reasons for the pullback are unclear, and he has remained tight-lipped about the status of the inquiry in public despite having made personal pledges to focus on the high-profile case when he was elected to the post last year. (Source: CNN) |
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| | Ivanka’s White Flag? | Former President’s Daughter in Talks With House Committee Ivanka Trump, who acted as one of her father’s top advisers while he was in office, is talking with the committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot about cooperating with the inquiry, her spokesperson announced yesterday. The committee had reached out to Trump earlier this year after evidence surfaced confirming that she was in direct communication with her father on the day of the attack. The committee has issued a flurry of subpoenas as it accelerates the investigation into former President Donald Trump and those involved in his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. (Source: NBC News) |
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| | Attempts to Stem Violence | Biden Sanctions Financial Network of Yemen’s Houthi Rebels The new sanctions target the shadowy sources funding Houthi rebels in Yemen in a “complex international network of intermediaries” that puts tens of millions of dollars into extremist hands, says the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Chief among those entities are alleged front companies working closely with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to smuggle commodities around the Middle East, Asia and Africa. President Biden’s measures fall short of what Saudi Arabia and the UAE have requested in the face of increased Houthi missile and drone strikes against their countries. But further sanctions risk worsening Yemen’s already severe humanitarian crisis. (Source: Al Jazeera) |
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| | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: New York City announces pilot program for platform barriers after tragic subway death. Three stations in the city’s metro system will try out the new technology. (Source: ABC News) Second case of bird flu found in Maine. Avian influenza is highly infectious, but this strain has not been found in humans in the United States. (Source: The Hill) Brett Hankinson, the former detective who raided Breonna Taylor’s home, is on trial. Taylor’s death sparked a national outcry. Hankinson stands trial on three charges of endangerment. (Source: BBC) |
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| INTRIGUING | | | | Trouble for Mothers | US Maternal Mortality Rate Worsens, Driven by Disparities The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released bleak new figures on the nation’s maternal mortality rate, confirming America’s status as one of the worst in the developed world. From 2018 to 2020, the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births rose from 20.1 to 23.8, largely due to the disproportionately high rate among Black women, which rose from fewer than 40 deaths per 100,000 live births to 55.3 in just two years. That’s triple the rate for white women in 2020, which was 19.1 per 100,000 births. Maternal mortality rates also increased with age. (Source: Axios) |
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| | Less Talk, More Walk | New York State Pledges $10 Million to Asian American Communities Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that her state will award $10 million to groups that serve Asian American communities, marking the biggest investment in the Asian community in New York’s history. The funding comes at a dire time for the state, as hate crimes against Asian Americans skyrocketed during the pandemic. The funds will go to the Asian American Federation, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families and the Chinese-American Planning Council, among other organizations, all of which have reported a huge increase in demand for their services during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Source: The Hill) |
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| | Hard on Hardy | New Book Reveals Unprofessional Behavior From Actor Tom Hardy It looks like the realism that was widely applauded in George Miller’s blood-pumping 2015 dystopian action film Mad Max: Fury Road may not have taken much acting, according to a new book. Author Kyle Buchanan’s Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, details a tense, explosive relationship between Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, the film’s two leading stars. So tense that Theron allegedly felt threatened enough by Hardy that she required on-set protection. Buchanan also recounts multiple instances of Hardy showing up on set hours late and provoking confrontations with Theron. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | Beyond Death’s Door | Scientists Record Brain’s Final Moments Before and After Death Researchers measuring the brainwaves of an elderly man suffering from epilepsy inadvertently recorded the moment he suffered a fatal heart attack. The neurological recording of a dying brain — the first ever, according to Dr. Ajmal Zemmar, a neurosurgeon and part of the team studying the patient — seems to imply that death really is the eternal sleep. For 30 seconds before and after death, the patient’s brainwaves showed the same patterns observed in dreaming and memory recall. While the researchers cautioned against drawing conclusions from a sample size of one, a study on dying rats showed almost identical brainwaves. (Source: BBC) |
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| | Touchdown in Hollywood | QB Tom Brady to Produce Football-Themed Movie Do you miss him yet? Brady’s been retired from the NFL for less than a month, but if you were worried he’s out of the public eye, fear not: He’s taking his talents to the big screen. His production company, 199 Productions, is partnering with Paramount Pictures and Endeavor Content on 80 for Brady, a road trip movie starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field and — you guessed it, Tom Brady. The movie is based on the true story of four octogenarian Patriots fans as they make their way to see Brady lead New England to victory in Super Bowl LI. (Sources: ESPN, Deadline) |
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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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