The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2022-04-29

A COVID-19 vaccine for some children is now a step closer to being authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Moderna has asked U.S. regulators to authorize low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under six. When can we expect a decision from the F.D.A.?

Meanwhile, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, was forced to clarify remarks he made earlier in the week about the pandemic. On Tuesday, Fauci told the PBS NewsHour “we are out of the pandemic phase”. On Wednesday, he told 1A he misspoke and that “the pandemic is not over.”

Also this week, new audio of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was obtained and reported on by The New York Times. It reveals concerns McCarthy had about far-right House Republicans inciting violence against other lawmakers in the aftermath of January 6, 2021.
Interview: 

https://the1a.org/segments/the-news-roundup-domestic-3/

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called war in Ukraine both “evil” and “unacceptable” after seeing for himself the damage done by Russia on the outskirts of Kviv.

Earlier in the week, the U.N. chief met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, just hours before the Kremlin decided to cut off gas to Poland and Bulgaria.

Also this week, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West not to underestimate the possibility of a nuclear confrontation… and President Biden requested another $33 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine during a speech on Thursday.
Interview: 

https://the1a.org/segments/the-news-roundup-international-11/

Oath Keeper emotional as he accepts 2nd plea deal in Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy case - ABC News

"Do you agree with that statement [in your plea agreement] that you agreed with Mr. Rhodes and others to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power?" Mehta asked Ulrich Friday. "Yes, your honor," Ulrich answered...

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/oath-keeper-emotional-accepts-2nd-plea-deal-jan/story

Ron Watkins, QAnon-linked Arizona candidate, faceplants during debate

…Speaking to his horde of far-right followers from behind a computer screen, Watkins could pitch himself as someone deeply attuned to politics. That image shattered in hilarious fashion the moment he was actually forced to explain his stances in the real world…

https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/ron-watkins-qanon-debate-rcna26627

Extremists Are Lying to Undermine America’s Public Schools | Time

…As Rufo made clear, the assaults on public schools in state after state are part of a nationally orchestrated and funded campaign. The goal is to destabilize public education and replace it with a universal, unregulated voucher system which would increase segregation and exacerbate already wide gaps between the rich and the rest of us…

https://time.com/6172216/public-schools-extremists/

Former CDC chief says Trump appointees blocked his agency from briefing public on COVID-19 - ABC News

In closed-door testimony to House investigators released on Friday, Dr. Bob Redfield, former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, former President Donald Trump appointees repeatedly blocked his public health experts from briefing the American public…

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/cdc-chief-trump-appointees-blocked-agency-briefing-public/story

Liberty University’s Handling of Sexual Assaults Under Investigation by Department of Education — ProPublica

Last October, ProPublica revealed how the school, which was founded by evangelist Jerry Falwell, had discouraged students who tried to report being sexually assaulted. Some students who came forward were encouraged to sign forms acknowledging they might have broken Liberty's moral code of conduct, "The Liberty Way." Others described being encouraged to pray instead of reporting their cases...

https://www.propublica.org/article/liberty-university-investigation-sexual-assault-department-education

With comments about the church, Greene creates a new test for GOP

Marjorie Taylor Greene said Catholic church leaders aren't protecting children from pedophiles and their support for immigrants reflects Satanic control.

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/comments-church-greene-creates-new-test-gop-rcna26417

Marjorie Taylor Greene has entered the Church Militant Catholic culture wars.

…Many ultra-conservative Catholics who chafe under Francis' papacy have adopted Q-Anon-style conspiracy theories about church infiltration to explain the actions from the Vatican; to Voris, Greene's comments about Satan simply support his story of a corrupted church in need of an overhaul...

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/04/marjorie-taylor-greene-catholic-church-militant-satan.html

The Trumpian right keeps pushing rule of law to the brink. But the law is winning | Norman L Eisen and Dennis Aftergut | The Guardian

…From ancient Greek democracy to the Roman republic to the French Revolution, history tells us again and again that gravitating to autocracy comes back to haunt a nation. As John Adams, signer of the declaration of independence and second president of the United States, wrote in 1775 to his wife, Abigail, "[A] Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty once lost is lost forever."…

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/28/the-trumpian-right-keeps-pushing-rule-of-law-to-the-brink-but-the-law-is-winning

Oath Keeper Brian Ulrich pleads guilty to seditious conspiracy in Capitol attack - The Washington Post

…Ulrich said in plea papers that he "and others agreed to take part in the plan developed by Rhodes" to "stop the lawful transfer of presidential power," by force if necessary, and that he acted "to influence or affect the conduct of the United States government and to retaliate" against it. Rhodes has pleaded not guilty.…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/04/29/ulrich-oathkeepers-guilty-jan6/

I went through ‘conversion therapy’ – no trans person should face that torture again

…I know first-hand that "conversion therapy" doesn't work. But it does destroy people's self-worth, pick them apart, mentally make them doubt themselves, make them confused. There is no set of guidelines for trans conversion practices, there is no manual, no Nice clinical guidance. These so-called "therapists" have no idea what they are doing…

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/apr/28/conversion-therapy-trans-person-torture-uk-government

Capitol attack panel set to issue letters to Kevin McCarthy and other key Republicans

Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert among those poised to receive letters requesting voluntary cooperation, sources say…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/28/capitol-attack-panel-kevin-mccarthy-republicans-letters

Trump has a new (and bad) idea to deal with Mark Meadows’ texts

…The seriousness of the revelations has not escaped Meadows' former boss. In fact, this afternoon, Trump presented his new idea to address the unfolding controversy in a written statement. Here's the former president's pitch in its entirety…

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-new-bad-idea-deal-mark-meadows-texts-rcna26698

Former Idaho lawmaker Aaron von Ehlinger found guilty of raping intern - CBS News

…Von Ehlinger had social, political and physical power over the petite intern, Farley said...

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aaron-von-ehlinger-idaho-lawmaker-found-guilty-rape-intern/

Opinion | The House GOP is a dumpster fire. And it may be about to take power. - The Washington Post

…McCarthy is neither McConnell's nor Pelosi's equal, and if he becomes speaker, his caucus will be even more full of self-aggrandizing extremists than it is now. The idea that they'll be willing or able to act in concert to carry out strategic plans seems absurd. Instead, McCarthy will spend a couple of years trying to rein in his collection of blustering buffoons and chaos agents who measure their achievements by the number of Newsmax hits they did last week…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/29/house-gop-is-dumpster-fire-what-if-it-takes-power/

American parents are generally fine with what’s being taught in school - The Washington Post

…For politicians like DeSantis, there's value in responding to the loud minority: national attention and clout with his base as he seeks reelection if not more. But it's also useful to remember that shouting from one part of one party in one state is not necessarily reflective of what the country overall wants to say...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/29/american-parents-are-generally-fine-with-whats-being-taught-school/

‘We ought to be shocked’: Michael Winterbottom’s unflinching film honouring Gaza’s dead children | Michael Winterbottom | The Guardian

…For western audiences, the most shocking moments are likely to be the photos of the dead or mortally wounded children, which are interspersed with photos of them in happy times…

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/28/michael-winterbottom-unflinching-film-honouring-gaza-dead-children-eleven-days-in-may

Special Report-Trump allies breach U.S. voting systems in search of 2020 fraud 'evidence' | Reuters

…The incidents include a North Carolina case, first reported last week by Reuters here, in which a local Republican Party leader threatened to get a top county election official fired or have her pay cut if she didn't give him unauthorized access to voting equipment. In southern Michigan, a pro-Trump clerk who has expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory on social media defied state orders to perform maintenance on a voting machine on the unfounded belief that doing so could erase proof of alleged fraud. In another Michigan case, a Republican activist impersonated an official from a made-up government agency in a plot to seize voting equipment...

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-breaches-special-report-idUSKCN2MK27B

Georgia governor signs series of controversial education bills into law

The measures limit discussions about race in classrooms and allow for transgender athletes to be excluded from sports, among other things...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/georgia-governor-signs-series-controversial-education-bills-law-rcna26524

Jim Watkins of QAnon- Wikipedia

In 1998, while still enlisted, Watkins created a website for Japanese pornography called "Asian Bikini Bar".[1][4] By hosting it in the United States, he was able to circumvent the strict pornography censorship in Japan. He later renamed the venture "N.T. Technology",…4] 

In October 2020, Mother Jones reported that N.T. Technology has hosted domains with names suggesting connections to child pornography, and that regardless of whether child pornography is hosted on the domains, Watkins is "profiting from words that appeal to the real thing".[11][12] Watkins dismissed the claim as "an attempt to smear [his] name and print something awful".[11] 

 …One video addressed the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, with Watkins commenting that he believed that the child sex ring existed… 

 … 8chan is an imageboard website known for hosting extreme alt-right and racist content, for being a forum for child pornography, for its role in the Gamergate controversy, and for its links to multiple mass shootings.[18] 

 …In 2019, the perpetrators of the March Christchurch mosque shootings, the April Poway synagogue shooting, and the August El Paso shooting all used 8chan to disseminate their respective manifestos.[25][26][27] 

… In August 2019, the United States House Committee on Homeland Security called Watkins to testify about 8chan's efforts to address "the proliferation of extremist content, including white supremacist content".[29] 

… QAnon is a discredited far-right conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles running a global child sex-trafficking ring is plotting against former President Donald Trump, who is battling them.[34] The theory has been promulgated by a mysterious person or group of people called "Q", who originally posted on 4chan but later moved to posting on 8chan. Q has said they will never post outside of 8chan.[5] Numerous journalists and conspiracy theory researchers believe that Watkins or his son, Ron Watkins, are working with Q, know Q's identity, or are themselves Q.[39]Watkins' interests include yoga and fountain pens. He has recorded videos on YouTube about these subjects.[4] He also uses his YouTube channel to publish videos of himself singing hymns and reading Bible verses.[36]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Watkins_(businessman)#QAnon

Minneapolis police engaged in ‘discriminatory, race-based' policing, investigation found - The Washington Post

The Minneapolis Police Department engaged in "discriminatory, race-based policing," disproportionately used force on people of color and routinely failed to hold its own officers accountable, according to a scathing state report released Wednesday...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/04/27/minneapolis-police-discriminatory-policing/

Russia's tanks in Ukraine have a 'jack-in-the-box' design flaw. And the West has known about it since the Gulf war - CNN

…The problem relates to how the tanks' ammunition is stored. Unlike modern Western tanks, Russian ones carry multiple shells within their turrets. 

This makes them highly vulnerable as even an indirect hit can start a chain reaction that explodes their entire ammunition store of up to 40 shells. The resulting shockwave can be enough to blast the tank's turret as high as a two-story building, as can be seen in a recent video on social media…

https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/europe/russia-tanks-blown-turrets-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

‘We have a democracy problem’: how Texas voter suppression helps keep climate action off the table

"The overwhelming majority of Americans want free and fair elections that represent their interests. They also want [a safe climate]. So, the suppression of votes both undercuts their power and perpetuates environmental harm."…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/27/texas-voter-suppression-climate-action-impact

Why are gas prices so high? These obscure traders are partly to blame | Oil | The Guardian

…careful analysis of this market would show that the price is not reflective of supply chain problems…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/28/gas-prices-why-are-they-so-high-traders

Reputed federal informant, whistleblower found dead in L.A. after he's reported missing

…Federal and state authorities were scrutinizing allegations of criminal misconduct and the bank's long relationship with former President Donald Trump, the newspaper reported...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/reputed-federal-informant-whistleblower-found-dead-l-reported-missing-rcna26382

What is Paxlovid and how will it help the fight against coronavirus? An infectious diseases physician answers questions on the COVID-19 pill

An oral antiviral, Paxlovid has proved successful at reducing the chances of hospitalization among COVID-19 sufferers…

https://theconversation.com/what-is-paxlovid-and-how-will-it-help-the-fight-against-coronavirus-an-infectious-diseases-physician-answers-questions-on-the-covid-19-pill-181998

The real plot to steal the 2020 — and 2024 — election - The Washington Post

The perpetrators are on the right, not the left.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/28/real-plot-steal-2020-2024-election/

Ohio Republican Says Pregnancy Resulting From Rape Is an 'Opportunity'

…Ectopic pregnancies do not result in a viable pregnancy, and if they rupture, the potential hemorrhaging can lead to injury or death to a pregnant person if not immediately treated…

https://www.businessinsider.com/ohio-republican-pregnancy-resulting-from-rape-opportunity-hb598-abortion-2022-4

Marjorie Taylor Greene Cries ‘Harassment’ When CNN Asks Her About ‘Marshall Law’ Text

"No, we're done! Stop harassing me!" yelled Greene, who was once infamous for videoing herself ambushing liberal figures in public…

https://www.thedailybeast.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-cries-harassment-when-cnn-asks-her-about-marshall-law-text

Ukrainian attacks bring war home to Russia, fraying civilian nerves - The Washington Post

RIGA, Latvia — The Kremlin has sought to minimize discussion of Russian war losses inside Ukraine. But apparent Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil in the past week highlight how the conflict has spilled across the border, unsettling residents of regions near the border and threatening to upend President Vladimir Putin's effort to insulate his citizens from the fighting he started...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/04/28/ukrainian-attacks-bring-war-home-russia-fraying-civilian-nerves/

Top U.S. & World Headlines — April 28, 2022 - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWO4f2mQ8os

Building the “Big Lie”: Inside the Creation of Trump’s Stolen Election Myth — ProPublica

"I mean, are you saying that it — that none of it's true?" Burk asked. Penrose replied: "Yes. I'm saying that the entire thing was fabricated. It's all bullshit."
https://www.propublica.org/article/big-lie-trump-stolen-election-inside-creation

Revealed: top US corporations raising prices on Americans even as profits surge

"The American people are sick and tired of the unprecedented corporate greed that exists all over this country. They are sick and tired of being ripped off by corporations making record-breaking profits while working families are forced to pay outrageously high prices for gas, rent, food, and prescription drugs," said Sanders.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/apr/27/inflation-corporate-america-increased-prices-profits

‘Comedy is a powerful recruitment tool’: how the US rightwing use laughs for vast influence

"The increasingly influential world of rightwing comedy provides cover and succour to those inclined toward the ugliest of ideologies."…

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/apr/26/comedy-is-a-powerful-recruitment-tool-how-the-us-rightwing-use-laughs-for-vast-influence

Reality Check: Seven Times Texas Leaders Misled the Public About Operation Lone Star — ProPublica

As they investigated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's border initiative, reporters repeatedly found situations where Abbott and DPS officials cited accomplishments that lacked crucial context or did not match reality. Here are a few examples...

https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-greg-abbott-border-crisis-facts

Trump Officials Gave Pandemic Loan to Trucking Company Despite Objections - The New York Times

A congressional report raises new questions about a pandemic relief loan to a troubled trucking company with close ties to the Trump administration...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/27/us/politics/trump-pandemic-loan-yrc.html

Transgender pronoun bill advances in Tennessee's legislature

"This is a complete threat to life and safety when we perpetuate this kind of harmful behavior," said Henry Seaton, a transgender justice advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, referring to the new bill. "A teacher's job is to create a safe learning environment for children. When that teacher perpetuates a harmful behavior on a trans student, that trickles down to peer behavior as well."…

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/transgender-pronoun-bill-advances-tennessees-legislature-rcna26045

How Can I Teach When I’m Not Allowed to Shut Down Trolls? - The New York Times

"I'm a professor at a branch campus of a large state-university system in a state that has passed — and is planning to pass more — laws dictating what (and how) we can teach in our classrooms. These laws are intentionally vague and allow almost any material related to several important topics to be called into question. This has emboldened a small but very vocal part of our student body to disrupt classrooms whenever issues of race, gender, religion or sexuality are raised…"

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/magazine/racist-speech-class-ethics.html

Migrants Thanking Texas Gov. Abbott for Free Charter Bus Ride to DC

…Santo Linarte López, a migrant from Nicaragua told the Times he did not really understand why Abbott was paying for him to get to DC, but he was grateful as his final destination in the States was North Carolina…

https://www.businessinsider.com/migrants-thanking-texas-gov-abbott-free-charter-bus-ride-dc-2022-4

'Trucker Randy' gives truckers a bad name with racist podcast claim

A right-wing racist doubling as a Michigan radio host decided last week to throw his hat in the ring for a state Senate seat—and get this: He's running as a Democrat. Mind you, just last month he was trying to make a case that TV commercials should only feature white families. According to The Detroit News, Randy Bishop, who also goes by "Trucker Randy," said during his podcast episode on March 31 that the media was trying to destroy the "nuclear family," with every commercial showing a "biracial mom and dad."…
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2022/4/25/2093902/--Trucker-Randy-gives-truckers-a-bad-name-with-racist-podcast-claim

TFMR: Parents who ended a pregnancy for medical reasons are helping each other cope - The Washington Post

…Erica Rozmid, a 29-year-old psychologist in Los Angeles, terminated a pregnancy in 2021 after receiving a diagnosis of a rare brain disorder that can cause babies born alive to live only briefly and in largely vegetative states, punctuated by frequent seizures. "It felt cruel knowing she could have 800 seizures a day and die from the disorder," Rozmid wrote in a blog post shortly afterward. "We had to end the pregnancy to save her from a life of suffering."…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/04/26/tfmr-pregnancy-termination-for-medical-reasons/

Florida doctors criticize Ladapo's stance on youth transgender support

"This appears to be more of a political tool than guidance for what is best for children and their families in Florida," said Dr. Michael Haller...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/04/26/florida-doctors-criticize-states-stance-on-transgender-support-for-youth/9541181002/

Florida man seeks Bible ban throughout the state's schools : NPR

… Stevens proceeded to question whether the Bible is age-appropriate, pointing to its "casual" references to murder, adultery, sexual immorality, and fornication. "Do we really want to teach our youth about drunken orgies?" He also took issue with the many Biblical references to rape, bestiality, cannibalism and infanticide…

https://www.npr.org/2022/04/26/1094740651/florida-man-asks-schools-to-ban-the-bible-following-the-states-efforts-to-remove

The not-so-neat trick GOP candidates play on the ‘stolen election’ - The Washington Post

This isn't simply the "rigged" argument but instead sits in the middle between that and what Trump alleges. Curbside voting is "corrupt" because … why? Because of fraud? Or because it's an expansion of access in more Democratic areas? That it could be perceived as either, of course, is the point. If expanding the vote in general is treated as dishonest or illegal, as above, then you can simply wave your hand at any tool for making voting easier as something to be avoided at all costs.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/26/stolen-election-ads-2022/

Opinion | Republicans found something they love even more than tax cuts - The Washington Post

…Between high inflation and rising recession risks, the U.S. economy faces serious challenges. This should afford Republicans ample opportunity to offer voters some sort of pro-growth economic agenda. It's telling that, instead, GOP presidential hopefuls are focusing their firepower on Mickey Mouse and Mexican fruit…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/26/republicans-prioritize-culture-wars-even-over-low-taxes/

Reported texts show just how far Team Trump went to push lies

A then-Trump campaign adviser's texts debunking election fraud claims were apparently shrugged off by Trump's inner circle...

https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/mark-meadows-texts-jason-miller-rcna26034

Opinion | Biden shows once again why he is a huge upgrade from Trump - The Washington Post

…Along with these pardons and commutations, Mr. Biden announced new job-training, housing and health-care programs for those leaving prison, in an effort to reduce recidivism…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/26/biden-shows-once-again-why-he-is-huge-upgrade-trump/

Ohio advocates ask for contempt of court orders in redistricting mess

…"Throughout this litigation, respondents have repeatedly flouted this court's express orders, and they now continue to disobey its clear and constitutionally authorized directives," reads the motion, which was filed by advocates including the League of Women Voters of Ohio and individual voters. "They are doing so again, by refusing to convene and initiate the map-drawing process."…
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/ohio-advocates-ask-contempt-court-orders-redistricting-mess-rcna25953

Fact-checking Greg Abbott’s claims that Biden has ‘open border’ policies - PolitiFact

"But Donald Trump had moved the bar very, very far," Alden said. "And so now the Biden administration gradually returning border management to that more normal situation is decried by conservatives as an open-borders policy. Because the Trump administration was prepared to go so far in closing down the borders, any move from that in comparison looks like an 'open-borders' policy."…

https://www.politifact.com/article/2022/apr/26/greg-abbott-refers-bidens-open-border-policies-are/

As DeSantis signs anti-Disney bill, ‘gangster government’ returns

…For all of DeSantis' over-the-top boasts about Florida being the "freest" state in the nation, it's his administration that's intent on punishing one of his state's largest businesses for expressing an opinion that's out of step with the Republican Party's culture war…

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/desantis-signs-anti-disney-bill-gangster-government-returns-rcna25832