The Full Belmonte, 4/3/2024
Drugs will be illegal again in Oregon after governor signs bill recriminalizing possession
“The new law rolls back a 2020 voter-approved measure by making so-called personal use possession a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. It also establishes ways for treatment to be offered as an alternative to criminal penalties.” Read More at AP News
Wisconsin governor vetoes transgender high school athletics ban
“Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a bill passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature that would have banned high school transgender athletes from competing on teams that align with their gender identity.” Read More at AP News
New York inmates are suing to watch the solar eclipse after state orders prisons locked down
“The suit filed Friday in federal court in upstate New York argues that the April 8 lockdown violates inmates’ constitutional rights to practice their faiths by preventing them from taking part in a religiously significant event.” Read More at AP News
Aid Volunteers Killed in Gaza
People gather around a destroyed car in central Gaza on April 2 that was being used by the nonprofit World Central Kitchen before an Israeli strike hit it.AFP
“World Central Kitchen (WCK), an aid organization founded by celebrity chef José Andrés that provides meals to communities struck by humanitarian disasters, temporarily suspended food deliveries to Gaza on Tuesday after an Israeli strike killed seven of the group’s volunteers in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah late Monday. Three of the victims were British citizens, and the others were Australian, Polish, and dual U.S.-Canadian.
‘This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,’ WCK CEO Erin Gore said, calling Israel’s actions ‘unforgivable.’
Israeli forces reportedly launched a strike on WCK’s three-car convoy over suspicions that a terrorist was traveling with the volunteers, defense sources told Haaretz. They said the convoy was escorting an aid truck allegedly transporting an armed man to a food warehouse in Deir al-Balah, where WCK said the team unloaded ‘more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid.’ When WCK left the warehouse, the suspect was believed to still be inside. Israeli drones then fired three consecutive missiles at the convoy, killing all seven volunteers.
World Central Kitchen said it had coordinated its movements with Israel’s military and that the convoy included two armored cars branded with WCK’s logo. ‘The attack on the seven WCK aid workers constitutes a clear violation of the International Court of Justice’s provisions,’ said Washington-based aid organization American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), referring to a court ruling last month saying Israel must take ‘all necessary and effective measures’ to ensure the unhindered provision of aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Anera is a nonprofit that collaborates with WCK to deliver 150,000 meals to Gaza daily alongside medical treatments and other emergency aid items.
Israel took responsibility for the strike. ‘Unfortunately, in the last 24 hours, there was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. ‘This happens in war, and we will investigate it to the end.’
Foreign leaders condemned Israel’s actions. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the White House was ‘outraged,’ and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called the attack ‘completely unacceptable,’ summoning the Israeli ambassador to the U.K. to London.
At least 196 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the U.S.-funded Aid Worker Security Database, including 173 employees with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (known as UNRWA). Not all of these staffers were killed while carrying out their duties. Israel barred UNRWA last week from delivering aid to northern Gaza despite the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warning last month that 70 percent of Palestinians in parts of northern Gaza face famine-scale food shortages.” [Foreign Policy]
Taiwan hit by strongest earthquake in 25 years; 4 dead and dozens injured:
A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake rocked Taiwan on Wednesday, the strongest tremor to hit the island in at least 25 years, killing at least four people, injuring dozens, and sparking nearby Japan to issue a brief evacuation advisory for coastal areas.
“The quake hit shortly before 8 a.m. local time, according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration. The quake's epicenter was located about 11 miles south of the coastal city of Hualien, about 96 miles southeast of Taipei.
Taiwan's government said four people had died in Hualien County and more than 50 people were injured. At least 26 buildings have collapsed and about 20 people were trapped, according to Taiwan’s national fire agency.
Rescue operations are ongoing, and aftershocks have caused residents to flee their homes and remain outside, Taiwan’s official central news agency reported.
Footage from Taiwan television stations showed collapsed buildings in Hualien with some leaning at an angle. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration gave the quake a magnitude of 7.2 while the USGS recorded it at 7.4 with a depth of about 22 miles.
The United States Geological Survey recorded numerous aftershocks in the same region, including one with a magnitude of 6.5. Taiwan's Central Weather Administration said it recorded more than 25 aftershocks….” Read more at USA Today
“Oil refinery attack. A Ukrainian drone strike hit Taneco, Russia’s third-largest oil refinery, in the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk on Tuesday, roughly 800 miles from the war’s front lines. Local authorities said the facility suffered no critical damage to its output despite a fire breaking out onsite. The refinery produces more than 17 million tons of crude per year—6.2 percent of Russia’s refining capacity—and the unit hit on Tuesday is responsible for roughly half of the facility’s total production.
Kyiv’s assault was in response to Russian strikes late Monday against energy facilities in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad oblasts, the Ukrainian military said. Kyiv has repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries in recent weeks as a way ‘to strike at both the economic and logistic sinews of Russia’s war effort,’ FP’s Keith Johnson wrote. As of the end of March, Ukrainian drone strikes had shut down around 14 percent of Russia’s total refining capacity, Reuters reported.” [Foreign Policy]
“Finland’s school shooting. Finnish authorities apprehended a 12-year-old who opened fire at a secondary school north of Helsinki on Tuesday. One student was killed, and two others were seriously injured during the shooting. It is unclear what the student’s motive was, but Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said there will be an investigation.
The suspect was accused of murder and attempted murder ‘due to some degree of planning,’ police said. However, Finland’s minimum age of criminal liability is 15 years, meaning the suspect cannot be formally arrested. The shooter will instead be handed to child welfare authorities after police finish their questioning.
The student was in possession of a licensed handgun registered to a close relative when they were arrested. Finland has one of the highest gun ownership rates in Europe, with around 430,000 license-holders and more than 1.5 million licensed firearms in the nation, according to the Finnish Interior Ministry. In response to school shootings in 2007 and 2008, Helsinki passed a law in 2011 raising the age to purchase firearms from 18 to 20, introducing an aptitude test, and requiring doctors to report anyone deemed unfit to own a gun.” [Foreign Policy]
“New leadership across Africa. Senegal inaugurated Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Tuesday, making him the West African country’s youngest president. ‘I am aware that the results of the ballot box express a profound desire for systemic change,’ Faye said. ‘Under my leadership, Senegal will be a country of hope, a peaceful country with an independent judiciary and a strengthened democracy.’
Just 10 days before Senegal’s March 24 presidential election, Faye was released from prison, where he had been held without trial on charges that included inciting insurrection. Experts and observers saw his incarceration as part of a broader undemocratic effort by then-outgoing President Macky Sall to cling to power. Analysts writing for the BBC say Faye’s swearing-in has ‘reinvigorated popular confidence in democracy.’
Also on Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi was sworn in for a third six-year term. The ceremony took place in the nation’s new capital, called the New Administrative Capital (NAC), which is located around 28 miles southeast of Cairo. The NAC is the largest in a series of mega-projects that Sisi has touted as vital to the country’s economic development and growing population. Critics, however, have argued that the NAC and other multibillion-dollar mega-projects increase Cairo’s debt burden.
In more leadership changes, the Democratic Republic of the Congo appointed its first female prime minister on Monday. President Félix Tshisekedi chose former Planning Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka in a significant step for gender equality. Tuluka vowed to prioritize peace and development amid ongoing regional violence.” [Foreign Policy]
“The world’s oldest continual monarchy has dipped its toe into social media. Japan’s imperial family joined Instagram on Monday to better connect with today’s young people. In just a few hours, the account had already published 60 pictures and five videos of Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and their 22-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, attending diplomatic meetings, awards ceremonies, and a bonsai exhibition. The family will also consider joining Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) in the future. Too bad they missed out on the MySpace era.” [Foreign Policy]
Iowa-LSU clash in Elite Eight becomes most-watched women's basketball game ever
“Monday night's Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and LSU was watched by 12.3 million viewers, according to ESPN, which makes it the most-viewed women's college basketball game on record and the most-watched college basketball game ever on ESPN platforms.
Iowa prevailed 94-87 in the national title game rematch to deny LSU a chance at a second consecutive championship.
LSU's 102-85 victory over the Hawkeyes last year set the previous record, averaging 9.9 million viewers and peaking at 12.6 million viewers. That game was broadcast by ABC. Monday's aired on ESPN.
Monday's game peaked at 16.1 million viewers, per ESPN.
ESPN said the contest drew the second-highest audience for any basketball game on the network since 2012, trailing only Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference finals between LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics, which Sports Media Watch says drew 13.6 million….” Read more at USA Today
Governor threatens scholarships after LSU women miss anthem at NCAA tournament
Landry hits at LSU women for absence during national anthem
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey decried as ‘woke’ amid furore
“Louisiana’s Republican governor has called for the scholarships of college athletes who are not present for the playing of the national anthem before games to be revoked after the LSU women’s basketball team were absent from the court during the pre-game ceremonies on Monday night ahead of their eagerly anticipated NCAA tournament contest with Iowa.
Jeff Landry, the former state attorney general backed by Donald Trump whose victory in October’s open gubernatorial primary denoted a hard-right shift in Louisiana’s politics, took to social media on Tuesday to criticize the third-seeded Tigers and their head coach, Kim Mulkey, for not being present when the Star-Spangled Banner was played before their high-profile Elite Eight showdown in Albany.
‘My mother coached women’s high school basketball during the height of desegregation, no one has a greater respect for the sport and for Coach Mulkey,’ Landry posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. ‘However, above respect for that game is a deeper respect for those that serve to protect us and unite us under one flag!’
“It is time that all college boards, including Regent, put a policy in place that student-athletes be present for the national anthem or risk their athletic scholarship! This is a matter of respect that all collegiate coaches should instill,” he wrote.
Louisiana State, the defending national champions, were beaten 94-87 on Monday by the top-seeded Hawkeyes, who progressed to the Final Four behind a 41-point outburst by star guard Caitlin Clark.
Mulkey, who has won four national titles as a head coach and was inducted to basketball’s Hall of Fame in 2020, said afterward that her players were undergoing their regular pre-game preparations on Monday night when the anthem was played.
‘Honestly, I don’t even know when the anthem was played,’ Mulkey said during the post-game press conference. ‘We kind of have a routine when they’re on the floor and they come off at the 12-minute mark. I don’t know, we come in and we do our pre-game stuff. I’m sorry, listen, that’s nothing intentionally done.’
Of the four teams playing in Monday’s split-site Elite Eight doubleheader at Albany’s MVP Arena and Portland’s Moda Center, the Tigers were one of three who were not on the floor for the anthem.
Landry’s broadside represented a dizzying twist for Mulkey, who has previously come under fire from left-leaning critics over her perceived traditional views, including allegations that resurfaced in a recent Washington Post profile which alleged she has ostracized former players over their sexuality, including Brittney Griner.
The episode has kicked off a furore on the right-wing corners of social media, who have branded Mulkey as ‘woke’ for her role in the apparently unintentional episode.
A spokesperson for LSU’s athletics department said that Monday’s protocol was no different than what has occurred in recent years with both the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
‘Our basketball programs have not been on the court for the anthem for the last several seasons,’ the school’s associate athletics director Cody Worsham said in a statement on Tuesday. ‘Usually the anthem is played 12 minutes before the game when the team is in the locker room doing final preparations.’” [The Guardian]