Tuesday, March 15
By Liza Hearon
ANTI-WAR PROTESTER STORMS RUSSIAN STATE-RUN TV BROADCAST Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor at Russian state-run Channel One television, stormed an evening news broadcast with a sign reading, “Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They are lying to you.” She’s been arrested and, under a new law could potentially face up to 15 years in prison. She left a prerecorded a video explaining her motivations.
‘NOTHING SHORT OF A NIGHTMARE’ Russia continued to pummel Ukrainian cities Tuesday, even as the countries kept open a narrow diplomatic channel with more planned talks. Meanwhile, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned a senior Chinese diplomat against China helping Russia. Overall, nearly all of the Russian military offensives remained stalled. Leaders of three NATO member countries plan to visit Kyiv in a show of solidarity. [AP]
WE’RE NOT PREPARED FOR THE NEXT PANDEMIC PHASE It’s been two years, and people with long COVID are no closer to getting the help they need. Long-haulers worry that now that post-omicron, there are millions more people who are going to start facing what they’ve faced. Here’s some background and advice.
IDAHO PASSES COPYCAT TEXAS ABORTION BAN Idaho has become the first state to pass a law modeled after Texas’ draconian six-week abortion ban that financially rewards private citizens to enforce the law. Republican Gov. Brad Little is expected to sign it into law. Similar to Texas, the bill will likely disproportionately affect poor people, people of color and people who live in rural areas.
MAN ARRESTED IN ‘APPALLING’ RACIST BEATING A man has been charged with a racist and violent attack on a 67-year-old Asian woman in Yonkers, New York. Video shows a man following the woman into her apartment building then beating her about the head, delivering more than 125 blows. The woman is hospitalized in stable condition.
JOE MANCHIN WON’T SUPPORT BIDEN FED PICK Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced he won’t support President Joe Biden’s nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to serve on the Federal Reserve Board, likely dooming her chances of confirmation. GOP members of the Senate Banking Committee have boycotted hearings on Raskin and two other Biden Fed nominations, citing Raskin’s past statements advocating for the Fed to be more proactive in addressing financial risks posed by climate change.
PEOPLE IN OHIO CAN CARRY CONCEALED FIREARMS, JUST BECAUSE Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law a measure that permits anyone over age 21 to have a concealed gun on their person, making Ohio the 23rd state with such laws. Previously, Ohio residents had to take eight hours of training and get a license and a background check to be able to carry concealed weapons.
REP. ADAM KINZINGER DECLINES TO ‘EVER’ APPEAR ON TUCKER CARLSON’S ‘PROPAGANDA’ SHOW Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) provided a lengthy rationale for declining to ever appear on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News program, describing it as being “full of Russian propaganda and not news.” Carlson often attacks Kinzinger, one of a handful of Republicans in Congress who have been repeatedly and publicly critical of former President Donald Trump.
HOLLYWOOD’S IMAGE OF A PROTAGONIST IS STILL LIKELY TO BE A WHITE MAN A research brief shows that when Hollywood executives greenlight a major movie, they’re still likely to default to a white man as the hero, despite some improvements in the last decade. The racial and ethnic diversity of film protagonists has similarly hit a plateau. Check out more of the report’s findings here.