A Florida woman has been accused of drunkenly throwing a pug at an ex-boyfriend from the balcony of a seventh-floor apartment

The drunken friend is accused of throwing a pug on her boyfriend named Bucky until his death from the balcony of the seventh-floor apartment: The distracted owner says, “I went down and Bucky was lying there in a pool of blood.”

  • Shelley Nicole Vaughn, 46, was arrested after allegedly throwing her boyfriend’s pug from his seventh-floor balcony in Clearwater Beach, Florida, on Sunday
  • Eric Adesson said Vaughn was drunk when she walked into his apartment and started throwing his things out the window when she hit him.
  • He said she picked up his pug Bucky, smiled, and dumped him
  • Bucky was three years old and served as a companion to 13-year-old Adason scarecrow Sandy, who had cancer in 2019.
  • Vaughn was accused of animal cruelty, criminal mischief and domestic violence, and Adesson filed a lawsuit against his ex-girlfriend.
  • He also issued a restraining order because they live in the same building

A drunk woman has been accused of killing her boyfriend’s pug after throwing him from the balcony of his seventh-floor apartment in Florida.

Eric Adesson said he was left numb after his ex-girlfriend Shelley Nicole Vaughn, 46, walked into his apartment at the Regatta Beach Club in Clearwater Beach on Sunday and started throwing things out the window. when she hit him during an argument.

Adesson, who is suing Vaughn, said she then took his three-year-old pug, Bucky, smiled and then threw him to his death.

“I was screaming… I went down and Bucky was lying there in a pool of blood,” Adason told reporters Tuesday as he cried.

“I never thought anyone could do that. I never thought anyone would have that in them.

Vaughn was arrested on Monday and charged with animal cruelty, criminal mischief and domestic violence. She faces up to two years in prison for the last two charges, with fines of $ 1,000 each and a maximum fine of $ 5,000 for animal cruelty.

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Shelley Nicole Vaughn, 46, was arrested Monday on charges of animal cruelty, criminal mischief and domestic violence.

Shelley Nicole Vaughn, 46, was arrested Monday on charges of animal cruelty, criminal mischief and domestic violence.

Eric Adesson (pictured) said he was left numb after his ex-girlfriend threw his three-year-old pug from the balcony on the seventh floor of his apartment.

Eric Adesson (pictured) said he was left numb after his ex-girlfriend threw his three-year-old pug from the balcony on the seventh floor of his apartment.

Addison of Clearwater Beach, Florida, said he rushed to detain Bucky (pictured)

Addison of Clearwater Beach, Florida, said he rushed to detain Bucky (pictured)

The little pug was described as a cute dog sleeping next to Adesson and his scarecrow

The little pug was described as a cute dog sleeping next to Adesson and his scarecrow

Addison made Bucky in 2019 to serve as a companion to Sandy, his 13-year-old scarecrow who was battling cancer.  Adesson said he never expected Sandy to outlive Bucky

Addison made Bucky in 2019 to serve as a companion to Sandy, his 13-year-old scarecrow who was battling cancer. Adesson said he never expected Sandy to outlive Bucky

Adesson told police that Vaughn was drunk and quarreled with him when she grabbed his cell phone and keys and threw them off the balcony.

She then allegedly hit him while he kept begging her to leave before grabbing Bucky.

Adason said he was screaming in shock and pushed her out of his apartment as he threw himself down in despair.

“It’s like a fog,” Adesson told reporters as he recalled the incident. “I am devastated.”

He said he was sobbing as he held his dog in his arms as passersby called police. Vaughn is said to have locked herself in her apartment, two floors below Adeson’s, when officers arrived.

During the press conference, Adesson cried several times as he described Bucky as a cute puppy who is a companion to Adesson’s scarecrow, Sandy, who is experiencing cancer in 2019.

Vaughn is said to have dumped Bucky from the seventh floor of the Regatta Beach Club in Clearwater Beach, Florida on Sunday.

Vaughn is said to have dumped Bucky from the seventh floor of the Regatta Beach Club in Clearwater Beach, Florida on Sunday.

“I never thought for a million years that Sandy would survive cancer and be alive at 13 and actually outlive Bucky. This is a tragedy, “Adesson said Fox 13.

He said Vaughn was “evil” and had now issued a restraining order against her because they lived in the same building.

Adesson’s lawyer, Catherine Neal, said in a statement: “Our client has seen this happen and is absolutely traumatized.

“Several residents of the building also witnessed the event and the whole community is extremely upset by what happened.”

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The Russian military warns of strikes against targets in Kyiv, according to a statement through state media

Refugees from Ukraine are queuing up to enter Poland at the Medica border crossing, Poland, on February 28th.
Refugees from Ukraine are queuing up to enter Poland at the Medica border crossing, Poland, on February 28th. (Witek Radwanski / AFP / Getty Images)

There are now more than half a million refugees from Ukraine in neighboring countries, the United Nations said on Monday, with people desperately heading west to Central Europe following Russia’s invasion last week.

Here is a snapshot of the situation on Ukraine’s borders:

Poland: More than 100,000 people crossed from Ukraine to Poland on Monday, according to the Polish border guards, the highest figure received from Ukraine’s EU neighbors since the invasion began.

As of February 24th, border authorities have allowed at least 377,400 people to enter border crossings with Ukraine, according to a tweet on Tuesday.

The longest queue is at the Medica border checkpoint, said border guard spokeswoman Anna Mihalska.

On the Ukrainian side of this border, a 20-kilometer (12-mile) line of vehicles runs through nearby villages. Residents told CNN that the number of people moving to the border has decreased in the last day.

The first few days of the evacuation were chaotic, with many walking long distances to the border in cold conditions, they said. But now many volunteers from local villages have set up temporary shelters and offered food.

A CNN team at the border has spoken to many non-Ukrainian citizens who say employees still give preferential treatment to Ukrainians crossing the border.

Foreign students fleeing Ukraine say they face racism at the border

CNN also met with Ukrainian citizens who were waiting in line in their cars, but decided to abandon their vehicles and walk to the border instead because they thought it would be faster.

Many men escort their families to the border, knowing that they will probably be rejected and will not be able to leave. Ukraine has banned military men from leaving the country as it seeks to increase its armed forces.

Slovakia: Waiting times for Ukraine’s borders with Slovakia extend to 35 hours in Ubla, northeast of Slovakia, and up to 12 hours in Vyshne Nemetske, southeast. Another crossroads in Velke Slemence is less congested.

A total of 54,304 people entered the country by Tuesday morning, according to Slovak border police.

According to a spokesman for the agency, security guards have not turned anyone since the beginning of the conflict, which means that such incidents have occurred on the Ukrainian side. Approximately 15,000 people passed through three checkpoints from Sunday morning to Monday morning, about a third of them non-Ukrainians, they said.

Romania: A total of 89,000 Ukrainian citizens crossed the Romanian border after the Russian invasion, and 50,000 then left for other countries, according to official border records.

There was a traffic jam on the border with Hungary, but police confirmed to CNN that the checkpoints are less congested today and people are clearing the checkpoints faster.

The Russian military warns of strikes against targets in Kyiv, according to a statement through state media Read More »

5 things you need to know before the stock market opens on Tuesday, March 1

Here are the most important news, trends and analyzes from which investors should start their trading day:

1. Stock futures start lower in March as Russia heads to Kyiv

NYSE Traders on February 28, 2022

Source: NYSE

US stock futures fell on Tuesday, the first day of March, when Russia clashed with the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Bond yields fell as oil and bitcoins jumped. Investors are also concentrating on retail profits, with Target shares rising 12% after forecasting continued sales growth.

  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 broke the winning streak of two sessions with modest losses on Monday; although they were quite the lowest points of the day. The rally at the end of the session actually pushed the Nasdaq positively. For the whole of February, the three benchmarks of shares fell by more than 3% each.

2. Target stocks are rising as the retailer forecasts growth after the pandemic

David Paul Morris Bloomberg | Getty Images

Target ended in 2021, saying it tackled the challenges of the supply chain on Tuesday and relied on e-commerce and customer profits during the Covid pandemic. Earnings for the fourth quarter exceeded forecasts, while revenue was missed. But stocks did rise better than expected for the full year on top and bottom lines and rosy operating margins.

  • Target said Monday that it will spend $ 300 million more next year on salaries and health benefits. Starting salaries will range from $ 15 to $ 25 per employee per hour, based on their roles and local markets. About 20% more employees will be eligible for medical benefits.

3. US oil exceeds $ 101 a barrel as bond yields fall, bitcoin jumps

Satellite images from Maxar Technologies, taken on February 28, appear to show a convoy of Russian vehicles advancing toward the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. The company says these images show the northern end of the convoy, with logistics and supply vehicles. Satellite image (c) 2022 Maxar Technologies.

Maxar Technologies | Getty Images

U.S. oil prices jumped more than 4 percent on Tuesday, with West Texas Intermediate oil surpassing $ 101 a barrel, its highest level since July 2014, after Russia hit Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, and A 40-kilometer convoy approached Kyiv. US sanctions for Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine are not aimed at oil from Russia, which exports about 4 to 5 million barrels of crude oil a day.

Investors also sought bond security, pushing back 10-year bond yields to about 1.77% on Tuesday. Bitcoin jumped 6%, albeit away from overnight highs, to about $ 44,400. Proponents of cryptocurrency see bitcoin as a refuge and a means of storing value such as gold. Real gold prices also rose by more than 1% to approximately $ 1920 an ounce.

4. The President of Ukraine says that “no one will break us”

This general view shows the damaged local town hall of Kharkiv on March 1, 2022, destroyed as a result of shelling by Russian troops.

Sergey Bobok AFP | Getty Images

On the sixth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fighting went beyond military targets, with Associated Press reporters documenting evidence of shelling of homes, schools and hospitals. The Kremlin denies this. The first round of talks between Ukraine and Russia failed to lead to a ceasefire. The two sides agreed on a new meeting in the coming days.

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the European Parliament on Tuesday, saying “no one will break us.” Earlier in a Facebook video, Zelensky called the shelling of Kharkiv “undisguised terror” that “no one will forget.” He also said keeping Kyiv was a “key priority”.

5. Biden is preparing for the state of the Union during turbulent times

US President Joe Biden pauses as he speaks at an event marking Black History Month at the White House in Washington, DC, February 28, 2022.

Kevin Lamarck Reuters

President Joe Biden will deliver a speech on the state of the Union on Tuesday night, facing turmoil both abroad and at home. From Russian aggression, bringing the United States out of the pandemic through a strained social and climate agenda, to rising inflation, Biden is addressing a nation that studies say is disappointed with its performance in the White House.

  • Biden will speak to a predominantly full and optional crowd in the House of Commons, one of the signs of mitigating the Covid threat. But his speech will also be from the newly fenced Capitol due to renewed security concerns after last year’s uprising.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report. Get involved now for the CNBC Investment Club to follow Jim Every movement of Kramer’s shares. Follow broader market actions as a professional CNBC Pro.

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“This is a broader, more inclusive version”: how women reshaped the Beatles’ story | The Beatles

Фor teenage Janice Mitchell, hearing the Beatles’ I Want to Hold Your Hand on American radio in December 1963 affected her in ways she still can’t express. “How do you explain why? [you were] electrified when you were struck by lightning? “she says, laughing.

I Want to Hold Your Hand not only sounded more interesting than the other songs in the rotation of the station in her hometown, the single is an escape from a difficult childhood. Mitchell from Cleveland, Ohio, grew up with careless parents who eventually abandoned her and two younger siblings. And 1963 was another difficult year. Mitchell was swayed by the death of her beloved great uncle, one of the few adults who had shown her kindness.

The arrival of the Beatles gave a glimmer of hope. “I realized I wanted to go where the Beatles came from because I decided that happiness would be there,” Mitchell said. “That was my goal: to go there and breathe the Beatles’ air, walk the sacred lands of the Beatles, and have a happy life.”

Mitchell fulfilled her wish, as she described in her captivating book My Ticket to Ride: How I Ran Away to England to Meet the Beatles and Got Rock and Roll Banned in Cleveland. She and another ingenious friend successfully left the United States and spent three blissful weeks in England in the autumn of 1964, enjoying London’s nightlife and sights and even visiting Liverpool – although, unfortunately, they did not cross paths with any of them. The Beatles.

The Beatles in February 1964
The Beatles in February 1964 Photo: Evening Standard / Getty

My Ticket to Ride is far from the only Beatles book published last year. Most notably, Paul McCartney’s bestseller “The Texts: 1956 to the Present” arrived weeks after the Beatles: Return, an accompanying piece to Peter Jackson’s long-running documentary. But Mitchell’s memoirs are one of the few Beatles books written by a woman in the ’60s since they released their debut single. The Beatles have profoundly shaped and enriched women’s lives, but literature, journalism, and critical science – with a few notable exceptions – tend to focus disproportionately on how men experience and value the band and its music.

“For a Generation X woman coming in the 1990s, the chances of publishing a story or an interview with the Beatles in a major issue are 100-1,” said music journalist Christy York Wooten. Yet in recent years, more and more scholars, journalists, musicians and podcasters have challenged the Beatles’ conventional narratives and expanded who could talk about the band. For Wooten, this change is long overdue. “The media coverage of the band’s evolution portrays women as bystanders, which makes our stories about the impact of music lower or just tied to fans.”

Fiery Beatles fans are not always viewed in a positive light, despite how vital they were to the band’s success. As critic Sasha Geffen wrote in Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Couple: “Without the Beatles, there are no Beatles. Each group forges its own identity with the other. ” And yet the narrow stereotype of a Beatles fan that crystallized in the 1960s – imagine a teenage girl screaming at the band because they are so cute – continues.

“Women scientists who are also Beatles fans still run the risk of being perceived more as fans than as an authoritative voice,” said Dr. Christine Feldman-Barrett, a senior professor of sociology at Griffith University and author of last year’s A The Beatles’ Women’s Story. “The legacy of the Beatles ” hysterical ‘fan’ is such that I believe it has made many women reluctant to write about the Beatles until recently.”

Feldman-Barrett’s book is a comprehensive correction of outdated ways of thinking. It delves into less covered topics ripe for analysis (such as how the Beatles influenced women musicians) and takes a fresh look at Beatlemania, the women of the Beatles universe, and fan relationships with the band.

The book grows out of Feldman-Barrett’s lifelong appreciation for the group, which opened her eyes to other topics, such as “British history, interest in Eastern spirituality in the 1960s,” she said. “It really was a portal for different interests.” As Geffen writes, “A girl can put her desire into a group, but she can also find herself there.”

Decades later, the Beatles’ ability to arouse curiosity has been preserved for generations. Growing up in the United Kingdom, musician and writer Stephanie Phillips was struck by the Beatles’ cultural ubiquity. “As a young man who wanted to develop my own sense of self, it almost felt amazing,” she said. Entering the band’s music in the 1920s through louder covers of American bands such as Pixies and Throwing Muses “gave the Beatles that alternative luster and almost made them sound like a vague underground cult band,” she said.

Stephanie Phillips from the punk band Big Joanie.
Stephanie Phillips from the punk band Big Joanie. Photo: Lorne Thomson / Redferns

Such sonic freedom of action shapes the music that Phillips makes in the punk band Big Joanie – it refers to both the “experimental song structures” of the White Album and the stretched song of the Beatles’ “earlier, pop-oriented” albums – and helped her to reinforce a different perception of the group. “My version of the Beatles wrote short and vivid love songs, experimented with every possible genre, and was clear about the cultures they were influenced by,” she said. “I think it’s a broader and more inclusive version of the Beatles than the band I grew up listening to on television as a child.”

Dr. Holly Tesler vividly remembers hearing news of the assassination of John Lennon in 1980, although she did not know who the musician was at the time. “Because I was a stupid kid, instead of listening to music, I decided it was going to be a research project,” she said. The 10-year-old borrowed Nicholas Schaffner’s Liverpool Boys Library and spent the next few weeks reading (and re-reading) the book, “bored all my friends and family,” falsifying them with facts from the Beatles. “After what must have been an infinite amount of time, my parents just said, ‘Here, kid, listen to music.’ And there was no going back.”

Tesler’s subsequent insatiable interest in all aspects of the Beatles led her to academia and the founding of the Liverpool Beatles’ Master’s program: Music Industry and Heritage. Launched in September 2021, it offers an in-depth study of the group’s cultural, media and economic impact. Tesler says the class is diverse, including new graduates to mature students in their 60s. “I was a little worried that there would be a big split,” she said. “Everyone is connected now. And they’re all a happy little group of Beatles students together. “

Younger generations of Beatles fans, who joined the band long after they disbanded, are even less attached to the hard historical stories surrounding the band, Tesler said. “[They’re] much more involved in gender and sexuality debates than earlier generations would have been. ”

This is a conversation that has expanded from the world of podcasts. “I see more young fans wanting to move away from the ‘who we blame for separation’ approach and more to an approach that analyzes everyone’s individual experiences, emotions and views,” said Talia Reynolds, co-host of Other Minds. a different kind of Beatles podcast with Daphne Mitchell and Phoebe Lord. The show works as a team of representing voices thoroughly studied episodes (excerpt: “Jealous Man: Lennon-McCartney and Competitive Admiration”). “We thought it was time for the Beatles to discuss with empathy and humanity,” says Lord. “It means making an effort to see things from every angle.”

Paul McCartney and John Lennon.
Racing admiration? … Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Photo: Bettmann Archive

Podcast co-hosts say the Beatles have shaped their lives in many ways: influencing them to perform, write and develop respect for music; deepening friendships; and even find solace in discussions on topics such as John Lennon’s sexuality. “The Beatles’ music, their story, their selves are uniquely soothing,” says Mitchell.

It is not necessarily a fact that several generations of Beatles fans will understand each other. Alison Boron grew up as a fan of the Monkees and the Beatles. As a teenager, she eventually found soul mates in the latter’s nascent online community of about Y2K. “I can’t imagine who I would be without the Beatles,” she said. “Sometimes it sounds crazy when I hear myself say that, but there’s really no way they haven’t affected my life. An early job with a local Beatles tribute band sparked her interest in the music industry, where she works today.

In 2018, she launched the podcast BC the Beatles. Boron remembers how she and co-host Erica White received a lot of encouragement from older fans. But they have also experienced age, sexism and fan management. “We came across people who didn’t think we had a place at the table because we weren’t there in the first place,” she said. “It was difficult for us to be taken seriously.”

Empathy for the unjustly slandered Yoko Ono inspired the launch of the All About the Girl, a Liverpool-based podcast. “I’ve heard all sorts of things about her all my life, that she’s a talentless destructive force or a joke,” says co-host Chloe Walls. It wasn’t until I started doing my own research that I realized the complete bad service done to her by the mass story. The Walls fell in love with Ono’s music as they explored the Beatles after watching the 2019 film Yesterday; she was “annoyed” by how the film “fundamentally misunderstood what makes the Beatles great.”

Several podcasters interviewed mentioned Beatles fan fiction and fan art as an influence on their fandom – and especially that of younger generations. For Walls, the Beatles’ online fandom was also formative, as it “allowed me to be creative in a space with other people with similar views” and also introduced her to her partner (and podcast co-host) Daisy Cooper. The couple met in 2020 on Tumblr, “in a discussion about the relationship between John and Paul,” says Wallace.

As an adult, My Ticket to Ride author Mitchell worked as a journalist and private detective. As she wrote her book, she used these skills to try to understand aspects of her painful childhood. She found more empathy for her younger self – as well as a view on how listening to I Want to Hold Your Hand changed the trajectory of her life. “If I had never heard of the Beatles at that time, my life would have been completely different.

My Driving Ticket: How I Escaped to England to Meet the Beatles and Get a Cleveland Rock and Rock Ban from Janice Mitchell was published by Gray & Company.

“This is a broader, more inclusive version”: how women reshaped the Beatles’ story | The Beatles Read More »

Cain Velazquez faces murder charge for alleged San Jose shooting incident

Kane Velázquez has been arrested and charged with attempted murder following an alleged shooting incident that occurred Monday afternoon in San Jose, California, according to an official statement from the San Jose Police Department’s media relations team on Tuesday morning.

The statement reads as follows:

Kane Velázquez was the suspect arrested yesterday in connection with the incident. He was sentenced in Santa Clara County Jail for attempted murder.

The motives and circumstances surrounding the incident are still being clarified.

According to online records, former UFC heavyweight champion Velazquez has been held without bail in Santa Clara County Jail. NBC Bay Area was the first to announce his alleged involvement in the incident, with TMZ being the first to report the allegations on Tuesday.

Velázquez is due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Screen Shot 2022 03 01 at 3.45.50 AM

San Jose police initially confirmed that a shooting took place on Monday, but did not identify the suspect who was detained or the victim who was transported to a local hospital after the incident.

“Parts are currently at the scene of the shooting near the intersection of Monterey Hwy and Bailey Ave,” San Jose police said on the department’s official Twitter account.

“An elderly man, shot at least once, was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One suspect in custody. Unknown motive or circumstances. “

Velazquez, 39, is widely recognized as one of the best heavyweight fighters in UFC history after numerous titles in the promotion.

Unfortunately for Velázquez, much of his career has been marked by injuries. He last competed in February 2019, when he lost by knockout in the first round to future UFC champion Francis Nganu. Nine months after the defeat, Velázquez has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, while planning to go full-time in wrestling.

After a brief stint at WWE, Velázquez is working with AAA, a wrestling promotion based in Mexico.

Cain Velazquez faces murder charge for alleged San Jose shooting incident Read More »

When will the results of the Texas primary be released?

It’s never easy to say exactly when the election results will be known, and changes in voting methods since the start of the pandemic have made the task even more difficult. Depending on the state and race, waiting for results can take anywhere from a few minutes to more than a month after the polls close.

However, in Texas, the calculation is simplified by the fact that almost everyone must vote in person. Unlike many states, Texas has very narrow eligibility criteria for mail-in ballots, which can take longer to count.

Most polling stations close at 8:00 pm ET. (A small streak of locations around El Paso, which is in a different time zone than the rest of the state, will close an hour later.) Republican and one Democrat—to administer, we should get mostly complete results within a few hours.

In-person early voting took place from 14 to 25 February, and votes cast during this period should be reported very quickly after the polls close. The votes cast on Election Day must then be counted.

A very small number of mail-in ballots may be received after Election Day, but they are unlikely to delay the determination of winners in any but the razor-thin races. And since this is a primary, there’s no need to worry about “mirages” where early results are skewed by Democrats and Republicans using different voting methods.

By 1 a.m. ET Wednesday, state officials said most of the results should be reported.

Alicia Parlapiano contributed reporting.

When will the results of the Texas primary be released? Read More »

Biden to Present State of the Union as polls show 37% approval and protests hit Washington

The pressure will be on the president Joe Biden Tuesday night as he delivered a speech on the state of the Union to an anxious nation as he tried to increase his huge polls and restart his internal agenda.

Washington prepares for protests as Biden outlines vision for Americans weary of covid pandemic worried about record highs inflation and rattled by Vladimir Putinnuclear threats.

Biden’s approval rating reached one of the lowest points of his presidency, with only 37% saying they approve of the work he does, according to Washington Post-ABC News poll published on Sunday with 55% disapproval.

Even more worrying is that 54% say Biden’s economy is worse, and 36% say they are worse off.

And 61 percent of Americans say Biden hasn’t kept most of his promises Yahoo News / YouGov survey.

Meanwhile, 36% of voters said in a CBS News poll that things were going “very badly” in America, and only 27% said things were going “somewhat well.” And 63% describe the economy as “bad”.

The US Capitol is seen through a temporary security fence, and Washington is preparing for protests over President Biden's speech on the state of the Union on Tuesday night.

The US Capitol is seen through a temporary security fence, and Washington is preparing for protests over President Biden’s speech on the state of the Union on Tuesday night.

A National Guard vehicle can be seen near the White House - the National Guard is on duty while New York and Philadelphia police come to Washington to help with security.

A National Guard vehicle can be seen near the White House – the National Guard is on duty while New York and Philadelphia police come to Washington to help with security.

The House of Representatives, where Biden will make his remarks, face masks will be optional according to new CDC rules

The House of Representatives, where Biden will make his remarks, face masks will be optional according to new CDC rules

In the House of Representatives on Tuesday night, face masks are optional according to the CDC’s new, relaxed guidelines, but attendance will still be limited: all members of Congress are eligible to attend this year, unlike the 200 who were in Biden’s joint address to Congress in April 2021. However, no MP will be allowed to bring a guest.

Six of the nine Supreme Court judges are also expected to attend, after only one was invited to a speech in April. About 20 cabinet officials are scheduled to attend. First Lady Jill Biden’s lodge can accommodate up to eight guests, said a planner The Washington Post.

Everyone who attends will need to take a covid test in advance.

Meanwhile, a temporary steel fence wrapped up a four-acre Capitol Hill complex and military vehicles patrolled the streets as the city prepares for truck protests, angered by mandates for face masks and covid restrictions.

The DC National Guard is on standby. A bus carrying about 100 police officers from New York arrived on Monday. Philadelphia police are also available, and Baltimore officers are on standby.

“While there is a possibility that some may come to our city with the intention of going beyond what is permitted as a constitutional right and seeking to engage in illegal acts or acts of civil disobedience, I hope that our city’s guests will abide by the laws of the District of Columbia Said Colombia County Police Chief Robert J. Accounts III. “I want to be very clear that we are ready to take swift action by law enforcement to violate our local and federal laws, if necessary.”

A group filed a permit with the National Parks Office to protest at the Washington Monument on March 1, the day Biden gave his address. Initially, the permit said there could be up to 3,000 protesters in support of the Canadian truck protests.

By Monday, the estimated number of participants had dropped to 500 for the demonstration from noon to 8 pm, which will include speeches, music and prayer, according to the permit.

Biden addresses the nation at 9 p.m. ET.

The People’s Convoy, another protest group, left Southern California on Wednesday but is not expected to arrive in the Washington area until March 5th.

President Biden to address economy, record high inflation and situation in Ukraine

President Biden to address economy, record high inflation and situation in Ukraine

The sun rises over the dome of the US Capitol before Biden's speech

The sun rises over the dome of the US Capitol before Biden’s speech

A truck is used to control access to roads near the US Capitol

A truck is used to control access to roads near the US Capitol

A woman passes her baby past a military vehicle in front of potential convoys of trucks and increased security in front of the Capitol Hill Union State

A woman passes her baby past a military vehicle in front of potential convoys of trucks and increased security in front of the Capitol Hill Union State

U.S. Capitol police officers gather in the eastern front square of the Capitol

U.S. Capitol police officers gather in the eastern front square of the Capitol

Initially, the president intended to focus on his legislative agenda, economic plans and the Covid pandemic in his speeches, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine turned the tide.

Biden will discuss the administration’s work to help Ukraine and its efforts to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin with sanctions.

“I think people can expect to hear him position this as the importance of the United States as a world leader, to stand up for values, to stand up for global norms,” ​​White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday.

The speech comes when his signed Back Build Better bill is suspended in the Senate and almost dead after Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin refused to support it, citing fears of its closure.

Biden is expected to send a good mood message to the economy, citing a record low unemployment rate, rising wages and the creation of more than six million jobs since taking office.

But that message has been mitigated by high spending on goods and services: inflation is at a record 7.5 percent in the United States.

He will use the word “inflation” in his remarks.

“The president will absolutely use the word inflation tomorrow and he will talk about inflation in his speech, of course, this is a huge problem in the minds of Americans,” Psaki said.

In particular, Biden will call on Congress to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by $ 2,000, raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 per hour and create a national paid family leave program.

Biden will also urge Congress to adopt housing, education and climate reforms as part of a four-point plan focusing on “doing more in America”; reduction of daily expenses; “Promoting fair competition”; and “removing barriers to well-paid jobs” according to a reference from the administration.

Many of his ideas will reflect those in Build Back Better, his social services legislation for approximately $ 2 trillion.

But the name of his signed legislation may not appear.

“It’s not about the name of the bill,” a senior administration official said Monday during a briefing with reporters. – It’s about ideas. It’s about cutting costs for families.

Biden will also set out a “unity agenda,” senior officials said Tuesday, focusing on policy areas “where there has historically been support from both Republicans and Democrats.”

The president will launch a strategy to tackle the country’s mental health crisis, blaming social media platforms for the crisis.

But officials would not say whether the president would push for sanctions on huge companies such as Twitter and Facebook.

“The president believes that technology companies should be held accountable for the damage they cause,” the official said, but did not elaborate.

Biden will also urge the Senate to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first black woman in the Supreme Court. He nominated her last week.

He will also look at the covid pandemic, pointing out where the country is compared to where it was a year ago.

The pandemic is an area in which voters have consistently praised Biden – although Americans are also expressing fatigue with the demands for face masks and other mandates designed to help stop the spread of the disease.

Biden to Present State of the Union as polls show 37% approval and protests hit Washington Read More »

Uber’s new feature allows you to book dinner reservations, concert tickets

People wear protective masks in front of the headquarters of Uber Technologies Inc. in San Francisco, California, USA, on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.

David Paul Morris Bloomberg | Getty Images

A new feature of Uber’s “Explore” announced on Tuesday will allow users to book reservations for dinner, concert tickets and other events directly through the Uber app.

This change demonstrates the transportation app’s strategy to expand beyond travel in an attempt to build new revenue streams. The company is investing heavily in its Uber Eats food, beverage and convenience services during the pandemic, and this segment continues to outperform travel. Shipping revenue of $ 2.42 billion exceeds $ 2.28 billion generated by the core vehicle business, for example.

This new feature, Uber Explore, will appear as a new tab in the Uber app. Consumers can purchase tickets with their Uber Wallet or credit card.

The Research section will show categories including food and drink, arts and culture, nightlife, music and shows, and will provide personalized recommendations based on where consumers have traveled in the past. With the ride there now feature, users can book a trip to the destination they just bought.

Uber Explore is available from Tuesday, starting in Atlanta; Chicago; Dallas; Houston; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota; New Orleans; Orlando, Florida; San Antonio; San Francisco and Seattle. It is also live in New Jersey, upstate New York, and Mexico City, Mexico.

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