Students abandoned their classrooms to kick off a "week of action" by advocates and gun violence survivors. Also in the news: China has promised "forceful" measures in response to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's meeting with Taiwan's president and the 87th Masters tees off. |
Now, here we go with Thursday's news. |
Thousands participate in national school walkout after Nashville shooting |
Thousands of students walked out of classes across the country Wednesday to demand lawmakers take action on gun safety following the mass shooting at an elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, last week that killed three adults and three children. |
The national walkouts come one day after hundreds of high school and college students left class across Nashville and Middle Tennessee. |
| • | Advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, which coordinated the walkouts through Students Demand Action, said there were more than 300 demonstrations across 41 states and D.C. to kick off a "week of action" by advocates and gun violence survivors. | | • | So far this year, there have been at least 39 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 17 deaths and 30 injuries nationally, according to Everytown. President Joe Biden has called on Congress to act, saying he has exhausted what he can do through executive action on gun control. | | • | The Tennessee state legislature will vote Thursday whether to expel three Democratic members of the House after they led protest chants from the floor of the chamber. | | Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson of Memphis, Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville, Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville hold their hands up as they exit the House chamber doors at Tennessee state Capitol Building in Nashville, Tennessee, Monday, April 3, 2023. Nicole Hester / The Tennessean |
'Heartbreaking' destruction from Missouri tornado |
The major storms that barreled across the Plains and Midwest this week will move east on Thursday, bringing downpours to a stretch of the country from New York to South Carolina. Storms are expected to weaken while moving toward the East Coast, coming after a tornado that slammed into Missouri on Wednesday caused at least five deaths. Tornadoes were also reported in nearby states, including Illinois and Iowa, less than a week after dozens of tornadoes impacted swaths of the Midwest and South. Read more | The damage from a tornado that hit southeast Missouri early Wednesday, April 5, 2023. AP |
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer repeals Michigan's 1931 abortion ban |
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer repealed an unenforceable Michigan law that makes it a felony to administer most abortions with no exception for rape or incest. For decades, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed a national right to abortion. But when the court overturned that decision, a Michigan Court of Claims judge issued an order temporarily blocking Michigan's abortion ban to ensure continued legal access to the procedure in the state. Michigan voters ultimately took up the matter directly during last year's midterm when they embraced an amendment to the state's constitution to enshrine an explicit right to seek abortions. Read more | Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer repeals a 1931 abortion ban on April 5, 2023. USA Today |
McCarthy visit with Taiwanese president draws Chinese threats |
China vowed reprisals against Taiwan Thursday after a meeting between the U.S. House Speaker and the island's president, saying the U.S. was on a "wrong and dangerous road." Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday along with a bi-partisan delegation of more than a dozen lawmakers. The meeting came as the U.S.-China relationship has fallen to historic lows, with U.S. support for Taiwan becoming one of the main points of difference between the two powers. China has repeatedly laid claim to Taiwan, despite Taiwan maintaining its own democratic system of government since the two split after a 1949 civil war. Read more | US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (L) and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on April 5, 2023. FREDERIC J. BROWN, AFP via Getty Images |
Scheffler looks for repeat Masters win |
The 87th Masters will tee off with its first round Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club. A loaded field will vie for the green jacket and golf's prized major, the first of the 2022-23 season. American Scottie Scheffler, last year's winner, will look to be the first consecutive champion since Tiger Woods in 2001 and 2002. All eyes will be on Scheffler, the current No. 1 player in the World Golf Ranking, and the massive names in the field, like Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and others. Read more |
| • | Opinion: By allowing LIV golfers, Masters officials are giving into Saudis' sportswashing scheme. | | • | Rory McIlroy says Masters ''above all that noise'' of LIV drama as he attempts career grand slam. | | • | What is the Par 3 contest? Everything to know about the family-friendly Masters warm-up. | | Masters defending champion Scottie Scheffler walks the first fairway with his wife Meredith, during the Par 3 Contest at Augusta National Golf Club. Rob Schumacher, USA TODAY Network |
Photo of the day: Passover around the world |
This year, Passover began sundown on Wednesday and ends on Thursday, April 13, in the United States. Many Jewish communities will hold seders the first two nights of the springtime holiday. Rabbi Benjamin Berger, vice president of Jewish education at Hillel International, a Jewish campus organization, said "it's a celebration of not only the freedom of the Jewish people emerging from slavery in Egypt, and a tradition that results that is about remembering." Read more | An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prepares special matzo, a traditional handmade unleavened bread for Passover, at a bakery in Ashdod, Israel, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Tsafrir Abayov, AP |
Associated Press contributed reporting. | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment