Thursday, April 21 top stories
It is Thursday, April 21. Here are today’s top stories.
Biden announces $800M in military aid for Ukraine
Today President Biden announced he is sending another $800 million in military aid for Ukraine to provide dozens of howitzer artillery systems, about 150,000 artillery rounds, and tactical drones.
Biden said the U.S. is also giving $500 million to Ukraine’s government to help them stabilize the country.
Biden said the U.S.’ military aid for Ukraine so far has helped Ukrainian troops to drive out Russian forces from Kyiv and now he wants to continue to help Ukraine to win in the new phase of the war, the battle in the eastern Donbas region.
Florida legislature votes to revoke Disney special status
On Wednesday the Florida Senate’s Republican majority voted to revoke Disney World’s special status to operate as an independent district, as its “own city” in the Orlando area. Today the House, also controlled by Republicans, voted to pass the measure.
Florida Gov. DeSantis (R) has wanted to punish Disney ever since the company spoke out against a new Florida law that bans LGBTQ topics from being taught or discussed in elementary schools. It is expected that DeSantis will sign the bill.
The Orange County tax collector warned that if Disney’s special status is stripped away, the county would have to raise property taxes 15 to 20% to cover the costs of maintaining the district, such as paying for the fire department, sewer services, and road maintenance. Disney used to pay for these, but now the country may have to pay.
Arrest over murder of NYC woman
New York City police said they arrested a man named David Bonola for stabbing to death a woman named Orsolya Gaal, putting her body in a duffel bag, and abandoning it on the side of a road last weekend.
Police explained that Bonola was a handyman who had a two-year affair with Gaal, who was married. The murder happened on Saturday just after midnight in Gaal's home. Police said Bonola argued with Gaal and stabbed her a total of 58 times before putting her body in a duffel bag.
Police showed a video from a neighbor’s home that showed Bonola dragging the bag on a sidewalk. The bag was abandoned about half a mile away from the home and there was a trail of blood. Police said Bonola confessed to the murder.
Gaal was a mother to two children.
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CNN+ shuts down after only three weeks
The CNN+ streaming service is being shut down by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery only three weeks after it launched. It is a quick downfall for CNN, which had high hopes for the streaming service, had already invested about $300 million in it, and planned to spend over $1 billion over the next four years on it.
New Jersey begins recreational marijuana sales
New Jersey began selling recreational marijuana today for adults 21 and older. Only 13 stores were approved to sell recreational products, but there are more companies that are in the middle of a process to open up more stores.
New Jersey is now the 18th legal U.S. state along with the District of Columbia.
NJ’s neighbor New York is moving towards legalizing cannabis but the state won’t be able to start selling until the end of the year.
Queen Elizabeth turns 96
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II turned 96 years old today. She celebrated her birthday by taking private break at her estate in eastern England. A photo was released today of the Queen enjoying the outdoors with two ponies, but the photo was taken in March. This year is Elizabeth’s 70th year as Queen.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/business/disney-florida-special-tax-status.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marijuana-in-new-jersey-recreational-medical-weed/
https://heavy.com/news/david-bonola/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/21/business/cnn-plus-shutting-down.html
https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/21/uk/queen-elizabeth-birthday-2022-scli-intl-gbr/index.html