Thursday, April 22 top stories
It is Thursday, April 22. Happy Earth Day. Here are today’s top stories.
President Joe Biden hosted a virtual summit with 40 of the world’s most powerful global leaders to talk about climate change and cutting emissions. The presidents or prime ministers of Canada, Brazil, South Africa, China, Russia, and other countries were seen in a Zoom-style virtual meeting. Biden said the science is undeniable and the cost of inaction keeps mounting. He said it is his goal to cut U.S. fossil fuel emissions up to 52% by 2030 by shifting towards clean energy. Both China and Russia agreed there should be efforts to protect the environment, but did not announce specific emissions goals.
The NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars successfully generated oxygen using air from the Martian atmosphere. NASA used a device called “Moxie,” which is about the same size as a toaster, to extract oxygen atoms from carbon dioxide (CO2) molecules. NASA said the Moxie device was able to make 5 grams of oxygen gas, which would be enough to allow an astronaut to breathe for 10 minutes. NASA hopes this successful experiment means they can look at how to build larger Moxie devices to generate oxygen on Mars to support life and rocket launches.
The Senate in a bipartisan vote passed an anti-hate crime bill to respond to an increase in violence against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. The bill passed 94-1.
The bill will designate an official at the Department of Justice to oversee reviews of hate crimes. The bill also aims to support local law enforcement groups and local organizations to raise awareness about hate crime reporting. The bill now goes to the house, where it is expected to pass.
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) said the bill’s passage will send a powerful message to the AAPI community that the Senate won’t be a bystander as anti-Asian violence surges in our country.
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo) was the only person who voted against the bill. He said he was concerned about data collection by the federal government.
The House of Representatives voted 216-208 to pass a bill that would make D.C. the 51st state with two senators and a representative. But it is doubtful it will pass out of the Senate because a 60-vote threshold is required. Axios said it is the second year in a row that the Democratic-controlled House has voted on D.C. statehood.
The bill said federal buildings and monuments would be known as the Capital while the new state would be called “Washington, Douglas Commonwealth” in honor of Frederick Douglass. The majority of D.C.’s residents is Black so representation is viewed as a civil rights issue, but Republicans say this is a power grab attempt that is unconstitutional.
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Russia’s military said it would pull back troops from its border with Ukraine because they have achieved its purpose of showing its defense abilities.
There were serious concerns about the region over the past several weeks because about 100,000 Russian troops and allies were massing up at the border.
Ukraine’s President Zelensky said the reduction in troops means tension is reduced. He said he is grateful to international partners for their support.
In December 2017, a man attempted to set off a suicide bombing in a crowded tunnel within New York City’s subway system. The man used a pipe bomb filled with metal screws that was strapped to his chest.
The bomb went off, but it didn’t explode powerfully. Bystanders ran away as smoke filled the tunnel. One person had shrapnel in their leg.
The bomber, Akayed Ullah, survived but was seriously injured. He was taken in custody and was found guilty of using a weapon of mass destruction in 2018 and for supporting a foreign terrorist group — ISIS. Today he was sentenced to life imprisonment by a federal judge.
Ullah apologized and said what he did was wrong and that he doesn’t support harming innocent people. The judge said a life sentence was appropriate because it was a heinous crime.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would ban any kind of protests or demonstrations by athletes during the Summer Olympics game this summer in Tokyo. This means athletes will be punished if they take a knee or raise their fist in support of racial equality. It is not clear what the punishments would be.
Germany’s athletes’ association said they oppose the rule because athletes should be able to peacefully protest at any time, including in the arena. The association said they would provide legal support to any German athlete if they are sanctioned for protesting racism.
The Olympics will start July 23.
In Indonesia, a naval submarine with 53 people in it is missing and is likely too deep in the Java Sea to be retrieved. That means all people onboard are feared dead. The submarine has oxygen in it, but it’ll run out by Saturday.
Searchers found an oil slick and the smell of diesel fuel near the last known place of the submarine. The Indonesian navy said it may have gone down over 2,000 feet. The submarine can only handle up to 656 feet of depth before it is susceptible to collapse due to pressure.
There are over 20 navy ships searching the area.
That is all the top stories for today. Check out our other videos. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-climate-summit-2021-d27b869add251860acc82f58e2750fd7
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56842763
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/22/nyregion/akayed-ullah-port-authority-pipe-bomb.html
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/22/hate-crime-bill-passes-senate-484245
https://abc7ny.com/port-authority-bus-terminal-manhattan-new-york-city/2768875/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/akayed-ullah-nyc-subway-pipe-bomb-life-prison/
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56844601
https://www.axios.com/dc-statehood-bill-house-vote-1575b95c-4da2-4992-8c89-1c60b1997d3c.html