Tuesday, April 26 top stories
It is Tuesday, April 26. Here are today’s top stories.
Kamala Harris is Covid-19 positive
The White House said today that Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for the coronavirus and has no symptoms. She will isolate and work from her residence.
The White House said Harris did not have close contact with President Biden in recent days. Harris is fully vaccinated and boosted.
Elon Musk to acquire Twitter
Twitter announced yesterday afternoon that it has agreed to be acquired by Elon Musk in a deal worth about $44 billion. Twitter said when the transaction is completed, it will become a privately held company.
Twitter is not the biggest social media platform in the world and it doesn’t make as much advertising revenue as others, but it is very influential because world leaders, business leaders, and celebrities often use Twitter to communicate with the world.
Musk previously said he doesn’t care about the economies at all and that his motivation is to promote more free speech, which may mean less moderation of what may be considered hateful or offensive language.
As for the question on whether Donald Trump’s Twitter account, which was permanently suspended after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, would be restored — Musk has not yet made a comment on that.
Trump himself said on Fox News that he wouldn’t return to Twitter. He recently launched his own social media platform called Truth Social and said he would stick with that platform.
Harvard commits $100 million to redress slavery legacy
Harvard University said it would commit $100 million to study and redress (remedy, set right, rectify) Harvard’s ties to slavery. Harvard released a study that found its faculty, staff, and leaders enslaved more than 70 individuals during the 17th and 18th centuries. Harvard’s president said said he believes it is a moral responsibility to address “persistent corrosive effects” from slavery and other immoral practices. The funds may be used to expand Harvard’s partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Another potential project is to invest in education among communities of descendants of enslaved people in the South and in the Caribbean.
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Saudi Arabia requests Disney cut scene with lesbian reference
A government official in Saudi Arabia that oversees cinema classification in the country said they asked Disney to cut about 12 seconds from the upcoming Marvel film, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” because it had a character who made a reference to her “two moms.” Saudi Arabia said it is a “LGBTQ reference” and that they asked Disney to cut the scene before screening it in the kingdom, but that Disney denied the request. As a result the film may not be shown at all in the country and Disney will miss out on potentially millions of dollars worth of revenue.
Saudi Arabia has extremely strict and oppressive laws against LGBTQ+ relationships with same-sex sexual activity punishable by death.
This news is yet another instance of Disney taking an active role in supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and stories, even at a cost. Last week the Florida legislature and governor moved to strip Disney of its special status to independently operate Disney World in the Orlando, Florida area after Disney spoke out in opposition of a new law that bans instruction or classroom discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in elementary schools.
Pentagon, Western allies coordinate support for Ukraine
U.S. Defense Secretary Austin promised that Western countries will keep on moving heaven and earth — doing everything it can — to keep providing Ukraine with weapons and support to defend itself.
Austin said this during a meeting with over 30 military officials from NATO and non-NATO countries at an air base in Germany.
Germany’s defense minister said they would send Ukraine with anti-aircraft tanks.
Austin said on Sunday that he hopes Russia’s military will become weakened to a point that it cannot invade another country.
Russia’s foreign minister Lavrov said NATO is now entering into a “proxy war with Russia through Ukraine” and warned that the West should not underestimate the threat of a nuclear conflict.
Rep. Cawthorn tried to carry gun through airport security
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) tried to bring a loaded gun through airport security at Charlotte Douglas International Airport this morning but was caught. TSA officers spotted the gun and called airport police, who issued a citation for possession of a dangerous weapon. The congressman was released after police took possession of the gun. It is the second time Cawthorn was stopped trying to bring a weapon through airport security and he may be fined up to $13,000 for a second offense.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/saudi-arabia/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/26/us/brandon-cuellar-kidnapping-california/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/26/kamala-harris-tests-positive-covid/
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/elon-musk-to-acquire-twitter-301532245.html
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/04/25/business/elon-musk-twitter
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/04/26/harvard-slavery-report/