Wednesday, June 22 top stories
It is Wednesday, June 22. Here are today’s top stories.
Biden to ask Congress for federal gas tax holiday
Axios reported that President Biden “will call on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for three months, ask states to do the same, and demand that oil and gas companies boost production and pass on any savings directly to consumers.”
The White House, in a fact sheet, pinned the blame on the rise in gas prices on Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
The White House explained that “right now, the federal government charges an 18 cent tax per gallon of gasoline and a 24 cent tax per gallon of diesel.”
Gas prices have increased by around $2 per gallon since the beginning of the year.
The White House said Biden will call on states to take similar action such as suspending their own gas taxes or helping consumers in other ways.
At least 1,000 Afghans killed by earthquake
On Wednesday morning, about 1,000 people in Afghanistan were killed after an earthquake caused many buildings to collapse.
It was a magnitude 6.1 quake. AP News said the area impacted is near the Pakistani border and is a rural and mountainous region.
AP News said the response is “likely to be complicated” because many aid organizations left the country when the Taliban took over following the U.S. military’s withdrawal last year.
Uvalde elementary school to be demolished
The mayor of Uvalde said Robb Elementary School, where 19 children and two teachers died in a mass shooting last month, would be demolished. The mayor said, “you can never ask a child to go back or teacher to go back in that school ever.”
In separate but related news, it was revealed yesterday that one of the two teachers, Eva Mireles, called her husband, who is a police officer for the school district, to tell him that she got shot and was dying. The husband, Ruben, was already at the school and after he got the call, tried to move forward in a hallway but was stopped by other police officers. He was detained, had his gun taken away, and was escorted away from the scene.
We know that there was a delayed police response as it took over an hour from the time the gunman entered the school until law enforcement were able to go into a classroom and kill the gunman.
———
[Sponsored Video from Sorenson: www.sorenson.com]
—---------------
[Advertisement from Disaster Distress Helpline] After a disaster, you may be at risk for emotional distress. Warning signs can include feeling isolated, anxious, having trouble sleeping and more. If you or someone you know is Deaf or hard of hearing, the Disaster Distress Helpline offers a direct videophone option. This free service for ASL users is answered 24/7 by trained crisis workers fluent in ASL and can be accessed using any videophone-enabled device and dialing 1-800-985-5990 or at disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.
——
1,300 Southwest pilots protest work conditions
On Tuesday in Dallas, over 1,300 Southwest Airlines pilots protested their working conditions and pay in a picket line. The pilots’ union said pilot fatigue rates have reached an all-time high and that there’s been little progress on contract negotiations.
Southwest, the company, said in a statement that they respect the rights of their employees to express their opinions and do not expect any disruption in their service.
NBC News said many airlines are going through staffing shortages due to an overwhelming surge in travel and the summer getaway season. People online have said the shortages can also be blamed on those who became sick, especially after mask mandates in airports were dropped.
Plane landing in Miami catches fire
A passenger plane that landed at Miami International Airport on Tuesday had its front landing gear collapse, which caused the plane to skid on its belly and catch fire.
The plane had 126 people on it and fortunately all were able to quickly get off the plane. Three people were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.
The plane was operated by Red Air Flight and came to Miami from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Videos on social media showed passengers evacuating the plane using inflatable slides. The plane was filled with smoke and its front nose had severe damage. Some passengers said they were terrified to the point that they thought they would die.
The FAA and the NTSB said they would investigate the incident.
Supreme Court decision on religious schools
On Tuesday the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to allow taxpayer dollars — government funds that come from taxes — to go to religious schools.
Reuters explained that the case was about “two Christian families who challenged a Maine tuition assistance program that excluded private religious schools.”
Maine has a program that provides taxpayer dollars for families who live in rural areas in the northeast where there are insufficient public schools to be able to pay for their children to attend private schools. But Maine has a requirement that the private schools be nonsectarian — to separate religion from its curriculum.
The two families wanted their children to go to schools that had conservative Christian beliefs such as refusing to hire gay teachers or admit gay and transgender students.
The families said they were discriminated against based on their religious preferences. A lower court ruled against the families and in favor of the state of Maine, but the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority overturned that ruling 6-3 to allow public funds to go to religious schools.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-earthquakes-bacc4c96b7a07b5d7d397bee9eb9d3c8
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/22/biden-gas-tax-holiday
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/20-1088_dbfi.pdf
https://twitter.com/MiamiDadeFire/status/1539383801692016640