PANDEMIC PETS ARE NOT DISPOSABLE LIKE PPE

Lethbridge Animal Shelter seeing more surrenders, fewer adoptions
Erik Bay - Thursday
© Erik Bay / Global News


Taylor has been staying at the Lethbridge Animal Shelter since December.

"She's an amazing cat," shelter animal care team lead Abby Oriold said. "She's super affectionate, not a lot of work."

And she's not alone. Some dogs and cats -- like Taylor -- have been shelter residents for months.

Read more:
Lethbridge animal shelters ‘100 per cent full’ going into winter

Beginning late last year, officials say animals started coming in at a higher rate. Since February, the shelter has been operating at overcapacity.

"I see first-hand the kennel stress they go through on a day-to-day basis and how it changes their personality," Oriold said.


"There's a high demand to intake animals and there seems to be less demand to adopt," Skylar Plourde said.

The director of services for Community Animal Services sees more and more pets surrendered to the shelter and he said another factor is boosting numbers.

"Less animals are being claimed by their owner," Plourde said. "Some animals even come in with identification or they're wearing a collar and dragging a leash down the sidewalk."


"We pick them up and nobody ever comes forward."

He can't be certain, but Plourde said he believes people are giving up their "pandemic pets" now that many public health restrictions have lifted.

Read more:
Lethbridge sees surge in abandoned, surrendered pets as adoption numbers rise

"People rushing out getting adoptable pets were only thinking in the moment, 'Great, now the kids have something to do, teach them some responsibility. We can go out and walk dogs in the park.' No one was thinking the long-term part of that, the long-term costs of veterinary care," Plourde said.

But while the number of available pets is up, the wish to adopt has not risen along with it.

"(It) used to be, people would be banging down the doors to get to these puppies and we aren't getting any interest in them at all," Plourde said.

He is imploring anyone looking for a new pet to adopt, adding many shelters are facing the same problems happening in Lethbridge.

"Our staff will facilitate to make sure pets are going to a home they won't be returned from, obviously, and that it's the best home for that animal's particular needs," Plourde said.

Anyone interested in adopting is encouraged to look at available animals on Community Animal Services' website or to contact the shelter.

Orangeville resident helps investigative journalist uncover alleged coverup by RCMP in 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting

Thursday
The Canadian Press

When a gunman in Nova Scotia went on a two-day killing spree in April of 2020, murdering 22 people in cold blood, there were many unknowns left in the wake. What was also unknown is how an Orangeville resident months later would help an investigative journalist uncover an alleged coverup by the RCMP.

Paul Palango had been retired from journalism for 30-years when the events of April 18 and April 19 unfolded in Portapique, N.S. Having worked for the Globe and Mail for 13 years and in the years since his retirement written three books on the RCMP, Palango said he knew there was something wrong with the initial reports.

Originally looking to help other journalists look deeper into what was being reported to the public, Palango eventually began covering the Portapique killings himself. His articles would be published in several publications including Maclean’s magazine, the Halifax Examiner, and Frank magazine.

“I felt that no one else was going to do it,” said Palango. “I know how it works so I have to do it.”

In his most recent novel, “22 Murders: Investigating the Massacre, Cover-up, and Obstacles to Justice in Nova Scotia”, Palango breaks down the intricate details leading up to and after the massacre, and his reporting following the event.

He also tells how a Facebook message from an Orangeville resident became a turning point in his investigation.

After months of writing articles on the Portapique massacre and the RCMP, Palango received a message on Facebook on Dec. 30, 2020. The message was from an Orangeville resident who had heard him speaking on Nighttime, a podcast created by Jordan Bonaparte. In the message the Orangeville resident asked Palango if anyone had contacted him regarding what had been heard through police scanner the night of the massacre.




In back and forward messages, the Orangeville resident described what they heard broadcasted over the Pictou County Public Safety channel on April 18, and noted how the timeline from the RCMP didn’t match what they’d heard over the police scanner.

Palango began work on corroborating the tip, and eventually found the archived audiotapes through a U.S based website.

“I tracked it down and there were the tapes of what was going on. Exactly, a perfect replica of what [they] remembered nine months before.”

Palango told the Citizen the find was a significant turning point.

“What it did was allow me to write stories now challenging the RCMP narrative, and once I started doing that with conclusive proof, then the whole story opened up,” said Palango “All kinds of people started cooperating because now I was onto a real story and it’s wasn’t just speculation anymore.”

While there are more than 1,700 kilometres between Orangeville and Portapique, N.S., the distance between the two communities shortened across the airwaves the night of April 18.

“There was a lot of activity on the channel at the time and that’s what caught my attention. Once I realized it was something really horrific happening, I was freaked out. I listened for about two hours and I was surprised how much information I was hearing,” the Orangeville resident told the Citizen.

Sitting on the what they’d heard months before, the Orangeville resident said they were compelled to share the information with Paul because of the lack of updates and information being shared with the public and the victims’ families.

“I felt compelled at the time that Paul should have this information. I was just filtering a piece of information over to him that would shed light on his investigation, I didn’t think it would have an impact it has,” said the resident. “There was still so much information that the victims’ families were not aware of, it was justice for them.”

Palango’s book “22 Murders: Investigating the Massacre, Cover-up, and Obstacles to Justice in Nova Scotia”, was published on April 12.

Paula Brown, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Shelburne Free Press

OOPS

Virus found in pig heart used in human transplant

Thursday  The Canadian Press

Researchers trying to learn what killed the first person to receive a heart transplant from a pig have discovered the organ harbored an animal virus but cannot yet say if it played any role in the man’s death.

A Maryland man, 57-year-old David Bennett Sr., died in March, two months after the groundbreaking experimental transplant. University of Maryland doctors said Thursday they found an unwelcome surprise — viral DNA inside the pig heart. They did not find signs that this bug, called porcine cytomegalovirus, was causing an active infection.

But a major worry about animal-to-human transplants is the risk that it could introduce new kinds of infections to people.

Because some viruses are “latent,” meaning they lurk without causing disease, “it could be a hitchhiker,” Dr. Bartley Griffith, the surgeon who performed Bennett’s transplant, told The Associated Press.

Still, development is under way of more sophisticated tests to “make sure that we don’t miss these kinds of viruses,” added Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin, scientific director of the university’s xenotransplant program.

The animal virus was first reported by MIT Technology Review, citing a scientific presentation Griffith gave to the American Society of Transplantation last month.

For decades, doctors have tried using animal organs to save human lives without success. Bennett, who was dying and ineligible for a human heart transplant, underwent the last-ditch operation using a heart from a pig genetically modified to lower the risk that his immune system would rapidly reject such a foreign organ.

The Maryland team said the donor pig was healthy, had passed testing required by the Food and Drug Administration to check for infections, and was raised in a facility designed to prevent animals from spreading infections. Revivicor, the company that provided the animal, declined to comment.

Griffith said his patient, while very ill, had been recovering fairly well from the transplant when one morning he woke up worse, with symptoms similar to an infection. Doctors ran numerous tests to try to understand the cause, and gave Bennett a variety of antibiotics, antiviral medication and an immune-boosting treatment. But the pig heart became swollen, filled with fluid and eventually quit functioning.

“What was the virus doing, if anything, that might have caused the swelling in his heart?” Griffith asked. “Honestly we don’t know."

The reaction also didn't appear to be a typical organ rejection, he said, noting the investigation still is underway.

Meanwhile doctors at other medical centers around the country have been experimenting with animal organs in donated human bodies and are anxious to attempt formal studies in living patients soon. It’s not clear how the pig virus will affect those plans.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Lauran Neergaard, The Associated Press

GOP VALUES; FEMICIDE & MISOGYNY
Man accused of killing wife among winners in Indiana primary race

Sarah Nelson, Indianapolis Star - Yesterday 
USA TODAY

An Indiana man accused of killing his wife in March and dumping her body in a creek won his township board primary elections.

Andrew Wilhoite, from Lebanon, a city about 30 miles northwest of Indianapolis, has been charged with murder in the death of his wife, Nikki Wilhoite, 41.

On Tuesday, he secured a spot as one of three Republican candidates in the race for a seat on the Clinton Township Board.

Wilhoite, 40, has been held at the Boone County Jail since March after police said he told investigators he threw a concrete flower pot at his wife and dropped her body over the side of a bridge.

Nikki Wilhoite was reported missing March 25 after her friend noticed she didn’t show up for work. On March 26, police found her body partially submerged in about 3 feet of water.

Investigators said Andrew Wilhoite initially told police he last saw his wife sleeping on the couch after the couple had an argument, according to court records. When police spoke further with him, he asked for an attorney.

Police said Andrew Wilhoite called again and said he’d take them to his wife’s body.

Nikki Wilhoite filed for divorce on March 17 after 12 years of marriage, court records show.

ELECTION RESULTS: Here's what happened during and results of the 2022 Indiana primary election

How can a candidate run for office while facing felony charges?

State election officials said it’s legal for people facing felony charges, such as Andrew Wilhoite, to run for local office. A person is only ineligible if they are convicted.

“Under our legal system, every person is innocent until proven guilty,” said Brad King, co-director of the Indiana Election Division.


© Sample ballot by Boone County  Andrew Wilhoite, who's accused of killing his wife in March, has advanced in a local township board race after Tuesday's elections in Indiana.

If Wilhoite is convicted of a felony before the Nov. 8 general election, he would be automatically removed from the ballot.

The Boone County Clerk’s office said election filings occurred at the beginning of January through the first week of February, before Wilhoite was taken into custody on his murder charge.

If a person facing felony charges is elected in a township race and they are convicted after being sworn in, King said the vacancy will be filled by someone affiliated with the political party of the last person to have the seat.

Township boards consist of three members, state officials said. The local Republican primary race has only drawn the three candidates. No one filed on the Democratic primary ticket.

Boone County election results show Andrew Wilhoite earned 60 votes, just over 21%, to his competitors’ 110 and 106 votes. Clinton Township has a population of 906, according to data from STATS Indiana.

A FLOWER POT, BLOOD IN THE BEDROOM: Details into Nikki Wilhoite's death revealed

King further noted that there's no law prohibiting a person who's incarcerated before trial from "exercising the duties of their office," should they get elected.

"How that practically gets executed will depend on the facts," King said.

Wilhoite's next court hearing is scheduled for May 27. The Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, has reached out to Andrew Wilhoite's attorney for comment.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Man accused of killing wife among winners in Indiana primary race

CHEMICAL WEAPONS USED ON CIVILIANS 

Ex-Trump Adviser Brags About Creating Products Used to Deter Protesters



Xander Landen - Yesterday 
Newsweek
© David Ryder

Cory Mills, a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in Florida, released an ad Thursday speaking about a riot control munitions company he founded, and said that if the media "wants to shed some real tears," he can "help them out."

Mills, who previously served as a Department of Defense adviser under former President Donald Trump, is the co-founder of PACEM Solutions, a company whose tear gas was used against Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020, according to a Politico report from April.

In the ad, Mills noted that after serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, he "came home" and "started a company making riot control munitions for law enforcement."

"You may know some of our work," he added.

The video then cuts to footage of tear gas being deployed against "Hillary Clinton protesters" in Charlotte, North Carolina, "Left wing protesters" in Phoenix, "Antifa rioters" in Washington, D.C., and "radical left protesters" in Philadelphia.

"And now the liberal media is crying about it," Mills continues. "I'm Cory Mills and I approve this message, because if the media wants to shed some real tears, I can help them out with that.

Newsweek has reached out to the Mills campaign for comment.

In his response to Politico last month, Mills said his company was "proud" to sell tear gas to law enforcement in 2020.

"Products like tear gas are sanctioned and utilized by the Department of Defense and state and federal health departments," Mills stated. "I for one, am thankful that our officers have less lethal options available to ensure order and preserve lives."

Politico also noted that PACEM purchased a company that sold rubber bullets that were photographed after being used against protesters in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Free Press reported on the bullets made by the company, ALS, in 2020.

Mills told Politico that PACEM "has never supplied the Chinese government."

"ALS sold less-lethal munitions to the independent government of Hong Kong under the 'one country, two systems' process before PACEM acquired it. We have discontinued any and all sales to Hong Kong since China eradicated 'one country, two systems,'" he added.

Mills is running to fill the seat that will be vacated by retiring Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy in Florida's 7th Congressional District, and will face off against other members of the GOP in a primary this August.

An analysis from poll tracker FiveThirtyEight in late April found that Republicans' lead over Democrats in the generic congressional ballot has continued to increase ahead of the midterms in November.

Fact check: It's true tear gas is a chemical weapon banned in war 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/06/06/fact-check-its-true-tear-gas-chemical-weapon-banned-war/3156448001

Jun 6, 2020 ... Chemical Weapons Convention and 1925 Geneva Protocol, ban use of tear gas in warfare ... The 1925 Geneva Protocol categorized tear gas as a ...

Practice Relating to Rule 75. Riot Control Agents - Customary IHL 

https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v2_rul_rule75

The use of riot control agents, including tear gas and other gases which have debilitating but non-permanent effects as a means of warfare is prohibited under ...

Tear gas is banned in war, but police can use it on crowds at ... - CNN 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/08/us/military-tear-gas-protesters-trnd/index.html

Jun 8, 2020 ... In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly finalized the Chemical Weapons Convention, which banned the development, production, stockpiling ...

Stacey Abrams Chances of Beating Republicans in Georgia, According to Polls

Jason Lemon - Yesterday
Newsweek

Democratic activist and second-time gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams aims to build on the energy of President Joe Biden's 2020 win in Georgia to flip the governor's mansion blue, but polls suggest the former state House of Representatives minority leader still faces an uphill battle.

Georgia has not been led by a Democratic governor since 2003. The conservative southern state also has a significant Republican lean, which polling analysis site FiveThirtyEight assesses as being plus 7.4 points in the GOP's favor. But in 2018, Abrams lost to Brian Kemp, who is now the incumbent Republican governor, by a relatively narrow margin of just under 55,000 votes—about 1.4 percent of the total ballots cast.

Then, two years later in 2020, Democrats managed to flip Georgia blue not only for Biden, but also for both of the state's Senate seats. Biden's margin was narrow, however, with a little more than 12,000 votes putting him ahead of former President Donald Trump. That election marked the first time Georgia had gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1992.

Whether Abrams and Democrats can maintain the energy of 2020 and flip the governor's mansion to their control remains to be seen. Just under six months out, polls suggest that Republicans remain favored to win in the midterm race to be held on November 8. However, tensions within the Republican party between Kemp and Trump-backed former Senator David Perdue could potentially play out in the Democrats' favor as well.

Polls currently suggest that Kemp is favored to beat Perdue for the GOP's gubernatorial nomination in the May 24 primary. Meanwhile, Abrams chances of winning appear slightly better against the former senator compared to the incumbent governor.

A survey conducted by Survey USA/WXIA-TV Atlanta from April 22 to 27 found that Abrams trailed Kemp by 5 points among likely voters. The incumbent Republican was backed by 50 percent of Georgia's likely voters whereas the Democratic candidate was supported by just 45 percent.

When facing off against Perdue, Abrams was down by only 3 points—within the poll's margin of error. The former GOP senator had the backing of 49 percent of likely Georgian voters and the former Democratic state lawmaker had the support of 46 percent. The poll surveyed 2,000 adults in Georgia and had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

Another poll carried out by Emerson College/The Hill earlier in April found the two Republican candidates with slightly wider leads over Abrams. That survey had Kemp at 51 percent and Abrams at just 44 percent—a 7 point advantage for the GOP incumbent. Against Perdue, Abrams was down by 5 points—49 percent to 44 percent. The poll surveyed 1,013 registered Georgia voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Abrams looked best-positioned in a survey by Quinnipiac University conducted in January. That survey found the Democratic contender to be trailing Kemp by just 2 points—49 percent to 47 percent. She was tied against Perdue, with both candidates receiving the support of 48 percent of registered Georgia voters. A little more than 1,700 voters were surveyed and the margin of error was plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.

Despite Trump's strong endorsement, Perdue is currently trailing Kemp by double digits in every recent GOP primary poll. The RealClearPolitics average currently shows the incumbent governor leading the Trump-backed senator by more than 20 percentage points. With under three weeks until the primary is held, that's a commanding lead for any challenger to overcome.

Notably, Trump's disdain for Kemp is so strong that he publicly said last year that he'd prefer Abrams over the incumbent Republican.

"Of course, having her [Abrams] I think might be better than having your existing governor, if you want to know the truth," the former president told supporters at a September rally before the Democrat had confirmed her plans to run. "Might very well be better."

"Stacey, would you like to take his place?" Trump asked. "It's OK with me."

Whether Trump's opposition to Kemp could ultimately help Abrams and Democrats remains to be seen. However, some Georgia Republicans have raised concerns.

"Right now we are joined at the hip to Donald Trump, who doesn't share the same interests," James Hall, a state Republican Party committee member from Savannah, told the Associated Press last October. "He wants to torpedo Brian Kemp."

Solar energy projects are grinding to a halt in the US amid investigation into parts from China

By Ella Nilsen, CNN 

The solar energy industry has been thrown into a panic and projects are grinding to a halt after the Biden administration launched an investigation that some solar CEOs worry could tank the industry.

The Commerce Department launched the probe in March into whether four countries in Southeast Asia that supply about 80% of US solar panels and parts -- Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam -- are using components from China that should be subject to US tariffs.

The fallout within the industry has been significant.

A survey in late April by the Solar Energy Industries Association, a non-profit trade association, found 318 solar projects in the US had already been delayed or canceled, and several CEOs told CNN they expect more to follow. Industry leaders fear the probe could also have a devastating impact on the solar workforce.


© Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/Getty ImagesThe 6 megawatt Stanton Solar Farm outside of Orlando, Florida.

The Commerce Department has defended it as a transparent and necessary process, but several solar industry experts and executives told CNN it has also essentially frozen most solar imports into the US because of the threat of steep, retroactive tariffs.

"With this administration and this much support, we're in a position where we're going to be laying off people in the renewables industry," George Hershman, CEO of utility solar contractor SOLV Energy, told CNN. "While you say all those things we agree with, we're getting crushed because we literally can't buy a module today. It's so frustrating."

The investigation was launched after one small US-based company, Auxin Solar, filed a complaint in February. Auxin CEO Mamun Rashid told CNN that the complaint "was existential" for his company.

"When prices of finished panels from Southeast Asia come in below our bill of materials cost, American manufacturers cannot compete," Rashid said, adding that "if foreign producers are circumventing U.S. law and causing harm to U.S. producers like Auxin Solar, it needs to be addressed."

Rashid told CNN it's "lamentable" that frustration is aimed at his company, rather than the "foreign suppliers" that he says are circumventing US law. Rashid also noted that Auxin is "here and can quickly scale up to meet needs of utilities within 2 to 3 quarters if we have the purchase order today."


Racking systems to hold solar panels sit empty on top of an old strip mine in Portage, Pennsylvania, on Monday, April 25.The fallout from a trade probe is rippling through the US solar industry, delaying projects and threatening to slow the renewable energy transition.

Solar industry leaders have been communicating with the Commerce Department and have also communicated their concerns about the probe to Biden's top climate officials -- including McCarthy and US Climate Envoy John Kerry -- a person familiar with the conversations said.

"The administration has been in touch with and is engaging with all kinds of solar stakeholders including the trade associations but also labor, communities, and NGOs," a White House official told CNN.
'The worst moment'

The Commerce probe comes on the heels of last year's ban on solar panels and parts that were suspected of having links to forced labor in China's Xinjiang Province.

The Department of Homeland Security directed US Customs and Border Protection to issue a Withhold Release Order, which banned imports made by Chinese company Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., after the government alleged the company uses forced Uyghur labor.

"Obviously, the industry absolutely needed to address any concerns about forced labor, but the implementation of that [order] was far from smooth," Solar Energy Industries Association President Abigail Ross Hopper told CNN.

At ports around the country, CBP agents seized and detained any solar products they suspected had links to Hoshine, unless companies could prove they did not.

US Customs and Border Protection statistics provided to CNN note the agency detained 734 shipments valued at $246 million, which the agency said is just 1.86% of the total value of all solar imports into the United States. But Hershman said the order ultimately led to a chilling effect across the industry, where companies withheld shipments for fear of being caught in an overly broad net at US ports.


Electricians with IBEW Local 3 install solar panels on top of the Terminal B garage at LaGuardia Airport in November 2021.

"If you have materials detained, you don't want to ship more," Hershman said.

Solar CEOs and industry analysts told CNN that while the CBP order was eventually resolved with a good outcome for the industry, the impact of the Commerce investigation is like whiplash.

"Solar is a big mess right now," said Marcelo Ortega, an analyst for Rystad. "This seems to be the worst moment for this to happen."

This year was supposed to be a banner year for US solar growth. Independent energy research firm Rystad estimated the US would add another 27 gigawatts of solar energy this year.

Now -- between the Commerce Department probe, the border seizures, the high cost of solar components and no new legislation in Congress to grease the wheels for more renewable energy -- Rystad estimates the US might only add around 10 gigawatts in 2022.

Ortega said the backslide threatens Biden's own climate goal to slash planet-warming emissions in half by 2030. The US would have to install around 50 gigawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity each year from 2022 to 2030 to keep Biden's goal on-track, according to Ortega's analysis.

Ross Hopper told CNN that the industry is looking for certainty from the markets and from governments, but that it's getting none of that right now.

"There's certainly been this steady cadence of challenges that keep getting thrown our way right at these moments of opportunity," Ross Hopper told CNN.
Commerce defends the probe

At a recent hearing on Capitol Hill, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo told lawmakers that strict trade laws required her department to initiate and complete an investigation. The department is expected to issue a preliminary finding on the investigation by late August, but a final determination could take as long as January 2023, a Commerce Department official told CNN.

"My hands are very tied here," Raimondo said at the hearing. "I'm required by statute to investigate a claim that companies operating in other countries are trying to circumvent the duties, and I'm required by statute to have a fulsome investigation."

The Commerce official stressed to CNN that circumvention laws are "completely removed from political considerations."

"We're committed to holding foreign producers accountable to playing by the rules," the official told CNN.

Nevertheless, Raimondo has been questioned and criticized by politicians in both parties. A bipartisan group of 19 senators wrote to Biden this week asking for an expedited preliminary decision on the investigation.

And at a recent hearing, Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat, pressed Raimondo on her "very serious concerns" about the investigation.

"This will jeopardize tens of thousands of good-paying American solar jobs," Rosen said. "If we lose these jobs, they won't come back."

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana also recently wrote to Raimondo expressing concern that the investigation could impact solar growth and jobs in their states.

Although solar CEOs and industry analysts welcome the idea of a domestic solar supply chain, those who spoke with CNN said the Commerce Department investigation won't be the catalyst -- the industry needs Congress to incentivize it.

"If what we're talking about is incentivizing domestic manufacturing, this is not the way to do it," said Ben Catt, CEO of utility-scale solar company Pine Gate Renewables. "This is going to have not just a months but years-long impact to the solar industry. We and the administration need to be looking at how we will double and triple the renewables deployment in this country. And what we're doing is moving in the opposite direction."

WNBA players can support Brittney Griner by not playing in authoritarian nations | Opinion

Negotiating quietly is the best way to get Brittney Griner home, law experts say

Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY - Yesterday 

As the 26th WNBA season begins on Friday, there’s a familiar — and dominant — face missing from action. She’s not in uniform this year, yet Brittney Griner is impossible to miss.

The 6-foot-9, 31-year-old center for the Phoenix Mercury, one of the most gifted and graceful athletes of her generation, awaits trial on drug charges in Russia. Meanwhile, her league has pledged to keep her at the forefront of its mind: Griner’s initials and her No. 42 jersey will be on the sideline of every WNBA court this season, and her charity, BG’s Heart and Sole Shoe Drive, will continue its work in Phoenix and beyond.


© James Lang, USA TODAY SportsBrittney Griner remains held in a Russian prison.

It’s a thoughtful way to recognize Griner, who was arrested in mid-February on her way back to Russia to resume play with UMMC Yekaterinburg, the team she’s played with for the last seven years. Accused of carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil in her bag, Griner has been stuck ever since, with the U.S. government this week reclassifying her case as “wrongfully detained.” Her next trial date is set for May 19.

But there’s another, better and considerably more meaningful way that all WNBA players can pay tribute to Griner. Starting now, they can vow to no longer play in authoritarian countries in the offseason. Because that is how we got here in the first place.

WNBA players are known for being passionately outspoken and active when it comes to social justice issues – shouldn't that extend to other countries?

“We’ve been going over there with our blinders on,” said Mike Cound, a longtime agent who represents dozens of WNBA and professional players. “I’m just as guilty as (any other agent). We’ve all been sending people over there knowing who Putin is. We keep sending players because the money has been so good and Putin was just masking the monster that he is. It’s an ethical dilemma, a gray area.”

For more than a decade, much of the best overseas money in women’s basketball has been made in authoritarian countries, including Russia, China and Turkey.

MORE: U.S. reclassifies Brittney Griner to be 'wrongfully detained' by Russia

HOW TO WATCH: WNBA well represented on TV, streaming platforms as Brittney Griner's detention looms

OPINION: Returning to WNBA best way for Becky Hammon to continue to make progress

It’s not just WNBA players and agents (and media and fans) who were complicit in giving Putin & Co. a pass. Why would anyone be concerned about human rights abuses when the International Olympic Committee awarded some of those countries the Games?

But I have higher expectations of WNBA players. You should, too. This is an exceptional group of women who repeatedly have taken a stand and forced everyone else to follow. Leading isn’t out of the ordinary for them — it’s what they do best.

After all, these are the women who flipped a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, which ultimately delivered a Senate that ushered in the first-ever Black woman Supreme Court justice. They stood up to a racist owner and demonstrated their support for Black Lives Matter in 2016, before BLM protests caught on with the rest of America’s professional sports leagues.

MORE: When will Brittney Griner be freed? It could be years, and here's why.

Time to take a stand

Playing in unsafe countries is nothing new for WNBA players. Arizona women’s basketball coach Adia Barnes, who played overseas for more than a decade, recalled when she played in Russia.

"There weren't taxis, so you would flag down a car and pay a random car to get you to the gym," Barnes said. "I didn't know how to call the police, because I couldn't read the signs. Now I would never do that. I can't believe I used to do that. It was so dangerous."

As usual, it comes down to money. Overseas, players can command as much as $1 million per season. At home, the maximum base salary in the WNBA this season is $228,000; the average NBA salary is $7.3 million. That means the worst players in the NBA make roughly 32 times what the best players in the WNBA make. It’s astonishing and infuriating.

But given the fact that so many women’s players and agents have turned a blind eye to the horrific human rights violations taking place in certain corners of the world and willingly packed their bags for those countries, aren’t women also at least somewhat guilty of simply chasing big money?

It's natural for WNBA players to want to earn life-changing money, like hundreds of male athletes have done in the U.S. and elsewhere, for decades. I get it.

But everything has a cost, and right now, we have an opportunity to weigh what is and isn’t worth it. Should we really be sending players to countries where human rights are an afterthought?

"I've gotta be honest with you, I don't know," said Kelsey Plum, the 2021 Sixth Woman of the Year who spent this offseason in Turkey. "Time will give us the answer. I think it's so up in the air right now. (There are) so many variables that go into a decision about playing overseas. Everyone should have a right to make the decision that's best for them."

Players don’t just go for money. The WNBA season is short, only four months, and they need skill development opportunities and game experience, especially younger players adjusting to the pros. We need to talk about how to make the season longer and get players more games, which will in turn give the league a better and longer chance to build fan support.

Griner’s situation, which is hopefully resolved soon, opens the door for reflection. It can be a time for everyone furious that she was there in the first place to look the mirror and ask how much time, effort and money they’re investing in growing women’s sports.

It’s an opportunity for the media to evaluate how much it’s covering women’s sports. Griner was worthy of coverage long before she got locked up in a Russian prison. She is tremendously talented, one of the best athletes in the world. She’s also deeply kind and caring. I think often of Holly Rowe’s ESPN story from the 2020 bubble season, when she shined a light on another side of Griner, detailing how the WNBA All-Star, an avid outdoorswoman, saved the life of a man injured in a severe ATV accident.

But mostly, Griner’s predicament is an opportunity for WNBA players to lead, stand up to Putin and his cronies and other wanna-be dictators like him, and say, enough.

It’s an opportunity for players to say yes, money matters — but human rights matter more.


1 of 17 Photos in Gallery

©Adam Hunger, AP

Kentucky's Rhyne Howard, left, hugs her mom after being selected by the Atlanta Dream as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft.


This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA players can support Brittney Griner by not playing in authoritarian nations | Opinion

House will set $45K minimum annual pay for staff, vote to allow union, Pelosi says

Rebecca Shabad - Yesterday 
NBC News

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Friday announced a minimum annual wage of $45,000 for House aides and said she's scheduling a vote on a resolution that would allow staffers to unionize.

The moves aim "to strengthen workplace rights for our staff, while improving our ability to retain and recruit the next generation of public servants," Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues.

A government funding bill passed by Congress in March, included a 21 percent increase in the Members' Representational Allowance for each office, which will cover the pay adjustment, Pelosi said, adding that the deadline to increase minimum pay to $45,000 is Sept. 1.

The changes are meant to match the levels set on the Senate side.

"With a competitive minimum salary, the House will better be able to retain and recruit excellent, diverse talent," Pelosi wrote in the letter. "Doing so will open the doors to public service for those who may not have been able to afford to do so in the past. This is also an issue of fairness, as many of the youngest staffers working the longest hours often earn the lowest salaries."

The speaker also said the House will vote next week on a resolution, sponsored by Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., that would allow staffers to form a union. The Senate would have to pass its own legislation to let staffers in the upper chamber unionize.

"When the House passes this resolution, we will pave the way for staffers to join in union, if they so choose," she said. "Congressional staffers deserve the same fundamental rights and protections as workers all across the country, including the right to bargain collectively."

Staffers announced in early February that they planned to organize a union for aides who work in lawmakers' offices and for committees on Capitol Hill.

Why US politicians are trying to break the world's oil cartel now

By Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN - May 6,2022

A decades-old, failed effort by United States politicians to break the chokehold of a select few countries on the oil market has found new life as the war in Ukraine raised prices to an almost 14-year high.

A US Senate committee on Thursday passed a bill that could expose the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its partners -- most prominently Russia — to lawsuits for collusion on boosting oil prices. The vote took place just hours after the cartel and its allies rebuffed the West once again and stuck to plans for a moderate modest ramp up in production.

To become law, the bill has to go through the full Senate and House, then be signed by the President. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the administration has concerns about the "potential implications and unintended consequences" of the legislation. She said the White House is still studying the bill.

The bipartisan bill, the "No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2021" or "NOPEC," would strip OPEC and its national oil companies from sovereign immunity that has protected them from lawsuits for decades. This means that oil states would no longer be immune from the jurisdiction of US courts if they breach terms of the bill if it turns into law.

The Biden administration has struggled to control oil prices after Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted energy markets and drove up inflation at home. Western sanctions and a potential EU ban on Russian oil risks leaving a market gap that could exacerbate the situation. And with the midterm elections due in November, the window to calm inflation is getting narrower for the President.

A CNN poll released Wednesday showed that a majority of Americans think Biden's policies have hurt the economy, while 8 in 10 say the government is not doing enough to combat inflation.

Only Saudi Arabia and the UAE have the necessary spare capacity to immediately ward off any shocks caused by a Russian shortfall. The OPEC members have refused to raise output substantially, opting instead to stick to a series of gradual production increases agreed with Russia.

Frustrated at Riyadh's refusal to heed US calls for more oil, politicians from the President's own party have been pushing him to get tougher on Riyadh. Last month, nearly three dozen House Democrats called on Biden to "recalibrate" the relationship with Saudi Arabia, calling it a bad strategic partner, according to reports.

"We are not schoolchildren to be treated with a carrot and stick," said senior Saudi prince Turki Al-Faisal in a recent interview. He blamed the US' own energy policies "for the state they are in."

While the NOPEC bill has unsuccessfully tried to make its way through Congress before, today's landscape is very different, said Robin Mills, founder and CEO of Qamar Energy in Dubai.

Mills told CNN why American politicians are making a new attempt to crush OPEC:

How is this attempt different from earlier ones?

There have been various versions of this since 2000, and it pops up whenever oil prices are high. It has never passed, and it never really got much traction. This time, in the government, it has gotten more traction, partly around Russia.

Biden is also under political pressure because of inflation. There is some political milage to blame OPEC for high oil process.

How have Saudi Arabia and other OPEC states responded to such attempts in the past?

They have always lobbied against it, and they will lobby again. I am not sure how strong their lobbying power is right now. They are not particularly popular in Washington at the moment, but they have their lobbyists.

[There is] the US petroleum lobby as well, API [American Petroleum Institute] and other organizations that have typically been against this bill because they benefit from OPEC restraining production and keeping prices high. So they tend to oppose this bill on the ground.

How do you think oil producing states will respond to the bill?

I don't think Middle Eastern countries can keep restraining production and refuse to play the game. They can be more cooperative and agree to increase production [but] they wouldn't want to be seen doing that under pressure. The EU ban on Russian oil imports will take some time to have effect [so] OPEC and OPEC+ could have a few extra months where it becomes clear that there is a shortage of oil, and that gives them a reason to say: "well, we will increase production and makeup this gap." So they can do that as a market measure without appearing to give in to political pressure.

How likely is this bill to be passed in the Senate and House? Is there a chance that Biden will pass it too?

Having another card to play will be quite appealing to the administration, even if they don't let it go all the way. The NOPEC bill is an additional element at a time when the US doesn't have that many cards to play [against oil producers]. Many of those bills have come up in the past, and there is always some national security argument that [oil producing states] are our allies, that we don't want to disturb our relationship with them, and that they are important to the oil market. But this time there are a few elements that may give it a better chance.

[Biden] would have to either let it pass, or he would have to say, "I have vetoed it because the Saudis agreed to something for us" [like] agree to increase production or something. He can't just veto it for no reason because that is just one more weapon against him from both the Republicans and the Democratic progressive left, saying he is [doing the] Saudis a favor at a time when oil prices are high.

Not vetoing it would be seen by Saudi Arabia and other producers as quite a hostile move.

Could passing this bill have a detrimental effect on the US itself?

The recovering prices have been very good for the US oil industry. But practically there isn't that much spare capacity [in the US]. Even if Saudi and the UAE used all their spare capacity, the market is still pretty tight, and with Russia coming off, the market will get tighter.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity