1 President Biden Takes Aim At Rising Gun Violence
President Biden says he supports the Second Amendment, but he’s taking aim at gun violence in the U.S. During a White House event, Biden promoted a new federal rule designed to curb so-called ‘ghost guns.’ For those who don’t know, ghost guns are manufactured privately and do not have serial numbers. Biden’s concern? That "anyone can get their hands on ghost gun kits." He noted that ghost guns are easy to assemble and are essentially untraceable. Biden criticized Congress for being inactive on rising gun violence and said lawmakers should enhance background checks and ban assault weapons with high-capacity magazines.
2 Ukraine: Reports Of Chemical Weapons Used In Mariupol
Russia has a new commander set to take over its genocidal mission in Ukraine: General Aleksandr Dvornikov. Known as "the butcher of Syria" for his brutal campaigns in the country in 2016, his arrival at the helm comes amid reports that Russia may have used chemical weapons in Mariupol. According to the National Guard of Ukraine, chemicals were dropped by an unmanned aerial vehicle in Mariupol. The unit said the unknown chemicals caused respiratory failure. President Biden and NATO have both warned that the use of chemical weapons could trigger more action against Russia. The Pentagon is concerned about the reports and Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said he is aware of the reports and will monitor them closely. “We cannot confirm (the reports) at this time,” Kirby offered at a briefing. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
3 Philadelphia To Reinstate Indoor Mask Mandate
Philadelphia is the first major U.S. city to reinstate its indoor mask mandate. The city lifted its indoor mask mandate just over a month ago. That was Philadelphia Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole. The move comes as the number of coronavirus cases rose sharply in recent days mostly due to the spread of the highly contagious Omicron [[ahm-ih-cron]] subvariant BA.2. Philadelphia's health commissioner said reinstating the requirement will be a "chance to get ahead of the pandemic." “I sincerely wish we didn’t have to do this again," Bettigole said. “But I am very worried about our vulnerable neighbors and loved ones." The mandate goes into effect next week and will only be lifted when case numbers fall below a certain threshold.