3 Things To Know Today

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1 U.S. Releases Video Of Russian Jet Intercepting Drone

The American military has released a video it says shows a Russian fighter jet harassing and colliding with a U.S. drone over the Black Sea. The video the U.S. European Command released yesterday was recorded by the drone's onboard camera. Though the video has been edited down to just 43 seconds, the U.S. military says it shows the events in sequential order. The spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, says the video provides “clear and convincing evidence of the account we laid out there” and shows “the Russians have been flat-out lying.” Though Kirby says it’s not clear if striking the drone was intentional, NBC News reported Wednesday that U.S. officials said Kremlin leadership approved the aggressive move. American commanders ordered the drone to be crashed into the sea after one of the jets clipped its propeller. Russia has denied its planes came “into contact” with the drone and has warned the U.S. against “hostile” surveillance flights near the Ukrainian border. Russia also says it has plans to recover the drone in order to study it, though that may be difficult as the drone is said to be in water up to 5,000 feet deep. All of this comes at a time when hostility is quickly mounting over the West’s support for Ukraine.

2 Entire Los Angeles School District Plans To Strike Next Week

The country's second-largest school district is expected to strike next week. Unions representing cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and other workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District say they'll go on a three-day strike starting Tuesday. They're demanding a 30% raise and teachers say they won't cross union picket lines. The superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, confirms that schools will have to shut down during those days. How many employees are we talking about? Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99 represents about 30,000 cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, special education assistants, and other employees. United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) represents about 35,000 teachers, counselors, therapists, nurses, and librarians. Both unions are in the middle of contract negotiations. SEIU Local 99 says its negotiations with the district have stalled. As for how many students this will affect, LAUSD.net puts the number around 565,000. The last time this happened in Los Angeles was in 2019 when the district went on a six-day strike. The demand was for fewer students in each class, more school staffing, and higher pay. The union claims that a school worker’s average yearly salary is $25,000, and since that’s mostly part-time, it has led to multiple staffing shortages.

3 Biden To Host Prime Minister Of Ireland For St. Patrick's Day Today

President Biden will host the Prime Minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, at the White House for St. Patrick's Day today. The two will participate in a bilateral meeting and a St. Patty's Day celebration. At the annual White House ceremony, the Irish premier usually presents the U.S. president with a bowl of shamrock. Meanwhile, Biden recently said he intends to visit Northern Ireland next month to mark the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which was brokered by the U.S. The agreement helped end years of violence over British rule in Northern Ireland. The leaders are also expected to discuss their shared commitment to continuing support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.


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