Scott

President Biden used the searing memories of Selma's "Bloody Sunday" to recommit to a cornerstone of democracy, lionizing a seminal moment from the civil rights movement at a time when he has been unable to push enhanced voting protections through Congress and a conservative Supreme Court has undermined a landmark voting law. "Selma is a reckoning. The right to vote ... to have your vote counted is the threshold of democracy and liberty. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/joe-biden-selma-visit-spotlight-voting-rights/

Two Ukrainian pilots are currently in the United States undergoing an assessment to determine how long it could take to train them to fly attack aircraft, including F-16 fighter jets, according to two congressional officials and a senior U.S. official. The Ukrainians’ skills are being evaluated on simulators at a U.S. military base in Tucson, Arizona, the officials said, and they may soon be joined by more of their fellow pilots. U.S. authorities have approved bringing up to 10 more Ukrainian pilots to the U.S. for further assessment as early as this month, the officials said. https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/two-ukrainian-pilots-are-us-training-assessment-attack-aircrafts-f-16s-rcna73426

I think a lot of people think that all there is to teaching is standing in front of a class and telling students what you know about a subject. It takes some level of knowledge to understand how students learn, what they are capable of understanding at any particular age. Many of the concepts of math, for example, require both a basic understanding of arithmetic and a certain developmental level before they can be taught. A fair number of students have learning disabilities that aren't serious, but they do get stuck on certain concepts or tasks. It takes training in education to get them through. Of course, these same people couldn't be bothered to write a lesson plan, help develop a a curriculum or, heaven forbid, actually write a test that is an accurate assessment of what has been taught.

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will be invited to King Charles III's coronation, a statement from the couple suggests. They say they have been emailed about the coronation, on 6 May, but will not confirm whether they plan to attend. It is understood that some prospective guests are being asked to save the date ahead of official invitations that will be sent later. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-64854803

China will increase military spending by more than 7% this year, while warning of "escalating" threats. It was announced at the National People's Congress (NPC), a rubber-stamp parliament, which is due to confirm President Xi Jinping's third term. Beijing's military budget - around $225bn (£186bn) - is still dwarfed by that of the United States, which is four times greater.

Pete Buttigieg admits he got it wrong on the Ohio train derailment response. But while the criticism is fair, he says, the critics are mostly not. “It’s really rich to see some of these folks – the former president, these Fox hosts – who are literally lifelong card-carrying members of the East Coast elite, whose top economic policy priority has always been tax cuts for the wealthy, and who wouldn’t know their way around a T.J. Maxx if their life depended on it, to be presenting themselves as if they genuinely care about the forgotten middle of the country,” the Transportation Secretary said. “You think Tucker Carlson knows the difference between a T.J. Maxx and a Kohl’s?” https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/05/politics/pete-buttigieg-ohio-train-derailment/index.html

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The lesion removed from President Joe Biden's chest during his physical last month was cancerous, White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor said Friday. "As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma," O'Connor said. "All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. … No further treatment is required." "Basal cell carcinoma lesions do not tend to 'spread' or metastasize, as some more serious skin cancers such as melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma are known to do," O'Connor explained. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lesion-removed-bidens-physical-cancerous-white-house-doctor/story?id=97617868

WILMINGTON, Del. -- WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — The Biden administration is close to tightening rules on some overseas investments by U.S. companies in an effort to limit China's ability to acquire technologies that could improve its military prowess, according to a U.S. official familiar with the deliberations. The soon-to-be-issued executive order from President Joe Biden will limit American investment in advanced technologies that have national security applications — such as next-generation military capabilities that could help China improve the speed and accuracy of military decision making, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The expected action is the latest effort by the White House to target China's military and technology sectors at a time of increasingly fraught relations between the world's two biggest economies. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/biden-expected-tighten-rules-us-investment-china-97632570

Actor Tom Sizemore, best known for his role in the 1998 film "Saving Private Ryan," died Friday, according to his representative. He was 61. Sizemore died at St. Joseph’s Hospital Burbank in Burbank, California, with his brother Paul Sizemore and twin sons Jayden and Jagger, 17, at his side. Sizemore collapsed at his Los Angeles home in the early hours of Feb. 18. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/actor-tom-sizemore-dies-61/story?id=97523639

A California man accused of blowing up two Pacific Gas and Electric transformers allegedly had large amounts of explosive materials and an inactive methamphetamine lab in his home, authorities said. Peter Karasev, 36, of San Jose, was arrested on Wednesday and faces multiple charges, including two counts of exploding a destructive device, two counts of destroying an electrical line and an arson charge related to the "transformer bombings," Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Victoria Robinson told reporters Friday. The incidents occurred in January and December 2022 at two separate locations, San Jose police said. The explosions damaged the PG&E transformers, leaving thousands without power. https://abcnews.go.com/US/california-man-arrested-transformer-bombings-explosive-materials-home/story?id=97630304

The US House ethics panel has extended its investigation into congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over allegations that she may have violated congressional rules. A nonpartisan watchdog review found "substantial reason to believe that she accepted impermissible gifts" related to a fashion event. The probe centres on the payments for the dress she rented to attend the prestigious Met Gala in 2021. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64837119

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(Bloomberg) -- Worldwide oil demand is racing toward an all-time high and some of the smartest minds in the industry are forecasting $100-a-barrel crude in a matter of months, but US producers are playing the short game and looking to turn over as much cash as possible to investors. Shareholders in US oil companies reaped a $128 billion windfall in 2022 thanks to a combination of global supply disruptions such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and intensifying Wall Street pressure to prioritize returns over finding untapped crude reserves. Oil executives who in years past were rewarded for investing in gigantic, long-term energy projects are now under the gun to funnel cash to investors who are increasingly convinced that the sunset of the fossil-fuel era is nigh. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oil-128-billion-handout-doubts-150101988.html

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A Belgian woman who murdered her five children has been euthanised at her own request, 16 years after the killings. Genevieve Lhermitte killed her son and four daughters, aged three to 14, in the town of Nivelles on 28 February 2007, while their father was away. She then tried to take her own life but failed, and ended up calling emergency services for help. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64835051

An appointee to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new oversight board in control of Disney’s special tax district called homosexuality “evil” last year and shared a baseless conspiracy theory that tap water could be making more people gay. On Monday, the Republican governor appointed Ron Peri, an Orlando-based former pastor and the CEO of The Gathering – a Christian ministry focused on outreach to men – as one of five people who will now oversee the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the government body that has given Disney unique powers in Central Florida for more than half a century. DeSantis signed a bill in February that allowed him to replace the district’s existing board – mostly people with ties to Disney – with a five-member body that he hand-picked. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/03/politics/kfile-ron-desantis-disney-ron-peri-anti-lgbtq

Some California residents remain trapped inside their homes after a winter storm dumped feet of snow across the Golden State, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to issue a state of emergency in 13 counties, including hard-hit San Bernardino County. Authorities there had conducted almost 100 rescues by Wednesday evening, San Bernardino County Fire Chief Dan Munsey said in a news conference, though authorities have not learned of any serious injuries or deaths. “We’re responding to medical calls. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/02/us/california-winter-weather

Electric vehicle batteries keep getting larger, and the typical driving range between charges keeps growing. The shift is partly a response to “range anxiety”—the fear of being stranded because EV batteries don’t have enough power to get to the next charging station—an idea so familiar in discussions of electric vehicles that it was spoofed in a Ram Super Bowl ad last month. But this concern is unwarranted for a large share of EV customers, according to research from the University of Delaware, published February 21 in the journal Energies. https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/why-its-time-to-officially-get-over-your-ev-range-anxiety/

United Nations — The U.S. and other global powers are grappling with how to respond to the recent discovery of uranium particles in Iran that were enriched up to almost 84% — very close to the purity required to make nuclear weapons. A team of inspectors from the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found the tiny amount of high enriched uranium at one of Iran's nuclear facilities during a scheduled visit and included it in their report. The IAEA report, obtained by CBS News, noted the discovery of some particles enriched to 83.7% at the Fordow nuclear plant, but did not conclude that Iran was stockpiling uranium enriched above 60%, which the world already knew Iran was doing. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-nuclear-program-iaea-revelation-uranium-enriched-near-weapons-grade/

House Judiciary Democrats claimed Friday that three witnesses who have spoken to Republicans as part of the GOP investigation into politicization at the FBI have offered no evidence of wrongdoing by the law enforcement agency. They also said the witnesses were connected to committee Republicans through people with deep ties to former President Trump. Republicans have asserted that they’ve spoken to “dozens and dozens” of whistleblowers as part of their probe, but the committee Democrats said the trio of witnesses it had identified had little firsthand knowledge about the FBI and were instead advancing conspiracy theories. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3882670-judiciary-democrats-go-after-gop-whistleblowers-in-fbi-probes/

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Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murder BreakingMurdaugh sentenced to life in prison Alex Murdaugh has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his son and wife on their family estate in 2021. Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Murdaugh to life in prison for each murder count and said these will be served consecutively. https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-64831114