Putin extends his rule over Russia for another six years. Government coercion is at the center of today’s Supreme Court arguments. And women freed their friend from a cougar’s jaws using ”hand-to-hand combat.”
Here’s what to know today.
Putin extends his rule on Russia for six more years
President Vladimir Putin’s rule over Russia will be extended for at least another six years, after he claimed a landslide win today in a stage-managed presidential election with no real opposition.
The vote was orchestrated to legitimize Putin’s leadership after a crackdown on dissent that has left his rivals dead, jailed or in exile as his war in neighboring Ukraine enters its third year. Having led Russia for 24 years already, he will soon match Soviet leader Josef Stalin as the country’s longest-serving modern ruler.
Putin received 87.32% of the vote, Russia’s election commission said early this morning after more than 99% of ballots had been counted. It reported turnout was 74%.
Putin hailed the results as an indication of the country’s “trust” in him.
In a press conference following his win, Putin said he agreed with the idea of a prisoner swap involving opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a penal colony, and “some people in prison in Western countries,” in response to NBC News’ question about percieved issues with Russia’s democracy, including Navalny’s death and journalist Evan Gershkovich’s detention.
Supreme Court tackles government coercion claims in social media and NRA cases
The Supreme Court today will weigh the circumstances under which the government can be found to cross the line from persuasion to coercion, hearing arguments in cases involving two contentious issues: problematic social media posts and gun rights.
In the social media case, Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, along with five social media users, allege that U.S. government officials went too far in putting pressure on platforms to moderate content. In the NRA case, the group claims that its free speech rights were violated by the actions of Maria Vullo, then the superintendent of the New York state Department of Financial Services. The NRA alleged that Vullo, in meetings with insurance companies, made “back channel threats that they cease providing services to the NRA.” At the heart of both cases is the question of “jawboning,” in which the government leans on private parties to do what it wants, sometimes with the implicit threat of adverse consequences if demands are not met.
Health workers fear it’s profits before protection as CDC revisits airborne transmission
Hospital leadership instructed health workers to forgo protective N95 masks in the early months of 2020, even as Covid cases mounted. “We were watching patients die,” emergency physician Dr. Sonya Stokes said, “and being told we didn’t need a high level of protection from people who were not taking these risks.”
Across the country, hospital leadership cited advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the limits of airborne transmission. The agency’s early statements backed employers’ insistence that N95 masks, or respirators, were needed only during certain medical procedures conducted at extremely close distances. Such policies were at odds with doctors’ observations, and they conflicted with advice from scientists who study airborne viral transmission.
Now, healthcare professionals worry that the CDC is repeating past mistakes as it develops a crucial set of guidelines that hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and other facilities that provide health care will apply to control the spread of infectious diseases.
IDF launches overnight raid on Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital
The Israeli military launched an overnight raid on the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza. Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the “high-precision operation” had been conducted in parts of the medical complex after Hamas fighters regrouped at the hospital and were directing attacks from there. Gaza’s Health Ministry said around 30,000 patients, medical staff and displaced people are sheltering at the compound, and Hamas said the Israel had committed a new crime by targeting the facility.
An Israeli delegation led by David Barnea, the director of the country’s Mossad spy agency, has departed for Qatar for ongoing cease-fire negotiations, an Israeli official told NBC News today. Although there was little optimism about a breakthrough in this round of talks, the official said all sides remained under intense American pressure to try to get to a deal. Follow live updates.
First charter flight with U.S. citizens fleeing Haiti lands in Florida
A charter flight carrying U.S. citizens fleeing gang violence in Haiti landed in Miami, U.S. State Department officials said. More than 30 U.S. citizens were on the government-chartered flight. Haiti’s main airport in Port-au-Prince remains closed following weeks of gang attacks that have pushed many people to the brink of famine. Government and aid agencies this weekend reported looting of aid supplies as the situation worsened.
The flight arrived in the Miami International Airport after the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince earlier this month urged U.S. citizens to leave “as soon as possible.”
Politics in Brief
Election 2024: President Biden locked up the Democratic nomination last week, but looking ahead to the general election, he’s still searching for ways to impress upon voters that he deserves a second term.
TikTok ban: The proposed TikTok ban could embolden censorship abroad, experts warn, and break the reputation of the U.S. as a free speech champion.
Absentee ballots: Wisconsin faced a barrage of lawsuits from Trump allies in 2020 aimed at invalidating Democratic votes in the battleground state. Lawmakers have done little to prevent a similar scenario from playing out again.
Biden’s campaign: President Joe Biden’s campaign and its connected fundraising organizations raised $53 million in February.
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Staff Pick: The wreckage of homes, families and traditions mark Ramadan in Gaza
I was gearing up to observe Ramadan this year and began to wonder how Muslims in Gaza will be able to maintain the fast without access to the nutritious diet needed throughout the month. Famine looms in the enclave — an issue that aid organizations say stems from Israeli forces not providing safe and consistent access to civilians. A season all about celebration and community is unrecognizable for Muslim Gazans this year. Still, amid the rubble of their homes and profound loss, they are relying on God and praying for better days.
— Mirna Alsharif, breaking news reporter
In Case You Missed It
- A Navy SEAL died convinced years of exposure to blasts had badly damaged his brain. Before he died, he made his family promise to donate his brain to science to prove it.
- “Dune: Part Two” is nearing $500 million at the global box office, and it has already surpassed the entire run of first film.
- Another man has been charged in connection with the theft of a pair of ruby slippers that Judy Garland wore in “The Wizard of Oz.”
- Teenage boys are suffering from depression and anxiety, research shows. Experts warn many young men struggling with their mental health are not getting the help they need.
- A group of women held down a cougar during “hand-to-hand combat” to save a friend who was trapped in its jaws.
- Consumer sentiment has plateaued and pump prices are getting higher, but economists remain broadly optimistic. Here’s why.
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