April 14, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 50 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates [more]:

• The guided-missile cruiser Moskva — the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet — was seriously damaged by a Ukrainian missile attack, according to Ukrainian military officials. Russian officials have not confirmed the missile attack, but say a fire aboard the ship caused ammunition to explode and that the crew has been evacuated. [more]
• U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday announced $800 million in new military aid to Ukraine. The new aid package includes the transfer of helicopters, artillery systems, and armored vehicles. [more]
• The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe says it is investigating what it calls “clear patterns” of human rights violations by Russian forces in Ukraine, some of which may constitute war crimes. [more]

BROOKLYN SUBWAY SHOOTING | Frank R. James, 62, was arrested and charged with a federal terrorism offense yesterday in Manhattan in connection with the shooting of 10 people Tuesday at a Brooklyn subway station. [more]

MICHIGAN | Police in Grand Rapids, Michigan, have released video footage of an April 4 shooting that shows a white police officer wrestling with Patrick Lyoya, 26 — a black immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo — following a traffic stop and then shooting Lyoya in the back of the head. The police officer has not been identified and Michigan state police are heading the investigation into the shooting. [more]

ABORTION | Kentucky legislators yesterday overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a bill banning abortion after 15 weeks, along with several other abortion restrictions. [more]

COVID-19 | The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced yesterday that it has extended the nationwide mask mandate for airplanes and public transit through May 3. [more]

TWITTER | Tesla CEO Elon Musk has launched a hostile takeover bid for social media company Twitter, offering to pay $41.39 billion for the company. [more]

NATO | In a joint appearance in Stockholm yesterday, Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said their countries are actively discussing the possibility of joining the NATO alliance. [more]

SOUTH AFRICA | Officials in South Africa say at least 306 people have died in recent flooding and associated landslides along the country’s east coast. [more]

PHILIPPINES | The death toll from widespread landslides and flooding caused by Tropical Storm Megi  has risen to 123, according to disaster management officials in the Philippines. [more]

HONG KONG | Health officials in Hong Kong have announced plans to ease COVID-19-related business and gathering restrictions starting April 21. [more]

HONDURAS | Reports say former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez will be extradited to the United States next week to face drug trafficking and firearms charges. The Honduran supreme court approved the extradition last month. [more]

MENTAL HEALTH | A study published this week in the Journal of Adolescent Health says that 48% of young adults in the U.S. reported significant mental health struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic. [more]

VEHICLE RECALL | Toyota has announced the recall of some 460,000 2020 to 2022 model year vehicles due to a software issue that can inadvertently disable the vehicles’  electronic stability control system. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1865, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a production at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln died the following morning. [more history]