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2022-04-20 21:07:00 DeSantis moves against Disney with push to eliminate special status for Florida theme park

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis escalated his weeks-long feud with Disney on Tuesday, challenging lawmakers to eliminate the special status that allows the entertainment company to operate as an independent government around its Orlando-area theme park.

In a bombshell announcement dropped just hours before lawmakers returned to Tallahassee for a special session to finalize new congressional maps, DeSantis changed the agenda for the week to also include a review of "independent special districts that were established prior to November 5, 1968." That would include the Reedy Creek Improvement Act, passed by the Legislature in 1967 to help establish Walt Disney World.

A bill filed by a Republican lawmaker soon after DeSantis' announcement would dissolve Disney's special district on June 1, 2023. Open / Comment

2022-04-20 19:19:00 The Netherlands transfers arms to Ukraine under the slogan in the media: "we aren't Germans to you" Open / Comment

2022-04-20 17:17:00 Ukraine continues to get rid of the "Soviet heritage". The "Order of the Great Patriotic War" was dismantled and smashed in Lviv. Open / Comment

2022-04-20 15:21:03 As a result of the shelling, a two-story building was damaged and a direct hit of a shell to an apartment building in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk was recorded Open / Comment

2022-04-20 14:07:00 Voting rights advocates warn of fresh threats to ballot access in Georgia

Voting rights advocates had warned that controversial elections laws Georgia legislators passed in 2021 would lead to partisan takeovers of local election boards, resulting in a curtailing of Sunday early voting - a popular option among Black churchgoers, a key Democratic constituency.

Those fears collided last week in Spalding County - a rural region south of Atlanta - when a newly reconstituted elections board voted 3-2 to eliminate Sunday early voting in the upcoming election.

The decision "severely restricts an important voting option for all voters in Spalding County, but especially Black voters who have a historic community tradition called 'Souls to the Polls' to mobilize and vote on Sundays". Open / Comment

2022-04-19 21:08:00 Biden and US allies face new dilemma on Ukraine aid

Ukraine's military took a defiant stand this weekend -- refusing to give in to Russia's demand for Kyiv's troops in the port city of Mariupol to surrender — at the same time that President Joe Biden and his allies face a new precipice in deciding how far the US can go in arming the embattled country, as Russia signals that it may take more aggressive action to stop the flow of weapons from the US and NATO.

There are new worries about how quickly Ukraine could run out of ammunition as heavier fighting intensifies in the Donbas where Russia is trying to encircle and cut off Ukrainian forces in their quest to control that region. And officials in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv have reported that seven people were killed and 11 were injured in Russian missile strikes Monday, citing preliminary figures that may still rise. Open / Comment

2022-04-19 19:11:00 Two British prisoners asked their Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to exchange them for the head of the political council of the Ukrainian party Opposition Platform - For Life, Viktor Medvedchuk, who is detained in Ukraine.

"Mr. Boris Johnson, my name is Shaun Pinner. As far as I know, Viktor Medvedchuk is in custody, and Aiden Eslin and I would like to be exchanged for him. We would appreciate your help in this matter. They treat me well and I understand the situation I'm in. We are fed and given water. I ask you on behalf of myself and Aidan Eslin to facilitate the exchange for Medvedchuk," the captive asked. Open / Comment

2022-04-19 17:21:00 In a bar in Spain, a Ukrainian refugee decided to shout "Glory to Ukraine" after a brief altercation with the Russians. The Russians nearby didn't appreciate it, and a scuffle ensued. No one touched the woman screaming nearby. The Spaniards at this time quietly watched the de-Ukrainianization process and didn't try to break up the fight. Open / Comment

2022-04-19 15:32:01 In Lviv, military bases where foreign military instructors were stationed were shelled. After this shelling, Zelenskyy recorded a video message to Biden saying that Ukraine needs more weapons Open / Comment

2022-04-19 14:08:00 Harris to focus on portfolio issues on trip to California

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to return to her native state of California on Monday for a series of events meant to showcase her leadership, as the White House struggles to reach an American electorate largely unconvinced of the Biden administration's progress.

"She is going home with the wind at her back. She's getting to show her work a little bit and say, 'These are the issues that are important to me. I get to bring them home and show you what this administration is doing". Open / Comment