From birth to death, legacy of racism lays foundation for Black Americans’ health disparities
From birth to death, Black Americans fare worse in measures of health compared to their white counterparts. They have higher rates of infant and maternal mortality, higher incidence of asthma during childhood, more difficulty treating mental health as teens, and greater rates of high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses. The Associated Press spent the past year exploring how the legacy of racism in America has laid the foundation for the health inequities that Black people face.
Donald Trump to appear by video as judge reinforces ban on attacking witnesses
NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump’s criminal case is holding a hybrid hearing to make sure that the former president is aware of new rules barring him from using evidence to attack witnesses. Trump won’t have to show up to court for Tuesday’s hearing at a Manhattan courthouse. Instead, the Republican will be connected by video conference, with his face beamed onto courtroom TV monitors. His lawyers and prosecutors must still appear in person. The judge agreed to the extra step of personally instructing Trump on the restrictions after listing them May 8 in what’s known as a protective order. Trump pleaded not guilty and says the prosecution is politically motivated.
The cyber gulag: How Russia tracks, censors and controls its citizens
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — It’s becoming increasingly difficult for Russians to escape government scrutiny. Authorities monitor social media accounts, prosecuting critics of President Vladimir Putin or the war in Ukraine. Surveillance cameras with facial recognition systems allow police to swiftly detain activists and draft dodgers. Even a once-praised online government service platform is seen as a tool of control, with plans to serve military summonses through it — rendering useless a popular draft evasion tactic of avoiding being handed the paperwork in person. Activists say Putin’s government has managed to harness digital technology to surveil, censor and control Russians — new territory in a nation with a long history of spying on its citizens.
Teen accused of deliberately crashing U-Haul truck into security barrier at park near White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man police believe intentionally crashed a U-Haul truck into a security barrier at a park across from the White House has been identified as a 19-year-old suburban St. Louis resident. A Secret Service spokesman says the box truck’s driver smashed into the barrier near the north side of Lafayette Square late Monday. No one was injured. Secret Service and Metropolitan Police Department officers searched the truck. Video posted by WUSA-TV shows a police officer picking up and inventorying several pieces of evidence from the truck, including a Nazi flag. The Secret Service says investigators believe the crash may have been intentional. U-Haul is based in Phoenix.
UPS strike looms in a world grown reliant on everything delivered everywhere all the time
WASHINGTON (AP) — The last time UPS workers walked of the job more than two decades ago, it crippled the shipping company. An emboldened union is threatening to do the same and this time the disruption would be far greater. The 24 million packages UPS ships on an average day amounts to about a quarter of all U.S. parcel volume, according to the global shipping and logistics firm Pitney Bowes. UPS says they deliver the equivalent of about 6% of nation’s gross domestic product. The Teamsters, representing about 350,000 UPS workers, say they’ll strike if there’s no deal by the time the current contract expires July 31.
Shelters start to fill in Guam as US territory in Pacific braces for Typhoon Mawar
HONOLULU (AP) — Guam’s governor is urging residents to stay home and is warning the island could take a direct hit from Typhoon Mawar. The storm is strengthening on its path toward the U.S. territory in the Pacific. The National Weather Service says that if Guam doesn’t take a direct hit, the typhoon will get very close. The Category 4 storm is intensifying as it approaches Guam and could hit the southern part of the island midday Wednesday. The typhoon could be the biggest hit to Guam in two decades. Officials say it could cause extensive damage. Residents are preparing, and emergency shelters are opening.
Car seats and baby formula are regulated. Is social media next?
The U.S. surgeon general is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for young people. Dr. Vivek Murthy is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take “immediate action to protect kids now.” With young people’s social media use “near universal” but its true impact not fully understood, Murthy is asking tech companies to share data and increase transparency with researchers and the general public. He asks policymakers to address the harms of social media the same way they regulate things like car seats, baby formula and other products children use.
Indian wrestlers hold candlelight march demanding arrest of sports official for sexual abuse
NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top female wrestlers lead a candlelight march of nearly 1,000 supporters in the capital demanding the resignation and arrest of the president of the wrestling federation for allegedly sexually harassing young athletes. Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh is a powerful lawmaker representing the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Singh has denied the accusations and called the protests “politically motivated” by the opposition Congress party. The protesters have been staging a protest in the center of New Delhi for nearly a month while foregoing their training schedules. Some of them have threatened to hand back their medals if no action is taken against Singh.
Jockey suicides shadow horse racing, bring attention to stress and mental health concerns of the job
BALTIMORE (AP) — The horse racing community was stunned earlier this year when 23-year-old Avery Whisman and 29-year-old Alex Canchari died by suicide less than six weeks apart. The deaths sparked renewed conversation among jockeys about their mental health. Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith has seen colleagues struggle with the stress of the dangerous job. He and other jockeys worry horse racing has lagged behind other sports in accepting that mental health is as important as physical health. Jockeys and stakeholders hope increased attention on the subject prompts real change.
From Xerox to TV box, long awaited adaptation of ‘American Born Chinese’ book hits Disney+
After 17 years, cartoonist Gene Luen Yang is seeing his American dream come true. “American Born Chinese,” an adaptation of his trailblazing graphic novel, debuts on Disney+ on Wednesday. The mostly Asian cast now can boast two Oscar winners, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. The show centers on a high school soccer player growing up amid pressure to reconcile his American and Chinese sides. It mixes elements of teen drama and fantasy from Chinese folklore. The first two episodes have been screened around the country, from San Francisco to New York City and the White House. The graphic novel started as comics that Yang made copies of on a Xerox machine.