Month: March 2024

A former Virginia Tech soccer player whose coach benched her for refusing to kneel during a pregame social-justice demonstration just scored $100,000 under a terms of a settlement with said coach.

Kiersten Hening filed a lawsuit in 2021 against head coach Charles “Chugger” Adair on First Amendment grounds, claiming that she was benched after Adair became frustrated by her political views, which often differed from those of her teammates, the Roanoke Times reports. The ‘social-justice demonstration’ was primarily a ritual in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis Police (and with an elephant-sized dose of fentanyl in his system).

After Henning refused to kneel during the reading of a “unity statement” prior to a Sept. 12, 2020 game against the University of Virginia, Adair “verbally attacked” her during halftime – berating and eventually benching her. Two games later, she quit the team, saying that she was forced out due to her coach’s “campaign of abuse and retaliation.”

Henning claimed in her lawsuit that while she “supports social justice and believes that black lives matter,” she “does not support BLM the organization,” citing its “tactics and core tenets of its mission statement, including defunding the police,” the NY Post reports.

That said, the settlement includes no admission of wrongdoing by either Hennig or her former coach.

The settlement comes after a Dec. 2 decision by Judge Thomas Cullen, who denied a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and agreeing that Henning’s time on the field decreased following the incident.

“Ultimately, Adair may convince a jury that this coaching decision was based solely on Hening’s poor play during the UVA game, but the court, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Hening, cannot reach that conclusion as a matter of law,” Cullen ruled.

Via The Cradle

US defense officials have blamed “insufficient intelligence” for Washington’s abortive airstrike campaign against Yemen, which started in mid-January and has so far failed to deter Yemen’s Houthi armed forces from attacking US, UK, and Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea in support of Palestine.

During a congressional hearing on US operations in the Red Sea last week, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for West Asia, Daniel B. Shapiro, revealed Washington “did not know” the full capacity of the Yemeni arsenal used for its operations in the Red Sea, adding that the White House was “working to gather that intelligence.”

He added that, while the Pentagon had “a good sense” of what US-led attacks have allegedly destroyed, officials did not “fully know the denominator” – meaning the reality of Yemen’s military capabilities.

According to current and former US officials who spoke with the Financial Times (FT), US intelligence agencies saw a “drop-off” in Yemen operations during the governments of former presidents  Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
“Because Yemen went down as a priority, so did our intelligence focus there,” Mick Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official and CIA officer, told the British news outlet.

CIA operations in Yemen were also affected after the Ansarallah-led government shut down the US embassy in Sanaa.

“Reporting on a country from afar or offshore is inherently challenging, and doubly so for a country that has seen so much churn over the past 10 years,” Ted Singer, a recently retired senior CIA official, said.

Although hundreds of US-led airstrikes have hit the Arab world’s poorest country since January, Yemeni leaders maintain that no amount of hostilities will deter them from continuing their Red Sea operations until Israel puts an end to the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

“The US, Britain, and Israel must realize that the policies of demarcation and assertion of hegemonic influence on international waters are obsolete and no more favorable … As long as the Zionists’ atrocities continue in Gaza, we will continue our operations against the usurping entity,” Defense Minister Major General Mohammed al-Atifi said on February 26.

Yesterday saw more attempted direct attacks on US warships…

Red Sea Update

On March 5, between the hours of 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces shot down one anti-ship ballistic missile and three one-way attack unmanned aerial systems launched from Iranian-backed Houthi controlled areas of Yemen toward… pic.twitter.com/MtzCKu9YlA

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 5, 2024

As US intelligence agencies scramble to discover the reality of Yemen’s military arsenal, White House lawyers are in a rush to find legal loopholes to justify a new war in West Asia.

In 2021, when it was still very politically risky to do so, North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson gave a fiery speech decrying transgender ideology.

“Here’s something else I’m not supposed to say, there ain’t but two genders. Ain’t nothing but men and women.”

Mark Robinson appears poised to win the North Carolina GOP primary, so it’s only right that we revisit his famous 2021 speech on gender ideology.

Name another Republican alive with this kind of stage presence: https://t.co/cHCmEg6jl5 pic.twitter.com/8ug02L8njd

— Nate Hochman (@njhochman) March 6, 2024

Last night, Robinson – a pastor from Greensboro who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump – won the Republican primary for governor of North Carolina.

Robinson, a 2nd Amendment champion who Trump recently referred to as “Martin Luther King on steroids,” has faced intense criticism from the left over past comments about women, Jews, the Holocaust, and LGBTQ people.

👀 pic.twitter.com/eCfWkmCQ8o

— The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) March 6, 2024

Robinson faces off against NC Attorney General Josh Stein, who won the Democratic nod Tuesday, and would become North Carolina’s first Jewish Governor. Stein and Robinson will compete to replace term-limited Gov. Roy Cooper.

“Robinson is an abortion-banning, election denying, social media conspiracy theorist and come November every voter in the state will know exactly who the real Mark Robinson is,” texted Morgan Jackson, a senior Stein adviser, to Politico.

Robinson, meanwhile, is on a quest to defend America against people “who want to destroy it.”

Mark Robinson coming in hot:

“The people in America who want to destroy it, I send you a message today: There are warriors in your path, and you’ll have to defeat us to take this nation down! What God has blessed us with will not go easy into the night.” pic.twitter.com/G8dlLPN2rS

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) June 23, 2023

Last week, former President Trump endorsed Robinson, to which Robinson said in a statement: “I am humbled to have his endorsement. The failed Biden-Stein agenda of the Democrat Party has brought our country to crisis.”

Authored by Adam Andrzejewski via RealClear Wire,

Topline: The National Institutes of Health is paying $214,000 for three researchers to create a “transgender voice training” app, according to Fox News.

Key facts: The study aims to address “voice dysphoria,” which researchers say causes lower quality of life when a person’s voice does not match their gender identity.

Researchers will coach 40 trans women to help change the pitch and resonance of their voice to sound more feminine.

The participants will meet once a week with a speech-language pathologist. Half of them will use a generic voice training software and half will use the app specifically made for transgender people, so that results can be compared.

If tests are successful, the software will be released to the public for free.

The researchers — a professor from the University of Cincinnati and two speech scientists from New York University — have each already received taxpayer money for similar voice dysphoria studies, according to the College Fix.

Background: The study focuses on “gender-affirming voice and communication training,” a service that is already dipping into taxpayers’ wallets. As of 2022, 13 states’ Medicaid covered the training, with 18 more having no clear policy on the coverage.

The 2024 research grant comes from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, an agency of the National Institutes of Health.

The NIH is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, which sent paychecks to almost 90,000 people in 2022, according to auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.

There were 2,646 employees who earned more than $214,000, the grant amount for the voice training app.

Supporting quote: “Some trans people can be negatively impacted if their voice is perceived as incongruous with their gender identity, and they may choose to work with a speech pathologist to achieve a vocal presentation that is comfortable for them,” said Tara McAllister, one of the three study leaders.

“The staRt software allows learners to visualize the resonant frequencies of the vocal tract, which could make it easier to adjust them to match a target that is appropriate for their personal speech goals.”

Summary: Three researchers are getting an additional $214,000 the federal government to study gender-affirming voice therapy — from an agency that’s supposed to focus on deafness and other communication disorders — on top of past funding they’ve already received.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com

One month after the lukewarm January Beige Book found “little or no change” In US economic activity, which in turn followed the fare more downbeat November Beige Book found which economic activity was “slowing“, moments ago the Fed released the latest, March, Beige Book in which we find more green shoots glimmers as economic activity “increased slightly”, on balance, since early January, with eight Districts reporting slight to modest growth in activity, three others reporting no change, and one District noting a slight softening. Oddly enough, the Fed found a modest acceleration in economic activity even though “consumer spending, particularly on retail goods, inched down in recent weeks.” To justify this assessment, the Fed mentioned several reports which cited heightened price sensitivity by consumers and noted that households continued to trade down and to shift spending away from discretionary goods.

Taking a closer look at various economic segments, we find the following notable recent developments:

• Activity in the leisure and hospitality sector varied by District and segment; while air travel was robust overall, demand for restaurants, hotels, and other establishments softened due to elevated prices, as well as to unusual weather conditions in certain regions.
• Manufacturing activity was largely unchanged, and supply bottlenecks normalized further. Nevertheless, delivery delays for electrical components continued.
• Ongoing shipping disruptions in the Red Sea and Panama Canal did not generally have a notable impact on businesses during the reporting period, although some contacts reported rising pressures on international shipping costs.
• Several reports highlighted a pickup in demand for residential real estate in recent weeks, largely owing to some moderation in mortgage rates, but noted that limited inventories hindered actual home sales. 
• Commercial real estate activity was weak, particularly for office space, although there were reports of robust demand for new data centers, industrial and manufacturing spaces, and large infrastructure projects.
• Loan demand was stable to down, and credit quality was generally healthy despite a few reports of rising delinquencies.

Unlike the recent ISM reports, both mfg and services, the Fed found that employment “rose at a slight to modest pace in most Districts” while labor market tightness eased further, with nearly all Districts highlighting some improvement in labor availability and employee retention. Some more labor market details:

• Businesses generally found it easier to fill open positions and to find qualified applicants, although difficulties persisted attracting workers for highly skilled positions, including health-care professionals, engineers, and skilled trades specialists such as welders and mechanics.
• Wages grew further across Districts, although several reports indicated a slower pace of increase. Employee expectations of pay adjustments were reportedly more in line with historical averages

And in bad news for those expecting a soft landing, the Fed cautioned that price pressures persisted during the reporting period, although several Districts reported some degree of moderation in inflation. Furthermore, while contacts highlighted increases in freight costs and several insurance categories, including employer-sponsored health insurance, businesses found it harder to pass through higher costs to their customers, who became increasingly sensitive to price changes. The good news is that the cost of many manufacturing and construction inputs, such as steel, cement, paper, and fuel, reportedly fell in recent weeks. 

Looking ahead, the Fed said that “the outlook for future economic growth remained generally positive, with contacts noting expectations for stronger demand and less restrictive financial conditions over the next 6 to 12 months.” Boy are they in for a surprise.

Turning to the specific regional Feds, we found these summaries notable:

• Boston: Economic activity increased at a slow pace, and employment gains were modest. Output prices increased slightly, and wage growth held steady at a moderate pace. Residential realtors expressed growing optimism as both property listings and pending home sales increased. Uncertainty persisted concerning the fate of maturing office property loans, but the outlook for the sector did not worsen.
• New York: Regional economic activity flattened after a period of sustained weakness. Labor market conditions remained solid as employment grew slightly and wage growth picked up to a moderate pace. Labor demand and labor supply continued to come into better balance. Consumer spending declined modestly. The pace of selling price increases remained modest.
• Philadelphia: Business activity resumed a slight decline during the current Beige Book period—as it had for most of 2023. Employment grew slightly, and labor availability improved. Wage and price inflation subsided further, but housing affordability continues to squeeze consumers, especially those in lower-income households. Generally, sentiment improved, but firms remained cautious with subdued expectations for future growth.
• Cleveland: District business activity increased slightly. Some firms noted increased labor availability, reduced turnover, and easing wage pressures. Cost and price pressures changed little. Some manufacturers raised prices to cover higher costs, while some restauranteurs planned to absorb them. Business services firms continued to raise rates based on market conditions.
• Richmond: The regional economy saw little growth, overall. Consumer spending softened slightly as poor weather conditions over the last several weeks led to reduced sales. Imports and shipments of consumer goods picked up as retailers replenished inventories. Domestic manufacturing softened, however. Real estate market activity improved slightly. Nonfinancial service demand was unchanged. Employment rose and price growth was unchanged, keeping inflation moderately elevated.
• Atlanta: Economic activity was little changed. Labor markets and wage pressures eased. Nonlabor costs moderated, on balance. Consumers remained cost conscious, and higher prices squeezed household budgets. Travel and tourism remained strong. Home sales declined. Commercial real estate conditions slowed. Transportation activity was mixed. Manufacturing slowed somewhat. Overall loan demand declined.
• Chicago: Economic activity increased modestly. Employment increased modestly; nonbusiness contacts saw a modest increase in activity; business spending increased slightly; manufacturing activity was flat; and construction and real estate and consumer spending declined slightly. Prices and wages rose moderately, while financial conditions tightened modestly. Prospects for 2024 farm income deteriorated some.
• St. Louis: Economic activity has increased slightly since our previous report. Contacts reported that consumer demand slowed beyond seasonal norms. While labor markets remain tight overall, an increasing number of firms reported being fully staffed or overstaffed relative to consumer demand. Price growth has slowed in recent months. Contacts reported a mixed outlook for the coming year, although the outlook has improved since mid-December.
• Minneapolis: District economic activity was up slightly. Employment grew some, but labor demand softened. Wage pressures continued to moderate, and prices rose modestly. Consumer spending declined slightly, thanks to slow winter tourism. Commercial construction remained slow, but some markets saw single-family activity improve. Manufacturing, mining, and energy activity increased.
• Kansas City: Economic activity in the Tenth District was stable. Job gains were modest, and wage growth, while elevated, was tied closer to worker performance. Price sensitivity rose among consumers, even as prices rose moderately. Commercial real estate contacts indicated skepticism around recent appraisals of property valuation, not wanting to be in a position of trying to “catch a falling knife.”
• Dallas: Economic activity expanded modestly, with most sectors holding steady or experiencing slight to modest growth. Wage growth was moderate, and input cost and selling price growth was generally at or below average. Texas firms were more bullish on demand expectations than late last year, with more than half of the firms’ expecting increases over the next six months. Outlooks overall were less pessimistic.
• San Francisco: Economic activity grew slightly, employment levels rose slightly, and price and wage growth eased. Retail sales were stable, and demand for services grew modestly. Demand for manufactured products changed little, and conditions in agriculture were stable. Real estate activity rose slightly overall. Financial sector conditions were little changed.

One particular highlight: The Atlanta Fed notes said that “commercial real estate conditions slowed”, while the Kansas City Fed said that “Commercial real estate contacts indicated skepticism around recent appraisals of property valuation, not wanting to be in a position of trying to “catch a falling knife.”

Finally, taking a visual approach to the data, we find that after mentions of inflation dropped to 10, or the lowest since Jan 2022 in November, before rebounding in January to 15, in March the number of mentions dipped again, this time to 12, suggesting that prices may indeed be resuming their grind lower.

And speaking of commercial real estate, while Powell is doing his best to pretend that there is nothing to worry about, today’s bailout of NYCB notwithstanding, the Fed itself is clearly worried as shown in the chart below which summarizes all mentions of “commercial real estate” and “CRE” in the latest beige book.

More in the full Beige Book (link).

China and the Philippines are locked in an aggressive war of words and mutual denunciations after their vessels collided on Tuesday in contested waters near Second Thomas Shoal. The US backs the Philippines in the dispute, setting the stage for broader regional tensions and potential US naval intervention.

The Chinese Coast Guard said in the wake of the collisions that Manila “violated its commitments and deliberately sent two coastguard ships and two supply ships” to a make-shift claimed military outpost. As cited The South China Morning Post, the statement continued: “The Philippines is dishonest in its dialogue, deliberately stirs up trouble, maliciously incites and sensationalizes, and continues to undermine peace and stability in the South China Sea region.”

But the Philippine Coast Guard countered by saying their vessels “faced dangerous maneuvers and blocking” and said China’s “reckless and illegal actions led to a collision.” Reportedly four four Filipino crew members were injured as a result. Watch the collision below:

And more from the response to Beijing:

“The Philippines demands that Chinese vessels leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal immediately,” the Phillippines Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement, using the United States ally’s term for the Spratly Islands feature.

Since coming into power in 2022 Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has taken a much harder line when it comes to China’s claims to the South China Sea. 

At the same time, Manilla has also been emboldened by the fact that the Pentagon is beefing up its assets both in the Philippines and in regional waters. China has meanwhile been on a years-long campaign to bolster its expansive claims by establishing a series of manmade islands and subsequently militarizing them.

The situation remains highly dangerous given that Washington and Manilla have a military treaty (called the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty). However, for now at least, Philippine President Marcos told reporters Wednesday: “I do not think that it is a time or the reason to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty.”

Authored by Simon White, Bloomberg macro strategist,

Powell might not be overly worried about inflation – with his recent comments reiterating the Federal Reserve is on track to cut rates this year – but other central banks are not so relaxed. Gold’s new high signals global central banks are likely accumulating the precious metal in an effort to diversify away from the dollar, as persistently large fiscal deficits threaten to further erode its real value and lead to more inflation.

Gold’s move in recent days has been broad as well as pronounced (as well as hinted at by low gold vol), with the precious metal making 50-year highs versus three-quarters of major DM and EM currencies. The biggest holdings of gold after jewellery are for private investment – ETFs, bars and coins – followed by central banks’ official reserve holdings.

In recent years the swing buyers have been ETFs, which hold about 2,500 tonnes of gold. But ETF holdings have been falling even as the dollar price of gold has been rising.

The dollar has been stable and real yields (which anyway have a non-linear relationship with gold) are higher over the last three months. The bulk of seasonal buying, for instance Diwali in India, is likely behind us. Further, silver has not participated in the rise. It’s therefore a reasonable supposition the official sector, i.e. central banks, has been a significant driver of gold’s recent ascent to new highs.

In the runup to the pandemic, and again in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global central banks have continued to add to their gold holdings even as ETF investors (perhaps dazzled by the bright lights of crypto) have reduced theirs.

Over the last six months, China, Germany and Turkey have increased their gold holdings by the most (these are official holdings – when it comes to China, its true holdings are likely much higher than stated).

Central banks want gold as it is a hard asset, not part of the financialized system when owned outright. But the dominant reason is a desire to diversify away from the dollar. If you’re not on friendly terms with the US, then it is a way to avoid your reserve assets being seized, as happened to Russia.

But central banks everywhere are quite possibly uneasy about owning too many dollars when the US is running large, inflation-causing fiscal deficits. The dollar is structurally overvalued on a purchasing-power-parity basis versus the main DM currencies. As the chart below shows, this points to dollar underperformance in the coming years.

Investors in gold ETFs may not see much risk from inflation and to the dollar, but central bankers are signaling very much the opposite.

Attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea continue to escalate and risk sparking a regional conflict as President Biden’s Operation Prosperity Guardian to shield ships from Iran-backed Houthi attacks miserably fails. The latest incident involves a commodity ship hit by at least one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden, close to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, marking the first fatality of crew members of the multi-month Red Sea crisis. 

“Two killed and six injured in a Houthi missile strikes on the MV True Confidence, a Liberian-owned vessel, in the Red Sea today, per two US officials,” Politico’s Pentagon reporter Lara Seligman posted on X. 

Seligman said, “These are the first fatalities of the Houthi campaign against international shipping since November.”

BREAKING: Two killed and six injured in a Houthi missile strikes on the MV True Confidence, a Liberian-owned vessel, in the Red Sea today, per two U.S. officials.

These are the first fatalities of the Houthi campaign against international shipping since November.

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) March 6, 2024

A US Department of Defense source told the journalist that “no Americans were on board” the vessel at the time of the incident. 

There were no Americans onboard, but the incident “speaks to how the Houthis are terrorizing international commercial shipping,” per U.S. official

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) March 6, 2024

“The 23 crew members were forced to abandon the ship, which was damaged but has not sunk yet,” she said.

The 23 crew members were forced to abandon the ship, which was damaged but has not sunk yet, per another DOD official. An Indian destroyer was the first on the scene, and the crew was moved aboard that vessel.

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) March 6, 2024

Seligman added: “Coalition warships have responded and are assessing the situation,” including an “American guided-missile cruiser.” 

An American guided-missile cruiser, the USS Philippine Sea, also headed in the direction of the True Confidence after the incident

— Lara Seligman (@laraseligman) March 6, 2024

Maritime tracking data via Bloomberg shows True Confidence abruptly turned before the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Tuesday, around 1900 local time. There is reason to believe the missile attack was around that time. 

Responding to the latest vessel incident, David Asher, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, explained: 

“The Houthis are bought, paid for, and directed by Tehran, and are upping the terrorist ante by seeking to shut down the Red Sea. Tehran sees weakness in the US government and indifference among the Europeans (who rely on these cargos). It’s a recipe for a widening zone of conflict that likely will spread into the Persian Gulf.” 

The rapidly expanding Red Sea crisis comes days after the bulk carrier Rubymar sunk after being hit by missiles last month, and a suspected Iranian ‘spy ship’ was lingering around the area where undersea communications were severed. 

Authored by Mark Glennon via Wirepoints.org,

“It’s gonna get a little hot in this city in the next few months” over contract negotiations with teachers. That’s from Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates’ address to the City Club of Chicago yesterday.

That sure sounds right based on the rest of her speech. Gates told us what the CTU is. “We are a whole bunch of people who have been told no. Don’t, Forget about it.  Don’t even think about it. No. Poo.” And this time, they won’t accept those answers, which was the primary point of the speech. It’s all part of the CTU’s broader “movement,” a term she used throughout the speech.

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates at the City Club

On that nasty subject of (dare I say this?) money, Gates was most stridently indifferent.

“They’re gonna say, ‘these are great proposals and can’t nobody pay for it and CTU with all of this, that and the other and who’s gonna pay for it, Stacy?’ ”

“Stop asking that question,” she said. “Ask another question.”

This is in a city, mind you, that already spends an astonishing $29,000 per student, including all sources and money for the capital budget. And Chicago Public Schools already faces a $391 million deficit for next and nearly $700 million for the following year when “Covid relief” money will have run out.

Maybe, actually, Gates did offer a number on cost. The problem is that opinions differ on whether she was joking or serious: $50 billion!

Specifically, she said it will cost “$50 billion dollars and three cents… And so what? That’s audacity.”

Sarah Karp at WBEZ reported that Gates said that jokingly, but I asked a CTU member who knows Gates quite well if she was kidding.

The answer I got: “Nope. She is insane.”

A clip of that part of the speech is here so judge for yourself. In the City Club Q&A, predictably, nothing was asked about the cost of CTU demands. For a little context, $50 billion would be roughly five times the current Chicago school budget and over double what the State of Illinois collects every year for income taxes.

NEW: Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates says the union’s contract demands from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will cost the city more than $50 billion. ⬇️

“$50 billion dollars and three cents…”

“And so what?”

“That’s audacity.”

For context, total base tax… pic.twitter.com/EZesxJV2Xw

— Austin Berg (@Austin__Berg) March 5, 2024

Later in the day, Gates added that she expects some of the money needed for new contract demands will come from TIFs — tax increment finance districts — that Mayor Johnson is overhauling. “Billions” will be available, she claimed. We’ll see.

A particular galling part of the speech is what Gates said about schools closed when Rahm Emanuel was mayor.

“When you ask me why I don’t compromise or am so strident,” she said that’s what happens when “you watch black women beg for their schools to be open. It felt like a theme from Roots.” Good grief. Nobody fought more relentlessly than the CTU to keep schools closed because of Covid, long after they had jumped the line on most everybody else for vaccinations.

Gates’ speech was peppered with claims of sexism and racism against Chicago teachers and schools.

In this country and this society, “Women are supposed to ask and beg. We are supposed to ask and to beg for an abortion, we are supposed to ask and beg for a child through iVF, beg for a wage, are supposed to ask somewhat for a fair wage,” she said. “The city is light years behind in the justice and equity owed to its people…. MAGA wants me on a plantation.”

Regarding private schools, she said “y’all don’t want a place for black kids anyway.” Regarding her alleged influence over former CTU worker Brandon Johnson, she said, “I’m not going to be part of the narrative of Lady Macbeth to a Black man that doesn’t have a brain. Like, that ain’t my role. My role is to run the Chicago Teachers Union.” About Texas enforcing the border on its own and sending migrants to Chicago, she said that “feels like Confederate behavior.”

The history teacher also said history books used to say blacks “got on a luxury ship on the west side of Africa and came to learn artisanal skills on a large farm.”

Gates did say something very sensible. When trying to enlist supporters for her movement, she said the CTU labels people they contact from 1 through 5.

To paraphrase, she said 1s and 2s are likely allies, though maybe with a little work. “The 3 are people who want to ask more questions and may come back later,” she said. The 4s and 5s are not likely to help or are opponents. “I like the 3s,” Gates said, “because threes show discernment, threes have good questions, threes are engaged.”

Which leads me to the first memory I have about Chicago Public School, from when I was in school in the suburbs. It was while my dad was driving me to school listening to WGN AM, as he usually did. A story ran about mismanagement or corruption of some kind at “Pershing Road.” What’s that? I asked my dad. It was another name for Chicago schools, he explained, because that’s where Chicago schools were headquartered.

“Wait, that can’t be right,” I said, or something to that effect. “Schools are good. Their people are good. That can’t be happening with their schools.”

No, sorry, my dad explained, that’s not always quite so with Chicago schools and the teachers’ union.

As the CTU ranks people, I went from a 1 to a 3 that day many years ago. Count me as a rock solid 5 today.

Ukraine’s key southern port city of Odesa has been coming under increased Russian drone and rocket attack of late, resulting in fears that Moscow could possibly be eyeing its takeover next. 

It is perhaps for this reason that President Volodymyr Zelensky made a visit Wednesday to the Black Sea hub. In a bit of risky move, the Ukrainian leader also brought along Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the official visit. Russia reportedly sent missiles or drones against the city at the very moment of their visit.

Zelensky and Mitsotakis said explosions rang out while they toured Odesa. “We heard the sound of sirens and explosions that took place near us. We did not have time to get to a shelter,” Mitsotakis told reporters. There are emerging reports and allegations that this was a targeted assassination attempt.

“It is a very intense experience… It’s really different to read about the war in newspapers, and to hear it with your own ears, see it with your own eyes,” Mitsotakis said of the strikes that reportedly hit close.

Zelensky in turn said before a press conference that he’s heard initial reports of “dead and wounded” from Wednesday’s fresh Russian strike on Odesa. “You can see who we are facing. They don’t care where they strike,” he told reporters.

Some online pundits are going so far as to call it an ‘assassination attempt’ targeting Zelensky, given some reports say at least one of the strikes hit very near where the pair were visiting. According to Politico: 

An explosion rocked the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Wednesday during a top-secret visit there by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The blast, caused by a ballistic missile, took place a few hundred meters away from the leaders’ motorcade, a Greek official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to POLITICO.

Greek State Minister Stavros Papastavrou, a top aide to Mitsotakis, confirmed to domestic media that there are no injuries among the Greek delegation following the explosion.

And The Washington Post has bluntly stated, “A Russian missile strike appeared to target Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, landing near his motorcade in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, where the president was meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.”

While it could be that Zelensky is playing up the incident for greater drama and sympathy, PM Mitsotakis appeared to confirm that the explosion was close. “Shortly afterwards, as we were getting into our cars, we heard a big explosion,” he said. Greek officials told the Protothema news outlet that a missile landed and exploded merely about 500 feet away.

Though perhaps a premature conclusion, this is what some pundits are saying in the wake of the new Odesa attack…

🚨🇺🇦BREAKING: ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON ZELENSKY

Russian forces allegedly launched missiles at Zelenskyy’s convoy, reportedly missing their target by approximately 150 meters.

He allegedly was en route to a meeting with the PM of Greece when the attack unfolded.

This is… pic.twitter.com/wnwB1mr1GY

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 6, 2024

As for Zelensky, there’s as yet no official indication from his office that he was targeted by Russia in an assassination attempt, but he has condemned the strikes, especially given it happened at a moment the two heads of state were physically there. Zelensky was not harmed, nor were any staff members in either delegation.

Zelensky in the aftermath said of Russian forces, “They have either completely lost their minds or just don’t control what their army is doing. This is why we need protection. Air defense systems are the best way.” Kiev has been urging the West to immediately send more anti-air systems after a series of deadly attacks on Odesa. On Saturday a wave of Russian drone and artillery strikes reportedly killed at least 11 people in Odesa, some of them women and children.