Hot Mess Early April
Horrifying scenes of mass graves and murdered civilians in Ukraine over the weekend have drawn international outrage as Western leaders call for more robust action to punish Russia for the alleged war crimes.
Americans will be allowed to choose an X for gender on their passport applications and select their sex on Social Security cards, the Biden administration said in announcing measures to support transgender Americans against a wave of state laws targeting them.
There are increasing signs that North Korea could soon test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2017 in a bid to improve its arsenal and increase political pressure, U.S. and South Korean officials and analysts said.
Euro zone inflation surged to 7.5% in March, hitting another record high with months still left before it is set to peak, making grim reading for the European Central Bank, which needs to reconcile sky-high prices with vanishing economic growth.
Investor morale in the euro zone fell to its lowest level in nearly two years in April, a survey showed, pointing to the beginning of a recession in the second quarter of 2022.
Costco spent the past decade investing hundreds of millions in poultry production in Nebraska to increase control of the supply chain of its famed $4.99 rotisserie chicken. But a new outbreak of the highly contagious avian flu is threatening that operation, as well as neighboring farmers.
The Biden Administration is setting new rules on fuel efficiency that require the average new car or truck to get nearly 50 miles per gallon of gasoline by 2026, helping drivers save money and reducing carbon emissions.
Mortgage rates continued to rise at the fastest pace in a decade, with the average rate on a 30-year fixed rising to 4.67%.
A fifth of US workers say they’re running out of money between paychecks, up 5% from last year.
On Friday, the House passed legislation that would legalize marijuana nationwide and scrap criminal penalties for pot-related activities (feat. an 8% tax on cannabis sales). While recreational weed is legal in 18 states, marijuana is still an illegal Schedule I drug at the federal level (along with LSD and heroin).
President Biden will release a record 180M barrels from the strategic petroleum reserve over the next six months in a push to pump the brakes on soaring gas prices.
The prevalence of COVID-19 in the U.K. has reached record levels, with about 1 in 13 people estimated to be infected with the virus in the past week, according to the latest figures from Britain’s official statistics agency.
Yeesh! This is a great illustration of why it's so important to maintain focus on the positive in the world.
There is good and uplifting news out there. Plenty of it. Seek it out.
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt
