Western leaders scramble to respond as Russia invades Ukraine – National & International News – TUE 22FEB2022

Ahmaud Arbery’s killers found guilty of hate crimes. Poll of teachers says more than half are planning to quit. Western leaders scramble to respond as Russia invades Ukraine.

NATIONAL NEWS

Ahmaud Arbery’s killers found guilty in hate crimes trial

A Georgia jury has convicted white father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan on federal hate crimes charges in connection with the 2020 murder of black jogger Ahmaud Arbery. The trio had previously been convicted in a state court of murdering Arbery and received life sentences.

The federal case centered on the men’s motives for the killings. Before the trial commenced, the McMichaels and Bryan had agreed to plea guilty to avoid trial. Arbery’s family objected to the terms of the plea deal, which would have allowed the men to serve the first parts of their sentences in federal prison rather than state prison. The judge in the case rejected the deal on the basis of Arbery’s family’s objections, and the defendants withdrew the plea.

Prosecutors argued that the murder of Ahmaud Arbery was an act of “pent-up racial anger”. Over the course of the trial, the jury heard testimony from witnesses that the three men frequently used racial slurs, both directed at individuals and black people in general. Travis McMichael and Bryan also committed their hatred for black people in writing in social media posts and text messages.

Gregory McMichael’s phone was encrypted and so could not be examined. But the elder McMichael made clear his feelings about his prosecution for Arbery’s murder. In a recorded jailhouse call to someone he referred to as “brother”, Gregory McMichael said, “No good deed goes unpunished”.

Click here for the full story (opens in new tab).

Poll of teachers says more than half are planning to quit

A recent poll of teachers by the National Education Association (NEA) indicates that 55% of educators are planning to leave the profession early. This is up from 37% in an August poll. The NEA is a labor union representing more than 3 million American teachers. 

NEA President Becky Pringle says this alarming trend is due to the toll of the pandemic on teacher morale. Schools across the country are experiencing staffing shortages due to sickness or early retirements. This has resulted in added workload for teachers and school administrators. The unpredictability of what the workload will be from day to day is also contributing to teacher burnout. Tensions with with parents over school closings and masking requirements has also put teachers at odds with their communities, adding to the mental and emotional strain.

Pringle says we cannot wait until the pandemic subsides and hope that the phenomenon of teacher burnout resolves itself. Urgent steps are needed to improve conditions for teachers and school staff. Some districts have moved to increase pay and compensation for teachers and staff using funds from the American Rescue Plan.

But Pringle says that another major complaint she hears from teachers concerns a lack of resources to address students’ mental health. Students are facing not only academic challenges from school closures, but also social problems and increased pressures at home. The burden of grappling with students’ behavioral and emotional problems is increasingly falling to already overwhelmed teachers. Pringle says school districts must ensure that students have access to professional mental help and guidance. 

Click here to listen to the four-minute interview (opens in new tab).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Western leaders scramble to respond as Russia invades Ukraine

Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order lending official support for independent states in two Russian-majority Ukrainian territories. Donetsk and Luhansk, in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, have been agitating to become breakaway states since 2014. Emboldened by Putin’s declaration of support, the Russian-backed separatists are now eyeing further territorial gains in Ukraine. 

Shortly after his declaration, Putin delivered an hour-long tirade in which he bemoaned Ukraine’s alliance with the West and reiterated his view that Ukraine was not a real country but historically a part of Greater Russia. He also aired grievances about eastward NATO expansions in Europe over the past three decades. 

Putin also authorized Russian troops to enter Donbas as part of a “peacekeeping” force. Western countries say they have monitored large-scale movements of Russian troops over Ukraine’s borders. Russia’s parliament, the Duma, also rubberstamped an authorization for Putin to use force outside Russia’s borders. This may signal the start of a Russian incursion deeper into Ukraine.

The West imposes sanctions

For months, U.S. diplomats have been shuttling across Europe to rally support for sanctions in the event of a Russian invasion. The UK and Germany were quick to impose sanctions at the first sign of Russian troops entering Ukraine. The UK imposed sanctions on five Russian banks and some Russian oligarchs. Most consequentially, Germany shelved the $11 billion NordStream2 pipeline. This pipeline was to transport natural gas from Russia directly into Germany under the Baltic Sea, bypassing the network of pipelines crisscrossing Ukraine. The loss of this pipeline represents a major economic blow to Russia.

The U.S. was a bit slower to react, initially weighing whether the incursion was simply a continuance of Russia’s 8-year-long campaign in Donbas or represented a larger-scale invasion. Biden at first signed narrow sanctions which specifically targeted businesses based in Donbas, forbidding U.S. individuals or entities from doing business with them.

After this initial hedging, President Biden will soon announce what further sanctions he will authorize against Russia in response to the invasion.

Biden’s press conference on new sanctions was set to begin a couple of hours ago but has been delayed. Click here for further updates (opens in new tab).

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