DeSantis announces candidacy, Tina Turner passes at 83, Uvalde shooting one year later.

Today’s Top Stories

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DeSantis Officially Running

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis filed official paperwork this afternoon with the FEC to run for President of the United States. He will kick off his presidential campaign with a conversation with Elon Musk on Twitter tonight at 6 pm ET. We’ll have the full report on that event tomorrow morning.

One-Year Anniversary Of Uvalde Shooting

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Uvalde school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted a ceremony at the White House today to mark the 21 lives lost at Robb Elementary School and to promote Democrats’ gun control policies. According to an exclusive report from the Washington Post, the supervising law enforcement officers who had direct knowledge of the ongoing shooting and were responsible for decisions that led to the deadly 77-minute delay in entering the school and engaging the gunman remain on the job.

Target Attempts To Backtrack

According to sources inside the company, Target made “emergency” calls last week to managers and senior directors at stores across the country after the company faced backlash for its Pride collection, which included “tuck-friendly” female swimwear and other products. Store managers were given less than 36 hours to move Pride products displays to a less prominent position in order to avoid a “Bud Light situation.” Target says that the move is to protect store workers after experiencing, quote, “threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work.” As a result, the store will be “making adjustments” to its plans, including “removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior.”

Alex Murdaugh To Be Deposed In Wrongful Death Lawsuit Brought By Family Of 19-Year-Old Killed In Boat Crash

Convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh will be deposed for a wrongful-death lawsuit that is being brought against his family. The family of 19-year-old Mallory Beach is suing the Murdaugh family and a convenience store following Beach’s untimely death in 2019 – a death attributed to Murdaugh’s youngest son Paul. Paul, according to his friends, was driving a boat while drunk when he crashed into a bridge and sent two passengers flying into the water, with Beach dying as a result. Paul was indicted on one count of boating under the influence causing death and two counts of causing significant bodily injury, but he was murdered along with his mother before the case went to trial. Murdaugh will face questions from representatives for the Beach family and Parker’s Kitchen convenience store. A date has not been set for the deposition.

DEA Warns About Ketamine

The Drug Enforcement Agency is concerned about a rise in the use of ketamine as a party drug. Ketamine which is used in veterinary practices as an anesthetic is now often prescribed “off label” as a treatment for depression and anxiety. Using data from the “High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program” scientists at NYU say there has been a 350% rise in the seizure of street ketamine since 2017. The states of Tennessee and Florida had the most illegal seizures of the drug with 130 and 113 respectively.

France Bans Short-Haul Domestic Flights

France banned short-haul domestic flights in a decree published Tuesday over concerns that the trips will accelerate climate change. The new decree will prohibit flights when a rail trip of less than two and a half hours is available to travelers, effectively ceasing flights between the cities of Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyons, and the Paris-Orly International Airport. Clément Beaune, the nation’s transport minister, said in a press release that he strongly supports the move. The decree did not specifically mention private jets, however.

Tina Turner Dead At 83

And, iconic singer Tina Turner died Tuesday at the age of 83 after a long illness in Switzerland, her management team revealed today. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner,” In a statement posted on Turner’s page says, “With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow.”

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