Wednesday Afternoon Update: U.S. Sends Tanks To Ukraine, McCarthy Smacks Down Schiff, Walmart Increases Pay

This article is a companion piece to today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. Click to listen to the podcast version. here.

U.S. U.S. Sends Tanks to Ukraine

President Joe Biden announced The United States has sent 31 Abrams tanks from the United States to Ukraine today. The U.S. also provides the necessary supplies and training to operate these tanks. Biden stressed that the 31 tanks were equivalent to one Ukrainian tank brigade in his announcement of the move.

McCarthy Slams Down Schiff

Kevin McCarthy (R. CA) is the Republican Speaker in the House. fired Responding to reporters’ questions about why he had removed Adam Schiff, Democratic Congressman, from the House Intel committee he claimed that Schiff had used the position previously for partisan gain. McCarthy also removed Eric Swalwell from California from the Committee.

Santos Could be Removed from Congress

McCarthy also announced that George Santos, a New York Republican Representative, will be expelled from Congress if found guilty by the Ethics Committee. Santos was accused of lying about a number of things, including cross-dressing as a woman to steal thousands from a charity that was meant for veterans and sick dogs.

Pelosi launches another perfect-timed stock trade

Nancy Pelosi, a Democratic-CA Congresswoman, is being criticized for a conspicuously timed stock move after it was revealed on Wednesday that she dumped stocks in Google’s parent company Alphabet just weeks before the DOJ announced an anti-trust lawsuit against the platform. Pelosi and her husband Paul have regularly outperformed the market, but have claimed that they do not use intelligence gained from Pelosi’s position for their financial decisions.

Pope Francis says homosexuality is a sin, but not a crime

Pope Francis stated that homosexuality is not a crime and that it is a sin in an exclusive interview with AP. Pope Francis also asked bishops to openly welcome LGBT people into their churches.

Malibu Earthquake Rocks

This morning, a 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck about 10 miles south-east of Malibu in California. Despite several aftershocks, the quake was not felt offshore. There were no reports of any injuries or damage. The National Weather Service states that it does not expect a tsunami.

Asylum-Seeker from Triple-Murderer Asylum Who Lied About Age Was Sentenced To Prison In U.K.

A U.K. court sentenced a 21 year old who sought asylum for the murder of an aspiring Royal Marine last March. The man — an Afghani migrant who was allowed into the country after falsely claiming to be 14 at the time — was also convicted in his absence of committing two additional murders in Serbia. Lawmakers now want to see changes to the asylum system.

Arkansas designates drag shows as adult-oriented businesses

Arkansas senators passed a bill on Tuesday Drag shows would be classified as “adult-oriented businesses,” This would prevent children from attending events such as drag queen story hour and drag brunch, among others. The Arkansas House will now be considering the bill.

Walmart Increases Pay

And, Walmart announced This week, it will increase its pay for many reasons. “associates.” It’s anticipated that workers at the mega-chain will make on average above $17.50 an hour in the U.S.

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