Good Morning,
Waukesha, Wisconsin
The video is horrendous showing a red SUV speeding into a Christmas parade in the city of Waukesha at a high speed.
Five are dead, and more than 40 injured, and authorities have one man in custody while denying this was an act of terror.
The suspect appears to have been fleeing the scene of another incident when he drove through the parade at first speeding past marchers, and then inevitably plowing into the main body of the parade as it passed through town, crowed with children and their parents on what was supposed to be a festive parade.
It echos European terror attacks like the one in Nice France, when a terrorist drove a drove through Bastille Day killing 86 people and leaving 400 injured. Since then parade routes in Europe are usually blocked from motorists with vehicles parked to block access routes and protect pedestrians. In fact in London where terrorists have used vehicles as weapons on bridges, sidewalks now have concrete barriers to prevent someone from driving into crowds of people.
Covid Europe
The WHO has warned unless people wear masks, and increase the uptake of vaccines, there could be another 500 thousand deaths in Europe over the winter as Covid hospitalizations are rising rapidly.
So vaccine mandates and lockdowns for those who have not take the vaccines, seem reasonable, but have been met with angry protests over the weekend including violent clashes with police in Netherlands and Belgium.
Despite that Austria has entered a full lockdown starting at midnight Sunday. Austria has made Covid vaccinations a legal requirement with the law coming into effect in February. Germany is also now considering legal enforcement of vaccinations.
Ukraine and Russia
Russia denies it is threatening Ukraine, despite the simple and verifiable fact it is massing troops on Ukraines border. Daily more forces arrive and now number somewhere around 90 thousand in including specialized units being brought to the border from several thousand miles away inside Russia.
Ukraine’s Head of Defence Intelligence Agency, Kyrylo Budanov, believes Russia will enact a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine by early 2022.
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 after a popular uprising against Ukraines then Russian backed President who was forced to flee the Country.
Russia then annexed the Crimea, and has armed and commanded so called ‘Ukrainian rebels’ in the East of Ukraine. NATO nations have increasingly supported an independent Ukraine, and has sent the Ukraine army anti tank weapons, and more including training assistance.
Putin who denied Russian forces were in Ukraine in 2014, and then later admitted his troops had seized Crimea, now also denies he has an intention to invade Ukraine but U.S. military planners have warned Ukraine the threat appears to be growing.
Chinese Tennis Player
Peng Shuai, a former World number 1 doubles champion disappeared after accusing a high ranking communist party official of sexual assault. And for days her where about’s has been a mounting concern for tennis officials and even raised in a White House briefing.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has claimed Shuai is fine and has attended various events although those appearances are not verifiable. And women’s tennis stars including Serena Williams have called publicly for an investigation into Shuai’s whereabouts.
Back Story Podcast
Calls for violence, and relentless Republican attacks on the legitimacy of the election, puts America on a trajectory for disaster. On Back Story Host Dana Lewis talks to Univ. of Virginia Prof. and political commentator Larry Sabato, who calls it "the most extraordinary and disturbing period" of his life in looking at politics in America.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1016881/9570275
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Dana
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/watch/reports-of-chinese-tennis-player-peng-shuai-raise-more-confusion/vp-AAQWidN
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1525012/russia-war-Putin-invade-ukraine-2022-evg
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59369488