Month: February 2022

On Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a law ending mask mandates in schools throughout Virginia.  The law allows parents to opt-out their children from wearing masks, despite conflicting local mandates, without providing a reason or getting an exemption. It also bars online learning options, preventing schools from enacting hybrid systems, and requires schools be open for in-person learning five days a week.

Youngkin had signed an executive order barring mask mandates on the day he was inaugurated in mid-January, but several school districts challenged it in court.  The newly-elected governor was pushing to deliver on his campaign promises to end the mandates, and affirm what he said are ‘the rights of parents in education.’  The new law comes as school board meetings have become political battlegrounds over COVID mandates, and as an increasing number of states have let indoor mask mandates expire this month, including California, New York, Delaware and Nevada.  In addition, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut and Oregon will stop requiring masks in the next few weeks, leaving it up to individual school districts to decide if students should wear them or not — and Texas, Utah, Florida, and Oklahoma are banning requirements altogether at a state level.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommends that all children ages two and older wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

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The U.S. military announced Wednesday that Russian military jets intercepted three U.S. Navy aircrafts over the weekend in an “unprofessional” manner.

U.S. Navy Capt. Mike Kafka, director of Defense Press Operations, said the intercepts happened while the U.S. aircraft were in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea.  Captain Kafka said in a statement: “We can confirm that over the course of last weekend, three U.S. Navy P-8A aircraft experienced unprofessional intercepts by Russian aircraft. We have made our concerns known to Russian officials through diplomatic channels. While no one was hurt, interactions such as these could result in miscalculations and mistakes that lead to more dangerous outcomes. The U.S. will continue to operate safely, professionally and consistent with international law in international waters and airspace. We expect Russia to do the same.”

The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Russia over the Moscow’s buildup of troops along the Russian border with Ukraine. The United States and its NATO allies have warned Russia against invading Ukraine, threatening to levy sanctions and other punishments against Moscow. Russia has said it condemns any attempts by Ukraine to join NATO and wants the military alliance to withdraw its deployment to its pre-1997 positions.

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Gunmaker Remington has agreed to pay more than $70 million to settle a lawsuit with families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 young children and 6 adults almost a decade ago. Court documents filed on Tuesday show that the company agreed to pay $73 million to settle the case, which stems from the assault-style rifle used in the attack — a Remington Bushmaster XM15-E2S AR-15.  The settlement makes history as the first time a gun manufacturer will face liability following a mass shooting in the United States.

The landmark victory comes after a protracted legal battle over how Remington marketed its Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle, which was used in the December 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The gunman, Adam Lanza, fatally shot his mother before the elementary school rampage, then killed himself.

The lawsuit made its way through the state Supreme Court after Remington argued it should be shielded under a federal law designed to prevent gun manufacturers from being held liable for crimes in which their guns were used. In 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court said it would allow the suit to go forward. Last July, attorneys for Remington offered nearly $33 million to settle the suit.

In their lawsuit against Remington, which has since filed for bankruptcy, families of the victims argued that the gun maker irresponsibly marketed the weapon to at-risk young men such as the Sandy Hook shooter through product placement in violent video games. As part of the settlement, the families are also allowed to release materials related to how Remington marketed the rifle. Remington, based in Madison, North Carolina, has denied the allegations.

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According to documents filed Tuesday in New York, Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre have reached an out-of-court settlement in her sexual assault lawsuit against him.  The two parties will file a dismissal upon Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement, the amount of which is not being disclosed. Giuffre alleges she was trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions when she was 17.  The 61-year-old Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.  Representatives in the United Kingdom for Prince Andrew had no comment after news of the settlement was made public.

The settlement documents stated:  “Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks. It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others. He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”  

Prince Andrew’s attorneys had argued back in January to dismiss the lawsuit, after it was revealed that Epstein had reached a $500,000 settlement with Giuffre, in which she agreed not to sue any other “potential defendant.” Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York refused to grant the royal’s motion to dismiss.

Buckingham Palace released a statement on January 13 regarding Andrew’s royal status, saying he was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages. They announced at the time: “With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”  It is said that Prince Andrew will likely retain his title as the Duke of York and keep his place in the line of succession to the throne, which is currently ninth behind Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s two children. However, he will no longer use the style “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity.

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