Today's News: Updates from all over

Uvalde Massacre update: 

The Uvalde preliminary report is out and it is damning.

pic.twitter.com/1pIjB5hVwX

— mrs.LHS 🇺🇦🍀🌻☮️ (@ABPC84) July 18, 2022

We’ve gutted education financing to fund police departments just so nearly 400 Uvalde cops in full military gear could stand around while 19 children and 2 teachers were killed and Texas police chiefs are still blaming the school for not having a better fence and locked doors. pic.twitter.com/JjhG1rm8jI

— Andrew Wortman 🏳️‍🌈🇺🇸 (@AmoneyResists) July 17, 2022

They're talking about the Interim Report 2022 on the Uvalde massacre in May. 

In spite of all the talk in the report about school fences and unlocked doors, Lawrence O'Donnell at MSNBC pinpoints the key sentences, on page 73: 

There was no legal impediment to the attacker buying two AR-15-style rifles, 60 magazines, and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition when he turned 18. The ATF was not required to notify the local sheriff of the multiple purchases. 

As O'Donnell noted in his commentary, it was fear of this armament that prevented almost 400 police from trying to stop the mayhem sooner.

Nothing says ban assault rifles like 5 school officers, 8 federal DEA officers, 13 U.S. Marshals, 16 sheriff’s deputies, 25 Uvalde officers, 69 officers of nearby law enforcement, 91 state police officers plus 149 U.S. Border Patrol agents being scared of 1 shooter with an AR-15.

— Andrea Junker (@Strandjunker) July 18, 2022

We also had news about this self-serving BS.

A document prepared by Uvalde officials and labeled “narrative” was obtained by @nytimes after a FOIA request. It lays out a desired telling of events after the mass shooting that praised officers for rushing toward gunfire and saving hundreds of children.https://t.co/2BVWeFe9sm

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) July 17, 2022

And now even more stuff is coming out:

Days after Texas Public Safety Director Steve McCraw criticized the way law enforcement handled the Robb Elementary shooting, officials sought a more positive portrayal of the police response, according to a memo obtained by ABC News. @ABCMireya reports. https://t.co/6cN1DC7Ycp pic.twitter.com/X7khJdnuhx

— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) July 19, 2022

On a side note, this just may result in more realistic views of police:

In private, many police officers are told “No matter what, the goal is to get yourself home.” Anything that’s a threat to that is either to be eliminated or avoided. It also elevates what they might see as a threat, hence why the first move for many is to shoot. /3

— Marcelius Braxton (@Marcelius_B) July 18, 2022

Years ago, I read of a sociologist who studied police. He wrote a paper saying that police mostly stopped cars full of young men & figured out something to charge them with.
The sociologist was shocked when his police buddies got mad about this observation.

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) July 19, 2022

The people of Uvalde are strong, and getting stronger:

The saddest display of books in a public library is in Uvalde, Texas. pic.twitter.com/C7aRaImsMs

— nancypjohnson (@nancypjohnson) July 18, 2022

The Uvalde community really finding their voices tonight.Speaking out tonight at the school board meeting. Demanding the school board clean house.Demanding Pete Arredondo be fired by noon tomorrow. They say they are prepared to keep their kids out of school until changes are made

— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) July 18, 2022

The failure in Uvalde took many forms. We still need a lot more answers. But let’s be clear. It began with a culture that accepts gun violence as just a part of modern life.

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) July 18, 2022

Ukraine update:

Battles continue to be fought in a few places along the eastern and southern front, but there appears to be little movement of the lines. Russia seems to be frozen in place, without the capacity to move forward nor the integrity to retreat, while Ukraine assembles its arms and its army to initiate a Kherson offensive.

War update by the British Military Intelligence as of Jul.19 pic.twitter.com/9AmgV76zpd

— Stratcom Centre UA (@StratcomCentre) July 19, 2022

An interesting story which explains one question I have wondered about - why don't people living in active war zones just leave?

A fascinating article (gift link). https://t.co/4its9yHFIh

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) July 18, 2022

This is upsetting to read though it did work out OK in the end for this boy:

A Ukrainian teen was captured but then freed in a prisoner exchange.
His story* (gift article) (*trigger warning for torture.) https://t.co/seivWisBMX

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) July 18, 2022

Europe update: 

Scorching hot across western Europe with profound records being shattered.

A thread... pic.twitter.com/unxE3ppDBK

— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) July 18, 2022

Here is a thread about Europe's heat wave this week. 

People are dying across the continent, Greece is sending firefighters to France, Spain is burning, Scotland is running out of water, temps in UK reached 40, etc:

The coming days in Europe are likely to see one of the continent's most extreme climate disasters. I'll try to track as many of the heat records, public statements, scientists, fire warnings and reporting here.

Europe's hottest week — a THREAD

— Karl Mathiesen (@KarlMathiesen) July 16, 2022

and this terrifying escape happened in Spain:

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT – Video footage shows Angel Martin Arjona, a Spanish man who was trying to safeguard his town from a wildfire, having a close brush with death when a wildfire engulfed his excavator https://t.co/8WhaHK7nit pic.twitter.com/yyUm3ucGah

— Reuters (@Reuters) July 19, 2022

And some other observations today: 

Steve Bannon's trial began today and this pretty well sums up my opinion:

This is SO unfair to Pigpen. https://t.co/bYdguUKcFt

— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) July 18, 2022

Whatabout-ism, and so true:

I don't know if people know this or not-everyone gets fucking haircuts. And if you want to talk about haircuts? Harper kept a hairstylist ON STAFF. And his hair still looked like THAT.

— Tenacious Tara 🇺🇦 (@Homegrowngirl2) July 17, 2022

Rats. Ship. Discuss. https://t.co/Fi5DfolS9Z

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) July 18, 2022

There was no "team normal" at the Trump White House.

Two teams:

1. People who did evil shit for 4 years and were calculating enough to get off a sinking ship AS it sunk.

2. People who did evil shit for 4 years, stood there while the city burned and after it burned made deals.

— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) July 19, 2022

And here in Saskatchewan, the Sask Party government got caught flying hither and yon at taxpayer expense for totally necessary trips like -- going to lunch:

No wonder the @SKGov’s Finance Minister said in QP last session that she spends very little on fuel for a road vehicle…

Apparently flying to a restaurant, in the province, is her preferred mode of transportation. #OutOtTouch#VoteThemOut #SkPoli https://t.co/p78586mMt0

— Carolyn Brost Strom (@carolynstrom) July 18, 2022

Let's call a spade a spade.

Scott Moe and his ministers charged Saskatchewan people sixteen grand to re-announce old projects and try to buy votes on the eve of a byelection. #skpoli https://t.co/2Ys9ojT7sI

— Carla Beck (@CarlaBeckSK) July 18, 2022

Harpauer was just too busy to talk to the media today but apparently she will do so tomorrow. Undoubtedly she'll refer again to some irrelevant trip taken by the NDP 20 years ago...