Deadliest U.S. school killing in nearly a decade prompts Biden call for action

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

by Linda Noakes

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A gunman kills 21 at a Texas elementary school, Russia launches a new assault in eastern Ukraine, and Amazon.com faces record challenges at its shareholder meeting

Today's biggest stories

People react outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas, May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello

U.S.

A gunman murdered 19 children and two teachers in the deadliest U.S. school shooting for nearly a decade, prompting President Joe Biden to urge Americans to confront the country's gun lobby and pressure Congress to tighten gun laws.

Authorities said Salvador Ramos, 18, shot his grandmother, who survived, before fleeing and crashing his car near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and opening fire before being killed, apparently shot by police.

Here are reactions from officials, members of Congress and other prominent Americans to the latest in a string of mass shootings in the United States.

Georgia Republicans dealt Donald Trump his biggest defeat in his bid to play kingmaker in this year's midterm elections, choosing Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger despite Trump's efforts to oust them. But political analysts and Republican strategists caution that any scorecard is a poor barometer for the state of Trumpism.

Centrist U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar was clinging to a razor-thin lead against progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros in a high-profile south Texas Democratic primary battle that illustrated sharp dividing lines over immigration and abortion rights.

Biden's public approval rating fell this week to 36%, the lowest level of his presidency, as Americans suffered from rising inflation, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.

A man suspected in the fatal weekend shooting of a New York City subway rider, less than two months after a mass shooting on the transit system, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said.

A howitzer 2S1 Gvozdika of pro-Russian troops fires a leaflet shell to disperse information materials in the Luhansk region, Ukraine, May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

WORLD

Russian forces launched offensives on towns in eastern Ukraine with constant mortar bombardment destroying several houses and killing civilians, Ukrainian officials said, as Russia focuses its attack on the industrial Donbas region. Russia is ready to provide a humanitarian corridor for vessels carrying food to leave Ukraine, in return for the lifting of some sanctions, the Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying.

North Korea fired three missiles, including one thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, after Biden ended an Asia trip in which he agreed to new measures to deter the nuclear-armed state.

China will seek a region-wide deal with almost a dozen Pacific islands covering policing, security and data communications cooperation when Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts a meeting in Fiji next week, documents seen by Reuters show.

Seventy five people were missing after a crowded boat of migrants sank off Tunisia, as the numbers risking the dangerous crossing to Europe increase.

Senior leaders at British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street office were to blame for a culture that led to illegal parties being held there during coronavirus lockdowns, a report by a senior civil servant said. Here are the findings of the report.

BUSINESS

The United States pushed Russia closer to the brink of a historic debt default by not extending its license to pay bondholders, as Washington ramps up pressure on the country.

British retailer Marks & Spencer will pull out of Russia altogether and joined rivals in warning about the outlook for the current year amid a worsening cost-of-living crunch.

Amazon.com faces 14 investor resolutions challenging its policies at its annual shareholder meeting today, a record for the retail and cloud computing giant, as socially minded investors scrutinize its treatment of workers.

Didi Global may have ensured its survival after winning shareholders' nod for a U.S. stock delisting but a quick return to growth won't be easy for the Chinese ride-hailer as it still faces regulatory scrutiny and as COVID-19 has hurt the business.

The dollar's rally to two-decade highs appears to have stalled, with doubts growing on whether the U.S. economy will prove as resilient and monetary policy as aggressive as previously expected.

DAVOS

Protectionism is looming large at Davos as the world food crisis grows, prompting calls for urgent talks.

See our full coverage of the World Economic Forum

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