If you couldn’t tell by all the pictures of gas pumps on Facebook, gas prices are the most expensive in *checks notes* … yes, ever. Highest gas prices ever. And lawmakers in Florida passed a controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
👋 Hey! Laura here. It’s Tuesday. Here’s all the news you need to know.
But first, it’s International Women’s Day! 👯♀️ Check out these pictures from celebrations around the world.
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Highest gas prices … ever
After days of dramatically rising gas prices in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the national average for a gallon of gas is the highest in U.S. history, breaking a record that stood for nearly 14 years. As of Tuesday morning, the cost of regular gas is $4.17, according to AAA, up from $4.06 on Monday. Last week, the average cost was $3.60. The previous national average high was $4.11, set July 17, 2008, according to AAA. The current record does not account for inflation. As is historically the case, California has the most expensive prices in the country, averaging $5.44 a gallon as of Tuesday. One of the main components of the rising costs is the invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces. Gas prices are likely to keep rising. GasBuddy projects prices will probably average $4.25 in May and stay over $4 until November.
‘We will not give up, and we will not lose’
A defiant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an impassioned plea for help to the world Tuesday, thanking the West for its support and saying his country would not yield to the overwhelming might of the Russian military. “We will not give up, and we will not lose,” Zelenskyy said to a rousing ovation from the British parliament via video from Ukraine. “We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air. We will continue fighting for our land whatever the costs.” Zelenskyy acknowledged the costs have been high, citing Russian missile strikes that have killed hundreds of civilians, including children, and devastated residential neighborhoods in Ukraine’s largest cities.
Also on Tuesday: President Joe Biden announced a ban on the U.S. import of Russian energy, saying the U.S. is “targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy.” Britain announced that it would phase out the import of Russian oil over the next year. And the first safe corridor intended to allow civilians to escape Ukraine’s battered cities opened, a significant move met with skepticism after similar efforts failed.
What everyone’s talking about
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6 teens charged with murder
Police have arrested six teenagers and charged each with murder in the Monday shooting outside of a Des Moines, Iowa, high school that resulted in one teenager’s death and left two others in critical condition. A 15-year-old boy was killed in what police say was a targeted drive-by shooting. Two girls, 16 and 18, also were shot and remain in critical condition. Six teenagers from Des Moines each have been charged in adult court with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to Des Moines police. They are Octavio Lopez, 17; Nyang Chamdual, 14; Manuel Buezo, 16; Romero Perdomo, 16; Alex Perdomo, 15; and Henry Valladares-Amaya, 17.
Florida lawmakers pass ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
Florida lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bill — dubbed by critics the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — restricting speech in public school classrooms on sexual orientation and gender identity, sparked by one lawmaker’s concern that children were being “trendy” in coming out as gay. The legislation — titled “Parental Rights in Education” (HB 1557) — now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has suggested he will sign it into law. If so, it goes into effect July 1. The 22-17 vote came after weeks of national attention over the measure, which has grabbed the attention of international newspapers, Hollywood actors and the White House. What has caused the most contention is one section of the bill: It prohibits public school teachers from “instruction” about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten-3rd grade — though it’s already not taught in those grades — and limits it to “age appropriate” in other grades. Critics fear the measure will stigmatize LGBTQ youth and banish discussions of their lives and families from the public school classroom.
Real quick
Texas man found guilty in first Jan. 6 insurrection jury trial
A federal court jury delivered guilty verdicts Tuesday against a Texas militiaman on all five criminal counts in a case stemming from the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol attack, including interfering with the certification of the 2020 election, in the first jury trial to emerge from the government’s investigation of the insurrection. Guy Wesley Reffitt, 49, looked on as the decisions were read, concluding a fast-moving case in which prosecutors portrayed the Wylie, Texas, oil industry worker, as a leader of a violent mob that overwhelmed police lines just outside the Senate chamber. The jury reached its decision after less than three hours of deliberation. Reffitt’s sentencing is scheduled for June 8.
A break from the news
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