Weekly Snapshot: A Mysterious Comeback

‘People’s Convoy’ Loops Around US Capital in COVID Protest

Trucks and other vehicles traveled across the country to deliver a message on COVID-19.

Trucks and other vehicles have gathered near Washington, DC, to protest COVID restrictions. Several convoys traveled across the nation, eventually meeting and arriving at the capital. The procession did two laps around the Capital Beltway, a road that encircles the city, on Sunday. Then they repeated the event on Monday.

The demonstration was inspired by the recent trucker protests in Canada, which opposed new COVID-19 rules.

The demonstration is made up of several groups. One of them is the “People’s Convoy,” which started its 11-day journey on the other side of the country, in California. Another group, the “American Freedom Convoy,” began in the Midwest.

The People’s Convoy urged the US to lift all COVID restrictions. It called on elected officials to “restore accountability and liberty by lifting all mandates and ending the state of emergency — as COVID is well-in-hand now, and Americans need to get back to work in a free and unrestricted manner.” Read more…

 

From Train Robberies to Stores – US Sees a Rise in Crime

What led to the increase in crime, and what can be done about it?

California, famous for its lovely weather and coastline, is also well known for its movies. Lots of films feature train robberies, and it looks like life is imitating art in the Golden State these days. Crime has risen across the United States in the last two years, and train robberies are just one example.

According to Union Pacific Railroad, the increase in train robberies is believed to be due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rules limiting California’s police, and jailtime for suspects, are also affecting the situation.

Union Pacific has its own private police force, and officers report that detained thieves simply say that they will be back the next day. Lupe Valdez, who works at the train company, said, “We are making arrests, but what our officers are seeing on the ground is that people are basically being arrested [and] they come out the next day and come back to rob our trains.” Read more…

 

The Monarch Butterfly Makes a Surprise Return

After nearly becoming extinct, they made a giant comeback.

The Western Monarch Butterfly population has been declining since the 1990s. Scientists worried that if this trend continues, the beautiful creatures might become extinct. Thankfully, there has been a notable increase in the monarch population over the last year, giving scientists hope that they will survive.

In the early 90s, between three and ten million monarch butterflies migrated to California for the winter. Between 2020 and 2021, only about 2,000 were counted in the entire state. Astonishingly, the numbers increased in 2021 to around 250,000. While researchers were happy about the dramatic increase, it left them wondering how this happened.

The migration patterns of monarch butterflies are complicated. The butterflies east of the Rocky Mountains travel to Mexico in the fall, where the weather is warm and there are wooded areas for them to live. Those west of the Rockies travel to the California coastline, also in search of a warmer climate. Read more…

 

President Biden Gives His First State of the Union Speech

The president discussed Ukraine, the economy, and other key issues.

President Joe Biden gave his first State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. The annual speech is a chance for the president to tell Congress and the American people how things are going in the country and what he wants to do next. So, what did Biden discuss?

Biden came out of the gate with stern words for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia recently invaded its neighbor, Ukraine. Biden said Putin had started the attack on Ukraine “thinking he could make it bend to his menacing ways, but he badly miscalculated.” Instead, “he met with a wall of strength he never … imagined. He met the Ukrainian people.”

President Biden continued, saying the U.S. and Europe stand with the Ukrainians:

“He thought he could divide us at home, in this chamber, in this nation. He thought he could divide us in Europe as well. But Putin was wrong. We are ready. We are united and that’s what we did, we stayed united.”

Biden outlined that together with allies, the U.S. has put “powerful economic sanctions” in place to punish Russia.

The president then moved on to talk about America’s economy. Read more…