Daily Briefing: What is 'Cop City'?
Protesters attacked a planned training center over the weekend where a 26-year-old environmental activist was fatally shot in January. Also in the news: Four Americans were kidnapped after crossing into Mexico last week. Ukraine is pushing to defend the city of Bakhmut as Russia escalates its offensive.
🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. "Jeopardy!" contestants struck out on an entire sports category. Could you solve these clues?
Here's Tuesday's headlines.
Why activists are protesting police, fire department training center in Atlanta
At the start of a "week of action" planned by activists, dozens of people were detained and many were charged with domestic terrorism after a crowd burned vehicles and set off fireworks Sunday at a proposed public safety training center, according to Atlanta police.
The center set to be built in a forest near Atlanta has sparked months of protests from activists who say the project will damage the environment and contribute to the militarization of police.
The attack follows outrage over the death of 26-year-old environmental activist "Tortuguita" who was killed by police after allegedly shooting a state trooper while officials were clearing the area, according to law enforcement. Activists online have questioned the police version of events and called on law enforcement to release any body-camera video of the incident.
What is 'Cop City'? The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed "Cop City" by its opponents, is a $90 million space expected to include classrooms, a shooting range, and a mock city, according to officials.
A coalition of environmental groups said in a letter to the Atlanta City Council the project will jeopardize the South River Forest, which is surrounded by primarily Black and Hispanic communities and "is our best hope for resilience against the worst impacts of climate change."
Four kidnapped Americans crossed into Mexico to purchase medicine, president says
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that four Americans were going to buy medicine last week when “there was a confrontation between groups, and they were detained." U.S. officials have also confirmed a Mexican citizen was killed. The victims crossed into Mexico Friday through the city of Matamoros, in the Tamaulipas state, driving a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, the FBI said. Shortly after, gunmen fired upon the passengers and the Americans were placed in another vehicle and taken from the scene, the FBI said. Here's what else we know about the kidnapping.
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Lawsuit filed to end student loan payment pause
SoFi, a company with a significant student loan refinancing business, is suing the federal government to end its moratorium on federal student loan payments, calling it "an illegal overreach of power." Federal student loan payments have been paused for roughly 43.5 million borrowers since March 2020, at the onset of the pandemic. The current pause, which costs the federal government about $5 billion per month, could last through August, but that depends on when the Supreme Court issues its verdict on Biden’s mass student loan forgiveness plan. Read more
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Biden pressure prompts D.C. to cancel sentencing reform law as GOP portrays Dems as soft on crime.
FBI gun seizure orders from people who fail background checks hit historic rates.
Ukraine vows to defend Bakhmut as Russian attacks intensify
Ukraine's military leaders remain committed to defending Bakhmut despite the immense firepower Russian forces have rained down on the Donetsk region city for months, the office of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday. Military strategists have questioned why Russia has been so determined to seize the city, given the heavy casualties and apparently modest military value. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday that losing Bakhmut would not be a major blow because its value is more symbolic than strategic. Read more
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NFL combine winners, losers
Put the stopwatches and measuring tape away: The NFL scouting combine is in the book after Monday's final group of bench presses. The annual event in Indianapolis once again sparked plenty of intrigue about what the fallout would be for top prospects and their draft stocks. Discerning that, however, can be difficult, as the ever-important team interviews and medical evaluations remain behind closed doors, and the testing and on-field workouts often serve more as a check on prospects rather than the final word. Here's our look at the winners and losers of the 2023 NFL Combine.
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Red tide is a naturally occurring sea-faring toxic algae, formally known as the single-cell Karenia brevis. They can grow far offshore in the Gulf and pile up near the coast in the fall and winter as wind patterns blow cold fronts into Florida. Recent levels from Tampa Bay south to Marco Island are ranging from around 10,000 cells per liter to more than 1 million cells per liter, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Fish deaths and breathing issues in humans can start when levels reach 10,000 cells per liter. Read more about the algae and click here to see more photos of red tide.
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Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.
Associated Press contributed reporting.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Cop City', Atlanta, Mexico kidnapping, student loan, Ukraine Russia, Bakhmut, NFL, Florida: Daily Briefing
