| Evacuations underway in Tampa as crews try to avert "catastrophic" flooding; the former Crown Prince of Jordan under house arrest for alleged destabilization efforts. Tonight's Sentences was written by Greg Svirnovskiy. | | | | | | | Crews in Florida work to avert flooding of toxic pond | | | | | | - Crews in Manatee County, Florida, are currently working to prevent the collapse of a large wastewater pond near Tampa Bay. A collapse could release over 340 million gallons of hazardous water into Florida's ecosystem within minutes, with flood walls as high as 20 feet. [Associated Press / Chris O'Meara and Adriana Gomez Licon]
- Families from over 316 homes in areas immediately surrounding the wastewater pond at Piney Point, a former phosphate pond, were told to evacuate over the weekend as authorities prepared for imminent collapse and flooding. [The Independent / Shweta Sharma]
- Gov. Ron Desantis declared a state of emergency Saturday, after state officials initially discovered a leak in the lake on Friday. On Saturday, "the containment wall at the leak site shifted laterally, signifying that structural collapse could occur at any time," Jake Saur, the Manatee County director of public safety, said. [CBS News / Li Cohen]
- Since then, response teams have been working around the clock to pump water out of the pond and into Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The process could take up to 12 days, but the governor has ordered more pumps and cranes sent to the area to aid responders. [WinkNews / Zach Oliveri and Drew Hill]
- "What we're looking at now is trying to prevent, and respond to if needed, a real catastrophic flood situation," DeSantis said in a press conference Sunday. [Wall Street Journal / Zusha Elinson]
- Concerns have been raised about the ecological implications of its flooding on the Tampa region's waterways. The pond is rife with phosphogypsum, the radioactive byproduct that comes from the manufacturing of fertilizer, and contains trace amounts of uranium and radium. [Insider / Sophia Ankel and Yelena Dzhanova]
- The Florida Department of Environmental Protection found that the pond water does not meet water quality standards in pH levels and in levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. Still, the water has been deemed nonradioactive and only slightly acidic, "not at a level not expected to be a concern, according to the DEP. [NPR / Jeannette Muhammad]
- The potential pond collapse is the latest in a long line of ecological problems coming from Piney Point. HRK Holdings, the private company that has been charged with maintaining the pond since 2011, had recently warned elected officials about cracks in the ponds lining. But DeSantis vowed the company would be held accountable for this week's leaks. [Tampa Bay Times / Zachary T. Sampson]
| | | Jordan prince accused of coup attempt | | - Prince Hamzah bin Hussein was placed under house arrest Saturday on the orders of King Abdullah II, his half-brother, for allegedly working with "foreign entities" and plotting a coup. The former crown prince has denied the allegations. [BBC]
- Two other top officials, a former finance minister and a junior member of the Royal Family, were accused by Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi of plotting with Prince Hamzah to initiate the foreign-backed coup and threaten national security. More than 15 alleged associates were arrested over the weekend. [Financial Times / Andrew England]
- Both Prince Hamzah and King Abdullah II are sons of the late King Hussein. On their father's death in 1999, King Abdullah made Hamzah the Crown Prince, a title he took back five years later in favor of his own son. In the years since, Prince Hamzah has spoke out against the government corruption and structural inequities. [Associated Press / Josef Federman]
- Such public turmoil is a first for the Jordanian royal family, which tends to keep its conflicts out of the public eye. Arrests of members of the royal family are rare in a state considered one of the Middle East's most stable countries and a central ally of Western countries. [Al Jazeera]
- The Biden administration, which regards Jordan as a key player in Middle Eastern counterterrorism efforts, has publicly supported the current ruling regime. "King Abdullah is a key partner of the United States, and he has our full support," said State Department spokesperson Ned Price. [Washington Post / Joby Warrick, Sarah Dadouch and Steve Hendrix]
- On Saturday night, Prince Hamzah released a video in English denying allegations of plotting against his half-brother. In it, he accused the government rit large of being "stymied by corruption, nepotism and misrule." The result "has been a loss of hope." [The Guardian / Martin Chulov and Michael Safi]
- The royal discord comes at a particularly turbulent time for the Jordanian government. The state is currently grappling with a renewed wave of Covid-19 and an economy that is still grappling with how to take in the 600,000 refugees who came to Jordan in the wake of the Syrian War. [New York Times / Rana F. Sweis, Adam Rasgon and Patrick Kingsley]
| | | | | | | Corporations, led by AT&T, gave over $50 million in campaign funds to backers of voting restrictions in the 2020 election, according to a watchdog group. | | | [Associated Press / Brian Slodysko] - The trial of Derek Chauvin continued Monday, with the police chief of Minneapolis taking the stand to testify that Chauvin's "conduct was not consistent with MPD training and policies." [Axios / Torey Van Oot]
- Stanford held off a rally by Arizona to win its first national women's basketball tournament in 29 years. The Cardinal were led by sophomore Haley Jones in a championship snatched by the thinnest of margins. [Yahoo Sports / Cassandra Negley]
- On the men's side, Gonzaga and Baylor face off Monday in a matchup between the two teams most favored to make it to the title game heading into March. [CBS Sports / David Cobb].
- All adults and children in England will now have access to two Covid-19 tests a week, as the central government looks to lift the country's monthslong lockdown and prepare it for future outbreaks. [Associated Press / Jill Lawless]
| | | | | Support our journalism | | Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work from as little as $3. | | | | | | | | | | "From election law to environmentalism to radical social agendas to the Second Amendment, parts of the private sector keep dabbling in behaving like a woke parallel government." | | | | | | | | | | | American education is built on the belief that effort and ability are the key to success. But what about opportunity and access? Fabiola Cineas explains how the myth of meritocracy perpetuates racism on Glad You Asked. [YouTube] | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to edwardlorilla1986.paxforex@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved. | | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment