| Mass shootings are up 23 percent from 2020; Belarus diverts a passenger plane to arrest a dissident. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gregory Svirnovskiy. | | | | | | | 12 mass shootings happened in America over the weekend | | | | | Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images | | - At least 12 mass shootings occurred in the US this weekend, leaving at least 11 people dead and 69 injured. Those numbers add to a year that's seen a 23 percent uptick in gun violence from 2020. So far this year, 7,500 people have been killed by gun violence in the US. [CNN / Amir Vera and Hollie Silverman]
- Mass shootings were especially prevalent in the Midwest this weekend, taking place in Youngstown, Ohio, Columbus, and Minneapolis. [NBC News / Tim Stelloh]
- Gun control is broadly popular among American voters. Polling conducted by Everytown for Gun Safety in January found that 93 percent of Americans, including 64 percent of Republicans, are in favor of background checks on all gun sales. [Everytown]
- So is President Joe Biden. In April, he unveiled a series of gun control executive actions that placed new restrictions on pistol modifications and stopped the sale of "ghost guns" (handmade or 3D-printed firearms that lack serial numbers). But Biden can't do much more to curb gun abuse, a responsibility that lies with Congress. [Vox / Gregory Svirnovskiy]
- "Enough prayers, time for some action," Biden said to Congress back in April. "I believe the Senate should immediately pass three House-passed bills to close loopholes that allow gun purchases, purchasers, to bypass the background checks." [Fox News / Sam Olson]
| | | Belarus arrests a dissident journalist in an incident of "state-sponsored piracy" | | - Belarusian dissident and journalist Roman Protasevich was arrested Sunday in Minsk when his commercial Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania was forced down by a contrived bomb threat and a MiG-29 fighter jet sent up by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. [NYT / Neil Vigdor and Ivan Nechepurenko]
- Protasevich has run afoul of the Lukashenko regime a number of times since he started his activism at age 17 in 2012. What's stunning about this arrest is its blatant disregard for international norms. Protasevich fled Belarus in 2019; the state had no jurisdiction in forcing his flight to land. [AFP / Dario Thuburn]
- It's all part of a crackdown on national dissent that's come in waves since mass protests rocked Belarus after Lukashenko's most recent election victory. Ryanair accused the regime of committing "state-sponsored piracy," and said KGB agents were on the plane. [CNN / Sheena McKenzie]
- Protasevich is designated as a terrorist in Belarus for his revolutionary activities. If tried on such charges, he could face the death penalty. [Guardian / Andrew Roth and Helena Smith]
- International condemnation of the incident was widespread. European airlines are avoiding Belarusian airspace; their governments are considering sanctions. [Washington Post / Michael Birnbaum and Isabelle Khurshudyan]
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for Protasevich and his girlfriend, Sofia Sapega, to be released from Belarusian custody and allowed to return home. "This shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenko regime endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including US citizens," Blinken said in a Sunday night statement. "We demand his immediate release." [Axios / Ivana Saric]
| | | | | | | India's pandemic death toll has passed 300,000. That number, likely an undercount, is the third-highest official Covid-19 death total in the world, behind only the United States and Brazil. | | | [BBC] - Half of US states have now vaccinated at least 50 percent of their adult populations as Covid-19 rates continue to fall; case and death counts are now at their lowest point since early last year. [CNN / Christina Maxouris]
- Beto O'Rourke may be getting set to challenge Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for the governor's mansion in Austin. Actor Matthew McConaughey is also mulling a run. [Axios / Orion Rummler]
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East this week, looking to build on ceasefire talks from last week and resume long-stalled peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas. [AP / Matthew Lee]
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