1. The US Strikes Target Iran-backed Militias
The US strikes in Iraq and Syria were conducted to target the Iranian militias near the border of Iraq and Syria. A spokesperson from the Pentagon stated the strikes targeted “operational and weapons storage facilities” at three locations.
John F. Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said “At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region.”
This is the second time the US has gotten involved in the region in a violent way in the Biden administration, the first in late February when President Biden ordered airstrikes in Syria for similar Iran-backed militias. The airstrikes carried out Monday morning resulted in four deaths in the Iraqi militia alliance – the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF).
2. Olympic Athlete Gwen Berry Refused To Acknowledge The National Anthem
Olympic hammer thrower, Gwen Berry, was “pissed” during her Olympic trials when the National Anthem played throughout the arena. Placing third, she was standing on the podium when the anthem started blaring from the speakers. As soon as it played, the two other girls on the podium faced the American flag with a hand on their hearts, but Berry turned towards the crowd with an indifferent facial expression.
Soon after, she held up a black t-shirt reading “Activist Athlete” over her head. She later said, “I feel like it was a setup, and they did it on purpose, I was pissed, to be honest.” She continued and said, “I didn’t really want to be up there. Like I said, it was a setup. I was hot, I was ready to take my pictures and get into some shade.”
Her final remarks about the situation included, “The anthem doesn’t speak for me. It never has.” She continued, “My purpose and my mission are bigger than sports. I’m here to represent those … who died due to systemic racism. That’s the important part. That’s why I’m going. That’s why I’m here today.”
3. Supreme Court Refuses To Back Down On Transgender Bathroom Rule
The majority conservative Supreme Court has refused to revisit their decision on transgender people using the bathroom of their desired gender after a Virginia school board requests them to reinstate the ban. The Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal. Their decision surrounded Gavin Grimm, a transgender student who sued his school for not allowing him to use the boys’ bathroom.
The case, Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board, went up to the Supreme Court, which ruled in the favor of Grimm and said it was “unconstitutional” and violated federal law by prohibiting the student to use the boys’ bathroom.
The Court refused to revisit the case on Monday morning, meaning their last decision will stay in place. This is one of the first pro-Transgender decisions made by the Supreme Court, the first one was last year when they ruled that the federal employment discrimination law also applied to LGBTQ workers.