News Wrap: Russia claims Ukraine shot down plane transporting POWs

Amna Nawaz:

Back in Khan Yunis, the U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees reported that an Israeli tank round killed nine people and wounded 75 at a U.N. training center. Israeli officials have said Hamas fighters operate around U.N. sites and other civilian structures.

Moscow is accusing Ukrainian forces of shooting down a Russian military transport plane today, killing all 74 people on board. The Russians say the plane went down in the Belgorod region as it was flying 65 Ukrainians to a prisoner swap at the border. Amateur video showed the plane bursting into flames as it fell from the sky and plummeted to the ground. Ukrainian officials did not immediately confirm or deny the claim.

A State Trooper in Minnesota was charged with second-degree murder today in the death of a black motorist. Body camera video Ryan Londregan approaching Ricky Cobb’s car during a traffic stop in Minneapolis last summer. State officials say Londregan opened fire when the vehicle started to move. The Minneapolis area has had a series of fatal police encounters, including the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

Ohio will be the 23rd state to ban gender-affirming care for those under the age of 18. Republican lawmakers enacted that today over GOP Governor Mike DeWine’s veto. He issued a ban by executive order, but argued that enshrining it into law was overreach. The measure also bars transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports teams in public schools and colleges.

Johnson & Johnson agreed today to pay $150 million to Washington state in an opioid settlement. Opioid deaths in the state had more than doubled to more than 2,000 from 2019 to 2022. Nationwide, drug companies and others have reached $50 billion in opioid settlements in recent years.

Across Europe, farmers protested from France to Poland over sliding incomes and regulation. Demonstrators say rising costs and cheap imports are putting unfair pressure on the industry. In France, they put up roadblocks and filled streets with tractors. Some took their case against higher costs and cheap imports to the E.U. Parliament in Brussels.