Monkeypox, Madison Cawthorn + More News

Some news items you might have missed: • NBC New York: World Health Organization officials say the outbreak of the monkeypox virus in North America and Europe is primarily spreading through sex among men with about 200 cases across at least a dozen countries. WHO officials emphasized, however, that anyone can contract monkeypox. • The Advocate: LGBTQ+ officers from San Francisco’s police and sheriff’s departments say they’ll boycott this year’s Pride parade because they won’t be allowed to march in uniform, and Mayor London Breed says she won’t march either.

“For some members of our community, the presence of the police in the parade is difficult for them … so we want to honor and make sure we protect and make people feel safe,” said Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride. https://t.co/YPnTe6nBj6

— The Advocate (@TheAdvocateMag) May 24, 2022

• Morning Consult: A new poll shows 40% of Republican adults believe teachers can influence students’ sexuality and gender identity. Only 27% of Democrats and 29% of independents agreed. • The Hill:  The news keeps getting worse for Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), who lost his bid for reelection last week. The House Ethics Committee has launched a probe to determine if he improperly promoted a cryptocurrency without disclosing he had a financial interest in it, and whether he had an improper relationship with a congressional staff member. • AP News: Herschel Walker, former NFL player/current candidate for U.S. Senate in Georgia, has been caught in a lie after frequently taking credit for founding, co-founding and sometimes operating a ‘charity’ called Patriot Support. But it’s not a charity and it was created 11 years before Walker was hired as a spokesman, which paid him a salary of $331,000 last year.

Herschel Walker boasts of his charity work helping members of the military through a program he created, called Patriot Support. But court filings and company documents show Walker did not found the program. It’s also not a charity. https://t.co/i2ok26OClZ

— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) May 21, 2022

• New York Times: Judges in Kyiv on Monday handed down the first guilty verdict for a Russian soldier tried for war crimes in Ukraine. Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin, 21, was convicted of shooting a 62-year-old civilian. Shishimarin pleaded guilty at the start of the trial last week and was sentenced to life in prison. • Axios: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters today “If we fall, if we don’t hold the line, Russia will proceed and attack the Baltic states.” Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are in NATO. An attack on a NATO member would trigger the alliance’s collective defense commitment.

Zelensky called on Americans that oppose supporting Ukraine “to start reading some World War II memoirs,” warning in an interview with @jonathanvswan that a victorious Russia will not stop at Ukraine’s borders. https://t.co/tInLVAwLOC

— Axios (@axios) May 23, 2022