Rape: There are certain acts we don’t like to describe or discuss, even in times of war. But they are common, especially during a rudderless, murderous excursion like Putin’s Ukraine invasion. The Guardian: “Efforts are under way to get emergency contraception into Ukrainian hospitals as quickly as possible, as reports of rape after the Russian invasion continue to rise.” Meanwhile, Biden is asking for an additional $33 billion to support Ukraine. “The cost of this fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is going to be more costly if we allow it to happen. We either back Ukrainian people as they defend their country, or we stand by as the Russians continue their atrocities in Ukraine.”

+ GDP Hole: “The economy’s overall decline in the January-March quarter does not mean a recession is likely in the coming months. Most economists expect a rebound this quarter as solid hiring and wage gains sustain growth.” US economy shrank by 1.4% in Q1 but consumers kept spending. Consumers gonna consume.

+ Spring Into Summer: “Summers have always been gruelling in many parts of India – especially in the northern and central regions. Even before air-conditioners and water coolers started selling in the millions, people had devised their own ways of coping with the heat – from keeping water cool in earthen jugs to rubbing raw mangoes on their bodies to ward off heat strokes.” And it’s getting hotter, earlier. Heatwave in India leaves millions struggling to cope.

+ Child Support Moderna seeks emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months through 5 years. Meanwhile, millions of COVID-19 shots are going to waste in the US.

+ Source Material: “From 2014 to 2020, six small retailers in south and northeast Philadelphia sold more than 11,000 weapons that were later recovered in criminal investigations or confiscated from owners who had obtained them illegally.” NYT: 6 Gun Shops, 11,000 ‘Crime Guns’: A Rare Peek at the Pipeline.

+ Squeeze Play: “Rivalry between stars of a unique accordion-based style of music in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho has sparked years of deadly gang warfare that has turned the tiny country into the murder capital of the continent.” BBC: The deadly accordion wars of Lesotho.