More Americans were killed by firearms in 2020 than at any time since record keeping began in 1981, newly tabulated data show. There were 45,222 U.S. gun deaths, an increase of almost 14% from the year before. The gun homicide rate rose 34% to 19,384, and there were 24,292 gun suicides, up slightly from the year before.

Much has changed since President Donald Trump invoked emergency powers to combat the spread of COVID-19. Immunity, whether natural or acquired through vaccines, is much more widespread, and breakthrough treatments are available.

Evidence of war crimes has mounted daily since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion to “denazify” Ukraine. Russian forces carrying out Putin’s orders targeted civilian areas and bombed clearly marked shelters. Convoys of non-combatants fleeing the fighting were hit with artillery — even after Russia had agreed to honor a safety corridor so refugees could leave. Video footage of civilian apartment buildings being blasted by tank fire eliminated any question of civilians merely being victims of collateral damage.

Want something cheerful to think about as you’re pouring $40 or $50 worth of gasoline in your tank? Imagine a scene that might not be all that far in the future.

Expect to shell out more money if you plan to buy eggs or chicken or turkey flesh anytime soon. An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza—better known as bird flu—has infected birds in at least 18 states, including Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. More than 17 million chickens and turkeys have either died of the disease or been slaughtered in order to stop additional outbreaks, which spread like wildfire in filthy, extremely crowded animal factories.

Former President Donald Trump — whose various slanders against his real and perceived political foes made him the most libelous president ever to hold the post — is now suing Hillary Clinton and others who highlighted his suspicious behavior toward Russia during and after the 2016 presidential campaign. If and when Trump submits to being deposed by the defendants, we’ll believe this is something more than his usual empty bluster. If that doesn’t happen (prediction: it won’t), Trump should be on the business end of a major frivolous-litigation judgment.

When a fight broke out among middle school students in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in early March, a security guard intervened. The guard, an off-duty police officer, was filmed pushing the head of a 12-year-old girl of color into the ground, placing his knee on her neck for about half a minute before handcuffing her, and walking her out of the cafeteria.

It’s hard to read the reports emerging from Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs, and nearly impossible to look at the images. Retreating Russian soldiers have left evidence of unthinkable brutality. Ordinary men and women lie dead on the street, in the dark mud and dirt, many shot, some with hands tied behind their back. People were found still clutching shopping bags, one splayed next to a tangled bicycle. There are mass graves, and there’s evidence of torture. Ukrainian authorities say the bodies of 410 civilians have been recovered from towns around the capital.

Last week, President Joe Biden sent Congress his proposed defense budget for the next fiscal year: an $813 billion wish list, almost $60 billion more than he requested a year ago — more military spending than any president, including Donald Trump, has requested since World War II.

Eighteen states all over the physical and political map, including California, Arizona, Virginia, Michigan, Montana, Illinois, Oregon, Nevada, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, now permit the recreational use of cannabis, opting to regulate and collect taxes from adult use of the substance rather than continue to treat it as a problem to be contained through cops, courts, jails and prisons. Thirty-seven states have made medical marijuana legal. Yet the federal government still lists the weed as a Schedule I narcotic “with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse,” classifying it among the most dangerous substances in America.

President Joe Biden learned the hard way Saturday about the dangers of going off script at the end of a speech heavily criticizing Russian leader Vladimir Putin for his unprovoked war against Ukraine. At the end of the speech, Biden blurted out, “For God’s sake, this man cannot stay in power.” The words themselves were spot on. The only problem was the person speaking them.

It’s still unclear whether the smoke around Hunter Biden’s foreign financial connections actually indicates a fire. That’s what federal investigators are (and should be) exploring. But here’s what’s already clear about the investigation into President Joe Biden’s son: The president hasn’t responded by firing people, publicly lashing out at investigators or otherwise obstructing justice. Instead, he has responsibly stayed out of it. What a refreshing change from his predecessor’s campaign of obstruction and vengeance in response to legitimate questions about his own foreign entanglements.

“Don’t tell me what you value,” President Biden has said for years. “Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” The $5.8 trillion budget proposal Mr. Biden released Monday is more realistic about the nation’s needs than many that have come before it. But it leaves out some of the most important details.

A steady drip of evidence continues to indicate that former President Donald Trump may have personally committed crimes in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. A federal judge said as much on Monday, finding that facts show it is “more likely than not” Trump on that day committed the federal crimes of obstructing Congress and conspiring to defraud the U.S.

If Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is the Republican presidential nominee in 2024, it’s already obvious what one of the main Democratic lines of attack will be: He’s just like Donald Trump, only worse.

This deep into the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear that what happens in Europe tends not to stay in Europe.

Today, the European Union contributed $1 billion toward Vladimir Putin’s war machine. Tomorrow, the EU will contribute another $1 billion to the Kremlin’s ongoing carnage of Ukrainian citizens. And $1 billion the next day too.

At a time when Americans are increasingly opposed to the death penalty and states are increasingly ending the practice, some others are returning to firing squads as an execution method. The recent law change by South Carolina was in response to the difficulty the state has had in finding lethal injection drugs. It’s an issue that, in itself, should awaken these lawmakers to the fact that capital punishment is on its way out in America — and needs to go.

Much has been written about business actions in Russia over the past few weeks. Given the nature of this conflict, more will unfold for years. That’s because out of every conflict come the seeds of new orders.

As people abandon masks and gather in bigger groups, it’s important to remember that COVID-19 is still with us. A new form of the omicron variant called BA.2 is causing another surge, though on a much smaller scale than previous variants. BA.2 is spreading so fast that it’s expected to be the dominant form of the disease in Chicago by the end of this month.