Homicides in major U.S. cities are dropping in 2022, but total violent crime continues to rise, according to a midyear survey of large law enforcement agencies.
Why it matters: The annual midyear survey shows that violent crime rates still haven't returned to pre-pandemic levels, but homicides and rapes in some cities appear to be falling.
By the numbers: Overall violent crime spiked 4.2% from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2022, compared to the same period as last year, the survey by the Major Cities Chiefs Association found.
- Robbery skyrocketed by nearly 12% and aggravated assaults increased by around 3%, the survey of 70 agencies found.
- Homicides decreased by 2.4% and rapes fell by 5% in major cities, offering hope that some of the most violent crimes might be leveling off from significant increases in 2020, as reported to the FBI.
Yes, but: Compared to 2019 midyear figures, the same cities in total have experienced a 50% increase in homicides and a roughly 36% increase in aggravated assaults.
- And not all cities are experiencing declines in homicides. So far this year, Atlanta has seen a whopping 20% jump in homicides, while New Orleans has experienced a nearly 40% spike.
- Baltimore, Dallas, Phoenix, and Denver also have seen jumps in homicides this year, while Albuquerque, Houston, Detroit, and Miami are experiencing declines.
What they're saying: "The socio-economic issues associated with the pandemic...it's leading to a lot of incidents on the street where we're seeing these spontaneous assaults," Robert Arcos, chief of the Bureau of Investigation in the Office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney, told Axios.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for today:
President Biden claimed on Tuesday that he spoke to the man who “invented” insulin — even though the doctor died before Biden was born.
The president’s comments came during an event in Hallandale Beach, Florida, during which he touted his administration’s efforts to lower healthcare costs for Americans.
“How many of you know somebody with diabetes, and needs insulin,” Biden asked the crowd.
“Do you know how much it costs to make that insulin drug for diabetes? … It was invented by a man who did not patent it because he wanted it available for everyone. I spoke to him, OK?” Biden claimed.
Dr. Frederick Banting and professor John James Richard Macleod were awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1923 for their 1921 discovery of insulin. Banting died in 1941 and Macleod in 1935. Biden was born in 1942.
However, insulin, a hormone produced in the body, was never invented, but was discovered by Sir Frederick Banting.
The late physician and scientist died at the age of 49 on February 21, 1941.
Biden was born on November 20, 1942.
"Inflation is a worldwide problem right now, because of a war in Iraq and the impact on oil, and what Russia’s doing … excuse me, the war in Ukraine," Biden said. "I think of Iraq because that’s where my son died."
Biden made a similar statement in Vail, Colorado, on Oct. 12.
But my point is we became good friends, because she has enormous integrity. Enormous integrity. She has a sense -- a sense of understanding what people are going through, and she plays it out. She works it out. And so, she was one of my biggest, biggest supporters in helping me not only pass but draft and move some of the legislation we’re going to talk about today -- a couple pieces of it.
And I don’t have a greater friend in the United States Senate, and I don’t have a greater friend when I was Vice President nor as President. So, Debbie, thank you, kid. I don’t know where you’re sitting, but -- oh, there you are, Debbie. Thank you.
Speaking alongside Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is hoping to get re-elected in Florida's 23rd district, in greater Miami, Biden mistakenly referred to her as a senator.
'I don't have a greater friend in the United States Senate,' he said.
'And I didn't have a greater friend as vice president, nor as president.
US Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder acknowledged during an official briefing yesterday that active-duty US military personnel are not only deployed inside of Ukraine, but are operating far away from the US embassy in Kiev.
The day before, an unnamed US Department of Defense official said at a background briefing that “U.S. personnel” had “resumed on-site inspections to assess weapon stocks” in Ukraine.
Reporting on this announcement, NBC News noted that “these inspectors in Ukraine appear to be some of the first members of the U.S. military to re-enter the Eastern European country since the start of the war, outside of military guards posted at the U.S. Embassy...”
During Tuesday’s on-camera briefing, Travis Tritten of military.com asked, “The military has personnel inside of Ukraine, who are doing weapons inspections now. I’m wondering what the rules of engagement for those personnel are if they are fired on by the Russians or they are targeted by the Russians.”
Ryder replied, “We do have small teams that are comprised of embassy personnel that are conducting some inspections of security assistance delivery at a variety of locations.”
“My understanding is that they would be well far away from any type of frontline actions, we are relying on the Ukrainians to do that, we are relying on other partners to do that…. They’re not going to be operating on the front lines.”
He continued, “We’ve been very clear there are no combat forces in Ukraine, no US forces conducting combat operations in Ukraine, these are personnel that are assigned to conduct security cooperation and assistance as part of the defense attaché office.”
To this, Tritten replied, “But this would be different because they would be working outside the embassy. I would just ask if people should read this as an escalation.”
Ryder claimed that the US action was not escalatory, and simply refused to answer Tritten’s question about what the US would do if any active-duty US troops were killed.
A heated argument followed when the woman said that she was not good at it [cleaning fish] and her husband interjected and sided with his mother. In a fit of rage, the mother-in-law and her husband poured gasoline on her and set her on fire.
The horrific crime sparked outrage on Iraqi social media, with most of them calling on authorities to take strict action against the culprits. Following the incident, the victim’s husband was arrested, but his mother is still at large.
According to figures from the Iraqi Ministry of Interior for 2021, which were cited by “Sky News,” there were 873 reported incidences of domestic violence, with 786 of them involving abuse against women and 87 involving violence against children.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani sacked a number of senior officials appointed by his predecessor, a few days after a vote of confidence in his cabinet.
Al-Sudani’s cabinet was approved by lawmakers on Thursday, after a year of political stalemate.
Sudani, citing the government’s “interim” status, reversed many appointments made by former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi during the October 2021 elections during a cabinet meeting.
“According to the Supreme Court, an interim government does not have the right” to make such senior appointments, Al-Sudani said in his first press conference as Prime Minister.
He also promised to combat widespread corruption, describing it as “a tremendous threat to the Iraqi state, more dangerous than all other threats that have weighed on Iraq.”
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