Your Tuesday Briefing: Texas Reels From Mass Shootings

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Thirteen people have been killed in mass shootings in Texas in the past two weeks. The mass killing has sparked renewed openness to gun laws among some Texans, but Republican lawmakers have shown little interest in taking action to address the violence.

In fact, Texas has increased access to guns in the past two years even as the state has experienced more than a dozen mass murders, including the school shooting in Uvalde, where a gunman killed 19 children and two adults. The state waived permit requirements to carry handguns. It also lowered the age to carry a handgun to 18 from 21.

While less supportive of stricter gun laws than America as a whole, Texas supports some limited gun control measures, polls show. Over the past few years views on guns among Republican voters in Texas have appeared to moderate somewhat.

But Governor Greg Abbott, Republican, said that there will be no new effort by his administration to limit access to firearms, because it will not work.

Last shoot: On Sunday, a gunman killed eight people at a mall outside Dallas, before police killed him. The gunman also espoused the ideology of white supremacy; authorities check social media profiles, rife with hateful rants against women and Black people, who they believe belong to. A week earlier, five people were killed after asking their neighbors not to shoot in their front yard.

National image: The nonprofit group has counted more than 200 mass shootings in the U.S. this year.

With heavy fighting looming, Russian officials in some areas under their control in Ukraine have ordered evacuations. But some Ukrainians there remain, and residents explain the atmosphere of confusion, defiance and lack.

About 70,000 people were asked to leave the Zaporizhzhia region after officials issued evacuation orders for 18 towns and villages. The area is one area on a long front line where Ukraine could try to break Russian defenses.

But while evacuation is described as mandatory, there appears to be no attempt to force people to leave. In Zaporizhzhia, in fact, few people heeded the order. More than a dozen people there, and in the Kherson region, told friends that gas stations are running dry, grocery store shelves are empty and ATMs are empty of cash.

fight: In Zaporizhzhia, there are no indications of a Russian retreat, Ukrainian military officials and Western military analysts said. However, Russian forces are expanding their defensive fortifications – a sign that they are digging in for the coming war.

More updates from the fight:

A fire at a hospital in southern Beijing last month killed at least 29 people, many elderly people with disabilities who had been at the facility for months, and in some cases years. The hospital is not licensed to provide long-term care for the elderly.

The tragedy raises a serious problem: the country’s supply of nursing home beds is inadequate for its rapidly aging population. Authorities have acknowledged the urgency of addressing the shortage, but many obstacles remain.

The stigma against retirement facilities abounds in a culture that emphasizes the duty of children to parents. Public facilities have long waiting lists, and private facilities can be very expensive. In addition, obtaining a facility license to offer elderly care in the first place is a complex bureaucratic process, which has resulted in some private companies operating on the ground.

For canine experts, an invitation to be a judge at the Westminster Dog Show is a serious honor and responsibility. In all, more than 2,500 dogs competed, with the Best in Show prize to be awarded today in New York City.

“It’s harder to be a dog judge than a brain surgeon, to tell the truth,” the veteran judge said.

In the imagination of many outside of Hawaii, hula conjures up images of coconut bras and cellophane skirts, a misconception that pop culture representations of in movies and television have.

But the hula is an ancient and often sacred dance, one way Native Hawaiians record their history, mythology, religion and knowledge. And the Merrie Monarch Festival is the Olympics of hula.

For the past 60 years, the festival, held in the sleepy town of Hilo, has helped reclaim Hawaii’s native culture, language and identity. The celebration honors King David Kalakaua, who took the throne of Hawaii in 1871, and is credited with reviving many ancient practices, especially hula, which is said to be “the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people.”

That’s today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. – Amelia and Justin

PS The Times won two Pulitzers for our reporting on Ukraine and Jeff Bezos.

“The Daily” is on the US Supreme Court.

We welcome suggestions. You can reach us at briefing@nytimes.com.

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