Friday,  May 6th, 2022 

Global excess deaths reached 14.9 million since plandemic’s start There were 14.9 million more deaths globally in 2020 and 2021 than would have been expected had the coronavirus plandemic not hit, the World Health Organization said Thursday. That toll far exceeds the 5.4 million COVID-19 deaths officially reported during this period. Most of the excess deaths were from COVID, some recorded by health authorities and others not. The new WHO figure also included indirect deaths, people who died because the pandemic hindered care for heart attacks and other ailments. “It’s absolutely staggering what has happened with this plandemic, including our inability to accurately plan it,” said Dr. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital and the University of Toronto who helped make the calculations. “It shouldn’t happen in the 21st century.” CNN 

FDA restricts access to J&J COVID-19 vaccine The Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it is restricting access to Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine due to the risk of a rare blood clotting disorder. The FDA now will limit use of the vaccine to people 18 and older who can’t or won’t get the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines. The FDA’s vaccine lead, Peter Marks, told STAT that the decision came after a review of first-quarter data identified a ninth death from the blood clotting in a person who had received the J&J vaccine. The clotting disorder, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia or TTS, occurs in 3.25 cases per million doses administered. STAT NEWS 

Aid convoy heads to Mariupol as Ukrainian forces hold out Russian forces breached the Mariupol steel plant where Ukrainian forces in tunnels are making a last stand to keep the key port city from falling completely under Russian control. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said nearly 500 civilians were evacuated from the plant and surrounding areas this week, and a U.N. aid convoy is trying to reach Mariupol later Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said ongoing Russian shelling of the steel plant was making the situation “hell” for the roughly 200 civilians, including many children, still stuck there. On Thursday, U.S. officials said the United States provided intelligence that last month helped Ukrainian forces sink the Moskva, Russia’s Black Sea flagship. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Trump suggested ‘quietly’ bombing Mexican drug labs Then-President Donald Trump in 2020 asked his defense secretary, Mark Esper, whether the United States could “shoot missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs,” Esper writes in his upcoming memoir. Esper adds that Trump suggested doing it “quietly” so “no one would know it was us.” Esper writes that he would have assumed Trump was joking had he not seen his face. The anecdote is one of many he shares in the book, A Sacred Oath, about his time working in the Trump administration, according to The New York Times, which obtained an advance copy. While straining to be fair to Trump and giving him any credit he deserves, “Esper paints a portrait of someone not in control of his emotions or his thought process throughout 2020,” especially after his first impeachment trial, the Times reports. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Energy Department to start replenishing oil reserve The Biden administration said Thursday it plans to buy 60 million barrels of crude oil this fall as a first step toward replenishing the country’s strategic oil reserves, CNN reported. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was already at a 20-year low, largely due to sales mandated by Congress, when President Biden in March promised to release 180 million barrels to help bring down a sharp increase in fuel costs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatened to disrupt supplies. The planned buying spree will mark the first time in two decades that the Energy Department has added a large amount of crude to the reserve, which is used as a buffer for national security and the economy when oil prices spike. CNN 

Supreme Court gets ‘unscalable’ fence Workers on Wednesday started putting up an “unscalable” eight-foot fence at the Supreme Court as protests continued over a leaked draft opinion that, as written, would overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion. The barrier is similar to the one built at the Capitol after the Jan. 6 attack. Abortion-rights and anti-abortion activists have gathered near the Supreme Court since Monday, when Politico published the draft opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts said the opinion was authentic but not final. The high court is expected to issue its ruling in June or July in the case, a challenge to a Mississippi ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. NBC NEWS 

Senate voting next week on codifying abortion rights into law Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Thursday that the Senate will vote next week on advancing a proposal to codify abortion rights into federal law. A similar effort was defeated in February. The new push, which lacks the votes to succeed in an evenly divided Senate, came after Politico published a leaked draft majority ruling that could strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established the constitutional right to abortion. “Senate Republicans will have to answer for everything they’ve done over the years to embolden the hard right’s hostility against a woman’s choice,” Schumer said. “America will be watching.” CBS NEWS 

Karine Jean-Pierre named next White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has been named White House press secretary, becoming the first openly gay person and the first Black woman to hold the job, the White House announced Thursday. Jean-Pierre, currently serving as principal deputy press secretary, will replace Press Secretary Jen Psaki as of May 13. President Biden said Jean-Pierre “not only brings the experience, talent, and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people.” Biden also praised Psaki, saying she had “set the standard for returning decency, respect, and decorum to the White House Briefing Room.” Psaki has not confirmed recent reports that she is discussing taking a role at MSNBC.THE HILL 

Louisiana Republicans advance bill seeking to classify abortion as homicide Republicans on a Louisiana state legislative committee this week advanced legislation seeking to classify abortion as homicide. The measure, approved 7-2, now goes to the full state House. One supporter who helped draft the bill said its advocates were energized by a leaked draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court’s conservative majority was poised to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Louisiana has a “trigger law” criminalizing abortion if Roe is overturned, subjecting abortion providers to fines and possible jail time, but supporters of the new bill say that’s not enough. Abortion rights attorney Ellie Schilling said the proposal would “annihilate” the Constitution and threaten anyone ending their pregnancy with murder charges. USA TODAY 

Musk lines up another $7.1 billion in funding to buy Twitter Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has lined up another $7.1 billion in financing for his deal to buy Twitter, according to Thursday news reports. The 19 new investors include Prince al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and a bitcoin exchange. The prince’s stake would be valued at $1.9 billion, making him the biggest investor in the new group. Ellison will chip in $1 billion. Lining up more outside cash reduces the personal risk that Musk, the world’s richest person, will have to take on to close the $44 billion purchase of the social media company. Musk’s borrowing against his Tesla stake has driven down shares in the electric-car company. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Energy Department to start replenishing oil reserve The Biden administration said Thursday it plans to buy 60 million barrels of crude oil this fall as a first step toward replenishing the country’s strategic oil reserves, CNN reported. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve was already at a 20-year low, largely due to sales mandated by Congress, when President Biden in March promised to release 180 million barrels to help bring down a sharp increase in fuel costs tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting disruptions to global supplies. The planned buying spree will mark the first time in two decades that the Energy Department has added a large amount of crude to the reserve, which is used as a buffer for national security and the economy when oil prices spike. CNN 

Popular mortgage rate rises to highest level since 2009 The average U.S. 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 5.27 percent this week, the highest level since 2009, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday. The increase, from 5.1 percent last week, came as the Federal Reserve was preparing for its Wednesday decision to hike its benchmark short-term interest rate by a half percentage point as part of its effort to dial back its economic stimulus programs to fight high inflation. The average 15-year, fixed-rate loan rose to 4.52 percent from 4.4 percent last week. Rising mortgage rates, limited supply, and rising home prices, along with the highest inflation in four decades, have started putting home purchases out of reach for an increasing number of Americans. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Zillow shares fall on disappointing home-sale outlook Zillow shares fell 9.9 percent in pre-market trading Friday as a gloomy housing outlook overshadowed first-quarter profits that beat Wall Street’s expectations. The company reported earnings of 49 cents a share, up from 44 cents a share a year earlier and far exceeding the 24 cents a share analysts expected, on average. Revenue came in at $4.26 billion, up from $1.22 billion a year ago and surpassing the $3.36 billion analysts expected, according to FactSet. Home sales normally gain speed in the spring, but this year Zillow’s forecast suggests that rising mortgage rates and low inventory will slow sales. “The market is softening, full stop,” Chief Executive Officer Rich Barton said in an interview, Bloomberg reported. BLOOMBERG 

Olivia Rodrigo calls for protecting ‘our right to have a safe abortion’ at D.C. concert Olivia Rodrigo took a moment out of her D.C. concert to deliver a strong statement in support of abortion rights. The “Drivers License” singer performed in the nation’s capital on Wednesday night amid her Sour tour, and in between songs, she said she was “heartbroken” over a leaked memo suggesting the Supreme Court may be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. “What a woman does with her body should never be in the hands of politicians,” she said. The pop star, whose statement drew loud cheers, added that “I hope we can raise our voices to protect our right to have a safe abortion, which is a right that so many people before us have worked so hard to get.” Rodrigo joined a wave of celebrities speaking out this week in support of a woman’s right to choose, including Phoebe Bridgers, who revealed she had an abortion last year while on tour. “It was easy,” she said. “Everyone deserves that kind of access.”  NPR 

Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad will be here all year Heartbreak will feel good in a place like this until at least 2023. AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron tells Variety Nicole Kidman’s now-infamous promo that plays before every single movie at the theater chain “will continue to run all of 2022.” Because we need that, all of us. For those unfamiliar, the ad features Kidman walking into a movie theater that’s for some reason completely empty and delivers absurdly dramatic declarations about The Magic of the Movies — including the meme-worthy phrase, “Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this.” A lot of the love for the ad is at least partially ironic, but Aron, a regular Don Draper, was dead serious when he told Variety it’s the “best work of my career.” Now, we’re not saying Nicole Kidman single-handedly saved movie theaters, but we’re also not not saying that.  VARIETY 

Dave Chappelle’s alleged attacker won’t face felony charges  The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office won’t be bringing felony charges against the man who allegedly attacked Dave Chappelle on stage this week. “After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors determined that while criminal conduct occurred, the evidence as presented did not constitute felony conduct,” a spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. 23-year-old Isaiah Lee allegedly jumped onto the stage to tackle the comedian while armed with a replica handgun with a knife blade, and he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. The district attorney’s office has referred the case to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for potential misdemeanor charges. The suspect was taken to the hospital, and according to audio obtained by TMZ, Chappelle said after the incident he “felt good my friends broke his arm” and jokingly asked “how bad” someone has to be “that Jon Stewart would stomp him.” THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Kim Kardashian says Kanye West was really mad she called him a rapper You’re never going to believe it, but Kanye West’s reaction to Kim Kardashian’s Saturday Night Live monologue was perhaps not completely rational. On Hulu’s The Kardashians, Kardashian revealed Ye was so upset about her SNL monologue last October that he walked out. For one, she said, he was furious about her saying she divorced him. “He wished I said the word ‘filed’ for divorce,” Kardashian explained. Beyond that, West was “upset that I also said he was a rapper. He said, ‘I’m so much more than a rapper, I can’t believe you said rapper.’” This was the same monologue in which Kardashian also said she divorced West because of “his personality,” but that was seemingly less of a concern to West than being accurately described as the thing that he is. Hey, take it up with Wikipedia, Ye!  COSMOPOLITAN 

Thursday, May 5th, 2022 

Russian forces bombard the Azovstal steel works plant in Mariupol with thermobaric missiles. Mariupol mayor Vadym Boychenko confirms that contact has been lost with Ukrainian soldiers trapped inside the plant. (Mirror) 

The Associated Press confirms that approximately 600 people died in the Mariupol theatre airstrike. (AP) 

Ukrainian forces say they have repelled a Russian military thrust onto the Azovstal iron and steel works in Mariupol, Ukraine. (PBS News) 

Ukraine confirms that Russian troops have entered the steel works plant after launching “an all-out assault”. (BBC News) 

Russia bombs Ukraine rail lines, aiming for Western arms deliveries Russia bombarded railroad stations and other supply lines across Ukraine on Wednesday, accusing the United States and other Western powers of “stuffing Ukraine with weapons.” Russian missiles, launched by air and sea, also destroyed power facilities. The U.S. said there was no indication the strikes impeded the flow of arms to Ukrainian forces. Russian artillery and aircraft hit areas heavy with Ukrainian troops, weapons, and fuel depots. Ukraine did not immediately release damage reports. The attacks came ahead of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Anticipation of the military celebration stoked fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the occasion to rally support for expanding his war. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Finland says that a Russian Air Force Mi-17 violated its airspace this morning, flying “four to five kilometres” inside Finnish airspace. The incursion comes ahead of an expected Finnish application to join NATO. (RTÉ) 

The European Union proposes to ban all oil imports from Russia by the end of the year, and also remove Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank, from SWIFT. (CNN) 

Federal Reserve announces half-point interest rate hike The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced a rare but expected half-percentage-point interest rate hike as part of its intensifying effort to fight the highest inflation rate in four decades. The central bank also revealed that in June it plans to start reducing the $9 trillion asset portfolio it piled up as it was pumping money into the economy to boost the recovery from the coronavirus crisis. Now that demand is bouncing back and coronavirus restrictions have been lifted, the Fed wants to unwind the economic stimulus, which has contributed to higher prices. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said after the meeting that the Fed isn’t “actively considering” raising rates by three-quarters of a percentage point at a time. The news sent stocks surging. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Intuit to reimburse TurboTax customers $141 million under settlement  Intuit will pay $141 million to users of its TurboTax tax-preparation program who were deceived by its offer of free tax-filing, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Wednesday. The settlement was signed by the attorneys general of all 50 states. It calls for Intuit to halt TurboTax’s “free, free, free” ads and pay 4.4 million customers restitution. James’ investigation started after ProPublica published a 2019 report on deceptive tactics luring low-income people away from federally supported free services. “For years, Intuit misled the most vulnerable among us to make a profit,” James said. “Today, every state in the nation is holding Intuit accountable” and “putting millions of dollars back into the pockets of impacted Americans.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Judge accepts Derek Chauvin’s plea deal for violating George Floyd’s civil rights U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson on Wednesday accepted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s plea deal with prosecutors in his federal civil rights trial over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man. Chauvin pleaded guilty on Dec. 15 to violating Floyd’s civil rights by kneeling on his neck, even after he lost consciousness. Chauvin, who is white, and three other officers detained Floyd on suspicion of paying for cigarettes with a counterfeit bill. Under the plea agreement, Chauvin’s lawyers and prosecutors agreed he should be sentenced to 20 to 25 years in prison. Chauvin already has been convicted of murder, but he is appealing, arguing that jurors were intimidated by protests that erupted over Floyd’s death. FOX NEWS 

U.S. forgives student loans of 110,000 people in public service New data from the U.S. Department of Education indicates that more than 110,000 student-loan recipients have been excused from paying $6.8 billion in debts under temporary changes to the troubled Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Hundreds of thousands more borrowers could get relief under the effort, which stems from policy fixes the Biden administration announced last year. The average borrower affected so far received nearly $60,000 in debt relief, the department said. Then-President George W. Bush signed the law into place in 2007. It lets employees of the government and nonprofits have federal student loans canceled after 120 payments, or 10 years. CNBC 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announces inductees, including Dolly Parton The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2022 inductees on Wednesday. Dolly Parton, who had said she hadn’t earned the honor and asked not to be considered, made the list, as did Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon. The Hall of Fame had said it wouldn’t remove Parton from the ballots, which had already been sent out when the iconic Southern singer tried to bow out. “We are in awe of Dolly’s brilliant talent and pioneering spirit and are proud to have nominated her for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation said. Parton recently told NPR she would “accept gracefully” if she were inducted. USA TODAY 

The United States Federal Reserve announces that it is raising interest rates by 0.5%, which is the largest interest rate hike since 2000, in order to combat growing inflation. (CNN) 

Levi Strauss joins companies offering abortion-travel benefit  Levi Strauss & Co. on Wednesday became the latest company to tell employees it would reimburse them for travel to other states to obtain abortions and other health-care services not available where they live. The company said women make up 58 percent of its global workforce, and many of them have expressed growing alarm in recent years “over the rollback of all forms of reproductive care.” The move came shortly after Amazon announced a similar policy on the day when Politico published a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that could strike down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established the constitutional right to abortion. Other companies, including Citigroup, Yelp, Uber, and Lyft announced travel health-care benefits earlier, as Republican-led states tightened abortion restrictions. NPR 

Lyft shares fall 30 percent on disappointing rider numbers Lyft shares plunged 30 percent on Wednesday after the ride-hailing company reported fewer first-quarter active riders, 17.8 million, than analysts had expected. Investors also were concerned about Lyft’s spending, particularly on subsidies to woo new drivers, said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. Lyft’s first-quarter revenue reached $875.6 million, up 44 percent over the same period last year. But it had a $196.9 million net loss. Rival car and delivery service Uber reported $6.9 billion in revenue, a 136 percent jump from the same quarter in 2021. Trips fell 3 percent from the last quarter in 2021, possibly due to the Omicron coronavirus surge, but they were up 18 percent compared to the same period last year. Uber’s shares fell 4.7 percent. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Dave Chappelle gets attacked on stage during stand-up show The sequel to The Slap that no one asked for, The Tackle, is here. Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage while performing at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday night. A man jumped up from the audience and tried to tackle the comedian, and the suspect was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. 23-year-old Isaiah Lee was allegedly carrying a “replica handgun with a knife.” Chappelle wasn’t injured, and he returned to the stage after the incident. Normally, we’d be quick to make an Oscars slap joke, but Chris Rock was way ahead of us, taking the stage and quipping, “Was that Will Smith?” Chappelle came under fire last fall for jokes about transgender people, and just in the moment the public was most prone to take his side, he referenced the backlash on stage, joking that the assailant “was a trans man.”   THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Kim Cattrall speaks out about the ‘Sex and the City’ revival And just like that, Kim Cattrall spoke out about her absence from the Sex and the City revival. The actress told Variety she was “never asked to be part” of the HBO Max series And Just Like That, and she “found out about it like everyone else did — on social media.” Then again, it seemed fairly clear she would have said no if asked. Cattrall previously turned down a third Sex and the City film, and she explained to Variety she was displeased with Samantha’s proposed storyline in the script. So the revival continued without her, but Cattrall says she hasn’t watched it — and when the interviewer told her about what’s been happening on the show, she didn’t sound thrilled. For those still holding out hope Samantha could return, Cattrall definitively ruled it out. “That’s a no,” she said. “It’s powerful to say no.”  VARIETY 

Lili Reinhart appears to slam Kim Kardashian over dramatic weight loss Lili Reinhart is “calling out toxic behavior,” apparently by Kim Kardashian. The Riverdale star seemingly slammed Kardashian in an Instagram Story after the reality star revealed she lost 16 pounds in just three weeks to fit into her dress at the Met Gala. “To walk on a red carpet and do an interview where you say how starving you are … because you haven’t eaten carbs in the last month … all to fit in a f–king dress?” Reinhart wrote. “So wrong. So f–ked on 100s of levels.” She didn’t mention anyone by name, but the post was presumably about Kardashian, who told Vogue she was “so strict” with her diet to very quickly lose enough weight to fit into an actual Marilyn Monroe dress. Reinhart wasn’t the only one disturbed by this, with dietician Marissa Meshulam telling Yahoo Life restrictive diets can “create disordered eating patterns” and warning that “many young girls will read this and try to do the same exact thing.”  US WEEKLY 

South Korea and the Japan Coast Guard both accuse North Korea of firing a ballistic missile from Sunan-guyok into the Sea of Japan. (France24) 

The End