Friday,  May 13th, 2022 

Kevin Spacey cast in his biggest movie since assault allegations Supposedly-canceled Kevin Spacey has just booked another movie role. The disgraced actor is set to star in a new historical drama called 1242 – Gateway to the West, which will be up for sale at the Cannes Market, Deadline reports. The film revolves around Batu Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan, who in 1242 “is confronted by a deeply spiritual man,” played by Spacey. The cast also includes Eric Roberts, Christopher Lambert, and Terence Stamp, and it will shoot in Hungary and Mongolia this October. The news comes a year after Spacey landed his first film role since he faced sexual assault allegations, joining a low-budget Italian film about a man wrongly accused of sexual abuse. Well, if this all keeps him too busy to release more weird Christmas Eve videos, at least that’s one upside. DEADLINE 

Ten soldiers are killed and nine more injured after a rocket attack targets a bus in Aleppo, Syria. (Reuters) 

Israeli police commando Noam Raz is killed in a shootout with Palestinian Islamic Jihad gunmen in Jenin. (Times of Israel) 

Elon Musk temporarily halts the $44 billion takeover deal of Twitter as he seeks to corroborate the company’s calculations that spam bots and fake accounts constitute less than 5% of the user base. (Reuters) 

North Korea says that six people have died and 187,800 others have been quarantined due to the latest COVID-19 outbreak. (The New York Times) 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan says that Turkey will oppose Sweden and Finland’s entrance into NATO, asserting that they are “guesthouses for terrorist organisations.” (Reuters) 

Anti-government demonstrations occur in multiple cities in Iran with Internet shutdowns. (Fox News) 

Ukraine holds its first war crimes trial during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine . (The Jerusalem Post) 

President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan dies at the age of 73. (Gulf News) 

Biden calls for more COVID funding at summit President Biden urged world leaders at a COVID-19 summit Thursday to renew their commitments to act aggressively against the coronavirus pandemic. Biden warned against complacency, and ordered flags flown at half-staff as the United States reached the “tragic milestone” of a million coronavirus deaths. “This pandemic isn’t over,” Biden said. “One million empty chairs around the family dinner table.” Official estimates put the death toll at more than 999,000 in the U.S. and 6.2 million or more globally. Biden called on Congress to approve $22.5 billion more in funding for testing, vaccines, and COVID-19 treatments, but lawmakers are balking at the cost. COVID infections and deaths are rising but remain far lower than in the winter surge. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Jan. 6 panel subpoenas 5 GOP lawmakers Five Republican lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), have been subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the panel announced Thursday. All five of the GOP lawmakers are closely allied with former President Donald Trump, whose supporters stormed the Capitol. McCarthy and the other Republicans — Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mo Brooks (Ala.), and Scott Perry (Pa.) — are the first sitting lawmakers to be summoned to testify before the bipartisan committee. All five previously refused requests to testify voluntarily. Days after the riot, McCarthy was recorded telling colleagues he would ask Trump to step down. CNBC 

Russia pulls back from Kharkiv Russian forces have started withdrawing from around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, after Ukraine regained control of several towns near the northeastern city in a counteroffensive. Moscow appears to be shifting resources toward the southeast to the city of Izium, which it has turned into an operations center since capturing it last month. Russia has been making slow gains in the eastern Donbas region, where it concentrated forces last month after its first major withdrawal, from areas around the capital, Kyiv. Finland’s leaders said Thursday they will join the NATO alliance, and Sweden is expected to do the same. Russia responded by saying it would consider any such expansion a security threat and respond accordingly. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

At least 6 die as fever spreads ‘explosively’ in North Korea North Korean state media said Friday that six people had died and 350,000 were treated for a fever spreading “explosively” across the country. The news came a day after North Korea acknowledged a COVID-19 outbreak for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic started more than two years ago. Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency said 162,200 of the 350,000 people hit with fevers since late April have recovered, with 18,000 new cases on Thursday. North Korea likely lacks the COVID-19 tests to confirm the cause of the fevers. “But a big outbreak of the coronavirus could be devastating in a country with a broken health care system and an unvaccinated, malnourished population,” The Associated Press says. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Senate confirms Fed Chair Jerome Powell to 2nd term The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to a second four-year term on Thursday. Powell this spring started a campaign of raising interest rates and trimming Fed asset holdings to slow growth and bring down the highest inflation in 40 years. The central bank has faced criticism for not taking action against rising prices sooner, but senators still backed Powell in a bipartisan 80-19 vote. Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) praised Powell and the three other new Fed leaders nominated by President Biden: Lael Brainard, named as the Fed’s No. 2; Lisa Cook, who will be the first Black woman to serve on the board; and economist Philip Jefferson. All have been confirmed. POLITICO 

Israel reportedly investigating whether soldier killed journalist The Israeli military is investigating whether one of its soldiers killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was fatally shot Wednesday during an Israeli raid in the West Bank, The Washington Post reports, citing an Israel Defense Forces official. The investigation concerns three different shooting incidents by Israeli soldiers, including one that possibly caused the death of Abu Akleh, a longtime correspondent for the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel, and “the wounding of her producer in the Jenin Refugee Camp on Wednesday,” the Post writes. Israel initially said Abu Akleh was most likely hit by Palestinian fire. Al Jazeera and Palestinian authorities blamed Israel in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Powell says Fed might not be able to guarantee ‘soft landing’ Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged for the first time Thursday that high inflation and global economic problems might thwart the central bank’s efforts to prevent a recession. The Fed has started raising interest rates and plans to reduce its balance sheet after months of purchasing assets to boost the recovery from the coronavirus crisis. But those moves to curb inflation and keep the economy from overheating might be undercut by economic slowdowns in Europe and China, Powell said in an interview on NPR’s Marketplace on the day he was confirmed to a second term. “The question whether we can execute a soft landing or not — it may actually depend on factors that we don’t control,” Powell said. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Ashley Judd discloses details of Naomi Judd’s suicide  Actress Ashley Judd told Diane Sawyer in an interview that aired Thursday on Good Morning America that the family wants to be open about how her mother, singer Naomi Judd, killed herself at the end of April. “She used a weapon,” Ashley Judd said. “A firearm. So that’s the piece of information we are very uncomfortable sharing.” She and her sister Wynonna Judd previously disclosed that they lost their mother “to the disease of mental illness,” without offering further details. Naomi Judd died the day before she and Wynonna Judd, as the country music duo The Judds, were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Naomi Judd was 76. CNN 

Senate confirms Fed Chair Jerome Powell to 2nd term The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to a second four-year term on Thursday. Powell this spring started a campaign of interest rate hikes and asset sales in a bid to slow growth and bring down the highest inflation in 40 years. The central bank has faced criticism for not taking action against rising prices sooner, but senators still backed Powell in a bipartisan 80-19 vote. Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) praised Powell and the three other new Fed leaders nominated by President Biden: Lael Brainard, named as the Fed’s No. 2; Lisa Cook, who will be the first Black woman to serve on the board; and economist Philip Jefferson. All have been confirmed.  POLITICO 

Biden administration promises steps to ease baby-formula shortage The Biden administration said Thursday it will take steps to address a worsening baby formula shortage. The White House said after a meeting between Biden and retailers and manufacturers that the administration will push states to waive packaging regulations to help get formula into stores faster. The Federal Trade Commission and state authorities will take steps to discourage price gouging. Biden is also urging companies to impose buying limits to discourage hoarding. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce within days that the United States will start importing formula from Mexico, Chile, Ireland, the Netherlands, and other countries. Republicans complained that the Biden administration was sending formula to the border to feed migrant babies during the shortage. FOX NEWS 

Musk says Twitter deal ‘on hold’ until he sees info on fake accounts Elon Musk says he has put his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter “temporarily on hold” until he sees the calculations behind Twitter’s report that false or spam accounts made up less than 5 percent of its 226 million monetizable daily active users. “Twitter deal temporarily on hold pending details supporting calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5 percent of users,” Musk tweeted. Twitter data hasn’t always checked out. The company said in an earnings report recently that it overcounted daily users by as much as 1.9 million each quarter for three years in a row, because a technical error caused Twitter to count multiple accounts tied to a single user as separate accounts. THE VERGE 

Powell says Fed might not be able to guarantee a ‘soft landing’ Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged for the first time Thursday that high inflation and global economic problems might thwart the central bank’s efforts to prevent a recession. The Fed has started raising interest rates and plans to reduce its balance sheet after months of purchasing assets to boost the recovery from the coronavirus crisis. But those moves to curb inflation and keep the economy from overheating might be undercut by economic slowdowns in Europe and China, Powell said in an interview on NPR’s Marketplace on the day he was confirmed to a second term. “The question whether we can execute a soft landing or not — it may actually depend on factors that we don’t control,” Powell said. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Stock futures gain but cryptocurrency investors panic U.S. stock futures rose early Friday after a mixed day on Thursday. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were up 0.7 percent and 1.1 percent at 6:30 a.m. ET. Nasdaq futures were up 1.6 percent. The Dow and the S&P 500 fell 0.3 percent and 0.1 percent on Thursday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 0.1 percent. After several volatile months, the S&P 500 is now down more than 18 percent from its record high, putting it close to bear-market territory, which is defined as a loss of 20 percent. Bitcoin bounced back above $30,000 on Friday despite continuing problems for stablecoin TerraUSD that have panicked cryptocurrency investors. The value of Luna, a token closely associated with UST, has fallen to $0. CNBC 

Thursday, May 12th, 2022 

Ukrainian forces repel an attempted Russian military crossing of the Donets river, west of Sievierodonetsk, in Luhansk Oblast. At least one Russian battalion tactical group is reportedly destroyed, as well as the pontoon bridge deployed in the crossing. (Reuters) 

The Russian Air Force launches around a dozen missiles at the city of Kremenchuk, including four at the Kremenchuk Oil Refinery, in Poltava Oblast. (Ukrinform) 

Turkey says that five people were injured by Kurdish nationalists launching a missile attack into the country from Syria. (Reuters) 

One person is killed and thirteen others injured by a roadside bombing targeting a van in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. (AP) 

The cryptocurrency market loses US$200 billion following stablecoin TerraUSD’s collapse in value. Bitcoin and Ether fall to their lowest value in 16 and 11 months, respectively. (CNBC) 

Tibet Airlines flight 9833 veers off the runway and catches fire at Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport in Yubei District, Chongqing, China. Forty people sustain minor injuries, with some being hospitalized. (Bangkok Post)  

North Korea announces its first COVID-19 outbreak. (AP) 

Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un orders a national lockdown. (Financial Times) 

Romania announces that beginning on 16 May, people over the age of 18 years can receive a fourth dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at vaccination centers and family medicine offices. (Stiri din Romania) 

Finland’s leaders declare that the country should apply for membership of NATO without delay. Finnish parliament will vote next week whether to apply. (CNBC)  

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs threatens to take retaliatory steps against Finland, including of a “military-technical” nature, if the country joins NATO. (BBC News) 

France summons the Iranian ambassador in response to the detainment of two French nationals. (Times of Israel) 

A team of scientists at the Event Horizon Telescope release the first ever image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. (BBC News) 

A team of scientists announces that they have grown plants on lunar soil, collected by Apollo missions, for the first time ever. (AP) 

Republicans block Senate Democrats’ abortion-rights bill Senate Democrats failed to advance the Women’s Health Protection Act, their bill seeking to codify abortion rights in federal law. The vote came as the Supreme Court’s conservative majority is poised to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established abortion rights nationwide. Democratic leaders knew they didn’t have enough support to get the legislation past a Republican filibuster, but they said they wanted to hold the vote so that every senator is on record about where they stand on ensuring women’s access to abortion. The vote was 49 to 51, with all 50 Senate Republicans opposing it, and moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) joining them. NPR 

Ukraine files 1st war crimes charges against a Russian soldier Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, said Wednesday that her office had filed its first war crimes charge against a Russian soldier since Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Venediktova said prosecutors have evidence that 21-year-old Sgt. Vadin Shyshimarin, who served in a tank unit, shot out of a car window and killed an unarmed 62-year-old civilian riding a bicycle in the northeastern village of Chupakhivka four days into the war. Venediktova did not say when the trial would begin. Shyshimarin, who is in Ukrainian custody, could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. Residents have told of numerous Russian atrocities, including killings and rape, since Russia withdrew from areas around Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, last month. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Finland’s leaders back joining NATO Finland’s prime minister and president said Thursday that their country “must apply for NATO membership without delay.” “NATO membership would strengthen Finland’s security,” President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in a statement. “As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defense alliance.” The announcement was expected. They said the next steps should begin within days. Finland’s parliament must approve NATO membership before the country can apply. Public support for the move has risen dramatically since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Sweden, too, is considering joining NATO. Its leaders are expected to announce their position this weekend. BBC NEWS 

Inflation edged down in April but remained high The consumer price index rose 8.3 percent in April compared to a year earlier, slightly slower than the 8.5 percent pace recorded in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Prices were up 0.3 percent compared to the month before. In March, the month-to-month increase was 1.2 percent. Despite the slowdown, inflation remained near 40-year highs. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.6 percent in April, compared to a 0.3 percent increase in March. Economists warned that it’s hard to predict what will happen next due to uncertainty about interest rates and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. NBC NEWS 

Overdose deaths hit 2nd straight annual record in 2021 A record number of people — nearly 108,000 — died from drug overdoses in the United States last year, an increase of 15 percent that followed a catastrophic 30 percent surge in 2020, according to preliminary new data released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The surge brought total overdose deaths in the 21st century to more than a million, fueled in recent years by opioid abuse, the ever-worsening fentanyl crisis, and, starting in 2020, fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Drug overdoses long ago surpassed peak deaths from AIDS, car crashes, and gun violence. Drugs last year killed a quarter as many Americans as COVID-19. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

N.Y. judge orders Trump to pay $110,000, lifts contempt finding A New York judge on Wednesday ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $110,000 in fines for failing to comply with a subpoena from New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is investigating the business practices of Trump and his company, the Trump Organization. Judge Arthur Engoron agreed to lift a civil contempt finding against Trump, provided he meets several conditions, including paying the fine, by May 20. The conditions also call for the Trump Organization to provide sworn statements describing its document retention and destruction policy, and complete the review of five boxes linked to Trump that were in an off-site storage facility. James said the contempt decision showed that “no one can evade accountability.” CNN 

Biden unveils plan to boost food production President Biden on Wednesday announced measures to boost domestic food production and reduce food costs to counter supply shortages caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has disrupted crucial Ukrainian grain shipments. Biden said his administration will push to double funding for domestic fertilizer production, provide technical assistance to farmers, and expand insurance for “double cropping” — harvesting two crops in the same field in the same year. “Right now, America is fighting on two fronts,” Biden said. “At home, it’s inflation and rising prices. Abroad, it’s helping Ukrainians defend their democracy, and feeding those who are left hungry around the world because Russian atrocities exist.” CNN 

North Korea reports its 1st acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak North Korea imposed a nationwide lockdown on Thursday after reporting its first acknowledged COVID-19 outbreak. The country had already banned tourists, diplomats, aid workers, and most overland trade with China, but insisted for the first two years of the coronavirus pandemic that it had not detected any infections. State media said the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus was discovered in a group of people from an unspecified organization in Pyongyang, all with fevers, triggering a “most serious national emergency.” The isolated country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, said in a ruling party Politburo meeting that workplaces should be isolated by units to prevent transmissions. NPR 

Catholic cardinal, 3 others arrested in Hong Kong Hong Kong national security police on Wednesday arrested Cardinal Joseph Zen, the city’s 90-year-old Roman Catholic bishop emeritus and an outspoken China critic. Three other pro-democracy activists — singer Denise Ho, lawyer Margaret Ng, and academic Hui Po-keung — were also arrested, in the latest sign of a Beijing-ordered crackdown on dissent. All four were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which provided legal aid to participants in violently suppressed 2019 pro-democracy protests. Zen and the other three democracy advocates were charged with suspicion of colluding with foreign forces to endanger China’s national security, reportedly for calling for sanctions against Hong Kong. The U.S. and the Vatican condemned the arrests. All four were released on bail. CNN 

Consumer prices rose 8.3 percent in April The consumer price index rose 8.3 percent in April compared to a year earlier, down from the 8.5 percent pace recorded in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Prices were up 0.3 percent compared to the month before, down from a 1.2 percent increase in March. Despite the slowdown, inflation remained near 40-year highs. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.6 percent in April, compared to 0.3 percent in March. The April numbers were slightly higher than expected, fueling investors’ inflation fears. The three main U.S. stock indexes dropped on Wednesday. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was hit hardest, falling 3.2 percent. Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq futures fell early Thursday. CNBC 

Disney+ adds more streaming subscribers than expected Disney said Wednesday it added 7.9 million Disney+ subscribers last quarter, beating Wall Street expectations of roughly 5 million new subscribers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the numbers “once again proved that we are in a league of our own.” The performance was especially notable as it came just weeks after video-streaming powerhouse Netflix reported it lost 200,000 subscribers in the quarter, its first subscriber loss in a decade. It was a big miss for Netflix, which projected it would gain 2.5 million subscribers, raising concerns that streaming companies that thrived early in the pandemic were in for hard times now that lockdowns and other coronavirus restrictions have been lifted. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Rivian reports loss but maintains production target Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive said Wednesday it is on track to meet its 2022 production target of building 25,000 vehicles. The company reported a quarterly loss of $1.43 per share, just under the $1.44 per share consensus estimate from Refinitiv. Rivian said it has received more than 90,000 reservations for its R1-series electric truck and SUV, up from 83,000 when it last updated in March. About 10,000 of the reservations have come since Rivian hiked prices in early March, bringing its average purchase price to more than $93,000 per vehicle. The company said planned production was down by about a quarter since the end of March due to shortages of semiconductor chips and other key components. CNBC 

Moderna fires new CFO after 1 day Moderna, maker of a key coronavirus vaccine, fired its new chief financial officer, Jorge Gomez, after one day on the job this week, after his former company launched an investigation into its books. Gomez’s former company, Dentsply Sirona, told the Securities and Exchange Commission in a filing that its internal inquiry involved “allegations regarding certain financial reporting matters submitted by current and former employees.” Gomez will get $700,000 to cover 12 months of salary, but he will have to forfeit his $500,000 signing bonus, moving expenses, and other benefits, Moderna said in a filing. NEW YORK POST 

Beyond Meat shares fall below IPO price for 1st time Beyond Meat shares plunged 26 percent in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the plant-based meat producer reported a quarterly net loss of $100.5 million, compared to a $27.3 million loss in the same quarter a year earlier. The loss for the quarter came to $1.58 per share, far above the 97 cents a share expected by analysts polled by FactSet. Investments in products such as Beyond Meat Jerky cut into profits. The overnight stock drop came after the company’s shares fell 14 percent in regular trading on Wednesday. Beyond Meat shares are now priced below the company’s initial public offering price for the first time since its stock debuted three years ago. MARKETWATCH 

Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘luxury diaper’ turns out to be a PR stunt Even Goop has its limits. The lifestyle company founded by Gwyneth Paltrow on Wednesday unveiled “the Diapér,” a new luxury disposable diaper “lined with virgin alpaca wool and fastened with amber gemstones” that purportedly cost a whopping $120. It sounded too ridiculous to be true, and it was. Paltrow has now revealed the whole thing was just a PR stunt to protest the way diapers are taxed. “There was a lot of outrage” over the announcement of this “fake product,” the actress said. “Good. It was designed to piss us off, because if treating diapers like a luxury makes you mad, so should taxing them like a luxury.” When you’re a company that really does sell something called a “This Smells Like My Vagina Candle,” though, a gag product announcement doesn’t really have the same impact.  VICE 

Christopher Walken to play the emperor of the universe in ‘Dune: Part Two’ He’s got a fever, and the only prescription is more desert power! Christopher Walken is set to play the emperor of the universe in Dune: Part Two, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline report. The actor has landed the role of Emperor Shaddam IV in this second part of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel, joining a cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, and Javier Bardem. The emperor role was previously played by Jose Ferrer in the 1984 David Lynch movie. Also joining the cast for Dune: Part Two is Florence Pugh as the emperor’s daughter, Princess Irulan, and fresh off his lead role in Elvis, Austin Butler will play Feyd-Rautha, nephew of Baron Harkonnen. The world will be blessed with the sound of Walken hopefully saying the word “spice” many times when the film hits theaters in October 2023.  DEADLINE 

Adam Driver to star in Francis Ford Coppola’s next film Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola’s first feature film in over a decade is coming together. Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, and Jon Voight have all been cast in Megalopolis, the next movie from the director of The Godfather. It tells the “epic story of political ambition, genius, and conflicted love,” in which “the fate of Rome haunts a modern world unable to solve its own social problems,” the logline says. Deadline describes this as the 83-year-old director’s “final dream project,” which he’s been talking about making for years. Coppola is notably financing the movie himself with plans to commit around $100 million to it. “I couldn’t care less about the financial impact whatsoever,” he told GQ. “It means nothing to me.” He also told Deadline, “What’s the worst that can happen to me? I’m going to die and be broke? I’m not going to be broke.”  DEADLINE 

Ezra Miller to police: ‘I film myself when I get assaulted for NFT crypto art’ The Flash star Ezra Miller is back in the news, and no, they didn’t get arrested yet again. This time, it’s because TMZ obtained body camera footage from when Miller was arrested in March after allegedly becoming agitated at people singing karaoke in a bar. The footage shows the actor claiming to police they “got assaulted” and have video to prove it. “I film myself when I get assaulted for NFT crypto art,” Miller claims. The actor proceeds to repeatedly scream at the officers, “Tell me your name and your badge number!” Eventually, Miller calms down a bit while being handcuffed, claiming, “A guy in that bar declared himself as a Nazi, I have it on film, and he attacked me.” Miller was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment, only to get arrested again weeks later in another incident. That was April 19, so can Miller maintain this streak of nearly a whole month without an arrest?  TMZ 

Russian forces continue to fire missiles at the Ukrainian port city of Odessa in an apparent attempt to cut supplies to the city. (AP) 

Ukrainian military forces recapture several settlements north of Kharkiv, driving Russian troops to less than a dozen miles from the Russian border. (MSN) 

Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is killed while covering a raid in Jenin. Palestinian sources say that Abu Akleh was shot by Israeli soldiers, while Israeli sources say that she was likely killed by indiscriminate fire by Palestinian militants. Another journalist and two other Palestinians are injured in the shooting. (NPR) 

Eight soldiers are killed and 13 others are injured during an ambush by Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Kpendjal Prefecture, Togo. The attack is believed to be connected to the current insurgency in Burkina Faso, making it the first Islamic extremist attack in Togo. (Reuters) 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces that New Zealand will fully reopen its borders on July 31, two months before the government lifts all remaining pandemic restrictions. (Al Jazeera) 

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) announce in a joint statement that, starting next week, masks are no longer required for flights or in airports. However, the EASA asks passengers to “behave responsibly and respect the choices of others around them,” while the ECDC recommends that passengers continue to practice social distancing if it can be done in a non-disruptive manner. (Euronews) 

COVID-19 passes a threshold of 1 million confirmed deaths in the United States, according to a Reuters tally. Some news outlets declared that the 1 million mark was reached a week earlier. (Reuters)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs security agreements with Finland and Sweden, pledging British military assistance to both Scandinavian countries should they come under attack. (Reuters) 

A tentative settlement of $997 million is reached with the families of victims and survivors of the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, United States. However, the settlement is still subject to final approval. (AP) 

Ukraine starts the first trial of a Russian war crime during the invasion. A Russian soldier is accused of having shot to death a 62-year-old unarmed civilian who witnessed him and his fellow soldiers steal a car. (AFP via Le Devoir) 

Greece bans the practice of conversion therapy for minors as well as all advertisements promoting it. (Reuters) 

Hong Kong’s national security police arrest four people, including Cardinal Joseph Zen, Cantopop singer Denise Ho, and former legislative councilwoman Margaret Ng, in connection with a fund that provided aid to protesters. (The Guardian) 

The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence says that it has arrested two European nationals for allegedly attempting to destabilize the nation in connection with foreign intelligence services. (Al Arabiya) 

The End