Sunday, May 22nd, 2022 

Over 50 people are massacred by suspected Boko Haram fighters in Rann, Nigeria. (Reuters) 

The Russian-appointed mayor of Enerhodar, in Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, is severely injured in an explosion. The cause of the blast is unclear. (Reuters) 

Oman announces that it will repeal all COVID-19 restrictions, including its mask mandate. (AP) 

An Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps colonel is assassinated in Tehran, Iran, by unknown gunmen riding on motorcycles. (AP) 

American professional golfer Justin Thomas wins the PGA Championship, making it his second since 2017. (ESPN) 

Biden gives a succinct ‘hello’ to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Asked what message he had for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Biden on Sunday offered up a simple, short response: “Hello … period,” he answered, speaking with reporters in Seoul before heading to Japan on the second leg of his trip to Asia. Biden also said he was “not concerned” about North Korean missile tests, and that the U.S. is prepared for “anything North Korea does.” Both American and South Korean intelligence has suggested North Korea is preparing a missile or nuclear test to coincide with the timing of Biden’s visit. REUTERS 

U.S. looking into monkeypox vaccines, Biden says President Biden on Sunday said the U.S. is investigating what vaccines are available to protect against monkeypox, a relatively rare, smallpox-like virus. “We’re working on it hard to figure out what we do and what vaccine if any might be available for it,” Biden said. Advisers “haven’t told me the level of exposure yet, but it is something that everybody should be concerned about,” he went on. “It is a concern in that if it were to spread it would be consequential.” So far, the World Health Organization says it has been notified of 92 lab-confirmed monkeypox cases and 28 suspected cases in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and some European countries. Studies have indicated the smallpox vaccine to be at last 85 percent effective against monkeypox. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Zelensky: War will end in ‘diplomacy’ The end of the war in Ukraine will come about through diplomacy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, speaking on Ukrainian TV. “We did not start this war. But we have to finish it,” he told viewers. “Victory will be bloody in battle. But the end will be in diplomacy. We want everything back. Russia does not want to give anything away.” Zelensky also in his remarks praised the performance of Ukrainian forces, commending how well they’ve fought against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military, which he said is “one of the strongest armies in the world.” THE INDEPENDENT 

Biden signs large $40B aid package for Ukraine President Biden on Saturday signed legislation to provide Ukraine with another $40 billion in aid as the Russian invasion rages on. The package had passed Congress with bipartisan support. The funding is intended to support Ukraine through September, and provides $20 billion in military assistance, $8 billion in general economic support, $5 billion to address possible resulting global food shortages, and over $1 billion to assist refugees. The president also on Saturday signed the Access to Baby Formula Act. CNBC 

Mitt Romney: ‘We must prepare for Putin’s worst weapons’ In an op-ed for The New York Times published Saturday, GOP Sen. Mitt Romney (Utah) ruminated on the possibility of Russia resorting to nuclear warfare, and urged the U.S. to take President Vladimir Putin’s threats seriously. “We should imagine the unimaginable,” Romney wrote, “specifically how we would respond militarily and economically to such a seismic shift in the global geopolitical terrain.” The senator went on to align himself with much of President Biden’s decision-making thus far, while also offering up a few possible ways to respond to Putin, including NATO engagement in Ukraine. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Tiger Woods pulls out of PGA Championship Tiger Woods withdrew from the PGA Championship on Saturday after having posted the worst score of his career in the event. The championship announced Wood’s exit after the third round, in which he shot a nine-over par 79. “Tiger Woods has informed us that he is withdrawing from the 2022 PGA Championship,” PGA of America President Jim Richerson wrote in a statement. “We admire Tiger’s valiant effort to compete here at Southern Hills and wish him the best as he continues to recover from his injuries.” The championship was Wood’s second major golf event since his serious car accident last year. NPR 

Saturday, May 21st, 2022 

Russia declares victory in capturing the city of Mariupol. (The Guardian) 

United States President Joe Biden signs into law a bill that would provide $40 billion in military and economic aid for Ukraine, replenish stocks of U.S. equipment sent to Ukraine, fund European Command operations, and address the global food crisis. (Reuters) 

Russia’s Gazprom suspends natural gas exports to Finland over Finland’s refusal to comply with Russia’s demand that gas be paid for in rubles. (Reuters) 

At least nine people are dead after a derecho moves across portions of Central Canada. (CP24) 

ABC News Australia declares that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the current government have been defeated by Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Party. However, the number of seats to declare a majority or minority government is uncertain. (ABC News Australia) 

An unusually early heat wave in Southern France continues to set all-time high records for May, with some communities reporting temperatures as high as 36.7 °C (98.1 °F). (La Dépêche du Midi) 

An early heat wave in the United States sets all-time high records for May 21 in several cities in Texas, Mississippi, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, and ties them for some other areas, particularly in the Northeast. (The New York Times) 

Russia claims to have taken Mariupol Russia on Saturday claimed to have taken complete control of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, potentially notching a huge victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing offensive. There was no immediate confirmation of the news from Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that a final 532 Ukrainian soldiers had been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant and taken to Russian-controlled territory, rounding out a weeks-long attack that killed thousands. At this point, the supposed capture is mostly symbolic, considering Moscow already effectively controlled the area, military analysts said.  THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Russia cuts off gas supply to Finland Russia on Saturday cut off national gas supplies to Finland after the latter reportedly refused to pay for the fuel in rubles, as Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered; Poland and Bulgaria last month lost access to Russian supplies for the same reason. Gasum, Finland’s state-owned gas wholesaler, shared news of the decision on Friday morning, noting the company has been prepared for this to happen and that there will be “no disruptions in the gas transmission network.” The dispute also happens to coincide with Finland’s decision to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alongside neighboring Sweden, much to Russia’s dismay.  BLOOMBERG 

CDC recommends adults 50 and older receive 2nd booster  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended all adults ages 50 and older receive a second COVID-19 booster if at least four months have lapsed since their third dose. The agency had previously encouraged the additional shots only for those 65 and older or with underlying medical conditions, though those over 50 were still eligible. The change in guidance arrives alongside a rise in infections over the last month, as well as a “substantial increase” in hospitalizations for older Americans, the CDC said.  THE NEW YORK TIMES 

G7 nations pledge nearly $20B in aid for Ukraine The Group of 7 economic powers on Friday agreed to a $19.8 billion economic aid package for Ukraine, as the country continues to defend itself against a ruthless Russian-led invasion. The backing will come in a mix of grants and loans, and is intended to keep Ukraine’s government functioning. “We will continue to stand by Ukraine throughout this war and beyond and are prepared to do more as needed,” the G7 finance ministers said in a statement. The International Monetary Fund has said Ukraine needs about $5 billion per month to maintain basic government services. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Meta employees reportedly restricted from discussing abortion at work Per a new report, a Meta executive on Thursday told company employees they may not discuss abortion on the company’s internal version of Facebook, known as Workplace, for fear of fostering a hostile work environment. The policy, which forbids employees from talking about things like the merits and availability of abortion, was reportedly enacted in 2019. In the wake of a leaked opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, however, some employees are calling for the policy’s end. Otherwise, the Meta executive said, staffers may only discuss abortion at work privately, with a trusted colleague, or in a small group.  THE VERGE 

San Francisco archbishop denies Pelosi communion over support for abortion rights  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Catholic Democrat from California, can no longer receive communion in San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s archdiocese due to her support for abortion rights, Cordileone announced Friday. In a public notification, Cordileone said he’d warned Pelosi in April that she must drop her support of abortion rights or cease referring to her faith to justify them. He also said Pelosi declined to meet with him. “After numerous attempts to speak with Speaker Pelosi to help her understand the grave evil she is perpetrating, the scandal she is causing, [and] the danger to her own soul she is risking, “Cordileone wrote on Twitter, “I have determined that she is not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”  THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE 

The End