Sunday, May 29th, 2022 

Marcus Ericsson wins the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500. Ericsson is the first Swedish driver to win the event since 1999. (Yahoo!) 

Russian forces announce they have captured the city of Lyman. (AP) 

Ukrainian troops fight to maintain foothold in Luhansk Russian forces launched an assault on the eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk on Sunday, hoping to capture one of the last pockets of Ukrainian-controlled territory in Luhansk Oblast. Luhansk Governor Sergiy Haidai said the Russian shelling was so intense that it was not possible for Ukrainian forces to assess their losses. Sievierodonetsk Mayor Oleksandr Striuk estimated that around 1,500 civilians had been killed. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the bloody close-quarters battle for Sievierodonetsk shows Russia’s desperation to “squeeze at least some result” out of its largely unsuccessful invasion. REUTERS 

Chairperson of the African Union Macky Sall calls for dialogue between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda amid rising tensions between the two countries over the resurgence of the M23 rebels. Rwanda calls it an “internal DR Congo conflict” and also calls for the release of two “kidnapped” Rwandan soldiers along its border with DR Congo. (Reuters) 

Colombians go to the polls to vote in the presidential election. (NPR) 

Left-wing candidate, former 19th of April Movement guerrilla and former Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro, and populist former Bucaramanga mayor Rodolfo Hernández Suárez, win 40% and 28% of the vote respectively. They will face off in the second round in June. (CNN) 

Pope Francis appoints twenty-one new cardinals. Most of the cardinals are from outside Europe. (AP) 

A stampede breaks out at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York following a false alarm of an active shooting situation. Around 10 people are injured in the stampede. (NBC News)  

Tensions flare in Jerusalem ahead of Israeli nationalist march Israeli police clashed with Palestinian protesters at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday as tensions built ahead of an annual Israeli nationalist march through the Old City. The flag-waving procession commemorates Israel’s capture of Jerusalem’s Old City during the 1967 Six-Day War. Police reportedly locked some Palestinians inside a mosque on the Temple Mount as Jewish visitors arrived for daily tours. The Palestinians hurled rocks and shot fireworks at Israeli police, who threw stun grenades in response. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett rejected calls for the parade to be postponed or relocated in order to reduce tensions.  REUTERS 

Democratic governors push new gun control legislation With new gun control legislation unlikely to pass at the federal level, Democratic Govs. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Kathy Hochul of New York, and Gavin Newsom of California have all proposed tougher firearms restrictions. Murphy has urged state legislators to raise the minimum age for purchasing long guns from 18 to 21 and to pass a bill exposing gun manufacturers to civil lawsuits. Hochul wants to make it illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase an AR-15-style rifle. In California, one bill would restrict the marketing of firearms to minors while another would allow victims of gun violence to sue gun makers and sellers. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Russian ambassador to the U.K. says reports of war crimes are ‘a fabrication’ Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom Andrei Kelin dismissed reports that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine as “a fabrication” during an interview with journalist Clive Myrie that aired Sunday on BBC. Kelin also said his country will not use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine. “We have very strict provision on the issues of the use of tactical nuclear weapon, and it is mainly when the existence of the state is endangered,” Kelin said, adding that Russia can achieve its objectives in Ukraine with a “limited conventional operation.” BBC 

Shanghai to ease COVID lockdowns Shanghai’s vice mayor said Sunday that “unreasonable” COVID restrictions on businesses will be removed on June 1, allowing the city of 25 million to move back toward normalcy after a harsh two-month lockdown that led to widespread mental health issues and made it difficult for residents to obtain food and other basic necessities. The city will also reduce taxes on car purchases, expedite approvals of construction projects, and speed up the issuance of government bonds in order to boost the local economy. “We will fully support and organize the resumption of work and production of enterprises in various industries and fields,” Shanghai Vice Mayor Wu Qing told reporters. REUTERS 

Saturday, May 28th, 2022 

Russian troops enter the strategic city of Sievierodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast with heavy street-to-street fighting underway. Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai says that Ukrainian forces may have to retreat from the city in order to avoid capture. (Reuters) 

Ukraine confirms that it has received shipments of Harpoon anti-ship missiles from Denmark, and self-propelled howitzers from the United States in order to counter the Russian invasion. (Reuters) 

Russia battles for control of Luhansk as civilian death toll tops 4,000 Luhansk Governor Sergiy Haidai said Saturday that the city of Sievierodonetsk is “not cut off,” even as Russian troops continue to attack from three sides. Sievierodonetsk and its twin city, Lysychansk, represent one of the last pockets of Ukrainian resistance in Luhansk Oblast. On Tuesday, Haidai told civilians trapped in Sievierodonetsk that there was no time left to evacuate. The United Nations said Friday that 4,031 civilians, including 261 children, have died in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24. CNN 

The Iranian IRGC Navy boards and seizes two Greek ships after the Supreme National Security Council condemned the US seizure of a Russo-Iranian ship. (VOA)  

U.S. sanctions Russian banks over North Korean missile tests The United States imposed new sanctions on two Russian banks on Friday after North Korea reportedly conducted three ballistic missile tests on Tuesday. The two banks, Far Eastern and Sputnik, have been accused of doing business with U.S.-sanctioned North Korean entities. North Korea has conducted 23 ballistic missile tests since the beginning of the year. The U.S. imposed sanctions after Russia and China used their United Nations Security Council vetoes on Thursday to block further sanctions on North Korea. ABC NEWS 

Blinken confident Finland and Sweden ‘will soon be NATO members’ despite Turkish opposition  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that he believes Turkey’s concerns about Finland and Sweden joining NATO can be addressed. “The United States fully supports Finland and Sweden joining the alliance and I continue to be confident that both will soon be NATO members,” Blinken said during a joint news conference with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, who was visiting Washington, D.C. “We look forward to being able to call Finland and Sweden our allies.” Haavisto said he expects Turkey’s objections to be fully resolved before the late-June NATO summit in Madrid. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

The Bulgarian government approves adopting the euro as the country’s currency on January 1, 2024, replacing the lev. (Reuters) 

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar wins the presidential primary of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party and officially becomes the party’s nominee for the February 2023 general election. Abubakar, who served as Vice President from 1999 to 2007 and was the PDP’s 2019 presidential nominee, defeated Nyesom Wike, Bukola Saraki, and nine other candidates to win the primary. (Premium Times) 

In association football, Real Madrid win a record 14th UEFA Champions League title after defeating Liverpool 1–0 in the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final at the Stade de France near Paris, with Vinícius Júnior scoring the winning goal. Kick-off was delayed by 36 minutes due to ticketed fans being prevented from entering the stadium. French police fire tear gas at Liverpool supporters. UEFA blamed the disorder on Liverpool fans trying to enter the stadium with fake tickets and blocking the turnstiles. (The Guardian)  

 Trump, Cruz deliver remarks at NRA convention just days after Uvalde shooting Former President Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) both delivered speeches at the annual convention of the National Rifle Association in Houston on Friday. “The existence of evil in our world is not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens,” Trump said, refusing to endorse new gun control measures after a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, killed 21 people on Tuesday. Cruz also doubled down, arguing that if gun bans worked, “Chicago wouldn’t be the murder hellhole that it has been for far too long.” Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) had been scheduled to speak but delivered his address by prerecorded video instead. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Inflation could be slowing down, new report suggests The personal consumption expenditures price index, also known as “the Fed’s favorite inflation measure” rose 6.3 percent in April from a year ago, in a sign that inflation might be slightly moderating, per the Commerce Department. Though still elevated, April’s number represents the first slowdown since November 2020, and clocks in just below a four-decade high set in March. Consumer spending also rose a healthy 0.9 percent from March to April. CBS NEWS 

Biden’s reported student debt forgiveness plan ‘won’t do anything,’ NAACP says President Biden is planning to cancel $10,000 in student debt per borrower, according to a report published Friday. Biden had hoped to announce this student loan plan as soon as this weekend in a speech at the University of Delaware but delayed it due to the recent shooting in Texas. The plan reportedly involves limiting debt forgiveness to those who made less than $150,000 the previous year, or $300,000 for married couples. NAACP President Derrick Johnson also slammed the reported plan, saying canceling $10,000 in student debt would be “like pouring a bucket of ice water on a forest fire. In other words, it won’t do anything, especially for the Black community.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Jury begins deliberations in Johnny Depp-Amber Heard libel trial Lawyers for Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard delivered their closing arguments to the jury on Friday, bringing the six-week libel trial to an end. The jury began deliberations at around 3:00 p.m. on Friday, finished for the day at around 5:00 p.m., and will resume on Tuesday. Depp sued Heard for $50 million over a Washington Post op-ed in which Heard identified herself as a survivor of domestic abuse. “We’re asking you to finally hold this man responsible,” Heard lawyer Elaine Bredehoft told the jury, pressing Heard’s counterclaim. “He has never accepted responsibility for anything in his life.” Depp lawyer Camille Vasquez told the jury Heard’s allegations, which Depp denies, had “ruined his life.” NPR 

The Mexican energy regulatory commission fines Spanish electric utility Iberdrola for US$467 million for violating local regulations that prohibit selling electricity to third parties. (Al Mayadeen) 

An icefall kills two mountain climbers and injures nine others in the Alps of Valais, Switzerland. (AP) 

The Federal High Court in Yenagoa rules that former President Goodluck Jonathan is allowed to run in the next presidential election, stating that a 2018 amendment prohibiting vice presidents from serving more than one full-term upon succession did not apply to Jonathan. (Reuters)  

Jodie Foster to star in ‘True Detective’ season 4 Clarice Starling is ready to get back in the field. Jodie Foster has been cast in the fourth season of HBO’s True Detective, titled True Detective: Night Country. The Silence of the Lambs star plays the lead role of Detective Liz Danvers, who alongside detective Evangeline Navarro must “solve the case of six men that operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanishing without a trace,” according to Deadline. Foster is also producing the show, as is Barry Jenkins, the acclaimed director of Moonlight. True Detective was last on the air in 2019 with a third season led by Mahershala Ali, which was generally seen as an improvement on an underwhelming second season but not as good as the iconic first season starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. There’s no word yet on who will play Foster’s partner, but might we suggest a full-on Panic Room reunion with Kristen Stewart? Time is a flat circle, after all. DEADLINE 

Kendall Jenner makes another attempt at cutting a cucumber Will Kendall Jenner one day be able to accomplish the simple task of cutting a vegetable without incident? The 26-year-old Kardashians star went viral earlier this month after looking completely ill-equipped to simply cut a cucumber in an episode of the Hulu show. Almost immediately after she starts doing so, she says she’s “kind of scared,” and her mom, Kris Jenner, calls out for help from their chef. “Kendall Jenner trying to cut a f–king cucumber is the most tragic thing I’ve ever witnessed,” a fan wrote at the time, to which Jenner responded, “Tragic!” Weeks later, Jenner took to Instagram to share a photo of a cucumber and a knife in her kitchen along with the caption “here we go again” — without actually showing herself successfully slicing up said cucumber. Hey, no pressure Kendall, feel free to take the rest of the year mentally preparing yourself for this taxing assignment.  PAGE SIX 

Jury deliberations begin in Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial At long last, it’s almost time to move on from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial. After six weeks, the closely watched trial in which Depp is suing his ex-wife for writing an article about being the victim of domestic abuse headed into jury deliberations on Friday after hours of closing arguments. Depp’s attorneys told jurors “there is an abuser in this courtroom, but it is not Mr. Depp,” calling the Pirates of the Caribbean star a “well liked man” whose life was destroyed by Heard’s “vicious lie” and was actually abused by her. Meanwhile, Heard’s team urged the jury to hold Depp “accountable for his actions,” “stand up for victims of domestic abuse everywhere who are suffering in silence,” and “give Amber Heard her life back.” They’ll have to decide whether her 2018 article meets the high standard for defamation, and a verdict could come as early as Tuesday — which, regardless of the outcome, might be a great day to take a social media hiatus.  NBC NEWS 

Kevin Spacey movie producers dismiss ‘negative press’ after new charges The producers of one of Kevin Spacey’s comeback films don’t seem too bothered by the fact that their star was just charged with sexually assaulting three men. The disgraced actor was hit with new sexual assault charges in the U.K. Thursday, which would seem to be terrible timing for Peter Five Eight, a movie starring Spacey that’s being shopped at Cannes. But in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, the film’s producers said it’s “unfortunate” but “expected” that the “increased negative press is timed with Kevin returning to work.” They went on to claim those who “wish for” Spacey “not to act” are “outnumbered by fans worldwide who await” his return, describing their movie as one for “fans who care more for the art than the scandal.” Based on the film’s extremely cheap looking trailer, though, it may also be for fans who feel the production value of SyFy original movies is a little too high.  ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY 

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ is speeding toward a big opening weekend After all this time, do audiences still feed the need for speed? Boy, do they ever. Top Gun: Maverick grossed a massive $19.3 million in previews, which included Thursday night showings and some early Tuesday screenings. Not only is that the best preview number for a Paramount Pictures movie, but it’s also the biggest for a film released over Memorial Day weekend. Maverick should have a four-day opening of over $100 million, which would be the best of Tom Cruise’s whole career. The sequel’s release comes after an absurd number of pandemic delays, and it was pushed back so many times that the first trailer debuted five months before Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters. But critics say it was worth the wait, and some have even floated Maverick as a potential Best Picture nominee, possibly making it the only summer movie that will get that kind of buzz — though we won’t count out DC League of Super-Pets just yet.  THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

The End