Wednesday, May 18th, 2022 

Neil Patrick Harris apologizes for ‘corpse of Amy Winehouse’ meat platter Neil Patrick Harris has apologized for an Amy Winehouse joke that became legendary in the worst way possible. In 2011, the How I Met Your Mother star hosted a Halloween party that featured a grotesque meat platter meant to look like Amy Winehouse’s dead body, which was labeled “the corpse of Amy Winehouse.” This was just months after the singer tragically died of alcohol poisoning at 27. Harris faced renewed backlash for the dark joke after a picture from the party resurfaced, and he has now apologized in a statement to Entertainment Weekly. “A photo recently resurfaced from a Halloween-themed party my husband and I hosted 11 years ago,” he said. “It was regrettable then, and it remains regrettable now.” The actor praised Winehouse as a “once-in-a-generation talent,” adding, “I’m sorry for any hurt this image caused.”  ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY 

Another four cases of monkeypox are confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency, bringing the total number recorded in the current outbreak to seven. Notably, these new cases appear to be the result of community transmission, with no known links to previous cases. (BBC News) 

The United States lifts some economic sanctions on Venezuela, including allowing the Chevron Corporation to negotiate its license with the Venezuelan PDVSA state-owned oil company and removing the names of some Venezuelan officials from a United States government list of sanctioned individuals. (AP) 

U.S. lets Chevron talk to Venezuela about resuming oil sales The Treasury Department on Tuesday gave Chevron a “narrow” license that will allow the energy giant to start talks with Venezuela to resume oil production halted under U.S. sanctions against the South American country’s socialist government, The Washington Post reported, citing U.S. officials. The license marked the first step toward possible sanctions relief under discussion since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered new sanctions on Russia and disrupted global oil markets. Successful talks could clear Chevron to extract and sell Venezuelan crude. Renewing purchases of Venezuelan oil could increase available supply while driving a wedge between the government of controversial Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Russia, a close ally. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Hezbollah coalition loses majority in Lebanon Iran-aligned Hezbollah and allied parties have lost their majority in Lebanon’s parliament, according to election results released Tuesday. Neither Hezbollah’s bloc nor its rivals in a Saudi-aligned coalition led by the Lebanese Forces, a right-wing Christian party calling for disarming Hezbollah militants, were able to secure a majority, both sides said. Hezbollah’s alliance appears likely to secure at least 61 seats, slightly more than the Lebanese Forces bloc but down from the 70 it won in the last election in 2018. The division could hamper efforts to form a government as Lebanon contends with a devastating economic crisis, although Hezbollah still might be able to pull together a majority if it can win over some independent legislators. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Allianz’s American asset management unit pleads guilty to criminal securities fraud and agrees to pay $5.8 billion to those who have been misled about the risk of investing in some hedge funds that collapsed with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to more than $1 billion to the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Reuters) 

Powell says Fed will curb inflation even if ‘some pain involved’ Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told The Wall Street Journal in a Tuesday interview that the central bank is committed to bringing down the highest inflation in 40 years, even if there is “some pain involved.” “Restoring price stability is an unconditional need. It is something we have to do,” Powell said during the Journal‘s Future of Everything Festival. Powell said he hoped the Fed’s efforts, which include interest rate hikes and a reduction of its balance sheet, will do the trick without weakening the labor market, but that bringing down price pressures could result in a slight rise in unemployment, which was near a half-century low at 3.6 percent in April. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Finland, Sweden formally apply to join NATO Finland and Sweden on Wednesday formally applied to join NATO. The two Nordic countries had long held proudly to their military nonalignment, but shifted toward applying for membership in the Western military alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Security experts said adding Sweden and Finland to NATO would significantly strengthen the alliance in the Baltic Sea. “This is a historic moment, which we must seize,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at a ceremony where Swedish and Finnish ambassadors to the alliance submitted their application letters. All 30 NATO members will have to approve the expansion, and Turkey recently unexpectedly said it had reservations about admitting Finland and Sweden due to their purported willingness to harbor Kurdish militants Turkey considers terrorists. REUTERS 

FDA authorizes Pfizer booster for kids ages 5 to 11 The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized giving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster to children ages 5 to 11. Children in the age group will be eligible for the third dose of the vaccine at least five months after they received the second shot. The companies asked the FDA to approve the booster, which will be the first available to children that young, based on a small study they said indicated it was safe and effective in boosting antibody levels to counter waning immunity. Previously, only people 12 or older were able to get booster shots. The companies said the booster dose intended for younger children increased protection against the coronavirus, including the highly infectious Omicron variant that has increased the number of children hospitalized with COVID-19. NPR 

Data suggests intentional crash of China jet Flight data from one of the black boxes of a China Eastern jet that crashed in March indicated that someone crashed the plane intentionally, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with U.S. officials’ preliminary assessment. The Boeing 737-800 was cruising at high altitude and suddenly went into a near-vertical dive, slamming into a southern China mountain and killing all 123 passengers and nine crew members. “The plane did what it was told to do by someone in the cockpit,” a person familiar with the preliminary assessment told the Journal. Chinese officials have not flagged any mechanical problems related to the crash. Boeing and the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which is leading the investigation, did not immediately comment. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

White House offers public 3rd set of free at-home COVID tests The White House announced Tuesday that Americans can now order a third set of free, at-home coronavirus tests to be delivered by the Postal Service. Under the expanded program, the number of tests being made available to each household doubled to 16. President Biden first promised to make the tests available at no charge as Americans were dealing with a shortage of tests during the winter Omicron coronavirus wave. More than 70 million households had ordered and received a total of 350 million tests by the time the extension of the program was announced. The move came as fast-spreading Omicron subvariants are sending infection rates climbing in many parts of the United States, although deaths and severe illnesses remain far below winter peaks. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Target shares fall as high costs dent profit Target shares plunged by 16 percent in pre-market trading on Wednesday after the retailer reported disappointing quarterly profits due to rising freight and inventory costs. Target reported strong quarterly net sales of $25.17 billion, beating the $24.47 billion analysts expected, but the cost increases caused diluted earnings per share to come in at $2.19, far short of the $3.07 expected. “We never expected the kind of cost increases in freight and transportation that we’re seeing right now,” Target Chairman and CEO Brian Cornell told Yahoo Finance. Target expects another $1 billion in freight and transportation costs this year related to high fuel and diesel prices. Like Walmart, it slashed its profit outlook for the year after the rough start. CNBC 

A Russian airstrike kills eight people and injures twelve others in Desna, Chernihiv Oblast. (Reuters) 

Heavy fighting breaks out in Tripoli, Libya, forcing Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha to flee the capital. (AP) 

Nine people are killed during an explosion caused by a gas leak at a primary school and a store in Kano, Nigeria. (BBC News) 

Tuesday,  May 17th, 2022 

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin warns that Russia will react to the “expansion of military infrastructure” by NATO in Sweden and Finland, saying that “problems are being created for no reason at all. We shall react accordingly”. (Sky News) 

Ukraine says that its troops have pushed back Russian forces in a counter-offensive, reaching the border with Russia. Kharkiv governor Oleh Synyehubov confirms that Ukrainian forces have restored control of a border crossing with Russia in the region. (Reuters) 

The Russian ruble approaches a 5-year high against the Euro. (Reuters) 

Ukrainian fighters evacuate Mariupol steel plant, ending standoff Hundreds of Ukrainian fighters, dozens of them seriously wounded, were evacuated Monday from the besieged Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, ending their standoff against Russian fighters who have seized control of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Ukraine and Russia agreed to a local cease-fire that allowed dozens of buses to leave. “Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said. About 1,000 Ukrainian fighters, many from the skilled and controversial Azov Regiment, had held out for weeks in the steel plant’s network of underground tunnels and bunkers as Russia bombarded the complex. Hundreds of civilians who had sheltered there were evacuated earlier after being trapped for weeks. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Five buses and an armored personnel carrier evacuate several hundred soldiers from the Azovstal steel works following negotiations with the Russian Armed Forces. The evacuated soldiers will be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war. (BBC News)  

The Russian Defence Ministry says that its forces have shot down three Ukrainian Air Force warplanes, including a Su-25 over Mykolaiv and a Su-24 strike jet near Snake Island in the Black Sea. (Reuters) 

McDonald’s announces that it has begun the process of selling all of its restaurants in Russia citing the “humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine”, as the reason for ending operations in the country after 32 years. It is later announced that these restaurants will reopen under a new brand in mid-June, and that their menus will be retained. (Reuters)  

Trump must post on Truth Social before Twitter Former President Donald Trump plans to “partially restrict himself” on social media sites like Twitter, even if Elon Musk completes his purchase of the company and follows through on his recently stated intention to let Trump back on the platform, CNBC reported Monday, citing an SEC filing from Digital World Acquisition Corp., the SPAC working to take Trump’s media and technology company public. According to the filing, Trump must first post to his social network Truth Social, and “can’t publish the same content on another social media site for six hours,” CNBC said. Once the six hours are up, he can post on “any site to which he has access,” the filing says. AXIOS 

Biden reverses Trump order, redeploying U.S. troops to Somalia President Biden has authorized the military to send hundreds of Special Operations forces into Somalia, The New York Times reported Monday, citing four officials familiar with the matter. The Obama administration, in which Biden served as vice president, had about 700 ground troops stationed in the country, but former President Donald Trump withdrew nearly all of them. Biden also approved a Pentagon request to target leaders of Al Shabab, a Somali terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda, the Times reported. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson confirmed the orders, which she said would permit “a more effective fight against Al Shabab.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

U.S. President Joe Biden announces that American troops will be redeployed to Somalia, reversing a previous order under former President Donald Trump. (ABC News) 

Biden reverses some Trump restrictions on Cuba The Biden administration announced Monday that it will ease some restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba that were imposed by the Trump administration. The State Department said it would lift a $1,000-per-quarter limit on money families can send to their relatives in Cuba. The U.S. also will allow non-family remittances to help Cuban entrepreneurs establish and maintain independent businesses. The U.S. will permit passenger flights to locations other than Havana, increase visa processing, and revive the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program, as well. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the moves would “support Cubans’ aspirations for freedom and for greater economic opportunities so that they can lead successful lives at home.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Macron names Elisabeth Borne as French prime minister  Newly re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday named Labor Minister Elisabeth Borne to replace Jean Castex as prime minister. Borne will be the first woman to serve as France’s prime minister in 30 years, and only the second in the country’s history. “Nothing should stop the fight for the place of women in our society,” Borne said. The first woman to serve in the post was Édith Cresson, who was prime minister from 1991 to 1992 under Socialist President François Mitterand. Borne, a centrist, is expected to use her deep experience in how the state works to try to push through retirement reform and climate change measures Macron promised in his re-election campaign. ABC NEWS 

FDA, Abbott reach agreement to reopen baby formula plant The Food and Drug Administration and Abbott Laboratories reached an agreement Monday aiming to help speed up the reopening of the company’s shuttered baby formula plant. The FDA said the deal could make it possible for Abbott to resume production at the Sturgis, Michigan, facility in two weeks. The factory has been shut down since February, when a potentially deadly bacteria was detected on equipment there following illnesses and two deaths among babies that consumed formula produced at the plant. The effort to reopen the factory is part of the plan to ease a nationwide shortage of baby formula that is stoking alarm and hardship among parents. The FDA said Monday it would make it easier to import some infant formulas from abroad. CNN 

Twitter deal can’t ‘move forward’ without data on fake accounts Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted Tuesday that Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal “publicly refused to show proof” that fewer than 5 percent of the social media platform’s accounts are fake, and said his $44 billion bid to buy Twitter “cannot move forward until he does.” Musk claims 20 percent or more of Twitter accounts could be fake or spam accounts, possibly more. Agrawal on Monday defended Twitter’s effort to crack down on bots. He said the company suspends more than half a million accounts daily, and locks millions of suspected fake accounts until they are verified. “Spam harms the experience for real people on Twitter, and therefore can harm our business,” Agrawal posted Monday. TESLARATI 

JetBlue attempts hostile takeover of Spirit JetBlue on Monday launched a hostile takeover bid for Spirit Airlines. Spirit rejected a $3.7 billion offer from JetBlue two weeks ago, arguing that regulators were unlikely to approve the deal and sticking with an earlier agreement to merge with fellow discount carrier Frontier Airlines. JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said in a March 29 letter to Spirit that a tie-up would “create a leading player best positioned to serve our customers by offering increased flight schedules and more competitive fares.” JetBlue’s original offer was for $33 per share. It now is offering shareholders $30 per share and urging them to vote against the Frontier deal. Spirit shares closed at $16.90 on Monday. CNBC 

Commercial flights from Sanaa International Airport in Sanaa, Yemen, resume after six years. The Yemenia flight carried 151 passengers to the Jordanian capital Amman. (France 24) 

French Minister of Labour Élisabeth Borne is appointed by President Emmanuel Macron as the new Prime Minister of France, succeeding Jean Castex. (Le Monde in English) 

Monday,  May 16th, 2022 

McDonald’s to sell Russia business McDonald’s announced Monday that it plans to sell its Russia business after 32 years. It paused operations in the country two months ago due to Russia’s war in Ukraine. “This is a complicated issue that’s without precedent and with profound consequences,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski wrote in a letter to franchises, employees, and suppliers that The New York Times obtained. Numerous restaurant chains and consumer product manufacturers have suspended operations in Russia since it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, including Starbucks and Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut. McDonald’s has 39,000 restaurants in over 100 countries. It has invested billions of dollars in Russia since opening in Moscow in 1990. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Goldman’s Blankfein: Prepare for possible recession Goldman Sachs Senior Chairman Lloyd Blankfein on Sunday warned that the United States faces a “very, very high risk” of recession. “If I were running a big company, I would be very prepared for it,” Blankfein said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “If I was a consumer, I’d be prepared for it.” Blankfein said the Federal Reserve still has “very powerful tools” available to cool down the economy and contain inflation without cutting off growth completely, so a recession isn’t “baked in the cake.” The comments came as the investment bank’s economists cut their growth forecast for 2022 to 2.4 percent, down from 2.6 percent, and their 2023 estimate to 1.6 percent from 2.2 percent. BLOOMBERG 

Commercial flights from Sanaa International Airport in Sanaa, Yemen, resume after six years. The Yemenia flight carried 151 passengers to the Jordanian capital Amman. (France 24) 

McConnell expects vote on $40 billion Ukraine aid package this week Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Sunday that he expects senators to advance the new $40 billion Ukraine aid package on Monday, followed by a final vote to approve the funding on Wednesday. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) held up the money last week, but McConnell, who made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday, said “it’s important for the United States to help, important for the free world to help.” McConnell said the Ukraine aid is “not charity” but a necessary step to protect U.S. interests by showing that a “ruthless thug” can’t “march through Europe” unchecked. McConnell also said he would support designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Romania Protecting Europe in Turbulent Times. Bucharest Leaders Summit: Enduring Power of Solidarity. (Stiri din Romania) 

Fourteen people die and nineteen others are injured after a tourist bus smashes into a billboard in Mojokerto, East Java, Indonesia. (Associated Press) 

The Ghanaian Ministry of Defence warns that the possibility that a terrorist attack will occur in the country is “very real” and that the country’s defence system has been placed at high alert. (yen.com.gh)

Sweden’s government backs applying to join NATO Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced Sunday that her party, the Social Democrats, had decided that Sweden should join NATO. The Social Democrats voted in a Sunday meeting to support working toward applying to join the Western military alliance, setting up a vote in parliament. Hours earlier, Finland formally announced it will seek to join NATO. Andersson said Sweden’s military non-alliance had served it well for 200 years, but Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine showed the policy “will not serve us well in the future.” The invasion demonstrated that the Kremlin is “prepared to use violence to achieve their political objectives and that they don’t hesitate to take enormous risks,” Andersson said. CNN 

Nebraska governor vows to push abortion ban if Roe overturned Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday he will call a special legislative session to pass a total abortion ban if the Supreme Court strikes down the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established abortion rights nationwide. Ricketts said he doesn’t want to allow exceptions for rape or incest. The comments came a day after abortion-rights protesters held rallies nationwide calling for keeping abortion legal. Expectations of a Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe mounted last week after the leak of a draft opinion by a five-justice conservative majority in which Justice Samuel Alito indicated the court was poised to reverse Roe and uphold a Mississippi abortion law tightening abortion restrictions. CNN 

U.S. to remove 5 inactive groups from terrorist list The United States plans to take five defunct extremist organizations off its list of foreign terrorist organizations, The Associated Press reported Sunday. The groups include “the Basque separatist group ETA , the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, the radical Jewish group Kahane Kach, and two Islamic groups that have been active in Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Egypt,” AP reported. The Islamist groups are the Mujahidin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem, an umbrella group of jihadist organizations in Gaza, and Gama’a al-Islamiyya, or Islamic Group–IG, an Egyptian Sunni Islamist movement that battled Egypt’s government in the 1990s. The five groups have been blamed for killing hundreds or thousands of people. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Shanghai to let businesses resume limited operations Shanghai officials on Sunday detailed their plan to reopen businesses, including shopping malls and supermarkets, in China’s largest city on a limited basis under an ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. Shanghai’s deputy mayor, Chen Tong, said the city would allow limited operations starting Monday, under a transitional phase “from emergency response to normalized prevention and control.” Daily new infections in the city of 25 million people have dropped from a high of more than 20,000 last month to about 1,200 on Saturday. Despite the falling infection rates, neighborhood-level authorities in many areas have increased restrictions in recent days out of fear new cases could spike again. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Harris heads delegation to UAE after Emirati president’s death  Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to lead a presidential delegation expressing condolences on the death of the country’s president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Harris is scheduled to meet in the capital city, Abu Dhabi, with the new president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, her office said in a statement. Harris “will underscore the strength of the partnership between our countries and our desire to further deepen our ties in the coming months and years,” her press secretary, Kirsten Allen, said. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the two countries would continue working together to build “a more peaceful and secure region and world.” CNN 

Wheat prices jump after India bans exports Wheat futures jumped by more than 5 percent on Monday after India announced a ban on most exports of the grain as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatened global shortages. Soft red winter wheat for July delivery locked in at $12.39 a bushel after rising as high as $12.47, its highest level since mid-March. The price of Chicago wheat futures has risen 60 percent this year. India announced the ban on Friday, but said Sunday it would continue exporting to needy nations. Russia and Ukraine account for a combined 25 percent of global wheat exports. The United States and the European Union are scrambling to boost crop yields and improve food supply chains. Group of Seven foreign ministers warned over the weekend that the Ukraine war is increasing the threat of a global hunger crisis. CNBC 

The End

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Sunday, May 15th, 2022 

Russia launches missile strikes from the Black Sea on “military infrastructure” in Yavoriv Raion, Lviv Oblast, located near Ukraine’s western border with Poland. The target was “completely destroyed”, according to the region’s governor Maksym Kozytskyy. (Reuters) 

Russia has lost a third of its invasion force, U.K. intelligence says United Kingdom military intelligence said Sunday that Russia has lost around one-third of the ground forces it deployed when the invasion began in February and that its offensive in the Donbas had “lost momentum and fallen significantly behind schedule.” After driving Russian troops back from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Ukrainian forces launched another counteroffensive on Sunday near Russian-held Izium, around 75 miles southeast of Kharkiv. Russian forces, meanwhile, made some advances in the Donbas but continue to suffer from “low morale and reduced combat effectiveness,” according to U.K. intelligence. REUTERS 

Ukraine ‘appears to have won the Battle of Kharkiv,’ think tank says A Ukrainian counteroffensive seems to have driven Russian forces back from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. A senior U.S. defense official told reporters Friday that Ukraine had reclaimed towns and villages in the vicinity of Kharkiv. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said that Ukraine “appears to have won the Battle of Kharkiv” and that Russian high command has “likely decided to withdraw fully” due to Ukrainian counterattacks and the “limited availability of reinforcements.” THE WASHINGTON POST 

Saudi Aramco profits jump more than 80 percent thanks to soaring gas prices The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, known as Saudi Aramco, posted a record quarterly profit of $39.5 billion on Sunday, up 82 percent in the first three months of 2022. This spike is the result of high oil prices, which have risen more than 45 percent since the beginning of the year and have stayed consistently above $100 per barrel. “Against the backdrop of increased volatility in global markets, we remain focused on helping meet the world’s demand for energy that is reliable, affordable and increasingly sustainable,” Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser said Sunday. On Wednesday, Aramco surpassed Apple to become the world’s most valuable company, with a market value of over $2.4 trillion. CNBC 

Finland formally announces intent to join NATO Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin formally announced on Sunday that Finland is seeking to join NATO. Parliament will vote to ratify the membership proposal on Monday and could submit a formal application the following day. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, support for NATO membership in Finland has tripled to around 75 percent. Sweden’s governing Social Democrats are likely to drop their longstanding opposition to joining NATO at a meeting Sunday, with an application to follow soon after. THE GUARDIAN 

RAO Nordic, a subsidiary of Russian energy company Inter RAO, announces it will suspend deliveries of electricity to Finland, saying it has not been paid for prior deliveries. The suspension comes as Russia threatens retaliation if Finland joins NATO. (BBC News) 

Sweden’s governing Social Democratic Party approves the country joining NATO. The official government decision is expected in the coming days. (Politico) 

Romania MEP Cristian Terheș loses his status as a member of the Christian Democratic National Peasants’ Party and the position that he holds in the party. (Stiri din Romania) 

Voters in Switzerland approve three measures in a referendum. These measures will require streaming services to invest 4% of their revenue in Switzerland into domestic filmmaking; allow the government to increase the Swiss contribution in Frontex, the EU border agency; and change the default system of organ donation from explicit to presumed consent. (Swissinfo) 

Lebanese voters head to the polls to elect a new session to Parliament. Preliminary counts show the Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies, who won in the previous election, losing seats while the Saudi-backed Lebanese Forces made gains. (Reuters) 

Dr. Oz condemns ‘Islamophobic’ comments from surging Kathy Barnette Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is running for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat as a Republican and would be the country’s first Muslim senator if elected, slammed primary opponent Kathy Barnette on Saturday for her history of posting Islamophobic tweets. “We must stop interacting with them as if they r rational human beings. There is nothing rational about Islam,” Barnette tweeted in 2015. She also shared an article with the headline “Pedophilia is a Cornerstone of Islam.” Oz said he considers Barnette’s “Islamophobic” remarks to be “disqualifying.” Despite her huge disadvantage in funding, Barnette is polling neck-and-neck with Oz ahead of Tuesday’s primary. THE NEW YORK POST 

Musk says Twitter accused him of violating a non-disclosure agreement Elon Musk said Saturday that Twitter had accused him of violating a non-disclosure agreement after he revealed the process Twitter uses to calculate the percentage of bot accounts on the platform. “Twitter legal just called to complain that I violated their NDA by revealing the bot check sample size is 100! This actually happened,” Musk tweeted. On Friday, Musk announced that his planned purchase of Twitter was “temporarily on hold pending details supporting” Twitter’s claim that bot accounts represent less than five percent of users on the platform. Musk suggested Sunday that the number could be as high as 90 percent of daily active users. FOX BUSINESS 

Saturday, May 14th, 2022 

Ten people are killed and three others injured after a gunman opens fire in a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in Buffalo, New York, United States. The shooter, a self-described white supremacist, is taken into custody. (AP) 

Venezuela announces that it will sell 5–10% shares in state-owned companies to private investors in order to help fund state enterprises. (AP) 

India bans wheat exports with immediate effect after the heat wave causes yields to be lower than expected. Exceptions will be made if wheat is requested by governments, or for food security needs. (Bloomberg) 

Outgoing South Ossetian President Anatoly Bibilov announces that a referendum on joining Russia will be held on July 17. (Reuters) 

The Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates appoints Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the country’s new president, who also inherits the Emirate of Abu Dhabi after the death of his half-brother Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (AP) 

Abortion rights protests kick off planned ‘summer of rage’ Organizers of nationwide abortion rights protests said they expect hundreds of thousands of people to show up on Saturday at events in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and other major cities. Abortion rights groups have reportedly organized more than 300 “Bans off Our Bodies” marches to protest the leaked draft Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade (1973). “For the women of this country, this will be a summer of rage. We will be ungovernable until this government starts working for us, until the attacks on our bodies let up, until the right to an abortion is codified into law,” Women’s March President Rachel Carmona said. REUTERS 

Child abuse investigations into parents of trans kids can resume, Texas court rules The Texas Supreme Court unanimously ruled Friday that child abuse investigations into the parents of transgender children can continue, but that the governor and attorney general cannot directly order such investigations. The ruling came after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) ordered the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate the family of a 16-year-old transgender girl identified as “Mary Doe.” Abbott had called on state officials to consider medically accepted treatments for transgender youth — such as hormones, puberty suppressants, and gender-affirming surgery — as potential abuse in cases involving minors. Mary Doe’s family filed a lawsuit when investigators began requesting medical records related to their daughter’s treatment. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

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

Elon Musk says he’s ‘still committed’ to buying Twitter but deal is now ‘temporarily on hold’ Elon Musk’s deal to buy Twitter is now on hold, according to the Tesla CEO. On Friday, Musk tweeted that his planned purchase on Twitter is “temporarily on hold pending details supporting” a calculation that spam and fake accounts represent less than five percent of users on the platform. Twitter’s stock quickly took a hit after Musk’s announcement, which he followed up by saying he is “still committed” to the acquisition. Last month, Musk said that spambots were the “single most annoying problem on Twitter.” The social media company in April accepted Musk’s offer to purchase it for about $44 billion, $54.20 per share, but the deal hasn’t officially been completed.REUTERS 

Jen Psaki delivers final press briefing before leaving to join MSNBC White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki shed tears on Friday as she delivered her final press briefing before leaving to join MSNBC. During her farewell, Psaki said she first met President Biden and first lady Jill Biden after the 2020 election. “[W]hat we talked about for the majority of our conversation was the importance of returning integrity, respect, and civility to the White House,” she said. She also warned her successor, Karine Jean-Pierre, that the job of press secretary “can be repetitive” and advised her to “always provide the context and all the details because you never want to be a meme with one line.”AXIOS 

Draft decision leak shattered trust on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas says  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said Friday that the leak of a draft decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade (1973) was “tremendously bad” and had damaged the atmosphere of trust on the Supreme Court. “The institution that I’m a part of, if someone said that one line of one opinion would be leaked by anyone, you’d say, ‘Oh, that’s impossible. No one would ever do that,’” Thomas said at a conference in Dallas hosted by the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute. Thomas cited the close friendship between ideologically opposed Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsberg as an example of the “family” the court once resembled. “This is not the court of that era,” he added.CNN 

Erdoğan: Turkey does not support Finland, Sweden joining NATO The government of Turkey does not support Finland and Sweden joining NATO, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday. “We are following the developments regarding Sweden and Finland, but we are not of a favorable opinion,” Erdoğan said in Instanbul. “Scandinavian countries are guesthouses for terrorist organizations,” he added. Erdoğan’s comments throw a potentially huge wrench in both Finland and Sweden’s possible membership, considering all 30 NATO allies must approve a candidate country’s application. Sweden has not yet made final its intention to apply, though a decision is expected soon. Finland announced its plans to move forward with accession on Thursday.AXIOS 

Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia extended for another month Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia has been extended once again. The WNBA star’s lawyer said Friday that her pre-trial detention has been extended by one month following a hearing in Moscow. The attorney, Alexander Boykov, said this extension suggested the case may soon go to trial. A court most recently extended Griner’s detention another two months in March. Boykov also said Friday the court denied an appeal to transfer Griner to house arrest. In February, Griner was detained at the airport in Russia after cannabis vape cartridges were allegedly found in her suitcase. The United States recently classified her as being “wrongfully detained.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Friday,  May 13th, 2022 

Israeli riot police beat pallbearers and mourners at the funeral of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, which was attended by thousands of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki and the deputy speaker for UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the images of the attacks “deeply disturbing”. (AP) 

The Croatian Parliament votes 117–13 to officially replace the kuna with the euro on 1 January. (RTÉ) 

The Sky Bridge 721 opens in Dolni Morava, Czech Republic. Spanning 721 metres (2,365 ft), it is longest simple suspension bridge in the world. (Reuters) 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says that Turkey will oppose Sweden and Finland’s applications to join NATO, asserting that the countries are “guesthouses for terrorist organisations”. (Reuters) 

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin holds talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in the first meeting between the two since the start of the invasion. (Reuters) 

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

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

The End

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