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IMPORTANT
| | | Going Down | Recession ‘Not Inevitable’ Says Biden, But Numbers Aren’t Promising President Joe Biden knows the American people are feeling “really, really down,” pointing to two years of the pandemic exacerbated by increasing costs of living. But he knocked down accusations from the right that stimulus spending over the last two years is to blame for the current economic climate, saying the U.S. is in a better situation than most of the world to overcome any instability. Still, data from across a variety of sectors suggests a recession is very much a possibility. Retail spending is down and GDP growth projections have been slashed for the second quarter of this year. (Sources: AP, WSJ) |
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| | | Big Tent | EU’s Big Three Give Ukraine Nod of Approval for Membership Four months into Russia’s invasion, top European leaders have thrown their support behind Ukraine joining the bloc. It comes as French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. “We want the atrocities to stop and we want peace,” Draghi said from the capital. It’s a strong show of support after months of criticism that Western Europe is not doing enough to support Ukraine, with the U.S. making up the bulk of arms and financial aid. Neighboring Moldova has also been given backing to join the EU. (Source: Politico) |
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| | | | | Public Eye | Dutch Authorities Reveal Russian ICC Infiltration Plot Counterespionage authorities in the Netherlands say they’ve turned back a Russian spy attempting to impersonate a Brazilian national from taking up a role at the International Criminal Court. The agency believes the spy may have been attempting to access information about investigations into alleged war crimes committed by Russia. “He was sent back to Brazil on the first flight out,” a source says. The incident took place in April but has raised further concerns. The individual is believed to have previously spent time in the U.S. studying at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. (Source: WaPo) |
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| | | Better Than Never | Open Arms and Empty Pockets in Sri Lanka This could have all been avoided. That’s the message to Sri Lanka from its Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe ahead of an International Monetary Fund delegation next week. The country has told the world it will need $5 billion in support, including loans from the IMF, as its economic crisis deepens. If the IMF had been invited sooner, Weerasinghe said, Sri Lanka could have avoided the extreme shortages in fuel, food and medicines it’s currently experiencing. Data from the United Nations World Food Program shows two-thirds of the country’s households have been forced to reduce food intake. (Source: BBC) |
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| | | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: Left behind. Florida is the only U.S. state to not preorder COVID-19 vaccinations for very young children, state officials say. They declined to place an order, blaming the federal government for a “convoluted vaccine distribution process.” (Source: NYT) No ethics? After his second ethics advisor in two years left, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pondering ditching the job entirely. Ethics are important, 10 Downing Street says, but maybe this isn’t the “exact mechanism.” (Source: The Guardian) Golden win. Stephen Curry was named MVP as the Golden State Warriors downed the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game 6 of the NBA finals, delivering the Californians their fourth championship in eight years. (Source: ESPN) |
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INTRIGUING
| | | Infected | Chances of Long COVID Are Lower With Omicron — But Not Zero The first large-scale study into the long-term risks of the variant, which is far more virulent than previous dominant strain delta, suggests it poses about half the risk. Still, around 5% of those infected with omicron will experience long COVID symptoms like brain fog and exhaustion for at least a month after getting sick. The results have had mixed reactions from researchers and health professionals: On the one hand, the risk is lower in the community, but on the other hand, repeated messaging about the “mild” effects of omicron could be misleading, especially with far more people contracting the variant. (Source: NPR) |
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| | | | | Such Suing | Musk to the Moon? To the Courtroom, Hopes Jilted Dogecoin Trader Billionaire Elon Musk and two of his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, are being sued for $258 billion. The suit by Keith Johnson — who describes himself as “an American citizen who was defrauded out of money by defendants’ Dogecoin Crypto Pyramid Scheme” — alleges Musk artificially inflated the value of the cryptocurrency by promoting it. He’s asked for an order blocking Musk from promoting the coin and declaring that trading it is gambling under U.S. law. Johnson says he represents a class of people who have lost money in Dogecoin, which is now down two-thirds from where it traded a year ago. (Source: Bloomberg) |
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| | | House of Cards | Kevin Spacey Granted Bail in UK Sex Abuse Case The embattled actor, who faces allegations on both sides of the Atlantic, has denied the five charges against him in the British case but will be back in the London magistrates court for trial July 14. The case focuses on allegations made by three men dating from 2005 to 2013, a period when Spacey was artistic director of London’s Old Vic theater, and includes four charges of sexual assault. The court granted him unconditional bail, allowing him to travel to the U.S. and continue working, which he returned to last year after losing several prominent roles following the allegations. (Sources: The Guardian, CNN) |
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| | | Sssssearching | Florida Wants You to Capture Enormous Snakes The hunt is on. From August, that is. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced — while holding a massive snake — that the annual Burmese python hunt will begin in early August. He encouraged Floridians to sign up to get their hands on the invasive species as hundreds of snake hunters from across the country take part in the challenge each year. Hunters are required to register online and complete a training program before heading out into the Everglades, where the snakes decimate local wildlife. DeSantis explained, “These pythons are a threat to the Everglades. Let’s reel in some pythons.” (Source: AP) |
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| | | End of an Era | Bye Bye Birdie: Seattle WNBA Legend Bows Out Sue Bird is hanging up her jersey. She’s spent her entire professional career at the Seattle Storm after being the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2002 following an impressive college game at UConn. Those 19 seasons paid off for Seattle and even more so for Bird, who’s one of the league’s most decorated players. She retires with five Olympic gold medals, four WNBA championships and a record 12 All-Star selections. “I have loved every single minute, and still do,” she posted in a Twitter announcement with a childhood basketball picture, “so gonna play my last year, just like this little girl played her first.” (Source: SI) |
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