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IMPORTANT
| | | Too Close to Call | Dr. Oz Leads But Pennsylvania GOP Senate Primary Is Still a Toss-Up Early Wednesday morning Trump-backed reality TV star Mehmet Oz led his main rival Dave McCormick — former CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund — by 2,600 votes, or 0.2%. Both candidates urged their supporters to be patient. “We have tens of thousands of mail-in ballots that have not been counted,” said McCormick without any apparent hint of irony despite his party’s aversion to postal voting. In other Pennsylvania races, Trump-backed 2020 election denier Doug Mastriano romped to victory in the gubernatorial primary and 6-foot-8 hoodie-and-shorts-wearing “just a dude” John Fetterman easily won the Democratic Senate primary. (Source: NYT) |
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| | Mixed Bag | Rep. Madison Cawthorn Loses, Most Other Trump Acolytes Win The controversial 26-year-old didn’t just lose the Republican primary for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District: He actually conceded to state Sen. Chuck Edwards before the result had been officially announced. In recent months, Cawthorn’s been caught driving on a revoked license, trying to take a loaded gun through airport security and dressing up in lingerie, and he’s been accused of insider trading and overspending. He eventually received former President Donald Trump’s backing Monday despite Trump admitting to being “completely weirded out” by his antics. Most other Trump-backed candidates easily won their primaries — most notably Rep. Ted Budd in North Carolina’s Senate race. (Sources: Politico, Rolling Stone) |
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| | Uncertain Fate | 959 Azovstal Fighters Have Surrendered — and Their Future Is Shaky Russia’s Defense Ministry says a further 694 Azovstal defenders have surrendered in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to almost 1,000 since Monday. Those leaving the steel mill are being taken to Russian-controlled territory, and although a prisoner swap was hinted at yesterday, their fate hangs in the balance. The fact that many of the Ukrainians belong to the Azov Regiment — which began as a far-right militia with white nationalist links — could give Putin a chance to spread his “denazification” message. “We’re very, very worried about the things that can happen to them,” said Oksana, wife of one of the captives. (Sources: Reuters, BBC) |
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| | Biden in Buffalo | Strong Words From the President — But No Names On Tuesday President Joe Biden addressed a grieving crowd near the scene of the racist shooting that claimed 10 lives Saturday. Choking back tears, Biden called on Americans to “take on the haters” and “reject the lie” that a “great replacement” of Western ideals is underway. While pledging to hold those who’d inspired the shooter accountable, he deliberately didn’t mention people like Fox host Tucker Carlson and Rep. Elise Stefanik who’ve espoused the theory. “These demagogues would love nothing more than the oxygen and attention that comes from the president blasting them,” a person familiar with White House thinking said. (Sources: Politico, NYT) |
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| | Briefly | Here are some things you should know about today: It’s official. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that Finland and Sweden have applied to join the world’s biggest military alliance. (Source: Al Jazeera) “Immature.” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has slammed his country’s “immature” response to its first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak. The international pariah reported a further 232,880 people with symptoms and six more deaths. (Source: Sky News) “We will win this war.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the opening ceremony of the 75th Cannes Film Festival by live video link. In an impassioned speech that included several movie references he urged “cinema not to be silent.” (Source: Hollywood Reporter) |
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INTRIGUING
| | Fringe Benefits | Getting the Flu Shot Could Cut COVID Risk A study of 30,774 health care workers in Qatar found that those who’d been vaccinated against influenza were 89% less likely to get severe COVID-19 in the next few months than those who hadn’t. The study was carried out in 2020, before COVID vaccines were available — and researchers analyzed participants’ health records to rule out other reasons for the discrepancy. It’s odd that a vaccine comprising dead influenza viruses should protect against COVID-19, but vaccines are known to boost broad-acting antiviral defenses. Hopefully the flu shot will offer similar protection against the next pandemic fate throws our way. (Source: Nature) |
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| | | Second Chance | Thailand Bay Made Famous by ‘The Beach’ Reopens to Tourists After the release of the Leonardo DiCaprio film 22 years ago, Maya Bay, the remote picture-perfect cove where it was shot, became an overnight tourist trap. As many as 6,000 people visited daily and the bay’s azure waters were clogged with speedboats. In 2018, as the trash piled up and the wildlife disappeared, authorities closed the beach temporarily. Thanks to the pandemic, no one’s been there for almost four years — apart from the black-tipped reef sharks who’ve returned in droves and conservationists replanting 30,000 fragments of coral. Now tourists are being allowed back — but with much tighter controls. (Source: The Guardian) |
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| | Over the Moon | Scientists Grow Plants in Moon Soil for the First TimeResearchers have grown a type of cress in tiny moon dust samples collected during the 1969-72 Apollo missions. “I can't tell you how astonished we were,” said Anna-Lisa Paul of the University of Florida Space Plants Lab. Up until Day 6, plants grown in lunar soil looked identical to control specimens. From Day 7, the “moon plants” developed signs of stress and ended up stunted. It’s still a major breakthrough: As NASA chief Bill Nelson said, “We’ll need to use resources found on the moon and Mars to develop food sources for future astronauts living and operating in deep space.” (Source: BBC) |
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| | Dead Wood | Prince Charles Is in Canada, but Most There Don’t Want Him as King Britain’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are currently on a three-day tour to mark the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. But does anyone care? A recent survey by the Angus Reid Institute showed that more than half of Canadians think the monarchy’s irrelevant and a whopping 67% don’t like the idea of Charles succeeding his mother. Amending Canada’s Constitution to remove the British monarch as head of state would be tricky. But as Angus Reid President Shachi Kurl said, “There may well be a point at which Canadians say: ‘Huh, who’s this dude on my money?’” (Source: NYT) |
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| | Eye on the Prize | Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay Makes History With Giro d’Italia Stage Win The 22-year-old outsprinted Dutch ace Mathieu van der Poel to win Tuesday’s Stage 10 of the Giro — the first Black African to win a stage in any of cycling’s three grand tours. “We write a little piece of history every day,” said Girmay. “I'm really happy about what I did today. I don't have the words to describe it.” His elation sadly turned to distress on the podium when he was struck in the eye by a champagne cork. After a muted celebration he was taken to the hospital, and this morning Girmay confirmed he’d have to withdraw from the race. (Sources: Supersport, Cycling News) |
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