“At least 20 people were killed and about 70 more injured when a metro overpass in Mexico City collapsed, sending a subway car plunging toward a busy road late Monday night, authorities said. The accident trapped cars under rubble and passengers in train cars hanging in mid-air, video on social media and Mexico television showed. Dozens of rescuers have continued searching through wreckage from the collapsed, preformed concrete structure. ‘There are unfortunately children among the dead,’ Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said, without specifying how many. The collapse occurred on the newest of the Mexico City subway's lines, Line 12, the construction of which has been plagued by complaints and accusations of irregularities. The line had to be partly closed in 2013 so tracks could be repaired. The Mexico City Metro is one of the largest and busiest in the world, with at least four million people using it every day, The New York Times reports.” Read more at USA Today
“The Biden administration said Monday it would allow 62,500 refugees to resettle in the United States this year, reversing course after initially saying it would keep the historically low Trump-era limit of 15,000. But the president said the U.S. was unlikely to meet the higher goal.” Read more at USA Today
“A U.S. bankruptcy administrator asked a federal judge Monday to dismiss the National Rifle Association’s efforts to declare bankruptcy or appoint a trustee or examiner to oversee the gun rights organization — a setback for the group at the close of a federal court hearing to consider its petition.
The recommendation bolstered the arguments of New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), whose office has fought the NRA’s attempts to relocate from New York to Texas, and came after senior NRA executives acknowledged in court testimony that they received lavish perks.
Linda Lambert, a lawyer with the U.S. trustee’s office — which participates in bankruptcy cases to protect taxpayer interests and enforce bankruptcy laws — told the court that the evidence presented in the hearing showed that the nonprofit organization lacked proper oversight and that personal expenses were masked as business costs.” Read more at Washington Post
“Reaching herd immunity as a country is becoming increasingly unlikely in the United States. Covid-19 variants that make the disease up to 60 percent more transmissible mean more than 80 percent of the population would need shots for the US to achieve herd immunity. High levels of public vaccine hesitancy make that an uphill task.” [Vox] Read more at NYT / Apoorva Mandavilli
“Instead, the virus will likely evolve into a lesser threat, an endemic illness, but it will always be with us. Scientists are wary of future variants that could break through a wall of vaccinations.” [Vox] Read more at The Hill / Joseph Choi
“Well over half of all adults, 56 percent, have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, including 82 percent of the population over 65. And almost a third of the entire population is now fully inoculated as the country continues to lurch forward into relative safety.” [Vox] Read more at CDC Vaccine Tracker
“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended local COVID-19 emergency orders Monday and signed a proposal lawmakers previously approved that limits the government's ability to impose mask requirements and other social distancing measures used to combat the coronavirus. Tuesday will be the first full day the the altered rules will be in effect. The measure, Senate Bill 2006, also makes permanent DeSantis' executive order that prohibits ‘vaccine passports,’ saying it is unnecessary ‘to be policing people at this point.’ DeSantis' executive order to strike down local virus restrictions doesn't apply to mask mandates or social distancing policies issued by businesses. Opponents warned the restrictions would generate lawsuits and could have other unintended consequences, such as tourists avoiding the state because of health concerns. They also questioned whether the measure will provoke a First Amendment challenge.” Read more at USA Today
“New Jersey, New York and Connecticut will allow restaurants, theaters and other businesses to fully reopen on May 19.” Read more at New York Times
“Beginning Tuesday, the Biden administration will restrict travel from the U.S. to India . The decision comes after a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, White House Press secretary Jen Psaki said last week. ‘The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in India,’ Psaki said in a statement. The restrictions apply to foreign nationals traveling from India to the U.S., not U.S. citizens. Others exempted include lawful permanent residents of the U.S. and their families, foreign officials and those traveling for humanitarian, public health or national security reasons. India has become the first in the world to report more than 400,000 daily cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has begun shipping valuable vaccine components, oxygen, and masks to India, and other nations are lending help as well, but the demand will still outstrip supply.” Read more at USA Today
“It’s been a long, hard winter in continental Europe, blighted by a third wave of the coronavirus and a stuttering start to vaccinations. The gloom might just be lifting.
Almost 25% of European Union citizens have now received a Covid-19 shot. Tentative steps to reopen economies from Italy to Denmark are under way.
The EU yesterday unveiled proposals to end restrictions on non-essential travel and welcome visitors who’ve been fully vaccinated, raising the prospect of a boost to hotels, restaurants and airlines.
Billions of euros in EU pandemic funds are due to flow from the summer. Europe’s Stoxx 600 Index has climbed more than 10% this year on expectations of a rapid recovery.
Just six weeks back, the outlook was dire. The EU executive in Brussels was sidelined after several nations unilaterally suspended the AstraZeneca shot over health concerns, threatening to undermine a vaccine rollout already hobbled by procurement issues. What was the point of the EU if it couldn’t protect its citizens?
Now, its bet on the BioNTech/Pfizer shot is paying off. It has exported vaccines to the world when the U.S. held back. The fact that all EU members were in the same boat is likely to have strengthened the bloc rather than weakened it.
Still, the incidence rate is still uncomfortably high in parts of Europe, and the threat of new strains ever present.
As India’s experience shows: Humility is one clear lesson of the pandemic that Europe would do well to heed.” Read more at Bloomberg
“The U.S. Supreme Court will consider a case today on whether to reduce sentences for potentially hundreds of people convicted of possessing small amounts of crack cocaine.” Read more at Bloomberg
“Incorrect information from government sources apparently led three separate news organizations to publish the same erroneous claim about Rudolph W. Giuliani last week that all three later corrected.
The Washington Post, the New York Times and NBC News all reported Thursday that the FBI had briefed the lawyer to President Donald Trump that he was a target of a Russian disinformation campaign during his efforts to dig up unflattering information about then-candidate Joe Biden in 2019.
In fact, the news organizations later said in corrections appended to their stories Saturday that Giuliani had not been briefed by the FBI.
The original stories were published after Wednesday’s FBI raid of Giuliani’s office and home, part of a criminal investigation of his activities in Ukraine. In the corrected versions of their stories, both The Post and NBC reported that the FBI was aware that Giuliani was a target of a Russian operation — and that it planned to warn him about this but ultimately did not.” Read more at Washington Post
“Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley, the top US general, has dropped his opposition to major policy changes on how the military handles sexual assault and is open to removing the chain of command from involvement in investigations. An Independent Review Commission, created by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, is carrying out an urgent 90-day review of Pentagon policies and procedures on sexual assault. Milley until now had said sexual assault is a leadership issue and must be handled within the chain of command. But he dropped his opposition after seeing attempts to effectively reduce or end sexual assault within the ranks fail. A Defense Department survey estimated more than 20,000 sexual assaults in the military in 2018.” Read more at CNN
“A landmark trial in the US opioid crisis is now underway in West Virginia. Cabell County and its county seat, Huntington, have accused three major prescription opioid distributors of creating a public nuisance by failing to monitor, divert and report suspicious orders under the Controlled Substances Act. The complaint alleges the companies distributed a combined total of over 57 million doses of hydrocodone and oxycodone to the community of about 100,000 people between 2006 and 2014. Overall, West Virginia also had one of the highest opioid-involved overdose death rates in the country in 2018. This is the first federal case to go forward among thousands of opioid lawsuits and could set the tone for future litigation related to the crisis.” Read more at CNN
“‘Fortnite’ maker Epic Games and Apple presented opening arguments in a federal trial that could have major implications for the multibillion-dollar industry of mobile app distribution. Epic is suing Apple after the tech giant booted the ‘Fortnite’ app from its App Store last year, when the game maker introduced a payment-processing system that circumvented the 30% tax Apple charges developers for digital sales. Epic's lawyers argue that Apple acted in a monopolistic manner, saying the developer wants to unlock Apple's so-called ‘walled garden.’ Apple alleges that its digital App Store ecosystem is built to ‘invite developers in without sacrificing the privacy and liability, security and quality that consumers wanted.’ The company also said Epic's move to skirt its fee was a breach of its contract with Apple. The trial is expected to last three weeks and will likely hinge on how the court defines a market in the digital age.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
"‘Get the f**k out.’" That’s what Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin told the Chinese government in a tweet demanding China's vessels leave disputed waters. The Philippines has been protesting what it calls the ‘illegal’ presence of hundreds of Chinese boats inside the country’s 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone in the South China Sea. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about $3 trillion of shipborne trade passes each year. The Philippines has filed dozens of diplomatic protests to China since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016, but Duterte himself has taken a more gentle tone toward the country’s maritime rival in exchange for Beijing's promises of billions of dollars in investment, aid and loans.” Read more at CNN
“The eruption of the La Soufrière volcano that rocked the Caribbean island of St. Vincent last month is triggering an environmental threat on the other side of the planet. Satellite data show a surge in sulfur dioxide across north India after the volcano spewed the gas — which can mix with water to form sulfuric acid and lead to acid rain — into the atmosphere. Of the 45 currently erupting volcanoes on Earth, La Soufrière is among those that worry volcanologists the most.” Read more at Bloomberg
The eruption of the volcano on St. Vincent on April 21.
“After severe weather — including a tornado in the Atlanta area — battered the South Monday, more storms are expected across the Southeast on Tuesday. States at the greatest risk include much of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, the Storm Prediction Center said. Storm hazards Tuesday will include hail, flooding downpours, tornadoes and damaging, straight-line wind gusts of up to 75 mph, according to AccuWeather. At least 37,000 people were without power Monday evening in Texas, Georgia and Florida, according to poweroutage.us. One man was killed Monday in Douglasville, Georgia, when a falling tree brought power lines down onto his vehicle. There were reports of trees down across the Atlanta area, firefighters said.” Read more at USA Today
“Richard Cordray, an ally of Senator Elizabeth Warren, will oversee federal student aid, putting him at the center of Democratic disagreements over forgiving debt.” Read more at New York Times
“Lives Lived: He was born Joseph Jacques Ahearn, but his mother thought Jacques d’Amboise would be better suited to the ballet world. After he became a dancer, d’Amboise found stardom in New York and Hollywood. He died at 86.” Read more at New York Times
“Federal agents opened fire on an armed man outside CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, during an hourslong standoff on Monday, authorities said. The FBI said it is reviewing the incident.” Read more at USA Today
“Los Angeles County said it took ‘corrective personnel actions’ against any employees who improperly shared photos from the scene of Kobe Bryant's death, but said the photos were not publicly disseminated and Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, is wrong to file a lawsuit over it.” Read more at USA Today
“Bill Gates, a Microsoft co-founder who is worth over $100 billion, and his wife Melinda are divorcing after 27 years of marriage. They said they'll keep working together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a global health and development charity.” Read more at USA Today
“Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney called President Donald Trump's election fraud falsehood a ‘big lie’ Monday and slammed fellow Republicans for perpetuating it.” Read more at USA Today
“GOP lawmakers seek a probe of Amazon's pursuit of a Pentagon contract. Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Ken Buck are pressing the attorney general to investigate potential anticompetitive behavior by Amazon in its pursuit of a major government cloud-computing contract.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Under Armour to pay $9 million to resolve SEC probe. The payment will settle regulatory claims that the apparel company failed to disclose that it was pulling forward orders from future quarters, a practice that allowed it to meet Wall Street’s revenue estimates.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“IRS loses a ruling on Michael Jackson's estate. In a closely watched court case, the singer's estate prevailed over the Internal Revenue Service on several key issues regarding how to value three main assets: Jackson’s name and likeness and two entities tied to the music business.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“22% — The percentage of parents in the U.S. who either stopped working or worked less in 2020 because of pandemic-induced disruptions to child care or schooling. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the rate is even higher among Black and Hispanic mothers, which could exacerbate longstanding disparities without policy action.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“9% — Roughly how much Italy's economy contracted in 2020. The country has struggled to produce substantial economic growth for 25 years and is set to be the biggest recipient of a round of aid from the European Union. If that assistance, which is being financed by heavy borrowing, doesn't drive enough growth, countries including Italy, Greece and Spain could be saddled with some of the world’s highest debt ratios.” Read more at Wall Street Journal
“Josh Duggar will not be able to go home to his wife and kids, should he be released on bail, a judge ruled Friday. The former reality TV star appeared virtually in court and pleaded not guilty to two counts of child pornography charges.” Read more at USA Today
“Conan O'Brien, capping a 28-year career in late-night TV, will end his nightly TBS talk show ‘Conan’ on June 24, WarnerMedia announced Monday. But O'Brien isn't disappearing, he's just pivoting to a new project.” Read more at USA Today
“A major food website will post no more beef recipes. Conservative media stirs baseless panic that President Biden is coming for your burgers. And one of the world's top restaurants goes meat-free.
Why it matters: The past week has drawn new attention to the role food plays in climate change — and given red and blue America a new battleground, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes.
The food system, including raising cattle for consumption, accounts for greater than 30% of worldwide emissions of heat-trapping gases.
Climate change poses significant risks to the food system in the form of drought, extreme heat events, and wild swings from one end of the temperature scale to another.
Daniel Humm, chef of Eleven Madison Park, a Michelin three-star restaurant, announced yesterday that when he reopens for indoor dining on June 10, he'll be serving ‘a plant-based menu in which we do not use any animal products — every dish is made from vegetables, both from the earth and the sea, as well as fruits, legumes, fungi, grains, and so much more.’
‘[I]t was becoming ever clearer that the current food system is simply not sustainable, in so many ways,’ Humm wrote. ‘It’s a tremendous challenge to create something as satisfying as the lavender honey glazed duck, or the butter poached lobster, recipes that we perfected.’
‘It is time to redefine luxury as an experience that serves a higher purpose,’ Humm added.
Two other developments put the Eleven Madison Park news in the context of the culture war over any attempts to tell meat-loving Americans to consume less in order to protect the planet:
Fox News inspired a frenzy over a false claim that the Biden administration's climate plan would limit Americans' meat consumption. (Anchor John Roberts later conceded the error.)
Epicurious, a massive database of recipes, announced: ‘In an effort to encourage more sustainable cooking, we won’t be publishing new beef recipes.’
Between the lines: Becoming a vegetarian alone won't be enough to eliminate your carbon footprint. There'll still be a need for massive, systemic-scale change in energy, transportation and more.” Read more at Axios