May 31, 2022

UKRAINE | Today is day 97 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• European Union representatives agreed yesterday to ban most imports of Russian oil by the end of 2022. The ban will suspend Russian oil imports brought in by sea, but allows some delivery to continue via pipelines. EU leader Ursula Von der Leyen says the ban will stop about 90% Russian oil imports to the EU. [more]
• Between a third and half of the city of Sievierodonetsk -- a major focus of Russia's military offensive in eastern Ukraine -- is now under Russian control, according to both Ukrainian and Russian reports. [more]
• Ukrainian officials say Russia has prevented the export of some 22 million tons of grain from the country, contributing to a growing global food crisis. [more]
• Reports say Denis Pushilin, the Russia-backed separatist leader of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, has indicated that he and his supporters intend to 'nationalize' some of the ships in the port of Mariupol. [more]
• Reports say Russian ally Belarus will conduct military mobilization exercises along the country's border with Ukraine starting in June. [more]

TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING

• President Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited the site of the Uvalde, Texas, Robb Elementary school shooting and met with family members of the 21 victims on Sunday. Biden's only public comments during the visit was saying "We will" in response to chants from the public to do something about gun violence. [more]
• The U.S. Justice Department has launched a federal review of the actions of the law enforcement response to the Uvalde school shooting after it emerged that it took more than an hour for a tactical unit to enter the classroom where the gunman was located and kill him. [more]
• A bipartisan group of U.S. senators continued discussions over the weekend to seek any potential compromises on gun safety legislation, according to Senator Chris Murphey. Among the topics discussed were "red flag" laws, school security, and mental health resources. [more]

DENMARK | Amidst Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, voters in Denmark will choose in a national referendum tomorrow whether to abandon the country's three-decade policy of opting out of the European Union's common defense policy. [more]

U.S. ECONOMY | Commerce Department data indicates that the personal savings rate (as a percentage of disposable income) fell to 4.4% in April -- the lowest level since 2008. [more]

EUROPEAN ECONOMY | Consumer price inflation reached a record high of 8.1% in May compared to year-ago levels, according to new data from the EU Eurostat agency. [more]

SUPREME COURT | CNN reports that investigators are requiring Supreme Court law clerks to turn over their cell phone records and sign affidavits as the investigation into the May leak of a draft Court decision that could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling continues. [more]

COVID-19 | Officials in Shanghai, China, say major steps toward re-opening the city from its nearly two-month COVID-related lockdown will be taken tomorrow. Among the measures planned are restoring bus and rail service and partially re-opening schools, malls, supermarkets, and drug stores. [more]

AUSTRALIA | Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left Labor Party has secured enough parliamentary seats to govern alone, according to projections from the Australian Broadcasting Corp. [more]

CHINA | The Chinese State Council has announced a broad series of measures covering fiscal, financial, investment, and industrial policies aimed at reviving China's pandemic-hit economy. [more]

CANADA | Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's administration introduced legislation yesterday that would severely limit handgun imports, purchases, and sales in the country. [more]

OIL PRICES | Benchmark Brent crude oil prices rose 1.2% today to $123.22 per barrel following yesterday's European Union agreement to ban most Russian oil imports by the end of the year. [more]

COMPUTING | The U.S. Oak Ridge National Laboratory's "Frontier" supercomputer has been named the world's most powerful supercomputer in the Top500 semi-annual ranking of non-distributed computers. [more]

RACING | Marcus Ericsson won the 2022 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, becoming the second Swede to win the race and claiming Indy's record-setting $3.1 million winner's purse. [more]

NCAA LACROSSE | Maryland men’s lacrosse team defeated Cornell, 9-7 yesterday to win the 2022 NCAA men's lacrosse title and finish undefeated for the season. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | Considered one of the worst natural disasters in American history, a flood ravaged Johnstown, Pennsylvania, on this date in 1889, causing more than 2,200 deaths.  [more history]