May 23, 2024

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | Updates from day 230 of the conflict:

• The U.N.’s International Court of Justice is expected to rule tomorrow on South Africa’s request that the court order a halt to Israel’s military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. [more]
• Responding to yesterday’s announcement by Ireland, Spain, and Norway that they will formally recognize Palestinian statehood, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized the moves as a “reward for terror” and said such recognition will not bring peace to the region. [more]

UKRAINE | Today is day 819 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Here are your updates:

• Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today that the European Union will feel the “full measure” of Russian retaliation over the bloc’s plan to use income from frozen Russian assets to provide aid to Ukraine. [more]
• Regional Ukrainian officials said today that an overnight Russian missile attack on the city of Kharkiv damaged transport and municipal infrastructure and destroyed a printing house, killing at least six people and wounding at least 11 others. [more]

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL TRANSPARENCY | A bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday would require presidents and vice presidents to publicly disclose tax returns before, during, and after their time in the White House and strengthen requirements for disclosure of foreign payments, gifts and loans made to officials’ immediate family members. The measure was put forward by Republican Rep. James Comer and Democratic Rep. Katie Porter. [more]

POLITICS AND AI | U.S. Federal Communications Commission chair Jessica Rosenworcel proposed new rules yesterday that, if adopted, would require political advertisers to disclose the use of AI-generated content in broadcast television and radio ads. Of note, the rules would not affect advertising on digital and streaming platforms. [more]

U.S. SUBSTANCE USE | According to a new study published in the journal Addiction, the number of Americans who use marijuana daily or near-daily has surpassed the number who drink alcohol that often. [full study] [more]

U.S. TRANSPORTATION | A new report from S&P Global Mobility says the average age of passenger vehicles in the U.S. is 12.6 years – a record high driven by continued use of older vehicles due to the high cost of new ones. [more]

U.S. BIRD FLU | Health officials in Michigan say a second U.S. case of human infection with bird flu associated with an outbreak in dairy cows was detected earlier this week. Reports say the Michigan dairy worker experienced mild eye symptoms associated with the infection and that he has recovered following treatment. [more]

IOWA | Officials say the death toll from the tornado that destroyed much of Greenfield, Iowa, earlier this week has risen to at least four and that nearly three dozen others were injured in the storm. [more]

WASHINGTON, DC | The Republican National Committee’s Washington, DC, headquarters was briefly evacuated yesterday after two vials of blood addressed to former President Donald Trump were delivered to the organization. U.S. Capitol Police continue to investigate the incident. [more]

U.S. HOLIDAY TRAVEL | American travel group AAA has predicted that travel for this year's summer-starting Memorial Day weekend will be the busiest in nearly 20 years, with some 43.8 million people expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between today and Monday. [more]

U.S. AND KENYA | President Joe Biden and Kenyan President William Ruto are calling for action to reduce debt burdens on developing nations during the first state visit to the United States by an African leader in more than 15 years. The two leaders will hold formal talks and a joint news conference today. [more]

IRAN AND ISRAEL | In a meeting with acting Iranian President Mohammad Mokhber yesterday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, characterized the elimination of Israel as both a “divine promise” and “feasible.” [more]

CHINA, SOUTH KOREA, AND JAPAN | South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are scheduled to meet next week in Seoul for their countries’ first trilateral talks since 2019. The meeting aims to address issues including overall cooperation, personnel exchanges, climate change, trade, health, technology, and disasters. [more]

RUSSIA | Russian media reports say Lt. Gen. Vadim Shamarin, a deputy chief of the Russian military general staff and head of the Russian defense ministry’s communications directorate, was arrested this week on charges of large-scale bribery – the latest in a series of bribery-related arrests of military and government officials. [more]

NORWAY AND RUSSIA | Norway announced today that it is implementing stricter entry regulations for individuals coming from Russia in response to the conflict with Ukraine. The new measures will prohibit individuals with tourist visas issued before 2022 or by another European country from entering the Scandinavian country. [more]

U.K. | Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose Conservative Party has governed the U.K. for 14 years, announced yesterday that an earlier-than-expected U.K. general election will be held on July 4. [more]

TUNISIA | Two TV and radio journalists were sentenced to one year in prison yesterday in Tunisia for criticizing the government. Borhane Bsaïs and Mourad Zeghidi were found guilty under a law that prohibits spreading 'fake news' with the intention of endangering public safety or national defense, according to court officials. [more]

TAIWAN | Taiwan today scrambled jets and put missile, naval and land units on alert in response to Chinese military exercises being conducted around the self-governing island. China’s military said its two-day exercises around Taiwan are punishment for separatist forces seeking independence. [more]

MEXICO | At least nine people were killed, and another 63 were injured, yesterday when strong winds caused a stage to collapse at a campaign rally for presidential candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. [more]

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA | The U.N. General Assembly is scheduled to vote today on establishing an annual day to commemorate the 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serbs. The resolution aims to designate July 11 as the 'International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.” [more]

BASKETBALL | The WNBA has awarded its first franchise outside the United States to Toronto, Canada, with the city's new team expected to begin league play in 2026. [more]

SOCCER | Bayer Leverkusen’s quest to complete an unbeaten season ended yesterday with a 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the Europa League final. [more]

R.I.P. | Charlie Colin, bassist and founding member of the American pop-rock band Train – best known for hits including “Drops of Jupiter” and “Meet Virginia” – died this week in Brussels, Belgium, at the age of 58 following a fall, according to a statement released by his family. [more]

TODAY IN HISTORY | On this date in 1951, China formally annexed Tibet as an autonomous region, giving rise to a Tibetan independence movement—led by the Dalai Lama, winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize—that continued into the early 21st century. [more history]