Ukraine dominates G20:Â On the table today at the G20 summit in Indonesia was a statement demanding that Russia withdraw from Ukraine. The U.S. has been among those pushing hardest to condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov who is leading Russia’s G20 delegation instead of Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the U.S. for taking that position.
Monitor appointed for Trump Organization:Â A retired federal judge has been appointed by a New York state court judge to oversee the Trump Organization. Her role includes preventing it from shifting and hiding assets so they can’t be touched in the lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James that seeks $250 million in damages from the company. The monitor is Barbara Jones, who retired from the federal bench in 2013. She previously was appointed as a special master to oversee documents in court cases involving former Trump attorneys Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Cohen.
Walmart’s $3.1B settlement:Â Walmart announced today it has agreed to a $3.1 billion nationwide opioid settlement framework designed to resolve substantially all opioid lawsuits and potential lawsuits by state, local, and tribal governments, if all conditions are satisfied. Walmart said the settlement framework does not include any admission of liability. Walmart said it will continue to vigorously defend the company against any opioid lawsuit not resolved through the settlement.
Lake refuses to concede:Â The Republican candidate for governor of Arizona, Keri Lake, has refused to admit that she has been defeated by Democrat Katie Hobbs in the election that was called for Hobbs late last night. Lake was endorsed by Donald Trump and has consistently supported his lies about winning the 2020 presidential election. Lake is a former news anchor at the Fox TV station in Phoenix.
8B people on Earth:Â The United Nations says that today a baby will be born somewhere on Earth who will push the planet’s human population to eight billion. The U.N. says that while it took the global population 12 years to grow from seven to eight billion, it will take approximately 15 years, until 2037, for it to reach nine billion, a sign that the overall growth rate of the global population is slowing.
Leno recovering:Â Former host of “The Tonight Show” Jay Leno was being treated at the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles this morning after a fire in the garage where he keeps his large collection of automobiles. One of the cars burst into flames and the gasoline fire caused burns to Leno’s face. Leno has been hosting a cable TV series about cars, “Jay Leno’s Garage.”
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
