Earthquake death toll rises:Â The known death toll in the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria has surpassed 17,500 and is expected to continue rising. Additional people were rescued today from beneath the rubble of the thousands of collapsed buildings. Hope was fading that additional people would be found alive. Engineering experts say that in general buildings in Turkey and Syria were not constructed to be earthquake resistant and that additional powerful earthquakes in the future could cause even worse loss of life in a future severe quake.
Burt Bacharach dead at 94: Composer Burt Bacharach has died at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes at age 94. His death yesterday was revealed today by a representative of the Academy Award winner.  During his career, Bacharach had 73 songs make it into the Top 40. Among Bacharach’s classics are “I Say a Little Prayer,” originally sung by Aretha Franklin, “What”™s New Pussycat?” by Tom Jones, “The Look of Love,” originally performed by Dusty Springfield, “Make It Easy on Yourself” and the Grammy and Oscar winner “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” from the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
NATO chief in Washington:Â The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, is visiting Washington and says that Russian President Vladimir Putin made two basic miscalculations when he invaded Ukraine. First, he misjudged the resolve of the Ukrainian people to fight for their country. Second, he misjudged the strength of the NATO alliance and its commitment to provide aid for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy in Brussels:Â After visits to Britain and France, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in is Brussels today where he said that Ukraine should become a member of the European Union. The 27 members of the EU are holding a summit meeting and Zelenskyy warned that Russian President Putin wants to destroy the European way of life.
TV reporter arrested during broadcast:Â A reporter covering a news conference by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine about the train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, was pushed to the ground and arrested by East Palestine police while he was doing a live broadcast yesterday. The police objected to correspondent Evan Lambert talking for his live broadcast while DeWine was speaking during the news conference in a school gymnasium. The reporter was taken to jail and held for five hours.
Disney plans cuts:Â Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger in a webcast for investors after the stock market closed yesterday said the company will be implementing various cuts to save $5.5 billion in expenses, including cutting 7,000 jobs. Iger also said that Disney believes streaming of movie and TV products will be a growing source of revenue for the company in the future. Disney reported first quarter 2023 revenues of $25.5 billion and net income of $1.2 billion.
False information on podcasts:Â A study released today by the Brookings Institution finds 41% of Americans listen to podcasts each month and that 10 politically conservative podcasts are responsible for spreading 60% of all the false claims and misinformation heard in podcasts. Those 10 podcasts reach 28 million people. Brookings said the podcast by former Trump White House Aide Steve Bannon leads the pack in the amount of false claims and misinformation being spread.
