Pope holds his ground after attack by Trump
Pope Leo today warned that the world is being ravaged by “tyrants,” in forceful comments made after U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the pontiff for his stance on the war with Iran. “The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it is held together by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters,” Leo said in a speech during a visit to Cameroon’s largest city, Bamenda, on Thursday. Also during the speech, the pope condemned those who “manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.” Trump began his attacks on Leo on Sunday evening, denouncing his stance on the war and saying he’s “terrible for foreign policy.”
Russia stages new, intense attack on Ukraine
Russia has staged one of its largest barrages of drones and missiles on Ukraine, killing more than a dozen and wounding more than 100 people across the country, Ukrainian authorities said. At least 18 people, including a child, were killed and 118 wounded across the country as Russian strikes damaged buildings and sparked fires, according to local authorities and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Russia launched 659 drones and 44 missiles in the 24 hours before Thursday morning, the Ukrainian Air Force said, in waves of attacks on major cities including the capital Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia. In Kyiv, four people were killed, including a 12-year-old boy whose body was among two found in the rubble of a destroyed building, the State Emergency Service said. At least 48 people were wounded, it added.
Severe weather again hits parts of the U.S.
Severe storms brought softball-sized hail near Kansas City and golf-ball sized hail in Ohio while a heat record dating from 1941 was broken in the New York City area. Early Wednesday evening, a tornado moved through Clinton, Missouri. There have been dozens of reports of tornadoes from Oklahoma and Kansas to southern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan since Monday night. Overnight into Thursday morning, areas from near the Texas and Oklahoma border to Iowa and northwest Illinois have the highest chance at seeing severe storms that are more impactful, including an elevated tornado threat, but the Level 2 of 5 risk zone extends as far north and east as Milwaukee and Chicago. The storm threat on Thursday stretched from the Ohio River Valley to New York.
China reports healthy economy
China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday reported a 5.0% increase in Gross Domestic Product from the same period last year. It marked an acceleration from the 4.5% growth reported in the final quarter of last year. The NBS hailed the “solid start.” China has relied on its manufacturing prowess to fuel its export-reliant economy, which boosted its trade surplus to a record-breaking level of $1.2 trillion last year. In the first quarter, China’s exports of green technologies climbed. Exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries, wind turbine goods rose by 78%, 50%, and 45% year on year, customs officials said.
Trump’s former lawyer disbarred in California
More than five years after he pushed a plan to help Donald Trump cling to power after losing the 2020 election, the president’s former election lawyer John Eastman has lost his license to practice law in the state of California. Eastman devised a multi-step plan for then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election and was part of the effort to appoint fake electors in several states. The disbarment, ordered Wednesday by the California Supreme Court, concludes years of attorney discipline proceedings for Eastman. Eastman had been challenging the revoking of his law license in California after a judge in the state recommended his disbarment two years ago.
Live Nation and Ticketmaster found guilty
A jury has found Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly in the live events and ticketing industry, validating complaints that the industry giant was stifling competition and driving up fees for fans. The verdict was reached following a lengthy trial in New York federal court that included testimony from top executives in the music and entertainment industries. Judge Arun Subramanian will now hold second trial to decide what remedies are warranted, including whether to grant the states’ request to break up the company or make other structural changes such as ordering the sale of businesses. The court case is different from a settlement the Trump administration’s Department of Justice reached with Live Nation and Ticketmaster that included Live Nation giving up 13 of the performance venues it controls and capping ticket fees at 15%.
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