Volunteers killed: Seven volunteer workers with the nonprofit World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. The workers were providing meals to Gaza refugees. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the incident would be thoroughly investigated. The founder of the nonprofit, chef Jose Andres, said that Israel needs to stop what he called indiscriminate killing.
Iran’s warning: Iran’s leader the Ayatollah Khamenei today warned Israel that Iran will punish it for its attack on a building next to the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, in which seven leaders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard were killed. An Iranian internet post blamed not only Israel but also the U.S. for the attack. There were demonstrations in Iran in which American and Israeli flags were burned.
Trump Media: Stock in Trump Media fell 21% yesterday after the company disclosed it had a loss of more than $58 million last year. The stock went public last week at an opening price of just under $50 a share, and soared to more than $79. Yesterday, the stock closed at $48.66, below it’s initial offering price. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, Trump Media did not indicate that any moves have been made to allow Donald Trump to begin selling off his shares in the company. As an insider in the stock offering, Trump cannot sell his stock for six months without obtaining a waiver from the restriction.
Ukrainian drones: A Ukrainian drone today struck a Russian oil refinery. The refinery is southeast of Moscow and is said to be the third largest in Russia. It has a capacity of processing almost 350,000 barrels of cruse oil each day. Some reports said the drone started a fire, while TASS, the Russian news agency, said the drone did not explode. TASS reported that a Ukrainian drone did explode when it hit a youth hostel in Russia, injuring seven people.
Abortion question: Florida’s State Supreme Court has ruled that a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would guarantee a woman’s right to reproductive choice can appear on the ballot in November. At the same time, the court is allowing a ban on abortions after six weeks that was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis to go into effect in 30 days. Planned Parenthood was among those opposed to the new ban, saying that most women don’t even know they’re pregnant in the first six weeks. Florida law requires that the ballot question that would end Florida’s restrictions on the right to choose requires approval by 60% of the voters in order to pass.
Tropicana closes: The Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas closes for good today, due to be demolished so that a baseball stadium can be built on its site. The demolition is scheduled for October. The 300-room hotel featured many top stars performing there during its heyday including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Gladys Knight and Wayne Newton. The Tropicana was featured in the 1971 James Bond movie, “Diamonds are Forever.”
