Biden announces:Â As was anticipated, President Biden today announced he is running for reelection. A prerecorded video announcement was released early this morning, in time for the morning network TV programs. In the recording, Biden said he wanted to finish what he started in his first term.
Harry Belafonte: Singer Harry Belafonte has died at age 96. The cause of death was reported as congestive heart failure. Belafonte was well-known for his Calypso music such as “Matilda, Matilda,” and the “Banana Boat Song.” Belafonte had starred in a number of  movies and was very active in the civil rights movement.
Sudan cease-fire:Â A 72-hour cease-fire is in place in Sudan, bringing at least a temporary halt to the fighting in which two rival factions are trying to take control of the government. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. government is not actively running convoys to get U.S. citizens out of the country after having already evacuated U.S. Embassy staff. Blinken did say that the U.S. government is offering advice to help people trying to find a way out of Sudan.
Carlson firing:Â There are reports that it was Fox Chief Rupert Murdoch who personally ordered the firing of Fox News prime-time host Tucker Carlson. It also was reported that Carlson had been highly critical and even abusive in internal communications regarding differences with Fox News management. As of this morning, Carlson had not said what his future plans would be.
Abortion ban:Â North Dakota’s Republican Governor Doug Burgum has signed into law legislation that bans all abortions in North Dakota with only a small window of exceptions in the case of rape, incest or medical emergency. The exception for rape, incest or medical emergency is allowed only until six weeks after conception, a time period during which many women don’t even know they’re pregnant. A court fight is expected over the new law as court challenges continue to previous North Dakota laws tightening abortion restrictions.
GM financials:Â General Motors this morning reported first quarter 2023 revenues of $39.9 billion with net income of $2.4 billion. Revenues were up from the $35.9 billion reported in the first quarter of 2022, but net income was down from the 2022 first quarter net of $2.9 billion. CEO Mary Barra said GM plans to produce 50,000 electric vehicles in the first half of this year.
3M job cuts:Â 3M this morning reported first quarter 2023 sales of $8 billion, 9% less than in the first quarter of 2022. Net income was $856 million. 3M announced plans to cut 6,000 jobs, which would result in savings of from $700 million to $900 million a year.
Cover photo: Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge in “Carmen Jones” (1954), courtesy of Film Forum
