Buzz
Keeping track of the news can be tough. To make it easier, we’ve curated the most notable, unexpected, or downright astonishing stories every week.
This week, much of the media spotlight was on the UK royal wedding set for Saturday, where American actress Meghan Markle is about to become a British princess. A thrilling moment, without a doubt. However, while the wedding took over the British press and royal watchers, it wasn’t the only headline this week. Even as London prepared for the grand occasion, the rest of the world continued with its usual wildness.
10. Gaza Experienced Its Deadliest Day Since 2014
Let’s dive into the most controversial story of all.
At the beginning of the week, three major events occurred in Israel. First, the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish state. Second, the grand opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem. Lastly, massive Palestinian protests erupted alongside the first two. It was the latter that would take center stage in the news.
The protests had been simmering in Gaza for weeks, initially growing independently and then later fueled by Hamas. On Tuesday, they erupted into a violent clash at the Israel-Gaza border fence. In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) opened fire. At least 52 Palestinians were killed and over 2,400 were injured, making it Gaza’s deadliest day since the 2014 war.
Once the dust settled, the primary question was whether the IDF had used appropriate force. The UN, EU, Russia, and Turkey condemned it as a massacre. Meanwhile, the US supported Israel’s actions, calling it an act of self-defense. Regardless, it overshadowed what should have been a week of celebration.
9. The North Korea Peace Process Faced Setbacks
Recent reports from North Korea have been surprisingly positive. Following their joint appearance with South Korea at the Olympics, leaders Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in held a groundbreaking summit earlier this month.
Since then, North Korea has committed to halting nuclear tests and even invited international media to witness the dismantling of its testing sites. A planned meeting between Kim Jong Un and US President Trump in June was seen as a step closer to reintegrating the DPRK. However, this progress was recently threatened by national security adviser John Bolton.
Bolton, a hardliner known for his antagonistic stance toward Pyongyang, has a history of upsetting North Korea. (In 2003, he almost derailed multilateral talks by calling Kim Jong Il a tyrant.) On a TV show this past Sunday, Bolton declared that the US would only ease sanctions after the North abandoned its nuclear weapons, drawing comparisons to Libya and Iraq—two nations that later collapsed. The North Koreans were clearly paying attention.
In response to Bolton’s remarks, a scheduled meeting between North and South Korea was abruptly called off, and the North threatened to cancel the upcoming Trump meeting. The success of the president’s major foreign policy initiative now hangs in the balance.
However, on Thursday, Trump contradicted Bolton. “The Libya model is not a model we have at all with North Korea,” the president stated publicly. “With Kim Jong Un, he’d be there, running his country.”
8. Italy was on the brink of welcoming a radical new government
If they succeed, it could be one of the most impressive political maneuvers in recent memory. On Thursday, Italy's M5S (Five Star Movement) and League parties appeared to be close to forming a coalition. With the backing of more than 50 percent of voters, they certainly have a mandate. The only issue is how poorly suited they are to each other.
It's hard to draw direct comparisons, but imagine Bernie Sanders and the US Libertarian Party teaming up with Pat Buchanan to form a government, and you'll start to understand how outlandish this is. M5S and the League are completely opposed on nearly everything, except for their shared stance on immigration (they want less) and the euro (they’re not fond of it). As a result, their joint manifesto is one of the most radical policy documents in years.
The plan centers around a flat 15 percent tax rate for all but the wealthiest individuals (a policy championed by the League) and a universal basic income (a key M5S proposal). They also aim to renegotiate EU budgetary rules and allocate hundreds of billions toward social programs. If successful, they could drastically alter the EU’s structure. However, given their significant differences, achieving this remains uncertain.
7. Legalized sports betting made its way across the US
Back in 1992, Congress enacted the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), effectively banning sports betting across the country, with a few state exceptions.
This Monday, the Supreme Court finally delivered its long-anticipated verdict on the law. In a surprising decision, they ruled that PASPA violated the Tenth Amendment, which limits the federal government's ability to override state laws. This ruling means that sports betting could now be legal across the entire US, provided each state chooses to legalize it.
In some ways, this isn’t a huge shift. The American Gaming Association (AGA) estimates that Americans illegally bet approximately $150 billion on sports every year. Other reports suggest the figure is closer to $70 billion, which is still staggering. To be clear, none of these figures are exact, but they all point to the same fact: Americans are heavily engaged in illegal sports betting.
Nonetheless, legalizing betting could significantly alter the way professional sports are played and affect how teams perform. Nearly all major sports leagues in the US had previously opposed the repeal of PASPA.
6. Burundi edged closer to political unrest
This week, Burundi witnessed another power grab by its ruler. On Thursday, the country voted on a referendum to extend presidential term limits from five to seven years. This move is largely viewed as an attempt by President Pierre Nkurunziza to solidify his authoritarian rule. If the referendum passes, he could remain in power until 2034.
Nkurunziza rose to power in 2005 after a devastating civil war that saw Hutus and Tutsis engage in mass violence. After completing his two constitutionally mandated terms, he sought a third term in 2015, arguing that his first term, appointed by parliament, should not count.
If the upcoming referendum passes, Nkurunziza aims to claim that none of his three five-year terms were valid and that he should be allowed to serve two additional seven-year terms.
The 2015 election was tainted by extreme violence, including rape and torture, used to coerce people into voting for Nkurunziza. There are concerns that this referendum could trigger further rounds of massacres.
5. A mysterious bombing in California resulted in one fatality.
Not too long ago, Austin, Texas, was shaken by a series of unexplained bombings. Now, California appears to be the next target. On Tuesday, a bomb exploded at a day spa in Aliso Viejo, killing the owner and injuring two others. By Wednesday, the FBI had already confirmed their belief that it was a deliberate bombing.
Details are still scarce, but it appears that the bomb was sent in a package addressed to Ildiko Krajnyak, the spa's owner, who died in the blast. The motives behind targeting a day spa in a quiet town, and the reason for the owner's death, remain a mystery.
As tragic as the event is, it is hoped that this bombing was a targeted murder rather than the beginning of a new wave of bombings.
4. Scientists claimed to have successfully transferred memories between snails.
If you thought the workings of the human mind were strange, brace yourself for this one. Recently, researchers at UCLA announced they had managed to transfer memories between snails. Even more bizarre, they claim to have achieved this by removing and injecting RNA. Not surprisingly, their findings are sparking a great deal of controversy.
To be frank, snails aren't exactly known for their intellectual prowess. Their simple brains, however, make them ideal subjects for basic experiments. In this UCLA study, one group of snails was conditioned to associate a gentle prod with an electric shock, causing them to retreat into their shells, even when prodded with non-electrified rods. The researchers then extracted RNA from these snails and injected it into a second group. Remarkably, these unshocked snails began to respond to the prods by withdrawing, just like their shocked counterparts.
The researchers claim this demonstrates that some memories may exist outside the brain, specifically in RNA. Essentially, they argue that they successfully transferred the memory of the shocks from one snail to another. While intriguing, many experts remain skeptical of their conclusions.
3. Malaysia’s former Prime Minister was raided as part of a massive corruption investigation.
Just last week, we reported how 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad pulled off a major upset in Malaysia’s election, marking the first defeat of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) party in 60 years. Despite his new term as Prime Minister having only just begun, Mohamad, who previously held the office under the BN before switching to the opposition, is already shaking up Malaysian politics. This week, the police raided the home of his predecessor, Najib Razak, as part of an investigation into one of the world’s largest financial scandals.
The 1MDB scandal revolved around a government investment fund established by Razak during his tenure as Prime Minister in 2009. Over $3 billion mysteriously disappeared from the fund, and while the U.S. unofficially suspected that the money ended up in Razak’s personal pockets, a Malaysian investigation cleared him of wrongdoing. However, after Mohamad’s electoral victory, one of his first actions was to place Razak under house arrest and revive the investigation.
Only two weeks ago, the prospect of Razak facing jail time for corruption would have seemed far-fetched. Yet here we are. If this is how Malaysia's post-BN era is unfolding in its first week, it will be fascinating to see what the next few years have in store.
2. Iraq’s election delivered a shocking anti-US upset.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi must have felt confident about his chances at the polls in Iraq’s election this past Saturday. As the leader who replaced the divisive Nouri al-Maliki and helped drive ISIS out of the country, al-Abadi seemed poised for a big win.
However, voters did not deliver the expected result. Instead of rewarding him, they relegated his party to third place and handed the role of kingmaker to a former anti-US extremist who had once led an insurgency against American forces after the fall of Saddam.
Enter Moqtada al-Sadr, a figure who once prioritized killing US soldiers but is now leading the largest post-election faction in Iraq’s parliament. Although al-Sadr did not run himself, it was his vision that united a mix of independents, Communists, nationalists, and Sunnis, forming a formidable electoral coalition. The future of Iraq’s next government now largely depends on him.
Al-Sadr today is far less anti-American and violent than he was in 2006, but remains highly unpredictable. Despite this, the situation could have been worse for Washington. The party that finished second was a prominent pro-Iran Shia group.
1. The Stormy Daniels affair continued to make waves.
It turns out, he did know.
After months of denying it, President Trump submitted his financial disclosure form for 2017 on Wednesday. The form included a footnote revealing that the president had reimbursed his lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
When Daniels initially went public with her claim that she was paid to remain silent about a 2006 affair with Trump, the White House denied any involvement. A few weeks ago, it was claimed that Cohen had made the payment out of his own pocket without the president’s knowledge. Now, the disclosure form reveals that Trump had reimbursed Cohen, implying that he was aware of the payment all along.
The failure to disclose this payment could potentially breach the law, although it may not be serious enough to trigger a full investigation. Regardless, this story seems poised to continue causing headaches for the White House for the foreseeable future.
