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May 23, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) - East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:
U.S.
- Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, sued in groundbreaking monopoly lawsuit(CNN)
- Biden takes credit for Target grocery price cuts: ‘They’re answering the call’ (CNBC)
- Trump promised to scrap climate laws if US oil bosses donated $1bn – report (Guardian)
- Trump's social media account shares a campaign video with a headline about a 'unified Reich' (AP)
- Fact-checking Trump’s lie that Biden tried to have him assassinated (CNN)
- Nikki Haley says she’ll vote for Trump (NPR)
- Will RFK Jr. qualify for June presidential debate? (ABC News)
- Biden defends 'strategic and targeted' China tariffs, seeking contrast with Trump (The Hill)
- With Trump's trial underway, most Americans now believe he falsified records to hide hush money payment (Yahoo News)
- Trump vows to "NEVER" take away birth control — except he spent four years doing just that (Salon)
- VP Harris rips Trump over latest comments on states monitoring pregnant women (The Hill)
- Trump prosecutor Fani Willis and trial judge Scott McAfee win their elections in Georgia (CNN)
- Hillary Clinton slams anti-Israel protests on college campuses, says students have been fed propaganda (Times of Israel)
WORLD
- What we know so far about the helicopter crash that killed Iran’s president and others (AP)
- The impact of recognising a Palestinian state (BBC)
- Slovakia’s populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt(AP)
- Israel orders more evacuations as Rafah fighting intensifies (BBC)
- Over 100 Wildfires Burn in Mexico Amid Heat Wave (Time.com)
- Thousands of Canadians forced to evacuate as massive wildfire burns (CBS)
- Hundreds flee Ukraine border area after Russia attack (BBC)
- Strong earthquake strikes near Mexico-Guatemala border (Reuters)
- Afghanistan floods devastate villages, killing 315 (Reuters)
- Gunmen kidnap more than 100 in attack on villages in northwest Nigeria (Reuters)
- As Argentina inflation nears 300%, climb in prices slows a bit (Reuters)
- Japan complains about Chinese ambassador's comment relating to Taiwan (Reuters)
- Jordan foils arms plot as kingdom caught in Iran-Israel shadow war (Reuters)
For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.
U.S.
Live Nation, Ticketmaster’s parent company, sued in groundbreaking monopoly lawsuit(CNN)
In a groundbreaking antitrust lawsuit that threatens to upend the way concertgoers pay for tickets, the US government and dozens of states sued Live Nation on Thursday, alleging that for years the parent company of Ticketmaster abused its industry dominance to harm fans nationwide.
Biden takes credit for Target grocery price cuts: ‘They’re answering the call’ (CNBC)
... “President Biden called on grocery chains making record profits to lower prices for consumers — and they’re answering the call,” the White House wrote in a social media post Monday evening in response to a headline about Target’s price cuts....Target announced it would lower prices on roughly 5,000 items, including food items such as bread, fruit, vegetables, milk and meat... A March report from the Federal Trade Commission claimed that grocery stores took advantage of supply chain disruptions to raise prices and keep them high. ...In March, Biden launched the Strike Force on Unfair and Illegal Pricing, jointly led by the FTC and the Department of Justice’s antitrust division, to address his corporate pricing complaints.
Trump promised to scrap climate laws if US oil bosses donated $1bn – report (Guardian)
Trump promised to 20 executives at Mar-a-Lago dinner to increase oil drilling and reverse pollution rules among other pitches. He dangled a brazen “deal” in front of some of the top US oil bosses last month, proposing that they give him $1bn for his White House re-election campaign and vowing that once back in office he would instantly tear up Joe Biden’s environmental regulations and prevent any new ones, according to a bombshell new report.
Trump's social media account shares a campaign video with a headline about a 'unified Reich' (AP)
A video posted to Donald Trump’s account on his social media network included references to a “unified Reich” among hypothetical news headlines if he wins the election in November... The word “Reich” is often largely associated with Nazi Germany’s Third Reich... Biden, speaking at a pair of Boston fundraisers Tuesday, highlighted Trump’s posting of the video, painting it as part of a pattern of incendiary comments sowing discord in the country, saying, “This is Hitler’s language — not America’s.”
Fact-checking Trump’s lie that Biden tried to have him assassinated (CNN)
CNN's Tom Foreman fact-checks Donald Trump's lie that Biden authorized the Department of Justice to use "deadly force" when raiding Mar-a-Lago for classified documents.
Nikki Haley says she’ll vote for Trump (NPR)
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who ended her bid for the Republican presidential run against former President Donald Trump, said at an event in Washington that she "will be voting for Trump."... During her campaign, Haley described Trump as "unhinged" and full of "chaos."
Will RFK Jr. qualify for June presidential debate? (ABC News)
He'd be the first third-party candidate in a general election debate since 1992.
Biden defends 'strategic and targeted' China tariffs, seeking contrast with Trump (The Hill)
...” My administration is combining investments in America with tariffs that are strategic and targeted. It’s a smart approach,” Biden said ...“My predecessor (Trump) promised to increase American exports and boost manufacturing. But he did neither. He failed. He signed a trade deal with China … instead China imports from America barely budged,” Biden continued. “And now Trump and his MAGA Republicans want across-the-board tariffs on all imports on all countries if reelected.”
If the jury agrees, Trump could become the first former U.S. president convicted of a felony.
Trump vows to "NEVER" take away birth control — except he spent four years doing just that (Salon)
Trump's attacks on contraception were unrelenting. He even asked the Supreme Court to block women's access
VP Harris rips Trump over latest comments on states monitoring pregnant women (The Hill)
Vice President Harris, in a video obtained first by The Hill, blasted former President Trump over recent comments to a Pennsylvania television station in which he said states should be left to decide whether to monitor pregnant women.
Trump prosecutor Fani Willis and trial judge Scott McAfee win their elections in Georgia (CNN)
Two key figures in former President Donald Trump’s election interference trial in Georgia fended off challengers in their elections Tuesday. Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who is prosecuting Trump, won her Democratic primary rematch with attorney and author Christian Wise Smith. And Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the former president’s case, triumphed in his nonpartisan election for Fulton County Superior Court.
Hillary Clinton slams anti-Israel protests on college campuses, says students have been fed propaganda (Times of Israel)
Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton tears into the pro-Palestinian protest movement that has swept across American colleges....”they don’t know that under the bringing together of the Israelis and the Palestinians by my husband — then-Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, the then-head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization Yasser Arafat — an offer was made to the Palestinians for a state on 96% of the existing territory occupied by the Palestinians with 4% of Israel to be given to reach 100% of the amount of territory that was hoped for...if Yasser Arafat had accepted it there would have been a Palestinian state now for about 24 years. “
WORLD
What we know so far about the helicopter crash that killed Iran’s president and others (AP)
The helicopter crash that killed Iran’s president and foreign minister has sent shock waves around the region.
The impact of recognising a Palestinian state (BBC)
Declarations by Ireland, Spain and Norway will put pressure on other countries in Europe.
Slovakia’s populist prime minister shot in assassination attempt(AP)
Slovakia’s populist prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot multiple times and gravely wounded Wednesday after a political event in an attempted assassination that shocked the small country and reverberated across Europe. The pro-Russian leader, 59, was reported to be fighting for his life.
Israel orders more evacuations as Rafah fighting intensifies (BBC)
The Israeli military tells thousands of Palestinians to leave the city as it expands military operation.
Over 100 Wildfires Burn in Mexico Amid Heat Wave (Time.com)
Parts of the country have also been dealing with drought.
Thousands of Canadians forced to evacuate as massive wildfire burns (CBS)
... The blaze in northeastern British Columbia started Friday and almost doubled in size by the following day, reaching about 4,200 acres. BC Wildfire Service maps showed the fire burning just a few miles west of Fort Nelson's city limits.
Hundreds flee Ukraine border area after Russia attack (BBC)
Evacuations are underway in the Kharkiv area as fighting continues after Friday’s surprise incursions.
Strong earthquake strikes near Mexico-Guatemala border (Reuters)
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck near the coast of Chiapas in Mexico on Sunday morning, the United States Geological Survey said.
Afghanistan floods devastate villages, killing 315 (Reuters)
Flash floods caused by heavy rains have devastated villages in northern Afghanistan, killing 315 people and injuring more than 1,600, authorities said on Sunday, as villagers buried their dead and aid agencies warned of widening havoc.Thousands of homes were damaged and livestock wiped out, the Taliban-run refugee ministry said, while aid groups warned of damage to health care facilities and vital infrastructure, such as water supply, with streets left coated in mud.
Gunmen kidnap more than 100 in attack on villages in northwest Nigeria (Reuters)
More than 100 people were kidnapped by gunmen during Friday night raids on three villages in northwest Nigeria, a district head and residents said on Saturday, the latest abduction of villagers in a region blighted by widespread insecurity.
As Argentina inflation nears 300%, climb in prices slows a bit (Reuters)
Prices in Argentina are climbing, despite positive signs of a deceleration, with the embattled South American country's annual inflation rate set to edge closer to 300% when the government reveals the latest data on Tuesday.
Japan complains about Chinese ambassador's comment relating to Taiwan (Reuters)
Japan has lodged a protest against the Chinese ambassador's "extremely inappropriate" comments relating to Taiwan, chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Wednesday. / Wu Jianghao, the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo, said on Monday Japanese people would be dragged into the fire if they took part in forces plotting to support Taiwan's independence and "split China", according to Japanese media reports.
Jordan foils arms plot as kingdom caught in Iran-Israel shadow war (Reuters)
Jordan has foiled a suspected Iranian-led plot to smuggle weapons into the U.S.-allied kingdom to help opponents of the ruling monarchy carry out acts of sabotage, according to two Jordanian sources with knowledge of the matter.
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