Hello everyone! I'm up early to share the latest developments on the big documents leak, legal wrangling over the abortion pill, the twilight of Tupperware and exploding German cash machines. What more could a springtime Saturday ask for?
Jack Douglas Teixeira appears before a federal judge in Boston, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Margaret Small
Massachusetts:Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old Air National Guard member, was charged in a Boston federal court with copying and transmitting classified materials. Experts expect the charges against him to pile up.
Ukraine and Russia: Some of the most damaging leaks concern Ukraine, where Moscow's and Kyiv's forces are slugging it out in the ruined city of Bakhmut. Related: Russia is making noises about abandoning the Black Sea grain deal. Imprisoned dissident Alexei Navalny is suffering from a painful illness that his spokeswoman says could be poison. And the US said it is doing "whatever it takes" to repatriate jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan.
The latest: The action by the conservative justice freezes the litigation and maintains the availability of mifepristone pending a further order from himself or the entire court.
What happens next? It's complicated and confusing, and a final resolution could be months or years away. Meanwhile, Florida's governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that bans most abortions six weeks after conception. A Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests that the move might not resonate with voters as DeSantis seeks the Republican nomination for president.
Tune in: Dominion accused Fox of ruining its reputation by broadcasting false claims from Donald Trump and his lawyers that the company's voting machines were used to rig the outcome of the presidential election against him and in favor of Joe Biden.
Early and often: Opening statements begin Monday, and yes, we expect Rupert Murdoch to testify during the trial. Also, expect appearances by Fox hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro.
Impact: It's always gratifying when your reporting sparks action, and that happened twice this week. Two US senators wrote to Elon Musk, questioning him about the sharing by Tesla employees of sensitive images recorded by cameras in customers' vehicles.
We know you: Another senator asked the Biden administration to investigate after a Reuters report showed how Russian authorities are using facial recognition to curb dissent with the aid of US technology.
The latest: Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan.
Elsewhere in Japan: Members of the Group of Seven nations must act to help emerging countries reduce emissions, Japan's economy and trade minister said at a G7 ministers meeting in Sapporo.
Before I forget…
Let's get the Trump stuff out of the way first. The former president sought a delay in his rape accuser's trial (he blamed the media) and failed to learn the names of his jurors. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg sued Congressman Jim Jordan to stop "intimidation" in Trump's criminal case over Stormy Daniels hush-money payments. Trump sued his former lawyer Michael Cohen for half a billion dollars, and visited his friends in the NRA at their convention.
Elsewhere in the US, a California county is monitoring wastewater for illicit drugs. The Biden administration wants public comments on regulating AI including ChatGPT. The banned-books-in-libraries debate in Texas is blazing away. The mother of the Louisville bank shooter frantically called 911 to warn authorities of his plans. More than 18,000 cows died in a dairy-farm fire. And the US Postal Service is raising stamp pricesagain.
In Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron's incredibly unpopular plan to raise the retirement age is going ahead. Italy is becoming increasingly defensive over keeping itself Italian (It makes sense if you read the story, I promise). Germans are fretting over exploding ATMs (Who wouldn't?). And Estonia's prime minister says she is not a candidate for NATO's next leader and would prefer to push or same-sex marriage equality.
And in business: US banks say commercial real estate is a concern as property values fall and more borrowers default on their loans. Tupperware is tiring after keeping our food sealed for more than half a century. And we asked AI chatbots some classic questions about picking stocks and managing our finances. You do want to read the replies.
Have a good weekend!
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