“Maryland lost its triple-A bond rating from Moody’s on Wednesday, a rating the state has cited for more than 50 years as a sign of strong fiscal stewardship. Moody’s downgraded the state’s credit rating to Aa1. Maryland had received a triple-A bond rating from Moody’s since 1973. The state has benefitted from the higher rating by paying the lowest rates when it sells bonds to pay for infrastructure, likes roads and schools. ‘The downgrade was driven by economic and financial underperformance compared to Aaa-rated states, which is expected to continue given the state’s heightened vulnerability to shifting federal policies and employment, and its elevated fixed costs,’ Moody’s said. Gov. Wes Moore and other leading Maryland Democrats blamed President Donald Trump’s mass layoffs of federal workers, which is having a big impact on the region. The District of Columbia also recently received a credit-rating downgrade.” (05/14/25)
“Gary Lineker has ‘apologised unreservedly’ after being criticised for sharing a social media post about Zionism that included an illustration of a rat. ‘On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references,’ he said in a statement. ‘I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.’ The Match of the Day presenter said he deleted the post ‘as soon as I became aware of the issue.’ A rat has historically been used as an antisemitic insult, referring to language used by Nazi Germany to characterise Jews.” (05/14/25)
“California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday will announce a budget proposal to scale back a free [sic] healthcare program for low-income undocumented migrants, his office said, citing an expected $16 billion dent in state revenues from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The change forms part of Newsom’s budget presentation to be released on Wednesday. The governor’s office projected that sharply lower revenues after Trump’s tariffs would require the state ‘to take corrective action that balances fiscal responsibility while preserving core tenets of key investments.’ Trump’s administration has targeted immigrant-friendly policies in Democratic-dominated states, such as California, pressuring them to end benefits programs for undocumented migrants. Newsom’s office said that the governor will call for undocumented adults to pay $100 monthly premiums to receive Medi-Cal healthcare coverage. He would also call to block all new adult applicants for the program starting on January 1, 2026.” (05/14/25)
“A top European court ruled on Wednesday that the European Commission was wrong to refuse the New York Times access to text messages sent between President Ursula von der Leyen and a pharmaceutical boss during the COVID-19 pandemic, spurring further calls for reform from transparency advocates. The U.S. newspaper’s lawyers ‘succeeded in rebutting the presumption of non-existence and of non-possession of the requested documents,’ according to a statement from the European Union’s General Court in Luxembourg. The case highlights ongoing questions about oversight of the commission, which insists that text messages and other ‘ephemeral’ electronic communications do not necessarily constitute documents of interest that should be saved or made public.” (05/14/25)
“There’s a vast empty space in the middle of the factory floor in Foshan in southern China where workers should be welding high-end air fryers for the US market. Derek Wang says his American customers were wowed by his air fryer models — which are controlled via smartphones and can also bake, roast and grill. But then on 2 April, Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs hit all Chinese goods entering the US, eventually reaching 145% — and his clients asked him to pause production. … On Wednesday, as a deal to ease the trade war came into effect, Mr Wang said his US buyers were back on the phone. Both countries still face some tariffs. There is at least a 30% tax on all Chinese goods entering the US and Beijing has kept a 10% levy on American goods coming into the country, down from 125%.” (05/14/25)
“The treasurer of the Libertarian National Committee is requesting that the organization censure the party’s New Hampshire and Colorado state affiliates in two motions proposed for its in-person meeting this month. One of the motions also asks the New Hampshire affiliate to consider disaffiliating itself from the national party. LNC Treasurer Bill Redpath requested Monday night that both motions be added to the standing agenda for the committee’s upcoming in-person meeting in Michigan. Each motion cites recent social media activity by the respective affiliates, arguing that their conduct has brought negative attention to the party.” (05/13/25)
“The retrial of Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of hitting her police officer boyfriend with her car and leaving him for dead, will resume following an abrupt one-day break in court proceedings. … Prosecutors say 45-year-old Read deliberately hit John O’Keefe with her SUV outside the home of a fellow cop and left him for dead in January 2022. Read’s lawyers say she was framed for O’Keefe’s murder and suggested someone inside the home killed him. Her first trial ended in a hung jury.” (05/14/25)
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday that 749 cartons of illegally imported cigarettes were discovered aboard a cruise ship at the Long Beach Cruise Ship Terminal in April. According to CBP officers assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport, 10 pieces of luggage full of cigarettes belonging to two female passengers was found. … The 749 cartons [stolen] will be destroyed under CBP supervision.” (05/14/25)
“Mali’s media regulatory body said it is banning a French television channel in the country due to ‘defamatory remarks’ it made about a pro-democracy demonstration in the capital earlier this month. … The decision was the latest move by Malian authorities that targeted media outlets. The signals of France 24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI) have been blocked for three years, and Mali’s private TV channel, Djoliba TV News, had its signal cut off for six months last December over a debate questioning the official version of a thwarted coup attempt in neighboring Burkina Faso.” (05/14/25)
“Nearly two dozen [alleged] Tren de Aragua gangbangers in an ICE detention center in Texas have barricaded themselves and threatened to take hostages in a major uprising — days after migrants spelled out ‘SOS’ in the prison yard. [Supposed m]embers of the Venezuelan gang threatened to hold ICE [thugs] captive and injure them on April 26 as they barricaded the doors of their unit with their cots, covered surveillance cameras, blocked windows, and flooded the unit by clogging the toilets, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The takeover attempt lasted ‘several hours,’ with the [abductees] ignoring the orders of ICE [thugs]. Alleged Tren de Aragua gangbangers were seen begging to be sent home by flashing a banner reading ‘Help, we want to be deported. We are not terrorists. SOS’ to a drone overhead this week at the same facility.” (05/14/25)
