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Finland Moving Forward with Formal Application for NATO Membership
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Sky News: Finland has confirmed it will apply to join NATO despite Russia’s president warning it would be a “mistake” to do so. Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto said joining the military alliance will “maximize” his country’s security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ( Sky News). Associated Press: The Kremlin’s press service said in a statement that Putin told Sauli Niinisto Finland’s abandonment “of its traditional policy of military neutrality would be an error since there are no threats to Finland’s security.” “Such a change in the country’s foreign policy could negatively affect Russian-Finnish relations, which had been built in the spirit of good neighborliness and partnership for many years, and were mutually beneficial,” the statement added ( Associated Press). Daily Mail: As US President Joe Biden held a joint call with Finland’s leaders on Friday to support their NATO application, Russian officials responded with furious bluster, with one threatening to reduce the US to ‘nuclear ashes’ if America ‘threatens’ the Russian state ( Daily Mail).
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Netflix Memo to Employees: Quit if Offended by Our Content
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From the story: Netflix has finally launched a crackdown on woke workers trying to silence artists such as Dave Chappelle. The streaming service dished out a new ‘culture memo’ telling staff if they are offended by the content they can leave the firm. Bosses warned they will not ‘censor specific artists or voices’ even if employees consider the content ‘harmful’ ( Daily Mail). Wall Street Journal: For Netflix, the company spokesman said employees were given a chance to offer feedback on the new culture guidelines. He said the company received more than 1,000 comments, which helped shape the new part of the memo. Netflix is coming off a disappointing quarterly report last month which showed it lost subscribers for the first time in over a decade. Revenue also grew at its slowest pace in years amid rising competition from new and existing streaming rivals. The company said it is exploring offering a lower priced ad-supported version of the platform to help boost its subscriber base ( Wall Street Journal).
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Sen. McConnell, GOP Delegation Visit Zelensky in Ukraine
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From the story: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican Senators Susan Collins, John Cornyn and John Barrasso traveled to Kyiv to visit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The U.S. Embassy tweeted about the senators’ visit to Ukraine Saturday and posted video of their meeting with Zelenskyy ( CBS). Associated Press: In his statement after the visit, McConnell called the visit “inspiring” and said he and his colleagues had seen firsthand “the courage, unity, and resolve of the Ukrainian people.” McConnell added: “It is squarely in our national interest to help Ukraine achieve victory in this war and to help Ukraine and other countries deter other wars of aggression before they start” ( Associated Press).
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Taxpayers May Be on the Hook for DC Staffers’ Peloton Memberships
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Daily Wire: The House of Representatives faced backlash late this week over a plan to use taxpayer money to give staffers in Washington, D.C., and in district offices across the country, free Peloton memberships while the American people feel the pain of soaring inflation rates. The plan reportedly would give an estimated 12,300 people both Peloton All-Access and a Peloton App membership at no cost to them while the American taxpayer could be forced to shell out more than $120,000 per month depending on how many people enroll in the membership ( Daily Wire). Fox News Reporter John Roberts: Desperate parents can’t find baby formula – Congress has yet to take action…..BUT Lawmakers can now order liquor directly to their Capitol Hill offices Lawmakers & staff will now have free access to the Peloton app ( Twitter).
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Rasmussen: Majority of Americans Want Abortion Decided by Voters, Not Courts
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National Review: A great irony of the leaked Dobbs draft is that Democrats, despite all their advocacy in overdrive since its release, may end up gaining very little politically ( National Review). Townhall: A recently released Scott Rasmussen National Survey from RMG Research, the results reaffirm the idea that it is time for Roe v. Wade to go, so that the abortion decision can be returned to the American people through their elected officials in state legislatures. This, according to polling, is actually the outcome voters want. For 65 percent chose “voters and their elected representatives,” while just 18 percent chose “judges and courts” when it comes to who should decide the abortion issue ( Townhall).
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Marvel Announces Two New Trans Superheroes
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From the story: First Disney did it, then Pixar, now Marvel is set to introduce not one, but two transgender characters. It was only a matter of time. Transgender mutant hero, Morgan Red, will be joined by her sidekick, Shela Sexton, also known as Escapade in the film. The duo will be “liberated” from a laboratory alongside their genetically modified turtle. Escapade co-creator, Charlie Jane Sanders, said he created her to be a “cool weirdo,” adding, “Morgan was there for Shela when she was first transitioning …supporting each other through their transitions when they were kids.” So Marvel is making it seem normal for kids to go through transitions. Sanders said she wanted transgenderism to be a “key part of the story” ( Townhall). Marvel: Get ready for this year’s ‘Marvel’s Voices: Pride’ with a first look at artist Olivier Coipel’s new variant cover ( Twitter)!
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As Mothers Struggle to Feed Infants, Biden Administration Denies Formula Crisis
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From the story: Nationally, 43% of baby formula is out of stock, with more than 30 states averaging above the U.S. level in the week that began May 1, up from 31% two weeks earlier, according to the latest figures from Datasembly. Normally, baby formula is 10% out of stock on average. Tennessee, Kansas and Delaware are among states seeing the worst of the shortage ( Wall Street Journal). Fox News: During an interview on “Fox & Friends Weekend” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said that the baby formula crisis shows how “broken” the Biden administration is and argued the White House knew about the shortage since October 2021 ( Fox News). RNC Research: “Does the White House consider this (baby formula shortage) a crisis?” Biden Communications Director: Nah ( Twitter).
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Nancy Pelosi Calls Supreme Court “Dangerous” Over Roe v. Wade
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From the story: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that the current Supreme Court was “dangerous” for families and freedom in America ( Breitbart). The Hill: Pelosi linked former President Trump, who appointed three conservative justices to the bench during his four-year tenure in the White House, to the draft decision ( Hill).
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India, Second Largest Wheat Producer in the World, Halts Wheat Exports
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Fear of scarcity due to heatwave said to be the reason. From the story: India banned wheat exports on Saturday, just days after saying it was targeting record shipments this year, as a scorching heatwave curtailed output and local prices hit an all-time high amid strong export demand. Global buyers were banking on the world’s second-biggest wheat producer for supplies after exports from the Black Sea region plunged following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February. Prior to the ban, India was targeting to ship out a record 10 million tons this year. The Indian ban could drive up global prices to new peaks and hit poor consumers in Asia and Africa ( CNBC). Fox News: Global wheat prices have increased by more than 40% since the beginning of the year ( Fox News).
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Poll: 75 Percent of Americans Say Country Is on “Wrong Track”
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From the story: NBC noted that the poll is the fourth consecutive survey where the “wrong track” figure was above 70 percent and only the fifth time in 34 years that the “wrong track” number reached 75%. The last time it was that high was during the Great Recession in 2008, followed by the 2013 government shutdown ( Daily Wire). Meet The Press: NBC NEWS POLL: Just 16% say the country is headed in the right direction, while 75% say we’re on the wrong track. It’s a truism that voters’ views about the economy begin to harden in May. If that theory holds, the Democrats are in serious trouble right now ( Twitter).
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