1 dead, 6 missing after tornado sinks luxury yacht near Sicily
One body has been recovered, and six people remain missing after a 184-foot luxury yacht sank off the coast of Sicily during a violent storm on Monday, Aug. 19. According to the Italian coast guard, the yacht was struck by a tornado around 5 a.m. local time while anchored about half a mile from the port of Porticello.
Fifteen people, including a one-year-old child, were rescued from the scene and transported to local hospitals, where all are reported to be in stable condition. The survivors include the yacht’s captain. However, search efforts continue for the six missing individuals, who are believed to be of British, American, and Canadian nationality.
The yacht, named “Bayesian,” was built by Italian shipbuilder Perini in 2008 and registered under a British flag. The vessel was carrying a mix of British passengers and crew, as well as nationals from the U.S., Canada, and other countries.
Italy’s fire brigade confirmed that divers reached the wreck, now resting 160 feet below the surface. Helicopters have also been dispatched to assist in the ongoing search and rescue operation.
The storm that caused the yacht to sink is part of a broader pattern of severe weather affecting Italy, where heavy rain, floods, and landslides have been wreaking havoc in the northern regions following a period of extreme heat.
Authorities are investigating why the yacht remained anchored despite the adverse weather conditions.
Hamas leader reportedly killed in Iran amid rising tensions in Middle East
A Hamas leader is reportedly assassinated in Iran as developments in the Middle East raise concerns of conflict escalating in the region. And Vice President Kamala Harris is closer to naming her running mate with plans of holding their first rally in a matter of days. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
Hamas leader reportedly killed in Iran amid rising tensions in Middle East
Major developments in the Middle East, with reports of a top Hamas leader being killed in Iran on the same day Israel struck Lebanon’s capitol and killed a Hezbollah commander. The U.S. also carried out a strike in Iraq in what U.S. officials are calling a move of self-defense.
According to state media, Iran’s president said the country “will defend its territory and make those responsible regret their actions.” Fears of an all-out regional conflict have also been renewed with the Hamas leader’s death happening on Iranian soil.
Tensions are also growing in Iraq as the U.S. said it carried out a strike against a base in Baghdad used by Iraqi forces, killing four Iraqi fighters. The U.S. said the move was in self-defense, telling Reuters those militants were looking to launch drones and posed a threat to the U.S.
Some global media outlets are also reporting hopes of any ceasefire hostage deal between Israel and Hamas are looking slim to none given the escalations happening within the past 24 hours.
Kamala Harris to hold rally with vice president pick in Philadelphia next week
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce her running mate pick on Monday, August 5, as she looks to win the presidency. Then, on Tuesday, August 6, she’s expected to hold a rally in Philadelphia with her new running mate joining her on stage.
The campaign trail is heating up, with Harris holding her largest rally yet in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, July 30.
Both the Harris and Trump campaigns also released new political ads attacking the records of their opponent. And both are on the road to more events to rally their supporters.
This race will be among a handful that determine who controls the U.S. Senate this fall. Currently, the Senate is controlled by Democrats while the House is controlled by Republicans, both with slim majorities.
Riots over Venezuela’s presidential election continue
Authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro accused opposition leader María Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo González of “criminal violence,” and a close ally is calling for their arrests.
Protesters are demanding Maduro make voting data from Sunday’s, July 28, election public. Venezuela’s opposition and multiple Latin American leaders are refusing to recognize Maduro’s victory.
Machado said on Monday, July 30, the country’s opposition had about 73% of the voting tallies from Sunday’s election, proving Maduro did not win.
The national electoral authority has proclaimed Maduro the winner, giving him a third term in office and extending 25 years of socialist party rule.
Boar’s Head recall expanded to include 7 million more pounds of deli meats
Boar’s Head, a company known for deli meats, is recalling an extra 7 million pounds of its products. This is because there’s an outbreak of listeria, a dangerous bacteria, that has been linked to two deaths and made dozens of people very sick in 13 states.
The recall includes various types of meats like liverwurst, ham and salami made at their Virginia plant and have sell-by dates ranging from July 29 to Oct. 17. This recall adds to an earlier one of more than 200,000 pounds of similar products.
The issue was first noticed when a liverwurst sample from Maryland tested positive for listeria. Further tests confirmed that this same listeria strain was making people sick.
Starbucks sales down as prices go up
For the second quarter in a row, Starbucks’ sales have slumped as prices continue to rise. In its latest earnings report, Starbucks’ sales dropped 3% globally and 2% in North America.
Total transactions at North American stores fell by 6%, but higher prices shorten the gap between sales and revenue as coffee chains and restaurants alike continue to struggle with bringing customers in amid high prices.
Simone Biles leads U.S. Women’s gymnastics team to gold medal
After dropping out of the women’s gymnastics team event in Tokyo three years ago and taking time to focus on her mental health, Simone Biles returned to the same event on Tuesday, July 30, in Paris. This time she led Team USA to the gold.
Biles, along with Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles and Jade Carey, won by more than five points. Italy took home the silver medal and Brazil won bronze.
With the victory, Biles becomes the most decorated U.S. gymnast in history, with eight medals.
And she’s not done yet. Biles will compete in four more individual events including the all-around final on Thursday, Aug. 1, where she’ll have a chance to add more gold to her historic record.
Scientists discover cave on the moon that could shelter humans
Scientists have confirmed the discovery of a sizable cave on the moon, located near where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago. This cave, accessible from the deepest known pit on the moon, is situated at the Sea of Tranquility, approximately 250 miles from the Apollo 11 landing site.
An Italian-led team reported the finding on Monday, July 15, using radar measurements from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter compared with lava tubes on Earth. The researchers estimate the cave to be at least 130 feet wide and tens of yards long. The cave is part of a pit created by the collapse of a lava tube, similar to more than 200 others discovered on the moon.
The findings, published in “Nature Astronomy,” suggest these caves could serve as natural shelters for astronauts, providing protection from cosmic rays, solar radiation and micrometeorite strikes. This could be more efficient than building habitats from scratch, despite the potential need to reinforce cave walls.
Researchers noted that most pits are in the moon’s ancient lava plains, with some potentially at the south pole — NASA’s planned location for future astronaut landings. Permanently shadowed craters at the south pole might contain frozen water, useful for drinking and rocket fuel.
The unaltered material inside these caves offers valuable insights into the moon’s volcanic activity and evolution. As lunar exploration continues, these natural formations could play a crucial role in supporting long-term human presence on the moon.
During NASA’s Apollo program, 12 astronauts landed on the moon, beginning with Armstrong and Aldrin on July 20, 1969.
Trump appears at Republican National Convention; Vance nominated as VP
Days after surviving an assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump made an appearance at the Republican National Convention (RNC) and named J.D. Vance his vice president pick. And the Secret Service director answers questions as the agency is under fire following the deadly shooting. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Tuesday, July 16, 2024.
Trump appears at Republican National Convention; Vance nominated as VP
The Republican National Convention kicked off Monday, July 15, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just two days after former President Donald Trump survived the assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Day one saw Trump officially secure the GOP’s nominee for president with Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance becoming the party’s nominee for vice president.
While Trump’s presence on the first day was not a guarantee when the event began, all questions were answered just after 9 p.m. central time, when the former president made his entrance. He was wearing a bandage over his ear and met with cheers from the emotional convention crowd along with chants of “we want Trump!” and “fight!”
Trump joined his running mate in the stands. During the Roll Call of the States earlier in the day, Trump received the delegates needed to become the GOP’s nominee, with his son Eric making it official.
“On behalf of our entire family and on behalf of the 125 delegates in the unbelievable state of Florida, we hereby nominate every single one of them for the greatest president that’s ever lived,” Eric Trump said. “And that’s Donald J. Trump, hereby declaring him the Republican nominee for President of the United States of America.”
Speculation surrounding Trump’s VP pick came to an end not long after, with Vance officially joining the ticket.
Secret Service director, President Biden answer questions on security
As the investigation continues into the assassination attempt against former President Trump that left one spectator dead, the Secret Service is facing tough questions on its protocols and how the gunman was able to get so close to the former president. In her first network interview since the July 13, shooting, Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle spoke to ABC News, saying this was an incident that should have never happened.
“What I would say is the Secret Service is responsible for the protection of the former president,” Cheatle said. “The buck stops with me. I am the director of the Secret Service. It was unacceptable and it’s something that shouldn’t happen again.”
.@PierreTABC has an exclusive interview with Kim Cheatle, the Director of the Secret Service, with Cheatle saying, "The buck stops with me." The interview comes as new video shows the alleged gunman climbing onto the roof moments before he fired. https://t.co/mwmiaP88Tbpic.twitter.com/7rZokWLCh4
President Biden has ordered an “independent review” of the agency’s protocol, though Cheatle said she already plans to make immediate changes.
In an interview with NBC News on Monday, July 15, Biden was asked his thoughts on the Secret Service.
“Do you have confidence in the Secret Service,” Nightly News anchor Lester Holt asked. “Do you feel safe?”
“I feel safe with the Secret Service,” Biden assured him. “But look, you saw the — what we did see was the Secret Service who responded risked their lives responding. They were ready to give their lives for the president. The question is: Should they have anticipated what happened? Should they have done what they needed to do to prevent this from happening? That’s the question that’s — that’s an open question.”
In the interview, the president was also pressed on the calls from members of his party for him to step aside as the Democratic nominee. Biden said he’s holding to his decision to remain in the race, reiterating his performance at the June 27 debate was just a bad night.
Elon Musk to donate $45 million a month to new pro-Trump super PAC
Billionaire Elon Musk says he’s planning on donating $45 million a month to a pro-Trump super PAC, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The group, called America PAC, launched in June and is backing former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Records show Musk did not donate to it in June, and it’s unclear if he’s donated yet in July. Other backers of the PAC include former U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft and crypto billionaires Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
In March, Musk said he would not contribute to either former President Trump’s or President Biden’s campaigns. However, on Saturday, July 13, following the assassination attempt, Musk posted to X that he fully endorsed Trump.
Trump-appointed judge drops classified docs case, special counsel to appeal
Special Counsel Jack Smith said he’ll appeal a federal judge’s decision to dismiss former President Trump’s classified documents case. Florida Judge Aileen Cannon — who was appointed to her seat by Trump — dropped the case Monday.
Cannon ruled Smith’s appointment as prosecutor for the case violated the appointments clause of the Constitution because he was given the job by Attorney General Merrick Garland. In her ruling, Cannon said the Constitution’s appointments clause requires “officers of the United States” be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Trump was accused of illegally retaining hundreds of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after leaving the White House in January 2021. He had denied any wrongdoing.
Hacker group claims it leaked Disney’s Slack, internal info
Data from Disney’s internal Slack communications program has been leaked online by an activist hacking group, including discussions about ad campaigns and studio technology.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the hackers say they also published data that contains information about unreleased projects, interview candidates, some logins and images of employees’ dogs. The leak totaled roughly 1.2 terabytes of information dating back to 2019.
A spokesperson for the group, called NullBulge, said it targeted Disney for how it “handles artists’ contracts, its approach to AI and its blatant disregard for the consumer.”
The cave was found not far from where astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed 55 years ago.
In a paper published in “Nature Astronomy,” an Italian-led team said it found evidence of a sizable cave accessible from the deepest known pit on the moon. The pit is called the Sea of Tranquility, found about 250 miles from Apollo 11’s landing site.
So far, they’ve only gotten a look at the initial part of the cave, but scientists estimate it’s at least 130 feet wide and tens of yards long.
Biden speaks at NATO summit, Trump holds rally in Florida
Candidates look to send a message as President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the NATO summit and former President Donald Trump spoke at a Florida rally. And the U.S.-built pier meant to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza looks to be in its final days. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
Biden speaks at NATO summit, Trump holds rally in Florida
With the Republican National Convention days away, the Democratic National Convention in a few weeks, and Election Day fast approaching, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump delivered speeches on Tuesday, July 9. And while their speeches took place in very different settings, each was hoping their message would help make the case they are the better option.
Biden spoke in Washington as the three-day NATO summit kicked off, saying the alliance is stronger than it’s ever been in history.
With the focus of the summit being the NATO nations’ continued support for Ukraine, Biden spoke of the country’s resilience in its fight against Russia.
“In Europe, Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues and Putin wants nothing less nothing less than Ukraine’s total subjugation, to end Ukraine’s democracy, destroy Ukraine’s culture and to wipe Ukraine off the map,” the president said. “And we know Putin won’t stop at Ukraine, but make no mistake, Ukraine can and will stop Putin.”
Biden and the leaders of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Romania announced the delivery of new air defense systems for Ukraine. This comes just days after a deadly attack by Russia on a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
On Tuesday night, Biden held a video call with nearly 200 Democratic mayors as he reiterated that he will remain in the race despite having a “lousy night” on the debate stage and amid growing calls for him to step aside.
Meanwhile, former President Trump was back on the campaign trail, holding a rally in Florida. He commented on the speculation surrounding Biden’s candidacy since debate night.
“Our victory was so absolute that Joe’s own party now wants him to throw in the towel and surrender the presidency after a single 90-minute performance,” Trump told supporters. “They want ‘crooked Joe’ out of the race. It’s a shame the way they’re treating him. But don’t feel sorry for him. He’s a very bad guy.”
And with Trump still needing to pick his vice president, one of the potential choices for a running mate — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio — was in attendance. Trump made mention of Rubio’s presence, teasing that reporters probably expected him to make his VP announcement then and there.
In his speech, Trump said he would give Biden a chance to redeem himself — challenging the president to another debate this week, as well as a golf match, referencing an argument between the two during the first debate.
In response, a Biden campaign spokesperson said Biden doesn’t have time for “Donald Trump’s weird antics.”
U.S. Navy sailor disciplined for trying to access Biden’s medical records
As concerns over President Biden’s health remain a topic of discussion since last month’s presidential debate, word has come down of a Navy sailor who’s been disciplined for trying to access the president’s medical records on multiple occasions. The incidents occurred in late February but were disclosed on Tuesday, July 9.
The Navy said the junior sailor assigned to a medical unit in Virginia searched the military’s health care system for the name “Joe Biden” three times but did not end up pulling any details on the president. A co-worker reported the breach, and the Navy launched an investigation.
The sailor admitted he looked up the president’s name “out of curiosity.” The sailor received administrative discipline and remains in the Navy.
$230M pier created to bring aid to Gaza to be shut down for good
The pier, which has already been moved and fixed repeatedly due to bad weather and rough seas, is set to be put back in place on the coast just west of Gaza city Wednesday, July 10. It had been closed off again on June 28 because of bad weather; its third shutdown since it opened in mid-May.
BREAKING: US-built pier will be put back in Gaza for several days to move aid, then permanently removed https://t.co/VKsFqy7ZtM
U.S. military officials say the $230 million pier is being put back in place to deliver any remaining aid in Cyprus and on the floating dock several miles offshore, then it’ll be permanently removed as soon as next week.
The original plan called for it to remain operational through at least the end of the month.
Russian court issues arrest warrant for late opposition leader’s widow
The court said she would be arrested if she were to ever return to Russia. This comes as part of a Kremlin crackdown on opposition.
Ой, а что не будет обычной процедуры? Иностранный агент, потом заведение уголовного дела, потом уже арест?! Когда будете писать об этом, не забудьте, пожалуйста, написать главное: Владимир Путин – убийца и военный преступник. Его место в тюрьме, и не где-нибудь в Гааге, в уютной…
The charges are widely seen as politically motivated. Navalny was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most outspoken critic. He died in February in an arctic penal colony while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges.
After her husband’s death, Navalnaya vowed to take up his work and has been lobbying against Putin’s government from abroad.
Opening arguments to begin in Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial
Opening arguments are set to begin Wednesday, July 10, in actor Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial in New Mexico. Baldwin is charged in connection with the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film “Rust.”
He has pleaded not guilty, claiming the gun fired accidentally. Prosecutors will look to prove that Baldwin failed to follow industry standards for firearms safety.
#BREAKING: The jury has been chosen in the #AlecBaldwin Manslaughter Trial in New Mexico.
Opening statements are set to begin tomorrow LIVE on #CourtTV.
Twelve jurors and four alternates were chosen at Tuesday’s hearing; 11 women and 5 men. If they find Baldwin guilty, he faces up to 18 months in prison.
The trial is expected to conclude by July 19.
Europe rejoins space race with launch of Ariane 6
Europe is back in space. Running years behind schedule, Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket blasted off on its maiden flight Tuesday, July 9, from the European Space Agency‘s launch site in French Guiana.
The flight deployed three sets of micro-satellites for research purposes, prompting European space officials to declare the trip a success.
However, the mission didn’t go entirely as planned. The final batch of payloads — two small capsules designed to test the conditions for surviving re-entry — was not launched after a smaller power unit shut itself down for unknown reasons.
Despite the setback, the European Space Agency said it is on track for another mission by the end of the year.
The Supreme Court issued its first major ruling on abortion in two years. And former President Donald Trump returns to Capitol Hill, holding separate meetings with Senate and House Republicans. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, June 14, 2024.
Supreme Court preserves access to abortion pill
In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of the abortion pill Mifepristone on Thursday, June 13. That means the commonly used drug will remain widely available.
Last year alone, Mifepristone was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S.
The nine justices ruled abortion opponents lacked the legal right to sue over the FDA’s approval of the medication because they are not directly impacted by Mifepristone being on the market for others.
The Supreme Court is also considering another abortion case centering on whether a federal law on emergency treatment at hospitals overrides state abortion bans in rare emergency cases when a pregnant woman’s health is at risk.
Senate Republicans block Democrats’ bill to protect IVF access nationwide
Senate Republicans blocked legislation Thursday that would codify in vitro fertilization nationwide after Democrats forced a vote on the matter. The bill failed to advance in a vote of 48 to 47. It needed 60 votes to move forward.
Just two Republicans voted in favor of the bill: Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
Others in the GOP said the Democrats’ legislation was unnecessary as there are no restrictions to IVF in any state. Democrats were pushing to guarantee IVF protections in case states were to ever try and prohibit it in the future.
Thursday’s vote came after a landmark ruling by Alabama’s Supreme Court earlier this year, saying frozen embryos are children and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death. The ruling put a stop to treatments for a week while the state quickly worked to clarify its reproductive laws protecting IVF patients and doctors.
Republicans have signed on to a scaled-back version that would cut off Medicaid funding for states if they banned IVF, which Democrats say does not go far enough to protect access.
Trump makes first visit to Capitol Hill since Jan. 6 riot
Former President Donald Trump was back on Capitol Hill Thursday — for the first time since the Jan. 6, 2021 riot — as Republicans welcomed the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee. It also marked the former president’s first visit to Washington since he was convicted of 34 felony counts by a New York jury at the end of May.
Trump spent about an hour each with House and Senate Republicans delivering remarks, fielding questions and discussing issues like Russia, immigration, tax cuts and other priorities for a potential second term.
“We have to get elected,” Trump said during a press conference. “We have to take this, this beautiful place, and we have to make it really something very special again. Right now — it’s not special right now. It’s being scorned and being used as an example of when they look at the crime on the streets, when they look at all of the problems that we have, they’re using us as a bad example of democracy.”
Hamas official says it is not known how many hostages are still alive
As negotiators continue to try to finalize a deal between Israel and Hamas for a cease-fire and hostage release, a senior leader for Hamas says they don’t know how many of the hostages are still alive. There are said to be 120 hostages who have not returned home since the initial attack on Oct. 7, 2023, by the terrorist group.
Israel believes more than 70 of the 120 hostages are still alive.
In an interview that aired Thursday, June 13, with CNN in Beirut, Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan was asked about the fate of the hostages.
“I don’t have any idea about that,” Hamdan said. “No one has any idea about this.”
Hamdan said the latest cease-fire proposal, announced by President Joe Biden last week and backed by the United Nations Security Council, was a “positive step” but did not meet Hamas’ demands to end the war.
“We need a clear position from Israel to accept a cease-fire, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, and let the Palestinians determine their future by themselves,” Hamdan said.
The latest cease-fire plan called for the release of the hostages and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops in three phases.
Previously, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called some of Hamas’ proposed changes to the ceasefire plan “unacceptable.”
Day 2 of G7 summit to focus on immigration
Friday is the second day of the G7 summit in Italy and world leaders are turning their attention to immigration. President Biden and the other G7 leaders will be joined by leaders from other nations including Brazil, India and Turkey.
The gathering will also focus on global conflicts and the spread of artificial intelligence with Pope Francis set to deliver a speech on AI to the group. Ongoing issues like climate change and China also will be discussed.
On the first day of the summit Thursday, attendees promised tens of billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine as its war with Russia continues. President Biden also signed a 10-year security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Reports: Big 12 exploring selling name rights to title sponsor
We are all familiar with college football bowl games having sponsors — like the Allstate Sugar Bowl or the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. Now, reports indicate a naming rights partnership might be on the way not for another game, but a conference.
According to multiple outlets, the Big 12 conference is exploring selling its naming rights to a title sponsor. This would be the first deal of its kind, reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Reports say the conference would drop “Big” from its name and keep the “12”, and with the Allstate insurance company being the current frontrunner as a potential sponsor, the conference could end up being called “the Allstate 12” conference.
Talks are ongoing, as this upcoming season, the Big 12 will see more teams joining the conference — creating a 16-member league.
US, Ukraine set to sign 10-year security pact at G7 summit
President Joe Biden is in Italy Thursday, June 13, for the G7 summit, where he is expected to sign a 10-year bilateral security pact with Ukraine. This agreement is said to better strengthen the long-term security relationship between the two nations, with commitments to continue training Ukrainian armed forces, enhance weapons production cooperation and increase intelligence sharing.
The G7 is an informal group that holds an annual summit where leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States come together to discuss economic policy and security issues. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also joining.
Today is the G7 Summit in Italy, a meeting of our closest partners. Much of it will be dedicated to Ukraine, our defense, and economic resilience. And we look forward to important decisions today.
For us, the main issues are developing fighter jet coalition, expediting pilot…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 13, 2024
The G7 leaders are also set to endorse a plan to provide Ukraine with $50 billion in loans, using frozen Russian assets to fund the initiative.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan mentioned that, while the major aspects of the plan have been agreed upon, some details will still need to be finalized.
Additionally, on Wednesday, June 12, the U.S. expanded its sanctions against Moscow to include Chinese companies that supply semiconductors. This move aims to pressure Beijing over its support for Russia and address issues of industrial overcapacity.
The summit will also address other critical global issues, including the middle east, migration, and artificial intelligence.
Italy and Greece strongly deny CBS report on US shipping migrants overseas
The latest solution to address the surge of migrants at the U.S. southern border could involve shipping hundreds of Latin Americans overseas. However, Greece and Italy are denying a CBS report on Thursday, May 30, that claimed the Biden administration was working with the countries on a plan to send migrants over.
The CBS report detailed a new initiative that would target a portion of Latin American migrants. Under the plan, Greece and Italy would accept migrants processed at select immigration offices in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Guatemala. However, the countries would not accept many migrants. CBS News reported that the countries would only accept 500 or fewer each.
According to Reuters, a source at Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said that the story was “completely misleading,” but also confirmed that Italy and the U.S. were in the early stages of discussing a very small-scale migrant exchange program.
The source said that the U.S. would take some migrants from Libya while “some European Mediterranean states would host a few dozen” asylum seekers from Latin America. The source added that Italy would take “around 20 Venezuelans of Italian origin.”
However, a separate source at the Italian Interior Ministry told Reuters that “Italy would never agree to relocate hundreds of people on its territory given the already very considerable efforts it is making in terms of welcoming migrants.”
While the validity of the report remains in question, there is a broader effort by the White House to curb illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Biden administration has already offered some potential migrants legal immigration opportunities. Additionally, the administration has issued a rule that presumes migrants are ineligible for asylum if they do not seek protection in a third country.
President Joe Biden is also reportedly considering an executive order that would allow him to temporarily shut down the southern border if the number of migrant encounters jumps.
UK PM Sunak warns of spread in antisemitism as European protests grow
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took a stand against antisemitism on university campuses on Thursday, May 9. Sunak met with university leaders to address concerns about disruptions to learning due to possible antisemitic abuse amid pro-Palestinian protests.
Sunak emphasized the importance of protecting freedom of speech while ensuring that universities remain places of tolerance and safety.
Pro-Palestinian protests sprung up at about a dozen U.K. universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, prompting worries among some Jewish students about antisemitism. To tackle the issue, Sunak announced additional funding to support Jewish students and summoned vice chancellors from top universities to discuss efforts to combat antisemitism.
Specifically, Sunak announced that the government would provide an additional $623,000 to the University Jewish Chaplaincy Service to support Jewish students. The organization provides support for Jewish students at more than 100 universities in the U.K.
Meanwhile, across Europe, campus protests by pro-Palestinian activists spread. Some called on universities to cut academic ties with Israel over the war in Gaza. In Dublin, Ireland, Trinity College students ended a peaceful protest after the institution agreed to divest from Israeli companies that the United Nations said had links to settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.
In Berlin, German police broke up a protest at Free University Berlin. Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, protesters occupied a university building, leading police to intervene. Similar protests popped up in Finland, Denmark, Italy, Spain, France and Britain.
In the United States, police have taken action against pro-Palestinian protesters as well. At the University of Chicago, authorities cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment. The move comes as police dismantled many other encampments across the country.
More than 34,000 Palestinians died since the start of Israel-Hamas war, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel vowed to wipeout Hamas in response to the Oct. 7, terrorist attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis and saw Hamas militants kidnap around 250 people.
Italy curbs solar panels on agricultural land, some warn it may raise power costs
In Italy, where food is deeply intertwined with the nation’s cultural identity, a new government proposal may require Italians to pay more on their energy bills in order to support the farms that make the nation’s world-renowned culinary scene possible. Rome is attempting to place restrictions on the installation of solar panels in areas designated as agricultural land in a move that energy companies say will drive up electricity costs for consumers.
The warning of higher energy prices stems from concerns that the new limitations will hinder the installation of large-scale solar farms. Italy already faces a shortage of large solar farms, which contributes to increased renewable energy costs across the country. Power generated from larger solar installations costs a third of what electricity from residential rooftop systems charge. Those large installations can also produce triple the energy of a rooftop plant with the same amount of investment.
Approximately 42% of Italy’s land is classified as agricultural land. This potentially limits the available space for more expansive solar energy infrastructure. This raised concerns among environmentalists, who fear that the new regulations could jeopardize Italy’s 2030 emission reduction goals.
Solar is one of Italy’s largest sources of renewable power. It supplies about 10% of the nation’s total electricity. Green energy advocates worry the new limitations on solar expansion will cause the country to fall short of producing the necessary power from clean sources that it needs in order to retire coal plants in the next decade. However, Italian Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said the government remains committed to reducing its carbon footprint and this plan will not impact those emissions targets.
The proposed regulations still allow for the installation of solar panels over agricultural fields and vineyards, a practice known as dual-use solar. This approach enables the land to serve multiple purposes by generating power during periods of sunlight while allowing crops to continue growing.