The Bulletin
World in Brief
Welcome to the Bulletin,
- Campus protests: President Joe Biden's handling of the conflict between Israel and Hamas could be crucial to his support among college students in the general election in November, according to a new poll.
- Donald Trump: An ex-federal prosecutor has revealed what a prison sentence would look like for the former president if he continues to break his gag order and is ordered to jail. Neama Rahmani said that Trump would "most likely" be sent to Rikers Island prison and kept separate from the general prison population.
- New York parade: An annual parade in mid-town Manhattan for Asian Americans was set up, with the blessing of Mayor Eric Adams, by the CEO of a company that is a registered foreign agent of China, according to documents obtained exclusively by Newsweek.
- Presidential election: Donald Trump holds a significant lead over Joe Biden in the crucial battleground state of Georgia, according to a new poll.
- Aileen Cannon: The federal judge presiding over Donald Trump's classified documents case has given him exactly what he wants, according to a former federal prosecutor.
- Ukraine war: A drone attack sparked a fire at an oil refinery in southern Russia on Sunday, according to a Russian regional official, as Kyiv intensifies its strikes on Moscow's oil infrastructure.
Trump Handed Two Losses by Judge Merchan
New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan denied two motions filed by former President Donald Trump's defense team in his hush-money case on Thursday as several witnesses, including Stormy Daniels, took the stand.
Why it matters: Trump's attorneys raised three issues in his hush-money case: a motion for a mistrial, an issue with the gag order against Trump, and a request to exclude testimony from Karen McDougal, another alleged recipient of hush money. Judge Juan Merchan rejected modifying the gag order, citing the need to protect the proceedings and prevent Trump's history of attacking others. A second mistrial motion was also denied, with the judge questioning the defense's handling of Daniels' testimony details.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Donald Trump's Defense 'a Complete Disaster'—Legal Analysts
Judge Engoron Faces Questions After Lawyer Says He Advised on Trump Case
Donald Trump May Have Prejudiced the Jury Against Himself: Attorney
TL/DR: Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide hush money paid during his 2016 campaign
What happens now? The trial will resume today with more witness testimonies.
Deeper reading Donald Trump Handed Two Losses by Judge Merchan
Abbott Issues Ultimatum to Biden
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has hit out at new asylum rules President Biden proposed, claiming they "do nothing to slow the record-breaking illegal immigration."
Why it matters: On Thursday, Biden unveiled proposals to expedite the asylum process for certain groups, including those with prior criminal convictions. Abbott, who has launched Operation Lone Star to combat illegal crossings, claimed Biden's proposed asylum reforms would make no difference to the level of irregular migration and urged him to "follow Texas' lead–or get out of the way." Tensions between Abbott and the Biden administration have escalated, especially after the Supreme Court allowed federal agents to remove razor wire along the Texas-Mexico border.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Greg Abbott Defies Joe Biden With Order To Ignore New Law
Greg Abbott Warns of Texas National Guard 'Power Grab'
Greg Abbott Vows To Defy Joe Biden on Another Law
TL/DR: Over the past few months illegal immigration has caused an explosion in tensions between the Biden administration and Governor Abbott.
What happens now? A survey of eligible U.S. voters conducted for Newsweek in April found just 20 percent believed the country has "control over its borders," a fall from 34 percent in August 2023.
Deeper reading Greg Abbott Issues Ultimatum to Joe Biden
Social Security Update Could Expand Benefits to Millions
Social Security has expanded access to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to potentially millions of Americans by broadening the definition of a public assistance (PA) household.
Why it matters: The new rule includes expanding the definition of a PA household to include those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments and households where not all members receive public assistance. This means that one can be considered a PA household if it has an SSI applicant or recipient and at least one other household member who receives one or more of the listed means-tested PIM payments.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Millions of Americans Get $4,800 Social Security Check
Social Security Maps Reveal Areas With Longest Waiting Times
Retired Americans Warn About Social Security's Future Under Donald Trump
TL/DR: In April 2023, according to the center, 41.9 million people in 22.2 million households received SNAP benefits—about 12.5 percent of the population.
What happens now? The maximum monthly SSI payment that a recipient can get in 2024 is $943 for individuals and $1,415 for a couple. The expanded definition will allow more people to qualify for SSI, boost some SSI recipients' monthly payments, and reduce reporting burdens for individuals living in PA households.
Deeper reading Social Security Update Could Expand Benefits to Millions
How China's Economy Benefited From the Pandemic
The value of Chinese exports in U.S. dollars expanded by 1.5 percent last month compared to April 2023, according to preliminary data published by China's customs administration on Thursday.
Why it matters: This continues the general upward trend for shipment volumes since November, which saw the reversal of half a year of sharp declines following a brief post-pandemic bump. Exports are among the green shoots that have sprouted in recent months in the year of general economic malaise seen since China dropped its strict "zero-COVID" anti-pandemic measures in December 2022. However, the world's second-largest economy continues to be weighed down by its ongoing property market slump, high public debt, deflationary pressure, and high youth unemployment.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Here's How China's Economic 'Nuclear Option' Would Impact US
China and Japan: How Asia's Top Two Economies Compare
How American Views Are Shifting on China
TL/DR: China's export volumes last month reversed the drop in March but were a far cry from the lofty heights seen early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
What happens now? Thursday's report is another sign that China's exports are still far from the impressive export volumes it enjoyed at the height of the pandemic. Lackluster domestic demand has spurred deflation in China, reducing the cost of exports, Pinpoint Asset Management chief economist Zhang Zhiwei pointed out in a Reuters report. While this makes its goods more competitive, it has also led to China being accused of flooding markets with low-cost petrochemicals, steel, and other products to alleviate its manufacturing glut.
Deeper reading How China's Economy Benefited From the Pandemic
Homeowners Feel the Squeeze
Homeowners nationwide are feeling the squeeze due to rising property taxes and insurance costs. Polling indicates that 65 percent of Americans had seen a hike in their property taxes, while 69 percent were now paying more for their home insurance policies.
Why it matters: A January poll found that about two-thirds of Americans surveyed believed their property tax rate was too high. Greg Batista, president of South Florida's G. Batista Engineering & Construction, tells Newsweek a wider demand for "public services, such as schooling, policing, and public infrastructure" has led to local governments requiring more revenue to cover costs, which "often leads to higher property taxes."
Read more in-depth coverage:
Property Tax Anger is Growing Across America
Homeowners Furious After Property Taxes Double in Six Months
Property Taxes Could Come Crashing Down Under Democrat Proposal
TL/DR: A rise in property taxes and insurance premiums spells trouble for homeowners throughout the U.S.
What happens now? However, as premiums continue to rise, more people are reducing coverage or forgoing it entirely, a risky move that Batista says “undermines both personal and community resilience.”
Deeper reading Homeowners Feel the Squeeze
I'm a Motherless Daughter and a Daughterless Mother. But I'll Celebrate
When I was little, my sisters and I prepared breakfast for our mother on Mother's Day, which we ceremoniously presented to her in bed. Our feast consisted of a bowl of cereal, some cut-up fruit, and a glass of orange juice. We didn't even attempt to figure out how the coffee machine worked.
After I grew up and moved out of the house, I treated my mother to dinner on Mother's Day. Those meals felt less perfunctory than the breakfasts had. We lingered over our chardonnay, reminiscing about the past and making plans for the future.
My mother's name was Zelda, and she wore the name perfectly. She was the biggest presence in every room she entered, the exclamation point at the end of the alphabet, her laughter uninhibited and contagious.
