News Briefs

Biden and Trump to debate. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have agreed to hold two campaign debates. The first will be on June 27 hosted by CNN, and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC. CNN says its debate will be held in its Atlanta studios and “no audience will be present.” Mr. Biden announced on May 15 he won’t participate in fall presidential debates sponsored by the nonpartisan commission that’s organized them for more than three decades, and proposed two debates with the Republican ex-president, excluding third-party candidates. CNN will allow third-party candidates who meet polling and ballot access requirements.

Slovakian prime minister shot. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is fighting for his life after he was shot by an assailant following a political event on May 15. The shooting sent shockwaves across Europe a few weeks before EU parliament elections. Leaders from across the political divide are denouncing the apparent assassination attempt against the populist, pro-Russian leader, calling it an attack on democracy. Mr. Fico returned to power in Slovakia last year. Having previously served twice as prime minister, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, the 59-year-old’s third term made him the longest-serving head of government in Slovakia. 

Secretary Blinken is in Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from some parts of the country’s northeast and were battling Russian troops in other areas. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has postponed all his upcoming foreign trips, underscoring the seriousness of the threat his soldiers are facing. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to reassure the ally of continuing American support. He announced a $2 billion arms deal on May 15. Most of the money comes from a package approved last month. The top diplomat is in Ukraine as Russian troops press a new offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.

Before U.S. aid was approved, Ukraine scrambled to bolster its defenses with a new, tougher conscription law. But some war veterans warn that more troops only offer so much help.

U.S. inflation dips. Led by lower food and auto prices, inflation in the United States cooled slightly last month after three elevated readings, likely offering a tentative sigh of relief for officials at the Federal Reserve as well as President Joe Biden’s re-election team. Consumer prices rose 0.3% from March to April, down slightly from 0.4% the previous month. Measured year-over-year, inflation ticked down from 3.5% to 3.4%. And a measure of underlying inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, fell to the lowest level in three years. Inflation had been unexpectedly high in the first three months of this year.

Gains in real wages often happen during relatively rare bursts. For a while, it looked like one of those accelerations in worker buying power was underway after the pandemic. But an uptick in inflation threatens it.

Shift in South African politics. After 30 years of dominating South African politics, the ruling African National Congress faces its toughest election this month as most opinion polls predict it will lose its parliamentary majority for the first time. Once admired under the leadership of Nelson Mandela, and regarded as a beacon of hope by the Black majority following the fall of apartheid in 1994, the ANC’s reputation has been battered by record levels of unemployment, widespread poverty, the collapse of some government services, and corruption. If the ANC loses its majority, it will be forced into a coalition to form a government. 

The Monitor’s View: Thirty years after South Africa ended its violent system of racial segregation called apartheid through peaceful elections, it may be poised for another watershed moment: a transition from one-party rule to pluralism and power-sharing.

Georgia’s parliament passes “foreign agents” bill. The bill passed May 14 with 84 out of 150 members of parliament voting in favor. The draft now goes to President Salome Zourabichvili, who has said she will veto it, but her decision can be overridden by another vote in parliament. It would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, imposing punitive fines for violations. Demonstrations have been running for weeks, where crowds numbering in the tens of thousands have mounted some of the biggest protests seen in Georgia since it regained independence from Moscow in 1991. 

French court clears Roman Polanski. The court acquitted the filmmaker May 14 of defaming British actor Charlotte Lewis, who had accused him of sexual assault. The case stems from a 2019 interview with Paris Match magazine, where Mr. Polanski allegedly called Ms. Lewis a liar following her accusations. The court’s ruling did not address the truth of the rape allegation but focused solely on whether Mr. Polanski’s comments constituted defamation against Ms. Lewis. She had contended the remarks were defamatory, launching a legal battle against the 90-year-old director, known for classics such as “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Chinatown.” 

Why We Wrote This podcast: The caricature of the libertine French male, practicing a form of predation masked as seduction, is one with deep roots and some social support. Our Paris-based writer looked at where trust in those pushing back has begun to stir. She joined our podcast to talk about her reporting. 

Arizona grants 90 more days on abortion decision. Arizona’s highest court has given the state’s attorney general another 90 days to decide further legal action in the case over a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban. Lawmakers recently voted to repeal the law but it won’t take effect until 90 days after they wrap up their current session. The Arizona Supreme Court’s order leaves in place for now a more recent law that legalizes abortion up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. It also allows Attorney General Kris Mayes more time to decide whether to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a presidential election year, abortion has become a defining issue driving political campaigns. 

Putin to visit China. Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a two-day state visit to China starting May 16, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, in the latest show of unity between the two authoritarian allies against the U.S.-led Western liberal global order. The ministry said the two leaders would discuss “cooperation in various fields of bilateral relations ... as well as international and regional issues of common concern.” China has backed Russia politically in the conflict in Ukraine and has continued to export machine tools, electronics, and other items seen as contributing to the Russian war effort, without actually exporting weaponry.

A byproduct of the war in Ukraine is a cement bond between China and Russia. Their burgeoning relationship is mostly driven by a mutual alienation from the West and by the need to have each other’s back if the East-West confrontation escalates.

Biden hikes Chinese tariffs. The Biden administration plans to slap new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum, and medical equipment – an election-year move that’s likely to increase friction between the world’s two largest economies. The tariffs are to be phased in over the next three years, with those that take effect in 2024 covering EVs, solar cells, syringes, needles, steel, aluminum, and more. There are currently very few EVs from China in the U.S., but officials worry low-priced models made possible by Chinese government subsidies could soon start flooding the U.S. market.

China’s booming electric vehicle industry is sparking concern among foreign automakers, as they watch their market shares in China decline and brace for a flood of Chinese EVs in their home countries. Could this tension benefit consumers?

Change in leadership at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Melinda French Gates announced on May 13 she is stepping down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She helped establish it more than 20 years ago with her ex-husband Bill Gates. It’s now one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world. In a post on X, Ms. French Gates wrote, “This is not a decision I came to lightly.” Bill Gates thanked Ms. French Gates for her “critical” contributions. She will receive $12.5 billion as part of her agreement with Mr. Gates, and plans to put it toward her work focused on women and families.

From the Monitor archives: Melinda Gates has been called ‘the most powerful woman you know next to nothing about.’

Putin shifts battlefront focus to economy. Russian President Vladimir Putin tapped a civilian economist as his surprise new defense minister on May 12 in an attempt to gird Russia for economic war by trying to better utilize the defense budget and harness greater innovation to win in Ukraine. Andrei Belousov has worked as director of the department for economics and finance, adviser to the Russian president, and first deputy prime minister. Mr. Putin wants Sergei Shoigu, in charge of defense since 2012 and a long-standing friend and ally, to become the secretary of Russia’s powerful Security Council.

Georgia vows to pass “foreign agents” bill. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze vowed May 12 to push ahead with a law on “foreign agents” that has sparked a political crisis, after opponents held one of the largest protests seen since independence from the Soviet Union. Georgia’s opposition has called on opponents of the bill to stage an all-night protest outside parliament. The bill requires organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence or face punitive fines. Critics liken it to Russia’s 2012 “foreign agent” law, which has been used to hound critics of Vladimir Putin.

The Monitor’s View: Mass protests in the former Soviet state against a Russia-inspired bill are yet another front against Moscow’s attempt to rebuild an empire.

The Republic of Georgia has been at the heart of conflicting interests since the collapse of the USSR. Many of its 3.7 million inhabitants are torn between loyalty to historical links with Moscow and aspirations to join the European Union and NATO.

Jury selection begins in trial of Robert Menendez. U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen face charges in a bribery conspiracy case in Manhattan federal court, in a trial that could last five to eight weeks. The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, has also been charged but will be tried separately. All four have pleaded not guilty. The case could affect the New Jersey Democrat’s reelection prospects and help determine which party controls the Senate next year. Mr. Menendez is up for re-election in November and if exonerated hopes to run for a fourth full term as an independent. 

Gold, cash, a Benz – why Senator Mendez is in trouble.

Israel pushes deeper into Rafah. The exodus of Palestinians from Gaza accelerated May 12 as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Rafah. Israel also attacked the territory’s devastated north, where some Hamas militants have regrouped in areas the military said it had cleared months ago. Rafah is considered Hamas’ last stronghold. Some 300,000 of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there have fled following evacuation orders from Israel, which says it must invade to dismantle Hamas and return hostages taken from Israel in the Oct. 7 attack, which sparked the war. 

The role of the United States as a major backer of the Israeli military is coming under rare and rising scrutiny due to the war in Gaza. Our charts put the debate in context.

U.N. assembly grants “rights and privileges” to Palestinians. The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestinians and called on the Security Council to reconsider their request to become the 194th member of the United Nations. The 193-member world body approved the Arab and Palestinian-sponsored resolution on Friday by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions. The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent.

Florida sheriff releases video of a Black airman’s killing. A Florida county sheriff released body-camera video of a deputy fatally shooting a Black airman holding a handgun in his apartment, after civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, urged officials to release it. The family of the deceased, Roger Fortson, has insisted the deputy, who was investigating a domestic violence complaint, knocked on the wrong door on May 3. The video shows Mr. Fortson opening the door and holding a handgun, pointed down, at his side. The deputy immediately opens fire multiple times at close range.

Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names. The education board for Shenandoah County, Virginia, voted early May 10 to restore Confederate generals’ names to two public schools in the predominantly white, rural, and Republican district, becoming the first to do so in the United States. By a 5-1 vote, the board overturned its 2020 decision that stripped a high school and elementary school of their original names honoring three military leaders of the pro-slavery South in the Civil War – Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia; Confederate infantry General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson; and rebel calvary commander Turner Ashby.

Fort Moore in Georgia holds lessons on how to rename military bases once named for Confederates. Asking locals what they thought helped lead to a smooth transition.