TOP STORIES
Tuesday, May 15
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‘ISRAEL NOT RESPONSIBLE’ The White House has said Israel is not to blame for the 58 Palestinian protesters shot dead by Israeli troops on the Gaza border Monday — an act of violence carried out while Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner led celebrations in Jerusalem for the relocation of the U.S. Embassy. More clashes are expected in the Palestinian territories today — the 70th anniversary of the creation of Israel, which Palestinians call the Nakba, or catastrophe. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook]
THE CHINA HUSTLE Donald Trump’s sudden desire to help Chinese phone manufacturer ZTE came just 72 hours after the Chinese government agreed to put a half-billion dollars into an Indonesian project that will personally enrich the president. [HuffPost]
MUQTADA MAKEOVER Muqtada al-Sadr, the populist cleric who once led two uprisings against U.S. forces Iraq, has reinvented himself as a politician and is favorite to win the country’s parliamentary election. [Reuters]
BLAKE NEWS Blake Farenthold has a new job. A month after the Texas Republican quit Congress amid an ethics committee probe into alleged sexual harassment, Farenthold landed a gig at a Texas port authority. His role? Lobbying Congress. [HuffPost]
MELANIA HOSPITALIZED Melania Trump will spend the week in the hospital after surgery for a “benign kidney condition.” [HuffPost]
REID SURGERY Harry Reid has also undergone surgery. The former Senate Democratic leader is being treated for pancreatic cancer, his family said. [HuffPost]
WHAT’S BREWING
PRUITT PROTECTION AGENCY Scott Pruitt received an around-the-clock security detail from his first day at the Environmental Protection Agency over fears of a backlash against Trump’s early policies. [The Washington Post]
FOX PUNDIT OFF PISTE Fox News judicial analyst Andrew Napolitano likely shed a few viewers Monday defending the work of Robert Mueller during a segment calling for an end to the special counsel’s probe. [HuffPost]
LEAKY BLINDERS Trump posted a confused tweet Monday claiming the recent slew of White House leaks are a fiction of the “Fake News Media,” while in the same tweet calling the leakers — who he said do not exist — “cowards and traitors” who will be caught. Got it. [HuffPost]
LOIS LOST Margot Kidder, the actress who starred opposite Christopher Reeve in the “Superman” films, has died at age 69. Vanity Fair explainswhy Kidder was the definitive Lois Lane. [HuffPost]
TOMI TAKEDOWN A genealogist looked at Tomi Lahren’s family history to disprove the Fox News host’s comments about low-skilled immigrants. [HuffPost]
ALL BETS ARE ON The Supreme Court has struck down a federal ban on sports gambling, paving the way for legalized sports betting across the United States. [HuffPost]
BEFORE YOU GO
- Pink asked this 12-year-old concertgoer in Vancouver to sing for her — and she crushed it.
- Can CBD, or cannabidiol, really ease anxiety? We take a look.
- Here are eight ways sex changes when you’re sober.
- Justin Hartley, star of “This Is Us,” claims he was sexually harassed by a female fan.
- Netflix has added some good movies this week, including “Cargo,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Mamma Mia!”
- Kylie Jenner’s ex-bodyguard Tim Chung has denied rumors he’s Stormi’s father.
- This is the ultimate behind-the-back Frisbee hail mary.
- Why are baby boomers still working? Because they don’t know how to retire.
- This new farming technique that uses much less water has started to catch on.
- Meghan Markle’s father is reportedly “not going to the Royal wedding” after a paparazzi scandal.
- “What’s a pocketbook?” Here are 50 Americanisms that foreigners simply won’t understand.
- Keith Richards has told the BBC how he got rid of Trump some 30 years ago. America, take note.
- Seattle has passed a controversial new tax on the city’s biggest companies to help combat the housing crisis.
- And feast your eyes on this life-size Prince Harry and Meghan Markle cake.
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