Here are the headlines you Need2Know for Tuesday, May 25, 2021:
EUROPE ISOLATES BELARUS
The EU has banned Belarus from using the airspace and airports of any of its 27 member states, part of a package of sanctions in response to the “state-sponsored hijacking” of a Ryanair flight to detain a dissident journalist. That journalist, Roman Protasevich, has appeared for the first time since he was snatched off that flight, praising his captors and admitting to organizing “mass riots.” He was likely recorded under duress. Meanwhile, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Finnair and other European carriers will avoid flying over Belarus altogether. Given that the country sits just above Ukraine -- which airlines also avoid for fear of being blown out of the sky by Russian separatists -- passengers are being told to expect extra time on some flights. AP
COVID RESTRICTIONS FALLING
New York City will bring all public school students back to in-person class in the fall, with very few exceptions for remote learning. L.A. is also planning for a return to in-person learning but will offer an online option as well. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has rescinded a rule that she was caught breaking over the weekend, limiting restaurants to six people per table (a viral photo showed the Democratic governor part of a party of about a dozen people; she apologized but noted they were all vaccinated). CNN
GEORGE FLOYD: 1 YEAR LATER
Various events around the country are scheduled today to mark one year since George Floyd was murdered. President Biden demanded last month that Congress deliver him a major police reform bill by the anniversary. That’s not going to happen, so Biden will instead meet with the Floyd family at the White House. Vigils and marches are planned for many cities, including Minneapolis where the scene of the crime -- now known as George Floyd Square -- remains closed to traffic. Recent polling shows fairly broad public support for police reform but also a significant drop in support for the Black Lives Matter movement, particularly among white Americans and Republicans. FIVETHIRTYEIGHT
TEXAS OPEN CARRY
Texas lawmakers approved a bill allowing people to carry handguns without a license, background check, or training. Gov. Greg Abbott has said he will sign the bill into law despite objections from police groups that say it will make them, and the public, less safe. Texas will become by far the most populous state to essentially remove any restrictions on handguns. The bill stipulates that criminals with violent crime convictions on their record are excluded, but without a background check there will be no way to weed them out. POLITICO
AMAZONMGM
Amazon is expected to announce as early as today that it is buying MGM for about $9 billion, making it Amazon’s second-biggest acquisition after Whole Foods. The iconic Hollywood studio was founded in the silent-film era and holds a film catalog that includes the James Bond franchise, Pink Panther, and Rocky, as well as a TV studio that produces The Handmaid’s Tale and Fargo. WSJ
MADE IN AMERICA
Peloton is going to start making its fitness equipment in the U.S. The company is spending $400 million to build a factory in Ohio, just outside Toledo, with the goal of manufacturing treadmills and exercise bikes by 2023. Peloton says the factory will create 2,000 new jobs for the area. The investment comes amid ongoing delays in customer orders stemming from a supply chain crunch. CHEDDAR
GOAT WATCH
Less than two months until the Olympics, Simone Biles is looking so dominant that judges are facing criticism that they’re intentionally lowering her scores to give her competitors a shot. Biles, who is already the most decorated gymnast ever, executed a vault in competition that’s considered so dangerous that no other female gymnast has even tried it. Biles completed the Yurchenko Double Pike almost flawlessly, but received a score of just 6.6. She complained that the judges are underscoring her on purpose, but said she’d keep doing the move, “because I can.” WATCH IT
TOP OF THE CHARTS
Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album SOUR is a bona fide smash hit. Nine of the top 10 songs on Spotify’s Top 50 chart are from the record. The third single, good 4 U, is the top song on the Hot 100, making Rodrigo the first artist ever to have a debut album that includes two songs that also debuted at No. 1. BILLBOARD
SPOTTED...
...Elliot Page, posing in swim trunks for his first shirtless photo since coming out as trans: SEE IT
…a distant galaxy cluster named ACO S 295, captured in a stunning photograph from the Hubble telescope. The galaxies are about 3.5 billion light years away: SEE IT
LEFTOVERS: UPTICK
It’s not just cicadas wreaking havoc on large sections of the United States this spring. From Maine to Michigan, the ticks are out with a vengeance. A combination of factors -- a mild winter followed by a wet spring, as well as people emerging from the pandemic to spend more time outdoors -- are coming together to make for one of the more active years for ticks in recent memory. Deer ticks need at least 24 hours of being attached to a host to transmit Lyme disease, which is why the advice is to check for ticks as soon as you get home and take a shower immediately if you’ve been walking through tall grass or vegetation. TICK FORECAST
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