UKRAINE CRISIS
MARIUPOL REPRIEVE: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military not to storm the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the strategic port of Mariupol. Putin said that instead of assaulting the giant Azovstal steel plant, Russia would isolate the holdouts “so that not even a fly comes through.” AP
NEW SANCTIONS: The U.S. Treasury Department announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, singling out entities and individuals trying to evade previously imposed sanctions. This includes cutting off Russian commercial bank Transkapitalbank, as well as a network of more than 40 people including oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev. The U.S. is also taking aim at bitcoin and other virtual currency miners operating in Russia, saying they help Russia monetize natural resources. CNN
MASK MANDATE APPEAL IN WORKS
The U.S. Justice Department is appealing a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on public transit. The announcement came soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked Justice to appeal the decision by a federal judge in Florida earlier this week. It remained unclear whether the Biden administration would seek an emergency stay to immediately reimpose the mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs. AP
TESLA TOPS EXPECTATIONS
Tesla reported stellar first-quarter earnings for 2022, and revenues grew a whopping 81% in the past year. The electric vehicle and solar panel company made $3.32 billion from January through March. Tesla beat analyst expectations across the board — the company made $3.22 per share, far ahead of the $2.26 per share estimate. Revenue of $18.76 billion topped Wall Street estimates of $17.85 billion. Tesla said revenue growth was driven by increases in car deliveries and average sales prices. The next quarter may not match this one's success, as Tesla faces a temporary shutdown of its Shanghai factory in addition to supply chain issues. CHEDDAR
The revenue isn’t the only thing that’s high at Tesla.
FLORIDA PUNISHES DISNEY
The Florida Senate passed a bill that would eliminate a special tax district that has allowed the Walt Disney Company to govern its theme park property. The Reedy Creek Improvement District, now facing elimination, reportedly saves Disney tens of millions of dollars annually in tax exemptions. The legislation, pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, comes as lawmakers take aim at Disney for opposing the Parental Rights in Education law — critics call it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — which restricts classroom instruction on gender and sexuality. The measure next goes to Florida’s GOP-led House. WSJ
You know who needs a tax break? Us.
ARIZONA WILDFIRE
A wildfire outside the town of Flagstaff, Ariz., doubled in size, forcing residents to evacuate over 750 homes near a town heavily populated by college students and tourists. Located about 14 miles outside of Flagstaff, the Tunnel Fire in Coconino County has burned more than 16,600 acres. Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll said his office got a call about a man trapped inside his house, but firefighters couldn’t get to him. The fire has rapidly grown due to strong winds, and even stronger winds are in today’s forecast. The original cause of the fire remains under investigation. AP
APPLE UNIONS
Apple Store workers in Atlanta filed to hold a union election, making them the first Apple Store staff in the U.S. to do so. Seventy percent of the 107 Cumberland Mall store employees have signed union authorization cards. Workers at other Apple stores are also involved in union drives, including retail workers at the Grand Central Terminal store in New York City, where employees are demanding a $30-per-hour minimum wage. At the Atlanta store, starting pay is about $20 an hour, but the union wants to raise base wages to $28. That's the minimum the union says is needed for a single employee to afford a one-bedroom apartment. AXIOS
Apple can afford these raises solely from what we’ve spent on replacement AirPods.
GRUBHUB ON THE MOVE — AGAIN
Just one year after being acquired for $7.3 billion, Grubhub is back on the market. Just Eat Takeaway, the relatively new owner of Grubhub, said it is exploring the addition of a strategic partner or a partial or full sale of the company altogether. It could be a hard sell for Just Eat CEO Jitse Groen, as Grubhub has reported a decline in orders following a boom in sales during Covid-19 lockdowns. Falling behind competitors DoorDash and Uber Eats, Grubhub remains third in market share at 14%. REUTERS
COVID FRAUD
In a sweeping effort to punish Americans who exploited the pandemic, the Justice Department announced charges against 21 people for allegedly defrauding government healthcare programs in a variety of pandemic-related scams. In one of the biggest cases, two clinical lab owners in Los Angeles are facing charges for a scheme that allegedly made them $144 million in fraudulent health claims for unnecessary Covid-19 lab tests. In Washington state, a man is accused of using blank Covid-19 vaccination cards to forge and sell hundreds of fake vaccine record cards to buyers and distributors. In New Jersey, a postal worker allegedly sold at least 400 fake vaccination cards to people who had not actually received Covid shots. The cases span nine federal court districts. CNBC
WIMBLEDON BANS
Due to the war in Ukraine, tennis players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to play at Wimbledon this year. In the men’s tournament, the ban includes key Russian players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, both ranked in the top 10 in the world. Highly ranked women excluded from the tournament include Russians Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Victoria Azarenka, as well as Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who is ranked fourth. The tournament doesn’t begin until late June, and Wimbledon officials said the ban could be lifted if circumstances change. Russian and Belarusian players are permitted to compete in the French Open but not under their respective flags. ESPN
A$AP ROCKY ARRESTED
A$AP Rocky was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with a shooting. The LAPD said he was detained on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. The 33-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused of firing a handgun last November that slightly injured the victim. He was later released after posting a $550,000 bond. A$AP Rocky was arriving on a private plane after vacationing on Barbados with his girlfriend, Rihanna, who law enforcement said was with him at the time of his arrest. NBC NEWS
INSIDE LOOK
Nyle DiMarco on Sharing Stories That Make Him Who He Is in 'Deaf Utopia'
Model, actor and deaf activist Nyle DiMarco joined Cheddar to give an inside look into deaf representation in Hollywood.
CHEDDAR
