May 27 2021
Vol. 10, No. 125
 
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Disease Detection: Without a clear determination whether the coronavirus escaped from a Chinese lab or from an animal, President Biden ordered US intelligence agencies to “redouble their efforts” and report back in 90 days with a more certain verdict.
  Either way, the virus appears to have come from China in late 2019, and the Chinese have not been helpful providing clarity. One of the characteristics of totalitarian governments is that they abhor bad news about their affairs, even if it’s a bad accident.
 
The American Disease: Eight people plus the gunman died yesterday in a shooting at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) rail yard in San Jose, California. The shooter was an employee, identified as 57-year-old Samuel Cassidy, who took his own life. Just before the shooting, a fire broke out at his home. There’s no word yet on what his grievance was.
  His ex-wife told The NY Post that Cassidy “had two sides” to him and would often complain about his colleagues and bosses.
  The US has had over 250 mass shootings this year.
 
Taliban Takeover: As American troops depart, at least 287 pro-government forces and 204 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan so far this month.
  Afghan troops are collapsing. At least 26 outposts have surrender to the Taliban
  In just one incident, at least 40 pro-government forces and 34 civilians were killed. In Kabul Province, a bomb exploded in a mosque in Shakardara district during Friday prayer, killing 12 civilians, including the imam, and wounding 15 others. The Islamic State claimed responsibility.
  In Zabul Province, during a Taliban attack on security checkpoints in the provincial capital, six police officers, including a commander, were killed and three others were wounded.
 
Shopping Spree: Amazon is the website on which you buy stuff, but one of the biggest shoppers is Amazon itself. The shopaholic site run by billionaire Jeff Bezos has reached a deal to buy MGM studios which makes the James Bond movies and goes all the way back to “Singin’ in the Rain,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With the Wind.”
  The price is $8.45 billion, about 40 percent more than offers by other prospective buyers, including Apple and Comcast. If you don’t have a subscription to Amazon Prime, you’re going to need one. 
  Amazon already bought Whole Foods for nearly $14.7 billion, a lot of money, but the organic vegetables were included.
  At the same time, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos announced yesterday that he will quit being  chief executive on July 5th, to be replaced by the company’s current head of web services.
 
Green Oil: In a dramatic turnaround for Big Oil, shareholders of Exxon Mobil yesterday elected at least two board members put up for office by activist investors who pledge to steer the company away from oil and gas toward cleaner energy. 
  The campaign was led by a small hedge fund working against opposition by the nation’s largest oil company. It’s an effort to force the oil industry to confront climate change and plan for a future without oil. 
  “This is a landmark moment for Exxon and for the industry,” said Andrew Logan, a senior director at Ceres, a nonprofit investor network that pushes corporations to take climate change seriously. “How the industry chooses to respond to this clear signal will determine which companies thrive through the coming transition and which wither.”
  Over in Europe, A Dutch court ruled that Royal Dutch Shell, one of the world’s largest oil companies, must significantly reduce carbon emissions over the next nine years to comply with global targets laid out in the Paris Agreement on climate change. 
 
The Spin Rack: Former Penn State University president Graham Spanierhas been ordered to prison for two months for his conviction on charges that he ignored complaints about the school’s child molesting coach, Jerry Sandusky, thereby endangering the welfare of children. — Oklahoma’s Attorney General Mike Hunter resigned, a day after a local newspaper questioned him about an extramarital affair. Hunter said in a statement , “Regrettably, certain personal matters that are becoming public will become a distraction for this office.”
  
The Obit Page: Former US Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican who held office for 30 years, served as secretary of the Navy, and was the last of six men to marry actress Elizabeth Taylor, has died at age 94. — Eric Carle, Author of the bestselling children’s book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, died age at 91 — And finally, actor Samuel Wright, who was the voice of Sebastian the Crab and sang “Under The Sea” in the 1989 Disney animated hit The Little Mermaid, has died at age 74. Wright was part of the original Broadway cast of Jesus Christ Superstar in 1971. He went on to replace Ben Vereen in the musical Pippin, and King Mufasa in the stage version of Disney’s The Lion King. Wright  is most remembered as Sebastian. “Sebastian has given me what I’ve always wanted as an actor, and that’s immortality,” Wright told Entertainment Weekly in 1991. “Under the sea, Under the sea, Darling it’s better, Down where it’s wetter, Take it from me.”

 
To Your Health: Some states and localities are offering a reward or establishing lotteries to encourage people to get vaccinated for Covid-19. In Ohio, Abbigail Bugenske, a young engineer and Ohio State master’s student, won a million dollars, and Joseph Costello earned a college scholarship, according to the Vax-A-Million program.
  As of this morning, 591,957 Americans have died out of nearly 3.5 million worldwide.
 
Social Notes: Nothing today about J-Lo and Ben, A-Rod, Matthew Perry, The “Friends” Reunion, The Kardashians, Carol Radziwill, Cher, Lizzo, or Teresa Giudice.