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May 20 0000 UTC Brief
In the Middle East
Lebanon says 19 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, including 10 in one strike on a house, among them three children and three women. The region also had a smaller but still surreal side plot, with a New York Times report saying the U.S. and Israel briefly discussed former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a possible successor figure after top Iranian officials were killed. That did not, by the sound of it, survive first contact with reality.
In U.S. politics
President Trump is tightening his grip on Senate primaries, endorsing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the runoff against Senator John Cornyn, while Kentucky Republicans projected Rep. Andy Barr as their nominee to replace Mitch McConnell. In Washington, Sen. Bill Cassidy voted to advance a resolution limiting Trump’s ability to wage war on Iran without congressional approval, after Trump had backed a primary challenge against him. Vice President JD Vance also said Hunter Biden could apply for money from Trump’s new $1.8 billion “weaponization” fund, which is a sentence that does not exactly reassure anyone.
Separately, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche reportedly ordered the IRS to stop auditing Trump’s prior tax returns, and Senate Democrats questioned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over a family road trip he filmed for a reality-style series tied to the U.S. 250th anniversary.
In safety and climate
The FAA says poor airspace design over Reagan National Airport contributed to last year’s collision between an American Airlines commuter flight and a Black Hawk helicopter, pointing to a structural flaw in the airport’s setup. In the UK, advisers are urging ministers to set a legal maximum workplace temperature, warning that extreme heat is becoming a safety issue rather than just an uncomfortable one. South Korea is also looking to expand its intelligence agency’s powers so it can investigate suspected foreign cyberattacks on private companies.
In Asia
China says North Korea’s nuclear issues were discussed during the recent summit, confirming that topic was on the table even if the public readout stayed thin. Diplomatic understatement remains a global hobby.
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