RationalWiki:What is going on in the world?/May 2020

May 2020
Brocialist is running multiple scams, raising money for multiple ventures based on promises that are never fulfilled Bellingcat reports that there are as many as 29 incidents of US law enforcement agencies either accidentally or deliberately targeting both domestic and foreign journalists during the George Floyd protests.. Siri, show me a very stable genius using the best words. MAGA LOVES THE BLACK PEOPLE! The Spanish government approves a watered-down version of a universal basic income Neurologists have suceeded in reversing stroke damage in rats by using human skin cells Pentagon instructs, at Trump's request, soldiers at Fort Bragg and Fort Drum to be ready to deploy within 4 hours notice to Minneapolis. Fort Carlson and Fort Riley are to be ready to move out on 24 hours notice. The deployment would be under the, last used during the. Alt-right 4chan losers are plotting to hijack Pride Month by spamming social media with queerphobic propaganda Two Zambian men who were sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2019 just for having sex with each other have been pardoned. The first same-sex weddings have taken place in Costa Rica, the first country in Central America to equalize its marriage legislation. Turkey has launched a Russian-language news service like its TRT World called TRT Russian (TRTнаРусском), to fight disinformation about Turkey from Russia. Despite there being a petition of 2 300 people, that is nearly 1 in 40 people calling for the decriminalization of cannabis in Jersey, the health minister has completely refused point blank any kind of legalisation. The CCP is pushing through new security laws for Hong Kong. The new laws bans "treason, secession, sedition and subversion" and has been attacked by pro-democracy activists. Because the United States isn't enough of a hellhole right now: Incel shoots 3 people, injuring them, at an outdoor shopping area. He told investigators he was targeting couples and was an incel. Haaretz tells us Arab states (including Saudi Arabia) are more liberal on abortion than the more conservative US states, and that even in the harsher ones penalties are light. WHO warns that Europe should prepare for a dry summer with a possible heat wave The Hungarian Parliament has voted to strip legal recognition from transgender and intersex people. One person is killed and two are injured in a stabbing attack at a Toronto massage parlor. The 17-year-old killer, motivated by incel ideology, has become the first person in Canada to be charged with terrorism for an incel-related attack.

The ruling party faces accusations of communism when it releases a paper calling for a "census of the rich" in order to establish a wealth tax to pay for generous expansion of the welfare state Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that two of the most holiest days in Islam; Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr would become public holidays. It should be pointed out that less then 1% of Ukrainians are Muslim, although Islam has existed in the country for centuries. Trump has said is he is planning permanently stopping all American funding of the World Health Organization, and leaving its. China threatens sanctions on US lawmakers critical of its handling of the pandemic as well sanctioning Apple as payback for the trade war Gun sales surge fueled by fears of societal collapse, and it's not just restricted to white people, due to fears of white supremacist attacks FBI mistakenly reveals name of a Saudi diplomat suspected of supporting 9/11 attackers Celebrity chef, woo-proponent and oxygen thief Pete Evans loses his job and promptly begins posting conspiracy theories on his social media pages and sharing content from others including David Icke and QAnon US officials are crafting plans to punish or demand compensation from China over the pandemic by targeting its supply chains, cancellation of US debt, create new tariffs or strip China of its sovereign immunity Bloomberg is reporting that due to the lockdowns and travel restrictions, many members of the super-rich who would normally live in tax paradises, could be given massive tax bills as they have suddenly considered resident in places with higher tax bills. Radio shock jock has announced his retirement from commercial radio. The controversial breakfast host who noted for saying that Scott Morrison should “shove a sock down her throat”  of Jacinda Arden and fanning the, is standing down from his 2GB show at the end of this month. With so many investment banks like Blackrock shunning fossil fuel investments, Republican lawmakers are lobbying Trump to prevent such banks from getting access to government credit facilities. Anna Sacoolas, the woman who is wanted by British police for questioning in relation to the manslaughter of Harry Dunn by dangerous driving, has now been put on. This means that once she leaves the United States, she will be extradited to the United Kingdom immediately. (Irony alert) The Israeli broadcasting regulator has asked the cable operator HOT to pull a new Hebrew-language Christian televangelist channel because it breaks Israeli law which bans proselytising to minors. Televangelist Jim Bakker had a stroke and is on sabbatical from his TV show

A polar vortex is expected to hit Ontario and the northeast of the US by mid-May with temperatures reaching record lows Nearest black hole detected in a stellar system visible to the naked eye. Finland's two year experiment of universal basic income shows that such a program improves employment and boosts the recipients' mental and financial wellbeing Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp has lost US$1 billion in the last three months, due to a massive fall in the valuation of its pay-TV service Foxtel and due to falling ad revenue across its print empire in Australia. Despite having a major international crisis on his doorstep, Trump is insisting that his Great Wall of America must be painted black at the cost of $500 million according to the Washington Post. Venezuela has put down an attempted invasion from pro-Guaidó rebels. The force, backed by American paramilitary security firm, SilverCorp, was reduced in size over the past month from 300 to 60 due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the arrest of the rebel leader for drug smuggling. The subsequent invasion was publicly announced on Twitter, and presently Venezuelan authorities are holding thirteen, including two Americans, on terrorism charges. Further stupidity: It's actually more absurd than just the Twitter announcement. On 1 May, the Associated Press reported on these chuckle heads' idiotic plot to invade Venezuela. On 3 May, they tried to carry the plot out, after the Associated press reported all about it. PM Justin Trudeau backtracks from a promise made to the House of Commons that tax-avoiding companies would not recieve bailout money, while other countries have committed to deny bailout to companies using tax havens The House of Representatives opens up an antitrust probe over Amazon's unfair competition practises threatening to subpoena Jeff Bezos if he doesn't appear before the House Judiciary subcomittees. The May Day labor strikes were, in spite of massive media coverage, underwhelming though the rent strikes got tens of thousands of tenants to not pay rent Falling domestic consumption, low export sales to Japan and now with no tourists for whale-watching, could mean a possible end to commercial whaling in Iceland. North Korean state media reports that Kim Jong-un has appeared in public for the first time in 20 days. Following a mass shooting which took the lives of 22 people, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces a ban on 1,500 kinds of assault weapons.