A new one every 30 hours: The COVID billionaire boom

By Marita Vlachou

Monday, May 23

A NEW BILLIONAIRE WAS CREATED EVERY 30 HOURS DURING THE PANDEMIC Billionaire wealth increased to staggering levels amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a new billionaire being created every 30 hours over the past two years, according to a new report from Oxfam. Meanwhile, this year alone Oxfam expects more than 260 million people to be pushed into extreme poverty. [HuffPost]

BIDEN: U.S. WOULD INTERVENE WITH MILITARY TO DEFEND TAIWAN President Joe Biden said the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, saying the burden to protect Taiwan is "even stronger' after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. [AP]

MAN SHOT DEAD ON NYC SUBWAY IN UNPROVOKED ATTACK A New York City straphanger was shot dead by an apparent stranger in another chilling attack on the subway. Witnesses said the bearded suspect was pacing back and forth in the last car of the train before he suddenly pulled out a gun and shot the seated 48-year-old victim "without provocation," police said. [HuffPost]

RUSSIAN SOLDIER SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR WAR CRIMES AS BIDEN SIGNS MORE UKRAINE AID A Ukrainian court sentenced a 21-year-old Russian soldier to life in prison for killing a Ukrainian civilian in the first war crimes trial held since Russia's invasion. Meanwhile, Biden signed legislation granting Ukraine $40 billion more in U.S. support. [AP]

'OPERATION FLY FORMULA': 78,000 POUNDS OF INFANT FORMULA ARRIVES IN U.S. FROM EUROPE A military plane carrying enough specialty infant formula for more than half a million baby bottles arrived in Indianapolis, the first of several flights expected from Europe. New York Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency over the shortage that has sent parents scrambling to find enough to feed their children. [AP]

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INVESTIGATION REVEALS TOP SOUTHERN BAPTISTS STONEWALLED SEX ABUSE VICTIMS Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, America's largest Protestant denomination, stonewalled and denigrated survivors of clergy sex abuse over almost two decades while seeking to protect their own reputations, according to a scathing 288-page investigative report. [AP]

ARKANSAS GOV GOES ON DEFENSE ABOUT NEAR-TOTAL ABORTION BAN HE SIGNED Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) insisted victims of rape and incest should be allowed to have abortions despite him signing a so-called trigger law that outlaws nearly all abortions in his state, including those resulting from incest or rape. [HuffPost]

TEXAS WOMAN WANTED IN FATAL SHOOTING OF PROFESSIONAL CYCLIST A manhunt is underway for a Texas woman who authorities believe fatally shot a 25-year-old professional cyclist after she became romantically involved with her boyfriend. [HuffPost]

FLORIDA REPORTS FIRST CASE OF MONKEYPOX, THIRD CASE IN THE U.S. The Florida Department of Health in Broward County reported its first case of the monkeypox virus, making it the third confirmed case in the U.S. Biden said cases of monkeypox identified in Europe and the United States were something "to be concerned about." [HuffPost]

PENNSYLVANIA LT. GOV. JOHN FETTERMAN RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL AFTER STROKE Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee in the state's high-profile U.S. Senate contest, has been released from the hospital after a stay of more than a week following a stroke. Meanwhile, the Republican race between Dr. Mehmet Oz and David McCormick remains too close to call and is likely headed for a recount. [AP]