Good morning. It's Monday, April. 29, and we're covering top aide to Russia's defense minister arrested, Gavin Newsom asking the internet for a new coin, MLB's hardest-throwing pitcher, and much more. First time reading? Sign up here. | | American Fact of the Day! | One Texas town rescheduled Halloween because it conflicted with football: Texas football is no joke. In fact, in 2014 the small town of Decatur voted to reschedule Halloween to October 30 because the October 31 date would have conflicted with the local high school's Friday night football game. Makes total sense—but that's not all. Nearly 14 percent of the state's high school stadiums boast video scoreboards and the high-school football game with the all-time highest attendance rate was a 2013 playoff game that brought together 54,357 fans. |
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| | Breaking Updates | | Top Aide to Russia's Defense Minister Arrested for Corruption and Maybe Treason. What's Going on? | Russia arrested Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov Tuesday on suspicion of large-scale bribery. Ivanov is one of 12 deputies reporting to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Ivanov, who was responsible for overseeing construction, property management, housing, and medical support for the military, was accused of running a "criminal conspiracy" in awarding military construction contracts that enriched him personally.
Ivanov was arrested along with longtime associate Sergei Borodin, and businessman and Defense Ministry contractor Alexander Fomin, who is accused of paying bribes to win construction contracts. Ivanov, 48, is a core member of Shoigu's Defense Ministry, and was sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union in 2022 after Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The exact details of the case remain murky. Ivanov, previously investigated by opposition leader Alexei Navalny's team for lavish spending, was detained just after a meeting with colleagues, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Ivanov's lawyer, Murad Musayev, told the state news agency Tass that his client is being accused of "taking a bribe in the form of free construction and repair work on supposedly his personal properties," and in turn providing "assistance to companies that were contractors for the Defense Ministry."
There is growing suspicion that the real target of the hit is none other than the Plywood Marshal himself, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Allegedly, the FSB has had information about Ivanov's corruption since 2017, and Shoigu kept them off him. The AP points out that Putin recently called for an anti-corruption campaign, and Ivanov was still given the mission of reconstruction efforts in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol. This could make a suspicious person think that Shoigu had a personal reason for doing this.
With the overseas fortunes of Russia's top oligarchs frozen and in jeopardy of being sold to pay reparations, Putin has to be aware that his grip on power is not as firm as it was five years ago. | Read more updates here |
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| | Gavin Newsom Asked the Internet to Submit Designs for a New Coin Honoring CA's Innovations, and Hoo Boy.. | When he's not making ignorantly silly commercials about access to abortion in Alabama, California Gov. Gavin Newsom's favorite hobby is getting ratioed online. Seriously, I'm not sure there's anyone less self-aware than Newsom, or anyone who's more of a glutton for punishment.
So on Thursday Newsom was again roasted online when he announced that California is getting its own $1 coin to honor innovation in the state and asked the internet for submissions.
He was already going to invite some choice responses from that simple invitation, then he made it worse by beginning his tweet with, "Calling all members of the Tortured Coin Designers Department," a reference to Taylor Swift's new album, "The Tortured Poets Department."
Apparently, Newsom (or the intern who wrote the tweet) didn't understand that the title is surmised to be a slam at Swift's ex-boyfriend, British actor Joe Alwyn. Vogue reports that Alwyn "once stated in an interview that he had a texting group chat with fellow actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott called the 'Tortured Man Club,' which many fans instantly drew parallels to with Swift's album name."
Dr. Houman Hemmati invoked the $73 billion budget shortfall Newsom managed to create just a few years after a record surplus. | Read more updates here |
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| | American Sports & Culture
|  | NBA playoffs: Anthony Edwards outshines Devin Booker, Kevin Durant to secure Timberwolves sweep of Suns | Durant and Booker combined for 82 points. But Edwards again proved too much for the Suns to overcome. |
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|  | MLB's hardest-throwing pitcher Mason Miller is menacing hitters: 'Scary to see, fun to watch' | Mason Miller has unleashed the hardest fastball in the major leagues this season, topping out at 103.7 mph. |
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|  | Jets' NFL draft haul doubles down on needed offensive overhaul | This offseason, Joe Douglas has been more like Joe Ouglas. His focus has not been on the D. |
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| | American Business & Markets
|  | New business ideas presented and judged at BizPitch Competition - The Bucknellian | On April 8th, Bucknell's 12th annual Shark Tank-style pitch competition exemplified students' business endevours. |
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|  | From Setbacks To Triumphs: How Failing Well Can Lead You To Success | Entrepreneur | "Failures didn't sink our entrepreneurial spirit; they brought us to where we are today, and shaped us as entrepreneurs." |
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|  | 67% of Successful Small Business Merchants Embrace Social Commerce | SMBs risk of closure has decreased by 44% from three years ago, and larger SMBs with more diverse sales channels have the lowest risk. |
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| | American Politics | |  | Trump and DeSantis Meet Privately in Florida for 'Several Hours' as VP Speculation Grows | Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had a private meeting in Miami Sunday and will work together, a report says. |
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|  | University of Texas Suspends Palestine Solidarity Committee After On-Campus Pro-Hamas Protests | UT Austin suspended the Palestine Solidarity Committee, a registered student group at the campus and a chapter of the national Students for Justice in Palestine. |
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|  | White House denies secret plot to oust Karine Jean-Pierre as Biden faces more bad news | The Biden administration has denied a secret plot to oust Karine Jean-Pierre from her role as White House press secretary as the president's re-election hopes face more bad news. |
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