House Subpoenas FBI Over Biden “Criminal Scheme”

House Oversight Chairman James Comer issued a subpoena to the FBI seeking documents identified by a whistleblower as detailing criminal activity by then-VP Joe Biden.

The subpoena comes after Republican Senator Chuck Grassley’s office was made aware of the FBI-generated whistleblower form. The anonymous report allegedly links President Biden to a criminal scheme involving money for policy decisions during his vice presidency.

The FBI had no immediate comment, and the White House labeled the allegation “anonymous innuendo.” But Comer said he expected the documents to be supplied by a meeting scheduled for May 10.

Russia Shoots Down Alleged Assassination Attempt

Russia says it blocked a terror attack on the Kremlin by shooting down two drones aimed at President Vladimir Putin. (Watch)

The Russians are blaming the attack on Ukraine, saying it was an attempt to assassinate Putin. Ukranian leaders deny any involvement. Russian officials say Putin is unharmed and wasn’t present in the Kremlin.

Western analysts note that Russia normally wouldn’t release revealing air-defense video like this, and worry that the attack, if real, could be a pretext for Russia retaliating in force.

Star Swallows a Planet

Astronomers observed a dying red giant star swallow a Jupiter-sized planet in a single gulp, a phenomenon long understood but never before witnessed.

The galactic extinction event — which will happen to the earth in about 5 billion years — took place between 10,000-15,000 years ago in the Milky Way galaxy as a star billowed out to a million times its normal size and engulfed a planet.

The event was spotted in 2020 but it took this long for astronomers to crunch the data, make additional observations, and realize what they were seeing, as shown in this MIT animation video.

➤ Donald Trump’s legal team won’t call any defense witnesses in his defamation trial in NY. The case, which includes a rape allegation, is expected to go to the jury next week. Trump’s lawyers have already said their client wouldn’t testify. (More)

➤ The United Auto Workers union refuses to endorse President Joe Biden until he ensures union members are protected during the industry’s transition to all-electric vehicles. The union wants its share of the pie, given that the government is using taxpayer money to subsidize the EV industry. (More)

➤ Economists released a first estimate of what it would cost if California decides to repay the historic damage from slavery: $1.2 million per black resident. The total cost of such reparations, if approved by the state, could reach more than $800 billion, almost triple California’s annual budget. (More)

➤ Cristiano Ronaldo became the world's highest-paid athlete following his move to a Saudi soccer club. His contract is estimated to be worth nearly $220 million. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, Lionel Messi plans to quit the Paris Saint-Germain soccer club after it suspended the superstar for two weeks for making a promotional trip to Saudi Arabia without the club’s permission. (More)

➤ The 76ers’ Joel Embiid is named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, to his team’s visible delight. He’s expected to return from injury for Game 2 of the 76ers playoff game against the Boston Celtics. (Watch)

Market Report   5/4/23

➤ Big stock move of the day: ImmunoGen stock rocketed up 135% after the biotech company said a late-stage trial of its treatment for ovarian cancer produced positive survival results. (More)

➤ The Fed raises interest rates an additional quarter-percent to a target range of 5% to 5.25%, the highest rates have reached since August 2007. To calm the markets, the central bank also hinted that it might now pause any further tightening. (More)

➤ Oklahoma banned 13 major financial firms from doing business within the state because they say the banks engaged in boycotts of energy stocks. The decision is one of the most aggressive any U.S. state has taken to fight back against social-cause-driven investment decisions. (More)

➤ Newly leaked documents show many pediatricians are at war with their own American Academy of Pediatrics over the AAP’s aggressive push to approve the use of controversial puberty-blocking drugs. The leaked documents show many doctors feel the drugs are too risky for teens. (More)

➤ Advanced aliens could detect civilization on Earth through mobile tower radio signals leaked through the atmosphere, a new study suggests. Though Earth’s individual radio transmissions are relatively quiet, the integrated output of billions of devices could be detected, scientists say. (More)

➤ Mercedes tapped its Formula 1 engineers to supercharge its efforts to develop a vastly more efficient mass-market electric vehicle to compete with Tesla. The company says its F1 team can cut 25 percent off development time for producing an EV. (More)

➤ Texas police arrested Francisco Oropeza, the man accused of murdering a family of five, when they caught him hiding underneath a pile of laundry after a four-day manhunt. Police also arrested his wife for hindering the search by helping Oropeza disappear. (More)

➤ A bear gave a West Virginia elementary school principal the shock of his life when it popped out of a locked dumpster that the educator was checking. (Watch)

➤ Charles Barkley, the former NBA star-turned-sports announcer, drove TNT viewers crazy by cleaning his phone on air—by licking it with his tongue. Disgusted viewers made their feelings known on Twitter. (Watch)

Today’s Trivia

In which American national park have the most fatal bear attacks occurred?