Good morning. It's Thursday, May 18, and we're covering a political crisis in Ecuador, allegations of a paparazzi chase in New York City, and much more. First time reading? Sign up here.
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Political Crisis in Ecuador |
Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso dissolved the country's opposition-led legislature yesterday, days before lawmakers were set to vote for his impeachment, setting off a period of presidential rule by decree ahead of snap elections. Lasso, a conservative banker elected in 2021, is accused of enabling an embezzlement scheme benefiting private contractors at the state's expense (see details).
Lasso survived an impeachment attempt last year by twelve votes and has faced strong opposition for certain policies—including cutting fuel subsidies—as well as surging crime rates throughout his tenure. Although strengthening ties with the US, he remains unpopular in Ecuador, reaching a decades-low 13% approval rating earlier this year.
Observers disagree on the legality of Lasso's use of the so-called "mutual death" mechanism written into the 2008 constitution—the first time it has been utilized. The rule allows the president to dissolve the legislature during periods of political gridlock, and elections for both a new president and lawmakers are expected to take place within 90 days. See background on the country here. |
Prince Harry, his wife Meghan, and her mother, Doria Ragland, were followed in their car by paparazzi late Tuesday after attending an awards ceremony in New York, where Meghan was an honoree, according to reports. They left in a private security vehicle, were trailed by paparazzi, and then assisted by police to a precinct on the Upper East Side; they left in a taxi when the coast was clear. The incident resulted in no injuries or collisions, authorities said yesterday.
The reports raised allusions to the Aug. 31, 1997, car crash involving paparazzi that killed Princess Diana, her boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed, and the car’s driver Henri Paul, in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris. A later investigation found the paparazzi and Paul—who had a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit—equally at fault for the deaths.
Prince Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, mostly attributing their decision to how they were treated by British tabloids. They currently live in California. See a timeline of their exit from the royal family here. |
Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and former CEO of failed blood-testing startup Theranos, must report to prison by May 30 while she appeals her conviction of defrauding investors, a federal judge ruled late Tuesday. In a separate decision, Holmes and her former deputy Ramesh Balwani were ordered to pay $452M in restitution to investors—short of the $800M requested by prosecutors.
The fall of Theranos marked one of Silicon Valley's biggest scandals in recent memory. Once valued at $10B and receiving considerable press, the machines failed to generate accurate data in many tests. A 2015 Wall Street Journal investigation revealed Holmes and Balwani sought to conceal the failure, including secretly using other commercially available equipment.
Holmes was not convicted on charges linked to the impact of erroneous results on patient health but was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison in November for defrauding investors. Watch a deeper dive into the Theranos saga here. |
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> The Last Gamble of Tokyo Joe
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> The Bat Lands
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In partnership with Pendulum |
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