Good morning. It's Tuesday, April 30, and we're covering a milestone for America's biggest nuclear power plant, Scotland's leadership shake-up, and much more. First time reading? Sign up here. |
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas yesterday to accept Israel's latest proposal for a temporary cease-fire in exchange for the release of some hostages. The proposal reportedly involves a two-part plan, with Israel seeking the initial release of 33 of the roughly 130 hostages remaining in Hamas' captivity (down from an original demand of 40).
Blinken's comments came on his visit to Saudi Arabia—the first stop on his latest Middle East trip over truce talks—as a Hamas delegation met with Egyptian mediators in Cairo. Hamas previously said it seeks a full end to the war with Israel and the removal of Israeli troops from Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages.
Separately, Israeli leaders are reportedly concerned over the possibility of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, preparing to issue arrest warrants, including for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The ICC has been investigating possible war crimes committed by both Israel and Hamas in Gaza going back to 2014 (see timeline).
See updates on the war here. |
America's Largest Nuclear Plant |
A new reactor unit at Georgia’s Vogtle nuclear power plant went into commercial operation yesterday, capping a 15-year expansion that makes the site the single biggest producer of carbon-free energy in the country.
The reactor, known as Unit 4, comes online less than a year after the similarly built Unit 3 was flipped on—together they were the first nuclear reactors constructed from scratch in the US in more than 30 years. The plant is expected to produce 30 million megawatt-hours of power annually, or roughly 23% of Georgia's total power consumption (though it will also service customers in Florida and Alabama).
The project was expected to begin producing power in 2016, but experienced significant delays and unexpected costs, driving the final price tag from $14B to $35B. Customer rates were raised a total of 10% to help cover financing.
A single half-inch uranium pellet produces roughly the same amount of energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas or 1 ton of coal. See how commercial nuclear reactors work here. |
Humza Yousaf resigned as Scotland's first minister yesterday, prompting the Scottish National Party's second leadership election in just over a year. The 39-year-old leader faced a vote of no confidence in the Scottish parliament following the end of a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens party over the abandonment of a key target to reduce carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.
Yousaf, who replaced Nicola Sturgeon in March 2023, stepped down after being unable to reach a majority in Scotland's devolved regional parliament. The SNP has been the dominant party in Scottish politics for nearly 20 years and currently includes 63 of the 128 voting lawmakers. Other issues for the SNP include Scotland's reliance on its fossil fuel economy, particularly oil and gas extraction in the North Sea, a campaign finance scandal, and policy issues like rent control and transgender rights.
Yousaf, Scotland's first Muslim leader, will remain in office until his successor is elected. Failure to form a majority within 28 days would trigger early elections. See potential candidates here. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> French actor Gérard Depardieu to face criminal trial in October in France over alleged sexual assault on a film set in 2021; Depardieu has been accused by more than a dozen women of sexual misconduct (More) |
> English Premier League clubs agree in principle to salary cap; plan could become official this summer (More) | Mike Tyson's boxing match with YouTube influencer Jake Paul (July 20) to be classified as a sanctioned, professional fight (More) |
> US actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, and six others join filmmaker Greta Gerwig for competition jury at 2024 Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25) (More) |
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> OpenAI strikes deal with UK news publisher the Financial Times; deal allows OpenAI to use content to train models, provide Financial Times content in ChatGPT responses (More) |
> James Webb Space Telescope captures highest resolution of the Horsehead Nebula to date; interstellar dust cloud sits about 1,400 light-years away in the Orion constellation (More) | Zoom into the Horsehead Nebula (More, w/video) |
> Researchers discover mechanism in fetal mice that heals damaged cartilage cells; discovery may lead to new treatments for joint and bone damage in humans (More) |
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> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +0.3%, Dow +0.4%, Nasdaq +0.4%); Dow set to finish April down nearly 4%, with S&P 500 and Nasdaq down nearly 3% (More) |
> Paramount CEO Bob Bakish steps down as Paramount weighs merger with Skydance Media; Bakish will be replaced by trio of executives (More) | Royal Philips shares close up 27% after the Dutch medical devices giant agrees to pay $1.1B to settle US lawsuits over its recalled sleep apnea machines (More) |
> Tesla shares close up 15% after China clears way for electric vehicle maker to deploy its advanced self-driving software (More) | US Supreme Court declines to hear Elon Musk's appeal over settlement agreement requiring US Securities and Exchange Commission to vet Musk's social media posts (More) |
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> Four officers killed, four others wounded in Charlotte, North Carolina, while serving arrest warrant; suspect found dead (More) | Federal court rules North Carolina and West Virginia's state healthcare plans are discriminatory for excluding certain care for transgender people; cases likely headed to Supreme Court (More) |
> Roughly 50 people killed in western Kenya after dam collapses following heavy rain and flooding; more than 100 people have been killed due to flooding in Kenya in the past month (More) |
> Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says he will not resign after announcing last week he was considering stepping down amid a corruption probe against his wife, Begoña Gómez (More) |
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> The Comic’s Comic
The Atlantic | Adrienne LaFrance. Colleagues of comedian and filmmaker Albert Brooks explain why they consider him to be the godfather of American comedy. (Read)
> The Knicks’ Playoff Run from Prison
USA Today | Darrell Powell. A prisoner serving a life sentence without parole writes about his appeal for clemency and how the New York Knicks playoff run inspires him to not give up hope. (Read) |
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