News Briefs

Georgia’s parliament passes “foreign agents” bill. The bill passed May 14 with 84 out of 150 members of parliament voting in favor. The draft now goes to President Salome Zourabichvili, who has said she will veto it, but her decision can be overridden by another vote in parliament. It would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, imposing punitive fines for violations. Demonstrations have been running for weeks, where crowds numbering in the tens of thousands have mounted some of the biggest protests seen in Georgia since it regained independence from Moscow in 1991. 

French court clears Roman Polanski. The court acquitted the filmmaker May 14 of defaming British actor Charlotte Lewis, who had accused him of sexual assault. The case stems from a 2019 interview with Paris Match magazine, where Mr. Polanski allegedly called Ms. Lewis a liar following her accusations. The court’s ruling did not address the truth of the rape allegation but focused solely on whether Mr. Polanski’s comments constituted defamation against Ms. Lewis. She had contended the remarks were defamatory, launching a legal battle against the 90-year-old director, known for classics such as “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Chinatown.” 

Why We Wrote This podcast: The caricature of the libertine French male, practicing a form of predation masked as seduction, is one with deep roots and some social support. Our Paris-based writer looked at where trust in those pushing back has begun to stir. She joined our podcast to talk about her reporting. 

Arizona grants 90 more days on abortion decision. Arizona’s highest court has given the state’s attorney general another 90 days to decide further legal action in the case over a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban. Lawmakers recently voted to repeal the law but it won’t take effect until 90 days after they wrap up their current session. The Arizona Supreme Court’s order leaves in place for now a more recent law that legalizes abortion up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. It also allows Attorney General Kris Mayes more time to decide whether to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a presidential election year, abortion has become a defining issue driving political campaigns. 

Putin to visit China. Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a two-day state visit to China starting May 16, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, in the latest show of unity between the two authoritarian allies against the U.S.-led Western liberal global order. The ministry said the two leaders would discuss “cooperation in various fields of bilateral relations ... as well as international and regional issues of common concern.” China has backed Russia politically in the conflict in Ukraine and has continued to export machine tools, electronics, and other items seen as contributing to the Russian war effort, without actually exporting weaponry.

A byproduct of the war in Ukraine is a cement bond between China and Russia. Their burgeoning relationship is mostly driven by a mutual alienation from the West and by the need to have each other’s back if the East-West confrontation escalates.

Biden hikes Chinese tariffs. The Biden administration plans to slap new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum, and medical equipment – an election-year move that’s likely to increase friction between the world’s two largest economies. The tariffs are to be phased in over the next three years, with those that take effect in 2024 covering EVs, solar cells, syringes, needles, steel, aluminum, and more. There are currently very few EVs from China in the U.S., but officials worry low-priced models made possible by Chinese government subsidies could soon start flooding the U.S. market.

China’s booming electric vehicle industry is sparking concern among foreign automakers, as they watch their market shares in China decline and brace for a flood of Chinese EVs in their home countries. Could this tension benefit consumers?

Change in leadership at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Melinda French Gates announced on May 13 she is stepping down as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She helped establish it more than 20 years ago with her ex-husband Bill Gates. It’s now one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the world. In a post on X, Ms. French Gates wrote, “This is not a decision I came to lightly.” Bill Gates thanked Ms. French Gates for her “critical” contributions. She will receive $12.5 billion as part of her agreement with Mr. Gates, and plans to put it toward her work focused on women and families.

From the Monitor archives: Melinda Gates has been called ‘the most powerful woman you know next to nothing about.’

Putin shifts battlefront focus to economy. Russian President Vladimir Putin tapped a civilian economist as his surprise new defense minister on May 12 in an attempt to gird Russia for economic war by trying to better utilize the defense budget and harness greater innovation to win in Ukraine. Andrei Belousov has worked as director of the department for economics and finance, adviser to the Russian president, and first deputy prime minister. Mr. Putin wants Sergei Shoigu, in charge of defense since 2012 and a long-standing friend and ally, to become the secretary of Russia’s powerful Security Council.

Georgia vows to pass “foreign agents” bill. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze vowed May 12 to push ahead with a law on “foreign agents” that has sparked a political crisis, after opponents held one of the largest protests seen since independence from the Soviet Union. Georgia’s opposition has called on opponents of the bill to stage an all-night protest outside parliament. The bill requires organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence or face punitive fines. Critics liken it to Russia’s 2012 “foreign agent” law, which has been used to hound critics of Vladimir Putin.

The Monitor’s View: Mass protests in the former Soviet state against a Russia-inspired bill are yet another front against Moscow’s attempt to rebuild an empire.

The Republic of Georgia has been at the heart of conflicting interests since the collapse of the USSR. Many of its 3.7 million inhabitants are torn between loyalty to historical links with Moscow and aspirations to join the European Union and NATO.

Jury selection begins in trial of Robert Menendez. U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen face charges in a bribery conspiracy case in Manhattan federal court, in a trial that could last five to eight weeks. The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, has also been charged but will be tried separately. All four have pleaded not guilty. The case could affect the New Jersey Democrat’s reelection prospects and help determine which party controls the Senate next year. Mr. Menendez is up for re-election in November and if exonerated hopes to run for a fourth full term as an independent. 

Gold, cash, a Benz – why Senator Mendez is in trouble.

Israel pushes deeper into Rafah. The exodus of Palestinians from Gaza accelerated May 12 as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Rafah. Israel also attacked the territory’s devastated north, where some Hamas militants have regrouped in areas the military said it had cleared months ago. Rafah is considered Hamas’ last stronghold. Some 300,000 of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there have fled following evacuation orders from Israel, which says it must invade to dismantle Hamas and return hostages taken from Israel in the Oct. 7 attack, which sparked the war. 

The role of the United States as a major backer of the Israeli military is coming under rare and rising scrutiny due to the war in Gaza. Our charts put the debate in context.

U.N. assembly grants “rights and privileges” to Palestinians. The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestinians and called on the Security Council to reconsider their request to become the 194th member of the United Nations. The 193-member world body approved the Arab and Palestinian-sponsored resolution on Friday by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions. The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent.

Florida sheriff releases video of a Black airman’s killing. A Florida county sheriff released body-camera video of a deputy fatally shooting a Black airman holding a handgun in his apartment, after civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the family, urged officials to release it. The family of the deceased, Roger Fortson, has insisted the deputy, who was investigating a domestic violence complaint, knocked on the wrong door on May 3. The video shows Mr. Fortson opening the door and holding a handgun, pointed down, at his side. The deputy immediately opens fire multiple times at close range.

Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names. The education board for Shenandoah County, Virginia, voted early May 10 to restore Confederate generals’ names to two public schools in the predominantly white, rural, and Republican district, becoming the first to do so in the United States. By a 5-1 vote, the board overturned its 2020 decision that stripped a high school and elementary school of their original names honoring three military leaders of the pro-slavery South in the Civil War – Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia; Confederate infantry General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson; and rebel calvary commander Turner Ashby.

Fort Moore in Georgia holds lessons on how to rename military bases once named for Confederates. Asking locals what they thought helped lead to a smooth transition.

U.S. speeds up asylum rejections for risky applicants. A new U.S. asylum change announced May 9 aims to more quickly reject asylum seekers caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border if they pose certain criminal and national security concerns, a limited move to cut down on crossings. A proposed regulation would allow asylum officers to deny claims of migrants convicted of a serious crime, linked to terrorism or posing other dangers to public safety, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said. The rejections could take place in days instead of a process that can take years, DHS said.

Immigration is a top issue in the U.S. presidential race amid questions about the pace of illegal border crossings and candidate track records. Here’s what the available data tells us.

Battles near Rafah force thousands to flee. A United Nations official says heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah has left crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible and caused over 100,000 people to flee north. Israel’s plans for a full-scale invasion of Rafah appear to be on hold for now. The United States is deeply opposed to an invasion and is increasing pressure by threatening to withhold arms. But even the more limited incursion launched earlier this week threatens to worsen Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe. Fighting was also underway in northern Gaza.

From the start of the war in Gaza seven months ago, Israel’s dual war aims – rescuing hostages and defeating Hamas – have been in tension. As pressures mount on Israel to choose between a cease-fire and an invasion of Rafah, that tension is soaring.

Russia launches attacks on Ukraine’s power grid. Russian missiles and drones struck nearly a dozen Ukrainian energy infrastructure facilities on May 7, causing serious damage at three Soviet-era thermal power plants and blackouts in multiple regions, officials said. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 39 of 55 missiles and 20 of 21 attack drones used for the attack. The Russian attack piled more pressure on Ukraine’s weakened energy system. Some 350 rescuers raced to minimize the damage to energy facilities, 30 homes, public transport vehicles, cars, and a fire station, the interior ministry said.

In 2010, NATO soldiers marched in Red Square alongside Russian troops to celebrate Victory Day, recalling the end of World War II. This year, Moscow is staging a triumphant exhibition of NATO weaponry its forces captured in Ukraine.

Haiti’s transitional council changes its own rules. A transitional council tasked with choosing new leaders for Haiti is changing the way it operates in a move that surprised many as gang violence consumes the country. Instead of having a single council president, four veteran politicians will take turns leading the council every five months, according to two members who were not authorized to publicly share the changes because they had not yet been announced. After a prime minister is announced, the council expects to choose a new Cabinet, a process many expect will involve long and heavy negotiations with politicians.

Gaza protests spread to Europe. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is calling for an end to “antisemitic abuse” at U.K. universities as protests against the war in Gaza expand. Mr. Sunak and his education secretary met with university leaders on May 8. About a dozen encampments have been built at universities including Oxford and Cambridge. Elsewhere in Europe, German police broke up a protest by several hundred pro-Palestinian activists at Berlin’s Free University and protesters occupied a university building in Amsterdam hours after police detained 169 people there. Students have held protests or set up encampments in Finland, Denmark, Italy, Spain, and France.

Conservatives have urged U.S. college leaders to crack down on antisemitism. Now a bipartisan bill in Congress amplifies that message, but also reveals the complexities of defining what antisemitism is.