Researched by: Aarthi Ramnath, Anannya Parekh & Aakriti Anand
Our experiments with YouTube: A new format!
We’ve been trying different formats for our YouTube show. We recently tried a daily news wrap—which didn’t quite work with the platform—where discovery happens days later. So we’ve switched to a twice-weekly version—that’s more like a newsmagazine.
It’s a great option when you don’t have time to read us every day. You get a video version of our best stories twice a week. Do check it out and—most importantly—share it with your friends, fam, colleagues and more. It’s a great cost-free way to introduce someone to splainer—especially if they are text-averse. The latest edition is below.
Billionaire boys’ war WhatsApp group
No good things ever come of corporate titans getting involved in foreign policy. But no one seems to have sent that memo to a group of billionaires in New York. They have been secretly pressuring the mayor Eric Adams to crack down on pro-Palestine protesters in Columbia. A Zoom call between them and Adams went something like this:
During the call, some attendees discussed making political donations to Adams, as well as how the chat group’s members could pressure Columbia’s president and trustees to permit the mayor to send police to the campus to handle protesters…
Some members also offered to pay for private investigators to assist New York police in handling the protests, the chat log shows — an offer a member of the group reported in the chat that Adams accepted.
Yikes!! Apparently, these billionaires have their own WhatsApp group—which includes former CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz, Dell founder Michael Dell, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman etc. The group was formed soon after the October 7 attacks:
The chat group formed shortly after the Oct. 7 attack, and its activism has stretched beyond New York, touching the highest levels of the Israeli government, the U.S. business world and elite universities. Titled “Israel Current Events,” the chat eventually expanded to about 100 members, the chat log shows. More than a dozen members of the group appear on Forbes’s annual list of billionaires; others work in real estate, finance and communications.
Washington Post (splainer gift link) has loads more on the group and their efforts.
Meanwhile, in India: JioCinema revealed its political colours by taking down an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver—because it lampooned Modi-ji. The episode was aired in 2019—during the last election. Well, you get what you pay for. (The Hindu)
Speaking of political billionaires: TikTok’s gotta a new suitor: Frank McCourt. He is a real estate billionaire and the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. As you know, parent company ByteDance has been told to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner—or face a US ban. McCourt may well fit the bill—though his plans for the company are unusual. He plans to buy TikTok to make it less evil:
McCourt said, the potential opportunity to acquire TikTok is a chance to rewire how social media works. Under McCourt’s proposal, TikTok would operate on an open-source, decentralised protocol where users control their own data no matter what social media app they use.
Slovakia’s would-be assassin revealed
On Wednesday, a gunman shot the PM Robert Fico five times—the first such assassination attempt in Europe since 2003. The aspiring assassin: a 71-year-old amateur poet—who is being described as a ‘lone wolf’—upset with his rightwing politics. Fico (pronounced FEET-soh) faces a long and difficult recovery. (New York Times, paywall, CNN)
A new Mpox epidemic alert!
The context: In 2022, there was a global outbreak of mpox—then known as monkeypox (explained here). It primarily affected gay men—and was passed on through sexual contact. But the strain circulating around the world was mild—with only a 0.2% fatality rate. The US and the EU issued warnings advocating safe sex. And that was that.
What happened now: A deadlier version of mpox is now ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus has led to about 20,000 cases and nearly 1,000 deaths since January 2023. This version is far more lethal—and has a mortality rate of roughly 5%. Although cases have not been detected outside Africa, US authorities are urging everyone to get vaccinated. This strain appears to affect both men and women equally. (New York Times, paywalled, Associated Press)
Moving on to the coronavirus: According to a newly published study, nearly a third of its participants who got a Covaxin jab experienced adverse events of special interest—and at least 1% were serious. AESIs are conditions or events that occur in some people after immunisation. Adolescents are especially vulnerable—as are those with preexisting medical conditions. Why that matters: Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is the only approved vaccine for kids. The Hindu has lots more on the study.
Elon Musk’s dilemma in Darfur
The context: Sudan has been in a civil war since April 2023 thanks to a power struggle between two generals—Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (see: this Big Story). In early May, UN warned that at least 1.7 million people in Darfur were experiencing emergency levels of hunger:
People are resorting to consuming grass and peanut shells. And if assistance doesn’t reach them soon, we risk witnessing widespread starvation and death in Darfur and across other conflict-affected areas in Sudan.
What happened now: Aid agencies have been using Starlink internet kits to distribute food—in the midst of a telecommunications blackout imposed by the government. But Starlink is cracking down on anyone using its devices in unauthorised regions—after an embarrassing Bloomberg News investigation:
The report from the wire’s investigation highlighted the ease with which Starlink kits could be smuggled and their widespread availability on the black market, raising concerns about the company's control over a system with significant national security implications.
But the loss of Starlink spells disaster for aid workers—which led a coalition of 94 rights organisations operating in Sudan to issue this statement:
Any shutdown of telecommunication services is a violation of human rights and may be considered to be a collective punishment that will not only isolate individuals from their support networks but also exacerbate the already dire economic situation facing millions.
The company has not responded as yet. (The Guardian)
Two climate stories of note
Carbon woes for Microsoft: The tech giant’s carbon emissions were up by 30% in 2023 compared to 2020—when they made a bold pledge to be carbon negative by the end of the decade. The reason: The company has been investing in data centres—which require great amounts of electricity and water. This will get worse with the scramble to win the AI race. Data point to note: Microsoft pumped out 15.357 million metric tons of carbon dioxide—the same as Haiti or Brunei. (Financial Times)
Bison could be climate heroes: New research shows that a herd of 170 bison can help counteract carbon emissions of 43,000 US petrol cars, or 123,000 European cars. Why this matters: Rewilding bison could be an effective climate hack in Europe. The team is now looking at nine other species, including elephants and sea otters. The Guardian has more on why bison are good for the environment.
A very freaky Apple bug
Beware a new iOS update which is mysteriously restoring deleted photos—and causing great panic on Reddit:
The person who started the thread claimed that NSFW photos they had deleted “years ago” were back on their phone. Another Reddit user said that they saw photos from 2016 show up as new images but that they didn’t think they’d ever deleted them. And a person claimed in a later post that “around 300” of their old pictures, some of which were “revealing,” appeared on an iPad they’d wiped per Apple’s guidelines and sold to a friend.
Why this matters: Even when you permanently delete a photo—it lives somewhere on the device. But this may not be Apple's fault: “Computer data is never actually “deleted” until it’s overwritten with new 1s and 0s — operating systems simply cut off references to it.” (The Verge)
Three things to see
One: FIFA put out this lovely tribute to Sunil Chetri—who announced his retirement. Chetri has scored the third-highest number of international goals—after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo:
He also put out an emotional farewell vid. The Quint offers tribute to the striker’s illustrious career. (BBC News)
Two: Our lovely Ash—the Indian queen of Cannes—was back on the red carpet. Her gowns have been either a great hit—or a poofy Disney-style miss. We’re not sure what to make of this one—though we appreciate the Marvel vibe. But hey, Aishwarya is stunning as ever. (The Hindu)
Three: ‘Game of Thrones’ fans, rejoice! The trailer for the second season of the GOT prequel, ‘House of the Dragon’ also just dropped. The new season begins on June 16, and you can stream it on JioCinema. (Hollywood Reporter)
