PNUT GALLERY

Voters in Indiana go to the polls today to figure out who will be their party’s nominee. So far John Kasich has worse odds than Leicester City of the UK, but even they overcame 5000-1 odds to win the English Premier League. 

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

Puerto Rico Debt Crisis Enters A New PhaseThe Island territory of Puerto Rico officially defaulted on $422 million in payments to bond holders yesterday, sending the island into the next phase of its economic crisis. PR Governor Padilla, who is not-so-fondly referred to as Agapito, announced that his government would default on Sunday and will likely miss another payment in July if they don’t reach an agreement with creditors.
Why is this happening?Due to a number of weird exemptions, which John Oliver has excellently documented here, PR has suffered from a slow brewing economic crisis and an addiction to cheap debt. Unfortunately, due to another weird exemption, PR can’t file for bankruptcy in the same way Detroit did a few years ago, so it has to suffer at the mercy of “vulture funds” who bought up a significant amount of PR debt. Add to that a population exodus of ~230 people a day and a worsening Zika virus and you have a recipe for disaster. 

Greenpeace Leaked TTIP DocumentsFinished reading the Panama Papers and looking for something juicy to read? We’ve got another 248 pages you’ll want to see, courtesy of Greenpeace. The Dutch chapter of the environmental activist group leaked a trove of documents from the proposed trade deal between the US and Europe, showing how American trade negotiators pressured the EU to loosen important environmental provisions. While trade officials aren’t denying the validity of the documents, they claim the papers are only part of a larger text. These 248 pages are just the tip of the rapidly melting iceberg. 

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

CIA Tweets To Make Everyone Uncomfortable The only thing more bizarre than the CIA hiring a social media manager is a social media manager thinking it would be a good idea to “live tweet” the military raid that killed Osama bin Laden as if it were happening today. Despite widespread criticism and a little mockery, the CIA stands by the notion that pretending to relive such a complicated time in American history is good for internet marketing. They even tried to get the hashtag #UBLRaid trending, which many found distasteful. Sure, it was wildly inappropriate, poorly executed and a little disturbing, but they did succeed in driving engagement. 

Unpaid Construction Workers Set Buses On Fire In Saudi ArabiaIn protest of thousands of layoffs and salaries going unpaid, workers at Binladin Group, a major Saudi construction firm, have set fire to nine company buses, hoping to remind their boss to update that payroll. The fires come after weeks of demonstrations, with many employees claiming they haven’t been paid in six months. And yes, Binladin Group was set up by the father of that famous Bin Laden, and it’s not the company’s first time in hot water. The Saudi government suspended them from further contracts in September 2015 after a crane collapsed in Mecca, killing 107 people. They’re also in $30 billion worth of debt due to falling oil prices. 

US Cruise Ship Docks In Cuba For The First Time In DecadesNow that the relationship between the United States and Cuba is beginning to thaw, Americans are able to travel to Cuba in the most American way possible. Adonia, a beacon of renewed friendship and all-inclusive meals, arrived in Cuba yesterday with over 700 passengers, many of whom were Cuban-born Americans returning for the first time. While the trip was still steeped in tension, it’s expected that Cuban businesses will bring in $88 million a year from the proposed cruise schedules. 

PNUT READ: Is It Time To Plan Your Next Cruise To Cuba? 

Keeping Our Eye On…

• Nauru: A Somali asylum-seeker set herself on fire to protest her detention at Australia’s refugee detention center in Nauru. She is in critical condition. 
• Alex Lowe: The legendary climber’s remains have finally been discovered in Tibet, 16 years after he died in an avalanche in the Himalayas. The remains of cameraman David Bridges were found as well. 
• Yahoo: CEO Marissa Mayer will receive $54.9m in severance if she loses her job in the sale of the troubled internet firm.

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

David Cameron Recorded All The Times He Hugged Angela MerkelIn an effort to “woo” Angela Merkel during EU negotiations, UK Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly made a Powerpoint presentation to showcase pictures of himself and the German Chancellor hugging. In what had to have been the most awkward sales pitch ever, Cameron subjected an unimpressed Merkel to slides of them distantly embracing. Merkel was reportedly fed up with the uncomfortable level of pandering and, according to Anthony Seldon’s Cameron at 10, told him what European leaders really felt about him: “we all hate you.” If that isn’t harsh enough, imagine hearing it in a German accent.