Hurricanes, Live Nation’s Lawsuit, & A Royally Bad Royal Portrait
May 24, 2024
Hello, readers – happy Friday! Today, we’re talking about the war in Ukraine, Kenya’s visit to the White House, Macron’s visit to New Caledonia, the far-right in Germany, hurricane seasons, Live Nation’s lawsuit, & Princess Kate’s portrait.
This past week, we shared a story about the upcoming presidential debates between President Biden and former President Trump, and we asked our readers if they planned to watch. Here are the results of that survey.
Please note: there will not be a new edition of Daily Pnut on Sunday or Monday. Enjoy your holiday!
“Eventually everything connects – people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se.” – Charles Eames
Breaking Biden’s Golden Rule

While the U.S. has had no problem sending streams of military and other aid to Ukraine as it wages its war against Russia, the White House has always had one golden rule: Ukraine is not allowed to fire any U.S. weapons into Russia. The rule is part of President Biden’s call to “avoid World War III,” and so far, he’s been successful. But now, the White House is considering letting Ukraine break that promise as a Russian offensive pushes Kyiv to the brink.
The idea was pushed by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken following his visit to Ukraine last week. It’s unclear how many of Biden’s advisors – or Biden himself, for that matter – have actually signed on to it. Meanwhile, the U.S. is reportedly considering sending American troops into Ukraine to train the country’s military, something else that Biden has vetoed up until now.
The U.S. also recently announced a $275 million military aid package to Ukraine that will include artillery systems and shells, anti-tank weapons, and ammunition as part of the recent foreign aid package passed by Congress, which will send over $61 billion in aid to Kyiv. At this point, the U.S. has sent over $51 billion in military assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.
A Belated Bid For Africa
On Wednesday, Kenyan President William Ruto paid a diplomatic visit to the U.S. He was met on the runway by First Lady Jill Biden, treated to a sunset dinner on the White House South Lawn, and his country was designated the U.S.’s first-ever major non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa. Why all the pomp and circumstance? Biden’s White House is looking to counter China’s influence in Africa by courting Kenya, with hopes to utilize the country as a foothold in a region where Beijing’s influence is everywhere.
“Together, the United States and Kenya are working to deliver on the challenges that matter most to our people’s lives – health security, economic security, cybersecurity, and climate security,” said Biden in a speech to Ruto. “Mr. President, your bold leadership on this front has been important and particularly impactful.”
“For many, many years, it was really the Chinese who showed up in Africa and in Kenya,” said U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman. With Ruto’s visit marking the first time an African leader has visited the White House in almost two decades, she said, “There’s a specific message to Kenya and to the continent, which is: America wants to be your partner.”
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Macron’s Mad Dash Down Under

- On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron hopped on a 24-hour, 10,500-mile flight to New Caledonia. He met with local leaders on Thursday in an attempt to end a week-long spell of riots, roadblocks, and run-ins with police. The civil unrest is a response to a voting reform plan, which would expand the vote in New Caledonia to include thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents. The territory’s native Kanak people say the new measure would dilute their voting power as they seek independence from France.
- Macron characterized the protests as an “unprecedented insurrection.” He’s sent over 3,000 French troops into New Caledonia to secure those goals. The security forces have imposed a state of emergency, banned alcohol sales, and put protest leaders on house arrest. They’ve also clashed with rioters, who have set up roadblocks cutting off the main road to the territory’s main airport. Macron must really value the island territory across the world to travel so far just ahead of the Olympics – or, it serves as a French foothold in an increasingly contested part of the world, and is also home to about 30% of the world’s nickel reserves.
No More AfD In The EP
- On Thursday, a right-wing European Parliament coalition named Identity and Democracy expelled Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party from its ranks. The move is a tough blow for the AfD, which was poised to make big gains in the upcoming European Parliament elections before it was ripped apart by a series of scandals.
- The straw that broke the camel’s back occurred earlier this week, when the AfD’s lead candidate, Maximillian Krah, told an Italian newspaper that members of the Nazi SS paramilitary group should not necessarily be categorized as criminals. Before that, one aide to Krah was arrested by German police over allegations that he was a spy for China. Soon after the arrest, Krah himself was investigated for his alleged ties to both China and Russia.
- Earlier this year, the AfD also faced criticism for participating in a secret meeting where far-right leaders discussed plans to deport foreigners and “unassimilated” people. “The AfD is going from one provocation to the next,” said French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, adding that the party is “clearly controlled by radical groups.”
More Mixed Nuts
- Mexican president says high wind toppled a stage at a candidate’s campaign rally, killing 4 people and injuring 15 (ABC)
- China starts ‘punishment’ military drills around Taiwan days after island swears in new leader (CNN)
- Sunak and Starmer hit UK campaign trail after shock election call (Reuters)
- See streets of Iran jam-packed with people as funeral for late Iranian president ends (CNN)
- UN approves resolution to commemorate the 1995 Srebrenica genocide annually over Serb opposition (AP)
The Clock Tick Tick Ticks For Ticketmaster

- The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit yesterday against Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation. The DOJ alleges that Live Nation’s ownership of Ticketmaster has illegally suppressed competition through its control of almost all of the live entertainment ticketing industry, which is bad for artists and fans alike.
- In 2022, Ticketmaster’s inability to handle the traffic for Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” tickets sparked scrutiny from the public, but the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division was already investigating the company. The DOJ is considering structural changes to the company, and even separating Live Nation and Ticketmaster back into separate entities.
No Good Weather, Says NOAA
- Yesterday afternoon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its predictions for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which is just over a week away. The group is anticipating as many as 25 named storms, the most ever predicted in a pre-season outlook.
- NOAA director Rick Spinrad said the Atlantic hurricane season is shaping up to be “extraordinary,” with an 85% chance for an above-average year. 8 to 13 of the storms are forecast to become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), with 4 to 7 potential major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or higher).
More Nuts In America
- A billionaire surprised graduates onstage with cash, but it’s not all theirs to keep (NPR)
- Tornado causes havoc in Texas as record-breaking heat wave looms (NBC)
- Trump is holding a rally in the South Bronx as he tries to woo Black and Hispanic voters (AP)
- Political consultant who admitted deepfaking Biden’s voice is indicted, fined $6 million (NBC)
- Cruz refuses to say whether he will unconditionally accept results of 2024 election (CNN)
- Senate Democrats Open Inquiry Into Trump’s $1 Billion Request of Oil Industry (NYT, $)
Royal Portraits Or Royal Messes?
- Last week, the first royal portrait of Britain’s King Charles III made headlines for making the newly-crowned king look like a vampire thanks to its blood-red background. This week, another royal portrait made a splash in an even worse way. The painting, by artist Hannah Uzor, shows Catherine, Princess of Wales, before a blue background. The problem? She looks like a plastic toy you’d find at a roadside attractions gift store.
- According to one art critic, the portrait is “intolerably bad” and “shows no flicker of resemblance to its subject … Has there been a flatter, more lifeless royal portrait in living memory?” he wrote. “Beneath a Lego-like helmet of unmodulated, monotonously brown ‘hair,’ this Princess of Wales has as much charisma as a naff figurine atop a wedding cake.”
- “When you can’t meet the sitter in person, you have to look at everything you can find and piece together the subtle human moments revealed in different photographs: do they have a particular way of standing or holding their head or hands? Do they have a recurrent gesture?,” said the artist in a statement. “All my portraits are made up of layers of a personality, constructed from everything I can find about them.” She added that the piece was informed by Princess Kate’s recent cancer diagnosis, which was revealed after she mysteriously disappeared from the public eye for months.
More Loose Nuts
- Euclid telescope spies rogue planets floating free in Milky Way (Guardian)
- Colombia moves to protect “holy grail” of shipwrecks that sank over 3 centuries ago with billions of dollars in treasure (CBS)
- Hundreds of mammoth bones discovered in Austrian wine cellar (CNN)
- Bark Air, a new airline for dogs, set to take its first flight (CBS)
- Oreo-maker Mondelez fined $366 million for rigging European markets (CNN)
- Scientists say they’ve found where the sun’s magnetic field originates (CNN)