| What Happened, Why it Matters | | | May 29, 2015 Hastert Faces 'Hush Money' Charges | FIFA Boss Likely to Stay in Game | Myanmar Pushes Back | Grexit 'Is Possible' | Festival Burns Ancient Israeli Site |
|  | | Does former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, pictured here beside President Bush in 2002, have something to hide? Source: Corbis |
| | | Crime doesn't pay, but … the former speaker of the House is accused of lying to the FBI about sneaky cash withdrawals used to slip an undisclosed someone $1.7 million in exchange for keeping quiet about "past misconduct." The 73-year-old, now a well-paid lobbyist, allegedly withdrew money in small amounts to avoid detection. It's unclear what Hastert was supposedly covering up, but faced with two charges, which each carry up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, he's likely to cough up more for his defense. CNN, WP |
| | He's ignoring the red card. FIFA's president is resisting calls to resign, despite intense criticism following corruption indictments against 14 other officials. In his first public comments after the arrests, Blatter told colleagues, "I cannot monitor everyone all of the time." International soccer's governing body is meeting in Zurich today for its presidential election, where Prince Ali of Jordan is also running. He's supported by the U.S. and most of Europe, but with backing from many small nations, bets are on Blatter to score a fifth term. NYT, BBC |
| | Don't blame us. That's the message from Burmese officials at a summit in Bangkok, where attendees from 17 countries are addressing the region's refugee crisis. Thousands of Rohingya Muslims have taken to the sea in recent weeks to flee Myanmar, where they're denied citizenship and face increasing religious persecution. But Myanmar is rebuking the UN for demanding that it take "full responsibility," saying that "finger-pointing" won't help. Some 3,500 migrants have come ashore in Malaysia and Indonesia, and thousands more will likely follow unless international cooperation can stem the tide. DW, Al Jazeera |
| | But they don't need to pack their bags just yet. IMF head Christine Lagarde says Athens can have a three-week extension to drum up the $1.75 billion they owe, pushing their deadline to the end of June. Eurozone creditors have shown increasing irritation with the lack of progress in bailout negotiations — not to mention Greek claims of a pending deal that Lagarde says is not imminent. But she offered reassurances to other Europeans, noting that a Grexit would certainly not bring down the euro. FT (sub) |
| BRIEFLY... Defector warns that North Korean hackers 'could kill.' (BBC) Nigeria set to swear in President Buhari. (Al Jazeera) Investigation reveals hundreds of mishaps at U.S. biolabs. (USA Today) Foreign investors set record with Chinese stock purchases. (FT) sub Tunisia investigates decades of police abuse against women. (NYT) |
| | | They're feeling the heat now. Revelers at Midburn, an annual Israeli sister festival to Burning Man, are under fire after accidentally damaging remnants of prehistoric man. When they set alight a built-to-burn wooden temple on a hill in the Negev desert, they failed to notice they'd placed it atop an archaeological site containing 150,000-year-old paleolithic remains. Organizers have apologized, citing their goal to "leave no trace," but may be slapped with a police complaint — which could see next year's plans go up in smoke. Times of Israel, Phys.org, Haaretz |
| | This beats a spoonful of sugar. If pancreatic cells don't generate insulin, why not implant cells that do? Trouble is, they would immediately be attacked by the immune system. So scientists have devised a solution: They're 3-D printing armor — a mixture of alginate and gelatin — for the cells, enabling them to do their jobs without being destroyed. It's not viable for human use yet, but it's working in lab tests, and researchers are hopeful that refinement will lead to a breakthrough. Engadget, in-pharma Technologist |
| | It's gunning for competitors like Apple and Amazon. The search engine giant unveiled its forward-thinking plans at the eighth annual I/O conference in San Francisco yesterday, demonstrating new offerings like a contextual mobile search that gives answers based on what you're doing, an internal Android digital payments tool, and Weave, a communications system that aims to get your smart devices talking. It's also working with GoPro to bring virtual reality video to the masses with a build-your-own rig called Jump, set to take off this summer. Buzzfeed, The Verge |
| | Tree houses, igloos … and now TV studio rafters. The talk show host, as part of a new Airbnb promotion, is offering fans a chance to sleep where the magic happens. A contestant with the most compelling reason for wanting to stay overnight in Conan's studio rafters — which boast 1927 craftsmanship and come with free parking — can do so free of charge on June 3. But no other amenities are on offer — shockingly, not even a TV — and throwing tomatoes at the host may get you evicted. Mashable, AV Club |
| | There are now two more ways to spell C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N. The Scripps National Spelling Bee ended yesterday in a tie for the second year running. Vanya Shivashankar, 13, and Gokul Venkatachalam, 14, shared the glory after respectively spelling "scherenschnitte" and "nunatak" to end the contest. It was the last year both were eligible to compete for the sesquipedalian crown, and while they hoisted the trophy together, they each get their own to take home, along with $37,000 in cash and prizes. EW, Buzzfeed |
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