Asylum changes, boar war, and a pricey pineapple.

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Big Stories

Biden to announce new asylum changes

The Biden administration plans to introduce new changes to the asylum system on Thursday.

• The new rules will decide when migrants can't apply for asylum. Currently, eligibility is determined during interviews, but the administration aims to apply these standards earlier during the initial screening process.

• The proposed adjustment would allow expedited removal of migrants who officials believe pose national security or public safety risks. The upcoming announcement will not include broader changes like barring migrants from seeking asylum between ports of entry. The larger changes are expected to be proposed in June, at the earliest.

• President Biden is under pressure from his party to tackle border issues. Analysts believe that he suggested changes won’t upset the left greatly, but there are lingering concerns about implementing them and providing sufficient legal representation for migrants during screenings. Despite congressional gridlock, there is bipartisan support for executive actions to address immigration issues.

Italy’s boar war

Italy's €8.2bn pork industry, famous for prosciutto and cured sausages, is under threat from African swine fever.

• The highly contagious virus, spread by wild boars, has a 100% mortality rate in pigs and has already prompted several countries to restrict Italian pork imports.

• The Italian government is deploying 177 soldiers for a year-long mission to cull the wild boar population. The country hopes to reduce the population by 80% over five years. Proponents, like industry association director Davide Calderone, view this as essential to protecting the industry and its jobs.

• Environmental groups like Legambiente strongly criticize the plan. Stefano Raimondi, Legambiente's director of biodiversity, blames the boar population surge on poor waste management, not hunting restrictions. He believes soldiers in cities will create fear and unrest and suggests better waste management as a more effective solution.

Midwest storms continue

Several states were hit by tornadoes and severe storms overnight.

• One person was killed in Tennessee and another in North Carolina when a tree fell on their cars. Another hard-hit area was Kalamazoo County, Michigan, where a FedEx facility and mobile homes were demolished.

• The stormy weather is expected to continue across the Midwest and South for the rest of the week, with major cities like Indianapolis, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis, and Cincinnati in the path of the storms.

• Separately, a tornado tore through Barnsdall, Oklahoma, on Monday night, killing at least one person and injuring others. This was the second tornado to hit Barnsdall in five weeks.

Little Stories

• Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic won his third NBA Most Valuable Player award in four years. He beat out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic in a landslide victory, receiving the most first-place votes and total points. (More)

• Panera Bread is discontinuing its highly caffeinated drinks, including Charged Lemonade, after they were linked to heart problems and deaths. Two lawsuits allege deaths caused by the drinks, one involving a young woman with a pre-existing heart condition. (More)

• House Speaker Mike Johnson, and his supporters, successfully defeated a challenge by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to remove him from his position. Greene's motion to vacate the speaker's chair was overwhelmingly rejected by a vote of 359-43, with only a small number of Republicans siding with Greene and seven Democrats abstaining. (More)

• MLB Star Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, will plead guilty to stealing millions from Ohtani to fund gambling. Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in jail and must repay Ohtani the stolen money. He will be arraigned on May 14th. (More)

• FTX, the collapsed crypto exchange, announced a plan to repay most creditors in full. The company recovered $14.5 to $16.3 billion in assets, enough to cover most owed funds. This comes after former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 25 years in prison. (More)

Extra Credit

AI deepfakes take over at the Met Gala. 

A second grade teacher visited every country on Earth. 

Feast on this $400 red pineapple.

Nude cruise to set sail from Florida.