🇺🇸🇮🇱⚡️- Longtime Daily Wire CEO Caleb Robinson is stepping down, being replaced by Mike Richards the former TV game show producer who replaced Jeremy Boreing as Chief Content Officer last year.

🇺🇸🇨🇺⚡- The U.S. has begun preparing plans for a potential military operation in Cuba, two U.S. officials tell CBS News.

"The U.S. intelligence community has been exploring how Cuba might respond to an American military action. Earlier this month, as the U.S. intelligence community tracked the Universal, a sanctioned Russian-flagged oil tanker bound for Cuba, analysts at the Pentagon and Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. military's intelligence arm, started to analyze what the Cuban response would be to an American attack on the Caribbean country.

These types of intelligence forecasts attempt not only to show the immediate consequences of an American action, but the chain of reactions that may follow," - CBS News.

🇺🇸⚡️- “When the Justice Department neared the mid-April deadline for responding to Mr. Trump’s suit [against the I.R.S.], Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers — rather than the government — asked the judge to extend the deadline. In that filing, Mr. Trump’s lawyers said they were in talks with unnamed officials at the Justice Department.

That prompted the judge overseeing the case, Kathleen M. Williams of the Southern District of Florida, to question whether Mr. Trump could legally sue an agency that he controls as president. She ordered Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers and the Justice Department to submit briefs discussing whether they were actually in opposition to each other — or if they were, in fact, on the same side of the suit. Such collusion would require the judge to dismiss the case.

The parties had until Wednesday to submit those briefs. But Mr. Trump withdrew his suit on Monday, the same day the Justice Department rolled out the [$1.7B] anti-weaponization fund. Judge Williams then closed the case.

Frank Bisignano, who is working in the newly created role of chief executive of the I.R.S., signed the agreement with the Justice Department to create the fund. Mr. Bisignano was not confirmed by the Senate to that I.R.S. role, and he is splitting his duties there with his position as commissioner of the Social Security Administration.” - The New York Times.

🇺🇸⚡- Trump's settlement with the I.R.S. also prohibits them from auditing him or his family.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇸🇦⚡️- Saudi Arabia has asked the Trump Administration to postpone any further military action against Iran until after the Hajj season, which begins on May 24th and continues through the end of May, according to two regional sources telling Basha Report.

🇬🇧🇷🇺⚡️- "A [United Kindom] Royal Air Force Rivet Joint aircraft operating in international airspace over the Black Sea was dangerously intercepted by Russian military jets – flying as close as six metres and triggering onboard emergency systems.

Despite these reckless manoeuvres, RAF crew completed their mission safely. The aircraft was conducting a routine flight in support of NATO operations, contributing to the security of the Alliance’s eastern flank.

The RAF Rivet Joint is a specialist reconnaissance aircraft equipped with advanced electronic surveillance sensors, providing critical situational awareness to help safeguard NATO territory.

This incident reflects ongoing Russian aggression and heightened military activity across Eastern Europe and the High North – the UK will continue to stand firm with its allies, united in the defence of NATO." - United Kingdom Ministry of Defence

🇺🇸🇨🇺⚡️- Cuba's Ambassador to the United States says they are open to changes to their economy and government, but does not believe the US is participating in good faith.

🇺🇸🇨🇳⚡️- The US Justice Department has indicated four of the world's largest shipping container manufacturing companies (CIMC, Singamas, Shanghai Universal Logistics Equipment Co. Ltd, CXIC Group Containers Co.) for conspiracy to restrict container production output and price fixing for nearly all of the world's non-refrigerated shipping containers for over 4 years, between November 2019 and at least January 2024.

According to the DOJ, standard shipping containers doubled in price between 2019 and 2021 as a result of the scheme. CIMC's annual profit increased from $19.8 million USD in 2019 to about $288 million USD in 2020, to about $1.75 billion USD in 2021, an 8,738% profit increase.

The DOJ has indicted 7 executives and 4 companies. One of the suspects, a citizen of China, has already been arrested in France, and his extradition is pending. Five of the six other defendants are from China, meaning they are unlikely to ever face court or arrest. The sixth member is believed to be a resident of Singapore. Singapore does have an extradition treaty with the US, although it has extra requirements that must be met, so it is not known how their case will end.

The DOJ alleges the following restrictions were put in place to ensure the cross-company restrictions were abided by;
- Limiting the number of shifts and hours that each production line for standard dry containers could run per day;
- Installing 87 video surveillance cameras on all 49 dry container production lines to ensure that the companies did not exceed the agreed-upon limitations;
- Not building any new container manufacturing factories;
- Establishing a fund that included a mechanism to penalize financially any cheating on the output-restriction agreement.
- In 2020, the group added an extra clause that further restricted output to specific customers, such as US and European container lessors.

🇺🇸🇵🇱🇨🇺⚡️- Polish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Radosław Sikorski, while speaking on the topic of Cuba, told reporters that his country is equipped to help Cuba transform from communism to a free market economy.

“Poland can leverage its firsthand experience from the 1989 transition and the Solidarity movement to advise Cuba through a peaceful, democratic transition and market reform,” - Radosław Sikorski.

🇺🇸🇨🇺⚡️- "we have a lot of people there, we have CIA there, we have Marco [Secretary of State Marco Rubio] there. so we have a lot of expertise in Cuba.

Its not gonna be the biggest thing we've ever done, but to a lot of people its going to be one of the most important, they've been looking for this moment for 65 years, so we'll see what happens.

In the mean time were gonna have to help them out, they have no way of living, they have no food, they have no electricity, no energy at all. But they do have great people." - President Trump.

🇺🇸⚡️- US contractors who operate a US military-owned surveillance blimp lost the blimp during a storm on Monday.

The blimp's tether cable, which keeps it connected to the ground, became tangled with other cables. While the contractors tried to untangle it, they lost control of the blimp, and it floated away.

Neither the contractors nor the Customs and Border Protection agency, which was the end user of the blimp, knew its location until Mexico's military found it inside Mexico and alerted them.

US Customs and Border Protection uses these blimps as a cheap method of border surveillance, often mounted with small radars or cameras to surveil large border zones for smugglers, drones, or other aircraft used by cartels.

🇺🇸🇹🇼⚡️- President Trump has again stated he will speak with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.

A US President has not directly spoken to a Taiwanese President, at least to the public's knowledge, since 1979, when the US and China established diplomatic relations and officially recognised Beijing as the only legal government of China. US-Taiwan relations have only been informal since. Meaning official and direct communication between the two leaders would be a significant step.

🇺🇸⚡️- New Mexico State Police announced that when responding to a suspected overdose call, three of the four people inside the house were dead. The remaining occupant and the first 18 responders were exposed to the substance, suspected of causing the overdose, and began experiencing symptoms, including nausea and dizziness. All 19 who were exposed to the substance have been quarantined at a hospital.

"NMSP Leading HazMat Investigation Following Deadly Exposure at Mountainair Residence

At approximately 11:00 a.m., the New Mexico State Police responded to 306 Hanlon Ave. in Mountainair, New Mexico, to assist the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office with what was initially believed to be a suspected overdose involving an unidentified substance.

Four individuals inside the residence were found unresponsive. Three of the four individuals are now deceased.

During the response, 18 first responders were exposed to the substance and began experiencing symptoms, including nausea and dizziness. The occupant and 18 first responders were transported to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where they are currently being quarantined, evaluated, and monitored. Two first responders are currently listed in serious condition.

Albuquerque Fire Rescue HazMat teams are assisting at the scene in efforts to identify the substance involved. At this time, investigators believe the substance may be transmitted through contact and do not believe it to be airborne.

There is currently no threat to the public. A secure perimeter has been established, and the affected area remains limited to the residence." - New Mexico State Police.

🇮🇳⚡️- India is postponing the 4th India-Africa summit due to the Ebola outbreak.

🇨🇩⚡️- The Ebola outbreak has spread to M23's zones of control, per M23 officials.

🇫🇷🇺🇲🇮🇷⚡️- The French government believes the crisis in the Middle East will last longer than other nations believe.

The French state aid to gas for fishing and farming industries has been prolonged by three months. France has unlocked 710M€ of additional public aid to lower the effects of the gas crisis.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- The U.S. depleted much of its inventory of advanced missile-defense interceptors defending Israel from Iranian strikes during the war, according to The Washington Post.

The report says the U.S. expended “far more high-end munitions” defending Israel than Israeli forces used themselves.