Good Tuesday morning! World condemns Israeli Rafah strike after dozens of civilians killed; Mosheh talks with US drug czar about marijuana rescheduling & fentanyl epidemic; and a colon cancer blood test.

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@girl_on_couch

Can someone make this into an actual song plz just for funzies

Good morning,

Is it the song 🎶 of the summer ☀️?

TikToker Megan Boni (@Girl_On_Couch) asked if her phrase, “I’m looking for a man in finance, trust fund, 6’ 5”, blue eyes,” was just that. Her version didn’t even have music attached to it! But remixes of the viral video, dubbed ‘Man In Finance,’ are now all over the internet and being played at clubs.

• Producer/DJs, including David Guetta and Alesso, jumped in to rearrange the track.

• Record labels took notice: Boni, who is not a musician, recently signed a record deal with Capitol/Polydor/Virgin Germany.

• Behind the song: She says, “I just thought it would be funny to make a video making fun of those single girls who are always complaining about being single, but yet they want an impossible laundry list of things in a boyfriend, and by the way, that’s myself included.”

Have a good one!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

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📌 ISRAEL FACES CONDEMNATION AFTER DOZENS OF CIVILIANS KILLED IN RAFAH STRIKE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “tragic mishap” took place in an Israeli strike aimed at Hamas in the Gaza city of Rafah that led to at least 45 deaths and 250 injured according to initial reports.

The Israelis are facing condemnation from leaders around the world after the strike led to a fire in a camp housing displaced Palestinians.

THE STRIKE
Hamas has been ramping up their attacks on Israel. Earlier Sunday, Hamas sent a barrage of rockets from Gaza toward central Israel. Later that day, Israel launched what they call a “precise airstrike” in northwest Rafah which killed two senior Hamas officials. However, in the aftermath, civilian tents ignited, leading to horrific damage and dozens of casualties.

• Videos on social media show tents engulfed in flames and burned bodies being recovered from the wreckage.

• An Israeli official tells the New York Times reports that an initial investigation concluded that the strike, or shrapnel from it, may have ignited a flammable substance at the site.

In a speech yesterday, Netanyahu said Israel is investigating, adding that “despite our best effort, not to harm those not involved, unfortunately a tragic mishap happened last night.” He noted Hamas’ goal of increased Palestinian civilian casualties. “For us, every uninvolved civilian who is hurt is a tragedy. For Hamas it’s a strategy.”

There is a debate as to whether the strike took place in a designated humanitarian safe zone. The International Rescue Committee and Hamas say yes. The IDF released a map to dispute that assertion.

WORLD REACTS
The incident took place just days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah, if it will lead to the partial or total destruction of the city. However, the ruling appears to be ambiguous, and some of the court’s judges said Israel could still conduct Rafah operations under the terms of their decision.

• Following the strike, the White House is assessing whether the Israeli airstrike violated Biden's “red line.”

• In France, President Emmanuel Macron expressed outrage, and called for an immediate ceasefire.

• German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said, “Israel has crossed the line” and the strike was “incompatible with international law.”

📌 US DRUG CZAR ON OVERDOSE CRISIS, FENTANYL AND MARIJUANA

Dr. Rahul Gupta, President Biden’s drug czar, believes we may have turned the corner when it comes to the overdose crisis in the US, with the recent 3% decrease in 2023.

“The policies we have enacted seem to be having the effect (of lowering overdoses,” Gupta told Mosheh, in the latest edition of the Mo News: Interview podcast, noting that the Biden administration drug policies have saved at least 40,000 lives.

Gupta, who runs the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, discussed the growing substance abuse and addiction epidemic, the explosion of fentanyl on the streets, and the administration’s proposal to reschedule marijuana as a Schedule III drug.

🎧 Our full conversation is available on the ‘Mo News: The Interview’ podcast. Apple | Spotify 🎧

OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC
In the last decade, overdose deaths have about doubled — a lot of that is driven by the synthetic opioid fentanyl. However, in 2023, the number of overdose deaths appear to have plateaued in the US.

• Gupta says a multifaceted strategy targeting supply, demand and treatment is helping. “In any large epidemic you are going to see [the number of deaths] going up then you will start to see flattening. If things are working, then you'll see decline.”

  • Universal access to Narcan, which he says every household should have (like a fire extinguisher), will save more lives.

• Though, he added that deaths are “only the tip of the iceberg. Underneath that is the entire about 48 million Americans who are suffering from substance abuse disorder.”

  

WHAT ABOUT MARIJUANA
A new analysis finds that daily marijuana use has become more common in the US than drinking—with 24 states now legalizing it for recreational use. At the same time, the cannabis of today is not the cannabis of the 1980s, and Gupta acknowledged that.

• Gupta noted that, “THC concentrations are extremely high these days,” but the recent administration move to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug (like tylenol, ketamine, and anabolic steroids) will help with that. It will enable the FDA to study the effects of THC concentrations and regulate them.

🎧 Our full conversation is available on the ‘Mo News: Interview’ podcast. Apple | Spotify 🎧

🔬 BLOOD TEST TO DETECT COLON CANCER NEARS FDA APPROVAL

An FDA advisory panel recommended last week that the agency approve a blood test that can detect colon cancer. It comes as colorectal cancer cases have jumped in younger people.

WHAT’S THE TEST
The Shield blood test, made by Guardant Health, is already available, but full FDA approval (expected later this year) could broaden availability.

• The tests detect colorectal cancer by finding DNA shed by tumors in blood samples. It’s for people ages 45+ at average risk of cancer. The blood sample can be drawn at a doctor’s visit and does not require any advance preparation.

  • Does it work? Clinical trial results show that the test detects about 90% of colorectal cancer patients who would have been flagged with a colonoscopy. About the same percent of patients without cancer tested negative on the blood test.

  • Bottom line: It’s much better than nothing, and is seen as first step that should be used in tandem with traditional tests.

• Speaking of colonoscopies, the test remains the gold standard for screening. But it requires days of prep. Another option is at-home stool sample tests.

Mo News Podcast: A daily conversation about the news that matters.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Closing arguments, jury instructions and maybe a verdict? Major week looms in Trump hush money trial (AP)

📌 Air Force unveils photos of B-21 Raider in flight as first-of-its-kind nuclear stealth bomber moves closer to deployment (CBS NEWS)

📌 Trump's longshot Libertarian nomination bid halted by party chair (AXIOS)

📌 Over a dozen dead after tornadoes, severe storms batter 4 states as storms move east (USA TODAY)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Papua New Guinea fears thousands buried after landslide (BBC)

📌 Iran further increases its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, watchdog says (AP)

📌 US expected to lift ban on offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia (FINANCIAL TIMES)

📌 Weapons are on the way, US lawmakers tell Taiwan during visit after Chinese military drills (NBC NEWS)

📌 Chasing cheese wheels or lugging sacks of wool, UK competitors embrace quirky extreme races (AP)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Polling finds that every generation thinks America was “great” in the decade they turned 11 years old (WASHINGTON POST) [All think “right now” is the worst for every category]

📌 TSA sets new record for number of travelers screened in a single day (CBS NEWS)

📌 Elon Musk’s xAI firm valued at $24 billion as investors pledge more money (CNN)

📌 Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg defends administration building only 8 EV charging stations in 2+ years, despite 500K goal (FOX BUSINESS)

📌 Boutique airline launching this week caters to dogs first, humans second (NPR)

📌 Tattoos found to increase risk of developing lymphoma by 21%, new study finds (PEOPLE)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Nicki Minaj back on stage after arrest in Amsterdam for carrying drugs, claims officials 'took my bags without consent' (ABC NEWS)

📌 Hall of Famer Bill Walton, 2-time champ at UCLA and in NBA, dies (ESPN)

📌 Watch North West make her The Lion King Concert debut (ET)

📌 Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Daughter Vivienne, 15, drops Pitt and adds Jolie in The Outsiders Playbill (PEOPLE)

📌 Britney Spears claims her jewelry was stolen: ‘It’s all gone’ (PAGE SIX)

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🗓 ON THIS DAY: MAY 28

• 1934: The first quintuplets to have survived their infancy, the Dionne quintuplets, were born in Ontario, Canada.

  • The government gained custody of the girls. They were put in a hospital, called “Quintland,” where tourists visited them. Their father regained custody in 1941 and in 1998 the sisters successfully sued the government for separating them from their parents.

• 1937: Adolf Hitler launches new state-owned auto brand: Volkswagen. The mission: to build an affordable car for every German, initially dubbed the “Strength-Through-Joy” car. The vehicle would later be rebranded the VW Beetle in 1959 to make it more appealing to consumers.

• 1969: Neil Diamond releases ‘Sweet Caroline.’

• 1999: ‘Notting Hill,’ starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, opened in theaters in the US.

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