TO: Deirdre Frontczak

FROM: Maansi Maskai

DATE: May 21, 2022
SUBJECT: News Briefing from The New York Times as of 5/21/2022

Man Charged with Murder in Deadly California Church Shooting – (Sunday, May 15, 2022)
• 68-year-old David Chou was officially charged with counts of murder and attempted
murder, after he opened fire at the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church on 5/15.
• One individual was killed in this shooting, and five other churchgoers between the ages
of 66 and 92 were hospitalized in connection to this incident.
• Since this shooting comes not long after the Buffalo supermarket massacre, it is yet to be
seen if this recent spate in gun violence will bring about stricter federal gun regulations.

Cheney says House Republican leaders have ‘enabled’ white supremacy – (Monday, May 16,
2022)
• Representative Liz Cheney, the former No. 3 House Republican, took to Twitter to
criticize G.O.P leaders for promoting white nationalism in the wake of a racially
motivated massacre at a Buffalo supermarket.
• Her criticism comes at a point in time where many G.O.P lawmakers are incorporating
veiled references to racial grievances in their political rhetoric in an effort to better appeal
to their ultra-conservative audience.
• With mid-term elections happening later this year, it will be interesting to see how
Cheney’s stance against her party’s leaders will impact her chance of reelection to the
House of Representatives.

Biden Invokes Defense Powers in a Bid to Ease Formula Shortage – (Wednesday, May 18, 2022)
• President Biden invoked the Defense Production Act on 4/18 in an effort to address the
critical, nationwide baby formula shortage.
• This act will allow for increased baby formula production and will also lead to the
creation of “Operation Fly Formula,” which will feature the deployment of Defense
Department planes to hasten formula shipments to the United States.
• Given that this shortage is the result of supply chain issues, a recall by the baby food
manufacturer Abbott Nutrition, and F.D.A. inadequacy, it is yet to be seen what measures
lawmakers will implement to address the root cause of the shortage and ensure that it
does not happen again.

Oklahoma Legislature Passes Bill Banning Almost All Abortions – (Thursday, May 19, 2022)
• The state legislature of Oklahoma approved a bill on 5/19 that would ban nearly all
abortions beginning at fertilization, thereby becoming the nation’s most stringent
abortion law. Under this law, exceptions would only be made for rape and incest cases
that have been reported to law enforcement.
• The passage of this bill comes as many Republican-led states are racing to pass similar
abortion bans, after a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court indicated Roe v.
Wade would be overturned.
• It will be interesting to see how the Oklahoma abortion law and other similar pieces of
abortion legislation will impact childbirth, maternal mortality, and indicators of women’s
health among the American population.