Happy Earth Day!

Mike Bloomberg Contributes Additional $5.5 Million to United Nations Climate Change Secretariat to Again Fill United States Federal Funding Gap (Bloomberg Philanthropies)
On this Earth Day, Mike announced that for the second year in a row he will make up the funding gap left by the United States federal government and provide $5.5 million to the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat to ensure it can continue its critical work empowering countries to meet the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.

Earth Day Headlines (Hat tip: Axios):
–Waikiki Flood Concerns Spur Push for Hawaii Shore Protection (Associated Press)
–U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Weren’t Built for Climate Change (Bloomberg)
–Earth Matters: “Everybody living in India is a smoker” due to pollution (CBS News)
–The Best Thing You Can Do On Earth Day is Sit Perfectly Still (Quartz)

Mueller Did His Job, and Now It’s Our Turn (Bloomberg Opinion – Mike Bloomberg)
“Americans have not seen the full Mueller report. But we have seen more than enough. The warning I delivered at the 2016 Democratic National Convention — Donald Trump is not fit for office — is now clearer than ever.

In any case, impeachment at this point should not be necessary. The American people will soon have an opportunity to render the verdict they see fit — in the 2020 election.”

Violence Scars Sri Lanka, the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” (Bloomberg Balance of Power)
Sri Lanka’s beauty belies a bloody past which burst into view in Easter Sunday’s deadly attacks that killed 300 people. The government says the blasts were carried out by suicide bombers from a hitherto little-known local jihadist group.

This violence should not be conflated with the three-decade civil war that resulted in more than 100,000 deaths. The Easter attacks were focused rather on Christians and on foreigners. The terror group blamed was not an active player in the civil unrest.

Trump Administration Opposes Military Intervention in Iran (Axios)

Funny Enough: Ukrainian TV Comic Wins Presidency in Landslide (Bloomberg)
See also: The 6 wackiest moments from Ukraine’s presidential race (Politico)

Mission Impossible: How 11 People Try to Stop Fake News in World’s Largest Election (Bloomberg)

The Giants at the Heart of the Opioid Crisis (New York Times)

Look Both Ways: What Is The Number One Killer Of People Ages 5 to 29? (Forbes)

New York City’s Population is Shrinking (Bloomberg)

Who Is Running New York City? (New York Times Op-Ed)

Boeing’s Troubles Continue: Another Boeing Model is Under Scrutiny (New York Times)
Workers at a 787 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina have complained of defective manufacturing, debris left on planes and pressure to not report violations.

Best of late night.

On Attorney General William Barr’s news conference preceding the release of the Mueller report:

“Now, if you’ve got nothing to hide, why do you have to set up the report first? ‘Officer, before I open the trunk of this car, I’d like to first give a short speech about what you’re about to smell.’”
— Stephen Colbert

On the Mueller report being shared with members of Congress via CD-ROM:

“They got the Mueller report the same way we all got Encarta. Seriously, this is how the government handles one of the most anticipated documents in recent history? Was it a report or did they just send Congress a mixtape?”
— Seth Meyers, referring to the digital encyclopedia

“Disney is expected to unveil a ‘Beauty and The Beast’ themed bar at one of its Florida resorts this fall. The way it works is: everyone there is a beast, and then 3 drinks in, they look like a beauty.”
— Seth Meyers

“Singapore’s Changi airport has added a new terminal that contains a hedge maze, an indoor forest and the world’s tallest waterfall. Meanwhile, LaGuardia’s indoor waterfall is only as tall as the ceiling.”
— Seth Meyers