From reports of the job market leveling out to Hong Kong’s new COVID clusters – Here’s your June 6 news briefing

From reports of the job market leveling out to Hong Kong’s new COVID clusters – Here’s your June 6 news briefing

To start off, we’re looking into:

There are signs that the job market is leveling out

For months, there has been talk of the Great Resignation, with chatter about how there isn’t enough staff and that bosses will keep you around so long as you have a pulse and send one or two emails out per day. Even Wall Street veterans like JP Morgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon, who was firmly against any WFH situation, have allowed their workforces to operate on a hybrid model moving forward to keep employees happy.

But now, it seems as if the glory days for workers are coming to an end. With economic fears looming over the heads of corporate execs, as many worry that the Fed can’t tamp down inflation without sparking a recession and supply chain woes continue to plague boardroom discussions, there are now more reports of hiring and wage hikes being paused and job slashes making it to headlines. Experts say that more employers may start issuing ultimatums like the one Elon Musk issued on Friday, demanding workers come back to the office or find elsewhere to work.

France’s Macron says it’s important to avoid humiliating Putin

Macron Putin
FILE PHOTO: France’s President Emmanuel Macron attends a news conference with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured) at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Throughout the Russian invasion of Ukraine, France’s President Macron has spoken to Russia’s Putin numerous times to try to come to a deal and negotiate a ceasefire. This is in contrast to the US and UK, both of which have not kept up a direct dialogue with Putin. Speaking to French media, Macron said that Putin had “made a historic and fundamental error for his people, for himself and for history.” But he repeated the importance that we avoid humiliating Russia, saying that Putin had isolated himself and the country and would need a path to get out.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hit back, saying that Russia is humiliating itself.

Will the US buy Iranian oil?

US Iran
FILE PHOTO: Storage tanks are seen at Marathon Petroleum’s Los Angeles Refinery, which processes domestic & imported crude oil into California Air Resources Board (CARB), gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products, in Carson, California, U.S., March 11, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan

Gas prices are going up all over the world, and the US is looking for places other than Russia to get that extra fuel. One potential source could be Iran – a country that the US has imposed sanctions against.

Up until now, much of the discussion has hinged around the Iran Nuclear Deal, which basically would be an agreement that the US lift some sanctions on Iran in exchange for Iran slowing down or giving up its nuclear program. But, talks between Iran and other world powers have been on the back burner since March.

But the head of Vitol’s Asia branch, Mike Muller, said the US might look to even turn a blind eye to waiting for a deal with Iran because of the political pressure caused by high gas prices.

To end, we’ll look into:

Tiger King’s “Doc” Antle arrested

Name ANTLE, BHAGAVAN Booked 6/3/2022 2:38 PM Status Still Incarcerated

Do you remember that early phase of the pandemic where everyone was making sourdough and watching “Tiger King?” Well, you may not have touched that sourdough starter that’s been in your freezer for two years, but when it comes to “Tiger King,” there’s news.

One of the stars of the show, Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, was arrested by the FBI over the weekend and will appear in court on Monday to face money laundering charges, according to an anonymous source familiar with the matter.

PETA, a US-based animal rights group, claims to have initially sparked the interest in Antle’s antics, urging the IRS to probe Antle’s Rare Species Fund, a fund that was supposed to go towards wildlife conservation but which they claimed was really being used to fund one of Antle’s for-profit safari sites.

This is far from the first bout of legal trouble Antle has faced – right now, he’s looking down the barrel of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife, as well as 13 counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act (ESA), plus a bunch of other animal cruelty charges. Since 1989, Antle has accrued more than a whopping 35 USDA violations for animal maltreatment.

“It’s fitting that ‘Doc’ Antle is behind bars after years of locking up the endangered animals he uses in tawdry photo ops. His legal woes are mounting, as PETA recently blew the whistle on his apparent ‘charity’ scam, and the end to his reign of terrorizing tiger cubs can’t come soon enough,” said the associate director of PETA’s Captive Animal Law Enforcement branch, Debbie Metzler, in a statement.

In other news …

💲That inflation report: The big thing everyone is waiting for is the upcoming US consumer price index and sentiment reports coming out this Friday. Some are expecting the CPI  to be cooler than in April, which will confirm suspicions that inflation’s peaked and help investors feel better. Others aren’t too convinced.

🇷🇺Russia-Ukraine: After Biden said that the US would be sending long-range weapons to Kyiv, at least five missiles hit the capital on Sunday, with Putin saying that if the West does arm Ukraine, Russia will expand the list of targets it will attack in Ukraine.

🇭🇰COVID in Hong Kong: Hong Kong is facing a bumpy road to reopening after experiencing its fifth COVID wave. The city has found clusters around Central as well as imported cases, with a total of 515 reported cases on Sunday.

🇨🇳A former CCP city chief and markets regulator, Tong Daochi, has been sentenced to death in China after being found guilty of taking more than 270 million yuan (US$40 million) in bribes during his time in both positions, telling people that he would help with their stock listings, for example, in exchange for some extra cash.

📧Elon’s activities: Elon Musk told everyone at Tesla last week that “Everyone at Tesla is required to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week.” He added: “Moreover, the office must be where your actual colleagues are located, not some remote pseudo office. If you don’t show up, we will assume you have resigned.” He also sent a company email saying that he would cut 10% of salaried workers and instead rely on more hourly workers because he had a “super bad feeling” about the economy. Biden dismissed Musk’s economic concerns, saying that Ford was hiring and “lots of luck on his trip to the moon.”

🎄“All I Want for Christmas is You” is mine: Mariah Carey is being sued over her hit “All I Want for Christmas is You” after songwriter Andy Stone says he co-wrote a song with the same name five years earlier. Even though the two songs don’t sound the same, Stone says Carey caused confusion and didn’t ask him for permission.

🍼Baby formula production ramps up: One of Abbott’s biggest baby formula plants in the US, which is also linked to the national supply crisis of the powder, is restarting operations after being closed down for a few months due to a contamination problem.

Written and put together by Jake Shropshire, Christine Dulion and Krystal Lai