Good morning. It's Wednesday, June 2, and we're covering updated rules at the Vatican, a billion-dollar Supreme Court decision, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at hello@join1440.com.

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NEED TO KNOW

Vatican Rule Rewrite

Pope Francis signed off on a raft of changes to the Vatican's Code of Canon Law yesterday, including explicitly penalizing the sexual abuse of adults by priests. The updates also allow laypeople in the church—e.g., staff in church offices or schools—to be punished or fired for such offenses. The rewrite marks the biggest change to the church's internal legal system since changes were made under Pope John Paul II in 1983.

Notably, the revision limits the discretion of ordained officials in deciding how or whether to investigate rumors of abuse against children or adults. Bishops—those who oversee multiple local congregations—can be held accountable for failing to report cases to church authorities. Pope Francis vowed to strengthen the church's stance against sexual misconduct after a November report found now-defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was continuously promoted despite abusing seminarians (priests in training) for decades.  

The new rules do not require officials to report incidents to law enforcement (though previous Vatican documents urge clergy to do so). 

Drilling Halted in Alaska's ANWR

The Biden administration moved yesterday to suspend oil and gas operations in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, pending a reevaluation of the environmental impact of drilling in the region. The decision reverses a Trump-era directive opening a small slice of the area for exploration.

Drilling access in the protected region has been a contentious issue for more than five decades. A provision tucked in a 2017 tax reform package opened roughly 1.5 million acres—or about 8% of the area (see map)—for exploration. While plans limited the surface footprint of facilities to 2,000 acres, critics countered the allowance could support a drilling network spanning the entire 1.5 million acres. 

Studies estimate roughly 6 billion barrels of oil are recoverable from the area (the US consumes about 20 million barrels daily). The Trump administration issued a number of leases covering roughly 400,000 acres in late January. 

Baby Powder Appeal

The Supreme Court declined to hear a Johnson & Johnson appeal Tuesday, leaving in place a more than $2B civil judgment in favor of women who alleged they developed ovarian cancer from the company’s talcum-based baby powder products. 

More than 20 women brought the product-liability claim against the company in 2015 alleging the talc powders contained asbestos and other carcinogens, which can cause ovarian cancer, and that J&J had been aware of the issue for decades. The company maintained its talc products did not contain asbestos and argued they should not have had to defend against women from 12 different states in a single trial, each with different backgrounds and factors that may have contributed to cancer development. The company has stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the US and Canada citing reduced demand. 

The court rejected the appeal in a brief written order, leaving in place the Missouri state court verdict. Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh did not participate in the consideration due to conflict-of-interest concerns. 

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Brought to you by NIPYATA!

> Leaders of all four tennis Grand Slam tournaments pledge to address players' mental health concerns in wake of Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from French Open (More) | Portland's Damian Lillard sets NBA postseason record for three-pointers (12) in 147-140 loss to Denver (More)

> Warner Bros. Discovery is new name of WarnerMedia and Discovery entertainment company that was combined in $43B deal last month (More) 

> Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to return in April 2022 after postponing 2020 and 2021 festivals (More) | Alamo Drafthouse, movie theater chain that announced bankruptcy in March, announces plans for five new locations (More)

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Science & Technology

> Meat producing giant JBS hit with ransomware attack, forcing temporary closure of all US beef plants; company represents roughly 20% of US beef production, says operations will resume today (More)

> Moderna seeks full approval of COVID-19 vaccine in the US; drug is currently under emergency use authorization (More) | World Health Organization authorizes China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in effort to get shots to low-income countries (More) | Digital vaccine passports go into effect in seven European countries (More)

> Twitter rolls out Tomorrow, a partnership with veteran meteorologists to provide local weather news; $10-per-month service to debut in 16 North American cities (More)

Business & Markets

> The Wall Street Journal’s annual ranking shows CEO compensation of S&P 500 companies increased for fifth straight year to average of $13.4M in 2020 (More, $$)

> Oil surges to highest level in two years as OPEC agrees to gradually ease production cuts as demand returns (More)

> Videoconferencing giant Zoom shares up as revenues surge 191% over last year, company exceeds earnings expectations (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu near agreement on unity government; face midnight deadline to finalize proposal to oust the longtime leader (More)

> Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signals he will suspend the state Legislature's pay following a Democratic walkout that prevented the passage of an election reform and voting rights bill (More)

> Biden administration ends "Remain in Mexico" policy; program kept any migrants seeking US asylum at the southern border in Mexico while their applications were considered (More) | Decision comes as the number of migrant arrivals hits decadelong high, with almost 180,000 arrivals estimated in the month of May (More)

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ETCETERA

Visualizing the world's mounting government debt.

America's most (and least) healthy states during 2020.

A 7-year-old Florida boy swims for an hour to save family.

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Up-close portraits of bee faces.

California teen shoves grizzly to protect pups.

When you know who the favorite child is.

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Clickbait: Unlocking the secrets of the wandering meatloaf.

Historybook: First, first lady Martha Washington born (1731); Indian Citizenship Act is signed into law in the US (1924); Baseball legend Babe Ruth retires (1935); Queen Elizabeth II is coronated (1953); HBD soccer star Abby Wambach (1980).

"It's a heavy burden to look up at the mountain and want to start the climb."

- Abby Wambach

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