Depp Wins Trial, Another Mass Shooting, Shanghai Reopens

Your Daily Debrief

June 2nd, 2022

Good morning, and welcome to your Thursday! It’s National Moonshine Day, and here’s what we have for you:

Today’s Highlights

Johnny Depp wins defamation trial against Amber Heard
Another mass shooting in Tulsa medical building
Shanghai reopens after months of lockdown meant to curb Omicron

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Johnny Depp wins defamation case against Amber Heard

The jury in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial voted unanimously in favor of Depp on Tuesday, finding that Heard calling the actor a sexual abuser in an op-ed she published in the Washington Post was, in fact, defamation.

While the seven-person jury found that Depp was defamed by his ex-wife, it also found that Heard was defamed by one of Depp’s lawyers. As a result, the jury awarded Depp a total of $15 million ($10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages), and awarded Heard $2 million. Depp’s total damages were brought to $10.4 million when Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Penney Azcaratehe reduced his punitive damages from the awarded $5 million to $350,000, which is the state’s legal limit. The verdict marked an end to a much-publicized trial in Fairfax, Virginia, which was brought about when Depp sued Heard for $50 million and she counter-sued him for $100 million.

In a statement posted to Instagram after the verdict, Depp said that “the jury gave me life back,” and ended with the phrase “Veritas numquam perit,” which in Latin translates to: “Truth never perishes.” Heard also posted a statement in which she wrote, “The disappointment I feel today is beyond words,” and said the verdict sets back women and the treatment of domestic violence victims.

Another mass shooting in Tulsa medical building

Five people on Wednesday were reported dead in a mass shooting at the Saint Francis Health System medical facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Tulsa police department in a statement said that the gunman–who they believed killed himself–arrived at the hospital before 5pm local time armed with several weapons, including a rifle and a handgun. Tulsa police Captain Richard Meulenberg told reporters outside the hospital that several people were wounded and that "some unfortunately were killed,” adding that it was a "catastrophic scene in there right now." Saint Francis Health System locked down its campus due to the shooting that unfolded on the second floor of the Natalie Building, which houses an outpatient surgical center and a breast health center.

Wednesday’s shooting in Tulsa comes eight days after the shooting that killed 19 children and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary School in Texas, and eighteen days after 10 people were killed in a racially-motivated shooting at a Buffalo supermarket located in a predominantly-Black neighborhood.

Shanghai reopens after months of lockdown meant to curb Omicron

Nearly 25 million people in Shanghai are free from lockdown after the Chinese government lifted heavy Covid restrictions that lasted two months long.

The major Chinese commercial hub had been closed down in sections starting in late March, when the highly-contagious Omicron variant incited the worst outbreak of COVID-19 that China had seen since the start of the pandemic in 2020. In recent weeks, Shanghai’s government had gradually begun to relax some rules, and on Wednesday, authorities started allowing people in low-risk areas to move around the city without any restrictions. In a statement on social media, the Shanghai municipal government said, “This is a moment that we have been looking forward to for a long time…Because of the impact of the epidemic, Shanghai, a megacity, entered an unprecedented period of silence.”

Throughout the city on Wednesday, businesses and factories prepared to restart operations after being shut down for weeks, while workers removed barricades on the streets that were put in place to prevent residents from leaving their homes.

Around the Globe

Hurricane Agatha struck the Mexican state of Oaxaca, killing 11 and leaving over 20 missing
Russia’s Gazprom cut off its gas supply to Denmark’s Orsted and to Shell Energy for its contract to supply gas to Germany after the latter two companies refused to pay in roubles
WHO says the rapid appearance of Monkeypox in 30 countries where the virus typically doesn’t circulate suggests it had been spreading undetected

On the Homefront

30-year fixed mortgage rates rise to 5.47% on Tuesday after easing for three weeks
Elon Musk says Tesla and SpaceX employees must return to working in the office or find work elsewhere
The Biden administration will cancel all student debt from defunct Corinthian colleges in the U.S. government's largest-ever single student-debt cancellation

Glitz and Games

Netflix declares their movies must be “bigger, better, and fewer” as the streaming company grapples with lagging subscriber growth and increasing competition
Boston Red Sox Cable Network channel NESN becomes the first regional sports network to let viewers stream live games without a paid TV subscription
Bollywood singer KK dies after performing at a music festival in Kolkata

Money Moves

Major indexes in the stock market nosedived before turning up to close trading at slightly lower than neutral levels (Dow -0.54%, Nasdaq -0.72%, S&P 500 -0.75$)
Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg announces she will resign in the fall after 14 years at the social media company
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon warns that consumers have 6 to 9 months of spending power in their bank accounts before an economic “hurricane” hits the US

Tip & Tricks

Bump This: To get in the spirit of National Moonshine Day, check out this appropriately-named playlist on Spotify
Say What: More than one-third of Americans making at least $250,000 per year say they are living paycheck-to-paycheck
Trip Out: Canada temporarily legalizes small amounts of illicit drugs in British Columbia as part of a three-year experiment to reduce overdose deaths
Hot Goss: The company which controls the Elvis Presley estate orders Las Vegas chapel operators to stop using Elvis in themed ceremonies
Life Hack: Sleeping with a pillow between your legs helps alleviate back pain by keeping your pelvis neutral and preventing your spine from rotating during the night

Question of the day

Would you rather spend a whole week stuck on a bus or inside an airplane cabin? Weigh in on the debate here:

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Looking Back…

On June 2nd, 1941, American baseball player Lou Gehrig, nicknamed “the Iron Horse” for setting the record for number of consecutive games played, died at 37...two years after being diagnosed with ALS.⁠