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Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger reunite with the cast of 'Kindergarten Cop' in new video | NME
Arnold Schwarzenegger joined the cast of Kindergarten Cop for a new reunion video to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the film's release.
The call began with a handful of the actors who played the students of Schwarzenegger, who played a detective going undercover as a pre-school teacher in the 1990 comedy flick.
Krystle and Tiffany Mataras (Tina and Rina), Brian Wagner (William) Christian Cousins (Dominic), Miko Hughes (Joseph) and Adam Wylie (Larry) all appeared.
Schwarzenegger surprised his former castmates by jumping into the call midway through. The group then shared memories from the film and discussed their current lives and projects.
Schwarzenegger enters at the 35:26 mark of the video, which can be watched in full below.
'That is the funniest thing to see all of you guys,' Schwarzenegger said upon entering the call.
'I got a phone call two or three hours ago and it said 'Ware going to have a chat with six of the kids from Kindergarten Cop '...and I said 'that is fantastic, what a great idea!''
Notably, Schwarzenegger discussed the genesis of the film's most iconic line: 'It's not a tumour'.
'Because of my accent and because of the way I say things, the kids were laughing...instead of being scared,' Schwarzenegger recalled.
'So [director] Ivan Reitman ran over to me afterwards and he says, 'I'm going to print that, I'm going to keep that, this is a winner because if the kids laugh at the way you sound, then I think the audience will laugh too' and that's exactly what happened'.
Most of the child actors present revealed that they no longer work in the entertainment industry full time, with Christian Cousins and the Mataras sisters pivoting into business roles.
Adam Wylie, who portrayed Larry in Kindergarten Cop, continues to act and is also a self-described 'world champion' magician. In 2021, he is set to appear in an episode of the television series, Lucifer.
Kindergarten Cop came in at number nine on NME's ranking of Arnold Schwarzenegger's 10 best movies - see what else made the list.
In October, Schwarzenegger updated his fans on his health after undergoing his third heart operation to receive a new aortic valve, saying he felt 'fantastic'.
Europe stands trembling as COVID-19 affects all sectors of our societies. The risks of the disease spreading come at a high price as the pandemic puts enormous pressure on the health care systems throughout the European continent. But the consequences of the crisis following the outbreak of COVID-19 cannot be counted in mere numbers of infections, deaths or its impact on the global economy. The crisis is also a threat to democracy and to the European Security Order.
The perception of a normal situation depends on andchanges with the societal circumstances. Due to the ongoing pandemic, some restrictions of our everyday lives that would have appeared bizarre otherwise is now necessary to hinder any further spread of the disease and therefore considered as part of the new normal. But adjusting to the new situation does not imply that we should set democratic principles aside and let the Security Order be trampled on.
If permanent and pervasive measures are adopted in times of crisis, risks are that the world we return to after the crisis is less democratic than we are used to.
The European Security Order, as it is stipulated in the Helsinki Final Act from 1975, is based on principles of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and emphasizes the importance of territorial integrity and sovereign equality.
The declaration, which was signed by the nations of Europe, the US, UK, Canada, and the Soviet Union, acknowledges that conflicts should be settled in a peaceful way, that people have equal rights and that they are free to determine the political status of their country without interference.
Due to COVID-19, principles of the Helsinki Final Act are put to the test as countries are forced to take measures to deal with the virus. European countries have put restrictions on the freedom of assembly and increased surveillance of its citizens.
The separation of powers has been set aside in favour of the governments in order to act forcefully in response to the crisis, and national elections have been postponed to hinder the virus spreading. Basically, coronavirus and the related crisis has put the democratic based world order under pressure.
It is no secret that authoritarian leaders often take advantage of emergencies – whether they be wars, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or in this case, a pandemic. Cases of this opportunistic approach have already been demonstrated in Europe, as leaders in Hungary and Poland have used COVID-19 as a pretext to strengthen their authorities.
Russia shows another prominent example; while most of the world and the Russian population were occupied with the coronavirus pandemic, proposed amendments to the Russian constitution which allows for President Vladimir Putin to rule the country until 2036 were approved by the Constitutional Court and adopted by the State Duma.
The European Security Order was brought under intense pressure when Russia illegally annexed the Crimea peninsula, hence sidelining the principles of respect for territorial integrity. The response to the deployment of Putin’s “little green men” (Russian special troops) from the international community was clear: the actions that were taken by Russia in Crimea and eastern Ukraine were illegal and must be condemned.
Looking back, it is clear that the efforts to monitor the conflict and to call attention to Russia’s violation of the principles of territorial integrity and sovereign equality have been crucial to hinder any further attempts to gain ground in Lugansk and Donetsk. Essentially, what the international community pointed out in 2014, was that the European Security Order must be protected.
Armed conflicts in Europe continue, despite the ongoing pandemic. Regrettably, less attention is brought to the conflict areas as news agencies, politicians and international organisations are occupied with COVID-19 and the measure related to the pandemic. As a result of this, conflicts are at risk of growing uncontrollable while the humanitarian situation in the conflict areas is worsening significantly. The efforts taken by OSCE and the UN to demand a ceasefire and to promote peace in eastern Ukraine must, therefore, continue during these challenging times.
Protecting the European Security Order is a matter of guarding the principles and values crucial to our political system and everyday life. The international co-operation, the efforts to end conflicts and the important strivings to promote human rights must proceed. Measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus, nationally as well as internationally, must be well-considered and, like the Helsinki Final Act, be based on fundamental human rights. The international community must act to protect the Security Order in every case where the pandemic is used as a pretext to deprive people of their rights.
Fighting the pandemic is now naturally a fundamental part of what we now regard as a normal, yet exceptional, situation. The exceptional situation does not, however, imply that principles of territorial integrity, human rights and fundamental freedoms could be overridden. The word echoing from 2014 applies today as well: the European Security Order must be protected.
Protecting the Security Order in times of crisis is ultimately about protecting the world we are to return to once the crisis is over.
World shares fall as Hong Kong, US-China tensions weigh
US to announce "certain decisions" on China on Friday: Trump
Trump has been pressing China to agree for an inquiry into the origin of the virus, including the allegation that it emerged from a bio-lab in the central Chinese city of Wuhan
COVID-19 CASES
Led by the US, several countries in the world have blamed China for the spread of coronavirus and its failure to provide timely information about the disease, leading to the death of over three lakh people and causing an unprecedented economic crisis.
Trump has been pressing China to agree for an inquiry into the origin of the virus, including the allegation that it emerged from a bio-lab in the central Chinese city of Wuhan
The disease has killed nearly 360,000 people globally, including 102,000 in America alone.
Over 5.8 million people have been infected by the COVID-19 worldwide with 1.7 million in the US alone.
“Tomorrow, we're going to be having a press conference on China. So, we'll be making certain decisions and we'll be discussing them tomorrow,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday.
“It's a very sad situation. It should have never happened. China should have stopped it at the source, but they didn't do that,” Trump said.
Trump in the last several weeks has been very critical of China's inability to control the spread of the novel coronavirus within its territory. He has so far not given any indication of the steps that he is contemplating taking against China.
Trump had on May 14 threatened to "cut off the whole relationship" with China.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on May 16 had said that President Trump will decide on the future course of action on penalising China, a day after Trump said that he does not want to talk to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping right now.
However, China has rejected all US allegations of a cover up regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, several US senators sent a letter to the United Nations permanent representatives for Estonia and France, the current and incoming president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in support of the US' call for an immediate UNSC meeting on recent actions taken by the Chinese government to undermine Hong Kong's autonomy.
“In your nations' capacities as the current and incoming president of the UNSC, we write to strongly support the USUN's call for an immediate UNSC meeting on recent actions taken by the Chinese government to undermine Hong Kong's autonomy and infringe on the rights and freedoms promised to the Hong Kong people,” the senators wrote in the letter.
China last week introduced the draft of a controversial national security law in Hong Kong in its parliament to tighten Beijing's control over the former British colony, in what could be the biggest blow to the territory's autonomy and personal freedoms since 1997 when it came under Chinese rule.
Hong Kong, an economic powerhouse, is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. It has observed a "one country, two systems" policy since Britain returned sovereignty to China on July 1, 1997, which has allowed it certain freedoms the rest of China does not have.
The US over the last few days has expressed concerns over the new Chinese law on Hong Kong and has indicated taking steps against it.
“The People's Republic of China's actions with regard to Hong Kong are a clear violation of its binding international commitments, including the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, and undermine the ability for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to remain in force in Hong Kong as guaranteed by Hong Kong's Basic Law,” the members said.
“These actions warrant the immediate attention of the UNSC. We hope in your capacities as the current and incoming President of the UNSC, you will support this call for a virtual meeting at the UNSC without delay,” they said in the letter.
In another statement, a bipartisan group of Congressmen applauded the House passage of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (S.3744).
This bipartisan bill is an important step in countering the totalitarian Chinese government's widespread and horrific human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), including the mass internment of over one million Uyghurs and other predominantly ethnic Turkic Muslims, as well as Beijing's intimidation and threats against US citizens and legal permanent residents on American soil. S. 3744 now goes to President Trump for signature.
“The Chinese Communist Party's actions in Xinjiang are an affront to humanity and the CCP must pay a heavy price for these heinous crimes,” said Senator Cory Gardner.
“The mass internment and forced labour of Uyghurs is one of the greatest ongoing tragedies of our time. With passage of this bill, the US Congress stated loud and clear that we will hold the CCP and its enablers responsible, pursuant to my Asia Reassurance Initiative Act and other relevant US laws,” he said.
Park Yoochun to hold a birthday party next month
“The King: Eternal Monarch” Wraps Filming After 8 Months + Confirms Finale Date
On May 29, production company Hwa & Dam Pictures announced that with just four episodes left in its run, the fantasy romance drama had finally wrapped up filming.
The company stated, “Filming [for ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’], which began in October of last year and continued over eight months, was completed on May 28. We would like to thank the cast and crew, who did their very best for the new and different parallel-universe fantasy romance ‘The King: Eternal Monarch,’ one more time for their toil.”
Hwa & Dam Pictures went on, “The drama’s unpredictable and endlessly eventful story will continue to unfold in the remaining four episodes. Please stay tuned until the very end.”“The King: Eternal Monarch” first began filming in North Chungcheong Province in October 2019, and after eight long months, the drama wrapped up its final shoot with Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun on May 28.
SBS also announced that the series finale of “The King: Eternal Monarch” will air on June 12. (As previously reported, the drama will not air in its usual time slot on Friday, May 29, meaning that the next episode will air on Saturday, May 30 instead. The following two episodes will air on June 5 and June 6 as usual.)
Are you looking forward to the finale of “The King: Eternal Monarch”—or dreading saying goodbye? Share your thoughts with us below!
Source (1) / Soompi
Kim Dong Wan suffers from sasaengs stalking his home address
'The King' to skip an episode this week
Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Lectionary: 301
Reading 1 ACTS 25:13B-21
King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea
on a visit to Festus.
Since they spent several days there,
Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying,
“There is a man here left in custody by Felix.
When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews
brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.
I answered them that it was not Roman practice
to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers
and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge.
So when they came together here, I made no delay;
the next day I took my seat on the tribunal
and ordered the man to be brought in.
His accusers stood around him,
but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected.
Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion
and about a certain Jesus who had died
but who Paul claimed was alive.
Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy,
I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem
and there stand trial on these charges.
And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody
for the Emperor’s decision,
I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”
Responsorial Psalm103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20AB
R. (19a) The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, all you his angels,
you mighty in strength, who do his bidding.
R. The Lord has established his throne in heaven.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 14:26
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 21:15-19
After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them,
he said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Prayer to make Spiritual Communion:
People who cannot communicate now make spiritual communion.At your feet, O my Jesus I bow down and offer you the repentance of my contrite heart, which abysses itself into its nothingness and Your holy presence. I adore you in the Sacrament of Your love, the ineffable Eucharist. I wish to receive you in the poor home that my heart offers you. In anticipation of the happiness of sacramental communion, I want to possess you in spirit. Come to me, oh my Jesus, that I may come to you. May Your love inflame my whole being, for life and death. I believe in you, I hope in you, I love you. So be it. Amen
Press Play on the Video Below - the Mass takes several minutes before starting
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints, with the approval of Pope Francis, published decrees advancing the causes of various holy men and women. Vatican News reports that the Pope advanced the causes for canonization of twelve holy men and women, authorizing the publication of decrees recognizing various miracles, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian missionary in El Salvador and a group of Cistercian monks in Italy.The Congregation for the Causes of the Saints recognized miracles attributed to the intercession of Venerable Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus; and to Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot, foundress of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and the Living Rosary Association. The way is now cleared for the two to be beatified.
Miracles were also attributed to three Blesseds: Charles de Foucauld, Cesare de Bus, and Maria Domenica Mantovani. The official acceptance of the miracles means that all three can now be canonized.
The Congregation also determined that Franciscan priest Cosma Spessotto was killed in odium fidei, that is, out of hatred of the faith. Father Cosma was a missionary in El Salvador who was martyred in 1980.
Finally, the Congregation recognized the martyrdom of six Cistercian monks who were killed as they tried to safeguard the Eucharist when their abbey was attacked by French soldiers during the Napoleonic wars.
The decrees on martyrdom will allow the causes of Father Cosma and the Cistercian monks to proceed.
Below, please find the text of the notification of publication of decrees from Congregation for the Causes of Saints, followed by brief biographical notices prepared by Vatican News.
Decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
On May 26, 2020, the Holy Father Francis received in audience His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. During the audience, the Supreme Pontiff authorized the same Congregation to promulgate the Decrees regarding:
- the miracle, attributed to the intercession of Blessed Cesare de Bus, priest, Founder of the Congregation of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine (Doctrinari); born on February 3, 1544 in Cavaillon (France) and died in Avignon (France) on April 15, 1607;
- the miracle, attributed to the intercession of Blessed Charles de Foucauld (known as Charles of Jesus), diocesan priest; born in Strasbourg (France) on 15 September 1858 and died in Tamanrasset (Algeria) on 1 December 1916;
- the miracle, attributed to the intercession of Blessed Maria Domenica Mantovani, Co-founder and first Superior General of the Institute of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family; born on November 12, 1862 in Castelletto di Brenzone (Italy) and died there on February 2, 1934;
- the miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Michael McGivney, Diocesan Priest, Founder of the Order of the Knights of Columbus; born on August 12, 1852 in Waterbury (United States of America) and died in Thomaston (United States of America) on August 14, 1890;
- the miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Pauline Maria Jaricot, Founder of the Works of the "Society for the Propagation of the Faith" and the "Living Rosary"; born on July 22, 1799 in Lyon (France) and died there on January 9, 1862;
- the martyrdom of the Servants of God Simeon Cardon and 5 companions, professed religious of the Cistercian Congregation of Casamari; killed in Casamari, in hatred of the Faith, between 13 and 16 May 1799;
- the martyrdom of the Servant of God Cosma Spessotto (in the world: Sante), a professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor; born in Mansué (Italy) and killed in San Juan Nonualco (El Salvador), in hatred of the Faith, on June 14, 1980.
Biographical notes
Blessed Cesare de Bus was distinguished by works of charity and zeal in preaching and catechizing. He founded the “Secular Priests of Christian Doctrine” devoted to preaching Christian doctrine. He also founded an order of women, the Daughters of Christian Doctrine, which died out in 17th century.
Blessed Charles de Foucauld was an officer in the French army. He became a Trappist monk, but left the order to live as a hermit. He was ordained to the priesthood in France, then settled in the Algerian Sahara. He evangelized the Bergers, learning their language and culture. De Foucauld was assassinated at his hermitage in 1916.
Blessed Maria Domenica Mantovani was the co-founder, with her spiritual director Fr Giuseppe Nascimbeni, of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family, dedicated to educating children and young women, and assisting the sick and elderly of the community. She became the first superior of the order, taking the name “Maria Giuseppina of the Immaculata”.
Venerable Michael McGivney was the founder of the Knights of Columbus, now the world’s largest Catholic fraternal organization. After studies in Canada and the United States, he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop James Gibbons in Baltimore. He founded the Knights of Columbus as a mutual aid society, geared especially to working men and their families. He was known for his tireless work among his parishioners. He died at the early age of 38 from pneumonia. Following Wednesday's announcement, the Knights of Columbus released a statement, where you can read more about the life of Ven Michael McGivney and the work of the Knights.
Venerable Pauline-Marie Jaricot was devoted to assisting the work of missionaries, encouraging all Catholics to involve themselves in the work of spreading the Gospel. She founded the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, dedicated to helping missionary efforts worldwide; and the Living Rosary Association, whose associates are committed to saying a decade of the Rosary each day. In 1835 she was healed of a serious illness after visiting the shrine of Saint Philomena in Italy.
The Servant of God Simeon Cardon was the prior of the Cistercian abbey in Casamari, Italy. During the Napoleonic wars, French soldiers sacked the abbey, breaking into the Church and scattering consecrated Hosts on the floor. When the Servant of God, with five fellow monks, attempted to retrieve the Hosts, they were shot by the soldiers and killed.
The Servant of God Cosma Spessotto joined the Franciscans in 1940, and was ordained eight years later. Filled with zeal for missionary work, he went to El Salvador in 1950, at the time one of the poorest nations in the Americas. He preached peace amidst the violence in the country. He was killed in 1980 as he knelt in prayer in his church. He is remembered for his love of the poor and his witness to fraternity.
Edited from VaticanNews.va
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to You, Eternal Spirit of God. / I adore the brightness of Your purity the unerring keenness of Your justice and the might of Your love. You are the Strength / and Light of my soul. In You I live and move and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart! To be kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may always watch for Your light: and listen to Your voice and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling to You and give myself to You and ask You / by Your compassion to watch over me in my weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds / and trusting in His Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart / I implore You / Adorable Spirit I Helper of my infirmity, so to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You. Give me grace O Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and everywhere / “Speak Lord for Your servant heareth.” Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me that He may perfect in my soul / the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine truth / the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with You I and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God find know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable / the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with the sign of Your true disciples / and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.
DAY 6 OF NOVENA
If Thou take Thy grace away, nothing pure in man will stay, All his good is turn'd to ill.
The Gift of Understanding
Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Spirit, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion BY faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to "walk worthy of God in all things pleasing, and increasing in the knowledge of God."
Prayer
Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.
May 29
Born:
at Silly near Poitiers, France
Died:
12 September 349 or 29 May 352 (records vary)
Patron of:
Trier, Germany
Bishop of Trier, b. at Silly near Poitiers, d. there, 29 May, 352 or 12 Sept., 349. He was educated and ordained priest by St. Agritius, whom he succeeded as Bishop of Trier in 332 or 335. At that time Trier was the government seat of the Western Emperor and, by force of his office, Maximinus stood in close relation with the Emperors Constantine II and Constans. He was a strenuous defender of the orthodox faith against Arianism and an intimate friend of St. Athanasius, whom he harboured as an honoured guest during his exile of two years and four months (336-8) at Trier. He likewise received with honours the banished patriarch Paul of Constantinople in 341 and effected his recall to Constantinople. When four Arian bishops came from Antioch to Trier in 342 with the purpose of winning Emperor Constans to their side, Maximinus refused to receive them and induced the emperor to reject their proposals. In conjunction with Pope Julius I and Bishop Hosius of Cordova, he persuaded the Emperor Constans to convene the Synod of Sardica in 343 and probably took part in it. That the Arians considered him as one of their chief opponents is evident from the fact that they condemned by name along with Pope Julius I and Hosius of Cordova at their heretical synod of Philippopolis in 343 (Mans, "Sacrorum Conc. nova et ampl. Coll.", III, 136 sq.). In 345 he took part in the Synod of Milan and is said to have presided over a synod held at Cologne in 346, where Bishop Euphratas of Cologne was deposed on account of his leanings toward Arianism. (Concerning the authenticity of the Acts of this synod see the new French translation of Hefele's "Conciliengeschichte", I, ii (Paris, 1907), pp. 830-34.) He also sent Sts. Castor and Lubentius as missionaries to the valleys of the Mosel and the Lahn. It is doubtful whether the Maximinus whom the usurper Magnentius sent as legate to Constantinople in the interests of peace is identical with the Bishop of Trier (Athanasius, "Apol. ad Const. Imp.", 9). His cult began right after his death. His feast is celebrated on 29 May, on which day his name stands in the martyrologies of St. Jerome, St. Bede, St. Ado, and others. Trier honours him as its patron. In the autumn of 353 his body was buried in the church of St. John near Trier, where in the seventh century was founded the famous Benedictine abbey of St. Maximinus, which flourished till 1802. Catholic Encyclopedia
U.S. Bishops’ Chairman for Domestic Justice and Human Development Urges Care for the Poor and Vulnerable in Further Consideration of COVID-19 Relief Legislation
May 22, 2020
WASHINGTON - Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, released a statement urging lawmakers to remember the needs of the poor and vulnerable as they consider additional relief packages related to the COVID-19 crisis. This follows the statements of Archbishop Coakley on March 12 and March 28 on the previous legislation providing emergency relief to those suffering from the impact of the coronavirus.
Archbishop Coakley’s full statement follows:
“In the readings last Sunday, we heard from St. Peter, ‘Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope...’ (1 Pt. 3:15). On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis prayed for the gift of hope while powerfully illuminating the concerns of the Church during the pandemic:
‘This is not a time for indifference, because the whole world is suffering and needs to be united in facing the pandemic. May the risen Jesus grant hope to all the poor, to those living on the peripheries, to refugees and the homeless. May these, the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters living in the cities and peripheries of every part of the world, not be abandoned. Let us ensure that they do not lack basic necessities...’[1]
“As Congress turns once more to considering additional relief related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the focus should be on those most in need—the poor, the vulnerable, and people on the margins—to offer them some hope and assistance in desperate circumstances. Since early April, some of my brother bishops and I have sent five letters to express this touchstone principle to Congress and its various committees, in contexts ranging from food security, housing, access to affordable health care, protections for the unborn, addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes, assistance for the poor and unemployed, care for migrants and refugees, safety for detainees and the incarcerated, education, international assistance and debt relief, and help for charities serving vulnerable populations.
“Additional needs have emerged such as sufficient protective equipment for all essential workers, protection of familial well-being and integrity, additional research on the link between air pollution and coronavirus health outcomes, and the need to address disruptions to the food supply chain and its impact on farmers and farmworkers, food waste and public health. We welcome the Vatican’s new commission on COVID-19. . . , and will continue our advocacy in the same mode as this critical work for the common good continues.
“In this time of trial, it is important to remember ‘the reason for our hope.’ On the Feast of the Ascension this week, we hear the resurrected Lord tell his disciples, ‘And behold, I am with you always’ (Mt. 28:20). Let us proceed in this hope, asking the Lord for wisdom on how best to respond, drawing close to our brothers and sisters in need, and finding our peace in the Lord’s promise to be with us ‘until the end of the age.’”
The recent letters of USCCB chairmen to Congress on its COVID-19 response can be found at the following links:
1. April 9, 2020, letter to Senate and House Committees on Appropriations
2. April 9, 2020, letter to Senate and House Committees on the Judiciary
3. April 9, 2020, letter to Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and House Committee on Education and Labor
4. April 9, 2020, letter to Senate Committee on Finance, House Committee on Ways and Means, and House Committee on Energy and Commerce
5. May 7, 2020, letter to all members of Congress on moral framework for health care
FULL TEXT Release USCCB - Image Source: Google Images - World Econ. Forum
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly witnesses I offer myself, soul and body to You,
Eternal Spirit of God. / I adore the brightness of Your purity the unerring keenness of Your justice
and the might of Your love. You are the Strength / and Light of my soul. In You I live and move
and am. I desire never to grieve You by unfaithfulness to grace and I pray with all my heart! To be
kept from the smallest sin against You. Mercifully guard my every thought and grant that I may
always watch for Your light: and listen to Your voice and follow Your gracious inspirations. I cling
to You and give myself to You and ask You / by Your compassion to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and looking at His Five Wounds / and trusting in His
Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and stricken Heart / I implore You / Adorable
Spirit I Helper of my infirmity, so to keep me in Your grace that I may never sin against You.
Give me grace O Holy Ghost, Spirit of the Father and the Son to say to You always and
everywhere / "Speak Lord for Your servant heareth." Amen.
PRAYER FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST
O Lord Jesus Christ Who, before ascending into heaven did promise to send the Holy Ghost to
finish Your work in the souls of Your Apostles and Disciples deign to grant the same Holy Spirit
to me that He may perfect in my soul / the work of Your grace and Your love. Grant me the Spirit
of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things
that are eternal the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Your divine
truth / the Spirit on Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining
heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude, that I may bear my cross with You I and that I may overcome with
courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God
find know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints the Spirit of Piety that I may find
the service of God sweet and amiable / the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving
reverence towards God and may dread in any way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord with
the sign of Your true disciples / and animate me in all things with Your Spirit. Amen.
DAY 5 OF NOVENA
The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth--in their relation to God.
Knowledge unmasks the pretense of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose
as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify
Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God
beyond all else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it."
Prayer
Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the
nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own
salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thy eternal rewards. Amen(Our Father and Hail Mary
ONCE. Glory be to the Father 7 TIMES. Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts)
Novena Day 1 http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/05/novena-to-holy-spirit-day-1-pentecost.html
Day 2 http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/05/holy-spirit-novena-day-2-for-pentecost.html
Day 3 http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/05/holy-spirit-novena-day-3-for-pentecost.html
Day 4 http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/05/novena-to-holy-spirit-day-4-for.html
Day 5 http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/05/novena-to-holy-spirit-day-5-for.html
Day 6 http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/05/novena-to-holy-spirit-day-6-for.html
Day 7 http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/05/novena-to-holy-spirit-day-7-for.html
Day 8 http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/05/novena-to-holy-spirit-day-8-for.html
Day 9 http://jceworld.blogspot.ca/2013/05/novena-day-9-to-holy-spirit-for.html
St. Germanus
Born:
496 at Autun, France
Died:
576
St. Germanus, the glory of the church of France in the sixth age, was born in the territory of Autun about the year 469. He was brought up in piety and learning under the care of Scapilion his cousin, a holy priest. In his youth no weather could divert him from always going to Matins at midnight, though the church was above a mile from the place of his abode. Being ordained priest by St. Agrippinus bishop of Autun, he was made abbot of St. Symphorian's in the suburbs of that city, a house since converted into a priory of regular canons. Fortunatus, bishop of Poitiers, who was well acquainted with our saint, tells us that he was favored at that time with the gifts of miracles and prophecy. It was his custom to watch great part of the night in the church in prayer, while his monks slept. One night in a dream he thought a venerable old man presented him with the keys of the city of Paris and said to him, that God committed to his care the inhabitants of that city, that he should save them from perishing. Four years after this divine admonition, in 554, happening to be at Paris when that see became vacant, on the demise of the bishop Eusebius, he was exalted to the episcopal chair, though he endeavored by many tears to decline the charge. His promotion made no alteration in his continual fasts and other austerities; and the same simplicity and frugality appeared in his dress, table, and furniture. In the evening at nine o'clock he went to the church, and staved there in prayer till after Matins, that is, in summer till about break of day His house was perpetually crowded with the poor and the afflicted. and he had always many beggars at his own table, at which no dainty meats were ever served; he took care that the souls of his guests should be refreshed at the same time with their bodies, by the reading of some pious book. God gave to his sermons a wonderful influence over the minds of ale ranks of people; so that the face of the whole city was in a very short time quite changed. Vanities were abolished, dances and profane amusements laid aside, enmities and discord extinguished, and sinners reclaimed. King Childebert, who till then had been an ambitious worldly prince, by the sweetness and the powerful discourses of the saint, was entirely converted to piety, and by his advice reformed his whole court. And so desirous did that prince become of exchanging the perishing goods of this world for eternal treasures, that, not content with making many religious foundations, to be nurseries of piety in all succeeding ages, and with sending incredible sums of money to the good bishop, to be distributed among the indigent after his coffers were drained he melted down his silver plate, and gave away the chains which he wore about his neck, begging the bishop, whom he made the steward of his charities, never to cease giving, assuring him that on his side he should never be tired with supplying all things for the relief and comfort of the distressed.
In the year 542, king Childebert, together with his brother Clotaire, making war in Spain, besieged Saragossa. The inhabitants of that city reposed a particular confidence in the patronage of St. Vincent, whose relics they carried in procession within sight of the French camp. King Childebert was moved with their devotion, and desiring to speak with the bishop of the city, promised to withdraw his army, on condition he might obtain some portion of the relics of St. Vincent. The bishop gave him the stole which that holy deacon wore at the altar. Upon which the king raised the siege, and, at his return to Paris, built a church in honor of St. Vincent, and of the Holy Cross; which is now called St. Germain's in the meadows, and stands in the suburbs of Paris. Childebert falling sick at his palace at Celles, near Melun, at the confluence of the Yon and Seine, St. Germanus paid him a visit; and when the physicians had in vain tried every thing, all human means failing, the saint spent the whole night in prayer for his recovery, and in the morning laid his hands on him; and at the same moment the king found himself perfectly healed. The king relates himself this miracle in his letters patent, in which, in gratitude to God for this benefit, he gave to the church of Paris and the bishop Germanus, the land of Celles, where he had received this favor. The good king did not long survive. As the king had chosen the church of St. Vincent for the place of his burial, the saint, assisted by six other bishops, performed the ceremony of the dedication on the 23d of December, 558, the very day on which that prince died. The king likewise had built a large monastery joining to this new church, which he endowed most liberally with the fief of Issy and other lands, on part of which a considerable suburb of Paris has been since built. This magnificent edifice was called the Golden Church, the walls being covered on the outside with plates of brass gilt, and within adorned with paintings on a rich gilt ground.1 This church was plundered by the Normans, in 845, 857, 858, and set on fire by them in 861 and 881; but rebuilt in 1014, and dedicated by pope Alexander III. in 1163. The lower part of the great tower and its gate with the statues of Clovis, Clodomir, Thierri, Childebert and his wife Ultrogotta, Clotaire, and others, seem to be as old as the time of king Childebert. This prince committed the monastery and church to the care of our saint, who placed there monks under the holy abbot Droctoveus, whom he had invited from Autun, where he had formed him to a religious life. Clotaire, who succeeded his brother Childebert, was the last of the sons of the great Clovis; and united again the four kingdoms of France into one monarchy. On his removing from Soissons to Paris, he at first seemed to treat the holy bishop coldly; but falling ill soon after of a violent fever, was put in mind by some that were about him to send for St. Germanus. He did so, and full of confidence in the power of God and the sanctity of his servant, took hold of his clothes and applied them to the parts of his body where he felt pain, and recovered immediately. From that moment he always treated the saint even with greater honor than Childebert had done. But that prince dying shortly after, in 561, his four sons, Charibert, Gontran, Sigebert, and Chilperic, divided the French monarchy into four kingdoms, in the same manner as the sons of Clovis had done. That of Paris was given to Charibert or Aribert, Gontran was king of Orleans and Burgundy, Sigebert of Austrasia, and Chilperic of Soissons. Charibert sunk into a vicious indolence, yet was obstinate and headstrong in his passions not being divested of all the prejudices of paganism, he divorced his wife Ingoberga, and took to wife Marcovesa her maid, who had worn a religious habit; and after her death, he married her sister Merofleda, Ingoberga being still living. Our saint many ways endeavored to make him sensible of the enormity of his crimes; but finding all his remonstrances lost on him, he proceeded so far as to excommunicate him and the accomplice of his sin, to hinder at least the dangerous influence of his scandalous example. The sinners were hardened in their evil courses; but God revenged the contempt of his laws and of the holy pastor as he has often done, by visible judgments; for the criminal lady fell ill and died in a few days, and the adulterous king did not long survive her, leaving by his lawful wife only three daughters, two of whom became nuns, the third, called Bertha, was married to Ethelbert, king of Kent.
Upon the death of Charibert in 570, his three brothers divided his dominions; but not being able to agree who should be master of Paris, the capital, came to an accommodation that they should hold it jointly, on condition that none of them should go into the city without the leave of the other two St. Germanus found his flock involved by this agreement in great difficulties, and the city divided into three different parties, always plotting and counterplotting against one another. He did all that the most consummate charity, prudence, and vigilance could do, to preserve the public peace; yet Sigebert and Chilperic appeared in arms, being fired by ambition, and stirred up by their wicked queens Fredegonda, wife of the latter, and Brunehaut of the former, burning with the most implacable jealousy against each other. The saint prevailed with them to suspend their hostilities for some time. At length Chilperic invaded the territories of Sigebert, but being worsted in battle, fled to Tournay. This victory left Sigebert free liberty of going to Paris with his wife Brunehaut and children, where he was received as conqueror. St. Germanus wrote to the queen, conjuring her to employ her interest with her husband to restore the peace of France, and to spare the life and fortune of a brother, whose ruin and blood would cry to heaven for vengeance. But Brunehaut's passion rendered her deaf to all remonstrances, and Sigebert was determined by her furious counsels to besiege Tournay. As he was setting out for this enterprise, he was met by St. Germanus, who told him that if he forgave his brother, he should return victorious; but if he was bent on his death, divine justice would overtake him, and his own death should prevent the execution of his unnatural design. Sigebert allowed this wholesome advice no weight; but the event showed that God had put these words in the mouth of the good bishop; for queen Fredegonda, enraged at the desperate posture of her husband's
affairs, hired two assassins, who dispatched him with poisoned daggers, while he made a halt in his march at Vitri, in 575, after he had reigned fourteen years, with some reputation of humanity, as Fortunatus tells us.
Chilperic, by his tyranny and oppressions, deserved to be styled the French Nero, as St. Gregory of Tours calls him. He sacrificed his own children by former wives to the fury of Fredegonda, but having discovered her infidelity to him, he was, by her contrivance, murdered by her gallant in 584. Fredegonda was regent of the kingdoms of Soissons and Paris for her son Clotaire III., and continued her practices and wars against Brunehaut and her son till she died, in 601. Brunehaut governed the kingdom of Austrasia for her son Childebert II., and after his death for her grandson Theodebert; but afterwards persuaded Theodoric, her second grandson, who reigned at Challons, to destroy him and his whole family in fill. The year following Theodoric died, and Clotaire II., surnamed the Great, son of Fredegonda, inheriting both their estates, accused Brunehaut before the states of putting to death ten kings and St. Desiderius, bishop of Vienne, because he had reproved her for her public scandalous lusts, and many other illustrious persons. She had at first appeared liberal, and built several churches; but afterwards became infamous for her cruelty, avarice, restless ambition, and insatiable lusts, to which she sacrificed all things, and employed both the sword and poison in perpetrating her wicked designs. Being condemned by the states, she was put to the rack during three days, and afterwards dragged to death, being tied to the tail of a wild mare; or, according to others, drawn betwixt four horses, in 613.
St. Germanus lived not to see the miserable ends of these two firebrands of their country. In his old age he lost nothing of that zeal and activity with which he had filled the great duties of his station in the vigor of his life, nor did the weakness to which his corporal austerities had reduced him, make him abate any thing in the mortifications of his penitential life, in which he redoubled his fervor as he approached nearer to the end of his course. By his zeal the remains of idolatry were extirpated in France. In the third council of Paris, in 557, he had the principal share in drawing up the canons. By his advice, king Childebert issued an edict commanding all idols to be destroyed throughout his dominions, and forbidding all indecent dances and diversions on Sundays and festivals. The saint continued his labors for the conversion of sinners till he was called to receive the reward of them on the 28th of May, 576, being eighty years old. King Chilperic composed his epitaph, in which he extols his zeal for the salvation of his people, and their affection and veneration for his person. He mentions the miracles which were wrought at his tomb, and says that sight was restored to the blind and speech to the dumb.2 He was, according to his own desire, buried in St. Symphorian's chapel, which he built at the bottom of the church of St. Vincent already mentioned. Many miracles manifested his sanctity, of which Fortunatus, then a priest, afterwards bishop of Poitiers, has left us a history, in which he gives two on his own evidence. Also two anonymous monks compiled relations of several miracles of St. Germanus, which Aimoinus, a monk of this monastery in 870, and a careful writer, digested into two books.3 The relics of St. Germanus remained in the aforesaid chapel till the year 754, when the abbot removed them into the body of the church. The ceremony of this translation was performed with great solemnity; and king Pepin thought himself honored by assisting at it.
Prince Charles, known afterwards by the title of Charlemagne, who was then but seven years old, attended his father on this occasion, and was so strongly affected with the miracles performed at that time, that when he came to the crown, he took a particular pleasure in relating them, with all their circumstances. The greatest part of the relics of St. Germanus remain still in this church of St. Vincent, commonly called St. Germain-des-Prez. This abbey is possessed of the original privilege of its foundation and exemption, written on bark, and subscribed by St. Germanus, St. Nicetius, and several other bishops. The most valuable work of St. Germanus of Paris, is An Exposition of the Liturgy, published from an ancient manuscript by Dom. Martenne.4 The characteristical virtue of St. Germanus was his unbounded charity to the poor. Liberality in alms moves God to be liberal to us in the dispensations of his spiritual graces; but he who hardens his heart to the injuries and wants of others, shuts against himself the treasury of heaven. The Catholic Encyclopedia
China violating international obligations over HK: UK, US, Canada, Australia
China’s plan to impose a new security law on Hong Kong puts it in direct violation of its international commitments, Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia said Thursday.
“China’s decision to impose the new national security law on Hong Kong lies in direct conflict with its international obligations under the principles of the legally binding, UN-registered Sino-British Joint Declaration,” the four allies said in a joint statement.
“The proposed law would undermine the One Country, Two Systems framework,” they added, referring to Hong Kong’s special status within China under the terms of its handover from Britain in 1997.
The condemnation was issued after China’s parliament rubber-stamped a law initially proposed by the National People’s Congress after huge pro-democracy protests rocked the financial hub for seven months last year.
The United States took the dramatic step of revoking the special status conferred on Hong Kong in response, paving the way for the territory to be stripped of trading and economic privileges.
The four nations said they were “extremely concerned that this action will exacerbate the existing deep divisions in Hong Kong society; the law does nothing to build mutual understanding and foster reconciliation within Hong Kong.”
Their statement added: “The world’s focus on a global pandemic requires enhanced trust in governments and international cooperation. Beijing’s unprecedented move risks having the opposite effect.”
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab later told reporters that the UK would change its rules around the rights of “British National Overseas” (BNO) passport holders if China went ahead with the new law.
Before Britain gave the city back to China in 1997 it offered Hong Kongers a special BNO status to calm those worried about their future under Beijing’s rule.
Holders can currently enter Britain without a visa and remain for up to six months, as well as get consular assistance abroad.
But they have no right to live in the UK.
Raab said that could be changed to allow for extendable periods of 12 months, adding “that would itself provide a pathway to future citizenship”.
“If China continues down this path and implements this national security legislation we will change that status, and we will remove that six month limit,” he added.
There were 314,779 BNO passports in circulation as of December 31, 2019, the British government said in March, out of a population of around 7.5 million people in Hong Kong.
The United States Needs a Euro Policy
Watching Ursula von der Leyen, the new German President of the European Commission, present the European Recovery Package to the European Parliament this week was to receive a history lesson.
“Europe is a story about generations,” she began. “Each generation of Europe has its own story,” she continued. Pointing backward to three political generations before her—first, that of the founders, then of the creators of the single market and common currency and finally that of the uniters of east and west with enlargement—von der Leyen cast herself, and those assembled, in the role of the coronavirus generation.
“We owe it to future generations,” she implored her listeners. The stakes could not be made clearer. Will the generation of Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, and Guiseppe Conte write themselves into the European history books in this recovery, or will they fail?
Talk of the latest “eurocrisis” can trigger eye-rolls in Washington. Von der Leyen’s proposal should not. The intense negotiations that led to the breakthrough Franco-German proposal, which permitted the Commission to launch the European Recovery Package, had been marked by deep fissures appearing in the Union, which should alarm this generation of U.S. foreign policy hands.
Washington needs to take stock. The real significance of the plan is not economic but political. These proposed new resources are to be made available thanks to unprecedented massive borrowing by Brussels. It also opens up the possibility for the European Commission to raise its own resources through taxes down the line. This clearly opens the door to an eventual European treasury, greatly strengthening the federal powers of Brussels. But is it enough, now?
This is significant ammunition to fight Europe’s immediate crisis. The European Recovery Package, armed with roughly €450 billion in new grants and transfers, buttresses the Union against the upfront impact of the coronavirus. New resources equivalent to roughly 2 percent of European GDP are being made available this way.
Still, it probably is not big enough. Even this injection still pales in comparison to the likely jump in the debt-to-GDP ratio in most member states by 2021—estimated to get up to roughly 20 percent in the most affected countries. By this calculation, as little as 10 percent of the costs of fighting the crisis will be mutualized. The plan is thus far from enough to avoid a second decade of depression and austerity in Europe’s south.
Europe’s populists have little reason to fret about their future political prospects. With French, Italian, Spanish, and other weaker member states’ debt levels set to soar, and with the ECB’s critical bond-buying program running into legal difficulty in Germany’s constitutional court in Karlsrühe, the EU’s coronavirus generation’s grand compromise can still fail.
And what is more, this compromise plan cannot solve Europe’s deeper crisis: the growing economic chasm between north and south, which has been greatly exacerbated by this crisis. The single currency, without either mutualized debt or a single fiscal authority, has become a device pushing EU states apart and engendering conflict, not cooperation. To put it even more bluntly, the euro, in its current form, is the biggest threat to the European Union.
Americans would be wrong that this internal European dispute is none of their business. Its outcome is critical to the future of Europe, and, as a result, to the health of the Transatlantic alliance. It has direct implications on the renewed geopolitical contest with China and Russia. For too long, the current generation of Washington policymakers have been aloof to developments in the EU and have failed to see the link between European economic crises and the kind of political instability on the continent that makes member states weak allies.
Washington has its work set out for it. Reviving and sustaining the Transatlantic alliance after Trump will require more than just restoring diplomatic norms with Europe and recommitting to NATO. It will require a sustained and far-sighted euro policy. And in order to achieve this, America needs to rediscover its own “European” foreign policy heritage, from a previous generation, whilst working consistently to promote the necessary policies to fix the Eurozone and relaunch the European economy. Above all, the United States needs to support Europe taking on a share of its members’ debt. In a word: The U.S. should back the creation of Eurobonds.
The next Democratic administration faces a world in disarray. Why should U.S. policymakers tune in to an economic management crisis in one of the richest parts of the world? The short answer is that a well-functioning Europe can prove to be a valuable partner and strategic asset for the United States in the coming decades, while a hobbled Europe will end up being not only a costly problem to manage, but a real vulnerability.
This is a political problem whose origins lie in the response to the previous crisis. The German-led reaction following the 2008 crash consisted of forcing several Eurozone countries to adopt crushing austerity measures. As economic historian Adam Tooze has argued, this fueled the rise of illiberal populist political movements that in the past decade have upended Europe’s once more consensual politics and threatened to break up the European Union. Now, after a lost decade of seeking to adhere to strict austerity, voters in southern Europe are fed up. The center-right Giuseppe Conte in Italy, the center-left Pedro Sanchez in Spain, and the centrist Emmanuel Macron in France are all pro-EU. And they all face the specter of a renewed populist assault amidst a protracted depression.
Even in Berlin, it is plain to see that the age of austerity failed. The result has been economic contraction and deflation for much of Europe, with the doctrines behind it widely discredited. While the EU is preparing to throw substantial resources at the crisis, the fundamental problem with the euro architecture remains: Northern states have benefited from the adoption of the euro, which has made their exports cheaper. Southern states, on the other hand, have lost competitiveness, which has hindered their growth, in turn worsening their debt burdens. This dynamic existed before the 2008 crisis but was made worse by a decade of austerity. Not all states have the same capacity. Some hardly have any room to borrow, while some can do so dramatically. Already stretched states face looming retrenchment, even if the ECB’s bond purchasing program survives the challenge from the German court.
A sharpened economic and political divergence looms. Medium-term, European countries simply do not have the same firepower to sustain their economies after the crisis has passed. Many risk austerity. Only considerable issuance of mutualized debt “in peacetime,” in the form of Eurobonds, can provide the cushion necessary to avoid a protracted depression on the other side of the pandemic. Given historically low interest rates, and the comparative safety that a Eurobond would represent, paying for the stimulus package for the whole of Europe in this way is an arithmetic no-brainer. And the move makes not only economic, but political sense, too: the explosive cycle of debt crisis followed by austerity has fueled the populist backlash.
Support for the EU has already plummeted within Italy. A decade of economic stagnation, crushing debt burden, and a perceived lack of EU solidarity during the coronavirus crisis has been seized on by anti-EU populist Matteo Salvini, who is now calling for an EU referendum. A recent poll showed that now just 44 percent of Italians want to remain in the EU, compared to 65 percent just two years ago. Should elections happen soon, the return to power of Salvini, this time as Prime Minister, would be a watershed event. Domestically, it could see the EU’s third-largest economy follow Poland and Hungary’s pathway toward illiberalism. On the European level, it could see the euro threatened. Internationally, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping would have a new opening into Europe. America’s ability to shape global norms, heavily reliant on a functioning European partner, would take a serious blow.
Washington should not let the confident demeanor of Emmanuel Macron trick them. The French President’s energetic optimism masks the real risks that European liberalism faces on all fronts. Macron’s own popularity has taken a hit as a result of the coronavirus, and Marine Le Pen has polled as high as 45 percent in projected second rounds of the French Presidential election in 2022.
A populist cascade is quite conceivable as economic prospects curdle across Europe. Guarding against such an outcome should consume Washington. The structural “eurocrisis” is not only a matter for economists. It is undermining the future of the Atlantic alliance.The structural “eurocrisis” is not only a matter for economists. It is undermining the future of the Atlantic alliance.
Americans need to look back to previous generations for lessons. The reality is that the European project is very much an American project as well. The process of European integration after World War II was pushed by a U.S. foreign policy generation through the Marshall Plan, which required the breaking down of economic barriers between countries in the pursuit of fostering cross-national political collaboration. This “European” generation continued to push European states to integrate, supporting the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community, and pressing for political and even military integration. America’s security umbrella helped enable Europe’s integration, and indeed was deployed with that outcome in mind.
So determined was this generation that West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer famously quipped “Americans were the best Europeans.” Yes, some amount of self-interest was in play—the United States was facing off against the Soviet Union, and a weak and divided Europe was seen as a liability in the contest. But it was certainly an enlightened self-interest, as European success was seen as the best bet for prevailing in the geopolitical struggle.
This enlightened self-interest needs to be rediscovered by our own coronavirus generation. The Democratic Party may face disagreements among its foreign policy ranks, but both the so-called “restrainers,” who would like to see the United States scale down its military presence in Europe, and the “restorers,” who would like the United States to reclaim its leadership role on the continent, have a strong interest in a strong, united and effective Europe. Just as in the Cold War, Europe can end up being either a liability or a source of strength in the emerging global great power struggle.
A new Democratic administration needs a new diplomatic approach. It should not return to business as usual. But in order to get there, it must first learn from the Obama Administration’s mixed results in engaging Europeans after the global financial crisis. As Greek debt threatened to take down the euro and send another shockwave through the global economy, the Obama Administration tried to reach out to its EU counterparts. More often than not, their overtures were rebuffed by those in Berlin who saw the crisis as American-made and fueled by debt.
The Obama Administration took the European Union for granted as a geopolitical fact. In hindsight, this was a mistake. President Obama was seen by Europeans as disinterested in Europe. Obama, after all, “pivoted to Asia,” skipped an early U.S.-EU summit, and generally adhered to the view that the European project was up to the Europeans. America engaged Europe after the financial crisis not because it worried about the political fallout in Europe, but because it worried about the economic, and therefore political fallout, in the United States.
After the crisis subsided, Obama’s closest partners in Europe, Merkel and UK Prime Minister David Cameron, became the architects of austerity. Obama never articulated a political vision for Europe, and Washington stood aloof from various EU reform efforts.Obama never articulated a political vision for Europe, and Washington stood aloof from various EU reform efforts. The United States did not appreciate the intense stress European political systems were under due to economic mismanagement and austerity until it was too late—when Britain voted to leave in 2016.
To engage Europe now, America should do so once again as the generation of “the best Europeans.” This means repeatedly stressing that America wants to see a united, more cohesive Europe as an equal partner, a global power in its own right. This means pressing European leaders to prioritize strengthening the EU over their more parochial interests. And strengthening the EU ultimately means doubling down on the euro, which in turn ultimately implies support for Eurobonds.
A rebuff from a decade ago could influence an incoming Biden Administration to think twice about prodding its allies, especially Germany. Why push, the thinking might go, if all it does is generate ill will—especially after President Trump had been rubbing salt in wounds for the past four years? Timidity, however, would be a mistake. Time has passed, and things have changed. For one, Biden’s cachet with Europeans is substantial given his record as a committed Transatlanticist. The nominee’s instincts hark back to the generation of the “best Europeans.” Coming on the heels of four years of Trump, the contrast will be all the starker. But perhaps more importantly, the United States has more openings and cards to play today than a decade ago.
Germany, for one, has changed. The United States would not be seeking to reverse a near-consensus but instead would encourage a process gathering pace. In a recent analysis, Die Zeit drew attention to three forces unlocking this emerging new mood. First, a new German economic intelligentsia is rejecting the old orthodoxy. Second, a German establishment is increasingly worried its global export strategy is in trouble, with rising awareness that only a prosperous EU market, both north and south, can sustain them. Third, there has been a noticeable shift in German politics.
The German Green Party, as well as key politicians in Merkel’s junior coalition partner, the social-democratic SPD, have spoken out in favor of mutualized crisis debt and pushed the Franco-German deal behind the scenes. There had even been conciliatory noises coming from within Merkel’s own CDU party towards the issuance of so-called “coronabonds.” German public opinion is no longer monolithically opposed to mutualizing European debt.
The geopolitics of the pandemic presents a further opportunity not only in Berlin but in Brussels, Paris, Rome, and in other member states as tensions with China continue to rise. As both the United States and Europe seek to decouple from economic reliance on China, they will need each other’s markets to thrive. To that end, the United States needs to clearly state that it sees the euro as a pillar of not only financial stability but as the bedrock of the Transatlantic relationship.
All this will require a significant diplomatic push by Washington. This will mean putting financial diplomacy at the heart of how the United States deals with Europe. But this does not mean these issues should be delegated to the Treasury Department or National Economic Council officials, as they often were during the Obama Administration. At its core, this is a political dispute over Europe’s future direction and that will require engagement from the top, as well as the diplomatic drive of the State Department, National Security Council, and even the Pentagon. Avoiding or defusing the next European sovereign debt crisis is that important.
The United States will also need to build a new strategic partnership with Brussels and build close ties with EU institutions and leaders. But Washington cannot and should not ignore Europe’s capitals. In addition to traditional shuttle diplomacy between Berlin and Paris, the United States will need to persuade the more frugal countries like the Netherlands and Sweden while strengthening collaboration with countries under stress like Italy and Spain.
The current generation of Europeans has tended to write America out of the history of the European project. The EU’s official history, for instance, does not mention America. The conventional wisdom is that Europe moves forward when France and Germany want it to. Yet America has also played a critical background role in many of Europe’s advances, from its support for German unification to the formation of the EU to its expansion eastward. When America became disinterested or offered opposition to the EU’s efforts to expand into defense, almost no advances have occurred.
The door towards Eurobonds has been opened. The Franco-German alliance, which has always been necessary to drive integration forward, has revived with the European Recovery Package. Yet still missing, for now, is that other ingredient present in all previous breakthroughs: American support for a stronger European Union. American influence in Europe is greater than any other region in the world. U.S. leverage in Europe remains significant despite the huge blow to American prestige in recent years. The impact, should the United States’ support return, could be profound. Given what is at stake should the euro continue to drive European nations further apart, it should be a priority for our own coronavirus generation in foreign policy. Not only does Europe need Americans to be the “best Europeans,” but America, in turn, needs a strong European Union.
- Guards’ navy chief warns it is expanding Iran’s naval power
The vessels included Ashura-class speedboats, Zolfaghar coastal patrol boats and Taregh submarines, state television reported.
“We announce today that wherever the Americans are, we are right next to them, and they will feel our presence even more in the near future,” the Guards’ navy chief Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said during a ceremony in southern Iran.
Iran and the United States have appeared to be on the brink of an all-out confrontation twice in the past year.
The latest confrontation between the arch-foes came after the United States accused the Guards of harassing its ships in the Gulf in mid-April.
“Advancing while remaining defensive is the nature of our work,” said Guards commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami.
“But this does not equal passivity against the enemy,” he added, noting that Iran “will not bow down to any foe.”
According to Salami, the Guards’ navy had been instructed to expand Iran’s naval power until it can adequately defend “territorial independence and integrity, protect naval interests and pursue and destroy the enemy.”
Decades-old acrimony between the two worsened in 2018 when US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a deal that gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
Tensions escalated further in January when a US air strike killed Qasem Soleimani, the top Iranian general who headed the Guards’ foreign arm, the Quds Force.
Health officials in Moscow have updated their figures for coronavirus deaths last month, seeking to dispel doubts about Russia’s comparatively low coronavirus death toll.
On May 28, a source from SBS shared that the 2011 film “Contagion” will air instead of the upcoming episode of “The King: Eternal Monarch” on May 29.
The source explained, “Through ‘Contagion,’ we will examine how the human race deals with viruses and raise awareness [of COVID-19]. A crisis is on the rise once more as the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 patients has soared two days in a row, reaching more than 70 patients (in a day) for the first time in nearly two months.”
“Contagion” is an American thriller that revolves around a newly discovered virus that causes a pandemic across the globe. The film, which depicts the fear of infectious diseases and the struggle of experts at the forefront of the disaster, is said to have accurately predicted the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The King: Eternal Monarch” will return with episode 13 on May 30 at 10 p.m. KST.
Source (1) / Soompi
Previously, Jung Il Woo revealed that the two had been close friends since their school days. Last year, Lee Min Ho also gifted a food truck to Jung Il Woo on the set of his drama “Haechi.”
Currently, Lee Min Ho is starring in SBS’s “The King: Eternal Monarch” which airs every Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m. KST. Jung Il Woo is also starring in the new JTBC drama “Sweet Munchies” which premiered on May 25.
Source (1) / Soompi
Coronavirus live updates: Day after US records 100K deaths, jobless claims surpass 40 million; Texas bar bans face masks
USA TODAY
A day after the U.S. recorded 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, the Labor Department reported an additional 2.1 million unemployment claims last week, meaning more than 40 million Americans have applied for unemployment in just 10 weeks.
There are more than 5.7 million confirmed cases around the world, with nearly 1.7 million in the United States, according to the Johns Hopkins University data dashboard. More than 356,000 people have died worldwide.
Our live blog is being updated throughout the day. Refresh for the latest news, and get updates in your inbox with The Daily Briefing. Scroll down for more details.
Here are a few of the major developments from Wednesday:
- The U.S. reached a grim milestone, with more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths over a span of less than four months. That's more than the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam and Korean wars combined. These are some of them.
- Gyms have been ordered to remain closed in many states as other businesses gradually reopen, prompting gym owners in three states to file lawsuits in an effort to force officials to allow them to restart their businesses.
- Disney is reopening in July, the company announced this week. Visitors will be required to wear a face mask and will undergo a temperature check.
- The National Women's Soccer League announced Wednesday it will return in June with a 25-game tournament.
What we're talking about: The U.S. hit a grim milestone Wednesday, surpassing 100,000 coronavirus deaths. We reached out to experts in various fields to get an assessment of what the new normal may look like in the next 100 days.
Your daily dose of good news: A 103-year-old Massachusetts woman survived the coronavirus and celebrated with a Bud Light.
Staying Apart, Together: USA TODAY brings a newsletter about how to cope with these trying times straight to your inbox.
More than 40 million people file for unemployment in 10 weeks
About 2.1 million Americans filed initial unemployment benefit claims last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. In just ten weeks, 40.7 million have sought jobless benefits that represent the nation’s most reliable gauge of layoffs.A record 20.5 million jobs were lost in April, according to the Labor Department, spiking the unemployment rate to 14.7%, the highest since the Great Depression and four times the 3.5% unemployment rate reported in February, which represented a 50-year low.
– Charisse Jones
COVID reignites debate over 'couch caucus' lawmakers who sleep in offices
The coronavirus has reignited a years-old debate over the "couch caucus," with some lawmakers arguing that their colleagues sleeping in their offices is improper and increases the chances of spreading COVID-19 to colleagues and staff at the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, authored a letter to Congress' attending physician and the Architect of the Capitol, the agency tasked with maintaining and operating the building, asking that the practice be banned in light of the pandemic.
Rep. Ted Budd defends the practice, however: "I wanted my focus to be back here in North Carolina, where I represent the 13th district. I didn't want it to be a Washington lifestyle."
– Christal Hayes
Texas bar bans masks
A bar in Elgin, Texas, is banning masks in defiance of COVID-19 guidance set by county, state and federal leaders. “Due to our concern for our customers, if they FEEL (not think) that they need to wear a mask, they should stay at home until they FEEL that it’s safe to be in public without one. Sorry, no masks allowed,” a sign at the Liberty Tree Tavern reads.
The sign then advised that it would adhere to Gov. Greg Abbott’s requirements limiting occupancy of bars to 25% and 6 feet of social distancing between parties. Elgin has recorded more than 50 confirmed COVID-19 cases and one death. “Sorry for the inconveniences please bear with us thru (sic) the ridiculous fearful times,” the sign reads.
– Brandon Mulder, Austin American-Statesman
CDC: Antibody tests can be wrong half the time
COVID-19 antibody tests can be wrong half the time and should not be used to determine who can be grouped together in such settings as schools and dorms, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in its latest guidelines. The guidance could have a major impact as schools and universities build program plans for the coming school year. Office workers also could be affected.
"Serologic test results should not be used to make decisions about returning persons to the workplace," the CDC says.
Antibody tests: Here's why they may provide a false sense of security
California reopening draws criticism
Gov. Gavin Newsom's bold plan to reopen California has some public health experts wondering if it's too much too soon. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer at the forefront of shutting down the San Francisco Bay Area in mid-March, told her county board the state is moving forward "without a real understanding of the consequences."
Dr. David Relman, a microbiologist and immunologist at Stanford Medicine, says he questions whether counties are really able to implement the rules and respond to potential outbreaks. Mark Ghaly, secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency, countered that the plans provides guidance but that counties are not being pressured to "open sooner or stay closed longer than they themselves feel they should."
Dems blast 'pitiful' COVID-19 report on race
House Democrats are dismissing a federal report on the racial breakdown of cases and deaths from the coronavirus as "pitiful," saying it hurts efforts to target resources to communities of color. Early data shows communities of color, including African Americans, Native Americans and Latinos, are dying at a disproportionately higher rate compared with whites. The lawmakers complained that a recently released four-page report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fails to reflect the national impact.
The agency said Wednesday it is "leveraging all our available surveillance systems to ... protect vulnerable communities."
“We deserve to know the facts and have quality analysis,’’ said U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, a Democrat from Illinois and chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. “Once again, they are showing us they just don’t care.”
– Deborah Barfield Berry
North Carolina, Michigan, New Jersey gym owners file lawsuits to reopen
Gym owners in North Carolina, Michigan and New Jersey have filed lawsuits against state officials in the last two weeks for not allowing them to reopen meanwhile other businesses have started to reopen. The owners argue that it's unconstitutional and a violation of their rights.
“If reopening businesses safely is the goal, then all businesses — including gyms — should be afforded the same opportunity to do so," attorney Scott M. Erskine, who is representing a coalition of 120 gyms in Michigan, said in a press release
In North Carolina, a Facebook page was created to raise money for owners to retain an attorney, reports The News & Observer. A group of nine plaintiffs filed the lawsuit Wednesday, asking for a temporary restraining order that would prevent Gov. Roy Cooper from keeping gyms closed.
A gym in New Jersey that reopened last week in defiance of state orders also filed a lawsuit for similar reasons. The lawsuit says the owners took "extraordinary precautions" to implement "health protocols … sufficiently similar to those businesses that were allowed to remain open" when it reopened.
More coronavirus news and information from USA TODAY
- The next 100 days: How coronavirus will continue to change our lives.
- 100,000 Americans are dead. What have we learned about coronavirus?
- The coronavirus timeline: How COVID-19 has unfolded in the U.S.
- Traveling? These states are requiring self-quarantine.
- Are you paying more attention to your pet in quarantine? You're not alone.
- Mapping coronavirus: Tracking the U.S. outbreak, state by state.
Wyoming cancels Cheyenne Frontier Days, other major rodeos this summer
Wyoming, the self-proclaimed Cowboy State, canceled six major rodeos this summer because of the coronavirus — including Cheyenne Frontier Days, Gov. Mark Gordon announced Wednesday.
“This reality is not an easy one,” Gordon said in a news conference. “In my soul, I know how important those events are to our communities and our citizens."
It's the first time Frontier Days has been canceled in its 124-year history. The world's largest outdoor rodeo draws more than 140,000 people annually. The other canceled rodeos are the Thermopolis Rendezvous, Cody Stampede, Central Wyoming Fair & Rodeo in Casper, Sheridan WYO Rodeo and Laramie Jubilee Days.
Tom Hanks donates plasma in California to help fight coronavirus
Tom Hanks is "plasmatic." The "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" actor, 63, kept his spirits high while donating plasma at the University of California in Los Angeles to help fight against the coronavirus following his own recovery.
He documented his experience on Instagram Wednesday, sharing several photos of his left arm hooked up to a machine and a picture of the end result: Two bags full of plasma.
"Plasmatic on 3! 1,2,3 PLASMATIC!" he captioned the series of pictures.
In March, Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, were hospitalized in Queensland, Australia after being diagnosed with coronavirus, becoming the first major celebrities to test positive. Hanks told NPR in April that he hopes the plasma will be beneficial toward vaccine research.
– Cydney Henderson
US reaches grim milestone of 100K coronavirus deaths, most in the world
The U.S., the only country to record anywhere near 1 million cases of the coronavirus, reached another somber milestone Wednesday when it became the first to go over 100,000 deaths from COVID-19.
The path toward 100,000 – more than twice as many fatalities as the next nation on the list, the United Kingdom with more than 37,000, according to Johns Hopkins University data – has been grim and swift. As of the end of March, the U.S. had registered about 4,000 deaths. But the figure took a drastic upward turn in April, when the disease killed nearly 60,000 Americans, and has continued at a slower but still devastating pace. Some models estimate the death toll could approach 200,000 in early August.
Moreover, epidemiology experts generally agree the actual total of fatalities is larger than the tally reported by the highly respected Johns Hopkins University dashboard, considering there’s no certainty about when the first U.S. victim of COVID-19 died. In addition, deaths outside a hospital setting might not have been recorded as being due to the coronavirus, especially in the early stages of the outbreak.
– Jorge Ortiz
National Women's Soccer League to return in June with Utah tournament
Pro soccer returns to the U.S. next month when the National Women's Soccer League starts a 25-game tournament in a pair of stadiums in Utah that will be kept clear of fans to protect players from the coronavirus.
Players from the nine teams will train and live at two Salt Lake City-area hotels, the league announced Wednesday. All players will be tested for COVID-19 before leaving for Utah, and then will be regularly screened during their monthlong stay.
No fans will be allowed into the Zions Bank or Rio Tinto stadiums, two suburban Salt Lake City venues that will host the matches.
The tournament begins June 27, with games to be televised and streamed by CBS and its online and broadcast affiliates. It's a boon for a league that was looking for a new TV partner in the wake of the U.S. women's victory in the World Cup last year, and now finds itself on the front end of American leagues returning and offering live sports in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Disney World plans July 11 reopening for Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom
Walt Disney World plans to reopen July 11, according to a presentation the company made to an economic recovery task force Wednesday. The theme park has been closed since March 15 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and its reopening will follow its Florida rival, Universal Orlando, which is set to reopen June 5.
Disney is planning a phased reopening, with the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opening July 11. Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios are set to reopen July 15.
Disney World visitors will undergo a temperature check and be required to wear a face mask. The park will provide masks to people who do not bring their own.
Social distancing markers will be visible throughout the park. Disney's "cast members" will enforce the rules, including the mask requirement, as part of a social-distancing squad. Park capacity will also be limited and not all attractions will reopen right away.
– Curtis Tate
Contributing: The Associated Press
EXO Baekhyun To Release Live Video For "Love Again" + "Delight" Achievements : News : KpopStarz: On May 28, SM Entertainment announced on its official social media accounts that EXO's Baekhyun's live video for "Love Again," one of the tracks of his recently-released 2nd mini-album "Delight," will be released on SM STATION's YouTube channel at 6:00 p.m KST on May 29.
In the video that is set to be revealed in public for the first time, it's expected that Baekhyun will be showing off a different atmosphere as he attracts music fans through his sweet vocal skills in line with the band's live performance
The sweet track was included in the male idol's comeback solo album, "Delight," on May 25, which immediately drew attention from fans across the globe. As the song will be performed with a live band, it's heavily anticipated that Baekhyun's vocals and emotions will reach the listeners from different parts of the world who wonder if they can love again.
On the other hand, the seven-tracked album, released ten months after his debut solo album "City Lights" in July of 2019, captured everyone's hearts as it features more of the male idol's dancing skills, singing prowess, and versatility.
As soon as it was released, his album rose as no. 1 in iTunes Top Albums Chart in 69 regions around the world. "Delight" dominated in various countries, including the places in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. "Candy" is also now the song with the most no. 1s on iTunes (19 regions).
In addition to this, the EXO member's album also topped China's largest music site QQ, wherein his album sales, upon release, immediately surpassed 100,000 copies, which equate to USD 280,000 all in all. Due to this, his album has been hailed as the first Korean album of the year to reach a "double platinum" certification on QQ Music, and Baekhyun became the fastest Korean artist to reach a platinum status on the Chinese music site.
"Candy" is also the fastest song by a male singer to exceed 10,000 hearts on MelOn. And as of press time, Baekhyun and IU are the only soloists to achieve an All-Kill status on this chart.
"Delight" also recorded over 620,000 pure sales on the day of its release, and it's also now the best-selling album on Hanteo. It's also now the best-selling among SM Artists' albums during the first day of sales of all time.
On May 28, Baekhyun became the first-ever artist to sell over 500,000 copies on Ktown4u. The music video for "Candy" has also broken the record for the highest MV views in the first 24 hrs among all SM Entertainment artists.
The live version of "Love Again" is to be released through SM STATION, a project wherein SM Entertainment releases high-quality music through solos or collaboration with various singers, producers, and composers. The STATION also presents a variety of contents, such as live videos and interviews.
Currently, Baekhyun holds several records as a solo artist with his debut album "City Lights" and his freshly-released sophomore album. The male idol didn't only smash the digital sales, but he also slew his standing in pre-selling because his pre-order sales reached more than 730,000 copies, the first-ever Korean soloist to do so in Korea's history.
Furthermore, he did prove his influence and power on YouTube, achieving more than 11 million views for the official MV of "Candy," just after two days, while the "spicy" and "sweet" version of his track, released through @Baekhyun The Stage, both have one million views already only a day after they were published.
George Floyd: As heated protests continue, Minnesota governor warns of 'extremely dangerous situation' - CNN
As heated protests over George Floyd's death continue, Minnesota governor warns of 'extremely dangerous situation'
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