10 things you need to know today: May 30, 2021

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1. Biden criticizes Texas GOP's voting bill ahead of likely passage
2. At least 2 killed, 20 injured in Miami area shooting
3. 7 presumed dead after small plane crashes in Tennessee
4. Nashville store faces backlash over 'not vaccinated' Star of David patch
5. Thousands of Brazilians call for Bolsonaro's impeachment
6. Israel opposition reportedly close to deal to oust Netanyahu
7. Judge indicates blame for fatal Italian cable car accident lies with technician
8. Boris Johnson marries in 'stealth ceremony'
9. Actor Gavin MacLeod dies at 90
10. Chelsea defeats Manchester City to win Champions League

published 30 May 2021

1. Biden criticizes Texas GOP's voting bill ahead of likely passage

Texas Republican state lawmakers on Saturday unveiled a "sweeping" voting bill that would limit early voting hours, local voting options, and mail-in voting while expanding freedoms for partisan poll watchers, The Texas Tribune reports. The Texas House and Senate are expected to take final votes on the bill within the next day before sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is expected to sign it into law. Republicans are touting the bill as a way to strengthen voter confidence and ensure election integrity, but critics view it as the latest effort in a GOP-led state to curtail voting rights. President Biden said the "un-American" bill "attacks the sacred right to vote" and is "part of an assault on democracy that we've seen far too often this year — and often disproportionately targeting Black and brown Americans."

At least two people were killed and 20 others injured outside of a banquet hall in the Miami area early Sunday, the Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement. The department said three people pulled up to the establishment, got out, and "began shooting indiscriminately into the crowd," which had reportedly gathered for a concert. Police Director Alfredo Ramirez III said the suspected assailants were armed with assault weapons and handguns. Investigators are reportedly still hunting for the suspects who were able to return to their vehicle and flee from the scene. It is the second major shooting in the Miami area in as many days, NBC News notes. In a separate incident on Friday night, one person was killed and seven others were shot.

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Seven people are presumed dead after a small plane crashed into a lake shortly after taking off from Smyrna Airport in Tennessee's Rutherford County on Saturday morning. At a news conference Saturday night, Capt. Joshua Sanders of Rutherford County Fire Rescue said that after searching the lake throughout the day, "we have transitioned from a rescue effort to a recovery effort." The Rutherford County government confirmed William Lara, Gwen Lara, Jennifer Martin, David Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah, as the seven people on board the Cessna Citation 501, which was headed to Palm Beach International Airport in Florida. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the accident, with a preliminary report expected in two weeks. A full report could take up to two years.

The owner of a Nashville hat store has been harshly criticized after announcing the sale of yellow Star of David patches that read "NOT VACCINATED," implying that people who have chosen not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine are being persecuted in a fashion similar to Jewish people in Nazi Germany — and even earlier in history — who were forced to wear similar badges in the years leading up to the Holocaust. A group of demonstrators gathered outside of the store, hatWRKS, on Saturday. One of the protesters told CNN "this is not about vaccine or anti-vaccine," but rather to highlight "how offensive [the patch] is to the Jewish community and to everybody."

Tens of thousands of people gathered across Brazil on Saturday calling for the impeachment of President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also demanding more coronavirus vaccines. Bolsonaro has been accused of not taking the pandemic seriously enough throughout the last year, even as nearly 460,000 Brazilians were killed by the virus, the second-highest death toll in the world after the United States. He claims his opposition to lockdowns is geared toward protecting the country's economy and people's jobs, but his critics have countered that his lack of focus on health and safety measures ultimately had the opposite effect. Polls show more than half of the Brazilian population supports Bolsonaro's impeachment, The Guardian notes.

Reports suggest Naftali Bennett, the leader of Israel's right-wing Yamina party, may be close to a power-sharing agreement with opposition leader Yair Lapid. If the deal does go through, Bennett would become prime minister for the first two years of a term, and Lapid replace him for the final two, meaning current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be out of power for the first time in 12 years. Lapid and Bennett were reportedly close to a similar pact a few weeks ago, but the latter backed out amid the Gaza conflict, so there's no guarantee it will go through this time. If a new government is formed, it will be Israel's most wide-ranging coalition ever, Axios notes, with many parties likely united by little else than their mutual opposition to Netanyahu.

An Italian judge on Sunday indicated that most of the blame for a cable car accident that killed 14 people in Italy last week lies with the technician, Gabriele Tadini, who is now under house arrest, while the owner of the cable car company and maintenance chief have been freed. The lead cable of the funicular overlooking Lake Maggiore in northern Italy snapped and the emergency brake failed to prevent the car from reeling backward down the support line, The Associated Press notes, and it ultimately pulled off the line entirely before crashing to the ground. It's not known why the cable snapped, but Tadini admitted during questioning that he had jerry-rigged the car's emergency brake because it kept locking on its own while the car was in service. His lawyer said he never would have done that if he thought it might endanger passengers.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his fiancée Carrie Symonds got married Saturday in what The New York Times is calling a "stealth ceremony" at London's Westminster Cathedral. A Downing Street spokesman confirmed the news, noting that it was a "small ceremony" and the couple will have a larger celebration next summer. Johnson is the first British prime minister to get married while in office since 1822, when Lord Liverpool married Mary Chester. Johnson and Symonds, who have a son together, disclosed that they were engaged last year, but they were not expected to marry until next year.

Actor Gavin MacLeod, known for his role as Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Capt. Merrill Stubing on The Love Boat, died Saturday, his nephew confirmed. He was 90. No cause of death was given, but MacLeod's health had reportedly declined in recent months. Ed Asner, MacLeod's co-star on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, paid tribute to his friend on Saturday, tweeting that his "heart is broken. Gavin was my brother, my partner in crime (and food) and my comic conspirator. I will see you in a bit Gavin."

Chelsea defeated fellow Premier League club Manchester City on Saturday in the UEFA Champions League final, marking the second time the English side has won Europe's top-flight soccer tournament, the first coming in 2012. The 1-0 victory was buoyed by Kai Havertz's first half goal off a Mason Mount assist. The game was notable stateside, as well; Christian Pulisic, a 22-year-old attacking midfielder and rising star, became the first American to appear in a Champions League final when he came on in the second half. Pulisic had a great opportunity to score not too long after he entered, but his shot resulted in a near-miss.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.