Plus: How Qatar's Billions Have Influenced American Industries & Government

Good afternoon,

Eurovision is in full swing. The 69th edition of the international European music competition (think the World Cup meets ‘The Voice’) started yesterday in Basel, Switzerland, this year’s host nation.

37 countries are competing in this year’s competition. Last year, Switzerland won the competition, with performer Nemo making headlines as the first nonbinary person to win the contest.
Two semi-final rounds determine the 20 best songs that will get the chance to compete in this Saturday’s “Grand Final,” alongside entries from the so-called “Big 5” countries of Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Celine Dion delivered a surprise video message to Eurovision contestants and the audience. The French-Canadian superstar previously won the contest while representing Switzerland in 1988.
- Dion was able to compete for Switzerland because performers do not necessarily have to be citizens of the country they represent.

Time to brush up on your European flags! The Mo News team will be watching!

Sam
Associate Producer

🚨 ONE IMPORTANT THING

Transportation Sec. Changed Wife’s Flight To Avoid Newark Chaos As FAA Scrambles To Fix Delays

Flight delays and cancellations are so bad at Newark’s Liberty International Airport that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy changed his wife’s flight this week to nearby LaGuardia Airport so she could ensure her flight would arrive on time.

He acknowledged changing his wife’s flight, but insisted the move wasn’t over safety concerns while testifying Wednesday before the House Appropriations Subcommittee. He explained that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working to restore reliable radar and communication infrastructure to ease ongoing flight delays and cancellations at Newark.

It comes the same day as Duffy and the FAA are meeting with major U.S. airlines — like Delta, United and American — about how many flights can safely operate at Newark. Right now, there are about 77 flights in and out of EWR every hour, but the FAA is proposing limiting that number to just 56 flights an hour until June 15 when construction on a new runway is slated to end.

THE NEWARK MELTDOWN
Weeks of flight disruptions at Newark have stemmed from radar and communications outages between air traffic controllers and planes flying in and out of the airport, one of the nation’s busiest.

Duffy blamed the recent system failures at Newark on a 2024 move to shift airspace control at EWR from a facility in New York to Philadelphia’s TRACON.
- The FAA on Tuesday defended the move, citing an inability to reach staffing goals and a “low training success rate” in New York.
After airspace control for EWR was switched to Philadelphia TRACON, Duffy said in his testimony that communications infrastructure wasn’t properly tested. “They didn’t test and make sure the lines were hardened, the communication was hardened,” he said.
Air traffic controllers in charge of the Newark airspace have lost communication and radar contact with planes in their control multiple times in recent weeks, leading the FAA to slow air traffic at the airport, causing ongoing delays and cancelations.

He added that the FAA is now laying fiber lines and working with Verizon to restore reliability. Last week, the FAA unveiled a 3-year plan to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system, replacing outdated technology and building six new control centers for the first time since the 1960s.

WHAT’S NEXT
It’s not a quick fix, Duffy told lawmakers. The air traffic controller shortage has been decades in the making. Last year, the FAA had more than 11,000 certified or nearly-certified controllers, but around 14,000 are needed to reach full staffing levels — so the nation is more than 3,000 controllers short.

Duffy said the FAA is ramping up efforts to address the air traffic controller shortfall by bringing in more teachers at the FAA Academy and tutors to help cut student dropout rates which sit around 35%.
- He said the agency is aiming to hire about 2,000 controllers this year.
The FAA is also working to keep experienced controllers on the job with a 20% upfront bonus.

Why can’t other controllers go to EWR? It’s not that simple. “It takes a year even for an experienced controller to get trained up in New York, in the Newark airspace... You just can’t move them around,” Duffy explained Wednesday. That, along with how long it takes to train a new controller (more than 2-3 years), is why this problem, Duffy said, will “take one, two, even three years” to fix.

🚨 ONE THING WE’RE STILL WATCHING

How Qatar Bought America — As President Trump Makes The First State Visit To The Kingdom

President Trump landed in Qatar on Wednesday and met with the nation’s leaders, becoming the first U.S. president to make an official state visit to the Gulf monarchy.

Qatar, a small Gulf nation, has gained outsized influence in U.S. politics, education, media, and diplomacy through its vast wealth. It comes as Trump is facing backlash from both the left and right sides of the political divide about wanting to accept a $400 million jet from the Qatari royal family to serve as the next Air Force One. Trump, defended the gift in the wee hours of the morning (4:05 a.m. local time 🥱) on Truth Social.

BY THE NUMBERS
Over the last two decades, The Free Press reports, Qatar has spent nearly $100 billion in the U.S. to build up its reputation and influence. Here’s where they spent some of that money over the last 20 years:

$6 billion to American colleges: Qatar is the largest foreign funder of U.S. schools in the world.
- There are campuses in Doha for American schools like Georgetown, Cornell, and Northwestern.

Public opinion & media:

$224 million on lobbying and PR: In 2021 alone, they spent $51 million. By comparison, Saudi Arabia spent $25 million and the UAE spent $35 million.
$50 million to Newsmax, a conservative news site, the royal family also funds Al Jazeera and AJ+.

$8 billion on the U.S. military’s Al Udeid Air Base — Qatar hosts and completely pays for the Pentagon’s primary logistical hub in the Middle East.
- As a result of all that investment, the U.S. is selective about what it criticizes Qatar about publicly - and when.

It comes as the nation plans to gift Trump, through the Department of Defense, a $400 million jet to be used as Air Force One. The offer is facing pushback from Democrats and some Republicans who don’t trust Qatar due to its foreign policy, funding of Hamas, support for the Muslim Brotherhood, and ties to Iran and the Taliban, among other concerns.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) put it simply: “I trust Qatar like I trust a rest stop bathroom.”

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Federal grand jury indicts Milwaukee judge accused of obstructing immigration agents (NBC)

📌 Judge orders release of Georgetown researcher arrested by ICE after allegedly spreading Hamas propaganda (FOX)

📌 Judge backs Trump’s invocation of Alien Enemies Act for deportations (POLITICO)

📌 California governor outlines $12 billion deficit and freeze on immigrant health program access (AP)

📌 Menendez brothers resentenced to prison without parole, paving way for freedom (MO NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Putin will not attend Ukraine peace talks in Turkey (BBC)

📌 President Trump meets Syria’s new leader; calls him ‘tough guy’ with a ‘real shot’ (MO NEWS)

📌 Hamas Rafah brigade commander probably killed in IDF strike on Sinwar (J POST)

📌 Detained Philippines ex-President Duterte wins mayoral race in his home city (NPR)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 RFK Jr. says he would "probably" vaccinate his children for measles today (AXIOS)

📌 Strongest solar flare of 2025 erupts from sun, sparking radio blackouts across Europe, Asia and the Middle East (SPACE)

📌 Chimps use medicinal plants to treat their wounds (NBC)

📌 HBO Max is coming back — Warner Bros. Discovery is renaming its streaming service, again (CNBC)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Cassie Ventura testifies she told Sean "Diddy" Combs "stay far away from me" in second day on the stand (CBS)

📌 Pete Rose and ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson among players reinstated by MLB in historic decision (ESPN)

📌 Celebrities defy new red carpet dress code at Cannes Film Festival (CNN)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

The Apple Store on Fifth Avenue, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In case you missed it… Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) had to be woken up around 4:57 a.m. ET during a House Ways and Means Committee markup, about 14 hours into the meeting discussing a reconciliation bill that would include Trump’s tax cuts.

Moore, who called it a “quick power nap,” nodded off during a vote on an amendment. Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) tapped him awake, to laughter from his colleagues. Moore joined in on the laughter before voting against the amendment - and then took a joking bow from his seat.