GREAT LAKES AWARENESS DAY UPDATES

Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Superior - Now You're Aware!

-Not that it will quell the ongoing concern about his age, but over the weekend President Biden delivered a well-received comedy set at the White House Correspondents Dinner. He fired off zingers at House Republicans ("If you find yourself disoriented or confused, it's either you're drunk or Marjorie Taylor Greene"), Rupert Murdoch ("How could I dislike a guy that makes me look like Harry Styles?"), Twitter ("The best way to make NPR go away is for Elon Musk to buy it"), Ron DeSantis ("I had a lot of ... jokes ready, but Mickey Mouse ... got there first") and, yes, his age ("I believe in the First Amendment and not just because my friend Jimmy Madison wrote it!").

-Biden set up the host, THE DAILY SHOW's Roy Wood, nicely - and Wood went to work, poking fun at Biden ("I think you left some classified documents at the podium"), Tucker Carlson ("I, too, am the victim of the host of a fake news show leaving abruptly") and most savagely, Clarence Thomas ("(He) belongs to billionaire Harlan Crow - and that's what an NFT is.") An NFT, by the way, is a "non-fungible token," taken from the world of cryptocurrency.

-Fox News ratings are tanking in the wake of the Tucker Carlson firing, with former Fox commentator Megyn Kelly noting a 50% drop in the first week and calling it a "bloodbath." Further, MSNBC's Chris Hayes won the 8 pm EDT time slot easily over the first guest host, Brian Kilmede, whose efforts were attacked by Trump allies as selling out. And observers note that hard-right factions like QAnon and its like are taking the firing especially hard, as Carlson uniquely provided a mainstream link to some of their craziest theories and there was no host or news site ready to give them the reach and visibility Tuckums did.

-That said, Fox competitor Newsmax is trying to provide some of that visibility, and ratings of its 8 pm slot hosted by Eric Bolling multiplied over 300% in the first week. And, helpfully, Carlson has an open offer from Mike Lindell and his streaming site, Lindell TV, to become the foundation of his, er, 'network.' It is not known whether Carlson will accept the offer, though he did release a commentary last week without mentioning Fox News once.

-As mass shootings continue to take place in the U.S. at a record pace, the shooting last week in Cleveland, TX, is somehow standing out for its unique ugliness. Five people, including an 18-year old and an 8-year-old, were shot execution-style by a neighbor after they asked him not to fire off his AR-15 assault rifle in his front yard because the shots woke up infants. Worse, authorities admit they had the suspect cornered - only to have him escape and leaving them without leads to track him down. And to wrap up the madness, TX Gov. Greg Abbott attempted to turn the murders into another one of his anti-immigration attacks by claiming the mother that was killed was an illegal immigrant (she was not) and offering a measly $10,000 reward per victim for new leads. Abbott won re-election last year, including winning the county where the Uvalde school shooting took place, by 17% over Beto O'Roark.

-Attacks and rumors are building in Ukraine as May Day celebrations in Moscow and a long-anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive loom. A missile attack aimed at Kyiv last night was both smaller than originally feared and apparently repelled by Patriot antimissile systems, there are whispers of friction between the regular Russian Army and Vladimir Putin's private mercenary force, the Wagner Group as the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut continues to be the epicenter of Russian military activity (questions of whether Russia may be withdrawing continue to be asked), and cities around Crimea are seeing Ukrainians fire missiles at airports and depots, keeping everyone wondering if that is where the offensive may begin. With May 9 the day May Day parades normally take place, much is centering around both countries that date. Stay tuned.

-SLAVA UKRAINI!

-And in sports news, the trend of number one seeds falling continues, as last night the NHL's record-breaking regular-season team, the Boston Bruins, lose a Game Seven lead with one minute left in regulation before the Florida Panthers won in overtime to complete a 3-1 comeback and eliminate the Bruins. In addition, the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche was eliminated in a Game Seven by the two-year-old Seattle Kraken, ensuring a new champion will, as they say, lift the Cup.

-On this date in 1889, the first May Day was created as a celebration of labor. On this date in 1931, the Empire State Building opened. On this date in 1941, CITIZEN KANE premiered. On this date in 1971, Amtrak began service. And on this date in 1991, Rickey Henderson broke the record for stolen bases in Major League Baseball by stealing his 939th base.

-Happy Birthday to Calamity Jane, Kate Smith, Louis Nye, Glenn Ford, Jack Paar, Dan O'Herlihy, Art Fleming, Terry Southern, Chuck Bednarik, Scott Carpenter, Judy Collins, Max Robinson, Rita Coolidge, Joanna Lumley, John Woo, Paul Teutel, Sr., Dann Florek, Ray Parker Jr., Tim McGraw, D'arcy Wretzky, Wes Anderson, Wes Welker, Nicholas Braun, Marcus Stroman, and Charli D'Amelio.

-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to John Dryden, David Livingstone, Spike Jones, Ayrton Senna, Flipper, Eldridge Cleaver, and Steve Reeves.

-Feed the Worms: Joseph Goebbels killed himself (and his family) on this date.