The 7

Tuesday briefing: ICC and the Israel-Gaza war; Robert Costello at Trump’s trial; storm forecast; Scarlett Johansson; and more

Catch up in minutes with these 7 stories.

and

Updated May 21, 2024 at 8:39 a.m. EDT|Published May 21, 2024 at 6:30 a.m. EDT

9 min

1

President Biden criticized the ICC’s intent to charge Israeli officials with war crimes.

Yesterday: The international court’s prosecutor said he would seek arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others. Biden said it was “outrageous.”
What else to know: Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney advised the prosecutor, who is also seeking warrants for Hamas leaders. A panel of judges will consider the requests.
In Iran: President Ebrahim Raisi’s fatal crash in a U.S.-designed helicopter has added to volatility in the Middle East.

The judge in Donald Trump’s criminal trial blew up at a witness yesterday.

What happened? Justice Juan Merchan angrily accused Robert Costello, a lawyer, of staring at him. He sent reporters out of the courtroom so he could scold Costello.
Where things stand: Prosecutors have rested their case against Trump, but a verdict won’t come until next week at the earliest.

Trump’s election campaign raised more money than Biden’s last month.

The numbers: The Trump campaign and RNC jointly raised $76 million in April, they reported yesterday. That’s about $25 million more than Biden’s campaign reported.
Other news: A video posted to Trump’s Truth Social account referenced a “unified Reich,” a German word meaning empire, among headlines imagining a Trump election victory.

Dangerous storms will threaten central states today.

What to know: Damaging winds and tornadoes could be widespread across Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. Severe weather is forecast through the end of the workweek.
In Texas: A brutal heat wave is raising the risk of heat-related illness for thousands in Houston who remain without power after last week’s violent storms.

Europe is helping North African countries push migrants to the desert.

How? The E.U. and individual nations have financed efforts by North African governments to detain tens of thousands of migrants each year and dump them in remote areas.
Why? The operations are meant to deter migrants from risky crossings to Europe. But they expose migrants to the risk of kidnapping, torture and death.
How we know: It was one finding of a year-long investigation from The Post, Lighthouse Reports and an international consortium, published yesterday.

Scarlett Johansson said OpenAI copied her voice without permission.

What’s happening? The actor says the maker of ChatGPT tried to hire her, then copied her voice from the 2013 movie “Her” when she said no. She’s threatening legal action.
What else to know: OpenAI suspended the voice, called Sky, from its audio mode Sunday, but denies the allegations. It’s the latest fight between OpenAI and creatives.

Scientists solved the puzzle of how cockroaches came to rule the world.

The mystery: The German cockroach is often an unwelcome guest in restaurants and hotels — maybe even your home. But, for decades, no one knew its natural habitat.
The answer: Its home is with us. This cockroach branched off from its closest cousin about 2,100 years ago and adapted to living in our buildings, a new study found.

And now … who has the lowest mortgage rates? This map breaks it down county by county.

Want to catch up quickly with “The 7” every morning? Download The Post’s app and turn on alert notifications for The 7 or sign up for the newsletter.