— A massive tornado tore through Dayton, Ohio, on Monday night. The twister leveled homes and apartment complexes while knocking out power and water to tens of thousands of people. According to ABC News, more than 80,000 people in Ohio were without power early Tuesday morning. Dayton Assistant Fire Chief Nicholas Hosford told ABC News that electricity to main pumping stations was knocked out and residents were being asked to conserve water. At least one death has been reported from tornadoes in Ohio. On Memorial Day, 51 tornadoes were reported across eight states including Idaho, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio.
— Chinese travel to the United States has begun to fall after more than a decade of growth. From China to the U.S., travel fell 5.7% in 2018, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office. Tension between China and the U.S. has been the main source for the slowdown in tourism. In January of last year, the Trump administration placed tariffs on Chinese solar panels and washing machines; the trade war between the two countries grew from there. According to Bloomberg, the U.S. now has a 25% tariff on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. China has retaliated with tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. imports. Other reasons for the slowdown include economic uncertainty in China. This has travelers at the lower end of the market vacationing closer to home, according to the director of the Chinese Outbound Tourism Research Institute. In 2000, 249,000 Chinese visited the U.S., with the number tripling in 2010 and again in 2015. This is in part to the higher incomes, an easing of visa restrictions and better long haul flight connections. International travel to the U.S. has been declining in general.
— At least two people have died and 17 injured during a mass stabbing attack near Tokyo on Tuesday morning. Japanese broadcaster NHK quoted officials saying a man wielding a knife attacked a group of elementary school children as they were boarding a bus at approximately 7:45 a.m. The suspect reportedly stabbed himself in the neck before being detained. According to the broadcaster, he since died from his injuries. The Associated Press reported most of the victims are students at Caritas Elementary School and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A spokesman for the Kawasaki Fire Department told AFP, “A man stabbed them. We received an emergency call at 7:44 a.m., which said four elementary school children were stabbed.”
— Israel has moved closer to holding a new general election despite a national vote last month. The parliament passed a motion to dissolve itself Monday. If the bill is given final approval in a vote scheduled for this week, the country would be forced to have a new election. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was given the task to put together a government by 21:00 GMT Wednesday. According to Aljazeera, Netanyahu has struggled to seal an agreement with a clutch of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties that would ensure him a fifth term. He has denied any wrongdoing, Netanyahu is due to argue against the attorney general’s intentions to indict him on fraud and bribery charges in October in a pre-trial hearing. Former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has prevented a deal by refusing to budge from a key demand and shows no sign of backing down. Netanyahu sought to place all of the blame on Lieberman. Lieberman has said he already made concessions and was not prepared to go further. He added he was ready for a new election if needed.
— Four different prisons in Brazil have seen deaths of nearly 60 inmates. Officials with the state prison agency said at least 40 inmates were found at three different prisons in Manaus on Monday; all 40 showed signs of asphyxia. According to Fox News, the deaths came just a day after 15 inmates were killed during a riot at Manaus’ Anisio Jobim Prison Complex — the same place 56 prisoners died in similar violence two years earlier. Local officials said prisoners began fighting before noon Sunday during visiting hours at Anisio Jobim. Security reinforcements were rushed in and control was regained within 45 minutes. On Monday, 25 inmates were killed at the Antonio Trindade penal institute, six were killed at the Puraqueruara jail, five were killed at the Provisional Detention Center for Men and four more were killed at Anisio Jobim. Brazil’s justice and public security ministry said they were sending a federal task force to help local officials handle the situation.
— A second American died after reaching the summit of Mount Everest. The world’s tallest peak faces a growing death toll surrounding dangerous overcrowding this climbing season. Christopher Kulish of Boulder, Colo., died Monday at camp after climbing the mountain. His brother, Mark Kulish, said in a statement: “He saw his last sunrise from the highest peak on Earth. He passed away doing what he loved, after returning to the next camp below the peak.” Don Cash of Utah also achieved his lifelong dream of reaching the top of one of the seven tallest peaks. He died in his descent from Everest last week. The two Americans’ deaths are part of a growing list of climbers who have perished on or near Everest’s summit in 2019. At least 11 climbers have died. According to USA Today, most of the deaths have occurred after climbers spent extended time in the mountain’s “death zone.” The air atop Everest has low oxygen levels. Being in the area or simply climbing proves lethal for those who cannot reach oxygen supplies fast enough. Nepal’s tourism department has downplayed the effect the number of climbers has had on the year’s death toll.