Let's Do The News! (May 11, 2018)

- Voting 8-6, the Supreme Court rules to disqualify and oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno as head of the judiciary. The SC, after its full-court session, granted Solicitor General Jose C. Calida’s quo warranto petition against Sereno. Minutes after the oust, Sereno made a defiant speech.

- President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order #54 increasing employees’ compensation benefits in the private sector and carer’s allowance in the public sector. Under the order signed last May 8, the President approved a P1,150 across-the-board increase in EC monthly disability pension of all permanent disability pensioners and qualified beneficiaries in the private sector. Then, the President named Virginia Orogo as acting Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Eliseo Rio Jr. as acting Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

- ICYMI: Senate Republicans confirmed US President Donald Trump's nominee to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Michael Brennan over the objection of one of his home-state senators while the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Republican Chuck Grassley, held a hearing for Ryan Bounds, whose blue slip was withheld by both of his home-state senators, something that has never happened in US history.

- A group of migrants at the US-Mexican border staged colorful anti-Trump protests.

- Thousands of Facebook and Instagram advertisements taken out by a Russian internet group were released in a database that illustrate how a concerted effort was made to foment anger and split US society around the 2016 election. Democrats of the House Intelligence Community released records of more than 3,000 ads from 2015-2017 that were allegedly placed by the Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency, a Saint Petersburg operation that allegedly spreads disinformation and political propaganda across the internet and social media in Russia and in countries where Moscow wants to influence politics.

- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had crossed a “red line” by firing rockets at Israeli forces from Syria, leading to major Israeli air strikes on Thursday in the neighboring country. Following the strike, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Iran does not want "new tensions" in the Middle East.

- The first Rolls-Royce SUV, the Cullinan, was unveiled.

2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan

- Set for this year's Worthersee event, Volkswagen unwrapped the Golf GTi TCR Concept, featuring an improved 2.0L turbo engine producing 290PS of power and when mated to a 7-speed DSG and with the limiter off, it has a 264kph top speed. It's set to be launched at the end of 2018.

Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR Concept

- Seiyuu Yuichiro Umehara was hospitalized due to autoimmune disease.

- Former actress Michelle Madrigal is diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease.

TTFN!!!