Trump primary pick win, Musk/Twitter trial date set, Europe conserving gas

Headlines for July 20, 2022:

Trump-backed governor candidate wins MD primary – Maryland State legislator Dan Cox won the Republican primary for governor Tuesday night. Cox, who received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, defeated Kelly Schulz, a former cabinet member for outgoing Gov. Larry Hogan (R-MD).

Cox has been heavily against Hogan, suing over the governor’s stay-at-home orders and regulations in the early days of the pandemic. Cox alluded to his fight with Hogan in his victory speech Tuesday night, telling a cheering crowd: “We will never again give over our bodies, our churches and our businesses to a lockdown state.”

“The progressive values of bigger government, of more lockdowns, of vaccine passports, of jabs for jobs, these are out the window in my administration,” Cox said Tuesday night. “We’re the candidacy that is going to give you your freedom back.”

Twitter lawsuit set for October – A Delaware judge set an October trial for Twitter’s lawsuit against Elon Musk over his failed purchase of the platform. Twitter had asked for an expedited trial in September, while Musk sought a delay until early next year.

Gas supply conservation in Europe – European leaders scrambled to push the curbing of their continent’s gas usage after the latest warning from Russia about its supply. The European Commission announced Wednesday it is asking countries to cut gas demand by 15% percent over the next eight months.

“The European Union faces the risk of further gas supply cuts from Russia, due to the Kremlin’s weaponization of gas exports, with almost half of our Member States already affected by reduced deliveries,” the European Commission said in a Wednesday news release. “Taking action now can reduce both the risk and the costs for Europe in case of further or full disruption, strengthening European energy resilience.”

The emergency plan comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested Wednesday there may be a reduction in gas sent through Nord Stream 1. The pipeline is set to resume exporting gas on Thursday after a 10-day halt for annual maintenance.