EU elections 2024: European Parliament outcomes

A woman casts her ballot paper for the European elections at a polling station.

Picture Alliance | Picture Alliance | Getty Images

Populist, far-right parties won record support in this year’s European Parliament elections, according to provisional results on Monday.

The far-right Identity and Democracy group made major gains, while the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists saw a slight uptick in votes. The center-right European People’s Party once again won the most parliamentary seats, with a marginally bigger lead than before. Allied centrist groups — of which the EPP is the largest — were set to retain a majority in the Parliament despite the far right’s surge.

The liberal Renew Europe and the Greens/European Free Alliance, meanwhile, both lost a significant number of seats.

Here is the 2024 vote breakdown, versus the previous parliament:

  • European People’s Party (EPP) — 184 seats, up from 176
  • Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats (S&D) — 139 seats, unchanged from 139
  • Renew Europe (RE) — 80 seats, down from 102
  • European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) — 73 seats, up from 69
  • Identity and Democracy (ID) — 58 seats, up from 49
  • Greens/European Free Alliance — 52 seats, down from 71
  • The Left — 36 seats, down from 37
  • Non-attached members (NI) — 45 seats, down from 62

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission and an EPP member, said her party had once again shown itself to be the “strongest” in Parliament.

“We were determined, we were united, and now we won the European elections. Voters have entrusted us with a very strong mandate,” von der Leyen said during a press conference, shortly after the preliminary results were announced.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats faced its worst-ever result Sunday, falling to third place behind the far-right Alternative for Germany.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for a surprise parliamentary election after his Renaissance party suffered a heavy defeat to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, part of ID.

Macron will be making a 'huge political gamble' with French snap elections: Analyst

Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy, part of ECR, came out on top.

Austria, the Netherlands and Poland also saw significant support for right-wing and far-right parties, indications showed.

The projections on Sunday followed a four-day, EU-wide vote. Over 400 million people across the EU’s 27 member states were eligible to vote for the next Parliament — one of three institutions at the heart of the EU.

Just over half (51%) of those eligible cast their vote, early estimates suggested — broadly in line with 2019 levels. Voter turnout has been an ongoing sticking point in EU elections, with electoral disengagement and hot weather among the likely reasons that voters avoided the polls.

The European Parliament, which is responsible for deciding EU legislation, is the only directed elected institution within the bloc. It is made up of Members of European Parliament (MEPs), who are elected by each member state and come together to form European party groups.

The Parliament also plays a role in the EU’s budget, which it needs to approve and monitor, and elects the president of the European Commission, one of the key positions within the EU.

The incoming parliament has 720 seats, with the most populous states responsible for electing the most MEPs. Germany holds the top spot with 96, while Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta each have six.

— CNBC’s Sophie Kiderlin contributed to this article.

As much as $5 million in funding

Ira L. Black – Corbis | Corbis News | Getty Images

The U.S. Small Business Administration plans to unveil new government-backed credit lines of up to $5 million for small businesses, SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman told CNBC.

The SBA is launching a working capital pilot program in the coming months that is designed to be more attractive to both lenders and borrowers than the agency’s existing products, Guzman said in a phone interview.

“An ongoing challenge for small businesses who are trying to go after that contract, perhaps to help us rebuild infrastructure … or a manufacturing facility that’s trying to expand its orders, is being able to have working capital to deliver against that,” Guzman said.

The project is part of the SBA’s efforts to broaden its flagship lending program for American small businesses. Through its 7(a) loan program, the SBA provides guaranties to lenders to encourage them to extend loans to small business owners.

The program backed more than 57,000 loans worth $27.5 billion last year, a 7% increase from 2022; most of those loans were for less than $350,000.

Isabel Guzman, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) nominee for U.S. President Joe Biden, is sworn in during a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021.

Bill Leary | Bloomberg | Getty Images

But the SBA’s efforts to provide revolving lines of credit have had “less uptake” from lenders and business owners than the agency had hoped, Guzman said.

The agency’s SBA Express loan, for instance, offers credit lines of up to $500,000, but with a 50% guaranty, which made it less appealing to lenders, she said. Another SBA product called CapLines had a complicated fee structure that wasn’t as affordable, Guzman said.

“This product is our aim to increase access to a simpler working capital line,” Guzman said. “It basically takes the best of our various options to create a pilot program to see if we can get more borrowers an affordable working capital line, versus just a pure reliance on credit cards” or other capital sources,  she said.

The SBA’s new working capital lines will have an annual fee and maximum interest rates based on the prime rate plus 3% to 6.5%, which would be roughly 12% to 15% today, according to the agency. They will allow small business owners to either fund specific projects or borrow against their assets.

Loans larger than $150,000 will have a 75% guaranty by the SBA, limiting the losses that lenders face if customers can’t repay their debts. Loans smaller than $150,000 have an 85% guaranty, the agency said.

“In an environment of higher interest rates, we want to make sure that the SBA is an option for more businesses,” Guzman said.

Business owners interested in applying when the program goes live should head to the SBA’s website or its pre-screening lender platform, she said.

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DOJ settles CityMD Covid fraud allegations for $12 million

People wait in in a queue to enter CityMD, a health clinic that offers coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing, on the Upper West Side as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 19, 2021.

Andrew Kelly | Reuters

Walgreens-backed CityMD will pay $12.04 million to settle Covid fraud allegations brought by the Department of Justice, the department announced on Friday.

From February 2020 to April 2022, CityMD, which operates over 100 walk-in urgent care practices in New York and New Jersey, allegedly obtained fraudulent government reimbursements for Covid tests by submitting false claims to a Covid program specifically designated for uninsured patients, even when their patients had health insurance.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey brought the allegations under the False Claims Act, a law that incentivizes whistleblowers to file lawsuits related to potential fraud by providing them a portion of the government’s winnings in successful cases.

“Uninsured Americans who were at risk from COVID-19 were covered by emergency funding programs that made available to them the testing, vaccines and treatments that they needed,” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said in a Friday statement. “The alleged misuse of these funds is something we cannot and will not tolerate.”

Stephen Kitzinger, a CityMD patient, initially alleged the fraud in 2020. As a reward for bringing the case to the government’s attention, Kitzinger will receive over $2 million of the settlement.

Kitzinger’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of regular business hours.

CityMD cooperated with the government’s investigation and hired a third-party firm to help the government determine how much was lost in connection as a result of the alleged fraud, according to the DOJ.

CityMD said it denies the allegations but has decided to settle in order to to avoid the costs of dragged-out litigation.

“The recent settlement is neither a finding of liability nor an admission of wrongdoing, and CityMD denies the allegations. However, we settled this matter to avoid the cost and burden of prolonged litigation,” a CityMD spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC on Saturday. “CityMD is proud of the health care services we provided to patients throughout the pandemic.”

Lawsuit Settled For Kendrick Lamar Video In Faculty

A Connecticut town has agreed to pay $100,000 to a family that sued over their child’s reaction to watching a Kendrick Lamar video in school.

According to the New Haven Register, Vernon agreed to settle the 2022 lawsuit this week. However, it’s still awaiting approval from the local Board of Education.

The middle school student involved was reportedly SHOOK when Kendrick’s ‘Alright’ video played during a documentary screening.

Here’s What The Lawsuit About The Kendrick Lamar Video Claims

This incident occurred at Vernon Center Middle School in 2020. A teacher showed his eighth-grade class the ‘Hip Hop: Songs That Shook America. According to the New Haven Register, one student in the class had an “individualized plan and a diagnosed learning disorder.” His father is also a police officer.

Kendrick’s ‘Alright’ was widely known as a visual commentary on police brutality against Black men in the United States.

So, after seeing Kendrick’s video, the child allegedly suffered emotional and psychological injuries and distress. His distress extended into post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, shock, confusion, sadness, feeling unsafe, and social withdrawal. The lawsuit added that the child might suffer from severe mental illness if he doesn’t receive psychological treatment.

Beyond the mental impact, the child also allegedly had physical reactions of distress. Those included nausea, headaches, and malaise.

“Some or all of the aforementioned injuries necessitated (the student) change schools, as a result of which he has suffered loss and damages,” the lawsuit states.

Two years after the lawsuit was filed, Vernon Town Council members approved the $100,000 settlement on Tuesday (June 4). Only one council member didn’t vote.

What Happens Next?

If the Board of Education approves the settlement, it will address two legal issues: the lawsuit and a case about the child’s special education.

Additionally, the money will pay back the coins the family allegedly lost while transferring the boy to another school.

Meanwhile, the teacher behind the lawsuit was given a verbal warning about the Kendrick Lamar video. The school required him to get administration approval and signed parental permission slips for kids to see any controversial content.

Furthermore, there has reportedly been no word yet on how long it will take the Connecticut Board of Education to approve the $100,000.

RELATED: Drake Shares Cryptic Message After Deleting Latest Kendrick Lamar Diss From Social Media

Ingesting alcohol earlier than sleeping on flights presents well being danger: research

Woman sleeping on a plane.

Rudi_suardi | E+ | Getty Images

A popular pastime on long-haul flights — drinking alcohol before dozing off for a nap — may present health risks even to young and healthy passengers, according to a new study.

The combination of alcohol consumption, sleep and the low oxygen concentration at high altitudes was found to challenge the cardiovascular system and extend the duration of hypoxaemia, or low levels of oxygen in the blood.

The researchers at the German Aerospace Center’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine and Aachen University also said the habit reduced sleep quality and recommended that airlines restrict inflight consumption of alcoholic drinks.

Study co-author Eva-Maria Elmenhorst told NBC News that the team was “surprised to see that the effect was so strong” and recommended avoiding alcohol while flying.

Inflight sleep already exacerbates the fall in blood oxygen saturation caused by the reduced atmospheric pressure in aircraft cabins, the study states.

Under the added effect of alcohol consumption, lab tests showed that participants’ blood oxygen saturation decreased further, their heart rate increased and deep sleep was reduced.

Even “young and healthy participants” suffered from “clinically relevant” desaturations and heart rate accelerations during sleep, the study found.

“Higher doses of alcohol could amplify these observed effects, potentially escalating the risk of health complications and medical emergencies during flight, especially among older individuals and those with pre-existing medical conditions,” it added.

Biden immigration government order labor markets and provide chains

U.S. President Joe Biden announces an executive order on enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border, as he delivers remarks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 4, 2024. 

Leah Millis | Reuters

President Joe Biden’s new executive order tightening asylum limits at the U.S.-Mexico border could have the double-edged economic effect of tightening labor markets, while also easing supply chain bottlenecks between the two countries, economists and trade analysts say.

The measure will temporarily bar undocumented immigrants who enter the U.S. at the southern border from obtaining asylum, except in certain cases, and make it easier for U.S. Border Patrol agents to deport these people quickly.

“The simple truth is there is a worldwide migrant crisis,” Biden said at the White House on Tuesday. “If the United States doesn’t secure our border, there’s no limit to the number of people that may try to come here.”

On Tuesday, Biden confirmed in a call with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador that he approved three new permits to build delayed bridge projects along the Texas-Mexico border. That new bridge infrastructure could further ease shipping congestion and expedite trade between the two countries.

The asylum restrictions are triggered when the average daily number of migrant encounters exceeds 2,500 over a week. The restrictions are then lifted two weeks after the government determines that the daily average of migrant encounters fell below 1,500 for seven consecutive days.

Currently, the average number of encounters with migrants is roughly 4,000 per day, Department of Homeland Security officials told NBC News.

As a result, a senior administration official told reporters that the temporary ban will be “in effect immediately.”

Members of the Texas National Guard stand near a razor wire fence to inhibit the crossing of migrants into the United States, seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, June 4, 2024.

Jose Luis Gonzalez | Reuters

The temporary shutdown would not block trade or travel, however. It would still allow immigrants who enter the United States legally to apply for and receive asylum.

“For those who say the steps I’ve taken are too strict, I say to you, be patient,” Biden said in his Tuesday remarks, which seemed to have been made, in part, in acknowledgment of the ire on the new restrictions from progressives.

But economists and industry representatives say the action has potential impacts on the U.S. labor market, trade, supply chains and inflation.

“This is a modest move as far as immigration changes go, so I think it would have only a small effect on job growth and economic expansion,” said Ernie Tedeschi, economics director at Yale University’s Budget Lab. Tedeschi formerly served as chief economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

Trucks wait in a long queue for Customs and Border Protection at the World Trade Bridge in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, June 30, 2020.

Daniel Becerril | Reuters

The order is also designed to serve as Biden’s political response to public anger over a wave of undocumented immigrants. This frustration has become a voter liability ahead of Biden’s likely November rematch against former President Donald Trump.

But border policy also impacts the way that businesses trade, hire workers and price consumer goods — all of which bear on the health of the U.S. economy.

So far, experts say the short-term economic impacts will be relatively small. Specifically, the new asylum limits could put a gentle dent in U.S. labor market growth. But they might also help unclog supply chain bottlenecks at the border and streamline trade with Mexico.

Could this hurt the economy?

If the new border measure bruises the economy at all, experts say the pain point will likely present itself in the labor market.

If the border temporarily stops accepting new asylum-seekers under Biden’s executive order, the immigration slowdown could mildly dent the strong U.S. labor market, which has already shown signs of softening.

“I’d expect [job] numbers to cool a tiny bit,” Tedeschi said. “I’d also expect many immeasurable effects: Say, a business finding it a bit harder to find the workers they need to open a new location.”

Migrants talk to an aid volunteer through the border fence between Mexico and the United States as they await processing by U.S. immigration, in San Diego, California, Sept. 22, 2023.

Mike Blake | Reuters

Since 2019, immigration has added 2 million workers to the U.S. labor supply, according to an April analysis by Tedeschi. Without immigrants, Tedeschi estimated that the size of the U.S. labor supply would have shrunk by 1.2 million during that period.

“A steady influx of immigrants is critical to ensuring the U.S. labor force can continue to grow,” said Brookings Institution economist Tara Watson.

Immigrants also helped supercharge the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery, which, despite many hiccups, has outpaced developed nations around the world.

Tedeschi approximated that immigrants accounted for one-fifth of the pandemic growth in U.S. gross domestic product.

Will goods get more expensive?

The short answer is that this executive order will probably not increase inflation.

“Immigration has an ambiguous effect on inflation since immigrants expand supply but also bring added demand as well,” Tedeschi explained.

Some experts say the executive order could bring down costs by smoothing out the U.S.-Mexico supply chain.

Aerial view of trucks lining up near the border fence to cross to the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in Tijuana, Mexico, on Dec. 10, 2019.

Guillermo Arias | AFP | Getty Images

Shipping at the border sometimes gets clogged because Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, agents get tied up trying to process an overwhelming number of migrants.

“When you slow down that logistics chain, it costs everybody money,” said Jerry Pacheco, president of the Border Industrial Association, a New Mexico trade group that represents over 100 businesses that rely on Mexican producers.

These elevated producer costs can ripple through the entire economy.

“It’s like a hot potato. It’s passed on from the logistics companies to manufacturers and manufacturers pass it on to us, consumers. That has a profound negative impact on our economy,” Pacheco said.

Biden’s executive order could help clear some of these supply chain bottlenecks. By placing limits on the number of migrant crossings, CBP agents would have more time to facilitate faster shipping with Mexico.

“This probably should have been done a year ago, two years ago,” Pacheco said.

The Trump alternative

Despite some of the potential economic silver linings of Biden’s border policy, Pacheco said the best border policy for the economy and the labor force would be one that provides a long-term fix to the nation’s “broken immigration and visa system.”

Watson of Brookings agreed. “The better way to manage the border situation would be to create more regular legal pathways,” she said.

In the meantime, Biden’s new executive order is expected to have both milder economic and humanitarian effects than the wholesale border shutdown and hardline deportation strategies that Trump and some Republicans are proposing.

U.S. President Donald Trump tours the border wall between the United States and Mexico in Calexico, California, April 5, 2019.

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

Experts say draconian immigration policies could stoke the embers of inflation that the Biden administration has been working to stamp out.

“I used to always chuckle when former President Trump would say that,” Pacheco quipped, referring to Trump’s pledge to shut down the border.

“I mean, that would be like taking a shotgun, not a pistol, and shooting ourselves in the kneecap.”

A spokesperson for the Trump campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment from CNBC on how Trump’s immigration proposals would impact inflation and the cost of goods.

Stephen Colbert Viewers Chants Lock Him Up In Response To Trump Conviction

Stephen Colbert asked his audience for their thoughts on Trump going to jail, and the crowd chanted lock him up.

Read: The Republican Presumptive Nominee for President is A Convicted Felon

Video:

 

Colbert played a clip of Trump saying, “‘I’m okay with it. I don’t know that the public would stand it, you know. I’m not sure the public would stand for it. I think it would be tough for the public to take.”

The Late Show host responded, “Oh, it would be tough for “the public.” Actually, I happen to have a large number of the public here. Hey, public, what do you all think of Trump going to jail?”

Audience, “Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up!”

Colbert said, ” Ladies and gentlemen, there you have it I didn’t say “Lock him up.” The people said, “Lock him up.”

It is baffling that Trump continues to believe that he has all this massive public support when reality suggests otherwise. Trump could not get his fans to show up at his trial. Trump keeps promising a massive public uprising of support and it never develops.

At some point, even Trump has to realize that he isn’t as popular as he thinks he is.

 

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

Paramount, Skydance conform to phrases of a merger deal

Paramount and Skydance have agreed to terms of a merger, CNBC’s David Faber reported Monday. A deal could be announced in the coming days, he said.

A Paramount special committee and the buying consortium — David Ellison’s Skydance, backed by private equity firms RedBird Capital and KKR — agreed to the terms. The deal is awaiting signoff from Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, who owns National Amusements, which owns 77% of class A Paramount shares, Faber said Monday.

The agreement terms come after weeks of discussion and a recent competing offer from Apollo Global Management and Sony Pictures.

“We received the financial terms of the proposed Paramount/Skydance transaction over the weekend and we are reviewing them,” said a National Amusements spokesperson.

The deal currently calls for Redstone to receive $2 billion for National Amusements, Faber reported Monday. Skydance would buy out nearly 50% of class B Paramount shares at $15 apiece, or $4.5 billion, leaving the holders with equity in the new company.

Skydance and RedBird would also contribute $1.5 billion in cash to Paramount’s balance sheet to help reduce debt.

Following the deal’s close, Skydance and RedBird would own two-thirds of Paramount, and the class B shareholders would own the remaining third of the company, Faber reported. The negotiated terms were reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.

The deal will not require a vote from the shareholders, which was part of the negotiations, Faber reported. Paramount’s annual shareholder meeting will take place on Tuesday.

The deal is valued at $8 billion, an increase from the $5 billion offer on the table earlier. Under those earlier terms, Redstone would have received less than $2 billion for her stake, and the class B shareholders would have been bought out at a nearly 30% premium at $11 a share, CNBC previously reported.

No deal announcement is expected before the meeting, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. In addition to the twists and turns of the negotiations with buyers, Paramount’s C-suite has also undergone a shakeup in recent months.

Bob Bakish stepped down as CEO in late April and was replaced by what the company calls the “Office of the CEO.” Paramount is now led by three executives: George Cheeks, CBS president and CEO; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks; and Brian Robbins, the head of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.

They plan to present strategic priorities at Tuesday’s annual meeting. Later in the day Tuesday, there will be a previously scheduled board meeting, where the temporary leaders will again present, said the people. Redstone has approved of the ideas and the leadership of the triumvirate during its short tenure, said one of the people.

In early May, Apollo and Sony formally expressed interest in acquiring Paramount for about $26 billion, CNBC previously reported. However, Redstone has favored a deal that would keep Paramount together, and Apollo and Sony planned to break up the company, CNBC previously reported.

FDA approves Moderna RSV vaccine for seniors

The FDA has approved Moderna’s RSV vaccine for older adults.

Courtesy: Moderna

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Moderna’s vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus for adults ages 60 and above, the company’s second-ever product to enter the U.S. market. 

The decision is a win for Moderna, which desperately needs another revenue source amid plunging demand for its Covid jab, its only commercially available product. 

The approval of Moderna’s shot is based on a late-stage trial on older adults, who are more vulnerable to severe cases of RSV. The virus kills between 6,000 and 10,000 seniors every year and results in 60,000 to 160,000 hospitalizations, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Moderna’s shot will be marketed under the brand name mRESVIA. It is the first messenger RNA vaccine to get approved for a disease other than Covid. The company’s shot is also the only RSV vaccine to be available in a pre-filled syringe, which is designed to make it easier to administer to patients.

An advisory panel to the CDC will vote in June on recommendations for the use and intended population of Moderna’s shot. The company expects an equal recommendation to existing RSV shots from GSK and Pfizer, Moderna executives said during an earnings call on May 1. 

A positive recommendation from the CDC would allow Moderna’s vaccine to compete against GSK and Pfizer, which launched their respective shots in the U.S. last fall. Pfizer’s vaccine has so far lagged behind GSK’s, but both shots have so far recorded hundreds of millions in sales. 

Moderna’s full-year 2024 sales guidance of roughly $4 billion includes revenue from its RSV vaccine. 

The approval demonstrates the versatility of Moderna’s messenger RNA platform beyond treating Covid. The biotech company is using that technology to tackle a range of different diseases, including RSV, cancer and a highly contagious stomach bug known as norovirus. 

“The FDA approval of our second product, mRESVIA, builds on the strength and versatility of our mRNA platform,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a release. “With mRESVIA, we continue to deliver for patients by addressing global public health threats related to infectious diseases.”

The biotech company currently has more than 40 products in development, several of which are in late-stage trials. They include its combination shot targeting Covid and the flu, which could win approval as early as 2025.

More CNBC health coverage

Moderna is also developing a stand-alone flu shot, a personalized cancer vaccine with Merck and shots for latent viruses, among other products.

Moderna has said it expects to return to sales growth in 2025 and to break even by 2026, with the launch of new products. 

Investors have high hopes for the long-term potential of Moderna’s mRNA product pipeline: Shares of the company are up more than 40% this year after falling nearly 45% in 2023. 

Vaccine trial data

The FDA was initially slated to make a decision on Moderna’s jab on May 12. The agency delayed the approval, citing internal “administrative constraints.” 

A phase three trial on roughly 37,000 people showed that Moderna’s vaccine was 83.7% effective at preventing at least two symptoms of RSV at around three months. New data from that study in February showed the shot’s efficacy declined to 63% at 8.6 months. 

At the time, those results raised concerns among investors that the shot’s efficacy declined faster than that of shots from GSK and Pfizer. Moderna in a statement said comparisons can’t be made without head-to-head trials on shots.

The company added that its trial had different study populations, geographic locations and case definitions for RSV, among other differences. 

No significant safety concerns were identified in patients who took the shot in the trial. Most side effects were mild to moderate and included injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain and joint pain. 

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Michelle Obama’s Mom Marian Shields Robinson Useless at 86

The Obamas are in mourning.

Marian Shields Robinson—the mom of former First Lady Michelle Obama and the grandmother of her and former President Barack Obama‘s kids Malia, 25, and Sasha, 22—died on the morning of May 31. She was 86.

“Marian Lois Shields Robinson—our mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother—had a way of summing up the truths about life in a word or two, maybe a quick phrase that made everyone around her stop and think,” the family said in a statement shared to their social media accounts May 31. “Her wisdom came off as almost innate, as something she was born with, but in reality it was hard-earned, fashioned by her deep understanding that the world’s roughest edges could always be sanded down with a little grace.”

They continued, “As a mother, she was our backstop, a calm and nonjudgmental witness to our triumphs and stumbles. She was always, always there, welcoming us back home no matter how far we had journeyed, with that deep and abiding love.”