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June 01, 2012 | | PARTY GUIDE In the run-up to Queen Elizabeth II’s celebration of 60 years on the throne, Americans are no doubt baffled by some of the hoopla’s intricacies. The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes explains it all, from the 1,000-boat flotilla to what Pippa will be up to. HACKING SCANDAL No matter how much we may want it to, News Corp. won’t be leaving the spotlight anytime soon. Lawyers for both Rupert Murdoch’s media company and victims of phone hacking said in court Friday that the company will likely face a total of 500 civil suits related to phone hacking, only about 110 of which have been filed or settled so far. The cost of battling the civil claims has put a significant drain on News Corp. since the hacking activity first came to light, and the company reported in early May that it had spent $167 million on legal fees related to the cases. Last year, News Corp. shut down the Fleet Street tabloid News of the World, and a police investigation into hacking activity at the paper continues. OMEN The outcome of Tuesday’s recall election on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is being seen not just as a sign of the state’s leanings on its policies, but as an omen for the presidential race this fall—especially for President Obama’s chances of capturing key Midwestern swing states. With high-profile Republican governors like Chris Christie and Nikki Haley visiting and supporting Walker, as well as more than $30 million raised, the vote will send a national message about whether voters are likely to reject those who cut collective bargaining rights, as Walker did last year for most of the state’s public workers. GRUESOME Canadian police on Friday identified the victim in a gruesome homicide as 33-year-old Chinese student Lin Jun, who was studying at Concordia University in Montreal. Jun, who was last seen May 24, is believed to be the man whose remains turned up in separate packages mailed to locations in Ottawa and Montreal and whose torso was found in a garbage pile in Montreal. Canadian porn actor Luka Rocco Magnotta, who is the prime suspect, according to police, is believed to have fled to France after flying out of a Montreal airport on May 26. A family member reported Lin as a missing person on May 29, about five days after the grisly murder is thought to have taken place. DYSFUNCTION Mitt Romney was handed a new weapon in his war for the White House on Friday when the latest unemployment numbers showed that the economy had added a measly 69,000 jobs over the month of May—pushing the unemployment rate up to 8.2 percent. The Daily Beast’s Zachary Karabell writes that we can only expect more of the same: dismal numbers, panicked market reactions, and politicians who squabble while out-of-work Americans suffer. | | 
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