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Mystery trader’s debt-ceiling windfall sparks insider concerns Bloomberg News The U.S. government’s move to greenlight a 300mile natural gas pipeline as part of legislation to stave off a Treasury default shocked just about everyone, except for a mystery trader who somehow appears to have seen it coming. On Wall Street, analysts had mostly expected vague promises on energy permits to be included in a bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling. Yet, options trading suggests something bigger may have been in the offing. On May 24 – several days before an agreement was announced – a huge bullish bet was made on Equitrans Midstream Corp., data compiled by Bloomberg show. The company is deeply involved in the longdelayed Mountain Valley Pipeline. The wager involved snapping up 100,000 call options on the firm’s stock. It proved prescient and wildly profitable within just a few days. On May 27, White House and Republican lawmakers reached a deal that would give the longdelayed Mountain Valley Pipeline the final approvals needed to complete the project. Throughout April and much of May, nego-

tiators from the White House and Congress went back and forth on broadstroke parameters of an agreement. Almost until the very end, the details were closely held and in flux. Doubts lingered over whether a deal would be reached before the U.S. was scheduled to run out of money in early June. The legislation, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on Saturday, forced action on permits for the project. On paper, the bet appears to have earned $7.5 million through Friday. It has some asking whether more than skill and luck played a role. “My questions are: Who’s the trader? How sophisticated are they? And what are their connections to the government?” said Donald Sherman, chief counsel at the ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. He added the bet raises the specter of whether the parameters of the debt deal had somehow leaked out ahead of time. Digging into whether a trade is improperly based on confidential information is notoriously difficult, especially when it involves market-moving news from inside the government. The rules See Insider, Page A7

Directors Guild reaches new deal with studio heads Washington Post A major union representing film and television directors announced late Saturday that it had reached a tentative deal with Hollywood producers, addressing industry fears that artificial intelligence may wipe out creative workers' jobs and instituting an on-set ban of live ammunition after a cinematographer was killed in 2021. The Directors Guild of America (DGA) said its "historic" three-year contract with studios and streaming services recognizes that AI cannot replace members' work. While the DGA had previously been quiet on the issue, it was a flash point in negotiations between screenwriters and producers before their negotiations collapsed, leading to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike that began a month ago. Some economists have warned that AI could eventually replace hundreds of millions of jobs across industries.

The live ammunition ban, meanwhile, comes about a year and a half after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of "Rust." Criminal charges against actor Alec Baldwin, who was handling a prop gun when it discharged, were filed, then dropped. The directors' deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) would also: provide a 5 percent wage increase in the first year, with raises of 4 percent and 3.5 percent in the two subsequent years; reduce the length of assistant directors' workdays by an hour; and expand other safety programs. "This deal recognizes the future of our industry is global and respects the unique and essential role of directors and their teams as we move into that future," DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. "As each new technology brings about major change, this deal ensures that each of the See Directors, Page A7

Courtesy Photo

Alina Adams, right, and Karis Pintner at a violin lesson at Alina’s Studio in Vacaville.

Walk through musical time with Alina’s Studio students Daily Republic Staff

DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET

VACAVILLE — World-renowned violinist Alina SolodovnikovaAdams takes a step back and will let her students take center stage at the “Music from the Time Machine” performance June 13 at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre. “It’s not just a boring recital, it’s a show,” Adams said. The music, and costumes, range from the 13th century to more modern selections such as “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones, all featuring the violinists, pianists and singers who study at Alina’s Studio in Vacaville. The performance includes material from the classical era of Mozart and his peers. “It takes guts to go out and still perform. And even if you got nerves, you have to hold it ... and still perform,” Adams said in an interview. “But it’s not my show; I’m the director.”

While there will be a number of soloists who perform, that lights shine specifically on Karis Pintner, who has been working with Adams for 10 years. She is 15. Adams will perform on her own and with her students. “Support our musicians: pianists, violinists and singers who will showcase their wonderful talents to create an unforgettable atmosphere,” Adams said in a statement. “Some of the standout performances to watch out for include our violin ensemble, who will perform early music, as well as movie favorites; Shadden Gulley will perform first movement of the beloved Bach’s Double concerto with ... Adams; Gracie Langlois (will play) Mozart’s famous Turkish March, and the ensemble concertmaster, Karis Pintner, with the first movement of E. Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, a virtuosic violin piece that she has mastered exceptionally well,” Adams said. “In addition, Karis will also

Rail signal system error in India blamed for worst crash in decades Bloomberg News India said its deadliest rail accident in nearly three decades was due to a fault in an electronic signaling system, as the focus turned from recovering victims to restoring train operations. A high-level inquiry into the three-train collision is underway, and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said a preliminary investigation showed the accident on Friday evening happened “due to a change in electronic interlocking.” “Who has done it and what is

the reason will come out of after an investigation,” he told news agency ANI. A search for survivors has ended, with at least 288 fatalities, and more than 800 passengers injured. Hydraulic excavation machines and cranes are being used to clear the mangled wreckage, and over 1,000 workers are involved to expedite restoration efforts, Indian Railways said in a statement Sunday. Currently the focus is on restoration, Vaishnaw said on Sunday. He visited the accident site in the

state of Odisha and said the target is to restore all damaged tracks by Wednesday morning. Victims have all been retrieved, he said. An express passenger train collided with a stationary goods train after entering into a loop line from its original path, resulting in carriages derailing and ending up on an adjoining track. Another express passenger train from an opposite direction moving at high speed then rammed into the coaches and was also derailed. Photos and videos from the See Error, Page A7

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perform a rendition of “Paint It Black” by The Rolling Stones, as featured in the famous Netflix TV series, ‘Wednesday’ (Addams),” she added. While Adams focuses on her students, the music selection and show performance is created by her. Most especially, is a kind of lullaby that she learned as a child growing up in what is now war-torn Ukraine. It is a piece that is close to her heart. “It’s very important, that’s how I grew up,” Adams said. “I grew up listening to that song.” It will be 20 years in December that Adams opened her studio in Vacaville, so while coming back from Covid-19 to perform live is important, next year will be an even bigger gala she has planned. Tickets are available at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre box office by calling 707469-4013 or by going to https:// vpat.net/. The theater is located at 1010 Ulatis Drive.

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