Top Stories Today – June 7, 2019
Top Stories Today – June 7, 2019
Automakers send a letter to Trump
Ford, General Motors, Toyota, and 14 other automakers sent President Trump a letter on Thursday, telling him if he goes through with his plan to roll back Obama-era pollution regulations, it could lower their profits and cause an “extended period of litigation and instability.” The auto pollution regulations Trump is expected to eliminate include an ambitious plan to increase mileage standards to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
California and other states have said they will sue and still enact their own stricter rules, and in their letter, the automakers told Trump they “strongly believe the best path to preserve good auto jobs and keep new vehicles affordable for more Americans is a final rule supported by all parties — including California.” The New York Times via The Week
US-Mexico discuss migration
US and Mexican officials return to the negotiating table Friday to find a way to stem the flow of Central American migrants across the US southern border that is threatening trade between the neighboring countries. The United States pushed Mexico on Thursday to do more to curb the surge of Central American migrants headed north to the US, with President Donald Trump renewing his threat to impose a 5% tariff on imported goods from Mexico next week if no agreement is reached.
US Vice President Mike Pence said that initial talks with Mexico this week were positive, but he said the US wants Mexico to increase its efforts to curb the flow of thousands of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador looking for a better life in the US and an escape from poverty and violence in their homelands. The Voice of America
May steps down as leader of Conservative party
British Prime Minister Theresa May steps down as leader of the Conservative Party on Friday, and the first round of voting to elect her successor is expected next week. May will remain in the post until a new leader is chosen, likely by the end of July, but she relinquished control over the direction of Britain’s departure from the European Union, scheduled for Oct. 31.
The next prime minister will have less than five months to decide whether to try to revive May’s plan and delay Brexit again, or leave the EU with no agreement at all.
Biden reverses long-held position on abortion
Former Vice President Joe Biden says he now wants to throw out the Hyde Amendment, dropping his long-held support for the measure that blocks federal funds from being used for most abortions amid criticism from his 2020 Democratic rivals. “If I believe health care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone’s ZIP code,” he said. The Hyde Amendment is a four-decade-old ban on federal dollars being used for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when the woman’s life is in danger.
Biden told the crowd Thursday night he had changed his mind because Republican state lawmakers have enacted “extreme laws in clear violation of constitutional rights” protected by the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, making access to abortions more difficult for women who cannot afford the procedure or travel to obtain it. He said he makes “no apologies” for his previous support for the Hyde Amendment. CNN
Trump calls for Iran talks
US President Donald Trump has called for US-Iran talks for a second day to resolve mutual tensions — a prospect two US allies hope to promote as they send senior envoys to Tehran for the first time in years. Trump withdrew the US from a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers in May 2018, saying it did not do enough to stop Iran’s alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons or other perceived malign activities in the region and beyond. Iran has denied seeking nuclear weapons and has vowed to resist the US maximum pressure campaign.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a nationally televised speech on Tuesday, dismissed other recent comments by Trump suggesting an openness to talks, saying the US leader would not “deceive” Iran with a “cunning political ploy.” He also derided Trump by saying, “When someone like this leads a country, it shows that this country is declining in terms of moral and political power.” The Voice of America
Russia: US warship nearly caused collision in China Sea
Russia’s Pacific Fleet on Friday accused a US warship of nearly causing a collision with a Russian military vessel in the East China Sea due to what it called dangerous maneuvering, Russian news agencies reported.
The Russian Navy was cited as saying that the USS Chancellorsville, a guided-missile cruiser, had come within just 50 meters of the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov which had been forced to take emergency action to avoid a collision. The Voice of America
Women’s World Cup kicks off
The first match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Paris is slated for Friday at 3 p.m. ET, with the home team playing South Korea. France is highly anticipated to win that match, and FiveThirtyEight lists the team as the most likely to win the whole cup at 20 percent. Still, the US women are ranked No. 1 on FIFA’s list, giving them the highest betting odds, 7-4, to win it all.
Germany and England could also sneak into the top spot, with 11-2 and 7-1 odds, respectively. Off the field, the US women’s team is still waging their lawsuit against the US Soccer Federation for alleged gender discrimination. FIFA will award $4 million to this year’s winning team compared to the $38 million France’s men’s team got when it won last year’s World Cup. FiveThirtyEight, CBS Sports via The Week