Top Stories Today – May 21, 2019
Top Stories Today – May 21, 2019
Ren Zhengfei: US underestimates Huawei
Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei has remained defiant towards US moves against his company, saying the US “underestimates” its abilities. Speaking to Chinese state media, Ren downplayed the impact of recent US curbs and said no-one could catch up to its 5G technology in the near future.
Last week the US added Huawei to a list of companies that American firms cannot trade with unless they have a license. The move marked an escalation in US efforts to block the Chinese company. “The current practice of US politicians underestimates our strength,” Ren said, according to transcripts from state media. Huawei faces a growing backlash from Western countries, led by the US, over possible risks posed by using its products in next-generation 5G mobile networks. BBC
Iran quadruples uranium enrichment
Iran said Monday it has quadrupled its uranium enrichment capacity as the war of words between Tehran and Washington shows little sign of cooling off. Iranian officials say the uranium will be enriched for civilian energy uses, far below weapons grade as spelled out in the 2015 nuclear agreement.
President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear agreement deal one year ago. He re-imposed sanctions on Tehran and has threatened other sanctions on countries that still do business with Iran. Trump’s decision has made the Iranian economy, already in tatters, even weaker. Trump’s moves have helped set the stage for the current increased tensions between the United States and Iran. Trump tweeted Sunday, “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” The Voice of America
Trump officials to brief Congress on Iranian threat
Senior Trump administration officials are due to brief members of Congress in closed-door sessions Tuesday about the military threat the White House says Iran poses in the Middle East. Among those going to Capitol Hill are Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford.
They are planning to talk with lawmakers after days of suspicions expressed by US officials that Iran was responsible for attacks last week on two Saudi oil-pumping stations and an earlier sabotage of four oil tankers. Trump said Monday that Iran has been “very hostile,” and that the United States will have no choice but to respond to Iranian aggression “with great force.” The Voice of America
McGahn warned against ignoring subpoena
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) warned former White House Counsel Don McGahn on Monday night that if he ignores a congressional subpoena and refuses to testify before his panel on Tuesday, “the committee is prepared to use all enforcement mechanisms at its disposal.”
Earlier Monday, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone notified Nadler that Trump had instructed McGahn to ignore the subpoena and skip the hearing. In a letter to McGahn, Nadler said “President Trump’s order — which seeks to block a former official from informing a coequal branch of government about his own misconduct — is unprecedented,” adding that this “does not excuse your obligation to appear before the committee.” Rep. Jerrold Nadler via The Week
Judge rules over Trump’s accounting firm
President Trump’s attempt to block a subpoena from House Democrats was overruled Monday. Washington, D.C. District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Trump could not block the House Oversight Committee’s subpoena of his financial records from his accounting firm. The firm is now supposed to hand over eight years’ worth of Trump’s records.
House Oversight Chair Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) subpoenaed Trump’s accounting firm last month. Trump’s lawyers argued the requests were made for “a law-enforcement purpose” rather than “to work on legislation.” Mehta said “it is not for the court to question whether the committee’s actions are truly motivated by political considerations” and ruled in the committee’s favor. Trump’s lawyers are expected to appeal the decision immediately, setting it up for a decision in a circuit court. Politico via The Week
Trump attorney told Cohen to lie about Moscow project
Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former longtime personal attorney, told a House panel during closed-door hearings earlier this year that he had been encouraged by Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow to falsely claim in a 2017 statement to Congress that negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow ended in January 2016, according to transcripts of his testimony released Monday evening.
In fact, Cohen later admitted, discussions on the Moscow tower continued into June of the presidential election year, after it was clear Trump would be the GOP nominee. Cohen is serving three years in prison for lying to Congress, financial crimes and campaign finance violations. House Democrats are now scrutinizing whether Sekulow or other Trump attorneys played a role in shaping Cohen’s 2017 testimony to Congress. Cohen has said he made the false statement to help hide the fact that Trump had potentially hundreds of millions of dollars at stake in a possible Russian project while he was running for president. The Washington Post
A migrant teen died in border patrol custody
A 16-year-old Guatemalan boy died Monday after being detained for a week by US Border Patrol agents in Texas. Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez is the fifth Guatemalan minor to die after being apprehended at the southern border since December, officials said. Four have died in US custody, while one died in a hospital.
Hernandez was apprehended on May 13 after crossing the border without authorization near Hidalgo, Texas. The teen was transferred from a processing center to a Border Patrol station and was set for placement in a shelter for migrant youth when on Sunday he told staff that he wasn’t feeling well. A contracted nurse practitioner determined he had the flu and Border Patrol agents went to a local pharmacy to pick up medication, a CBP official told reporters. Hernandez was then transferred to a Border Patrol station in Weslaco, Texas. On Monday, he was found unresponsive. The cause of death was not known and the case is under review, officials said. While Hernandez wasn’t hospitalized after he was diagnosed with the flu, the CBP official said the decision was left up to medical care providers. BuzzFeed News