Top News Stories for Today – Oct 9, 2018
Top News Stories for Today – Oct 9, 2018
US, China trade criticism
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told his Chinese counterpart Monday the United States has “grave concerns” about China’s actions on several fronts, including human rights and the South China Sea. “We have a fundamental disagreement,” Pompeo told Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing. Both men used unusually blunt language for such a diplomatic setting.
Wang accused the US of escalating trade tensions with China, and said Washington was dealing with Taiwan in a way that “harms China’s core interests.” Beijing considers the self-ruled island part of its territory. The US is obligated to come to Taiwan’s aid if China tries to take back the island by force. Monday’s meeting came days after US Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech accusing China of military aggression, commercial theft, rising human rights violations and trying to interfere in upcoming US elections. VOA
Kavanaugh pledges to be independent
The newest member of the United States Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, after a bruising confirmation process in the Senate that bitterly divided the nation, is vowing to hear every case with respect and an open mind. “Every American can be assured that I will be an independent and impartial justice,” Kavanaugh said in the White House East Room after a ceremonial swearing-in ahead of his first day on the bench Tuesday.
The other eight members of the highest court, a number of Republican senators crucial to the confirmation process and President Donald Trump watched Monday as retired Justice Anthony Kennedy administered the judicial oath to Kavanaugh. VOA
Trump apologizes to Kavanaugh in swearing-in
During Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s ceremonial swearing-in on Monday night, President Trump said that “on behalf of our nation, I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure.” He declared that Kavanaugh was the victim of “a campaign of political and personal destruction based on lies and deception,” and claimed, falsely, that Kavanaugh was “proven innocent.”
The FBI did a brief investigation of allegations of sexual assault against him by Deborah Ramirez and Christine Blasey Ford, but never interviewed Ford, Kavanaugh, or countless other potential witnesses who delivered signed statements to the bureau after their emails and phone calls were ignored. The Week
Trump campaign’s social media manipulation
In 2016, an Israeli company sent several proposals to top Trump campaign official Rick Gates for social media manipulation, The New York Times reports. The company, Psy-Group, sent over at least three proposals as part of what it called “Project Rome.” One plan included creating fake online identities to attack President Trump’s then-opponent in the GOP primary, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), in an attempt to target and sway 5,000 delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention.
The Times says there’s no knowledge that the Trump campaign ever agreed to go along with any of the proposals. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office has copies of the proposals and investigators have spoken with Psy-Group employees, the Times reports. Gates is now cooperating with Mueller, after pleading guilty to several charges of financial fraud and tax evasion. The New York Times
Second Russian Salisbury suspect named
The name of the second suspect in the Salisbury case is actually Alexander Mishkin, the BBC understands. The Bellingcat investigative website says the man who travelled under the alias Alexander Petrov is in reality a military doctor working for Russian intelligence, the GRU.
Last month, Bellingcat named the first suspect as Anatoliy Chepiga, a claim rejected by Russia. More details about how it uncovered the identity will be released on Tuesday. Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in March. BBC
Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael has escalated to a Category 1 storm and is expected to strengthen to at least a Category 3 as it moves toward the Florida Panhandle, the National Hurricane Center said Monday. The storm bombarded western Cuba with wind and rain on Monday, and will soon head north over the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters.
Michael is projected to become a major hurricane with winds of at least 111 miles per hour before it makes landfall Wednesday, creating storm surges of up to 12 feet along the Florida coast. Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has declared a state of emergency in some coastal counties, saying the storm will be “life-threatening and extremely dangerous.” The Associated Press
Google+ to shut down
Google announced Monday that it’s winding down its social media platform Google+, following a Wall Street Journal report on a software glitch that exposed the data of 500,000 Google+ users. Google discovered the leak in March 2018, but opted not to disclose it due to regulation fears, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Despite once being seen as a possible competitor to Facebook, Google+ has struggled to gain traction among consumers since its launch in 2011, suffering from what its parent company called a “very low usage.” After the consumer side of the platform is wound down over the next 10 months, Google said, it will still be made available to businesses, who use it as a secure place for co-workers to communicate. The Wall Street Journal, The Verge