Top News Stories for Today – Jan 28, 2019
Top News Stories for Today – Jan 28, 2019
Trump said another shutdown is an option
US President Donald Trump says he sees less than a 50 percent chance congressional negotiators can put together deal to fund a southern border wall that he will accept. Trump told The Wall Street Journal Sunday there are some “very good people” on the bipartisan negotiating team. But he said he doubts he will accept less than the $5.7 billion in wall funding he has been demanding, adding “I have to do it right.”
Trump said another government shutdown is “certainly an option” if he does not get what he wants to build a wall. He also said he could declare a national emergency which would allow him to fund the wall without congressional approval — a tactic Democrats are sure to challenge in the courts. VOA
58 dead in Brazil dam disaster
A dam in southeastern Brazil, owned by Brazil’s Vale mining company collapsed Friday, sending water and mud over hundreds of mine workers enjoying a lunch break. The death toll rose to 58 Sunday — a number sure to climb with at least 300 people feared buried under tons of mud.
Brazilian judicial authorities have frozen some $3 billion of global mining giant Vale’s assets since Friday. The company has also been hit with multiple fines as it comes under scrutiny for regulatory violations and pollution in the wake of the disaster. The accident recalls a similar disaster in 2015, when another mining dam broke in the same state of Minas Gerais, killing 19 people. That dam was also administrated by Vale, along with Australian mining company BHP Billiton. The 2015 dam collapse released millions of tons of toxic iron waste along hundreds of kilometers, causing what is considered Brazil’s worst-ever environmental disaster. VOA
Venezuelan opposition calls for new protests
Venezuelan opposition leader and self-declared interim president Juan Guaido has called for demonstrations two days this week in his latest bid to sway the country’s military to his side and away from leader Nicolas Maduro. First, Guaido wants Venezuelans to mount a peaceful, two-hour, mid-day protest Wednesday “to demand that the armed forces side with the people.”
On Saturday, Guaido wants his supporters “in every corner” of the nation and around the globe to take to the streets, a move that coincides with the European Union deadline for announcing a new election. Guaido is offering amnesty to soldiers who back democracy and reject the current Maduro government. VOA
Ex-Starbucks boss considering presidential run
Former Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz announced on Twitter Sunday night that he is “seriously considering” running for president. In a series of tweets, Schultz, 65, said he wants to use Twitter to “share my truth, listen to yours, build trust, and focus on things that can make us better.” Schultz is considering running as a “centrist independent,” because this “moment is like no other.
Our two parties are more divided than ever.” He invited people to visit his website so they can “discuss how we can come together to create opportunities for more people.” Schultz, a self-described “lifelong Democrat,” stepped down from his roles at Starbucks last year. CBS News, Howard Schultz via The Week
Draft framework for Afghan peace agreed
On Monday, the chief US negotiator in peace talks with the Afghan Taliban said the two sides have agreed in principal to the framework of a peace deal that includes American troops leaving Afghanistan in return for a Taliban guarantee that its territory won’t be used to harbor terrorist groups.
“We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement,” US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad told The New York Times. The Afghan government was not party to the talks, and one of the sticking points is US insistence that the Taliban enter direct talks with the government of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The US is also demanding a long-term ceasefire. The New York Time via The Week
US professor removed over speak English email
A US university professor has been removed as director of a graduate program, amid a furor over an email she sent urging students not to speak Chinese. Megan Neely, an assistant professor at Duke University in North Carolina, said in an email to students that two unnamed faculty members of the biostatistics masters program had complained to her about students speaking Chinese in public areas in the department.
She said that not speaking English could lead to “unintended consequences” for international students. Her email went viral on Twitter and Chinese social media. Many have criticized Dr Neely’s email as racist or insensitive, and raised concerns that faculty members were discriminating against international students. However, some ethnic minority students on the masters program told the BBC they supported Dr Neely, describing her as a supportive program director and “definitely not a racist, not even close”. BBC
The 25th SAG awards
At the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night, Black Panther won the award for best film ensemble cast, with This Is Us taking home the award for TV drama ensemble and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for TV comedy ensemble. It was a big night for the show; Rachel Brosnahan won outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series and Tony Shalhoub was awarded outstanding performance by a male actor in a comedy.
On the movie side, Bohemian Rhapsody’s Rami Malek won outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role, while The Wife’s Glenn Close won outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role. Variety via The Week