Top News Stories for Today – Jan 4, 2019
Top News Stories for Today – Jan 4, 2019
Nancy Pelosi returns as House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi swore the oath securing her status as the most powerful woman in US political history Thursday, beginning a new era of divided government in the United States and setting up a formidable political rivalry with President Donald Trump. Pelosi’s historic second turn leading a Democratic majority as the speaker of the US House of Representatives marks only the second time in the last half century a speaker has returned to serve in that position.
Pelosi’s continued ability to navigate the challenges of being a woman in politics — and still the only female House speaker — will inform her approach as she turns to the immediate crisis of ending a partial government shutdown. VOA
House passes funds to re-open Government
Thursday night, US House passed a plan to reopen the federal government. The measure did not include the $5 billion the president has demanded to build a wall at the US border with Mexico. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called the House plan to end the shutdown “political theater,” even though the Republican-led Senate passed an identical bill last month.
The legislation passed in the House Thursday called for the reopening of the federal government and the funding of the Department of Homeland Security until early February. While Trump himself has not used the word “veto,” other White House officials have. One official said the president told Democratic leaders he would “look foolish” if he ended the shutdown. VOA
Pope: Sexual abuse scandals damaged Catholic Church
In a letter to US bishops released Thursday by the Vatican, Pope Francis directly acknowledged the damage done to the Catholic Church by sexual abuse scandals and provided a lengthy explanation of his proposed response: one focused on discernment, unity and a “change in our mind-set.”
The 3,600-word letter was largely prescriptive and spiritually oriented. It did not call for new measures to punish high-ranking clerics or hold them accountable — steps recommended by victim advocacy groups. Instead, Francis made a case that the problem required more than “stern decrees” or “improving flow charts, as if we were in charge of a department of human resources.” He also referenced divisions within the US ranks. Washington Post
Tech stocks suffer worst losses in seven years
US stocks sank Thursday amid fears of slow economic growth in China and a report from Apple that anticipated missed revenue targets. Technology companies suffered their worst losses in seven years, with Apple stock plummeting 10 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell approximately 600 points.
Meanwhile, the S&P 500 slumped 2.5 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 3 percent. A report foreshadowing weakened manufacturing in the US also contributed to the drop, which came just days after markets completed the worst December on record since the Great Depression. The Week
Mass hack attack on German politicians
Hundreds of German politicians including Chancellor Angela Merkel have had personal details hacked and published online, reports say. Contacts, private chats and financial details were put out on Twitter which belong to figures from every political party except the far-right AfD.
Data from celebrities and journalists also appear to have been leaked. It is unclear who was behind the hack, which emerged on Twitter last month in the style of an advent calendar. The true extent of damage caused by the leak is not yet known although Justice Minister Katarina Barley said it was a “serious attack”. BBC