Top Stories Today – August 7, 2019
Top Stories Today – August 7, 2019
Uncertain welcome awaits Trump in Ohio and Texas
US President Donald Trump, whose racially incendiary rhetoric critics blame for stoking violence, faced an uncertain welcome on Wednesday as he headed for the sites of the two latest deadly mass shootings, one of them being investigated as a hate crime. Trump was scheduled to visit Dayton, Ohio, scene of a rampage early on Sunday in which nine people and the suspect were killed, and then travel on to El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed at a Walmart store on Saturday before the gunman was taken alive.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, a Democrat, said on Tuesday she would welcome the Republican president, who has said he wants to meet law enforcement, first responders and survivors. But Whaley said she planned to tell Trump “how unhelpful he’s been” on the issue of gun violence, referring to the speech he gave on Monday focusing on mental health reform, tighter internet regulation and wider use of the death penalty. Democrats have accused Trump of hiding behind talk of mental illness and the influence of social media rather than committing to laws they insist are needed to restrict gun ownership and the types of weapons that are legal. Reuters
China warns Hong Kong over protests
Hong Kong is facing its “most severe situation” since its handover from British rule in 1997 following weeks of demonstrations and the central government is considering what measures to take next, the head of Beijing’s Cabinet office responsible for the territory said Wednesday. Zhang Xiaoming was speaking to Hong Kong residents attending a seminar in the mainland city of Shenzhen just across the border from the Asian financial hub that has been wracked by daily protests against the administration of Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
Those protests are getting increasingly violent and having “an increasingly broad impact on society,” Zhang told the 500 attendees, who included members of the Hong Kong and central government legislative and advisory bodies. The Associated Press
NRA mired in Scandal and Infighting
A nationwide call for increased regulation of firearms, sparked by the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio over the weekend, comes at a time when one of the most powerful voices on the pro-gun rights side of the argument, the National Rifle Association, is mired in multiple scandals and reeling from infighting among its top leadership.
NRA is facing investigations into its tax-exempt status in New York, a congressional inquiry into its ties to figures associated with the Russian government, and a court battle with Ackerman McQueen, the advertising firm that for decades helped sculpt the group’s public image. It is also confronting these challenges at a time when its top leadership is under unprecedented strain. In April, the organization’s president, Oliver North, was forced out after a public split with NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre. Christopher Cox, the organization’s second-in-command and its chief lobbyist, was forced out in June after LaPierre accused him of leading a coup against his leadership. The Voice of America
Monica Lewinsky scandal to be retold in TV
The latest series of American Crime Story will air in the run-up to next year’s presidential election. Lewinsky is among the producers on the FX show, which follows previous seasons devoted to the OJ Simpson trial and the murder of Gianni Versace. Booksmart actress Beanie Feldstein will play Lewinsky in the drama. Sarah Paulson, meanwhile, will play Linda Tripp, the civil servant who secretly recorded Lewinsky’s private phone calls about her affair with the president.
It is not yet known who will play Bill and Hillary Clinton in the show, which will be based on a 2000 book by Jeffrey Toobin. In a statement given to Vanity Fair, Lewinsky said she was “hesitant” and “more than a little scared” to be involved in the Ryan Murphy production. BBC
GOP embraces red flag gun restrictions
Congressional Republicans, under intense pressure to act after back-to-back mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, have latched on to “red flag” laws, which allow law enforcement to confiscate guns from certain people deemed to pose an imminent danger to themselves or others.
President Trump endorsed red flag laws on Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) urged the GOP-led state legislature to enact such a law on Tuesday, and the No. 2 Senate Republican, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said he’s “confident Congress will be able to find common ground on the so-called red flag issue.” Democrats, who have already passed stronger background check legislation in the House, also endorse red flag laws, and gun control advocates are enthusiastic about them. The New York Times, The Washington Post via The Week
British Airways IT failures create chaos for passengers
Problems with British Airways’ IT systems left thousands of passengers facing flight cancellations, delays and long queues at airports in the airline’s third major computer failure in a little more than two years. Wednesday’s woes are the latest in a string of problems at the airline, which was fined $230 million last month for a huge customer data breach and is bracing for potential strikes in a pay dispute with its pilots.
BA, owned by International Airlines Group (ICAG.L), apologized to customers for Wednesday’s disruption and said its technical team was working to resolve the problems as soon as possible. It urged customers to allow extra time at airports. More than 60 flights from Heathrow and Gatwick were canceled and more than 100 were delayed, according to the departure boards at the two airports. Reuters
NRA planned to buy luxury mansion for CEO
The National Rifle Association planned to buy a $5-6 million mansion in the Dallas area last year for use by CEO Wayne LaPierre, with help from the NRA’s longtime advertising firm, Ackerman McQueen, multiple people tell The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. In competing statements Tuesday night, the NRA and Ackerman McQueen offered sharply different accounts of who originated the idea, its purpose, and why the deal fell apart.
Ackerman McQueen said LaPierre asked the firm for help buying the mansion, and it refused. The NRA said it vetoed Ackerman McQueen’s proposal for a real estate investment. Documents for the sale are being scrutinized by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office as part of its review of the NRA’s tax-exempt status. The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal via The Week