Top Stories Today – July 24, 2019
Top Stories Today – July 24, 2019
Mueller to testify in US Congress today
Former US Special Counsel Robert Mueller arrived on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to testify at a pair of televised hearings that carry high stakes for President Donald Trump and Democrats who are split between impeaching him or moving on to the 2020 election.
Mueller, whose inquiry detailed extensive contacts between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia at a time when Moscow was interfering in the 2016 election with hacking and propaganda, is set to appear beginning at 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT) in separate hearings before the House of Representatives Judiciary and Intelligence committees. Reuters
US and China to hold trade talks next week
US negotiators will visit China early next week for trade negotiations, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday.
Mnuchin said he and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will depart for China on Monday and hold talks with their Chinese counterparts on Tuesday and Wednesday in Shanghai, followed up by more talks in Washington later. Reuters
Theresa May bids farewell before Johnson takes office
Theresa May has faced MPs’ questions for the final time before Boris Johnson becomes prime minister. She told them she would continue as a constituency MP and was happy to hand over to a successor committed to delivering Brexit and creating “a bright future for this country”. Later, she will deliver a farewell speech in Downing Street before Johnson takes power. He will speak outside No 10 then begin announcing senior cabinet posts.
Johnson is expected to use the opportunity to increase the number of women in full cabinet positions and boost the representation of ethnic minorities – sources say his top team will reflect “modern Britain”. BBC
Puerto Rico governor may resign after days of protests
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló could step down on Wednesday after almost two weeks of protests against his administration, sparked by the publication of offensive chat messages and a corruption scandal, local media reported. Rosselló had made no announcement by early Wednesday, but media, including El Nuevo Día newspaper, cited unnamed sources as saying his resignation was imminent.
Protesters had cheered those reports late on Tuesday but warned his departure would not end the demonstrations that were now entering their 12th day. The island of 3.2 million people has been rocked by multiple crises in recent years, including a bankruptcy filing and a major hurricane in 2017 that killed about 3,000 people. If Rosselló does step down, his replacement as the US territory’s leader would likely be Justice Secretary Wanda Vazquez, whom protesters reject because of her ties to Rosselló. Reuters
Uganda’s Bobi Wine declares presidential bid
gandan pop star and opposition figure Bobi Wine formally launched his presidential bid for the 2021 election on Wednesday, calling the country’s longtime leader a dictator and urging him to hold credible polls. The singer, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, first revealed his plans to run during an interview with The Associated Press last week in which he said he was concerned for his safety. He has accused Ugandan security forces of torturing him in the past. Authorities deny it and in turn have charged him with treason and other offenses, which he rejects.
The 37-year-old lawmaker leads a popular movement known as “People Power” and has emerged as a political threat to one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, appealing to many among the country’s booming young population who are frustrated with unemployment and the slow pace of change. The Associated Press
Pakistan PM to meet Taliban for Afghan peace process
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Tuesday he plans to meet with the Taliban to persuade them to hold negotiations with the government in Afghanistan but cautioned that securing a political settlement to war will not be easy.
While delivering a public talk at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, Khan noted that for the first time in the 18-year-old Afghan conflict, Pakistan and the United States are working together to advance peace efforts in the neighboring country. Khan spoke a day after he met with President Donald Trump at the White House where the two leaders agreed to work together to end to the conflict. The Voice of America
Trump sues to block access to New York tax returns
President Trump on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in a federal court to block the House Ways and Means Committee from accessing his New York state tax returns. Trump’s lawyers have argued that a law passed in New York that would grant the committee access to the returns is unconstitutional. The lawsuit claims that the state enacted the law because of Trump’s policy positions and political beliefs.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said she is sure the law is sound and promised to “vigorously defend it against any court challenge.” The committee’s chair, Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), is reportedly reviewing the law, though he has cautioned against using it because it could ultimately harm efforts to access Trump’s federal returns. Reuters, CNN via The Week
Spain’s Sanchez loses first bid to be confirmed as PM
Spain’s Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez failed on Tuesday in a first attempt to get parliament’s backing to form a government, leaving him two days to try and strike a deal with the far-left Unidas Podemos ahead of a second vote.
Sanchez, who won the most seats in an election in April but fell short of a majority, has faced three months of difficult coalition talks with Podemos, whose votes he needs to be confirmed as prime minister. He has led the government as a caretaker in the interim, but could be forced to hold new elections if he cannot win confirmation. The Voice of America
Facebook to pay record $5 billion fine
Facebook Inc will pay a record-breaking $5 billion fine to resolve a government probe into its privacy practices and the social media giant will restructure its approach to privacy, the US Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday.
The FTC voted 3-2 along party lines to adopt the settlement, which requires court approval, even as Democrats said the settlement did not go far enough or require a large enough fine. Chopra and Democratic FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, who opposed the settlement, said the $5 billion penalty may be less than Facebook’s gains from violating users’ privacy. Reuters