Top Stories Today – July 25, 2019
Top Stories Today – July 25, 2019
Mueller frustrates both parties
Former special counsel Robert Mueller appeared before two congressional committees Wednesday to testify about his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and alleged presidential obstruction of justice, closely hewing to a final report he submitted to Attorney General William Barr in March. Democrats had hoped the public would hear from the special counsel himself damning details of misdeeds by President Donald Trump. With Mueller clearly unwilling to deliver, they were forced to read portions of the report for him, robbing the hearings of the power of a compelling witness’s words.
Republicans wanted to focus the testimony on the origins of a “witch hunt” based on bogus testimony. But Mueller made clear at the outset that he would not answer questions about how the investigation got started in 2016 — months before his appointment as special counsel — and what role the so-called Steele dossier, a largely debunked report claiming ties between Trump and Russia, played in it. The result was a pair of hearings that elicited little fresh information that the public didn’t already have. The Voice of America
Puerto Rico’s governor to quit
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló announced late Wednesday that he will resign Aug. 2, conceding power after nearly two weeks of furious protests and political upheaval touched off by a leak of crude and insulting chat messages between him and his top advisers. A crowd of thousands outside the governor’s mansion in Old San Juan erupted into cheers and singing after Rosselló’s announcement on Facebook just before midnight.
The 40-year-old son of a former governor, Rosselló became the first chief executive to resign in the modern history of Puerto Rico, a US territory of more than 3 million American citizens without full representation in Congress or the right to vote for president. Justice Secretary Wanda Vázquez will assume the post less than halfway through Rosselló’s four-year term, becoming Puerto Rico’s second female governor. The Associated Press
N Korea tests ballistic missiles
North Korea test-fired two new short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, South Korean officials said, its first missile test since its leader, Kim Jong Un, and US President Donald Trump agreed to revive denuclearization talks last month. South Korea, which supports efforts by North Korea and the United States to end years of hostility, urged the North to stop acts that are unhelpful to easing tension, saying the tests posed a military threat on the Korean peninsula.
The South’s National Security Council said it believed the missiles were a new type of ballistic missile but it would make a final assessment with the United States. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho had been expected to meet on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian security forum in Bangkok next week. But a diplomatic source told Reuters on Thursday that Ri had canceled his trip to the conference. Reuters
Boris Johnson promises start of golden age
Boris Johnson has promised the “beginning of a new golden age”, as he made his first Commons statement as PM. Speaking to MPs, Johnson said his government would throw itself into Brexit negotiations with energy. He also assured EU citizens living in the UK they would have “absolute certainty” of their right to live and remain in the country.
On Brexit, he told MPs, minister Michael Gove would make planning for a no-deal Brexit a “top priority”. Despite emphasizing the importance of preparing for a no deal, Johnson said he would “much prefer” to leave the EU with a deal and added that he will work “flat out to make it happen”. However he told MPs the withdrawal agreement – negotiated by Theresa May with the EU – was “unacceptable to this Parliament and to this country”. BBC
Record heat threatens Europe
London and places across Europe are bracing for record temperatures Thursday as the second heat wave this summer bakes the continent. Climate scientists warn this could become the new normal in many parts of the world. But temperate Europe — where air conditioning is rare — isn’t equipped for the temperatures frying the region this week.
So tourists frolicked in fountains to seek relief, and authorities and volunteers fanned out to help the elderly, sick and homeless hit hardest by the heat. Trains were canceled in Britain and France, and French authorities urged travelers to stay home. One by one, heat records are being broken across Europe. On Thursday, the Paris area could be as hot as 108 F as a result of hot, dry air coming from northern Africa that’s trapped between cold stormy systems. London expects to see 102 F. And swaths of Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland could face temperatures exceeding 104 F. The Associated Press
Jeffrey Epstein found injured in jail
Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein was found semi-conscious in his New York City jail cell sometime in the past two days, curled in a fetal position with marks on his neck, sources close to the investigation told NBC News on Wednesday night. Epstein, 66, is on suicide watch, and NBC’s sources offered differing opinions about the injuries.
Two sources said Epstein may have tried to hang himself, a third suggested the minor injuries may have been self-inflicted to get transferred to another facility, and a fourth source said he may have actually been attacked by a jailed former cop. Epstein is incarcerated in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan while he awaits trial for charges including sex trafficking of underage girls. NBC News via The Week
Judge blocks Trump restriction on asylum
A US federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a directive that disqualifies a significant proportion of mostly Central American asylum-seekers who reach the US-Mexico border. Judge Jon Tigar of the US District Court for the Northern District of California cited multiple concerns about the rule and the way it was issued in his ruling Wednesday.
He said the rule does not provide congressionally mandated protections ensuring that any asylum-seeker the United States removes to a so-called third country, most often Mexico in current cases, would be safe there and have access to a fair asylum process. The Voice of America
Samsung’s delayed Galaxy Fold now ready for launch
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s (005930.KS) first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, will go on sale from September in selected markets after the launch was delayed by screen problems earlier this year, the company said on Thursday. Samsung is hoping its highly anticipated foldable phone will revive flagging smartphone sales but its rollout has been hampered by defects in samples reported in April, when it was originally due to hit the US market.
The delays cost the South Korean tech giant sales that could have provided a decent bump in revenue during the slow summer season. Samsung said in a statement it had made improvements to the nearly $2,000 phone and was conducting final tests. Changes included strengthening hinges which early reviewers had found to be problematic. Analysts said headlines about glitches with sample Folds would dampen consumer excitement around the launch. Reuters