Things You Should Know Today – Mar 27, 2019
Top Stories – Mar 27, 2019
Shadowy group claims N Korean embassy raid
A shadowy group committed to ousting North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has claimed it was behind a raid last month at the North Korean embassy in Spain. Cheollima Civil Defense, a self-styled human rights group, reportedly fled with computers, a phone and hard discs. The break-in occurred just days before a key summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The group denied using force, saying it was “not an attack”. However, a Spanish high court judge said the 10 assailants shackled, beat and interrogated embassy staff in the incident on 22 February. It remains unclear why the raid took place. Cheollima wrote online that it had “responded to an urgent situation in the Madrid embassy”. It said it had “shared information of enormous potential value” with the FBI, the US intelligence agency, “under mutually agreed terms of confidentiality”. BBC
Thai opposition parties demand junta step aside
Thailand’s opposition “democratic front” of seven parties on Wednesday said it had won a majority in the lower house of parliament after a messy election, and had the right to try to form a government after five years of military rule. But the opposition alliance would still be unable to elect a prime minister, as parliamentary rules, written by the ruling military junta, require backing from a majority of upper and lower houses combined.
Parliament’s upper house, entirely appointed by the junta, is expected to endorse the pro-military party. With unofficial results of Sunday’s vote still delayed, the ruling junta showed no sign giving up on its goal to keep former army chief and coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha as prime minister. Reuters
Trump Cabinet oppose legal move against Obamacare
The Trump administration’s move to invalidate Obamacare on Monday was opposed by came despite the two key cabinet secretaries: Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Attorney General Bill Barr, three people with knowledge of the matter told Politico.
In a letter sent to the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday, the Justice Department said federal lawyers will file a brief in support of a December district court ruling that the ACA’s individual mandate is unconstitutional, and that this renders the entire law invalid. Barr, who was confirmed earlier this year, is skeptical of trying to overturn the law, Politico reports. He was overruled by the White House. Politico
A US county declares measles emergency
A county in New York state has declared a state of emergency following a severe outbreak of measles. Rockland County, on the Hudson river north of New York City, has barred unvaccinated children from public spaces after 153 cases were confirmed. Violating the order will be punishable by a fine of $500 and up to six months in prison.
The announcement follows other outbreaks of the disease in Washington, California, Texas and Illinois. Vaccination rates have dropped steadily in the US with many parents objecting for philosophical or religious reasons, or because they believe misleading information that vaccines cause autism in children. BBC
Mueller report will reportedly be available within ‘weeks’
The Justice Department expects Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election to be publicly available in “weeks, not months,” CNN and NBC reported Tuesday. Attorney General William Barr provided his summary of Mueller’s findings on the Trump campaign’s conduct and whether President Trump obstructed justice to Congress on Sunday, but lawmakers have demanded to see the full report.
Several prominent Democrats called on Barr to release the report by April 2, but the DOJ hasn’t said whether it will commit to that deadline. Barr said the report did not determine that Trump colluded with Russian interference and there was insufficient evidence to bring further charges, though Mueller wrote that his findings did “not exonerate” the president. NBC News, CNN via The Weeek
UK MPs seek way out of Brexit deadlock
MPs are preparing to vote for their preferred Brexit option, with the PM due to meet Tory backbenchers in an effort to win them over to her deal. Some have suggested Theresa May must name the date she will step down to have any hope of winning MPs’ approval for her deal at the third attempt. The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg said some leading Brexiteers were “tiptoeing their way” towards supporting her plan.
The 10 Northern Irish MPs are seen as the key to securing the deal, but they have urged Tory MPs to “stand firm” in their opposition unless there were “significant changes”. Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said the government was still in talks to persuade the DUP to back it, along with other MPs on their own benches. BBC
Vote to override Trump’s veto fails in House
President Trump’s national emergency still stands after the House on Tuesday failed to override his veto on a resolution to block his declaration. Though some Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the emergency, their coalition did not achieve the two-thirds majority needed for an override. Trump declared the national emergency to obtain funding for border wall construction, saying an influx of migrants and overloaded immigration systems required additional measures.
Both the House and Senate voted against the move, with many Republicans joining in the rebuke. Trump’s veto of that resolution was the first of his presidency, and the override vote was expected to fail because Democrats have only a slim majority in the House and are outnumbered in the Senate. Bloomberg via The Week
Trump attacks medias for Russia probe
US President Donald Trump lashed out at the US mainstream news media Tuesday, saying it was being condemned throughout the world for its wide coverage of what he called the “Russia Collusion Delusion.” Trump retweeted a supporter’s claim that the 22-month investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller should never have been opened.
Attorney General William Barr, in a summary of Mueller’s conclusions, said Sunday the prosecutor had concluded Trump and his 2016 campaign had not conspired with Russia to help him win. Barr, a Trump appointee as the country’s top law enforcement official, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided no obstruction charges were warranted against Trump. The Voice of America