Top Stories Today – April 5, 2019
Top Stories Today – April 5, 2019
Boeing accepts responsibility for faulty 737 software
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg on Thursday apologized for the “erroneous activation” of the company’s maneuvering software in two 737 MAX 8 passenger jets that crashed last month and last year. “We extend our sympathies to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board,” he said, explaining the faulty system that may have caused a sudden nosedive. “It’s our responsibility to eliminate this risk. We own it and we know how to do it.”
Ethiopian officials said Thursday that a preliminary report on the crash of an Ethiopian Airline flight last month showed that the pilots repeatedly followed all the procedures recommended by Boeing before crashing minutes after takeoff. The crash killed 157 people. All 737 MAX aircraft were grounded worldwide last month while Boeing completed a software update to the flight-stabilization system. MarketWatch, Quartz via The Week
UK asks EU for Brexit delay until June 30
Theresa May has written to the European Union to request a further delay to Brexit until 30 June. The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 12 April and, as yet, no withdrawal deal has been approved by MPs. The prime minister has proposed that if UK MPs approve a deal in time, the UK should be able to leave before European Parliamentary elections on 23 May. But she said the UK would prepare to field candidates in those elections in case no agreement is reached.
It is up to the EU whether to grant an extension to Article 50, the legal process through which the UK is leaving the EU, after MPs repeatedly rejected the withdrawal agreement reached between the UK and the bloc. BBC
Nadler wants Mueller’s summaries report
The chair of the House Judiciary Committee wants Attorney General William Barr to release any summaries of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report that were prepared by Mueller’s own team.
Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler sent a letter to Barr after media reports said Mueller’s team was unhappy with Barr’s own summary because, the reports say, Mueller’s probe was more damaging to Trump than Barr led Congress and the public to believe. The Voice of America
Measles outbreaks in US
US health officials say that between January and March, 387 cases of measles have been reported in 15 states, exceeding the count for all of last year. In 2018, 372 cases were reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public health authorities worry about outbreaks in communities where vaccination rates are low, fueled by a growing movement of people who view the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella as dangerous. The measles component of the vaccine has been in widespread use since the 1960s, and medical experts say the MMR vaccine is safe and highly effective.
Measles deaths declined worldwide from 550,000 in 2000 to 110,000 in 2017. Public health officials say the vaccine is the reason. The World Health Organization says measles immunizations prevented 21 million deaths between 2000 and 2017. The Voice of America
Michael Cohen has more information to offer Congress
Michael Cohen’s attorneys sent lawmakers a letter on Thursday, letting them know that President Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer has more information to offer. In the letter, Lanny Davis and Michael Monico revealed that Cohen recently found a hard drive with “substantial” files on it, which might be helpful to investigators, CNN reports. In February, Cohen testified in front of lawmakers, accusing Trump of financial fraud.
This came two months after he was sentenced to three years in prison for financial crimes, campaign finance violations, and lying to Congress. Cohen is scheduled to report to prison on May 6, but Davis and Monico requested that lawmakers intervene and ask the Southern District of New York to postpone his arrival, so he can have time to review the hard drive’s files. CNN via The Week
Trump plans to nominate Herman Cain to Fed
President Donald Trump said Herman Cain, the former pizza company executive who ran for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, is being vetted for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board.
Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that Cain is in “good shape.” Cain would fill one of two open seats on the board; the president plans to name Stephen Moore, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a long-time Trump supporter, for the other. Bloomberg
Brunei hotels deleted from social media
The social media accounts of Brunei-owned luxury hotels have been deleted or made inaccessible amid an ongoing backlash over anti-LGBT laws. Brunei introduced strict Islamic laws this week that make gay sex punishable by flogging or stoning to death.
Celebrities including George Clooney are calling on the public to boycott Brunei-owned luxury hotels. Now the social media accounts of these hotels have become inaccessible following criticism online. The boycott has spread far and wide, with Virgin Australia ending a deal with Royal Brunei Airlines. The backlash against the hotel chain has continued elsewhere with TripAdvisor banning reviews for the hotels on its platform. BBC