Top Stories Today – May 1, 2019
Top Stories Today – May 1, 2019
Mueller wrote a letter to Barr
Special Counsel Robert Mueller sent Attorney General William Barr a letter on March 27, telling him that the four-page memo Barr sent to Congress about Mueller’s report on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and potential obstruction of justice “did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance” of his work, The Washington Post reports.
Mueller’s letter, which was reviewed by the Post, described his dissatisfaction with the public discussion about his report, and shocked Department of Justice officials, people with knowledge of the matter told the Post. “There is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation,” Mueller wrote. “This threatens to undermine a central purpose for which the department appointed the special counsel: to assure full public confidence in the outcome of the investigations.” will face lawmakers’ questions for the first time since releasing special counsel Robert. The Washington Post via The Week, The Voice of America
Russia stopped Maduro leaving Venezuela
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed Tuesday that embattled Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was preparing to leave the country for Cuba, but was talked out of it by Russia. Popeo said “He had an airplane on the tarmac, he was ready to leave this morning as we understand it and the Russians indicated he should stay. He was headed for Havana,”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested that Pompeo’s claim was false, telling CNN, “Washington tried its best to demoralize the Venezuelan army and now used fakes as a part of information war.” CNN
Undocumented employees at Trump club say they were exploited
Several undocumented immigrants who worked at Trump National Golf Club Westchester in New York say they were told by managers to clock out but continue working without pay, The Washington Post reports. The New York attorney general is investigating allegations that workers at the club did not receive their rightful pay, and prosecutors have interviewed 30 former employees. One of them, former head waiter Jose Gabriel Juarez, told the Post that after the club restaurant closed for the night, his boss would sometimes order him to clock out but then stay to vacuum, polish silverware, and prep the restaurant for the next day’s breakfast. The managers were reportedly aware of the employees’ legal status and used it against them. The Washington Post via The Week
2 dead in N Carolina campus shooting
A man armed with a pistol opened fire on students at a North Carolina university during the last day of classes Tuesday, killing two people and wounding four, police said. Officers who had gathered ahead of a campus concert raced over and disarmed the suspect.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified the suspect as Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22. They said he’s in custody with charges pending. The Associated Press
Democrats announce $2 trillion infrastructure agreement
President Trump, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have reached an agreement to negotiate a $2 trillion infrastructure deal, Schumer and Pelosi said on Tuesday. The Democrats emerged from a White House meeting with Trump and said that they had agreed to this $2 trillion number, with Pelosi promising that their yet-undefined plan will be “big and bold.”
Schumer also said that there was “good will” at the meeting, which he noted “was different than some of the other meetings that we’ve had.” Now, Schumer and Pelosi say they will meet again with Trump in three weeks to discuss funding. ABC News
Philippine midterm elections to test President Duterte
Rising inflation, endemic poverty, declining infrastructure and competing claims over territorial waters are among the issues facing Philippine voters when they vote May 13 in midterm legislative elections. But instead of evaluating candidates on these issues, they are expected to cast ballots based largely on who’s been endorsed by President Rodrigo Duterte – a charismatic leader who remains popular in opinion surveys even though not all Filipinos like his policies.
The elections covering 18,000 seats throughout the archipelago, including local posts, will show the level of public support for the rough-hewn, tough-talking Duterte three years into his term. The Voice of America