10 things you need to know today: October 4, 2018

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Jump to category:

1. White House sends FBI's Kavanaugh interviews to Senate
2. Key Republicans criticize Trump for mocking Christine Blasey Ford
3. Connie Chung says family doctor sexually assaulted her decades ago
4. FEMA sends out first presidential alert texts
5. Navy veteran in Utah arrested over suspicious Pentagon mail
6. U.S. ends decades-old Iran treaty after court rules against sanctions
7. Judge blocks Trump administration from ending protections for 300,000 immigrants
8. 7 South Carolina officers shot, 1 fatally
9. China fines X-Men star Fan Bingbing $70 million for tax evasion
10. Netflix to develop Chronicles of Narnia shows, films

published 4 October 2018

1. White House sends FBI's Kavanaugh interviews to Senate

The White House sent the FBI's report on sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the Senate early Thursday, saying it was "fully confident" that nothing in the interview summaries would derail Kavanaugh's confirmation. The White House provided no details on the contents of the report. The FBI reportedly interviewed nine people out of 10 they contacted about Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, and Deborah Ramirez's claim that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her in college. Senators can review the material Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) set the stage for a Friday vote to close debate followed by a final confirmation vote, probably Saturday. Democrats have complained that the scope of the investigation was too limited.

Three key moderate Republican senators on Wednesday criticized President Trump for mocking Christine Blasey Ford's testimony on her sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. "There is no time and no place for remarks like that," said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). Flake and fellow moderate Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who also expressed disgust over Trump's remarks, could make or break the GOP's effort to confirm Kavanaugh, because if they vote "no" they could sink the nomination due to the party's slim 51-49 majority. The Senate's Republican leadership plans to hold a vote on Kavanaugh later this week.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Journalist Connie Chung revealed in an op-ed for The Washington Post that she was sexually assaulted by a trusted family doctor during her college years. "I wish I could forget this truthful event, but I cannot because it is the truth," Chung said, addressing herself to Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school. "We remember exactly what happened to us and who did it to us. We remember the truth forever." Chung said the doctor touched her inappropriately during an exam, and kissed her. She said she never told her parents, but demanded to change doctors. "All I wanted to do was bury the incident in my mind and protect my family," Chung wrote.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency sent out its first-ever wireless emergency alert text on Wednesday. The subject of the message, which went out at 2:18 p.m. EDT, read "Presidential Alert," and the text said: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed." An estimated 225 million devices received the alert at roughly the same time, although the broadcasting from cell towers took a total of 30 minutes. The system is meant for sending out high-level "presidential" messages only in nationwide emergencies. FEMA officials said they would release data on how successful the test was once it is pulled together as part of an effort to make sure the system is ready for a real emergency.

Authorities arrested U.S. Navy veteran William Clyde Allen III in Utah on Wednesday in connection with suspicious envelopes sent to President Trump, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and other military leaders. Two envelopes addressed to Mattis and another military official were found Monday at a mail processing facility on Pentagon grounds. The Secret Service found a similar envelope addressed to Trump. The Pentagon letters initially tested positive for the deadly poison ricin, but investigators determined they merely contained castor seeds, which can be used to produce ricin. Allen, 39, served in the Navy from 1998 to 2002 as a damage control fireman apprentice. He was charged with child sex abuse two years into his service. He later pleaded guilty to lesser charges of neglect and abuse.

The U.S. is terminating the 1955 Treaty of Amity with Iran after an international court ruled that U.S. sanctions against Iran violated the pact, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Wednesday. "This is a decision frankly that is 39 years overdue," Pompeo said. Iran had accused President Trump of violating the treaty by withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimposing sanctions. The court issued a preliminary ruling telling the U.S. to "remove, by means of its choosing, any impediments arising from" sanctions that affect humanitarian goods and services, and civilian aviation safety. The U.S. had promised the sanctions would not negatively impact humanitarian aid, but the court said the assurances "were not adequate."

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary protected status that allowed more than 300,000 immigrants from Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Salvador to live and work legally in the U.S. The status is granted to people from countries affected by natural disasters or war so they can remain in the U.S. until conditions improve at home. A Justice Department spokesperson said the ruling "usurps" the president's authority to make decisions on protecting Americans and enforcing immigration laws. Working Families United, which supports temporary protected status, said the decision "shows that Trump's move to terminate TPS was based on his racial motivations and not in any law or consideration of safety."

A Florence, South Carolina, police officer was killed and six other law enforcement officers were shot on Wednesday. The first three were shot as sheriff's deputies attempted to serve a search warrant, and the others were wounded trying to render aid. The suspect reportedly had barricaded himself inside the home, holding children hostage. Authorities said the suspect had been taken into custody. "This is simply devastating news from Florence," Gov. Henry McMaster (R) tweeted. "The selfless acts of bravery from the men and women in law enforcement is real, just like the power of prayer is real." Florence County is in the state's northeast Pee Dee region, which was heavily affected by flooding from Hurricane Florence.

Chinese tax authorities have fined X-Men star Fan Bingbing about $70 million for tax evasion, according to an announcement published Wednesday by China's official Xinhua News Agency. Companies Fan represents will pay another $60 million in taxes and penalties. The report said that as long as the penalties are paid Fan will not face criminal investigation. Fan has starred in dozens of movies and TV series in China. She is best known internationally as Blink in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. Fan disappeared from public view over the summer as the Chinese government cracked down on high salaries for actors. In her first post since June 2, Fan promised to pay the penalties and apologized for letting down "the fans who love me."

Netflix has purchased the rights to the entire Chronicles of Narnia book series — for an undisclosed but certainly hefty price. The streaming service now reportedly plans to produce multiple movies and TV shows set in the fantasy world created by C.S. Lewis. This is the first time one studio has maintained ownership over all seven Lewis books. The move comes as streaming services and cable networks search for their own Game of Thrones. Netflix previously ordered the fantasy series The Witcher and Amazon is working on The Wheel of Time and The Lord of the Rings, among other projects.

Explore More

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.