10 things you need to know today: April 30, 2019

Joe Biden holds his first 2020 presidential rally in Pittsburgh

(Image credit: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

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1. Trump calls for tougher restrictions on asylum seekers
2. Biden reaches out to working-class voters in 1st rally
3. Rosenstein officially submits resignation
4. ISIS releases rare video of leader al-Baghdadi
5. Pelosi, Schumer list infrastructure priorities ahead of Trump meeting
6. California says it foiled L.A.-area terrorist plot
7. Trump sues to block Deutsche Bank, Capital One from complying with subpoenas
8. Sri Lanka bans face coverings after Easter bombings
9. Akihito becomes 1st Japanese emperor to abdicate in two centuries
10. Boyz n the Hood director John Singleton dies at 51

published 30 April 2019

1. Trump calls for tougher restrictions on asylum seekers

President Trump on Monday ordered his administration to impose tougher restrictions on people seeking asylum at the southern border. In a memo to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan and Attorney General William Barr, Trump gave officials 90 days to come up with regulations that include fees for asylum applications and barring some asylum seekers from obtaining work authorization. This is Trump's latest attempt to try to keep Central American asylum seekers from coming to the United States. In March, roughly 93,000 people were arrested at the border. "The purpose of this memorandum is to strengthen asylum procedures to safeguard our system against rampant abuse of our asylum process," Trump wrote.

Former Vice President Joe Biden made the first public appearance of his 2020 presidential campaign at a Pittsburgh rally on Monday. Biden said that President Trump had abandoned working-class Americans, and that the key to Democrats' success would be winning over those voters in blue-collar areas like Pittsburgh. "If I'm going to be able to beat Donald Trump in 2020, it's going to happen here," Biden said. Biden, 76, said he was the best candidate in the crowded Democratic field to make a connection with the voters who supported Trump in such swing states as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. He called for a $15 minimum wage, said Americans should have the "choice to buy into a public option for Medicare," and praised organized labor. "I make no apologies," he said. "I am a union man."

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Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein officially submitted his resignation letter to President Trump on Monday. He wrote that he'll depart May 11, and highlighted the administration's success in "reducing violent crime, curtailing opioid abuse," and "protecting consumers." He then underscored the value of an apolitical justice system, and closed with what seemed like a poignant reminder to Trump — that "credible evidence is not partisan, and truth is not determined by opinion polls." Rosenstein had been expected to leave his post by mid-March, but he hung on as it became clear that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, which he oversaw, was going to wrap up.

The Islamic State on Monday released a video of its elusive leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, marking the first time he had shown his face in such a message in five years. In the 18-minute video, al-Baghdadi praised the suicide bombers who attacked three churches and three hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter, killing more than 250 people. Sitting with an assault rifle by his side, al-Baghdadi acknowledged the group's loss of its territory in Iraq and Syria but said ISIS's fight would continue. "Truthfully, the battle of Islam and its people with the crusader and his people is a long battle," he said. "Our battle today is a battle of attrition, and we will prolong it for the enemy, and they must know that the jihad will continue until Judgment Day."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) spelled out their priorities in improving the nation's infrastructure in a letter to President Trump on Monday, a day before they were scheduled to meet him at the White House to discuss the matter. Pelosi and Schumer listed three main goals: Finding new revenue to pay for improving infrastructure; addressing climate-change threats; and creating incentives to use U.S. companies owned by women, minorities, and veterans. Trump campaigned on a promise to upgrade crumbling and aging roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. Democrats have said they saw the issue as one where they can work together with the GOP, but the two sides have yet to make progress on key issues, such as how to pay for the upgrades.

California authorities said Monday they had thwarted an Army veteran's plot to inflict "mass casualties" by detonating improvised bombs in several places in Southern California. The suspect, 26-year-old Mark Steven Domingo, was arrested Friday night after receiving what he believed to be a live bomb from an undercover agent he thought was a bomb-maker. Prosecutors said Domingo had considered targeting "Jews, churches, and police officers" before settling on attacking a white nationalist rally scheduled for last weekend. He "specifically bought three-inch nails" to inflict more severe injuries, according to the federal affidavit. Prosecutors said Domingo was seeking "retribution" for the recent New Zealand mosque attacks. He was charged with attempting to supply material to terrorists.

President Trump's lawyers filed a lawsuit Monday against Deutsche Bank and Capital One seeking to block them from complying with congressional subpoenas for his financial records. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in New York, and also lists Trump's children and his businesses as plaintiffs. It asks the court to find the Democratic-controlled House's demand for Trump's records invalid because they "have no legitimate or lawful purpose" and instead are meant to "harass" Trump and "cause him political damage." The chairs of the House committees that issued the subpoenas, Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), called the lawsuit "meritless" and "only designed to put off meaningful accountability as long as possible."

Sri Lanka has banned face coverings, such as the traditional Muslim niqab, in response to the April 21 suicide bombings that targeted three Christian churches and three hotels on Easter, killing hundreds of people. President Maithripala Sirisena said the ban was important for national security because it would help police and other authorities identify people. Last week, a group of Islamic scholars in the country urged Muslim women not to "hinder the security forces in their efforts to maintain national security by wearing the face cover (Niqab)." Critics of the ban said it would violate the rights of Muslim women.

Emperor Akihito on Tuesday became the first Japanese emperor to abdicate since 1817. In a brief ceremony at the Imperial Palace, Akihito thanked Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and delivered a short speech encapsulating a 30-year reign in which he humanized the role of the emperor, long seen as a living god. "Since ascending the throne 30 years ago, I have performed my duties as the emperor with a deep sense of trust in and respect for the people, and I consider myself fortunate to have been able to do so," he said. Akihito, 85, stepped down after his duties as ceremonial head of state became too onerous for him. He will be replaced by his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, who formally takes the Chrysanthemum Throne in a ceremony on Wednesday.

Acclaimed writer and director John Singleton died on Monday after he was taken off life support following a stroke, his family said. Singleton, 51, was best known for the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, his directorial debut, which earned him Oscar nominations for directing and writing. He was the first black nominee for Best Director ever, and the youngest, at age 24. He went on to direct films like Poetic Justice, Higher Learning, Shaft, and 2 Fast 2 Furious. Singleton suffered a stroke on April 17 and was placed in a medically induced coma. His family said Monday that he had "quietly struggled" with hypertension, and said ending his life support was an "agonizing decision."

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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.