10 things you need to know today: August 2, 2018

1. Trump urges Sessions to end Mueller's 'Rigged Witch Hunt right now'

President Trump on Wednesday urged Attorney General Jeff Sessions to halt Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign. "This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it ­continues to stain our country any further," Trump tweeted. "Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!" Democrats and some Republicans expressed alarm. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said urging Sessions to shut down Mueller's work "was entirely inappropriate and intemperate." Trump's lawyers and aides rushed to clarify that Trump was not trying to obstruct justice — a subject Mueller wants to question Trump about — just expressing an opinion.

The Washington Post

2. Dozens of remains of Korean War dead arrive in U.S.

Remains of dozens of presumed U.S. servicemen, and possibly soldiers from other United Nations members that fought in the Korean War, were returned to U.S. soil on Wednesday, escorted by military honor guards. The solemn ceremony in Hawaii took place 65 years after an armistice ended the fighting, and weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised President Trump during their summit to send back remains of some of the 7,699 U.S. service members still unaccounted for. Analysts soon will begin the identification process. "Some have called the Korean War the 'forgotten war,'" said Vice President Mike Pence. "But today, we prove these heroes were never forgotten ... Today, our boys are coming home." Trump thanked Kim via Twitter for keeping his word with this "kind action."

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The Associated Press Twitter

3. Fed keeps interest rates firm but sticks to plans for slow increases

Federal Reserve policy makers held interest rates steady between 1.75 percent and 2 percent as expected at the end of a two-day meeting on Wednesday. The unanimous statement by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and other leaders of the central bank showed little change from the current plan to raise interest rates at least two more times this year as the economy grows strong enough to further unwind measures the Fed took to give the economy a boost out of the Great Recession. Higher interest rates are designed to keep the economy from overheating. President Trump recently criticized the Fed for raising rates despite the threat of rising trade tensions, which Powell said have added "considerable uncertainty" to Fed deliberations. "It's hard to know how this is going to turn out," Powell said.

CNN

4. Appeals court rules Trump can't withhold funding from 'sanctuary cities'

A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that President Trump's threat to withhold some federal funding from so-called sanctuary cities was unconstitutional. A three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said in its 2-1 decision that Trump exceeded his authority with his January 2017 executive order because an administration can't withhold authorized funds to pursue its policy goals without congressional authorization. Justice Department spokesman Devin O'Malley said the executive order was lawful and necessary to get local governments to stop shielding undocumented immigrants. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said the court had served as a check against a "power grab" by Trump.

USA Today Politico

5. Obamas endorse dozens of Democratic candidates

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama on Wednesday released a list of nearly 100 Democratic candidates they endorse in more than a dozen states in the crucial upcoming midterm elections. The candidates backed by the Obamas include Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, Nevada Senate candidate Jacky Rosen, and New Mexico House candidate Deb Haaland, who was among the first congressional candidates to back abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Some high-profile Democrats, including Texas Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke and New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were not on the list, but Obama aides said this was just the "first wave" of endorsements the Obamas will make.

NBC News

6. 3 die in post-election violence in Zimbabwe

At least three people died in Zimbabwe on Wednesday after political protests resulted in violence, The Associated Press reports. Zimbabweans voted for a new president Monday, but demonstrators say that the longtime ruling party rigged the election to keep incumbent Emmerson Mnangagwa in office. Riot police arrived in Harare, the nation's capital, to tamp down on protests, facing off against hundreds of opposition supporters who reportedly begged them not to "direct the politics with guns." The official election results have not yet been announced, but officials said the ruling party was on track for a landslide win.

The Associated Press NPR

7. U.S. sanctions two Turkey leaders over American pastor's detention

The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Cabinet ministers over the NATO ally's imprisonment of American pastor Andrew Brunson. Turkey accuses Brunson, an evangelical minister from North Carolina, of backing a failed coup attempt against Erdogan two years ago. The Treasury Department targeted Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, who the U.S. has accused of being linked to Brunson's arrest. Turkey's Foreign Ministry called the move "hostile," and vowed to retaliate. Brunson spent 21 months in a Turkish prison before being moved to house arrest last week. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the administration has "seen no evidence that Pastor Brunson has done anything wrong."

Reuters

8. Tesla shares jump after Musk promises profitability is near

Tesla shares jumped by 9 percent in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the electric-car maker reported mixed quarterly results but renewed its promise that profitability was near. Tesla, which is ramping up production of its first mass-market sedan, the Model 3, said it lost $718 million in the quarter, up from $336 million in the same period last year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk struck a calmer tone on a post-report conference call than he did in his confrontational and widely criticized May call. He apologized to two analysts who were cut off in that call, and said the company would make a profit in the second half of the year.

MarketWatch

9. Gun rights coalition releases 3D-printed gun plans

Gun rights advocates on Wednesday published blueprints for untraceable 3D-printed plastic guns, defying a federal judge's order temporarily blocking a Texas company from posting the plans online. The coalition of activists said the publications were protected by the First Amendment. "Information is code, code is free speech, and free speech is freedom," the coalition said in a statement. U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik had just issued a temporary restraining order against releasing the plans shortly before they were to be published. Lasnik acknowledged that there were legitimate constitutional concerns, but wrote that the eight state attorneys general fighting in court to make the ban permanent were "likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of preliminary relief."

NBC News

10. Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown will get one more season

Prior to Anthony Bourdain's death in June, enough footage was shot to create a final season of his hit CNN show Parts Unknown, the network announced Wednesday. The episodes will premiere in the fall. The acclaimed chef, author, and television host finished one episode before he died by suicide, traveling to Kenya with United Shades of America host W. Kamau Bell. This will be the last episode to have Bourdain's narration. To finish the other episodes, set in Manhattan's Lower East Side, Texas, Spain, and Indonesia, producers are using audio of Bourdain captured while on location, and conducting follow-up interviews.

Los Angeles Times