10 things you need to know today: September 20, 2018

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1. Republicans push ahead with Kavanaugh hearing over accuser's objection
2. Trump pledges help for Carolinas after Hurricane Florence
3. Pompeo says North Korea talks back on
4. Trump steps up criticism of Jeff Sessions
5. New York Review of Books editor out after publishing controversial essay
6. Alibaba founder retreats from vow to create 1 million U.S. jobs
7. Former Malaysian prime minister faces new charges
8. Amazon considering opening 3,000 cashierless stores by 2021
9. 3D-printed gun creator accused of sexual assault
10. Black Panther director Ryan Coogler to produce Space Jam sequel

published 20 September 2018

1. Republicans push ahead with Kavanaugh hearing over accuser's objection

Republican Senators backing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh pushed ahead with a plan to address college professor Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school, even though she said the rush to hold a hearing on Monday without an FBI investigation would be unfair. "She is currently unable to go home, and is receiving ongoing threats to her and her family's safety," Ford attorney Lisa Banks said. "Fairness and respect for her situation dictate that she should have time to deal with this." Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) rejected getting the FBI involved and said Ford could either testify at the hearing or privately with committee staff. President Trump stepped up his support for Kavanaugh, saying it was "very hard for me to imagine anything happened."

President Trump visited the storm-ravaged Carolinas on Wednesday to assess the government's response to Hurricane Florence, which has been blamed for at least 36 deaths since making landfall on Friday. "The job you've done has been incredible. They're talking about it all over the world," Trump told officials gathered at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point along the Neuse River, one of numerous waterways that have risen over their banks. He also consoled people who have lost loved ones, saying, "America grieves with you and our hearts break for you. God bless you. We will never forget your loss." North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told Trump the state had suffered "a gut punch," and Trump responded by promising that the federal government would "be there 100 percent." He added: "We're getting all teed up for a lot of money to come down to the area."

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said he would resume talks on North Korean denuclearization, aiming to get it done by 2021. The comments came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wound up a three-day summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, their third. Kim promised to dismantle a missile site, as well as to dismantle parts of his nuclear program in exchange for unspecified U.S. concessions. "On the basis of these important commitments," Pompeo said, "the United States is prepared to engage immediately in negotiations." Pompeo's tone marked a shift after President Trump canceled Pompeo's planned visit to Pyongyang last month, citing a lack of progress toward Kim's commitment to denuclearization at his June summit with Trump. South Korea's Moon said Thursday that Kim wants another summit with Trump soon.

President Trump renewed his criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday, saying in an Oval Office interview with Hill.TV that Sessions was not doing the job he was hired to do. "I don't have an attorney general," Trump said. "It's very sad." Trump has repeatedly expressed disappointment in Sessions for recusing himself last year from the investigation into Russian election meddling and possible collusion by Trump campaign associates. Now Trump is slamming Sessions for his performance on a host of matters. "I'm not happy at the border, I'm not happy with numerous things, not just this," he said. Sessions recused himself after failing to mention in his confirmation hearings that he had met twice with Russia's then-ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak.

New York Review of Books editor Ian Buruma has stepped down following an uproar over the magazine's publishing of an essay online by former Canadian radio broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi about his experience since being accused of and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault. A spokesman for the magazine confirmed Buruma's departure on Wednesday without specifying whether he was fired or had resigned. Ghomeshi, a high-profile radio host for the Canadian Broadcasting Company who was fired in 2014, said in the lengthy essay that the encounters with the three women who accused him of sexual violence had been consensual. He was eventually accused by more than 20 women.

Jack Ma, founder and chairman of the Chinese online retail giant Alibaba, backed away from his promise to create 1 million jobs in the U.S. over five years, saying "our promise cannot be fulfilled" due to the trade war that has erupted between the Trump administration and China. "The promise was made on the premise of friendly U.S.-China partnership and rational trade relations," he said. "That premise no longer exists today." Ma made his pledge to President Trump in January 2017. This year, Trump has hit China with a series of new and raised tariffs on Chinese imports, and Beijing has retaliated in kind. Trump imposed his latest new levies on Monday, targeting $200 billion in Chinese goods. China retaliated with tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods.

Malaysian prosecutors on Thursday charged former prime minister Najib Razak with 21 counts of money laundering and four counts of abuse of power. Najib pleaded not guilty, as he did over the summer on several other charges stemming from an investigation into billions of dollars that went missing from a state fund Najib founded and chaired, 1Malaysia Development Berhad. Prosecutors say Najib used his positions as prime minister, finance minister, and 1MDB chairman to take more than $500 million between 2011 and 2014. Najib unexpectedly lost a general election in May to Mahathir Mohamad, who reopened the investigation into the scandal at the fund.

Amazon is considering opening 3,000 new AmazonGo cashierless stores over the next few years, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The plan would mark a costly expansion and major threat to convenience-store chains like 7-Eleven, as well as sandwich shops like Subway, Panera Bread, and other quick-service food options. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been experimenting with small cashierless stores since 2016, with some early versions offering limited selections of salads, sandwiches, and snacks, as well as small selections of groceries, like conventional convenience stores. Adding 3,000 of the stores would make AmazonGo one of the largest U.S. chains. Bloomberg said Amazon is considering opening 10 locations this year, 50 more in 2019, and the rest by 2021.

Cody Wilson, the Texas man who defied a court order and made plans for 3D-printed plastic guns available online, flew to Taiwan on Wednesday after police started investigating a report that he paid a teenager $500 for sex in an Austin hotel last month. The teen told investigators she and Wilson met up in a coffee shop on Aug. 15, after first contacting each other through the website SugarDaddyMeet.com. The teen, who reportedly is 16 years old, told police "she and Wilson engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sex on the hotel room's bed," then Wilson gave her five $100 bills, court records said. Wilson faces a charge of sexually assaulting the girl.

Acclaimed Black Panther director Ryan Coogler will produce the long-anticipated sequel to the beloved 1996 basketball film Space Jam, which is still set to star LeBron James in the lead role. The original film starred another basketball superstar, Michael Jordan. Terence Nance, who created the recent HBO sketch comedy Random Acts of Flyness, will take over as director, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin had previously been attached to the movie but is no longer involved. This will be James' first starring role in a feature film; he has been linked to the project since 2016, but now, it appears to be moving forward, with production set to begin in 2019.

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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.