10 things you need to know today: January 2, 2019

(Image credit: Alex Edelman/Getty Images)

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1. Trump invites lawmakers to White House meeting as shutdown continues
2. Border agents fire tear gas at migrants trying to breach border
3. Romney slams Trump's leadership, character in op-ed
4. Trump attacks McChrystal in response to retired general's criticism
5. Top Pentagon spokeswoman resigns after facing months-long investigation
6. China's Xi says force still an option to resolve Taiwan issue
7. Death toll from Philippines landslides and flooding rises to 85
8. Washington bans assault rifle sales to anyone under 21
9. Netflix pulls comedy show episode in Saudi Arabia after complaint
10. Roger Federer and Serena Williams meet on court for first time

published 2 January 2019

1. Trump invites lawmakers to White House meeting as shutdown continues

President Trump on Tuesday denounced a proposal by House Democrats to end the partial government shutdown without allocating the $5 billion he is demanding for a wall on the Mexican border. "The problem is, without a Wall there can be no real Border Security," Trump tweeted, "and our Country must finally have a Strong and Secure Southern Border!" Trump invited a bipartisan group of lawmakers to the White House to discuss border security, tweeting, "Let's make a deal!" House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the impasse gave Democrats, who take control of the House in the new Congress this week, "a great opportunity to show how we will govern responsibly & quickly pass our plan to end the irresponsible #TrumpShutdown."

U.S. border agents fired tear gas across a border fence into Tijuana, Mexico, early Tuesday to drive back about 150 migrants trying to illegally cross into America. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the gas was aimed at people throwing rocks. One official said the gas targeted a "violent mob." "No agents witnessed any of the migrants at the fence line, including children, experiencing effects of the chemical agents, which were targeted at the rock throwers further away," the agency said in a statement. An Associated Press photographer saw several rounds of gas affecting migrants in Mexico near Tijuana's beach, some of them women and children. The AP said nobody threw rocks until after the U.S. agents fired tear gas.

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Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts and 2012 Republican presidential nominee, will be sworn in as the junior senator from Utah on Thursday, but he made an early mark with a Washington Post op-ed Tuesday night criticizing President Trump's leadership, especially in the "qualities of character" department and on the world stage. Romney said he wouldn't "comment on every tweet or fault," but vowed to "speak out" against "significant statements or actions" he perceives to be "divisive, racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, dishonest, or destructive to democratic institutions." Trump on Wednesday morning fired back at Romney, saying the incoming senator "should be happy for all Republicans" and should be a "team player." He added, "I won big, and he didn't."

President Trump on Tuesday fired back against harsh criticism from retired four-star Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, tweeting that the former U.S. commander in Afghanistan was "fired like a dog by Obama" and was "known for big, dumb mouth. Hillary lover!" The remarks, which came in one of Trump's first tweets of 2019, came after McChrystal said on ABC News' This Week that he believed Trump was dishonest and immoral. McChrystal told ABC's Martha Raddatz that "it's important for me to work for people who I think are basically honest, who tell the truth as best they know it." Raddatz asked whether McChrystal thinks Trump is a liar, and he replied: "I don't think he tells the truth." Raddatz asked whether McChrystal believes Trump is "immoral," and he said he thinks he is.

Top Defense Department spokeswoman Dana White has abruptly resigned after being investigated for months over allegations she mistreated employees, a department spokesperson confirmed Tuesday. White announced she was stepping down within hours of the departure of Defense Secretary James Mattis, who decided to leave shortly after President Trump ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria and a sharp reduction of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. "I appreciate the opportunity afforded to me by this administration to serve alongside Secretary Mattis, our service members, and all the civilians who support them," White tweeted. "It has been my honor and privilege. Stay safe and God bless."

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Wednesday that his country reserves the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control. Xi, in his first major speech about the contested island democracy Beijing views as a breakaway province, said that peaceful "reunification" must remain the goal in addressing what China's Communist Party calls the "Taiwan issue." Xi has stepped up pressure on Taiwan since Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party became president in 2016. Xi says the best way to resolve the issue would be to require the acceptance of Taiwan as part of China under the "one country, two systems" model of autonomy China now observes in Hong Kong.

The death toll from landslides and floods in the central Philippines rose to 85 as rescuers slowly reached isolated communities, authorities said Wednesday. Most of the victims died when their homes were destroyed by landslides cause by several days of heavy rain. Another 20 people were still unaccounted for in the flooding, which was triggered by a tropical depression that weakened into a low-pressure system before leaving the Philippines on Sunday. Officials declared three provinces to be under a "state of calamity" due to the storm's heavy rains. The designation gave them access to emergency funds to deal with the aftermath.

In an effort to curb gun violence, Washington on Tuesday became the latest state to ban anyone under age 21 from buying a semi-automatic assault-style rifle. The state's voters passed the rule as part of a sweeping firearms measure in November. Gun-rights advocates already are challenging the ballot initiative's restrictions in court. The initiative also tightens background checks. The age restriction took effect on Jan. 1, but the rest of the initiative becomes law on July 1. Kristen Ellingboe, a spokeswoman for the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, said the initiative was a response to mass shootings. "We've seen that assault rifles are the weapon of choice for mass shootings, and when they're used, more people are killed and injured," Ellingboe said.

Netflix confirmed Wednesday that it has pulled the second episode of Daily Show alumnus Hasan Minhaj's new topical comedy show, Patriot Act, from its streaming service in Saudi Arabia following complaints from the kingdom's Communications and Information Technology Commission. "We strongly support artistic freedom worldwide and only removed this episode in Saudi Arabia after we had received a valid legal request — and to comply with local law," Netflix said in a statement, referring to Saudi Arabia's cyber-crime statute. In the episode, Minhaj criticizes Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, among other things. The episode is still available on YouTube in Saudi Arabia.

Tennis greats Roger Federer and Serena Williams faced off for the first time Tuesday, with Federer coming out on top in Switzerland's 4-2, 4-3 (3) win against Williams' U.S. team in a mixed doubles decider at the Hopman Cup. "I was nervous returning (Williams' serve). People talk about her serve so much and I see why it is such a wonderful serve because you just can't read it," Federer said. "It was so fun," said Williams. "This is super cool that we get to do it at such a pinnacle point of our careers." The two tennis stars, both 37, have a combined 43 Grand Slam singles titles.

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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.