10 things you need to know today: March 24, 2019

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Jump to category:

1. Congress awaits Mueller briefing from Barr
2. The White House reportedly feels confident about the Mueller report
3. One million march against Brexit in London
4. Protesters gather in Pittsburgh after officer acquitted
5. New Zealanders attend mass vigil, mosque reopens
6. Thailand hosts first elections since 2014 coup
7. Six hundred counties, cities, and Native American tribes file lawsuit against Sacklers
8. Passengers safely evacuated from cruise ship off the Norwegian coast
9. Patriots owner apologizes in first statement since solicitation charges
10. WGA members pledge to fire agents if dispute remains unresolved

published 24 March 2019

1. Congress awaits Mueller briefing from Barr

Lawmakers are still awaiting the details from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 675-day investigation into the Trump campaign's potential involvement with Russian election interference. It is likely Attorney General William Barr will brief Congress on the principle conclusions on Sunday. Mueller submitted the report to Barr on Friday. Barr was reviewing the report on Saturday to decide how much information he would make available to both Congress and the public. What is clear so far is that Mueller will not be indicting anyone else beyond the 30 people who already face criminal charges.

The White House is reportedly feeling confident about the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the Trump campaign's potential involvement with Russian election interference, which is now under review by Attorney General William Barr. Per CBS News, President Trump's attorneys believe the president will wind up legally — and politically — in the clear. CNN's Jim Acosta also reported that the White House is celebrating "quietly" but with "a fair amount of glee." One Trump campaign adviser told Acosta, "This was a great day for America and we won."

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.

Organizers say 1 million people took to the streets in London for an anti-Brexit demonstration on Saturday. The "Put it to the People" march, which demanded that Parliament grant a second EU withdrawal referendum, is considered one of the biggest protests in British history, despite Prime Minister Theresa May saying earlier this week that she believed the British people did not support a new referendum. The march took place just days after the EU agreed to an extension of Article 50, which will now trigger the U.K.'s exodus from the EU on April 12 — with or without a deal. May, who has so far been unable to secure a withdrawal agreement, has faced renewed calls for her resignation.

Protests took place in Pittsburgh on Saturday after a jury acquitted a former East Pittsburgh police officer who was tried for the killing of Antwon Rose, an unarmed black 17-year-old, last June. The officer, Michael Rosfield, who is white, shot Rose three times after the teenager ran from a traffic stop. Rosfield said that Rose was in a car that matched the description of one involved in a drive-by shooting 20 minutes prior to the traffic stop. Crowds gathered in protest over the jury's decision outside of the Allegheny County Courthouse on Friday evening and continued throughout the city on Saturday. Shots were reportedly fired at the window of one of Rosfield's attorney's offices on Saturday. No one was hurt. Despite that incident, police described the protests as peaceful.

Nearly 40,000 people turned out for a vigil in Christchurch, New Zealand on Saturday evening, as the country continues to mourn following the killing of 50 people in mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15. Saturday’s vigil, which included speeches, music, and moments of silence, is the latest in a string of remembrance events that have and will continue to take place around New Zealand. On Saturday the Al-Noor mosque, one of the sites of the violence, was reopened for worship. Several survivors of the shooting returned to pray.

For the first time since a 2014 military coup, Thailand went to the voting polls on Sunday. Polls are now closed and results are expected within several hours, though it may take weeks to certify them. The military government and the royalist elite are trying to keep their leader, Prayuth Chan-Ocha, as prime minister. They have long been mired in a power struggle with exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. But his allies continued to win elections despite his absence until the 2014 coup removed his sister from the office. A pre-vote opinion poll showed Shinawatra's party winning the most parliamentary seats, but not enough to govern alone. The military-backed party secured the second most seats in the survey.

The Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma — the manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin — are now facing a federal lawsuit from more than 600 counties, cities, and Native American tribes from 28 U.S. States. The lawsuit is a result of accusations that OxyContin helped stoke the opioid epidemic that is plaguing the United States. It alleges that the Sacklers used deceptive marketing to push sales of addictive and potent painkillers. A spokesperson for the Sacklers called the accusations "baseless." The report of the lawsuit follows the decision by major museums in the U.S. and the U.K. to refuse any future donations from the Sacklers, who are known for their philanthropy.

479 people were safely airlifted off a Viking Sky cruise ship, which was stranded in rough seas off the coast of Norway with 1,373 passengers on board. 436 guests and 458 crew still remain on board the ship. Although bad weather conditions persisted on Sunday, the vessel has regained power in three out of four engines and is traveling alongside two supply ships and one tug assist vessel. 20 people reportedly sustained non-life threatening injuries while the ship was rocked by wind and waves, the cruise line said.

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft spoke publicly for the first time since he was charged with two counts of soliciting prostitution in Jupiter, Florida in February. "I am truly sorry," Kraft said. "I know I have hurt my family, my close friends, my co-workers, our fans, and many others who rightfully hold me to a higher standard." The 77-year-old Kraft is scheduled to be arraigned in court on March 28, though his presence is not required. Prosecutors have offered to drop Kraft's charges in exchange for a fine, community service, and an admission of guilt. He has yet to accept the deal.

Nearly 800 Hollywood writers signed a Writers Guild "Statement of Support," which was made public on Saturday, pledging to fire their agents if the representatives don't sign an agreement satisfactory to the union. The signatories represent around 4 percent of the guild's 20,000-person membership. The statement is in response to a dispute between the WGA and the Association of Talent Agents over packaging fees and affiliate production. Several notable writers signed the statement including Shonda Rhimes and Seth McFarlane, while others like J.J. Abrams and Dick Wolf did not put their names down.

Explore More

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.