10 things you need to know today: May 12, 2019

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1. Trump challenges China to 'act now' on trade
2. Leaked NRA documents highlight huge legal bills, lavish spending
3. Venezuelan opposition leader Guaidó seeks relations with U.S. military
4. Five people were allegedly killed in separatist-movement's Pakistan hotel attack
5. Buttigieg talks race and identity at LGBTQ fundraiser
6. Rouhani says Iran is facing 'unprecedented' pressure from sanctions
7. Actress Peggy Lipton dies at 72
8. Harvard professor who represented Harvey Weinstein out as dean
9. Lakers tab Frank Vogel as head coach
10. NBA's second round concludes with a pair of Game 7s

published 12 May 2019

1. Trump challenges China to 'act now' on trade

President Trump on Saturday challenged China over Twitter to 'act now' or face a 'far worse' trade deal during his second term in the Oval Office. Trump wrote that he thinks Beijing is considering waiting to continue negotiations until a new, Democratic president replaces Trump in the hopes that his successor will offer more concessions. But Trump warned that he will win a second term and if Beijing continues to stall talks, he will, in turn, increase pressure. Trump added that he loves "collecting big tariffs" from China. The tweets come just one day after Trump said the two sides had had "constructive" talks and negotiations would continue. However, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said no further talks are planned as of now.

Anonymous documents posted online show that the National Rifle Association has accrued massive legal bills over the past year, while the organization's chief executive, Wayne LaPierre, allegedly spent lavishly on clothing and travel. NRA officials disputed the documents' claims, but their authenticity was confirmed. The documents estimate that the NRA has reportedly been paying close to $100,000 per day in legal bills on average. Despite this, LaPierre billed the NRA's ad agency, Ackerman McQueen, $542,000 for travel and other expenses, including $39,000 for one day of shopping in Beverly Hills. However, the NRA's new president, Carolyn Meadows, expressed support for LaPierre. The NRA sued Ackerman McQueen in April accusing the agency of failing to justify its billing.

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Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Saturday said he has instructed his political envoy in Washington, Carlos Vecchio, to open "direct communications" with the United States military. The move could potentially lead to military coordination between the sides, as Guaidó seeks to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his ruling United Socialist Party from power amid Venezuela's current economic and political crisis. Guaidó, who is recognized by the U.S. and other countries as Venezuela's legitimate interim president, had previously been tentative about publicly asking for military aid. His recent remarks, which came at the end of a rally in Caracas, were the strongest indication yet that U.S. forces could intervene in Venezuela.

Pakistan's military said in a statement that three armed men stormed a five-star hotel in the port city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing at least five people, Al Jazeera reports. Six people were wounded. Among those killed were security guards and civilians. The military said that all 144 guests in the hotel, however, were safely evacuated. The Baloch Liberation Army, an ethnic Baloch separatist group fighting for the Balochistan province's independence from Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The region has seen an uptick in violence in recent days as the separatist movement intensifies, Al Jazeera reports.

South Bend Mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg spoke at a fundraiser hosted by the Human Rights Campaign, a major LGBTQ rights group, on Saturday. The New York Times writes that Buttigieg directly confronted one of his biggest "vulnerabilities" — that he is a white man of privilege — in doing so. Buttigieg, who is gay, spoke about how his own identity doesn't inform him about what it's like to be a "trans woman of color," an "undocumented mother of four," or a disabled veteran. However, he added that identity politics also exacerbate a "crisis of belonging" in the United States and can help drive people apart. Instead, he called for Americans to find common ground.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that Iran is facing "unprecedented" pressure from international sanctions. His warning comes after the United States renewed sanctions on Iran's metal industry last week, as tensions between the two countries continue to rise. Rouhani also called for unity among Iran's competing political factions in hopes of overcoming the looming economic hardships. He added that conditions may be more difficult than those during the country's war with Iraq in the 1980s. "I do not despair and have great hope for the future and believe that we can move past these difficult conditions provided that we are united," Rouhani said.

Peggy Lipton, a Golden Globe award-winning actress, died at 72 after battling cancer. Her daughters, Rashida and Kidada Jones, who are both actresses, announced their mother's death in a statement on Saturday. Both of them were at Lipton's side when she died. Lipton starred as undercover police officer Julie Barnes in the series Mod Squad, which ran from 1968 to 1973. She was nominated for four Golden Globes for the role, winning one. Lipton is also known for her portrayal as Norma Jennings on the acclaimed television series Twin Peaks. Lipton was married to music producer Quincy Jones from 1974 to 1990.

Ronald L. Sullivan, a Harvard law professor, and his wife, Stephanie Robinson, will not continue as faculty deans at Harvard when their terms end next month. Sullivan had come under fire for working on disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein's legal defense team. Sullivan and Robinson were the first African-Americans to serve as faculty deans at the Ivy League university. Sullivan, a longtime defense attorney and criminal justice reform advocate, had previously told students that even "vile" people deserved defense when explaining his decision to represent Weinstein, but they felt he could not do so while simultaneously serving as a "protector of students." Sullivan and Robinson said they were "surprised and dismayed" by Harvard's decision.

The Los Angeles Lakers will announce Frank Vogel as the franchise's next head coach, NBA sources told ESPN on Saturday. Vogel, who previously coached the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic, will take over a Lakers team that, despite signing LeBron James last offseason, failed to make the playoffs in the Western Conference, leading to changes on the coaching staff and in the front office. The Lakers had offered the head coaching job to two other candidates, Ty Lue and Monty Williams, before agreeing to terms with Vogel. Former NBA star and Hall of Fame player Jason Kidd will reportedly join Vogel's staff in a prominent assistant coaching role.

The second round of the NBA playoffs will wrap up on Sunday with a pair of win-or-go-home game sevens. The Portland Trail Blazers are in Denver for a 3:30 p.m. tip-off on ABC against the Nuggets with a spot in the Western Conference finals against the defending champion Golden State Warriors on the line. In the Eastern Conference, the Kawhi Leonard-led Toronto Raptors host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m on TNT. The winner of that game will head to Milwaukee next week to take on the league-best Bucks in the Eastern conference finals.

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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.