10 things you need to know today: June 6, 2019
Trump, veterans mark D-Day's 75th anniversary in Normandy, the Trump administration cuts programs for unaccompanied minors, and more
- 1. Trump, D-Day veterans mark 75th anniversary of Normandy invasion
- 2. Trump administration cutting programs for unaccompanied minors
- 3. U.S, Mexico fail to reach tariff deal as migrant surge rises
- 4. Trump administration cuts fetal-tissue medical research
- 5. Report: Pelosi tells Democrats she wants Trump 'in prison,' not impeached
- 6. Pompeo privately expresses worries about uniting Venezuelan opposition
- 7. Ohio doctor charged with murder for ordering dangerous opioid doses
- 8. YouTube to remove hateful, hoax videos
- 9. German ex-nurse sentenced to life for killing 85 patients
- 10. Measles outbreak tops 1,000 cases
1. Trump, D-Day veterans mark 75th anniversary of Normandy invasion
President Trump on Thursday joined French President Emmanuel Macron and World War II veterans for a ceremony at an American military cemetery near Omaha Beach to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Trump said the soldiers who landed on Normandy beaches, facing the Nazis' "monstrous fire power," "carried on their shoulders not just the pack of a soldier but the fate of the world." On Wednesday, Trump and other world leaders gathered on the southern England coast to remember the massive invasion that accelerated the Allies' victory. Queen Elizabeth II praised the "heroism, courage, and sacrifice" of soldiers who died, saying: "It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country — indeed the whole free world — that I say to you all, thank you."
The Guardian The Associated Press
2. Trump administration cutting programs for unaccompanied minors
The Trump administration is responding to rising immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border by cutting programs for unaccompanied minors at federal shelters, including English classes, recreational programs, and legal aid, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. Without the cuts, federal officials said, the shelter program could run out of money by late June. Education and recreation for minors in custody are required under a federal court settlement and state licensing requirements, but the Office of Refugee Resettlement has started discontinuing funding for services that are "not directly necessary for the protection of life and safety." A shelter employee told the Post the cuts have alarmed workers, who fear the care for the children will suffer.
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3. U.S, Mexico fail to reach tariff deal as migrant surge rises
Central American migrants were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers last month, the Trump administration announced Wednesday. More than 144,278 migrants were arrested on the southwest border in May, the biggest monthly total in seven years and 32 percent more than in April. President Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on all imports from Mexico unless it helps stop the flow of undocumented immigrants. Mexico's top diplomat met with Vice President Mike Pence and other U.S. officials on Wednesday to try to convince them Mexico is doing its best to stop illegal immigration. The two sides failed to reach a deal, and will continue talks Thursday. Senate Republicans have threatened to block Trump's tariffs, due to start at 5 percent and increase monthly to a maximum of 25 percent. Critics say the tariffs could kill hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs.
4. Trump administration cuts fetal-tissue medical research
The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it would sharply reduce federal spending on medical research using tissue from aborted fetuses. Most of the cuts will come from halting the research within the National Institutes of Health. Scientists say studies using the tissue could benefit millions of people, and Georgetown University public health law specialist Lawrence Gostin said the changes would "devastate" important research. Anti-abortion groups have lobbied forcefully against the use of fetal tissue from abortions. "Most Americans do not want their tax dollars creating a marketplace for aborted baby body parts which are then implanted into mice and used for experimentation," said March for Life President Jeanne Mancini, who called the research a "gross violation of human rights."
5. Report: Pelosi tells Democrats she wants Trump 'in prison,' not impeached
During a meeting with senior Democrats on Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made it clear that she does not want to start impeachment proceedings against President Trump, Politico reported Wednesday, citing several people with knowledge of the matter. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) spent part of the meeting urging Pelosi to let his committee start an impeachment inquiry against Trump, the second time he's made the request in recent weeks. Pelosi responded, "I don't want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison," multiple people told Politico. People close to Pelosi said she wants Trump to lose in 2020, and then face prosecution for his alleged crimes.
6. Pompeo privately expresses worries about uniting Venezuelan opposition
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concerns in a private meeting about divisions among opponents to embattled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to a recording of the discussion obtained by The Washington Post. "Our conundrum, which is to keep the opposition united, has proven devilishly difficult," Pompeo said in the audio recording of the closed-door meeting in New York. "The moment Maduro leaves, everybody's going to raise their hands and [say], 'Take me, I'm the next president of Venezuela.' It would be 40-plus people who believe they're the rightful heir to Maduro." The remarks came as the effort to force out Maduro stalled following a failed April 30 attempt by U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó and other allies to get the military to rise up against the South American nation's socialist government.
7. Ohio doctor charged with murder for ordering dangerous opioid doses
Ohio authorities have charged a doctor, William Husel, with multiple murder counts for allegedly ordering potentially fatal opioid doses to patients who were near death, prosecutors said Wednesday. Husel surrendered in Columbus to face charges for 25 deaths. A six-month investigation by the Franklin County Prosecutor's office uncovered the alleged medical malpractice and repeated oversight failures by nurses, pharmacists, and other employees that allowed it to go unchecked. Husel, 43, worked from 2015 to 2018 with Mount Carmel Health System. Prosecutors and police did not immediately say why Husel allegedly ordered such large doses of fentanyl for the patients, many of whom were old or seriously ill. Husel's attorney, Richard Blake, said his client never tried to "euthanize anyone" and wants to clear his name in a trial.
8. YouTube to remove hateful, hoax videos
YouTube said Wednesday that it would take down videos advocating Nazi or other hateful ideologies, or denying major events such as the Holocaust or the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. The video site, which is owned by Google, has faced criticism for failing to do enough to block the spread of videos promoting hate or distorting world events. For videos that come "close" to violating these policies, YouTube says its system will "include more videos from authoritative sources" in the "watch next" panel. The new policies are expected to result in the removal of thousands of videos.
The Washington Post The New York Times
9. German ex-nurse sentenced to life for killing 85 patients
A former nurse, Niels Hoegel, was convicted in a German court of 85 counts of murder for putting patients into cardiac arrest because he liked being able to resuscitate them. Oldenburg court judge Sebastian Buehrmann sentenced Hoegel, 42, to life in prison. The killings occurred between 2000 and 2005 when Hoegel worked at two hospitals in and near the northwestern city of Oldenburg. Hoegel was convicted in 2015 of two murders and is already serving a life sentence. During his second trial he was charged with 100 murder counts. He was found not guilty on 15 counts due to a lack of evidence. Hoegel admitted 43 killings, disputed five, and said he couldn't remember the rest. In his closing statement to the court, Hoegel expressed remorse and apologized for the pain he caused with his "terrible deeds."
10. Measles outbreak tops 1,000 cases
The U.S. measles outbreak has hit an alarming milestone as the number of cases so far this year reached 1,001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. Sixty-one new cases of the disease, which can be deadly, have been reported since May 27. The outbreak is the biggest in the U.S. since 1992, when there were 2,126 cases. Federal health officials blamed the recent surge in measles cases on parents who refuse to vaccinate their children due to a fear that the vaccine can cause autism, contrary to scientific evidence. "We cannot say this enough: Vaccines are a safe and highly effective public health tool that can prevent this disease and end the current outbreak," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.
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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.
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