10 things you need to know today: June 9, 2019

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1. Key components of U.S., Mexico immigration deal were already agreed to, officials say
2. Massive protests over proposed extradition bill sweep Hong Kong
3. G-20 leaders pledge to protect economic growth
4. Crackdown on Sudan's anti-government protests intensifies with tear gas, arrests
5. Fires spread in Northern California, Arizona
6. Thousands of Venezuelans cross into Colombia as border reopens
7. CNN Iowa poll has Biden in lead, but field is tightening
8. Iran urges European countries to normalize trade ties despite U.S. sanctions
9. Ashleigh Barty takes women's French Open title
10. Sir Winston overcomes the odds to win Belmont

published 9 June 2019

1. Key components of U.S., Mexico immigration deal were already agreed to, officials say

Many of the actions agreed to in Friday's immigration deal between the U.S. and Mexico, which caused President Trump to back off his tariff threats against the U.S.'s southern neighbor, were actually negotiated months before Trump ever promised to levy taxes on Mexican goods, officials from both countries familiar with the talks told The New York Times. Trump reportedly accepted the existing agreements after the round of negotiations sparked by his tariff threats lasted several days. The Mexican government had reportedly already pledged to deploy the National Guard to its southern border to police migration in March, while the expansion of a program that would keep those seeking asylum in the U.S. in Mexico while they await the results of their cases was reportedly established in December. Trump has denied the Times' report.

Mass protests arose in Hong Kong's streets on Sunday as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered to oppose the government's controversial extradition bill proposal. The bill, which goes to a vote on June 12, would allow the transfer of suspected criminals to mainland China — as well as Taiwan and Macau — for trial. Supporters of the bill say there are safeguards in place to prevent anyone facing religious or political persecution from being extradited to China; opponents fear that it would expose Hong Kong residents to China’s flawed justice system, and harm Hong Kong’s judicial independence. The march is considered to be the largest in Hong Kong since the Umbrella Movement protests in 2014.

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Finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the Group of 20 wrapped up a meeting in Fukuoka, Japan, on Sunday with a pledge do all they can to protect global economic growth from trade tensions and other issues. In a joint communique, the finance leaders from the world's 20 major economies said that risks from trade battles were "intensifying," though the statement refrained from mentioning any specific conflict by name. The communique also said the leaders expect global growth, which is currently stable, to pick up later this year. However, the final version of the communique did not include a statement calling for the "pressing need to resolve trade tensions."

The crackdown against Sudan's anti-government protesters continued on Sunday when police fired tear gas into a crowd taking part in a civil disobedience campaign in the country's capital, Khartoum. The protesters reportedly created makeshift roadblocks in the city's northern Bahari district before they were dispersed. The opposition also said that a number of Sudan's bank, airport, and electricity workers were arrested before a strike against the Transitional Military Council, while the Sudanese Professionals Association says employees are being threatened by authorities to go into work rather than take part in the strike. On Friday and Saturday, three leaders of the opposition were arrested after meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is serving as a mediator between the military and the protesters.

A vegetation fire in Northern California's Yolo County which began on Saturday grew rapidly, reaching 1,700 acres with no containment. The fire is reportedly threatening several structures and caused the closure of the area's main highway. Some residents have been ordered to evacuate. Meanwhile, in Arizona's Tonto National Forest, a human-induced fire is moving swiftly, aided by strong winds that have made it difficult for firefighters to contain. That fire, wich was first reported on Friday, has now burned about 7,225 acres in the national forest, which is northeast of Phoenix.

The border between Colombia and Venezuela partially reopened for the first time in February on Saturday, allowing tens of thousands of Venezuelans to make the crossing so they could buy food and medicine, work, and go to school. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro closed the border in February to prevent U.S.-backed humanitarian aid from entering the country at the behest of opposition leader Juan Guaidó. Maduro announced the reopening on Twitter. The Colombian foreign ministry said more than 30,000 Venezuelans arrived at the crossing on Saturday, with almost 37,000 leaving by the end of the day. More than four million people have fled Venezuela since 2015 due to an economic and political crisis, the United Nations says.

Former Vice President Joe Biden is still leading the pack of Democratic presidential candidates in CNN's latest Iowa poll, but the new iteration shows a tighter field than other national polls. Biden holds 24 percent of the vote, trailed by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at 16 and 15 percent, respectively. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg polled at 14 percent, while Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) was the only other candidate in the crowded field to surpass the 5 percent threshold, after she secured 7 percent. Biden generally hovers around 30 percent in national polls, but this is the first major poll conducted in Iowa since his entry into the race in April. Most of the Democratic field will be in Iowa on Sunday night for a Democratic Party fundraiser in Cedar Rapids, though Biden will not be in attendance.

Iran, which has been mired in rising tensions with the United States, turned its attention to Europe on Sunday. Tehran called on European leaders to normalize trade ties with Iran despite recent U.S. sanctions, or face consequences. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Europe's countries are not in a position to criticize Iran for issues outside of a nuclear agreement signed by Iran, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, which the U.S. left in 2017. "We will halt our commitments or will take action in accordance with their measures," Zarif said, referring to a scenario in which the countries do not normalize their economic relationships with Iran. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will travel to Iran this week to attempt to preserve the nuclear pact.

Australian tennis player Ashleigh Barty defeated Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3 to win the 2019 Women's French Open. It was the first grand slam title for Barty, who is ranked no. 8 in the world. She also became the first Australian woman to win a grand slam singles title since Sam Stosur won the U.S. Open in 2011 and the first to capture the crown at Roland Garros since Margaret Court in 1973. Barty will jolt up to no. 2 in the rankings on Monday. It was an impressive run, as well, for Vondrousova, an unseeded, 19-year-old who hails from the Czech Republic. On the men's side, Rafael Nadal faces off against Dominic Thiem in Sunday's final.

Sir Winston, a 10-1 long shot, beat the odds to claim the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown. Sir Winston, who was making his Triple Crown debut, held off the race's favorite, Tacitus, by a length. The Belmont capped off a wild Triple Crown season, which saw the Kentucky Derby's winner get disqualified, and a rider-less horse run the Preakness. The Belmont, on the other hand, was a clean race; the only drama was Sir Winston's surprise victory. The Preakness winner, War of Will, finished ninth in the 10-horse Belmont.

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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.