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

Hong Kong's leader doubles down on controversial bill despite massive protest, Nadal wins a record 12th French Open title, and more

Rafael Nadal wins the French Open
(Image credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

1. Hong Kong's leader doubles down on extradition bill after protest

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Monday vowed to continue pushing controversial amendments to an extradition bill despite massive Sunday protests. Lam dismissed suggestions the bill was "an order from Beijing," and struck a conciliatory tone with protesters by promising to include human rights protections in the measure. Protesters had called for Lam's resignation and warned that the bill could erode Hong Kong's legal autonomy from mainland China, and expose Hong Kong residents to China's judicial system without basic protections. Organizers said Sunday's March, which was followed early Monday by clashes between protesters and police, drew a million people into the streets, although police put the number at 270,000.

Reuters South China Morning Post

2. Nadal wins record 12th French Open title

Rafael Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem in the French Open finals for the second straight year. Nadal, the No. 2 seed, beat the 4th-seeded Austrian 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to extend his record to 12 French Open singles championships. No player has dominated any Grand Slam the way Nadal has the French Open. He now has a 93-2 overall record at Roland Garros. "He stepped on me," said Thiem, 25, who reached the final by upsetting No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. "The numbers are crazy. He won it 12 times." Nadal, 33, now has 18 Grand Slam titles, closing in on Roger Federer's men's record of 20. Earlier in the weekend, Australian Ashleigh Barty beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-1, 6-3 to take the women's title.

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ESPN

3. House Democrats start hearings on Mueller report

House Democrats this week start a series of hearings stepping up their inquiries into Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election interference and possible obstruction of justice by President Trump. The House Judiciary Committee will hold a Monday hearing on "presidential obstruction and other crimes." The House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday plans to discuss Russian election meddling and its impact on counterintelligence issues. The House also has scheduled a Tuesday vote on authorizing contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General William Barr and former White House Counsel Don McGahn for refusing to comply with House subpoenas. The House called on Barr to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller's Russia report.

The Associated Press

4. Stocks get boost from suspension of Trump's Mexico tariffs

U.S. stock index futures gained over the weekend following the announcement that President Trump was suspending plans to impose 5 percent tariffs on all Mexican goods after Mexico agreed to step up efforts to keep undocumented Central American migrants from entering the U.S. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of more than 100 points at Monday's open. That would extend Friday's gain of 263 points, or roughly 1 percent, after a surprisingly weak May jobs report stoked hopes that the Federal Reserve would soon cut interest rates to give the economy a boost. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said last week the central bank was "closely monitoring" the effects of U.S.-China trade tensions on the economy, and would "act as appropriate to sustain the expansion."

CNBC Reuters

5. Democratic rivals take aim at Biden in Iowa

Nineteen of the two dozen Democrats vying for the party's 2020 presidential nomination spoke at the Iowa Democratic Party's blockbuster fundraiser on Sunday, with many of them targeting frontrunner Joe Biden with veiled criticism. Former Vice President Biden, who did not attend the event, was the leader in a new Iowa poll, although several rivals gained some ground on him. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who was second in the poll, did not name Biden but described a "well-intentioned" candidate pushing "a middle-ground strategy that antagonizes no one, that stands up to nobody, and that changes nothing," saying that approach "could end up with the re-election of Donald Trump." Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a close third behind Sanders in the poll, targeted Biden's big-money fundraisers, saying that she is "not spending my time with high-dollar donors and with corporate lobbyists."

The Associated Press

6. 1 dead after crane crashes into Dallas apartment building

A construction crane collapsed and crashed down on an apartment building and parking garage in downtown Dallas on Sunday, killing at least one person. Another six people were injured, and five of them were in serious to critical condition, said Dallas Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Jason Evans. The accident happened as storms hit the area, but officials could not immediately confirm suspicions that high winds toppled the crane. The crane smashed through four floors of the apartment building. It was not immediate clear whether the crane was in operation at the time.

NBC News

7. Thousands protest in Haiti over corruption scandal

Thousands of protesters blocked roads in Haiti's capital on Sunday to call for the resignation of President Jovenel Moise over corruption allegations. Demonstrators burned tires and threw stones. Police set up barricades near Moise's residence, and fired tear gas at protestors trying to get through them. At least one person reportedly was fatally shot, although it was not immediately clear who had fired. The protests are calling for deeper investigation into what happened to money from subsidized oil shipments from Venezuela under the Petrocaribe oil alliance. A Senate inquiry concluded that 14 or more officials in the administration of Moise's predecessor, Michel Martelly, had misused $3.8 billion.

The Associated Press

8. United Technologies and Raytheon to merge, creating aerospace giant

United Technologies said Sunday that it would merge its aerospace business with Raytheon in a deal that would create the second largest U.S. aerospace company behind Boeing. If the deal goes through, the combined company will be a military-weapon and aircraft making giant, with $74 billion ‌in expected 2019 sales. It would be one of the biggest mergers of the year. Raytheon makes missiles, radar systems, and other technology. The newly formed Raytheon Technologies Corp. will add United's jet-engine producers, Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney. United is spinning off its Carrier air conditioner business and its Otis elevator company under an earlier deal. The deal with Raytheon could close early next year if it wins regulatory approval.

The New York Times The Washington Post

9. Ex-Red Sox slugger David Ortiz shot in Dominican Republic

A gunman shot former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz at a bar in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, wounding him in the lower back and abdomen, Ortiz's family confirmed Sunday night. Ortiz is recovering after surgery at a Santo Domingo hospital. "He is out of surgery and stable," Ortiz's father, Leo Ortiz said. "Big Papi will be around for a long time." Police said the gunman ambushed Ortiz from behind, and was captured and beaten by bar patrons. Police plan to interrogate the suspect after he recovers. Leo Ortiz said he had no idea why anyone would shoot his son. Ortiz, 43, is a 10-time Major League Baseball All-Star and star of three World Series-winning Red Sox teams. He retired in 2016.

The Associated Press ESPN

10. Hadestown, The Ferryman win big at 2019 Tonys

Hadestown, a musical adaptation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, won big at Sunday night's 73rd Tony Awards, taking home eight awards, including best musical. The Ferryman, a drama about a former IRA militant, won best play honors and three other awards. Other notable winners included Oklahoma!'s Ali Stoker, best featured actress in a musical and the first Tony-winning actor in a wheelchair; Bryan Cranston, best leading actor for portraying Howard Beale in Network; Stephanie J. Block for best actress in a musical for The Cher Show; and Santino Fontana for best actor in a musical for Tootsie. In his acceptance speech, Cranston alluded to President Trump, saying "the media is not the enemy of the people — demagoguery is the enemy of the people."

Variety

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Harold Maass, The Week US

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.