10 things you need to know today: June 11, 2019

A U.S. flag along the border with Mexico

(Image credit: HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

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1. DOJ agrees to give House Democrats more Mueller evidence
2. Mexico denies Trump claims about secret border agreement
3. Trump shifts trade threats back to China after Mexico deal
4. Nixon lawyer John Dean tells lawmakers Mueller report includes collusion evidence
5. Helicopter pilot dies in New York City crash landing
6. Travelers' photos exposed in border-contractor data breach
7. Judge rules Missouri abortion clinic can stay open
8. GOP Rep. Justin Amash quits Freedom Caucus after clash over Trump
9. Report: Kim Jong Un's murdered brother was a CIA source
10. Ex-Red Sox star Ortiz flown to Boston hospital

published 11 June 2019

1. DOJ agrees to give House Democrats more Mueller evidence

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said on Monday that the Justice Department had agreed to hand over evidence from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling and possible obstruction of justice by President Trump. The Justice Department has released a redacted version of Mueller's report, but Nadler has been pushing for a full unredacted version, along with underlying documents and evidence. The deal marked a rare agreement after a series of clashes between the White House and House Democrats investigating Trump. Nadler said after announcing the news that he would temporarily pause his effort to hold Attorney General William Barr in criminal contempt over his failure to comply with congressional subpoenas for the information.

Mexican negotiators got President Trump to suspend his plan to impose tariffs on Mexican goods by promising an unprecedented crackdown on Central American migrants, The Washington Post reported Monday night, citing officials from both governments. But in a press conference Monday, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico had not reached any secret agreements on immigration or agriculture, as Trump claimed in a series of tweets. On Monday, Trump tweeted about a "fully signed and documented" section "of the immigration and security deal with Mexico" that will be "revealed in the not too distant future." Ebrard said Mexico had only agreed to return to talks if the number of migrants reaching the U.S. border doesn't drop significantly in coming months, as laid out in the published agreement.

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President Trump, fresh off a deal suspending threatened tariffs in exchange for an anti-immigration crackdown by Mexico, returned his focus to China trade policy on Monday, renewing his threat to raise levies on $300 billion in goods imported from China. "People haven't used tariffs, but tariffs are a beautiful thing when you are the piggy bank, when you have all the money. Everyone is trying to get our money," Trump told CNBC. Trump said his proposed tariffs forced Mexico to get tougher on undocumented migrants trying to get into the U.S., and would work on China, too. "The China deal is going to work out," he said. "You know why? Because of tariffs." Geng Shuang, spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Beijing does "not want a trade war, but we are not afraid of fighting one," adding, "If the U.S. is ready to have equal consultations, our door is wide open."

Former White Counsel John Dean, who served under former President Richard Nixon before becoming a key Watergate witness, testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Monday, kicking off a week of hearings related to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report. Dean told lawmakers he was there to provide historical context. He said Mueller's report contained evidence of "collusion" between Trump associates and Russia, and that he saw parallels between the Mueller investigation and Watergate. Democrats and Republicans clashed over Dean's credibility. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) dismissed Dean's testimony, noting he pleaded guilty to obstruction 45 years ago. Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Dean told the truth during the Watergate investigation, and accused Jordan of casting "aspersions on the witness."

A helicopter pilot was killed Monday in a crash landing on top of a 54-story building at 787 Seventh Ave. in midtown Manhattan. The pilot was believed to be the only person on board and was the only presumed victim in what New York City officials said appeared to have been an accident. "There is no indication that this was an act of terror and there is no ongoing threat to New York City based on the information we have right now," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Law enforcement officials said the helicopter took off from a nearby heliport on the East River 11 minutes before the crash, and had been scheduled to fly to or past the Statue of Liberty before it encountered difficulties.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Monday confirmed a data breach affecting photos of travelers and license plates held by a government subcontractor. The images, involving fewer than 100,000 people, had been moved to the subcontractor's network and were stolen in a "malicious cyberattack," a spokesperson for the government agency told TechCrunch. "Initial information indicates that the subcontractor violated mandatory security and privacy protocols outlined in their contract," the agency's statement said. Customs and Border Protection said none of its own systems were "compromised." The breach came weeks after a report that a contractor called Perceptics, which provides license plate readers at land borders, had suffered a breach. The identity of the company in the breach described by Customs and Border Control was not immediately confirmed.

A judge on Monday blocked Missouri from closing its only remaining abortion clinic after the expiration of its license, which the state's Department of Health and Senior Services did not renew. Judge Michael Stelzer declared that the Planned Parenthood clinic in St. Louis, Missouri, could stay open until the state agency makes a final decision on its license. Stelzer issued the preliminary injunction, giving the Department of Health and Senior Services until June 21 to determine whether to renew Planned Parenthood's license. Last month, Planned Parenthood of St. Louis sued the state after being told the license wouldn't be renewed until officials spoke with five physicians who used to work at the clinic.

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), the only Republican to publicly back starting impeachment proceedings against President Trump, said Monday he was leaving the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative group he helped start more than four years ago. Amash tweeted in May that he believed Special Counsel Robert Mueller's findings on Russian election meddling and possible obstruction of justice by Trump showed "impeachable conduct" by Trump. Amash also said Attorney General William Barr had "deliberately" misrepresented the report. The Freedom Caucus later voted to condemn Amash's statements but stopped short of expelling him. Amash said he had "the highest regard" for the members of the group and was leaving to avoid becoming a "further distraction" for them.

Kim Jong Nam, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's half-brother who was murdered in 2017, served as a Central Intelligence Agency source, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday night, citing a person with knowledge of the matter. The person said Kim Jong Nam met several times with CIA operatives. "There was a nexus," the person said, without indicating what Kim Jong Nam and the CIA operatives discussed. Kim Jong Nam died after two women smeared VX nerve agent on his face in a Malaysian airport. The women were accused of working with four North Koreans to kill him, but they said they had been duped into participating in what they thought was a harmless reality TV prank. The murder charges were dropped this year. The North Koreans left Malaysia the day Kim died.

Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz on Monday was flown to Boston for medical care after being ambushed and shot Sunday in a bar in his native Dominican Republic. Ortiz, 43, was transferred in stable condition after undergoing surgery at a Santo Domingo hospital, where doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine, the baseball great's spokesman, Leo Lopez, said. Ortiz, known affectionately as Big Papi, led the Red Sox to three World Series championships. A 10-time All Star, he finished his career with 541 home runs. The team promised to dedicate "all available resources" for his care, and sent an air ambulance to fly him to Boston. "He's on the Mount Rushmore of Boston sports," said Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero. The motive for the shooting is under investigation.

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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.