10 things you need to know today: June 22, 2019

(Image credit: ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

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1. Iran says it will 'firmly confront' any U.S. threat
2. Trump to nominate Army Secretary Mark Esper for defense secretary
3. Author E. Jean Carroll alleges Trump assaulted her in 1990s
4. ICE reportedly to begin raids targeting up to 2,000 migrant families
5. Hong Kong protesters blockade police headquarters, crowd mostly dispersed
6. Supreme Court reverses conviction for Curtis Flowers
7. Democratic candidates head to South Carolina for busy primary weekend
8. Hawaii plane crash kills 9
9. Cardi B reportedly indicted on new felony charges over strip club fight
10. Toy Story 4 to liven up dreary summer box office

published 22 June 2019

1. Iran says it will 'firmly confront' any U.S. threat

Iran said it would respond firmly to any U.S. threat against it, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday, one day after President Trump said he called off a military strike to retaliate for Iran shooting down a U.S. drone on Thursday. "We will not allow any of Iran's borders to be violated," foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told Tasnim. "Iran will firmly confront any aggression or threat by America." Abolfazl Shekarchi, the senior spokesman for Iran's armed forces, told Tasnim that "any mistake by Iran's enemies," especially the U.S., would "be like firing a powder keg that will burn America, its interests, and its allies to the ground."

The White House announced on Friday evening that President Trump will nominate Army Secretary Mark Esper to fill the role of defense secretary. The announcement comes three days after the resignation of Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan who was in line for the full-time position until reports surfaced about his contentious divorce and multiple domestic violence incidents in his family. Esper, a West Point graduate and Gulf War veteran, has served as a top civilian Pentagon official, a lobbyist for defense contractor Raytheon, and an adviser to Republic lawmakers. Esper was set to take over as acting defense secretary when Shanahan's resignation goes into effect on Sunday, but federal law may prevent him from carrying out those duties once Trump formally nominates him.

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E. Jean Carroll, a longtime columnist and author, penned an article in New York Magazine's The Cut on Friday alleging President Trump assaulted her in 1995 or 1996. Carroll says Trump, at the time a real estate magnate, saw her at a Bergdorf Goodman's in New York and assaulted her in a dressing room, pinning her against a wall and raping her over the span of three minutes. She said she didn't report the incident to police but told several friends at the time. Trump said he "never met this person in my life," and called it a "false story" with "zero evidence." The Cut published a 1987 photo of Carroll and Trump beside each other. Trump said "people should pay dearly for such false accusations."

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is set to begin an operation targeting up to 2,000 migrant families who have received deportation orders. President Trump announced via Twitter on Monday that ICE would soon "begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States." Details about this plan were unclear, and officials were reportedly unaware Trump would be tweeting out this announcement. Trump has reportedly directed an operation that it is likely to begin with predawn raids on Sunday in up to 10 cities. Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan has reportedly been "hesitant" about parts of this operation. Detained families are expected to be be moved to ICE detention centers.

Thousands of protesters blockaded police headquarters in Hong Kong on Friday evening as part of continuing protests against a proposed extradition bill that the government has since suspended in an attempt to restore normalcy to the city. The demonstrators were also calling for police to take responsibility for the use of tear gas and projectiles to break up earlier protests in the city. Most of the crowd had dispersed on Saturday morning. The extradition bill would allow felony suspects in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China, which the protesters argue threatens Hong Kong's rule of law and could possibly subject the suspects to unfair trials and torture. It is unclear if more protests will take place.

The Supreme Court voted 7-2 on Friday to throw out the latest conviction of Curtis Flowers, who was convicted of a quadruple murder in Mississippi in 1996. The court said racial discrimination was at play in Flowers' conviction — he has stood trial six times, and prosecutors dismissed 41 of 42 prospective black jurors over the course of the trials. Flowers, who is black, was sentenced to death in 2010. Two of his trials resulted in hung juries, and three were overturned by the Mississippi Supreme Court for prosecutorial misconduct after District Attorney Doug Evans was accused of working to keep black candidates off the jury. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that prosecutors likely "wanted to try Flowers before a jury with as few black jurors as possible, and ideally before an all-white jury."

Nearly every Democratic presidential candidate has descended upon South Carolina for the weekend where they will reportedly participate in four separate events. The candidates who arrived in the state's capital, Columbia, attended a fish fry hosted by U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) on Friday night. Former Vice President Joe Biden reportedly touted his friendships with South Carolina politicians, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pitched some of her detailed policies, and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) spoke about civil rights heroes. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang, who is far behind in the polls, reportedly received an enthusiastic welcome from the crowd. The candidates also attended the state party's annual fundraising gala on Friday and will head to the state party convention and a Planned Parenthood forum on abortion rights on Saturday.

All nine people aboard a small plane were killed when it crashed in Hawaii on Friday. The plane was on a skydiving excursion near Dillingham airfield on Oahu's north shore when it crashed. The plane was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. It remains unclear as to what caused the crash and the Federal Aviation Administration is set to take over the investigation. The names of the passengers have not been released. "In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident that we had," Honolulu Fire Department Chief Manuel P. Neves said.

Rapper Cardi B was reportedly indicted by a grand jury on felony charges on Friday. Although this indictment will remain sealed until next week, The Associated Press reports she was indicted on two counts of felony attempted assault. TMZ previously reported that she had been indicted on 14 charges, including two counts of felony attempted assault, as well as misdemeanor reckless endangerment and criminal solicitation. These charges are in connection with a fight that took place at a New York strip club in 2018. Cardi B was previously charged with two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, as well as one misdemeanor count of assault. Her lawyer said "we are not aware of any evidence that she caused anybody any harm at the club that night."

Toy Story 4 is headed toward an opening weekend of around $150 million, after snagging $12 million in Thursday night previews. The animated Disney sequel had the second-best preview night ever for an animated film behind only Pixar's Incredibles 2 at $18.5 million. While analysts previously predicted Toy Story 4 could achieve the biggest opening weekend for an animated movie, it seems it will likely fall short. Still, the expected strong debut could be the third-biggest opening weekend of the year behind two other Disney films: Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel. Box office numbers have sagged in recent weeks, with summer blockbusters like Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Dark Phoenix failing to stick their landings. Toy Story 4 has garnered an excellent 97 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.

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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.