10 things you need to know today: May 27, 2019

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1. Centrists lose majority but pro-EU parties hold on in elections
2. Trump calls on Japan to remove trade barriers
3. Pro football legend Bart Starr dies at 85
4. Rolling Thunder kicks off in D.C. for what could be last time
5. Huawei CEO: China shouldn't respond to U.S. actions by punishing Apple
6. Potential Theresa May successors keep no-deal Brexit on table
7. Magnitude 8.0 earthquake hits Amazon jungle in Peru
8. North Korea calls Bolton a 'war monger'
9. Fiat Chrysler proposes merger with Renault
10. Simon Pagenaud wins Indianapolis 500

last updated 27 May 2019

1. Centrists lose majority but pro-EU parties hold on in elections

Mainstream center-left and center-right parties lost their majority for the first time in elections for the European Parliament that wrapped up on Sunday. A fractured pro-European Union coalition will maintain control thanks to wins for pro-EU Liberals and Greens, and smaller-than-expected gains by far-right parties in elections with the highest turnout in 25 years. Still, the far right scored its strongest performance ever in Europe-wide elections, especially in France and Italy. French President Emmanuel Macron, who framed the balloting as a choice for or against the 28-nation EU and his party, suffered a narrow loss to Marine Le Pen's euroskeptic National Rally. In Italy, provisional results showed Matteo Salvini's nationalist League winning 34 percent, a huge leap from the 17 percent it won in a general election last year.

President Trump on Monday called on Japan to remove trade barriers to put U.S. companies on better footing. "We have an unbelievably large imbalance, as you know, trade imbalance with Japan for many, many years, Japan having the big advantage," Trump said at a joint news conference in Tokyo with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump said he hoped to reach a deal with Japan soon (although he said the U.S. was not ready to make a deal with China). He discussed trade with Abe during a four-day state visit to Japan. Abe said the two leaders had resolved to speed up trade talks. Trump also differed with Abe over North Korea. Trump said he was not bothered by North Korea's recent missile tests, but Abe called them a "regrettable" violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

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Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr, who led the Green Bay Packers to victory in the first two Super Bowls in 1967 and 1968, died on Sunday in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 85. Starr and the Packers won three other NFL championships before the Super Bowl began. Starr also won the league's Most Valuable Player award in 1966. Starr had battled numerous health issues in recent years, including two strokes, a heart attack, and several seizures. "While he may always be best known for his success as the Packers quarterback for 16 years, his true legacy will always be the respectful manner in which he treated every person he met, his humble demeanor, and his generous spirit," his family said in a statement.

Hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists arrived in Washington, D.C., on Sunday for Rolling Thunder, an annual Memorial Day rally to honor military service members killed in action or taken as prisoners of war. Rolling Thunder president Joe Bean said this year's ride was intended to be the last time the event would be held in the nation's capital, partly due to the rising cost of staging the event, which has reached $200,000. "This is our final ride in Washington, D.C.," Bean said. "Until we can get into the White House and talk to President Trump and see what he can do for us — this is our final ride in Washington." Trump tweeted that the Pentagon, which works with Rolling Thunder to plan the event, would help bring it back next year. "The Great Patriots of Rolling Thunder WILL be coming back to Washington, D.C. next year," he tweeted, "& hopefully for many years to come."

Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei, in an interview with Bloomberg, called on China not to target Apple in retaliation for the Trump administration's blacklisting of Huawei. The ban forced Google and other suppliers to start cutting ties with the Chinese tech giant, one of the world's biggest smartphone producers. The Trump administration says Huawei gear could be used by China for spying, which the company denies. Ren said he would oppose a tit-for-tat response by Beijing. "That will not happen first of all, and second of all if that happens, I'll be the first to protest," Ren told Bloomberg. "Apple is the world's leading company. If there was no Apple, there would be no mobile internet."

The battle to succeed British Minister Theresa May grew more crowded on Sunday when environment minister Michael Gove became the eighth person to declare himself a candidate. May announced Friday that she was stepping aside after failing to deliver a deal lawmakers would accept for Britain's departure from the European Union. Several of the politicians vying to take over as head of the Conservative Party and prime minister said under their leadership the U.K. would leave the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a Brexit deal. The bookmaker's favorite to replace May, former foreign minister Boris Johnson, wrote in the Daily Telegraph: "No one sensible would aim exclusively for a no-deal outcome. No one responsible would take no-deal off the table."

A strong 8.0-magnitude earthquake destroyed buildings and knocked out power in a remote part of the Amazon jungle in Peru on Sunday. One death was reported: A person was killed when a rock fell on a house. The quake was centered in a vast nature preserve. Its damage was limited partly because of its location, about 57 miles east of the small town of Yurimaguas and far from densely populated areas, and partly because of the earthquake's depth, 70 miles below the surface. President Martin Vizcarra traveled to the area to survey the damage, and called for calm. Authorities said a preliminary damage assessment found six people who were injured and 27 homes that were damaged. A bridge and several houses collapsed in Yurimaguas, and the quake was felt in the capital city of Lima.

North Korea on Monday called President Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, a "war monger" for asserting that North Korea's recent short-range missile tests violated United Nations Security Council resolutions. The statement by an unidentified North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson also called Bolton a "human defect." The comments came after Bolton told reporters in Tokyo during Trump's four-day state visit to Japan that there was "no doubt" that Pyongyang's missile tests violated U.N. resolutions, and that the U.S. should not lift sanctions against the country. Trump downplayed the matter, saying North Korea's firing of "some small weapons" had "disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me."

Fiat Chrysler on Monday proposed a merger with Renault that would create the world's third largest automaker behind Toyota and Volkswagen. The Italian-American automaker's plan for a $35 billion merger of equals was set in overnight talks with Renault. The French company's board will discuss the matter on Monday. Shares of both companies rose sharply (U.S. markets are closed for Memorial Day) in a sign of approval for the proposal, which would aim for $5.6 billion in annual savings. The deal could take a year to finalize, but if it goes through, the combined company would produce more than 8.7 million vehicles per year.

Pole-sitter Simon Pagenaud won the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, beating out Alexander Rossi in a thrilling finish. The two drivers exchanged leads five times after the race was restarted with 14 laps to go. Pagenaud held on to a lead he took with a lap left, fending off one last charge by Rossi. "It's hard to believe right now, to be honest with you," the Frenchman said in the Winner's Circle. "It's been such an intense race." Takuma Sato finished third. Pagenaud's win came after he took the IndyCar Grand Prix two weeks ago. "What a job Simon's done this month," said team owner Roger Penske, whose cars have a record 18 wins in the Indy 500.

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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.