10 things you need to know today: July 28, 2019

(Image credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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1. Democrats, Baltimore push back against Trump
2. Moscow police detain more than 1,300 protesters in violent crackdown
3. U.K. preparing for no-deal Brexit
4. Sudan's opposition skeptical of investigation into protest violence
5. Hong Kong protests continue as police fire more tear gas at demonstrators
6. FAA reportedly left oversight of Max planes to Boeing
7. 1 dead, at least 11 injured in Brooklyn shooting
8. Democratic Senator helps pregnant woman apply for asylum at border
9. Neil deGrasse Tyson allowed to keep job after sexual misconduct allegations
10. David Ortiz released from hospital

last updated 28 July 2019

1. Democrats, Baltimore push back against Trump

President Trump on Saturday criticized House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), calling him a "brutal bully." The president also targeted Baltimore, which is part of Cummings' district, describing it as a "rat and rodent infested mess" that is "more dangerous" than the U.S.'s southern border. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) defended Cummings as a "beloved leader" and a "champion" for civil rights and economic justice. Baltimore's Mayor Bernard "Jack" Young said the president's comments were "unacceptable" and the Baltimore Sun's editorial board published a response highlighting points of pride in the city. They titled the piece "Better to have a few rats than to be one."

Moscow police detained more than 1,300 people following protests on Saturday. The demonstrators had gathered to protest election authorities for disqualifying independent candidates from the vote for the Moscow city council, which is set to take place in September. Officers, reportedly clad in riot gear, used batons against the assembled and several protesters reported broken limbs and head injuries, including Aleksandra Parushina, a Moscow City Duma deputy, who said she was clubbed in the head by a police officer. The U.S. and European Union embassies in Moscow both described the response by police as "disproportionate." The protests are expected to continue until the rejected candidates are allowed to run.

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Michael Gove, the United Kingdom's new minister in charge of preparing for a no-deal Brexit, said the government "must operate on the assumption" that European Union leaders will not agree to change the Withdrawal Agreement. Subsequently, the U.K. would have to leave the EU in October without a deal. New Prime Minister Boris Johnson still wants to strike a deal before leaving, but Gove wrote in an op-ed on Sunday that since Johnson is committed to the October withdrawal date, the only way to avoid a no-deal Brexit is if the EU agrees to abolish the Irish border backstop, which they have insisted won't happen.

Fath al-Rahman Saeed, the head of Sudan's investigative committee appointed by the public prosecutor, said on Saturday that some members of the security forces fired on protesters in violation of orders during an opposition sit-in in Khartoum last month. The committee found the security forces "exceeded their duties and entered the sit-in square" before they "fired heavily and randomly." Saeed described the forces who fired as "outlaws." The death toll provided by the investigation falls in between the health ministry's previously reported total of 61 and the opposition medics' report of 127 deaths. Ismail al-Taj, an opposition representative, told a news conference that the committee "was formed not to establish the truth, but to conceal the truth."

Police have reportedly fired tear gas at Hong Kong's protesters on Sunday for the second consecutive day. The demonstrators had reportedly occupied two areas at opposite ends of central Hong Kong. As night fell, one of the groups began marching forward, reportedly hurling eggs at the police officers who fired tear gas to stop their advance. Police had permitted a sit-in in Hong Kong's business district, but did not authorize a march, citing safety concerns. Those gathered at the sit-in eventually spilled out into the streets, setting up barricades. Sunday's protests put a bookend on the eighth consecutive weekend of demonstrations in the semi-autonomous city, whose citizens are pushing back against what they see as Beijing encroaching on their freedom.

A New York Times investigation on Saturday revealed that the Federal Aviation Administration had reportedly been "passing off routine tasks" to manufacturers for years after "intense lobbying" to Congress by the industry. This reportedly led to the FAA handing nearly complete control to Boeing on the 737 Max, the model which resulted in two deadly plane crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia within the last year. The handover left key agency officials unaware about the Max's software system. In the days after the Indonesia crash, engineers at the FAA realized they didn't know much about the plane's anti-stall system, which likely led to the crash. Regulators had reportedly never independently assessed the risks of the software.

A 38-year-old man was killed in Brooklyn and at least 11 others were injured after a shooting at an outdoor community event in Brooklyn on Saturday evening, police said. The shooting took place in the borough's Brownsville neighborhood. No arrests have been made and police did not offer any details about a possible suspect or whether there was more than one shooter. At least six people had been transported to local hospitals after midnight, with some reportedly in serious condition, a New York City fire department spokesman said. "Our hearts go out to the victims. We will do everything in our power to keep this community safe and get guns off our streets," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted early on Sunday.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) reportedly aided a pregnant woman suffering from medical complications apply for asylum at the U.S. border. Wyden met the woman while touring a migrant shelter in Juárez, Mexico, on Saturday when a physician accompanying him expressed concern about her health. The woman and her family were then reportedly told to return to Mexico by a Customs and Border Protection agent when they tried to cross the border until Wyden identified himself, at which point the family was allowed to apply for asylum. "I feel very confident that if the family had tried to present alone, they would not have been allowed in," Taylor Levy, an El Paso immigration attorney who took Wyden and his staff to Juárez, said.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will keep his job as head of the Hayden Planetarium at New York's American Museum of Natural History following allegations of sexual misconduct. A spokesperson said the museum conducted an internal investigation and concluded that Tyson should remain, but provided no further details "because this is a confidential personnel matter." Tyson was accused of behaving inappropriately with two women last November. Tyson denied the allegations. One of the woman who accused Tyson worked for him on the Fox TV show Cosmos before quitting. Fox Broadcasting and National Geographic launched their own investigations into the allegations, but similarly concluded Tyson could return to the air.

Former Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz was released from Massachusetts General Hospital on Friday, the team confirmed on Saturday. The 43-year-old Ortiz, who experienced an extended stay in the hospital following a shooting in the Dominican Republic in June, will reportedly be assisted by full-time nurses going forward. Ortiz underwent three surgeries as he recovered from the shooting, of which he was allegedly an unintended target. Police said a drug trafficker offered to pay $30,000 for the shooting of another man. Police have arrested 14 people connected to the case and are reportedly still searching for others.

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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.