10 things you need to know today: August 30, 2019

1. DOJ report concludes Comey handling of Trump memos violated FBI policy

The Justice Department's inspector general said in a report released Thursday that former FBI Director James Comey violated the bureau's policies by giving people outside the FBI memos documenting conversations with President Trump. The DOJ watchdog said Comey would not be prosecuted, but that he violated the requirements of his FBI employment agreement. Comey secretly kept some memos at his home and, through an intermediary, leaked information from one, which described Trump asking him to drop an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. The report determined there was no evidence Comey intentionally leaked classified information, a conclusion Comey celebrated on Twitter. The former FBI director "set a dangerous example for the over 35,000 current FBI employees" by not "safeguarding sensitive information," the report says.

The Washington Post The Hill

2. Dorian strengthens, threatening to hit Florida as Category 4 hurricane

Hurricane Dorian strengthened early Friday into a Category 2 storm with top sustained winds of 105 miles per hour as forecasters warned it could hit central Florida on Monday as a dangerous Category 4. Even a Category 3 hurricane "would be the strongest hurricane to hit central Florida in over 30 years," said Fox 35 meteorologist Glenn Richards. "Hurricane force sustained winds would be carried across the entire width of the state if the current forecast holds." The track of the storm, which battered the U.S. Virgin Islands and dumped heavy rains on parts of Puerto Rico on Wednesday, could change. President Trump canceled a trip to Poland to "ensure that all resources of the federal government are focused on" the hurricane. "The storm looks like it could be a very, very big one indeed," he said.

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3. Trump's EPA proposes easing rules on methane emissions

The Trump administration on Thursday proposed rolling back regulations on methane emissions in a move criticized by environmentalists and climate experts. The Environmental Protection Agency rule would eliminate requirements that technology be put in place to "inspect for and repair methane leaks from wells, pipelines, and storage facilities." Methane, a climate change contributor, would only be "indirectly" regulated under this proposal, which wouldn't be finalized until next year. "This is extraordinarily harmful,” said Rachel Kyte, the United Nations special representative on sustainable energy. An EPA official said there won't be "some big climate concern here." The Trump administration has rolled back several Obama-era environmental regulations.

The New York Times The Hill

4. 3 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists arrested

Hong Kong police arrested two prominent pro-democracy activists on Friday ahead of what is expected to be another weekend of protests. Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow were being charged with inciting and participating in an illegal assembly, police said. The charges stemmed from their alleged involvement in a June 21 protest at police headquarters. The arrests of Wong and Chow were part of a broadening crackdown on the pro-democracy movement that has raised tensions in the Chinese territory. Activist Andy Chan, who leads a banned pro-independence party, was arrested late Thursday trying to board a plane at the Hong Kong airport. Sha Tin district council member Rick Hui Yui-yu was also arrested Friday on suspicion of obstructing officers during July 14 clashes at a shopping mall.

South China Morning Post The Washington Post

5. Alabama governor apologizes for wearing blackface in college

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) apologized Thursday for wearing blackface decades ago when she was a student at Auburn University. "I offer my heartfelt apologies for the pain and embarrassment this causes, and I will do all I can — going forward — to help show the nation that the Alabama of today is a far cry from the Alabama of the 1960s," Ivey said. The apology followed the surfacing of a 1967 radio interview in which Ivey's now-former husband described the incident. The Alabama NAACP called for Ivey to resign, saying her remorse "does not erase the fact that she participated in these activities that mocked and intimidated African Americans." Ivey was the latest of several politicians to face a backlash over the surfacing of racially insensitive photos and actions dating to their student years.

The Associated Press

6. Judge closes Epstein sex-trafficking case after his jail suicide

A federal judge on Thursday dismissed criminal charges against convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in his jail cell as he awaited trial for alleged sex trafficking of teenage girls. Southern District of New York Judge Richard M. Berman made the decision two days after a hearing where at least two dozen of Epstein's alleged victims read statements expressing anger and frustration over Epstein's alleged crimes and called for the investigation of people suspected of helping Epstein recruit young women to abuse. "Because Jeffrey Epstein, the defendant, died while this case was pending, and therefore before a final judgment was issued, the Indictment must be dismissed under rule of abatement," Berman wrote, referring to the rule wiping indictments clean when a defendant dies while a case is pending.

Fox Business NPR

7. Trump assistant and Oval Office gatekeeper Madeleine Westerhout resigns

President Trump's personal assistant, Madeleine Westerhout, resigned abruptly Thursday after Trump learned she had shared details about his family and Oval Office operations with reporters at an off-the-record dinner, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with her exit. Westerhout also had recently faced pushback from some White House and Cabinet officials by trying to expand her responsibilities, with one adviser close to the White House suggesting she was trying to act like a "de facto chief of staff," Politico reported. Westerhout was distrusted by some Trump loyalists because she came over to his team from the Republican National Committee right after the election. Her office had been right outside the Oval Office, and she served as a key gatekeeper for access to Trump.

The New York Times Politico

8. Trump officially authorizes creation of Space Command

President Trump on Thursday formally authorized establishing the United States Space Command, describing it as a step toward forming a Space Force as the sixth branch of the U.S. military. Trump, who still is pushing Congress to create the Space Force, called the creation of the Space Command a "landmark moment" in the effort to "defend America's vital interests in space, the next war-fighting domain." "The Space Force will organize, train, and equip warriors to support Spacecom's mission," he said in a Rose Garden ceremony. Air Force Gen. John Raymond, confirmed by the Senate in June as commander of Space Command, said protecting space assets such as satellites key to everything from missile defense to communications is a focus of the new command's mission. "There is nothing that we do in the joint coalition force that isn't enabled by space. Zero," he said.

The Washington Post The New York Times

9. Judge refuses to temporarily block Johnson's plan to suspend Parliament

A Scottish judge has declined to temporarily block Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to suspend Parliament until shortly before Britain's planned exit from the European Union next month. Lord Doherty said he was "not satisfied" there was a need to act before a fast-tracked full hearing on the matter, now scheduled for next Tuesday. The government also faces challenges in London and Belfast courts. A spokeswoman said Johnson's government was pleased with Doherty's decision, saying there was "no good reason" for an injunction with the full hearing coming so soon. Ian Murray, a member of Parliament from the opposition Labour Party, said it was "disappointing that we have to go to the courts to protect British democracy," but Johnson's attempt to limit Parliament's options in blocking a no-deal Brexit "cannot go unchallenged."

The Guardian

10. Alex Trebek returns to work at Jeopardy! after chemotherapy

Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek announced Thursday he has completed his chemotherapy treatments. He's now "on the mend" and back working on the 36th season of Jeopardy!, he said in a video message for the show's fans. Trebek revealed his stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis in March, pledging that he was "going to fight this." But that didn't mean he was leaning toward retirement, joking at the time that "under the terms of my contract, I have to host Jeopardy! for three more years." Just about three months later, Trebek announced his cancer was in "near-remission." Trebek filmed the end of Season 35 while undergoing cancer treatment.

CNN