10 things you need to know today: January 28, 2020
Trump's lawyers say he didn't commit an impeachable crime, Auschwitz survivors mark 75th anniversary of liberation, and more
- 1. Trump lawyers argue he committed no impeachable crime
- 2. Auschwitz survivors mark 75th anniversary of death camp's liberation
- 3. NTSB: Pilot of Bryant helicopter tried to gain altitude before crash
- 4. Bolton report increases pressure for impeachment witnesses
- 5. Report: Bolton writes he was worried Trump did favors for autocratic leaders
- 6. Supreme Court rules in favor of public charge rule restricting legal immigration
- 7. Prosecutor: Prince Andrew providing 'zero cooperation' in Epstein case
- 8. Air Force surveillance plane crashes in Afghanistan
- 9. Authorities accuse 'Pharma Bro' Shkreli of trying to maintain drug monopoly
- 10. Journalists' association protests barring of NPR reporter from Pompeo's plane
1. Trump lawyers argue he committed no impeachable crime
President Trump's lawyers resumed his defense in the Senate impeachment trial on Monday, arguing that nothing he did amounted to abuse of power or obstruction of the House investigation into his actions regarding Ukraine. Trump's legal team ignored a New York Times report that former National Security Adviser John Bolton wrote in a draft of his upcoming book that Trump last year called for suspending security aid to Ukraine until it committed to investigating Democrats, including leading 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden. Robert Ray, one of Trump's lawyers, said none of Trump's conduct was impeachable because it was neither criminal nor a threat to the nation's system of government, so filing charges against him "cheapens the impeachment process."
2. Auschwitz survivors mark 75th anniversary of death camp's liberation
Survivors of the Nazis' Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp marked the 75th anniversary of its liberation with prayers, and warned that anti-Semitism is again on the rise across the world. "We have with us the last living survivors, the last among those who saw the Holocaust with their own eyes," Polish President Andrzej Duda said at the ceremony. About 200 camp survivors traveled to the event from as far away as Israel, Australia, and Peru. "Now I see something I never thought I would see in my lifetime, the open and brazen spread of anti-Jewish hatred," said Ronald Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress. "Do not be silent! Do not be complacent! Do not let this ever happen again — to any people!"
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
3. NTSB: Pilot of Bryant helicopter tried to gain altitude before crash
The National Transportation Safety Board provided an update on Monday afternoon about its investigation into the helicopter crash that killed Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others Sunday morning in Calabasas, California. There was heavy fog in the area, and the pilot told air traffic controllers that he was going to try to fly higher to avoid a cloud layer, the NTSB said. When controllers asked him to share more information, he did not respond. Investigators are taking a "broad look at everything" around the accident, NTSB official Jennifer Homendy said. "We look at man, machine, and the environment, and weather is just a small portion of that." The helicopter did not have a cockpit voice recorder.
4. Bolton report increases pressure for impeachment witnesses
Potentially key Republican senators said Monday that it might be necessary to have former National Security Adviser John Bolton testify in President Trump's impeachment trial. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said that it is "increasingly likely" that more Republicans will demand testimony from Bolton following a New York Times report that he says in his upcoming memoir that Trump last year said he was withholding congressionally approved security aid to Ukraine until its leaders agreed to investigate Democrats. The issue is at the heart of the impeachment charge that Trump abused his power. "It's important to be able to hear from John Bolton for us to be able to make an impartial judgment," Romney said.
5. Report: Bolton writes he was worried Trump did favors for autocratic leaders
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton wrote in a draft of his forthcoming book that he privately told Attorney General William Barr last year that he was worried President Trump was doing favors for autocratic leaders, The New York Times reported Monday. A person familiar with the manuscript said Bolton also wrote that Barr told him the Justice Department was investigating two companies in China and Turkey, and he had his own concerns that Trump had suggested he had undue influence over the inquiries. The Times reported Sunday that Bolton also revealed Trump had said he wanted to withhold military assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into political rivals. Trump has denied that link, which is central to the impeachment charges against him.
6. Supreme Court rules in favor of public charge rule restricting legal immigration
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Monday to let the Trump administration's public charge rule to take effect nationwide. The rule would restrict immigrants who are considered or could later be considered a "public charge" from gaining legal status. Lower courts had struck down the rule, which targets people attempting to legally immigrate into the U.S. by assessing if they have used public benefits such as food stamps in the past, or if they might use them after gaining legal status. The Suprme Court was split on Monday along ideological lines, with its four liberal justices dissenting from the majority opinion. The theory of a public charge rule has existed for decades, but wasn't codified until the Trump administration drew up this rule in 2017.
7. Prosecutor: Prince Andrew providing 'zero cooperation' in Epstein case
A U.S. prosecutor said Monday that Britain's Prince Andrew had provided "zero cooperation" in the investigation of alleged sex trafficking by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The FBI and federal prosecutors reportedly contacted the prince's lawyers requesting an interview, but didn't get one. Andrew said in November that he would help "any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required." Buckingham Palace did not immediately comment on the case. The FBI is looking into whether British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and others aided in Epstein's alleged trafficking of underage girls.
8. Air Force surveillance plane crashes in Afghanistan
A U.S. Air Force surveillance plane crashed in Afghanistan's Taliban-controlled central Ghazni province on Monday. An Afghan security official said all four people on board were killed, but the chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, Gen. Dave Goldfein, said he could not immediately confirm the status of the crew. "Every time I've been through this, which, unfortunately, has been a number of times, the first reports are always wrong, always wrong. So we have to make sure that we have the facts right." U.S. Forces Afghanistan spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said the cause of the incident was under investigation, and there were "no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire." The Taliban claimed it downed the plane.
9. Authorities accuse 'Pharma Bro' Shkreli of trying to maintain drug monopoly
Federal and state officials on Monday filed a lawsuit accusing imprisoned drug entrepreneur Martin Shkreli and Vyera Pharmaceuticals of running an "elaborate anticompetitive scheme" to control the market for Daraprim, a life-saving drug. Shkreli, widely known as "Pharma Bro," is serving a seven-year sentence for securities fraud. The Federal Trade Commission and New York's attorney general are seeking to ban him from the drug industry for life, accusing him of trying to maintain a monopoly on Daraprim, which is used to treat a parasitic infection that can kill HIV/AIDS patients, after engineering a 4,000 percent price hike. He and the company "held this critical drug hostage," New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. Shkreli's lawyer called the allegation "baseless."
10. Journalists' association protests barring of NPR reporter from Pompeo's plane
The association of journalists covering the State Department on Monday issued a statement protesting the decision to bar NPR's diplomatic correspondent, Michele Keleman, from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's government airplane on an upcoming trip, which includes a stop in Ukraine. Journalists covering the department have "a long tradition of accompanying secretaries of state on their travels and we find it unacceptable to punish an individual member of our association," Shaun Tandon, president of the State Department Correspondents' Association, said in a statement. The State Department announced the decision on Sunday after Pompeo's outburst last week when another NPR journalist, All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly, questioned him about Ukraine during an interview.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Will California's EV mandate survive Trump, SCOTUS challenge?
Today's Big Question The Golden State's climate goal faces big obstacles
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'Underneath the noise, however, there’s an existential crisis'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
2024: the year of distrust in science
In the Spotlight Science and politics do not seem to mix
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024
Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024
Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024
Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024
Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024
Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024
Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published