This archive report was first published on 10 July 2019.
Jeffrey Epstein, Twitter, Wimbledon: Your Tuesday Evening Briefing ¶
Published July 10, 2019, 2:34 am
Good evening. Here's the latest.
- Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta defended himself amid calls to resign over his previous role in a lenient plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with sex trafficking on Monday. Mr. Acosta said the plea agreement from more than a decade ago was the 'toughest deal' available in a complex and difficult case. Mr. Epstein served 13 months after being accused of sexually abusing dozens of young women and underage girls.
- Tensions between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and progressive Democrats known as 'the squad' are heating up. Tit-for-tat barbs traded between Ms. Pelosi and four House representatives — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar — spilled into public over the weekend after Ms. Pelosi said they didn't have a following in Congress. But the back and forth has less to do with ideological differences than their divergent styles and agendas.
- President Trump has been violating the Constitution by blocking Twitter users who criticize or mock him, a federal appeals court ruled. The decision could have wider implications for how freedom of speech enshrined in the First Amendment applies to the social media era.
- The 2020 election is heating up — in Kentucky's Senate race. Amy McGrath, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel and combat pilot, will challenge Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, for his seat. Ms. McGrath's star power rose in the Democratic Party in 2018, though she failed to capture the House seat she ran for.
- It was a big day for Obamacare. A federal appeals court panel heard arguments on whether a Texas judge was correct in striking down the law, a ruling that threatens the health coverage of millions and possibly the political future of President Trump.
- Two dozen governors urged President Trump to halt one of his biggest climate policy rollbacks: the weakening of federal clean car rules. 'Strong vehicle standards protect our communities from unnecessary air pollution and fuel costs, and they address the largest source of carbon pollution in the United States,' the governors wrote, including three Republicans and governors of four states that voted for Mr. Trump in 2016.
- Serena Williams is one step closer to another Grand Slam title. She'll play Barbora Strycova, a Czech player who is unseeded at Wimbledon, in the semifinals on Thursday.
- Aziz Ansari is back. His new Netflix comedy special, 'Right Now,' is framed around his personal story, addressing accusations of sexual misconduct in 'his finest, boldest and probably most polarizing work.'
