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Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Southern border is at ‘breaking point’, says customs official
Hundreds of Central American families are being held for immigration processing in a dingy, overcrowded underpass in El Paso amid a recent surge in migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border, according to a customs official who said the system was at “breaking point”. Kevin McAleenan, the customs and border protection (CBP) commissioner, on Wednesday declared an “operational crisis” and urged Congress to offer solutions.
El Paso. The Trump administration has announced it will temporarily reassign 750 border inspectors to address the surge in people arriving in the El Paso area, most seeking refuge from violence and poverty in Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador.
MPs reject all eight Brexit alternatives as May offers to resign
Granted a series of indicative votes to carve a pathway out of their Brexit impasse, British MPs instead voted down all eight options put before them as potential alternatives to the wildly unpopular withdrawal agreement that prime minister Theresa May has struck with the EU. May offered to resign if her deal garners enough support to pass on Friday. But perversely, if she fails again to force her deal through parliament – as still seems probable, thanks to the DUP – she will remain in Number 10.
Alternative Brexits. Of the options offered, the two that came closest to winning a Commons majority were a softer Brexit that includes a customs union with the EU, and a public vote to ratify whatever parliament decides.
EU intervention. The European council president, Donald Tusk, said on Wednesday that the EU “cannot betray” the “increasing majority” of British people who now want to remain in the EU.
Barr won’t commit to releasing complete Mueller report
Amid rising skepticism over his summary of the Mueller report, Donald Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, has refused to commit to releasing the report in full. The House judiciary committee chairman, Jerry Nadler, spoke to Barr on Wednesday, and said afterwards that he was “very concerned” the attorney general would not release the full report by 2 April, the notional congressional deadline. Barr has promised only to release a partial, redacted version of the report sometime next month.
Tax back. Another Trump nominee, Stephen Moore, a conservative economics commentator whom the president picked for a seat on the Federal Reserve board, is being pursued by the US government for $75,000 in taxes that it alleges he owes.
Purdue settles with Oklahoma for $270m over opioid crisis
In a move sure to send shivers through the pharmaceutical industry, Purdue Pharma has agreed a $270m settlement with Oklahoma over its criminal marketing of OxyContin, the drug at the centre of the opioids crisis. The Sackler family, which owns Purdue, made the first $75m payment to the state as a “voluntary pledge” to establish an addiction and treatment centre in Oklahoma, but insisted the settlement does not amount to an admission of culpability.
Bankruptcy fears. The settlement is the largest any state has won from Purdue, which has publicly floated the possibility of bankruptcy in the face of a series of impending trials and lawsuits.
Monsanto case. In a bellwether decision, a federal jury has found that Monsanto’s RoundUp weedkiller contributed to a California man’s cancer, and has ordered the company to pay $80m in damages.
Crib sheet
The small south-east Asian kingdom of Brunei will next week impose death by stoning as a punishment for gay sex and adultery, part of the country’s controversial implementation of sharia law.
An Israeli firm has started selling fire alarm-style panic buttons for mass shooting attacks in the US. Gabriel has already sold the system to Jewish community centres in Detroit, and hopes to see it used widely in public venues, including schools.
James Alex Fields Jr, the 21-year-old man convicted on state murder charges over a deadly car attack at the 2017 white power rally in Charlottesville, has pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges.
A painting previously believed to be an inferior copy of a masterpiece by Botticelli has now been identified as a rare original from the Italian Renaissance master’s own workshop, following its first restoration in more than a century.
Must-reads
How Jacinda Ardern showed what a leader should be
The New Zealand prime minister’s reaction to the devastating mass shooting in Christchurch was empathetic, pragmatic and sincere. Compare that to Trump’s Muslim ban, or to Theresa May’s tone-deaf response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and what ought to be normal in our leaders appears exceptional, writes Nesrine Malik.
How environmentally friendly is Beto O’Rourke?
Beto looked like an environmental champion compared with his 2018 senate rival, climate change denier Ted Cruz. But as he enters the race for the 2020 presidential nomination, the Texas Democrat faces greater scrutiny of his record on green issues, as Tom Dart reports.
Saving humanity from the robot overlords
Jaan Tallinn, the co-founder of Skype, is convinced that artificial intelligence could one day dominate its human creators, and even exterminate us altogether. So he’s spending his fortune to develop a so-called “friendly AI”, he tells Mara Hvistendahl.
Hudson recovers from decades as New York’s sewer
The Hudson River has been everything from a logging route to a hub of heavy industry over a century as a key artery of the American economy – at the cost of foul pollution. But now the river is showing signs of environmental recovery, says Oliver Milman.
Opinion
Energy firms lobbying against climate legislation. Rainforests flattened to farm palm oil. The wanton destruction of the environment ought to be a crime, argues George Monbiot – and those who commission it should be prosecuted.
There are no effective safeguards preventing a few powerful people, companies or states from wreaking havoc for the sake of profit or power. Though their actions may lead to the death of millions, they know they can’t be touched.
Sport
Will the Phillies win their first World Series in a decade? Will Mike Trout’s mega contract with the Angels drive him to greater heights, or did the Padres get a better deal with Manny Machado? As the 2019 MLB season gets underway, our writers make their predictions.
The Oregon Ducks’ mighty point guard Sabrina Ionescu secured a record 18th career triple-double on Sunday as her team crushed Indiana 91-68 in the NCAA tournament. She is a true phenom, writes Oliver Connolly, whose greatness transcends her sport.
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