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Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Power struggle deepens as White House stonewalls Congress
Donald Trump has told the Washington Post he is opposed to his aides testifying to Congress about the Mueller report, insisting: “There is no reason to go any further.” The administration is also trying to stymie a House investigation into security clearances granted to officials such as Jared Kushner, as well as defying demands for the president’s tax returns. Meanwhile, six top officials at the interior department are being investigated after allegations of a “disturbing pattern of misconduct”.
Dinner plans. Trump has ordered his staff to boycott the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday, calling the annual Washington DC shindig “boring”.
UK visit. A group of British MPs are campaigning to cancel Trump’s planned state visit to the UK in June, to mark the 75th anniversary of D-day.
UN waters down rape resolution after US veto threat
The UN security council has passed a resolution designed to combat the use of rape and sexual violence as weapons in conflict, but only after the text was watered down to meet US demands. The Trump administration had threatened to veto the resolution if it included references to sexual and reproductive health provision for victims of such violence. Other countries including the UK and France expressed disappointment over the diluted text.
Amal Clooney. The civil rights lawyer Amal Clooney addressed the security council on behalf of Yazidi survivors of sexual violence under Islamic State, telling representatives: “This is your Nuremberg moment.”
Ardern to lead calls to eliminate extremist online content
The New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, will lead an international campaign to combat violent and extremist content on social media after online platforms were used to disseminate videos of last month’s Christchurch attacks. The gunman who opened fire at two mosques did not have “a right to livestream the murder of 50 people”, Ardern said on Wednesday.
French partnership. Ardern and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, will host a summit in Paris on 15 May, urging tech companies and other countries to sign up to a pledge to eliminate extremist online content, known as the “Christchurch call”.
Sri Lanka bombers may have been funded by Isis, minister says
The Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka may have been funded and inspired by Isis, the country’s defence minister, Ruwan Wijewardene, has said. Most of the attackers were “well-educated and come from middle or upper-middle class families”, he told reporters on Wednesday, adding that one of the bombers had studied in the UK and Australia. Police have detained 58 people in connection with the attacks, but warned that up to nine suspects could still be at large and armed with explosives.
Death toll. The death toll from the attacks has risen to 359, with 500 injured. The names of victims have begun to emerge, but in Negombo, the scale of the loss has led to many being buried in mass graves.
Crib sheet
A report by the American Lung Association has found 43% of Americans are living in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution, which is being made worse by climate change.
The supreme court is expected to uphold a White House plan to include a question on citizenship on the 2020 US census, which could leave millions of Hispanic people and immigrants uncounted, affecting elections for at least a decade.
Joe Biden reportedly plans to launch his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination with a video announcement on Thursday, followed by an event in Pittsburgh next Monday.
A Nasa probe on Mars has detected what scientists believe is the first recorded instance of a seismological tremor on another planet, or a “marsquake” for short.
Must-reads
Why does the free market work only for the few?
In a new series, Broken Capitalism, the Guardian asks why discontent with capitalism is rising in the US, and whether it can it be resolved. Richard Reeves, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, argues that faltering wages are at the heart of the matter, Dominic Rushe says billionaires are beginning to take notice of the wealth gap, and the Democratic senator – and 2020 hopeful – Cory Booker asks why corporations are hoarding the profits generated by their workers.
How social media disrupted child labor laws
Children are among the biggest stars of YouTube and Instagram, be they singing, playing or unboxing toys. But the entertainment industry’s strict labor laws, designed to protect child stars from exploitation, do not apply to online “kidfluencers”, as Julia Carrie Wong discovers.
Violence exacerbates Ebola outbreak in Congo
Almost 900 people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of an Ebola epidemic that began last August. The outbreak has been worsened by a widespread distrust of health services, leading to violent attacks on treatment centres, as Esdras Tsongo and Rebecca Ratcliffe report.
Concussion changed my girlfriend’s personality forever
When her girlfriend Gabrielle sustained a concussion in a car accident, Lori Fox found that after the physical symptoms appeared to have abated, deeper psychological damage remained. “The woman I had known and loved,” Fox writes, “was dead”.
Opinion
Elizabeth Warren has unveiled a proposal to cancel student debt for millions and make public college free. Her plan would transform the educational system – but to succeed, says Astra Taylor, it needs the support of millions of grassroots voices.
Student debt abolition and free college would be a win-win for the entire country. Not only would debtors get relief, academic research shows it would be a significant stimulus that might “supercharge” the economy and help address the racial wealth gap.
Sport
After abusing dozens of young athletes, the disgraced USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar has been behind bars for more than a year. But the national team is still struggling to find its feet amid a barrage of lawsuits and blistering criticism, as Beau Dure reports.
Christian Eriksen snatched an 88th-minute goal against Brighton to keep Tottenham Hotspur’s top four ambitions alive on Tuesday, while Manchester United could decide the title race when they face Manchester City on Wednesday. Niall McVeigh assesses what’s at stake as the Premier League season enters the home straight.
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