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Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Biden aides urge TV news channels to stop booking Giuliani
Donald Trump’s aggressive demands to identify the whistleblower who sparked an impeachment inquiry – by exposing the president’s attempts to solicit foreign assistance for his re-election effort – are putting him or her at risk, lawyers for the as-yet-anonymous individual have warned. Meanwhile, two senior Joe Biden campaign advisers have written to TV news executives urging them to desist from interviewing Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer.
Conflict of interest? Giuliani is leading Trump’s public relations battle against impeachment, despite his own central role in the president’s dubious efforts to dig up dirt on Biden, his prospective election rival, in Ukraine.
‘Terrible situation.’ Robert De Niro, the garlanded actor and high-profile Trump critic, responded to the attacks on him by Trump supporters at Fox News in an interview with CNN on Sunday, saying simply: “Fuck ‘em.”
Boris Johnson denies claims he groped journalist in 1999
Boris Johnson’s first appearance as prime minister at the UK Conservative party’s annual conference has been overshadowed by claims of past impropriety, as he was forced to deny a journalist’s allegation that he had groped her and another woman’s legs under the table at a private lunch in 1999, when he was editor of the Spectator magazine. A spokesman for the prime minister said: “The allegation is untrue.”
Close friendship. Johnson also insisted he had behaved with “full propriety” amid questions over his friendship with a US businesswoman, whose technology company received thousands of pounds in sponsorship grants when he was mayor of London.
Hong Kong tensions rise before China’s 70th anniversary
On Tuesday, China will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic. For pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, the occasion offers a new opportunity to demonstrate their anger at Chinese rule. Authorities arrested at least two high-profile activists on Monday after fresh street clashes between police and protesters at the weekend. Chinese officials blame the unrest on basic issues such as unemployment, but Hong Kong’s real problems run far deeper, as Verna Yu explains.
Beijing preparations. China has ramped up its own security ahead of the anniversary celebration, with a heavy security presence in Beijing and a crackdown on human rights activists to prevent them protesting and speaking to foreign media.
Democracy, but different. Chinese protesters have been calling for democracy in different forms for a century, says Hans van de Ven. But that does not mean China wants to pursue the same kind of democracy practised in the west.
Aimee Stephens: transgender rights reach the supreme court
Aimee Stephens was fired from her job as a funeral director in Michigan in 2013 after coming out as a woman – a transition that her devout Christian boss claimed violated the funeral home’s dress code. Now, Stephens’ discrimination case is set to be the first involving the civil rights of transgender people to reach the US supreme court. “I’ve come to learn since then that there really is no protections for LGBTQ people,” she tells Dominic Rushe.
LGBTQ rights. Only 21 US states have specific civil rights protections for LGBTQ people. While it is now legal for same-sex couples to marry in any state, they can still be fired for coming out across much of the country.
Cheat sheet
Support for Austria’s far-right Freedom party slumped by more than a third in Sunday’s national election, following a corruption scandal. The conservative former chancellor Sebastian Kurz, 33, looks set to reclaim his place as the world’s youngest leader.
The global fast-fashion chain Forever 21 has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the latest of more than 20 US retailers to suffer a similar fate since 2017, after failing to navigate the shift to online shopping.
A Manhattan-based local union that works closely with the Fight for $15 low wage movement has launched an effort to unionise Chipotle and McDonald’s workers, persuading employees at more than 50 New York restaurants to sign pro-union cards.
The Thai prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has hinted that his government may follow the example of Indonesia and relocate the country’s capital outside Bangkok in an effort to ameliorate the city’s overcrowding, pollution and traffic congestion.
Must-reads
A long journey through war-torn Yemen
After four years of war, the Saudi-led coalition is no closer to victory in Yemen. But its relentless airstrikes have killed tens of thousands and contributed to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Bethan McKernan made a rare journey through the country, meeting Yemenis whose lives have been altered beyond recognition.
JJ Abrams’ Hollywood takeover
The prolific producer, director and writer JJ Abrams has left his mark on several major movie franchises, including Star Trek, Mission: Impossible and Star Wars. Last week, his company signed a $250m mega-deal to produce film and TV for Warner. Steve Rose asks whether Abrams is saving cinema, or killing it.
African migrants stranded in Mexico
Hundreds of people fleeing violence in Cameroon, Congo and other African countries have tried to seek safety in the US by making a perilous journey via Central America – only to find themselves trapped at the border by Trump and the Mexican government’s crackdown on migrants. Jo Tuckman reports from Tapachula.
Vaping deaths spark cannabis health scare
Legal weed in the US is facing its first major health scare, amid a spate of respiratory illnesses – and at least 13 deaths – apparently linked to vaping. But, as Alex Halperin learns, the crisis also helps to make the case for a fully legal and regulated marijuana market.
Opinion
After three years of chaos and acrimony, Brexit Britain may appear to be on the brink of political apocalypse. But the situation has also opened up a space for bold progressive thinking – and with it, argues John Harris, a new sense of hope.
One of the ironies of our time is that Brexit has blown the lid off conventional notions of political possibility, allowing the left’s grassroots to start offering grounds for optimism.
Sport
Leicester City are up to third place in the Premier League after dismantling Newcastle United 5-0 on Sunday. Their next opponents are leaders Liverpool, who could only scrape a 1-0 victory at Sheffield United. Those are two of 10 talking points from the weekend’s action in the Premier League.
In the NFL this weekend, the Chiefs and the Patriots both retained their unbeaten records in tough games against Detroit and Buffalo respectively, while former NFL exile Eric Reid put in his best performance of the season so far for the Carolina Panthers.
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