1 Ongoing Protests Causing More Chaos In Hong Kong
The airport is back open, but it wasn’t without a lot of effort as riot police clashed violently with protestors at the Hong Kong International Airport for the second day yesterday. As you likely know, trouble began back in June, when protestors took to the streets over a proposed bill on extradition. Under terms of the legislation, people charged with crimes could be transferred to mainland China for trial. Since then, the bill has been suspended, but Beijing continues to warn residents that the central government won't put up with disorder forever. A semi-autonomous island, reports of Chinese military getting closer are not a good thing. When asked about the unrest by American reporters, President Trump says Hong Kong is “in a very tough situation" and that he hopes "things work out." In the meantime, China's foreign ministry is telling U.S. lawmakers to stay out of their business. While the United States is denying having any hand in the trouble, the comments of lawmakers, including Mr. Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have a ministry spokesperson pointing to the remarks as “evidence to the world” of the U.S.'s involvement.
2 Major Shakeup At Jail Where Epstein Died
The federal prison in Manhattan where Jeffrey Epstein appears to have committed suicide continues to get scrutinized. According to sources, Epstein was left alone for at least three hours and the two people assigned to guard him falsified records regarding the “every 30 minute” checks that were supposed to be happening. As the investigation continues, the warden is being reassigned. The Justice Department announced Attorney General William Barr made the decision to move Metropolitan Correctional Center warden Lamine N’Diaye to the Bureau's Northeast Regional Office pending the outcome of two investigations. The two staffers involved have also been placed on administrative leave until the investigations conclude. And what about the conspiracy theories? They’re still blazing across the Internet, and President Trump is defending his re-tweet of at one of the theories involving former President Bill Clinton. Pressed by reporters Trump called it a re-tweet from a "very respected" conservative pundit and argued that it "was fine."
3 Trump Admin "Rewrites" Statue of Liberty Poem
What’s in a poem? A lot, as it relates to the Emma Lazarus poem inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty. For many, it describes the essence of ‘the American way.” In part, it reads: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" But according to the Trump administration, that prose needs an update. In an interview with NPR yesterday, Ken Cuccinelli [[COO-chin-ehl-EE]], the acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services, it could/should up updated as “Give me your tired and your poor - who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge." Does President Trump agree? Kind of. When asked about Cuccinelli's remarks – and the quote, Mr. Trump didn’t respond directly. "I don't think it's fair to have the American taxpayer pay for people to come into the United States," he offered. "I'm tired of seeing our taxpayer paying for people to come into the country and immediately go onto welfare and various other things. So I think we're doing it right."