US briefing: Trump's defence, Middle East peace and Kobe Bryant
Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Key Republicans signal openness to Bolton testimony
Unless the Democrats’ efforts to call witnesses in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial succeed, it could all be over by Friday. That seemed to be the plan for the president’s legal team, whose arguments on Monday ignored the damaging new revelations from John Bolton’s forthcoming book. The former national security adviser reportedly claims Trump told him he was withholding aid to Ukraine until Kyiv announced an investigation into the Bidens – corroborating the central charge against the president.
GOP Senators. Mitt Romney, Susan Collins and even Lindsey Graham have signalled their willingness to vote for witnesses, including Bolton, to testify. But Graham said Joe and Hunter Biden should also be called to appear.
Ken Starr. The lawyer who led the impeachment charge against Bill Clinton is now defending Trump, declaring – apparently without irony – that “presidential impeachment is hell”.
White House to unveil Kushner’s Middle East peace plan
Trump will on Tuesday unveil his administration’s new Middle East peace plan, crafted by his son-in-law Jared Kushner, which the president has described as the “deal of the century”. But leaked details of the proposals, engineered with almost no input from the Palestinians, suggest they will generate widespread controversy over their weighting in favour of Israel. Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, himself facing an imminent election and corruption charges, is in Washington DC for the launch of the plan.
Yemen violence. The surge in violence in Yemen could scupper efforts to secure a peace settlement in the country’s lengthy civil war, the UN special envoy has said, blaming fresh regional instability on the recent US killing of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani.
US plans Wuhan airlift as coronavirus death toll tops 100
At least 106 people have now died from the coronavirus, Chinese officials have confirmed, including the first death from the disease in the country’s capital, Beijing. Several countries have strongly advised against travel to China, while the US and Japan are both organising airlifts to evacuate their citizens from Wuhan, the quarantined city at the centre of the outbreak. Economists have warned that the crisis will have a “significant” impact on Chinese growth.
Whether to worry. It remains unclear just how dangerous the coronavirus is, but its spread outside China is not unexpected. The CDC has said there is nevertheless very little immediate risk to the American public.
Quarantine life. Michael Standaert reports on how the people of Wuhan have been keeping themselves occupied under quarantine, from indoor fishing to outdoor exercise classes.
America mourns Kobe as investigators investigate crash cause
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others on Sunday, as America remains in shock over the death of the 41-year-old NBA legend. While the aircraft’s maintenance records and its pilot Ara Zobayan were both being looked into, attention has so far focused on weather at the time of the accident, which was sufficiently foggy that the LAPD had grounded its own chopper fleet.
Other victims. The other victims are believed to include a well-known college baseball coach, John Altobelli, and his wife and daughter; Gianna’s basketball teammate Peyton Chester and her mother; and the girls’ coach, Christina Mauser.
Assault case. The Washington Post has been criticised for suspending a reporter who tweeted a link to an article about a rape allegation made against Bryant in 2003. Joan Niesen argues it is important to mourn the man in full.
Cheat sheet
At least eight people were killed after a huge fire broke out at a marina in Jackson County, Alabama on Monday, destroying dozens of boats. Fire officials warned the death toll could rise.
Miriam Haley, a former production assistant at the Weinstein Company, has recounted her alleged 2006 rape by Harvey Weinstein at his trial in New York. Haley was the second of six women set to testify against the disgraced film producer.
A British man has died in US immigration custody in Florida. According to Buzzfeed, Ben James Owen, 39, was arrested on suspicion of stalking, false imprisonment and domestic assault, and is thought to have died by asphyxiation due to hanging.
The US lawyer Lisa Bloom has urged Prince Andrew to “stop playing games” after prosecutors said on Monday that the Duke of York had so far provided “zero” cooperation with the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
Must-reads
My life as a quiz obsessive
After decades of bouncing between schools and jobs in India, the US and beyond, one of the few constants in Samanth Subramanian’s life is quizzing. From pub quizzes in Colombo to the Geek Bowl XIII in Las Vegas, he shares what he has learned in the world of trivia.
How Catholic hospitals are denying assisted death
When Neil Mahoney learned he had incurable cancer, he chose to pursue an assisted death under Colorado’s 2016 End of Life Options Act, one of an increasing number of similar state laws across the US. But then a Catholic-run hospital fired his physician for encouraging “a morally unacceptable option.” JoNel Aleccia reports.
‘Giving up sex was a massive relief’
Dating apps have made it easier than ever to play the field. But as Lizzie Cernik discovers, some singles find greater contentment by giving up sex altogether: “I started to see myself as a person,” says one former celibate, “rather than a girlfriend or a sexual plaything.”
The ‘Venice of Africa’ battles a rising ocean
In Saint-Louis, the old colonial capital of Senegal, the consequences of climate change are tangible, with the rising waters of the Atlantic already displacing thousands. It’s a warning of what awaits west Africa’s coastal cities in the coming decades, writes Monika Pronczuk.
Opinion
Art Cullen thought Bernie Sanders’ surge in the Iowa polls seemed overblown. Until last weekend, that is, when he saw the crowds at a string of packed Sanders rallies.
Sanders has tapped into a vein of frustration that elected Trump, and is getting people of all stripes to give him a look. Pundits’ warnings about a Sanders ‘ceiling’ have begun to sound like the products of people who fear his potential strength.
Sport
Martina Navratilova has joined John McEnroe in criticising Margaret Court for her controversial views on gender and race, as the 77-year-old Australian was honoured on the 50th anniversary of her calendar grand slam. Navratilova has argued for Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena to be renamed in honour of another Australian tennis great, Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
Japan’s sumo fans have a new hero: Tokushoryu, a relative unknown and the lowest-ranked wrestler at the sport’s first main tournament of the year in Tokyo, who burst into tears immediately after winning the 15-day contest.
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