US briefing: Saudi oil attack, Trump's tax returns and Israel election
Source: The Guardian
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Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.
Nato chief urges calm as Iran blamed for Saudi oil facility blasts
Donald Trump has said the US response to an attack on the world’s largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia will depend on the assessment of the Saudi regime in Riyadh, even as the US secretaries of state and energy explicitly blamed Iran. Unnamed American officials were quoted in US media outlets claiming Iranian cruise missiles were used in the strike, which was aimed at the heart of the Saudi economy. But Iran denies involvement in the attack, for which Yemen’s Houthi rebel group has claimed responsibility.
New York prosecutors subpoena Trump’s tax returns
The office of the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, has subpoenaed eight years of Trump’s personal and corporate tax returns as part of its investigation of hush money payments to the porn actor Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election, according to media reports. The subpoena represents a fresh attempt at forcing the president into financial transparency. Mazars USA, which prepares Trump’s tax returns, said in a statement that it would “fully comply with its legal obligations”.
‘Constitutional immunity.’ The White House has directed two former Trump aides, Rick Dearborn and Rob Porter, not to appear at a House judiciary committee hearing on Tuesday. Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, who never worked for the White House, is expected to testify.
Israelis head to the polls for second election this year
Israelis began voting on Tuesday morning in the country’s second election in less than six months, with the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, seeking a stable parliamentary coalition to implement his ultranationalist agenda. Facing the prospect of criminal corruption indictments, Netanyahu has fought the campaign by demonising the country’s Arab minority and vowing to double down on his far-right policies, by declaring up to a third of the occupied Palestinian territories as part of Israel if he is re-elected.
Palestinian despair. Whether Netanyahu wins or not, the future remains bleak for Palestinians, says Raja Shehadeh, a Palestinian lawyer and writer. None of the parties are talking about the occupation, or proposing how to end it. Instead they are competing to promise the most to Israeli settlers.
GM workers strike to fight ‘management greed’
More than 49,000 members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union have gone out on strike for the first time in over a decade, as negotiations with General Motors management over job security and better wages stalled. Over the last two and a half years, GM made profits of more than $25bn as CEO Mary Berra earned a salary 281 times greater than the median GM worker. Meanwhile, the firm shed 22,000 jobs worldwide last year, with thousands more still at risk.
Necessary ‘sacrifice’. If the strike drags on, workers could soon be earning just $250 per week. But picketers who spoke to the Guardian said they were willing to make that “sacrifice” in the wider battle against management’s “flat-out greed”.
Cheat sheet
The rampant deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon is being driven in large part by criminal networks, who threaten and attack officials, indigenous people and environmental activists, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.
Aid workers have warned of a potential humanitarian catastrophe within Europe’s borders, as conditions deteriorate for the more than 24,000 refugees being held in vastly overcrowded camps on Greece’s Aegean islands.
Iceland’s prime minister is to host the first major international conference exploring the #MeToo movement in Reykjavik on Tuesday. Katrín Jakobsdóttir told the Guardian she hoped the event would contribute to “relegating sexual harassment to history”.
An 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who was facing eviction in Alameda, California, will be allowed to remain in his longtime home, after a Guardian report on his case prompted widespread anger and a bolstering of the state’s tenant protections.
Must-reads
The 25 best artworks of the 21st century
Today in the Guardian’s roundup of the century’s greatest culture, our art critics compile their list of the 25 best artworks since 2000 – and Alex Needham talks to the creator of their number one pick, who admits: “Nobody thinks lists like this matter – unless you’re on them.”
How the Trump administration tried to bury climate science
From weakening vehicle emissions to blocking warnings about the impact on the Arctic, six whistleblowers and ex-government scientists tell Oliver Milman how they were directed to ignore or deny climate science by the Trump administration – and explain why they won’t be silenced.
Can a woke makeover win Barbie new fans?
Hasbro is launching Ms Monopoly, a new version of the classic boardgame in which women will make more than men. Barbie has a new line of Inspiring Women dolls. Are they empowering and inclusive, asks André Wheeler, or just “woke-washing” for profit?
Unbelievable: the quiet power of Netflix’s rape drama
Netflix’s latest true crime series focuses on two police investigations of the same serial rapist: one goes awry, the other is dogged and empathic. It is an object lesson in the effective investigation of serious sexual assault, says Adrian Horton – and a warning against the potential pitfalls.
Opinion
Purdue Pharma has filed for bankruptcy. Its owners the Sackler family have pledged billions to victims of the opioids crisis their painkiller OxyContin did so much to fuel. But don’t be fooled by the firm’s expressions of concern, warns Chris McGreal.
Purdue has had many opportunities over the past two decades to help those caught up in the tragedy it forged. At nearly every turn, it put profit first and created more misery.
Sport
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr led the Browns to a convincing victory over the New York Jets at the MetLife Stadium on Monday night, with an 89-yard touchdown catch and a spectacular one-handed grab contributing to Cleveland’s 23-3 win.
Liverpool will launch the defence of their Champions League title at the Stadio San Paolo on Tuesday, but their opponents, Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli, also have silverware in their sights this year.
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