ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

June 5, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) -- East County Magazine's World Watch helps you be an informed citizen on important issues globally and nationally. As part of our commitment to reflect all voices and views, we include links to a variety of news sources representing a broad spectrum of political, religious, and social views. Top world and U.S. headlines include:

U.S.

Border issues

• Border Patrol is confiscating migrant kids’ medicine, U.S. doctors say (Yahoo News)
• Border apprehensions spike in may, topping 130,000 (The Hill)
• Funding for migrant children running out with no deal in sight (Roll Call)
• Trump's Mexican tariffs could hit U.S. refiners, add to fuel costs (Reuters)
• Father of four ‘bled to death’ in ICE custody: lawsuit (Daily Beast)

Other national news

• Five takeaways from the biggest swarm of U.S. tornados since 2011 (Washington Post)
• Trump administration ends government fetal tissue research (Newsweek)
• The Mueller Report Was My Tipping Point: I was a Trump transition staffer, and I’ve seen enough. It’s time for impeachment. (The Atlantic)
• Democratic presidential contender Warren seeks law allowing presidents to be indicted (Reuters)
• Supreme Court rejects transgender bathroom case, allowing transgender students to use bathroom of choice (CBS News)

WORLD

• On Normandy's beaches, leaders and veterans recall sacrifice of D-Day (Reuters)
• Mexico eyes steps to cut immigrant flows to U.S. border, official says (Reuters)
• Cruise ship ban causes uncertainty and confusion among travelers (CNN)
• Assange won’t face charges over role in devastating CIA leak (Politico via Apple News)
• Trump’s unprecedented foray into UK politics (CNN)
• Scores injured in blasts at Russian military plant (Reuters)
• North Korea executes 5 officials over failed Kim-Trump summit: South Korean media (Fox News)
• Rockets fired from Syria at Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (Reuters)
• In double whammy, Fitch downgrades Mexico and Moody's lowers outlook (Reuters)
• Leader of Mexico-based church accused of rape, child porn (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

U.S.

Border issues

Border Patrol is confiscating migrant kids’ medicine, U.S. doctors say (Yahoo News)

Yahoo News spoke to five doctors, including Russell and Griffin, who volunteer at shelters and clinics on the border and each confirmed that they regularly see migrants with chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, seizures and high blood pressure, for which they claim to have had medication that was confiscated while they were in custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and neither returned nor replaced. It happens more frequently to adults, who are more likely to be on such medications in the first place, but doctors said they’ve been hearing similar reports from increasing numbers of children or their parents.

Border apprehensions spike in may, topping 130,000 (The Hill)

Apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border hit a 13-year high for the month of May, topping 130,000, according to newly released federal figures. Detentions of previously unauthorized migrants jumped to 132,887 from 99,304 in April, a 33.8 percent increase, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data shows. A further 11,391 people were turned away at the border in May, a slight uptick from 10,170 the previous month.

Funding for migrant children running out with no deal in sight (Roll Call)

If Congress can’t pass a supplemental spending bill for border agencies within the next month, the administration could have to ask contractors to take care of more than 13,000 unaccompanied migrant children without being paid, according to Sen. Roy Blunt.

Trump administration cancels English classes, soccer, legal aid for unaccompanied child migrants in U.S. shelters (Washington Post)

The Trump administration is canceling English classes, recreational programs and legal aid for unaccompanied minors staying in federal migrant shelters nationwide, saying the immigration influx at the southern border has created critical budget pressures.

Trump's Mexican tariffs could hit U.S. refiners, add to fuel costs (Reuters)

U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to tax Mexican imports could disrupt a long-standing cross-border energy trade, hitting U.S. consumers and refiners that use Mexican oil by boosting prices, and raising concerns about potential retaliation by the world’s biggest buyer of U.S. energy products.

Father of four ‘bled to death’ in ICE custody: lawsuit (Daily Beast)

A father of four “bled to death from the inside out” for at least three days in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in 2017 after medical professionals at a New Jersey jail allegedly failed to properly address his pre-existing health concerns… Bonilla lived in the U.S. for almost 25 years after being born in El Salvador. He owned a construction company with his brother to support his three daughters and son, and was arrested by ICE in April 2017 while at a Long Island construction site.

Other national news

Five takeaways from the biggest swarm of U.S. tornados since 2011 (Washington Post)

…In the second half of May, at least 366 tornadoes were observed east of the Rockies. Once again the United States is living up to its reputation as the tornado capital of the planet.

Trump administration ends government fetal tissue research (Newsweek)

The Trump administration announced Wednesday it would ban the use of human fetal tissue in all scientific and medical research by government scientists…But scientists argue that fetal tissue is necessary for research into HIV, vaccine development and childhood cancers, and for treatments for degenerative diseases like Parkinsons…If tissue from elective abortions is not used for research, it is discarded.

The Mueller Report Was My Tipping Point: I was a Trump transition staffer, and I’ve seen enough. It’s time for impeachment. (The Atlantic)

…I’ve worked on every Republican presidential transition team for the past 10 years and recently served as counsel to the Republican-led House Financial Services Committee. My permanent job is as a law professor at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School…In the face of a Department of Justice policy that prohibited him from indicting a sitting president, Mueller drafted what any reasonable reader would see as a referral to Congress to commence impeachment hearings…roughly a dozen separate instances of obstruction of justice are contained in the Mueller report.

Democratic presidential contender Warren seeks law allowing presidents to be indicted (Reuters)

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren called on Friday for Congress to pass a law that makes it clear the Justice Department can criminally indict a sitting president and charge the U.S. leader with obstructing justice.

Supreme Court rejects transgender bathroom case, allowing transgender students to use bathroom of choice (CBS News)

… The court's order leaves in a place a federal appeals court ruling that held that the Boyertown School District, about 45 miles northeast of Philadelphia, could continue to allow transgender students the choice of what facilities to use.

WORLD

On Normandy's beaches, leaders and veterans recall sacrifice of D-Day (Reuters)

Western leaders and ageing veterans gather on the shores of France on Thursday in a second day of events marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied amphibious assault that opened the way for western Europe's liberation from Hitler's forces.

Mexico eyes steps to cut immigrant flows to U.S. border, official says (Reuters)

Mexico wants to sharpen existing measures in its bid to narrow a flood of Central American migrants to the U.S. border, a top Mexican official said on Friday, ahead of planned meetings in Washington over tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump. 

Cruise ship ban causes uncertainty and confusion among travelers (CNN)

The last remaining US cruise ship in Havana Harbor, Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas, departed Cuba on Wednesday afternoon. It was an abrupt end to a burgeoning market for US cruise lines, prompted by a Trump administration announcement Tuesday banning cruise travel to Cuba from the United States.

Assange won’t face charges over role in devastating CIA leak (Politico via Apple News)

The decision surprised national security experts and some former officials, given prosecutors’ recent decision to go after the WikiLeaks founder on Espionage Act charges.

Trump’s unprecedented foray into UK politics (CNN)

President Donald Trump offered glowing praise for Britain Tuesday but his unprecedented trampling through its domestic politics means trouble may loom for the "special relationship."

Scores injured in blasts at Russian military plant (Reuters)

Seventy-nine people were injured when several blasts at the explosives plant Kristall shook the central Russian town of Dzerzhinsk on Saturday, the Russian health ministry said…. / Founded in Soviet times, the Kristall scientific institute is one of the major Russian developers of explosives technology for military and civilian use.

North Korea executes 5 officials over failed Kim-Trump summit: South Korean media (Fox News)

North Korea has executed five officials for their role in the failed second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to a South Korean newspaper.

Rockets fired from Syria at Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (Reuters)

Two rockets were fired on Saturday from Syria toward the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights causing no casualties, the Israeli military said.

In double whammy, Fitch downgrades Mexico and Moody's lowers outlook (Reuters)

In a double blow for Mexico, credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded the nation's sovereign debt rating on Wednesday, citing risks posed by heavily indebted oil company Pemex and trade tensions, while Moody's lowered its outlook to negative.

Leader of Mexico-based church accused of rape, child porn (Reuters)

The head of a Mexican-based church estimated to have more than 1 million followers worldwide has been arrested in California and charged with crimes including human trafficking, child pornography production and rape of a minor.