ECM WORLD WATCH: NATIONAL AND GLOBAL NEWS

May 2, 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.

• Insys Therapeutics CEO John Kapoor, 4 other execs found guilty in fentanyl bribery case (USA Today)
• Mueller pushed in letter for Barr to release report’s summaries (New York Times)
• Blackwater founder Erik Prince implicated in murder (The Nation)
• Bolton is Reportedly Pushing for War in Venezuela But Can Trump Stop Him? (Newsweek)
• Democrats Threaten Barr With Contempt After He No-Shows House Hearing (New York Times)
• Pelosi: Barr committed a crime by lying to lawmakers (The Hill)
• Julian Assange Refuses to Voluntarily Surrender to Extradition to U.S. (Newsweek)

WORLD

• See it: Armored military vehicle plows into protesters as violence breaks out in Venezuela (New York Daily News)
• Huge crowds join protest sit-in against Sudan's military leaders (Reuters)
• Canadian capital of Ottawa declares state of emergency as waters swell (Reuters)
• Spain election: socialists win amid far-right breakthrough (BBC)
• Picture emerges of well-to-do young bombers behind Sri Lankan carnage (Reuters)
• Putin offers Russian citizenship to Ukrainians in separatist-held areas (CNN)

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

U.S.

Insys Therapeutics CEO John Kapoor, 4 other execs found guilty in fentanyl bribery case (USA Today)

The billionaire founder of the pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics and four other top executives were found guilty on Thursday of racketeering in a scheme that involved giving bribes and kickbacks to physicians to prescribe large amounts of a fentanyl spray to patients who didn't need the painkiller….a jury in Boston federal court reached a verdict in the first-of-its-kind nationwide opioid conspiracy case, finding the CEO and founder John Kapoor of the Arizona-based company guilty of conspiracy charges of racketeering. 

Mueller pushed in letter for Barr to release report’s summaries (New York Times)

The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, twice pushed Attorney General William P. Barr to release more of his team’s investigative findings in late March, citing a gap between Mr. Barr’s interpretation of them and their full report, according to a letter from Mr. Mueller released on Wednesday. Mr. Mueller and his investigators also pressed the Justice Department to include summaries of their work in the hours before Mr. Barr released a four-page letter of his own on March 24, the new document showed. Mr. Barr’s letter allowed Mr. Trump to wrongly claim that he had been vindicated in the Russia investigation. Mr. Mueller’s letter revealed deep concern about how Mr. Barr handled the initial release of the special counsel’s findings — which Mr. Mueller said created “public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation.”

Blackwater founder Erik Prince implicated in murder (The Nation)

A former Blackwater employee and an ex-US Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company’s owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. The former employee also alleges that Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe,” and that Prince’s companies “encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life.”

Bolton is Reportedly Pushing for War in Venezuela But Can Trump Stop Him? (Newsweek)

White House national security adviser John Bolton has pushed a hawkish foreign policy on a president who campaigned to stop costly, "endless wars" waged by the U.S.

Democrats Threaten Barr With Contempt After He No-Shows House Hearing (New York Times)

House Democrats, decrying what they called an erosion of American democracy, threatened on Thursday to hold Attorney General William P. Barr in contempt of Congress after he failed to appear at a hearing of the Judiciary Committee and ignored a subpoena deadline to hand over Robert S. Mueller III’s full report and evidence.

Pelosi: Barr committed a crime by lying to lawmakers (The Hill)

… The Democratic criticisms were fueled by revelations that Mueller had written to Barr in March expressing concerns over the nature of the attorney general's four-page summary of Mueller's report, which Barr delivered to Congress earlier that month…Barr, after receiving the letter, testified to Congress that he was not aware of any reservations from Mueller or his team regarding the attorney general's summary letter.

Julian Assange Refuses to Voluntarily Surrender to Extradition to U.S. (Newsweek)

The WikiLeaks founder said he would not be extradited "for doing journalism that has won many, many awards and protected many people." 

WORLD

See it: Armored military vehicle plows into protesters as violence breaks out in Venezuela (New York Daily News)

Tensions were high in Venezuela on Tuesday and violent clashes erupted as a bold move to overthrow the contentious government of President Nicolás Maduro appeared to falter… Violent clashes broke out around the country on Tuesday between Guaidó supporters and forces loyal to Maduro. Videos on social media Tuesday afternoon showed heavily armed government forces cracking down on civilians, including horrific footage of an armored military vehicle running into protesters. By early evening, several people had been injured and a young woman had been shot…Witnesses told El Nacional newspaper that a shooter opened fire from the headquarters of the transportation department in the capital city Caracas.

Huge crowds join protest sit-in against Sudan's military leaders (Reuters)

Hundreds of thousands of protesters joined a sit-in outside Sudan's defense ministry on Thursday to press the ruling military council to hand over power to a civilian government.

Canadian capital of Ottawa declares state of emergency as waters swell (Reuters)

Rising waters were prompting further evacuations in central Canada on Thursday, with the mayor of the country's capital, Ottawa, declaring a state of emergency and Quebec authorities warning that a hydroelectric dam was at risk of breaking.

Spain election: socialists win amid far-right breakthrough (BBC)

Spain's governing Socialists have claimed victory in the country's third election in four years, but have fallen short of a majority.  PM Pedro Sánchez's party polled 29% and will need the help of either left-wing Podemos and regional parties, or the centre right, to form a government.  For the first time since military rule ended in the 1970s, a far-right party is also set to enter parliament.

Picture emerges of well-to-do young bombers behind Sri Lankan carnage (Reuters)

Details began to emerge in Sri Lanka on Wednesday of a band of nine, well-educated Islamist suicide bombers, including a woman, from well-to-do families who slaughtered 359 people in Easter Sunday bomb attacks.

Putin offers Russian citizenship to Ukrainians in separatist-held areas (CNN)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sparked anger in Kiev by offering Russian citizenship to residents of areas in eastern Ukraine which are held by Russian-backed separatists.