NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Covering Trump: Gerard Baker, the editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal, has faced unease and frustration in his New York newsroom over his stewardship of the newspaper’s coverage of President Trump, which some journalists there say has lacked toughness and verve. Some staff members expressed similar concerns Wednesday after Baker, in a series of blunt late-night emails, criticized his staff over their coverage of Trump’s Tuesday rally in Phoenix, describing their reporting as overly opinionated. The Wall Street Journal is owned by media magnate Rupert Murdoch, who speaks regularly with Trump and recently dined with the president at the White House.
2 Confederate statue: Workers in Charlottesville Va. placed a black shroud on Wednesday over a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as a way of symbolizing the city’s mourning for a woman killed after a white nationalist rally earlier this month. The city council voted Tuesday to drape the Lee statue and another of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson at another nearby park.
3 Satanic abuse: A Texas couple will receive $3.4 million from the state for being wrongfully imprisoned for more than two decades on prosecutors’ claims that they sexually abused children as part of satanic rituals at the day care they operated. The Austin AmericanStatesman reports that Dan and Fran Keller will receive the payment from a state fund for the wrongly convicted. The couple was convicted in 1992 of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old after children in their care told investigators of dismembered babies, tortured pets and other fantastic tales. Their attorney, Keith Hampton, says “satanic panic” reached a fever pitch around the time the Kellers were prosecuted.
4 Centenarian becomes citizen: A 103year-old Cambodian woman who survived starvation, suffering and war in her native land beamed and waved a tiny American flag this week as she became a U.S. citizen. Hong Inh was the oldest of more than 10,000 people who took the oath of allegiance at the downtown Convention Center in Los Angeles. She came to the United States when she was about 97 years old to join a daughter and other relatives. Three generations of her family, from her 80-yearold daughter Hieng Meng to 13-year-old great-granddaughter Melissa Tea, were on hand for the ceremonies.
5 Twain’s farm: A Connecticut farm once owned by Mark Twain is for sale for $1.8 million. The Connecticut Post reports the 18.7acre property in Redding is next to Twain’s country home, known as “Stormfield.” He bought it for his daughter, Jean Clemens, in 1909 and named it “Jean’s Farm.” But Clemens died five months later, in April 1910. The real estate agency, William Raveis, says the house includes five bedrooms and four bathrooms, a movie theater, saltwater swimming pool, fish pond and a barn built in the 1860s that includes an extra apartment.