NEWS OF THE DAY
1 Critical memo: President Trump’s pick for attorney general, William Barr, sent an unsolicited memo to the Justice Department this year criticizing as “fatally misconceived” the special counsel’s investigation into whether the president took steps to obstruct a probe into ties between his campaign and Russia. The 20-page memo, sent in June while Barr was in private practice and months before he was selected by Trump for the Justice Department job, could factor into his future confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee and may prompt questions about his ability to oversee the special counsel’s investigation in an impartial manner.
2 Native Americans: A new report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights finds that funding levels for Native American tribes are woefully inadequate despite the federal government’s responsibility to provide for education, public safety, health care and other services under treaties, laws and other acts. The report made public Thursday is a followup to a 2003 report that described the shortfalls as a quiet crisis. Funding has remained mostly flat since then, leaving tribes unable to tackle an epidemic of suicide, high dropout rates, violence against women and climate change, for example, the report said. Finding data to represent the true need in Indian Country often is difficult, the report added. Native Americans represent about 2 percent of the U.S. population.
3 Presidential debates: The Democratic Party will hold at least a dozen presidential primary debates from June 2019 through April 2020. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez says there will be six debates in 2019 and six in 2020. Exact dates, locations, media partners and qualifying thresholds will be announced later. But Perez said Thursday that early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina won’t host debates until 2020.
4 Man overboard: A Johns Creek, Ga., man with autism went overboard on a Carnival cruise ship Sunday evening and is presumed dead by his family. Luke Renner, 22, was traveling in a group of nine as part of a five-night trip by the Gwinnett-based Wishes 4 Me Foundation on a Carnival Fantasy cruise that departed from Mobile, Ala., on Saturday, said Stacy Georges, Renner’s caregiver for many years. Carnival confirmed that Renner climbed over the deck rail and jumped off the ship,
5 Obama hospital visit: Former President Barack Obama surprised patients as he delivered gifts at a children’s hospital in Washington. The former president, wearing a Santa cap and carrying a sack of presents, greeted patients and their parents at Children’s National on Wednesday with a “Ho, ho, ho!” He told them his reindeer were “stuck in some snow,” but he wanted to make sure he visited. Obama chatted with patients in their rooms and stopped by several playrooms. He also recorded a video message for those he couldn’t visit.
Chronicle News Services