Good morning.
Barack Obama has broken his silence on Donald Trump’s calls to prosecute him, unequivocally rejecting his successor’s accusations that he tried to engineer a “coup” after Trump’s 2016 election victory by “manufacturing” evidence of Russian interference.
Obama’s office took the unusual step of issuing an emphatic refutation after Trump told reporters his predecessor had tried to “lead a coup” against him and was guilty of “treason” over intelligence assessments suggesting that Russia had intervened to help defeat Hillary Clinton in the campaign.
“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” the statement said. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
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What else did the statement say? It went on to criticize claims made in an 11-page document released last week by Tulsi Gabbardthe director of national intelligence. It said: “Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan senate Intelligence Committee, led by then Chairman Marco Rubio.”
Trump announces Japan trade deal amid speculation over future of PM Ishiba
Donald Trump has announced a trade deal with Japan, potentially resolving weeks of fraught negotiations between the two allies which had caused economic uncertainty in Tokyo and mounting speculation over the future of the prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba.
“We just completed a massive Deal with Japan,” the US president announced in a post online, adding that “Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States”.
Ishiba said his country’s tariff negotiator had received the details of the deal and he would examine them before responding. “Our overarching concern is the interests of the nation,” he said.
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Why is there speculation about Ishiba’s future? He is facing growing opposition from within his own party after he vowed to stay on as leader after his coalition lost its upper house majority in elections last weekend, as well as their majority in the lower house in October last year. His position is widely regarded as untenable in light of the two consecutive electoral defeats.
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Will he resign? After the deal was announced by Trump, Japan’s Mainichi newspaper reported that Ishiba would announce his resignation as prime minister by the end of next month.
US House calls early summer recess to block voting on release of Epstein files
Republicans announced yesterday that the House of Representatives would call it quits a day early and head home in the face of persistent Democratic efforts to force Republicans into voting on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The chamber was scheduled be in session through Thursday before the annual five-week summer recess, but on Tuesday, the Republican majority announced that the last votes of the week would take place the following day.
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What did the Democrats say about the decision? “They are actually ending this week early because they’re afraid to cast votes on the Jeffrey Epstein issue,” said Ted Lieu, the vice-chair of the House Democratic caucus.
In other news …
Stat of the day: Venus Williams, 45, becomes oldest WTA match winner since Martina Navratilova
Venus Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis, producing some of her familiar big serves and ground strokes at age 45 while beating Peyton Stearns – 22 years her junior – by a 6-3, 6-4 score at the DC Open last night.
Don’t miss this: ‘Ashes in a gift bag’ – why are so many people opting out of traditional funerals?
Although my father-in-law, Cliff, died in a hospital in Powys, Wales, writes Tim Burrows, he was cremated 140 miles away. His ashes then travelled 220 miles east. The delivery man arrived holding a gift bag containing Cliff in one hand and a small bunch of flowers in the other. In the UK and the US, “direct cremations” – where no mourners are present and relatives and friends can organise their own ceremonies – are on the rise. Is it time to rethink how we say goodbye our loved ones?
Climate check: ‘Total infiltration’ – how the plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks
The plastics treaty negotiations resume in August in Geneva, Switzerland, having failed to reach agreement at the fifth round of talks in December. At stake is whether the torrent of toxic plastic pollution pouring into the environment can be stemmed. Doing so is not only vital to protect people and the planet but also to curb the climate crisis and the global losses of wildlife.
Last Thing: RFK Jr strides into new controversy by hiking in sweltering Arizona … in jeans
Robert F Kennedy Jr raised eyebrows at the weekend when he took a strenuous hike up Camelback Mountain, situated near Phoenix, Arizona. Despite the temperature rising above 90F (32C), the US health secretary conducted the hike in dark blue jeans, posing for pictures along the way in a sweat-drenched green T-shirt.
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