Steve Bannon charged with fraud in campaign
On Thursday, Aug. 20, President Donald Trump’s former adviser and architect of his 2016 general election campaign, Stephen K. Bannon, was charged with defrauding donors toward a private fundraising effort. According to The New York Times, the effort was called We Build the Wall and intended to bolster one of Trump’s signature initiatives of building a wall on the Mexican border. Bannon is currently being held in custody in New York. Additionally, according to The New York Times, “One of Mr. Trump’s sons, Donald Jr., publicly promoted the We Build the Wall effort at an event in 2018, calling it ‘private enterprise at its finest.’ [However], Donald Trump Jr. said in a statement on Thursday that he had no involvement with the effort beyond praising it at that one event.”
US demands restoration of UN sanctions against Iran
On Thursday, Aug. 20, U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo formally notified the president of the UN Security Council of the U.S.’s demand for the restoration of sanctions on Iran. According to Al Jazeera, “None of the other council members believes the U.S. has the legal right to demand the reimposition, or ‘snapback,’ of sanctions because President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018.” Because of this, the demand is expected to further divide the U.S. and U.N. as well as test the credibility of the Security Council.
California wildfires strike
Almost two dozen major fires were reported on Wednesday, Aug. 19 in Northern California causing thousands to evacuate. The fires continued into Thursday as the state not only dealt with the coronavirus pandemic, but with a heatwave, making the air unsafe and thick with smoke. According to The New York Times, “The group of wildfires threatening Vacaville, called the L.N.U. Lightning Complex, has already destroyed more than 105 homes and other buildings.” Cal Fire, the state’s fire authority, claims that more than 30,500 other buildings are under threat due to the fires.
$600 million Flint water deal makes a step toward amends
Flint, Michigan, where residents have been dealing with lead-tainted water, have made a $600 million deal with the state on Thursday, Aug 20 as amends for the disaster affecting poor and majority-Black families. “State officials and lawyers for Flint residents announced the settlement, which Attorney General Dana Nessel said likely would be the largest in Michigan history, with tens of thousands of potential claimants,” said Associated Press. The settlement is mainly designed to benefit children. This is because, while lead is harmful at any age, children are the most vulnerable, being the most likely group to suffer learning and behavior problems caused by damages to the brain and nervous system.
