Paying off: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled today that President Donald Trump could not block the House from subpoenaing his financial records from his former accounting firm. The sole dissent in the case came from Judge Neomi Rao, Trump’s appointment to replace Brett Kavanaugh on the D.C. Circuit, who gave an outlandish dissent arguing for the president’s protection. Her point of view did not win the day, but as Mark Joseph Stern writes, it’s terrifying proof that Trump’s gambit with the courts is already giving him firm loyalists.
Cold Turkey: In late 2016, longtime Turkey resident pastor Andrew Brunson was unjustly imprisoned by the country’s government. His detention became an urgent priority for the Trump administration, which secured Brunson’s release in 2018. Joshua Keating spoke with Brunson about his arrest, Turkey’s repressive government, Trump’s role in his release, and his thoughts on Turkey’s new offensive in Syria.
Apocolympics: Next year’s Summer Olympics will take place in Tokyo. But the metropolis has been hit hard by the effects of climate change, reaching scorching temperatures this summer that hospitalized thousands of Japanese residents and even killed a few dozen. With next year’s competition poised to bring hundreds of thousands of tourists to the city, the scene stands to look extremely grim. Eric Margolis explains why.
Resist function does not compute: It’s not just the NBA that’s gone out of its way to appease China this week—Apple recently removed an app from its store that Hong Kong protesters have been using to avoid police harassment. The backlash to Apple was swift, but also, it’s far from the only Big Tech company that likes to preach about its high-minded values while actively enabling repressive governments, April Glaser writes.
For fun: A Facebook user watches the number of happy birthday wishes on her wall decline steadily.
Who are your real friends??
/>Nitish
