10 things you need to know today: February 24, 2019
1.
Anti-government protests turned violent in Venezuela on Saturday when security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at the protesters, resulting in at least four deaths and 285 injuries. The protests took place at the Colombia-Venezuela border, where crowds gathered in an attempt to break President Nicolás Maduro's blockade on international shipments of food and medicine. Only one truckload was able to breach the border from Brazil, but roughly 60 members of Venezuela's military and security forces abandoned their posts, denounced Maduro, and defected to Colombia. As a result, Maduro broke off diplomatic relations with the neighboring country. Internationally recognized interim president Juan Guaidó told reporters the opposition will continue. "We will keep mobilizing to end tyranny," he said. [The Guardian, The Washington Post]
2.
Pope Francis closed out the Vatican's sexual abuse summit with a Mass on Sunday. Speaking before 190 Catholic bishops and other church leaders summoned from around the world to Rome for the summit, Francis called for an "all-out battle" to end sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the clergy. "No abuse should ever be covered up — as was often the case in the past — or not taken sufficiently seriously," he said. The pope did not provide specific steps the church will take to address the issue going forward. [The Washington Post, The Associated Press]
3.
A Chicago judge set R&B singer R. Kelly's bond at $1 million Saturday, $250,000 for each of the four victims he is alleged to have sexually abused. He will have to post $100,000 bail to be released ahead of trial. Kelly has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and three of the four victims were under 18 when the alleged abuse occurred. One of them supplied investigators with a shirt she wore during an interaction with Kelly, prosecutors said in court Saturday, and the clothing tested positive for his DNA. Kelly has denied all accusations. [CNN, USA Today]
4.
A memo filed by prosecutors from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office with guidelines for the sentencing of Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chair who was convicted last year of eight counts of financial fraud, was made available to the public on Saturday with some redactions. The memo, which was sent to Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Friday, did not recommend a specific amount of prison time for Manafort. But the authors noted that Manafort "repeatedly and brazenly violated the law" for over a decade and showed a lack of remorse. A previous sentencing document from Mueller's office recommended Manafort be sentenced to between 19 and 25 years in prison, a penalty that could see him spend the rest of his life behind bars. [CNN, The New York Times]
5.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang by train on Saturday for a multi-day journey across China to meet President Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, for their summit this coming week. The trip was confirmed by North Korean state media, which also said Kim is accompanied by his sister, Kim Yo Jong, senior North Korean negotiator Kim Yong Chol, and Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, among others. Kim's train was in China Sunday and will arrive in Vietnam in time for Kim's second round of talks with Trump on Wednesday and Thursday. [Reuters, The Associated Press]
6.
Civilian casualties in Afghanistan rose by 11 percent in 2018 to hit their highest level in a decade, the United Nations reported Sunday. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) found 3,804 civilians, of whom 927 were children, were killed in their country's conflict last year. Another 7,189 civilians were injured. "Key factors contributing to the significant increase in civilian casualties were a spike in suicide attacks" by terrorist groups including the Islamic State, the U.N. report said, as well as "increased harm to civilians from aerial and search operations" by U.S. and Afghan forces. [Al Jazeera, UNAMA]
7.
Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and a White House senior adviser, is headed back to the Middle East to promote the economic portion of the U.S.'s peace plan for the Israel-Palestine conflict, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday. Kushner left Washington on Saturday and will visit five countries in the region: Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. U.S. Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and U.S. envoy on Iran Brian Hook are accompanying Kushner. They will not address the political component of the deal — which has still yet to be unveiled — but will instead focus on securing regional support for the economic plan. [Al Jazeera, CNN]
8.
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett published his annual letter to stockholders Saturday, dispensing financial advice and weighing in on political and business topics alike. He cautioned against panic over the rising federal deficit and said Berkshire's options are scarce for large-scale acquisition targets, though he remains hopeful 2019 will bring "an elephant -sized acquisition." Buffett concluded his letter by praising the United States' "almost unbelievable prosperity," though in an apparent swipe at President Trump, he noted "many other countries around the world ... have bright futures" and that he hopes to "invest significant sums across borders." [CNBC, USA Today]
9.
Eight players from the University of Mississippi men's basketball team took a knee during the national anthem prior to their game against the University of Georgia on Saturday. The protest was in response to a pro-Confederacy rally taking place on campus near the arena. "We're just tired of having these hate groups come to our school and portraying our campus like it's our actual university having these hate groups in our school," Ole Miss guard Breein Tyree said. Ole Miss went on to defeat Georgia, 72-71. [ESPN, CBS News]
10.
The 91st Academy Awards will air live Sunday evening beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and 5 p.m. Pacific on ABC. The ceremony will also be streaming online on all of ABC's streaming services. The show will have no host this year. Films Roma, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and The Favourite, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, lead the field with 10 nominations a piece. But there is no clear front-runner for Best Picture. [NBC News, IndieWire]