10 things you need to know today: May 28, 2019

1.

A man stabbed at least 19 people at a suburban Tokyo bus stop during Tuesday morning rush hour, reportedly killing an 11-year-old schoolgirl and a man in his 30s. Sixteen other school children were injured. The students were waiting for a bus to take them to Caritas, a local Catholic school. A witness said he heard a child scream, "I'm scared," and the attacker shouting, "I'm going to kill you!" Police said the attacker stabbed himself in the neck after the attack, and died from the wound. Such violent crimes are rare in Japan. The attack happened on the last day of President Trump's four-day visit to Japan. "All Americans stand with the people of Japan and grieve for the victims and for their families," Trump said. [The Associated Press, The New York Times]

2.

An American lawyer, Christopher John Kulish, died Monday after reaching the summit of Mount Everest, bringing the death toll on the world's highest peak this climbing season to 11 people. Kulish, 62, died while descending the mountain. The Colorado man appeared strong and reached the South Col, at 25,918 feet or just over 3,000 feet below the summit, before he suddenly died. Kulish's family said he went up with a small group in good weather. The group climbed up after crowds that created dangerous waits at the top of the mountain had cleared. "He saw his last sunrise from the highest peak on Earth. At that instant, he became a member of the '7 Summit Club' having scaled the highest peak on each continent," the family said in a statement. [CNN]

3.

Divided pro-European Union parties started bargaining over how to further European integration efforts following EU parliamentary elections that saw centrist parties losing their majority. Green parties emerged as kingmakers as voters, especially young ones, cooled to the traditional leading parties and backed candidates focused on combatting climate change. Greens came in second place in Germany, and third in France and other countries. Anti-immigration populists did not make gains as big as some expected, although nationalist euroskeptics polled well in Italy, France, Poland, and in Britain, which is working on exiting the EU. Turnout was high. "The European elections were tangible proof that European democracy is alive and well," said Margaritis Schinas, chief spokesman of the executive European Commission. "The populists didn't win this election."

4.

Federal prosecutors in New York are conducting an investigation into the finances of President Trump's inaugural committee, focusing on whether donors received any benefits after making large contributions. They have honed in on a $1 million donation from prolific political donor Franklin Haney, who made the donation while he was asking for approval and funding from the government for his attempt to acquire the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama, The Associated Press reports. While the donation may have been intended to help Haney's cause, his bid for the power plant has not yet been successful. AP reports that it was Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who shared information about Haney and his son with the federal prosecutors. [The Associated Press]

5.

President Trump on Monday said the U.S. is "not looking for regime change" in Iran. "We're looking for no nuclear weapons," Trump said in a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. Trump's remarks amounted to a softening of his administration's rhetoric toward Tehran following his order to send 1,500 U.S. troops to beef up America's presence in the region. Many Democrats have criticized Trump by saying he was raising the risk of war by dispatching military ships and personnel to the Persian Gulf region, which Trump and his aides have justified by citing indications that Iran and its allies had been planning an attack on U.S. interests in the region. [The Washington Post]

6.

Two suspected tornadoes hit metro Dayton, Ohio, on Monday night and others tore through a section of Indiana as violent weather continued to batter parts of the Midwest and the Plains, according to the National Weather Service. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities. Authorities issued flood warnings on Memorial Day for areas with about 10 million people. About 25 million people from Wyoming to Ohio were at risk of severe weather. "Many rivers are already in major flood (stage) across the region," CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said, "and the Arkansas River is expected to exceed record flooding over the coming days." Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Monday that the state, where six people were killed in storms last week, was "not out of the woods yet." [CNN, The Associated Press]

7.

Austrian lawmakers ousted Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in a no-confidence vote Monday. Kurz, 32, was the world's youngest elected leader when he took office in 2017. Kurz's governing alliance with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) fell apart after two German news organizations released a video last week of FPO leader Heinz-Christian Strache apparently agreeing to fix government contracts for a woman pretending to be the niece of a Russian oligarch. Kurz's critics dismissed the anti-immigration politician as "Trump in a slim-fit suit." His supporters credited him with bringing new life to his party by adopting some policies and rhetoric of the far-right. [The Washington Post]

8.

Canada started the process of ratifying the new North American trade agreement on Monday, with Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland presenting a "ways and means motion" in the House of Commons to open the formal presentation of the bill. The first step toward ratification came three days before a scheduled visit to Ottawa by Vice President Mike Pence, who will meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to talk about how to move the treaty forward. The Trump administration agreed this month to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico, eliminating one key obstacle to winning approval of the trilateral deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. [Reuters]

9.

Meredith Publishing has sold the Sports Illustrated brand to Authentic Brands Group for $110 million, the companies announced Monday night. In an unusual arrangement, Meredith will continue to operate the Sports Illustrated website and biweekly magazine, paying a licensing fee, for a minimum of two years. Authentic Brands, a licensing company, will control the magazine's intellectual property, including its archive of more than two million images and its swimsuit edition and Sportsperson of the Year brands. Authentic Brands controls Juicy Couture, Nautica, and parts of estates including Muhammad Ali's and Elvis Presley's. Meredith acquired the Sports Illustrated brand when it bought Time Inc. in January 2018. [The New York Times, Variety]

10.

Former major league first baseman and outfielder Bill Buckner, a star hitter best known for an error that cost the Boston Red Sox Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, died Monday after fighting dementia. He was 69. "Bill fought with courage and grit as he did all things in life," Buckner's wife, Jody, said in a statement. Buckner was picked in the second round of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft by the Dodgers, straight out of Napa High School. He went on to play for the Dodgers, Cubs, Red Sox, Royals, and Angels in a 22-season career. He had a .324 batting average in 1980, leading the National League on the way to a .289 career average, and he played in his only All-Star Game in 1981. [The Washington Post]