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April 27 Midday Brief
In U.S. news
A federal watchdog fight is heading to court after Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the Freedom of the Press Foundation sued to block the Trump administration’s move to relax rules for preserving presidential records. They say the change creates a real risk that records could be destroyed or sold, which is, inconveniently, the whole point of having records in the first place.
The Justice Department is also expanding the list of federal execution methods to include firing squads, electrocution, and gas asphyxiation, part of President Trump’s effort to revive capital punishment in his second term.
Meanwhile, the suspect in the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner shooting is expected in court Monday, with early indications that he may have been targeting President Trump and other top officials. Separately, gunfire broke out just after midnight during Little 500 weekend celebrations near Indiana University in Bloomington, where officers heard what they believed were multiple shots on Kirkwood Avenue.
In Europe
The European Union is negotiating a deal that could give U.S. authorities access to national police databases across much of the bloc, in exchange for preserving visa-free travel. Brussels is trying to decide how much access it is willing to grant before the travel rules change.
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary says two or three European airlines could go bankrupt this winter, naming Wizz Air and airBaltic as carriers he thinks are at risk.
In the UK, more than 30 children’s toys have been recalled since January after tests found asbestos contamination, with products pulled from shelves at major retailers including Tesco, Primark, Aldi, M&S, Argos, Asda, Matalan, Smyths Toys and The Entertainer. Parents are being told to stop using any recalled items and check the government recall list.
And in Scotland, John Swinney plans to push for a vote on independence powers on the first day of the next parliament, even if the SNP falls short of an overall majority. The arithmetic, as ever, remains the least romantic part of the romance.
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