Immigration, Hong Kong, California Highway Patrol: Your Tuesday Briefing

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Good morning.

We’re covering new details about the death of Jeffrey Epstein, the demonstrations at Hong Kong’s airport, and a deadly shootout in California.


Neither of the two people guarding the financier had checked on him for several hours before he was found dead in his cell, prison and law-enforcement officials said on Monday, and one of the two was not a full-fledged correctional officer.

Attorney General William Barr said there were “serious irregularities” at the federal jail in Manhattan where Mr. Epstein was awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges. Questions have been raised about why Mr. Epstein was taken off suicide watch just days after apparently trying to kill himself.

Perspective: In an interview with a Times business columnist last year, Mr. Epstein said that sex with teenage girls should be acceptable, and that he had dirt on powerful people.

Related: Mr. Epstein’s death has prompted an explosion of unfounded conspiracy theories. On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio joined those who have questioned the official explanation. “It’s just too convenient,” he said.

The Daily: Today’s episode is about the future of the criminal case involving Mr. Epstein.


Starting in October, the government will use a wealth test to determine whether legal immigrants who want to remain in the U.S. have the means to support themselves.

Under a regulation announced on Monday, poor immigrants would be denied permanent legal status, known as a green card, if they are considered likely to use benefit programs such as food stamps and subsidized housing.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants enter the country legally every year, but President Trump has said that the U.S. should welcome immigrants based only on the “merit” they demonstrate.

The details: The program would not apply to those who already have green cards, to certain members of the military, to refugees and asylum-seekers, or to pregnant women and children. Immigration advocates warned that many people may drop out of programs they need because they fear retribution.


A significant revision to the country’s bedrock conservation law would, for the first time, allow economic assessments to be included when deciding whether a species warrants protection.

The new rules, expected to go into effect next month, would also make it more difficult for regulators to factor in the effects of climate change.

Republicans have long sought to narrow the scope of the law, saying that it burdens landowners and businesses. Environmental groups, Democratic state attorneys general and Democrats in Congress said they would challenge the changes in court.

Background: The Endangered Species Act has been regulators’ most powerful tool for protecting wildlife since it was signed by President Richard Nixon in 1973. The law has been credited with rescuing the bald eagle, the grizzly bear and the American alligator, among other species, from the brink of extinction.


Arizona’s capital is one of the hottest and fastest-warming cities in the U.S., with 128 days at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit last year.

That means work and play shift into cooler hours. In the hottest months, the zoo opens at 6 a.m., and some construction starts in the middle of the night — not only for the safety of workers, but also because the heat can affect some building materials.

Assault weapons ban: Top Democrats are calling for a ban on the firearms. A 1994 law barred Americans from buying certain military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, until Republicans let it expire in 2004.

Shootout in California: A Highway Patrol officer was killed and two others injured after a driver apparently opened fire during a traffic stop in Riverside, near Los Angeles. The driver was also killed.

Ebola treatments: Two experimental therapies are working so well that they will be offered to all patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo, scientists said. The treatments saved about 90 percent of newly infected patients.

Snapshot: Above, crowds at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris on Monday. The museum has moved the famous painting during renovations, causing commotion.

In pursuit of Amelia Earhart: An explorer who found the Titanic and other famous shipwrecks is leading a search for the plane in which the aviator disappeared in 1937.

Metropolitan Diary: In this week’s column, a reader is taken aback while crossing the street, a photogenic doughnut and more tales of New York City.

Late-night comedy: “I’m not saying the Clintons don’t have any power,” Stephen Colbert said. “But masterminding a scheme to assassinate a high-profile prisoner in a maximum-security federal custody? They couldn’t even mastermind a visit to Wisconsin.”

What we’re reading: This Grub Street article. Our newsletter director, Adam Pasick, writes: “The secret history of ‘nutcrackers’ — illegal cocktails sold under the counter in New York City — suggests that legalization isn’t the end of the story for mind-altering substances.”

Go: The dance-theater production “Under Siege” turns an oft-told tale into theatrically vivid entertainment. It’s at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater.

Watch: Kia Stevens, the wrestler-turned-actor, portrays a bizarro version of her own life in Netflix’s “GLOW.”


Smarter Living: Feeling uninspired at work? Our Smarter Living newsletter suggests reminding yourself that you make an impact. Try dividing big goals into smaller ones, where achievement will be easier to see. If all else fails, take a break to do something you love.

(Every week, the Smarter Living editor, Tim Herrera, emails readers with advice for living a better, more fulfilling life. Sign up here.)

The history of roller derby is one of booms and busts — and it’s booming again: Some 463 leagues have started in 33 countries over the past 15 years.

Roller derby was born at the Chicago Coliseum on Aug. 13, 1935, when an event promoter named Leo Seltzer created the Transcontinental Derby, a monthlong event with coed teams skating a total of 57,000 laps — the equivalent of the 2,700-mile width of North America.

The sport got another lift in the 1960s, when Mr. Seltzer’s son, Jerry, started airing the games on local TV stations. That’s when the real drama began, as spectators flocked to the collisions and feuds that took place as the “jammer” for each team tried to score points by passing opponents, and the “blockers” tried to hold them back.

The most recent revival began in 2001, when a group of women in Austin, Tex., restarted the sport with a decidedly feminist bent, and a bevy of complicated tactics and terms. This year’s championship playoffs for the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association start next month.


That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Chris


Thank you
Melina Delkic helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. Victoria Shannon, on the briefings team, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach us at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about the Jeffrey Epstein case.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: A fairy leaves you money for it (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Our 52 Places traveler, Sebastian Modak, is halfway through his yearlong trek. Submit your questions about his experience so far.



Source : Nytimes