Amna Nawaz:
The party of President Nayib Bukele has a supermajority and quickly passed the changes, meaning he could seek reelection indefinitely. Critic says Bukele is removing checks on the presidency in order to consolidate power. He has become widely popular for cracking down on gang violence in El Salvador, though human rights groups have condemned his tactics.
Back here at home, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has for decades distributed federal funds to both PBS and NPR, announced today that it’s shutting down. That is after President Trump recently clawed back more than a billion dollars of funding for public broadcasting.
In a statement, CPB’s president said: “Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote and petitioned Congress, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations.”
PBS and its stations get around 15 percent of annual revenue from federal money.
Parts of the mid-Atlantic are bracing for more heavy rain this evening after downpours yesterday triggered floods, killing one person. New Jersey officials declared a state of emergency, as roads flooded across the state stranding drivers. In New York’s Grand Central Station, water from heavy rains poured over commuter trains. And outside of Baltimore, authorities say a boy playing outside was killed when floodwaters swept him into a storm drain.
In Washington, D.C., the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has temporarily removed all references to President Trump’s impeachments from an exhibit about presidential power. That exhibit features materials about the Watergate scandal and the impeachments of Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. But mentions of Mr. Trump’s two impeachments were taken down last month.
The White House has repeatedly targeted interpretations of American history. The Smithsonian said the references will be restored once the exhibit is updated following a review.
And gone are the days of the chain gang in the NFL. The first down line has gotten a serious upgrade. At last night’s pre-season game, the league debuted new technology that measures the 10-yard target virtually. It relies on a network of 8K cameras to track the ball’s position. It’s the very same technology used in tennis grand slams.
The NFL said the system will save time compared to the old process where referees would mark the distance manually with a 10-yard chain. The trusty chain crew will still be on the sidelines, but only as a backup.
