Thursday’s top story: attorney general refuses to appear before House judiciary committee. Plus, why we are addicted to conspiracy theories

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

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Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.

Barr defiant amid calls to resign over Mueller report

The US attorney general, William Barr, has escalated his ongoing battle with House Democrats by refusing to testify before the House judiciary committee on Thursday, apparently over the decision to allow a staff counsel to question him alongside the committee’s members. On Wednesday, following his testy appearance before the Senate judiciary committee, Barr faced calls to resign from several Democrats over his handling of the Mueller report.

Clinton criticism. Hillary Clinton provided her assessment of Barr’s Senate testimony to MSNBC, saying the attorney general had been “incredibly arrogant” in his “level of disregard, even contempt for Congress”.

Mueller testimony. Democrats say they are close to negotiating an agreement for Robert Mueller to testify about his Trump-Russia investigation before the House judiciary committee later this month.

Trump threatens ‘tough’ options as Venezuela protests go on

Play Video 1:37 Venezuela: Maduro and Guaidó both claim upper hand after day of violence – video

Donald Trump has said the US is doing everything short of “the ultimate” to help resolve the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, where mass demonstrations continued on Wednesday despite the protesters’ failure to unseat president Nicolás Maduro with what his opposition rival Juan Guaidó insists is a “peaceful rebellion”. “Every day there will be acts of protest until we achieve our liberty,” Guaidó told supporters in Caracas.

Tough talk. In an interview with Fox News, Trump described Maduro as “a tough player” and suggested “something is going to have to be done,” hinting at “pretty tough” options for intervention.

Assange jailed as legal team braces for extradition battle

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Assange leaves court in London on Wednesday after being sentenced to 50 weeks in prison. Photograph: Luke Dray/Getty Images

Julian Assange’s legal team is preparing to fight a US request for his extradition, after the WikiLeaks founder was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison in the UK. On Wednesday, a court in London found Assange had breached his bail conditions when he fled to the city’s Ecuadorean embassy to avoid being extradited to Sweden in 2012. The sentence was called an “outrage” by the WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, Kristinn Hrafnsson, who said the US extradition process was “a question of life and death for Mr Assange”.

WikiLeaks story. On the latest Today in Focus podcast, Esther Addley and Julian Borger chart the rise and fall of Assange and his whistleblowing website.

Trump’s Fed board pick underpaid wife’s alimony for years

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Moore is awaiting Senate confirmation before joining the board of the world’s most powerful central bank. Photograph: Newscom/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Stock Photo

Stephen Moore, the economics commentator picked by Trump for a spot on the Federal Reserve board of governors, has underpaid his ex-wife’s alimony bills for years, according to a source familiar with the arrangements. Despite being found in contempt of court in 2012 – for his failure to pay Allison Moore more than $300,000 that he then owed her – Moore has continued to pay significantly less than required by their 2011 divorce settlement, leaving her tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket. Moore declined to comment.

Financial questions. Democrats have asked Moore for further information on his finances following the Guardian’s publication of reports on the 2012 contempt of court finding and on the IRS pursuing him over a $75,000 tax bill, which he has since settled.

Controversial comments. Republican senators have criticised controversial remarks made by Moore in the past, including columns for the National Review in which he disparaged women and pooh-poohed gender advancement.

Crib sheet

A 16-year-old Guatemalan boy is the third migrant child to die in US custody in the past five months. Having been detained at the border, the boy spent several days in intensive care at a Texas children’s hospital before his death.

India is evacuating 800,000 people from Odisha state on the country’s east coast ahead of the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Fani, which is expected to make landfall on Friday, bringing wind speeds of up to 205km per hour.

Thailand ’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has married the deputy head of his security detail in a surprise ceremony, days before his official coronation. Suthida Tidjai, the former flight attendant and bodyguard, now Queen Suthida, is the king’s fourth wife.

Experts have expressed concern that a viral video of a chimpanzee swiping through Instagram at a wildlife reserve in South Carolina could perpetuate the illegal trade in wildlife among people who see chimps as potential domestic pets.

Must-reads

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Fringe conspiracy theorists such as Alex Jones have become increasingly powerful voices. Illustration: Composite/Guardian Design

How did the conspiracy-mongers take charge?

From JFK to 9/11, tales of wild plots and cover-ups have always excited the public imagination. But in the age of Trump, conspiracy theorists are enjoying an unprecedented – and deeply concerning – level of influence. Anna Merlan says she should have seen it coming.

Werner Herzog on his Gorbachev film: ‘I’m not a pundit’

Werner Herzog’s new film, Meeting Gorbachev, comprises a series of interviews between the acclaimed filmmaker and the former Soviet leader. “We have similar backgrounds,” Herzog tells Charles Bramesco. “Gorbachev had seen some of my films and done a lot of homework on me.”

Why Fentanyl could end the opium era in Mexico

Addicts in the US have swapped heroin for the more potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl. In Mexico, that means impoverished farmers may at last stop growing opium poppies. But while la goma may be illegal, it’s also “the only crop that paid”, as Nina Lakhani reports.

A brutal murder that could lead to a life-saving law

Native American women and girls face an epidemic of violence and indifference. For the second day of the Guardian’s Not Invisible series, Jenni Monet reports on a shocking 2017 murder that might inspire a new federal law, while Debra Haaland, one of the first Native American women elected to Congress, explains how she’s fighting for indigenous women in Washington.

Opinion

In the US, women of colour face greater risks in pregnancy and childbirth than white women. The reason for that disparity is unambiguous, says Miriam Zoila Pérez: racism.

African American women in the United States are two to three times more likely than white women to give birth to a premature child. African American women are also four times more likely to die as a result of pregnancy and childbirth, and their infants are twice as likely to die within the first year of life.

Sport

The incomparable Lionel Messi put Liverpool in their place on Wednesday evening, scoring two goals in a 3-0 victory at the Camp Nou that poses a near-insurmountable challenge to the English club for the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Omaha Beach, the 4-1 favourite for Saturday’s 145th Kentucky Derby, has been ruled out of the race with breathing problems cause by an entrapped epiglottis, the horse’s trainer, Richard Mandella, has said.

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