Thursday’s top story: House Democrats formally demand president’s tax returns from IRS. Plus, why minorities suffer the worst of the wealthy’s pollution

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.

Committee seeks to shed light on Trump business dealings

House Democrats have formally demanded to see Donald Trump’s tax returns, seeking information on the president’s financial and business history that – unlike his White House predecessors – he has long declined to reveal. Richard Neal, the chairman of the House ways and means committee, issued the request to the IRS for six years of tax returns from 2013 to 2018, saying he was “certain” the demand was “within our legitimate legislative, legal, and oversight rights”.

Under audit? Trump on Wednesday repeated his longstanding claim that he could not release his returns because he is under audit. The IRS says audits do not prevent people making their tax returns public.

Mueller subpoenas. The House judiciary committee has voted to approve subpoenas for Robert Mueller’s full report on Russian election meddling.

Christchurch suspect to face 50 murder charges

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A police officer stands guard in front of the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch. Photograph: Vincent Yu/AP

The man accused of killing 50 people in shooting attacks on two mosques in Christchurch last month will face 50 murder charges and 39 charges of attempted murder, police in New Zealand have said. Brenton Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian, is a suspected white supremacist and targeted Muslim worshippers in the attack, the worst mass shooting by a lone gunman in New Zealand’s history.

Gun control. New Zealand MPs have heard submissions on the government’s gun law reform bill, which was introduced in response to the killings and includes a ban on assault rifles.

United front. Muslims and Jews face a common threat from white supremacists and must fight it together, say Jonathan Freedland and Mehdi Hasan.

Nuclear concerns as Saudi reactor nears completion

Facebook Twitter Pinterest US secretary of state Mike Pompeo visits Riyadh in January. Photograph: POOL/Reuters

Officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have expressed concern after satellite images emerged showing that Saudi Arabia is just months from completing its first nuclear reactor, without having agreed to IAEA rules, including inspections, which are designed to make sure no fissile materials are diverted to be used for weapons. Robert Kelley, the American former director for IAEA nuclear inspections who identified the site, said it could be operational “within a year”.

US permits. The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and Trump’s energy secretary, Rick Perry, have resisted calls from Congress to explain why the energy department recently granted seven permits for the transfer of sensitive nuclear information by US businesses to the Saudi government.

MPs pass bill to prevent no-deal Brexit – by one vote

Play Video 0:47 'The ayes have it': bill to stop no-deal Brexit passes with majority of one vote – video

A bipartisan group of British MPs has passed a bill instructing the prime minister, Theresa May, to seek a Brexit extension from the EU rather than risk the UK crashing out of the bloc without a deal. The bill finally passed the House of Commons by just one vote – 313 to 312 – late on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, May and the opposition leader, Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, are set to resume talks on Thursday in an attempt to break the Brexit deadlock and agree a proposition that could pass through parliament.

Police preparations. Despite the vote against no deal, police forces in the UK are still preparing for the possibility of unrest in the event of a no-deal Brexit, amassing their biggest ever peacetime reserve of 10,000 officers.

Crib sheet

Joe Biden has defended his tactile approach to personal encounters in a video posted on Twitter, but promised to “be more mindful and respectful of people’s personal space,” after several women said they had been made uncomfortable by physical interactions with the former vice president.

Academics have mapped a global network of prospective ocean sanctuaries before a forthcoming vote at the UN, where it is hoped a plan will be agreed to formally protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

Bad diets are killing more people worldwide than smoking, according to a study that found 11m preventable deaths per year could be blamed on unhealthy eating.

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister, is to host a gathering of far-right European parties in Milan in hopes of forming an EU-wide populist alliance ahead of next month’s European elections.

Must-reads

Facebook Twitter Pinterest For decades, publishers confined black romance authors to all-black lines, marketed only to black readers. Illustration: Michelle Thompson/THE GUARDIAN

The long fight against racism in romance novels

Writers of colour are finally winning wide recognition in the romance genre, which was segregated on racial lines for decades by publishers and booksellers. But as Lois Beckett discovers, the romance novel industry is still a long way from happily-ever-after.

Minorities made to live on ‘asthma alley’

Mott Haven in the South Bronx has some of the worst air pollution levels in the US, thanks in part to a local Fresh Direct warehouse. Its residents, 97% Hispanic or black, use Fresh Direct and the four nearby highways less than most New Yorkers. They’re suffering the effects of “pollution inequity”, as Hazar Kilani reports.

Democratic candidates ride the populist wave

Populism has been primarily associated with the US right in recent years. But Paul Lewis says populist rhetoric is now commonplace for Democratic presidential candidates, and reflects a wider populist turn for Democratic politics in response to Trump.

Patagonia policy could strip tech bros of their vests

Patagonia, whose fleece vests are fashion statements for finance and tech bros, has changed its policy on corporate sales, saying it will prioritise producing branded garments for “mission-driven companies that prioritise the planet”. Matthew Cantor asks whether Silicon Valley is going to need a wardrobe overhaul.

Opinion

The fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster stretched as far afield as Belarus and northern England. Before we decide nuclear power is the solution to climate change, writes Kate Brown, we must reckon with its past.

Before we enter a new nuclear age, the declassified Chernobyl health records raise questions that have been left unanswered about the impact of chronic low doses of radioactivity on human health.

Sport

Native American brothers Lyle, Miles and Jerome Thompson have helped their team, the Georgia Swarm, to reach the National Lacrosse League playoffs. They talk to Dave Caldwell about being ambassadors for their sport, and for their culture.

Mauricio Pochettino has vowed Spurs will finish in the Premier League top four after his team beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in their first outing at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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