Week In The News: Mueller Testimony, Puerto Rico Resignation, New U.K. PM

With John Harwood

Fallout from Mueller’s testimony. Puerto Rico’s governor resigns. The U.K. has a new prime minister. A federal judge blocks new asylum restrictions. The roundtable is here.

Kimberly Atkins, senior Washington correspondent for WBUR. (@KimberlyEAtkins)

Natasha Bertrand, national security correspondent for Politico. (@natashabertrand)

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR)

Politico: "Mueller's finally done. Here's how his probe lives on." — "Robert Mueller may be done, but his probe will live on in ways big and small — keeping alive the Russia story that has at times consumed Donald Trump’s presidency.

"The Democratic-led House still has oversight plans of its own, not to mention an impeachment fight that isn’t going away anytime soon. Cases spawned and inspired by the special counsel’s investigators continue to move through the courts, and Mueller himself confirmed on Wednesday during a long-awaited House Judiciary Committee hearing that a post-presidency indictment against Trump is hypothetically possible. Federal investigators are also still examining how the whole Russia thing got started.

"And then there’s this: One of Mueller’s former prosecutors is penning a memoir sure to generate buzz."

WBUR: "Rep. Trahan Backs Impeachment Inquiry After Mueller Testimony" — "Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan is the latest Democratic member of Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against President Trump.

"'As a staffer during the Clinton impeachment, I’ve seen firsthand how disruptive this process can be for our nation,' the Westford Democrat said in a statement, referring to her time working for former Rep. Marty Meehan. 'But no President — including this one — is above the law.'

"Her announcement came minutes after former Special Counsel Robert Mueller wrapped more than six hours of testimony before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees. In that testimony, Mueller refuted Trump’s claims that Mueller’s report exonerated the president on charges of obstruction of justice. Mueller said he was prohibited from deciding the issue of obstruction by Justice Department rules, so his investigators made no determination on that matter.

"Mueller also said he sought to interview Trump during his investigation, but Trump refused. Mueller said he decided to forego Trump’s testimony rather than engage in the protracted legal fight that a subpoena would have spurred."

Washington Post: "Puerto Rico governor says he will resign amid intense political pressure, sweeping protests" — "The governor of Puerto Rico announced late Wednesday that he will resign effective Aug. 2, amid intense pressure from inside and outside his government, after a series of leaked chat messages denigrating his opponents and Hurricane Maria victims triggered outrage from frustrated citizens who had taken to the streets for 13 consecutive days of protests.

"Ricardo Rosselló had defied calls for his resignation as the island descended into upheaval. He lost support from nearly everyone in his ruling statehood party, and more than a dozen members of his administration had stepped down in recent days, including his chief of staff on Tuesday.

"On Wednesday afternoon, the leader of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, Carlos J. Méndez Nuñez, said that an impeachment inquiry by three attorneys concluded that there were legal grounds to begin the process to remove Rosselló. Méndez said that the process would start if the governor did not resign and put 'a final point on all this.' "

New York Times: "Facebook Antitrust Inquiry Shows Big Tech’s Freewheeling Era Is Past" — "Facebook came under siege on multiple fronts on Wednesday, agreeing to new layers of oversight and two fines to settle privacy and disclosure violations, even as it acknowledged that it was under investigation from the Federal Trade Commission for antitrust concerns.

"Early in the day, the company was penalized by the F.T.C. with a record $5 billion fine for deceiving users about their ability to control the privacy of their personal data. As part of a settlement, the company was also ordered to create a new privacy committee on its board and to make other structural changes to increase the transparency and accountability of its data practices.

"But the agreement was criticized for failing to limit Facebook’s gathering, sharing and use of people’s personal information, a practice that has repeatedly raised privacy questions. And the F.T.C.’s commissioners were divided on partisan lines this month when they voted 3-to-2 to approve the measures, which provide immunity to Facebook’s officers and directors and shield the company from known claims of violations through last month — essentially giving it a pass on its past."

Associated Press: "New British PM Johnson urges EU to renegotiate Brexit deal" — "British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the European Union on Thursday to rethink its refusal to renegotiate the Brexit deal, setting himself on a collision course with both the bloc and his own lawmakers over his vow to leave the EU by Oct. 31.

"Addressing a rowdy session of Parliament for the first time since becoming prime minister a day earlier, Johnson pledged to deliver Brexit and a 'broader and bolder future.'

"He was heckled loudly by an opposition determined to thwart him, with Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn dismissing Johnson’s 'arm-waving bluster.' "

Anna Bauman produced this hour for broadcast.