FOURTH DAY

Trump attacks Nasa and claims the moon is 'a part' of Mars
President tweeted Nasa should focus on ‘Mars (of which the Moon is a part)’ over going to the
moon, a reversal of previous remarks
Followers of astronomy were in for a surprise on Friday, when Donald Trumpannounced that the moon
is part of Mars.
In a tweet, apparently commenting on his own administration’s space policy, the president said: “For all
of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon - We did that 50
years ago.”
He added: “They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which
the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!”
Trump’s declaration shocked many space enthusiasts, because the moon has not traditionally been
regarded as part of Mars. The leading theory is that a collision between Earth and a planet-sized entity,
many years ago, resulted in debris that eventually became the moon. On average Mars is 140m miles
from the moon. Nasa did not immediately respond to a question from the Guardian asking if the moon
is part of Mars.
Irrespective of whether the moon is part of Mars (it isn’t), Trump’s announcement was doubly surprising
given his previous enthusiasm for a moon trip. His criticism of Nasa for “talking about going to the
moon” came just three weeks after Trump championed the idea of a lunar visit.
On 13 May Trump said in a tweet: “We are going back to the moon,” while in March Nasa administrator
Jim Bridenstine, who was appointed by Trump, announced plans to send US astronauts to the moon by
2024. In October Mike Pence, the vice-president, said: “Our determination is to see Americans back on
the moon in the very near future.”
There is a possibility Trump’s tweet was a comment on Nasa’s broader planto eventually travel to
Mars from the moon, but either way it soon emerged that Trump’s moon reversal may have been
provoked by the Fox Business TV channel. One hour before the president offered his take on the
moon’s origin and his criticism of Nasa, Fox guest Neil Cavuto had expressed scepticism over a moon
trip.
Cavuto reportedly told the TV cable network that Nasa is “refocusing on the moon, the next sort of
quest, if you will, but didn’t we do this moon thing quite a few decades ago?”
The White House did not immediately respond to a Guardian question about whether Trump’s
statement should be considered official guidance. In ancient times the moon was worshipped as a god,
while more recently some children’s stories have speculated that it is made of cheese.

Hillary Clinton announces death of younger brother Tony Rodham

‘We lost my brother Tony last night,’ former senator says
Sibling was a sometimes unruly presence in politician’s life
Hillary Clinton’s youngest brother, Tony Rodham, died on Friday night, the former Democratic
presidential candidate said on Twitter.
Rodham’s age was not immediately known but he was born in 1954, six years after Clinton, 71, and
four years after the other Rodham sibling, Hugh, 69, in the Chicago suburbs.
“We lost my brother Tony last night,” Clinton wrote. “It’s hard to find words, my mind is flooded with
memories of him today. When he walked into a room he’d light it up with laughter.”
Clinton described her brother as “kind, generous [and] a wonderful husband to Megan [and] father to
Zach, Simon [and] Fiona”.
“We’ll miss him very much,” the former senator, secretary of state, first lady and presidential candidate
said.
She did not say how her brother died.
Rodham attended but never graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College and the University of Arkansas. In
adult life he was best known for his general consulting work but he was also a prison guard, a private
investigator, a repo man, an investor and an insurance salesman.
His first marriage, to Nicole Boxer, daughter of former California senator Barbara Boxer, was held in the
White House Rose Garden in 1994, while Bill Clinton was president and Rodham was working for the
Democratic National Committee. The couple divorced in 2001 and Rodham remarried in 2005.
Rodham helped on his sister’s 2008 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. He was not
deeply involved with Clinton’s campaign for the White House in 2016, CNN reported, although he did
stump with her at events in Pennsylvania.
According to a New York Times report in 2015, like his brother Hugh, Rodham sometimes
drew scrutiny for allegedly “leveraging his ties” to his sister and her husband, Bill Clinton.
“It can go both ways,” Rodham said in 1999, of his relationship with his famous sister and her husband.
“There’s some wonderful things that have happened to me because of my relationship with Hillary and
Bill, and there’s been some really terrible things that have happened to me.”
The same year, the White House publicly rebuked Tony and Hugh Rodham for a business venture in
which they planned to export hazelnuts from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia with the help of
Aslan Abashidze, the leading political rival of then Georgian president and Clinton ally Eduard
Shevardnadze.
“If in fact this project is still going forward, we don’t approve and will continue to make clear to Georgian
officials that this venture has no connection with or sanction from the US government,” White House
spokesman Joe Lockhart said at the time.
Mitt Romney says he may not endorse Trump for re-election in 2020
Utah senator who called Trump ‘a phoney, a fraud’ in 2016 said political endorsements are not
‘worth a thimble of spit’
Mitt Romney may not endorse Donald Trump for re-election in 2020, partly because the 2012
Republican nominee thinks political endorsements are not “worth a thimble of spit”.
That said, the Utah senator remains happy to endorse his choice for president in 2016. Then, having
called his party’s nominee “a phoney, a fraud”, he voted for his wife, Ann. This week, Romney said: “I
still think she’s doing a fine job.”
The former Massachusetts governor was elected to the Senate last year, after attempts at a
rapprochement with Trump produced an unsuccessful bid to be named secretary of state that
generated embarrassing public appearances.
Trump endorsed Romney for Congress. Nonetheless the senator has emerged as a leading critic,
if inconsistently and largely if not entirely regarding foreign policy.
In January, Romney wrote a scathing column for the Washington Post in which he lamented Trump’s
behaviour, writing: “With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities
of character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the incumbent’s shortfall has been most
glaring.”
But he recently declined to join the Michigan representative Justin Amash in calling for Trump’s
impeachment from the Republican side of the aisle.
Trump faces one declared challenger for the 2020 nomination, former Massachusetts governor Bill
Weld. Last week Maryland’s governor, Larry Hogan, who was courted by anti-Trump conservatives and
openly considered a run, said he would not attempt to take Trump down.
Romney’s niece is chair of the Republican National Committee, which has faced criticism for
supposedly seeking to block a primary challenge. As she runs a party firmly under Trump’s sway,
Ronna McDaniel has ceased using Romney as her middle name.
Romney spoke to reporters on Friday at the E2 Summit, a gathering of politicians, donors and business
figures in Park City, Utah. Romney hosts the event, which is chaired by former House speaker Paul
Ryan, another who did not meet with noticeable success when attempting to oppose, contain or
support the president.
“I don’t think endorsements are worth a thimble of spit,” Romney said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I stay
out of the endorsements.”
He did not say who he thought would win the Democratic nomination, though he did say former vice-
president Joe Biden would be a tougher challenger than his nearest rival in the polls, the Vermont
senator Bernie Sanders.
He added that he thought “the attitude here has got to be the same as across the country, which is the
president will surely be the Republican nominee and an incumbent in a growing economy is more likely
to win than to lose. But it’s not a sure thing.”
Speaking before Trump announced a deal with Mexico on immigration and the withdrawal of
threatened tariffs, Romney said: “Punishing Mexico in some way is, in my opinion, a very bad idea. It’s
also expensive for Americans.”
But he said he did support Trump’s imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods, which critics have said will
similarly hurt American consumers.
“President Trump was right to push back hard on China, and I support that effort,” Romney said. “I don’t
think there’s much recognition in the United States about the long-term issues with China. We haven’t
laid out a real comprehensive strategy to say, ‘How do we up our game dramatically?’”
The Deseret News reported that the former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, appearing alongside
Romney, was greeted by laughter when he said Trump was “right out there. He’s kind of Teddy
Roosevelt on speed.”
Why the Guardian is changing the language it uses to describe abortion bans
New style guidance encourages editors to avoid medically misleading terms like ‘heartbeat bill’
in reference to restrictive abortion laws sweeping the US
Make a contribution now and support the Guardian’s independent journalism and coverage of
women’s health and reproductive rights in America
The Guardian will no longer use the term “heartbeat bill” in reference to the restrictive abortion bans
that are moving through state legislatures in the US.
Editors and reporters are encouraged to use the term “six-week abortion ban” over “fetal heartbeat bill”,
unless they are quoting someone.
“We want to avoid medically inaccurate, misleading language when covering women’s reproductive
rights,” the Guardian’s US editor-in-chief, John Mulholland, said. “These are arbitrary bans that don’t
reflect fetal development – and the language around them is often motivated by politics, not science.”
The Guardian style guide already encourages editors to use “anti-abortion” over “pro-life” for clarity, and
“pro-choice” over “pro-abortion”, since not everyone who supports a woman’s right to reproductive
choice supports abortion at a personal level.
The Guardian’s updated style guide on abortion bans is in line with the view of the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the largest professional organization for doctors specializing in
women’s health.
ACOG, which represents 58,000 physicians, says the term “heartbeat bill” is not medically accurate.
“Pregnancy and fetal development are a continuum,” said the ACOG president, Dr Ted Anderson.
“What’s interpreted as a heartbeat in these bills is actually electrically induced flickering of a portion of
fetal tissue that will become the heart as the embryo develops.”
Some doctors who opposed the bans say the term was developed as political tactic to win support for
the bills.
“These bills present the idea that there’s something that looks like what you or a person on the street
would call a baby – a thing that’s almost ready to go for a walk,” said Dr Jen Gunter, a gynecologist in
Canada and the US who runs an influential blog. “In reality, you’re talking about something that’s
millimeters in size and doesn’t look anything like that.”
The Guardian’s updated style guide comes as a wave of restrictive abortion bans are sweeping the US:
between 1 January and 20 May, 378 abortion restrictions were introduced across the United States. An
unprecedented 40% of them have been abortion bans that prohibit terminations after a certain
gestational age or for another specific reason, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Many of those measures ban abortion after about six weeks, before most women know they are
pregnant.
Despite the laws, abortion is legal in all 50 US states because the bans contravene Roe v Wade, the
landmark decision which legalized abortion in 1973. The laws are all expected to be challenged in court
and are unlikely ever to go into effect. Supporters hope the bills will make it to the US supreme court
and force a challenge to Roe.
Syrian footballer and 'singer of revolution' killed in conflict
Goalkeeper Abdul Baset al-Sarout dies of wounds sustained in battle with government troops
A Syrian footballer who became a symbolic figure in the rebellion against the country’s president,
Bashar al-Assad, has died of wounds suffered in a battle with government forces.
Abdul Baset al-Sarout, 27, who rose to fame as a goalkeeper for his home city of Homs, joined
peaceful protests against Assad in 2011 and was known as the “singer of the revolution”. He later took
up arms as the country slid into civil war. Four of his brothers and his father have also been killed in the
fighting.
Sarout’s life and his role in Syria’s uprising and conflict was the subject of Return to Homs, a
documentary film that won an award at the 2014 Sundance film festival.
Cpt Mustafa Maarati, a spokesman for the Jaysh al-Izza rebel group, said Sarout died of wounds
sustained two days ago while fighting in northern Hama province.
Fighting intensified in north-west Syria on Friday after insurgents mounted an attack to repel an army
offensive to retake the last major rebel stronghold.
The violence in Idlib province and a strip of nearby Hama is the worst escalation in the conflict since the
middle of last year. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes, many of them sheltering at the
Turkish border from airstrikes that have killed scores of people.
Assad has reclaimed much of Syria with the help of Russia and Iran. Sarout was among hundreds of
thousands of people, both civilians and fighters, shuttled to the north-west in recent years under
surrender deals.
He fought in his city of Homs, but left in 2014 when such a withdrawal deal ended a two-year siege.
Four of Sarout’s brothersand his father have also been killed in the fighting.
Tehran closes 547 restaurants for breaking 'Islamic principles’
Iranian police close venues for crimes ranging from ‘playing illegal music’ to ‘debauchery’
Iranian police have shut down 547 restaurants and cafes in Tehran for not observing “Islamic
principles”, the capital’s police chief said Saturday.
“The owners of restaurants and cafes in which Islamic principles were not observed were confronted,
and during this operation 547 businesses were closed and 11 offenders arrested,” Hossein Rahimi said
in statement on the policeforce website.
Fars news agency said the operation was carried out over the past 10 days.
The infractions included “unconventional advertising in cyberspace, playing illegal music and
debauchery”, Fars reported.
“Observing Islamic principles is ... one of the police’s main missions and responsibilities,” the police
chief said.
The head of Tehran’s guidance court, which deals with “cultural crimes and social and moral
corruption”, called on Tehran citizens to report cases of “immoral behaviour” by texting a designated
phone number.
“People would like to report those breaking the norms but they don’t know how ... We decided to
accelerate dealing with instances of public immoral acts,” Mohammad Mehdi Hajmohammadi told the
judiciary’s Mizan Online.
Citizens can report instances of those removing their “hijab in cars”, “hosting mixed dance parties” or
posting “immoral content on Instagram”, he said.
Under the Islamic dress code of Iran, where alcohol is banned, women can only show their face, hands
and feet in public, and they are supposed to wear modest colours.
In 2012, the government ordered cafes to install security cameras in order to monitor the behaviour of
customers. Some owners chose to close their doors instead.
“As much as it pains us and as much as we will miss our friends and all of you who stood by our side in
the past four years, we take comfort in knowing that we at least didn’t let Big Brother’s glass eyes scan
and record our every step, minute and memory from dawn till dusk,” wrote the owners of the popular
Cafe Prague in a Facebook post at the time.
Antoine Griezmann set for Barcelona after announcing Atlético departure
Frenchman expected to join Catalan side for €125m (£108m)
Forward tells Atléti fans: ‘I’ve made the decision to leave’
Antoine Griezmann has announced that he has told Atlético Madrid of his intention to leave the club,
opening the door for a €125m (£108m) move to Barcelona this summer.
Having signed a five-year contract extension only last summer, the French forward made the shock
statement on Tuesday evening via Atlético’s official social media channels after meeting with Diego
Simeone – the team’s manager – and the chief executive, Miguel Ángel.
Speaking directly to the Atlético fans, the 28-year-old said: “I wanted to tell you that I’ve made the
decision to leave to experience new things and have new challenges. It’s been very hard for me to take
this path, but I feel that it’s what I need.
“I wanted to thank you for all the love you’ve given me in these five years, in which I’ve won my first
important trophies with a club. They were incredible moments that I will always remember. The truth is
you’re in my heart.”
Born in Mâcon, France, Griezmann has spent his entire professional career in Spain, joining Atlético in
2014 from Real Sociedad, where he came through the academy. He has since become one of the most
coveted strikers in world football, and played a pivotal role in guiding the Madrid side to the Europa
League in 2017-18 – scoring twice in the final against Marseille – before playing a starring role for
France in their victory at last summer’s World Cup finals.
Griezmann has long been a transfer target for Barcelona, who are understood to be ready to pay his
€125m (£108m) release clause. Griezmann reportedly came close to leaving last summer after the
World Cup, before revealing he would stay at the club in a TV documentary called The Decision.
His latest video will be a crushing blow to Atlético supporters, who also have to contend with the £68m
departure of Lucas Hernandez to Bayern Munichand another club legend, Diego Godín. The
Uruguayan, who is godfather to Griezmann’s youngest daughter, received an official farewell in his final
home game for the club on Sunday, and is tipped to join Internazionale.
“It isn’t easy for a player to receive so much love,” continued Griezmann in his message to the fans.
“That’s why I wanted to tell you today so that you’re the first to know after the [head] coach and the
club. I’ve given my all on the pitch, I’ve tried to behave well. Thank you so much, and goodbye.”