Hong Kong Voters Turn Out For Pro-Democracy Candidates

Democrats want access to ‘Presidential Daily Brief’ regarding Russian bounties

(From NewsHero issue 137 available here)

Joshua Wong (R) and fellow pro-democracy activists campaign during the primary which was held despite a warning that it could be in breach of a tough new security law imposed by Beijing (Isaac Lawrence/AFP)

🦸‍♀️🦸‍♀️🦸‍♀️ — Pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong + voter + protesters
🦸‍♀️ — Rubio, Cruz and others sanctioned for criticizing China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims
🦸‍♀️🦸‍♀️🦸‍♀️ — Democrats seeking access to ‘Daily Briefings’

• Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong residents lined up to cast ballots over the weekend in an unofficial poll to select the strongest pro-democracy candidates who will aim to seize control from pro-Beijing rivals for the first time, reports Guardian News. The vote might fall foul of the new national security law imposed by Beijing, According to senior Hong Kong officials, the vote might be squashed by Beijing’s new national security law, but residents visited 250 polling stations in a symbolic protest vote.
• “Despite the threat of the national security law, there are still nearly 600,000 people coming out to vote,” Au Nok-hin, one of the organizers of the primaries, said, reports The Hill. “We can see Hong Kongers are really brave.”
• U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, Rep. Chris Smith and Ambassador for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback are the targets of sanctions imposed by China. The four have been critical of the ruling Communist Party’s policies toward minority groups and people of faith. The sanctions are in response to similar actions taken by the U.S. last week against Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses against Muslims in the Xinjiang region, says The Associated Press.
• Senate Democrats are demanding that Donald Trump hand over any daily intelligence briefings that addressed evidence that Russia paid Taliban-linked militants to assassinate U.S. troops, reports Politico.
• In a letter to Trump on Friday, led by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the Democrats say access to the Presidential Daily Brief would shed light on his administration’s decision not to make any diplomatic or military response.

(From NewsHero issue 137 available here)

Sources:

• ‘My civil right’: Hong Kong citizens vote in unofficial pro-democracy poll — Guardian News
• Almost 600K vote in Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries in protest against new security law — The Hill
• China sanctions Cruz, Rubio, Smith, Brownback for criticism — AP News
• Senate Dems demand Trump’s daily intelligence briefings on Russian bounties — Politico