Barr testifies on Mueller probe, response to protesters

US Attorney General William Barr heads to Capitol Hill today and will face tough questioning on what critics argue is a politicization of the Justice Department. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today AG Barr to face questions over Mueller probe, response to protesters [US Attorney General William Barr speaks during a roundtable discussion at the White House in Washington, DC, June 15, 2020.]( Credit: Leah Millis/Reuters/File Photo US Attorney General William Barr heads to Capitol Hill today and [will face questioning]( on what critics argue is a politicization of the Justice Department. Barr will be expected to discuss the sending of federal troops to US cities in the wake of widespread protests, along with why he [intervened in several court cases]( resulting from former Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. A House inquiry came after Barr moved to scale back the Justice Department's sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone, US President Donald Trump's longtime friend, and after the AG sought to drop the criminal charge against former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. The hearing today is Barr's first testimony before the House Judiciary Committee since he took office in February 2019. Read Barr’s [prepared statement](. [Watch the testimony live here](. What The World is following In a case seen by many as a test of Malaysia’s resolve to stamp out corruption, the country’s former prime minister, Najib Razak, [was found guilty of corruption]( Tuesday. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined nearly $50 million over the [multi-billion dollar scandal]( at the state fund 1MDB. And, a new study has found that [almost 3 billion animals were killed or displaced]( in the recent devastating bush fires in Australia. The study, funded by the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia, has called the fires the worst single event for wildlife in Australia. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Africa must invest 'in human capital' to fight the coronavirus, says Africa CDC director]( [A restaurant worker holds a placard during a protest against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions in Cape Town, South Africa, July 22, 2020.]( Credit: Mike Hutchings/Reuters South Africa had one of the strictest coronavirus lockdown measures. But as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the nation returns to a strict lockdown. The World's host Marco Werman speaks to Dr. John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about his outlook for the pandemic in Africa. "The key question here is, how do we balance between saving lives and saving the economy and not saving lives or saving economies? I think that formula cannot hold. We cannot be under lockdown forever. We have to go out there and fight the battles and intensify aggressive, bold public health measures. Taking public health measures that work in the United States, in Europe and elsewhere and implemented in Africa will not work," [Nkengasong said](. [Bringing down barriers for travelers with disabilities in Korea]( [Hong Seo-yoon says travel is a great way to bring down barriers between people with disabilities and the nondisabled.]( Credit: Courtesy of Hong Seo-yoon South Korean globe-trotter and wheelchair user Hong Seo-yoon advocates for more accessible tourism. She says many people are [often unaware that when it comes to tourism](, sightseeing or even extreme sports, many people with disabilities, whether they are blind, deaf or use a wheelchair, “all want the same things.” --------------------------------------------------------------- Coronavirus conversations podcast [How the coronavirus crisis has exposed entrenched health inequities]( [People take part in a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Berlin, July 18, 2020.]( Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters The coronavirus pandemic has exposed entrenched health inequities for communities of color in the US and around the globe. As part of our regular series discussing the pandemic and as a special podcast in The World's feed, reporter Elana Gordon [moderated a conversation with Nancy Krieger]( from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. [Watch and listen to more of The World's Coronavirus Conversations here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot We've all see it by now — people wearing a mask, except down under their chin. But [this guy is really misinterpreting]( the UK's mask guidance. [A screen grab of a Reuters tweet showing a man walking in London with a mask for underwear.]( [Credit: Screen grab from a Reuters' tweet]( AP and Reuters contributed to this newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Israel reopened schools. Then came a surge of COVID-19 cases.]( - [British tourists told they must quarantine after visiting Spain]( - [South Korea tries to become more accessible for people with disabilities]( - [Are the US and China headed for a new cold war?]( - [South Africa’s rising COVID-19 caseload threatens continent]( - [COVID-19 in Puerto Rico: ‘It’s out of control’]( - [Puerto Rican voters are a growing force in US politics]( - [Protests in Russia's far east continue for third week]( - [Bolivia faces a simultaneous health crisis and political crisis]( - [How do governments get people to take COVID-19 tests?]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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