Barr’s House appearance, Emmy nominations, NFL training camps: 5 things to know Tuesday

Attorney General Barr set to appear in front of House committee 

Attorney General William Barr is expected to answer questions from the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill Tuesday in a highly anticipated appearance. Barr’s opening statement released by the Justice Department Monday offered a forceful defense of his actions as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, asserting that he has acted apart from the interests of the White House while “applying a standard of justice without partisan considerations.” Even before taking office in 2019, Barr said he became “deeply troubled by what I perceived as the increasing use of the criminal justice process as a political weapon and the emergence of two separate standards of justice.” Barr will also tell committee members that the violence taking place in Portland, Oregon, and other cities is disconnected from the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, which he described as a “horrible” event.

• ‘What a disaster’:Aggressive federal response in Portland raises legal questions
• ‘What had happened was wrong’:DOJ lawyers accuse agency leaders of abusing power in Roger Stone case, other probes
• Barr suggests China is ‘stealing the future’:AG pushes Trump administration’s attacks on Beijing

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Woman will lead Army Reserve for the first time in its history

Jody Daniels is scheduled to take command of the Army Reserve on Tuesday, the first woman to do so in its 112-year history following her promotion to lieutenant general. Daniels is the latest woman to break into the military’s senior ranks, which have historically been dominated by men. Fewer than one in four admirals and generals are women. A career intelligence officer, Daniels has been deployed to Iraq and holds a doctoral degree in computer science. Like all the armed services, the Army has struggled to diversify its ranks, particularly its officer corps. But barriers in the military for women, who make up about 16% of the active-duty force, have been coming down.

• ‘Excelled throughout’:Soldier becomes first woman to join Green Berets after graduating from Special Forces training
• ‘Go forth and kick butt’:Madeline Swegle becomes US Navy’s first Black female fighter pilot in its 110-year history
• An Army first: Two sisters attain general’s rank

Emmy nominees will be announced

Roll out the (virtual) red carpet, because the Emmy nominations are being announced on Tuesday. The nominations, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET/8:30 a.m. PT Tuesday, will be the first event in what will prove to be a very strange 2020-2021 award season.  Like many other institutions, the Television Academy have made major adjustments as they try to continue with traditions and ceremonies despite the pandemic. This summer, the Daytime Emmy Awards aired a remotely filmed ceremony, with winners sending in video acceptance speeches. The Emmys, however, have kept their Sept. 20 air date firmly on the calendar. ABC is airing the awards this year, and the network is simultaneously pursuing plans for both a traditional broadcast in a theater setting and a “virtual” one produced remotely. Jimmy Kimmel will host the ceremony in either scenario. 

• Changing the picture:The Emmys edit nomination rules to allow for more diversity among contenders
• ‘I don’t know where we will do this or how’:Jimmy Kimmel to host 2020 Emmy Awards
• Oscars delayed two months until April by COVID-19:Films released by Feb. 28 now eligible

Johnny Depp libel trial expected to end, ruling not expected yet

Johnny Depp’s lawyers will present closing arguments Tuesday in London, which is expected to bring the libel case against The Sun tabloid to a close. However, judge Andrew Nicol is not expected to deliver his ruling for several weeks. Depp is suing the top editor and publisher of The Sun tabloid in civil court after the paper labeled him a “wife beater” in a 2018 story. The trial has featured testimony from Depp’s ex-wife, Amber Heard, who testified that Depp “explicitly threatened to kill me many times.” Depp has strongly denied all of her accusations, saying she was the abuser in their brief, volatile relationship. Sometime later this year or early next year, Depp and Heard are due to put up their dukes again in a Virginia courtroom for a jury trial over Depp’s defamation civil suit against his ex-wife. 

• Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard:All the nasty bits of the UK trial — and it’s all nasty
• ‘Roundhouse punch’:Johnny Depp accuses Amber Heard of hitting him near end of their marriage
• Differing claims:Johnny Depp’s lawyers play video showing Amber Heard ‘attacked’ sister

NFL teams back in training camps

In a letter to the league’s general managers and head coaches, NFL executives outlined plans for all players excluding rookies to report to training camps on Tuesday. Rookies reported on July 21. Players reporting for camp face a five-day period that will determine who is cleared to progress to the second phase, which includes entrance into their respective team’s training facility. All participants must produce two negative PCR tests for COVID-19 results over the first four days. Teams are also facing a mandate to cut their rosters from 90 to 80 players.  

• Trimming down:Patriots release slimmer roster to fit NFL rules
• COVID-19 concerns:Players express concerns over their safety as they return to the field
• Winners and losers:Some will benefit and some won’t as NFL’s 2020 preseason canceled

Contributing: Associated Press

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