Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend
Trump blasts San Juan mayor, Hollywood fires back
President Trump defended his administration's response to the humanitarian disaster in Puerto Rico Sunday, dismissing any critics of his relief efforts as "fake news" and "politically motivated ingrates." Trump's comments follow a barrage of tweets on Saturday, in which he directly targeted the mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz, who had questioned the pace of relief efforts to the island battered by Hurricane Maria. Political opponents contrasted Trump's approach to Puerto Rico to his recent hurricane recovery efforts in Texas and Florida. Hollywood also criticized the president, with comments from Stephen King, Lady Gaga, Luis Fonsi and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who told Trump, "You're going straight to hell."
Price becomes Wright at HHS
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned on Friday, ending days of criticism by President Trump over Price's use of private airplanes. Price racked up roughly $1 million in flight costs on private and military aircraft since taking office in February. Price is the latest high-ranking official to leave the Trump administration and the second Cabinet secretary to do so. Don Wright, who has been at HHS for 10 years, was appointed acting secretary late Friday night.
It's official: The Juice is loose
O.J. Simpson is a free man. The former football legend was released on parole early Sunday morning after serving nine years for a botched hotel-room heist in Las Vegas. The crime brought the conviction and prison time he avoided in the killings of his ex-wife and her friend after his 1995 acquittal in the “trial of the century” in Los Angeles. Now that he's out of prison, Simpson may be considering a move to Florida, but the Sunshine State's attorney general isn't having it. She's concerned Simpson could burden local law enforcement and/or endanger Floridians.
Trump: Rex Tillerson is wasting his time negotiating with North Korea
President Trump on Sunday appeared to undercut his own secretary of State, tweeting that Rex Tillerson is "wasting his time" by trying to resolve the nuclear standoff with North Korea by negotiating with its leader Kim Jong Un. On Saturday, Tillerson acknowledged the U.S. is in "direct contact" with the North Korean government and has asked Pyongyang whether they would like to discuss their missile and nuclear tests.
Hundreds injured in crackdown on 'illegal' Catalonia independence vote
Violence and chaos erupted Sunday in northeastern Spain when riot police smashed into polling stations in a crackdown on a banned referendum on independence in the autonomous Catalonia region. More than 800 people were injured, some seriously, after Spanish riot police fired rubber bullets at some would-be voters and clashed with protesters. Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, Spain's deputy prime minister, said Spanish police intervened with “firmness and proportionality."
Scaled-back NFL demonstrations during national anthem
One week after protests and demonstrations swept the NFL in response to President Trump, players and teams continued with the displays on Sunday. Approximately 30 players from the San Francisco 49ers kneeled during the anthem, though fewer players throughout the league chose to do so this week. Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick opted not to stand last year to protest racial injustice and police brutality. The Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions were among the other teams who had individual players kneel during the national anthem.
SNL is back
Saturday Night Live came roaring back for its 43rd season with a cold open sketch knocking President Trump for his response to the crisis in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. The sketch found Alec Baldwin's Trump in the Oval Office, returned from golfing in New Jersey. “Sometimes when you’re president you have to make sacrifices, so I skipped the back nine,” he said to Aidy Bryant as Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Also worth noting from the season premiere: Ryan Gosling, who just can't keep it together.
