Former NFL Player Burgess Owens Wins GOP Primary for US House Seat

Hong Kong Leader Addresses UN Human Rights Council as Criticism Mounts Over Beijing’s Security Law

“We are deeply concerned by unconfirmed reports that Beijing has passed the national security law,” said British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, according to Reuters. “This would be a grave step.” He added: “Once we have seen the full legislation, we will make a further statement.” Charles Michel, president of the European Union Council, told reporters after his video summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, “We deplore the decision,” Reuters reported. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the bloc was discussing with “international partners” on potential measures in response to Beijing’s encroachment into Hong Kong’s judicial system. According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said at a press briefing that the Moon government was “paying keen attention and watching the trend closely with…

A former professional football player won the Republican primary for Utah’s 4th Congressional District, setting up a closely-watched race in November.

Burgess Owens, 68, earned 43.5 percent of the vote, according to preliminary official results.

The Associated Press called the race late Tuesday.

Owens beat a field that included state Republican Rep. Kim Coleman. She garnered 23.8 percent of the vote.

“I am so grateful for all the support we’ve received. Friends from across the country, countless hours from volunteers have united behind our message of the American Dream,” Owens said in a statement overnight.

Owens played 10 years in the NFL after being selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft. He won a championship with the Oakland Raiders in 1980.

According to his campaign website, he supports the right to bear arms, opposes abortion, and wants to cut down on illegal immigration.

Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) in a 2018 file photograph. (Scott G Winterton/Deseret News, via AP, Pool)

Owens told Sports Illustrated he began a shift from the Democrat Party to the Republican Party during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. He said the family and economic values of the GOP attracted him.

Owens will face Rep. Ben McAdams (D-Utah) in November. McAdams, who voted to impeach Republican President Donald Trump, won in 2018 by under 700 votes over incumbent Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah).

Love was the first black female Republican in Congress and the first black woman to represent Utah in Congress. McAdams is white.

The 4th District went for Trump in 2016 by about 7 percentage points.

Sabato’s Crystal Ball and the Cook Political Report rate the district as “leans Democratic.”

Focus News: Former NFL Player Burgess Owens Wins GOP Primary for US House Seat

Hong Kong Protests Continue Despite Beijing Passing National Security Law

In Hong Kong, local activists are calling on people to take to the streets on July 1 to protest against Beijing’s national security law despite a police ban on the gathering. Several local activists including Figo Chan, vice convenor of local pro-democracy group Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF); Wu Chai-wai, chairman of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party; district councilors Tsang Kin-shing and Andy Chui; and lawmaker Eddie Chu, held a press conference at noon on Tuesday. Together they said they will be the organizers of a march from Causeway Bay to the city’s Central district on Wednesday afternoon after police rejected two applications—one from CHRF and another other from Chui—to hold a rally on July 1, the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China in 1997. CHRF, which has…