Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 25 June 2018
Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, published Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
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​Global
- Asia trades mixed as global trade tensions simmer (CNBC) Asia markets were mostly down on Monday afternoon as investors attempted to shake off jitters about trade tensions between the United States and China. The dollar index traded lower 94.641 at 3:43 p.m. HK/SIN but had climbed from an earlier low of 94.452. U.S. crude erased earlier losses to trade near flat at $68.6 a barrel while global benchmark Brent slipped 1.27% to $74.59. Spot gold was up 0.3% at $1,271.79 an ounce, as of 0059 GMT.
U.S.
- Devin Nunes sets new deadline for DOJ, FBI to hand over materials on Trump campaign informants (Washington Examiner) Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., called on Sunday for the Justice Department and the FBI to provide the House Intelligence Committee outstanding information about the use of FBI informants to make contact with members of the Trump campaign, setting a Monday deadline for his latest request.
Nunes, who chairs the House intelligence panel, blasted the DOJ and the FBI in a letter to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Sunday for “unilaterally” restricting access to some subpoenaed documents to the “Gang of Eight,” a term used to describe a bipartisan group of congressional leaders often briefed on intelligence matters.
- Trump: We must ‘immediately’ return undocumented immigrants ‘with no judges or court cases’ (The Hill) President Trump on Sunday called for immigrants who illegally enter the U.S. to be sent “back from where they came” without going through the judicial process in deportation cases.
- Gorsuch says he’ll repeal and replace the Fourth Amendment with something terrific (Think Progress) Remember when conservatives railed against justuices who “made law” instead of “interpreting it”? Times have changed.
- Ex-Trump campaign manager tells black Democrat: ‘You’re out of your cotton-picking mind’ (Washington Examiner) Former Trump campaign manager David Bossie on Sunday told a black Democratic strategist that he was “out of his cotton-picking mind,” a comment that prompted Fox News to apologize for airing it.
Bossie’s remark came after Democratic strategist Joel Payne said there were “dog whistles” emanating from the White House, during a heated discussion on civility in politics and discourse.
- President Donald J. Trump is Working to End Human Trafficking (Whitehouse.gov) The adminstration has punlished results for fighting human trafficking for FY 2017. A Tweet has been posted that seems to be much too far divergent from the WH number to possibly be true. (See next article.) Here is what the WH published:
In FY 2017, DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE/HSI) initiated 833 human trafficking cases, resulting in 1,602 arrests and 578 convictions, and identified 518 victims of human trafficking.
- Human Trafficking Arrests Since 2010 (Twitter) Here is a bogus post on human trafficking arrests. Click on title link to read thread at Twitter. See also preceding article.
Germany​
- Germany is Following Japan (Twitter)
Turkey
- Turkey’s Erdogan emerges victorious, setting him up for tighter grip on power (Reuters) Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan emerged victorious on Monday from his biggest electoral challenge in a decade and a half, giving him the sweeping, executive powers he has long sought and extending his grip on the nation of 81 million until at least 2023.
Iran
- Iran rial plunges to new lows as U.S. sanctions loom (Reuters) The Iranian rial plunged to a record low against the U.S. dollar on the unofficial market on Sunday, continuing its slide amid fears of returning U.S. sanctions after President Donald Trump in May withdrew from a deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.
India
- ‘This scheme is a lifesaver’: India’s drive to provide cheap drugs (The Guardian) A project that makes affordable medicine available to India’s poor is helping them avoid bills that might otherwise push them into destitution.
Japan
- Japan’s Abe Sees Approval Rating Jump as Scandal Fears Recede (Bloomberg) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s approval rating jumped in two public opinion surveys, in the latest sign his premiership had escaped danger after a series of domestic scandals earlier this year. Approval for Abe’s government climbed 10 percentage points to 52%, according to a poll conducted by the Nikkei newspaper and TV Tokyo. Disapproval dropped to 42% in the poll conducted between Friday and Sunday, compared with 53% in May. Separately, a poll by the Mainichi newspaper found the cabinet’s support climbed 5 percentage points to 36%.
The polls suggest that Abe has survived another political close-call after allegations of cronyism and abuse of power drove down his popularity just months ahead of a crucial party election. The September vote to decide leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party will probably determine whether Abe can stay on to become Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, since a fragmented opposition poses little electoral threat.
- Single Parent Poverty in Japan (Twitter)
North Korea
- U.S. to give North Korea post-summit timeline with ‘asks’ soon: official (Reuters) The United States will soon present a timeline to North Korea with “specific asks” of Pyongyang after a historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a senior U.S. defense official said.
China
- New fears over Chinese espionage grip Washington (The Hill) Fresh concerns over Chinese espionage are gripping Washington as lawmakers fear Beijing is gaining sensitive details on U.S. technologies. Lawmakers are scrutinizing the Pentagon over its efforts to keep military secrets safe from hackers, after Chinese actors allegedly breached a Navy contractor’s computer and collected data on submarine technology.
U.S. officials stepped up warnings that China regularly steals American intellectual property and technology, through cyberattacks and other means – allegations Beijing denies.
- Trump is reportedly planning major new restrictions against China (CNBC) President Donald Trump plans to bar many Chinese companies from investing in U.S. tech and to block additional technology exports to China, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday evening, citing people familiar with the matter. The two measures are set to be announced by the end of the week, and are intended to counter Beijing’s Made in China 2025 – a Chinese initiative to be a global leader in technology.
- As trade war looms, China cuts some banks’ reserve requirements to boost lending (Reuters) China’s central bank said on Sunday it would cut the amount of cash that some banks must hold as reserves by 50 basis points (bps), releasing $108 billion in liquidity, to accelerate the pace of debt-for-equity swaps and spur lending to smaller firms.
- Yuan Big Move (Twitter)
Mexico
- Migrants ‘knock at front door’ for asylum after Trump crackdown (Reuters) More Mexicans and Central Americans are lining up to make asylum requests at the U.S.-Mexico border as word spreads of a U.S. crackdown on families crossing illegally and the threat of brutal gangs lying in wait if they go it alone.
