Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 05 Apr 2019
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
- Stocks in Asia edge up as investors eye US-China trade developments (CNBC) Markets in Asia edged up on Friday as hopes rise on a potential trade deal between China and the U.S. The U.S. dollar index was higher on the day at 97.217 but was lower than an earlier high of 97.327. Brent crude futures contract slipped 0.39% to $69.13 per barrel after breaking beyond the $70 per barrel barrier in the previous session. Meanwhile, U.S. crude futures fell 0.21% to $61.97 per barrel. Spot gold slipped 0.2% to $1,289.71 per ounce by 0745 GMT.
- Our nights are getting brighter, and Earth is paying the price (National Geographic) Light bulbs have a dark side, it’s that they have stolen the night. The excess light we dump into our environments is endangering ecosystems by harming animals whose life cycles depend on dark. We’re endangering ourselves by altering the biochemical rhythms that normally ebb and flow with natural light levels. And in a primal sense, we’ve lost our connection to nighttime skies, the tapestries into which our ancestors wove their star-studded stories, timed the planting and harvesting of crops, and deduced the physical laws governing the cosmos. The Milky Way, pictured below, is no longer visible to may of the people on earth.
U.S.
- Democrats seize on Mueller-Barr friction (The Hill) Democrats seized Thursday on two explosive stories that members of Robert Mueller’s team are frustrated with Attorney General William Barr’s summary of his findings, intensifying their calls for the special counsel’s full report to be released. The remarks from Democrats showed they think their hand in demanding the full release of Mueller’s report has been strengthened by the reports.
- Trump on House getting his tax returns: ‘They’ll speak to my lawyers’ (Politico) President Donald Trump dodged questions Thursday on whether he will release his tax returns, saying lawmakers need to talk to his lawyers. Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, demanded in a letter to IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig on Wednesday that six years’ worth of Trump’s personal tax returns, as well as some from his businesses, be handed over by April 10. The president’s response to reporters:
“They’ll speak to my lawyers. They’ll speak to the attorney general.”
- Disaster relief talks stalled by Trump feud with Puerto Rico (The Hill) Senate negotiators say a deal on disaster relief is unlikely this week as President Trump refuses to agree to more funding for Puerto Rico in the midst of a feud with public officials on the island. Trump’s beef with Puerto Rico has put Senate Republicans from Midwestern and Southern states in a tough spot, because they say farmers in their home states need assistance immediately.
- ‘Look what I did to her sons.’ Trump fires back at Barbara Bush remarks in new biography (USA Today) President Donald Trump dismissed criticism from former first lady Barbara Bush detailed in a new book, saying he was not surprised by her words given that he had defeated her son for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
- Hearing erupts in laughter as Democrat shuts down GOP Jim Jordan’s Mueller rant with one simple question (AlterNet) On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing about gaining access to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Rep. Jim Jordan (R, OH) wasn’t happy to be there.
- He bought the fencing coach’s house. Then his son got into Harvard (The Boston Globe) In May 2016 Peter Brand, Harvard University’s legendary fencing coach sold his house to Jie Zhao, a wealthy Maryland businessman, for close to a million dollars. Its assessed value: $549,300. The town’s top assessor was so dumbfounded that he wrote the following in his notes: “Makes no sense.” Soon enough, Jie Zhao’s younger son would gain admission and join the team. And Zhao, who never lived a day in the Needham house, would sell it 17 months after he bought it for a $324,500 loss. (See also Harvard investigating student admitted after parent bought fencing coach’s home: report (The Hill).)
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- The Biggest Banks in the U.S. in 2018 (howmuch.net) The primary season is in full swing for Democrats seeking the 2020 presidential nomination, and that means bashing the big banks is a favorite campaign topic. Here is a good graphic about those banks.
UK
- Theresa May requests Brexit delay to June 30. The EU wants it to be longer (CNN) Brexit is heading for another delay. UK Prime Minister Theresa May has written to European Council President Donald Tusk requesting another, short extension of the bedeviled process. May said she wanted an extension to June 30 — a date rejected by the European Union when the UK last sought a delay — to give more time for cross-party negotiations over the political impasse in London.
It’s likely that the EU will propose a longer process instead. Tusk is understood to prefer a year-long extension, which could be shortened if and when the UK ratifies a withdrawal deal.
- YouGov polling reveals the north, midlands, Wales and south back No Deal
- Only Scotland and London would rather stay in the EU than leave with No Deal
- The same survey of 2,000 voters reveal almost half want May to resign as PM
- Among Leave voters there is even more discontent with the Prime Minister
France
- France hosts wary G7 in shadow of Trump snub, Brexit and yellow vests (Reuters) France offered a wary welcome to foreign ministers from the Group of Seven on Friday for a meeting overshadowed by a snub from Donald Trump’s U.S. administration, a meltdown in Britain over Brexit and months of anti-government protests at home.
Germany
- German Industrial Production Jumps (Twitter)
Ethiopia
- How excess speed, hasty commands and flawed software doomed an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX (Reuters) Ethiopian authorities said on Thursday that the pilots followed all the correct procedures in trying to keep MCAS from sending the plane into a fatal dive. But the full picture of what happened in the cockpit of Flight 302 on March 10 is emerging from a preliminary report and a newly released data plot showing how crew and technology interacted.
Russia
- Kremlin says Trump idea for deal to cut arms spending should be looked at (Reuters) The Kremlin said on Friday that an idea floated by U.S. President Donald Trump for a deal between the United States, China and Russia to reduce spending on weapons production deserved attention and should be discussed further.
Philippines
- Philippines’ Duterte warns China to back off disputed island (AFP) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has warned Beijing to back off from a disputed island in the South China Sea, warning of possible military action if China “touches” it amid rising tensions over the key waterway.
Japan
- Hayabusa mission: Japanese space probe attempts to ‘bomb’ asteroid (CNN) Japan’s space agency has attempted to detonate an explosive charge on an asteroid some 195 million miles from Earth, in hopes of creating a crater and collecting samples to shed light on the origin of the solar system. The Hayabusa-2 probe deployed a Small Carry-on Impactor (SCI) — a device packed with plastic explosive — intended to blast an artificial crater in the asteroid, Ryugu. Ryugu is a carbon-rich C-type asteroid about 900m wide.
China
- China is becoming an election issue in Asia. And that’s bad news for Beijing (CNN) Two years ago, Indonesian President Joko Widodo — also known as Jokowi — stood shoulder to shoulder with Xi Jinping for a group photo to celebrate the Chinese leader’s Belt and Road project. Yet now, as Jokowi seeks re-election, he appears to be distancing himself from Beijing and downplaying the importance of Chinese-funded projects in Indonesia. It’s a pattern emerging across southeast Asia and beyond, and one that will be of great concern for Beijing as Chinese investment and ties become an awkward — if not downright toxic — election issue.
- ‘New consensus’ reached on US-China trade, says Chinese Vice Premier Liu He (CNBC)
- Chinese Vice Premier Liu He met U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House’s Oval Office on Thursday.
- The two countries are trying to strike an agreement and end a potentially devastating trade conflict.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping, through a message conveyed by Liu, told Trump that both sides have made new and substantial progress on key issues regarding trade in the past month, according to Xinhua.
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