Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 19 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
- Japan, South Korea, China trade higher as other Asian markets remain closed for Good Friday (CNBC) arkets in Japan, South Korea and China traded higher on Friday while other Asia Pacific markets, including Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia, were closed for a public holiday. The dollar index traded higher at 97.363, climbing from levels near 96.900 earlier in the week. Global benchmark Brent rose about $0.35 to $71.97 a barrel while U.S. crude was up $0.24 to $64. Spot gold was nearly unchanged at $1,273.79 per ounce, having fallen to its lowest since Dec. 27 at $1,270.63 earlier in the session.
- A Message from the Future with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez​ (The Intercept) Here is a propaganda film with a vision of the future.
U.S.
- Robert Mueller Did Not Merely Reject the Trump-Russia Conspiracy Theories. He Obliterated Them. (The Intercept) [See also from The Intercept: Dear Democrats: Mueller Just Handed You a Road Map for Impeachment. Follow It.]The two-pronged conspiracy theory that has dominated U.S. political discourse for almost three years – that (1) Trump, his family and his campaign conspired or coordinated with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election, and (2) Trump is beholden to Russian President Vladimir Putin – was not merely rejected today by the final report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. It was obliterated: in an undeniable and definitive manner.
Mueller, in addition to concluding that evidence was insufficient to charge any American with crimes relating to Russian election interference, also stated emphatically in numerous instances that there was no evidence – not merely that there was insufficient evidence to obtain a criminal conviction – that key prongs of this three-year-old conspiracy theory actually happened. As Mueller himself put it: “in some instances, the report points out the absence of evidence or conflicts in the evidence about a particular fact or event.”
- Mueller report lays out obstruction evidence against the president (The Washington Post) The long-awaited report from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III details abundant evidence against President Trump, finding 10 episodes of potential obstruction but ultimately concluding it was not Mueller’s role to determine whether the commander in chief broke the law. See also Mueller report unable to clear Trump of obstruction of justice (The Guardian). Mueller’s team stated in the report submitted to Congress on Thursday:
“The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that would need to be resolved if we were making a traditional prosecutorial judgment. At the same time, if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.”
- Mueller report: The winners and losers (The Hill) Here is the list:
- Winners: Robert Mueller, President Trump, Congressional Republicans, Former White House Counsel Donald McGann.
- Mixed: Nancy Pelosi.
- Losers: Attorney General William Barr, Cable News Pundits.
- Sarah Sanders addresses false statements detailed in Mueller report: ‘A slip of the tongue’ (The Hill) White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday night addressed part of the Mueller report that said she made false statements to reporters regarding the firing of FBI Director James Comey. Sanders told Fox News host Sean Hannity:
“I acknowledge that I had a slip of the tongue when I used the word ‘countless’ but it’s not untrue … that a number of both current and former FBI agents agreed with the president.”
EU
- US handbags, helicopters and hazelnuts all put on $20 billion EU tariff list after Boeing ruling (CNBC)
- The European Commission threatened to impose charges on U.S. imports worth $20 billion on Wednesday.
- It comes after a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling last month which said the U.S. government had failed to end illegal support of Boeing.
- Both sides have agreed to open talks designed to reduce trade barriers.
- Economy close to stalling (Capital Economics) We suspect that GDP increased by only 0.1% in the first quarter of this year. The divergence between the manufacturing and services sectors has, if anything, increased, and this in turn has exacerbated the gap in performance between countries. Germany is flirting with recession while Italy’s economic contraction has continued. In contrast, activity in both France and Spain is holding up much better. Employment has continued to increase but at a slowing pace. [See also Europe’s economy is experiencing a crisis of confidence (CNBC).]
UK
- Off-duty journalist shot dead during Northern Ireland riot (Reuters) An off-duty journalist was killed after shots were fired during rioting in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry overnight, in what police on Friday said was likely the work of militant nationalists opposed to the British region’s 1998 peace deal. See also Twitter:
Turkey
- Turkey pins hopes on Trump to avoid sanctions over Russia missile deal (Reuters) Turkey’s hopes of avoiding punishing U.S. sanctions over its purchase of a Russian air defense system appear increasingly pinned on intervention from Donald Trump, but the president has little leeway to counter Ankara’s many critics in Washington.
India
- The verdict on India’s strongman, Narendra Modi (The Guardian) Religious conflicts, caste antagonism, economic fears: India’s 900 million voters present a formidable challenge to the country’s leader as he battles for re-election. Michael Safi and Kakoli Bhattacharya test the mood of a restless population in the key state of Uttar Pradesh. Across India up to 900m will vote in India’s gargantuan elections, that start on 11 April and continue for six weeks. Their choice will be driven by local grievances, national issues, their caste or class, and rumours and misinformation shared online. Above all, however, it will be a referendum on Modi, the country’s most powerful and polarising prime minister in generations. The two most key states will be Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
North Korea
- What US intelligence believes happened with North Korea’s weapons test (CNN) The US does not believe North Korea successfully launched a fully operational new weapon after Pyongyang claimed it had conducted a “new tactical guided weapons firing test” on Wednesday, according to a US official directly familiar with the latest assessment.
The initial US intelligence assessment is North Korea tested components for an anti-tank weapon, rather than a fully operational new weapon
China
- Refused US visa eight times, Zoom CEO is now a billionaire (Bloomberg) After two years of rejection nearly 30 years ago, China-born EricYuan, 49, finally made it to the U.S. and is now the major shareholder of video conference services firm Zoom Video Communications Inc., which raised $751 million in an initial public offering Wednesday.
Yuan and his family sold stock worth $57 million, based on Zoom’s IPO price of $36 a share. The company’s shares closed at $62 on their first day trading on New York’s Nasdaq Global Select Market, valuing their stake at $3.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
- China Capital Flows Look Positive (The Daily Shot) Capital inflows are expected to grow through 2020.
Mexico
- Videos appear to show armed militia detaining migrants at US-Mexico border (The Guardian) Armed rightwing militia members detained a large group of migrants at the US-Mexico border and coordinated with US border patrol agents to have them arrested, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, in a series of actions the civil liberties organization called a “kidnapping” and a flagrant violation of the law. See also Rights group condemns U.S. ‘vigilante’ treatment of migrants on border (Reuters)
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