Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 01 November 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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Notice: We have changed the form of content coverage for Early Bird. We will provide discussion only for Asia Markets news and a small number (often 1 or 2) other articles. The remainder of the content will be headlines (with links) only.
Key Articles
Global
- Asia stocks mostly advance amid renewed US-China trade concerns (CNBC) Stocks in Asia mostly advanced on the first trading day of November amid renewed concerns over the potential for a long-term trade deal between China and the U.S. . Mainland Chinese stocks rose by the close. The U.S. dollar index was last lower at 97.212 after slipping from levels above 97.4 yesterday. Oil prices were mixed in the afternoon of Asian trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures shedding earlier gains to decline 0.1% to $59.56 per barrel. U.S. crude futures gained 0.13% to $54.25 per barrel. Spot gold was a shade lower at $1,513 per ounce as of 0817 GMT, while U.S. gold futures were unchanged at $1,515.30 per ounce.
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U.S.
- Trump’s Presidency on Treacherous New Ground After House Vote (Bloomberg) Donald Trump’s presidency stands on its most treacherous ground after the House voted Thursday to approve and proceed with its impeachment inquiry. The resolution, passed on a largely party-line 232-196 vote, does not just lay out a road map for the public phase of the inquiry. It sends a clear signal that a vote to impeach Trump, and a trial in the Senate, is all but inevitable.
- White House official corroborates diplomat’s account that Trump appeared to seek quid pro quo (The Washington Post) Tim Morrison, the top Russia and Europe adviser on President Trump’s National Security Council, verified that Trump’s envoy to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, conveyed to a Ukrainian official that the military aid would be released if the country investigated an energy firm linked to the son of former vice president Joe Biden. Morrison, who announced his resignation the night before his testimony, said he did not necessarily view the president’s demands as improper or illegal, but rather problematic for U.S. policy in supporting an ally in the region.
- Judge chides DOJ for trying to block star Mueller witness testimony (Politico) A federal judge sharply challenged the Trump administration on Thursday over its objections to a House Democratic lawsuit trying to force the testimony of one of Robert Mueller’s star witnesses as part of their broader impeachment inquiry. Lawmakers have been fighting to bring in former White House counsel Don McGahn (pictured below) for questioning since he showed up repeatedly at the center of anecdotes detailing President Donald Trump’s potential obstruction of justice in the special counsel’s final report. But the Justice Department has tried to block McGahn’s testimony, arguing that the ex-Trump aide can essentially ignore a congressional subpoena related to his time in the White House, and that the courts shouldn’t weigh in on a dispute between Congress and the executive branch.
James Burnham, arguing for the Justice Department, replied that the dispute between the House Judiciary Committee and McGahn should not be resolved through litigation. He argued that the Constitution and more than two centuries of interactions between the White House and Congress hadn’t required courts to weigh in. And Jackson shouldn’t now, he said.
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- The most important part of the Democrats’ impeachment resolution (Vox) The most important aspect of the impeachment resolution passed 232-196 (mostly along party lines) is that the Democratic chair Adam Schiff is exampt from the 5 minute rule for questioning and can use up to 45 minutes, provided he makes identical time available to the Ranking Republican member Devin Nunes. An especially consequential aspect of this provision, Schiff and Nunes may also delegate their questioning time to “a Permanent Select Committee employee.” That means that professional counsel, who have both the skill set to conduct an effective interrogation and the ability to devote all their time to preparing for hearings, will be able to question witnesses.
In effect, the new rules may bifurcate the hearings between the extended question time enjoyed by Schiff and Nunes and the more limited question time devoted to other members. And the latter part of the hearings could prove just as unenlightening as any other Congressional hearing.
But it’s probably not possible to remove spectacle and incompetence entirely from a congressional hearing. What the new rules accomplish is that they allow Schiff and his legal team to have long periods of questioning that cannot be seized by either bad-faith actors or by members who simply don’t know what they are doing.
And that gives the Democrats a much better chance of making their case against Trump than if they followed the ordinary rules.
- AP-NORC Poll: Trump approval steady as impeachment rages (Associated Press) President Donald Trump’s approval rating is holding steady as the House presses forward with an impeachment probe that could imperil his presidency, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But there are warning signs in the survey for Trump.
Though Trump remains overwhelmingly popular within his own party, some Republicans have a critical view of the president’s honesty, his discipline and his respect for America’s democratic norms. Overall, 61% of Americans say Trump has little or no respect for the country’s democratic institutions and traditions, an issue that strikes at the heart of the impeachment inquiry focused in part on whether he sought a foreign government’s help for personal political gain.
The result is an electorate with raw emotions about the president. Nearly half say Trump makes them feel angry. And four in 10 Americans, including about 2 in 10 Republicans, say the president makes them feel overwhelmed.
- ‘Fireside chat on live television’: Trump says he wants to read Ukraine call transcript to American people (Washington Examiner) A defiant President Trump signaled he will not cooperate with the Democratic Party’s impeachment proceedings, insisting his telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “a good call” and that he might read it aloud to Americans so they can see his point. (Note: Testimony has raised doubt whether the transcript is accurate.)
- Clinton-Obama emails sought by Sen. Ron Johnson amid Dems’ impeachment inquiry (Fox News) Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson on Thursday formally sought “all email communications” between Hillary Clinton and former President Obama, saying the Justice Department was blocking their release — even though they could shed light on whether the former secretary of state discussed sensitive matters on her unsecured personal email system while she was overseas.
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Mexico
- El Chapo’s son captured, then released during shootout in Mexico (CBS News, YouTube) During a shootout between Mexican authorities and the powerful Sinaloa cartel, the son of notorious drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was captured. CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman speaks with CBSN about why authorities then released him, even while the United States has an active warrant out for his arrest.
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Other important articles
U.S.
- Trump’s audacious impeachment defense (CNN) Donald Trump has solved his problem over his weak impeachment defense, fusing it with an audacious reelection pitch that makes a virtue of the rule-breaking character that got him into trouble.
- Senate GOP shifts tone on impeachment (The Hill) Senate Republicans are taking the House impeachment proceedings against President Trump more seriously as damaging revelations against the president mount and the possibility of a quick dismissal of the charges shrinks.
- Keystone oil pipeline leaks 383,000 gallons in North Dakota (Associated Press)
- Trump, Lifelong New Yorker, Declares Himself a Resident of Florida (The New York Times)
- Trump says poor treatment and high taxes prompted permanent residence change (The Hill)
- Thousands lose power as severe thunderstorms sweep north (Associated Press) Hundreds of thousands of customers lost power as severe thunderstorms raked the Eastern Seaboard on an atmospheric Halloween night from mSouth Carolina to Maine. More is coming. See LIVE ALL WEEK: Weather 28 Oct Through 3 Nov 2019. Map below is forecast for Friday morning 8:45 am. Map auto updates in article as the day progresses.
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- Rep. Katie Hill decries ‘dirtiest gutter politics I’ve seen’ in fiery farewell speech (NBC News)
- $16.8 Million In Campaign Funds Went To Trump Businesses, Latest Records Reveal (Huffington Post)
- Ex-Trump official says Republicans, not just Democrats, should support forgiving student debt (CNBC)
UK
- Trump says Johnson’s Brexit could rule out US trade deal (The Guardian)
- Healthcare may trump Brexit in battle for British vote (Reuters)
Ukraine
Syria
- ‘Best bad option’: Syria Kurds brace for regime return (AFP)
- Turkey hands over 18 Syrian soldiers after Russian coordination (Reuters)
India
- India strips Kashmir of special status and divides it in two (The Guardian) Delhi has formally revoked the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional autonomy and split it into two federal territories in an attempt to integrate it fully into India.
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China
- China to ‘perfect’ Hong Kong leader appointment system, warns on national security (Reuters)
- A private survey shows China’s manufacturing activity expanded in October, better than expected (CNBC)
Peru
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