Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 14 February 2020.
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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Key Articles
Global
- Asia stocks mostly rise as investors mull virus impact; Singapore flags risk of recession (CNBC) Stocks in Asia were mostly higher on Friday as concerns around the ongoing coronavirus outbreak continued to weigh on investor sentiment. Mainland Chinese stocks gained on the day. The U.S. dollar index was last higher at 99.113 after seeing an earlier low of 99.087. Oil prices were higher in the afternoon of Asian trading hours, with the international benchmark Brent crude futures contract up fractionally to $56.37 per barrel. U.S. crude futures were 0.12% higher at $51.48 per barrel. Spot gold was down 0.1% at $1,574.69 per ounce as of 0427 GMT. Governemt bond yields were lower.
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U.S.
- Barr blasts Trump’s tweets: ‘Impossible for me to do my job’: ABC News Exclusive (ABC News) In an exclusive interview, Attorney General Bill Barr told ABC News on Thursday that President Donald Trump “has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case” but should stop tweeting about the Justice Department because his tweets “make it impossible for me to do my job.” Barr’s comments are a rare break with a president who the attorney general has aligned himself with and fiercely defended. But it also puts Barr in line with many of Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill who say they support the president but wish he’d cut back on his tweets. Barr said:
“I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody … whether it’s Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president. I’m gonna do what I think is right. And you know … I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”
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- Trump appears to link national security decisions to demand that New York drop investigations (Politico) President Donald Trump appeared Thursday to link his administration’s policies toward New York to a demand that the state drop investigations and lawsuits related to his administration as well as his personal business and finances. See also Trump meets with New York Governor Cuomo on “Trusted Traveler” program (CBS News, YouTube).
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- Dramatic temperature plunge, snow clamp an icy grip on northern US (AccuWeather.com) Temperatures crashed by dozens of degrees in portions of the northern and central Plains as snow and wind whipped across the region at midweek — and forecasters say that dangerous conditions could develop as temperatures take a free fall across the Midwest into Friday night. Marginally cold conditions have swooped in following storms in the Midwest so far this winter, but the current temperature plunge sweeping across the region has really sunk its teeth in. In a few locations temperatures may fall to around 30F below zero (-35C). To get the latest weather details and great graphics see LIVE: Current Weather And Forecasts Up To 7 Days – Friday 14 February 2020.
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Other important articles
Global
- Track the Coronavirus Outbreak on Johns Hopkins Live Dashboard (MedPage Today) This tracker from Johns Hopkins University provides realtime information and tracks cases of this novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China, as well as around the world, including numbers of deaths, recovered patients, and countries affected.
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U.S.
- McConnell: Trump ‘ought to listen to’ Barr’s advice on DOJ tweets (The Hill)
- Trump says he may stop allowing aides to listen to foreign leader calls following infamous Ukraine call (USA Today)
- Trump hits back at John Kelly: ‘Can’t keep his mouth shut’ (Fox News)
- Trump to headline a $580,600-per-couple fundraiser, the most expensive of his reelection bid (The Washington Post)
- In Bipartisan Bid to Restrain Trump, Senate Passes Iran War Powers Resolution (The New York Times)
- Majority of voters say Hunter Biden’s job at Burisma was ‘inappropriate’: poll (The Hill) A new poll found a majority of respondents classified former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s job at Burisma as “inappropriate.” A Politico/Morning Consult poll (see next article) found 52% of participants found the fact that Hunter Biden sat on the board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma “inappropriate,” compared to 18% of people who thought it was appropriate. A total of 57% of registered voters in the survey said his position amounted to a scandal, while 19% said it did not.
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- Poll: Majority says Biden son’s Ukraine job was inappropriate (Politico) Form 18-page poll report: National Tracking Poll Report.
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- Sanders builds double-digit national lead: poll (The Hill) There is some confusion here. See Chuck Todd: ‘I don’t understand how Bernie is considered a frontrunner’ after New Hampshire primary.
- McClatchy files for bankruptcy protection (Associated Press) The publisher of the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and dozens of other newspapers across the country is filing for bankruptcy protection. McClatchy’s 30 newsrooms, including The Charlotte Observer, The News & Observer in Raleigh, and The Star-Telegram in Fort Worth, will continue to operate as usual as the publisher reorganizes under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Iraq
- Rocket hits Iraq base hosting US troops: military (AFP) A rocket slammed into an Iraqi base where American troops are stationed in the remote province of Kirkuk, Iraq’s military and a US security source told AFP on Thursday night. Both US troops and Iraqi federal police forces are stationed there but neither sustained casualties.
Afghanistan
China
- China Expands Chaotic Dragnet in Coronavirus Crackdown (The New York Times) Article describes an a completely inadequate response effort in Wuhan.
Australia
Mexico
- Fact check: Trump falsely claims ‘redemption money’ from immigrants is paying for border wall, baffling experts (CNN) Nobody knows what “redemption money” is.
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