Monday, October 7
Oped of the Day: Trump Won’t Stop His Abuses of Power (Michael Bloomberg – Bloomberg Opinion)
The president is violating his oath of office in plain sight. Congress can’t accept that.
Impeachment is never something to be celebrated. It risks doing grave damage to public confidence in government and worsening America’s already polarized politics.
An election that cast Trump from office would be the soundest and most enduring rebuke to this presidency.
Congress cannot stand by while any president violates his oath of office, abuses his power for personal gain and solicits foreign interference in American elections. Even in an administration where the reigning ethical standard is “not technically illegal,” this flagrant misconduct stands out.
Today in Trade.
Broad Trade Pact Likely Off the Table: China Narrows Scope for Trade Deal With U.S. Ahead of Talks (Bloomberg)
Chinese officials are signaling they’re increasingly reluctant to agree to a broad trade deal pursued by President Donald Trump, ahead of negotiations starting Thursday that have raised hopes of a potential truce.
Factory Job Losses Send New Warning Signal to Trump on Trade War (Bloomberg)
Total payrolls at factories contracted by about 2,000 in September when economists had expected a 3,000 gain, according to the monthly jobs report released on Friday. (Friday also was Manufacturing Day, the industry’s unofficial holiday.)
The figures are the latest indication of the hit factories are taking amid slowing growth globally and the ongoing trade war with China, which not only increases prices for companies but also causes investment uncertainty.
Also: American Railroads Are Already in Recession With No End in Sight (Bloomberg)
White House Watch.
Brexit Countdown – 24 Days Away.
Brexit Deal Prospects Fade as Talks Stall, EU Signals Pessimism (Bloomberg)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar both signaled they want progress by Friday, adding to a sense that time is running out for the two sides to come together.
Global Affairs.
Opening for ISIS? Trump Pulls Troops from Northern Syria as Turkey Readies Offensive (Washington Post)
In an initial reaction to the pullout, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump supporter, tweeted, “If press reports are accurate this is a disaster in the making” and will aid Islamic State
Iraqi Protests Broaden as Violent Crackdown Spirals (Washington Post)
Scoop: Trump Orders Cut to National Security Staff After Whistle-Blower (Bloomberg)
Financial News.
Gun Safety Update.
Watch: How U.S. Companies like Dick’s Sporting Goods are Reshaping the Gun Control Debate (CBS News)
Mike Bloomberg, who invested millions of his own money to form the non-profit Everytown for Gun Safety, sees what corporate America is doing as aligning itself with the public polling on guns.
“We evolve, and a lot of things we do today, we wouldn’t have done before,” Bloomberg told CBS News.
Today in New York.
Former NYC Officials: Mayor de Blasio Must Fix Violent Homeless Problem (New York Post)
In the wake of the brutal killing of four homeless men this weekend in Manhattan, former New York City officials say the blame rests squarely with current City Hall policies.
“There’s been an increasing tolerance for the homeless on city streets, sidewalks and subway stations during this administration,” said Mitchell Moss, professor of urban policy at NYU and a former campaign advisor to Michael Bloomberg.
“As this awful crime shows, letting people live on the street is dangerous and inhumane and we shouldn’t allow people to do it,” said Edward Skyler, once an aide to Mayor Bloomberg (and now VP at Citi).
“No one wants to ask police officers to be social workers, but there are points when they are the only ones equipped to handle situations,” he said.
Today in Coding.
Future of Music: That Music You’re Dancing To? It’s Code (New York Times)
Collectives in New York, Mexico City and Moscow are bringing computer languages to the club – composing music with code rather than traditional instruments.
Welcome to “live coding,” where a D.J. takes the stage with a laptop, opens up a coding interface, and constructs music in real time.
Weekend Box Office.
‘Joker’ Box Office: All the Records Broken (Hollywood Reporter)
Setting a new high for the month of October, the Warner Brothers film raked in $93.5 million in the US and $140.5 million overseas for a global start of $234 million.
Best of late night.
Watch: From Saturday Night Live’s cold open, Vice President Mike Pence (played by Beck Bennett) consults with William Barr (Aidy Bryant), Rudy Giuliani (Kate McKinnon) and Mike Pompeo (Matthew Broderick) to strategize about his options during Trump’s impeachment investigation.
Responding to the suggestion that they all “get their story straight,” Pence responds:
“Because, even if they’re not straight now, they could still be converted to straight, right?”
Watch the cold open here.
And from SNL’s Weekend Update:
“Residents on Staten Island are upset with a local man who keeps a pet horse in his yard saying that the animal smells and attracts flies. But you know what else smells and attracts flies? Staten Island.”
— Michael Che (Important reader note: Aggie and I love Staten Island)
“As impeachment gains momentum, President Trump said he may stop referring to the media as ‘fake news’ and start calling them ‘corrupt news.’ In response, the media said they may stop referring to him as ‘President Trump,’ and start calling him ‘former President Trump.’”
— Colin Jost
“It also came out that Trump suggested adding a moat filled with alligators and snakes to his proposed border wall. I don’t know how to say this, but are we sure it’s okay to make fun of this guy?”
— Michael Che