Wednesday, October 30
Bulletin: Chile Cancels Summit Where Trump and Xi Expected to Meet, Sign Trade Accord (Bloomberg)
Trump’s plan to ink a trade accord with Xi next month has been thrown into question after Chile canceled an upcoming summit where the two leaders planned to meet. The cancellation was due to social unrest that continued to rock Santiago.
Germany Announces Cloud Effort.
France Joins German Cloud Effort to Challenge Amazon and Alibaba (Bloomberg)
Geopolitical tensions and trade wars are making European politicians cautious about domestic champions ceding control of their data to the likes of Amazon, Google or China’s Alibaba, fearing European companies could lose control of data about customers or production. Specialists from SAP SE, Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Bank AG have worked on the project — named Gaia-X after a Greek goddess symbolizing Earth.
UK’s December 12 Election.
How Boris Johnson’s Brexit Election Gamble Could Backfire, Risk of Theresa May Debacle Repeat (Bloomberg News)
Remember the 2015 U.K. election shock? And the 2016 Brexit referendum shock? And the 2017 U.K. election shock? A common feature of all of them was a failure of the polling companies to properly detect a shift in public opinion.
That said, current polls point to Boris Johnson being at risk of Theresa May’s electoral debacle.
Impeachment Today.
Finance and Economy section.
U.S. Economy Holds Up With 1.9% Growth on Consumer Strength (Bloomberg)
“It’s the same theme: Strong consumer, weak business,” said Michelle Girard, chief U.S. economist at NatWest Markets.
Trump Praises Today’s 1.9% GDP Growth – Blasted Exact Same Number Under Obama (The Week)
Senator Marco Rubio Plans Bill to Block Federal Pensions Investing in China (Bloomberg)
Climate Watch.
Toyota’s Support of Trump Emissions Rules Shocks Californians (New York Times)
Mike Bloomberg responded: “Some automakers failed to learn the lessons of the past: American consumers reward companies that offer better fuel efficiency. I’ll continue supporting state attorneys general who push back on the Trump Administration’s opposition to higher standards.”
Climate Study: Scientists Triple Population at Risk of Climate-Triggered Flooding (Associated Press)
Click here for maps showing how Bangkok, Shanghai, Mumbai and Ho Chi Minh City fare under the new flood projections for 2050.
Health Today.
The FDA has faced criticism for not implementing rules announced on Sept. 11.
Last week, Michael Bloomberg, whose Bloomberg Philanthropies recently launched a $160 million initiative against e-cigarettes, said in a statement, “Any plan that doesn’t ban those flavors is no plan at all. The Administration must stand firm against tobacco industry pressure and honor its commitment to get rid of all flavors.”
Streaming TV Today.
Apple TV Plus Launches Friday at $4.99/Month – The Lowest Price for Major Subscription Services (USA Today)
The new TV landscape can be a daunting avalanche of choices, and subscribing to every new service can easily end up costing more than that cable bill you already cut. USA Today ranks the current choices from best to worst. Hulu, Netflix and Disney+ top the list.
Best of late night.
On criticism of Fox News host Laura Ingraham for attacking decorated U.S. Army veteran Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman for testifying in the impeachment probe:
“And hey, do you really think it’s smart to attack veterans on Fox News? Veterans make up a pretty good chunk of your audience. I think it goes veterans, people visiting their elderly relatives, and rage-aholic golfers age 73 and up.”
— Seth Meyers
“I saw that Walgreens is opening up 100 Jenny Craig outlets inside their stores. That’s pretty cruel, making people walk through an aisle full of Halloween candy before going into a Jenny Craig.”
— Jimmy Fallon
“The University of Arizona announced yesterday that it will be changing its abbreviation from ‘UA’ to ‘U Arizona’ in an attempt to differentiate itself from United Airlines. It will also differentiate itself from United Airlines by providing meals.”
— Seth Meyers