The stories that matter.
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…that I may tear gas them.”
1. The tensions President Trump fomented on the southern border have reached the point of violence. On Sunday, people desperate to cross the border came up against Border Patrol agents, who deployed tear gas to disperse them. Agents deemed this response was necessary because some of the migrants threw rocks. This is hard to justify though, as some of those hit by the gas were young children. President Trump, naturally, defended the actions of the agents, added new lies about immigrants to his repertoire, and threatened to close the border completely to prevent illegal immigration. Trump has also failed to provide a method for migrants in the caravan to apply for asylum, which they have a right to do on US territory under both American law and international conventions.
In related news, the Washington Post reported that the Mexican government had reached an agreement with the US to keep asylum seekers in Mexico pending a review of their case. However, this was quickly denied by Mexico’s incoming interior minister. Still, about 100 migrants who tried to cross were deported by the Mexican authorities.
2. The conflict between Russia in Ukraine escalated again this weekend, following the Russian attack and capture of three Ukrainian ships and their crew. The ships were crossing the Kerch Strait, a narrow body of water between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Ukraine claims that they had notified Russia of the ships’ passage, but Russia denies this. The Russian seizure sent both NATO and the UN Security Council scrambling into emergency meetings. Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko imposed martial law for a period of 30 days, a move which some fret would inhibit elections from happening on time next year. True to form, President Trump has not condemned Russian actions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the ships of breaking international laws regarding sovereignty, a statement almost laughably hypocritical given Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, a country it has always seen as its own backyard. Following a revolution to oust Ukraine’s Russian-backed President, Russia supported separatists in the eastern part of the country with shadowy troop brigades they deemed “volunteers.” They then illegally annexed Crimea, a vitally important province where this weekend’s skirmish took place. While this iteration of the standoff will likely reach a conclusion, Ukraine’s conflicts with Russia are far from over; worse yet, Russia may be emboldened to continue them.
3. Prime Minister Theresa May has set December 11th as the date for a vote on her Brexit deal. After a drawn-out negotiation with the EU, she now faces the even harder task of getting parliament to agree on it. The only “success” she can point to so far is getting opposite sides to agree on how much they all hate the deal. MPs in her own party, her coalition partner, and in the opposition Labour party all oppose the deal. So do members of the Leave and Remain camps, which overlap the political spectrum. Those who want a full Brexit complain the drawn up deal essentially leaves the UK in the EU without any say in its decision making. Remainers, meanwhile, are hoping the deal’s failure will lead to a second referendum. The divisions seem intractable, and the likelihood of no one getting what they want is likely.
4. Another gas attack has been reported in Syria, this time in the city of Aleppo. The government and its Russian allies both blame rebels of chlorine bomb strikes in the city, injuring about 100 people. Aleppo has been in government control for almost two years, but some of the surrounding region is still in control of rebel forces. Poisonous gas attacks have normally been attributed to government forces supporting the rule of Presiden Bashar al Assad. This latest attack threatens a fragile ceasefire in nearby Idlib province, the last remaining rebel stronghold.
5. GM has announced plans to shut down five factories and cut 15 percent of its salaried jobs, in a cost-cutting measure. The plants to close are in Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, and Canada. GM says this move was needed to reflect changes in its production strategy (they also announced cutting many of its passenger models) However, this is the latest in a series of financial news signaling that Trump’s economic record, including his tax cuts for the wealthy, is not as rosy as conservatives make it out to be. This includes the recent stock market downturn, sell-off of major tech stocks, and pharma company Pfizer’s plan to hike drug prices, among others. Taken together, there appear to be three general takeaways: an economic slowdown is approaching; companies have taken Trump’s tax cuts and have gone right back to business as usual (cost cutting, share buybacks, and raising prices); and that Trump, riding an Obama-initiated economic surge for the entirety of his presidency so far, will have little to show for it once it is over.
