Boris Johnson opens campaign
Former UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson on Wednesday faced just 6 questions from the media as he launched his bid to become leader of the Conservative Party and thereby the next British prime minister, The New York Times reports. Johnson said he would deliver Brexit, could defeat Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, would be a champion of business and support the “poorest and neediest” in society, according to The Sun. But several media, including The Guardian and the BBC, questioned his claims to have achieved great things as mayor of London
No to no No Deal
MPs in British parliament have defeated a Labour-led attempt to ensure the government could not lead the country to a no deal Brexit. The Guardian says the result will have bolstered Boris Johnson’s leadership bid. But the BBC reports that the opposition’s Brexit spokesman Kier Starmer has not given up and cited him saying, “there will be other procedural mechanisms we can use.”
Trump would listen to foreign info
US president Donald Trump has told ABC News that he would not necessarily alert the FBI if foreign governments offered damaging information on his opponents in the 2020 presidential election. Claiming such information would not be “interference”, Trump said “there’s nothing wrong with listening.” In The Atlantic, David Frum said the “astonishing confession” had “forced us all to confront” the risks of not proceeding with impeachment hearings against the president. But former Republican senator and CNN commentator Rick Santorum defended Trump, saying he had just used “filler words that don't mean what they say”, according to The Daily Beast.
Hong Kong on edge
More anti-government protests were expected on Thursday in Hong Kong following violence near the local legislature on Wednesday, CNBC reports. But Aljazeera says that just a handful of protesters remained milling about early in the day. The Guardian has a good analysis of the situation and its context.
Lagarde and Draghi warn on trade war
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde and ECB president Mario Draghi both issued warnings on Wednesday against further deepening of trade disputes, CNBC reports. “These troubling developments will create headwinds for all,” Lagarde said.
Zuckerberg connected
The Wall Street Journal (paywall) reports that emails found as part of a Federal Trade Commission investigation reveal that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was connected to potentially damaging privacy practices at the company. The Guardian says Facebook’s shares fell 2% on the news.
Later today
European Labour Authority: EU ministers meeting in Luxembourg will decide between Bratislava, Nicosia, Riga and Sofia as the seat of the agency. Eurogroup: finance ministers will hear Christine Lagarde present the outcome of the IMF's Article IV consultation with the euro area and will also discuss inequality in the eurozone.
Sports roundup
Cycling: Chris Froome is out of the 2019 Tour de France after suffering a serious crash during a reconnaissance of the fourth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné. Ice Hockey: the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup on Wednesday night with a 4-1 victory over the Bruins in Boston. Football: France and Germany both won in the Women’s World Cup to maintain their 100% records in the competition.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts