Trump reiterates case for wall
US president Donald Trump’s address to the nation on border security on Tuesday night dominates the headlines today. CNBC said the president highlighted “multiple grisly examples of Americans allegedly murdered by illegal immigrants”. The Guardian said the speech, Trump’s first national address from the Oval Office, fuelled fears of illegal immigration. The BBC and Bloomberg focused on the fact that the president offered no new solutions to the impasse that has shut down the US government. Fox News cited Trump’s emphasis on the “growing humanitarian and security crisis” of surging illegal immigration.
Democrats respond to Trump speech
The Guardian has the full transcript of the rebuttal by Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to Trump’s border security address. Fox News said the pair accused the president of using his address to “manufacture a crisis, stoke fear, and divert attention from the turmoil in his Administration.”
MPs will stop no-deal Brexit
Labour and “rebel” Conservative MPs joined forces in British parliament on Tuesday to back an anti no-deal amendment to a government finance bill. The Guardian says the vote “underlined parliament’s determination to take control of the next steps in the Brexit process.” The BBC says the vote could lead to what some are calling “guerrilla warfare by amendment” in parliament.
US downgraded EU diplomatic status
Deutsche Welle and The New York Times have a story about the Trump administration downgrading the diplomatic status of the European Union, without informing its ambassador David O’Sullivan. A source told DW that US State Department officials said they simply “forgot” to inform the EU of the decision.
Deutsche Bank cuts bonus pool
Bloomberg reports that Deutsche Bank is to cut its bonus pool by around 10%. The report, picked up by other media, says the bonuses will be paid more selectively to keep top earners. The bonus pool has been shrinking for years, and in 2017 amounted to about €2.2 billion.
Cook optimistic on trade talks
Apple CEO Tim Cook has said he is very optimistic about trade talks between China and the US in an interview with CNBC. Cook told Jim Cramer that he had “heard some very encouraging words” about the talks and that “the world needs a strong U.S. and China economy”.
Fatberg discovery
The Guardian reports on the discovery of a 64-metre block of hardened fat, oil and wet-wipes in a sewer in the Devon seaside resort of Sidmouth. It will take workers wearing special breathing apparatus 8 weeks to clear the blockage.
Strange requests for embassies
The UK’s foreign office has listed its top ten of strange requests received by British embassies around the world in 2018. Among them was a man in Kuwait asking if any embassy staff wanted to adopt his puppies and a person in Italy asking the embassy to help arrange their wedding and get them tickets to see the Pope.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts