Monday, 4 March 2019

Monday Morning Briefing: U.S. House Judiciary Committee launches probe into possible obstruction by Trump

Top News

“We are going to initiate investigations into abuses of power, into corruption ... and into obstruction of justice,” the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said. The panel will seek documents from more than 60 people and organizations as it begins investigations into possible abuse of power by President Trump.

Donald Trump says Cohen hearing may have contributed to North Korea summit failure. The U.S. president said that the Democrats’ decision to interview his longtime fixer, lawyer Michael Cohen, on the same day as a meeting with Kim Jong Un may have contributed to the North Korea summit ending with no deal.

Colorado ex-governor John Hickenlooper announces candidacy for 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The former Colorado Governor joined the growing field of Democratic presidential candidates, hoping to position himself as a centrist and an experienced officeholder who is best poised to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020.

Rescuers sifted through rubble looking for more dead and wounded after two back-to-back tornadoes touched down in Alabama, killing at least 23 people, authorities said. More than 50 people were reported injured and the death toll is expected to rise. The storms inflicted their worst damage on Lee County, Alabama on Sunday, an area that includes the state’s largest city of Auburn, destroying numerous homes and businesses.

The United States and China appear close to a deal that would roll back U.S. tariffs on at least $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, as Beijing makes pledges on structural economic changes and eliminates retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, a source briefed on negotiations said.

 

"My mission is to make sure that nobody can say: 'I didn't know'." Award-winning Reuters photographer Yannis Behrakis dies aged 58: https://reut.rs/2ErN0gU

5:09 PM - Mar 3, 2019

Sustainability

More than 90 percent of U.S. coal-fired power plants that are required to monitor groundwater near their coal ash dumps show unsafe levels of toxic metals, according to a study released by environmental groups, which cited the potential harm to drinking water.

The Trump administration is working on a new payment approach for treating kidney disease that favors lower cost care at home and transplants, a change that would upend a dialysis industry that provides care in thousands of clinics nationwide.

Germany’s car industry is to invest nearly 60 billion euros ($68 billion) over the next three years on electric cars and automated driving, the head of the VDA car industry association said ahead of the Geneva motor show. The Geneva International Motor Show, where manufacturers showcase their latest models and concepts, runs from March 7 to 17. See Reuters' roadmap to the changing auto economy.

World

The Syrian Democratic Forces faced landmines, car bombs, tunnel ambushes and suicide attacks as they attempted to overrun the last area in the village of Baghouz held by the Islamic State. U.S.-backed forces are slowing down their offensive in eastern Syria to protect civilians who remain there, a spokesman for a militia force said on Monday, adding that the battle would still “be over soon”.

Yulia Tymoshenko became known as the “gas princess” because of her lucrative dealings at the head of a major energy company in the 1990s. She came to the world’s attention during Ukraine’s 2004-2005 Orange Revolution, which pitted her against Kremlin-friendly rival Viktor Yanukovich. Now the 58-year-old known for her fiery rhetoric and, once upon a time, for her peasant braid hairstyle, hopes to unseat her old rival Petro Poroshenko in a tightly fought presidential vote on March 31.

Pakistan plans to take action against militant groups operating on its soil, a minister said, amid global pressure to act after a suicide bomber killed 40 Indian paramilitary police in Kashmir last month. Nuclear-armed Pakistan and India both carried out aerial bombing missions last week and on Wednesday fought a brief dogfight in the skies over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, but they stepped back from the brink after Islamabad on Friday handed back a captured Indian pilot as a peace gesture.

Amazon standoff: Emboldened by President Jair Bolsonaro, armed invaders are encroaching on Brazil’s tribal lands in the Amazon. The number of invasions and attacks on indigenous reservations rose and deforestation skyrocketed nearly 50 percent during Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign. Bolsonaro has railed against what he sees as excessive federal protections for indigenous people.

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Two @Reuters journalists have been imprisoned in Myanmar for 448 days. See full coverage: reut.rs/2TzoJzf

2:56 AM - 4 Mar 2019

Tech

Huawei CFO suing Canada over December arrest, preparing to sue U.S. government - source

The lawyers for Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou are suing the Canadian government, its border agency and federal police, alleging their client was detained, searched and interrogated for three hours in violation of her constitutional rights. The Chinese telecoms equipment company also plans to announce a lawsuit against the United States government on Thursday on grounds related to a defense bill, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

6 min read

Tesla to unveil Model Y on March 14, says Elon Musk

"Model Y, being an SUV, is about 10 percent bigger than Model 3, so will cost about 10 percent more & have slightly less range for same battery," Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a tweet.

1 Min Read

Google rejects Australian regulator's call for scrutiny, denies market power

Alphabet’s Google has rejected calls by Australia’s competition regulator for tougher scrutiny of its operations, denying that it enjoys market power in online searches and advertising, documents published on Monday showed.

3 min read

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