Bhinneka News Online: Thursday Morning Briefing: Meet the voters defining America’s politics

Thursday 20 June 2019

Thursday Morning Briefing: Meet the voters defining America’s politics

Highlights

A retiree, a factory worker, a Boy Scout leader and a college student: These voters live in some of the most competitive counties in America’s presidential battleground states, places set to play a crucial role in the 2020 presidential election. From now until the election, Reuters is closely following voters and the key issues that affect them in four important counties in states that could determine who wins the White House in 2020 - Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona. Here’s a look at what influences their vote.

Iran shoots down U.S. military drone in Gulf region. Iran has shot down a U.S. drone which the elite Revolutionary Guards said was flying over southern Iran, raising fears that a major military confrontation could erupt between Tehran and Washington.

China's Xi Jinping arrives in North Korea week before he's due to meet Trump. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, greeted Xi at the airport, Chinese state TV said. Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, and officials who played prominent roles in recent nuclear talks with the United States were also on hand. The trip is also an assertion of a key leverage point that China has in its deteriorating relationship with the United States, diplomats say.

The United States has told India it is considering caps on H-1B work visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally, three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, widening the two countries’ row over tariffs and trade. The plan to restrict the popular H-1B visa program, under which skilled foreign workers are brought to the United States each year, comes days ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to New Delhi.

Activists in Hong Kong make pitch to extradition protesters - register to vote. Campaigners in Hong Kong have registered thousands of new voters during mass protests against controversial extradition law reform, pouncing on an opportunity to bolster the democratic opposition’s prospects in upcoming elections. Electoral rules after Hong Kong’s 1997 return to China from Britain effectively guarantee that the legislature, known as Legco, is stacked in Beijing’s favor, with only half the parliament directly elected.But in the current controversy, public anger has centered on Beijing-backed Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and her allies in trying to ram through the unpopular extradition bill, nudging many previously neutral citizens to take a stand.

Business

The U.S. Federal Reserve signaled interest rate cuts beginning as early as July, saying it is ready to battle growing global and domestic economic risks as it took stock of rising trade tensions and growing concerns about weak inflation. World stock markets rose after the Fed signaled it was likely to cut interest rates next month, and the dollar and benchmark bond yields fell to multi-year lows.

Top Chinese and U.S. officials will resume trade talks in accordance with the wishes of their leaders, but China hopes the United States will create the necessary conditions for dialogue, the Chinese commerce ministry said. Negotiations to reach a broad trade deal broke down last month after U.S. officials accused China of backing away from previously agreed commitments.But hopes for a revival of negotiations have been rekindled by a telephone call between President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and confirmation they will meet next week in Japan at a G20 summit.

T-Mobile US is preparing an alternative plan if a deal to sell wireless assets to Dish Network falls through, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Investment bank Goldman Sachs, which is advising T-Mobile, the third largest U.S. wireless carrier, on selling prepaid brand Boost Mobile as part of the company’s concession to gain regulatory approval to buy Sprint, is expected to send out books to prospective buyers in two weeks, one source familiar with the matter said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is examining whether Deutsche Bank complied with laws meant to stop money laundering, a person with knowledge of the matter said. The inquiry, first reported in the New York Times, follows a report by that newspaper last month about bank employees in its U.S. compliance division who had flagged suspicious financial transactions to their superiors who then opted not to escalate them to government authorities.