Stories We’re Watching

Trump Signals Clear US Backing for Saudi Arabia

Yesterday in an official press statement, President Trump pledged continued support to Saudi Arabia and vowed to remain an ally despite growing domestic and international pressure over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. President Trump cited military contracts, competition in the arms market, and global oil prices as motivating factors for his support. In prevaricating on the Saudi Crown Prince’s role, the president seemed to contradict the CIA, which believes that Khashoggi’s murder was ordered by the crown prince.

• New York Times: Trump’s Statement on Saudi Arabia, Explained!
• CNN: Trump’s Saudi support highlights brutality of ‘America First’ doctrine
• Financial Times: US secretary of state defends Trump’s support of Saudi Arabia
• White House: Statement from President Donald J. Trump on Standing with Saudi Arabia official press release

World Economy to Slow Down in 2019 Due to Trade Wars: OECD

In a press conference earlier today the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, released its Interim Economic Outlook and has revised down its forecasts for global growth. Economists warn that higher interest rates and a stronger dollar are spurring capital outflows in emerging economies. Although global GDP is expected to expand, stronger economies are poised to benefit more than emerging ones due to slower trade and reduced fiscal stimuli. An uptick in tariffs have stymied trade growth and investment.

• Financial Times: US-China trade war risks heavy toll on growth, says OECD
• Haaretz: OECD: World Economy Has ‘Passed Its Peak’ as Trade Wars Weigh
• Reuters: Harvesting in a trade war: U.S. crops rot as storage costs soar
• Market Watch: Stocks rise at open as S&P, Dow attempt to recover from worst start to Thanksgiving week in 45 years

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro to be Excluded from Xi Jinping-Donald Trump G20 Summit Dinner

South China Morning Post has reported that White House trade advisor Peter Navarro is likely to be kept out of the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires later this month. Mr. Navarro is known for his tough stance on China. This week a Chinese delegation canceled their DC trip amid escalating tensions with the Trump administration. Some analysts are bracing for a direct confrontation at the G20 summit between the US and China over the escalating trade war. Yesterday, Larry Kudlow, director of the US National Economic Council, told reporters at the White House “It will come to a head at the G20, I think that’s the key point”.

• South China Morning Post: White House trade adviser Peter Navarro ‘excluded from Xi Jinping-Donald Trump dinner’
• CNN: Trade between US and China will ‘come to a head’ at G20 summit, Kudlow says
• The Atlantic: The ‘Madman’ Behind Trump’s Trade Theory
• Wall Street Journal: Peter Navarro’s Politburo Playbook

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Interpol elects South Korea’s Kim Jong-yang as president

Kim Jong Yang of South Korea was elected Interpol’s president earlier today after beating back Putin loyalist Alexander Prokopchuk, the agency’s vice president. More than a dozen US senators wrote an open letter opposing Prokopchuk’s candidacy and accused the Kremlin of exploiting Interpol’s “red notice” system to go after political opponents. Critics say countries such as Russia, Turkey, and China routinely use the agency’s global alerts to target political opponents and journalists. Mr. Kim will serve until 2020, completing the four-year term of his Chinese predecessor who disappeared last month.

• Telegraph: Russian candidate for Interpol presidency defeated after intense
• CNN: Putin critics rejoice at Russia’s defeat in Interpol presidency bid
• Business Insider: Interpol elected a South Korean president after China disappeared

UN Envoy Arrives in Yemen as Famine Continues to Ravage Nation

UN envoy Martin Griffiths has arrived in Yemen to broker negotiations between Iran-aligned Houthi representatives and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. Although peace talks earlier this year in Switzerland stalled, officials are hopeful to bring an end to the armed conflict which has claimed the lives of over 10,000 people, most of whom are civilians. Earlier today, international aid group Save the Children released a report stating that 85,000 children have died of starvation and disease over the last three years as a result of the violent conflict ravaging Yemen.

• The Guardian: Yemen: up to 85000 young children dead from starvation
• BBC: Yemen crisis: 85000 children ‘dead from malnutrition’
• South China Morning Post: UN envoy arrives in Yemen for ‘sternest’ talks as famine continues to ravage nation
• Just Security: The Votes Are There for a Congressional Reckoning on Yemen

From Deep State Radio

DEEP STATE RADIO LIVE AT THE COMEDY CELLAR ELECTION NIGHT SPECIAL

Deep State Radio was Live at the Comedy Cellar on Election Night, 2018. The panel included David Rothkopf, Max Boot, Rosa Brooks and Comedians Seaton Smith, Jessica Kirson, and Mehran Khagani.  Watch as the Democrats take back the house!  Tune in!

A DEEP STATE THANKSGIVING, PART I: TURKEYS OF THE YEAR

Who needs relatives?  Join your Deep State family for a cheerful holiday discussion of the Turkeys of the Year, the losers, jerks, criminals, and large orange embarrassments that made the past year as unappetizing as an under-cooked Butterball.  Our own Rosa Brooks, former undercover CIA operative and improv comedian Emily Brandwin and Maggie Feldman-Piltch of NatSecGirlSquad offer their views and…we not-so-subtly tease several new podcasts soon to be released by Deep State Radio.  Tune in!

PODCAST: A DEEP STATE THANKSGIVING, PART DEUX: WHO AND WHAT WE ARE THANKFUL FOR 

It’s Thanksgiving weekend in the USA.  It’s a warm, friendly, family holiday provided that a.) your family does not discuss politics, b.) your unhinged uncle does not drink too much and c.) the indoor deep-fryer does not burn the whole house down.  Maybe you’ll go to a class reunion.  Those are always…terrible.  Or, alternatively, maybe you’ll do what you did on prom night…stay home alone.  Except this time you’ll have Rosa Brooks, Emily Brandwin and Maggie Feldman-Piltch to join you and they’ll be talking about what’s right with the world and what they’re thankful for.  They will, that is, just as soon as they get their own awful high school experiences off their chests.  Join us!