Stories We’re Watching

President Trump Mean tweets President Macron 2 Days after WWI Armistice Ceremony

The fallout from President Trump’s two day trip to Europe continues. In a delayed response to French President Emmanuel Macron’s apparent snubs, President Trump has tweeted a barrage of insults—questioning US tariffs on French wine, mocking France’s defeat during WWII, and criticizing President Macron’s approval rating. President Macron delivered a harsh rebuke of nationalism during his remarks on Sunday’s Armistice Day ceremony. Many analysts believe that President Trump’s recent trip underscores the increasingly fraught relations between the US and its Western allies in Europe.

• Axios: Trump attacks France on Twitter with WWII reminder for Macron
• Express: Trump RAGES at Macron in shock WW2 attack: ‘You were learning
• Bloomberg: Trump Mocks France for World War Losses
• Vox: The controversies of Trump’s Paris trip, explained
• The Independent: Donald Trump’s callous attitude in France shows he needs the lessons

Gaza hostilities: Fallout from Israel’s botched undercover mission

Militants have fired more than 460 rockets into Israel, and Israeli aircraft have hit 160 militant targets since a botched Israeli undercover mission turned deadly on Sunday. The lethal exchange of fire has raised fears of reigniting the 2014 Gaza war. The violence began Sunday night, when a when a covert Israeli special forces operation inside Gaza was exposed. Since then each side has exchanged and responded to aerial attacks. Earlier today, Gaza Strip militant groups announced a ceasefire brokered by Egypt. According to Gaza’s militant groups, Egypt has stabilized the ceasefire with the overall attempt to broker a truce.

• NBCNews: Gaza militants announce ceasefire with Israel in bid to avert war
• NPR: Violence Flares After Israeli Operation In Gaza Turns Deadly
• Haaretz: Gaza on the Brink: Israel, Palestinian Factions Said to Reach Cease-fire
• New York Times: Cost of Botched Gaza Spy Mission? Israel’s Back on Brink of War

Bolton on Khashoggi: Recording Not Enough to Implicate the Saudis

Turkish authorities have released a recording that allegedly captures the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate in October. Several other nations’ intelligence services have received the tape, and reaction so far has been muted. Earlier today, while speaking in Singapore, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said that the recording does not directly implicate Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. Mr. Bolton stressed the importance of the US-Saudi relationship and said the US is closely following the Saudi investigation. At the same meeting, Mr. Bolton said that President Trump has entertained the idea of a second summit with North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un.

• CNBC: Trump’s national security advisor says tape of Khashoggi killing
• Wall Street Journal: Khashoggi Tape Doesn’t Implicate Saudi Prince, John Bolton Says
• Bloomberg: Khashoggi Tape Not Seen Implicating Saudi Prince, Bolton Says
• Daily Beast: Bolton Insists Khashoggi Murder Tape Doesn’t Implicate Saudi Crown

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Brexit Finalized? PM May Awaits Cabinet and Parliament’s Response

Earlier today European Union and British negotiators struck a draft deal outlining the terms of the United Kingdom’s eminent withdrawal from the EU early next year. It still remains uncertain whether or not PM May will be able to convince her cabinet and British Parliament to approve the deal, but sources say that negotiations are heating up as both sides rush to avoid missing key deadlines. If PM May’s cabinet approves the draft, EU leaders could meet by the end of November for a summit to finalize the terms of the UK’s exit. Analysts fear that the recent strengthening of the pound against the US dollar and the euro might be reversed if the cabinet and Parliament fail to agree to terms of the new draft deal.

• Deutsche Welle: UK reaches draft Brexit divorce deal with Brussels negotiators
• BBC: Brexit deal could be 48 hours away, says PM May’s de facto deputy
• Axios: EU and U.K. agree on draft Brexit deal
• Reuters: Brexit deal almost in ‘touching distance’ as major EU deadline looms

Brazilian Court Investigates Bolsonaro’s Campaign Finance

Yesterday Brazil’s top electoral authority, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, published a document describing campaign account irregularities in President-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s recent presidential campaign. The court has given him three days to offer an explanation. The document outlines several campaign finance violations including possible campaign donations from illegal sources, donations from unidentified donors, and lack of transparency on how campaign funds were spent. Bolsonaro’s main opponent in the presidential race alleged illicit campaign finance and the intentional spread of misinformation. Bolsonaro is set to take office on January 1, and it is unclear what effect the court’s request will have on the inauguration timeline.

• Financial Times: Brazil electoral court to investigate pro-Bolsonaro WhatsApp campaign
• Reuters: Brazilian court takes issue with Bolsonaro’s campaign accounts
• Stratfor: Brazil: Court Finds Irregularities in Bolsonaro Campaign Accounts
• Channel News Asia: Brazilian court takes issue with Bolsonaro’s campaign accounts

Vice President Pence Defends US Commitment to Pacific, Trump Skips Summits

Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Japan yesterday, the first stop on his Asia-Pacific tour. Mr. Pence will attend several international summits in Asia this week on behalf of President Trump. Many see his tour as an attempt to reassure US allies in the Pacific of America’s commitment—given President Trump’s increasingly hostile rhetoric. So far, Vice President Pence’s engagements in Japan have centered around defense and potential bilateral trade agreements on goods. Mr. Pence is also expected to attend a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Papua New Guinea.

• CSIS: Vice President Pence Goes to Asia
• Bloomberg: Pence Kicks Off Asia Trip, Meets With Abe in Japan
• NK News: Pence reiterates support for “pressure campaign” on N. Korea as trip
• Nikkei Asian Review: US VP Pence asks Abe for wide-ranging bilateral trade agreement
• The Japan Times: Pence subs for Trump at summits with skeptical Asian nations
• CNBC: As Pence kicks off his Asia tour, other countries have their own idea

From Deep State Radio

PODCAST: TRUMP’S HAIR MAY BE DRY BUT THE WORLD IS GOING TO HELL IN A HANDBASKET

Trump’s Europe trip was a rare multi-tiered fiasco, a kind of mille feuille of fiascos, at which the disasters operated on many levels–his alienation of our allies, his insults to our troops, his vanity, his cozying up to villains, his fear of getting wet, his complete lack of understanding of how the world works.  In fact, it may be the worst overseas trip by any president ever…since Trump’s Helsinki Summit.  Meanwhile, North Korea seems to be building more missile bases and everything else on the planet is worse off than it was two years ago.  So…that’s bad.  David Sanger, Rosa Brooks, and Evelyn Farkas discuss and, to the extent possible, make sense of it all. Tune in!

DEEP TECH: RESEARCHERS ARE TEACHING AI TO RECOGNIZE & INTERPRET HUMAN EMOTION: WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

AI systems are getting good at displaying and reading human emotion. Earlier this week, a Stockholm startup, unveiled Furhat, a “social robot” that generates and projects a lifelike face onto a 3D mannequin head. Furhat can communicate and respond to a wide range of facial expressions. Shout at it, and it shouts back. It can make voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa easier to talk to and more personable. It would also effectively allow Amazon to read and interpret emotions. Researchers in Hong Kong have compiled large datasets of Celebrity Faces to train systems to detect faces, recognize facial attributes, and map facial landmarks. Experts caution . . .  Continue