Kelly Weill, reporter for The Daily Beast, and Peter Van Voorhis, reporter for Red Alert Politics, discuss Trump's Saturday tweet and whether it could implicate him in obstruction of justice.
After speaking with reporters Saturday and adamantly proclaiming that there was "no collusion" with the Russians, Trump took to Twitter. The president said that he fired Flynn for lying to Vice President Pence and to the FBI - the latter statement could implicate Trump in obstruction of justice. Van Voorhis adds that the conversation around the tweet may be overblown. If Michael Flynn does not say that Trump told him to speak to the Russians, he may have nothing to worry about.
Kelly discusses what Michael Flynn's collaboration with the FBI and special counsel Mueller might reveal about the investigation. She expects more to be revealed as the two work together. She also weighs in on why President Trump's attorney John Dowd claimed to have dictated the tweet, and what that means for Trump's legal team as a whole.
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year as it seeks to shore up economic growth and hiring even as inflation stays elevated. The move comes amid a fraught time for the central bank, with hiring sluggish and yet inflation stuck above the Fed’s 2% target. Compounding its challenges, the central bank is navigating without much of the economic data it typically relies on from the government. The Fed has signaled it may reduce its key rate again in December but the data drought raises the uncertainty around its next moves. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters that there were “strongly differing views” at the central bank's policy meeting about to proceed going forward.
U.S. and Chinese officials say a trade deal between the world’s two largest economies is drawing closer. The sides have reached an initial consensus for President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to aim to finalize during their high-stakes meeting Thursday in South Korea. Any agreement would be a relief to international markets. Trump's treasury secretary says discussions with China yielded preliminary agreements to stop the precursor chemicals for fentanyl from coming into the United States. Scott Bessent also says Beijing would make “substantial” purchases of soybean and other agricultural products while putting off export controls on rare earth elements needed for advanced technologies.
A new poll finds most U.S. adults are worried about health care becoming more expensive.
The White House budget office says mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
President Donald Trump says “there seems to be no reason” to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea after China restricted exports of rare earths needed for American industry. The Republican president suggested Friday he was looking at a “massive increase” of import taxes on Chinese products in response to Xi’s moves. Trump says one of the policies the U.S. is calculating is "a massive increase of Tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States." A monthslong calm on Wall Street was shattered, with U.S. stocks falling on the news. The Chinese Embassy in Washington hasn't responded to an Associated Press request for comment.
Most members of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate setting committee supported further reductions to its key interest rate this year, minutes from last month’s meeting showed.
