Rory Stewart, who challenged Boris Johnson for leadership of the U.K.'s Conservative Party over the summer only to see Johnson expel him from the party this month, says British politics have descended into an unrecognizable state in which ends justify any means.
“I think our politics is breaking. The parties are breaking. But unfortunately you do get a sense that the center isn’t holding either.”
Driving the news: As the member of Parliament and former cabinet minister sat down with Axios at a coffee shop in D.C. on Monday, Luxembourg’s prime minister was standing next to an empty podium meant for Prime Minister Johnson, who backed out of the press conference due to anti-Brexit hecklers.
After the U.S. accused Iran of carrying out drone attacks against Saudi Arabia over the weekend, President Trump has ramped up his rhetoric rather than seeking to ease tensions — including the "locked and loaded" proclamation that echoed his "fire and fury" threats against North Korea 2 years ago.
Why it matters: Airstrikes or any other form of military retaliation against Iran would require not only congressional authorization but a thorough strategy for a sprawling web of security issues that would affect American troops, regional stability and global energy markets.
Iran on Monday rejected the possibility that President Hassan Rouhani would meet President Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting next week, according to the New York Times.
Why it matters: After Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made a surprise visit to the G7 summit last month, there was speculation that the two leaders could meet in an effort to de-escalate tensions. Iran's dismissal comes a day after Trump accused Tehran of carrying out an attack on two major oil facilities in Saudi Arabia on Saturday and said that the U.S. is "locked and loaded" while it awaits verification of the culprit.
The Saudi Arabian-led military coalition fighting in Yemen said Monday that Iranian weapons were used to strike major oil plants in Saudi Arabia over the weekend, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The Saudi claim, which also said the strikes did not come from Yemeni territory, came hours after the Trump administration released satellite images as evidence that the attacks came from Iraq or Iran, highlighting a marked escalation in months of tension between the U.S. and Iran, which has denied involvement.
Amid President Trump's trade war with China, billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is putting on a major global economic event this November — in Beijing.
The big picture: Bloomberg's New Economy Forum, in partnership with the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, on Nov. 20–22 will draw about 500 business and technology leaders, academics and government officials from dozens of countries.
Amid ongoing political chaos and uncertainty, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says Brexit exhaustion is a unifying issue.
"The only thing that unites the British people at the moment is a desire to have the thing over with," Blair told CNN Sunday. "So if there was another referendum and people voted to leave, well, you’d just have to accept that result and make the best of it. I’m not sure they would."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Cabinet ministers the Trump administration is going to present its plan “within days” after the Sept. 17 elections — most likely even next week, ministers who attended the meeting told me.
Netanyahu said he was citing new information he got last night from Ron Dermer, Israeli ambassador to the United States.
Why it matters: Netanyahu used the “Trump argument” to convince the attorney general to approve the establishment of a new settlement in the Jordan Valley, which he brought to a vote at the Cabinet 2 days before the elections. Netanyahu needed to pass the move to boost his campaign.
Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannons at pro-democracy protesters as violence again engulfed the Chinese-controlled territory after tens of thousands defied a ban on a mass rally to march through the city Sunday, Bloomberg reports.
The latest: Hundreds of activists threw bricks and petrol bombs over water-filled plastic barriers and into lines of riot police outside the government headquarters in Admiralty, per the Wall Street Journal. Police sprayed blue dye to mark those involved and make them identifiable if they fled, WSJ notes.
