The White House released a statement Wednesday suggesting it would veto the SHIELD Act (Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy) passed by the House, which would require federal campaigns to report foreign election influence.
The big picture: The White House argues that the SHIELD Act would "result in significant over reporting to the FBI and FEC, leading to fruitless inquiries and wasted time and resources." It acknowledged the importance of limiting foreign election interference, but argued that the bill would "produce harmful unintended consequences without achieving that goal."
Benny Gantz, leader of the center-left Blue and White party, has been formally granted a mandate to form Israel's next government after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed he'd failed to do so for the second time in six months.
Why it matters: This is the first time since 2008 that anyone other than Netanyahu has been asked to form a government. In a speech carried live by all of Israel's TV networks, President Reuven Rivlin referred to Netanyahu as "the outgoing prime minister." Still, Gantz faces long odds of cobbling together a majority.
The Hong Kong government on Wednesday withdrew an extradition bill that set off months of protests and sparked a greater pro-democracy movement in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, the AP reports.
Why it matters: Though Hong Kong Secretary for Security John Lee said the government was suspending the bill because of civil unrest, it is unclear if the withdrawal will appease demonstrators, who have been protesting for five months.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Russia today to negotiate the future of northern Syria — highlighting in the process the success of his audacious offensive, Vladimir Putin’s unmatched power in Syria, and America's absence from the table.
Why it matters: American influence in Syria is evaporating in real time as U.S. troops withdraw. It's now Turkey and Russia that are effectively re-defining the country's borders and debating the fate of America's Kurdish allies.
After approving Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal in principle, Parliament rejected the expedited timeline on which Johnson aimed to finalize it — making his pledge to take the U.K. out of the EU by Oct. 31 all but impossible.
Why it matters: This was nearly a massive victory for Johnson, as it's the first time Parliament — which rejected Theresa May's deal three times — expressed approval for any Brexit plan. Now it's over to the EU to determine whether to grant an extension, though the bloc is widely expected to do so.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an agreement on Tuesday to clear Kurdish YPG forces 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Syrian-Turkish border in order to establish a "safe zone" where Syrian refugees can be resettled.
Why it matters: American influence on the future of Syria is evaporating in real time as U.S. troops withdraw from the country. It's now Turkey and Russia that are attempting to redefine the country's borders and determine the fate of America's Kurdish allies.
President Trump sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday congratulating him on his 70th birthday and calling him "one of my closest allies," shortly after Netanyahu announced he had failed to form a government for the second time in six months.
Why it matters: The warm contents of the letter stand in stark contrast to the cold shoulder Trump gave Netanyahu after the Israeli election, when he said the U.S. has relations "with Israel," and not with Netanyahu. Trump and Netanyahu haven’t spoken on the phone in five weeks. Their last phone call was three days before the Sept. 17 elections, when Trump tweeted that he discussed with Netanyahu the possibility of a U.S.-Israel defense treaty.
As the Brexit saga has twisted and turned this year, traders look to have taken their bets on how it will unfold to a new forum: the Euro/British pound currency pair.
The latest: As Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been foiled in his stated attempts to take the U.K. out of the eurozone by any means necessary, traders have pushed the pound to its strongest level in five months against the euro.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán denigrated Ukraine during conversations with President Trump, the Washington Post first reported Monday. The New York Times reports Trump met with Orbán 10 days before a key Ukraine meeting, despite objections from then-national security adviser John Bolton.
Why it matters: Per the NYT, Trump’s concerns on U.S. ally Ukraine "set the stage for events that led to the impeachment inquiry against him." The May 13 meeting with fierce Ukraine critic Orbán and a May 3 phone call between Trump and Putin "are of intense interest to House investigators seeking to piece together the back story that led to the president’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrats," the Times said.
