President Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner told me in an exclusive interview for Channel 13 News in Israel that he hopes the leader of the Blue and White party Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will work together to form a new government.
Why it matters: The fact that Kushner chose to make an unusual move and publicly convey the message — regardless that it has to do with domestic politics in Israel — shows the White House's wish to see a unity government.
On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom shocked the world and voted to “Brexit,” or leave the European Union. After more than three years of uncertainty and fractured politics, the U.K. officially exited the EU on Jan. 31, 2020.
LONDON — The U.K. will go to the polls with Brexit still in the balance, as Parliament cleared the way Tuesday evening for a snap general election on Dec. 12.
Why it matters: Prime Minister Boris Johnson stormed into office three months ago vowing to deliver Brexit by Oct. 31, but was thwarted by a Parliament that remains hopelessly deadlocked amid the current political crisis. Johnson believes he can break that deadlock by winning a majority in December, but a loss could render him one of the shortest-serving prime ministers in history.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri announced Tuesday that he will resign after two weeks of protests against the country's ruling elite, reports Al Jazeera.
Why it matters: Hariri's resignation was a key demand of the protest movement, which has upended the country.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley plans to spotlight risks to consumer data posed by foreign governments and cyberattacks in a hearing next month, amid rising concerns about Chinese social media firm TikTok.
Driving the news: Hawley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary crime and terrorism subcommittee, will explore security concerns raised by social platforms that collect vast amounts of user data in a Nov. 5 hearing called “How Corporations and Big Tech Leave Our Data Exposed to Criminals, China, and Other Bad Actors,” according to his office.
Why it matters: The decision by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn all but guarantees that Britain will be heading to the polls for the third time in under five years.
The mystery of who's funding Steve Bannon's work has been at least partly solved: Guo Media, a company linked to a controversial Chinese billionaire, has contracted Bannon for at least $1 million for “strategic consulting services,” according to contracts obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The billionaire fugitive — a man named Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Kwok — is embroiled in the U.S.-China conflict. He’s a vocal critic of the Chinese Communist Party and is reportedly a member at Mar-a-Lago. He’s on China’s most-wanted list for alleged bribery, fraud and money laundering, per the New York Times (he strongly denies the allegations).
Fancy Bear, a Russian espionage hacking group best known for the 2016 breaches of the Democratic National Committee, is trying to hack email accounts of sports and anti-doping groups, reports Microsoft.
The big picture: As Russia struggles with anti-doping rules, Fancy Bear's targeting of sports groups has become a near-annual event since 2016.
LONDON — The U.K. Parliament voted Monday to reject Prime Minister Boris Johnson's attempt to call a snap general election on Dec. 12.
Why it matters: The EU granted the U.K. another Brexit extension until Jan. 31, underlining Johnson's failure to deliver on his "do or die" pledge to take the U.K. out of the bloc at the end of this month. Parliament agreed in principle last week to the deal he negotiated with the EU, but not to the expedited timetable on which he wanted to pass it. With momentum now stalled, Johnson wants an election fight before the end of the year.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner met Benny Gantz, the leader of the Blue and White party, for the first time on Monday in Jerusalem.
Why it matters: This was the first meeting between Kushner and Gantz, who has 23 days to form a government. It shows that the Trump administration is adapting to the new political reality in Israel.
European Council President Donald Tusk said Monday that the European Union has accepted the U.K.'s request for a Brexit extension until Jan. 31, 2020.
The state of play: Tusk made the announcement on the same day that members of Parliament are set to vote on whether to accept Prime Minister Boris Johnson's call to have a snap general election on Dec. 12, per the BBC.
