September 25, 2019



									Daily News Brief
									
								
									September 25, 2019
									
								
									Top of the Agenda
									
									
									U.S. Lawmakers Launch Inquiry Into President’s Ukraine Call
									
									
									U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the Democratic-led chamber will launch an impeachment inquiry (NBC) into President Donald J. Trump for a “betrayal of our national security.” The move follows reports that Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate (WSJ) the family of former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democratic challenger in the 2020 election.

									 
									Pelosi said the White House has barred the disclosure of a whistleblower complaint about the request to lawmakers, and she called for the complaint to be turned over to the House Intelligence Committee by Thursday. Trump said he will release today a staff-prepared memo (WaPo) of the phone call, which he said was “totally appropriate” (Twitter). Trump is also scheduled to meet today (Axios) with Zelensky on the sidelines of the United Nations.
									
									
									Analysis
									
									
									“In 2016 Trump as a private citizen could only ask Russia for help. Now he can use the powers of presidency to back his request of Ukraine, employing national security tools to back his political aims. This is basic difference between 2016 and now & why this is more serious,” tweets CFR President Richard N. Haass.

									 
									“Mr. Trump’s invitation to Mr. Zelensky to investigate Mr. Biden, if that’s what it was, showed bad judgment in our view,” writes the Wall Street Journal. “But bad judgment is not a crime, and voters may demand more to annul an election only months before they have a chance to render their own judgment about Mr. Trump’s behavior.”

									 
									“Mr Trump also begins the process with rock-solid partisan support and a US public that is lukewarm about impeachment. It is easy for Washington insiders to overestimate the degree to which the public is paying attention. But that can change quickly,” Edward Luce writes for the Financial Times.
									
									
									Global
									
									
									UN Report Details Sea-Level Rise
									
									
									A new report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that by 2050 many coastal areas will regularly experience extreme flooding events that previously occurred only once a century. The report projects that if carbon emissions continue to increase, sea levels could rise as much as 110 centimeters, or about 3.6 feet, above 1900 levels by 2100.

									 
									In Foreign Affairs, Heather A. Conley writes that Washington is sleeping through changes in the Arctic.
									
									
									Pacific Rim
									
									
									Indonesians Protest Criminal Code Bill
									
									
									Thousands of people across Indonesia protested against (Jakarta Post) proposed changes to the criminal code that would allow prosecutions for extramarital sex and new local laws on customs such as wearing headscarves. President Joko Widodo has delayed the bill (Reuters) amid public opposition.

									 
									South Korea: President Moon Jae-in, addressing the UN General Assembly, proposed that the demilitarized zone with North Korea be designated a “peace and cooperation district” (Yonhap) that would house offices for the United Nations and other international organizations.
									
									
									South and Central Asia
									
									
									Earthquake in Pakistan Kills Two Dozen
									
									
									Twenty-three people were killed and more than three hundred injured (Dawn) in the 5.6-magnitude earthquake, which hit several cities in the country’s north as well as part of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
									
									
									Middle East and North Africa
									
									
									Iran’s Rouhani: U.S. Talks Conditional on Sanctions Relief
									
									
									President Hassan Rouhani, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, said that Washington must lift sanctions (AP) it imposed on the country after exiting the 2015 nuclear deal in order for Tehran to return to the negotiating table. Trump, in his UN address, said the United States wants “partners, not adversaries.” Rouhani will address the UN General Assembly today.

									 
									CFR’s Stewart M. Patrick discusses Trump’s push for transactional nationalism in his UN speech.

									 
									Yemen: Sixteen people, including seven children, were killed by air strikes in the country’s south (AFP), according to a local official and a doctor. The official said the Saudi-led coalition conducted the strikes.
									
									
									Sub-Saharan Africa
									
									
									Ghana Thwarts Plot Targeting Government
									
									
									Ghanaian security forces said they arrested at least three people who planned to target the presidency (DW) with the aim of “destabilizing the country.” Authorities said they had been monitoring the suspects for months.

									 
									Rwanda: The opposition United Democratic Forces of Rwanda warned of a campaign targeting its members after a top official was stabbed to death (Reuters). Several other party aides have been killed or gone missing this year.
									
									
									Europe
									
									
									Google Wins ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ Case
									
									
									In a closely watched case, the European Court of Justice ruled that the tech giant does not have to enforce some EU privacy protections (Politico) beyond the bloc.

									 
									Spain: The country’s top court ruled that the remains of former dictator Francisco Franco may be moved from a state mausoleum (DW) to the cemetery where his family is buried. The case was aimed at redressing suffering under Franco’s rule.
									
									
									Americas
									
									
									Moscow Backs Venezuela Peace Talks
									
									
									Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro met with Russian President Vladimir Putin today in Moscow, where Putin said he supports dialogue (Reuters) between the Venezuelan government and opposition to bring an end to the political crisis in Venezuela.

									 
									CFR looks at the Venezuelan exodus.

									 
									Haiti: Businesses and schools in Port-au-Prince were closed yesterday (VOA) following violent antigovernment protests in which a lawmaker fired his gun, injuring an Associated Press journalist and at least one other person. President Jovenel Moise canceled his trip to speak at the United Nations amid the recent unrest.
									
									
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