The Presidential Daily Brief

Trump to Declare National Emergency for Border Wall

Majority leader Sen. Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that President Donald Trump planned to declare a national emergency in order to bypass Congress and build a wall on the southwestern border, a key promise during his election campaign. At the same time, McConnell said Trump will likely support a budget and border compromise to avoid a government shutdown. Trump has reportedly had doubts over the bill after a Conservative backlash.

How will this play out? It’s likely to mean a clash with lawmakers over who controls the federal purse.

Check out OZY’s take on a modest proposal for building Trump’s wall.

William P. Barr Confirmed as Attorney General by Senate

The lawyer who previously served as attorney general under George H.W. Bush will do so again, it was confirmed Thursday. Senators reportedly anticipated Barr would return some stability to the Justice Department after Jeff Sessions departure as President Donald Trump’s first attorney general while his deputy Matthew G. Whittaker was installed as temporary cover.

What’s the significance of Barr’s appointment? It comes at a politically sensitive time, nearing the end of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump worked with Russia to meddle in the 2016 elections. 

Read OZY’s story on why one of Georgia’s most powerful politicians has never run for office.

Amazon Drops New York as Prospective Headquarters

The online retailer said Thursday it would not be pursuing plans for its Long Island City campus. The project had faced criticism from city officials and the financial incentives adding up to more than $2 billion from New York, for one of the most valuable companies in the world, have been a source of contention. Amazon has said the deal would have created 25,000 jobs.

Where will they go instead? Amazon made clear in a statement they won’t be looking for a second headquarters at this time but plans to open in Nashville and Northern Virginia will continue.

Don’t miss OZY’s story on what these cities learned by pitching Amazon.

Court Says Paul Manafort Violated Plea Deal

A federal judge ruled yesterday that President Donald Trump’s former campaign chair lied to prosecutors about his contact with an aide tied to Russian intelligence. While that broke Manafort’s deal to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, the judge said prosecutors didn’t show enough evidence that Manafort was also untruthful about his contacts with the White House.

What happens now? The special counsel is no longer obliged to recommend a lighter sentence for Manafort at his March 13 sentencing. He faces a maximum of 10 years for conspiracy.

Read this OZY story on the shady world of D.C. power brokers.

Former US Air Force Officer Is Accused of Spying for Iran

Monica Witt was charged yesterday with delivering military information to a foreign government, with U.S. officials claiming she helped Iranian hackers target her former colleagues in intelligence. The 39-year-old defected to Iran in 2013 after leaving the military and working with private defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. The FBI described her motives as “ideological.”

What about Iran-U.S. relations? They could get even worse: Four Iranian hackers were also charged and sanctions placed on two Iranian companies — adding to the White House’s economic sanctions enacted last year.

Don’t miss this OZY story on how countries get around economic sanctions.

Journalist and Duterte Critic Is Arrested for Libel

Maria Ressa, executive editor of Philippine news site Rappler, was arrested yesterday on charges that stem from a 2012 article — published four months before the law she was charged under was enacted — accusing a businessman of corrupt connections to a judge. Rappler has reported critically on President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drug war, earning Ressa Time’s Person of the Year honors. She was released on bail today.

Is this a growing crackdown? Human Rights Watch called her arrest part of a broader campaign by Duterte to silence critics, including members of the Catholic Church and government.

Airbus Ends Superjumbo Jet Production

Today the European plane maker said it’ll stop its A380 program after Dubai’s Emirates Airline cut orders for the world’s largest jet. The 555-seat, double-decker plane was meant to compete with Boeing’s 747 when it was unveiled 14 years ago, but sales never took off. Only 234 were sold, less than a quarter of what Airbus projected. The decision could impact as many as 3,500 jobs.

What’s the future of air travel? Forecasts predict a 6 percent increase in passengers this year while Emirates bought 70 smaller jets from Airbus in lieu of superjumbo orders.

Also Important…

After over 15 years of exploration, NASA announced its Opportunity rover had ended its mission on Mars after losing contact with Earth. The U.S. House passed a bill yesterday to end American military support for the war in Yemen. And a suicide bomb in Iran claimed by a Sunni militant group killed at least 27 members of the country’s Revolutionary Guard.

#OZYfact: The average cost of divorce in the U.S. is $18,000 — but some legal experts are using technology to reduce that to as little as $1,500. Read more on OZY.

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