Monday Morning Briefing: U.S. firms cry foul as Congress eyes some tariff reductions

Highlights

It started as a bill to help manufacturers – now companies that shuttered U.S. factories are poised to benefit. Take a look at the bill that is quietly moving through Congress and would temporarily reduce or eliminate protective tariffs on 1,662 products, cutting costs for manufacturers who outsource to low-cost countries like China.

In Hollywood women filmmakers and artists of color celebrated a year of diversity at the 90th Academy Awards, saluting the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and urging under-represented artists to seize the momentum.

Commentary: Vladimir Putin's latest nuclear threats are emblematic of Moscow's remilitarization and its approach to confrontation with the West, writes Peter Apps. The Russian president's "hybrid warfare” strategy mixing nuclear posturing and cutting-edge technology with covert action was deliberately designed "to find ways to weaken and undermine the United States and its allies without sparking all-out war." However, "it’s a dynamic that brings with it some very real dangers, not least of accidental conflict."

World

Italy faces a prolonged period of political instability after voters delivered a hung parliament, spurning traditional parties and flocking to anti-establishment and far-right groups in record numbers.

The European Union must take urgent action at the World Trade Organisation if the United States goes ahead with tariffs on steel and aluminum, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

An aid convoy began to cross into Syria’s eastern Ghouta, bringing the first relief to the besieged enclave since one of the deadliest government assaults of the seven-year war began two weeks ago, but stripped of vital medical supplies.

Lisa Jucca  @LJucca

My first take on #Italyelections. Anger prevails. It's a new chapter for #Italy. The establishment has failed to respond to voters' frustration. http://reut.rs/2FcO7UJ #5marzo #LegaNord #M5S

6:02 AM - MAR 5, 2018
Reuters World  @ReutersWorld

@Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been imprisoned for nearly three months in Myanmar. Follow our dedicated page for updates on their case: http://reut.rs/2D0JuY3

8:28 AM - Mar 5, 2018

Business

Special Report: Fidelity puts 6 million savers on risky path to retirement

Fidelity has reversed a long trend of underperformance in its target-date Freedom Funds since 2014, but billions of dollars in client money continues to flow to competitors. Retirement plan sponsors say they lost faith in Fidelity due to frequent strategy changes and rising risk.

12 Min Read

Caterpillar drives sales on China's new Silk Road

At a Caterpillar facility in the eastern Chinese city of Nantong, an array of excavators, earth movers and road-making machinery is displayed on slopes and in mud pits. The audience is Caterpillar’s local network of dealers, who inspect the machines for the latest technological innovations to help make their sales pitches to buyers in China.

6 min read

China plans new share issue option to bring tech giants home

China may allow its offshore-listed tech giants to sell a form of shares on the mainland, people with knowledge of the plan said, in a move that would pit Shanghai and Shenzhen against Hong Kong in the battle to host the country’s tech giants.

4 min read

U.S. security panel orders delay of Broadcom-Qualcomm showdown

A U.S. national security panel ordered Qualcomm to put off its March 6 annual shareholder meeting, delaying a long awaited showdown in the company’s attempt to see off a takeover bid by Broadcom.

2 min read

Top Stories on Reuters TV

Saudi crown prince signs $10bn deal on mega-city

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Xi Jinping's power looms over China's parliament

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