Bedugul Coffee: Tuesday Morning Briefing: China says Washington is putting a 'knife to its neck'

Highlights

A senior Chinese official said it is difficult to proceed with trade talks with the United States while Washington is putting “a knife to China’s neck”, a day after both sides heaped fresh tariffs on each other’s goods.

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh said he would not step aside after a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct decades ago, with Trump and fellow Republicans showing no signs of relenting in their push for his Senate confirmation.

Commentary: Christine Blasey Ford’s now-public allegations that she was the victim of an attempted sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have had a striking and immediate political impact, writes Scott Lemieux, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington. Ford’s charges present a very close analogy with the allegations made by Anita Hill against her former employer Clarence Thomas during the latter’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1991.

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Judge to sentence Bill Cosby for sexual assault, capping his downfall https://reut.rs/2DrZCYf

6:09 AM - Sep 25, 2018

World

The remaining parties to the Iran nuclear deal agreed to keep working to maintain trade with Tehran despite skepticism, this is possible as U.S. sanctions to choke off Iranian oil sales resume in November. The top adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader rejected a U.S. offer for top-level meetings, as both countries’ presidents were due to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

The U.S. State Department has approved the sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 fighter planes and other military aircraft worth up to $330 million, prompting China to warn that the move jeopardized Sino-U.S. cooperation.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven lost a no-confidence vote in parliament and will step down after four years in power, but with neither major political bloc holding a majority it remained unclear who will form the next government.

Britain’s opposition Labour Party will vote against any deal Prime Minister Theresa May clinches with the European Union and is open to a second referendum with the option of staying in the bloc, Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said.

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