North America

The unexpected decision by President Trump to amend an emergency Sept 11 order signed by George W Bush, allowing the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired air force pilots to address what the Pentagon has decribed as "an acute shortage of pilots" caught us by surprise. After all, this was the first time we have heard of this particular labor shortage - perhaps there was more to this executive order than meets the eye. Indeed, a just released report may help explain the reasoning behind this presidential decision.

As we’ve reported in the past, skyrocketing wages in mainland China have caused the adoption of robot workers by the country’s manufacturers to accelerate rapidly in recent years, cementing the country’s position as a world leader in industrial automation.

Authored by Chris Hamilton via Econimica blog,

Authored by Mark Penn, former chief strategist on Bill Clinton’s 1996 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign, and Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign; via The Wall Street Journal,

Russia didn’t win Trump the White House any more than China re-elected Bill Clinton in 1996.

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• Iraq-Kurd Fighting Threatens to Undo Anti-ISIS Coalition (WSJ)
• Oil rises as fighting escalates in Iraq's oil-rich Kirkuk (Reuters)
• Madrid moves towards direct rule over Catalonia (Reuters)
• Spain Signals It Will Suspend Catalan Self-Rule This Week (BBG)
• Central Bankers Cling to Stimulus Amid Weak Inflation (WSJ)
• White House pitches corporate tax cut as win for workers (Reuters)