Politics

Somewhat calming anxiety over the tax reform bill making it out of committee, Senator Ron Johnson confirmed he would vote 'yes'...

Senator Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, pushed to change the way pass-through businesses would be treated by increasing a proposed 17.4 percent deduction for pass-through business income to at least 20 percent.

 

Johnson would pay for the heftier tax break by eliminating the corporate deduction for state and local taxes.

 

Well, US experts did warn that North Korea could conduct another missile test "within days", and for once, US experts were right, because moments ago Yonhap reported citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, that after a two and a half month hiatus, North Korea has fired a ballistic missile, the first such launch since September 15.

Following this morning's tweet, in which Trump said that he was meeting with top Democrats Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi to keep the government open, but because "they want illegal immigrants flooding into our Country unchecked", he "doesn't see a deal", and which sent the T-Bill market turmoiling as mid-December government shutdown odds surged, moments ago the top two Democratic leaders in Congress pulled out "abruptly" (in AP's words) of the previously scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump.

A day after local Japanese media reported that their government had detected a signal from North Korea suggesting that the country is preparing for another ballistic missile launch – what would be its first in more than two months, snapping the longest stretch of calm this year – Reuters is reporting that US officials believe the North could stage another missile test any day now.

Anxiety appears to be building in the Treasury Bill market once again as the yield spread between 12/7 and 12/21 widens to 12bps after President Trump cast doubt on whether he and congressional leaders can agree to keep the government funded.

As AP reports, Trump is meeting with Democratic and Republican congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday to discuss budget and immigration issues.

But, in a tweet, Trump cast doubt on whether they can agree to fund the government beyond a Dec. 8 deadline.