Politics

The three co-founders of Fusion GPS, the opposition research firm responsible for overseeing the creation of the infamous “Trump dossier”, will refuse to comply with a subpoena ordered by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, according to a letter from their attorneys originally obtained by Business Insider.

But experts say the argument their lawyers are using to ask that they be excused relies on shaky legal grounds, and is unlikely to hold.

Iraq's military has effectively gained control of major assets and government buildings in Kirkuk city, and is now set to fully pacify it after overnight clashes at a moment when oil prices rose toward a six month high as the conflict now threatens output.

Today, the South Korean and U.S. navies kicked off massive combined drills off the coast of the Korean peninsula amid heightened tensions, a training exercise which North Korea has warned may prompt another ballistic missile launch potentially to coincide with the launch of the Chinese 19th Party Congress on October 18. The two allies plan to continue the Maritime Counter Special Operations Exercise (MCSOFEX) through Friday in the East Sea and the Yellow Sea.

• Iraq forces seize Kirkuk outskirts in advance on Kurdish-held territory (Reuters)
• 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)

After years of undermining the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al Assad, an effort that has seen Israel countenance ISIS training camps near its borders and launch recurring missile strikes on Syrian territory and its army bases while threatening to bomb Assad's palace, the simmering conflict between the two nations broke out into the open once again overnight.