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In Washington, political punches and counterpunches sometimes come in the form of memos.
Democrats are eyeing the potential release of a rebuttal to the disputed Republican missive alleging bias in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation as a way to help them win control of the U.S. House in November's midterm elections.
The House Intelligence Committee is scheduled to meet today in closed session to consider public disclosure of the Democratic document, which authors say will point out errors and omissions in the Republican memo released Friday.
Democratic lawmakers are circulating talking points alleging that House Republicans are “now part and parcel to an organized effort to obstruct” Mueller's probe. They're viewed as within striking distance of ending one-party rule in Washington by reclaiming the House majority they lost eight years ago.
President Donald Trump says the memo “totally vindicates” him in a probe that he and his allies call a political witch hunt. But beyond the rhetorical sparring, the battle lines are taking shape for the upcoming congressional races that could ultimately shape the fate of Trump's presidency.
Global Headlines
Shaky May | Political tides seem to be turning against Theresa May as the ever-struggling U.K. prime minister comes back from China to a Conservative Party in open warfare over Brexit. This week she'll chair a “war cabinet” to see what compromise can be reached on where the government stands on the customs union. She's fudged the issue but now needs to get specific.
Pakistan's balancing act | Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is walking a tightrope between worsening tensions with the U.S. over perceptions Pakistan isn't tough enough on militants and building pressure in the lead-up to key elections in July. In an exclusive interview, he voiced skepticism that Trump's troop increase in neighboring Afghanistan would bring an end to America's longest-running war and said the only solution is peace talks, which Islamabad is ready to mediate.
Bulgaria's tough euro push | As Bulgaria prepares a bid to join the euro, several northern European Union countries are saying not so fast. As Jonathan Stearns and Viktoria Dendrinou write, the former communist nation ticks all the economic boxes to join the currency union, but is running into headwinds as the bloc still smarts over the debt crisis triggered by another small nation to the south: Greece.
Samsung power | The heir apparent to Samsung Electronics Co. and one of South Korea's most powerful people was freed after a court suspended his jail sentence in a bribery scandal that helped take down former President Park Geun-hye last year. Jay Y. Lee became the public face of what many young voters saw as a corrupt system in which family-run conglomerates doled out favors to politicians for favorable treatment.
Islamic State targets Africa | Islamist militant groups in West Africa's Sahel region are using increased support from al-Qaeda and Islamic State through Libya to carry out more sophisticated attacks from Mali to Nigeria. As Olivier Monnier reports, despite French, U.S. and United Nations military involvement, the violence is spreading.
Political games | As North Korean athletes steal the spotlight at South Korea's Winter Olympics, David Tweed looks at sporting events that helped shape global politics. The list includes an emerging power challenging a dominant one, a dictator seeking a propaganda coup and a terrorist group trying to shock the world.
And finally... Last night's Super Bowl revived echoes of the racially tinged culture wars that encroached on the early part of the NFL season. The White House released a pre-kickoff statement urging fans to “proudly stand” for the national anthem to show respect for U.S. service members, while a Dodge Ram commercial featuring a voiceover of a 1968 sermon given by Martin Luther King, Jr. drew fire on social media.
--With assistance from Richard Bravo
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net.
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.
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