Welcome to America’s Newsletter from Tag The Flag, the best morning newsletter on the internet, bringing you nonpartisan news and every view of the Red, White, and Blue. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
📌 BULLETIN BOARD
The results are in: this past July we conducted a survey regarding your thoughts on bias and inaccuracy in the media. We said we would share the results so today we’re making good on that promise. Without further ado, we present to you the 2019 media bias summer survey.
🦅 U.S. NEWS
Hearings and whistles: this week in Washington
Despite a congressional recess, this week the House Intelligence Committee plans to summon at least four State Department officials in its impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump over his dealings with Ukraine. They include a former ambassador to Ukraine whom Mr Trump called “bad news”, Gordon Sondland, America’s ambassador to the European Union, T. Ulrich Brechbuhl, a State Department counselor named in the whistleblower’s complaint that began the inquiry and George Kent, a deputy assistant secretary. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, accused Democrats of trying to “intimidate [and] bully” officials; he is also in a standoff with them over documents that they have subpoenaed. Meanwhile, on Sunday lawyers for the whistleblower confirmed that they are representing another, with first-hand knowledge supporting the claims of the first. – The Economist
UAW says GM labor talks ‘have taken a turn for the worse’
The United Auto Workers’ strike against General Motors could continue for the foreseeable future, as the union on Sunday said talks between the sides have “taken a turn for the worse.” Background: About 48,000 UAW members with GM have been on strike and picketing outside the automaker’s U.S. facilities since Sept. 16. Why it matters: The work stoppage has caused a ripple effect throughout the automaker’s North American operations, causing thousands of additional layoffs. It also has contributed to a double-digit decline in GM shares during the past three weeks. Big picture: Wall Street analysts estimate GM is losing roughly $50 million to $100 million per day and J.P. Morgan estimated the UAW’s strike cost GM more than $1 billion during the third quarter. – CNBC
Arrests for Low-Level Crimes Are Plummeting, and the Experts Have No Idea Why
Major police departments around the country are arresting fewer people for minor crimes. More specifically, there’s been a yearslong decline in misdemeanor cases, with arrests of young black men falling dramatically. Potential Drivers: Some say the falling arrest rates signal a fundamental shift in crime prevention. Others say the decline could also be driven by technologies like the internet and mobile phones that help to keep social interaction off the streets and inside homes. Why it matters: Researchers saw misdemeanors as another unchecked, racially unbalanced police power creating barriers to housing, employment, and education. – WSJ (subscription)
Noteworthy
+ Nine shot, four killed in Sunday morning shooting at Kansas City, Kansas bar
+ ‘Joker’ smashes October box office record with $93.5M debut
🤝 SUMMER 2019 SURVEY RESULTS
Our goal with this survey is to get a sense of the American public’s perspectives towards not only traditional media but social media as well. KEEP READING →
🌎 WORLD NEWS
Nuclear talks between US and North Korea end in confusion
Anxiously anticipated talks between the United States and North Korea ended in confusion this weekend as American diplomats spoke of “good discussions” that were denounced by their North Korean counterparts as a waste of time. Saturday’s talks were the first between the U.S. and North Korea since the February breakdown of the second summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Vietnam. Why it matters: North Korea has since resumed missile tests, including an underwater-launched missile that fell inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone Wednesday. Here is a video that outlines how the talks broke down. – Sunday Times / Politico
Iraq protests: Death toll nears 100 as unrest enters fifth day
At least eight people were killed in new clashes between Iraqi security forces and anti-government protesters on Sunday, the sixth day of unrest in which the death toll has now passed 100 and more than 6,000 have been wounded. What’s happening: Demonstrators say they are taking a stand against unemployment, poor public services and corruption. Why it matters: It is the deadliest unrest since so-called Islamic State was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017. Big picture: It is seen as the first major challenge to Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi’s fragile government, nearly a year since he came to power. – BBC
Hong Kong Rallies Turn Violent After Thousands Defy Face Mask Ban
Anti-government protests in Hong Kong continued on Sunday as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to defy the ban on face masks that went into effect just days earlier. Background: Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam announced Friday that she would use colonial-era emergency powers to enforce the ban that targets those wearing face masks at public gatherings. Lam is the first to invoke those powers in more than 50 years. Fallout: Sunday’s protests started out peacefully, but things changed once police fired tear gas into the crowds. Among the protesters’ demands are pro-democracy reforms, an investigation into police officers’ use of violent force, and less interference from mainland China. – NPR
Noteworthy
+ Family of U.K. teen killed in crash involving spouse of U.S. diplomat seeks answers
+ Tunisia’s Presidential Runoff: Two Candidates, and One Is in Jail
+ Catholic Church to debate married men becoming priests
💼 BUSINESS
Fear Overtakes Greed in IPO Market After WeWork Debacle
The IPO market has gone from hot to not. Shares of newly public companies, earlier this year one of the hottest investments on Wall Street, are now in a slump after investors soured on money-losing startups from Uber to WeWork. By the numbers: tech start-ups that went public this year are up 5%, on average, from when they IPO’d. The S&P 500 index is up 18%. Not only that, but IPO-stock performance is the worst it has been since at least 1995. Why it matters: many thought 2019 would be a record year for IPOs, but so far this year’s crop of IPOs is expected to be the least profitable since the technology boom. – WSJ (subscription)
🏅 SPORTS
China suspends work with Rockets over GM tweet
China’s official basketball association says it will suspend cooperation with the Houston Rockets following a tweet by the team’s general manager in support of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. GM Daryl Morey’s now-deleted tweet read: “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong.” Big picture: China’s relationship with the Rockets has been especially close because Chinese Hall of Famer Yao Ming played his entire NBA career with the team. Elsewhere, the United States showed off the speed and depth of its squad to win three gold medals on the final day of the world track championships this weekend. – ESPN / AP
💻 TECHNOLOGY
PayPal says Peace Out To Libra
PayPal has become the first company to walk away officially from Facebook’s Libra, a cryptocurrency and related association that it announced earlier this year with a chain of nearly 30 big names behind the effort to help build and operate services around it. Why it matters: A high-profile, would-be partner like PayPal backing out from the effort before it’s even gotten off the ground is a big blow to Facebook and the Libra Association. The WSJ reported earlier this week that Mastercard, Visa, and other companies may join PayPal in backing away. Big picture: Both regulators and other government bodies on both sides of the Atlantic — already scrutinizing Facebook and cryptocurrency as separate issues — have honed in on the project with concerns of how a Facebook-backed and promoted currency could lead to anti-competitive behavior. Libra will certainly be an uphill battle to bring to market. – Tech Crunch
🚰 WATERCOOLER
+ Here is how military spending has changed around the world since 2009
📅 ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Today marks the 18th anniversary of the U.S. military’s invasion of Afghanistan, Iowa’s Post Register writes. The war’s early phase “Operation Enduring Freedom” kicked off what has been the longest war in the United States history by nearly a decade. The anniversary is significant not only for marking the beginning of the war on terror but as a reminder that the United States Armed Forces now has enlistees who were born after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Keep reading.
🇺🇸 TOP TAGS
Yesterday’s top tag was a #SundaySalute that went out to America’s Navy
💡 TRIVIA
Dark Tourism: What is it and why is it growing?
(Hint, if you’ve been to Normandy Beach, Auschwitz, or the 9/11 memorial in New York, you’ve technically been a “dark tourist”)