Trump vs. Democrats and everyone else. Lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday amid a deeply unsettled national political and economic landscape. President Donald Trump is at the center of a dozen controversies roiling the country, as he always seems to be. Congress has been on recess for the last month-plus, with members and senators back home and traveling around the world during August.

The federal government shuts down on Oct. 1, barring a bipartisan funding deal – even a short-term one – as the White House unilaterally slashes billions of dollars of previously approved spending.

Democrats are infuriated. They were skeptical about negotiating a funding deal with Republicans after Trump and GOP leaders jammed through a $9 billion rescissions package in mid-July. Now, Trump is slashing billions of dollars in funding without Congress via legally questionable “pocket rescissions.” (Punchbowl News – Continue Reading)

Oil traders expect OPEC+ to hold crude production steady when it meets this weekend, as the group pauses after a series of accelerated supply increases.

Delegates from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies have sent mixed signals about their next move, after completing the revival of 2.2 million barrels a day of halted production a year ahead of schedule. While demand has held up in recent months, the world is on track for a hefty surplus by year-end, according to the International Energy Agency. (Bloomberg – Continue Reading)

Sometimes one photograph tells the story better than any communique or summit declaration.

A widely shared clip of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin laughing together in Beijing has already gone viral.

On the surface, it appears to be an easy exchange between three leaders. But analysts say it reflects a delicate mix of competing ambitions, old suspicions and shifting power dynamics. (CNBC – Continue Reading)

A plan for the post-war redevelopment of Gaza being considered by Donald Trump’s administration would see the region’s Palestinian population paid $5,000 to leave “voluntarily,” according to a report.

The Gaza Reconstitution, Economic Acceleration and Transformation Trust, otherwise known as the Great Trust, proposes that the 2 million people currently living in Gaza could be paid to be relocated to other countries or secure zones as part of a deal that would also see them receive subsidies to cover four years of rent and a year’s worth of food, The Washington Post reports.

With the current population gone, the U.S.-administered trust then proposes to clear away the rubble and erect six to eight “dynamic, modern and AI-powered smart planned cities,” boasting multi-storey glass apartment complexes, public parks, golf courses, “world-class resorts” along its Mediterranean beachfront plus electric vehicle plants and data centres. (Independent – Continue Reading)