INTERVIEW – STEVE MOORE – Heritage Foundation economist
- TRUMP / STOCK MARKET: Pres. Trump claims the stock market would tank if the Democrats win control of Congress and move to impeach him. “I don’t know how you can impeach somebody who has done a great job” the president said
- Giuliani: Americans would ‘revolt’ if Trump were impeached. Rudy Giuliani believes Americans would “revolt” if President Trump were impeached. “I think impeachment would be totally horrible,” Giuliani said during an interview with Sky News Thursday. “I mean, there’s no reason. He didn’t collude with the Russians, he didn’t obstruct justice, everything Cohen says has been disproved. You’d only impeach him for political reasons and the American people would revolt against that.”
- VENEZUELA ECONOMIC CRISIS: Maduro will not reverse Venezuela’s economic collapse. The president’s latest measures do nothing to address the main causes of the crisis
- Venezuela’s New Currency Sows Confusion and Shutters Stores (NY TIMES) — CARACAS, Venezuela — Shuttered stores, empty streets, confusion over the cost of basic items: the day after President Nicolas Maduro introduced measures to invigorate Venezuela’s economy found the country in turmoil and its population afraid his “program for recovery, growth and economic prosperity” would lead it deeper into depression. The measures included increasing taxes, raising the price of gas for some buyers who do not register with the government, and slashing five zeros out of the devalued currency, the bolívar, which was renamed the sovereign bolívar. The currency change left many consumers — and vendors — bewildered. On Monday, the day the new economic plan was rolled out, streets were quiet and most shops were closed, as Mr. Maduro had decreed a national holiday. But most remained closed on Tuesday as shopkeepers tried to understand how to reset prices in the new currency and buyers struggled to make the conversion.
- Venezuela’s refugee exodus is the biggest crisis in the hemisphere (Washington Post) — According to U.N. figures, some 2.3 million Venezuelans — about 7 percent of the population — have left their homeland over the past couple of years. Other estimates place the number at closer to 4 million. The exodus is the consequence of severe economic deprivation and mounting desperation among Venezuelans. The country’s economy has shrunk by half in just five years, and inflation is nearing a staggering 1 million percent. Shortages of food and medicine have led to a crisis in public health, with once-vanquished diseases such as diphtheria and measles returning and the rate of infant mortality rising sharply. U.N. officials claim that some 1.3 million Venezuelans who left the country were “suffering from malnourishment.”
- The stream of refugees is straining Venezuela’s neighbors as well. Over the weekend, violence broke out in the northern Brazilian town of Pacaraima between Venezuelan migrants and local mobs, which burned a number of squalid migrant encampments. But neither the anger of locals, who resent the burden of refugees in an already-impoverished part of the country, nor a beefed-up military presence on the border stopped hundreds more Venezuelans from crossing into Brazil every day this week. While the bulk of the refugees have crossed into Colombia, many are moving on from there to other countries, including Ecuador, Peru and Chile. Peruvian officials say 20,000 Venezuelans arrived there last week. On Sunday, authorities in Ecuador closed border crossings with Colombia to Venezuelans who do not have passports. Many poor Venezuelans do not have passports, which are increasingly difficult to obtain.
- Yay, socialism!: “Latin America Tightens Borders in the Face of Venezuelan, Nicaraguan Outflows” (CIS) — Latin American states have been generous in their reception of Venezuelans and Nicaraguans fleeing their countries’ socialist policies and government repression. However, the “all are welcome” approach adopted by many of their neighbors appears to be deteriorating as emigration from the two countries continue to grow. Colombia, as the primary recipient of Venezuelan migrants, requires Venezuelans to present a passport or border-crossing card at its northern border. However, the Colombian government recently criticized Ecuador and Peru for instituting similar requirements. Colombian officials expressed concern that the new requirements would create a bottleneck for the increasing number of Venezuelans using Colombia as a bridge to reach other South American countries (Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina). Last week, after declaring a state of emergency due to the influx of Venezuelan migrants, Ecuador announced it would require Venezuelans to present a valid passport to enter the country. Prior to this announcement, Venezuelans only needed to show their national identity cards. The Ecuadoran government explained that the measure was necessary for a “safe, regular, and orderly” migration flow. More specifically, the government cited the use of fraudulent national identification cards by traffickers and smugglers. Ecuador’s President Lenín Moreno told local media, “Everything has its limits.” An estimated 600,000 Venezuelans have entered Ecuador so far this year.
- Brazil’s Border Streets Flood with Venezuelan Children.Scavenging for Food Starving Venezuelans fleeing across border to Brazil have become common sight around dumpsters of the country’s biggest border cities
