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Ben Riley-Smith
@benrileysmith
, 4 tweets, 1 min read Read on Twitter
Washington DC feels in limbo right now. Little meaningful legislation. White House agenda sparse. All eyes on 2020 but too soon for full campaign mode. A strange time.
Mueller is done. Congress is divided. Trump’s habits now familiar. Impeachment dead in water.

The biggest open questions for the first term are on foreign policy - will Afghan troops come home? Will a China trade deal happen? Will Iran negotiate? Will N Korea deteriorate?
All of which is underpinned by one big unknown - how desperate is Trump for ‘wins’ on the world stage that he can tout in the campaign?

....
Does Trump go into 2020 looking hard on China, or touting a brand-enforcing ‘deal’?

Would a handshake with Rouhani allow him to play the master negotiator or be accused of caving?

Does he act on Kim’s missile launches or turn a blind eye, claiming progress.

Watch this space...
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Ben Riley-Smith
@benrileysmith
Impeachment talk in Washington is seriously ramping up today. All over the Ukraine whistleblower row. Dem congressmen huddling in private. 7 wrote op-ed effectively calling for the move today. Watch this space.
Majority of House Democrats already on record backing impeachment proceedings. Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker who is skeptical and has been the key blockage, is reportedly sounding people out in last 48 hours.
Here's John Lewis, famous civil rights campaigner + widely respected congressman, a few moments ago calling for impeachment to begin. "We cannot delay. We must not wait. Now is the time to act."
Read 10 tweets
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Ben Riley-Smith
@benrileysmith
NEW: Liam Fox has said Britain must accept that the Iran nuclear deal is 'dead'.

He's written a piece for @Telegraph outlining his argument, which will be delivered in DC tomorrow.
telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/1…
@Telegraph Fox, who was in the cabinet until July, argues it is "futile" to attempt to keep the agreement alive.

Says in @Telegraph piece that Britain should join US in trying to stop all Iranian oil exports.
@Telegraph Comes amid hope in Trump administration that Boris Johnson will nudge British position closer to US on Iran.

He's already ditched May's rejection of Operation Sentinel, the US-led mission to police the Strait of Hormuz.
Read 5 tweets
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Ben Riley-Smith
@benrileysmith
If you’re baffled by Trump’s recent scattergun comments on Iran read the first 4 pars of this Washington Post piece.

It captures the fundamental tension in his foreign policy - balancing the wish to appear strong with the desire to strike deals.
One fascinating theory emerging to explain Iran's recent behaviour - that they've decided they need to negotiate with Trump and are ramping up military action to create leverage at the negotiating table. [Something they can agree to stop in exchange for sanctions relief]
That thinking would follow the North Korea model - turn up the bellicose rhetoric + action, giving Trump something he can claim credit for ending in a deal. [Matches signals elsewhere, such as Bolton departure, that Trump craves an agreement he can tout in 2020]
Read 3 tweets

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Alamo_on_the_rise
@AlamoOnTheRise
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Zach Everson
@Z_Everson
Trump Hotels' website still lists Trump SoHo New York among its properties in the Our Hotels menu. Select its name though to access its page and there's a message about it being renamed

bit.ly/2EPCSy1
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bit.ly/2CpL7z2
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@Z_Everson
President and Mrs. Trump are dining at the Trump Hotel DC right now.
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