In other news, the Business Roundtable, a group of over 180 CEOs, have lowered their forecast for economic growth from 2.6 percent down to 2.3 percent. They say Trump's trade war is primarily to blame.
Meanwhile, global investment in robots reached a record $16.5 billion and is expected to increase by almost 40 percent over the next three years. China is the number one investor in robotics.
Finally, Trump has named Robert O’Brien, the State Department's chief hostage negotiator, as his next national security adviser.
The announcement of O’Brien’s selection comes a week after Trump ousted John Bolton from the post, citing policy disagreements . O’Brien, who made headlines in July when he was dispatched to Sweden to monitor the assault trial of American rapper A$AP Rocky, was among five candidates Trump said Tuesday were under consideration. [...]
He began to emerge as a front-runner to replace Bolton last week when it became clear that an early favorite, Iran envoy Brian Hook, would face opposition from hawks who think he has not been tough enough on Iran, according to Republicans familiar with the matter.
Another short-listed candidate, North Korea envoy, Stephen Biegun, was taken out of the mix when Pompeo suggested he might be better placed as Deputy Secretary of State to replace John Sullivan, who is widely expected to be nominated to be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia, officials said.
From 2008 through 2011, O’Brien was a presidentially appointed member of a government committee that advises on issues related to the trafficking of antiquities and other cultural items. In 2005, President George W. Bush nominated O’Brien to be U.S. Representative to the U.N. General Assembly, where he worked with Bolton. O’Brien was confirmed by the Senate.
He also was an adviser on the Republican presidential campaigns of former Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
I'm not entirely sure what to think of O'Brien, but my first impression here is that Trump chose him simply because of the A$AP Rocky thing and he'll end up disliking and replacing him within the next 6 to 8 months. But, you know, that could be true of anyone chosen by Trump.
Everyone who works with Trump is eventually humiliated.