Subject: Morning Brief, Presented by Johns Hopkins master of international economics and finance: Senate Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline, NSA Reforms
From: "Foreign Policy" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 09:30:23 -0500 (EST)

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TOP NEWS

Senate Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline, NSA Reforms

Senate Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline, NSA Reforms

 <p dir="ltr">  <b>Top News:</b> In a pair of narrow votes, the Senate blocked approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and reforms that would have curtailed the National Security Agency's ability to collect phone records belonging to Americans.  </p><br><p dir="ltr">  The <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VXz5A3b74 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">defeat of the proposed NSA</a> reforms sets up a key fight next year over whether to reauthorize the legal provisions granting the agency its ability to collect en masse telephonic metadata. The bill defeated late Tuesday was the most politically viable of several proposals to scale back the agency's intelligence collection powers, and it is unclear how the politics of the new Republican Congress will shape reform efforts going forward.   </p><br><p dir="ltr">  Waged in the aftermath of sweeping Republican victories in midterm elections, the campaign to defeat the bill, called the USA Freedom Act, was marked by a drumbeat of warnings that reducing the NSA's authorities amid the fight against the Islamic State risked reducing U.S. abilities to prevent attacks. "This is the worst possible time to be tying our hands behind our backs," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VXz5A3b74 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">said</a> prior to the vote.  </p><br><p dir="ltr">  The bill would have moved storage of Americans' phone records out of the NSA and into the hands of phone companies.  </p><br><p>  The <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VXz9A787f style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">defeat</a> of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would deliver oil from Canada to the Gulf coast, delivers at least a temporary victory to environmental advocates before Congress takes up the issue next year under a complete Republican majority. The pipeline is currently undergoing an environmental review and has emerged as a flashpoint between the environmental movement and advocates for the energy industry.  </p><br><p>  <b>Japan:</b> Facing a slowing economy and struggling to implement reforms, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0AAdf2c style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">called</a> for snap elections in December. With the economy now in recession, Abe's approval numbers have plummeted, and needing to implement unpopular reforms, his standing is likely to worsen before it gets better. As a result, December's elections are likely aimed at securing a popular mandate for further painful belt-tightening.   </p><br> 

** The Master of International Economics and Finance at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies is a full-time master’s program preparing students for serious economic and financial analysis positions in a broad range of private- and public-sector capacities. <a style='font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414' href='http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGZsWcPoxNH4bWE5Aa3b8><strong>Apply now!</strong></a>   
  Middle East  

<ul><p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;Israel <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGyd0cPoxNH4q4pHA6c0a style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">demolished</a> the family home of a man who drove his car into a crowd of pedestrians last month, killing a baby and a woman. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;A suicide car bomber <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0CA34ff style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">struck</a> the Iraqi Kurdish city of Erbil, killing at least four. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;At least ten <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGyd0cPoxNH4q4pKA1441 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">died</a> in overnight fighting between Egyptian troops and Islamist militants in the northern Sinai peninsula. </p><br>  </ul>     
  Asia  

<ul><p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;The United Nations <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0HAf0b3 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">voted</a> to recommend that the leaders of North Korea be referred to the International Criminal Court for prosecution on human rights charges. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;A suicide attack on a base for foreign contractors in Kabul, Afghanistan, <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0IA5bdb style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">left</a> four dead. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;At least six people <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0LA7f6d style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">have died</a> in a standoff at an ashram belonging to an Indian guru wanted for questioning in a murder case. </p><br>  </ul>     
  Europe  

<ul><p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;A second Frenchman <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0NA3bc4 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">appeared</a> in the Islamic State video showing the beheading of American aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, French authorities confirmed. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;EU Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0QAd27e style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">will face</a> a vote of confidence next week. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;Scientists at CERN <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0SA0b9c style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">announced</a> that they have discovered two new subatomic particles. </p><br>  </ul>     
  Africa  

<ul><p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lt. Col. Isaac Zida was named Burkina Faso's transitional prime minister after participating in the coup that ousted long-time leader Blaise Compaore. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;In what police describe as a crackdown on militant groups, Kenyan authorities <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0XA32d5 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">arrested</a> 109 people in Mombasa and found explosives at three mosques. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;A seventh doctor in Sierra Leone <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0YAf879 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">died</a> of Ebola. </p><br>  </ul>     
  Americas  

<ul><p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;Colombian government troops <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0eA7c57 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">are searching</a> for a general kidnapped by the FARC guerrilla group and whose capture is threatening to upend peace talks. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Honduran beauty queen Maria Jose Alvarado <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0iA3396 style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">was found</a> dead along with her sister after the two women went missing. </p><br>   <p> &bull;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mexico's first lady <a href="http://link.foreignpolicy.com/5253172ac16bcfa46f6bd4c7204gn.2gro/VGypM0mOGRN7VX0lA7a7c style="font-weight:bold;color:#ea1414" target="blank">agreed</a> to sell her glitzy Mexico City home that has emerged at the center of a brewing corruption scandal. </p><br>  </ul>     
- By Elias Groll 

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