Bloomberg Politics: Courting Unions, Hillary Clinton Says She Didn’t Work on Trans-Pacific Partnership

Hillary Clinton appeared to take another step away from the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Thursday, telling reporters that she didn’t work on the controversial trade deal while serving as President Barack Obama’s secretary of state. [Reposted from Bloomberg Politics  |  Josh Eidelson  |  July 30, 2015] The Democratic presidential front-runner, who advocated for a multi-lateral Asia trade agreement as…

Politico: Businesses fume as Congress lets Export-Import Bank stay dead

A small crop-duster manufacturer and a Texas company that exports oil equipment fret about losing 25 percent to 40 percent of their sales. The president of a trade-financing firm says many of his 1,000 clients could see their Christmas season business plummet. And Boeing said Wednesday that it is considering moving portions of its sprawling…

The Hill: Ex-Im supporters worry after defeat

Supporters of the Export-Import Bank are worried about its future after losing a battle with conservatives this month to renew its charter. [Reposted from The Hill  |  Kevin Cirilli  |  July 30, 2015] The bank’s proponents say Ex-Im has the money to get by over the next two months, and they note that appropriators have…

Bloomberg Business: Pacific Trade Talks Start With U.S. Vow to Solve Toughest Issues

Top officials from 12 Asia-Pacific nations formally kicked off a four-day bid to hammer out a massive but so far elusive free-trade agreement that has been in the works for 6 years. [Reposted from Bloomberg Business  |  Carter Dougherty  |  July 29, 2015] Speaking at the opening plenary of the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks in Hawaii,…

Films for Action: TPP, TTIP, TiSA, ISDS – Acronyms to End Democracy

The TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership), TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), and TISA (Trade in Services Agreement) are currently being negotiated behind closed doors all over the world. They all include ISDS a clause that allows a secret global court to arbitrate disputes between multinationals and the countries they operate in. This court meets none…

CAF: Did Obama Administration Downplay Malaysia Slavery To Grease Trade Deal?

Pope Francis says when the economy controls politics both lose … When economics takes over we tolerate anything for the sake of the dollar.”– Sister Simone Campbell [Reposted from the Campaign for America’s Future blog  |  Dave Johnson  |  July 28, 2015] Cheap labor is the whole point of our NAFTA-style trade agreements. Companies get…

NYT: Issues Mount as Negotiators Gather to Wrap Up Trans-Pacific Trade Pact

A dairy farm in Granby, Quebec. Canada is reluctant to open its protected agricultural industry to competition under the Trans-Pacific Partnership WASHINGTON — The top trade negotiators of the United States and 11 other Pacific nations are gathering this week at a luxury resort in Maui for one last push to complete the largest regional…

Inside US Trade: Robb Predicts TPP Will Likely Drift If Deal Cannot Be Reached In Hawaii

LAHAINA, Hawaii – Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb on Sunday (July 26) ratcheted up the pressure on Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries to reach a deal at their upcoming ministerial meeting here, saying failure to do so would likely delay an agreement for several years due to elections in the the United States and Canada. [Reposted…

WSJ: Nontrade Concerns Cloud Obama’s Push for Pacific Deal

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D., Texas), a critic of the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, discusses his opposition at a news conference in Washington, D.C., in June. PHOTO: LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE/ASSOCIATED PRESS The Obama administration’s push to clinch a sweeping Pacific trade deal this week faces stiff opposition over concerns—ranging from human trafficking to antigay…

NY Times: “China’s Global Ambitions, With Loans and Strings Attached”

  The country has invested billions in Ecuador and elsewhere, using its economic clout to win diplomatic allies and secure natural resources around the world. [ by Clifford Krauss and Keith Bradsher | July 24, 2015 | NY Times ] EL CHACO, Ecuador — Where the Andean foothills dip into the Amazon jungle, nearly 1,000…