What we’re reading: Trump signs USMCA; Brexit backed by Parliament

By Collin Gray

Published Jan 30, 2020

President Trump signs USMCA

President Donald Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal into law Wednesday, according to Politico.

The deal will officially replace NAFTA if Canada ratifies it and all three countries meet the numerous obligations in the USMCA.

Trump stated the legislation was one of his priorities while running for president.

It passed with strong bipartisan majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The USMCA would raise the United States GDP by $68.2 billion by the sixth year after it enters into force, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission.

President Donald Trump speaks before signing a new North American trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, during an event at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020, in Washington. The president is joined by from left, senior advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., and others. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

European Parliament backs Brexit

The European Parliament backed the terms of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union by a vote of 621 to 49 vote Wednesday, according to the BBC.

The UK is now expected to officially leave the EU at 11:00 p.m. Friday.

The two sides will have 11 months to negotiate the parameters of their future economic relationship. The European Parliament will also get to vote on any future trade deals.

European Parliament President David Sassoli, center, stands with other British MEP’s and members of the political group Socialist and Democrats as they participate in a ceremony prior to the vote on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU at the European Parliament in Brussels, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. The U.K. is due to leave the EU on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, the first nation in the bloc to do so. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Leaked documents reveal hacking of United Nations

An internal document from the United Nations revealed dozens of servers containing sensitive information were compromised last year in an apparent espionage-like attack, according to ABC News.

The hackers’ identities and the severity of what they took are still unknown.

The small number of infected machines and the fact that the hackers did not cover their tracks well led some experts to claim the incident as a possible case of espionage.

“The attackers have a goal in mind and are deploying malware to machines that they believe serve some purpose for them,” former U.S. government hacker Jake Williams said.

There are indications that the UN remained quiet about the breach, a strategy that has been criticized by information security experts.

FILE – In this April 9, 2019, file photo Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, attends a press conference at the Cultural Center of Spain, in Mexico City. An internal confidential document from the United Nations, leaked to The New Humanitarian and seen by The Associated Press, says that dozens of servers were “compromised” at offices in Geneva and Vienna. Those include the U.N. human rights office, which has often been a lightning rod of criticism from autocratic governments for its calling-out of rights abuses. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)

Bolton warned against publishing manuscript

The National Security Council warned former adviser John Bolton that his upcoming book contains classified and top-secret information that can’t be published publicly, according to CBS News.

The NSC has offered to work with Bolton to review the manuscript before the book is published to ensure he does not violate non-disclosure agreements he signed during his time at the White House.

According to an NSC official, some of the information is classified and could cause “exceptionally grave harm to the national security of the United States,” if published publicly.

Bolton’s revelations are at the heart of the ongoing impeachment trial against President Trump. The Senate is voting in the coming days on whether to allow witnesses, including Bolton, to appear in the trial.