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One question is now gripping much of the U.S. — did President Donald Trump commit a crime in his first month in the Oval Office? Democrats say reports the president asked former FBI Director James Comey to drop an investigation into one of his former top aides amounts to obstruction of justice, if true. Some legal experts aren't so sure.  High crimes and misdemeanors, to use the U.S. Constitution’s phrase, aren’t the same as ordinary crimes, Noah Feldman writes. Beginning to forget how this all started? Here's a guide to the Russia investigations. — Alex Millson and Brent O'Brien

China's copy of Manhattan is no longer a ghost town. When China went on a mega-city building spree at the start of the decade, the towers went up, but the people stayed away. Now, in the port city of Tianjin, the green shoots of economic life are finally starting to show, as the government attempts to position it as a crucial gateway for a revitalized Northern China.

Apple plans laptop upgrades to take on Microsoft. The company is planning to update its MacBook Pro and MacBook 12-inch lines, and is considering a more powerful MacBook Air as sales of the laptop, Apple's cheapest, remain surprisingly strong, according to people familiar with the matter. Laptops generate just 11 percent of the company's sales, but are key to retaining the business of loyalists and the creative industries.

Hong Kong has sold a car park site for a record $3 billion. In the city where office space is the priciest on the planet, Henderson Land Development was the winning bidder for the site in the Central district. An office tower is planned. The price per square foot for the deal is a cool HK$50,000 (US$6,400), according to Bloomberg calculations.

Japan set for longest run of economic growth in a decade. While Japan’s failure to spur inflation continues to generate angst about the nation’s future, gross domestic product data this week is likely to show that the economy has still managed to eke out five straight quarters of expansion. That would be the best run since 2006.

Even before it arrives in Australia, Amazon is hurting Australian rivals. Wesfarmers, the supermarkets-to-hardware conglomerate that's the nation's biggest private employer, scrapped a A$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion) initial public offering of its office supplies business.  One analyst says Officeworks will surely suffer because its products are so suitable for online purchasing. Wesfarmers blamed "current equity market conditions" and didn't mention the online giant, however. 

It's good to be named the world's 119th-ranked golfer. Andrew "Beef" Johnson, a pudgy Brit with a lumberjack beard and a big, toothy smile, first grabbed the golf world's attention in April 2016 when he won the Spanish Open. After his victory he declared he couldn't wait to get home to London to "get hammered" and see his mother. He's the sport's newest folk hero, and fast-food chain Arby's is along for the ride.

Your Evening Briefing
Andrew 'Beef' Johnston at the Bulldog bar.
Photographer: Akasha Rabut for Bloomberg Businessweek

 

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Alex Millson at amillson@bloomberg.net.

With assistance from Editorial Board