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Your Evening Briefing

Your Evening Briefing

(Bloomberg) --

Speaker Nancy Pelosi invited U.S. President Donald Trump to testify in the House’s impeachment inquiry. Trump said he’d “strongly consider” it. Eight more witnesses are scheduled to appear in public hearings this week, including several who were on the now-famous call in which Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate ex-Vice President Joseph Biden (and publicize that he was doing so). Previous witnesses and the White House acting chief of staff have said Trump held back almost $400 million in military aid for Ukraine approved by Congress, a move Democrats call evidence of bribery. And the probe is widening: The Judiciary Committee told a court it needs materials from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, which may include evidence Trump lied to investigators

Here are today’s top stories

Trump has been relentlessly critical of Fed Chair Jerome Powell's monetary policies. On Monday, the pair met for a rare sit-down. The Fed said Powell “did not discuss his expectations for monetary policy, except to stress that the path of policy will depend entirely on incoming information that bears on the outlook for the economy.” Trump tweeted that the pair discussed “negative interest” among other topics. The dollar dropped to a session low on the news. 

A two-day siege has transfixed Hong Kong, raising fears of a bloody crackdown on hundreds of democracy protesters who remain trapped in a campus surrounded by police.

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced the U.S. no longer views Israel’s settlements in the West Bank as inconsistent with international law. The move is a boon to Trump ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and all but dooms any hope of a peace plan.

Banks say they are trying to hire and promote women, but upper levels of management don’t show it.

In Chile, it was sparked by a minor increase in the capital’s subway fare. In Ecuador, it was the end of fuel subsidies, and in Bolivia, an allegedly stolen election. Latin America isn’t in the midst of a pink tide, nor a lurch to the right. Rather, the movement is pure down-with-the-system rage

WeWork said it will begin job cuts “in earnest” this week. The company could lay off about 2,000 employees, or roughly 16% of its workforce. 

What’s Joe Weisenthal thinking about? The Bloomberg news director was amused when shares of healthcare providers like United Healthcare soared after Senator Elizabeth Warren announced that her version of Medicare-For-All program would have a three-year phase in that would begin as a public option. The investor-class fixation on Warren and the impact of her policies has been bizarre, Joe says. Warren is one of multiple candidates who have a shot at the Democratic nomination, and the path from winning the nomination to winning the presidency and then winning enough votes in the House and Senate to enact major overhauls is extremely long.

What you’ll need to know tomorrow

What you’ll want to read tonight

Taylor Swift’s old music label said she’s free to perform her past hits at an upcoming awards show, potentially resolving a dispute that splashed into public view last week.

Your Evening Briefing

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