The U.S. government is headed into a record-long shutdown with no end in sight. Americans are fractured politically. There is even talk of civil war on social media with left and right arguing which side has more firepower: those with illegal guns in coastal inner cities or the armed rednecks in between. In a nation with 100 million guns, it is not a pretty thought. South Korea’s exports are slowing as global demand for everything from chips to cars to heavy equipment is falling. In a glass-half-full assessment, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the economy will not go into recession this year, although it will slow down. Leaders in the European Parliament are insisting there be no trade negotiations with the U.S. unt...

TAGS – Asia, Europe, North America