The business of Trump's America is politics

Your guide to how Washington shapes business and the economy

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE FRI, NOV 15, 2019 CNBC POLITICS EDITOR'S NOTE Hello,   There has always been a strong, if contentious, relationship between American enterprise and government. Whether that's a good thing will be the subject of heated debates for as long as the republic stands.   But in the era of Donald Trump, the CEO president himself, the intersection of business and politics feels more like an explosion. Here are a few examples from just this week:   Amazon is citing "unmistakable bias" after it lost out on a $10 billion cloud contract with the Pentagon. The company's CEO, Jeff Bezos, also owns The Washington Post and is a frequent target of Trump. Jordan Novet and Amanda Macias have the story. Dozens of state attorneys general are ramping up their antitrust probe into Google, according to Lauren Hirsch and Lauren Feiner. While the investigation isn't linked to Trump, the president has been one of the loudest critics of Google, accusing the company, without evidence, of manipulating votes in the 2016 election. Even as the Trump administration conducts delicate trade negotiations with China, Attorney General Bill Barr is saying that Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE "cannot be trusted," Kate Fazzini reports. Business groups are caught in the crossfire as Trump and his Democratic foes in the House fight over revamping the sweeping U.S. trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. Jacob Pramuk and Kayla Tausche weigh in.   It's not just Trump. Two of the leading Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, have been in a hot war with corporate America and Wall Street for years. This past week, Warren's battle with outspoken billionaires such as Leon Cooperman hit a new level, as she bought an ad on CNBC in which she proclaims, "It is time for a wealth tax."   Many investors and figures in the corporate world would probably rather not get too bogged down in politics. Unfortunately for them there's an election in less than a year. Politics will have to be their business for the foreseeable future, whether they like it or not.   Thoughts on business and politics in the Trump era, Elizabeth Warren battling billionaires, or impeachment? Email me at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.   Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend.   Have friends or colleagues who might like this newsletter? They can sign up here. For more on the intersection of business and politics, sign up for the weekly Capital Exchange newsletter here. Mike Calia @Michael_Calia KEY STORIES  Amazon cites 'unmistakable bias' in Microsoft's military cloud contract win Amazon and its founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, are frequent targets of President Donald Trump. States' massive Google antitrust probe will expand into search and Android businesses So far, the investigation, which is being led by Texas' attorney general, has explicitly focused on Google's advertising business. Trump asks Supreme Court to let him keep his tax returns secret, setting up a landmark fight The case could determine whether any president has blanket criminal immunity while in office. Nancy Pelosi says a USMCA trade deal breakthrough could be 'imminent' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated progress toward a final agreement on President Donald Trump's North American trade deal replacement. Attorney General Barr says Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE 'cannot be trusted' Barr wrote a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai saying Chinese technology giants Huawei and ZTE "cannot be trusted." Impeachment hearings: Diplomat reveals Trump discussed Biden probe with EU ambassador day after Ukraine call The conversation was not previously reported, and it raises new questions about Gordon Sondland's conversations with Trump while the president was freezing nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine. Joe Biden proposes $1.3 trillion infrastructure overhaul — and swipes at Trump for inaction The Democratic presidential front-runner targets Trump for a lack of progress on infrastructure, one of his key campaign promises in 2016. Apple hires pro-Trump lobbyist as it tries to avoid tariffs on iPhone parts and other products Apple hires pro-Trump lobbyist as it looks to avoid tariffs on iPhone parts and a variety of other products. Lloyd Blankfein mocks Elizabeth Warren after attack ad: 'Maybe tribalism is just in her DNA' "Maybe tribalism is just in her DNA," the billionaire former CEO of Goldman Sachs says in an apparent dig at Warren's much-criticized claims of Native American ancestry. Deval Patrick's Bain Capital experience makes his 2020 candidacy the 'longest of long shots' The late entry into the Democratic primary field will face criticisms similar to what Republican Mitt Romney, who also worked for Bain, suffered during the 2012 election.       Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy   © 2019 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS