It turns out that Paris has suffered an all-time high influx of American tourists this month, according to official statistics, because what better place to visit? Our family contribution was a total of 7 visitors in August, which my husband and I are part of. I think that is a historic high for our clan. In 2017, for which the World Tourist Organization has just published data, France was no. 1 in luring in foreign tourists, who numbered $86.9 million.

Canada is desperately trying to get a rewrite of the don’t-call-it-NAFTA deal with Mexico and the enthusiasm over this partial renewal is eroding fast because Congressional skepticism is rising while international auto-makers are trying to work out a solution for their own supply chains. Trump is proving to be a loose cannon in trade talks, but at least he has been distracted by more suicidal moves against China. So in pre-opening trading, the US$ is down again. And Canadian stocks are still in the doghouse, however, well they are doing in fact. Foreign Minister Chrysta Freeland has been given until Friday to strike a deal.

And the President’s latest attacks on Google search provider Alphabet has taken down its shares. He also added Facebook and Twitter to those allegedly “blocking conservative media”. T Alphabet stock lost 4.27% after it was named in the initial attack by Pres. Trump. I wonder if he or his advisors sold short.

Trump followed up with a warning that Evangelicals should rally to his side in the midterm elections lest “violent people” (meaning Democrats) win and attack Freedom of Speech and of Religion. He calls this “a very serious situation”. I think it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Banksters

*A revelation by the London Times is that a Royal Bank of Scotland executive in charge of restructuring loans to small and mid-sized businesses after the government takeover in 2008 featured better terms for these borrowers, in fact, did something else. He took bribes from squeezed smaller firms in return for easing their funding terms. Then he left the bank with a payoff, according to the newspaper. Separately, RBS named its former deputy CFO, Katie Murray, as its new CFO.