The Wall Street Journal wrties, "The Chicago Stock Exchange is a relic of history, trading less than 0.5% of U.S. stocks and in such straits that it has been looking for a buyer.That isn't how U.S. officials see it. After a group of buyers emerged last year to rescue the exchange—led by Chongqing Casin Enterprise Group, a Chinese conglomerate—lawmakers demanded that the deal be halted on national-security grounds. The Securities and Exchange Commission issued a last-minute freeze that put the $20 million transaction on indefinite hold. Foes of the deal say granting a Chinese company a major stake in a U.S. stock exchange would create a back door for state-sponsored theft of Americans' financial data or hacks of critical market infrastructure. The 135-year-old exchange's efforts to win approval for the sale highlight mounting U.S. resistance to Chinese dealmaking, especially when it involves firms inside the plumbing of the U.S. financial system...The deal got approval in December from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., or CFIUS, a multi-agency panel that reviews acquisitions of U.S. companies for national-security concerns...SEC commissioners put the Chicago exchange deal on hold on Aug. 9, freezing a staff decision earlier that day to greenlight the deal following a 240-day review period."

CNBC reports that President Donald Trump recently dismissed some of his senior staff as globalists and demanded that someone draw up a plan for tariffs that would affect China, Axios reported Sunday evening. Citing multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting — and noting that the White House had not disputed the accounts —the outlet reported that Trump had issued the demand during an Oval Office meeting with top advisors. "So, John, I want you to know, this is my view. I want tariffs. And I want someone to bring me some tariffs," Axios quotes the president as saying to John Kelly, his chief of staff. Trump then reportedly ended his meeting by saying: "I know there are some people in the room right now that are upset. I know there are some globalists in the room right now. And they don't want them, John, they don't want the tariffs. But I'm telling you, I want tariffs." People in the meeting — which was set to be about plans to investigate China for intellectual property theft — included U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, trade advisor Peter Navarro, National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and then-White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, according to Axios. Here's the non-denial that the White House gave to Axios: "The president has been very clear about his agenda as it relates to trade. Discussions pertaining to specific tariffs and trade deals are ongoing and have already resulted in many positive developments."