China's economic growth slumps to 27-year low amid Trump trade war

Why it matters: It's an indication that the prolonged trade war with the U.S. may be hurting, per Tom Rafferty, principal economist for China at The Economist Intelligence Unit. "Businesses remain skeptical that the two countries will reach a broader trade agreement and recognise that trade tensions may escalate again," he said in a note, according to CNBC.

Between the lines: China announced massive tax cuts and infrastructure investment — worth about $290 billion — this year in an attempt to shore up the slumping economy. The government has also encouraged banks to up lending to the private sector.

• Yes, but: While the economy responded to fiscal stimulus with an initial jolt, trade pressures have dragged down growth. And there's broad skepticism among economists about the accuracy of China's GDP figures, so the numbers may be "understating the extent of the [economic] slowdown," as the New York Times points out.
• There are "expectations that Beijing needs to announce more measures to boost consumption and investment and restore business confidence," Reuters reports.

Go deeper: The U.S.-China trade war could spark an Asian labor shortage

• Guliani's business dealings with Ukraine are being investigated by federal prosecutors in the New York case against his associates. He's also at center of the impeachment inquiry for allegedly trying to press Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden over unsubstantiated corruption allegations.

What they're saying: Brian Benczkowski, the head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and other top Justice Department officials met with Giuliani before the pair was charged to discuss a fraud case "in which he and other attorneys were representing the defendants," per the Times.

"When Mr. Benczkowski and fraud section lawyers met with Mr. Giuliani, they were not aware of any investigation of Mr. Giuliani’s associates in the Southern District of New York and would not have met with him had they known."

Go deeper: Trump's Rudy problem

What they're saying: According to a copy of the talking points obtained by Vox, the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs wrote that "Turkey’s military offensive is severely undermining counter-ISIS efforts, endangering innocent civilians, and threatening peace, security, and stability in the region."

• "Turkey does not appear to be mitigating the humanitarian impact of its invasion and occupation of some parts of northeast Syria," the cable adds. The U.S. has "called on Turkey to investigate possible violations of international humanitarian law, especially unlawful attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure."
• The talking points also note that the department has withdrawn humanitarian and stabilization assistance advisers from northern Syria, which will make it difficult to implement the $50 million aid that the U.S. plans to distribute, per Vox.

Meanwhile, Trump has brushed off concerns that ISIS fighters could take advantage of the chaos and escape prisons and detention camps. On Oct. 9, Trump said ISIS fighters would defect to Europe if they escaped.

• So far, at least 950 ISIS supporters have escaped camps for displaced people.
• On Oct. 16, the president said that "the Kurds are much safer right now. But the Kurds know how to fight, and as I said, they're not angels. They're not angels. ... I wish them all a lot of luck."

Of note: The State Department released the talking points before Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and agreed to a temporary ceasefire that would force Kurdish forces to evacuate the area.

• A State Department official told Vox the talking points have not been updated since the ceasefire.

Go deeper: Pentagon may struggle to contain ISIS in Syria