The British remind us they too have messy politics

[Bloomberg]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a TK of Bloomberg Opinion’s opinions. [Sign up here](. Today’s Agenda - British voters face [two unappealing choices](. - The GOP’s [Trump defenses are remarkably weak](. - Amazon still [hasn’t figured out its grocery]( business. - The Fed still hasn’t [figured out its repo problem](. U.K. Voters Lack That Hopey-Changey Stuff We in The Colonies have a lot of fun, don’t we, laughing at British politics, with its interminable Brexiting and [mace-grabbing]( and [Black Rodding]( and whatnot. But last night the U.K. held a major political debate with only two contestants. Consider that when/if you watch America’s Democratic candidates for president debate tonight with 47 people on stage. Ah, but last night’s debaters did [not quite exemplify the best of British politics](, Therese Raphael writes. On the one hand was Boris Johnson, who got a huge laugh when he claimed to care about truth, because come on, he’s [Boris Johnson](. His one and only North Star is ripping the U.K. out of the EU, regardless of the economic consequences (which he has been known to lie about). On the left hand was Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, who threatens economic dislocation of a more socialist variety and is perhaps an even less inspiring leader than Johnson, Therese suggests. And unlike his Tory rival, Corbyn’s Brexit position is clear as mud. Both are likely preferable to a return to outright monarchy, as one royal helpfully reminds us. Prince Andrew’s clumsy efforts to escape the Jeffrey Epstein scandal keep [sinking]( him further into the muck, so today he announced he was [retreating]( from public duties to spend less time with his royal family. Aside from the many laughs it has provided, Prince Andrew’s embarrassment could be beneficial in another way, notes Alex Webb: It could [accelerate Prince Charles’s efforts to slim the royal family]( down to a more-manageable, less-expensive, and maybe even less-hilarious, size. Further Knifecrime Island Reading: - Brexit has [Brits scaling back on home improvement]( and fancy drinks. — Andrea Felsted - The Tories’ cynical fact-check stunt last night is a reminder [we need better standards for fact-checkers](. — Leonid Bershidsky Gordon Sondland Drives Bus Over Entire Trump Administration This was not a great day for President Donald Trump. His former [cursing]( buddy and still-EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland testified before the House impeachment inquiry and threw Trump’s entire administration [under the bus](. In Sondland’s telling, there was a quid pro quo in Trump’s withholding of military aid and other goodies to Ukraine; Trump orchestrated it all; and everybody from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on down knew it. Trump denied everything, on the White House lawn, on [Twitter](, and on a [notepad]( for all to see. The [smirking]( Sondland may not be an ideal witness, having changed and fudged his story in important ways. But Republican questioners struggled to refute his account, as they have throughout the impeachment process. In fact, [the GOP’s overall defense of Trump is remarkably bloodless](, writes Jonathan Bernstein. Republicans don’t really dispute the facts; they just try to convince us the facts don’t matter. This won’t work with anybody beyond die-hard supporters, Jonathan argues. And as if he needed another fight, Trump has [decided to pick one with the United States Navy](, Jonathan writes in a second column. This won’t win him any new friends either. Amazon Has a Grocery-Business Sprawl Problem Last week we [discussed]( how Walmart Inc. had figured out Amazon.com Inc.’s weak spot: groceries. Today we got further proof of this weakness, with a Bloomberg News [report]( that Amazon is preparing to roll out yet another way to sell food. This would mean Amazon has not two, not four, but at least eight different grocery operations, by Shira Ovide’s count. This suggests perhaps [Amazon hasn’t figured out how the heck to sell groceries]( in a way that stands out from the rest of the grocery crowd. Further Retail Reading: It was expensive, but [Target Corp.’s turnaround]( looks to be paying off. — Sarah Halzack The Fed Will Figure This Repo Market Thing Out Some Day For two months now, the [Fed has been struggling to control short-term funding markets](. Despite re-inflating its balance sheet, it has only tentatively succeeded, writes Brian Chappatta. The Fed’s easy money, including three rate cuts, have calmed other markets for now. But [the risks to financial stability are growing](, particularly in the debt market, warns Bill Dudley. Treasury yields are unlikely to stay as low as they are forever, and there’s a ton of money piling into BBB-rated corporate debt that’s at risk of downgrade to junk, leading to a logjam of selling. Further Fed Reading: Trump and Jay Powell [actually agree on monetary policy, more or less](, but Trump makes it difficult for Powell to show this. — Karl Smith Telltale Charts The numbers don’t back up Andrew [Yang’s claim that robots are crushing]( the middle class, writes Noah Smith. Though California is a surprisingly big oil-producing state, [Gavin Newsom is fine slowing down drilling there]( because California doesn’t depend on oil, writes Liam Denning. Further Reading The comedy that was Tronc has become [the tragedy of Tribune Publishing Co. being sold]( to Alden Global, a hedge fund known for gutting news organizations. — Brooke Sutherland The NFL’s share-the-wealth business model has [made Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder even richer](, despite his being a terrible, terrible owner. — Joe Nocera Elizabeth [Warren’s critique of housing investors]( ignores how they stabilized the market during the crisis. — Conor Sen Trump’s new policy on Israeli settlements [sets a terrible precedent for the world](. — Hussein Ibish The UN should [give passports to refugees]( so they can escape violence and exploitation. — Mariana Dahan The case law on sexual harassment is outdated and useless; [we need new laws and new standards to protect women]( at work. — Joan Williams ICYMI A China [trade deal is still not a done]( deal. The world’s [wealthy are nervous](. You probably won’t like the [Amtrak CEO’s plan to turn a profit](. Kickers Doctors put [human patients in suspended animation]( for the first time. Scientists can [3D-print skin that develops]( working blood vessels. Before trees took over, Earth was once [covered in giant mushrooms](. What America lost [when it lost its bison](. Note: Please send giant mushrooms and complaints to Mark Gongloff at mgongloff1@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Twitter]( and [Facebook](. [FOLLOW US [Facebook Share]]( [Twitter Share]( SEND TO A FRIEND [Share with a friend] You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022