The daily business briefing: April 11, 2019

1. EU offers a longer Brexit delay than May requested

European leaders on Thursday offered to delay Britain's departure from the European Union until Oct. 31. British Prime Minister Theresa May, whose Brexit deal lawmakers have repeatedly rejected, had requested a delay until June 30, but European leaders frustrated by the U.K.'s indecision and "emergency summits" decided to give Britain more time to get its act together. The proposed delay, which May accepted, avoids a potentially catastrophic "no-deal" Brexit that was scheduled for Friday. "We've spent a lot of time, a lot of energy, on this issue," said Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, giving voice to widespread frustration, "and we have so many important issues on the agenda that we need to get on with."

The Washington Post The Associated Press

2. Trump issues order making it harder for states to block pipelines

President Trump on Wednesday signed executive orders aiming to make it harder for states to delay oil and gas pipeline projects. Industry executives have complained about protests and court challenges that have held up high-profile pipelines and other energy industry construction projects. Trump's action came after Washington state blocked construction of a coal terminal, and New York regulators derailed plans for a natural gas pipeline they found had failed to meet standards for protecting waterways. Critics of Trump's orders argued that he was robbing states of their powers under the Clean Water Act and other laws.

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PBS The Washington Post

3. Mnuchin says U.S., China agree on enforcement mechanism for trade deal

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday that the U.S. and China had agreed to establish "enforcement offices" to make sure both sides honor a deal to end the trade war between the world's two largest economies. "We've pretty much agreed on an enforcement mechanism, we've agreed that both sides will establish enforcement offices that will deal with the ongoing matters," Mnuchin told CNBC. He added that recent talks had gone well, including a "productive" call Tuesday night with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. Talks are scheduled to resume early Thursday.

Reuters

4. Federal deficit up by 15 percent so far this fiscal year

The Treasury Department reported Wednesday that the government ran a $146.9 billion deficit in March. That put the deficit for the fiscal year so far at $691 billion, up 15 percent from just under $600 billion in 2018. The department anticipates the deficit for the full fiscal year, which ends in September, to rise above $1 trillion. More people are working this year, so tax receipts are slightly higher than they were a year ago. The tax cuts President Trump signed into law in 2017 have kept additional revenue to $10 billion, while government spending has risen by about $100 billion.

The Associated Press

5. Publisher puts National Enquirer up for sale

The publisher of the National Enquirer said Wednesday that the supermarket tabloid is for sale. Two people with direct knowledge of the matter told The New York Times that a deal could be reached within days. The Enquirer is owned by American Media and led by David Pecker, a longtime friend and ally of President Trump. Pecker allegedly helped Trump during his campaign by striking a deal to keep former Playboy model Karen McDougal's claim she had an affair with Trump out of the headlines. Pecker said in a statement that the company had shifted its focus away from its tabloids to place more emphasis on its glossy magazines, including Us Weekly and Men's Journal.

The New York Times