Obama gets fast-track trade negotiating authority

After weeks of procedural wrangling, the US Senate closed the loop, on 24 June, with a 60-38 vote giving US President Barack Obama Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), or so-called fast-track. The House, on 18 June, approved the same bill by 218 votes to 208. Republicans overwhelmingly backed the bill, while a minority of Democrats did, which is noteworthy in that Obama is a Democrat. The vote means that the US administration, for the first time since 2007, will have the…