Talk Business & Politics Daily Digital: The Clinton, Cuba, and catfish edition

In today’s Talk Business & Politics Daily, U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Little Rock, joins us from Washington, D.C. to discuss the House Oversight Committee’s possible investigation of the Hillary Clinton email server scandal.

Also on the program, Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach discusses the TPP deal, trade with Cuba and what’s happening in the commodities and catfish markets. Business editor Wes Brown weighs in on four different business topics and TB&P contributor Dustin McDaniel and KATV’s Janelle Lilley analyze a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could impact Arkansas abortion laws.

You can watch the full video of Tuesday’s Talk Business & Politics Daily in the video at the end of this report, or download it through the iTunes store under Talk Business & Politics.

OVERSIGHT
Rep. Hill said he’s not sure if a full-throttle investigation will take place in the U.S. House of Representatives regarding the FBI’s decision to not recommend prosecution of Hillary Clinton over email server security when she was at the State Department.

“I think what Speaker Ryan has done is ask for all the information that the FBI learned in their investigation, to share that with the House, to share with Chairman Goodnight on the Judiciary committee,” Hill said. “As a former White House official and now as an elected member of Congress, I’m concerned about her [Clinton’s] complete denial for the last year that she was handling classified information appropriately. Now we find out that she was, in fact, not. It’s concerning because many people have been prosecuted for similar actions in the past.”

Hill also said it was too soon to determine if a special prosecutor should be appointed to further investigate the issue.

“I don’t think we need a special prosecutor, but I do think this really looks like a political decision and not a judicial decision. And I think that’s concerning to a lot of people,” Hill added.

You can watch his full interview below.

AGRICULTURE
Randy Veach not only leads the Arkansas Farm Bureau, but he’s a farmer in Manila, Ark. Last week, he represented the industry and Arkansas in Washington, D.C. for trade talks regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, which Congress is considering.

Veach said he expects a lame-duck session of Congress to consider the international trade agreement.

“It’s slowed down quite a bit,” Veach said of activity on the TPP. “I think it’s going to be a lame-duck session before it comes up again… I think that’s the best shot they have to get it passed.”

Veach said there are some commodities that will fare well under TPP and others that won’t.

“Beef, pork and most of the protein do fare pretty well in it,” Veach said. “Dairy probably a little less… rice could lose some markets in Mexico, which is very significant to them.”

He also shared his thoughts on how Cuban markets are poised to open further, a controversy involving Vietnamese catfish, and how international commodity market turmoil may benefit Arkansas farmers. Watch his full interview below.

ROUNDTABLES
TB&P business editor Wes Brown and Roby Brock spar on a variety of business topics ranging from:

• Arkansas companies that could be impacted by the Brexit vote
• Medical marijuana’s benefits and drawbacks to the Arkansas economy
• What might jump start the U.S. economy in the back half of 2016?
• Has South Arkansas’ timber industry turned the corner?

Also, TB&P legal analyst Dustin McDaniel and KATV’s lead capitol reporter Janelle Lilley offer thoughts on a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that could impact Arkansas abortion laws.