A surge in the U.S. trade deficit in August and a continued shortfall in Chinese purchases under the phase 1 trade deal raise questions for the success of the Trump administration’s trade policies. Ventilator imports are set to fall as stockpiling is completed. Also: Lego’s supply chain agility helps build sales during pandemic; Miele may have Whirlpool in a spin as washer review resumes; truck strike may cool growth in Nestle, Vina Concha exports from Chile; AFL-CIO set to flex USMCA labor enforcement muscles; and Japan’s extended “leave China” support risks RCEP passage.