Strategic Competitor, Cold War, Healthy Snacks, Mount Everest

Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 18, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Caracal Business Insider = Global Business News at the Intersection of Politics + Policy + Profits.

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia

What Caracal Global is watching today:

✔️ Trump targets China and Russia on national security

✔️ Sebastián Piñera wins in Chile

✔️ Macron's 40th and French exceptionalism

✔️ Hershey to bet on healthy snacks

✔️ About 5,000 people have reached the top of Everest

GEOECONOMICS

FT: Trump to label China as a strategic ‘competitor’

"Beijing accused of pursuing policies of economic aggression to weaken US"

Trump’s national security focus shifts to Russia, China: WSJ reports, Trump will put his domestic economic and trade policies at the heart of a new national-security strategy that depicts the world as one of the heightened rivalries and potentially dangerous competition.

National security plan hints at return to Cold War footing: NYT reports, Trump’s first national security strategy, which envisions rivalries with China and Russia, is at odds with his often-warm relations with the leaders of those two countries.

New national security plan paints China and Russia as US competitors that want to realign global power in their interests: WP reports, Trump will present the strategy, which follows his “America First” doctrine, in a speech today. An official said the plan does not expressly “overturn” strategies of former president Barack Obama or his predecessors, but it frames Trump’s priorities differently.

Trump targets China and Russia on national security: Reuters reports, Trump will declare that China and Russia are competitors seeking to challenge U.S. power and erode its security and prosperity, in a national security strategy he will lay out today.

The speech will take place at 2:00 pm ET from the  Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center.

Five key facts about China’s economic conference: As the Communist Party’s leadership starts its annual economic work conference in Beijing, here are the main points to note. https://goo.gl/CEKJvk

Sebastián Piñera wins the presidential election in Chile: WSJ reports, the billionaire who had already served once as head of state cruised to victory, promising to reinvigorate the country’s flagging economy after four years of subpar growth.

Chile swings right to return Piñera to the presidency: FT reports, billionaire ex-leader joins Argentina’s Macri as another businessman-turned-president.

Honduran president declared winner, but OAS calls for new election: NYT reports, the Honduran electoral commission on Sunday declared President Juan Orlando Hernández the victor in a bitterly contested race, but the Organization of American States called for a new election, arguing that the vote was so riddled with irregularities that it was impossible to be sure of a winner. The electoral commission, which is controlled by allies of Mr. Hernández, said he had won by about 50,000 votes over the opposition candidate, Salvador Nasralla.

Macron appeals to French exceptionalism as 40th birthday looms: Bloomberg reports, “By choosing in May to elect a 39-year-old president, with no political party, that no one knew of, who came out of nowhere -- the choice our country has made -- that’s a choice that no other country has made,” he said late Sunday, directly invoking his youth within days of his 40th birthday. “France is only itself when it carries a real European vision and a real determination to pull the world towards the future.”

AMERICAN POLITICS

GOP faces a five-day sprint to pass its tax bill, forge a deal with Democrats to avoid a shutdown: WP reports, Republicans plan to vote on the tax bill early in the week, leaving them little time to strike a deal with Democrats to authorize funds to keep the government running.

Suburbs offer Democrats a path to House control: NYT reports, from Houston to Seattle, suburban districts once locked down by Republicans are looking to Democratic candidates to oppose President Trump.

If you a Republican MOC and there is a Whole Foods in your district - bye, Felicia.

The Thomas fire in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties has grown to be the third-largest wildfire in modern California history.

MAKE GLOBALIZATION SIMPLE 

Marc A. Ross works with clients to develop executive education lectures, speeches, presentations, workshops, and conferences to help demystify Globalization, Disruption, and American politics. Learn more here.

ENTERPRISE

Tencent teams up with JD.com to take on Alibaba: WSJ reports, in an escalating battle between China’s dominant internet giants, Tencent has teamed up with JD.com, Alibaba’s main e-commerce competitor, to buy a stake in the No. 3 online retail player.

Hershey to buy Amplify Snack in $1.6 billion bet on healthy snacks.

Campbell Soup Co. will buy Pretzels and Cape Cod chips maker Snyder‘s-Lance Inc for $4.87 billion as it looks to expand its snack business amid sagging soup sales.

Toyota to market over 10 battery EV models in early 2020s: Reuters reports, Toyota Motor Corp said it would market more than 10 all-electric vehicle (EV) models globally in the early 2020s, a target which could require the firm to look beyond a partnership with Panasonic Corp to co-develop and supply batteries.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi'opens with $220 million box office weekend - the second best weekend all-time.

I saw the Darkest Hour this weekend and can report that Gary Oldman was sensational.

TRENDS

Hard questions: Is spending time on social media bad for us? Facebook says yes. http://bit.ly/2oEu5uH

Meet the ‘world’s only full-time hemp reporter’ https://goo.gl/NwYqKa

@wef: Robots could start to replace teachers as soon as 2027 http://wef.ch/2CyL2Zr  

CULTURE

Mount Everest: About 5,000 people have reached the top of the mountain since the feat was first accomplished in 1953, and nearly 300 people have died in the attempt.

SPORT

The Carolina Panthers will be sold after their longtime owner, Jerry Richardson, was accused of what the team called “workplace misconduct.”

@cwordock: Diddy said he wants to buy the Carolina Panthers and sign Colin Kaepernick