Macron, Reshuffle, Merkel, Trade Crackdown, CES, Mayor Duggan, 'Three Billboards'

Caracal Insider Daily
January 8, 2018
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia

TOP FIVE

✔️ Macron launches state visit to China

✔️ May launches ministerial reshuffle

✔️ Merkel battles for her political survival

✔️ The Consumer Electronics Show opens this week

✔️ Mayor Duggan: how I halted Detroit’s decline

ROSS IN THE NEWS

“For those that care about a productive and engaged U.S.-China commercial relationship to take these polls seriously and engage Americans in Main Street coffee shops and at picnic tables for backyard summer BBQs.” Read the OpEd: In age of Trump’s twitter diplomacy, nations need to go beyond beltway by Richard Levick here: https://goo.gl/xBboqP

GEOECONOMICS

Today: French President Emmanuel Macron launched a state visit to China

France looks to deepen trade ties with Russia and China: WSJ reports, French President Emmanuel Macron plans to launch this effort when he makes his first visit to China in January and attends the St. Petersburg International Financial Congress—Russia’s answer to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland—in May.

Macron bets on horse diplomacy in China: AFP reports, in a response to panda power, French President Emmanuel Macron is betting on equine diplomacy during his first state visit to China -- presenting his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with a horse as a gift.

China's new 'Silk Road' cannot be one-way, France's Macron says: Reuters reports, Macron said on Monday China and Europe should work together on Beijing’s “Belt and Road” initiative, a project aiming to build a modern-day “Silk Road” he said could not be “one-way”.

French deals reach the highest value for a decade: FT reports, Macron’s pro-business policies lead to rising in optimism among chief executives.

France is open for business.

French presidents once acted like referees. Then came Emmanuel Macron: WSJ reports, the country’s new leader is moving rapidly to reshape France in his own image, revamping labor laws, co-opting opposition political parties and dividing union leaders. The question now is whether his free-market blitz will stick.

UK politics: Theresa May is on Monday expected to conduct the biggest ministerial reshuffle since last year’s election.

May says she will stay 'as long as people want me to' ahead of reshuffle: Sky News reports, the PM is expected to announce Cabinet changes on Monday as she seeks to balance the Tories' pro-Brexit and Remain factions.

The Times: May’s reshuffle begins with confusion over chairman

Trump and Brexit are no longer identical twins: Britain’s approach to the world more closely tracks the EU than America.
FT - Gideon Rachman

Merkel battles to save future as parties split: The Times reports, Angela Merkel began a five-day battle for her political survival yesterday as talks opened in Berlin to build a “grand coalition” between her divided conservatives and Martin Schulz’s Social Democrats.

WSJ: South Korea steps up cryptocurrency inspections at banks

Why bitcoin is the most dangerous global scam in 20 years: When bitcoin inevitably crashes, inexperienced investors who believed the hype could lose everything.
Inc. - Vivek Wadhwa 

China fills the vacuum: Beijing's global ambition poses 'world's biggest geopolitical risk.'
Nikkei - Ian Bremmer

AMERICAN POLITICS

WSJ: Bannon aims to mend rift with Trump over book

NYT: Bannon tries backing away from explosive comments

WP: Bannon tries to soften his scathing comments, but Trump’s fury persists

LAT: Bannon apologizes over damning portrait in book as White House presses defense of Trump

Bannon apologizes as aides defend Trump’s fitness: FT reports, Trump’s former strategist expresses regret for comments in inflammatory book

Good to know this soap opera will continue for one more week and the media can't get enough of the drama.

Trump to call on Pentagon, diplomats to play bigger role in arms sales: Reuters reports, the Trump administration is nearing completion of a new “Buy American” plan that calls for US military attaches and diplomats to help drum up billions of dollars more in business overseas for the American weapons industry, going beyond the assistance they currently provide, US officials said.

White House preparing for trade crackdown: Politico reports, as Trump returns to a key campaign pledge, upcoming closed-door meetings will shed light on how aggressive the president plans to be.

Trump readies full trade arsenal: National security concern over Ant Financial amid NAFTA doubts, threats to Chinese exports.
Nikkei - Kevin Nealer

WSJ: Farmers seek signs that Trump has eased opposition to NAFTA

As Trump appeals to farmers, some of his policies don’t: NYT reports, the president will cast himself as a friend to farmers in a speech on Monday, but his position on trade and some parts of the new tax law threaten to undercut their interests.

DJT speaks to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Convention this afternoon.

Shutdown countdown: Congress is barreling towards a potential government shutdown after January 19.

Mayor Duggan: how I halted Detroit’s decline: The city’s infrastructure is working again, and it is bidding to host Amazon’s HQ.
FT

LAT: Mitt Romney appears a shoo-in for Utah's Senate seat. The question is how he'd handle Trump

ENTERPRISE

CES: The Consumer Electronics Show opens this week.

iPhones and children are a toxic pair, say two Big Apple investors: WSJ reports, Jana Partners and Calstrs are beginning an unusual campaign accusing Apple of failing to do enough to limit smartphone addiction among young users. 

I hope to create a product that is wildly successful, alters cultures, and is designed to be additive. After which, when I cash out obviously, I will tell the world said product is problematic. #iPhone #Facebook

Voice is the future - typing is so last century: Amazon and Google are going to the big CES dance this week, looking to find love for their voice-operated platforms.

I have a Google Home and love it - seamless and smart.

The first Alexa-enabled digital glasses will debut at CES.

Pfizer ends research for new Alzheimer's, Parkinson's drugs: Reuters reports, Pfizer is abandoning research to find new drugs aimed at treating Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, the U.S. pharmaceutical company announced on Saturday.

Ford plans this spring to offer a diesel engine version of its best-selling F-150 pickup truck.

US retailers signal they had a happy Christmas: FT reports, boosted by bubbling consumer confidence and a healthy jobs market, US shoppers spent 4.9 percent more during the holidays than they did a year ago, the biggest annual rise since 2011, preliminary data from MasterCard SpendingPulse shows. 

CULTURE

LAT: 'Three Billboards' and 'Big Little Lies' are the top winners of a very different kind of Golden Globes awards

@marcaross: Big winners tonight @ the Golden Globes:
Oprah
Big Little Lies
Lady Bird
Shape of Water
Tommy Wiseau
Gary Oldman
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Oprah

Oldman as Churchill: I saw the Darkest Hour and can report that Gary Oldman was sensational.

SPORT

Bama v UGA: College football’s national championship begins at 8 pm ET - The Crimson Tide are favored at -4.0 with a 45.5 O/U.

This is Nick Saban's seventh national championship game appearance. 

DJT is scheduled to attend the national championship game in Atalanta.

AFP: Barcelona to unveil $192 million man Coutinho

José Mourinho’s living hell: Everything he does magnifies Guardiola’s success
Guardian - Barney Ronay