Trump Doctrine, North Korea, Theresa May, Tax Overhaul, Sammy Hagar
Caracal Business Insider | Daily
December 19, 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 Doctrine - written report or speech given?
✔️ Congress poised to approve biggest tax overhaul in 30 years
✔️ Tories urge Theresa May to stay until 2021
✔️ Athleisure sales nearly topped $46 billion
✔️ Manchester City's plan for global domination
GEOECONOMICS
Trump’s worldview: Economic strength bolsters security: WSJ reports, declaring that “economic security is national security,” President Donald Trump aimed to reframe a national debate over his domestic economic and trade policies by thrusting them into a national-security context.
Trump delivers a mixed message on his national security approach: NYT reports, Trump presented a blueprint for the country’s national security on Monday that warns of a treacherous world in which the United States faces rising threats from an emboldened Russia and China, as well as from what it calls rogue governments, like North Korea and Iran. To fend off these multiple challenges, the report says with Cold War urgency, the government must put “America First,” fortifying its borders, ripping up unfair trade agreements and rebuilding its military might.
Trump’s China strategy: trade war or American game: FT reports, US president’s national security speech reveals priorities including tough action on trade.
It was a speech searching for a strategy full of boilerplate campaign rhetoric that will do little but antagonize and force others to reply in kind.
What is the Trump Doctrine - is it the written report or is it the speech given?
Trump's rivalry with China overlooks US economic reliance: Bloomberg reports, Trump is breaking with recent U.S. convention by portraying China as a rival that wants to undermine American prosperity. But it may take more than an aggressive tone to change the complex relationship between two economies that are joined at the hip.Under his America First approach to foreign policy, Trump says he will try to eliminate America’s $500-billion total trade deficit by insisting on “fair and reciprocal” commerce with other nations and strengthen the national security test for foreign investments.
A trade deficit is a useless vanity metric to measure the status of a trade relationship, business connection, or commerce supply chain. Useless.
BTW, assembly is the low-end of commerce compared to the high-end of R&D, marketing, and branding. Think about where you want your business or nation on the U-shaped curve of commerce.
A Tillerson slip offers a peek into secret planning on North Korea: NYT reports, Tillerson revealed that the Trump administration had already provided assurances to China’s leadership that if American forces landed in North Korea to search for and deactivate nuclear weapons, the troops would do their work and then retreat.
"In other words, the United States would essentially cede North Korean territory to the Chinese military, or let China and South Korea figure out who would control 46,500 square miles of territory and take care of its 25 million occupants, many of whom already do not have enough to eat."
WSJ: Alleged North Korea missile broker arrested in Australia
"Sydney man accused of trying to sell missiles and coal for North Korea"
US says North Korea was behind a cyberattack that infected computers in more than 150 countries: WP reports, the Trump administration urged nations to counter North Korea’s ability to conduct cyber attacks and to implement United Nations sanctions after the massive WannaCry attack earlier this year.
China unveils an ambitious plan to curb climate change emissions: NYT reports, China released plans on Tuesday to start a giant market to trade credits for the right to emit planet-warming greenhouse gases. The nationwide market would initially cover only China’s vast, state-dominated power generation sector, which produced almost half of the country’s emissions from the burning of fossil fuels last year.
China's trying to gain political influence abroad, and the West isn't happy: CNBC reports, Western countries are growing increasingly cautious of China's Communist Party. Officials in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Germany — major recipients of Chinese foreign direct investment — have been questioning the extent of Beijing's interference on their home turfs amid recent developments that suggest rising Chinese clout.
"Experts say China's Communist Party is using education, spying, political donations and people-to-people diplomacy to gain a greater say in decision-making within these countries."
#Duh
Sunlight v subversion - What to do about China’s “sharp power”: The Economist reports, China is manipulating decision-makers in Western democracies. The best defense is transparency. https://goo.gl/AY2VSL
At the sharp end - How China’s “sharp power” is muting criticism abroad: The Economist reports and stealthily trying to shape public opinion in its favor. https://goo.gl/Mm6ghe
Austria turns right: The thirty-one-year-old conservative Sebastian Kurz was sworn in as chancellor in Vienna on Monday after clinching a deal with the euro-skeptic Freedom Party.
May, please stay: After months of reports that she could be “gone by Christmas,” May is now being urged to hang around until 2021 to avoid a bloody internal battle before trade talks with the EU are complete, the Times reports.
The Times: Tories urge Theresa May to stay until 2021
Uber driver held in diplomat’s death: WSJ reports, a driver working for Uber in Lebanon was arrested for the killing of a British diplomat over the weekend, local security officials said.
French finance minister calls for bitcoin regulation debate at G20: Reuters reports, France will propose that the G20 group of major economies discuss regulation of the bitcoin virtual currency next year, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Sunday. “I am going to propose to the next G20 president, Argentina, that at the G20 summit in April we have a discussion altogether on the question of bitcoin,” Le Maire told French news channel LCI.
Russia could cut off the internet to NATO countries, British military chief warns: NBC News reports, Russia could try to sever global underwater communications cables, potentially triggering catastrophic repercussions for the economy and way of life in the West, the head of Britain’s military has warned.
AMERICAN POLITICS
Reuters: Congress poised to approve biggest tax overhaul in 30 years
#TaxTuesday: The House is poised to approve GOP tax legislation this afternoon with plans to hold a vote around 1:30 pm ET. The Senate could vote as soon as late this afternoon or early Wednesday morning.
GOP Nos: Most of the House GOP dissenters are from high-tax states and are concerned that the bill’s $10,000 limit on individuals’ state and local tax deductions will raise taxes on their middle-class constituents.
Dana Rohrabacher of California will not back tax overhaul - smart local politics for a pol that has a monster fight on his hands to secure re-election.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine will back the tax overhaul.
Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Jill Stein campaign for possible ‘collusion with the Russians’: WP reports, the inclusion of the Green Party candidate suggests the committee’s probe is far from over, even as lawmakers worry that the House Intelligence Committee is racing to a close.
You knew this was only a matter of time.
ENTERPRISE
Bitcoin futures started trading on CME, the largest futures exchange in the world, on Sunday evening.
Samsung is preparing to combat the iPhone X with the Galaxy S9 to be launched this spring.
Will they search for that? Chinese learn the art of hooking Americans on Amazon: WSJ reports, an instructor named Uncle Sam teaches entrepreneurs how to cut out the middleman and sell directly to Americans.
How China’s luxury e-commerce market will evolve in 2018https://goo.gl/izzFnQ
TRENDS
Year in search 2017: See what was trending in 2017https://goo.gl/f2VZ4K
How retro sportswear reigned supreme in 2017https://goo.gl/Nj8j4h
The best piece of clothing I purchased this year was an Ocean Pacific (OP) windbreaker from the 80s.
Athleisure sales nearly topped $46 billion in 2016.
Gifts: Average holiday spending to top $900, highest in at least 12 years: CNBC survey
CULTURE
Work hard, play hard: Life lessons from Sammy Hagarhttps://goo.gl/qHj91X
Reporters Without Borders: At least 65 media workers killed doing their jobs in 2017
"Thirty-nine of those killed were targeted for their journalistic work such as reporting on political corruption or organized crime while the other 26 were killed while working due to shelling and bomb attacks"
SPORT
Manchester City's plan for global domination: Football has already been transformed by big money -- but the businessmen behind Man City are trying to build a global corporation that will change the game forever. https://goo.gl/HFeRGz
@CNBCnow: BREAKING: ESPN president and co-chairman of the Disney Media Networks John Skipper resigns citing "substance addiction"