Taiwan Strait, Extrasolar Planets, No Collusion, Apple TV, Rob Gronkowski

Taiwan Strait, Extrasolar Planets, No Collusion, Apple TV, Rob Gronkowski 

Caracal Global Daily
March 24, 2019
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Caracal Global Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics

TOP FIVE

✔️ US vessels sail through Taiwan Strait, defying China

✔️ Exoplanet tally set to pass 4,000 mark

✔️ Barr: Mueller finds no Trump-Russia conspiracy

✔️ Apple’s Hollywood moment draws intense interest

✔️ Rob Gronkowski retires

GLOBALIZATION

US vessels sail through Taiwan Strait, defying China: WSJ reports, the Pentagon sent two vessels through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, a show of US support for Taiwan likely to fuel concerns in Beijing that Washington is aligning increasingly with Taipei.

China pledges openness in hopes of reaching a trade deal: NYT reports, top Chinese officials, looking at a skeptical audience both at home and abroad, pledge to open the country’s markets to foreign investment.

Rana Foroohar: National champions are not the way to compete with China: Smart industrial policy is a good thing but oligopoly is not.

China lays down a marker in Europe as Italy joins the Belt and Road initiative: Reuters reports, Italy became the first major Western economy to join the ambitious Chinese global infrastructure project.

May survives but struggles to win over Brexit rebels: FT reports, high-stakes week will see prime minister face cabinet and key Commons votes.

May defies call to set her exit date: The Times reports, Theresa May has resisted pressure to set a date for her departure in return for support for her EU divorce deal after a threatened cabinet coup fizzled out. After meeting prominent Brexiteers at Chequers yesterday, the prime minister is instead expected to allow parliament to move towards a softer exit from the European Union.

EU completes no-deal Brexit preparations: DW reports, a "no-deal" Brexit is looking increasingly likely, according to the EU and the bloc has revealed its contingency plan for that scenario. But it warned the measures could only reduce disruption, not prevent it.

Gideon Rachman: Brexit is part of a wider European struggle: All of the EU’s big six countries are facing deep internal divisions.

Marc Champion and Gregory Viscusi: On Brexit, Macron channels de Gaulle: A six-century rivalry explains why the French don’t care if the Brits leave.

DISRUPTION

Men ditch suits, and retailers struggle to adapt: WSJ reports, as companies relax dress codes, Lululemon pants enter the office; stretch ‘isn’t a dirty word anymore.’

Tech is splitting the US workforce in two: NYT reports, a small group of well-educated professionals enjoys rising wages, while most workers toil in low-wage jobs with few chances to advance.

Exoplanet tally set to pass 4,000 mark: BBC reports, The huge haul is a sign of the explosion of findings from searches with telescopes on the ground and in space over the last 25 years. It's also an indication of just how common planets are - with most stars in the Milky Way hosting at least one world in orbit around them. That's something astronomers couldn't be certain of just 30 years ago. The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia, run by the Observatoire de Paris, has already passed the 4,000 mark.

POLITICS

WSJ: Mueller probe finds no Trump-Russia collusion

NYT: A cloud over Trump’s presidency is lifted

FT: Mueller finds no collusion between Trump and Russia

LAT: Barr: Mueller finds no Trump-Russia conspiracy but doesn’t ‘exonerate’ president

WP: Mueller finds no conspiracy, attorney general says

Bloomberg: Democrats move on to plan B with Mueller finding no collusion

Mueller finds no Trump-Russia conspiracy but stops short of exonerating President on obstruction.

Trump feels "totally exonerated' by the Mueller report's conclusion. But other investigations into his administration and his business dealings will continue.

I am guessing Team Trump was aware of Russia's shenanigans during Election 2016 but did not coordinate or conspire to act in concert with said shenanigans.

Per Barr's reading of the Mueller report, collusion requires a two-way action, and not a being aware action.

No impeachment in view, but Democrats push on with investigations: NYT reports, Democrats seized on statements that were less than definitive in the attorney general’s summary.

Democrats press on with probes: WSJ reports, Democrats are calling for release of the full Mueller report and all underlying material as they vow to proceed with their own investigations. 292

Trump team sees political gold: WSJ reports, Trump’s advisers began crafting plans Sunday to use Robert Mueller’s findings as a line of attack against Democrats ahead of the 2020 election. 

Trump declares victory, and a war on his enemies: NYT reports, claiming vindication, Mr. Trump called the investigation an “illegal takedown that failed” and said those behind it should face scrutiny.

Edward Luce: Robert Mueller is the God that failed Democrats: Trump will feel dangerously vindicated — when you strike at a king be sure to kill him.

COMMERCE

With the iPhone sputtering, Apple bets future on TV, news: WSJ reports, Apple became a tech colossus by pioneering a mobile phone that transformed technology, but can no longer count on it for growth. That’s why CEO Tim Cook is making a dramatic pivot to services—an area filled with risks and competition. On Monday, it will announce revamped video- and news-subscription services. 

Apple’s Hollywood moment draws intense interest — and skepticism: LAT reports, the tech giant has spent the last couple years securing deals with show business royalty to create a lineup of programming to compete with Netflix, Amazon and Walt Disney Co.

Naspers to list its $134 billion Tencent stake in Europe: WSJ reports, Africa’s most valuable company, Naspers, plans to separately list its internet assets in Amsterdam, creating a European traded tech giant that will house its $134 billion stake in China’s Tencent.

Uber to sign $3.1bn deal for Careem as early as Monday: FT reports, US company’s acquisition of Dubai-based rival would be rare tech success for Middle East

SPORT

Rob Gronkowski retires.

May, Merkel, Michigan, Moller-Maersk, Motley Crue

May, Merkel,  Michigan, Moller-Maersk, Motley Crue

Caracal Global Daily
March 21, 2019
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Caracal Global Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics

TOP FIVE

✔️ Trump signals US to keep tariffs on China after deal

✔️ Rudderless Britain lurches towards no-deal

✔️ Dockworkers v robots, Los Angeles edition

✔️ Biden weighing steps to reassure voters concerned about his age

✔️ Ford said it would build its first autonomous vehicles in Michigan

ROSS RANT

Bloomberg Radio: Sound On: Trade, Fed, and Mueller: Bloomberg Chief Washington Correspondent Kevin Cirilli spoke with Mattie Duppler, Senior Fellow at the National Taxpayers Union and former Coalitions Director for the House GOP Conference, and Marc Ross, founder of Caracal Global.

You can listen here: https://bloom.bg/2JuIVy7
 

GLOBALIZATION

Trump signals US to keep tariffs on China after deal: WSJ reports, with the U.S. and China preparing for a fresh round of face-to-face negotiations, President Trump said the U.S. expected to keep tariffs on Chinese goods in place for a “substantial period of time,” even after a deal.

I can't think Lighthizer and Mnuchin thought this announcement was a good idea.

Hard to see how Xi's domestic politics will allow him to agree to a deal with Trump where tariffs are still in place. Even in Communist governments, factions and special interests exist.

AFP: US trade negotiators to visit China on March 28-29

Fund managers see a China slowdown as the top "tail risk."

FT: US agriculture secretary warns on China’s trade tactics

Sonny Perdue says Beijing’s ‘attitudes’ are hardening in talks to resolve spat.

Bullet train propaganda points to Xi reign beyond 2022: Nikkei reports, China's high-speed trains have been named "Fuxing," or rejuvenation, in accordance with Chinese Xi Jinping's slogan of the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation."

China asks citizens to study the revised constitution for 'new era.'

Italy’s populists split by lure of Chinese Belt and Road billions: The Times reports, the populist coalition governing Italy has fractured over plans to sign up for China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project on the eve of Xi’s visit to Rome. Italy is poised to become the first G7 country to commit to the programme, which aims to boost Beijing’s strategic reach while promising to improve transport links around the world. Critics in the United States and Europe say that Belt and Road is a plot to increase China’s geopolitical clout and push partners into debt. They have warned Italy against signing up.

Angela Merkel to UK: EU's 'door is wide open' despite Brexit: DW reports, the German chancellor has said she is open to a "short extension" to the Brexit deadline on certain conditions. She told the German parliament that the EU is committed to close cooperation with the UK in the future.

May heads to Brussels to plead for Brexit extension: FT reports, Prime minister faces backlash for blaming MPs for Britain’s political impasse.

Britain pleads for Brexit delay as crucial EU summit gets underway: WP reports, European leaders gathered for last-minute talks that could determine whether Britain crashes out of the bloc without a safety net in eight days, creating economic problems across the continent.

The European Union is poised to take control of Britain’s exit by rejecting Theresa May’s request for a three-month delay and setting a new withdrawal date of no later than 22 May.

May unites MPs in anger against her address: The Times reports ,PM Theresa May has been told that her attempt to turn voters’ anger on MPs opposing her deal has “trashed” efforts to win over Labour support. The prime minister’s attack on parliament appeared to have backfired today as MPs from opposing sides in the Brexit debate united to condemn her.

The Bank of England on Thursday expressed concerns that further "uncertainties" over a "cliff-edge" no-deal Brexit "could have a significant effect on spending" by businesses.

Robert Shirley: Theresa May’s very big gamble risks a no-deal Brexit: If EU is not bluffing, and Commons cannot agree on an alternative, then the clock will run down.

Iain Martin: Rudderless Britain lurches towards no-deal: As May and the EU play an idiotic game of chicken, this Brexit crisis has worrying echoes of the 2008 financial crash.

Lionel Laurent: Hard Brexit means a hard border for 6,000 stocks: The toxic political mood is infecting financial regulation. European and British supervisors are planning drastic measures in the event of no deal. 

Brexit to cost billions in income losses across Europe: DW reports, a new study shows that the British and the Germans would be the worst hit with total annual losses of up to €67 billion. People in the US and China could actually see a rise in incomes after Britain's exit from the EU.

Will Brexit spell bust for architecture? LAT reports, in an interview on the eve of the Brexit vote in 2016, Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas predicted a future of “pea soup and a complete absence of coffee” if the referendum passed and Great Britain withdrew from the European Union. For the European sophisticate, long a part-time London resident, Brexit would mean “Little England” all over again — a small-minded, prim and grim place without espresso. Koolhaas said the European Union “modernized the English mentality,” helping the country find “a way of being English, or being continental and English.”

Russia: Wage growth has slowed sharply over the past year by remains in positive territory - Higher oil prices are boosting the ruble.

Norway hikes interest rate: AFP reports, Norway's central bank raised its key interest rate on Thursday and said it would continue to tighten its monetary policy due to the strength of the Scandinavian country's economy, in contrast to a slowdown in much of the rest of the world.

Yellow Vests: The French government's decision to deploy the army as a backup during Saturday's weekly "yellow vest" protests has drawn fire, with the opposition warning of the risk of using soldiers for law and order. Under pressure to prevent a repeat of last weekend's rioting and looting on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, the government on Wednesday announced plans to redeploy soldiers from the anti-terrorism Sentinelle patrol force to help police guard public buildings.

Brazil is dropping its visa requirement for US citizens. Beginning June 17, US, Canadian, Australian, and Japanese citizens can spend 90 days in Brazil from their date of entry, Brazil Tourism said in a statement. 

When democracy is no longer the only path to prosperity: Countries rated ‘not free’ are increasingly able to offer their citizens high incomes. Will democratic ideals lose their appeal?https://on.wsj.com/2WkHW5r 

DISRUPTION

Dockworkers v robots, Los Angeles edition: FT reports, dockworkers in Los Angeles are making a last stand against the automation of lucrative port jobs, in a backlash that affects a vital link in global trade. The International Longshore & Warehouse Union is fighting a plan by Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk to use unmanned electric vehicles instead of diesel trucks to shuttle shipping containers around the largest port terminal in the US. The move would cut the company’s costs by reducing the need for truck drivers, and aid compliance with California’s tough air pollution rules.

New Goldman Sachs dress code points to a sartorial double standard in the workplace: LAT reports, Goldman Sachs, one of the last bastions of crisp-collared, bespoke-suited workplace attire, has loosened up. It announced an official "firm-wide flexible dress code" earlier this month. And at last — after the long, slow undoing of corporate formality — business casual seems to have triumphed in the American workplace. But for women and minorities who have been playing corporate catch-up for decades, a more casual dress code presents its own complications.

POLITICS

Powell presser: The Federal Reserve now believes its monetary policy is back to normal... The central bank's stance was more dovish than many analysts had expected.

The central bank's forecast for longer-term economic growth remains below 2%.

The market is increasingly convinced that the next move by the Federal Reserve will be a rate cut.

US whiskey exports dry up as tariffs bite: Reuters reports, American whiskey exports slumped in the second half of 2018, taking a blow from higher duties by the country’s trading partners following President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

The US Navy wants to shrink its aircraft carrier fleet: Bloomberg reports, the US military once wanted 12 carriers as part of a larger naval buildup. Its latest budget proposal would shrink that number to 10.

Reuters: Solar and wind firms call the 'Green New Deal’ too extreme

US court halts drilling in Wyoming over climate change: FT reports, a judge says the government must consider greenhouse gas impact before selling oil leases.

Oil: Crude oil jumped in response to the news of lower US stockpiles, with WTI futures hitting $60/bbl.

LAT: Fentanyl overdose deaths in the US have been doubling every year

Dump the Electoral College? Some 2020 Democrats back liberals’ goals: Bloomberg reports, there's a competition among progressives to push changes to the Constitution and Washington institutions.

Democratic candidates, pressured by party base, split on how liberal to be: WSJ reports, a push to the left among activists and freshman lawmakers is prompting 2020 contenders to test positions seen as politically untenable four years ago. The emerging camps have Bernie Sanders on the left, pragmatists closer to the center, and a third group trying to balance both.

Does being super liberal win Wood County, Ohio? Macomb County, Michigan? Orange County, FL?

Biden weighing steps to reassure voters concerned about his age: NYT reports, if he runs for the White House, Joe Biden and his advisers are considering announcing a running mate early, well before the nomination is sealed. They’re also considering a possible pledge to serve only one term, according to multiple party officials.

South Carolina 2020 Poll (Emerson College): 

Biden 37%
Sanders 21%
Harris 9%
Booker 6%
O’Rourke 5%
Warren 5%

Trump has a positive approval rating of 50% with a disapproval of 44%

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) might have some election trouble in 2020, with 52% saying it’s time to give someone else a chance and 48% saying he should be re-elected

COMMERCE

Facebook: AI tools failed to catch New Zealand attack video: WSJ reports, Facebook acknowledged that the gruesome video of the New Zealand mosque shootings revealed gaps in its handling of live broadcasts by users, but pushed back against the idea of setting up a time delay.

Doomed jets lacked 2 safety features that Boeing sold as extras: NYT reports, the planes that crashed in Ethiopia and Indonesia weren’t equipped with optional safety features that could, in part, have helped the pilots detect erroneous readings. Now the company is making one of those features standard.

Evidence is mounting that a faulty software system may have crashed two planes.

Tencent reported its sharpest ever quarterly profit decline on Thursday, hit by China’s regulatory review of new games and one-off charges, and warned of slower video game launches due to a prolonged approval process.

Ford named former Amazon and Snap executive Tim Stone as chief financial officer.

Ford said it would build its first autonomous vehicles at a $50 million production center in Michigan as part of an earlier pledge to invest $900 million in manufacturing operations in the state. Production of the self-driving vehicles is expected to start in 2021, with hybrid vehicles being shipped in to be fitted with driverless technology, the carmaker said. 

Bloomberg: In yoga pants era, J. Crew's Madewell finds strength in denim

CULTURE

‘The Dirt’: Netflix's biopic about the hair metal band Motley Crue, revisits the rampant misogyny of a bygone era with little to no self-awareness, premieres Friday. The film is based on the group’s 2001 book, “The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band.” The book put the washed-up metal band back on the radar with lurid tales of bad-boy debauchery.

Taiwan, Italy, Germany, YouTube, Michigan, Centibillionaires, Hermes

Taiwan, Italy, Germany, YouTube, Michigan, Centibillionaires, Hermes

Caracal Global Daily
March 20, 2019
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Caracal Global Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics

TOP FIVE

✔️ Taiwan president to visit US despite Chinese opposition

✔️ YouTube’s struggles to shut down video of the New Zealand shooting

✔️ Can Terry McAuliffe sell himself to leftward-leaning Democrats in 2020?

✔️ Disney-Fox deal is complete

✔️ Barclays unveiled as Women’s Super League sponsor in groundbreaking deal
 

GLOBALIZATION

Taiwan president to visit US despite Chinese opposition: FT reports, Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen will make a one-day stopover in the US next week in a move that underscores warming ties with the US despite criticism from China. Ms Tsai will travel to Hawaii during a week-long tour of three of Taiwan’s formal diplomatic allies in the Pacific, in a trip aimed at shoring up support in the face of pressure from Beijing which opposes recognition of the government in Taipei.

China to invite European diplomats to Xinjiang in new diplomatic push: Reuters reports, China will invite Beijing-based European diplomats to visit its far western region of Xinjiang, the foreign ministry told Reuters, furthering its outreach to fend off criticism about a de-radicalization program.

CNBC: Trade talks are in final stages, but there is still fear China may walk back concessions

USTR Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will travel to Beijing the week of March 25 for high-level talks to try to hammer out a deal.

The US agriculture secretary is suggesting that China could treble its imports of US farm products under a deal.

WSJ: US chip makers fear trap in a trade deal with China

Proposed stepped-up purchases would give Beijing more control, semiconductor industry says.

US-China trade dispute likely to morph into technology war, says the president of the US-China Business Council: Speaking at Shorenstien APARC on March 11, US and Chinese trade negotiators remain engaged in intensive talks, although it is yet to be seen whether and when they can strike a final deal. But even if they are able to reach an agreement, in the confrontation between Washington and Beijing “the trade part is incidental: it’s a technology war, not a trade war,” said Ambassador Craig Allen, president of the US-China Business Council (USCBC).

Adam Minter: China’s electric cars hit some potholes: The government is doing everything it can to spur sales of new-energy vehicles. First, it should stop them from spontaneously combusting. 

European foreign policy: a new realism on China: The European Council will use a summit this week to focus once more on China — and decide whether it is time to get tough again. Mounting concerns over Chinese industrial policy, cybersecurity and trade wars have all combined to put Beijing firmly back on the European agenda. https://on.ft.com/2TXhzoj

Rattled by Beijing’s economic clout, the EU is finally trying to devise a tougher strategy.

Xi says China-Italy pact offers closer ties in strategic sectors: Bloomberg reports, Xi Jinping, brushing aside US and European concerns ahead of his visit to Rome, offered Italy a “global strategic partnership” stretching from building the new Silk Road together to boosting ties in sensitive sectors including telecoms and ports. Writing in daily Corriere della Sera, Xi invoked a “new era” in relations between China and Italy.

Germany to create fund to foil foreign takeovers after China moves: Reuters reports, Germany plans to pass legislation by the end of 2019 to create a state-owned fund that can protect key companies from takeovers by Chinese and other foreign firms, government sources said, in a marked shift from its "hands-off" approach to business.

UK is to start issuing official threat-level warnings for far-right terrorism, just as it does for jihadist and N. Ireland related groups.

UK unemployment rate dipped below 4% for the first time since the 1970s.

British government in chaos over Brexit delay: NYT reports, retreating in the face of a bitterly divided cabinet, Prime Minister Theresa May is now said to be requesting only a short extension in the process.

UK heads for cliff-edge showdown on Brexit: FT reports, May seeks short delay to EU divorce but Juncker warns no extension likely to be granted this week.

The Times: Theresa May pleads for delay to Brexit as EU stands firm

It is 1,000 days since the UK voted to leave the European Union, and the biggest question remains when will the country actually exit the union.

FT: EU hardens stance on Brexit delay as May’s cabinet splits over its demands

Barnier lays down conditions ahead of a summit where PM will seek an extension. 

DISRUPTION

Inside YouTube’s struggles to shut down video of the New Zealand shooting — and the humans who outsmarted its systems: WP reports, Pedro Domingos, a professor of computer science at the University of Washington, said that artificial intelligence is much less sophisticated than many people believe, and Silicon Valley companies often portray their systems as more powerful than they actually are as they compete for business. In fact, even the most advanced artificial intelligence systems still are fooled in ways that a human would easily detect.

Amazing these sites don't add a 30-second, 60-second delay when someone posts live video - I have to believe this will happen soon.

Also, once again, the sunshine of California warps SV computer engineers from seeing the possibility that social media can and will be used for evil.

Farmers Markets: The number of farmers markets in the US rose from 2,000 in 1994 to 8,600 markets in 2019.

POLITICS

Tracking Trump: Trump’s standing across America: On a daily basis, Morning Consult is surveying over 5,000 registered voters across the United States on President Trump. Below is the current data.

Since Trump took office:

His net approval in Michigan has decreased by 23 percentage points.

His net approval in Ohio has decreased by 19 percentage points.
 
His net approval in Pennsylvania has decreased by 17 percentage points.
 
His net approval in Wisconsin has decreased by 20 percentage points.

His net approval in Florida has decreased by 24 percentage points.

85% of GOP primary voters approve of Trump. 14% don't.

76% of GOP primary voters support Trump's nomination. 20% support another candidate.

Joe Biden tells supporters he plans 2020 bid - he'll announce in early April after the end of Q1 reporting.

Politico: World leaders tell Biden: We need you

"At the Munich Security Conference, Biden heard a repeated refrain, according to a conference attendee familiar with the conversations: The world needs you."

Can Terry McAuliffe sell himself to leftward-leaning Democrats in 2020? WP reports, the former Virginia governor once appeared to be well positioned for a White House run as a socially liberal, business-friendly Democrat. But now it’s unclear if there is room for McAuliffe in a party that seems to be pulling leftward.

BTW - The answer is no.

Candidates reach for the ticket to Democratic debates: 65,000 donors: WP reports, the new criteria have proved to be a boon to lesser-known candidates seeking a national stage and could create challenges for more-established politicians seeking to break away from the pack.

COMMERCE

Google hit with a $1.7 billion fine over EU ad blocking: WSJ reports, the European Union fined Alphabet’s Google $1.7 billion for abusing the dominance of its search engine to block competitors in the niche market of selling text ads on the search results that appear on third-party websites. 

Disney closed its acquisition of the major entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox, combining some of Hollywood’s best-known studios, characters, and franchises to better compete against Netflix.

LAT: Disney-Fox deal is complete; CEO Bob Iger's big swing could change media industry

Ban on cashless stores: New Jersey Governor signs law making it the second state to ban cashless shops and restaurants, with some exceptions. The new law takes aim at Amazon Go and others. 

Peloton is being sued for using music without permission in its video fitness classes: The Verge reports, several members of the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) have collectively filed a lawsuit against fitness startup Peloton today, seeking over $150 million in damages. The complaint, filed by Downtown Music Publishing, Ultra Music, and eight other publishing groups, says that Peloton has been using their musical works for years in its workout videos without proper licensing, resulting in income lost for songwriters.

Bayer shares slide after latest Roundup cancer ruling: Reuters reports, shares in Germany's Bayer's fell more than 12 percent on Wednesday after a second US jury ruled its Roundup weed killer caused cancer.

CULTURE

Centibillionaires: Bill Gates joins Jeff Bezos as the only two members of the $100 Billion Club. Gates’s fortune, now $100 billion on the nose, hasn’t reached such heights since the dot-com boom, when Bezos was only beginning his march up the world’s wealth rankings. The Amazon founder is now worth $145.6 billion.

Bloomberg tracks the fortunes of some 2,800 billionaires. Of those, 145 are worth at least $10 billion, making them decabillionaires. 

Hermes has become the latest fashion industry victim of men’s casual dress: Signaling weakness in its silk business as neckties lose their allure. Revenue from silk and textiles rose 3 percent in 2018, the slowest growth of the French luxury-goods maker’s business units. Chief Executive Officer Axel Dumas said Wednesday the company has been shifting production to adjust to men’s new preferences. “There’s a structural decline” in neckties, Dumas said on a call with reporters. “We have a lot of novelties coming. We’re launching more scarves for men.”

SPORT

ESPN + UFC have orchestrated a knockout deal allowing the world-wide-leader to stream 12 UFC fights per year for the next 7 years.

WSJ: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels near record $430 million deal

I've never seen Mike Trout play baseball.

Barclays unveiled as Women’s Super League sponsor in groundbreaking deal: Guardian reports, the Football Association has unveiled Barclays as the first sponsor of the newly professional Women’s Super League in what has been described as a groundbreaking multimillion-pound deal. The Guardian understands it is worth more than £10m over the next three seasons. According to the analytics firm Nielsen, the sponsorship is a record for women’s sport in the UK. First the first time there will be prize money in WSL, with £500,000 divided according to league position each season.