Marc Ross Daily | March 25

Marc Ross Daily | March 25

Marc Ross Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for senior executives + comms pros.

Geopolitics is disrupting every business and industry. I am here to help.

Always Be Communicating. 

Happy Tuesday.

Here’s today’s Marc Ross Daily: 

*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***

Russia and the US both want to "Finlandize" the world: “Finlandization” is about weaker countries having to cede sovereignty to appease stronger bullies, such as Russia and, now, the US. Andreas Kluth

US and Russia begin ceasefire talks on Ukraine conflict: Le Monde reports US negotiators met with their Russian counterparts in Riyadh to hammer out details of a possible partial ceasefire in the Ukraine war. Russia fired a barrage of drones into Ukraine on Sunday night.

Hijacking news: Fake media sites sow Ukraine disinformation: AFP reports a fake news website falsely claimed that Ukraine's president is paying Western reporters to tarnish US President Donald Trump -- part of a series of deceptive reports spread by Russian-linked portals mimicking media outlets.

Turkish protesters rise up against Erdoğan: FT reports demonstrators warn arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the president’s main rival, risks transforming the country into an autocracy.

Turkey detains 1,100 people since Erdogan rival's arrest: AFP reports urkish police have detained more than 1,100 people, including journalists, since the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main rival sparked the country's worst unrest in years, a minister said on Monday.

President Erdogan jails his rival, and endangers Turkey’s democracy: Ekrem Imamoglu’s supporters have chosen him to run anyway. Economist

China is ready to blockade Taiwan. Here’s how. Beijing’s armed forces have bulked up and practiced isolating the island. WSJ

Donald Trump is helping Xi Jinping achieve his grand vision for China Charles Burton 

China promises CEOs stability ahead of Trump's tariff moment of truth: Premier vows to counter 'unexpected shocks' in speech to Apple, Boeing, other execs. Nikkei

The US is not prepared to win an economic war against China-built containerships, farmers, ocean carriers warn CNBC

Indonesia has named billionaire investor Ray Dalio and economist Jeffrey Sachs as advisers to its new sovereign wealth fund Danantara, amid growing investor concerns over governance at a fund that is expected to manage state assets worth about $900bn. 

Why driving in Singapore is like ‘wearing a Rolex’: The city-state, where it costs up to $84,000 just for the right to own a car, is one of the most expensive places to drive. That is by design. NYT

Bloomberg: Nvidia tapped by tycoon Masiyiwa to build first AI factory in Africa

The UAE has committed $1.4 trillion over the next decade to “substantially increase… existing investments” in artificial-intelligence infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and manufacturing, according to a White House statement.

Critics of UK’s AI copyright proposal must not ‘resist change’, says minister: FT reports Peter Kyle promises government will ‘prioritise . . . forward movement’ over plans that have enraged creative industries.

UK comic book makers join forces as AI copycat battle awaits: FT reports trade association Comic Book UK to lobby for recognition over importance as export industry and value as IP developer.

New data show that the class divide in Britain may not be so wide: They make the country look better than America. Economist

WP: Paris votes on making 500 streets car-free, in test for green city policies

Brazil's Lula to build trade ties on Japan state visit: AFP reports Brazil's president starts a four-day state visit to Japan on Monday, accompanied by a 100-strong business delegation as US tariffs push the countries to nurture trade ties elsewhere.

WP: Second lady Usha Vance to visit Greenland as Trump continues threats

Greenland officials express fury over Trump’s plan to send delegation: NYT reports Usha Vance, the second lady, and Michael Waltz, the national security adviser, are on their way this week. Greenlandic officials called the move “aggressive.”

Usha Vance and Mike Waltz make ‘provocative’ visit to Greenland: The Times reports Mute Egede, the outgoing prime minister, has called the planned visit ‘very aggressive,’ objecting in particular to the presence of the national security adviser.

Greenland PM denounces US 'foreign interference' ahead of visit: AFP reports Greenland's prime minister, Mute Egede, accused Washington on Monday of interfering in its political affairs by sending a US delegation to the Danish territory, which is coveted by US President Donald Trump. 

Trump’s moves on Greenland appear to be backfiring: NYT reports the Greenlandic government is calling an upcoming visit by Trump officials “aggressive,” pushing the island further from the United States.

Greenland’s lesson for Canada: An election won’t keep Donald Trump’s aggression at bay: The saga of Donald Trump’s Greenland obsession is tracing an all-too-familiar pattern: What seemed at first like a joke now looks like the early sketches of a sinister strategy. Toronto Star

WP: Canada’s Carney calls snap election as Trump looms over campaign

+ New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday called a snap election for April 28, kickstarting a campaign that will be defined by US President Donald Trump.

G+M: April 16 and April 17 set as dates for federal leaders’ debates

+ The French and English-language debates will be held in Montreal

G+M: Environmental comeback of Great Lakes at risk with Canada and US in tariff turmoil

#GlobalGreatLakes

Trump’s economic and political threat to Mexico: The US would suffer from the blowback if it impoverished its southern neighbour. Gideon Rachman

FT: Trump to hit countries that buy Venezuelan oil with 25% tariff

+ Move could sharply increase levies on China and India as major purchasers of Caracas’s crude

White House narrows April 2 tariffs: WSJ reports tariffs on industrial sectors no longer expected to be unveiled on that date, though major trading partners will still be hit with reciprocal tariffs.

+ Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the US “External Revenue Service” to launch on April 2.

The wild Trump theory making the rounds on Wall Street: QAnon for tariffs. Rogé Karma

Potatoes, shrimp, and Teslas: Exporters vie to shape Trump’s tariffs: Makers of a vast array of American products are weighing the risks, and potential payoffs, of the sweeping tariffs President Trump promised on April 2. NYT

Trump might exempt some nations from reciprocal tariffs: Levies on foreign goods including lumber and pharmaceuticals could come after April 2, president says. WSJ

Carmakers rush to ship vehicles to US ahead of new round of April tariffs: FT reports vessels have been directed to Asia and Europe to carry ‘thousands’ more cars to America than usual.

Automakers seek clarity as reports suggest Detroit 3 may avoid big tariffs DFP

Toyota was bullish on Trump. Then came the tariff threats. Japanese automakers, initially optimistic about some of President Trump’s policies, are reckoning with potentially devastating tariffs on foreign-made cars. NYT

CNBC: South Korea’s Hyundai to announce $20 billion US investment

+ The investment is expected to be announced Monday at the White House by President Donald Trump, Hyundai Chairman Euisun Chung and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.

+ A new steel plant in Louisiana, which is part of the investment, is set to hire roughly 1,500 employees and will produce next-generation steel that will be used by Hyundai’s two US auto plants to manufacture electric vehicles.

Trump will make the US fall behind in the strategic battle of decarbonization: Instead of supplanting Chinese power, as he claims to be doing, Donald Trump is giving it an extra boost by favoring fossil fuels. Stéphane Lauer

He cut a secret deal that cemented US economic power — and he has a lesson for Donald Trump: A forgotten Nixon-era negotiation offers urgent lessons for our new age of economic warfare. Politico

The end of American exceptionalism goes way beyond Trump: It has been building, and is likely to be unravelling, for a long time. Ruchir Sharma

From Berlin to Tokyo, the fears of a new nuclear arms race: Washington extended an atomic umbrella over its allies. Now some feel it may be time to seek their own weapons. FT



***  US Politics + Elections ***

The Trump administration accidentally texted me its war plans: US national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling. Jeffrey Goldberg

+ "I had very strong doubts that this text group was real, because I could not believe that the national-security leadership of the United States would communicate on Signal about imminent war plans. I also could not believe that the national security adviser to the president would be so reckless as to include the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic in such discussions with senior US officials, up to and including the vice president."

Top Trump officials debated war plans on unclassified chat shared with journalist: Texts on Signal encrypted messaging service revealed disagreements about whether to strike Houthis in Yemen. WSJ

Trump officials shared military plans in unclassified chat with journalist: The Atlantic reported that its top editor was accidentally added to a group chat where the president’s national security team plotted attacking Yemen. WP

Trump officials discussed a secret plan to attack Yemen in a group text chat. NYT

Trump’s shocking military plan leak epitomizes a sloppy operation: The administration inadvertently shared plans for strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels ahead of time with a prominent journalist. It’s of a piece with all that came before it. WP

What the Trump war-plan chat reveals: Waltz and Hegseth backed the boss and US leadership. Not so Vance. WSJ - Editorial

If Pete Hegseth had any honor, he would resign David French

In Karoline Leavitt’s world, Trump’s word is enough: The White House press secretary is shaming some members of the Washington media and fielding softballs from others — all with a self-assured smile. WP

In his second term, Trump fuels a ‘machinery’ of misinformation: President Trump’s first four years in the White House were filled with falsehoods. Now he and those around him are using false claims to justify their policy changes. NYT

Utah’s Republican voters fume over DOGE cuts: Representatives in Trump-voting districts try to reassure constituents over Elon Musk’s unpopular federal job cuts. FT

‘Not how this works’: The GOP agenda is stuck amid House vs. Senate infighting: Politico reports to show quick progress, lawmakers will have to make a host of difficult decisions in the coming weeks.

Bernie Sanders on tour in Denver: 'We will not allow America to become an oligarchy': Le Monde reports the Vermont senator and leader of the progressive left wants to build a movement beyond the Democratic Party to encourage citizens to defend democracy.

Bernie Sanders is tapping into a deep vein of anger in America Megan K. Stack

In a sea of political change, Bernie Sanders keeps truckin’: An aging star playing to massive crowds of supporters in head-to-toe merch? It’s not the Grateful Dead, it’s the Fighting Oligarchy tour. NYT

Universities sprint from ‘we will not cower’ to appeasing Trump: WSJ reports with much of their funding at stake, schools are quietly hiring lobbyists and reaching out to politicians amid Washington’s quest to rein in academia.

Why ships are the new chips: The Trump administration wants to make America’s maritime capacity great again. Rana Foroohar

Why did the government declare war on my adorable tiny truck? Kei-class trucks and minivans from Japan are finding US buyers who want pickups that fit the urban environment. Some DMVs and safety regulators have other ideas. Bloomberg

Section 230 faces a bipartisan repeal effort. Experts say it’s a risky bet: A cross-party push to dismantle the cornerstone of internet law is underway, but some warn the fallout could hurt the very causes lawmakers support. FC

Emboldened by Trump, AI companies lobby for fewer rules: After the president made AI dominance a top priority, tech companies changed course from a meeker approach under the Biden administration. NYT

AI can be a force for deregulation: Washington can follow Ohio’s lead and use technology to remove outdated, conflicting, and redundant rules from the federal code. Jon Husted

Washington, DC’s cherry blossoms: For 2025, the NPS says the peak bloom will occur from Friday, March 28, to Monday, March 31. 

*** Distribution + Innovation ***

How software engineers actually use AI: We surveyed 730 coders and developers about how (and how often) they use AI chatbots on the job. The results amazed and disturbed us. Wired

Bloomberg: UK AI startup Fyxer gets funds from Benioff, other tech bigwigs

Bloomberg: AI chip startup FuriosaAI rejects Meta’s $800 million offer

How to tell when AI models infringe copyright: A recent court ruling uses the marketplace to define the boundaries of intellectual property. WP - Editorial

An AI startup couldn’t beat Microsoft. So it joined them: An excerpt from AI Valley tells the story of why the staff at Inflection AI, which seemed to be thriving, defected en masse to Microsoft in 2024. Bloomberg

AI’s real revolution is just beginning: In the past month, everyone I spoke to has been talking about DeepSeek and Nvidia. Is Nvidia facing extinction? Have certain tech giants overspent on AI? Are we seeing a bubble about to burst, or just another public market overreaction? And what about traditional sectors, like industrials, that haven’t yet felt AI’s impact? Allen Lau

How to teach your employees to embrace (rather than fear) the growth of AI: Because AI isn’t going anywhere. FC

My date used AI to psychologically profile me. Is that OK? Large language models are unaware of the offline context that sensitive information might be employed in. Jemina Kelly

TikTok has a big ADHD problem: A new study warns that trending ADHD content on the app may be warping perceptions, promoting products, and missing the mark on actual science. FC

23andMe files for bankruptcy, as CEO Anne Wojcicki resigns: WSJ reports shares plummet after announcement, as Wojcicki says she aims to secure the assets of the popular DNA-testing company.

+ California’s attorney general has issued a privacy “consumer alert.” Unless you take action, there is a risk your genetic information could end up in someone else’s hands and used in ways you never considered.

Bayer ordered to pay $2 billion in latest Roundup weedkiller lawsuit: FC reports the law firms Arnold & Itkin LLP and Kline & Specter PC announced that the penalties awarded include $65 million in compensatory damages and $2 billion in punitive damages.

StubHub plans IPO in new test of Wall Street appetite for tech stocks: FT reports the online ticket vendor aims to raise $1bn at a value of $16.5bn.

Live music seems recession-proof. Thank the ticket scalpers: When demand softens, the secondary market absorbs the pain. Economist

BYD surpassed $100 billion in sales last year.

+ The firm exported more than 400,000 vehicles last year and is building factories in Europe and South America.

Could Tesla’s fall from grace upend the entire US EV market? The dominant EV maker in the nation is now a partisan lightning rod that’s losing value fast. But a weakened giant can cause harm regardless of politics. FC

Musk Inc is under serious threat: The world’s richest man has lost focus. His competitors are taking advantage. Economist

FT: Ari Emanuel cedes role as Endeavor chief after Silver Lake completes takeover

Would you pay $4,000 to solve your streaming movie problems? Kaleidescape’s hi-fi video platform has survived against all odds for more than two decades. FC

Saratoga Spring Water gets caught up in an influencer’s viral morning routine: A highly imitated and satirized workout video from TikTokker Ashton Hall was notable for the heavy presence of blue water bottles. FC

30: At least that many countries have outlawed all vaping products.

*** Culture ***

WP: Comics roast Conan O’Brien, torch Trump at Kennedy Center’s Twain Prize

How I became a fan of fashion in my fifties: After years of drab, unflattering clothes, Isabel Berwick opens up her eyes — and wardrobe — to style. FT

*** Sport ***

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. played tennis with Novak Djokovic.

Christian Horner has thrown Liam Lawson to the slaughter: Red Bull must shoulder blame after choosing to promote New Zealander from junior squad after just 11 grand prix appearances in two seasons. Luke Slater

TA: Wisconsin defeats Ohio State to win NCAA women’s hockey national championship

RIP: George Foreman

Vingegaard reveals concussion from Paris-Nice fall: AFP reports Denmark's two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard revealed Monday that he suffered from a lengthy concussion after crashing during the Paris-Nice on March 13, leaving him feeling tired and nauseous for days afterwards.

Australia rewrites plan to host 2032 Brisbane Games: AFP reports Australia said Monday it is overhauling its multi-billion-dollar plans for hosting the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane after years of "chaos and crisis."

Why are African teams playing football against Russia? Since being banned from competitive football after invading Ukraine, Russia have largely faced sympathetic countries in friendlies. Increasingly, African sides are answering the call. Why is that? DW


Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly. 

-Marc 

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal