Marc Ross Daily | March 31

Marc Ross Daily | March 31

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 Monday.

Here’s today’s Marc Ross Daily: 

*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***

Myanmar’s junta continued air strikes on rebel groups across the country, even as the UN and neighbouring countries called for a ceasefire to allow the passage of humanitarian aid following Friday’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake.

Myanmar’s earthquake piles misery on civil war: Where will aid come from, and how will the junta use it? Economist

Myanmar rescuers race against time to find trapped earthquake survivors: WSJ reports the death toll could rise sharply as the end of a 72-hour window in which most people trapped in rubble are reasonably expected to survive neared.

+ Hundreds are still missing and 1,700 have died, Myanmar's military chief says, as rescuers continue a desperate search for survivors.

Earthquake deepens crisis in Myanmar as aid effort intensifies: FT reports the military government has lost control of much of country riven by armed conflict and crime.

In Bangkok, looking at high-rises with a new sense of dread: NYT reports buildings are rising all over the city, emblems of economic growth. But an earthquake that sent one crashing to the ground has stirred fears about building safety.

Japan, South Korea + China agreed to “closely co-operate” and pursue “high-level” trade talks during a meeting between their trade ministers in Seoul.
 
China industrial profits remain in decline: WSJ reports industrial profits fell 0.3% during the first two months of the year, compared with the annual 3.3% drop in 2024

Beijing launches $72bn capital injections at biggest banks: FT reports share sales part of authorities’ bid to boost lending amid economic slowdown.

CNBC: China’s artificial intelligence boom might help mitigate some tariff pain

+ For Chinese companies wary of US tariffs, the big difference between President Donald Trump’s first and second terms is the emergence of generative artificial intelligence.

+ Nearly every day in the last two weeks, a major Chinese company has announced a new AI product — or how they’re making money with the tech.

+ The combined impact of the tech is lifting expectations for Chinese corporate earnings, said Ding Wenjie, investment strategist for global capital investment at China Asset Management.

Humanoid robots are lousy co-workers. China wants to be first to change that. WSJ reports the US and China are racing to build a truly useful humanoid worker. Whoever wins could gain an edge in countless labor-intensive industries.

Taiwan dares to hope Trump will back it against Beijing: WSJ reports the White House’s push to confront China reassured officials in Taipei, who watched President Trump’s shift on Ukraine with alarm.

Pete Hegseth says US is setting up a ‘war-fighting’ base in Japan: FT reports Trump’s defence secretary uses Tokyo trip to call for a strengthening of the deterrence against China.

Secret Pentagon memo on China, homeland defense has Heritage Foundation fingerprints WP

In Beijing, France's foreign minister asks China to lobby Russia on the Ukrainian situation: China is hoping to win over more European countries distraught by the decisions of the new American administration. On a visit to Beijing and Shanghai, the French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot obtained a pledge about the cognac issue. Le Monde

Putin gets a soft power win from China’s Russian grocery craze: Stores selling Russian products have spread across China, and now Moscow is seizing on the interest with a plan for a major expansion of its own. Bloomberg

Peace poses a threat for Russia’s economy: WSJ reports the Russian military spending has propped up the country’s output and dulled the effect of Western sanctions. If a peace deal is reached, the result would leave a crater in the Kremlin’s finances.

Russia’s war economy fuels rustbelt revival: Shops, restaurants, and gyms are popping up in historically poor areas which serve as recruiting pools for Moscow’s army. FT

Trump threatens secondary tariffs on Russian oil if no deal on Ukraine: FT reports US president says he is ‘pissed off’ with Vladimir Putin for dragging feet in ceasefire talks.

Trump says he’s ‘very angry’ and ‘pissed off’ at Putin during an NBC News interview: NBC reports Trump said in an early-morning phone call that if he believes Russia is at fault for a ceasefire not being reached with Ukraine, he may impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil.

The partnership: The secret history of America’s role in the Ukraine War NYT

The history of Trump’s man to negotiate world peace should worry us all: Steve Witkoff, the man tasked to wrestle diplomatically with Putin and Netanyahu, is an old friend and golfing partner of his presidential boss. But, writes Alan Rusbridger, when it comes to the most sensitive negotiations on Earth, he is in desperately over his head. Independent

The prospect of war has turned Europe into a continent of preppers: Could you survive 72 hours without outside food, water or electricity? Economist

France’s political order braces for shock if Le Pen is banned from elections: WSJ reports the far-right politician faces a five-year disqualification when judges rule Monday in her embezzlement trial.

Possible electoral ban on Marine Le Pen has France on edge: NYT reports a verdict Monday in an embezzlement trial is seen as a test of the country’s democracy — and the rule of law.

What would happen if Marine Le Pen were banned from seeking public office? Prosecutors in her party's fake jobs trial have requested a five-year ban on running for public office against the far-right leader, who is a candidate for the 2027 presidential election. Le Monde

French companies shocked by US embassy letter demanding they respect Trump's anti-diversity policy: The US embassy in Paris sent a letter to a number of French companies demanding that they comply with the Trump administration's 'anti-DEI' policy if they want contracts with the US federal government. Le Monde

The Trump revolution undermines the British 'splendid isolation,' encouraging them to reconsider Brexit: Like in 1945, the situation depends on the British choosing between Europe and 'the open sea.' Philippe Bernard

Jonathan Powell: Britain’s foreign-policy fixer: The influential intermediary faces perhaps his toughest challenge yet. Economist

Barcelona becomes ground zero for Europe’s housing dilemma: NYT reports the Spanish city’s woes mirror a broader affordable-housing crunch spreading rapidly across Europe and driving inequality.

Norway urged to drop ‘crazy’ ban on investment in defence companies: FT reports opposition leader vows to overturn rule barring $1.8tn fund from holding stakes in defence sector if her party wins election.

How Greenland’s sled dogs entered a diplomatic row: The island’s traditional dog-sledding championship is taking on added cultural and political importance in the era of Donald Trump. Bloomberg

Bloomberg: Poilievre dangles more invest-in-Canada tax breaks as vote nears

The Canadian Conservative trying to sweet talk Trump: BBC reports Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she is willing to walk into the "lion's den" to sway American officials against Canadian tariffs - wooing the US president with meetings at Mar-a-Lago and cosying up with Trump-friendly media. But this tact has landed her in hot water, not only with her opponents, but also in her home province of Alberta and with politicians who otherwise share her political leanings.

When Benjamin Franklin failed to make Canada the 14th colony: Canadians weren’t enticed by the colonists’ noble goals. Why would they want to join now? Madelaine Drohan

+ Madelaine Drohan is a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and author of the forthcoming “He Did Not Conquer: Benjamin Franklin’s Failure to Annex Canada.”

American invasion of Canada would spark decades-long insurgency, expert predicts: If US President Donald Trump fails in his stated goal of annexing Canada through economic force, what would happen if he ordered the world’s most powerful military to invade? Toronto Sun

US-Canada tensions: How a tiny Quebec-Vermont library found itself involved in an international incident: For more than 100 years, locals borrowed books and enjoyed performances, with tourists and the occasional reporter dropping by to marvel at its unique position astride the Quebec-Vermont border. Gazette

Bloomberg: Anti-American sentiment rises in Europe as Trump fuels anger

What does MAGA have against Europe? You’ve heard about anti-Americanism. Welcome to anti-Europeanism. David Luhnow + Marcus Walker

Americans are buying an escape plan: Is it time for a second passport? Atossa Araxia Abrahamian

America is winning the race for global AI primacy—for now: To stay ahead of China, Trump must build on Biden’s work. Colin Kahl



***  US Politics + Elections ***

Trump won’t rule out seeking third term, says there are ways: Bloomberg reports Trump didn’t rule out seeking another term in the White House, telling NBC News in a phone interview on Sunday that “there are methods” that would allow him to do so.

+ “A lot of people want me to do it.”

Trump won’t rule out seeking a third term in the White House, tells NBC News ‘there are methods’ for doing so: President Donald Trump said in a Sunday-morning phone call that he was “not joking” about a third term, adding that “it is far too early to think about it.”

Trump seeks takeover of elections in a bid for more presidential power Dan Balz

Trump says he ‘couldn’t care less’ if car prices go up: WSJ reports if the new 25% tariff on imported vehicles makes foreign cars more expensive, the president says, that would boost sales of US-made vehicles.

President Trump’s tariffs could mean boom or bust on Minnesota’s Iron Range: The region near the Canadian border, whose mines provide most of the new ore used in producing US steel and cars, has a lot at stake. NYT

The era of cheap stuff was already ending. Now comes the tariff threat. WSJ reports that President Trump’s tariffs, many of which haven’t landed yet, are starting to amplify price inflation on everyday core goods.

Tariffs repel foreign investment: Countries with trade surpluses tend to buy US government and corporate bonds. Robert C. Pozen

Airbus boss: Trade war will get worse before it gets better: Donald Trump is expected to act to protect Boeing, but Guillaume Faury says his company will adapt and that the American economy could suffer. The Times

Trump wanted an apology. He got Maine’s no-nonsense governor instead. WSJ reports the White House warns this “will not end well” for Democratic Gov. Janet Mills in a fight over federal education funding.

How the Trump administration has downplayed the Signal chat scandal WP

SNL: Live from New York, It’s more military secrets. NYT

Hegseth brought his wife to sensitive meetings with foreign military officials: WSJ reports the defense secretary’s handling of sensitive information is under criticism after he shared details about a strike on Houthi militants in a group chat.

Elon Musk is set to visit the Central Intelligence Agency.

Elon Musk’s mission to take over NASA—and Mars: WSJ reports the billionaire is in a position to speed up plans for a voyage to the planet, with a potentially huge impact on SpaceX.

Can Musk put people on Mars? Whether successful or not, his attempt to do so will reshape America’s space programme. Economist

DOGE wants businesses to run government services ‘as much as possible’: WP reports Elon Musk’s effort is pushing privatization — a longtime goal for conservatives and for Silicon Valley alike — across federal agencies.

WP: DOGE fires nearly all staff at US Institute of Peace headquarters

Once an economy switches from rules to deals, it’s hard to go back: Americans of all political affiliations will miss the checks and balances that Donald Trump is trying to dispense with. Filipe Campante + Ray Fisman

A competitive race for Mike Waltz’s seat rattles Republicans: The former House seat of the national security adviser, who’s faced calls to resign from his current role over the Signal chat leak, is up for grabs. NYT

GOP lawmaker faces angry crowds at town halls outside Indianapolis: NYT reports Representative Victoria Spartz, a Republican, defended Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts to the federal government, drawing jeers from the crowd.

WP: LA issues first rebuilding permits as fire recovery accelerates

White House Correspondents' dinner cancels comedian Amber Ruffin's appearance: NPR reports in a break with tradition, this year's White House Correspondents dinner will not include a featured comedian. The White House Correspondents' Association, which represents journalists who cover the White House, including those at NPR, has canceled writer and comedian Amber Ruffin's scheduled appearance at the high-profile event.

He wanted to fix local news. It’s harder than he thought. WSJ

*** Distribution + Innovation ***

The secrets and misdirection behind Sam Altman’s firing from OpenAI: The inside story of how the CEO of the hottest tech company was ousted and, just as quickly, resurrected. WSJ

AI agents are a moment of truth for tech: Nearly every facet of tech has money riding on the adoption of AI that can make a decision and take action. WSJ

WP: AI generated Ghibli images go viral as OpenAI loosens its rules

Apple readies its biggest push into health yet with new AI doctor: Bloomberg reports Apple is preparing its biggest health care push to date with a revamped app and AI doctor service. Also: The company is testing an M5 iPad Pro for release as early as this year, its 2025 developers conference gets scheduled for June, and a new global head of retail stores is appointed.

The tech fantasy that powers AI is running on fumes Tressie McMillan Cottom

The AI data-center boom is coming to rural America: WSJ reports Meta Platforms and other tech companies are looking for huge swaths of flat land and plentiful power.

The drone-delivery service beating Amazon to your front door: WSJ reports that your burrito bowl could soon arrive via the sky. Zipline’s drones make deliveries by lowering small coolers on 300-foot cables.

Kink and LGBT dating apps exposed 1.5m private user images online BBC

It’s a WhatsApp world at work now: And that’s not always a good thing. FT

Meet the LinkedIn superusers: More users are chasing high follower counts as the professional network expands its reach. FT

How Hard Rock Cafe conquered the world: The rockin’ burger joint stands as a testament to the enduring powers of rock idolatry, American roadside diners, and logo tees. WP

The fall of Forever 21 means fast fashion got faster Amy Odell

*** Culture ***

Inside Silicon Valley’s invite-only IRL dating scene: The San Francisco Bay Area is awash with in-person dating meetups for tech workers, where attendees are vetted before entry. Wired

A new biography of Lorne Michaels captures the man behind SNL: Susan Morrison’s monumental “Lorne” testifies to the “Saturday Night Live” creator’s legend without slipping into hagiography. WP

*** Sport ***

ESPN: Prime Deal: Deion Sanders lands $54M extension at Colorado

‘Bold but significant risk’: FIFA pulling out all the stops to sell Club World Cup: With ticket sales slow and concerns over burnout, football’s governing body is battling to win hearts and minds. Guardian

‘60 hours of hell’: Hardship is the only way forward at the Barkley Marathons: More crucible than race, the Barkley Marathons in the hostile backwoods of Tennessee remains the world’s toughest footrace, where change, adaptation and the struggle to survive play out. Guardian

Baseball’s wealth gap has become a chasm—and is stretching the sport to its breaking point: As a new season gets under way, the financial disparity between MLB’s 30 teams has never been greater, alienating fans, distorting the game and making a long work stoppage all but inevitable. WSJ


Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly. 

-Marc 

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal