A week that shook the old order: Most Western leaders are flailing while foreign foes capitalize on their opportunity. Walter Russell Mead
How Ukraine and Gaza scrambled the ideological map: The two wars have divided the West — and not along the old left-right lines. Gideon Rachman
Xi, Putin, Kim, and the optics of a new world order: Alliance of global autocrats has been accelerated by Donald Trump’s use of political and economic pressure against friends and foes alike. Guardian
China’s snub of US soybeans is a crisis for American farmers: Since President Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods in February, Beijing has retaliated by halting all purchases of American soybeans. NYT
Reuters: US, China reach framework deal on TikTok; Trump and Xi to speak on Friday
Trump administration says it’s reached ‘framework’ deal to keep TikTok running in US: Politico reports Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US and China agreed to a framework to allow TikTok to continue operating in the US after Congress banned it last year.
Why is TikTok dangerous? Consider this scenario. The White House is weighing another reprieve. Every day the app continues operating is a threat. Carrie Filipetti
Bessent’s China talks point to a familiar pattern Shawn Donnan
China ruled that Nvidia violated anti-monopoly laws with a high-profile 2020 deal, ratcheting up the pressure on Washington during sensitive trade negotiations. The US chipmaker was found in violation of antitrust regulations after the acquisition of networking gear maker Mellanox Technologies, the State Administration for Market Regulation said after concluding a preliminary investigation.
India’s push for EU trade deal hit by basmati rice dispute: Brussels plays for time as New Delhi and neighbouring Pakistan press competing claims to grain’s protected status. FT
India and the United States will hold trade talks on September 16, New Delhi said, raising hopes for a breakthrough weeks after President Donald Trump imposed punitive tariffs on the South Asian nation for buying Russian oil.
Indonesia announced a new economic stimulus package worth 16.23 trillion rupiah (approximately S$1.27 billion), including food assistance and an infrastructure building program that could provide temporary work for more than 600,000 people.
The Gen Z revolution spreading in Asia: Nepal is just the most recent country to have seen the ruling elite toppled by frustrated young people. FT
Qatar owns 20% of property on Paris' Champs-Elysées: By reviewing land registry records, Le Monde determined that the small Gulf monarchy owns one-fifth of the facades on Paris's prestigious avenue.
Africa holds 30% of the world’s reserves of critical minerals – an essential component of advanced and green technologies. However, producers in these regions exert little control over the global market for these resources and the wealth they generate. To change that, the 54-nation African Union has announced a coalition of producers to coordinate strategies for production and investment.
Mike Pompeo calls on US to move faster on critical minerals: FT reports former secretary of state expects America’s ‘deregulatory mindset’ to attract mining listings.
UK and US pledge to boost financial ties ahead of Trump state visit: Sir Keir Starmer to explore closer alignment of capital markets during US president’s three-day trip. FT
What Britain needs from Donald Trump: Keir Starmer will be keen to shout about tech and nuclear deals during Donald Trump’s UK state visit — but Ukraine, steel and other issues remain thorny. Politico
Now is a good time to state the lessons from America: The US and UK share many essential values, yet we confound each other in forgetting some of our greatest attributes. William Hague
Trump’s state visit must be more than ceremonious: Only a US-UK bargain, forged during this trip, can safeguard Western leadership through tomorrow. Liam Byrne
Keir Starmer must use the state visit to defend our creators from AI: Tech giants’ revenues rival small nations, yet they give little in return.Owen Meredith
Channel 4 to mark Trump’s UK visit with “longest uninterrupted reel of untruths ever broadcast on television”: THR reports, 'Trump v the Truth' will run for several hours on Sept. 17 and is set to be punctuated by "brief text-based fact-checks."
Donald Trump is unpopular in Britain. Trumpism is thriving: America’s president is paying a state visit to a land where there are growing calls to Make England Great Again. Economist
Trump to go easy on embattled Starmer during state visit: US president understands the Prime Minister is ‘on the ropes’ as controversy over Mandelson intensifies. Telegraph
Pressure mounts on Keir Starmer over Peter Mandelson scandal: The prime minister has acknowledged he knew about emails between his ambassador and Jeffrey Epstein before he defended the peer at PMQs. The Times
Is a Labour leadership challenge a realistic prospect? Sir Keir Starmer’s authority is fading markedly after yet another scandal, but an alternative candidate, such as Andy Burnham, could struggle to force a contest. The Times
Tories ‘face more defections’ after Danny Kruger MP joins Reform: The Times reports Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, hints at further switches and says the MP for East Wiltshire will head the party’s preparations for government.
Is British politics broken? Its centre is cracking: The two traditional parties of government are under siege as never before. Economist
Is Moscow declaring war on NATO? AFP reports the Kremlin proclaimed on Monday that NATO is already at war with Russia, arguing that the alliance's firm and unwavering support for Ukraine leaves no need for further evidence. This statement is likely to heighten concerns among NATO members, especially after recent Russian drone incursions into Polish and Romanian airspace. While Moscow has denied that these incidents were intentional, NATO allies are speculating about Russia's motives, with many believing Russia is testing NATO’s readiness—and possibly the US’s commitment to European security.
Europe stumped by Trump demands over Russia sanctions: AFP reports Trump has demanded that allies stop buying Russian oil before he moves on to punishing Moscow, and told them to hit China with tariffs.
Kyiv presses allies for Russia's defeat as diplomacy with Moscow falters: Le Monde reports Volodymyr Zelensky denounced 'an obvious expansion of the war by Russia' after Russian drones flew over NATO countries.
Ukraine’s most lethal soldiers: From the front lines in Kherson, with a unit that kills Russians for points. Ken Harbaugh
Spain cancels €700 million Israeli arms deal: Le Monde reports the decision follows Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's pledge to enshrine in law a ban on arms trade with Israel over its offensive in Gaza. On Monday, he also urged Israel's exclusion from international sport.
43: The median age in Europe is ten years higher than the global average.
Reuters: Canada announces new federal agency to build affordable housing
Reuters: Trump says US struck another alleged Venezuelan drug vessel, killing three
Maduro calls US attack on boat ‘a heinous crime,’ as Trump announces another: NYT reports the Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, claimed that the Trump administration was trying to start a war in the Caribbean.
US companies put brakes on hiring after Donald Trump’s tariffs hit: FT reports industries most exposed to rising costs caused by trade wars launch a wave of job cuts.
CNBC: Trump tariffs are fueling inflation, congressional budget chief says
Whirlpool tells US authorities its rivals could be evading tariffs: WSJ reports citing federal data, the company says the declared customs value of numerous appliances from overseas started to plummet in June.
Texas restaurants pay price for ICE raids as scared customers stay home: AFP reports Trump’s crackdown on immigrants without papers intensifies, restaurant owners in Texas say the frequent raids by ICE are taking a significant toll on business, with most workers and customers staying home for fear of being targeted. Nearly a quarter have said they lost employees because of the raids, while 16 percent have seen a drop in customers, according to the Texas Restaurant Association.
Why Trump regrets ICE’s raid on a Hyundai plant in Georgia Ed Kilgore
The ICE raid at Hyundai was a massive own goal: Georgia spent years wooing the foreign carmaker. Economist
South Korean minister says US admits Georgia plant raid was 'excessive': Le Monde reports Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo made the remarks to reporters on Monday as he arrived in Washington for talks with US counterparts on finalizing a bilateral deal. Seoul said it would review whether any human rights violations were committed in the massive immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant in Georgia.
South Korea probes human rights abuses after US raid detains hundreds of its workers: Le Monde reports Seoul said Monday it is investigating possible rights violations after around 475 workers, mostly South Koreans, were arrested in a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai-LG battery plant in the state of Georgia.
‘It was me’: Suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting appeared to confess in Discord chat: ' I'm sorry for all of this,’ read a message from the suspect’s account, according to two people familiar with the message and screenshots obtained by The Post.
Charlie Kirk helped Republicans break through to young people: WSJ reports it was nearly impossible for college students to open social media without being served a video of Kirk.
CBS News: JD Vance hosting "The Charlie Kirk Show" today after Kirk's assassination
Fox: VP Vance hosts 'The Charlie Kirk Show' as memorial for conservative icon nears
White House plans broad crackdown on liberal groups: NYT reports some of the highest-ranking officials in the federal government used Charlie Kirk’s podcast, guest-hosted by Vice President JD Vance, to lay out their plans.
+ White House senior adviser Stephen Miller pledged to use “every resource” across the federal government to combat what he called a “vast domestic terror movement” on the left, which he said is pushed by NGOs.
+ Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) is leading a group of lawmakers calling for a select committee to investigate “the money, influence, and power behind the radical left’s assault on America and the rule of law” after Kirk’s death.
+ Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) penned a letter to the Education Department asking to end federal funding to public schools that don’t fire teachers who voice criticism of Kirk.
AP: Trump says people on the left ‘under major investigation’ after Charlie Kirk investigation
Jeffrey Epstein estate turns over more documents to House committee: NBC News reports the newly turned-over documents include an additional name from the convicted sex offender's birthday book and his address book.
Anatomy of two giant deals: The UAE got chips. The Trump team got crypto riches. A lucrative transaction involving the Trump family’s cryptocurrency firm and an agreement giving the Emiratis access to AI chips were connected in ways that have not been previously reported. NYT
Presidents’ names are getting shorter. Why? We’ve gone from Roosevelts and Eisenhowers to Bushes, Obamas, and Trumps. What gives? WP
Sherrod Brown’s old-school medicine could help an ailing Democratic Party: Sherrod Brown tries to revive Democrats’ blue-collar appeal in Ohio’s Senate race. Justin H. Vassallo
Trump loves AI, and the MAGA world is getting worried: Trump's White House is all-in on building powerful American artificial intelligence. The populist base is starting to push back. Politico
A California AI law passes the legislature: On Thursday, the California state legislature passed a first-of-its-kind bill. It would require AI companies to include reminders for users they know to be minors that responses are AI-generated. Companies would also need to have a protocol for addressing suicide and self-harm and provide annual reports on instances of suicidal ideation in users’ conversations with their chatbots. Democratic state senator Steve Padilla led it, passed with heavy bipartisan support, and now awaits Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature.
The myth of sovereign AI: Countries rely on US and Chinese tech: As countries pursue self-sufficiency in AI, they risk depending on foreign companies, undermining their independence and their goals. ROW
The city leading China’s charge to pull ahead in AI: Money, talent, and entrepreneurial spirit have turned DeepSeek’s hometown into a global AI hub. WSJ
+ These days, Hangzhou is an AI hub at the center of China’s global tech ambitions. Its breakthrough moment came earlier this year, when local company DeepSeek shocked the world with an AI model that rivaled American programs, at a much lower cost.
Here’s what the data says people ask ChatGPT: OpenAI released the first detailed public study on who uses its chatbot and what they most often ask it to do. WP
Anthropic finds businesses are mainly using AI to automate work: Bloomberg reports businesses are overwhelmingly relying on Anthropic’s artificial intelligence software to automate rather than collaborate on work, according to a new report from the OpenAI rival, adding to the risk that AI will upend livelihoods. More than three-quarters (77%) of companies’ usage of Anthropic’s Claude AI software involved automation patterns, often including “full task delegation,” according to a research report the startup released on Monday. The finding was based on an analysis of traffic from Anthropic’s application programming interface, which is used by developers and businesses.
Anthropic Economic Index: Tracking AI's role in the US and global economy Website
Shipping industry enlists AI to tackle rising number of cargo fires: Failure to declare dangerous goods and ever bigger ships mean fires are more common and harder to put out. FT
How a former junior lawyer created a $5bn AI legal start-up: FT reports Winston Weinberg’s company is making lawyers ‘a lot more productive’, but critics say it offers little more than ChatGPT.
FT: Alphabet market value exceeds $3tn
The brutal fight to dominate Chinese carmaking: Pity Ford, VW, and other Western manufacturers. Economist
Used EV sales take off as prices plummet: NYT reports electric vehicles on the used market often cost less than comparable gasoline models, making the technology affordable to many more buyers.
A self-driving car traffic jam is coming for US cities: A century ago, cars remade America. Autonomous vehicles could do it again. Vox
Detroit Free Press: Ford Motor Company to say goodbye to 'Glass House' in Dearborn, move world headquarters
+ Ford will move to a new innovation hub and dedicate it as its new world headquarters in November.
How to build table-top fusion reactors: An American startup is revisiting a 60-year-old idea. Economist
Hackers steal customer data from Gucci and Alexander McQueen: The Times reports Balenciaga and Brioni were also the victims of a cyberattack by the ShinyHunters gang on Kering, the fashion brands’ owner.
‘Adolescence’ leads Emmys with 8 wins as ‘The Studio’ claims comedy crown: AFP reports searing teen murder saga “Adolescence” swept Sunday’s Emmy Awards with eight trophies including best limited series, while HBO Max’s “The Pitt” won best drama. Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire “The Studio” dominated comedy, taking best series and a record 13 Emmys overall, surpassing all previous comedy series tallies.
Theatre Picasso is the most thrilling show at Tate Modern in years: The artist was attracted to theatre by its glamour and sexual possibilities— this riveting exhibition is a five-star tribute that should be kept on display for ever. The Times
Sotheby’s lands a Leonard Lauder art collection worth more than $400 million: The collector’s trove of 55 works, including Klimt, Matisse, and Munch, will be auctioned in November. NYT
Football is coming to Saudi Arabia, where soccer is king: Saudi Arabia will host a flag football tournament featuring NFL stars in the spring, in a mutually beneficial sports expansion. NYT
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
A11. | September 16
