Donald Trump’s foreign policy and the whole wide world: Journal writers discuss the Iran strikes, the Russia-Ukraine war, tariffs, Middle East peace prospects, and more. WSJ
Trump, long erratic on the world stage, reaches a new level: Whether because of his increasingly mercurial approach or despite it, President Trump has won some foreign policy victories in his second term. The question now is whether he can build on his record. NYT
The Trump supremacy: Opponents in disarray, allies in line, followers enthralled — the US president is already on his way to building a new world order. FT
The effort to court Trump abroad: Deals, flattery, and jet fighters: Lavish welcoming ceremonies and nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize are part of foreign leaders’ charm offensives when the American president comes to town. WSJ
Trump comes wooing after tariffs tilt Southeast Asia towards China: The Times reports the US president visited the region to preside over a peace deal, in a sign Washington is hoping to lure countries back from Beijing’s orbit.
They’re small, yellow and round — and show how Trump’s tariffs don’t work Michael Grunwald
Dependence on China for rare earths calls for a united front, which Trump has weakened: By unveiling restrictions on the use of these minerals essential to industry, Xi Jinping demonstrates that he has the means to dictate terms to the rest of the world. Europeans must do everything possible to secure their supplies of these components. Stéphane Lauer
US, China sound confident note after trade talks: Scott Bessent hails ‘very successful framework’ for Trump-Xi meeting as Beijing reports preliminary consensus on key issues. WSJ
US, China reach tentative trade deal, setting stage for Trump’s meeting with Xi: WP reports ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, negotiators reached a framework for a trade agreement to avert additional 100 percent tariffs.
Trump and Xi to meet after ‘framework’ for trade deal agreed: The Times reports the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies are due in South Korea as both appear to have climbed down on threats of tariffs and trade curbs.
FT: US expects China to delay rare earth export controls as trade deal nears
A one-year reprieve from Chinese rare earth blackmail: Weekend talks eased tensions, but deep mistrust will continue to define the relationship. WP-Editorial
What we still get wrong about Trump’s approach to China: The US president’s “tough on China” reputation belies his interest in striking a deal with the nation, not decoupling from it. Bloomberg
GOP hawks feel the whiplash of Trump’s China policy: Ahead of Trump’s expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, some Republican lawmakers are trying to harden the president’s stance on Beijing. WP
CNBC: Boeing names Mandarin-speaking, ex-White House advisor as its new China president
Xi Jinping’s purges shrink ranks of China’s Communist elite—and boost his power: Nearly one in six officials who had Central Committee seats were absent from a major conclave, many of them now disgraced. WSJ
Xi Jinping's quest for absolute power: The new purges announced at the highest levels of the Chinese military reflect Xi Jinping's conviction that, in order to propel China to the top and confront rising tensions with the US, the era of reforms and openness is over. Le Monde-Editorial
Singapore’s prime minister warns of ‘messy’ transition to post-American order: Lawrence Wong says no other country can fill the vacuum left by the US. FT
How Trump’s perception of Japan collides with today’s economic reality: Japan was the genesis of President Donald Trump’s tariff-led approach to reshaping the global economy. When he lands in Tokyo, trade will again be on his agenda. WP
Japan has its first woman leader. Just don’t ask her about feminism: Sanae Takaichi’s rise marks a milestone, but women in Japan still struggle to enter politics, lead corporations, or share in some of its most revered traditions. Bloomberg
China’s Pokémon craze is stirring an anti-foreigner backlash in Japan: What began as a Happy Meal promotion ended in chaos and xenophobic outrage, revealing Japan’s growing tensions over immigration and tourism. Bloomberg
‘World Enemy No. 1’ review: The most fatal front: Germany’s 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union was the culmination of Hitler’s animus toward communism. But that ideological conflict was not the cause of World War II. WSJ
Reuters: Trump says he will not meet with Putin until he thinks there is a deal on Ukraine
The US throws sand in Russia’s war machine: Sanctions on top oil producers raise the costs of Ukraine conflict for Moscow. FT-Editorial
How Russia’s sanctioned Arctic gas found a Chinese loophole: The US and allies aimed to hobble Russia’s energy industry, but Moscow has found workarounds. WSJ
Putin says Russia now has nuclear-powered missile: NYT reports because of its power source, the Burevestnik can remain airborne far longer than other nuclear-armed missiles.
This movie makes nuclear war feel disturbingly possible: An interview with the A House of Dynamite screenwriter Noah Oppenheim and Tom Nichols. Hanna Rosin
Catherine Connolly, Irish reunification advocate, elected president: Le Monde reports the left-wing candidate secured 63.4% of the vote, edging her rival Heather Humphreys of Fine Gael, the centrist ruling party. The 68-year-old lawyer managed to unite Ireland's left to win this largely symbolic post.
Nigel Farage: Britain has had ‘too many unifiers’: The Reform UK leader on dismantling consensus politics, Britain’s future relationship with the EU, and deporting migrants “nicely.” Bloomberg
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves will seek to accelerate trade talks with the Gulf states during a visit to Saudi Arabia, as she tries to boost the country’s growth prospects ahead of her crucial budget.
Sudan army base in besieged El Fasher falls to rival militia: FT reports the paramilitary RSF took control after 19-month siege in which thousands died of starvation and massacres.
Milei’s free-market experiment hangs in the balance as Argentina Votes: WSJ reports the libertarian leader needs enough congressional seats to protect the agenda backed by Trump.
Milei’s overhaul of Argentina has another problem: He isn’t great at politics. The Libertarian president has stabilized the economy but lost political allies, run into scandals, and is fielding untested candidates. WSJ
Has Argentina really changed? Soon, we will find out: The US is betting $20 billion that with time and support, President Milei can fix Argentina’s economy once and for all. Greg Ip
Argentine President Javier Milei will meet with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in Buenos Aires this week, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
CNBC: Trump says US cattle ranchers ‘don’t understand’ tariffs after some slam Argentine beef plan
+ President Donald Trump said US cattle ranchers “don’t understand” how they have benefited from his tariffs.
+ “They also have to get their prices down, because the consumer is a very big factor in my thinking, also!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
+ Some ranchers — and Republican lawmakers — have openly criticized Trump’s proposal to import beef from Argentina to bring down prices for American consumers.
+ National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO Colin Woodall said that his organization “cannot stand behind the President while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers.”
Fear grips a Caribbean nation in the shadow of US boat strikes: In Trinidad and Tobago, fishermen are staying closer to shore after attacks on alleged drug boats. WSJ
A mystery in Trinidad as bodies wash ashore after US strikes: The US campaign targeting what it says is drug trafficking from Venezuela has exposed Trinidad to the fallout: unidentified bodies with burn marks and missing limbs showing up in its territory. NYT
As US forces close in on Venezuela, lawmakers warn of expanding operation: The Trump administration has sent warships, fighter jets, and surveillance aircraft to the region as it wages what it says is an armed conflict against narcoterrorists. WP
The US warships off Venezuela aren’t there to fight drugs: The US says it is fighting drugs, but its warships off Venezuela tell another story about power, control, and regime change. Guillaume Long
Trump says he's hiking 'tariff on Canada' by 10% over Ontario government ad: CBC reports the Ford government planned to pull the ad Monday — after airing in the US during the World Series.
How one ad sent US-Canada trade talks into a tailspin: Negotiators had worked for weeks on a potential agreement to reduce Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs. WSJ
Reagan vs. Trump on tariffs: The Gipper was a free trader, no matter what the current President says. WSJ-Editorial
Did Ronald Reagan ‘love tariffs’ as Trump claims? America’s 40th and 47th presidents both employed protectionist measures, but in vastly different ways. FT
The feisty Ontario leader who torpedoed negotiations with Trump—again: Ad criticizing tariffs was the latest example of Doug Ford’s disruptive role in US-Canada trade talks. WSJ
How Canada is dealing with its latest tussle with President Trump: Prime Minister Mark Carney is focusing on what the country can control, including looking for economic partnerships abroad, especially in Asia. NYT
Trump's rhetoric on tariffs ramps up pressure on Supreme Court: NBC News reports the president has frequently spoken about the potentially drastic consequences if the Supreme Court strikes down his sweeping tariffs, a view contested by his opponents.
How Trump barreled through DC’s bureaucracy to get his White House ballroom: The president realized his longtime dream by remaking a planning board and taking advantage of permitting oddities; ‘you have zero zoning conditions.’ WSJ
In defense of the White House ballroom: Donald Trump vs. the NIMBYs. WP-Editorial
Who is paying for Trump's White House ballroom? Full donor list revealed BBC
Ballroom blitz at the White House raises eyebrows: Trump’s vast refurbishment ignores questions of style and scale. Edwin Heathcote
It looks like the US has a sovereign wealth fund now: “It’s just amazing to watch,” one expert says, as the executive branch makes corporate deals. Bloomberg
MAGA lobbying firms are booming. This is where their money goes. Despite past campaign promises to “drain the swamp,” lobbying expenditures are at record highs. WP
The economy that’s great for parents, lousy for their grown-up kids: Many older Americans are financially comfortable, but they worry their adult children won’t achieve the same kind of economic stability. WSJ
There’s a reason electricity prices are rising. And it’s not data centers. It’s not AI. It’s not even data centers. WP
Keeping the House absent, Johnson marginalizes Congress and himself: The speaker’s decision to hold the House in an indefinite hiatus during the shutdown is his latest move to diminish the role of the legislative branch — and his own post. NYT
The lone House Democrat who thinks his party has the shutdown all wrong: Maine’s Jared Golden says his party is being pushed in the wrong direction by far-left groups. WSJ
Democrats keep falling for political fantasies. When will they learn? Democrats keep falling for charismatic newcomers and viral candidates — and it keeps costing them elections. Politico
Abigail Spanberger fights the Democrats’ image problem in Virginia: Governor’s race tests whether a ‘pugnacious centrist’ is the answer for an unpopular party drawn to the progressive left. FT
‘I want to win’: Inside Gavin Newsom’s plan for taking on Trump: Armed with a podcast, a ballot measure and tweets, California’s governor is spoiling for a fight with the president. Bloomberg
POTUS-2028: Steve Bannon told The Economist that there was “a plan” to circumvent the 22nd Amendment, which states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice,” regardless of whether the terms are consecutive.
'You'll go down as a wimp:' Pence's never-before-published notes key evidence in case against Trump, book says: ABC's Jonathan Karl has the exclusive details in his new book, "Retribution." ABC News
What killed print media — and what died with it: The waning of newsprint is about cultural changes more momentous than digital publishing’s arrival. George Will
Condé Nast’s strategy for media’s new normal: Glam events and paywalls: Vogue parent wants to create ‘cultural moments’ as magazines face traffic declines and AI disruption. WSJ
It’s not enough to read Orwell: A new film argues that, in an era of rising authoritarianism, audiences have become too numb to the speculative force of 1984. Shirley Li
The ‘hands problem’ Holding back the humanoid revolution: Researchers face huge challenges in creating robotic hands equal to the real thing, but they’re getting closer. One big question: How many fingers? WSJ
Nuclear treaties offer a blueprint for how to handle AI: The lack of co-ordinated efforts to address the existential risk of superintelligence is astonishing and must change. Will Marshall
It’s not just rich countries. Tech’s trillion-dollar bet on AI is everywhere. As part of ‘AI decolonization,’ developing nations push Silicon Valley to build locally. WSJ
Are trampoline bunnies and dog podcasters the future of entertainment? One person’s AI slop is another’s viral hit. Bloomberg
Why every website you used to love is getting worse: TikTok and airlines have something in common with your search engine, your grocery app, and (increasingly) your car: They start out great, lock you in, and then quietly get worse while you keep using them. That very familiar decline now has a catchy name: “enshittification.” Sean Illing
Big Tech makes Cal State its AI training ground: Spurred by titans like Amazon and OpenAI, California State wants to become the nation’s “largest AI-empowered” university. NYT
OpenAI shunned advisers on $1.5tn of deals: Sam Altman tapped a handful of in-house dealmakers over external advisers and lawyers to design a huge web of infrastructure agreements. FT
‘I believe it’s a bubble’: What some smart people are saying about AI: A growing group of critics say we’re in an artificial intelligence bubble. Is it true? If so, how would we know? Bloomberg
Inside Oklo: The $20bn nuclear start-up without any revenue: Silicon Valley company with links to Trump administration rides wave of investor enthusiasm. FT
The steep curve to peak urban: The century from 1980 to 2080 will be a period of rapid urban expansion that strains housing and planning capacity around the world. Then comes population decline, and an uncertain future. Bloomberg
Boston Globe: Ropes & Gray opens Milan office to capitalize on private-equity growth
Novartis agrees to acquire Avidity Biosciences for $12 billion: WSJ reports Swiss pharmaceutical company says the purchase would complement its existing pipeline of treatments for neuromuscle disorders.
What happens when the US stops funding the science behind SpaceX? NASA’s shrinking budget threatens the public science behind SpaceX’s success, and it could weaken America’s ability to develop breakthrough technologies. Bloomberg
The counterintuitive economics of smoking: How cigarette manufacturers profit from quitters. Economist
FCA chief heads to Detroit to win support for car finance redress plan: Nikhil Rathi will speak to carmakers in the US industry capital amid fierce criticism of the FCA’s £11bn consumer compensation scheme for mis-sold motor finance. The Times
US risks losing more ground to China in EV race as investment tumbles: White House backing for petrol-based cars poses dilemma for many automakers. FT
Louvre heist: What we know about the two arrested suspects: One suspect was arrested at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport en route to Algeria. Investigators are using DNA, fingerprints, and security footage to track the perpetrators. Le Monde
French police make first arrests in €88mn Louvre heist: One of the alleged burglars was trying to leave the country from Charles de Gaulle airport. FT
The Future of Truth by Werner Herzog — tall tales: The German filmmaker muses on truth, fiction, cyberspace, and human turpitude, in an irrepressible style. FT
Our favorite home offices: The best work spaces, from a minimalist sanctuary in Sweden to an experimental round study in Japan. NYT Mag
Agatha Christie’s first published work discovered after 120 years: The Times reports a poem by the Queen of Crime was published in a local newspaper in 1905, but red herrings in the authors biography meant it went undetected for 120 years.
Kennedy dynasty to be the new Crown for Netflix: The Times reports the streaming giant has found its new quasi-royal leads in the saga of the Kennedy family, with a historical drama starring Michael Fassbender.
They’re the best team in English soccer—and they score like a bunch of no-hopers: Arsenal has charged to the top of the Premier League by specializing in goals from set-plays, long viewed as cave man tactics and the preserve of the league’s weakest teams. WSJ
A trail of two cities: Cycling London to Paris off-road: Linking together disused railway lines, farm tracks and forest trails, Leadout Event’s new route has reinvented the classic cycling challenge. FT
Mouhamadou Fall, first French athlete to join Enhanced Games: 'For me, it's not doping, but a chance to learn more about the human body's limits': The French sprinter announced Thursday that he has signed up for the Enhanced Games, an event where doping is permitted – even encouraged. In an interview with Le Monde, the multiple French champion in the 100 m and 200 m explains his decision. Le Monde
LSU fires head coach Brian Kelly.
America’s best sports city: Nine compete for the crown WP
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
A11. | October 27
