New-model proxy wars: After a relative lull following the end of the Cold War, violent conflicts have proliferated around the world since the turn of the century, and they generally proven to be more protracted than in the past. Among the biggest factors behind this disturbing trend is the rise of interventionist "middle powers." Comfort Ero + Richard Atwood
Trump weighs options, and risks, for attacks on Venezuela: President Trump has yet to make a decision, but his advisers are pressing a range of objectives — from attacking drug cartels to seizing oil fields — to try to justify ousting Nicolás Maduro. NYT
How the US is preparing a military staging ground near Venezuela Reuters
Miami Herald: China backs Venezuela, Trump hints Maduro’s end is near as tensions escalate
Russia open to sending hypersonic missiles to Venezuela: Telegraph reports weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead among those that could be dispatched to tackle Trump’s drugs offensive.
One Caribbean leader is going all-out for Trump against Venezuela: Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister is hosting US warships and cheering strikes on alleged drug boats in a high-risk gamble. WSJ
Reuters: Mexican president dismisses report of possible US military mission inside Mexico
A mayor’s assassination reignites Mexico’s debate over confronting cartels: WSJ reports President Claudia Sheinbaum says the country won’t return to violent war on drug traffickers that some opponents say is necessary.
A narrow Pacific waterway is at the heart of US plans to choke China’s vast navy: The US has deployed troops and anti-ship missiles into the northern Philippines as part of almost continuous, joint war drills throughout the country. One goal is to block the Bashi Channel and deny Chinese warships access to the Pacific Ocean if Beijing launches an attack on Taiwan. As a former Philippine military chief told Reuters: You can’t invade Taiwan if you don’t control the northern Philippines. Reuters
China’s security state sells an AI dream: China’s new national drive to embrace artificial intelligence is also giving the authorities new ways to monitor and control its citizens. NYT
The trade war couldn’t change China’s economy: American hopes for political reform in China faded years ago, and now hopes for economic liberalization are fading too. WSJ
Xi masters the art of the deal over Trump: Their trade truce was welcomed but the Chinese leader is set to wrest the Pacific from the US. Roger Boyes
What Chinese leaders really think of Trump: According to Chinese academics, economists, and retired military officers, the country's leaders are not losing any sleep over Donald Trump's America First agenda. In fact, as they see it, the US president is ushering in a world that Chinese strategists have long been preparing for. Mark Leonard
Trump's 'G2' revival sparks anxiety in Washington and Asia: The president's words hint at coexisting spheres of influence with China. Nikkei
China against China: Xi Jinping confronts the downsides of success. Jonathan A. Czin
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is booming: In a Trump-troubled world, China’s leader still sees opportunities in poor countries. Economist
Japan needs foreign workers. Its far right is turning against them: In the city of Toyota, immigrants help power the economy while facing political backlash. Bloomberg
What will it cost to make Vladimir Putin stop? Europe must offer Ukraine a big enough financial package to deter the Kremlin. Economist
Zelenskyy faces criticism over energy supply as Putin bids to cripple Ukraine’s power grid: Politico reports a former energy boss accuses Kyiv’s leadership of a politically motivated vendetta against him — and acting too late on a plan to guard the sector against Russian attacks.
Ukraine's Zelenskyy visits troops near threatened Pokrovsk: DW reports Russian and Ukrainian troops continue fighting in the ruins of Pokrovsk for control of the strategically valuable logistics hub in Donetsk. Moscow has been trying to capture the settlement for more than a year.
Reuters: EU's frozen-asset funding for Ukraine may need bridging solution, Dombrovskis says
Bloomberg: Poland wants its own drone wall to counter Russian threat
Republicans torch Pentagon over lack of information on European troop drawdown: Politico reports: “The situation needs to improve if we are to craft the best defense policy,” Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-MS) told Pentagon nominees.
Reuters: Republican lawmakers lash out at Pentagon for keeping them in the dark
Kimberly Guilfoyle has officially started as the first woman to serve as US ambassador to Greece.
What can Europe offer a fragmenting world? As the rivalry between the United States and China intensifies, many countries are seeking partners they can trust. The European Union could fill that role by offering economic opportunity, a secure investment environment, and legal systems that are predictable and fair. Ngaire Woods
An EU-Mercosur trade deal looks close to ratification: In a hostile world, Europe and Latin America draw closer. Economist
The Maldives bans smoking for everyone born after 2006: WP reports the country where about a fifth of the population uses tobacco is the first to institute a generational smoking ban.
Nigeria, in Trump’s cross hairs, rejects Christian genocide claims: NYT reports officials have accused the United States of foreign interference and called on Washington to support the country’s democracy instead of fomenting division.
Nigeria rejects US military threat over alleged Christian killings: Politico reports the African nation denied that Christians are being persecuted.
Sudan civil war spiralling out of control, UN secretary general says: Guardian reports António Guterres calls for the violence to end but there appears little appetite for ceasefire proposed by US.
Bloomberg: Sudan army weighs US truce plan as UN condemns violence
As criticism grows, is UAE ready to walk away from Sudan’s RSF militia? Guardian reports after mass killings in El Fasher and four years on from a coup, UAE now admits its Sudan policy has gone wrong.
Sudan: The UAE's shady role and Western nations' 'culpable indifference': Le Monde reports allied with General Hemedti's Rapid Support Forces, the UAE has provided crucial logistical support to the paramilitary fighters who conducted the deadly assault on el-Fasher.
Tanzania's instability could harm trade in southern Africa: DW reports the political unrest in Tanzania could potentially disrupt key trade routes and the landlocked economies in southern Africa that rely heavily on the East African country's ports for essential imports.
Canadian economy struggles amid Trump's trade war: Le Monde reports Canada faces the fallout from the US president's protectionist offensive. To reduce its reliance on its powerful neighbor, Ottawa is banking on a major infrastructure and investment plan.
Carney earmarks billions in new spending to counter US protectionism: G+M reports federal budget projects $78.3-billion deficit and sets out tax incentives, public service cuts.
Canada signals it plans to scrap oil and gas emissions cap: Bloomberg reports the Canadian government has signaled it plans to eventually lift the controversial cap on emissions from the oil and gas sector, doubling down instead on its industrial carbon pricing system to rein in pollution.
Trump and the presidency that wouldn’t shut up: His posts and rants are omnipresent, ugly, and unhinged. Don’t look to history to make it make sense. Jill Lepore
How the US economy has defied doomsday predictions on Tariffs: Inflation is lower than expected after President Trump’s steep levies. WSJ
Majority of Americans say tariffs hurt their family's financial situation, are spending more on groceries and utilities: Poll: ABC News reports that about 7 in 10 Americans are spending more on groceries compared to last year.
From groceries to gas, Americans say they’re spending more under Trump: WP reports the Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey found two-thirds of independents and 92 percent of Democrats blame the president, but only 20 percent of Republicans do.
She voted for Trump three times. Now she is leading a fight against his tariffs. The Liberty Justice Center led by Sara Albrecht is better known for backing right-leaning causes, but it filed the tariff case that will be heard by the Supreme Court this week. NYT
Mystery conservative donors bankroll opposition to Trump’s tariffs: The Supreme Court test of Trump’s power is backed by a group funded without disclosure by wealthy conservatives, highlighting a deep split over import taxes. WP
An Obama-appointed judge's 'roadmap' could help Trump win Supreme Court tariffs case Reuters
What’s at stake as Trump’s tariffs go before the Supreme Court: Refunds, trade deals, and presidential power are all in play. WSJ
Small businesses gear up for tariff fight at Supreme Court: Companies that sell diamonds, plant sensors, and wine all have one thing in common: They are weighing in against tariffs in a consequential case. NYT
Trump vs the toy maker: Tariffs on trial at US Supreme Court: Wednesday hearing looks into whether levies exceed legal authority. Nikkei
How Donald Trump can dodge a Supreme Court tariff block: No matter its ruling, the president has back-up powers. Economist
Lawmakers see hope for ending record-tying shutdown: WSJ reports a frustrated President Trump again demanded that Republicans end the Senate filibuster to bypass Democrats and reopen the government.
ABC News: Department of Transportation might be forced to shut down some airspace next week: Duffy
Duffy warns of air travel ‘mass chaos’ by next week: Politico reports the Transportation secretary said air traffic controllers can’t afford to miss another paycheck.
Trump negotiating with Ozempic maker to sell some weight-loss drugs for $149: WSJ reports the deals would sell some of Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly’s obesity drugs via TrumpRx and make them eligible for Medicare and Medicaid coverage.
Trump revives billionaire Isaacman’s nomination to top NASA job: Bloomberg reports Trump renominated Elon Musk ally Jared Isaacman to lead NASA on Tuesday, a major about-face just five months after the White House ended his candidacy as relations between Trump and Musk soured.
No politics is local: State and city elections are now heavily intertwined with what happens in Washington. David A. Graham
A ‘perpetual gerrymandering extravaganza’: What was once a once-a-decade occurrence has morphed into a standing political arms race. Politico
CNN: Democrats sweep the first major elections of Trump’s second term
WP: Mamdani wins in NYC; Democrats take NJ, VA governor races
+ Mamdani takes New York’s mayoral race; Sherrill, Spanberger prevail in contests for governor
+ @NBCNews: exit polling on young men (18-29) in VA, NJ, and NYC
VA: Spanberger +14
NJ: Sherrill: +10
NYC: Mamdani +40
NYT: Mamdai seals victory in improbable run
NYP: On your Marx, get set, Zo!
+ Dem socialist Mamdani wins NYC mayoral election as city braces for leftist policies
+ The Uganda-born Mamdani will be the Big Apple’s first Muslim and first socialist mayor, as well as one of the youngest.
NBC News: Zohran Mamdani wins the New York mayoral race
+ Mamdani will be the youngest New York mayor in a century, NBC News projects, after a rapid rise past Andrew Cuomo and other opponents.
NYT: New York mayor’s race draws highest turnout since 2001
FT: Mamdani wins NYC as Democrats sweep key races in blow to Trump
WSJ: Zohran Mamdani takes NYC as Democrats win key races
The meaning of Zohran Mamdani: Will the New York mayoral favourite be a boon to the Democratic party, or a millstone around its neck? FT
Wall Street couldn’t prevent Mayor Mamdani. Now it has to work with him. WSJ reports some leading figures of financial world spent millions to elevate other candidates in New York City mayoral race.
Mamdani is a gift, which Trump should unwrap carefully: You couldn’t design a better far-left foil. But his voters’ frustrations are real and serious. Gerard Baker
NYT: Democrat wins NJ governor’s race over Trump-backed opponent
WP: Abigail Spanberger to be Virginia’s first female governor
+ @DefenseBaron: Wow —> “No woman has led Virginia since its colonial government was formed 406 years ago and since Patrick Henry became the first governor of the independent state in 1776.”
The Hill: Hashmi wins Virginia lieutenant governor’s race, will be first Muslim woman in statewide office
+ @FrankLuntz: Every single county in Virginia shifted blueward tonight:
AP: California voters approve new US House map designed to boost Democrats in 2026, aiming to blunt GOP changes elsewhere
DETROIT-MAYOR: Mary Sheffield wins Detroit mayoral election.
+ @freep: BREAKING: Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield made history Tuesday night, Nov. 4, becoming the city's first woman mayor in an election she led from start to finish.
WLWT: Afrab Pureval reelected Cincinnati mayor, defeating half-brother of JD Vance
+ @AP: BREAKING: Democrat Aftab Pureval wins Cincinnati mayoral election over Cory Bowman, half-brother of Vice President JD Vance.
In the US, young Democrats' rebellion spreads across many states: Le Monde reports New York, Maine, Missouri, Florida, Texas… In opposition to candidates backed by the party leadership, progressive youth are striving to bring forward a new generation of elected officials, focusing on economic and social issues.
LAT: Sen. Alex Padilla (D) says he won’t run for California governor
The secretive donor circle that lifted JD Vance is now rewriting MAGA’s future: Chris Buskirk put tech elites at the center of power in Trump’s Washington. His efforts are grounded in a controversial theory: An “aristocracy” is needed to move the country forward. WP
It’s been a year since Trump was elected. Democrats still don’t get the internet: “I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why we are still so rigid and moderating everything when we have nothing to lose for the first time,” a Democratic digital strategist tells Wired. Wired
The rise and fall of Stacey Abrams’s political machine: The New Georgia Project, her get-out-the-vote group, has folded. Economist
Waiting, impatiently, for 2028: An extremely early, surely premature analysis of who might win the Democratic presidential primary. Ben Terris
Dick Cheney, powerful vice president during war on terrorism, dies at 84: After 9/11, he used his role as President George W. Bush’s chief strategist to approve the use of torture and steer US occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. WP
Dick Cheney, powerful former vice president who served four Republican presidents, sies at 84: National-security hawk was an architect of the post-9/11 US war on terror. WSJ
Dick Cheney, former US vice-president, 1941-2025: Influential politician was an apostle of unilateralism and among the strongest voices urging the US invasion of Iraq. FT
There was one Dick Cheney all along: The end of the former vice president’s career reflected its beginnings. David Frum
A decade of dramatic GOP change since Paul Ryan became speaker: Ten years after Ryan’s ascension, there’s little of the former speaker’s traditional conservatism remaining in today’s House Republican caucus. WP
Laura Loomer is now credentialed to cover the Pentagon.
MS … NOW? As MSNBC rebrands, a $20 million effort to avoid confusion. NYT reports that after three decades, the MSNBC brand will be retired on Nov. 15. The network has called in Rachel Maddow to help viewers make the transition.
Bloomberg: US utility lobbying jumps 14% amid AI boom, clean energy turmoil
NRA furloughs staff as it prepares to rebuild ahead of 2026: WP reports the once-mighty gun rights group is trying to balance its books after years of misspending.
Britain’s quantum software start-ups might be giants: Companies such as Phasecraft and Riverlane will need to be brave to remain independent. John Gapper
Bloomberg: Apple prepares to enter low-cost laptop market for first time
AI is the bubble to burst them all: I talked to the scholars who literally wrote the book on tech bubbles—and applied their test. Wired
AI stocks waver as ‘Big Short’ investor bets against Palantir, Nvidia: WP reports Michael Burry drew the ire of Palantir CEO Alex Karp after disclosing his bets against the artificial intelligence giants.
The AI revolution will bring prosperity: The growth of industry disrupted old economic patterns but produced undreamed-of wealth. Phil Gramm + Michael Solon
AI and the coming white-collar political upheaval: Manufacturing job losses in the 2000s affected politics. Disruptions to desk jobs will too. William A. Galston
Will AI kill the firm? For centuries, the firm has organized economic life, translating human labor into value through hierarchy and routine. But as agentic AI begins to perform the managerial work of coordinating and decision-making, the institutions that once defined modern capitalism are starting to give way. Sami Mahroum
US races to train tech workers for manufacturing, but will AI get the jobs first? Immigration issues and China competition further complicate Trump's vision of an industrial revival. Nikkei
Is it man or machine? The rise of AI-generated reviews is making it harder to spot the online fakes: Analysis of Canadian industries by an AI-detection firm finds that machine-made reviews are suspected in up to 35% of marketing posts, and experts says it’s increasingly difficult to filter out the phoneys. Toronto Star
Tesla is obsessed with Musk’s pay package. Musk is obsessed with AI. Focus on winning tech arms race leads to long hours at xAI; employees turned over biometric data to develop controversial avatars. WSJ
Right-wing chatbots turbocharge America’s political and cultural wars: Once pitched as dispassionate tools to answer your questions, AI chatbots are now programmed to reflect the biases of their creators. NYT
China is building the future: The United States can learn from its technological success. Eric Schmidt + Selina Xu
Reuters: China's Xi pushes for global AI body at APEC in counter to US
Bloomberg: Amazon demands Perplexity stop AI tool from making purchases
Everyone hates ‘Friend,’ the AI necklace. But the AI isn’t the problem. A wearable companion is a brilliant idea — in theory. NYT Mag
Bloomberg: Australia widens under-16 social media ban to include Reddit
Portugal has plenty of tourists. Now it wants data centers: Investment around the town of Sines totals almost 5% of GDP as the country seeks to retool its economy for the 21st century. Bloomberg
What happened when small-town America became Data Center, USA: Residents, politicians, and local agencies are making the most of the tech boom, but prosperity comes with costs; ‘What’s going to happen once they stop building?’ WSJ
Nippon Steel to mass-produce high-grade steel for US data centers: Nikkei reports investment made in new plant facilities to meet rising demand from tech giants.
US Steel details plans to invest $11 billion by 2028 across all business segments: AP reports the announcement comes just five months after Nippon Steel finalized a “historic partnership“ with the Pittsburgh steelmaker in a deal worth nearly $15 billion. That deal included a “golden share” provision that gave the federal government the power to appoint a board member and a say in some company decisions.
New lawsuit alleges Spotify allows streaming fraud: AFP reports a new lawsuit alleges streaming giant Spotify turns a blind eye to vast networks of bots that inflate streaming figures to benefit megastars such as Drake at the expense of lesser-known artists.
Bank of America 3.0? Moynihan set to pitch strategy refresh to investors: Sprawling lender’s longtime chief will convene the first investor day in 14 years. FT
The Amazonification of Whole Foods is finally here—bring on the Doritos: WSJ reports Amazon is shaking up the natural-foods grocer with robots in the backroom and Pepsi outside the exit in its push for a bigger slice of the supermarket business.
How New York became a nightmare for Airbnb: For the past two years, short-term tourist rentals have effectively been banned in the American metropolis as the result of a massively complex regulatory overhaul. The platform is now hoping, without much optimism, to see the rules eased after the municipal elections on Tuesday. Le Monde
Has Airbnb reached its peak? Brian Chesky, its boss, wants to offer more than just a bed to sleep on. Economist
New York City restaurateur Danny Meyer coming to Hudson's Detroit: Detroit News reports that one of New York City's top chefs and restaurateurs, Danny Meyer and his Union Square Hospitality Group, announced on Thursday that they will be joining Hudson's Detroit in 2026.
The great friendship flattening: Relationships are getting lost in the sauce of everything else on your phone. Julie Beck
Louis CK doesn’t need everyone to like him: The comedian, who this month releases a coming-of-age debut novel, on rebuilding his career, why he doesn’t believe in comedy as therapy and what it’s like to be ‘a secret superstar.’ WSJ
ESPN: Tom Brady says his dog is a clone of family's previous pet
Toronto Star: Jays vs. Dodgers World Series finale was largest international broadcast operation in the history of the sport, MLB says
Padres ace Darvish to miss 2026 MLB season after surgery: AFP reports San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish said Tuesday he will miss the entire 2026 Major League Baseball season after undergoing surgery to repair injured tendons in his elbow.
Arise, Sir David! Beckham receives knighthood at Windsor Castle: The Times reports the former England captain was recognised for his services to sport in the King’s birthday honours.
AFP: LIV Golf switching to 72-hole format in 2026: official
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
Caracal Daily | November 5
