NATO

NATO, Wellness, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Holmes, Idris Elba, Formula E

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NATO, Wellness, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Holmes, Idris Elba, Formula E

Caracal Global Daily
April 12, 2019
Curation and commentary from 
Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Caracal Global Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics


TOP FIVE

✔️ Arab Spring 2.0

✔️ For NATO, China is the new Russia

✔️ Who comes to the rescue of stranded robots?

✔️ Buttigieg is the hottest thing in politics. Can it last?

✔️ Uber warns it may never make profit

GLOBALIZATION

A second North African autocrat is on the verge of being felled this month by massive popular protests: Call it Arab Spring 2.0.

NATO to enhance security in the Black Sea region: UK Defence Journal reportts, NATO Foreign Ministers agreed a package of measures to improve situational awareness in the Black Sea region and strengthen support for partners Georgia and Ukraine. 

For NATO, China is the new Russia: Politico reports, Beijing, rather than Moscow, was the top concern as the alliance gathered in Washington early this month. 

Military drills in Arctic aim to counter Russia, but the first mission is to battle the cold: NYT reports, bitter temperatures pose an immediate threat to NATO troops defending icy waterways.

Indonesia unrest: The former special forces commander taking on President Joko Widodo in next week’s election has vowed to tap into a “tsunami” of discontent he says is building across the country. As Bloomberg reports, Prabowo Subianto has challenged tens of thousands of supporters at rallies to reject the April 17 result if the president wins a second five-year term, setting the stage for a disputed poll and possible mass protests.

Malaysia to resume China-built Belt and Road rail project: FT reports, Beijing agrees to cut cost by a third to break year-long impasse.

Japan’s population decline accelerates: FT reports, country set to lose equivalent of a midsize city every year for foreseeable future.

As China trade war cools, Japan braces for its clash with Trump: Bloomberg reports, the world’s third-biggest economy has a lot at stake in the talks, which are expected to start next week in Washington just as the U.S.’s negotiations with China appear to be winding down. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is desperate to avoid tariffs or quotas on lucrative auto exports, while Trump wants to crack open Japan’s agricultural market and reduce a $60 billion trade deficit.

Millions of Chinese youth 'volunteers' to be sent to villages in echo of Maoist policy: Guardian reports, Communist Youth League students to ‘spread civilization’ in countryside and ‘promote technology.’

David Hoffman: What’s missing from the US-China trade deal: The only way to truly change Chinese commercial behavior is to open up the country to full and unhindered foreign competition. 

Theresa May could bring forward Brexit bill to break deadlockon deal: The Times reports, Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn agreed last night to press on with Brexit talks as the prime minister spelt out a new route to reaching a deal in the Commons. The party leaders held a short meeting in parliament after Mrs May updated MPs on the latest Brexit delay.

The Times: Jacob Rees-Mogg’s sister to stand for Farage’s Brexit Party

Annunziata Rees-Mogg told the party’s launch in Coventry that she had been a member of the Conservatives since 1984 but that Brexit was a “fight we must win”. Last year Mr Rees-Mogg was quoted describing his younger sister as “my Brexit conscience who ensures I do not go soft”.

Roger Cohen: Brexit heads for that riveting black hole: Brexit could still happen. But for the first time the odds on it happening are no better than even.

Brexit exposes painful disconnect between England and Britain: The split can be traced back to the Blair government’s election in 1997 on a commitment to parcel out powers. https://bloom.bg/2UQh0Nx
 
Can Brexit Britain still laugh at itself? The British pride themselves on their GSOH — but what happens when politicians are in on the joke? https://on.ft.com/2KuLbpD

One of Coldwar Steve's dystopian photomontages of modern Britain; he posted this one on Twitter in March.

Greece eyes 16+1 group of China and eastern European states: FT reports, move comes in spite of European Commission’s branding of China as ‘systemic rival.’

The move comes as the European Commission branded Beijing a “systemic rival” and was alarmed by Italy’s decision to become the first G7 country to endorse the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s global infrastructure investment drive. 

DISRUPTION

Digital-native retailers are giving physical stores a radical makeover: Online brands are opening brick-and-mortar shops, using technology and data-driven customer insights to transform the in-store experience. http://bit.ly/2UQ3Dgq

The best brands work seamlessly offline and online.

Who comes to the rescue of stranded robots? Humans: Food-delivery robots are everywhere, but they often need some help from softhearted humans when their navigation goes awry. https://on.wsj.com/2ULGjk0

The basic questions about universal basic income: After years of hype, UBI could become a large-scale reality. But first, policymakers and businesses will have to address fundamental implementation issues.

Why successful men are meditating and trading beer for green juice: WSJ reports, wellness—the umbrella term for everything from meditation to yoga to moringa oil—is no longer just for women. Increasingly men (and businesses) are getting juiced about holistic health.

Wellness was a Brigadoon Sundance 2019 topic, just sayin'. 

POLITICS

Sabato's Crystal Ball: Frontloaded primary schedule suggests the possibility of an early Democratic knockout http://bit.ly/2UQ3lpQ

-- The size of the Democratic field, combined with the party’s proportional allocation of delegates and other factors, raises the possibility of a very long nomination process that may not be decided until the convention.

-- However, the voting calendar is so frontloaded that a nominee may emerge relatively early in the process.


Trump 2020 challengers dodge wall street and corporate donors: The money race in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary is more Walmart than Tiffany so far. The biggest war chests mostly have been amassed in increments of $200 or less, and primarily online, Bloomberg reports. Candidates are making a virtue of the modesty of their average donation -- as low as $20 -- while swearing off deep-pocketed donors, who are increasingly a liability with their base. 

LAT: Mayor Pete Buttigieg is the hottest thing in politics. Can it last? 

COMMERCE

Elizabeth Holmes’ failed Theranos was just granted 5 new patents in 2019: CB Insights reports, after being accused of years of fraud, Theranos officially shut down in September 2018. But in March of this year — and just a few months after its death — the company was granted its first blood-testing patent of 2019. Since then, Theranos has been granted 4 additional patents.

Chevron is acquiring independent exploration company Anadarko in a $33 billion deal.

Move is most significant consolidation since period of weaker oil prices began in 2014.

JD.com is rolling out wide-scale layoffs and closing most offices abroad to cut costs to cope with a slowing economy and rising competition. 

Disney unveils streaming service aimed at undercutting Netflix: FT reports, CEO Bob Iger expects five years of losses in bid to catch up with high-tech rivals.

Uber maintains heavy spending to keep rivals at bay: FT reports, ride-hailing app’s ‘winner-takes-all’ strategy will continue to cost billions.

Data from Uber’s IPO prospectus:

Uber will offer ample employment opportunities for lawyers for years to come. Among the legal risks it points to: “a number of inquiries, investigations, and requests for information” coming from the US Department of Justice, along with other agencies from the US and other countries. 

$860 million possible: Travis Kalanick, the former chief executive and co-founder who still sits on Uber’s board, holds an 8.6 percent stake in the company.

How big Uber can get: The company laid out several total addressable markets for its different businesses, adding up to more than $12tn in market opportunity it hopes to disrupt.

- Personal mobility: $5.7tn, consisting of “all passenger vehicle miles and all public transportation miles in all countries globally” totaling 11.9tn miles

- UberEats: $2.8tn, the amount consumers spend at restaurants

- Freight: $3.8tn, the market for freight trucking in 2017


The Times: Uber warns it may never make profit

The world’s largest taxi-hailing company revealed that it made a $3 billion operating loss last year.

Grab faces $2bn payout to Uber if no IPO by 2023: Nikkei reports, US ride-hailer has redemption right according to prospectus.

LAT: Amazon’s entry into the satellite internet market sets up another faceoff between Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk

CULTURE

Idris Elba is DJing at Coachella.

LAT: Fancy Chinese food is here to stay — and it's about time

If the Chinese Communist Party was smart, it would spend $1 billion supporting chefs and use premium Chinese food as a soft power tool.

I've never understood why Beijing hasn't propped up a high-end food joint in NYC.


'Clean' Chinese food by white restaurateur prompts outrage: NYT reports, the uproar over a restaurant in Manhattan has become the latest front in the debate over cultural appropriation. Arielle Haspel defended her concept and menu, while acknowledging some errors in presenting them.

Jonah Hill: from ‘Superbad’ to serious director: The actor-turned-auteur talks about Scorsese, skateboarding and why his debut feature ‘Mid90s’ is a ‘string of pearls.’ https://on.ft.com/2KwOqNu

Is the Hudson Valley turning into the Hamptons? NYT reports, developers have discovered the once-sleepy Catskills and are building million-dollar homes there. And now there’s a bus service modeled after the Hampton Jitney.

SPORT

ABB FIA Formula E championship powers away after a slow start: FT reports, a friendly collision with F1 looms as the electric racing series gains sponsors and fans.

Now into its fifth season, the ABB FIA Formula E championship features 13 races across five continents, with leading carmakers such as Audi, BMW, Nissan and Jaguar competing in the series.

Sunday: Formula 1's 2019 Chinese Grand Prix @ 2:10 am ET. The race will take place at the Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai, China.

Julian Assange, Donald Tusk, NATO, Plastic, Alcohol, Juventus

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Julian Assange, Donald Tusk, NATO, Plastic, Alcohol, Juventus

Caracal Global Daily
April 5, 2019
Curation and commentary from 
Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Caracal Global Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics


TOP FIVE

✔️ Has Russia infiltrated the German Parliament?

✔️ UK’s May requests further Brexit delay

✔️ Vast majority of Canadians are concerned about plastic waste

✔️ Adm. Bill Moran: It’s time to make data strategic for our Navy

✔️ Juventus poised to win eighth straight Serie A title

GLOBALIZATION

BBC: Has Russia infiltrated the German Parliament?http://bit.ly/2UrOh1y

Must watch = BBC's Newsnight on how Russia supports confusion and chaos in the West via elections.

China also employs similar entrepreneurial spycraft tactics - think the recent Mar a Lago operation.


Julian Assange to be kicked out of Ecuadorian embassy: WikiLeaks: DW reports, WikiLeaks said its founder will be expelled from Ecuador's London embassy within "hours to days." The non-profit said the INA papers scandal, which has implicated Ecuador's president, was the pretext for the expulsion.

Days to Brexit (current) deadline: 7

The EU increasingly sees a long Brexit delay as the most likely outcome of an emergency leaders’ summit next week, even though it’s neither side’s preference.

UK’s May requests further Brexit delay: WSJ reports, the British government requested an additional delay to Brexit until June 30 to buy more time to get a divorce deal through parliament, as the EU debated its own timetable for the UK’s departure.

FT: May seeks to delay Brexit until end of June

The request comes as Donald Tusk offers to postpone UK departure by up to 1 year.

On the quiet, UK prepares for 'zombie' European polls: AFP reports, the prospect of Britain holding European elections would have been unthinkable just weeks ago but with the Brexit timetable now uncertain, the country is reluctantly planning for a possible campaign. Village halls and schools across the country are being booked as polling centers, and orders placed with specialist stationers for tens of millions of ballots in case the May 23 vote goes ahead.

Britain to take part in European Parliament elections, signaling a significant delay to Brexit: WP reports, the move satisfies a key demand from the European Union, which has said Britain cannot remain in the bloc beyond May 22 if it did not hold the elections.

French benefit: France is already reaping some Brexit benefits, with the number of British investment projects on French soil rising 33 percent in 2018.

France hosts wary G7 in shadow of Trump snub, Brexit and yellow vests: Reuters reports, France offered a wary welcome to foreign ministers from the Group of Seven on Friday for a meeting overshadowed by a snub from Donald Trump’s U.S. administration, a meltdown in Britain over Brexit and months of anti-government protests at home.

Miami Herald: Feds are investigating possible Chinese spying at Mar-a-Lago and Cindy Yang, sources say

"The consulate and China’s Embassy in Washington, DC, did not respond to questions about who Zhang is and whether she works for China’s government."

Trump says US-China trade deal close, but no summit plans yet: WSJ reports, Trump says ‘this is an epic deal, historic—if it happens,’ but Trade Representative Lighthizer says major issues remain.

NYT: ‘Epic’ China trade deal near completion, Trump says, but haggling continues

EPIC = Hilarious

Bloomberg: China hails 'new consensus’ on trade as Trump talks up unfinished deal

US and China delay possible trade deal: FT reports, Trump says an agreement will be reached within 4 weeks as toughest issues resolved.

Reuters: Biotech crops among sticking points in US-China trade deal: sources

Think bioTECH.

"There seem to be two main sticking points holding up completion of the deal. One, China wants the Trump administration to immediately lift tariffs on Chinese-made products, while the Trump team wants to see China taking steps to demonstrate good faith before it relieves the pressure. Two, the two sides can't agree on a mechanism by which US officials can verify that China is keeping its new promises over time." -- Signal, GZERO Media

A victory for Trump: Companies are rethinking China: Keith Bradsher at the NYT reports, the trade war between the United States and China is nearing a possible truce. But global companies are nevertheless moving to reduce their dependence on Chinese factories to make goods.

Jenny Leonard: Don’t count on US-China trade relations warming up anytime soon: Despite positive messages from both sides, hopes are fading that they can find mutually beneficial policies.

EU-China summit preparations stumble over trade, human rights: Reuters, tensions over trade, investments and minority rights may prevent China and the EU from agreeing a joint declaration at a summit next week, four diplomats in Brussels said on Friday, sapping a European push for greater access to Chinese markets.

Peter Martin and Alan Crawford: China’s influence digs deep into Europe’s political landscape: China has an array of advocates of all political persuasions across Europe.

First it was money. Then it was food and electricity. Now, Venezuelans are struggling to find water. WP reports, for millions of people in this oil-rich nation, the breakdown of basic services has reduced life to a daily struggle to secure fundamental needs — and as shortages spread, many say, it’s getting harder.

US to Europe on NATO: Washington is more than Donald Trump: DW reports, NATO's unresolved long-term issues won't go away. But on its 70th anniversary event in the US capital, the trans-Atlantic alliance at least received the timely affirmation that broader Washington is behind it.

DISRUPTION

Wrapped in plastic is not fantastic, Canadians say: CBC reports, the vast majority of Canadians are concerned about plastic waste, believe individuals and businesses have a responsibility to reduce it and feel strongly that not enough is being done by government to address the issue, a new poll suggests

"Right now, just 11 percent of plastic used in Canada is recycled. The polling suggests that about three-quarters of Canadians accept that it's their responsibility to reduce plastic, but less than half said they knew of places they could shop for products with little plastic packaging."

Google scraps ethics council for artificial intelligence: FT reports, Google's AI ethics board has bitten the dust just one week after its formation. It was a chaotic few days, with thousands of Googlers and others decrying its inclusion of drone company chief Dyen Gibbens and Kay Coles James, head of the right-wing Heritage Foundation. One of the key AI ethics problems is to do with algorithmic bias, and James is an opponent of LGBTQ rights, so people thought she was a pretty terrible fit for the role. One board member resigned and others squirmed, and eventually, Google pulled the plug.

Bloomberg: Americans drank less alcohol in 2018 for the third straight year

1. Americans are drinking less.

2. When they do drink, it's higher-end stuff.

3. And they want to try something lower-cal (but refreshing).


Average price of brand-name drugs more than 18 times higher than generics: A new report on changes in generic drug pricing from AARP’s Public Policy Institute finds that brand-name drugs in 2017 were, on average, more than 18 times the price of their generic counterparts. The average annual cost for a generic drug taken regularly was $365, but the price for the brand-name equivalent was close to $6,800. 

POLITICS

Potentially damaging information in Mueller report starts political fight: WP reports, Attorney General William P. Barr is facing more pressure to release the full report by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III amid revelations that members of the Russia probe team are frustrated with the limited information that Barr has released so far.

Trump intends to nominate former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain to the Federal Reserve’s board.

Today: Trump goes to California to see a newly built section of the wall along the border with Mexico.

Where Rudy Giuliani’s money comes from: Bloomberg reports, while he represents the president for free, he travels the world consulting, giving speeches, and building his brand.

Adm. Bill Moran: It’s time to make data strategic for our Navy: Our military is in a high-stakes race to harness the power of data, a revolution that may make previous leaps in military technology — think radar, nuclear power, or space — seem trifling in comparison. To fully seize these opportunities before our adversaries do, we need to look less at the technologies we covet and more in the mirror about our own data structures and culture. http://bit.ly/2UwhpVp 

COMMERCE

The Blitzscaling basics: In their new book, Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh explain why it often makes sense to prioritize growth over efficiency. http://bit.ly/2Uwq3mS

LAX expansion plans call for a new terminal east of Sepulveda Boulevard: LAT reports, the new and expanded terminals should open before Los Angeles hosts the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, Los Angeles World Airports spokesman Heath Montgomery said. More precise timing and a cost estimate will be determined during a future environmental analysis, he said.

Matthew A. Winkler: Los Angeles is having a loud economic boom: From home values to share prices, its expansion is outpacing big-city peers under a business-friendly Democratic mayor.

The US average home price hit a record high of $300K (that's thanks to a surge in houses above $750K).

AFP: Facebook to block foreign ads for Australia election

European Commission finds German automakers illegally colluded on emissions technology
: DW reports, German car giants VW, Daimler, and BMW colluded to restrict the development of technology to clean emissions from passenger cars, the European Commission said in preliminary findings from its antitrust probe.

Snap announced a new ad-supported gaming platform at its Partner Summit, following recent moves into the market by other tech companies. However, the company's business model - called Snap Games - stands in contrast to Apple's, which will be based on a subscription.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon's annual letter to shareholders muses on cybersecurity, capitalism, and recessions.

Elon Musk visited court after ignoring an SEC order for Tesla lawyers to screen his tweets pre-tweet (the judge gave him 2 weeks to agree to a settlement with the SEC).

Lenny Rachitsky: What seven years at Airbnb taught me about building a company http://bit.ly/2UyFV8i

Amazon reportedly working on Alexa earbuds to take on Apple’s AirPods.

CULTURE

Passport control: A record 93 million US citizens traveled outside the country in 2018.

Hemp clothing is happening, and no, it won’t get you high: WSJ reports, once sullied by its associations with seedy drug culture, the irreproachable hemp plant is gaining ground in summer fabrics that rival wrinkly linen.

At Cosmopolitan Magazine, data is the new sex: NYT reports, Jessica Pels, the editor, is trying to save the magazine from the jaws of Instagram.

Robert A. Caro on the means and ends of power.https://nyti.ms/2UveFaR

SPORT

Final Four Odds:

Texas Tech v Michigan State -2.5

Auburn v Virginia -5.5


Doc's Morning Line: Move the 3-point line back in college basketball, NCAA Tournament http://bit.ly/2K6MAmd

From a loyal reader in Cincinnati, Ohio. Go Blue!

Bloomberg: Nike nabs Naomi Osaka from Adidas in surprise endorsement deal

Tottenham Hotspur scores football’s biggest profit: FT reports, Tottenham Hotspur has reported the largest annual profit of any football club in history, providing a welcome financial boost as the English Premier League side settles into a new stadium that cost more than £1bn to construct. Pre-tax profits in the year to June 30 2018, were £138.9m, up from £51.7m a year earlier and beating the previous record of £125m made by Liverpool last season. The north London team achieved £380.7m in revenues over the twelve months, a period that covers last season, up from £309.7m a year earlier.

Juventus poised to win eighth straight Serie A title in record time.

Plans to keep smaller clubs out of Champions League: It is believed that The European Club Association (ECA) will push UEFA to make 'radical' changes to the competition after 2024. ECA want to revamp the format of the competition, which is now eight groups of four teams, to four groups of eight teams. That would mean 14 group games would be played instead of six for each team, which will include a promotion and relegation system. The 24 teams who qualify from these groups would automatically qualify for the next season's competition, meaning other clubs would have to fight for the remaining eight spots. There are also fears that UEFA will bow to the demands of their biggest clubs, including staging matches on weekends.

Brexit, US-China Trade, Reiwa, NATO, Toyota, Deserted Island

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Brexit, US-China Trade, Reiwa, NATO, Toyota, Deserted Island

Caracal Global Daily
April 3, 2019
Curation and commentary from 
Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Caracal Global Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics


TOP FIVE

✔️ May courts opposition in bid to break Brexit impasse

✔️ US shopping center vacancies rise to eight-year high

✔️ Democrats need a candidate who speaks to Springsteen voters

✔️ P&G faces backlash over diaper, sanitary waste

✔️ Rolling Stone's 50 greatest grunge albums

ROSS RANT

Why thought leadership

Thought leadership is the spreading of an idea.

STOCK is the process for the spreading of an idea.

Strategy.

Tactics.

Organization.

Consistency.

Know-how. 

Thought leadership has the power to create new opportunities for commerce and culture.

What idea are you holding back?
 

GLOBALIZATION

May courts opposition in bid to break Brexit impasse: WSJ reports, Theresa May made an about-face by saying she would pursue a different Brexit deal with the opposition Labour Party, an approach that could keep the country more closely bound to the bloc than previously envisioned. 

May inflames Tory civil war with shift to softer Brexit: FT reports, PM seeks second EU delay to reach deal with Corbyn in blow to cabinet hardliners.

William Hague: When I took over, the Conservatives were in ruins. For the next leader, things could be even worse: For me, having become Tory leader after the election disaster of 1997, it has been impossible to read the newspapers of recent days without the haunting memories of those times coming back. So preoccupied had Conservatives become, in the mid-90s, with differences of opinion over Europe and calculations about who would be the next leader, that many of us failed to notice that the world outside our ranks was changing.

I worked on William Hague's 2001 campaign - an amazing experience coupled with an amazing defeat.

Robert Shrimsley: A government of national unity is another Brexit fantasy: There is no sign that either May or Corbyn is ready to make the compromises required.

Tom Frideman: The United Kingdom has gone mad: The problem with holding out for a perfect Brexit plan is that you can’t fix stupid.

627 million: Brexit has cost the United Kingdom an estimated $627 million in lost economic output per week since the 2016 referendum, according to Goldman Sachs.

Malaysia hits out at US and China behavior in trade war: FT reports, trade minister urges countries to ‘stop thinking of themselves’ as tension hits other countries.

US + China: Moody's says a global recession will be "highly likely" if there's no US-China trade deal within the next few months. Professor of government Minxin Pei warns of the worst recession in recent Chinese history. And Malaysia's trade minister, Darell Leiking, has urged the US and China to "stop thinking only of themselves" as their spat affects everyone.

Martin Wolf: The Chinese economy is stabilizing: FT reports, but significant doubts linger about President Xi Jinping’s commitment to private enterprise.

US and China draw closer to final trade agreement: FT reports, two sides haggle over implementation and enforcement issues as talks are set to resume.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will resume negotiations with his US counterparts in Washington today.

Simmering South China Sea heats up: AP reports, the US Navy amphibious assault ship Wasp arrived in Subic Bay, the Philippines, Saturday with its complement of Marines and F-35 Lightning II fighter jets in preparation for joint exercises with the Philippines. 

Woman arrested after entering Mar-a-Lago, allegedly with malware: WSJ reports, a woman carrying two Chinese passports was arrested and charged with unlawfully entering President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with a thumb drive containing malware and lying to federal agents about her plans. 

Court documents say the woman told Secret Service agents that a Chinese friend instructed her to travel from Shanghai to President Trump's Florida resort and make contact with a member of his family.

The Secret Service said in a statement that "Mar-a-Lago Club’s management determines which members and guests are granted access to the property" -- not the Secret Service.

South Korea first to roll out 5G services, beating US and China: Reuters reports, South Korea will become the first country to commercially launch fifth-generation (5G) services on Friday as it rolls out the latest wireless technology with Samsung Electronics’ new 5G-enabled smartphone Galaxy S10.

Nikkei: China and US tied atop global 5G leaderboard

Study finds two powers hold edge despite South Korea's early rollout.

Current, former Pentagon leaders sound alarm on Chinese technology in 5G networks: WP reports, defense officials are concerned that future combat operations could be compromised through advanced wireless systems.

Japan Times: Reiwa is all about 'beautiful harmony' and has nothing to do with 'command'

74% happy with Reiwa as name for Japan's next era, with Abe Cabinet approval rate rising to 52.8%.

Microsoft to provide automatic updates to handle Japan era name change to Reiwa.


Xi Jinping + Japan: Xi is expected to visit Japan in July when the nation hosts the Group of 20 summit.
 
The 2019 G20 Osaka summit will be the fourteenth meeting of Group of Twenty. It will be held on 28–29 June 2019 in Osaka. It will be the first-ever G20 summit to be hosted in Japan.

94: A new report from the UN estimates that 94 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty today. Once South America's wealthiest country, Venezuela is experiencing one of the worst economic collapses ever recorded.

In Trump times, agreeing to disagree becomes norm at G7 meetings: Reuters reports, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations meet on Friday in France to prepare for the leaders' summit in August, but the absence of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo underscores how tough agreeing common ground between allies has become.

AFP: Amid transatlantic discord, what's the point of the G7?

The United States is due to assume the G7 presidency in 2020.

The 45th G7 summit will be held on August 25–27, 2019, in Biarritz, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. 


Germany, France to launch multilateralism alliance: DW reports, Germany's Heiko Maas and Jean-Yves Le Drian have unveiled plans for an "Alliance for Multilateralism." Canada, Japan and Australia have already shown interest in joining the German-Franco initiative.

NATO at 70: New initiatives to boost security in eastern Europe and the Black Sea are welcome but the alliance faces bigger challenges.

Today: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will address Congress today at 11:00 am ET.

OTD: In 1922 Joseph Stalin was appointed general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

DISRUPTION

US shopping center vacancies rise to eight-year high: FT reports, increase comes on signs of faltering consumer spending and pressure from ecommerce.

58.4 percent market share for EVs in Norway: In March, fully electric cars made up nearly 60 percent of the new-car market in Norway, a world record. A recent increase in the electric sales coincided with deliveries of Tesla’s Model 3 and Audi’s e-tron. The country aims to end sales of all fossil-fuel vehicles by 2025.

David Perell: What did Gutenberg’s printing press actually change?

Book prices fell. The raw price of books fell by 2.4 percent a year for over a hundred years after Gutenberg.

In places where there was an increase in competition among printers, prices fell swiftly and dramatically. Competition works. When an additional printing firm entered a given city market, book prices there fell by 25%.


POLITICS

LAT: For a guy who’s not running, Joe Biden is having a tough campaign

Morning Consult Political Intelligence report:

Pete Buttigieg's net favorability has jumped up by 11 points since Morning Consult began tracking in early February - the biggest increase of any candidate.

Joe Biden continues to lead the pack of potential candidates with 33 percent, followed by Bernie Sanders at 25 percent, and Kamala Harris and Beto O'Rourke tied at 8 percent.


Eric Altman: The Democrats need a candidate who speaks to Springsteen voters: Who is the one that can win back Trump voters and Clinton-sitter-outers who feel forgotten by the Democrats? They’re the guys who worked the assembly line for decades but now get minimum wage at Walmart; the women feeding their families cold cuts for dinner and trying to make ends meet by selling vitamins from home; the manufacturing employees filled with xenophobic rage because the companies that used to employ them have moved their operations abroad.

Farm politics: Democrats see a chance to cut into Trump’s support across the rural Midwest as the White House’s trade policies exacerbate the strain on farmers stretched by low commodity prices and natural disasters, including major floods.

Trump’s takeover of the Republican party is almost complete: NYT reports, in every state important to the 2020 race, Trump and his lieutenants are in firm control of the Republican electoral machinery, and they are taking steps to extend and tighten their grip. It is, in every institutional sense, Trump’s party.

@axios: John Kasich has formed a center-right, Ohio-based group, Two Paths America, to promote solutions that he considers more positive than Trump and more modern than Ronald Reagan.

Trump leaves Washington reeling as he struggles with domestic agenda: WP reports, Republicans are trying to cope with the whiplash as the president rolls out new policies on health care and immigration.

Pot convictions: Prosecutors in LA and San Joaquin counties have announced plans to automatically clear about 54,000 marijuana-related convictions. Now that pot is legal in California, there’s a growing movement to offer a clean slate to those encumbered by their past. 

Uber spent $2m lobbying for NY congestion charge: FT reports, car-booking giant was biggest backer of campaign to levy tolls on vehicles entering Manhattan.

COMMERCE

Slack plans to go public via direct listing on the NYSE in June or July.

WWE tumbled before closing up following a scathing John Oliver segment. Oliver’s popular HBO show, 'Last Week Tonight' dropped an absolutely punishing elbow from the top rope, criticizing Vince McMahon’s treatment of his talent. 

Television is mythology and mythology is strong.

WeWork's parent The We Company has announced Mexican architect Michel Rojkind of Rojkind Arquitectos as its new senior vice president of architecture. The We Company, which is a larger extension of WeWork, released news today that Michel Rojkind will head up the company's architecture initiatives. Rojkind will join Danish architect and BIG founder Bjarke Ingels, who was hired as WeWork's chief architect in May 2018.

WSJ: P&G faces backlash over diaper, sanitary waste

Nikkei: Foxconn shrinks Android arm and plots shift to automotive electronics


FIH Mobile's woes highlight troubles for second-tier smartphone makers.

Toyota to allow free access to 24,000 hybrid and electric vehicle tech patents to boost market: Japan Times, it remains uncertain whether the use of Toyota patents will be as widespread as the carmaker hopes, observers said.

GM, Ford, and Toyota join to advance self-driving testing, standards: Reuters reports, General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, and Toyota Motor Corp said in a statement they were joining forces with automotive engineering group SAE International to establish autonomous vehicle “safety guiding principles to help inform standards development.

CULTURE

Productivity isn’t about time management. It’s about attention management. “Time management” is not a solution — it’s actually part of the problem. A better option is attention management: Prioritize the people and projects that matter, and it won’t matter how long anything takes. Attention management is the art of focusing on getting things done for the right reasons, in the right places and at the right moments. https://nyti.ms/2Um0x3F

Shared by a loyal reader from Washington, DC. Merci beaucoup.

WP: Rep. Jeff Flake spends a week alone on deserted island https://buff.ly/2TVIihi

From 2009.

#BrigadoonRemote


Rolling Stone's 50 greatest grunge albums: From Mudhoney to Mother Love Bone and beyond — the finest releases from the maladjusted new breed that remade rock. http://bit.ly/2JZ4K9y

@TEDTalks: “There’s very good evidence that shows when you confront people with a ton of facts that contradict their worldview, it actually causes them to hold their existing beliefs