We need to become good citizens in the global village, instead of competing. What are we competing for - to drive more cars, eat more steaks? That will destroy the world. - Yuan T. Lee
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| JUDICIARY |
Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) is in talks to acquire the 60% stake it does
not already own in Chinese food ordering and delivery platform Ele.me, according to the FT. The deal could value Ele.me at upwards of $9.5
billion, while sellers would include Baidu, Horizon Ventures and Sequoia
Capital China.
- Why
it's the BFD: Because this
would provide Alibaba with its first in-house delivery workers and
logistics network, things that global rival Amazon already has and is
learning from.
- Bottom
line: "Should the deal go through,
Alibaba would become one of the country’s largest players in food
delivery, rivaled only by online-to-offline services platform Meituan
Dianping, which is backed by Alibaba’s competitor, Tencent." — Emily Feng, FT [Axios, Pro Rata,
February 27, 2018]
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| HOUSE INTELLIGENCE |
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| DHS |
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| DOD |
MEN AT WORK: House Natural Resources
Chairman Rob Bishop took a bipartisan
congressional delegation to Australia and New Zealand for energy and
defense-related activities, a committee aide told Anthony on Friday.
The lawmakers were there to look at energy activities in Australia and examine
New Zealand's deregulation of its energy sector and learn about "the
strategic importance of the two nations as a counterbalance to less-friendly
powers in the Pacific," the aide said. [POLITICO's
Morning Energy, February 26, 2018]
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Inside the White House trade fights
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Bloomberg scooped on Friday that Trump wants the Commerce Department to
seek
the harshest maximum tariffs on global steel imports: 24 percent.
I’m told that’s
accurate, but with one small tweak: Sources tell me the president
has told
confidants he actually wants a *25* percent global tariff on steel because
it's a round number and sounds better.
The big
picture: Also, an official with knowledge of
the trade discussions told me
the White House is preparing to impose tariffs
on a "shit ton" — meaning,
potentially hundreds — of Chinese
products. They'll avoid going through the
World Trade Organization — which
Trump doesn't trust — and instead use
Section
301 of the Trade Act of 1974 to unilaterally retaliate
against China for
stealing Americans’ intellectual property.
team hasn't presented its recommendations to Trump.
(including uranium, consumer electronics and LED light bulbs.) They're trying to blunt any impact on American consumers.
What's
next: The much bigger fight inside the Trump
administration concerns
whether they'll put massive tariffs on steel and
aluminum imports, as Wilbur
Ross' Commerce Department "found that the
quantities and circumstances of
steel and aluminum imports 'threaten to
impair the national security'." That was
part of what’s called a Section
232 investigation.
investigation and strongly disagree with his recommendations. (This is the continuation of an ideological battle that's played out throughout the Trump administration between the free-traders and the protectionists.)
that import steel and aluminum to make their products.
regarding the recommended options within the reports."
practices" — and Mattis' subsequent singling out of China — is a clear indication that the Defense Department doesn't support broad tariffs.
The
pushback: When I shared
these harsh criticisms with the White House and
agencies, only Rex
Tillerson's team would go on the record to deny our
reporting:
and nothing is confirmed until he’s made a decision... The President’s team at the White House is leading a process that will ensure the President has all the information necessary for him to make a decision in the best interests of the American people."
President who decides how his policies will be implemented."
Finally, a
Commerce Department official pushed backed against the assertion
that Ross
didn't properly analyze the impact on the overall economy.
"DOC modeling has not shown any
substantial impact on the overall economy
as a result of the proposed steel
tariffs," the official said. "This is consistent with
the finding
of the International Trade Commission that the Section 201 (in 2002) had
negligible effects on the overall economy...While these were different
products than those covered in the 232, they are all steel, and the ITC
is an
empirical source." [Axios Sneak Peek, February 25,
2018]
|
U.S., AUSTRALIA AGREE ON DIGITAL TRADE PUSH: Thirteen
months after Trump withdrew from the TPP, the U.S. and Australia have agreed to
"intensify cooperation" on a groundbreaking part of the pact -
digital trade. Lighthizer and Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and
Investment Steven Ciobo met Friday and issued a statement pledging to
"support the growth of digital trade between our countries, ensure an
open, free and secure internet, and advocate the liberalization and
facilitation of global digital trade."
The two trade officials, in another promise reminiscent of TPP, said
they would seek to ensure "workers and small and medium-sized enterprises
can succeed in the digital economy." Australia and the remaining 11 TPP
members are scheduled to sign a revised deal without the U.S. in two weeks'
time
Building off Buenos Aires: Lighthizer
and Ciobo said they seek to build on the momentum from the 11th WTO Ministerial
Conference in December, where 70 WTO members accounting for more than 75
percent of global trade - Australia and the U.S. included - agreed to work
toward future negotiations on e-commerce.
"This initiative provides an opportunity to create ambitious,
commercially meaningful international trade rules that address key trade
barriers and will keep pace with technological change," the duo said in
the statement. . [POLITICO's Morning Trade, February 26, 2018]
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| INFRASTRUCTURE |
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| CANDIDATES |
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| READ |
GLOBAL
Bloomberg
assembles team to take health taxes global: Are soda taxes fizzling or picking up steam? Former New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers
have teamed up to create a task force that will recommend to countries ways to
use mechanisms like excise taxes on sugary drinks and tobacco to improve public
health. [POLITICOS Morning Agriculture, January 19, 2018]
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| WHIMSEY |
Want an adventure?
Employees of a fur company owned by John Jacob Astor set off 207 years ago
today [Sept. 8] from New York for the Pacific Northwest - and arrived in
Astoria, Ore., six months later, following a trip around the tip of South
America on a ship called the Tonquin. POLITICO
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| MEXICO |
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| CANADA |
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| GREAT BRITAIN |
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| SWEDEN |
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| RUSSIA |
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| CHINA |
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| AUSTRALIA |
NOTE: The news sources here vary. Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here. This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased. Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value. Thank you
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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