On the latest edition of World In 60 Seconds, Ian Bremmer brings an extra-long analysis to pressing issues. Pandemic, economic depression and now mass protests. What's next for America? With inequality protests going global, where does that leave coronavirus and social distancing? Hong Kong banned the Tiananmen Square vigil for the first time, coming up on June 4th. What does that say for its autonomy?
How is the White House responding to the mass protests and riots happening nationwide? What does America gain and lose by leaving the W.H.O.? Where is the US in the fight against the coronavirus?
Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, explains the feud between Trump and Twitter and weighs in on Elon Musk's ambitious space plans.
We've seen private companies, organizations, as well as public companies use their resources. Many of those public companies are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. So, we wanted to recognize a few of those. There's too many of them to name one by one. But a few you do stand out.
We're no longer epicenter here in the United States or New York, it's now South America. It still feels like the epicenter is New York but no, we're moving along. Big challenges in terms of how those economies are going to respond to lockdowns as they move towards peak, are going to be much more impactful economically on those countries. They're going to need a lot more international support. It's going to be challenging for them to get it. In particular, Brazil, which is the new epicenter taking over from the United States. Has had some of the worst governance of any democracy in responding to this crisis. Massive infighting domestically between the president and governors, the blue state-red state issue, the president wanting to open up and cheerleading, and the governors who in Brazil are much more responsible for health care than they are for the economy in the eyes of the voters, they particularly, they want to actually keep lockdowns. The impact of all of this on individuals in Brazil is because they have a president who is saying this is all fake news, is they're not engaging in social distancing. That's led to a lot more people dying in Brazil. In fact, larger numbers of daily death count now in Brazil than the United States. It's why the US put the travel ban on non-Americans, of non-citizens, non-permanent residents coming back from Brazil.
Why did President Trump fire another inspector general and why is it controversial? President Obama is back in the news. Will he be a big part of the campaign? What is the future of the $3 trillion stimulus plan that House Democrats passed?
Are we almost at the end of the fight over President Trump's tax returns?
What is the latest with the Tara Reade allegations against Joe Biden?
Why is the April jobs report so important and what is the US going to do about it?
Are we successfully reopening states? Or are we headed for further lockdowns?
Three ways in which there is an opportunity to extract a silver lining from this dreadful crisis. Make more use of digital. Speed up decision making. Get rid of waste. McKinsey's Kevin Sneader offers his thoughts as we journey together into the next normal.
How nervous are Republicans about Trump's re-electability?
Very nervous. His ratings on coronavirus response are terrible. Press conference has turned into a disaster for him and he can't get out and do rallies. They're also worried about him dragging down the Senate majority. So, quite a bit of nerves in the Republican Party.
With Trump's recent call to liberate locked down states, is reopening America becoming a political issue?
Unfortunately, yes, it is. Trump at his briefings defers to the governors. Talks about phased reopenings. Seems to heed the medical guidance. But at same time, tweets about liberating states setting up these protests, which only serve to put people at risk who are protesting and those who have to respond to it.
Ben White, Chief Economic Correspondent for Politico, provides his perspective on the news in US politics:
What were the main takeaways from the first one on one Biden-Sanders debate?
Well, the takeaway is that Biden did just fine. No major blow-ups. Bernie Sanders needed to have a breakthrough moment to stop Biden's momentum. He didn't get it. It seems increasingly clear that Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee for president, which is what we all thought from the start.
Kevin Sneader, global managing partner for McKinsey & Company, provides perspective on how corporate businesses have changed since the financial crisis of 2008:
First question, what's my mission and how do I explain it to the world? Secondly, to whom are we accountable, shareholders are stakeholders? Thirdly, what's the right time horizon in which to think about the investments we make and the returns we earn? Fourthly, who benefits? How do we think about the way in which benefits get shared, whether it's compensation or the broader dividends that our company generates? Fifthly, how do I think about the workforce, the way in which the workforce is being changed through technology and the implications for the benefits and employment that workers enjoy? Six, how do I think about inclusion?
There are five reasons: First, inequality. A growing awareness that while the inequality gap has closed between countries, it's increased within countries. Second, climate change and the environment. An awareness of the growing threat and the need for action, now. Third, globalization receding. A move towards more regional, even local approach, with all the impact that has on everyone in the supply chain. Fourth, trust. It's hard for any CEO not to be aware of the breakdown in trust, not just between business and society, but between many institutions in society. And the fifth reason is perhaps most important...
The answer, yes. Why? One, it's personal. Many have watched with horror the wildfires that took place recently. Others have even been evacuated. And for some, the snow set in Davos, they experienced incredibly mild temperatures that laid all to quip that climate change really has arrived. But the other reasons are a growing understanding of the nature of climate change.
As the head of a leading management consulting firm, global managing partner of McKinsey & Company Kevin Sneader has an inside view into the challenges facing the world's top executives. Every Thursday, Sneader will address questions about key issues like attracting and retaining talent, growing revenue, navigating change, staying ahead of the competition, and corporate responsibility – all in 60 seconds.
It's a close race between Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg for first. I think Sanders wins, Buttigieg comes in second. Amy Klobuchar might surge to third. And then it's a fight for fourth and fifth between Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden. Biden's got to hustle down to South Carolina after this. He better win there or he's in real trouble.
Typically, the conventional wisdom is there's three tickets out of Iowa. I don't think that's going to be true this year. I think there's a pretty good chance that Bernie Sanders comes in first. I think that Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren will be fighting for second place. Klobuchar and Buttigieg fighting for third and fourth. But I think the result will be kind of muddled. So, I think there may actually be six tickets coming out of Iowa.
There's lots of factors that affect the markets, right. But there are some trends. So, the S&P has had its best performance in the year before elections and the second-best performance on election year. Now since 1928, we've had 23 election years and the S&P has had negative returns only four times in that duration.
It is a significant departure in American diplomacy vis-à -vis Israel and Palestine. One big reason for that is that the realities of geopolitics in the Middle East have changed. Today, Israel–Palestine is not a particularly divisive issue of high priority among most of the Arab world. When you ask them what are the things they most worry about, they say Iran, they say Al-Qaeda and ISIS, they say domestic political developments, they say Yemen and Syria and Iraq and Libya.
The revelation that Bolton says that Trump made it clear that holding up Ukraine was in return for a Biden investigation is big. It means that Republicans might want to hear from Bolton, which might mean more witnesses. So, yes, it's a big deal.
Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Sweden, gives his thoughts from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland:
What's going to be the European message coming out of and going to the meeting in Davos?
I think is going to be focused on the Green Challenge, the transition to a more sustainable world that is a necessity as we look ahead. And the leadership role that Europe is taking and is even more determined to take by its own actions and by global diplomacy in the years ahead.
It's tough for them. They're going to be taken off the campaign trail. They'll have to be in Washington every day, all day for the most part, which means less time on the ground in Iowa and New Hampshire. That gives an advantage to Biden and Buttigieg. It's a tough spot for them to be in.
Twitter doesn't give you a lot of disincentives to be a jerk online. But what if there were a way to measure how much of a jerk someone is and put it right in their profile? Wouldn't that help? I think it's a pretty good idea. Though, you can see the arguments against it.
He absolutely is. They're losing states, the BJP. It is absolutely true that there is strong anti-Muslim sentiment here. But there are also a lot of people among Hindus and in the opposition parties that see an opportunity to rebuild as a consequence. And with the economy doing worse, both those things are hurting him.
