Good morning and welcome to Firstft Asia. In today’s newsletter:
National Guard deployed in Los Angeles
The US considers China’s planned London embassy as a security risk
Duolingo CEO discusses AI plans
We started yesterday in the US, where National Guard troops were deployed on the streets of Los Angeles, as the Trump administration struggled to quell protests against the attack on alleged illegal immigration.
What happened: President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of troops on Saturday using rarely inevitable laws designed to curb invasions and rebellions. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has condemned the move as “inflammatory.” It comes after two days of unrest in the second largest city in the United States, prompted by federal agents arresting dozens of people in sweeping local businesses. On Sunday evening (local time), Trump did not rule out sending Marines after being initially threatened by Defense Secretary Pete Hegses.
Trump vs California: The deployment of up to 2,000 security guards tests the ability of a massive democratic nation to resist the Trump administration’s agenda and protect its citizens from its enforcement actions. The president’s decision to “federal government” the National Guard, or to transfer the state to federal control, was very unusual. The last time the president sent security guards without demand for the governor was in 1965 when Lyndon Johnson sent troops to protect the civil rights march.
Read more about the Los Angeles protests.
Here is the other thing I keep tabs today:
Economic Data: China may report inflation counts and trading data. Japan has published its revised first quarter GDP estimates.
US-China relations: High-level US and Chinese officials will meet in London for new rounds of trade talks.
Five more top stories
1. The White House has expressed concern with the UK government that it allows China to build an embassy in London and believes it poses risks to the delicate communications infrastructure that it serves cities. The 20,000 square metres of compound is more than 20 times larger than the current embassy in Beijing in Marylebone, making it Beijing’s largest embassy in Europe.
2. Coal India, the world’s largest coal producer, has reopened more than 30 mines and is launching five more mines this year at the Greenfield site. Prime Minister Prasad, chairman of the state-owned enterprise, said India will reach peak charcoal by 2035. I read the full interview.
3. China’s success in halting the rare earth flow by negotiating the global supply chain, has changed the balance of power in trade talks with the United States, analysts and businessmen say. The dangers of Washington and the EU – both trapped in a trade war with China – are that Beijing’s new leverage can be replicated in other areas of the high-tech supply chain.
4. This week, dozens of global business executives travel to Washington, opposing plans to raise taxes on foreign investment in the US, warning that millions of American jobs could be hit. The lobbying is targeting provisions in Trump’s budget bill. This would allow the United States to impose additional taxes on businesses and investors from countries that it considers to have a punitive tax policy, if approved by Congress.
5. Apple has struggled to offer an upgrade to an AI voice assistant for its iPhone, with investors downbeating the possibility of a major AI announcement at this week’s flagship annual event. An employee who recently set out told FT that technical challenges are lagging behind the full deployment of the company’s “Apple Intelligence” feature.
Interview: Luis Von Ahn, CEO of Duolingo
Luis von Ahn had to reassure customers that AI would not replace Duolingo’s workforce, but says the thrust of the strategy is overhauling the work process © Steve Mellon/ft
Last month, Duolingo CEO Luis Von Ahn shared an email he sent to “AI-First” to all staff members who announced the language learning app on LinkedIn. The move sparked controversy: “Cancel my account now,” wrote one LinkedIn commenter. “Well, I have my 1,098 days of streak,” another posted. In an interview with FT’s Emma Jacobs, Fon Ann admitted that he “didn’t expect any amount of blowback.” Here’s what he said about Duolingo’s AI-first strategy:
We’re reading too. . .
Musk vs Trump: The company’s builders and monarch meeting never ended well, wrote Silicon Valley investor Michael Moritz.
Golden Dome: Trump’s $175 billion missile shield project sparked a lobbying battle between Silicon Valley and America’s largest defense group.
Layoffs: Dismissing people through emails and phone calls is still miserably common and needs to be stopped, Pirita Clark writes.
The chart of the day
The rapid deployment of autonomous driving capabilities in China’s automobiles has sparked alarms among Beijing regulators who tapped the brakes on the industry while assessing questions about safety and responsibility.
Some content could not be loaded. Please check your internet connection or browser settings.
Take a break from the news
Cape Town is at a crossroads. Those who flock to live in South Africa’s second largest city are empowering the economy, but are increasing home prices and exacerbating tensions in markets and local infrastructure. For a city surrounded by sea and mountains, the path of expansionism is a complicated path, writes Mary Holland.
Camps Bay, beachside area on the southwest side of the city
