Caracal Daily | July 12
Japan, Biden, White-collar Work, David Rodin, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
Caracal Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.
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Happy Friday.
Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
Japan's tacit NATO membership acts as bridge for global security: Facing threats from Russia, China, North Korea, Tokyo deepens bonds with alliance. Riley Walters
NATO, Indo-Pacific partners stand united against China's support for Russia: 'Beijing cannot have the cake and eat it at the same time,' analyst says. Nikkei
AP: China tells NATO not to create chaos in Asia and rejects label of ‘enabler’ of Russia’s Ukraine war
China hits back at NATO after rare rebuke: WSJ reports China warned the US and its allies not to “provoke confrontation” after NATO took the unusual step of explicitly identifying Beijing as a threat to its interests.
What NATO’s warning to China about Russia means: NATO’s rare rebuke of China could lead to actions pressuring the country to curb exports to Russia. Beijing denounced it as “prejudice, smears and provocation.” NYT
The scale of Russia's rearmament has NATO worried: Le Monde reports for many months now, Moscow's defense industry has been reorganizing itself. Its resiliency is increasingly surprising and worrying on both sides of the Atlantic.
Is Russia to blame for cable sabotage in Norway’s sea? Bloomberg
US, Canada, and Finland to challenge Russia and China in the Arctic: Politico reports Moscow and Beijing are stepping up their presences in the increasingly important region.
Trudeau pledges Canada will hit 2 percent NATO target — by 2032: Politico reports under fire for “riding on America’s coattails,” prime minister commits to increase defense spending.
Trump considering cutting back intel sharing with Europe, officials warn: Politico reports European officials say they rely on US intelligence to help fend off Russian aggression on their own soil.
WSJ: Ukraine’s ‘Irreversible’ Path to NATO Is Paved With Uncertainty
BBC: US cruise missiles to return to Germany, angering Moscow
US and Germany foiled Russian plot to assassinate CEO of arms manufacturer sending weapons to Ukraine: CNN reports the plot was one of a series of Russian plans to assassinate defense industry executives across Europe who were supporting Ukraine’s war effort, these sources said. The plan to kill Armin Papperger, a white-haired goliath who has led the German manufacturing charge in support of Kyiv, was the most mature.
The Kremlin is rewriting Wikipedia: A new version of history is taking shape. Economist
South Korea expects to unveil a drone-shooting laser weapon this year.
Will China's economy ever overtake the US's? China's ambition to be the world's largest economy has been dented by COVID-19, the real estate crisis, and an aging population. Boosting growth will be the prime focus at a Communist Party meeting. DW
Fortune: Chinese self-driving cars have quietly traveled 1.8 million miles on US roads, collecting detailed data with cameras and lasers
Germany plans to boot Huawei parts from its 5G network.
The coal industry is wiping a historic German village off the map: As a country’s shift toward clean energy hits challenges, 200 villagers say goodbye to Mühlrose. Bloomberg
French elections: The left is under pressure to agree on a prime minister candidate: Le Monde reports both the right and Macron deny that the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire bloc has won the snap elections, increasing the pressure on the alliance.
The very resistible rise of Nigel Farage: Reform UK poses a real threat on the radical right but an improving economy and sense of hope is the best defence. Robert Shrimsley
Blair is a model for Starmer’s Labour: New Labour got lots wrong. But it got more right than most governments. Simon Kuper
UK to lose the most millionaires by 2028, says UBS: FT reports Swiss bank issues alarming outlook for the wealthy in Britain, but the flight of ‘non-doms’ is only a small factor.
Three ideas for unlocking the UK’s economic potential: Financial services must be central to the country’s growth mission. C S Venkatakrishnan
Kenyan police begin patrols, but Haiti’s gangs are unperturbed: WP reports Haitians are growing frustrated at the lack of action or an apparent plan to take on the heavily armed criminals.
Milei and the IMF need to tackle Argentina’s new Achilles heel: The government and the fund should focus on growth, reform, and slowing inflation in a sustainable way. Alejandro Werner
*** US Politics + Elections ***
WSJ: Biden remains defiant, forceful about staying in race
WP: Biden vows to ‘finish this job, because there’s so much at stake’
NYT: At high-stakes news conference, Biden vows to ‘finish the job’
FT: Biden vows to ‘complete the job’ in closely watched press conference
AP: Biden insists he’ll stay in the race in high-stakes news conference
BBC: ‘I’m the best qualified person’: Biden stands firm with re-election bid in peril
Some Biden advisers are discussing how to convince him to step aside: NYT reports close allies of the president are developing a case for why he should end his re-election campaign, though it is not clear that the discussions have reached him.
How the media sleepwalked into Biden’s debate disaster: There’s only one path that can prevent another failure. Megan McArdle
Jill Biden has some explaining to do: The first lady has gone beyond the role of protector-in-chief. She’d better be prepared for the scrutiny and questions. Mary Ellen Klas
What if Joe Biden stays? The US president’s team must face the reality of what a second term would look like now. Peter Spiegel
Biden offers $1.7 billion to help factories build electric vehicles: NYT reports a Jeep plant that closed last year will be among those that will benefit from federal grants meant to help automotive manufacturers and protect jobs.
Donald Trump is unfit for a second term NYT - Editorial
Republicans are fracturing on the economy: Skeptics of big business and free trade are at odds with libertarians over the agenda for a second Trump presidency. Greg Ip
Republicans seek probe of Microsoft’s $1.5bn investment in UAE’s G42: Letter says deal warrants ‘special scrutiny’ on any ties between AI group and China. FT
US businesses may soon find that deregulation comes with risks: Recent Supreme Court decisions have hamstrung regulators but they will also make things much more complex. Brooke Masters
Why the Pentagon needs Silicon Valley’s AI: Conflicts in Ukraine and Syria signaled to defense officials a new kind of war—one that would require Big Tech’s expertise. FC
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
OpenAI develops system to track progress toward human-level AI: The company believes its technology is approaching the second level of five on the path to artificial general intelligence. Bloomberg
The future is all bot vs. bot Axios
The intense battle to stop AI bots from taking over the internet: Artificial intelligence systems need to be trained on text – which has led their creators to gather up words from right across the web. Independent
Will AI become your assistant or your boss? An ethicist explains: An AI ethicist argues that while AI could increase efficiency, it could create a new surveillance-based work environment. FC
AI bubble set to inflate further: It will take time for the technology to be put to productive use by customers. Richard Waters
WSJ: Get ready for more AI mania this earnings season
Bloomberg: Sequoia, Nvidia back startup fireworks AI at $552 million valuation
Silicon Valley wins few government contracts: WSJ reports the total amount of awards received by country’s top national security startups less than half of what venture capitalists have invested.
Apple Pay will open up to rival payment services in Europe.
Rise of the restaurant robots: Chipotle, Sweetgreen, and others bet on automation: Chains experiment with machine helpers like Flippy, Chippy, and Autocado as they face increasing labor costs. WSJ
Google parent Alphabet has shelved efforts to acquire HubSpot.
Tesla is postponing its planned robotaxi unveiling to October.
Big Tech’s climate goals at risk from massive AI energy demands: Bloomberg reports Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are grappling with growing energy demands from artificial intelligence.
Thermonuclear blasts and new species: Inside Elon Musk’s plan to colonize Mars: SpaceX employees are working on plans for a Martian city, including dome habitats, spacesuits and researching whether humans can procreate off Earth. Musk has volunteered his sperm. NYT
WSJ: PepsiCo, after years of price hikes, sounds an alarm on consumer spending
White-collar work is just meetings now: The meeting-industrial complex has grown to the point that communications has eclipsed creativity as the central skill of modern work. Derek Thompson
*** Culture ***
The agony and ecstasy of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders show: Netflix’s hit docuseries packs an emotional punch, despite the limits of its scope. Vanity Fair
The Cheerleader trap: A new documentary about the young women who dance for the Dallas Cowboys illuminates the deep contradictions at the heart of the profitable franchise. NYT
US court says college athletes may qualify as employees: WSJ reports a federal appeals panel rejected NCAA arguments that worker protections don’t apply because college players are amateur “student-athletes.”
England’s overworked footballers give Spain advantage in Euros final: Statistics suggest that ‘supersized’ and brand new tournaments are pushing elite players to the limit. FT
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
Caracal Daily | July 12
