ITK Daily | July 26

Caracal Daily | July 26

Caracal Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.

Geopolitics is disrupting every business and industry. Caracal is here to help.

Always Be Communicating.

Happy Friday.

Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:

*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***

US intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers on first joint mission off Alaska: WSJ reports the bombers flew into the buffer zone in international airspace in the most recent sign of growing military and security cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

Can China smash the Airbus-Boeing duopoly? It hopes to succeed where others have failed. Economist

China is closing the AI gap with the United States: In recent weeks, Chinese tech companies have unveiled technologies that rival American systems — and they are already in the hands of consumers and software developers. NYT

London, Seoul, and Washington warn of North Korea cyber op to steal military, nuclear secrets: The American cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency (CISA) warns that this ongoing threat remains a global concern, impacting various industrial sectors and affecting countries including India and Japan. Le Monde

Bibi Netanyahu offered spectacle over substance in America: His fourth address to Congress was historic, but held few answers for Israelis. Economist

Arson attacks target France’s trains hours before Olympics, officials say: WP reports France condemned coordinated “acts of sabotage” on high-speed rail lines, which caused mass disruptions before the Opening Ceremonies of the Paris Olympic Games.

Arson attack incites travel chaos ahead of opening ceremony: NYT reports at least three high-speed links to Paris were disrupted, causing widespread delays affecting about 800,000 travelers, the French national rail company said.

How to ensure Africa is not left behind by the AI revolution: Weak digital infrastructure is holding the continent back. Economist

Top Sinaloa cartel leader taken into US custody alongside son of ‘El Chapo’: WP reports Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was fooled into boarding a US-bound private plane by Joaquin Guzmán, El Chapo’s son, who was also detained, a DHS official said.

How four US Presidents unleashed economic warfare across the globe: US sanctions have surged over the last two decades and are now in effect on almost one-third of all nations. But are they doing more harm than we realize? WP

***  US Politics + Elections ***

Harris nrrows gap against Trump: A new New York Times/Siena poll finds Donald Trump barely ahead of Kamala Harris in the presidential race in a head-to-head match among likely voters, 48% to 47%.

+ In a multicandidate race, Harris leads Trump, 44% to 43%.

Donald Trump leads Kamala Harris by two points in Times poll: The Times reports a YouGov survey suggests likely Democratic nominee is more popular than Joe Biden — but fewer voters seem ready to accept a female president than when Hillary Clinton ran.

WP: Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris for president

Can Kamala Harris win? Joe Biden’s vice-president has an extraordinary opportunity. But she also has a mountain to climb. Economist

The Kamala Harris surprise: I had long thought she couldn’t beat Donald Trump. That’s wrong. In a 50/50 country, she can. Peggy Noonan

The great manliness flip-flop: When it comes to masculinity, Republicans have become everything they once accused Democrats of being. Tom Nichols

What identity politics will Kamala Harris practise? The lessons of Barack Obama, Donald Trump, JD Vance, and Hillary Clinton. Economist

Bloomberg: Harris says she’ll debate Trump after Republican balked at host

+  Joe Biden and Trump agreed to a debate on the network Sept. 10 before the president ended his reelection bid.

Bloomberg: Kamala Harris cements Beyoncé song as campaign anthem with launch video

Future Forward launches a $50 million pre-convention ad blitz for Harris: WP reports the ad backup counters a short-term advantage that Republicans have had in ad spending in swing states since Sunday.

Kamala Harris memes resonate with Gen Z voters: Presumptive Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign gets under way with explosion of online content. FT

Is Kamala Harris “brat”? America’s TikTok election just became more interesting. Economist

6 logos in 3 hours: Kamala Harris’ design team shares how it approached the historic campaign rebrand: Wet ink and overnight website builds: Harris for President creative director Kate Conway gives the inside scoop on the campaign brand. FC

What Kamala Harris means for the future of AI policy: Harris played a key role in the Biden administration’s efforts around artificial intelligence. Bloomberg

Harris likely to combine Biden AI policies with Silicon Valley-informed approach: The vice president and soon-to-be Democratic presidential nominee has been the voice for several White House AI actions and led on getting voluntary safety commitments from tech companies. FedScoop

Artificial intelligence: Trump and Vance want less regulation, more power, to counter China: When it comes to AI, the Republican presidential candidate and his vice presidential nominee appear determined to diverge from the Biden administration's regulatory approach. Le Monde

Kids’ online safety, privacy legislation advances in Senate: BGov reports The Senate took its first major step to regulate the technology industry in more than two decades, advancing bipartisan legislation that intends to improve safety and privacy protections for children on social media platforms.

Senate legislation to establish third-party AI audit guidelines is now bipartisan: FedScoop reports the bill would direct the Department of Commerce’s NIST to work with federal agencies and stakeholders on developing guidelines for third-party AI evaluations.

+ The legislation has early support from several policy and public interest organizations, including the Center for AI Policy, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Federation of American Scientists, New America’s Open Technology Institute, and the Software & Information Industry Association. Booz Allen also offered its support for the legislation.

Sen. Markey threatens to block AI bills that fail to address environmental impacts: Inside AI Policy reports Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) said he will block any upcoming legislation on artificial intelligence that fails to fully address the environmental consequences of the increasingly pervasive technology, particularly from the growth in energy demand driving data centers and creating climate change pollutants. “As Congress considers new legislation on AI, our climate and environment must be at the center of our policymaking, they cannot be an afterthought,” Markey said at a July 24 virtual webinar hosted by Public Citizen.

Bloomberg: FTC’s Khan backs open AI models in bid to avoid monopolies

+ Khan comments made at San Francisco event on AI startups

+ Agency is probing Microsoft, OpenAI over antitrust concerns

Kroger, Albertsons agree to pause merger as FTC, state challenges proceed: WSJ reports the deal between the two grocery-store operators has faced regulatory scrutiny since it was announced in 2022.

Uber and Lyft score victory in California gig economy case: FT reports the state’s supreme court says ride-hailing services can treat workers as contractors rather than employees.

*** Disruption + Innovation ***

Southwest Airlines breaks with 50-year tradition, to offer assigned seating and new boarding procedures.

Mars rover discovers an ancient rock with a ‘potential biosignature’: WP reports scientists are intrigued, but caution this does not necessarily mean life on Mars because organic molecules can have non-biological origins.

Start-ups like Wiz will have to learn the art of living longer: The decision of the Israeli-founded cyber security company and Google to call off their match has lessons for the tech sector. John Thornhill

Revolut, a fintech startup, secured a banking licence in Britain more than three years after applying. Regulatory breaches, late filing of its accounts and concerns over its corporate culture were the main reasons for the delay. 

Who will control the future of AI?: A democratic vision for artificial intelligence must prevail over an authoritarian one. Sam Altman - WP Oped

OpenAI tests new AI search features in direct challenge to Google: Bloomberg reports the AI startup will roll out SearchGPT prototype to a limited number of users.

OpenAI’s new SearchGPT takes aim at Google, Perplexity in the battle for AI search dominance. But will it win the war? Fortune

Why is Mark Zuckerberg giving away Meta’s crown jewels? Augustus Caesar goes on the open-source warpath. Economist

Video game performers will go on strike over artificial intelligence concerns: AP reports Hollywood’s video game performers announced they would go on strike Thursday, throwing part of the entertainment industry into another work stoppage after talks for a new contract with major game studios broke down over artificial intelligence protections.

*** Culture ***

The dress that swept Capitol Hill: An A-line tweed shift dress called the “Jackie” by Tuckernuck has bipartisan appeal. WP

*** Sport ***

How Paris made the city the stage for the 2024 Olympics: Instead of building new stadiums, the French capital is embedding Olympic events in the city and hoping to highlight its history and green transformation. WP

Kremlin uses Olympic ban as another arrow to shoot at the West: NYT reports only 15 athletes from Russia will compete at the Paris Games, under a “neutral” designation. The Kremlin is framing the ban as part of its showdown with Western adversaries.

11%: The share of Olympic medals won by American athletes between 2000 and 2021.

Olympians are approaching the limits of human performance: As advances in training, technology and technique continue, how close are we to setting records that are impossible to break? WP

Canada Olympic soccer coach sent home over drone use as scandal widens: WP reports Bev Priestman was removed from her position after allegations of filming opponents’ practices by both the women’s and men’s teams were reported by TSN.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc 

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal