Caracal Daily | August 5

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Always Be Communicating.

Happy Monday.

Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:

*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***

NYT: For Israelis, jittery wait for retaliatory strikes stretches into a new week

FT: Western governments step up calls on citizens to leave Lebanon

Bloomberg: Israel braces for attack by Iran as US urges Gaza cease-fire

+ US-led regional coalition is being formed to stop missiles

+ Ministers get satellite phones, GPS scrambled, troops on alert

Fear and tension in the West Bank as residents anticipate retaliation against Israel: Le Monde reports following the targeted assassinations in Tehran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and in Beirut of Fouad Shukur, the right-hand man of the Hezbollah chief, demonstrations were organized in several West Bank towns on Saturday.

The Middle East braces for wider war as Iran weighs its response: After Israeli strikes, America is rushing troops to the region and airlines are steering clear. Economist

Anti-immigration protesters clash with UK police: WSJ reports the protests, ignited by false information that spread online, have swept across several major UK cities in some of the worst unrest to hit the nation in more than a decade.

Far-right UK protesters attack hotel housing asylum seekers in violent weekend: WP reports demonstrations in Rotherham, Liverpool, Hull and Bristol turned violent, prompting arrests. Misinformation about a deadly knife attack in Southport, England, spurred the protests.

Prime Minister condemns ‘far-right thuggery’ as riots grip UK: NYT reports protests escalated over the weekend in towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland, with dozens arrested and more demonstrations unfolding on Sunday.

Why are the far right rioting in England? A horrific knife attack, disinformation and extremists whipping up anger have all played a role in triggering a shocking outburst of violence. FT

How to respond to the riots on Britain’s streets: The violence demands robust policing, but it also requires cool heads. Economist

The army of digital sleeper agents who propelled Labour to power: The party spent £6m in online campaigns but really owes victory to supporters chipping in on Facebook and chatting on Instagram. The Times

How two Russian spies went deep undercover with their children: A couple planted as sleeper spies in Slovenia posed as an Argentine art dealer and an entrepreneur. They were caught in December 2022 and sent to Moscow in a sweeping prisoner exchange last week. NYT

Moscow’s spies were stealing US tech — until the FBI started a sabotage campaign: During the early days of Silicon Valley, a tech industry entrepreneur teamed up with the FBI to ship faulty devices to Moscow. Politico

WP: First F-16 fighter jets have arrived in Ukraine, Zelensky confirms

Dozens killed in protests against Bangladesh’s prime minister: WSJ reports the opposition party said at least 85 people were killed in bouts of violence that erupted around the country.

Tuesday: US and Australian officials meet in Maryland: Top defense and diplomatic officials from the US and Australia will meet in Annapolis, Maryland, with the allies looking to further strengthen their ties in the face of a more assertive China. 

Today: India’s President Droupadi Murmu begins a state visit to Fiji.

Paradise lost: Maldives falls into China’s grip after shunning India: Indian Ocean nation is sinking in a sea of debt after throwing in its lot with Beijing, heightening tensions with India, which fears it is losing its influence among neighbours. The Times

WP: Taiwan is readying citizens for a Chinese invasion. It’s not going well.

Bloomberg: China rolls out action plan on boosting domestic consumption

+ State Council designates 20 steps to help flagging economy

+ Weak domestic spending has undermined a boom in exports

China becomes a punching bag for assertive US states: Restrictions on land purchases, TikTok, and investments seek to curb Chinese influence. Nikkei

With smugglers and front companies, China is skirting American AI bans: The US is trying to stop China from getting Nvidia microchips to advance its military. The private sector is fighting back. NYT

What the world gets wrong about China's overcapacity: Many policymakers confuse productive capacity with production output. Tristan Kenderdine

World’s biggest lithium producer urges state help to compete with China: US-based Albemarle cuts expansion plans amid struggles for processor of key mineral for electric cars. FT

Humiliated and furious, Maduro locks up 2,000: Venezuelans in fiercest crackdown of his rule: Venezuela risks becoming a police state as its socialist regime fights to remain in power after contested election. Bloomberg

The real winner of Venezuela’s election urges the regime to face facts: A peaceful transfer of power is still possible, says Edmundo González. Economist

Maduro lost election, tallies collected by Venezuela’s opposition show: WP reports challenger Edmundo González likely beat President Nicolás Maduro in the July 28 election by millions of votes, according to data pulled from more than 23,000 precinct-level tally sheets.

Pope calls for Venezuela to ‘seek the truth’ after disputed election: The Times reports the pontiff’s comments came after a week of protests and dozens of arrests in the country.

***  US Politics + Elections ***

Tuesday: Biden's decision: Behind President Joe Biden’s fateful decision are decades of challenges and controversies, triumphs and tragedies. Frontline tells the inside story of Biden’s rise to the presidency, and the personal and political forces that shaped him and led to his dramatic decision to step aside. Watch the trailer here.

WSJ: In two weeks, Harris’s campaign has reset the electoral map

WP: Harris running-mate selection expected in next 48 hours: WP reports Vice President Harris interviewed at least three potential running mates on Sunday and will announce her vice-presidential pick ahead of a seven-state campaign tour that begins Tuesday.

AP: VP’s campaign launches ‘Republicans for Harris’ in push to win over GOP voters put off by Trump

How Harris can reset Democrats’ relations with business: The vice president should make it clear that experience in the private sector would be welcome in her administration. Matthew Yglesias

What might a Harris foreign policy look like? From personal experience she grasps how domestic political divisions can undermine American power abroad. Anne-Marie Slaughter

Trump’s team had a Harris strategy. Then he went off-script. WSJ reports Donald Trump ignited a firestorm by questioning Kamala Harris’s racial identity, an attack that risks harming his larger campaign strategy to define her.

Democratic party’s ‘Trump is weird’ strategy rattles Republicans: Kamala Harris’s campaign shifts attack lines in effort to win the White House. FT

What’s rattling Trump: The size of Harris’s crowds: NYT reports the numbers game is everything to Donald J. Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris’s first big rally appears to have gotten under his skin.

Who in Silicon Valley is supporting Trump -- and why? Backers concentrated in cryptocurrency community and defense tech sector. Nikkei

JD Vance’s knockoff theory of manufacturing: Modern appliances enrich Americans’ lives, and the jobs that produce them aren’t being lost to China. Allysia Finley

In ‘The Art of Power,’ Nancy Pelosi knocks Trump but pleads for decency: After nearly four decades in the US House of Representatives, Pelosi offers insights into the enduring effectiveness of her leadership strategy. WP

Senator calls grow for OpenAI to prove it’s not silencing staff: Following a Washington Post report, bipartisan pressure in Congress emerges for OpenAI to prove it is developing its AI safely. WP

*** Disruption + Innovation ***

Helen Toner on the OpenAI coup: ‘It was about trust and accountability’: The former board member who (briefly) ousted Sam Altman talks about taking on one of tech’s most powerful CEOs. FT
 
OpenAI’s Sam Altman is becoming one of the most powerful people on Earth. We should be very afraid: Sam Altman’s ChatGPT promises to transform the global economy. But it also poses an enormous threat. Here, a scientist who appeared with Altman before the US Senate on AI safety flags up the danger in AI – and in Altman himself. Gary Marcus

Surging AI power demand boosts utility stocks: Investors have found a cheaper way to play the market’s hot new obsession. FT

Bloomberg: Big Tech’s AI promises become a ‘show me’ story for investors

+ Earnings growth has cooled dramatically for Mag 7 so far

+ Investors balked at heavy spending on AI without results

Bloomberg: Big Tech fails to convince Wall Street that AI is paying off

+ Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet earnings disappointed investors

+ Amazon projected profits that fell shy of market expectations

The Times: Warren Buffett sells another $50bn of Apple shares

Google hires top start-up team, fueling concerns over Big Tech’s power in AI: The search company’s deal with the start-up Character.ai is similar to recent moves by Microsoft and Amazon that have drawn antitrust scrutiny. WP

India's Ola Electric goes public: Nikkei reports Indian electric scooter maker Ola's shares are set to start trading in its public debut after an initial public offering seeking to raise 61.45 billion rupees ($734 million). 

Lamborghini’s winning formula is defying an auto industry slump: The Italian supercar maker reports record midyear results while it slow-walks full EV plans. Bloomberg

Disney bets on Deadpool, Wolverine, and dirty jokes to save Marvel: After a string of disappointing releases, the Disney studio is counting on the pair’s R-rated antics to provide the antidote for superhero fatigue. Bloomberg

The best country for remote workers is Spain, new report says: Nine out of the top 10 digital nomad programs are located in Europe, says a new report. Bloomberg

*** Culture ***

Wait, is PowerPoint cool now? No longer the sole domain of Bob from accounting, the presentation software is being repurposed for parties, pickup lines and the persuading of parents. WP

*** Sport ***

Why Olympic sharpshooters insist on looking like cyborgs: The gold medal for badass Olympics gear goes to shooting glasses—cyborgian specs that looked like they could've been plucked straight off Deadshot's face. Wired

WSJ: Noah Lyles wins the 100 meters in dramatic photo finish

The Times: Noah Lyles snatches gold by 0.005sec in one of greatest 100m finals in history

WP: After 24 Grand Slams, Novak Djokovic calls Olympic gold medal ‘the biggest’

Olympic triathlete in hospital with E coli amid Seine sewage problems: The Times reports organisers forced to cancel familiarisation events before mixed triathlon on Monday, in which Great Britain’s medallists Alex Yee and Beth Potter compete.

Paris Olympics: Emmanuel Macron congratulates athletes and hopes for a 'legacy of pride': On Friday, the President came to attend the Olympic events, as French athletes racked up medals. He aimed to get a sense of the country's enthusiasm, as it appears united and reconciled. Le Monde

The fake Al Michaels is surprisingly good in Olympics highlights: Finally, a use for artificial intelligence that doesn’t stink. WP

The Atheltic: Chicago White Sox reach new level of futility, extend losing streak to 20 games


Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc 

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal