Caracal Daily | August 14

Caracal Daily | August 14

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

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

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Happy Wednesday.

Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:

*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***

+ @POLITICOEurope: 🚨 BREAKING: President Vladimir Putin has pulled units out of Ukraine to defend Russia, Kyiv has said.

Volodymyr Zelensky said that the war “is coming home” after Ukrainian troops reportedly seized around 1,000 square kilometres of Russian territory and captured hundreds of enemy soldiers.

Deception and a gamble: How Ukrainian troops invaded Russia: Planned in secrecy, the incursion was a bold move to upend the war’s dynamics and put Moscow on the defensive — a gambit that could also leave Ukraine exposed. NYT

Ukraine plotted incursion to throw Kremlin off balance Bloomberg

WP: Ukraine says captured Russian soldiers could be part of prisoner exchange

Ukraine's incursion into Russia: 'Morale has gone up a notch': Le Monde reprts on the Russian border, Ukrainian soldiers are leaving for the Russian region of Kursk, while others are returning. On their cell phones, they show the dozens of Russian soldiers have been taken prisoner.

What next after Ukraine’s shock invasion of Russia? It could dig in, pull back or grab more as a bargaining chip. Economist

Kyiv says no interest in occupying Kursk: DW reports Ukraine has underlined that its Kursk breakthrough is intended to frustrate Russia's attacks elsewhere. Meanwhile, Moscow says its forces have checked Kyiv's efforts to expand the incursion.

Russia says Ukraine’s ‘crazy’ incursion could trigger wider war: The Times reports the cross-border attack in Kursk is the Ukrainian forces’ largest incursion on Russian territory since the conflict began — and a major test for Putin.

Putin has victory in his grasp Anastasia Edel

Russian navy trained to target sites inside Europe with nuclear-capable missiles: Secret presentation for officers reveals plans for overwhelming strikes in early stages of potential war against NATO. FT

Reuters: Only Gaza ceasefire will delay retaliation, say Iranian officials

US efforts to calm Mideast fighting face critical week: State Department seeks congressional approval for nearly $20 billion military sale to Israel amid tensions. WSJ

US approves $20 billion weapons package for Israel: Le Monde reports the sale comes as Biden presses Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire after 10 months of bloodshed, although the weapons would take years to reach Israel – the $18.82 billion in 50 F-15 fighter jets will begin to be delivered in 2029.

WSJ: US lifts restrictions on sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia

Russia-Iran ties being strained by parallel conflicts: WSJ reports as Iran ponders a strike on Israel and Ukraine penetrates the Russian border, Moscow and Tehran weigh how much they can help each other.

Turkey’s Instagram spat shows the limits of global content governance: There are growing divisions over how to treat groups such as Hamas online. Sinan Ulgen

Huawei readies new chip to challenge Nvidia, surmounting US sanctions: WSJ reports the Chinese tech company is looking for AI business with the Ascend series but still faces production problems.

Vietnam turns chip sector magnet with affordable, quality talent pool: US, Taiwan, South Korean players beat path to Vietnam though boom strains resources. Nikkei

The sleepy Czech town helping Europe compete in the global chip war: A $2 billion investment by a US company promises to create a tech hub and help modernize the country’s stagnating economy. Bloomberg

Can Sweden deliver its much hyped green energy boom? Abundant electricity in the north was supposed to power a new wave of industrialisation. But projects are struggling to scale up. FT

Can this country show Europe how to compete again? Sweden outperforms in tech, has a roster of $1 billion-plus start-ups and could be a model as the European Union refigures its growth policies. NYT

Panda at Berlin Zoo again pregnant with twins: DW reports the Berlin Zoo has announced Meng Meng the panda is pregnant again with twins and could give birth by the end of the month.

Kenyan train to nowhere reveals China’s debt trap diplomacy: The Times reports work has long since stopped on a Belt and Road project to connect Kenya and Uganda.

Japan's mega-earthquake alert puts the country under stress: Le Monde reports a large portion of the country remains under a mega-earthquake advisory warning until Thursday. This has led to widespread anxiety, precautionary shopping and travel cancellations in the affected areas.

Where will US-China tech decoupling go under Harris or Trump? Silicon Valley split on different futures for AI, crypto and China investment. Nikkei

***  US Politics + Elections ***

Democrats will stream their convention next week using vertical video on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, Axios reports.

Harris and Walz plan rally in Milwaukee during Democratic convention: NYT reports the event is planned for Tuesday, when Barack Obama speaks in Chicago, and the campaign hopes to hold it at the arena where Republicans held their convention, people briefed on the planning said.

WP: In Pennsylvania, Harris can’t shake her anti-fracking past

How Kamala Harris might still lose: Polling precedent and economic data suggest the Democrats shouldn’t get ahead of themselves. Janan Ganesh

Trump or Harris? It’s a tossup for many CEOs: WSJ reports ome business leaders are apprehensive about former President Donald Trump but say Vice President Kamala Harris isn’t necessarily a better alternative.

The Trump campaign’s ‘please shut up’ phase David Frum

Bloomberg: UAW seizes on Donald Trump praising Musk for firing workers

Microsoft + Palantir are teaming up to offer a range of artificial intelligence services for classified government use.

Bloomberg: US considers a rare antitrust move: Breaking up Google

Home prices in Silicon Valley area top $2 million for first time: Bloomberg reports it's the first time a US metropolitan area has exceeded that threshold, and a symptom of the nation’s persistent affordability challenge.

*** Disruption + Innovation ***

Bloomberg: Google launches Pixel 9 phones, Pixel Watch 3 in renewed push to sell AI

Google’s Gemini live AI sounds so human, I almost forgot it was a bot: Google’s Android chief told our columnist the voice assistant was designed to impersonate humans, but he doesn’t want anyone getting romantic with it. WSJ

Gemini is replacing Google Assistant on Pixel phones, and it’s a trainwreck: FC reprts Google is throwing out a perfectly good voice assistant for one that frequently fails at basic tasks.

Why are there so many AI ads? Shira Ovide

PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Australian arm will invest A$11.5 million ($7.6 million) over the next year to bolster its artificial intelligence capabilities.

A group of illustrators + visual artists suing Stability AI, Midjourney, and other AI image generators for copyright infringement advanced a novel theory that their images have been “compressed” inside of AI models.

Jobhunters flood recruiters with AI-generated CVs: FT reports about half of applicants are using tools such as ChatGPT to help write cover letters but, without editing, the language is ‘clunky.’

We’re entering an AI price-fixing dystopia: Algorithmic collusion appears to be spreading to more and more industries. And existing laws may not be equipped to stop it. Rogé Karma

LLMs will transform medicine, media and more: But not without a helping (human) hand. Economist

The little streamer that could: Tubi has exploded in popularity over the past 18 months, outpacing some competitors with much bigger budgets. NYT

Universal Music signs Meta deal allowing its music to appear on WhatsApp.

Starbucks replaces CEO with Chipotle’s Brian Niccol: The coffee chain said that Chipotle’s chief executive would replace Laxman Narasimhan, who is leaving the company after just over a year at the helm. NYT

Starbucks ousts chief and appoints Chipotle boss after activist pressure: FT reports shares in coffee chain jump after Laxman Narasimhan is replaced by Brian Niccol.

Drop in wine consumption is reshaping French vineyards: Since the 1970s, the industry has seen a steady decline in sales. Faced with an overproduction crisis, winegrowers are looking for ways to survive. Le Monde

South Korea EV fires spark calls for stricter safety rules: Nikkei reports analysts foresee potential sales decline in fallout after blazes.

Melbourne announced a ban on rented e-scooters. Nicholas Reece, Melbourne’s mayor, said that too many people were riding the scooters on pavements or creating tripping hazards by leaving them strewn around the city. 

Why Alaska Airlines is investing in a jet that’s like nothing you’ve seen before: JetZero designed an aircraft that can accommodate more passengers while using less fuel. It’s just one of the next-gen ideas the airline is backing. FC

The significance of liquid water on Mars: There could be an ocean’s worth deep underground. Economist

*** Culture ***

Artist's Lordstown photos are a call to action — 'The workers are the heroes' DFP

*** Sport ***

Out of the darkness? Aaron Rodgers’ biographer on a tarnished star: Bestselling writer Ian O’Connor says Jets Super Bowl win would help make up for quarterback’s ‘unforgivable’ conspiracy theories and controversial behavior. Guardian

A sports agent went viral. He isn’t ready to fade away. Sean Stellato rocketed to fame through a mix of outlandish clothes, an outsize personality, and an embrace of the NFL’s underdogs. He is sticking with what worked. NYT

The NFL is said to be meeting with private equity groups this week, the next step in the league’s efforts to bring institutional money into its ownership ranks.

Premier League 2024-25 predictions: Dark horses and breakout stars: Will Erling Haaland secure a third straight Golden Boot? Can Erik ten Hag last until Christmas? Our experts share their opinions on the new season. The Times


Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc 

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal