Caracal Daily | October 24

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

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Always Be Communicating.

Happy Thursday.

Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:

*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***

Terrorist attack hits major defense facility in Turkey: WSJ reports several people were killed in a suspected terrorist attack at the Turkish Aerospace Industries’ headquarters near the country’s capital, according to Turkish authorities.

Turkey says ‘terrorist attack’ on aerospace company leaves at least 5 dead, 22 injured: WP reports no group immediately claimed responsibility. Turkey’s interior minister said it was “most likely carried out” by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

Turkish Aerospace Industries HQ struck by explosion: Le Monde reports Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya described the blast at the top defense company as a 'terrorist attack' that has left at least five people dead and 22 injured, and said it was 'linked to the PKK,' a banned Kurdish group.

US says North Korean troops are in Russia and might be used in Ukraine war: WSJ reports US officials are still weighing a response as Moscow becomes more reliant on foreign assistance.

North Korean troops are in Russia, but their purpose is unclear, US says: WP reports Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the United States has evidence North Korea has sent military forces, affirming accusations by Ukraine and South Korea.

US confirms North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia: The Times reports Washington warns of serious consequences for Europe and Asia if Kim Jong-un’s forces join the war in Ukraine.

‘Thousands’ of North Korean troops to fight in Russia: FT reports Washington says deployment of soldiers is ‘a very, very serious issue.’

US defense secretary cites evidence that North Korea sent troops to Russia: Le Monde reports Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's remarks are the first official US statement on North Korean troops being sent to Russia, which South Korean intelligence has alleged is in support of Russia's war in Ukraine.

China may chafe as North Korea sends soldiers to fight Ukraine: NYT reports North Korea’s decision to dispatch troops to help Russia subdue Ukraine may put another Kremlin ally, China, in a tough spot diplomatically.

Ambiguity or madness? Where Harris and Trump stand on China: The vice-president makes no promise to defend Taiwan; her rival boasts of being crazy. Economist

China's love affair with high-speed rail: Since 2008, the Communist Party has been frantically building stations for a high-speed train, or 'gaotie,' to connect remote areas, develop the economy and consolidate its power. Yet with slowing growth, concerns about the advisability of the gigantic and expensive projects have arisen. Le Monde

Xi Jinping’s meeting with Narendra Modi signals China-India thaw: FT reports formal encounter at BRICS summit is leaders’ first in five years and follows deal on patrols along disputed border.

Reuters:  Brazil's Lula urges BRICS to create alternative payment methods 

Reuters:  Russia says 'unprecedented' cyber attack hits foreign ministry amid BRICS summit 

UN chief Guterres arrives at BRICS summit for talks with Putin: The Times reports the UN secretary-general has been criticized for his trip to Kazan —  especially given the ICC’s arrest warrant for the Russian president over war crimes.

Russian arms firm warns it may halt exports as Ukraine war demands surge: FT reports Rostec chief Sergei Chemezov, an ally of Vladimir Putin, also blames high interest rates for making overseas sales difficult.

How Ukraine is waging information warfare to outwit Russians: A volunteer group is using open-source intelligence to disrupt Kremlin military operations and expose war crimes. The Times

Washington and Berlin are slow-walking Ukraine’s bid for a NATO invitation: Politico reports Ukraine’s Zelenskyy wants an immediate invitation to join the alliance, but key capitals are balking.

G7 finalizes $50 billion Ukraine loan backed by Russian assets: NYT reports the economic lifeline is expected to be disbursed by the end of the year.

The UK + Germany signed a new defense pact, which Defence Secretary John Healey hailed as a ‘major strengthening of Europe’s security.’

+ German warplanes will operate from Scotland and hunt Russian submarines as part of a new defense pact between Britain and Germany.

Germany’s populist superstar demands peace with Russia: In an interview Sahra Wagenknecht trashes the consensus on Ukraine—and much more. Economist

Labour paid for top Starmer aide to attend Democratic National Convention: FT reports details of Morgan McSweeney’s trip follow Donald Trump’s accusation of interference by UK party.

PM’s chief of staff is drawn into Trump election interference row: The Times reports the former president has filed a formal complaint, claiming that British activists and staff’s support for Kamala Harris is illegal foreign assistance.

+ Labour confirmed that Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, attended the Democratic National Convention but denied he advised Kamala Harris’s campaign.

Angela Rayner dismissed allegations that the Labour party is interfering in the US election, after the Trump campaign filed a complaint about Labour activists being sent to campaign for Kamala Harris. 

Why Labour’s involvement in US election is so damaging: Donald Trump has filed a formal complaint to the Federal Election Committee after Labour activists volunteered to campaign for Kamala Harris. The Times

The British are coming! Labour’s comedy of errors in the US election Freddy Gray

Keir Starmer’s Trump problem is getting worse Katy Balls

King’s Cross, a miracle in London: If Britain has a future, it’s there. Economist

CNN team detained for 48 hours while reporting in Darfur: WP reports chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward recounted her team’s experience in a first-person account published Wednesday.

NASA is in talks with Chinese officials to let American scientists analyze rocks retrieved by the Chinese from the far side of the moon.

Reuters: Chinese influence operation targets US down-ballot races, Microsoft says

American creating deep fakes targeting Harris works with Russian intel, documents show: Russian documents reviewed by The Post expose the workings of a Moscow network that has become a potent source of fake news targeting American voters. WP

The US spies who sound the alarm about election interference: A group of intelligence officials confers about when to alert the public to foreign meddling. TNY

+ “It’s never been worse.” -- Journalist Bill Adair explains how disinformation is escalating in the run up to the US Presidential election to the New York Times.

***  US Politics + Elections ***

POTUS-Poll: A new Monmouth poll finds 48% of registered voters will “definitely” or “probably” vote for Kamala Harris compared to 45% who will “definitely” or “probably” vote for Donald Trump.

POTUS-Poll: A new Economist/YouGov poll finds Harris leading nationally, 49% to 46%.

Here’s what my gut says about the election. But don’t trust anyone’s gut, even mine. Nate Silver

The tragedy of a 50-50 America: The era of Western stability relied on dominant parties, and the US has none. Janan Ganesh

The secretive billionaire network funding ‘stop the steal’ 2.0: GOP donors have given more than $140 million to nearly 50 groups working on election integrity; ‘another crusade of ours.’ WSJ

Trump’s allies revive debunked voting machine theories: NYT reports that former President Trump and his closest allies are returning to false claims about hacked machines as they prepare to contest the vote next month.

Trump: ‘I need the kind of generals that Hitler had’: The Republican nominee’s preoccupation with dictators, and his disdain for the American military, is deepening. The Atlantic

Harris calls Trump’s reported remarks on Hitler and Nazis ‘deeply troubling’: NYT reports the vice president seized on reports in which John Kelly, a former chief of staff to Donald J. Trump, recounted explosive comments by Trump and said he met the definition of a “fascist.”

Harris uses ex-Trump chief of staff’s remarks to paint him as unfit for office: WSJ reports the Republican nominee’s former aide likened his old boss to a dictator.

Harris seizes on former Trump aide’s warning that he fits ‘fascist’ label: WP reports in an interview, John Kelly said that his former boss would govern like a dictator if elected again.

+ The White House said that President Biden believes his predecessor, Donald Trump, is a fascist, CNN reports.

Is calling Trump fascist an insult to Trump voters? We mustn’t hurt their feelings! Jonathan Chait

CNN: Obama says white nationalists rally around Trump

Harris to deliver closing argument speech Tuesday on the National Mall: WP reports the vice president is slated to present her final case to the American people in D.C. exactly one week before Election Day.

This Bush and Romney campaign vet is extremely bullish on Kamala Harris’ chances: VF reports Stuart Stevens, a former GOP campaign strategist, talks Trump in the polls, Chris LaCivita’s modern swift boating, and how he thinks Harris will win.

+ “I think the Harris campaign is running what we’re probably going to look back at as the best presidential campaign ever run.” -- Stuart Stevens, quoted by Vanity Fair.

The Independent: Trump admits he’ll vote early in Florida, despite spreading baseless claims about practice for years

Her billionaire marriage broke up. Her VP campaign fizzled. Now she’s a Trump-world star. With a massive divorce settlement from Google’s Sergey Brin, Nicole Shanahan is remaking herself as a wellness guru. WP

What happens if the NYT’s tech staff strikes on election night?: WP reports a message from Times journalists to executives asks: “Can you imagine if our election needle didn’t work?”

How the media can escape its doom loop of distrust: Former New York Times executive editor Bill Keller argues that news needs more transparency and accountability to regain public trust. Greater media literacy is also essential. Bill Keller

Tech is urging Congress to formalize the AI Safety Institute: A group of tech giants, industry groups and think tanks are pushing Congress to make a key Commerce Department AI initiative permanent before the end of the year. Amazon, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, IBM and other tech companies implored congressional leaders to formalize the AI Safety Institute in a letter obtained exclusively by Punchbowl News.

+ Signers of the letter include the Consumer Technology Association, BSA, the Federation of American Scientists, and the Center for AI Policy.

Nuclear power could rise again: Building out nuclear power will be critical for the project of combating climate change. WP - Editorial

*** Disruption + Innovation ***

Can AI be blamed for a teen’s suicide? The mother of a 14-year-old Florida boy says he became obsessed with a chatbot on Character dot AI before his death. NYT

Meet Hollywood’s AI doomsayer: Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Actor says AI companies use movies and TV to make money without fairly compensating actors; industry should ‘get ahead of that flood.’ WSJ

AI-powered workers are coming and work may never be the same again: The future of business could be populated by ‘autonomous agents,’ that, once instructed, can carry out tasks by themselves. Katie Prescott

Former OpenAI researcher says the company broke copyright law: Suchir Balaji helped gather and organize the enormous amounts of internet data used to train the startup’s ChatGPT chatbot. NYT

Bloomberg: OpenAI hires former Uber executive as chief compliance officer

+ Scott Schools previously worked in the US Justice Department

+ AI startup faces evolving global regulatory landscape

Perplexity CEO proposes revenue deals for publishers after lawsuit: WSJ reports that Journal parent Dow Jones sued the AI startup this week, alleging copyright infringement.

Claude AI tool can now carry out jobs such as filling forms and booking trips, says creator: Guardian reports Anthropic says model is able to carry out computer tasks – as fears mount such technology will replace workers.

Meta AI tackles maths problems that stumped humans for over a century: NS reports a type of mathematical problem that was previously impossible to solve can now be successfully analysed with artificial intelligence.

Andreessen Horowitz backs Infinitus to bring AI to medical calls: Bloomberg reports the startup, valued at over $600 million, is seeking to automate healthcare communication.  

Bloomberg: ServiceNow reports strong sales growth, new AI agent strategy

CNBC: BlackRock unveils active fund that aims to track changing AI trade over time

Arm cancels Qualcomm’s chip design licence amid legal dispute: FT reports SoftBank-backed company is battling the US semiconductor maker over royalty payments.

Reuters:  Stellantis to launch fleet of EVs fitted with Factorial solid-state batteries 

‘Back to Starbucks’ could have a retro feel—and valuation: WSJ reports new boss Brian Niccol got some bad news out of the way early, but bringing back the Starbucks of old will come with a lower price tag.

Kering warns on profit as Gucci sales plunge: FT reports French luxury group grapples with a difficult turnaround at its biggest brand as demand dips in Asia.

*** Culture ***

The Whitney Museum will be free for all visitors 25 years old and younger: WSJ reports artist Julie Mehretu donated over $2 million so the museum could waive the entrance fee for anyone 25 and younger for the next three years.

New National Geographic museum is set to open in 2026: WP reports the revamp represents a massive overhaul of the organization’s DC headquarters and exhibition spaces.

*** Sport ***

Boise State and Ashton Jeanty: The Cinderella in a steel-toe boot TA

Knicks fans are starting to believe again in a team built by ‘smart dorks’ TA


Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc 

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal