Caracal Daily | December 3
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Happy Tuesday.
Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
World's top arms producers see revenues rise amid wars and regional tensions: Le Monde reports the United States, home to 41 of the world’s Top 100 arms manufacturers, dominates the global defense industry, accounting for half of all military-related sales, according to a report released Monday, December 2, by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Russia bombs Aleppo as Assad vows to crush rebels: The Times reports the Syrian president is backed by Moscow as the civil war reignites with the deadliest fighting the country has seen in years.
Russia + Iran emphasized their support for the government of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator, as Russian and Syrian air forces intensified their attacks on Syrian rebels in Idlib.
Biden surges arms to Ukraine, fearing Trump will halt US aid: WP reports the directive has stirred debate, as some officials worry it will cut too deeply into American stockpiles and jeopardize the military’s needs elsewhere.
US sending $725 million in arms to Ukraine, including more land mines: NYT reports the package, the largest since April, comes amid deep concerns in Ukraine that the Trump administration may cut off aid. The president-elect has vowed to end the war quickly, but has not said how.
NATO chief warns Donald Trump of ‘dire threat’ to US if Ukraine pushed into bad peace deal: FT reports Mark Rutte says risks to America will increase if China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are empowered.
Huge anti-Russian protests in Tbilisi echo Ukraine’s Maidan: A turn away from the EU plunges Georgia into crisis. Economist
Biden visiting an African region critical to the US-China rivalry: WP reports the president arrived Monday in Angola, his first trip to Africa as president and one of his final foreign trips in office.
Taiwan's Lai kicks off Marshall Islands visit as China fumes: AFP reports Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te arrived in the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, after visiting the United States on the first stop of a Pacific tour that has angered Chinese leaders.
China calls US’s new restrictions on the Asian nation’s access to vital components for chips and AI are “economic coercion,” according to a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
Inside the AI back-channel between China and the West: Computer scientists are reaching out across the geopolitical divide to try to stop an apocalypse. 1843 Magazine
FT: China’s renminbi hits lowest level in a year amid looming tariff threats
The red thread: Xi Jinping’s ideology of power. ABR - Neil Thomas
What changing US AI policy means to South Korea: Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election earlier this month, securing another four-year term as the leader of the world’s most powerful country, has sent shockwaves across the globe and through various sectors on a magnitude and scope not seen in many years. Yoo Choon-sik
+ While details of the US AI policy under a second Trump term, starting in late January 2025, remain unconfirmed, the Center for AI Policy recently predicted that he would likely “radically scale back” regulation and prioritize “promoting American competitiveness, particularly regarding China.”
Starmer vows to boost ties with US to counter ‘erratic’ Putin: The Times reports the prime minister uses first major foreign policy speech to say the UK’s relationship with the US is the ‘cornerstone of our security’
French government on brink as Michel Barnier set to be ousted as PM: The Times reports prime minister faces no-confidence vote this week after forcing through his budget, as both the left and the hard right say they will back the motion.
+ France’s minority government appears set to collapse, with a no-confidence vote expected as soon as Wednesday.
The slow twilight of Emmanuel Macron: Seeing his influence decline after his decision to dissolve the Assemblée Nationale on June 9, which led him to appoint a prime minister without a majority and over whom he has no control, the French president has lost track of his second term. Le Monde
France-Africa: Macron must measure the significance of a double slap in the face: Chad and Senegal's desire for France to end its military presence on their territory is a clear criticism of Emmanuel Macron's policy of small steps and lack of clarity on the African continent. France must assume a clearer and more coherent policy. Le Monde - Editorial
Trump to attend Notre-Dame Cathedral reopening in Paris: NYT reports the trip will be Donald J. Trump’s first foreign trip since last month’s election and offers a sign that global leaders are turning the page on the Biden presidency.
Norway stops planned seabed mining for a year: Le Monde reports as part of negotiations on the budget bill, the Socialist Left party obtained a temporary suspension on commercial-scale deep-sea mining. It's a victory for NGOs, who are now calling for a moratorium.
Javier Milei: “My contempt for the state is infinite”: Argentina’s president is idolised by the Trumpian right. They should get to know him better. Economist
Javier Milei, free-market revolutionary: Argentina’s president explains how he has overturned the old economic order. Economist
Argentina: The making of an economic miracle? Governing with economic prudence has revived growth, says Javier Milei, president of Argentina. Economist
Canada accuses Google of creating an Ad tech monopoly: NYT reports the case largely echoes an antitrust action in the United States and seeks to force Google to sell off sections of its online ad business.
Trump wastes no time in reigniting trade wars: Canada and Mexico look likely to suffer. Economist
Tariff threats will do harm, even if Donald Trump does not impose them: The risk of a trade war is uncomfortably high. Economist
*** US Politics + Elections ***
US government funding: Lawmakers are optimistic about avoiding a government shutdown after the Dec. 20 spending deadline. They’ll likely use another continuing resolution as a stopgap into next year.
Joe Biden’s parting insult: The president delivered a vote of no confidence in a justice system preparing for siege. Politico
Republicans say Biden is a ‘liar’ after he pardons Hunter, his son: Politico reports the president’s decision to absolve his son lit a firestorm among Republicans — and some Democrats.
How Biden changed his mind on pardoning hunter: ‘Time to end all of this’: The threat of a retribution-focused Trump administration and his son’s looming sentencings prompted the president to abandon a promise not to get involved in Hunter Biden’s legal problems. NYT
Unpacking the unusual Hunter Biden pardon: The president issued a blanket pardon to his son, covering any and all conduct dating to 2014. WSJ
Pete Hegseth’s secret history: A whistle-blower report and other documents suggest that Trump’s nominee to run the Pentagon was forced out of previous leadership positions for financial mismanagement, sexist behavior, and being repeatedly intoxicated on the job. New Yorker
Trump picked Patel for FBI after some aides warned it could backfire: WSJ reports president-elect seeks major changes to US law-enforcement agencies, pushes ahead despite some Republican unease.
Kash Patel would bring bravado and baggage to FBI role: NYT reports President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice to run the FBI has a record in and out of government that is likely to raise questions during his Senate confirmation hearings.
For UK ambassador, Trump picks billionaire who supported his rivals: NYT reports Warren Stephens, an investment banker, gave $2 million in 2016 to a group aiming to block Donald J. Trump’s political rise. More recently, he backed Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Mike Pence and Nikki Haley before donating to the Trump campaign.
President-elect Donald Trump says Massad Boulos will serve as Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
Elon Musk: The ‘wild card’ in Trump’s dealings with China: Do the billionaire’s longstanding ties to Beijing represent a diplomatic opportunity or a clash of political and business interests? FT
CNBC: How Trump’s mass deportation plan can use AI to extend immigration crackdown
+ The Department of Homeland Security allocated $5 million in its 2025 budget to open an AI Office, and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called AI a “transformative technology.”
+ AI-aided surveillance towers, “Robodogs”, and facial recognition tools are all currently being used in homeland security in some capacity, and could be ramped up even further in the mass deportation plan floated by President-elect Donald Trump.
+ However, experts worry that increased use of AI by the DHS could lead to privacy and due process violations.
Elon Musk + Vivek Ramaswamy, tapped by Trump to lead an effort known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), will meet with Republican House and Senate members Thursday.
Will Musk’s ‘algorithm’ reduce military inefficiency—or increase risk? It's good to question Pentagon requirements. But many exist for deadly serious reasons that may not be obvious in a hasty review. Defense One
US lawmakers back COVID Chinese lab leak theory after two-year probe: AFP reports US lawmakers concluded a two-year investigation Monday into the COVID-19 outbreak that killed 1.1 million Americans -- backing the theory that the virus likely leaked from a Chinese laboratory.
US House: Republicans will either control 217 or 218 seats in the opening months of 2025.
FL House seats: Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis has already set special elections on April 1 for both the Gaetz and Waltz seats.
What the departing White House chief tech advisor has to say on AI: We discussed AI risks, immigration, the CHIPS Act, and eroding trust in science. James O'Donnell
Wisconsin judge strikes down limits on public sector unions: NYT reports the 2011 law stripped most government workers in the state of collective bargaining rights and set off protests that lasted weeks.
Cities are starting to ban AI software that landlords use to set rent prices, claiming that it creates "an unlawful information-sharing scheme."
Why they lost: The Harris-campaign leadership believes that the Democrats narrowed the gap on Trump that Biden left—but not by enough. Ronald Brownstein
‘People feel drained’: Anti-Trump Americans face temptation to tune out: The president-elect’s first term brought a wave of protest. This time, visitors to New York’s Washington Square Park are struggling for energy to resist. Guardian
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
The way we measure progress in AI is terrible: Many of the most popular benchmarks for AI models are outdated or poorly designed. Scott J Mulligan
Elon Musk filed an injunction to stop OpenAI from shifting away from its nonprofit structure.
Former Google, Stripe executives raise $56 million for AI agent startup: Bloomberg reports the company is looking to build an operating system to support a new crop of artificial intelligence products.
This website shows how much Google’s AI can glean from your photos: A photo-sharing startup founded by an ex-Google engineer found a clever way to turn Google’s tech against itself. Wired
Bloomberg: Apple readies more conversational Siri in bid to catch up in AI
+ Company is working on overhaul that employees call ‘LLM Siri’
+ Unveiling planned for next year, with rollout coming in 2026
Artists say they leaked OpenAI’s Sora video model in protest: “Artists are not your unpaid R&D,” their open letter reads. The Verge
Nvidia’s new AI audio model can synthesize sounds that have never existed: What does a screaming saxophone sound like? The Fugatto model has an answer. ARS Tech
How Indigenous engineers are using AI to preserve their culture: Indigenous languages are rapidly disappearing, and AI could help preserve them, according to Indigenous technologists. NBC News
Bloomberg: AI startup Helsing is now making attack drones for Europe
+ New weapon designed to hit targets without need for GPS
+ Startup’s software will also be in strike drones for Ukraine
Larry Ellison tech institute unveils Oxford university tie-up: FT reports the initial £100mn investment comes as UK tries to improve record on building tech companies.
Judge rejects Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package, despite shareholder vote: WP reports a Delaware judge denied the Tesla CEO’s record-setting pay package after shareholders voted to reinstate it earlier this year.
A USC sophomore died in a Northern California car crash last week when a Tesla Cybertruck struck a wall and was engulfed in flames. The student was Soren Dixon, a biological sciences major. Two of his high school classmates were also killed.
This electric mini-truck is the length of a Mini Cooper—but can carry as much as a bigger truck: Telo’s new EV can haul lumber or surfboards—and it starts at just $41,250. FC
Jaguar’s ‘Barbie pink’ electric car leaked online: Telegraph reports images appearing to show the concept vehicle draw comparisons with Thunderbirds and Pink Panther.
Jaguar’s new EV is as wild as its new logo: FC reports Jaguar’s new concept car, Type 00, comes after the British automaker’s controversial rebrand. The car could be just as polarizing.
China's BYD marks 30th year by chasing 4m car milestone: Nikkei reports the EV maker dominates home market but only sells about 10% of its vehicles abroad.
7-Eleven expands in Australia, drawing on Japan playbook: Nikkei reports the chain targets 1,000 stores by 2030, with emphasis on food and data.
SpaceX is in discussions to sell insider shares that could boost the value of Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite company to around $350 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why companies are backing away from DEI programs Bloomberg
QOTD: "Before going into marketing, go make some sales." --Seth Godin
*** Culture ***
In traffic-weary Toronto, a battle breaks out over bike lanes: Ontario’s government has vowed to tear up newly installed cycling infrastructure, stoking tensions between the city and its suburbs over rider safety and congestion. Bloomberg
California is home to the most expensive ZIP code in the country: 94027. The tony Bay Area town of Atherton boasts a median home list price of $7.75 million.
*** Sport ***
Andrew Luck as Stanford's GM? What it means for the Cardinal and college football ESPN
Man City's era of dominance is fading right before our eyes ESPN
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
