Here are 25 talking points for better conversation at cocktails from news of the past week.
1. King Charles became the first British head of state to visit Auschwitz, to mark the 80th anniversary of its liberation.
2. China is set for a great reshuffling of local government ranks this year; roughly one-fifth of China’s local leaders are due to retire in 2025.
3. Brexit: A YouGov survey found just 3 in 10 Brits still think it was right to leave the EU.
4. Prostate cancer is now the most common form of cancer in England, according to NHS data. There were 55,000 cases in 2023, up 25% on five years before.
5. France reclaimed the Bocuse d’Or, a fine-dining competition.
6. 11 Baltic cables have been damaged in 15 months.
7. Denmark announces $2 billion Arctic security plan.
8. 92: The number of vessels that navigated Russia’s Northern Sea Route last year, up from 19 in 2016.
9. The EU AI Act’s first provisions take effect February 2.
10. Gen AI use: A recent Google-Ipsos survey across 21 countries found that 80 per cent of Gen AI users use it for communications and writing.
11. Vatican warns of AI evils, from deepfakes to ‘enslavement’: The church has issued a 13,000-word document warning governments about the potential consequences of emerging technology.
12. US Copyright Office declared Wednesday that the use of artificial intelligence tools to assist in the creative process does not undermine the copyright of a work.
13. Meta plans to invest as much as $65 billion on projects related to artificial intelligence in 2025.
14. Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly hunting for a home in Washington, DC.
15. WP: The 5 Democrats who make the most sense for 2028
5. John Fetterman
4. Kamala Harris
3. Pete Buttigieg
2. Gretchen Whitmer
1. Josh Shapiro
16. Union membership fell in 2024, hitting new low: Tthe share of American workers in unions dropped to 9.9 percent last year.
17. Project 2025: More than 30 out of Trump’s 47 initial executive actions as of Thursday afternoon match or partially align with ideas promoted in Project 2025.
18. Trump to address Congress on March 4: House Speaker Mike Johnson invited President Donald Trump to address a joint session of Congress on March 4.
19. Google says it will change Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’ in Maps app after government updates.
20. Spotify says it paid out $10 billion to the music industry in 2024 alone.
21. Super Bowl ads hit an eye-watering $8 million for 30-seconds.
22. Parlay bets delivered about 56% of sports-betting revenue after payouts for companies in the three states during that period, up from 50% in the same stretch of 2021.
23. Total online gambling revenues in the US is expected to reach $63 billion by 2030.
24. The NWSL has officially announced Denver as its 16th franchise.
25. At least five skiers have been killed in two avalanches in the French alps.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
