25 talking points for better conversation at cocktails from news of the past week.
1. Sweden enters NATO.
2. France signs defense deal with Moldova amid Russian threats.
3. Russia says it is working with China on a lunar nuclear power plant by 2035.
4. UK votes: Labour continues to hold a dominant lead over the Tories, polling 44 percent to the government's 27 percent in the latest Savanta voting intention.
5. EU will ban single-use plastic packaging in cafes starting in 2030.
6. The juntas in Niger, Mali + Burkina Faso agreed to form a joint force to fight jihadist militias.
7. Crypto super PACs have spent over $13 million to influence primary races in California, Texas, Alabama, and North Carolina.
8. House panel unanimously approved a bill that could ban TikTok.
9. Alibaba is leading a financing round of at least $600 million for Chinese AI startup MiniMax.
10. Ex-Google engineer charged with AI tech theft for Chinese firms.
11. Temasek Holdings is in discussions about investing in Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence company OpenAI.
12. Research shows survey participants duped by AI-generated images nearly 40% of the time.
13. 450%: The amount by which Nvidia's share price has surged since January 2023.
14. SpaceX eyes March 14 for its next Starship test launch.
15. NASA is seeking new astronaut candidates for the first time in four years.
16. JetBlue Airlines + Spirit Airlines called off a $3.8bn merger.
17. Today is the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines MH370.
18. Athletic Brewing Company has become the leading nonalcoholic beer brand in US grocery stores.
19. TalkTV will reportedly cease running as a linear TV channel and will broadcast solely on YouTube.
20. Riken Yamamoto wins the 2024 Pritzker architecture prize.
21. Noma will stay open until Spring 2025.
22. Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the Oscars.
23. The Dartmouth College men's basketball team voted to unionize with the Service Employees International Union, becoming the nation's first group of student-athletes to organize.
24. Caitlin Clark announces she will enter this spring's WNBA draft.
25. ATP Tour announces Saudi Arabia' strategic partnership.'
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
