ITK Daily | March 5
China, Haiti, Supreme Court, SpaceX, Boston Celtics, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
ITK Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.
Always Be Communicating.
Happy Tuesday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
AFP: China's leaders set five percent growth goal, raise military budget in 2024
Bloomberg: China vows to mobilize nation as it fights US for tech supremacy
+ The central government will raise R&D spending by about 10%
+ China is locked in a strategic conflict over tech with the US
+ Under Xi’s watch, China has expanded state control of strategically critical areas from semiconductor manufacturing to quantum computing
Nikkei: China sets GDP growth target of 'around 5%' for 2024
+ Premier Li announces the same goal as last year, says recovery 'not solid enough'
Bloomberg: China sets ambitious growth target amid push to boost confidence
+ Beijing repeats 2023’s goal of about 5%, despite a higher base
+ Announces plan for ultra-long special central government bonds
China’s high-wire Act: Downshifting growth without slipping into stagnation: WSJ reports Xi Jinping has made clear that growth at all costs is out. Now, the challenge is finding a new path—and rallying the people to his side.
Nikkei: ASEAN and Australia move closer on climate and economic security
+ Canberra sees the alliance as a bulwark against China's rise
France becomes first nation in world to add abortion rights to constitution: FT reports move to pass article gained traction amid rollback of reproductive freedoms in US and Poland.
EU to ban single-use plastic packaging in cafes from 2030: Le Monde reports the EU's 27 nations and lawmakers have reached a consensus on a draft text on Monday, which establishes a target of reducing packaging waste in the bloc by five percent by 2030, in comparison to the levels recorded in 2018.
Israel under pressure to justify its use of AI in Gaza: Politico reports in Washington, however, scrutiny of Israel’s use of AI warfare appears to be low on the priority list.
Bloomberg: Palantir signs deal with Ukraine to use AI to help clear mines
AP: Newly enlarged NATO starts drill in Finland, Norway and Sweden in defense of its Nordic turf
Haiti declares state of emergency after mass jailbreak: FT reports Prime Minister Ariel Henry hopes Kenya-led force will shore up security as armed gangs overrun the capital.
*** US Politics + Elections ***
Bloomberg: Supreme Court rules Trump can appear on presidential ballots
+ Liberals write concurring opinion saying court went too far
+ Ruling ends fight over Trump eligibility under 14th Amendment
Supreme Court ballot ruling darkens critics’ hopes for a judicial curb on Trump: WP reports while the court had been widely expected to rule in Donald Trump’s favor, the decision came amid a string of setbacks in efforts to hold him accountable for his efforts to disrupt the transfer of power after the 2020 vote.
South Florida Sun Sentinel: FAU poll shows 1 in 7 Republicans don’t plan to vote for Trump in November
Joe Biden’s superfans think the rest of America has lost its mind: NYT reports bewildered by tepid enthusiasm for a president they see as transformative, these Democrats occupy a lonely place in US politics: “I feel like I’m the only one.”
CNBC: Biden may be losing his favorability advantage over Trump, new polls suggest
Joe Biden’s last campaign: Trailing Trump in polls and facing doubts about his age, the President voices defiant confidence in his prospects for reelection. Evan Osnos
The return of the Clintons Gabriel Debenedetti
Big labor gamble: Push to unionize every US auto plant: A looming election at a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga could be pivotal in the United Automobile Workers’ effort to organize the entire industry. NYT
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
Bloomberg: AMD hits US roadblock in selling AI chip tailored for China
+ Commerce Department bars exports of powerful AI processors
+ AMD sought US permission to sell AI chip to Chinese customers
Nvidia surge stokes talk of a Bubble: WSJ reports the chip maker’s meteoric advance has helped push the stock market to record highs. It also has some on Wall Street saying the “B word.”
WP: Health-care hack spreads pain across hospitals and doctors nationwide
Generative AI is challenging a 234-year-old law: The technology might finally bend copyright past the breaking point, upending what it means to have a creative society in the process. Alex Reisner
AI is a potential existential threat for the music labels: DealBook reports Universal says TikTok is being “flooded” with AI-generated music. As the platform embraces user-generated content, that issue has become a sticking point in talks.
Microsoft derides ‘doomsday futurology’ of New York Times’ AI lawsuit: Tech group and OpenAI investor files motion to dismiss case alleging copyright infringement. FT
Microsoft seeks to dismiss parts of suit filed by The New York Times: NYT reports the tech giant and its partner OpenAI were accused of infringing on copyrights to train AI technologies like the online chatbot ChatGPT.
AI is taking water from the desert: New data centers are springing up every week. Can the Earth sustain them? Karen Hao
ChatGPT-rival Anthropic releases more powerful AI: AFP reports Anthropic, a major player in generative artificial intelligence, announced new models to fuel its Claude chatbot, the company said on Monday, as ChatGPT faces more rivals.
AI Startup Anthropic says new models cut hallucination risks: Bloomberg reports the startup says new versions of Claude will be twice as likely to answer a question correctly.
Silicon Valley's elite are moralizing about the future of AI Insider
Bloomberg: OpenAI, Salesforce sign pledge to build AI for good of humanity
+ Scale AI and Hugging Face also among dozens of signatories
+ The open letter stops short of listing specific actions needed
Organized by the veteran investor Ron Conway, forty-five companies and tech executives have signed an open letter pledging to ensure that their work benefits humanity. Access the letter here.
Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and other tech billionaires bicker over open vs. closed AI: ‘Would you open source the Manhattan Project?’ Fortune
Humanoid robots at Amazon provide glimpse of an automated workplace: Agility Robotics has targeted the warehousing industry with two-legged bots and sees them eventually stocking shelves and working in hospitals. Bloomberg
Apple's $2 billion fine heralds a new antitrust dawn: Big Tech beware. The EU’s trust-busters are entering a new era of quick, blunt enforcement. Parmy Olson
Bloomberg: Chicago to go ahead with plan to revamp empty downtown towers
FT: Tesla shares fall 7% as shipments from China factory hit 14-month low
How China is churning out EVs faster than everyone else: WSJ reports riding China’s EV boom, upstart automakers have eclipsed foreign rivals to develop cars faster, push the boundaries of smart tech, and swamp consumers with choice.
SpaceX launches new crew to International Space Station: Le Monde reports seven people are currently aboard the ISS. After an overlap of a few days, four members of the current ISS crew – an American, a Dane, and one person each from Japan and Russia – will return to Earth in their own capsule.
Bloomberg: British Airways plans to spend £750 million on digital upgrades
JetBlue Airlines + Spirit Airlines called off a $3.8bn merger.
AFP: American Airlines orders 260 jets from Airbus, Boeing, Embraer
Beyonce’s new hair-care line enters a market craving disruption: A steady stream of Black female entrepreneurs has begun catering to the beauty needs for women of color, but they say there’s room for more. Bloomberg
Wall Street’s DEI retreat has officially begun: Programs once meant for people of color and women are now open to all. Bloomberg
*** Culture ***
AP: Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the Oscars again. This time, it’s an election year
*** Sport ***
The Boston Celtics are demolishing the NBA: They’ve got a historically great offense and league’s best record—and they just thumped Steph Curry and Golden State by 52 points. Do they have what it takes to topple the Denver Nuggets? Jason Gay
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
ITK Daily | March 5
