ITK Daily | April 8
AUKUS, Fracking, Peak AI Mania, Larry David, South Carolina, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
ITK Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.
Always Be Communicating.
Happy Monday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
US, China need 'tough' conversations, Yellen tells Chinese Premier Li: The US Treasury Secretary has made the threat of China's excess production of electric vehicles and other clean energy products a focus of her second visit to China in nine months. CNA
AP: Yellen says US-China relationship on ‘more stable footing’ but more can be done to improve ties
Today: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is due to brief reporters in Beijing as she wraps up her second visit to China in about a year.
How China’s political clans might determine its future: The descendants of those who fought with Mao will help choose the country’s next ruler. Economist
Today: Taiwan's former President Ma Ying-jeou is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a sequel to talks they held in 2015.
Biden to warn Beijing against meddling in South China Sea: FT reports a rusting hulk of Philippines vessel Sierra Madre grounded on disputed reef has become potential US-China flashpoint.
Bloomberg: China’s huge sea buildup dwarfs Philippine push on tiny island
+ Manila seeks to upgrade underdeveloped South China Sea island
+ Beijing keeps presence near Thitu amid ongoing tensions
AUKUS weighs expanding security pact to deter China in Indo-Pacific: US, UK, and Australia to announce talks White House hopes will lead to Japan joining defence alliance. FT
CNA: US, Japan, Australia and Philippines to hold South China Sea exercises
Thursday: Japan, the Philippines, and the US will hold trilateral talks in Washington, the leaders' first such meeting, as they look to tackle regional issues including Beijing's claims to the South China Sea.
Bloomberg: UK, France call for more Ukraine aid ahead of Washington visit
+ Cameron travels to US to urge Congress approval of aid package
+ Speaker Johnson struggling to persuade Republican hardliners
Facing conscription, Ukraine’s young are torn between fight or flight: Plans to mobilise half a million more troops leave nowhere to hide for those who would rather cling to a semblance of ‘normal’ life — nowhere except the nightclub. The Times
Bloomberg: Russia says Macron’s hawkish statements pose ‘strategic problem’
+ Macron has refused to rule out sending troops to Ukraine
+ Envoy says Russia shut out of Paris Olympic safety planning
AP: Israel is pulling some troops from southern Gaza. Now the plan is to clear Hamas from Rafah
Bloomberg: Netanyahu says victory near, pulls some troops from Gaza
+ Netanyahu says no Gaza cease-fire without hostage release
+ Israel bracing for Iranian response to embassy attack
‘Very Gordon Brown’: Rishi Sunak is down and lashing out: With an ever-gloomier forecast, insiders say the prime minister is miserable — and rumours are swirling about where he might find a sunny escape after No 10. The Times
Brexit has made the UK a lower-status nation, says David Miliband: Former foreign secretary says Britain needs to forge closer political and foreign policy links with Europe if it is to thrive. Guardian
Thirty years after a genocide in Rwanda, painful memories run deep: NYT reports the Central African country is marking the anniversary of a monthslong rampage by militiamen that killed some 800,000 people.
Brazil threatens to regulate social media after clash with Elon Musk: FT reports the X owner calls for impeachment of Supreme Court judge over order banning certain profiles on platform.
Ecuador sparks diplomatic crisis after police storm Mexican embassy: FT reports Daniel Noboa orders police to seize a former vice-president who was sheltering in the mission.
Mexico, Nicaragua cut ties with Ecuador after embassy raid: DW reports President Lopez Obrador called the arrest of Ecuador's former VP Jorge Glas at Mexico's Quito embassy "a flagrant violation of international law." Nicaraguan President Ortega decried it as "unusual and reprehensible."
Bloomberg: Ecuador rebuked in Latin America for Mexican embassy raid
+ Storming followed standoff over sheltering ex-vice president
+ Noboa seeking to consolidate after winning presidency in 2023
AP: Mexico severs diplomatic ties with Ecuador after police storm its embassy to arrest politician
Bloomberg: Mexico seeks UN ruling in protest of Ecuador’s raid of embassy
+ Diplomatic staff return to Mexico after break in relations
+ Mexico to go to International Court of Justice with complaint
*** US Politics + Elections ***
Mike Johnson prepares to unwrap mystery Ukraine aid package: WSJ reports what the embattled House speaker’s bill will look like—and who will support it—remains unsettled due to fractures over both aid for Kyiv and related assistance for Israel.
‘Increasingly chaotic’: Why House Republicans are heading for the exits: Twenty-one Republicans want to leave their jobs, underlining the increasing dysfunction in the House and fears about maintaining the majority in November. WP
‘Now they’re voting red’: A Pennsylvania fracking boom weighs on Biden’s re-election chances: Economic churn is pushing voters toward Trump in the Pittsburgh area, potentially overwhelming Democrats’ base of college-educated workers. WSJ
Josh Shapiro warns Joe Biden gas stance could hurt election hopes: Pennsylvania’s governor says LNG pause is ‘critically important’ to 2024 swing state. FT
White Rural Rage review: Clinton’s ‘deplorables’ jibe at book length: Study of red state resentments that power Trump neglects key factors that help endanger Democrats outside US cities. Guardian
WP: Trump’s plan to end war in Ukraine includes ceding land to Russia
How Gaza protesters are challenging Democratic leaders: From President Biden to the mayors of small cities, Democrats have been trailed by demonstrators who are complicating the party’s ability to campaign in an election year. NYT
Lawmakers unveil sprawling plan to expand online privacy protections WP
How AI risks creating a ‘black box’ at the heart of US legal system The Hill
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
+ @tomfgoodwin: Show me a company doing something great with AI, and there is a 99% chance it is indeed great, but probably was being done 4 years ago and not called AI then
This $400 toothbrush is peak AI mania: An essential question for every hyped technology: Just why? WP
AI keeps going wrong. What if it can’t be fixed? Pessimists warn it could wipe out humanity. Optimists hail a medical revolution. Henry Mance meets the sceptics who argue that the technology is simply flawed. FT
From deepfakes to arms races, AI politics is here: Large language models are only going to get more devious, and it’s unlikely that any sort of regulation can rein in the machines. Niall Ferguson
Investors in talks to help Elon Musk’s xAI raise $3 billion, adding to industry arms race: WSJ reports the funding round could value the artificial-intelligence startup at $18 billion, though details aren’t finalized.
OpenAI’s not-so-secret weapon in winning business customers? ChatGPT: The maker of ChatGPT said 600,000 individuals pay for its ChatGPT business products—presenting an opportunity for OpenAI to win bigger company deals as it faces stiffer competition. WSJ
How tech giants cut corners to harvest data for AI: OpenAI, Google, and Meta ignored corporate policies, altered their own rules, and discussed skirting copyright law as they sought online information to train their newest artificial intelligence systems. NYT
Four takeaways on the race to amass data for AI: To make artificial intelligence systems more powerful, tech companies need online data to feed the technology. Here’s what to know. NYT
Tesla plans to unveil its self-driving Robotaxi on Aug. 8, Chief Executive Elon Musk said in a post on X.
The inside tale of Tesla’s fall to Earth: Sales are dropping. It’s cutting prices. And its latest big bets have yet to pan out. Can the world’s most valuable carmaker get its mojo back? WSJ
Toyota valuation doubles in new CEO's 1st year, nearing Tesla: After hybrid-fueled profit record, Sato set to focus on EV shift and governance. DW
Bloomberg: Uber-backed e-bike startup Lime planning global fleet expansion
+ Lime is planning to add 30,000 net new bikes in 2024
+ Rivals have gone bankrupt or consolidated operations
Jersey Mike’s Subs is considering a sale that could value the popular sandwich chain at $8 billion.
*** Culture ***
‘The Incomparable Mr. Buckley’ review: Withering wit and wisdom: An ‘American Masters’ presentation on PBS traces the intellectual and political life of William F. Buckley, the founder of National Review magazine and the droll but generous host of ‘Firing Line.’ WSJ
Larry David, philosopher king Mark Ralkowski
*** Sport ***
South Carolina completes perfect season by knocking off Caitlin Clark’s Iowa: WSJ reports the 38-0 Gamecocks beat the Hawkeyes, 87-75, to win the NCAA women’s basketball title, despite 30 points from Caitlin Clark.
The Juwan Howard interview: Regrets, lost trust, and the end of his Michigan coaching career The Athletic
Death of sumo: Japan’s traditional sport is in peril: Takerufuji has become famous in Japan for winning a top tournament on his first appearance, but audiences are declining, and stables are mired in disrepute. The Times
Guardian: ‘No one is going to catch Max’: Wolff says F1 title is already Verstappen’s to lose
+ Mercedes team principal says they are only in a fight for second
+ Russell seventh and Hamilton ninth on another tough weekend
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
ITK Daily | April 8
