Caracal Daily | June 6
D-Day, Trump's VP, Starliner, AI Film Festival, NBA, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
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Happy Thursday.
Here’s today’s Caracal Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
At 6 am on June 6, 1944, Robert Capa landed on Omaha Beach and scored the scoop of the century: The story behind Capa's mythical photographs has evolved in recent years, without in any way diminishing the feat. Le Monde
Biden in France to commemorate 80th D-Day anniversary: Le Monde reports the American president began a visit marking 80 years since the World War II D-Day landings, with a new war shadowing Europe as Ukraine battles the Russian invasion.
War in Ukraine overshadows 80th anniversary of D-Day commemorations: Le Monde reports the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has not been invited to the ceremony, unlike his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. After more than two years of fighting, this is an opportunity for Western allies to demonstrate their ongoing support for Ukraine.
Remembering D-Day, as a new war rages in Europe: World leaders and surviving soldiers will attend the 80th anniversary of Normandy. Economist
Latvia sends cars seized from drunk drivers to Ukraine: AFP reports Latvian drunk drivers are making an important -- if not entirely voluntary -- contribution to helping Ukraine fend off the Russian invasion.
Israel secretly targets US lawmakers with influence campaign on Gaza war: NYT reports Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs ordered the operation, which used fake social media accounts urging US lawmakers to fund Israel’s military, according to officials and documents about the effort.
Politico: Slovenia recognizes Palestinian statehood
Europe’s elections test a landmark social media law: Tech companies are using aggressive tactics to stem disinformation in response to the Digital Services Act. But the election poses a challenge to regulators. WP
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer fight for a poundshop presidency: The general election reveals the absurdities of Britain’s presidential turn. Economist
Allies warn former fighter pilots not to train Chinese military members: NYT reports a new bulletin says China is trying to step up recruitment of Western-trained fighter pilots to improve its air combat capability.
US and allies say China is ‘aggressively recruiting’ their fighter pilots: FT reports Five Eyes partners accuse People’s Liberation Army of using western military talent to train its aviators.
China’s plan to sell cheap EVs to the rest of the world: Shut out of the US by tariffs and facing a backlash in Europe, Chinese carmakers could end up dominating many emerging markets. FT
AI anime flood: An infringement investigation of 90,000 images: AI-generated Pokemon characters, Luffy and Mario images tarnish Japan's soft power. Nikkei
A triumph for Indian democracy: The shock election result will change the country—ultimately for the better. Economist
Latin America's anger at China's economic clout grows: China's growing influence appears to have some drawbacks in Latin America. Beijing has targeted countries such as Guatemala and outraged retailers in Brazil. DW
The Bank of Canada became the first central bank in a G7 economy to cut interest rates in the current cycle, lowering its main rate from 5% to 4.75%.
*** US Politics + Elections ***
Former President Donald Trump will attend a private meeting of with the Business Roundtable in Washington on June 13.
Trump's VP search accelerates: Prospective running mates have received vetting materials as the race for the No. 2 spot on Trump's ticket narrows to three or four candidates, sources tell NBC News.
+ Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as all on the top of Trump's VP list currently.
David Sacks tried the 2024 alternatives. Now he’s all-in on Trump: The venture capitalist hosting a $300,000-a-head fundraiser for the former president has carved out a role for himself among Silicon Valley’s political right. Bloomberg
CNN: Janet Yellen warns AI in finance poses ‘significant risks’
Hochul halts congestion pricing in a stunning 11th-hour shift: NYT reports weeks before New York was to charge motorists to enter Manhattan’s business district, Gov. Kathy Hochul postponed the program citing economic concerns.
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
+ “The world isn’t ready, and we aren’t ready.” -- Daniel Kokotajlo, a former OpenAI researcher, explains to the New York Times why he lost confidence in the company’s ability to behave responsibly as it creates ever more capable AI systems.
WSJ: Nvidia’s market cap passes $3 trillion
Reuters: Hewlett Packard Enterprise surges as AI-server demand powers strong results
Reuters: Cisco launches $1 billion AI fund and makes first investments
Most downloaded US news app has Chinese roots and 'writes fiction' using AI: Reuters reports Newsbreak launched in the US in 2015 as a subsidiary of Yidian, a Chinese news aggregation app. Both companies were founded by Jeff Zheng, the CEO of Newsbreak, and the companies share a US patent registered in 2015 for an "Interest Engine" algorithm, which recommends news content based on a user's interests and location.
Bloomberg: Snowden says attempts to regulate AI may stifle its potential
+ ‘They will build a dam around us,’ Snowden tells tech event
+ But AI is advancing too fast for it to be suppressed, he says
Fortune: Microsoft’s chief scientist: Step aside, prompt engineers—AI will start prompting you instead
Asana is rolling out an initial version of its "AI teammates" — an artificial intelligence-based feature that aims to assist users by doing some of their tasks.
Satya Nadella has made Microsoft 10 times more valuable in his decade as CEO. Can he stay ahead in the AI age? Fortune
Apple faces pressure to deliver on AI at developer conference: AFP reports Apple is expected to make the case next week that it is not being left behind as tech world rivals blaze ahead with artificial intelligence.
Apple made once-unlikely deal with Sam Altman to catch up in AI: An OpenAI agreement is due to be announced at the Apple’s developer conference next week. Bloomberg
Elon Musk’s xAI plans to build supercomputer in Memphis: WSJ reports the investment’s size hasn’t been finalized, and it still requires local officials’ approval—but it represents Musk’s latest step to supercharge his entry into the artificial-intelligence race.
Bloomberg: AI’s insatiable data-center demand makes crypto miners targets
+ Takeover bid for Core shows rising value of company’s assets
+ Miners have gone on a shopping spree for Nvidia equipment
Boeing’s Starliner launches NASA astronauts after setbacks and delays: WSJ reports the spacecraft is expected to reach the International Space Station Thursday and return to Earth next week.
TC: Zoox to test self-driving cars in Austin and Miami
*** Culture ***
'Amelie' director to judge first AI film festival: AFP reports the director of French classic "Amelie" said he was fascinated but occasionally scared by artificial intelligence as he launched a first-ever festival for AI-generated movies on Wednesday.
*** Sport ***
NBA nears $76 billion TV deal, a defining moment for media and sports: WSJ reports the league is closing in on deals with NBC, ESPN and Amazon that would go into effect after the 2024-2025 season and include rights to WNBA telecasts.
WP: One year later, why haven’t the PGA Tour and Saudis completed a deal?
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
Caracal Daily | June 6
