Happy Tuesday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
To be ITK, know this:
Insight | The state of the US economy and how it impacts you: Yesterday, I was the special guest on the podcast Money with David Buik and Michael Wilson. We discussed the US economy and what effects that will have in the UK. Plus, answering why Biden might be averse to a British state visit. Listen here.
FT Person of the Year: Volodymyr Zelenskyy: The president of Ukraine embodies the resilience of his people and has become a standard bearer for liberal democracy. FT
+ "I am more responsible than brave"
Guardian: Explosions rock two Russian airbases far from Ukraine frontline
+ Russia confirms blasts at military facilities as Kyiv finds a way to target long-range bombers
BBC: Fighting set to slow for winter months, says US intelligence
+ US director of intelligence Avril Haines says both sides will try to "refit, resupply, and reconstitute" for any counter-offensive in the spring.
WSJ: US altered HIMARS rocket launchers to keep Ukraine from firing missiles into Russia
Germany backtracks on defense spending promises made after Ukraine invasion: Politico reports days after Russia invaded Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to meet long ignored military spending targets of 2 percent of GDP.
Canada to send more warships through Taiwan Strait in signal to China: FT reports that Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly says Ottawa will play a bigger defense role in Indo-Pacific.
Enemies of my enemy: How fear of China is forging a new world order. Michael Beckley
China recalibrates zero-COVID as patience runs thin: Low vaccinations, Xi's reputation, and fear of the virus force a cautious shift. Nikkei
Apple’s warning about China business: Shareholders are going to want to know how companies are diversifying risk from the People’s Republic. WSJ - Editorial
‘No secret US deal’: Taiwan denies TSMC plant will hurt island dominance: SCMP reports that Joseph Wu, responding to queries in legislature meeting, dismisses speculation that TSMC’s American plant was the result of US pressure and blames Beijing for spreading fear.
Nikkei: Apple, Nvidia to be first customers of TSMC Arizona chip plant
Today: Biden will travel to Phoenix to visit TSMC, a Taiwanese company investing in making semiconductor chips in the US.
Indonesia pins hopes on new capital as Jakarta sinks: Threatened by rising water levels, the city is sinking by 7.5 centimeters per year. Nusantara, the new capital, will be located on the island of Borneo. Le Monde
LNG in India: Singapore-based Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific is looking to set up its first liquefied natural gas terminal in India by 2024.
Friendshoring makes sense if done in the right way Hugo Dixon
Friendshoring: A commitment to work with countries that “have a strong adherence to a set of norms and values about how to operate in the global economy and about how to run the global economic system.”
+ The purpose is to insulate supply chains from less like-minded nations, such as China.
Australia, China, and the judgment of the Solomons: Geopolitical rivalry spills into the South Pacific as Canberra and Washington battle Beijing’s rising influence. Gideon Rachman
New Zealand plans to make Facebook, Google pay for news: WSJ reports the legislation to be based on a similar law in Australia and a proposal in Canada.
Always easy to regulate tech not headquartered in your nation.
Greece in secret talks with British Museum over Elgin Marbles: Politico reports that behind-the-scenes discussions over the Parthenon sculptures have been taking place for more than a year, Greek newspaper Ta Nea says.
Tory MPs are fleeing the sinking ship. Will anyone give them a job? A relatively young cohort of Conservative lawmakers is heading for the exit — but what will they do next? Politico
House of Lords: Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants to abolish the “indefensible” House of Lords in the first term of a Labour government, arguing that political reform will address the concerns of Brexit voters and Scottish nationalists.
+ "the biggest ever transfer of power from Westminster to the British people"
Labour’s constitutional radicalism is what a broken system needs: Too much of our political class has become timid or borderline corrupt. It’s time to redistribute power and abolish the House of Lords. Andrew Marr
+ "Overall, the package will be hated in Westminster, not least because it bans most second jobs for politicians."
+ "Above all, it’s time to take on “the old two systems”: a winner-takes-all parliamentary system, with an incredibly powerful centralized system of Downing Street patronage sitting atop it."
Emmanuel Macron: The 60 Minutes interview: In a wide-ranging interview, President Macron discusses the impact the war in Ukraine and US domestic policy are having on his country. YouTube
South Africa’s president is unlikely to face impeachment: NYT reports leaders of the governing African National Congress said they opposed holding an impeachment hearing for President Cyril Ramaphosa over a scandal involving cash stolen from a couch at his game farm.
+ Ramaphosa is accused in a parliamentary report of breaking anti-corruption laws.
Today: Georgia Senate runoff.
+ Polls are open from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm ET.
+ Media organizations could announce a winner within hours of the polls closing.
DeSantis to offer VIP access to his inauguration — for $50K to $1M: Politico reports the inauguration will give DeSantis an opportunity to demonstrate his fundraising prowess.
LA oil + gas wells: Los Angeles has 780 active and 287 idle oil and gas wells within its boundaries via a 2018 count.
+ The nation’s second-largest city wants to achieve 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2035.
+ “In Los Angeles, we sit on the largest urban oil deposit in the world. So if Los Angeles can do it, cities around the world can do it.” -- Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson
MW: Chamath Palihapitiya slams media for not uncovering FTX problems ahead of collapse
+ “The way that [Sam Bankman-Fried] was able to get away with it is that not a single reporter or regulator thought to dig in, and the reason I think is because he said all of the right things that wanted them to embrace him.”
"blame media" = "blame comms"
SCMP: All TikTok wants for Christmas is US shoppers, as Chinese apps take on Amazon
DHL has agreed to buy 2,000 electric Ford vans and software services that go with them.
Tesla reported record deliveries from its Shanghai factory in November.
Report: 2021 EPA Automotive Trends EPA
+ The number of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) sold in the United States has consistently grown since 2010, reaching 4% of the light-duty vehicle market in 2021.
+ The average battery electric vehicle, or BEV, sold in 2011 weighed 3,600 pounds, according to the DOE analysis. In 2021, the average BEV weighed 4,600 pounds.
Report: North America’s Rapidly Growing Electric Vehicle Market: Implications for the Geography of Automotive Production Federal Reserve Chicago
Does nudge theory have a future in marketing? After suffering from papers being debunked and theories discredited, the field of nudging has lost some of its shine. Can it still be a useful marketing tool? Contagious
Graphic design trends for 2023: From anti-branding to vivid minimalism Envato
52 things I learned in 2022 Tom Whitwell
Edward Hopper’s New York, as it looks today: A web-based map from the Whitney Museum lets viewers see the modern-day appearances of the places Hopper painted. NYT
Goblin mode: Oxford's word of the year.
+ A slang term for a "type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations."
Atsuko Okatsuka: Her stand-up comedy special premieres on HBO on December 10.
How K-pop darlings Blackpink became trendsetters in the luxury industry: Since coming onto the scene in 2016, K-pop group Blackpink has become as well known for its hit songs as its members' fashion sense, making them muses for luxury brands. Le Monde
Nike and Kyrie Irving officially end relationship: NYT reports the sportswear giant suspended its partnership with the NBA star last month after he posted a link to an antisemitic film on social media.
Fox Sports’ US World Cup coverage is an unmissable abomination: The broadcaster has offered up a feast of gaffes, stupidity, and unconquerable on-air awkwardness for US viewers to enjoy. Aaron Timms
Today's knockout stage matches:
MAR v ESP 10:00 am ET
POR v SUI @ 2:00 pm ET
The World Cup is already planning a big expansion in 2026, but organizers reportedly have designs to grow the tournament to an unprecedented size. The 2026 edition, which will be played across the US, Canada, and Mexico, will expand from 32 to 48 teams.
Guardian: Nick Bollettieri, pioneering tennis coach, dies aged 91
+ He coached Williams sisters, Agassi, and Sharapova
+ Bollettieri’s academy set a blueprint for modern coaching
Audi will join Formula 1 in 2026.
The raddest sports and outdoor innovations of 2022: An electric personal watercraft, a tear-proof jacket, and more gear for having fun while getting fresh air are the Best of What’s New. Popular Science
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Caracal produces ITK Daily.
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Caracal believes that to be a world-class geopolitical business communicator, you need global street smarts coupled with holistic, high-frequency, and high-low communications.
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