Happy Wednesday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
To be ITK, know this:
Insight | You can't stay in the classroom endlessly.
Could you learn to ride a bicycle from a lecture?
Possibly.
Could you learn to ride a bicycle from a spin around your neighborhood?
Absolutely.
Full post here.
AP: France doesn’t rule out sending warplanes to Ukraine
Biden seemingly rejects request to send US F-16s to Ukraine: Politico reports there is a, but as the administration has yet to hold high-level discussions about arming Kyiv with the jets, a US official said later.
How arming Ukraine is stretching the US defense industry FT
NATO’s weapons stockpiles need urgent replenishment: Russia’s attack on Ukraine shows western militaries are ill-equipped for war. FT - Editorial Board
+ President Biden on Monday said he would visit Poland.
+ February 24 is the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine.
Putin has paved the way for Ukrainian membership in NATO Boris Johnson
Scholz bid to rally Ukraine support in South America falls flat: Reuters reports German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's bid this week to rally support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion during his first South American tour fell flat, with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reiterating his view both parties shared blame.
France and Australia seek to overcome AUKUS crisis: Australian foreign and defense ministers visited Paris with the aim of 'rebuilding the relationship' between Paris and Canberra and pledged to deliver shells to Ukraine. Le Monde
As Russian invasion nears one-year mark, partisans grow further apart on US support for Ukraine Pew
+ About a quarter (26%) now say the US is providing too much support to Ukraine, while 31% say it is giving the right amount, and 20% would like to see the US give Ukraine additional assistance.
Ukraine is shaping up as a forever war Roger Boyes
NATO’s new secretary-general, same as the old one? A good head on NATO is more important than ever — but few fit the bill. Politico
The EU wants to counter China's "New Silk Road" with billions of its own: The EU is seeking to appoint Mario Draghi as a special envoy of the Global Gateway, Brussels’ response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Macron, Rutte agree to disagree on European response to US subsidies: Politico reports the two leaders don’t see eye to eye on how the bloc should hit back at the US Inflation Reduction Act.
FT: UK green industries fear threat from US climate incentives bill
Globalization spat amongst friends: French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire and his German counterpart Robert Habeck head to Washington on February 6-7 to try to reduce the spat sparked by the US Inflation Reduction Act.
‘Like Marx on steroids:’ EU governments slam subsidy plan: EU countries are coming out against a Brussels blueprint to expand state aid for the industry to counter soaring energy prices and US competition. Politico
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund lost a record $164 billion last year, hurt by the war in Ukraine, inflation, and rising interest rates.
AFP: France braces for fresh strikes, protests against Macron's pension reform
Le Monde: Protests grow for second day of demonstration against French pension reform
Politico: The great British walkout: Rishi Sunak braces for biggest UK strike in 12 years
UK expected to be only major economy to shrink in 2023 - IMF: The UK economy will shrink and perform worse than other advanced economies, including Russia, as the cost of living continues to hit households, the International Monetary Fund has said. BBC
Why is the UK economy doing so badly? The Times
Brexit is costing the UK £100 billion a year in lost output Bloomberg
Three years on, is Brexit worth celebrating? Ross Clark
It’s not going well for Britain’s new prime minister Moya Lothian-McLean
+ Moya Lothian-McLean is a journalist who writes about Britain’s politics and culture.
Tories can win if the whole party is hungry for it: The next election can be another 1992 rather than 1997 for Conservatives, but they don’t have long to prove themselves. William Hague
Liz Truss crashes the (Republican) party: The former British prime minister, banished from office after a disastrous rollout of her tax-cut plan, finds new allies in American conservatives. Alexander Burns
Mrs. Truss goes to Washington.
Belarusian president arrives in Zimbabwe: VOA News reports Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday for talks with his counterpart, Emmerson Mnangagwa, aimed at boosting "strong cooperation" in several areas between the two countries.
Russian mercenaries are destabilizing Africa Colin P. Clarke
+ Colin P. Clarke is the author of “After the Caliphate: The Islamic State and the Future of the Terrorist Diaspora.”
Pope Francis lands in Congo, where all his priorities converge: The Central African country is wracked by war, poverty, and environmental plunder — and it may be the future of the Catholic Church. NYT
Ultra-low turnout in Tunisia's parliamentary elections deepens the political crisis: Le Monde reports only 11% of voters in Tunisia cast their ballot in the Sunday elections, with parliament holding little sway due to Kais Saied's all-powerful presidency.
After Tunisia's 'ghost election,' what comes next? Voter turnout for parliamentary elections in Tunisia this weekend was so low it broke world records. Tunisians are dispirited, and a wannabe authoritarian leads the country. What now for the endangered democracy? DW
US and India launch high-level defense and tech initiative: Geopolitical concerns about China and Russia form the backdrop of partnership. WP
FT: US and India launch ambitious tech and defense initiatives
US, South Korea to step up nuclear deterrence efforts against North Korea: WSJ reports Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says two countries would expand military drills.
Support for Japan's Kishida rises to 39% as pandemic recedes: Nikkei reports 64% of respondents approve of the decision to downgrade COVID-19.
AP: Japan, Greece step up security ties as 'strategic partners'
How Xi Jinping's past helps explain the China of today ABC
Apple cannot abandon China now even if it wanted to Adam Lashinsky
SCMP: Biden to raise China and Russia ‘challenges’ in address to US public days after Blinken visits Beijing
+ American president described as rallying international partners in response to the Ukraine war and eager to discuss global issues with the domestic audience.
+ State-of-the-Union speech precedes a trip to China by top US envoy intent on restoring regular bilateral dialogues.
USA-BRA: President Biden will meet President Lula at the White House on February 10.
Political turmoil is tearing Peru apart: Two months of often violent protest threaten democracy’s survival. Economist
Trudeau knows there’s trouble on the horizon: The return of Canada’s House of Commons has triggered the unofficial start of the next election campaign. Politico
To hold off Pierre Poilievre, Justin Trudeau has to counter a familiar — and effective — playbook: Poilievre’s most common refrain — that “Justin” has made everything worse — echoes UK Tory David Cameron’s successful “Broken Britain” campaign. It’s a line of attack the prime minister has to take seriously. Althia Raj
Top 100: The most influential people in Canadian government and politics in 2023: This year’s 100 most influential list is peppered with the politicians, political staffers and strategists, public servants, and media who help shape policy, hold the government to account, and wield influence behind the scenes. The Hill Times
Canada: PM’s residence is falling to bits – but who’s willing to pay for repairs? The once grand 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, with a leaky roof and mold after decades of negligence, is in dire need of an upgrade. Guardian
The Biden administration plans to release the president’s budget on March 9, according to multiple sources familiar with the plan.
Southern Democrats rally for Atlanta 2024 convention: NBC News reports New York City, Chicago, and Atlanta are vying to host the Democratic National Convention, with the party expected to pick a winner this spring.
MI Presidential Primary: Under a Democratic bill passed on a party-line vote in the House Tuesday and in the Senate last week, Michigan's primary election date would move to the fourth Tuesday in February in presidential election years starting in 2024.
FNC: Sen. Tim Scott headed to Iowa in February, fueling more GOP presidential speculation
Why DeSantis is on track to beat Trump: The main Trump alternative has learned the lessons of 2016. Jonathan Chait
Looking back on the coverage of Trump CJR
Mitch Daniels opts against a run for the Senate: Politico reports: “It’s just not the job for me, not the town for me, and not the life I want to live at this point.”
+ @HouseCommerce: History made. Chair @CathyMcMorris Rodgers: The first woman to Chair the Energy and Commerce Committee in its 227-year history.
+ @Olivia_Beavers: NEW: sources tells me Rep. Santos informed conference that he is stepping off his committees
Americans are leaving high-tax New York and moving to Florida: Bloomberg reports New Jersey, California, and Illinois are also among the places losing residents as lower costs draw people to the Sun Belt.
IMF macro outlook: The International Monetary Fund is projecting the global economy to grow by 2.9 percent this year amid cooling inflation and moderating geopolitical risks.
The US consumer is starting to freak out: WSJ reports the flush savings accounts and cheap credit that helped keep Americans spending at high rates since 2020 are disappearing.
+ @davidhieatt: Economists have predicted 20 of the last 7 recessions
2023 Washington Insights Review: Razor-thin margins in each chamber mean that policymakers on both sides of the aisle face more contentious legislative and political battles in the new Congress. This increasingly divided political landscape is the focal point of Penta Policy Insiders’ annual Washington Insights Review this year. Our research highlights policymaker policy priorities, as well as perspectives on broader topics such as Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) and corporate engagement. Penta
Biden is touting giant EVs. Are they actually good for the planet? The electric Hummer’s carbon emissions record is mixed, to say the least. Shannon Osaka
The Canadian government wants you to own an electric vehicle — but who can even afford them? Windsor is a future home for EV manufacturing, but numbers show many in the Ontario city can't afford them. CBC
Canada can build an electric vehicle industry worth $48B a year — but it must act now: report: Canada needs a strategy quickly in order to capitalize on payoffs in jobs and economic growth. CBC
CBC: Canada moves to make one-fifth of all vehicle sales electric starting in 2026
FT: BlackRock steps up spending on US lobbying in face of anti-ESG attacks
FT: GM invests $650mn in US lithium mine to secure EV battery materials
The computer errors from outer space: The Earth is subjected to a hail of subatomic particles from the Sun and beyond our solar system, which could be the cause of glitches that afflict our phones and computers. And the risk is growing as microchip technology shrinks. BBC
Spanish-speaking streamers are the hottest thing on Twitch: Spanish is the fastest-growing language on Twitch, but Latin America’s influencer economy is still in early stages of development. Bloomberg
+ From 2019 to 2022, the audience for Spanish-language Twitch livestreams increased sixfold, and Spanish shot up from the seventh-most-watched language category on the site to the second, behind English.
+ Most of the world’s Spanish speakers live in Latin America, which has more than its share of gamers: About 80% of people aged 10 to 65 in developed residential areas play video games, according to analytics firm NewZoo.
Showtime changes its name in a nod to its streaming future: NYT reports the cable network will be called Paramount+ With Showtime, and its programming will soon be integrated into the Paramount+ streaming app.
PayPal will cut 2,000 jobs, or 7% of its workforce, in the coming weeks.
Workday is eliminating 3% globally.
Exxon notched a record $59 billion in 2022 profit.
Boeing delivers last 747, a jumbo jet that ‘shrank the world’: FT reports it is the end of production after more than 1,500 planes, reflecting the market’s shift to more efficient models.
Starwood CEO Barry Sternlicht’s new hotel brand bets on outdoor recreation: WSJ reports Field & Stream Lodge is part of a budding trend of hotel owners seeking to capitalize on the boom in nature-oriented vacations.
+ Field & Stream Lodge hotels are planned around national parks and other scenic destinations.
The restless quest for a better frozen pizza: As shoppers flock to the freezer aisle, artisan pizzaiolos are using new tech and express shipping to give them pies that taste like the real thing. But the translation from fresh isn’t easy. NYT
Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World: Chuck D of Public Enemy explores Hip Hop’s political awakening over the last 50 years. With a host of rap stars and cultural commentators, he tracks Hip Hop’s socially conscious roots. From The Message to Fight The Power 2020, he examines how Hip Hop has become "the Black CNN." Watch here.
+ Nike’s Jordan Brand brought in $5.1 billion in fiscal 2022.
Apple’s soccer TV push comes with no guarantees for advertisers Bloomberg
+ Apple is selling sponsorships for $4 million a season.
+ Apple isn’t accepting ads from sports betting companies.
+ MLS Season Pass, which debuts Feb. 1, marks Apple’s first major push into the $68 billion US TV ad market.
+ Fans can buy MLS Season Pass for $15 a month, or $99 per season, through the Apple TV app.
+ MLS has not been a particularly big draw on television. Its regular season audience on ABC and ESPN averaged 343,000 viewers per game last year.
+ Apple’s advertising unit generates about $4 billion in revenue annually, and the company is looking to increase that to $10 billion or more, Bloomberg News has reported.
New competitions open international doors to MLS clubs: The days when football clubs from the United States and Canada were largely restricted to domestic competition, barely noticed by the rest of the world, are about to end. AFP
+ When the Seattle Sounders take the field on Saturday in the Club World Cup - it will be the first time a US or Canadian team has played in the FIFA tournament for continental champions.
+ Next year the/ eattle Sounders will celebrate the 50th anniversary making them the oldest American club in MLS having played in the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL) and other leagues before MLS debuted in 1996.
+ It all means that, in 2025, a team which was succesful in the Leagues Cup, Champions League and qualified for the Club World Cup, could face as many as 22 official international games.
Chelsea strike £105m Fernández deal at 11th hour: The Times reports Chelsea has reached an agreement in principle with Benfica to sign Enzo Fernández for a British-record £105 million after negotiations went down to the wire in a dramatic conclusion to the winter window.
Texas high school football recruiting hurt by college football transfer portal, data shows: With National Signing Day approaching, parents and coaches in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond have found it harder to find homes for players. DMN
The mom-and-pop Bengals need to get serious about Joe Burrow’s future WP
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
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