Happy Wednesday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
To be ITK, know this:
Insight | Google has too many peacetime generals.
Google is too peaceful.
+ Overall, it is a soft peacetime culture where nothing is worth fighting for.
I am still rooting for Google.
I trust they can bring on some wartime generals.
Read the full post here.
Russia, China challenge US-led world order: Biden’s Kyiv visit, Putin’s speech show two sides digging in for long fight in Ukraine as China also weighs in. WSJ
Why Joe Biden visited Kyiv: His commitment to Ukraine is the main reason the country is still fighting. Economist
China says US is ‘not qualified’ to issue orders on arms: NYT reports Beijing is trying to preserve ties with Moscow while asserting it is a neutral observer trying only to coax Russia and Ukraine into peace talks.
US warnings to China on arms aid for Russia’s war portend global rift: NYT reports Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken says Washington has indications that Beijing is strongly considering giving military aid to Moscow for the war in Ukraine.
In China, the focus is on direct confrontation with the United States: Le Monde journalist Frédéric Lemaître outlines how the Chinese president criticizes Western modernization by advocating innovation and social justice, while inequalities in the country remain glaring. Le Monde
China’s Xi Jinping plans Russia visit as Putin wages war in Ukraine: WSJ reports the Chinese leader is expected to use Moscow trip to push for multiparty peace talks.
Friends with “no limits”? A year into the war in Ukraine, history still constrains Sino-Russian relations Andrew Erickson
Russia’s war on Ukraine, China’s rise expose US military failings: Cost overruns and a culture of risk aversion underscore the problems at the Pentagon. Bloomberg
Putin’s move on nuclear treaty may signal end to formal arms control: NYT reports mutual inspections have been suspended for years because of the pandemic. But New START, the last nuclear agreement between Russia and the United States, is dying.
How long can Russia keep fighting the war in Ukraine? FT
Wagner group chief accuses Russian military command of treason: The mercenary group’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, operated for years in secrecy, but he has assumed an increasingly public role in the Ukraine conflict since last summer. NYT
BBC: Russia must be defeated but not crushed, Macron says
Politico: Zelenskyy: Macron is ‘wasting his time’ with Putin
Reuters: Russia tells Macron: Don't forget Napoleon when you talk of regime change
AP: Japan to give Ukraine $5.5B, host online G7 plus Zelenskyy
Reuters: Japan PM says to host G7 summit with Ukraine's Zelenskiy on Friday
NPR: A year into the Ukraine war, India, the world's biggest democracy, still won't condemn Russia
What would war with China look like for Australia? Part 1 John Lyons
The Philippines’ proximity to Taiwan makes it central to Western strategy: America has secured access to nine military bases in its former Asian colony. Economist
Stand up to China’s bullying and defend Taiwan: The island nation is a candle against the darkness of the Communist Party. Mike Gallagher
+ Rep. Gallagher (WI-08-R) is chairman of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party.
Dutch premier pokes China while praising ‘Century of America’: Bloomberg reports Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte poured cold water on China’s rise and sided squarely with the US in an op-ed that highlighted the deteriorating ties between Europe and Beijing.
China’s newest weapon to nab Western technology—its courts: Rulings nullify patents in industries it deems important, including technology, pharmaceuticals, and rare-earth minerals. WSJ
China fuels debate in Richmond after Youngkin slams door on battery plant WP
Djibouti announces construction of first spaceport in Africa: Le Monde reports the continent, which is ideally located around the equator, is experiencing a strong space craze. Space is now seen as a crucial tool for development and sovereignty.
Brexit: City’s top man says firms grew ‘complacent’ prior to split from EU CityAM
South Korea’s ruling party leader hints at need for nuclear weapons: Reuters reports recent North Korean missile launches raise questions about US commitment to Seoul’s defense.
Is North Korea's missile arsenal an immediate threat? North Korea has resumed missile tests and claims its nuclear weapons are combat-ready. Are they actually capable of hitting the US and its allies? CSM
Reuters: Mexico's Lopez Obrador orders ministry to step up lithium nationalization
Canada will soon get a new electoral map — and it may have a blue tint Global News
Bloomberg: McConnell-Led Republican delegation to meet with UAE president
+ UAE is part of the OPEC+ bloc that cut output targets last year.
+ The Senate GOP leader also met with the Saudi energy minister Sunday.
The Hill: Schumer in India stresses economic ties as ‘crucial counterweight’ to China
What if Sherman Kent was wrong? Revisiting the intelligence debate of 1949 War on the Rocks
Biden gets chance to redefine World Bank role: Politico reports David Malpass’s announcement that he will step down from his post opens the way for Biden to choose someone who embraces the new goal of fundamentally overhauling the bank’s work.
Ron DeSantis goes full Trump on Ukraine: The American First wing has won the fight for the soul of the Republican Party. Jonathan Chait
Extremism vs. electability in the GOP primary: Electability is likely to be the dominant issue in the GOP primary, Haley's campaign shows why its an absurd proposition. Dan Pfeiffer
Barbara Lee, a longtime Congresswoman, is running for Senate in California: NYT reports Lee, the sole member of Congress to oppose a broad war authorization after the Sept. 11 attacks, is joining the race for Senator Dianne Feinstein’s seat.
CHE: Tuition revenue has fallen at 61% of colleges during the pandemic
McKinsey plans to cut about 2,000 employees.
That’s Tory Burch? Over the last few seasons, a new energy has emerged at the preppy American label. Fashion insiders are taking note. NYT
WSJ: Starbucks bets coffee infused with olive oil could be the next frappuccino
Logan Paul’s energy drink has more caffeine than the Australian legal limit: SMH reports the social media star’s Prime Energy drink has 200mg of caffeine, more than twice a can of Red Bull and six times what’s in a can of Coke.
Supreme Court seems likely to move cautiously in Gonzalez v. Google: Justices across the ideological spectrum said they were confused by the plaintiff’s case and concerned that the lawsuit brought by the family of a student killed by Islamic State terrorists could undermine the intent of a law passed by Congress to provide immunity for tech platforms. WP
Supreme Court frustrated and wary over legal shield for tech companies: The case, concerning a law that gives websites immunity for suits based on their users’ posts, has the potential to alter the very structure of the internet. NYT
Reuters: Microsoft's president to push Activision deal at EU hearing; Google, Nvidia also present
How Apple captured Gen Z in the US — and changed their social circles: Younger Americans prefer an iPhone over an Android by huge margins, creating unusual pressure over how they communicate. FT
Biden declines to veto Apple Watch ban, company says: The Hill reports Biden has upheld an International Trade Commission (ITC) ruling that could result in an import ban on the Apple Watch, according to AliveCor, a medical device company that has accused Apple of patent infringement.
+ The ITC ruled in December that Apple infringed on AliveCor’s wearable electrocardiogram patents.
Chatbots got big—and their ethical red flags got bigger: Researchers have spent years warning that text-generation algorithms can spew bias and falsehoods. Tech giants are rushing them into products anyway. Khari Johnson
Toyota to start EV production in US in 2025: Nikkei reports the Japanese automaker aims to ramp up global output to 1m electric vehicles by 2026.
Sumitomo to bypass China in EV rare-earth supply chains: Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp. plans to supply rare earth elements for electric vehicles without involving China, the world's biggest supplier of rare metals that are key to the production of clean-energy systems, such as electric vehicles and wind turbines, Nikkei has learned.
Workers are dying in the EV industry’s ‘tainted’ city: In Indonesia, sickness and pollution plague a sprawling factory complex that supplies the world with crucial battery materials. Wired
‘The New Gatekeepers’: Every year, Benedict Evans produces a big presentation exploring macro and strategic trends in the tech industry. This year's presentation, access it here.
World’s largest four-day work week trial finds few are going back: And about one in six employees in the study said no amount of money would convince them to return to five days a week. Bloomberg
WFH vs. RTO Barry Ritholtz
Poor, busy Millennials are doing the midlife crisis differently: They don’t really have a choice. But the internet generation might just be making some improvements to that cliched mashup of paunch and panic. Bloomberg
Comedian Jim Gaffigan starred in 200 commercials before landing on ‘Letterman’: The ‘Linoleum’ star on cereal battles, overcoming anxiety, and how copywriting led to stand-up and acting. WSJ
College hoops fan finishes his quest to see every Division I team in person WP
MLS revamps playoffs with best-of-3 opening round: AFP reports Major League Soccer unveiled a revamped playoff format on Tuesday that includes a best-of-three first round before knockout stages to the MLS Cup Final on December 9.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
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