Israeli intelligence, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Sweetgreen, Lego, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
ITK Daily is geopolitical business intelligence for communications pros.
Happy Tuesday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
To be ITK, know this:
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Ructions | It's All Happening
On this episode of Ructions with Ross + Ashley, Marc Ross + Gerald Ashley discuss a Middle East intelligence failure, an overreliance on technology for security, asymmetric warfare, the end of Pax Americana, UK + US politics not tackling the big issues, global energy policies, ExxonMobil buys Pioneer Natural Resources for $60 billion, plus what they are reading and watching.
You can catch the discussion and show notes here.
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Guardian: Israeli intelligence head takes responsibility for Hamas terror attacks
+ "Despite a series of actions we carried out, unfortunately, on Saturday we were unable to generate sufficient warning that would allow the attack to be thwarted. As the one who heads the organization, the responsibility for this is on me. There will be time for investigations. Now we fight." -- Shin Bet director Ronen Bar
WSJ: Israel-Hamas war is tilting global power balance
+ Moscow and Beijing seek to ride the wave of solidarity with Palestinians
China and Russia harden positions on Gaza as war stirs geopolitical tensions: The conflict highlights the growing gulf with the West, as other big developing powers face difficult diplomatic choices. Guardian
Putin due in China to meet 'dear friend' Xi: AFP reports Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in China on Tuesday to meet his "dear friend" Xi Jinping, bolstering their relationship at an infrastructure summit that will be overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war.
Putin in China aiming to strengthen anti-West coalition: BBC reports Vladimir Putin is making a key trip to Russia's most important ally, China, that will seek to shore up an alliance against the West and celebrate China-Russia ties.
Nikkei: US positions 12,000 sailors off Israel with second carrier
+ 10 American ships from 2 strike groups are intended to deter a wider conflict
Reuters: Iran says US already 'militarily involved' in Israeli-Palestinian conflict
+ The US military has selected roughly 2,000 troops to prepare for a potential deployment to support Israel, US defense officials said
+ @spectatorindex: JUST IN: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the country can 'absolutely' afford another war.
+ Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) lays out aggressive schedule for Israel aid post-trip
Politico: Biden is ‘weighing’ a visit to Israel for show of solidarity
+ The trip to Israel as soon as this week.
+ Israeli Channel 12 reports that preparations are being made for a visit by President Biden to Israel on Wednesday or Thursday.
CNN Poll: Americans are deeply sympathetic toward Israelis and see their military response to Hamas attacks as justified
In Arab enclave near Detroit, ‘everybody’s guard is up’ over Israel-Hamas war WSJ
+ PM Rishi Sunak condemned the “pogroms” Hamas committed against Israelis last week
+ Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has confirmed reports that he will travel to Israel this week to express his solidarity.
Two Swedes killed in Brussels shooting: AFP reports two Swedish nationals were shot dead in Brussels late Monday by a suspect who remains at large, in an attack the Belgian prime minister described as "terrorism."
+ @spectatorindex: BREAKING: Colombia expels Israel's ambassador over the war
+ Colombia’s president likens Israel’s actions to Nazis as Israel accuses Gustavo Petro of putting Jewish lives in danger
The National: Egypt and Jordan reject talk of mass relocation of Palestinians
WP: Standoff at Egyptian border blocks aid, passage as conditions in Gaza worsen
US push for Gaza border opening stalls as humanitarian plight worsens: WSJ reports that diplomats struggle to get Americans out, aid into Palestinian enclave as Israel’s ground offensive looms.
Countries working to open humanitarian corridor for civilians in Gaza: NHK reports a number of countries are making arrangements to open a humanitarian corridor between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, as the Israeli military is poised to launch a ground offensive against Hamas.
WP: North Korea may be sending arms to Russia for Ukraine war, images suggest
AP: Russia’s foreign minister will visit North Korea amid claims of weapons supplied to Moscow
China bet it all on real estate. Now its economy is paying the price. After relying on a borrow-to-build model for decades, Beijing must make difficult choices about the country’s housing market and economic future. NYT
South Korea turns to migrant labor to fuel growth: With a falling birthrate, the country widens the range of jobs filled by foreign workers. Nikkei
Do not underestimate the ‘mega-Brussels effect’ of EU-US coordination: When these two great powers come together, the dial can move on climate, China sanctions, and critical technology. Peter Orszag
WP: US to ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil for freer presidential election
GOP debate: NBC News has been tapped as the host and broadcaster of the third GOP presidential primary debate, taking place in Miami on November 8.
Tim Scott’s Super PAC pulls the plug on fall ads: NYT reports in a memo, the super PAC told donors that it was not going to “waste our money when the electorate isn’t focused or ready for a Trump alternative.”
+ The Biden campaign is launching an account on former President Trump’s Truth Social
Today: The US House of Representatives holds a Speaker vote.
+ It’s been 14 days since House Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy as speaker.
+ Jim Jordan is also seeking to align House Republicans with a presidential candidate as never before, a huge gamble.
+ Could Kevin McCarthy come back?
+ Any lawmaker can go to the floor when the House opens and offer a privileged resolution to expand Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry’s power, including electing him to the post.
NBC News: Vulnerable Republicans face a moment of reckoning with Jim Jordan speaker vote
+ A former GOP congressman from a swing district warns a Jordan speakership would “be enormously problematic for the Republicans in those districts that Joe Biden won.”
The Hill: Senators flummoxed, ‘horrified’ by House leadership vacuum
FTX’s political donations came from stolen customer funds, former executive testifies: WSJ reports Nishad Singh, former FTX engineering director, said he committed crimes alongside Sam Bankman-Fried.
Race isn’t real, science says. Advocates want the census to reflect that. The Human Genome Project convinced the vast majority of scientists that race doesn’t exist. Now a cohort of professionals and academics wants to change society. WP
Ford chair warns extended strike will boost Tesla, Toyota, and China: FT reports Bill Ford says ‘future of the American automobile industry’ is at stake as UAW walkouts enter the second month.
Bloomberg: Diageo bets on convenience with bottled negronis, espresso martinis
Sweetgreen hires kale-shooting robots to speed up service: The system can slash the number of workers and time it takes the restaurant chain to make a bowl by more than half. WSJ
LinkedIn said that it would cut about 668 jobs, or roughly 3 percent of its workforce.
Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, weighed down by billions of dollars in debt, declining sales, and more than a thousand federal, state and local lawsuits claiming it filled thousands of illegal prescriptions for painkillers.
Japan's Sumitomo Realty to pump $3.3bn into India development: Nikkei reports the developer expands emerging-markets push with Mumbai project.
Lego: The brick behemoth that wants to be as big as Disney: With a portfolio of toys, movies and theme parks, and booming revenues, the family business has big ambitions. FT
+ “You start with this small plastic brick company, and now you have movies, theme parks, digital — someday it could be as big as Disney.” -- David Robertson, a senior lecturer on innovation at MIT Sloan and the author of “Brick by Brick,” highlighting Lego’s rise from toymaker to media brand.
Lego employees share 10 secrets for finding boundless creativity: Tips for feeling motivated, embracing bad ideas, getting over creative blocks, and more. FC
Lululemon to join the S&P 500 on Wednesday.
Bloomberg: One in three Britons to cut Christmas spending, PwC says
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
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