Happy Tuesday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
To be ITK, know this:
The ultimate contrarian indicator to start the year: Amid the improved mood in Davos are two big worries, either of which could see the bear market reassert itself. WSJ
In ’20 Days in Mariupol’ doc, the horrors of war illuminated AP
Ukraine is not a proxy war: It is Kyiv – not the West – which has set Ukraine’s war aims. Lawrence Freedman
FT: ‘Free the leopards!’: Tank dispute heightens Germany’s isolation over Ukraine
‘We need action’: Time runs out for Ukraine as allied countries debate sending tanks: Kyiv says it needs more armor as it prepares for major offensives this spring. Politico
WP: Germany tank decision coming ‘soon,’ defense minister says
The Russian draft-dodgers who fled to Alaska in a dinghy: Sergei and Maksim eluded military sentries and braved a gale to avoid fighting in the war in Ukraine. 1843 Magazine
Norway holding Wagner deserter, will not deport to Russia: DW reports a former member of the private militia escaped to Norway seeking asylum. He is under tight security over fears for his life.
AP: Russia, Estonia expel ambassadors amid ‘destroyed’ relations
+ Estonia had called for "parity" in the number of staff at the embassies in Tallinn and Moscow. Russia branded this an "unfriendly move."
Erdoğan says Turkey won’t support Sweden’s NATO bid: Politico reports: ‘That’s not happening,’ the Turkish president said of Sweden’s NATO bid following protests in Stockholm where a Quran was burned.
Germany: 5 charged with treason in suspected terror plot: DW reports public prosecutors said suspects with ties to the far-right Reichsbürger scene had planned to create "civil war-like conditions" in Germany. They are also accused of plotting to kidnap the health minister.
France and Germany reach a deceptive rapprochement: Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz made a show of symbolism on Sunday in Paris for the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, but they didn't come up with any strong proposals on support for Ukraine, European defense or the energy crisis. Le Monde
French bakers protest as beloved baguette faces threat from rising costs: AFP reports dressed in aprons and brandishing baguettes, hundreds of bakers demonstrated in the streets of Paris on Monday to warn that the country's beloved bread and croissant makers were under threat from surging electricity and raw material costs.
New Zealand’s Chris Hipkins vows to focus on inflation ‘pandemic’ and ‘fairer’ tax system: Incoming prime minister echoes Jacinda Ardern’s promise to cut back Labour’s agenda to focus on the cost of living issues. Guardian
Australia to buy deep sea mines as China deterrent: The Times reports Australia is to lace its coast with powerful sea mines to deter China and other potential attackers from sending warships and submarines into the nation’s waters. Today the government confirmed what will be the nation’s first major investment in underwater explosives since the Vietnam War era.
US weapons industry unprepared for a China conflict, report says: The war in Ukraine highlights the inability of US arms companies to replenish the military’s stocks. WSJ
Where is Xi Jinping? COVID failures are keeping the Chinese leader away from Lunar New Year celebrations. Katie Stallard
China tightens grip as dominant LNG buyer with long-term deals: Nikkei reports Sinopec leads way with Chinese companies locking in 40% of recent contracts.
Indonesia boosts South China Sea security ahead of energy project: Nikkei reports an oil and gas development near Natuna Islands could spur tension with China.
China Belt and Road dreams fade in Germany's industrial heartland: Geopolitical tensions derail Duisburg's hopes of trade bonanza. Nikkei
Turbans or helmets? Indian army purchase revives debate over Sikh headgear. WP
Burkina Faso confirms asking France to withdraw troops: Le Monde reports Frane confirmed it had received a note from Burkina Faso about the end of the agreement between the two countries but insisted it was waiting on further clarifications.
Bloomberg: Sierra Leone enacts law to keep 30% posts for women in power
+ Women hold 12% of parliamentary seats and few cabinet posts.
+ The Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, which President Julius Maada Bio signed into law Thursday, calls for a 30% minimum quota of women in parliament and cabinet.
Proposed Brazil-Argentina common currency is met with doubts AP
Trump’s MAGA forces threaten to upend vote for RNC chair: AP reports Trump hasn’t made a public endorsement, but he and his team are privately advocating for RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel’s reelection bid. Still, many Trump loyalists blame McDaniel, the niece of Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, for some of the party’s recent struggles.
Donald Trump will stop in New Hampshire ahead of his South Carolina rally: NBC News reports they will kick off Trump's first large public events since announcing his 2024 presidential run.
+ Trump has added a stop in New Hampshire Saturday morning ahead of his rally that evening in South Carolina.
US Sen. Sherrod Brown hires campaign manager as he gears up for 2024 reelection contest: CPD reports Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has hired a former communications aide to manage his 2024 reelection campaign, a major formal step toward preparing for what’s expected to be one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.
‘Fox News in Spanish’: Inside an upstart media company’s big plans to impact the 2024 election: Ahead of the campaign, Americano Media wants to sway Hispanic opinion toward the GOP. Politico
DC Mayor to Biden: Your teleworking employees are killing my city: Washington has the highest work-from-home rate of any major city. With an empty downtown, the city faces a real risk of economic peril. Politico
+ According to census data, Washington has the highest work-from-home rate in the country.
Boeing’s DC powerbroker rebuilds clout after fallout from 737 Max crash Bloomberg
+ Affable rainmaker woos powerbrokers and avoids media limelight.
+ Planemaker scored a win in DC with the 737 Max certification deal.
Rivian’s chief lobbyist is leaving the EV startup: WSJ reports Jim Chen is set to be the latest in a string of executives to leave the company.
The corporate cafeteria is broken. So how to feed workers? Even as the sprawling dining halls of old struggle with emptier workplaces, food is still important to employees, particularly the young. Many companies are reinventing the company meal. NYT
Wonking out: Give me that gold time religion Paul Krugman
Genesis demise marks end of era for crypto’s pseudo-banks: WSJ reports the risk in the crypto-lending sector was poorly managed, subjecting users to heavy losses after an epic boom.
SBF, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and the spectacular hangover after the art world’s NFT gold rush: Auction houses and talent agencies thought the Web3 works were a fast track to billions. They might have pulled it off if it weren’t for a global crypto meltdown. Vanity Fair
Salesforce had a market capitalization of $151 billion at Friday’s close, down from a peak of more than $300 billion in 2021.
Elliott Management takes big stake in Salesforce: WSJ reports the activist investor makes a multibillion-dollar investment in the business-software provider.
WSJ: Spotify to cut 6% of workforce in latest tech layoff
Microsoft confirms ‘multibillion-dollar investment’ in ChatGPT maker OpenAI: FT reports the agreement represents a bet on the transformative nature of artificial intelligence on the company’s future business.
+ In a company blog post tweeted by CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft announced a "multiyear, multibillion dollar investment to accelerate AI breakthroughs" that would be "broadly shared with the world."
Almost 30% of professionals say they’ve tried ChatGPT at work: Drafting emails and generating pieces of code are some of the most popular uses among white-collar workers. Bloomberg
M&M’s ditches ‘spokescandies’ for Maya Rudolph after backlash over new look: Comedian will take their place as the brand’s spokesperson and star in the candy’s upcoming Super Bowl advertisement. WSJ
+ On Monday, M&M’s, which Mars Wrigley owns, made the surprise announcement that it would halt the use of the “polarizing” characters.
Life as a 21st-century trucker: Technology, corporate greed, and supply-chain chaos are transforming life behind the wheel of a big rig. I went on the road to find exactly how. Wired
Honda + GS Yuasa to launch EV battery joint venture: Nikkei reports the automaker taps Japanese battery maker as it moves to end gasoline car sales.
FT: Sharpie maker Newell Brands cuts 13% of office positions
Is micromanaging your life with an app really a good idea? Jira, Monday, Todoist, Trello–the internet is full of project management tools promising to simplify your life. But who do they really work for? Vice
Kim Kardashian’s Harvard Business School lecture made the internet lose its mind Fortune
She seems more Wharton, IMO.
Bloomberg: Remote work saves global commuters 72 minutes a day, study Finds
+ Chinese lead with 102 minutes saved, US workers save 55 minutes.
+ Extra time devoted to work, leisure, and caregiving, study says.
When it comes to marriage and money, opposites attract: Spouses reshape each others’ financial behavior, for richer and poorer, marriage research suggests. WSJ
‘Not soulless blocks of rice’: the secret world of Japan’s robot sushi chefs Guardian
‘Dry January’ in France? The answer is still: Non. WP
Why you should reject an upgrade to a hotel’s presidential suite: Insights from Monocle’s Tyler Brûlé include why the city that never sleeps is still in its stretchy-pants phase, Japan isn’t what it used to be, and why Zurich beats London. Bloomberg
Hilderbabes take Nantucket: This month, hundreds of Elin Hilderbrand’s fans flocked to her freezing cold island to dance, shop, do yoga and drink espresso martinis with their favorite author. Why? NYT
AP: Lorne Michaels of ‘SNL’ to be honored at PEN America gala
Detroit filmmaker makes Motor City a presence at 2023 Sundance Film Festival DFP
+ “To Live and Die and Live”
+ a "stunningly beautiful love letter to Detroit."
Juventus shares slump after ranking penalty for false accounting: Bloomberg reports shares of Juventus Football Club SpA slumped in Milan after Italy’s football federation penalized the billionaire Agnelli family’s team by cutting its points standing following an investigation into accounting practices.
+ The Federal Appeal Court of the FIGC, Italy’s football federation, handed down a 15-point reduction in the team’s Serie A ranking this season because of how it accounted for player transfers, according to a statement late Friday.
The evolution of Patrick Mahomes into a football man in full: On the verge of his second NFL MVP award and a win away from his fifth straight AFC championship game, the Chiefs quarterback answered every possible question in 2022 and became a better version of himself. The Ringer
Roger Penske moves closer to shot at winning Le Mans AP
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
Caracal produces ITK Daily.
Caracal is a geopolitical business communications firm specializing in global business issues at the intersection of globalization, disruption, and politics.
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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