Happy Wednesday.
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What makes Vladimir Putin tick? A review of "Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin" by Andrew S. Weiss and Brian “Box” Brown. Brian Katulis
Putin and the Presidents: Veteran filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team trace the miscalculations and missteps of US presidents over five administrations, culminating in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The complete PBS/Frontline documentary is available now on YouTube. Watch here.
How not to negotiate with Russia: We’ve already learned a few things about Putin’s approach to peace talks. Dmytro Kuleba
+ Dmytro Kuleba is the foreign minister of Ukraine.
NYT: Several Ukrainian officials are fired amid a scandal involving military purchases
Zelensky’s corruption crackdown is working Svitlana Morenets
Russia’s war breathes new life into a Cold War symbol: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a news network originally set up as a CIA operation early in the Cold War, is experiencing a renaissance and making a case for its independence. NYT
Ukraine expects to get 100 Leopard 2 tanks from 12 countries, once Germany approves: Senior Ukrainian official: ABC News reports Germany has to OK the export license if countries want to give Ukraine tanks.
+ The US is set to announce it’s sending Abrams M1 tanks to Ukraine.
+ Boris Johnson urged the West to give Ukraine ‘hundreds of tanks’ and admit the country to the ‘Nato defensive umbrella.’
Pentagon will increase artillery production sixfold for Ukraine: NYT reports the Army’s top acquisition official says production of the 155-millimeter shells badly needed by Kyiv will rise to 90,000 a month in two years.
Can Germany be a great military power again? Leery of Russian aggression, Europe’s economic giant is making a historic attempt to revitalize its armed forces. It has a long way to go. NYT Magazine
WP: Finland’s foreign minister signals country could join NATO without Sweden
NATO shouldn’t let Erdogan delay expansion: In blocking membership for Sweden and Finland, Turkey’s leader is putting his political self-interest over the alliance’s security. Bloomberg - Editorial
Rishi Sunak’s hapless government: Britain’s prime minister resembles an accident-prone character from Evelyn Waugh. Economist
Le Maire’s presidential ambitions rankle Macron as succession battle heats up: Tensions between Emmanuel Macron and France’s popular economy minister Bruno Le Maire have spilled out into the public sphere in recent weeks. Politico
Why Macron, French unions at odds over pensions AP
French pension reform: What is the senior index that the government wants to put in place? According to the draft bill, all companies with more than 300 employees will have to publish reports relating to the rate at which they employ people over the age of 55. Le Monde
Reuters: Algeria, Italy look to broaden ties beyond coveted energy
Giorgia Meloni launches her Mediterranean policy in Algiers: Eager to increase its gas imports from Africa, Italy wants to become an 'energy hub' between Europe and the southern Mediterranean. Le Monde
How Italy could finally unload the ghost of Alitalia Bloomberg
Memo: Saudi Arabia appoints 34 women to leadership positions in 2 holy mosques
Indonesian President Joko Widodo's approval rating has hit an all-time high: Reuters reports figures released by pollster Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) showed satisfaction with the president, widely known as Jokowi, had risen consistently over recent months to reach 76.2% at the start of 2023.
Reuters: Japan PM Kishida: it's 'now or never' to stop shrinking population
The growing comprehension gap that isolates Japan: The central bank governor and the market are talking at cross-purposes. It shows a country that’s both badly understood and a poor communicator. Gearoid Reidy
NATO chief to visit S. Korea next week: Yonhap reports Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), will visit South Korea early next week on a regional swing that will also take him to Japan, Seoul's foreign ministry said Monday.
Bloomberg: US confronts China over companies’ ties to Russia war effort
+ Biden team sees evidence of non-lethal aid going to Russia.
+ US raised concerns with Beijing as PRC companies step up help.
China is trying to play nice, and it’s a problem for the US: Years of Beijing's bullying neighbors and “wolf warrior” diplomacy helped Washington forge security and trade alliances, but Xi Jinping seems to be wising up. Hal Brands
China’s economic model is in crisis (and Xi knows it) Eric Levitz
Peru's president calls for 'truce' after weeks of unrest: AFP reports Peru's President Dina Boluarte called Tuesday for a "national truce" to end weeks of unrest that has left at least 46 people dead as protesters press for her resignation and fresh elections.
After Bolsonaro, Can Lula remake Brazil? Following a prison term, a fraught election, and a near-coup, the third-time President takes charge of a fractured country. New Yorker
Brazil's Lula goes to Argentina to 'rebuild bridges' in first foreign trip: AFP reports Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday started his first foreign trip since being elected with a meeting in Buenos Aires with Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez.
The sur: Argentina, Brazil currency plan has lots of holes: The "sur" is meant to achieve the nearly impossible: a common currency and economic integration for Argentina and Brazil, countries that don't even have a free trade agreement. But economists aren't convinced. DW
Jacinda Ardern’s resignation prompts new questions over Trudeau’s future: The Canadian leader is at a point in which he can bow out with his reputation relatively intact – just as the New Zealand PM did. Guardian
Will there be a 2023 election? Trudeau says no one wants ‘plunge’ into campaign Global News
Justin Trudeau says Joe Biden will meet some ‘real people’ on his visit to Canada: The prime minister is clearly pleased that the US president is finally making a trip to Ottawa. Toronto Star
Real people!?!
+ “'Cause I've met some people, ok? Real people. And a lot of them are fucking idiots.” -- Selina Meyer - Veep
Mike Pence: The former VP had “a small number” of documents marked as classified at his Indiana home that were turned over to the FBI following a recent search.
Who doesn't have classified documents at home?!?
CNBC: Former Trump UN ambassador Nikki Haley gears up for likely 2024 run for president
+ Nikki Haley is putting together a national finance committee and communications team to explore a potential campaign, people briefed on her plans said.
Election 2024 - US Senate: The Cook Political Report is up with its first race ratings for the 2024 Senate map. Here are the broad strokes: Three Democratic-held states (Arizona, Ohio, and West Virginia) are toss-ups, and five other Democratic-held seats (Montana, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) are leaning toward Democrats.
+ Only one in three Americans can comfortably cover a $400 emergency expense, a recent survey shows.
I’m a Congressman who codes. AI freaks me out. Ted Lieu
+ Ted Lieu represents California’s 36th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives.
Lincoln 2.0? Could we ever vote for an Abraham Lincoln 2.0 - an artificial intelligence built to replicate the decision-making style of one of our most accomplished Presidents? Robert Moran
This site bet big on political gambling. Regulators want it shut down. Politics junkies have made and lost millions placing bets with PredictIt. But soon, all bets may be off. WP
Bloomberg: US sues Google to break up ad unit in heated antitrust fight
+ DOJ complaint calls for break up of Google’s ad tech business.
+ Google counters that the digital ad market is competitive.
US accuses Google of abusing monopoly in ad technology: NYT reports the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit, which a group of states joined, was the fifth by U.S. officials against the company since 2020.
Everyone hates Ticketmaster. Is everyone wrong? LAT
In defense of Spotify: Streaming is keeping recorded music alive. Josiah Gogarty
YouTube wants to be #1 in music. Will it happen? Trapital
Paramount weighs making Paramount+ content available on Showtime: WSJ reports the move is part of the entertainment company’s plan to combine the Paramount+ and Showtime streaming services into a single platform.
Netflix’s new chapter Stratechery
The ‘enshittification’ of TikTok: Or how, exactly, platforms die. Wired
+ @HawleyMO: @tiktok_us is China’s backdoor into Americans’ lives. It threatens our children’s privacy as well as their mental health. Last month Congress banned it on all government devices. Now I will introduce legislation to ban it nationwide
SMH: ‘Not optimal’: Murdoch scraps proposed Fox-News Corp merger
For tech companies, years of easy money yield to hard times: Rock-bottom rates were the secret engine fueling $1 billion start-ups and virtual attempts to conquer the physical world. But in 2023, reality bites. NYT
Convincing consumers to buy EVs: How range, affordability, reliability, and behavioral changes influence purchase decisions. IEEE
A $3.6 billion EV charging boost is still a missed opportunity: The US is planning to incentivize electricity produced from biofuels, but not from sources such as wind or solar. Bloomberg
Wind turbines taller than the Statue of Liberty are falling over: Bloomberg reports breakdowns of towers and blades have bedeviled manufacturers in the US and Europe.
DOE: NRC certifies first US small modular reactor design
NASA to test nuclear rockets that could fly astronauts to Mars in record time: Project, in concert with US government agency Darpa, aims to develop a pioneering propulsion system for space travel. Guardian
Europe's JUICE spacecraft ready to explore Jupiter's icy moons: AFP reports Europe's JUICE spacecraft is all ready to embark on an eight-year odyssey through the Solar System to find out whether the oceans hidden under the surface of Jupiter's icy moons have the potential to host extraterrestrial life.
+ Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer = JUICE
David Crosby Bob Lefsetz
Justin Bieber sells music rights to Blackstone-backed fund Hipgnosis: WSJ reports the deal included more than 290 of the pop star’s songs.
Bloomberg" ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ leads Oscar race with 11 nominations
+ The ceremony takes place on March 12.
95th Academy Awards - Best Picture:
Top Gun: Maverick
Women Talking
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Banshees of Inisherin
Triangle of Sadness
The Fabelmans
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Elvis
Tár
My pick: Tár
95th Academy Awards - Best Documentary:
All That Breathes
Fire of Love
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed
A House Made of Splinters
Navalny
My pick: Fire of Love
Cate Blanchett’s Tár is an abusive boss, but her story has much to tell us about feminism too: Beyond the superficial row, there is a debate to be had about progress, pitfalls, and a character who seems emblematic of her generation. Susie Orbach
Guardian: Mikaela Shiffrin makes history with record 83rd women’s World Cup win
+ Shiffrin breaks women’s alpine skiing World Cup wins record.
+ American edges Gut-Behrami to surpass Lindsey Vonn’s mark.
Darvel pull off the biggest shock in 150 years of Scottish Cup history Guardian
+ Darvel FC is leaving it to others to decide if his sixth-tier side's defeat of Aberdeen, who lie fifth in the Premiership, is the biggest shock in Scottish Cup history.
The Times: Sixth-tier Darvel stun Aberdeen to earn place in football folklore
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
Caracal produces ITK Daily.
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