Happy Saturday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
To be ITK, know this:
On a visit to America, France’s president will confront new problems: The two countries largely agree on Ukraine, but not about subsidies. Economist
+ @PedderSophie: By our count this will make Macron the only 🇫🇷 president under the Fifth Republic to have been treated to 2 state visits to 🇺🇸. There will be plenty of awkward talking points, notably US green subsidies and LNG prices. But, on Ukraine at least, 🇺🇸 and 🇫🇷 positions have converged
+ @PedderSophie: …the Biden administration even finds Macron’s periodic contact with Putin a useful conduit. Let’s see where it all goes next week. But, in contrast to the critical commentary Macron gets in Europe, the positive tone coming out of the 🇺🇸 is striking
+ @Elise_ML: “If you’re going to deal with Russia and China at the same time as adversaries, you need Europe in general and France in particular. You need France’s strategic clarity,” says @AmbDanFried
Macron to raise US subsidies in talks with Biden next week: AFP reports French President Emmanuel Macron will raise concerns about the effects of American industrial subsidies and tax breaks during talks with US President Joe Biden in Washington next week, a top French official said Friday.
Books to read: Revolution Française: Emmanuel Macron and the quest to reinvent a nation - Sophie Pedder + The Last President of Europe: Emmanuel Macron's Race to Revive France and Save the World - William Drozdiak
Documentary to watch: Macron's Road to Election
The UK’s summer of discontent is far from over: Margaret Thatcher tried to break the unions in the 1980s. Now, after a decade taken up with Brexit and Scottish independence, the UK is in a political, social, and economic crisis, and the unions are back. Le Monde
The red line: Biden and Xi’s secret Ukraine talks revealed Owen Matthews
China’s silicon future: China dreams of competing with global superpowers in the semiconductor industry. Whether its efforts will succeed is far from clear. Karon Elmgren
US expands bans of Chinese security cameras, network equipment: WSJ reports the Federal Communications Commission voted to ban sales of new telecom and surveillance equipment made by several Chinese companies, arguing that their ownership and practices threaten US national security.
Bloomberg: US bans Huawei, ZTE Telecom equipment on data-security risk
+ Federal Communications Commission cites security concerns
+ Dahua, Hikvision, Hytera are also among the companies named by the agency
Inside the Trilateral Commission: Power elites grapple with China's rise: Enigmatic group linking Asia, the US, and Europe opens up on eve of 50th anniversary. Nikkei
Ethiopia: Tigray after the peace deal: Mekele, the capital of Tigray, is in economic ruin, and residents are plagued by hunger and disease. The recent peace deal signed by the federal government and Tigray rebels has brought hope. DW
+ @USATODAY: Tigray, Eritrea, and Ethiopia's 2-year-long civil war has killed more people than the war in Ukraine, yet nobody's talking about it.
Europe faces an enduring crisis of energy and geopolitics: This will weaken it and threaten its global position. Economist
The globalization elephant has left the room: The latest data indicates a clear link between trade integration and falling global inequality. Chris Giles
Democrats battle over 2024 nomination calendar as Biden weighs options: New Hampshire and Nevada fight over first place, as Michigan and Minnesota angle to replace Iowa in the Democratic presidential process. WP
In the court of Mar-a-Lago, ‘King’ Trump still reigns supreme: How friends, frenemies, and superfans at the private club drive the former president. FT
Best books of 2022: Politics FT
If the price ended in 99, you probably overpaid: The age-old practice of prices ending with a 9 now serves to camouflage bad deals. Josh Zumbrun
Bob Iger, the sequel: This time it’s personal: The returning chief executive hopes to repair relations with Hollywood creatives. But can charm alone revive Disney’s fortunes? FT
Celebrities? They’re all a bit weird … Hadley Freeman on 22 years interviewing stars: Ben Affleck was delightful, Justin Timberlake a drag, and Keanu so handsome I couldn’t speak. Here’s everything you always wanted to know about A-listers (but were afraid to ask). Guardian
How Taylor Swift rose from 'Miss Americana' to global megastar: Back with her 10th album, the singer continues to break records more than a decade into her career. Le Monde
Best books of 2022: History FT
Empires of soccer: England’s game is America’s, for now. But the Qatar World Cup shows that no undisputed set of values can unite us all. Tom McTague
Kylian Mbappé is already much more than a footballer: The French national team's 23-year-old striker has been reflecting on his place in the history of football, including shouldering the role of generational leader. Le Monde
Could Manchester United really be worth £7bn? Valuation met with skepticism despite the club’s vast global fan base. FT
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Caracal produces ITK Daily.
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