ITK Daily | August 8

Happy Monday.

To be ITK, know this:

A map that keeps Xi Jinping awake at night - China's oil imports:

14 years ago today, the start of the Beijing Summer Olympics.

Extinguishing all this soft power... What a waste.

Read this: Political chips Stratechery

+ "Taiwan and the United States not only share the values of democracy, freedom and human rights, but also continue to work together on economic development and democratic supply chains."

Read this:? China’s role at the heart of Kenya’s election campaign FT

+ The two men going head to head to become Kenya’s next president agree on one thing: China is at the heart of this week’s election

+ Deputy president threatens deportations of Chinese nationals while veteran rival promises renegotiation of Beijing loans

+ An? Afrobarometer poll from late last year showed that 87 percent of Kenyan respondents felt their country had overborrowed from Beijing

Read this: Baby bust: China’s looming demographic disaster Rana Mitter

+ "China likes to talk a tough game. But the demographic crisis means that there is a question over the way in which China could sustain any military attack."

+ "Can the People’s Liberation Army continue its shift from a force based on sheer numbers to one that is smaller and relies on technology first and foremost?"

+ "China is a middle-income country, with a per capita average income of around $12,500. Its ambition is to match Japan’s (about $39,000), but the baby bust may mean that China’s ambition to become the world’s largest economy is slipping out of reach."

+ "Economist George Magnus observes: ‘Chinese construction and property are probably the most important sector in the world economy, accounting for up to 29 percent of annual Chinese growth.’"

Read this: Russian men, dying in war, leave many families sad, angry and silent WP

+ The number of war dead is a state secret. It is a crime to question the invasion or criticize the military.

+ Politically, Russian President Vladimir Putin “has been able to defend this. Partly through controlling the information narrative, but also because this is now seen as a war against the West.”

+ The independent Russian outlet Mediazona and BBC News Russian counted 5,185 war dead as of July 29

+ By contrast, the CIA and British intelligence agency MI6 estimate that at least 15,000 Russians have been killed since their country’s invasion of Ukraine in late February

@JackDetsch: NEW: Russia has 70,000 to 80,000 military casualties since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than five months ago: Pentagon estimate

Read this: How Russia spread a secret web of agents across Ukraine Reuters?

+ “Apart from the external enemy, we, unfortunately, have an internal enemy, and this enemy is no less dangerous,” the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said in an interview.

+ Russian intelligence infiltration did succeed in one way: It has sown mistrust inside Ukraine and laid bare the shortcomings of Ukraine’s Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, which shares a complicated history with Russia, and is now tasked with hunting down traitors

Get that F/A-18E Super Hornet!

@LeeHudson_: JUST IN: The Navy recovered the F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft that blew overboard due to unexpected heavy weather in the Mediterranean Sea on July 8. The jet was recovered from a depth of approximately 9,500 feet.

Read this: In 50 years, will anyone still live in central Spain? Simon Kuper

+ How climate change threatens the world’s most liveable country

+ "Madrid has become a boomtown, the London of Spain... It has overtaken Barcelona as a business center... and competing with Miami to become the capital of the Spanish-speaking world, as Argentinians, Venezuelans et al flee to a functioning country."

+ "In Empty Spain, people are making way for the area’s last two assets: sun and wind. In fact, the Spanish interior is Europe’s biggest renewables opportunity."

Team Biden feeling good!

@WHCOS Past 10 days:

? Senate ?? Inflation Reduction Act

? Congress passes CHIPS Plus?

? Zawahiri mission

? Burn Pits (PACT Act) passes

? Record job creation / 50-year low unem rate

? Gas prices below $3.99 at most ??

? NATO expansion: ???? and ????

? Exec Action on Repro Rights

Team Biden feeling bad!

Read this: Hey, Joe, don't give it a go Maureen Dowd

+ "The timing of your exit can determine your place in the history books."

Read this: Why a Michigan Democratic political dynasty just fell Politico

Read this: Nancy Pelosi profile: Steely Democrat who entered the dragon’s den The Times

+ The woman who is third in line to the American presidency infuriated China with her historic visit to Taiwan. Does she see this moment as her swansong?

+ Asked when she first became Speaker what qualified her for the job, Pelosi replied: “Having five children in six years.”

Read this: If Starmer wants to be PM, he could learn a lot from Truss the insurgent The Times

Who we follow and read to stay smart and stay connected: Team Caracal dropped our definitive list of 100 world's best reporters, columnists, and influencers who we follow and read to stay smart and stay connected.

This list represents the best of those covering global business issues at the intersection of globalization, disruption, and politics.?

For names, titles, and organizations, hit this link.

Read this: It’s time to get greedy in the energy sector, part tres The Felder Report

Sonic's Pickle Juice Slush is back starting today through August 28 or "while supplies last."?

NYT: Axios agrees to sell itself to Cox Enterprises for $525 million

+ Smart Brevity

+ The digital media company’s founders, Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, and Roy Schwartz, will continue to run the company

Dagger headline: WP: Celebrities use private jets excessively. It’s a climate nightmare.

RIP: Olivia Newton-John

RIP:? David McCullough

Read this: A new era for women’s football FT - Editorial

+ Success of Euro 2022 should bring in more players, fans, and sponsors

+ "Would-be sponsors, sporting authorities, and policymakers would be wise to follow Nike’s example and back women’s football in the wake of this week’s triumph for England and for the game."

Read this: The baseball stadium that “forever changed” professional sports The Ringer

+ Camden Yards, which opened 30 years ago this summer, is revered for its design and downtown location. But its influence—along with its lessons—extends beyond architecture.

A triumph: The new album, Entering Heaven Alive by Jack White.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc?

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Global Business Smarts

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