ITK Daily | December 22

Happy Thursday.

Here’s today’s ITK Daily.

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NYT: Ukraine is ‘alive and kicking,’ Zelensky tells Congress

NYT: Zelensky tells Congress that aid to Ukraine is an ‘investment’

+ Making his first trip outside Ukraine since Russia invaded, Zelensky urged a joint session of Congress to continue support for the defense of his country.

WP: Zelensky tells Congress Ukraine is ‘alive and kicking’

+?“Your money is not charity. It is an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”

WSJ: Zelensky addresses Congress — ‘Ukraine is alive and kicking’

+ “Against all odds and doom and gloom scenarios, Ukraine didn't fall. Ukraine is alive and kicking”

OTD: In 1971, the international aid organization Doctors Without Borders is founded by Bernard Kouchner and a group of journalists in Paris, France.

List of foreign aid to Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian War?Wikipedia

UK minister is "open-minded" over sending longer-range weapons to Ukraine: Reuters reports British defense minister Ben Wallace said on Monday he would be "open-minded" about supplying Ukraine with longer-range weapons systems if Russia carried on targeting civilian areas.

How Zelenskiy made his high-security train-to-plane journey to Washington?Bloomberg

Bloomberg: US to back Ukraine ‘as long as it takes,’ Biden tells Zelenskiy

+ Biden administration announces Patriot battery for Ukraine

+ Ukraine’s leader in making a direct appeal to Congress for aid

Keeping US public onside is a crucial battle for Ukraine?The Times

What Zelenskyy wants — but is unlikely to get — from Biden: Both Biden and Zelenskyy want to solidify support for Ukraine with the incoming US Congress, though they have slightly different goals.?Politico

Will Russia launch a big winter offensive in Ukraine??AFP

No conclusive evidence Russia is behind Nord Stream attack: World leaders were quick to blame Moscow for explosions along the undersea natural gas pipelines. But some Western officials now doubt the Kremlin was responsible.?WP

Out of the shadows: Europe exposes its Russian spies: Countries in Scandinavia, a current security hot spot, are more visibly cracking down on citizens involved in Russian espionage.?Politico

How the algorithm tipped the balance in Ukraine?David Ignatius

+ "This is the 'wizard war' in the Ukraine conflict — a secret digital campaign that has never been reported before in detail — and it’s a big reason David is beating Goliath here."

+ “The power of advanced algorithmic warfare systems is now so great that it equates to having tactical nuclear weapons against an adversary with only conventional ones.”

+ "This is a triumph of man and machine, together."

The technology of seeing and shooting your enemies: War among the sensors poses new challenges.?Shashank Joshi

Reuters: Kremlin says no chance of Ukraine talks as Zelenskiy travels to Washington

Reuters: Putin oversees launch of Siberian gas field feeding pipeline to China

A Putin ally meets with China’s top leader, highlighting ties as Russia’s isolation grows.?China has remained a significant, if largely silent, counterweight to the international censure of Russia.?NYT

+ Xi Jinping met with Dmitri Medvedev, the former Russian president and prime minister, in Beijing on Wednesday.

Hello.

Medvedev to Beijing.

Zelenskyy to DC.

Same day.

+?Xi Jinping told Dmitry Medvedev that China would like to see talks on Ukraine, comments that come as Beijing tries to improve ties with Europe, according to Bloomberg.

Congress presses Biden again to regulate investments in China: Politico reports the provisions, attached by House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), direct the Treasury and Commerce Departments to write reports to Congress outlining their efforts to design a new program to review American investments in China and other adversarial nations “in certain sectors that are critical for national security,” like semiconductors, biotech, and clean energy.

The US government’s TikTok ban is more complicated than it sounds: The omnibus spending bill includes a limited ban that’s mostly symbolic.?Vox

+ “We’re disappointed that Congress has moved to ban TikTok on USG devices... political gesture that will do nothing to advance national security interests... rather than encourage the administration to conclude its security review.” -- TikTok spokesperson

+ The narrow focus on TikTok has been a nice distraction for the US companies that were once the subject of lawmaker ire and faced their own reckoning this session of Congress.

US targets China’s potential chip stars with new restrictions: Companies added to trade blacklist previously flew under the radar.?FT

Analysis: As COVID soars, China has 2 chains of command: Premier Li Keqiang and new No. 2 Li Qiang both have hands on the steering wheel.?Nikkei

+ Every five to 10 years, after China's major leadership shuffles, tumultuous incidents can crop up in political voids. It looks like that has happened again.

+ Local bureaucrats who receive orders from the central government feel it difficult to act on them since there are two command centers in Beijing -- one led by Premier Li and the other by Li Qiang.

WHO urges China to step up vaccinations after rise in COVID cases: FT reports Beijing asked to make more data available on disease severity, hospital admissions, and occupancy rates.

OTD: In 1968, during the Cultural Revolution, People's Daily posted the instructions of Mao Zedong that "The intellectual youth must go to the country, and will be educated from living in rural poverty."

The China-Taiwan dispute explained: Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan back under Chinese control — that could provoke a devastating conflict.?Politico

Today: Armed Forces Day (Vietnam)

UK pushes Indo-Pacific trade deals to next year as dissent grows: Nikkei reports CPTPP and FTA with India face headwinds over concerns agreements are being rushed.

Global News: Ottawa approves purchase of 16 F-35 jets worth $7bn: sources

Canada PM Justin Trudeau?will travel to Mexico City to participate in the North American Leaders' summit on Jan. 10, his office said in a statement on Tuesday.

How Democrats could use their big Michigan win to set up the 2024 race: The party won full control of Michigan state government in the midterms, allowing them to enact their priorities in a key state.?Politico

New Hampshire Democrats escalate first-in-nation primary fight: A letter from the state Democratic Party argues that the DNC plan to move the state's primary later on the calendar amounts to an "undue burden."?Politico

Fall of the progressive boy king: Sean McElwee formed a lucrative alliance with SBF. Then his patron went bust, and he suffered his own scandal.?Intelligencer

+ ProPublica and Vox Media plan to give back journalism grants from the indicted crypto tycoon.

The meaning of Ron DeSantis: Trump’s most serious rival is key to the future of Trumpism.?Edward Luce

Science’s 2022 breakthrough of the year: A telescope’s golden eye sees the universe anew.?Science

+ JWST's golden eye sees the universe anew.

How tall is too tall??The rise and rise and rise of the supertall skyscraper.?Bianca Bosker

OTD: In 1937, the Lincoln Tunnel opened to traffic in New York City.

The ‘SPAC king’ is over it: Chamath Palihapitiya, once a relentless cheerleader of special purpose acquisition companies, blames the Federal Reserve for the end of SPAC mania.?NYT

Sam Bankman-Fried’s extradition approved by judge: WSJ reports FTX founder to be transferred to US custody to face criminal charges.

+ @BloombergTV: BREAKING: Two top associates of Sam Bankman-Fried — Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang — plead guilty to criminal charges linked to FTX's collapse

Taking down SBF: How the website CoinDesk shook up the crypto world.?Intelligencer

Core Scientific?became the latest crypto company to file for bankruptcy.

+ Investors worldwide have dumped their media stocks, wiping out $500 billion in market value so far this year.?

Everything dies, including information: Digitization can help stem the tide of entropy, but it won’t stop it.?Erik Sherman

A new chat bot is a ‘code red’ for Google’s search business: A new wave of chat bots like ChatGPT use artificial intelligence that could reinvent or even replace the traditional internet search engine.?NYT

Tech giants ditch office space in London and Europe: FT reports moves by Alphabet, Meta, and Salesforce come as companies respond to downturn in sector’s stocks by cutting costs.

GM's renovated offices include pool table, game areas and treadmills?DFP

+ @jlareauan: @GM has renovated its offices at Tech Center and now moves to do the same for its factories and warehouses.

CNBC: Auto executives are less confident in EV adoption than they were a year ago

+ KPMG reports automotive executives are less bullish than they were last year about the adoption of electric vehicles.

+ The survey found 76% are concerned that inflation and high interest rates will adversely affect their business next year.

+ For the US, the median expectation for EV sales was 35% of the new vehicle market by 2030 — down from 65% a year earlier.

Electric cars are taking off, but when will battery recycling follow??Many companies and investors are eager to recycle batteries, but it could take a decade or more before enough used lithium-ion batteries become available.?NYT

Does Elon Musk still want to be the CEO of Tesla??Shareholders are losing patience with the self-described reluctant chief executive.?Bloomberg

Indian fashion e-commerce ripe to take off, reaching $24 billion?Bloomberg

+ India could add 200 million more online shoppers in the next four years, helping the country achieve a 25-30% e-commerce penetration rate.

+ Indian population aged under 30 is the world’s biggest.

CNBC: Under Armour picks Marriott exec Stephanie Linnartz to be new CEO after seven-month search

+ The athletic apparel brand hopes Linnartz’s digital background will jumpstart its attempts to grow e-commerce operations.

Goodnight, sweet spacecraft: NASA's InSight lander may have just signed off from Mars?NPR

+ @NASAInSight: My power’s really low, so this may be the last image I can send. Don’t worry about me though: my time here has been both productive and serene. If I can keep talking to my mission team, I will – but I’ll be signing off here soon. Thanks for staying with me.

How a 1987 Christmas album changed the way the holiday sounds: In a period of personal grief, producer Jimmy Iovine enlisted a range of pop stars for a good cause. And unto us “A Very Special Christmas” was born.?WP

Jenna Bush Hager is making a list. Authors are obsessed with it.?The daughter and granddaughter of presidents is now famous in her own right. Her TV book club is one of the few reliable paths to the best-seller list in a precarious industry.?NYT

'Emily in Paris' review: Time for a season of 'Emily Away from Paris': In her picture-perfect Paris, the American influencer starts to find that time passes slowly in the third season, or maybe it's just slower for the viewers.?Le Monde

WP: Lionel Messi’s World Cup win becomes most liked Instagram post ever

+ Messi’s Instagram post celebrating Argentina’s World Cup victory over France on Sunday now holds the title of most-liked ever on the platform, with almost 70 million likes.

Messi’s World Cup triumph leaves America his last frontier to conquer as Inter Miami waits?Greg Cote

Paramount makes $1bn bid for Cricket Australia rights: FOS reports Paramount has emerged as the favorite to land a media rights deal with a seven-year, $1 billion bid that includes one-day international games, test matches, and the men’s and women’s Big Bash Leagues — two Twenty20 competitions launched by Cricket Australia in 2011.

Sumo's topsy-turvy 2022 showed hopeful signs for sport's recovery?TJT

Nikkei: Tokyo Olympics cost $13bn, 20% more than organizer said: auditors

RIP: Franco Harris

From sad sacks to contenders: How the Lions became the talk of the NFL?Dave Caldwell

YouTube?is near a deal to buy the rights to the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package of games; the league is reportedly seeking $2.5 billion annually.

Italian cycling commemorated with Florence start to 2024 Tour de France: AFP reports starting the 2024 Tour de France in Florence will fix an "incongruity" and celebrate Italian cycling, race director Christian Prudhomme told AFP on Wednesday as he confirmed the first-ever Italian Grand Depart.

+ Will celebrate Italian cycling

+ The first-ever Italian Grand Depart

Steve Cohen’s Mets spending spree nears $500 million with Correa: Bloomberg reports the billionaire hedge fund manager is showing little concern with breaching the MLB luxury tax named after him.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc?

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