ITK Daily | March 2

Happy Thursday.

Here’s today’s ITK Daily.

To be ITK, know this:

Insight | Communications consistency - How to

For communications consistency, ask yourself these three questions:

Can you form a communications habit with your audience??

Can you create an environment where they expect, demand, and need your communications?

Can you create communications that is easy to make, edit, scale, and send and manageable for you and your team??

Full post?here .

AP: Intel agencies: No sign adversaries behind ‘Havana syndrome’

‘Havana syndrome’ not caused by energy weapon or foreign adversary, intelligence review finds: WP reports after a years-long assessment, five US intelligence agencies conclude it is ‘very unlikely’ an enemy wielding a secret weapon was behind the mysterious ailment.

In an epic battle of tanks, Russia was routed, repeating earlier mistakes: A three-week fight in the town of Vuhledar in southern Ukraine produced what Ukrainian officials say was the biggest tank battle of the war so far, and a stinging setback for the Russians.?NYT

+ “We say, ‘Please, don’t let us down in battle,’” said Sgt. Artyom Knignitsky, the mechanic. “‘Bring us in and bring us out.’”

+ “All my knowledge I gained in the field,” he said. The Russian tank crews, he said, are in contrast mostly new recruits without the benefit of any combat to season them.

The Ukrainian army is leveraging online influencers. Can the US military??War On The Rocks?

+ Zelensky, the actor turned statesman, has out-messaged Putin at every turn. Ukraine also benefits from its status as an underdog and as a sovereign country invaded by a foreign power. Russia’s aggression and war crimes were so bald-faced as to enable most any Ukrainian communication to succeed.??

+ The US military should not only encourage but empower soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines to tell their stories of service on social media.

+ This model of storytelling has not only worked for Ukraine but also numerous Fortune 500 businesses, which have demonstrated success and established guidelines for what are called employee advocate programs.?

+ The annual worldwide Edelman Trust barometer shows that since 2012, the entity that is more trusted than CEOs, government officials or journalists is a “person like yourself.”

Finland's Parliament gives final approval for NATO bid: Le Monde reports lawmakers voted 184-7 in support of Finland's NATO accession, in the country's first deviation from a historical policy of non-alignment since World War II.

Denmark abolishes public holiday to boost defense spending: DW reports the government has argued that by getting rid of "Great Prayer Day" as a public holiday, more funds will be generated to flow into public spending and boost defense. Thousands have protested the move.

This is what I believe: Why we need a new mission-driven politics to renew Britain and defeat the enemies of progress.?Keir Starmer

Bloomberg: Boris Johnson’s comeback dreams shattered by Sunak’s Brexit win

+ Sell shares in Boris, Tory MPs joke after Sunak gets EU deal.

+ Johnson’s supporters had touted a comeback after local elections.

Politico: UK closing in on major Pacific trade deal after Sunak’s Brexit breakthrough

French pension reform: Why comparing European systems is hardly relevant: French politicians are quick to cite their European neighbors to help prove their point. But pension systems are so complex and different that comparing them is rarely feasible.?Le Monde

Macron arrives in Gabon as he begins tour of Central Africa: Macron's trip comes as alarm grows in Paris over Russia's rising influence in French-speaking African countries, joining China, which has been present in the region for some years.?Le Monde

+ A new "responsible relationship" with the continent as anti-French sentiment runs high in some former colonies.

+ Macron's trip comes as alarm grows in Paris over Russia's rising influence in French-speaking African countries, joining China, which has been present in the region for some years.

+ More than 3,000 French soldiers are deployed in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Gabon and Djibouti, according to official figures. Another 3,000 are in the Sahel region further north, including in Niger and Chad.

+ France and its Western allies accuse Russian mercenary group Wagner, infamous for its activities in Ukraine, of being active in Mali and the Central African Republic, also once ruled by France. Paris has also accused Russia of spreading anti-French propaganda.

Burkina scraps 1961 military aid pact with France: AFP reports Burkina Faso has scrapped a 1961 agreement on military assistance with France, a move that comes only weeks after it told the French ambassador and troops supporting its anti-jihadist campaign to quit the country.

More than mercenaries: Russia's Wagner Group in Africa: The Kremlin-backed private military contractor is using shady business ventures for unofficial Russian diplomacy across the African continent, researchers say. How and where do they operate??DW

Who is Bola Tinubu, winner of Nigeria’s presidential election??WP

+ The 70-year-old contender won 36 percent of the vote, beating out Atiku Abubakar, the 76-year-old former vice president on his sixth presidential bid, and Peter Obi, a 61-year-old third-party candidate and political outsider popular among Nigeria’s youth.

+ Now Tinubu leads Africa’s most populous country and largest economy.

+ His supporters say his experience improving infrastructure and civil services in Lagos, the nation’s commercial hub, means he is well-equipped to take on Nigeria’s spiraling economic and security crises.

+ Nigeria, home to over 200 million people, is rapidly growing and the United Nations projects it will be the third-most populous country by around 2050.

+ More than 60 percent of Nigerians live in poverty.

+ Nigeria has a very young population, with around 70 percent under the age of 30.

Nigeria’s badly flawed election: If Bola Tinubu’s victory is challenged, the courts should take a hard look.?FT - Editorial

Israel police crackdown on legal reform protest: AFP reports Israeli police clashed Wednesday with protesters rallying against the government's judicial reform program, which critics say threatens democracy, as lawmakers held a preliminary vote on the latest controversial bill.

Froman named next Council on Foreign Relations president: Former USTR Michael Froman has been named the next president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Froman, who served as USTR during President Obama’s second term, will succeed Richard Haass, who has been CFR president since 2003. Haass is stepping down in June.

Reuters: Vietnam Communist Party nominates Vo Van Thuong as new president - sources

China’s imports of Russian uranium spark fear of new arms race: Bloomberg reports Russian nuclear fuel deliveries to a new Chinese reactor are raising US concerns about the potential to produce weapons-grade plutonium.?

WSJ: China’s Xi Jinping welcomes Belarus president, a key Putin ally

Politico: Lukashenko backs Xi’s peace plan as he appeals for Chinese investment in Belarus

Xi wants China's security apparatus under his direct grip: Leader hurries to consolidate command following 'white paper' and 'white hair' movements.?Nikkei

+ Some party sources have expressed concern, worrying that China is at risk of becoming a suffocating police state like the former Soviet Union.

+ The crux of the matter is the possibility of creating a new police and state security organization placed under the direct command of Xi, the "core" of the party's Central Committee.

+ "There is a plan to beef up organizations related to state security and public security under a completely non-traditional framework," one source said, without giving details. "The number of personnel could double if rural areas are included. The goal is to establish such a structure by 2027, when the next national congress of the Communist Party will be held."

+ Li Qiang, a close aide to Xi, is set to become China's new premier at the upcoming National People's Congress.

+ Li will hold his inaugural news conference when the annual session of the National People's Congress closes in mid-March. What message will he send to Chinese people and the rest of the world?

Bloomberg: China warns ‘hedonistic’ bankers to toe the Communist Party line

+ Xi poised to tighten control at an annual parliamentary meeting.

+ Finance sector is under pressure from the common prosperity push.

China’s collapsing birth and marriage rates reflect a people’s deep pessimism?Nicholas Eberstadt

At House hearing on Chinese Communist Party, bipartisan show of concern: New committee’s first hearing elicits condemnation in Beijing.?WP

Biden’s best tool for halting a slide in US-China relations? His phone.?David Ignatius

+ "Reaching out to the Chinese leader wouldn’t win President Biden popularity points at home, and it would give Republicans a talking point they would undoubtedly exploit. But it’s the right thing to do regardless of the politics. And it embodies the mature global stewardship that should be part of Biden’s brand as a leader."

+ "Will Republicans howl about any new opening with China? For sure. Would a Biden-Xi meeting produce any meaningful results? No one can say. Is it worth a try? Absolutely."

US to replace Japan-based carrier Ronald Reagan by 2025?Nikkei

India Mmves closer to approving purchase of armed drones from the US: WSJ reports the deal would boost New Delhi’s surveillance of its contested Himalayan border with China.

With G20 in India, Global South addresses West: Russia's invasion of Ukraine is likely to overshadow G20 talks in India. There is concern that a new Cold War looms. And many countries in the Global South are seeking a chance to redefine their relations with the West.?DW

+ The West's focus on the "all-consuming war" in Ukraine, however, has taken a lot of international attention away the from those challenges.?

+ India has so far refrained from criticizing the Kremlin directly on Ukraine, defying appeals by the West to take a firm stand.

+ It was one of 32 countries that abstained from a recent UN General Assembly resolution vote calling for a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.

NDP to push for ‘national public inquiry’ into foreign interference?Global News

FT: Calls grow for inquiry into alleged interference in Canadian elections

Global News: Trudeau Foundation to return $200K donation over alleged link to China

Joe Biden is pretty good at being president. He should run again.?Some Democrats aren’t excited about Biden 2024. Here’s why they’re wrong.?Dylan Matthews

When Jill Biden went to Africa, her comment about 2024 stole all the attention?WP

Biden’s translator: Kate Bedingfield explains the press to the president (and keeps the White House from leaking).?Gabriel Debenedetti

Chief of a Democratic super PAC is stepping down: NYT reports Guy Cecil has led Priorities USA since 2015 and will leave at the end of March, as outside political groups begin to make plans for the 2024 races.

AP: Trump planning first Iowa trip since announcing 2024 bid

WP: Youngkin resumes out-of-state travel amid mixed signals on 2024 plans

Liz Cheney?is joining The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia as a professor of practice.

Ron DeSantis: Is this man the next US president??He’s the favorite to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination in the 2024 election. The anti-woke Florida governor talks to David Charter about why the White House needs ‘more vigor’, his love for the UK, and Brexit.?The Times

A big splash’: Ron DeSantis gears up for expected 2024 run against Trump: Florida governor has not announced White House bid but has recently published a memoir and campaign-style video.?FT

In search of Ron DeSantis’s foreign-policy doctrine: It’s not Trumpism, but it’s not not Trumpism either. As far as we can tell. Maybe.?Economist

GOP rams through TikTok ban bill over Dem objections: Politico reports as House Republicans push for quick action on a Chinese-owned app that’s “too dangerous to be on our children’s phones,” Democrats fret over unintended consequences.

Senate votes to reverse ESG rule for retirement funds: WSJ reports the Senate voted to overturn a Biden administration regulation allowing retirement-plan managers to consider climate change and other factors when making investment decisions.

+ The Senate action, with 50 in favor and 46 against, comes a day after the House voted to toss the regulation on environmental, social, and corporate governance guidelines, or ESG, by a vote of 216-204.

+ Biden is expected to veto the measure disapproving of environmental, social, and corporate-governance regulation.

The conservative battle against ‘woke’ banks is backfiring: States and cities fear that blacklisting financial giants for their climate policies will hurt their bottom line, because of reduced competition.?WP

Past US industrial policy offers lessons, risks for chips program: From moonshots to vaccines, Washington’s efforts to boost specific industries work best with focused goals.?WSJ

SpaceX cleared for space-station crew launch after delay: WSJ reports the Elon Musk-led rocket company is set to launch a crew to the International Space Station early Thursday, its sixth mission for NASA since 2020.

Astronomers learn from first asteroid deflection test: Le Monde reports the device, which struck Dimorphos, was more effective than researchers thought it would be. They were able to study the surface of the asteroid.

James Webb Telescope reveals massive galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang: Le Monde reports the observation of 13 distant galaxies dated 500 to 700 million years after the birth of the universe contradicts theories on the formation of these particularly massive collections of stars.

ChatGPT wouldn’t exist without Canadian AI pioneers. Why one fears for the future?Global News

Generative AI is sowing the seeds of doubt in serious science: Researchers have already developed a bot that could help tell the difference between synthetic and human-generated text.?Anjana Ahuja?

Axel Springer to restructure its German business as it shifts focus to US: The media conglomerate aims to eliminate print editions and become digital-only publisher.?WSJ

Caixin: Mercedes-Benz Shifts Into EV Battery Recycling in China

Bloomberg: Tesla to build northern Mexico EV plant, AMLO says after Musk call

+ Further details on investment will be announced this week.

+ AMLO had questioned whether the company could build in the north.

What could Elon Musk possibly be thinking??Grandiose master plans to save the world are nice to have, but maybe the Tesla CEO should focus on making cars.?Jessica Karl

Stripe?is reported to have further reduced its valuation as part of its latest fund-raising effort, to about $50 billion.

A-Rod, Marc Lore raise funds for ticketing, fan-experience startup: Bloomberg reports Jump will use the funds to hire engineers and other staff.

Save the slice joints!?Chris Crowley

+ We don’t want to live in a city where a pepperoni slice has to cost $6, because the mozzarella is hand-pulled and the flour comes from a farm upstate. Some things don’t have to be precious, which is exactly what makes most of the floppy, glossy slices in this city so necessary.

Kandinsky masterpiece sells for record $45 million: AFP reports Wassily Kandinsky's masterpiece "Murnau Mit Kirche II," recently recovered by the descendants of its owner, a German Jew killed by the Nazis, sold for $45 million on Wednesday, a record for the artist according to auctioneers Sotheby's.

The PGA Tour is making changes—that look like LIV Golf: WSJ reports the Tour told players that it will go ahead with a slate of events that feature smaller fields and no 36-hole cut—which is similar to rival LIV Golf’s format.

The death of Just Fontaine, a French football legend and World Cup record holder: The football player scored 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup, a record still unbroken. He died on Wednesday, aged 89.?Le Monde

Djokovic eyes elusive gold at Paris Olympics: AFP reports Novak Djokovic is hoping the Paris 2024 Games will be his most successful Olympics to date as he continues to chase the gold medal that has so far eluded him.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc?

Marc A. Ross | Founder + Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal

Caracal produces ITK Daily.

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