Brigadoon Daily
Your daily dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture
December 2, 2021
“They behave like a strict parent.”
TOP FIVE
1. 1 in 3 people around the world have never used the Internet
2. Crypto executives to face House lawmakers at Dec. 8 hearing
3. Oceans seen as new frontier but at what cost?
4. Japan is quietly preparing the way for humans in space
5. Do sports still need China?
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GLOBALIZATION + STATECRAFT
WP: 1 in 3 people around the world have never used the Internet, UN report says
The new geopolitical troublemakers: As America retreats, regional rogues are on the rise.
Economist
Analysis: Xi shrewdly used Biden summit to pave way for long reign: The timing of the virtual meeting followed Beijing's scenario.
Nikkei
Beijing wanted to 'break' Australia -US Indo-Pacific adviser
Reuters
SCMP: China, US set for meeting of top military officials amid Taiwan tensions
+ Telephone call in January being considered after consensus was reached during Xi-Biden summit on setting up discussions, sources say
+ Arms control predicted to be among the main topics of discussion in the proposed talks
Taiwan invasion would threaten Japan, Shinzo Abe tells China: The Times reports that the ex-PM’s warning comes as nuclear submarine makes ‘show of strength’ in Strait.
Women’s tennis tour suspends China events on concerns over Peng: Bloomberg reports the Women’s Tennis Association will suspend all of its tournaments in China, saying it was doing so as the country’s leadership has failed to quell concerns that tennis star Peng Shuai is free and safe after she publicly accused a former official of coercing her into a decade-long sexual affair.
+ “Unfortunately, the leadership in China has not addressed this very serious issue in any credible way. While we now know where Peng is, I have serious doubts that she is free, safe, and not subject to censorship, coercion, and intimidation.” -- WTA chairman and CEO Steve Simon
+ “They behave like a strict parent.” -- Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, to CNBC on how Chinese officials describe their “top-down” approach to governing.
Reuters: Pope Francis to visit Greece to boost Catholic-Orthodox ties
The rise of Éric Zemmour shows how far France has shifted to the right: The far-right media pundit is now a presidential candidate – and his toxic ideas have ever more mainstream support.
Didier Fassin
French firebrand Éric Zemmour is a danger to Britain too: British fans of the controversial presidential candidate think I want to ‘no-platform’ him but they’re wrong: I want to expose his apologist views.
David Aaronovitch
EU unveils 'Global Gateway' €300 billion global infrastructure plan: DW reports the EU has called the plan a "road map for investment" in the developing world. It is seen as an eventual alternative to China's "Belt and Road" global infrastructure strategy.
Why the fate of Ukraine lies in the hands of one man: Vladimir Putin: Most analysts suggest Russia will stop short of a military invasion, and a confrontation with NATO, but few are willing to rule out the possibility.
Marc Bennetts
Top US, Russia diplomats to meet amid Ukraine showdown: WP reports NATO officials have warned of serious consequences should Moscow invade Ukraine.
World’s first floating nuclear power plant fuels Russia’s Arctic ambitions
FT
Ethiopia: Government claims territorial gains over Tigrayan forces near capital: DW reports the Ethiopian prime minister's office announced recent territorial gains by the army. Government forces said they had recaptured the UNESCO World Heritage site Lalibela.
Reuters: Hundreds of Ugandan troops cross into Congo as offensive widens
COVID
How do you say ‘Omicron’?
NYT
UK Christmas parties canceled as firms fear spread of Omicron variant: The Times reports working from home encouraged as companies defy advice to carry on as normal.
+ The first known US case of the Omicron variant was detected in California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Wednesday.
+ The White House is reportedly weighing stricter coronavirus testing for all travelers to the US.
+ A federal judge blocked President Biden’s vaccine mandate for health workers.
Bloomberg: It would cost $50 billion to vaccinate the world, OECD says
POLITICS + CAMPAIGNS
Bloomberg: Supreme Court justices wrestle with past in fiery hearing on abortion’s future
US Supreme Court justices appear to back Mississippi abortion law: DW reports the Supreme Court appeared set to put limits on abortion rights in the United States by upholding one state's law banning the procedure after 15 weeks. Protesters from both sides of the issue rallied at the top court.
Supreme Court seems inclined to uphold Miss. abortion law that would undercut Roe v. Wade: WP reports none of the court’s six conservative justices expressed support for keeping the precedent that states may not prohibit abortion before the point of fetal viability.
The Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe v. Wade: The chief justice suggested a way to restrict abortion without going that far, but the swing voters didn’t engage his potential compromise.
Noah Feldman
White House considering Richard Cordray as top fed banking regulator: WSJ reports the Ohio attorney served as Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s first confirmed director.
Crypto executives to face House lawmakers at Dec. 8 hearing: Bloomberg reports Sam Bankman-Fried, chief executive officer of the FTX derivatives exchange, and Brian Brooks, who now runs crypto miner Bitfury Group Ltd. after serving as the Trump administration’s acting comptroller of the currency, will be among the executives set to testify Dec. 8 before the House Financial Services Committee. The hearing will on the “challenges of financial innovation” in the US, the committee said in a statement on Wednesday.
WP: Oregon Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio, chairman of transportation panel, to retire at end of his term
MA-GOV: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R), a moderate who typically ranks as one of the nation's most popular governors, and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito (R) announced Wednesday that they will not seek third terms in 2022.
Stacey Abrams says she’s running for Georgia governor: NYT reports Abrams, a Democratic voting rights activist, will aim to unseat Gov. Brian Kemp in a rematch of their contentious 2018 race for governor.
Republicans battle over ‘socialism-lite’: Luminaries like Marco Rubio are repudiating free markets and big business. Defenders like Nikki Haley are retaliating, in a clash that looks back at Trump and forward to 2024.
Michael R. Strain
Inside the Dems’ dark money machine: Neither party's functionaries admit it, but the line between philanthropy and politics has been obliterated. The upshot is that even more money is moving into the shadows.
Puck
Trump tested positive for COVID few days before Biden debate, chief of staff says in new book: Mark Meadows makes stunning admission in new memoir obtained by Guardian, saying a second test returned negative.
Why American politics is so stuck — and what new research shows about how to fix it: The more people identify with a party, the more likely they are to ascribe bad motives to the other side's policy goals.
Politico
DISRUPTION + INNOVATION
Data storage, mining, and wind: Oceans seen as new frontier but at what cost? Industries gazing out to sea for more space, more cold, clean water, and more wind offer a glimpse of the future and its risks.
Guardian
COMMERCE
Axios: UN report: Pandemic set to cost global tourism $2 trillion in 2021
Universal Studios Beijing plots expansion 3 months after opening: Nikkei reports the resort plans to double in size as the Chinese capital seeks more tourists.
Patrick & John Collison, the Irish brothers embraced by Silicon Valley: With internet sales soaring and interest rates low during the pandemic, Stripe raised $600 million in March, giving it a market value of $95 billion and making it the most valuable Silicon Valley startup of all time.
Bloomberg
Facebook says it carried out broad takedown of disinformation networks, including some tied to anti-vaccine groups, state actors
WP
Reuters: Facebook risks meta flop, metaverse developers say
Crypto.com forges deal to buy two of IG Group’s US trading assets: FT reports the digital asset exchange makes push into the highly regulated US derivatives market.
Fortune: Ether overtakes Bitcoin as the king of crypto with 530% return so far this year
Nuclear-fusion startup lands $1.8 billion as investors chase star power: No one has been able to generate net energy by combining atoms, yet Commonwealth Fusion Systems has attracted Bill Gates and George Soros.
WSJ
Exxon declares new goals for carbon emissions per barrel: FT reports the US oil supermajor seeks 20%-30% lower greenhouse gas intensity by 2030 but stops short of hard limit.
Jim Farley, Ford’s EV-focused CEO: Shares hit a 20-year high in 2021 as Farley transforms the company into a legitimate business in electric and self-driving cars.
Bloomberg
In Brazil, a favela start-up delivers parcels where others fear to tread
Reuters
SPACE + SCIENCE
Japan is quietly preparing the way for humans in space: Samples from asteroids may be instrumental to figuring out the next steps into the solar system. Japan has become the world leader at getting them.
Bloomberg
CULTURE
AFP: Baldwin denies pulling trigger in 'Rust' shooting
Reuters: Adele to return to live shows in Las Vegas next year
SPORT
AFP: Jamaican sprinter Thompson-Herah and Norwegian 400m hurdler Warholm named World Athletes of the Year
Guardian: NFL safety Kenny Vaccaro quitting football to ‘reinvent’ himself in esports
+ Free-agent safety quits NFL to launch esports organization
+ Former first-round draft pick played for Saints and Titans
Do sports still need China? Global outrage, broken contracts, and shifting politics could change the calculus for leagues and teams that once raced to do business in China.
NYT
Rory McIlroy defends players’ rights to compete in Saudi International
Guardian
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Curation and commentary by Marc A. Ross | Founder @ Brigadoon
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