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Politics
More Republicans break with Trump on Russia sanctions
‘Now is the time for us to turn up the pressure,’ said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala.
French protests raise fears of spillover effect
Though largely peaceful, in some areas protests degenerated into riots and mass looting.
French protests raise fears of spillover effect
Though largely peaceful, in some areas protests degenerated into riots and mass looting.
View / The AI boom doesn’t answer to the Fed
View / Tesla’s Roadster represents a feat, and a defeat
The World at a Glance
Updated 7:56am EDT
1
French government bonds again sold off on growing concern that cascading political and fiscal crises would hammer the EU’s second-biggest economy.
2US President Donald Trump said he was open to meeting with his Russian and Chinese counterparts and renewed his criticism of Ukraine’s leader.
3South Korean tech firm Elice’s disastrous IPO may be an early sign of a turning tide in investor confidence in AI.
4Elon Musk pledged to give a SpaceX share to every US child, as Silicon Valley firms seek to bolster public opinion around AI.
5The US banned Chinese AI firm DeepSeek from most government systems, as competition for AI supremacy between the superpowers heats up.
6President Cyril Ramaphosa said South Africa must prepare for a future where it loses preferential trade access to the US.
Anthropic’s leaked AI bill sparks backlash
Anthropic, long seen as the safety-promoting frontier lab, found itself on the defensive.
Waymo plans to quintuple its fleet
The self-driving car company plans to use some of the $5 billion of debt it raised this month to amass 20,000 vehicles by the end of next year, up from 4,000 today.
The most awkward Senate delegation ever?
If Democrat Sherrod Brown wins an Ohio Senate seat, he would have to serve with Republican Bernie Moreno, who defeated him in 2024.
Saudi postpones FII in person after Wall Street lobbying
Executives expressed safety concerns to PIF head Yasir Al-Rumayyan ahead of Saudi’s flagship investment conference.
Manchin to campaign with Collins in Maine
The former West Virginia senator wants to make sure the people of Maine understand how Susan Collins’ style of legislating benefits the state.
To prep for sale of Ronaldo’s Saudi team, PIF pays off $213 million debt
Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund is arranging sponsorship deals to cover the soccer team’s debt.
The AI bet is running straight into a capital crunch
DBS’ Tan Su Shan, the CEO of Singapore’s largest bank, sees a vibe shift, with investors starting to question AI returns.
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Politics
Trump administration punts on releasing Fannie, Freddie
The Trump administration isn’t loosening the federal government’s grip on the mortgage giants any time soon.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Mamdani takes on AI chatbot ‘doom loops’ in New York
A new rule would require businesses to connect people to a human customer service agent quickly if a chatbot cannot fulfill their requests.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
More Republicans break with Trump on Russia sanctions
‘Now is the time for us to turn up the pressure,’ said Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala.
Burgess Everett/Semafor
US President Donald Trump’s rift with Ukraine deepens
Trump’s latest remarks, echoing earlier calls for Ukraine to “get a new president”, come as Ukraine says the US has cut back on sharing military intelligence.
Why Democrats are pushing their donors to care more about state legislative races
The party has long suffered a disadvantage in a critical battleground, one that’s become even more important amid Trump-era redistricting.
Three returning Democratic committee leaders still behind on dues
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is one of three House Democrats who have yet to pay their DCCC dues in full despite plans to return to top committee jobs next year.
Israelis lose faith in elections ahead of vote
New Gallup polling found 56% of Israelis have faith in the integrity of the vote.
Anthropic’s leaked AI bill sparks backlash
Anthropic, long seen as the safety-promoting frontier lab, found itself on the defensive.
The most awkward Senate delegation ever?
If Democrat Sherrod Brown wins an Ohio Senate seat, he would have to serve with Republican Bernie Moreno, who defeated him in 2024.
Putin floats US-China-Russia summit to end Ukraine war, WSJ reports
US President Donald Trump is already facing blowback from Republicans for his overtures to Putin, including waiving Russia sanctions.
US sanction waivers are Russian economic boon
Within weeks of waiving sanctions on Russian diesel, President Donald Trump waived sanctions on Russia’s trading partners.
Business
Orlando Bravo on AI’s ‘giant sucking sound’
The death of software has been greatly exaggerated, said the managing partner of PE firm Thoma Bravo, who has more riding on its comeback than perhaps anybody in the world.
The AI boom doesn’t answer to the Fed
AI giants keep borrowing as rates rise, blunting the central bank’s main tool against inflation.
French debt costs spiral as political and fiscal crises grow
Spreads between French 10-year debt and the German equivalent widened to their highest since 2012, following a weekend of violent protests in France.
Europe has few alternatives to counter China other than costly protectionism
Pascal Lamy, who in 2001 negotiated China’s accession to the WTO, now argues that the country is “killing open global trade.”
Musk to gift SpaceX shares to American children
The billionaire’s gift could be worth roughly $10.8 billion and amount to approximately 1% of Musk’s current SpaceX holdings.
Technology
Musk pledges SpaceX share giveaway to every US child
The announcement comes as tech firms seek to win over an increasingly skeptical public.
Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
SK tech firm’s IPO flop signals investor concerns over AI
New analysis showed investors were upping their purchases of credit default swaps linked to bonds issued by chipmakers and data center builders.
Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters
Anthropic’s leaked AI bill sparks backlash
Anthropic, long seen as the safety-promoting frontier lab, found itself on the defensive.
Anthropic could be the AI trade’s last tentpole IPO in 2026
Market jitters have forced several AI and fintech companies to reconsider their IPO plans for this year.
AI stocks rally ahead of Meta earnings
The Nasdaq rose Monday as investors rotated back into chip stocks, after fears over the sustainability of the AI boom fueled last week’s selloff.
Anthropic pledges at least 5% of shares to public-benefit fund
Anthropic is gearing up for a record-breaking IPO in the face of increasingly negative public reactions to AI’s technological advances.
Energy
For investors, the Iran war redefined energy security
Local electrons are safer than foreign molecules.
Orhan Qereman/Reuters
The EU’s methane rule pause may not help energy prices
The EU’s decision to delay the implementation of its methane regulations won’t help consumers much, environmental groups argued.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Big Law talent battle for data center expertise moves South
The top 200 US firms are on pace to hire nearly 300 data center lawyers this year, up 21% from the year before.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Gulf
Abu Dhabi in talks to sell government services app to US cities
The platform’s services span business registration, ID renewal, and, since last year, virtual weddings.
Abu Dhabi Media Office
Qatar is ramping up liquefied natural gas exports as prices surge
At least 20 shipments have passed through the Strait of Hormuz to other destinations since early September, with one tanker now sailing toward Poland.
Airlines shun reopened Riyadh airport after last week’s attacks
Saudi authorities require airlines to get prior permission for every flight, according to a NOTAM issued over the weekend.
To prep for sale of Ronaldo’s Saudi team, PIF pays off $213 million debt
Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund is arranging sponsorship deals to cover the soccer team’s debt.
Saudi postpones FII in person after Wall Street lobbying
Executives expressed safety concerns to PIF head Yasir Al-Rumayyan ahead of Saudi’s flagship investment conference.
China
Washington bans DeepSeek from government agencies
US firms have long accused Chinese rivals of “distilling” their AI models.
Florence Lo/Reuters
Tesla’s Roadster represents a feat, and a defeat
To compete with China, Western carmakers will either have to aim for the sky or bite the dust.
Tesla/Handout via Reuters
Europe has few alternatives to counter China other than costly protectionism
Pascal Lamy, who in 2001 negotiated China’s accession to the WTO, now argues that the country is “killing open global trade.”
Yoan Valat/Pool via Reuters
Africa
South Africa fears end of US trade deal amid growing rift
In response, Pretoria is looking to boost trade with China and India though a flood of cheap imports from the former has angered domestic producers.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Zambia makes up with Gulf investor in major copper mine
The expansion of the copper sector is a cornerstone of the country’s economic growth plan.
Rogan Ward/Reuters
Telecoms group urges cuts to spectrum cost in Africa
Reforms could add more than $120 billion to the African economy by 2035, expand 4G and 5G coverage, and raise productivity, GSMA estimated.
African inventors in spotlight ahead of top engineering prize
Dr Atish Shah, who took part five years ago, says his company Roverlabs is now developing a bionic hand for amputees.
Burundi signs $1.4B power deal with US-backed company
The country has deposits of nickel, gold, and rare earths, but lacks the electricity to develop large-scale mining.
The future of medicine may depend on African DNA
A $100 million investment over the next decade could help African scientists unlock discoveries that improve medicine worldwide.
Security
US President Donald Trump’s rift with Ukraine deepens
Trump’s latest remarks, echoing earlier calls for Ukraine to “get a new president”, come as Ukraine says the US has cut back on sharing military intelligence.
Brendan McDermind/Reuters
Putin floats US-China-Russia summit to end Ukraine war, WSJ reports
US President Donald Trump is already facing blowback from Republicans for his overtures to Putin, including waiving Russia sanctions.
Kevin Lamarque/File Photo/Reuters
French far right looks to capitalize on unrest
The clear favorite in April’s presidential elections, Marine Le Pen and her party blamed the centrist government for being “soft on crime” and vowed to “restore order” following this weekend’s riots.
Cecile Mantovani/Reuters
Media
Four years of Semafor
Semafor is starting to emerge clearly as the thing we hoped it would become.
The Semafor team after Semafor World Economy in April 2026. Kris Tripplaar/Semafor
How CBS News’ Middle East war spread to the Upper Midwest
Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss has personally advocated for CBS News journalists to pursue numerous story angles related to Abdul El-Sayed’s supposed sympathy towards the Muslim Brotherhood.
Fox stays positive on data centers even as public backlash grows
More than half of the references to data centers on Fox News over the last two years would have left viewers with a favorable impression, according to a Semafor analysis.
Hack reveals Netanyahu campaign’s media ties
The latest breach comes from the Whatsapp account of Netanyahu aide Jonatan Urich.
ABC News offers contradictory explanation for vanishing Anduril story
Emails between ABC News and its subjects, provided to Semafor, show the network seeking to downplay its errors by misrepresenting its own processes.
CEO Signal
The $22B startup co-founder working to make chatbots talk back
ElevenLabs’ Mati Staniszewski is betting that “voice AI” will soon become the norm.
Why Suntory’s CEO is still investing in a sobered-up spirits market
Nobuhiro Torii sees a chance to build the family company’s brands as listed rivals cut back.
The CEO who put Canary Wharf back on the map
Shobi Khan’s success in filling the east London site is tempting him to think about international expansion.
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