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Today’s Flagship

The Pope reaches out to LGBT people, the West gets ready for a long war, and a small step towards Mars.

Liz Hoffman

Liz Hoffman

business

Where investing goes when money isn't free

With decades of booms and busts behind him, Howard Morgan, co-founder of Renaissance Technologies, breaks down the market, and what it means for startups, Wall Street, and the smart (and dumb) money.

Reuters/Carlo Allegri

Alexis Akwagyiram and Alexander Onukwue

africa

Twitter’s staff cuts are helping spread misinformation in Africa

The closure of Twitter’s sole office in Africa late last year has made it easier for false claims about political candidates to spread ahead of Nigeria’s election next month.

Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Reed Albergotti

Reed Albergotti

tech

ChatGPT creator Sam Altman visits Washington to meet lawmakers

The OpenAI CEO is talking to members of Congress about the uses and limits of the artificial intelligence tool that’s all the rage.

Today’s Flagship

The Pope reaches out to LGBT people, the West gets ready for a long war, and a small step towards Mars.

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politics

What Trump's return to Facebook actually means for his campaign

Trump never used the platform like Twitter, but it could still be a useful megaphone and fundraising tool.

Joe Manchin's very 2011 idea for a debt ceiling deal

The senator says it's time for another blue-ribbon budget commission.

The RNC wants its 2024 candidates out of the bubble

Republicans are gathering to plan the first 2024 presidential debates and hope teaming up with mainstream outlets will pay off for candidates.

Why classified documents keep turning up everywhere

The government's messy system for tracking sensitive materials is a scandal unto itself.

Why Chicago might throw out its mayor

Mayor Lori Lightfoot presided over the pandemic and all the bad vibes that came with it. Can she overcome a crowded field of challengers?

A screenshot from an ad for Lori Lightfoot's campaign.YouTube/Lightfoot For Chicago
business

Where investing goes when money isn't free

With decades of booms and busts behind him, Howard Morgan, co-founder of Renaissance Technologies, breaks down the market, and what it means for startups, Wall Street, and the smart (and dumb) money.

Reuters/Carlo Allegri

Silicon Valley has lost its Wall Street magic

Activist investors are targeting giant tech companies that were once protected by their sky-high stock prices.

A ‘staunch capitalist’ will run a White House skeptical of big business

Incoming chief of staff Jeff Zients’ background in the corporate and investing worlds concerns liberals and heartens the business community.

Wall Street’s DC watchers are really, really worried about the debt ceiling

Veterans of past fights say the upcoming battle in Congress will be the toughest yet, making the possibility of a default more real than ever.

Don’t bet on the Davos consensus

World leaders and business executives kicked off their confab in the Swiss ski town as a potential global recession looms.


technology

ChatGPT creator Sam Altman visits Washington to meet lawmakers

The OpenAI CEO is talking to members of Congress about the uses and limits of the artificial intelligence tool that’s all the rage.

Sam AltmanReuters/Brendan McDermid

How Amazon turned small businesses into “day traders”

The company remade the retail industry in its own image, impacting millions of merchants in the U.S. and China, according to a new report.

Reuters/Rick Wilking/File Photo

“You've led a sheltered life”: Impossible Foods CEO on plant-based meat

Peter McGuinness texts with Semafor's Ben Smith on chicken, chili, and why vegan meat isn't a fad.

TikTok's Chinese sales to overseas consumers are booming

Internal records show its plan to bring China’s $400 billion livestream shopping industry to other markets is paying off.

CFOTO/Sipa USA/Reuters
africa

Twitter’s staff cuts are helping spread misinformation in Africa

The closure of Twitter’s sole office in Africa late last year has made it easier for false claims about political candidates to spread ahead of Nigeria’s election next month.

Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Zambians pursue lead poisoning mining lawsuit against Anglo American

A court case alleging a global mining giant Anglo American was responsible for the lead poisoning of more than 100,000 Zambians could become one of Africa’s biggest class action lawsuits.

Mac H. Alford/Creative Commons

Nigeria's third party candidate increases chances of a run-off

Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi has disrupted the country’s political duopoly to such an extent that he could force a run-off for the first time since the return to civilian rule in 1999 and help to anoint the eventual winner.

South Africa's ANC mulls selling real estate to plug holes in its finances

South Africa’s ruling ANC party is scrambling for new sources of funding and considering selling prized real estate assets to deal with a dire financial crunch caused by an exodus of its private donors, says an internal report.


Senegal, Niger lead Africa's economic growth in 2023

Africa's fastest-growing economies are in mostly Francophone countries.

net zero

Climate is the bright spot in the tech funding downturn

Climate tech investors in the U.S. are bullish on the year ahead, bolstered by an avalanche of public funding.

Pexels/Kindel Media

House Republicans could slow down US climate spending

As Republicans take control of the House of Representatives, expect a busy year of oversight hearings on the billions of dollars that federal agencies now have to invest in climate solutions.

REUTERS/Natalie Behring

Lessons from the world’s biggest carbon market

China’s carbon market — the world’s largest — is slowing its expansion, grappling with multiple roadblocks.

REUTERS/Oriental Image/Xie Zhengyi

Fed climate stress tests for big U.S. banks are coming soon

Fed Chair Jay Powell says the U.S. central bank isn’t a climate policymaker but first exams for Wall Street are still on the way.

Fed Chair Jay PowellReuters/TT News Agency
media

The Billionaire Era in News is Fizzling

The decade-old era of new-money billionaires riding to the rescue of American journalism is fading, with the promise of building new business models largely unfulfilled.

American entrepreneur and founder, executive chairman and former president and CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon Prime Video's 'The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power' Season 1 held at The Culver Studios on August 15, 2022 in Culver City, Los AngelesPhoto by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/NurPhoto

CNN is serious about getting into comedy

Chris Licht is exploring hiring a comedian to host one of CNN's prime time shows; “They’re looking for their version of John Oliver,” one television news insider says.

A circulation scandal at Southeast Asia’s biggest media company

Questions about circulation numbers at Singapore's largest media company are roiling the city state's manicured media landscape, and coverage by its own flagship title isn't helping

Hackers access Guardian staff salary, passport information

A Guardian internal investigation found that a sophisticated cyberattack got the bank and passport information of newspaper staff.

Will Punchbowl punch up at Kevin McCarthy?

Punchbowl News has quickly become the must-read for Capitol Hill insiders. But some critics worry whether the publication's reporters are too friendly with the new House Speaker.

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