A pro-tariff Democrat thinks Trump ‘is abusing a tool in a really egregious way’
Conor Lamb: CECOT is a ‘gulag’
The World at a Glance
Updated 5:06am EDT
1
Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, aged 88.
2Kyiv and Moscow accused each other of breaking a one-day Easter ceasefire, as Russia tries to signal to Washington it is interested in peace negotiations.
3Beijing is moving to insulate the country’s beleaguered economy, with several big Chinese tech firms launching a national effort to bolster the domestic market.
4The US and Iran held a second round of nuclear talks, but
Tehran’s obfuscation over its capabilities could impede a quick agreement.
US Vice President JD Vance is set to meet Indian leader Narendra Modi this week, as New Delhi eyes a trade deal.
6Humanoid robots competed in a Beijing half marathon billed as a first of its kind race, although just 6 out of 21 finished.
‘Focus on what we can control’: Otis CEO Judy Marks on finding growth during uncertainty
The former engineer is overhauling the world’s largest elevator group to withstand tariffs, a China slowdown, and its industry’s biggest change in 170 years.
Zhang Xiangyi/China News Service/VCGUS, Iran voice optimism after second round of nuclear talks
Tehran’s obfuscation over its nuclear capabilities could dent hopes for a quick agreement.
The foreign ministers of Italy and Iran. Italian Foreign Ministry/Handout via ReutersWhite House is studying whether Fed Chair Jerome Powell can be fired, top adviser says
President Donald Trump has escalated his attacks on the US’s top central banker this week.
Kevin Lamarque//File Photo/ReutersGulf leaders begin diplomatic push ahead of Trump visit
Qatar’s emir met with Russia’s president Vladimir Putin in Moscow, while Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman visited Tehran for talks with Iran’s supreme leader.
Russia’s president and Qatar’s emir. Alexander Nemenov/ReutersAD
Trump’s showdown with the courts escalates as he blames a judge for creating tensions
The White House accused a federal judge of escalating tensions, heightening a showdown between Trump and the courts.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersUS, European officials meet to revive stalled ceasefire efforts
The talks, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, centered on the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Ludovic Marin/Pool via ReutersWhite House plans to target university investments
White House officials plan to examine university endowment efforts as part of a multi-front pressure campaign on elite colleges.
Faith Ninivaggi/Reuterspolitics
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Joshua Roberts/ReutersKevin Lamarque/Reuters
Debatable: Trump’s ‘Wall Street vs. Main Street’ argument for tariffs
Two experts debate whether the Trump administration’s dichotomy is a useful way of understanding his levies.
Nathan Howard/ReutersReported US State cuts spark concern in Washington
A purported draft executive order proposes various cuts at the department, including eliminating a bureau devoted to sub-Saharan Africa.
Joshua Roberts/ReutersTrump’s showdown with the courts escalates as he blames a judge for creating tensions
The White House accused a federal judge of escalating tensions, heightening a showdown between Trump and the courts.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersConor Lamb: CECOT is a ‘gulag’
The Pennsylvania Democrat, who is not running for anything, talks about marshalling resistance to the Trump administration.
The GOP’s Harvard alumni side with Trump
Meanwhile, a Democratic alumnus says the president’s escalations against Harvard are unlawful.
Bernie-backed El-Sayed runs for Senate in Michigan
The physician and progressive activist is jumping into Democrats’ first seriously contested primary in the state in a generation.
Trump advisers ‘bullish’ on a TikTok solution — even as China trade war heats up
The administration’s professed optimism came as the White House pushed Beijing harder.
Trump signs order removing limits on the locations of federal agencies
The new directive comes one day after an administration deadline for submission of potential plans to move offices outside the Washington, DC area.
Health and Human Services layoffs spark child care cost worries
Advocates, Democrats and some Republicans have questions about downsizing at the agency in charge of children and families.
Democrats ask watchdog to probe mortgage giant overhaul
Ten senators asked the Federal Housing Finance Agency inspector general to look at the new director’s overhaul of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac boards.
Trump tries to slash State’s funding
An internal memo making the rounds at State calls for about a 50% reduction in the department’s budget in the next fiscal year.
business
Tingshu Wang/Reuters
China’s trade war playbook is coming into focus
Beijing’s strategy is evolving: In recent days, China has wielded non-tariff weapons to put pressure on American companies specifically.
Tingshu Wang/ReutersActivist seeks CEO change at Hewlett Packard Enterprise
The $20 billion server-maker has struggled to gain investor approval and market share under CEO Antonio Neri.
Activist Robby Starbuck plans lobbying arm to make the anti-DEI revolution stick
Corporate America’s most potent adversary is planning a lobbying group for “long-term corporate oversight” of companies’ diversity policies “to ensure that this never happens again.”
White House plans to target university investments
White House officials plan to examine university endowment efforts as part of a multi-front pressure campaign on elite colleges.
Trump says tariffs will boost US manufacturers, but many are not so sure
Businesses with large production footprints in the US are increasingly warning of budget cuts and layoffs.
technology
Annegret Hilse/Reuters
Courtsy of Badge Inc.
Google operates illegal monopoly in online ad business, judge rules
The decision marks the second time in a year that the tech giant has been found to have acted illegally to maintain its dominance.
Annegret Hilse/Reuters‘Fuzzy logic’ encryption offers a path to safer, easier authentication
The legendary technologist known as “Darpa Dan” joined Badge, which is developing biometric authentication software accessible from anywhere, without storing user data.
Courtsy of Badge Inc.Tech carveout adds to global uncertainty over Trump tariffs
The new exemption signaled a possible softening of the president’s aggressive trade agenda, but the reprieve may be brief.
Analysis: Trump’s tariffs won’t tank the tech industry, but AI plans seem in limbo
The Trump administration’s biggest impact on the tech industry is in government-funded research and development, which will determine whether the US stays ahead.
Data center in UK becomes proving ground for new carbon capture technology
Orbital Materials, founded by an ex-DeepMind researcher, is piloting a technology to capture carbon from the hot air emitted by data centers.
An AI startup says its new tool will help investors make smarter deals, faster
Brightwave launched a new tool that’s meant to free up investors to build relationships and review more deals, the startup exclusively told Semafor.
net zero
Nick Oxford/File Photo/Reuters
Arvin Temkar/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Reuters
Costfoto/NurPhoto/Reuters
Clean energy companies paring back climate talk
Downplaying climate in corporate messaging may be a smart political move but risks putting companies out of touch with their customers, analysts warned.
Nick Oxford/File Photo/ReutersHow a trade war with China helps (some) US clean tech companies
Battery companies have been preparing for a rift with Chinese suppliers for years.
Arvin Temkar/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/ReutersChina can win an energy trade war with the US
Losing access to the US market could be great for China’s clean tech companies.
Costfoto/NurPhoto/Reutersgulf
Saudi Press Agency
Saudi ‘Crazy Speed’ sculpture moved away from F1 track
The Jeddah Corniche Formula One circuit is widely recognized as the fastest in the world.
Saudi Press AgencySmaller Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund sees growth
ADQ’s total assets are worth $251 billion, up 11% from a fund-tracker’s estimate in June, a spokesperson told Semafor.
Abu Dhabi firm G42 to use locals’ DNA for medical AI
The company is looking to leverage more than 800,000 DNA samples to build an AI model for developing new drugs and offering precision medicine.
Gulf leaders begin diplomatic push ahead of Trump visit
Qatar’s emir met with Russia’s president Vladimir Putin in Moscow, while Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman visited Tehran for talks with Iran’s supreme leader.
Saudi Arabia sets world record for largest construction safety lesson
Nearly 3,000 workers gathered outside Riyadh for the session, which signals a greater focus on employee welfare as the kingdom faces scrutiny by rights activists.
africa
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
Côte d’Ivoire presidential candidate Tidjane Thiam. Sia Kambou/File Photo/AFP via Getty Images.
South Africa’s new US envoy targets ‘misinformation’
Mcebisi Jonas, a former deputy finance minister, was appointed this week amid mounting tensions between Pretoria and Washington.
Siphiwe Sibeko/ReutersFormer Credit Suisse CEO runs for Côte d’Ivoire presidency
The country’s main opposition party overwhelmingly endorsed the 62-year-old, who previously served as a planning and development minister.
Côte d’Ivoire presidential candidate Tidjane Thiam. Sia Kambou/File Photo/AFP via Getty Images.Nigerian fintech bets on UK diaspora with remittance push
Moniepoint launched a money transfer for Nigerians in Britain this week.
African investors led venture capital fundraising in 2024
Nearly a third of investors came from the continent last year, up from a fifth a decade earlier.
Cameroonian migrants fear for their safety after Trump ends US protected status
The US Department of Homeland Security said it was ending the Temporary Protected Status program for an estimated 7,900 Cameroonians from June.
Ghana’s gold regulator orders foreign players to leave market
The West African country is looking to curb smuggling and streamline gold trading by small-scale miners.
media
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Bezos hunts for new Post opinion chief
The Washington Post has been without a top opinion editor for several months.
Mario Anzuoni/ReutersBloomberg issues travel warning to staff
Outside legal counsel for the company told employees to bring more documents than usual to demonstrate their ties to the United States.
How Nexstar dodged a Trump lawsuit
There’s good reason for the TV giant, which owns DC news site The Hill, to want to stay out of the president’s line of fire.
Mixed Signals: Zeitgeist genius Tina Brown on Meghan Markle, Vanity Fair, and whether we still need editors
Plus, why she doesn’t buy magazines anymore.
After NBC, Todd buys in to local news
He’s looking to spend as much as $2 billion on local news, without buying a major publisher.
security
Christian Klindt Soelbeck/Ritzau Scanpix/via Reuters
Flickr Creative Commons Photo/NNSA
Stringer/File Photo/Reuters
US scales back Greenland visit after criticism
US President Donald Trump’s expansionist overtures are creating a ‘permissive space’ for other world leaders bent on territorial acquisition, analysts argued.
Christian Klindt Soelbeck/Ritzau Scanpix/via ReutersDOGE reviews nuclear contractors
A review of National Nuclear Security Administration contractors has sparked concern within the agency that it could lose manpower at a critical time.
Flickr Creative Commons Photo/NNSAUK clamps down on Russian espionage, as Moscow ramps up pressure on Europe
Russia is increasingly reliant on private intelligence operatives and criminals to carry out espionage missions, UK security experts said.
Stringer/File Photo/ReutersAD