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Intelligence for the New World Economy
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Politics
AI panic clouds more Washington meetings
But tech CEOs visiting DC this week are more likely to be fêted than reprimanded.
Cruz wants Republicans to campaign on college sports bill
The GOP senator said he and Trump are leaning on the House to return and pass the measure before the midterms.
Cruz wants Republicans to campaign on college sports bill
The GOP senator said he and Trump are leaning on the House to return and pass the measure before the midterms.
View/ African innovation must include regulators
White House is isolated in brushing off AI safety
The World at a Glance
Updated 6:45am EDT
1
Oil prices rose after US President Donald Trump rejected a peace proposal from Iran, although Trump told Axios he expects talks to resume this week.
2British authorities held five people suspected of plotting an attack on a UK air base used by the US to strike Iran.
3US President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to ban diesel exports in order to tame soaring domestic prices, sending shudders globally.
4Venezuelan demonstrators took to the streets calling for the return of opposition leader María Corina Machado and democratic elections.
5Chinese cars will inevitably enter the US market despite Washington’s efforts to stop them in a bid to protect domestic production, analysts said.
6Foreign investors riding the AI boom bought into US equities at a record rate in the second quarter, with net purchases reaching a record $426 billion.
Democrats press Trump administration to intervene in Ethiopia
Renewed fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia is raising fears of a return to the 2020-2022 civil war.
IMF chief warns AI boom is masking economic fragility from oil shocks
The Middle East conflict is a supply shock dragging global growth down, while the AI investment boom is a demand shock pushing it up, but what happens when one side gives?
Euractiv relaunches as ‘Rapporteur’ in Brussels
The newsroom, founded in 1999, has rebooted in recent years as a competitor to Politico Europe.
Kenya in ‘advanced’ talks with US on critical minerals deal: minister
Plans to increase local mineral processing are part of a drive to increase the contribution of mining to Kenya’s economy.
Republicans fuming at Hegseth as war costs build
Some lawmakers are resisting the Pentagon chief’s budget requests amid concerns over his leadership.
The US-China tectonic plates have shifted
In rolling out the red carpet for China’s Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump underscored how rapidly the balance of power in the relationship has shifted.
East Africa’s refinery rivals take on Dangote
Aliko Dangote’s planned refinery on Kenya’s Lamu Island will likely have to rely on seaborne imports for crude supplies.
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Politics
Democrats prepare to spend in red districts
Democrats’ campaign arm is rolling out $11 million in ads across 35 districts.
Aaron Schwartz/Reuters
Cruz wants Republicans to campaign on college sports bill
The GOP senator said he and Trump are leaning on the House to return and pass the measure before the midterms.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
Oil prices rise as hope for a US-Iran truce fades
The Trump administration has reportedly been issuing ultimatums to Tehran’s trading partners, warning that continued commerce risked US sanctions.
Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency/Reuters
Democrats press Trump administration to intervene in Ethiopia
Renewed fighting in the Tigray region of Ethiopia is raising fears of a return to the 2020-2022 civil war.
AI panic clouds more Washington meetings
But tech CEOs visiting DC this week are more likely to be fêted than reprimanded.
Republicans fuming at Hegseth as war costs build
Some lawmakers are resisting the Pentagon chief’s budget requests amid concerns over his leadership.
US-Iran talks continue as tensions rise
The US and Iran signaled a willingness to continue negotiating this week, even as the two sides appeared no closer to closing the stark gap between them.
US troops join Ecuador’s drug war
American military personnel joined Ecuador’s security forces in raids and arrests around the country targeting alleged drug traffickers, as the Trump administration steps up its hands-on involvement in fighting Latin America’s criminal groups.
Youngkin sends $100K to top conservative nonprofit
The move from the former Virginia governor comes as he steps up his midterm campaign-trail presence at the peak of the fight for control of Congress and governorships.
Xi’s visit to Washington wraps with little changed
The three-day trip led to no significant breakthroughs on the two country’s disagreements.
Trump and Xi conclude Washington visit that was short on substance
The pair made minor concessions on trade, Beijing pledged more student visas, and Xi said two pandas would soon arrive at a zoo in Atlanta.
Business
IMF chief warns AI boom is masking economic fragility from oil shocks
The Middle East conflict is a supply shock dragging global growth down, while the AI investment boom is a demand shock pushing it up, but what happens when one side gives?
Foreign investors buy into US equities at record rate
Net purchases of US equities and investment fund shares by foreign investors reached a record $426 billion in the second quarter.
How Harvard Business School’s former dean thinks AI will test today’s CEOs
Nitin Nohria sees the technology as a decentralizing force that will challenge company power structures.
How splitting from GSK taught Haleon a spin-off is not a finish line
Brian McNamara took his consumer health group through an independent listing, only to find that it needed fresh energy and new leaders.
UBS considers an exit from Switzerland
Senior leaders have revived discussions about combining with a foreign bank after Swiss regulators voted this week to demand it raise more capital.
Technology
AI panic clouds more Washington meetings
But tech CEOs visiting DC this week are more likely to be fêted than reprimanded.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Firms take lead on AI safety standards as security incidents mount
Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic are coordinating on their own “Standards Authority for Frontier AI,” The Information reported.
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
McDonald’s unveils AI-enabled drive-thru system
AI drive-thrus have tripped up other chains, including Burger King.
Hollywood scouts film schools for AI-native talent
“How do we find people who already know how to use this?” is a common question studios are asking now, said Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela.
Meta’s Muse taps into ‘kidult’ market
In a world of Labubus and “kidults,” Muse’s cutesy aesthetic is a smart play for the company.
Oracle force majeure on US data center showcases AI infrastructure risks
Officials where the facility is being built have delayed permits necessary to power the project, and Oracle may seek to delay lease payments.
Energy
Trump threatens diesel export ban again
The US is the world’s biggest diesel producer and exporter, and Trump’s threat has put buyers on alert.
Corey Rudy/Reuters
Expanding biofuel production could require an area the size of Germany
Global biofuel production is expected to rise by around 70% between 2025 and 2030.
Pilar Olivares/Reuters
A seven-day proposal to reopen Hormuz is on the table
The proposal builds on an earlier agreement to extend a ceasefire, which collapsed in July.
Stringer/Reuters
Gulf
Manchester City’s guilty verdict mars UAE soft power
Fans of rival soccer clubs have framed the verdict as proof Manchester City — and by extension the UAE — bought its way to the top.
Scott Heppell/Reuters
MGX looks for data center assets in the Asia Pacific
The fund is an investor in the BlackRock-backed AI Infrastructure Partnership.
Saudi Aramco considers a gas spinoff
The plans are a sign of the pressure the company faces to raise cash for the government and draw foreign investment into the kingdom.
More IPOs won’t be enough to fix the Saudi market
Mazen Al-Sudairi is targeting liquidity and governance, but restoring trust in IPOs will be the harder test.
US-Iran talks continue as tensions rise
The US and Iran signaled a willingness to continue negotiating this week, even as the two sides appeared no closer to closing the stark gap between them.
China
The US-China tectonic plates have shifted
In rolling out the red carpet for China’s Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump underscored how rapidly the balance of power in the relationship has shifted.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Trump and Xi conclude Washington visit that was short on substance
The pair made minor concessions on trade, Beijing pledged more student visas, and Xi said two pandas would soon arrive at a zoo in Atlanta.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Xi calls for ‘healthy’ competition between China and US
During his historic White House visit, China’s leader Xi Jinping said the countries shared the “responsibility to develop and manage AI for good.”
Evan Vucci/Reuters
Africa
African innovators are reinventing their regulators
Many of the problems African startups come across and are trying to solve are institutional.
Njeri Mwangi/Reuters
Pretoria needs US reset, says minister
DA’s Dean Macpherson’s conciliatory tone exposes a rift with ANC coalition partner over how to handle Washington.
James Oatway/Reuters
Half of sub-Saharan Africa relies more on generators than grid
The analysis demonstrates how countries with less reliable energy infrastructure are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the Iran war.
South African miner’s $27B bet branded ‘opportunistic’
The deal between Gold Fields and Northern Star would have created the world’s second-largest gold producer.
East Africa’s refinery rivals take on Dangote
Aliko Dangote’s planned refinery on Kenya’s Lamu Island will likely have to rely on seaborne imports for crude supplies.
Kenya in ‘advanced’ talks with US on critical minerals deal: minister
Plans to increase local mineral processing are part of a drive to increase the contribution of mining to Kenya’s economy.
Security
UK foils suspected attack on air base used to strike Iran
British authorities held five men suspected of plotting an attack on a UK airfield, with investigators reportedly believing a motive tied to Tehran to be most likely.
Toby Shepheard/Reuters
Oil prices rise as hope for a US-Iran truce fades
The Trump administration has reportedly been issuing ultimatums to Tehran’s trading partners, warning that continued commerce risked US sanctions.
Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency/Reuters
Swiss vote down neutrality measures
Swiss voters on Sunday decisively rejected stricter neutrality rules that would have prevented the country from sanctioning Russia and curbed its cooperation with NATO, delivering a boost to the alliance’s efforts to counter Moscow.
Stefan Wermuth/Reuters
Media
Euractiv relaunches as ‘Rapporteur’ in Brussels
The newsroom, founded in 1999, has rebooted in recent years as a competitor to Politico Europe.
Rapporteur
Beverage brand Liquid Death will make others’ ads
Liquid Death is one of the purest marketing stories of the moment: a billion-dollar company that sells the ultimate commodity through edgy comedy.
Trump battles press as Xi heads to town
A judge is expected to hear arguments in a lawsuit brought by the three news outlets the president banned from the White House last week.
Inside the US Treasury secretary’s tense relationship with financial media
Scott Bessent’s blacklist starts with Bloomberg.
Fertile ground
Flagship’s lead writer Tom Chivers says goodbye after four years.
CEO Signal
How Harvard Business School’s former dean thinks AI will test today’s CEOs
Nitin Nohria sees the technology as a decentralizing force that will challenge company power structures.
How splitting from GSK taught Haleon a spin-off is not a finish line
Brian McNamara took his consumer health group through an independent listing, only to find that it needed fresh energy and new leaders.
Why Kai-Fu Lee thinks companies need an AI boss
Google’s former China chief says CEOs face a Darwinian choice if they want more than “AI theater.”
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