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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 6:56pm EDT
1
France secured more diesel supplies from the Gulf, as the Élysée attempts to quell spiraling cost-of-living protests.
2Elon Musk ordered the Starlink slowdown that hindered Kyiv’s defense, WSJ reported, amid a stunning breakdown in US-Ukraine ties.
3Europe’s airfares will see their “biggest increase in history” next year, Ryanair’s CEO warned, amid a global fuel squeeze.
4The US secretary of state said he will push India to refine more Venezuelan crude, as Washington looks to ease the turmoil in global energy markets.
5The UK said it will send fighter jets to protect Saudi Arabia from escalating aerial attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis.
6Chinese tech firms purchased over $35 billion of Nvidia chips, Reuters reported, illustrating the continued entanglement of the US and Chinese tech ecosystems.
Anthropic’s leaked AI bill sparks backlash
Anthropic, long seen as the safety-promoting frontier lab, found itself on the defensive.
Bloomberg’s $80 million bookends donor-dominated midterm
The donation to boost Democratic candidates is a last-minute entry in a US midterm cycle dominated by big spenders like Elon Musk.
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.
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Politics
Bloomberg’s $80 million bookends donor-dominated midterm
The donation to boost Democratic candidates is a last-minute entry in a US midterm cycle dominated by big spenders like Elon Musk.
Megan Varner/Reuters
Elon Musk ordered Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, WSJ reports
The Starlink slowdown was among a series of developments leading to a stunning breakdown in US-Ukraine relations.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
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.
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.
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.
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
Chinese tech firms purchase more than $35 billion of Nvidia chips: Reuters
Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent have together ordered tens of billions of dollars worth of Nvidia chips as China’s compute-hungry tech giants turn to the US.
Florence Lo/Reuters
Elon Musk ordered Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, WSJ reports
The Starlink slowdown was among a series of developments leading to a stunning breakdown in US-Ukraine relations.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
Musk pledges SpaceX share giveaway to every US child
The announcement comes as tech firms seek to win over an increasingly skeptical public.
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.
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.
Energy
European airfares will jump next year, Ryanair CEO warns
Ticket prices could jump as much as 20%, Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary predicted.
Matteo Minnella/File Photo/Reuters
Rubio to push India on refining more crude
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed India as a “refining superpower” during his visit to the country.
Kylie Cooper/Pool via Reuters
For investors, the Iran war redefined energy security
Local electrons are safer than foreign molecules.
Orhan Qereman/Reuters
Gulf
UK fighter jets to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi strikes
The UK said Tuesday it will send fighter jets to protect Saudi Arabia’s cities and critical infrastructure from escalating aerial attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis.
Chris Sellars/Handout via Reuters
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.
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.
China
Chinese tech firms purchase more than $35 billion of Nvidia chips: Reuters
Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent have together ordered tens of billions of dollars worth of Nvidia chips as China’s compute-hungry tech giants turn to the US.
Florence Lo/Reuters
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
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
European fuel crisis energizes far-right parties
The crunch has energized Europe’s rightist parties who are pressuring governments in Germany, Italy, and Poland to restore energy ties with Russia.
Abdul Saboor/Reuters
Elon Musk ordered Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, WSJ reports
The Starlink slowdown was among a series of developments leading to a stunning breakdown in US-Ukraine relations.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
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
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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