Semafor - An intelligent, transparent global news platform for breaking stories, analysis and video

US Supreme Court signals skepticism of Trump birthright order

Trump attended Wednesday’s hearing on the case, making him the first sitting president to attend oral arguments at the Court.

Protests outside the US Supreme Court

Europe’s far right sours on Trump over Iran war

France’s Marine Le Pen said the strikes against Iran had “catastrophic consequences.”

Marine Le Pen

US military seeks to expand Greenland presence

The US military is negotiating with Denmark for more access to military bases on the Arctic island.

Danish troops in Greenland

Trump to address nation on Iran

Trump may lay out an endgame, but is not expected to announce a full end to the one-month military campaign.

DHS reminds Congress: TSA perks still on hold

Making travel less comfortable was supposed to pressure members of Congress to act, but they left Washington without passing a funding bill anyway.

‘They don’t care and I don’t care’: Emanuel on trans rights, Israel, and hyperloops

Semafor talked to the newest player in the 2028 Democratic presidential mix.

The Musk-funded mural backlash elevates the messy politics of martyrdom

The murals went up in Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Fort Lauderdale before Democrats finally took notice.

Trump threatens to pull US out of NATO

The US president called the military alliance a ‘paper tiger’ for its refusal to back his war with Iran.

Biden vet launches biweekly streaming show

Rob Flaherty and Jesse Lehrich will launch Nobody Knows Anything, a 90-minute biweekly show, later this month.

Lawmakers get TMZ treatment during DHS shutdown

Photos seen by Semafor show House Republicans from the pragmatic Main Street Caucus at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.

Gas prices poised to weigh on spending

The Commerce Department will release data on Wednesday that reveals how consumers were spending their money before the war in Iran.

US approves new Eli Lilly GLP-1 pill

The drug, which will be sold under the brand name Foundayo, will compete with the pill version of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy.

A hoarding of Eli Lilly on a building in Gurugram, India,

SpaceX prepares to go public

The Elon Musk-founded rocket and satellite maker is aiming to hit the stock market in June.

Global markets buoyed on prospect of war’s end

US President Donald Trump said the Iran war could end in “two or three weeks,” while Tehran also expressed willingness to stop the conflict.

Global dealmaking sees strong 2026 start

The 20% year-on-year increase in transaction values resulted in the largest first-quarter haul on record, Bloomberg reported.

Musk lawsuits reassigned on judge bias allegations

Three lawsuits involving Elon Musk will be reassigned after the presiding judge appeared to endorse a LinkedIn post critical of the billionaire.

SpaceX prepares to go public

The Elon Musk-founded rocket and satellite maker is aiming to hit the stock market in June.

SpaceX’s rocket, as the company prepares to file for an initial public offering (IPO), in Starbase, Texas,

NASA’s historic Moon mission heralds new space race

A crew of astronauts prepared to journey around the Moon for the first time in 50 years, traveling the furthest ever from Earth.

Three NASA and one Canadian astronauts

The compute bottleneck could be good for tech innovation

The shortage of AI compute is actually forcing companies to stay focused.

Cisco’s president on the new rules of AI capitalism

The tech world is “grossly underestimating” the amount of AI infrastructure needed, the Cisco executive told Semafor.

Jittery tech firms boost security on Iran threats

Iran threatened to attack the Gulf facilities of Nvidia, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Google, and a dozen others.

Robot companies contend with human mischief

Robotics companies are now dealing with repair fees for bots that have been kicked, ridden on, or otherwise defaced, the Serve Robotics CEO tells Semafor.

German minister urges nuclear power revival

Countries are scrambling to address the energy upheaval caused by the Iran war, which has sent oil and gas prices soaring.

A disused nuclear plant about to be demolished in Gundremmingen, Germany

Shorter showers and workweeks: Iran war disrupts daily life

The Iran war is disrupting daily life around the world as governments take action to blunt the impact of the energy crisis.

Vehicles queue up for gasoline at a PTT gas station amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, on the outskirts of Bangkok

Fears of global aluminum shortages intensify

The Middle East accounts for 9% of the world’s production of aluminum.

Aluminium bars.

Abu Dhabi’s deal machine maintains momentum

The deals fit in with Gulf governments’ efforts to maintain a business-as-usual approach — which many foreign firms have picked up on.

A promenade overlooking Abu Dhabi skyline.

Gulf citizens now know their enemy

Iran’s attacks harden Gulf views of Tehran, with many concluding that the Islamic Republic must be contained or defeated.

The Iran war warning Europe chose to ignore

In Warsaw in 2019, Arab states, Israel, and the US warned that diplomacy wouldn’t contain Tehran. Europe chose another path.

War could cost MidEast nearly $200B in lost economic output

A prolonged conflict could lead to an exodus of foreign workers and a drop in investment, which could drive up unemployment and poverty.

Wall Street bosses stick by the Gulf despite war

Foreign firms know that Gulf leaders have long memories and will reward those who stand by them.

South Africa pushes for $200B investment

For more than a decade, South Africa’s economy has barely grown, leaving it with crumbling infrastructure and the need to create jobs.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the South Africa Investment Conference on Tuesday.

Africa’s top bank warns of Iran war growth impact

A possible six-month war would hurt the continent’s already fragile prospects, the development bank said.

A gas flare on an oil production platform is seen alongside an Iranian flag.

Campaign for African artifacts looks to AI to expedite returns

The platform helps to collate and narrativize the often-fragmented research and bureaucracy involved in the return of artifacts to Africa.

African banks’ revenues surpass $100B

In the five years to 2024, Africa’s banking sector outperformed every other region, according to a new McKinsey report.

Nigerian-Americans push to revive Caucus in Congress

The struggle to revive the caucus comes as Nigeria’s designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” test ties between Washington and Abuja.

South Africa cuts fuel taxes as Iran war fallout hits consumers

The move sacrifices millions of dollars in revenue for a fiscal framework only recently brought under control.

Trump threatens to pull US out of NATO

The US president called the military alliance a ‘paper tiger’ for its refusal to back his war with Iran.

NATO chief Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump.

Eurovision expands to Asia

Bangkok is set to host the international song competition in the fall.

KAJ, representing Sweden, perform “Bara Bada Bastu”, during the Grand Final of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, May 17, 2025

US, Iran expand targets to water infrastructure

Gulf nations are highly reliant on desalination for fresh water, and damage to the region’s hundreds of plants could render its major cities unlivable.

Kharg Island.

Biden vet launches biweekly streaming show

Rob Flaherty and Jesse Lehrich will launch Nobody Knows Anything, a 90-minute biweekly show, later this month.

Nobody Knows Anything

Axel Springer’s Döpfner courts UK conservative elites

The German mogul is courting regulators and the country’s influential conservative political figures as he attempts to get his bid to buy the Telegraph approved.

Substack rival Beehiiv makes a push into podcasting

Beehiiv has privately been reaching out to independent podcasters on Substack and other platforms.

CBS News expands its investigative team

The network is expanding its investigative journalism efforts as editor-in-chief Bari Weiss continues to reshape it.

Politico taps a new top editor

Jonathan Greenberger garnered internal support from outgoing editor John Harris and CEO Goli Sheikholeslami.

LSEG’s David Schwimmer on activists, AI, and a global market test

The exchange operator is juggling investor expectations with the need to reshape its business model.

David Schwimmer

Schneider Electric’s Olivier Blum on moving at the pace of Nvidia

Remaking an old industrial giant to meet new energy demands started with defining its mission.

Olivier Blum

Why CEOs should care about the quantum ‘space race’

IonQ’s Niccolo de Masi says getting quantum security right is ‘a matter of survivability.’

Niccolo de Masi

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