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The West’s age of ‘hyperpolitics’

The West is in an age of “hyperpolitics” in which polarization has surged but institutions are incapable of delivering change, a leading researcher argued.

Congress building.

Politicians couldn’t keep kids off social media. They’ll try again with AI.

Leaders of both parties in Washington and in state capitals are confronting AI before it becomes as omnipresent as vertical video.

Spencer Cox

Democrat McCann pulls ahead in key House race

Bill Huizenga, who won his seat by nearly 12 points in 2024, has long been a target for House Democrats’ campaign arm.

Bill Huizenga

Beleaguered in DC, Platner enters his comfort zone

Democrats’ presumptive Senate nominee in Maine isn’t going anywhere, despite the wishes of some in his party.

Surveillance tools expiration bears down on Senate

Democrats want to use their leverage to get Bill Pulte replaced as interim director of national intelligence.

Inside Altman’s pitch on government AI stake

OpenAI’s Sam Altman last year offered to cede equity in his firm to the Trump administration.

Treasury advances immigration crackdown

The Treasury Department took its first step this morning toward implementing an executive order that drafted banks to help crack down on undocumented immigrants.

How one Tennessee student started a red-state anti-Pride push

The movement to counter June’s role as a celebration of LGBTQ rights is catching on with Republicans.

Immigration funding passes Senate, surveillance bill blocked

Senate Republicans passed their $70 billion funding bill for Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies shortly before the sun rose on Friday.

Trump pitches farmers in Wisconsin

The president last appeared in Wisconsin during the 2024 campaign.

Democrats grapple with latest Platner hits

The New York Times reported that a former girlfriend said Platner had long known the skull tattoo on his chest was a Nazi image, and that he left marks on her.

Abu Dhabi’s money man pledges accelerated US investment

Khaldoon Al Mubarak visited Washington, where he met with a number of Trump administration officials.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick with Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

Strong jobs data complicates Warsh’s path to lower rates

The US added 172,000 jobs in May, blowing past expectations and boosting the odds, in traders’ eyes, of a Fed rate hike.

Deepak Nath applies pressure at Smith and Nephew

The medtech CEO is standing by his company’s portfolio strategy despite calls to break it up.

DeepSeek nears $7B haul in first raise

Tech giant Tencent and battery pioneer CATL are reportedly among the investors in the maiden fundraise.

Chip stocks fall after extended rally

The selloff, which hit firms like Broadcom and Micron Technology, comes after a historic rally for semiconductor stocks.

Global backlash to data centers grows

The UN forecasts that global electricity demand from AI data centers will double by 2030.

Data center buildings are under construction during a tour of the OpenAI data center in Abilene, Texas.

AI customer service is not ready for prime time

There’s a trust gap when it comes to AI voice models handling customers’ needs.

Robot making coffee

Companies struggle to measure AI’s ROI

CEOs are trying to prove to their boards that the cost is worthwhile.

US National Security Agency reportedly using Mythos for hacking

Anthropic’s AI model Mythos has not been publicly released because of its powerful abilities to detect and exploit software vulnerabilities.

Anthropic calls for AI development slowdown to ensure safety

Anthropic’s CEO said that its models were increasingly capable of autonomously designing and developing their own successors.

Nations race to protect undersea cables

Marine cables carry more than 95% of the world’s intercontinental telecommunications data and ever more electricity.

Iran war impact on European energy market intensifies

Eurozone petrol sales fell 3.5% year-on-year in April, the first drop in almost two years.

Aircrafts are parked on the tarmac at Rome’s Fiumicino airport.

Nations race to protect undersea cables

Marine cables carry more than 95% of the world’s intercontinental telecommunications data and ever more electricity.

Workers install the 2Africa undersea cable on the beach in Amanzimtoti, South Africa

Data center energy challenges mount

Unorthodox and aggressive solutions are emerging amid AI boom.

Chillers that cool water are connected to a data center building at the OpenAI data center in Abilene, Texas

Kuwait arms up against Iranian drones

The US government approved a Kuwaiti order for $2 billion in counter-drone systems.

An Anduril drone.

SpaceX IPO won’t solve Alwaleed’s languishing stock

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has picked many winners in his career, but outside investors in his holding company haven’t benefited.

Abu Dhabi’s money man pledges accelerated US investment

Khaldoon Al Mubarak visited Washington, where he met with a number of Trump administration officials.

US looks to use Iranian assets to help Gulf allies

Washington is reportedly looking to redirect Iranian assets to Gulf countries to help them rebuild following strikes from Tehran.

Saudi’s NEOM faces $16 billion bill to cancel contracts

Futuristic city once at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s transformation plan will spend more money to halt construction than on new building.

Xi looks to win over Kim during North Korea visit

Pyongyang’s ties to Beijing have been strained by a virtual freeze in trade during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xi and Kim.

Chinese blue-collar wage growth outpaces white-collar jobs’

Wage growth for blue-collar workers in China has outpaced that of their white-collar peers for six consecutive years, in a sign of the strength of the country’s booming gig economy.

Drivers of food delivery service Meituan are seen in Shanghai, China

Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans North Korea visit

Xi aims to court the pariah state’s dictator, Kim Jong-un, who has been strengthening ties with Moscow while tightening his own grip on power.

Kim and Xi.

FIFA bans use of vuvuzelas at World Cup

The vuvuzela became a symbol of South African football following its widespread use in the 2010 World Cup, which was hosted in the country.

Football fans blow vuvuzelas during the 2010 World Cup.

European DFIs lead Africa’s private capital funds

The data underscores the continent’s continuing dependence on foreign capital for private investment.

Johannesburg skyline.

Iran war disrupts phone shipments to Africa

Shipments of African mobile phones have slowed to their lowest level in two years, research firm Omdia said.

GOP proposes State Department Africa staff revamp

Republicans are looking to bolster Washington’s diplomatic capacity on a continent where the US is struggling to keep pace with rivals.

The paradox of Africa’s millionaire growth

More entrepreneurs are getting rich despite difficult conditions, yet many remain reluctant to keep their capital in the markets that made them wealthy.

Ramaphosa vows migrant crackdown amid rising xenophobia

In a televised speech, South Africa’s president said Pretoria was finalizing plans to limit foreign workers and expand labour inspections.

Iran says it has halted strikes on Israel

Oil prices jumped 5% and stocks fell on the news.

A missile protruding from the ground in Israel.

India ‘cockroach’ party attracts discontented youth

The Cockroach Janta Party was started by a recent Boston University graduate after India’s chief justice compared young unemployed Indians to cockroaches.

Protest held by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), in New Delhi

US defense secretary attacks European allies in D-Day speech

Speaking in France on Saturday, Pete Hegseth decried a modern “invasion” of “boats and men.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine hold a briefing amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, at the Pentagon

Politico folds E&E News ahead of broader energy push

In September, Politico plans to launch a series of energy-focused newsletters.

Politico newspapers.

Former Gourmet magazine owner sues new Gourmet newsletter

Condé Nast filed a lawsuit against Goulash Unlimited, the LLC set up by the owners of a revived Gourmet site.

CBS News in the crossfire

Within the network, every editorial decision has been scrutinized by CBS’ own staff.

Kalshi asks paid influencers to delete posts sowing doubts over LA mayoral election

Kalshi and Polymarket have enlisted hundreds of paid influencers to spur interest in everything from sporting events to political races.

New York Public Radio’s new boss reorganizes the network

In her first four months on the job, Christy Tanner has swiftly eliminated many of NYPR’s seniormost figures.

Deepak Nath applies pressure at Smith and Nephew

The medtech CEO is standing by his company’s portfolio strategy despite calls to break it up.

Deepak Nath

How Cisco’s Chuck Robbins gets his team to ‘disagree and commit’

The longstanding CEO says a bad decision that you reverse is better than a delay.

Chuck Robbins

Why an anxious AI romantic now drives Match Group’s dating apps

CEO Spencer Rascoff uses digital “personas” to help the Tinder owner understand its users.

Spencer Rascoff

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