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The World at a Glance
Updated 8:39am EDT
1
Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK wraps up with a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
2ABC suspended late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel after he made remarks linking Charlie Kirk’s killing to the MAGA movement.
3The leaders of Canada and Mexico are set to meet today to discuss their responses to Trump’s tariffs.
4China’s defense minister warned that the world was increasingly subject to the ‘law of the jungle,’ at a Beijing conference.
5China banned its tech companies from using Nvidia’s AI chips, Beijing’s latest effort to gain global tech dominance over the US.
6Meta unveiled new smart glasses that allow users to see messages and watch videos on a high-res screen
ABC suspends TV host Jimmy Kimmel over Kirk comments
Kimmel was suspended indefinitely over comments linking the suspected killer to Trump’s MAGA movement.
Aude Guerrucci/File Photo/ReutersRepublicans eye a crime bill for Trump, and for the midterms
The Senate Judiciary chair is working with the administration on a measure that would go beyond DC. Whether it could pass is another story.
Ken Cedeno/ReutersAnthropic irks White House with limits on models’ use
The AI firm declined requests by contractors working with federal law enforcement that could see its tools being used for surveillance.
Chance Yeh/Getty Images for HubSpotFed stares down a widely anticipated rate cut
Today’s Fed meeting takes place at a time of unprecedented political pressure on the central bank, in particular Chair Jerome Powell.
Jonathan Ernst/ReutersAD
UAE has shifted ‘focus’ to Gaza aid over Israel trade
Non-oil trade between the two countries declined 5.5% in 2024.
Emirates News Agency-WAMTelecoms giant MTN holds data center talks with US, European firms
Africa has fallen behind wealthier regions in the global rush to build the digital infrastructure required for AI.
Ralph Mupita, CEO of MTN Group. Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images.Dangote Refinery exports to the US
The exports mark the expansion of Africa’s largest oil refinery’s operation beyond just the local supply of refined products in Nigeria.
Marvellous Durowaiye/ReutersPolitics
Doug Mills/Pool via Reuters
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
Kevin Mohatt/Reuters
Trump’s UK visit pivots to business, trade talks
Following lavish ceremonies with the royal family, Trump meets with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer today.
Doug Mills/Pool via ReutersFed teases two more rate cuts this year
The cuts could lower housing costs, which would be a big win for the White House.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters‘We need a comforter’: Joe Manchin re-enters the Washington arena
The Democrat-turned-independent former senator spoke to Semafor about his relationship with the president, his plans for 2028, and the one thing he won’t reveal.
Kevin Mohatt/ReutersBehind Carr and the White House’s war on the media
Donald Trump takes revenge on the main enemy.
Republicans eye a crime bill for Trump, and for the midterms
The Senate Judiciary chair is working with the administration on a measure that would go beyond DC. Whether it could pass is another story.
Joe Manchin: The exit interview
The retiring West Virginia senator sat down with Semafor to discuss his past fame as a Democratic spoiler, the future of his former party and more.
US, Mexico, Canada conduct major trade review
Though the current framework was agreed during Donald Trump’s first term, concerns are rising that the president’s brinksmanship may derail the review.
Trump’s UK visit sees lavish ceremony — and protest
Demonstrators laid a giant photograph of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein outside the president’s quarters at Windsor Castle.
Dem voters want shutdown fight, poll shows
A new survey shows seven in 10 Democrats support their party’s representatives in Washington withholding votes unless Republicans make changes — even if it risks a shutdown.
Anthropic irks White House with limits on models’ use
The AI firm declined requests by contractors working with federal law enforcement that could see its tools being used for surveillance.
Vaccine debate returns to Hill as former CDC chief testifies
Susan Monarez plans to tell senators that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered her to get political aides’ approval for CDC decisions.
Business
Stephanie Unwin speaks to Semafor’s Liz Hoffman. Daniel McKnight/Semafor
Luxury executives say sector holding up despite tariffs
The wealthy are still buying, industry leaders said at Semafor’s Business of Luxury event Wednesday.
Stephanie Unwin speaks to Semafor’s Liz Hoffman. Daniel McKnight/SemaforNA beverages, GLP-1s an ‘existential threat’ to beverage business, José Andrés Group CEO says
The group’s global head, Sam Bakhshandehpour, said such trends hurt hospitality brands that largely depend on alcohol sales.
Fed makes first rate cut in nine months, signals two more this year
The quarter-point cut came against the backdrop of unprecedented pressure on the central bank from President Donald Trump.
Macquarie, Carlyle held takeover talks to create alts giant
Merger talks, which would have created a $1 trillion asset manager, fizzled this summer as Carlyle shares continued sharp rise.
US, Mexico, Canada conduct major trade review
Though the current framework was agreed during Donald Trump’s first term, concerns are rising that the president’s brinksmanship may derail the review.
Technology
James Glover II/File Photo/Reuters
Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters
Elon Musk’s pay deal is a better model for CEO compensation
Musk’s $1 trillion pay package, which gives bigger rewards for real, long-term success, makes more sense than current short-term compensation structures.
James Glover II/File Photo/ReutersOpenAI, Anthropic usage data shows economic divide
New reports added fresh data to the worldwide debate over the AI’s economic impact and testing the companies’ own predictions.
Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/ReutersAmericans less confident in leading AI than 1965 space race: Survey
A Gallup survey found that just 15% of Americans are confident the US will have the most advanced AI in a decade, as the country competes for dominance with China.
Genetic bioengineering firm steps closer to reviving the dodo
Colossal Biosciences, whose mission is to bring extinct animals back to life, also announced an additional $120 million in funding, valuing it at $10.3 billion.
Anthropic irks White House with limits on models’ use
The AI firm declined requests by contractors working with federal law enforcement that could see its tools being used for surveillance.
Anthropic presses lawmakers on AI’s economic impact
CEO Dario Amodei said elected leaders ‘need to start thinking about’ AI-driven job losses.
Net Zero
Ian Vogler/Reuters
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Eli Hartman/Reuters
Trump elevates role of nuclear in trade talks
Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK this week inof a deal that will make it easier for US companies to build nuclear power stations in Britain.
Ian Vogler/ReutersExxon CEO ‘pessimistic’ about Trump breakthrough on Europe’s ESG rules
‘We don’t have any plans’ for new projects or investments in Russia, Darren Woods added.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersIEA report points to Big Oil’s spending problem
The oil and gas industry is spending about $500 billion a year just to maintain consistent production from existing wells, a new IEA report found.
Eli Hartman/ReutersGulf
Tom Brady and Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority. @turki/Instagram.
Tom Brady comes out of retirement to play flag football in Saudi
The NFL athlete is the latest fading sports star to land a lucrative gig in the kingdom.
Tom Brady and Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority. @turki/Instagram.Abu Dhabi AI firm MGX lands stake in US chipmaker Altera
Altera makes semiconductors that can be reprogrammed after they leave the factory, making them useful in robots, cloud servers, and telecom hardware.
Saudi’s PIF partners with pension fund for aircraft leasing unit
Pension fund Hassana has been taking an increasingly prominent role backing global fund managers that commit to investing in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi renews bid to be Middle East fintech leader with Riyadh conference
At a packed exhibition hall this week, more than 1,000 investors and executives from mostly US and Chinese firms mingled with local startups.
Oil bears are missing the market’s underlying strength
OPEC+ production boost, China’s stockpiling, and anemic investment indicate that demand may be stronger than anticipated.
AfricaRalph Mupita, CEO of MTN Group. Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images. Marvellous Durowaiye/Reuters
Telecoms giant MTN holds data center talks with US, European firms
Africa has fallen behind wealthier regions in the global rush to build the digital infrastructure required for AI.
Ralph Mupita, CEO of MTN Group. Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images.Dangote Refinery exports to the US
The exports mark the expansion of Africa’s largest oil refinery’s operation beyond just the local supply of refined products in Nigeria.
Marvellous Durowaiye/ReutersNigeria suspends key import levy
The move comes as the government seeks to push trade growth and tame inflation.
Major African currencies depreciated 51% since 2020
Currency weakness in Africa has been “more damaging” compared to other emerging regions, Nigerian data analytics company Stears said in a report.
DR Congo backs $400M satellite deal to tackle digital deficit
Only one in three Congolese are connected to mobile internet, according to the latest available figures.
Malawi election plagued by gerontocracy concerns
Peter Mutharika, 85, is poised to return to power, in a growing trend on the world’s youngest continent towards older leadership.
Security
e European Commission’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. Yves Herman/Reuters
Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via Reuters
Lefteris Karagiannopoulos/Reuters
EU proposes sanctions against Israel over Gaza
The measures must be approved by member countries in order to pass.
e European Commission’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. Yves Herman/ReutersRussia and Belarus tests NATO’s resolve with military drills
The rehearsals, which included the launching of tactical nuclear weapons, were dubbed ‘Zapad 2025,’ or ‘West 2025.’
Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool via ReutersJapan invests in subsea cable-laying ships
Japan’s NEC Corporation dominates cable installations in Asia, but has only one oceanic cable-laying vessel.
Lefteris Karagiannopoulos/ReutersMedia
Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Semafor
Behind Carr and the White House’s war on the media
Donald Trump takes revenge on the main enemy.
Shannon Finney/Getty Images for SemaforNew ‘post-American’ global magazine to launch
Equator will “challenge the reigning assumption that global events should be narrated by and for the West.”
‘The verdict of history will be merciless’: A new left media rises in the age of Trump
Drop Site News is bringing on a new publisher as it and other leftist news sites get scoops and momentum.
How AI is reshaping media, with Google’s VP of marketing, Josh Spanier
How does Google think about advertising?
Trump threatens to sue NYT over Epstein coverage
The US president is already suing The Wall Street Journal and its owner Rupert Murdoch for its reporting on the Epstein files.
CEO Signal
Robert Galbraith/Reuters
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Fortune Media
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Bloom Energy’s KR Sridhar on why all CEOs need a power strategy
The fuel cell group’s founder says companies need “the DNA of a rabbit” to move at AI speed, because “there’s not much you can do to the culture of a turtle to make it go faster.”
Robert Galbraith/ReutersHow Paul Hudson runs Sanofi’s AI ‘Fight Club’
The French drugmaker’s CEO says the revolution will not be delegated.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Fortune Mediae.l.f. Beauty’s CEO on diversity, tariffs, and valuing Hailey Bieber
Tarang Amin runs a “different kind of company” but faces challenges familiar to other executives.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersAD