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The World at a Glance
Updated 6:32am EST
1
Donald Trump said that he was considering action against Iran’s government, after more than 500 people died in mass protests.
2US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the US would ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil, as Washington presses oil firms to invest.
3The UK and Germany discussed boosting NATO’s presence in the Arctic, as Greenland faces threats from the US and Russia.
4BRICS+ launched major naval drills off South Africa this week, despite criticism from Washington and Pretoria.
5The co-founder of biotech firm Moderna warned that the US’ pullback from science was creating a ‘dystopia.’
6The International Court of Justice today opens hearings into charges Myanmar committed genocide against a mostly Muslim minority group.
Congress braces for decisive week as shutdown nears
After this week, the Senate will go on recess for a week, with the House set to follow — leaving little time for cross-chamber coordination.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters US investors back Nigerian drone maker Terra Industries
CEO Nathan Nwachuku told Semafor that the company would expand output at its factory in Abuja and open a second one in East Africa this quarter.
Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesTrump’s affordability agenda faces friction
Two of the president’s newest proposals track closer to the GOP’s populist fringe than to its free-market core.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters Trump dents budget of Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy agency
Even before withdrawing from IRENA last week, the US has failed to honor funding commitments.
Francesco La Camera, the Director-General of IRENA. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters.AD
Eric Trump markets $10B in Saudi real estate projects
Rapid sales in the initial Trump-branded luxury development pushed the Trump Organization to launch more projects in the kingdom.
Courtesy of Dar GlobalPro-Trump group to air Super Bowl ad touting Trump Accounts
It’s the latest move by a president and administration that have fully embraced professional sports as a prime venue to deliver their message.
Danny Wild-Imagn Images Blackstone invests $100M in elite marketing tech firm
Applecart has a leading place in an emerging but discreet cohort of companies and organizations aimed at reaching key figures in industry and government.
Politics
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Harriet Hageman/Handout via Reuters 
Tyrone Siu/Reuters
Peltola challenges Sullivan in Alaska
The former representative is a promising recruit for Senate Democrats.
Evelyn Hockstein/ReutersSenate whip backs Hageman in Wyoming Senate race
Rep. Harriet Hageman’s defeat of Liz Cheney in 2022 put her in pole position for the next Senate seat.
Harriet Hageman/Handout via Reuters Inside the scramble to keep a divided America’s 250th birthday on track
Fittingly for 2026 America, two quite different groups are preparing for the same date.
Tyrone Siu/ReutersRecord number of Americans identify as independents
Forty-five percent of Americans now say they’re independents.
Congress braces for decisive week as shutdown nears
After this week, the Senate will go on recess for a week, with the House set to follow — leaving little time for cross-chamber coordination.
Trump’s affordability agenda faces friction
Two of the president’s newest proposals track closer to the GOP’s populist fringe than to its free-market core.
Federal inquiry into Powell dramatically dials up Trump-Fed clash
The Fed chair linked the probe to the Fed setting interest rates independently “rather than following the preferences of the president.”
Blackstone invests $100M in elite marketing tech firm
Applecart has a leading place in an emerging but discreet cohort of companies and organizations aimed at reaching key figures in industry and government.
The business of a viral Substack scandal isn’t as good as you think, Ryan Lizza says
“On the money part, not enough,” Lizza said on Semafor’s “Mixed Signals” podcast when asked about how much money he made off of the 25,000-word series.
Tehran should take Trump’s warning literally
The US president’s handling of Venezuela sent a message to adversaries: red lines aren’t theoretical.
Debatable: Maduro and the drug fight
Some doubt Trump officials’ claims that Nicolás Maduro’s capture is about suffocating the narcotics trade.
Business
Blackstone invests $100M in elite marketing tech firm
Applecart has a leading place in an emerging but discreet cohort of companies and organizations aimed at reaching key figures in industry and government.
Youth projected to fare better than old over AI disruptions
Workers under 30 can switch career paths more easily, Goldman Sachs analysts said, while older workers may face the highest earnings losses.
How US traffic jams are driving Spain’s Ferrovial
CEO Ignacio Madridejos says a triple listing has drawn new investors to a European infrastructure powerhouse.
How Bob Jordan charted a new course for Southwest Airlines
The budget carrier’s CEO says communications and simulations helped it overhaul its business without killing its culture and business model.
Warner Bros. wants more money from Paramount, but neither side is willing to blink
The standoff is starting to annoy big shareholders.
Technology
Tommy Wang/AFP via Getty Images
Google Workspace/YouTube
Chinese AI leaders warn the US’ lead is widening
Some of China’s top minds in artificial intelligence publicly warned that the superpower has only a slim chance of catching up to the US in tech.
Tommy Wang/AFP via Getty ImagesGmail gets Gemini, but falls short of true agentic AI
Google announced Thursday it will integrate Gemini into Gmail, adding functionalities of a personal assistant, but it’s not quite as extensive as agentic AI.
Google Workspace/YouTubeWhy AI could mark the end of Big Tech’s invincibility
The outrage over Grok’s chatbot update that allowed the creation of sexually suggestive deepfakes could be the catalyst for tighter tech regulations.
Lego’s biggest new brick upgrade in decades divides fans
The “Smart Brick” looks similar to a traditional Lego block but includes a chip allowing it to flash, make sounds, and react to other so-called smart Lego pieces.
Big Tech set for relief on Europe’s digital rules overhaul
Regulators are reportedly expected to ease the Digital Networks Act, which aims to modernize and unify the EU’s telecom market.
Youth projected to fare better than old over AI disruptions
Workers under 30 can switch career paths more easily, Goldman Sachs analysts said, while older workers may face the highest earnings losses.
Energy
A worker smelts Lanthanum, a rare earth metal. David Gray/Reuters.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Aaron Schwartz/File Photo/Reuters.
Luc Gnago/File Photo/Reuters
Japan begins trial to explore mining deep-sea rare earths
The trial comes as Japan and the West move to diversify the supply and refining of rare earths away from China.
A worker smelts Lanthanum, a rare earth metal. David Gray/Reuters.US says it will ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil
The US Treasury Secretary’s remarks come as the US presses major oil companies to ramp up investments in the country.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Aaron Schwartz/File Photo/Reuters.Mining giants Glencore, Rio Tinto revive merger talks
The proposed merger would create the world’s largest mining company as global demand surges for metals and minerals.
Luc Gnago/File Photo/ReutersGulf
A platinum mine in South Africa. Nqobile Dludla/Reuters.
Gulf countries bet on African mining
The value of mining deals in Africa declined by 79% over the past five years, but some Gulf countries are looking to reverse that trend.
A platinum mine in South Africa. Nqobile Dludla/Reuters.Saudi developer unveils $827M Four Seasons hotel project
The developer, Midad Real Estate, is expanding its ambitions in the kingdom.
Qatar and UAE join Trump administration’s Pax Silica agreement
The US-led initiative aims to secure AI and semiconductor supply chains, including critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and computing power.
Trump dents budget of Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy agency
Even before withdrawing from IRENA last week, the US has failed to honor funding commitments.
Eric Trump markets $10B in Saudi real estate projects
Rapid sales in the initial Trump-branded luxury development pushed the Trump Organization to launch more projects in the kingdom.
Africa
Adam Gray/Reuters
An offshore oil platform in Nigeria. Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images.
The ‘single story’ of African credit ratings
African credit rating agencies say the “Big Three” overestimate the risk of sovereign debt on the continent because they lack a deep understanding of its economies.
Adam Gray/ReutersSenegal’s oil output enjoys bumper year in 2025
Senegal’s oil output comes from the offshore Sangomar oil and gas field, which began production in 2024.
An offshore oil platform in Nigeria. Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images.US investors back Nigerian drone maker Terra Industries
CEO Nathan Nwachuku told Semafor that the company would expand output at its factory in Abuja and open a second one in East Africa this quarter.
Ramaphosa warns ANC must improve local services ahead of elections
The African National Congress risks losing control of key cities in crucial municipal elections this year.
Gulf countries bet on African mining
The value of mining deals in Africa declined by 79% over the past five years, but some Gulf countries are looking to reverse that trend.
The challenge of Uganda’s ‘forever president’
President Yoweri Museveni is in the running for his ninth term for a record 45 years.
Security
Danish military drills in Greenland. Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo/Reuters
Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters
Marko Djurica/File Photo/Reuters
UK, Germany mull boosting NATO in Arctic amid Greenland controversy
The discussions are part of a bid to deter Russian aggression and fend off US President Donald Trump’s threat to take over Greenland.
Danish military drills in Greenland. Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo/ReutersEurope agrees to provide military support for Ukraine
Under the proposed peace deal, Britain and France would supply troops and weapons to Ukraine as part of US-backed security guarantees.
Ludovic Marin/Pool via ReutersWashington ups threats to buy or take Greenland
The remarks by the White House press secretary and the US secretary of state came after European leaders voiced solidarity with Copenhagen.
Marko Djurica/File Photo/ReutersMedia
Blackstone invests $100M in elite marketing tech firm
Applecart has a leading place in an emerging but discreet cohort of companies and organizations aimed at reaching key figures in industry and government.
Pro-Trump group to air Super Bowl ad touting Trump Accounts
It’s the latest move by a president and administration that have fully embraced professional sports as a prime venue to deliver their message.
The business of a viral Substack scandal isn’t as good as you think, Ryan Lizza says
“On the money part, not enough,” Lizza said on Semafor’s “Mixed Signals” podcast when asked about how much money he made off of the 25,000-word series.
Ryan Lizza on Olivia Nuzzi, RFK Jr., and the Substack-ification of a scandal
The media veteran joins Mixed Signals for a raw, sprawling conversation about why he chose to publish an eight-part (and counting) Substack series responding to the most personal and public crisis of his career.
New anchor Dokoupil sets the tone for ‘CBS Evening News’
In his opening monologue, Tony Dokoupil lamented that his colleagues in the news business had leaned too much into the perspectives of subject matter experts.
CEO Signal
Courtesy of Ferrovial/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Southwest/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of WPP/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
How US traffic jams are driving Spain’s Ferrovial
CEO Ignacio Madridejos says a triple listing has drawn new investors to a European infrastructure powerhouse.
Courtesy of Ferrovial/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforHow Bob Jordan charted a new course for Southwest Airlines
The budget carrier’s CEO says communications and simulations helped it overhaul its business without killing its culture and business model.
Courtesy of Southwest/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor‘AI is going to automate the ordinary’: Cindy Rose’s plan for ad giant WPP
The admaker has fallen behind its peers, but the Microsoft veteran sees opportunity in disruption.
Courtesy of WPP/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD