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

Democrats wield power on national security votes

Democrats are weighing how to use their ample leverage on expiring surveillance powers and Iran funding.

Chris Coons

Greer: Trump administration wants to be ‘pragmatic’ on China

“We live in the real world,” the US trade representative told Semafor World Economy.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer

Trump renews his threat to fire Jerome Powell

US President Donald Trump said he would fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he doesn’t step aside when his term expires next month, a move critics say would undermine the central bank’s independence.

Trump and Powell last year

Black Democrats want a post-Trump plan. The candidates are working on it.

Nearly a dozen potential presidential contenders showed up at Rev. Al Sharpton’s conference to talk to a deeply influential bloc of the party.

Bipartisan group of senators defends USMCA

More than three dozen senators will urge the Trump administration to extend the pact.

Immigration funding plan risks stranding Pentagon money

Senate Republicans’ plan for a quick-strike immigration enforcement funding bill could complicate plans to restock the Pentagon’s coffers.

Trump slams Meloni over pope, Iran

The US leader said Giorgia Meloni lacked “courage” for failing to join his war against Iran.

How Virginia redistricting got harder than Democrats wanted

Gov. Abigail Spanberger is pushing for a referendum on Trump’s nationwide pro-Republican remaps. Her opponents want a referendum on her.

Republicans enter spring legislative sprint

The House and Senate are speeding toward action on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement funding and on expiring surveillance powers.

Embattled Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales quit the House

This won’t be the end of the House’s disciplinary woes.

US begins Strait of Hormuz blockade

The US began its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, as Washington and Tehran threatened further escalation amid a shaky ceasefire.

Greer: Trump administration wants to be ‘pragmatic’ on China

“We live in the real world,” the US trade representative told Semafor World Economy.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer

Executives downplay fears of systemic private credit crisis

Executives at Semafor World Economy dismissed fears that private credit market jitters are a sign of a systemic crisis.

CEOs are embracing AI agents as cyber risks grow

Swarms of such agents could create “an enormous mess” for cybersecurity, one executive said at Semafor World Economy.

Optimism rises on Iran, Lebanon diplomacy

Stocks surged on Wednesday as prospects rose for peace in two Middle East conflicts.

Hyundai-LG opening battery plant after US ICE raid causes monthslong delays

CEO José Muñoz told Semafor World Economy that he has three top priorities for Hyundai: “U.S.A.”

CEOs are embracing AI agents as cyber risks grow

Swarms of such agents could create “an enormous mess” for cybersecurity, one executive said at Semafor World Economy.

Arjun Sethi

Pancreatic cancer drug doubles median survival time

Most patients die within months of diagnosis; daraxonrasib boosted survival from six months to 13.

Cancer patient undergoes tests

Hyundai’s US EV sales up 40%

EV demand is partly due to rising fuel prices, after sales fell following the US ending its $7,500 tax credit to Americans buying the cars last year.

Token demand makes an AI bubble unlikely, says Michael Dell

The Dell CEO anticipated some level of market correction, but not anytime soon.

Anthropic’s Mythos is a wake-up call for AI

Models like Mythos are a glimpse into an AI future, but the change might not be as dramatic as some people think.

US Treasury seeks access to Anthropic’s Mythos model

The US Treasury is seeking access to Anthropic’s Mythos so it can look for vulnerabilities that the powerful AI model is reportedly capable of exploiting.

Energy experts split on gas’ postwar future

The oil and gas crisis stemming from the Iran war has made energy security a central factor globally, officials and executives at Semafor World Economy said.

Fatih Birol.

World Bank takes on energy inflation at spring meetings

Energy security risks sparked by the Iran war are top of the agenda at the World Bank and IMF spring meetings in Washington this week.

Johannes P. Christo/Reuters

Energy CEOs are changing their risk calculus

Energy markets are suffering a series of chokepoints, from trade routes under threat of attack, to maxed-out electric grids and China’s stranglehold on critical minerals.

Zafarana Wind Farm at the desert road of Suez outside of Cairo, Egypt, in 2020.

Optimism rises on Iran, Lebanon diplomacy

Stocks surged on Wednesday as prospects rose for peace in two Middle East conflicts.

Exuberant traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange

Executives signal optimism over the Gulf’s postwar outlook

The Gulf region can bounce back from the Iran war, and possibly emerge stronger, business leaders said Tuesday.

Israel and Lebanon hold direct talks without breakthrough

Israel and Lebanon held their first direct diplomatic talks since 1993, though the meeting didn’t result in a major breakthrough to end a brutal war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Controlling Hormuz seemed improbable. Turns out, it’s profitable

Gulf officials long thought Iran wouldn’t close the Strait because it would be self-defeating.

Data centers under fire test Gulf sovereign AI ambitions

Deep pockets and conviction will help the region in its push to become a global AI compute hub, despite the war.

DR Congo miner commits more copper to US

The 500,000-tonne pledge would come through Gécamines’ joint venture with Swiss commodities trading company Mercuria.

Workers at a copper mine in Katanga, DR Congo.

South Africa can hit 4% growth, Standard Bank CEO says

Sim Tshabalala told Semafor World Economy that changes at state-owned power and logistics companies had improved efficiency.

Sim Tshabalala (L) and Semafor’s Alexis Akwagyiram.

The cost of borrowing has skyrocketed for African nations

The average cost of external borrowing in Africa has nearly doubled in four years, according to a new report from ONE Data and The Rockefeller Foundation.

South Africa slips in emerging market investment ranks

The drop was fueled by contraction in the country’s mining sector, as global trade tensions have impacted demand for South African mineral exports.

Nigeria, Morocco plan transcontinental gas pipeline

The project, known as the African ‌Atlantic Gas Pipeline, will run on a hybrid offshore-onshore route.

South Africa turns to Afrikaner as ambassador to US

Roelf Meyer, a key figure in the negotiations that ended apartheid, has been appointed to the role left vacant since last year.

New EU rules spark airport delays

Travelers from non-EU countries must register their personal information and biometrics the first time they enter the bloc.

People walk at Terminal 1 during a strike of Cockpit, the union representing Lufthansa pilots, at Frankfurt Airport, Germany

Iran internet blackout enters 46th day, straining economy

Iran’s internet blackout is now among the longest ever recorded.

An Iranian woman attempts to use a smartphone, a telephone tower in the background

Murders drop in Mexico, minting a new political star

The country’s security minister, Omar García Harfuch, has become one of Mexico’s most popular politicians.

A street vendor sells Omar Garcia Harfuch merchandise

CNN backpedals after booker turns away guest for merger segment

“No one advised any editorial employee at CNN not to pursue this story,” a CNN spokesperson said.

Warner Bros. and CNN logos

Writer of media newsletter recapping media newsletters suspended after errors

Mediaite’s One Sheet newsletter has grown increasingly error-prone.

Gulf media crackdown sanitizes images of the war

Some international wires have halted conflict photography in the UAE since the arrest of photojournalists there.

How Bluesky earned its reputation — and why it could be the way of the future

Bluesky COO Rose Wang on how her company got to 40 million users.

Democrats pressure Pentagon over new media restrictions

Democratic lawmakers are pressing the Pentagon and leaders at Stars and Stripes to share whether the department is censoring stories at the historic military newspaper.

How Ivan Espinosa got Nissan to face reality

Nissan’s vehicle sales and share price have plummeted. Espinosa has a mandate to turn them around.

Ivan Espinosa

How old records and new AI technology brought growth back to Ancestry

CEO Howard Hochhauser says the site had stopped listening to its customers.

Howard Hochhauser

Richard Edelman on trust, ‘Succession,’ and how to advise a CEO

The C-suite adviser says clients should spend more time hearing their critics.

Richard Edelman speaks onstage during the Edelman session at the Cannes Lions Festival 2018.

AD