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Iran attack is Trump’s riskiest energy bet yet
Hours after Pentagon bans Anthropic, OpenAI strikes defense deal
Semafor Recommends
Shida Bazyar’s The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran, which made the 2026 International Booker longlist, “captures what it means to live in hope.”
In Power and Culture: The Japanese-American War, 1941–1945 Akira Iriye offers a remarkably revisionist account of the war.
The music in Lucia Ronchetti’s Inferno at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma is “incredibly visual, atmospheric and tangible.”
Maria Stepanova’s book The Disappearing Act is a “poetic exploration” of the guilt familiar to Russians who oppose the Ukraine war.
The Young V&A Museum’s London exhibition on Wallace and Gromit explores the painstaking stop-motion techniques behind Aardman’s work.
US Soccer’s goal for the 2026 World Cup
CEO JT Batson says the tournament is forcing brands to see the value of the sport’s fans.
Pearson’s pitch for company bosses to become AI chief education officers
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The party is already drawing CEOs a road map for how they’d use their majority if they win back the House. But there are inherent risks.
Shannon Stapleton/ReutersNetflix walks away from $83B Warner Bros. takeover
Paramount’s David Ellison gets the media property he has long wanted. Netflix, having swung and missed at its first big M&A deal, now has to reassure investors that its business is fine.
US-Iran talks wrap up with no deal
The US and Iran failed to strike a nuclear deal after hours of talks on Thursday, raising the specter of a military conflict.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA/ReutersAffirm’s Max Levchin on how market sci-fi stories line up with AI reality
The PayPal co-founder values speculative visions of the future, even if investors overreacted to them this week.
Courtesy of Affirm/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforWorld Economic Forum head resigns over Epstein ties
The Swiss organization launched an investigation earlier this month into Børge Brende’s links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Børge Brende. Yves Herman/Reuters
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Politics
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Trump sidelines Republican Congress on Iran strikes
Democrats are calling for votes on war powers, but all signs point to the GOP going along with Trump’s latest foreign intervention.
Elizabeth Frantz/ReutersHillary Clinton denies meeting Epstein in testimony to US lawmakers
Republicans compelled the former secretary of state to testify; her husband, former President Bill Clinton will do so today.
Shannon Stapleton/ReutersLawmakers eye tax changes to tackle institutional investors in housing
Hill Republicans have said they’re willing to play ball on Trump’s idea if it means getting separate bipartisan housing legislation over the finish line.
Jonathan Ernst/ReutersDemocrats weigh how harshly to go after firms that courted Trump
The party is already drawing CEOs a road map for how they’d use their majority if they win back the House. But there are inherent risks.
Debatable: AI at the Pentagon
Lawmakers are divided over whether there should be more constraints around the US military’s use of the technology.
Texas Republican Senate hopefuls scramble to spend the day with Trump
All three changed plans to make sure they could stand alongside the president whose primary endorsement has remained elusive.
Venezuela’s long road back to oil relevance
Sanctions relief and new laws may attract investors, but politics, infrastructure, and trust hinder a rapid oil revival.
Moreno moves to lock down the Senate GOP campaign chief race for 2028
The first-term Ohioan is a man in a hurry, leveraging strong relationships throughout the party to make a decisive play.
FEMA disaster relief fund nearly empty, officials say
The Trump administration is amping up pressure on Congress to pass a DHS funding bill.
Republican floats working with Democrats on voter ID bill
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., thinks getting Democrats to vote for the bill is the most plausible path to passing it.
Johnson appears unlikely to punish Democrats for SOTU protests
“I think the punishment is the video that lives on forever of them acting as they did, the total lack of respect and decorum and just carrying it on,” the House speaker told Semafor.
Business
US Soccer’s goal for the 2026 World Cup
CEO JT Batson says the tournament is forcing brands to see the value of the sport’s fans.
Affirm’s Max Levchin on how market sci-fi stories line up with AI reality
The PayPal co-founder values speculative visions of the future, even if investors overreacted to them this week.
Pearson’s pitch for company bosses to become AI chief education officers
CEO Omar Abbosh says a new approach to skills is needed for companies to get the most from humans and technology.
Netflix walks away from $83B Warner Bros. takeover
Paramount’s David Ellison gets the media property he has long wanted. Netflix, having swung and missed at its first big M&A deal, now has to reassure investors that its business is fine.
Spending on AI, defense fuels record global debt
Estimated global debt leaped almost $29 trillion to a record $348 trillion last year, fueled by increased governmental spending on defense and AI.
Technology
Reuters/Dado Ruvic
A screenshot of the viral AI-generated Energym ad. Courtesy of AiCandy.
Hours after Pentagon bans Anthropic, OpenAI strikes defense deal
Hegseth’s harsh punishment is the culmination of a long, slow slide that began with a political disagreement.
Reuters/Dado RuvicNew AI-generated videos push boundaries
One video was a mock commercial for a gym where humans who lost their jobs to AI instead power it by exercising at “Energym,” run by aged versions of Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Jeff Bezos.
A screenshot of the viral AI-generated Energym ad. Courtesy of AiCandy.Perplexity’s ‘Computer’ wasn’t always planned
After Perplexity spent six months building its browser product Comet, it made Computer in two months.
Anthropic fights Pentagon’s deadline in final hours
In defiance, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote a blog post about his company’s moral stand against using its technology for government surveillance or autonomous weapons.
Amazon’s security chief says AI will demand more data monitoring
Semafor’s Reed Albergotti spoke with Chet Kapoor about the impact and greater opportunities of AI in data security.
RAM chip demand driving up PC costs, HP says
The US computer manufacturer told investors that the doubling of memory costs would likely drive up prices and reduce sales.
Energy
Costas Baltas/Reuters
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters 
Leah Millis/File Photo/Reuters
Iran attack is Trump’s riskiest energy bet yet
“The name of the game is to move as much oil away from the Strait of Hormuz as possible right now.”
Costas Baltas/ReutersUS tech firms set to sign energy pledge
US tech giants are expected to sign a pledge next week to build or buy their own energy supplies to power data centers.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters The problem with Trump’s data center power plan
Trump’s plan to hold down rising power prices associated with data centers could waste a massive investment opportunity.
Leah Millis/File Photo/ReutersGulf
Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
US, Israel launch strikes on Iran as nuclear talks falter
The attacks came following weeks of negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and its crackdown on protests.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSSaudi pumps more oil, bets on gas
Saudi Arabia’s oil shipments are on track to hit their highest level in almost three years, while state oil firm Aramco started production at a new gas field.
Etihad earnings highlight success of Abu Dhabi’s aviation push
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways capped a fourth straight year of profitability with record earnings in 2025, as strong passenger demand and fleet growth lifted performance.
G42’s bot recruiting is step toward the UAE’s AI-first future
With only 1.3 million citizens, augmenting human work is not just a shareholder necessity, but a question of survival.
Gulf states bet on AI investment to secure US backing
As the Gulf waits for Trump’s next move on Iran, amid a prodigious buildup of US forces in the region, the argument for AI-as-protection is an untested one.
Africa
Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty Images
The pharmacy at Parirenyatwa hospital in Harare. Jekesai Njikizana/AFP via Getty Images.
Zimbabwe’s lithium ban needs neighborly support
Zimbabwe wants to add value to its raw materials and boost economic growth, but it may need support from nearby countries to achieve this goal.
Tafadzwa Ufumeli/Getty ImagesAfrica health chief says ‘huge concerns’ over data security in US deals
The Trump administration is pursuing a raft of bilateral health deals on the continent.
The pharmacy at Parirenyatwa hospital in Harare. Jekesai Njikizana/AFP via Getty Images.South Africa’s debt expected to peak, economy minister says
The milestone would create room for more infrastructure investment and tax relief, Enoch Godongwana said, as part of South Africa’s latest budget release.
Trump pushes for more Afrikaner ‘refugees’ to come to US
The US is aiming to process 4,500 refugee applications from white South Africans each month, according to a State Department document.
Telecoms giant MTN doubled Nigeria investment last year
MTN Nigeria said the results had come as part of a push to expand network capacity and maintain market dominance.
Jamaica Book Festival seeks to boost Afro-Caribbean ties
The festival in Kingston brings together writers, publishers, and other cultural figures for readings and workshops that draw on their shared histories.
Security
Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via Reuters
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
Japan PM vows defense shakeup over China tensions
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked a diplomatic dispute with Beijing last year by saying Tokyo could defend Taiwan if China were to invade.
Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via ReutersTrump issues 15-day warning to Iran on nuclear deal
The US president warned that if Iran does not agree to a deal, “it’s going to be unfortunate for them.”
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via ReutersUS ups pressure on Iran with huge air power assembly
Two aircraft carriers and dozens of land-based planes have moved to the Gulf, enough to wage what experts said could be a sustained war against Iran.
Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters Media
Netflix walks away from $83B Warner Bros. takeover
Paramount’s David Ellison gets the media property he has long wanted. Netflix, having swung and missed at its first big M&A deal, now has to reassure investors that its business is fine.
BBC News CEO who resigned over edit of Trump speech rejects charge of ‘institutional bias’
In her first interview since she left the BBC, Deborah Turness said at Semafor’s Restoring Trust in Media summit that it was her choice to resign.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr praises Bari Weiss’ CBS
“I think they’re doing a great job,” Carr said at Semafor’s Restoring Trust in Media event Wednesday.
Washington Post editor recounts layoff pain, pledges to take paper to profitability
“Great journalism is central, but the journalism alone isn’t enough.”
Crockett escalates her war on the press
The Texas Senate hopeful’s operation ejected one reporter from an event and called the Capitol Police on another, sources told Semafor.
CEO SignalCourtesy of Pearson/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor Courtesy of Affirm/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
US Soccer’s goal for the 2026 World Cup
CEO JT Batson says the tournament is forcing brands to see the value of the sport’s fans.
Pearson’s pitch for company bosses to become AI chief education officers
CEO Omar Abbosh says a new approach to skills is needed for companies to get the most from humans and technology.
Courtesy of Pearson/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAffirm’s Max Levchin on how market sci-fi stories line up with AI reality
The PayPal co-founder values speculative visions of the future, even if investors overreacted to them this week.
Courtesy of Affirm/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD