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Republicans pan Democrats’ ‘horrible’ offer as shutdown chaos grows
View / Why OpenAI won’t need a government bailout
The World at a Glance
Updated 12:50pm EST
1
China launched its largest ever naval aircraft carrier, as it seeks to expand its military, particularly in the South China Sea.
2Israel stepped up airstrikes on southern Lebanon, leading to fears that its ceasefire with Hezbollah could collapse.
3Chinese exports unexpectedly fell in October, the first decline since Donald Trump imposed his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs in April.
4The US is reportedly conducting flying missions out of El Salvador as it boosts its military buildup in the Caribbean.
5AI stocks continued to fall Thursday as concerns mounted over the billions companies are pouring into data centers.
6Russia is looking to buy uranium from Niger, French security services warned, after supplies were abandoned following a 2023 coup.
Tesla shareholders approve $1 trillion pay for Musk
The proposal requires Musk to grow the EV giant’s valuation and hit certain production goals like vehicle deliveries.
Daniel Cole/ReutersDemocrats lean toward digging in on shutdown fight
Coming off Tuesday’s election victories, the party wants to keep fighting for health care subsidies.
Annabelle Gordon/ReutersEU mulls AI Act pullback to catch up in AI race
The most robust AI legislation globally faced blowback across industries from banking to energy over its complex framework and potential to stifle innovation.
Yves Herman/ReutersAgentic brains and ‘digital gardeners’: How one CEO runs his AI office
Weber Shandwick’s Jim O’Leary says agents need to be watered, fertilized, and weeded.
Joey Pfiefer/SemaforAD
Why Jensen Huang was right to warn about China’s AI capabilities
Huang’s warning, even though it was walked back, coincides with a Goldman Sachs’ estimate that top tech in China will spend more than $70 billion next year on data centers and chips.
Yui Mok/Pool via ReutersNigeria issues $2.35B eurobond amid Trump threats
High demand for the offering, which attracted buy and sell orders of $13 billion, reflects confidence in Nigeria’s recent fiscal policies.
Olympia de Maismont/AFP via Getty ImagesSudan’s RSF agrees to US and Arab-led ceasefire deal
The military-led government has not yet responded.
RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters.
Politics
Annabelle Gordon/Reuters
Nathan Howard/Reuters
Jay Paul/Reuters
Republicans pan Democrats’ ‘horrible’ offer as shutdown chaos grows
A week that began with signs of real momentum in dealmaking talks ended with a stalemate.
Annabelle Gordon/ReutersDebatable: Trump’s tariffs
Does a 1977 emergency statute grant Trump authority to carry out his sweeping tariff regime?
Nathan Howard/ReutersModerate messages drove election wins, Democratic think tank says
Focus groups, gathered for Third Way, praised the focus on cost-of-living issues from Democratic gubernatorial winners in New Jersey and Virginia.
Jay Paul/ReutersPrioritize economy over foreign policy, Republicans tell Trump
‘No one wants to visit a presidential library that has an exhibit about egg prices,’ said a strategist close to the White House.
Shapiro rejoices after going ‘all-in’ to turn Pennsylvania bluer
The governor, universally seen as a 2028 candidate, is stepping into the limelight after a successful off-year Election Day.
Democrats lean toward digging in on shutdown fight
Coming off Tuesday’s election victories, the party wants to keep fighting for health care subsidies.
Republicans left reeling after election losses
The party struggles to motivate MAGA voters when Trump is not on the ballot, a critical issue in his final term, the Washington Post reported.
Flights cut at 40 US airports as shutdown drags on
The US transportation secretary said the move would ‘alleviate the pressure’ on unpaid air traffic controllers.
Michael Wolff crowdfunds war chest to pursue Melania Trump
The first lady had threatened Wolff with a defamation case over comments he made on his podcast linking her to Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump complicates shutdown endgame in Congress
The president is disrupting the fragile momentum of bipartisan talks and dividing his party at an inopportune time.
Why Democrats won so big, and how they might shake the ‘disarray’ label
The scale of the GOP defeat — though it only shifts power in a couple of states — is already changing how both parties view the electorate.
Business
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Prioritize economy over foreign policy, Republicans tell Trump
‘No one wants to visit a presidential library that has an exhibit about egg prices,’ said a strategist close to the White House.
Jonathan Ernst/ReutersHow Ariane Gorin sees AI writing Expedia’s third chapter
The former Microsoft executive says agents will not replace her travel site — if it can get its own technology right.
Agentic brains and ‘digital gardeners’: How one CEO runs his AI office
Weber Shandwick’s Jim O’Leary says agents need to be watered, fertilized, and weeded.
Unilever moves to oust Ben & Jerry’s board chair over charity probe
The attempted ouster comes as Unilever investigates Ben & Jerry’s donations to pro-Palestinian causes.
Relax, nobody’s leaving New York
New York’s financiers are here to stay despite Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win.
Technology
Carlos Osorio/Reuters
Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo/Reuters
How AI-powered radars are helping protect polar bears, and humans
The ‘bear-dar’ can detect the bears’ movements using AI, and when community members receive alerts that a bear is nearby, they use noisemakers to deter it.
Carlos Osorio/ReutersWhy OpenAI won’t need a government bailout
There is no “too big to fail” in the tech industry. In fact, failure is one of the key characteristics of Silicon Valley.
Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo/ReutersWhy Jensen Huang was right to warn about China’s AI capabilities
Huang’s warning, even though it was walked back, coincides with a Goldman Sachs’ estimate that top tech in China will spend more than $70 billion next year on data centers and chips.
US Energy Department boosts quantum investments
The department announced a goal for private industry to build a working quantum computer by 2028 and $625 million in funding for quantum efforts.
EU mulls AI Act pullback to catch up in AI race
The most robust AI legislation globally faced blowback across industries from banking to energy over its complex framework and potential to stifle innovation.
Google to build data center on Christmas Island as part of defense pact
The small island off the coast of Indonesia is a key location for monitoring naval activity in the Indian Ocean, from China and other nations.
Energy
Fred Greaves/Reuters
Muyu Xu/File Photo/Reuters
Steve Marcus/Reuters
Soaring energy prices gave Democrats a winning message
Electricity prices are rising twice as fast as the overall rate of inflation in the US.
Fred Greaves/ReutersChina to double battery storage by next year as renewables boom
Batteries are a key component in the energy transition, as most solar electricity is generated when demand is low.
Muyu Xu/File Photo/ReutersInvestors push to create international body for mining sector
Pension funds and other large institutional investors tend to avoid holding shares of mining companies out of concern for ESG risks.
Steve Marcus/ReutersGulf
A carbon capture facility in Brevik, Norway. Nora Bulli/Reuters.
Qatar awards Samsung carbon-capture contract
The announcement comes as ‘energy realists’ at COP30 in Brazil are expected to push back against stricter climate goals.
A carbon capture facility in Brevik, Norway. Nora Bulli/Reuters.UAE touts $148B investment in AI
Some Gulf countries are investing heavily into AI, with the Emirates taking a notable lead in data center capacity and attracting foreign investment.
Bahrain revamps investment rules to attract super-rich
The country looks to pitch itself as a global wealth management hub and attract the type of super-rich residents that have flocked to the neighboring UAE.
Qatar doubles down on Egypt’s coastline with $3.5B land buy
Gulf countries are moving away from providing aid to Egypt and instead focusing on investment opportunities.
Economic integration key to cementing Middle East peace
Expanding the Abraham Accords depends on business, not just diplomacy.
Africa
Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images
Electronic stores looted during protests. Emmanuel Herman/Reuters.
Ex-Vodacom executive Romeo Kumalo plans $200M AI fund
Kumalo said the fund aimed to “fuel founders who are building solutions that change lives and deliver meaningful, risk-adjusted returns.”
Frennie Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty ImagesTanzania’s internet shutdown cost economy $228M, monitoring group says
The shutdown has reignited worries about the use of state-ordered internet blackouts on the continent during elections or unrest.
Electronic stores looted during protests. Emmanuel Herman/Reuters.Sudan’s RSF agrees to US and Arab-led ceasefire deal
The military-led government has not yet responded.
Nigeria issues $2.35B eurobond amid Trump threats
High demand for the offering, which attracted buy and sell orders of $13 billion, reflects confidence in Nigeria’s recent fiscal policies.
Russia could buy leftover uranium from Niger, France warns
The Arlit mine, formerly run by a French group, was seized during Niger’s 2023 military coup, and stockpiles of uranium remained on site.
Pan-African group Ecobank plans agriculture strategy after revenue jump
The Togo-headquartered lender views agriculture as an underinvested sector, says its CEO.
Security
A model of The Fujian aircraft carrier at an airshow in China. Tingshu Wang/File Photo/Reuters.
Ali Hankir/Reuters
US Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier. NTB/Lise Aaserud via Reuters.
China launches its largest naval aircraft carrier
Leader Xi Jinping has pushed to modernize the military to challenge US dominance in the South China Sea and assert sovereignty claims over Taiwan.
A model of The Fujian aircraft carrier at an airshow in China. Tingshu Wang/File Photo/Reuters.Israel steps up strikes on southern Lebanon
Israel and Hezbollah fought a brief but vicious ground war last year, in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.
Ali Hankir/ReutersUS sends attack aircraft to El Salvador: Report
About 10,000 US troops and a dozen warships are in the Caribbean, amid a string of strikes on alleged drug boats linked to Venezuela.
US Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier. NTB/Lise Aaserud via Reuters.Media
Mike Segar/Reuters
Condé Nast abruptly fires 4 staffers after HR confrontation
The firings were an unsubtle message to its employee union that the publisher was taking a harder line in its dealings with employees.
Mike Segar/ReutersMichael Wolff crowdfunds war chest to pursue Melania Trump
The first lady had threatened Wolff with a defamation case over comments he made on his podcast linking her to Jeffrey Epstein.
Wikipedia founder says ‘Gaza genocide’ page lacked neutrality
The publicly editable nature of Wikipedia makes it a battleground, with entires often becoming viewed as established fact.
Can anyone stop Tucker Carlson?
The uproar over his interview with Nick Fuentes only seemed to boost his profile.
The new Vanity Fair’s one rule: Leave the princesses alone!
Vanity Fair is trying to offer meaningful journalism that reveals inner workings of power — while also convincing the powerful to pose for its covers and attend its Hollywood events.
CEO Signal
Joey Pfeifer/SemaforJoey Pfiefer/Semafor 
Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
How Ariane Gorin sees AI writing Expedia’s third chapter
The former Microsoft executive says agents will not replace her travel site — if it can get its own technology right.
Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAgentic brains and ‘digital gardeners’: How one CEO runs his AI office
Weber Shandwick’s Jim O’Leary says agents need to be watered, fertilized, and weeded.
Joey Pfiefer/SemaforWhy Enrique Lores bet HP’s future on AI reshaping work
The PC group’s CEO sees a new era of opportunity if it sells experiences rather than just products.
Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD