- D.C.
- BXL
- Lagos
- Riyadh
- Beijing
- SG
Intelligence for the New World Economy
- D.C.
- BXL
- Lagos
- Riyadh
- Beijing
- SG
The World at a Glance
Updated 12:12pm EDT
1
The US economy grew slower at the end of 2025 than previously thought, underscoring economic vulnerabilities before the Iran conflict.
2Volkswagen has partnered with Chinese EV firm Xpeng, after the German carmaker recently lost major market share in China.
3Canada and Mexico defended their trilateral trade agreement with the US following Washington’s threats to withdraw from the pact.
4The EU and Canada made moves to strengthen their positions in the face of the threats from the Trump administration.
5Soaring oil prices from the war in iran have boosted Russia’s revenues by $150 million a day.
6Stock markets slumped Thursday and oil closed above $100 a barrel for the first time since 2022.
Iran leader vows to keep Strait of Hormuz closed
Nearly two weeks of war has created the largest oil supply disruption in history, the International Energy Agency said Thursday.
Mojtaba Khamenei in 2016. Rouhollah Vahdati/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via ReutersTrump’s voting bill fixation strains Republicans to the breaking point
The president is causing painful divisions over legislation that currently has no path to passage, despite the Senate majority leader’s efforts.
Annabelle Gordon/ReutersSenate passes bipartisan housing bill
The White House has signaled it supports the bill, which includes the president’s proposed ban on institutional investors in housing.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters Tanzanian tycoon buys East Africa’s biggest media company
The acquisition of the Nation Media Group by Rostam Azizi’s company has sparked fears over media freedom.
Thomas Mukoya/ReutersKuwait exit permits can trap expats fleeing war
Foreign residents are required to apply for exit permits from their employers in order to leave the country.
Stephanie McGehee/ReutersHow Trump’s relationship with private markets got so complicated
The president relied on industry heavyweights to get elected. Now they’ve hit the limits of their buying power.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersDemocrat urges Trump to renegotiate US-Canada-Mexico trade pact
Sen. Ruben Gallego argued that the current version of the pact doesn’t do enough to stem underlying causes of illegal migration or prevent China from skirting US trade laws.
Annabelle Gordon/Reuters 
AD
Politics
Dylan Martinez/Reuters
Evan Vucci/ReutersKylie Cooper/Reuters
Debatable: Iran war funding
Congress is weighing whether to pass more funding for the Pentagon amid the military campaign in the Middle East.
Dylan Martinez/ReutersWhite House turns to a familiar promise of pain for gain as oil spikes
It’s an Iran war reassurance that’s familiar from the tariff and tax cut debates.
Evan Vucci/ReutersSenate passes bipartisan housing bill
The White House has signaled it supports the bill, which includes the president’s proposed ban on institutional investors in housing.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters Trump’s voting bill fixation strains Republicans to the breaking point
The president is causing painful divisions over legislation that currently has no path to passage, despite the Senate majority leader’s efforts.
Democrat urges Trump to renegotiate US-Canada-Mexico trade pact
Sen. Ruben Gallego argued that the current version of the pact doesn’t do enough to stem underlying causes of illegal migration or prevent China from skirting US trade laws.
Americans cut back to afford health care, poll finds
One-third of US adults said they have made at least one tradeoff in their daily life to pay for health expenses.
How the Senate will take up the voter ID bill
Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s been quizzing his members on which strategy to pursue.
Trump presses ahead with new tariffs
The US leader is launching probes into other countries’ trading practices after the Supreme Court struck down his tariffs.
How Trump’s relationship with private markets got so complicated
The president relied on industry heavyweights to get elected. Now they’ve hit the limits of their buying power.
Democrats seek to scrutinize Paramount-WBD deal
A dozen lawmakers said they wanted more information about the ongoing federal review of the acquisition.
Resistance grows to Senate’s build-to-rent proposal
Now it’s got issues with Democrats, too.
Business
Courtesy of BETA/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
How Kyle Clark got BETA’s air taxis ready for takeoff
The electric aircraft company’s CEO has a ‘burn-the-boats’ approach to decision-making.
Courtesy of BETA/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforUpwork’s CEO on the AI agents that try to hire human workers
Hayden Brown sees the pairing of technology and human “orchestrators” redefining workforces.
Why Vlad Tenev thinks you’ll want Robinhood’s ‘James Bond’ credit card
A platinum-plated physical product advances the broker’s bid to become a financial “super app.”
An AI jobs crisis we didn’t see coming
AI “is going to create many jobs and we’re not prepared as a society to fulfill those jobs,” Larry Fink told Semafor.
BlackRock CEO Fink predicts AI ‘bankruptcies’
When it comes to AI fears, Fink said he’s more worried about the US “losing to China” than capex overspending.
Technology
Priyanshu Singh/Reuters
Toby Melville/Reuters
Tech firms are diverging on how to integrate AI
Companies are leaning on AI firms to teach them how to integrate the technology into their own businesses.
Priyanshu Singh/ReutersWorkers need to figure out their ‘real’ job in AI age, analyst says
When spreadsheet software was invented, it didn’t eliminate accountants — their job, it turned out, was more than crunching numbers.
Toby Melville/ReutersAI bubble driving interest in chip alternatives
Tech companies’ capex problem is driving research and investment in new kinds of chips that aim to lower the cost and energy needs of data processing.
Anthropic’s AI ‘constitution’ shows early promise in regulating models’ behavior, researchers say
The document constricts Claude’s behavior, including by adding limits on dishonesty and causing harm.
Volkswagen partners with Chinese EV firm Xpeng
The partnership comes as the German carmaker seeks to turn its fortunes around after a tough year that saw it lose major market share in China.
ByteDance sidesteps US restrictions to buy Nvidia chips
ByteDance has gained access to the Blackwell semiconductors by hiring computing power from a Malaysia-based company.
Energy
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Daniel Cole/Reuters
Amit Dave/Reuters
China aims to expand oil reserves amid MidEast volatility
The world’s largest crude importer, China is vulnerable to a lasting disruption in global energy flows.
Maxim Shemetov/ReutersUS solar installations fall as Trump policies hit sector
A combination of tariffs, scrapped subsidies, and a White House energy agenda built around fossil fuels hit the solar industry in 2025.
Daniel Cole/ReutersRussia’s fossil fuel revenue 14% higher than in February
The sudden boost is a result of higher oil and gas prices and the relaxation of some US sanctions.
Amit Dave/ReutersGulfMojtaba Khamenei in 2016. Rouhollah Vahdati/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Iran leader vows to keep Strait of Hormuz closed
Nearly two weeks of war has created the largest oil supply disruption in history, the International Energy Agency said Thursday.
Mojtaba Khamenei in 2016. Rouhollah Vahdati/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via ReutersAtlantis Dubai offers free waterpark access amid tourism hit to Gulf
The goodwill gesture comes less than two weeks after an Iranian drone struck the Fairmont The Palm hotel roughly three miles away, injuring four people.
Gulf authorities warn against posting war footage on social media
A British tourist was reportedly arrested in Dubai after allegedly filming missiles during an attack.
Iran war decimates Gulf’s tourism industry
The region’s tourism industry is taking a hit of $600 million a day in lost visitor spending.
Iran war could narrow Saudi Arabia’s deficit
Higher oil prices and output could offset the current hit to production and help narrow Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit.
Africa
Sudanese army soldiers take part in a military parade. Ebrahim Hamid/AFP via Getty Images.
Ghana’s former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta. Ernest Ankomah/Getty Images.
Washington designates Sudan militia foreign terrorist organization
The move is widely seen as a win for the United Arab Emirates, which has long claimed the Sudanese Armed Forces’ Islamist allies are extremists.
Sudanese army soldiers take part in a military parade. Ebrahim Hamid/AFP via Getty Images.Ghana’s fugitive ex-finance minister eyes US residency
Corruption charges have been levelled at Ken Ofori-Atta by Ghanaian authorities who are pursuing his extradition from the US.
Ghana’s former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta. Ernest Ankomah/Getty Images.South Africa rebukes new US ambassador
Leo Brent Bozell’s comments, later walked back with an apology, were read in Pretoria as “undiplomatic,” prompting a formal dressing down.
Iran war raises fears of South Africa rate cut delays
Three rate cuts had been expected in 2026 but Standard Bank’s CEO tells Semafor he expects there will only be two.
Tanzanian tycoon buys East Africa’s biggest media company
The acquisition of the Nation Media Group by Rostam Azizi’s company has sparked fears over media freedom.
Zimbabwe’s lithium upgrade still runs through China
The southern African country’s resource ambitions play out amid a US–China battle for Africa’s critical minerals.
Security
Stoyan Nenov/Reuters
Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Europe races to develop new security strategy
The European Commission is consulting with EU member states to produce a sweeping new security strategy document, tentatively set to publish by June.
Stoyan Nenov/ReutersRussia makes a comeback in sports and arts
Russian athletes are competing in the Winter Paralympics and Russian artists are returning to the Venice Biennale.
Sarah Meyssonnier/ReutersMojtaba Khamenei’s first statement signals lengthy conflict
Iran’s new supreme leader vowed vengeance in his first statement, signaling defiance over diplomacy.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via ReutersMedia
Courtesy of OpenAI
AI is the latest gatekeeper between brands and buyers
Companies are now writing ad copy for bots, not people, and those bots are telling consumers what products to buy.
Courtesy of OpenAIHasan Piker on streaming all day, his relationship with Zohran Mamdani, and the lefty media machine
Since 2018, Hasan Piker has gone from streaming alone in his bedroom to becoming one of North America’s most influential leftist creators.
Bulwark CEO wants to help Democrats ‘Eat’ MAGA
The founder of the Bulwark wants to help chart a path back to power for the Democratic party.
Politico founder plots new Washington newspaper war
A damaged Washington Post could face a big new challenger.
Left-of-center groups plead with AGs to stop WBD-Paramount deal
“With President Trump having weaponized independent agencies and antitrust enforcers to do his political bidding, it is essential that states fill the void and aggressively protect consumers,” the groups wrote.
CEO SignalCourtesy of BETA/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor 
Courtesy of Upwork/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Robinhood/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
How Kyle Clark got BETA’s air taxis ready for takeoff
The electric aircraft company’s CEO has a ‘burn-the-boats’ approach to decision-making.
Courtesy of BETA/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforUpwork’s CEO on the AI agents that try to hire human workers
Hayden Brown sees the pairing of technology and human “orchestrators” redefining workforces.
Courtesy of Upwork/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforWhy Vlad Tenev thinks you’ll want Robinhood’s ‘James Bond’ credit card
A platinum-plated physical product advances the broker’s bid to become a financial “super app.”
Courtesy of Robinhood/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD