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Intelligence for the New World Economy
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View/ Washington courts African minerals giants as resource race escalates
Rubio to defend Venezuela operation to Congress
The World at a Glance
Updated 6:42am EST
1
The likelihood of US strikes on Iran increased once again, as Washington deployed a carrier group to the Middle East.
2A US court is due to hear a landmark tech addiction case against YouTube and Meta, as backlash against the platforms grows.
3The US Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady today, a decision overshadowed by threats to its independence.
4European economies are faring better than people perceive, the IMF’s chief said, with improvements expected in the coming year.
5Spain will grant 500,000 undocumented migrants legal status, bucking a trend among many Western nations that are cracking down on immigration.
6Mexico cancelled an oil shipment to Cuba following pressure from Washington.
Miran mired in Fed’s personnel purgatory
Trump’s economic adviser was supposed to step down from the central bank at week’s end. That’s not going to happen.
Louisa Gouliamaki/ReutersZimbabwe inflation drops to single digits for first time in decades
Authorities hailed it as a “historic milestone” after decades marred by hyperinflation and currency collapse.
Jekesai Njikizana/AFP via Getty ImagesTrump has become the ultimate activist investor, and CEOs are gearing up for battle
CEO whisperers and takeover experts are getting more sophisticated around how to fend off, or woo, the US president.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersTrump shifts course — somewhat — in Minnesota after shooting
The president is shaking up enforcement and talking more about working with local officials. Whether it means long-term deescalation is another matter.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersAD
Senate moves toward Thursday shutdown vote
Avoiding a Jan. 31 shutdown might come down to whether the White House and Democrats agree on changes to immigration enforcement.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters ‘Wait for it to pop’: Orlando Bravo on the AI bubble and vibe-coding revolution
The technology investor and founder of Thoma Bravo says the AI bubble won’t easily be deflated by policymakers.
Courtesy of Thoma BravoIsrael recovers body of last hostage in Gaza
Israel had resisted moving ahead with the Gaza truce until the remains of Ran Gvili were retrieved.
Amir Cohen/Reuters
Politics
Kylie Cooper/Reuters 
Denis Balibouse/Reuters
Tester on Democrats’ chances: ‘Horrible’ message but a winning hand
The former Montana senator spoke with Semafor for a wide-ranging interview about his own political future, ICE funding, and more.
US hurdles toward shutdown fueled by immigration fight
Government funding runs out Friday night.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters Rubio to defend Venezuela operation to Congress
The crux of Rubio’s message: The capture of Nicolás Maduro “was an operation to aid law enforcement.”
Denis Balibouse/Reuters Trump immigration enforcement under siege from Hill Republicans
From occasional critics of the president to conservative gun-rights advocates, the party is speaking up after Alex Pretti’s death.
Trump adviser Stephen Miran mired in Fed’s personnel purgatory
President Donald Trump’s economic adviser was supposed to step down from the central bank at week’s end. That’s not going to happen.
Brazil’s Lula agrees to US visit following call with Trump
The agreement is a sign that bilateral tensions are easing, after Trump temporarily imposed 50% tariffs on Latin America’s biggest economy last year.
Senate moves toward Thursday shutdown vote
Avoiding a Jan. 31 shutdown might come down to whether the White House and Democrats agree on changes to immigration enforcement.
Trump heads to Iowa for pre-midterms economic messaging tour
The president has tried again and again to pivot to domestic affordability issues amid persistent public angst, only to repeatedly return to foreign policy priorities.
Poll: US voters want significant primary election reforms
Large majorities of Americans in both parties support requiring states to open up congressional primaries to all voters.
Trump shifts course — somewhat — in Minnesota after shooting
The president is shaking up enforcement and talking more about working with local officials. Whether it means long-term deescalation is another matter.
White House says it will review Minnesota killing by immigration agents
Alex Pretti was shot repeatedly on Saturday, apparently after having been disarmed.
Business
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
US Fed expected to hold rates steady, despite pressure from Trump
The decision is overshadowed by threats to its independence and questions over its future leadership.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersEurope’s economies faring well despite domestic pessimism
Seven of the world’s top 10 performing economies are European, and ING analysts said Germany’s economy, stagnant for years, is expected to accelerate this year after stimulus.
Investors upped their AI bets, despite fears of bubble
The AI startup Anthropic will raise a further $20 billion in funding at a $350 billion valuation; it sought $10 billion, but investor demand was high.
A decade after Campbell’s Soup, Dan Loeb’s Third Point is back
A brewing proxy fight at real-estate giant CoStar may signal a broader M&A revival.
Trump has become the ultimate activist investor, and CEOs are gearing up for battle
CEO whisperers and takeover experts are getting more sophisticated around how to fend off, or woo, the US president.
Technology
Hollie Adams/Illustration/Reuters
George Frey/Reuters
US court to hear landmark tech addiction case
A 20-year-old woman is suing YouTube and Meta — TikTok and Snapchat settled with her out of court — alleging they designed their platforms to be addictive.
Hollie Adams/Illustration/ReutersAI changes shape of foreign investment flows
Declining appetite for infrastructure and a slowdown in renewables investments were partly supplanted by the capital poured into data centers and semiconductors.
George Frey/ReutersAnthropic CEO Amodei warns of AI’s fast-coming changes
Dario Amodei’s 19,000-word essay warned against both “doomerism” about AI and dismissiveness of its risks.
Institutions are missing AI’s real potential for drug discovery
More regulatory reform is needed to speed up the progress and reduce costs of applying AI to biosciences.
Researchers use AI to reverse engineer molecules
Researchers at NYU and the University of Florida claim its neural network proposes molecular structures at 10 times the speed of existing methods.
South Korea poised to trump EU in AI safety laws
Seoul has enacted its own national AI laws targeting trust and safety, the second major government after the EU to impose sweeping measures.
Energy
Jim Urquhart/Reuters
Enbridge/Handout via Reuters
A snow storm in 2021. Tom Brenner/Reuters.
Global energy investment hits record high in 2025
Global spending on the energy transition reached $2.3 trillion last year, according to BloombergNEF.
Jim Urquhart/ReutersEuropean countries sign deal for major North Sea wind project
The deal is aimed at strengthening the continent’s energy security by reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.
Enbridge/Handout via ReutersGas prices spike ahead of major US storm
Much of the East Coast and Midwest will see snow and sleet, with travel likely to be disrupted.
A snow storm in 2021. Tom Brenner/Reuters.Gulf
Emilie Madi/Reuters
Dubai billionaire Al Habtoor leaves Lebanon, blames government for $1.7B in losses
The billionaire’s real estate conglomerate has invested more than $1 billion sinc 2001 across Lebanon’s hospitality, retail, leisure, real estate, and finance sectors.
Emilie Madi/ReutersDubai real estate portal Property Finder raises $170M in new financing
The portal that has now raised nearly $1 billion in equity and debt financing from a host of blue-chip backers, including Mubadala, Blackstone, and HSBC.
Visa splits Middle East operations
The kingdom brought in a rule in 2024 that any company wanting to bid for government contracts would have to set up their regional headquarters there.
Dubai to invest $27B in expansion of financial district
The UAE city is doubling down on efforts to fend off regional rivals trying to dethrone it as the Gulf’s top financial hub.
AI changes shape of foreign investment flows
Declining appetite for infrastructure and a slowdown in renewables investments were partly supplanted by the capital poured into data centers and semiconductors.
Africa
Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images
Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force. Joris Bolomey/AFP via Getty Images.
US courts African minerals giants as China rivalry escalates
The summit marks the White House’s latest attempt to build a counterweight to China’s dominance of African mineral supply chains.
Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty ImagesNigeria to try military officers accused of planning coup last year
The trial caps months of concerns about security in Africa’s largest democracy after a series of military takeovers in neighboring nations in recent years.
Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force. Joris Bolomey/AFP via Getty Images.Zimbabwe inflation drops to single digits for first time in decades
Authorities hailed it as a “historic milestone” after decades marred by hyperinflation and currency collapse.
Zambia unlocks more IMF funds following debt overhaul
The completion of the IMF program underscores huge progress by the southern African nation in restructuring $13 billion worth of debt.
African debt repayments to Beijing overtake new Chinese loans
The shift illustrates Beijing’s changing relationship with the continent, now more focused on investments than loans.
US withdrawal from multiple UN agencies raises alarm in Kenya
Nairobi is the organization’s largest hub in the Global South.
Security
Issei Kato/File Photo/Reuters
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reuters
Stringer/Reuters
Chinese tourism to Japan plummets following Taiwan spat
Beijing urged its citizens not to travel to Japan after its prime minister said her country may support Taiwan militarily.
Issei Kato/File Photo/ReutersThreat of US strike on Iran appears to wane
Officials reportedly advised US President Donald Trump that an attack would be unlikely to topple the government.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA via ReutersDefense stocks surge on rising calls for militarization
Donald Trump’s calls for a more than 50% increase to his country’s military budget have lifted the valuations of domestic arms firms.
Stringer/ReutersMedia
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Rumors of staffing cuts spook Washington Post newsroom
Feared potential targets for cuts include the sports and international desks.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images“We’re not trying to recreate social media”: How Minnesota’s Star Tribune navigates a local crisis
The publication tries to offer a sober alternative to a social media swarm as a deadly shooting deepens the crisis in Minneapolis.
Freakonomics’ Stephen Dubner on why long-form podcasting isn’t dead yet
Stephen Dubner has spent 20 years proving that things aren’t what they seem—and now he’s not so sure that’s always true.
Streaming giants push filmmakers to adapt to ‘double screening’
Viewers are increasingly watching films and TV while also looking at their smartphones.
Die Welt editor departed amid internal inquiry
The editor of Germany’s Die Welt had been the subject of internal scrutiny in recent days by the newspaper’s parent company.
CEO Signal
Courtesy of Nasdaq/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Bank of America/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Suntory/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Nasdaq’s Adena Friedman on funding the AI ‘marathon’
The exchange CEO says adopting AI in enterprises requires “a massive change management exercise.”
Courtesy of Nasdaq/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforBank of America’s Brian Moynihan: ‘The pipelines are full’
“It’s clear you can get a deal done now,” says the long-tenured banker.
Courtesy of Bank of America/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforGreg Hughes on how Suntory plans to revive global spirits sales
The CEO behind Jim Beam and Hibiki says bold goals and learning from failure build long-term growth.
Courtesy of Suntory/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD