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Trump heads to Iowa for pre-midterms economic messaging tour
Poll: US voters want significant primary election reforms
The World at a Glance
Updated 5:36pm EST
1
US tech workers are speaking out about the US’ deadly immigration crackdown, but most top Silicon Valley CEOs remain silent.
2US consumer confidence plummeted to its lowest level since 2014, as Americans grew more anxious about prices and the job market.
3Japan’s currency strengthened as speculation simmered that Japanese and US authorities could intervene after a sharp slide in the yen.
4Aggressive government spending is propping up global economic growth, but record debt levels threaten long-term financial stability.
5Sales of all-electric vehicles overtook gasoline-only ones in Europe for the first time in December, boosted by an influx of low-cost Chinese models.
6Washington’s top envoy in Beijing signaled progress on several US-China agreements, including a massive Boeing sale.
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.
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/ReutersSenate 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 BravoAD
Israel 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/ReutersA 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.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersMubadala Capital raises $550M for debut co-investment fund
The unit of the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund is increasingly attracting money from other investors.
Fatima Al Noaimi speaking at the Mubadala Capital 2025. Courtesy of Mubadala Capital.
Politics
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters
Trump and Lula in 2025. Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo/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.
Kevin Lamarque/ReutersTrump 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.
Louisa Gouliamaki/ReutersBrazil’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.
Trump and Lula in 2025. Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo/ReutersSenate 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.
Shutdown looms as Republicans press on with homeland security funding
Senate Democrats are vowing to tank a six-bill funding package if it includes a bill with billions for ICE.
Employers face little risk from Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement
There’s little evidence that American business, large or small, will pay a price for hiring immigrants illegally.
Florida Republicans raise doubts about Trump’s plans for Venezuelan oil under Rodríguez
The administration has already sent hundreds of millions back into Caracas’ economy, but skeptics see the setup as ripe for misuse by the current regime.
BusinessBrendan McDermid/Reuters
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.
Brendan McDermid/ReutersTrump 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.
‘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.
Fears grow of rising US inflation
A growing number of experts warned of the risks of inflation accelerating in the US, even as markets bet that policymakers will lower borrowing costs.
EU, India sign ‘mother of all deals’
The EU expects to double exports to India by 2032 as part of the deal, while Delhi anticipates EU-bound exports to soar.
Technology
George Frey/Reuters
Dario Amodei. Denis Balibouse/Reuters
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.
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.
Dario Amodei. Denis Balibouse/ReutersInstitutions 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.
How to AI-proof your office
Design firms are experimenting with how to redesign physical spaces to adapt to evolving work habits.
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.GulfGeorge Frey/Reuters
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.
George Frey/ReutersRembrandt’s ‘Young Lion Resting’ drawing on view in Saudi Arabia
It’s the most important drawing by the Dutch painter to hit the auction market in 50 years, with an estimated value of up to $20 million.
Mubadala Capital raises $550M for debut co-investment fund
The unit of the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund is increasingly attracting money from other investors.
The Gulf is becoming one of gaming’s most lucrative markets
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt had a gaming market worth a combined $2 billion in 2024.
Saudi real estate market opens to foreigners
The aim is to attract international developers, lift the quality of projects, and stimulate the sector’s contribution to non-oil GDP.
Africa
KB Mpofu/Getty Images
Phil Noble/Reuters
Zimbabwe’s white farmers push for Trump support over land compensation
The White House has alleged that white people in southern Africa are being discriminated against by Black-majority governments.
KB Mpofu/Getty ImagesJapan’s Nissan to sell South Africa plant to China’s Chery
The move will end Nissan’s five-decade presence in South Africa as the company battles to regain its footing in the global market.
Phil Noble/ReutersNigeria’s UBA preps $50M financing for DRC minerals bid
Banks and miners on the continent are ready for US-aligned deals as the White House tries to outdo China in securing DR Congo supply chains.
Kenya’s bourse bets on M-Pesa to attract retail investors
Leading telcos are expected to soon roll out trading services on their mobile money apps.
Nigeria’s insecurity crisis is one of weak statehood
The country’s multiple security challenges are more complicated than the swirling flawed narratives of “Christian genocide.”
How West Africa’s medieval Gold Road shows a path for free trade
Three great West African empires laid the foundation of some of the earliest global trade routes in history.
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