- D.C.
- BXL
- Lagos
- Riyadh
- Beijing
- SG
Intelligence for the New World Economy
- D.C.
- BXL
- Lagos
- Riyadh
- Beijing
- SG
Politics
Nine primary races to watch
Florida is the star of the night, but Alaska, Wyoming, and California host contests too.
Why the White House torched Jon Ossoff
The senator made a comment about Trump aide Natalie Harp over the weekend.
Why the White House torched Jon Ossoff
The senator made a comment about Trump aide Natalie Harp over the weekend.
View / Hormuz limbo is now global oil’s top risk
View / China needs another Zhu Rongji
The World at a Glance
Updated 9:50am EDT
1
A Russian court sentenced an anti-war party leader to over a decade in a penal colony, the latest sign of the Kremlin’s rising domestic repression.
2Government bond yields rose to multiyear highs and stock markets fell as fears of a prolonged US-Iran conflict grows.
3Silicon Valley giants like Microsoft and Google are making moves to become less reliant on China, amid a process of US-China tech decoupling.
4Washington’s Asian allies voiced concerns after Trump said he would scale back participation in joint military exercises with South Korea.
5President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman, following Washington’s concerns over a Hormuz deal that could bypass the US.
6China faced deepening economic headwinds in July, state data showed, as consumer spending and investment slumped further.
L3Harris CEO ousted for relationship with subordinate
Chris Kubasik was previously fired from Lockheed Martin after a similar probe more than a decade ago.
OpenAI funds new think tank projects
Recipients include US-based organizations across the political spectrum, as well as organizations in Europe, Brazil, Singapore, and South Korea.
Trump’s Oman threat follows concerns over Hormuz
The president threatened “bomb the sh*t out of” Oman if it gets in the way of a deal with Iran.
Nvidia to provide up to $105 billion backstop for OpenAI data center
Nvidia reached a deal on Monday to provide up to $105 billion to backstop a new OpenAI data center in Ohio, as Big Tech ramped up its debt-fueled AI splurge.
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest in country’s history
The current outbreak is spreading five times faster than previous ones.
Progressive Democrats eye Israel policy shift in 2027
Capitol Hill progressives are homing in on the “Block the Bombs Act.”
Hormuz reopening remains distant as US-Iran truce expires
Iran’s foreign minister said his country had “not yet made a decision” over restarting negotiations with the US.
AD
Politics
Nine primary races to watch
Florida is the star of the night, but Alaska, Wyoming, and California host contests too.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
Why the White House torched Jon Ossoff
The senator made a comment about Trump aide Natalie Harp over the weekend.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters; Annabelle Gordon/Reuters
US consumption shows signs of strain
Consumer sentiment fell in August for the first time in months, data showed, as the intensifying US-Iran conflict stoked cost-of-living concerns for Americans.
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Trump’s Oman threat follows concerns over Hormuz
The president threatened “bomb the sh*t out of” Oman if it gets in the way of a deal with Iran.
Israel’s Lebanon attacks and threats over Gaza undercut US claims of peace progress
Israel carried out its deadliest attacks on Lebanon in weeks and a top Israeli minister called for an intensified assault on Gaza.
OpenAI funds new think tank projects
Recipients include US-based organizations across the political spectrum, as well as organizations in Europe, Brazil, Singapore, and South Korea.
Can Democrats afford to take on Big Tech? Or to leave it alone?
Some in Washington make the case for laying off the hyperscalers.
Progressive Democrats eye Israel policy shift in 2027
Capitol Hill progressives are homing in on the “Block the Bombs Act.”
Amodei addresses AI backlash
In rare social media remarks, Amodei acknowledged AI firms “haven’t yet delivered on our big promises to benefit the world.”
White House prepares to host crypto and prediction market execs
Attendees will include executives from Coinbase, a16z, Ripple, and Chainlink, plus Kalshi and Paradigm, as well as trade association Digital Chamber, according to people familiar with the plans.
Talarico touts endorsement from man who accused Paxton of stealing his pen
Joe Joplin left his $1,000 pen in a dish near a courthouse metal detector, after which a security camera captured Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton picking it up and walking away.
Business
Nvidia to provide up to $105 billion backstop for OpenAI data center
Nvidia reached a deal on Monday to provide up to $105 billion to backstop a new OpenAI data center in Ohio, as Big Tech ramped up its debt-fueled AI splurge.
Manami Yamada/Reuters
German companies slash US investments
Firms slashed investments to a three-year low to limit exposure to Washington’s uncertain trade policies.
US consumption shows signs of strain
Consumer sentiment fell in August for the first time in months, data showed, as the intensifying US-Iran conflict stoked cost-of-living concerns for Americans.
L3Harris CEO ousted for relationship with subordinate
Chris Kubasik was previously fired from Lockheed Martin after a similar probe more than a decade ago.
Phillips 66, Marathon held now-scuttled merger talks
The talks underscore the exuberance in today’s dealmaking environment.
Technology
Nvidia to provide up to $105 billion backstop for OpenAI data center
Nvidia reached a deal on Monday to provide up to $105 billion to backstop a new OpenAI data center in Ohio, as Big Tech ramped up its debt-fueled AI splurge.
Manami Yamada/Reuters
New Chinese model adds to AI competition
Chinese AI startup Zhipu said its new GLM-5.3 model outperformed Anthropic’s Mythos 5 in a key cybersecurity benchmark, marking the latest Chinese open-weight model to claim parity with the Western AI frontier.
Laurie Chen/Reuters
Amodei addresses AI backlash
In rare social media remarks, Amodei acknowledged AI firms “haven’t yet delivered on our big promises to benefit the world.”
China’s AI ecosystem gears up to challenge US
ByteDance is reportedly developing an AI model rivaling Anthropic’s most advanced Mythos system, and DeepSeek is touting its efforts to build a Claude Code challenger.
Flock tightens guardrails aimed at stopping cops from abusing its license plate cameras
CEO Garrett Langley pushed back against a “misconception that we are some evil entity that has these diabolical plans.”
AI trade surges on firms’ cloud earnings
The race to develop ever more sophisticated AI models shows no sign of slowing.
Energy
A safer bet for AI-hungry investors
While some data center investors finance giant “behind the meter” power plants, others are looking for steadier returns in regulated grids.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Global conflicts and climate change drive up shipping costs
The wars in the Gulf and Ukraine have essentially shut off some of the world’s key passageways for global commodities.
Caroline Brehman/Reuters
Houthis claim strikes on Saudi refinery
The strikes could impact the kingdom’s efforts to maintain shipping volumes amid ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Khaled Abdullah/Reuters
Gulf
Hormuz limbo is now global oil’s top risk
Lost supply and a projected demand rebound have placed the oil market in a fragile equilibrium.
Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock; Stringer/Reuters
Qatar enters regional EV race with first production facility
The factory is part of a deal between the local JTA International Investment Holding and British startup Watt Electric Vehicle Company.
Coinbase to establish ‘tokenization hub’ in Abu Dhabi
The hub boosts the UAE’s ambitions to become a global center for digital assets.
ADNOC boosts oil output despite Iran war
ADNOC has emerged as one of the Gulf’s most flexible energy exporters, thanks to geography, defense capabilities, and a willingness to take risks.
US to relieve USS Abraham Lincoln, leaving Pacific without carrier
US President Donald Trump dismissed reports of poor living conditions on the USS Abraham Lincoln as the military prepared to replace it.
China
China needs another Zhu Rongji
The late former premier would wonder why reform has halted as China’s economic woes mount.
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
China’s economic headwinds deepen
China’s consumer spending and investment slumped further in July.
Go Nakamura/Reuters
China furthers goals in Asia amid US focus on the Middle East
Washington withdrew an aircraft carrier from the Pacific and has criticized South Korea.
Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
Africa
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo becomes deadliest in country’s history
The current outbreak is spreading five times faster than previous ones.
Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/Reuters
Fresh scandal hits South Africa’s Democratic Alliance
South Africa’s central bank is investigating a fintech firm co-founded and chaired by the DA’s head of finance.
Senegal raises fuel prices to keep subsidy costs in check
The government has spent nearly all of its full-year allocation for fuel subsidies already.
Zambia’s president pulls ahead in reelection bid
The lead puts Hichilema on course to secure a second term at the helm of Africa’s second-biggest copper producer.
Ghana’s Genser Energy plans expansion after raising over $500M
The company plans to fund ongoing natural gas-based power projects and pursue new opportunities in West Africa.
Solar demand prompts calls for local manufacturing
China’s supply chain dominance means local manufacturing ambitions could take years to materialize, say energy analysts.
Security
Israel’s Lebanon attacks and threats over Gaza undercut US claims of peace progress
Israel carried out its deadliest attacks on Lebanon in weeks and a top Israeli minister called for an intensified assault on Gaza.
Stringer/Reuters
China furthers goals in Asia amid US focus on the Middle East
Washington withdrew an aircraft carrier from the Pacific and has criticized South Korea.
Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
Hormuz reopening remains distant as US-Iran truce expires
Iran’s foreign minister said his country had “not yet made a decision” over restarting negotiations with the US.
Yalda Moaiery/Handout via Reuters
Media
‘The Daily Show’ faces uncertain future under Paramount
Jon Stewart’s deal is up at the end of the year, and while there is strong interest from Paramount to renew, the two sides have yet to ink an extension.
Cheriss May/Reuters
Daily Mail brings on exec as it plans video expansion
The US outpost of the UK tabloid told Semafor that it had hired Mike Rothman as the company’s new general manager.
CNN president pitches giving network an editorial board to shield it from Paramount
The editorial board is intended to assuage concerns about any future meddling by Paramount in the news network’s journalism.
Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl on AI, streaming power, and why music royalties are the safest asset on Wall Street
The Warner Music Group CEO joins Mixed Signals to explain what a record label actually does in a world where anyone can upload a song to Spotify.
Spotify’s new ‘skip’ button could end the podcast business as we know it
The Swedish streaming giant cast the move as streamlining a feature that already exists, the Spotify app’s 15-second skip button.
CEO Signal
‘It’s an unbundling’: ADP’s Maria Black on how AI is changing the workforce
The payroll processor sees technology disrupting low-value tasks but making human judgment more valuable.
Courtesy of ADP/Graph Massara/Semafor
Reed Hastings on life after Netflix and the coming ‘creative destruction’
The streaming pioneer says we’re underestimating how AI will change competition.
Why Max Levchin wants Affirm to act like your smarter older sister
The fintech founder sees AI threatening traditional lenders by alerting consumers to their hidden fees.
AD