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Social media’s ‘Big Tobacco’ moment will bring more unexpected changes
View / The Iran war’s energy security legacy
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The Museum of Youth Culture opens in May in London and aims to tell the story of Britain’s extraordinary number of youth subcultures.
South Africa walks back claims of US pressure following G7 invite snub
After Paris rescinded its invitation to Pretoria, a South African presidency spokesperson said it was “due to sustained pressure” from Washington.
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Remaking an old industrial giant to meet new energy demands started with defining its mission.
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Under the settlement, Live Nation will have to divest certain venues across the US and pay states which accept the settlement roughly $200 million.
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Florence Lo/ReutersUS stocks see worst day since Iran conflict began
Markets appeared skeptical of President Donald Trump’s insistence that the Iran war will end soon.
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Politics
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Acting CFPB director huddles with congressional Republicans on agency’s future
The lawmakers told Semafor that they discussed opportunities to rein in the agency without shuttering it.
Elizabeth Frantz/ReutersSenate reaches deal to fund most of DHS
It’s a face-saving move for two parties who’d grown tired of airport chaos and wanted to leave Washington.
Nathan Howard/ReutersScott Brown isn’t leaving New Hampshire’s ‘weird’ Senate race
He lost the Trump endorsement. The national Republican Party wants his rival. He told Semafor he doesn’t really care.
Aleksandra Michalska/ReutersDebatable: Regulating prediction markets
Democrats — and a few Republicans — want to erect rules for the popular platforms.
Why Trump’s latest Iran moves may signal ground troops
Some experts read the president’s ceasefire talk as a potential head fake — albeit one with the added upside of calming markets.
Trump goes around Congress to pay TSA, raising questions
Several Republicans told Semafor that they’d been aware Trump had this option for days now.
US population growth slows amid immigration decline
Some 40% of US counties experienced a net loss in people
Trump extends deadline for Iran to open Hormuz
Donald Trump extended the pause on strikes against Iranian energy facilities.
‘Tipping point’: NFL’s streaming shift could put league’s antitrust shield at risk, FCC’s Carr says
The NFL’s move to shift live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services has become a flashpoint in Washington.
Funding vote will test GOP appetite for rebellion on Iran
House Republicans are frustrated with the vagueness they’re hearing from the Trump administration on Iran.
State Department sends $1.25B from other programs to Board of Peace
The administration is drawing on funds used for international disasters and peacekeeping to fund Trump’s Gaza effort.
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The secretive global architecture that operates outside US dollar-denominated markets is unlikely to disappear even after the fighting stops.
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Investors retreat from oil-reliant Asian markets
Global investors are pulling a record amount of capital from Asia’s emerging-market stocks — with China a notable exception.
Technology
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Pentagon AI architect on the future of warfare
Semafor spoke with Drew Cukor, who dragged a reluctant defense establishment into the AI age.
Google hedges its quantum bets
This week, Google announced a major investment in what’s known as the “neutral atom,” otherwise known less scientifically as just a regular old atom.
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Social media’s ‘Big Tobacco’ moment will bring more unexpected changes
People forget something about the Big Tobacco moment: Big Tobacco didn’t go away.
Cryptography must prepare for quantum computing, Google warns
In theory, quantum computers could break today’s encryptions instantly.
Energy
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Data centers’ new strategy to reduce power crunch
Electric utilities and tech companies are ramping down their consumption at times of high demand.
Jim Vondruska/File Photo/ReutersOil prices rise as Trump’s Iran extension fails to calm markets
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will discuss conflict de-escalation at a G7 meeting in France today.
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The war in Iran will force governments and companies to rethink the necessary conditions for energy security.
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Operation Epic Fury has shown that Iran’s hatred towards its Arab neighbours far exceeds its hatred of Israel.
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Donald Trump extended the pause on strikes against Iranian energy facilities.
Miami draws Wall Street crowd still eager to do Gulf business
Saudi’s US investment conference shows Gulf cash still attracts western finance, even if execs are holding off going back to the region.
Dubai mall hosts annual ski run in bid for normalcy
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Blackstone invests $250M in UAE firm
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After Paris rescinded its invitation to Pretoria, a South African presidency spokesperson said it was “due to sustained pressure” from Washington.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa. Adriano Machado/Reuters.Africa’s mobile money market hits $1.4 trillion
Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for about three-quarters of the $2.1 trillion global mobile money market in 2025, a GSMA report found.
Simon Maina/AFP via Getty ImagesNigeria’s Moniepoint acquires 78% stake in Kenyan microfinance bank
Moniepoint is one of Africa’s fastest-growing financial services companies.
Iran war spurs interest in African energy
Algeria agreed to increase LNG exports to Spain, and Ukraine said it would boost gas imports from Mozambique.
How the khat lobby helped reopen the Kenya-Somalia border
Trade groups behind the plant, a popular stimulant, put pressure on Kenyan authorities to end the 15-year closure.
South Africa holds rates, pushes back cuts
The central bank says energy supply shocks could delay easing as it weighs war-driven inflation risks.
Security
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Israel, US face shortages in Iran war
Israel’s opposition leader warned the military was “stretched to the limit and beyond,” while US arsenals have been strained by other conflicts.
US Navy/Handout via ReutersUS weighs major troop deployment to Gulf
The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington may send 10,000 ground troops to the region, likely within striking distance of Iran.
Jose Luis Gonzalez/ReutersUS sends more troops to Gulf, despite talk of Iran deal
The arrival of 2,000 more troops suggests that Trump is maintaining the option of escalating hostilities, even as he said talks with Iran were taking place.
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‘Tipping point’: NFL’s streaming shift could put league’s antitrust shield at risk, FCC’s Carr says
The NFL’s move to shift live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services has become a flashpoint in Washington.
Vox Media tried to sell its podcasts, and itself
The company now says its podcast network is not for sale.
Newsom calls FCC chairman’s threats ‘sick’
The California governor argued people from all political perspectives should be concerned about federal regulators weighing in on news content.
CEO Signal
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LSEG’s David Schwimmer on activists, AI, and a global market test
The exchange operator is juggling investor expectations with the need to reshape its business model.
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Remaking an old industrial giant to meet new energy demands started with defining its mission.
Courtesy of Schneider Electric/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforWhy CEOs should care about the quantum ‘space race’
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