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View / An AI jobs crisis we didn’t see coming
View / Energy inflation is a global political liability
The World at a Glance
Updated 6:21pm EDT
1
Iran’s new supreme leader said that Tehran would continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz, sending the price of oil back above $100.
2Iran’s new supreme leader vowed vengeance in his first public statement, signaling defiance over diplomacy.
3China aims to expand its strategic oil reserves, according to its latest five-year plan, as Beijing confronts volatility from the Middle East conflict.
4Europe is racing to reorganize its defensive capabilities as Iranian missiles threaten its southernmost states.
5Russian athletes are competing in the Winter Paralympics, as Moscow’s pariah status weakens in sports and arts.
6Noma head chef René Redzepi, who helmed the global culinary brand since 2003, stepped down over employee abuse allegations.
Senate 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 Kuwait 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 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.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters 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.
Annabelle Gordon/Reuters 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.
Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters 
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PoliticsKylie Cooper/Reuters 
Annabelle Gordon/ReutersAnnabelle Gordon/Reuters
Senate 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.
Annabelle Gordon/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 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.
Bipartisan bill targets senior-scammers
A group of senators introduced a bill on Wednesday that aims to protect seniors from financial scams.
Whitmer stands by working with Trump
As Democrats jockey to become chief Trump antagonist, the Michigan governor shows no sign of leaving her pragmatic lane.
Business
Toby Melville/Reuters
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.
Toby Melville/ReutersBlackRock 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.
CEOs all think they have an AI ‘moat.’ Just ask them.
At least 118 companies touted the moats they have, or are building, against AI this quarter.
Porsche plots cuts, profitability drive amid steep downturn
Porsche had a dour 2025, reporting a staggering 93% decline in operating profit.
US inflation report ‘obsolete’ amid war
US inflation steadied in February, though economists’ attention has swiftly turned to the potential for price hikes stemming from the Middle East conflict.
Technology
Aly Song/Reuters
STR/NurPhoto/Getty
‘HALO’ trade comes for China
Chinese tech stocks have fallen in recent weeks in part due to caution over the AI boom.
Aly Song/ReutersWhy AI job losses will take longer than you think
Economists and AI experts can look back to the invention of the telephone for an example of how rapid technological change can impact the labor market.
STR/NurPhoto/GettyBig Tech moves to keep up with scams
Tech companies announced new security and scam-prevention tools, in their ongoing efforts to clean up the AI slop and security risks they helped create.
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.
AI agents take off in China
Local governments have rolled out policy measures to support OpenClaw development, even as authorities issue security warnings over the agents.
World marks 150 years since first-ever phone call
That the phone call has survived myriad technological upheavals shows “how profoundly it changed society,” the CTO of AT&T told Semafor.
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/ReutersGulf
Mojtaba 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
John Sibley/Reuters
Jospin Mwisha/AFP via Getty Images
South Africa’s economic growth undershoots expectations
The growth figures underscored the challenges facing the government in tackling a long list of urgent tasks amid geopolitical shocks.
John Sibley/ReutersChinese mining company blamed for DR Congo health crisis
Residents living near a mine contracted respiratory illnesses following continued exposure to sulfur dioxide gas, a US non-profit found.
Jospin Mwisha/AFP via Getty ImagesGhana introduces new gold royalty system despite opposition
Africa’s top gold producer, like governments across the continent, is trying to capture more value from surging commodity prices.
Middle East airspace closures hurt African airlines
Ethiopian Airlines, the continent’s largest carrier, said it incurred a $137 million loss in a single week.
South Africa’s Ramaphosa bolsters Brazil ties
South Africa’s president courted business leaders in Brazil amid upheaval sparked by US tariffs and the Iran war.
The Iran war risks upending Africa’s Sahel
The junta-led nations around the Sahel — Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — are particularly vulnerable to the impact of a global energy crisis.
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 Signal
Courtesy of Autodesk/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Aflac/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor 
Autodesk’s model for building an AI ‘moat’
CEO Andrew Anagnost says software companies need three defensive qualities.
Courtesy of Autodesk/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAflac’s Dan Amos on succession after 36 years as CEO
The long-tenured leader has a time and a person in mind — and some advice on what the job takes.
Courtesy of Aflac/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor US Soccer’s goal for the 2026 World Cup
CEO JT Batson says the tournament is forcing brands to see the value of the sport’s fans.
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