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US-Iran peace talks at impasse as Trump calls for reparations
US President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s call for war compensation payments, saying Iran should instead pay for the deaths of American soldiers.
US senators move to rebuke China over Tibet
The legislation calls for a resolution of the dispute between Tibet and China, labeling it a “matter of strategic interest to the United States.”
The World at a Glance
Updated 10:29am EDT
1
Trump rejected Iranian demands for war reparations, calling instead for Tehran to make payments, the latest impasse in delicate peace negotiations.
2Syria sentenced former dictator Bashar Al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes committed during the country’s 14-year civil conflict.
3China’s leaders invited dozens of scientists and tech experts to their annual summer retreat as Beijing and the US vie for AI dominance.
4Donald Trump signed an executive order overhauling the US’ vaccine recommendation policies sparking criticism from scientists.
5Sweden’s prime minister criticized Spain’s decision to grant amnesty to more than a million irregular migrants as the issue splits Europe.
6Japan’s izakayas shut down in record numbers in the first half of this year, largely due to surging food and utility costs.
New White House counsel could face Democrats’ scrutiny post-midterms
Will Scharf also chairs the National Capital Planning Commission, a body that oversees projects like the White House ballroom and Trump’s triumphal arch
Graham tries to hang on to her late brother’s Senate seat
President Donald Trump hasn’t done much for Graham after urging her to get in the race, though she’s wielded his backing at every chance.
Voters head to polls in South Carolina, Wisconsin, Minnesota
Nine primary races to watch that will test progressives’ staying power and Trump’s endorsement.
Extended Iran conflict risks Trump-Carter comparisons
The president is stuck in a stalemate with Iran that threatens to tank Republicans’ chances in the midterms.
Trump takes his second swing at Fed’s Cook
The developments are already stoking fears of diminishing Federal Reserve independence.
Africa’s dealmakers bet on IPO wave
Dangote’s $5B refinery IPO could anchor a flurry of listings and M&A — and test whether Africa can turn renewed dealmaking into deeper, more liquid markets.
South Africa’s DA sets sights on financial capital
The Democratic Alliance party promised to end political patronage as it targets Johannesburg voters ahead of November’s local government polls.
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Politics
US senators move to rebuke China over Tibet
The legislation calls for a resolution of the dispute between Tibet and China, labeling it a “matter of strategic interest to the United States.”
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
New White House counsel could face Democrats’ scrutiny post-midterms
Will Scharf also chairs the National Capital Planning Commission, a body that oversees projects like the White House ballroom and Trump’s triumphal arch
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
Graham tries to hang on to her late brother’s Senate seat
President Donald Trump hasn’t done much for Graham after urging her to get in the race, though she’s wielded his backing at every chance.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Voters head to polls in South Carolina, Wisconsin, Minnesota
Nine primary races to watch that will test progressives’ staying power and Trump’s endorsement.
Extended Iran conflict risks Trump-Carter comparisons
The president is stuck in a stalemate with Iran that threatens to tank Republicans’ chances in the midterms.
US tech leaders stage data center charm offensive
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a 6,500-word essay Monday announcing plans for a $1 billion fund to invest in communities that host data centers.
Trump takes his second swing at Fed’s Cook
The developments are already stoking fears of diminishing Federal Reserve independence.
Republicans punt Trump’s difficult agenda to fall
Next month, Senate Majority Leader John Thune will try to consider bipartisan bills on cryptocurrency regulation and college sports, and possibly take the next step in a party-line spending bill that could include voter ID language.
Trump is still searching for a way out of Iran
Washington is unlikely to accept Iran’s latest list of demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Blanche confirmed as attorney general
The US Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general Saturday, granting Donald Trump an ally to lead the Justice Department as the president seeks greater control over the federal government.
Trump unveils new critical minerals investments
The projects include a $1.4 billion loan for batteries, a $400 million loan for scandium, and a $150 million loan for magnets, plus $58 million in Export-Import Bank financing for graphite and boron.
Business
Lionsgate faces activist pressure to sell itself in ‘AI era’
Anson Funds is pushing the movie studio to avoid becoming an “AI casualty.”
Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images via Reuters
Yen erases gains after US-Japan intervention
The slide raised questions over the efficacy of the maneuver and whether more currency moves may be required.
Nvidia partners with lenders to finance AI infrastructure
The chip giant joined six major Wall Street firms to lend more than $500 billion.
Private-sector loan defaults hit record high
Most defaults are in healthcare, but there are concerns this could spread to software, which makes up 20% of lending.
Weak jobs report not cause for panic, analysts say
Still, the economic picture could pose a political problem for Republicans in the midterms.
Technology
US tech leaders stage data center charm offensive
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a 6,500-word essay Monday announcing plans for a $1 billion fund to invest in communities that host data centers.
Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Tech IPOs set up windfall for effective-altruist philanthropy
A surge in AI-related wealth stemming from anticipated tech IPOs is poised to shower Silicon Valley’s favorite philanthropic movement with tens of billions of dollars.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Apple tests Chinese memory chips
Apple is testing memory chips from China’s CXMT across its product lines, including iPhones and MacBooks, as global tech reckons with an AI-induced memory shortage.
Open-weight AI models are catching up to the frontier, analysis finds
The leading open-weight AI models are closing the gap on the frontier in cyber capabilities, according to the UK’s AI Safety Institute.
Google doesn’t need the LLM crown
Whoever stands atop the AI race podium isn’t the main point anymore.
Hacks put pressure on third-party model testers
Models from Meta, Anthropic, and OpenAI all accessed the internet and compromised outside organizations while undergoing cybersecurity testing with AI evaluation company Irregular.
Energy
Amazon’s new data center projected to be top source of US emissions
Amazon’s sustainability chief foresees a multi-year uptick in the company’s carbon footprint.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
US ‘overpaid’ for cancelled wind leases, researcher finds
A German power company agreed to cancel offshore wind development leases, bringing total reimbursements owed by US taxpayers to nearly $4 billion.
Michael Kooren/Reuters
US imposes new tariffs targeting China’s solar panel sector
Washington imposed a 15% tariff and price floors on all imported polysilicon on Friday, a crucial material in solar panels.
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Gulf
How UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba won over Washington
The UAE has spent more than $270 million on lobbying in Washington over the past decade, according to the Financial Times.
Eric Lee/Reuters
Saudi data center capacity projected to boom, but financing a challenge
Saudi Arabia’s data center capacity is forecast to reach 1 gigawatt by 2030, making it the fastest-growing Gulf market.
Hormuz risk pays off for shippers as profits soar
Today, ADNOC Logistics & Services said its profit quadrupled to $951 million in the second quarter.
UAE establishes mandatory pet register as ownership soars
Failure to register a prize pooch with the Department of Municipalities and Transport can now cost owners 1,000 dirhams ($272) per animal.
DP World taps into higher demand in Western Europe
The Dubai-owned logistics giant plans to build a logistics hub in the Port of Antwerp set to cost up to €100 million ($116 million).
China
The US and China are driven by their own insecurities
As another tit-for-tat trade fight looms, the superpowers are projecting their doubts and apprehensions onto the other.
Evan Vucci/Reuters
US senators move to rebuke China over Tibet
The legislation calls for a resolution of the dispute between Tibet and China, labeling it a “matter of strategic interest to the United States.”
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Chinese Long March rocket explodes 90 seconds after liftoff
The failure was the “workhorse” rocket family’s second this year, as Beijing races to achieve launch parity with the US.
Meng Zhongde/VCG via Reuters
Africa
Fridge-free vaccines could prompt Africa immunization breakthrough
Vaccines that can be stored without refrigeration have been successfully trialed in patients for the first time.
Francis Kokoroko/Reuters
AI boosting cybercrime in Africa, warns Interpol
AI enabled 55% of reported cybercrimes across the continent in 2025.
A warning painted on a house in Lagos referring to a popular property scam. Akintunde Akinleye/Reuters.
AfCFTA signs $3.1B deal to deploy new customs system
The deal with Nigerian company Bergmans Security Consultants aims to improve trade across Africa.
Tanzania, Uganda agree plans for East African energy hub
The two countries signed an agreement with Vitol, the world’s largest independent oil trader, to transform Tanzania’s Tanga Port.
South Africa’s DA sets sights on financial capital
The Democratic Alliance party promised to end political patronage as it targets Johannesburg voters ahead of November’s local government polls.
Africa’s dealmakers bet on IPO wave
Dangote’s $5B refinery IPO could anchor a flurry of listings and M&A — and test whether Africa can turn renewed dealmaking into deeper, more liquid markets.
Security
France to deport Russian journalist accused of publishing propaganda
The case has laid bare Europe’s dilemma in carrying out its strategic objectives while upholding its liberal values.
The news studio at RT France. Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters.
Russia’s war narrative falters
Russia is suffering from “narrative collapse” in its war against Ukraine, a journalist said, as Kyiv turns the tide in the conflict — on the front lines and in American right-wing media.
Eduardo Munoz/Reuters
Iran and Ukraine wars merge in the Caspian Sea
The Ukraine and Iran wars collided over the weekend, as Kyiv attacked an Iranian commercial ship in the Caspian Sea.
The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia on July 24. Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout via Reuters
Media
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.
Screenshot/Max Tani/Semafor; Brendan McDermid/Reuters; Lucas Jackson/Reuters
The AI ‘news’ accounts hyping a blue-state dystopia
AI-generated videos are flooding YouTube with fake narratives about chaos in California and New York.
Senate Democrat’s new bills would restrict AI-powered ads and paid influencers
California Sen. Adam Schiff plans to introduce two new bills that would attempt to illuminate who is paying influencers for political speech online and restrict AI-generated likenesses of politicians.
Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on loneliness and why he’s more worried about your phone than your body
Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy joins Mixed Signals to make the case that America’s loneliness crisis is a public health emergency.
Steve Hilton on the Murdochs, David Ellison, and conservative media’s California
Steve Hilton has lived many lives: a key strategist to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, a populist Fox News host, and — after renouncing his UK citizenship — the Republican nominee in California’s gubernatorial race.
CEO Signal
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.
How Patrice Louvet blends ‘magic and logic’ at Ralph Lauren
The Procter & Gamble veteran has focused the fashion brand by balancing emotion and data.
How Bruce Van Saun united Citizens against America’s biggest banks
The superregional lender’s CEO has made a virtue of its place in “the middle of the river.”
Courtesy of Citizens Financial Group/Jake Angelo/Semafor
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