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Iran deal status remains uncertain

The fate of an Iran peace deal remained uncertain Monday, as both Washington and Tehran offered conflicting signals on progress.

Men walk on the beach in Bandar Abbas, Iran

No ‘immediate’ tariffs on semiconductors

The US will not impose tariffs on semiconductors in the near future, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Friday.

Jamieson Greer

Trump administration clarifies new green card policy

Most people seeking green cards will have to leave the country to apply for permanent residency, rather than do it from inside the US, the Trump administration said Friday.

A woman holds a replica green card

Gabbard resigns, adding to Trump’s long to-do list

Any successor to the departing national intelligence director would have to get through an increasingly frustrated Senate Republican Conference.

Senators pitch bipartisan affirmation of US-Taiwan ties amid arms sale pause

The president has described a paused $14 billion weapons package for the self-governing island as a “negotiating chip” with China.

Trump faces further Republican rebellion

The latest displeasure comes over an “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” wth Trump’s standing among GOP legislators is at its lowest point of his second term.

Debatable: Taiwan arms sales

Members of Congress broadly support defensive weapon sales to Taiwan, but there’s friction over how far US support for the self-governing island should go.

Ebola outbreak prompts scrutiny of Trump cuts

Congressional Democrats and health experts say slashing USAID hampered the virus response

DNC autopsy prompts more questions

The Democratic National Committee’s incomplete 2024 “autopsy” report contains no mention of the war in Gaza.

Republicans’ view of economy darkens, poll finds

Only 16% of all US adults describe current economic conditions as excellent or good, the lowest in three years.

Trump postpones signing AI and cybersecurity order

Trump suggested he had concerns it could shrink the country’s AI lead over China.

US consumer sentiment falls as Dow hits record

The gulf between US stocks and Americans’ spirits keeps widening.

Shoppers at a mall in Pennsylvania

Why an anxious AI romantic now drives Match Group’s dating apps

CEO Spencer Rascoff uses digital “personas” to help the Tinder owner understand its users.

How syringe-maker BD is infusing AI into its medical devices

CEO Tom Polen is turning his 65,000 employees into lean manufacturing “problem-finders.”

Retail signals portend trouble for US consumers

Major US retailers suggested shoppers are reining in spending as the Iran war raises prices on essential goods.

We need a new AI vocabulary

CEOs’ vocabulary about the technology is at turns rosy and robotic, maddeningly passive, and tin-eared.

Waymo suspends services in six US cities after flooding

Waymo suspended service in six US cities after its driverless cars drove on flooded roads during storms last week.

Two Waymo driverless taxis in the early morning on the streets of Santa Monica.

Pope calls for ‘disarming’ of AI in first encyclical

Pope Leo XIV warned humanity against creating “new digital slaveries” in a 42,300-word encyclical about AI, the first major teaching document of his papacy.

Pope Leo XIV

Why SpaceX defies valuations

With a 93x sales multiple, SpaceX won’t really be a stock when it goes public, it will be a wager on the future.

Some job seekers have worse odds than Harvard applicants

Deel received 1.3 million job applications last year.

Big names missing from Trump’s quantum investment

Google, Microsoft, and IonQ were left out of the latest government funding round in quantum firms.

China bans import of some Nvidia chips

The decision dealt a blow to the American tech firm, which had long lobbied the White House to ease export restrictions on China-bound chips.

Republicans split on ethanol share in national fuel mix

High US gasoline prices are increasing pressure on the Senate to pass legislation increasing the share of ethanol into the fuel mix, but not all agree.

An E15 sign.

EVs, hybrids to hit 30% of car sales in 2026: IEA

EV sales are soaring on the back of the Iran war and ever-falling battery prices.

BYD’s electric vehicle factory.

Western nations let Russia in from the cold

The US and UK softened sanctions on Russian oil amid the Iran war’s energy crunch.

A vessel carrying liquefied natural gas

Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca begins

Saudi Arabia has modernized some of the structures to accommodate more pilgrims and lower the heat, which can reach more than 50 degrees Celsius.

ilgrims pray in front of Kaaba on the day they perform Tawaf at the Grand Mosque.

Iranians attend Hajj despite war

The fact that any Iranians are being allowed this year reaffirms Riyadh’s policy of not politicizing its guardianship of Islam’s holiest sites.

The quiet influence of Qatari minister Al Thawadi

Qatar’s Ali Al Thawadi is a minister without his own department, but he’s become an important cog in the Gulf’s diplomatic machinery.

US-Saudi venture to build Shahed drone clones in Riyadh

The made-in-Saudi SKYWASP attack drones are part of a Gulf-wide push to localize military manufacturing.

Saudi’s NEOM halts work on The Line until after 2030

Budget deficits and feasibility questions were forcing a rethink even before the Iran war.

Indian, Chinese firms ramp up foreign acquisitions

Indian and Chinese companies are racing to buy foreign firms amid mounting domestic economic and business headwinds.

A screen displays the Hang Seng stock index at Central district, in Hong Kong, China.

China overhauls hukou system

China’s overhaul of its social insurance program for migrant workers could narrow urban-rural divides in the country and unlock new streams of economic growth, analysts said.

A person walks past a building with lanterns and Chinese flags.

China looks for signs of optimism in its housing market

Economists debated whether there’s light at the end of the tunnel for China’s multiyear property slump.

People walk past residential buildings next to the Evergrande City Plaza in Beijing

Senegal’s political avalanche

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye decision to fire his popular prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, has sparked a political crisis.

A supporter holds a campaign poster depicting Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.

Benin’s new president focuses on economic prosperity

Romauld Wadagni, the former finance minister, promised to ensure citizens benefit from the growing strength of the country’s economy.

Benin’s President Romuald Wadagni waves as he walks next to his wife Nathalie Villette-Wadagni.

South Africa seeks 15-year AGOA extension

South African officials warned that short extensions of the free trade deal undermine investor confidence and disrupt regional manufacturing plans.

African Development Bank meets amid Iran war, Ebola

The week-long gathering is the first since Sidi Ould Tah, Mauritania’s former finance inister, was elected the lender’s president a year ago.

Kenya’s mobile money tax plans threaten M-Pesa growth

President William Ruto’s administration wants to impose a new 16% value-added tax on services by payment platforms.

How China forced Europe to reconsider Africa’s industrialization

As Europe seeks alternatives to Chinese manufacturing dominance, Africa has a chance to renegotiate its place in the global economy.

Russia blocks online access to criminal records

The 15 million records showed an explosion in convictions for treason, espionage, and “cooperation with foreigners,” Meduza reported.

Russia’s Supreme Court

Rubio questioned in New Delhi on US green card policy

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the policy was “not targeted at India.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and foreign minister S Jaishankar

US says it’s closing in on Iran deal over Hormuz, uranium

The agreement likely won’t be signed this weekend, though the progress signals a possible end to the countries’ weekslong stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz.

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, May 22, 2026.

Democrats move to restore military paper’s independence

The new legislation from Senate Democrats aims to insulate Stars and Stripes from the Trump administration’s efforts to assert control.

Stars and Stripes issues

New arts magazine Totei to focus on the ‘creative process’

The online magazine will publish content weekly, including profiles of artists and musicians, photo essays, reported features, and interviews.

Fortune chairman joined Trump interview

Editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell conducted the interview with the president.

Paramount seeks to calm California’s creatives — and a litigious attorney general

Paramount is racing to reassure Hollywood that its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, with its HBO streaming service, isn’t aimed at killing movie theaters.

CBS’ Tony Dokoupil to broadcast from Taiwan after failing to get China visa in time

It was a stumble in the network’s efforts to play a leading role in this week’s dominant global story.

Why an anxious AI romantic now drives Match Group’s dating apps

CEO Spencer Rascoff uses digital “personas” to help the Tinder owner understand its users.

Spencer Rascoff

How syringe-maker BD is infusing AI into its medical devices

CEO Tom Polen is turning his 65,000 employees into lean manufacturing “problem-finders.”

Tom Polen, CEO and Chairman, Becton Dickinson

Why Allstate’s Tom Wilson thinks CEOs should create more jobs with AI

The insurance industry veteran says executives have an obligation to do hard things.

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