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View/ Africa’s space race is becoming Washington’s next China challenge
A trust gap could unravel Nigeria’s financial inclusion wins
The World at a Glance
Updated 6:29pm EDT
1
US-Iran diplomatic efforts ruptured after Tehran denied negotiations would happen and Trump called Iran’s leaders ‘unbelievably duplicitous.’
2Following a historic effort to bolster the yen, Japanese and American leaders vowed to intervene further if needed.
3Iran and Oman discussed a temporary commercial shipping route, but analysts warned of worsening risks for tankers.
4Amazon surpassed a $3 trillion total valuation, as the AI boom drives demand for the firm’s cloud business.
5The FAA certified Boeing’s 737 Max 7 after years of delays, boosting the aerospace firm’s push to return to profitability.
6Foreign oil companies are ready to move into Venezuelan oil seven months after the US removed Nicolás Maduro, despite significant risks.
Rogers tries for a tricky ‘change’ election
As Michigan Democrats fracture over their Senate primary, the presumptive Republican nominee hopes to run against a state government he won’t be joining.
Thune hopes to confirm Blanche this week
Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general is set to clear the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow and could get through the full Senate by week’s end.
AI exacerbates ‘class divide,’ progressive poll shows
Black workers are also more likely than white workers to predict AI will replace their job.
Avila Chevalier plans to join Congressional Black Caucus
The democratic socialist, who ousted New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat in a June primary upset, also plans to join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
South African investors look to create $1B sugar monopoly
A potential tie-up of Ilovo Sugar would reunite southern Africa’s two largest producers, setting up a major cross-border antitrust test.
Crypto industry poll touts benefits of its top Hill priority
More than half of Americans say they would feel more protected if Congress passes the cryptocurrency industry’s top legislative priority, per the poll.
The deal, and call, behind Trump’s climbdown on Iran strikes
The president said Iran and other Middle East countries asked him to hold off on more attacks.
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Politics
Michigan Senate and 10 other races to watch
The matchup between El-Sayed and Stevens is the biggest story of the day.
Rebecca Cook/Reuters
Battleground Democrats try to stay above their party’s fray
Purple-district candidates like Sean McCann in Michigan are striving to avoid national internecine drama.
Nicholas Wu/Semafor
Trump faces growing pressure to intervene in Miller scandal
The president describes the Ohio Republican facing domestic abuse allegations as “a very good person,” but some of his allies feel differently.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
US and Japan vow further yen action
Japan’s top currency diplomat called the joint action the “culmination” of the US-Japan alliance, while President Donald Trump said it was a “signal of friendship.”
US yen intervention supports Trump trade stance
The Trump administration’s decision to help Japan strengthen its yen doesn’t just hedge against higher US borrowing costs; it also aligns with the president’s trade agenda.
Thune hopes to confirm Blanche this week
Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general is set to clear the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow and could get through the full Senate by week’s end.
Rogers tries for a tricky ‘change’ election
As Michigan Democrats fracture over their Senate primary, the presumptive Republican nominee hopes to run against a state government he won’t be joining.
AI exacerbates ‘class divide,’ progressive poll shows
Black workers are also more likely than white workers to predict AI will replace their job.
Avila Chevalier plans to join Congressional Black Caucus
The democratic socialist, who ousted New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat in a June primary upset, also plans to join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
Crypto industry poll touts benefits of its top Hill priority
More than half of Americans say they would feel more protected if Congress passes the cryptocurrency industry’s top legislative priority, per the poll.
The deal, and call, behind Trump’s climbdown on Iran strikes
The president said Iran and other Middle East countries asked him to hold off on more attacks.
Business
US and Japan vow further yen action
Japan’s top currency diplomat called the joint action the “culmination” of the US-Japan alliance, while President Donald Trump said it was a “signal of friendship.”
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
FAA certifies Boeing 737 Max 7
The FAA’s nod boosted the beleaguered aerospace firm’s push to restore its once-sterling reputation.
Amazon hits $3 trillion valuation on strong cloud earnings
Despite investor jitters about the Iran war, inflation, and AI spending, corporate profits generally keep climbing.
Pentagon loses pressure campaign to restrict quantum merger
A top Defense Department official had urged the head of the Federal Trade Commission to put guardrails around the $2 billion acquisition of Skywater, but the antitrust vote failed, people familiar with the matter said.
FIFA scraps privatization push after uproar
The outcry following a plan to spin off the soccer entity’s commercial rights has imperiled President Gianni Infantino’s leadership.
Technology
Hollywood quietly incorporating AI, despite public protest
More than 10% of Hollywood job adverts are AI-related, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Daniel Cole/Reuters
DeepSeek releases cheaper new AI model as China’s price war intensifies
A 50% cut in token costs suggests DeepSeek is competing for market share.
Florence Lo/File Photo/Reuters
Robots get better at handling unpredictability
Google DeepMind unveiled a new model this week that gives humanoid robots finer control over how they interact with objects around them, including completing complicated tasks like tying a trash bag.
Chinese AI companies aim to serve businesses
Chinese tech players like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent are looking to pivot toward the more lucrative enterprise market to increase revenues.
How YouTube is navigating an AI tightrope
The company is trying a new way of using AI to give users better search results.
Americans worry robots will take jobs, but not theirs
A new poll offers an early snapshot of Americans’ attitudes toward robots in various corners of everyday life.
Energy
Firms move in on Venezuelan oil seven months post Maduro removal
Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has scrapped the rule requiring state-run PDVSA to hold majority stakes in joint ventures.
Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters
OPEC+ raises production targets
OPEC+ agreed on Sunday to raise oil production by 188,000 barrels a day in September, marking its sixth consecutive monthly increase as the group seeks to restore supply to a market strained by global conflicts.
Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters
The gold rush is on to build Gulf energy projects
A group of US and Saudi investors is looking to set up a port-connected “energy corridor” for producing and exporting around the Strait of Hormuz.
Mohammed Benmansour/Reuters
Gulf
Shipping threats rise despite war lull, analysts warn
Iran and Oman are discussing a temporary route for commercial shipping, but analysts sounded the alarm over worsening risks for tankers.
Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
US-Iran diplomatic efforts collapse
Trump had previously said talks would resume Monday, but later vowed to blockade Iran until “a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished.”
Qatari group develops $3.3 billion agricultural project in Syria
Baladna Food Industries is an arm of the business empire of Syrian-born business moguls Moutaz and Ramez Al-Khayyat.
Trump’s Gaza deal faces resistance
US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic push to disarm Hamas has run into headwinds as political resistance in Israel and disagreements with Hamas over implementation cast doubt on the US-backed plan.
Trump calls off Iran strikes
US President Donald Trump abruptly called off a new round of planned strikes on Iran on Saturday after some of Washington’s Gulf allies pushed for deescalation.
China
DeepSeek releases cheaper new AI model as China’s price war intensifies
A 50% cut in token costs suggests DeepSeek is competing for market share.
Florence Lo/File Photo/Reuters
BYD sales rise for third straight month on exports surge
China’s BYD recorded a 22% year-over-year increase in EV sales in July.
Rafael Martins/Reuters
Gulf states push China to restrain Iran
The Gulf is hoping that Beijing will use its economic clout to steer Tehran to a negotiated deal that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi. Achmad Ibrahim/Pool via Reuters
Africa
Africa’s space race is becoming Washington’s next China challenge
Space spending across the continent is approaching $1 billion a year. Whoever supplies the hardware now may be setting the terms for the next twenty years.
NASA/Bill Ingalls
Africa builds ‘megaprojects’ faster than ever despite debt risks
The war in the Middle East exposed the continent’s reliance on energy imports, accelerating efforts to build new refineries and pipelines.
Tiksa Negeri/Reuters
Morocco names highway after Trump over Western Sahara dispute
The move was a direct thank-you to the US president for formally recognizing Rabat’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara during his first term.
Migrant border crush spikes tensions in Spain
Tens of thousands of Moroccans crossed into Ceuta before being pushed back out by Spanish military forces.
DR Congo secretly exporting uranium to China - report
Despite a prohibition on commercial uranium export from the Central African country, “significant quantities” have gone to China.
A trust gap could unravel Nigeria’s financial inclusion wins
Nearly 33 million bank accounts sit dormant — a sign that access without confidence doesn’t hold.
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
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.
Screenshot/Truth Social
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.
Katie Nolan on the sports gambling takeover, covering politics, and the slow return of the boys’ club
Sports media host and “Casuals” podcast creator Katie Nolan joined Mixed Signals live at Cannes to talk about navigating two decades of upheaval in sports media.
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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