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Intelligence for the New World Economy
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AI titans to attend Xi White House dinner
The Chinese leader’s Washington visit next week is attracting attention among big names in the tech world.
AI titans to attend Xi White House dinner
The Chinese leader’s Washington visit next week is attracting attention among big names in the tech world.
How Atlassian built a $45 billion software company far from Silicon Valley’s ‘froth and bubbles’
View / The real reason not to IPO
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In Valley of Death, Sharon Weinberger chronicles Silicon Valley’s takeover of the military industrial complex “in uncomfortable detail.”
“A masterclass in the ethics of espionage,” Ben Macintyre’s Redwood is the true account of how a Russian spy’s personal affliction may have altered geopolitics in the Middle East.
The Singing Revolution, a 2007 documentary, catalogues how Estonians banded together at a festival in Tallinn to sing nationalist songs, in defiance of their occupiers.
Masters of Sleep is a “genuinely experimental” anthology that includes a story about a man chasing his eye through a barren landscape.
The Last Free Women follows the stories of four young women from a cohort of more than 200 Afghans who were evacuated from Afghanistan in 2021 by a team from The New York Times.
Health wonks question who saves in Trump drug program
President Trump boasted about his administration’s work on drug pricing, announcing the “most-favored-nation” program, but health policy experts question whether the changes will directly save consumers money.
Shaheen holds up $2.8B arms sale to Israel
The deal was reported earlier this week, but the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has had a hold on it since July.
Fears about technology causing extinction are not unprecedented
A look at newspaper archives shows parallels in how society debated the impacts of nuclear power and its regulation and AI, though there are limits to the analogy.
Democrats look to investigate third-party deportations after midterms
Democrats are warning that the Trump administration’s secretive third-country deportation program could face a full congressional investigation if they retake power.
Saudi Arabia notches win with F-35 sale
The sale must still undergo congressional review, where it will likely face opposition.
Democrats press Trump administration on Venezuela oil deal
The lawmakers homed in on the role of Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt.
Senate permitting talks reach a turning point
Senators want to hit the campaign trail for the fall, but first they have to figure out how much they want to get done before the election.
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Politics
Health wonks question who saves in Trump drug program
President Trump boasted about his administration’s work on drug pricing, announcing the “most-favored-nation” program, but health policy experts question whether the changes will directly save consumers money.
Evan Vucci/Reuters
Shaheen holds up $2.8B arms sale to Israel
The deal was reported earlier this week, but the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has had a hold on it since July.
Eric Lee/Reuters
AI titans to attend Xi White House dinner
The Chinese leader’s Washington visit next week is attracting attention among big names in the tech world.
Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via Reuters
Democrats look to investigate third-party deportations after midterms
Democrats are warning that the Trump administration’s secretive third-country deportation program could face a full congressional investigation if they retake power.
Saudi Arabia notches win with F-35 sale
The sale must still undergo congressional review, where it will likely face opposition.
Democrats press Trump administration on Venezuela oil deal
The lawmakers homed in on the role of Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt.
Senate permitting talks reach a turning point
Senators want to hit the campaign trail for the fall, but first they have to figure out how much they want to get done before the election.
White House claims drug pricing progress
The administration is set to announce all 50 states will see most-favored-nation pricing for certain drugs in Medicaid programs.
Trump backs Fed’s Warsh following rate hike
Stocks rallied Thursday as markets digested the US Federal Reserve’s decision to hike interest rates.
US, China ramp up summit preparations
US President Donald Trump will reportedly greet China’s leader Xi Jinping as he steps off the plane in Washington, DC next week — the first leader accorded that deference in Trump’s second term.
Behind the Trump administration’s pro-AI meme campaign
The administration is casting effective altruists — who focus on reducing harm from the tech and heavily weigh advancement versus risk — as the enemy.
Business
Why Kai-Fu Lee thinks companies need an AI boss
Google’s former China chief says CEOs face a Darwinian choice if they want more than “AI theater.”
How Atlassian built a $45 billion software company far from Silicon Valley’s ‘froth and bubbles’
CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes says CEOs need context, experimentation, and some big bets to get the most from AI.
GM to build Patriot missile parts for Lockheed Martin
The Pentagon is hoping to enlist more manufacturers in its push to speed up procurement and plug the gaping munitions holes that have emerged during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Asian economies boom on AI-driven data center demand
Major Asian economies are profiting from growing global demand for AI.
Novo to partner with Anthropic on drug discovery efforts
The one-time GLP-1 leader is betting AI will help it reclaim lost market share.
Technology
The real reason not to IPO
OpenAI and Anthropic were once essentially research laboratories, running on the thrill of innovation without the pressure of revenue models or Wall Street analysts.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
Fears about technology causing extinction are not unprecedented
A look at newspaper archives shows parallels in how society debated the impacts of nuclear power and its regulation and AI, though there are limits to the analogy.
Illustration/Jake Angelo/Semafor
Tech leaders clash over AI safety regulation
Palantir’s boss told CNBC that leading AI firms may need to be nationalized, while Huawei’s chair called for Chinese labs to accelerate their development.
AI cybersecurity risks explode as Claude used to break into ChatGPT
The effort, part of a bug-hunting program, was the latest in a series of cybersecurity breaches, The Wall Street Journal noted.
Asian economies boom on AI-driven data center demand
Major Asian economies are profiting from growing global demand for AI.
Novo to partner with Anthropic on drug discovery efforts
The one-time GLP-1 leader is betting AI will help it reclaim lost market share.
Energy
Quantum has major emissions savings potential, report finds
The BCG Institute argued in its analysis that the industry’s long deployment cycles are more reason to plan ahead.
SEEQC/Handout via Reuters
Russia sanctions advance, as the US deepens economic pressure
The US House of Representatives passed the sanctions bill on Wednesday.
Anastasia Barashkova/Reuters
Exxon nears Venezuela deal, two decades after messy exit
The move could help revamp oil production in the de facto US protectorate.
Ken Cedeno/Reuters
Gulf
UAE’s super stallions will compete in Japan’s Asian Games
The UAE fielded its first-ever Asian Games dressage team in Hangzhou in 2023. The 20th Asian Games run Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 in Nagoya, Japan.
Courtesy of UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation
Saudi Arabia’s well-timed uranium find near Medina
Though the element is more abundant than gold, the timing is curious. Beijing reportedly helped build a facility to extract yellowcake from ore.
Tested by war, Abu Dhabi charts its energy and water future
The emirate has earmarked almost $82 billion over the next decade for expanding and greening its power grid.
Aramco says technology delivered $5 billion in value last year
The Saudi oil producer is using AI, digital twins, and other tools to improve operations and adapt to wartime disruptions.
Chinese oil prices hit record high
Energy disruptions from an escalating Middle East conflict spilled into the world’s largest market for imported crude.
China
Why Kai-Fu Lee thinks companies need an AI boss
Google’s former China chief says CEOs face a Darwinian choice if they want more than “AI theater.”
US, China ramp up summit preparations
US President Donald Trump will reportedly greet China’s leader Xi Jinping as he steps off the plane in Washington, DC next week — the first leader accorded that deference in Trump’s second term.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in 2025. Mandel Ngan/Pool via Reuters
Hopes dim for US-China détente during leaders’ summit
The US Treasury secretary told Axios he was open to discussing “shared risks” on AI with Beijing at talks this weekend ahead of the summit.
Tingshu Wang/Reuters
Africa
Africa’s diaspora needs a bigger role
The continent needs more than remittances and goodwill from Africans abroad.
Francis Kokoroko/Reuters
Nigerian fuel price spike renews worry over inflation and Iran war exposure
Prices have risen despite domestic oil production and growing refining capacity.
Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters
US approves Africa investments as it challenges China’s influence
Washington’s bets include $414 million in financing for a uranium project in Niger and hundreds of millions for digital infrastructure providers.
Kenya to host World Athletics Championship
The announcement marks the first time that the event will be held in Africa.
S. Africa unveils Johannesburg fiscal rescue plan
Implementation of the plan will continue through local elections, regardless of whether there is a new municipal administration, said the country’s finance minister.
US imposes new visa restrictions on South Africans
Washington has repeatedly accused Pretoria of “government-sponsored discrimination” against Afrikaners.
Security
GM to build Patriot missile parts for Lockheed Martin
The Pentagon is hoping to enlist more manufacturers in its push to speed up procurement and plug the gaping munitions holes that have emerged during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Kacper Pempel/Reuters
US prosecutors charge five with plot to kill Russian dissident in DC
US federal authorities alleged they were part of a Kremlin-controlled “global assassination network” targeting perceived allies of Ukraine.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
Fighting intensifies between Saudi forces and Iran-backed Houthis
Riyadh said it intercepted a Houthi drone near the holy Muslim city of Mecca; the Yemeni group denied the charge and said it downed a Saudi fighter jet.
Houthi Military Media/Handout via Reuters
Media
Inside the US Treasury secretary’s tense relationship with financial media
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Brian Snyder/Reuters
Fertile ground
Flagship’s lead writer Tom Chivers says goodbye after four years.
Crooked Media’s nonprofit launches new political creator drive
The nonprofit arm of Pod Save America’s audio empire is hoping to lure younger voters back to the Democratic Party.
YouTube cracks down on ‘ghost creators’
The enforcement action targeted accounts named in Semafor’s report earlier this week.
Paid actors, AI writing: How a new kind of video business cashed in on America’s divided politics
‘Ghost creators’ are reaching millions of viewers with nearly identical, sensationalized videos that take aim at Democrats.
CEO Signal
Why Kai-Fu Lee thinks companies need an AI boss
Google’s former China chief says CEOs face a Darwinian choice if they want more than “AI theater.”
How Atlassian built a $45 billion software company far from Silicon Valley’s ‘froth and bubbles’
CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes says CEOs need context, experimentation, and some big bets to get the most from AI.
How the billionaire Bayeux Tapestry backer gets ‘impact per dollar’
WorldQuant’s Igor Tulchinsky finds inspiration in the ‘very, very old data set’ now on display in the British Museum.
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