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Politics
Bipartisan AI safety bill gains momentum on the Hill
An AI safety bill may be introduced by senators from both parties as early as next week.
View / Why we can’t rely on governments to handle AI safety
View / Candidates contend with the rise of ‘resurfaced’ old clips
The World at a Glance
Updated 6:45pm EDT
1
US long-term bond yields spiked to three-year highs after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s bond buybacks failed to impress markets.
2Houthi rebels said Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes in Yemen, as hostilities between Riyadh and the Iran-backed militia escalate toward all-out war.
3Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to sue Haaretz over its report that he ignored the UAE president’s warning about Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
4The Republican Party kicked off its first-ever midterm convention in Dallas, which was set to feature the US president despite his record-low approval ratings.
5The EU rolled out “Made in Europe” guidelines to protect manufacturers from Chinese competition, though some pointed to the lack of binding quotas.
6Anthropic declined to submit its latest model for testing to a British institute, sparking fears that reviewing frontier AI would become Washington’s sole province.
Sitting RNC member breaks with Trump on data centers
An anti-data center bus tour traversing key midterm states will add another complication for Republican candidates in tight races.
AI researcher Andrew Tulloch is leaving Meta
Tulloch has been delaying his departure until the company successfully launched its new family of open source AI models and AI assistant, Muse.
Trump moves to ban Canadian imports
The decision to ban Canadian imports like alcohol, whey, and motorcycles is the latest escalation of the countries’ trade war.
Left-right coalition seeks release of White House AI framework
More than two dozen organizations from both the left and right are urging the White House to publicly release its voluntary AI security framework, per a letter shared first with Semafor.
Rubio pushes more cooperation against drug cartels
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is betting he can advance the fight against narcoterrorism in Latin America.
Democratic Turek holds narrow lead in Iowa Senate race, internal polling shows
Most strategists see the race as a toss-up, though Turek’s opponent is narrowly leading in polls.
House calendar crunch leaves unfinished business
The House’s abbreviated schedule will punt a host of legislative items to the post-election period.
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Politics
Bipartisan AI safety bill gains momentum on the Hill
An AI safety bill may be introduced by senators from both parties as early as next week.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters.
Giffords launches $10 million midterm blitz
A gun safety group founded by former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., is launching a $10 million ad blitz against Republicans in three crucial races.
Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
Sitting RNC member breaks with Trump on data centers
An anti-data center bus tour traversing key midterm states will add another complication for Republican candidates in tight races.
Larry Downing/Reuters
Republicans kick off ‘Trump-a-Palooza’ midterm convention
The Republican Party kicked off its first-ever midterm convention in Dallas Wednesday, as party figures bet President Donald Trump’s center-stage performance can lift their fortunes despite his record-low approval ratings.
‘We all agree that big government is bad, but…’: White House shrugs off Republican clashes over childcare
The still-unreleased plan has opened a divide over the party’s philosophy and raised questions about its effectiveness.
Treasury to buy back triple the bonds
The Treasury Department will buy back up to three times its usual amount of long-term debt tomorrow as the Trump administration continues trying to bring borrowing costs down.
Candidates contend with the rise of ‘resurfaced’ old clips
Candidates who think they’ve escaped or explained their pasts keep having to explain comments that “resurface” online.
US-Canada trade war escalates amid tit-for-tat tariffs
The row is derailing any hope of renewing the USMCA North American trade pact.
Singapore boosts PM’s pay to $2.8 million
Singapore’s first prime minister argued in 1955 that low pay meant top candidates rarely joined politics and faced temptation when they did.
Democratic Turek holds narrow lead in Iowa Senate race, internal polling shows
Most strategists see the race as a toss-up, though Turek’s opponent is narrowly leading in polls.
Rubio pushes more cooperation against drug cartels
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is betting he can advance the fight against narcoterrorism in Latin America.
Business
EU unveils new ‘Made in Europe’ guidelines to counter China
Some worried the guidelines’ lack of binding quotas would undermine their efficacy.
Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters
US bond yields spike after Bessent increases buybacks
US long-term bond yields jumped to three-year highs Wednesday after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s bond buybacks failed to impress markets.
US-Canada trade war escalates amid tit-for-tat tariffs
The row is derailing any hope of renewing the USMCA North American trade pact.
CVC to name co-CEOs, poaching TPG exec
European private-equity firm CVC has hired a top TPG executive to be its co-CEO, people familiar with the matter said.
Justice Department to take a closer look at Fox’s $22 billion Roku deal
Rivals are concerned that Fox could favor its own content platforms over competitors’ if it owns Roku.
Technology
Anthropic skirts UK safety review amid rising AI transparency concerns
Anthropic declined to submit its latest model for testing to a top British AI safety institute.
Priyanshu Singh/Reuters
AI researcher Andrew Tulloch is leaving Meta
Tulloch has been delaying his departure until the company successfully launched its new family of open source AI models and AI assistant, Muse.
Dado Ruvic/Reuters
Why we can’t rely on governments to handle AI safety
The episode goes to show that “cyber vulnerabilities don’t map neatly onto state borders,” US-China tech expert Samm Sacks told Semafor.
China makes enterprise push for AI glasses
As smart glasses tick up in popularity in China, the government has issued an industry code of conduct.
Meta launches Muse AI assistant
Think of it like a computer sitting on Meta’s servers that connects to and can control your email, your calendar, or your health information when you give it commands.
Students perform better academically with less AI, study finds
Students who refrain from using AI perform better academically than those who use it, according to an OECD report which surveyed more than 760,000 students across 91 countries.
Energy
Coal plateaus in China amid electrification surge
Coal generation has stopped growing in 17 out of 26 Chinese provinces and regions.
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Oil importers less vulnerable to supply shocks than expected
“Diversification can go a long way in securing them against geo-economic bullying,” Barclays analysts wrote in a recent note.
Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters
Oil executives are anxious about Venezuela
Big Oil companies have always moonlighted as geopolitical risk assessment firms. That capability faces a big test now.
Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters
Gulf
Netanyahu denies he ignored UAE’s warning ahead of Oct. 7 attacks
The Israeli prime minister threatened to sue Haaretz over its report that he ignored the UAE president’s explicit warning about Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
Ammar Awad/Reuters
Hostilities between Saudi and Houthi rebels escalate in Yemen
Houthi rebels said Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes in Yemen, as hostilities between Riyadh and the Iran-backed militia escalate toward all-out war.
Iran war blows hole in Qatar budget
The 21.2 billion-riyal ($5.8 billion) second-quarter shortfall was almost double the previous quarter’s, with few signs that passage through the Strait of Hormuz is easing.
Saudi Arabia could give UN nuclear watchdog greater inspection powers
This is part of Saudi Arabia’s attempts to get a nuclear deal with the US approved.
Abu Dhabi’s ADGM now holds more than $100B in AI money
Abu Dhabi tech vehicle MGX, which closed its first fund in July at $49 billion, is the largest, according to ADGM.
China
EU unveils new ‘Made in Europe’ guidelines to counter China
Some worried the guidelines’ lack of binding quotas would undermine their efficacy.
Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters
US ramps up China rhetoric ahead of upcoming meeting
The US Treasury secretary warned that “nothing else would matter” if China were to win the AI race.
Sam Wolfe/File Photo/Reuters
China widens the scope of its polar ambitions
The first Chinese cargo ship traveling along the Northern Sea Route is set to dock in England this week, though analysts cast doubt on the venture’s commercial feasibility.
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Africa
South Africa’s GDP shrank in Q2 2026
The impact of the Iran war ended an 18-month period of growth in Africa’s biggest economy.
Esa Alexander/Reuters
Dangote faces Kenya refinery hurdles
It is unclear where the planned refinery in Lamu, which Africa’s richest man aims to complete by 2030, will secure its feedstock from.
Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters
Infrastructure investor Africa50 targets $20B portfolio
The Casablanca-based fund has backed more than 30 projects in 32 countries across multiple sectors.
Nigeria’s trade surplus doubles to $9.5B
The shift was driven by a fall in fuel imports and a rise in the exports of crude oil and raw materials.
Senegal seeks more time to pay off debt
Senegal’s prime minister said the country hopes to extend the maturity of its borrowing.
Kenya’s foreign-trader crackdown exposes an economic fault line
Kenya’s President Ruto is drawing a sharper distinction between the foreigners he says the economy needs and those he says are taking opportunities from Kenyans
Security
Anthropic skirts UK safety review amid rising AI transparency concerns
Anthropic declined to submit its latest model for testing to a top British AI safety institute.
Priyanshu Singh/Reuters
Netanyahu denies he ignored UAE’s warning ahead of Oct. 7 attacks
The Israeli prime minister threatened to sue Haaretz over its report that he ignored the UAE president’s explicit warning about Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
Ammar Awad/Reuters
Hostilities between Saudi and Houthi rebels escalate in Yemen
Houthi rebels said Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes in Yemen, as hostilities between Riyadh and the Iran-backed militia escalate toward all-out war.
Khaled Abdullah/Reuters
Media
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.
Crooked Media; Screenshot/TikTok/Crooked Ideas
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.
New Leon Black book picks fight with the Times
Bill Cohan’s new biography is aimed, in part, at rebutting The New York Times’ coverage of Black and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Axel Springer invests in Abu Dhabi-based outlet The Circuit
Axel Springer is latest Western publisher to take a greater editorial interest in the business story in the Middle East.
CEO Signal
How a ‘China-for-China’ strategy rebooted Logitech
CEO Hanneke Faber says competing in China is critical to winning in the rest of the world.
Coefficient Giving’s CEO on Silicon Valley $40 billion philanthropy boom
Alexander Berger is preparing for the AI-fueled wave.
‘We go big’: Jon Gray on how Blackstone places its AI bets
The $1.3 trillion firm is staying bullish but investing “through the lens that this may change.”
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