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View / Trump’s unlikely clean power legacy
View / Gulf executives reckon with economic consequences of Iran war
The World at a Glance
Updated 8:33am EDT
1
AI CEOs Dario Amodei, Demis Hassabis, and Sam Altman issued a joint statement warning against the use of AI to create bioweapons.
2SpaceX has set an IPO valuation target of $1.77 trillion — the largest in history — as it also looks to widen its offering beyond space launches.
3Israel and Lebanon agreed a ceasefire as the US sought to revive talks with Iran, though the effort was quickly put into doubt.
4The Republican-led House symbolically rebuked President Donald Trump over the Iran war, the latest sign of widening intra-party rifts over the conflict.
5The Five Eyes intelligence alliance warned China was using social media platforms like LinkedIn to recruit spies.
6A California city banned data center construction within the city limits, as backlash against the installations grows across the US.
House Republicans struggle to win promotions
Several lost Republican primaries this cycle.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters A soccer team bet against itself. This is the (good) future of prediction markets.
Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are beginning to outgrow their YOLO beginnings and could one day underpin big parts of traditional finance.
Albert Gea/ReutersAI executives make rare collective warning on bioweapons threat
The Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI bosses warned that AI systems could be used to make deadly pathogens.
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis. Manuel Orbegozo/ReutersGoogle strikes first-of-its-kind deal with a virtual power plant
The deal will free up 100 megawatts of energy for Google’s use without having to build any new infrastructure.
Yves Herman/ReutersTrump plans $700 million boost for coal
The move is the administration’s latest step to prolong the life of an industry that most energy experts agree is inexorably in decline.
Dane Rhys/ReutersIranian strikes on Kuwait airport test truce
Iran’s foreign minister said “no tangible progress” has been made in peace talks.
Kuwait News Agency/Handout via ReutersRussia’s oil exports hit wartime high
Moscow has pushed more crude into the global market at a moment of surging prices, driving export revenues to also reach their highest level since 2022.
Vantor/Handout via Reuters
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PoliticsJonathan Ernst/Reuters 
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters 
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
House Republicans struggle to win promotions
Several lost Republican primaries this cycle.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Trump to nominate Blanche as attorney general
Todd Blanche had held the job in an acting capacity since Pam Bondi’s departure.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters AI lobbying intensifies around unlikely deal
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman hit Capitol Hill for high-profile bipartisan meetings amid House movement, but legislation’s odds remain long.
Evelyn Hockstein/ReutersTrump makes new play for tariffs
The Trump administration is floating tariffs of up to 12.5% on some 60 countries and the EU.
College sports bill’s momentum masks its hurdles
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have concerns.
Platner asks for the Biden treatment from skeptical Democrats
Both Jill Biden and Graham Platner have highly scrutinized marriages (and families) that have made them political celebrities, and both argue that the public interest in their past missteps is a waste of time.
Sanders follows Trump toward government stakes in private firms
The Vermont independent is proposing a bill that would give the federal government a stake in leading AI companies.
Vulnerable members spend big on official comms
Franking, or the official communications sent out by Capitol Hill offices, is becoming a flashpoint in contested House elections.
Pressure builds for crypto ethics compromise
“There are a lot of people on Capitol Hill who recognize that it’s a gating function.”
Pulte’s new job complicates FISA renewal
Democrats were already worried about how the Trump administration wields the powerful surveillance tools.
Trump shipbuilding plan mimics fired Navy secretary’s work
John Phelan was ostensibly ousted from his job due to insufficient progress on the issue, but his replacement submitted a nearly identical proposal.
Business
Ann Wang/File Photo/Reuters
The ‘Jensen effect’ is the new ‘Trump bump’ for stocks
Shares of different AI companies all rose as much as 10% this week after Huang complimented them on stage at an event in Taiwan.
Ann Wang/File Photo/ReutersPrivate credit withdrawals spike
Investors in Blackstone’s flagship fund sought to yank 10% of their money this quarter, showing that the jitters engulfing the industry may be deepening.
A soccer team bet against itself. This is the (good) future of prediction markets.
Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are beginning to outgrow their YOLO beginnings and could one day underpin big parts of traditional finance.
Cuba suffering wartime-scale economic crisis
The economy was already struggling before the loss of cheap Venezuelan oil and Washington’s energy embargo.
YouTubers make the jump to movies
Insiders expect more funding to flow toward internet-native filmmakers.
TechnologyAnn Wang/File Photo/Reuters 
Brian Snyder/File Photo/Reuters
The ‘Jensen effect’ is the new ‘Trump bump’ for stocks
Shares of different AI companies all rose as much as 10% this week after Huang complimented them on stage at an event in Taiwan.
Ann Wang/File Photo/ReutersCalifornia city bans data center construction as opposition grows nationwide
Exit polls suggest 86% of Monterey Park voters backed the prohibition, following a proposal to build a 247,000-square-foot installation.
Brian Snyder/File Photo/ReutersAI executives make rare collective warning on bioweapons threat
The Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and OpenAI bosses warned that AI systems could be used to make deadly pathogens.
China has a growing role in US tech discourse
The AI race among global superpower is heating up.
US senator proposes AI wealth fund
Lawmakers are wary of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ plan.
EU, India push for tech sovereignty
Beijing and Washington have been tightening their grips on tech and infrastructure.
Energy
Bing Guan/ReutersVantor/Handout via Reuters Yves Herman/Reuters
Trump’s unlikely clean power legacy
We’re “living in what arguably is one of the best periods to invest in renewables in the US over the last 20 years,” the CEO of EDP told Semafor.
Bing Guan/ReutersRussia’s oil exports hit wartime high
Moscow has pushed more crude into the global market at a moment of surging prices, driving export revenues to also reach their highest level since 2022.
Vantor/Handout via ReutersGoogle strikes first-of-its-kind deal with a virtual power plant
The deal will free up 100 megawatts of energy for Google’s use without having to build any new infrastructure.
Yves Herman/ReutersGulf
Christopher Pike/Reuters
Gulf executives reckon with economic consequences of Iran war
Most economic indicators still don’t reflect the extent of the damage the region has suffered, but they do point to weaker confidence across much of the Gulf.
Christopher Pike/ReutersSaudi economy shows resilience even as war softens growth
Higher oil prices are offsetting lower export volumes, but overall growth will still likely fall to around 2% this year.
State Street’s Gulf expansion adds Oman
Muscat has in recent years sought to develop its capital markets and attract foreign firms.
UAE starts taxing road tolls and parking fees
The 5% value-added tax adds another income stream for the government
UAE dives into Latin American ports
Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group acquired Brazilian terminal operator CLI, while Dubai-based DP World said it will invest a further $100 million in the Dominican Republic.
China
Dado Ruvic/Reuters
Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via Reuters
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Intelligence alliance warns of China’s spy recruiting efforts
The global Five Eyes intelligence alliance warned that China was using LinkedIn and other social media platforms to recruit spies.
Dado Ruvic/ReutersJapan capitalizes on China backlash, courts Pacific island nations
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her government would help smaller states strengthen their “autonomy and resilience,” part of an anti-China push by Japan.
Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via ReutersGig economy spurs revival in Chinese worker’s literature
A raft of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction is emerging about, and by, working-class laborers.
Maxim Shemetov/ReutersAfrica
Miners in South Africa. Oupa Nkosi/Reuters
The 2026 Basketball Africa League champions RSSB Tigers. BAL/Getty Images.
Africa’s leverage with China is growing
Beijing’s dependence on critical minerals is creating bargaining power for African governments — but debt pressures threaten to squander it.
Miners in South Africa. Oupa Nkosi/ReutersRwanda wins Basketball Africa League Championship
Basketball, which for years has languished in football’s shadow, has gained a foothold on the continent since the NBA-backed BAL was founded in 2019.
The 2026 Basketball Africa League champions RSSB Tigers. BAL/Getty Images.Nigeria’s pension pot balloons 31%
The jump came after assets invested in domestic equities more than doubled in value, adding nearly $3 billion to the pool.
South Africa picks Ramaphosa critic for inquiry chair
The inquiry will assess whether President Ramaphosa should face impeachment, following a scandal over money at his game farm.
Barrick Mining weighs London share listing for Africa assets
The move comes as the gold mining giant seeks to move its operations from what it sees as risky regions.
US slashes visa processing hubs across Africa
The cutbacks will require citizens of countries without a hub to travel to an approved site to apply.
Security
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February. Alina Smutko/Reuters
Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/Reuters
Israeli Military/Handout via Reuters
Norway, citing ‘crazy world’, reconsiders EU membership
Norway is reconsidering joining the EU, the country’s foreign minister told the Financial Times.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February. Alina Smutko/ReutersSheinbaum decries US ‘interference’ in Mexico’s politics
Mexico’s president delivered her harshest rebuke yet of US “interference,” following Washington’s indictment of 10 Mexican officials for alleged cartel ties.
Quetzalli Nicte-Ha/ReutersIsrael seizes Crusader castle in Lebanon
Israeli forces seized a 12th-century Crusader castle in southern Lebanon, as Israel intensifies its farthest incursion into the country in 26 years, despite a nominal ceasefire.
Israeli Military/Handout via ReutersMedia
Katie Jones/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images
New York Public Radio’s new boss reorganizes the network
In her first four months on the job, Christy Tanner has swiftly eliminated many of NYPR’s seniormost figures.
Katie Jones/Variety/Penske Media via Getty ImagesBret Baier on golfing with Trump, his 2028 predictions, and making the case for civility
Fox News’ Special Report host Bret Baier joins Mixed Signals to talk about what it’s like to sit at the center of American political media.
The ‘completely new’ ‘60 Minutes’
Nick Bilton’s hire signals that Paramount CEO David Ellison and editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’ overhaul of CBS News will be radical and total.
Paramount appears to sway DOJ staff on Warner Bros. takeover
US antitrust regulators appear to approve Paramount’s $110 billion studio deal after a two-hour meeting at the Justice Department Tuesday, people familiar with the matter said.
Thousands of journalists’ data exposed to dark web
More than half of the exposures contained personal information such as names, phone numbers, dates of birth, and addresses, per a new study from Proton.
CEO Signal
Courtesy of Cisco/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Match Group/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
Courtesy of Becton Dickinson/Joey Pfeifer/Semafor
How Cisco’s Chuck Robbins gets his team to ‘disagree and commit’
The longstanding CEO says a bad decision that you reverse is better than a delay.
Courtesy of Cisco/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforWhy 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.
Courtesy of Match Group/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforHow syringe-maker BD is infusing AI into its medical devices
CEO Tom Polen is turning his 65,000 employees into lean manufacturing “problem-finders.”
Courtesy of Becton Dickinson/Joey Pfeifer/SemaforAD