Flagship

Houthis vow retaliation after strikes

US strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen killed dozens, renewing Washington’s offensive against the Iran-backed group and inflaming regional tensions. The Houthis vowed to retaliate after the attack, which also hit military infrastructure. The militia had paused its strikes on Red Sea shipping lanes — crucial to global supply chains — after Israel and Hamas agreed a ceasefire in Gaza, but had threatened to resume after Israel blocked aid to the enclave. The Trump administration’s actions are likely the first of many, Atlantic Council analysts said, putting pressure on Iran. Washington is pursuing a two-pronged strategy toward Tehran, seeking to isolate and strain the regime while also making overtures for prospective nuclear talks, The Washington Post wrote.

Trump uses wartime law for deportations

The US deported hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador even as a judge sought to block the move. The deportations followed US President Donald Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798: The law has been used just three times, all during wars, and requires an “invasion or predatory incursion” by an enemy government. It was last employed during World War II to target Japanese, Italian, and German nationals. The White House said the Venezuelans were gang members. The law could speed up deportations, according to some legal scholars, although there are questions over whether it applied in this case. In an appeal, the government argued an “invasion” covered “any people or things who are not wanted” — a “ludicrously low bar,” one expert wrote.

Trump guts US-funded media

US President Donald Trump moved to gut government-funded media outlets that for decades have promoted American values around the world. More than 1,300 Voice of America employees were put on leave, while funding for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia — which broadcast inside countries like Russia and North Korea — was terminated. The outlets were formed to counter Nazi propaganda and communism. “The Iranian Ayatollahs, Chinese communist leaders, and autocrats in Moscow and Minsk would celebrate the demise,” the head of RFE/RL said. The cuts extended the administration’s attacks on US media: The government is investigating public broadcasters, and Trump on Friday suggested that negative cable coverage “cannot be legal.”

US expels South African ambassador

The US expelled South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, further straining ties between the two countries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Ebrahim Rasool of being “a “race-baiting politician” who hates President Donald Trump. As Semafor first reported last week, Rasool, a veteran diplomat, was struggling to secure meetings in Washington over his prior criticism of Israel: He is considered among his government’s most ardent pro-Palestine voices. Rasool’s expulsion seems to have been triggered by his recent suggestion that Trump was leading a “supremacist” movement to disrupt global norms, underscoring a souring of US-South Africa relations. Pretoria has said it wants to mend ties and pursue “face-to-face” talks, as it looks to appoint Rasool’s replacement.

How Modi sees the world

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used a conversation with a popular American podcaster to offer a window into New Delhi’s foreign policy approach. During the three-hour interview with Lex Fridman, Modi defended his stance that India should “see eye-to-eye with her counterparts” and take a non-allied geopolitical posture. The Indian leader criticized Pakistan, but took a more measured stance on world powers: He noted New Delhi’s good relationship with both Russia and Ukraine, called for “understanding” with China, and praised US President Donald Trump. India’s strategy of non-alignment, analysts said, could be tested as Trump upends the established world order, forcing some governments to take sides despite their best efforts.

Xi snubs EU summit invite

Chinese leader Xi Jinping will likely skip an upcoming summit to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between the European Union and Beijing. The snub has affirmed many EU officials’ view that “China will not add concrete action to its warm words about the need to co-operate,” the Financial Times wrote, as US President Donald Trump retreats from Washington’s long-established alliances. Some experts predicted the US shift might spur Europe toward Beijing. But China’s economic and geopolitical intentions — including disagreements over the Ukraine war — run counter to Brussels’, and “any attempt to re-embrace China risks being a triumph of hope over common sense,” one expert wrote.

US Treasury sec says correction ‘healthy’

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said last week’s stock selloff and market correction was a “healthy” sign, despite investors’ rising fears of a recession. Wall Street had hoped Bessent would moderate US President Donald Trump’s disruptive economic agenda, but his “muted reassurances to financial markets shows there may be no one in the administration willing to stand in the way of Trump’s emboldened mandate,” Politico wrote. Even everyday investors, who for years have largely been able to ignore their portfolios, are increasingly questioning that “set-and-forget” mentality, The Wall Street Journal wrote: The last month has seen the most trading activity in 401(k) class retirement plans since October 2020.

In this moment of media fragmentation and the rise of niche communities, are there still ways to reach mass audiences? This week, Ben and Max bring on legendary marketing executive, Frank Cooper, who’s always been at the center of big cultural shifts from his time at Def Jam in the 90s, AOL in the 2000s, and BuzzFeed in the 2010s. Throughout his career, he’s also been seen as the culture translator for big corporations, as the CMO at PepsiCo and the CMO of Visa. They talk about Frank’s unique career, who and what he thinks still moves people in mass — like Post Malone at the Louvre — and what he makes of this particular moment in the culture. He also shares stories from his time working in hip hop, what he’s learned from LL Cool J, and how Snoop Dogg became the world’s most marketable star.

Listen to the latest episode of Mixed Signals now.

Our mental capacity is eroding

Experts are increasingly worried that humans may have reached their cognitive peak, as research shows some people who use artificial intelligence tools report their critical thinking skills are eroding. In analyses of teenagers living in high-income countries, scores across reading, math, and science have dropped since 2012; adults also showed similar trends. This reflects “a broader erosion in human capacity for mental focus and application,” the Financial Times wrote, likely attributable to digital media and our shifting relationship to information. AI could compound the problem: Teachers are particularly concerned — especially over students using AI to cheat on tests. “This is a gigantic public experiment that no one has asked for,” one educator told The Wall Street Journal.

Shop class makes a comeback

Some US schools are reviving “shop class” — working with wood, metal, and machinery — as a means to future-proof their students’ education against artificial intelligence. Many experts believe that AI will likely have the greatest impact on white-collar jobs, Brookings argued — coders, lawyers, journalists — but it can not yet tackle “the manual work of manufacturing, the skilled trades, [or] construction.” Meanwhile, a skilled industrial labor shortage has driven up pay, and the costs of higher education have skyrocketed. These trends have pushed schools to reopen their workshops, The Wall Street Journal reported: In Wisconsin, for instance, enrollment in construction classes are up 10% year-on-year, and manufacturing 13%.

The media strategy behind F1’s success

Formula 1 racing is expanding its push into the American mainstream via a new movie starring Brad Pitt, with a trailer dropping as the current season began in Australia. F1 has long enjoyed popularity in Europe, but a media marketing push, including a 2019 Netflix docuseries, has helped the sport find global fans: It has its own production facility in London and a streaming subscription service. The Pitt movie, simply titled F1 and slated for release in June, is strategically aimed at catapulting the sport to international blockbuster status. “Anytime Brad Pitt’s in a movie people pay attention,” the head of the media company that owns F1 told the Financial Times. “The movie is serving the super fan, but also driving this mainstream.”

March 17:

• China releases economic data including retail sales for January and February.
• Nvidia’s AI developer conference kicks off in California.
• Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated around the world.

Archaeologists discovered a huge burial complex in western Greece that may be linked to an ancient religious sect. The site lies north of the ancient city of Tenea, and appears similar to other structures dated to the Hellenic period, or between 323 and 31 BC; researchers said the tombs showed signs of use as late as the 4th century, Artnet wrote. Votive offerings and other evidence around the complex suggest it may have been associated with a “cult associated with healing,” Greek authorities said. Tenea has long been a subject of fascination for archaeologists: The city survived the Roman invasion, but was later abandoned, although the reason remains a mystery.

Amazon’s bid to take on Nvidia, leading to the e-commerce giant’s biggest investment ever this year, is also a gamble for artificial-intelligence startup Anthropic, Semafor’s Reed Albergotti reported.

The company’s new five-nanometer Trainium 2 microprocessor is not as powerful as the Nvidia chips coveted by artificial intelligence companies like OpenAI, but the e-commerce giant is betting on making AI chips in-house — and is aiming to build the most powerful computer in the world.