Category: Semafor

Republicans will try to move their $72 billion immigration enforcement funding bill to the Senate floor on Wednesday, starting with a Budget Committee vote on its homeland security component this morning, and then a potential move to take up the bill on the Senate floor later in the day. Republicans ...

The Scoop A new bipartisan bill would direct President Donald Trump’s administration to undertake a dramatic overhaul of the US relationship with Tanzania in response to the African nation’s violent crackdown following last year’s disputed presidential election. The bill from Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, details of ...

The Scoop Boston Dynamics, the humanoid-maker owned by Hyundai, reversed course on selling its four-legged robot Spot to a firm that supplies equipment to police departments after employees pushed back on how the robots could be used. Employees protested the idea of fastening “flash bang” grenades — a device that ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing this week could clear a logjam for the construction of a long-delayed oil pipeline to China. Putin said earlier this month that a deal to increase overland flows eastward was “very close,” as the Kremlin’s battlefield strategy stalls out and its economic woes ...

SpaceX is set to debut its Starship V3 rocket on Thursday in a key test of both its technology and investor confidence ahead of next month’s IPO. The first launch of the fully reusable V3 rocket, which the Elon Musk-owned rocket maker hopes will carry humans to the Moon in ...

The US alcohol industry, already struggling with falling demand, is being further hit by inflation. The Jim Beam bourbon distillery in Kentucky has closed its still until at least 2027, and many other brands have done likewise: The state is sitting on 16.1 million unsold barrels, 10 years’ supply, having ...

China’s electric vehicle price wars have spilled into the attention economy. As profits plunge, Chinese auto executives are reinventing themselves as influencers, Nikkei reported: Xiaomi’s Lei Jun livestreamed a 15-hour nonstop road trip from Beijing to Shanghai, while Nio’s founder streamed himself cooking inside an SUV and sleeping in its ...

Foreign governments are dumping US Treasury bonds to stabilize their currencies amid the energy shock and financial volatility triggered by the Iran war. Data showed seven of the top 10 foreign holders of US government debt trimmed their holdings of US Treasurys in March: Japan, to protect its currency, and ...

Chinese men are learning to spoil themselves. As more of them live alone and delay marriage, those who might have spent money on romantic relationships are instead splurging on skincare, fragrances, fitness equipment, and other self-care luxuries. The trend is tied to an overall increase in male consumption in the ...

Welcome to the wrapper economy, where “ownership” is replaced by “exposure.” The Trump administration is expected to start allowing digital versions of stocks that track prices but don’t carry the typical voting rights or dividends — and could be issued without the approval of the companies themselves. The new rules, ...