Category: Semafor

The News The Democratic Party, less than four months from a pivotal midterm election, is navigating a new kind of culture war over exactly what kind of behavior — from candidates and staff — the party should tolerate. The meltdown of Graham Platner’s Maine Senate bid over sexual assault allegations reopened ...

David’s view Last month, after Abdul El-Sayed and I wrapped up our interview in the Detroit suburbs, I mentioned the ongoing effort by centrist Democrats to link him to Graham Platner. The candidate laughed. El-Sayed rose on his strength during short TV hits, where he would talk about his issues ...

It’s a critical time for the AI industry in the US, which is confronting lawmakers and a general public looking for careful policy planning and an answer to rising populist anger. Unfortunately, a lot of the industry’s leaders are carrying baggage that’s getting in the way of sending a unified, ...

US President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iranian civil infrastructure, including bridges and power stations, unless Tehran resumes peace talks. A month-long ceasefire has effectively collapsed, with the two countries exchanging fire for four consecutive days. The renewed fighting has driven oil prices to four-week highs as producers scramble to ...

US Coast Guard ships that previously operated in the Middle East have been deployed to Singapore and the Philippines, as Washington looks to challenge China’s assertion of power in the Pacific Ocean. Tensions have risen in the region as Beijing has sought to expand its maritime and territorial claims, pushing ...

Ukraine said it had struck 11 Russian vessels on the Sea of Azov, choking off a waterway that has become vital for Moscow. Russia ships vast amounts of oil, steel, and grain through the Kerch Strait to the Black Sea, but traffic has slowed to a trickle in recent days ...

China’s economy expanded 4.3% year-on-year in Q2, the lowest rate since the end of 2022, as the Iran war, lackluster domestic demand, and a lingering real estate slump weighed on growth. Though the country’s exports have been churning along at an extraordinary pace — China shipped a record $412 billion ...

The Scene Soccer fans in Saudi Arabia have been unable to legally watch World Cup matches, after restrictions were placed on the Qatar-owned platform that holds the exclusive regional broadcasting rights. It’s unclear why the kingdom — which is preparing to host the 2034 World Cup — has blocked access. ...

DeepSeek could reportedly file for an IPO as soon as this year, joining its rivals in capitalizing on investor enthusiasm for low-cost Chinese tech. The AI powerhouse is also considering raising new funds, weeks after completing its first financing round that valued the company at $52 billion. Other Chinese AI ...

New York’s data center moratorium, announced Tuesday, signals growing mainstream political pushback to unchecked AI growth in the US. The move puts a one-year suspension on construction of large-scale facilities in the state and is the first of its kind in the US, which is seeing a rapid AI infrastructure ...