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. Previously occupied by Israeli forces from 1982 to 2000, Beaufort Castle symbolizes “Israel’s long and costly presence in Lebanon,” a defense analyst said. It ...
Category: Semafor
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US reciprocates after China expels Times reporterUS reciprocates after China expels Times reporter
The US reportedly revoked the visa of a Chinese state media journalist after Beijing expelled a New York Times reporter, in a diplomatic tit-for-tat. China ordered Vivian Wang to leave the country over a Times event last year — which Wang had no involvement in — that featured an interview ...
Chinese drug reduces lung cancer death risk by 34% in trialChinese drug reduces lung cancer death risk by 34% in trial
A lung cancer drug reduced the risk of death by 34% in a late-stage trial, in the latest sign of China’s pharmaceutical ascendance. The results from the trial conducted in China showed the drug, when combined with chemotherapy, kept people with squamous non-small-cell lung cancer alive for a median of ...
Chinese manufacturing slows as Iran war strains economyChinese manufacturing slows as Iran war strains economy
China’s manufacturing activity slowed in May, new data showed, in the latest sign of strain for the world’s second-largest economy amid the Iran war. Beijing has been relatively shielded from the worst effects of the conflict because of its crude stockpile and diverse energy mix, but the lagging factory data ...
America’s negative-sum birthdayAmerica’s negative-sum birthday
Ben’s view I recently ran into the Democratic strategist Doug Thornell, who was worried about America’s 250th anniversary this July 4. “Trump wants to make it a partisan two-to-three months where he can beat Democrats over the head for not being patriotic,” he mused. “Democrats need to be ready for ...
Platner: Collins ‘trying to offload her mistakes’Platner: Collins ‘trying to offload her mistakes’
Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner isn’t backing down from his comments that GOP Sen. Susan Collins “sent me” to fight in Iraq, charging her with “trying to offload her mistakes” for pointing out that he chose to enlist. Platner told Semafor that he “did my best to stop” the ...
Tech ads on the New York subway are up 50% this yearTech ads on the New York subway are up 50% this year
The Scoop The share of ads on New York City subways and buses from tech companies jumped 50% in the first quarter of 2026 from a year ago, as AI startups try to win over the world’s finance capital. AI has already upended the digital advertising sector. Now, more tech ...
What’s behind Anthropic’s $65B raise?What’s behind Anthropic’s $65B raise?
Another week, another eye-watering valuation for an AI company. The economics are so unprecedented that Anthropic — which raised another $65 billion at a $965 valuation — seems to be teetering on the brink of either growing too fast, or too slowly. Iqonic Capital’s Matt Jacobson, who’s led multiple Anthropic ...
AI startup offers free home cleaning to train robotsAI startup offers free home cleaning to train robots
An AI startup is offering free home cleaning in New York City — as long as customers let the company record their dirty apartments to train its robots. Shift made a splashy launch Thursday, and has since gotten demand for “thousands and thousands of bookings,” US General Manager Harry Kilberg ...
How AI is making assistance for the visually impaired more accessibleHow AI is making assistance for the visually impaired more accessible
With all the negative AI sentiment bubbling up among the consumer class, it’s worth taking a moment to note where it’s actually improving people’s lives. For more than a decade, California-based Aira has been connecting visually impaired people with trained assistants who, through the phone camera, help with daily tasks ...