Category: Semafor

by Annie Jacobsen. Jacobsen wrote a 2024 dramatization, based on dozens of interviews, of how nuclear war would unfold; this is her bioterrorism sequel. She imagines a genetically modified, airborne bacterium as deadly as pneumonic plague that releases a second pathogen when treated, based on a real Soviet “chimera program.” ...

The US’ ban on new foreign humanoids opens another front in Washington’s campaign against Chinese tech — but it also adds a new layer of pressure on domestic bot makers. Some in the industry speculated the US might put tariffs on Chinese robots, but Washington routed its ban through the ...

The US is looking to its allies to make sure China doesn’t dominate the future of telecommunications. The Trump administration on Monday unveiled a partnership with 24 countries — including Australia, Germany, Japan, and the UK — aimed at coordinating strategies around 6G, which is expected to be designed to ...

Wall Street is suffering from analogy slop: There’s so much money going into AI that it has to be a bubble, and surely there are parallels to past bubbles. It’s the financial crisis all over again; it’s the 1929 stock market crash; it’s the year 2000. The latest wave of ...

David’s view When they’re not fighting each other, which is rare these days, Democrats agree on three points about their midterm election strategy. First, they want to talk about affordability. Second, they want to take on corruption. And lastly, the public perception that both parties are crooked makes it hard ...

German officials are reportedly working to identify Chinese trade vulnerabilities that they could exploit should the EU enter a trade war with the Asian giant, underscoring the rising tensions between the economic superpowers. European leaders have long complained that cheap Chinese imports risk hollowing out their manufacturing capacity, particularly in ...

The News Zambians will vote next month in a test for the southern African region’s most closely watched economic recovery, facing the twin pressures of emergency power imports and expanded parliamentary map that threaten to complicate the nation’s reform path. President Hakainde Hichilema is largely seen as the frontrunner in ...

A one-on-one matchup between Republican Kurt Alme and independent Seth Bodnar in Montana’s Senate race is looking less likely. The Montana Secretary of State’s office tells Semafor that there’s no wiggle room if Democratic Senate candidate Alani Bankhead drops out of the race in the next two weeks. “The Secretary ...

After two years of improving attitudes, Americans are turning more negative toward artificial intelligence as the technology finds its way into businesses and classrooms. Nearly four in 10 US adults believe AI does more harm than good, according to polling from Bentley University and Gallup, up from 31% last year. ...

Legislation paving the way for further sanctions on parties in Sudan’s civil war has a greater chance of becoming law this year after lawmakers added it to the Senate’s version of a must-pass defense bill. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who leads the Foreign Relations Committee, successfully filed the PEACE in ...