Category: Semafor

We have been asked a lot lately: When we launched Semafor four years ago, is this what we were expecting? Did we think it would get this much traction, this fast? What has surprised us? The truth is that we would have been pleased four years ago to know the ...

US President Donald Trump gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his “complete and total endorsement” Sunday, boosting the leader nine days before Israel’s pivotal election. The endorsement comes as the embattled prime minister faces a tough reelection and Israel’s isolation deepens, particularly amid mounting West Bank violence. Masked settlers allegedly ...

US President Donald Trump waived new sanctions on Russia days before they were set to take effect, reversing a bipartisan congressional push and raising fresh questions about Washington’s commitment to Ukraine. Trump’s energy secretary defended the decision as a “carrot” to encourage peace, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he ...

Egypt pledged “all necessary and possible forms of support” to Saudi Arabia as intensifying Houthi attacks risk a widening regional conflict. Following the announcement, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi requested an urgent parliamentary session to authorize military action, bringing the Arab world’s largest army a step closer to direct involvement ...

China is considering export controls that could check the global spread of its AI models and chips, as Beijing increases oversight of its burgeoning tech sector. The new rules “could shape the evolution of the Chinese AI ecosystem,” a former Biden administration adviser wrote, though questions remain over compliance and ...

An escalating fight between the US and Ukraine over Starlink underlined Europe’s dependence on the Elon Musk-owned technology. Ukraine’s leader said that SpaceX was throttling Starlink speeds in a “planned operation,” which the White House rejected. Washington’s ambassador told the Financial Times that the EU would face “devastating” retaliation if ...

The State Department is updating its travel advisory for mainland China to include an increased risk level for wrongful detention, according to a new plan seen by Semafor. The State Department’s move comes after two US citizens were labeled as wrongfully detained earlier this year, and at a complex moment ...

Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after less than one week on the job. An administration official told Semafor that Zacharia will be “transitioning out” of her role, which began on Monday and quickly descended into a series of stumbles, culminating in Fox News pressing her earlier ...

President Donald Trump faces a deadline Sunday to decide whether to impose certain penalties on other countries under a bipartisan sanctions law he signed last month. Any move by him to waive sanctions on Russian individuals or entities will be met with criticism, as would a decision not to impose ...

The Federal Aviation Administration’s pursuit of an equity stake in a private company that uses AI to manage air traffic is raising questions about whether it has clear legal authority to strike such a deal. The Trump administration has negotiated stakes in dozens of other companies, but none through the ...