The second lady has launched a serviceable children’s podcast. That seems strategic given JD Vance’s potential presidential run I know that child labour is generally frowned upon but, in this economy, sometimes you’ve got to put your kid to work. Last week I gave my four-year-old an important assignment: she ...
Trump Wants to Double Production of New Nuclear Weapon CoresTrump Wants to Double Production of New Nuclear Weapon Cores
Trump’s proposed 2027 budget would almost double the budget for plutonium pits, the chemical filled metal sphere inside a nuclear warhead that kicks off the explosion in a nuclear weapon. The same budget would slash almost $400 million from nuclear environmental cleanup. The budget request follows a leaked National Nuclear ...
Startups Brag They Spend More Money on AI Than Human EmployeesStartups Brag They Spend More Money on AI Than Human Employees
Startup CEOs who are “tokenmaxxing” are bragging that they are spending more money on AI compute than it would cost to hire human workers. Astronomical AI bills are now, in a certain corner of the tech world, a supposed marker of growth and success. “Our AI bill just hit $113k ...
Podcast: How Algorithms Make Us Feel Bad and WeirdPodcast: How Algorithms Make Us Feel Bad and Weird
This week Sam unpacks how social media algorithms manipulate our emotions around everything from engagement rings to wedding dresses to babies, and what it feels like getting lost in the #Weddingtok sauce. Then, Emanuel breaks down a satirical but functional AI tool that rips off open source software. There’s a ...
US and Iran in blockade standoff as Pakistan pushes for talksUS and Iran in blockade standoff as Pakistan pushes for talks
The mood in the Strait of Hormuz remains combustible despite Trump’s ceasefire extension. ...
EU approves €90bn loan for Ukraine as pipeline is turned on ending deadlockEU approves €90bn loan for Ukraine as pipeline is turned on ending deadlock
Ukraine says it has reopened the Druzhba pipeline, after months of stalemate over stalled oil supplies to neighbouring Hungary. ...
Why Saudi is weathering the war shock better than mostWhy Saudi is weathering the war shock better than most
Alaa’s view Riyadh doesn’t feel like a city bracing for crisis. Stuck in rush-hour traffic this week, it was easy to forget that the Gulf is in the middle of a conflict that has upended the world economy and the region’s own prospects. Malls are relatively busy. At one restaurant, ...
Safety fears could slow China’s robotaxi rolloutSafety fears could slow China’s robotaxi rollout
China’s robotaxi fleet may almost triple this year compared to 2025, though customer resistance could hinder its rollout, analysts said. Goldman Sachs predicted that China will have almost 15,000 robotaxis by the end of the year, putting the country ahead of the US in the race “to automate roads and ...
European carmakers lose premium brand status in ChinaEuropean carmakers lose premium brand status in China
European carmakers are losing their premium brand status in China, as younger consumers opt for cars from domestic brands, further eroding Western firms’ prospects in a cutthroat global market. Chinese carmakers are increasingly dominant around the world, but European automakers had long controlled the premium sector of the world’s biggest ...
Gulf trade will be permanently reshapedGulf trade will be permanently reshaped
Matthew’s view If I had one takeaway for the Middle East from last week’s meetings at Semafor World Economy, it is that it is impossible to overstate how much Gulf trade will be reshaped by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway has served as the region’s ...