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Today’s Flagship

Google reveals its new AI search functions, Christie’s grapples with a cyberattack, and Spain warns boats of orca attacks.

Max Tani

Max Tani

Media

New York Times staff complain of ‘unwillingness to tolerate dissent’

The draft letter criticizes Kahn over recent comments seen by Times staff as dismissive of young reporters.
Global Elections

Global Elections

Politics

Le Pen’s successor could be just as dangerous

Jordan Bardella looks ready to step in if France’s Le Pen steps aside, while Venezuela gets a firm opposition candidate, and independents make major gains in Panama. All of this and more, in the latest updates to our Global Election Hub.
Joey Pfeifer
Liz Hoffman

Liz Hoffman

Business

Global elections twist government M&A reviews

Nippon-US Steel, Anglo-BHP spark political outcries, but SES-Intelsat so far has escaped similar scrutiny.
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Today’s Flagship

Google reveals its new AI search functions, Christie’s grapples with a cyberattack, and Spain warns boats of orca attacks.

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politics

Le Pen’s successor could be just as dangerous

Jordan Bardella looks ready to step in if France’s Le Pen steps aside, while Venezuela gets a firm opposition candidate, and independents make major gains in Panama. All of this and more, in the latest updates to our Global Election Hub.

Biden hikes tariffs on $18 billion in Chinese goods

US targets semiconductors, electric vehicles, and critical minerals, accusing China of flooding the global market with underpriced goods.

Ex-Trump fixer Michael Cohen is the prosecution’s risky star witness at hush-money trial

Donald Trump has previously alleged that Cohen acted alone and without his knowledge in paying adult film star Stormy Daniels and others to suppress stories that could hurt Trump’s chances of being elected.

J.D. Vance visits Trump trial, Tim Scott may be next. Is this the new VP test?

Trump has grumbled about the lack of visible support from allies in his “hush money” case.

Democrats are about to lose their mod squad

Several of the centrist women who flipped House seats in 2018 after careers in national security are eying higher office.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
business

Global elections twist government M&A reviews

Nippon-US Steel, Anglo-BHP spark political outcries, but SES-Intelsat so far has escaped similar scrutiny.

How Bill Ackman’s anti-woke crusade paid off

Shares of his fund, Pershing Square Holdings, have soared since he’s taken to X to criticize corporate diversity efforts, support Israel, and bash student protests.

Military generals report for duty on Wall Street

Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, tensions in the South China Sea, and rising protectionism put a premium on Pentagon insider hires at financial firms.

Canadian police charge three Indian nationals with murder of Sikh separatist

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last year that Canada believed the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar was tied to the Indian government.

FTC plans to recommend a possible criminal case against ex-Pioneer CEO

As part of its Exxon deal review, the US agency uncovered comments Scott Sheffield made to Texas rivals suggesting they coordinate ways to drill less oil.
Daniel Kramer/Reuters
technology

Google puts AI in search as tech giants jockey for supremacy

Google revealed it will integrate its flagship AI Gemini into Google Search and teased new voice and video chatbot features at it’s developers conference on Tuesday.
People walk next to a Google logo.REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

US and China’s AI talks likely won’t result in any deals

US officials have emphasized that the meeting won’t be a place for deal-making, and will not end with a joint statement or any “deliverables.”
REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo

OpenAI reveals new ChatGPT model with real-time voice and video chat

The most significant ChatGPT update in the new release is the ability for users to chat in real-time; the latest version of the bot can respond in 320 milliseconds on average.
OpenAI researchers use the new voice capabilities.Screenshot via OpenAI

Worried about falling behind, Apple reorganizes around AI

First on the tech giant’s to-do list: Make Siri more useful.
Apple CEO Tim Cook attends the 'Wonderlust' event at the company's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2023.Loren Elliott/REUTERS
africa

East Africa outages stir fears over Africa’s internet vulnerabilities

Fresh damage to undersea cables that supply African countries with the internet has raised new fears about the continent’s network vulnerabilities as it marks the third widespread disruption this year.
AFP via Getty Images

American Express sees Nigeria’s ‘upward trajectory’ as ripe for credit cards

American Express is rolling out new credit cards in Nigeria as it pushes to become a dominant player in Africa’s fledgling credit market.
Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images

Amazon takes its e-commerce machine to Africa

Amazon rolls out its online shopping service in South Africa, where it will compete with Takealot and Jumia in the e-commerce space.

White House quietly appoints new Africa director

US President Joe Biden appointed Frances Z. Brown as his new special assistant and senior director for African affairs.

Why South Africa’s ex-President Jacob Zuma could be ‘kingmaker’ in general election

Zuma’s MK Party has disrupted politics ahead of the May 29 vote.
net zero

Biden’s China tariffs could undercut Democrats’ promised electricity grid revamp

Democrats have campaigned on the promise of revamping the US’ ailing electricity grid so it can better support renewable energy. But Biden’s new tariffs on Chinese goods could slow the transition.
The sun rises behind windmills at a wind farm in Palm Springs, CaliforniaREUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

China makes headway in Iraq’s oil industry as US influence fades

Iraq has essentially snubbed the US from taking a lead role in exploring its vast oil reserves.
Determined to increase oil exports, Iraq is hoping to offset its fossil fuel contributions by expanding its domestic solar energy footprint. China’s cheap green tech is a lynchpin for that transition, and in 2023 Baghdad set a target to produce 12 gigawatts of solar energy, according to the Emirates Policy Center. With virtually no competition from European or American firms, “China becomes Iraq’s only renewable energy source,” the Center wrote. But even if a viable Western firm approached Iraq, it would be unlikely to get far. The green tech industry is also implicated in Iraqi government corruption, according to the center, and “the Chinese dominance model is the increasing emphasis on development rather than democracy.” REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

Why the US military is betting on decades-old climate tech

To create cleaner, more secure energy infrastructure, the Pentagon is investing in next-gen geothermal companies.
Courtesy Eavor

Touted as a climate solution, carbon offsets come back under scrutiny

The preliminary document, reviewed by Reuters, highlighted instances where carbon credits don’t work to reduce emissions or stop deforestation.
A smoke stack.REUTERS/David Gray
security

Hong Kong risks losing last traces of autonomy from Beijing following UK spy probe

On Tuesday, the UK summoned China’s envoy for a dressing down after several espionage incidents in recent months, including one agent working in Hong Kong’s trade office in London.

Iran could go nuclear if threatened, top officials warn as Middle East tensions rise

A high-level Iranian official warned that the country could develop nuclear weapons if threatened.

How Princeton got burned by its outreach to Iran

Princeton University saw an opportunity to make the school a central player in bridging the decades-long divide between the US and Iran. But over the past dozen years, two of Princeton’s graduate students have been detained or kidnapped by Tehran and its military proxies.

Xi lands in Hungary as EU security rift deepens

Xi Jinping is wrapping up his Europe visit with a stop in Hungary, highlighting the divide in security policy between eastern and western Europe.

US confirms pause on bomb shipments to Israel as it pushes into Rafah

Israel reopened a key Gaza aid crossing but the crossing at Rafah remains closed. Aid to the Gaza Strip has been severely curtailed throughout the Israel-Hamas war.
Palestinians make their way as they flee Rafah after Israeli forces launched a ground and air operation in the eastern part of the southern Gaza city, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip May 8, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem KhaledHatem Khaled/Reuters
media

New York Times staff complain of ‘unwillingness to tolerate dissent’

The draft letter criticizes Kahn over recent comments seen by Times staff as dismissive of young reporters.

Short-selling news startup didn’t disclose investment in anti-hangover drink

A new exposé by Hunterbrook Media, the startup newsroom whose affiliated company places stock market bets to profit from its journalism, raises questions about trust.

Business Insider’s editor-in-chief is stepping down

Nicholas Carlson is leaving his position as the top editor of the business-focused digital news outlet, and will become an editor-at-large focused on longer-term projects.

YouTube star MrBeast breaks with management company

The star’s power is growing in a changing entertainment industry.

Joe Kahn: ‘The newsroom is not a safe space’

The New York Times’ executive editor said the paper is a “pillar” of democracy but not a tool of power.
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