Semafor

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[Semafor @semafor]

🟡 Bitcoin evangelist @APompliano has reinvented himself as the champion of a new kind of investor: digitally native, high-net-worth, and deeply skeptical of Wall Street expertise.

He joins @lizrhoffman and @rogoswami to talk about his AI-powered CFO product, why he thinks independent investors outperform the pros, what's left in crypto worth caring about, and the uncomfortable politics of the Trump family's meme coin.

[Semafor @semafor]

Microsoft is launching a new AI assistant powered by OpenClaw.

https://t.co/9v2AI9a1JW

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Microsoft’s AI chief is in the middle of the greatest game of catch-up ever played, argues Reed Albergotti.

Read more of his full view:

https://t.co/w8UXpgqNLr

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The momentum behind bipartisan college sports legislation was on full display during a Senate Commerce Committee hearing.

There are still big challenges ahead.

https://t.co/faDpb8jfgZ

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Iranian drones hit a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s airport, killing at least one person, in the latest test of the fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.

Iran’s foreign minister said “no tangible progress” has been made in peace talks.

https://t.co/oUQ3hjuzn9

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The attacks were a “clear attempt to embarrass the Kremlin chief,” Reuters wrote: Ukrainian drones have been striking deeper into Russia amid a military and diplomatic deadlock.

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Ukrainian drones struck a Russian oil terminal and naval base in St. Petersburg, just hours before an economic conference dubbed “Putin’s Davos” kicked off in the city.

https://t.co/EHvDDdrJKE

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Transatlantic tensions are becoming “more difficult to manage,” NATO’s former secretary general said, as Trump reportedly plans to accelerate the withdrawal of US troops from European bases.

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US President Donald Trump will attend the NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey.

https://t.co/Y352EfHkoh

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Trump makes new play for tariffs: Up to 12.5% on some 60 countries and the European Union.

https://t.co/tYsTlPNGpz

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Kuwait briefly closed its international airport after Iranian drones and missiles killed one person and injured more than 60 others.

It had only just reopened earlier this week.

https://t.co/ekyK0dcw0Y

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The blockade is exacerbating homegrown economic problems: Business is stifled by bureaucracy, and Cuba’s traditional allies are unwilling or unable to help.

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The US blockade of Cuba has created a wartime-scale economic crisis, leaving Havana facing an unpalatable decision.

https://t.co/iaD4apCDXg

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What’s behind all the token stinginess? Last year, it looked like a lot of tasks could be handled by smaller AI models fine-tuned for specific tasks. But that’s not the way things have gone.

Read more from @ReedAlbergotti's view:

https://t.co/byUTIZVzNC

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The cost of tokenmaxxing is hitting the banks.

Some JPMorgan employees are “spending more on tokens than their salary.”

https://t.co/vzLKP6grEb

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With OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Sen. Bernie Sanders set to meet to discuss the proposed plan to take half the equity of AI frontier labs to fund a US sovereign wealth fund, OpenAI has been preparing its own policy framework, according to people familiar with the matter.

https://t.co/jr0IpJIAN8

[Liz Rappaport @LizRappaport]

I am thrilled to be joining @semafor! It will be amazing to work with this stellar group of journalists. It’s good to be back.

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Graham Platner is asking for the Biden treatment from skeptical Democrats, argues @daveweigel.

Read his full view:

https://t.co/735DwgLfzu

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For 25 years, the defining logic of China-Africa trade has been simple: Africa exports raw materials, China manufactures products, and Africa buys them back.

That leverage with China is growing, Yinka Adegoke argues.

Read the full view:

https://t.co/ZDaDACnGcC

[SemaforComms @SemaforComms]

🟡We're thrilled to announce that @LizRappaport is joining @semafor as Senior Business Editor. Coming off a legendary run at WSJ, Liz will help drive Semafor's editorial expansion and bring our Business briefing to 5x/week.

[Semafor @semafor]

The 20 hubs include Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Djibouti, Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Lagos, Luanda, Nairobi, and Yaoundé.

Read more: https://t.co/CIckQvwYqc

[Semafor @semafor]

US to slash the number of embassies and consulates in Africa authorized to process visas from nearly 50 to just 20 “hubs,” further restricting entry to the US for African citizens.

https://t.co/CIckQvwYqc