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class="styles_ledeTopStories__0SBIk"><a class="styles_featuredStory__iJm1_ styles_fieldOfStreamsTopStory__3SgDh styles_topStory__q1E0B styles_layoutControl__L1oHO styles_large__Zu99R" href="/article/12/17/2024/republican-senators-begin-their-battle-against-maga-primary-challengers"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__cXVio styles_hideMobileDivider__sI_Uv" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_topStoryVertical__k8eJx">Politics</div><h2 class="styles_headline__jnXf9 styles_large__Zu99R styles_primary__xpald">The battle begins: Republican senators vs. MAGA primary foes</h2><div><div class="styles_intro__xf0EC styles_large__Zu99R styles_primary__xpald">What’s happening to Bill Cassidy in Louisiana could be a preview of the future for several of his fellow incumbents.</div></div><div class="styles_ledePhoto__6dRX6"><figure class="styles_figure__YN8UZ styles_topSpacing__dZC8T"><img data-categories="essential" alt="The US Capitol" loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__BjnOG" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/f6773b59540a2a981f01d84568deea5e49275d40-5728x3819.jpg?rect=318%2C0%2C5092%2C3819&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/f6773b59540a2a981f01d84568deea5e49275d40-5728x3819.jpg?rect=318%2C0%2C5092%2C3819&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/f6773b59540a2a981f01d84568deea5e49275d40-5728x3819.jpg?rect=318%2C0%2C5092%2C3819&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ePpnK styles_sansSerif__CuZQc">Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters</span></figure></div></a></div><div class="styles_secondaryTopStories__RD8JY"><a class="styles_featuredStory__iJm1_ styles_layoutControl__L1oHO" href="/article/12/17/2024/what-chrystina-freelands-resignation-means-for-justin-trudeau"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__cXVio" aria-hidden="true"></div><h2 class="styles_headline__jnXf9 styles_small__7cUU_">Canada is entering into uncharted political territory</h2><div><div class="styles_intro__xf0EC styles_small__7cUU_">The sudden resignation of the country’s finance minister has amplified concern over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership.</div></div><div class="styles_ledePhoto__6dRX6 styles_small__7cUU_"><figure class="styles_figure__YN8UZ styles_topSpacing__dZC8T"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Justin Trudeau" loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__BjnOG" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/4d1ff73a774e30b5788bfdc6b8088881c705a430-3900x2600.jpg?rect=217%2C0%2C3467%2C2600&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/4d1ff73a774e30b5788bfdc6b8088881c705a430-3900x2600.jpg?rect=217%2C0%2C3467%2C2600&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/4d1ff73a774e30b5788bfdc6b8088881c705a430-3900x2600.jpg?rect=217%2C0%2C3467%2C2600&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ePpnK styles_sansSerif__CuZQc">Carlos Osorio/Reuters</span></figure></div></a></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_divider__WudYN styles_vertical__tXlOD styles_left__u3693 styles_desktop__RLARz" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_divider__WudYN styles_rightTop__Og6N_ styles_vertical__tXlOD styles_tablet__cwDRQ" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_featuredTopStories__R488D"><div class="styles_secondaryTopStories__RD8JY styles_secondaryStoryFeature__nZXnH"><a class="styles_featuredStory__iJm1_ styles_layoutControl__L1oHO" href="/article/12/17/2024/what-chrystina-freelands-resignation-means-for-justin-trudeau"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__cXVio" aria-hidden="true"></div><h2 class="styles_headline__jnXf9 styles_small__7cUU_">Canada is entering into uncharted political territory</h2><div><div class="styles_intro__xf0EC styles_small__7cUU_">The sudden resignation of the country’s finance minister has amplified concern over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership.</div></div><div class="styles_ledePhoto__6dRX6 styles_small__7cUU_"><figure class="styles_figure__YN8UZ styles_topSpacing__dZC8T"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Justin Trudeau" loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__BjnOG" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/4d1ff73a774e30b5788bfdc6b8088881c705a430-3900x2600.jpg?rect=217%2C0%2C3467%2C2600&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/4d1ff73a774e30b5788bfdc6b8088881c705a430-3900x2600.jpg?rect=217%2C0%2C3467%2C2600&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/4d1ff73a774e30b5788bfdc6b8088881c705a430-3900x2600.jpg?rect=217%2C0%2C3467%2C2600&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ePpnK styles_sansSerif__CuZQc">Carlos Osorio/Reuters</span></figure></div></a></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_divider__Uufp3" aria-hidden="true"></div><section class="styles_section__DrElI" data-testid="homeFeaturedArticles"><a class="styles_featuredStory__LyB_4 styles_article__z5Whz" href="/article/12/17/2024/softbank-ceo-son-pledges-100b-in-us-projects-to-trump"><h2 class="styles_headline__N0RUc">SoftBank CEO pledges $100 billion, more jobs for Trump’s America</h2> <div class="styles_verticalSpacer__6N_PB"></div><div class="styles_authorWrapper__2WUj6"><img alt="Liz Hoffman" loading="lazy" width="34" height="34" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_headshot__ArQK_" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/1551c1f02005a2d088208a6004d1921628666991-1600x1600.png?auto=format&w=48&q=75 1x, https://img.semafor.com/1551c1f02005a2d088208a6004d1921628666991-1600x1600.png?auto=format&w=96&q=75 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/1551c1f02005a2d088208a6004d1921628666991-1600x1600.png?auto=format&w=96&q=75"/><div><p class="styles_author__ICqPj">Liz Hoffman</p></div></div></a><a class="styles_featuredStory__LyB_4 styles_article__z5Whz" href="/article/12/17/2024/aoc-eyes-historic-victory-for-top-democratic-panel-spot"><h2 class="styles_headline__N0RUc">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez eyes historic victory for top Democratic panel spot</h2> <div class="styles_verticalSpacer__6N_PB"></div><div class="styles_authorWrapper__2WUj6"><img alt="Kadia Goba" loading="lazy" width="34" height="34" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_headshot__ArQK_" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/4f8f1b442e9cf46551270d6c82129f7c5edd0648-1600x1600.png?auto=format&w=48&q=75 1x, https://img.semafor.com/4f8f1b442e9cf46551270d6c82129f7c5edd0648-1600x1600.png?auto=format&w=96&q=75 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/4f8f1b442e9cf46551270d6c82129f7c5edd0648-1600x1600.png?auto=format&w=96&q=75"/><div><p class="styles_author__ICqPj">Kadia Goba</p></div></div></a></section></div><div class="styles_wag__azrav" data-testid="wag"><div class="style_wagHeader__ZmwcI"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR style_horizontalDivider__XogHc" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="style_headlineImageWrapper__W8usr"><h2>The World at a Glance</h2><div class="style_wagImageHolder__uaFMW"><img alt="World Map" loading="lazy" width="130" height="73" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" style="color:transparent" src="https://static.semafor.com/_next/static/media/world_map_sm.c8d5f47b.png"/></div></div><div class="style_updatedTime__09XD_"><span class="style_timeContainer__t4NjT"><span class="style_dateDot__wJMdf"></span></span><span class="style_timeDate__BaPzK">Updated 3:59pm EST</span></div></div><div class="styles_wagArticles__vhUWz"><a href="/article/12/17/2024/luigi-mangione-indicted-in-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompsons-murder" class="styles_wagArticle__ZPq9z"><span class="styles_articleIndex__vlF9h">1</span><span class="styles_articleContent__HqmNv"><p>A grand jury indicted Luigi Mangione in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, <strong class="styles_strong__CyLpx">including terrorism charges.</strong></p></span></a><a href="/article/12/17/2024/doctors-report-world-first-pig-kidney-transplant-success" class="styles_wagArticle__ZPq9z"><span class="styles_articleIndex__vlF9h">2</span><span class="styles_articleContent__HqmNv"><p><strong class="styles_strong__CyLpx">A US woman’s genetically-modified pig kidney transplant </strong>encouraged doctors that the controversial procedure could become standard medical practice.</p></span></a><a href="/article/12/17/2024/china-reportedly-planning-to-hike-deficit-to-record-high-in-2025" class="styles_wagArticle__ZPq9z"><span class="styles_articleIndex__vlF9h">3</span><span class="styles_articleContent__HqmNv"><p><strong class="styles_strong__CyLpx">China plans to hike its budget deficit in 2025</strong> to a record high, Reuters reported, in a bid to revive its stagnant economy.</p></span></a><a href="/article/12/17/2024/top-russian-general-killed-in-moscow" class="styles_wagArticle__ZPq9z"><span class="styles_articleIndex__vlF9h">4</span><span class="styles_articleContent__HqmNv"><p>The <strong class="styles_strong__CyLpx">head of Russia’s chemical weapons unit was killed in Moscow</strong> in a scooter bombing attributed to Kyiv.</p></span></a><a href="/article/12/17/2024/pope-francis-details-assassination-attempt-in-iraq" class="styles_wagArticle__ZPq9z"><span class="styles_articleIndex__vlF9h">5</span><span class="styles_articleContent__HqmNv"><p><strong class="styles_strong__CyLpx">Pope Francis was targeted by a failed assassination attempt</strong> in 2021 in Iraq, the pontiff writes in a new memoir.</p></span></a><a href="/article/12/17/2024/syrias-interim-leader-calls-for-lifting-of-sanctions" class="styles_wagArticle__ZPq9z"><span class="styles_articleIndex__vlF9h">6</span><span class="styles_articleContent__HqmNv"><p>Syria’s de facto leader <strong class="styles_strong__CyLpx">called for sanctions against his country to be lifted</strong> and for global help in rebuilding a society battered by years of war.</p></span></a></div></div><div class="styles_section__zruPd"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_sectionDivider__RLDuK styles_top__JuHic" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_middleTopStories__gzIko" style="position:relative"><a class="styles_featuredStory__iJm1_ styles_layoutControl__L1oHO" href="/article/12/17/2024/syrias-interim-leader-calls-for-lifting-of-sanctions"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__cXVio" aria-hidden="true"></div><div><h2 class="styles_headline__jnXf9 styles_small__7cUU_">Syria’s interim leader calls for lifting of sanctions</h2></div><div><div><div class="styles_intro__xf0EC styles_small__7cUU_">The rebels who overthrew Bashar al-Assad have worked to present an image of order and distance themselves from Islamist politics. </div></div></div><div class="styles_ledePhoto__6dRX6 styles_small__7cUU_"><figure class="styles_figure__YN8UZ styles_topSpacing__dZC8T"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Mohammed al-Bashir delivers the Friday sermon at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus." loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__BjnOG" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/8bb06bb1b8da8de52c3eed77a8ce0c178ba6e694-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/8bb06bb1b8da8de52c3eed77a8ce0c178ba6e694-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/8bb06bb1b8da8de52c3eed77a8ce0c178ba6e694-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ePpnK styles_sansSerif__CuZQc">Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters</span></figure></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_verticalDivider__SuEDN" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__iJm1_ styles_layoutControl__L1oHO" href="/article/12/17/2024/top-russian-general-killed-in-moscow"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__cXVio" aria-hidden="true"></div><div><h2 class="styles_headline__jnXf9 styles_small__7cUU_">Top Russian general killed in Moscow </h2></div><div><div><div class="styles_intro__xf0EC styles_small__7cUU_">Multiple reports cited Ukrainian sources as saying Kyiv was behind the attack on the general in charge of Russia’s chemical weapons unit.</div></div></div><div class="styles_ledePhoto__6dRX6 styles_small__7cUU_"><figure class="styles_figure__YN8UZ styles_topSpacing__dZC8T"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov at a press conference in Moscow" loading="lazy" width="644" height="362" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__BjnOG" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/19bac11bc66f4ab117bc93d6338c5f278bc2380c-1600x900.jpg?rect=200%2C0%2C1200%2C900&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/19bac11bc66f4ab117bc93d6338c5f278bc2380c-1600x900.jpg?rect=200%2C0%2C1200%2C900&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/19bac11bc66f4ab117bc93d6338c5f278bc2380c-1600x900.jpg?rect=200%2C0%2C1200%2C900&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ePpnK styles_sansSerif__CuZQc">Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters</span></figure></div></a><div class="styles_barrierSm__KCqcK"><style data-emotion="css 1dqzate">.css-1dqzate{position:fixed;top:0;left:0;right:0;width:100%;bottom:100%;z-index:900;}</style><div class="css-1dqzate"></div><style data-emotion="css 1i8iqpz animation-1cwuobz">.css-1i8iqpz{padding:0 12px;position:fixed;bottom:0;right:0;left:0;z-index:901;font-family:"FeatureFlatHeadline",serif;background-color:#f8f5d7;-webkit-transform:translate(0%, 101%);-moz-transform:translate(0%, 101%);-ms-transform:translate(0%, 101%);transform:translate(0%, 101%);-webkit-transition:-webkit-transform 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:transform 0.3s ease-in-out;padding-left:12px;padding-right:12px;}@media (min-width: 768px){.css-1i8iqpz{padding-left:24px;padding-right:24px;}}.css-1i8iqpz[aria-hidden="true"]{-webkit-animation:animation-1cwuobz 0.3s ease-in-out forwards;animation:animation-1cwuobz 0.3s ease-in-out forwards;}@-webkit-keyframes 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styles_small__7cUU_">Republicans see agriculture and abortion, not vaccines, as top Kennedy concerns</h2></div><div><div><div class="styles_intro__xf0EC styles_small__7cUU_">Donald Trump’s health secretary pick is an ex-Democrat with views on the two issues that better fit his former party.</div></div></div><div class="styles_ledePhoto__6dRX6 styles_small__7cUU_"><figure class="styles_figure__YN8UZ styles_topSpacing__dZC8T"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Robert F. 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16.0116C10 15.7418 10.4701 15.4624 11 15.1734L11 16.185C9.75213 17.3988 8.82906 18.6705 8.23077 20L7.76923 20C7.18803 18.6705 6.26496 17.3988 5 16.185L5 15.1734Z" fill="#53524C"></path></svg></a></form></div></div><div class="styles_mobileSpacer__xOLH5"></div><div class="styles_curioStream__M3rPw"><h3 class="styles_title__plQfy">CURIO</h3><a href="/article/12/12/2024/tetris-makers-combine-gameplay-and-documentary-filmmaking-to-celebrate-40th-anniversary" class="styles_curio__lpkXa"><div class="styles_textContainer__XHp5t"><h2>‘Tetris’ makers combine gameplay and documentary filmmaking to celebrate 40th anniversary </h2><div class="styles_description__CTrAZ">‘Tetris Forever’ celebrates the game’s 40-year history, and includes some of the block-stacking game’s more unusual variations.</div></div><div class="styles_mediaContainer__wgvti"><figure class="styles_figure__YN8UZ styles_topSpacing__dZC8T"><img data-categories="essential" alt="A screen showing a Nintendo Tetris game." 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styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-0__N4IAc styles_imagePreview__BWdYQ undefined styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/republican-senators-begin-their-battle-against-maga-primary-challengers"><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn"><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn styles_responsiveCenter__hxvHZ styles_responsiveCenter__Kd6iI"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_ledeHeadline__hV5Gi styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w">The battle begins: Republican senators vs. MAGA primary foes</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_ledeDescription__FD7_V styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w">What’s happening to Bill Cassidy in Louisiana could be a preview of the future for several of his fellow incumbents.</div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg"><img data-categories="essential" alt="The US Capitol" loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/f6773b59540a2a981f01d84568deea5e49275d40-5728x3819.jpg?rect=318%2C0%2C5092%2C3819&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/f6773b59540a2a981f01d84568deea5e49275d40-5728x3819.jpg?rect=318%2C0%2C5092%2C3819&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/f6773b59540a2a981f01d84568deea5e49275d40-5728x3819.jpg?rect=318%2C0%2C5092%2C3819&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters</span></figure></div></div></div><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-0__7vBqx" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-1__JGizl styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/judge-rejects-trump-presidential-immunity-claim-in-hush-money-case"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w styles_headline__MOZEV">Judge rejects Trump presidential immunity claim in hush money case</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w styles_description__MuLLy">Justice Juan Merchan said Trump’s prosecution for “decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the executive branch.” </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg"><img data-categories="essential" alt="A headshot of Donald Trump" loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/8c9601c6a76513158cf4b5ce67e06fbe076f430e-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/8c9601c6a76513158cf4b5ce67e06fbe076f430e-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/8c9601c6a76513158cf4b5ce67e06fbe076f430e-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Brandon Bell/Pool via Reuters </span></figure></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-1__kxHkX" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-2__yrzra styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/trump-may-pick-a-democrat-to-lead-fema"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w styles_headline__MOZEV">Trump may pick a Democrat to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w styles_description__MuLLy">Appointing congressman Jared Moskowitz would allow Republicans to temporarily grow their slim House majority.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla." loading="lazy" width="644" height="458" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/f4781029906a6b39a70cb0e8bc099cbc77193fcb-640x456.jpg?rect=16%2C0%2C608%2C456&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/f4781029906a6b39a70cb0e8bc099cbc77193fcb-640x456.jpg?rect=16%2C0%2C608%2C456&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/f4781029906a6b39a70cb0e8bc099cbc77193fcb-640x456.jpg?rect=16%2C0%2C608%2C456&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Wikimedia Commons</span></figure></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-2__MfNsO" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-3__kkq57 styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/aoc-eyes-historic-victory-for-top-democratic-panel-spot"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez eyes historic victory for top Democratic panel spot</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The congresswoman might win the spot to lead her party on the House Oversight Committee, despite the steering committee recommending her rival.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-3__WnFAe" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-3__V31a0" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-4__jaFyR styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/16/2024/argentinas-javier-milei-to-attend-donald-trumps-inauguration"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">What Milei’s inauguration invitation reveals about Trump’s next term</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The president-elect’s decision to invite several world leaders to his swearing-in ceremony, a break with precedent, offers clues to his foreign policy agenda. </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-4__t0Wt7" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-4__h_h8u" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-5__Emble styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/16/2024/mcconnell-warns-trump-against-isolationism-in-new-essay"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">McConnell warns Trump against isolationism in new essay</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The outgoing Senate Republican leader makes a forceful case for US military support for Ukraine, urging Trump to reject the “myopic” views of some of his allies. </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-5__T1FTu" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-6__TktSV styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/16/2024/bidens-last-month-to-include-more-pardons-ai-action"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Biden’s last month to include more pardons, AI action </h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The White House comms director highlighted, in a memo, the administration’s push to implement key legislation in its final days.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-6__tffAm" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-7__NkZts styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/15/2024/republicans-see-agriculture-and-abortion-not-vaccines-as-top-kennedy-concerns"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Republicans see agriculture and abortion, not vaccines, as top Kennedy concerns</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Donald Trump’s health secretary pick is an ex-Democrat with views on the two issues that better fit his former party.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-7__BvANf" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-7__0ylw8" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-8__WOFRn styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/13/2024/you-try-to-find-common-ground-democrats-say-theyre-ready-to-work-with-donald-trump"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">‘You try to find common ground’: Democrats say they’re ready to work with Donald Trump</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The political landscape has changed since 2017.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-8__KTx47" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-9__xbg5k styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/13/2024/chris-sununu-has-doge-fever"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Chris Sununu has DOGE fever</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The retiring New Hampshire governor is a Republican Trump skeptic, but true believer in Elon Musk’s cost-cutting effort.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-9__xspNu" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__1BicZ styles_article-10__dO4F7 styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/12/2024/top-biden-science-and-tech-official-on-trump-china-and-a-chips-20"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Top Biden science and tech official on Trump, China and a ‘CHIPS 2.0’</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The departing head of the National Institute of Standards and Technology says the US needs to keep up funding for semiconductor research.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a></div></div><div class="styles_section__oYQem styles_layoutControl__iGUCF"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_topDevider__8QFrN" aria-hidden="true"></div><a href="/vertical/business" class="styles_sectionTitle__wU9BJ styles_sectionTitleField__4ZBMk">business</a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-0__Z5QVM styles_sectionDivider__vogq9" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_gridItems__p9oVe" style="position:relative"><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-0__IJndr styles_imagePreview__BWdYQ styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/us-dollar-recovers-as-trump-threatens-brics-nations"><div class="styles_twoColumnMedia__yo4aj"><div class="styles_firstColumnMedia___Bc8C"><div class="styles_mediaContent__vmqfi"><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_ledeHeadline__hV5Gi">US Dollar rebounds as Trump threatens BRICS nations</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_ledeDescription__FD7_V">The greenback has finally recovered since Trump threatened sanctions against Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.</div></div></div></div></div><div class="styles_secondColumnMedia__eoMGf"><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg styles_mediaClassName__K55Oj"><img data-categories="essential" alt="A US one dollar banknote is seen in this illustration" loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/32ebc9f8ec15fc837cf5e79123f65dab280b883b-1280x854.png?rect=71%2C0%2C1139%2C854&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/32ebc9f8ec15fc837cf5e79123f65dab280b883b-1280x854.png?rect=71%2C0%2C1139%2C854&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/32ebc9f8ec15fc837cf5e79123f65dab280b883b-1280x854.png?rect=71%2C0%2C1139%2C854&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Murad Sezer/File Photo/Reuters</span></figure></div></div></a><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-1__34WB6 styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/softbank-ceo-son-pledges-100b-in-us-projects-to-trump"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">SoftBank CEO pledges $100 billion, more jobs for Trump’s America</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has committed $100 billion in US investments during Trump’s incoming reign, doubling his pledge from 2016. </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-1__LfDlQ" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-2__okEEo styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/15/2024/activist-air-products-board-nominee-is-said-to-be-source-of-decade-old-ma-leak-court-filing"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Activist Air Products board nominee is said to be source of decade-old M&A leak: court filing</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Dennis Reilley is identified in court documents as the source of a leak about the 2014 sale of Covidien.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-2__G_6L1" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-3__aWqns styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/12/2024/lina-khan-beats-grocery-merger-as-biden-administration-winds-down"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Lina Khan beats grocery merger as Biden administration winds down</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Albertsons immediately sued Kroger, saying it hadn’t tried hard enough to win regulatory support for the deal.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-3__vyER7" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-3__8t8bo" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-4__V6Hjr styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/12/2024/private-equity-pioneer-david-bonderman-dies-at-82"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Private-equity pioneer David Bonderman dies at 82</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Bonderman co-founded TPG, which started as a small outfit investing the fortune of a Texas oilman and became one of the biggest PE firms in the world.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-4__VCpJH" aria-hidden="true"></div></div></div><div class="styles_section__oYQem styles_layoutControl__iGUCF"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_topDevider__8QFrN" aria-hidden="true"></div><a href="/vertical/tech" class="styles_sectionTitle__wU9BJ">technology</a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-heading__QLKK5 styles_sectionDivider__bD_4X" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_gridItems__Fp59N" style="position:relative"><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-0__OawMt styles_imagePreview__BWdYQ styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/12/2024/why-alphabet-and-google-ceo-sundar-pichai-never-panicked"><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn"><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn styles_responsiveCenter__hxvHZ styles_responsiveCenter__FQPGX"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_ledeHeadline__hV5Gi">Why Sundar Pichai never panicked</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_ledeDescription__FD7_V styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w">The Alphabet and Google CEO’s quiet conviction begins to bear fruit, with new AI products and breakthroughs.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg styles_mediaSectionClassName__UZbHL"><img data-categories="essential" alt="" loading="lazy" width="644" height="491" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/54ced572e1d76884c456a4f16ae1dba0d5521d18-2560x1952.png?rect=0%2C16%2C2560%2C1920&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/54ced572e1d76884c456a4f16ae1dba0d5521d18-2560x1952.png?rect=0%2C16%2C2560%2C1920&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/54ced572e1d76884c456a4f16ae1dba0d5521d18-2560x1952.png?rect=0%2C16%2C2560%2C1920&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Al Lucca/Semafor</span></figure></div></div></div><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-0__ARot5" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-1__NbZZ2 styles_imagePreview__BWdYQ styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/12/2024/sundar-pichai-on-the-future-of-ai-waymo-and-quantum-computing"><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn"><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn styles_responsiveCenter__hxvHZ styles_responsiveCenter__FQPGX"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_ledeHeadline__hV5Gi">Google CEO talks about the future of AI, Waymo and quantum computing</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_ledeDescription__FD7_V styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w">In an exclusive interview, Sundar Pichai talks to Semafor after a week of product announcements.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg styles_mediaSectionClassName__UZbHL"><img data-categories="essential" alt="" loading="lazy" width="644" height="428" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/a09a13059665ad7de8b17443e65c4cb48f9fb8c0-2543x1693.png?rect=144%2C0%2C2257%2C1693&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/a09a13059665ad7de8b17443e65c4cb48f9fb8c0-2543x1693.png?rect=144%2C0%2C2257%2C1693&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/a09a13059665ad7de8b17443e65c4cb48f9fb8c0-2543x1693.png?rect=144%2C0%2C2257%2C1693&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Andrej Sokolow/dpa via Reuters </span></figure></div></div></div><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-1__sHXmL" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-2__HsE7h styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/11/2024/venture-firm-dimension-raises-500m-second-fund-to-bridge-the-gap-between-software-and-biotech"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Venture firm Dimension raises $500M second fund to bridge software-biotech gap</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The fund, the company’s second in less than two years, will be used to invest in the hot space where AI is being used to develop new, lifesaving drugs. </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-2__hVjzg" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-3__RNqBS styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/11/2024/google-reveals-new-ai-capabilities-built-on-top-of-its-gemini-20-foundational-model"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Google reveals new AI capabilities built on top of its Gemini 2.0 foundational model</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Google shared the latest Astra capabilities and a new Chrome plugin called ‘Project Mariner,’ which takes control of your web browser and autonomously completes tasks. </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-3__h2ECQ" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-3__7rp3v" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-4__XIHfn styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/11/2024/tsmc-founder-morris-chang-reveals-chip-industry-intel-in-new-memoir"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">TSMC founder Morris Chang reveals chip industry intel in new memoir</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Chang revealed that he asked Nvidia’s Jensen Huang twice if he’d consider taking the helm at the Taiwanese chip giant, and Huang twice refused.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-4__4DmR0" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-5__a0nxg styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/11/2024/google-unveils-upgraded-version-of-its-gemini-ai-model"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Google unveils upgraded version of its Gemini AI model</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Google is positioning the model as an “agent” that can “think multiple steps ahead, and take action on your behalf.”</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a></div></div><div class="styles_section__oYQem styles_layoutControl__iGUCF"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_topDevider__8QFrN" aria-hidden="true"></div><a href="/vertical/netzero" class="styles_sectionTitle__wU9BJ">net zero</a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__oSHm2" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_gridItems__1Ss8S" style="position:relative"><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article-0__W7Nxw styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/japan-boosts-renewable-energy-targets-as-it-tries-to-catch-up-with-its-neighbors"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Japan boosts renewable energy targets as it tries to catch up with its neighbors</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Japan has been slow to adopt renewable energy compared to China and India, as well as G7 countries.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Aizu Electric Power’s Oguni solar power station is pictured in Kitakata, Japan" loading="lazy" width="644" height="434" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/bce0621be2ef8e4eac25341391401899227fa914-5286x3564.jpg?rect=267%2C0%2C4752%2C3564&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/bce0621be2ef8e4eac25341391401899227fa914-5286x3564.jpg?rect=267%2C0%2C4752%2C3564&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/bce0621be2ef8e4eac25341391401899227fa914-5286x3564.jpg?rect=267%2C0%2C4752%2C3564&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Yuka Obayashi/File Photo/Reuters</span></figure></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__ly1uB" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article-1__ey5_7 styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/13/2024/ge-vernova-shrugs-off-proposed-trump-tariffs"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">GE Vernova shrugs off proposed Trump tariffs </h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The energy equipment manufacturer says that some of it’s orders are backlogged until 2029, as global demand soars.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Wind turbines in southern California" loading="lazy" width="644" height="483" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/7038385b5ee5b2ecb196c9924ecc5714d415db62-4896x3672.png?w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/7038385b5ee5b2ecb196c9924ecc5714d415db62-4896x3672.png?w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/7038385b5ee5b2ecb196c9924ecc5714d415db62-4896x3672.png?w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Erik Wilde/Wikimedia Commons</span></figure></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__ly1uB" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article-2__FRpdg styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/13/2024/uk-government-overhauls-energy-grid-prioritizing-renewables"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">UK government overhauls energy grid, prioritizing renewables</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The plans will streamline access for new clean energy projects.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Walney Offshore Windfarm." loading="lazy" width="644" height="483" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/fa4e1eb12f8be716c632434271d0dc8001d5b701-1280x960.png?w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/fa4e1eb12f8be716c632434271d0dc8001d5b701-1280x960.png?w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/fa4e1eb12f8be716c632434271d0dc8001d5b701-1280x960.png?w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">David Dixon/Wikimedia Commons</span></figure></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__ly1uB" aria-hidden="true"></div></div></div><div class="styles_section__oYQem styles_layoutControl__iGUCF"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_topDevider__8QFrN" aria-hidden="true"></div><a href="/vertical/gulf" class="styles_sectionTitle__wU9BJ styles_sectionTitleField__4ZBMk">gulf</a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-0__Z5QVM styles_sectionDivider__vogq9" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_gridItems__p9oVe" style="position:relative"><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-0__IJndr styles_imagePreview__BWdYQ styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/16/2024/fall-of-assad-regime-in-syria-in-syria-reveals-large-scale-production-of-illicit-drug-captagon"><div class="styles_twoColumnMedia__yo4aj"><div class="styles_firstColumnMedia___Bc8C"><div class="styles_mediaContent__vmqfi"><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_ledeHeadline__hV5Gi">Assad regime fall in Syria reveals large-scale production of illicit drug captagon</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_ledeDescription__FD7_V">Syria was the primary manufacturer and profiter in the illicit trade of the popular amphetamine, which Gulf countries have long battled.</div></div></div></div></div><div class="styles_secondColumnMedia__eoMGf"><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg styles_mediaClassName__K55Oj"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Fighter, loyal to Syria’s new ruling administration, holds a box containing according to them, captagon pills, on the outskirts of Damascus" loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/f06f302ba83a76f43041f419f0896f301200a8cd-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/f06f302ba83a76f43041f419f0896f301200a8cd-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/f06f302ba83a76f43041f419f0896f301200a8cd-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Mohamed Azakir/Reuters</span></figure></div></div></a><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-1__34WB6 styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/16/2024/qatar-hikes-spending-sees-deficit-to-drive-economic-diversification"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Qatar hikes spending to drive economic diversification</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The country is also planning on the biggest salary increase for government workers in years.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-1__LfDlQ" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-2__okEEo styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/16/2024/oman-delays-income-tax-plans-citing-slow-economy"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Oman delays income tax plans, citing slow economy</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The move, first outlined in 2022, would make Oman the first country in the Gulf to introduce personal income taxation. </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-2__G_6L1" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-3__aWqns styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/16/2024/trump-organization-eyes-gulf-expansion"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Trump Organization eyes Gulf expansion</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The president-elect’s son Eric Trump touted crypto and announced plans for two new Trump Towers in Saudi Arabia while on a tour of the region.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-3__vyER7" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-3__8t8bo" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-4__V6Hjr styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/16/2024/analysis-the-hidden-challenge-of-saudi-unemployment"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Analysis: The hidden challenge of Saudi unemployment </h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Saudi Arabia aims to reduce unemployment to 5% by 2030, but the sustainability of its job creation efforts will test the balance between public and private sector growth.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-4__VCpJH" aria-hidden="true"></div></div></div><div class="styles_section__oYQem styles_layoutControl__iGUCF"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_topDevider__8QFrN" aria-hidden="true"></div><a href="/vertical/africa" class="styles_sectionTitle__wU9BJ">africa</a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-heading__QLKK5 styles_sectionDivider__bD_4X" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_gridItems__Fp59N" style="position:relative"><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-0__OawMt styles_imagePreview__BWdYQ styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/african-tech-group-secures-310-million"><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn"><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn styles_responsiveCenter__hxvHZ styles_responsiveCenter__FQPGX"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_ledeHeadline__hV5Gi">African tech group Cassava Technologies secures $310M</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_ledeDescription__FD7_V styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w">Cassava Technologies operates data center and cloud services businesses across Africa. </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg styles_mediaSectionClassName__UZbHL"><img data-categories="essential" alt="A data center" loading="lazy" width="644" height="354" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/24b154283b0a257a6400ce5c62cf86633bbf382d-1237x681.jpg?rect=165%2C0%2C908%2C681&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/24b154283b0a257a6400ce5c62cf86633bbf382d-1237x681.jpg?rect=165%2C0%2C908%2C681&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/24b154283b0a257a6400ce5c62cf86633bbf382d-1237x681.jpg?rect=165%2C0%2C908%2C681&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Africa Data Centres</span></figure></div></div></div><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-0__ARot5" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-1__NbZZ2 styles_imagePreview__BWdYQ styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/africas-geothermal-energy-potential"><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn"><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div><div class="styles_responsiveContainer__ggIdn styles_responsiveCenter__hxvHZ styles_responsiveCenter__FQPGX"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_ledeHeadline__hV5Gi">Africa’s geothermal energy potential</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_ledeDescription__FD7_V styles_hasLedeMedia__Ko41w">Geothermal energy only meets 1% of global electricity demand but experts predict that could grow to 15% by 2050. </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg styles_mediaSectionClassName__UZbHL"><img data-categories="essential" alt="" loading="lazy" width="644" height="756" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/e027c4e80b58903fed533ca2e4997ebe4de08714-1066x1252.jpg?rect=0%2C226%2C1066%2C800&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/e027c4e80b58903fed533ca2e4997ebe4de08714-1066x1252.jpg?rect=0%2C226%2C1066%2C800&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/e027c4e80b58903fed533ca2e4997ebe4de08714-1066x1252.jpg?rect=0%2C226%2C1066%2C800&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/></figure></div></div></div><div class="styles_responsiveColumn__eHH9U"></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-1__sHXmL" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-2__HsE7h styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/17/2024/nigeria-creator-economy-booms-on-social-media"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Why Nigeria’s creator economy is booming</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Young talent managers are stepping up to professionalize the fast-growing content creator market in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-2__hVjzg" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-3__RNqBS styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/16/2024/africas-top-fund-managers-feel-pressure-to-back-climate-investments"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Africa’s fund managers feel pressure to back climate investments</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Western development finance institutions have been keen to encourage climate investments.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-3__h2ECQ" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-3__7rp3v" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-4__XIHfn styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/12/2024/kenyan-regulators-target-buy-now-pay-later-players"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Regulators target Kenya’s booming ‘buy now, pay later’ sector</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Tight economic conditions are helping drive a boom in Kenya’s buy now pay later (BNPL) credit sector, with more people paying in installments for higher-priced purchases.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-4__4DmR0" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Smvmt styles_article-5__a0nxg styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/12/2024/somalia-and-ethiopia-resolve-somaliland-row"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Somalia and Ethiopia resolve Somaliland row</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">The new agreement comes even as sources close to US President-elect Donald Trump say his administration is likely to recognize Somaliland’s independence.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a></div></div><div class="styles_section__oYQem styles_layoutControl__iGUCF"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_topDevider__8QFrN" aria-hidden="true"></div><a href="/vertical/media" class="styles_sectionTitle__wU9BJ styles_sectionTitleField__4ZBMk">media</a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-0__Z5QVM styles_sectionDivider__vogq9" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_gridItems__p9oVe" style="position:relative"><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-0__IJndr styles_imagePreview__BWdYQ styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/15/2024/kamala-harris-digital-chief-on-democrats-losing-hold-of-culture"><div class="styles_twoColumnMedia__yo4aj"><div class="styles_firstColumnMedia___Bc8C"><div class="styles_mediaContent__vmqfi"><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_ledeHeadline__hV5Gi">Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_ledeDescription__FD7_V">Deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty discusses Harris’ 2024 media strategy.</div></div></div></div></div><div class="styles_secondColumnMedia__eoMGf"><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg styles_mediaClassName__K55Oj"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Kamala Harris giving her concession speech" loading="lazy" width="644" height="483" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/a28367d21e481e5cdb63be28ef08c5d1d9a3033a-3413x2560.jpg?w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/a28367d21e481e5cdb63be28ef08c5d1d9a3033a-3413x2560.jpg?w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/a28367d21e481e5cdb63be28ef08c5d1d9a3033a-3413x2560.jpg?w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Kevin Lamarque/Reuters</span></figure></div></div></a><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-1__34WB6 styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/15/2024/cloudy-skies-at-bluesky"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Cloudy skies at Bluesky</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">More and more journalists have joined the platform — including Jesse Singal, who some users want to ban.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-1__LfDlQ" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-2__okEEo styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/15/2024/axios-braces-for-future-trump-legal-action"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Axios braces for future Trump legal action</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">News organizations are trying to prep for the incoming Trump administration.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-2__G_6L1" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-3__aWqns styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/15/2024/more-youtube-viewers-are-watching-on-their-tvs"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">More YouTube viewers are watching on their TVs</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Viewers watched over 400 million hours of podcasts monthly on living room devices, the company told Semafor.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_h-divider-3__vyER7" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-3__8t8bo" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article__Z8Z_g styles_article-4__V6Hjr styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/13/2024/mixed-signals-how-youtube-became-tv-with-colin-and-samir"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">Mixed Signals: How YouTube became TV – with Colin and Samir</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">YouTube and podcasts have come fully of age as dominant forms of media, and legacy media companies are frantic to buy their way in.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_v-divider-4__VCpJH" aria-hidden="true"></div></div></div><div class="styles_section__oYQem styles_layoutControl__iGUCF"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_topDevider__8QFrN" aria-hidden="true"></div><a href="/vertical/security" class="styles_sectionTitle__wU9BJ">security</a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__oSHm2" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_gridItems__1Ss8S" style="position:relative"><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article-0__W7Nxw styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/12/2024/what-will-happen-with-south-korean-president-yoon"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">South Korea faces power vacuum amid deepening political crisis</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Analysts fear a weakened government could affect South Korea’s trade and security, weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Yoon Suk Yeol " loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/580621d0d7dc0151126100756dcd058721d4b90f-5500x3668.jpg?rect=305%2C0%2C4891%2C3668&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/580621d0d7dc0151126100756dcd058721d4b90f-5500x3668.jpg?rect=305%2C0%2C4891%2C3668&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/580621d0d7dc0151126100756dcd058721d4b90f-5500x3668.jpg?rect=305%2C0%2C4891%2C3668&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters</span></figure></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__ly1uB" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article-1__ey5_7 styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/12/2024/un-next-syrian-government-must-be-inclusive-of-minorities"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">UN urges Syria factions to avoid civil war amid humanitarian crisis</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">With the regime gone, several groups within Syria are vying for power as the country transitions. </div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg"><img data-categories="essential" alt="A photo of a crowd in Syria after the fall of Assad." loading="lazy" width="644" height="429" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/bb2a695a7bc71369287d7ada792d5767a5a27f58-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/bb2a695a7bc71369287d7ada792d5767a5a27f58-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/bb2a695a7bc71369287d7ada792d5767a5a27f58-1600x1066.jpg?rect=90%2C0%2C1421%2C1066&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Ammar Awad/Reuters</span></figure></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__ly1uB" aria-hidden="true"></div><a class="styles_featuredStory__6_iye styles_article-2__FRpdg styles_layoutControl__S4jQx" href="/article/12/11/2024/us-funds-ukraine-using-seized-russian-assets"><div class=""><div class=""><div class=""><div><h2 class="styles_headline__0eSG_ styles_headline__MOZEV">US funds Ukraine using seized Russian assets</h2></div><div class="styles_descriptionRow__rB3Zw"><div><div class="styles_intro__eEyMN styles_description__MuLLy">Washington gave Kyiv a $20 billion loan using the assets as part of a Ukraine aid push ahead of Donald Trump taking office.</div></div></div></div></div><div class=""><figure class="styles_figure__vTRZl styles_topSpacing__7bNrg"><img data-categories="essential" alt="Volodymyrr Zelenskyy is embraced by Joe Biden in the Oval Office, Washington, DC" loading="lazy" width="644" height="431" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="styles_image__tD6b9" style="color:transparent" srcSet="https://img.semafor.com/af441610a04c6b6b25fe309f9a646ddf63f26bee-1600x1073.jpg?rect=85%2C0%2C1431%2C1073&w=750&h=966&q=75&auto=format 1x, https://img.semafor.com/af441610a04c6b6b25fe309f9a646ddf63f26bee-1600x1073.jpg?rect=85%2C0%2C1431%2C1073&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format 2x" src="https://img.semafor.com/af441610a04c6b6b25fe309f9a646ddf63f26bee-1600x1073.jpg?rect=85%2C0%2C1431%2C1073&w=1920&h=966&q=75&auto=format"/><span class="styles_attribution__ywkPS">Kevin Lamarque/File Photo/Reuters</span></figure></div></div></a><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_vertical__l_4R6 styles_layoutControl__zEouR" aria-hidden="true"></div><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR styles_horizontalDivider__ly1uB" aria-hidden="true"></div></div></div></div><div data-testid="ad-home" class="styles_adHomeWrapper__wtCr2 styles_layoutControl__2t_p4"><div class="styles_divider__xkDtO styles_layoutControl__zEouR" aria-hidden="true"></div><div 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Progress has been relentless over the last decade.It’s definitely broadened the wider public into the world now, so it’s mainstream. But when I look ahead into 2025, I definitely think we already have capable models enough now (that) we can build many, many use cases on top of it. That progress is going to be very real. With Gemini 2.0, we are laying the foundation for it to be more agentic. While it is still within the realm of research, we’re putting it out in the hands of the trusted testers, things like Project Mariner, to work on Chrome from inception. To watch a model being able to use the browser is pretty incredible to see, but we have to break through some barriers because we are in these fields where we have to do it safely, reliably. The saying goes, ‘the final 20% takes 80% of the effort.’ In this case, the last 10% may take 90% of the effort. But that’s why we have benchmarks. We’re making progress. We’re putting it out in the hands of trusted testers. That way we can responsibly test, get feedback, then we’ll give it to more people, and so on. But think about all the workflows in the world which AI can begin to influence. We may actually see dramatically more progress than what we have seen. Both are simultaneously true."])</script><script>self.__next_f.push([1,"27:T432,"])</script><script>self.__next_f.push([1,"As humans, our experience with the world is incredibly multimodal, so it’s always made sense. This is why we did Google Lens for search. You shouldn’t always have to type if you could point your phone to something you’re looking at and ask the question. Lens gets billions of queries every month for us, it’s one of our fastest-growing use cases. It’s always been clear to me that that is the future of where things will go. Demis and (the) team, they’ve always had the strong vision. One of the things we launched as part of all this is, you can use it to help in games. Project, NaVi. If you’re a new gamer, it’s looking at what you’re doing and talking to you to give feedback. I think that’s the foundation of it. And down the line, when you look at things like robotics and stuff, it’s going to be incredibly important. It’s important in Waymo. Waymo is all about seeing the world around you and making decisions. Our work, which we are doing with these natively multimodal models, will intersect with Waymo and make Waymo even better over time."])</script><script>self.__next_f.push([1,"28:T422,"])</script><script>self.__next_f.push([1,"To your earlier question, classical computing, or super computers are getting more and more powerful. But I think quantum will, for certain types of use cases, end up playing a powerful role. It’ll be an important tool in our arsenal. And down the line, the intersection of quantum and AI is very exciting to us. We published the state-of-the-art weather forecasting models with GenCast. 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Zuckerberg might also aim for an informal advisory role to aTrump White House in order to shape tech policy, Bloomberg reported.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"00ce473cde03\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-12-08/if-tiktok-is-banned-in-the-us-which-apps-benefit\",\"_key\":\"abeaea5f7ced\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Zuckerberg might benefit most from TikTok ban\",\"_type\":\"insight\"},{\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"338114321a11\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/12/17/tiktok-disinformation-falsely-accuses-von-der-leyen-of-cancelling-romanias-presidential-ru\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Despite the probe into Romanian election interference, TikTok accounts supporting far-right candidate Călin Georgescu are now spreading the falsehood that European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen personally intervened to nullify the vote, according to Euronews. The commission has repeatedly attested that it is the Romanian government — not the EU — that oversees the country’s electoral proceedings. These accounts are also promoting “\",\"_key\":\"ea431f601deb0\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_key\":\"ea431f601deb1\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"338114321a11\"],\"text\":\"anti-EU and anti-Western messages\"},{\"_key\":\"ea431f601deb2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” Euronews wrote. Still, legal experts have called Bucharest’s decision to annul the vote “unusual” given that Romanian authorities have not disclosed any evidence supporting the allegation that Moscow used TikTok to subvert the election.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e69742195a65\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Falsehoods circulating on TikTok blame Brussels for Romania’s election fiasco\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Euronews\"],\"_key\":\"97903594e67d\"}],\"imageCaption\":\"TikTok\",\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T21:04:22Z\",\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"geo_location\":\"North America\",\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"US President-elect Donald Trump met with TikTok’s CEO on Monday as a possible ban is set to come into force in January. \",\"_key\":\"a6e8503bb36e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c1e3db9ea9dc\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"vertical\":\"news\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Diego Mendoza\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/b370d5b0993409435f5e683d9eb961afe640413d-1600x1600.png\"}],\"timestamp\":\"2024-12-17T21:04:19Z\",\"expires\":true,\"id\":\"9a77e4ff-48ed-41cb-b650-e343c61a06b5\",\"headline\":\"TikTok’s future in limbo as EU opens probe and US ban looms \",\"location\":\"North America\",\"image\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Dado Ruvic/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"TikTok\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-c4cf7aade0f5d8a022f81949840c3d49e0279d79-4421x2886-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1},\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"}},{\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"ded0350f2417\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The charges include first-degree murder as an act of terrorism, prosecutors said. \"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8221a8192cd3\"}],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"timestamp\":\"2024-12-17T20:58:59Z\",\"geo_location\":null,\"location\":\"\",\"image\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Eduardo Munoz/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Luigi Mangione\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-dd10014ab6894d9d332dcfd9e73fb3776d461111-2902x1936-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1},\"imageAttribution\":\"Eduardo Munoz/Reuters\",\"expires\":true,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T20:59:02Z\",\"headline\":\"Suspect Luigi Mangione indicted on terror-related charges\",\"imageCaption\":\"Luigi Mangione\",\"signal\":null,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Diego Mendoza\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/b370d5b0993409435f5e683d9eb961afe640413d-1600x1600.png\"}],\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"vertical\":\"news\",\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"id\":\"4e3f5acb-4f52-4896-bd82-a753bd4b7923\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/luigi-mangione-indicted-in-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompsons-murder\"},{\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The sudden resignation of the country’s finance minister has amplified concern over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership.\",\"_key\":\"79438a8d4e050\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2c489b43478c\"}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Diego Mendoza\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/b370d5b0993409435f5e683d9eb961afe640413d-1600x1600.png\"}],\"location\":\"North America\",\"imageCaption\":\"Justin Trudeau\",\"id\":\"07b31033-983f-4877-be22-7c0df444c717\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/what-chrystina-freelands-resignation-means-for-justin-trudeau\",\"vertical\":\"news\",\"timestamp\":\"2024-12-17T18:30:25Z\",\"imageAttribution\":\"Carlos Osorio/Reuters\",\"signal\":[{\"body\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9048fef19be2\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/trudeau-considering-his-options-as-leader-after-freeland-quits-cabinet-sources-say-1.7146952\",\"_key\":\"1e4232778b3a\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Freeland was integral to Justin Trudeau’s government and instrumental in Canada’s post-pandemic recovery. Her loss means “it will be very hard for the prime minister to put the pieces back together again,” CBC wrote. Widely seen as Trudeau’s potential successor and closest ally, her scathing resignation latter — coupled with the recent resignations of several other cabinet members — suggests “a strange dichotomy with a prime minister who is otherwise able and willing to deal with the public.” After Freeland quit, Trudeau seemed to acknowledge he could soon lose his party’s support and is considering \",\"_key\":\"2deb4e46ec0a0\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"1e4232778b3a\"],\"text\":\"potential replacements\",\"_key\":\"2deb4e46ec0a1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" as party leaders, CTV News reported.\",\"_key\":\"2deb4e46ec0a2\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Freeland’s resignation lands biggest political blow to Trudeau yet\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"CBC\",\"CTV\"],\"_key\":\"84fb2f47a895\"},{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Conservative leader builds momentum following Trump win\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Global News\",\"Globe and Mail\"],\"_key\":\"8d60d2749751\",\"body\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1d4c6026378f\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://globalnews.ca/news/10919980/pierre-poilievre-donald-trump-ipsos-polling/\",\"_key\":\"6952591dc5d1\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"c8bd25377bf00\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"While Justin Trudeau had hoped to frame himself as the progressive foil to Donald Trump, his Conservative opposition has gained significant ground since the Republicans’ US presidency win. An Ispos poll found that some 44% of Canadians see the Conservatives as the better choice to deal with Trump, while 21% said they saw the Liberals as most adept. “It seems like everything that the federal government does under the leadership of Justin Trudeau is \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"6952591dc5d1\"],\"text\":\"almost like throwing gasoline on a fire\",\"_key\":\"c8bd25377bf01\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” Ispos’ CEO said. The effect of Trump, however, may also force Conservative leader Pierre Poiliviere to recognize that “he’s no longer in control of the narrative” against Trudeau, since it is Trump who now defines the anti-Trudeau movement, The Globe and Mail wrote.\",\"_key\":\"c8bd25377bf02\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}]},{\"insightTitle\":\"Ottawa should look beyond US for economic future\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"The Conversation\"],\"_key\":\"6a214a25617b\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://theconversation.com/trumps-tariff-threat-is-a-sign-that-canada-should-be-diversifying-beyond-the-u-s-245134\",\"_key\":\"3943306f45a3\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"More than 70% of Canada’s exports go to the US, and Trump’s tariff threats highlight “\",\"_key\":\"2355bc2155710\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"marks\":[\"3943306f45a3\"],\"text\":\"the vulnerability\",\"_key\":\"2355bc2155711\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" that comes with [such heavy reliance],” economist Eric Chi wrote for The Conversation. To protect Canadians’ interests, Ottawa must “lay the groundwork for a more resilient and diversified economy,” he argued, chiefly by diversifying trade to emerging markets. Canada is positioned to benefit from emerging markets because of its plentiful natural resources, a high-skilled and educated workforce, and strong democratic institutions. Still, diversification is “easier said than done,” Chi wrote, and Canada’s economic survival requires prioritizing mitigating Trump’s tariffs before diversification.\",\"_key\":\"2355bc2155712\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ece1c577a64a\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2}],\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"geo_location\":\"North America\",\"image\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Carlos Osorio/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Justin Trudeau\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-4d1ff73a774e30b5788bfdc6b8088881c705a430-3900x2600-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1},\"expires\":true,\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T18:30:29Z\",\"headline\":\"Canada is entering into uncharted political territory\"},{\"expires\":true,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T18:10:30Z\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"intro\":null,\"vertical\":\"business\",\"geo_location\":\"North America\",\"imageCaption\":\"A US one dollar banknote is seen in this illustration\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"image\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Murad Sezer/File Photo/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"A US one dollar banknote is seen in this illustration\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-32ebc9f8ec15fc837cf5e79123f65dab280b883b-1280x854-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/us-dollar-recovers-as-trump-threatens-brics-nations\",\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The greenback has finally recovered since Trump threatened sanctions against Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.\",\"_key\":\"8bb30c175d220\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d6c2e7dc7fb1\"}],\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Business\",\"_key\":\"business\",\"value\":\"business\"}],\"timestamp\":\"2024-12-17T18:10:27Z\",\"imageAttribution\":\"Murad Sezer/File Photo/Reuters\",\"id\":\"4e60086a-c6fc-4b41-b907-3063a7c6c278\",\"headline\":\"US Dollar rebounds as Trump threatens BRICS nations\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Liz Hoffman\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1551c1f02005a2d088208a6004d1921628666991-1600x1600.png\"}],\"location\":\"North America\",\"signal\":null},{\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"intro\":{\"_type\":\"intro\",\"schemaVersion\":1},\"geo_location\":\"East Asia\",\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T17:08:07Z\",\"id\":\"86d4f539-b836-4bf7-9911-579c1288c13d\",\"headline\":\"China reportedly planning record-high budget deficit in 2025 to boost spending\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/china-reportedly-planning-to-hike-deficit-to-record-high-in-2025\",\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The plan is in line with Beijing’s pledge last week to pursue a “more proactive” fiscal policy.\",\"_key\":\"dc0046e731de\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"72371e55222f\"}],\"location\":\"East Asia\",\"signal\":null,\"expires\":true,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"J.D. 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Soldiers’ salaries have \",\"_key\":\"30e142806f490\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"f2cd125c57df\"],\"text\":\"increased by 50%\",\"_key\":\"30e142806f491\"},{\"text\":\" since September, as the Kremlin has been forced to increase\",\"_key\":\"30e142806f492\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"526647b520a4\"],\"text\":\" pay-outs in order to replenish its ranks\",\"_key\":\"30e142806f493\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". The war will exact a greater effect on the economy in the coming year, a former Russian deputy energy minister said. Putin will have “to choose between sticking with \",\"_key\":\"30e142806f494\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"cb53364e3238\"],\"text\":\"high interest rates and watching industries collapse or letting inflation run wild\",\"_key\":\"30e142806f495\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\".”\",\"_key\":\"30e142806f496\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Putin warns of limits to defense spending\"},{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"The Kremlin prepares for possible conflict with NATO\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service\",\"Financial Times\"],\"_key\":\"40f2e5d0372d\",\"body\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"97cd60ca2944\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.valisluureamet.ee/doc/raport/2024-en.pdf\",\"_key\":\"7abb1fcda0e7\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"_key\":\"431b15e09d66\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.ft.com/content/c4942166-c61b-46ec-832f-1671aecf1b02\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Russia will boost its nuclear deterrence, developing unmanned weapons systems, and improving military training in preparation for a possible conflict against NATO, the defense minister said. 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But a Peterson Institute for International Economics analyst warned that Milei’s ambitious programs are tackling “\",\"_key\":\"b2be127bb3510\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"aca56f197b8f\"],\"text\":\"decades of mismanagement of public resources\",\"_key\":\"b2be127bb3511\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” and “appropriate for Argentina, but for nobody else.” In turn, several of Donald Trump’s key policy proposals — like mass deportations — would require increasing government oversight rather than downsizing, pundits told the BBC.\",\"_key\":\"b2be127bb3512\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9752095f501f\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y86vv0wneo\",\"_key\":\"aca56f197b8f\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":2},{\"insightTitle\":\"Meloni seen as bridge between Washington and Brussels\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"CNN\"],\"_key\":\"31f6b954bbe1\",\"body\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right stance on immigration has helped her build a strong rapport with Donald Trump. But beyond the two leader’s personal affinities, Italy “\",\"_key\":\"40881b4bb72b0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"7198f8c810d9\"],\"text\":\"will have kind of a monopoly\",\"_key\":\"40881b4bb72b1\"},{\"_key\":\"40881b4bb72b2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” over the president-elect’s attention while other European powers like France and Germany remain in political gridlock, Italian political scientist Giovanni Orsina told CNN. Meloni is also friends with Elon Musk, and her singular influence will be felt “as long as the Trump-Musk honeymoon lasts at least,” Orsina added. But it is “hard to know” just how much sway Meloni will have on Trump over issues they disagree on, like aid to Ukraine, with Meloni among Kyiv’s biggest champions in Europe, CNN noted.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8eaaf3af6799\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/14/europe/italy-giorgia-meloni-trump-relationship-intl/index.html\",\"_key\":\"7198f8c810d9\",\"_type\":\"link\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":2},{\"_key\":\"cd5a9895eef2\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3290950/inauguration-invitation-xi-shows-trumps-deal-making-action\",\"_key\":\"876f892d61c3\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Despite Donald Trump targeting China on trade, his invitation to Xi Jinping suggests nonetheless that the president-elect wants to be “seen as some kind of grand statesman” whose foreign policy is guided by “\",\"_key\":\"45f53a40c4780\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"876f892d61c3\"],\"text\":\"personal diplomacy\",\"_key\":\"45f53a40c4781\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” a China expert told the South China Morning Post. Xi is unlikely to accept, but the message to Beijing is that Trump will “cut through all the bureaucracy and make deals and make arrangements,” he added. Trump could seek more face-to-face meetings with Xi to wrap up negotiations on key issues, like stopping the flow of fentanyl-producing chemicals from China to Mexico. Such a deal might then determine how Trump responds to other US-China issues, including the future of Taiwan, SCMP reported.\",\"_key\":\"45f53a40c4782\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"add9e07aa412\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Inviting Xi shows Trump wants to define presidency with personal diplomacy\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"South China Morning Post\"]}]},{\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T14:15:00Z\",\"description\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"898154e1743d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Syria was the primary manufacturer and profiter in the illicit trade of the popular amphetamine, which Gulf countries have long battled.\",\"_key\":\"1933ed6aecc31\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]}],\"intro\":null,\"geo_location\":null,\"imageCaption\":\"Fighter, loyal to Syria’s new ruling administration, holds a box containing according to them, captagon pills, on the outskirts of 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\",\"_key\":\"817fd27c75570\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"SoftBank will invest $100 billion in the US, Donald Trump announced yesterday at Mar-a-Lago with CEO Masayoshi Son at his side. That’s double the $50 billion Son pledged after Trump’s 2016 win, pumping billions of dollars in startup investments that fueled the late 2010s Silicon Valley bubble.\",\"_key\":\"a659d1f8b9170\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"be2a8307781b\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"4e50ed700f8e0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I say, ‘President Trump is a double-down president, so I’m going to have to double down,’” Son said at Monday’s press conference. “That’s my confidence level.” (Trump asked Son on the spot yesterday to double down again to $200 billion. Son said he would try.)\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b0ae0b3c229a\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"901598182858\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"de80490324ce\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/us/politics/trump-wisconsin-foxconn-harley.html\"},{\"_key\":\"0984b139182b\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/21/foxconn-mostly-abandons-10-billion-wisconsin-project-touted-by-trump.html\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Trump has been burned before by companies making big, job-creating promises. Foxconn’s planned $10 billion factory in Wisconsin, which was \",\"_key\":\"b6c3f41e05c50\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"de80490324ce\"],\"text\":\"kicked off by a shovel-wielding Trump in 2018\",\"_key\":\"b6c3f41e05c51\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", has been \",\"_key\":\"b6c3f41e05c52\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"0984b139182b\"],\"text\":\"dramatically scaled back\",\"_key\":\"b6c3f41e05c55\"},{\"_key\":\"b6c3f41e05c56\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". Son helped broker that deal and accompanied Trump to the ground-breaking.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"7c43f13c7509\",\"title\":\"The News\"},{\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"5daac572d060\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"knowMore\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/DCPD-201800463/pdf/DCPD-201800463.pdf\",\"_key\":\"6ce754042d5d\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Son was, in Trump’s \",\"_key\":\"e310264ae0be0\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"marks\":[\"6ce754042d5d\"],\"text\":\"telling\",\"_key\":\"e310264ae0be1\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_key\":\"e310264ae0be2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", the first CEO to visit him after his 2016 win, but he has plenty of company this time around. Meta, Amazon, AI firm Perplexity and OpenAI founder Sam Altman have each pledged $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee. And executives including Apple’s Tim Cook, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, TikTok’s Shou Zi Chew, and Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai have or are expected to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said at Monday’s news conference. “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8f95ffa042b1\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/28/us/politics/trump-wisconsin-foxconn-harley.html\",\"_key\":\"a5e230cabf71\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/21/foxconn-mostly-abandons-10-billion-wisconsin-project-touted-by-trump.html\",\"_key\":\"4516eb2a8453\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Trump has been burned before by companies making big, job-creating promises. Foxconn’s planned $10 billion factory in Wisconsin, which was \",\"_key\":\"437efdbdecf80\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a5e230cabf71\"],\"text\":\"kicked off by a shovel-wielding Trump in 2018\",\"_key\":\"437efdbdecf81\"},{\"text\":\", has been \",\"_key\":\"437efdbdecf82\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"4516eb2a8453\"],\"text\":\"dramatically scaled back\",\"_key\":\"437efdbdecf83\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". Son helped broker that deal and accompanied Trump to the ground-breaking.\",\"_key\":\"437efdbdecf84\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"86d2d83a7b61\"}]},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-21T13:52:11Z\",\"_id\":\"0ae2f255-3cd3-4d21-b38c-359ba6ac0237\",\"twitter\":\"lizrhoffman\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-07-14T21:53:17-04:00\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/liz-hoffman\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T16:10:09Z\",\"email\":\"lhoffman@semafor.com\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"bio\":[{\"_key\":\"07c1ae08fa10\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"e26829fd2aac\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669739/crash-landing-by-liz-hoffman/\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Liz Hoffman is Semafor’s business and finance editor. She joined from The Wall Street Journal, where she spent nine years covering M\u0026A, investment banking, and the world of big money. She’s the author of “Crash Landing: The Inside Story of How the World’s Biggest Companies Survived an Economy on the Brink,” a \",\"_key\":\"9fd30e8b54b7\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e26829fd2aac\"],\"text\":\"book\",\"_key\":\"dacba9582875\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" about the pandemic’s economic toll. \",\"_key\":\"be749ae7f7e2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"shortName\":\"Liz\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1551c1f02005a2d088208a6004d1921628666991-1600x1600.png\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"authorTitle\":\"Business \u0026 Finance editor\",\"name\":\"Liz Hoffman\",\"_createdAt\":\"2022-10-04T19:17:43Z\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"_rev\":\"W29EKYrD7KKqvO8ZuUHO7B\"},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"9396a053ec12\",\"thescoop\":[{\"_key\":\"c930895b64b3\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"SoftBank doesn’t have $100 billion on hand, but assembling giant pools of \",\"_key\":\"d27946fb5b460\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"other\",\"_key\":\"d27946fb5b461\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" people’s money is Son’s specialty. He got half of the Vision Fund’s $100 billion from Middle East governments and funded his dealmaking for years by mortgaging SoftBank’s stake in Alibaba to generate cash. The cornerstone of his telecom and technology empire — the 2006 purchase of Vodafone Japan — was done almost entirely with borrowed money. He has that in common with Trump, who has proudly dubbed himself the “King of debt.”\",\"_key\":\"d27946fb5b462\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"3823df9ad628\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/10/21/2024/apollo-softbank-eyed-giant-ai-investment-fund\",\"_key\":\"adcffa6e5760\",\"_type\":\"link\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Semafor \",\"_key\":\"7c948d3bc3150\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"adcffa6e5760\"],\"text\":\"reported\",\"_key\":\"7c948d3bc3151\"},{\"_key\":\"7c948d3bc3152\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" in October that SoftBank had discussed a partnership of at least $20 billion with Apollo to invest in data centers and other AI infrastructure. Those talks appear to have cooled, but expect Son to tap his global network to make good on his promise to Trump.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"da6fba67c017\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/09/20/2024/ex-softbank-executive-alok-sama-memoir-money-trap\",\"_key\":\"9028cfa1de5c\",\"_type\":\"link\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"I asked Alok Sama, one of Son’s former top deputies at SoftBank, whether his old boss was good for the money. “With SoftBank’s current cash and leverage capacity, perhaps with investment partners, absolutely,” said Sama, whose recent \",\"_key\":\"8c3f3567670e\"},{\"text\":\"book\",\"_key\":\"165e13061ce1\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"9028cfa1de5c\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" about his time at the company dives deep into Son’s love of financial alchemy.\",\"_key\":\"6715c09a131f\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}]},{\"_key\":\"f951aafd3e8a\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5dcbc63286e7\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Gambling-Man/Lionel-Barber/9781668070741\",\"_key\":\"fcde12fccab8\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Lionel Barber is the former editor of the Financial Times (and Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson’s former boss). ‘Gambling Man,’ his \",\"_key\":\"20ef4c993dac\"},{\"_key\":\"af0fc0f3c71b\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\",\"fcde12fccab8\"],\"text\":\"book\"},{\"_key\":\"1e51382d958b\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\" on SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son, will be published on Jan. 21 by Simon \u0026 Schuster.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"857db05a7499\",\"markDefs\":null,\"imageEmbedExternalLink\":null,\"imageEmbedInternalLink\":null,\"imageEmbed\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"caption\":\"Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson: You just wrote a book on Masa Son. What’s he hoping to get out of promising Trump to invest $100bn in the US - and is he good for the money? Lionel Barber: Like Trump, Son is a showman. He wants to be seen with a winner. Having blown billions on WeWork, he’s mounting a comeback around AI. Like fellow tech bro Elon Musk, he needs friends in high places. He’s good for billions (but maybe not $100bn)\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-148dfcc8702d0f6db813add68ca5cf0204fb7a5a-1086x1350-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"_type\":\"imageEmbed\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\",\"where\":\"Lionel Barber\"}],\"signal\":null},{\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"intro\":null,\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Creative Commons\",\"link\":{\"externalLink\":\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Alexandria+Ocasio-Cortez\u0026title=Special:MediaSearch\u0026go=Go\u0026type=image\",\"_type\":\"imageEmbedLink\"},\"caption\":\"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-62635855e42897127aa4f92bc13ea11f89a8791e-640x427-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Creative Commons\",\"caption\":\"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez\"},\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":null,\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez eyes historic victory for top Democratic panel spot\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/aoc-eyes-historic-victory-for-top-democratic-panel-spot\",\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The congresswoman might win the spot to lead her party on the House Oversight Committee, despite the steering committee recommending her rival.\",\"_key\":\"90f7b380372e\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cec698448785\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"7ff52364-5abe-4492-926e-6a2c60223689\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3b79b9e4e82c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is eyeing what would be a historic victory to lead her party on the House Oversight Committee after its steering committee voted 34-27 in favor of her rival, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. \",\"_key\":\"22afe61de5370\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"db99cf8a58a6\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://bsky.app/profile/aoc.bsky.social/post/3ldhiw232422c\",\"_key\":\"8849583136be\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“A close vote is what we needed here, and that’s what we got,” she \",\"_key\":\"8438003cba8d\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"marks\":[\"8849583136be\"],\"text\":\"posted\",\"_key\":\"22afe61de5372\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" on Bluesky. \",\"_key\":\"22afe61de5373\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8799c19168dd\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"She and Connolly are expected to present their cases to House Democrats today before a final vote. Some members think Ocasio-Cortez will prevail. “Given how long that Representative Connolly has been in Congress, there’s a case that could be made that that vote should have been a lot stronger,” one lawmaker told Semafor. \",\"_key\":\"a8675c30212b\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"68bb70e5dbd9\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"If she wins, it would be the first time in a decade that Democrats defied their steering committee’s recommendation.\",\"_key\":\"90f7b380372e\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}]}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Kadia Goba\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/4f8f1b442e9cf46551270d6c82129f7c5edd0648-1600x1600.png\"}],\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T22:00:18.374Z\",\"id\":\"64f22379-de85-4835-80d9-ca1313bc93c7\",\"headlineOverride\":null,\"vertical\":\"politics\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"}],\"location\":\"North America\"},{\"headline\":\"Why Nigeria’s creator economy is booming\",\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"vertical\":\"africa\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Africa\",\"_key\":\"africa\",\"value\":\"africa\"}],\"signal\":null,\"headlineOverride\":null,\"description\":[{\"_key\":\"ec3c9f54da9f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Young talent managers are stepping up to professionalize the fast-growing content creator market in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.\",\"_key\":\"9965307d9a1c0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"location\":null,\"ledeVideo\":null,\"id\":\"a0b45b23-141e-44d0-9721-040730873e2d\",\"expires\":true,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T22:06:45.837Z\",\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/nigeria-creator-economy-booms-on-social-media\",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Torinmo Salau\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/32eb6a117ffeed8822718568f17ad4f28038f715-1000x1000.png\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"_key\":\"68f014f19a70\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8251e77f8855\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"d1f659b85eb30\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"LAGOS — Young talent managers are stepping up to professionalize the fast-growing content creator market that is coming to millions of mobile phone screens across Nigeria and the rest of Africa.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d9ec927fa53e\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Some of the top talent already earn six-figure dollar sums with everything from comedy skits to travelogues and cooking shows. Most of that is earned through partnerships with brands trying to reach consumers who are glued to clips on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.\",\"_key\":\"ab67caa99dec0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b265d01eaae8\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.youtube.com/@TayoAinaFilms/videos\",\"_key\":\"d565ed1f54d6\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.instagram.com/brodashaggi/?hl=en\",\"_key\":\"eae8937e8c77\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Olufemi Oguntamu, CEO of Penzaarville Africa, a Lagos-based talent management agency, said good creators such as his clients can bring in more than 8 million naira ($5,000) per video on average. But with higher production values they can easily bring in more than twice that. Penzaarville manages talent including travel vlogger \",\"_key\":\"8cbc1f7e7bdc0\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d565ed1f54d6\"],\"text\":\"Tayo Aina\",\"_key\":\"8cbc1f7e7bdc1\"},{\"_key\":\"8cbc1f7e7bdc2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", who has 1 million YouTube subscribers, and comedian \"},{\"_key\":\"8cbc1f7e7bdc3\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"eae8937e8c77\"],\"text\":\"Broda Shaggi\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", who has over 12 million on Instagram.\",\"_key\":\"8cbc1f7e7bdc4\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"168a4be96752\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.instagram.com/ariyiikedimples/?hl=en\",\"_key\":\"b3e98f619f0a\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Now content creators are leveraging their social media stardom to transition into Nollywood and television under the guidance of their managers. Taiwo Adeyemi, Founder of Boxx Culture, a talent management agency, said that film producers often approach his clients, not just because of their talent but also their ready-made audiences which run into the millions in some cases. “Nollywood producers are constantly trying to cast people who are content creators to boost the reach of their films,” said Adeyemi, whose clients include \",\"_key\":\"c2c77ad686210\"},{\"_key\":\"c2c77ad686211\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"b3e98f619f0a\"],\"text\":\"Ariyike Dimples\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" and Koye.\",\"_key\":\"c2c77ad686212\"}]}],\"_type\":\"scoop\"},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"knowMore\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"85cfe97328e5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"While there’s plenty of glitz and excitement around being a creator in Lagos and the mini-fame that comes with having tens of thousands of followers and fans, not everyone is guaranteed to make a living. That’s where the talent managers come in.\",\"_key\":\"d6608ee96d890\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"beffc3c58019\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In a fledgling creator market, where even Nollywood movie stars have not always been professionally represented, talent managers for online creators are playing a vital role in laying the groundwork for opportunities with major brands and other partners. Unlike in more developed entertainment markets, talent management here encompasses not just career guidance but also agency representation, as well as media affairs, and much more.\",\"_key\":\"e3d909f8837b0\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"21cf757d34b2\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"9b377519d9db\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.coherentmi.com/industry-reports/africa-creator-economy-market/market-size\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"6b612dc2620a0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The potential is significant in a market which is overwhelmingly young and locked in to their mobile phones. The Africa creator economy is projected to hit a \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"9b377519d9db\"],\"text\":\"value\",\"_key\":\"6b612dc2620a1\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" of nearly $18 billion by 2030, according to Coherent Market Insights, though that total estimate includes other third party enablers, such as fintech companies.\",\"_key\":\"6b612dc2620a2\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"fc74b8e58e0e\"},{\"thescoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"7e7070f8fea40\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Behind every great video lies a major investment of time, effort, and money spent on hiring recording gear and technical assistance, from editors and production managers to makeup artists. So managers are increasingly important to help the creators manage their costs as they gamble with higher production figures to attract more viewers. But their primary role is bringing in more lucrative brand partnerships.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2bb2032e1291\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Oladapo Adewunmi, founder of Lagos-based content and talent agency Apollo Endeavor, says managing partnerships with distribution platforms like Instagram and YouTube is relentless work given the 24-7 nature of social media and the internet. “We are constantly looking out and pushing for more opportunities for the creators and their content to be optimized to generate revenue,” says Adewunmi, whose clients include \",\"_key\":\"b281ceb729b90\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"text\":\"Josh2Funny\",\"_key\":\"b281ceb729b91\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"f25737937aaf\"]},{\"_key\":\"b281ceb729b92\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" and \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e5cf5d760595\"],\"text\":\"Brainjotter\",\"_key\":\"b281ceb729b93\"},{\"_key\":\"b281ceb729b94\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7e1ca31c4483\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.instagram.com/josh2funny/?hl=en\",\"_key\":\"f25737937aaf\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.instagram.com/brainjotter/?hl=en\",\"_key\":\"e5cf5d760595\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9da7ab9e93c4\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The money might be good but it’s important to note that not all brands will work with every creator, and that goes both ways. Oguntamu says he looks out for credibility and alignment of values between the brand and his client. “The brands have to be credible. Regardless of whatever amount you want to pay, I need to be sure that it’s not a brand that will create problems for my clients,”he said.\",\"_key\":\"274fdda350410\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d4a4ff10620b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"That confidence is driven by a certainty that the move to self-made creators is just beginning to take hold in the market. “The creator economy is just starting, creators are becoming the new thought leaders and shaping the minds of people,” stated Adewunmi.\",\"_key\":\"e655c49b4e6f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"name\":\"Torinmo Salau\",\"email\":\"torinmo37@gmail.com\",\"_rev\":\"Tj3Yh8UOjB9kUBjKYqDzC0\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/32eb6a117ffeed8822718568f17ad4f28038f715-1000x1000.png\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/torinmo-salau\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"shortName\":\"Torinmo\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2022-12-12T15:47:49Z\",\"_id\":\"e3c4112b-7846-4055-9e8d-95aaa7f51971\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-09-16T17:58:52Z\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2022-12-12T15:47:49Z\",\"_createdAt\":\"2022-12-12T15:29:18Z\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\"},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"54fb451fca54\"},{\"where\":\"KENYA\",\"_key\":\"89f9db52e248\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"_key\":\"05124e393b10\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Talent managers are often misunderstood as ‘middle men’ who add unnecessary complexity to their clients’ work. Peter Kawa, CEO of Spearhead Entertainment, a talent management agency based in Nairobi believes that an effective manager provides relief to both parties by protecting them from any legal ramifications.\",\"_key\":\"74c750f8871f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"be7a36d95022\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Keep in mind that most of these creators are young individuals who gained instant fame and are thrust into dealings with multinationals, lacking experience in contracts, branding, communication, or financial systems,” said Kawa.\",\"_key\":\"7ba47b22afa60\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-02e7a59db29196615e3472851d5cadf6a48eb73b-1364x972-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\" Filmmaker Tayo Aina and Davido/YouTube screen grab\"},\"attribution\":\" Filmmaker Tayo Aina and Davido/YouTube screen grab\",\"caption\":null}},{\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"location\":\"Middle East\",\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"e82bf151ab24\",\"thescoop\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"37c9ccbc0e51\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"On paper, achieving Saudi Arabia’s unemployment target falls under the remit of the Minister of Human Resources and Social Development. But the real burden of meeting the newly revised 5% target by 2030 falls on two powerful figures: Mohammed Al-Jadaan, the Minister of Finance, and Yasser Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF).\",\"_key\":\"334652d8cc630\"}]},{\"_key\":\"2fd24d47ad6f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"75487402f1820\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1b3c3688369d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Who owns the target is not a mere rhetorical shift — it reflects the structure of the Saudi Vision 2030 economic transformation plan. The state is emerging as the kingdom’s largest employer, establishing dozens of companies and hundreds of thousands of jobs. PIF alone is injecting hundreds of billions of riyals annually into the domestic economy, contributing to the creation of over 500,000 jobs. Together, these forces have been instrumental in driving down unemployment, but they also reveal deep systemic challenges.\",\"_key\":\"596f65fb21080\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ce3bba44559d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"92028d32eae80\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Since Vision 2030 launched, public sector salaries have soared. In 2016, the state wage bill was 440 billion riyals ($117 billion), and by 2023 wages had climbed to 504 billion riyals, excluding the PIF payroll. If PIF is included, the true scale becomes clearer — and more troubling.\",\"_key\":\"f48380c5af670\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1cd51c1015da\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"912de90e493b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"7e082fe96a8f0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Many of the new jobs are in non-profits or government-owned startups, which benefits employment statistics, but the firms lack a clear path to revenue and profitability within a decade. The burden of sustaining these jobs falls squarely on the Ministry of Finance and PIF, creating a long-term liability for the state.\",\"_key\":\"5e00d455f6ed0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f18e59b89609\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"bf0b754613560\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9c5db391e51f\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The rapid expansion of government employment has created a significant wage gap between the public and private sectors. Government jobs, with higher salaries and better benefits, have made it harder for private employers to attract top talent. This distortion threatens the competitiveness of the private sector — which must be fostered to achieve the economic diversification goals under Vision 2030.\",\"_key\":\"3984c7bc35af0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4f7715bd30cf\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"6d33844495be0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1f9946b52766\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"As the best talent gravitates toward government roles, the private sector risks being sidelined. Without a competitive labor market, it will struggle to drive innovation, productivity, and sustainable job creation.\",\"_key\":\"2b826a8ff8ad0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1a457865bc82\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e27a51a32dcc0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fcfc64b7b842\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b28907b78dda\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The government’s efforts to lower unemployment have produced results, but success cannot hinge on short-term fixes. Long-term sustainability requires a paradigm shift in employment strategy.\",\"_key\":\"c963231b57c90\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"819b3c1dba7b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"df140f256b7d0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"e258f15f328a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"First, the government must avoid overstaffing roles without clear revenue potential, and the new entities should achieve financial sustainability within five years. Second, the wage gap between the public and private sector must be tightened. And finally, PIF investments and other initiatives should have to translate into private sector growth.\",\"_key\":\"9438e67110420\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"308870f8d8ca0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1dbe4e6c72d6\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Reducing unemployment to 5% by 2030 is an ambitious and commendable goal, but its success depends on more than hitting numerical targets. Saudi Arabia’s true transformation will be measured not by how many jobs are created, but by how many are still viable a decade from now.\",\"_key\":\"42dad87db3ad0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"dfac02098716\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"083c4112d676\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"f81c6db137230\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"60d65c11dc6b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"5356b14920630\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Al-Jadaan and Al-Rumayyan may not officially hold the unemployment portfolio, but their decisions will shape whether this target is met — and whether it lasts. For Saudi Arabia, this isn’t just about reducing unemployment. It’s about building an economy that stands on solid, sustainable ground.\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"d660e126b89c0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"38b486856a0e\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Wael Mahdi is an independent commentator specializing in OPEC and Saudi Arabia’s economy, and co-author of “OPEC in a Shale Oil World: Where to Next?”\",\"_key\":\"836d58f79cea0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"906cb79808a4\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-11-18T15:16:21Z\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/wael-mahdi\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/2a9f50108fb8b221e2f531a9c01fa009c5153e00-1600x1600.png\",\"email\":\"gulf@semafor.com\",\"_rev\":\"KTg95lALo70zPskUBUDhJ1\",\"_createdAt\":\"2024-09-15T15:59:23Z\",\"name\":\"Wael Mahdi\",\"shortName\":\"Wael\",\"bio\":[{\"_key\":\"928f5a461bf1\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Wael Mahdi\",\"_key\":\"6dc8a26909c60\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" is a contributor for Semafor Gulf. He is an independent commentator specializing in OPEC and Saudi Arabia’s economy. As a long-time energy correspondent for Bloomberg, Mahdi is one of the region’s leading voices on energy policy and market analysis, and he is the co-author of ‘OPEC in a Shale Oil World: Where to Next?’ He has held senior roles in media and corporate communications in Saudi Arabia. Mahdi holds a BA in Political Economy from American University in Cairo.\",\"_key\":\"6dc8a26909c61\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.2\",\"_id\":\"e34422b3-abb0-47d2-8130-6b9115f931d7\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"_type\":\"author\"}}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T12:12:09Z\",\"id\":\"246a2744-9bfa-474a-8d8e-e581c1e5d8d1\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Gulf\",\"_key\":\"gulf\",\"value\":\"gulf\"}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Wael Mahdi\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/2a9f50108fb8b221e2f531a9c01fa009c5153e00-1600x1600.png\"}],\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Saudi Arabia aims to reduce unemployment to 5% by 2030, but the sustainability of its job creation efforts will test the balance between public and private sector growth.\",\"_key\":\"f939dcfd55ce0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4c503dafdac7\"}],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"slug\":\"/article/12/16/2024/analysis-the-hidden-challenge-of-saudi-unemployment\",\"signal\":null,\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"Analysis: The hidden challenge of Saudi unemployment \",\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Courtesy of Future Investment Initiative \",\"caption\":\"Yasser Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-9ea30ad2f2c75c14289503b679cd4d9d6ba80540-1280x854-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Courtesy of Future Investment Initiative \",\"caption\":\"Yasser Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Public Investment Fund\"},\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"vertical\":\"gulf\"},{\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"expires\":true,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T13:44:42Z\",\"headline\":\"Africa’s fund managers feel pressure to back climate investments\",\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-e3f75178ba74f807ef1dc8b886db81629b6a497c-1600x1066-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Rwanda solar field/US State Department\"},\"attribution\":\"Rwanda solar field/US State Department\",\"caption\":null},\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Yinka Adegoke\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/889be05a30079395228ad8d6a1a9c084a95feebe-1600x1600.png\"}],\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/16/2024/africas-top-fund-managers-feel-pressure-to-back-climate-investments\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"vertical\":\"africa\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"value\":\"africa\",\"label\":\"Africa\",\"_key\":\"africa\"}],\"location\":null,\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8171bb28e92f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"CAPE TOWN — Africa’s top investors have been through one of their toughest periods raising funds over the last 12 months and are feeling intense pressure to back climate investments.\",\"_key\":\"a8bc06e471b60\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Speaking earlier this month at the Super Return Africa event, several leading investors told Semafor Africa that climate would be a priority. “Climate will be one of the key focus areas for investors in 2025,” said Wale Adeosun, CEO of Lagos-based Kuramo Capital Management.\",\"_key\":\"19ce6b3bafbf0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2572050f365c\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"But some senior private equity and venture investors told Semafor Africa privately that they felt pressure to include climate investments in their presentations to potential or current limited partners. They said Western development finance institutions — a large source of funds — have been keen to encourage investments in this sector.\",\"_key\":\"bab034f45cd50\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"51bf2e7be84b\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“It’s a double-edged sword,” said one Ghana-based investor, who asked not to be identified because their firm was still raising a fund. “We agree with the principle of supporting climate investments, but we have so many problems to address in Africa that we need to prioritize.”\",\"_key\":\"a837cda710580\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4e4befcfea46\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"e74785f89cec\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"3c109e1af3c0\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"knowMore\":[{\"imageEmbedExternalLink\":null,\"imageEmbedInternalLink\":null,\"imageEmbed\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-029f3cea1f6ce20abfa78572ad51656018744761-1298x972-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"_type\":\"imageEmbed\",\"_key\":\"90337b807810\",\"markDefs\":null},{\"_key\":\"96406ba98350\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Last year Africa-focused private capital fund managers raised $1.9 billion, a 9% drop from 2022. Fund managers said 2024 had, anecdotally, been another tough year but remained optimistic about 2025. The tough environment means more are updating their decks to include impact investments and prospects to attract capital from DFIs.\",\"_key\":\"ab8168cd9f4c0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The DFI sector led by the World Bank, British International Investment, and others has been keen to encourage green investment, such as clean tech and sustainable agribusinesses.\",\"_key\":\"6cce46bdea350\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fbb4cb8a1561\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6ed36100710e\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"”The predominant capital from external organizations like DFIs is targeting themes along climate and impact despite the stats showing that, as a continent, Africa has the least emissions,” said an East Africa-based venture investor, who asked not to be identified. “It’s a classic case of ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune.’”\",\"_key\":\"f3df2452927d0\"}]}]},{\"thescoop\":[{\"_key\":\"4c5b9f231079\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"While many investors are excited about their impact on the continent’s development, building funds in the current macroeconomic environment remains a common challenge. Nearly everyone, from first-time venture capital fund managers to veteran private equity general partners, told me it’s been tougher than usual over the past 12 months.\",\"_key\":\"2fcadafd16020\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"b0ea40f05bba\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"3878e6112d370\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"To be clear, it’s not just climate investments that are on the table for 2025. As Kuramo’s Adeosun told me, there’ll also be more interest in agribusiness, fintech and healthcare. But climate or green investments which back companies or funds in areas like solar, wind energy or green infrastructure projects have the edge. \"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"889cd31151b8\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The concern, from those I spoke with, is that a chronically underfunded region has too many fundamental challenges to make green investing a primary focus. One fund manager privately questioned whether there was a sufficient “green pipeline” of investible opportunities, even while acknowledging the disproportionate impact of climate change on Africa.\",\"_key\":\"d6b395f9ae32\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c488182a9d94\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"It’s worth noting that this could all change again over the next 12 months as a Trump effect starts to kick in. The recent DFI-led push for green investment projects has roots in the US Inflation Reduction Act which President Joe Biden signed into law in August 2022.\",\"_key\":\"4fd1bc0031850\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It won’t be surprising if there’s a perceptible shift away after Donald Trump moves into the White House next month. His administration is likely to place a lot less emphasis on green projects and there will be a trickle down effect seen with the influential US-led institutions in the development finance space.\",\"_key\":\"6377a5b907300\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b85b897a42cb\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"name\":\"Yinka Adegoke\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-24T16:33:26Z\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/889be05a30079395228ad8d6a1a9c084a95feebe-1600x1600.png\",\"_createdAt\":\"2022-10-12T17:45:13Z\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"email\":\"yadegoke@semafor.com\",\"_id\":\"bd59d956-eb64-48ed-9e1a-b85e3635dff0\",\"twitter\":\"YinkaWrites\",\"_rev\":\"W29EKYrD7KKqvO8ZuU9Uqj\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T15:57:40Z\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/yinka-adegoke\",\"shortName\":\"Yinka\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-24T12:33:26-04:00\",\"bio\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Yinka Adegoke is the Africa editor of Semafor. \",\"_key\":\"b36333501bc30\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"30f27c97e1e0\"}]},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"5bb56bb68563\"},{\"_key\":\"8e8cf2ef31c4\",\"roomForDisagreement\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Alitheia Capital’s Tokunboh Ishmael, who’s raising a $200 million fund focused on the intersection of climate, digital transformation and gender, argued that climate investments aren’t a ‘nice to have.’ She said investors need to think more about investing in clean tech that helps “drive down the costs” of energy access for everyday Africans.\",\"_key\":\"6abb33a180d00\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"370b395fee74\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"roomForDisagreement\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"id\":\"f09dd104-5518-4458-b22e-e710d0abea2d\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Western development finance institutions have been keen to encourage climate investments.\",\"_key\":\"7e3f524a1e340\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0eb396d54be3\"}],\"signal\":null},{\"expires\":true,\"id\":\"4487f6dd-748f-425c-a5c3-877cf3dc2b1e\",\"vertical\":\"news\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Tom Chivers\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/d303cf5d3b54e94e4a1c21cbe988061c88b3a69a-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":null,\"headline\":\"London Review of Substacks: Winter gardens, sherry, medical breakthroughs\",\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"semaforms\":[{\"title\":\"LRS\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"generaform\",\"_key\":\"274c70cbbae4\",\"body\":[{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"A garden in winter\",\"_key\":\"61f87b2d62710\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8978af0d7f74\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"d88476dddc19\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"abf19fd458dc\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/3p2hVuKxRf?email={{email}}\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I love December,” writes the English painter Deborah Vass. “There is a quality of light that only exists in the days leading to the Winter Solstice.” In her newsletter, Still Sketching, Vass discusses paintings that catch her attention: This time, \",\"_key\":\"2d4c3ed625ce0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Winter Garden\",\"_key\":\"2d4c3ed625ce1\"},{\"text\":\" by Evelyn Dunbar, an image of the artist’s family home seen through the leafless trees and bare vegetable patches of the garden on a grey December day. “\",\"_key\":\"2d4c3ed625ce2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"text\":\"Garden paintings in art rarely show gardens out of season\",\"_key\":\"2d4c3ed625ce3\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"abf19fd458dc\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” notes Vass. “More often they celebrate burgeoning midsummer, but here we see the bones of the garden.”\",\"_key\":\"2d4c3ed625ce4\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"a484cabd052c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"0e401d9634a50\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Vass, a gardener herself, notes that the work “is also about those moments before dusk slips into dark, when the gardener retreats inside after a hard day’s digging, to warm against the chill.” Dunbar, who was little known in her lifetime but has been rediscovered, spent eight years on the painting, likely because the hours of good light are so short in December. The garden is no more, “buried beneath concrete and a housing estate,” but is preserved in Dunbar’s “wonderful drawings and paintings.”\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ca0891995df0\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"7b99c88cdfe3\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Sherry trifles\",\"_key\":\"8ad6e3497f990\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"beea7d16e3f9\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sherry, the sweetened fortified wine, is originally Spanish, \",\"_key\":\"31e8203cadc20\"},{\"_key\":\"31e8203cadc21\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"vino de Xeres\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". But it has for centuries been associated with Britain, and in particular with British grannies, because Britain has traditionally had a sweet tooth when it comes to wine. “Since Shakespeare’s times wines shipped to Britain have been sweetened and fortified,” the drinks writer Henry Jeffreys notes. He quotes a Victorian wine merchant who said he always sweetened any dry wine destined for England, “because I know that if I sent the wine in its natural state I should be certain to have it returned.”\",\"_key\":\"31e8203cadc22\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c362d6080c13\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e95b7ecfd727\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/cmKO4rqOlu?email={{email}}\",\"_key\":\"36cf8e8f321d\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"And as long as that has been true, “there have been sherry hipsters complaining that they weren’t authentic,” among them Charles Dickens: Sherry is “\",\"_key\":\"bd43d84d95100\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"36cf8e8f321d\"],\"text\":\"among the most-maligned styles of wine\",\"_key\":\"bd43d84d95101\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\".” But, Jeffreys writes in his newsletter Drinking Culture, the fact remains that a nice sweet sherry is delicious, especially during a cold British Christmas: “Not only does it taste good but it warms you up and it goes brilliantly with all kinds of Christmassy things… When the temperature is dropping and your wood fire is struggling to heat your draughty Victorian house, then it’s time to reach for the sweet sherry.”\",\"_key\":\"bd43d84d95102\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6debfb90bdba\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"938e262ba4eb\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"A year to remember\",\"_key\":\"74e0f26c681b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"09847d60b2ee\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Not everyone will remember 2024 with fondness, so perhaps it’s worth looking back at some of the unmistakably good things that happened. The science writer Saloni Dattani, on her Substack Scientific Discovery, highlights five medical breakthroughs of the year. Among them: Lenacapavir, a long-acting HIV drug which only needs injecting twice a year. Existing HIV treatments are very effective, but require daily pills, and that’s difficult in sub-Saharan Africa, the most-affected region, where supplies can be short.\",\"_key\":\"b5b5086d3e730\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1eea2a0c16d0\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"2c7432659056\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/F8lH6F8eTR?email={{email}}\",\"_key\":\"04572bfa4871\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The others: Omalizumab reduces allergic reactions to food, and was approved by US regulators this year. Around 150 people die from food allergies annually in the US alone. Xanomeline-trospium successfully reduces the symptoms of schizophrenia, without the grim and debilitating side-effects of other antipsychotics. Tirzepatide, the latest weight-loss drug, is more effective than Wegovy, and could help millions battle obesity. And osimertinib extended the life of people with advanced lung cancer by almost three years. These aren’t one-offs, says Dattani: “They’re a few striking examples in \",\"_key\":\"586313ac31cb0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"04572bfa4871\"],\"text\":\"a continuing stream of medical innovation\",\"_key\":\"586313ac31cb1\"},{\"_key\":\"586313ac31cb2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” part of why we live longer than ever before.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"generaform\":null}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"caption\":\"London Review of S\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-257f107f16caf77ecfc16caa1585fefe44ae3807-1917x772-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\"},\"attribution\":null,\"caption\":\"London Review of S\"},\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/16/2024/london-review-of-substacks-winter-gardens-sherry-medical-breakthroughs\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"A weekly look at the most interesting essays on the internet. \",\"_key\":\"e4f6bcb79358\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"09be8e59bbb6\"}]},\"location\":\"UK\",\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T12:56:35Z\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"A weekly look at the most interesting essays on the internet. \",\"_key\":\"a058b556d74a\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"085f934ac097\",\"markDefs\":[]}]},{\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"semaforms\":[{\"_key\":\"026a235d39f8\",\"title\":\"The Scoop\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4392e680a714\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"527cf5097ca90\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"An activist investor’s nominee to the board of Air Products allegedly gave secret information to a friend about the 2014 sale of Covidien, where he was a director, according to the testimony of a man convicted of insider trading on the deal.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/files/ifn0l6bs/production/07a19d8d69f24e1c018cb657fa9ef161014cf387.pdf\",\"_key\":\"d36efc68015e\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Dennis Reilley, whom hedge fund Mantle Ridge has put forward for the Air Products board, is identified in \",\"_key\":\"88b26154082f0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d36efc68015e\"],\"text\":\"court records\",\"_key\":\"88b26154082f1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" as “D.R.,” a board member at medical device maker Covidien, DuPont, Marathon Oil, and Dow.\",\"_key\":\"88b26154082f2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8ddab86044f3\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/columns/2020/02/11/oklahoma-city-oilman-fined-100000-for-lying-to-the-fbi/60373640007/\",\"_key\":\"c157d09f3c8d\",\"_type\":\"link\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"His friend and neighbor said in court during his 2019 proceedings that “D.R.” regularly sent him nonpublic information gleaned from role on all three boards, forwarded internal emails, and tipped him off in 2014 to Covidien’s $43 billion sale to Medtronic, but told him not to trade on it. The man \",\"_key\":\"46b60df208700\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"c157d09f3c8d\"],\"text\":\"pleaded guilty\",\"_key\":\"46b60df208701\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" in 2019 to insider trading and received two years of probation.\",\"_key\":\"46b60df208702\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6f6d043c2181\"},{\"imageEmbed\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-3b0842ecb0634e57ac53048c11d3e9f50144339f-1288x1166-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"_type\":\"imageEmbed\",\"_key\":\"0400fc00dff5\",\"markDefs\":null,\"imageEmbedExternalLink\":null,\"imageEmbedInternalLink\":null},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"309300155d61\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Reilley was never charged with wrongdoing.\",\"_key\":\"fa39a66d1b750\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Mr. Reilley is an industry legend and author of what is widely seen as the gold-standard model for performance in the industrial gas industry – a model that [Air Products CEO] Seifi Ghasemi has desperately chased, but fallen far short of throughout his career,” a spokesman for Mantle Ridge and Reilley said.\",\"_key\":\"59738c6411a60\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0aa3ba208f61\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f657817166dd\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Air Products, one of the largest providers of industrial gases with a $69 billion market value, declined to comment.\",\"_key\":\"ea0a49648b950\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"1d1ef57c2338\",\"markDefs\":null,\"imageEmbedExternalLink\":null,\"imageEmbedInternalLink\":null,\"imageEmbed\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-fc3fa05bb002bce667a470ef127c8a30676ab7bb-1932x2084-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"_type\":\"imageEmbed\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\"},{\"thescoop\":[{\"_key\":\"cf2abe318089\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Even by the rising standards of activist nominees over the years, Reilley’s blue-chip credentials stand out. He was CEO of Praxair, a direct rival to Air Products, and Mantle Ridge rightly calls him “the architect of Praxair’s best-in-class model,” which led the industry before the company was sold in 2018 to a European rival, Linde. And he’s been a board member at seven S\u0026P 500 companies. \",\"_key\":\"9d5f7ea943e20\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"54a7854529e5\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"But this will be disqualifying in many investors’ eyes, and it’s hard to see how Mantle Ridge — which says it knew about the allegations before it nominated Reilley — got comfortable.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"988a12da12db\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1551c1f02005a2d088208a6004d1921628666991-1600x1600.png\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-07-14T21:53:17-04:00\",\"_rev\":\"W29EKYrD7KKqvO8ZuUHO7B\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T16:10:09Z\",\"email\":\"lhoffman@semafor.com\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/liz-hoffman\",\"name\":\"Liz Hoffman\",\"shortName\":\"Liz\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-21T13:52:11Z\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"twitter\":\"lizrhoffman\",\"bio\":[{\"_key\":\"07c1ae08fa10\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"e26829fd2aac\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/669739/crash-landing-by-liz-hoffman/\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Liz Hoffman is Semafor’s business and finance editor. She joined from The Wall Street Journal, where she spent nine years covering M\u0026A, investment banking, and the world of big money. She’s the author of “Crash Landing: The Inside Story of How the World’s Biggest Companies Survived an Economy on the Brink,” a \",\"_key\":\"9fd30e8b54b7\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e26829fd2aac\"],\"text\":\"book\",\"_key\":\"dacba9582875\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" about the pandemic’s economic toll. \",\"_key\":\"be749ae7f7e2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"authorTitle\":\"Business \u0026 Finance editor\",\"_createdAt\":\"2022-10-04T19:17:43Z\",\"_id\":\"0ae2f255-3cd3-4d21-b38c-359ba6ac0237\"},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"5069cbf415fc\"},{\"theViewFrom\":[{\"_key\":\"fcbe1f0a7112\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“This sad effort to tarnish Mr. Reilley’s reputation further exposes how fearful Mr. Ghasemi and his board are of the coming change, and how the ensuing positive inflection in the business will reveal their shortcomings,” the spokesman said in a statement.\",\"_key\":\"56526729c1480\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"402d15bdd639\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Air Products investors “deserve a robust discussion on the relative merits of the board candidates up for election and the best way to create long-term, sustainable value — including through long overdue succession to leadership,” he said. \",\"_key\":\"10436cda92170\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\",\"where\":\"Mantle Ridge\",\"_key\":\"ba7ec0284bbb\"}],\"signal\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T20:12:54Z\",\"id\":\"274bd538-7fa0-4715-b0bf-bc8af1d8d12c\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"slug\":\"/article/12/15/2024/activist-air-products-board-nominee-is-said-to-be-source-of-decade-old-ma-leak-court-filing\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"vertical\":\"business\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Business\",\"_key\":\"business\",\"value\":\"business\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Air Products\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-c469724a11efc1dfcc1b5910ea32f7ba97597f67-4256x2848-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1},\"attribution\":\"Air Products\",\"caption\":null},\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Liz Hoffman\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1551c1f02005a2d088208a6004d1921628666991-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"location\":null,\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"Activist Air Products board nominee is said to be source of decade-old M\u0026A leak: court filing\",\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Dennis Reilley is identified in court documents as the source of a leak about the 2014 sale of Covidien.\",\"_key\":\"c98815ef55c90\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a822b1e7005f\"}],\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"}},{\"intro\":{\"_type\":\"intro\",\"schemaVersion\":1},\"vertical\":\"politics\",\"location\":\"North America\",\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T18:06:25Z\",\"id\":\"949510bc-42fb-4003-8394-4312300b990b\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/13/2024/you-try-to-find-common-ground-democrats-say-theyre-ready-to-work-with-donald-trump\",\"description\":[{\"_key\":\"388fa138d054\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The political landscape has changed since 2017.\",\"_key\":\"b7ad13c94c4e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"expires\":true,\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"signal\":null,\"headline\":\"‘You try to find common ground’: Democrats say they’re ready to work with Donald Trump\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"David Weigel\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/287de2b8ca8b3cec76543dd0601c6589078a7cf2-1600x1600.png\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.insidernj.com/insider-iline/following-dinner-murphy-trump-tweets-authorization-portal-north-bridge-project/\",\"_key\":\"08095c235dc9\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"BEVERLY HILLS, Ca. — The week after Donald Trump dodged an assassin’s bullet, New Jersey Gov. 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You have to fight like heck over here, and defend values and communities and people who are being unfairly attacked over here. And you try to find common ground.”\",\"_key\":\"4e82210eff4f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7212f3f95101\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6b825f77eb52\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"ddd5cbc4b6280\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"c6e1b992700c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In the states and in Congress, Democrats are preparing for a second Trump administration with swords sheathed. They are not seeing the sort of grassroots resistance to engagement as eight years ago; the Democrats speaking out about ways they could work with the incoming president, and with Elon Musk’s amorphous government reform agency, are not getting heckled back home.\",\"_key\":\"d4434ffba3660\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"311cb6d50b41\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"ca5049237bef0\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c3b4da6d28fb\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“There’s a combination of outrage and exhaustion in blue districts across the land,” said Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, who’ll lead Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee next year after colleagues fretted that New York Rep. Jerry Nadler wouldn’t square off against Republicans as effectively. “There’s a record number of billionaires who have been named to key positions, and people are expressing great outrage about the situation. But the flood-the-zone strategy has created some exhaustion in people.”\",\"_key\":\"fa7d458a57ec0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"80a817baecb2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b03824a76b2c0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Since the election, Democrats have described a wait-and-see approach to the new administration. It’s not optimistic; it’s not proactive, either. Some were crestfallen by Trump-appointed FBI Director Christopher Wray’s decision to retire before the end of his term rather than fight to ward off a Trump loyalist replacement, but the news did not set off an explosive reaction or derail other conversations about cooperation.\",\"_key\":\"35ac8e73c3df0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f09c32d91ee7\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"902d903919330\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9aa34e361966\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“The fact that we work across the aisle really matters to people,” said Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego, who defied a Republican trend to win his state’s open US Senate seat last month, after a campaign where he said he could work with anyone to fund more border security. “If we’re always just raising the alarms and fighting, we’re going to be seen as not being even-handed players.”\",\"_key\":\"5fcd52a1792c0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"68500713a446\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"3ba717ef10ea\",\"title\":\"The Scene\",\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"knowMore\":[{\"_key\":\"a3275cf60a22\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-infrastructure-plan-chuck-schumer-232882\",\"_key\":\"d418154a0b29\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.ideastream.org/news/government-politics/2016-11-17/trade-and-infrastructure-could-be-the-bridge-between-trump-and-brown\",\"_key\":\"d45a26d5fd42\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The Democrats’ first conflict with Trump did not start right after the 2016 election. Befuddled by their defeat, party leaders like Chuck Schumer \",\"_key\":\"937cd1db98d70\"},{\"text\":\"talked\",\"_key\":\"937cd1db98d71\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d418154a0b29\"]},{\"text\":\" about working with the new president to pass an infrastructure bill. Democrats in red states and districts, most of whom didn’t make it past the 2024 election, were \",\"_key\":\"937cd1db98d72\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d45a26d5fd42\"],\"text\":\"right there\",\"_key\":\"937cd1db98d73\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" with them.\",\"_key\":\"937cd1db98d74\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"554fd1e88c310\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"333515de4305\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"There are fewer obvious points of agreement now, but Democrats have taken two approaches to Trump — both implying that they might work with him. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is not a Democrat but leads “outreach” for the Senate Democratic caucus, has highlighted Trump and Musk statements that he agrees with, \",\"_key\":\"5c859ffa1fa20\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"00027dd0095f\"],\"text\":\"daring\",\"_key\":\"5c859ffa1fa21\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" Republicans to pass them: Caps on credit card fees, defense spending cuts, and more.\",\"_key\":\"5c859ffa1fa22\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"42ebff386ef4\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-elon-musk-very-smart-rfk-jr-is-right-2024-12\",\"_key\":\"00027dd0095f\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2a34cf8607fa\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"82faa8ccd1cd0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The Sanders gamble is that Trump’s control of the Republican Party will either create an opening for policies he wants passed, or give Democrats and progressives a broken Trump promise to run against next year. California Rep. Ro Khanna, a longtime Musk acquaintance, has taken the same approach, and blown off the critics — mostly on social media — who call it naive.\",\"_key\":\"cdc07a2a7f540\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1c8ef6831f7b\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9db5c93eb95e\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2ec4ccc25ff90\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Aren’t we here to help the lives of the American people?” Khanna told Semafor this week, arguing that the critics who wanted to fully resist Trump had been discredited by the election. “I think that the Democratic Party has to focus less on Trump and more on the American people. This has been our problem. We are obsessed with this man. We should be obsessed about the American people!”\",\"_key\":\"c338f9611f0a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"36d5044d0472\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c3d14a032b46\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"ed4d531e5de50\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"A second approach has been meeting Trump and Republicans where they are, and seeing if they overreach, as Democrats believe they did eight years ago.\",\"_key\":\"83a6d50267f00\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b5d844c93017\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2f17566b7690\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"bef28eea55f00\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ac31fe1557aa\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I’m hopeful that the Trump administration will create some opportunities,” said incoming Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, whose landslide victory gave Democrats their ninth consecutive win in President Biden’s home state. “There’s a bent in the Republican party that’s existed for generations that’s talked about more local control and more resources for states, more discretion at state and local government. And I’m hoping that’s the direction they go in.”\",\"_key\":\"568289398ebf0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"2d55a37799ab\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"fa4736b570f20\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, who ended her tenure atop the DGA last weekend, told reporters at its conference that she was “very open to working with the Trump administration.” There were limits. “If there are things that they push us to do that we think are wrong,” she said, “they’re illegal, anything like that, we’ll draw the line.”\",\"_key\":\"1ed686bac1340\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cf5cf486f84d\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"d62a43705a410\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"10be742abcdd\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"8abae41dd4fa\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Kelly and other governors pinpointed one potential area where collaboration could be either fruitful or impossible depending on Trump’s approach: Deportations.\",\"_key\":\"06f6bc0e35dc0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"64440dc83e650\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"44dea11d8deb\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0a155921eedb\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"cb52d25ae2c50\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Anybody who commits a violent crime must be held accountable fully, and that’s whether they’re in this country as American citizens or they’re here as undocumented people,” incoming North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein told reporters. He would oppose deportation efforts that entangled his state’s resources and went after law-abiding migrants, but he had to wait, and see.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“We don’t know what President Trump’s immigration plan is going to look like at the end of the day,” he said. “He is a master of saying something creating a great deal of noise — and then the reality may be different.”\",\"_key\":\"7ad396688ee80\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8be81c724c30\"}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"da09f41c633a\"},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"_rev\":\"ERq4ToR7OCAfPf0jwFer86\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-20T15:34:18Z\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T16:05:51Z\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-20T11:34:18-04:00\",\"email\":\"dweigel@semafor.com\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/287de2b8ca8b3cec76543dd0601c6589078a7cf2-1600x1600.png\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/david-weigel\",\"_id\":\"6794f41e-6d53-4821-bb33-2e5c6290f410\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"_createdAt\":\"2022-10-07T14:28:36Z\",\"shortName\":\"David\",\"name\":\"David Weigel\"},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"61ca8a796214\",\"thescoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8dc781ff2ce7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Since the election, there’s been a significant, growing gap between how Democrats discuss the new administration and how the media they consume and appear on discuss the administration.\",\"_key\":\"b2a558ea29ac0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"1baf6a2d68890\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cf4b087d1acc\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d13f8d300bde\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The “democracy” advocates who found mass audiences eight years ago, the legal experts explaining what might happen to a Trump appointee or policy in court — they’re all still there. But Democrats who have to compete in elections see an incoming administration with a lot of public support, and are trying to set expectations that they can benefit from, if Trump doesn’t meet them.\",\"_key\":\"5c830ee2aaba0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2b8db485af8a0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ffd5057d5ffe\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"667281bdba3c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“I think you’re going to see tremendous energy to fight when the big battles begin,” said Raskin.\",\"_key\":\"8a844f22d6b80\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"8803ac2631a5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"7475c10c8c9a0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"There are activists and commentators who think those battles are already happening, and wonder why Democrats aren’t winning them. They’re punting, because they can’t win them — yet. They are waiting for something like the failed push to eliminate Obamacare in 2017, or George W. Bush’s failed campaign to privatize Social Security, something they can rally against and accuse Trump of doing contrary to promises he made to lower prices and protect the welfare state.\",\"_key\":\"5c974df766f20\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0e7f99f3ec2e\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“There are plenty of places where we can find common ground here,” New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer said Thursday at a post-election No Labels gathering. “You’re always going to have people on both sides who are more focused on throwing tacks in the road than on getting stuff done.”\",\"_key\":\"32b14802455c0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fb4dc6412717\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"826ac87c20380\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"46f0a6ea2427\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"It wasn’t surprising that he would say this at an organization dedicated to stopping far-right or progressive goals and advancing centrist ones. It was notable he’s running for governor next year, and will have to defend this approach to a Democratic primary electorate.\",\"_key\":\"ad7eb72207e30\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8b687e0af072\",\"markDefs\":[]}]},{\"_key\":\"a6ee9fa21529\",\"roomForDisagreement\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Former Trump advisor and War Room host Steve Bannon said that it wouldn’t be enough for Democrats to wait for Republicans to make mistakes.\",\"_key\":\"e016e38f2b750\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d742a7ce591a\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"110799423bfc\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"22b595e947550\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Their strategy is a pick six,” he said. “They want Trump to screw up, throw it in the flats and run it back for a touchdown. I mean, that happens in football. Don’t get me wrong. But the key to football is that you must enforce your will onto your opponents.”\",\"_key\":\"de04ec47d74d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"65ef5361798e\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"roomForDisagreement\"},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"furtherReading\",\"_key\":\"eb100cac97cd\",\"furtherReading\":[{\"_key\":\"a9ade6a67407\",\"listItem\":\"bullet\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.axios.com/2024/12/13/donald-trump-elon-musk-doge-democrats\",\"_key\":\"97bdc31b729d\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"In Axios, \",\"_key\":\"a8e37e826df70\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Andrew Solender \",\"_key\":\"a8e37e826df71\"},{\"marks\":[\"97bdc31b729d\"],\"text\":\"explains\",\"_key\":\"a8e37e826df72\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" why more Democrats are talking about working with Trump and Republicans on populist ideas. The risk: “Democrats could face blowback within their party even for targeting non-mandatory spending, particularly from colleagues who represent huge swaths of the federal workforce.”\",\"_key\":\"a8e37e826df73\"}],\"level\":1,\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"level\":1,\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"96f1522e2c6a\",\"listItem\":\"bullet\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://reason.com/2024/12/06/is-trump-aiming-to-continue-bidens-antitrust-insanity/\",\"_key\":\"655cb6a74853\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"In Reason\",\"_key\":\"c493a4c223c20\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", Steven Greenhut \",\"_key\":\"c493a4c223c21\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"655cb6a74853\"],\"text\":\"asks\",\"_key\":\"c493a4c223c22\"},{\"text\":\" whether Trump’s antitrust appointments will continue Biden-era populist policies supported by Democrats: “It’s my hope that the Trump administration takes a more market-oriented approach toward antitrust law, but it’s unlikely given the origin of the cases.”\",\"_key\":\"c493a4c223c23\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]}]}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a press conference regarding legislation that would block offensive US weapons sales to Israel, at the US Capitol in Washington\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-9d95d6010029151b51d914454d7a460483f7707e-3122x2081-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a press conference regarding legislation that would block offensive US weapons sales to Israel, at the US Capitol in Washington\"}},{\"slug\":\"/article/12/13/2024/exxonmobil-wants-to-make-bespoke-carbon-capture-power-plants-for-data-centers\",\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-c5a0c980f4030e329d7e39a0995022683e749c0f-1279x928-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"A view of the Exxon Mobil refinery in Baytown, Texas\"},\"attribution\":\"Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"A view of the Exxon Mobil refinery in Baytown, Texas\"},\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"id\":\"bd14853c-f09a-45e7-882e-f949c1acdc9c\",\"headline\":\"Data centers are dragging Big Oil into the power business \",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Net Zero\",\"_key\":\"climate\",\"value\":\"climate\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"_key\":\"068bc308aff6\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"01d66265e88c0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The data center boom is pushing US oil companies into territory they’ve scrupulously avoided until now, one that has largely backfired for their European rivals: Selling electricity.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"865a13d82991\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chevron-working-supply-power-data-centers-executive-says-2024-12-11/\",\"_key\":\"30f8f2fe3a20\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"c2e22ee31cb50\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In a strategy document published this week, ExxonMobil revealed that it’s planning to operate power plants, fueled by natural gas and equipped with carbon capture technology, at data centers. That would mark a first foray into the power market for the company, which up to now has only run power plants for its own refineries and LNG facilities. It’s not alone: A Chevron executive said this week that the company is \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"30f8f2fe3a20\"],\"text\":\"working on a similar plan\",\"_key\":\"c2e22ee31cb51\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\".\",\"_key\":\"c2e22ee31cb52\"}]},{\"_key\":\"1c44ec994f14\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“What we’re offering is decarbonized power,” Exxon CEO Darren Woods said in a call with reporters. “With this urgent need for power generation to meet the needs of data centers and the growth in AI, there are very few opportunities in the short term to power those and do it in a way that minimizes, if not completely eliminates, the emissions. We’re uniquely positioned to do that with our carbon capture and storage business.”\",\"_key\":\"e20bf9fb55ef0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"63d4e1ee9782\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"name\":\"Tim McDonnell\",\"email\":\"tmcdonnell@semafor.com\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1ddf837d6cffba02799c97a85b509964d801e2c0-1600x1600.png\",\"_rev\":\"ERq4ToR7OCAfPf0jwFiFDK\",\"_createdAt\":\"2023-01-16T15:20:39Z\",\"_id\":\"02111b2e-2dd5-40b1-82fb-b81b62e4f9ba\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-09-06T10:33:19-04:00\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T16:11:14Z\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/tim-mcdonnell\",\"shortName\":\"Tim\",\"bio\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6ec720bd7d4d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"72cb34c85e56\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Tim McDonnell is the Climate \u0026 Energy Editor at Semafor. Tim has covered the business and science of climate change for more than a decade from front lines of the crisis around the world. He is based in Kyiv.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"authorTitle\":\"Climate and energy editor\",\"newsletterAudience\":\"Climate\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-24T16:33:03Z\",\"twitter\":\"timmcdonnell\"},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"5797fdfdacf4\",\"thescoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241210488084/en/\",\"_key\":\"36bc5a6898bb\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"As the AI boom has accelerated, Big Tech companies have talked a big game about sourcing power from low-carbon sources like renewables, geothermal, and advanced nuclear; the latest deal announced by Google this week aims to \",\"_key\":\"a7ec471c442c0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"36bc5a6898bb\"],\"text\":\"invest $20 billion in renewables for data centers\",\"_key\":\"a7ec471c442c1\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" by 2030. But the reality is that much of the data boom will be powered by gas, either on-site or through the grid. Tech companies are under immense competitive pressure to scale their AI operations as quickly as possible, and their bets on clean power won’t deliver as fast as they need.\",\"_key\":\"a7ec471c442c2\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"93e9dbd694f0\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“New data center-driven demand will increase the near-term outlook for gas-fired electricity generation, as technology companies appear to be prioritizing speed over near-term environmental goals,” said Ben Levitt, associate director of analysis for S\u0026P Global Commodity Insights.\",\"_key\":\"1aed0febf0980\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fce217464751\"},{\"_key\":\"9fd45c44d3d7\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-11/ge-vernova-to-power-city-sized-data-centers-with-gas-as-ai-demand-soars?srnd=phx-green\",\"_key\":\"59f2abb7c9d8\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Gas turbines are the most readily available option for the necessary amount of reliable on-site power. That means bumper business for the companies that make them: Scott Strazik, CEO of the energy hardware manufacturer GE Vernova, said this week that data centers have become a core customer for the company’s \",\"_key\":\"6243a13918d30\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"59f2abb7c9d8\"],\"text\":\"booming gas turbine sales\",\"_key\":\"6243a13918d31\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". Now, Exxon is pointing to a middle path. Gas with carbon capture could be a way to scale up the data center power supply quickly, with a more moderate carbon footprint.\",\"_key\":\"6243a13918d32\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-19/shell-and-bp-retreats-on-renewable-power-boost-green-competitors\",\"_key\":\"cc5e61366c30\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/12/09/bp-to-significantly-reduce-renewables-investment_6735775_4.html#:~:text=British%20oil%20giant%20BP%20announced,of%20Japanese%20power%20company%20Jera\",\"_key\":\"a896bf9a92c7\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Exxon’s carbon capture aspirations are nothing new, and form an anchoring part of its plan to invest $30 billion in low-carbon tech between 2025 and 2030. Already, Woods said, Exxon has more carbon capture projects under contract than any other company in the world. But taking that one step further, with bespoke power plants, is new. Over the last several years, European oil majors tried dabbling in the clean power business. But while some engineering skills are transferable from fossil fuels to renewables, profits tend to be much skimpier, and after being chastened by their shareholders, \",\"_key\":\"330314bfc2a90\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"cc5e61366c30\"],\"text\":\"BP and Shell beat a hasty retreat\",\"_key\":\"330314bfc2a91\"},{\"text\":\" that continued this week when BP’s CEO laid out a plan to \",\"_key\":\"330314bfc2a92\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a896bf9a92c7\"],\"text\":\"“significantly reduce” its renewables investment\",\"_key\":\"330314bfc2a93\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\".\",\"_key\":\"330314bfc2a94\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2875d929fbfe\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e19766753b5d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"But there are some key differences between the Europeans’ misadventures and what Exxon and Chevron are proposing. First, the American oil giants are still dealing fundamentally with fossil fuels, not the relatively foreign territory of renewables. The companies are essentially just adding a new link in a vertically integrated product chain: Putting an Exxon-designed power plant at the end of an Exxon-managed gas distribution network that originates at an Exxon drilling field, with captured carbon deposited at Exxon’s storage sites.\",\"_key\":\"6799a9429dc80\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"7cc5cc6ecce60\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Exxon’s strategy document is clear that a key part of the carbon value proposition for tech companies isn’t just the CCS technology, but the fact that the gas itself will come from Exxon fields that, the company says, are operated in a lower-carbon way than its competitors. Finally, these projects will be “behind the meter” — that is, plugged directly into the data center using them instead of being routed through an electric utility — and are therefore divorced from the problems with grid connection delays and power market swings that can turn the electricity business into such a headache.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"43e9614ee7a7\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“The premium that low-carbon, reliable power is getting from data centers makes this a strong business case,” said Graham Bain, an analyst at the energy intelligence firm Enverus.\",\"_key\":\"8bd6fe25da240\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c244dcd273a4\"}]},{\"roomForDisagreement\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Behind-the-meter power generation will only be a small piece of the data center solution, Bain said. Most data centers will still be grid-connected, meaning their relative carbon footprint remains primarily a challenge for utility companies to solve, not a company like Exxon. By 2030, Bain said, on-site systems for data centers like what Exxon is proposing will add only about 1% to average daily US gas consumption.\",\"_key\":\"8e13a895c5190\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"dae05dea7464\"},{\"_key\":\"d569efedc153\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/comment-carbon-capture-storage-is-dangerous-distraction-its-time-imagine-world-2023-12-11/\",\"_key\":\"ec328d0f9d12\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Still, many environmental groups challenge the basic premise that carbon capture technology can work, or that it’s a more \",\"_key\":\"57a788300ced0\"},{\"marks\":[\"ec328d0f9d12\"],\"text\":\"cost-effective investment in decarbonization than non-fossil alternatives\",\"_key\":\"57a788300ced1\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_key\":\"57a788300ced2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". For Exxon’s pitch to succeed, it will need to convince tech companies that the climate benefit is real.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"roomForDisagreement\",\"_key\":\"32d405368ae6\"},{\"knowMore\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2607616-data-centers-may-be-wild-card-for-gas-demand\",\"_key\":\"b28b0420adb2\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://press.spglobal.com/2024-12-11-S-P-Global-Commodity-Insights-Releases-its-2025-Energy-Outlook\",\"_key\":\"52b1e0c93bcf\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Setting aside the carbon footprint issue, a \",\"_key\":\"07055da892dc0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"b28b0420adb2\"],\"text\":\"gas grab by data centers\",\"_key\":\"07055da892dc1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" will put further pressure on a market that is already tightening. S\u0026P Global forecast this week that the increase in LNG exports expected under the Trump administration will \",\"_key\":\"07055da892dc2\"},{\"marks\":[\"52b1e0c93bcf\"],\"text\":\"push up domestic gas prices in the US\",\"_key\":\"07055da892dc3\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" next year by at least 30%.\",\"_key\":\"07055da892dc4\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5cffba16be7f\"}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"0c414aba2db3\",\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\",\"where\":\"the UK\",\"_key\":\"6b8621628532\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"13aedc348fb30\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"British regulators this week approved what officials described as the country’s \"},{\"text\":\"first commercially viable carbon capture and storage facility\",\"_key\":\"13aedc348fb31\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e7e0d5d244d9\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\": A consortium led by BP won the contract and will apparently be running the facility within four years — if it is delivered on time, which such facilities have so far struggled to be.\",\"_key\":\"13aedc348fb32\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0ceba4cd47d3\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/contracts-signed-for-uks-first-carbon-capture-projects-in-teesside\",\"_key\":\"e7e0d5d244d9\"}]}]},{\"_key\":\"fe431a2bad6a\",\"furtherReading\":[{\"listItem\":\"bullet\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.eenews.net/articles/white-house-weighing-executive-action-to-spur-data-centers/\",\"_key\":\"5995f30d1db2\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"The Biden administration is considering an executive order to speed up data center construction \",\"_key\":\"5da3ff320c490\"},{\"_key\":\"5da3ff320c491\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"that could entail \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"5995f30d1db2\"],\"text\":\"allowing new projects to bypass environmental review\",\"_key\":\"5da3ff320c492\"},{\"_key\":\"5da3ff320c493\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" and tap into existing power networks, E\u0026E News reported, which could drive up emissions by forcing utilities to extend the life of coal plants.\"}],\"level\":1,\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bed9241ed8da\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"furtherReading\"}],\"signal\":null,\"expires\":true,\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"intro\":{\"_type\":\"intro\",\"schemaVersion\":1},\"description\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a11fb2fec3ea\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"ExxonMobil plans to offer data centers gas plants equipped with carbon capture.\",\"_key\":\"7d860f4f11270\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"vertical\":\"climate\",\"location\":null,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Tim McDonnell\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1ddf837d6cffba02799c97a85b509964d801e2c0-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T12:26:07Z\"},{\"headline\":\"Analysis: The Gulf view on Syria? Proceed with caution\",\"headlineOverride\":null,\"slug\":\"/article/12/13/2024/analysis-the-gulf-view-on-syria-proceed-with-caution\",\"vertical\":\"gulf\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Gulf\",\"_key\":\"gulf\",\"value\":\"gulf\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"HTS leader Ahmad Al Shara in Damascus. Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-2719d622e568ea276aa2d2cdc8b59d5b218a432d-2048x1344-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"HTS leader Ahmad Al Shara in Damascus. Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters\",\"caption\":null},\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"location\":null,\"ledeVideo\":null,\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"With the fall of Assad, Gulf states clearly signal there is no love lost for the former president, cautiously welcome Syria’s new chapter, balancing hope for stability with lessons from past regime collapses.\",\"_key\":\"41ca67f8e7ee0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ff6a59e35271\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Faisal J. Abbas\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1df24002036ab02ba819dbf7da4ed08382197e60-1600x1600.png\"}],\"signal\":null,\"expires\":true,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T13:05:02.822Z\",\"id\":\"7f9eb5f9-d767-4454-8d0e-8e4894432146\",\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"3d2b9c587437\",\"thescoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Like everyone else in the world, the Gulf is still wrapping its head around Syria’s new realities, and the fall of the 54-year-old Assad regime. While its collapse is worth celebrating, Gulf countries share the same sentiment as others: Will what comes next be any better?\",\"_key\":\"d1c10f250fd90\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c6e6bc070819\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"12899cc20aa10\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"There is no love lost for former President Bashar al-Assad, now in exile in Moscow, among Gulf leaders, especially from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Both opposed him since the start of the uprising in 2011. Syria was expelled from the Arab League, and even after it was reluctantly reinstated, it continued its violent repression and sponsored a drug trade that destabilized the region. As Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani recently noted, Assad failed to seize opportunities to reconcile with his people, resettle refugees, or rebuild trust.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9521e87df7f3\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"As the horrors of Assad’s dungeons and torture chambers emerge, it’s reasonable to expect that whoever comes next cannot possibly be any worse. Recent history, however, doesn’t support this theory.\",\"_key\":\"3e25004d9fe30\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8122075b0e97\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In 1979, the iron-fisted Shah of Iran was replaced by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni, and Iran became the Islamic Republic that actively exported its revolution. In 2003, the removal of the murderous Saddam Hussein regime paved the way for Iranian hegemony in Iraq and subsequently gave birth to ISIS. The 2011 fall of Hosni Mubarak briefly allowed the Muslim Brotherhood to take control of Egypt, before President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi regained control. And in Libya, we are still living the aftermath of the killing of madman Moammar Gadhafi.\",\"_key\":\"b3b1a2adc3bb0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c5a6f0a522b8\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"631c2ee1ab10\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In Syria, the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — a militant group on several terror lists — as the dominant force behind the overthrow of Assad raises similar concerns. HTS leader Ahmed Al Shara (until recently known as Abu Mohammad Al Golani) is certainly sending all the right assurances, so far. Through international media appearances and messages to domestic audiences, he has promised to respect minority rights, peace, and not to impose strict Islamic dress codes on women. This is noteworthy, especially given Syria’s diverse religious fabric, which the Assad regime long exploited to maintain power.\",\"_key\":\"56e571babc740\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e50b2fefe89e\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Is he sincere? Will he, and can he, keep his promises? Only time will tell. For now, Gulf states seem willing to give the benefit of the doubt. This was certainly the tone in the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, which expressed its satisfaction with the “positive steps taken to ensure the safety of the brotherly Syrian people, to prevent bloodshed, and to preserve Syria’s state institutions and resources” — a nod to the wise decision HTS has taken not to dismantle government institutions, a mistake the US made after it took control of Iraq in 2003.\",\"_key\":\"62731a43dee30\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"If HTS is sincere in its intent to rebuild Syria, it will need substantial support: humanitarian, political, and capacity building. Gulf countries are likely to engage because the region can’t afford another failed state or perpetual war. My reading is that while the mood in the Gulf is to proceed with caution at this stage, support will grow as long as HTS and the new government in Syria continue signaling an intention to bring unity, stability, and peace to their country.\",\"_key\":\"8da5c7ec04d10\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7c379fd7d1cd\"},{\"_key\":\"71f0479f7de4\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Faisal J. Abbas is an award-winning journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Arab News.\",\"_key\":\"0effe06374720\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1df24002036ab02ba819dbf7da4ed08382197e60-1600x1600.png\",\"email\":\"gulf@semafor.com\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"name\":\"Faisal J. Abbas\",\"bio\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Faisal J. Abbas\",\"_key\":\"43fb51d9ae680\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" is a contributor for Semafor Gulf. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the leading Middle East English language daily, Arab News. Throughout his career in journalism, he worked with a number of leading media outlets such as Future Television, Al Hayat and Asharq Al Awsat pan-Arab dailies. Prior to joining Arab News, he served as the Editor in Chief of the English language service of Al Arabiya News Channel in Dubai. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the Lebanese American University (LAU) in 2003, and a masters in marketing communications from the University of Westminster in London in 2009. He was also awarded the Public Leadership Credential, 2019, from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.\",\"_key\":\"43fb51d9ae681\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c6ff4a07f45b\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"_id\":\"dc993ade-35e7-45a8-83cd-968237377bbf\",\"shortName\":\"Faisal\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-10-13T05:12:47Z\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.2\",\"_rev\":\"7NkZcZZTh11FSYYzUwcleA\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/faisal-j-abbas\",\"_createdAt\":\"2024-09-15T16:02:31Z\"}}]},{\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"value\":\"politics\",\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"caption\":\"A semiconductor chip\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-5972d2b3aa8be337ca587acbf01384ea63318439-6960x4640-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Florence Lo/Reuters\"},\"attribution\":\"Florence Lo/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"A semiconductor chip\"},\"signal\":null,\"id\":\"04680181-5ece-493d-bfdf-69bd5f122014\",\"headline\":\"Top Biden science and tech official on Trump, China and a ‘CHIPS 2.0’\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/12/2024/top-biden-science-and-tech-official-on-trump-china-and-a-chips-20\",\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The departing head of the National Institute of Standards and Technology says the US needs to keep up funding for semiconductor research.\",\"_key\":\"f3baecf82d290\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ad770f0180c9\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"vertical\":\"politics\",\"semaforms\":[{\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"US Undersecretary of Commerce Laurie Locascio has some advice for the incoming Trump administration on her way out: Don’t stop funding semiconductor research and development.\",\"_key\":\"057060fd69560\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"624f50c98215\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9d0624270a51\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"de00e4be92800\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I really do hope that they see the value that this will bring to the country,” Locascio told Semafor. “The R\u0026D is so essential to our future, I would say, as a global economic superpower because we have to feed that next American invention.”\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"She also warned congressional Republicans against cuts to science agencies as they debate trimming the size of government, especially in light of China’s own investments in the sector.\",\"_key\":\"422b6a0213c20\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"04eb6424e4ae\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"1a8ed5cd49b5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Locascio, a key official implementing 2022’s bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, leaves her position at the helm of the National Institute of Standards and Technology on Friday. She has spearheaded Commerce’s push to spend $11 billion under that law on chip research and development, and she’s feeling confident about the work she’s done despite complaints about the slow pace.\",\"_key\":\"1a9da5b019f00\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1d3fcf93b340\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Locascio, who will leave the CHIPS R\u0026D program with Briana Frisone continuing to lead the work, also said she was optimistic about Donald Trump’s administration continuing the work on chips research because “science and technology is not politics.”\",\"_key\":\"2e707c82172b0\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"da799038ce99\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The interview excerpt below is edited for length and clarity.\",\"_key\":\"53dc9a9f20760\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"35f4726bf98f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Morgan: What is your advice to the incoming Trump administration as they pick up this work?\",\"_key\":\"f0f00f548dfc0\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"0cb51f7292850\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Laurie: \"},{\"text\":\"I don’t know if they’ll want my advice, because everybody has their own way of doing things and I respect that. But I really do hope that they see the value that this will bring to the country. The R\u0026D is so essential to our future, I would say, as a global economic superpower, because we have to feed that next American invention and feed American ingenuity so that we have something that can support our future economy. And I know that’s not a Democrat or Republican or independent thing.\",\"_key\":\"0cb51f7292851\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"962008f155a4\"},{\"_key\":\"2ab9ed757ccb\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Are you concerned at all about the incoming administration doing anything different or rolling anything back just broadly with respect to the chips program?\",\"_key\":\"a7071ff7384f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"I know Congress has always supported it in a bipartisan way, and so I am hopeful that it will continue and that the people who are here who have participated in building out this program who are federal employees will be able to continue to do that.\",\"_key\":\"bca11712e3ab0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fd9258ac2919\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5a925ae583a3\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"What do you think is next for Congress to do. Does there need to be a CHIPS and Science Act 2.0? Does there need to be more funding put into R\u0026D specifically?\",\"_key\":\"8e19479834140\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ab9a923d7817\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"NIST got a budget cut and so did a lot of the science agencies back in March, and almost simultaneously China increased their research budget by 10%. That juxtaposition of those two things is really a harsh reality to look at. So, I’m hopeful that people will look at that and say, OK, we cannot fall behind our funding for science and technology in the future because if we do, we lose the big game. So, CHIPS 2.0? I think that would be fantastic.\",\"_key\":\"c982a52e6b420\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"42b0e7aa20a2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"How would you rate the US right now in comparison to China in semiconductor development?\",\"_key\":\"8042c385b1c40\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"99f17c1b15d10\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"We have been clearly the innovators for a long time. We were the ones that made the original inventions that led to this whole sector and in so many areas, we’re still ahead. In design, we’re way ahead of many others and way ahead of China. I think, though, that it takes investment, right? So if you’re any country in the entire world that wants to be successful in any technology and you invest in it, you’ll be successful eventually.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"62dfbb17d668\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"2521be4fd1be0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Do you have any concerns about the financial challenges that a company like Intel is facing, and the effect of those struggles on the success of the overall chips program?\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"63e4290c8705\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"I don’t think that it will have an overall impact on the success of the program. I think this is a sector that does have big ups and downs, and we know that. Over the years, we’ve watched it over and over again, the cycles. We were very prepared for that when we put together the program on the manufacturing incentives side, so we are also prepared on the other side of the awards to work with companies as they have ebbs and flows and make sure that we can think about ways that they might need to restructure, how they’re thinking about the agreements, what we’re doing with them.\",\"_key\":\"6ceb179ad32a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1e51c50dacde\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"56fd86866269\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The way that we’re tranching out the money allows us to have that kind of flexibility. When they are able to meet the milestones, then that’s when they get the money. If they decide they really need to change because of something that happens in the global marketplace, then we have that flexibility to continue to work with them.\",\"_key\":\"cd153eef40030\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"03c58a7c9dcf\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expires\":true,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T10:23:42Z\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"location\":null,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Morgan Chalfant\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/454ac246e316cd78eb894e6959fd261936d6d4ed-1600x1600.png\"}]},{\"id\":\"68cc02db-c190-4e7e-9639-b33178082311\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Africa\",\"_key\":\"africa\",\"value\":\"africa\"}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Martin K.N Siele\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/3e796c36737a23ab2507b91e19126127704cb26f-1600x1600.png\"}],\"signal\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T18:21:22.347Z\",\"location\":null,\"headline\":\"Regulators target Kenya’s booming ‘buy now, pay later’ sector\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/12/2024/kenyan-regulators-target-buy-now-pay-later-players\",\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Tight economic conditions are helping drive a boom in Kenya’s buy now pay later (BNPL) credit sector, with more people paying in installments for higher-priced purchases.\",\"_key\":\"1f77ea1a13ec0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"81b86024e9c8\"}],\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"vertical\":\"africa\",\"semaforms\":[{\"_key\":\"4b30e160486c\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"26833e44872a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"NAIROBI — Tight economic conditions are helping drive a boom in Kenya’s buy now pay later (BNPL) credit sector, with more people paying in installments for higher-priced purchases.\",\"_key\":\"fc967fdd54140\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4723b2c4164e\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"babd9c2aab280\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"But the imminent introduction of regulatory oversight promises to shake up the sector.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"BNPL payments in Kenya are expected to grow by \",\"_key\":\"434bdce54b670\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"9ece51e0ad4d\"],\"text\":\"16.8%\",\"_key\":\"434bdce54b671\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" on an annual basis to hit just over $1 billion in 2024, according to a report by ResearchandMarkets.com.\",\"_key\":\"434bdce54b672\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7bc470b30bf7\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5304992/kenya-buy-now-pay-later-business-and-investment?utm_source=GNE\u0026utm_medium=PressRelease\u0026utm_code=zfrwcd\u0026utm_campaign=1990789+-+Kenya+Buy+Now+Pay+Later+Business+Report+2024%3a+BNPL+Gross+Merchandise+Value+will+Increase+from+%24889.6+Million+in+2023+to+Reach+%241.72+Billion+by+2029\u0026utm_exec=chdomspi\",\"_key\":\"9ece51e0ad4d\",\"_type\":\"link\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/fin7-t-a?gender=total\",\"_key\":\"890e1cd58587\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Motorbikes, smartphones, solar panels, and cooking gas cylinders are among the most commonly purchased items under BNPL arrangements in Kenya. Credit card penetration is also low at just \",\"_key\":\"0a9620b4182c0\"},{\"text\":\"over 6%,\",\"_key\":\"0a9620b4182c1\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"890e1cd58587\"]},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" limiting options for consumers.\",\"_key\":\"0a9620b4182c2\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2a2d70058c89\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"03023a9d3296\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"With real wages on the decline for the past four years due to inflation, and unemployment high, BNPL offerings have become increasingly attractive to many in the country.\",\"_key\":\"d726aa7e5c020\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"_key\":\"8cb8fd4ba407\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"But proposed legislative changes are expected to have ramifications for the sector. The amended Business Laws bill would enable the Central Bank of Kenya to control interest rates set by BNPL companies.\",\"_key\":\"2d362f6ba50a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The proposed changes were prompted by widespread concerns over cases of predatory lending and exploitation of customers by BNPL firms. A similar regulatory crackdown on digital lenders in 2021 forced numerous digital loan services out of the business.\",\"_key\":\"addb45c01eff0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9618aa9c4053\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"47b9f8acfc17\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\\n\",\"_key\":\"808c1a34f4200\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\"},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"knowMore\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"13022c16bd71\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Strong growth in Kenya’s BNPL sector has also been attributed to increased e-commerce penetration. Several asset finance startups have gained a foothold in the space in recent years, such as LipaLater, M-Kopa, Aspira and FlexPay — and raised significant sums from local and international investors.\",\"_key\":\"b1f6aedd463e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Major banks, such as I\u0026M and NCBA, have also introduced BNPL offerings.\",\"_key\":\"277ffbd1bf340\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e304bf285f53\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Kenya’s largest telco, Safaricom, secured an exemption from the proposed regulation for its Lipa Mdogo Mdogo offering — a BNPL service that allows customers to purchase smartphones and pay regular installments via mobile money. Key features are disabled in instances of non-payment.\",\"_key\":\"7239f10f6d5b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"65bda15216a1\"}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"9fdb6d67d777\"},{\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"0a575cef9929\",\"thescoop\":[{\"_key\":\"b04739e9bedd\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"BNPL firms in Kenya have been under pressure over alleged predatory lending, fueling the push for regulation. They are accused of preying on Kenyans with low incomes to offer high interest asset loans, and deploying aggressive measures against defaulters. Among those most affected are motorcycle taxi riders, known locally as ‘boda boda,’ many of whom purchase the bikes via the BNPL firms.\",\"_key\":\"c73566be04f90\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"58d1372c541a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“It becomes a struggle to pay every single day when you still have other expenses like fuel and food,” Brian Ndahurire, a boda boda rider in Nairobi, told Semafor Africa.\",\"_key\":\"7bab77d108730\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In October, Kamau Munyoro, a local lawmaker, presented a petition in Parliament calling for an investigation into BNPL companies and their operations in Kenya. The MP, who also serves on the National Assembly’s Finance and National Planning Committee, gave an example of one of his constituents who had a motorcycle repossessed despite having already paid 250,000 Kenyan shillings on a BNPL loan worth 260,000 shillings.\",\"_key\":\"9e4b11fe7873\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"290037ea62b1\"},{\"_key\":\"1e273d390e58\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I questioned how someone could pay so much and still lose the bike,” he posed. “When we summoned these companies, we discovered they operated without proper regulations and set their own interest rates.”\",\"_key\":\"ed7c6784341c\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"_rev\":\"W29EKYrD7KKqvO8ZuhHw8b\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/martin-siele\",\"name\":\"Martin K.N Siele\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-15T16:37:31Z\",\"shortName\":\"Martin\",\"newsletterAudience\":\"Africa\",\"twitter\":\"@gengetonedon\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/3e796c36737a23ab2507b91e19126127704cb26f-1600x1600.png\",\"_id\":\"0e862c4c-5d24-42e1-a2f0-a03e58273f9c\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.2\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-10-10T10:58:51-04:00\",\"email\":\"sielemartin@gmail.com\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"_createdAt\":\"2023-06-13T09:55:50Z\",\"bio\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Martin K.N Siele is based in Nairobi, Kenya. \",\"_key\":\"f1edc02ec18b\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c4bbafff53d8\"}],\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-06-13T09:55:50Z\",\"_type\":\"author\"}}],\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"headlineOverride\":null,\"ledeVideo\":null,\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"hotspot\":{\"x\":0.5,\"y\":0.43744136960600377,\"height\":0.8748827392120075,\"_type\":\"sanity.imageHotspot\",\"width\":1},\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Elkanah254/Wikimedia Commons\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-007e6bda16f419f31d1de201a82d16634dbe9a5e-1280x961-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"crop\":{\"top\":0,\"left\":0,\"bottom\":0.12511726078799246,\"_type\":\"sanity.imageCrop\",\"right\":0}},\"attribution\":\"Elkanah254/Wikimedia Commons\",\"caption\":null},\"expires\":true},{\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Tech\",\"_key\":\"tech\",\"value\":\"tech\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"_key\":\"97fbed691af5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"13bc2f3a203f0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sundar Pichai is having what may be his best week at work in a couple of years. I met the Alphabet and Google CEO in Mountain View Wednesday afternoon amidst a string of victories big and small for the company, from a Nobel prize ceremony to a groundbreaking new AI model to a breakthrough in quantum computing.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"9eb5566b2c3a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"bbbda9d55d3a0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"1f1473829fb9\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Entering his 10th year as CEO, Pichai is always even keeled, whether under pressure or taking a victory lap. But as he walked into a cozy meeting room, he seemed to have subtle bounce in his step and a lightness that may be linked to a kind of vindication.\",\"_key\":\"242f2842656f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b11e407c72f80\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b1cc91336df7\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"59f32ad68058\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, it’s been a bumpy ride at Google — at least from the outside. The conventional wisdom was that Google somehow missed the ChatGPT moment and was panicking. The AI models it did release made widely-publicized mistakes. But Pichai told me he never doubted the company’s long term plan, choosing to stay the course and play the long game.\",\"_key\":\"751ce74cd1c50\"}]},{\"_key\":\"b018cadd79f7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"493a581f79070\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"726ed111eb8f0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"On Friday, he’s scheduled to meet with Donald Trump, The Information reported, at a time when the government’s role in the development of AI has never been more critical.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8e9d0f6db51d\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d26170fc492c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"5db5412c7de30\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It was a fascinating conversation in what could turn out to be a pivotal moment in time. Read below for more.\",\"_key\":\"edad3775a54a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"435ca5d0cfb5\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"f115160eaaa1\",\"title\":\"The Scene\",\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"theViewFrom\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fb3745147036\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Reed Albergotti: It has been a pretty crazy week with all the product announcements, the quantum computing announcement. You have Nobel Prizes. You have new products, Gemini 2.0. Did you plan it for all this week, or did that just happen because of the crazy nature of AI?\",\"_key\":\"d514d7e7eabd0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"]}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"f9d6837e67b80\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"df17cd4132b0\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"380770455dbe\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Sundar Pichai:\",\"_key\":\"5e8ff74139580\"},{\"_key\":\"5e8ff74139581\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" In 2015, I set the company [in] this AI-first direction. As part of that, we said we would do a deep, full-stack approach to AI all the way from world-class research, building the infrastructure. And then building models, both for us to developers, and putting it in our product. That kind of deep investment — and I felt AI is very profound — it cuts across everything we do as a company, across Google and Alphabet. That’s the foundation, taking a deep technical innovation approach, a full-stack approach. And then in the current genAI moment, sometimes you invest to get things right upfront. For me, that was getting Google DeepMind set up from the ground up, start Gemini, and build it to be natively multimodal and with long context, and now at 2.0.\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e20a3b752685\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"344ed462672f0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"So it’s getting that foundation right, and aligning teams, setting up the company. And I think you’re seeing… the benefits of all that beginning to ship, get out in the hands of people. I expect our pace to be higher because there’s always a fixed cost. We have to get our TPUs ready at scale to do the kind of models we want to build, build out our data centers, get the right teams. The innovation pipeline feels very, very strong. Some of these are long-term bets, and it takes time to play out. Quantum, to me, looks like where AI was in the 2010s. Few people know about it, but you’re working on it methodically. It’s the same. Waymo, we’ve been in the journey for over 15 years now, and it’s an exciting moment, so it’s probably a combination of all of that. The Nobel Prize wasn’t planned for, but I said this when it happened. I felt watching Demis [Hassabis] and John [Jumper], the team, work on AlphaFold… I was privileged to see a Nobel work from inception to finish. And so that’s been icing on the cake.\",\"_key\":\"3053c898a28e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9a7bc3027942\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"4f21caf9dc500\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3175deb28ac4\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"660caf2f5969\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"a8b70a6eecdb0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"A year or two ago, the narrative was, really, Google got caught off guard by ChatGPT. This week is a good time to look at how far you’ve come in terms of the company and the way people look at Google. Do you feel a difference now?\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"e159532c1ee10\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"96e4f34526c4\"},{\"_key\":\"0d523cced68a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It’s an exciting time. Internally, I had a palpable sense of the progress we were making. When you’re working on AI models, you’re looking at all these loss curves, and you’re looking at the capabilities of the models. You’re looking at various benchmarks. We are world-class people with access to state-of-the-art resources. The combination of Google DeepMind and Google Research, they’re the most cited in this genAI field. We’re responsible for many of the breakthroughs on which this revolution is happening. It’s definitely very satisfying to see the momentum, but we plan to do a lot more. We’re just getting started.\",\"_key\":\"06c9e6178ba40\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"85a8a100af820\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a5db435815ef\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"You said at DealBook last week that progress is getting harder, that the low hanging fruit has been picked. What does that mean exactly? What is the low-hanging fruit that’s been picked? And what is that really hard thing?\",\"_key\":\"d9a6321187990\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a1e7276f23d7\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"5c18a5da1e930\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"aac22b588619\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"41115be77b84\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"To be very clear about my answer, I said it there. I’m actually very excited about the progress ahead. What I meant by that is, I think in this field you can throw compute at it and make that initial progress. But then, it’s not just a question of scaling alone, it’s achieving breakthroughs. So getting our models to work with up to 2 million tokens as input length, that’s long context. That’s an example of a breakthrough. And with Gemini 2.0, we have a multimodal live API, so now it does native image and audio output. You can stream inputs into the model, get output — those are all breakthroughs. As we go to this next level, you need more insightful breakthroughs. The caliber of the work, I think, will be pretty high. All I meant to say is, I think it’ll help distinguish the really elite teams. And it’s not just us, there are a few other teams out there, but that’s what makes 2025 exciting.\",\"_key\":\"6839b41ee4ce0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"343e4270084f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"dd51a737f4dd0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c91892be1f11\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"90a3d30c15500\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"I think people took that wrong. If I looked at some of the content after that, it was like, ‘Whoa, we’ve hit the plateau.’ What you’re saying is, at Google, when it gets hard, that’s where we shine?\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"443c6ac13f46\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"485fd659e09b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bd9ea736c5e5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Precisely. I see parallels with Waymo too. Many people were working on the problem, but then it got harder. When it gets harder, being able to work through that, to get to that next level, it’s important.\",\"_key\":\"38bc0690a1280\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"251cde4b9b42\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"91666a4ffd060\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"There’s this tendency to look at the last two years, from November 22 until now, as the curve. If you look at it that way, it does look like we’re hitting a plateau because you had this huge, out of nowhere — at least from the outside perspective — this new thing. If you zoom out and you look at that curve, I imagine there are little plateaus along the way that you’ve seen. Where do you see it going from here? Is it the same trajectory?\",\"_key\":\"6e25b9af2ee00\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"00b7ae89c94c\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"8d6750b21c030\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"47a0615894e5\"},{\"_key\":\"701e34c812ad\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"$26\",\"_key\":\"739e6fabb8230\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"45e238233721\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"1996c7710aa40\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ce1d83700914\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Speaking of the long-term approach, going multimodal with Gemini from the beginning seemed to sacrifice some other capabilities, maybe on the language and coding-specific benchmarks, for this multimodal approach. Is that right?\",\"_key\":\"fbed5e1626920\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"736f12c22a9f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"a6d7e1ffb0e40\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"756480ebb9ef\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"When we launched Gemini 1.2 we really wanted it from the ground up to be multimodal. I think our models were almost state-of-the-art in multimodality, but we hadn’t exposed the capabilities of the model. There was no native image out or audio out. With 2.0 we are unlocking those capabilities, but at the same time, we are becoming state-of-the-art in all the coding or reasoning, or so on. On the SWE-bench, which is a popular benchmark, our models are state-of-the-art now. We’ve thrown out other experimental models, which aren’t released yet, which have shown even more capabilities. We are definitely pushing the frontier, but we’ll do it responsibly, which is why you see some of it being in trusted tester mode, some of it only as experimental APIs for developers, but we’ll work hard, get feedback, and then take it to the next level.\",\"_key\":\"f0e1bdfcd3650\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"dbd3731923c30\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bd6683f5f609\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"83d2bf5f68d1\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"The people of DeepMind have said this and theorized that the multimodel approach is the path to AGI because you need to have this world model, and maybe you need to have it an embodied AI, to be able to really reason and understand. Are you finding, as you progress, that’s true? Do you think that’s the right approach?\",\"_key\":\"fe8c3f941d9e0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"_key\":\"7d9c25eb8ba5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"f2cef86d7e140\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"$27\",\"_key\":\"874cc2ce13490\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0d7d859895b7\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"a2a9c5be2a6c0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"156aaaa95e81\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"82d6458d99cc\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"When you get these multimodal products into the hands of billions of people, and you look at Astra, when that becomes widely available, does that become a really good source of training data? Is that an advantage for Google?\",\"_key\":\"f68f62f3f9a90\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"22608bf302cc0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bcb09e03b454\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2d15625ffc3c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"There’s nothing like real-world feedback across everything we do. People using Google Lens in search, people as they use Astra. I think that virtuous cycle becomes super important for our products. I think all that makes our products better. If you look at Waymo, for example, we simulated a lot, and then we drove in the real world. But now we are in the real world, deploying in cities and we are doing 175,000 rides per week, or a million miles. I think that’s the best way you can in creatively improve your product.\",\"_key\":\"5f32172571920\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"253dcc4c71c2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"33fbc811d49b0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0c6317f94bf4\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"And 10 cities next year, that’s fast. Do you think that’s going to become a real source of revenue? And what’s the metric we should look at? Is it cost per mile?\",\"_key\":\"ef81bde6879a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"2fec023f3a65\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"c8dab1637e640\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The metric for us right now is making sure we’re building a generalized Waymo driver. The more situations we can take that, scale it, make it work safely with a very high bar, in urban environments, in highways, in all weather conditions. And then deliver it in various scenarios — in our cars, working with partners, like they’re doing with either Uber or with other players — and getting it to scale, and having a great user experience is what we are thinking about as we’re working through it.\",\"_key\":\"73a3d1c30b180\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"346249a7beb4\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3d960c9550990\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"641e5c5e00cf\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"19ae0e93d7ef\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"One thing I did not think would happen is that I’d be referring to data centers by name, like Colossus, Rainier. You have this billion-dollar data center in Kansas City. Are you going to build one of these massive clusters, or have you already? And is there going to be a name?\",\"_key\":\"516d3ae475b60\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"162e6a86751c0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9e19b653c6f8\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"We should have Gemini take over our naming from now on. Look, we are constantly pushing the state of the art in our data centers, and I think we have some of the most powerful clusters in the world. Things I’m proud of, most of the world is adopting liquid cooling. We’ve had widely deployed liquid cooling in our data centers for a while. We will be one of the first customers, not just TPUs, but working with Nvidia to get GB200s in our data centers. We already have a data center partially powered by geothermal. And our top, top data centers, many of them operate 90% carbon-free basis in terms of its energy use. So we are cutting edge, and we are scaling it up. And everything I see, everything we benchmark against, I think we are at the frontier there as well.\",\"_key\":\"3124739141230\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"37c77f0f7fda\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"e3a94db4e557\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"4b15da3856e20\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"5f469b884a8e\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"But you don’t talk about it as much as some of the others. Amazon announced hundreds of thousands of their Trainium2 chips in it. You trained Gemini 2.0 exclusively on your TPUs. Why don’t you go out there and brag about it?\",\"_key\":\"82db060924b20\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4a370d157404\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"0989846f07920\"}]},{\"_key\":\"2ec88fe58272\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"I remember in the year 2017 or 2018 in Google IO talking about building AI-first data centers and showing our TPU parts. Maybe we’ve been doing it for a while. We are proud of what we’re doing, but I’ll take your suggestion and make sure we talk about it more.\",\"_key\":\"141e9add5c000\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"f6f39f52051d0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"103eefc46e24\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Maybe it’s a trade secret; maybe if you’re in the lead, you don’t have to talk about it. Can you compare to some of these cluster that are considered among the biggest in the world?\",\"_key\":\"3ebdddd4fe8d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a134906de2b6\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"a9ad0af6a198\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"To be very clear, there are a few companies doing it. What matters is, for generating your cutting-edge models for pre-training, you need these large clusters, ideally located concurrently. We are definitely at the cutting edge of it. I think we have some of the largest compute clusters available for Google DeepMind and for our cloud customers too. We’ll do a lot more there.\",\"_key\":\"b9cf3caed6150\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"87beafeb697b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"643b96b40ee5\"},{\"_key\":\"cabc6b119fef\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"The incoming Trump administration has this “Manhattan Project” for AI idea. Have you gotten any insight into what that is going to look like and what part in it Alphabet will play?\",\"_key\":\"708daee6e6840\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7a96577f7ce0\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"c06d633999600\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It’s early days. The transition team is underway there, but the president has been very clear that he wants to invest in American technological leadership and critical technologies. From my standpoint, we’ve always done it over the years, but we want to help. You saw our announcement on quantum computing or AI, we’ve announced teams for building small modular nuclear reactors with our partners. Some of these are big, physical infrastructure projects. And I think there is a chance for us to work as a country together, to take these big, ambitious projects and go back to that. There’s no one in the world who wasn’t impressed by watching the SpaceX booster come back and land back that way. I think setting a high bar and pursuing these big, physical infrastructure projects and doing it well and fast. Tax rate progress is something we would be very excited by and happy to play any part we can.\",\"_key\":\"99ff13006bff0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"caafc807aa47\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9213976dd0aa\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"778826e6db070\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Have you spoken with the new AI czar?\",\"_key\":\"f003cda6e4c00\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8f6491e00504\"},{\"_key\":\"cf5ce66ad319\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"9422a860445e0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"aebd7a747ab1\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"No, I’m looking forward to meeting David [Sacks], clearly there are people coming in who are experts in these areas, in the technology sector. I think that’ll be very, very helpful. We look forward to engaging there.\",\"_key\":\"279e2b24ea9e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"191a08e6e9850\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b681340bf10e\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b756f2efb2ea\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"So no specifics yet, you don’t know exactly what that’ll look like?\",\"_key\":\"cdbbab5b277b0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"406d5f2def520\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"dbaf6812d2d7\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"That’s correct, other than early indications that they are definitely interested in driving innovation at scale. We are looking forward to those conversations.\",\"_key\":\"b406af09b9ab0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c2440ca13686\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e379ca5bd2ef\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"4637767713900\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"There’s also export controls that limit where and how many chips can leave the country. You’re building an AI hub in Saudi Arabia. Do you see anything changing with regard to export controls in the new administration?\",\"_key\":\"19a86689d3dc0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1ebcebff2069\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"de0f91fe5c9d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"1a9dac4f6f850\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"428081ab4719\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"AI is a critical technology, so I think from a national security standpoint, there’ll be frameworks associated with it. We are committed to working with the right people. But what you’ve seen over the last couple of years is consumers, enterprises, governments — people are excited about the possible use cases. So getting AI deployed in various useful scenarios is really important. It can help drive productivity, it can drive economic growth. And above all, as a society, we need to learn to use the technology, adapt, and begin conversations.\",\"_key\":\"ed0c679085010\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"947799e108230\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d01f75c8b017\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"You had this big breakthrough from the Quantum AI team on error correction. Did you expect that? What was your reaction?\",\"_key\":\"ab06704ac04e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a059ec6f2f75\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"42bca18b6e0b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"58ce0473b7da\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"dec27d259e04\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"One of the exciting things is our quantum team, with Hartmut [Neven]and team, they’ve always had a very rigorous framework, and they’ve defined progress in clear milestones. Every time we get a milestone, I’m like, these are ambitious projects. This one has definitely been one of the more positive surprises. This is definitely a deeper breakthrough, tackling error correction while you’re scaling up in your quantum computer. It’s definitely been one of the tougher challenges in the field. I couldn’t be more pleased with it. But for us now, these are all milestones in the way we are focused on developing practically usable quantum computers, which we can apply to new novel use cases. That’s the goal. I would compare it to our journey on Waymo or AI in the sense that it’s going to take time. But I think progress is inevitable if you put your mind to it.\",\"_key\":\"f263e014b2a30\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"477349c0306b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"42ea1241db9a\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"be87e4b02f7d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"You said quantum is like AI in 2010. That means that pretty soon it’s going to start having a real impact. What does achieving an at-scale quantum computer mean for Alphabet?\",\"_key\":\"def6e0a2d24f0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a4b64b69270b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"620234558be10\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"$28\",\"_key\":\"bc3bdc1d04720\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5f0dce60724b\"},{\"_key\":\"c75122fc2621\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2422c484a4e20\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"It’s transformational for the world, but potentially, it could really feed a lot of these other projects.\",\"_key\":\"6697224c1e710\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b9e6175c8733\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"9966bf3942650\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c05ef04589b0\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"My goal is, in a five-year time frame, we are commercially applying quantum to tackle some use cases, and then from there on, you build on out.\",\"_key\":\"e55a752646aa0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"45338a3a931c\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"dbcaec995e3b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f216d402111f\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6d3d707a26fa\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"You mentioned that AI search is going to be a bigger deal next year. AI Overview is already becoming very useful for a lot of my searches. Can you go into more detail on that?\",\"_key\":\"e810cdfe09900\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"f9d2831d973f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"00f38d495568\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3928e75d9c65\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"We’ve been very excited with the evolution of search with AI Overviews. I’ve been using AI overviews with Gemini 2.0 flash, and I can already see improvements in it. And that’s something we’re going to get out to more people. But we are also going to do more with it. Our AI models will help us in search, build experiences for more complex, deeper queries where you have to break it down and help the user iterate, and get to deeper answers. In 2025 we’ll definitely innovate rapidly where search will do things which you couldn’t do in 2024. That’s the goal I have for the team: A class of questions which search noticeably improves in 2025 over 2024, and I think we’ll deliver that. That’s exciting because that means you’re pushing the frontier of knowledge and information. I’m looking forward to all that getting out in the hands of users.\",\"_key\":\"de7b7344d6f00\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"807f3e11e28a0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"07b410387109\"},{\"_key\":\"0d7c8bb7aa20\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"AI safety is another question that a lot of people bring up. Demis said maybe a year ago that one of the big risks as the race heats up, is you start to take resources away from the safety effort because you need as many resources as you can to win this race. Is that materializing, or can you talk specifically about how many people are working on safety, or how many compute resources? Is there a way to measure that?\",\"_key\":\"ec11c08f1b530\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"869450e426090\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d1bbbd15690c\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"49dfbb03ddcc\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"We’ve always felt this is an area where it’s an add where you drive innovation, but what will help you drive progress is incorporating safety from the very beginning. I think one of the advantages of being able to think long term and invest for the long term is we are investing as much in the foundational safety of these models, the underlying research you need to do to drive that safety. This is why, for example, building synthetic, open sourcing aspects of it — these are all ways by which we are pushing the boundary on safety. We are all investing in safety frameworks as we make these models more agentic. But I think safety and innovation go hand in hand. It’s what has helped us make more progress in Waymo. Because from day one, we deeply incorporated safety in our innovation and development practices, and they go hand in hand. Similarly in AI, we have more people working on AI safety than before, including access to more compute. It is something we’ll always be very, very committed to.\",\"_key\":\"a2e82c239b110\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"331a12eff018\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"6265df975b7b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1f7e4d78d4eb\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"One question on this antitrust I thought was interesting. When I did that demo of Mariner, it’s on Chrome, and that’s what the US government wants to force Google to spin off. If you look at the administration’s appointments, it doesn’t look like that’s going to go away. I just have to ask, what does Google look like without Chrome?\",\"_key\":\"3dd7f6232ee30\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5e23cd4d836c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b459a849a9650\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a9bbdf1996c7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"This is an important process, we’ll participate constructively. I do think judges acknowledge that we’ve been innovating and we build the best products. I think some of the remedy proposals are far-reaching in scope. We plan to make a strong case. You’ve just seen the innovation coming out. All of this benefits consumers and at the end of the day, that has to be the foundation. That’s what our laws are based on. As long as we continue staying true to that approach, to bring beneficial things for our users, I think we’ll end up doing well.\",\"_key\":\"00c738056b170\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"f6d190f3cddc0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"63875d6a2fb9\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"28b247fe2765\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"18f09b6852a90\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"You talked a little about geothermal. I know you spun out this direct air capture company. I’m just wondering if there’s anything that excites you on that front, what type of energy is going to fuel this? And are there going to be new renewable innovations that come out of this?\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"ddf1316ca5e60\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a96dce41f92d\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a6309b01fa84\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"We are tremendously undertapped on the potential of solar. There’s a lot more opportunity to scale up solar. Thinking about it from a physics and engineering perspective, we have so many options. Nuclear is proven, there are countries which have proven it and it works today. I think there are safer options which are constantly being worked on. There is so much energy inside the Earth too. We only live on the surface of the Earth, and there’s volumetric energy within the planet, which we barely tapped. I’ve always felt if you put your mind to it, we should be dealing with the energy surplus. Energy should be an accelerant, not a constraint. It’s only our imagination and result that’s in the way.\",\"_key\":\"2f3be70518400\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"_key\":\"8ddaf795d0f9\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"86f7c50331160\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"I was looking at a map of geothermal potential sites and it’s huge, the whole western US. You have one, but it’s still pretty low. It’s not gigawatts, it’s megawatts. Do you just have to dig deeper?\",\"_key\":\"4e44dca4df7f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e73efeae25a9\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"58312749ad43\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"800ba9785f4c0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"83d3a241ba91\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The demand for energy is so great, I think we’ll be able to meet it. But we’ll need more R\u0026D dollars. We’ll need more favorable permitting to go actually work on these things. And this is an area where I think there’s a real opportunity for the new administration. They’ve signaled their commitment to making that possible. It’s something we all can make a lot of progress on.\",\"_key\":\"eb37cbc65d910\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"_key\":\"174313087fb2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\\n\",\"_key\":\"da2af7b9ea840\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\",\"where\":\"Sundar Pichai\",\"_key\":\"5f075770dd8c\"}],\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"slug\":\"/article/12/12/2024/sundar-pichai-on-the-future-of-ai-waymo-and-quantum-computing\",\"location\":null,\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T03:10:16Z\",\"headline\":\"Google CEO talks about the future of AI, Waymo and quantum computing\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"signal\":null,\"expires\":true,\"id\":\"cb892dce-589f-47fe-8fb8-3e3794a91db1\",\"vertical\":\"tech\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Reed Albergotti\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/21b2b47b53ad644cf3577717c50f31f7667dd2e1-1600x1600.png\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Andrej Sokolow/dpa via Reuters \",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-a09a13059665ad7de8b17443e65c4cb48f9fb8c0-2543x1693-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Andrej Sokolow/dpa via Reuters \",\"caption\":null},\"description\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c9e48f1341d5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In an exclusive interview, Sundar Pichai talks to Semafor after a week of product announcements.\",\"_key\":\"591afe0d39cc\"}]}],\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"}},{\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"intro\":{\"_type\":\"intro\",\"schemaVersion\":1},\"location\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-14T11:07:02.612Z\",\"id\":\"ed32b7ef-699e-4372-add4-46d25271e643\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/12/2024/ge-vernova-ceo-we-can-manage-trump-tariffs\",\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d2e6c9d3495e\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-05/denmark-receives-no-bids-in-largest-ever-offshore-wind-tender\",\"_key\":\"f1401e6adfae\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The wind-power downturn is hitting all corners, from countries selling concessions — Denmark just had an auction with \",\"_key\":\"d576c682e7a70\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"f1401e6adfae\"],\"text\":\"zero bids\",\"_key\":\"d576c682e7a71\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" — while European oil majors Shell and BP are pulling back on the technology and Ørsted, the world’s biggest offshore wind company, is struggling too.\",\"_key\":\"d576c682e7a72\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"359d941705eb\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Among those also hit: GE Vernova, one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of wind turbines. Its CEO Scott Strazik told a small group of reporters in New York City this week that while other parts of his company’s business are having to push orders back because of demand — he can “manage” and “adjust” to President-elect Donald Trump’s expected tariffs — the wind business is struggling.\",\"_key\":\"5dad0342fe1a0\"}]}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"8b2bc8ef0eef\",\"title\":\"The Scene\",\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\",\"where\":\"Scott Strazik\",\"_key\":\"fcca3926f7fd\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"This conversation has been lightly edited for speed and clarity.\",\"_key\":\"c5459d49c128\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f43653e786e5\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Liz Hoffman: You’ve got the Trump administration coming in, a big deal. How would tariffs impact your business in China and your supply chain?\",\"_key\":\"ab437787f5bc0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"83c63c0a16b4\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6d584e3819ae\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Scott Strazik:\",\"_key\":\"3aad265786d30\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" Our 133-year history as a US-based company is a real advantage. We really have a lot of our core operations inside the US. We make most of our gas turbines in Greenville, South Carolina. Our nuclear business is based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Over the last few years, we’ve invested in much more wind capacity, including in upstate New York. So we have a US footprint to leverage here. We buy materials, of course, from all over the world, including China, Mexico, and Canada, all places that are in the [tariffs] dialog. Those three countries are approximately 5% of our buy. So we can manage and we can adjust.\",\"_key\":\"3aad265786d31\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a9cde198e162\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://energywatch.com/EnergyNews/Renewables/article17089951.ece\",\"_key\":\"3fcb6b4705e0\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"You decided to build a wind turbine plant in upstate New York \",\"_key\":\"6b587b60e3670\"},{\"_key\":\"6b587b60e3671\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"3fcb6b4705e0\",\"strong\"],\"text\":\"instead of in China or Europe\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\" specifically because of the Inflation Reduction Act. Do you still feel good about that?\",\"_key\":\"6b587b60e3672\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"c979c3bc279c0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Schenectady also has a lot of symbolism in it, considering that’s really where General Electric started, and we’ve been adding a number of union jobs to support [onshore] wind growth. It’s the largest onshore wind turbine available in the US. But the orders are a little bit soft. In gas and grid, we’re pushing orders out to 2028, 2029. In wind, the orders remain humble.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5e23277494b1\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"If Trump is serious about ramping up oil and gas drilling, does that make wind less competitive?\",\"_key\":\"41c25336eb600\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8f87ff411d6c\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"821ce8a05fbf\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Gas is already fairly inexpensive in the US, so it going lower probably isn’t that much of an impact. It can have a larger impact outside the US, because the cost of LNG being shipped to the UK or Japan is high, and that’s where other renewable energy sources can be more competitive. If you believed in a flat demand environment, that could have an impact on renewables. But I don’t believe in a flat demand cycle. I believe in a growing cycle that is going to still need renewables.\",\"_key\":\"0deaad9c0e2d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0be2ca569572\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"We’ve seen corporate sustainability targets getting lowered or deemphasized a bit. So customers who are buying clean energy, not because it’s cheapest, but because they said they would, have you seen any changes there?\",\"_key\":\"dbcbd45ea68b0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"I don’t at all get ‘we don’t care about this anymore.’ Their total demand is going up, so even if the proportion of wind and solar is going down, it doesn’t mean that nominal numbers are going down. That said, clearly within our business today, there are many more leading indicators of growth in gas than in wind. In offshore wind, we haven’t booked a new order in 37 months. We’re not going to chase orders if the economics aren’t there.\",\"_key\":\"2e38a716c12e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6d408ce2a62a\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"13ebd90e5dde\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"On a different note, you’re a CEO doing a public-facing event today in New York, a few blocks from where UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson was killed last week. Did you think about canceling?\",\"_key\":\"7ee1cf3a7e570\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"You start just by thinking about Brian’s family, the team, with just such sympathy. We have to navigate safety for our employees all over the world, and in more complicated places, generally speaking, than midtown Manhattan. I’m very fortunate. We have a security team that does a very good job and has done a very good job for a long time. So I wouldn’t say things are materially different today than yesterday. But where we have real safety risks, in parts of the world we operate that desperately need electrons — I think about that every day.\",\"_key\":\"3d39f0bdcb900\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e740c9d3bbbd\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"schemaVersion\":1}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-f6fb131ef42b550d7f0e77f5db35fbba2006dd51-5000x3335-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Scott Strazik speaking at Semafor’s World Economic Summit in April 2024. Kris Tripplaar/Semafor.\",\"caption\":\"GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik speaking to Semafor’s Tim McDonnell in April 2024\"},\"attribution\":\"Scott Strazik speaking at Semafor’s World Economic Summit in April 2024. Kris Tripplaar/Semafor.\",\"caption\":\"GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik speaking to Semafor’s Tim McDonnell in April 2024\"},\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"GE Vernova CEO: We can ‘manage’ Trump tariffs\",\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"vertical\":\"business\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Business\",\"_key\":\"business\",\"value\":\"business\"},{\"label\":\"Net Zero\",\"_key\":\"climate\",\"value\":\"climate\"}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Liz Hoffman\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1551c1f02005a2d088208a6004d1921628666991-1600x1600.png\"}],\"signal\":null,\"headlineOverride\":null,\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Scott Strazik said the renewable energy company is prepared to adjust and lean on its US roots, but sees few takers for offshore wind.\",\"_key\":\"6434818a2b130\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"522d6c85448e\"}]},{\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Alexander Onukwue\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/632c62d616077fbd548d74c1fe3ec8abdc64e37e-1600x1600.png\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"caption\":\"Temu logo\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-2604d63abff8a95fdb3ec32bee93991a67544285-512x204-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Dado Ruvic/Reuters\"},\"attribution\":\"Dado Ruvic/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Temu logo\"},\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-13T14:37:26Z\",\"id\":\"6bc2bb40-f2ac-48e7-b4cd-25745bd84de3\",\"headline\":\"Chinese retailer Temu storms Nigeria \",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Nigeria is Temu’s second bet in Africa after the company launched in South Africa earlier this year.\",\"_key\":\"7bc35a9205c20\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a82629afb5c2\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"expires\":true,\"vertical\":\"africa\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"_key\":\"africa\",\"value\":\"africa\",\"label\":\"Africa\"}],\"location\":\"Africa\",\"semaforms\":[{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"LAGOS — Chinese online retailer Temu has become the most downloaded app in Nigeria on both the Android and Apple app stores in just a few weeks since ads started promoting its availability in the country.\",\"_key\":\"7bc35a9205c20\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"65a63f754892\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The \",\"_key\":\"2d59cfe2978b0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"55bc680fd043\"],\"text\":\"ranking\",\"_key\":\"2d59cfe2978b1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" by app tracking platform Similarweb comes after consumers were hit with an advertising blitz on social media that signaled the company’s entry into the country. Goods on Temu are now available in the local currency, naira, and available for delivery to Nigerian addresses. \",\"_key\":\"2d59cfe2978b2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ceea5fee988b\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.similarweb.com/top-apps/google/nigeria/\",\"_key\":\"55bc680fd043\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Temu’s parent is the company behind Chinese online marketplace Pinduoduo. It first launched in the US in 2022 and has developed a reputation for being a retailer with cheap consumer wares that are quickly delivered, often drawing comparisons with Chinese fast fashion rival Shein.\",\"_key\":\"695fec2aa0b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2d3eb1c52aca\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"After launching in South Africa earlier in the year, Nigeria becomes Temu’s second bet in Africa.\",\"_key\":\"9d83f514fa5e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"77e5781c6e17\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"d9a6ed3d2c70\",\"title\":\"The News\"},{\"knowMore\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a39c7d30980c\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.wsj.com/business/media/temus-push-into-america-pays-off-big-time-for-meta-and-google-f2721b32\",\"_key\":\"e50cd9f07fa7\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Temu was the top advertiser on Meta last year by reportedly spending \",\"_key\":\"a366e8e0b9d20\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"text\":\"nearly $2 billion\",\"_key\":\"a366e8e0b9d21\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e50cd9f07fa7\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" on ads. In the US, the blitz has put it in contention for shoppers’ dollars as it drives up advertising costs and takes attention away from long-time players like Etsy.\",\"_key\":\"a366e8e0b9d22\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Competition in Nigerian e-commerce is between smaller stores selling specific products and Africa-wide providers \",\"_key\":\"7bf28507597f0\"},{\"_key\":\"7bf28507597f1\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"1ed4ecddc88d\"],\"text\":\"like Jumia\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". A leaner operations model focused on achieving profitability has seen Jumia reduce its advertising spend in the last two years.\",\"_key\":\"7bf28507597f2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"dac36100bba6\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/08/15/2023/jumia-africas-amazon-sees-growth-stall\",\"_key\":\"1ed4ecddc88d\"}]}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"94d3c33113b7\",\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"author\":{\"authorSlug\":\"/author/alexander-onukwue\",\"newsletterAudience\":\"Africa\",\"name\":\"Alexander Onukwue\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/632c62d616077fbd548d74c1fe3ec8abdc64e37e-1600x1600.png\",\"_createdAt\":\"2022-12-21T17:18:08Z\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"_rev\":\"W29EKYrD7KKqvO8ZuUArfR\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-04-04T09:27:23Z\",\"_id\":\"94ba7014-dff6-43de-be13-2b5e9c077c0d\",\"email\":\"aonukwue@semafor.com\",\"bio\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e63288fc8f82\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"b648d53a4e1c\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Alexander is a reporter for Semafor in Lagos, Nigeria. He was previously the West Africa correspondent at Quartz.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T16:04:22Z\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-04-04T05:27:23-04:00\",\"authorTitle\":\"Nigeria Reporter\",\"shortName\":\"Alexander\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"twitter\":\"onu_kwue\"},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"33a48969a999\",\"thescoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0dacf0455599\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The tenor of reactions to Temu’s Nigeria entry from industry analysts and consumers is a mix of admiration and anxiety. The retailer’s ascent to the top of the download charts indicates a successful launch strategy but there are fears that its operations will deplete local markets.\",\"_key\":\"c2f5169684070\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"6cb56f1f513a0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Beyond advertising, what could make Temu a seismic actor for Nigerian e-commerce is the control it has over its value chain, analysts say. Unlike many online retailers who act as middlemen between manufacturers and consumers, Temu is able to ship directly from factories in China. It gives the company a wide latitude to fulfil a vast variety of products at potentially cheaper prices.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1953f4451090\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"And in emerging markets where price sensitivity means consumers have little loyalty to brands, Temu will effectively be preferred to other retailers.\",\"_key\":\"971ec8b244af0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2dd1c1acd1d6\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"683cdeaa77dc\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/posts/marieloramungai_i-love-temu-thats-how-i-know-that-the-chinese-ugcPost-7270199904587644928-LVAn/?utm_source=share\u0026utm_medium=member_desktop\",\"_key\":\"c136013f7baa\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Combined with gamified shopping that makes for an alluring user experience, the company’s presence could be “\",\"_key\":\"d60de146530c0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"c136013f7baa\"],\"text\":\"very, very dangerous\",\"_key\":\"d60de146530c1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", not only for Africa’s homegrown ecommerce platforms, but also for its fledgling fashion and design sector,” said Marie Lora-Mungai, an analyst who covers African creative industries.\",\"_key\":\"d60de146530c2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Indeed, there have been some shifts in African e-commerce since Temu’s arrival on the continent.\",\"_key\":\"3c8c3ffa7b1d0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6756c6444493\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"51996fdca5140\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Nigeria and South Africa could calm their local markets’ anxieties over the activities of global offshore online retailers by demanding concessions, Lora-Mugai said. “More specifically, I would force the platform to build factories and train workers locally.”\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cb86aa0dcd81\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"But some observers say only extreme measures like a ban will preserve local capacity. The takeover of e-commerce by foreign companies would be akin to Netflix and YouTube becoming preferred to local platforms for film distribution, said Oris Aigbokhaevbolo, a Nigerian film journalist and online publisher.\",\"_key\":\"3af7334d116e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fabedfd9d4d9\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"8bec722c1f04\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?fetchDeterministicClustersOnly=true\u0026heroEntityKey=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAABAQ8zMBRPtudQi6O3gWP-neUGchwHrWCBI\u0026keywords=oris%20aigbokhaevbolo\u0026origin=RICH_QUERY_SUGGESTION\u0026position=0\u0026searchId=87969b58-d292-489e-8af1-c9a28817b7b4\u0026sid=%2C7e\u0026spellCorrectionEnabled=false\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"1fb83f961d740\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Across fields, we have a new anthem: If it comes from Nigeria and a rival shows up from overseas, \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"8bec722c1f04\"],\"text\":\"they’ll win\",\"_key\":\"1fb83f961d741\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". But you can’t really build a country’s economy like this,” he said.\",\"_key\":\"1fb83f961d742\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"031b8f6f856d\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"_key\":\"567a630da54b\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2116fc9876d3\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/zando-launches-international-unit-counter-shein-temu-south-africa-2024-04-18/\",\"_key\":\"e7d8ab4a47c3\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Takealot, the Naspers-owned company that is South Africa’s largest online store, sold its fashion retail unit Superbalist in September. In October, Jumia closed Zando, a fashion retail unit that a few months earlier specifically named Temu and Shein among the companies it hoped to counter as a “\",\"_key\":\"4a996e320f680\"},{\"_key\":\"4a996e320f681\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e7d8ab4a47c3\"],\"text\":\"trustworthy alternative\"},{\"_key\":\"4a996e320f682\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” for African consumers looking to shop internationally.\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"36fac6af1891\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"176a0183d029\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://mybroadband.co.za/news/business/541817-takealot-warns-about-temu-and-shein.html\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"When Takealot reported its financial results earlier this year, it accused Temu and Shein of exploiting loopholes “by using shipping methods that allow them to offer products at \",\"_key\":\"516cd026ffcc0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"176a0183d029\"],\"text\":\"exceptionally low prices\",\"_key\":\"516cd026ffcc1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" while avoiding duties, taxes and other government fees imposed on conventional retailers.”\",\"_key\":\"516cd026ffcc2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c6af70ad64a3\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.itweb.co.za/article/entrepreneur-body-shares-takealots-concerns-on-temu-shein/VgZey7JlkW5qdjX9\",\"_key\":\"9221999d404a\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It warned South African policymakers to update regulations to avoid widening disparities that could hurt local businesses. Its concern was echoed by the Institute for Chartered Entrepreneurs, a trade group that claimed both Chinese companies’ presence in South Africa could have “\",\"_key\":\"83e2a648a8000\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"9221999d404a\"],\"text\":\"deleterious effects\",\"_key\":\"83e2a648a8001\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” and set back efforts to grow local industries.\",\"_key\":\"83e2a648a8002\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\",\"where\":\"South Africa\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"slug\":\"/article/12/11/2024/chinese-retailer-temu-storms-nigeria\",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"signal\":null},{\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-13T12:03:56Z\",\"signal\":null,\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"da7d1256b43a0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The latest federal lease auction for geothermal drilling was a bust.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"08eff9fa7a4c\"}],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"cb4cad68b0b4\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d3ada8bba3f8\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The latest auction for leases to drill geothermal energy wells on federal land in the US was a bust, bucking the trend of more successful recent sales and showing the nascent technology still faces hurdles to becoming a clean energy powerhouse.\",\"_key\":\"cc43c146af680\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/64-of-66-parcels-sold-in-blm-nevada-geothermal-lease-sale/\",\"_key\":\"a987752ba276\"},{\"href\":\"https://www.blm.gov/programs/energy-and-minerals/renewable-energy/geothermal-energy/regional-information/nevada\",\"_key\":\"aa7b370386ff\",\"_type\":\"link\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Geothermal energy, which uses subterranean heat to generate electricity with drilling hardware adapted from the oil and gas industry, is a rising star in the energy transition. In the last few weeks, a string of lease auctions in southwestern US states have been entirely or \",\"_key\":\"97c4832b0f1b0\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"marks\":[\"a987752ba276\"],\"text\":\"nearly sold out\",\"_key\":\"97c4832b0f1b1\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", with some drilling rights selling for \",\"_key\":\"97c4832b0f1b2\"},{\"marks\":[\"aa7b370386ff\"],\"text\":\"more than $200 per acre\",\"_key\":\"97c4832b0f1b3\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_key\":\"97c4832b0f1b4\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", around 10 times the typical figure a few years ago.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"67b61c4b9068\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2033497/570\",\"_key\":\"2e3a5a7f8296\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.powermag.com/enel-sells-entire-u-s-geothermal-power-portfolio-to-ormat/\",\"_key\":\"d5e78ec8a43a\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Tuesday’s auction, for three plots in southern Utah, was a dive: Only one plot triggered bids, with Ormat Technologies sealing a win \",\"_key\":\"606c80b3fed80\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"2e3a5a7f8296\"],\"text\":\"for just $2 per acre\",\"_key\":\"606c80b3fed81\"},{\"text\":\". The Nevada-based energy project developer has already been \",\"_key\":\"606c80b3fed82\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"marks\":[\"d5e78ec8a43a\"],\"text\":\"building a portfolio of geothermal projects\",\"_key\":\"606c80b3fed83\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" in the surrounding area. The company didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment about its bid. But analysts for Project InnerSpace, a geothermal advocacy group, told Semafor the tepid auction was likely the result of the plots’ isolated, mountainous location and relatively low geothermal temperatures.\",\"_key\":\"606c80b3fed84\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5f1fc117f1ca\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Jeanine Vany, executive vice president of corporate affairs at geothermal startup Eavor Technologies, said that despite the hype, lease auctions for the technology are still held back by grid bottlenecks, and because most geothermal projects are only economically viable with very high subsurface temperatures. That means auctions for cooler and more remote plots often go quiet.\",\"_key\":\"a0c57811d1f50\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fe934e394474\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f2e05882f324\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“As costs come down, you’ll start to see more regions that are not hot get grabbed quicker at auction,” Vany said. “But today, geologists are just looking for hotter rocks.”\",\"_key\":\"a7fbc708aafe0\"}]}]},{\"author\":{\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1ddf837d6cffba02799c97a85b509964d801e2c0-1600x1600.png\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"_id\":\"02111b2e-2dd5-40b1-82fb-b81b62e4f9ba\",\"_createdAt\":\"2023-01-16T15:20:39Z\",\"twitter\":\"timmcdonnell\",\"name\":\"Tim McDonnell\",\"bio\":[{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"72cb34c85e56\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Tim McDonnell is the Climate \u0026 Energy Editor at Semafor. Tim has covered the business and science of climate change for more than a decade from front lines of the crisis around the world. He is based in Kyiv.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6ec720bd7d4d\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"authorTitle\":\"Climate and energy editor\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/tim-mcdonnell\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T16:11:14Z\",\"email\":\"tmcdonnell@semafor.com\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-24T16:33:03Z\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-09-06T10:33:19-04:00\",\"newsletterAudience\":\"Climate\",\"shortName\":\"Tim\",\"_rev\":\"ERq4ToR7OCAfPf0jwFiFDK\",\"schemaVersion\":2},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"2495feae5a17\",\"thescoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Notwithstanding Tuesday’s lackluster auction, geothermal stands to be a big winner under the incoming Trump administration. It has two things going for it: The scramble to power data centers, and a strong bipartisan support base.\",\"_key\":\"228c2dccaa4e0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d03eec61458a\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4c213a62c644\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"31c3ad53e190\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://gridstrategiesllc.com/wp-content/uploads/National-Load-Growth-Report-2024.pdf\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"For tech companies, geothermal promises to provide power that’s cleaner than fossil fuels, cheaper and faster to build than nuclear, and more consistent and with a smaller land footprint than wind or solar. The latest indication of the gaping power generation deficit facing the US came out this week, in a report from the research group Grid Strategies. It found that in 2022, grid planners expected the country’s power demand to increase about 23 gigawatts in the next five years. Today, the report said, \",\"_key\":\"8bb46ae2a8a50\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"31c3ad53e190\"],\"text\":\"the five-year demand forecast has leapt to 128 gigawatts\",\"_key\":\"8bb46ae2a8a51\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", in large part because of data centers.\",\"_key\":\"8bb46ae2a8a52\"}]},{\"_key\":\"a1d670247a8e\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/28/23972940/google-data-center-geothermal-energy\",\"_key\":\"79c8263e6517\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2024/09/24/google-ventures-dandelion-40m-geothermal\",\"_key\":\"2eb87eef666d\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"It’s an all-hands-on-deck situation in which geothermal is emerging as a popular solution. “Geothermal benefits in the near term because it’s reliable, relatively affordable, and selling electrons to people who need them is one of the simplest and most effective business models out there,” said Mike Schroepfer, partner at the venture capital firm Gigascale. His former employer, Meta, announced a plan in August to build geothermal systems for its data centers. Meanwhile Google is already \",\"_key\":\"38bc6c0a15ea0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"79c8263e6517\"],\"text\":\"tapping one advanced geothermal plant\",\"_key\":\"38bc6c0a15ea1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" in Nevada and \",\"_key\":\"38bc6c0a15ea2\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"2eb87eef666d\"],\"text\":\"investing in another geothermal startup\",\"_key\":\"38bc6c0a15ea3\"},{\"_key\":\"38bc6c0a15ea4\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" targeting home heating.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"480cfa7b99ea\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://heatmap.news/politics/bipartisan-geothermal?utm_campaign=heatmap_daily_paid\u0026utm_medium=email\u0026_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9N8VishBbbkGhIiKhFV1dZvOLnIX0D2x9qmaRgd-Nl3O5D_Til4eWrrzwaB-uxVCfla-GHTNsFjFlndr5oSvo1jxwvvdoCASMoU93boFM0WucIXoA\u0026_hsmi=335578023\u0026utm_content=335578023\u0026utm_source=hs_email\",\"_key\":\"bf83ca2056c6\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"But industry advocates say US federal processes for pushing geothermal projects through environmental review are cumbersome, and that lease auctions are too few and far between. Lawmakers agree: The House of Representatives last month \",\"_key\":\"84d60737b8130\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"text\":\"passed two bills, with bipartisan support\",\"_key\":\"84d60737b8131\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"bf83ca2056c6\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", that aim to clear hurdles for geothermal development. Those are now being reconciled with permitting overhaul legislation in the Senate, so speeding up geothermal could be one of the first energy laws to land on President-elect Donald Trump’s desk next year.\",\"_key\":\"84d60737b8132\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"roomForDisagreement\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The results of federal lease auctions are a misleading indicator of geothermal’s momentum, said Jamie Beard, executive director of Project InnerSpace, because the bureaucratic hurdles discourage bidders. Companies may also be waiting to bid on new federal-land projects until Trump takes office, she said. A more interesting trend, she added, is the move to develop projects on state and private land in jurisdictions that have streamlined permitting processes, like Texas. “There’s a gold rush right now in terms of geothermal prospecting,” Beard told Semafor, “with entities seeking to avoid the delays and burden of federal red tape.”\",\"_key\":\"33e2840fa1940\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"532a8b6cc650\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"roomForDisagreement\",\"_key\":\"163c0a92d43e\"},{\"_type\":\"furtherReading\",\"_key\":\"2d9a8c8e0e51\",\"furtherReading\":[{\"level\":1,\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8d5bb04be387\",\"listItem\":\"bullet\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://alaskapublic.org/2024/12/10/biden-administration-includes-restrictions-in-arctic-refuge-oil-lease-sale/\",\"_key\":\"a7a31b5f7b1b\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"The Biden administration finalized plans for a controversial oil and gas lease auction in the Alaskan Arctic. \",\"_key\":\"bf2d5bda6bbb0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The auction was mandated by a law passed during Trump’s first term, but \",\"_key\":\"bf2d5bda6bbb1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a7a31b5f7b1b\"],\"text\":\"Biden officials took steps to minimize its size\",\"_key\":\"bf2d5bda6bbb2\"},{\"_key\":\"bf2d5bda6bbb3\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". The last Arctic drilling auction, in 2021, was snubbed by major oil companies, and no exploration has taken place there yet.\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":1}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"id\":\"fe87918b-959b-489a-91f0-6ec69d5d50a9\",\"headline\":\"Geothermal energy is heating up, but not yet boiling\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Net Zero\",\"_key\":\"climate\",\"value\":\"climate\"}],\"location\":\"North America\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Tim McDonnell\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1ddf837d6cffba02799c97a85b509964d801e2c0-1600x1600.png\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"slworking2/Flickr\",\"caption\":\"A geothermal energy power plant in California.\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-75ef9d9527b0a905bb6cd31708431854938e435d-5472x3648-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1},\"attribution\":\"slworking2/Flickr\",\"caption\":\"A geothermal energy power plant in California.\"},\"expires\":true,\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"vertical\":\"climate\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/11/2024/geothermal-energy-is-heating-up-but-not-yet-boiling\"},{\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"vertical\":\"politics\",\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"Democrats, once vocal, all but silent on New York subway verdict\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/10/2024/democrats-once-vocal-all-but-silent-on-new-york-subway-verdict\",\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"location\":null,\"ledeVideo\":null,\"id\":\"7df6df68-16a0-4d86-b962-23ec6148e253\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"signal\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-13T02:42:13Z\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Congressional Democrats avoid talking about New York’s high-profile verdict.\",\"_key\":\"5bdee08d736f\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"081f4d6294fb\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"David Weigel\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/287de2b8ca8b3cec76543dd0601c6589078a7cf2-1600x1600.png\"},{\"name\":\"Kadia Goba\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/4f8f1b442e9cf46551270d6c82129f7c5edd0648-1600x1600.png\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"fabf2136cb73\",\"title\":\"The Scene\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d6189229e6ee\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://nypost.com/2024/12/09/us-news/daniel-penny-cleared-of-all-charges-in-jordan-neelys-death/\",\"_key\":\"29e1c4b72f77\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"4ec3d5e812430\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Democrats who represent New York City in the House and Senate had muted, mixed reactions to Monday’s \"},{\"_key\":\"4ec3d5e812431\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"29e1c4b72f77\"],\"text\":\"acquittal\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" of Daniel Penny – a break from progressive and racial justice activists back home, and a sign of how far the party has shifted away from its social justice posture of just a few years earlier.\",\"_key\":\"4ec3d5e812432\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"a1278e862d070\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"82493519b3af\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“It’s a New York jury. I can’t say it was a gerrymandered jury,” said Rep. Greg Meeks, the chairman of the Queens Democratic Party. “I’m not sitting there, hearing all the evidence. The jury made a decision.”\",\"_key\":\"f85072899a560\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ef5a1bb2865f\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"596e0ff3efc9\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3bf41e16ef830\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Republicans hailed the verdict. Moments after Penny was found not guilty for the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man he had held in a fatal chokehold after threatening subway passengers, House Speaker Mike Johnson \",\"_key\":\"d1002723872b0\"},{\"marks\":[\"2a2d40b7af18\"],\"text\":\"called\",\"_key\":\"d1002723872b1\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" the defendant a “hero who saved lives.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had condemned Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg over his prosecution of Donald Trump, \",\"_key\":\"d1002723872b2\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"90d428b70923\"],\"text\":\"credited\",\"_key\":\"d1002723872b3\"},{\"_key\":\"d1002723872b4\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" the jury “for doing the right thing,” and incoming Vice President JD Vance \"},{\"marks\":[\"ae0db80c7de1\"],\"text\":\"called\",\"_key\":\"d1002723872b5\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_key\":\"d1002723872b6\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" it “a scandal Penny was ever prosecuted.”\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cf651f172f25\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://x.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1866181013417656801\",\"_key\":\"2a2d40b7af18\"},{\"href\":\"https://x.com/RonDeSantis/status/1866165414549737485\",\"_key\":\"90d428b70923\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://x.com/JDVance/status/1866178857633505553\",\"_key\":\"ae0db80c7de1\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a9adafeee58e\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"bb1e120ba2280\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a91a0f4f11df\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"By contrast, the party’s New York-heavy leadership, including House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Leader Chuck Schumer, and incoming Congressional Black Congress chair Yvette Clarke, said nothing about the verdict on Tuesday.\",\"_key\":\"dea3f067c72d0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"31ac87a9ce2e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7afc04c728e2\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://x.com/JamaalBowmanNY/status/1866552073531150636\",\"_key\":\"07a765e386c8\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Just one New York Democrat criticized it. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who represents a sliver of the Bronx and lost his 2024 primary after heavy spending by pro-Israel groups, published a 12-post \",\"_key\":\"e7abf511bad20\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"07a765e386c8\"],\"text\":\"X thread\",\"_key\":\"e7abf511bad21\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" addressed “to white people,” linking Neely’s death to the killings of George Floyd, Philando Castile, Trayvon Martin, and Breonna Taylor.\",\"_key\":\"e7abf511bad22\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f4f88b35b5e9\"},{\"_key\":\"676807a86e6f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3ecaf9bd6fd60\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"af206eec49e8\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“He was sick. He was not a threat. He was subdued. Still not a threat,” wrote Bowman of Neely. “Daniel Penny choked him for 6 minutes. And killed him. We all watched it on camera, and he was still acquitted.”\",\"_key\":\"04f93c31446d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"5c836276555f0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cc5d7f160ff2\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"78c27b6efb08\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.tiktok.com/@camiladechalus/video/7236381430492826922\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"No other congressional Democrat from New York fully echoed Bowman on Tuesday; conservative X accounts recirculated a May 2023 TikTok \",\"_key\":\"94dfa48b93a50\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_key\":\"94dfa48b93a51\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"78c27b6efb08\"],\"text\":\"interview\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, criticizing Penny for not expressing “remorse,” but she did not react to the verdict. Manhattan Rep. 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Jasmine Crockett \",\"_key\":\"7eeb7a4d3ec10\"},{\"_key\":\"7eeb7a4d3ec11\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"03c1737f709c\"],\"text\":\"shared\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" the sentiments of activists, calling the verdict a “miscarriage of justice,” most New York Democrats who talked to Semafor on Tuesday took another view.\",\"_key\":\"7eeb7a4d3ec12\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"67cc7cbbda6d\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://x.com/RepDanGoldman/status/1654172681502064645\",\"_key\":\"d1dbbce7baeb\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I think everyone who does not sit in a courtroom for an entire trial should be careful about reaching judgments or conclusions about any given case,” said Brooklyn Rep. Dan Goldman, who had previously \",\"_key\":\"8a05e30a68980\"},{\"marks\":[\"d1dbbce7baeb\"],\"text\":\"called\",\"_key\":\"8a05e30a68981\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_key\":\"8a05e30a68982\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" Neely’s death a “heartbreaking” tragedy. “What something may look like on a video may ultimately be significantly changed by the law or the evidence.”\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e12b8bec69d6\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"0f528449c60b0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Queens Rep. Grace Meng called the Penny case “sad,” and “obviously, one that shouldn’t have happened.” Neely had \",\"_key\":\"1c9a3eaccf840\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"b66c21845699\"],\"text\":\"bounced\",\"_key\":\"1c9a3eaccf841\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" in and out of the city’s criminal justice and mental health systems before the confrontation with Penny, and “in New York and around the country, we need to invest more in mental health resources. 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Mike Lawler, who both parties see as a potential candidate for governor next year, told Semafor that the verdict was an embarrassment to DA Bragg and to Democrats who had defended his conduct in the job – including the Trump prosecution.“These are the same people who fundamentally believe that violent criminals should be released back out onto the streets, but have no problem prosecuting law-abiding citizens,” Lawler told Semafor. “I’m not surprised that my colleagues had no comment on what was a just verdict.”\",\"_key\":\"f357ffed07500\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\",\"where\":\"Republicans\"},{\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The Democrats’ hard thinking about what went wrong for them this year is happening in public and in private, in what they say and what they choose not to.\",\"_key\":\"aa6e377573530\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8943a0427432\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"27c378517a870\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6d4c84fba94b\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It’s significant that just one New York Democrat, who is already heading for the exits, put the Penny verdict in the larger context of racial justice movements and police abuse.\",\"_key\":\"131e7484e2e00\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9f52b49a4ab2\"},{\"_key\":\"43a90cf195e8\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"5494f9cf53430\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"51bf77eaf632\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.teenvogue.com/story/democrats-kente-cloth-publicity-stunt\",\"_key\":\"2cb802cff9b4\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"31cc7b7305750\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In 2020, Democrats often walked in step – and, just once, in \"},{\"text\":\"kente cloth\",\"_key\":\"31cc7b7305751\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"2cb802cff9b4\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" – with the Black Lives Matter movement. They didn’t do so this week, and that says something about how they are thinking about their image after 2024 election losses. New York City and its suburbs led the way on that.\",\"_key\":\"31cc7b7305752\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"title\":\"Dave and Kadia’s View\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"generaform\",\"generaform\":null,\"_key\":\"d7593fd5725c\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Jane Rosenberg / Reuters\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-c73586b05619243dc9752387656c3f6677a1dd37-3000x2000-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Jane Rosenberg / Reuters\",\"caption\":null}},{\"signal\":null,\"headline\":\"Senate Democrats’ next foreign policy leader charts new course for party\",\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"vertical\":\"politics\",\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"931a9ad9cf4f\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"_key\":\"cacf6e88d4b4\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Ongoing clashes over diplomatic nominees have frayed relationships at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in recent years. Jeanne Shaheen has her own methods for breaking the gridlock.\",\"_key\":\"7f2ae9e49d0f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"0defd3a9d1e90\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5b4699567c9a\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The mild-mannered New Hampshire Democrat used a 2021 nominations hearing to vent her frustration about the Senate’s lack of response to an attack on a girls’ school in Afghanistan. Decrying her inability to advance even a symbolic condemnation of the violence, Shaheen fumed that if “this committee cannot make a statement on what is happening in the world … it undermines our ability to influence events.”\",\"_key\":\"35f9138c19460\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5fdec19e10ed\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"ddf3051e4f1c0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d68edd3d86dd\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"84d319b445030\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Shaheen recounted the episode in an interview with Semafor to explain how she’ll approach her historic ascension on the storied Foreign Relations panel — once she assumes its top Democratic spot in January, she’ll be the committee’s highest-ranking woman ever.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"164b259036e0\"},{\"_key\":\"6b893de2dc3d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"13d75df0ac200\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"40fe31281bec\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“None of the men on the committee wanted to do anything. And I basically threw a fit,” she recalled. Women in power “have different life experiences,” she added, making clear that she’ll dedicate specific attention to issues important to them.\",\"_key\":\"d97d2066e5010\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"dff4e439d3b60\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f0fd3f378d77\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"73c1731455b1\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKLSM404XDY\",\"_key\":\"55118c29cb20\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Shaheen’s hearing outburst, which ultimately shook loose the stalled condemnation, is notable for another reason: It shows that her centrist reputation won’t stop her from picking fights, particularly when she’s provoked. 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And Shaheen will have her hands full immediately as the top hand helping her party navigate the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, where she’s already warning the world to guard against a resurgence of ISIS.\",\"_key\":\"475bd62407ab0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"5b94ceecbdcf0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bf2c81ce79cd\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"That’s on top of shaping congressional policies on Israel, Ukraine and China while trying to project stability to the world as the Biden administration transitions to President-elect Donald Trump’s still-forming foreign policy team.\",\"_key\":\"37ef6ef8427b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e0d1b0ece92c\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3c887bf0b9a7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"87b0ff0646ad0\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Shaheen is already negotiating with Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch, R-Idaho, about avoiding undue delays for Trump’s top diplomatic picks, including Sen. 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She’s also talking to fellow Democrats on the panel about the importance of Trump having his team in place when it comes to career diplomats.\",\"_key\":\"3bd2d897e01e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"41ffab406ab5\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"96b4311febc80\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"61bd1d9f1b64\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"2d147b643314\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“They’re going to be acted on in a timely way,” Shaheen said. “That’s in the best interest of the country.”\",\"_key\":\"8e22837035a10\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"576a14fd57940\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f766a867aa69\"},{\"_key\":\"025b2a0c4000\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"There’s a big asterisk to that approach, though: More politically motivated ambassadorial nominees — like Trump’s pick for envoy to France, his in-law relative Charles Kushner — are “a different story” and will get more scrutiny from committee Democrats.\",\"_key\":\"6b73fa8f5cbf0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"603ce501b6a4\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"a20e7a5702770\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"_key\":\"5f75207e438c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"She’s also not going to guarantee support for any Trump pick, including her longtime colleague Rubio, this early on in the confirmation season. 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She is there to both provide stability and to turn the page.\",\"_key\":\"d0d8264d3e220\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"be4a200a0a85\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"1970f5bbafe10\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ccc28a0e9ff0\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"45a6c7b60632\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"And she hopes to put the bad blood of the past nominee wars behind her. That does not mean Risch expects her to roll over; he called her “really tough.”\",\"_key\":\"186c9d1ef7750\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"83c75780b2920\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"12e686388744\"},{\"_key\":\"2d3ffdf43889\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“She’s smart, she’s articulate. And not ideology-driven to the point where it’s a problem,” he said in a separate interview.\",\"_key\":\"2b7c68d8e7bf0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"04b8cf8b99570\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a1c801a09b9f\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"She’ll have to use that acumen to help her party get past its own fractures over foreign policy, particularly on Israel. The 77-year-old voted to block a weapons transfer to Israel in November, aligning with progressives and breaking with Cardin.\",\"_key\":\"6605ae6439150\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6d1f9d4bb48f\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"b3cfc7b9595d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"62fb10bf90ff0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ba4584b9dc8b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Shaheen explained that vote as a show of frustration with a conflict that “makes me angry,” while noting she’s always supported Israel’s right to defend itself. The Biden administration, she lamented, is “too slow in pushing Netanyahu to come to a ceasefire.”\",\"_key\":\"b6022efa08420\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b4fd17359ac0\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"5174685cda360\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3f82be264db7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“We know that Israel is holding up humanitarian aid in northern Gaza. There are [hundreds of thousands of] people that are on the verge of starvation,” Shaheen said. “It’s not acceptable for a country that calls itself a democracy, that says it’s in support of human rights and freedom for people, to allow that to happen.”\",\"_key\":\"cf33fdeac80e0\"}]},{\"_key\":\"5737fed8fbc9\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2689d56a4bce0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"27d9c7260fb7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"She acknowledged that Trump may not share her view on Gaza. When it comes to Syria, they may find some more common ground.\",\"_key\":\"2bfd5a1491f10\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"3b5a9c8896a5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"8fb7cadfe5f40\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2079bd971689\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In the interview, which occurred before the Assad regime’s downfall, Shaheen warned that the Syrian rebels were offshoots of terrorists and said that more US involvement did not make sense. Trump also cautioned the US to stay out of it.\",\"_key\":\"4af4ef340bb40\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"853a0529d3ab0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"38a4e2e32846\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“There aren’t any really good options, because there aren’t any good guys in Syria,” Shaheen told Semafor then, calling for a focus on humanitarian assistance, protecting US troops and stopping a revival of ISIS.\",\"_key\":\"70f617d8ce320\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"62cda5ffc7dd\"}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"53cf577a2c46\"},{\"where\":\"Republicans\",\"_key\":\"47b5ae53716b\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"While Shaheen has shown she’s willing to push back on the GOP, Risch still said it would be hard to pick a Democrat he’s better suited to work with.\",\"_key\":\"8f01cdd56b2c0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a3ec03dcf6bc\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"3781634b8ca4\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"d830fa5158f70\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“We were both governors. I understand, and she understands, that whoever the president is, they need your team in place to do the job,” he said.\",\"_key\":\"aff44bb17e760\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a34ed1071a19\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\"},{\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"a2a884925277\",\"thescoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Shaheen usually stays under the national radar, yet she will play one of her party’s most important roles for the next two years at the venerable Foreign Relations Committee. Whether she does so for longer is a critical unanswered question: She’ll soon need to decide whether to run for reelection in 2026, when she’ll be 79.\",\"_key\":\"6aa9011b25290\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b64e6604e663\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"0d581e397e520\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4ae33327f84a\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"If Democrats can flip the Senate in two years, she will take the gavel. I asked her whether that possibility factors into her reelection decision.\",\"_key\":\"d098ec16be7a0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"166ac66863df\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9c56ddf15216\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"abeb497dfebc0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2d2f1df8ddb8\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“We’ll see how it goes,” she said. “Is there an opportunity to move things forward in a positive way, to help address the concerns that I see that we have around the world in terms of humanitarian issues?”\",\"_key\":\"f8c7afc953580\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c05d4356ccb9\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"6ee7e7f7380f0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f68079c7f18b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"If Shaheen were to run again and win, it would be a comfort to her party: Six more years of stable leadership on the panel after so many years of ups and downs — and no scramble for a candidate to replace a reliable winner in an unpredictable state.\",\"_key\":\"c2f332df0f840\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"email\":\"beverett@semafor.com\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2024-09-05T18:10:35+00:00\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.2\",\"authorTitle\":\"Congressional Bureau Chief\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"twitter\":\"burgessev\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/burgess-everett\",\"name\":\"Burgess Everett\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-10-15T19:39:17Z\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"_id\":\"b37627ca-c436-4717-afce-e13d0e1815bd\",\"shortName\":\"Burgess\",\"_rev\":\"coB1qARSJSHQCmNabwHlOE\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/bf82c2082c8dec6bc6c211b558978725a2d1b715-1600x1600.png\",\"_createdAt\":\"2024-09-05T18:08:57Z\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2024-09-05T14:10:35-04:00\"}}],\"id\":\"9db7618c-497a-4305-a409-7d5de4000e31\",\"headlineOverride\":null,\"description\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"90f53a7a3a58\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire doesn’t always play the centrist pragmatist.\",\"_key\":\"25b4971602f2\"}]}],\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-12T15:21:33.466Z\",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"location\":null,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Burgess Everett\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/bf82c2082c8dec6bc6c211b558978725a2d1b715-1600x1600.png\"}],\"expires\":true,\"slug\":\"/article/12/10/2024/jeanne-shaheen-senate-foreign-relations-democrat\",\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-d9e3e4ad0f7c46bcf101c3017ac66a84c8051cb2-2048x1400-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Wikimedia/Creative Commons\",\"caption\":\"Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.\"},\"attribution\":\"Wikimedia/Creative Commons\",\"caption\":\"Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.\"}},{\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"slug\":\"/article/12/10/2024/majority-of-investors-consider-sports-gaming-and-music-rights-too-risky-new-survey-finds\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"value\":\"business\",\"label\":\"Business\",\"_key\":\"business\"}],\"location\":null,\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"Majority of investors consider sports, gaming, and music rights too risky, new survey finds\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Liz Hoffman\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/1551c1f02005a2d088208a6004d1921628666991-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"id\":\"2e07c96d-fad5-4d2c-87dd-2b00c1aca884\",\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"vertical\":\"business\",\"semaforms\":[{\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"_key\":\"3e4c7083fcf9\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/goldman-sachs-exchanges/investing-in-sports-the-next-trillion-dollar-market\",\"_key\":\"bde2fbec3222\",\"_type\":\"link\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Goldman Sachs recently \",\"_key\":\"c04ec521da640\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"bde2fbec3222\"],\"text\":\"called\",\"_key\":\"c04ec521da641\"},{\"_key\":\"c04ec521da642\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" sports investing the next trillion-dollar market. \"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"So the answers that 107 institutional investors from around the world gave to a survey this fall are surprising. Nine in 10 said it’s too risky. \",\"_key\":\"282ca4ac4d47\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"358037aa76d0\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"ee62ea633f45\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"They also showed little appetite for two other hot areas — gaming and music rights, which NYT \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"969874846a47\"],\"text\":\"says\",\"_key\":\"c04ec521da644\"},{\"text\":\" is being swallowed, and ruined, by private equity. \",\"_key\":\"c04ec521da645\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"798e34dc2c25\"],\"text\":\"Middle Eastern investors may have this space to themselves\",\"_key\":\"c04ec521da646\"},{\"text\":\".\",\"_key\":\"c04ec521da647\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"70debcf95b92\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/opinion/private-equity-music-spotify.html\",\"_key\":\"969874846a47\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://backcourtbusiness.substack.com/p/top-5-middle-east-expands-global\",\"_key\":\"798e34dc2c25\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.collercapital.com/41-barometer-winter-2024/\",\"_key\":\"5e420be1cc40\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The \",\"_key\":\"29e4aae2279d0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"5e420be1cc40\"],\"text\":\"report\",\"_key\":\"29e4aae2279d1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" has grim news for the industry: 90% of investors said they’ve received requests from money managers for fund extensions as dealmaking remains slow, and more than two-thirds said they’ve seen funds raise less than what managers had targeted.\",\"_key\":\"29e4aae2279d2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cdd4c10550c7\"},{\"imageEmbed\":{\"caption\":\"A chart showing the percentage of institutional investors that are likely to back a PE fund focused on gaming, music rights, and sports teams\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-126ad2d43e79e7cae192bf520f19ba7c9ddf6fa5-2000x1272-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\"},\"_type\":\"imageEmbed\",\"_key\":\"017c292e2cd3\",\"markDefs\":null,\"imageEmbedExternalLink\":null,\"imageEmbedInternalLink\":null}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"5b63519a-9c1b-40d0-bacd-a25fa0ab3a63\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Albert Gea/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Liverpool’s Alisson Becker in action as he makes a save during a game\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-ce3125685cebd4e40a79fada1a9caccdb2f99c2e-3003x1936-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Albert Gea/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Liverpool’s Alisson Becker in action as he makes a save during a game\"},\"signal\":null,\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The findings contrast with a recent Goldman Sachs report that called sports investing the next trillion-dollar market. \",\"_key\":\"c04ec521da640\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f441b7d0eb62\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"intro\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-12T15:27:16.389Z\",\"headlineOverride\":null},{\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"Republican senators giving ‘undefined’ Gabbard a chance on Syria\",\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"attribution\":\"Jeenah Moon/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Tulsi Gabbard\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-e848df5d3d664bab5d6f583b50521501bca9f8f0-5500x3670-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\"},\"attribution\":\"Jeenah Moon/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Tulsi Gabbard\"},\"signal\":null,\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Donald Trump’s nominee for national intelligence director may not pay a steep confirmation price for her past remarks about Bashar al-Assad.\",\"_key\":\"29acd6c7c1aa\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b4d80323a297\"}],\"vertical\":\"politics\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"}],\"location\":null,\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"125bd8b04ba5\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"95e33e7a1318\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Republican senators have lots of questions about Tulsi Gabbard’s record on Syria. That doesn’t mean those views are disqualifying for her push to join Donald Trump’s administration.\",\"_key\":\"026bcf6adc380\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"714610e37e6b0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"898c5f629439\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/25/politics/tulsi-gabbard-lead-syria/index.html\",\"_key\":\"91e81f57f2e3\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/politics/tulsi-gabbard-syria-assad/index.html\",\"_key\":\"0edd9db552fb\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Gabbard is stepping up her confirmation push this week on the Hill, taking meetings with senators that coincide with the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria. In 2017, the former Hawaii congresswoman Gabbard \",\"_key\":\"6655358194180\"},{\"marks\":[\"91e81f57f2e3\"],\"text\":\"met\",\"_key\":\"6655358194181\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" with Assad; two years later, she \",\"_key\":\"6655358194182\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"0edd9db552fb\"],\"text\":\"said\",\"_key\":\"6655358194183\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" he is “not the enemy of the United States.”\",\"_key\":\"6655358194184\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"849c773ecea0\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2a3c1a4c34e70\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d1367e27df2e\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Those views are drawing heightened scrutiny after Assad’s ouster from power over the weekend, piquing the interest of Republicans whose votes she needs to become Trump’s director of national intelligence.\",\"_key\":\"fa80a7a450f90\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5f881fb796cb\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2a076d7d8b60\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"d2dc90d2cf2e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“To a lot of people, and I would put myself in that position, she’s too undefined to really form an opinion [on], so she needs to get out” and meet with more senators, said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., a member of party leadership.\",\"_key\":\"e16df31012cd0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3ba3d1eac44a\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"f40c9b4b55c90\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e4db718cf95f\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"2b6db831d5890\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“She’s quoted as saying, ‘[Assad’s] not an enemy of the U.S.’ Let’s flesh that out. I will reserve opinion until” meeting with her, Capito added.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e4c77999c2fe\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"41e733a3ce6a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8c1aeb0c5e9d\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0de4b6fbe43e\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://x.com/SenJoniErnst/status/1866176040491765771\",\"_key\":\"b51e446bf7b9\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Gabbard is just beginning to make the rounds in the Senate, earning the support of some Republicans and \",\"_key\":\"5772fa90ef8f0\"},{\"marks\":[\"b51e446bf7b9\"],\"text\":\"plaudits\",\"_key\":\"5772fa90ef8f1\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" from Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. While she still has a lot of work to do to win 50 votes, she has not taken on as much public flak as other Trump nominees — defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth and former attorney general pick Matt Gaetz in particular.\",\"_key\":\"5772fa90ef8f2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"85e5ddd4ec4d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"61a0f753cf9b0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"465fb8d58ce1\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"A onetime Democratic congresswoman and military veteran with a doveish view on foreign policy, Gabbard also faces questions about her sympathetic views toward Russia, whose leader Vladimir Putin is a longtime Assad ally. But given the timing of her confirmation push, Syria is front and center.\",\"_key\":\"451e1886f2b00\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3d18c2fe40a60\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1aeeea4791fa\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"f96e85e1f53f0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Notably, Gabbard aligned her view of Syria with Trump’s on Monday. In a statement released by the president-elect’s transition, she said she “wholeheartedly” agrees with Trump’s anti-interventionist position on Syria; the transition said the two are in “lockstep.”\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8ca9119ee432\",\"markDefs\":[]}]},{\"knowMore\":[{\"_key\":\"1b56a65a569f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who is also meeting with Gabbard this week, said that he’s going to discuss Syria in depth with Gabbard but doesn’t expect anyone to make policy other than Trump. And that means if Gabbard’s views clash with those of some Republicans, that’s OK.\",\"_key\":\"f4b32be8e5550\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"a9d92dd38f140\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8b0bb94abb6e\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0e2200ef57db\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"c59a45bba2240\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Foreign policy, based on what I’ve seen so far, is going to be set by one person, President Trump. And I don’t think his nominees for any position are going to have the latitude that they think they might have,” Kennedy said. “I don’t know the context in which she said these things. I mean, foreign policy is complex and it’s nuanced.”\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"a50df446146b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"07b44334b907\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas — a member of the Intelligence Committee, which will review her nomination — said he plans to ask her directly about Syria during their forthcoming meeting.\",\"_key\":\"b9f6e5a466880\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"87ebcb8d8f58\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"1ee9acfb65300\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fdb3184b60eb\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"5bf6ab0df9880\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sen. Thom Tillis is even more deferential. Since he’s not on the Intelligence panel, Tillis said the Syria issue is going to be left to its members, who are “either going to draw a conclusion that it’s an issue, or not.”\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"be9b8de1a053\"},{\"_key\":\"854ddeb93841\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"885e99e602f50\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"e506f1a79f5c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Though he’s a big Ukraine supporter, Tillis didn’t seem bothered by her views there on Russia’s war against Kyiv: “She’s not the president. That’s a discussion I need to have with the president. She’s not setting policy, she’s aggregating intelligence information.”\",\"_key\":\"8be09052593d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"0fb9c7f235f0\",\"schemaVersion\":1},{\"where\":\"The Trump Wing\",\"_key\":\"8702646eabc1\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d6f727eff8dc\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Two Trump-aligned senators said Gabbard’s past interactions and comments with Assad are being over-interpreted by her skeptics.\",\"_key\":\"c0014a04c2ed0\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"4126bedc8dc40\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"79ebfd07ce63\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said senators meet with foreign leaders of all stripes all the time: “They make way too much about this stuff.”\",\"_key\":\"cebadd0a1fa70\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"40ebfbce0277\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b53223968394\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"63cf7d75ac720\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"And Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., criticized those who have suggested she’s a tool of authoritarian governments.\",\"_key\":\"b5aa0c5103a30\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"522853b38e94\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"ebba58f1c6f7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"22e1d1462edf0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"40c6c109d260\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Maybe the worst parlor game in this town is, if you disagree with people’s policy positions, you refer to them as a Russian asset. I think it’s totally unfair. It’s a slur to her,” Schmitt told Semafor. “She’s going to be asked a lot of those questions, but I think she’s a good fit.”\",\"_key\":\"f5d4f67a27e60\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\\n\",\"_key\":\"b7e73531c8a90\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"05cdb6e00870\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\"}],\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-11T23:59:07Z\",\"id\":\"06c7327a-4022-4563-a0ca-ff3446c7e5c1\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/09/2024/republican-senators-giving-undefined-gabbard-a-chance-on-syria\",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Burgess Everett\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/bf82c2082c8dec6bc6c211b558978725a2d1b715-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null}],\"topStoriesStream\":[{\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"dc92939dd882\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Republican senators’ battle against MAGA-inspired primary opponents hoping to win Donald Trump’s favor officially started days ago in Louisiana, where the first Facebook ads began running for a campaign that’s two years away.\",\"_key\":\"3f058f85708e0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"949800b20192\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c4c75508e522\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"500f2a675e120\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"27bcdd934981\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"One of the ads urged Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy to “support Pete Hegseth” for defense secretary. Another told Republican voters how to encourage Cassidy “to vote for \",\"_key\":\"135f5bfdfde20\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"underline\"],\"text\":\"all of\",\"_key\":\"135f5bfdfde21\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" Trump’s nominees” — follow state treasurer John Fleming, Cassidy’s brand-new GOP primary challenger.\",\"_key\":\"135f5bfdfde22\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"b741c43270420\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"34d66dee98b2\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I’m openly and publicly supporting all of [Trump’s] nominees,” Fleming told Semafor. “It doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree with everything they’ve said in the past. But I trust President Trump.”\",\"_key\":\"2edebc8eb2a60\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"059de59166b8\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b1b2aa06612a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"da78291e9da8\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"As they weigh the president-elect’s Cabinet picks, incumbent GOP senators are facing serious pressure to vote his way if they want to avoid tough and costly primary challenges. Trump confirmed as much on Monday, telling reporters that if Republicans are “unreasonable, if they’re opposing somebody for political reasons or stupid reasons,” then those senators would be primaried.\",\"_key\":\"adef57a7b7320\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7fda70ccbbdc\"},{\"_key\":\"1a032121bdef\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e001a0a4c65b0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Trump won’t take office for more than a month, but his comments followed already-intense conservative media pressure and organized calls to Senate offices pushing Republicans to back Trump’s nominees. The effect of the MAGA-driven campaign is already palpable, but some of the targeted Republicans are taking it in stride.\",\"_key\":\"2bfd4e015cc70\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d243baa8a615\"},{\"_key\":\"c52d341926cb\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"d7c249d206ea0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Semafor that he is guaranteed to draw a primary challenge in 2026 and that Trump has a “valid point” in asking GOP senators to explain their opposition to Cabinet nominees. Tillis has indicated he’ll support any Trump pick who gets out of Senate committees and on to a full vote.\",\"_key\":\"518fe7f1d93b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bfd197268170\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"740bc04e158b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ba3438570e87\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“You just can’t be ‘no’ because you want to be ‘no.’ You have to be ‘no’ because these questions do not not satisfy in my own mind, that this is the right pick,” Tillis said.\",\"_key\":\"cd85e7c3d6ab0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e927e0282e44\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"7435a6e894bd0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c619a0486292\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Still, he added that senators deserve space to make decisions: “The last time I thumbed through the Constitution, I heard it say ‘advise and consent,’ not ‘bludgeon and confirm.’”\",\"_key\":\"c3827e52f9490\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"475a1b78b73b\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e2619dc172d20\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c654b7d603b5\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/11/21/2024/republicans-cabinet-conundrum-rebellious-senators-could-face-trump-backed-challenges\",\"_key\":\"8560fb90c1f2\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Cassidy has not come out against any of Trump’s nominees thus far and expressed confidence \",\"_key\":\"ab22a5920d520\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"8560fb90c1f2\"],\"text\":\"they\",\"_key\":\"ab22a5920d521\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" can work together, though Fleming said Louisiana’s GOP voters remain “very, very angry” with the senator’s vote to convict the president-elect in his 2021 impeachment trial. Fleming, who lost a Senate race in 2016, will face Cassidy in a more traditional Republican-on-Republican primary after the state got rid of its top-two “jungle” system, which more candidates could enter.\",\"_key\":\"ab22a5920d522\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"57f20ec8dd5e\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8350912e6f82\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"4619938493730\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"His challenge to Cassidy is a signal of the internal friction that Republican senators might face elsewhere. As former Trump adviser Steve Bannon put it recently: “If they don’t toe the line, they get a MAGA primary — and they will get a MAGA defeat.”\",\"_key\":\"5f7c8a1623a80\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"127e73c45aed\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"961788b5ec650\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"37053e1ab44b\"}]},{\"_key\":\"d275ef55304c\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"knowMore\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"651a993542b1\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"No GOP senator has lost a primary since 2017, and only Cassidy already faces a well-known challenger so far. Yet Republicans are girding for more as they defend more than 20 seats across the country in 2026.\",\"_key\":\"ed1f8ce898fd0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ae8d1dfe2271\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"cabac21ce1d30\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7ce55dfa72a2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"They’ll also have to rebuild some political muscle memory. They have a new leader, John Thune of South Dakota, and will have a new chief at their super PAC as Steven Law steps down from the Senate Leadership Fund. Typically, GOP leaders and SLF protect incumbent senators; Thune indicated he will keep that policy, telling Semafor on Tuesday that “we back incumbents.”\",\"_key\":\"cc57c8c4932d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"85bc39042c2b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"d65ca17fa1f70\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“We’ve got to figure out how to work together. Part of this is politics in the modern era. Primaries are kind of a fact of life for a lot of us,” Thune said.\",\"_key\":\"d90d04c8ca8d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f365daae6458\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"1421ab4ce49b0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7627d151d799\"},{\"_key\":\"e08fc3959d3a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The Senate primary threats follow Trump’s successful challenges to most of his biggest critics in the House after his second impeachment. The tension is particularly acute on behalf of Hegseth, with Bannon and his allies bombarding GOP offices.\",\"_key\":\"d25340f66b3d0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"12adae1308cb\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"d4299ae759570\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“We gave senators an attitude adjustment,” said Mike Davis, a pro-Trump legal activist whose Article III Project has driven thousands of calls and emails in support of Hegseth’s nomination.\",\"_key\":\"2e0ec8eb6fb60\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0f6c7ea83e0f\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"11ef56d288a2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2d9e83683b8d0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Hegseth still is not a lock for Senate confirmation, but his prospects are looking better after that effort. It could be the start of a trend.\",\"_key\":\"269fa15e03b00\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"43102a783aad\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"bd15472664f80\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0941e2ca9fb5\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"”I don’t think they’re gonna have a problem getting nominees across the finish line, at this stage of the game,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., another incumbent up for reelection in 2026.\",\"_key\":\"51a9579c9d720\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"582b81a2c987\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"129c71ed0c500\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fce2af10605a\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who’s also up in two years, said Trump’s comments on Monday were not “helpful” and that she will do her due diligence on his nominees no matter what: “I may well have a primary challenge, but that does not enter into my calculation on how I’m going to vote on nominees.”\",\"_key\":\"7c9fb925cd810\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f5793ae85cfa\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"802d943b5c34\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"f9dec7eba9900\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"She generally hasn’t faced primary challenges in the past, as the only GOP senator representing a reliably blue state, but Collins said she takes the prospect seriously.\",\"_key\":\"40f244b821bc0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8a5095616802\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"588c89a759f2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"b396740ac9700\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"254b0e136a460\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Primaries are tricky. Turnout can be small, you know, so I never take anything for granted,” she told Semafor.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fd166c146d08\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"99fb700275f50\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6ca748e1291a\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"153ef3b7ee6b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"8d5f3bb9de4e0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Trump has helped purge his critics from the House and played kingmaker in some Senate primaries. That’s encouraged conservative activists to keep their sights trained on incumbent senators despite recent struggles against them.\"}]},{\"_key\":\"79fc9ce7a6bb\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"1b64977c0bbb0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6fd986b9a1fe\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Joshua Smith, a libertarian-turned-Republican who’s mounting an uphill challenge to Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said that he got in the race because of her support for foreign military aid to Ukraine and Israel.\",\"_key\":\"da312f78f2fb0\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"268e85df2580\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"14284312b1130\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"410d08679af6\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Iowa went to bat for Trump, big time,” Smith told Semafor. He said he has messaged Donald Trump, Jr. about the race but has not heard back yet.\",\"_key\":\"f1cef7ee57c60\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"e1724106ab400\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8b5890c0c288\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f209f1d228ac\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Ernst’s failure to embrace Hegseth immediately, he added, “was really stupid for her political career.”\",\"_key\":\"2eb32e7ffd6b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6f28a4b0c50d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"700babbfb7fc0\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"aa3d5566c113\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://x.com/markrobinsonNC/status/1864066745104732199\",\"_key\":\"23ccd0daad4b\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Back in North Carolina, outgoing Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson \",\"_key\":\"291603cb3f450\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"23ccd0daad4b\"],\"text\":\"polled\",\"_key\":\"291603cb3f451\"},{\"text\":\" his X followers on whether Tillis should be the party’s 2026 Senate nominee. Robinson’s conclusion, even after losing the gubernatorial race by 15 points last month? “Thom is toast.”\",\"_key\":\"291603cb3f452\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b983bcf2f275\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2c6ab34297990\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In an interview, Tillis quickly dismissed Robinson’s scandal-tarred record as a deal-breaker in a primary: “I don’t think I have to prepare for Mark Robinson. Mark Robinson’s record is enough for me. It’s content-rich.”\",\"_key\":\"22243d0d089b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"49457c7837bb\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"997f7c32e0b2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"18dfc2c7302f0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fb4050b24ccf\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"He also downplayed the idea that Lara Trump would run against him in North Carolina because of her prospects of securing a Senate appointment in Florida.\",\"_key\":\"599a413f4a490\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\"},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\",\"where\":\"Democrats\",\"_key\":\"b89fcaa07f19\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"_key\":\"8015483d72b4\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The biggest risk for Republicans is that MAGA-driven primaries will hurt their chances to hold onto Senate control, an outcome that Democrats certainly don’t mind.\",\"_key\":\"a128c08ad59a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e1fbdc6329af0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bb4ba50d154c\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Most of these nominees are bad news for anyone who wants to run for statewide office,” said North Carolina Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat who’s looking at a 2026 run for Tillis’ seat. “If you support any of these far-right extremist candidates, you should be held to account by the voters.”\",\"_key\":\"6491ed34152d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6c044b03dd9c\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bd15bcc4c3ed\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"f2543c239af80\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"849f37f64862\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., said Cassidy’s impeachment vote was “courageous,” and one he knew would complicate his re-election: “The president-elect has demonstrated that he goes after his enemies.”\",\"_key\":\"2ce4a96411020\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"32948ce6be1b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\\n\",\"_key\":\"987a44376ee50\"}]}]},{\"generaform\":null,\"_type\":\"generaform\",\"_key\":\"2440d08d7d90\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The last GOP senator to lose a primary was Alabama’s Luther Strange, who fell to Roy Moore even though Trump had endorsed Strange. But the world, and the GOP, have changed since then: Loyalty to the incoming president has overwhelmed nearly any other potential litmus test for Republican candidates.\",\"_key\":\"10c96474cc920\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"aea9997b94de\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"885cf99776440\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f7547817d2dc\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"So it would be a mistake to look at this cycle’s crop of aspiring primary challengers as a MAGA version of the Tea Party. We’re more likely to see most incumbent Republican senators edge closer to Trump’s camp — a subtle way to address the opposition.\",\"_key\":\"b8735b9450880\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"88b99b88f3c8\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\\n\",\"_key\":\"bd9e4342bbc50\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3084942a869a\"}],\"title\":\"David and Burgess’ View\",\"schemaVersion\":1}],\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T22:19:59Z\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/republican-senators-begin-their-battle-against-maga-primary-challengers\",\"location\":null,\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"The US Capitol\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-f6773b59540a2a981f01d84568deea5e49275d40-5728x3819-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"The US Capitol\"},\"signal\":null,\"headline\":\"The battle begins: Republican senators vs. MAGA primary foes\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"What’s happening to Bill Cassidy in Louisiana could be a preview of the future for several of his fellow incumbents.\",\"_key\":\"4f81f9088fc40\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3e05f6711ddc\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"David Weigel\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/287de2b8ca8b3cec76543dd0601c6589078a7cf2-1600x1600.png\"},{\"name\":\"Burgess Everett\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/bf82c2082c8dec6bc6c211b558978725a2d1b715-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expires\":true,\"id\":\"ecd88c22-255a-497f-8399-840888868ee4\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"vertical\":\"politics\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"}]},{\"id\":\"07b31033-983f-4877-be22-7c0df444c717\",\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"vertical\":\"news\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Diego Mendoza\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/b370d5b0993409435f5e683d9eb961afe640413d-1600x1600.png\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"05f8e302d6a7\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/we-re-not-united-liberal-caucus-meets-as-pm-trudeau-faces-fresh-calls-to-resign-in-light-of-freeland-s-departure-1.7147577\",\"_key\":\"993ae45ceaef\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Canada is in a moment of political upheaval: Finance minister Chrystia Freeland Monday resignation capped a growing concern that Liberal \",\"_key\":\"eea1979d7edb0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"993ae45ceaef\"],\"text\":\"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau\",\"_key\":\"eea1979d7edb1\"},{\"text\":\" has lost grip on the country’s finances and direction just as Ottawa braces for potentially crippling trade tariffs threatened by US President-elect Donald Trump.\",\"_key\":\"eea1979d7edb2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"582463c2c616\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"a4c228614d8c\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/we-re-not-united-liberal-caucus-meets-as-pm-trudeau-faces-fresh-calls-to-resign-in-light-of-freeland-s-departure-1.7147577\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"A growing number of lawmakers are \",\"_key\":\"c5b91d4febcf\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a4c228614d8c\"],\"text\":\"calling on Trudeau to resign\",\"_key\":\"41d019e765151\"},{\"text\":\": Many agree with Freeland the country cannot afford his fiscal plans, and critics argue they are last-minute political gambit to gain voter support.\",\"_key\":\"41d019e765152\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"15bdc12321be\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Trudeau’s unpopularity has propelled his Conservative opposition higher in voters’ regards: A new Ipsos poll found Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is the preferred choice to handle Trump. Others question whether Canada should continue fostering its massive trade reliance on the United States at all.\",\"_key\":\"a4f4731b5bf5\"}]}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"b1cb9e55ee6c\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T22:50:13.792Z\",\"headline\":\"Canada is entering into uncharted political territory\",\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"location\":\"North America\",\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Carlos Osorio/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Justin Trudeau\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-4d1ff73a774e30b5788bfdc6b8088881c705a430-3900x2600-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1},\"attribution\":\"Carlos Osorio/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Justin Trudeau\"},\"signal\":[{\"body\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Freeland was integral to Justin Trudeau’s government and instrumental in Canada’s post-pandemic recovery. Her loss means “it will be very hard for the prime minister to put the pieces back together again,” CBC wrote. Widely seen as Trudeau’s potential successor and closest ally, her scathing resignation latter — coupled with the recent resignations of several other cabinet members — suggests “a strange dichotomy with a prime minister who is otherwise able and willing to deal with the public.” After Freeland quit, Trudeau seemed to acknowledge he could soon lose his party’s support and is considering \",\"_key\":\"2deb4e46ec0a0\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"1e4232778b3a\"],\"text\":\"potential replacements\",\"_key\":\"2deb4e46ec0a1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" as party leaders, CTV News reported.\",\"_key\":\"2deb4e46ec0a2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9048fef19be2\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/trudeau-considering-his-options-as-leader-after-freeland-quits-cabinet-sources-say-1.7146952\",\"_key\":\"1e4232778b3a\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Freeland’s resignation lands biggest political blow to Trudeau yet\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"CBC\",\"CTV\"],\"_key\":\"84fb2f47a895\"},{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Conservative leader builds momentum following Trump win\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Global News\",\"Globe and Mail\"],\"_key\":\"8d60d2749751\",\"body\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"While Justin Trudeau had hoped to frame himself as the progressive foil to Donald Trump, his Conservative opposition has gained significant ground since the Republicans’ US presidency win. An Ispos poll found that some 44% of Canadians see the Conservatives as the better choice to deal with Trump, while 21% said they saw the Liberals as most adept. “It seems like everything that the federal government does under the leadership of Justin Trudeau is \",\"_key\":\"c8bd25377bf00\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"6952591dc5d1\"],\"text\":\"almost like throwing gasoline on a fire\",\"_key\":\"c8bd25377bf01\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” Ispos’ CEO said. The effect of Trump, however, may also force Conservative leader Pierre Poiliviere to recognize that “he’s no longer in control of the narrative” against Trudeau, since it is Trump who now defines the anti-Trudeau movement, The Globe and Mail wrote.\",\"_key\":\"c8bd25377bf02\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1d4c6026378f\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://globalnews.ca/news/10919980/pierre-poilievre-donald-trump-ipsos-polling/\",\"_key\":\"6952591dc5d1\"}]}]},{\"source\":[\"The Conversation\"],\"_key\":\"6a214a25617b\",\"body\":[{\"_key\":\"ece1c577a64a\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"3943306f45a3\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://theconversation.com/trumps-tariff-threat-is-a-sign-that-canada-should-be-diversifying-beyond-the-u-s-245134\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"More than 70% of Canada’s exports go to the US, and Trump’s tariff threats highlight “\",\"_key\":\"2355bc2155710\"},{\"marks\":[\"3943306f45a3\"],\"text\":\"the vulnerability\",\"_key\":\"2355bc2155711\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" that comes with [such heavy reliance],” economist Eric Chi wrote for The Conversation. To protect Canadians’ interests, Ottawa must “lay the groundwork for a more resilient and diversified economy,” he argued, chiefly by diversifying trade to emerging markets. Canada is positioned to benefit from emerging markets because of its plentiful natural resources, a high-skilled and educated workforce, and strong democratic institutions. Still, diversification is “easier said than done,” Chi wrote, and Canada’s economic survival requires prioritizing mitigating Trump’s tariffs before diversification.\",\"_key\":\"2355bc2155712\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Ottawa should look beyond US for economic future\",\"_type\":\"insight\"}],\"expires\":true,\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"headlineOverride\":null,\"description\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2c489b43478c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The sudden resignation of the country’s finance minister has amplified concern over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership.\",\"_key\":\"79438a8d4e050\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/what-chrystina-freelands-resignation-means-for-justin-trudeau\"},{\"headline\":\"Syria’s interim leader calls for lifting of sanctions\",\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"intro\":null,\"location\":\"Middle East\",\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d91d24cdd97c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Syria’s de facto leader called for sanctions against his country to be lifted and for international help in rebuilding a society battered by years of war and dictatorship.\",\"_key\":\"0e82f1772fb60\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/syria-rebel-leader-abu-mohammed-al-jawlani-interview-9901b0f9\",\"_key\":\"a1b6356af193\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Speaking to foreign journalists in Damascus, he outlined a desire to refashion Syria’s institutions, but warned that problems “\",\"_key\":\"55d45edcb3760\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a1b6356af193\"],\"text\":\"won’t be solved with a magic wand\",\"_key\":\"55d45edcb3761\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\".”\",\"_key\":\"55d45edcb3762\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bd46bf76978b\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"56ed9a06-8cc7-41c1-a1e5-2a26aa9741d4\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expires\":true,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T17:20:40.125Z\",\"description\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8435b0b7fe7b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The rebels who overthrew Bashar al-Assad have worked to present an image of order and distance themselves from Islamist politics. \",\"_key\":\"681459aef5b8\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"headlineOverride\":null,\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/syrias-interim-leader-calls-for-lifting-of-sanctions\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Mizy Clifton\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/13f2011b1f026a78f212a4f348f8077e41ab1086-1600x1600.png\"},{\"name\":\"Prashant Rao\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/84160dd2df02535b1a91244bf8731c23daf4d7e1-1600x1600.png\"}],\"signal\":[{\"source\":[\"The New York Times\",\"The National\",\"Reuters\"],\"_key\":\"7803750cf37b\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/16/world/middleeast/syria-al-shara-al-assad.html\",\"_key\":\"7fb338ffd11e\"},{\"_key\":\"d2970a3bf77e\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/12/12/syria-sanctions-when-lifted-hts/\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syria-sanctions-relief-premature-now-top-eu-official-says-2024-12-15/\",\"_key\":\"f36f4fa9b3de\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The rebels who overthrew Bashar al-Assad have worked hard to present an image of order and insist that they want to preserve a pluralistic society. This has so far been received positively, with The New York Times describing a “\",\"_key\":\"78ff564239ae0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"7fb338ffd11e\"],\"text\":\"parade of officials\",\"_key\":\"78ff564239ae1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” from around the world reopening embassies or meeting with rebel leaders. But talk of lifting sanctions may be premature: “\",\"_key\":\"78ff564239ae2\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d2970a3bf77e\"],\"text\":\"We can’t even say we’re in a transition period\",\"_key\":\"78ff564239ae3\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". We’re in a stabilisation period,” a member of the Washington-based Syrian American Council told The National. The EU’s new foreign policy chief said Syria’s interim leaders would be judged “\",\"_key\":\"78ff564239ae4\"},{\"text\":\"by the deeds, not only the words\",\"_key\":\"78ff564239ae5\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"f36f4fa9b3de\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” and needed to prove their commitment to the protection of minority groups, Reuters reported.\",\"_key\":\"78ff564239ae6\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f50d65a3e5ba\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Talk of lifting sanctions may be premature\",\"_type\":\"insight\"},{\"_key\":\"75d935cb608e\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/us-sanctions-on-syria-arent-working-its-time-for-a-new-sanctions-approach-that-minimizes-humanitarian-suffering-and-increases-leverage/\",\"_key\":\"afd6ad94e67c\"},{\"_key\":\"b1e582069e48\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2024/12/12/syria-sanctions-when-lifted-hts/\"},{\"_key\":\"fe3827b25cc0\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.rferl.org/a/syria-hts-terrorism-designation-west/33232662.html\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Calls to rethink sanctions are not new: The US’ sanctions regime against Assad \",\"_key\":\"5df60b9beeba0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"afd6ad94e67c\"],\"text\":\"failed to change the political calculus of his enablers or deter human rights abuses\",\"_key\":\"5df60b9beeba1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", partly because they were too broad to be effective, two analysts argued for the Atlantic Council in 2023. The risk is that delaying sanctions relief will see the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) revert back to their Islamist roots, a Syria analyst told The National, as “\",\"_key\":\"5df60b9beeba2\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"b1e582069e48\"],\"text\":\"they’re pragmatic in both directions\",\"_key\":\"5df60b9beeba3\"},{\"text\":\".” The West, too, should “\",\"_key\":\"5df60b9beeba4\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"marks\":[\"fe3827b25cc0\"],\"text\":\"deal with the new reality on the ground\",\"_key\":\"5df60b9beeba5\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” by putting forward clear benchmarks for HTS, another expert told Radio Free Europe.\",\"_key\":\"5df60b9beeba6\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"00cabd24f2e6\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Sanctions relief could keep HTS on moderate path\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Atlantic Council\",\"The National\",\"Radio Free Europe\"]}],\"id\":\"60c44178-ec69-4152-81e2-63764ba174a0\",\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"vertical\":\"news\",\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Mohammed al-Bashir delivers the Friday sermon at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-8bb06bb1b8da8de52c3eed77a8ce0c178ba6e694-1600x1066-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Mahmoud Hassano/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Mohammed al-Bashir delivers the Friday sermon at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.\"}},{\"id\":\"2ccf75ca-fd05-4c04-8c5f-5f6a0f2fe2b1\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Paige Bruton\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/9252a40e4e11b31efc135eda341e0508473c3775-1600x1600.png\"},{\"name\":\"Prashant Rao\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/84160dd2df02535b1a91244bf8731c23daf4d7e1-1600x1600.png\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"caption\":\"Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov at a press conference in Moscow\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-19bac11bc66f4ab117bc93d6338c5f278bc2380c-1600x900-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters\"},\"attribution\":\"Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov at a press conference in Moscow\"},\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Multiple reports cited Ukrainian sources as saying Kyiv was behind the attack on the general in charge of Russia’s chemical weapons unit.\",\"_key\":\"05fdf829ba730\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1117261fe03e\"}],\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":[{\"source\":[\"The Kyiv Independent\"],\"_key\":\"3c4d84d5236d\",\"body\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"15f1f79510e0\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"c6fa09416a0f\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://kyivindependent.com/sbu-behind-killing-of-russian-general-charged-with-chemical-weapons-crimes-source-claims/\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Russia has been increasing its use of chemical weapons in its almost three-year war against Ukraine, a recent investigation by The Kyiv Independent found. In May, there were 715 recorded incidents, compared to 81 in December last year. In the Donbas region, which had endured months of grinding warfare, the deployment of bioweapons — usually via drones — forced soldiers out of the trenches into the open where they were then taken out by artillery. The tactic was effective, the investigation noted, allowing Russia to capture positions without destroying them. The deployment of chemical weapons is a breach of international humanitarian law: “\",\"_key\":\"d602a0cdc2600\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"c6fa09416a0f\"],\"text\":\"Retribution for war crimes is inevitable\",\"_key\":\"d602a0cdc2601\"},{\"_key\":\"d602a0cdc2602\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” a source in the Ukrainian security services told the outlet following the killing.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Moscow’s rising use of chemical weapons\",\"_type\":\"insight\"},{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Peace talks look more likely with Trump taking office\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Politico EU\",\"Le Monde\"],\"_key\":\"39e48213de94\",\"body\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2cbaac1f24ed\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-war-in-ukraine-russia/\",\"_key\":\"f664948c2289\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/11/25/discussions-over-sending-french-and-british-troops-to-ukraine-reignited_6734041_4.html\",\"_key\":\"47dbf91a42e0\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The Ukraine war has markedly intensified in recent weeks, which analysts attribute to the two sides seeking bargaining chips ahead of widely expected peace talks following US President-elect Donald Trump’s accession to office. The incoming US president has repeatedly claimed he will end the war “within a day” of entering the White House, with the growing prospect that Ukraine will have to cede ground to Moscow. At his first press conference since winning the election Trump stated: “\",\"_key\":\"3798d8a7c9200\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"f664948c2289\"],\"text\":\"You know it’s nice to say they want their land back, but the cities are largely destroyed,\",\"_key\":\"3798d8a7c9201\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” Politico EU reported. At the same time, Le Monde reported that some \",\"_key\":\"3798d8a7c9202\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"47dbf91a42e0\"],\"text\":\"EU officials are prepared to deploy troops\",\"_key\":\"3798d8a7c9203\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" to Ukraine to ensure that a ceasefire deal is enforced.\",\"_key\":\"3798d8a7c9204\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}]}],\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T17:49:10.289Z\",\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/top-russian-general-killed-in-moscow\",\"semaforms\":[{\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3921d6478ffc\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"60691be409260\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The head of the Russian military’s chemical weapons unit was killed in Moscow in a bombing attributed to Kyiv.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/uNr21aUctr?email=pbruton@semafor.com\",\"_key\":\"e7d87dbf2f2e\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"811e66cf3a4e0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov is the \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e7d87dbf2f2e\"],\"text\":\"most senior Russian official killed\",\"_key\":\"811e66cf3a4e1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" in the country’s capital since Moscow launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and had been blamed by Kyiv for the “mass use” of chemical weapons during the conflict.\",\"_key\":\"811e66cf3a4e2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"48ef67f0c2e6\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"294f773ab1cc\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gx6p347dgt\",\"_key\":\"e1188ed21ac1\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Kirillov and his assistant were killed by explosive devices that \",\"_key\":\"6f39fc40e5650\"},{\"_key\":\"6f39fc40e5651\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e1188ed21ac1\"],\"text\":\"appear to have been rigged to an electric scooter\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", which was set off remotely, the BBC reported.\",\"_key\":\"6f39fc40e5652\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/DMrhBssdM1?email=pbruton@semafor.com\",\"_key\":\"dcdd8f4e1d0a\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/1w4zWQg0Q2?email=pbruton@semafor.com\",\"_key\":\"a69df5347483\"},{\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/vATZD3F41l?email=pbruton@semafor.com\",\"_key\":\"5f730eb9394e\",\"_type\":\"link\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"dcdd8f4e1d0a\"],\"text\":\"The Kyiv Independent\",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", \",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca1\"},{\"marks\":[\"a69df5347483\"],\"text\":\"the BBC\",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca2\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"text\":\", \",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca3\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"text\":\"and AFP\",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca4\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"5f730eb9394e\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" all cited Ukrainian sources to say the country was behind the attack that killed Kirillov.\",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca5\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fa784a584719\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"8179c6c6-4a3d-4217-ad91-6f1042cfe5ee\"}],\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"intro\":null,\"vertical\":\"news\",\"location\":\"Europe\",\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"Top Russian general killed in Moscow \",\"headlineOverride\":null},{\"location\":\"North America\",\"headline\":\"What Milei’s inauguration invitation reveals about Trump’s next term\",\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The president-elect’s decision to invite several world leaders to his swearing-in ceremony, a break with precedent, offers clues to his foreign policy agenda. \",\"_key\":\"8e39139abe8f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9aeafc7d0058\"}],\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":[{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Trump team eyes Milei’s massive budget cuts\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"BBC\"],\"_key\":\"b2612dc1095e\",\"body\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9752095f501f\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"aca56f197b8f\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y86vv0wneo\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Javier Milei’s program to cut government spending and tackle inflation has gained popularity among some in the incoming Trump administration, particularly tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has an unofficial job to propose similar cuts to the federal budget. But a Peterson Institute for International Economics analyst warned that Milei’s ambitious programs are tackling “\",\"_key\":\"b2be127bb3510\"},{\"text\":\"decades of mismanagement of public resources\",\"_key\":\"b2be127bb3511\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"aca56f197b8f\"]},{\"text\":\"” and “appropriate for Argentina, but for nobody else.” In turn, several of Donald Trump’s key policy proposals — like mass deportations — would require increasing government oversight rather than downsizing, pundits told the BBC.\",\"_key\":\"b2be127bb3512\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]}]},{\"_key\":\"31f6b954bbe1\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"7198f8c810d9\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/14/europe/italy-giorgia-meloni-trump-relationship-intl/index.html\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right stance on immigration has helped her build a strong rapport with Donald Trump. But beyond the two leader’s personal affinities, Italy “\",\"_key\":\"40881b4bb72b0\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"7198f8c810d9\"],\"text\":\"will have kind of a monopoly\",\"_key\":\"40881b4bb72b1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” over the president-elect’s attention while other European powers like France and Germany remain in political gridlock, Italian political scientist Giovanni Orsina told CNN. Meloni is also friends with Elon Musk, and her singular influence will be felt “as long as the Trump-Musk honeymoon lasts at least,” Orsina added. But it is “hard to know” just how much sway Meloni will have on Trump over issues they disagree on, like aid to Ukraine, with Meloni among Kyiv’s biggest champions in Europe, CNN noted.\",\"_key\":\"40881b4bb72b2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8eaaf3af6799\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Meloni seen as bridge between Washington and Brussels\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"CNN\"]},{\"_key\":\"cd5a9895eef2\",\"body\":[{\"_key\":\"add9e07aa412\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3290950/inauguration-invitation-xi-shows-trumps-deal-making-action\",\"_key\":\"876f892d61c3\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"45f53a40c4780\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Despite Donald Trump targeting China on trade, his invitation to Xi Jinping suggests nonetheless that the president-elect wants to be “seen as some kind of grand statesman” whose foreign policy is guided by “\"},{\"_key\":\"45f53a40c4781\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"876f892d61c3\"],\"text\":\"personal diplomacy\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” a China expert told the South China Morning Post. Xi is unlikely to accept, but the message to Beijing is that Trump will “cut through all the bureaucracy and make deals and make arrangements,” he added. Trump could seek more face-to-face meetings with Xi to wrap up negotiations on key issues, like stopping the flow of fentanyl-producing chemicals from China to Mexico. Such a deal might then determine how Trump responds to other US-China issues, including the future of Taiwan, SCMP reported.\",\"_key\":\"45f53a40c4782\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Inviting Xi shows Trump wants to define presidency with personal diplomacy\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"South China Morning Post\"]}],\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T21:29:14.873Z\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/16/2024/argentinas-javier-milei-to-attend-donald-trumps-inauguration\",\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"headlineOverride\":null,\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"c2cb9d2ac494\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d2e358635618\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Argentine President Javier Milei will attend US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, Milei’s office confirmed with local media Sunday.\",\"_key\":\"647a6ca0dc300\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"39e2bf3b9db6\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Milei’s attendance — and Trump extending invitations to several other world leaders — breaks decades of tradition for world leaders to skip the presidential inauguration. Foreign ambassadors instead typically represent world governments at US presidential swearing-ins.\",\"_key\":\"e5cd81e36131\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"According to Argentine newspaper La Nación, Milei — a staunch Trump supporter who attended the president-elect’s Mar-A-Lago victory party after the November election — was \",\"_key\":\"bd78429a9b08\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"9e319f332d6d\"],\"text\":\"initially hesitant\",\"_key\":\"7849cf222de01\"},{\"text\":\" of breaking tradition, but changed his mind after Trump called him.\",\"_key\":\"7849cf222de02\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7559a6bcc60e\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.lanacion.com.ar/politica/milei-viajara-a-estados-unidos-para-asistir-a-la-asuncion-de-trump-con-otros-lideres-mundiales-nid14122024/\",\"_key\":\"9e319f332d6d\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The invitations to other Trump-aligned leaders like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and China’s Xi Jinping could signal the president-elect’s foreign policy agenda — and his desire for personal relationships with other world leaders.\",\"_key\":\"63ae072322a3\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d35139cedf81\"}]}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Diego Mendoza\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/b370d5b0993409435f5e683d9eb961afe640413d-1600x1600.png\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"caption\":\"Milei and Trump\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-144266de318da2b1483137c3791be6ada25934bb-5000x3333-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Carlos Barria/Trump\"},\"attribution\":\"Carlos Barria/Trump\",\"caption\":\"Milei and Trump\"},\"expires\":true,\"id\":\"a66dda71-b297-48d7-8bbe-b2ae9a66d302\",\"vertical\":\"news\"},{\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"intro\":{\"_type\":\"intro\",\"schemaVersion\":1},\"location\":\"North America\",\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T21:04:22Z\",\"id\":\"9a77e4ff-48ed-41cb-b650-e343c61a06b5\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/tiktoks-future-is-in-limbo-as-a-us-ban-looms\",\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"US President-elect Donald Trump met with TikTok’s CEO on Monday as a possible ban is set to come into force in January. \",\"_key\":\"a6e8503bb36e0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c1e3db9ea9dc\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Diego Mendoza\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/b370d5b0993409435f5e683d9eb961afe640413d-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":[{\"source\":[\"Forbes\",\"Associated Press\"],\"_key\":\"fdcb3c2901ae\",\"body\":[{\"_key\":\"6945dc710384\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilybaker-white/2024/12/16/if-trump-wants-to-save-tiktok-he-might-need-it-to-get-banned-first/\",\"_key\":\"615bcc16a744\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://apnews.com/article/trump-tiktok-ban-congress-president-282d8df7b91dce270316509badd39978\",\"_key\":\"300bc6c6dc58\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Since “\",\"_key\":\"8ebfeefc2daf0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"615bcc16a744\"],\"text\":\"Trump is all about optics\",\"_key\":\"8ebfeefc2daf1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” the president-elect could wait for the ban to — scheduled to come into effect on President Joe Biden’s last day in office — to take place and then immediately give TikTok a three-month extension to claim he “saved” the app, Forbes wrote. But Trump’s hands may be tied if he tries to nullify the ban — which an expert told The Associated Press would \",\"_key\":\"8ebfeefc2daf2\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"300bc6c6dc58\"],\"text\":\"not be lawful\",\"_key\":\"8ebfeefc2daf3\"},{\"text\":\" — or attempt to circumvent it: The law stipulates heavy fines for American tech giants that try to keep TikTok accessible. “A mere Truth Social post or even an Executive Order might not be enough to convince American companies” to keep the app available, Forbes wrote.\",\"_key\":\"8ebfeefc2daf4\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Trump may not be able to fulfil promise to ‘save’ TikTok \",\"_type\":\"insight\"},{\"insightTitle\":\"Zuckerberg might benefit most from TikTok ban\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Bloomberg\"],\"_key\":\"2727f8727960\",\"body\":[{\"_key\":\"00ce473cde03\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-12-08/if-tiktok-is-banned-in-the-us-which-apps-benefit\",\"_key\":\"abeaea5f7ced\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Virtually any app with a large, young user base” is poised to benefit from the US TikTok ban, Bloomberg wrote, but Meta and Google are best-placed to absorb its 170 million monthly users. Meta has Reels, a short-form video ecosystem similar to TikTok, and Google has YouTube shorts. Trump initially complained that a TikTok ban would make Meta’s products “\",\"_key\":\"3e100310b5d20\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"abeaea5f7ced\"],\"text\":\"too powerful\",\"_key\":\"3e100310b5d21\"},{\"_key\":\"3e100310b5d22\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” the outlet wrote, but the president-elect’s animosity toward CEO Mark Zuckerberg appears to have “softened” in recent months. Zuckerberg might also aim for an informal advisory role to aTrump White House in order to shape tech policy, Bloomberg reported.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2},{\"source\":[\"Euronews\"],\"_key\":\"97903594e67d\",\"body\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e69742195a65\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/12/17/tiktok-disinformation-falsely-accuses-von-der-leyen-of-cancelling-romanias-presidential-ru\",\"_key\":\"338114321a11\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Despite the probe into Romanian election interference, TikTok accounts supporting far-right candidate Călin Georgescu are now spreading the falsehood that European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen personally intervened to nullify the vote, according to Euronews. The commission has repeatedly attested that it is the Romanian government — not the EU — that oversees the country’s electoral proceedings. These accounts are also promoting “\",\"_key\":\"ea431f601deb0\"},{\"_key\":\"ea431f601deb1\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"338114321a11\"],\"text\":\"anti-EU and anti-Western messages\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” Euronews wrote. Still, legal experts have called Bucharest’s decision to annul the vote “unusual” given that Romanian authorities have not disclosed any evidence supporting the allegation that Moscow used TikTok to subvert the election.\",\"_key\":\"ea431f601deb2\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Falsehoods circulating on TikTok blame Brussels for Romania’s election fiasco\",\"_type\":\"insight\"}],\"expires\":true,\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"headline\":\"TikTok’s future in limbo as EU opens probe and US ban looms \",\"vertical\":\"news\",\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The EU opened an investigation into TikTok Tuesday over allegations that it failed to stop fake accounts and foreign powers from interfering in Romania’s recent presidential election, in the latest blow to the social media app.\",\"_key\":\"04cd203725f60\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b569a8b47efb\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The European probe comes as TikTok faces an imminent ban in the US that could see it removed from digital app stores in the country within weeks, unless Chinese parent ByteDance sells the platform to an American company.\",\"_key\":\"f2d546b6f170\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cfd5d4afd109\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8752ac86c472\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/12/16/2024/tiktok-asks-the-us-supreme-court-to-temporarily-block-ban\",\"_key\":\"60f7d75a134e\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://apnews.com/article/trump-tiktok-ban-congress-president-282d8df7b91dce270316509badd39978\",\"_key\":\"3d2919e22a19\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In a last-ditch effort, TikTok on Monday also asked the US Supreme Court to \",\"_key\":\"7411b7e052bb\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"60f7d75a134e\"],\"text\":\"temporarily block\",\"_key\":\"fb60c715dae01\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" the ban. The same day, President-elect Donald Trump — who pledged to “\",\"_key\":\"fb60c715dae02\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"3d2919e22a19\"],\"text\":\"save\",\"_key\":\"fb60c715dae03\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” the app during his most recent campaign — met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, who was expected to plead his case for keeping the platform accessible.\",\"_key\":\"fb60c715dae04\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"9ba96e1f5bf2\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"caption\":\"TikTok\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-c4cf7aade0f5d8a022f81949840c3d49e0279d79-4421x2886-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Dado Ruvic/Reuters\"},\"attribution\":\"Dado Ruvic/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"TikTok\"}},{\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T10:34:18Z\",\"description\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"48031d1ff54b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Donald Trump’s health secretary pick is an ex-Democrat with views on the two issues that better fit his former party.\",\"_key\":\"40c84a19070f0\"}]}],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"_key\":\"0a0bc90032cc\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"eae9f5f807d60\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism is getting outsized attention in his bid to become Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary — but his views on agriculture and abortion are shaping up as the bigger concerns in the Republican Senate.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"23df30a18baa0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"aaf7698c6bce\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"As Kennedy arrives on Capitol Hill this week for crucial private meetings with senators, Republicans are preparing to press him on his antipathy toward industrialized agriculture and his more liberal abortion stance. While GOP senators are willing to give him a chance to explain himself, Kennedy allies inside Trump’s network and Senate Republicans are already identifying abortion and agriculture as the biggest potential weak spots.\",\"_key\":\"777117b9234d0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3818254b295d\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e74e64d42127\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"47d6a052d50f0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"5fb358ff628e0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Kennedy has likened hog farms \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"66075c25e89b\"],\"text\":\"to a\",\"_key\":\"5fb358ff628e1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" terrorist threat and \",\"_key\":\"5fb358ff628e2\"},{\"marks\":[\"1a7ac9fb0d0f\"],\"text\":\"pummelled\",\"_key\":\"5fb358ff628e3\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" subsidies for seed oils, both of which are big products in Midwest and Plains states. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said he’s already hearing from farm groups back home that are concerned about Kennedy.\",\"_key\":\"5fb358ff628e4\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7afbcb402771\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"66075c25e89b\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/04/rfk-jr-hog-farms-scarier-osama/\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.facebook.com/reel/1055342039467967\",\"_key\":\"1a7ac9fb0d0f\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"13810e43b34e0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d065d93161b3\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“He’s made some statements about pigs and about GMO corn and soybeans. I can’t believe that he’s going to have a problem with that. But if he does, he has a problem with me,” Grassley told Semafor, predicting that “when he gets a chance to clarify it, he’s not going to come out anti-agriculture.”\",\"_key\":\"53220c78a8a30\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1c6677b17fd3\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a5f2a7f872dc\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2ab4156edf310\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Kennedy’s confirmation may prove the ultimate test of Trump’s sway over the Hill GOP. Matt Gaetz bowed out as the attorney general pick while facing major ethics problems, but Kennedy could prove a more substantively challenging vote for Republican senators: He’s a former Democrat with environmental and abortion views that fit that party better than the GOP.\",\"_key\":\"bc6bb5e03ba50\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"786e4156c9ba\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"998d189dbe5d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"ba17e210bf9b0\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d0d450be1601\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/12/10/rfk-jr-tulsi-gabbard-confirmation-hearings-republican-senators-trump/\",\"_key\":\"6ded7fdb918c\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Republicans generally feel little loyalty to someone who has \",\"_key\":\"d9b82e994ac40\"},{\"text\":\"criticized\",\"_key\":\"d9b82e994ac41\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"6ded7fdb918c\"]},{\"_key\":\"d9b82e994ac42\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" them so recently. They do, however, feel loyalty to Trump that could extend to Kennedy.\"}]},{\"_key\":\"4cb5a0f1f662\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3ef0a056d093\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"26400eca1e64\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"3648350777be0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"A transition spokesperson said the “immensely prepared” Kennedy will meet this week with 25 GOP senators, including moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski, GOP leaders and key committee chairs. \\n\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"dc47736ca04b0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7d7854e83d8a\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"67a838c57e7d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"When it comes to agriculture, Kennedy’s focus on weaning the US off ultraprocessed food is gaining currency in both parties, but farm-state Republicans said in interviews that he cannot afford to browbeat Big Agriculture.\",\"_key\":\"1bf59a226e470\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e0420aa6750e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3653d15bfb61\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., praised Kennedy’s “push toward more nutritious food” and his “ideas about regenerative agriculture, fewer pesticides,” but warned against imposing “any type of mandate” on farm states that feed consumers in huge numbers.\",\"_key\":\"6eb03ebf01990\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2af7da496bba\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3d708773fcda0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"168fd14e95e5\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"And Kennedy will face scrutiny of his past support for abortion rights in a GOP conference dominated by anti-abortion senators. Anti-abortion activists quickly raised concerns after Trump tapped him, with former Vice President Mike Pence \",\"_key\":\"d5b3b4a4ffe90\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"0d85310a56d3\"],\"text\":\"calling\",\"_key\":\"d5b3b4a4ffe91\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" on Senate Republicans to reject the nomination.\",\"_key\":\"d5b3b4a4ffe92\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1066b7b9f2d4\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"0d85310a56d3\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/us/politics/pence-rfk-jr-abortion-rights.html\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a07f8f573884\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"098423705f980\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"59acf2ecb6a1\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Inside Trump’s orbit, there’s already some fretting that anti-abortion pressure may end up decisive. With \",\"_key\":\"572b328c46b40\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Roe vs. Wade\",\"_key\":\"572b328c46b41\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" already overturned, activists have at times fallen out of step with Trump — and according to one Kennedy ally in Trump’s orbit, they’re “telling senators that they will mobilize their membership” against Republicans who back Kennedy ahead of the midterms.\",\"_key\":\"572b328c46b42\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"c283ad2f0f9e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"772eb4c56cd2\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It’s not clear whether Kennedy has developed an answer that will satisfy those qualms.\",\"_key\":\"184ca1b8a8b20\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"08d3ffb14a5e\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ca40785fd397\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"dbda1ee2e6ec0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“The pro-life leaders … have nothing to lose by lobbying against Kennedy,” the Kennedy ally told Semafor. “They can’t be talked off the ledge.”\",\"_key\":\"c7ef6f77262d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f28ddc5bf4ea\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2b2c4dc461fa\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"f7d2ac14d4e40\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"A second person close to Kennedy downplayed the potential downside of the nominee’s abortion stance, telling Semafor that the issue wasn’t central during his presidential run and that he plans to follow Trump’s lead. (Trump signaled he’d leave abortion to the states during the \",\"_key\":\"3f324343f0400\"},{\"_key\":\"3f324343f0401\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"0ee87d5421cc\"],\"text\":\"later\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" part of his campaign.).\",\"_key\":\"3f324343f0402\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"64fcfd640575\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/28/upshot/trump-abortion-words.html\",\"_key\":\"0ee87d5421cc\",\"_type\":\"link\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"89a5c7a9b341\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"1583ed4feddd0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\\n\"}]}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"fc4a2169a122\"},{\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"9761dd848aab\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"knowMore\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"52cd9b93df19\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Kennedy allies aligned with Trump believe he can clear the hurdle of his past comments on agriculture. The first Kennedy ally pointed to Trump’s nomination of Brooke Rollins as agriculture secretary as potentially helpful, given that she is closer to farm industry interests.\",\"_key\":\"6a497b26f6df0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2c17d6194e030\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cb28754affea\"},{\"_key\":\"f23dc6368713\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Even that’s not all good news for Kennedy: His supporters in Trump’s circle fear that Rollins will ultimately get in the way of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” efforts for that very reason. The Agriculture Department would be in charge of enacting some of the food changes that Kennedy hopes to implement.\",\"_key\":\"25fc34bf04650\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"96c217824e6b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"97e03a8ac1d80\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"c2ae3aed0990\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“She helps him” get confirmed, but also leads him “to MAHA’s grave,” this person lamented.\",\"_key\":\"ad5b332391c50\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"05a1d1bc7e31\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"3f0f043a270f0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}]},{\"_key\":\"f0a760d7a5a0\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The second person close to Kennedy described concerns over Rollins heading up USDA as “understandable,” but maintained that the two have “a good relationship” — and argued that she shares many of Kennedy’s concerns when it comes to food.\",\"_key\":\"238959ef35be0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3c7a90179269\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e60380840dd30\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"6f14f9fe65b7\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://apnews.com/article/xavier-becerra-health-secretary-nominee-abortion-rights-d62603802d5b5b5bcc752cf38ea953ee\",\"_key\":\"254e9edc3b34\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4411235-becerra-to-launch-reproductive-health-care-series-ahead-of-roe-anniversary/\",\"_key\":\"bb1af0cdc77e\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"On the abortion front, Republicans will have to contend with their past \",\"_key\":\"9ea19f89bdf30\"},{\"_key\":\"9ea19f89bdf31\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"254e9edc3b34\"],\"text\":\"criticism\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" of current HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra’s record on the issue. Becerra \",\"_key\":\"9ea19f89bdf32\"},{\"text\":\"held\",\"_key\":\"9ea19f89bdf33\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"bb1af0cdc77e\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" events on abortion rights and criticized the downfall of \",\"_key\":\"9ea19f89bdf34\"},{\"_key\":\"9ea19f89bdf35\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Roe\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\".\",\"_key\":\"9ea19f89bdf36\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"57731bf65b950\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7ffe08ece32d\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“In previous administrations, the belief was that [the health secretary’s] view on the issue of abortion was important,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who is withholding judgment on Kennedy for now but said abortion is a “consideration” in his nomination.\",\"_key\":\"7d47fb31ae510\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f2e63cd84acd\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0220776f7732\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., is expected to meet with Kennedy this week and said he’ll be “asking questions about his positions on life.” Daines also signaled he’s likely to support Kennedy and said he’ll probably be confirmed.\",\"_key\":\"d65198bc97380\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b878e470563f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b82551af60db0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"150e6b68c16d0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Of course, Kennedy’s past criticism of the Covid vaccine and other inoculations will also come up in his Hill meetings. He’ll need to make sure not to offend outgoing Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor warning nominees to “steer clear” of anti-vaccine views, as well as hardliners on abortion and farm-state senators.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7ce2d9321460\"}]},{\"where\":\"The Left\",\"_key\":\"f063b1aa4a40\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"_key\":\"d84c8f1621ae\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Republicans have privately speculated that Kennedy could get some Senate Democratic votes. One GOP senator said there’s a disagreement within the party about how many, estimating a range between zero and five.\",\"_key\":\"69ae825e73750\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"528bdfe74712\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"42042bf511250\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"81106106cdd0\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he’s expected to meet with Kennedy this week and isn’t opposing him yet. And that’s about all he’ll say.\",\"_key\":\"6385b4f87f2b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9b53df0e8f94\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"a5983bde92cd0\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b55cccd86e14\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I don’t want to talk about RFK, thanks,” Sanders said curtly.\",\"_key\":\"267b2a6ba8120\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3a4db3ed03160\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ce347a5e6286\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b2044b7842d3\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Even if a Democrat or two support Kennedy, their leaders will want to see Republicans put up 50 votes first. That could be a challenge with a 53-seat majority that includes two independent-minded moderates in Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, as well as McConnell.\\n\",\"_key\":\"cd741ec1c47f0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\"},{\"_type\":\"generaform\",\"_key\":\"fda4abda123b\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Before the election, Hill Republicans were skeptical that Trump would nominate Kennedy to a Senate-confirmable post — and even more skeptical that he could be confirmed.\",\"_key\":\"964bc011a3b70\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fbb9703ab90c\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"799669a38870\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e5d2b92360c40\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5a55a483cc46\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"So was Burgess (Shelby, not so much).\",\"_key\":\"1bca0cb658160\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"10d2070709e10\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1ce7d93db764\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"5b627dedcd09\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Two things have happened since to somewhat ease Kennedy’s path. Nominating Kennedy as HHS secretary, rather than another health post, ensured his path to confirmation would run through the Finance Committee, not the health-focused panel where Murkowski and Collins would get an early vote on him.\",\"_key\":\"362afbd3f2f40\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7c76181092ca\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3e91aab11cfb0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The second factor is pure politics: After Gaetz’s nomination failed, Trump and his allies are digging in on everyone else. That doesn’t guarantee Kennedy’s confirmation, but it certainly makes most GOP senators think hard about whether they want the headache that comes with opposing Trump’s nominees.\",\"_key\":\"e3fe0bdbaf260\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b206ec4c46fc\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"078d4c8c0c1e0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"dbc952864afa\"},{\"_key\":\"95dcbd42af54\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Even when those nominees are ex-Democrats.\",\"_key\":\"00815d4f7a630\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"title\":\"Burgess and Shelby’s View\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"generaform\":null}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":null,\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"slug\":\"/article/12/15/2024/republicans-see-agriculture-and-abortion-not-vaccines-as-top-kennedy-concerns\",\"vertical\":\"politics\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Burgess Everett\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/bf82c2082c8dec6bc6c211b558978725a2d1b715-1600x1600.png\"},{\"name\":\"Shelby Talcott\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/b3676ede993b8d4efc704645c507965598b99de4-1600x1600.png\"}],\"expires\":true,\"id\":\"cab0fcc6-3d4e-4d13-b6ea-1bf1c737b362\",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"headline\":\"Republicans see agriculture and abortion, not vaccines, as top Kennedy concerns\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"location\":null,\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Adam Gray/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\",\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"reference\",\"_ref\":\"image-7628786d6153808daeff12c73e5f5a8fec6d151b-5500x3664-jpg\"}},\"attribution\":\"Adam Gray/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\"}},{\"headlineOverride\":\"India-Russia energy deal underscores Modi’s independent foreign policy stance\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"location\":\"South Asia\",\"ledeVideo\":null,\"slug\":\"/article/12/16/2024/india-signs-major-energy-deals-with-russia-signaling-closer-economic-partnership\",\"intro\":null,\"signal\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T21:39:55.361Z\",\"id\":\"f63e019a-23fa-43f4-9e4b-81ac6b9365d4\",\"description\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0694c58a4942\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought to maintain close relationships with several global poles of influence, including Russia and Washington.\",\"_key\":\"d257b7d34190\"}]}],\"vertical\":\"news\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Prashant Rao\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/84160dd2df02535b1a91244bf8731c23daf4d7e1-1600x1600.png\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Sivaram V/File Photo/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"An image of a docked container ship in the southern Indian city of Kochi\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-9c723939654b2783b0fa739f9e407a9846b08597-3500x2203-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Sivaram V/File Photo/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"An image of a docked container ship in the southern Indian city of Kochi\"},\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"India signs major energy deals with Russia\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"semaforms\":[{\"_key\":\"c6de4642-808f-4202-a01b-63b70660f01b\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"India moved to strengthen economic ties with Russia, increasing oil purchases and relying on Moscow to upgrade its own infrastructure.\",\"_key\":\"19423e2034190\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\" \",\"_key\":\"b0939688770e\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f03c54f56fbb\"},{\"_key\":\"bbee48a18837\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/12/13/india-russia-agree-biggest-ever-oil-deal-reuters-a87319\",\"_key\":\"c26d6824daa1\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://indianexpress.com/article/business/india-russia-trade-boost-new-eastern-route-9726640/\",\"_key\":\"926f1b7ada54\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://indianexpress.com/article/long-reads/india-vande-bharat-trains-russia-socialism-tsar-era-factory-october-revolution-9727021/\",\"_key\":\"551c75587702\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"A major Indian refiner last week signed what Reuters described as the \",\"_key\":\"19423e2034191\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"c26d6824daa1\"],\"text\":\"biggest-ever energy deal\",\"_key\":\"19423e2034192\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" between the two countries, while The Indian Express noted a new maritime route opened this year was helping \",\"_key\":\"19423e2034193\"},{\"text\":\"bolster bilateral trade\",\"_key\":\"19423e2034194\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"926f1b7ada54\"]},{\"_key\":\"19423e2034195\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". India has also awarded a contract to a St. Petersburg firm to \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"551c75587702\"],\"text\":\"build new long-distance passenger train carriages\",\"_key\":\"19423e2034196\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". \",\"_key\":\"19423e2034197\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"41c514e48a81\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Some Western officials have voiced frustration toward New Delhi’s continued trade with Moscow despite opprobrium over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. India counters that it enforces international sanctions but remains reliant on Russia for military goods, and argues that such trade also reduces Beijing’s sway over Moscow.\",\"_key\":\"21dc86962ca9\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\"}]},{\"vertical\":\"media\",\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T21:08:36.199Z\",\"id\":\"5a5f406f-069f-4118-906b-83f312e2ce7c\",\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"location\":null,\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Kevin Lamarque/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Kamala Harris giving her concession speech\",\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"reference\",\"_ref\":\"image-a28367d21e481e5cdb63be28ef08c5d1d9a3033a-3413x2560-jpg\"}},\"attribution\":\"Kevin Lamarque/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Kamala Harris giving her concession speech\"},\"signal\":null,\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"intro\":null,\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Media\",\"_key\":\"media\",\"value\":\"media\"},{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"}],\"slug\":\"/article/12/15/2024/kamala-harris-digital-chief-on-democrats-losing-hold-of-culture\",\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty discusses Harris’ 2024 media strategy.\",\"_key\":\"cedab7db24e40\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6f62eb7b802a\"}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Max Tani\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/cafe4aa54b4c396322343d0cfd4753b54b5c701a-1600x1600.png\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"_key\":\"66db7342cc68\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Soon after Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee, \",\"_key\":\"fb8ab6df5c7f0\"},{\"text\":\"deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty turned his attention to sports.\",\"_key\":\"ba5c87986e28\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"00fe1d2e138a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The campaign needed to introduce Harris quickly to people who aren’t obsessed with politics. Sports is perhaps America’s last remaining monoculture, and Flaherty and the Harris team decided to book her on sports shows and podcasts.\",\"_key\":\"1f1e025580a50\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0e22c806f291\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"But one by one, the biggest personalities and shows politely turned them down.\",\"_key\":\"3eeee41091120\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Sports and culture have sort of merged together, and as sports and culture became more publicly and sort of natively associated with this Trump-conservative set of values, it got more complicated for athletes to come out in favor of us,” Flaherty, 33, told me in an interview last week. “It got more complicated for sports personalities to take us on their shows because they didn’t want to ‘do politics.’”\",\"_key\":\"e9b0e280ab1a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"edf23d5b762c\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“That’s not to say Steph Curry and Steve Kerr and LeBron [James] and all them coming out wasn’t impactful or important,” he said. “It was more impactful because it had gotten so much harder. But certainly the culture that has been associated with heavy sports-watching has become associated with right-wing culture in a way that makes it harder for us to reach people.”\",\"_key\":\"ff3fa3d2b2bf0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8cfa9f3b07ea\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://awfulannouncing.com/politics/colin-cowherd-kamala-harris-smiling-trump.html\",\"_key\":\"8df181c05cce\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"href\":\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/why-president-obama-sat-down-with-bill-simmons/2012/03/01/gIQAntY5kR_blog.html\",\"_key\":\"45e879db69b9\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"_key\":\"5c61acef5cce\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/travis-kelce-liked-instagram-post-170603214.html\"},{\"_key\":\"c0d0bacf967b\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://x.com/maxwelltani/status/1838751812108558684\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Faherty declined to say who turned Harris down, but she didn’t appear on key shows hosted by sports figures sympathetic to Democrats, like \",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167670\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"marks\":[\"8df181c05cce\"],\"text\":\"Colin Cowherd\",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167671\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", \",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167672\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"45e879db69b9\"],\"text\":\"Bill Simmons\",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167673\"},{\"text\":\", or \",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167674\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"5c61acef5cce\"],\"text\":\"the Kelce brothers\",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167675\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". (As Semafor \",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167676\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"c0d0bacf967b\"],\"text\":\"first\",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167677\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" reported at the time, Harris did appear on \",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167678\"},{\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"All The Smoke\",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b167679\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", a popular but more niche basketball podcast, and NFL hall-of-famer Shannon Sharpe’s \",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b1676710\"},{\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Club Shay Shay\",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b1676711\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" podcast.)\",\"_key\":\"aca2c1b1676712\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"11b5613d4a2f\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The campaign’s failure to completely crack the sports sphere was, to Flaherty, ominous, and part of a larger trend in which some influencers who had felt comfortable engaging with the Biden White House, demurred when asked to help Harris make her case to their followers. “When it’s not cool to talk about politics,” he said, “you’re kind of afraid of the audience.”\",\"_key\":\"ba2cd9d462010\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"aea4e01f11b0\"},{\"_key\":\"96adf28309da\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Campaigns, in many ways, are last-mile marketers that exist on terrain that is set by culture, and the institutions by which Democrats have historically had the ability to influence culture are losing relevance,” he said. “You don’t get a national eight-point shift to the right without losing hold of culture.”\",\"_key\":\"c1ed8f121e8e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"9236d144f01e\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3ad5130a3b6d\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_key\":\"987e4969a7df\",\"content\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"15999e449ba4\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Read on for Flaherty’s prescription for Democrats.\",\"_key\":\"60244d243c26\"}]}],\"_type\":\"cta\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"bf65928b3161\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"f8d5be13-ba43-420f-8839-c07d501c867d\",\"title\":\"The News\"},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"knowMore\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In July 2023, a \",\"_key\":\"e065d7c9c9b70\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"225242e11614\"],\"text\":\"year before\",\"_key\":\"e065d7c9c9b71\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" Harris became the nominee and as the Republican primary campaign was underway, I spoke with Flaherty, who was then running digital strategy for the White House.\",\"_key\":\"e065d7c9c9b72\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3b5868043862\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/07/30/2023/the-fragmentation-election\",\"_key\":\"225242e11614\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"There, he had helped shape the White House’s alternative media strategy, \",\"_key\":\"8d0d2a083b6c0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"910c108d603d\"],\"text\":\"working\",\"_key\":\"8d0d2a083b6c1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" to help support its own network of die-hard supporters, and dishing out exclusives to alternative liberal media; some of Biden’s first interviews after he nominated then-Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court last month went to the popular Substack writer and professor Heather Cox Richardson and the left-leaning news YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen.\",\"_key\":\"8d0d2a083b6c2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"91e835ade2a2\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2022/03/07/biden-warms-to-progressive-press-00014752\",\"_key\":\"910c108d603d\"}]},{\"_key\":\"6c3e424668e0\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Flaherty was also paying close attention to how the race was being run on the Republican side. Donald Trump was leaning into new podcasts, and his opponents were tapping a large network of right-leaning and conservative personalities to amplify their message.\",\"_key\":\"c1132a27847f0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a8d64b793f58\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/07/30/2023/the-fragmentation-election\",\"_key\":\"a1261cdc0632\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Then, he \",\"_key\":\"ce562eee612e0\"},{\"text\":\"acknowledged\",\"_key\":\"ce562eee612e1\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a1261cdc0632\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" that the Republican Party had done a better job building up its alternative digital media ecosystem with podcasters, YouTube streamers, and friendly pundits. But he argued that the then-Biden campaign would overcome those obstacles by better navigating the “personalized internet,” by which sophisticated algorithms feed Americans highly specific information tailored to their tastes and online behavior.\",\"_key\":\"ce562eee612e2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8750f5065572\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"280531ccb5900\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Speaking with me again last week, Flaherty said that remained their theory of the case the entire time. The campaign knew from the beginning that the race was going to come down to voters who do not pay attention to politics or mainstream news and instead get their information from people on YouTube, their friends’ Instagram stories, or links or memes dropped in a group chat.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"c7648ccf0d110\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"This firstly meant a shift in paid advertising from previous campaigns. Instead of just blanketing the airwaves in the battleground states, the campaign also invested heavily in ads on YouTube, recognizing the rapid growth in streaming. That’s where, the campaign’s data showed, many of Harris’ key voters were spending their time.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bd0ace8b506c\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"ce003cf977230\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"More importantly, this meant building out a strategy focused more on podcast appearances and interviews with influencers than on traditional media. Flaherty said the campaign skipped opportunities to talk to the major legacy news outlets because of Harris’ extremely limited time and its survey data, which showed that their audiences overwhelmingly supported Harris already.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"945a0b3977ad\"},{\"_key\":\"379b49252b51\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"e2869e3a62d50\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“There’s just no value — with respect to my colleagues in the mainstream press — in a general election, to speaking to the New York Times or speaking to the Washington Post, because those [readers] are already with us,” Flaherty said.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"dc2616cdc5d4\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"b81d90fd5c56\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80DaR2CVNNk\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Flaherty isn’t dismissive of television and other legacy media. “One of the most important moments of the campaign for the vice president was her \",\"_key\":\"3da3a042052b0\"},{\"text\":\"interview\",\"_key\":\"3da3a042052b1\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"b81d90fd5c56\"]},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" with Bret Baier. That was a huge fundraising moment. It was a huge social moment,” he said.\",\"_key\":\"3da3a042052b2\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fb7a005cbcd7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“When Trump did the McDonald’s thing, it was smart, because it was a thing that obviously drove television coverage, but it also drove social media engagement too,” he said. “And those things often happen in tandem, but they don’t always, and so it was the sweet spot. It drove traditional coverage and nontraditional media. I don’t think TV is dead. It’s still probably the most important thing, but it’s the literal TV and what’s on it that matters.”\",\"_key\":\"2341fbde9e3e0\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"As the campaign wore on, though, Flaherty said he realized their failure to gain traction in certain corners of media reflected a deeper problem — one that wasn’t solved when Harris replaced Biden on the ticket. The Harris campaign, representing what many voters saw as an embodiment of the status quo, was running contrary not just to ideological distrust of establishment figures but to \",\"_key\":\"392ce4b51dbb0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_key\":\"392ce4b51dbb1\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"media\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" trends. The media successes of 2024 were independent, nontraditional online personalities who themselves were avatars of the rewards of going up against the Establishment.\",\"_key\":\"392ce4b51dbb2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"87aac701c950\"},{\"_key\":\"1bcedcc05b52\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“The reason folks are seeking alternative sources of media and are turning away from political news is because they don’t trust our institutions. They don’t trust elites, they don’t trust the media, they don’t trust all this stuff. So the party of elites and institutions is going to have a hard time selling to people in these places,” Flaherty said.\",\"_key\":\"c8908a037ce90\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“It’s not as simple as, like, ‘Go to Joe Rogan and talk about how great democracy is and the importance of preserving the independence of the DOJ,’ or whatever. You’ve got to speak their language. And I think there are plenty of cultural touchpoints. I mean, Joe Rogan was at least recently, for Medicare for All. Theo Von is really against money in politics and the way that pharma has flooded our communities with opioids. Those are all things that Democrats have something to say on. But as long as we seem like the party of the system, the people who are anti-system and are looking for anti-systemic media — we’re gonna have a hard time connecting with them.”\",\"_key\":\"617e7fdba5470\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"db104f49d989\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Nowhere was this more clear than within the “manosphere” of podcasters and content creators like Rogan and Von. To them, Trump had become less toxic and more based, and he rewarded his supporters with access. Flaherty said the Trump campaign successfully used new media to reshape culture, while Democrats found that the mass media institutions that had long largely supported them were weaker than these new cultural drivers.\",\"_key\":\"a553552b42270\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c9176d3e83af\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"dc95badae8b9\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“It’s more than just young men. It’s a broader ecosystem,” he said. “Democrats have historically had these really close relationships with institutional media, institutional culture — Hollywood and the traditional press. There’s this entire cultural ecosystem that the Trump campaign did a really good job of cultivating over a long period of time.”\",\"_key\":\"fc2eaa5252080\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Flaherty also acknowledged that Elon Musk’s purchase of X, née Twitter, played a major role in the campaign, further tilting the scales of online culture and information towards Trump.\",\"_key\":\"6937ee6255620\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"301730723942\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"b218eb275f3d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Its importance was twofold. One, it was where you reach elites and high-information people. But two, it was also the kind of place where politics could sort of careen into culture. And so it was a really important central node, even if it wasn’t the farthest-reaching platform,” he said. “Having that node be fundamentally controlled by, effectively, an arm of the Trump campaign was not good. Really a problem. And so Elon obviously sort of achieved his ends there. It was obvious that center-left and left content was being throttled compared to right content.”\",\"_key\":\"4f3a9c1674000\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3edfa98f6df7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"But while the campaign came to believe it was fighting an uphill battle against culture moving in the opposite direction, it also made some strategic errors of its own, based on faulty assumptions.\",\"_key\":\"af858d69729c0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"80806081d927\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Flaherty said that one place he underestimated the Trump campaign was the central part of the former president’s digital strategy. The Harris campaign thought that the Trump team’s decision to continue talking to the manosphere meant he would simply be reaching the same audience over and over. But the “incredible frequency” of those appearances helped build the former president’s credibility with that audience, which seeped out, Flaherty said.\",\"_key\":\"52b32322d2a20\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"He also said the Harris campaign never quite figured out one of its earlier strategies, which was to get its messaging organically into family group chats and private media, partially because they couldn’t nail what kind of content would spread that way.\",\"_key\":\"02fca1f18be80\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9b04dd832521\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I think that’s one that ended up being a lot harder to execute on,” he said.\",\"_key\":\"adf1727094930\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"791b91556e75\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"08838ada90d4\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/11/10/2024/a-tale-of-two-jets-the-old-media-grapples-with-its-new-limits\",\"_key\":\"258f10eb5395\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Over the last several weeks, many professional Democrats I’ve spoken with feel that they have \",\"_key\":\"0d9a238265ff0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"258f10eb5395\"],\"text\":\"successfully\",\"_key\":\"0d9a238265ff1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" identified their problem. But the next steps for Democrats’ media strategy are uncertain. When I met Flaherty this week in New York, he was contemplating his own professional future, and what his role would be — if any — in shaping the next four years of media strategy for his party and finding a way to regain the upper hand online.\",\"_key\":\"0d9a238265ff2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"To Flaherty, part of this starts with putting real effort into building the left and center-left’s own independent media ecosystem, divorced from the nonpartisan media that has historically satiated Democrats’ appetite. Flaherty said the one silver lining of the election was that many hardcore Democratic partisans have begun to waver from their satisfaction with legacy media.\",\"_key\":\"641c60078dee0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1b09c6433d99\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"dd8957321af1\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“They’re never going to not trust The New York Times, and they’re never going to distrust the Washington Post,” he said. “But I think that in a Trump era, you’ll start to see frustrations with the mainstream media come to a boil. And I think there will be smart people who try to fill the gap — more individuals who create content on left and center-left messaging.”\",\"_key\":\"5a23c28563110\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Flaherty said that Democrats need to invest in boosting independent partisan friends online — as well as content creators and media figures who haven’t been explicitly political but could reflect liberal and progressive values — to counter the surging online pro-Trump right.\",\"_key\":\"74afec04a0530\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9efaeac4cb8f\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“We need a whole thriving ecosystem. It’s not just \",\"_key\":\"eb7bae988cb70\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Pod Save America\",\"_key\":\"eb7bae988cb71\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", though I think we should have more of them. It’s not just Hasan Piker. We should have more Hasan Pikers. It’s also the cultural creators, the folks who are one rung out who influence the nonpartisan audience. Those things all need to happen together,” he said. “And the reality is, it’s not going to be big media organizations. It’s going to be a network and a constellation of individual personalities, because that’s how people get their information now.”\",\"_key\":\"eb7bae988cb72\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"196a193f0617\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ca894bff3592\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Flaherty said he believes the ecosystem needs to grow “in order to sort of simulate demand. As people run away from cable, the center-left starts to distrust mainstream media, and as the mainstream media outlets become more reliant on their mostly center left subscribers — all of this is going to kind of happen in tandem.”\",\"_key\":\"15ee7b53ef1b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\",\"_key\":\"a761dcbe7f28\"},{\"thescoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3a48dd6d3bae\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In the weeks since Trump’s reelection, savvy and clueless media observers alike have chalked up Harris’ problems in the media to small decisions, like her failure to appear on Rogan’s podcast (a moment that Flaherty acknowledged was a missed opportunity).\",\"_key\":\"7baca909669a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bb3899c88cc6\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"defe9fa5d3020\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"This misunderstands a simple aspect of the media strategy that we gleaned from speaking with both the Trump campaign and the Harris campaign about their approaches to new media.\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8dbcf524404a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Ultimately, their media strategies weren’t particularly different. Both campaigns leaned hard into alternative new media — Trump because he could reach large audiences and avoid annoying questions about various political scandals, Harris because her campaign felt the younger and nonwhite voters Democrats had long relied on were less tuned into legacy media.\",\"_key\":\"0ec6447362760\"}]},{\"_key\":\"510914576ca2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The outcomes were different because — from sports podcasters to longform talk comedy bros — the current class of online influencers and their audiences preferred both Trump’s style and his anti-establishment message.\",\"_key\":\"149ef91538750\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"_type\":\"author\",\"authorTitle\":\"Media Editor\",\"shortName\":\"Max\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-04-03T15:10:13-04:00\",\"name\":\"Max Tani\",\"email\":\"mtani@semafor.com\",\"_createdAt\":\"2022-10-18T21:00:38Z\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T16:14:10Z\",\"_id\":\"b5560fc7-4afa-46f1-b1fe-53632eac7a3e\",\"_rev\":\"sz4YeYtx3RIBsgOV4e0HrL\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/m-tani\",\"bio\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3d98585d7af7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Max is a New York-based journalist covering media for Semafor. He previously was a member of the White House team at POLITICO, where he co-authored the daily West Wing Playbook newsletter. He has also written about media and politics for the Daily Beast and Business Insider.\",\"_key\":\"95a3dd60d8a9\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/cafe4aa54b4c396322343d0cfd4753b54b5c701a-1600x1600.png\",\"newsletterAudience\":\"Media\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-04-03T19:10:13Z\",\"twitter\":\"maxwelltani\"},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"e582b69b417e\"},{\"_type\":\"furtherReading\",\"_key\":\"45aa168ecdba\",\"furtherReading\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Trump’s team \",\"_key\":\"ba202fd38f900\"},{\"marks\":[\"5022fb27a2a0\",\"strong\"],\"text\":\"better\",\"_key\":\"ba202fd38f901\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\" leveraged his celebrity this time around\",\"_key\":\"ba202fd38f902\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" to have fun with and bro out with friendly media personalities online.\",\"_key\":\"158d08d92273\"}],\"level\":1,\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c12447291d95\",\"listItem\":\"bullet\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/10/20/2024/how-donald-trumps-campaign-sees-the-media\",\"_key\":\"5022fb27a2a0\",\"_type\":\"link\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"Last week, two Democratic governors widely seen as potential candidates\",\"_key\":\"8526e6226f30\"},{\"_key\":\"98f4a8e45f56\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" for president in 2028 shared football-related content on social media. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore posted a video of himself attending the Army-Navy football game, while Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro posted a video of himself \"},{\"marks\":[\"3497784ae60b\"],\"text\":\"calling\",\"_key\":\"7e2be936c61f1\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_key\":\"7e2be936c61f2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" into a local radio station to discuss the Philadelphia Eagles match-up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Shapiro also attended an Eagles tailgate on Sunday.)\"}],\"level\":1,\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9baf1ef83ee9\",\"listItem\":\"bullet\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8gXJ-b3HHI\",\"_key\":\"3497784ae60b\"}]}],\"schemaVersion\":1}],\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"Kamala Harris’ digital chief on Democrats ‘losing hold of culture’\",\"headlineOverride\":null},{\"headline\":\"The EU’s two biggest economies are grappling with political uncertainty\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"signal\":[{\"source\":[\"Le Monde\",\"The Guardian\",\"Politico\"],\"_key\":\"d1e89b23fd4d\",\"body\":[{\"_key\":\"94ce3b9d824a\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/07/22/which-political-groups-make-up-france-s-new-assemblee-nationale_6694057_8.html\",\"_key\":\"a6a6e6507f13\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/05/macron-vows-to-stay-on-as-french-president-and-will-appoint-pm-within-days\",\"_key\":\"4ed4c149e043\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.politico.eu/article/marine-le-pen-salute-positive-talk-meeting-francois-bayrou-france/\",\"_key\":\"6bb0ca59f8b9\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"France’s political landscape is defined by strife, with French outlet Le Monde arguing that now is the time to “\",\"_key\":\"0b919f9ee31d0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a6a6e6507f13\"],\"text\":\"get a grip\",\"_key\":\"0b919f9ee31d1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\".” President Emmanuel Macron, who is \",\"_key\":\"0b919f9ee31d2\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"4ed4c149e043\"],\"text\":\"struggling to hold onto power\",\"_key\":\"0b919f9ee31d3\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", has picked centrist François Bayrou as his third prime minister of the year, but all the old problems remain: The far right is ascendant, the centrists have lost acres of political ground, and the government is in a deadlock. Despite that, Marine Le Pen’s far right National Rally — \",\"_key\":\"0b919f9ee31d4\"},{\"_key\":\"0b919f9ee31d5\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"6bb0ca59f8b9\"],\"text\":\"responsible for toppling the last government\"},{\"_key\":\"0b919f9ee31d6\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" — may yet come around: After meetings with Bayrou, Le Pen said she felt “heard” by the new leader.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"France’s new prime minister has the same problems as the old prime minister\",\"_type\":\"insight\"},{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"France, Germany are mired in economic woes\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"ING\",\"Euronews\"],\"_key\":\"07d9e138b9d5\",\"body\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"de7b4dd3cc54\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://think.ing.com/snaps/german-economy-avoided-summer-recession-but-winter-recession-is-looming/\",\"_key\":\"c4a02053a723\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/12/05/political-crises-in-france-and-germany-spell-more-trouble-for-europes-ailing-economy-analy\",\"_key\":\"8550df64268d\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Germany \",\"_key\":\"833414ce3e5d0\"},{\"marks\":[\"c4a02053a723\"],\"text\":\"narrowly missed falling into recession\",\"_key\":\"833414ce3e5d1\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" this summer, while France has the highest deficit among Eurozone economies, so it is perhaps no surprise that disagreements over their respective budgets have pushed their governments toward collapse. With Germany unable to hold an election until February and France until June 2025, both countries have generated a “\",\"_key\":\"833414ce3e5d2\"},{\"text\":\"political vacuum\",\"_key\":\"833414ce3e5d3\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"8550df64268d\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” in Europe, Euronews wrote. Unstable leadership could also hamper the bloc’s effort to address sputtering competitiveness and the threat of trade tariffs from both China and the US, and Russian aggression on its borders.\",\"_key\":\"833414ce3e5d4\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}]}],\"slug\":\"/article/12/16/2024/the-eus-two-biggest-economies-grapple-with-political-uncertainty\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Paige Bruton\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/9252a40e4e11b31efc135eda341e0508473c3775-1600x1600.png\"},{\"name\":\"Prashant Rao\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/84160dd2df02535b1a91244bf8731c23daf4d7e1-1600x1600.png\"}],\"description\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1cd9b1405ae6\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The recent government collapses in Germany and France have been triggered by ongoing economic challenges.\",\"_key\":\"24fb0da9253b\"}]}],\"intro\":null,\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Liesa Johannssen/Reuters.\",\"caption\":\"An image of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.\",\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"reference\",\"_ref\":\"image-8176bf6e96ac2844545e168a7d32d2a896688326-5500x3659-jpg\"}},\"attribution\":\"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Liesa Johannssen/Reuters.\",\"caption\":\"An image of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.\"},\"location\":\"Europe\",\"semaforms\":[{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The European Union’s heavyweights France and Germany are grappling with political challenges, with the former hit by a credit ratings downgrade and the latter a government confidence vote.\",\"_key\":\"0e26eefb7efc0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0eb5b5ceef66\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"14f1dc21e387\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2024/12/15/france-s-new-pm-bayrou-faces-budgetary-challenges-as-moody-s-downgrades-credit-rating_6736098_5.html\",\"_key\":\"d57e44d59daa\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"French leaders have \",\"_key\":\"bb9f8f25028e0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d57e44d59daa\"],\"text\":\"struggled to pass a budget\",\"_key\":\"bb9f8f25028e1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" in the face of far-right opposition, with a third prime minister in a year picking up the pieces from President Emmanuel Macron’s summer snap elections that saw centrist and moderate parties lose huge support.\",\"_key\":\"bb9f8f25028e2\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cf54d9b6b40f\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2024-12/ampel-bilanz-erfolge-erneuerbare-energie-buergergeld-fachkraefte\",\"_key\":\"296ec2edd880\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, meanwhile, lost a confidence vote Monday, paving the way for February elections that will likely see him ousted from power. The verdicts on his rule so far have not been pretty: “\",\"_key\":\"4dc4b0f585080\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"296ec2edd880\"],\"text\":\"It wasn’t all bad\",\"_key\":\"4dc4b0f585081\"},{\"text\":\",” was the best Die Zeit could come up with.\",\"_key\":\"4dc4b0f585082\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"88a08da7-4843-4f92-a4a5-45fa0d8ec4de\",\"title\":\"The News\"}],\"expires\":true,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T21:47:57.040Z\",\"id\":\"8dc6e00d-1764-4a67-8dc5-569dc5ca2d2d\",\"headlineOverride\":\"The EU’s two biggest economies are grappling with political uncertainty\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"vertical\":\"news\",\"ledeVideo\":null},{\"headline\":\"The global AI race is increasingly multipolar\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Prashant Rao\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/84160dd2df02535b1a91244bf8731c23daf4d7e1-1600x1600.png\"},{\"name\":\"Mizy Clifton\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/13f2011b1f026a78f212a4f348f8077e41ab1086-1600x1600.png\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"An illustration of the letters “A” and “I” placed on a computer motherboard.\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-d7492a6d6fdce81ecf0a7d87daf31299ec961b27-4000x2667-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"An illustration of the letters “A” and “I” placed on a computer motherboard.\"},\"signal\":[{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"The gap between the US and the rest remains huge\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Tortoise Media\",\"EQT\"],\"_key\":\"39664d06349c\",\"body\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The US continues to top Tortoise Media’s Global AI Index, with China trailing in second place by some distance, but the next eight highest scoring nations, including Singapore, the UK, and France, \",\"_key\":\"cfa3233932ac0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"47d270f640da\"],\"text\":\"aren’t far behind Beijing on AI capacity\",\"_key\":\"cfa3233932ac1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". Still, the gulf between the US and Europe remains massive, with the combined market capitalization of Europe’s seven largest tech firms 20 times lower than that of the US’ so-called “Magnificent Seven”: American companies’ ability to “\",\"_key\":\"cfa3233932ac2\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"6f3ebd9a1d21\"],\"text\":\"innovate, scale, and capture global markets\",\"_key\":\"cfa3233932ac3\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” sets them apart, EQT noted. “By ramping up investment in R\u0026D and adopting a more innovative and risk-taking mindset, Europe can ensure it has a seat at the table and is ready to play,” it wrote.\",\"_key\":\"cfa3233932ac4\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ccaf5972e54e\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.tortoisemedia.com/intelligence/global-ai\",\"_key\":\"47d270f640da\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://pw.eqtgroup.com/thinq/tech/why-is-europes-tech-industry-lagging-behind-the-us\",\"_key\":\"6f3ebd9a1d21\"}]}]},{\"insightTitle\":\"Gulf countries are finding it hard to attract tech talent\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Boston Consulting Group\",\"McKinsey \u0026 Company\",\"Arab News\"],\"_key\":\"39f21a089e6e\",\"body\":[{\"_key\":\"4f676f9be7e6\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/how-ceos-navigate-new-geopolitics-of-genai\",\"_key\":\"d3eff3753fbb\"},{\"href\":\"https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-gcc-countries-and-how-to-overcome-adoption-challenges\",\"_key\":\"2cff09bf2747\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.arabnews.com/node/2460156\",\"_key\":\"d59c80bcbd9a\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"cb3e95596ce70\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Gulf states are using their vast sovereign wealth funds to fuel technological acceleration, though \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d3eff3753fbb\"],\"text\":\"it’s unclear whether countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE can grow their talent pools enough\",\"_key\":\"cb3e95596ce71\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" to foster a self-sustaining model-development ecosystem, Boston Consulting Group wrote. A recent study by McKinsey \u0026 Company found that senior executives and board directors said it was \",\"_key\":\"cb3e95596ce72\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"2cff09bf2747\"],\"text\":\"difficult for Gulf Cooperation Council companies to fill roles and attract new talent\",\"_key\":\"cb3e95596ce73\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", citing the region’s relative lack of AI maturity. There’s intense interest in AI, but often \",\"_key\":\"cb3e95596ce74\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d59c80bcbd9a\"],\"text\":\"insufficient training for workers on how to use such tools safely\",\"_key\":\"cb3e95596ce75\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", which also creates risks of data loss and misinformation, a global management consultancy CEO argued in Arab News.\",\"_key\":\"cb3e95596ce76\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2}],\"expires\":true,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T13:04:30Z\",\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"slug\":\"/article/12/16/2024/the-global-ai-race-is-increasingly-multipolar\",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"semaforms\":[{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"_key\":\"8671fd5138e4\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/how-ceos-navigate-new-geopolitics-of-genai\",\"_key\":\"3e86b09ef08f\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The global artificial intelligence rivalry centers around the US and China, but ”\",\"_key\":\"b45ccaef93e50\"},{\"_key\":\"b45ccaef93e51\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"3e86b09ef08f\"],\"text\":\"middle powers\"},{\"text\":\"″ are reshaping the geopolitics of AI, Boston Consulting Group argued.\",\"_key\":\"b45ccaef93e52\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7584eceddc31\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The European Union, South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE all have their own “distinct strengths,” analysts wrote in a recently published analysis: The EU has talent and a startup ecosystem, the Asian nations are crucial for hardware and have concentrated tech ecosystems, and the Gulf powers benefit from huge pools of capital and cheap energy.\",\"_key\":\"5d4538edc26c0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5e92c4fd4e25\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Relying solely on... companies in the US or China could pose serious challenges… A more multipolar supply of GenAI increases complexity, [but] it would also create critical optionality.”\",\"_key\":\"4d9c5c931c310\"}]}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"8b1cab84f93c\",\"title\":\"The News\"}],\"id\":\"779a35cd-6e2a-4ac7-9d2f-5f819b3c3e1c\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"vertical\":\"news\",\"location\":\"North America\",\"ledeVideo\":null,\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"China and the US dominate the conversation on artificial intelligence, but “middle powers” are reshaping the geopolitics of AI, analysts wrote. 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regions.\",\"_key\":\"18b161a953530\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Russia will also ramp up its domestic defense to prepare for “a possible military conflict with NATO in Europe in the next decade,” he said.\",\"_key\":\"b35701ceb08b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f54bb579e5d5\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1242e9db5356\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"0e838336e4180\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Speaking at the same meeting, President Vladimir Putin said Russia has the “strategic initiative” on the battlefield in Ukraine, and that the West is pushing Russia toward “the red line.”\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9f035006b926\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Moscow cannot help but respond,” he warned.\",\"_key\":\"bfe196e514820\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}]}],\"headline\":\"Russia aims to ‘win the 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Moscow likely has enough military stores to keep the pressure on Kyiv in 2025, but from 2026 on, \",\"_key\":\"9acbdfe097ef4\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d8f9649da758\"],\"text\":\"it will struggle to replace destroyed equipment\",\"_key\":\"9acbdfe097ef5\"},{\"_key\":\"9acbdfe097ef6\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", researchers at the Royal United Services Institute in London argued.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"166758412ba0\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://english.nv.ua/nation/war-in-ukraine-what-to-expect-in-2025-analysts-explanation-50467942.html\",\"_key\":\"6949d5506ea1\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2024/dec/04/how-ukraine-faced-worst-month-battlefield-in-two-years-visualised\",\"_key\":\"f90d25e506eb\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/russian-military-objectives-and-capacity-ukraine-through-2024\",\"_key\":\"d8f9649da758\"}]}]},{\"source\":[\"Interfax\",\"The Bell\",\"Euromaidan Press\"],\"_key\":\"5d2898a7eb60\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/997955\",\"_key\":\"f2cd125c57df\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://en.thebell.io/russia-boosts-army-sign-up-bonuses-amid-escalating-frontline-losses/\",\"_key\":\"526647b520a4\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/12/14/putin-must-end-ukraine-war-by-2025-or-face-economic-collapse-warns-ex-energy-chief/\",\"_key\":\"cb53364e3238\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Russia’s defense spending has risen to 6.3% of its total GDP, and President Vladimir Putin warned Monday that “we cannot pump up these expenses to infinity.” Russia’s military spending has distorted the entire economy, caused labor shortages in non-military industries and made it all but impossible for the central bank to quell rampant inflation. 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Singal has spent years in heated arguments over trans kids, and his views, agree or disagree, are well within the mainstream of US and UK politics. 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Ben covered American politics for more than a decade at Politico and the New York Daily News, among other outlets, and launched a number of political blogs.\",\"_key\":\"5d315309aab3\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"newsletterAudience\":\"Media\",\"name\":\"Ben Smith\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/4fdd6bf05e3c6e4abc4e62bee927a32b9465d698-1600x1600.png\",\"shortName\":\"Ben\",\"email\":\"bsmith@semafor.com\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-25T16:00:48-04:00\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T16:07:35Z\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-25T20:00:48Z\",\"twitter\":\"semaforben\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/ben-smith\",\"_id\":\"35b35ecf-64a4-4097-a632-e63d06365edd\"},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"74d8b683ae09\",\"thescoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b7899f9bb5ed\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Journalism is a naturally unlikable profession, at its best telling people things they don’t want to hear and exposing them to other people’s points of view. So it seems appropriate, and maybe even for the best, that at least some of us will be unwelcome on basically any social platform. \",\"_key\":\"2a4132563cf0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}]}],\"signal\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-18T16:09:38.375Z\",\"intro\":null,\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"value\":\"media\",\"label\":\"Media\",\"_key\":\"media\"},{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"},{\"value\":\"tech\",\"label\":\"Tech\",\"_key\":\"tech\"}],\"descriptionOverride\":null},{\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-17T20:10:16.506Z\",\"headline\":\"US in contact with Syria rebel group\",\"headlineOverride\":null,\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed Washington’s vision for Syria’s political transition on a trip through the region this week.\",\"_key\":\"abb87717798e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"93c8b178bd15\"}],\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"expires\":true,\"vertical\":\"news\",\"location\":\"Middle East\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"J.D. 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\",\"_key\":\"ade2a3bd52593\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The success of the main rebel group, which the US designates a terror organization, has sparked debate among Western officials over how, or even if, to engage as Syria’s political transformation unfolds. \",\"_key\":\"1c565803104b\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"637ba79e3ede\"},{\"_key\":\"1aa2eba2069d\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.ft.com/content/d2f96434-66ca-4c01-aefc-b0e0475ba5b3\",\"_key\":\"a73d6e538a68\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Blinken praised “the positive words that we’ve heard… but what \",\"_key\":\"32779e23a8ad\"},{\"_key\":\"ade2a3bd52594\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a73d6e538a68\"],\"text\":\"really counts is action\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” adding that the US would reconsider sanctions and other measures 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\"},\"id\":\"1bcc42f9-fc1f-462a-be89-2cb4ab16e6da\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/13/2024/landmark-us-china-science-pact-renewed-in-rare-bright-spot-for-relations\",\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"85e91fb58743\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The US and China have renewed a landmark science and technology cooperation agreement that lapsed earlier this year, after reworking the pact for an age of great power competition.\",\"_key\":\"136404499cc10\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The renegotiated agreement sets out terms for basic research cooperation between the two countries, while adding new guardrails to reduce the chance of national security risks. It does not cover research on critical or emerging technologies, the US State Department said in a statement.\",\"_key\":\"aa746f337d520\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"85378d2b7824\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.csis.org/analysis/case-renewing-us-china-st-cooperation-agreement\",\"_key\":\"a033e3eac5b1\",\"_type\":\"link\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The agreement has symbolic weight as the first major bilateral deal inked by Beijing and Washington after the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1979. Its supporters \",\"_key\":\"8a40c827ca710\"},{\"text\":\"credit it with allowing research\",\"_key\":\"8a40c827ca711\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a033e3eac5b1\"]},{\"_key\":\"8a40c827ca712\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" that has reduced birth defects, created better vaccines, and limited air pollution.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bdea0d42aa18\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"66b008ed7f73\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expires\":true,\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"location\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T18:32:28Z\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"vertical\":\"news\",\"signal\":[{\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Reuters\",\"ABC News\",\"The Wire China\"],\"_key\":\"9f6bec5ecc69\",\"body\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8b039553790e\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-administration-inks-new-science-cooperation-deal-with-china-republicans-2024-12-13/\",\"_key\":\"4cd982f7cc1b\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://apnews.com/article/china-science-tech-agreement-f15ec895ce37b793f0418000ff8a11de\",\"_key\":\"784ca4be9823\"},{\"_key\":\"0a87a9b6c079\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.thewirechina.com/2024/12/05/how-to-think-about-trumps-likely-approach-to-china-donald-trump/\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The Biden administration’s decision to renew the deal has sparked outrage from Republicans, who have said the decision should have been left for the incoming Trump administration. Rep. John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House select committee on China, called the announcement “\",\"_key\":\"31b1ff94d7b10\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"text\":\"a clear attempt to tie the hands of the incoming administration\",\"_key\":\"31b1ff94d7b11\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"4cd982f7cc1b\"]},{\"text\":\",” Reuters reported. Republican congressman Andy Barr said the agreement had allowed for “\",\"_key\":\"31b1ff94d7b12\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_key\":\"31b1ff94d7b13\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"784ca4be9823\"],\"text\":\"the greatest outpouring of American scientific and technology expertise in history\"},{\"text\":\".” The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While many expect the president-elect to take a more confrontational approach to Beijing, a Crisis Group researcher argued that Donald Trump was \",\"_key\":\"31b1ff94d7b14\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"0a87a9b6c079\"],\"text\":\"more conciliatory toward Xi Jinping in his first term than tends to be remembered.\",\"_key\":\"31b1ff94d7b15\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Renewal weeks before Trump’s inauguration sparks Republican ire\"},{\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-04175-7\",\"_key\":\"55fa2a7beaf2\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.chinausfocus.com/peace-security/the-future-of-china-us-sci-tech-cooperation\",\"_key\":\"d56915f1ff5d\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"http://www.china.com.cn/opinion/2024-09/09/content_117412935.html\",\"_key\":\"ca74a795d3bd\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Chinese researchers welcomed the renewal of the deal, with one telling Nature that they were “\",\"_key\":\"e8c0216122000\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"55fa2a7beaf2\"],\"text\":\"relieved\",\"_key\":\"e8c0216122001\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” to see the pact extended for another five years. Li Zheng of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations argued that as China has caught up to the US’s level of scientific development, \",\"_key\":\"e8c0216122002\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"d56915f1ff5d\"],\"text\":\"Washington has become increasingly suspicious about cooperation\",\"_key\":\"e8c0216122003\"},{\"_key\":\"e8c0216122004\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". Even so, Li called for the two countries to deepen their collaboration in non-sensitive areas such as fighting climate change and developing vaccines. One Chinese commentator expressed his frustration with US wariness about collaborating with Chinese researchers, saying: “If you insist on building a ‘small yard with a high fence,’ \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"ca74a795d3bd\"],\"text\":\"the result can only be ’sitting in a well and looking at the sky\",\"_key\":\"e8c0216122005\"},{\"text\":\".’”\",\"_key\":\"e8c0216122006\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e21a4767c7a3\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Chinese scientists welcome the pact’s renewal\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Nature\",\"China-US Focus\",\"China.com\"],\"_key\":\"8b2467f42a59\"},{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"US researchers defend tie-up with China despite Washington’s suspicions \",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Center for Strategic and International Studies\",\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"The New York Times\"],\"_key\":\"5a442634227c\",\"body\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Despite the prevailing anti-China sentiment in Washington, many American scientists support the agreement’s renewal, arguing that it has allowed US researchers to benefit from collaborations with Chinese counterparts. “It is in the United States’ clear self-interest” to preserve the agreement, one expert argued, noting that \",\"_key\":\"5a34c187bddd0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e42d84286149\"],\"text\":\"many important science and technology breakthroughs\",\"_key\":\"5a34c187bddd1\"},{\"_key\":\"5a34c187bddd2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" can be linked directly to the deal. The \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"1378fe447ee9\"],\"text\":\"US and China remain each other’s main scientific collaborators\",\"_key\":\"5a34c187bddd3\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", and Chinese researchers are especially important to the US in fields such as nanoscience and telecommunications. But with several Chinese researchers having faced \",\"_key\":\"5a34c187bddd4\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"a4e10971f232\"],\"text\":\"accusations of espionage\",\"_key\":\"5a34c187bddd5\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", an increasing number of scientists fear that collaboration is no longer worth it.\",\"_key\":\"5a34c187bddd6\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"555d9f9a5ff2\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"e42d84286149\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.csis.org/analysis/case-renewing-us-china-st-cooperation-agreement\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.wsj.com/world/china/the-u-s-is-turning-away-from-its-biggest-scientific-partner-at-a-precarious-time-9fb9adaa\",\"_key\":\"1378fe447ee9\"},{\"_key\":\"a4e10971f232\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/24/science/gang-chen-mit-china.html\"}]}]}]},{\"slug\":\"/article/12/12/2024/why-alphabet-and-google-ceo-sundar-pichai-never-panicked\",\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The Alphabet and Google CEO’s quiet conviction begins to bear fruit, with new AI products and breakthroughs.\",\"_key\":\"ff521557369d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"daaf4d5e230c\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"semaforms\":[{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"c2487e5b21d60\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In an exclusive interview, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Semafor he’s ready to work on a “Manhattan Project” for AI when Donald Trump moves into the White House next year.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"126beb327a57\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9948bdc00775\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"31fd7724bc7c0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I think there is a chance for us to work as a country together,” he told Semafor earlier this week. “These big, physical infrastructure projects to accelerate progress is something we would be very excited by.”\",\"_key\":\"1ec41d02332c0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7c635f6ab8ca\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"09722dc7ed6d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e4d4f576a4ff0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"3db473f3341d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"On the Pichai mood meter, the cerebral boss known for his zen-like calm was downright giddy at the company’s Mountain View campus Wednesday afternoon after a day of major product announcements, which followed a big breakthrough in quantum computing and Nobel prizes awarded for work done within Google. He was set to leave the next day to see President-elect Donald Trump, The Information reported and Semafor confirmed.\",\"_key\":\"08783971bf7c0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"4e3de0ab2a26\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"709aa86fee5a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7dab7cd1c12c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The head of the $2.4 trillion company seemed to be enjoying a moment of relief after a few years of intense pressure that followed the launch of ChatGPT in 2022. Less than a year ago, the conventional wisdom was that Pichai may not last long in his role. On Wednesday, he told me he never had any doubt about the company’s direction.\",\"_key\":\"464ce0e5a99c0\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"328c0496f8050\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"187e4e604237\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Internally, I had a palpable sense of the progress we were making,” he said. “It’s definitely very satisfying to see the momentum, but we plan to do a lot more. We’re just getting started.”\",\"_key\":\"dd45bb59ea0b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9ef985f6ae8b\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"14ab8fbe2526\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b9e9bd1c70c30\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"At the core of that innovation is Gemini, the company’s flagship frontier AI model. Google took a different approach from competitors, putting its research energy and chops into building a “multi-modal” model from the ground up instead of a text-based large language model.\",\"_key\":\"feffcd19803b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"824ccec35555\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d2fa17700a1d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"403fcea699540\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"3af889b86a73\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://x.com/intheworldofai/status/1867131735999201457\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"When Gemini launched a year ago, it didn’t stack up well against competitors in some key benchmarks, like coding. But Gemini 2.0, which came out Wednesday, seems to have \",\"_key\":\"bd9bc2425edc0\"},{\"marks\":[\"3af889b86a73\"],\"text\":\"leapfrogged\",\"_key\":\"bd9bc2425edc1\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"text\":\" ahead of Anthropic into the lead of SWE-Bench, a key indicator of AI capabilities.\",\"_key\":\"bd9bc2425edc2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bdcbaaf747b8\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b5f3291b45b2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"5952d13638500\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"33e285fe93a3\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"9894a9cc27400\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The metric shows Google is on the right track. And for Pichai, that goes back to decisions he made almost a decade ago when he became CEO of the search giant.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"1805db06d7c30\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"359b1b25b621\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“In 2015, I set the company in this AI-first direction. As part of that, we said we would do a deep, full-stack approach to AI, all the way from world class research, building the infrastructure … all the way from silicon on,” he said. “That’s the foundation.”\",\"_key\":\"cc531e7b6d670\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7311e6b75a85\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"1d472d1ee62c0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9a369a64892c\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"88b3713b973c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"When ChatGPT came out (what Pichai calls “the current gen AI moment”), he says he decided to first invest up front in restructuring the company by combining most of its AI firepower into one organization called Google DeepMind, in an effort to eventually take its cutting-edge research and turn it into consumer products.\",\"_key\":\"a0f0d3d697fa0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"88f16ecd46570\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0436001e4112\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"That may have made it seem slow to respond to OpenAI, but Pichai said he was playing the long game. “In the current gen AI moment, sometimes you invest to get things right up front. For me, that was getting Google DeepMind set up from the ground up,” he said.\",\"_key\":\"5e87b4a61edf0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"21279b7f75eb\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"3c42e3d3edcd\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"53811f0b86330\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"10d144782403\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"He added that Gemini 2.0 has finally reached a level of capability that will allow a wave of new consumer products. “We already have capable enough models. We can build many, many use cases on top of it. That progress is going to be very real,” he said. “With Gemini 2.0, we are laying the foundation for it to be more agentic.”\",\"_key\":\"5e615cde9b980\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5a395785785a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"d90c77f0224c0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Agentic AI refers to the ability for models to take actions on behalf of people. This week, Google showed off a new tool called Project Mariner. While not yet released publicly, Mariner is capable of taking control of a web browser to follow instructions. For instance, “fill out my expense report for me.”\",\"_key\":\"7f005f35e1bc0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"22c2d936697b\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"1670a6e296310\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"95094111f48c\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“To watch a model being able to use the browser is pretty incredible, but we have to break through some barriers,” Pichai said. “The saying goes, the final 20% takes 80% of the effort. In this case, the last 10% may take 90% of the effort.”\",\"_key\":\"66f2e54a296f0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"023c0961af97\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"d81c59cdac790\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"720f5fe408b3\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d9e94b63bd05\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"In addition to AI research breakthroughs, the small handful of companies in the AI race are fighting for three major resources today: compute power, energy and data. Pichai said that Google’s data centers are on par, if not more powerful than rivals. “We are cutting edge, we are scaling it up. And everything I see, everything we benchmark against, I think we are at the frontier there as well,” he said.\",\"_key\":\"f246be52d7260\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"17be764426d4\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b2d879212d660\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"And he said the company is making strides on energy, signing small modular nuclear deals, exploring geothermal energy and looking at a huge increase in solar. “I’ve always felt, if you put your mind to it, we should be dealing with the energy surplus,” he said. “Energy should be an accelerant, not a constraint. It’s only our imagination and resolve that’s in the way.”\",\"_key\":\"38769d1f2b390\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b65c9d92fdb8\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"2c5191527fa80\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5c85bddc5375\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"While the company’s AI research has been thrust into the core of its product development strategy, its quantum computing division has been busy in a satellite office in sleepy Santa Barbara, Calif.\",\"_key\":\"f3c568ae2e480\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"797d410fdcce\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"4d5f8ed06f6a0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"01bbae23aa9e\"},{\"_key\":\"9689f732e0aa\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"848dcdbcf1170\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Thanks to a confluence of theoretical physics and engineering elbow grease, the company was able to break through a long standing barrier — the fact that as quantum computers get bigger, they make more errors.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d5e3a49fc554\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"45402e31c7e40\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Pichai said he now expects quantum might make meaningful contributions to Google within five years. “Quantum, to me, looks like where AI was in the 2010s. Few people know about it, but you’re working on it methodically,” he said. “This one has definitely been one of the more positive surprises, this is definitely a deeper breakthrough, tackling error correction while you’re scaling up in your quantum computer. It’s definitely been one of the tougher challenges in the field.”\",\"_key\":\"b22e523e1d410\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"243501c18953\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b116a52920330\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"95a271ccba8a\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c1b00a8af5cf\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“We published state-of-the-art weather forecasting models with GenCast, but in a future when we can use quantum computing, you shouldn’t underestimate our ability to predict these things on a much deeper, better scale,” he added. “These are profound implications.”\",\"_key\":\"7b998fef62510\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e280227eaa49\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"0ec9669da81d\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"65ff7bf913cc\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/12/12/2024/sundar-pichai-on-the-future-of-ai-waymo-and-quantum-computing\",\"_key\":\"760f4d1d853d\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\"Read \",\"_key\":\"3da4e4ff278a\"},{\"text\":\"here\",\"_key\":\"2f13a4d970cf\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\",\"760f4d1d853d\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"em\"],\"text\":\" for the rest of the conversation with Pichai.\",\"_key\":\"699994efa953\"}]}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"7ffafe1ab16e\",\"title\":\"The Scoop\"},{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"shortName\":\"Reed\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/reed-albergotti\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-24T12:32:01-04:00\",\"bio\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"41cf84b8892f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Reed Albergotti is the technology editor at Semafor\",\"_key\":\"eb16f94bec71\"}]}],\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2023-03-24T16:32:01Z\",\"twitter\":\"reedalbergotti\",\"email\":\"reed@semafor.com\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/21b2b47b53ad644cf3577717c50f31f7667dd2e1-1600x1600.png\",\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-07-12T16:06:58Z\",\"_rev\":\"sz4YeYtx3RIBsgOV4dv01Y\",\"name\":\"Reed Albergotti\",\"_id\":\"79b9639e-953b-4440-8e1f-6e2d1731f2f4\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.1\",\"_createdAt\":\"2022-10-12T03:35:38Z\",\"schemaVersion\":2},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"1aeebbba8028\",\"thescoop\":[{\"_key\":\"df4f7eba757d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Last week, Pichai said at the DealBook conference that the next stage of AI development would get more difficult and that the “low hanging fruit” was over. People heard what they wanted to hear from that statement. One headline read: “AI development is finally slowing down.”\",\"_key\":\"ddfaf7cc37d70\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"03412e5d3b630\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"691720d8e881\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"177c4604beb5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"But Pichai told me that shouldn’t have been the takeaway. It’s not that progress in AI will plateau — a common refrain these days from tech industry critics — it’s that the winners will be a small handful of teams that have the ability and resources to do it. We know who those players are: Anthropic+Amazon, Google DeepMind, OpenAI+Microsoft and Oracle, xAI and Meta.\",\"_key\":\"97a9c96e23f10\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"eb2ee7774444\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"81a07af03f670\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"There’s a disconnect between the way the outside world looks at AI and the way a lot of AI people see it. And I think it explains why so many people believed — or maybe still believe — that Google’s failure to be the first to build a viral AI chatbot meant its future was doomed.\",\"_key\":\"6a132e76f62f0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"66909418a524\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"020b71699fc0\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b848509c2fce0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"If you look at AI development on a time scale from November 2022 to now, you could picture a graph of capability over time showing a massive spike, going from almost nothing to something in a matter of months. But since then, things have tapered off. It looks like the tech industry discovered something cool, hyped it up, and two years later, it turned out to be a dud.\",\"_key\":\"26985f687ab70\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"500fbe7947f4\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"d99f3fb319520\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e2ecee7ec1df\"},{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.pinecone.io/learn/series/image-search/imagenet/\",\"_key\":\"0cfe0c16d583\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"54f3714ba2b10\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"People who work in AI have different timelines, some going back to 2011 or 2012, with major breakthroughs like \"},{\"text\":\"AlexNet\",\"_key\":\"54f3714ba2b11\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"0cfe0c16d583\"]},{\"_key\":\"54f3714ba2b12\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" that showed how more compute power is tracked with better AI capabilities. Some go back a lot further. DeepMind’s founders, for instance, would fall into the “much further” category.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d5e939f4ecde\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"8a977b50d2770\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fc34a149de5a\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"For almost 15 years, neural network capabilities have increased as the amount of compute power and data has increased. That’s a pretty solid upward trend line with some blips along the way.\",\"_key\":\"b0876d8f7fe10\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"bf92d23c43d5\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"1efc5fb42e390\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e648e6bc2b6e\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"812d570a23f5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"If you’re Pichai, you’re betting on that upward trajectory and you need your company to be at the upper right, relative to competitors. You also need Alphabet to keep making enough money to fund an increasingly big investment in that area. And public market investors have to believe in your vision.\",\"_key\":\"769f26ac5f110\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d9178c20dce7\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"bdf9322a5e950\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"aa92705057ff\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It’s that last part — investor confidence — that forced Google to respond to the generative AI moment. If not for external forces, Google probably would have waited to roll out generative AI products until they were absolutely ready.\",\"_key\":\"fcdc02b9b46d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"2ebc0c0eb6e3\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2d3a92dcfc160\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"So with hindsight, I think Pichai’s strategy seems to be working, both in the long term and the short term. The company is right at the upper right corner of the graph, even if the race has gotten a bit tighter than it was.\",\"_key\":\"d7d7a8c65bbf0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d3bd1bb5e708\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"a21e0d6bdbbd\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"d2fe5f6b6a670\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"02e73b741a4b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"6c054ed846090\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Short term, Google didn’t panic because of ChatGPT. It put its resources into the models it believed would be better in the long run. Pichai was dragged through the mud by his critics, but that was a small price to pay.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0ec6d6b7e915\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"f451168190680\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ca06fd5c079a\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It does seem like Google’s ability to gather valuable training data could be a key differentiator as it begins to roll out new products. I think the company is shy about bragging about that advantage because of the touchiness around consumer privacy.\",\"_key\":\"8deacbe7163f0\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"37eeac2a663a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b4aee3565184\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Here’s how Pichai responded to my question about using data from its generative AI products to train the next multimodal models: “There’s nothing like real world feedback across everything we do. People using Google Lens in search, people as they use Astra, I think that virtuous cycle becomes super important for our products.”\",\"_key\":\"695aad3e10440\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b742a098b5e7\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"0f4368dde7440\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"54d81dbed39e\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Public relations aside, consumers always seem to be ok trading personal data for amazingly convenient products. And if the data helps build even more convenient products. Many are happy to do it. And if this becomes a “Manhattan Project” for AI, it’s in the national interest to do it.\",\"_key\":\"ee47fd044deb0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c4a3a97efceb\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"088acbfab7590\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d2f06082e3b4\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3330d5652937\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Obviously, the race is far from over. Anthropic is linked up with Amazon, combining high level AI research with world class data center capability. OpenAI is still arguably in the lead with ChatGPT and has Microsoft and Oracle to help it on the infrastructure side. And then Elon Musk’s xAI could end up being a dark horse leader in the long run.\",\"_key\":\"b2a3794aed7e0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"60a3107fa9aa\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"40de4dc6af4f\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"content\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"734597816b13\",\"internalLink\":{\"_type\":\"reference\",\"_weak\":true,\"_ref\":\"cb892dce-589f-47fe-8fb8-3e3794a91db1\"},\"_type\":\"internalLink\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Read the rest of the \",\"_key\":\"2a102a7decb1\"},{\"_key\":\"b5b8fc6b4b20\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"734597816b13\"],\"text\":\"conversation with Pichai\"},{\"text\":\" here. \",\"_key\":\"4fede6fa3b8f\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b3e3ef23db70\"}],\"_type\":\"cta\",\"_key\":\"555f5c86bdda\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3f5d7b6dc6bb\"}]}]}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Al Lucca/Semafor\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-54ced572e1d76884c456a4f16ae1dba0d5521d18-2560x1952-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1},\"attribution\":\"Al Lucca/Semafor\",\"caption\":null},\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T03:11:06Z\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Tech\",\"_key\":\"tech\",\"value\":\"tech\"}],\"location\":null,\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Reed Albergotti\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/21b2b47b53ad644cf3577717c50f31f7667dd2e1-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":null,\"headline\":\"Why Sundar Pichai never panicked\",\"id\":\"6e4fa605-c6f4-421d-b630-d94951f75d7f\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"vertical\":\"tech\",\"expires\":true},{\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-14T19:33:15Z\",\"description\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The retiring West Virginia senator sat down with Semafor to discuss his past fame as a Democratic spoiler, the future of his former party and more.\",\"_key\":\"4e43346744c60\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5c894ddad240\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\\n\",\"_key\":\"5812a1a3c68b0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f96c16431211\"}],\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"slug\":\"/article/12/12/2024/joe-manchin-senate-retiring-interview-biden-trump\",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"vertical\":\"politics\",\"semaforms\":[{\"title\":\"The Scene\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"74b11bf75d40\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Joe Manchin was closer to running for president than you might think.\",\"_key\":\"726092b2d05d0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"ae241cecf4ee0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4a2210a49087\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"For months before the 2024 election, the Democrat-turned-Independent publicly entertained the idea of it — and behind the scenes, he was serious about a third-party run. He talked to Chris Christie and Mitt Romney about it. He liked the idea of drawing attention to his brand of political moderation, however quixotic.\",\"_key\":\"a47b93a95f640\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4596397f70f5\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2827a7f00d88\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e1f3707a52850\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3948992ebb8b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The ultimate dealbreaker wasn’t the immense odds against him. It was ballot access.\",\"_key\":\"6af6c590ee050\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2db16430be31\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"ee2465afbfbd0\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“If we had a pathway forward to get on 50 ballots, oh, I’d have been a go,” the retiring senator told Semafor during a reflective interview this week as his aides began packing his office.\",\"_key\":\"6979d036a0660\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5be9d846a9b7\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"15adf8e6739f0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ab8ef685bf19\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Another factor weighing on him: “No matter what” effect he had on the 2024 election, history would have dubbed him a “spoiler” who had “no chance of winning,” he said.\",\"_key\":\"736a6665855d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"40589d6bb375\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"31248feb2a100\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1cd0b2ece6e1\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9692bafc60e6\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Though he never claimed that role in the presidential race, Manchin’s certainly comfortable with playing spoiler to the hilt in the Senate as his days in office grow shorter. He had no regrets about blocking President Joe Biden’s nominee labor board nominee from another term; he does have second thoughts about backing Biden’s pandemic aid bill in 2021, which he now sees as too generous.\",\"_key\":\"01de78b6f5ee0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"cf97e13d16d90\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e147f0d88536\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"f2544004f74f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., told Semafor that Manchin’s vote against a National Labor Relations Board nominee this week was “pathetic” and against workers’ interests. Yet as much as some of the Democratic caucus looks back in frustration at their repeated clashes with him over the years, Manchin’s exit from the Capitol carries an element of fatalism for his former party.\",\"_key\":\"773b7bca4f560\"}]},{\"_key\":\"1debebef00bb\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"98bccda92af70\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"No one else could have held his seat in a deep-red state for 14 years, and his political longevity in West Virginia is one of the leading reasons that Democrats got anything done at all for the first two years of Biden’s term.\",\"_key\":\"d411bc0e28370\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e1579e4f7471\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"5dca09e749a00\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e13f8e361531\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fce1e04fb336\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“Joe Manchin is going to be remembered as somebody who has been difficult to work with, but got a lot of things done,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., a close friend who tried unsuccessfully to persuade Manchin to change the legislative filibuster.\",\"_key\":\"4f002a6274870\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"abccbf2befc00\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b26331cb1fcc\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"64d4560ba0d0\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“There’s things we didn’t agree upon. But Joe was always willing to listen and talk and try to find common ground.”\\n\",\"_key\":\"5689648f395d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"cddc0f29ca5b\"},{\"_key\":\"4add4d1b5e67\",\"body\":[{\"_key\":\"79596f0a44bf\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"He doesn’t affiliate with the Democratic Party anymore, but Manchin says he cares about its future as much as he does the Republican Party’s. And despite all the backlash he’s faced for trying to pare back Democrats’ progressive instincts, in his telling, he could have caused a lot more trouble for them.\",\"_key\":\"06f6e31cc0880\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"936c7144052c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3952b320d6170\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9391ffffa7a1\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/05/manchin-biden-covid-aid-plan-473963\",\"_key\":\"9bc0cc681598\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"When Manchin \",\"_key\":\"84095ddc8c910\"},{\"_key\":\"84095ddc8c911\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"9bc0cc681598\"],\"text\":\"held\"},{\"_key\":\"84095ddc8c912\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" up Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan in 2021 for hours negotiating over unemployment benefits, for example, his opposition ran deeper than that.\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"3ab797d256110\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"90a413bbb352\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I was going to kill the whole bill. Then the president went completely insane on me,” Manchin said, recalling that he urged Biden and Democrats to “at least draw some things back” in the bill so Americans could “get back to work quicker.”\",\"_key\":\"5630c2e737ec0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3bd40163d04b\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"87124afe8fb8\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"add7abf0b9470\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Democrats eventually tapered off some of the pandemic relief bill’s benefits, and Manchin ended up voting for it. In retrospect, he said “I should have voted against it” based on its size. Part of the reason he voted yes, he said, was to show deference to the then-recently elected Biden.\",\"_key\":\"0e8d527bafb80\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7c19ed57e339\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"180940fdaa2d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"7b8e8b2fb87c0\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Manchin later got closer than most of Washington knew to squashing Democrats’ second big party-line bill under Biden. He said he had told Democrats he wouldn’t participate in another unilateral spending measure before they passed the trillion-dollar Build Back Better Act in December 2021; after he sank that, he was perfectly comfortable doing nothing.\",\"_key\":\"e3635e5bd55d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"318cf3014d46\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2b6f1d501013\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"943344e5d4f80\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"_key\":\"59b159e1e3af\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Until Russia invaded Ukraine, reshaping the global energy landscape. That, in Manchin’s telling, is the reason he resuscitated talks on a party-line bill that became the energy-focused Inflation Reduction Act.\",\"_key\":\"1aec993a75460\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"947b5238af930\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"441d3aaac066\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0f58513dc536\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“If it hadn’t been for the Ukraine war, you’d never have seen IRA,” Manchin said. “Never, ever.”\",\"_key\":\"17cb23d9507c0\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"generaform\":null,\"title\":\"Know More: The Backstory\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"generaform\"},{\"_key\":\"ef53d0ebd761\",\"theViewFrom\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/06/manchin-trump-west-virginia-midterms-626437\",\"_key\":\"eb9942164b70\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Manchin had chafed for a long time at the Democratic brand — he didn’t support then-President Barack Obama in 2012 and nearly \",\"_key\":\"13e34a80bda20\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"eb9942164b70\"],\"text\":\"revoked\",\"_key\":\"13e34a80bda21\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" his endorsement of Hillary Clinton in 2016. His interest in a third-party run was driven by his desire for a bigger stage to talk about “common sense,” a principle he sees Democrats as having lost touch with.\",\"_key\":\"13e34a80bda22\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d766506a7a3e\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4a98286b3a48\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"0e1f3e0f31b30\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"148e67155db00\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"His friend the Utah Republican, however, wanted no part of an independent bid for president. \"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"43cded23620a\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6783b89043db\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"a74acb20cb840\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I just told him, I thought it was ill-fated from the start,” Romney recalled to Semafor.\\n\",\"_key\":\"5865fa373c1b0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2abf184e0430\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"theViewFrom\",\"where\":\"Romney\"},{\"thescoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Everyone who’s worked with Manchin has stories about him. That includes journalists, like myself, who’ve covered him closely.\",\"_key\":\"97b56012ed7d0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d1e170615bdd\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ea63ebab7ed1\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"e82b3676b53e0\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"He’s got a gift for shaping the news cycle and making the most of hot-button issues, but at times he gets too much attention and sours on the spotlight. One day he might pour you a shot of moonshine in his office, and on another he might tell you bluntly what he thought of your reporting.\",\"_key\":\"bd7cda5265560\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6fd502798d1f\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"9460fa110be90\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8ce4c43595c8\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"dcd79fd79e57\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"His name is now synonymous with any single member of Congress who’s willing to hold up an entire party’s agenda. For a few months in the House of Representatives next year, any Republican could become a Manchin given the party’s 217-215 projected majority.\",\"_key\":\"865d88d845710\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"cc8d944ee5b10\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"57e8354a92c8\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e595e6856d7c\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The man himself is doubtful that anyone in either party is willing to take that kind of pressure.\",\"_key\":\"03956670cca90\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“Are there any Joe Manchins? I don’t know,” Manchin said. \",\"_key\":\"7571038a1e870\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ec2214050313\"}],\"schemaVersion\":1,\"author\":{\"twitter\":\"burgessev\",\"name\":\"Burgess Everett\",\"_rev\":\"coB1qARSJSHQCmNabwHlOE\",\"_type\":\"author\",\"publishedTimestamp\":\"2024-09-05T18:10:35+00:00\",\"documentVersion\":\"1.0.2\",\"_id\":\"b37627ca-c436-4717-afce-e13d0e1815bd\",\"_createdAt\":\"2024-09-05T18:08:57Z\",\"headshot\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/bf82c2082c8dec6bc6c211b558978725a2d1b715-1600x1600.png\",\"email\":\"beverett@semafor.com\",\"authorSlug\":\"/author/burgess-everett\",\"authorTitle\":\"Congressional Bureau Chief\",\"shortName\":\"Burgess\",\"schemaVersion\":2,\"_updatedAt\":\"2024-10-15T19:39:17Z\",\"updatedTimestamp\":\"2024-09-05T14:10:35-04:00\"},\"_type\":\"reportersTake\",\"_key\":\"6ef43c07326b\"},{\"title\":\"Room For Disagreement ... From Manchin\",\"generaform\":null,\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"generaform\",\"_key\":\"07ee5ff039fc\",\"body\":[{\"_key\":\"07fdad808416\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"At the same time, Manchin laid out a clear roadmap for Democrats who might want to change their party’s way of communicating after losing again to Donald Trump. And his advice isn’t as anti-progressive as some of his critics might assume.\",\"_key\":\"63690474afac0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"865c2b6741e60\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cc00ffebfbf1\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Manchin argues that politicians should not get involved in personal lives — but Democrats are too didactic about what he calls “mainstreaming” of cultural and social issues.\",\"_key\":\"787dfdc3d8810\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4d3156b4c74e\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d4ddac35bbb2\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"b9ca1998895f0\"}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4c3cf972fc32\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“I don’t care who you love, don’t care what you want to be, genders and all that. Just don’t make me feel like I should be agreeing [with you] on everything,” Manchin said. “The Democrats feel like, ‘Oh, this is what everyone should accept. This is what should be.’ No.”\",\"_key\":\"147b7a9669e60\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"a9ae9ae6935d\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"2a84b3cfde3a0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"He bluntly said Democrats don’t have a shot at retaking the Senate “on the course they’re on right now,” with the caveat that the next election will be a referendum on Trump.\",\"_key\":\"4111c1e3cb370\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"60902190626c\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fada92956e00\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"558a1837992a0\"}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It’s easy to write off his comments as coming from an outlier, but his old party is looking to red- and swing-state standard-bearers who have overperformed its presidential picks, just as Manchin has in West Virginia. Manchin named two of them as Democratic bright spots: Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.\",\"_key\":\"5f1ac4088e5e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"53cd1b297e19\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9f0d1f9cfe2b\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"11410f7a861e0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"cc49da5e6980\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Yet he sees Democrats’ problems ranging beyond candidate quality.\",\"_key\":\"ced94a3aa5270\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"fb997b736c3c0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"721ea73a374a\"},{\"_key\":\"3c4323d21b23\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"They’re “more concerned about those who should be back into the system and should be participating in society” than about “the people that are paying the freight,” Manchin said.\",\"_key\":\"ee7f2cd17d970\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"1cbc40e905d00\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1b2c9bb20050\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“That’s how the Republicans were able to take over. They saw the void.”\\n\",\"_key\":\"16cfa55620170\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0dcd19c0a2c8\"}]}],\"id\":\"c453be3a-d409-4bcf-a243-69082d841c95\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"location\":null,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Burgess Everett\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/bf82c2082c8dec6bc6c211b558978725a2d1b715-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":null,\"expires\":true,\"headline\":\"Joe Manchin: The exit interview\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Politics\",\"_key\":\"politics\",\"value\":\"politics\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Kristoffer Tripplaar/Semafor\",\"caption\":\"Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va.\",\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"reference\",\"_ref\":\"image-3d3e58e91b546cbbd563e29739e32bc0874f6007-568x478-png\"}},\"attribution\":\"Kristoffer Tripplaar/Semafor\",\"caption\":\"Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va.\"}},{\"description\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Few governments have had direct contact with Syria’s new rulers, a group listed as a terrorist organization by many countries. \",\"_key\":\"8402b72d6045\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"65f0281d01a7\",\"markDefs\":[]}],\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Prashant Rao\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/84160dd2df02535b1a91244bf8731c23daf4d7e1-1600x1600.png\"},{\"name\":\"Mizy Clifton\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/13f2011b1f026a78f212a4f348f8077e41ab1086-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"66e1768fac99\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"I\",\"_key\":\"181fddbd75f10\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"nternational talks over supporting Syria accelerated following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, with increasing calls to lift sanctions and grant economic aid. \",\"_key\":\"364efae38348\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"879109bed894\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/12/11/syria-live-news-damascus-hospital/?utm_source=The+National+newsletters\u0026utm_campaign=e5dffe70cf-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_07_09_02_20_COPY_04\u0026utm_medium=email\u0026utm_term=0_-138f6bcf16-59640048\u0026arena_mid=FGmck5HSgDClJL15QYgM\",\"_key\":\"0ad202f303f2\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The G7 bloc is due to hold a meeting today, while Jordan prepares to host \",\"_key\":\"e85358e4823e\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"0ad202f303f2\"],\"text\":\"foreign ministers from Western and Arab nations\",\"_key\":\"181fddbd75f12\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" over the weekend. \",\"_key\":\"181fddbd75f13\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"imageEmbed\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"caption\":\"A line chart showing the steep decline in Syria’s GDP per capita after the Arab Spring protests\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-66f170006c960baad14c5f37c221951c9ef2d45f-1066x942-png\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"_type\":\"imageEmbed\",\"_key\":\"75e7b69450e6\",\"markDefs\":null,\"imageEmbedExternalLink\":null,\"imageEmbedInternalLink\":null}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"47f4568f-054c-4100-a4d2-4d6014f52e4c\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Ammar Awad/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"A man waves the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers on a statute of Saladin in Damascus\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-9045d8cf1864788439bb69608699ecdf55ab1c73-6000x4000-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Ammar Awad/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"A man waves the flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers on a statute of Saladin in Damascus\"},\"signal\":[{\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Chatham House\",\"UnHerd\"],\"_key\":\"a9417dcf336c\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"9ab71889a0db\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/12/while-international-support-crucial-syrians-must-lead-their-countrys-political-transition\"},{\"_key\":\"1cc577a68fcc\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://unherd.com/newsroom/removing-hts-from-terrorist-organisation-list-would-be-a-mistake/\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"It’s risky but essential to give rebel groups like Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — proscribed as a terrorist organization by many countries — the benefit of the doubt due to their role in the overthrow of Assad and popularity among many Syrians, a Middle East expert argued for Chatham House. Crucially, “\",\"_key\":\"4843cd7347a10\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"9ab71889a0db\"],\"text\":\"there’s no room for meddling or spoiling now that the chief spoilers Russia and Iran are in retreat\",\"_key\":\"4843cd7347a11\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” he wrote. Still, \",\"_key\":\"4843cd7347a12\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"1cc577a68fcc\"],\"text\":\"a “swift’ delisting of HTS could be dangerous\",\"_key\":\"4843cd7347a13\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", and it would be better for countries like the US and UK to engage the group covertly through their intelligence services until there is a clearer picture of its aims, a terrorism analyst argued for UnHerd.\",\"_key\":\"4843cd7347a14\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"faac64762e04\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"The dilemma of removing HTS’ terrorist designation\"},{\"source\":[\"Brookings Institution\",\"Beyond the Horizon\"],\"_key\":\"3f2347561f09\",\"body\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ccaef951f814\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-assad-regime-falls-what-happens-now/\",\"_key\":\"07964a99dc4b\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://behorizon.org/a-new-chapter-for-syria-analyzing-the-collapse-of-assads-regime/\",\"_key\":\"d499932f6fc0\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"A blueprint for transition already exists in the form of the UN Action Group for Syria’s final communiqué, outlined in Geneva some 12 years ago, a diplomacy expert wrote for the Brookings Institution. Its adoption is admittedly a “\",\"_key\":\"16c51d4d09480\"},{\"text\":\"long shot\",\"_key\":\"16c51d4d09481\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"07964a99dc4b\"]},{\"text\":\",” he said, but the document offers principles and guidelines that could serve as the “first line of defense against Syria’s current acute fractionalization,” and prevent the country from falling into chaos. The most likely scenario is \",\"_key\":\"16c51d4d09482\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"marks\":[\"d499932f6fc0\"],\"text\":\"one of gradual stabilization\",\"_key\":\"16c51d4d09483\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"text\":\", where Western countries support reconstruction on condition of adherence to democratic norms, think-tank Beyond the Horizon wrote.\",\"_key\":\"16c51d4d09484\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"A blueprint for transition already exists\",\"_type\":\"insight\"}],\"slug\":\"/article/12/13/2024/talks-over-syrias-future-intensify\",\"expires\":true,\"id\":\"e51e694d-ad8e-40d8-89de-ea61f1d4c520\",\"headline\":\"Growing calls to lift sanctions on Syria after regime overthrow\",\"headlineOverride\":null,\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"location\":\"Middle East\",\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T13:51:43.381Z\",\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"intro\":null,\"vertical\":\"news\"},{\"expires\":true,\"description\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1104057055ac\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Secretary General Mark Rutte argued members should allocate more than 2% of their GDP to defense spending at his first public appearance in the role. \",\"_key\":\"f5bf47e46720\"}]}],\"location\":\"Europe\",\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-15T12:38:56Z\",\"id\":\"26320c65-d193-4199-8998-3693109f20ca\",\"headline\":\"NATO weighs defense spending hike \",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"vertical\":\"news\",\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Johanna Geron/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-02efd9ef4cae3a658142e09d60635098207f7c5b-8192x5464-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Johanna Geron/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.\"},\"slug\":\"/article/12/13/2024/nato-weighs-defense-spending-hike\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"semaforms\":[{\"scoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"NATO needs to “shift to a wartime mindset” amid the rising threat posed by Russia, the head of the alliance said.\",\"_key\":\"741412c053c30\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"b400c040a318\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Members should allocate much more than 2% of their GDP to defense spending, Secretary General Mark Rutte argued in a speech in Brussels on Thursday, warning of a “coordinated campaign to destabilize our societies,” including through cyberattacks and assassination attempts. “We are not ready for what is coming our way in four to five years,” he said.\",\"_key\":\"dca6fc013e8d0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"43f26cefea7d\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"fef094fdd895\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1}],\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Mizy Clifton\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/13f2011b1f026a78f212a4f348f8077e41ab1086-1600x1600.png\"}],\"signal\":[{\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Forget ‘Trump-proofing’ NATO — the real threat is Putin\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Center for Strategic and International Studies\",\"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace\"],\"_key\":\"6977e7b18d24\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"da06fb26e31e\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.csis.org/analysis/beyond-trump-proofing-natos-real-adversaries\"},{\"_key\":\"2a5f4700a46b\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://carnegieendowment.org/europe/strategic-europe/2024/11/taking-the-pulse-would-freezing-ukraines-nato-membership-process-advance-peace?lang=en\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"US President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of member countries who haven’t met the defense spending target has created new urgency in Europe to take defense more seriously. But “\",\"_key\":\"f0e167ae24bb0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"da06fb26e31e\"],\"text\":\"the biggest threat to the alliance\",\"_key\":\"a2aefa4b41f01\"},{\"_key\":\"eb81fea9d2f5\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"″ is Putin, not Trump, a Europe expert argued for the Center for Strategic and International Studies: It’s important to focus instead on two major geopolitical shifts, namely the return of Russian revanchism and the military rise of China. “\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"2a5f4700a46b\"],\"text\":\"For Putin, it is all about the US president, until the Europeans prove him wrong and show that they are sovereign in terms of their own security\",\"_key\":\"a2aefa4b41f03\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” another expert argued for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.\",\"_key\":\"a2aefa4b41f04\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"ca5d46fe90c6\"}]},{\"source\":[\"Atlantic Council\",\"Financial Times\",\"Internationale Politik Quarterly\",\"Chatham House\"],\"_key\":\"730ec463beaf\",\"body\":[{\"_key\":\"efc8c2780722\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/econographics/whos-at-2-percent-look-how-nato-allies-have-increased-their-defense-spending-since-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/\",\"_key\":\"0be9e675ace4\"},{\"_key\":\"403c6ed7924c\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.ft.com/content/c4942166-c61b-46ec-832f-1671aecf1b02\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://ip-quarterly.com/en/why-germany-can-and-should-increase-defense-spending\",\"_key\":\"2cb3c66a2652\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/11/break-scholzs-coalition-government-signals-end-germanys-old-economic-model\",\"_key\":\"901a84f808bd\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"c0f08d0b69e30\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"A “\"},{\"_key\":\"c0f08d0b69e31\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"0be9e675ace4\"],\"text\":\"record number\"},{\"_key\":\"c0f08d0b69e32\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” of NATO allies — 23 — have stepped up to meet defense spending targets since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, up from just six countries in 2021, the Atlantic Council noted. Members are now weighing hiking their defense spending benchmark to \"},{\"marks\":[\"403c6ed7924c\"],\"text\":\"3% of GDP in 2025\",\"_key\":\"c0f08d0b69e33\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", the Financial Times recently reported. German defense expenditure, meanwhile, remains low, \",\"_key\":\"c0f08d0b69e34\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"2cb3c66a2652\"],\"text\":\"owing to political and legal rather than financial constraints\",\"_key\":\"c0f08d0b69e35\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", a geopolitics expert argued in Internationale Politik Quarterly. With the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ coalition, any European progress on defense spending is “\",\"_key\":\"c0f08d0b69e36\"},{\"marks\":[\"901a84f808bd\"],\"text\":\"now well and truly stalled\",\"_key\":\"c0f08d0b69e37\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” until elections in February, two Europe experts wrote for Chatham House.\",\"_key\":\"c0f08d0b69e38\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"imageEmbed\":{\"caption\":\"A chart showing change in defense spending as share of real GDP from 2021 to 2024, select NATO allies\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-1aea129ff122a1c3fc07fef331d971e164f185ce-1066x1286-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\"},\"_type\":\"imageEmbed\",\"_key\":\"d2eea9eb4004\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"European progress on defense spend likely stalled by Germany’s political uncertainty \",\"_type\":\"insight\"}]},{\"headlineOverride\":null,\"sentenceOverride\":null,\"descriptionOverride\":null,\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"_key\":\"security\",\"value\":\"security\",\"label\":\"Security\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Yoon Suk Yeol \",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-580621d0d7dc0151126100756dcd058721d4b90f-5500x3668-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Yoon Suk Yeol \"},\"headline\":\"South Korea faces power vacuum amid deepening political crisis\",\"intro\":{\"_type\":\"intro\",\"schemaVersion\":1},\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Diego Mendoza\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/b370d5b0993409435f5e683d9eb961afe640413d-1600x1600.png\"}],\"description\":[{\"_key\":\"0b601137cb53\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Analysts fear a weakened government could affect South Korea’s trade and security, weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office.\",\"_key\":\"16083b6bb5c90\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-14T17:36:44.874Z\",\"location\":\"East Asia\",\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expires\":true,\"slug\":\"/article/12/12/2024/what-will-happen-with-south-korean-president-yoon\",\"vertical\":\"news\",\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"9d20ff606002\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Less than two weeks after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared — and quickly reversed — martial law, the country is in a deepening spiral of political turmoil, with no clear indication of who is actually running the government. \",\"_key\":\"6638773bb2850\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c062494591df\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"58e64094bfd3\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/11/world/asia/yoon-south-korea-martial-law.html\",\"_key\":\"54c991c686ce\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"b6f37fc888e0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Yoon, who \"},{\"text\":\"defended\",\"_key\":\"1e4f5ea7ca891\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"54c991c686ce\"]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" his actions as an effort to “save the country,” has refused to resign. Opposition lawmakers, meanwhile, have vowed to hold an impeachment vote every week until the resolution passes — eight members of Yoon’s party are needed to vote with them.\",\"_key\":\"1e4f5ea7ca892\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"c0c469d731c9\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"South Korean analysts are increasingly concerned about Seoul’s ability to defend its trade and security interests in the face of traditional antagonists North Korea and China, as well as the expected shift in US stance toward international trade and defense under US President-elect Donald Trump. \",\"_key\":\"7786ef83e569\"}]}]}],\"signal\":[{\"_key\":\"67f8bd73123c\",\"body\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d89c4cdb21ab\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/12/12/south-korea-yoon-trump-security-concerns/\",\"_key\":\"c0b5b1e533f5\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"South Korea’s political paralysis — coupled with an incoming US president known to be skeptical of international defense pacts — has many Washington officials worried about Seoul’s ability to contain North Korea and China, The Washington Post reported. “\",\"_key\":\"4dee58b72f290\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"c0b5b1e533f5\"],\"text\":\"North Korea may interpret it as an opportunity\",\"_key\":\"4dee58b72f291\"},{\"text\":\"” to sow chaos in the region and further afield, a Bush-era National Security Council member said, although Pyongyang has so far turned to mockery rather than action in response to the South’s turmoil. More worrying for Korean lawmakers is the prospect of no strong leader to “swiftly respond to adjustments in foreign policy or trade” under Donald Trump, who has threatened to hike tariffs if Seoul doesn’t pay for the 30,000 US troops stationed in the country.\",\"_key\":\"4dee58b72f292\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Washington mulls ways to contain North Korea, China\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"The Washington Post\"]},{\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2024/12/south-korea-martial-law-foreign-policy-us-alliance?lang=en\",\"_key\":\"c1f35358e129\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241203-s-korea-political-upheaval-shows-global-democracy-s-fragility-and-resilience\",\"_key\":\"9d8e145f39b4\"}],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"b112962ff1f20\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"President Yoon’s declaration of martial law, initially seen as coming out of the blue, reflected the deep polarization and political gridlock in South Korea that has made it almost impossible to effectively govern the country, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace noted. “South Korea’s experience showcases a theme of the past decade, which has been \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"c1f35358e129\"],\"text\":\"marked by global concern over democratic backsliding\",\"_key\":\"b112962ff1f21\"},{\"text\":\": liberal democracy is surprisingly hard to consolidate and maintain.” On the other hand, the mass protests condemning Yoon’s actions are “\",\"_key\":\"b112962ff1f22\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_key\":\"b112962ff1f23\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"9d8e145f39b4\"],\"text\":\"a sign of a vibrant civil society\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" ready to defend democracy,” a former diplomat who served under the Obama administration said.\",\"_key\":\"b112962ff1f24\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"456ebd5b110e\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Turmoil underscores liberal democracy’s fragility — and strength\",\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace\",\"AFP\"],\"_key\":\"9d46b512ee1c\"},{\"source\":[\"The Korea Herald\",\"Hankook Ilbo \"],\"_key\":\"93986aa78a30\",\"body\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8c13b9abc2d0\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://news.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20241209050084\",\"_key\":\"fc9352ab8d2e\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.hankookilbo.com/News/Read/A2024121116080000195\",\"_key\":\"3de8bc63ad1e\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"President Yoon seems intent on holding power despite the fallout to prevent opposition leader Lee Jae-myung from achieving his own presidential ambitions, The Korea Herald reported. Lee is in the midst of appealing his conviction for violating electoral law — a charge he said was politically motivated — and he may be disqualified from running for president if the appeal fails. As a result, Yoon’s ruling party “\",\"_key\":\"74a2f4e739000\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"fc9352ab8d2e\"],\"text\":\"likely intends to delay the election if possible\",\"_key\":\"74a2f4e739001\"},{\"_key\":\"74a2f4e739002\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” including by obstructing his impeachment, the outlet wrote. Some high-ranking figures in Yoon’s party have hinted the president would \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"3de8bc63ad1e\"],\"text\":\"likely resign\",\"_key\":\"74a2f4e739003\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" if Lee wasn’t in the race to replace him.\",\"_key\":\"74a2f4e739004\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Impeachment spotlights dispute between Yoon and opposition leader\",\"_type\":\"insight\"}],\"id\":\"fe69b808-1e10-42bc-938e-23de4ecd0712\"}],\"curioStream\":[{\"location\":null,\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"J.D. Capelouto\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/6e8f19ad2f7a823b526436f72a35bda6ba8f774b-1600x1600.png\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Nintendo\",\"caption\":\"A screen showing a Nintendo Tetris game.\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-e076b64d76a176df4c1cc1ab54e058a2a5caef24-1600x900-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Nintendo\",\"caption\":\"A screen showing a Nintendo Tetris game.\"},\"headline\":\"‘Tetris’ makers combine gameplay and documentary filmmaking to celebrate 40th anniversary \",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/12/2024/tetris-makers-combine-gameplay-and-documentary-filmmaking-to-celebrate-40th-anniversary\",\"signal\":null,\"expires\":true,\"description\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6f5986bdfb70\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"‘Tetris Forever’ celebrates the game’s 40-year history, and includes some of the block-stacking game’s more unusual variations.\",\"_key\":\"ae12e66e2bd3\"}]}],\"vertical\":\"curio\",\"verticalDisplay\":[{\"label\":\"Curio\",\"_key\":\"curio\",\"value\":\"curio\"}],\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-14T14:04:49Z\",\"sentenceOverride\":[],\"intro\":null,\"id\":\"caf73d16-9e7f-4313-b270-f283cd9b175f\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"semaforms\":[{\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"0e1df8958cef0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Tetris released a new edition that combines the classic block-moving game with a host of interactive features to document and celebrate its 40-year history. \"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5198e60ebb27\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"0b38a7b6ae88\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“Tetris Forever” allows users to navigate a timeline of the history of Tetris and play different versions of the game interspersed with documentary-style interviews with Tetris’ founder and notable collaborators. \",\"_key\":\"c2b961b40b59\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_key\":\"1bc342faf4c9\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"2b167ee0cffe\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Tetris has had hundreds of iterations, including “Bombliss,” in which blocks blow up parts of the screen, and Hatris: which is like Tetris, but with hats that are stacked on characters’ heads. \"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"_key\":\"6ea1548db8d9\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://hyperallergic.com/972511/the-beautiful-infinity-of-tetris/\",\"_key\":\"38a30cfa2dbd\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The latest version demonstrates that Tetris “is endlessly malleable and \",\"_key\":\"94ef64036455\"},{\"marks\":[\"38a30cfa2dbd\"],\"text\":\"yet always recognizably itself\",\"_key\":\"0e1df8958cef2\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", the gravitational center of interactive art,” Hyperallergic wrote.\",\"_key\":\"0e1df8958cef3\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"40873c3a-b774-427e-8fdf-08912f06c686\"}]}],\"wagStream\":{\"updatedAt\":\"2024-12-17T20:59:03Z\",\"documents\":[{\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"location\":null,\"ledeVideo\":null,\"expires\":true,\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/luigi-mangione-indicted-in-unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompsons-murder\",\"sentenceOverride\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"A grand jury indicted Luigi Mangione in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, \",\"_key\":\"7bb84749c37d0\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"including terrorism charges.\",\"_key\":\"7bb84749c37d1\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"7bb84749c37d\"}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Diego Mendoza\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/b370d5b0993409435f5e683d9eb961afe640413d-1600x1600.png\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-dd10014ab6894d9d332dcfd9e73fb3776d461111-2902x1936-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Eduardo Munoz/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Luigi Mangione\"},\"attribution\":\"Eduardo Munoz/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"Luigi Mangione\"},\"vertical\":\"news\",\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"signal\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T20:59:02Z\",\"headline\":\"Suspect Luigi Mangione indicted on terror-related charges\",\"description\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8221a8192cd3\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The charges include first-degree murder as an act of terrorism, prosecutors said. \",\"_key\":\"ded0350f2417\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"id\":\"4e3f5acb-4f52-4896-bd82-a753bd4b7923\",\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"semaforms\":[{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Luigi Mangione, the suspect alleged to have murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was indicted by a New York grand jury on several charges, including first-degree murder as an act of terrorism, prosecutors said Tuesday. \",\"_key\":\"60890ade1acc\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1ef1fa67e9db\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"“This type of premeditated, targeted gun violence cannot and will not be tolerated, and my office has been working day in and day out to bring the defendant to justice,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. \",\"_key\":\"1a49ec96971d\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"36b9639ba8f6\"},{\"_key\":\"0c717e3813be\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The other charges include two counts of second-degree murder — one count of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism — criminal possession of a weapon, and other crimes. Mangione faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted, Bragg said. \",\"_key\":\"96a9124be837\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Prosecutors are still working to extradite Mangione from Pennsylvania, where he was found after a multi-day manhunt. He has pleaded not guilty to unrelated weapons charges and is fighting extradition, his lawyers said. \",\"_key\":\"304c5414fc7e\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"8ef045dfa4e5\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"fd39cfa9a86e\",\"title\":\"The News\"}]},{\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T18:14:22Z\",\"vertical\":\"news\",\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"ledeVideo\":null,\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"caption\":\"A card listing the medications needed for a lung transplant.\",\"asset\":{\"_type\":\"reference\",\"_ref\":\"image-3aa89697e969247ee0865ab87b918e522eef9c93-4848x3233-jpg\"},\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Kent J. Edwards/File Photo/Reuters\"},\"attribution\":\"Kent J. Edwards/File Photo/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"A card listing the medications needed for a lung transplant.\"},\"signal\":null,\"description\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"acaad6c3c0d1\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The 53-year-old grandmother has been living without dialysis since the surgery, which took place in November but was not immediately revealed.\",\"_key\":\"de5d85d240050\"}]}],\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Paige Bruton\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/9252a40e4e11b31efc135eda341e0508473c3775-1600x1600.png\"}],\"expires\":true,\"id\":\"d53bc5ea-3dbb-4b60-a08d-987826c71cad\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/doctors-report-world-first-pig-kidney-transplant-success\",\"headline\":\"Doctors report pig kidney transplant success in US woman\",\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"sentenceOverride\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"A US woman’s genetically-modified pig kidney transplant \",\"_key\":\"9a790e5cb4f30\"},{\"text\":\"encouraged doctors that the controversial procedure could become standard medical practice.\",\"_key\":\"9a790e5cb4f31\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9a790e5cb4f3\"}],\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"location\":\"North America\",\"semaforms\":[{\"_key\":\"80ca9d45271f\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"d3874e4cf3ad\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/17/health/pig-kidney-transplant-looney.html\",\"_key\":\"384a553a8855\"},{\"_key\":\"369d39a524b4\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://nyulangone.org/news/gene-edited-pig-kidney-gives-living-donor-new-lease-life#:~:text=Looney’s%20procedure%20marks%20the%20third,living%20with%20a%20pig%20organ.\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Doctors revealed Tuesday that a 53-year-old US woman successfully received a \",\"_key\":\"7d0591d80da40\"},{\"_key\":\"7d0591d80da41\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"384a553a8855\"],\"text\":\"kidney transplant from a genetically modified pig\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", becoming the only person in the world \",\"_key\":\"7d0591d80da42\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"369d39a524b4\"],\"text\":\"currently living with a pig organ\",\"_key\":\"a19061aeb502\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", according to her medical team.\",\"_key\":\"4ba747036e65\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"39367020b2b4\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/12/17/nx-s1-5203056/pig-kidney-transplant-gene-edited\",\"_key\":\"518e5a3673ae\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Since the November surgery, the woman \",\"_key\":\"4b332cbe93ba0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"518e5a3673ae\"],\"text\":\"has lived for weeks\",\"_key\":\"4b332cbe93ba1\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" without dialysis, an encouraging sign for future transplants using genetically modified pig organs.\",\"_key\":\"4b332cbe93ba2\",\"_type\":\"span\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"6268bff0b1d2\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/organ-donation-statistics\",\"_key\":\"23c31d1f84c2\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"href\":\"https://www.semafor.com/article/03/21/2024/chinese-patient-receives-first-successful-pig-to-human-liver-transplant\",\"_key\":\"549c30b9b717\",\"_type\":\"link\"},{\"_key\":\"5769acc3cc8d\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.npr.org/2022/03/09/1085420836/pig-heart-transplant\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/17/health/pig-kidney-transplant-looney.html\",\"_key\":\"925adde0ff9e\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Some scientists believe such procedures could save thousands of patients’ lives (there are some \",\"_key\":\"fefa0a5c43e90\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"23c31d1f84c2\"],\"text\":\"100,000 people on organ transplant waiting lists in the US\",\"_key\":\"fefa0a5c43e91\"},{\"text\":\", according to official data), but their record has been mixed: Since 2022, there have been \",\"_key\":\"fefa0a5c43e92\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_key\":\"fefa0a5c43e93\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"549c30b9b717\"],\"text\":\"several transplants using pig organs across the world,\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" but many of the patients \",\"_key\":\"fefa0a5c43e94\"},{\"_key\":\"fefa0a5c43e95\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"5769acc3cc8d\"],\"text\":\"died weeks or months after surgery\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\". The doctors who worked with this pig kidney transplant patient told NPR that \",\"_key\":\"fefa0a5c43e96\"},{\"marks\":[\"925adde0ff9e\"],\"text\":\"her youth and otherwise good health\",\"_key\":\"fefa0a5c43e97\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" may make her a better candidate.\",\"_key\":\"fefa0a5c43e98\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"_type\":\"scoop\"},{\"_key\":\"cbf6e92be9a7\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"knowMore\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Pig organs share some anatomical similarities to those of humans, but to be used in a human transplant, the organs need to be genetically modified to lower the risk of rejection and other complications. If this case proves successful long-term, it could lead to a clinical trial — the gold standard of medical research — to test whether such procedures could become a standard medical treatment.\",\"_key\":\"0ec56b573bcc0\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"9bb4422aa798\"},{\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"“[This] case is a precursor to potential clinical trials, under the FDA’s guidance, \",\"_key\":\"0603cce52c7a0\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_key\":\"2b1a88b02bde\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"fcbed9676820\"],\"text\":\"to determine if these organs are safe as a new\"},{\"text\":\", sustainable source of organs for those who needs them,” one of the doctors who performed the surgery said.\",\"_key\":\"eb7602702d02\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"1b1efc7f1bc3\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_key\":\"fcbed9676820\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://nyulangone.org/news/gene-edited-pig-kidney-gives-living-donor-new-lease-life#:~:text=Looney’s%20procedure%20marks%20the%20third,living%20with%20a%20pig%20organ.\"}]},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"4c9715bde9a5\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"\",\"_key\":\"ca6269e81cd8\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}],\"_type\":\"knowMore\"}]},{\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"5b589b9662e6\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fa8df2f50008\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"China plans to raise its budget deficit to a record high in 2025 in a bid to revive its slowing economy, Reuters reported.\",\"_key\":\"7263dc9997890\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]},{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"2de0ed9814cb\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/China-s-Politburo-calls-for-proactive-fiscal-policy-in-2025\",\"_key\":\"224db9294459\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/china-is-already-in-deep-trouble-trump-will-make-things-worse-20241217-p5kyvs.html\",\"_key\":\"dcc95d2632fc\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Raising the country’s target deficit to 4% of GDP, up from 3% this year, is in line with Beijing’s pledge last week to pursue a “\",\"_key\":\"0766579580e4\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"224db9294459\"],\"text\":\"more proactive\",\"_key\":\"7263dc9997892\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” fiscal policy — plans that will \",\"_key\":\"7263dc9997893\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"dcc95d2632fc\"],\"text\":\"take on greater urgency\",\"_key\":\"7263dc9997894\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" with the return of Donald Trump to the White House. \",\"_key\":\"7263dc9997895\"}]},{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"China’s economic woes give the US more leverage to pressure Washington’s allies to follow Trump’s tariff proposals by imposing their own sweeping trade controls on Beijing, Rhodium Group analysts argued. \",\"_key\":\"a877637c2027\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"e9bf36600941\",\"markDefs\":[]},{\"_key\":\"428eda06f6c1\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/chinas-slowdown-has-changed-trade-war\",\"_key\":\"12d68c15f076\"}],\"children\":[{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"If US-aligned countries don’t react to the expected measures, it “will cause spillovers of those [Chinese] exports \",\"_key\":\"87a83ce7ad82\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"text\":\"into their own markets\",\"_key\":\"7263dc9997896\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"12d68c15f076\"]},{\"_key\":\"7263dc9997897\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” they said.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}]}],\"expires\":true,\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"intro\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"intro\"},\"vertical\":\"news\",\"id\":\"86d4f539-b836-4bf7-9911-579c1288c13d\",\"sentenceOverride\":[{\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"5328f21a746f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"China plans to hike its budget deficit in 2025\",\"_key\":\"5328f21a746f0\"},{\"text\":\" to a record high, Reuters reported, in a bid to revive its stagnant economy.\",\"_key\":\"5328f21a746f1\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}]}],\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"location\":\"East Asia\",\"description\":[{\"_key\":\"72371e55222f\",\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_key\":\"dc0046e731de\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The plan is in line with Beijing’s pledge last week to pursue a “more proactive” fiscal policy.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T17:08:07Z\",\"headline\":\"China reportedly planning record-high budget deficit in 2025 to boost spending\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/china-reportedly-planning-to-hike-deficit-to-record-high-in-2025\",\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"J.D. Capelouto\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/6e8f19ad2f7a823b526436f72a35bda6ba8f774b-1600x1600.png\"}],\"image\":{\"asset\":{\"schemaVersion\":1,\"_type\":\"image\",\"attribution\":\"Tingshu Wang/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"People walk past a lane lined up with restaurants, at a shopping area in Shanghai.\",\"asset\":{\"_ref\":\"image-f03bdcc223df7d5731a376501a1635f092baf38a-3801x2535-jpg\",\"_type\":\"reference\"}},\"attribution\":\"Tingshu Wang/Reuters\",\"caption\":\"People walk past a lane lined up with restaurants, at a shopping area in Shanghai.\"}},{\"headlineOverride\":\"\",\"slug\":\"/article/12/17/2024/top-russian-general-killed-in-moscow\",\"descriptionOverride\":[],\"intro\":null,\"verticalDisplay\":null,\"expiresAt\":\"2024-12-19T17:25:29.212Z\",\"vertical\":\"news\",\"sentenceOverride\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The \",\"_key\":\"3096ed54665e0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"strong\"],\"text\":\"head of Russia’s chemical weapons unit was killed in Moscow\",\"_key\":\"3096ed54665e1\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" in a scooter bombing attributed to Kyiv.\",\"_key\":\"3096ed54665e2\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3096ed54665e\"}],\"authors\":[{\"name\":\"Paige Bruton\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/9252a40e4e11b31efc135eda341e0508473c3775-1600x1600.png\"},{\"name\":\"Prashant Rao\",\"headshotSrc\":\"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ifn0l6bs/production/84160dd2df02535b1a91244bf8731c23daf4d7e1-1600x1600.png\"}],\"semaforms\":[{\"_type\":\"scoop\",\"_key\":\"8179c6c6-4a3d-4217-ad91-6f1042cfe5ee\",\"title\":\"The News\",\"schemaVersion\":1,\"scoop\":[{\"markDefs\":[],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"The head of the Russian military’s chemical weapons unit was killed in Moscow in a bombing attributed to Kyiv.\",\"_key\":\"60691be409260\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"3921d6478ffc\"},{\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov is the \",\"_key\":\"811e66cf3a4e0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e7d87dbf2f2e\"],\"text\":\"most senior Russian official killed\",\"_key\":\"811e66cf3a4e1\"},{\"text\":\" in the country’s capital since Moscow launched its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and had been blamed by Kyiv for the “mass use” of chemical weapons during the conflict.\",\"_key\":\"811e66cf3a4e2\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"48ef67f0c2e6\",\"markDefs\":[{\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/uNr21aUctr?email=pbruton@semafor.com\",\"_key\":\"e7d87dbf2f2e\",\"_type\":\"link\"}]},{\"_key\":\"294f773ab1cc\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gx6p347dgt\",\"_key\":\"e1188ed21ac1\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Kirillov and his assistant were killed by explosive devices that \",\"_key\":\"6f39fc40e5650\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"e1188ed21ac1\"],\"text\":\"appear to have been rigged to an electric scooter\",\"_key\":\"6f39fc40e5651\"},{\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", which was set off remotely, the BBC reported.\",\"_key\":\"6f39fc40e5652\",\"_type\":\"span\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\"},{\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"fa784a584719\",\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/DMrhBssdM1?email=pbruton@semafor.com\",\"_key\":\"dcdd8f4e1d0a\"},{\"_key\":\"a69df5347483\",\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/1w4zWQg0Q2?email=pbruton@semafor.com\"},{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://semafor.com/s/vATZD3F41l?email=pbruton@semafor.com\",\"_key\":\"5f730eb9394e\"}],\"children\":[{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"dcdd8f4e1d0a\"],\"text\":\"The Kyiv Independent\",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca0\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", \",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca1\"},{\"marks\":[\"a69df5347483\"],\"text\":\"the BBC\",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca2\",\"_type\":\"span\"},{\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca3\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\", \"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"5f730eb9394e\"],\"text\":\"and AFP\",\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca4\"},{\"_key\":\"ead3aa81f6ca5\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\" all cited Ukrainian sources to say the country was behind the attack that killed Kirillov.\"}],\"_type\":\"block\"}]}],\"ledeVideo\":null,\"signal\":[{\"_type\":\"insight\",\"source\":[\"The Kyiv Independent\"],\"_key\":\"3c4d84d5236d\",\"body\":[{\"markDefs\":[{\"_type\":\"link\",\"href\":\"https://kyivindependent.com/sbu-behind-killing-of-russian-general-charged-with-chemical-weapons-crimes-source-claims/\",\"_key\":\"c6fa09416a0f\"}],\"children\":[{\"text\":\"Russia has been increasing its use of chemical weapons in its almost three-year war against Ukraine, a recent investigation by The Kyiv Independent found. In May, there were 715 recorded incidents, compared to 81 in December last year. In the Donbas region, which had endured months of grinding warfare, the deployment of bioweapons — usually via drones — forced soldiers out of the trenches into the open where they were then taken out by artillery. The tactic was effective, the investigation noted, allowing Russia to capture positions without destroying them. The deployment of chemical weapons is a breach of international humanitarian law: “\",\"_key\":\"d602a0cdc2600\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_key\":\"d602a0cdc2601\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"c6fa09416a0f\"],\"text\":\"Retribution for war crimes is inevitable\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\",” a source in the Ukrainian security services told the outlet following the killing.\",\"_key\":\"d602a0cdc2602\"}],\"_type\":\"block\",\"style\":\"normal\",\"_key\":\"15f1f79510e0\"}],\"schemaVersion\":2,\"insightTitle\":\"Moscow’s rising use of chemical weapons\"},{\"body\":[{\"children\":[{\"text\":\"The Ukraine war has markedly intensified in recent weeks, which analysts attribute to the two sides seeking bargaining chips ahead of widely expected peace talks following US President-elect Donald Trump’s accession to office. The incoming US president has repeatedly claimed he will end the war “within a day” of entering the White House, with the growing prospect that Ukraine will have to cede ground to Moscow. At his first press conference since winning the election Trump stated: “\",\"_key\":\"3798d8a7c9200\",\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[]},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[\"f664948c2289\"],\"text\":\"You know it’s nice to say they want their land back, but the cities are largely destroyed,\",\"_key\":\"3798d8a7c9201\"},{\"_type\":\"span\",\"marks\":[],\"text\":\"” Politico EU reported. 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