Tech, AI, and finance news coverage and analysis
Canadian Trade Minister Dominic Leblanc met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington to advance a 16-year extension of the USMCA trade agreement, expressing optimism for a July 1st consensus while acknowledging ongoing disputes over sectoral tariffs and preparing for potential trade turbulence.
DHS Secretary Mullen defended the Trump administration's border enforcement agenda during a contentious Senate budget hearing, clashing with Democrats over ICE and CBP accountability while addressing Republican concerns about visa fees burdening rural healthcare and seasonal industries.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified on the FY2027 budget, defending Republican proposals to cut State Department spending by $2.7 billion while increasing security aid to Israel and conditioning funding on UN voting alignment, as Democrats led by Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen warned that dismantling USAID and global health programs has caused over 750,000 deaths and created dangerous diplomatic vacancies.
Los Angeles County election officials report steady voter turnout trending 2-3 percentage points above 2022 levels, with over 100,000 in-person voters and nearly 1 million mail ballots received by mid-afternoon, while highlighting robust security partnerships and comprehensive language accessibility across 646 vote centers.
Alphabet announced plans to raise $80 billion in equity—including a $10 billion investment from Berkshire Hathaway—to fuel massive AI infrastructure spending, while Anthropic confidentially filed for an IPO ahead of rival OpenAI, and SpaceX prepares for a record-breaking $75 billion debut with historically low banking fees.
Raw behind-the-scenes footage from a Reuters live broadcast captures production crews and journalists waiting for Pope Leo's departure from the papal residence, featuring technical preparations, discussions on media patience and protocol, and casual interpersonal chatter among team members.
UK Parliament debated the murder of student Henry Novak, condemning police officers who handcuffed him while he lay dying based on the murderer's lies. MPs demanded a full IOPC investigation, warned against exploiting the tragedy to stoke anti-Sikh sentiment or racial division, and reaffirmed that policing must be based solely on risk rather than race or religion.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the administration's 'America First' foreign policy and proposed 44% State Department budget cuts before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, while facing sharp criticism from Democrats over alleged stonewalling of Congress and concerns that the approach weakens critical alliances and global health security.
Legendary investor Jeremy Grantham argues the stock market is in a "super bubble" revived by AI mania after the 2022 crash, warning that the Magnificent 7 tech giants are transitioning from peaceful monopolies into destructive competitors, which will ultimately compress margins and validate historical patterns of mean reversion.
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan outlined the company's engineering-focused turnaround at COMPUTEX, highlighting the full-scale launch of Intel 18A process technology, a hybrid AI partnership with Perplexity, and new Xeon 6 Plus processors while reaffirming Taiwan's strategic role in the semiconductor ecosystem.
COMPUTEX 2026 opens as Taiwan's largest technology exhibition ever, with 1,500 companies and 6,000 booths positioning the island as an indispensable hub for AI infrastructure amid shifting geopolitical landscapes and the rise of token-based economies.
Coursera co-founder Daphne Koller traces her journey from Israeli child prodigy to AI pioneer, revealing how a MacArthur Genius Grant shifted her focus from mathematical elegance to real-world impact, while explaining why AI's exponential trajectory surprised even experts and how she is now applying it to revolutionize human health.