Flagship

US troop deaths add to pressure facing Trump

The US pounded Iran with fresh strikes after two American soldiers were killed in an attack on an air base in Jordan on Friday, pushing the two sides closer to all-out war. The casualties — another American service member died in Iraq on Saturday, bringing the US military death toll from the conflict to 17 — were the first since April’s ceasefire. Momentum toward renewed fighting has accelerated as the US deployed additional warplanes, Iran formally withdrew from the ceasefire, and diplomacy stalled. The troop deaths could increase scrutiny of the war in the US and intensify pressure on President Donald Trump, Le Monde wrote, adding that “the trap of military escalation… is closing in.”

Global escalations compound volatility

Two major global conflicts — in Iran and Ukraine — are both entering stages of serious escalation. In the Middle East, the deterioration of the US-Iran ceasefire has reignited fears of a prolonged regional war; the American defense secretary said the Iranian attack that killed two US soldiers in Jordan “only stiffens our resolve.” In Europe, Moscow launched one of its largest ballistic missile attacks against Ukraine, while Kyiv ramped up its bombing campaign by targeting logistics hubs belonging to Russia’s largest online retailer. A prominent dissident said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is more likely to intensify the conflict — including a possible incursion into the Baltics — than reach a settlement: “Putin always escalated when he felt he was in trouble.”

New China AI model ramps up US rivalry

The release of a powerful new AI model from a Chinese startup rattled the global tech landscape, spurring concerns in the US over Beijing’s rapid AI advancements. Moonshot’s Kimi K3 — which is open-weight, meaning anyone can download and modify it — is slightly less advanced than the top American models, showing an “established pattern,” Semafor’s tech editor wrote, in which Chinese models trail the best US systems by only a small margin. The launch came as Chinese leader Xi Jinping doubled down on the country’s embrace of open-source AI, even as Beijing reportedly considers curbs on overseas access to the tech. AI models are increasingly treated “less as commercial products and more as strategic assets,” a China tech expert wrote.

The geopolitics of the AI memory shortage

A global AI memory shortage threatens to morph into a geopolitical fight as more countries campaign to shore up their own supply, a South Korean tech executive said. Prices for memory chips have skyrocketed in recent months as supply has failed to keep up with demand stemming from the AI boom. That is leading to “near-chaotic lobbying” in which countries are treating memory access as an “economic security” issue, said the chairman of SK Group, the parent company of memory chip giant SK Hynix: Governments “will start pressuring other governments soon.” Nations have long treated advanced computing chips as a matter of national security; rising hardware costs, though, could fuel inflation, adding a new layer of angst for world leaders.

Market sentiment on AI changes

Apple on Friday briefly passed Nvidia to become the world’s most valuable company, a shuffling that reflects how chip stocks’ persistent volatility is prompting a reassessment of the AI trade. Often viewed as an AI laggard, Apple is the best-performing Magnificent Seven stock this year on its comparatively thrifty capital expenditure and dominant consumer position, which investors are confident “can solve most problems,” The Wall Street Journal wrote. “Sentiment has changed,” an analyst told Reuters, adding the brief shuffle reflects “earnings durability rather than speculative AI upside.” Major earnings reports this week from several major tech companies will shed more light on how investors view AI spending.

New UK leader aims to fix economy

Andy Burnham becomes the UK’s new prime minister on Monday, and fixing Britain’s economy will be at the top of his agenda. Sluggish growth, high public debt, and elevated government borrowing costs are among his challenges. In his first speech as Labour Party leader on Friday, Burnham declared: “I have a plan,” while offering few specifics as he pledged to reverse what he described as “four decades of neoliberalism.” Burnham has previously signaled support for greater state involvement in housing, transportation, and public services, though Britain’s tight financial constraints will likely limit his room for maneuver. For markets, the key question is whether Burnham can deliver faster growth and buoy investor confidence in the new government.

British Steel saga dents UK-China ties

China’s Jingye Steel is seeking compensation from the British government over the nationalization of its former steel production complex in England, further straining relations between London and Beijing. The UK government brought British Steel under the state’s control last year and took full ownership last week, citing national security considerations after Jingye, the former owner, said it planned to close the site because of financial reasons. The Chinese government criticized the UK over the move, adding to the challenges facing the UK’s Andy Burnham when he takes over as prime minister Monday: China’s foreign ministry warned that the matter will “directly affect Chinese investors’ perception of the UK investment environment.”

Steve Hilton has lived many lives. He’s been a key strategist to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, a populist Fox News host, and now — after renouncing his UK citizenship — he’s become the Republican nominee in California’s gubernatorial race. On this week’s episode of Mixed Signals, Max and Ben ask him about a career that has intertwined politics and media at every turn, why he succeeded in a primary where Spencer Pratt failed, and how he balances conservative media’s portrayal of California with his campaign to lead the state. Plus, they ask whether David Ellison’s Paramount would really flee Hollywood, what people get wrong about the Murdochs, and what he really thinks about the character he inspired on The Thick of It.

Listen to the latest Mixed Signals now.

Amazon expands satellite internet

Amazon will launch its new satellite internet service, Amazon Leo, in South Africa next year. Just 17.4% of South Africans have the internet at home, although more than 75% have mobile access. Satellite internet has a large potential market in Africa, where many of the 1.5 billion people lack fixed connections. Leo — which has 390 satellites and has signed deals in 10 other countries but has yet to launch service — is well behind Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has 10,000 satellites and operates in 160 countries. But Starlink does not operate in South Africa, Musk’s country of birth, thanks to a dispute over affirmative action laws, which Amazon sidestepped by licensing its product to a local company.

Replication can boost science credibility

In an effort to boost credibility, scientists are displaying attempts to replicate research alongside the original studies. It has become clear in the past decade that many studies, especially in the social and medical sciences, are weak: Poor statistical practice and bad incentives mean that false positives are common. One recent project attempted to replicate 274 published results and found barely half of them withstood scrutiny. That in turn means that clinical and policy decisions are made using bad data. Replication attempts are hard to find and get less attention than the original research. A group of researchers suggested attaching any attempted replications — both positive and negative — to the original so other scientists are aware of them when citing it.

Spain clinches World Cup victory