Monday, July 20, 20266 stories
Gas prices hit $4 as Iran conflict escalates
The U.S.-Iran conflict is now hitting American wallets directly. Gas prices topped $4 a gallon for the first time in over a month as attacks disrupt oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, Russia launched its largest ballistic missile assault on Kyiv in months, and China is quietly advancing a strategic AI governance push that democracies need to watch.
Saturday, July 18, 202611 stories
Iran strikes Gulf states, war costs balloon
The Iran conflict is widening and getting expensive. Iran hit Kuwait and Saudi Arabia overnight, while internal Pentagon estimates peg the war's cost at triple what was reported to Congress. Meanwhile, Ukraine fired its most effective reformer just as drone strikes were paying off.
Friday, July 17, 202619 stories
China catches up in AI race
China has closed the AI gap with the US to just weeks, according to a new analysis. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz crisis deepens as shipping collapses despite no formal closure, and Iran threatens to seal the Bab el-Mandeb if the US strikes its power grid.
Thursday, July 16, 20268 stories
Iran strikes rattle markets, AI safety gets geopolitical
Wall Street is cheering Big Tech earnings and ignoring the bombs falling on Iran. But gas prices and oil markets are starting to pay attention. Meanwhile, the AI safety debate goes global, and cyberwar continues to simmer between India and Pakistan.
Monday, June 29, 20264 stories
Taiwan fills Poland's chip gap as Iran tensions spike
Two big stories dominate geopolitics today. Taiwan is stepping into industrial gaps in Poland left by stalled U.S. and Chinese projects, while U.S.-Iran clashes escalate across military, oil, and cyber fronts. The Taiwan move is a quiet but significant realignment; the Iran story is a loud, multi-layered crisis.
Thursday, June 25, 20265 stories
Dalio's China trip, chip war, and talent race
Ray Dalio's 10-day China trip crystallizes a narrative of American decline and a rising Eastern tribute system. Meanwhile, the US-China AI race is increasingly about talent, not just tech, and Europe is pushing back on Washington's chip war. Natural gas markets show signs of easing after the Gulf conflict.
Tuesday, June 23, 20265 stories
Iran talks, oil moves, and China AI gap
Today's geopolitics is a two-front story. The U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland produced no final deal but a 60-day oil license, while China retaliates against the Pentagon blacklist with export curbs on rare earths. Meanwhile, an op-ed argues the U.S. will outpace China due to energy vulnerabilities, and China's AI moment keeps markets on edge.
Monday, June 22, 20266 stories
Iran tensions and AI rivalry dominate geopolitics
Today's stories are split between a brewing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and a renewed focus on the AI race. Iran's closure of the strait is rattling energy markets and boosting Norway's Equinor, while China's AI advances and trade retaliation signal a multipolar tech contest.
Sunday, June 21, 20266 stories
Ambani-Trump Jr. ties and AI export controls dominate
Today's geopolitics coverage traces two distinct threads: the murky intersection of business and power in Trump's orbit, and a growing transatlantic anxiety over AI sovereignty. The ProPublica investigation into Mukesh Ambani's dealings with Donald Trump Jr. is the standout story, revealing a pattern of targeted tariffs followed by secretive investments. Meanwhile, Europe is waking up to its digital dependency on the US, with a viral thought experiment and a French economist both sounding the alarm.
Saturday, June 20, 20269 stories
Europe ditches US tech as AI bans bite
A busy day in geopolitics: Europe is actively swapping American tech for homegrown alternatives, while the fallout from Trump's Anthropic ban reshapes the AI landscape. Meanwhile, the Iran crisis deepens and Israel expands its territory at a pace not seen in decades.
Friday, June 19, 20264 stories
Oil crisis deepens as billion barrels vanish
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz hasn't ended the global oil crisis. More than a billion barrels of supply went missing during the disruption, and the market is still reeling. Meanwhile, ships are scrambling to clean barnacles before they can move again.
Wednesday, June 17, 20268 stories
Oil, trade, and tech choke points dominate
Today's geopolitics is a story of bottlenecks. Iranian tankers breach a U.S. blockade, oil prices slide on peace hopes, and China tightens export controls beyond rare earths. Meanwhile, Beijing pushes its own AI governance vision as the G7 meets without it.