Latest Interviews

Beirut force: Israel kills Hizbullah leader

Jason Palmer, Rosie Bloor, Antul Pfeffer, Gareth Brown, Sarah Larniuk, Jason Chow, Jiehao

Israel's recent assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and twenty other commanders has triggered a major escalation in the Middle East, widening military operations to Yemen while forcing the displacement of nearly one million Lebanese civilians and sparking debates over a potential ground invasion. Concurrently, the United States faces diplomatic contradictions as it labels the strike "justice" yet urges a ceasefire, while Iran signals a reluctance to engage in direct war following intelligence leaks suggesting its security apparatus failed to protect Hezbollah. Meanwhile, independent media in Belarus continues to operate under severe pressure, with exiled journalists relying on operational security measures to avoid state reprisals against their families despite 37 remaining imprisoned domestically.

The Weekend Intelligence: Crunch time for Ukraine

Jason Palmer, Zanny Minton-Bettos, Ivan Baryak, Vlad, Achilles, Yuri, Vadim Sukharevsky, Tatiana, Vitaly Klitschko, Andrei Yermak, Volodymyr Hobachuk, Roman Kuziv, Mike Pompeo, Chris Murphy, Christian Freuding

Ukrainian forces are currently facing a critical offensive on Pokrovsk that threatens to open the Donbass front, while simultaneously navigating severe manpower shortages and a shifting public willingness to negotiate. This humanitarian and logistical crisis is compounded by a technological asymmetry in drone warfare and a domestic industry struggling to outpace centralized procurement. Strategic outcomes now hinge on halting the Russian advance to secure current borders before the harsh winter, as uncertainty regarding US political continuity and the timeline for NATO membership creates an existential risk for the nation.

Woke croaks: “peak woke” has passed

John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard, Idrees Kahloon, Ainslie Johnstone, Sacha Nauta, Musa al-Gharbi, John Priddo, Idris Kalloun, Ainsley Johnston

Analysis indicates that the height of "woke" ideology occurred between 2021 and 2022, after which a distinct decline in public opinion, media usage, and corporate diversity discourse has reshaped the American political landscape. This retreat correlates with Musa Al-Ghabi's "elite overproduction" theory and the Democratic Party's strategic pivot toward a broader electoral coalition to counter Republican mobilization against perceived social extremism. While the movement fostered positive workplace changes and heightened equity awareness, its current fragmentation faces future volatility contingent on Gen Z's moderation and potential political triggers like a Trump reelection.

Missile-stop tour: Zelensky in America

Zelensky, Jason Palmer, Daniel Franklin, John Priddo, Tom Wainwright

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington to secure critical military aid and maximalist diplomatic concessions, including NATO membership, ahead of a US election that could drastically alter support levels for Kyiv's war effort. Simultaneously, The Economist reports that the US has passed "peak woke," as data indicates a sharp decline in identity-focused rhetoric and DEI initiatives following the electoral toxicity of 2020. In the gaming sector, EA Sports solidified its market dominance by rebranding its flagship title to EA Sports FC, leveraging exclusive licensing deals and network effects to withstand a potential challenge from FIFA's planned rival game.

Sudan: inside the world’s worst war

Since April 2024, Rapid Support Forces have besieged Al-Fasher, systematically destroying critical infrastructure and targeting non-Arab Zagawa civilians in acts that experts allege constitute war crimes and genocide. Satellite imagery and human rights investigations confirm the devastation of residential areas, the looting of South Hospital, and the intentional severing of power and water supplies, driving over 100,000 people to flee into conditions of severe malnutrition. With the United Nations declaring famine in nearby camps and international bodies investigating potential atrocities, the crisis threatens to destabilize the broader region while global attention remains insufficient to halt the escalating humanitarian catastrophe.

Bulls’ AI: funding artificial intelligence

Rosie Bloor, Henry Trix, Anton LaGuardia, Helena Woods, Holly Burman, Evan Nathaniel Grimm

OpenAI projects a $150 billion valuation driven by soaring LLM training costs and exclusive funding from Microsoft, while the U.S. military modernizes its nuclear arsenal amidst a collapsing arms control framework with Russia and a rapidly expanding Chinese stockpile. Simultaneously, a growing demographic of young Americans increasingly relies on political astrology rather than traditional polling data to forecast election outcomes, as practitioners use birth charts to predict specific events involving Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. This convergence marks a broader shift where massive capital requirements are restructuring Silicon Valley finance, nuclear strategy is returning to complex trilateral rivalries, and subjective alternative forecasting is challenging established objective metrics.

Fed-letter day: at last, a rate cut

Rosie Bloor, Simon Rabinovich, Shashank, Rachel Lloyd

The Federal Reserve executed its first pandemic-era interest rate reduction by cutting the benchmark rate by half a percentage point to a 4.75%–5% range, a move Chair Jerome Powell framed as a recalibration toward neutral policy amid shifting risks to inflation and employment. While the 11–1 voting split and immediate political reactions from the Biden and Trump campaigns highlighted the decision's significance, the central bank signaled that future adjustments will depend on labor market data rather than economic recession fears. Simultaneously, Western allies are deliberating whether to authorize Ukraine's use of long-range ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles for strikes inside Russia, weighing the tactical necessity of denying Moscow safe havens against the strategic danger of escalating direct conflict.

Foiled again: a second attempt on Trump

Trump, Rosie Bloor, John Priddo, Paul Markely, Anne Rowe

Former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt by former activist Ryan Wesley Routh, sparking renewed scrutiny over Secret Service protocols and prompting Republicans to leverage the incident for fundraising while media narratives shifted toward security. Concurrently, the expanding utility of digital twin technology is transforming sectors from Formula One racing to medical diagnostics by enabling real-time virtual simulations that predict maintenance needs and test surgical procedures. In a separate cultural development, Brazilian bossa nova legend Sergio Mendes died at 83, leaving behind a legacy of blending global pop hits with Brazilian rhythms and maintaining a strong national identity despite decades in the United States.

The Weekend Intelligence: Detoxified

Vendeline von Bredow, Jason Palmer, Arne Wasmuth, Egidio Mazzona, Daniela Spiegel, Jermaine Barnes, Herr Tischner, Andreas Silbersack

Berlin-based entrepreneurs Arne Wasmuth and Egidio Mazzona have acquired the former estate of Nazi ideologue Paul Schulze-Naumburg to establish the D-DAS Design Academy, a documentation center aimed at confronting the site's history with diverse voices. This initiative directly counters the rising influence of the far-right Alternative for Germany party in the region, where the party recently secured victory in Thuringia and significant support in Saxony. Supported by the German government, the academy seeks to "detoxify" the location and mitigate fears of Eastern Germany becoming a modern "Nazi heartland" through active engagement and international fellowship.

New Defense Technology

Amidst concerns that bloated defense contractors are hindering U.S. technological leadership, Y Combinator is actively recruiting startups to emulate agile innovators like Palantir and SpaceX. This strategic initiative leverages Silicon Valley's historical roots as a military R&D hub, a legacy physically embodied by the Y Combinator headquarters which formerly operated as a World War II naval shipbuilding facility. With the next decade framed as a critical window for reinvigorating defense capabilities, the program seeks to catalyze a new wave of defense-oriented companies in San Francisco.

Open to debate: Harris and Trump clash

Harris, Trump, John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard, Adam O'Neal, James Bennet, Lane Greene, Owen Winter, John Priddow

The September 2024 presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump drew over 67 million viewers and established a critical juncture in a historically tight election. Analysis indicates that Harris successfully employed a prosecutorial strategy to expose Trump's policy vagueness and age-related concerns, earning a post-debate victory according to 63% of surveyed viewers. Consequently, major forecasting models have adjusted the race to a near toss-up with Harris's probability rising to 49% amidst her campaign's significant financial advantage and the strategic deployment of debate moments against her opponent.

Don wan: Harris keeps Trump tame

Harris, Trump, Rosie Bloor, Jason Palmer, James Bennett, Amelia Wood, Ora Ogunbiyi

Vice President Kamala Harris dominated the election debate by reframing border security discussions and presenting specific economic policies, while Donald Trump failed to detail healthcare alternatives, repeated false claims about the 2020 election, and offered vague responses on Ukraine. Analyst James Bennett observed that although Harris put Trump "on the back foot" with this performance, the event is unlikely to significantly shift polling or the campaign's ultimate outcome. Simultaneously, a global medical review highlighted the United States' critical role as the primary plasma exporter, contrasting its payment-based donation model with restrictive European regulations driven by safety concerns and political contradictions. This economic strain also extends to Nigeria, where rising living costs are forcing Yoruba families to consolidate multi-day weddings into single-day events and replace luxury customs with modest, practical alternatives.

Private equity investing with Blackstone’s Joe Baratta

Joe Baratta, Alison Mast, Leslie Kendrick

Joe Baratta, the global head of private equity at Blackstone since 2012, has guided the $1 trillion asset manager through strategic pivots from value investing to high-growth sectors like software and critical infrastructure. Under his leadership, the firm pioneered the integration of its own debt capital markets and expanded into Europe prior to the Euro's introduction, while simultaneously addressing industry opportunity gaps through expanded recruitment initiatives. Baratta emphasizes strict valuation discipline and long-term relationship building to navigate macroeconomic shifts, citing artificial intelligence and energy demand as key structural drivers for future capital deployment.

Over-complicated pricing could kill a sales process.

This analysis recommends prioritizing simple, committed recurring revenue models like Monthly or Annual Recurring Revenue over complex or usage-based structures. Advocates argue that committed contracts protect revenue during economic downturns and align better with investor expectations by preventing immediate income collapse. Consequently, the strategic goal is to target MRR or ARR to ensure stability and facilitate value-based renewal negotiations.

Extremes come true: Germany’s far-right triumph

Rosie Bloor, Tom Nuttall, John McDermott, Carla Suburrana Artus

In recent state elections in Germany's Saxony and Thuringia, the extremist far-right AfD secured first place in Thuringia and finished second in Saxony, creating a complex political deadlock that challenges the ruling national coalition's standing ahead of September's federal vote. Simultaneously, the newly formed BSW splinter party emerged as a significant third force, forcing the conservative CDU to navigate the traditional "cordon sanitaire" against cooperating with the far-right while considering unstable alliances with ideologically opposed groups. This electoral surge in eastern Germany is driven by long-standing regional neglect and high voter volatility, intensifying scrutiny on Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government.