High Stakes

• The EU AI Act's transparency requirements took effect on August 2, 2026, mandating that companies clearly disclose the use of AI chatbots and AI-generated content. • While transparency rules are now active, the implementation of more stringent provisions regarding "high-risk" AI systems has been delayed until 2027. • This regulatory framework is significant as it forces global tech firms to balance strict compliance with the need for innovation to avoid heavy penalties.

• Michigan Democrats will hold primary elections on August 4 to select a candidate for a key US Senate seat. • The contest features a clash between progressive former public health official Abdul El-Sayed and centrist representative Haley Stevens, who is backed by party leadership. • The race highlights a strategic divide within the Democratic party between progressive policy goals, such as Medicare for All, and centrist political approaches.

Former lieutenant governor says path to Democratic nomination no longer viable as democratic socialist rival surges aheadMandela Barnes, the former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor on Thursday, upending the high-stakes contest less than two weeks before the 11 August election.Barnes announced the decision in a video posted on social media, saying he no longer saw a viable path to the nomination as democratic socialist Francesca Hong surged ahead with a commanding lead. Continue reading...

• A performance surge from Moonshot AI's Kimi K3, a Chinese LLM that rivals top US models, has sparked significant tension within the artificial intelligence industry. • The situation has exposed a deep rift between high-level intelligence vendors, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, and the startups and business customers who consume their services. • This conflict centers on the high-stakes battle over China policy and the future of open-source AI development.

• Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the Asia-Pacific sports sector have reached record highs as wealthy investors shift from traditional sponsorships to acquiring direct equity stakes. • The trend is driven by the high value of "attention currency," exemplified by massive viewership numbers such as 205 million unique viewers on CCTV in China for recent tournament matches. • High-profile investors like Singapore-based businessman Kiat Lim, who controls Valencia CF and holds stakes in Salford City FC and McLaren Automotive, are leading this strategic pivot.

• Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche and intelligence chief nominee Jay Clayton are facing high-stakes Senate confirmation hearings today. • Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) has stated he remains "uncommitted" regarding Blanche's nomination ahead of the Senate Judiciary Committee testimony. • Simultaneously, Republicans are attempting to pass a third partisan reconciliation package to fund the war with Iran and advance the "Save AMERICA Act" election overhaul bill.

Trump’s immigration agenda is on the supreme court docket with rulings still to come on birthright citizenship and TPS for Haitian and Syrian immigrantsSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The supreme court is expected to render at least one judgment today as the term is set to come to an end later this month. There are a series of cases yet to be decided that are relevant to Donald Trump, including his attempt to limit birthright citizenship and plan to remove legal protection from Haitian and Syrian immigrants.Donald Trump has signed a 14-point agreement with Iran, claiming it delivered a “major win” for the US. The Guardian’s Andrew Roth argues that the US entered war with maximalist goals and exited it with a pragmatic decision to end conflict despite political cost.A teenager has died after being thrown to the ground on Wednesday when a Central Park carriage horse bolted away from its driver, police in New York have said.On Wednesday, court proceedings revealed that Luigi Mangione’s legal team plans on pursuing a psychiatric defense during his upcoming Manhattan state court trial over the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson. Continue reading...

Blundy’s investment firm, BBRC International, owns about 13% of the US-listed lingerie brand, giving it a potential platform to launch a hostile takeoverAustralian billionaire Brett Blundy is waging a high-stakes campaign to oust the long-term chair of Victoria’s Secret & Co, setting the stage for a showdown at the company’s annual meeting in the US on Thursday.Blundy’s investment firm, BBRC International, owns about 13% of the US-listed Victoria’s Secret lingerie brand, making it the second biggest single shareholder and giving it a potential platform to launch a hostile takeover. Continue reading...

• South Koreans are participating in high-stakes local elections that serve as a critical political test for President Lee. • The elections are being closely monitored as a measure of public sentiment and a referendum on the current administration's performance. • These results are expected to influence the political landscape and the strategic direction of the ruling party moving forward.

• President Donald Trump held a White House Situation Room meeting on Friday as advisers pushed toward a “final determination” on Iran, according to live updates from U.S. outlets. • Trump said Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon and publicly tied any deal to reopening the Strait of Hormuz immediately, while Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. and Iran were “very close.” • The outcome matters because it could shape U.S. military posture, sanctions policy, and regional energy flows, with oil-market and security implications beyond the Middle East.

Jury set to deliberate and return a verdict on whether they believe AI firm and Altman are liable in caseClosing arguments began on Thursday in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI, bringing the weeks-long courtroom battle between the two tech moguls nearer to a decision. A nine person jury is set to deliberate and return a verdict on whether they believe the AI firm and Altman are liable in the case.The trial, which began last month in an Oakland, California federal courthouse, has gripped Silicon Valley and featured some of the tech industry’s biggest names as witnesses. Attorneys for both sides have presented testimony and documents that have exposed Musk and Altman’s private dealings, as well as provided a window into the contentious history of OpenAI. Continue reading...

The Iran war will cast a long shadow over the talks. Plus, the 100 best novels of all timeGood morning.Donald Trump is due to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday evening, the first visit to China by a US president since he was last there nearly a decade ago, as he seeks to mend power and prestige weakened by the war in Iran.What is the state of US-China relations? The two countries remain locked in a fragile tariff truce, reached last autumn after tensions threatened to erupt into a full-scale trade war. Trump has long complained about China’s trade surplus with the US, while Beijing has opposed American export controls and sanctions.What is the latest with the US-Iran ceasefire? The war has entered its third month, with Tehran tightening its grip over the strait of Hormuz and Washington struggling to turn a fragile ceasefire into a lasting settlement. Behind the scenes, US officials have spent weeks urging China to put pressure on Iran to reopen the strait and accept US terms for peace.What did the Atlantic allege? It reported that Patel’s alcohol consumption had become “a recurring source of concern across the government” which made him a “national-security vulnerability”, citing interviews with more than two dozen people including current and former FBI officials. Patel denies all the allegations, calling them “outrageous” and “malicious”. Continue reading...

Meeting comes amid tentative trade truce but Iran, Taiwan and tensions over global supply chains will be complicating factorsSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.Donald Trump is heading to Beijing for high-stakes talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as they seek to maintain a tentative trade truce while navigating Iran, Taiwan and dominance over global supply chains. Continue reading...

Departing PM Viktor Orbán admits ‘political era has ended’ as EU says ‘clock is ticking’ to resolve important issuesEU officials have arrived in Budapest for high-stakes talks aimed at reshaping the bloc’s strained relationship with Hungary, weeks before the new government takes office, as the country’s departing prime minister, Viktor Orbán, admitted a “political era has ended” and suggested he would stay on as leader of his party in his first interview since the election.Speaking to the pro-government outlet Patrióta, Orbán described Sunday’s election as an “emotional rollercoaster” after the opposition Tisza party won a landslide victory, bringing an end to Orbán’s 16 years in power. Continue reading...

Risks from cancer and other diseases could be hidden with little accountability if justices favor big firms, critics warnThe US could face foreign attacks, food shortages and agricultural “devastation” if the supreme court rules against Monsanto in a closely watched case over pesticide regulation that is set for arguments later this month, according to a series of legal briefs supporting the company.In contrast, opposing legal briefs warn that if the court sides with Monsanto, consumers will be stripped of their rights to sue when they develop cancer or other serious diseases they attribute to exposure to dangerous chemicals. Companies will be able to hide product risks with little accountability, they warn. Continue reading...

National referendum is being seen as a de facto confidence vote on the government – and the polls are neck and neckIn the run-up to a referendum in Italy on a government quest to overhaul the judiciary, a campaign flyer circulated online quoting Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, taking aim at judges and feminists. “Judges block the deportations of rapists. Where are the feminists? Vote yes – there will not be another opportunity,” it read.The flyer, posted on the Facebook page of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist roots, was subsequently removed. But its tone has defined a campaign dominated by inflammatory rhetoric rather than meaningful debate. Continue reading...

Regime will do whatever it takes to cling on to power – including sacrificing economies of other Gulf statesMiddle East crisis – live updatesBrinkmanship, the ability to take a country to the edge of war without plunging it into the abyss, was the cornerstone of cold war diplomacy. But in our different, more unstable times – in which the line between state and non-state actors has blurred, and weapons of war have diffused – the world this week finally tipped over the edge, and suddenly it is in freefall.The first six days of the Iran war cost the US $12.7bn (£9.5bn), but now the Pentagon is seeking as much as $200bn in military funding. Oil at $125 a barrel is no longer an Iranian, or Russian, fantasy. The crown jewel of Qatar, Ras Laffan – the world’s largest liquefied natural gas plant – may not reopen fully for five years, at a cost of $20bn a year. Other combustible oil depots in the Gulf, from Bahrain to Abu Dhabi, are exposed to Iran’s low-cost drones. Then add the human cost of 18,000 civilians injured and more than 3,000 killed in Iran alone. Continue reading...