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$13 trillion: Gains from artificial intelligence could add $13 trillion to global economic output by 2030, around 16 percent higher cumulative GDP compared to today, according to a new McKinsey Global Institute report. But those benefits may be spread unevenly, and the economic impact of AI could exacerbate divides between workers, companies, and governments.


28 billion: US carmakers invested more than $28 billion in the US state of Michigan between 2009 and 2018 – about $4 billion more than they invested in all of Mexico.

10: From 2018 to 2035, the ten fastest growing cities in the world will be in Africa, according to the UN. By 2040, the continent’s urban population is expected to double to 1 billion, creating massive opportunities for economic growth that could also create challenges for resource-strained local and national governments.

8: As a part of a nation-wide construction boom, the number of shopping malls in Turkey has risen 8-fold since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assumed office. Turkish shoppers now have 400 malls to choose from, up from just 50 in 2003 – although a crash in the value of Turkey’s currency means their lira aren’t going quite as far as they used to.

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​Participants hold placards during a protest to condemn the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and commemorate students killed in a strike on a girls' primary school in Minab in southern Iran on February 28, in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, March 12, 2026.

Participants hold placards during a protest to condemn the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and commemorate students killed in a strike on a girls' primary school in Minab in southern Iran on February 28, in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, March 12, 2026.

REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon
175: The number of people killed at an Iranian girls’ school in a strike on Feb. 28. Initial intelligence reports suggest that the US was to blame for the strike, per the New York Times, after the military used a now-defunct set of coordinates to deploy the hit. The White House hasn’t claimed responsibility and said the investigation is ongoing. [...]
A foreign tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil damaged following unidentified attacks that targeted two foreign tankers, according to Iraqi port officials, near Basra, Iraq, on March 12, 2026.​

A foreign tanker carrying Iraqi fuel oil damaged after catching fire in Iraq's territorial waters, following unidentified attacks that targeted two foreign tankers, according to Iraqi port officials, near Basra, Iraq, on March 12, 2026.

REUTERS/Mohammed Aty
Iran’s focus: closing the StraitThe Islamic Republic will continue its efforts to block the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement this morning attributed to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The statement highlights Tehran’s strategy: identify easier targets (the Strait is narrow) that have maximum impact. Speaking of which, Iraq suspended [...]
​President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the White House AI Summit at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the White House AI Summit at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

Joyce N. Boghosian/White House/ZUMA Press Wire
The 2024 US presidential campaign season may have been the first time voters had to contend with AI during an election, confronting deepfakes of Taylor Swift vowing support for Donald Trump and AI robo-calls of Joe Biden telling voters not to cast their ballots. But the 2026 midterms are shaping up to be the first time the technology itself [...]
How Trump’s Iran gamble backfired
Two weeks ago, President Donald Trump launched a war of choice to topple Iran's regime expecting a quick, clean win. What he's gotten is a regime that's proving far more capable of enduring and fighting back than he anticipated. Seven American troops are dead, 140 wounded. The Strait of Hormuz has been shut for almost ten days, creating the [...]