Federal and Texas officials on Wednesday confirmed the first known case of the New World screwworm parasite in U.S. wildlife during the current outbreak.
Why it matters: The discovery raises new questions about whether the flesh-eating parasite is spreading beyond livestock.
Tesla's revenue flattened out in the third quarter, but the company launched robotaxi service and humanoid production while still managing to spend far less than expected.
General Motors wants to slash the time it takes to develop a new vehicle in half, betting that artificial intelligence can help it compete with China's much faster automakers.
Why it matters: Chinese carmakers have a formidable speed advantage, allowing them to introduce new models and technologies faster than their Western rivals can respond.
General Motors envisions a future where you can dispatch your car to pick up groceries, take your kids to soccer practice and handle other errands — all without you behind the wheel.
Why it matters: As software, AI and autonomous driving reshape the auto industry, GM is taking a big swing amid growing competition from Chinese rivals and leaders in the race toward self-driving cars.
Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted a sortie on Monday, flying as far as the Iranian border, according to Israeli and U.S. officials.
Why it matters: The operation, more than 800 miles away from Israel, took place a week before the Israeli elections and on the same day Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda Air Base. The sortie wasn't connected to Hegseth's visit.
While some Israeli and U.S. officials said the sortie wasn't unusual and that it was meant to deter Iran, it could have led to a miscalculation, triggering an Iranian response andreigniting the war.
French borrowing costs are heading unrelentingly upward, making for a slow-moving fiscal debacle in Europe's second-largest economy.
Why it matters: It shows the risks for other advanced countries, including the U.S., as they face the combined pressure of large deficits, political resistance to austerity and a wary bond market.
Traders are betting that oil prices will remain elevated for longer than they anticipated just weeks ago, threatening to prolong the inflationary pressures that businesses and consumers have weathered for months.
Why it matters: Oil inventories have helped cushion the blow from disrupted Middle Eastern supplies, but much of that buffer has been depleted since the war began.
The possibility of sustained price pressures into next year throws into doubt the logic that central banks traditionally rely upon to look through energy price shifts — that they represent a one-time shift in relative prices, not an ongoing inflationary process.
The inevitable merger of SpaceX and Tesla took an orbital leap forward yesterday, with Elon Musk calling it "a good idea" and both companies forming special committees to discuss a deal.
Why it matters: This would be the largest corporate tie-up in history.
Private equity firm General Atlantic and 32 Equity, an investment vehicle of the National Football League, plan to raise a fund that will invest in sports-related companies.
Why it matters: For the NFL owners, this advances global expansion goals while also creating a new revenue stream (i.e., carried interest) that needn't be shared with players.
The AI boom is moving into its rational exuberance phase, to adapt a term from the last tech bubble: Investors are pulling back funding and demanding more evidence that their investments will actually pay off.
Why it matters: It's a delicate dance. The economy is running on the AI trade right now. Can investors take air out of the bubble without popping the whole damn thing?
Anthropic's impending IPO will test a jittery Wall Street, but investors say the timing isn't optional. The reason is simple math: The AI giant has grown too big for private fundraising.
Why it matters: Top AI companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are racking up 12-figure spending commitments, straining the financial system's ability to keep up with a buildout that rivals America's railroads or interstate highways.
With private borrowing costs spiking, tapping the massive liquidity of the public markets is the best way to fund the next phase of the AI arms race, investors say.
