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AI Tradeoff: Jack Dorsey’s Block Slashes Nearly Half Its Staff in AI Bet (Bloomberg)
Jack Dorsey’s Block is cutting 4,000 employees,
reducing its workforce by nearly half, in a move the financial technology firm is describing as a bet on artificial intelligence changing the future of labor productivity.
Block has been restructuring its business model
and staffing since 2024 as the company’s stock has lagged. At the same time, the company has invested heavily in AI tools to run more efficiently, including building its own tool called Goose.
Diplomacy Under Pressure: New Iran Talks Set for Next Week as US Builds Up Forces (Bloomberg)
US and Iranian officials ended the latest round of nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday by agreeing to reconvene as soon as next week, opening the door to further diplomacy even as President Donald Trump masses military forces in the region.
Canada Latest: Prime Minister Carney Travels to India, Australia and Japan to Diversify Canadian Trade Away from the US (Associated Press)
Health at Risk: WHO Chief Says US Wrong to Cut Millions From mRNA Vaccine Work (Bloomberg)
The US made a mistake when it pulled almost $500 million of funding from research into the technology that generated Covid shots, according to World Health Organization Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Defunding mRNA research is the wrong decision. I hope they will reconsider,” Tedros said in an interview on Bloomberg’s The Mishal Husain Show. “We are in the molecular age and this technology has a huge potential,” he said, pointing to the possibility of using mRNA vaccines to treat cancers in the future.
Oval Office Talks: Mamdani and Trump Discuss Housing at ‘Productive’ Meeting in Washington (New York Times)
Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City made an unannounced trip to Washington on Thursday to meet with President Trump, and suggested afterward that they had found common ground around building more housing in New York.
Closed-Door Deposition: Hillary Clinton Testifies She Never Met Epstein, Accuses GOP of "Cover-Up" (Axios)
🔊 Dive Deeper: The Daily Read Podcast just dropped—and it’s packed with an AI-powered breakdown of today’s biggest headlines. We go beyond the scroll with the key takeaways, smart context, and the “why it matters” behind each story, so you can stay ahead in less time. Listen now on Spotify or
Apple Podcasts.
Downtown Manhattan News: World Trade Center’s Last Office Tower Soon Will Get Built and House American Express (Associated Press)
The World Trade Center’s final office tower
will start construction as soon as this spring and become American Express' new headquarters, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the company announced, marking a milestone nearly 25 years after the Sept. 11 attacks destroyed the site.
The announcement represents a big step, physically and symbolically, in fulfilling a pledge of renewal at ground zero. Hochul and other officials also trumpeted the project as a sign of New York’s continued vitality as a business hub.
Fashion Oops: Melania Trump Says American Fashion “Can Lead”—While She’s Dressed in European Labels (Vanity Fair)
UK Dining Recs: March 2026 Restaurant Openings—With Big London Comebacks on the List (Time Out - London)
March is set to be a big month for dining in London, with one of the city’s most iconic restaurants finally set to reopen after closing six years ago during the pandemic: Simpson’s in the Strand will be back in action in the first week of March, led by restaurateur Jeremy King.
A historic institution serving traditional British fare since 1828 and once beloved by Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Simpson’s was also one of the first UK restaurants to earn a Michelin star back in 1974.
It’s not the only returning legend, either—much-loved east London pub The Gun has just reopened under new management, Camden LGBT+ institution The Black Cap is set to return, and the capital’s pizza obsession shows absolutely no signs of slowing up with a new pop-up in Islington.
Explore the full list here.
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