Bloomberg’s Potent AI Agent for the Terminal

May 1, 2026

‌

US Midterm Map Tug-of-War: Voting Rights Ruling Could Fuel Era of Endless Redistricting Fights (New York Times)
‌

The Supreme Court’s decision to upend a key provision of the Voting Rights Act has plunged the nation into a dizzying new era of partisan conflict, most likely ushering in a forever redistricting war that could produce fewer competitive seats in Congress and further polarize American politics.
‌

Left as probable casualties are longstanding principles of fair representation — along with American voters, who are likelier now to be shunted into hyper-partisan districts drawn in each state to benefit the party in power, the New York Times writes.

A great carving could effectively dilute the power of millions, especially minority voters, and make partisan primaries more important than general elections when it comes to choosing leaders.

‌

The ruling by the court’s conservative majority struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, describing it as an unconstitutional gerrymander that improperly considered race to create a majority-Black district. The ruling, Democrats argued, effectively removed one of the final guardrails that kept the most ruthlessly partisan interests at bay when it came to drawing congressional and legislative maps.

Congressional maps are supposed to be drawn once a decade to account for population shifts and ensure fair representation. But last year, President Trump started a rare, mid-decade gerrymandering arms race when he asked Texas officials to create a new map to benefit Republicans in what was widely anticipated to be a difficult midterm cycle for the party. California countered with a map favoring Democrats. Several other red and blue states followed, according to the New York Times.

The court’s decision on Wednesday has already prompted Louisiana and several other states to consider new maps in time for this year’s midterms. Still others are considering a fresh round of redistricting ahead of 2028. Election lawyers in both parties are contemplating a host of legal challenges as officials try to understand the Supreme Court’s new guidelines.

‌

Terminal Intelligence

‌

Bloomberg, the OG of Financial Data Firms, Has a Potent New AI Agent. How It Built It Holds Lessons for Other Companies (Fortune)

‌

AI companies want to introduce AI agents for financial services firms. Bloomberg just rolled out its own AI agent, ASKB.

‌

The OG of specialized financial data and analysis tools, of course, is Bloomberg, Fortune writes. Access to the company’s Terminal, as it calls its core product, is still considered the de rigueur tool of every trader, investment banker, and hedge fund quant.

‌

ASKB, which is billed as the biggest rethink of the Terminal in Bloomberg’s history, allows users to use natural language to navigate the Terminal’s features and functions, but it does far more than this. The system acts as an agent, building investment screens and producing full research reports, including sophisticated financial modeling and bull and bear cases for particular stocks, on the fly.

‌

Data remains the critical differentiator. Fortune recently interviewed Bloomberg CTO Shawn Edwards, who explained that ASKB pulls from Bloomberg News, sell-side research from over 800 providers, market data, and, increasingly, so-called “alternative datasets” that are hard or expensive to source. Having it all in one place allows the ASKB agent to do some powerful things, Shawn says, such as aligning this data with the business segments a public company reports in order to “nowcast” a company’s quarterly KPIs.

‌

Shawn also said AI agents have dramatically accelerated how Bloomberg builds data sets. Data ingestion that used to take four-and-a-half months now takes two days, he says. And he is unequivocal about what it takes to make systems like this work: “Evaluations, I cannot stress enough, are the make-or-break of building a useful, trustworthy system.”

‌

According to Fortune, much of what Shawn said holds lessons for enterprises in any industry that are trying to get agentic AI to deliver real business value. This kind of proactive, always-on agent is where a lot of businesses want to go. Bloomberg is showing some key steps along the path, Fortune writes.

Read the full piece here.

‌

What I'm Reading

Royal Pour: Trump Says US Removing Scotch Tariffs After UK King’s Visit (Bloomberg)

President Trump said he would be removing some whiskey tariffs following a visit from King Charles III, a move that delivers a major trade concession to the UK.
‌

Trump told reporters that “I just took all the restrictions off so Scotland and Kentucky can start dealing again. And I did it in honor of the king and queen, who just left.”

‌

Tariffs on Scotch whiskey have been a major flash point between the US and UK. The UK had argued lifting the duties would benefit the US bourbon industry because it exports used casks to Scotch producers, a trade exchange Trump cited in his social media post announcing the decision.

Ukraine in Limbo: Zelenskiy Says Iran War Leaves Kyiv Hanging for Peace Talks (Bloomberg)

‌

Ukraine is in limbo waiting for a resumption of peace talks that might end the war with Russia, with the distraction caused by the conflict in Iran a key obstacle, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

‌

Ukraine has yet to receive any new signals from either Russia or the US on when the negotiations might pick up again, while American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are still considering a visit to Kyiv, Zelenskiy told Bloomberg News in a phone interview on Thursday.

‌

With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine now in its fifth year, peace talks between the sides — which have yielded little progress — stalled in mid-February after the last round in Geneva. The process was later derailed by the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Currency Defense: Japan Likely Spent About $34.5 Billion on Yen Intervention (Bloomberg)

Golden State Shock: California Gasoline Price Surges Above $6 as Iran War Fans Gains (Bloomberg)
‌

Gasoline in California has topped $6 a gallon as the global energy crunch from the Iran war reverberates.

‌

The average statewide price for regular gasoline rose to $6.01, according to data from the American Automobile Association. That’s the highest since October 2023. No other state has ever surpassed the $6-a-gallon mark. At the outset of the war, the price in the Golden State was $4.64 a gallon.

‌

Skyrocketing pump prices are a major political risk for Trump’s White House, especially ahead of the midterm elections. In addition, the gains stand to complicate policy decisions for the Federal Reserve, as officials seek to keep inflation in check while sustaining employment.

‌

No More Wagers: US Senate Bans Members, Staff From Trading on Prediction Markets (Bloomberg)

The US Senate voted unanimously Thursday to ban its members and staff from trading on fast-growing prediction markets, highlighting concerns about insider trading on the platforms after a US soldier was accused of using classified information to profit from trades.

The Senate rule change proposed by Republican Bernie Moreno of Ohio and amended by Democrat Alex Padilla of California takes effect immediately.

“We must never allow Congress to turn into a casino where members representing the public can gamble on wars or economic crises or elections,” the New York Democrat said. He called on Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately follow suit in the House.

76 Days Later: Trump Signs Legislation Ending Shutdown at Homeland Security (Bloomberg)

‌

The longest partial shutdown in US history ended Thursday after the House passed funding for most of the Homeland Security Department, just days ahead of missed paychecks for Transportation Security Administration workers that threatened to throw airports into chaos for a second time this year.

‌

Gilded Rejection: American Public Rejects Trump’s Ballroom by Wide Margin (Washington Post)

‌

Truth Social Crashout of the Week: Trump Brags About His Brain as He Goes on Manic Posting Spree (The Daily Beast)

President Trump boasted about his brain power as he raged against his foes in a fresh Truth Social posting spree on Thursday.

Trump touted that he "aced" his cognitive exams as he took a swipe at his predecessors, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, in a bizarre flurry of posts that took aim at everyone from the chancellor of Germany to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies. One of the posts:

‌

Tech Giant Outlook: Apple Forecast Tops Estimates Even as Mac Shortages Linger (Bloomberg)

‌

Apple delivered a surprisingly strong revenue forecast for the third quarter, even as it warned that memory-chip costs will increase and that shortages of Mac computers will persist for “several months.”

‌

The company has benefited from a series of new products launched in March, including the MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e, updated iPad Air models and a fresh MacBook Pro. The $599 Neo — Apple’s first major push into low-cost laptops — has been particularly popular and remains sold out at several retailers.

The outlook bodes well for incoming Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, who takes the reins from Tim Cook on Sept. 1. Ternus appeared briefly on the conference call, saying he would maintain Cook’s “thoughtfulness, deliberateness and discipline” as CEO.

Coming Up in UK Dining: The 11 Best New London Restaurants Opening in May 2026 (Time Out)

London’s dining scene is serving a seriously stacked May, with Vesper bringing Jackson Boxer’s signature big-bistro buzz to Exmouth Market and Arcade Covent Garden rolling in with a dream-team lineup that includes Zylia and Plaza Khao Gaeng.

South of the river, All Roads is graduating from supper-club stardom to a Brixton permanent home, while Dough Hands is taking its cult-favourite pies to a new residency in Hackney Wick for what sounds like a very hot slice summer.

There’s star power, too: Maai marks Great British Menu winner Nikita Pathakji’s first solo restaurant, and Oudh 1722 brings Aktar Islam’s much-hyped Awadhi cooking to Borough.

Add in the community-driven 130 Primrose, the reborn The Victory in East Dulwich, and the terrace-and-basement-bar appeal of Lady of the Grapes SE1, and London’s May restaurant roster is looking outrageously delicious.

Historic Win: Knicks Crush Hawks in Record-Setting 140-89 Game 6 Rout to Advance in NBA Playoffs (CBS News)
‌

OG Anunoby scored 29 points in 27 minutes, Karl-Anthony Towns had his second triple-double of the series and the New York Knicks had their biggest playoff victory in franchise history, overwhelming and eliminating the Atlanta Hawks 140-89 in Game 6 on Thursday night.

‌

The Knicks broke several NBA records by halftime. Their 40-15 lead at the end of the first quarter marked the largest of the shot clock era. Their 47-point halftime lead was the biggest in playoff history.

‌

It was New York's third straight win after falling to 1-2 in the series following back-to-back one-point losses. The Knicks will face the winner of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers series in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Grocery Grief: ‘World’s Busiest’ Trader Joe’s in NYC Will Close Its Doors Indefinitely — and Fans are Devastated: ‘This is a Catastrophe’ (New York Post)
‌

The busiest Trader Joe’s location is shutting its doors — for now.

The Upper West Side store at West 72nd Street and Broadway is closing temporarily for “major renovation plans” starting next month.

According to a physical sign sitting outside the store, their last day open will be May 17.

‌

The colossal 12,500-square-foot location is “hands down the busiest Trader Joe’s in the world,” according to Trader Joe’s itself.
‌

Nevertheless, loyal T. Joe’s shoppers were devastated to hear about the closure. “This is a catastrophe. Please respect our privacy during this difficult time,” wrote one New Yorker on X.

‌

Weekend Streaming and Film Guide

Devil Wears Prada 2 (In Theaters)
Nearly 20 years after the original, The Devil Wears Prada 2 premieres today in theaters, returning to the glossy, cutthroat world of Runway for a new chapter shaped by a changing fashion and media industry. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci all return for the sequel, which picks up 20 years later with Miranda Priestly and company facing a very different era.

Widow's Bay (Apple TV)
Widow’s Bay stars Matthew Rhys as a mayor who hopes to save his remote island town by marketing its long-whispered curse to tourists. His plan works — until the eerie stories locals have always warned about start becoming real. The first three episodes premiere together, followed by weekly releases through mid-June.

Kentucky Derby (NBC, Peacock)
Dust off your biggest hat and prep your mint julep ingredients because it’s time for the 152nd Kentucky Derby. NBC will be providing live coverage and analysis with Mike Tirico as host and Jerry Bailey and Randy Moss talking about the race. Steve Kornacki will be tracking betting trends, strategies and odds. Though coverage begins in the mid-afternoon, the big race will air at approximately 6:57 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC and available to stream on Peacock.

‌

Best of Late Night

‌

On this week's royal visit from King Charles III and Queen Camilla:

“During the state visit at the White House, King Charles gifted President Trump a gold bell from an old submarine called the HMS Trump. And what better gift for a guy who’s way underwater.”
-- Seth Meyers

“Unfortunately, the only bell Trump likes is the taco one.”
-- Jimmy Kimmel

"King Charles and Queen Camilla were in New York City. And in honor of their visit, Times Square Elmo switched from Jack Daniel's to Crown Royal.”
-- Jimmy Fallon

“In honor of the king and queen being here, this morning a cabdriver flipped me off with his pinkie out.”
-- Jimmy Fallon

And from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Enjoy this exclusive first look at the trailer for Stephen Colbert's next project, a network TV procedural drama about two detectives who are also uncles, starring John C. Reilly.

‌