Germany's Silent Shift: From Entrepreneurs To State Dependence

Germany's Economy Minister Urges Nuclear Rethink As Energy Prices Surge, Growth Forecasts Slide Germany’s Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has openly called for a fundamental reassessment of the country’s long-standing rejection of nuclear power, warning that heavy dependence on gas has left Europe’s largest economy dangerously exposed to repeated energy shocks. Speaking at the launch of a new international investor conference aimed at drawing foreign capital into Germany, Reiche told the Financial Times that the decision by previous governments to phase out nuclear generation has eliminated any realistic alternative for reliable baseload...

Nvidia Favors $30 Billion OpenAI Investment, Retreating From Prior $100 Billion Commitment Update (Friday):  Bloomberg reported earlier this week that OpenAI is nearing completion of a new funding round that could raise more than $100 billion. Separately, the Financial Times reported on Thursday that Nvidia is close to finalizing an investment of about $30 billion in OpenAI, a significantly smaller amount than the $100 billion commitment agreed upon last year. FT cited people familiar with the funding round who said the "final stages" have begun and that Nvidia's $30 billion equity...

Hormuz Mine Threat Emerges; White House Denies Tanker Escort Update (1431ET): And there we have it: *LEAVITT: US NAVY HAS NOT ESCORTED TANKER THROUGH HORMUZ Shortly after the farce of Secretary Wright's deleted tweet on a US military-escorted tanker, CBS'  Jim LaPorta reports that U.S. intelligence assets have begun to see indications Iran is taking steps to deploy mines in Strait of Hormuz shipping lane. LaPorta added that Iran is reportedly using smaller crafts that can carry 2 to 3 mines each. While Iran’s mine stock isn’t publicly known, estimates over the years have...