| Plus, what it’s like to report on Israel and how Goop became big business |
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| Welcome to the weekend! It’s August second, do you know where your tariffs are? This week Trump announced numerous exceptions to the 50% tariff levied on one of the largest economies in the Western Hemisphere. Good news for orange juice and airplanes, bad news for coffee and beef. Do you know the country? Find out with this week’s Pointed quiz. What is never uncertain? How good our audio playlist is, available in the Bloomberg app. We’ve got six great stories, on everything from golf to Gwyneth. Don’t miss Sunday’s Forecast, in which we cover AI, the EU and the US labor market. For unlimited access to Bloomberg.com, please subscribe. | |
Hate the Player Not the Game | |
| We don’t think anyone wanted to hear this but if a chatbot had the chance, it would probably try to kill you. The ability to scheme is deeply tied to the ability to reason more broadly, which suggests that the smarter AI models get, the more likely it is they’ll try to outsmart us. Especially when their own best interest is on the line – as researchers recently discovered when an AI chose in a test not to rescue an executive in mortal peril, in order to avoid being replaced by a new model. As AIs become smarter they will be more likely to intentionally and secretly pursue goals at odds with our own. “People should probably be freaking out more than they are,” AI engineer Jeffrey Ladish told Garrison Lovely. | |
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| Scheming might not be the worst thing in sports. One of the greater challenges confronting golf today is the pace of play, which is made worse by overcrowding on courses. Cheating can help, argues Drew Millard. Faced with a day when the air felt like “hot soup,” Millard says, “I crumpled up my scorecard and began shamelessly dropping balls in favorable locations, conceding putts, and doing whatever else I needed.” There is a good case that bending and breaking the rules a little can make the game more fun for everyone. “We just have to be brave enough to admit that sometimes, it’s fair to let people cheat.” | |
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| Think that’s crazy? When Oscar-winning it-girl and original nepo baby Gwyneth Paltrow launched her lifestyle website Goop the world kind of thought she was crazy, too. But despite debunking, lawsuits and missteps such as the Jade eggs (IYKYK), Goop continued to rise, and Paltrow fundamentally reshaped the wellness industry. “For a long time, both Paltrow and Goop were able to slough off the medical community’s criticism like so many dead skin cells,” Dana Thomas writes in a review of a the new “Gwyneth” biography by Amy Odell. But as Gwyneth’s turn as the Astronomer spokesperson this week shows, the minute we think we have her figured out, she proves everyone wrong. | |
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Has Public Opinion Shifted on the War in Gaza? | |
| Bloomberg Weekend’s Mishal Husain spoke with Israel bureau chief Ethan Bronner about the mood inside the country as the war in Gaza presses into its 22nd month, and the unique challenges of reporting on the conflict. In a wide-ranging conversation, Bronner discusses images of skeletal children, world leaders calling for Palestinian statehood, and whether perceptions are beginning to shift. He also says the country has changed dramatically since he began reporting from Jerusalem in the 1980s: “Israel is becoming a more populist, tribal place. There’s no doubt about that. Does that mean it will be a failure or a success? Depends on what you value in life.”  Families of hostages and their supporters hold signs and photos during a rally on July 19, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Photographer: Amir Levy/Getty Images | |
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| ASIA Taiwan has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world. But that isn’t stopping some weekend warriors, fearing Chinese invasion, from signing up for urban warfare courses and practicing with plastic guns, Yian Lee reports. But these airsoft weapons, typically used for recreation, might prove a strategic asset in the case of actual conflict. The factories say with the right approvals and supplies, they can shift from producing toys to real weapons.  Taiwanese civilians take part in close-quarter combat training with airsoft rifles in Taichung, Taiwan. Photographer: An Rong Xu/Bloomberg EUROPE Capitulation to Trump will cost Europe more than it thinks. Yet while Europeans acknowledge the trade deal secured last weekend could have been a lot worse, it brings to a halt 80 years of progress towards deepening transatlantic economic ties. History suggests it could be years if not decades before the pendulum swings back towards free trade, Simon Nixon writes.  Illustration: Valentin Tkach for Bloomberg America’s obsession with being “number one” is holding back innovation. Today, so much of the wildest innovation isn’t being done by companies focused on jawdropping market caps or witty names (looking at you, Boring Company), but instead by unsexy workhorse firms in countries working on smaller projects. In parts of Europe the “mittelstand,” or middle sized companies, are credited with some of the highest quality products in the world (think Swiss rail). “What if the US isn’t the world’s most innovative country?” Adrian Wooldridge asks for Bloomberg Opinion. | |
‘Amazon for Criminals’ | | “Cybercrime has already become deeply embedded in the operations of global capitalism.” | | Chen Yanyu A cybercrime researcher in Taiwan | Huione, once a darling of the Asian fintech world, has helped supercharge the growth of Asia’s cyberscam industry and is accused by the US Treasury of facilitating the laundering of at least $4 billion through crypto heists and scams. The “world’s largest bazaar for illicit goods” has defied shutdowns, bans and sanctions with constantly shapeshifting shadowy affiliates – laying bare the limits of financial oversight.
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| What we’re listening to: Tech VCs love to host a podcast. “Dwarkesh is harder to get on than Rogan.” That’s all I have to say about that. What we’re watching: Our investigation into China’s quiet construction of data centers in the remote Xinjiang region, which it hopes will fuel its AI ambitions, as well as its plans to buy 115,000 US-designed Nvidia chips to power them (The catch? Exporting these chips to China is banned.) What we’re breathing: Rebuilding after WW2, one city in Germany prioritized airflow. As climate change and air pollution intensify around the world, scientists are wondering if the city has the answers to urban cooling. After a sweltering, smokey weekend across the northeast US, we’re interested. What we’re sending to our parents (and maybe also bookmarking for ourselves): How to Avoid a Crypto Scam. Crypto crimes are still on a spectacular growth trajectory, rising 25% each year. The scammers are professionalized in a way that makes everyone vulnerable. Learn from the scammers with our handy guide. What we’re envious of: Turns out this year’s biggest holiday flex is disappearing from view completely. For those who can afford to – and I’d love to hear from you – here’s a list of the hottest places to abscond this summer (Yes, Slovenia.) | |
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