beekeepx/iStock via Getty Images There are some industries that I really just love writing about. The more boring and simpler a company or industry is, the more I enjoy digging into it. And you really don't get much more boring than the aggregates industry. One of the companies in this space that I have been bullish about is Knife River Corporation ( KNF ). Management describes the company as an a...
beekeepx/iStock via Getty Images There are some industries that I really just love writing about. The more boring and simpler a company or industry is, the more I enjoy digging into it. And you really don't get much more boring than the aggregates industry. One of the companies in this space that I have been bullish about is Knife River Corporation ( KNF ). Management describes the company as an aggregates-based, vertically integrated construction materials and contracting services company. The company boasts about 1.3 billion tons of aggregate reserves. And what's really awesome is the vertically integrated side of this. The company does not settle for only extracting and selling aggregates. About 35% of these support internal production of ready-mix concrete, asphalt, and more. The company also provides certain contracting services like heavy civil and concrete construction services. And as a firm that operates across 15 states, it does have regional reach at least. These attributes, not to mention continued growth of the business and a share price that is attractive compared to other similar firms, are exactly why I have been bullish about it. Back in April, for instance, I called it a compelling ‘buy’ candidate. I was drawn in by its robust growth and attractive valuation. But since then, the share price has fallen some, dipping 8.6% while the S&P 500 is up 9.2%. This is painful to say the least. But the good news is that, for those focused on the long haul, this just makes the company cheaper than it was previously. And with fundamentals still continuing to improve on the top line and the backlog for the company expanding, I see no reason not to maintain it as a ‘buy’ candidate right now. Backing Up The Truck Even though I do not own shares of Knife River Corporation, I can definitely understand why some investors would. In my last article about the business, I covered results through the final quarter of 2025. The only new data that is available since then inv...
PSQ Holdings ( PSQH ) will implement a 1-for-15 reverse stock split , effective July 13, 2026, with trading on a split-adjusted basis beginning the same day. The reverse split will reduce outstanding Class A common shares from ~50.35M to 3.36M. The move is intended to meet the NYSE's minimum share price requirement for continued listing. The company expects the higher share price to improve instit...
PSQ Holdings ( PSQH ) will implement a 1-for-15 reverse stock split , effective July 13, 2026, with trading on a split-adjusted basis beginning the same day. The reverse split will reduce outstanding Class A common shares from ~50.35M to 3.36M. The move is intended to meet the NYSE's minimum share price requirement for continued listing. The company expects the higher share price to improve institutional investor appeal and potentially support FTSE Russell index eligibility. Outstanding equity awards and warrants will be adjusted proportionally, with public warrants becoming exercisable for 1/15th of a share at an exercise price of $172.50. More on PSQ Holdings PSQ Holdings, Inc. (PSQH) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript PSQ outlines $8M annualized cash savings while targeting Brands sale agreement in H1 2026 PSQ Holdings GAAP EPS of -$0.12, revenue of $8.15B Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on PSQ Holdings Historical earnings data for PSQ Holdings
Linda Noskova had arrived at Wimbledon as one of the most dangerous young talents yet to make a grand slam breakthrough but the Czech completed that journey on Thursday, producing a clinical display to defeat Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4 and reach the first major final of her career. “I don’t know how I feel,” said Noskova. “It was a great match. I stayed calm the whole time, which was the mai...
Linda Noskova had arrived at Wimbledon as one of the most dangerous young talents yet to make a grand slam breakthrough but the Czech completed that journey on Thursday, producing a clinical display to defeat Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4 and reach the first major final of her career. “I don’t know how I feel,” said Noskova. “It was a great match. I stayed calm the whole time, which was the main goal. But I always realise any success or a good tournament after it’s done. Right now, I am focusing on the final.” Continue reading...
It remains unclear how much of substance will change – and whether it will be enough to rebuild electoral coalition On the final day of Labour’s party conference in 2023, when the public was still reeling from the brutal Hamas attack on Israel just days before, Keir Starmer took to the airwaves for the traditional broadcast round – but gave one interview that would have particularly damaging fallo...
It remains unclear how much of substance will change – and whether it will be enough to rebuild electoral coalition On the final day of Labour’s party conference in 2023, when the public was still reeling from the brutal Hamas attack on Israel just days before, Keir Starmer took to the airwaves for the traditional broadcast round – but gave one interview that would have particularly damaging fallout. Sitting down with LBC’s Nick Ferrari, the then opposition leader asserted Israel’s right to defend itself, a stance that was in line with the broad political consensus at the time. But then he also appeared to suggest it had “the right” to withhold power and water from Palestinian civilians. Continue reading...
WD-40 press release ( WDFC ): Q3 Non-GAAP EPS of $2.33 beats by $0.77 . Revenue of $195.1M (+24.3% Y/Y) beats by $22.3M . For fiscal year 2026, the Company expects net sales, excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, to be between $652 million and $667 million vs. a consensus of $661.63M , representing growth of 6% to 9% compared with pro forma fiscal year 2025 net sales. Based on cur...
WD-40 press release ( WDFC ): Q3 Non-GAAP EPS of $2.33 beats by $0.77 . Revenue of $195.1M (+24.3% Y/Y) beats by $22.3M . For fiscal year 2026, the Company expects net sales, excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, to be between $652 million and $667 million vs. a consensus of $661.63M , representing growth of 6% to 9% compared with pro forma fiscal year 2025 net sales. Based on current exchange rates, reported net sales are expected to be between $675 million and $690 million, representing growth of 10 percent to 12 percent compared with pro forma fiscal year 2025 net sales. Gross margin is now expected to be between 54.5 percent and 55.5 percent. The revised outlook incorporates a 40-basis-point adjustment due to the reclassification of homecare and cleaning brands, along with an additional 60 basis points from higher-than-expected cost increases. The Company has implemented pricing actions and cost-saving initiatives, with the majority of the expected benefit anticipated in fiscal year 2027. Advertising and promotion investment is expected to remain approximately 6 percent of net sales. Non-GAAP operating income is expected to be between $107 million and $113 million, representing growth of 5 percent to 11 percent compared with pro forma fiscal year 2025 results. The provision for income tax is expected to be around 22.5 percent. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share are expected to be between $6.05 and $6.35 vs. a consensus of $5.99 , based on an estimated 13.5 million weighted-average shares outstanding. This outlook represents growth of 6 percent to 11 percent compared with pro forma fiscal year 2025 results. More on WD-40 WD-40: A Smart Shift To Premium Products, But Not At This Valuation WD-40: Not Seeing Much Progress WD-40 Q3 2026 Earnings Preview These 10 mid-cap U.S. consumer staples firms rank among the sector's least attractively valued stocks Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on WD-40
"Bloomberg Real Yield" highlights the market-moving news you need to know. Today's guests: Societe Generale Americas Head of Research Subadra Rajappa, Longtail Alpha Founder Vineer Bhansali, CreditSights Head of US IG & Macro Strategy Zachary Griffiths, and Octagon Credit Investors CEO Gretchen Lam. (Source: Bloomberg)
"Bloomberg Real Yield" highlights the market-moving news you need to know. Today's guests: Societe Generale Americas Head of Research Subadra Rajappa, Longtail Alpha Founder Vineer Bhansali, CreditSights Head of US IG & Macro Strategy Zachary Griffiths, and Octagon Credit Investors CEO Gretchen Lam. (Source: Bloomberg)
September arabica coffee (KCU26 ) on Thursday closed up +38.10 (+12.30%), and September ICE robusta coffee (RMU26 ) closed up +302 (+8.07%). Coffee prices settled sharply higher on Thursday, continuing the volatile price swings seen this week. After Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) raised margin requirements for coffee futures trading earlier this...
September arabica coffee (KCU26 ) on Thursday closed up +38.10 (+12.30%), and September ICE robusta coffee (RMU26 ) closed up +302 (+8.07%). Coffee prices settled sharply higher on Thursday, continuing the volatile price swings seen this week. After Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) raised margin requirements for coffee futures trading earlier this...
SkyWest ( SKYW ) announced on Thursday that Wade Steel has been named president and chief operating officer of SkyWest Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of SkyWest. As president and chief operating officer of SkyWest Airlines, Steel will be responsible for the airline’s operational and fiscal success. He will oversee SkyWest Airlines leadership and continue reporting to Chip Childs , President a...
SkyWest ( SKYW ) announced on Thursday that Wade Steel has been named president and chief operating officer of SkyWest Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of SkyWest. As president and chief operating officer of SkyWest Airlines, Steel will be responsible for the airline’s operational and fiscal success. He will oversee SkyWest Airlines leadership and continue reporting to Chip Childs , President and CEO of SkyWest. Steel joined SkyWest leadership in 2007 and served as Vice President — Controller of SkyWest Airlines from 2011 to 2014. He was named Executive Vice President of SkyWest in 2014 before becoming the chief commercial officer in 2015. As Steel assumes leadership of the airline’s operations and assets, Bryce Bailey has been named vice president of commercial contracts, where he will oversee the entity’s vendor and commercial agreements. He will continue to report to Wade Steel . “As SkyWest grows, these leadership appointments will help us continue to evolve and advance while holding fast to our core values of excellent service & quality, operational reliability, respect and teamwork, and always safety first,” continued Childs. “We look forward to the bright future ahead.” Source: press release More on SkyWest SkyWest's Cheap Valuation Leaves Meaningful Upside SkyWest: Undervalued Regional Leader With Durable Contracts And Strong Earnings Visibility SkyWest, Inc. (SKYW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript Goldman Sachs raises airlines' outlook, downgrades SkyWest on block hour guidance SkyWest anticipates 2026 GAAP EPS in the $11 area while preparing to launch the CRJ450 with United this fall
The US Department of Agriculture dramatically lowered its reported beef export sales for late June on Thursday, sparking fresh concerns about the quality of the agency’s data after staffing losses as part of the Trump administration’s reshaping of the federal government. USDA said exporters in late June sold a net 12,064 tonnes of US beef to foreign buyers, 90 per cent lower than the volume it ori...
The US Department of Agriculture dramatically lowered its reported beef export sales for late June on Thursday, sparking fresh concerns about the quality of the agency’s data after staffing losses as part of the Trump administration’s reshaping of the federal government. USDA said exporters in late June sold a net 12,064 tonnes of US beef to foreign buyers, 90 per cent lower than the volume it originally reported a week ago. Traders had largely dismissed USDA’s initial report as inaccurate....
Nurix Therapeutics press release ( NRIX ): Q2 GAAP EPS of -$0.81 misses by $0.08 . Revenue of $9.04M (-79.5% Y/Y) misses by $6.25M . Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $443.5 million as of May 31, 2026, compared to $592.9 million as of November 30, 2025. More on Nurix Therapeutics Nurix Therapeutics Deal With Roche Is Worth Betting On Nurix Therapeutics: 'Strong Buy' Due To Roch...
Nurix Therapeutics press release ( NRIX ): Q2 GAAP EPS of -$0.81 misses by $0.08 . Revenue of $9.04M (-79.5% Y/Y) misses by $6.25M . Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $443.5 million as of May 31, 2026, compared to $592.9 million as of November 30, 2025. More on Nurix Therapeutics Nurix Therapeutics Deal With Roche Is Worth Betting On Nurix Therapeutics: 'Strong Buy' Due To Roche Deal And Bexobrutideg Expansions Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. (NRIX) Discusses Strategic Collaboration for Development and Commercialization of Bexobrutideg for BTK-Mediated Diseases - Slideshow Kymera, Monte Rosa among gainers as Novartis inks deal for molecular glue drugs Biggest stock movers Monday: NRIX, INTC, and more
primeimages Wall Street advanced on Thursday as investors largely looked past ongoing tensions in the Middle East, with broad-based buying helping major indexes extend their recent gains. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) led the move higher with a gain of +1.3%, while the benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) rose +0.8%. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average ( DJI ) added +0.2%. Seeki...
primeimages Wall Street advanced on Thursday as investors largely looked past ongoing tensions in the Middle East, with broad-based buying helping major indexes extend their recent gains. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) led the move higher with a gain of +1.3%, while the benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) rose +0.8%. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average ( DJI ) added +0.2%. Seeking Alpha analyst Leo Nelissen of Main Street Alpha said the session highlighted investors' willingness to focus on underlying economic strength rather than geopolitical uncertainty. “The other day, I joked that if the Iran War were to get worse, the market would have to get back to ‘pumping’ semiconductor stocks,” Nelissen said, referring to the sector's role in supporting market performance during periods of heightened uncertainty. While semiconductor companies again posted solid gains, Nelissen emphasized that Thursday's rally was notable because participation broadened well beyond technology and artificial intelligence-related names. “Luckily, while semiconductor stocks did well, the market showed broad-based strength,” he noted, adding that investors increasingly appear willing to look beyond headlines surrounding the Iran conflict. Although Nelissen said he could not predict when hostilities would end, he argued the expanding market participation signals a broadening economy and the emergence of new investment opportunities outside the technology sector. Market Tracking ETFs: ( DIA ), ( DDM ), ( DOG ), ( DXD ), ( SDOW ), ( SPY ), ( VOO ), ( IVV ), ( RSP ), ( SSO ), ( UPRO ), ( SH ), ( SDS ), ( SPXU ), ( QQQ ), ( QQQM ), ( TQQQ ), ( QID ), and ( SQQQ ). More on markets 25 stocks up over 25% in 2026 that all analysts agree are Buys Slower AI payoff poses broad risks for markets and the economy, Apollo warns Citi sees the next Fed move as a hike and not a cut, amid reduced guidance US30Y tags a 7-week high and is on pace to post an 8th straight day of gains 20 dividend st...
These 2 Must-Watch Firms Could Get a Boost From Earnings ReportsAZZ (NYSE:AZZ) reported record fiscal 2027 first-quarter sales and raised its full-year outlook, citing strength in metal coatings demand, a ramping Precoat Metals facility in Washington, Missouri, and expectations f
These 2 Must-Watch Firms Could Get a Boost From Earnings ReportsAZZ (NYSE:AZZ) reported record fiscal 2027 first-quarter sales and raised its full-year outlook, citing strength in metal coatings demand, a ramping Precoat Metals facility in Washington, Missouri, and expectations f
PriceSmart Stock Eyes $220 as Chile Expansion Fuels GrowthPriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) reported higher third-quarter sales and earnings for fiscal 2026, with management pointing to broad-based comparable sales growth, stronger membership trends and continued investment in new clubs,
PriceSmart Stock Eyes $220 as Chile Expansion Fuels GrowthPriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) reported higher third-quarter sales and earnings for fiscal 2026, with management pointing to broad-based comparable sales growth, stronger membership trends and continued investment in new clubs,
Hello and welcome to the newsletter, a grab bag of daily content from the Odd Lots universe. Sometimes it’s us, Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, bringing you our thoughts on the most recent developments in markets, finance and the economy. And sometimes it’s contributions from our network of expert guests and sources. Whatever it is, we promise it will always be interesting. If you like chatting ...
Hello and welcome to the newsletter, a grab bag of daily content from the Odd Lots universe. Sometimes it’s us, Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, bringing you our thoughts on the most recent developments in markets, finance and the economy. And sometimes it’s contributions from our network of expert guests and sources. Whatever it is, we promise it will always be interesting. If you like chatting with us, check out the Odd Lots Discord , where you can hang out and talk with us and with other listeners 24/7. What Joe is thinking about today Here are a few AI-related thoughts on my mind today: - One thing you often hear is that the big American AI companies (Anthropic and OpenAI) are under pressure from cheaper open source models. And that may be true, but there’s a few things to think about. One is that open source models are not “free” for the user the way, say, a traditional piece of open source software is or was. You still have to pay for the electricity and chips that you need in order run them. And also, the expensive closed-source frontier models face price competition from cheap closed-source models. - Today Meta announced a new model called Muse Spark 1.1 , mostly designed for coding and so-called agentic workflows, and the early pitch from the company is that it really wants to compete on price . Presumably there are plenty of enterprise workflows that don’t need cutting edge intelligence, and in theory companies will shop around for the cheapest option to get a specific task done. - You see all of these AI benchmarks out there, looking at things like how well various models can perform some software engineering task or whatever. And they’re all interesting, but by and large, you don’t see a lot of public price measurement. When I see these benchmarks, I don’t just want to know the percentage of time the task was completed successfully, I want to know how much it cost. There was an interesting post from DoorDash this week which stated that they get their be...
Erik Isakson EQT agreed to purchase Copia Power, which owns and operates integrated large-scale energy and digital infrastructure campuses across the U.S. EQT is buying the d ata center power and infrastructure firm from Carlye Group ( CG ), according to a statement on Thursday. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Earlier Thursday, the Financial Times reported that Carlyle is set to make more tha...
Erik Isakson EQT agreed to purchase Copia Power, which owns and operates integrated large-scale energy and digital infrastructure campuses across the U.S. EQT is buying the d ata center power and infrastructure firm from Carlye Group ( CG ), according to a statement on Thursday. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. Earlier Thursday, the Financial Times reported that Carlyle is set to make more than a fivefold return from the sale. The transaction values Copia Power at $2.6 billion. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. More on Carlyle The Carlyle Group Inc. (CG) Presents at Morgan Stanley US Financials Conference 2026 Transcript Carlyle Group: Cheaper Than Its Peers, But Not Yet A Buy The Carlyle Group: Undervalued Given Limited Private Credit Exposure 10 mega and large-cap financial stocks posting the weakest momentum trends Carlyle Group targets ~$15B for new flagship PE fund - report
FOTOKITA/iStock via Getty Images Since I last checked on the Canadian miner Wheaton Precious Metals ( WPM ) in February, the stock is down by 26%. This comes as no surprise. Gold miners have all seen price drops since the start of the US-Iran war, which resulted in the subsequent drop in gold price. WPM has dropped by almost as much as other big gold miners by market capitalizations, Newmont Corpo...
FOTOKITA/iStock via Getty Images Since I last checked on the Canadian miner Wheaton Precious Metals ( WPM ) in February, the stock is down by 26%. This comes as no surprise. Gold miners have all seen price drops since the start of the US-Iran war, which resulted in the subsequent drop in gold price. WPM has dropped by almost as much as other big gold miners by market capitalizations, Newmont Corporation ( NEM ) and Barrick Mining Corporation ( B ) since. Only Agnico Eagle Mines ( AEM ) has seen a bigger drop and Franco-Nevada Corporation ( FNV ) is down by less (see chart below). This isn't any solace though, since the drop is fairly big. On the other hand, it does provide a good entry point at a time when the company's fundamentals look good. Price Returns (Feb 18, 2026 - Present): WPM, NEM, AEM, B, FNV (Source: Seeking Alpha) Why the WPM Stock is Poised for an Uptick Wheaton already had a lot going for it when I last checked. Better-than-expected gold production, positive indications for this year and attractive market multiples compared to past averages all made a strong case for the stock. The only visible potential drag on the company was its acquisition of Peru's Antamina mine's silver stream. Since it could indicate a risk to earnings in 2026, a Hold rating on the stock followed. However, the company's Q1 2026 results showed little reason for apprehension. In fact, if anything it reinforces a positive outlook on the stocks, as covered in the four points below: #1. Buoyant gold price forecasts After seeing a 69% YoY increase in realized gold price in Q1 2026 to $4,849/oz, the company maintains its gold price assumption of $4,800/oz for the remainder of 2026. This is encouraging in that it's higher than the present gold price of around $4,100/oz and even the average level of $4,391/oz seen in Q2 2026, suggesting that gold can start rising once again. With the average gold price at over $4,600/oz for H1 2026, the yellow metal's price would have to average at $5,...
Niles Investment Management founder and portfolio manager Dan Niles comes on Market Domination to explain why he believes AI is hitting a "speed bump," especially as companies pull back from tokenmaxxing practices and attempt to cut back on artificial intelligence costs.
Niles Investment Management founder and portfolio manager Dan Niles comes on Market Domination to explain why he believes AI is hitting a "speed bump," especially as companies pull back from tokenmaxxing practices and attempt to cut back on artificial intelligence costs.
In the first quarter of 2026, SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) spent $7.7 billion building out AI infrastructure. That was more than three-quarters of the company's entire $10.1 billion capital budget for the period. That is a staggering bet. Will the gamble be worth it? Or is it setting up SpaceX to burn cash faster than the business can replace it? Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
In the first quarter of 2026, SpaceX (NASDAQ: SPCX) spent $7.7 billion building out AI infrastructure. That was more than three-quarters of the company's entire $10.1 billion capital budget for the period. That is a staggering bet. Will the gamble be worth it? Or is it setting up SpaceX to burn cash faster than the business can replace it? Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Aritzia press release ( ATZAF ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPS of C$0.96. Revenue of C$951M (+43.4% Y/Y) Aritzia expects the following for the second quarter of Fiscal 2027 compared to the second quarter of Fiscal 2026: Based on quarter-to-date trends, Aritzia expects net revenue in the range of $1.100 billion to $1.125 billion, representing growth of approximately 35% to 39%. The Company expects gross profit m...
Aritzia press release ( ATZAF ): Q1 Non-GAAP EPS of C$0.96. Revenue of C$951M (+43.4% Y/Y) Aritzia expects the following for the second quarter of Fiscal 2027 compared to the second quarter of Fiscal 2026: Based on quarter-to-date trends, Aritzia expects net revenue in the range of $1.100 billion to $1.125 billion, representing growth of approximately 35% to 39%. The Company expects gross profit margin to increase approximately 250 bps to 300 bps from 43.8% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2026, and SG&A as a percentage of net revenue to decrease approximately 25 bps to 75 bps from 30.8% in the second quarter of Fiscal 2026. Aritzia expects the following for Fiscal 2027: Net revenue in the range of $4.55 billion to $4.75 billion, representing growth of approximately 23% to 28% from Fiscal 2026. 4 This includes the contribution from retail expansion with 12 to 13 new boutiques and four to five boutique repositions. Eleven to twelve new boutiques and two to three repositions are expected to be in the United States with the remainder in Canada. Gross profit margin to increase approximately 175 bps to 225 bps from 44.9% in Fiscal 2026. SG&A as a percentage of net revenue to be approximately flat to down 50 bps from 29.1% in Fiscal 2026. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue 2 to be approximately 19.5%, compared to 17.8% in Fiscal 2026, 5 driven by IMU improvements, savings from the Company's smart spending initiative and expense leverage. Capital cash expenditures (net of proceeds from lease incentives) 2 of approximately $250 million. This includes approximately $210 million related to investments in new and repositioned boutiques expected to open in Fiscal 2027 and Fiscal 2028. Depreciation and amortization of approximately $130 million. More on Aritzia Aritzia Inc. (ATZ:CA) Shareholder/Analyst Call Prepared Remarks Transcript Aritzia: Premium Valuation, Premium Execution Aritzia: Threading The Needle On Hypergrowth And U.S. Expansion Historical earnings data ...
OpenAI and Anthropic are confronting heightened scrutiny from the Trump administration. But first… Three things to know: • Former Fed chairman Ben Bernanke joins Anthropic’s oversight trust • SpaceXAI, Cursor unveil Grok AI model for coding, finance tasks • Nvidia rival Positron holds talks to raise funds at $5 billion valuation Under review Top artificial intelligence companies racing to develop ...
OpenAI and Anthropic are confronting heightened scrutiny from the Trump administration. But first… Three things to know: • Former Fed chairman Ben Bernanke joins Anthropic’s oversight trust • SpaceXAI, Cursor unveil Grok AI model for coding, finance tasks • Nvidia rival Positron holds talks to raise funds at $5 billion valuation Under review Top artificial intelligence companies racing to develop more capable AI models are typically constrained mostly by their access to chips, data and talent. Now, there’s a powerful new limiting factor: the US government. On Thursday, OpenAI rolled out its newest suite of models, GPT-5.6, after weeks of discussions with US government leadership, which OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said had initially requested a more limited release. The talks focused on the latest model’s safeguards and capabilities, which included better performance on cybersecurity-related tasks. Anthropic, meanwhile, decided to disable its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models after the US Commerce Department imposed export controls to ban foreign access to the software. The restrictions were overturned late last month following weeks of back and forth that led to Anthropic creating additional cybersecurity guardrails for its technology. The heightened scrutiny by the US government has injected new uncertainty into the AI sector, which until now has acted with remarkable autonomy. Though OpenAI and Anthropic were eventually able to move forward with introducing their latest models, they and other developers are presumably already preparing for what happens with the next batch of releases in the coming months or even weeks. “We are now in a place where we have a de facto licensing machine,” said Brad Carson, a former member of congress from Oklahoma who leads the nonprofit Americans for Responsible Innovation as well as Public First Action, which funds super PACs and advocates for AI legislation. The government, he said, now “seemingly has to approve the release of all frontier mo...