France

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte hired a Manhattan-based private investigations firm before filing their defamation lawsuit against American conservative podcaster Candace Owens, according to reports that surfaced Monday. The couple enlisted Nardello & Co., a firm led by a former federal prosecutor, to gather information about Owens' political associations and past public remarks ahead of their legal action in Delaware.

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a massive €109 billion ($112.6 billion) private-sector investment plan to supercharge France’s AI industry. This move positions France as Europe’s answer to the U.S. and China in the global AI race. Unveiled ahead of the AI Action Summit in Paris, the initiative aims to bridge the gap with the U.S.'s $500 billion “Stargate” project, a joint venture by OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, while also countering China’s rapid AI advancements, such as DeepSeek’s controversial R1 model.