FT News Briefing Disney’s new CEO faces first challenge
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May 5, 2026 
Ryan McMurrow, an FT San Francisco finance correspondent covering tech and AI, joins Anna Nicolaou, the FT’s US media editor covering Disney and media power plays. They dig into US-Iran clashes in the Strait of Hormuz, Anthropic’s $1.5bn Wall Street tie-up and the AI rivalry with OpenAI. Then the focus shifts to Disney’s new chief facing a Trump-era political firestorm.
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Hormuz Fighting Rekindles Global Oil Shock
- Fighting near the Strait of Hormuz instantly rippled into energy markets because the route has effectively been shut since the war began.
- Marc Filippino says stranded tankers and Iranian threats against escorting naval vessels pushed Brent crude up to $115 a barrel.
Anthropic And PE Race To Wire AI Into Portfolios
- Anthropic and major private equity firms are using a $1.5bn venture to lock AI into portfolio companies before rivals do.
- Ryan McMurrow says engineers will be sent into midsize businesses, while firms fear laggards will lose out as AI disrupts software and other industries.
Jimmy Kimmel Joke Turned Into A Disney Crisis
- Disney's latest Trump clash grew from a Jimmy Kimmel joke into a far bigger crisis after the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting.
- Anna Nicolaou says Trump allies demanded Disney and ABC fire Kimmel after his Melania Trump joke and the later assassination attempt atmosphere.