Topic: trump administration
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Silicon Valley's Surprising New Champion
Silicon Valley's influence is now deeply embedded in the highest levels of government, with figures like David Sacks acting as key conduits for direct access and policy influence, prioritizing business interests over public ideology. The tech industry's political stance has shifted from fringe op...
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Tech Firms: Save Receipts for Potential Tariff Refunds
Technology companies should maintain detailed import expense records due to potential future semiconductor tariff refunds, as proposed tariffs create uncertainty in the recovering tech sector. The Trump administration's proposed semiconductor tariffs face growing pressure for postponement, with o...
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Larry Ellison: The Shadow President of Trump's America
Larry Ellison wields significant, low-profile influence as a "shadow president" in shaping America's second Trump term, operating with calculated subtlety from behind the scenes. Unlike other high-profile billionaires, Ellison's power stems from his foundational cloud and database businesses, all...
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Trump welcomes foreign workers after ICE targets South Koreans in Georgia raid
President Trump extended a welcoming hand to foreign workers shortly after a major immigration raid targeted hundreds of South Korean employees at a Hyundai facility in Georgia, straining economic relations with a key U.S. ally. The raid, which detained nearly 500 workers for visa violations, dre...
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Trump Administration Halts Offshore Wind Project
The Trump administration has halted the nearly complete Revolution Wind offshore energy project, citing national security and maritime activity concerns, as part of a broader effort to restrict wind power development. The suspension follows a U.S. Commerce Department probe into whether wind turbi...
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Tech Giants Fund Trump-Linked Nonprofits
Major tech companies are funding Trump-connected nonprofits amid antitrust battles, suggesting strategic alignment to influence regulatory outcomes. The Trump administration is directing legal settlements from tech firms like YouTube toward presidential projects, including a new White House ballr...
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Big Tech Outmaneuvers MAGA Populists After One Year
Populist figures initially celebrated a perceived victory over Big Tech, believing they had tamed the industry as tech executives sought favor from a new administration. Major tech firms have since outmaneuvered their critics through lobbying and political donations, securing key concessions like...
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Trump's Third-Term Threat: A Stardew Valley Analogy
The White House used an AI-generated image in the style of *Stardew Valley* to promote a policy on school milk, embedding a numerical sequence ("45464748") interpreted as a reference to Trump's presidential terms and a potential unconstitutional third term. The imagery, which included politically...
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Trump Fundraisers Sought Microsoft's White House Ballroom Donation
The Trump administration solicited donations from major tech firms like Microsoft for a privately funded $300 million White House ballroom renovation, as revealed in documents released by Senator Elizabeth Warren. Companies including Microsoft, Amazon, and Comcast were contacted by fundraisers, w...
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The Ultimate Power Play Strategy
The Trump administration's 2017 push to subsidize coal and nuclear power failed, but both sources are now seeing a renewed push driven by the soaring electricity demands of artificial intelligence. The current administration has made nuclear energy a policy priority to power AI, issuing executive...
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Trump Invites Japanese Kei Trucks to US Market
President Trump directed officials to remove regulatory barriers for the domestic production and sale of Japanese kei trucks, aligning with a broader push to alter U.S. fuel economy standards. Kei trucks face a complex U.S. regulatory environment, but a growing niche market is evident as imports ...
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Lawmakers Behind TikTok Ban Admit They're in the Dark
Despite bipartisan legislation to force ByteDance to divest TikTok, the app remains operational due to intervention from the Trump administration, which has stalled a proposed acquisition by U.S. investors. Lawmakers express concerns over the lack of transparency in Trump's proposed deal, particu...
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GOP Plan Could Easily Unmask Census Data
Republican efforts are targeting differential privacy, a key safeguard designed to protect individual identities in US census data, with critics warning that its removal could expose sensitive personal information and skew political representation. The push to eliminate differential privacy is ba...
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Is the AI Boom a Bubble?
The AI investment landscape presents significant opportunities but requires distinguishing between sustainable innovation and speculative hype, with current valuations sometimes disconnected from near-term revenue potential. Breakthroughs in generative AI and large language models have driven sub...
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The Absurd State of American Politics
The clash between traditional political discourse and absurdist online culture has reshaped American politics, exemplified by symbolic acts like a person in an inflatable frog costume confronting federal agents in Portland. Political communication now oscillates between aura farming, which projec...
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Offshore Wind Farm Construction Resumes After Court Ruling
A federal court overturned a stop-work order, allowing the Revolution Wind project, which is 80% complete, to resume construction off the coasts of Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Trump Administration had halted several permitted renewable energy projects, including this one, citing vague justi...
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Inside Charlie Kirk's Memorial Service at a Megachurch
The memorial for Charlie Kirk framed his death as a religious sacrifice, blending grief with political messaging to secure evangelical Christian support, though the event's tone shifted when Trump's speech on animosity contrasted with earlier themes of forgiveness. Political actions included prop...
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Trump: US to Receive 'Tremendous Fee' for TikTok's China Exit
The Trump administration is negotiating a deal for TikTok's US operations to be sold to American investors, with a substantial fee paid to the government to address national security concerns. US-based entities like Silver Lake and Oracle would acquire a majority stake, while ByteDance retains a ...
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U.S. May Lose Second Moon Race, Warns Former NASA Chief
The U.S. risks falling behind in lunar exploration due to internal disagreements over strategy, threatening its return to the Moon and competitiveness in the second Moon race. The White House proposed restructuring NASA's Artemis Program by phasing out the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft and canc...
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Inside the White House's Social Media Strategy
Rapid response is a strategic political practice focused on shaping the narrative around breaking news with extreme speed, often using social media to control a story's perception before opponents can frame it. The strategy prioritizes viral spread through platforms like X (for insiders) and meme...
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Censored 60 Minutes Report on CECOT Now Internet Contraband
A censored "60 Minutes" report revealed a U.S. deal to deport asylum seekers to the notorious Salvadoran prison CECOT, where detainees described severe torture and abuse. The report was killed by a new CBS editor despite clearing all internal legal reviews, with the investigative team calling t...
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How Silicon Valley Empowered Trump's Billionaire Status
The relationship between Silicon Valley's wealthiest figures and the Trump administration represents a fundamental reshaping of influence, where tech leaders actively direct political currents rather than just lobby. There is a significant regulatory vacuum for rapidly deployed AI technologies li...
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Trump Pardons Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao
President Donald Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, following his support for a Trump-affiliated crypto initiative and advocacy from the company. Zhao had previously received a four-month prison sentence and Binance paid a $4.3 billion fine for anti-money laundering failures a...
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Tech Leaders Court Trump at White House Dinner
Tech executives expressed strong support for President Trump's AI and economic policies, highlighting growing alignment between Silicon Valley and the administration. CEOs from major companies announced significant domestic investment pledges and praised the pro-business environment fostered by t...
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OpenAI President Emerges as Major Trump Donor
OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and his wife contributed $25 million to a pro-Trump super PAC, exemplifying major tech figures financially aligning with the administration. The Trump administration promotes policies favorable to the AI industry, such as limiting state-level regulations, which tec...
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Tech CEOs Break Silence After Minneapolis
Tech executives have shifted from private criticism to public appeasement of political power, driven by a pragmatic desire to avoid costly regulations and secure favorable government deals. This transactional approach has led to significant disappointment, as leaders once seen as civic-minded inn...
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Silicon Valley Workers Campaign to Remove ICE From Cities
A new worker-led campaign, ICEout.tech, is challenging the recent quiet in tech activism by demanding companies sever ties with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over its use of violence. This movement contrasts with past vocal corporate resistance, signaling a potential reawakening of te...
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Trump Administration Eases Nuclear Safety Regulations
The Trump administration enacted a regulatory change that streamlines safety and security rules for reactors built on Department of Energy land, reducing requirements and bypassing public comment. Key environmental and health safeguards have been downgraded to suggestions, allowing higher worker ...
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Court Blocks Research Funding Cuts, Upholds Congress
A federal court has blocked a policy that would have imposed a uniform, severe cap on indirect cost reimbursements for federally funded university research, preserving a critical funding mechanism. The proposed cuts, which ignored regional cost variations, were challenged by a coalition of states...
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NASA's Science Budget Avoids Drastic Cuts
Congress approved a final NASA science budget for FY 2026 with only a 1% cut, rejecting a proposed 50% reduction and safeguarding core missions. The $7.25 billion allocation followed intense advocacy and is considered a major victory, though it does not reverse earlier workforce reductions. The o...
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US Halts All Offshore Wind Projects, Cites Classified Reasons
The federal government has ordered a complete halt to all active offshore wind development, citing a classified national security assessment that prevents public scrutiny and jeopardizing billions in investments. The administration's opposition began with an executive order to freeze permits, whi...
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Trump May Require Social Media Checks for Travelers
The U.S. proposes requiring visitors from visa-waiver countries to submit their social media handles and a five-year online history when applying for travel authorization (ESTA). This is part of a broader Trump administration trend of using social media for immigration vetting, including for visa...
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Trump Admin Canceled 383 Clinical Trials, Dropping 74,000 Patients
A major reduction in federal funding led to the abrupt termination of 383 clinical trials, directly impacting over 74,000 participants and disrupting medical research and patient welfare. The $1.8 billion cut from NIH grants, analyzed by Harvard researchers, resulted in significant inefficiency, ...
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Billionaire VC Slams H-1B Visa Fee as 'Brutish Extortion'
The Trump administration has introduced a new $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visas, drawing sharp criticism from businesses, especially in the tech sector, which heavily relies on the program for skilled foreign workers. Venture capitalist Michael Moritz strongly condemns the fee as a "brutish exto...
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Leaks Plague the Trump Administration's Inner Circle
A recent public post by President Trump on Truth Social, intended as a private message, highlights a pattern of using unsecured platforms for sensitive communications, raising security concerns. Multiple incidents involving officials like Mike Waltz and Pete Hegseth reveal careless handling of co...
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White House Frustrated by Anthropic's AI Limits on Law Enforcement
The White House is frustrated with Anthropic for prohibiting the use of its AI in domestic surveillance, despite its approval for classified national security tasks. Federal contractors face obstacles deploying Anthropic's Claude for monitoring, with officials criticizing its inconsistent policie...
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Trump Delays TikTok Ban Again, Claims Deal With China to Sell US Operations
President Trump announced a tentative agreement to restructure TikTok's U.S. ownership, extending the divest-or-ban deadline to December 16. A consortium of U.S. investors would hold an 80% stake in TikTok's U.S. operations, with a U.S.-dominated board and Oracle managing user data for compliance...
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Trump Administration Denies Social Security Data Breach
The Trump administration denied a whistleblower's claim that the Social Security Administration improperly copied the sensitive NUMIDENT database to an unsecured cloud system, asserting it was stored on a secured server with continuous oversight. Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano confi...
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TikTok Shutdown Averted? Trump Announces Deal with China
A tentative agreement has been reached to transfer TikTok to U.S. ownership, temporarily averting a shutdown and addressing national security concerns. Final approval depends on an upcoming call between former President Trump and Chinese President Xi, as the deal remains part of broader trade neg...
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US and China Near Breakthrough TikTok Agreement
A framework agreement has been reached to transfer control of TikTok from its Chinese parent company to U.S.-controlled ownership, addressing national security concerns. The deal, to be finalized by President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, follows months of negotiations and repeated dead...
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Feds Seek to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Controversial Climate Report
The federal government is seeking to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the Department of Energy violated federal law by assembling a panel with fringe climate views to produce a report contradicting established science. The resulting report controversially suggested carbon emissions might be beneficial,...
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Ex-USIP Lawyer: DOGE Is 'Brass Knuckles for Authoritarians'
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) aggressively attempted to seize control of the United States Institute of Peace, an action later ruled illegal by a federal judge. Despite the legal setback, the political conflict continues, with the president symbolically asserting dominance over t...
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Leaked AI Order Exposes Big Tech's Power Grab
A leaked draft executive order from the Trump administration aims to centralize federal control over AI policy, using funding and legal pressure to discourage states from enacting their own AI regulations. The order directs federal agencies to penalize states with conflicting AI laws, including w...
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Trump Proposes $100,000 Annual Fee for H-1B Visas
A new proposal would impose a $100,000 annual fee on all new H-1B visa applications, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign talent and causing concern in the tech sector. Major tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft, which employ thousands of H-1B workers, are advising affected employees to retur...
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Trump Pledges 2028 Moon Landing, Lunar Base by 2030
The directive accelerates crewed lunar exploration, aiming to land humans on the Moon by 2028 and establish a permanent base by 2030, while emphasizing commercial partnerships. It deprioritizes a near-term crewed Mars mission in favor of achievable lunar milestones to solidify U.S. leadership in ...
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Westinghouse Pursues $80B Nuclear Reactor Deal
Westinghouse has secured an $80 billion agreement with the U.S. government to build new nuclear reactors, including AP1000 and AP300 models, aiming to revitalize the nuclear power industrial base. Japan and Japanese corporations plan to invest up to $332 billion in American energy infrastructure,...
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TikTok Deal: What's the Latest Update?
Recent high-level discussions between American and Chinese leaders suggest progress toward resolving TikTok's future in the U.S., including a potential sale by ByteDance to a U.S.-based consortium. The proposed deal involves ByteDance retaining a minority stake under 20% and developing a U.S.-con...
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TikTok's US Future: The Buyout Battle Explained
The future of TikTok in the U.S. is uncertain due to national security concerns over data access by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, leading to legislative actions and potential divestment or a ban. A tentative framework has been established between U.S. and Chinese officials, with investor...
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Nvidia Accused of Antitrust Violations by China
China's antitrust regulator ruled that Nvidia violated laws in its 2020 acquisition of Mellanox, adding complexity to U.S.-China trade tensions. Nvidia asserts compliance with laws and is cooperating with authorities, while the open investigation could affect broader economic relations. U.S. expo...
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Congress, Trump Near Deal to Cut SLS Rocket Costs by Scrapping Upper Stage
NASA's budget is uncertain, with negotiations focusing on reducing the high costs of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The Trump administration proposes transitioning to cheaper commercial alternatives after Artemis III, while Congress opposes to protect jobs and U.S. leadership. The outcome ...
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