GoKawiil
Tech News
Indie publisher Panic is returning the tariff fees it had charged Playdate buyers, after a court ruling deemed the Trump administration's import taxes illegal and ordered refunds to affected companies. Panic said it has now received its own tariff refunds and passed that money back to customers who had paid the added charge as a line item on their orders.
Gregg Phillips, an election-fraud conspiracy theorist previously ousted from leading FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery, confirmed he is still employed by the Trump administration on administrative leave. He was recently seen visiting the Department of Justice with outgoing pardon attorney Ed Martin, though the nature of his current duties remains unclear.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to block an FCC Media Bureau notice that would have let political parties and joint fundraising committees, not just individual candidates, claim the discounted 'lowest unit charge' broadcast ad rate ahead of the election. Four Democratic candidates had sued, arguing federal law reserves that discount for candidates alone, while national Republican committees backed the FCC's broader interpretation.
The Supreme Court granted preliminary approval to President Trump's executive order restricting mail voting, allowing it to move forward even though it may not immediately alter any state's election procedures before November. The ruling has instead created widespread uncertainty for the roughly one-third of American voters who typically cast ballots by mail.
The Supreme Court's conservative majority paused a Boston federal judge's injunction that had blocked Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting in 23 states and DC, ruling the states lacked standing to sue because they couldn't prove concrete harm. The court did not rule on whether the order itself is legal, leaving that question for future litigation, while a separate nationwide injunction against the Postal Service implementing the order remains intact for now.
Zach Witkoff, CEO of Trump-linked World Liberty Financial, said USD1's trading volume and adoption prove the stablecoin has genuine utility unrelated to political favoritism. He cited over $4 billion in circulation and daily trading volumes exceeding $1 billion, dismissing suggestions the token could be used to funnel money to the Trump family.
A financial disclosure shows President Trump bought as much as $50,000 in SpaceX shares on June 23, two weeks after the company's IPO. The purchase came after shares had already dropped from highs above $200 to the mid-$150s, and by Monday's close the stock had fallen further to its $135 IPO price, potentially leaving Trump's stake at a loss.
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a rule that would permanently establish a $103,265 fee on certain new H-1B visas, replacing the temporary fee Trump imposed last year that is set to expire in September. Previously such visas cost between $2,000 and $5,000, and the new fee would not apply to renewals or to foreign students already in the U.S. transitioning to H-1B status. The proposal comes even as courts are still weighing legal challenges, including a June ruling that found the original fee illegal.
In an interview with Michael Cohen, President Trump argued that towns rejecting data centers are making a mistake, claiming the facilities bring jobs and 'tremendous tax revenue.' His remarks come as data centers face bipartisan public backlash over energy use, water consumption, and local disruption.
S&P Global Energy projects US clean energy additions will hit a record 45 gigawatts this year, roughly 25% above 2024's record and comparable to Turkey's average electricity demand. The growth is being driven by AI data center power needs, developers racing to use expiring tax credits, and higher energy prices linked to the Iran conflict, even as the Trump administration has moved to cut subsidies and blocked large solar projects like Nevada's Esmeralda 7.
In an interview with Michael Cohen, President Trump dismissed community opposition to new data centers as a mistake, arguing they bring jobs and no longer strain power grids since companies now build their own power plants under the Ratepayer Protection Pledge. He framed the buildout as essential to keeping US AI leadership ahead of China.
A report indicates that intervention tied to the Trump administration influenced the Justice Department's approach to its antitrust scrutiny of Live Nation, softening the pressure the company faced. The same roundup notes escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada, alongside a $400 million settlement TikTok reached over a lawsuit concerning children's privacy.