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Tech News
President Trump said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will not become his artificial intelligence czar, contradicting earlier Semafor and Reuters reports that he was under consideration for the post. Trump stated on Truth Social that Bessent does not want the role and is doing well at Treasury, where Trump wants him to stay.
A federal appeals court in Washington ruled 2-1 to uphold the Defense Department's designation of Anthropic as a national security supply chain risk, blocking the Pentagon and its contractors from using Claude AI models. The ruling addresses one of two separate designations the DOD used to justify the ban; a San Francisco court had already struck down the other designation last month. Anthropic said it disagrees with the decision and is considering further legal options.
The US Department of Justice filed to intervene in X's and Elon Musk's appeal against a €120 million fine the European Commission imposed last December for violating the Digital Services Act. Assistant attorney general Brett Shumate said the Commission had overstepped its authority in targeting an American company, and the case will be heard at the EU's General Court in Luxembourg.
President Trump hosted President Xi at a state dinner attended by tech leaders including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, SpaceX's Elon Musk, AMD's Lisa Su, Apple's Tim Cook, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Google's Sergey Brin and Microsoft's Satya Nadella. According to a Chinese government readout, Xi told Trump the two countries could compete but also cooperate on AI, calling for continued dialogue on risks, human oversight and a 'people-centered' approach, with Trump reportedly agreeing to keep talking and strengthen cooperation.
The Trump administration's WISeR pilot, launched in January, uses AI to decide whether to approve certain Medicare treatments, a step not previously required for the program. Documents obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation through litigation revealed provider complaints about technical failures, long delays and denials, with one clinician describing patients crying in pain while awaiting decisions. The Government Accountability Office found in May that officials did not follow proper procedure in establishing the program, and last week Rep. Suzan DelBene's push for a committee vote to release more WISeR documents was defeated by Republicans.
The Trump administration is pursuing policies aimed at boosting domestic semiconductor production, including memory chips where the US lags foreign producers. However, proposed tariffs on imported components and materials could raise costs for American chipmakers trying to expand production.
Chinese President Xi Jinping landed at Joint Base Andrews and was greeted by President Trump ahead of a summit covering trade, AI and the Iran war, followed by a state dinner. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. and China agreed to extend their trade truce to January 10, while a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson said the two sides discussed lowering tariffs. Separately, Treasury yields hit multiyear highs and U.S. stock futures fell after a down session on Wall Street.
According to a satirical roundup, primary school children have adopted the phrase 'that's AI' or 'that's so AI' as an insult for anything that seems inauthentic, cheap or unconvincing, regardless of whether artificial intelligence was actually involved. The term functions as a broad synonym for 'bullshit,' applied to everything from knock-off merchandise to parental excuses.
A new YouTube channel streaming continuous footage of President Trump has launched, but early data show it is drawing few viewers. The channel offers round-the-clock clips of Trump rather than curated or produced content.
A report indicates that components manufactured in China are still being supplied to Iran, a flow that comes as President Trump prepares for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The same roundup also notes turmoil in the bond market and shifting attention among MAGA-aligned podcasters away from Trump.
Technology industry associations are pressing the Trump administration to withdraw a proposed Department of Homeland Security rule that would impose a $103,265 fee on H-1B visa applications. The proposal has revived long-running tensions between the administration and tech companies over the future of skilled-worker immigration policy.
Local governments across the US have filed objections to an FCC proposal that would impose a 120-day deadline on broadband permit approvals and limit fees they can charge providers. The FCC argues that local rules delay deployment and inflate costs, a position backed by broadband providers, while cities counter that the plan would undermine public safety oversight and exceeds federal authority. Groups including the League of California Cities and Minnesota municipalities say Congress never granted the FCC this preemptive power.