Musk's DOGE allies, Bezos and Altman stand tall, and Biden's AI chip war isn't over: Politics news roundup
Elon Musk is finding some tentative allies on Capitol Hill as he looks to advance his cost-cutting agenda. But his growing influence — and penchant for revenge — apparently isn’t scaring Amazon (AMZN) founder and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos or OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Plus, Meta’s (META) Mark Zuckerberg, another artificial intelligence enthusiast, is looking to get his own sway over President-elect Donald Trump’s policies.
Speaking of Trump, he’s announced a flurry of new nominees and appointments to government positions, including new leaders for NASA, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Justice Department’s antitrust division, which is cracking down on Big Tech. As for President Joe Biden, his administration is staying active as he prepares to exit the White House, accelerating an AI chip war with China with new restrictions.
Catch up on all of that — and more — in this week’s roundup.
Musk’s DOGE has some Democratic friends on Capitol Hill
Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk’s pledge to slash trillions of dollars in government spending has found some helping hands from Democrats — some being the keyword.
Investors say Trump’s universal tariff is the greatest potential risk to the U.S. economy in 2025
President-elect Donald Trump has made sweeping tariffs a key policy for his upcoming administration, promising day-one taxes on all imports from around the world. This could pose a threat to U.S. economic performance. — Rocio Fabbro
Biden escalates the AI chip war with China on his way out
The U.S. is continuing its efforts to curb China’s advanced chipmaking ambitions with new trade restrictions. — Britney Nguyen
Bezos doesn’t think Musk will wield political power against rivals
Jeff Bezos says he isn’t worried about his fellow billionaire and space exploration rival Elon Musk’s growing political power. — Britney Nguyen
Trump is taking the credit for Bitcoin’s $100,000 milestone
The price of Bitcoin surged above the $100,000 mark on Wednesday for the first time, and one man thinks he’s the reason for it.
A former car dealer and incoming senator slams EV tax credits as ‘catastrophically stupid’
Ohio’s next Republican senator isn’t pulling his punches when it comes to government support for electric vehicles.
Trump’s tariffs would ‘spell disaster’ for GM, Ford, and more
More than a month before he’s set to take office, President-elect Donald Trump is already spelling trouble for the auto industry, analysts say.
Trump taps the first billionaire to walk in space as NASA’s next leader
President-elect Donald Trump wants the first billionaire to walk in space to become the next administrator of NASA.
Trump just picked who will take over the Google, Apple, and Visa monopoly cases
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Gail Slater to lead the antitrust division of the Department of Justice. — Rocio Fabbro
Trump nominates the crypto-friendly Paul Atkins to lead the SEC
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Paul Atkins, a cryptocurrency advocate, to join the Securities and Exchange Commission as its next chairman.
Meta CEO Zuckerberg wants an ‘active role’ in Trump’s tech policies
With Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk solidifying his role in the incoming Donald Trump administration, another tech leader is looking to stay in the president-elect’s good graces. — Rocio Fabbro
Altman isn’t worried about Musk’s relationship with Trump
As his former colleague and artificial intelligence rival prepares for a role in the incoming Trump administration, Sam Altman says he’s not worried about Elon Musk. — Britney Nguyen
Vladimir Putin is Bitcoin’s newest supporter
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was previously skeptical about Bitcoin, has now acknowledged that Bitcoin cannot be banned. Putin firmly asserted that Bitcoin and digital assets are unstoppable and would continue to evolve. — Vinamrata Chaturvedi