The U.S. and China reached an agreement for Beijing to rein in export curbs on critical minerals, and for the U.S. to "provide to China what was agreed to," President Donald Trump said June 11, offering few details about the substance of the deal.
Social Media
Social media platforms are facing intense scrutiny over how they collect, share and monetize user data. As new state and federal laws focus on age verification, parental controls and transparency requirements, social media companies face legal risks around algorithmic targeting, third-party tracking and children's safety. This page follows key legislation, investigations and lawsuits shaping privacy practices for major social platforms.
President Donald Trump got the phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping he'd been seeking, and Trump wrote on social media that "there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products."
Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged the Trump administration June 4 to investigate whether terrorists have used Elon Musk's social media platform X to raise money, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar, R-Mich., said June 3 that he hopes the Trump administration will release a new AI diffusion export control rule “soon" to replace the one it recently rescinded.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., warned Nvidia and other U.S. chip firms last week that they will face penalties if they send advanced AI chips to China.
The United Steelworkers said May 28 that it remains uncertain what the recently announced “planned partnership” between Japan-based Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel will entail.
The Trump administration confirmed this week it will not renew a general license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control that has allowed Chevron to wind down certain oil activities in Venezuela.
The EU is lifting its remaining sanctions against Syria, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said this week.
The EU has agreed to a 17th package of sanctions against Russia, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said May 14 on social media. The package includes more restrictions on Russian access to "battlefield technology" and the designations of 189 so-called shadow fleet vessels helping Russia move energy exports, she said. "This war has to end," von der Leyen said. "We will keep the pressure high on the Kremlin." The EU didn't immediately release more information about the measures, which are expected to be formally released in the coming days.
David Sacks, the president's AI policy adviser, said the Biden-era AI diffusion export control rule was an “overreach” of U.S. export control authority and alienated American allies. The Bureau of Industry and Security’s plan to rescind the rule (see 2505070039 and 2505080026) was an “excellent decision,” he said last week.