Trump admin ranks companies on loyalty while handing out favors to Big Tech

US has halted enforcement actions against 165 corporations overall, report says.

The Trump administration has ended potential enforcement actions against dozens of tech firms and 165 corporations overall, delivering on promises to end the alleged "weaponization" of the federal government, a report by nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen said.

"In six months, the Trump administration has already withdrawn or halted enforcement actions against 165 corporations of all types—and one in four of the corporations benefiting from halted or dropped enforcement is from the technology sector, which has spent $1.2 billion on political influence during and since the 2024 elections," the report published on Wednesday said. The political spending includes $352 million that "is attributable to Elon Musk."

At the beginning of Trump's second term, there were at least 104 tech companies facing at least 142 federal investigations and enforcement actions, Public Citizen reported. The Trump administration has halted or withdrawn about one-third of the "targeted investigations into suspected misconduct and enforcement actions against technology corporations... So far, 47 enforcement actions (against 45 tech corporations) have been withdrawn or halted (38 withdrawn, nine halted)," the report said.

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Anti-vaccine RFK Jr. creates vaccine panel of anti-vaccine group’s dreams

With new vaccine panel, fears rise RFK Jr. will upend childhood shots.

Zealous anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reviving a long-defunct federal vaccine panel that anti-vaccine advocates, including Kennedy, have long sought and health experts fear will be used to dismantle evidence-based recommendations for life-saving childhood shots.

The panel is a task force outlined in the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, which is best known for setting up the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The law states that the task force's goal is to "promote the development of childhood vaccines that result in fewer and less serious adverse reactions than those vaccines on the market on the effective date of this part and promote the refinement of such vaccines."

The federal government has multiple overlapping procedures and systems that evaluate, review, and continuously monitor the safety of childhood vaccines, which have gone through rigorous testing and are well-established to be safe. Further, the government does, in effect, promote improved vaccines by providing grants to academic and industry researchers to develop advanced shots. It also conducts its own vaccine research toward that goal. For instance, researchers at the National Institutes of Health were critical in developing the mRNA vaccine technology that enabled the swift creation of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines that saved millions of lives at the height of the pandemic.

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US may purchase stake in Intel after Trump attacked CEO

Trump’s attacks on Intel CEO may stem from beef with Biden.

Donald Trump has been meddling with Intel, which now apparently includes mulling "the possibility of the US government taking a financial stake in the troubled chip maker," The Wall Street Journal reported.

Trump and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan weighed the option during a meeting on Monday at the White House, people familiar with the matter told WSJ. These talks have only just begun—with Intel branding them a rumor—and sources told the WSJ that Trump has yet to iron out how the potential arrangement might work.

The WSJ's report comes after Trump called for Tan to "resign immediately" last week. Trump's demand was seemingly spurred by a letter that Republican senator Tom Cotton sent to Intel, accusing Tan of having "concerning" ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

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E-Auto: VW will Geld für volle Leistung

VW führt ein Abomodell für die volle E-Auto-Leistung ein. Wer aus dem ID.3 Pro und Pro S die maximale Leistung herausbekommen will, muss zahlen. (VW, Auto)

VW führt ein Abomodell für die volle E-Auto-Leistung ein. Wer aus dem ID.3 Pro und Pro S die maximale Leistung herausbekommen will, muss zahlen. (VW, Auto)

GPD MicroPC handheld computer now available for pre-order with Intel N250 or Core i3-N300 processor options

The GPD MicroPC 2 is a portable computer that looks like a tiny laptop, but it’s really designed to be held in your hands so you can use your thumbs to type. With a 7 inch, 1080p touchscreen display and a processor based on Intel Alder Lake-N arc…

The GPD MicroPC 2 is a portable computer that looks like a tiny laptop, but it’s really designed to be held in your hands so you can use your thumbs to type. With a 7 inch, 1080p touchscreen display and a processor based on Intel Alder Lake-N architecture, it’s a big upgrade over the original GPD […]

The post GPD MicroPC handheld computer now available for pre-order with Intel N250 or Core i3-N300 processor options appeared first on Liliputing.

NASA’s acting chief calls for the end of Earth science at the space agency

NASA’s charter clearly states the agency should study planet Earth, however.

Sean Duffy, the acting administrator of NASA for a little more than a month, has vowed to make the United States great in space.

With a background as a US Congressman, reality TV star, and television commentator, Duffy did not come to the position with a deep well of knowledge about spaceflight. He also already had a lot on his plate, serving as the secretary of transportation, a Cabinet-level position that oversees 55,000 employees across 13 agencies.

Nevertheless, Duffy is putting his imprint on the space agency, seeking to emphasize the agency's human exploration plans, including the development of a lunar base, and ending NASA's efforts to study planet Earth and its changing climate.

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