TikTok may become more right-wing as China signals approval for US sale

Here’s how TikTok could change if China approves US sale.

The US inched one step closer to taking over TikTok’s algorithm after President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Neither leader confirmed that China has agreed to the terms of Trump’s proposed deal, which would create a US version of TikTok that licenses the Chinese-owned algorithm. But the Chinese Commerce Ministry provided a statement following the meeting; translated, it indicates that “China will properly resolve TikTok-related issues with the United States.”

Trump, who has long vowed to “save” TikTok, was notably silent on Thursday, but US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News ahead of Trump’s meeting with Xi that “we finalized the TikTok agreement in terms of getting Chinese approval.” According to Bessent, the deal will “finally” be resolved over the “coming weeks and months,” Reuters reported.

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Atomwaffen: Trumps Androhung neuer Tests ergibt keinen Sinn

Die USA sollen wieder Atomwaffentests durchführen, als Reaktion auf das Verhalten von Russland und China. Dabei haben die Tests nie aufgehört. Ein IMHO von Mario Petzold (Politik, IMHO)

Die USA sollen wieder Atomwaffentests durchführen, als Reaktion auf das Verhalten von Russland und China. Dabei haben die Tests nie aufgehört. Ein IMHO von Mario Petzold (Politik, IMHO)

Falling panel prices lead to global solar boom, except for the US

The economic case for solar power is stronger than ever.

To the south of the Monte Cristo mountain range and west of Paymaster Canyon, a vast stretch of the Nevada desert has attracted modern-day prospectors chasing one of 21st-century America’s greatest investment booms.

Solar power developers want to cover an area larger than Washington, DC, with silicon panels and batteries, converting sunlight into electricity that will power air conditioners in sweltering Las Vegas along with millions of other homes and businesses.

But earlier this month, bureaucrats in charge of federal lands scrapped collective approval for the Esmeralda 7 projects, in what campaigners fear is part of an attack on renewable energy under President Donald Trump. “We will not approve wind or farmer destroying [sic] Solar,” he posted on his Truth Social platform in August. Developers will need to reapply individually, slowing progress.

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Pop-up: Intel Experience Store mit Games und KI

E-Sport trifft KI: Im neuen Münchner Pop-up-Store von Intel können Besucher aktuelle KI-PCs ausprobieren. Sogar Team Liquid ist dabei. (Intel, KI)

E-Sport trifft KI: Im neuen Münchner Pop-up-Store von Intel können Besucher aktuelle KI-PCs ausprobieren. Sogar Team Liquid ist dabei. (Intel, KI)

An in-space construction firm says it can help build massive data centers in orbit

“Size is not the limit anymore.”

There has been much discussion in the space community recently about building large data centers in orbit to avoid the environmental consequences of sprawling computing facilities on Earth. These space-based data centers could take advantage of the always-on, free fusion reactor at the center of the Solar System.

Proponents say this represents a natural step in the evolution of moving heavy industry off the planet’s surface and a solution for the ravenous energy needs of artificial intelligence. Critics say building data centers in space is technically very challenging and cite major hurdles, such as radiating away large amounts of heat and the cost of accessing space.

It is unclear who is right, but one thing is certain: Such facilities would need to be massive to support artificial intelligence.

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GM lays off 1,700 workers making EVs and batteries in Michigan, Tennessee

The automaker expects the regulatory environment to seriously slow EV demand.

Just a few weeks ago, automakers were celebrating a healthy third quarter for electric vehicle sales. General Motors was looking particularly flush, with EV sales up 104 percent for the year to date compared to the first nine months of 2024. But the strong EV sales in Q3 were seemingly due to the imminent end of the federal tax credit that expired at the end of September, with many consumers buying a car sooner than planned to take advantage of the $7,500 incentive.

The Trump administration has been altering the regulatory environment in other ways to discourage clean technologies, canceling infrastructure initiatives and turning a blind eye to pollution. On top of that, the impact of the president’s chaotic trade war has driven up prices and is cooling demand. Two weeks ago, GM told investors that things are looking so bad that it will take a $1.6 billion hit to its bank accounts as it realigns manufacturing capacity going forward.

Now we can see some of the impact of that realignment. According to The Detroit News, 1,200 workers are being laid off at GM’s EV-building Hamtramck Assembly Center near Detroit, which will move from two shifts a day to just one in early January.

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