Trump initially tried to extract the US from the United Nations health agency in July 2020, but the process did not come to completion before he was voted out of office.
At the time, Trump criticized the agency's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, claimed it was protecting China, and asserted that it was overcharging the US in dues. "China has total control over the World Health Organization despite only paying $40 million per year, compared to what the United States has been paying, which is approximately $450 million a year," Trump said in 2020 prior to issuing the first notice of withdrawal.
Donald Trump was sworn in as America's 47th president on a chilly Monday in Washington, D.C. President Trump took the oath of office a little after Noon/ET inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda. "From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world," Trump said in his 30-minute inaugural address....
Just hours after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday night instructing the attorney general's office to delay enforcing the law that banned TikTok in the U.S. effective Sunday for 75 days, The New York Times reported. While signing the order, Trump told reporters, "The U.S. should be entitled to get half...
Marvel Snap is back online in the US after access was cut off Saturday night due to the law that banned TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps. The game’s current publisher, Nuverse, is owned by ByteDance.
In a post published Monday evening, the game’s developer, Second Dinner, says that it plans to bring “more services in-house” and “partner with a new publisher” to prevent a similar situation from happening again. The same message is also showing up when you play the game, as shown in a screenshot posted on Reddit.
The game is still unavailable on the App Store or Google Play. The Steam listing is still live.
WHEW. MARVEL SNAP is back online in the U.S. But to make sure this NEVER happens again, we’re working to bring more services in-house and partner with a new publisher. This is the start of a new era for MARVEL SNAP.
TikTok restored service after about half a day of being offline, though the app is still absent from app stores. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday refusing to enforce the law banning TikTok and other apps owned by ByteDance, The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, for 75 days, but companies still may face risks if they don’t follow the law.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory commission spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk recommending deep cuts to federal agencies, could soon become more official, should an executive order signed by President Donald Trump pass legal muster. On Monday evening, Trump signed an order that renames the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), which was created in […]
President Donald Trump signed an executive order signaling his intention to eliminate the Biden administration’s electric vehicle policies, which he has falsely labeled a “mandate.” Trump also signed an order signaling his intent to weaken tailpipe emission standards, which would be a major blow to the environment.
The orders were among a barrage of executive actions taken by Trump in the immediate aftermath of his inauguration Monday, as he set to work undoing some of the accomplishments of the Biden administration. He also declared a “national energy emergency” in a move meant to weaken environmental standards and allow corporations to pollute more freely.
(e) to eliminate the “electric vehicle (EV) mandate” and promote true consumer choice, which is essential for economic growth and innovation, by removing regulatory barriers to motor vehicle access; by ensuring a level regulatory playing field for consumer choice in vehicles; by terminating, where appropriate, state emissions waivers that function to limit sales of gasoline-powered automobiles; and by considering the elimination of unfair subsidies and other ill-conceived government-imposed market distortions that favor EVs over other technologies and effectively mandate their purchase by individuals, private businesses, and government entities alike by rendering other types of vehicles unaffordable;
Later, he says he’ll stop funding for electric vehicle charging:
(a) All agencies shall immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58), including but not limited to funds for electric vehicle charging stations made available through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program, and shall review their processes, policies, and programs for issuing grants, loans, contracts, or any other financial disbursements of such appropriated funds for consistency with the law and the policy outlined in section 2 of this order.
And he says he is directing his agency heads to identify regulations that “impose an undue burden” on “consumer choice of vehicles” — a likely reference to tailpipe emission standards:
Immediate Review of All Agency Actions that Potentially Burden the Development of Domestic Energy Resources. (a) The heads of all agencies shall review all existing regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, settlements, consent orders, and any other agency actions (collectively, agency actions) to identify those agency actions that impose an undue burden on the identification, development, or use of domestic energy resources — with particular attention to oil, natural gas, coal, hydropower, biofuels, critical mineral, and nuclear energy resources — or that are otherwise inconsistent with the policy set forth in section 2 of this order, including restrictions on consumer choice of vehicles and appliances.
Trump routinely railed against an imaginary “EV mandate” during last year’s presidential contest, promising to reverse policies aimed at making electric vehicles less expensive for consumers. No such mandate exists, but he’s targeting regulations that incentivized EV sales while slashing greenhouse gas emissions.
Among the policies in Trump’s crosshairs are the federal tax credits for the purchase of a new or used EV. Biden also earmarked over $7 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act for the expansion of EV charging infrastructure, as well as billions in manufacturing credits for companies building EV factories and battery facilities.
In loosening tailpipe emissions, Trump is essentially giving the green light to automakers to produce more polluting vehicles. And it wouldn’t be the first time either. During his first term, Trump directed the Environmental Protection Agency to weaken emissions standards that were put in place by the Obama administration.
But the auto industry has already spent billions of dollars on EV development, and they are likely to continue to do so. EV sales have slowed down over the last few years, but EVs remain popular among shoppers. In 2024, US consumers bought 1.3 million EVs, an increase of 7.3 percent from the prior year, according to Kelley Blue Book and Cox Automotive. The figures do not include hybrids. EV market share was 8.1 percent of sales of US cars and light trucks, an increase of 0.3 percent.
While Trump starts the process of unwinding Biden’s EV policies, he also gestures at ramping up mining efforts, especially for “non-fuel minerals, including rare earth minerals.” Those materials are used in advanced weaponry, electronics, energy and transportation technologies, including electric vehicles — and is likely the reason Trump has shown interest in Greenland, with its abundance of rare earth minerals.
Burning fossil fuels like gasoline and diesel release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the environment. These emissions have been proven to cause climate change, which supercharges extreme weather like wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding. Transportation, including personal vehicle usage, accounts for about 28 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EPA.
That didn’t take long. Soon after taking office, President Donald Trump signed a swathe of executive orders. Among them was a temporary pause on the law that banned TikTok in the US.
With the executive order, Trump's Justice Department will not enforce the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act for 75 days, effectively extending the amount of time the company has to reach a deal. In a statement, Trump said that the "unfortunate timing" of the law, which went into effect during President Joe Biden's last hours in office, "interferes with my ability to assess the national security and foreign policy implications of the Act’s prohibitions before they take effect."
He wrote that he would review "sensitive intelligence" related to the national security concerns raised by the app's critics and "evaluate the sufficiency of mitigation measures TikTok has taken to date." The company previously undertook a years-long effort, known as Project Texas, to move US user data to servers hosted by Oracle. The arrangement was made after years of negotiating with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), but those talks halted last year.
TikTok (and other ByteDance apps) went offline late Saturday ahead of the law taking effect on Sunday. The TikTok outage only lasted a matter of hours, however. Service was gradually restored after Trump pledged to sign an executive order to suspend the law after he was sworn in on Monday. He affirmed that there would be "no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order." Trump also proposed a joint venture that would see US interests take a 50 percent stake in TikTok.
Earlier on Monday, China (where ByteDance is based) signaled an openness to striking a deal with the US that would allow TikTok to remain active there for the long run, despite previously saying it would block a forced sale of the app. “When it comes to actions such as the operation and acquisition of businesses, we believe they should be independently decided by companies in accordance with market principles,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. “If it involves Chinese companies, China’s laws and regulations should be observed.”
During his first administration, Trump sought to ban TikTok in the US. He signed executiveorders to that effect, which included an attempt to force ByteDance to sell its US business. That didn't come to pass at the time. But pressure on TikTok mounted during the Biden Administration, with the former president signing a bill last year that called for ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban in the US.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/trump-delays-tiktok-ban-for-at-least-75-days-via-executive-order-014523110.html?src=rss
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at restoring TikTok service in the U.S. The order instructs relevant government agencies to “pursue a resolution” that “protects national security” while “saving [TikTok.]” Via the order, Trump is instructing the U.S. Attorney General not to take any action for 75 days to enforce the Protecting Americans […]
President Donald Trump has issued an executive order telling the Department of Justice to not enforce a rule that demands TikTok spin off from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a ban.
The order, issued on Trump’s first day of office, is meant to effectively extend the deadline established by The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act for ByteDance to sell its stake by undercutting penalties on American companies like Apple and Google working with TikTok. It directs the Attorney General “not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way.” The AG is supposed to “issue a letter to each provider stating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct that occurred.”
The order furthermore instructs the Department of Justice to “take no action to enforce the Act or impose any penalties against any entity for any noncompliance with the Act” and says they should be barred from doing so “for any conduct that occurred during the above-specified period or any period prior to the issuance of this order, including the period of time from January 19, 2025, to the signing of this order.”
President Donald Trump shared his views on TikTok as he signed executive orders in the Oval Office on inauguration day. #news#tiktokban#trump#donaldtrump
Trump, who issued an executive order banning TikTok during his first term in 2020, is now trying to circumvent a bipartisan law that took effect January 19th. He posted on Truth Social before taking office that he was “asking companies” to keep working with TikTok, a move that could mean risking hundreds of billions of dollars in fines if Trump’s assurances don’t stand up in court. TikTok briefly went down on Sunday but quickly came back online — though it was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores and has not come back.
It’s unclear whether Trump can legally pause the TikTok ban. The law allowed for a 90-day extension if ByteDance announced a sale to a non-”foreign adversary”-based company before the deadline, but not only has no such sale been announced, it’s legally ambiguous whether the extension can be used after the 19th. Trump, in any case, isn’t so far using the deadline — he’s just attempting to override the law.
Despite that reassurance, it still may not be enough to convince service providers covered by the law to reinstate TikTok. As many legal experts have pointed out, those companies could face up to about $850 billion in potential penalties for violating the law — which was passed by a bipartisan Congress, signed by former President Joe Biden, and upheld by the entire Supreme Court. The government could act on any potential violation even five years after it happens — and an executive order doesn’t change that, though it might help give the companies a slightly better due process defense to fight it. Companies still might not risk litigation over such a large potential fine, though they may also be wary of raising Trump’s ire by refusing to work with TikTok.
On top of all this, the rule the order says it’s “not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States,” which makes it even less reliable as a defense for companies.
Trump also declared on Sunday that the US government will own 50 percent of TikTok through an unexplained “joint venture” with a private company. It remains unclear how this would work.
At a rally following the inauguration ceremonies, President Trump had a desk brought out on stage where he signed a number of executive orders. The first of the evening took aim at 78 of the Biden administration's orders, including the October 2023 guidelines for AI.
"The revocations within this order will be the first of many steps the United States Federal Government will take to repair our institutions and our economy," the text reads. There's no explanation for any of the selections, just a long list with "the following actions are hereby revoked" as an introduction. Some were related to the on-going response COVID-19 pandemic while others concern immigration, climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Biden's executive order outlined an ambitious plan to establish protections for the general public and best practices for the federal government with regard to artificial intelligence. More specifically, the EO sought new standards for safety and security in addition to protocols for AI watermarking and both civil rights and consumer protections. It also laid out plains to mitigate the impact on workers from businesses using AI as well as launched a new federal jobs portal seeking "more AI talent."
In singular executive orders on Monday, Trump also withdrew the US from the Paris climate agreement for the second time. He did so during his first term, but Biden reinstated US participation when he took office.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/trump-executive-order-rescinds-bidens-ai-framework-012825311.html?src=rss
Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys, was among nearly 1,600 January 6 defendants who were either pardoned or had their sentences commuted. He is expected to be in Miami by Tuesday afternoon.
During his first day in office, President Donald Trump revoked a 2023 executive order signed by former President Joe Biden that sought to reduce the potential risks AI poses to consumers, workers, and national security. Biden’s executive order directed the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to author guidance that helps companies […]
When President Biden took office back in 2021, he issued severalexecutive orders to address climate change. Now, the reverse is happening. President Trump is in charge now and he is signing EOs at a fevered pace. Many of these actions seek to limit or reverse any changes made by the Biden administration, taking the oft-used “head in the sand” approach to climate policy. Trump's first step was to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement... again.
Trump began the executive order deluge by rescinding 78 of the Biden administration's EOs, including one on AI guidelines, before implementing a federal hiring freeze and mandating no new regulations. Keep in mind that an EO cannot change a law or regulation, but that won’t stop Trump from trying. In other words, some of this stuff will end up mired in lengthy legal battles.
Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate agreement during his first term and then Biden reinstated it. Now, history repeats itself. The president has once again taken the US off the agreement roster. This puts the US as one of the few nations that aren’t part of the 2015 accord, joining Iran, Libya, South Sudan, Eritrea and Yemen.
This also means that the US is likely dropping any pledges it made under the pact, including a promise of climate aid for developing nations and a commitment to cut emissions up to 66 percent by 2035. The Trump administration has to notify the United Nations in writing of its intention to withdraw from the accord, which will take a year to become official.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/president-trump-withdraws-the-us-from-the-paris-climate-agreement-again-002803951.html?src=rss
Donald Trump has once again taken the US out of the landmark Paris climate agreement, abandoning the global effort to limit climate change. Trump signed an executive order today to exit.
The Paris accord was adopted in 2015, committing nearly 200 countries including the US to working together to stop global average temperatures from rising much higher than they have already. 2024 was the hottest year on record, beating the previous record set in 2023.
Exiting the Paris agreement “is in clear defiance of scientific realities and shows an administration cruelly indifferent to the harsh climate change impacts that people in the United States and around the world are experiencing,” Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in an emailed statement.
Our planet’s climate has stayed relatively stable for the last 11,000 years or so, supporting the rise of agriculture and civilization as we know it, until the industrial revolution. The Paris agreement aims to keep global temperatures within roughly the same temperature range, preventing warming of more than 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius.
Trump took the US out of the Paris accord the last time he was in office. Former President Joe Biden recommitted upon stepping into office in 2021. Now, the US will join Iran, Libya, and Yemen as the only countries not on board with the international agreement. It’ll take one year from the date the Trump administration sends notification to the United Nations before US withdrawal from the Paris agreement will be official.