Friday, May 22, 2026

Trump's AI & Cuba Stances

President Trump postponed the signing of a long-awaited executive order on AI oversight, citing concerns that certain aspects "could have been a blocker" for the technology's "tremendous good." CNBC New York Times

The Trump administration's renewed threats of military action against Cuba follow criminal charges against former leader Raúl Castro, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing doubt about diplomatic solutions. The Guardian, NPR NPR

The US government is investing $2 billion and taking equity stakes in nine quantum computing firms, including a startup linked to the Trump family, to accelerate American leadership in the technology. Ars Technica Yahoo Finance

A new $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund, established by the Justice Department as part of a settlement with Trump over his tax records lawsuit, is drawing criticism as a potential "slush fund" for his allies. The Guardian New York Times

The US is pausing a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan due to the ongoing Iran war, according to the acting Navy Secretary, as President Trump sends mixed signals on the deal. Al Jazeera

AI Industry & Market Dynamics

Lenovo shares surged nearly 20% on record earnings, with its AI business nearly doubling revenue and bolstering the electronics giant's overall growth. CNBC

Spotify and Universal Music Group reached a licensing agreement allowing Premium subscribers to use AI to create song covers and remixes, marking the first time the streaming platform will enable AI-generated content. The Guardian TechCrunch

OpenAI claims a breakthrough in AI reasoning by successfully tackling the 80-year-old Paul Erdős planar unit distance problem, demonstrating an advance in its technology's mathematical capabilities. The Guardian

BT warns that smartphone prices could rise due to chip shortages, as technology companies like Nvidia buy up vast quantities of memory chips to power AI data centers, straining supply chains. The Guardian

Workday shares jumped 14% after the company raised its margin forecast, attributing the positive outlook to strong performance in its artificial intelligence offerings. CNBC

AI's Societal Impact & Regulation

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to address potential job losses from AI, directing state agencies to evaluate policies supporting displaced workers as the technology impacts the labor market. The Hill

London Mayor Sadiq Khan blocked a £50 million Metropolitan Police deal with Palantir for AI technology, citing "serious concerns" about how the agreement was reached, sparking a dispute with Scotland Yard. The Guardian

WiseTech has begun layoffs, with emails to staff in China omitting "AI" as the reason for redundancies, following a court case against another company in the country regarding AI-related job cuts. The Guardian

University graduates are increasingly booing and heckling tech CEOs who praise AI during commencement ceremonies, reflecting widespread skepticism among young people about the technology's impact on the job market. The Verge, Google News

Google has tripled the usage limits for its Gemini AI model for Antigravity users twice, indicating increased capacity and demand for its AI services. 9to5Google

Global Markets & Corporate Moves

Global stocks rose for a second consecutive day, driven by renewed investor interest in the artificial intelligence sector and anticipation of upcoming IPOs. Financial Post

Elon Musk's SpaceX postponed a Starship launch, a critical test ahead of a looming mega share sale that could see the company's valuation rival Berkshire Hathaway. BBC News NPR

Estée Lauder ended merger talks with Gaultier owner Puig, which would have created a nearly $40 billion beauty powerhouse, due to disagreements over which family would hold the balance of power. The Guardian

The UK government's borrowing in April was higher than expected, reaching £24.3 billion, indicating a larger difference between public spending and tax income. BBC News

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is discussing IPO timing with staff, as the company, alongside SpaceX and Anthropic, prepares for potential public listings that could reshape venture capital. The Information CNBC

Quick Shots

• 🗳️ The DNC's "autopsy" of the 2024 presidential election is being dissected by political strategists, analyzing the party's defeat. NPR
• 📱 Finnish phone-maker HMD is pre-loading an Indian AI chatbot, Sarvam's Indus, onto new smartphones to better reach the local market with support for 22 Indic languages. TechCrunch
• 🤖 Waymo suspended freeway rides and paused operations in Atlanta after its driverless vehicles got stuck in flash floods, prompting safety fixes. Reuters
• 🎶 The owner of the "Peanuts" music catalog is suing the Interior Department and three companies for copyright infringement, seeking to stop unauthorized use of its music. New York Times
• ⛽ California Governor Gavin Newsom's office advised residents to avoid Chevron for Memorial Day weekend travel, citing the company's high gas prices. ABC7 Los Angeles