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EPA finalizes Trump administration’s coal-friendly climate plan
Today, the EPA finalized the Trump administration's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) plan, effectively rolling back Obama-era policies to address climate change. The Obama administration's Clean Power Plan (CPP) set national goals for reducing carbon dioxide emissions. States could decide how to meet those goals, but the targets were strict enough that many states were expected to close coal plants. As NPR reports, the Trump administration's approach will be to regulate the emissions of individual power plants in order to help them stay in business longer.
Huawei trademarks its own mobile OS following US ban
Huawei is making moves to sidestep the Trump administration's de facto ban by trademarking its own operating system. The OS, which has reportedly been in the works for years, was named in trademark applications filed in Peru under the name "Hongmeng," for use within nine countries and Europe (although it's been filed under the name "Ark OS" on the continent). The company has previously suggested the system could roll out as early as this fall, but it only seems likely to do so if it is permanently denied access to Android. However, while launching its own OS is one way Huawei could continue operations in the face of its US ban, there are concerns about such a system's security, as software is not the company's strongest area.
Tariffs are forcing Big Tech to move production out of China
In response to the Trump administration's trade war with China, major tech companies are preparing to relocate key manufacturing operations. According to Bloomberg, Google is moving production of its US-bound Nest thermostats and motherboards to Taiwan. The Wall Street Journal reports that Nintendo is shifting at least some production of its Switch console to Southeast Asia. At the same time, China has allegedly warned companies that they will face permanent consequences if they cooperate with Trump administration trade restrictions.
Apple can make US-bound iPhones outside of China if necessary
If the trade war between the US and China spirals out of control and leads to Chinese retaliation against American tech production, is Apple hosed? Not necessarily. Senior Foxconn exec Young Liu told investors that his manufacturing company has "enough capacity" to make US-bound iPhones outside of China if necessary. About a quarter of that capacity is elsewhere, Liu said, including growing Indian production. While Apple hasn't made any moves on that front, Foxconn can shift its lines elsewhere if things go south.
China warns tech firms against cooperating with US trade ban
China is determined to fight the US ban on Huawei through any means possible, and that might include scaring the companies required to honor that ban. New York Times sources report that Chinese officials have warned that they could face retaliation if they cooperate with Trump administration trade restrictions. They could face "permanent consequences" if they honored the policy, the NYT said, and "punishment" if they pull manufacturing beyond the usual security-related diversification. It also encouraged lobbying to convince American politicians to change their minds.
China plans list of 'unreliable entities' in retaliation for Huawei ban
China isn't taking kindly to the Trump administration's de facto Huawei ban. The country has revealed that it's creating an "unreliable entities list" of foreign companies, organizations and people that it believes interfere with Chinese businesses. This includes firms that break the "spirit" of contracts, violate "market rules," block supplies to companies for "noncommercial reasons" and otherwise harm the "legitimate rights and interests" of those outfits.
Google suspends Huawei's Android support (updated)
Huawei was already facing serious trouble following the Trump administration's de facto ban, but it might get considerably worse. Reuters sources claim Google has suspended transactions with Huawei that require transferring proprietary hardware and software, hobbling much of its smartphone business outside of China. It "immediately" loses access to future OS updates beyond the Android Open Source Project, according to the insider, and upcoming phones would have to go without official apps like the Google Play Store and Gmail.
After Math: Liar, liar, pants on fire
Ladies and gentlemen, I come to you this week a broken man. My childhood dream of seeing a speedy video game rodent hero break the fourth wall and go on a road trip with a middling white male actor I only sort of recognize has been shattered. Not because he doesn't do exactly that, but because of those teeth. Those human, human teeth.
Researchers find Twitter is good for amplifying lies
When it comes to spreading President Trump's false and misleading remarks, Twitter is a perfect storm. A study by Media Matters found that when tweeting about Trump's statements, major news outlets include false information 30 percent of the time. And 65 percent of the time, news outlets fail to provide corrections or context in the body of those tweets. That's especially troublesome given that so many people get their news via tweets and headlines and do not fully read most stories, where they might find more context.
Twitter bots pushed 'Russiagate hoax' following the Mueller report
As much as Twitter has done to keep bots from manipulating users, it still has work to do. NBC News and disinformation campaign researcher Clint Watts have learned that a network of over 5,000 Trump-supporting Twitter bots echoed an attack on the alleged "Russiagate hoax" following the release of the Mueller report in mid-April. They'd been created between November and December of 2018, but were only taken down on April 21st for violating Twitter rules forbidding "platform manipulation."
Mueller report forced Congress to find PCs with disc drives
On top of redactions and other issues with the the Mueller report, Congress is facing a potential technological block. The document will be released to lawmakers, sometime between 11AM and noon ET today, on a ... CD, according to the Associated Press. Disc drives are becoming difficult to find, especially on Mac computers, but luckily the House judiciary staff was prepared. According to a tweet from CBS's Rebecca Kaplan, "they still have a computer with a working CD-ROM drive."
Trump's 2020 budget proposal cuts the EV tax credit
The Trump administration announced its budget proposal for 2020 and tax credits for electric vehicles is on the chopping block, according to Reuters. The White House is proposing eliminating the subsidy, which provides up to $7,500 on the purchase of a new EV, claiming that it will save the government about $2.5 billion over the next decade.
Trump asks for $9.6 billion to bolster cybersecurity in 2020 budget
President Donald Trump has revealed his proposed budget for the 2020 fiscal year, which "supports the creation" of Space Force (USSF) as the sixth branch of the armed forces. The White House also hopes to bolster cybersecurity and NASA exploration missions.
Trump signs directive explaining his 'Space Force'
Following weeks of speculation, Donald Trump signed the Space Policy Directive 4 during a ceremony at the White House on Tuesday, a document which explains how his administration will establish his Space Force. "Just as we've done in ages past, the United States meet the emerging threats on this new battlefield," Vice President Pence said during a speech last August. "The time has come to establish the United States Space Force." Under the plan signed today, the Pentagon would form a sixth branch of the armed services under the Air Force, then recruit a civilian administrator to act as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space (a position appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate), before building or acquiring the satellite technology necessary to engage in space-based combat missions. This differs from Trump's initial plan released last June that would have seen the Space Force operating on "separate but equal" footing with the Air Force. Trump's pet NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine, has already thrown his support behind the plan. However the administration may not see the same enthusiasm from Congress, especially the Democrat-controlled House, which must approve the plan and grant funding before it can move forward. How much funding will be needed is, unsurprisingly, not well established. Trump's Acting Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, initially quoted a price of less than $5 billion in order to establish the new branch. The Air Force, conversely, figures it will need at least $13 billion to get the USSF off the ground. "There's a thousand now decisions that have to be made to be able to work through the intricate details of how we move forward in establishing the service within the Department of the Air Force," General David Goldfein, Air Force chief of staff, told reporters during a press conference at the Brookings Institute on Tuesday. Despite the numerous hurdles that will need to be cleared before the Space Force actually comes into existence, the President remains confident in the program's ultimate success. "I'm very proud that during my administration we're doing so much in space. We need it," Trump said during the signing ceremony.
Trump signs executive order 'prioritizing' AI development
After the President largely avoided the subject of AI in his SOTU address, a new directive could shape the nascent sector as it spills into everything from healthcare to military warfare. Trump's "American AI Initiative" directs federal agencies to prioritize AI in their research and development, however it did not announce any specific funding assigned for these goals.
Foxconn pledges to still build Wisconsin factory after Trump talks
Following talks with President Trump, Foxconn says it is indeed building a factory at its Wisconsin campus. Earlier this week, the company caused a furor when it said it's shifting plans away from manufacturing to focus on a research and engineering center. Now it seems it's doing both.
Rudy Giuliani blames Twitter for his spectacular typo fail
Rudy Giuliani, once Trump's "cyber advisor," has again demonstrated his lack of even the most basic internet knowledge. In part one of a three-act blunder, he tweeted about special counsel Robert Mueller, but left out spaces between the sentences, accidentally creating the random link "G-20.In." (Twitter automatically generates clickable text out of valid links.)
House Democrats to investigate Trump actions against Amazon, AT&T
Now that Democrats are poised to control of the House of Representatives, they're planning investigations into the Trump administration's actions against technology companies. Inbound House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff told Axios in an interview that Democrats would investigate whether President Trump misused his power in attempts to punish Amazon and block AT&T's merger with Time Warner.
Apple, Google and others denounce Trump’s transgender policy
More than four dozen global brands pushed back against a report that the Trump administration would require a person's gender be defined by their birth anatomy, a move that could endanger federal protections for more than a million Americans who don't identify with the gender assigned to them at birth.
For Twitter, 'sorry' seems to be the easiest word
Two weeks before Cesar Sayoc was arrested for mailing 13 pipe bombs (and counting) to various Democratic politicians and supporters, including President Barack Obama, he was threatening people on Twitter who opposed his nationalist, pro-Trump views. In a tweet to political analyst Rochelle Ritchie on October 11th, which he sent from one of two Twitter accounts that have since been suspended, he said she should hug her "loved ones real close every time" she left home. "So you like [to] make threats. We Unconquered Seminole Tribe will answer your threats. We have nice silent Air boat ride for you here on our land Everglades Swamp. We will see u 4 sure," he added. Ritchie reported the tweet, only to be told by Twitter that it did not violate its terms of service.
