Plus: Elon Musk tried to block an OpenAI data-center project in the Middle East unless his xAI company was added. And tariff uncertainty hurts HP sales, as the company tries to shift production out of China. Luke Vargas hosts.
A.M. Edition for May 29. A U.S. federal trade court has ruled President Trump lacked the authority to impose global tariffs, blocking one of the administration’s boldest assertions of executive power. While stock futures are rallying today, WSJ deputy finance editor Quentin Webb says that decision adds to investor uncertainty over the future of U.S. trade policy. Plus, Elon Musk announces his looming exit from government. And Nvidia’s business booms, even as its CEO critiques U.S. efforts to shut China out of the global chips market. Luke Vargas hosts.
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The US Court of International Trade ruled that Donald Trump’s so-called fentanyl and Liberation Day tariffs constituted executive overreach. Now what? Artificial intelligence is on a wild ride through a well-known hype cycle—and is arriving at a “trough of disillusionment” (8:49). And a new book about Xi Jinping’s father reveals much about the Chinese president himself (16:42).
A federal court has blocked most of President Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs. The judges said the president overstepped his authority when he put tariffs on nearly every country in the world last month. Trump also appears increasingly frustrated with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Moscow's ongoing airstrikes in Ukraine. How could this affect any peace negotiations? And one of the largest right-wing political gatherings is getting underway in Eastern Europe.
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Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kara Platoni, Miguel Macias, Arezou Rezvani, HJ Mai and Lisa Thomson. It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange.
Arnab Deka lives in Vancouver and loves the Pacific Northwest. He was never formally educated in computer science or software engineering - in fact, while he was studying civil engineering, he fell in love with building things and eventually, building software. Outside of tech, he is a family man and loves to sup with them and his dog. He also enjoys astronomy, and is known to attend a star party or 2, with his telescope in hand.
Arnab took a sabbatical from work, and on this journey, he realized that he liked deep work and interacting with customers directly - as opposed to high level strategy and planning. He met with his now co-founder in 2022, walking then Seattle lake front, and realized what podcast junkies they both were - and they decided to build something for it.
In which it takes Europe over two thousand years to figure out that the greatest of the great apes is not just Carthaginian folklore, and Ken would like to be considered merciful. Certificate #46468.
New details emerge in the federal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, including allegations of violence and coercion. The Justice Department is investigating California schools over transgender athletes and potential Title IX violations, and tech giants like Google and Amazon are rolling out AI tools that could reshape how people shop.
Some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley have been popping up in political circles. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has been advising President Trump; billionaire Peter Thiel introduced JD Vance to the president; and many more less well known folks are poised to take on positions of power in the new administration. So who are all these people and how are they connected? Bay Curious listener Anna Mistele has heard they're all part of something called the PayPal Mafia. She wants to know what that is and the extent of their influence in Silicon Valley and beyond.
This story was reported by Morgan Sung and edited by Chris Egusa. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Maya Cueva, Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.
For Harvard students, this year’s graduation ceremony comes amid an intense standoff between one of America’s most prestigious universities and the United States government.
Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains how the conflict escalated and what it reveals about how far the administration will go to fulfill its agenda.
Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, covering Washington.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Sophie Park/Bloomberg
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After issuing pardons to those sharing political and potential financial ties, President Trump floats pardons for the men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. British authorities reveal charges against Andrew and Tristan Tate. And companies are increasingly using “virtual influencers” to promote their products online.