Jan 15, 2026 · investigation
Tech Giants Donate $400 Million to Trump Ballroom, Then Shape AI Policy They Benefit From
Apple, Google, Amazon, Palantir, Lockheed Martin, and Microsoft contributed to a $400 million private fund for Trump's White House East Wing ballroom, then helped shape AI executive orders eliminating permitting barriers for data centers and reducing regulatory oversight. OpenSecrets documented that every major donor held billions in federal contracts and participated in AI policy development, a pay-to-play arrangement ethics lawyers from the George W. Bush administration flagged as an Anti-Deficiency Act violation. In March 2026, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ordered construction to halt, ruling no statute authorizes privately funded White House construction without congressional authorization.
Nov 18, 2025 · international
Trump gives MBS lavish White House welcome and shrugs off Khashoggi murder
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made his first US visit since the 2018 Khashoggi killing, receiving a military flyover and East Room gala attended by Elon Musk, Tim Cook, and Cristiano Ronaldo. When asked about Khashoggi, Trump said "things happen" and defended MBS. Saudi Arabia pledged to boost US investment from $600 billion to "almost $1 trillion." Trump angrily rebuked an ABC reporter for asking.
Mar 21, 2024 · judicial
Biden DOJ sues Apple for smartphone monopoly alleges iPhone ecosystem suppresses competition
FeaturedThe Biden Justice Department files a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple, alleging the company illegally maintains a monopoly in the smartphone market through a web of policies that lock consumers and developers into the iPhone ecosystem. The complaint alleges Apple blocks competing apps, restricts cloud gaming and messaging interoperability, suppresses digital wallets that compete with Apple Pay, and degrades messaging quality when users communicate with Android phones (green bubbles). The case is the most significant antitrust challenge to Apple's business model and follows the Biden administration's series of major tech antitrust actions against Google, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft.