Former President Donald Trump has recently announced a new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, prompting significant concern among major technology firms. The move aims to reshape immigration policies concerning skilled labor, placing additional financial burdens on companies that rely on foreign talent. This decision arrives just as Big Tech firms race to figure out what it means for them, now that the increased costs have sunk in.
Trump suggested he would punish networks he considers “fake news.” Eipstein under suspension, Trump took to Twitter with a very Presidential suggestion. He even suggested he’d pull licenses from any news networks that report critically against him. As much as this may sound like a campaign metaphor coming from the former president, it is not entirely divorced from reality.
Trump promised “good news” coming soon about the war in Ukraine. His remarks came at a time of growing anxiety about Russia’s expanding military aggression and the world’s fragile response to that developing crisis.
The Trump administration’s long-running efforts to get rid of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. This request takes the already charged political environment and turns it way up. After winning a legal round recently, Trump radiantly declared, “I’m winning!” A week earlier, a judge had thrown out his $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times.
In the more amicable realm of business negotiations, at least, Trump is winning bigly. He’s personally negotiating a possible TikTok deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping. As expected, the White House didn’t give ground as they pointed out significant progress has been made, but more work is needed. Trump Times Trump also reportedly named the Murdoch family as partners likely to join in on the TikTok deal.
So thanks to FCC Chair Ajit Pai’s insistence that they interpret Kimmel’s suspension from ABC in the most restrictive possible manner. Their work is just beginning…In response to his comments about Kimmel, Senator Ted Cruz has likened Pai to a Mafia Don. Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner has voiced support for Kimmel. He condemns, as he puts it, FCC intimidation tactics that are being directed at ABC.
Though rumors of White House pressure affecting Kimmel’s suspension had swirled, a senior Trump aide quickly shot down that allegation. Karoline Leavitt emphasized, “Mr. Homan never took the $50,000 that you’re referring to, so you should get your facts straight.” She further asserted that the White House and Trump stand by Tom Homan, stating, “The White House and the president stand by Tom Homan 100%, because he did absolutely nothing wrong.”
Leavitt characterized recent investigations as a product of the “weaponization of the Biden Department of Justice.” When Trump came into office, the inquiry into Homan, according to the Washington Post, apparently stopped. Unbelievably, just weeks ago, FBI Director Kash Patel himself threw his eyes on this case and personally closed it.
In particular, public figures have been weighing in already on the implications for media freedom and corporate governance. This is happening amidst Trump’s continuing – and dangerous – influence on American politics.