The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday sued to block the Trump administration's plan to charge a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas, a move businesses say could deprive them of skilled foreign workers.
Why it matters: For all of the actions taken by the administration that pressured corporate America, from DOGE to tariffs, the proposed visa changes proved a bridge too far for the influential business lobby.
The Trump administration's slashing of the federal workforce amid the government shutdown is threatening AI work at the Commerce Department, according to sources close to the agency.
Why it matters: President Trump has lofty goals for AI, but sources say they will be difficult to reach if the agency loses institutional knowledge and the staff needed to implement ambitiousexecutiveorders.
The Defense Department's new rules for press credentials led to a mass exodus this week of nearly every Pentagon reporter from almost every major media outlet.
Why it matters: News outlets argue that the Pentagon is effectively asking their journalists to accept — as a condition of access — that they can be penalized for routine newsgathering activities, like asking a source for information they have not been explicitly authorized to discuss.
A federal judge on Thursday said she wants federal agents in Illinois to turn on their body cameras during encounters with immigration protesters, multipleoutletsreported.
Why it matters: Protests against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown have grown increasingly violent, with federal law enforcement likely defying a court order by using tear gas on demonstrators.
Most communication teams have long avoided Reddit's corner of the internet, but AI scraping methods are changing that.
Why it matters: Reddit is not just a place to find communities that are already talking about your company, brand or products. It's also a key information source for large language models.
American companies are bundling years' worth of planned U.S. investments into one package and delivering it to the White House, hoping to strengthen government relations and make a PR splash.
Why it matters: This tactic is the latest addendum to the corporate Trump playbook.
The Energy Department on Thursday finalized a $1.6 billion loan guarantee for American Electric Power to optimize and rebuild around 5,000 miles of transmission lines across five states.
Why it matters: Getting new interstate lines approved is really hard even as power demand rises, and grid analysts see lots of potential in boosting capacity along existing infrastructure and corridors.
Prize-winning black hole theoretical physicist Alex Lupsasca has joined OpenAI's new science team, Axios has learned.
The big picture: Lupsasca is the first person to join the OpenAI for Science initiative led by Kevin Weil. In addition to his post at OpenAI, Lupsasca will continue his current job as a professor at Vanderbilt University.
Google DeepMind is partnering with a Boston-area energy startup to use AI to speed the development of fusion as a clean energy source.
What they're saying: "Everyone talks about how much energy AI is going to use, but AI can actually help the energy equation on the supply side too," Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) CEO Bob Mumgaard told Axios.
Microsoft on Thursday announced new Windows features aimed at making the still-fuzzy notion of an AI PC more concrete.
Why it matters: Microsoft and Apple are both touting their computers as built for AI, though for most people that still means using them to access a cloud-based service such as ChatGPT.
Amazon on Thursday unveiled plans and renderings of its forthcoming small modular reactor facility in Washington state to power AI and cloud services.
Why it matters: The Cascade Advanced Energy Facility is one of the country's first SMR projects, with Energy Northwest and X-energy planning to build up to 12 SMRs.
The man who made TED a household name is moving from ideas to (climate) action.
Why he matters: After nearly 25 years at TED, Chris Anderson is stepping back to launch a new initiative seeking to mobilize businesses on climate change — as political focus wanes and investor energy shifts to AI.
The White House and Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot, are in a war of words over AI regulation.
Why it matters: AI may be the century's most consequential technology, possibly even determining the geopolitical order, and rules are (or aren't) being written right now.
The Florida man accused of starting the deadly Palisades Fire, one of California's most destructive blazes, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday.
The big picture: Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, who was originally charged with destruction of property by fire over the blaze that erupted during powerful Santa Ana winds in the Los Angeles area in January and led to the death of 12 people, faced two additional charges in the indictment.
Meta has hired Ke Yang, an engineering exec recently tapped by Apple to lead the iPhone maker's effort to build a ChatGPT-style search experience, Axios has confirmed.
Why it matters: It's the latest sign that Meta is not done with its recruiting spree, as Axios noted earlier this week following the hiring of Thinking Machine Labs co-founder Andrew Tulloch.
