Trump Breaks With Allies, US-China Chip Controls & Silent Album AI Protest

Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:

(1) President Donald Trump deepened Washington’s split with allies over Ukraine, withdrawing US condemnation of Russia’s 2022 invasion at the United Nations and among Group of Seven countries as he aims to end the war on terms agreeable to Moscow.

(2) Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has opened talks with the Social Democrats to quickly approve as much as €200 billion ($210 billion) in special defense spending, according to a person familiar with those discussions.

(3) Donald Trump’s administration is sketching out tougher versions of US semiconductor curbs and pressuring key allies to escalate their restrictions on China’s chip industry, an early indication the new US president plans to expand efforts that began under Joe Biden to limit Beijing’s technological prowess.

(4) President Donald Trump said tariffs scheduled to hit Canada and Mexico next month were “on time” and “moving along very rapidly” following an initial delay, even as a US official cautioned the schedule could be less certain.

(5) Kate Bush, Damon Albarn and Annie Lennox are among a thousand musicians who've released a silent album to protest against artificial intelligence laws. Artists have warned government plans to change copyright law to allow AI models to train using songs could damage the sector. The record - called Is This What We Want? - features recordings of empty studios, which they say could become the reality of the music business.

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