News of the Cyber World

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BIG TECH

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang can resume AI chip sales to China after meeting with Trump: ‘Monster win’

Nvidia will resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China after CEO Jensen Huang met with President Donald Trump in the White House last week in an effort to convince him to remove export controls that had hamstrung the company.

The Trump administration has assured Nvidia that licenses to export the chips will be granted, ending months of halted shipments that had severely impacted the company’s access to one of its largest markets, according to a statement from the firm.

The news sent Nvidia’s stock soaring more than 5% in pre-market trading. Last week, the chipmaker became the first public company in history to surpass a $4 trillion market valuation. 

Daniel Ives, senior analyst at Wedbush Securities, hailed the development on Tuesday as “a watershed moment for Nvidia, the AI Revolution thesis, and the overall US tech industry,” called the decision “a monster win for the Godfather of AI Jensen and Nvidia.” 

He added that the green light will likely propel Wall Street’s growth estimates for Nvidia “meaningfully over the coming years with China back in the fold.”

In April, Nvidia had paused shipments of the H20 chips — leading to $4.5 billion in inventory write-downs and an estimated $2.5 billion in lost projected sales.

The company halted sales of the chips after the Trump Administration implemented a licensing requirement as part of the president’s “Liberation Day” trade moves.

The halt not only impacted revenue but gave Chinese rivals an opening in the race for AI dominance.

“This is all a game of high-stakes poker between Nvidia and the Trump Administration,” Ives wrote in a note to clients. 

“There is only one chip in the world fueling the AI Revolution and it’s Nvidia. That is clearly understood both in the Beltway and Beijing — it’s the new gold or oil in this world.”

The H20 chip was originally engineered to comply with earlier US export controls on China.

With export licenses now expected, the company anticipates a significant boost in revenue during the second half of 2025.

In May, Reuters reported that Nvidia was preparing to launch a new AI chip in China, based on the RTX Pro 6000D, priced significantly lower than the H20 due to its weaker specifications and simpler manufacturing requirements.

Apple inks $500M deal with US-based rare-earth mine operator MP Materials

Apple has inked a $500 million deal with the operator of a Texas-based mine producing rare earth materials used to build iPhones and other hardware – a move that comes as CEO Tim Cook’s firm looks to reduce its reliance on China.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based firm is partnering on the multiyear deal with MP Materials, which it described as the “only fully integrated rare earth producer in the United States.” Apple will buy rare earth magnets produced at MP Materials’ facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

“Rare earth materials are essential for making advanced technology, and this partnership will help strengthen the supply of these vital materials here in the United States,” Cook said in a statement.

Apple and MP Materials will also jointly develop a rare earth recycling plant in Mountain Pass, Calif. and collaborate on developing new rare earth processing technologies to boost magnet performance.

The Fort Worth facility will be upgraded with “a series of neodymium magnet manufacturing lines specifically designed for Apple products,” according to Apple.

“Once built, the American-made magnets will be shipped across the country and all over the world, helping to meet increasing global demand for the material,” the company said.

Apple’s pledge surfaced just days after the US Defense Department announced it would buy $400 million in preferred stock in MP Materials, becoming its largest shareholder.

Apple shares were flat in Tuesday trading.

The company’s stock is down 14% since the start of the year – due in part to uncertainties related to the US-China tariff war.

Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg spared from testifying after settling Meta shareholders’ $8B privacy lawsuit

Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook’s billionaire board members have been spared from testifying after clinching a settlement with Meta shareholders in an $8 billion lawsuit over privacy violations, a lawyer for the shareholders said Thursday.

The suit attempted to hold current and former employees of Meta, as well as top boss Zuckerberg, liable for billions of dollars in fines and legal costs over data protection failures.

Details of the settlement were not disclosed.

The deal came in the nick of time for billionaire venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, who was scheduled to testify on Thursday concerning his role as a Meta director.

Ex-Facebook board members Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir Technologies, and Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, were also expected to provide testimony.

Zuckerberg was scheduled to take the stand on Monday, with Sandberg to follow on Wednesday. The trial was expected to run through the end of next week.

Meta declined to comment.

The suit largely concerned a $5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission in 2019, which alleged Facebook failed to comply with a 2012 agreement to protect users’ data.

Then some people ask me why I created a script like KLazyWayOut for RMXP.

Amazon slashing hundreds of jobs at AWS cloud unit — month after CEO says AI will spur layoffs: report

Amazon cut at least hundreds of jobs in its Amazon Web Services cloud computing unit on Thursday, two sources said, just a month after CEO Andy Jassy warned that adoption of generative AI tools would trigger a workforce reduction.

An Amazon spokesperson confirmed it had cut jobs but did not provide a number.

Amazon, which employed 1.6 million full- and part-time workers globally as of the end of March, has joined a growing list of firms, including Microsoft, Meta, and CrowdStrike in announcing layoffs this year.

Many corporations are increasingly using artificial intelligence to write code for their software and adopting AI agents to automate routine tasks, as they look to save costs and cut reliance on people.

“We’ve made the difficult business decision to eliminate some roles across particular teams in AWS,” the Amazon spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “These decisions are necessary as we continue to invest, hire, and optimize resources to deliver innovation for our customers.”

AWS sales rose 17% in the first quarter to $29.3 billion compared to a year earlier and operating income rose 23% to $11.5 billion.

Several employees told Reuters they had received emails on Thursday morning that told them they had been terminated and their computers were being deactivated.

While Reuters could not determine the full scope of the layoffs, at least one group, known as “specialists,” was affected. Specialists work with customers to help create new product ideas and sell existing services.

Amazon has been making piecemeal job cuts, most recently in its books, devices and services unit, as well as its Wondery podcast division.

Jassy is reducing what he has described as an excess of bureaucracy at the company, including by eliminating managers.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Brazil Supreme Court's Legal War With Truth Social, Rumble Escalates

An escalating international free speech clash is reigniting tensions between U.S. tech platforms and the Supreme Court in Brazil.

Rumble Inc. and Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), parent of Truth Social, have filed an amended federal lawsuit in their action against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes after he ordered Rumble block a U.S. citizen, court papers show.

The new order from Moraes, issued July 11, demanded Rumble block the U.S. citizen, identified in legal fillings as a political commentator in Florida ("Political Dissident B") or face daily fines of 100,000 reais (about $20,000 USD) from July 13, the papers said.

Rumble and TMTG accuse Justice Moraes of judicial overreach by ordering the blocking of a U.S.-based user's account on Rumble, demanding the preservation of the account's content, and requiring disclosure of identifying user data to Brazilian authorities.

A spokesperson for the law firm representing Rumble, Boies Schiller Flexner, told Newsweek: "Brazil is claiming that it is combating foreign disinformation and extremism, but the issue isn't whether Brazil can regulate content within its own borders. It's that this one judge—Justice Alexandre de Moraes—is attempting to enforce Brazilian censorship standards on U.S. platforms, against U.S. citizens, for speech that occurred entirely in the United States."

He said the new filing brings the July 11 order before U.S. courts. "It raises urgent legal questions—not only about Moraes's violation of U.S. law and treaty with Brazil, but also about whether a foreign judge can secretly compel U.S. platforms to suppress constitutionally protected speech. The court will have to grapple with these issues, and we believe the amended complaint presents them in a clear and compelling way."

Rumble has been blocked in Brazil since February following an order by the same judge.

Why It Matters

The amended complaint, filed July 14 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, marks a significant escalation in a months-long legal battle.

Over the past several years de Moraes has emerged as one of the most forceful figures in Brazil's digital landscape, launching a sweeping crackdown on what he describes as online threats to the country's democratic institutions. His orders have resulted in the removal or suspension of hundreds of social media accounts, most of them affiliated with conservative and right-wing figures or causes.

With freedom of speech, digital sovereignty, and cross-border law enforcement all in play, this case may well define the boundaries of online speech for years to come.

What To Know

The American citizen at the center of the new escalation, Political Dissident B, "has been previously targeted by Justice Moraes through suspensions of his accounts on social media platforms, retaliatory criminal proceedings in Brazil, the invalidation of his Brazilian passport, and asset freezes," lawyers for Rumble said.

The new order "represents the first instance in which Justice Moraes has targeted Rumble for the account of this U.S. citizen," they added.

This amended suit supplements an original complaint filed in February 2025, which challenged Justice Moraes's earlier orders against a Brazilian political dissident living abroad.

A U.S. judge ruled then that the Brazilian orders could not be enforced on American soil.

Now, the plaintiffs assert the latest actions reveal a broader, systematic effort by Moraes to suppress political discourse on U.S.-based platforms.

VIDEOGAMES

Call of Duty maker can’t be held responsible for Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooter, lawyer argues

A lawyer for the maker of the video game Call of Duty argued Friday that a judge should dismiss a lawsuit brought by families of the victims of the Robb Elementary School attack in Uvalde, Texas, saying the contents of the war game are protected by the First Amendment.

The families sued Call of Duty maker Activision and Meta Platforms, which owns Instagram, saying that the companies bear responsibility for promoting products used by the teen gunman.

Three sets of parents who lost children in the shooting were in the audience at the Los Angeles hearing.

Activision lawyer Bethany Kristovich told Superior Court Judge William Highberger that the “First Amendment bars their claims, period full stop.”

“The issues of gun violence are incredibly difficult,” Kristovich said.

“The evidence in this case is not.”

She argued that the case has little chance of prevailing if it continues, because courts have repeatedly held that “creators of artistic works, whether they be books, music, movies, TV or video games, cannot be held legally liable for the acts of their audience.”

The lawsuit, one of many involving Uvalde families, was filed last year on the second anniversary of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

The gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.

Officers finally confronted and shot him after waiting more than an hour to enter the fourth-grade classroom.

Kimberly Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was killed in the shooting, was among the parents who came from Texas to Southern California, where Activision is based, for the hearing.

“We traveled all this way, so we need answers,” Rubio said outside the courthouse.

“It’s our hope that the case will move forward so we can get those answers.”

Another attorney for the families argued during the hearing that Call of Duty exceeds its First Amendment protections by moving into marketing.

“The basis of our complaint is not the existence of Call of Duty,” Katie Mesner-Hage told the judge.

“It is using Call of Duty as a platform to market weapons to minors.”

The plaintiffs’ lawyers showed contracts and correspondence between executives at Activison and gunmakers whose products, they said, are clearly and exactly depicted in the game despite brand names not appearing.

Mesner-Hage said the documents show that they actually prefer being unlabeled because “It helps shield them from the implication that they are marketing guns to minors,” while knowing that players will still identify and seek out the weapons.

Kristovich said there is no evidence that the kind of product placement and marketing the plaintiffs are talking about happened in any of the editions of the game the shooter played.

The families have also filed a lawsuit against Daniel Defense, which manufactured the AR-style rifle used in the May 24, 2022, shooting.

MUSK

Elon Musk’s Tesla loses top North American sales executive in latest senior departure: report

Tesla’s top sales executive in North America has left the company – the latest in a crushing talent exodus as Elon Musk’s carmaker suffers a sales slump, according to a report Tuesday.

Troy Jones, vice president of sales in Tesla’s largest market, has quit after 15 years at the electric vehicle maker, sources familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.

His departure comes less than a month after Omead Afshar, Musk’s top aide, fled the company.

Afshar had been promoted less than a year earlier to a high-profile position managing all of sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe.

The company also lost a top human resources executive in June, when Jenna Ferrua, who oversaw the North America division, departed.

Earlier this year, Tesla suffered a huge blow when top AI executive Milan Kovac left the company.

Kovac had served as a vice president of engineering and oversaw the development of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robots – a division that Musk has talked up for years as a major opportunity for the company.

Tesla did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

The flock of departures comes as Tesla has been trampled by increased EV competition, especially from Chinese rivals like BYD.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott won’t release ‘intimate’ and ‘embarrassing’ emails with Elon Musk

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is refusing to release months of email communications between his office and Elon Musk or representatives from Musk’s companies, arguing the messages are “intimate” and “embarrassing” and therefore not subject to public disclosure.

The emails were requested in April by The Texas Newsroom as part of an effort to track Musk’s growing influence at the Texas Capitol. 

The newsroom sought correspondence between Abbott and Musk — or individuals using company-affiliated email addresses — dating back to last fall.

At first, the governor’s office estimated it would take over 13 hours to review the records and quoted a fee of $244.64, requiring full payment in advance.

The Texas Newsroom paid the amount, but after cashing the check, Abbott’s office stated it believed all of the requested records were confidential.

It then asked Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to formally approve withholding the documents from public release.

Matthew Taylor, the governor’s public information coordinator, told Paxton’s office the emails included private exchanges with attorneys, discussions on policy-making and information about how the state attracts investment. 

Making them public, he wrote, “would have a chilling effect on the frank and open discussion necessary for the decision-making process.”

Taylor also invoked the “common-law privacy” exception under state law, writing that the records contain “information that is intimate and embarrassing and not of legitimate concern to the public, including financial decisions that do not relate to transactions between an individual and a governmental body.” 

OTHER NEWS

Founder of bankrupt clothing tech startup charged with defrauding investors out of $300M

A prominent entrepreneur who founded the now-bankrupt clothing technology startup CaaStle was criminally charged on Friday with defrauding investors out of more than $300 million, the Justice Department said.

Authorities said Christine Hunsicker, 48, of Lafayette, NJ, promoted CaaStle to investors as a more than $1.4 billion “Clothing-as-a-Service” business that helped companies rent apparel to consumers with an option to buy, despite knowing it was financially distressed and short of cash.

The alleged fraud spanned six years starting in 2019, three years after the Princeton University alumna was named one of Inc magazine’s “Most Impressive Women Entrepreneurs” and Crain’s New York Business’ “40 Under 40.”

Hunsicker was charged in a six-count indictment with wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, making false statements to a bank and aggravated identity theft.

She turned herself in to authorities, and could face decades in prison if convicted. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a related civil lawsuit.
In a joint statement, Hunsicker’s lawyers Michael Levy and Anna Skotko said the indictment presented “an incomplete and very distorted picture,” despite their client being “fully cooperative and transparent” with prosecutors.

“There is much more to this story, and we look forward to telling it,” the lawyers added.

Authorities said Hunsicker falsified CaaStle’s financial statements and bank records to raise capital.

This included alleged representations that CaaStle earned $66.3 million on revenue of $439.9 million in 2023, when it actually lost $81 million on revenue of $15.7 million.

NASA’s supersonic X-59 jet that could slash NYC-London flight time in half taxis closer to take off

Breakfast in New York, midmorning snack in London.

Taxi tests are underway on a highly anticipated supersonic plane designed to quietly break the sound barrier — and slash flight time between New York and London in half.

The X-59 jet, dubbed the “son of Concorde,” is one step closer to takeoff after the experimental aircraft taxied on a California runway at low speed using its own power for the first time on July 10, NASA said in a press release.

The ground maneuvers at the US Air Force’s Plant 42 in Palmdale mark the final series of trials for the 100-foot-long, 30-foot-wide jet before its maiden voyage, which is slated for sometime this year, according to the space agency.

“Over the coming weeks, the aircraft will gradually increase its speed, leading up to a high-speed taxi test that will take the aircraft just short of the point where it would take off,” officials said.

The high-tech plane, unveiled by NASA and Lockheed Martin last year, is the centerpiece of the space agency’s QueSST mission to produce a quieter sonic boom for communities below and revolutionize air travel, potentially cutting transit time down significantly for commercial flights.

It could possibly fly from New York to London flight in three and a half hours, the agency previously said.