The Trump administration is navigating a complex TikTok deal with China and implementing a new **$100,000 application fee for H-1B foreign worker visas, while the Federal Reserve faces calls for sharper interest rate cuts** amid White House pressure and legal challenges.

• Trump and China Suggest TikTok Deal Could Move Ahead in Vague Statements — The New York Times Business -
• Trump to add $100,000 application fee to H-1B foreign worker visas — Financial Times -
• Fed’s Stephen Miran defends call for sharper interest rate cut — Financial Times -

• U.S. Government Expected to Get Multibillion-Dollar Fee in TikTok Deal — Wall Street Journal -
• Trump Invokes ‘Golden Share’ to Block U.S. Steel Plans for Illinois Plant — Wall Street Journal -
• New to the Fed, Miran Defends Calls for Sharper Reduction in Interest Rates — The New York Times Business -
• Opinion | The Brendan Carr Democrats — Wall Street Journal -
• The S.E.C. Drops Efforts to Recoup Funds From Trump Clemency Recipients — The New York Times Business -
• Trump and Xi to meet in South Korea as US president hails TikTok deal — Financial Times -
• Democrats round on Kamala Harris for dishing dirt in campaign memoir — Financial Times -
• FirstFT: Xi and Trump talk to decide the future of TikTok — Financial Times -
• All the Reasons Trump Would Be Wrong to Ditch Quarterly Earnings — Wall Street Journal -
• US senators seek to raise pressure on Russia with ‘shadow fleet’ sanctions — Financial Times -
• Trump and Xi Set to Finalize TikTok Deal — The New York Times Business -
• Trump says Afghanistan’s Bagram air base should be returned to US — Financial Times -
• Trump Asks Supreme Court to Allow Removal of Fed Governor — The New York Times Business -
• The Fed Has No Good Options as Hiring Wobbles and Inflation Picks Up — The New York Times Business -
• Nvidia’s CEO Walks an AI Tightrope Between the U.S. and China — Wall Street Journal -

France's debt downgrade and Argentina's spiraling peso crisis highlight global economic fragility, as Europe escalates sanctions on Russia and confronts NATO airspace breaches, while the race for rare-earth magnets outside China intensifies amidst shifting international alliances and regional conflicts.

• France’s debt downgraded by second rating agency within a week — Financial Times -
• Argentina spends $1bn to defend peso as Milei’s crisis spirals — Financial Times -
• Russia breaches Nato airspace in Estonia — Financial Times -

• Germany considers dropping France from flagship fighter jet project — Financial Times -
• Europe’s first production plant for rare-earth magnets opens — Financial Times -
• Europe Announces New Sanctions to Ramp Up Pressure on Russia — The New York Times Business -
• EU plans to unlock €550mn for Hungary to secure Russian energy sanctions — Financial Times -
• Saudi Arabia to shift management of luxury island after delayed opening — Financial Times -
• Petrodollars and the ‘Islamic bomb’: how a Saudi-Pakistan pact was forged — Financial Times -
• The Race Is on to Make Rare Earth Magnets Outside China — The New York Times Business -
• China warns PNG against signing Australia security treaty — Financial Times -
• As globalisation retreats, art biennials are booming — Financial Times -
• How drones have transformed the nature of war — Financial Times -
• If Russia Wins: A Scenario — a stark warning of Nato’s need to deter Putin — Financial Times -
• Iran to start growing legal opium after Taliban crackdown — Financial Times -
• Ukraine reconstruction efforts challenged by lack of precedent — Financial Times -

The **indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Trump's dismissed $15 billion lawsuit against The New York Times underscore mounting pressure on media, alongside concerns about Europe's efforts to export censorship and the broader impact of social media on democracy**.

• Opinion | Why ABC and CBS Cave to Trump’s Threats — Wall Street Journal -
• Judge Dismisses Trump’s $15 Billion Lawsuit Against The New York Times — The New York Times Business -
• Opinion | Europe Tries to Export Censorship to America — Wall Street Journal -

• Trump suit against New York Times dismissed for being too long — Financial Times -
• Jimmy Kimmel’s Absence Dominates Other Late-Night Shows — Wall Street Journal -
• The social media cancer on democracy — Financial Times -
• Why the Media Industry Is Bracing for More Blowback — The New York Times Business -
• What Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension Says About the Trump Administration’s Crackdown Against Mainstream Media — The New York Times Business -
• Is America entering a new era of McCarthyism? — Financial Times -
• Disney Pulled Jimmy Kimmel as Pressure Built on Multiple Fronts — The New York Times Business -

Nvidia's strategic investments in UK self-driving startup Wayve and an Intel stake highlight the booming tech sector, with AI fever driving markets to record highs and San Francisco embracing futuristic robot fights, while concerns arise over AI medical tools exhibiting biases.

• Is the ‘British firm’ at the heart of Britain’s AI plans actually British? — Financial Times -
• Markets hit record highs as ‘Fomo’ infects investors — Financial Times -
• Nvidia’s $5bn Intel stake turns bad finance into good money — Financial Times -

• Nvidia in talks for $500mn investment in UK self-driving start-up Wayve — Financial Times -
• Nvidia, Wayve in Talks Over $500 Million Investment in Self-Driving Car Startup — Wall Street Journal -
• ‘Peak SF’ on a Friday Night Is a Robot Fight — The New York Times Business -
• Forget high energy costs. The UK can be a winner in AI data centre boom — Financial Times -
• AI medical tools downplay symptoms in women and ethnic minorities — Financial Times -
• Solar-Powered Cars and Trucks Are Almost Here — Wall Street Journal -

First Brands' debt plunges amid restructuring worries, Japanese stocks sell off following the Bank of Japan's ETF unwinding, and Jefferies deepens ties with Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui, while Blackstone names a new CEO and debate continues on digital euro rules.

• First Brands debt plunges as worries mount over US car parts group — Financial Times -
• The dollar is taking the hit from worries over the US — Financial Times -
• Markets on edge: central banks, bonds and the risks ahead — Financial Times -

• Blackstone Names New CEO of Real-Estate Megafund After Executive’s Fatal Shooting — Wall Street Journal -
• Japanese stocks sell off as BoJ unveils plan to unwind $250bn of ETFs — Financial Times -
• Jefferies Deepens Ties With Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui — Wall Street Journal -
• Missing: services disinflation — Financial Times -
• Digital euro debate rolls on as finance ministers mull stablecoin rules — Financial Times -
• Charlie Ergen’s $10bn denouement — Financial Times -
• Oil market brushes off predictions of supply glut — Financial Times -
• US investment bank Jefferies agrees to Japan’s SMFG raising stake to 20% — Financial Times -
• Naveen Jindal’s €4bn play for German steelmaker Thyssenkrupp — Financial Times -

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares to unveil a digital ID scheme and addresses Britain's dysfunctional policymaking amidst rising public borrowing and NHS unions boycotting pay reviews, while controversies include a Scottish minister's resignation and PwC's staff cuts.

• Keir Starmer set to unveil digital ID scheme — Financial Times -
• Keir Starmer’s long road to recognising Palestine — Financial Times -
• Scottish minister resigns after Douglas Ross assault claim — Financial Times -

• Britain plays host to King Donald — Financial Times -
• Mandelson did not declare flights paid for by Epstein in 2003 — Financial Times -
• UK and Ireland unveil transformed approach to handling Troubles’ legacy — Financial Times -
• PwC cuts 60 partners and 1,500 staff in Middle East after Saudi clash — Financial Times -
• Trumpery, pageantry and the ‘special relationship’ — Financial Times -
• Britain must break from the grip of dysfunctional policymaking — Financial Times -
• NHS unions to boycott pay review bodies after trust hits ‘rock bottom’ — Financial Times -
• London’s ‘accidental’ landlords are a growing sub-genre — Financial Times -
• Car insurers to pay £200mn after lowballing claims by careful drivers — Financial Times -
• UK borrowing for fiscal year blows past official forecasts — Financial Times -
• Andy Burnham’s two-horse act faces a big jump — Financial Times -
• What is a mansion, anyway? — Financial Times -
• The OBR is not to blame for weak growth — Financial Times -

Farm Aid continues to tackle farming crises as it reaches its 40th year, the **FDA approves Merck’s new Keytruda cancer shot, and missed student loan payments negatively impact credit scores, while California's climate policies face backlash and the debate over deep-sea mining** intensifies.

• As Farm Aid Reaches 40 Years, It Deals With Familiar Farming Crises — The New York Times Business -
• Opinion | California’s Great Climate Backfire — Wall Street Journal -
• FDA OKs New Keytruda Shot for Cancer — The New York Times Business -

• Those Missed Student Loan Payments Are Messing Up Your Credit Score — The New York Times Business -
• Should Deep-Sea Mining Be Permitted? Two Sides Square Off. — Wall Street Journal -
• How Much Training Should an Airline Pilot Need? — Wall Street Journal -
• American universities under pressure: at what cost for competitiveness? — Financial Times -
• Victoria’s Secret CEO Is Pushing ‘a New Era of Sexy’ — Wall Street Journal -
• Why Won’t Some Colleges Publish Their Common Data Sets? — The New York Times Business -
• Postcard from Melbourne: up close with the world’s smallest penguins — Financial Times -