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An illustration shows the US flag with the TikTok logo and a dollar in Shanghai, China, on January 21, 2025.
TikTokkers may credit President Donald Trump with the app’s restoration on Sunday, which came 12 hours after a government ban shut it down, but their joy may be short-lived. On Monday, Trump signedan executive order suspending the ban for 75 days, during which his administration will “determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans.”
Before taking office, Trump floated the idea of obliging TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell half the company to an American purchaser and run it as a joint venture. Beijing has beencool to the concept, with China’s Foreign Ministry responding that the “operation and acquisition of companies” should be “decided by companies” and in line with Chinese law.
How important is TikTok to China? Both Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chewattended Trump’s inauguration, and in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping the previous Friday, Trump said the two leaders spoke about the app. On Monday, however, Trump told reporters he could levy tariffs of 100% on Chinese goods if Beijing refuses to strike a deal – indicating that TikTok may be just another bargaining chip in Trump’s plans for containing China.A view shows Israeli tanks near the border with Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, January 21, 2025.
Will the Israel-Hamas ceasefire get to phase two? After the initial exchange of hostages and prisoners this past weekend, there is growing skepticism, including from the White House, that the deal will hold.
“I’m not confident. It’s not our war, it’s their war,” President Donald Trumpsaid Monday.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has threatened to resign if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not break the ceasefire once the first 42-day phase is over and continue Israel’s efforts to eradicate Hamas. This comes on the heels of far-right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir and a couple of his colleagues quitting the cabinet over the “reckless” deal, leaving Netanyahu’s government dependent on the support of opposition leader Yair Lapid for its survival – for now.
While both Israel and the US say continued Hamas control of Gaza is a nonstarter, the reality is that despite 15 months of Israeli military operations, Hamas remainsfirmly in control of the territory. At Sunday’s exchange of three female hostages, dozens of Hamas fighters surrounded the Red Cross vehicles carrying the Israelis in a show of force. Despite the killing of leader Yahya Sinwar, the group’s exiled leadership reportedly remains functional, and Sinwar’s brother Mohammed has a greater role in the organization.
A second front? While hostilities have ceased in Gaza, on Tuesday Israel launched a “counterterrorism” operation in the occupied West Bank, killing nine and injuring dozens, according to Palestinian officials. Hamas leaders condemned the violence and called on Palestinians in the territory to increase their attacks on Israelis – something that could further jeopardize the fragile peace.
FILE PHOTO: Singapore MAERSK TAURUS container ship transits through Cocoli Locks in the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama, August 12, 2024.
Just hours after Donald Trump threatened again to take the Panama Canal in his inaugural address Monday, Panama opened a probe into a Hong Kong-based company that operates ports at both ends of the waterway.
The backdrop: The US built and opened the canal in 1914, and kept direct control of it until 1999, when it was given to Panama after years of protest against the US presence. Trump says that was a “mistake” and wants to retake it, claiming Panama “overcharges” US ships and has allowed China to exert too much influence.
Canal tolls have increased in recent years due to water shortages, but they apply equally to ships from all countries. Chinese companies are active in Panama, but there is no evidence so far of their meddling in the canal itself.
Panama says it won’t give up the canal, which handles 6% of global trade. But if Trump wants to force the issue, there’s little the tiny country could do. Probing a company based in Hong Kong, a nominally autonomous city-state that has fallen under stricter Chinese control in recent years, is a sign Panama wants to head off a bigger crisis.
Trump’s response to the probe will tell us a lot. If he’s using threats to secure preferential rates for US ships, then a peaceful resolution is possible. But if he thinks direct control is essential in a zero-sum global competition with China, then the probe won’t move him, and things could get frothier fast.
If so, the question in Panama – as in Greenland, which Trump also wants – will quickly become: What other global powers might Panama turn to for help?
In a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, businesses are focusing on adapting to global trade uncertainties. Dr. Nikolaus Lang, global leader of the BCG Henderson Institute, shared his insights with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis during the World Economic Forum in Davos. Dr. Lang discussed the Trump administration’s cautious approach to tariffs, emphasizing the likelihood of increases in the near future. "Our point of view is that there will be tariff hikes in one way or the others. Whether this will be the magnitude that was kind of mentioned in the campaign remains open."
While the delay may provide corporations some time to prepare, he stressed the urgency for businesses to strengthen their "geopolitical muscle" by diversifying supply chains, planning for inflationary volatility, and integrating geopolitical awareness into decision-making. Despite the complexities, Dr. Lang remains optimistic about global trade growth, forecasting a 3% annual increase over the next decade. Emerging markets, particularly Southeast Asia and India, are poised to benefit significantly, offering substantial expansion opportunities. His insights underscore the need for businesses to remain agile and proactive, finding opportunities even amid disruption.
Follow GZERO coverage of Davos here: https://www.gzeromedia.com/global-stage
U.S. President Donald Trump throws a pen after he signed executive orders on the inauguration day of Trump's second Presidential term, inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025.
Hours after his inauguration, Donald TrumpscrappedJoe Biden's October 2023 executive order regulating artificial intelligence. That means AI companies won’t need to take certain safety and transparency measures related to developing the technology.
The new executive order was part of a spate of presidential actions issued on Monday. It signaled that Trump will take a hands-off approach to reining in artificial intelligence companies — if not industry at large.
In his second term, Trump has surrounded himself with Silicon Valley types including venture capitalist David Sacks, his crypto and AI czar, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in charge of government efficiency efforts.In this photo illustration, the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) logo seen displayed on a smartphone with an Artificial intelligence (AI) chip and symbol in the background.
The Central Intelligence Agency has reportedly spent the last two years developing an artificial intelligence chatbot.
The chatbot helps analysts get inside the heads of foreign presidents and prime ministers by conversing with them about various topics. And unlike many of its initiatives, the CIA actually wants the public to know about it. “It is a fantastic example of an app that we were able to rapidly deploy and get out to production in a cheaper, faster fashion,” CIA Chief Technology Officer Nand Mulchandani told the New York Times.
This program should continue under new CIA leadership, assuming Trump’s nominee John Ratcliffe is confirmed by the US Senate. Ratcliffe said that the agency has “struggled to keep pace” with technological innovation. Still, he said that Biden’s CIA director, William Burns, had attempted to expand the agency’s tech innovation experts and pledged to expand them. “The nation who wins the race in the emerging technologies of today will dominate the world of tomorrow,” he added.
The CIA gave no other details about its chatbot — what technology it’s based on, whether it worked with government contractors, and what steps it takes to keep its likely classified conversations secure. But as the agency changes hands, and the Trump administration cozies up with Silicon Valley, expect deeper integration between the national security and technology sectors in the years to come.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum attends the vice president?s dinner ahead of the inauguration of Trump, in Washington, U.S., January 18, 2025.
The AI race depends on fossil fuels. That was the message from Doug Burgum in his Senate confirmation hearing last Thursday.
Burgum is currently auditioning for two jobs. If confirmed by the US Senate, the former North Dakota governor will not only serve as secretary of the interior but also as the head of a new committee called the National Energy Council.
Burgum said that the US will lose its “AI arms race” with China unless it takes full advantage of fossil fuels. To run artificial intelligence models on advanced processors, data centers require copious amounts of electricity. He criticized wind and solar energy and said the country needs more “baseload” electricity from coal. “The sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow,” Burgum told senators, signaling plans for a deregulatory environment in the energy sector.
Companies are rethinking their climate ambitions in the age of AI. In July, Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandtadmitted that the company’s goal to become carbon “net zero” by 2030 is now “extremely ambitious.” The Biden administration has encouraged the development of nuclear energy infrastructure as a way to get more “clean energy” to pursue AI at scale without further delaying progress on climate goals. Google and Microsoft have struck deals for nuclear energy, while Meta is seeking a deal of its own.
Burgum’s confirmation hearing showed that while Trump’s administration may be just as enthused about dominating global AI, it’ll be less stringent on using renewable or clean energy to do so.