Mark Zuckerberg goes full Trump, Elon Musk cuts DOGE expectations

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Mr. Trump is returning to Washington — and tech giants don’t want to miss out.

Google and Microsoft have announced plans to donate $1 million to the committee planning President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, joining fellow tech titans such as Amazon and Apple (AAPL), whose CEO Tim Cook made a personal gift. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose company also donated, revealed a slew of pro-Trump changes this week, including copying Elon Musk’s X’s Community Notes system. Musk himself also gave a somewhat sour update on his federal cost-cutting ambitions.

TikTok is also facing a new offer from a “Shark Tank” star as the company readies itself to fight a U.S. ban on its app before the Supreme Court on Friday.

Catch up on all that news and more — including Trump’s influence over a halted port strike and the current administration’s attempt to throw a wrench in his drilling plans — below.

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A massive U.S. port strike was averted — and the union credits Trump

Thousands of International Longshoremen’s Association members walked off the job in October after failing to get a new labor contact before the current one expired.

A massive strike across the U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports has been averted after a dockworker union and an alliance of companies, terminal operators, and port associations negotiated a new labor contract.

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Elon Musk is already lowering expectations for DOGE

While campaigning for Donald Trump in October, Elon Musk claimed he could slash “at least $2 trillion” in government spending. Now that Musk has started laying the groundwork for his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, he’s not as confident.

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Mark Zuckerberg and Meta go all-in on Trump

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg attends the Ultimate Fighting Championship 298 event in February 2024.

Mark Zuckerberg’s metamorphosis from liberal tech titan to libertarian Donald Trump ally is gaining steam.

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TikTok is about to have its day at the Supreme Court. Here’s what to know as it fights a U.S. ban

Photo illustration of the TikTok logo displayed on a phone on top of U.S. flags.

Illustration: Wang Gang/VCG (Getty Images)

The nation’s highest court is preparing to hear the case against banning one of the most popular social media platforms in the U.S. — Britney Nguyen

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Google and Microsoft are the latest tech giants donating $1 million to Trump’s inauguration

Google (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) are the latest technology giants to officially make a major donation to the group planning President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, which is less than two weeks away.

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Biden makes an 11th-hour bid to block Trump’s plans to ‘drill, baby, drill’

President Joe Biden plans to block key areas from offshore oil and gas drilling in an eleventh-hour bid to upend his successor’s plans to massively expand those programs in the name of “drill, baby, drill.”

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FTC Chair Lina Khan hopes Trump admin won’t strike ‘sweetheart’ deals with Amazon and Meta

Lina Khan, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 15, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Outgoing U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan said Tuesday that she hopes her successor in the incoming Trump administration will not cut a “sweetheart” deal with Amazon (AMZN) and Facebook’s parent company Meta (META), as the agency continues its antitrust cases against the tech giants. — Bruce Gil

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Trump’s team may whittle down his controversial tariff plan

President-elect Donald Trump’s team is reportedly looking to cut down on his plan to slap every other country with massive tariffs of up to 20%, which investors have called the “greatest risk” for the U.S. economy.

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Trump’s play for Greenland could make Ozempic more expensive

A pharmacist holds a box of Novo Nordisk A/S Ozempic brand semaglutide medication arranged at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, US, on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023

Image: Bloomberg / Contributor (Getty Images)

Denmark is the latest in a series of countries that President-elect Donald Trump has threatened with tariffs — joining a list that includes the 26 other nations of the European Union, as well as Canada and Mexico. — Bruce Gil

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Meta is giving up on fact-checking and doing it Elon Musk-style

Meta Platforms (META) is replacing its third-party fact-checking program with the community-driven system popularized by Elon Musk’s X, as the company continues to signal a warmer approach to President-elect Donald Trump.

Zuckerberg goes full Trump, Musk cuts DOGE expectations, TikTok's day in court: Politics news roundup

Zuckerberg goes full Trump, Musk cuts DOGE expectations, TikTok's day in court: Politics news roundup

Plus, Google and Microsoft join the horde of companies funding Trump's record-breaking inauguration

A massive U.S. port strike was averted — and the union credits Trump

A massive U.S. port strike was averted — and the union credits Trump

Elon Musk is already lowering expectations for DOGE

Elon Musk is already lowering expectations for DOGE

Mark Zuckerberg and Meta go all-in on Trump

Mark Zuckerberg and Meta go all-in on Trump

TikTok is about to have its day at the Supreme Court. Here’s what to know as it fights a U.S. ban

TikTok is about to have its day at the Supreme Court. Here’s what to know as it fights a U.S. ban

Google and Microsoft are the latest tech giants donating $1 million to Trump’s inauguration

Google and Microsoft are the latest tech giants donating $1 million to Trump’s inauguration

Biden makes an 11th-hour bid to block Trump’s plans to ‘drill, baby, drill’

Biden makes an 11th-hour bid to block Trump’s plans to ‘drill, baby, drill’

FTC Chair Lina Khan hopes Trump admin won’t strike ‘sweetheart’ deals with Amazon and Meta

FTC Chair Lina Khan hopes Trump admin won’t strike ‘sweetheart’ deals with Amazon and Meta

Trump’s team may whittle down his controversial tariff plan

Trump’s team may whittle down his controversial tariff plan

Trump’s play for Greenland could make Ozempic more expensive

Trump’s play for Greenland could make Ozempic more expensive

Meta is giving up on fact-checking and doing it Elon Musk-style

Meta is giving up on fact-checking and doing it Elon Musk-style