US considering new restrictions on AI chip exports to China – WSJ

(Reuters) – The United States is considering new restrictions on exports of artificial intelligence chips to China, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) fell about 1.4% on the news. Nvidia, Micron, and AMD are among the U.S. chipmakers caught in…

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Acting US Labor chief Su opponents undeterred after port worker deal

By David Shepardson and Lisa Baertlein WASHINGTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su’s nomination to officially lead that agency is at risk even after she helped negotiate a crucial contract deal between U.S. West Coast seaport employers and the union representing 22,000 workers this month. The criticism from Republican opponents in the U.S….

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US targets Wagner Group in curbs on gold firms suspected of funding mercenary force

By Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States took aim at Russia’s Wagner Group and imposed sanctions on Tuesday on companies it accused of engaging in illicit gold dealings to fund the mercenary force. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it slapped sanctions on four companies in the United…

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US Supreme Court backs man who sent female musician flood of unwanted messages

By John Kruzel WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the stalking conviction of a Colorado man who sent a barrage of unwanted messages to a female musician in a case involving constitutional free speech protections, ruling that prosecutors had not shown he understood the “threatening nature” of his words. The 7-2…

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Four more arrested in smuggling incident that killed 53 migrants in Texas

By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – U.S. officials in Texas have arrested four Mexicans who were indicted on suspicion of operating a human smuggling ring responsible for the deaths a year ago of 53 migrants packed into a truck during sweltering heat, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. Dozens of migrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras…

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Factbox-A look at the US Supreme Court’s major rulings this year

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a number of important rulings during its current term that began last October and is expected to decide its remaining cases by the end of June including disputes involving race-conscious college admissions practices, President Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan and LGBT rights. Here is a…

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Wagner mutiny exposes risks for China’s deep Russian ties

By Martin Quin Pollard and Yew Lun Tian BEIJING (Reuters) – As news broke on Saturday that mercenary Wagner troops were careering towards Moscow in a short-lived rebellion, several businessmen from southern China began frantically calling factories to halt shipments of goods destined for Russia. While the mutiny – the biggest test of Russian President…

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US Supreme Court rejects bid to give lawmakers unchecked power over elections

By Andrew Chung (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed a legal theory favored by many conservatives that could hand sweeping power to state legislatures to establish rules for presidential and congressional elections and draft electoral maps giving huge advantages to the party already in control. The justices, in a 6-3 decision authored by…

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Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack preceded by intelligence agency failures -Senate report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A new report detailing intelligence failures leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol said government agencies responsible for anticipating trouble downplayed the threat – even as the building was being stormed in an attempt to stop Congress’ certification of Joe Biden as the 46th president. The 105-page report,…

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Georgia election official Raffensperger to speak with Jan. 6 investigators

By Joseph Ax (Reuters) – Georgia’s top election official, Brad Raffensperger, is scheduled on Wednesday to answer questions from federal investigators examining former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a spokesperson for Raffensperger’s office said. Raffensperger, Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, will likely be asked about a phone call he received…

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