MEZIESBLOG

While Donald Trump make waves with a black Sharpie in the Oval Office, JD Vance is on his first foreign visit as vice president. 

He’s just addressed a high-stakes AI summit in Paris, criticising Europe’s tech regulations and warning leaders that excessive rules could strangle artificial intelligence. 

“We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry,” Vance said, declaring the US intends to remain the dominant force in AI.

“We feel very strongly that AI must remain free from ideological bias and that American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship.”

European politicians last year approved the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive set of rules governing the technology. But some tech giants are pushing for it to be enforced leniently.

On his first full day back in the White House, Trump revoked a Biden executive order on addressing AI risks.

Healey says Europe has heard America’s call to ‘step up’

Speaking after a meeting of Ukrainian allies, British Defence Secretary John Healey says the group will help “force Putin to the negotiating table” by backing Kyiv’s troops with equipment.

Healey reacts to comments made by Trump’s defence secretary Pete Hegseth, who earlier said Europe needed to take more responsibility for its own security.

“We heard his call for European nations to step up. We are and we will,” says Healey.

“We did more on defence spending and will do more.”

Together, Non-US NATO nations increased defence spending by 20% last year, he says.

The UK will spend $4.5bn on military aid for Ukraine this year and £150m of new firepower, including drones, tanks and missiles.

Worried countries seek exemption from Trump’s latest tariffs

Unsurprisingly Donald Trump’s latest tariffs – on steel and aluminium – are causing concern among some of the US’s biggest trading partners around the world.

Among them is South Korea, the fourth-biggest exporter of steel to the US, behind Canada, Mexico and Brazil, according to American Iron and Steel Institute data.

Choi Sang-mok, the country’s acting president, said the government would seek talks with Trump’s administration on the tariffs.

Trump also said last night that he would give “great consideration” to a request from Australia for an exemption to the steel tariffs due to its trade deficit with the US.