An upcoming iPhone update is raising alarms among Republican fundraisers who say a new text filtration system set to hit the market in September will disproportionately block conservative fundraising and voter outreach efforts, echoing past Big Tech controversies that put a target on the backs of GOP voters. 

‘It’s no surprise that Big Tech wants to stop Donald Trump and other Republicans from communicating with people, because they’ve tried every other method to interfere already,’ Sean Dollman, founding partner of American Made Media Company, the parent company of Launchpad Strategies, which was the exclusive digital firm for Trump 2024, told Fox News Digital. 

‘Big Tech has suppressed him, suspended him, and banned him outright. And now they’re trying to make it so he can’t text anybody either. But MAGA won’t be stopped, and MAGA will always find a way.’

Apple is expected to roll out its latest update, iOS 26, in September, which will include an updated text filtration system that siphons text messages from unknown numbers that have no chat history with the recipient to a separate message folder that will not generate an alert to the recipient, leaders from American Made Media Company and Launchpad explained to Fox News Digital of the upcoming update. Text messages from known numbers saved on an individual’s phone are expected to continue alerting recipients and sending the messages to their typical text app. 

Launchpad Strategies served as the Trump 2024 campaign’s exclusive digital firm handling online advertising and consulting during Trump’s decisive victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris, and continues operating as a ‘full-service Republican digital agency dedicated to helping campaigns win,’ according to its website. 

Launchpad raised $509 million for the Trump campaign in 2024 and an additional $18 million in funds from 40 other clients during the massive 2024 election year, Fox Digital learned. 

The update could affect election cycles themselves, as text messages concerning voter registration and campaign rallies are expected to also be punted to this new folder, according to fundraisers. 

Data from the 2024 election cycle showed Republicans leveraged text campaigns two-to-one compared to Democrats, putting them directly in the line of fire when the expected update takes effect in September — ahead of the midterms hitting a fever pitch as Democrats look to flip the House and Senate from Republican control.

The text filtration’s scope is expected to extend far beyond just politics, including potentially siphoning texts concerning real-life issues such as doctor appointments from a number not saved in a person’s phone. 

The National Republican Senate Committee, which serves as the Senate Republican’s campaigning arm, circulated an internal memo in July sounding the alarm that the iOS update could cost Republicans more than $25 million in revenue, Punchbowl News reported at the time. 

Apple filtering texts from unknown numbers is not new, with such a program already used within the current iOS 18 systems. The current filtration system is by default not activated until a user toggles a button within the ‘settings’ app. 

The iOS 26 update is also currently available to the public for beta testing, the outlet Fast Company reported in July. 

Under the new update, the filtration system will be renamed to ‘Screen Unknown Senders,’ but will use ongoing criteria to kick text messages to another folder, specifically: if the iPhone owner does not have a contact saved in their phone and if the user has never interacted with the unknown phone number trying to contact them, according to Fast Company. 

The visibility of the texts from unknown senders will get a facelift under the new update, with the filtered messages from unknown senders made more easily seen by users with a new filtration button at the top of Apple’s Messages app that will display a blue badge noting how many unread texts an iPhone user has received from unknown numbers, according to the Fast Company report, which sought to quell Republican fundraising concerns over the update. 

Fox News Digital reached out to Apple for comment on Monday. 

History repeating itself is of top concern to Republican fundraisers, who pointed to a seemingly similar filtration system with Gmail messages that first hit the public’s radar in 2022. Studies at the time found Gmail allowed the vast majority of emails from left-wing politicians to land in a user’s inbox, while more than two-thirds of messages from conservative candidates were marked as spam, according to data from North Carolina State University’s Department of Computer Science that was previously reported by Fox News Digital. 

The Gmail filtration system resulted in a $2 billion loss for Republican candidates between 2019 and 2022, Fox News Digital reported in April 2022 citing research from the Republican National Committee, National Republican Congressional Committee, National Republican Senate Committee.

‘Big Tech has been silencing conservative voices and actively working against Republicans for multiple cycles. Google’s e-mail suppression – which affects the GOP’s fundraising and GOTV efforts – is another egregious example. Silicon Valley oligarchs are suppressing free political speech,’ then-RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, then-NRSC Chairman Senator Rick Scott and then-NRCC Chairman Congressman Tom Emmer said in a joint statement back in 2022, Fox News Digital reported at the time. 

The research found that between 2019 and 2020, conservative candidates raised $737 million on Republican fundraising platform WinRed from Gmail. The data found that just 32% of fundraising emails actually reached recipients, with Republicans estimating they missed out on $1.5 billion in contributions during the 2020 election cycle alone. 

The update comes as the Democrat Party is in turmoil following the 2024 race, which saw former President Biden drop out of the election cycle with just over 100 days to go before passing the proverbial mantle to Vice President Kamala Harris before the loss to Trump. The party has since attempted to find its political footing after an exodus of the working-class vote to the GOP in 2024 and voters rejecting left-wing policies, most notably surrounding social issues. 

Republican fundraisers are already working on workarounds for the expected update, including having recipients add fundraising numbers to their phones. 

Screenshots of fundraising text messages reviewed by Fox News Digital in 2025 show texts touting Trump’s name, accompanied by messages that ask recipients to add the number to their contacts or respond to the text to build a chat history. 

The texts include messages such as, ‘From Trump: Did you save my number yet?’ or ‘Download the Trump Contact Card to add me to your address book’ or other interactive texts such as, ‘Trump: If you had 5 minutes with me, what would you say? No links. I just want your reply below.’ 

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates went to the White House on Tuesday for a meeting with the president, according to a Gates spokesperson.

In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, the spokesperson noted, ‘Bill met with the president to discuss the importance of U.S. global health programs and health research that is necessary to save lives, protect Americans’ health, and preserve U.S. leadership in the world.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Wednesday.

Prior to the president’s inauguration for his second term, Wall Street Journal Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker asked the mega-wealthy figure whether he had met with Trump since Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential contest. 

Gates said that they had a ‘quite intriguing dinner,’ noting that it lasted more than three hours. 

An individual who Gates explained ‘helps manage things for me’ was also present, as well as Susie Wiles, Gates added.

Lawyers for the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court on Tuesday night asking the justices to halt a lower court injunction and allow it to freeze billions in foreign aid spending previously allocated by Congress — kicking the issue of USAID funding back to the high court for the second time in roughly six months.

At issue is nearly $12 billion in funding allocated to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and owed by the end of the fiscal year in September. The majority of those funds were axed by President Donald Trump almost immediately after taking office, under the broader mantle of slashing foreign aid and eliminating so-called ‘waste, fraud, and abuse.’  

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the Supreme Court in an emergency filing Tuesday that, absent intervention from the high court, the Trump administration would be forced to ‘rapidly obligate some $12 billion in foreign-aid funds’ owed by September 30, or the end of the fiscal year.

Those payments have been held up in court for months, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office in January seeking to block nearly all foreign aid spending, as part of his administration’s broader crackdown on waste, fraud, and abuse.

That order was blocked by a federal judge in D.C. earlier this year. That judge, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali, ordered the Trump administration to resume payments on billions of dollars in funding for USAID projects that were previously approved by Congress. 

That order was overturned this month by the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which ruled 2-1 to vacate the lower court injunction.

The appeals court partly vacated Judge Ali’s injunction, rejecting a request from foreign aid groups that had sought to restore the grant payments. The 2-1 majority also ruled that the plaintiffs failed to show Trump had acted ‘plainly’ in excess of his executive branch authorities.

Writing for the majority, Judge Karen L. Henderson, a President George H.W. Bush appointee, said that the plaintiffs lacked the proper cause of action to sue the Trump administration over its decision to withhold the funds, or what is known as impoundment.

But the appeals court has not yet issued a mandate to enforce that ruling — meaning that, for now, the judge’s order, and the payment schedule he previously laid out — remains in place.

Sauer argued in the emergency Supreme Court appeal that the foreign aid groups, which sued the Trump administration this year in order to claw back some of the grant money, have no legal authority to challenge the executive branch on the matter, which is technically under the legal jurisdiction of the Impoundment Control Act.

‘Congress did not upset the delicate interbranch balance by allowing for unlimited, unconstrained private suits,’ Sauer wrote. ‘Any lingering dispute about the proper disposition of funds that the President seeks to rescind shortly before they expire should be left to the political branches, not effectively prejudged by the district court.’

Plaintiffs, for their part, have argued that the executive branch lacks the authority to unilaterally withhold already-appropriated funds, under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), as well as the Administrative Procedure Act.

The Supreme Court previously ruled 5-4. 

White House special envoy Steve Witkoff said he is pushing for all hostages held in the Gaza Strip to be returned this week, though negotiations with Hamas still appear to be at an impasse. 

‘We adamantly want, and I’m following the president’s direction here when I say this, all of those hostages home this week,’ Witkoff told Fox News’ Bret Baier on ‘Special Report’ Tuesday night. 

‘There’s been a deal on the table for the last six or seven weeks that would have released 10 of the hostages out of the 20 who we think are alive,’ he said, noting that he believes Hamas is ‘100%’ to blame for the hold-up.

‘It was Hamas who slow played that process, and it is Hamas now who is saying we accept that deal,’ Witkoff added.

Witkoff did not go into detail on what specifically is holding up the return of the hostages who have been held captive in the Gaza Strip for nearly two years following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 

But reports on Tuesday suggested the Israeli security cabinet refused to review a deal that would see the partial release of hostages and Witkoff confirmed the ‘official position’ of Jerusalem is a full return of hostages or no ceasefire deal as it pushes forward with its plans to take Gaza City. 

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group that represents the families of the hostages, said it is ‘hopeful that with this deal on the table, we will finally see our loved ones return.’ 

‘Time is running out, and we know that only by finalizing this deal can we bring all 50 hostages home – those who are alive to begin their healing journey, and those who were tragically lost to receive a dignified burial,’ it added.  ‘We have no time left – let’s make this deal happen now.’

But the forum also issued a public statement on Tuesday after reports said Israel refused to review a partial return deal, and said, ‘It is deeply disappointing that on the very day when masses of Israelis take to the streets demanding the return of all hostages and an end to the war, the government continues to delay progress on the agreement, contrary to the people’s will.’ 

A demonstration of some 350,000 people took place in Israel’s Hostage Square in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night, according to the Forum, just days after another massive protest took to the streets of Tel Aviv, in which the families of the hostages and supporters again called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal with Hamas. 

Witkoff argued that there can be negotiations after the hostages are returned for ‘what next day… looks like in Gaza after this is all done and what the definition of Hamas is’ – suggesting these issues remain major hurdles as Israel has repeatedly vowed the complete destruction of Hamas.

The special envoy said it wasn’t his ‘call’ to say whether the terrorist network should be completely destroyed, but noted there was room for negotiations in returning the hostages as Palestinian prisoners would also be swapped in exchange. 

Fifty hostages continue to be held by Hamas, only 20 of whom are assessed to still be alive. 

President Donald Trump on Monday predicted there would be a ‘conclusive’ end to the war in Gaza within the next ‘two to three weeks,’ though he did not say how this would be accomplished. 

The Forum responded to the pronouncement and said, ‘We pray this is true and that you gave a deadline to end our suffering. You have committed directly to released hostages that you will bring all of the hostages home – now is the time to make that happen.’ 

Witkoff also said Trump would be hosting a meeting at the White House on Wednesday to discuss a ‘day after’ plan for Gaza, though it is unclear who will take part in this meeting. 

When pressed for details on the meeting, a White House official told Fox News Digital, ‘President Trump has been clear that he wants the war to end, and he wants peace and prosperity for everyone in the region. The White House has nothing additional to share on the meeting at this time.’

President Donald Trump is reportedly working on a move that would give the U.S. a new military and economic foothold in Africa, counter China and Russia and strike a blow against Islamist terrorists in the region. And now a leading senator has told Fox News Digital this goal can be realized by recognizing the breakaway Somaliland as an independent state.

Somaliland, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, broke away from Somalia in 1991. Its government is said to be offering the U.S. a new air and sea base close to the entrance of the Red Sea, and directly across from Yemen and the Houthis, if the U.S. formally recognizes it, 30% of the world’s container ship traffic is reported to pass through its waters en route to or from the Suez Canal.

In the Oval Office on Aug. 8, Trump told reporters, ‘We’re looking into that right now,’ when asked about the recognition of Somaliland and the possible resettlement of Gazans there, adding, ‘We’re working on that right now, Somaliland’. 

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., told Fox News Digital, ‘There is a very real opportunity that President Trump will recognize Somaliland during this administration.’

Cruz added, ‘President Trump is bringing a new era of clarity in American national security, after four years of the Biden administration rewarding our enemies and punishing our allies, and recognizing Somaliland should be part of this new era.

‘Somaliland has been a reliable ally to the United States, is integrating itself with us and our allies globally, and is committed to helping us counter efforts by China to undermine the safety and prosperity of Americans,’ he said.

The White House did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Neighboring Somalia has been battling Islamist fundamentalist fighters for decades. U.S. Africa Command has increased the number of airstrikes against both ISIS and al-Shabab terrorists under the current administration.

But Somaliland, 99% Muslim, has allegedly eliminated radicalism and has aligned itself with the U.S. and Israel, leading Cruz to tell Fox News Digital, ‘They’re a Muslim country, in a very dangerous part of Africa, showing real courage. I will continue to push for deepening the U.S.-Somaliland partnership, including through the Africa Subcommittee in the Senate, and I expect that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will be receptive to doing so.’

Earlier this month, Cruz wrote to President Trump about Somaliland, stating, ‘it requires the status of a state. I urge you to grant it that recognition.’

Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi , is optimistic, telling the British Guardian newspaper on May 30, ‘Recognition is on the horizon.’ He added, ‘It’s a matter of time. Not if, but when’.

Somaliland’s port at Berbera is the jewel in any Washington deal. Analysts say it is in such a strategic position that both Russia and China have tried to acquire it. Right next door to it is one of Africa’s five longest runways, offering the U.S. the possibility of both a sea and air base that can strike Houthi rebels to the north and Al Shabaab terrorists to the east. 

In his letter to the White House, Cruz wrote, ‘Somaliland has emerged as a critical security and diplomatic partner for the United States, helping America advance our national security interests in the Horn of Africa and beyond. It is strategically located along the

Gulf of Aden, putting it near one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. It possesses capable armed forces and contributes to regional counterterrorism and piracy operations. It has proposed hosting a U.S. military presence near the Red Sea along the Gulf of Aden.’

The U.S.’s largest military base in Africa is just up the coast in Djibouti. But there are security and surveillance issues at the Camp Lemonnier U.S. base where the Chinese and other nations have opened their own bases and monitoring stations nearby.

Somaliland is also offering the White House access to rare earth minerals essential for high-tech industries, such as lithium and silicon quartz.

The U.S. has described Somalia, with large numbers of both ISIS and al-Qaida-linked operatives, as a terrorist safe haven. Now the increasing presence of China and military forces from countries such as Turkey is reportedly leading some in Washington to be increasingly unhappy with its ‘one Somalia’ policy, where Somaliland continues to be recognized only as a part of Somalia. 

For now, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital the official position: ‘The United States recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, which includes the territory of Somaliland. The State Department is not in active discussions with Somaliland’s representatives about a deal to recognize Somaliland as a state.’

But, Somaliland’s foreign minister worked Washington’s corridors and politicians in April, and several African sources, including the influential Horn Observer news outlet, have reported that President Abdullahi is expected to come to D.C. ‘soon’. U.S. officials, including the U.S. ambassador to Somalia, Richard Riley, are said to have been to Somaliland to meet with the president at least three times this year.

Longtime government scientist Susan Monarez is refusing to leave her position as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced she had been removed from the role less than a month after she was sworn in.

Attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell said they are representing Monarez and claimed she ‘has neither resigned nor yet been fired.’

The attorneys released a statement on social media, claiming HHS and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are weaponizing public health for political gain and putting millions of American lives at risk. 

‘When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda,’ the statement said. ‘For that, she has been targeted. Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign.’

The Washington Post reported that sources within the CDC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said HHS leaders, including Kennedy, sought to get Monarez to commit to rescinding approvals for certain COVID-19 vaccines. When Monarez did not immediately commit, she was told by administration officials that she must resign or she would be fired. 

Sources also claimed she then attempted to involve the chairman of the Senate’s top health committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. The move reportedly further angered Kennedy. 

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the HHS directed Fox News Digital to the agency’s response shared on its official X account.

‘Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,’ HHS said. ‘We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. Secretary Kennedy has full confidence in his team at the CDC who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad.’

The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that Monarez was being removed.

‘As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again,’ White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. ‘Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC.’

Monarez was tapped by the Trump administration to lead the CDC after its initial nominee, Dave Weldon, withdrew from contention in March amid fears he might not garner enough support in the Senate to be confirmed. Shortly after Weldon stepped down, Monarez was formally nominated to be the CDC’s permanent director and was eventually confirmed in the final week of July.

During Monarez’s confirmation hearing, she expressed support for vaccines and told lawmakers she has ‘not seen a causal link between vaccines and autism.’

Prior to Monarez’s Senate confirmation, CDC directors did not typically require Senate approval, but that changed in 2022 when Congress passed a law making it necessary. Monarez was the first-ever Senate-confirmed CDC director in the agency’s history.

Monarez was also the first CDC director without a medical degree in more than seven decades. However, she does hold a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology.

After getting her doctorate, Monarez entered the federal government, where she found herself in roles at the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Security Council, the Department of Homeland Security and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Her biography on the CDC’s website says she worked on ‘leading efforts to enhance the nation’s biomedical innovation capabilities, including combating antimicrobial resistance, expanding the use of wearables to promote patient health, ensuring personal health data privacy, and improving pandemic preparedness.’

Hours after the news that Monarez would no longer head the CDC, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital that at least three other top CDC officials tendered their resignations, including the CDC’s director of its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Demetre Daskalakis; the director of the National Centers for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Dr. Daniel Jernigan; and the CDC’s chief medical officer, Debra Houry.

Daskalakis posted his lengthy resignation letter on X, citing various reasons for his departure, including ‘the views’ of Secretary Kennedy and his staff. 

Daskalakis said he could not continue to work in an administration that treats the CDC ‘as a tool’ to establish policies that ‘do not reflect scientific reality.’ He specifically cited recent changes Kennedy’s HHS has brought to vaccine scheduling for children and adults, arguing it ‘threaten[s] the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.’ 

The former CDC director also cited the administration’s efforts to ‘erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research.’   

Fox News’ David Lewkowict contributed to this report.

Lynas Rare Earths of Australia announced on Thursday a larger-than-anticipated decline in its annual profit. The company also expressed significant uncertainty regarding the future of its heavy rare-earths processing plant in Texas.

Lynas., the world’s largest producer of rare-earth materials outside of China, has confirmed ongoing negotiations with the US Department of Defense (DoD), Reuters said in a report. 

These discussions are focused on establishing a mutually acceptable offtake agreement for the rare-earth production that will originate from Lynas’s new processing facility in Seadrift, Texas. 

This strategic collaboration underscores efforts by both nations to secure a diversified and stable supply chain for these critical minerals, which are essential for a wide range of advanced technologies, including defense applications.

“While there can be no certainty that offtake agreements will be agreed, any offtake agreements would need to be on commercial terms acceptable to Lynas,” the miner said.

Investments

Lynas had been developing the facility under a contract with the US DoD, with operations slated to commence in fiscal 2026. 

However, the company suggested that the plant’s construction might not proceed.

“We are big supporters of continued investment in development of outside-China’s supply chains,” CEO Amanda Lacaze told an investor call.

She said:

But just remember…Lynas is the lynchpin of (the) outside-China supply chain, and it is important that policy development is done in such a way that continues to protect that, because, as I said before, development of new plants can be long and uncertain.

Following this, the US government reached a multi-billion dollar agreement last month to become the primary shareholder in MP Materials (MP.N), Lynas’s largest competitor outside of China. 

The deal also includes a guaranteed floor price for MP Materials’ main rare earth product and a $150 million loan to facilitate its expansion in heavy rare earths separation.

Pursuing partnerships

Lynas further aims to partner with emerging rare earth magnet manufacturers outside of China, including those in the US, and is open to acquiring equity in these ventures.

“There are seven magnet projects coming to market in the U.S., many of which actually have some form of government funding, which de-risks them,” Lacaze was quoted in the Reuters report. 

She further noted that the US likely has more magnet projects than the rest of the world combined.

We want to be able to participate either on an operational or a supply or an equity basis in this part of the supply chain.

Last month, the miner entered into an agreement with Korea’s JS Link to establish a magnet facility in Malaysia, where the miner already conducts processing operations.

Financials

For the year ending June 30, Lynas reported a net profit after tax of A$8 million ($5.20 million), a significant drop from the A$84.5 million recorded the previous year.

The company’s annual results also fell short of the Visible Alpha consensus estimate, which stood at A$30.4 million.

Lynas’s profit decline was attributed to depreciation costs incurred from the expansion of its Kalgoorlie and Mt. Weld facilities. Production at Kalgoorlie did not meet its nameplate capacity.

The projected capital expenditure for fiscal year 2026 is approximately A$160 million.

The miner declared an equity raising of A$750 million to capitalize on “new growth opportunities.” The newly issued shares are priced at A$13.25 each, representing a 10% discount to Lynas’ closing price on August 27.

Trading of its shares was halted in anticipation of the equity raising.

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A landmark $550 billion trade pact between the United States and Japan has been thrown into chaos, after Tokyo’s top trade negotiator abruptly canceled a high-stakes visit to Washington at the last minute on Thursday.

The shock move derails talks that were meant to finalize the massive investment-for-tariff-relief deal, revealing a deep and unresolved snag that now threatens the entire agreement.

The cancellation is a stunning reversal, coming just as the deal seemed poised for a victory lap.

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had himself declared that an announcement on the Japanese investment was expected this very week. Instead, a diplomatic stalemate has taken hold.

A matter of trust: the standoff over who acts first

The official explanation from Tokyo was couched in careful diplomatic language.

“It was found that there are points that need to be discussed at the administrative level during coordination with the American side. Therefore, the trip has been cancelled,” government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.

But beneath the surface, a high-stakes game of chicken is unfolding. At the heart of the dispute is the sequencing of the deal.

Japan has made it clear it wants an amended presidential executive order from Donald Trump to remove punishing, overlapping tariffs before it releases a joint document formalizing the details of its $550 billion investment.

“We are strongly requesting that measures be taken to amend the presidential order concerning mutual tariffs as soon as possible, and to issue a presidential order to reduce tariffs on auto parts,” Hayashi added, a clear and public demand for Washington to make the first move.

This standoff is further complicated by a fundamental disagreement over the deal’s spoils.

While President Trump has touted the package as “our money to invest” and claimed the US would retain 90 percent of the profits, Japanese officials have consistently stressed that any investment will be contingent on whether it also benefits Japan.

The price of delay: an economy already feeling the pain

This diplomatic impasse is not happening in a vacuum; it is unfolding as Japan’s economy is already feeling the acute pain of the existing tariff regime.

The nation’s exports posted their biggest monthly drop in four years in July, a slide driven by a sharp slump in shipments to the United States.

The damage has been so significant that Japan was recently forced to slash its annual growth outlook from 1.2 percent to just 0.7 percent.

The cancellation of the talks prolongs this economic uncertainty.

While a government source familiar with the negotiations suggested that the negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, could head to Washington as early as next week if the issues are resolved, the message from Tokyo is clear.

The ball is now firmly in Washington’s court, and a landmark deal that was once seen as a certainty now hangs precariously in the balance.

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The world’s diplomatic chessboard is about to be dramatically reset, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prepares for a rare and highly symbolic overseas trip.

He is heading to Beijing to stand alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a major military parade, a carefully orchestrated gathering that will place three of America’s most prominent adversaries on the world stage together in a potent show of force.

The visit, confirmed by both North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency and China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency, will see Kim attend the September 3 parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

This is not merely a ceremonial visit; it is a powerful political statement, with Chinese President Xi Jinping placing himself at the center of a new and defiant alignment of global power.

A delicate dance of diplomacy and dependence

For years, Beijing has served as North Korea’s primary backer, a vital lifeline that has kept its isolated economy afloat. But the relationship is complex.

The last time Kim and Xi met in person was in 2019, when the Chinese leader visited Pyongyang and called for denuclearization.

Now, Kim’s return to China—his first since January 2019—comes at a time when his allegiances have visibly shifted.

In recent years, North Korea has drawn dramatically closer to Russia, with US and South Korean officials accusing Pyongyang of supplying weapons and even troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Kim’s appearance in Beijing will be his first overseas trip since his 2023 summit with Putin, and the sight of him standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Russian leader on Xi’s stage is a clear signal of a new, coordinated challenge to the US-led international order.

The Chinese dilemma: a balancing act on a global stage

For Xi Jinping, however, this powerful spectacle poses a significant dilemma. Kim’s presence, particularly in the company of Putin, directly complicates Beijing’s carefully crafted image of neutrality on the war in Ukraine.

With a struggling economy still heavily reliant on exports, Xi has a vested interest in keeping his relationships with the West stable. This summit threatens to shatter that delicate balance.

“China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors, connected by mountains,” Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei said at a briefing, using North Korea’s official name.

“China stands ready to work with the DPRK to continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation.” Yet, this show of socialist solidarity with two international pariahs is a high-risk gambit.

The timing of the announcement is also impossible to ignore. It comes just days after US President Donald Trump, who met Kim three times during his first term, mused that he would like to meet the North Korean leader again this year, touting their “very good relationship.”

Kim’s decision to appear in Beijing first is a clear message to Washington, a calculated move in a global game of influence where the lines between friend and foe are being redrawn in real-time.

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Indian conglomerate Adani Group is reshaping its leadership structure by increasing the presence of women at the top, with a number of appointments going to members of the founding family.

The move is part of the company’s broader plan to improve diversity in its boardrooms, but also reflects the long-standing Indian corporate tradition of keeping leadership within the family.

In recent months, two women with close ties to Gautam Adani’s family have been tasked with leading significant operations across the group, marking a fresh phase in how the conglomerate is managed.

Women in leadership rise from 12.5% to 20%

The Adani Group has set a target to ensure women hold at least 20% of board positions, compared with 12.5% in the year ended March. This shift aligns with the company’s stated diversity, equity, and inclusion framework.

To support this, new leadership appointments have been made.

Srushti Adani, wife of Sagar Adani, the billionaire’s nephew, has been given the responsibility of overseeing digital initiatives at Adani Digital Labs, which operates under the conglomerate’s airport division.

Alongside her, Diva Adani, who recently married Gautam Adani’s youngest son Jeet Adani, has been placed in charge of non-aero business strategies at Adani Airport Holdings Ltd. Her role will involve driving a customer-focused approach to airport management.

The changes highlight a dual strategy: strengthening women’s participation in corporate leadership, while continuing to keep control firmly anchored within the founding family.

Background of the new family leaders

Diva Adani brings experience from her work at the Adani Foundation, where she contributed to disability-related programmes over the past year. She is the daughter of Surat-based diamond merchant Jaimin Shah.

Her appointment places her in a position to directly influence the growth and diversification of the airport business.

Srushti Adani, an engineering graduate from the University of California, previously founded and led Wellnest Tech, a medical equipment manufacturing firm.

Her background in engineering and entrepreneurship is expected to complement her new role in leading digital projects across the airport operations.

Indian conglomerates continue family-driven model

Adani Group’s approach reflects a broader trend across Indian conglomerates, where leadership roles are frequently given to family members.

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd. has also made similar moves, with his daughter Isha Ambani heading the retail arm and his wife Nita Ambani leading the joint venture between Reliance and Walt Disney Co.

Other major Indian businesses, such as Aditya Birla Group, Godrej Industries Ltd., and Piramal Enterprises Ltd., have also named wives, daughters, and daughters-in-law to senior management roles over the past decade.

This model reinforces family control but raises questions about meritocracy and evaluation, particularly in times when financial performance comes under pressure.

Philanthropy and education also led by women in Adani Group

The influence of women within the Adani Group is not limited to corporate functions. Namrata Adani, wife of Pranav Adani, plays a significant role in education through the Adani International School and also serves as a non-executive director at the group.

The family’s matriarch, Priti Adani, leads the Adani Foundation, which operates in 7,060 villages across 21 Indian states, focusing on areas such as education, health, and rural development.

These roles highlight how women in the family are being positioned to shape both the business and the group’s philanthropic work, creating a wider impact beyond core operations.

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