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The budding bromance between authoritarianism and tech

The budding bromance between authoritarianism and tech

Washington Post29-05-2025

When he started as a Post contributing columnist in the fall of 2017, Jamal Khashoggi was trying, constructively, to pierce the futuristic illusions about Saudi Arabia that Mohammed bin Salman was selling to the world.
MBS, as the Saudi crown prince is known, was pushing a gleaming vision of a cutting-edge Saudi Arabia, one with gaggles of robots, cities like something out of science fiction and tech investment galore. He was also ordering mass arrests across civil society, showing that his Saudi Arabia — present and future — would not tolerate dissent, activism or, in particular, vocal women.

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Venezuela's opposition leader: Democratic transition would unlock billions in investment
Venezuela's opposition leader: Democratic transition would unlock billions in investment

Miami Herald

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  • Miami Herald

Venezuela's opposition leader: Democratic transition would unlock billions in investment

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UK ministers confident post-Brexit trade friction will be eased by deal
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UK ministers confident post-Brexit trade friction will be eased by deal

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Wright pledges to back DOE loan office for nuclear
Wright pledges to back DOE loan office for nuclear

Axios

time5 hours ago

  • Axios

Wright pledges to back DOE loan office for nuclear

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told lawmakers on Tuesday he supports keeping the Loan Programs Office open for business for nuclear power. Why it matters: The House GOP's reconciliation budget proposes to eliminate unused IRA loan funding, though the DOE's budget proposal includes funding to keep the loan office open. "I do think it's a helpful tool to launch nuclear energy, which is why we're requesting money to do just that," Wright told the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Wright also told an audience on Monday that he's working with Congress to maintain a level of funding for LPO for transmission projects. What they're saying: Rep. Bob Latta, chair of E&C's energy subcommittee, agreed with Wright's assessment of LPO. "This level of government subsidy is irresponsible and unsustainable, focused on misguided priorities and was often done to the detriment of free markets and private enterprise," Latta said. Between the lines: Wright's vision for LPO will likely be diminished compared with the Biden administration's dramatic expansion. In fact, former President Biden's flurry of post-Election Day loan approvals are coming under scrutiny, Wright said. The agency's review of the DOE awards had uncovered "deeply concerning" decisions that were made "without proper due diligence," Wright said. Friction point: Some Democrats pressed Wright to tell Republicans to pull back proposed cuts in the reconciliation bill. "It looks like you and I agree on at least one issue, and that is that nuclear energy is worth investing in and that the Loan Programs Office has an important role to play," E&C ranking Democrat Frank Pallone said. Pallone cited South Carolina's Republican Gov. Henry McMaster's letter to lawmakers that the DOE loan authority and nuclear tax credits are essential to restarting a nuclear plant there. What's next: Speaker Mike Johnson and House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole met with the subcommittee chairs last week about spending priorities.

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